The Montgomery Presbyterian Church Newsletter

THE CHIMES

DECEMBER 2017

THE COMING OF GOD

Our God is the One who comes to us

in a burning bush, in an angel’s song, in a newborn child.

Our God is the One who cannot be found locked in the church,

not even in the sanctuary.

Our God will be where God will be

with no constraints, no predictability.

Our God lives where our God lives,

and destruction has no power

and even death cannot stop the living.

Our God will be born where God will be born,

but there is no place to look for the One who comes to us. When God is ready

God will come even to a godforsaken place

like a stable in Bethlehem.

Watch…

for you know not when

God comes. Watch, that you might be found

whenever wherever

God comes.

Ann Weems

Kneeling in Bethlehem, 1980

SUNDAY

SCHEDULE

Adult Christian

Education 8:45 am

Coffee & Fellowship:

10am-10:25am

Worship: 10:30am-11:30 am

Children are dismissed

for Godly Play on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Sundays

To receive the newsletter via

email, forward your email address to

officempc@mpchurch.net

with the subject line:

“NEWSLETTER”

CALENDAR 2

MPC EVENTS 3-4

MISSION 5

PRESBYTERY 5

PARTNERSHIPS 6

DECEMBER 2017

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e s d a y W e d n e s d a y T h u r s d a y F r i d a y S a t u r d a y 1 2

9:30-12:30pm Winter

Market

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

8:45 Adult CE Ladies Circle, 12pm 9:30-12:30pm Winter Market

10:30 Worship Service w/ 6:30 Hand bells

7:30 Choir

Communion

3pm Jubilant Singers concert

MPC sanctuary

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

8:45 Adult CE Lunch Bunch, noon

10:30a-11:30a: 9:30-12:30pm Winter Market

6:30 Hand bells

Worship Service 7pm Book Club

7pm Wassail Hour 7:30 Choir

(6:30 New Horizons

Orchestra)

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

8:45 Adult CE 9:30-12:30pm Winter Market

10:30a-11:30a: 6:30 Hand bells

Worship Service

7:30 Choir

Christmas Joy Offering

Received 7pm Longest Night service

Session

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

8:45 Adult CE

10:30a-11:30a: CHRISTMAS DAY

Worship Service OFFICE CLOSED

OFFICE CLOSED OFFICE CLOSED OFFICE CLOSED

Christmas Joy Offering OFFICE CLOSED

Received

DEADLINE FOR 2017

GIVING

7pm Christmas Eve service

31

8:45 Adult CE

10:30a-11:30a: Worship

Service

December 2017

MPC EVENTS Page 3

Adult Sunday School The Kemper Parlor 8:45 – 10:00 Sunday mornings

The new Adult CE series, led by Steve Thiel, will run through the 4 weeks of Advent and will study the Confession of ‘67.

Book Club

We will meet Monday, December 11, at 7pm at the home of Beth Doebereiner (8698 Totempole Dr). We will discuss the book Tattoos on the Heart, by Gregory Boyle. If you have any ques-tions or would like to be added to our distribution list, please contact Karen Simpson at karenanndance@gmail.com or 374-1025.

DEADLINE FOR 2017 GIVING IS DECEMBER 24

With the end of the calendar year soon

upon us, for your planning purposes,

please note that the last donation deposit

will be made on Sunday, December 24. If

you are planning to extend your giving or make a desig-

Thanks to all who helped apply mailing labels to the Wassail Invita- nated gift for 2017, it must be received at the church no

tions. Invitations left on the table in the Gathering Room may be later than this date. If you plan to donate stock, please

taken to share with friends, family and neighbors. begin that process in early December. Donations re-

The Deacons will need volunteers to bake cookies for Wassail, and also ceived after the 24th will become offerings to 2018.

Thank you for your continued generosity.

a few helpers to set out luminaries before the program begins.

Weather Reminder

The Ladies Circle will meet Thursday,

In case of cancellations due to inclement weather con- December 7 at noon in the library.

ditions, please check the local ABC and NBC stations

or websites (wcpo.com and wlwt.com) to stay in-

The church office will be closed for

formed. The decision will be made and called into

the holidays Friday, December 22

the stations no later than 9:00am. Be safe and always

through Monday, January 1. We

use your best judgment.

will reopen Tuesday, January 2.

A sign up sheet extending through the end of the year is now available in the Gathering Room.

Page 4

MPC EVENTS

The Chimes

In November the Lunch Bunch enjoyed lunch at Jean-Robert’s The French Crust and a tour of Rookwood Pot-tery. The next Lunch Bunch will be December 13 at noon and will feature a concert in the Sanctuary by Tom Grayler, who was the former organist and choir director at MPC. Lunch will be provided and no one needs to bring anything. Please sign up on the sheet in the Gathering Room so we can get a head count for ordering lunch.

Reformation Sunday included a procession of the tartans, a traditional bagpiper and a

visit from guest preacher and Cincinnati General Presbyter Dr. Rev. Nancy Kahaian.

Report from November 2017 Session Meeting

Session took these actions:

Approved the adoption of a Child Protection Policy. Approved removing from the rolls Jan Boltz, giving thanks for her life and witness.

Pam Hackman met with Melissa Amrein, Director of Skyward Academy. Together they have identified various opportunities for mission with the school.

Upcoming Session meetings: In an effort to accommodate various session members work schedules, Session will meet on the following dates: December 17

th noon, January 22

nd,

7pm, and February 18th

at noon. If you have an item that you wish to add on to the Session meeting agenda, please submit a written communication to the Clerk of Session, Bertie Spicker, at bhspicker@yahoo.com.

Joey Neuenschwander and his

new bride Julia were married

in November. Look for de-

tails in future announcements

about a reception for them

when they are in Ohio over

the holidays. Their new address is:

740 Villa Ave. Apt. 156

Clovis CA 93612

December 2017

MISSION

Page 5

Angel Tree and Mitten Tree

The Deacons delivered Thanksgiving baskets to 10 local families through Operation Give Back. Thank you to everyone who contributed food, money and time to assemble and deliver baskets.

PRESBYTERY

Please bring joy to a child by choosing an angel from the Angel Tree. (Instruction sheets for the Angel Tree are in the Gathering Room.) After select - ing an angel, please sign your name next to that child on the

sign-up list. Please feel free to substitute or add to the gift suggestions; simply write the change on the Angel. You are not expected to buy everything on the list. The gifts should not be wrapped, but a donation of gift paper/bag would be appreciated. A donation of large shopping bags with handles would also be appreciated. All gifts must be brought to the Gathering Room by the morning of December 10. The gifts will go to the children of Lighthouse Youth Services, One Way Farm, and the Caring Place. Mittens, hats, gloves and scarves will go to Bethany House. For those offering to deliver the gifts, directions will be provided. For questions, please call Sandra Bowen (236-7158) or e-mail at sbowen@fuse.net.

Each year during the Advent and Christmas season, we turn

our eyes to Bethlehem and celebrate the wondrous gift of Jesus Christ, our Savior. By giving to the Christmas Joy

Offering, you honor this gift by providing assistance to current and retired church workers in their time of need and developing our future leaders at Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools

and colleges. The Christmas

Joy Offering will be received Dec. 17 and Dec. 24.

Left: Pastor Michelle presided at Communion at the November 2017 Presbytery meeting.

Highlights of November 2017 Presbytery Meeting

Approved covenants/contracts for the Reverend Dana Stout, the Reverand Don Smith, and

CRS Barbara Jean Havens Approved the request of the Session of Norwood for the Presbytery to create an

Administrative Commission for the dissolution of the congregation Received a report of full compliance with the Boundaries Training Policy of the Presbytery

Heard that the successful Ruling Elders Preaching Institute may populate the pulpit supply list,

pending the necessary action of COM Approved the Investment Policy for the Presbytery

Received the Financial Review for FY2015 and FY2016 in addition to YTD Financial Report for 2017

Approved the Presbytery Budget for 2018

Page 6 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

The Chimes

Montgomery Farm Market

MPC hosts the Montgomery Farmers Market in Fellow-ship Hall on Saturday mornings from 9:30-12:30 through December 23, with almost a dozen Church vol-unteers helping to make this happen! This is the first year for a Winter Market here, and it is off to a great start with over 250 customers and 20 Vendors. Please drop by and pick out organic produce, artisanal bread, pies and cookies, handicrafts and many more delicious and fun items. They make great holiday gifts! Or just visit, enjoy a free cup of coffee and experience the com-munity of Farmers Market vendors and customers.

Jubilant Singers Winter Concert

Sunday, December 3

3:00pm

MPC Sanctuary

Holiday Lights & Cords Collected for Recycling The City of Montgomery will expand its monthly recycling col-lection through January to include collection of holiday decora-tion lights and extension cords. These items may be dropped off at Public Works (7315 Cornell Rd.) on Dec. 16 or Jan. 20 between 10am-1pm.

Any holiday lights will be accepted. There is no need to remove the bulbs from mini light strings or LED lights, but please re-

move the lights bulbs from older sets with larger bulb (“bubble”) lights. For further information, contact City Hall at 513-891-2424.

MONTGOMERY MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION

THE CHIMES Montgomery Presbyterian

Church Newsletter

Reverend Michelle Bacon, Pastor

Office Hours: 8:30a-4:30p Mon—

Thurs Michelle.bacon@mpchurch.net

513-891-8670

SUBMISSIONS for THE CHIMES are due by NOON on the 15th day of each month.

Send articles to mpc.office@mpchurch.net

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MontgomeryPresbyterianChurch

Looking Ahead...

Upcoming Dates of Note

January

Jan. 2 Office Re-Opens After Break

Jan. 4 Ladies Circle

Jan. 10 Lunch Bunch

Jan. 15 Caregivers Group

Jan. 28 Annual Meeting of Congregation

& Soup Lunch

Montgomery Presbyterian Church

9994 Zig Zag Road—Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED