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PresbyNews Deadlines: December 19, January 2, 2005

“A Look at Faith,” our next new members class, is scheduled for Sunday, January 23 from 12:30 to 4:30. Anyone interested in finding out more about Faith Presbyterian Church and membership here is invited to join Pastors Jeff Chapman and Jim Zazzera. A complimentary lunch will be served. Among other things, we will explore questions like these:

• In what ways can I connect and build friendships here at Faith?
• How can I use my gifts and abilities here to make a significant difference?
• What are the advantages of becoming a member?
• What are the expectations of membership?
• What’s the vision of this church? Where is it headed in the future?

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Invite a Guest to Worship this Month

Our Sunday morning Advent message series, as we continue to work our way through John’s gospel, will focus on answering a question that most everybody asks.  Even people in our lives who don’t make it a habit to go to church wonder at Christmas time. “What is the big deal about Jesus?  2000 years after Bethlehem, what difference does Jesus make today, in my life?”

We will look at five remarkable stories of real people who came into contact with Jesus. For them it changed everything.  Our hope is that even people who may be just beginning to grapple with spiritual questions would be able to come and think about the difference Jesus might make in a fresh, honest, and inviting way.  So, if you know people who might be open to come, invite them along.  (Remember, most people who visit a church do so at the invitation of a friend or family member.)  When they do come, those of us leading worship promise to work hard at doing what we can to make sure they were glad they showed up.  Dennis and May and our other musicians are also planning some extraordinary music. 

Our message series continues as follows:

~Sunday, December 12 – John 2:1-11 – How Jesus changes everything at a wedding feast.

~Sunday, December 19 – John 3:1-21 – How Jesus changes everything for an old man in the middle of the night.

~Christmas Eve, December 24 – John 4:1-42 – How Jesus changes everything for a woman full of shame.

~Sunday, December 26 – John 5:1-15 – How Jesus changes everything for a man who couldn’t even walk.

Holiday Events

The last Wednesday evening Advent service is on 12/15 at 7:00 pm.  A light supper will be served at 6:00 pm in Link Hall.  Service will begin at 7:00 pm followed by CREW and an Adult Ed discussion on prayer at 7:30 pm.

There will be two Christmas Eve services on 12/24/04.  First service is at 5:30 pm with Infant Care provided; the second service will be a Candlelight Service which will begin at 11:00 pm.

Avoiding Grinch-itis      by Pastor Jeff   

Maybe some of you read the Sacramento Bee front  page story the Saturday after Thanksgiving which chronicled the adventures of the legions of shoppers invading the malls in search of treasures on what is now known as the busiest shopping day of the year.  Perhaps some of you were among them.  One of the shoppers was quoted in the article was quoted as saying, “My goal today is to fill my Ford Explorer and then come back for more!”  Ah, the spirit of Christmas.

Howard Dayton of Crown Financial Ministries recently noted that, until a couple of centuries ago Christmas in this country was a noncommercial holiday and gifts were exchanged on New Year’s Day.  In fact, during the 1800’s Christmas was primarily a time for feasting, going to church, and giving gifts to the poor.  It wasn’t until the 1950s that expensive gifts, giving more than one gift per person, giving gifts to adults as well as to children, and a month-long shopping season became prevalent. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Grinch.  There are a lot of the secular traditions that I look forward to enjoying each year.  My wife and I will watch It’s A Wonderful Life.  I’ll eat more of my favorite sugar Christmas cookies than I know I should.  And we’ll stuff our kids’ stockings full of stuff they really don’t need.  None of it, I know, has really much to do with the real reason for the season.  But I will still enjoy these traditions.

But I really appreciate the reminder (maybe you will as well), to not allow the busyness, or the expense, or even the family traditions of this time of year to detract us from the message God wants to share with us.  And I would encourage all of us to be very intentional about the way we spend our time, energy and resources in the coming weeks.  Maybe there are some things we just don’t have to do this year.  Maybe our children and families would better appreciate time spent with them rather than at the mall buying things they don’t need in the first place.  Perhaps we can find a creative way to serve people around us this year who are less fortunate, to buy gifts for people who really do need them.  Certainly, let’s leave time for worship and spiritual refection.

Remember, the choices we make this season are ours to make.  I encourage all of us to make choices that will leave us refreshed, rather than burnt out, come the New Year.  Wouldn’t that be nice for a change?

I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!

Yours in Christ-

Jeff

Youth Making a Difference

Christmas is a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, as well as a time to visit with friends and family.  But to the youth of this church, it is more than that.  They realize that there are people in the Sacramento area that don’t get to enjoy Christmas the way most of us do with presents, good food, and lots of family.  So they have decided to do something about it and this year they are supporting a family in Sacramento through Adopt-a-Family.  This is exactly what it sounds like.  We are adopting a family so that they can have a special Christmas that they would not otherwise get to enjoy. Every night of youth group for the next few weeks the youth will be taking a collection of all their lose change.  After all the money is collected, we buy toys on the kid’s wish lists, and food for the family for Christmas.  Then it is delivered to the family in time for the holidays. Despite the bad rap that we have given to the younger generation, our youth here at Faith are out to change the world one family at a time.

On a side note, the next Young Adult Meeting will be on Sunday December 12th at 5:30pm.  It will be at the home of Donne and Kelsey Ingalls, which is located at 6203B Greenhaven Dr. Because the potluck went off so well last time, we are having one again this month.  So please bring your favorite dish to share with everyone.  If you have any questions, please call Kelsey, Director of Youth Ministries, at the church. 

Presbyterian Women hold Christmas Luncheon

Presbyterian Women will meet at Aviator’s Restaurant at 6151 Freeport Blvd. on December 15th at noon to celebrate our Christmas luncheon.  The cost of the buffet is $12 including beverage, tax and tip.  Please RSVP to Kitty Tatro at 393-4734 by December 11th.  Make your check payable to Kitty Tatro and give or mail to 1405 Palomar Circle 95931. 

Instead of a gift exchange, we will be supporting W.E.A.V.E.  Please bring unwrapped pajamas, slippers or booties for women and children of all ages.

December, a Great Time to Invite a Guest to Worship

Our Sunday morning Advent message series, as we continue to work our way through John’s gospel, will focus on answering a question that most everybody asks.  Even people in our lives who don’t make it a habit to go to church wonder at Christmas time. “What is the big deal about Jesus?  2000 years after Bethlehem, what difference does Jesus make today, in my life?”

We will look at remarkable stories of real people who came into contact with Jesus.  For them it changed everything.  Our hope is that even people who may be just beginning to grapple with spiritual questions would be able to come and think about the difference Jesus might make in a fresh, honest, and inviting way.  So, if you know people who might be open to come, invite them along.  (Remember, most people who visit a church do so at the invitation of a friend or family member.)  When they do come, those of us leading worship promise to work hard at doing what we can to make sure they were glad they showed up.  Dennis and May and our other musicians are also planning some extraordinary music.  Our message series will be as follows.

~Sunday, December 12 – John 2:1-11 – How Jesus changes everything at a wedding feast.~Sunday, December 19 – John 3:1-21 – How Jesus changes everything for an old man in the middle of the night.

~Christmas Eve, December 24 – John 4:1-42 – How Jesus changes everything for a woman full of shame.

~Sunday, December 26 – John 5:1-15 – How Jesus changes everything for a man who couldn’t even walk.

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Dear ARCOfaithfuls,

 

While the Kings were beating up on the Celtics, we had a fantastic night working at ARCO.  Your superb efforts, with help from our friends, produced  $1261 in support for your Youth Ministry.  Special thanks to Betty Keller and Chuck Bell, who took on the additional duties of managing the inventory and cash, respectively.  Chuck and his trainee/assistant, Tina Faulks, handled just about $20,000 in cash, with a slightly "over" result, according to the ARCO money room.  Our inventory was right on!!  We had a host of great helpers, to whom we give our heartfelt thanks, including: Alda Gray, ToiSan Malbough, Diona McClain, Nichole Hampton, and Jewel Hansen, (all from the Community Bible Fellowship Church); our volunteer/trainees from the Cordova High School Sober Grad Night Committee, Tracy Lyn Caldwell, Tina Faulks, Marie Wayne, and Cheryl Blower; and Jennie Fong, Josh Landreth, David Nichols, and Craig Yamada, all of whom do not regularly attend Faith Presbyterian Church, but unselfishly donated their time and talents to help support your Youth Ministry.

I would like recognize our cool hand, Alex Mirkin, for another great job as runner ice, and Kevin Willis and Josh Landreth for really hustling to keep up with servicing the customers out front by maintaining all the items on the front counter and the condiment stations.  It's a lot of work that nobody notices until we run out of something.  Good job.  Also, EVERYONE did a great job on clean up.  We really show ARCO that Faith is a class act! 

              Our next ARCO outing is Sunday, December 19th.  We could use another 10 to 12 volunteers.  Please contact Steve Canaday, Pat Tatro, or Paul Keller if you can help out.  THANKS again, 

 Paul Keller   

 

PRAYER:

Our Heart’s True Home

WEDNESDAYS

December 15    7:30 - 9:00 pm

Leaders:   Jim Zazzera & Alice Parente

Coming to prayer is like coming home.   As Richard Foster says, “Nothing feels more right, more like what we are created to be and to do.”   Yet at the same time, we are confronted with great mysteries.   Where do we start?  Is there a right way and a wrong way to pray?  How do we bring  our thoughts, our feelings, our needs, our requests into the presence of God?   How does a finite person commune with the infinite Creator of the universe?  And what about the puzzle of unanswered prayer?

We do our best, of course, to find our own way with prayer.   But many times we are left with unanswered questions and feelings that there must be something more we can do and learn.

Please join us on Wednesday evenings in November and December as we explore God’s invitation to walk with Him on the path of prayer.   We will be discussing and practicing various styles of prayer---including simple prayer, healing prayer, contemplative prayer, , unceasing prayer, prayer of rest.   Resources will be provided, although no reading will be required.  

Jesus taught us that, even with all its mystery and our confusion, prayer can grant us personal transformation…moving us into intimacy with God, and outward toward ministry to others.

We are hoping this class will help each of us find answers to our yearnings---as we stand today in the same place as the disciples and plead,

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

The Giving Tree

The mission committee’s final Sunday in Advent will be dedicated to raising hygiene and basic clothing items for Clean and Sober, founded by a long-time member of our Faith family, Chris Hartmire.  As has become a tradition in recent years, we will be gathering gifts of peanut butter to take to the SSIP Food Closet at both services on Christmas Eve.

The congregation of Faith Presbyterian has shown many times over the past years how important it is to help others find the true meaning of Christmas.

For information, call Conney Willis at 530-432-2318 or email at conney@aol.com. 

The Crafters of Faith Presbyterian Church meets each Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. The group has knitted, among other items, almost 100 blankets and tiny hats for premature babies. These have been distributed to U.C. Davis and Sutter Memorial Hospitals. Feel free to join the group on any Monday. You’ll enjoy doing something useful and will have great company to share the fun!

Faith Member Places in Art Contest

Faith member Skyler Brown, 11, recently placed third in a turkey-coloring contest sponsored by the Sacramento Bee. According to newspaper representatives, over 1,500 entries were received.

Skyler, a sixth grade student at Leonardo da Vinci school in Sacramento, has been drawing and writing stories ever since he can remember. Last May he won his grade’s Young Author’s competition for a story he wrote and illustrated.

 Sunday School News

December Birthdays

Isabel Chapman        12/20

Armed Forces Prayer Wall

We have obtained addresses for the Soldiers and Marines on our prayer wall.  Please take time this holiday season to write, perhaps send a remembrance from home to these men.  Letters from home are there greatest joy!

Operation Christmas Child

We delivered over 40 gifts to be sent overseas to help children know about the love of God.  Thank you to all who participated! 

Pastor Chapman dedicated the playground and thanked all who put their time, prayers and finances into getting this project completed.  After the dedication all were invited to a chili and cornbread lunch as Operation Christmas Child was wrapped up!

It was decided to make Operation Christmas Child an annual tradition so please look for the announcement next year.  Some people are already preparing for next year!

Setting up for Christmas? 

Did you happen to find any old Sunday School curriculum packed away?  If so, please return to Sue Kirk's office.  Thanks!

Sunday School Themes for December

Mary                            Luke 1:26-56

Jesus                             Luke 2: 1-20

Jesus at the Temple     Luke 2: 21-39

Please welcome the new teaching team that is now in place.  During the 9:45 time Sue Potter, Melinda Lewis and Jennifer May will be leading the classes.  In the 11:00 hour , Shari Reyes, Diana Williamson, Rhonda Hankey and Gi Parente will be leading the children. 

Health News

                 Stroke

Symptoms:

General symptoms of a stroke include sudden onset of:

• Numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg, typically on one side of the body
• Vision problems in one or both eyes, such as dimness, blurring, double vision, or loss of vision
• Confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding
• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or balance or coordination
• Severe headache

What Happens:

              When brain cells are damaged or die, the body parts controlled by those cells lose their ability to function. The loss of function may be mild or severe, temporary or permanent. This depends on where and how much of the brain is damaged and how fast the blood supply can be returned to the affected cells.

              If you have symptoms of a stroke, seek emergency medical care. Life threatening complications may occur after a stroke. Early treatment may decrease the amount of permanent damage to brain cells, decreasing the amount of disability.

              Stroke is the most common nervous system-related cause of physical disability. Of people who survive a stroke, half will still have some disability six months after the stroke.