Volume 11
October
Steeple
2015
The
TrinityPRESBYTERIANCHURCH
In This Issue:
Fall Festival 2015
page 3
Church Bulletin Bloopers
page 4
Be Part of Our Day Trip
to Beth-El
page 8
From the Desk of the Clerk
page 8
Treasurer’s Report
page 9
Member Spotlight
page 10
Growing in Faith Together
page 11
Here I Raise My Ebenezer
And all God’s
people said...
“Bah, humbug?”
By: Anna Stubbendick
Last Sunday, the choir, as an introit, sang
the familiar hymn, “Come, Thou Fount
of Every Blessing.” This just happens
to be one of my very favorite hymns. I
just love the simple, lilting melody. On
that Thursday before, as I was putting
the finishing touches on the bulletin, I
found it interesting that Kevin, our choir
director, had selected only the first and
third verses to sing. Why? I don’t know,
and I didn’t ask him. Honestly, for my
purposes today, the reason why doesn’t
even matter. The point is, that it got me
wondering: did he skip the second verse
because no one today knows what it
means? In case you are unfamiliar, the
second verse goes like this:
Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope by Thy good
pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
continued on p. 2
continued from p. 1
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Ebenezer...Ebenezer?! What in the world is an Ebenezer? If
you’re like me, the word Ebenezer probably conjures up images
of a crotchety old man, denouncing Christmas with shouts
of, “Bah, humbug!” In all of literature, there cannot be many
characters that better represent the epitome of miserliness
and greed than Ebenezer Scrooge. I couldn’t get past that
first line, which for me had so much negative connotation,
and I couldn’t figure out what place it could possibly have in
a song about God’s abundant and overflowing blessings and
love.
I noticed that the word, Ebenezer, is capitalized. So, it must
be a proper noun, and therefore, fairly important. I assumed
that it is probably something that shouldn’t just be glossed
over, and something that is critical to the meaning of the
whole verse. I took it upon myself to figure out, once and for
all, what this mysterious second verse was really all about.
So what did I do? I went to that lovely little miracle we have
nowadays, known as the World Wide Web. You gotta love
Google.
What I found were references to an Ebenezer stone and
quotes from the book of I Samuel.
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying,
‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’”
2
~I Samuel 7:12 (NIV)
The Israelites, with the Lord’s help, had just defeated the
Philistine army. So Samuel had a large stone raised so that
all who saw it would remember what had taken place on that
spot, and how their great victory was only achieved with the
Lord’s help.
So now, if we move the concept of the Ebenezer stone into
the context of the song at hand, it all begins to come together
and make sense.
Allow me to now put forth my own interpretation (albeit
much less poetic version) of this beautiful verse:
Right here, right now, I need to raise my own
monument to God,
Because it’s only with His help that I’ve come this
far in my life;
And I’m going to continue hoping that God will
be very pleased,
To finally welcome me to my eternal home with
Him in heaven.
I’m grateful that Jesus was waiting and watching
for me before I even knew Him,
While I was traveling through life without
direction and without the protection of God;
And, in order to save me from eternal torment,
Jesus intervened with the ultimate sacrifice: His
own life for mine.
Wow, those are some powerful thoughts. I know that the
next time I sing this song, it will be with renewed fervor. I
hope that maybe now you will be able to do the same.
While the exact site
of Samuel’s Ebenezer
stone is unknown
today, it is still a
powerful concept to
always keep in our
minds: “Thus far the
Lord has helped us.”
“Won’t you join us, open your trunk or tailgate, and
wait for our little ghosts and goblins?”
By: Linda Allred, Elder - Children’s
Ministry Team
VOLUNTEERS & DONATIONS NEEDED
Help Out at This Year’s Fall
Festival
A favorite holiday activity
for the little ones is trickor-treat. But many parents
do not allow their children
to go door to door in their
neighborhood. You don’t
get any children in your
neighborhood anymore? Then please
think about joining us - we get a lot of
children and it’s great fun. They come to
our church parking lot in their adorable
costumes. Dressed up as Cinderella,
ghosts, Dracula, princesses and cowboys,
they descend.
Some of us are creative and put together
unique, scary or funny decorations for our
trunks. But some of us aren’t creative and
we set up our favorite pumpkin, witch or
ghost and just enjoy giving out candy to
those sweet little faces with their little treat bags stuck out in front of them.
Whichever category you fit into, won’t you join us and open your trunk or tailgate, set
up your folding chair, grab a cold drink (maybe even a hot dog) and wait for our little
ghosts and goblins?
We even have bobbing for apples, a pie eating contest, games, costume contests as
well as the usual cruising for candy. Join us!
This year’s Fall Festival will be held on Sunday,
October 25th from 4-6pm. There is a sign-up board
in the narthex that shows all of the areas where we
need help. Even if you are unable to come to the
event that day, please consider helping out with a
donation of candy or a bag of apples.
3
ADULT
ministries
Answers to The Bible Puzzle
There are 30 books of the Bible in this
paragraph. Can you find them? This is a
most remarkable puzzle. It was found by
a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket,
on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu,
keeping him occupied for hours. He
enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some
friends...one friend from Illinois worked
on this while fishing from his John boat.
Another friend studied it while playing his
banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend,
was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in
her weekly newspaper column. Another
friend judges the job of solving this puzzle
so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help
her nerves. There will be some names that
are really easy to spot. That’s a fact. Some
people, however, will soon find themselves
in a jam, especially since the names are not
necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from
answers we get, we are forced to admit
it usually takes a minister or a scholar to
see some of them at the worst. Research
has shown that something in our genes
is responsible for the difficulty we have in
seeing the books in this paragraph. During
a recent fund raising event, which featured
this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade
booth set a new record. The local paper, The
Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who
reported that this puzzle was one of the
most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel
Humana humbly puts it, “The books are all
right here in plain view hidden from sight.”
Those able to find all of them will hear great
lamentations from those who have to be
shown. One revelation that may help is that
books like Timothy and Samuel may occur
without their numbers. Also, keep in mind,
that punctuation and spaces in the middle
are normal. A chipper attitude will help you
compete really well against hose who claim
to know the answers. Remember, there is
no need for a mass exodus, there really are
30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in
this paragraph waiting to be found.
4
Church Bulletin Bloopers
Humorous reminders that only God
is perfect...
•
•
The pastor would appreciate it
if the ladies of the congregation
would lend him their electric
girdles for the pancake breakfast
next Sunday morning.
Our youth basketball team is back
in action Wednesday at 8 PM in
the recreation hall. Come out and
watch us kill Christ the King.
•
The
peacemaking
meeting
scheduled for today has been
canceled due to a conflict.
•
Remember in prayer the many
who are sick of our community.
Smile at someone who is hard to
love. Say “Hell” to someone who
doesn’t care much about you.
•
The Fasting and Prayer Conference
includes meals.
•
Ladies, don’t forget the rummage
sale. It’s a chance to get rid of
those things not worth keeping
around the house. Bring your
husbands.
•
Don’t let worry kill you off - let the
Church help.
•
Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I
will not pass this way again,’
giving obvious pleasure to the
congregation.
•
Eight new choir robes are currently
needed due to the addition of
several new members and to the
deterioration of some older ones.
•
For those of you who have
children and don’t know it, we
have a nursery downstairs.
•
•
Next Thursday there will be
tryouts for the choir. They need all
the help they can get.
Please place your donation in the
envelope along with the deceased
person you want remembered.
•
•
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter
were married on October 24 in the
church. So ends a friendship that
began in their school days.
The church will host an evening of
fine dining, super entertainment
and gracious hostility.
•
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM
- prayer and medication to follow.
•
The ladies of the Church have cast
off clothing of every kind. They
may be seen in the basement on
Friday afternoon.
•
Ladies Bible Study will be held
Thursday morning at 10 AM. All
ladies are invited to lunch in the
Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is
done.
•
Low Self Esteem Support Group
will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please
use the back door.
•
The eighth-graders will be
presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet
in the Church basement Friday at
7 PM. The congregation is invited
to attend this tragedy.
•
At the evening service tonight,
the sermon topic will be “What Is
Hell?” Come early and listen to our
choir practice.
•
This evening at 7 PM there will be
a hymn singing in the park across
from the Church. Bring a blanket
and come prepared to sin.
•
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM
at the First Presbyterian Church.
Please use large double door at
the side entrance.
•
The Associate Minister unveiled
the church’s new tithing campaign
slogan last Sunday: “I Upped My
Pledge--Up Yours”
Be a Part of Our Day Trip to Beth-El
By: Jeremy Marzicola
Dear Church Family,
This summer, we sent a mission team
to Beth-El Farmworker’s Ministry.
Through your support, we were able
to provide the same awesome VBS
program to the children of migrant
farmworkers in Wimauma, FL that we
put on for our own kids here at home.
Quite frankly, it was one of them
most humbling trips I have been on.
A strong reminder of God’s grace and
blessing in my own life.
Having had such a transformational
experience this summer, I feel
compelled to expand our ministry “Having had such a transformational experience this
outreach and strengthen our
connection to this vital ministry summer, I feel compelled to expand our ministry
with the children and families of the outreach and strengthen our connection to this vital
Beth-El community. To that end, we
are planning a day trip to Beth-El on ministry.”
Monday, November 23rd. On this
lunch to share with the children. small way, we can give openly of our
trip, we will be helping the children
We’ll have games and activities that hearts and share the abundance of
usher in the Advent season with an
will put everybody in the holiday God’s love and blessings upon us
Advent workshop.
spirit. Following the time with the with those whose needs are great.
The workshop will feature making children, we’ll be working in the food Let’s remember the reason for the
Advent calendars, sharing of the pantry at Beth-El to prepare for the season, and give of ourselves, as
Christmas story, and a “Stone Soup” distribution of groceries to families the Father gave us his Son in a lowly
in need, just in time for Thanksgiving. manger.
The food pantry, on a normal week, If you would like to be a part of this
feeds nearly 1,400 people. Imagine mission opportunity, please call or
the need at Thanksgiving. The speak with me. God bless all of you
task is tremendous, but can be this Christmas season.
accomplished with your helping
Yours in Christ,
hands.
Christ calls us to minister to others Jeremy Marzicola
with a servant’s heart. As we approach Dir. of Children’s Ministries
the season of celebrating the birth of (727) 967-2370
our Savior, please consider joining me
[email protected]
for a day of service in which, in some
5
SUNDAY
MONDAY
4
::Birthday::
Lou Dalberth
Worship_8:30am
::Birthday::
Tom Toner
TUESDAY
5
6
Thursday Musicale_8:30am
Pancake Breakfast_9am
Prayer Shawl_10am
Kitchen Crew_9am
Adult Sunday School_9:30am
Ministry Fair_9:30am
Bible Study_2pm
Worship_10am
Riverside Village HOA_7pm
Sunday School all ages_11am
Suncoast Bronze Ringers_7pm
Fe y Gracia_1pm
Boy Scout Troop 77_6:30pm
KFC_4pm
Youth Group_4pm
11
12
::Birthday::
::Birthdays::
Irene Gonzalez
Tom Thomas
Mel Spencer
Greg Sauls
Kiki Davis
Children’s Ministry Team_10am
Worship_8:30am
Adult Sunday School_9:30am Bible Study_2pm
Worship_10am
Sunday School all ages_11am
Brownie Troop 506_6:30pm
Boy Scout Troop 77_6:30pm
Church Picnic_12pm
Fe y Gracia_1pm
18
::Birthdays::
Patty King
Mary Myers
Al Conover
Jake Constantine
19
13
Thursday Musicale_8:30am
Prayer Shawl_10am
Ministry Teams_7pm
Suncoast Bronze Ringers_7pm
::Birthdays::
Carol Gottshall
Stevie Moore
20
Thursday Musicale_8:30am
Prayer Shawl_10am
Pre Planning
Seminar_11:30am
Wash & Worship Fund Raiser Bible Study_2pm
Camera Club_7pm
Worship_8:30am
Suncoast Bronze Ringers_7pm
Adult Sunday School_9:30am Boy Scout Troop 77_6:30pm
Worship_10am
Sunday School all ages_11am
Fe y Gracia_1pm
KFC_4pm
Youth Group_4pm
25
26
::Birthday::
::Birthday::
Joe Glassburn
Janet Vandebult
Worship_8:30am
Adult Sunday School_9:30am
Worship_10am
Bible Study_2pm
Sunday School all ages_11am
Fe y Gracia_1pm
Brownie Troop 506_6:30pm
Boy Scout Troop 77_6:30pm
Fall Festival_4pm
27
Thursday Musicale_8:30am
Prayer Shawl_10am
Kinship_10:30am
Session_7pm
Suncoast Bronze Ringers_7pm
WEDNESDAY
Library Workers_9am
7
THURSDAY
1
::Birthday::
Kelly Erickson
Man-Up_6am
Godly Old Men_7:15am
Building & Grounds_8:15am
Java & Jesus_10am
Staff Meeting_11:30am
Musicale Concert_2pm
Trinity Ringers_5:45pm
Girl Scout Leaders_6:30pm
Chancel Choir_7pm
8
::Birthdays::
Cheryl Moore
Dorothy Butler
Man-Up_6am
Godly Old Men_7:15am
Building & Grounds_8:15am
Java & Jesus_10am
FRIDAY
2
::Birthday::
Lexi Jason
14
15
AA_7pm
Fe y Gracia_7:30pm
Court of Honor_3pm
Church office closed
::Birthday::
Phil Green
Rhoda Brenneisen
John Hanke
::Anniversary::
Don & Marianne
Alexander-22yrs
AA_7pm
Fe y Gracia_7:30pm
9
Daisy Troop 528_5:45pm
Trinity Ringers_5:45pm
Chancel Choir_7pm
::Birthday::
Ken Gruebel
::Birthday::
Laura Pugliese
16
Man-Up_6am
Godly Old Men_7:15am
Building & Grounds_8:15am AA_7pm
Java & Jesus_10am
Fe y Gracia_7:30pm
Library Workers_9am
21
Library Workers_9am
3
::Birthday::
Becky Muys
Dayspring Academy_9am
Trinity Ringers_5:45pm
Girl Scout Troop 544_6:30pm
Chancel Choir_7pm
Church office closed
::Birthday::
Bob Gold
SATURDAY
10
::Birthday::
Kevin Dorey
::Anniversary::
Carl & Jessie Meurn-41yrs
Dayspring Academy_9am
Metropolitan Ministries
Soup Kitchen_4:30pm
17
::Birthday::
John Blennerhasset
Dayspring Academy_9am
Church office closed
22
23
Man-Up_6am
Godly Old Men_7:15am
Building & Grounds_8:15am
Java & Jesus_10am
24
::Anniversary::
Bob & Pat Gold-57yrs
Daisy Troop 528_5:45pm
Trinity Ringers_5:45pm
Metropolitan Ministries
Girl Scout Troop 544_6:30pm Food Pantry_11am
Chancel Choir_7pm
AA_7pm
Fe y Gracia_7:30pm
Church office closed
Library Workers_9am
28
Desserts & Devotions_6:45pm
29
Man-Up_6am
Godly Old Men_7:15am
Building & Grounds_8:15am
Java & Jesus_10am
Daisy Troop 528_5:45pm
Trinity Ringers_5:45pm
Chancel Choir_7pm
::Birthdays::
Paul Melton
Nicole Lee
30
31
::Birthday::
Elaine Jones
Beverly Schafer
From the Desk of the Clerk
Keep up to date on what your Session is doing
had this summer, it has taken its toll
As our summer is over it is really great on our parking lot. This was not an
to start seeing our friends from the inexpensive project. The cost was
North returning. We did have a wet $14,500; this has hit our budget quite
summer but it looks like we made it hard, so any financial help would be
greatly appreciated.
through all of the wetness.
The Session last met on August 25 The Mission Ministry Team really
and had a number of items to cover. appreciates all of the food donations
First, Linda Allred was voted to be that you bring to church every Sunday.
one of the two Elders that chair the They had regularly been taking it
Nominating Committee. Our thanks to the Covenant Christian Church
goes out to Linda for taking on this for their food pantry. However, that
job. The Nominating Committee is in has recently changed. As you know,
the process of looking for members on the 4th Friday of each month our
of our church to become Elders for congregation has volunteers who
the coming term. As I had stated have been serving hot meals to the
in a previous month, the Session needy at Metropolitan Ministries.
has voted to reinstate the Outreach The Mission Team has also been
and Communication Ministry Team, helping First Presbyterian Church
which we all know is a very important of Port Richey distribute food to the
Ministry Team. Now comes the job of needy from their new food pantry.
looking for someone to come forward The problem is, the First Presbyterian
to be the Elder in charge. If anyone Church does not receive enough food
is interested in taking on this position donations to support the number of
or to even be on the Outreach and people in need. The Mission Team
Communication
Ministry
Team has decided to now take the food that
committee just let Elder, Marian we receive and give it to our sisterThomas, or Elder, Linda Allred, know church, First Presbyterian Church, and
and they will be more than happy their food Pantry.
to accommodate you. It really is not The next Session meeting is set for
that bad to get involved within your this Tuesday, September 29th. After
church, we can always use as much of that date I will once again try to let
your help as you can give, not only everyone know what your Session is
on the Ministry Teams but on many doing. In the meantime if you have
of the projects that we have within any question or ideas just let any of
our church. As we all know, there is the Elders know and we will be happy
more to church than just coming on to try to help you.
Sundays to worship God.
By: Casey Lucchesi, Clerk of Session
Thank you to Don Gelo, who
recently repaired and is
repairing several of the stained
glass windows in the doors to
the fellowship hall.
As you have noticed by now, the
parking lot needed to be resurfaced
once again. Yes, a few years ago
we had it sealed, but with the
tremendous amount of rain that we
8
Treasurer’s Report
ADMIN
& finance
a quick look at the finances of our church
By: Jack Buchner, Treasurer
Total contributions for August
of $29.3K were the highest since
May if July ($30.3K) is reduced by
the Foundation income of $5.1K.
May was considered the initial
month that reflected some impact
of the snowbird migration north.
Compared to the average pledged
and unpledged home & mission
contributions for June & July of
$23.1K, August was 18% higher
at $27.2K. Total contributions
for the remaining four months of
2015 must average $31.8K in order
to reach the $380.5K forecast. If
contributions for the remaining
months of 2015 average $33.9K/
month (January thru April average),
the year would finish $8.3K or 2.2%
above forecast. August year to date
contributions of $253.3K are $4.8K
(1.8%) below forecast and $1.6K
(0.6%) below the same period last
year.
Net income for the month was
$1.1K bringing year to date to
essentially breakeven at $0.2K. and
only slightly lower than 2014 YTD
at $0.3K. The current YTD positive
net income compares favorably
to the forecast loss of $3.0K due
to lower expenses of $7.9K (3%).
Given the timing of when certain
expenses are booked compared to
forecast assumptions, it appears
that most ministry teams will not
exceed their forecast expenses for
the year.
At month end the total cash
position had dropped from
$141.6K (end of July) to $125.8K.
The major contributors were
reduction in the restricted account
balances of the following: the Ricoh
Lease Payments ($2.5K), Rowan
Estate Funds ($2.6K, to subsidize
the mortgage expense) and the
down payment of $4.8K for the
contracted road project (from
capital expenditure reserves). The
principal mortgage balance at
month end was $877K. The stock
market turmoil of the past 2-3
weeks has resulted in a drop of
$6.4K (4.4%) from the Foundation’s
July value of $145.2K to $138.8K.
The current value is 3.1% below the
$143.2K opening value at the start
of the fiscal year (July 1st).
9
FOR SALE PRICED TO SELL!
Notice something missing?
The Member Spotlight portion of
The Steeple needs an author.
Do you have a talent for
interviewing and writing? We are
looking for someone or someones
to continue this important monthly
ministry. If you think you might
be interested, please contact Office
Manager, Anna Stubbendick for
more details at 727.372.7203 or
[email protected].
10
?
Limited Edition
Western
art
including bronze
sculpture, giclee
print and other
pieces for sale.
Please see Anna
for
additional
pictures of what
is available for
sale.
Contact
Bill Davis at
727.580.9922 or
wdavis@bsamail.
org if you wish to
purchase.
THANK YOU FROM CEDARKIRK:
As we reflect back on another incredible summer, we
give thanks to God for amazing campers, loving staff and
volunteers, and dedicated supporters. We are especially
grateful to all the churches and families who sent
campers and staff, who provided support and scholarship
funds, and who prayed for this unique ministry and
the transformation that happens at Cedarkirk. We look
forward to sharing with you the many exciting programs
By: Philip Hollins, Pastor
and facility updates that we have planned for the future.
Thank you again for your prayers and partnership in
providing a special place apart! May God continue to bless
you and your ministry.
2016 STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
The Pastor at my former church,
where I served as the Associate
Pastor of Congregational Care, once
shared with me four stewardship
principles that he learned while
doing a 12 week internship at the First Presbyterian Church of
Fayetteville, TN back in 1977. These principles were established by
the Session of FPC Fayetteville, TN for their membership. I share
them now with you for your edification.
Growing in Faith Together
U
REAS
R
T
E T
E
IM
TALE N
1. Freely. According to Scripture, the proper means of church
support is by the free gifts of the people. This excludes selling
goods or services of any kind for the purpose of “making
money” for the church.
T
FOUR STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES
GIFT
2. Proportionately. Christians should give to God through the
church money proportionate to the money they have. The
most familiar form of this idea is the tithe. We recommend
the tithe as being a great place to start. This means that the
stewardship goal of our church is defined in terms of PEOPLE,
not money. It is people as good stewards in which we are
interested, not a certain amount of money. This means that
the BUDGET is not a goal to be met, it is merely a spending
device. Our church goal is that each of our members becomes
a good steward of the money God has given him/her. Here again, we are defining our goal in terms of PEOPLE, not
money.
Growing In Faith Together
3. Systematically. Christians should have a systematic method of giving to God through the church. How do you meet
your money obligations? By the week, month, year? Give your money to God’s work the same way and consider the Old
Testament concept of First Fruits.
4. Sacrificially. Christians should give to God through the church more than they can (humanly speaking) afford to give.
This includes our money but does not stop there. Jesus gave his life for us; therefore we ought to lay down our lives for
each other.
11
UPCOMING EVENTS...
Thursday, October 1st - Thursday Musicale
concert at 2pm in the sanctuary
Sunday October 4th Ministry Fair from 9:30-11:30am, Pancake
Breakfast youth fund raiser in Founders’ Hall from
9-10am
Sunday, October 11th - Annual Church Picnic at
Starkey Park, 12-4pm
Sunday, October 18th Wash & Worship Children’s Ministry fund raiser
Sunday, October 25th - Annual Fall Festival and
Trunk-or-Treat, 4-6pm
Thursday, November 5th - Thursday Musicale
concert at 2pm in the sanctuary
Saturday, November 14th - Bingo Night fund
raiser for Children’s Ministries, 4-6:30pm
4651 little Rd.
New Port Richey, FL 34655
Please mark your
calendars now.
Saturday, November 28th - Hanging
of the Greens and Advent Workshop
with “Stone Soup” dinner, 4-6:30pm
Thursday, December 3rd - Thursday Musicale
concert at 2pm in the sanctuary
Sunday, December 13th - Suncoast Bronze
Ringers Christmas handbell concert, 3pm
Thursday, December 24th - Christmas Eve
Worship services at 5 & 7pm
Saturday, February 27th - S.O.L.V.E. Baby
Shower, time TBA
Friday & Saturday, March 4-5th, 2016 - Annual
Church Yard Sale, 8am-2pm