- Kirkwood Presbyterian Church

THE
LAMPLIGHTER
NOVEMBER 2014
IN THIS ISSUE...
A View from the Porch…
A View from the Porch
1
Worship
2
Fellowship
3
Mission
4
Youth News
Veterans Day Breakfast
MOPS
6
Christian Education
Property
Aging Support Group
7
National Capital
Presbytery Updates
8
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Joys & Concerns
9
“I have always striven in my wriƟngs to express veneraƟon for the life and lessons
of our Saviour.”
~Charles Dickens, June 8, 1870
Next to the Biblical story of Jesus’ birth in
Luke’s Gospel, perhaps no other story has
influenced our preparaƟon and celebraƟon
of Christmas than A Christmas Carol wriƩen
in December of 1843 by Charles Dickens.
On Sunday, November 30, we will be capturing the Christmas Spirit on an Advent
“ghostly” adventure with Ebenezer Scrooge,
Dickens’ miserly and memorable character whose life is transformed through the
visitaƟon of three spirits. “A Christmas Carol” whisks us away on a journey which
takes us through the Christmas’s of the past, present & future, a journey of spiritual
transformaƟon and joyful celebraƟon.
“No other book or story by Dickens or anyone else (save the Bible) has been more
enjoyed, cri cized, referred to, or more frequently adapted to other media. None of
his other works is more widely recognized or, indeed, celebrated within the English‐
speaking world. Some scholars have even claimed that in publishing A Christmas
Carol Dickens single‐handedly invented the modern form of the Christmas holiday in
England and the United States.”
~ John O. Jordan, The Dickens Project, December, 1993
Charles Dickens’ classic story, “A Christmas Carol” adapts itself well to the lessons from Mark’s gospel. In a relaƟvely
unknown fact, Rev. Cheryl Anne Kincaid, reveals that this Ɵmeless story, “correlates directly to the Church of England’s
Book of Common Prayer of 1559, the church’s Book of Worship during Charles Dickens’ me…If we listen carefully to the
each of the spirits who visit Scrooge, we will hear these ancient lessons of Advent resona ng in their voices.”
This Ɵmeless story is well suited to the Season of Advent as a Ɵme for our spiritual preparaƟon
and transformaƟon to receive the Christ-child. For surely old “Humbug” himself who, as the story begins, has no use for Christmas, goes through a remarkable transformaƟon when encountering a “child” in Tiny Tim. And the visitaƟon of “the spirits” prepares him for a Christmas celebraƟon like few have ever truly experienced; yet perhaps like most of us wish we would.
We are all Ɵme travelers, especially as Christmas Ɵme draws near. OŌen the memories of
Christmases Past and the hopes of Christmases Future are drawn together; oŌen clashing and
crashing upon one another as Christmas Present approaches conjuring up appariƟons of regret,
loneliness, brokenness, and excessiveness. As the spirits reveal these things to Scrooge, may “The Spirit” reveal these
things to us. May the new found joy, generosity, and childlike playfulness in old Scrooge reveal to us the transformaƟon possible in us. May it be said of us as it was said of Ebenezer “that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any
person alive possessed the knowledge.”
God Bless Us Everyone!
Pastor Larry
Previews from the Pulpit
In November we celebrate God’s generosity and our gratitude. On Sunday, November 2 we will gather to Celebrate
Holy Communion and to Dedicate our Commitment Cards
to the Steward-Ship of “Raising Our Sails” in support of
our ministry and mission in 2015. On November 9, Christopher Smith will lead us in worship; and, the Season of
Advent begins on Sunday, November 30 with A Christmas Carol Advent sermon series.
Baptisms on October 12 included Clara Laurence Johnson,
daughter of Matt & Betsy Johnson, and Benjamin Kenneth
Yancey, son of J oe & Susie Yancey.
Sunday, November 2
Celebration of Holy Communion/
Steward-Ship Dedication Sunday
21st Sunday after Pentecost
Philippians 3:4-14/John 21:1-17
Sailing Into God’s Future!
Sunday, November 9
Rev. Lees on Vacation
Christopher Smith preaching
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Vince & Heather Telfer baptized their daughter, Fiona
Lillian Holly Telfer, on October 19. They wer e joined
by siblings Conner, Alaura, and Brennan.
Sunday, November 16
23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 123/I Thessalonians 5:1-11
A Strong Cuppa’ Joe
Sunday, November 23
Christ the King Sunday
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24/Matthew 25:31-46
Separation Anxiety?
Sunday, November 30
A Christmas Carol Advent Sermon Series begins
First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 64:1-9/Mark 13:24-37
Marley’s Ghost
On October 26, the Virginia Glee Club from the University of Virginia sang during worship following their annual Fall retreat which was held at Kirkwood.
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The Brunch with a Bunch
small group invites everyone to brunch on Sunday,
November 2, at Giar dino
Italian Restaurant.
Fellowship Potluck Lunches for the Holidays
Mark your calendars now for Fellowship, Family,
Friends, and Fun potluck lunches immediately following
worship in November and December. Sign-up sheets
coming soon.
The restaurant is located at 8944 Burke Lake Rd. in
Springfield (in the shopping center at the corner of Burke
Lake Rd. and Rolling Rd.; where San Vito Restaurant
used to be).
The website is www.giardinoitalianrestaurant.com.You’ll
be able to choose the Sunday buffet or lunch menu.
Please consider joining us for some food, fun and fellowship! It’s scheduled for 1:00 pm, so head straight there
after worship and the Hospitality Table. Please contact
Warren and Karen Qualley at 703-646-5905 or via e-mail
at [email protected]. We hope to see you there!
Sunday November 23 - “Anything But Turkey!”
Give the turkey, and you, a break. Bring soup, sandwiches (including PBJ for the kids), chips or a dessert and join
your Kirkwood family and friends for an easy potluck
lunch befor e Thanksgiving.
The December Brunch with a Bunch will be on Sunday,
December 7 at Ledo Pizza, 8324 Old Keene Mill Rd
(in the Giant shopping center near Kirkwood).
Following the meal, please join us to decorate the church
in anticipation and celebration of Christ’s birth.
Women's Ministry Circles
The Monday Circle will meet Monday, November 17 at 7:30 pm in the
Parlor. The Thursday Circle will meet
Thursday, November 20 at 10:30
am in the Parlor. Both will study Lesson 3 in Reconciling Paul: A Contemporary Study of 2 Corinthians by Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty.
Sunday, December 14 – “Caroling All the Way!”
Following the presentation of our children's nativity during worship on December 14, gather in the fellowship hall
for caroling and a potluck lunch. We will have both kid
and adult friendly lunch fare and our choir director, Christopher Smith, will be leading us in singing some of our
favorite Christmas carols.
Book Club
The Kirkwood Book Club will meet November 10 at 7:30 pm in the Conference
Room. We are reading The Pieces W e
Keep by Kristina McMorris. Karen
Qualley is the hostess.
Make sure to invite friends and family to the nativity as
well as the potluck and caroling - the more, the merrier!
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Thanksgiving/Christmas Baskets
S.O.M.E. Sandwich Making
Thanks to all of your donations, we have collected
enough money to provide 22 Thanksgiving Baskets to
those in need! We are currently working with ECHO to
identify local families who will receive baskets. The Mission Committee and Deacons invite you to help deliver
the baskets - there is a sign-up sheet in the common area. Basket delivery will take place after worship on November 16 and it’s a wonderful experience. We will be
contacting each family in early November to arrange a
delivery time so they will be expecting someone from
Kirkwood to stop by.
This month’s making of sandwiches to feed the homeless
will be in Fellowship Hall
immediately after worship
service on Sunday, November
16. The sandwiches are delivered to So Others May Eat
for distribution. Donations of bologna and sliced cheese
are welcome and should be placed in the kitchen refrigerator. Please come and join others who are giving of their
time to relieve hunger in our metropolitan area. This mission project is scheduled each month and takes only 30 to
45 minutes to complete.
Additionally, our children
are decorating Thanksgiving
Boxes used for distributing
our Thanksgiving food items
during Sunday School. This
is a great hands-on experience for them as they learn to
help others.
Kids Helping Kids
All kids of Kirkwood, get ready to help assemble weekend
food packs for hungry students at Newington Forest Elementary after service in the Fellowship Hall. On Sunday,
November 16. Donations of boxed mac & cheese, ramen
noodles, instant oatmeal, canned chicken or tuna, cheese
and crackers, and granola bars are always welcome. Bring your items with you to the Fellowship Hall
or place them in the ECHO box labeled Kids Helping
Kids.
Contact Doug or Sara Amon at [email protected] if you
have any questions.
Lynbrook Elementary Tutoring
Lynbrook Elementary School is in need of adult and highschool-age tutors for students in grades 4, 5, & 6. The
Tutoring Club meets on Tuesdays at 3:15 to 4:30 pm
through May 5. The program is designed to help students with homework and other skills while building a
relationship with a caring person from the community. Ideally, tutors are able to commit to helping for the
entire year, so that the student and tutor can build a meaningful relationship. If you are interested in participating,
please contact Donna Ross.
This month’s communion Sunday food collection for ECHO will be on Sunday, November 2. As you pr epar e your list for gr ocer y
shopping, please remember to pick up a few
items for ECHO to give to the hungry in our community.
The ECHO box will be waiting for your contributions at
the entrance to the sanctuary. Most urgent food item
needs can be found at www.echo-inc.org.
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CROP Walk
On Sunday, November 23, Kirkwood will participate in
the 22nd Annual Burke CROP Hunger Walk in support
of global programs for disaster response, literacy, clean
water initiatives, teaching agricultural practices, and
many more efforts to reduce the stunning number of
people (over 900 million) who suffer from food insufficiency. Last year, ECHO received a check for nearly
$9,000 from the Burke walk. Please consider supporting
this worthy cause as a walker or by sponsoring a walker.
You can find out more at www.burkecropwalk.org or by
contacting Nathan Mottl, Kirkwood’s Crop Walk Coordinator at [email protected].
Remember the children’s story, “The Giving Tree”?
Well, Kirkwood has its own giving tree and it will again
make its appearance in the narthex during the advent season. The Giving Tree will be decorated with ornaments
made by our Sunday School children and each ornament
will have information on the reverse side about a child’s
clothing item which you can purchase and donate to a
disadvantaged child at Lynbrook Elementary School.
Last year, this collection was very successful and met a
significant need at Lynbrook to clothe needy students and
their younger siblings against the harsh winter cold. As a
measure of how great the need is, last year, less than a
day after Kirkwood’s Mission Committee delivered to
Lynbrook several bags of winter clothing donated by caring Kirkwood members, the clothing had been completely distributed!
Hypothermia Program
Kirkwood is once again participating in the FACETS
Hypothermia program for the homeless. We are looking
for volunteers to serve dinner on Sunday, November 23
from about 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Price of Peace Lutheran. If you are interested in helping, please contact
Kathy Lewis at 703.888.3050 or [email protected].
This year, the Giving Tree will be set up and decorated
after the service and fellowship luncheon on November
23rd. Any time after that, please come to admire the tree
and remember the story. Take one or more decorations,
purchase the item(s), and deposit them unwrapped in the
receptacle near the tree. The last day of the collection
period is Sunday, December 14th. Donated clothing will
be delivered to Lynbrook the following Tuesday by the
tutoring team.
Remember, the Giving Tree is at its most beautiful when
it is bare of ornaments! May God bless your caring and
generosity.
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November Schedule:
November 2 - 9:45 am Sunday School
November 9 - 9:45 am Sunday School;
12:15-1:45 pm Youth Group
November 16 - 9:45 am Sunday School
November 21 - FRIDAY Youth Group
Arlington Food Assistance Center
Johnny Rockets
This Fall is shaping up to be a very busy, and exciting
time for our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group!
In early October, three members of our Steering team
traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for the MOPS International Leadership Conference, know as MOMcon. Emilie Horne, Rachael Smith, and Karen Qualley enjoyed 3
days of amazing
speakers, and were
encouraged to "Be
You Bravely" as they
delve into deeper,
more meaningful
relationships with
fellow moms. They
brought back a
wealth of knowledge,
and we are excited to
share all that they
learned.
November 23 - 9:45 am Sunday School;
12:15-1:45 pm Youth Group
November 30 - 9:45 am Sunday School
Last month, we were blessed with a visit from one of
our favorite speakers, Mrs. Stephanie Fink, founder of
"Encouraged in Heart." She spoke with us about
"Bravely Being a Friend” and reaffirmed the importance
of maintaining our friendships through open and honest
communication from the heart. In addition to speaking
to MOPS groups, Stephanie offers a Facebook page full
of daily encouragement for Christian women, maintains
a website (www.encouragedinheart.org) and is an active
advocate for survivors of human trafficking.
Veterans Day Breakfast
Save a place on your November calendar for our eighth
annual Veterans Day breakfast on Saturday, November 8
from 8:30 am - 9:30 am to honor Kirkwood's veterans and
their family members. Breakfast begins at 8:30. We will
look forward to hearing from our guest speaker, Major
General Bo Dyess, Director, Force Devlopment, Office of
the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8. Our Veterans
Day breakfast will culminate with the traditional cake cutting in honor of the Marine Corps Birthday. This event is
not just for our veterans, but the whole congregation and
community.
Also in October, our group made a donation of 111 new
and gently used bras to benefit BraLaLaLaLa. This nonprofit group assists survivors of human trafficking in
starting their own businesses with these donated garments.
As we look toward November, we continue to make donations of gently used clothing, toys, and household
items to ECHO. We will also be filling eight shoe boxes
for Operation Christmas Child, through Samaritan's
Purse (www.operationchristmaschild.org).
We are all excited about sharing the love of Christ, and
the message of Salvation through this unique program!
So we can ensure we have enough "SOS" and egg casseroles, RSVP to Jon Larson ([email protected]).
A sign-up sheet will also be available in the commons area.
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There’s Something for Everyone
at 9:45 am on Sundays!
Adult Christian Education:
Welcome to the Feast… Continuing in October, we will
facilitate our Adult Christian Education offering which
will be based on the award winning Feasting on the
Word Commentary Series.
With the new month comes new opportunities to help
around the church property. This month, the Property
Committee has two events planned which we welcome
the congregation to be part of. The first event is the Veterans Day Breakfast hosted by the Property Committee
which will be held on November 8 starting at 8:30
am. We have a signup sheet located in the commons area.
Feasting on the Word: Teaching the Revised Common
Lectionary provides class discussion and learning based
on the one of the four primary Biblical texts for each
Sunday from the Revised Common Lectionary which
clergy often use to develop the worship and preaching
ministries for their congregation.
We will also be hosing our annual Fall Clean-up on November 15, which will star t at 8:00 am and last until
about noon. We will have a variety of tasks to be accomplished during this event which will range from small to
medium size projects that do not require any specialized
skills. Lunch will also be served!
Join us in the Conference Room at 9:45 am. New class
members are always welcome! If you have additional
questions about the class, please contact Martha
Schoonmaker or Pastor Lees.
We would like to thank all who helped spread the piles of
mulch that was donated to the church. A small group was
able to clear eight loads of mulch around the property. Without these volunteers this wouldn't have been possible.
During Adult Sunday School we also offer…
If you have any questions, please contact Dan Larson at
[email protected].
Nursery Care:
Nursery Care will be available for infants through children age 3.
Age 3 through 6th Grade:
Kids Rocks ‘N Stuff provides joyful singing and a creative time of learning!
Support Group on Aging invites
all to attend our next meeting on November 24 at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room. The purpose of the
group is to offer support and education to those caring for the elderly
and others interested in the subject.
Each meeting includes a topic chosen by the group, explored through an educational segment and group interaction. The group facilitator is Rev.
Dr. Saul Cardona who has extensive experience in working with the elderly and specialized education in dealing
with elderly issues and their families. For further information, please contact Rev. Dr. Cardona at 703-2323041 or at [email protected].
7th Grade through 12th Grade:
Junior/Senior High Sunday School is available for youth
in grade 7 through grade 12. Jon and Merissa Larson are
teaching a new curriculum called “Firsthand Faith - Discovering a Faith of Your Own” by Ryan and Josh
Shook. The course encourages our young adults to move
beyond secondhand beliefs and embrace a firsthand
faith. By directly tackling tough issues, the material assists students in separating personal convictions from
inherited ones, embrace the role of doubts in building a
true faith, understand why church matters, discover how
spiritual practices can enrich time with God, and more.
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minimum 5% of its total budget to Mission. Each year
church sessions will be encouraged to raise the percentage
until 10% of the total budget is allocated to mission. A
new Mission video was shown to the commissioners. The
video was on Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) of which
there are five serving in National Capital Presbytery this
year. These five young adults were commissioned at the
meeting. Local congregations are encouraged to:
1) view the video
2) identify and encourage participation by young adults
in their congregation
3) consider financially supporting this mission
4) pray for the future of this program which gathers
young adults together to lead us out of this world of
scarcity into God's world of abundance.
YAV is a program that emphasizes spiritual growth, intentional community, simple living, and leadership development. The program was started 20 years ago and the
YAV national office affirms that 90% of the YAVs remain active in PCUSA congregations and 30% go on to
seminary. (NOTE: LuAnn Ekstrom, a member of Kirkwood who moved to Florida in August, gave her sofa and
several other pieces of furniture to furnish the house
where the five YAVs are now living.)
Meeting Update
The National Capital Presbytery met on September 23,
2014. Topics of discussion included:
•
•
•
•
•
Redeeming Coffee Grounds is a non-profit seeking to provide new markets for farmers wanting to
convert their land from cocaine production to growing coffee.
The Power to Change Grant Funds for conservation. Ways were explored for individual congregations to reduce costs through insulation, lighting
retrofits and energy audits.
Becoming a Multi-Cultural Church by wor king
together, cross-culturally.
Hey, Can We Talk? proposed discussion on such
questions as: Is it possible for the Spirit to guide
God's people to contradictory beliefs or practices?
Christian Educators, Ask Me Anything from curriculum, to training, to child protection policies,
online resources...whatever!
The evening concluded with a service of worship with a
sermon from national YAV Director Rev. Richard Williams, and ended with communion.
The next meeting of National Capital Presbytery will be
Tuesday, November 18. Please contact Karen Koenig, if
you are an elder and are interested in attending a National
Capital Presbytery meeting as a voting commissioner.
The Business Meeting opened with prayer and praise
singing accompanied by a live jazz band.
A long discussion was the result of Leadership Council's report regarding a local church which needed financial help paying its monthly mortgage. It was decided that money could come from the Resurrection Fund.
National Capital Presbytery plays a vital r ole in
providing education, resources and support for our local
congregations and was instrumental in assisting Kirkwood to refinance its mortgage at an attractive rate. We
would like to be able to fully fund our per member assessment this year, so if you have not yet made your
contribution, please consider writing a check to Kirkwood for $36 and mark the memo line as NCP Assessment. Thank you.
The Budget and Finance Committee's report was a
first reading of both the Operating Budget and the Mission Budget for 2015. The commissioners voted to receive the first reading. The final vote will take place at
the November meeting.
Last year every congregation was asked to give a
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In Celebration:
Ian Matthew Rhoades was born on October 13. He is the
son of Matthew and Eryn (Lees) Rhoades and the grandson
of Larry and Cynthia Lees.
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28
30
Tom Lobred
Doug Amon
Cynthia Lees
Ron Taylor
Pat Patton
Sara Amon
Elizabeth Mateyka
Saul Cardona
Alice Burbank
Laurissa Hall
Ben Elgersma
Caitlin Schindler
Wayne Hall
Anna Scofield
Rebecca Koenig
Margaret Ritsch
Rachel Amon
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12
30
Dan & Rebecca Larson
Michael & Marissa Hock
Don & Joy Groettum
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7
12
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16
19
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Special Concerns:
Our Missionaries in Zambia:
Rev. Kari Nicewander & Joel DeJong
Tom & Karen Mirabella and family, serving in the mission
field in Japan
Sorrows:
We extend our deepest expression of Christian love and
sympathy to the families of: Debbie Wingfield at the death
of her father, Susie Yancey at the death of her grandmother,
and Terry Suetterlein at the death of her father.
Health & Personal Concerns:
Bob Flory
Hal Sellers
Dick Pape
Heather Telfer’s father, Bob Snow
Morgan Death, friend of Jon Larson
Kathy Lewis’ friend Mary Torczon
Keith Scott
Bobbie Myers - Phil Myers’ mother
Dani Schwalb
Alfredo and Arleene Luciano, brother and sister-in-law of
Aida Cardona
Carla Coffman, Rebecca Larson’s mother
SGT Manny Rivera’s family, friend of Kathy Lewis
Gary Klimek, husband of Ann Gisch’s niece
Katherine Hart, mother of Ann Gisch
Jestin Braker, nephew of Bob Gisch
Michael Taylor, brother of Ron Taylor
Thanksgiving Office Closure
The Kirkwood office will be closed on Thursday,
November 27 and Friday, November 28.
Prayer Chain—If you have a joy
or concern, we would like to pray
with you. To start the prayer chain
by phone, please call or the church
office (703) 451-5320; to start it by
e-mail, please contact Warren
Qualley at [email protected].
December Lamplighter Deadline
The next Lamplighter deadline is Monday, Nov.
17. Please submit your articles and/or photos to
Anne at [email protected].
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KIRKWOOD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
8336 Carrleigh Parkway
Springfield, VA 22152
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Kirkwood Presbyterian
Church
8336 Carrleigh Parkway
Springfield, VA 22152
703-451-5320
703-451-1959 (FAX)
[email protected]
www.kirkwoodpres.com
Pastor, Rev. Larry C. Lees
[email protected]
Director of Music
Christopher Smith
Organist/Accompanist
Hongjoo Lee
Office Manager
Anne Myers
Youth Ministry Coordinator
Rex Grigg
Treasurer
Jim Lister