The
To know Christ and to make Him
November 2015
First Presbyterian Church of Westminster
GIVE GLADLY
2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
When I was growing up Dr. Ganse Little, my pastor at Pasadena Presbyterian Church,
always said, “Give cheerfully, but if you can’t give cheerfully--give anyway.” Why?
Because we have so much to be grateful for.
If you have food in your refrigerator and clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a
place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of those who live in the world.
If you have money in the bank and in your wallet and spare change in your house you are
among the top 8% of the world’s wealthiest.
If you can read, you are more blessed than 2 billon people on earth who cannot.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than a
million people who will not survive the week.
Mary and I give gladly because we are grateful to God. We tithe (pledge 10%) of our
income. People have asked, “Do I tithe on the net or on the gross?” We say, “Which ever
you want God to bless you on.” Mary and I have learned over the years that living on 90%
of our income with God’s blessing is better than living on 100% without it.
You may not be able to tithe this year, but just figure out what percentage you are giving to
God right now and plan to increase it by a percentage or two each year until you reach a
tithe. The main thing is—
we must not be sad givers;
we must not be mad givers;
we must be glad givers.
Pledge Sunday is November 22nd. With Thanksgiving almost here, please give gladly to
our God!
Blessings,
Pastor John
Give of Yourself and Save a Life
Donate Blood at our Blood Drive
Sunday December 27
We will be holding a blood drive on Sunday, December
27th, after church in the Fellowship Hall.
We will be partnering with some other local churches for
this event. Sign-ups for the drive will be available in the
church patio between services on Sundays in December.
This is a time of year when donations are desperately
needed, so participation is highly encouraged if you are able
to donate.
Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Christmas Craft
Jumble Sale
December 4 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM in Rooms 306 & 307
December 5 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Rooms 306 & 307 Calling all Crafters!
It’s that time of year when you will be able to present your beautiful handcrafted items to our church family and community. Reserve your table now by contacting Cheri in the church office. As always, you will not be charged for your space. Here’s a list of the ministries/nonprofit groups that the crafters can choose to give at least 10% of their sales:
1. CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) 2. Epilepsy Support Network of Orange County 3. VOM (The Voice of the Martyrs) 4. First Press Sewing Ministry 5. Horizon Pregnancy Clinic 6. Orange County Rescue Mission 7. Teach Us to Pray 8. Teen Challenge 9. Walter Hoving Home (for Women in Recovery) 10. Wings of Faith/Tribes for Christ It will be a fun time for appreciating the hand‐work done by others. Please mark these dates on your calendars. P.S. There will also be baked goods and drinks for sale :)
Here’s a list of our wonderful Session and Deacons members . . .
SESSION
Education
Bob Diltz,
Worship
Joyce Hanak and Chris Orcholski
Clerk
Gayle Harvill
Outreach
Jason Hoang
Facilities
Wally Kurka
Finance
Kermit Marsh
Women’s Ministry
Esther Oakey
Personnel
Don Olmsted and Emy Hillhouse
Youth Ministry
Steve Radtke and Ariel Sands
Mission
Fran Rogers and Gayle Harvill
Parish
Cheri Stephens
DEACONS
Bereavement
Jane Ridings and Peggy Knox
Calling For Christ
Paulina Cuellar
Communion
Norton and Adrienne Wiederrich
Connections
Judy DeBok and Nancy Franks
Flowers
Joan Binder
Military Outreach
Yvonne Roses
Welfare
Ken Woesner and Bob Sands
Short Term Care
Jim and Dianne Shumar
Moderator
Meredith Lifsey
Asst. Moderator
Delores Newton
CHRISTmas Baskets
Christmas is coming and the Deacons need your help at
this sharing time of year. We will be helping provide
food for the Jolla Indian Tribe through “Tribes 4
Christ”. This is a tribe that has no outside help and is
very poverty stricken. There are a lot of single parent
families in great need. They do receive some food
distribution but it won’t be until December 28th, too late
for Christmas.
Christmas basket food items will be collected in boxes
in the narthex November 8th through December
6th. Make good use of upcoming sales as we need:
white sugar (2 or 5 lbs.), flour (2 or 5 lbs.), canned
milk, canned yams, canned corn, canned green beans,
canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, dried
pinto beans (2 or 5 lbs.), rice (2 or 5 lbs. – no instant,
please), Jell-O, cake mix and frosting. Empty 1 dozen
egg cartons are also needed.
Christmas gift tags for the children in these families
will be available November 8th and November
15th. Look for the table with the tags between services
on those dates.
Remember, Christ is our reason for Christmas.
Mission Committee Report
Mission Committee has been sending $400 a month (as part
of the Church budget for Missions) to designated and Session
approved recipients. Some of the recipients of this
congregation’s generous giving have been Pravaham School
for Girls in India; Walter Hoving Home; CARE Philippines;
Faucet Family; Voice of Martyrs; Habitat for Humanity;
Teen Challenge; and Wings of Faith.
Recently, Horizon Pregnancy Clinic (HPC) was our
mission outreach. Baby bottles were distributed to
members and friends of the church on Sunday morning
to receive your financial gifts. The response to that
mission giving with the baby bottles has been above and
beyond generous. For those who still have baby bottles
and want to donate to HPC, just bring the bottles in to
the church office and Pastor Paul will deliver to HPC.
November 1st is International Day of Prayer for the
persecuted church. Voice of the Martyrs is one of the
mission projects this church supports. Please be in
prayer for Christians worldwide who are persecuted
and die for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child project has
begun. Since 1993 Samaritan’s Purse has delivered shoebox gifts to more than
113 million children around the world. Maybe you would like to be a part of
this great ministry. There are several ways you can participate. Pick up
informational brochures and/or shoe boxes at the Mission table between
services. Brochures will show you what to put in the boxes, how to participate
on-line, and so much more.
National Collection Week is November 16-23!
PRIME TIMERS!
November
Enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with
the Prime Timers November 18th!
Celebrate a year of Thanksgiving with Prime Timers on November
18th at 11:30 am at Boyd Hall at the church. Prime Timers will be
treated to a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch with all the trimmings.
Pastor Joseph Cummings has graciously agreed to attend as our
speaker and give us an update on his work as a Hospice Pastor.
Come join us for a celebration of God's good work and the bounty
He has provided for all of us!
December
Prime Timers will be on hiatus
(no lunch will be held)
Merry Christmas and God's blessing to you all!
Annual Christmas
Brunch
Saturday, December 5, 2015
10:00 a.m
Mark your calendars and invite your
women friends and family to attend the
Women’s Ministries Annual Christmas
Brunch. Reservations for the Brunch will
begin Sunday, November 8th at the Women’s
Ministries Information Table or during the
Christmas Celebration Concert
presents
Praise Symphony Orchestra
at
6:00 P.M. Sunday, December 13
Mark your calendars - the Praise Symphony Orchestra will
join with us on Sunday evening, December 13 at 6:00 pm in
the Sanctuary to celebrate the birth of Jesus with a
Christmas Celebration Concert (a free will offering will be
taken). There will be a time to sing carols and enjoy the
sounds of Christmas featuring strings, winds, brass and
percussion.
Invite your friends and neighbors to the event. This is a
great way to celebrate the season and fellowship afterwards
with a cookie reception. CDs will be available in the