We are currently holding two worship services.

Our Early Worship service at 8:45AM is offered in-person only in Dunlap.

Our 11AM Traditional Worship service is offered in-person and

virtually on Zoom and YouTube.

All in-person worship attendees are required to wear masks.

Please note that there will only be an 11am worship service on December 12, December 19, December 26, and January 2.

December 5, 2021

Sermon: The Gifts of Christmas

Old Testament Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

New Testament Reading: Luke 3:1-6

Preacher: Rev. Tom Groome

Worship Assistant: Jonathan Tarris

Early Worship Assistant: Liz Shupe

December 12, 2021 (11am Worship Only)

Sermon: Recognizing Opportunities

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 12:2-6

New Testament Reading: Luke 3:7-18

Preacher: Rev. Tom Groome

Worship Assistant: Debbie Pollard

December 19, 2021 (11am Worship Only)

Sermon: Mary's Song

Old Testament Reading: Micah 5:2-5a

New Testament Reading: Luke 1:39-55

Preacher: Rev. Tom Groome

Worship Assistant: Chuck Skoog

Traditional Christmas Eve Service, 7:30PM

Hebrew Bible Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7

Epistle Reading: Titus 2:11-14

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:1-20

December 26, 2021 (11am Worship Only)

Sermon: A Fond Farewell

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 148

New Testament Reading: Excerpts from the Letter to the Ephesians

Preacher: Rev. Kelly-Ann Rayle

Worship Assistant: Tom Goodale

Please check our weekly newsletter for more information on worship services.

Beginning December 5 at 5:00pm, LexPres will resume its monthly service of Prayer for Wholeness and Healing in the sanctuary. This service will be held on the first Sunday of every month. 

Christian Education programs at Lex Pres seeks to provide a broad range of opportunities for spiritual growth through which we can deepen our faith, live more fully into the new life we have in Christ, and live more faithfully in our relationships and vocations.

*All classes will meet via Zoom until further notice.

“During this Advent, what if we seek to be the builders of that peaceable kingdom foretold, boldly committing to build a community that cares for the unloved, the unseen and the unheard? What if we discover once again that all we hunger for is in that ancient feeding trough that cradled a precious gift — a babe who would one day say, 'I am the Bread of Life.'” Donna Frischknecht

Let’s join our hearts and minds for a congregation-wide Advent/Christmas of spiritual growth, discipleship, and bread making!

Printed copies of the devotionals are available at Church for pick up. Copies will be located in the church narthex, the Dunlap entrance, and outside the office. Additionally, an electronic copy was sent via Realm. Please contact Janice in the Church Office if you would like an electronic copy sent to you.

Please join us on Friday, December 3, at 4:45pm in Dunlap Auditorium for a screening of the Christmas movie, The Star, a 2017 film about the animals who witnessed the birth of Jesus Christ. We will have dinner, hot chocolate, juice, popcorn, and cookies. This is open to all youth, Faith Villagers, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends. After the movie concludes we will enjoy the Lexington Christmas Parade at 6:00pm. We hope you will join us!

About The Star: “The Star” delivers a fresh take on a story that its Christian target audience presumably knows by heart, emphasizing such qualities as faith, friendship and teamwork in the process." - Peter Debruge, Variety

Call to Worship: Opened the meeting with a Responsive Call to Worship and a unison Prayer of Adoration. Rev. Groome read a scripture and shared reflections after a time of silence.

Congregational and Sessional Data: Approved the baptism of Penelope Hobbs, daughter of Megan and Bobby Hobbs, on Sunday, November 28, 2021. No congregational births, deaths, new members, weddings or transfers. Current Membership-368. Worship numbers: 10/3/21-126 (9 YouTube; 66-11:00 in-person; 36-zoom; 21-8:45); 10/10/21-135 (11-youtube; 73-11:00 in-person; 36-zoom; 15-8:45); 10/17/21-128 (8 YouTube; 65-11:00 in-person; 42-zoom; 13-8:45); 10/24/21-101 (live not available; 55-11:00 in-person; 25-zoom; 21-8:45); 10/31/21-145 (10 YouTube; 77-11:00 in-person; 41-zoom; 17-8:45). Approved Pam Luecke as our Lex Pres commissioner for the November 16, 2021, Presbytery meeting.

Administrative Committee: Discussed the 2022 budget issues. Ads placed for open DCE position. Discussing the Boy Scout bankruptcy proceedings and how it pertains to the troop we have been hosting for many years. Will be studied further. Approved Betty Dax as our new part time Parish Associate. Her contract will begin November 22. Approved the salary range for an annual salary of $75,000 to $90,000 for a new installed pastor. Other fees are above that figure such as housing allowance, retirement, health insurance, out of pocket expense allowance, and social security tax.

Christian Education: Children’s Subcommittee: Each of the two Faith Village classes have about 6 children attending per week. Campus Subcommittee: Three families are serving as Host Families for the Rats who attend Lex Pres each Sunday. Serving coffee to Rats before the 11:00 a.m. service. A Bible Study meets on Thursday evenings and the students attending have a church made dinner and study. Beside adult leadership, two W&L seniors, Hannah Kearns and Lily Gillespie are helping to lead the group.

Communications: We now have a 6’ x 2’ laminated reusable banner featuring the church logo, phone, website, and address for use at community events. Contact Maggie if your group would like to use it. A Help Wanted section in the weekly and monthly newsletters is a brief space for committees to let the congregation know what your committee needs.

Congregational Life: Caring Friends and Culinary Ministry continue to provide meals using present protocols. Coming events: 11/22-outside decorating; 11/26-inside decorating; 11/26-candlelight procession to Hopkins Green for tree lighting; 11/19-Lessons and Carols + Joy Offering (no lunch this year).

Nominating: Recruiting three at large members for the committee.

Outreach: Continue efforts to garner support for ongoing monetary needs for clinic in Phalaza. Coat/mitten/hat drive in November. Heard from David Hunter, our longtime missionary in Turkey. Approved $1,000 contribution to Community Table from 4cents a meal account. Sent half of the church’s share of the Peace and Global Witness Offering to the Afghan Refugee Resettlement and the other half to Frontera de Cristos, Douglas, AZ. The Lauck family will serve hot chocolate at the 11/26 Candlelight Processional.

Property: Have received four bids from roofing contractors that range from $58,915 to $92,800. They have narrowed the choice to two bids and are studying the differences of the two.

Worship: Gave the Major Report about the work of the committee over the last year. Many decisions had to made concerning safe worship in these unusual times. Many people took place in the work of this committee. Meetings were more often since the pandemic began to make difficult decisions about worship protocols as case numbers in our community changed.. Wholeness and Healing services will begin again December 5.

The Elder Class of 2024 will be examined at the next stated session meeting on December 7.

The meeting was adjourned after a Charge and Benediction by Rev. Groome.

Mary Atthowe, Clerk of Session

We still have several small outside wreaths available for you donate.

Small Wreaths - $25.00 each

The poinsettias will be placed in the sanctuary on Friday, December 10. We have ordered 35 Poinsettias and they are $17.50 each.

If you would like to donate a wreath or a poinsettia, call the church office (463-3873) or email Janice Downey at admin@lexpres.org. First come, first served!

Please give Janice the information you would like in the bulletin when you place your order. To order online, please visit this link: Purchase Poinsettias HERE

Thank you!

Skip Hess (Flower Chair)

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,

    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

    the spirit of counsel and might,

    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-2

This year the Jesse Tree offering will again be “no touch.” All donations must be monetary. Gifts may be made by check mailed to the church or dropped in the mail slot. Write the name of the recipient organization in the memo field. Online gifts may be made in Realm. Choose the appropriate Jesse Tree fund.

2021 Recipients

Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee

Provides balanced meals for low-income members of Rockbridge County.

Community Table

Cultivates a strong community by providing healthy, tasty food and by welcoming everyone to the Table.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Witnesses to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic event.



Project Horizon

Attempts to eradicate domestic, dating, and sexual violence in the Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County area through crisis intervention services and prevention programs.

Pledges goal: 140 units totaling $440,000

Pledges received through November 22, 2021:   97 units totaling $330,296

At 75% of our goal, the 2022 pledges received are also short of actual giving to our church in 2021. Please make your 2022 pledge today.

James 1:27 says,"Religion that God, our Father, accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after oprhans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

The admonition of James to care for widows and orphans was the foundation for the establishment of the Rafiki ministry. Widows are by far the most marginalized populations on the African continent, with few decent-paying jobs available to them. Rafiki has found a way to provide income for these women. There are widows programs in eight of the ten Rafiki villages in Africa. Widows gather in a local church regularly to create marketable products, enjoy fellowship, and study the Bible using the Rafiki Bible study. The widows purchase the necessary materials for the products, and Rafiki purchases the finished products at marketable value. Transported to this country, they are available at the Rafiki Exchange in Eustis, Florida, or over the Internet and at sales like the one held at Grace Presbyterian Church in Lexington on November 6. The November 6 Rafiki Sale netted over $3,200 between 10am and noon that day. All of the proceeds from the sale go directly to the widows.

Prayer requests:

1. For God's physical and spiritual protection over all, especially in countries that are experiencing political unrest, like Ethiopia.
2. For resident and day students to remain faithful to the Biblical principals they have been taught as they are confronted with worldy values.
3. For guidance and the support needed for high school graduates wanting to further their education.

All gifts to the Rafiki Foundation, Inc. are deductible for income tax purposes in the U.S. All funds given to the Rafiki Foundation are under the complete administrative control of the Foundation to ensure that the exempt purposes and programs of Rafiki are met. The Rafiki Foundation will do everything within these guidelines to ensure that donor preferences are honored. Rafiki did not provide any goods or services in return for your gift.

Thank you for your faithful support and partnership in spreading the gospel in Africa. Visit the Rafiki website for more information: www.rafikifoundation.org.

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC: RADIANT PSALMS FOR CHRISTMAS

Greetings, dear friends!  I claim as one of the great treasures in my life the writings of the British priest, theologian, and poet, David Adam (1936-2020), who was for many years the vicar of Lindisfarne, known as the Holy Isle, off the northeast coast of England, one of the great ‘holy’ places of Christian pilgrimage. Adam’s creative output includes sermons, commentaries, reflections, but what drew me to him are his poetic psalms and prayers. My most cherished ‘go-to’ devotional source is his collection, Music of the Heart: New Psalms in the Celtic Tradition (London, SPCK, 2004 – sadly out of print). The psalms in this collection are presented in six sections: Singing; Seeking; Sorrowing; Straying; Saved; Seasonal. Running the gamut of the Biblical psalms, from praise and thanksgiving to lament to questioning search, Adam’s prayer-psalms address most of the states of the human spirit. I share with you three psalms which for me express so many of the feelings of wonder and gratitude that are ours in Advent as we await once again the miraculous birth of our Lord. May these words inspire you as they do me.  WMcC

ONE IN HIM

All divisions are gone:

Heaven and earth are one.

Alleluia!

Nothing separates us from our God,

We dwell in him and he in us.

Christ has come down, taking our flesh,

We are raised to the highest heaven.

God has taken our nature upon him,

That we may share in his divinity.

Alleluia!

Christ beyond time, and in this moment,

Christ entering our world, yet beyond space,

Christ sharing in our mortality, yet eternal,

You have come down to lift us up.

We bow before you and rejoice in your presence.

Alleluia!

Praise to you, Triune God of love.

Praise to you, giver of all life.

Praise to you, Prince of peace.

Praise to you, indwelling Spirit.

Praise to you, holy and blessed Three.

Alleluia!

GOD COME DOWN

Love as boundless as the ocean,

Joy deeper than the sea,

Peace as wide as the heavens,

Come, Lord, come, have mercy on me.

You did not send an angel from above,

Or a messenger in your place,

You came down in power and love

You came yourself to the human race.

The stars twinkled in sheer delight,

The heavenly hosts sang in the height,

For he who is the Prince of Light,

Entered into the darkness of our night.

Love as boundless and the ocean,

Joy deeper than the sea,

Peace as wide as the heavens,

Come Lord, come, have mercy on me.

HOLDING THE ALMIGHTY

The infinite is held by the finite.

The incomprehensible is grasped by the heart.

That which heaven cannot contain is held in human hands.

The God beyond our reach is touched.

He who is beyond our sight is seen among us.

This wonder is hard to believe,

The mind cannot take it in,

The Word is mad flesh and swelling among us.

Heaven and earth are one in him,

Our God has come among us.

He comes to share in our humanity,

That we may partake of his divinity.

Let us be humble before this mystery,

Bow before him who is the Lord.

This little child, held in Mary’s arms,

Is the Christ, our Lord and our Savior.

David Adam: Music of the Heart: New Psalms in the Celtic Tradition

London: SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge), 2004

© 2004, David Adam

Holiday Pie Recipes

Christmas Dinner is on most cooks minds. We have the traditional turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans in cream of mushroom soup topped with fried onions. What about dessert? Here’s two suggestions that can be made well ahead of Christmas day.  Merry Cooking! Skip

Quick and Easy Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

1 ¼ Cups Sugar

3 ½ Tablespoons Cocoa

2 Large Eggs

1 - 5 oz can Evaporated Milk

¼ Cup Melted Butter

1 - 9 inch Pie Crust*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pie crust. 

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and cocoa powder. When cocoa is combined with sugar, it will mix into the liquid without bits of cocoa that are hard to incorporate. Whisk in the eggs, butter, and the evaporated milk. Whisk until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into pie crust and bake for 50 - 55 minutes. When pie is done, the filling will set and there will be a thin crust on the top.

Cool completely and serve.

I use the prepared pie crusts that come two in a box and are rolled up. Let them warm slightly and put in the pie dish. Very simple. Here a hint for you. I spray the bottom of the pie dish with baking PAM before I put in the crust.  This allows the slices come out easily and the crust does not stick to the bottom of the plate!

Best Ever Pecan Pie

Only a few of us remember a wonderful restaurant in Roanoke back in the 1950’s called Archie’s Lobster House. Not only were they known for their seafood, but they were famous for their pecan pie. Several years ago, I found the recipe in the Roanoke Times from the cook who made the pies.

Ingredients:

2 - Cups Sugar

1 ½ - Rounded Tablespoons Flour

2 - Cups Chopped Pecans

9 - Eggs (beaten)

½ - Teaspoon Vanilla

1 - Cup White Karo Syrup

1 - Cup Pure Maple Syrup

¼ - Pound Melted Butter

Pecan halves for the top

Mix together the sugar and flour. Add chopped pecans, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well but do not beat. Mix together the melted butter, Maple syrup and Karo syrup. Combine the two mixtures and top pie with pecan halves. Bake 1 hour at 320 degrees. Yields two 2 pies

LPC has one employment opportunity. If you know someone who we should consider please email Tom at tgroome@lexpres.org or call the church office.

Job Title: Director of Christian Education

Position Scope:

The Director of Christian Education (DCE) shall be the primary staff person responsible for providing leadership and oversight to the educational programs of the church related to children, youth, campus ministry and adults. The position shall draw upon clerical, motivational, teaching, leading, organizing, and administrating skills.

Qualifications:

- A Bachelor of Arts or its equivalent;

- A passion in seeing the Christian faith is imparted to all ages;

- A warm, agreeable, and welcoming demeanor in meeting the public;

- An ability to speak effectively in a public forum;

- Adequate facility with computers…particularly Word.

- A creative and energetic spirit.

- A willingness to gain facility with the church’s data base (Realm).

Relationships and Accountability:

A. Relationships: The DCE’s primary line of communication is with the pastor; the Christian Education Committee; and with Session.

B. Accountability: The DCE reports to the pastor. Supervision and guidance are of a general nature.

Hours: Part Time

Annualized Salary: $26,000 ($2,167 per month or 1040 hours @ $25)

Vacation: As per the Manual of Operations (adopted by session 12-20-2020)

Lexington Presbyterian Church

120 South Main Street

Lexington, VA 24450

Phone: 540-463-3873



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