First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin 455 Scotland Street Dunedin, FL 34698 727-733-2318 VOICE – November 2014 As our thoughts turn to the season of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a discovery that I made while studying the Book of Acts. Toward the end of Luke’s incredible history of the Christian church (the same Luke, who wrote the gospel that bears his name,) we see the Apostle Paul reaching the climax of his three missionary journeys as he approaches Rome, the seat of imperial power. Paul is under arrest for his preaching, but as a citizen of Rome he has the right to make his case before the emperor. Paul understood what his arrival at Rome meant – either he would be freed, or he would be executed, especially since the emperor at this time was Nero, who had no love for Christians. As Paul approached the city under guard, there must have been a great deal of fear in his heart, for his death was not only possible, but likely. In the 28th chapter of Acts, Luke narrates the events as Paul reaches the edge of the city: “And the Christian brethren there, when they heard that we were nearing the city, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns [this was about 33 miles from the city] to meet us. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage. And when he came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him.” The source of Paul’s moment of thanksgiving is the effort made by the Christians of Rome to meet him before he faces the emperor. Seeing their love, embraced in their fellowship, Paul’s immediate response is to offer thanks that he is not alone. Out of that spontaneous prayer of thanksgiving comes a gift that perhaps the Apostle did not expect – courage. When Paul was loved by his sisters and brothers in Christ, he knew he could face Nero, and even go to his death because he was surrounded by, as he had already written in the Book of Hebrews, “a mighty cloud of witnesses.” Often we look at our act of Christian thanksgiving as an opportunity to give something back to the Lord in exchange for all he has given us, but even in offering our thanks, Christ gives us something in return. For Paul, the gift was courage, because Paul needed courage. For us, it is whatever assurance, encouragement, or strength we need at this particular time in our lives. Perhaps we are struggling with life-changing decisions; perhaps we are challenged by seemingly insurmountable obstacles; perhaps we are seeking to bear or recover from heartache or grief. Regardless of the circumstances, the act of Thanksgiving opens another channel to the Holy Spirit of God, and through that channel our Heavenly Father sees our needs and provides us with the spiritual resources to endure and overcome. In November I hope we will all take a moment to look around and see the mighty cloud of witnesses that surround your life. Our church, those we love and who love us in return, and our Lord, are all with us and for us, no matter the challenges we may face. This realization should make us thankful people. The wonderful news is that, with thankful hearts, God provides other gifts of faith and courage, along with the blessed assurance that, with Christ on our side, we can never fail. So let us be thankful, and give our Lord the glory for all of God’s love. Dr. Mack FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF DUNEDIN 455 Scotland Street, Dunedin, Florida 34698 www.fpcdunedin.org 727-733-2318 727-738-4297 (Fax) Church Office Hours Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday Noon-1:00 pm office closed for lunch Friday Office closed Interim Pastor Rev. Dr. “Mack” Sigmon 727-733-2318 (ext. 25) [email protected] Church Administrator Donna Dayock (M-W 8:30-4:00 and Thurs 8:30-12:00) 727-733-2318 (ext. 24) [email protected] Assistant to Administrator Stephen L. Allen 727-733-2318 [email protected] Director of Music Stephen L. Allen 727-733-2318 [email protected] Contemporary Worship Leader Jeremy Best Parish Associate Rev. Willard Doyle Financial Secretary (M-W-Thurs) Betsi Knapp 727-733-2318 (ext. 22) [email protected] Preschool Director Cori LoCicero 727-733-2111 www.firstfriendspreschool.net Preschool email [email protected] Custodian Dave Rodman Questions about First Presbyterian Church – 727-733-2318 Wedding Questions, Room Reservations, Changes in Address, Phone numbers Web Servant – John Brockman Voice Editors – Donna Dayock-office volunteers Voice Contributors – Members of the Church October 31, 2014 Total Income $256,247 Total Expenses $283,745 Difference ($27,498) Wednesday, December 10, 2014 6:00 p.m. – Potluck (in Hager Hall) 7:00 p.m. – Holiday Concert (in Sanctuary) Get into the holiday spirit with an evening of special music! PERFORMANCES BY: Bay Voices – a men’s ensemble conducted by Stephen L. Allen Handbell Choir of First Presbyterian Church Sylvia Rockwell, Soprano David Eichenberger and Carol Harp, Violin HARVEST THANKSGIVING SERVICE November 23th at 10:30 am Our annual service for giving thanks to God for the bounty of the land will be held on November 23th at 10:30 am. Please note that it will be a combined service. It is a tradition at this service to bring a donation of fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas), fresh vegetables (onions, potatoes, carrots) or packaged breads, flour, rice. The children will bring their food laden wagons into the sanctuary to be blessed, and the following day it will be transported to RCS Food bank in Clearwater. This is such a joyous service, full of joyful music and pertinent lessons, as we give thanks to God for His many blessings. Please feel free to invite family members, friends and neighbors to join us – ALL ARE WELCOME. FIRST FRIENDS PRESCHOOL The fall enthusiasm is contagious at First Friends Preschool as the children prepare for “Giving” by bringing in one canned food item to school to fill up our “Wagon of Gifts” that will be presented at First Church’s November 23rd Harvest Fest Service. Thanksgiving takes on a new meaning when the children become a part of the donating. It feels so good to give! As the weather cools, the outdoor playground games take on new vitality. The indoor activities are filled with stories of the first Thanksgiving, pumpkins, pumpkin seeds, lots of hand-turkey art, pictures designed with orange, yellow and brown paints. The children learn a new word: Cornucopia! There are more stories about Pilgrims, Native American Indians, and giving thanks to God for our many blessings. Each classroom creates a festive hat or headdress in celebration of Thanksgiving Day. We would like to wish you a Blessed Thanksgiving! SANCTUARY FLOWERS To have a loved one honored or remembered please complete a “Sanctuary Flowers Request Form” (next to the Flower Chart on the bulletin board in Hager Hall) providing the preferred Sunday date(s) and to whom the flowers are to be dedicated. Put the form with your payment ($27.50 per arrangement) into an envelope and put it into the offering plate or mail it to the church. Payments MUST be made before the week of your request. Payment can be made by “online bill-payer” from your bank, in cash, or by personal check, with “flowers” on the memo line. BAPTISM Rejoice with your family and God’s family with the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism. For information on Baptisms contact the church at 7332318. Information is also available online at www.fpcdunedin.org WEDDINGS Couples are urged to contact the Church Administrator for an application and a copy of the wedding policy. Information is also available online at www.fpcdunedin.org MEDICAL EQUIPMENT For inquires about medical supplies and equipment available for loan, please contact our custodian, at the church office 733-2318. We also accept donations; however donations must be approved through the church office. Please do not leave your items. PRESBYTERY OF TAMPA BAY www.presbyteryoftampabay.com 813-868-4800 DENOMINATION HEADQUARTERS “TOLL-FREE THREE” Simplifies Phoning Callers to the national offices of the Presbyterian Church (USA) now can reach the information, resources, or people they need without consulting a lengthy directory or paying long distance charges. Callers may choose from the following numbers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 1-800-728-7228 for connection to a staff person at 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY. 1-800-872-3283 to reach PresbyTel information about PCUSA 1-800-524-2612 to order resources from Presbytery Distribution Services (PDS). Fax number 1-502-569-8099 Website of PCUSA is www.pcusa.org Dear Congregation, How can I possibly express my thanks and gratitude for your overwhelming demonstration of love and support on the 25th anniversary of my coming to First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin? Simple words fail me. It seems like only yesterday when I played my first worship service on October 22, 1989. It has truly been the blessing of my life and career to not only serve as your Director of Music/Organist, but also to be a member of this congregation. I look forward to the future and to many more services of worship and the opportunities of sharing God’s gift of music with you. With sincere thanks and a heart full of love, Stephen FOR DECEMBER-JANUARY is November 15th. The church office will be closed November 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday. Remember to look ahead and send articles for January too! REMINDER! Daylight Savings time begins on Sunday, November 2nd. Set clocks back one hour! First Church contributed 136 lbs. of food in August and September. This is super! Remember, everything counts! The holidays are coming up, and RCS families are in desperate need for baby food, canned food, canned milk, and peanut butter. Even diapers are needed! Financial gifts are welcome and may be designated in your check to the church by indicating on the MEMO line the amount that you wish given to RCS. On behalf of RCS and the shelter, thank you! For information on the Religious Community Services (RCS), contact Elizabeth Saunders (727403-9249). Rev. Mack will be on vacation November 20 and returning on November 30th. Eric Houghton will be preaching the one Harvest Fest service on November 23rd at 10:30 am. th The Fall Supper Club series is off and running! We have already had delightful September dinner parties, and now are getting ready for our October parties. If you have just heard about us for the first time and would like an opportunity to gather with other church members once a month for dinner and lots of fun, please contact a member of the Supper Club committee. Or, if you would like to be on call, you may also sign our Wait List which is located in Hager Hall. Also, mark your calendar with a reminder to sign up in January for the winter series of dinners. Our First Church Supper Club table will be set up in Hager Hall for most of that month. Your First Church Supper Club Members: Candy Barnette Peggy George Carol Harp Lois Matocha To all my dear friends at First Church: Thank you ever so much for all the cards, flowers, and phone calls while I was sick. You have no idea how much your thoughts and prayers lifted my spirits. I genuinely miss each and every one of you. God Bless. Cheers, Elizabeth Johnston Saunders Diana Carsey November 1 Jessica Hamrick November 1 Lynn Burks November 2 Barbara Nourse November 4 Margie Skinner November 5 Lucy French November 6 Ginger Watson November 7 Iris Poppler November 8 Norma Watkins November 8 Dorothy Bishop November 9 Betsy Hall November 9 Christina McFee November 10 Les Marsden November 11 Jonathan Quizhpe November 11 Nell Juergens November 12 Debbie Brashear November 15 William Hall November 15 Sally King November 16 Hans Faust November 17 Joyce Marsden November 20 Jude Zentmeyer November 20 Kasi Narine November 21 Elizabeth Rodzewicz November 23 Ann Hemme November 24 Tina Hemme November 24 Lorene Tutell November 24 David Eichenberger November 25 Elizabeth Johnston Saunders November 26 Freddie Webb November 28 Andy Howell November 29 Janet Hilder November 30 “The Second annual Hanging of the Greens /Chili cook-off”. Mark your calendar on November 30, and plan to attend. Bring your best chili and see if you can win the coveted award. We will have the chili cook off/eating at 5:30 followed by the hanging of the greens throughout the church. Don’t forget about the cookie decorating. It wouldn’t be the start of Advent without decorating some sugar cookies. So pack up your family and bring some friends to a fun filled night at First Church. November FPC LIBRARY NEWSLETTER Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. Erma Bombeck Hello dear Readers ~ "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie. Didn’t Gayle Hill do a masterful review of GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn? Leila Bugenhagen will surprise us with our November Koinonia review. Leila gave a really inspiring review of DEFENDING JACOB a few months ago. I know she will make a superior review on Tuesday, November 18 at 2 PM in the FPC Library. Make some new friends and bring them to Koinonia! Come in to browse our books. The Christian novels moved north and the Mysteries have moved into their space. Several free books are also on the top shelf under the window. Those ‘Reminder Cards” hit the mailboxes this weekend. Call Mary at 727-733-4609 if you do not have the listed book. If you do have an overdue book, just drop it off in the library book box. No questions asked! We will just be grateful! If you received a card under false pretenses, I do apologize. Iris Poppler brought many Amish fiction books to our library. Please come in to peruse them if this is your genre. Also, a big thank you to Bobbie Eichenberger for sharing many of her DVD’s. They are conveniently displayed on the shelf below the Courtyard window. Look for the following new books on the shelves immediately to your left as you enter the library. They might be in the window—or they might be checked out. DARKSIDE by P. T. Deutermann Deutermann's tense mystery set in and around the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis is sleek, sharp and scary. When a plebe at the Academy mysteriously falls out of a sixthstory window and dies, energetic Midshipman First Class Julie Markham, an acquaintance of the dead…just read the book! SAINT-GAUDENS AND THE GILDED ERA by Louise Hall Tharp Saint-Gaudens was the son of an immigrant cobbler who worked as a cameo cutter. This book is the story of his Paris training and the Americans he met in Paris. CANDLE IN THE DARKNESS by Lynn Austin The first in The Refiner’s Series. FPC also has FIRE BY NIGHT (Book 2) AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH (Book 3). Lynn Austin is a wonderful Christan fiction writer. Cynthia Nilson recommends her work. THUNDER DOG by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust. We have several new puzzles thanks to Jackie Chalk and Betsi Knapp! Bring a friend and puzzle! By the time you read this, the kitten jigsaw puzzle should be finished. The next puzzle will be one of Jackie’s newest donations. Call the Bookworm at 733-4609 or leave a note in the library closet if you would like to recommend a book for our FPC Library. If you have read a book that should be in our library, tell us about it. We are always eager to respond to your suggestions. Propose other activities or displays for the library. Call Mary at 733-4609 with your ideas. REMINDER ~ MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR KOINONIA ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 AT 2 PM! LET’S PACK THE ROOM TO HEAR LEILA BUGENHAGEN REVIEW HER MOST RECENT “BEST BOOK EVER.” YOU CAN BE CERTAIN OF TURKEY TREATS AND TURKEY TALES. Keep right on reading! Your FPC Bookworm. “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” ― William Styron HANDBELL RINGERS NEEDED ASAP! Help us decorate our sanctuary on Sunday December 21st by purchasing poinsettias. $10.00 per plant. A signup sheet will be posted in Hager Hall the first week in December. November 2014 Can you ding-a-ling? Would you like to be a ding-a-ling? The Handbell Choir has recently “lost” a couple of ringers due to circumstances beyond our control. To ring the 3 octave set of handbells that we have, 11 ringers are needed (with compatible schedules!). Knowledge of music reading is helpful, but not required! Contact Stephen Allen if you are interested in joining this group. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. The 2015 Flower chart is now posted in Hager Hall! Arrangements are $27.50 each. Sign up early to honor or remember a loved one. Please complete a request form and return it to the church office with your payment. Monday - November 3, 17, 24 – Welch & Carole Anne Agnew November 10 – Paul & Lynn Burks Tuesday – November 4, 11, 18, 25 – Dave & Nell Thomas Wednesday – November 5, 12, 19, 26 – Sue Legg & Babe Young Thursday – November 6, 13, 20, 27 – Paul & Lynn Burks Friday – November 7, 14, 21, 28 – Donna Shaffer & Barb Arndt Want to become a Meals on Wheels volunteer? Contact Iris Poppler at 727-733-1672 The Scrips Shopping Card program is up and running!! Please stop by the table on Sunday and look at the large number of cards available. Remember the holidays are coming and what better way is there to send a gift card and help First Church! You can also learn more about the program at www.shopwithscrip.com or talk to Bill Hemme (727-474-7689) or Betsi Lewis Knapp (727-733-2318).