Time is running out! Deadline, December 9.
Our church has pledged 450 cans of Spaghettios and Ravioli to help fill the Christmas break bags that United Christian Ministries is preparing to help feed Jackson County School children during the long break when lunches are not provided. At last count we had only 172 cans.
Donations are due in the Loving Kindness Room no later than Sunday, December 9. If you have no time to shop, a monetary donation of $1.00 per can will let someone else purchase the cans for you.
Cuba Team Meeting
News from the Cuba team: We are continuing to make plans for a spring trip to Cuba in March. We will be meeting this Sunday after church briefly in the Gathering Room to discuss expenses and trying to consolidate our group. It is very important for anyone interested to secure their passport. We will need to start working on Visa application soon.
Luminaries and Christmas Tree Lighting
Join us on our front porch steps on November 30th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM for the annual Luminaries and Christmas tree lighting. We will have a fire pit on the front steps with marshmallows, S'mores, hot chocolate, and coffee. Public bathrooms will also be available at the church. We hope you and your family can come out and join us!
A (Realistic) Thanksgiving Prayer
This is my prayer for you and your family this Thanksgiving:
I pray good tidings on your week of feasting and fellowship!
May your turkeys thaw properly, and may your congealed salads set correctly.
May traffic be light and your GPS apps effective.
I pray that you are blessed by the presence of family and friends this week. May disagreements be few, and may common ground be vast.
I pray that the temptations of Black Friday will not cut short the valuable commodity of your time with family and loved ones.
I ask God to protect you and yours from envy, strife, communicable diseases, cranky in-laws and the antics of sleep-deprived children.
May last minute runs to the store be unnecessary and may the dishwasher be fully operational.
I pray that God grants you Sabbath in the midst of chaos, and peace in the presence of rowdy grandchildren.
I pray that you are mindful of your loved ones and that you tell them of your affection in person, and by text, phone, social media, Skype and Facetime.
May you pace yourself as you eat so as to avoid bloating, reflux and other gastric unpleasantness.
May the weather be good so that your gatherings can spill out onto the porch, the meadow, the driveway and yard.
May God bless you with special skills to beat your brother-in-law in Gin Rummy. May you be able to prove your worth in touch football games, and with your three-point jump shot.
(With that in mind, may your muscles, back, tendons, wrists, ankles, knees and necks be guarded from injury. And your nose. And hips.)
May your conversations be deeper and more meaningful than the idle banter that you’ve become accustomed to at previous holiday gatherings.
I pray that God is able to give you patience, compassion, awareness and wisdom.
I pray that you will allow yourself a moment to remember those you miss most dearly, and that you will permit yourself to laugh and to cry as you recall holidays of old.
I pray for a meaningful Thanksgiving, and that you will be quick to say thank you, and reluctant to rush away from your family too quickly.
May your Thanksgiving be rich and your joy complete, for our God is the giver of all good gifts.
Amen.
Grateful
Dear Church Family,
Grateful…humbly grateful…
The music and services this past Sunday touched my soul…beginning with the morning worship, followed by the Community Chorus at WCU, and ending with our evening Community Thanksgiving gathering. Throughout the day, so many times I heard the words: unity, togetherness, community, and being one in Christ. Sunday evening our sanctuary was almost full as we gathered with our friends from surrounding churches. At the reception which followed, I noticed that people did not grab a cookie and leave. They were genuinely enjoying each other as they lingered to greet and talk with one another. I was grateful to see and experience love and peace and hope…all day long.
And, while scurrying around town yesterday with multiple lists in hand, I was again reminded of being grateful. In all the busyness, I was grateful to be called by name when walking into a local business. I was grateful to take a few minutes to share small talk and hugs with folks I had not seen in a long time.
And, if you can believe it, I was even grateful (well, some of the time) shopping for food items I usually do not need except during this time of year. Of course, that meant finding an employee, asking for assistance, locating the item which was not “where it used to be”. There were buggies backed up in every aisle. People were everywhere. However, folks were generally in a good mood and even smiling. I saw strangers helping strangers find items on the other’s list. Employees were checking their inventory devices to see if certain items were indeed in stock, on back order, or out of stock. I was grateful to see and experience patience and helpfulness and smiles…throughout the store. And, I was extra grateful that there were LOTS of cashiers!
Being grateful is a blessing we give ourselves, I believe.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Linda
Church Conference
At the conclusion of Adult Bible Study on Wednesday, December 5th in the Gathering Place, we will have a Church Conference. This will be a time for the Budget and Finance Committee and the Board of Deacons to give an update on our budget. While our budget remains the same, there are some realignments which will be shared. Look forward to seeing you there.
No Wednesday Night Activities this Week
We will not be having our regularly scheduled Wednesday night programming this Wednesday, November 21st. We will resume next week, the 28th. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
ONE CAN, ONE DOLLAR
How much are you willing to spend to help fill the Children’s Christmas break bags with Spaghettios and Ravioli? We have pledged 450 cans as our donation to this project of United Christian Ministries….feeding the hungry of Jackson County.
Little things can make all the difference
As Rev. Lorenzo Ortiz, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel in Laredo, tries to coordinate assistance to the daily 200 deportees from the U.S. to Nuevo Laredo just across the border, he came upon a need he wasn’t thinking of.
While being held in detention centers, the people have to relinquish their belts and shoelaces. After being bused to the border crossing and then walked to the Mexican processing office, they sit waiting to either be released in the city or be bused to another area of Mexico.
Have you ever tried to walk with shoes and no laces? They usually flop around and make it difficult even to walk.
As we were sharing some bags of snacks with them, they began to ask about shoelaces. Pastor Ortiz decided to go pick some up at one of the local churches he has been partnering with.
When he returned with the shoelaces, everyone flocked to him and requested some. They immediately began lacing their shoes. Now at least one worry was checked off their mental lists.
Please continue to pray for the immigration and border situation. Pray for those like Pastor Ortiz who are trying to show the love of Christ to so many people who are searching for hope.
Butch and Nell Green, CBF field personnel in Houston, Texas
Why I Serve...
November always provides the opportunity of us to take the time to reflect on what we are thankful for. I’m most thankful for our families and staff that are part of the 1st Explorers community. We’re continually learning, sharing, and growing together here. Over the next few weeks, our newsletters will have a brief note from staff members sharing about why they serve in 1st Explorers. I hope you will take the time to read these and pray for our staff as they serve.
- Kelly Brown
Cenyu Yang is a Group Leader in our After School Ministry. She is from Conover, N.C and is majoring in Health and Physical Education at Western Carolina University.
I serve in 1st Explorers because I love working with children and adolescents. Therefore, I am serving 1st Explorers as a mentor, teacher, and a friend to help guide these kids so that they can go do great things in the future by giving them the educational and enrichment activities that they need to be successful.