Balmoral Presbyterian Church  Where the Spirit Takes Flight   BPC NEWS BRIEF Wednesday, November 24, 2021

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

NEWS THIS WEEK WORSHIP for the 1st SUNDAY of ADVENT November 28, with TRANSITIONAL PASTOR REV. MARY NEWBERG GALE ADVENT SUNDAY STUDIES PASTOR on CALL through Nov.27 WEAR YOUR NAME TAG! CONTACT LIST INFO ADVENT TREE is COLLECTING CLOTHES PW BIBLE STUDY NEWS December Meeting Dec 1 Christmas Luncheon Sat. Dec 4 BOOK CLUB Dec. 14 PINECREST CINNAMON ROLLS AVAILABLE to ORDER! BPC Photos Worship November 21 BPC Honors Rev. Carla on her Retirement

WEEKLY INFORMATION Birthdays Calendar of Events OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT INFORMATION HELPFUL COVID-19 LINKS LINKS to DOCUMENTS REMINDERS: CHANGES to WORSHIP IN-PERSON POLICIES & PROCEDURES BPC CLASSROOMS NOW OPEN! ADVENT DEVOTIONAL available from PRESBYTERIAN TODAY Need Friendship Bread Starter? Do You Have Friendship Bread to Share?

WORSHIP 1st SUNDAY of ADVENT Balmoral Presbyterian Church Sunday, November 28, 2021                                    BALMORAL WORSHIP 11:00am  IN BPC's SANCTUARY Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 & Luke 21: 25-26 Sermon: "Homesick"

We Welcome BPC's Transitional Pastor, The Rev. Mary Newberg Gale!

REMINDERS EVERYONE IS REQUIRED to WEAR MASKS, whether vaccinated or not, and is asked to keep Social Distancing. The congregation will also not be Passing the Peace or singing. SEE BELOW for POLICIES and PROCEDURES. You will also receive our regular worship email, with the bulletin and link for livestream worship, if you plan to worship at home.

CIRCLE of FAITH WORSHIP at 8:30am IN BPC's Fellowship Hall Everyone is also invited to join the Circle of Faith's return to In-Person worship service! To enter the building, use Office door to the Fellowship Hall.

Advent Sunday Studies 9:30-10:30 am in Classroom A

The Art of Advent

The Adult Sunday Studies, beginning November 28th through December 12th, will focus on the Art of Advent led by Glenda Ellis.   Works of art, some by famous artists and some not so famous ones will help us “see” the story of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that came to us through the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come with eyes of a child as we explore, question and perhaps “see” and gain new understandings of this blessed time.  Book purchases and preparation are not required.  Come, join us and let art open your eyes and hearts to see the story of Advent.

Class meets in person. REMINDERS: All participants must be masked at all times!

NOTE: We will NOT be able to broadcast this week on YouTube online worship. JOIN US AGAIN on YouTube on Sunday, December 5th!

We will still send an email on FRIDAY with the Sunday Worship Guide.  Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are still available on the  Balmoral YouTube channel  AND you may want to join Idlewild's Live Stream at https://livestream.com/idlewild at 11:00am

Rev. Elizabeth Dick will be the Pastor on Call from Sunday, November 21, through Saturday November 27. You can reach Elizabeth at 314.330.0506 elizabethdick2@gmail.com

WEAR YOUR NAME TAGS! In order for Rev. Gale to get to know everyone, please be sure to wear your Name Tag! LOST NAME TAG? Get a new one! Send an email to the church office at balmoral@balmoralpc.com to get a new one! We also have lanyards available to use instead of clipping it on clothes - just email us and ask for one.

CONTACT NOTES

REV. MARY GALE has a new BPC email address ! Contact her at mngale@balmoralpc.com Her cell phone number is 913-481-7427

Carla has a NEW email! As Rev. Carla Meisterman has retired, her Balmoral email (carlam@balmoralpc.com) is no longer active. To email Carla, use RevCarMeisterman@gmail.com & be sure to change it in your Contacts!

Need a new BPC Directory? Email Kathy SIngleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net

THE ADVENT TREE is BACK!

LAST YEAR WE FILLED THE TREE WITH FOOD THIS YEAR WE NEED TO FILL IT WITH CLOTHES!

Since the Food Bank is still not collecting gifts of can goods, we will be collecting items of clothing for the Clothes Closet at First Presbyterian instead! Below is a list of items that are in need. Bring your donations and add them to the Advent Tree from this Sunday, November 28, through Sunday, December 28. We will accumulate during Advent and then take all of the donated items to 1st Presbyterian. WHAT to BRING: New socks New undies New or Used items: Mens’s casual pants (sweats, khakis, jeans) really need 30-34 Women’s pants as well. All sizes Long sleeve Ts Hoodies Jackets Tennis shoes Gloves Blankets Sleeping bags

BIBLE STUDY

PW BIBLE STUDY will meet in classroom A on Wednesday, December 1 at 10:30 for our regular December meeting.

Then on Saturday, December 11, the group will have their Christmas Party at the Memphis Botanic Gardens at the restaurant, Fratellis, at 12:00 for lunch. (There will be no exchange of gifts this year.)

BOOK CLUB CHRISTMAS POTLUCK

THE BOOK CLUB MEETING for DECEMBER will meet at the home of Doryanna Nikiforova, 6908 Silver Maple Cove, on Tuesday, December 14, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Please bring a dish to share, as well as a favorite poem to read and any suggestions for books we can read in 2022. (NOTE: Everyone attending must be vaccinated.)

GREAT CINNAMON ROLL OUT

FROM

last year, we made about 3,400 rolls! $15/pan 1-9 pans $13/pan 10+ pans frozen and ready for gifting ORDER BY DECEMBER 3 PICK UP DECEMBER 11 in E Mphs or 12/13-17 at Pinecrest Better order yours TODAY! EMAIL YOUR ORDER to amanda@camppinecrest.org?subject=cinnamon%20rolls or call 901.878.1247

Advent/Christmas Devotional from Presbyterians Today Presbyterians Today November 1, 2021

Come to Bethlehem and Be Nourished: Advent’s Hunger Gives Way to Christmas Fulfillment By Donna Frischknecht Jackson | Editor of Presbyterians Today The 2021 Advent and Christmas Devotional from Presbyterians Today  is now available online and for downloading/printing at pcusa.org/2021advent

Bread is a key theme for this year’s online devotional, which will continue beyond the four weeks of Advent through the 12 Days of Christmas and end on Epiphany, Jan. 6. This year’s devotional invites you to be part of building a tighter-knit community right where you are. Share the devotional with friends and family. Read and reflect together as a small group meeting over Zoom or in person. You are also encouraged to bake bread and share the loaves as gifts with others. Each Friday in Advent, a bread recipe will be offered. Make more than one loaf so that you can share one and keep the other to be part of your Sunday Advent practice of having a simple meal as you light the candles around the Advent wreath. You can enjoy the bread as you light the Advent candles as part of your breakfast or later in the day for supper. For either meal, keep it simple: bread, butter and jam for breakfast; bread and soup for dinner. Advent was originally embraced as a winter Lent, so having simple meals during a season of holiday feasting will make a wonderful spiritual practice.

A VIDEO PREVIEW of Come to Bethlehem and Be Nourished:

For more preview information, read more in the Presbyterians Today article HERE The Devotional is NOW AVAILABLE at pcusa.org/2021advent

ANYONE NEED FRIENDSHIP BREAD STARTER? In this Advent Devotional, readers are encouraged to make and share Amish Friendship Bread, which is made from a yeast starter similar to (but quite different than!) sourdough. The starter is used for breads, cakes, pancakes (our family's favorite!), and so on and then "fed" periodically to make more starter. In this devotional, instructions are given for creating a NEW starter. But people have been keeping THEIR starter nourished for years. AND SHARING IT with friends & family. We have some to share! Contact Kathy Singleton (ksingle2@bellsouth.net) if you would like some!

Do You Have Friendship Bread Starter available to SHARE? Nancy Berry kept and shared her Friendship Bread starter for many years, and I'm sure some of you may have received and nourished it over the years. If you still have some to share, contact Kathy Singleton (ksingle2@bellsouth.net)

CLASSROOMS A & B NOW OPEN!

The Session of Balmoral Presbyterian Church has approved the following motion from the BPC COVID-19 Task Force to: Make Classrooms A and B available for meetings. Maximum occupancy will be determined and posted at the classroom entrances. Masks and 4 feet social distancing required. Allow AA and Al-Anon to meet in a classroom, provided that all who attend are fully vaccinated, wear masks and observe social distancing of at least 4 feet. Group leaders must certify that all attendees are fully vaccinated. Permit Memphis Men of Harmony to rehearse in the Fellowship Area on Tuesdays, no earlier than 6:30 p.m. for the safety of the SEED children. Masks required. Permit a choir of 12 masked singers, plus director, through the end of 2021, provided they are 4 feet socially distanced. Permits the Session to meet in person in Classroom A or the Sanctuary, masked and socially distanced, on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Classroom A now has 15 chairs along the walls and 8 chairs at the table. The chairs at the table are socially distanced from the wall chairs, so we could fit 23 people in that classroom, although that might not be conducive to most meetings. Classroom B has 15 chairs along the walls, with no table(s). Please note that the chairs are NOT TO BE MOVED in order to preserve adequate social distancing.   Task Force leaders, Committee Chairs, Committee Teams and Small Groups may now contact Barry Dotson, our Building Use Coordinator, at barry.dotson@yahoo.com to schedule events in the building.

SUNDAY STUDIES will be using Classroom A on Sunday mornings at 9:30am. TROUBLE I'VE SEEN small group has begun meeting in person again! We'll meet, masked & socially distanced, in Classroom A on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7pm.

CURRENT WORSHIP PROCEDURES

Due to New CDC Recommendations regarding the Delta Variant the following will be observed: Masks will be worn in the building at all times Social Distancing of 6 feet will be observed at all times; please avoid close contact with others, such as hugging or shaking hands. Greet each other with elbow bumps instead! Passing of the Peace is eliminated from the worship service Pastor will be masked at all times except at the pulpit when she is preaching and leading worship Choral leaders will be masked at all times except when they sing or lead liturgy Musicians will be masked at all times, except those who play brass or wind instruments The congregation will not sing

PLEASE, FOR THE SAFETY OF YOURSELF, ALL THOSE YOU LOVE AND CARE FOR, UNVACCINATED CHILDREN, AND PEOPLE WHO WILL COME INTO CONTACT WITH PEOPLE YOU COME INTO CONTACT WITH: Anyone who is experiencing symptoms of illness (EG: sinus infection; flu like symptoms; sore throat; fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea) should consider contacting your Healthcare Provider and let them know you may have been exposed to a breakthrough case of COVID-19 to a fully vaccinated person. PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE CHURCH IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS Thank you for continuing to observe the ever-changing policies as we navigate the pandemic together. To contact the Chair of the BPC COVID-19 Task Force: Scott Hill - signed text: 901.277.9794 email: hill8910@bellsouth.net

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO OR HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH COVID ·        Contact: The Reverend Elizabeth Dick 314.330.0506 or elizabethdick2@gmail.com ·        Let Elizabeth know when you were last in church ·        Give permission for notification to the congregation ·        Get Tested, if you have not already been ·        Contact any person or persons you have been with and follow with your doctor's and/or the Health Department's advice.

Ian Mercer (4), Cliff Gurlen (6), Ted Pearson (7), Richard Vosburg (9), Jerry Francisco (18), Kay Dawson (21), Carol Mitchell (23), Carla Meisterman (27), Mary Nell Easum (29), Stephanie Brigman (30), Janice Carney (30)

Every Monday 2:00pm Writer's Group CLASSROOM A and/or on Zoom  JOIN MONDAY'S WRITER'S GROUP via ZOOM MEETING 1st Wednesday of the Month BIBLE STUDY 10:30am in the BPC Sanctuary 1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month Ellis Small Group 10:15 am  JOIN Ellis Small Group Zoom Meeting 2nd Tuesday of the Month 1:30pm BOOK CLUB (location to be announced each month) DECEMBER MEETING WILL BE A POTLUCK at 11:30am at the home of Doryanna Nikiforova, 6908 Silver Maple Cove 2nd Thursday Evening of the Month 7:00 pm Trouble I've Seen Small Group in-person in Classroom A 1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE

Sunday, November 28, 2021 1st Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall 9:30am SUNDAY STUDIES: The Art of Advent 11:00 AM BPC Worship Service in the Sanctuary (NO LIVESTREAM this WEEK!) Wednesday, December 1, 2021 10:30am Bible Study meets in Classroom A Sunday, December 5, 2021 2nd Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall 9:30am SUNDAY STUDIES: The Art of Advent 11:00 AM BPC Worship Service in the Sanctuary & on LiveStream Saturday, December 11, 2021 12:00 noon Bible Study Christmas Luncheon at the Botanic Gardens' restaurant, Fratellis Sunday, December 12, 2021 3rd Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall 9:30am SUNDAY STUDIES: The Art of Advent 11:00 AM BPC Worship Service in the Sanctuary & on LiveStream Tuesday, December 14, 2021 11:30am BOOK CLUB Luncheon at the home of Doryanna Nikiforova, 6908 Silver Maple Cove Sunday, December 19, 2021 4th Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall (NO SUNDAY STUDIES) 11:00 AM BPC Worship Service of Special Christmas Music in the Sanctuary & on LiveStream

PLEASE NOTE: The Church Office will NOT be staffed. Please continue to use your contact lists to reach us!

REMINDERS: We must help to keep the SEED children safe! Please do not enter the SEED area of the building without authorization and be sure to wear masks around the children. Small Group Meetings in Classrooms A & B must be scheduled with Barry Dotson, barry.dotson@yahoo.com or signed text/cell: 901. 277.1596 Requests for other uses of the property (including the parking lot) MUST prepare a proposal to the BPC COVID-19 Task Force (Scott Hill, chairperson) for review; the task force will review the proposal, then make a recommendation to the Session for consideration.

BPC PHOTOS

WORSHIP, November 21, 2021

Choral Leaders: Pete Addicott, Fran Addicott, Ted Pearson, William Warren, Robin Ashworth, John Gilmer, Clinton Bailey, Linda Warren, Erich Shultz, John Van Nortwick, not shown: Karen Pilkington, Becky DeLoach

Musicians Leiza Collins on piano, Fran Addicott on cello

Rev. Carla Meisterman

Presentation of Eli Gurlen for Confirmation

Confirmation of Eli Gurlen Participants: Rev. Carla Meisterman; John Van Nortwick, Clerk of Session; Glenda Ellis, Elder Mentor, Janice Carney and Lorie Blackwelder, Youth Leaders

Rev. James Gale, Executive Presbyter, thanks Carla for her years of service

HAPPY RETIREMENT, CARLA!

We wish you our love and our gratitude as you sail new seas!

COVID-19 HELPFUL LINKS

Click the link below to get current locations for VACCINES: HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN GET VACCINATIONS For COVID-19 TESTING information, go to this link: https://covid19.memphistn.gov/resources/covid-19-testing-sites-in-shelby-county/ NOTE: Several CVS and Walgreen's locations are now currently on the updated list at the link above.

COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE

IF ANYONE IS CALLED TO SERVE.... We work every 1st and 3rd Thursday.  Colonial Park UMC 5330 Park Ave CONTACT SCOTT DAWSON for more INFORMATION

THE JOHNSON AUXILIARY CLOTHES CLOSET IS NOW BACK in ACTION!

ALWAYS in NEED:  SUMMER-WEIGHT CLOTHING!  Men's casual shoes - all sizes (new or gently used)   Men's new underwear - large and XL  Women's shoes (casual) sizes 9 and up  Women's plus size clothing  New women's underwear - all sizes   Toiletry items - new, unopened (trial size are fine)   ALSO - New adult coloring or puzzle books are needed for people waiting at the hospital while their loves ones are being treated. Your contributions really help and are greatly appreciated!    Place items in the baskets in the narthex hallway. VOLUNTEERS are also needed! Contact Beverley Hooker for more information!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Pastoral Care this week will be supplied by Pastoral Care Intern Rev. Elizabeth Dick 314.330.0506        or email elizabethdick2@gmail.com You may also reach out to our Transitional Pastor Rev. Mary Newberg Gale at 913.481.7427        or email mngale@balmoralpc.com      Session members are your primary contact for ongoing communication. Here's the current contact list: Lori Blackwelder .... (901) 262-8282 ............... LORIEB1165@yahoo.com Leiza Collins ........... (901) 246-5031 ..................... leiza1016@gmail.com  Becky DeLoach ...... (901) 489-3369 ............. BeckyMD2905@gmail.com Barry Dotson .......... (901) 277-1596 ............... barry.dotson@yahoo.com Janice Hill ............... (901) 826-9747 ................... janicehill81@gmail.com Beverly Hooker.........(901) 496-1241 ......................... bev.h@earthlink.net Ted Pearson home: (901) 754-9796 ...................  pearsonteda@aol.com  ...........................cell: (901) 486-6117 Erich Shultz .............(901) 268-4951 ...................emshultz@bellsouth.net John Van Nortwick (901) 605-2907 ............ jvnortwick@cornerstone- systems.com (NOTE: Many of these Session members work during the day, so you may want to text them or email them.) Keep in mind that ANY Balmoral member who is healthy will most likely be happy to help you in case of need as well! To contact other members, the most-current contact information is available by requesting a copy of the BPC PHONE DIRECTORY from Kathy Singleton by email ksingle2@bellsouth.net or by phone or text to (901) 734-7193.

LINKS to DOCUMENTS We have been keeping reference articles in the Newsletter each week throughout the summer. It's time to take them out, BUT some of these may still be helpful, so we will store them and give you links to them, but eliminate them from the body of the newsletter itself.

To access a document, simply click on the link name. The document will then open in your browser as a PDF file! TIPS for using ZOOM BPC Building & Worship Policies & Procedures eff. 6/6/2021 BPC Building & Worship CHANGES to Policies & Procedures effective 6/14/2021 Circle of Faith Building & Worship CHANGES to Policies & Procedures effective 6/20/2021

Newsletter Articles & Photos should be emailed to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net no later than Monday at noon for the week you want the article in the news. Bulletin Information should be emailed to Rev. Mary Gale, with a copy to Kathy Singleton, no later than Monday noon the week before the Sunday you want the information to appear. Prayer Concerns should be submitted via email to Rev. Elizabeth Dick (elizabethdick2@gmail.com) with a copy to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net.

NOVEMBER 2021 online church calendar Click HERE for the BPC Calendar  The calendar will take a few seconds to load and, once it opens, you will see the month that we are currently in. To see the next month's calendar, click on the arrow pointing down - it is just to the right of the name of the month. Once you click on that arrow, an icon will appear with all the months of the year listed. Click on the month that you want to see. To see a specific date, click on the number of the day you would like to see. The entire 2021 calendar is available to you.