Thursday,

December 19, 2024

OUR MISSION: We are an open community who believes God is love

and who lives our belief through praise and service.

mailing address:  Balmoral Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 17309, Memphis, TN 38187

Church Office Hours: Mon - Thur, 10:00am- 3:00pm

WEBSITE: www.balmoralpc.com

THIS WEEK:

• SUNDAY, December 22: 4th Sunday of Advent
• Worship Service at 11:00am
• Sandwich-Making Project after worship

• CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE 5:00pm

• BPC OFFICE CLOSINGS for the HOLIDAYS

• EXCITING CHANGES COMING TO OUR CHURCH NEWSLETTER!

• MESSAGE from the PASTOR

• SPECIAL OFFERINGS for the CHRISTMAS SEASON:
• JOY GIFT OFFERING
• FILL the ADVENT TREE
• "UNDIES" TREE

• RECEPTION for LEIZA COLLINS
• Thank you from Leiza

• WINTER STUDIES BEGIN Sunday, Jan 5

• 2025 BOOK CLUB PLANS

• WE GET a THANK YOU

• EARTH CARE TIP of the MONTH

• NEWS from the PC(USA)
• 'Belonging to Jesus the Christ in every generation and circumstance'

• BIRTHDAYS

• CALENDAR of EVENTS

• BPC Photos
• Worship Photos
• BPC delivers Meals-on-Wheels

Links to ONGOING

Information

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

DONATIONS

• BRING FOOD for the FOOD CART
• JOHNSON AUXILIARY ITEMS NEEDED
• RECYCLE YOUR TOOTHBRUSHES

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

• SIGN UP to be a WORSHIP LITURGIST!
• SIGN-UP to BRING COFFEE HOUR SNACKS!
• GIVE OUT HOSPITALITY BAGS
• MAKE SANDWICHES and/or SERVE LUNCH at the SOUP KITCHEN @ 1st PRES
• DISTRIBUTE FOOD at COLONIAL PARK

Did you miss these previous articles?

• BRING CHRISTMAS GOODIES for the COFFEE-TIME SNACKS!
• LITURGISTS & COMMUNION PREPARERS NEEDED

Sunday

4th Sunday of Advent

December 22, 2024

at 11:00am

Scriptures: Micah 5:2-5a & Luke 2:8-20

Reflection: "When God Shows Up"

Rev. Mark Howland

(NO SUNDAY STUDIES: Winter Studies will resume January 5th.)

Can't attend Worship in person? Join us on YouTube LIVE!

Link to Sunday's Bulletin

Link to Sunday's Worship on YouTube

Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are also still available on the 

Balmoral YouTube channel 

JOIN US after WORSHIP for the SANDWICH-MAKING PROJECT!

12:00 in Classroom A

Join us as we share scriptures and favorite carols in our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service.

 Come early for music of the season (and to get a good seat!)

CHRISTMAS EVE BULLETIN

Link to CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE

HOLIDAY OFFICE CLOSINGS



The church office will be closed on December 25 and January 1 but if there is an emergency, please contact Pastor Mark.

This month in worship, we've been exploring a powerful truth: God specializes in the unexpected. God often chooses people and places that defy human logic. The individuals God works through might not pass our approval process. The locations God selects might seem insignificant. And yet, in these unlikely situations, God's presence shines through.

In the story of Jesus's birth, we meet individuals who might not make it into the narrative if we were writing it ourselves. The circumstances surrounding Jesus's arrival—so humble and unassuming—don't align with our typical expectations for someone destined to transform the world. From a human perspective, none of it seems fitting for a king, a savior, or the Son of God.

However, when we look at the broader story of God’s interaction with humanity, a pattern emerges. God consistently reveals divine presence in unexpected times and places. In this portion of the story, God appears in fields where shepherds are tending sheep, in a humble cave used as an animal shelter, and in the midst of a peasant family.

Whenever God shows up, transformation follows. Lives are forever changed, and the world is never the same.

Take a moment to reflect: Where has God shown up in your life? How has that encounter shaped your journey? Join us this Sunday as we delve into these questions together in worship.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark

EXCITING CHANGES COMING TO OUR CHURCH NEWSLETTER!

Starting January 6, we’re introducing a fresh approach to staying connected with our church family. Instead of a single weekly newsletter, we will now be sending daily weekday emails, each focusing on a specific area of church life. These themed emails will provide timely updates, inspiration, and insights tailored to our congregation’s diverse interests and needs.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Monday: Upcoming Events at Balmoral PC – Stay informed about what’s happening at our church in the week ahead.

• Tuesday: Prayer – A space for reflection, scripture, and sharing prayer requests.

• Wednesday: Serving Beyond Our Walls – Updates on mission work and opportunities to make a difference in our community and beyond.

• Thursday: News from Balmoral PC – Stories, updates, and announcements from within our church family.

• Friday: Pastor’s Article – Thoughtful insights and messages from our pastor to inspire and guide us.

We’re excited about this change and believe it will help us stay more engaged and informed throughout the week.

As part of this transition, the church office will now be handling all newsletter articles and information submissions. This change comes as we bid farewell to Kathy Singleton in her role as newsletter coordinator. Kathy has been a cornerstone of our communication efforts for many years, and we’re immensely grateful for her dedication and service. Please join us in thanking Kathy for her faithful work and wishing her all the best in this new chapter of her life.

If you have announcements, articles, or other information to share, please send them to the church office at balmoral@balmoralpc.com.



Thank you for your support as we step into this new format. We’re looking forward to connecting with you every weekday!

Each year during the Advent and Christmas season, we lift up past, present, and our future leaders of the church. 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.

When we all give a little, we help a lot!

FILL the ADVENT TREE!

It's time to fill up our Advent Tree with our donations. This year we have 2 projects to fill the tree:

• Gently used clothing for the Clothes Closet at 1st Pres: Especially needed are men’s pants, belts, shoes, jackets and sweatshirts. 
• For the food pantry, there is a special need for evaporated milk, saltines, soup and spaghetti sauce. Always needed are corn, green beans, canned beans and peanut butter.

"Undie" Tree

Instead of having a mitten tree, we are having an “undie” tree this year. The First Presbyterian’s Clothes Closet is in GREAT NEED for NEW, UNUSED underwear (eg packages of undershirts, socks, briefs, boxers for men and panties and sports bras for women). Large is the most desirable size.

Leiza Collins will be retiring as our pianist this Sunday, December 22

A LOVELY RECEPTION

in HONOR of

LEIZA COLLINS

Thank you, Leiza - we will miss you!

Dear Balmoral family,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I am deeply humbled and extremely grateful for the beautiful reception last Sunday! I will cherish the lovely prayer shawl, and cannot wait to hang the beautiful painting in my home! The generous gift card is deeply appreciated.

It has been an absolute gift and a privilege to share my music with Balmoral these past 11 1/2 years. I definitely had great choir directors and great singers to work alongside! The most marvelous part has been to be able to both work and worship in the same place.

Balmoral is full of beautiful hearts, and your love and appreciation certainly fill my heart! I am deeply blessed! Merry Christmas🎄

With love,

Leiza Collins

Winter Sunday Studies

will start Jan.5 and go until April 13. Mark, John 1,2,3 are the chapters that will be studied. The leaders are Clinton Bailey, Glenda Ellis, William and Linda Warren.

If your New Year's Resolutions include reading more good books, the Book Club is here to help! Here are the books and leaders Book Club has selected for the next five months. Typically, we meet the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 1:30 p.m. Locations vary, but we will keep you informed. What happens at Book Club? We discuss the books, have lots of fun and enjoy refreshments. If any of these titles interest you, please join us!

Tuesday, Jan. 14: The Story of Arthur Truluv, by Elizabeth Berg, a beautiful and moving novel of compassion in the face of loss, of the small acts that turn friends into family, and of the possibilities to achieve happiness at any age. Led by Beverly Hooker.

Tuesday, Feb. 11: Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking Civil War-era thoroughbred Lexington, the people who cared for him, the artists who painted him, and the scientists who study his bones. Moving from the southern racing world of the 1850s to the New York art scene in the 1950s and into the labs of the present-day Smithsonian, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism. Led by Janice Hill.

Tuesday, March 11: The Comfort of Crows, A Backyard Year, by Margaret Renkl. Renkl who lives in Nashville, chronicles the activities of birds and other wildlife in and around her own backyard over a year. Ann Patchett called it “A howling love song to the world,” and NPR described it as “fuel to restore spirits in dealing with ecological grief.” Led by Jane Schneider.

Tuesday, April 1 (note one week earlier than usual date): These Precious Days, by Ann Patchett. These Precious Days is a book of essays in which the best selling author, who lives in Nashville, reflects on home, family, friendships and writing.  Good Reads calls the essays “engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. . . providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew.” Led by Fran Addicott.

Tuesday, May 13: James, by Purcival Everet. Recent winner of the 2024 National Book Award, the Kirkus Award and the Booker Prize, James is a retelling of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn by none other than Jim, the escaped slave. Most of the story’s adventures are the same as in the original, but with an entirely fresh perspective that is both haunting and humorous. Led by Robin Ashworth.

from the

DECEMBER Earth Care tip:

Use cloth napkins and towels instead of paper.

NEWS from the PC(USA)



USE the BUTTON HERE FOR MORE NEWS from PC(USA) :

FOR DECEMBER:

Kay Dawson (21);

Carol Mitchell (23);

Mary Nell Easum (29); Janice Carney (30) 

CALENDAR of EVENTS

REGULARLY SCHEDULED EVENTS

Want to know what days certain groups or events meet? Or what groups may not meet during the Summer? Check out the current regular events calendar! Click the picture here -->

UPCOMING EVENTS

Choir and Musicians

Diane Baker

Lighting the Advent Wreath

Rev. Mark Howland

READERS

FROM the MEALS-ON-WHEELS NEWSLETTER

Carol Rakestraw and Janice Hill delivering meals

DID YOU MISS THIS

PREVIOUS ARTICLE?

LITURGISTS &

COMMUNION PREPARERS NEEDED

The Worship Team invites you to participate in the worship services of our congregation in two ways. The first is to sign up to be a liturgist. The second is to sign up to set up the communion elements for a Sunday when we are celebrating Holy Communion. Both sign-ups are available by going to the church website at balmoral@balmoralpc.com.

MAKING

CHRISTMAS GOODIES?

Bring some for the Coffee-time snacks!

Sign up in the Narthex.

CONTACT INFORMATION



Pastor Contact: Rev. Mark Howland

(515-988-5183 or email pastormark@balmoralpc.com)

Pastoral Care: Rev. Elizabeth Dick, Pastor Associate

(314.330.0506 or email elizabethdick2@gmail.com)    

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES!

FOOD CART

Bring items for the Food Cart weekly - keep the cart full!

JOHNSON AUXILIARY

Items needed at Region One for patients and their families.

RECYCLING

Toothbrushes, Toothpaste tubes etc can be recycled. Cardboard recycling is also available

SUNDAY LITURGIST

Sign up to join Mark at the podium as a Liturgist

SIGN-UP to BRING COFFEE_TIME SNACKS

For goodies with your coffee.

SUPPORT the HOSPITALITY BAGS PROGRAM

Make donations and/or pass out bags to those in need

VOLUNTEER for the SOUP KITCHEN

Make sandwiches and/or serve lunch at 1st Presbyterian

PASS OUT FOOD at COLONIAL PARK

Food from the MidSouth Food Bank distribution location

• Newsletter Articles & Photos should be emailed to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net no later than end of day Monday for the week you want the article in the news.
• Bulletin Announcements should be emailed to Kathy Singleton, no later than Monday the week before the Sunday you want the information to appear.