October 21, 2020
On March 3, 2020, tornadoes ravaged through middle Tennessee. While tornadoes touched down in a few towns, the strongest tornado blew threw a town called Cookeville. That day, many in the town saw their homes, their livelihoods, and all their possessions torn to pieces as they sought safety in basements and bathrooms. This Sunday, several members of our church will make the 8 hour journey north to Cookeville where we will join together with the rest of our mission team from the Charlotte area. During our time together in Cookeville, we’ll meet some of the families who’s homes were destroyed. We’ll attempt to repair some of the damage that has been done to their homes. Most importantly though, we’ll be praying-we’ll be praying that God might use us to remind our neighbors in Cookeville that they are loved. As a mission team, we very much solicit the prayers of our church family as we embark on this calling. 

As excited as I am for this mission trip, my heart aches at the thought of missing Children’s Sunday and Kate’s Ordination, two very special worship services! You are invited to join us for Children’s Sunday at Frederica Academy! The theme this year is “Love Your Neighbor.” The children of the church have worked very hard putting together the liturgy and preparing to lead us in worship! If in-person worship is not within your COVID comfort zone, a recording of the worship service will be available to watch soon after, and of course, worship will be available on the livestream as well on Sunday morning. You are invited to worship again on Sunday for a special service celebrating the ordination of our Parish Associate for Visitation and Congregational Care, Kate Buckley

Don’t forget that you can participate in this month’s Season of Service by bringing in food donations for Sparrow’s Nest. A list of most needed items can be found below. You can bring your donations to the church anytime when the office is open between now and Oct. 30 and place them on the red cart just inside the doors by the Veranda. You can also bring your donations to Children’s Worship at Frederica!

For now, friends, enjoy your newsletter and I’ll see you on the church livestream this Sunday.

Peace,
Rev. Annie Franklin Arvin
Associate Pastor
This Sunday
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Sunday Worship
October 11, 2020
Christian Education
Musical Notes
 
The music ministry staff and members of the choir met this morning to talk about the upcoming Advent and Christmas season. It’s just around the corner – we should probably just go ahead and decorate! My husband is of the mind that time is flying by so rapidly that we should just keep the tree and the lights up. We have lots of ideas about what to do, what to sing, and how to present.  Send me an email about your favorite Christmas carol and your memories associated with it. If I get a response, I’ll try to use the story in our presentations.   
 
This Sunday is Children’s Sunday. Amy, Frieda, and Phoebe will be leading worship with the children of our church. Prepare to smile a lot as they read scripture, act out a story, and sing about Blessed are the Merciful…..     
At the 8:30 Live stream service, we will sing 435 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy. At 10:30, prepare to join in on He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. The 10:30 service will be recorded for the website for viewing after processing and posting.   
 
Here’s a Psalm for you:  Psalm 1 – Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by stream of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, not sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.  – the author and date are unknown – The NIV Study Bible 
 
Hymns in our Glory to God hymnal that are based on Psalm 1 are:  6 I Bind unto Myself Today, 250 In the Bulb There is a Flower (Hymn of Promise), 454 Take the Saving Word of God, 457 How Happy Are the Saints of God, 680 Soft Rains of Spring Flow, and 743 O God, You Are My God. Your hymnal is a poetry book based on scripture - much of it based on Psalms. Perhaps this is a good time to discover the literature in the hymnal! Some of the verses make excellent prayers. I’m serious about delivering a hymnal to you if you are interested – sanitized and in a plastic bag.   
 
Love & Gratitude,  
Rhonda 
The Week Ahead
Sunday, October 25th
8:30 am Live Stream Worship - Online
9:00 am Combined Sunday School - Zoom
9:00 am Britt Class - Online
10:30 am Outdoor Worship - Frederica Academy 
4:00 pm Worship & Ordination for Kate Buckley - online
6:30 pm Youth Gathering -Location Varies

Monday, October 26th
10:00 am Chancel Ensemble - Location Varies 

Tuesday, October 27th
9:30 am Staff Meeting - Upper Room

Wednesday, October 28th
10:00 am Men’s Bible Study - Zoom
1:30 pm Hands & Hearts Quilting Ministry - Youth Suite
4:00 pm KidZ Crew - Veranda
7:00 pm Chancel Ringers - Social Hall

Thursday, October 29th
10:00 am Grief Group - Upper Room

Friday, October 30th
No Activities Scheduled for this Day
Joys and Concerns
Welcome New Members
Al & Rev. Dr. Joanna Adams

Al and Joanna Adams are native Atlantans though their families come from rural Georgia, Lyons and Waycross, etc. They have lived in Atlanta as adults but discovered SSI in 2014 and have spent more and more time here. One of the attractions is St. Simons Presbyterian, and they are excited to have a closer affiliation. Joanna is an ordained Presbyterian minister and has served five churches in Atlanta. Al was a trial lawyer for 46 years in Atlanta in all sorts of civil lawsuits. Both are now retired but devote time to volunteer and pro bono work. They hope to get to know more church members and will spend about half of their time on SSI.
Dr. Charles Max Jones

Max is a native of Waynesville, NC. After earning an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, he attended medical school at Columbia University in New York City. Max did his medical residency at Emory University in Atlanta, and later met his wife (and current SSPC member) Sandra while both were working at Grady Medical Center. After practicing medicine at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta for 25 years, Max and Sandra moved to Washington, Ga where they restored an old home and then to Big Canoe, GA where they lived for 18 years prior to retiring to St. Simons. Max and Sandra recently celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary.
Ellen Knesek

Ellen Knesek is a retired (but not tired!) teacher of middle school English in Texas. She moved to Brunswick from Austin 16 months ago. Her son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters (ages 8 and 9) still live in Austin. Ellen enjoys creating stained glass pieces, reading, knitting, traveling, and cooking, and has a seven month old Corgi who she thinks hung the moon! She has been visiting SSPC for over a year and enjoys the Presbyterian Women's circle group with Nora Sue Spencer and Nat Scott. Ellen writes that, "The welcoming and kind treatment I have received at St Simon's Presbyterian Church made my decision to be a part of this congregation easy."
Andy and Susan Langan

J Andrew (Andy) and Susan Langan come to us as affiliate members from Winnetka, Illinois, where they are longtime members of Winnetka Presbyterian Church and each have served on the Session at that church for multiple terms. Andy is a mostly retired lawyer, having been a partner for many years with the Kirkland & Ellis law firm. Susan is a psychotherapist with her own practice. They have a Cottage on Sea Island where they spend several months a year and have been attending SSPC as visitors for several years when on the island. Their son Drew, age 25, is a 2017 graduate of Swarthmore College and is now a second year law student at Duke.”
Catherine McCrary

Catherine attended the St. Simons Presbyterian church with her family as a child and has considered it her home church, even when she lived in Charleston, South Carolina. She is thrilled to be home again on St. Simons Island and the St. Simons Presbyterian church. She places importance on spending time with family and close friends. She has a daughter, Caroline who attends Wofford College and a son Heyward that attends Sewanee University. She is a Realtor with Deloach Sotheby’s International Realty. When not working, she enjoys immersing herself in the outdoors and painting.
Linda and Rev. Stephen Nelms

Linda and Stephen Nelms permanently moved to St. Simons in July 2019 after visiting the island for vacation/attending conferences for 20+ years. Linda is a retired IT project manager having worked for both Delta Airlines and Clemson University. Stephen is an honorably retired pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) having served congregations in both the Greater Atlanta and Northeast Georgia Presbyteries. Stephen has also served on numerous presbytery and denominational committees, and was a commissioner to the national General Assembly in 2006. Both Linda and Stephen are avid readers, enjoy physical activity, and time with family and friends. They have two adult sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren all living in Texas, and they celebrated fifty years of marriage in March 2020!
Bob Ostendorf

Bob grew up in Fairfield, Alabama amongst the steel mills. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he worked for Texaco in Macon, GA prior to serving in the United States Army. After living in Miami, FL for thirteen years he and his family settled in Jacksonville where they attended Mandarin Presbyterian Church for 20 years. He and wife Barbara moved to St. Simons in 2016. They have four adult children and five grandchildren. Bob enjoys playing golf and still regularly travels to Jacksonville several times a week where he runs his own business.

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