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News & Updates from Your CPC Family
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The Holy Family by Rembrandt
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Worship Service Online
Second Sunday of Christmas
Sunday, January 3, 2021
Worship: 10:00 a.m.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 104:1-13; John 1:1-18
The Message: Incarnation Indeed, Alan Bancroft
Online Service Participants - 10:00 a.m.
Minister: Rev. Alan Bancroft
Music Director: Ed Yasick
Musical Participants: Pauline Leveille, Flute;
Vocalists: Julie Henry and Greg Czika, duet;
Julie Henry, Lori Greco, Len Clark, John Scott, quartet
Time With Our Children: Jen Pierce
Graphics: Beth Cleveland; Tech: Troy Burton and Alan Burton
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Worship will be streamed to the internet
(You do not need a Facebook account to access this link.)
(If you have Joys and Concerns, please submit them by e-mail
by Friday before the service.
We will note them to publish in the weekly Joys and Concerns update and will include them in our announcement during the service.)
CPC indoor campus meetings are suspended until further
Revised Dec. 12.
You may come by the church and take poinsettias (except the ones on the re-table) home for yourselves or for someone else to enjoy. After worship this Sunday, January 3, re-table poinsettias and those remaining may be taken.
Church Office resumes normal hours week of January 3.
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Conversations with Paul and Sarah
As our congregation continues to navigate the pandemic, we are discovering new ways to bridge our 'social distance' to connect with each other and our wider community. Welcoming a new pastor/head of staff has challenged us to develop creative introductions to Paul and Sarah, and ways to get to know them. From our September drive-through welcome party, to picnic table meet-and-greets, Zoom Bible studies, small worship gatherings, and Facebook live worship services, the Spirit of the Lord has been among us.
Thanks to the CPC Transition Team for the inspiration, and to videographer Ken Worsham and interviewer Bill Leslie for creating a series of three short conversations with the Langs to enable us to know them a little better. And of course, thanks to Paul and Sarah for sharing their stories with us!
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Online Flower Sign-up for 2021
To provide opportunities and make the flower sign-up process easier during these times of online worship services, an online sign-up has been created for 2021 services through the end of June (with the exceptions of the weeks of Lent through Easter Sunday: Feb. 21 - Apr. 4), and you may access the sign-up at this link.
Dedications may be left in the comment section of the sign-up, and dedications will be noted in E-Link as well as in the bulletin.
Persons giving flowers are responsible for arranging their delivery and/or placement. Flowers may be provided from home gardens or be sourced from a florist. Suggested florists include The Flower Cupboard (919) 467-4161) and Campbell Road Nursery (919) 854-9892.
Please know that you may come and get the flowers after the service, or you may donate them for re-distribution in the community. (See Flower Shuttle information below.)
Thank you in advance for contributing to the beauty of the Sunday Worship Service!
The Flower Shuttle of Raleigh recycles flowers from recipients and makes arrangements that are delivered to those living with sickness, terminal illness, disability who normally don't receive flowers. If you want to coordinate a donation to the Flower Shuttle,
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2021 CPC Generosity Update
Thank you to everyone who has returned a planned giving card for 2021.
If you have not made your planned giving commitment for 2021, please do so as soon as possible. Your response is important; the Budget and Finance Team and Session will be finalizing the 2021 operating budget in early January, and every member's gift does really matter. You may make your pledge online here at this link.
If you are up to date with your planned giving commitment for 2020, we thank you. If not, we graciously ask that you become current by the end of the year.
Thank you.
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Faith Formation for Children/Youth
There will be no Sunday School classes held on December 27.
Join us again on January 3 as we continue
with our 'Growing in God's Love' curriculum.
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Faith Formation for Adults
Bible and Beyond for January
On Wednesday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m., the Bible & Beyond class will begin a six-week study of the book of Esther via Zoom. The study will be based upon videos from the Living the Questions: Uppity Women of the Bible series presented by the Rev. Dr. Lisa Wolfe, Associate Professor of the Hebrew Bible at Oklahoma City University. All are welcome to join.
Join Zoom Meeting Link here
Meeting ID: 892 6939 4336
Passcode: 614614
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Women's Bible Study
Beginning Thursday, January 14, 2021 10:00 a.m. (Study length is open-ended)
Study Guide: From Widows to Warriors: Women's Stories from the Old Testament by Lynn Japinga (book is available via Amazon or other on-line bookstores. Kindle version is also available) Meeting will occur weekly with discussion on the various chapters of this book. If there are any questions please contact Audrey Sausman 919-889-9121
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Card Writers Wanted
Looking for a way to get involved at Cary Presbyterian during the pandemic?
How about signing up to write cards to members of your church family?
There are folks in our congregation who send cards to the people on our Joys and Concerns list each week. You may have received a card from one of these special people. We would love for you to be a part of the group.
This is a great way to reach out to the church family from the comfort of your own home!
Interested? Contact Camille Lambe to learn more about the Card Ministry @ llambe@outlook.com.
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Cool Books Club News
The next meeting of The Cool Books Club is planned for January 5, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. We have chosen to read Walking to Wisdom by our own beloved Rev. David Voss, who also happens to be one of the founders of our book club.
Here's where we need as much help from the congregation as we can muster. Many of our regular members have joined since David has left us, and they do not have a copy of the book. While the book is available from E-BookTime for around $15.00, many of us with limited space prefer to borrow when possible. We are accustomed to sharing within the club, but may need a little more help with this one.
If you have a copy of the book and would like to join the discussion, please contact Josetta McLaughlin at josettamclaughlin027@gmail.com so she can invite you to the meeting.
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CPC Social Justice and Racial Equity Invitation:
January 2021 Opportunities
We have just completed our waiting during Advent. Waiting for the light of the world to be born and demonstrate for each of us the meaning of God's Kingdom on Earth. We now begin a New Year fraught with COVID, political and social challenges. One of our most important challenges* is to follow Christ's unwavering guidance to bring social justice and equity for all.
In 2020 social unrest has precipitated a national American cultural reckoning around racial injustice. The acknowledgement of institutional racism (systemic advantages and disadvantages due to race) has surged, and White people are snapping up books like White Fragility and How to Be an Antiracist.
CPC's Social Justice Ministry Team and Racial Equity Team have collaborated to provide two educational opportunities designed to help us explore and understand the history of racism on both a personal and community level.
- January Personal Study and Zoom Discussion on Racism
Below you will find three instructive opportunities to pursue individually. You are invited to explore one or more:
On January 24 at 7:00 p.m., a moderated Zoom meeting will be convened for the purpose of discussing what you have learned and what we can do individually and as a faith community to improve social justice and racial equity.
- Racial Equity Institute Groundwater Approach Workshop
The second educational opportunity will be provided on Saturday, February 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon via Zoom. Racial Equity Institute organizers will lead us in a lively and participatory workshop, using stories and data to present a perspective that racism is fundamentally structural in nature.
By examining characteristics of modern-day racial inequity, the presentation introduces an analysis that most find immediately helpful and relevant. Participants consistently find this workshop deeply moving and meaningful. (Click here for more information on The Groundwater Approach.)
Half of the cost of this REI workshop ($5000) has been provided through a grant from Memorials and Endowments. The other half will need to be covered through a $25 fee for each participant (with scholarships available). Registration for this event will initially be limited to CPC members and friends. Maximum registration for the workshop is 100 participants. If all slots are not filled, registration will be opened to neighboring church communities. Additional registration information will be provided soon.
*For a personal reflection about this challenge from a CPC member, click this link.
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Fair Trade for the New Year at CPC
Thank you from the Fair Trade Team for your orders this Christmas season. We will continue to offer delivery of orders over $10.00 in the new year. Wishing you a happy, healthy 2021!
Inventory as of December 21, 2020
- Whole bean regular coffee: Mind, Body and Soul - $9.00/bag; Midnight Sun - $9.00/bag
- Ground regular coffee: Mind, Body and Soul - $9.00/bag; French Roast - $9.00/bag; Sisters Blend - $10.00/bag
- Ground Decaf coffee: Plain; Hazelnut Crème - $10.00/bag
- Tea: Irish Breakfast; Green; Peppermint; Ginger; Tea Sampler - $4.00/box or bag
- Hot Cocoa Mix: $5.00/can
- Dark Chocolate Bars: Caramel Crunch; Very Dark; Mint Crunch - a few for 3.00/each or 4.00/each
- Milk Chocolate Bars: Plain (all reduced); Caramel Crunch - $4.00/each
- 6 Chocolate minis: Dark Chocolate; Milk Chocolate; Mixed - regularly $2/bag, now 2 bags for $2
- 15 Chocolate minis: Dark Chocolate; Milk Chocolate - regularly $5/bag, now 2 bags for $5.
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CPC Cares: COVID-19 Community Assistance fund
Thank you to everyone who has donated to our CPC Cares fund this year.
We received over $24,500 in donations and made gifts of $9,400 each to Dorcas Ministries and The Carying Place, and gifts of $3,000 to A Place at the Table. Your faithful generosity towards our community is amazing and greatly appreciated. We will continue to receive gifts to the fund as long as we are dealing with COVID-19 and the aftermath. You may make a gift online via our website or by check (write 'CPC Cares' in the memo line). Thank you!
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Upcoming Classes, Meetings, and Events
Due to the open-ended nature of the current pandemic situation, upcoming scheduled classes and meetings are listed below in the bulletin and in E-link each week (in place of making website calendar changes and additions to the calendar grid). If you have group classes and meetings that should be added below, e-mail all information by noon each Thursday to office@carypresbyterian.org.
Due to community spread of COVID-19 and the State of NC regathering limits, ALL indoor group meetings at CPC are being suspended until further notice, as of December 2. Outdoor gatherings may continue as per the guidelines below for each Zone.
CPC Calendar: January 3 through January 10
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Stephen Ministry Support
is Available
Efforts at being safe and attentive in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 have caused both physical and emotional isolation for many people.
Important and helpful conversations can certainly take place via telephone and by computer (Zoom or FaceTime). CPC Stephen Ministers are congregation members who receive special training to provide confidential, one-to-one listening care to church and non-church members. Stephen Ministers are trained to be present and to listen and can be a good resource if you are feeling isolated and lonely. Other times that Stephen Ministers can be helpful are if you are experiencing grief, divorce, hospitalization, disability, job loss, fertility issues and many other struggles of transition and change.
To learn how you or someone you know can receive care, please speak with a pastor or one of our Stephen Leader Referral Coordinators, Len Clark (919) 612-4302 or Linda Oglesby (919) 270-5980.
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Send Your News and Announcements
Bulletin and e-Link announcements for an upcoming newsletter or bulletin need to be received in office email
by 12:00 noon on Wednesday prior to the first day they need to run.
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The CPC Church Directory is Online
For a link to instructions about using the directory,
If you have not accessed the directory yet, an invitation will have to be sent to you by Servant Keeper. If you need this new invitation, email office@carypresbyterian.org with your name and an invitation will be requested for you. All invitations are good for only two weeks.
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The public CPC Facebook page is a great continuing source of information about what is upcoming and what has happened at CPC. Visit it frequently for news and pictures you won't see elsewhere, and share the posts with your friends and on your own Facebook page!
Follow the links to the public page and the CPC family page below:
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CPC Church Service Podcasts
CPC Service podcasts are added weekly to Soundcloud and to the website
on this page. They appear with the most recent service at the top of the page, with the illustration from that week's bulletin as an identifier (Soundcloud page shown above).
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Did You Know?
Cary Presbyterian Church is a part of a larger family of churches comprising the New Hope Presbytery.
From Efland to the Outer Banks, spanning 33 counties, with 122 congregations representing 28,314 members, we are a Mid-Council of the Presbyterian Church (USA) serving eastern North Carolina.
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