GOOD NEWS AND WORSHIP UPDATE
Sunday, January 23, 2022 @ 11 am
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Scripture: Luke 4:14-21
Sermon: "The Mission Statement"
Interim Pastor: Rev. Sharon Amstutz
both in-person and on YouTube
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LIVE STREAMING TO YOUTUBE, NOT FACEBOOK |
Worship Streaming update- Moving forward we will try stream to the church’s YouTube channel, then post the service to FB later, access to YouTube is widespread and some in the church have chosen not to have FB accounts. Copies of the weekly bulletin will still be emailed to members/friends, since posting it is not an option on YouTube.
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NOTE: Please be sure you are reading the entire newsletter;
some email services only show the first part; if your service says
"message clipped," please click to restore the last portion of the newsletter
to view all of the news. Thanks.
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SPECIAL NEWS AND INFORMATION |
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ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CONGREGATION
Sunday, January 30, 2022
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We will hold our Annual meeting of the Congregation following worship on January 30.
While this will be an in-person meeting, we will continue to stream on YouTube (there will be a link to it posted on Facebook). Additionally, we will set up a Zoom meeting to allow you to post questions in the chat feature if you wish.
We will have a brief (10 minute) break following the Postlude to set up. You will be able to join the meeting via Zoom at that time if you are unable to be with us in person.
While we are thrilled to have the technology to make all this possible, we do ask your continued forbearance as we muddle through figuring it all out (remember, we were barely beyond the filmstrip days when I went to seminary 😊).
Finally, while we have come to think of these as business meetings, these meetings are also living reminders of the many ways God has been at work in and through the life of WAPC. The pandemic has restricted our ability to carry on, but it has not restricted God.
Plan to join us next Sunday to hear from the Sessional teams and committees where we have been and what we have been doing, and get an update from the Pastor Nominating Committee as we look forward to where God is leading the church next.
In God’s grace and peace,
Sharon
PLEASE NOTE: As soon as all annual reports have been submitted, the booklet will be printed and ready for distribution or pick-up before the Annual Meeting on the 30th. An email will be sent to all members and regular attendees as to when it is available.
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We are pleased to announce that we have elected two members to the Elder Class of 2024 this past Sunday. Rotating off of Session this year was Matthew Clark, Janis Miyamoto and Marcia Songer. Re-joining Session will be Karen Clark and continuing will be Marcia Songer. The committee is still looking for a third candidate
Nominated to the Nominating Committee for a two year-term were Sally Gerhardt and Karen Martin, who will be elected at the Annual Business Meeting. They will be joining Wilsie Bishop and Ginger Helm who are continuing through this year.
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TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY - THEOLOGIAN-IN-RESIDENCE |
Tusculum University invites you to the 31st annual Theologian-in-Residence Program!
Due to the pandemic, we will be having two virtual sessions via Zoom (Feb. 4th and 11th) and two in-person or via Zoom (Feb. 18th and 25th) for the Theologian-in-Residence lectures, February of 2022. All four sessions will be led by Dr. Bennie Crockett, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Planning, William Carey University. The theme for this year’s Theologian-in-Residence is “Translation Opens a Window” – Key Developments in English Bible History. There are four sub-title lectures that Dr. Crockett will focus on, they are:
1. Selected English Bible Texts During the Age of Manuscripts, ca. 700-1500
2. Dominant English Bibles in Print, 1525-1782
3. Older Greek and Hebrew Manuscripts and Scientific Text Analysis: Changes in the English Bible, 1800-present
4. New Methods of Translation and the Abundance of English Bibles, 1900-2022
If you would like to register for these virtual and in-person sessions, please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement and Special Events at 423-636-0565 or by email at nrader@tusculum.edu. Registration is necessary in order for us to provide the Zoom link to those who are registered and to maintain an accurate headcount for those that wish to join in-person on Feb. 18th and 25th.
For those that attend the in-person sessions, coffee and biscuits, with a variety of jams, will be available before the lecture begins and a delicious lunch will be offered free of charge in our Pioneer Café. When you register please let me know if you plan on eating with us on Feb. 18th and 25th.
***Please remember the information provided above is subject to change depending on the global pandemic that we are still experiencing. If changes are made, I will let you know as soon as possible. For the in-person sessions, we ask that you please wear a mask, as we are currently under a mask mandate inside the buildings of Tusculum University. ***
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HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COMING WEEK
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Thursday, January 20
DEADLINE ALL ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE TO THE CHURCH OFFICE
Sunday, January 23 - Third Sunday after Epiphany
11 am Morning Worship, Interim Pastor, Rev. Sharon Amstutz (via YouTube)
Installation of new Elders for the Class of 2024
Wednesday, January 26
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
Sunday, January 30 - Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
11 am Morning Worship, Interim Pastor, Rev. Sharon Amstutz (via YouTube)
Annual Congregational Business Meeting (TBD - in-person / Zoom)
Finance Team Meeting following Annual Business Meeting
Monday, January 31
6:30 pm ETSU U-Kirk worship / 7:30 pm meal - WAPC Sponsored
Wednesday, February 2
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
Thursday, February 3
10 am - PW Circle
Sunday, February 6 - Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
11 am Morning Worship, Interim Pastor, Rev. Sharon Amstutz (via YouTube)
Tuesday, February 8
7 pm Session meeting (TBD - in-person / Zoom)
Wednesday, February 9
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
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Although we are no longer worshipping online via Zoom, we will be continuing to report this crucial information about our environment here to reach a wider audience. An item of recent note is:
It is hard to get one's head around the story of plastic because the facts are so staggering as to seem fantastical. Can it really be true that half the plastic ever made was produced in the last 15 years? That a trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year, with a working life of just 15 minutes? And that estimates for how long plastic endures range from 450 years to forever? The answer is unfortunately "yes." 174 million tons of plastic packaging is produced globally each year, only 20% of which gets recycled.
Plastics, of course, are a great thing. They helped the Allies win World War II and revolutionized medicine. They have saved lives by delivering clean drinking water to poor people in disadvantaged nations. Yet we have created a plastic apocalypse. Developed nations offload waste from their convenient lifestyles and foist the cleanup on some of the planet's most vulnerable people. All of us need to evaluate our plastic use and consider how to reduce it. Only by doing that can we begin to solve the problem.
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VIRTUAL CREATION ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK |
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MONGOLIAN SCENIC BEAUTY
Three short videos by photographer Endenebulgan that showcases the scenic beauty and varied landscapes of Mongolia from the deserts to grasslands to forests and mountains. Stunning photography
ENDENEBULGAN PHOTOGRAPHER
(NOVEMBER 2020 | 4:30 min.)
Music by James Newton Howard.
ENDENEBULGAN PHOTOGRAPHER
(DECEMBER 2021 | 3:22 min.)
Music by Ivan Torrent.
ENDENEBULGAN PHOTOGRAPHER
(DECEMBER 2019 | 3:47 MIN.)
Music by James Everingham.
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These are the happy faces of Karen Clark and Zelda Frederick.
We miss Zelda very much!
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GENERAL FUND: YEAR TO DATE:
2022 Annual Budget - $ 135,000
Budget through January 18, 2022, Week #3 ($ 7,788)
Receipts $ 19,913.00
Disbursements - $ 7,491.19
Balance $ 12,421.51
Thanks to everyone for your continued support the church with your tithes and offerings during this extraordinary time. You are encouraged to mail your pledge to us or to drop it by the church office during regular business hours. Thanks.
We are still receiving the 5 Cents per Meal offering that is usually taken on Communion Sundays. If you would like to make a contribution to this offering please do so and designate it on your checks.
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
January 17 - Bob Caponero
January 21 - Helen Saunders
January 25 - Hugh Broome
February 1 - Rev. Pat Locke
February 2 - Caitlin Bailey Smith
February 9 - Alice Burrell
JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES
January 22 - Bob & Sue Caponero
Since we did not hold in-person
worship there were no Chancel flowers
on view.
PLEASE NOTE: THE NEW 2022 FLOWER LIST IS AVAILABLE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD IN THE SIDE ENTRY
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For Members / Regular Attendees
Logan Songer (great-grandson of Lew & Marcia); Fred Burrell; Debi Hughes; David Robert Hughes (stationed on Korean DMZ); Pat Mooney; Don Loughry; Camilla & Hunter Lyle; Jack Hansel.
For Friends
Linda Solly; Sue Sheffield's nephew, Jeremiah Collins; Karen Martin's friend, Margaret Chester; Sally Gerhardt's friend, Rosemarie Shields; Sue Shank's friend, Judy Klein; Sharon Amstutz's brother, Paul Hagood; Karen Frederick; Theresa Lura's cousin, Randy Carter; Sarah Suptin; church neighbor, Casey Harvey; Chris Stansell's parents, Rev. Donald & Velma Stansell.
Special Prayers for Clinical and Medical Health Care Workers
The continued COVID pandemic concerns with cases still on the rise with the delta, lambda and mu variant strains, along with the new omicron virus with the highest number of overall cases in the United States, India and Brazil; COVID cases are now on the rise in numerous European countries.
Prayers for Others
For our military members who serve our country here and abroad, as well continued prayers for our fragile planet during this time of extreme weather conditions, and for those who have suffered loss from recent emerging disasters including the volcanic eruption in Tonga and tsunami aftermath around the Pacific, winter storm Izzy in the U.S. and Canada, wildfires in South Africa and the continuing humanitarian emergency in Syria. And especially prayers for our nation and for strength, endurance, faith and courage for all.
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IN THE POTEAT LIBRARY
NOTE: The library is open by appointment. Please remember that you are welcome to drop by the church library if you are looking for something new to read. We ask that you to sign out any books on the register sheet found on the file cabinet in the corner with the call #, book title, your name and date checked out. The white book cart inside the library has new titles. There is also an orange book cart in the Heritage Room that has books free for the taking. Come and browse.
During Jean Darling's last inventory, the following books were missing. If you have one of these books, please notify the church office so it can be attributed to you as checked out, or return the book if you have finished reading it. Thanks.
230/SPO - "Unbelievable: why neither creeds nor reformation can produce faith for today," by John Shelby Spong
236/SPO - "Eternal life: a new vision," by John Shelby Spong
F/JAM - "Death comes to Pemberly," by P.D. James
F/LEC - "Our Kind of Traitor," by John LeCarre’
F/LAM - "The Imperfect Birds," by Anne Lamont
B/VAN - "Van Gogh’s Second Gift"
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Jesus and the Disinherited
By Howard Thurman
(261.8)
In this classic theological treatise, the acclaimed theologian and religious leader Howard Thurman (1900-1981) demonstrates how the gospel may be read as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. Jesus is a partner in the pain of the oppressed and the example of His life offers a solution to ending the descent into moral nihilism. Hatred does not empower--it decays. Only through self-love and love of one another can God's justice prevail.
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Congregational Concerns / Prayer Requests - Please contact the church office or Sherry Bailey with information.
Flower List - The 2022 Flower List has been posted on the bulletin board in the side entry. Please sign up to sponsor flowers for our weekly worship services in honor or in memory of loved ones.
Arrangements are $30 each.
Liturgists - We are always looking for new people to be liturgists. Please contact the church office, if you would like to volunteer.
e-Avenue deadline - Please submit information to church office (wapc@churchwapc.net or 926-7942) at any time and for the February issue of the e-AVENUE, no later than Wednesday, January 14th. This includes team and committee meetings, news, planned events and other newsworthy items.
Photos needed - We welcome contributions to our Facebook page via your comments and photos of church events and activities. Please also submit your photos to the church office for archiving. It will be wonderful to have a visual record of all of the positive things that Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church does for our community.
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Established 27 September 1892, Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ. Reformed in theology and Presbyterian by way of organization, it is related to Holston Presbytery, the Synod of Living Waters, and to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
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