December 2015 Lamplighter

The Lamplighter
Loving, Praising, Caring
December 2015
Vol. 20 No. 12
800 Lawrenceville Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
(770) 963-9498
(770) 963-9458 FAX
www.lawrencevillepresbyterian.org
Sunday School
9:15 am
Worship Hours
10:30 am
Office Hours
Monday through Thursday
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Fridays
9:00 am to Noon
Our Staff Pastor
Rev. Ryan Jensen
Office Manager
Annette Houtz
Director of LPK
Sandy Futch
Organist/Accompanist
Joyce Parks
Youth Directors
Glen and Kristi Sukkert
The Lamplighter is a monthly newsletter.
Articles may be submitted via email to
[email protected] or
by bringing them to the church office.
Please note that the deadline for the
January Lamplighter is December 21,
2015.
Before you know it, you will be dragging a dead, dried out evergreen to
the curb, or lugging an artificial one back into the attic or basement.
Maybe there are a few, lonely strands of tinsel clinging to the branches,
not ready to yield to the close of the Christmas season. Maybe there
was no tree at all, but just a few simple decorations to let you know that
Christmas happened. Snowman and candy cane cookie cutters have
been stored away. Christmas cards have traveled from the mailbox to
the mantle, before being relegated to the mausoleum of forgotten things.
Christmas will be over, as will be the joy, madness, cheer, music,
busyness, commercialism, and the fond and/or forlorn memories that
accompany it. On to the New Year, and…
But wait! Where does Jesus fit into it all? Will you carve out time and
space to honor the Messiah? What do we make of a child who was born
two thousand years ago to a poor teenager? And what does the
incarnation mean for a world that lives in fear? Our church will join
others in doing our best to provide answers and opportunities to those
questions. Please consider all of these events, each one being open to
the church and community:

Sundays in December: Advent and Worship, 10:30 – 11:30.
Advent = coming. The narrative of Jesus’ coming will be explored
through your participation in sermon, song and sacrament.

Saturday, December 5: Lunch with Santa, 11:00 – 12:30. Families
and children are invited to engage in arts and crafts, have their
picture taken with Santa, and gather with the church community for
lunch.

Sunday, December 13: Breakfast, children’s pageant and worship
in fellowship hall, 9:15 – 11:30. We will employ all five senses as we
join for food, song, fellowship, and worship together! Sunday school
classes will not meet this day.

Saturday, December 19: Christmas Cantata featuring the LPC
Choir and BJ Chorale, 3:00. This concert will present “A Thrill of
Hope” by Joel Raney.

Sunday, December 24: Christmas Eve Service, 5:30 – 6:30. A
“silent night” of praise at a family friendly time.
Luke 2:10-11 - But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for
see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the
Messiah, the Lord.”
Session News
LPC Session
Clerk of Session – Tina de Waart
Committee Meetings
December 6, 12:00 pm
Administration – Barbara Wilson, Dick McCracken
Building and Grounds – Cary Hannon, Ben Davis
Fellowship – Stephen Rary
Session Meeting –
December 13, 4:30 pm
Missions – Margaret Bell, Julia Bartlett
Welcome and Care – Sue Seibenhener
Worship and Christian Education – LaWanda Burke, Emma Grace, Skip Robinson
Session Meeting Highlights
Session held its monthly stated Session meeting on November 22. Several items were
presented, discussed, and approved during the meeting. Below is a brief recap of the
actions taken by Session:
Session
Meeting

Session gratefully received a gift from the Estate of William R. Franck (Ross) in the
form of securities with a fair market value of $92,082.88.

Session approved a request from the Administration Committee to invite the
congregation to contribute to a Christmas bonus fund that will be distributed among
LPC and LPK staff members. Contributions will be voluntary. A letter will be sent to members of the congregation
with this invitation.

Session approved Welcome and Care’s request to remove 19 individuals from active status to inactive status and to
move 14 individuals off the LPC membership rolls.

Session approved a request from the LPK Board to hold a fundraiser for the McGee Learning Center in March 2016.

Session approved adding Mike and Nancy Welborn back to the membership rolls of LPC via transfer of membership.
Highlights
A complete set of the Minutes of the stated Session Meeting are available for your review in the Church office. Please
continue to keep your pastor and your Session in your prayers as they discern God’s will and make decisions for LPC.
Vision Team News
Setting Sail with a Vision and Mission: Sunday, November 15 was a great day in the life of the
church. We enjoyed a great meal (with thanks to Sissy and Emily Routh) and listened together to
better understand the thinking of each small group that had met over the previous weeks and
months. We also identified common areas of interest, better identifying small group themes and
results before passing them on to the Vision Team, who will refine them into vision and mission statements that will
guide our church into the future. Our congregation and session will look to those statements in asking, "How are we
being led by the Spirit in serving Christ in this place, in this community, in this nation and in this world? And are our
initiatives in line with our vision and mission?" The Vision Team will report back with those statements Sunday, January
21. Team members are: Betty Atkinson, Arlene Brown, Trey Futch, Raphael Mensah, and Charlie Roberts. Please be in
prayer for this team as their journey continues!
Administration
Memorial Tree
New leaves have recently been added to the Memorial Tree. Leaves have been added
in memory of Jeane Simpson and also David and Laurie Burroughs made a contribution
to purchase leaves in memory of David’s parents, Ralph and Isabel Burroughs.
Our Memorial Tree is a way that you can memorialize loved ones who have gone before
us. The Tree of Life was purchased to provide a visual record of our church’s memorial
gifts, and raise the consciousness of the importance of giving to the church in memory of
a loved one. The Tree of Life reaches back to members who played a viable role in the
history of LPC. The Tree of Life will also move forward with those who will be
memorialized in the future.
A minimum contribution of $150.00 will be required in order to purchase a leaf on the Tree of Life. This may be from a
single person, or family or several contributions.
If you are interested in purchasing a leaf in memory of a loved one please see Annette Houtz in the church office.
FROM THE ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE . . . . .
improve as we move through the fourth quarter. However,
being in the red is never where we want to be.
On the income side through October, we are $10,780
behind on our pledged income and $10,557 behind on our
projected non-pledged income. (Obviously non-pledged
expected income is determined by a historical perspective
and faith) On the expense side, we have gone over budget
in the area of database support and computer software/
repairs (+$4,000); telephone expense (+$2,295); repairs
and maintenance issues for our building (+$3,856). On a
positive note, other areas of our ministry are below budget
figures ( for example, personnel expense because of
changes in our staff (-$4,339); and worship expenses
(-$2,359) Of course the ministries that are under budget
have helped keep our deficit through October that much
lower. However, our shortfall is not primarily the result of a
lack of careful spending by our committees and staff. We
continue to seek out cost saving measures and grants. Our
situation is primarily due to being 7% behind in expected
revenues.
2015 has brought many changes to LPC. Physical changes
to our building that include much needed repairs and
upgrades as well as a renovation of our kindergarten facility
as we prepare for the beginning of an expanded program in
2016. Other changes have been implemented to our
spiritual services as we try out fresh approaches to worship;
and organizational changes that effect how we manage the
day to day operations of our church business. Most
importantly, we will close out the year with a definition of a
clear vision statement that will drive the future direction of
LPC. All of this activity comes with a financial cost, and the
Administration Committee thought it would be a good time
Those of you who pledged recently received your third
to share again where we are with respect to the finances of quarter pledge statements from the Church informing you of
the church.
where you are with your personal financial commitment to
We stepped out in faith with our budget of $382, 426 as we LPC for this year. So if you have been meaning to catch
up with your pledge, please do! If your financial
began our 2015 fiscal year. We are now into the last
circumstances have changed for the richer and you can go
quarter of 2015. Hopefully you have noticed the mini
beyond your pledge, please do! And if your financial
financial reports that have been included in each weekly
circumstances have changed for the poorer but you still feel
bulletin so some of this report should not be new
called to give what you can, please do! Through your
information to you.
generosity, we will continue to underwrite activities that lead
Unfortunately, we are behind in our operations budget.
people to Jesus Christ.
Specifically, through October 30th, we are $33,915 in the
For those of you that wish to see detailed reconciliations of
red. Now being somewhat behind in our anticipated
our financial activities, copies of our monthly financial
projections at this time of the year is not an unusual
records are available for review in the church office. Or feel
occurrence as attendance and giving tend to ebb and flow
free to contact Barbara Wilson or Dick McCracken, the
especially in the summer months. Historically, we see a
“catch up” in the later months of the fiscal year, and it is the elders serving as co-chairmen of the Admin Committee.
expectation of the Admin Committee that our position will
Christian Education
The annual LPK Christmas Program will be Thursday, December 10 at 11:00 am in our
Sanctuary. The children will be singing traditional Christmas songs like Away in a Manger
and Go Tell it on the Mountain as well as several non-traditional songs. It is always a
joyous celebration! All are invited to attend. A special thank you to Dottie Kuhn for
accompanying us once again.
LPK will close for the Christmas holidays after school on December 16th and reopen on
January 6th.
Lunch with Santa
Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church
Saturday, December 5th
11:00 am – 12:30pm
Visit with Santa, Pictures, Christmas Crafts, and Lunch
800 Lawrenceville Hwy
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Fellowship
Our December meeting will be on Wednesday, December 9 at noon in the
Fellowship Hall. There will be a program of Christmas music presented by “Music to
My Ears”, a duo we have had perform for us many times before. They sing and play
several instruments and usually lead us in a sing-along of familiar Christmas carols.
Our luncheon will be Christmas ham and all the fixings provided by caterer, Patty Stanhope. Sunshiner funds will pay
for the meal, so this is our Christmas gift to us from the income generated by the stock gift from Emory and Margaret
Pierce. No one will be phoned to make reservations, but we do need an exact count. So everyone who wishes
to come should RSVP to Carolyn Fetner by December 4 at [email protected] or call (770) 963-6118 or
(770) 826-2277. There is no age requirement, so anyone who is able to come is welcome.
Fellowship (Continued)
The Presbyterian Women Saturday Circle will meet on Saturday, December 12,
2015 at the home of Janie Carroll, 1310 Pinshyre Court, Lawrenceville, 30043.
Please call Janie at (770) 339-1608 to let her know who will be attending.
Breakfast at 9:30.
The Bible Study is on Surviving Times of Little or No Water in our spiritual lives
and our physical lives. We are open to all who want to join us.
We Need You Clean, Empty Medicine Bottles - Labels Removed!!
Please take note of a basket in the Gathering Area ….. Medicine Bottles for Malawi ….
Did you know that when disasters strike in many parts of the globe, companies and
organizations leap into action to send out medicines in great bulk and quantities to meet
the needs of folks who need medical care? These generous folks send boxes of pills
out BUT when the medical supplies arrive there are often no bottles into which the pills
can be dispensed. Medical missionaries, corpsman, doctors, and nurses place the pills
into bits or scraps of paper (or any available jar/cup/box). So if you have empty medicine bottles in the medicine cabinet
or that drawer next to the sofa … get them out and bring them in. We will collect the bottles and send them to be
shipped off to Malawi and other destinations that need our help. The bottles should be clean, empty, labels rubbed off
and have a lid that fits … just that easy.
Each year Presbyterian Women celebrate the holidays with
residents of the health services centers at Presbyterian
Home, Quitman, Presbyterian Village, Austell, and our
newest residents in Swainsboro.
Support the Caring Hands Fund for Presbyterian
Homes of Georgia. Last year, more than $3 million
in benevolent care, including meals, medical
supplies, and nursing care, was provided to elderly
residents in need.
Be an angel. Cards are available at the Welcome
Center for you to use to make your financial
donation.
In September, the joyous task of collecting gifts for our
residents begins. Santa’s elves pick up the gifts from depot
churches and deliver them to the campuses to be wrapped
for residents. Santa himself delivers the gifts to residents at
Christmas parties.
Brochures showing “Suggested Gift Items” are available at
the Welcome Center in the Gathering Area. Choose the gifts
you would like to purchase and bring them to LPC and place
in the collection box.
If you have any questions, please contact Julia Bartlett.
Missions
Mark your calendars! Our host dates for Family Promise
in 2016 are as follows:
January 17 - 24
A big thank you to everyone who donated non-perishable
items, gift cards, and money for our Thanksgiving Bags.
Your response this year was overwhelming! Many
families had a nice Thanksgiving meal thanks to you!
These bags were an unexpected surprise for the clients of
the Lawrenceville Co-Op. Imagine a person asking for
help during the hard times and being handed a
Thanksgiving bag provided by you. What a blessing for
that person! God bless you and Merry Christmas!
August 28 - September 4
November 13 - 20
Our host week in January is coming up and will be here
before you know it. Look for sign–up sheets for
supplies, meals, and hosting in late December.
Thank you for your participation this year with this
wonderful mission. We look forward to serving families
from Family Promise in 2016. With your help, Family
Promise will end homelessness in Gwinnett County one
family at a time.
JOY Offering in Support of Presbyterian Homes of Georgia. Founded in 1949
Presbyterian Homes of Georgia is a Christian ministry serving people without regard to race,
gender, religion, national origin, color, creed, or handicap status. Persons of all faiths are
welcome. They are a nonprofit organization that uses their resources to fulfill the mission: To
provide exceptional services to enhance the quality of life for seniors. Presbyterian Homes of
Georgia provides these services even when individual circumstances change.
This year our JOY Offering will be taken on December 24th, Christmas Eve Service. So as you
consider the joys of the Christmas, we invite you to give an offering that will bring JOY to the
lives of those who are in the care of Presbyterian Homes of Georgia. Blessings Abound.
Music and Worship
Praise Kids are busy preparing a sweet Christmas Musical
to share with you on Sunday, December 13, at the Sunday
School hour. We invite all of you to attend. You will be
enthralled by the shepherds from tallest to least and you will
hear the angels rejoicing.
We are moving from anthems of thanksgiving into Advent and Christmas
music. It is not too late to join in. On Sunday, December 20, worship will
be a service of Lessons and Carols.
Carols will be sung and played in beautiful arrangements. We have
instrumentalists coming and John McDonald is once again collaborating in
the music presentations.
On Saturday, December 19, our Chancel Choir will join with B J Chorale and singers from other churches to present “A
Thrill of Hope” by Joel Raney. This is a beautiful cantata which we believe everyone will enjoy. It is not too late to join in
this event either. We have two rehearsals left: December 6 and 13 at 3:30 pm. Again we will feature instruments with
John McDonald conducting.
We are presenting this cantata for our LPC members who have always enjoyed the Christmas Cantatas and also as a
gift to our community. We are calling this a Unity Choir because it unites us all in singing and worship. Key themes of
this musical are: Love and Peace. We need all of these two things that we can get. Please join us for this celebration.
Free admission, no offerings.
We are presenting the Cantata at 3:00 pm so that those who don’t like to drive in the dark may attend, but it is open to
everyone.
We are still looking for Christmas bell ringers.
Joyce can meet with you for rehearsal on Tuesday
afternoon. Please contact her if
you are interested.
Welcome and Care
To my LPC Family,
I want to thank you for the prayers and cards and care that was given to me and my
family the past several months for my sister, Judy’s illness and my brother, Charles’
illness and death and always the prayers for my sister, Dodie.
Your care and love has been a blessing for me and I know my family also.
Thank you again,
Pat Capper
To Our Very Special Church Family,
During this Thanksgiving season when we are especially aware of our many blessings, it is such an appropriate time for
us to say how thankful we are for you — our loving church family. During the last several months we have been on the
receiving end of so many kindnesses from all of you. There are not words big enough to tell you how much your
prayers, your concern, your visits, your gifts of food, and the beautiful prayer shawl have meant to us. And, not only
have you been a blessing to us, but also to our out of state sons who were able to feel less anxious about us knowing
that we had so much support from you. Thank you.
You are the best, and we love you,
Mame and Lew Beam
Widows and Widowers Heading Out (and their friends)
We will meet on December 4th at the home of Jo Ann Nelson, 2165 Callie Still
Road, Lawrenceville, 30045 at noon for lunch and a “white elephant gift exchange”.
Please bring a white elephant from your home attractively wrapped. We will have fun exchanging
these gifts through a Chinese auction. Please call (770) 466-1252 and leave a message if you will be
attending.
December 1
Linda Westphal
December 2
Jennifer Reuter
December 3
Frances Wilkerson
December 5
Sissy Routh
December 6
Lynette Kowlessar
Nicole Lawson
December 8
Katie Harrison
December 10
Julia Vansant
Grace Ann Harrison
December 18
Robin Hoffman
Evan Torrence
December 11
Stevie Hoffman
December 20
Tim McMillian, Jr.
December 13
Chris Bruce
December 23
Jo Ann Smith
Janie Carroll
Victoria Harrison
December 15
Chuck Carson
Nicki Paris
Millie Flesner
December 16
Betty Lee Rucker
Justin McMillian
December 26
Darren Lawson
December 27
Michael King
December 24
Julienne Carter
Mame Beam
December 28
Stephanie Bales
Daniel Gehle
December 25
Liz Ramlal
Kofi Agyemang
December 29
Wayne Harrison
Carly Adams
December 30
Hunter McGee
Miles Mason
December 31
Jean Cantel
Karen Curran
First Week
Gail Laberge had a flair up with one of her colon diseases and is on an
antibiotic
Gerald Childrey is having cardiac issues and has been diagnosed with heart
failure
Henry McGee injured his back in a fall and is receiving injections to relieve the
pain and pressure on his sciatic nerve
Second Week
Libba Cofer is home and doing well after her recent surgery
Julia Vansant is expecting to come home from the hospital today and is recovering from a staph infection
Congratulations to Ron and Brenda Bonner on the birth of their grandson, Miller Wyatt Rice
Leslie Evans has sprained her ankle
Third Week
Lalmanie Persuad, friend of Mark Bacchus, was recovering from cancer and recently diagnosed with brain tumor
Kelly King, goddaughter of Gail and Bob LaBerge, delivered her baby, Colton early; he is 2 pounds; Kelly is better but
they still are having difficulty getting her blood pressure under control; Baby Colton is off of the ventilator and only has
oxygen
Ocean Hooper, infant nephew of Dottie Kuhn’s granddaughter-in-law, Anna Parsons; he is undergoing a medical
procedure on Friday
Shirley, friend of Pat Capper, lost her great grandchild that was born premature; also her son Michael had two
surgeries recently for bleeding ulcers; Michael passed away Nov. 6
Bob Schaeffer, brother-in-law of Annette Houtz, had surgery to remove part of a twisted intestine; he is doing well and
coming home from the hospital on Nov. 10
Fourth Week
Ron Vaceluke, father of Margaret Bell’s neighbor, had a heart attack and is hospitalized in Tucson, AZ; a stint has
been implanted to open the artery
Mary Coulson, family friend of Janie Carroll (and paternal grandmother of Gavin Leifheit), was diagnosed with
breast cancer that has spread to her lungs and bones
Terri Demchak, wife and mother of George and Jake Demchak, passed away suddenly on October 28
Nursing, Extended Care, Rehab, Shut-ins:
Joy Beck, mother of Sherry Blalock
Julienne Carter (Life Care Gwinnett)
Mike and Barbara Nape
June Leonard
Special Military Concerns: Those known to LPC members:
Matthew Courant
USN
San Diego, CA
Grandson of Dottie Kuhn
TSGT Michael C. Rice
USAF
Moody AFB, Valdosta, GA
son-in-law of Brenda Bonner
Jason Lane
Army
Seattle, WA
grandson of Carol Sigrist
Sgt.Samuel Ridenhour
USMC
Camp Pendleton, CA
grandson of Jim and Georgia Lucas
Capt. Rick S. Chew
Army
Special Forces
grandson of Richard and Jean Chew
Lt. Chris Cox
USNC
Afghanistan
nephew of Kathy Vanderplough
December 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
1
Wed
2
11:30 am
Gourmet Lunch
5:15 pm Praise
Kids Choir
Thu
3
8:00 am Life
Line Screening
Event
Fri
4
1:00 pm
Wa Who
6:00 pm Youth
Activities
7:00 pm
Chancel Choir
6
8:00 am Men’s
Breakfast
9:15 am Sunday
School
7
8
11:00 am
Monday
Morning Bible
Study
13
9:15 am Sunday
School
10:30 am
Worship
27
9:15 am Sunday
School
10:30 am
Worship
11
14
11:00 am
Monday
Morning Bible
Study
15
16
7:00 pm
Presbyterian
Women Tuesday
Evening Circle
12:00 pm
Presbyterian
Women
Afternoon Circle
6:00 pm Youth
Activities
5
7:30 am
Presbyterian
Men
12:30 pm Lunch
with Santa
12
7:30 am
Presbyterian
Men
9:30 am
Presbyterian
Women
Morning Circle
5:15 pm Praise
Kids Choir
7:00 pm
Chancel Choir
2;00 pm Youth
Chirstmas
Caroling
4:30 pm Stated
Session Meeting
20
10
12:00 pm
11:00 am LPK
Christmas
Sunshiners
5:15 pm Youth to Program
Journeymen
Night Shelter
10:30 am
Worship
11:45 am Session
Committee
Meetings
9:15 am
Breakfast,
Fellowship,
Praise Kids
Program and
Worship
9
Sat
10:00 am Praise
Kids Musical
Dress Rehearsal
17
18
19
7:30 am
Presbyterian
Men
3:00 pm
Christmas
Cantata
7:00 pm Chancel
Choir Rehearsal
21
22
11:00 am
Monday
Morning Bible
Study
23
24
7:00 pm Chancel 5:30 pm
Choir Rehearsal Christmas Eve
Worship Service
25
Christmas
Holiday
Church Office
Closed
28
Church Office
Closed
29
8:30 am
Newsletter
Mailing
30
31
26
This month we had an extra page to fill in the newsletter so we thought we
would share a little Christmas trivia. See how many you can get right. Send
your responses to the church office. The first response we get with all the
correct answers will get bragging rights in the January Lamplighter.
Name That Christmas Movie!
Here’s the quote, you name the Christmas movie that it’s from!
"Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings."
“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps means
a little bit more.”
“It’s a one year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club.”
“You’ll shoot your eye out kid!”
“He never got his picture on bubble gum cards, did he? Have you ever seen his picture on a
bubble gum card? Hmmm? How can you say someone is great who’s never had his picture on
bubble gum cards?”
“Uh, since the United States Government declares this man to be Santa Claus, this court will
not dispute it. Case dismissed.”
“Bless this highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner and the
sold it on sale. Amen.”
people who
“We’re your worst nightmare… Elves with attitude.”
“Fog as thick as peanut butter”
“Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved.”
“The thing about trains … it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to
get on.”
The Lamplighter
Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church
P. O. Box 765
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
(770) 963-9498
FAX: (770) 963-9458
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.lawrencevillepresbyterian.org
Extended Forecast
November 15
Vision Summit and Lunch
November 22
Messiah Sing-a-long at 3 pm
December 5
Lunch with Santa—11:00 am
December 10
LPK Christmas Program—11:30 am
December 13
Breakfast and Worship in the
Fellowship Hall
December 24
Christmas Eve Service—5:30 pm
Daily Lectionary Readings
See enclosed attachment or go to
http://www.presbyterianmission.org/devotion