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In This Issue
February 1, 2024
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We Are the Church
Susan Wei Preaches Her First Sermon
Leaders Make Plans
This Sunday
New Worship Series: "Help, Thanks, Wow!" Three Essential Prayers for 2024
"Groundings" Bible Study with Susan Wei
This Week
Bible Study on Break until February 21
Choir Practice on Thursday at 7pm and Sunday at 9:30am
Upcoming Events
The Gondoliers, an Opera - February 1-4
Ashes To Go--With Love
Worship Series for Lent and Easter - Wandering Heart
Lunch Bunch - February 25
Gathering of the Spirits - February 28
Ministry Opportunities
SouperBowl of Caring
Caregivers Support Group
Love Girl Scout Cookies?
Coffee Fellowship
Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Giving
Per Capita
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Susan Wei Preaches Her First Sermon
We are grateful to Susan for all the ways that she has entered into the life of our congregation and blessed us with her energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. Her sermon on Sunday was on Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-38) and was a wonderful reminder of the breadth of God's love and call.
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Leaders Make Plans
On Saturday, the Session and a few other church leaders met to begin identifying and prioritizing church maintenance and improvement projects.
Projects to begin immediately include:
Repair/replacing bathroom dispenser, repairing the sprinkler system, trimming some of the plants, repairing exterior water faucets, clean out cutters, attempt to move the commercial refrigerator from Calvin into the Knox kitchenette, and rotate and clean the pew cushions.
Priority projects when the sale is completed include:
Repair of the upper Knox walkway (in preparation we will be bringing out a structural engineer and schedule a termite inspection, HVAC, paint exterior, improve restrooms, and address the current lack of storage.
Other projects on our wish list include:
Highest priority items:Sanctuary improvements (lights, sound, carpeting, water stains), moving the tech booth, adding a video screen
Items that require more research: solar, replacing windows, repairing or updating church sign on Broadway, schedule a roof inspection
Ideally: reconfiguration of main floor of Knox to increase fellowship space, expand kitchenette.
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"Three Essential Prayers: Thanks!
Scripture: Psalm 136
This series is based on the book, Help, Thanks, Wow: Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott. In the book's prelude, Anne confesses, “I do not know much about God and prayer, but I have come to believe, over the past twenty-five years, that there’s something to be said about keeping prayer simple. Help. Thanks. Wow.” As we begin 2024 we will seek to grow in prayer by keeping it simple and focusing on her three essential prayers.
For those who would like to read the book that inspires this series here is a link to the book on Amazon:
Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
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Join us on Facebook: HERE
Join us on Zoom: HERE
If prompted for a password use: 888861
If you do not have access to a computer or smart phone,
you can listen to the service from any telephone:
Step 1:
Call (669) 900-9128.
Step 2:
When prompted, please enter the
Meeting ID: 870 8084 6315 followed by the #.
Step 3:
You will be asked to enter your Participant ID which you do not need.
Press # to move past this.
Step 4:
If prompted for a password use: 888861 followed by the #
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"Groundings" Bible Study with Susan Wei
First session meets this Sunday, February 4. Grab a cup of coffee and join us upstairs in the library. All are welcome. Tentative dates for the rest of the study will be 2/18, 3/3, 3/17, 4/7, 4/21, and 5/5.
The Groundings Experience is a new way of looking at your life. What seem like ordinary days are opportunities to see God at work. Using five biblical narratives, the curriculum helps you become aware of your world and challenges you to engage people for the Kingdom.
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No Wednesday Bible Study This Week
Due to Scheduling conflicts and Ash Wednesday,
Bible Study is on break until February 21.
All are welcome to join us in this Zoom Discussion
To join us on Zoom click on this link: HERE
To join us on by telephone call:
(669) 900-9128
Meeting ID: 608 966 196
Passcode: 5352176
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Choir
Our Chancel Choir is a non-auditioned choir that is supported by the wonderful voices of our choral interns. All are welcome to add their voice as we lead the congregation in giving praise to God.
Choir Practice is on Thursday nights from 7-8:30pm.
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The Gondoliers, an Opera - February 1-4
This Thursday through Sunday, our choir interns, Matthew and Marcos, will be performing in the Gondoliers, an opera by Gilbert and Sullivan at Biola University. Click Here for performance times and ticket information.
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Worship Series for Lent and Easter
Wandering Heart: Figuring out our faith with Peter.
This Lent, we are focusing on the life and faith of one of Jesus’ most famous disciples. In Peter, we see a person who is both steadfast and unsteady, a dear friend and a betrayer, a follower and a wanderer. In Peter, we often see ourselves. By following Peter’s journey, we watch the
story of Jesus unfold through the eyes of a very normal human trying to figure it all out—just like us.
As we were studying Peter’s faith journey, the lyrics of “Come Thou Fount” came to mind. It’s as if Peter himself wrote this song. And so, for each step in Peter’s journey, we have selected a phrase from this hymn. As we follow Peter’s story, we will sing our way through Lent, binding
our wandering hearts to God. In this series, we want to affirm that faith is a constant journey of steadfast pursuit, one that ebbs and flows, seeks and wanders. We want to affirm that wandering is exploration, not necessarily distance from God. We want to affirm the ways Peter keeps going: he drops his nets, he walks on water, he runs to the empty tomb, he swims to the shore to meet the risen Christ. He keeps searching and yearning and loving, even after missteps or mistakes. Ultimately, in Peter’s story, we are reminded that God loves imperfect people—in fact, time and again, that’s precisely who God claims and calls.
This Lent, we will look for ourselves in the stepping stones of Peter’s story. We will reflect on the stages of our own faith journeys as well as who and what has shaped us along the way. As we wander, let us tune our hearts to sing God’s grace. May we rest in streams of mercy, never ceasing.
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Lunch Bunch - February 25
Anyone who wishes is invited to join in going out to lunch following worship at Baja California Mexican Grill in the Vons Shopping Center.
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Gathering of Spirits - February 28
Join us at 5:45 pm at Windsor Browns for a time when our spirits encounter God’s Spirt in spirited discussion on wide ranging topics.
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Let's join the Presbyterian-wide Souper Bowl of Caring movement!
On Sunday, February 11, you are invited to bring in non-perishable food items or make a cash donation to address food insecurity in our community. Donations of food items will go to the Pathways of Hope Food Pantry. Cash donations will go to the group who prepares hot meals for the unhoused out of our kitchen every Sunday morning.
Let' do our part to "Tackle Hunger" this year.
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Our Faith Community Nurse, Juliana Emina-Coney, is interested in organizing a caregiver support group. If you, or someone you know, would find this helpful or would like more information, please contact Juliana at 714-235-9777. eminaconey@gmail.com | |
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Fellowship and Goodies?
We are always looking for donations of cookies or other treats to give us something to munch on while enjoy a cup of Dale's coffee. If you feel like baking (or shopping) just bring them with you on a Sunday. If we have too many treats that day we will freeze some for the next week. Thank you!
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Prayer Requests and Praise Reports | |
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Give thanks for the life of Fred Baker. Fred entered the church triumphant on January 28th. Services at Fairhaven cemetery are being planned.
We give thanks that Dick Ramont (Dale's Father) has returned home following his recent fall and hospitalization.
Please pray for Carole Chambers who begins chemotherapy this week.
Please pray for those in treatment for cancer: Carole Chambers, Judy Jordan, John Harb (Kendall Schubert’s father), Matthew Williams (Jack and Geri Baird's grandson), Catherine Morris, Bill Anderson (Bruce Anderson's Brother)
Please pray for those on hospice: Patricia Carl
Please continue to pray for the health of: Dave Lopez (Alan Lopez’ brother), Harvey Taylor, Norma Leichtweis, Luca ( son of Christina Cuddy's friend), Carol Talbot, Wanda Reynolds, Stevie Williams, Rob (Maren’s uncle).
If you have a prayer request that you would like to add to our prayer list,
please contact the church office: offices@anaheimfirstpres.org or 714.535.2176.
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Please consider making a special donation toward Per Capita.
As part of a connectional church we pay per capita apportionment per member to support the work of the larger Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This year the amount is $40.65 and will be divided between Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly. Every Presbyterian shares in the benefit of the PC (USA)'s system of government, so every Presbyterian is asked to share the expenses associated with coordinating and performing the functions of that system. Please consider making this special offering, You may add it to your regular offering, but please make a note that the donation includes an offering to per capita.
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We are greatly deeply grateful for the financial support of the congregation.
We are in the midst of a challenging year with no school leasing the Calvin Building and following two years of disrupted giving patterns due to Covid.
For those who worship with us in person,
Offering Plates will be available at the back of the Sanctuary on Sundays
Donations may also be mailed to the church office:
Anaheim First Presbyterian Church
310 W Broadway
Anaheim, CA 92805
Or Give Online:
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