The Presby News December edition

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Call Us: (620) 342-0375

Address: 802 Commercial Street,

Emporia, KS 66801

Welcome to the Emporia Presbyterian Church

Faith Statement: Through the love and inspiration of Jesus Christ and each other we reach out beyond ourselves to support others, continue to grow in faith, praise God, and celebrate His gifts.

Indoor worship services at West and online

1702 W. 15th Avenue, 10:45a.m.

Join us for Online Worship

Go to our EPC website:

www.emporiapresbyterianchurch.org

click on the Worship tab

or watch from our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/EmporiaPresbyterianChurch/

December Events

Saturday, December 4

Shine a Light for Seniors Drive Thru Event & Lighting Ceremony

Emporia Presbyterian Manor

5:30pm

Sunday, December 5

2nd Sunday of Advent

Christmas Cantata

Sunday, December 12

3rd Sunday of Advent

Monday, December 13

Session Zoom meeting 6pm

Sunday, December 19

4th Sunday of Advent

No-Rehearsal "pop-up" Christmas Pageant

Friday, December 24

Christmas Eve

Candlelight Service 7:00pm

Saturday, December 25

Christmas Day

Sunday December 26

1st Sunday of Christmastide

Monday, December 27-31

Church Office Closed

Friday, December 31

New Year's Eve

Last day contributions for 2021 must be postmarked by Dec 31

Monday, January 3, 2022

Church Office Closed

Pastor's Page

Close to Home

When I think of home, I think of the lyrics of Stephanie Mill’s coming-of-age finale from Broadway’s The Wiz:

“When I think of home, I think of a place where there’s love overflowing.

I wish I was home, I wish I was back there with the things I’ve been

knowing …

… Living here in this brand new world might be a fantasy, but it taught

me to love,

so it’s real to me.

And I’ve learned that we must look inside our hearts to find a world full

of love

like yours, like mine, like home.”[1]

Dorothy Gale’s search for home from the fields of Kansas, through Oz, and back has captured hearts and imaginations for generations. Our Advent theme this year draws on every soul’s similar yearning to find our way home. We seek that home filled with hope, peace, joy, and love, promised by God and made real to us in the person of Jesus – Emmanuel, God with us – when the Word became flesh, made his home among us, and brought Light back into darkened lives. In light of this yearning, Worship Committee and I commend to you the resources of Close to Home created by A Sanctified Art which will direct our Advent journey this year. The authors of Close to Home offer us this insight for the season:

“When something hits close to home, it affects us deeply. During the

Advent and Christmas season, we journey through scriptures and rituals

that are tender, heavy with emotion, and vulnerable. We carry the

memories and truths of this season close to our hearts. Close to Home

acknowledges the ‘already but not yet’ tension of our faith: Emmanuel is

with us, and yet, God’s promised day – our everlasting home – is not fully

realized. It names our deep longing for God to come close to us.

“The Advent and Christmas scriptures are rich with home metaphors and

imagery. John the Baptist prophesies about the One who is to come, but

reminds us that we are still wandering far from God’s promised day; his

message hits close to home, especially for those experiencing inequity

and oppression. After receiving the angel’s news, Mary retreats to

Elizabeth’s home, seeking refuge and safety. Christ is born in the mist of

a journey home, in a crowded dwelling amid livestock and shepherds

like. The Magi travel far from home to pay homage to Christ, and, having

been warned in a dream, they avoid Herod by traveling home another

way. In these scriptures, home is both physical and metaphorical,

something we seek and something we are called to build. God is our

home and resting place. God draws near and makes a home on earth –

sacred ground is all around us.”[2]

As we seek to draw near to God this Advent and behold Christ at Christmas, let us be mindful of yearnings in our own souls and the sacredness that surrounds us – building each other up and welcoming each other home, embodying hope, peace, joy, and love for ourselves and others in the Spirit of this holy season.

[1] https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Home [accessed 22 November 2021]

Carolyn & Roy Turney Dec 1

Karla & Dean Edmiston Dec 19

Martha & Mark Shook Dec 21

Maxine Mitchell Dec 6

Adriane Lang Dec 6

Jake Noll Dec 11

Addison Gutierrez Dec 13

Rick Edwards Dec 15

Mitch Moorman Dec 15

Greg Seibel Dec 16

Diana Holdeman Dec 17

Donna Seibel Dec 20

Diana Hart Dec 22

Michelle Stewart Dec 24

Karen Moorman Dec 25

Scott Irwin Dec 27

Arlene Dodge Dec 27

Leslie Danborg Dec 28

Andrew Cunningham Dec 31

Worship Service Time

Sundays, through January 10, 2022 worship services indoors at West, 1702 W 15th Avenue, 10:45a.m., and continuing online as well.

Advent at a Glance

Advent is here! In this holy season of expectation and anticipation, here’s what to expect as we share traditional Advent observances and anticipate some new opportunities, too. Please note some services and activities could use more hands, voices, and thespians of all ages. Be sure to let Worship Committee and/or Pastor Phyl know how you plan to participate in our preparations to greet Christ anew at Christmas.

Sunday, November 21

– Hanging of the Greens Worship Service

You can watch the online Hanging of the Greens Service on the church

website or through the Emporia Presbyterian Church Facebook

page. Thank you to everyone who made this Sunday service a great

success!

Saturday, November 27

– Hanging of the Greens, the decorating part

Join Worship Committee and others as we decorate West Campus. We are

in particular need of church family members who are not afraid of

ladders!

Sunday, November 28

– First Sunday of Advent

West Campus and online.

– Online Christmas Pageant Sneak Peek

We hope to begin recording parts for the online Christmas pageant

before and after worship on Sunday, November 28. Costumes are ready

and waiting in the back pews of West Campus, and Pastor Phyl will have parts on site for you to read. Let her know if you have a particular part

in mind – be it Joseph, Mary, a shepherd, or a sheep! – and help us bring

the nativity story alive in time for assembly and editing. We need to have

all parts recorded by Sunday, December 12.

Sunday, December 5

–Second Sunday of Advent

West Campus and online.

- Cantata Sunday

Let Us Adore Him through Scripture and song. Contact Margaret

Davidson if you’d like to join the choir for the choral portions of the

cantata (singers will mask). All are welcome, especially baritones!

Sunday, December 12

– Third Sunday of Advent

West Campus and online.

– Final Recording Deadline for Online Christmas Pageant

Sunday, December 19

– Fourth Sunday of Advent

West Campus and online.

– Pop-Up Christmas Pageant

The No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant is back with a twist. Don a costume

before worship (ready and waiting in the back of the West Campus

sanctuary), and “pop-up” at your seat when your character appears in

the Gospel story. Pastor Phyl will read with extra emphasis on Innkeeper

and Angel and Sheep, etc. so you know when to stand. Be part of the

Christmas story coming to life all around us!

– Online Christmas Pageant

Friday, December 24

– Christmas Eve

A candlelight service of Lessons and Carols helps us see the Light of

Christ shining in the darkness as we greet Christ the newborn and

eternal King.

Sunday, December 26

– First Sunday of Christmastide

Celebrate the Season of Christmas with stories of the Christmas carols we

love to sing.

Sunday, January 2, 2022

– Star Words for Epiphany

We celebrate the magi who followed the star to greet a toddling Jesus,

and we’ll receive Star Words to guide us as we step into the new year.

Advent Devotionals Available

Advent offers us time to prepare ourselves heart and soul for the coming of Christ at Christmas. This year, we have two Advent Devotionals to help us consider the deep meaning of this holy season, give shape to our prayers, and ready us to receive God’s greatest gift – Emmanuel.

Close to Home, from A Sanctified Art, hits close to home, complimenting the readings, coloring sheets, adult Sunday school class, and worship themes of this year’s Advent Season. “Close to Home acknowledges that Emmanuel is with us, and yet, God’s promised day – our everlasting home – is not fully realized. We long for God to come close."

Hope in These Times, written by members and friends of Lyon County Ministerial Alliance – including Pastor Phyl, Rev. Pat Ireland, and Pastoral Intern Carmen Raines – acknowledges the hardships and heartache we have all faced the last two years, and offers words of encouragement as “we look with longing for light and hope for brighter days.”

Print copies and digital copies of both devotionals are available through the church office. Print copies will also be available at West Campus throughout the Advent Season. Contact Leslie in the church office if you would like a copy mailed or emailed to you.

So Much To Celebrate!

We celebrate Carmen Raines upon the completion of her seminary internship at EPC. Carmen has blessed the EPC family particularly through her presence and participation in Sunday worship, and we wish her Godspeed as her journey to ordained ministry continues.

Above: Maddyn Stewart

Maddyn is a senior at Emporia High School. She participates in 3 sports (Volleyball, Basketball, Softball) as well as Senior Class representative for Student Council and Circle of Friends.

Maddyn just finished taking CNA classes and will look for a part time job in that field. She doesn’t know where she will be attending college as of yet. But wants to pursue a Nursing degree.

Above: Abby Stewart

Abby has run cross country since 7th grade.

7th & 8th grade middle school - All centennial league

9th-12th grade high school -

All Centennial League - all 4 years

Qualified for state - all 4 years

Won regionals - 11th & 12th grade

All State - 11th & 12th grade

College - Fort Hays State University DII university in the MIAA

Cross Country -

All MIAA Honors (sophomore & senior years) - cross country was cancelled her junior year due to COVID-19

3x USTFCCA (US track & field and cross country association) All Academic Award

3x MIAA Academic Excellence Award for maintaining a 4.00 GPA

3x MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award

3x MIAA Academic Honor Roll

3x D2ADA (DII Athletics Directors Association) Academic Achievement Award

Special Offerings In December

Staff Christmas Gift December 5, 12, 19 - The Personnel Committee invites you to contribute to our staff Christmas gifts as a way of saying Thank You for all of the ways our staff share their gifts with us throughout the year.

Christian Education & Nurture Special Offering - As in previous Advent Seasons, we’d like our children and youth to shop for Christmas presents for families in need. This year we will focus on our Family Promise Families to be the recipients. We are accepting donations from the congregation to help with gift purchases. Donations can be given to the church office or placed in the red "gift box" in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings.

Christmas Joy December 24 & 26 - The Christmas Joy Offering has been a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s. The Offering distributes gifts equally to the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. The Assistance Program provides critical financial support to church workers and their families. Presbyterian-related schools and colleges provide education and leadership development while nurturing racial and ethnic heritage.

Year End Giving – Please note that the church office will be closed Monday, December 27 through Friday, December 31. In order for anyone to make their end of year contribution, it must be postmarked by December 31, in order for it to be credited toward 2021 giving.

How to Donate: if you wish to contribute to a special offering of the church, you can do so by mailing in your check to the church office, or contribute online by clicking GIVE on the church website and noting “Staff Christmas Gift” or “Christmas Joy” in the notes field of the online form.

No Rehearsal Christmas Pageant

This Advent's No Rehearsal Christmas Pageant happens during worship on December 19, the fourth Sunday of Advent. If you want to be part of this growing tradition at Emporia Presbyterian Church, please come. All parts are needed and the costumes are in the next to last pews of the West campus awaiting you. Help us tell the Christmas story, as we welcome Christ this season.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at West, 7:00pm

‌

Planned Giving Facts vs. Myths

"The Truth about Planned Giving Facts vs. Myths

It's not as difficult as you think!

MYTH: It's only for the wealthy.

FACT: You don't need to be wealthy to have a will or indicate a charitable bequest. No matter the size of any individual donation, collectively, every gift adds up . . .

MYTH: I must have a will in order to donate.

FACT: There are various ways to donate without a will, including your retirement plan or life insurance policy.

MYTH: It costs way too much money to make a will.

FACT: The average cost for a basic will is $375 and ensures your assets are distributed according to your wishes." 2021, The Truth about Planned Giving, American Legion Auxiliary magazine, November, Page 26

You Shop, Amazon Gives @ Amazon Smile

No additional cost to you or to the church. Funds donated to EPC through Amazon Smile will go toward the local mission assistance fund.

- Start at the website www.smile.amazon.com

- Type in your Amazon log-in information and click “Sign in using our secure server”

- When prompted to select an organization, search for and choose “First Presbyterian Church” (make sure

to select “Emporia KS” as there are more than one.

Stewardship Thanks

Thank you, on behalf of the Stewardship and Finance Committee.

Sincere thanks and appreciation go out to you, the members of the congregation, for your generous and enthusiastic response to this year’s Stewardship Campaign. We have received $120,212 in pledges, almost 84% of the goal of $143,400. In addition, 40 Time and Talent Surveys were completed and returned. Thanks to your faithfulness, the ministry of Emporia Presbyterian Church will continue unabated in 2022. If you haven’t returned your pledge card or Time/Talent Survey yet, it is not too late to express your support of the church for the coming year.

Again, thank you for your generosity and dedication.

PNK Junior/Senior High Ski Trip

January 14-17, 2022. Registration Fee $550 (includes lodging, ski equipment, meals and travel) First-time skiers or snowboarders will pay for a group lesson. Registration and $200 deposit due by December 3 with the balance due by December 31. For details please go to:

http://cognitoforms.com/PresbyteryOfNorthernKansas/PNKJuniorSeniorHighSkiTrip

Scarf Project Update

Above left: from left to right is Susan Severin and Amanda Miracle making scarfs.

For the 7^th year, Mission & Outreach collected scarves to distribute to needy and homeless neighbors in our community as temperatures begin to fall.

The Scarf Project collected 100 scarves for 2021, bringing our 7 year total to 647 scarves, 18 hat and scarf sets, 68 hats, and one set of mittens.

EPC family of all ages contributed to the creative efforts.

Our youngest scarf makers kept busy until the fleece was cut and ready to tie.

Local Mission Assistance Fund Update

Our Local Mission Assistance Funds are to help out locally for those in need. Funds are used primarily to pay for food vouchers and some utility bills. Thank you to those who have offered their gifts to keep the fund going.

In the month of November, we disbursed $487.54

Currently, the Local Mission Assistance Fund balance is $6,821.10.

Little Blessings Box

We encourage everyone to continue filling the Blessing Box outside of West Campus filled with nonperishable items, as great need continues in our community.

Monthly Collections

Monthly Mission Offerings have resumed, and we are grateful for all the gifts of snacks to Walnut Elementary in November.

For the month of December we are collecting toilet paper, paper towels, crayons/markers/colored pencils, and coloring books (children's or adult''s) for S.O.S. Please place items in front of the West Campus communion table or drop off in the office Downtown.

MBF Financial Administrator Needed

The MBF Trustees currently consist of seven trustees and two Financial Administrators. The committee has identified the need to have a third person to be on deck in case someone is unable to fulfill their duties. There is also concern that there needs to be some succession planning to ensure there is knowledge to fill a Financial Administrator role.

MBF Trustees would like to ask the congregation if anyone may have an interest in learning about the MBF Financial Administrator role. If so, please contact Don Miller, MBF Financial Administrator.

Treasurer's Report by Tammy Cheeseman

Treasurer's Report for October 2021

1. As of the end of October, 44 Sundays (or 85% of the calendar year) have passed.

2. Pledges received in October totaled $6,164.80. Loose offering received was $554.00.

3. Operating expenses for October totaled $26,892.68.

4. We received a check from Wells Fargo for $7,446.76.

5. Utility cost for October were $3,340.16.

6. Through the first ten months of the year, here are the percentages of budget expended (see the Budget Comparison report for dollar figures).

Free Yard Signs

You may have seen “Love Your Neighbor” signs springing up in your neighbors’ yards the past few months. Now, thanks to a grant through Kansas Leadership Center, “Love Your Neighbor” signs are being shared with Lyon County Ministerial Alliance member churches which includes EPC! EPC still has 26 signs available on a first come-first serve basis. You can pick one up from the church office, or let us know and we can deliver.

"Growing with EPC" signs

We also have “Growing with EPC” signs still available from our family sign drop last Fall, a nice reminder as the grass keeps growing with all the rain. There are 9 of these left, if yours blew away, has seen better days, or if you missed the first run. Again, stop by to pick one up, or let the office know and we’ll drop one by.