The Children’s Christmas Program

“Gifts from Heaven”

Spoken Through our Children

Karlee and Macey Graham

Grace Zach

Ethan Maybee

  

 

 

 

The theme centered on the Christmas story in Luke 2 and in selected readings regarding Gods gifts to us and our gifts to God.  The kids did a great job and we would like to say a big thank you to our Sunday School teacher Mary Zach

Children’s Christmas Program & Card Making

Now we are in the thick of things.  December is a most active month.  It
is likely you can skip exercise class, because you will be jogging up
and down isles, bending low and high to reach items on shelves, running
for a place in line, and crawling home late at night in exhaustion. 
Don*t forget to breath deeply, and remember the reason for the season.
Thank you to the church decorators, spearheaded by Phyllis Layman. It is
nice to have volunteers with the creative touch!  You bring joy to the
sanctuary.
Two Trees of Dreams are in the Fellowship Hall, wanting your attention. 
Wishes come true for many children when you choose ornament cards off of
them and fill requests.  Thank you Mindy and Phyllis for arranging the
trees.
The Children*s Pageant will be the second week of Advent, or Sunday the
7th.  So much thought and love the young ones give to this display of
faith at the altar.  A show not to be missed!  Thank you Mary for
directing the cast.
Then, join the card-making workshop after the service that day.  The
more the merrier.  Joan, Marcia and Mindy  are providing all the
supplies: paper, trimmings, embossing tools, stamps, inks, samples and
so forth.  This is a chance to be creative without having to invest in
all the stuff needed to pull it off.
The Christmas Eve service is at 4 o*clock in the afternoon.  And the New
Year*s Eve get-together at Marcia*s home on the Bluff Road begins at 6
o*clock.  In January, Mel Hurst will fill in for Pastor Blaine on the 4th.
If you are wanting an official letter to send to past congregations to
profess your affiliation with our church, please see Joan or Pastor
Blaine.  And start thinking: Annual Meeting (in January).
Marcia Little, Secretary

This Sunday, December 7th is the Children’s Pageant, you won’t want to miss!

Then, join the card making workshop after the service. Supplies will be provided, come join the fun!

Pastor’s Thoughts

We've all heard the expression she or he is getting into the "Christmas
Spirit." The house is decorated inside and out, the tree is up cookies
and candy made only once a year are baked or in the process, gifts are
being considered and purchased and there is levity and joyfulness on
people's expression that many times are absent the rest of the year.
*However this phase is often short lived and misconstrued.  What it
should really be interpreted is the "Spirit of Christ."  As Christians
the"Christmas Spirit" should be tuned around to be read and expressed as
the "Spirit of Christ."
*All to often we fail to see the human needs that exist in our world all
around us; and if we do, we pass by on the other side pretending not to
notice.  People and  families that are hurting, struggling, weary,
afraid, lonely, in pain and distress  we say "Merry Christmas" and seek
to do nothing or little about it, even in  small simple ways.  That's
not the "Christmas Spirit" and it's definitely not the "Spirit of
Christ."  The "Spirit of Christ" would act in giving and service to even
the least of these.  The "Spirit of Christ" would promote an action that
would involve the giving of time, effort, inconvenience, care and
concern to do good to and for others.
* As Christians we need more of the "Spirit" in our lives not just at
Christmas but throughout the year.
*So let us begin now, at this Season of Christmas 2014 to not only have
an authentic "Christmas Spirit" but more appropriately the "Spirit of
Christ" that will move us with love, compassion, kindness to radiate the
light of our Savior within our darkened world.
                                In the "Spirit of Christ."
Pastor Blaine

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

 

Gracie Zach lit the first candle of the Advent Wreath.

The Christmas Program will be Sunday, December 7th.  The children of Percival Community Church will again be leading in the worship service.  The theme will be the  “Gifts from Heaven.”  It will center on the Christmas story in Luke 2 and in selected readings regarding Gods gifts to us and our gifts to God.

 

Thank you to our children’s Sunday School teacher Mary Zach for her creative endeavors.

Epic Fail

Secretary’s Snippets

 

You can click on image to enlarge.

Pastor’s Thoughts

 

You can click on image to enlarge.

Church Family News

On a cold windy Oct. 4th morning 28 runners and 23 walkers gathered at

beautiful Waubonsie Park for a run-walk money maker for the planned

renovations of the McElroy Hall at the Fremont County Fair Grounds.  In

that group all ages were represented.  Among them was the  oldest at 77

plus and the youngest at minus 2 months.  These two were joined by 2

more family members making it 4 generations from one family

participating in the event.  This group included Jerry Birkby and

daughter Lora Lee Carlock, Grand-daughter Darynn Ruiz and eagerly

awaited Great Grandson baby boy Ruiz.  Everyone agreed it was a great

event but a little chilly and rough terrain but beautiful scenery.

More Harvest Festival Pictures

Here are the rest of the pictures.

Decorating the pumpkins!

Roasting the hot dogs!

Fun At The Harvest Festival

Have lots of pictures to share of the Harvest Festival.  Here are the first few, more to come!  It was a beautiful afternoon, even a little on the warm side!  We took a fun hayride and then made it back to play some games and decorate pumpkins!  Then of course we roasted hot dogs and made some smores, yum yum!  The tables looked nice with their  fall attire.

Harvest Festival Tomorrow

The Many Faces of Pastor Blaine

 

We had a great turn out for our dinner at El Portal.

It was a fun evening of good food and fellowship.  I

did manage to capture the many faces of Pastor Blaine

eating his fried ice cream!  I do have to admit though,

he did share!

 

 

Upcoming Dinner

A reminder  for the El Portal Dinner 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 18th.

Join us as we celebrate our Pastor with an appreciation dinner.  Please let

someone know if you need a ride!

From the Secretary

 

  Autumn ushers in another schedule of activities, having dispensed with
summer festivals, fairs and rodeo.  It brings us to the usual
preparations for celebrating fall and winter events.  However, being
older than I was this time last year, I may do things differently, being
a bit slower now than then: less lavish decoration, more focus on the
spirit.  My plan is to slow down and smell the pumpkins, pinecones and
mistletoe.*
*First, there is a get together at El Portal on Saturday, October 18th,
at 6 p.m., for fellowship, and to celebrate Pastor Blaine*s birthday. 
Look for the guy wearing a sombrero.  There will be a sign up list
circulating at Fellowship after the service, so we can give the
restaurant a heads up.
*The Harvest Festival will be Sunday, October 26th, at the church, from
4 to 6 p.m., complete with pumpkins, hot dogs, hayride and games.
             Up coming events in the planning stage are as follows,
*A Christmas card-making social and potluck will be on Saturday,
November 15th, at Marcia Little*s home.  Let*s make some more fancy
paper cards, stamped, embossed, glittered and colored to perfection.
**The Harvest Dinner will be on Sunday, November 23rd. We will keep you
informed of details later.
*The Tree of Dreams will be back again this year.  More information will
be provided in the near future.
*Christmas Eve Service is on Wednesday, December 24th, at 4 p.m. And
very likely a New Year*s Eve party at Marcia*s home, about a week
later.  See you there!
    Marcia Little Board Secretary

Pastor’s Thoughts

Autumn is a beautiful time of year.  God's creation begins to prepare
itself for rest.  The colors are magnificent; orange, red, yellow and
all hues in between.  Harvest begins and what was planted in Spring is
now stored in bins or taken to elevators and the soil will rest.  Even
animals are making preparations for the next season.
*Genesis reveals that when God finished His creation that on the seventh
day God rested.  If God rested from His labors how much more do we as
His people need to experience rest.  Many of us find rest in the reading
of a book, a hobby, a vacation, doing something out of the ordinary,
gardening, a short nap or even in a boat during a storm if you're the Lord.
*Jesus in Matthew 11:28 says, "If we're heavy laden I will give you
rest" and that you'll find rest for your souls."
* Psalm 37:7 states, " Rest in the Lord."
*The world turns in such a hectic and stressful pace, and if you're like
me, you are tired, weary and in need of rest. Some of it involves aging
and the process of getting older but with wars, conflict, floods,
earthquakes, diseases, assaults, violence, murders, child abuse,
homelessness, jobless, economic worries for many; I look forward to
periods of rest, both physically and spiritual. Rest is  a necessary
requirement in my life.
*If you are in need of "Rest" may you find the time and  experience the
"Rest" that comes with placing you life in
"Jesus Christ."

Grace and Thanks

Learning the language of Grace and Thanks
  Phillippians  4:8

A gift of teaching given away in service to others, our thanks to Mary
Zach for sharing her love of children by teaching  our church
Sunday School.
Write sticky notes --  What are you grateful for right now?
Make this a day, a week, a month of spending a little bit of time in
saying thank you to someone who blessed and influenced your life. Our
lives are tied together with the heart of both sad and happy memories,
the joy of special moments and the love that we have shared. There are
many verses that share what family and friends mean to each of us: 
Having a place to go is home.
                                  Having someone to love is family.
                                  Having both is a blessing.
So count your blessings. . . for everything give thanks.

Share with us and that special person your gift of thanks. Joan

Popcorn Day

 

Here are just a few of the helpers working our stand on Popcorn Day.

I only managed to get 2 photos.  Everytime I would think about taking

a picture, we would get busy.

It was a gorgeous day!  We sold water, tea and lemonade,

whole pies, sliced pie, shredded pork

sandwiches, hot dogs and nachos.

Thank you to everyone that helped in any way, whether it was making food,

working the stand, hauling the supplies, or just praying for a great day!

  All was appreciated!

 

  It is good to have a few words from Sunday*s sermon float through my
mind throughout the week.  Patience held my attention Sunday as Blaine
spoke of the fruits of the spirit.  And other words: love, joy, grace,
and forgiveness.  Though much of the details of the sermon have fallen
into the black whole of forgetfulness (not that the stories and messages
were unimportant and uninteresting, but my memory for sermons has always
been poor), happily particular words addressed recently from Galatians
stuck in my brain during the week, when many emotions and problems
pestered me.  Thank goodness.  It is tempting to fall back on other
words like anger, revenge, or spitefulness, but then the feelings and
issues get darker and spiral downward.  Thinking back to patience,
grace, joy and love, I sense light, hope and resolution (hugs, instead
of  *%&#).
* So, you might figure, after this digression (or sidebar),that not much
of importance happened during the past board meeting, though we did talk
a lot.  Jerry mentioned that the cost of the new well was reasonable,
and Lynn said it was a good job.  Yea!  Barb thought we had a good crew
at the Rodeo stand.  We discussed another congregational outing to El
Portal, though nothing was resolved as to a date.  Harvest time,
birthday celebration, who will be there, who will wear the famous
sombrero? etc.  The Popcorn Day menu was also subject of much quibbling
back and forth.  So there you have it.
* Super big thank you to all of the gardeners who have been sharing the
fruits of your labors!  It is such a gift, especially to those of us who
are not handy with the trowel, seed packet or other necessities. Such
delicious goodies!
             Marcia Little

Pastor’s Thoughts

Missions

Our small church has been able to give to various missions throughout the year due to the heartfelt giving of a loving congregation.   We believe everything we have,  belongs to God.  We are trustees of God’s possessions.  Missions have been a very important part of our church as we wish to help those in need.  We have a missions committee that welcomes any suggestions as to any places or individuals that you feel have a need.  This year we started a bulletin board to help inform everyone of the different missions that we have been able to donate to.  Nancy Newlon has done a great job gathering the information and placing it on the board for us to read.

From the Board Secretary

Pastor’s Thoughts

Stay In The Loop!

 

Featured Recipe

Here is a recipe from our church cookbook, “Cooking With Grace.”

To order your copy today, email us at mraymonds@msn.com

 

To order your copy today, email us at mraymonds@msn.com 

The cookbook sells for $20.00 which includes shipping.

Pastor’s Thoughts