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News of what God is doing in and through this church
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| Woodbury Presbyterian Newsletter - October 2009 Download it here Miracle: Phase 1. The miracle we’ve been waiting for is happening. Fall Festival Find out why you’re looking forward to November 7. Christmas Eve Schedule: See the Bible Come to Life Vision 2020: What will Woodbury look like in the year 2020? Congregational Meeting October 25, 9:45 AM: Take Part in God’s Plan Presbyterian Leadership Class: November 2, 9 and 16 Churchwide Work Day: October 24 8:00 AM –1:00 PM Stewardship Dedication December 6 Miracle: Phase 1 Remember the miracle we’ve been waiting for? Guess what. It’s happening! That’s right. We expect to start construction on our new wing for children’s Sunday school soon, very likely in 2010. For a long time we’ve needed additional Sunday school space and a Fellowship Hall, as well as offices for our current and future staff members. You’ve probably seen the beautiful drawings of the building we have in mind. (View here.) To help us pay for that building we had a capital funds campaign just after Easter 2009. We needed to raise $600,000 in three-year pledges. People prayed about their giving and thought about their giving, and when the big day came, we pledged just over $307,500! On the one hand, $307,500 is a lot of money for a congregation our size and income level in this economy! We are so grateful to everyone for your faithful generosity. On the other hand, we didn’t quite reach the original goal. Of course we knew we wouldn’t. We knew that what we were called to was more than we could afford. That’s why we trusted God for a miracle. And the miracle finally came -- just not in a form we expected. Over the summer we waited for the balance of the money to appear from somewhere. We felt like we couldn’t move forward until the money came. So we continued to pray and wait, pray and wait, pray and wait. Recently, however, the Lord planted a very simple question in the minds of our leadership: What have you done with the $307,500 I have given you? Of course! We had buried our talent. We were sitting and waiting when we were supposed to be working. Looking at the plans again we noticed that the building was perfectly designed to be built in two stages! The roof line changes where the classrooms end and the lobby begins. The wall between the classrooms and the lobby is already designed to be a firewall. It can easily be converted to an exterior wall. (One of our elders reminded us that an earlier floor plan had the classrooms built around a central fellowship hall. That configuration could not have been built in phases.) Miraculously, God had led us to an ideal design. Our more urgent need is for the children’s Sunday school classrooms, so that’s the phase we’ll build first. It also promises to be the less expensive of the two phases. (The first phase will include a nursery, four children’s classrooms and the kitchen.) So we’ve asked our architects to make the adjustments in the plans. As soon as that is done we’ll apply to Orange County for building permits! We are moving forward. With any building project there are unforeseen delays, but we think it is reasonable to hope that in September of 2010 we will start Sunday school in the new classroom wing. One more thing. Phase 1 is only Phase 1. The building is designed so that we can easily add Phase 2 (lobby, café, fellowship hall and offices), and we plan to do that as soon as possible. That’s the next phase of the miracle. So please keep praying! Fall Festival Harvest Time Down on the Farm November 7 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Did you know that you’re looking forward to November 7? If not, that’s probably because you don’t know that our annual Fall Festival will be that afternoon! From noon until 5 PM we’ll enjoy games for grown-ups, a dunk tank, a bounce house for kids and other fun activities for everyone. We’ll feast on all kinds of goodies, including salad, corn, veggies, grilled meats and a roasted pig – not to mention those mouth-watering Woodbury desserts. What’s more, live music will feature a special appearance by Banjo Jim and the Traveling Woodburians. Fall Festival is a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know our neighbors and for them to get to know us. Last year lots of people who live near the church stopped by to enjoy the festivities. We’re glad to share with them a bite of dinner and a taste of God’s love in ACTION. After dark we will show the Jesus film in a theatre under the stars. This film has been seen more than any other movie ever. God has used it to touch people’s lives all over the world. In fact, we often show it on our Woodbury mission trips. It will be the proverbial perfect ending to a perfect day. Now do you see why you’re looking forward to November 7? Bring your friends, neighbors and family for a great afternoon and evening. We’re looking forward to seeing you. And if you can help with Fall Festival, call Sylvia Watkins at 407.359.2846. See the Bible Come to Life! Soon you’ll see a life-size manger on Woodbury Road. Then on Christmas Eve, it will be surrounded by Mary and Joseph, angels, wise men, shepherds, sheep and other real live animals. Relax. You’re not in a time warp. It’s just the Bible coming to life. This Christmas Eve our “Family Service” will center around an outdoor “Living Nativity.” Children and all who attend this service will get to meet the characters of Christmas and hear their stories from their own lips. What was the birth of Jesus like for Jesus’ mother and her husband? For the shepherds? For the angels, innkeeper and others? Why not ask them? Everyone is invited. This interactive Family Service will start at 5:30 PM and be followed by our traditional Candlelight Communion Service at 7:00. As usual, quality childcare will be provided. Our second Candlelight Communion Service will start at 11:00 PM. We will receive the bread and wine of Communion at the midnight moment when we begin to celebrate the mystery that changed the world: God loves us so much that He became a man of flesh and blood. He was born to give us life. The messages during all our worship services in December will also focus on “The Characters of Christmas.” In different ways, at all these services, we’ll experience the Bible coming to life! Christmas Eve Worship Schedule 5:30 Family Service – Living Nativity 7:00 Candlelight Communion Service 11:00 Candlelight Communion Service Vision 2020 Goals and Objectives “If God were to use the people and resources to the fullest for the next 12 years, what would the church look like in the year 2020?” That’s the question we were asked just over a year ago. And the answer the Lord gave us is pretty amazing! Earlier this year we presented the “Vision 2020 Summary Statement.” That one page document has now been expanded and detailed into “Vision 2020: Goals and Objectives. If you haven’t read it, read it here. If you have read it, read it again! (Pay special attention to the Focus on People section.) This is what we’re working for because we believe it is the future into which God is calling us. And it’s pretty exciting. Now the Transformation Team is working on a series of four three-year plans to help us “press toward the prize.” We’ll share the news as it develops. But the immediate plan is for each of us grow in Christ and work for His Kingdom in East Orange County. Congregational Meeting October 25, 9:45 AM Every year we have a special opportunity to take part in God’s plan for the church. At our annual meeting of the congregation, we elect new or returning elders to the Session. Maybe you don’t know what’s involved in that process or haven’t given much thought to how important that is. The first step is prayer. In fact, prayer is central to the process. The nominating committee prays individually and together. Essentially they ask God one question: Who are the people you are raising up to lead Woodbury as elders in the coming years? The nominating committee isn’t interested in who is popular or influential or whom they like, or even who they think would do a good job. They only want to know God’s choices. Likewise when people are asked to serve on the Session, there is only one consideration. Though these exact words may not be used, the nominating committee says to each prospective elder, “We’ve asked God to show us whom He is raising up to serve as elders, and we believe He is calling you to that sacred ministry. Would you please pray about it and see if you believe that is God’s call to you?” Again, people aren’t asked if the want to serve or feel qualified to serve. Moses didn’t want to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, nor did he feel qualified. (See Exodus 3-5) We don’t ask if people have time to lead. If God is calling them, of course they’ll need to realign their schedules and priorities in order to follow God’s call.. The only question is, “Is God calling you?” If God is calling, the only wise response is to say “yes,” and trust Him to take care of the details. When people have been asked and responded, the nominating committee essentially says to the congregation, “We’ve prayed about it, and we believe God is raising these people to be leaders in this congregation. They’ve prayed about it and believe themselves to be called by God. Do you believe God is calling these people to lead us into the future God has for us?” That happens at the congregational meeting. We say “yes” or “no” by our vote. (After they are elected, elder nominees go through a period of training. Then they are examined by the current Session and, if the way be clear, ordained and or installed as elders.) At the congregational meeting, we also elect four members of the congregation who are not on the Session to serve on the nominating committee for the coming year. (The session appoints two elders to serve on that committee and the deacons appoint one.) You have seen what an important responsibility is entrusted to that committee! Members of the nominating committee should be selected carefully and prayerfully. Finally, at the congregational meeting we vote on what to pay the pastor for the coming year. At Woodbury we traditionally have our congregational meeting on Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday in October. This year that will be October 25. We will meet immediately after the 8:45 service. A slate of nominated elders will be presented on October 18. Please pray for those who are being nominated as elders. Also ask God whom He wants to serve on the nominating committee for next year, and come to the meeting with nominees in mind. If you are an active member of Woodbury, your participation in the annual meeting is needed, expected and urged. We expect to hear God’s voice through you! Join us on October 25 at 9:45 and take part in God’s plan. Presbyterian Leadership Class November 2, 9, 16 at 7:00 PM Would you like to know more about how a Presbyterian church operates? How are decisions made? What are our distinctive beliefs? Who is in charge? Why do we do things the way we do? If so, you’re invited to join us for the Presbyterian Leadership Class on Monday evenings in November. This is the class your new elders will take as they prepare to take office. But the class isn’t closed to new elders. If you’d like to learn more and go a little deeper than we went in the Explorers’ Course, then join us for this class. Call Dahana at 407.282.5683 to register. She will make up a packet of study materials for you. Churchwide Work Day October 24 8:00 AM –1:00 PM Among the wonderful tools God has given us to use in serving Him are our current buildings and the amazing piece of property on which we’re located. And one of the ways we show God our gratitude is by taking good care of what He has given us. Join us on Saturday morning, October 24 as we clean and fix and spruce up the place. There’s great satisfaction in making God’s house look and function better, and there’s an advantage in getting a little extra exercise. But the greatest benefit of these work days is the way we grow closer to each other as we work side by side. The coffee will be ready at 8:00. See you then. Stewardship Dedication December 6 There are two sides to stewardship. On the one hand, the way we use our time, our money and our gifts and talents fuels the ministry of the church we share. If no singers sang or teachers taught or preachers preached or typists typed or givers gave, there would be no ministry of the church. The church benefits from our stewardship. And we, as members and friends of the church, all benefit from the stewardship of others. But stewardship also benefits the steward – the singer, the typist, the preacher, the giver etc. There is great satisfaction in using our resources for the purposes of Christ’s Kingdom. That’s what the Lord calls us to do. That’s why the Lord has entrusted those resources to us in the first place! We are reminded of that every time we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth.” When we received Jesus as Savior and Lord, we dedicated our whole lives to Him. We put ourselves at His disposal. That dedication needs to be renewed again and again. Stewardship Dedication Sunday is one way we make that renewal. On December 6 we will have the opportunity to make a pledge of what we hope to give to the ministry of the church in 2010. Yes, these pledges help our leadership budget and plan in a faithful and responsible manner. But even more, stewardship dedication helps those who pledge. It is a significant spiritual exercise to look at our resources and prayerfully consider how we plan to use them – time, money, gifts and talents – in the Lord’s service for the coming year. Stewardship dedication is really an act of self-rededication. So please begin praying about how the Lord wants you to use the resources He has entrusted to you in 2010. Then on December 6 fill out the pledge card you will receive in November. As you dedicate that pledge card, let it be an act of rededicating yourself to the Lord. |