SPC NEWSLETTER December 2012–January 2013www.spcworks.org Faithfulness Sustains the Generations

CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY SERVICESChristmas Eve Candlelight Services• 5:00 p.m. Especially for children• 8:00 p.m. Choirs and homily• 11:00 p.m. Carol sing and communionOffering will be split between Jefferson County Community Ministries and Good Shepherd Caregivers.

WEATHER-RELATED CANCELLATIONS Check www.spcworks.org or call the church 304.876.6466 for a message.

CHRISTMAS JOY GIFT DINNERThe entire congregation together in one place at one time

Sunday, December 9, 5:30–7:00 p.m., Shepherdstown Fire HallCarol Singing • Litany of Thanksgiving • The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Joy Gift Offering is dedicated to the Presbyterian church’s racially ethnic schools and the medical supplement for retired Presbyterian ministers and missionaries. The schools and colleges are a training ground by which leadership development can take place, where racially ethnic people can gain the confidence and skills that they need to go out into the broader society and take their place.

Ham, beverages and tableware provided. Bring a food dish to serve 12. Food assignments per last name: A-H desserts, I-P side dish, Q-Z vegetable or salad. Would you like to help plan, set up or clean up? It is really a lot of fun and works best when we have many helping hands! Please contact Mary Ellen Lloyd, 304.876.0805, or melloyd@frontiernet.net.

ONE SERVICE ONLY AT 10:45 A.M.December 30 Children’s PageantJanuary 6 Ordination and installation of officers; holy communion

IT’S PAGEANT TIME AGAIN! Be a part of “Family Memories of Christmas” on December 30 at the 10:45 service. All Sunday Studio children are needed. We have speaking and non-speaking parts. Do you play an instrument, sing, play piano? We need you, too. Please contact Karen Waugh (lkwaugh@comcast.net or 304.876.2585) if your child would like to participate. Costuming and rehearsals: Thursday, Decem-ber 27, 4:00–5:30 p.m., and Saturday, December 29, 9:30–11:00 a.m.

YOOTZ Senior Yootz Christmas Shopping

After church on December 2Help us shop for 10 needy people.

We need your help!Meet downstairs in the church basement

(Bring a bag lunch)

Middler Gift Wrapping and Christmas Party!Sunday, December 2, 6–8 p.m.

Come help wrap all the gifts for our JCCM families—we need you!Bring a wrapped gift (costing under $10) for our White Elephant.

Christmas music, Christmas cookies and a roaring fire!

High School Lock-In December 7 & 8

Friday night through Saturday morningWe’re going to ShadowLand for laser tag.

Then back to SPC to stay up all night!Bring a wrapped gift (costing under $10) for our White Elephant.

YOOTZ AND ADULT MISSION TRIP TO DC

SPC adults and youth ages 12 and older are invited to participate in an inter-gener-ational mission/work study trip to Wash-ington, D.C., Friday, January 25 to Sunday, January 27. (Adults are particularly en-couraged to join us.) Please RSVP by Janu-ary 13. Contact Jeff Hornbeck (jhornbeck@frontiernet.net) or Joshua Nolen (joshua@spcworks.org).

• Moveable Feast (not meeting in December). Next: Saturday, January 12, 6:30 p.m., hosted by Rie Wilson, 304.876.6591.• TGIF, Saturday, January 5, 6:30 p.m., hosted by Paul & Diane Kradel, 301.876.7025. Epiphany celebration.

Notices...POINSETTIAS Would you like to donate a poinsettia for the Sanctuary during Christmas? It can be picked up after the last service on Christmas Eve or left in the Sanctuary through Epiphany, January 6. $10 each. Make check to SPC; memo, poinsettia. Deadline: December 9.

NURSES NOTESSeasonal Affective Disorder Many of us may feel a little sad that the days are shorter and it is getting colder. How-ever, for those of us affected with SAD (seasonal affective disorder), we may become severely depressed and some-times suicidal. The symptoms include depressed mood, hopelessness, loss of energy and motivation, social with-drawal, difficulty concentrating and cravings for complex carbs. The change in exposure to natural light has an im-pact on circadian rhythms that control sleep/wake cycle and also melatonin levels and serotonin.

There is no medical test available to diagnose this dis-order. However, your doctor should be able to make the diagnosis based on your symptoms. There is no way to prevent SAD but sitting closer to windows, getting out-side even if it is cold and regular physical exercise may keep the symptoms from worsening. If you do have SAD your doctor may suggest one or a combination of treat-ments including light box therapy, antidepressant medi-cations and/or counseling to help minimize or eliminate symptoms.

On a high note, my wish for one and all is a Merry Christmas and a very healthy new year. Thanks to all of my support group this past year. I could not have accom-plished so many of my goals without you!

—Merry Morgan, Parish Nurse

THANKS The Yootz did a wonderful job of neatly stack-ing two or more cords of wood. We’re happy to have one more big job marked off our to-do list as we prepare for the sale of our home in January. We really appreciate the hard work of Karen Waugh, youth advisor, Ethan Gott-lieb, Shea Pena, Nathan Walker, and Dylan Miller!

—Lucy & Gordon Gay

Notes on Members…

Children’s Corner…SUNDAY STUDIO DATE NIGHT Saturday, December 8, 6–9 p.m. Get some Christmas shopping or wrapping done, or just have a quiet dinner out while your children play games and have activities at SPC. Please have them eat dinner before they arrive, but light snacks will be pro-vided. We always have a great time; just let me know how many children you will be bringing. RSVP: Karen Waugh lkwaugh@comcast.net or 304.867.2585.

SPC Monthly Activities…BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC First Sundays, 9:30–10:30 a.m. in the narthex. Next: December 2 and January 6.

FIRST THINGS FIRST SUNDAY Coins for relief of hun-ger, and non-perishables for JCCM, Shenandoah Wom-en’s Center and the Hispanic Mission (see lists under Mission). Next: December 2 and January 6.

TAIZÉ SERVICE First Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Sanctuary. A Service of Prayer in song, silence and candlelight. Next: December 5 and January 21.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S (PW) CIRCLE First Thurs-days, 10:00 a.m., Fellowship Hall. Bible study is Dispatch-es to God’s Household, The General Epistles. December 6 is Lesson Four, “The Help.” January 3 is Lesson Five, “The Ties That Bind.” It is also the annual soup luncheon. All women of the church are invited.

SHEPHERD PRESBYTERIAN CONNECTIONS SPC college student fellowship meets first and third Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. at the Blue Moon. Light appetizers provided. Contact Ethel Hornbeck, connections@spcworks.org or Joshua Nolen, joshua@spcworks.org. Next: December 6. (Dates in January to be determined.)

MEN’S BREAKFAST Third Saturdays. Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Discussion, 8:00–9:00 a.m. (In November, 27 men at-tended!) Next: December 15 (French toast and sausage) and January 19.

PRACTICING SILENCE Third Sundays, 5:00 p.m. For God alone, my soul in silence waits. Come for a period of silent contemplative prayer in the Sanctuary. Next: De-cember 16 and January 20.

LISTENING GROUPS Prayerful listening and conversa-tion around scripture, poetry and other selected texts, led by Ethel Hornbeck.• Third Wednesdays, 7–8:00 p.m. in the balcony. Next: December 19 and January 16.• Third Thursdays, 10:00–11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Next: December 20 and January 17.

CANTERBURY SERVICE Third Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Contact: Debbie Romano, romano.debbie@gmail.com. Next: December 19 and January 16.

SUPPER GROUPS • TGIF, Friday, December 14, 6:30 p.m., hosted by Cathy & Don Cross, 304.876.2412. Bring a wrapped gift (not new) for Yankee Swap.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERSL to R, Row 1, Andrew Tuzzio, Kristen Potts, Heidi Dobish, Pat Barnes, Jeananne Stine, Morgan Wisniewski, Jessica TuzzioRow 2, Don Patchell, Heather Cunningham, Meg Zoberbier, Colin StineMissing from picture: Josh Cunningham

Morgan Wisniewski, Jessica Tuzzio were also baptized.

How the Bible Was Formed, Changed, and (Sometimes) Deranged

About 35 people attended a lively presentation, Satur-day, November 10, on “How We Got the Bible: The Forma-tion, Transmission, and Translation of the Christian Bible.” The Reverend Dr. Charles “Buz” Myers, professor of re-ligious studies at Gettysburg College, fielded numerous questions as he outlined key issues involved in translating ancient texts into clear, euphonic, and (sometimes) inclu-sive language for readers today.

As Myers illustrated, one problem for translators is that ANCIENTGREEKMANUSCRIPTSAREINALLCAP-SANDDONOTHAVEBREAKSORPUNCTUATIONBE-TWEENWORDSANDPARAGRAPHS. Another challenge, Myers explained, is that ancient Hebrew manuscripts d nt hv vwls (do not have vowels). Other issues include which books to include in an edition and which to exclude from all editions.

Roman Catholic bibles, for instance, include books that Protestant ones do not, and some heretical “gospels” are not included in any edition because they present an image of Jesus inconsistent with the one in the New Testament. Myers summarized a case in point: the noncanonical “In-fancy Gospel of Thomas” shows the young Jesus as a Ste-phen King type of character who, among other things, uses his magical powers to “take out” an unpleasant playmate. (After seeing the distress of the playmate’s parents, he does resuscitate him.)

Myers also explained how the Dead Sea Scrolls im-proved modern translations, why the King James Version actually leads to misreading (see previous point about Dead Sea Scrolls), and which chapter in the New Testament is the most soporific (Romans 16:7). But no sleepy heads bobbed at this forum! The three-hour presentation generated a lot of interest in the complex factors involved in transmission of the collection of writings we call the Bible.

—Pat Donohoe

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS SHOPPINGFrom SPC’s Mission & Stewardship Committee

1. Shop locally: Support local merchants, save fuel, and have a great time.2. Presbyterian Church USA: Provide clean water, school kits, housing, and more. www.pcusa.org/pda/tools/alternativegiving.htm.3. Alternative Gifts International: Dig a well, provide medicine, save a coral reef. http://www.altgifts.org.4. Fair Trade Federation: Find links to online catalogues from dozens of sites that offer fair trade items from around the world. www.fairtradefederation.org.5. Heifer International: Donate animals from chicks to water buffalo. www.heifer.org.6. National Arbor Day Foundation: Plant a tree. www.arborday.org.7. Medical Benevolence Foundation: Provide healthcare training, medical supplies, etc. www.MBFoundation.org.8. Honor someone with a donation to a favorite charity: local library, Rescue Mission, Women’s Center, etc.

Kate Glenn was awarded first place at Jefferson County social studies fair in

Sociology category..

FIFTH GRADER ELLE COLBERT CONTEMPLATES SHEPHERDSTOWN’S FUTURE

I will be 60 years old. I will probably have a family. I will for sure be over 5 feet tall because I am already 4’11’’. I will have a pet. I think the town will have more technology in it. I think some new buildings will be built over time. There will be new stores in Shepherdstown as well. There will also be more ways to get cars to run other than just with gas. My last prediction is that we

would have had a female president by then.—Elle Colbert, Age 10

(Note: This was presented at the final Shepherdstown 250 celebration when asked about Shepherdstown 50 years from now.)

JIM MACDONELL’S BOOK is available in SPC library. Jim’s autobiography Celebrating Life’s Joys and Sorrows de-tails the events of his life and family, sharing his earlier life as a successful cartoonist, then becoming an ordained minister. Jim founded Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in North Bethesda where he served for 38 years.

The book details Jim’s involvement in the American civil rights movement, including marching with Dr. Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, AL, and his representing the Presbyterian Church (USA) to help establish peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland after decades of secular violence. For both of these and other efforts in support of equal justice and civil rights, in 2004 Jim was elected to the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame.

The book includes nearly 150 pictures and many of Jim’s original drawings and cartoons. It also reflects his and Nancy’s happy involvement in the SPC congregation.

JIM PRICE’S BOOK …and so I did, Stories of Shepherdstown is available at the Community Building and the Historic Shepherdstown Museum during Christ-mas in Shepherdstown, and at Four Seasons Books. Watch for book signings, including at Four Seasons, Saturday, December 8, 11 a.m. till noon.

Casey McDonald and Jessica Schmitt in Jefferson High School’s “Winter Wonderland”

Rev. Hoge (pronounced HOG) and the Hogettes in Shepherdstown 250 parade.

SHEPHERDSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Non-profit OrganizationPost Office Box 268 U. S. POSTAGE PAIDShepherdstown WV 25443 Permit No. 35 office@spcworks.org Shepherdstown WV

Working Together For Good December 2012—January 2013

Mission...Place items for these missions in the plastic containers in the alcove by the nursery:

JCCM (Jefferson County Community Ministries) Cur-rent pantry needs: toothbrushes and paste, laundry and dish soap, pancake mix and syrup, canned fruits, pork and beans, coffee, tea bags, spaghetti sauce, jelly, soup, crack-ers, boxed potatoes, mac and cheese, ramen noodles, fro-zen and canned meats, sugar, clean baby food jars and lids.

SHENANDOAH WOMEN’S CENTER (SWC) lice kits, toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, pens, pencils, paper clips, legal pads, Sharpie markers, highlighters.

HISPANIC MISSION FOOD OUTREACH Most re-quested items include: rice, dry (not canned) pinto beans, potatoes, salt, sugar, cooking oil, and coffee.

WHERE DO YOU SLEEP ON COLD NIGHTS? Home-less men and women in Jefferson County depend on the Cold Weather Shelter, sponsored by the Jefferson County Homeless Coalition and staffed by volunteers. There is a Shelter Orientation for overnight volunteers on Thursday, December 6, 6:30–8:00 p.m. in the SPC Fellowship Hall. It provides an overview of how the temporary shelter oper-ates according to our basic values: ensure the shelter is a safe place for all; all guests and volunteers are respected; and services are provided fairly and consistently. The ori-entation covers the Shelter rules, daily routines, duties of shelter volunteers, and where to turn with questions and concerns. Contact: Paul Hodder, phodder@frontiernet.net.

VOLUNTEER WITH JCCM to receive the Christmas presents purchased for adopted families and distribute them during the week of December 17–21. If you wish to help with this important service, contact Janet Barker, 304.728.6646 or jkbarker@citilink.net.

HOSPICE For information for yourself or a loved one who is living with a serious life-limiting illness, contact SPC’s liaison, Jack Young, 304.876.2945.

Elswhere…PAPER RECYCLING 4-H group at Christ Reformed Church, 8–9:15 a.m. Next: December 1 and January 5.

DOGS OF SHEPHERDSTOWN Join us on Saturday, De-cember 1 for the Christmas Parade. Dress your dog —and yourself—in holiday finery. Parade starts at 11 a.m.; line-up is 10:30 on Church Street. Look for the DOGS banner. DOGS will again feature the Bonnie Casely Canines! Con-tact Becky Phipps, 304.876.0298 or rebeccaphipps@com-cast.net. Bow wow and be with us!

For more about Christmas in Shepherdstown, go to www.christmasinshepherdstown.com.

CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONG with Carol Wood and Rie Wilson at O’Hurley’s General Store, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2 p.m.

GO RAMS! There is a mighty cheering section at Shepherd University basketball games, thanks to a group of SPC members. We have comfortable seats and a lot of fun. Four tickets for both men’s and women’s games are yours for the taking. See the clipboard in Fellowship Hall. Take 1, 2, 3 or 4 tickets, sign your name and return ticket(s) for another fan. Come and Make a Joyful Noise. Check the schedule attached to the clipboard and sign for the date you choose.

Financial Corner...GENERAL FUND through November 25 Expected to date: $297,369. Actual giving: $274,536. Building Fund pledged for 2012: $48,855. Submitted to date: $42,343.

NEXT NEWSLETTER February 2013 Send announce-ments, articles or news of our members to the office, 304.876.6466 or office@spcworks.org. Send digital pictures of SPC events to riewilson@me.com. Deadline: Jan. 23.

VISIT www.spcworks.org for the latest news, podcasts, and calendar events.