Pasadena Presbyterian Church
February 2012
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From Me to You
Session Digest
Budget 2012
Stewardship Ministry Update
Financial Report
Evangemissions
Food Distribution Center
Women of the Church
Fellowship
Calendar
Antioch Youth
Library
Preschool
Children's Church
Parent's Night Out
New Life Study Group
Praise Kids
Family Connection
Women in the World
Valentine Social
Sunday Worship Attendance
What's New at PPC
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“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..."
Philippians 3:10
The George Barna research organization recently released the results of a survey titled “What People Experience in Churches.” The nation-wide study of those attending worship services at least once a month found that while many worshippers feel a “real and personal connection with God,” a third replied they felt no such connection. More significantly, only 26% said their life had been changed or greatly affected by attending worship and participating in church ministries. Nearly half (46%) said their life had not changed at all as a result of church-going; and 61% indicated they could not remember getting an important new insight or understanding related to faith from the previous week’s service.
As a former sociologist, I find these results intriguing; as a Pastor, the numbers are challenging if not appalling: how can anyone be in the presence of God and not be touched and changed? Yet, if the Barna group is right, more than half of those participating each month in worship in churches throughout our land are not encountering God in a life-saving and changing way: that’s simply catastrophic!
I realize that these statistics are probably due in-part to the variations among denominations and congregations represented in the survey: churches are all across the board in terms of their teaching of Biblical truth, and their living-out of true and new life in Christ. Even so, is it any wonder, then, that many congregations are declining and dying, and new generations of disciples are not being made, in our own land?
What about us here: as-and-at PPC?
I don’t think the survey totally represents us. We believe the Bible: we want to be Christ’s disciples, learning God’s truth in Jesus so we can live it. We seek to serve the Lord and glorify Him: we want to be communers with God in a real, joy-filled love-life with Him, and not just consumers of religion. We share His heart of love for each other and for the yet-to-be-found (saved): we enjoy sharing Jesus together as His family, and want others everywhere to know Him and join us as His children, too!
Yet, even with all our good (Godly) intentions and faith-filled deeds, I am still troubled that there might be some of Barna’s survey which applies to us. It bothers me to no end to think that there might be someone here each week, in worship or Bible study, who is not connecting with God: not getting to know Jesus personally as Savior and Lord, and so, going out from here not changed to better know, live-with, and show and share Him. If that’s happening, and I can do anything about it, I must--and we must: to do any less robs God of His glory, and falls short of serving Jesus as His church!
Paul’s goal (Philippians 3:10) of knowing Jesus and being transformed by the power of His new, resurrection life, is and must be the goal and upward call of our lives, in-and-for Jesus too!
Grateful to be experiencing God, with you, Jesus’ disciples, as-and-at PPC!
In Christ,
Carl
December 2011
The Session met for its Stated meeting on December 20, 2011 at 7 p.m. The meeting was opened with prayer and a devotion from Romans 15:8, 9, 13. The following items were acted on/and or discussed.
1. The budget for 2012 was approved.
2. January New Life Groups will start on January 8, 2012.
3. The November Financial Report showed that as of November 30, 2011, the church was $4,980.20 in the red.
3. The date of the Missions Conference was approved to be March 25, 2012. A combined worship service will be held after Sunday school, and each ministry we support will be given an opportunity to speak in Sunday school and the worship service. A lunch will be held in the Fellowship Hall after the worship service.
4. A baptism service for Arianna Bolden (Odom's granddaughter) on January 22, 2012 during the 9 a.m. worship service was approved.
5. Elder Sandy Moore was moved to the Discipleship Committee and Elder Larry Oline was appointed Chairman of the Evangemissions Committee.
6. An Annual Corporate meeting was held during which Elder Pat Watts was elected as President of the Pasadena Presbyterian Corporation, and Elder Kathie Schellhaas was elected as the Vice President. The church has complied with the State Non-Profit Corporate filing requirements. Necessary Corporate documents are maintained in the safety deposit box.
The meeting was closed with a season of prayer at 9:20 p.m.
Larry Oline, Clerk
2012 Budget Summary |
|||||||
EXPENSES |
Total |
% |
|
||||
Discipleship |
$700 |
0.2 |
|||||
Fellowship |
$200 |
0.1 |
|||||
E-missions |
$750 |
0.2 |
|||||
Worship |
$5,000 |
1.6 |
|||||
Stewardship |
$130,179 |
41.0 |
|||||
Personnel |
$180,647 |
56.9 |
|||||
TOTAL |
$317,476 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The PPC Budget is adopted by Session and provided to the congregation for information. |
|||||||
Suggestions?
If you have any suggestions or questions about stewardship matters, please contact a member of the ministry (Don Davis, John Odom, Thomas Smith, Arlene Tomin, or Andy White) or email the church office (PStrong@pasadenapc.com). Thank you for your support as we work together in all things for God’s glory.
Where thieves break in and steal
The storage shed used by our food ministry and Anthony's ministries was broken into and two bikes were stolen. Another grim
reminder of the times we live in. Churches are increasingly seen as targets and thieves break in and steal before we can give it away to those in need.
New Year End Push!
We want to thank all of you who have given so faithfully during this “great recession”. We did not end the year in the black but the good news is we are only 3% ($7500) behind for last year. That amounts to a little more than a normal week of giving here at Pasadena. Much better than last year but we do need every member to realize our financial position so we can work together to catch up and get rid of our deficit. With your sacrificial one-time gift we can quickly get back to a balanced budget. Each of us has an
opportunity to give and work together to bless God’s ministries [Vacation Bible School, Operation Christmas Child, Metropolitan Ministries Tent, Food Distribution, Helping Hands, Sunday School, Women in the Word (Beth Moore), Monday Morning Craft Group, Presbyterian Women’s Circles, Praise Kid’s Club, the Youth and Worship Band, Praise Chorus and Choir, etc.] here at
Pasadena.
Pasadena Presbyterian is blessed by the generous, even sacrificial giving of our congregation. The harder the times, the more your gifts mean. Your true sacrifice will please God and encourage His body here; would you please prayerfully consider giving soon to help us catch up and get back in the black? It has been a tough year for many of us but together we can honor God here at Pasadena.
Tom Smith
Stewardship Chair
Pasadena Presbyterian Church Wishlist |
||
| Nature of Project | Estimated Cost | Received |
| Sanctuary Projector | $4,000 | 0 |
| Worship Band Keyboard (NEW!) | $2,000 | 0 |
The Financials for December show actual income $22,461.02 with expenses of 24,925.21 leaving us –$2,464.19 in the red.
FOR THE YEAR 2011 |
|
| Actual Income | $ 330,522.58 |
| Actual Expenses | $ 337.966.97 |
| Red | -$ 7,444.39 |
PPC Foundation |
|
| Pasadena Foundation | $28,174.91 |
| Wahl Scholarship | $49,210.26 |
Cash Available
Checking Account Balance: $43,452.95
Cash Reserves
General Reserve MM $29,992.51
Total Cash $73,445.46
“God Has a Purpose for Your Life” - February Evangemissions Ministry
Ephesians 1:11, “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for ...part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”
Colossians 1:16, “Everything, absolutely everything… got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.” Who’s Him? Jesus Christ!
The First Purpose of Life Is to Know and Love God
The Second Purpose of Life Is to Learn to Love Others
The 3rd Purpose of Life is to Grow Up Spiritually
The 4th Purpose of Life Is to Serve God by Serving Others
The 5th Purpose of Life is to Share the Good News
If you will, please close your eyes and picture a church family that is committed to these five purposes that God has given us to do. What I hope you see is a church family where lives change for Good, producing followers of Jesus Christ. This is our future and the future is today. This is God’s plan for PPC.
Father, thank you for creating me and loving me. I want to fulfill the purposes for which you created me. So starting today, I really want to get to know and love You. I want my life to bring You pleasure, and I want to become a part of Your family. Help me to grow more like Your Son, Jesus, and to use my life to follow and serve You. Equip me to complete my mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. Rev. Chris Gelini, Park Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Oakland, California
Evangemissions Conference is scheduled for Sunday March 25, 2011
There will be a single combined service that day.
8:00 AM – Missionary Setup in Fellowship Hall
9:00 AM – Sunday School with Missionaries available to all Sunday school classes
10:30 AM – Worship Service with missionary guest speakers
(if you will support missionaries and evangelism please bring your Faith Promise card this day)
11:45 AM – Lunch for all attending with Missionary Exhibit Tables and Visitation in Fellowship Hall
We wish to thank everyone who worked, donated or participated in any way to the Food Distribution Center and the Metropolitan Ministries donation tent and distribution. God blessed us and you as we have seen more people served and encouraged by both of these efforts. A reminder; Food Distribution Center needs your donations and support as we continue to serve those in need. Church family, a special time has been devoted to you from 9:00AM to 10:00AM. If you are in need of food please come during this time if possible, so we can serve you first as you are an important part of our church family!
Prayer requests, questions or concerns? Please contact Larry Oline Evangemissions Chair
We are blessed to serve # 23 families and # 57 individuals for the month of December. Our food donations this month, God has overwhelmingly blessed, press down, shaken together, and running over. Families were blessed with God’s Love with prayer and volunteer’s love. They had a chance to shop for clothing and household items, things that Metro could not use. We believe that 2012 will bring great ministry opportunities for families in need. Also bring more people to join our vision and run with it!
We want to thank all of our workers, they are a blessing! Thanks for the financial supporters; we could not do it without you! And a big thanks to the St. Pete Free Clinic for their generosity.
If you want to be a blessing, volunteer or you can donate items of food. Donation bins are in the hallway of the church. For a monetary donation, please make out check to PPC and on the memo line print Pasadena Food Distribution.
All the glory goes to the Most High!
Pat Mancini
For information call Russ Cabotor Larry Hendry
Distribution at the 123 house on the 2nd Saturday and the 4th Tuesday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
WOMEN OF THE CHURCH ACTIVITIES FOR THE MONTH OF February
Monday, February 6, 2012 @ 10:00 am Communion at the Springs
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 @ l0:30 am PW Council Meeting in Boswell
Monday, February 13, 2012 @ 1:00 pm Hannah Circle in Fellowship Hall
Monday, February 13, 2012 @ 7:00 pm Rachel Circle at the home of Pat Watts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 @ 1:00 pm Esther Circle at the home of Becky McLaughlin
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 @ 1:00 pm Ruth Circle at the home of Madeline LeRoy
In our circle meetings, we are studying the Book of James. Please join us for a time of bible study and fellowship. All women are invited to participate in one of the circles. Please contact Shirley Hartsfield @ 727-360-7373 our Circle Coordinator for more information.
Saturday, February 11, 2012 we will have a Valentine’s Social in the Fellowship Hall at 1:00 pm. (See ad elsewhere in newsletter). We will have Billy Scott (Scott Productions) for entertainment. Billy plays the guitar and does a one-man show “Music & Memories”. He is not only entertaining, he is inspiring and invites his audience to sing along, laugh and have fun. We are going to invite men and women to this event. Even though there is no charge for the social, we will need reservations to give us an idea of how much food to prepare. The Fellowship Ministry is working closely with us to bring it all together. Should be an afternoon of entertainment and fun. Please save the date for you and your sweetheart and join us!
Patricia Watts, Chairperson
Fellowship Ministry met on January 9th to finalize the Trash & Treasures’ Sale which was held on Saturday, January 21, 2012. Proceeds of $900.00 ( gross) will be divided between Faith Promise and our local church.
The Valentine’s Social for Saturday, February 11, 2012 was finalized at our meeting. (Look for Ad elsewhere in the newsletter) We will have Billy Scott (Scott Productions) for entertainment. Billy plays the guitar and does a
one-man show “Music & Memories”. He is not only entertaining, he is inspiring and invites his audience to sing along, laugh and have fun. We are going to invite men and women to this event. Even though there is no charge for the social we will need reservations to give us an idea of how much food to prepare. The Fellowship Ministry is working closely with our Presbyterian Women to bring it all together. We will have a basket to raffle. Watch for another event in the next newsletter.
Patricia Watts, Chairperson
Our Youth has partnered with K-Life of St. Petersburg. Here is a description of K-Life taken from the K-Life website, http://stpete.klife.com. Please visit the K-Life website for updated calendar and event information.
"Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." I Thessalonians 2:8
K-Life is a community-wide, interdenominational Christian ministry of discipleship and fellowship for youth and their families. Through a variety of activities (weekly clubs, small group Bible studies, mission trips, ski trips, and monthly events), K-Life kids grow in their faith and have lots of fun in the process. They learn that following Christ and discovering His plan for their life is the most exciting adventure of all and that they can count on friendship and support from leaders and peers who care.
K-Life works alongside churches and families in the community to teach and encourage kids to be strong in the Lord in spite of all the negative pressures they face as teenagers. K-Life networks kids from different churches, and those without a church affiliation, to build positive, Godly relationships that can withstand the negative peer pressure so prevalent in today's youth culture.
The heartbeat of K-Life lies in the ability to build relationships with kids and bring the content of God's word to bear on those relationships. Our desire is that kids would choose to participate in one of our small groups led by our staff and volunteer leaders. The purpose of these groups is for kids to gain a greater knowledge of God's word, build Godly relationships with peers, and have access to a mentoring leader to come alongside them as they navigate those difficult adolescent years. Supporting and surrounding our small group strategy are the more visible components of our ministry: weekly club meetings, activities, events, and retreats. Weekly meetings consist of songs, games, skits, and talks that contain a lesson with a relevant life application from the Bible.
"FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES" AND OTHER BOOKS MAY HELP YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
When "February" is mentioned, people automatically think of Valentine's Day and romantic love. But there is another love which is even more important--the love relationship between God and a person. "The love languages in human relationships are a reflection of divine love," the cover of the book The Love Languages of God How to Feel and Reflect Divine Love, states. "... Dr. (Gary) Chapman's goal for readers is that they may be led to explore the possibility of speaking different love languages to God and thus expanding their own understanding of God and others."
When Dr. Chapman first wrote the book, The Five Love Languages, he never dreamed it would turn into a series of books and help many people in their relationships. The library has The Five Love Languages of Children, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers, Five Signs of a Loving Family and Toward a Growing Marriage.
Another "Gary," Gary Smalley wrote a book which became well-known. The Language of Love, co-written by John Trent, Ph.D., explains how to use word pictures to improve communications in your relationships, whether with a spouse, friends or co-workers.
Other books in the library are The Marriage Builder (Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr.) and The Triumphant Marriage (Neil Clark Warren, Ph.D.). For children, we have books for toddlers: My Valentine Story: Giving My Heart to God, and these three new ones: My Valentine for Jesus, God Gave Us Love, and The Story of Valentine's Day.
Laurie Smith, Librarian
We had a wonderful January at the preschool ministry. The children learned about the wise men following the star to where Jesus was and how they worshiped Him. They decided that we too wanted to follow Jesus and worship Him too. We will begin to study the life of Jesus and His ministry in the coming weeks.
The children were busy in January learning about the winter season and the animals that God created that live in cold areas. We thanked Him for penguins that swim in the icy regions of the north, and bears that hibernate in winter. The teachers created a “snow day” and the children wore mittens, hats, and gloves and made snow cones. We thanked God for all of the seasons and the animals He gave to us.
Registration has begun for the 2011-2012 school year. If you or anyone you know is of preschool age and is interested in attending, please invite them to call me for a tour of the school.
Thank you for your prayers for this very important ministry and the 88 families who walk through these doors each day.
May the peace of Christ be with you - Laura Woodard
The children continue to grow in their faith through the life stories of Bible heroes in the Old Testament. Throughout the month of February the worship will center around the trials, tribulations, and faith of David and Solomon.
Children’s Church is a worship service designed specifically for children in preschool through grade 5. The children are dismissed from the Sanctuary each Sunday during the 9:00 AM service, with the exception of Communion Sunday.
“Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.” Psalm 21:13
WHEN: Saturday, February 18
Saturday, March 10
TIME: 6-9 PM
WHO: All children 1yr. old through 5th grade
Children ages 1-3 classroom 5
Children ages 4-10 Fellowship Hall
Age-appropriate activities for all children.
Snack provided. No charge.
Please contact Leslie Hughes at 
for additional information.
A new Sunday School class is forming to continue the New Life Group study. The class will meet in the Chapel beginning February 5th immediately after the 9:00 service.
Praise Kids continues to meet on Wednesday evenings following Family Connection. The children begin the evening at 6:30 in Fellowship Hall, and are dismissed at 7:00 for Praise Kids.
Praise Kids is a time of fellowship, Bible study, games, and fun designed for children in preschool through grade 5. A snack is served weekly.
We will continue our Bible timeline study throughout the month of February with lessons about Ruth, Samuel, Saul, and David.
There will be NO Praise Kids on Ash Wednesday, February 22.
Wednesday, 6:30 PM
Fellowship Hall
Followed by adult Bible study from 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Family Connection will NOT be held on Ash Wednesday, February 22
The Women in the Word team is excited to invite you to a new Beth Moore study.
Please invite your mom, sister, cousin, aunt, friend or even a stranger to this exciting study.
We hope to see you there!
Title: James..Mercy, Triumphs a study by Beth Moore
Who: Open to all women.
When: Every Wednesday starting February 8th 6:45pm—8:00pm
If you are planning to attend, contact Barb Hendry or Terry Odom.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
| 9:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m | Total | |
| December 24 | 7pm | 157 | |
| December 25 | Combined | 65 | |
| January 1 | Combined | 47 | |
| January 8 | 80 | 49 | 129 |
| January 15 | 79 | 50 | 129 |
| January 22 | 73 | 70 | 143 |
Save the Date!
2012 SonRise National Park VBS: June 11-15
PPC Membership Policy
(adopted 1/24/2012 in response to Book of Order changes)
If an active member of PPC willfully chooses to participate in the life of another congregation in the Tampa Bay area for a period of 6 months or longer in lieu of participating in worship and fellowship at PPC, that member may be removed from the active roll by Session. Session shall attempt to contact and counsel the member regarding their obligations to continue in active membership at PPC in accordance with G-1.0402. Session may remove the member from the active roll if it is determined that the lack of participation in PPC is not due to mitigating circumstances (including health, school, or military deployment).
Thank You
Thanks to the Presbyterian Family for all the prayers and phone calls during my recentillness. A special thank you to Pastor Carl and the prayer chain. God bless you all.
Dorothy Madeline LeRoy
January Sunday School Schedule
- Children’s Classes: Elementary Room 209, Laura Schuetz
- Youth Classes: Room 205, Kathie Schellhaas/Sandy Moore
- College/ Career Class: Room 206, Bill Schellhaas/Bill Wyess
- Friendship Class: Boswell, Tom Smith III
- 1 Corinthians Adult Bible Study: Room 204, Larry Oline
- Creative Friendzy Class: Room 201, Patty Burrows
- New Life Study Group: Chapel
Please Help Keep Our Facilities Nice!
Please do not put paper flyers or announcements on the walls! We have billboards for our various ministries and groups to use to post items. If you need somthing posted, please check with the appropriate ministry or group or the church office. Thanks for keeping our facilities nice!
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