Faith Alive

Kirkin’ 2017

PW Wednesday Prayer Luncheon Schedule PW Casserole Care Schedule November Circle 5 November Circle 1 December Circle 1 December Circle 2

Presbyterian Women News

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Circles or individuals interested in volunteering with the Backpack Weekend Food Program should contact Sylvia Seawell.

Crockpot Ministry Thank you for your orders! They will be

available for pickup in the Fellowship Hall on

Friday, November 17th, 4:00—6:00 p.m.. Payments can be made

by cash, check, or credit card.

BLOOD DRIVE Monday, December 4, 2:30-6:30 p.m. Fellowship Hall of FPC

Help others by giving the gift of life to someone by donating blood at the Community Blood Drive! You may sign up at the front desk, before or after church, or in your Sunday school classes. You may call the Reception Desk

for an appointment, make an appointment online (linked to www.fpcgastonia.org) or just come that day. Remember the many people in our church and community in need of blood. Do your part to help. See you

December 4!

You Can Help. . .

THANKSGIVING OFFERING NOV. 19

We will collect an offering for our three closely connected children’s homes during worship on Nov. 19: Barium Springs, Grandfather, and Black Mtn.

RING THE BELL

Gather donations for the Salvation Army by ringing the bell at a red kettle near you Nov. 17—Dec. 23. Visit redkettlevolunteer.org, call 704-867-6145 or email evangeline.johnston@uss.salvationarmy.org to sign up.

DONATE BLOOD

The next FPC Blood Drive will be Monday, December 4, 2:30-6:30 p.m. Mark your calendar and plan to donate!

NICKEL-A-MEAL We collect this offering the 2nd Sunday of each month. It goes to hunger relief projects within the presbytery and around the globe. Please give as you are able.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOUSE Workdays continue at 223 Tanner St. on Saturdays and some weekdays. You are invited to continue volunteering! Bill Glover (cell 704-650-5892) is the best person to contact about exactly when volunteers are needed.

SHERWOOD ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL NEEDS VOLUNTEERS Opportunities include serving as lunch buddies, reading buddies, and mentors For other ways you can help, contact Gloria Hickson: 704-865-6109.

THE COMMUNITY GARDEN

FPC has a plot where we grow food for local ministries. We need volunteers to help weed. The gate lock combination is 6014 and you can go any time you have a few minutes. Contact Cynthia Anderson with questions: 704-616-1067.

GAP Habitat House We’ve come a long way!

How we at FPC Gastonia can help with Christmas at the Black Mountain Home For Children: The Angel Tree

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We at FPC Gastonia have had a relationship with the Black Mountain Home For Children for a number of years, and one of the ways we maintain this relationship is by providing Christmas gifts for residents of the Home. There are two ways that we can participate in this ministry. One way is to be a “shopper” for a resident. The Home has provided us at FPC Gastonia with a list of Home residents, including name, age, gender, and desired gifts. To be a “shopper”, you select a resident (or two, if you like) and purchase the gifts requested, not to exceed a value of approximately $200. If an item on the list is not available here locally, or if the value of the gifts is short of $200, please make up the difference by purchasing gift cards (Target, Wal-Mart, etc.) as these can be redeemed easily in the Black Mountain area. Please accumulate the receipts for your purchases, as you will be reimbursed. Please obtain Gift receipts for your purchases, as these will need to be sent along to the Home with the gifts. In a few weeks, these gifts will be taken to the Home, where they will be inspected (so please do NOT wrap your gift) for accuracy and later given out on Christmas Day. Another way is to make a donation via the Angel Tree which is to set up beside Lauren’s office. The tree will have several slips of paper with varying dollar amounts. Please select a slip off the Angel Tree and place the dollar amount from the slip into a nearby gift box. Please make your check payable to First Presbyterian Church with the notation “BMH Angel Tree”. To be a part of this exciting and meaningful ministry please contact Rick Hovis by email,

rhovis@carolina.rr.com , or by calling him at 704-718-0971. Thank you for your support!

Upcoming Opportunities for Worship at Christmas and New Year’s

A Service of Hope (see ar ticle on pg. 7): December 12, 12:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church

Presbyterian Weekday School Christmas Program: December 19, 9:00 a.m., Sanctuary

Children’s Christmas Pageant: December 17, 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

Youth Christmas Pageant: December 20, 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall Christmas Eve (12/24): 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary; 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary; 11:00 p.m. in the Chapel New Year’s Eve (12/31) : 9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary No children’s Sunday school on 12/31. Some adult classes will meet.

90th Birthday Luncheon

Children’s Christmas Pageant Christmas Pageant rehearsals for speaking roles and extra musical offerings will be held Wednesday, November 29th, December 6th, December 13th. The entire ensemble will rehearse on Sunday, December 10th and Sunday, December 17th from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days. The pageant will begin at 5:00 p.m. on December 17th following our rehearsal and will include a worship vespers service and cookies and punch following the service. Children from age 4 – 5th grade are invited to be a part of this pageant as a character in the musical play. Middle school and High school youth are also invited to share special musical offerings either through instrumental pieces, percussion, vocal solos or small groups and encouraged to attend the Wednesday evening practices. Please RSVP Jill Kimbirl at jkimbirl@fpcgastonia.org or text 704-607-8949 if you would like to be included.

“THANFULNESS IS MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF OUR WORDS. GRATITUDE IS MEASURED BY THE NATURE OF OUR ACTIONS.” -David O. McKay

During November we encourage you to focus on expressing gratitude in both word and deed. Consider all the things big and small that you are grateful for then consider ways in which you can show gratitude for these blessings. For example, you can show gratitude for food by helping to prepare meals for others, sharing a treat with a neighbor, or donating to a food bank. Share these by choosing a leaf and writing first on one side something that you are grateful for and then on the other side of that same leaf a way in which you will show your gratitude for it. Hang these leaves on the tree in the Memorial Gallery to share your gratitude. Share these ways with the entire church community by posting under the #gratefuldeeds.

Chalk Pen Instruction: With the cap upright, shake the marker for 30 seconds. Push the tip in and out until the chalk ink fills the tip. To erase just rub with a damp cloth.

Megan & Stuart Euliss: Megan was born and raised here in Gastonia, NC. She studied education at Appalachian State University and is now a third grade teacher at Sherwood Elementary school. Stuart is from Burlington, NC. He studied economics at East Carolina University. He is now working at Woodlawn Funeral Home in Mt. Holly as he works on obtaining his funeral directors

license. The two were married in July of 2016. They recently moved from Charlotte to Gastonia to be closer to family and Megan's job.

Kay Nesheim joined by transfer of letter from 1st ARP Church. A former member of First Presbyterian, Kay is married to husband Ron and the mother

of 2 children: son Barkley, living in Colorado, and daughter Shelly Carter, living in Gastonia. She is also the proud grandmother of four: 2 girls and 2 boys.

Jeff and Polly Jasmin join the church as transfers from White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC. Jeff is employed with Rite Aid in human resource, and Polly taught preschool at White Memorial Weekday School. They have three children: McLean, Emily and Ted. Daughter of Karen and Sim Adams, Polly grew up in the church and in fact was the first baby baptized in our current Sanctuary here at First Presbyterian. They are glad to be back!

Welcome, new members!!!

ADULT MINISTRIES

PRAYER LUNCH Wednesdays at Noon in the Fellowship Hall. Come to be fed—body and spirit!

FAITH & FICTION The next Faith & Fiction meeting will be on Sunday, December 3 at 5:00 p.m. at the home of

Sarah Wentz. December’s book will be The Immortal Nicholas by Glenn Beck. Hostesses will be Sarah Wentz, Jean Hileman and Bev Bryant.

ATTENTION!!! ALL MEN Men’s Fellowship Breakfast gathers at the PAD on Wednesdays at 7 a.m. for breakfast and for a

7:30 a.m. devotion. We dismiss at 8:00 a.m. Come join us!

Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes This project is in full swing and you are invited to participate. Boxes are available at the Reception Desk. There are brochures that explain what to put in the boxes for children’s gifts. Please return them in time for us to dedicate and send them on November 19. Becky Voorhees is our church’s contact.

Needed: Empty Paper Towel Rolls Please save these and drop them off with Children’s Ministry Director Jill Kimbirl for an upcoming Advent project! Thank

you!

Adult Ministries

A Service of Hope: Dec. 12, 12:15 and 6:00 p.m., FUMC Gastonia

As you know, for many people, the time between Thanksgiving and New Year are the most difficult during the year. We know that the holidays are traditionally seen as a time of joy and laughter, sharing and gift-giving. But for people who are grieving, or struggling with other personal issues (depression, physical illnesses, separation/divorce, unemployment, addiction), the holidays may be a time of mixed emotions, feelings of being overwhelmed with multiple demands, and a reminder of the losses and personal struggles. The ministers of First United Methodist and First Presbyterian Churches, and the Gastonia Parish Nurse Ministry, would like to extend an invitation not only to the church members, but to everyone in this community to come and experience a very meaningful church service that is different than most this time of year. It is a quiet, meditative service. An opportunity for these individuals to take time for themselves, and experience a time of rest. They are invited to come forward and light a candle in memory of a special loved one or to ask for special prayer. Attendees are then invited to stay for a light meal, where they have an opportunity for sharing and caring, and to find comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone in their grief. I (Parish Nurse Lisa Marisiddaiah) am encouraging people to extend an invitation to those they know who would benefit from this Service of Hope, and to offer to accompany that person so they don’t have to go alone; or to offer to drive those who do not have transportation. I have also coordinated once again, to have bereavement counselors, as well as other practitioners, available to speak with anyone that may desire this comforting, professional conversation. I will also help to connect people to resources in this community that may be of benefit. RSVP to 704-864-4371.

After School Director Janeen Silver and Parish Nurse Lisa Marisiddaiah conquer the Spartan Race!

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PAID Gastonia, NC

Worship and Music Notes Join Music Ministries

Share your talents! Sing or ring with the FPC choir or handbells!

Practices are: Sanctuary Ringers, Wednesdays, 5:35 - 6:35 p.m.; Sanctuary Choir, Wednesdays,

7:00 - 8:30 p.m. See a choir member or director

Bethany Jennings to learn more. bjennings@fpcgastonia.org

11:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10/1/2017 125 100 10/8/2017 174 82 10/15/2017 198 61 10/22/2017 130 90 10/29/2017 142 114

October Worship Attendance

Mark Your Calendar: November 22: Community Thanksgiving Service, 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist; let’s have a good showing from FPC!

Veterans’ Lunch 2017

4+4+4=Winning Wednesdays