From the Pastor's Mac
New Year Reflections
The church was closed New Years Eve day. I was officially “on vacation” after a glorious Advent season. But I decided to come to the office, mainly to “clean 2018 off my desk.” I sorted. I filed. I threw things out. I took care of a few “important but not urgent” matters that had stared at me for too long. My desk is now clean(er), and I’m ready to welcome whatever 2019 brings!
Like a child that sings “ready or not, here I come,” 2019 is here whether we’re ready or not. I rather like the chance at a fresh start . . . the blank canvas awaiting inspiration to create something beautiful. As Mark Nepo writes, “Of all the things that exist, we breathe and wake and turn it into song.” May each of us breathe and wake and create the song for 2019 that only we can sing, and may the harmony we create together bless this community and even the world as we continue to live into who God has created us to be!
I want to take a moment to thank the countless volunteers who worked so hard this past year: the holy folders, the board and committee members, the ushers, greeters and orange juice servers, the communion preparers, the individuals who check the pews and run errands, the program planners and course instructors, the choir members—I could go on and on. I also want to thank each person who contributed to the work of the church. The combination of increased regular giving and the special Jacobson fund donations has made for a record year. Thank you for believing in the Chapel enough to give. Finally, I want to thank the staff who have worked tirelessly and joyfully, especially throughout the holiday season. I’ve never worked with such a talented group of hard working individuals. What a team!
As we turn our attention to 2019, there’s something I’d like to emphasize this year. It’s a critical ingredient of a healthy church. This ingredient is as essential to building a church as flour is to baking a cake. The ingredient? Community. My mentor pastor always used to say, “You can join a country club, you can join a gym, but at church, you become part of a ministry.” Some ways to grow your connection to folks at the Chapel include: volunteering for a committee or program staff, joining in an adult education class, or participating in our
Habitat for Humanity build
. On the second Tuesday of each month we have a newly formed men’s breakfast outing and we’re launching
Chapel Chicks
this month on January 8. Both of these programs have been developed to foster community with good food and great fellowship.
So as we breathe and wake . . . may we find ways to sing our song together! Happy New Year, Chapel by the Sea!
Love and light,
Revblev
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December 2018 Attendance
Dec 2- 220 people
Dec 9- 145
Dec 16- 219
Dec 23 - 198
Dec 30 - 202
Christmas Eve
4:30 pm - 181 people
7:30 pm - 432 people
TOTAL for December 1,597
December Comparisons over last 5 years
This month's attendance 1,597
Lowest December attendance 1,175 was in 2016
Highest December attendance 1,597 was in 2018
Average attendance for December over last 5 years 1,377
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Calendar for January
Every Week:
Sunday
9:00 am, Adult Sunday School, Conference Room - New Class beginning (See below)
10:00 am, Worship Service, Sanctuary followed by Orange Juice Fellowship
9:15 am thru 11: 15 am Nursery is available for children infant through 4's in Nursery/Toddler Room
10:00 am, Children's Sunday School start in church
6:00 pm - Alcoholics Anonymous - Meeting Room 3
Monday
9:30 am - Al-Anon, Meeting Room 3
7:00 pm - Man's Search for God I
Tuesday
6:00 pm Alcoholics Anonymous - Meeting Room 3
7:00 pm - Man's Search for God II
Wednesday
8:00 am Beach Walking Club, Chapel parking lot
11:00 am -
The Old Testament
Great Books Class, Conference Room, brunch
5:00 pm Sunset Beach Walking Club, Chapel parking lot
6:00 pm AA for Women, Meeting Room 3
7:00 pm Choir Practice, Sanctuary
Thursday
10:30 am Bible Fellowship - Conference Room
6:00 pm Alcoholics Anonymous - Meeting Room 3
January 6 - Epiphany, Communion Sunday
January 8 - 8 am - Men's Breakfast at Clear Sky Cafe
January 8 - 9:30 am - Zumbini demo, Chapel Hall
January 8 - 11:30 am - Chapel Chicks
January 8 - 6:30 pm, Clearwater Beach Assn. Meeting
January 8 - 7:00 pm - Property Committee
January 14 - Penthouse Shores Condo Assn Meeting, Room 3
January 15 - Zumbini Class, first of 8, 9:30 am to 10:15 am
January 16 - 2:00 pm - Dottie Usilton's Memorial Service
January 16 - 7:00 pm - Church Board Meeting, Conference Room
January 17 - 5:00 pm Peace Cafe, Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church
January 18 - 9:30 am - Church Women United Program, Chapel Hall
January 19 - Chapel's Habitat for Humanity Build Day
January 20 - Blood Pressure Readings after worship
January 27 - 11:15 am - Annual Meeting of the Church
January 27 - 11:45 am - Church Dinner, a la Peace Cafe
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Save these dates:
February 2, 2019 - BeachWalk/Walk
February 17 - Starlight Majesty Luncheon Cruise
March 3, 2019 - Chapel by the Sea's 70th Anniversary Celebration
March 10 - Maryville College Singers
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The Annual Meeting of the Church
will be held
January 27 at 11:15 am
in the Church Sanctuary
The annual meeting of the Clearwater Community Church/ Chapel-By-The-Sea will be held in the sanctuary on Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 11:15 am. At that time new members and officers of the Church Board will be elected, a budget for 2019 will be presented and approved, and other business coming before the membership will be addressed. Please plan to attend this traditionally short but very important meeting.
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Annual Reports
– All committee and organizational heads are asked to submit an annual report regarding the 2018 work of their committee or organization. These should be in the Chapel office by January 10 so they can be incorporated into the combined annual report which will be distributed to the congregation at the annual meeting on January 27.
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Church Dinner a la Peace Café January 27
Teddi McCune, Brian Sullivan, the Zells, and the rest of the team that cooks the monthly dinner at the Peace Café are going to cook it for the Chapel. It is a very popular menu at Peace Café and we are certain you will enjoy it also—Pizza Pasta, salad, vegetable, and dessert. Donations will go to Peace Café. Please sign up so we can prepare sufficiently.
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Candidates for the Church Board
Elections are held at the Annual Meeting
Eligible for another year of service are:
President
Adrienne Archer
Vice President
Linda Walter
Treasurer
Brian Sullivan
Secretary
Cindy Owens
Retiring at the expiration of their 3-year terms are Donna Dennis, Dwight Gilbert, and Renee McElwaney. The Church thanks them sincerely for their service.
Presented by the Nominating Committee for a 3-year term, 2019 thru 2021 are:
Ty Schaedel
Ty grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, graduated from Hamilton Heights High School. Ty said, “I recently started my own HVAC business called B & J Heating & Air Conditioning. It will be 2 years December 16th that we (my mother Dee Schaedel, my sister Jaci Wetmore, my niece Kayla Wetmore and I) moved to Florida. I came here because of my job and family. I've been attending Chapel for about 1.5 years now and was just recently baptized, in the ocean! That was an amazing experience!”
Ralph Koch
Ralph Koch grew up in Des Plaines, IL (a suburb of Chicago). He went to Harper College and became a Tool and Mold Machinist, which he has done for 32 years. Ralph and his family moved to Dunedin in 2015; they just couldn’t take the cold and snow anymore. He now works at American Tool and Mold in Clearwater. The family attended over a dozen churches before becoming members at Chapel by the Sea. It felt like home to them and they have been members since 2016. Ralph and his wife, Karlene, just celebrated 25 years of marriage. Their daughter Alyssa is 23 and in nursing school. Son, Christian, is 21 and studying Business Management. Ralph and Karlene are on the Congregational Life Committee. They are also Greeters and lead the Wednesday Night Beach Walk. Ralph serves as an usher. He is excited to be a part of the Board to help the church grow in our community.
Betty Pickford
Betty has been a resident of Clearwater Beach for twenty years and has been a member of Chapel by the Sea for nearly that long. She has participated in numerous Chapel functions over the years and been active in a number of Bible Study classes as well.
Betty was born and raised in Maine. She retired from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Her 2 children have given her 4 grandchildren. She is looking forward to serving on the church board.
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Men’s Breakfast
Gather at Clear Sky Cafe on the Beach for faith, food, and fellowship
8:00 a.m. the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
This month it will be January 8.
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Beach Walking Groups on Wednesdays adjusting the time for the season
Two walking groups meet weekly for fun, fitness, and friendship. Join us at 8:00 am for the morning group, or at 5:00 pm for the sunset group. Meet in the church parking lot. What a great way to get healthy and make new friends! All are welcome. Free to park. Free to walk. Free to talk.
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Chapel Chicks
New in 2019! Strut on over to the Chapel for the monthly gathering of Chapel Chicks and Friends! An inter-generational gathering from the church and community, Chapel Chicks meet together monthly (September-May) for the purpose of fostering and deepening relationships. We’ll do this by sharing excellent food prepared by Chef Ken Hawi, and enjoying spiritual discussion prompted by our pastor, Rev. Rhonda Blevins. Spring 2019 will feature TED talks. Check out the topics and menus below for the first two sessions for Spring 2019! Cost: $10 per person per event. Scholarships available! See Pastor Rhonda. Register for one or more sessions. The remainder of Spring 2019 is on the website.
January 8, 2019, 11:30 am
THEME: Winter Wonderland
MENU: Grilled Chicken Caesar Spinach Wrap with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Peach Cobbler for Dessert
Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston
Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She spent the first five years of her decade-long study focusing on shame and empathy, and is now using that work to explore a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness. She poses the questions:
How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?
February 12, 2019, 11:30 am
THEME: Valentine’s Day
MENU: Strawberry Fields Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, Tomato Bisque Soup, and Red Velvet Cake for Dessert
Anne Lamott hooks into our common experience and guides us to an understanding infused with openness. An activist, former alcoholic and Sunday School teacher, Lamott uses humor to weave through loss, parenthood, faith and the cancer diagnosis given to her best friend, in beloved books like
Bird by Bird and
Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. She says, "Hope begins in the dark ... if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."
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Children & Youth Programs
Our 2018-2019 Sunday school year has an exciting new curriculum designed to help children understand themselves and their relationship to God. Our theme this year is “
At Home With God,
” a comprehensive, creative, and interactive Bible Study for children. Parents & guardians will be able track the Bible lessons on their smart phones and engage kids with what they learned in Sunday school. This program has reverted to a start time at the 10 am worship service.
Get ready for a fun, program-packed year that promises to amaze and engage!
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For the ‘Beach Mom’ community, Zumbini
Created by Zumba
® and BabyFirst for mom or dad and kids ages 0-4, the Zumbini
® program combines music, dance and educational tools for 45 minutes of can’t-stop, won’t-stop bonding, learning, and fun! It not only nurtures their love of movement so it becomes a way of life, but give you the chance to nurture your inner child as well!
Lauren Caruso, a local Beach Mom and licensed Zumbini instructor, will provide a hands-on demonstration class of Zumbini on January 8 at 9:30 am here at the Chapel. Regular classes begin January 15.
Lots more information at https://www.zumbini.com/
The 8-week session will include a CD of original music, a story book (the class is geared for the children to encourage daily movement), for a total cost of $135. Call Lauren at 914-329-0324 or find her on Facebook.
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Adult Education Opportunities
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- Thursday Morning Bible Fellowship continues: You are invited to join the THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE FELLOWSHIP which will be studying how to have faith that works - the book of James. The Fellowship meets at 10:30 am in the Conference Room for informal study and discussion on the subject of living our faith. Our group is multi-age, multi-gender, multi-denominational.
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Sunday School - New Class Beginning January 6
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Jesus & the Kingdom of God
New Sunday School Class with Pastor Rhonda
Explore the historical Jesus and the Kingdom of God in this 12-session video series featuring two of the world’s leading Jesus scholars, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, filmed on location in the Holy Land. Consider questions like: Why did Jesus happen when he happened? Why the confluence of the Baptism movement of John and the Kingdom movement of Jesus? Why the tiny villages around the Lake? Why the confrontations in Jerusalem? Why then? Why there?
Sundays @ 9 am, January 6-March 24, 2019 in the Conference Room.
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The Old Testament: Continues
Wednesday mornings at 11 am
- Greg Grice, facilitates.
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine is the Professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and the instructor of this 24-week, video-based deep dive into the Old Testament through the Great Courses. Plan to join him. Brunch.
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Man’s Search for God (MSG I):
Mondays at 7:00 pm. Now in its third season, for those with inquisitive minds, examine the latest science & decide whether or not the evidence points to a Divine Creator or if the universe and life itself is a product of chance and undirected causes.
On
Tuesday evenings, MSG II “Who Is Jesus?” For some it’s a question with an easy answer. For others it’s a question yet to be reconciled. Can the question be answered rationally? Can the historical evidence point to a conclusion of His divinity? Come explore these propositions. 7:00 pm in the Conference Room
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February 2, 2019
A Clearwater Beach tradition is ready to launch. Chapel-by-the-Sea and Religious Community Services (RCS) will kick off the 10
th Annual Beach Walk/Walk on Sat. February 2, 2019. Chapel-by-the-Sea and RCS partner to raise funds to provide food and services for the less fortunate residents in Pinellas County. Last year the RCS Food Bank and The Haven for Domestic Violence served over 165,000 needy people. Since its inception in 2010 the Beach Walk/Walk has raised over $100,000 in support of RCS’s activities.
The Palm Pavilion launches the event with registration at 7:30 am and the starting lineup at 8:30 am. A sumptuous pancake breakfast provided by Clear Sky Café follows the race back at the Chapel. Many local merchants and residents contribute to the event as sponsors as well as donating to the Walk’s Super Silent Auction.
The cost is $30 for pre-registered walkers ($35 after Thursday), $10 for those ages 6-18. The family maximum is $75. You may pre-register
online at Chapel by the Sea, pick up a form from the church or
print this one.
What we need to make this event a success:
Corporate Sponsorships For BeachWalk/Walk
–
If you and/or your company would like to be a corporate sponsor, now would be a great time to decide and make arrangements
. There are several sponsorship levels: Marathon - $1,000 +; Half-Marathon - $500-$950; 10-K - $225-$450; Fun Run - $200. Each level includes special benefits, and the logos of all sponsors will be included in all promotional materials. Forms available
online
and in Friendship Foyer, as well as the Church Office.
BeachWalk/Walk Silent Auction - Everyone is urged to donate new or gently used items to the Silent Auction held during the January 28 BeachWalk/Walk breakfast. Items with a value of $100 or more are especially welcome and can include things like Art Objects, Jewelry, Tickets, and Gift Cards. Items may be brought to the church either on Sundays or Monday thru Thursday during regular office hours, 9am to 5pm. Questions? Call Fred Bickel 727-539-9776
Volunteers - Many volunteers are needed to make a success of this very special fundraiser. If you are not going to walk and would like to help, see Jan Bickel in Friendship Foyer starting next week.
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Chapel Build Day at Habitat
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P
inellas County Habitat for Humanity
Chapel by the Sea is pleased to participate both financially and through our own “sweat equity” so that we can do our part to provide affordable housing in our own community.
Chapel’s next “Build” date is January 19, 2019.
This beam has our name all over it!
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From Our Parish Nurse, Didi Martin, ARNP
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Church Women United
CWU in Central Pinellas, Inc.
Church Women United
CWU in Central Pinellas, Inc.
Church Women United (CWU) is a racially, culturally, and theologically inclusive ecumenical Christian women’s movement that celebrates unity in diversity and works for a world of peace and justice. For history, check the website http://churchwomen.org.
“A Human Right is a right that is believed to belong justifiably to every person.” The recognition and respect of peoples dignity, a set of moral and legal guidelines that promote and protect a recognition of our values, our identity and ability to ensure an adequate standard of living, and those rights associated with Universal Declaration of Human Rights. — www.humanrights.gov.au
Human Rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe, or how you choose to live your life. — www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/humanrights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. As a result of the Second World War, World leaders decided to adopt a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere and vowed never again to allow the atrocities of that war to happen again. Human Rights Day is celebrated every year to honor the United Nations General Assembly for declaring the human rights universally.
We celebrate for the following reasons: To promote the awareness about human rights among people all around the world To get together in cooperation to discuss and highlight on-going challenges to human rights To encourage the vulnerable groups of people to take part in this event celebration; women, minorities, youth, poor, disabled and indigenous people. Materials written by: Rev. Magdalena Garcia and Karen Mitchell
This program will be held at Chapel by the Sea on Friday, January 18, 2019. Registration is at 9:30 and the program starts at 10:00 am. See Linda Owens for more information or to volunteer to help with refreshments.
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Peace Café
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The Chapel participates in feeding the homeless at the Peace Memorial Church “Peace Café” on the third Thursday of every month. 12-15 individuals are needed each time. The next date is January 17. Please contact Teddi McCune if you can help - [email protected] or 727-441-1895.
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“Haven Orange Suitcase Project” - BEGINNING OUR 11th YEAR - in December
The Chapel-By-The-Sea's
“Haven Orange Suitcase Project”
collects
TOILETRIES (regular and mini-)
for
“The Haven of RCS” Domestic Violence Center -
which provides a temporary safe place and other services for victims of domestic violence in our community and their dependent children.
The Haven Safe House residents and other families served by Haven Outreach Services are constantly in need of
NEW ONLY REGULAR-SIZE & MINI-TOILETRIES
(
Shampoo, Soap & Body Wash, Lotions, Dental items, Cosmetics, Hair & Grooming Care)
as well as
Towels, Washcloths, Single-bed Linens, Socks, Undergarments, and
C
anvas-type Bags (with handles)
which are helpful for transporting the toiletries and for use by the residents.
(
Tip:
Please continue to put liquids (new), gels (new), & lotions (new) in plastic bags, making sure lids are on tight. All
items listed are collected at the "Orange Suitcase" table in Friendship Foyer from which they are sorted and distributed to The Haven.)
Thank you for supporting the “Haven Orange Suitcase Project” for the past 10 years!
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Our dear friends,
Don Olson died at 95, Dottie Usilton at 94.
A funeral service was held for Don on December 11, with the burial in Sylvan Abbey.
The Memorial Service for Dorothy “Dottie” Usilton will be held on Wednesday, January 16 at 2 o’clock in the Chapel Sanctuary, Pastor Blevins officiating.
A reception follows at Hooters Restaurant.
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Members and Friends Who were ill in December and in need of our prayers
Betty Blakely, Pete Porter, LaVonne Newcomber, Dodi Smith, Leeley Myers
Prayer Chain -
To place someone on the Prayer Chain or to join the group, contact Jan Burke at 418-5736 or
[email protected]
.
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