From Artifacts to Advent
There is an interesting series of
debates going on in the world of “Biblical Archeology.” The debate has raged in
magazines such as “Biblical Archeologist Review,” in universities around the
world, and even in the courtrooms of the nation of
There are those who defend each
archeological find in the
Covenant, the
real
This Christmas we celebrate the coming of
Christ into the world. We do not have the original manger or the “swaddling
cloths” with which Jesus was wrapped. We have no idea what happened to the
gold, frankincense or myrrh that the wise men brought to
Growing
Through Grief
A One-night Seminar
Given by Dr. Jim Reed
Monday, Nov. 7
6:30 - 9:30 p.m.,
Walnut Grove
Community Church Hall
Dr. Jim Reed will present another great seminar in dealing with grief. Topics include:
· Why grief is misunderstood
· Why psychology mislabels grief as
depression
· Why grief is the number one emotional
killer of men.
· How to help others through grief
· When people need outside help
· Faith and grief
· Mythology, ritual and other types of
support.
Discussion will include:
How and why grief
makes helpers helpless; grief’s relationship to other emotions; different types
of relationship losses; different needs for different ages; when more trained
help is needed; and what NOT to do. The
format will be lecture, open discussion, case histories and hands-on
re-enactments. Dr. Reed will discuss
relationship scenarios, as well as the differences between the loss of a
parent, a spouse/significant other, a child, a sibling or other relative, an
old friend, and even a pet. Loss scenarios to be discussed include: sudden
violent and non-violent death, catastrophic loss, suicide, terminal diagnoses,
and natural aging death.
There is no cost for this event. For more information, please contact the
church.
Sunday School
News
Have you seen all
those kids in church lately? WOW! Many thanks go out to our wonderful
Sunday School teachers for this successful
program: David and Virgina LaBahn, Lucy
and Jim Van Andel and Melanie Schauer. Practice for the children’s Christmas
program will start Sunday, Nov. 13, in preparation for Jesus’ Birthday Party on
Sunday, Dec. 18. There will be no Sunday school lessons on Christmas Day and
New Year’s Day. Lessons will resume on Sunday, Jan. 8.
Ice Skating Party:
An all-church ice skating party is set for Wednesday, Dec. 21. We’ll meet
at the church at 11 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. The cost is $10, which includes
admission and lunch. Fourth grade and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
The Chronicles of Narnia;
The Lion, The Witch, and
the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis’
timeless adventure, “The Chronicles of Narnia” follows the exploits of four
siblings, Lucy,
Youth News!
T.N.T.
We have a great group of kids and adult
volunteers this year coming every Tuesday. We sing, learn Bible stories, and
participate in fun activities. God has provided all we need to make this
program a blessing to all involved. Thanks to Jeannette Towne and her children
who have been providing music for us each night.
In November, we are working on a service
project that involves sending shoebox gifts to needy children through the
Samaritans Purse Organization. Miss Edna introduced this to us last year. If
you would like to help us by donating shoe boxes, items to put inside, or by
helping with the shipping costs, we would be very grateful. Please call Lucy or
Jim Van Andel at 776-4534 if you can help. T.N.T. will not meet during the
school winter break, Dec. 17 - Jan.7.
**Note: Due to the special
election on November 8, there will be no meeting on that date.
W.O.W.
All 5th - 8th grade students are invited to attend W.O.W. - Way Out
Wednesdays! We’ve had a great time this fall having fun together and learning
together.
In November, we will be emphasizing service to others. This will include a canned food scavenger
hunt, and discussions on the fulfillment we have in giving and not just
receiving.
December will focus on the greatest gift of all - Jesus! Through the movie,
“The Bridge” and other activities, we will focus on the birth of Christ and its
meaning for our lives.
Fall
Clean-Up Day
a Success!
The sound of
chainsaws, clippers, rakes and blowers broke the Saturday morning calm at the church
on Oct. 22. Nature provided a beautiful morning, and helpers provided tools for
a clean-up day that was very needed. A year's worth of
growth in the church yard had to be pruned back and taken away, and
gutters cleaned out. The entry way of the church received a long awaited
coat of stain that preserves and beautifies the wood.
We are all very grateful for our
hard workers and faithful helpers when it comes to heavy duty volunteer work!
It's not easy getting up on roofs and hauling away brush, not to mention
getting up and down ladders and applying coats of stain to those hard-to-reach
places. A HUGE round of applause for all those eager beavers
who came to the work day. And, for those of you who were away and
couldn't make it, NOT to worry. We're planning another work day in
November cause there’s still more to do. Details coming up soon!
The Chancel received a much-needed cleaning and polishing of the wood surfaces during the clean-up weekend at the church. Much thanks goes to Lois Gregg for coordinating this effort! The flower arrangements for the communion table and artwork on the narthex table are the handy work of Adrienne Young and Dixie Wilson, who give of their talents to make the church a beautiful place for worship. Thanks to all who participate in making the service special, especially those readers, ushers, and communion servers who are so faithful in filling their positions. We will be decorating the church for the Christmas holiday on Thursday evening, Dec. 1. We will begin with a potluck dinner at 6 p.m., and start decorating both the hall and the church at 7 p.m. We’ll need lots of helpers, so save the date and mark your calendars. It’s always a time of fun, festivity and fellowship and really raises the holiday spirit, so come on down and join us!
We always welcome your input, and love to have volunteers to help in any aspect of our work. Let Audrey Mondeel know if you are interested....777-5759. A Note From the Memorial
Committee…
The Memorial Committee has approved three
large enhancements that are soon to be in progress for the church. The first is
a walkway from the North side of the narthex that will cross the ivy and
connect to the Koinonia sidewalk, with benches on each side. Funds from the
2005 Home Tour will be used. The second item has been a dream of several
parishioners for many years, some now deceased. The large glass window that
faces the Koinonia Hall
patio will be replaced with a pair of large glass patio doors.
The third item is a basketball court to be placed to the west of the fenced
yard behind the redwood trees. Funds provided for this project are from private
donors. We will be working with the Facilities Committee on these projects. Any
additional donations toward these enhancements would be helpful, as we would
like to have them completed by early Spring.
Fellowship Activities In the Life of the Church
Many thanks to all those
wonderful bakers for the
Halloween Open House!
What would this church be without the great
donations of many things out of the hearts of our gracious church members and
community friends? This year we enjoyed another successful Open House on
Halloween night, when many came by to rest their weary feet from the trick-or-treat rush. Thanks to all who baked for us and
helped in the effort to open up the church to the community and give a little
treat too.
SAVE THE DATE -- NOVEMBER 12TH
Coming up soon is the annual Harvest Dinner on Nov.
12. Talented grill chefs are poised to
prepare delicious steaks for your enjoyment -- or, if you prefer, you may
choose baked salmon. Delicious accompaniments will be available, as well
as complimentary wine or another beverage of your choice. New this year
is a silent auction, to be held in the library during the dinner. Interesting
and wonderful items will be available, so come and bid! Proceeds from the
dinner will help pay for much-needed repairs to the manse, chiefly new windows.
Only 80 tickets are being sold for the
dinner this year, so hurry and get yours before November 9th. They are now on
sale Sunday morning after worship service. The price -- $30
per person, or $50 per couple, $5 for children under 10. Going,
going…..FAST!
Celebrate
Memorial Sunday
Memorial Sunday is a time when the church honors its family and community
members who’ve gone on to be with the Lord. This year, on Sunday, November 7,
during the service, the names of those lost to us over the last season (a year
and a half) will be stated, followed by the ring of a chime in their memory. Our final farewells are to:
Jack Burchell Mary Campbell Darrel
Kathryn Donley David Elliot
III Hank Emery
Suzie Griffis/Kruse Diane Hackett John
Lewallen Jr.
James McQuaid Laurice Weidman Bill Wheeler
Have you wanted to do more for
the victims of Katrina?
If so, consider this
opportunity.
The Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance (PDA) Program is coordinating work groups to go into the gulf area
and help residents there recover from the disaster. The groups might be 7-9 people who go for a
week at a time. The PDA monitors the
work areas, helps with the housing arrangements, and establishes local
contacts. The groups work through local
churches like ours, that best understand the needs of
their community.
The Walnut Grove Community Presbyterian Church is
working to establish one or more work groups (depending on the interest in our
community). The first group should be
going in the early part of January. If
we have sufficient interest, we may have several consecutive groups go. The plan (as it stands now, in its early
stages) is for the group to fly to either
Volunteers will be paying their own costs, meals,
airfare, and miscellaneous expenses. The
Airfare should be between $200-250. Some
details are still evolving, and those will develop over the next month. Initially it appears the group may go into
the
This letter is to determine the level of interest
in our community for volunteers to help.
The initial response has been positive. If you think you might be
interested, would you mark one of the blocks below and return it to us.
Bill
Rutherford
(916)
776-9222
______ I think I would be interested.
Please keep me advised as the details unfold. I am
capable
of funding my own costs.
______ I am interested, but would like to have some assistance if possible.
(Maybe airfare?)
______ I can’t make the trip, but would like to help pay for someone who
can but needs
some
financial assistance.
______ I am not sure that I might make it, but please keep me informed.
______ I have frequent flyer miles that I could contribute to help someone
else get there.
(A friend’s miles would
also work for us.)
If you would like to help in any of the above
areas, please return this letter to
Name Address _____________
Phone # e-mail
This year has been an exciting one for Missions. It began with sending our
Pastor and four young people to
How To Stay
Safe in the World Today…
1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they
are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.
2. Do not stay home because 17% of all
accidents occur in the home.
3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks
because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water
because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.
5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths
occur in hospitals. Above all else,
avoid hospitals.
You will be
pleased to learn than only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in
church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, logic tells us that the safest
place for you to be at any given point in time is at church. FOR SAFETY’S SAKE - Attend church. It could
save your life!
`Tis The
Season for Giving!
As the year draws to a close, we often take time to reflect on the year and
our lives. It is a time we count our
every blessing. It is also an opportunity to make our blessings count! The
church encourages everyone to make regular offerings throughout the year. The
end of the year is an opportunity to make an additional gift to the
church. Year-end giving offers many tax
advantages:
· A charitable contribution
tax-deduction applies for all gifts finalized before December 31.
· Gifts of appreciated
assets are particularly appealing because you don’t realize long-term capital
gains and you can take a charitable deduction to the assets’ fair market value.
· Establishing a charitable
gift annuity, or other life income plan, can provide a tax-favored source of
income while fulfilling your desire to make a future charitable contribution.
Christmas Joy Offering
A Presbyterian
tradition for more than 65 years, the Christmas Joy Offering is one of the four special offerings
designated by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to provide
congregations ways of supporting specific causes that help those in need. Through the Board of Pensions financial
assistance programs, the Christmas Joy offering recognizes the faithfulness of
current and retired church workers by providing funds to help them through
difficult times. The Presbyterian Church has supported opportunities for
racial/ethnic education, also through the Joy offering.
You are invited to join us for a potluck dinner and our
annual “hanging of the greens” celebration at the church on Thursday, December
1. Bring your favorite dish to share. We will eat at 6 p.m., and decorate the
church and Koinonia at 7 p.m.
Hey Kids!
There’s room enough for all singers and actors in our Christmas program!
We’re practicing on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. beginning on November 13, in
preparation for Jesus’ Birthday Party which will take place Sunday, Dec. 18,
during morning worship.
It’s time again
to order holiday poinsettias to adorn the church in honor or memory of a loved
one. Stop by the office, or pick up an order form in the narthex. Poinsettias
are $15 each, and Monday, Dec.11, will be the last day to order so we can have
them ready for Candlelight service on Sunday, Dec. 18th.
Beautiful music by the church choirs, familiar carols,
traditional candlelight ceremony and fellowship await you on December 18, when
we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We hope you can join us for this
special evening of song and joy!
Poinsettia Order Form
I would like
to order _______holiday poinsettia(s) to decorate the church for the Candlelight service.
Enclosed is my check for ___________, $15 for each poinsettia.
***Note:
Please order by Dec 5.***
In honor/memory of
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Sermon Series: Re-Discovering Jesus
Explorations in the Gospel of Mark
Church tradition, the
mass media, vague childhood memories from Sunday School,
and those political social agendas have all influenced our understanding of
Jesus Christ. Therefore, many
people have very different ideas about Jesus our Risen Lord. Over the course of the next several
months—through fall and until Easter—we will continue to explore the question,
“Who is Jesus Christ?” not just as a historical figure, or religious leader,
but as our personal Savior. Join us as
we re-discover Jesus together as a church and as individuals.
Thursday Night Bible Study
The
Lord’s Prayer
The disciples
asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray…” We ask the same thing today. Join us on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. as we
continue our 12-week
series on the Lord’s Prayer. Hope to see you there!
Mark your calendars:
Communion Sunday,
Nov. 6 and Dec. 4 at the 9:30 Service
“Growing Through Monday, Nov. 7 from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Grief” Seminar
Harvest Dinner Saturday,
Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Personnel Meeting: Monday,
Nov. 14 at 5 p.m.
Session Meeting Monday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
Potluck/Hanging of Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
The Greens
New Members’ Class Tuesday, Dec. 6 & Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
All Church Ice Wednesday,
Dec. 21
Skating Party
Jesus’ Birthday Party Sunday, Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m.
Candlelight Sunday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m.