That's all, folks!Fishermen's News
February 2000
Dear Members and Friends,
Someone clipped for my perusal two recent Ann Landers columns, the first of which began, "I am still reeling from the bags of mail that resulted from the letter written by the Catholic bishop who hates weddings. It is the heaviest response since the heated debate on how to hang toilet paper!" Let me clarify from the start that I believe conducting Christian weddings to be one of the highest and most enjoyable privileges of my vocation. Not only is it an honor to have the solemn duty of formally representing both the church and the state (which, I think, is the only time the pastor is legally permitted and required to do so), it is also an immense privilege to witness pointblank, if you will, the tender exchange of a loving couple's commitment before God, family and friends, to see the flushed cheeks, the trembling veil, the moist eyes, the knowing smiles, the nuanced gestures, and to basically have the best "seat" in the house. Simply put, I LIKE weddings!
It seems that not all my colleagues share my sentiments. Following are excerpts from the advice columnist's mail barrage; some of the, ah, spicier ones I had to edit or leave out altogether, as they pushed the envelope of appropriateness for a church newsletter:
"I am in total agreement with the Catholic bishop who hates weddings. I am a Protestant pastor in Illinois, and I also hate weddings. Too many couples have never been inside a place of worship, and do not know how to conduct themselves in a church. Their weddings have no spiritual content. They are theatrical productions. I will be retiring soon, and what I will miss the least are the weddings. -- Anonymous, Of Course, in Illinois" -- from Buffalo, N.Y.: "The mother of the bride phoned to ask what material the church was made of. I told her, 'Stone.' 'Oh,' she replied, 'that won't do. We're looking for a wooden church.' Another bride asked if her dog could walk her down the aisle. I asked, 'Are you blind?' She replied, 'Oh, no, but Buster is a member of the family, and he would be hurt if he weren't included.'" From 'Anonymous Reverend' in Florida: "Weddings are a pain. Allow me to list my grievances: Bossy, overbearing mothers of the bride; groomsmen who don't know their left foot from their right, arriving late and drunk; caterwauling sopranos, who see themselves as operatic divas, wanting to sing the theme song from Titanic; pushy photographers, who think the wedding is a show staged for their benefit. I'd rather go through [surgery] than perform another wedding."-- And from Arkansas: "I am an organist. I don't understand why people who have little interest in their spiritual life want to be married in a church. The music they request is blasphemous; I refuse to play it. The photographers...show no respect for the sacred nature of the service. Please, Ann, tell those folks who have no spiritual life to do us a favor and get married at the beach, in a garden, on a mountaintop, or in Las Vegas, and forget about a church." And from "Retired in Miami" -- Maybe there is something wrong with my weddings. Ten of the 20 couples I married in the last three years are now divorced. I've married two brides twice. I am through doing weddings. They don't mean anything anymore."
I'm sure almost everyone in the clergy has a "wedding story" to tell, and from the 40+ occasions I've performed weddings in the past fifteen years, I do have my share. However, for the most part, I have nothing but pleasant remembrances. Perhaps part of that is the luck of the "draw"
(although no Presbyterian minister worth his/her theological salt should ever admit believing in "luck"), and part is certainly due to the personal character and integrity of so many of the individuals and families involved. I believe a large contributing factor, though, is the tone that begins to be set with the very first request/telephone call received by the church secretary or pastor. I've learned that it is best to make clear from the very start that the Christian wedding is a worship celebration of the church, and to gently yet firmly reiterate this as often as possible to all involved (including soloists, photographers, guests and the wedding party) throughout the ensuing planning, rehearsal and the ceremony itself. This goes a long way toward minimizing the potential follies and maximizing the sacredness of the event.The church secretary fields a number of calls during the course of a typical week from non-attending non-members requesting marriage
(as well as baptisms) in our church. What follows is an excerpt from letters I mailed in response to some requests; usually, however, the secretary summarizes these working policies over the phone. Reactions from callers range from nonchalant "OK's" to vitriolic rages; however, adherence to these principles has resulted in some very positive outcomes over the years. (After review by Session Nov. 1998, the Clerk, rather than the pastor, now sends a correspondence similar in content.)I understand that you have requested a wedding ceremony and/or the Sacrament of Baptism from the Greenwood Community Church, Presbyterian. It is the practice of this congregation that members and children of members (as well as the occasional non-member who is regular in worship attendance and church participation) are readily approved by the Session for marriage in the church upon the pastor's recommendation, and that the children of one or both parents listed as active members are readily approved for baptism. Unless individuals can present a viable cause that forbids them from participating in the life and worship of the congregation, exceptions are usually not granted.
It is not our intention to alienate anyone; however, as with any religious or secular organization, there are certain privileges extended to members which are inappropriate and improper to grant those who have shown no intention of being viably active in that organization. This is especially true of the holy sacraments and ceremonies of the church. Whereas any and all are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the worship and activities of this church, certain privileges, rights and offices are reserved for those who have formally united with the church via membership and have maintained the basic obligations of that membership. As pastor of this congregation, I would like to encourage you to reconsider your involvement with the church. However, I also wish to respect any decisions you/you and your family have made regarding church involvement. I know I speak on behalf of the Session and the congregation by saying that you/you and your family would be welcomed here at any time.
There's much that could be said, but space won't allow; I hope to have a "Part II" to this by the June Fishermen's News. If I may close for now
(as well as introduce the next feature) on a more personal note, I'd like to respectfully disagree with the rather cynical conclusion of "Retired in Miami" ("I am through doing weddings. They don't mean anything anymore."). One wedding that took place February 24, 1990, at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., was profoundly meaningful for me...it was the most meaningful, memorable and, perhaps, most worshipful service of my entire life. Perhaps that's another reason I believe conducting Christian weddings to be one of the highest, most enjoyable privileges of my vocation.Stephen L. Clark, Pastor
Pastoral Post Script
(again, in lieu of From Hearth and Heart)
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. -- I John 4:7-8 --
In order to make room for a new recliner
(now known to my children as Daddy's "throne"), I spent the first day of the new year rearranging furniture on the first floor of my home. While moving a roll-top secretary's desk (for the third or fourth time), I decided to sort through its accumulated contents in order to lighten the load. Hannah was napping, Stevie was engrossed in battling apes and other creatures on Nintendo, Lydia was contentedly authoring another of her many illustrated "books" with crayons, colored pencils and scotch tape "bindings," so I had some rather rare moments of uninterrupted time to look through the papers, old bills and miscellaneous correspondence contained in the drawers. I discovered some rough drafts of poetry written by Ann during our courtship and engagement, much of which she had included in a journal she gave me on our third wedding anniversary February 24, 1993. Needless to say, it was a somewhat bittersweet, yet delightfully comforting, discovery; I have since dug up that old journal and re-read her words again and again these past weeks. In the spirit of her "From Hearth and Heart" column, and in keeping with the romantic commemorations of the month of February (Valentine's Day, our wedding anniversary, and the birthdays of two of our three children), I've decided to include some excerpts below. I really don't do this for any "cathartic" reasons; I do this to encourage and promote what Ann and I always believed to be God's highest and best for love and marriage...that genuine fulfillment in love best develops and flourishes when it flows out of a deep and authentic commitment to the Source of Love.Many of you know some of the story of our courtship. We dated nearly two years while we lived in Germany, I left Germany August 1989 with our relationship more or less in "limbo," and returned for a week in November 1989 to propose. We married the following February.
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In that journal she gave me February 24, 1993, Ann copied a poem she wrote to God in June 1989:
Although the object of my affection be removed
To serve Thee in a place I cannot know;
'Tis a faithful truth which comes in parting proved:
That Thy love, Lord, shall keep me though he go.
And though my heart knows what it means to yearn,
To ache with longing deep at sight...or song,
Yet my soul is lifted up in joy to learn
That Thy arms shall hold me close when he is gone.
And oh, at last, I know this sweet release:
To have no fear of longing or of pain --
For it drives me to seek Your unrelenting peace,
And loss, embraced, becomes my own soul's gain.
How strange indeed to thank you for the hurt,
For in sadness I see new glimpses of Your face.
And my lips shall sing your praises, undeterred,
As I find unending comfort in Your grace.
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...And one she wrote to me in September 1989, although I didn't receive it until I received that journal:
Whether silent nights, or in muted light
of each gray morn,
My thoughts, quite of themselves unceasing wander
To you...and I remember, spent, forlorn, ~
That you are gone. Can my heart grow now fonder
Still? I think: "Today the longing must
Have reached its peak." But no; it grows anew.
So in the throes of faith, I place my trust
In God and love Him...and yet yearn for you.
His place as my one love was all secure,
'Til in His grace He showed your face to me.
Yet I rob Him not, for my meek heart beats pure
In its want to love you both eternally.
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In that journal she reminded me that she had mailed to me the following sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning later that month:
Go from me.
Yet I feel that I shall stand
Henceforward in thy shadow.
Nevermore alone upon the threshold of my door
Of individual life, I shall command
The uses of my soul, nor lift my hand
Serenely in the sunshine as before,
Without the sense of that which I forbore...
Thy touch upon the palm.
The widest land doom takes to part us,
Leaves thy heart in mine with pulses that beat double.
What I do and what I dream include thee,
As the wine must taste of its own grapes.
And when I sue God for myself,
He hears that name of thine
And sees within my eyes, the tears of two.
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In the journal, Ann wrote, "Within days after your leaving (in November 1989 following our engagement) I sent this sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to you. At last we had allowed ourselves to say, "I love you," after having waiting for such a long time. And so the words of this, her most famous sonnet, were appropriate.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and Ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise;
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith;
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.-- Sonnet XLIII
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She continued in that journal, "Not long after you left I wrote a sonnet of my own (on the Shakespearean rhyme model). I was eagerly anticipating our wedding day and married life with you; and it had been well worth the wait.
November 1989
It was worth the wait, my love. To still
The longing gnawing at my breast,
To render all caprice of human will
To God, and thus let love endure the test
Of time. And now, 'tis like the full bouquet
Of wine, which had been saved and kept
'Til the utmost worthy guest would stay
To savor and revel in its depth.
We, too, shall wait for our appointed day
And keep 'til then our hearts unburdened, chaste,
To bind them before God. Then and only then we may
Partake of love's sweet drink, and together taste
The joy of eager hearts and limbs entwined...
When you belong to me, and I am fully thine.
SWIMMING SPIRITUALITY
Many of you know that I've been coaching the Cranston High School East Varsity Swim Team this season. As a lifelong swimmer with "chlorine in my veins", it's been really enjoyable. Coaching, youth work, and swimming are all in my blood. Put them all together, and I'm in my element. Besides, it's just one more place to collect sermon illustrations.
I'm a slogan coach. I've plastered the walls of the pool with posters and signs with my favorite motivational lines and clever champion and swimming quips. One of my favorites has always been, "Nothing behind you matters, so don't look there." The point of the saying is that, tempting as it is for a swimmer, you never look back over your shoulder in a race to see your opponent. If you have to turn around to see them, they obviously aren't beating you. And, if you do look back, you risk slowing down and letting them catch you. Just a few days ago, one of my swimmers won a close race because her opponent looked back to see how close she was.
It's often struck me how relevant that same advice is to the Christian life. The whole purpose of Christ's work on our behalf was to let us put the past behind us. The "bad news" of the gospel is obvious to all of us: we've done wrong, we've failed, we've chosen poorly. But the good news is, in Christ, that's behind us. Our tendency, nonetheless, is to keep looking over our shoulder at it. Guilt over past sin often plagues us. Consequences and regret for past choices interfere with present living. Past failures convince us not to try again. As a church, we "look back" at how things "used to be" or fear that the good things God is doing now won't last, because, after all, there have been tough times before.
The Christian life, though, is about grace. God, in Christ, freely gives us forgiveness, unearned and without cost. Our acceptance before Him does not depend on our past or our effort. Because of this wondrous gift, we are freed up to "keep swimming" at our best, with no need to look over our shoulder.
In these first months of 2000, I'm reminding myself again of that amazing grace. I'm keeping my eyes forward, "on Jesus, the author and perfector of [our] faith..." (Hebrews 12:2). As we move forward in our common ministry, do me a favor, okay? Don't look back!
Brent Richards, DCE
PYF Happenings:
February 5 Saturday Coffee House - The Brethren playing!
February 11-13 Ski Trip to Attitash Bear Peak
FROM THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.
Our Christmas play, under the direction of Timoli Richardson, was great. We all hope she will be able to direct again next year. Also, thank you to everyone who was involved with our play. It was a great success and a lot of fun. Hope you all got to see it!
To give you a report on our missions to date:
We have a lot to look forward to in the coming months! More in the next newsletter about Youth Sunday, Mission project - Heifer Fund, and our Palm Sunday activities.
Lynn Kramer, Sunday School Superintendent
MUSIC NOTES:
Come join us!
in the choir room. This choir is open to all those in grades 2 through 6.
STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE
In 1999, sufficient income funds were available to balance our operating expenses, even with a large pledge shortfall ($25,220). The pledge shortfall was offset by income from members who generously gave more than they pledged ($8,710), plus income from members who supported the budget through unpledged giving ($11,478). If you completed your 1999 pledge, thank you for your support. If you did not fulfill your 1999 pledge to Greenwood Church it is still not too late to do so. Although unpaid pledges may seem insignificant on an individual member basis, when added together they amounted to $25,220, which was a substantial portion of the church's potential income of $282,951 for 1999.
FINAL REPORT TO CONGREGATION ON RESULTS OF THE ANNUAL CANVASS FOR 2000
The congregation's response to this year's annual canvass campaign was mixed. On the positive side, increased giving for 2000 totaled $30,061 ($12,374 in new pledges, plus $17,687 in increased pledges). On the negative side, most of the increase in giving was offset by pledge losses totaling $18,522 ($7,110 in decreased pledges, plus $11,412 in lost pledges). Pledge amounts needed to support the Session's proposed budget for 2000 were $285,175. Pledge amounts received totaled $269,000, an amount $15,887 short of the proposed budget. Below is a detailed summary of 2000 pledging by category.
What is alarming about the statistics in the table below, is that it shows only 28 pledging units supporting 50 % ($133,796) of the budget, and the remaining 223 pledging units supporting the other 50 % of the budget. For Greenwood Church to be able to continue expanding its programs during the next millennium, member giving in the lower 50 % will need to increase substantially in the future. The Bible teaches that Christians should tithe. Although our individual situations may keep us from tithing "today", we can set tithing as a goal to reach in our spiritual lives. Don't wait for God to answer your prayers or work miracles in your life before you react to God's call. Take a step forward because of your faith in God. We cannot all give at the same level, but we can share according to God's blessings.
Greenwood Church is fortunate that income exceeded expenses in 1999, and that some of the 1999 income funds can be used to balance the 2000 operating budget. Using these 1999 income funds, the Session can balance the 2000 budget by holding committee expenses to a 0 % change from last year. Two exceptions to the 0 % change, a 21.8% increase in the Mission Committee's budget, and an 8.6% increase in staffing expenses. The downside to balancing the 2000 budget this way, is that the $14,431 would have gone toward increasing Greenwood's boiler fund by $14,431, taking it from its current $5,000 (donated by an anonymous donor in 1999) to $19,431. Greenwood will need a new boiler in the near future, since our current boiler is living on borrowed time. The Building and Grounds Committee is currently seeking price information for replacing the boiler.
2000 Offering Envelopes
Please consider using the first offering envelope (marked "Per Capita") to make a special gift in 2000. As part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), each year Greenwood Church pays a Per Capita assessment for each member on our active roll. A total of $24.00 per member (that is per individual active member, NOT per family unit) is assessed by our denomination to fund the administrative expenses of the Presbytery of Southern New England, the Synod of the Northeast, and the PC(USA) General Assembly. The total amount to be paid by our congregation in 1999 was $10,895. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this request.
David C. Dickerman, Chair, Stewardship Committee
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
New Member/Inquirers Classes
will be held on Sunday February 27th, March 5th and concluding on March 12th. Anyone interested in becoming a member of Greenwood Community church, or any current member interested in reviewing their Presbyterian "roots" are invited to attend. The classes are held during the Sunday School Hour - 9:15 AM to 10:00 AM.God Bless,
Jim Parkinson
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3rd ANNUAL VALENTINE DANCE
Come join the fun and fellowship at this year's Valentine Dance!
Enjoy our own Bob Arnold as "DJ" and master of "kooky entertainment". Also enjoy food,
fabulous prizes and a guaranteed fundiddilytastic time.
Place: Fellowship Hall
Date: Saturday, February 12, 2000
Time: 7PM-10PM
Cost: Singles - $3; Couples - $5; Families - $7
Tickets will be on sale in Fellowship Hall during Coffee/Fellowship Time or may be purchased at the door.
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NOTES RECEIVED
Dear Friends at Greenwood,
Thank you all so very much for the many cards wishing me well. They are working. And it was so nice to see all the ones that came in to see me. I enjoyed their visits. The beautiful flowers from the Chancel that the Hilderleys brought in to me brightened my room for a full week. All that saw them admired them. A double thank you for them.
Love, Dorothy Bailey
Friends and Members of Greenwood Community Church
We give sincere thanks and appreciation for the thoughts and prayers, letters, notes and cards along with flowers, visits and gifts from those so eager to give of themselves. A special thanks to the "39er's" Circle IV and the Sunday School children, and caroling Christmas Eve. The past four months were so much easier knowing those around us are so very thoughtful. Thank you and God Bless all.
Arthur and Mita Steere
Blessings, blessings---where could you go to church and find the loving care and concern by so many as I have found at Greenwood Community Church? The year 1999 almost became one year that either Mike or I had not been hospitalized. How disappointing....didn't quite make it. After more than a week of confinement I was sent home a day before Christmas. Again, blessings, blessings. No matter how many times I was transferred from room to room or hospital to hospital, Pastor Steve caught up with me to offer prayers and support. The abundance of lovely cards, each one different, with meaningful sentiment and encouragement. The phone calls and visits made by busy people. The prayers offered on my behalf...very appreciated. Thank y'all so very much.
With love, Donna
To Greenwood Church and all the thoughtful people who sent so many lovely cards. It really means so much at this time to know you care. I am so thankful to the Lord for Greenwood Church.
Sincerely, Ginger, Matt & Chris Gastall
Dear Friends at Greenwood,
Thank you all so much for the kind words of sympathy, the many prayers, cards, notes and beautiful flowers that you sent when my sister passed away. We feel so blessed to be part of such a caring church family. God bless you all in the New Year.
Sue & Bill Stock
Dear Greenwood Church Family,
Thank you for the beautiful poinsettia plant that was personally delivered to me in out of the way North Kingstown by our hard working church secretary, Sue Desmond! And also for the "flood" of cards to help me in these difficult days since Dad "went home". During his 90 years, he left me with many wonderful memories. Today I am comforted by your show of love.
Thank you, Kay Parkinson.
I would like to express my thanks for the many cards and letters my mother received during her illness. She read them over and over. It was a great comfort to her to know there were people who cared. I would like to also express my gratitude for the expressions of sympathy I have received since her death.
Alan Jones
Dear Friends,
Although it has been 50 years since my family and I moved from Greenwood, I still feel that I am a part of you and am grateful for the Fishermen's News, which comes to me regularly. I, who had a part in the birth and in the early life of the church, feel blessed in being able to be kept up to date on the enthusiasm, growth, and outreach of the church today. The messages from your minister and the faith and spirit of his late wife, Ann, have been an inspiration to me. I wish I could have known them and that I could still sit among you.
Sincerely, Betty Hill
NEWS FROM PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
Since this is the first Fishermen's News of the new year, Presbyterian Women want to wish all a happy, healthy Millennium 2000 New Year. We finished up 1999 with a delicious Christmas dinner prepared by Stu and Betty Mason and Jamie Channell, an interesting program by Nancy Merritt and a successful $1200 Mini-Bazaar. A thank you to all for a great evening.
We are looking forward to some events coming up this winter and doing some long range planning for our Bazaar 2000.
The P. W. Winter Retreat will be held in Putnam, Connecticut on February 4th and 5th. Some members of our group will be attending.
Plans are also being made for our March 7th Brunch. Watch for more information in the church bulletin as the date gets closer.
Our cup continues to be filled by enjoyable, caring activities and events and fellowship.
Peggy Phillips, for the PW Coordinating Team
Circle News for FEBRUARY
As we enter the "Love Month" we are reminded that our CIRCLES are not just concerned with programs and business but with the job of loving and supporting each other - especially those who are hurting and in need. So as you read this schedule below, please bear in mind that a lot of loving and caring will be evident as we meet together. So here's the "run-down" and visitors are always welcome.
Circle I will meet in the church parlor on Wednesday, February 9th. They are continuing their look at "Women of Prayer". Child care is provided - also coffee and fellowship.
CIRCLE II will meet on Tuesday, February 8th at the home of Martha Sommer. They gather at 9:30 AM and a warm fellowship awaits members and friends.
CIRCLE III will meet at 7 PM on Tuesday, February 8th at my house (Angie D'Albora's) and I would be very happy to welcome a visitor. Kitty Channell will tell us something of her visit to Iceland. If you haven't been there, you better join us!
CIRCLE IV will meet on Tuesday, February 8th at 7 PM in the church parlor. This is our largest Circle and appeals to women of all ages. The welcome mat is always out here.
CIRCLE V will meet on Wednesday, February 2nd to host the MS Key Club. They gather at 10:30 and will have several projects going. Some will work on our card project and others will be cooking casseroles to take to people who need a little help. Visitors are always welcome.
CIRCLE VI This Circle has decided to take a mid-winter break and enjoy a Love Lunch together. They will meet at the church at 11:30 on Tuesday, February 8th. Back to my house (Angie's) for business afterwards.
CIRCLE VII will be meeting at the home of their leader, Lynda Baker on Tuesday, February 8th at 7 PM. This talented group will be up to some artistic creations that will be evidenced soon.
We look forward to welcoming you, dear reader, to one of our groups. Please have a lovely, warm LOVE MONTH.
Angie D'Albora, Circle Coordinator
Label Collection
On February 15th, this year's collection of Campbell labels will be mailed to Plateau Home School in Lancing, Tennessee. Our donation of labels is greatly appreciated and I was informed that last year's labels provided the school with a wide range of Geo Safari learning modules (computer type learning tools). This year the aim of the school is to challenge the children to read more. To encourage this project, the number of books in their library must be increased with a greater variety of titles and reading levels.
The school collects the labels year-round and they are prepared and sent to Campbell's for redemption each March. Each label is worth approximately 11/2 cents. Please see that the front portion of labels are put in the "Campbell Box" on the shelf in the back hall by February 13th. (This is an on-going project, so please continue to save the labels.)
Labels to be saved are:
Campbell's soups, Chunky Soup, Home Cooking, Healthy Request, Campbell's Tomato Juice, Campbell's Beans, V8 Vegetable Juice, Swanson Canned and Frozen Foods, Franco American Pasta & Gravy, Prego
and Campbell's Spaghetti Sauce.
Marge Platt, for Presbyterian Women
- CAUGHT IN THE NET -
HOSPITALIZED since the last issue:
Sally Vierstra, Donna Koczan, Virginia Brodeur, Katy Chase, Ruth Allard
BAPTISMS:
On December 5th the following were presented for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism:
-Kenneth Gilleo
-Julia Marie by her parents, Jackie & Jim Aguire (grandparents: Eric & Evelyn Robinson)
-Abigail Elizabeth by her parents, Karen & Dave Williams (grandparents: Al & Jeanne Williams)
BEST WISHES to Sherry & Kenny Phillips on the birth of their son, Brandon Eric on December 28th. Proud grandparents are Nancy & Dick Collins.
OUR SYMPATHY is extended to:
Sue Stock on the loss of her sister, Lois Sergeant, on December 1st in Florida.
Kay Parkinson on the loss of her Dad in Florida on December 2nd.
Ginger Gastall on the loss of her sister on December 4th.
Alan Jones on the loss of his mother, Charlotte Jones on December 30th. Charlotte attended Greenwood services often the past few years and will be missed by many.
Janet Lebkuchner on the loss of her father, Wasken Melkonian, on January 16th.
the family of Doris White who passed away on January 24. Doris was an active member here for many years before moving away to be near her children.
MISSION COMMITTEE
Many thanks to all who participated in the Angel Tree program. Due to your generosity, we were able to provide Christmas gifts to 58 children of incarcerated parents. Several of the children received badly needed winter coats as requested by their caregivers. The children who attended the Angel Tree Christmas party were also presented with readings from the Bible of the true meaning of Christmas (in both English and Spanish), sang traditional Christmas carols, and were provided a hearty meal before receiving their gifts.
The success of this ministry could not have been accomplished without the help of many individuals. For fear of leaving anyone out, I will not attempt to name all of the individual volunteers. I will, however, thank those individuals and groups by the task that they performed. First and most importantly, thanks to all of you who either made donations for the purchase of gifts or selected angel(s) from the Angel Tree and bought the gifts indicated on the angels. Thanks to all the PYF members and adult leaders who participated in the purchasing of gifts, the wrapping of gifts as well as organizing and putting on the Angel Tree Christmas party. Thanks to those who prepared the food and baked desserts for the party. Thanks to those who provided transportation to the party for those families who otherwise could not have come. Lastly, thanks to those who helped deliver the remaining gifts to the children who were unable to attend the party.
Due to your overwhelming response in participating in the Angel Tree program, we fully intend to make this part of Greenwood Church's ministry to those in need on an annual basis. With God as our pilot (not as our co-pilot as seen on bumper stickers; you may remember Pastor Clark's sermon concerning this some time ago), I believe we can minister to many more of these children in the years to come. Unfortunately, the need will not simply go away; it is our mission to help as many of these children as God leads us.
Tom Miller, for the Mission Committee
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39er's FEBRUARY GATHERING
Lunch: February 16 - 11:30 AM, Toll Gate Vocational School
PROGRAM in FELLOWSHIP HALL @1:00 PM
A Video of Loretta LaRoche
We will be in for many laughs! Come and enjoy.
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That's all, folks!