Thursday,

January 2, 2025

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, January 5
• Winter Studies 9:30am in Classroom A
• Worship & Communion Service at 11:00am, with Ordination & Installation of Elders
• Taking down the decorations after worship

• CHANGES COMING TO OUR CHURCH NEWSLETTER!

• MESSAGE from the PASTOR



• PASTOR ON VACATION Jan 8-13

• PW BIBLE STUDY Jan. 8, 10:30am

• BOOK CLUB Jan. 14, 1:30pm



• ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING January 26 after Worship

• EARTH CARE TIP of the MONTH

• CONGRATULATIONS to PINECREST, 2024 Memphis Parents' Family Choice

• BIRTHDAYS

• CALENDAR of EVENTS

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?

• LITURGISTS & COMMUNION PREPARERS NEEDED
• 2025 BOOK CLUB PLANS

Sunday

January 5, 2025

Winter Sunday Studies

9:30am in Classroom A

start Jan.5 and go until April 13. Mark & John 1,2,3 are the chapters that will be studied. 

Leaders: Clinton Bailey, Glenda Ellis, William Warren.

at 11:00am

Scriptures: Psalm 147:12-20 & John 1:1-18

Sermon: "The Word"

Rev. Mark Howland

Can't be there in person? Join us LiveStream on YouTube!

Link to Sunday's Bulletin

Link to LiveStream Worship

Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are also still available on the 

Balmoral YouTube channel 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

to TAKE DOWN DECORATIONS!

Volunteers are needed to stay after Worship to take down the Christmas decorations. Please stay around for a few minutes to help!

 PASTOR on VACATION

January 8 through 13

Pastor Mark will be on vacation January 8-13. If you are in need of pastoral care, please contact

Pastor Elizabeth at 314-330-0506.

EXCITING CHANGES COMING TO OUR CHURCH NEWSLETTER!

This is the last WEEKLY newsletter.... but you'll be getting your news faster than ever! Beginning next Monday, 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!

The Christian understanding of God is distinct in its emphasis on the incarnation—God becoming human. This idea would have been completely foreign to the cultures surrounding the Hebrew people and even surprising within their own traditions, as it did not align with their expectations of the Messiah.

As we celebrate the second Sunday of Christmas, our worship will center on the incarnation, reflecting on John’s Gospel and the statement, "The Word became flesh." We’ll examine what "the Word" represents and consider the profound implications of God living among us as one of us.

Join me this Sunday morning as we explore these truths together in worship.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark

PW BIBLE STUDY

Wednesday, January 8

10:30am in Classroom A

Bible Study will continue our study of Let Justice Roll Down: God’s Call to Care for Neighbors and All Creation on Wednesday, January 8, at 10:30am in Classroom A.

Join us!

BOOK CLUB

Tuesday, January 14

1:30 pm

Classroom A

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.



Did you miss last week's list of the books for the 1st half of the year? See the article under Previous Articles after the photos!

ANNUAL

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

Sunday, January 26, 2025

immediately after Worship

The Session has called our Annual Congregational Meeting immediately after Worship on Sunday, January 26. The purpose of the meeting is the presentation of Annual reports from organizations and the session, Financial report from 2024, and electing of members to serve on the 2025 nominating committee

The meeting will be followed by a Soup Luncheon.

JANUARY Earth Care tip:

Use reusable water bottles - avoid plastic ones.

Frank Carney (7);

Mona Kernan (11);

Elizabeth Dick (13); Kathrine Getske (19);

Janie Pearson (21);

Janice Hill (23);

Glenda Ellis (29) 

CALENDAR of EVENTS

DID YOU MISS THESE

PREVIOUS ARTICLES?

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.

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.

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 now be emailed to the church office at balmoral@balmoralpc.com