Advent and Christmas Schedule

St. Philip Presbyterian Church

Hurst, Texas www.stphil.org

(817) 282-9181 (817) 282-6690 (fax)

Rev. Dr. Greg Garis, Pastor

Rev. Alissa King, Assoc. Pastor

Vol. 68 December 9, 2015 No. 56

“Joyfully Growing and Moving with the Spirit”

St. Philip

Presbyterian ChurCh’s

Chancel Choir Will be singing

Sunday, December 13, 2015

at the 8:30 and 11:00 a. m.

worship services

Christmas Joy Offering

Don’t forget about the Christmas Joy Offering! This final of the four annual offerings of our Presbyterian Church is coming up on Sunday, December 21st, and it is divided equally between two important areas of service. The first is the Presbyterian Board of Pensions, which aids past and present leaders of the church and their spouses and families by providing financial assistance to support them through life’s challenging circumstances. The other helps deserving students at racial ethnic Presbyterian-related colleges and schools, financially assisting these potential future leaders of the church. Many of these students are the first in their families to enroll in higher education.

The official day of collecting the Christmas Joy Offering is December 21st this year, but you can donate any time!

Joyfully Growing and Moving With the Spirit

60 Years of Ministry and Mission

Mark your calendars to celebrate St. Philip’s 60th anniversary on January 24th, 2016. One worship service will be held at 10:30 am with a catered lunch at noon. Registration for the meal will be available on Oak Terrace December 13th and 20th and January 10th. Plan to come and enjoy visiting with many previous pastors and members. If you know anyone who you think would like to join in the celebration, please be sure to invite them. Power point information of United States and St. Philip happenings in 1956 will be shown throughout lunch time. 60th anniversary remembrances of mugs for $5 and ornaments for $10 will be available to purchase at sign up time or prior to December 13th. Cost of the catered lunch is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Questions? Contact Susan Riley or Edith Vaughn.

Advent and Christmas Schedule December 12th 6 pm-9:30 pm Youth Baby sitting fundraiser December 13th

8:30 am & 11:00 am Choir Christmas Cantata at both worship services 9:45 am Youth gift wrapping: Bring your gifts and have them wrapped December 15th 6:00 pm Presbyterian Women Christmas Dinner December 20th 8:30 am & 11:00 am Worship Services December 24th

6:00 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion service: Designed for families with children-Children arrive at 5:45pm for costumes for the pageant 11:00 pm Traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion service.

St. Philip Presbyterian Women

December

15th Tuesday 6:00 p.m. Christmas Dinner Fellowship Hall 16th Wednesday 5:30 p.m. Life Circle Wendy Parmelee’s house

January 5th Tuesday 9:30 a.m. Coordinating Team Mtg. Parlor 7th Thursday 1:30 p.m. PW Bible Leaders Parlor 11th Monday 5:30 p.m. Life Circle TBA 12th Tuesday 9:30 a.m. Grace Circle Room 11 10:00 a.m. Sheila Bradley Circle Parlor 26th Tuesday 10:00 a.m. Mission/Fellowship Fellowship Hall

Note: Please continue to bring non-perishable food items (canned goods and dry goods) throughout the year and place them in the NEED bin on the Oak Terrace. Thank you!

Prayer Requests

CONTINUE IN PRAYER FOR: John Schleck...Jocelyn Sneddon…Kathryn Hanson…John Dietz...Andrew Dietz...Jerry Culp…Jennifer Hunter…John Negronida…The Koenig Family…Doris Clark…Randy Welch…Madelyn Glass…Jane Mapel…Al Moreira…Glenn Steketee…Merlin Carstenson…Jim Toler…Marie Borland…Cindy Simmons…Mary Ann Nicholson…Mary Jo Wood…Pat Carlson…Kelly Frazure…Johnny Wallace…Lidia McFarland…Ellis Rogers…Lu and Sara Brewer…Elma Lee Mulkey…Ben Cross…Brenda Petersen…David Moore…Colby Steddum…Sally Starr… REMEMBER IN PRAYER THOSE IN THE MILITARY: Joshua Bosworth, son of Curt & Grace Bosworth…Jesse Dean Swanzy, Grandson of Wayne & Pat Swanzy…Philip Govan, nephew of Max & Ann McKee…Tanner Sprinkel, grandson of Ray & Linda Sprinkel…Zach Saunders, Tom & Lynette Mercer’s son…John Calhoun Miller, Ruth Calhoun’s grandson & Elaine Stokes’ nephew…Matt Kiser & David Kiser, sons of Helene Kiser…Josh Peck, son of Sherri Siler…Jennifer Reynolds, daughter of Margaret Reynolds…Matt & Cosmo Romo, great-nephews of Liz Hailey…Andrew Norman, grandson of Stella & Bob Urban…Sarah Willett, granddaughter-in-law of Bob & Stella Urban…Ben Temple, grandson of Tal & Jaylon Buie…Austin MacLeod, grandson of Lillian MacLeod… RECIPIENTS OF FINANCIAL AID IN NOVEMBER: Lisa, Latasha, Brenda, Pamela, Catina, Johanna, Carolyn, Pam, Chunte, Candra, Linda, Jamie. Special “Thanks” for everyone’s help for this mission in 2015.

Presbyterian Women Retreat

Save the Date! March 4th-6th

We will stay overnight at the Retreat Center at Itasca Children’s Home Friday and Saturday night. Come and go as you must. Sunday morning we’ll have breakfast, communion and then dismiss. Make plans now to attend!

The Presbyterian Women Christmas Dinner

December 15th at 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall

The dinner is $10 and will be catered by The Chicken Place.

Tickets will be sold through December 13th. Entertainment by Cornerstone.

The bi-annual Fund-a-Bear Campaign for the patients at Cook’s Children's Hospital continues through December 13th. The Presbyterian Women sponsor this “Fund a Bear” campaign. Donate $5.00 per bear to purchase Christmas bears for children in the hospital over the holiday. See Edith Vaughn on the Oak Terrace to sign up. Please make checks payable to SPPC.

The bears will be received and blessed the night of the Presbyterian Women’s Christmas Dinner, December 15th.

Can't wait to see you there!

January’s Mission Fellowship Tuesday, January 26th

10:00-11:30 a.m.

Make plans to attend this soup luncheon. We will also be making Valentines for the Itasca Children’s Home.

YOUTH CALENDA

December 12th 6:00 p.m. Youth Babysitting Fundraiser CE Building 13th 9:45 a.m. Youth Gift-wrapping Fundraiser Youth Hall 20th TBA Youth Christmas Party TBA

In the month of December the St. Philip Sunday School children and youth will be studying:

Birth-Age 2 will hear Bible stories that are designed for young learners.

Ages 2 years thru Pre K are studying “Jesus is Born” from the Hands on Bible curriculum.

Ages K-2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade are using the Growing with Grace and Gratitude curriculum, which is rooted in the foundation of Presbyterian identity where God's grace and our gratitude are the heartbeat of our faith, life, and worship. This curriculum extends an invitation to discipleship that inspires children to learn and practice hospitality, generosity, and love. It reaches beyond Sunday morning, encouraging children to live their lives as an expression of God's grace.

Jr. High & Sr. High will be using Feasting on the Word, which provides opportunities for this age group to explore their personal and communal identity in Jesus Christ through meaningful community-building experiences, engaging Bible study, and relevant learning activities. Biblical stories will come alive in new and creative ways. In response to God’s amazing, unconditional love, youth will be challenged to put their faith into action as they grow to understand themselves as Christ’s disciples.

Please save the date:

The third annual Jump for Joy Fundraiser for HEBISD Family Services will be held on Saturday evening, February 6, 2016. Last year was a great success and we hope to provide even more help for neighbors this year.

The annual Youth Babysitting Fundraiser is set for Saturday, December 12th from 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. in the CE Building. Children of all ages will enjoy dinner and activities while parents have an opportunity for a date night or an evening to get Christmas shopping done. Keep your eyes open for a sign-up sheet or let Pastor Alissa know you are interested.

The Youth Christmas Giftwrapping Fundraiser will be held on Sunday, December 13th at 9:45 am in the Youth Hall. Bring your gifts to be adorned with ribbons and bows. All proceeds benefit youth trips and activities.

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD,

from my youth. Psalm 71:5

But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,

who is the Messiah,’ the Lord. Luke 2:10,11

Note of the Week………………

“Christmas is coming! The goose is getting fat! Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat!” Do you remember those words to that famous Christmas round? Over a century ago, the song was very popular as a begging song, and so, it was not tolerated by many people. But it is fun to sing, and reminds me that Christmas is about giving, especially to those in need.

Pastor Alissa reminded us, at the beginning of advent, that while we wait for Christ’s birth, we can show our faith in many ways. And she asked the congregation to express their ideas. They responded with great thoughts—“pray privately and in worship,” “sing in the choir or congregation,” “decorate the church,” “learn more about advent by attending a Sunday school class,” “volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter,” “donate a ‘Christmas bear’ to Cook’s Children’s Hospital,” “donate money to the church and all its many programs including Parents Day Out, Care Corps and the Boy Scouts.” And the list goes on and on. There is so much we could do during Advent that would enrich our lives by doing God’s work. Let’s be active and take action in preparation for the birth of our Savior, Jesus the Christ! Have a wonderfully merry and God-filled Christmas!

This Sunday the Chancel Choir will be singing “Festival of Lessons and Carols” by Hal Hopson. A small chamber ensemble including Tom and Melanie Demer on violin and viola will accompany the worship services at 8:30 and 11:00. Please come and join us in worshipping and telling the story of Christ’s birth! (Could this be an expression of faith?)

See you in church on Sunday.

Joyfully Singing in Christ, Pam Cochrane

Regal Opera Company Chorale

Presents

“What Sweeter Music”

(A Christmas Show)

Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

At the

Cottage Theater/Center for Home Education

5733 Watauga Rd.; Watauga, Tx. 76148

Reservations: 817-281-2293

Tickets are Adults-$10; Children and Seniors-$8

Call now to reserve your seats!

Come and enjoy a wonderful concert with John Rutter’s

“What Sweeter Music”, “Gaudete”, “Blue Christmas”, “Silent

Night”, “Island Christmas”, “I Saw Three Ships” & many more!

St. Philip Presbyterian Church Coffee Mugs & Ornaments

Have you seen the new St. Philip coffee mugs? They are now available for purchase at $5 each. Drink your morning coffee “in style!” St. Philip ornaments are also on the way and will hopefully be available for purchase on December 13th (or 20th, at the latest) for $10 each. See Edith Vaughn if you are interested.

St. Philip

Presbyterian

Church

Birthdays 1st Bob Cook 1st Joe Sogan 2nd Julie Haney 3rd Paula Juengerman 3rd Patty O’Brien 3rd Courtney Mullins 5th Bobbie Wied 5th Jennifer Stark

8th Sherry Smith 8th Susan Billings 9th Joe Flores 9th Madison McLain 10th Doris Clark 11th Imogene Mecaskey 11th Randy Welch 11th Lindsay Zimmer 13th John Minor 13th Hope Garis 17th Louise Scheuchl 17th Donna MacLeod

18th Joy Coplen 20th Esther Johnson 20th Elma Lee Mulkey 21st Jane Mapel 25th Bobby Rippe 25th Alex Robertson 27th Rhiana Ellis 28th Pat Swanzy 29th Susan Neal 30th Jake Skodak 31st J. W. Shaunty 31st Jackie Berry

Men’s Coffee Fellowship

Come join us on

December 16th in the Parlor.

This is for all men of the church, no age limits or requirements!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24-MONDAY, JANUARY 4

Due to staff vacations, volunteer holiday schedules, and building security concerns, the Church Office will be closed December 24th at noon through January 4th. Reverend Alissa King will be available in the case of a pastoral emergency, and can be reached by calling the church office and following the system prompts. Mitzi will be in the office at some point in the week to process emergency check requests.

End-of-year contributions will be accepted and posted as usual when the staff returns and begins the end-of-year closing process.

Inclement Weather Closing

The Church Office will follow the HEB School District inclement weather closings. The office will send an announcement to the congregation through our mass email.

Local TV and radio stations will also broadcast information regarding closings and delays should your internet go down.

Attention all Couples of St. Philip!

Happy Slackers will have their Christmas Lunch on December 10th at 12:00 PM. Meet

at Ernie’s Seafood, located at 8206 Bedford Euless Rd., North Richland Hills.

Good food and fellowship!

Mariners December 19th at 6 PM at Catfish and Company

Join the Mariners for a Christmas dinner at Catfish and Company located at 900 Airport Freeway, Hurst.

Please RSVP to Joe or Paula Flores at 817-284-2771 if you plan to attend so that the restaurant can properly prepare for the number of people attending.

Everyone is welcome!

Coke Machine Issues

If you have any issues with the new Coke machine, please let the office know. We would like to put

in a service call quickly and get the issue resolved. Thank you!

The 2016 Worship Flower Arrangement Calendar

is now available on the Oak Terrace.

Providing flowers for worship is a unique opportunity to serve and glorify God. The Worship Committee would like this opportunity

be made available to as many families as possible.

The cost of the flowers is $56.00.

N.E.E.D

This month the following requests have been made:

Toilet Paper Hamburger Helper Dish Detergent Laundry Detergent Personal Products

Thank you for your continued support, Your Mission Outreach Committee

Year End Contributions and Check Requests

This is the time of year when tax considerations are especially important. All contributions to be included for 2015 must be postmarked no later than midnight, December 31. Also, please designate donations for Poinsettias or Emergency Aid in the memo section of your check.

Check requests for bills to be paid out of 2015 funds must be received in the church office absolutely no later than Monday morning, December 21st. It would be better to turn in check requests prior to that date to avoid the end of year rush. No checks will be written the first week of January due to year end closing, and no checks will be paid out of the 2015 budget after December 31, 2015.

Mitzi will be in the office at some point in the week to process end-of-year check requests. End-of-year contributions will be accepted and posted as usual when the staff returns and begins the end-of-year closing process.

Online Contributions

You also have the option of giving online. The link below will take you to the St. Philip website online giving page.

Online Giving

The "Donate" button will let you select the type of contribution you wish to make.

Automatic Monthly Contribution

Please call the church finance office if you are interested in setting up recurring payments for your monthly offering. We will set up your account and you have the option of having your credit card charged on the 5th or the 25th of each month.

Financial Report

November Year to date Income $45,884.95 $507,064.57 Expenses $51,638.34 $534,561.87 ($5,753.39) ($27,497.30)

Thanks to everyone for their contributions. If you are not current on your pledge, please attempt to catch up as soon as possible.

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS November 15, 2015

The following actions were approved at the November stated meeting of the Session: Having one service on the Sunday after Christmas, 12/27 at 11:00am.

Request for Letter of Transfer for Sharon Umphress to 1st Baptist, Murfreesboro, AR. Establishing a Feasibility Task Force looking into the possibility of opening a coffee shop across the

street (Pipeline Rd) from St. Philip in the new shopping development or elsewhere.

Cub Scout Pack 254 using the Fellowship Hall for their Pinewood Derby on January 30,2016.

Special worship service on September 17, 2016 where Lisa Marie Lester (Grace Bosworth's daughter)

and Paul Douglas Garrison will be joined in marriage and that they be charged the member's fee for

this wedding ceremony.

Allowing the Pastors and Staff to make decisions on whether a lawn sign(s) can be displayed on the

Church's property.

Jump for Joy fundraiser for HEB Family Support Services and the possible collaborative effort

working with Officer Meeks and Mission Central and others in some apartments off Brown Trail Rd.

as St. Philip's Congregational mission focus.

One worship service at 10:30 am on January 24 due to the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of

St. Philip.

Members of the 60th Anniversary committee selling luncheon tickets and possibly Christmas

ornaments and mugs on December 13, 20 and January 10 on the Oak Terrace.

Children's Sabbath on the 5th Sunday, 5/29 at 11:00 service.

Communion Dates for 2016: First Sunday of each month 11:00; 8:30 service every Sunday; Palm

Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost, Christ the King, First Sunday of Advent,

Christmas Eve, Women's Retreat 3/6, Session Retreat and other instances as approved by Session.

The removal of the Sing the Faith hymnals from the sanctuary. Disposal will happen in three steps:

1) Members will pick what they want from a box in the foyer. 2) They will be offered on a Presbytery

“classified” page. 3) They will be recycled.

Minutes for Mission at both services on December 6th for Joy Offering.

Moms group will not meet in December. Join us for our next meeting on January 24th at 5 PM.

St. Philip Presbyterian Church Adult Education

Sunday School Hour 9:45-10:45 a.m.

The Joy Class is for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We combine instruction, music and crafts to teach adults the basics of the Christian faith. This class uses shared leadership and is studying compassion. Parlor

In December the Alpha Class is using the Present Word and will study Sacred Gifts and Holy Gatherings. Unit I: December 13 Acceptable Offerings, Leviticus 22:17–25, 31–33; December 20 Dedication of Firstborn, Exodus 13:13–15; December 27 A Generous Gift, Matthew 23:2–12 and Mark 12:38–44. Room A

In December the Feasting on the Word Class will be studying the following topics: Session 2: Dec. 13, 2015, Isaiah 12:2–6, following Isaiah’s call to celebrate God’s gift of salvation, adults will identify ways to make God’s deeds known. Session 3: Dec. 20, 2015, Micah 5:2–5a, learning from Micah, adults will explore a notion of power expressed in service and name unexpected places of God’s activity. Session 4: Dec. 27, 2015, Psalm 148, adults will affirm the psalmist’s call to praise God with the whole cosmos and discern ways to care for creation. Class led by Patty O’Brien. Room 11

A Year with the Bible meets the first Sunday of each month following Morning Worship to encourage daily Bible reading and prayer. Fellowship Hall

Wednesday Night Bible Study meets each week to read the Bible with discussion of the scriptures from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Youth Hall

Young Adult Group meets weekly each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss faith, life and current events. Discussion facilitated by Rev. Alissa King. Youth Hall

Men’s Coffee Fellowship meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, 8:30-9:30 a.m., for coffee & donuts, visiting, discussing and staying connected. Led by Rev. Dr. Greg Garis. Parlor

GUESTS ARE WELCOME!

Adult Education

During the month of October, we organized a Bible Study at CNS or Centre For Nuero Skills, where Ben Cross lives. The theme of the study was "Paul's Race, God's Grace." A story telling approach was used as well as music and arts and crafts, somewhat similar to what we do in the Joy Class. The class had a wide range of abilities, from people who could converse with you to others who could not speak or who could speak only a small amount.. It was a great experience and a wonderful way to extend the ministry of St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Adult Education throughout the community and surrounding areas.

Our thanks to Kathleen Fullenwider who led this class and Karen Dean, Dina Ferreira, Donna Jowell, Fran Noakes and Hal Shane who volunteered to assist. It was an extremely rewarding time and we hope to do it again next year.

If you would like to be part of this committee contact the church or any of the Committee Members: Donna Jowell, Alissa King, Rachael Moffett, Patty O’Brien, and Fran Noakes.

The beginning of St. Philip began in 1955 when Rev. James F. Garvin began a new work. For the first few months worship services were held in a former Church building at 5800 Belknap Street in Haltom City.

It wasn’t until January 22, 1956 that St. Philip was organized and became a church with 171 members.

Please join us for the 60th Anniversary Celebration with worship on January 24, 2016. We will worship together at 10:30 am and a catered lunch will follow.

Thank you to Marion McNamara, retired office assistant for St. Philip Preschool. Marion so graciously donated the new kitchen window air conditioner and new window blinds. As all of us experience our Texas weather, we have already enjoyed being in a much cooler kitchen.

Thank you again Marion,

Building & Grounds Committee

ST. PHILIP PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 745 W PIPELINE ROAD HURST, TEXAS 76053-4999 DECEMBER 9, 2015