Stewardship Dedication… Today we will dedicate our estimates of giving for the fiscal year 2012-2013 at both worship services. If you have forgotten your pledge card, you will find extras located in the pews. Please do not place your card in the offering plate. Instead, we ask that during the singing of the last hymn today, Today We Are Called to be Disciples, you bring your pledge card offering to the communion table as a symbol of your own discipleship and call from God to be a good and faithful steward of the resources that God has entrusted to you. And remember last week’s message on proportionate giving rendered by Elder Jim Conner, “We can never out give God!”
Congregational Meeting, Supper and Music! An exciting evening is being planned for this evening as we gather to elect church officers, enjoy a wonderful covered dish meal, and celebrate today’s act of stewardship with the music of Tim and Annie Akins! Our good friends Tim and Annie from Saint Simons Presbyterian Church have been here many times and will once again provide a most enjoyable concert.
Learning, Loving and Living the WORD! This Lenten season which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd will be one to remember here at FPC as we dig deeper into God’s Word than ever before! Weekly small group gatherings will highlight the 40 day journey, along with daily commitments, and ideas of how can give of ourselves this Lent as opposed to “giving something up.” We will also be invited to take the 40 Day Challenge: “…to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Bonhoeffer Study Continues… The Wednesday Night Live Adult Study this past week featured the first 30 minutes of the 2000 film Agent of Grace starring Ulrich Tukur as Deitrich Bonhoeffer. We will view the rest of the film this Wednesday, February 1. The group is viewing the film in tandem with Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, a classic exploration of Christian faith in community. This week’s assignment: finish reading chapter 2 which articulates an argument for common worship among Christians, praying the Psalms, and singing together. He also writes about fellowship at the Lord’s Table, a healthy work ethic, and the importance of intercessory prayer. Come and join others in this most interesting account of Christian fellowship identified by Bonhoeffer as not merely a human idea, but rather a “divine spiritual reality.”
Food Pantry Needs… The Helping Hands Food Pantry at Saint Marys United Methodist Church needs YOU! Food donations are down once more and the yet the needs of our community continue to grow. Dry cereal, canned meats, peanut butter, pasta, spaghetti sauce are always welcomed items and disappear from the shelves very quickly. DID YOU KNOW THIS? Saint Marys First Presbyterian Church contributed one third of all of the food donated to the pantry in 2011. Thanks for being caring Presbyterians!
FPC to Host Officer Training Event… Your church will host the District III Officer Training Event on Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Jekyll Community Presbyterian Church, Altama Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church Waycross, and First Presbyterian Church Saint Marys will participate. A highlight of this event will be a webinar hosted by Presbyterian Outlook magazine which will discuss the requirement of our new form of government to develop a policy manual for sessions of each congregation within the Presbyterian Church (USA). The group will enjoy lunch at the Spencer House Bed and Breakfast Inn.
SOUPER BOWL OF CARING FEBRUARY 5TH...A simple prayer: "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat" is inspiring a youth-led movement to help hungry and hurting people around the world.This prayer, delivered by Brad Smith, then a seminary intern serving at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, gave birth to an idea. Why not use Super Bowl weekend, a time when people come together for football and fun, to also unify the nation for a higher good: collecting dollars and canned food for the needy? Youth could collect donations at their schools and churches in soup pots, and then send every dollar DIRECTLY to a local charity of THEIR choice. In the weeks leading up to or on Super Bowl Sunday, young people take up a collection (many use a soup pot), asking for one dollar or one item of food for people in need. They give 100% of their donation directly to the local hunger-relief charity of their choice.In 2011, more than 260,000 youth participated in Souper Bowl of Caring, collecting more than $9.5 million in dollars and food for local hunger-relief charities. That's a total of more than $81 million collected since the movement began in 1990! This year's goal is to empower 275,000 young people to collect $11 million for charities in their communities. Help us grow this movement and tackle hunger in America!
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