OPS and NOW and Homemade Soup

Everyone is invited to gather in the Henry Young Fellowship Hall for homemade soup at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8. Come in out of the cold and sample several delicious soups, enjoy the warmth of fellowship, and stay for continued discussion of our church community and mission.

Our discussions will take place in two committees:

• OPS (Operations) Committee—Guides the work of stewardship and giving, finances, budget, personnel, upkeep of building and grounds.



• NOW Committee—Guides programmatic work of the congregation, including music and worship, Christian formation, earth care, gun violence prevention, garden ministry, outreach to the community, Guatemala partnership and overseas mission.

Even if you are not sure about serving on a “committee,” please join us for the food and a chance to get to know others in our church community.

Readers Theater: January 12

The sequel! On Sunday, January 12, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Phil Lloyd-Sidle will host a second “Adult Sunday School” group reading of the sequel to the Nativity morality play “The House by the Stable.” This play, also by Charles Williams, is entitled "Grab and Grace" and features some of the same characters plus two more: "Faith" and “Grace." It is a fun and thought-provoking play about the time following the death of Jesus.

The reading will take place in the Gathering Room. As before, the bonus of coffee, teas, and baked items will be provided.

Charles Williams was a friend and contemporary of T.S Eliot, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and others in mid-20th-century England. He was most known as a novelist, but also published poetry, works of literary criticism, theology, drama, history, and biography.

Prayer and Action for Middle East

If you are struggling with your feelings about all that is happening in the Middle East and yearn for shared information, prayers, and other possible responses, please join our small group. Here is our schedule for January.

• Thursday, January 9, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in-person gathering in the home of Eva Stimson and Jerry Van Marter (address in church directory). Light lunch will be provided.

• Thursdays, January 16 and 30, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., on Zoom. Email Soni Castleberry at soni.castleberry@gmail.com to get the Zoom link and to be added to the group email list for regular communication.



• Thursday, January 23, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Lunch and Learn, with guest speakers Baha Hilo and Marietta Macy, in the fellowship hall at CHPC (see related article).

Lunch and Learn

January 23, 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Fellowship Hall

CHPC is hosting an educational event with Palestinian educator Baha Hilo and PC(USA) minister Marietta Macy on Thursday, January 23. Baha and Marietta are on a two-month speaking tour sponsored by the Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). They will discuss "What’s Going On and What You Can Do: An overview of the history and present realities in Palestine and how individuals and groups can help." Join us for lunch at 11:30. (Please RSVP to the church office or to Tricia Lloyd-Sidle at Revtjls@gmail.com so we have enough food.) The presentation will begin at noon.

Baha Hilo was born and raised in Palestine. He has worked with human rights and advocacy groups, including the UN and the Badil Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights. Baha runs “To Be There,” an organization dedicated to a better-informed international community on the issues facing Palestine and its people, who are living under one of the world’s longest military occupations of the 20th and 21st centuries (48 years and counting!).

Marietta Macy was first introduced to Palestine while serving as a Youth Advisory Delegate for the PC(USA) General Assembly in 2004 and has stayed connected ever since. She is a graduate of Hanover College and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. A pastor and educator, she has served congregations in Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia.

DID YOU KNOW?

What Presbyterians Believe About Mary (continued)

So often we miss out on participating in the grace-full work of God because — unlike Mary — we refuse to acknowledge its impossibility. Instead, we work to make it manageable.

Key biblical players were often similarly resistant to the impossibility of grace. “What?!” Moses exclaimed (in so many words). “You want me to lead your people out of Egypt? At first glance that seems impossible, so let’s come up with a more manageable strategy, shall we? I’ll need a spokesperson, a miracle or two to perform … ”

Strikingly, Mary does not try to negotiate her way beyond the impossibility of what God is calling her to. Neither does she fold under the weight of it. “Nothing will be impossible with God,” Gabriel tells her. And Mary accepts this. “Let it be with me according to your word,” she says. “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.”

It is precisely Mary’s recognition of the impossibility of her participation in God’s work that gives way to her complete involvement. She knows she is utterly incapable, but she is convinced that, with God, she can and will participate in this divine work. She travels to Elizabeth, bursts forth with the prophetic words of the Magnificat, and ponders the significance of the Christ event and her place in it. “The Mighty One has done great things for me,” she rejoices, “and holy is his name” (Luke 1:49).

Excerpt from an article by Cynthia L. Rigby published in the April 2004 issue of Presbyterians Today.

January Birthdays

Please remember these wonderful folks in prayer and, if possible, reach out to them with a card, phone call, text, email or however you choose to honor them.

To double-check your listing, contact Soni Castleberry at soni.castleberry@gmail.com or phone or text at 502-417-6481.

January 16 - Don Mead

January 23 - Harrie Buecker, Kara Castleberry