Pasadena Presbyterian Church |
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November 2009 Go to:
“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:12 NAS) Who gives thanks for you? Does that sound a bit strange? Usually, for Thanksgiving, we show our gratitude to God through worship and praise for all the good things God gives and does for us. We thank Him for our lives, health, resources, family, friends, church, freedoms, jobs, opportunities to serve, etc. After all, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Most of all, we thank Him for the matchless gift of Jesus, and our salvation through faith in Him! But who gives thanks for you? That doesn’t mean we live our lives seeking kudos and recognition—that’s making it all about ourselves and not about Jesus! But, when we live for the Lord, and serve Him with our resources and gifts, others are going to be touched by His love and come to know and thank Him too. That’s what Paul is pointing out in the verse I started with above: God shows-up when we share Jesus by serving others. “Serving” means not just helping them with their life situations (“needs”) but with their need for life in Jesus—i.e., sharing the Gospel so they can accept Him by faith and have a never-ending love-life with Him too. The technical name for this—helping others so they can come to know Jesus—is service evangelism. Jesus did this when He fed the 1,000s AND gave them the bread of life—God’s Word; He did this when He healed the sick AND forgave their sins; He did this when He freed those held in fear and bondage by sin and the devil AND gave them a new life and way to live for God; and Jesus did this when He raised the dead AND gave Himself on a cross, dying and rising again, so we all can accept Him and have eternal life through faith in Him (John 3:16; 1 John 5:11ff). Service evangelism is what the Lord is continuing to do with and through us at PPC, as He is raising up additional ministries and ministers among us such as Helping Hands, Faith Community Nursing, (in 2010 DEACONS), and starting this month, a renewed and improved FOOD PANTRY (to be located in the “123” house). Service evangelism will also be the focus of our next congregation-wide mission trip to Ecuador coming up in July (7/23-31/2010; see me for details). Serving others AND sharing Jesus with them is God’s way and the way forward for our church. Especially this Thanksgiving season, let’s not only give God thanks, but consider to whomthe Lord is leading us, around the block and around the world, to help meet their pressing needs AND their need for Christ! Who will give thanks for you? I sure do—I thank the Lord for you all, your partnership in the Gospel, and the love you share through serving the Lord, each other and others! You all are a blessing, and blessed to be a blessing to all! In Christ, Carl Session Digest: September 29, 2009 The Session met at 7 p.m. on September 29, 2009 in the Boswell Room. A quorum was not present. After opening the meeting with prayer, it was decided to approve some membership changes, as a quorum was present for these items. The remaining business would be conducted through an e-vote on an omnibus motion, or a called meeting. The following items were approved: The meeting was closed with prayer at 7:45 p.m. +++Complete Session minutes are public record and are available for review By the time this newsletter arrives our commitment Sunday, October 25th, will be behind us. If you missed turning in your pledge for the year on that Sunday, please send it to the office so the Stewardship Ministry can create a realistic budget for the coming year. We have much to be thankful for at Pasadena. Our members have been giving faithfully in a very tough year. Our summer giving was the best we can remember as both July and August were "in the black"; and we start autumn in the black, praise God. Please, Remember the Samaritan's Fund East Wall of Fellowship Hall Was Paneled, "20 House" Readied for Oliver Family
Financial Secretary's Report to Session: September 30, 2009 The Financials for September show actual income $22,369.54 with expenses of $39,489.14 leaving us $17,119.60 in the red (we had 3 pay periods this month).
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Cash Reserves $139,251.21
![]() Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Does this verse stir a passion in you, as it does for me? Could you envision yourself being used by God to help bring the little children to Him? If so, please pray about being a part of the Children’s Church ministry. I would love to hear from anyone who feels a calling to be a part of this vital ministry to our children. Please contact me either through the church office, or on my cell phone at 727-481-6705. The theme for November will be “thankfulness.” The lessons will focus on thanking God for the blessings He provides for us on a daily basis – including things that we often take for granted. We will finish out the month thanking God for the greatest gift of all – His son, Jesus! November’s lessons will provide the children with a foundation for December, when we will talk about the birth of the Messiah. The children will begin practicing songs to sing for the congregation in December, so their attendance on Sunday mornings will facilitate their learning the songs. Children’s Church is a worship service designed specifically for children in kindergarten through grade 5. The children are dismissed from the Sanctuary during the 8:30 AM service each Sunday, with the exception of Communion Sunday. “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 5:7 Leslie Hughes What's Happening in the Antioch Youth Group November 1st, our Youth will be meeting after Sunday School and going out to lunch at CiCi pizza. November 15th, we will have a Progressive Dinner. We will meet at the church by 4pm, then head to our 1st Stop for appetizers, then 2nd stop for Salad & Bread and the 3rd stop for the main course. Fellowship will be our last stop at around 6:00pm for dessert & Praise and Worship at the Pilkington's home. We still need volunteer homes who would be willing to host the group at their homes. Call Rob, Brenda or Leslie if you can help. November 29th—MOVIE NITE IN OUR THEATRE 5PM to 7pm. Hopefully starting in November or December, the Youth will be moving in to the chapel Sunday evenings. Please keep our Youth Ministry in prayer. God Bless Hello Everyone! After several months of Fellowship taking a rest, I believe we are revived and ready to run! We have some new and exciting ideas for the months to come, including our traditional Thanksgiving Breakfast and Worship Service on November 26, 2009 at 9:00am. There will be more information available at a later date. Beginning November 1, 2009 throughout the whole month, we will be having a food drive to stock the new Food Pantry! It is located in the 123 House next door to the church, on Pinellas Way N, (the house between the church and the Boy Scout building). We will be needing boxes, paper bags and plastic bags. Ziploc bags of all sizes will also be needed. Plans are to open before Thanksgiving! There will be food bins at each door of the church to drop off donations. We will be accepting all non-perishable food items, including canned foods (preferably pop tops that can be easily opened, but we will accept any and all), sealed bagged packages and boxed foods. There will be bread and vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables available as well. We hope to include frozen foods in the future once we can get a freezer. At this time we will be open every Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm. Not only will we be offering food, but every person who comes for food will receive dignity, respect, privacy and most of all, the love of Christ thru the Gospel. In His Service, Brenda Taylor, Fellowship Chair THE PURPOSE OF PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN:FORGIVEN AND FREED BY GOD IN JESUS CHRIST AND EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE COMMIT OURSELVES. . . . . Activities for Month of November at Pasadena PW Thank Offering Service will be held Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM with a combined service. This service will not be solely PW Thank Offering but will entail the whole church in a Thanksgiving celebration. A little different format from our past two years as we will be involving both the traditional and contemporary into the combined service. Liz Cabot, who has served in the mission fields, will be our guest speaker. As in previous years, we will again have a light lunch following the service with a special invitation for the congregation to share. PW, since it’s inception here at Pasadena, always had a workday on the last Tuesday of every month. For the past year and a half, we have not been gathering. This is an open invitation to any of our women to join the Crafters Group which meets every Monday morning at 10:00am in the Fellowship Hall. There is something for everyone to do, whether it be cutting up greeting cards to make placemats, knitting, crocheting, needlework or sewing, they would encourage you to come join them. Contact person is Ruth Hansell where you can get all the details (343-1568) and inquire about bringing a lunch, etc. In Christ’s Love, Reading Brings Into Focus What We are Thankful For Please take time to reflect this Thanksgiving season on how reading has been in the past, and can be a part of your future Christian education and a way to discover more of what we are thankful for. We are called to continue learning more about our God and His Word. Continue your education in your church library. And say a prayer of thanks for it and for those who taught you to read. Laurie Smith, Librarian The Evangemissions ministry, during its October 13th meeting, discussed the overwhelming disasters that have occurred, both in the United States and abroad, and how WE are called to help those people in need. In Romans 12:13 Paul states, “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Our ministry Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” We, as believers, have an opportunity every day to proclaim God’s peace and salvation to those who do not know Him. Pray about how God can use you to share the gospel in YOUR “Zion.” Please pray for the safety and well-being of all of the missionaries we support, and specifically for the following missionaries and their ministries: Roger and Marilyn Reeck, Honduras; Migel Pinel, Heart for Honduras; Henoc Lucian, Haiti; Daniel Barnard, Somebody Cares Tampa Bay. Leslie Hughes—EvangeMission Chair By the time you receive this newsletter, the Health and Wellness Ministry will have completed the first educational program based on the input you provided us on the survey. I hope you were able to attend the Lifelong Weight Management Class and it offered some new information to change how you think of weight control. It’s not about the perfect diet; but rather, all about healthy choices. The November Health and Wellness program will be a class on Stress Management. Can you use a couple of Stress Management tips as we enter the holidays?? Join us on Tuesday, November 17, from 7 to 8 PM in the chapel. In addition to the classes, Health and Wellness began Blood Pressure Screenings on Sunday October 25th, before and after Sunday School. Blood Pressure Clinics will be held every 3rd Sunday, the next one will be on Sunday, November 15. In addition to getting your blood pressure taken, you will receive a wallet card on which to record your blood pressures and keep with you. Your blood pressure trend gives much more information to your physician than one isolated blood pressure reading. Did you know about 30% of Americans and 60% of hospitalized patients have hypertension? Hypertension is called the silent killer because many people have it but don’t know they do until complications develop. Blood Pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. The American Heart Association defines someone as hypertensive if any one of the following four situations occur: (1) having an untreated systolic (the top number) blood pressure of 140 or higher; (2) having a diastolic (the bottom number) blood pressure of 90 or higher; (3)taking an antihypertensive (medicine the doctor prescribes to lower your blood pressure); or (4) being told at least twice by a physician or nurse practitioner that you have hypertension. Major risk factors for hypertension are related to lifestyle and family history. By making healthy choices we can change our lifestyle. An awareness of a family history that places us at risk for hypertension is a great motivator to make those healthy choices. Hypertension is more severe in non-Hispanic blacks, elderly people and obese people. The goal of treatment is control, not cure. Treatment begins with lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, exercising, stopping smoking, making dietary changes, and reducing stress. Without treatment, high blood pressure can escalate to a hypertensive crisis which is a severe increase in blood pressure that can lead to a stroke. Symptoms of hypertensive crisis include: increased blood pressure of 180/120 or greater, severe headache, severe anxiety and shortness of breath. If you experience these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. A healthy lifestyle is not about giving up all the wonderful things you love, it’s about making good choices to take care of these amazing bodies that God has given us! “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Debbie Rivard, RN October has been a very busy month in the preschool ministry. We have been learning about the people who help us in our lives. We had a visit from the fire department and the police department. The fire fighters and police officers taught the children about safety and told them that they were their friends and helpers. The children learned that they have a Friend and Helper named Jesus who will always be with them. They learned that He loves them and will always help them. The children have learned that Jesus wants them to be helpers also. With the help of their parents they have been buying toothbrushes for the hygiene kits for the homeless ministry at Pasadena. Our Fall Festival was on October 30th. It was a tremendous success. Over 40 parents volunteered to plan, set up, host all activities, and chaperone the children. Our families are truly a shining example of fellowship and community. November will be another busy month preparing to give thanks to God for all He has given us. I look forward to sharing with you all of our November activities. Let us remember to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 Campus Crusade for Christ: Building Spiritual Movements Everywhere Through Campus Crusade for Christ's Global Media Outreach (GMO), I've been able to reach people all over the world with the good news of Jesus, and you can too. Through GMO, we pray for their requests, answer their questions, and encourage them to join a local church. I can personally disciple believers and answer the questions of seekers around the world, and it only requires the ability to regularly visit a web site on a computer. This web site is the only way that the seeker or believer and I communicate, and the GMO web site provides tools for responding to them, similar to email. First a seeker or believer sends a message through a GMO site, and then I use the GMO web site to respond. I've been doing this for a little more than a year. With my GMO Community Leader, we determined that I'd answer a message from a new person every day -you can arrange vacations and also arrange for a different amount or schedule of emails. Each day, I go to the website and respond to a new person's message. There are times when people write back, asking another question or requesting prayer. Some of the questions that are asked are complex, so I rely on the Holy Spirit and the Bible, the lessons I learn here at the church, and the training materials and advice that the GMO Community Leaders provide. What makes our effort worthwhile is the knowledge that we are serving the Lord and helping other people to grow closer to Him. One young woman from the Philippines sent a message to a Campus Crusade website, asking how to nourish her faith. In the College and Career Sunday School class, we've learned from the first chapter of James about how even the trials in our lives are used by God to help our faith to grow. I was able to share that knowledge with the young woman from the Philippines by writing back to her on the Global Media web site. If you'd like to know more about how to get involved with Campus Crusade's Global Media Outreach, please speak to me, Thomas Smith (the younger one), or email me at politicissue@hotmail.com. You can also visit the website of Global Media Outreach at http://www.globalmediaoutreach.com/ Pasadena Presbyterian Church has started a new church-sponsored outreach ministry called the “Helping Hands Ministry.” We are providing the following services to those in our congregation and eventually to the community at large. We will initially provide, but not be limited to, the following services:
We are looking for volunteers of all ages to assist in this important giving ministry. Everyone in our church family is strongly encouraged to participate by providing services according to your abilities. Your gracious help is most appreciated. If you would like to volunteer, or are in need of any assistance, please contact Bill Wyess at 360-7095. It's that time again! The Pregnancy center Of Pinellas County is having their Annual Baby bottle drive. This one is sooo easy: all you have to do is pick up a bottle at Church and fill it up! You can put it on your desk at work, put it by your front door, so you can empty your pockets when you come home, or, the ever popular "I'll just pop a check in there"! Any amount will do --large or small. Thanks for always being there for these babies, Pasadena!
Operation Christmas Child: The power of a simple gift… to share God’s greatest gift, Jesus Christ. This year we will again be participating in Operation Christmas Child. It is easy and fun to pack a shoe box for a young boy or girl. In 2008, nearly 8 million shoe box gifts were collected in the United States and ten other sending nations. ***Brochures are available on the information stand in the hallway leading into the sanctuary. Please take as many as you need and read the packing information carefully. Remember to put a boy or girl sign on the top of the box, a check in the envelope inside the box or you can pay on-line, and a rubber band around the box (the lid should not be wrapped, tied or taped to the box). Please pray that God will use Operation Christmas Child to bring many children and families to faith in Jesus Christ. ***Dedication Sunday is November 22nd at both services. Please bring your box(es) to either of these services. The boxes will be taken that day (after the second service) to the drop off church. Thanks so much for participating in this special mission’s project. Terry Odom ![]()
Church Women United Of Greater St. Petersburg WORLD COMMUNITY DAY ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH Registration 9:30 a.m. – Program 10:00 a.m. Thank You For the thoughtful, kind and wonderful receptions, cards and cakes you shared with us the “SURPRISE!” for Pastor’s Appreciation Day! Your love and encouragement certainly are appreciated! We thank Jesus for you, and the blessing you are! Carl, Donna, Stephen and David Crawford Thanks a Lot MANY, MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR EVERYTHING AND ALL THE LOVE YOU HAVE SHOWN US. WITH LOVE Thanksgiving Breakfast Thurs. November 26TH at 9:00AM THANKSGIVING BREAKFAST Reservations forms will be available soon Reminder The Session has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, November 15th, following the single service at 10:30 a.m. For Presbyterian Women’s Thank Offering. The purpose of this meeting is to receive the recommendations of the Nominating Committee and elect 6 Deacons, restarting a diaconate. Lunch will be served in the Fellowship Hall following the meeting. New PPC Directory PPC Directory is completed. Please come by the Church Office and get a copy. Prayer Request E-mail List Our PPC e-mail praise/prayer list is being revised. If you would like to be included on our e-mail list to receive current Prayer Requests, please send your e-mail address to the church office. Please be sure to put Prayer Request E-mail List in the Subject line. |
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