If you’re reading this, the Mayans were wrong. The world did not end on December 21, 2012. But that doesn’t mean that the Bible is wrong. The world will cease to exist as we know it someday, perhaps soon (and very soon!) Virtually every Christian denomination believes in the return of Christ, although we all wrestle with the details. Even Muslims believe that Jesus (Isa) will return to earth near the end of time. The Second Coming has fascinated believers since the first generation of Christians, many of whom believed that Jesus would return during their lifetime. No doubt there was much eschatological rethinking as the years went by, and Christ’s prohibition against date-setting likely began to be understood in a much broader sense. The Nicene Creed adopted by the first ecumenical council in 325 AD states a belief in a future return of Christ: "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end." The Bible, however, doesn’t give as many details as we’d like about how and when Christ will return. Sure, there’s a lot of information between Genesis and the Revelation, but with all that information there are a lot of dots to connect. And boy have people throughout history tried to connect them. Throughout church history, date-setters have shown up from time to time, predicting the days or years of Christ’s return, only to find themselves (and those who believed them) disappointed. Some believe that Jesus will return to gather believers (an event known as the Rapture), then return with them after a period of great tribulation to judge the world and to reign over it. Some believe the rapture will take place before this tribulation, some believe it will happen in the middle of it, and others predict it will happen at the end. And still others don’t believe in a rapture at all, but in a single return of Christ at the end of the age. Whatever you believe about the return of Christ there are at least four main scriptural characteristics, and New Year’s is a great time to be preparing for something big like the rapture: We don’t know when it will be, and many people won’t see it coming. Date-setters over the years have done eschatological gymnastics and created all kinds of loopholes to explain why they really do know when Jesus will return. They need to read Matthew 24:36 and Matthew 24:44. It will be a worldwide event. I sometimes try to imagine how this would play out if it happened today. (Continued on page 2: See Open Door) From My Open Door Jeffrey Bell, Pastor Providence Presbyterian Church www.provpres.org New Year’s is a great time to be preparing for something big like the rapture! In this Issue January Birthdays All in the Family Session Notes Mission Outreach Evangelism Women’s Ministry Providence Post Calendar Happy New Year Each New Day is Special “The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:22-24 NAS
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Transcript
If you’re reading this, the
Mayans were wrong. The world did
not end on December 21, 2012.
But that doesn’t mean that the
Bible is wrong. The world will cease
to exist as we know it someday,
perhaps soon (and very soon!)
Virtually every Christian
denomination believes in the
return of Christ, although we all
wrestle with the details. Even
Muslims believe that Jesus (Isa)
will return to earth near the end of
time.
The Second
C o m i n g h a s
f a s c i n a t e d
believers since the
first generation of
Christians, many
of whom believed
that Jesus would return during
their lifetime. No doubt there was
much eschatological rethinking as
the years went by, and Christ’s
prohibition against date-setting
likely began to be understood in a
much broader sense.
The Nicene Creed adopted by
the first ecumenical council in 325
AD states a belief in a future
return of Christ: "He will come
again in glory to judge the living
and the dead, and his kingdom will
have no end."
The Bible, however, doesn’t
give as many details as we’d like
about how and when Christ will
return. Sure, there’s a lot of
information between Genesis and the Revelation, but with all that
information there are a lot of dots
to connect. And boy have people
throughout history tried to connect
them. Throughout church history,
date-setters have shown up from
time to time, predicting the days
or years of Christ’s return, only to
find themselves (and those who
believed them) disappointed.
Some believe that Jesus will
return to gather believers (an
event known as the Rapture), then
return with them after a period of
great tribulation to judge the world
and to reign over it. Some believe
the rapture will take place before
this tribulation, some
believe it will happen in the
middle of it, and others
predict it will happen at the
end. And still others don’t
believe in a rapture at all,
but in a single return of
Christ at the end of the
age.
Whatever you believe about
the return of Christ there are at
least four main scr iptural
characteristics, and New Year’s is a
great time to be preparing for
something big like the rapture:
We don’t know when it will
be, and many people won’t see
it coming. Date-setters over the
years have done eschatological
gymnastics and created all kinds of
loopholes to explain why they
really do know when Jesus will
return. They need to read Matthew
24:36 and Matthew 24:44.
It will be a worldwide
event. I sometimes try to imagine
how this would play out if it happened today.
(Continued on page 2: See Open
Door)
From My Open Door
Jeffrey Bell, Pastor
Providence Presbyterian Church www.provpres.org
New Year’s is a
great time to be preparing for
something big like
the rapture!
In this Issue
January Birthdays
All in the Family Session Notes
Mission Outreach Evangelism
Women’s Ministry Providence Post
Calendar
Happy New Year Each New Day is Special
“The unfailing love of the
LORD never ends! By his
mercies we have been kept
from complete destruction.
Great is his faithfulness; his
mercies begin afresh each
day. I say to myself, “The
LORD is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in
him!”
Lamentations 3:22-24
NAS
2
Because we are a people of
prayer, who believe in the power
of prayer, we ask you to keep in
your prayers those who are
unable to worship with us on
Sundays due to health concerns:
At Home Members:
Bob Collins
Edith Hill Virginia McBurney
Joyce Semones
Nursing Home:
Doris Weber The Oaks of Brecksville, Brecksville, Ohio
Assisted Living Homes:
Ivan and Mary Ann Cook Westminster Canterbury
Marilyn Jackson: Atlantic Shores
Inge Keeny: Chesapeake Place TC Rock:
Chesapeake Place
Please notify the church office if you know someone who
needs to be added to this list.
All in the family
01/01 Chris Molleen
01/01 Jimmy Hawn
01/01 Sydney Grady
01/03 Corie Olenych
01/04 Wayne Baker
01/04 Debbie Riggan
01/04 Bruce Lytle
01/05 Rachel McMahan
01/05 Melodee Hanson
01/06 Kelly Deans
01/06 Barbara Sturtevant
01/06 Laura Grady
01/07 Bob Birdwell
01/07 Micah McMahan
01/09 Andy Bell
01/09 Katie Manning
01/10 Lizzie Rice
01/10 Jakob Mattauch
01/11 Cindy Dimmick
01/14 Lee Anne Spivey
01/14 Terry Finch
01/14 Sarah Grady
01/16 Joy Sullivan
01/17 Jane Pritchett
01/17 Deborah Lane
01/17 Tyler Kuhrt
01/18 Pat Griffin
01/19 Laurie Parker
01/20 Peggy Deans
01/20 Anita Matteson
01/20 Ashley Schroeder
01/20 Joshua Rohde
01/22 Christopher Molleen
01/23 Sue Crosland
01/23 Karen Dixon
01/24 Leonne Smith
01/24 Abbitt Harvey
01/26 Marion Samuels
01/27 Margaret Harker
01/30 Becky Rogers
01/30 Josh Norton
01/31 Barbara Lumpkin
January Birthday Prayer List
On the occasion of each one’s birthday,
take time to lift them to God in prayer.
Session Notes The Session met on Monday, December 10, 2012 and conducted the following business:
Approved the nomination of Caroline Knowles as church
treasurer and Terrie Wichrowski as financial secretary for 2013.
Approved dates for Communion for the 2013 Church year.
Approved Troop #12 to hold a firearms safety course in the
Spring during a scout meeting.
The Session calls the congregation to meet for the annual
congregational meeting on January 20, 2013 to: receive the
report of the Clerk of Session, receive the 2013 budget for information, elect a Congregational Nominating Committee, elect five Elders to the class of 2016, to review the Annual Call of the Pastor, and conduct any matters growing out of the
above.
Fellowship Hour
Volunteers January 6: MOE
Jan. 13: Property Committee
January 20: Chili Cook-off
Fellowship Committee
January 27: Genesis
February 3: Worship
Open Door: Continued from page 1
A couple of hundred years ago, every eye seeing one event would have been hard to picture. But today,
with satellite television, the internet, and mobile phones everywhere, we have the ability to watch monumental
events in real time.
It will be instantaneous. No one knows exactly how it will all unfold, but when it does, don't blink. It
will be instantaneous. Don’t believe me? Take a peek at Matthew 24:27.
There will be clues that the time is getting closer. The language of Luke 21:25-28 is somewhat
cryptic, and we shouldn’t read too much into world events. But still, Jesus must have said those things for a
reason. So we watch, wonder, and wait.
Will we be the generation that witnesses the return of Jesus? I can't answer that. Regardless, we're told to be prepared for it, because we never know what the next minute will bring—Christ could come back, or we
could make an unexpected exit (by God’s rapture or the old fashioned way—by dying.) Either way, our
perspectives are going to be radically different on the other side of eternity.
See you in Church (unless the rapture occurs…)
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Mission Outreach Evangelism
ODU Ministry The ODU students will soon be back from
Christmas break, and ready to eat! Look for the
ODU Meal signup sheet and recipes next to the
women's bulletin board. Food, in disposable
containers, clearly marked for ODU, is due to the
church kitchen on/by Sunday, January 20th.
Questions? Contact Cathy Polychroni @ 424-
4591. Thank you for participating in another year
of this special outreach mission!
Partners-in-Education
Volunteer Opportunity Fairfield Elementary is
looking for volunteers to
help with a Robotics Club
that meets Wednesday
afternoons 2:30–4:30 p.m.
Fifth graders will be using a
kit and building on that for
the Great Robotics Challenge
to be held in the spring. Two
teachers are leading the
group. Volunteers will not be
doing the actual work, but
supervising the students and
maybe helping them follow directions as they build their
robot. If they are unable to get enough adult help, the
project will be cancelled. Volunteers do not have to be
there every Wednesday, but a schedule needs to be set
up. If you can donate some time on one or more
Wednesday afternoon a month, please call Deborah
Hensly at 366-0970 or the church office, 420-6159 to
leave your name.
Detention Center Ministry Your support of our ministry to Norfolk Juvenile
Detention Center has enabled us to show the young
detainees that others do care about them.
A very generous donation from Paul and Carol
Hickman allowed us to have a wonderful Christmas
celebration for these youths. It included Christmas
stories from Stephanie Boose and bingo with Howard
Boose and Don Bielman while June Estep enjoyed
handing out candy bar prizes. New rubber stamps made
stamping cards for their loved ones a special activity,
too.
Each youth received a book, candy filled stockings
and Christmas cake. Ice cream sandwiches were a very
special additional treat.
The group excitedly gave us a giant-sized greeting
card signed by the head of the detention center,
security counselors and each youth. The card is posted
on the “MOE” bulletin board along with the “Thank you “
note from the Detainees to Providence.
Some of the boys asked if they could call me
(Louann Bielman) Miss Lulu. I answered in the
affirmative which was their cue to start singing a few
lines of the rap they had written for me.
But the real highlight of the evening was when
fifteen kids stood to repeat a prayer accepting Jesus as
their Savior.
We distributed Bibles and left in a joyous Christmas
spirit. Please remember the kids in your prayers and as
Tiny Tim said, “ A Merry Christmas to us all. God bless
us, every one”.
Louann
Faith Works
Coalition
(FWC) FWC continues to help
people keep their homes
'warm, dry and safe'. We
assisted twenty families and
individuals in 2012!
Providence continues to provide financial and
moral support to FWC in keeping with our motto from
James 2:18 "Show me your faith apart from your
works, and I by my works will show you my faith."
God bless all who have shown their faith.
Visit our web-site at faithworkscoalition.org for
more information or see me at church to become
personally involved.
David Carre
Thank You Providence! This holiday season we provided food and gifts
to ten families and four foster children. 520 food
items were contributed for Thanksgiving and
Christmas baskets along with 87 gift items. Boy
Scout Troop 12 gave food donations for two
additional families.
We are blessed to have a congregation willing
to share with those in need through these projects.
THANK YOU from the families we helped and
from the Mission, Outreach and Evangelism
Committee for your participation and to the
special workers who helped sort, pack and
distribute the baskets.
Wedding Bells Ring…
John Cosimano and Kathryn Palluch were united in marriage at Providence on
Saturday, December 15, 2012. John is the
son of Joe and Claudia Cosimano.
Congratulations!
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Providence Women’s Ministries
H appy New Year Ladies! As 2012 closes, our Women’s Coordinating
Team is busy planning our first event of the New Year. Mark your
calendars for our Winter Event on January 26th from 9-2 p.m. The
theme, New Year, New EWE, New Friends and activities are designed to renew
you spiritually and physically. Your $15 cost includes a healthy continental
breakfast, lunch, chair massages, Health Fair with vendors and best of all….our
very own Providence lady, Lisa Olson, as our guest speaker. Don’t miss this
opportunity to hear Lisa speak about “True Beauty”. Child care is available by
reservation prior to event.
Thank you for your pre-orders for our 35th Anniversary Celebration Cook-
book. We apologize for the delay receiving your cookbooks and will notify you
as soon as they arrive. Thank you for your patience and apologize for any
inconvenience this has caused. If you did not pre-order a cookbook, never fear,
extras will be available for $15. The proceeds benefit the Thank Offering, of
which 40% supports health ministries throughout the world and the remaining
proceeds help fund mission opportunities in areas of agricultural development,
child care, community organization, criminal justice, drug counseling, economic justice, elder care,
employment training, homelessness, literacy, violence and women’s concerns.
We continue to supply Beach Bags with food items for Fairfield Elementary children. We have completed
120 bags. Your contribution of items may be placed in the old kitchen in the container marked “Beach Bag
Items”. The list of needed items is posted on the Women’s bulletin board.
Mark Your Calendars:
Jan 26th – Women’s Winter Event
Feb 16th – Women’s Book Club
I look forward to the New Year as I continue to serve as your Women’s Moderator. I pray you will join us
and together we seek to renew ourselves spiritually and physically, make new friends along the way and
serve our God through mission opportunities and helping others .
I wish you a joyous Christmas season and a very Happy New Year! Cecilia
Women’s Book Club Join the Women’s Book Club, for discussion and
fellowship Saturday, February 16th, 2013, at 10:15 a.m.
immediately following Courtyard Graces, to share Liz Curtis
Higgs’ Embrace Grace. The book’s contents are just a
glimpse of what we’ll explore as we experience embracing
grace:
An Open Door: “I don’t feel like I belong anywhere.”
Embrace Doubt: “The whole thing seems a little hard to
believe.” Embrace Faith: “How do I find the faith to touch
him?” Embrace Truth: “I always felt like I was missing
something.” Embrace Sin: “How could he love me after all
I’ve done?” Embrace Forgiveness: “Can I know for sure that
God has forgiven me?” Embrace Repentance: “Striving for
perfection can be exhausting.” Embrace Grace: “What a
freeing experience!”
Read the book (copies
have been ordered for the
church library), and plan to
join us for a grace-filled
morning! Contact Cathy Polychroni
@ 424-4591 with any
questions and/or ideas.
We’re always looking for
titles to explore!
Stamps for
Missions Thank you for continuing to
collect “Stamps for Mission
projects” in the Congo. Money from the sale
of stamps funds the purchase of Bibles,
hymnals, Biblical pictures as well as assisting
continuing education for pastors in rural
areas. A new buy list includes: All 2011
Christmas Baubles; 2012 Christmas stamps
holy family, Santa and reindeer (4 stamps),
red Ribbon Love, Weathervanes, Aloha shirts,
flags with "equality, freedom, liberty,
justice", white Purple Heart, poets, birds of
prey, working dogs, eagles pre-sort first
class in various colors, wedding cake 64 cent
and 65 cent, George Washington 20 cent
stamp, herbs, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid.
The above are small stamps.
Make sure at least 1/4 inch around stamp
is saved. Put them in the boxes at the Narthex or entrance to the Fellowship hall.
Encourage your family and friends to save
stamps with you and if in doubt—bring them
in anyway.
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Providence Women’s Ministries You are invited to the
Mission Work Day Open House
Thursday, January 17 at 12:30 The Mission Work Day team gathers each month to create Prayer Shawls, Prayer Quilts, Prayer Bears,
Linus Blankets and other items to minister to the hurting and needy in our church and community. The time
spent praying, tying, quilting, crocheting, knitting, and packaging these items is precious to us and very
meaningful to the recipients of the items created with prayer and care. We invite you to join us for this special
Open House to learn more. Not a knitter, crocheter, or quilter? No problem! We will have gentle teachers on
hand to help you get started as well as examples of the items we create, some requiring no special skill.
Join us... Pray... Learn... Minister... The Mission Work Day Team Abbitt Harvey, leader, 474-9172
A Gathering@The Well Have you been wondering about A