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All are invited to celebrate the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany! We will be continuing with our third part, of our four part series, on the Apostles' Creed. This Sunday we will be focusing on "I believe... in the Holy Spirit"
at both the 9:30 am and 11:00 am worship services.
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MESSAGE FROM PASTOR TIM
Dear Friends,
A shout of thanksgiving for: Christine Caufield Noll, Mission Elder; Kim Champagne, Christian Education Elder; Lindsay Hoxie, Sue Hanburger, Kaity Gaurin and Cathy Debus, deacons who served as church officers, whose terms ended yesterday. A lion's share of ministry came from these very dedicated leaders, who poured their souls into their church work for terms that ranged from one year to three. The Presbyterian system of church government is laid out so that lay leaders work side by side and share authority with pastors. It has been a joy for Pastor Jon and I to work with Kaity, Kim, Christine, Cathy, Sue and Lindsey. We are grateful for their gifts, their time and their love for our church. They made a wonderful difference in the life of our church. Sue and Lindsey have moved out of state, and we wish them Godspeed. To Kim, Christine and Kaity, we hope you enjoy a slightly slower pace of church leadership. To Cathy, we say thank you for coming on the
Board of Deacons for another three year term.
Cathy Debus has good company. Patriceo Green and Annetta Fenstermacher were also elected as deacons. Patriceo will take over Prayer Partners from Sue Hanburger, and Annetta will join Judy Cooper as co-Meal Coordinators. Laura Rockwell and Cheryl Schafer were elected to Session. Laura will serve as our new Christian Education Elder and Cheryl will lead Mission. We are already enjoying the opportunity to work with these new officers. Ordination of three, and installation of all five, will take place on
Sunday February 25 at the 9:30 am service. The updated
elders and
deacons list, with contacts, can be found on our website.
A second shout of thanksgiving!
Two reminders for Sunday. We are receiving two Special Offerings on Sunday: soup cans and funds for local people in need of food assistance, as well as the
per capita special offering. ($35 per member)
timsstern@gmail.com
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VERSE AND PRAYER
Elijah Meets God at Horeb (Sinai)
He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" - I Kings 19:11-13
A Prayer for Super Bowl Sunday
The world of fast money,
and loud talk,
and much hype is upon us.
We praise huge men whose names will linger only briefly.
We will eat and drink,
and gamble and laugh,
and cheer and hiss,
and marvel and then yawn.
We show up, most of us, for such a circus,
and such an indulgence.
Loud clashing bodies,
violence within rules,
and money and merchandise and music.
And you--today like every day--
you govern and watch and summon;
you are glad when there is joy in the earth,
But you notice our liturgies of disregard and
our litanies of selves made too big,
our fascination with machismo power,
and lust for bodies and for big bucks.
And around you gather today, as every day,
elsewhere uninvited, but noticed acutely by you,
those disabled and gone feeble,
those alone and failed,
those uninvited and shamed.
And you whose gift is more than "super,"
Overflowing, abundant, adequate, all sufficient.
The day of preoccupation with creature comforts writ large.
We pause to be mindful of our creatureliness,
our commonality with all that is small and vulnerable exposed,
your creatures called to obedience and praise.
Give us some distance from the noise,
some reserve about the loud success of the day,
that we may remember that our life consists
not in things we consume
but in neighbors we embrace.
Be our good neighbor that we may practice
your neighborly generosity all through our needy
neighborhood.
by Walter Brueggemann from Prayers for a Privileged People
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and more! Many opportunities await you!
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N
TES FOR YOU
 We are starting our busy season in our choirs. The adult choir and youth choirs are hard at work, preparing some absolutely stunning pieces. This week, our choir will sing a beautiful anthem called Answer to the Call by Mary McDonald. The following week, our Joyful Noise youth choir will sing a beautiful Hebrew piece called Eliyahu Hanavi, and they will be accompanied by Eric Echols on the violin and Paula Sparks on piano. You will not want to miss these two Sundays!
Love,
Rebecca
rebeccaebell@gmail.com
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Lenten Studies and Worship
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SHROVE TUESDAY! ELEVEN DAYS AWAY!
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SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE DINNER Just eleven days away! Tuesday, February 13, 6:30 pm. All are invited to celebrate, as we begin preparations for the Holy Season of Lent. Please contact Ray Bussey 1safe111@gmail.com with any questions or if you would like to take part in the dinner.
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WHERE GOD HAPPENS: A LENTEN EXPLORATION
Often the question is, "Where is God?" Maybe the better question is, "Where does God happen?" That is the question we will explore during Lent this year. For answers, we are looking to some ancient Christians known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They teach us how to find God even when we feel we are lost in a desert or wilderness. Daily meditations on "desert sayings" and scripture will be available to deepen your Lenten journey. Small groups will read together Rowan Williams'
Where God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another. Books will be sold at church and are available online. Please sign-up for a group in the lobby or by contacting Pastor Jon. Groups will meet beginning the week of February 18 on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday mornings and Thursday and Friday evenings.
Join us as we see where God happens this Lent!
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SHROVE TUESDAY, ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT
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SHROVE TUESDAY February 13, 6:30 pm
ASH WEDNESDAY February 14, 7:00 pm
TAIZE Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm from February 21 to March 21
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SOUPER BOWL OF CARING! Be a champion and tackle hunger with your donations to the
Souper Bowl of Caring, a nationwide mission project that we have supported for 18 years.
This Sunday, February 4th, bring in cans of soup and place them on the platform steps in the sanctuary. Last year we collected over 900 cans. Can we beat the record? All proceeds support the
Christian Assistance Program's food pantry in Odenton.
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JANUARY'S FOOD OF THE MONTH
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C
AP WEST COUNTY FOOD PANTRY
Featured item for January is PASTA AND PASTA SAUCES (semolina pasta, brown rice pasta, whole wheat, etc./Bertolli jarred sauces, Classico jarred sauces, etc.). Please drop off food items in the Mission Zone bin. Thank you for your donations!
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CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FAITH
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EQUIPPING THE SAINTS These days there are lots of difficult conversations going around and often they involve matters that touch on our faith. If you are like many of us and don't really know how or are not comfortable having conversations about faith and faith issues, please attend the next Equipping the Saints class on
Wednesday, February 7th. We will have dinner at 6:30 and lessons from 7:00-8:30 and child care can be provided. See Steve Debus (
steven.debus89@gmail.com
) for more information.
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AWAKEN YOUR SPIRIT WITH THE SPRING
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REGISTER FOR THE WOMEN'S RETREAT This is wonderful opportunity to renew and reconnect at the beautiful
Claggett Center
! Nestled in the rolling hills of Frederick County, this 268 acre retreat offers glorious views of Sugarloaf Mountain and the Monocacy River Valley--plenty of room for inspiration! We've made reservations at the height of spring, the weekend of April 20-22, so as the leaves unfurl, you can be inspired to let your spirit open and expand.
Click HERE to register now. Registration deadline is February 15th. The price per person is $290 for a single occupancy room and $260 for a double occupancy room, meals included. If you're unable to attend for the full weekend, join us for Saturday (Day Pass is $115). For more information, please contact Cheryl Walcutt or Shelley Franklin.
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THE PLEA OF A SYRIAN ACTIVIST
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PLEASE DON'T FORGET US Join us on
February 17, to visit the
Syria: Please Don't Forget Us
exhibit at the US Holocaust Museum. The group will be carpooling from the church at 9:30 am to take the Orange Line from New Carrolton and expect to be back at the church in the early afternoon. To join the carpool or to let the group know that you will meet us at the museum, please email
knilsenjohnson@gmail.com
so a head count can be made. More information on the exhibit can be found HERE.
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GENON YOUTH SUMMIT 2018 We're gearing up for another great week at GenOn Youth Summit 2018 this coming July! This is a national gathering where Christians from many denominations and areas come together to integrate the four essential parts of LOGOS: worship, recreation, bible study, and family time/fellowship. PLUS, a DAY OF MISSION where we participate in various activities to support the local area which hosts our gathering!
This trip is open to ALL youth in 8th grade or above for the 2017-2018 school year, all college aged young adults, and all of the adults who want to support these awesome youth! We will hold an information meeting very soon, but we wanted to get the important dates & info to you now!
WHEN: Sunday, July 15th (we leave our church early that AM) through Saturday, July 21st (we arrive back ~ lunchtime)
WHERE: The location this year will be Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV
COST: Early bird registration is $440, which includes a $125 deposit due by 3/1/18. Regular registration is $465, which includes a $125 deposit due by 4/1/18
. Late registration will be accepted, based on space, at a rate of $490. FINAL PAYMENT will be due by 6/1/18.
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EAGLE SCOUTS COURT OF HONOR
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FLY, EAGLES, FLY Congratulations to our two newest Eagle Scouts: Dillon Benson: Dillon's Eagle Project was the wonderful pathway and reflective garden behind the Peace Pole. Dillon is a member of Troop 446 in Hannover.
Nathaniel Callen: Nathaniel is a member of Ark and Dove's Boy Scout Troop (Troop 119). His Eagle Court of Honor is going to be held in the sanctuary at 11:00 on February 10th, all from the church are welcome to attend. As a part of the ceremony, Nathaniel will be escorted by all of the Eagle Scouts in attendance - if you are an Eagle Scout, your participation is encouraged. Contact Ryan Stavely (ryan@stavely.org) if you are interested in attending or participating.
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PRAYER CONCERNS
Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for the Guatemala Pilgrims; D'Alex Childers; Christy Yeager's father, Leon Jordan; Charles Lawrence; Marcia Bussey; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom; Mary Beckwith; Nicole Howe's aunt, Linda; Bob Johns; Frances Keyes; Dot Forloines and her brother Jack; Henry Duncan; Helene Marchand-Stancil and Helene's mother, Mimi; Ellen Makar's father, Don Erickson; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Steve and Brandi Downs; Mary Stum's sister-in-law, Sandy; Julia Kirby's mother, Margaret Floyd; Amy Carskadon's nephew; Jason Ziegler; Jon Nelson's aunt, Linda; Charlotte Davie's sister, Ann; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; Tawes Dewyngaert; Archer and Honor Bauman's grandmother, Jackie; Sue Hanburger's grandson, Enzo, and friend, Susan; Karen Dodson's granddaughter, Briana; and a granddaughter.
THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the thirty-seven families in our nation who lost children to the flu.
If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Patriceo Green at patriceobgreen@gmail.com, and he will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.
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