June & July 2024


Women’s Ministry

Theme Verse

2023-2024



“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”


John 4:24

 

In This Edition:


  • Under Construction
  • Basket Making
  • Happy 4th of July!
  • Help With Women’s Newsletter 
  • Summer Bible Studies
  • Service Together at Community Kitchen
  • Pray For The Kenya Mission Team
  • June & July Birthdays
  • Prayer Needs & Boiler Room Prayer Time


 

Under Construction


As our church building is under construction for the next months it might be time to reflect on our spiritual reconstruction as well and what we need to surrender to the Lord for our renewal.


“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 

2 Corinthians 5:17


Author Terry Johnson in his excellent book The Parables of Jesus recommends using the following questions to evaluate our personal fruit of repentance:


» Is God getting a return on His investment in me?

» Have I turned from the pursuit of sin?

» Have I cultivated a loathing of evil and a hunger & thirst for righteousness?

» Have I developed a hunger for the Word of God, the people of God, and the worship of God?

» Am I pursuing holiness?

» Do I have a zeal for good works? (not to earn my salvation but in grateful response to God’s grace)

» Am I characterized by love in my dealings with my neighbors?

» For what or Whom am I living?


Those are difficult questions to ask and even harder ones to live by. The truth is that repentance is hard work because it is heart work. The question each of us must answer is this: How do I know that I’ve truly repented from _______? And the answer is: we change! God calls us to repentance, not just once, but as an ongoing way of life as we die to our sin and live for His glory.


“Legalistic remorse says I broke God’s law while real repentance says I broke God’s heart,” writes author Tim Keller. Breaking God’s heart should be a catalyst that leads to a change, not just in my behavior, but also in my heart. Breaking God’s heart should break mine too.


Also during this time, do not let us miss opportunities to assemble, even in the chaos of disruption and parking woes. It is important that we continue to worship together, pray for one another, our staff and those who will be working on the construction and pray for the continuation of the Gospel to go forth from First Presbyterian Church.


“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrew10:24-25

 

Basket Making

by Virginia Saunders


“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” 

John 15:5


The Bible asserts that the universe is a testimony to God’s existence and precision. The psalmist writes, the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, no language where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19: 1-3) God created things to function in an orderly fashion and He continues to keep things in order. His handiwork is present everywhere for all to view.


In my earlier years in Rome, I acquired the skill of making baskets to supplement our income. It all began when our girls were entering Jr. High and we lived on a very tight budget. There were cheerleader outfits to buy plus all of those club dues and on and on. I needed money-making projects to help with these expenses. I was introduced to Kudzu by my friend, Lynn Maddox, who taught me more about the bible and having a relationship with “God” than the actual basket weaving. Then, God taught me about himself and the Christian life by using the invasive vine called Kudzu.


If you have seen pictures of Kudzu you know that it can cover anything, a car, a house, or even a small town because it grows a foot a day. It was brought to the USA from Japan mainly to help with erosions. It was also used to make wallpaper, delicious jelly and it has a delightful flower that grows in the summer. There are Kudzu queens, kudzu balls, salads, medicine, and I could go on…


My friends and I would go out into the woods with our waders, bug repellent, and trusty clippers in hand to seek the most pliable, mature vines we could find. The best vines hang from the trees and are sometimes wrapped around branches too high to reach, so we pull on them with all our might to get them loose. Sometimes you would see us swinging on the vines like Tarzan, which was fun until the vine broke!


The process of choosing the right vine was based on their color, pliability and size. You need thin light brown ones for wrapping the bottom. Then you graduate up in size depending upon the size of the basket you want to make. I have made baskets large enough for a bed for a Labrador.

At the end of our search we would gather our vines, wrap them in a neat pile, and head home to weave them into beautiful baskets, each one with their own personality.


The vines, now cut from their source of nutrient, had to be used within 10 or so days or they would become brittle and no longer pliable. The first thing in making a basket is to find good ribs for support and then weave smaller vines to secure. The remaining vines are woven according to the vision we have for the basket. Each vine has its own character. Some were straight, some had knots, and some twists. Once the bottom was formed, we started up the ribs to build the basket. We could make our baskets lean left or right or just be a traditional type basket. The finishing touch was finding just the right piece for the handle. Once the basket was finished, we sprayed it with acrylic spray to preserve its character.


There are so many spiritual lessons to be learned from Kudzu basket making. Just as the vine survives only as it is connected to its root, if we are not connected to God through daily fellowship with him, we cannot grow. Without this fellowship we like the vine, will dry up and not be fit for use.


God says in his word that He is the potter and we are the clay. We are fashioned the way God intended us to be. As it says in John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit.” It is important to accept yourself for who God has made you. Most of us, if we are honest, would rather be the beautiful handle rather than the bottom of the basket. Whether you are a handle, the side, or the bottom of the basket, you have a special role in His plan. He is our maker and designer. 


Just like the flower on the Kudzu vine, we are to be a sweet smelling aroma to all those around us to testify to God in our lives. “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:15


Watch over your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23) It is important that we preserve ourselves, not with acrylic spray but with the word of God. Guard your heart and protect yourself by giving yourself to live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Satan is a lion prowling around looking to see whom he can destroy. (1 Peter 5:8)


Who knew that God could use something like Kudzu to teach us a lesson in being a bearer of fruit and teaching us that we must abide in Him, the true vine!

 

Happy 4th of July!


As we approach the Fourth of July holiday, many of us as Christians are looking not only to the privilege of living in a free country but also the privilege of celebrating the freedom we have in Christ. As you read through the following scriptures, let us thank God for giving His son that we might share in His glory and be set free from sin and death. Let us praise and worship God this 4th of July.


“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1


“For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:7


“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32


“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17


“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.” Psalm 118:5


“For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 13:8


“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emporer.” 1 Peter 2:16-17


“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” Psalm 119:45


“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

 
 

Help With The Women’s Newsletter

We are looking for support from more women of the church to contribute content and gather information for the monthly women’s newsletter! If you are interested in helping, please contact Lisa Oates.


 

Service Together


We had a great time serving the community and connecting with each other over lunch afterwards! 


Join us next time on June 12 from 9-12 at the Community Kitchen! Optional lunch afterwards.


Email Mandy if you plan to go!


Sign Up For Community Kitchen
 

Pray for the Kenya Mission Team


Travis & Stephanie Hill, Rob & Amy Davis, Joan Brock, Erin Osben, Dottie Hall, Mandy Williams, Heather Pryor, Nathan & Jane Phillips.


The dates of the trip are Oct 22 - Nov 1, 2024. If you’d like to be on a prayer team and receive specific requests as they plan, plus daily updates with prayer needs during the trip, please contact Stephanie Hill at 706-728-8757.

 
 

Summer Bible Studies

 

Hosea

Hosea teaches that knowing God transforms life through faith and obedience, illustrating God's unwavering faithfulness and love for the chosen people, amidst judgment


Led by Virginia Saunders & Katey Temple


Tuesdays, June 4 - 25

Sanctuary

10:00 am

 
Sign Up for Hosea

Everyday Gospel Conversations

A 3-week workshop helping women to build confidence in "dripping" the gospel into their everyday conversations


Led by Brittni Hall


Thursdays, May 30, June 6, June 13

Hardy Chapel 

9:30 - 11:00 am & 7:00 - 8:30 pm

 
Sign Up for Everyday Gospel Conversations
 

Prayer Needs


Church Construction Project

The Leadership of FPC

For Opportunities To Minister To Others in Our Community

FPC’s New Members


 
 

Boiler Room Prayer Time


Please join us June 3 at 10am or 6pm for “Boiler Room Prayer”.


We join together to pray for our session, our church, our community and our nation. You don’t have to be eloquent and if you’d like you may say a silent prayer. It’s all about uniting in Spirit to ask the Lord’s guidance. Watch FPC’s website for details about location!

 
 
 

June Birthdays


1 - Debbie Greeson


2 - Renee Fuller


3 - Betty Ledbetter

3 - Jennifer Beard

3 - Sydney Thompson


7 - Madeline Dillmon


10 - Virginia Saunders

10 - Ellison Brewster

10 - Jill Fisher


11 - Linda Williams

11 - Amy Edwards


15 - Susan Eubank


16 - Betty Carver


17 - Lauren Brewster


19 - CeCe Wallis

19 - Margaret Martin


20 - Cate Reese

20 - Dot Williams-Jordan

21 - Jenny Hunt

21 - Wendy Whitley


22 - Annie Cowan

22 - Amy Monroe


23 - Kate Monroe

23 - Jennifer Talley


28 - Kathy Mull

28 - Jill Pate


30 - Hillary Renner

July Birthdays


1 - Lila Smith


2 - Melanie Stevens

2 - Robin Seabolt


3 - Linda MacLeod


5 - Elizabeth Bruce

5 - Bethany Cagle


7 - Jill Graham

7 - Beth Cordell

7 - Laurie Broome


9 - Kayla Holloway


10 - Sylvia Cash


11 - Perree Collier


12 - Kristina Groux

12 - Erin Chivers

12 - Marsha Thompson


16 - Sumer Rooke


17 - Jackie Hostetler


18 - Connie Leithauser

18 - Kelley Ledbetter

18 - Gayla Darville


21 - Ashley Rusaw

21 - Brenda Dubs


23 - Stephanie Hill

23 - Wendi Van Leuven


26 - Alden Maier

26 - Jessica Tucker

26 - Melody Boggs


27 - Norene Cooper

27 - Mackey Williams

27 - Gracie Temple

27 - Camille Temple

27 - Amy Fulton


28 - Blair Weiksner

28 - Ellissia Smyth

28 - Renee Palin


30 - Bethany Johnson

 

Westminster Shorter Catechism


Q #15: What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?


A: The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created was their eating the forbidden fruit.

 
Women's Ministry @ FPC
 
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