Leadership in Worship and Ordered Ministries

W-2.0301: Gifts for Service

God pours out the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon each Christian in Baptism, and all are called to use these gifts for the glory of God. Therefore it is appropriate for any member of the church to pray, read Scripture, or assist in worship in other ways accord- ing to his or her gifts.

By their gifts and training, some are called to particular acts of leadership in worship and have particular responsibilities for ordering the service. These specific roles and re- sponsibilities are undertaken in service to God and to the congregation, and should in no way diminish the leadership of other members or overshadow the primary participation of the worshiping assembly.

A huge shout out to Justine Groetz for designing some of the graphics in this newsletter! Thank you for your amazing artistic ability, Justine!

Fifteen people attended “Learn More About JKPC” on October 15! Many of them are attending the “Next Steps/Gatherings" class.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

Please greet other worshippers, enjoy some refreshments, and then join one of our adult Sunday school classes at approximately 10:10 AM.

Next Steps/Gatherings

This series is designed to be a follow-up to “Learn About JKPC” for potential members and recent new members, but it is open to anyone who needs encouragement in his/her journey with Christ. Duane Houser is leading the study in the Comfort Room on the following Sundays:

November 5  “Growing in Christ”

November 12 “Serving Christ”

November 19 “Sharing Christ”

Fellowship Hall

On November 5, 12 and 19, the class “The Book of Romans, Part 2” video series by J. D. Greear will continue with discussion led by Sam Martin.

Beginning on November 26, the class will interrupt that session for a four-week Advent study based on “Advent” by Derwin Gray on RightNow Media. This will accompany the sermon series for Advent. The first session is, “The Servant King.”

Family Matters Parenting Class

This class meets in Room 139 and is led by Mike Beels. The current series is, “Raising Engaged Kids” and is designed to equip parents, grandparents and caregivers with specific tools they can use to see God work in and through their families.

WEDNESDAY EVENING ZOOM BIBLE STUDY continues to meet at 7:00 PM. The current study, “Prayer: An Adventure with God” continues through November 22. The Advent series will begin on November 29.

Interested in trying out Wednesday Zoom Bible study? Did you join it for Lent but then were not able to continue? Join our Advent study. Watch for announcements in the bulletin and in worship.

For more information or to be added to the Zoom link, please contact Joyce Greek at muske75@sbcglobal.net or Peggy Fix at pfix@neo.rr.com. 

YOUTH GROUP: watch group chat for activities and updates.

If you would like to host a youth event please contact Michaela Morris or Pastor Mike.

YOUNG ADULTS continue to meet Monday evenings from 6-8:00 PM in the church library for fellowship, food and Bible study. They are continuing the study, “The Book of Romans, Part 2” by J. D. Greear. Everyone between the ages of 18 and 30 are invited to just show up.

ALL CHILDREN AND YOUTH PROGRAMS ARE IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL ADULT PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP. We need someone who would enjoy holding a baby or playing with toddlers. Perhaps you enjoy interacting with older children. If you are already at church Sunday morning, why not offer to occasionally interact with our children and youth? If you might be interested, talk with Sue Carey or email her at scarey1116@aol.com.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO JUNIOR BELIEVERS IN EITHER NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER.

Dec 3, 2023 (First Sunday of Advent)

Praise God for the Reaffirmation of Baptism for Ashley Kuhns on Sunday, October 29!

If you are in need of a touch from God, plan to attend the Healing Service

on Friday, November 17 at 6pm.

What a delight it was for The John Knox Ringers to take part in Unity Sunday last month!

Having our entire Music Department raising voices and bells together made for a beautiful gift to God's ears!

Our next "Play Date" is Sunday November 19th at the 9am service when we will share a song which ties together a medley of some Thanksgiving songs familiar to all. Hope to see you there!

Laurel Walczyk

Director of Handbells

If you are interested in joining The Intercessory Prayer Team (IPT) or have a prayer request, please contact Steve Bertram (330-605-3072) or Kathy Beels (330-685-1320).

All requests are considered confidential by the team unless seen in other church communications. 

We have only five more sessions of GriefShare left in this cycle, and one concluding Celebration Session all of which will end around the week of November 27, 2023. Several of the participants are now ready to move forward and as they do they must consider if they desire further teaching and continued support. GriefShare gives suggestions for growth and development and how they will be able to help other people who have begun the grief process. Participants have the following options:

*Repeat GriefShare

*Connect with another church fellowship/study group

*Keep up supportive relationships

*Gain deeper insight into some of the topics learned through available GriefShare resources

*Help others grieving the death of a loved one

Participants are to be commended for investing the time and effort to be a part of this GriefShare group. It is my sincere hope that each of the participants found friendship, comfort, and benefited from the experience! You can encourage others who are grieving a loved one’s death to connect with a GriefShare group.

Let us know how we can help you!

Diana Jones

330-754-7476

A new session of GriefShare hosted at John Knox Presbyterian Church will be scheduled for January 22 – April 15, 2024. All sessions will meet in the Comfort Room.

It's time to celebrate! Our next monthly celebration for all birthdays and anniversaries will be on Sunday, November 5 immediately following the 9am worship service. Please stop by and grab a cupcake and join us as we celebrate!

Thank you again for your support of this First Sunday celebration!

"Stitches of Love" Prayer Shawl Ministry meets in the parlor the last Monday of each month at 6:30pm. This is the 12th year of our ministry, and we have given out nearly 700 prayer shawls for illness, surgery, grief, and celebrations. Christmas is a difficult time for many. If you would like to give a prayer shawl, please call Pam McElroy at

330-312-2460, Joyce Greek at 330-705-8769, or Christina Warren at 330-327-2071.

John Knox is collecting shoeboxes to send to children around the world. For some it may be the only gifts they will receive at Christmas. Items to be included could be a WOW toy, smaller toys, hygiene items, shirts, flip flops, washcloths, and books.

Choose a boy or girl and an age (2-4), (5-9), or (10-14). Place a $10 donation inside the box. Please pray for the child that will receive your box. You can even follow your box by scanning the QR code on the label. Boxes and instructions are at the Welcome Center.

Consider being a part of a wonderful program that blesses many around the world. Over 200 million boxes have been delivered so far. 

Deadline is November 12. Contact Martha Meadows with any questions.

Again this year we have plans to assist some families with providing Christmas presents to their families. Gift slips can be selected beginning Nov 26 with wrapped presents due back by December 17.

In 2024 we are looking to continue to lead skills camps for children aged 4 through third grade on Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm. Previously we offered soccer and basketball skills camps outdoors. In the first three months we are planning indoor skills camps. In January we will teach playground games, February we will look to develop skills in art and music, and March will revolve around foods in the Bible. 

This ministry can only happen when individuals step forward to share their time and talents. Beyond needing people to lead the thematic activities there is a need for people to be involved with snacks and leading a short lesson. Can you help in some way with these? Do you have a skills camp topic you would like to suggest?

Look for a sign-up sheet at the Welcome Center.

As of the end of October the Good News Club team has completed 4 out of the seven weeks of the session. We meet every Tuesday, 3:30 – 5:00 pm at Lake Cable Elementary School until November 21, 2023. Then our next 7 week session will begin February 6 – 19, 2024. We have a wonderful group of 23 children (grades K-5) and our theme for this session is God’s Sovereignty: The Life of Joseph. We are presenting Bible lessons to the children, working on crafts, learning Memory Verses, and praying with the children. Thanks to the 43 sponsors each child received a t-shirt and a nylon drawstring backpack for taking their supplies home each Tuesday. The children come to us with a variety of concerns and needs, but your sponsorships and prayers have helped us bring the Good News of God’s wonderful salvation to them and help them start a personal relationship with Jesus. Thank you from the team: Diana Jones, Joyce Greek, Sue Carey, Judy Southwood, Carol Jones, Debbie Wilson, Duane Houser, Paul & Martha Gerber, and Martha Meadows. A big thanks also to Candy Kovey for getting the Goody Bags together and to Donna Mathias for her time working to run off lesson materials for us. There have been numerous offers to help in other ways when needed and we will keep you in mind too! This outpouring of support for us is wonderful!

Hard copies of the church directory are available for the congregation to take – one per family – at the Welcome Center. If your information changes at any time, please notify the church office as soon as possible.

The church directory can also be accessed anytime through the following link:

https://jkpc-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/tina_jkpc_org/EVqIKI2r7n5PtA9vEPQ4wEABxRf5TpgKN3Wsj7KHV7pqAQ?e=xKLDP4

JKPC has a lot of diverse activities on Sunday mornings. Please click the link below to fill out the worship survey and tell us about yourself and your preferences:

https://jkpc.org/service-survey/

Please make sure and submit your answers by Sunday, November 5.

We are now collecting for our Fall Grow Offering. Our goal is to raise $10,000 ~ the first $6,000 will go toward remodeling room 139 here at the church (Media Room), and the remainder will go toward the building of a house in Jamaica.

JKPC is so excited to see our church building so full and used almost every

night of every week.

Just a friendly reminder to please lock all the doors and turn off all the lights upon exiting the building after your activity has ended.

We are so excited about trying to grow our social media following and are asking for the congregation's help. Please make sure to like and share the church's FaceBook posts!

The John Knox Session met on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at 6:30pm. Rev. Dr. Michael Smith served as Moderator and opened the meeting with prayer and devotions. All but two elders were present.

Clerk’s Report 

 ~ Minutes from the last Stated Session Meeting (September 19, 2023) were approved.

 ~ Session approved the reaffirmation of baptism for Ashley Kuhns on Oct. 29th.

 ~ Larry and Lata Wiggins will be commissioned for their November trip to Jamaica on Oct. 29th.

 ~ 15 potential new members attended the “Learn About John Knox “ class on October 15th.

 ~ John Knox will host the next Muskingum Valley Presbytery meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5 from 6-8pm

~ Session received and accepted a letter of resignation from Mark Rinehart as Elder at JKPC. We thank Mark for the many areas of service he gave to our church.

Treasurer’s Report

 ~ Financial Reports for September 2023 were accepted as printed. 

Administration /Personnel Council 

  ~ A Worship Survey will be distributed at the Congregational Meeting on October 29th. Please return survey by November 5th.

Mission Outreach Council Report

  ~ Session approved expenses for finishing the remodel project in the front foyer.

Other Business

  ~ Our Fall Grow Offering begins October 22nd. We are asking for $10,000 to be used for the remodel of Room 139 (Media Room) and for building of a house in Jamaica. The first $6000 will be used for Media Room remodel, which includes painting, reflooring, and upgrade of technical equipment. The remainder will go toward the Jamaica house.

The next Stated Session Meeting will be Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 6:30pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joyce Greek, Clerk of Session 

Receipts in September:  $25,634.87

Expenses in September: $31,911.64

Net income            -$6,276.77

A Word From The Finance Office

Thank you for your continued, faithful support of the church. Please continue praying for our finances.                            

Sincerely, 

Tina Young, Finance Manager

Cheryl Hawkins, Treasurer

As a follow-up to the "Learn More About JKPC" class, the "Next Steps" class is designed for potential members and recent new members but is open to anyone who needs encouragement in his/her journey with Christ. Duane Houser is leading the study in the Comfort Room on the following Sundays:

November 5 ~ “Growing in Christ”

November 12 ~  “Serving Christ”

November 19 ~ “Sharing Christ”