News Flash!—Thanksgiving Run Over by Christmas
By Debbie Phulps, Chior Director

Jingle, jingle… jingle….. ….. jingle …. …….It’s to early to think about Christmas….NOT! Thoughts of warm pies had not yet erased the pumpkin's ghoulish grins before the Choir was marching toward Candlelight. Yes, October 8 marked commencement of Candlelight preparations. It looks as though we will have a 23-member Chancel Choir this fall with the addition of four members. Please join in welcoming: Cathy O’Connor (Alto) and Pat Tognoli and Lynn Ortega (Tenors). In addition, Wayne Johnson is back in the Bass section for the holiday season.Christmas at Walnut Grove Community Church is always special with Candlelight Service adding its particular sparkle. Our musical theme for this year’s service is “The Savior’s Bethlehem” wherein the choir will reflect on the response to Christ’s coming both then and now. Are we ready to receive Him? With the many demands on our time and talents during the holiday season, do you have room for “Christ” in Christmas? We certainly hope so; and we invite you to join us on Sunday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m. for a special service of reflection and celebration: Candlelight Service at the Walnut Grove Community Presbyterian Church.

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Tuesday breakfast group gains momentum

Tuesday morning Children’s Breakfast group has an average of 23 students showing up for breakfast and fun with Chris Hudson and Pastor Emery! They’ve been gathering in Koinonia at 7 a.m. for breakfast, games and prayer before boarding the school bus in front of the church. Sponsored by the Missions Committee, the breakfast group would like to gain even more students, so help us spread the word!

Special thanks to Mary Lou Hudson, Pastor Emery, and those who have volunteered to come help with the group. God BLESS YOU! The group still needs help and volunteer cooks! If you’d like to join the fun, call Chris Hudson at 775-1940.

The church serves up Halloween fun

Did you stop by the church on Halloween night and bob for apples? A whole lot of kids did! Shirley Hobart reports:

Kids of all ages came. We had a fire going in the fireplace, lots of hot coffee and cider, and plenty of apples thanks to Bruce Towne and Malcolm McCormack. The kids loved bobbing for apples, and all 200 bags of cookies were given out. Next year we need 300!

As usual, we had to shoo the final guests out the door so that we could straighten up for Memorial Sunday. From our standpoint, it’s a great event, and I think the kids agree.

GREAT JOB, volunteers—all those who helped out on this successful and well-attended event! You deserve a big hand!

Hanging of the Greens Dec. 4

CALLING ALL DECORATORS… The traditional “Hanging of the Greens” is coming right up on Thursday Dec. 4 at 6 p.m., but no one will work on an empty stomach! Audrey Mondeel, Clerk of Session will bring a big pot of spaghetti and everyone else can bring breads, salads and dessert to go with it. The wonderful Fellowship Committee will make hot cider to keep everyone warm and “whistling while we work.” We’ll get out the ornaments and ribbons to decorate the church and maybe even sing a few carols to get you in the holiday spirit! Come and join us for an evening of fun!=

CALLING ALL BAKERS…. Do you love to make holiday treats during the season? So much that your kitchen is overrun with goods that need a place to go right around Sunday, Dec. 14 or Sunday, Dec. 21? If so, do we EVER have a great place for all those wonderful goods! The children provide music and drama for the holiday season on Dec. 14, and then pass out cookies afterward to all in attendance. Our Candlelight Service is one of the biggest of the year, and we love to share holiday cookies, treats and beverage afterward with all who attend. If you would like to bake cookies/treats for either of these services, or both – now THAT’S power-baking! – bring them to Koinonia Hall by 9 a.m. on Sunday Dec. 14, or/and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21. May God richly bless you for your kitchen talents!!!

For those decorators out there...

Do you remember the lovely harvest medley on our communion table last year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving? We’d like to create this again, and would love donations from anyone who has fall fruits and vegetables—small pumpkins, squash, pomegranates, pyracantha berries—or colorful leaves that will be available soon. If you’d like to help out by providing these items, please call Audrey Mondeel of the Worship Committee at 777-5759. Help us give thanks for our bountiful harvests to the Lord. Thanks!

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Hey, Kids! Don’t miss out on the Children’s Christmas Program

CASTING CALL!! December 14 is the day for the traditional Jesus’ Birthday Party performed by children. The program entitled Looking For Christmas...A Family Christmas Musical is directed by Judy Castro with helping hands from Melanie Schauer and Virginia LaBahn. Do you know of children who would like to participate in this special event? Call Judy Castro at 776-4810, or come Sunday morning during worship services and join the practice for this special event! We look forward to seeing you. In Christ’s Love,The Christian Nurture Committee (Virginia LaBahn, Melanie Schauer, Pan van Loben Sels, Edna Williams and Pastor Emery.)

Christmas Sermon Series

As we move toward Christmas Day and our celebration of Christ’s birth, let us also make a pilgrimage in our hearts to Bethlehem, and to the meaning of His birth for each of our lives. Sermon series will be “A Place of Hope,” “A Place of Peace,” and “A Place of Love.”

Members attend Wee Kirk Conference

Two elders of the church joined Pastor Emery in the two-day conference of leadership workshops and presentations specifically designed to help small churches. Rev. Harold Kurtz, Director Emeritus of Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, Dr. Roberta Hestenes of World Vision, and Rev. Paul Tshihamba, Pastor of Mission Outreach for the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley all gave inspirational messages about what God is doing in world mission.

Kurtz summed up the conference and held the audience captive with his dynamic enthusiasm about the Lord when he stated, “The Gospel is out of control in the world!”

Giving thanks with all God’s people

An ecumenical inter-cultural worship service will be held at our church on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. Participants from churches in Courtland, Isleton and Walnut Grove will take part. A Spanish-speaking choir from St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Isleton will sing. We hope that along with football and turkey dinner you will make “giving thanks” with all God’s people part of your Thanksgiving this year.

Poinsettias

We are now taking orders for the beautiful Poinsettias that decorate our church during our holiday Candlelight service. You can order one in honor of a loved one, or for yourself! Just drop this form by the church office with your check made out to: Walnut Grove Community Presbyterian Church and put “Holiday Poinsettias” in the memo. The cost is $15 per poinsettia and the deadline is Dec. 5. Thank you for your orders that make our holiday service so special!

Pledge Drive coming to a service near you

Pledge Sunday will be here before we know it, and it’s important to consider in thought and prayer how much time, effort and money you would like to offer to God through the ministry of the church.

Our little church ministry extends far and wide, and must tap resources that are most graciously given by members, many of whom are members in the church, and by others who help serve the community through the church. This is the ministry of the body of Christ in action serving the community by providing many programs, help in times of need, services, and nurture to the Delta. This body depends on donations from its congregation and larger community to maintain its health in terms of money, time, talents and skills, and many prayers to God who ultimately leads the church. The church cannot function without members who keep the heart of the church pumping, the nerves of the church firing, and the senses of the church giving and receiving the important message God has for his people.

When you have a quiet moment to pray and consider your community church and its needs, please know that your gifts, small or large, are used by the Lord in the vital functioning of the church and its ministry. God knows your heart. Let Him guide you in considering what gifts you are able to offer. Your church needs YOU!

There’s still time for Anniversary Bricks

There’s not much time left to get your personalized brick order in to be placed on the Anniversary Brick Patio. Orders need to be taken to the church by Nov. 19 with a check for $50 for each inscribed brick. The bricks will be placed in the month of January, and will add to the church patio’s growing family. It’s fun to walk out into the patio and see the names of your family and friends inscribed in stone in a beautiful place of fellowship.

Wow! The front doors of the church look and work GREAT!

No longer do we have to worry about torn ligaments in our shoulders trying to get through the front doors of the church! The doors open with ease and grace like when they were new thanks to the efforts of W.M. Schauer and Son, local contractors. Years of use, weather conditions, and settling put the doors in a rather sticky situation and they needed some TLC. Bill says, “We removed the doors from the opening and delivered them to Burnett and Sons, Millworks. They placed new bolts in the door to tighten them up and make them true and square again, then placed a plug over each hole to cover their work. We picked them up and reinstalled them after 3 days. The doors were removed one Tuesday, and reinstalled by the next Tuesday.”Ahhh, our shoulders feel better already! Thanks, Bill!

Muslim Conflict in the Philippines

Bishop Alan Sarte speaks on the Muslim Conflict in the Philippines The church welcomed guest speaker Rev. Alan Rey Sarte, Bishop of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. The topic was “The roots of the Muslim conflict in the Philippines, and a Christian response,” and led into a discussion on the development of political unrest in the Philippines, how it affects the rest of the world, and how the church should respond. After a potluck meal, introductions, and a bit of religious background information from those in attendance, Rev. Sarte asked the audience to imagine what the church of Jesus Christ really is—people of many different cultures and backgrounds uniting in faith. He said that the Philippine nation, like many parts of the world, is a mosaic of different cultures, backgrounds, colors and textures struggling to live together. Striving to keep their faith and culture in a changing environment, one Muslim group known as the “Moro” —from the Spanish word Moor—represents about five percent of the population. They reside mostly in the southern islands of the Philippines. The area has experienced an influx of non-Muslim Filipinos and large corporations from other countries which have impacted the region by taking over highly desirable land originally held by Muslim residents. In a struggle against injustices they feel unable to make right by political means, the Moro sought the help of militant groups linked with terrorism. The extremism of this small group has influenced the way Islam as a whole is perceived by people of other faiths and cultures in the Philippines. UCCP actively advocates for peace and justice for all people in the Philippines. Calling its members to be agents of God’s peace, UCCP sponsors inter-faith dialogue that fosters understanding and greater communication between Muslims and Christians, and to seek non-violent methods of change. UCCP operates in a volatile environment with these words from Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.”

Thursday Night Bible Study

Come join us for Bible study every Thursday night at 7 p.m. Our theme for fall is “A Lifestyle of Love,” and the group will study how Christian love relates to everyday life. God has shown us His love in Jesus Christ and wants us to share that same love with each other. But how? Come on Thursday nights and find out! We begin every first Thursday of the month with a potluck at 6 p.m., so mark your calendar for Dec. 4, and bring a hot dish, salad, or dessert to share. We will not meet Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, but will resume on Jan. 8, 2004.

Sunday Supper Club to Meet Nov. 30

It’s time again to get together for Supper Club! The New Holland Combine singers will be with us again for a fun evening of great food and music in Koinonia Hall. Join us for a relaxing, joyous evening and we’ll catch up with what everyone has been up to since we last met. See you there! Sandy Ferreira

Fall Clean-Up day to Get Set for the Holidays

Grab your rakes, shovels, shears, clippers and gloves and head on down to the church on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. for the Fall clean up day. We’ll be beautifying the grounds in anticipation of a beautiful holiday season at our church. We’ll need pick-ups and a few tarps to haul away debris. It should only take a few hours with many hands to help, so mark your calendars and come help us get set for the holidays!

News From Around the Community…

Walnut Grove P.T.A. Joins with Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill for Fundraiser. A new fundraising program lets community support the local Parent and Teacher’s Association (PTA) while doing their normal shopping. By presenting “The Quality of Life Card” to a cashier at Raley’s, Bel Air or Nob Hill, a percentage of your purchases will be donated to Walnut Grove Elementary School for educational programs and supplies that support students and staff. The Quality of Life Card can be obtained by contacting Laura Uslan at 776-2273 or another member of the Walnut Grove PTA, or by dropping a note into the PTA box located inside the Walnut Grove Elementary School office. They’ll be sure to get you a card right away and help you to activate it either on-line, or with assistance by a PTA representative. Once the card is activated, you can start helping kids through just by doing your normal shopping. There is no extra charge, no hassles of money and scrip counting, and you can enjoy doing your part to help kids in the local community.

Playgroup News

The church grounds and a few rooms are blessed with the sounds of children enrolled in The Walnut Grove Christian Playgroup on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Lily Moldonado, or “Miss Lily” as she’s known to the children, has been operating the group with the help of many community parents for more than 12 years. With a roster of twelve children ranging from three to five years old, Lily has a waiting list of families hoping to get their pre-school children in on the fun when others move on to Kindergarten next year. The Playgroup children do a variety of activities, including music and dance, art, story time, play-time and the all-time favorite, lunch time. The helping parents in the co-operative effort keep the play yard shipshape with new woodchips under the swings and plans to further improve the grounds. The group recently made more than $1,000.00 on a cookie dough fundraiser that will pay for their field trips and insurance for operation. It’s a great group, and a blessing to the church!

Walnut Grove Community Presbyterian Church

Sharing together the love of God