Thursday, December 5, 2024

FROM THE PASTOR

Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar

Advent sneaks up on me every year. I always know when it starts and have the plans needed for it, but somehow I am surprised when December rolls around. Why do I feel like I should be more prepared for a season of preparation? I'm not sure, but I came across an Ann Weems poem this week that captures my feelings about the season. It is a reminder that everything doesn't have to be perfect as we go through the season, and there can be a lot of good experiences we miss if we are focused only on making perfect experiences for ourselves and our loved ones. Perhaps you will find some encouragement in Ann Weems' words as well.

Angel-Filled Advent

by Ann Weems from Kneeling in Bethlehem  

Wouldn't it be wonderful  

if Advent came filled with angels and alleluias?

Wouldn't it be perfect  

if we were greeted on these December mornings      

with a hovering of heavenly hosts  

tuning their harps and brushing up on their fa-la-las?

Wouldn't it be incredible  

if their music filled our waking hours      

with the promise of peace on earth  

and if each Advent night we dreamed of         

nothing but goodwill?

Wouldn't we be ecstatic  

if we could take those angels shopping,       

or trim the tree or have them hold our hands           

and dance through our houses decorating?

And, oh, how glorious it would be  

to sit in church next to an an angel      

and sing our hark-the-heralds!

What an Advent that would be!

What Christmas spirit we could have!

An angel-filled Advent has so many possibilities!

But in lieu of that,  

perhaps we can give thanks      

for the good earthly joys we have been given          

and for the earthly "angels" that we know              

who do such a good job of filling                   

our Advent with alleluias!

Grace and peace,

Rebekah

Advent Wreathmaking Workshop

What a fun luncheon and Advent Festival after church on December 1!

GSPC News

Poinsettia Dedications: It's time to order Poinsettia Dedications in memory of or in honor of a loved one. The poinsettias will be on display at the Lessons and Carols service on December 22 and may be picked up after the Christmas Eve Service. The poinsettias are $15 each, and order forms are available in the sanctuary and in the church office. Please turn your order in by December 15. You may also email your order directly to Office Manager Meredith Johnston and arrange payment with her.

Circles of Hope and Joy: The PW Circles of Hope and Joy will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the Guesnard House on Monday, December 9. All are welcome to join us for an evening of fellowship and Bible study. If you are able, please bring a beverage or a snack to share with the group.

Christmas Luncheon: Dinner Clubs members are invited to celebrate the season at our annual Christmas luncheon in the Guesnard House immediately after worship on December 15. Please bring your favorite dish to share; meat and beverage will be provided. Later in December, the Dinner Clubs will be shuffled for January-May 2025. If you would like to join the Dinner Clubs, or to rotate off, please contact Blanche Parsons (251) 348-7037 or Linda Reynolds (251) 510-6913.

Christian Sympathy: The congregation extends Christian sympathy to the family of Jasper Reaves, who died on December 4. Service arrangements are pending. Jasper was a longtime member of GSPC, where he sang in the choir and served as a church officer.

Christian Sympathy: The congregation extends Christian sympathy to Celia Ledbetter and her family on the death of her husband, Stephen, who died on November 29. Stephen and Celia were longtime members of GSPC, and Steve was instrumental in organizing the Family Promise of Coastal Alabama ministry, which helps homeless families. Spring Hill Presbyterian Church will hold a memorial service to honor Steve's life at 11 a.m. on Monday, December 9.

New Sermon Series: The Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar has begun a new sermon series, "Words from the Beginning," which will use resources from A Sanctified Art, an online ministry that supports worshiping communities in integrating art and creativity into their spiritual practices. Advent Devotionals are available in the sanctuary and foyer.

Advent Wednesday Worship and Lunch: The congregation is invited to join us for midweek Advent worship services with a light lunch at noon on Wednesday, December 11, and Wednesday, December 18.

Staff Love Offering: The congregation is invited to show their appreciation to the GSPC staff by making a love offering to be shared among the staff. Checks or cash should be marked "For Staff Gift" and turned in to the church office before December 17.

GSPC Book Club Dates: The GSPC Book Club will meet on Saturday, January 11, at 5:30 p.m. in the GSPC Library for a video presentation on "The Medieval Nun Bookmakers of Cologne" by Dr. Joshua O'Driscoll, curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at the Morgan Library. Dr. O'Driscoll may join us via Zoom. There is no reading selection, but this will be an interesting presentation and discussion. Mark your calendars and make plans to celebrate the start of the New Year with a nice evening out, some refreshments, and discussion with friends on a fascinating topic. 

The next month, the club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the GSPC Library and via Zoom. Our reading selection will be "Fight Against Fear: Southern Jews and Black Civil Rights" by Dr. Clive Webb. If you plan to request this book from the library, request it as soon as possible, as it may take a few weeks for the book to arrive. 

Other News and Notes

Baytreat Memories: The congregation is invited to share their favorite Baytreat memories. Please submit them using this link.

Calling All Greeters: As part of the Thriving Congregations initiative, the congregation is invited to volunteer as greeters on Sunday mornings. Greeters are asked to arrive by 10:15 a.m. and to welcome visitors at both entrances to the sanctuary. The commitment would not be every week. If you are interested in joining this evangelism opportunity on Sunday mornings, please contact Mary Herndon Nordmann.

Sanctuary Flowers: If you would like to place flowers in the Sanctuary in memory of or in honor of a loved one, please contact Ann Adams at Adams-marion@att.net or 251-591-8586.

Office Volunteers: The church office volunteers assist with monitoring the Jackson Street entrance and answering the phone. They may also assist with special projects. Meredith Johnston has created a newsletter about the volunteers and their work. Click here to read about what they've been up to! If you are able to volunteer, please contact Meredith Johnston at the church office.

Thriving Congregations: If you missed the presentation from the Thriving Congregations Team, click here to view the slides presented and contact the church office if you are interested in volunteering or want to know more.

Sunday, December 8

Join us on the second Sunday of Advent as the Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar continues her sermon series, “Words from the Beginning.” The sermon is titled “You Can’t Go Alone” with scripture from Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 and Ruth 1. Art, devotions, and much of our liturgy is from A Sanctified Art. Music will include the Bell Choir playing arrangements of "O Come, Emmanuel" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful"; the Children's Choir singing an arrangement of "Angels We Have Heard on High"; and Charlotte Naylor singing a setting of Ruth 1:16, "Wherever You Go I Will Go." 



Bulletin for December 8:

Sunday, December 15

Join us next Sunday as Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar continues her sermon series, “Words from the Beginning,” with a sermon titled “Do the Good Thing that Is Yours to Do,” based on Isaiah 58:9b-12 and Luke 3:7-16. Advent music includes John Ness Beck’s “Every Valley” and Buryl Red’s “Song of Mary” with soloist mezzo soprano Meredith Wilson.

Stewardship Pledges

If you haven't submitted your pledge, it's not too late! Your support of our staff, community outreach, mission work, Christian education for all, and our properties has laid a firm foundation. We want to be sure that this foundation remains intact, and we are able to continue to build upon it. The utmost diligence has gone into budget planning and how our dollars are spent this year. We continue to make adjustments and limit spending as best we can, and we have also explored and implemented additional revenue sources. While these efforts are necessary each year, voluntary giving, pledges, and pledge payments are essential to the future stability of our church finances as costs inevitably rise each year. Our Goal for 2025 is to secure gifts of $560,000. Join us this year as we grow our pledges and support of GSPC. – From the Stewardship Committee

Advent Sermon Series: "Words from the Beginning"

The Advent Sermon Series, "Words from the Beginning," uses resources from A Sanctified Art. Advent Devotionals are available for pick up in the sanctuary and foyer.

New Directory Print and Online Directories Available

GSPC members are encouraged to download the Realm app and use it to connect with the congregation. Those who did not already have a Realm account should have received an email invitation to create one. If you did not receive an invitation, and feel you should have, please contact the church office at 251-432-1749 for assistance. We will be happy to assist you with that, as well as with any aspect of Realm and accessing the online church directory. We hope you will participate in this endeavor to help keep our congregation connected!

GSPC Children and Youth Ministry News

December 13: Parents' Night Out / Birthday Party for Jesus, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

All ages are invited to join us for this celebration. Please RSVP to Bradley by using this link.

December 15: The Children's Christmas Pageant will be held during the Sunday School Hour.

Talking Heads

This Sunday School class meets on the second floor of the church each Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Book Study

9:30 a.m. in the Church Library. The group is studying the Interpretation Bible Series "Hebrews."

Spring Hill Women Bible Study

This Bible study meets on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. at the home of Ann Adams. The group is studying the Gospel of Matthew with the Rev. George Sinclair as discussion leader. Everyone is welcome. 

Tuesdays at Ten Bible Study

The Tuesdays at Ten Bible Study meets at 10 a.m. at the church. The contact is Mary Elizabeth Perry.

Men's Bible Study

The Wednesday Night Men’s Bible Study meets at 6 p.m. at the church. Zoom participation will also be available. The contact is Bo Perry.

Parking lot



We suggest that all of our members park in the GSPC lot, double parking if necessary. If you wish to park in the lot next to GSPC's lot, you will need to pay $5 for three hours of parking.

Premium Parking is handling our parking lot revenue. The company has added a service kiosk next to the Guesnard House patio entrance.

Church members whose vehicles are booted in the GSPC Parking Lot after the church office is closed should call or text Meredith Johnston at 251-323-5954.

Please remember to update us if you have a new tag and or vehicle.

Please remember:

1. GSPC members park for free in the lot at all times.
2. If you have a new vehicle tag to register, you may do so by emailing your license plate number to Meredith Johnston in the church office.
3. If you receive a ticket, do not pay it. Please bring the ticket or send a picture of it to Barbara or Meredith in the church office and she will take care of it.