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GOOD NEWS AND WORSHIP UPDATE
MORNING WORSHIP
Sunday, November 26, 2023 @ 11 am
"A Blessing"
Scripture reading: Numbers 6:22-27
Rev. Brandon Davis, Pastor
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both in-person and on Facebook or YouTube (click here)
Comments: We have set our YouTube channel to accept comments. If you are viewing, we ask that you say hello or to let us know you are there so we can count you as part of our attendance.
ELDER OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER - Wilsie Bishop
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SPECIAL NEWS AND INFORMATION | |
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PRAYER OF PREPARATION
– “A Psalm of Possibility,” by Rev. Gail Song Bantum
God
Creator, Hoverer
You speak and we form
You breath life and we awake
You said “it is good” and we believe
God
The Red Sea before us, shouting impossibility
They say we can’t, we shouldn’t, and we wouldn’t
Words seeded from our youth, the limits and the lies
There must be truer truths in us to confound, resist, defy
Created from nothing, said something, made everything
This God
The Lord will fight for us, so we need only to be still
Still our soul, stand out loud, trusting that God, El Roi, God who sees, bears witness to a name
At her sound, ____ leaps, demands possibility
Immanuel, God with us, for us, within us
God
You said “it was good” and we believe
You breath life and we awake
You speak and we form
Creator, Hoverer
God
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ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
The Adult Sunday School class has begin reading and discussing John Shelby Spong’s Born of a Woman which challenges the doctrine of the virgin birth, tracing its development in the early Christian church and revealing its legacy in our contemporary attitudes toward women and female sexuality. Please order a copy of the book soon; it is available online from various sources and bookstores.
The class meets in the Poteat Library at 10 am. If you wish to join the class there is always room for one more.
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NEW WALKS ANNOUNCED
Upcoming walks are planned for Wednesday, December 6th @ 11 am we will take a leisurely stroll through Founder's Park which will be decorated for the Christmas holidays. And then on Wednesday, January 17 @ 11 am the group will have another leisurely stroll through King's Commons. The group may share a lunch together afterward each walk.
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MISSION COLLECTION REQUESTS
We have begun collecting can food items and other staples for our two families from Good Sam. We only have one family as of now, but we will continue to receive can goods and other staples for their Christmas meals.
We are also collecting warm clothing items for Jeff Douds of West Main Street Christian Church to have available for distributing them various homeless persons in need. Used jackets, coats, sweaters and other clothing items are appreciated.
Can goods and used winter clothing items can be placed in the Heritage Room. We will have bins or totes available for collected items.
We will once again be sponsoring our annual Mitten Tree for other winter items of gloves, mitten, scarves, hat and socks that can be distributed to West Main Street Christian Church or to Good Sam. The Mitten Tree is in the side entry awaiting for these warm items we are seeking.
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2024 THEOLOGIAN-IN-RESIDENCE IS ANNOUNCED
Please mark your calendars for Tusculum University's 2024 Theologian-in-Residence lecture series. Note that it will take place in January this coming year on three successive Friday mornings beginning at 10 am. The series will take place in person and on ZOOM on Fridays: January 12, 19, and 26. The theme will be “Religion in Appalachia: Faith in the Mountains in the Past, Present, and Future.” The guest speaker will be Emily Morrell. Please mark your calendars for this annual event.
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FOOD, FOOD AND MORE FOOD
The Lunch Bunch / Meal Schedule for NOVEMBER
November 26 - Fellowship Thanksgiving "Lite" Potluck Lunch
We look forward to seeing what delicious treats everyone brings to our lunch.
THERE IS A WINTER SCHEDULE (December-January-February) OF ALL LUNCH BUNCH LOCATIONS POSTED ON THE BULLETIN BOARD.
IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER DINING VENUES, PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE TO ADD THEM TO OUR LUNCH ROTATION. THANKS.
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HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COMING WEEK | |
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Thursday, November 23, 2023 - THANKSGIVING DAY
Sunday, November 26, 2023
10 am Adult Sunday School reading "Born of a Woman," by John Shelby Spong
11 am Morning Worship, Rev. Brandon Davis, Pastor (in-person YouTube / Facebook)
12:15 pm Fellowship Potluck Light Lunch
Monday, November 27, 2023
6 pm Bible Study in the Conference Room
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
Sunday, December 3, 2023 - First Sunday in Advent
10 am Adult Sunday School reading "Born of a Woman," by John Shelby Spong
11 am Morning Worship, Rev. Brandon Davis, Pastor (in-person YouTube / Facebook)
12:30 pm Lunch Bunch @ Cootie Brown's Campus (1404 West State of Franklin Blvd, JC)
Monday, December 4, 2023
NO Bible Study this evening
6 pm ETSU / U-Kirk supper furnished by WAPC
Wednesday, December 5, 2023
11 am Walk / stroll @ Founder's Park / lunch afterwards
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
Thursday, December 6, 2023
10 am PW meeting at the home of Linda Brashear
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GENERAL FUND: YEAR TO DATE: | |
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[2023 Annual Budget - $ 177,600
Budget through NOVEMBER 24 Week #47 ($ 160,523)
Receipts $ 147,619.89
Disbursements -$ 148,763.73
Balance $ - 1,143.84
Please note that our financial cushion is dwindling as we approach the end of the year.
Make sure that your tithes and pledges are up-to-date. Thanks.
Please remember the 5 Cents per Meal Offering every first Sunday of the Month. The next special PC(USA) offering will
be in December for the Christmas Joy offering
God has blessed the Church with incredible leadership in every time and place, but those leaders often need to be supported by their communities as well. This Offering addresses the support needed by some of our leaders, including supporting leadership development for communities of color, and providing support for Presbyterian church workers in their time of need.
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NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
November 24 - Marsha Brandt
November 25 - Camilla Lyle
NOVEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
November 28 - Lewis & Marcia Songer (66th)
ALSO NOTE: THE 2023 FLOWER LIST IS AVAILABLE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD IN THE SIDE ENTRY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE IN REQUESTING CHANCEL FLOWERS.
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For Friends and Family
Lynn Broome; Alynda Worrell-Welch’s mother-in-law, Shelly Welch; ; the Hughes family for son-in-law Bryce Bennett, and Debi's foster mother, Janet Vencel in Ohio; George, Jo & Nikki Rolling; Camilla Lyle's brother, Jeff McFee; Jonathan Sharp; Don Loughry; Rev. Maggie Lauterer; Sarah Suptin; Kelly Hodges.; Heather Hughes; Edna Campbell.
Bryce Bennett - Caring Bridge
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brycebennett2?fbclid=IwAR0PnHlXHlkWZqwpE6j44LNwAGmT_8YZXEg9Rtj9JkGYVOzi7ucvLE6CfXg
Prayers for others
Continue to pray for the people in Ukraine as they continue their fight against the Russian Invasion. For the recent ongoing humanitarian emergency between Israel and the Palestinians of Gaza. New emergencies include: earthquake off Mindanao island, Philippines; aftermath of Hurricane Otis (Category 5) in Acapulco, Mexico; recent flooding in South Florida; flooding and landslides in the Dominican Republic; tropical cyclone Mal in Fiji and Solomon Islands. Prayers for U.S. troops and migrants seeking refuge along the southern U.S. border. And especially prayers for our nation and for strength, endurance, faith and courage for all.
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CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY - https://disasterphilanthropy.org/
UN OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA) - https://reliefweb.int/
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE - https://rescue.org
US FEMA - DECLARED DISASTERS - https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations
GLOBAL DISASTER ALERT & COORDINATION SYSTEM (GDACS) - https://gdacs.org
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I"m sure everyone recognized our Music Director, Stephen Shanks,
and our guest cellist, Annaleise Helm Jones.
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In the 14th century flea-infested rats carried the bubonic plague across western Asia and Europe, wiping out 60% of the human population. In the spring of 1918, a particularly deadly strain of avian influenza known as the Spanish flu spread across the world, killing at least 50 million people. Then in the early 20th century HIV likely jumped from primates to humans in the forests of central Africa, precipitating the global AIDS crisis that has claimed more than 32 million lives and impacted the health of another 37 million.
These three diseases sparked the worst pandemics in human history, killing more people than all the wars of the 20th century combined. And while they differ from one another in myriad ways, the have one critical thing in common: all are zoonotic diseases, meaning they originated in animals before jumping the species barrier to humans. The virus that causes COVID-19 joins a long and growing list of animal pathogens that threaten human health and prosperity. If humanity wants to improve the situation, we must rethink the link between public health and the natural world. (GSN #175)
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VIRTUAL CREATION ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK | |
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WHITE POCKET, VERMILLION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA
Amazing Places on our Planet
(June 2020 | 7:44 min.)
The White Pocket (Arizona) is a superb photographic destination about five miles due east of South Coyote Buttes (Cottonwood Trailhead). The White Pocket is part of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. It was "discovered" by photographers 15-20 years ago. The name White Pocket actually refers to two areas. On the topo map there is a tall butte about 500 feet high that can be seen from miles around. I'll refer to this butte as the White Pocket Monolith or Butte. Conversely, photographers use the term White Pocket to refer to the area of white and coral colored cauliflower (aka brain) rock to the east of the White Pocket Butte.
This remote and unspoiled 280,000-acre Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is a geologic treasure with some of the most spectacular trails and views in the world. The monument contains many diverse landscapes, including the Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes, and Paria Canyon. The monument borders Kaibab National Forest to the west and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the east. The monument includes the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Elevations range from 3,100 to 7,100 feet. The monument is also home to a growing number of endangered California condors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_kOBK2ZsIE&t=3s
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IN THE POTEAT LIBRARY
Please remember the library is open by appointment and 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.
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The Gnostic Gospels
By Elaine Pagels
(273/PAG)
The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time.
In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today.
With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message.
Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.
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Congregational Concerns / Prayer Requests - Please contact the church office or Sherry Bailey with information.
Flower List - The 2023 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 $65 each.
e-Avenue deadline - Please submit information to church office (office@wataugapc.org or 926-7942) at any time and for the December issue of the e-AVENUE, no later than Friday, November 17th. This includes team and committee meetings, news, planned events and other newsworthy items.
Facebook - Please remember to friend and follow our Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/Watauga-Avenue-Presbyterian-Church-94712920937/ ]. All news and events will be reported there.
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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WATAUGA AVENUE PC IS ON .. click and see for yourself. | | |
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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.) | | | | |
