Volume 3, Issue 35 GREENSTONE GAZETTE

January Birthdays

9– Elizabeth Dewees

14– Jane Walker

18 – Jerry Jackson

23 – Paul Kellerman

23– Samantha Kellerman

27—Edward Squires III

29—Marcus Kellerman

28—Ruth Ann Sumner

January Anniversaries

None

February Birthdays

1— Nancy Fite

3— Jack Dunlap

4— Becky Conner

4— Ruth Barker

6— Betty Frist

8— Nancy Welk

17— Marian Bush

20— Lizzy Ciarlone

25— Debbie Kellerman

26— Gary Ham

February Anniversaries

1— Eric & Nina Hansen

Please advise the office if

any birthdays or anniver-

saries are missed since there

are several where we do not

have dates and we don’t

want to forget recognizing

important life milestones.

Thanks!

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 1:21 January 2018

Pastor’s Corner

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Have you noticed that the small print at the bulletin which explains the asterisk now reads: “Please stand in body or in spirit?” Or perhaps you noticed that this is what I say in worship. Wonder why? Wonder why we stand for some parts of the service and not for others?

We stand for different reasons. We stand for hymns because we are usually able to sing better when standing.

We sit to confess our sins to acknowledge that we are in the presence of the Holy God who has the right to judge us, and to acknowledge we come before God in humility, not deserv-ing God’s forgiveness in our own right. Some denominations kneel for confession to indicate the same things. Others stand for confession, just as a person might stand before a human judge.

In times past, people of the Reformed tradition stood for the Scripture readings, or sometimes for just the Gospel readings, to respect their holiness. Some Presbyterian churches still do this. Others have people sit so that they can open the Bibles to the Scripture passages and read along, or just concentrate on the passages as they are read, still recognizing the holiness of God’s Word.

We stand to affirm our faith and also to affirm our witness to Christ in the world. We indicate our willingness to stand for God in the midst of a sinful world, and to proclaim God’s good news in all places.

We stand for the charge and benediction, heads lifted to acknowledge that the charge is meant for us and then bowed to receive humbly God’s blessing upon us.

There are good reasons for making any of these choices, as long as respect for God is what is intended. The same follows for the way we word our explanation of what people are expected to do when the asterisk appears. For many years we managed by simply writing “Please Stand” when people were expected to rise. Some years ago we realized that this could make people for whom standing is difficult or impossible feel left out. So, many congregations changed this to “Please stand if able.” In more recent years, we have realized that even this wording can be uncomfortable. People have different ways of being able. The Scriptures tell us that God gives different gifts, but the same Spirit. People, whose bodies will not allow them to stand or for whom standing is painful, are able in other ways. Yet our culture often tells them they are not. In the Church we are to affirm the many varieties of gifts which God gives, and to celebrate the presence of all God’s children. We embrace one another as brothers and sisters in Christ’s love, regardless of age, physical or mental strength, or any other division which society wishes to impose.

As we move into the new year, let us celebrate the many gifts and resources which the Holy Spirit gives to lead us into the new creation especially in this new year!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Merritt

"Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome." -Arthur Ashe

Winter Closing Procedure: A decision will be made by the Pastor by 8AM the morning of the service. A message will be sent via e-mail. If you wish to be notified by telephone, please place your name and telephone number in the “Suggestion Box” located on the small table as you enter the coatroom at the back entrance or contact Donna Davis.

January

Volunteers

Readers;

1/7 Tenille Dewees

1/14 Gerry Davis

1/21 Nina Hansen

1/28 Jim Lewis

Head Usher:

Jim Lewis

Deacon of the month:

TDB

Communion Servers:

January 7:

Connie Lewis

Jim Lewis

Dave Pohlig

Dar Gray

Nursery Helper:

1/7 Becky Reiber

1/14 Dar Gray

1/21 TBD

1/28 TBD

February Volunteers

Readers;

2/4 Ruth Ann Sumner

2/11 Cindy Sudikovich

2/18 Becky Conner

2/25 Carol/Jack Dunlap

Head Usher:

Mark Roney

Deacon of the month:

TDB

Communion Servers:

February 4:

TBD

Nursery Helper:

2/4 TBD

2/11 TBD

2/18 TBD

2/25 TBD

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Hebrews 13:16

Looking for that special devotional books to share with children or give as a gift? Check out these written to promote the spiritual health of our children .

• Give Me Grace—Cynthia Rylant (babies and toddlers)

• Bless Us All—Cynthia Rylant (babies and preschoolers)

• Thank You Prayer—Josephine Page (Pre K—K)

• Little Visits series—Mary Manz Simon (preschoolers)

• The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers—Crystal Bowman/Elena Kucharick

• The Jesus Storybook Bible—Sally Lloyd Jones (Ages 4-8)

• “Did You Know” devotional series—Nancy S. Hill (Ages 6-10)

• Jesus Calling—Sarah Young (independent readers)

• At Home with God—Gavin Long (multi-generational)

• One Year of Dinner Table Devotions—Nancy Guthrie (multi-generational)

Oxford Date Night February 9, 2018—7 pm

Oxford Presbyterian Church Come out and enjoy a great evening of entertainment with a bounty of laughs as Mark brings his unique take on relationships in his off-the-wall style that’s sure to be talked about for weeks! Tickets are $20 a couple and will be available mid-January.

Thank you! Thank you for all that you have given to us. You will never know how many people you have blessed with your generous donations. See the tears in someone’s eyes when they pick up a can or a box and say, “This is my child’s favorite. May I have this?” It’s through you and other organizations and individu-als that we can do this. Again, I would like to thank you!! — Divine Sent Food Cupboard

Miss Betty has a new ride!!!! NPC was fortunate to receive two chairlifts from the Avon Grove Lions Club Hospital

Equipment Program, man-aged by Bob Yeatman. Many thanks to Eric Han-sen, who is a Lions Club officer and initiated the process. There was no charge for the equipment

and NPC can keep as long as needed. We also thank Scott Moran who installed the equipment. Because of the generosity for a much needed item to assist those needing help traversing the stairs to the downstairs area, NPC made a do-nation to the Lions Club.

On November 29, 2017, another angel earned wings with the passing of our long time member, Fran Wolf.

Fran was involved in so many ways at NPC but she will mostly be remembered for her dedication to Fellowship. She was often found in the kitch-en, giving a helping hand when and where needed to make sure all things ran smoothly.

Fran was deeply dedicated to her faith and NPC. We have been honored to have her as part of our church family.

Deadline for January newsletter:

Please have appropriate items into the of-fice no later than end of day January 19, 2018.

Upcoming Meetings/Events:

Thursday, January 4 —NA, 7 pm

Friday, January 5—Undecorate church, 10 am

Monday, January 8 —Scouts, 6 pm

Wednesday, January 10—Session Meeting, 7 pm

Thursday, January 11 —Worship Team Meeting, 1 pm

Thursday , January 11 —NA, 7 pm

Monday, January 15 —Scouts, 6 pm

Thursday, January 18—Stewardship team meeting, 7 pm

Thursday, January 18 —NA, 7 pm

Saturday, January 20—Men’s Breakfast, 8:30 am, Post House

Sunday, January 21—Congregational Meeting after worship

Monday, January 22 —Scouts, 6 pm

Wednesday, January 24—Session meeting, 7 pm

Thursday, January 25 —NA, 7 pm

Monday, January 29 —Scouts, 6 pm

Saturday, January 20, 8:30 am at Post House. Invite your neigh-bors and friends to join NPC’s men as they share a time of fel-lowship and prayer.

Unhanging the Greens

• What goes up must come down.

• Many hands make light work.

• A shared load is a lighter load.

All these saying are true for the kind of work that we need to do on January 5 starting at 10 am.

While we love to have the decorations for the Christmas time around us, it would just not

As required by our by-laws, meetings of the congregational and the corporation for Nottingham Presbyterian Church has been called for January 21, 2018, following worship.

The purpose of the meeting is as follows:

• Review of the past year - teams and financial

• Presentation of proposed changes in the by-laws (The pro-posed by-law changes will be presented in writing to the congregation no later that January 14 so that these can be carefully considered prior to voting. )

• Presentation by the Nominating Committee of additional nominees for the 2018 Nominating Committee and Memo-rial Committee

• Any additional matters which might properly be brought before the congregation

By order of the Session,

Donna Davis, Clerk Rev. Merritt Schatz, Moderator

As noted in the December, 2017, newsletter, our very capable Church Administrator, Judy Kimble, was planning to leave at the end of December. Judy has graciously agreed to stay until January 11, but vol-unteers are needed after that time to cover until we find someone to take this position on a permanent basis. Please let Pastor Merritt know if you are able to help in the office.

Sunday, January 7, 2018 Reaffirmation of your individual baptis-mal covenant is optional but gives an opportunity to confess ongoing need of God’s grace and renew the pledge of obedience to God’s covenant in Christ. Please faithfully consider this opportuni-ty.

GREENSTONE GAZETTE ”With God, all things are possible”

Nottingham Presbyterian Church PC (USA)

497 W. Christine Road

Nottingham, PA 19362-9760

Phone: 610-932-0556

E-mail: office4npc@gmail.com

Website: www. nottinghampc.org

Bringing the love of Jesus to our community by fostering an accepting, nurturing and compassionate environ-

ment.

Expanding our missions, infrastructure and worship experiences to meet the

community’s needs.

Passionately and enthusias-tically developing opportuni-ties for personal and spiritu-

al growth.

Seeking partnerships with local organizations in pur-suit of God’s vision for the

greater Nottingham area.

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Epiphany 101

You thought the holidays were over after the celebration of Christmas Day. Technically, no — not until January 6, when Christians all over the world celebrate Epiphany. In some places, the day is known as “Three Kings Day” after the wise men, or Magi, who, the Bible says, brought the infant child gifts and proclaimed him the Son of God.

The word “epiphany” (from the Greek epiphaneia or theophaneia) means “appearance” or “manifestation” of God, and has roots in the word for sunrise or dawn. In ancient times, an epiphany meant either a visible manifestation of a god or the solemn visit of a ruler honored as a god.

For Christians, Christmas marks the coming of God to us; Epiphany celebrates the appear-ance of the Lord in the midst of humanity. The Christmas stories of the birth of Immanuel

declare the divine entry; Epiphany praises the revelation of God to the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

Epiphany is the celebration of God’s manifestation or self-revelation to the world in Jesus Christ. In particular, we celebrate the rev-elation of God’s promise and purpose to the nations of the world, as the magi came from the East to worship to the Christ child, and God’s covenant of grace is extended to all who believe the good news of Christ Jesus. The symbolism of light is important: not only because of the star that guided the magi, but as it relates to the bright dawning of God’s self-revelation in Christ.

And do you know what the Christmas song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” really means? Besides being a catchy tune, the title refers to the period between Christmas Day, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, to Epiphany, when they mark his manifes-tation. Bet you won’t sing that one again without thinking about it!

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1).