Faith Alive

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN

1621 E Garrison Blvd, Gastonia NC 28054

Phone: 704-864-2651

Website: www.fpcgastonia.org

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS TO

communications@fpcgastonia.org

Next Deadline November 30, 2015

Volume 20 Issue 16

First Presbyterian Hosts Annual Community Thanksgiving Service ALL NEW DAY AND TIME—Wednesday, November 25th at 7 PM

The annual Community

Thanksgiving Service will

be held at 7 PM on

Wednesday, November

25th in the sanctuary of

First Presbyterian Church.

The service represents a

collaboration of several

downtown churches. Con-

gregations participating

this year include First

United Methodist, First

Baptist, St Mark’s Episco-

pal, St Michael’s Catholic,

St Stephens AME Zion,

Bradley Memorial United

Methodist and First Pres-

byterian.

Representatives of the

choirs of these churches

will also participate. A

brass ensemble will be

featured. The preacher for

the service this year will

be Asher J. Panton, Asso-

ciate Pastor of First Bap-

tist Church. Rev. Panton

serves as pastor to youth,

children, and families.

He is a graduate of South-

eastern University and

Fuller Theological Semi-

nary.

The churches have been

uniting for over 25 years.

Come, participate in this

celebration of all the

ways we have been

blessed by God for life in

our country and commu-

nity. An offering benefit-

ting As One Ministries and

Crisis Assistance Ministry

will be received during the

service.

CONGREGATIONAL

CARES

BIRTHS

Megan and Will Kieffer

On 10/30 a son, Ford.

Grandparents: Patty

and David Ratchford

CONDOLENCES

ON THE DEATH

of Margaret Craig’s

son Verne Edward

(Petey) Shive, Jr.

on 11/1.

of Henderson Wise’s

father, Thomas Wise,

on 10/6

of Eleanor Beasley’s

sister, Anna Cherry

Kreiner, on 11/1

of Sarah Park

Rankin’s father,

Alfred Stuart,

on 11/1

N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

ST P R E S S

First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia, NC

1

2

You may have heard it said – “Don’t give until it hurts – Give

until it feels good!” At FPC giving feels good and the Missions

Ministry wants to share these expressions of appreciation.

Thankful for First Presbyterian Ministries

From flood victims in Columbia:

Thank you so much for the Walmart gift card! These last few weeks

have been difficult but I have felt the love and prayers of so

many! God is good….all the time. Yours in Christ. -Betsy

Frank and I want to thank the members of First Presbyterian Church

of Gastonia for the gift card your church sent us for assistance as we

recover from the recent flood. We have been touched by all the pray-

ers, love and support. We are living on the top floor of our house

while the basement and first floor are torn out and rebuilt. -Jane

I can’t thank you enough for the Target gift card. It will certainly

come in handy as we try to rebuild a home. Your generosity is greatly

appreciated and your prayers are certainly felt. -Jennifer, Lindsey &

Emma (single mom)

From Stop Hunger Now:

Thank you for your gift of $10,210.32*….. meals have gone to school

feeding programs like the one at St. Andre School in Haiti. “I am

really happy because sometimes this is the only meal I get for the

whole day” said Jonathan, a 6th grader. “My parents are not able to

buy me food.” -Rod Brooks, President and CEO *35,000 meals

Ashbrook High School:

With your monetary donation of $400, we were able to provide a

wonderful meal for our hard-working faculty and staff. Simply put, if it

wasn’t for the support of our faith communities, many of our public

community schools would not be able to provide special treats for our

school staff. Thank you for your continued support of our school .

-Tina Santiago, PTO President

MAKE A

DIFFERENCE!

Discipleship Opportunities

AT and BEYOND FPC

MISSIONS

PAK-A-SAK

Pack and deliver over 20

book bags filled with food

to Grier Middle School,

contact Betsy Summer.

RISE AND SHINE

Make a breakfast casserole

on Wednesday mornings

for those needing a hot,

healthy breakfast. Contact

Tom Avery.

CAM

At Crisis Assistance

Ministry. Please call

704-867-8901.

FAITH HEALTH GASTON

Assist frail church or

community members who

need our help. Contact our

Parish Nurse, Lisa

Marissiddaiah at 704-616-

4023 for details.

nurse@fpcgastonia.org.

Men’s Fellowship — Start Your Day Right!

Wednesday, Dec 2 and 9, at 7 AM the men of our church meet together

to enjoy fellowship and a delicious breakfast and to participate in a Bible

study led by Dr. John Frye. The study this year is Women of the Bible.

All men are welcome and encouraged to share this hour together in the

PAD to start their day with fellow Christians. Come and bring a friend.

DEACONS HOST FALL FESTIVAL AND KIRKIN’ DINNER

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as well as prepare our Giving Christmas Tree

and Christmas shopping for 20 very deserving

children at the Black Mountain Home for Chil-

dren. Please look for the Giving Christmas Tree

and make your important donations to very de-

serving and needy children during our Season

of Giving!

The Deacons, under the leadership of Becky

Voorhees, completed Operation Christmas

Child shoeboxes, which were dedicated

Sunday, November 15th.

The Deacons are very fortunate and blessed to

have Hoppy Sell step forward as the new

Moderator of the Diaconate for 2016. Cynthia

Anderson is the Vice Moderator and Betty

Davenport, the new Secretary! Please

congratulate these dynamic leaders as they

move our Diaconate forward in its exciting

discipleship for the coming year!

The Deacons have been very busy this

month in exciting fellowship events. The

church’s annual Fall Festival and Picnic

was a great time of inter-generational

camaraderie featuring a barbecue dinner,

games for children and the very first

outdoor television viewing of a critical

Carolina Panthers’ game!

The Deacons followed with a chicken din-

ner after the Kirkin’ Service and welcomed

both church members and visitors alike!

Both of these great fellowship events were

planned and orchestrated by Luke Buchan-

an and the Fellowship Committee of the

Deacons, and we are all grateful for their

hard work and dedication!

The Deacons continue to provide volun-

teers and food for up to 150 hungry chil-

dren at the Boys and Girls Club of Gastonia

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Faith & Fiction

Sunday, Dec 6, 5PM

at the home of Sarah

Wentz. We will be

discussing One

Mountain Away by

Emilie Richards.

December 7

2-6 PM

Walk-ins or By

Appointment

704-864-2651

Yoga

Blood Drive

NEW SESSION

Nov 12 and 19

Dec 3 and 10. Cost

$24. Thursdays

from 8:45-10 AM

Blue Christmas

Tuesday, Dec 8

12:15PM and 6PM

Chapel of First

United Methodist

ROADRUNNERS visited Baker Buffalo Creek Winery Oct. 29. Ann and Charles Edwards

were our delightful hosts. They have a beautiful vineyard with wonderful amenities and scenery.

Charles took us on a wagon tour of the property which included views of the old homestead and

outbuildings, as well as the winery. They even have a chapel! We all had lots of fun!

Join us on one of our next excursions:

January 23 to see "The Fourth Cross" at the Narroway Theater in Ft Mill

March 17 to the Bob Jones University Art Museum

ROAD

RUNNERS

4

The Henderlite Bible Class

meets in the Chapel each

Sunday at 9:15 AM for

Sunday School fellowship,

followed by hymn singing

and a scripture-based lesson.

Class members teach the

Uniform Lesson Series.

Currently the class is study-

ing the Acts of the Apostles

in the Fall Quarter.

Beginning in December the

Winter Quarter will be a

survey series entitled

"Sacred Gifts and Holy

Gatherings."

While excellent teaching of

the scriptures is our main

goal, the class is known for

its warm fellowship and

caring ministry among it

members.

Attendance offers an

opportunity to broaden and

deepen relationships with

fellow church members and

to become more connected

with the life of the church.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

NOTES

SEEKERS

CLASS

The Connections Class is

comprised of adults ranging in age

from 40 to 60-somethings.

Currently, we are studying the

Uniform Lesson Series, “The

Christian Community Comes

Alive” based on the book of Acts.

Dr. Richard Rankin has been our

instructor and has engaged us in

several lively, thought-provoking

conversations based upon the texts

of the lessons. We have also used

other sources for our weekly

lessons, such as video; but, no

matter the content or the format of

the lesson, we always find time

for discussions!

The Connections Class strives to

participate in the local mission

work of FPC with various class

members regularly participating in

ministries such as Rise And Shine,

Stop Hunger Now, Gaston Family

Promise, and Samaritan’s Feet as

close as Black Mountain and as

far away as Malawi and Guatema-

la.

We have four Committees-

Curriculum, Nurturing, Social,

and Administrative. We encourage

communication, The weekly

newsletter is emailed to class

members to keep everyone

informed about the life of FPC

Gastonia as well as our group.

“Then Sings My Soul"

Seekers Class Explores

Our Familiar Hymns

Did you know Martin Luther au-

thored "A Mighty Fortress Is Our

God" over 500 years ago? Were

you aware that "Crown Him with

Many Crowns" originally had six

eight-line stanzas and was based

on Revelation 19:12?

Memories of familiar hymns stir

our soul and often reawaken mem-

ories of childhood. During the

second quarter, the Seekers Sun-

day School Class will peek be-

tween the lines of our most famil-

iar hymns and explore the richness

of their origin. Robert J. Morgan's

book, Then Sings My Soul, covers

the origin of 150 of the world's

greatest hymns and recounts the

stories behind the lines.

During the Advent season, the

class will review best-loved

Christmas hymns. The lesson plan

covers the entire quarter and is

designed so each Sunday is an

independent unit.

Please join us and learn more

about those wonderful hymns that

have inspired us for years! The

quarter begins December 6.

CONNECTIONS

CLASS HENDERLITE

CLASS

CELEBRATE 90’s

Phyllis Tucker is our oldest

member and Margaret

Upchurch is the oldest

lifetime member.

Left to Right: Wilson Dunn,

Betty Kiser, Edith Warren,

Phyllis Tucker, seated

Margaret Upchurch

Children’s Ministry — NEWS & UPDATES

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The Children’s Ministry of FPC is having

a great Fall! We continue our Wednesday

Night Alive - fellowship, music and fun

through the month of November. We’ve

been raising our voices in praise and

thanksgiving and will be participating in

worship through song on Sunday, Novem-

ber 22 at 10:30 AM. We will share with

the congregation during the Time for

Young Disciples. Parents please mark

your calendars. The children will meet

Ms. Jill in the Parlor at 10:15 AM to

warm up and we will sit together in the

first row of pews. We need a few

volunteers willing to sit with us on either

end or in the pew behind.

This year’s Advent Adventure will sing

carols at a retirement community, deco-

rate cookies, and make advent wreaths to

take home. Please meet at the PAD at

3:30 PM to load up on the church bus.

Parents are welcome to join us. Please

RSVP to Jill Kimbirl by Nov. 24th.

Some of you may have recently

seen the youth running around at

the Fall-Picnic or dancing at Stop

Hunger Now in some new tie-

dyed shirts. While some of these

shirts may be more brown than

colorful, I hope you have also

had a chance to notice the verse

displayed on the back, because it

is key to what the youth at First

Pres have been up to lately.

Written on the back of the shirts

is Hebrews 10:24, “Let us

consider how we may spur one

another on towards Love and

Good Deeds,” a verse I read this

summer and decided to use as a

theme for the youth in this

season. My hope is that through

nurturing, strengthening and

growing the youth as a commu-

nity, the community becomes

the source of strength for faith

in action, especially as we move

into the holiday season.

In that spirit and with that moti-

vation we have been busy! We

have gathered in fellowship for

pumpkin carving and bonfires,

raced through the church in the

dark at the lock-in and played

countless ridiculous games. We’ve

served by cooking dinner for the

Gaston Women’s Shelter, writing

notes to those who attend the

weekly Rise & Shine breakfast and

being servants to the church when-

ever we can. I am glad to see the

youth grow closer to one another as

they serve the community and am

excited to see the ways God contin-

ues to work through the youth!

You Shop While We Sing! Parents, this one is

especially for you! Sports seasons are

complete and you still have some last minute

shopping to do. What are you going to do?

Plan to drop off your child(ren) ages 4 through

5th grade on Wednesday evenings in Decem-

ber. The children are invited to dinner and

carol singing at 5:30 – 7:00 PM on December

2, 9 and 16. We will prepare some special

Christmas music during our time together to be

shared at the 10:30 AM. Worship Service

Sunday, Dec 20.

Christmas Pageant – Sunday, Dec 13 at 5 PM

Our annual Christmas Pageant will take place

on Sunday, December 13th at 5 PM. Rehears-

als will take place in the Fellowship Hall on

Sunday, Dec. 6th from 3-5 PM and Sunday,

Dec. 13th from 3-5 PM. The Christmas

Pageant is open to all children age 4 through

5th grade. No costume is needed. Program

attire will be announced.

Christmas Eve Service – Just for Children 11

AM. Our special children’s Christmas Eve

Service is December 24th in the chapel. All

are welcome to attend this service especially

for children.

UPCOMING

CHILDREN’S

ACTIVITIES

Advent Adventure

Sunday, Nov 29

Worship Sing

Sunday, Nov 22

Carol Singing

Dec 2, 9, 16

Worship Sing

Sunday, Dec 20

Christmas Pageant

Dec 13

Christmas Eve Service

Just for Children

Sunday, Dec 24

YOUTH

RUN FOR

LOVE &

DEEDS

6

The Microloan Project for

the women of Guatemala

is exciting and growing

all the time. It has been

reported that 100% of the

first group of recipients of

the Mircroloan Project

have repaid their loans

with interest. Positive self

esteem, independence and

a growing faith have been

additional outcomes to

the economic endeavors

of the women as a result

of this project.

The Presbyterian Wom-

en’s magazine Horizons

contacted the Presbytery

of Western NC and asked

for an article highlighting

this new project, and it

will be featured in the

Nov/Dec issue. Presby-

terian Women are making

a difference!

Excitement is abound in Circle

5! This year, under the leader-

ship of Josie Conner, we have

embarked on a Lysa TerKeurst

book study, The Best Yes: Mak-

ing Wise Decisions in the Midst

of Endless Demands. We have

been having some engaging

discussions as we discover how

we can make more intentional

decisions and what our “best

yes” really is.

In addition to our monthly book

study, our members participate

in Stop Hunger Now, Gaston

Family Promise, the semi-

annual blood drive, as well as

many other FPC activities! Cir-

cle 5 would love to have you

join us! We meet on the 2nd

Monday of each month at 7 PM

in the homes of our mem-

bers. Please see Kate Buckles,

Tyler Bullock or any Circle 5

member for more details!

November 2015 Volume 1, Issue 3

Presbyterian Women News

Circle 5 Learning Our ‘Best Yes’

DATES TO REMEMBER:

November 23 — Women’s Council

November 24— PW Scholarship Packets Available

December 7— Bloodmobile

MICRO-LOAN

FOLLOW-UP

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Practicing faith at home allows

children, youth, and adults to

connect with God and put faith at

the center of their lives. Along

with church and other communi-

ties, the household is where faith

is formed, nurtured, and passed

on. Practicing faith at home is

fun! Even a few minutes a day,

or one faith practice per week

can have strong and lasting

impacts.

If you are looking for ways to

live out your Christian faith at

home, we suggest “Home Prac-

tices” from the website Building

Faith. (www.buildfaith.org/home

-practices) Building Faith is a

trusted site, published by the

Center for the Ministry of

Teaching at Virginia Theologi-

cal Seminary.

With Home Practices, you’ll

find free household activities

and practices that are do-able,

adaptable, fun, and meaningful.

The two-page guides, by authors

who have done the practices

themselves, include easy-to-

follow steps, along with help-

ful guidelines, and even materi-

als and resources. For example,

there is “Make a Sacred Space

at Home,” and “Birthday Pray-

ers and Blessings.” You will

also find seasonal offerings for

Advent, Lent, and more.

Who is it for?

Home Practices can be used

by all households, regardless of the

size and form: singles, friends, cou-

ples, children, teens, and parents.

Likewise, most of the practices can

be adapted for use with all ages,

whether your household has young

children, older children, teens, or

adults.

How does it work?

Go to www.buildfaith.org/home-

practices. Click on a faith activity

that interests you, and enjoy the

free, easy-to-follow guide. You can

view the guide on your computer,

tablet, or smartphone; or you can

print it out. The pdf format is espe-

cially easy for printing and sharing.

Elegant Spinach

2 packages of frozen chopped spinach

½ cup melted butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 lemons squeezed

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Paprika

Cook spinach and drain. Add melted butter to cream cheese

and beat. Add spinach. Mix. Add lemon juice. Grease bak-

ing dish 8x10 or 8x8 inch. Put artichoke hearts cut side

down on bottom. Pour spinach mixture over artichokes.

Sprinkle with cheese and paprika on top. Bake at 350 de-

grees for 30 minutes.

Mrs. Pete Carruthers (Fran)

Bet’s Spinach Casserole

1 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 egg, beaten

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

2 dashes nutmeg

Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing

Cook spinach according to directions and drain well, press-

ing out most of the water. Combine mushroom soup, the

beaten egg, grated cheese, and nutmeg. Add the well-

drained spinach, mixing well. Pour into 1 quart casserole,

lightly sprayed with Pam and top with stuffing. Bake at 350

degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serves 4.

Mrs. Charlton Torrence, Jr.

(Mary Elizabeth Torrence)

FAITH

AT

HOME

Kirkin, Cookin, and Thanksgiving

On Kirkin Sunday we had a wonderful covered dish meal provided by our membership but who made the spinach casserole? Discussion

at one table centered on the spinach casserole as delicious, different, sort of like spinach dip but not the same. So, who made it and

where did the recipe come from? Maybe the recipe came from the One Hundred Years of Cooking cook book. The cookbook reveals

two spinach casserole recipes; neither is quite the one but either is a good choice to add to your Thanksgiving table.

FAITH AT HOME—It is never too late to bring faith into your household. Jesus’

promised gift of the Holy Spirit means that we have strength and guidance to live and

share our faith. Suggestions and tools for faith practices at home can encourage us along

the way.

V E S P E R S S C H E D U L E

First Press

1621 E Garrison Blvd

Gastonia, NC 28054

Return Service Requested Dated Material

Nov 29 - 5:30 PM, Chapel

Dec 6 - 5:30 PM, Chapel

Dec 13 - 5:00 PM, Fellowship Hall

This special vespers service is a partnership between Children's

Ministry & Music Ministry. The festive children's pageant will

begin at 5 PM, immediately followed by a joyful musical vespers

of Christmas carols, scripture and prayer led by our music and

pastoral staff. Refreshments provided.

Dec 20 - 5:30 PM, Chapel

US POSTAGE

PAID

Gastonia, NC

110 Volunteers

35,208 Meals packed

211,248 People will be fed

2 Hours

FA S T

FA C T S :

During Advent, in

addition to Sunday

morning worship opportu-

nities, evening Vespers

will guide our hearts

toward Bethlehem. Please

join us for the meaningful

times of prayer and

devotion as we anticipate

the birthday of our Savior.