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For Friday, September 8, 2017
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 WFPC Officers' Column
Matters of Life and Death. If you think about it, everything is a matter of life and death. Those are the only two states of being that are possible in our physical form while we are here on the earth. Our promise through Jesus is that we will continue in a state of spiritual life after our body's physical death.
As a church family and as individual families, we have recently experienced the physical deaths of several of God's children that are dear to our hearts. No matter the promise, we are sad to experience the loss of contact with our loved ones. We do celebrate their lives in remembrance; we rejoice in their eternal life and the end of their suffering, but this is still so very hard.
My father-in-law has recently experienced a stroke and is fairly incapacitated. As in many families, my in-laws have not prepared one single document to provide direction on their wishes. For our family, this has meant sadness, suffering, guilt, and confusion. While we often see this process as a process of death, it really is an extension of the process of life. It is an individual communicating how they would like to experience the end of their life here on earth as they transition to a new life in heaven.
So why do we avoid preparing or even discussing these topics with our families? We need to see this opportunity as a gift. It is a gift because those of us who remain here can be sure we are honoring the loved one's life choices. It is a gift because during our time of grief, it is one less thing to worry about. It is a gift because the loved one can rest in peace that the burden on the family members they love is lessened. It is a gift of love. It is a conversation about the love we have for each other.
This gift goes both ways. Later in life, many have prepared this gift for their children and grandchildren. But have you considered that if you leave this earthly life first, it would be such a gift to your parents to be prepared? That means anyone and everyone who is 18 years and older.
We often wish we could say just one last thing to the person we have lost or the one we have left behind. It is heartbreaking. Let your last messages be communicated. It is a remarkable gift.
Well, I'm full of advice, but have I fully prepared? No - well maybe a little bit, but that's not good enough. Sad, but true. I feel like I have been selfish by ensuring a burden will fall on my loved ones by default. Don't I want to make it easier for them if something happens to me, which is inevitable? Sure, I do. I don't want to look down from above and see that my loved ones are struggling with decisions I could have easily made.
So please consider joining me in the Wednesday night class that begins next week: Living With Grace, Dying With Dignity (Making and Sharing End-of-Life Decisions.) I have had the honor of working with the amazing group of people putting this class together. They are passionate, they are loving, and they want to give this gift to you and your families.
I will leave you on a happy note - sort of! My father-in-law always says that the only things for sure in life are death and taxes. He might be right. We all make sure to prepare our taxes every year!
Let's cherish the opportunity to show our profound love to our families and begin communicating how we would like to complete this part of our journey in the most meaningful way!
With much love,
Leslie Olmo
Deacon for Branch Ministry
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Tell Me More!
Are you interested in learning more about WFPC, our ministries and missions, and possibly considering membership? Then please join us for the next Tell Me More class which will be held from 10 to 11 AM for four Sundays, September 17 through October 8, in Blue Modular, Room 2. Contact Sandy Christos,
[email protected] or Marla Seymour,
[email protected] for more information.
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Congregational Meeting
There will be a Congregational Meeting on Sunday, September 17, at the end of the 11:15 worship service. We will hear a report from the Officer Nominating Team and vote on nominees to fill upcoming elder and deacon vacancies.
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JOY Group Begins Again
The JOY Group will meet Friday, September 8. We will gather in the CLC at 6:15 and enjoy our potluck dinner at 6:30. Please contact Ann and Emory Butcher at
[email protected] or 919-435-7170 with your RSVP and covered dish offering. Following dinner, our program will be "Ascension Island: From Napoleon to the Space Age."
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Chick Flicks Update
There will be no Chick Flicks in September, but please plan to join us starting in October for fellowship, food, and a feature film on the third Friday of each month. We'll meet on October 20 to watch "St. Vincent." For more information or to be put on our distribution list, contact Trish Floyd (
[email protected]) or Diane Terrell (
[email protected]).
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2017 WFPC Annual Mission and Outreach Golf Outing
When: Saturday, October 7, 2017
Where: Wendell Country Club
Time: 1:00 PM
Cost: $50.00 per player (includes dinner)
Hole Sponsorships: $100.00
Contact: Kevin Sharpe: [email protected]
Come out and enjoy some golf and fellowship at WFPC's annual Mission and Outreach Golf Tournament. All proceeds from this tournament will go towards
supporting the mission ministries of WFPC, as well as any non-budgeted opportunities that may come our way. So, we need lots of golfers and sponsors!
This is a great opportunity to invite your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers to come and see what we do to support our local community and beyond.
Signups sheets are available at church or you can contact the tournament coordinators above to get on the list or to sign up a team. There will be prizes and, of course, our traditional end of golf dinner prepared by our own chefs: Larry and Robin Roper. If you don't golf, please consider a hole sponsorship. All checks should be made out to "WFPC" with "M&O Golf Outing" on the memo line.
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Walk Through Bethlehem
Work Day Tomorrow, September 9
Believe it or not, it is about 12 weeks until one of our biggest gifts to the community, Walk Through Bethlehem! Unfortunately, the set has been ravaged by the wind and rain of the past year. We are planning to work from 8 AM to noon on Saturday, September 9, but with many hands we should finish earlier. Ladders, saws, and screw guns will help. Please contact Jim Wills ( [email protected]) or Wayne Moore ( [email protected]) with any questions.
Calling for Cast and Crew Members!
The Walk Through Bethlehem leadership team has been busy setting the stage for this year's program. The dates are December 1, 2 and 3; 6-9 pm on Friday and 5-8 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Sign-ups have begun, and excitement is building. We are looking forward to another great year and are praying for good weather. We are doing a few things differently this year that we wanted to let you know about. Sign-ups will continue on
SignUp Genius, but we also have a brick and mortar presence on the bulletin board across from the youth room on the second floor of the CLC. The print and online sign-ups are synced frequently, so you can sign up either place. As always, contact Kathy Drake with questions about volunteering at 919-570-1100 or
[email protected].
There will be a rehearsal on November 29 at 7 pm in the CLC, but you will also be able to select a costume at various designated times in Room B103 in the CLC during the two weeks preceding the program. Hopefully, this will alleviate some of the chaos on opening night.
We have moved the start time on Saturday to 5:00 pm to accommodate families and, hopefully, get us out earlier on Saturday; this will require our Saturday volunteers to be at the church by 4:00. We also want to see if we can find a man to play the Angel 1 part and have divided that part into two shifts to make it a little less burdensome. We added back the guide from the manger to the cross last year, which got so much great feedback that we are keeping that in this year, and are looking for a special person to play that role.
Thank you so much for your support of this wonderful program year after year. We look forward to another wonderful year!
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Wednesday Night Dinner Menu
for September 13
parmesan encrusted chicken
cheesy mashed potatoes
salad
garlic parmesan rolls
strawberry shortcake
The cost is $5/adult and $3/child. Please make your reservation by Sunday evening by emailing Dean Tryon at
[email protected].
Click here for a complete list of Wednesday Nights Together offerings.
Click here for the entire winter/spring menu.
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Mission and Service
CROP Hunger Walk
Do you feel called to be the hands and feet of Christ? What have your feet done lately? CROP Hunger Walk - September 24 - Walk, Give, Change the World!
Sign up here!
Buddy Run September 16
Register online here. Remember to bring a food item for the race weekend food drive. While you are running, the donated food will be organized and divided to be used immediately to feed our local children through BackPack Buddies. Along with the 5K, there will be a mile walk/run and an itty-bitty dash for kids ages 5 and under.
We begin right in front of Discovery Point on Thompson Glenn in Heritage Wake Forest. Run on Saturday, and wear your dog tags from the race to church on Sunday!
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Body & Soul Ministry
Living with Grace, Dying with Dignity
(Making and Sharing End-of-Life Decisions)
The Body and Soul Ministry team would like to thank those of you for signing up for our "Living with Grace, Dying with Dignity: Making and Sharing End-of-Life Decisions" ten-week class, which will begin on Wednesday, September 13, from 6:30-7:30 PM. We wanted to let you know that if you were not able to sign up for the class on Exploration Sunday, you still have multiple opportunities to do so. The sign-up sheet and class schedule will be available in the Narthex on Sunday, September 10, in the Narthex both before and after the 11:15 AM service in the sanctuary. Additionally, you may reach out to Kevin Meese at
[email protected] to sign-up for the class. Your sign-up is requested so that we know how many booklets to prepare for our class as we look forward to beginning these conversations with you in an effort to make end-of-life planning discussions easier for everyone.
Caregiver Resources
- Dementia Education Programming Series - Thursday, September 21, 9:30 am - 10:30 am, Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St, Wake Forest. Registration is required. Click here to register, or call 919-435-9458
- Information on Being a Caregiver - Click here for access to articles, a newsletter, and other resources for caregivers, regardless of the diagnosis of the person for whom you are caring.
- "OK Now What? A Caregiver's Guide to What Matters" written by Sue Collins, RN, and Nancy Taylor Robson. The book deals with focusing on what really matters "while taking care of the business of living at the end of life." For further description, click here. Available through AARP and on Amazon.
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His Kids News
CLUB 4/5
(for 4th and 5th graders) will be kicking off the new year with a party at Joyner Park on Sunday, October 1. More info will follow.
~Katherine Peiper, Director of Children, Families and Youth Ministries |
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Youth News
THE YOUTH KICK-OFF AND POTLUCK DINNER will be on September 10 from 5:30-7:30 PM. All 6th-12th graders and their families are invited to attend! Come see what we have to offer, and find out where you can get involved. We will share the schedule for the year and detail on all our trips. Please bring a main dish and a side dish/dessert to share. Advisors, please bring a main dish and a drink to share. Contact Janet at [email protected] for more information.
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WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ARE COMING BACK! Starting September 13, come spend Wednesday evenings with us! Enjoy dinner with our church family and then hang out with youth from 6:30-7:30. Middle School girls, God's Girls is back for you! All Middle and High School youth are invited to join Movies and Mission, where we'll focus on building relationships with those we are helping. God's Girls will meet in Green Mod, Room 3; Movies and Mission will meet in the Youth Room.
~Janet Briley, Assistant Director of Youth Ministries | [email protected]
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| September 10 Scripture, Sermon and Music
Our Scriptur will be Psalm 27:13-14 and Matthew 13:24-30. Pastor Rebekah Maul will share her sermon, "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There."
Click here
to check out our Music Ministry's selections.
Summer Worship Schedule ~ July 2 through September 3
9:00 Intergenerational Discipleship Hour in the CLC
10:15 Worship in the sanctuary
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2017 Annual Budget
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$883,212.00
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Year-to-date Budgeted (August)
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$578,808.00
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Year-to-date Actual (August)
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$561,957.53
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Year-to-date
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$$16.850.46
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September Budget
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$72,351.00 |
| September Tithes and Offerings (thru 9/3/17) |
$10,523.50 |
| September 3, 2017 |
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| Tithes and Offerings |
$10,523.50 |
| Designated Gifts |
$1,219.70 |
| Debt Elimination Gifts |
$1,215.00 |
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Sunday School Attendance
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30
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| 10:15 Attendance |
213 |
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Debt Elimination Monthly Budget
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$8,000.00
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| Debt Elimination Received (thru 8/27/17) |
$2,790.00 |
...all shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
Deuteronomy 16:17
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WFPC Calendar Highlights
Saturday, September 9
7:00 AM |
CLC Youth Room | Iron Sharpens Iron
8:00 AM |
WTB Set | Walk Through Bethlehem Workday
Sunday, September 10
9:00 AM |
Sanctuary | Contemporary Worship
10:00 AM |
CLC | Promotion Sunday Breakfast
11:15 AM |
Sanctuary | Traditional
5:30 PM |
CLC | Youth Potluck and Kick-Off
Monday, September 11
6:00 PM |
CLC | FaithFit
7:00 PM |
Campus Wide | Boy Scouts
7:00 PM |
Music Room | Covenant Leader Training
5:00 PM | Off Campus | HOPE Tutoring
6:30 PM |
CLC
| Praise Team Rehearsal
7:00 PM | CLC B104 | WOW Bible Study
7:00 PM | Blue Mod | Stephen Ministry
Wednesday, September 13
9:30 AM | CLC B104 | Mornings With Christ
5:30 PM | CLC | Wednesday Night Dinner
7:00 PM | Sanctuary | Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, September 14
10:00 AM | CLC Youth Room | Morning Glory Circle
6:00 PM | CLC | FaithFit
7:00 PM | CLC | Ministry Team Night
Friday, September 15
6:15 AM | CLC | Friday Morning Men's Bible Study
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Wake Forest Presbyterian Church
12605 Capital Blvd
Wake Forest, NC 27587
919-556-7777
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