The Messenger - January 6, 2012 - Looking Fore And Aft
Pastor's Corner
"Looking Fore and Aft"
January 6, 2012
Ever since the ancient Romans dedicated the first month of the year to "Janus," a mythical, two-headed creature who was able to see both into the future and into the past, it has been traditional to use this season for looking forward and looking back.
As I look back on 2011, I will remember the surprising sense of
intimacy and "esprit de corps" that we experienced while
worshiping in McDonald Hall. Even though we missed our beloved
sanctuary terribly, there was a special sort of closeness that
we found upstairs. I'll also remember the dedication service
during which we were greeted by the directors of social service
agencies that we founded (or supported heavily) from the start.
What a joy it was to worship God with them! I'll remember our
Mission Trip to the Navajo reservation--a trip I got to take
with my own son. And I'll remember that special moment when the
teenagers in our church joined several of our adult leaders to
lay hands on Tim Gray, praying he would be blessed in his call
to prepare for ministry.
As I look forward to 2012, I sense God has vital work for us to
do. Having studied the way God worked through several
generations of our forebears here at First Presbyterian Church,
I have sensed a common thread: hope. Some of them were
evangelists, some were social reformers, some were great "prayer
warriors," some were very deep thinkers, and some were just a
lot of fun to be with. But all of them lived and worked in the
great hope of renewal that comes to us in Christ. Our task is to
bring this hope into the future, and we need to use every tool
that we can get!
One of those tools is Paul's letter to the Philippians--a letter
that Paul wrote from jail. Given that bleak setting, you might
expect Paul to proclaim a gospel of "sour grapes," whining about
all the folks who abandoned him in his peril or somehow let him
down. Instead, he uses this setting to focus on the people who
had blessed him and the confidence he had found in Christ. I'll
be preaching on that letter during the next several weeks, and I
encourage you to read along.
Here is the sermon schedule:
January 8: "A Powerful Prayer" (Philippians 1: 3-11)
January 15: "How to Earn Accolades" (Phil 2: 5-11))
January 22: "Your Greatest Achievement" (Phil 3: 4b -10)
January 29: "Press On!" (Phil 3: 10-14)
February 5: "The Path of Peace" (Phil 4: 4-7)
February 12: "How to Sense the Grace of God" (Phil 4: 8-9)
February 19: "The Secret of Being Content" (Phil 4:10-14, 18-20)
As I prepare this series of sermons, I am grateful for God's work in the history of our church and eager to uncover His blessings for the year ahead. I'll see you in church!
Neal
p.s. You'll have another chance to
look "fore and aft" at the Annual Meeting of our church
on February 12. This meeting reviews the progress of
each commission in our church, and it will follow our Youth
Group's "Sweetheart Brunch", which in turn follows Sunday
worship on that day. Please be sure to put this meeting on your
calendar.
Technology Team
As you have probably noticed, we have many new technology systems at First Pres. While the video projection in the sanctuary is the most noticeable, there is a lot more going on, both in the sanctuary and elsewhere: upgrading the church LAN, the website, the message board on 8th Street, and video recording in the sanctuary, just to name a few. In particular, two products may be of interest to you:
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There are videos and photos of December performances online:
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We are regularly recording audio of sermons and uploading to the church website as MP3 files... just visit the sermon page on the church website.
Lots of people are to thank for making these happen, starting with our excellent staff person in this area, Jennifer Langdon. Tom Hynes, Jerry Drenckhahn, and Cathy Brown have put in many hours cabling and getting video and sanctuary computer systems working. And most of the photos are thanks to Ann Christensen-Moore.
While we have worked out a lot of bugs in the tech systems over the last few months, some still remain, and we also are still figuring out how best to use the equipment we've got—as well as evaluate the suggestions for more! In an effort to coordinate all these activities, a new “Technology Support Team” has been formed. This team's purpose is to “support the mission and ministries of the church through enhancing and maintaining technology systems.” We are pulling together people with expertise and enthusiasm for getting tech stuff to work effectively—not for the sake of tech, but for the sake of ministry. If you are interested in being a part of this tech team, have some gifts in these areas, or are interested in helping to run some of the systems on occasion, please contact me.Erik Larson
eriklarson@firstpressanpedro.org
Student Ministries News: FELLOWSHIP IS BACK ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Please note that all of our youth events are in our bi-monthly Youth Bulletin which is handed out at church on Sundays or in the entryway. (copies may be e-mailed upon request)
Fellowship
Dinners: We are asking for $25 donations to
offset the cost of
Wednesday night Fellowship Dinners (about $2.25 per
meals). Please see
Randi or Todd if you have
questions.
SUNDAY TEEN BIBLE CLASS: JR & SR High bible study/fellowship upstairs in the green room before church on the following dates: 1/8, 1/15, 1/22 & 1/29 from
WEDNESDAY
FELLOWSHIP
DINNER: JR & SR
High fellowship
dinners will start at
SR
HIGH FELLOWSHIP NIGHT DATES: SR
High
Fellowship will start at
JR
HIGH FELLOWSHIP NIGHT DATES: SR
High
Fellowship will start at
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fun
Fellowship Night: We will be having a fun
fellowship night on
January 28th from
Recycling drive for youth:
We will be recycling #1 plastic bottles and aluminum
cans. If you would
like us to pick them up at your
house simply call Todd.
Student
Ministries Staff
Randi Bender
& Todd Walter
Email: rdbender44@aol.com
Tel: (310)
832-9717 (home) (310)
562-9243 (cell)
Fri, Jan 6
7:00 pm - Youth Hangout
Sat, Jan 7
Youth Work Party
Sun, Jan 8
8:30 am - Adult Sunday School
9:30 am - Worship
Mon, Jan 9
7:00 pm - Stewardship meeting
Tue, Jan 10
7:30 pm - Student Ministries Meeting
Wed, Jan 11
7:00 am - Bible Study at Carrow's
4:00 pm - Homework Hangout
4:00 pm - Angel Choir Rehearsal
4:00 pm - Parent Hangout
4:30 pm - Cherub Choir Rehearsal
5:00 pm - Gospel Gang Choir Rehearsal
5:45 pm - Dinner for Jr. and Sr. High Schoolers
6:15 pm - King's Chorus Choir Rehearsal
7:00 pm - Handbell Choir Rehearsal
7:00 pm - Prayer Group
7:15 pm - SonLight Singers Choir Rehearsal
Thu, Jan 12
9:30 am - Deacon's Meeting
7:30 pm - Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Fri, Jan 13
7:00 pm - Youth Hangout
8:30 am - Adult Sunday School
9:30 am - Worship
11:00 am - Outrigger Business Meeting
Mon, Jan 16
Office Closed
Amy Hubbard is the editor of the Messenger.
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