Spread ing Branches “I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me bears much fruit...”

John 15:5

January 2016 The Newsletter of Lansdale Presbyterian Church

www.lansdalepres.org � 215-368-1119 � e-mail: info@lansdalepres.org

Renewing the Vision by Pastor Tom Keane

It has been almost a year since we presented the new vision statement for our ministry at Lansdale Presbyterian Church. In one sense there is nothing magical about having such a statement. By themselves words do not bring change, but they can be a tool to help focus and remind us of where we are headed and what we are about.

Our vision statement does not contain anything new. The vision that we share at LPC is the vision that God has for his church. Different church congregations may say it in different ways and with different emphases, but if we are being faithful to God, then the goal of every church should be the same.

Our statement says that we want to be a church that is gathering a community to live for Christ. Gathering a people for himself is the work that God is engaged in at the present time - gathering a people who have been saved from their sins by Jesus Christ, who have dedicated their lives to him and to the advancement of his kingdom, and who enjoy rich fellowship with him and with one another. By engaging in this gathering work ourselves, we become fellow workers with God, sharing in his great vision, plan, and purpose.

Such a vision has both an outward and an inward focus.

On the one hand we look outwardly beyond our church community to those who have not yet embraced Christ. We do that with the hope that by God’s grace more and more people will be gathered into our midst to share in the life, the righteousness, the peace, and the joy that come with being united with Christ. Among our four key words (encourage, grow, equip, and go), the word “go” is the one we have chosen to emphasize at this time. Our goal is to be a church that has “going” as the orientation for all that we do. And so we are asking how we as individual believers, and also how all of our corporate ministries can be more inviting, more welcoming, and more accessible to others. We look for the best ways to connect with people outside us. And we continue to learn how to better communicate the good news of Jesus in a culture that is increasingly less aware of him and the contents of his word.

On the other hand we also look inwardly, giving attention to the health and spiritual growth of our church community. We seek to grow in our love for God and one another, living lives in obedience to his commands and as skillful managers of the gifts and resources that he has entrusted to us. We look for ways to encourage one another in this, and to equip one another to serve the Lord in our homes, our jobs, our schools, and our communities.

As we look to a new year, we hope to renew our vision for gathering this community to live for Christ. Let me encourage all of us to have this dual focus, looking inwardly to be that loving and faithful community that Jesus has saved us to be, but also always looking beyond ourselves. Let’s ask God and ourselves how we can better work with God to gather new people into our midst so that they too may know the joy of living in communion with God and with his people.

January 2016 Spreading Branches 2

January Birthdays/Anniversaries

Birthdays

4 Paul Koehrsen 5 Phil Mooney 7 Betsy Falk 11 Larry Snell 13 Darla Mooney 15 Fred Schwartz 20 Sunie Eom 27 Michele Wunderlich 30 Bill Jones Hugh Wessel (MTW) 31 Jessie Bard

Anniversaries 18 JJ & Theresa Zeller 26 Rob & Lynn Hand

If your birthday or anniversary is not included, or we have made a mistake, please contact the church office so that we can correct it.

Offering Envelopes

Offering Envelopes are the method the Deacons have for keeping records of your gifts and tithes. Each year you receive a statement for your tax purposes (acceptable by the IRS) from the records kept from your envelope giving. The 2015 statements will be available early in January for your review and tax purposes. Please review your statements right away - if you have any questions or find discrepancies, please direct your questions to Bob Wunderlich, our treasurer.

If you don’t have envelopes, and would like them, please request them from Sue Hathaway in the church office.

Coming Events

January 2015

2 6:00 pm Youth Game / Movie Night 3 9:15 am Christian Education (wkly) 10:30 am Worship Service (wkly) 5:30 pm Youth Group (wkly) 5:30 pm Kid’s Connection 5:30 pm Small Groups (wkly) 4 7:15 pm Mission Committee Mtg. 5 6:30 pm Cantabile Choir Reh. (wkly) 6 6:00 am Men’s Ministry (wkly) 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal (wkly) 7:30 pm LPC Band Rehearsal (wkly) 7 6:30 pm Session Meeting 8 10:30 am Friday Small Group (wkly) 7:00 pm Cantabile Choir Concert 10 2:00 pm Meadowood Ministry 5:30 pm Kid’s Connection 11 7:00 pm MOPS Meeting 14 9:00 am Ladies’ Bible Study (wkly) 7:00 pm Ladies’ Bible Study (wkly) 16 11:00 am Memorial Service –D. Foote 17 5:30 pm Children’s Ministry 18 7:00 pm Deacons’ Meeting 25 7:00 pm Men’s Ministry 26 7:00 pm Finance Committee Mtg. 31 1:00 pm Food From the Heart Dinner

SAVE THE DATE: February 7 Congregational Meeting & All Church Luncheon

Luncheon (following Worship) 11:45 am

Congregational Meeting 1:00 pm

(No evening groups or meetings!)

This is our annual Congregational Luncheon and Meeting. Watch the Sunday bulletin for future details.

January 2016 Spreading Branches 3

Seniors Living in Christ (S.L.I.C.)

SLIC December Christmas Party

A hearty group of seniors enjoyed our annual Christmas party on December 9th at the home of Nancy & Dave Brewer. Everyone contributed delicious side dishes and desserts to go along with the ham provided by Al Zeller. There were tasty bags of treats called Christmas Blessings Mix and place name holders made from candy canes. We all enjoyed the games organized by Carole Pletscher. She had a new unique method of distributing our gifts. Dave Brewer ended our time together with a Christmas devotional. Special thanks to Nancy and Dave for hosting us in their beautiful home. We will be taking a break until March. Hope to see you then for “Everyone’s Birthday Party.”

Men’s Retreat - March 4-6

Save the date for this year’s men’s retreat at Spruce Lake. Watch the Sunday bulletin for further details, or see Brian Hand.

Presbyteriano’s

Save the Date For our annual dinner –

fund-raiser for the mission trip! Saturday, February 13th

Menu, details coming soon!

In case you are not familiar with this event, it is a very special dinner and fund raiser for our annual summer mission trip!

�� Cancellations �� In case of inclement weather and there is a question as to whether services or evening fellowship will be cancelled or schedules modified, please call the church at 215-368-1119, ext. 66, and listen for updates. Announcements will also be sent by e-mails, and you may contact one of your elders. If you would like to receive a text or email notification, please let us know in the church office. Thank you.

Recordings of our sermons are available – on our web site: www.lansdalepres.org

You can listen each Sunday at 8:30am to a previously recorded LPC sermon, Engaging the Gospel on 1440 AM

January 2016 Spreading Branches 4

From the Deacons

“My name is James O. I received a gift from your Deacons Ministry to help with travel expenses this Thanksgiving. My wife had traveled to PA to visit her mother who had been ill for Thanksgiving. On her trip there she was assaulted in Scranton. As her husband…in Wyoming, I dropped what I was doing and left in my truck to drive across the country. With little money and no real time… I got to my wife's side to help and protect her. The gift from the Deacons was greatly appreciated and an unexpected blessing. It made us feel loved… in a time of stress and need. I am blessed to have a lifelong friend in Ralph Pennington and feel the love of your church. I have attended there a few times on visits to the area. Please share this email with your congregation to know they are touching people's hearts and making a difference in people's lives. Thank you and God bless you all! - James and Shannon O.”

Harvest Home Update

“Thank you so very much for your generosity and love …I am overwhelmed at the Lord’s provision of our needs. … We have had some unexpected expenses pop up. … God is good!” – from J

“Thank you for blessing my daughter and me this Thanksgiving with such an abundance of food and the money gift. We truly feel God’s touch through your generosity and compassion.” – from S

This year because of your generosity, the deacons were able to distribute almost two dozen turkeys, checks to cover expenses, and boxes of food to people in need in the area. God has truly been glorified in the hearts of those who received, and we trust also in the hearts of you who have given.

�� January Schedules �� Thanks to our many volunteers who help things to run smoothly every Sunday!

Greeters:

3rd Dave & Wendy Fox

10th Charlie & Phyllis Miller

17th Sue & Larry Snell

24th Dennis & Carol Nice

31st Matt & Riham Halvorsen

Ushers:

Henry Whitney, Paul Koehrsen, Sparky Brumbaugh, Al Zeller

Counters:

3rd Rich Frattarelli, Tom & Floss Woloski, John Prall (refresher)

10th John Prall, John & Sue Hathaway

17th John Prall, John & Sue Hathaway

24th John Prall, Sarah Prall, Glenn Slotter

31st John Prall, Sarah Prall, Glenn Slotter, Tom Greene (refresher)

Food from the Heart Dinner Update

Date: December 27, 2015

Our College & Career Young Adults led every-one in singing Christmas Carols

Number Attended: 50

Menu: Shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers, tossed salad, potato soup, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, with apple pie and whipped cream for dessert