The Messenger - February 12, 2009

Pastor's Ponderings
by Rev. Neal Neuenchwander

February 12, 2009

"Five Reasons I believe in the First Presbyterian Church"

Part 2: Our Volunteer Leadership

In these uncertain economic times, all of us need encouragement now and then. That's why I thought I'd spend some time in the next few weeks talking about my faith in this congregation. I see so many signs of encouragement that most members cannot see, and I really wanted to share these signs with you. Last week, I talked about the legacy of innovation I discovered while studying the history of this church. This, week, I'd like to talk about our volunteers.

Those of you who have been in the church for a while know about folks like Rupert and Betty Loyd, who have led prayer groups, Bible studies, Commissions, and Deacon Boards in our church. You also know about the very good work of veteran commission members like Jim Waters, and the amazing fidelity of people like Dolores Tueber, who has served in our church nursery for over 30 years. These folks are truly legends in our church. But you may not know about some of our newer volunteer leaders and the teams on which they serve.

Eric Langdon is doing a fabulous job with Stewardship. He oversees several contractors who work within the church, and he works to make every "jot and tittle" of our financial reporting clear. He also organizes wonderful teams of volunteers to tackle big projects in the church. If you noticed an improvement in sound projection last Sunday, it was because of Eric's team (and a good sound tech, of course). If the sanctuary seems a bit brighter, that's because of Eric's team. And if you ever have to work on the catwalk around the sanctuary, your chance of surviving that task has been considerably enhanced by Eric's team. Team "regulars" include Jack Dean and Ron Gentry, but Tom Hynes and several others have assisted, too.

Virginia Wade is leading a team to enhance our Sanctuary. This team includes Roger Quadhammer, Paul Purdy, Rob Anderson, Gary Smith, Allan Petker, and Lesley Sirianni. They've been meeting with architects, clarifying our church's needs, and finding creative ways to make our sanctuary a lot more functional without destroying that wonderful sense of "sacred space." I don't know exactly what the final result of all this study is going to be, but I know it's a wonderful team, and I know the end result will be exciting to behold.

We are also creating a team to help our church engage in the Acts 16:5 process. In case you don't have a Bible handy, Acts 16:5 is the verse which says "the churches were strengthened in faith and grew daily in numbers." Through the work of the Sawyer fund, the Beta Groups, and the Mission Facilitation Team, our church has made several steps to enhance spiritual and numerical growth already. But it's hard to know, at times, what to do next. The Acts 16:5 initiative is consistent with our values and the steps that we have made. It has worked in countless churches, and I believe that it is truly an answer to our prayers. I can't tell you yet who is leading this new team, but I can tell you that I'm excited by those who have already agreed to serve.

Here's the bottom line folks: we've got some wonderful volunteers here! This article is just a sampling of those people. Some of them you know, and some of them you don't. But all are working hard to do great things within this church. And I thank God for them.

Calendar
Week of February 12, 2009

• Friday

  8:30 am
  Tennis breakfast at Carrows

• Sunday

  8:30 - 9:30 am
  Adult Sunday School
• 9:30 am
  Worship (Pastor Neal/Paul Purdy); Children and Youth Sunday School (Sue Headley)

• Monday

  6:30 pm
  Youth Praise Band (Tim Gray)
• 7:00 pm
  Women's Bible Study (Kim Neuenschwander)

• Wednesday

  7:00 am
  Breakfast Club Bible Study at Carrow's (Bob Erbacker)
• 1:00 pm
  Women's Bible Study (Kim Neuenschwander)
• 2:30 pm
  Beachcomber Beta Group
• 4:30 pm
  Cherub Choir (Emily Anderson)
• 4:30 pm
  Gospel Gang (Lesley Sirianni)
• 5:30 pm
  Kings Chorus (Lesley Sirianni)
• 6:30 pm
  SonLight Singers (Lesley Sirianni)
• 6:30 pm
  Jr. High Fellowship (Todd Bender)
• 7:00 pm
  Prayer Group
• 7:00 pm
  Chapel Bells (Nan Roberts)

• Thursday

  11:30 am
  Forever Young Luncheon
• 7:30 pm
  Chancel Choir

Looking Ahead

• February 27
  Chancel Choir Retreat

To make comments or be added or deleted from The Messenger mail list contact: Tim Gray

©2009 - First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro | www.firstpressanpedro.org