February - Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

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February 2016 — Volume 59, Issue 2
Fixing roofs and budgets
A Message from Maynard
Repairing a roof is not the most exciting thing
we do in a church. It is not like working on projects
to provide clean drinking water in a school in Haiti.
It is not like listening to a Christmas Cantata from
our choir. It is, however, still the Lord’s work.
Our facilities are not just for us, but also for our
community. Three Presbyterian congregations
worship here at Grace Covenant. Besides GCPC,
we have Orlando Presbyterian Church and a
Hispanic church named Restoration and Hope.
Here is just a sampling of the organizations that
use our facilities:
• Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts meet on
our campus.
• We have several support groups that
help with alcoholism, drug addiction, and
grief counseling.
• Boone High School uses our gym for
basketball practice and color guard practice.
• Share the Care is a company that
provides elderly day care for families in our
community, and we provide the entire first
floor of John Calvin Memorial Hall for one
of their five locations.
• In the mornings you can see Meals on
Wheels organizing their food distributions
out of our campus.
The community feels welcome to use our
facilities for various meetings, such as home owners
groups. And, of course, we have our own groups –
Small Blessings Child Care, Bible Studies, circles,
youth groups,
committee
meetings, and
more!
Caring for our
facility is an
important part of
our mission and
ministry for our
church members
AND for those in
the community.
I’ve had some
good questions
about the roofing
project. It was approved by the elders in the August
Session meeting. The Building and Grounds
Committee worked hard to bring us a good bid
from a trustworthy company. The approved bid
was about $40,000, with another $10,000 approved
for repairing the damaged wood that we expected
to be discovered after the work began.
This was to be paid for by using $1,714 from a
designated Building and Grounds fund, $22,870
from a reserve fund, both of which were in a
money market fund. But that’s still very much short
of the actual expense incurred! As a result, the roof
project has reduced our reserves considerably, and
we certainly welcome anyone who would like to
contribute a little extra to help restore these
reserves. One suggestion made was for each family
Continued on Page 7
2!
February 2016
Scout Sunday
Assist the Pastor in Worship
On February 7, scouts of all ages are
encouraged to wear their uniforms to church!
The Worship Committee invites
you to be a liturgist on Sunday
morning. The liturgist leads the Prayer
of Confession, Assurance of Pardon,
and Scriptures. All the information you
need will be provided by the pastor.
If you are interested,
please contact Nick Pazar
for a list of
available dates.
Family Fun Nite
There will be no Fun Nite in February or March because of
the Wednesday Lenten Dinners. Fun Nites will resume on
April 21, the third Tuesday, at 6:29 p.m.
Fourth Thursday at the Garden
Thursday, February 25, 6 p.m. at the Olive
Garden on East Colonial. Please call “M” at
407-843-3493 or sign up on the kiosk if you
plan to attend. It helps Olive Garden plan on
seating and staff when we can give them a more
accurate number. Hope you’ll join us for some
Great Food, Fellowship and Fun!
Harp Workshop
On Saturday, March 5, the Central Florida
Harp Society will host a workshop in Conway
Hall featuring former Royal Harpist Claire
Jones. Our congregation is invited to come and watch the
workshops from 10:30 a.m.–noon. and/or 1 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Chili Cook-Off/Cookie Bake-Off
Mark your calendars now for March 13. Enter
your favorite chili or cookies in the GCPC
Chili and Cookie Challenge.
If you aren’t a fan of cooking or baking, but
like to sample good food, plan on bringing your
appetite to church! A recommended $5 per person donation
will give you a chance to sample everyone’s recipes, a full bowl
of your favorite chili, and a chance to vote for the best dishes.
Watch for a registration form and more information in
your bulletin. Proceeds will go toward the
Youth Group Summer Trips.
Health Ministry
Did you know? On the first and third
Sundays of each month following the
10:45 service, you can have your blood
pressure checked. Stop by the table at the
back of the sanctuary…just one way you
can keep tabs on this important number in your life.
COOKIE SUNDAY
…is February 28! On the fourth
Sunday of each month we accept
donations from the congregation.
These cookies are served at
hospitality time after the second
worship service each week. Thank
you for all your contributions.
See the church calendar online:
http://www.grace.to/announcements/
weekly-calendar/
Send your Grace Notes items to
Kristen Stieffel.
Next deadline: February 15.
Please put “Grace Notes” in the
subject line of your message.
Inside this issue:
Small Blessings Report!.......... 4
Youth Calendar!....................... 5
Report from Session!............... 6
Preaching for February !............ 7
February 2016!
3
Support College Students through Scholarships
The holidays are over and we need your help to
start rebuilding the balance in our Scholarship
Fund. These monies
help meet the needs of our
college students.
In 2015 we were able to
award scholarships to five
students with a total of
$3850 from the scholarship
fund. The fund is not part of the church budget,
but relies solely on contributions from individual
members, Sunday school classes, Presbyterian
Women’s Circles, and other groups
within the church. These monies are
so needed by some very worthy
students and are so appreciated.
To contribute, please make your
check payable to the church and
indicate “Scholarship Fund” in the memo
field. Thank you for helping these youth with their
educational endeavors.
June 1 is the deadline for our undergraduate
college students to apply for financial assistance
from the Scholarship Fund for next year’s expenses.
There IS a “U” in oUtreach!
Lenten Fellowship and Reflection
Your Outreach Committee has the responsibility of
disbursing funds from our tithes and offerings (as well
as from the Foundation Endowment) to various
organizations that change lives, both locally and around
the world. We also help organize outreach activities and
encourage all members to participate.
In 2016 there are some
exciting events coming up! Watch
for announcements about
volunteer days at Community
Food and Outreach Center, our
annual Hoops for Haiti and Small
Blessings Hops for Haiti, and
Interested in a
much more.
mission trip to
There are many opportunities
Haiti in early
for service! For example, we are
June? Contact
active with Family Promise of
Trudy Phelps
Orlando, which provides places
for more
to live for homeless families.
information.
Training for new volunteers is
coming up, so contact Diana
Ibarra to find out more.
Our MentoReach program for primary school
students always needs more volunteers. Contact Tom
Everly. The coordinators for Community Food and
Outreach are Rich and Kristi McCarey. For Share the
Care, it’s Anne Eyerly and for Christian Service Center,
contact Lynn and Rance Ellis.
There is an Outreach activity for everybody!
Beginning Ash Wednesday,
February 10, we will again share
in weekly Lenten Dinners,
Worship and Study. Each
Wednesday evening in Lent, a
meal will be served in Conway
Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m. The
meals are prepared for you; baskets will
be on the tables for donations to cover
the cost of the meals. Participants are
asked to bring a dessert to share. There
will be a place on the reservation form
for you to sign up to bring something.
On February 10, following the meal, there will be a
special worship service at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
You are encouraged to come for worship even if you
do not come for the meal.
For the remaining weeks, February 17 and 24 and
March 2, 9, and 16, following the meal, there will be a
chance for you to join in a study of your choosing.
There are four classes for you to choose from. Classes
will meet from 6:30–7:15 p.m.
A nursery and a class for children will be offered.
Youth may attend one of the four classes or be a
helper/participant in the Children’s class.
Registration forms and class information will be
available in the bulletin and on the kiosk.
We hope you will join us to share in the time
together as we reflect on the season of Lent.
4!
February 2016
Ruth Circle continues to fulfill
its mission of learning about
the Bible through study,
serving our church by seeking
members and friends who
would like to join us and
serving our local community.
Our community mission is to
help Servant’s Heart, a Christian
organization that survives on donations. Their goal is
to ensure that children and seniors have enough to
eat. They also assist families in crisis to help them get
back on their feet.
Each month Ruth Circle gives a small donation to
help feed a family, distributes Christian literature to be
included in the food bags, and contributes to special
funds such as turkeys for the holidays.
If these goals match yours, please join us and
bring a friend. We meet the second Monday of each
month at 10 a.m. in Room 16 on the
second floor of John Calvin Memorial
Hall. Our next meeting is February 8!
See you then. Any questions, contact
Barbara Hart.
Take Me Out To the Ball Game!
March 5, Spring Training Baseball
Game—Watch for more details
soon regarding cost and location.
The 6th Annual “Hoops for
Haiti” basketball game will be
Tuesday, March 29. This year will
be even more fun because the
Hoops game will be preceded by a
game between Small Blessings players and GCPC
players. More details to follow.
Florida Presbyterian Pilgrimage will be April 21–
24. Pilgrimage demonstrates God’s abundant grace,
makes you more aware of His presence, and helps
you be a better leader in your church and community.
Our annual All-Church Retreat at Cedarkirk is
May 27–29.
New Year Begins at Small Blessings
Bright and shiny faces welcomed in the 2016
New Year at Small Blessings Child Care.
Exploring and playing with some of the gifts
given by parents, chosen from each class’s wish
list, made it even more exciting. Children began
2016 by reviewing colors, shapes, numbers,
letters, and sounds. Now they are learning new
concepts in reading, writing, and math. Having
stories read to them and having books available
to them are very important parts of their day,
too. Of course, children say playtime is the most
important.
In chapel with Ms. Candy, children are
learning about Jesus in his early years and
singing songs related to that theme. Upcoming
events include picture day and Valentine’s
parties. More about that next time. Small
Blessings will be closed on President’s Day.
Grace Covenant wishes all Small Blessings
families a very Happy New Year in watching the
growth that each child makes.
Berylene Edna
Hoffman died January 9,
2016. Bea, as she was
known to many of our
members, celebrated her
101st birthday two weeks
earlier. She joined our
church in 1991 and in
recent years was a resident
of Westminster Towers.
She was an active volunteer for many years with
the Red Cross and with the Veterans Hospital.
She and her husband, Edward, had been married
for 61 years at the time of his death in 2003. We
extend our Christian love and sympathy to Bea’s
six nephews and their families.
We extend our Christian love and
sympathy to Bernadette Major, whose
husband, Gary, died January 20, 2016.
We extend our Christian love and
sympathy to Pat Prestin whose son, John,
died January 20, 2016.
February 2016!
5
Rooted Youth serve at Give Kids the World
Nineteen youth and seven adults
from Grace Covenant focused on
caring and serving others as we
traveled to Kissimmee for our
annual Winter Retreat. We spent
four days serving in various
capacities at the Give Kids The
World Village. This is a wonderful
opportunity to serve and learn.
The youth look forward to sharing
their experiences on this trip with you, and encourage
you to volunteer like they did at Give Kids The World.
We appreciate your continued support of our ministry.
—Jimmy Steele,
Director of Youth and Family Ministries
Rooted Student Ministry Schedule
Attention parents, members, and friends. Can you help? The Youth Group has fun
opportunities for you to help this school year. We need volunteers in addition to parents to
help keep our momentum moving in the right direction and would love for you to join us. If
you see something that interests you, or would like to help us on Sunday evenings or
behind the scenes, please contact Jimmy Steele. Thanks!
Sunday Youth Group
meetings are for all youth
grades 6–12; 4:30–5:30 is
hang time, 5:30–6 is Game
Time, 6–6:30 is dinner, and
6:30–7:30 is worship and
small group discussion.
February 7
Super Bowl Party and
Souper Bowl Sunday. Bring
canned goods and a snack
to share to youth group
Super Bowl Party at
Schlichenmaier’s house,
5:30 p.m.–half time. Chips
and soda provided—bring
your favorite appetizer to
share.
February 13
Parent Date Night
Fundraiser, 5–10 p.m.
February 15
Service Day at Give Kids
The World. Meet at church
8 a.m., return around 7 p.m.
Bring $ for lunch
February 19–20
PYC Lead On Lock-In/
retreat. $10 for the event
plus one fast food mealRSVP by Feb. 7.
February 26
Mystery Trip. Cost $20
includes activity and dinner
February 28
Leap Night Eve Party.
Time TBA
6!
February 2016
REPORT FROM SESSION
In December the session received a status
report about the roof repairs, which are approved
for $50,000. The Designated Fund for Building and
Grounds has $1,714.19 and the Restricted Reserve
Fund has $22,870. The building committee asked
the budget committee for $5,000 from general
funds. That still means money will need to be
drawn from investment principal to pay the rest.
The Small Blessings Board moved that session
approve Morgan Demarco as board chair for
2016-2018. Carried.
Hello,
I’m not sure to whom I
should address this, but
I’m praying that it will
reach the right people. My
name is Jennifer and in
2012 my precious 8-year-old
daughter, Lily, was hospitalized. During our stay
at Florida Hospital from February to June 2012
we were given one of your quilts. It was one of
many, many hospitalizations for Lily as she was
born very sick. It was also her last. She passed
away during that hospital stay. However, still to
this day I have her quilt. I keep it next to her
picture beside my bed. On some of the harder
nights I still sleep with it. I just want someone
there to know how very much this quilt and the
thought and love that I know went into sewing
it meant and still means to this day. Please
know that your “Still Stichin’ With Grace”
program truly touches hearts and lives as I am
sure that I am not the only that feels this way.
May God bless every one of you for your
kindness.
With Warmest Regards and Sincere Thanks,
—Jennifer,
and always Lily too
A motion was made from the floor directing the
finance committee to prepare a framework for
informing the congregation about our current
financial situation, to be presented at the February
session meeting. Seconded. Carried.
The Outreach Committee moved that payments
to its traditional beneficiaries be paid quarterly, not
monthly, as funds are available. If full funds are not
available, then the disbursement to each group will
be reduced proportionally. The rationale is that it’s
better to pay each account partially than to pay
some in full and others not at all. Carried.
A motion was made from the floor asking the
session to instruct the finance director to pay all
outstanding outreach budget accounts, totaling
$17,825, by year end. Seconded. A motion to
amend this to extend the deadline to February 29
was seconded but failed. Main motion carried.
The session offered applause and appreciation
to Reese Laughlin and the finance committee with
thanks for their hard work in difficult times.
Motions to adjourn were seconded multiple
times and carried unanimously.
Since the January session meeting occurred
after the Grace Notes deadline, that report will
appear in February. In the meantime, if you have
any questions about the session, please see me.
—Kristen Stieffel
Clerk of Session
Rooted Youth Group Golf Classic
Are you a golfer? Do you know any
golfers? Can you drive a golf cart?
Do you know of anyone who would
be willing to be a sponsor or donate
a door prize for a tournament?
Please join us on Saturday, April 16 for
the inaugural Grace Covenant Rooted Youth
Group Golf Classic. The scramble format
tournament will have an 8 a.m. shotgun start and
will take place at North Shore Country Club.
The $75 cost includes breakfast, lunch, and a
guaranteed prize for every golfer! Proceeds will go
toward the youth group summer mission trip as
well as Family Promise Orlando.
February 2016!
7
8 percent higher than they were in 2015. We
received 28 first-time pledges, and another 34
to donate $30 per person, as this was the price for a families reflected increases in giving.
These are good and encouraging signs. What is
bundle of shingles.
of concern to us is that our church has been
This leads me into adding some comments
spending more than we have been bringing in.
about the financial
We’ve done this every year since 2008. For many
health of our
years we were approving a “balanced budget,” but
church. A big
we’ve had to admit that we were simply inflating
thanks goes out to
the income to unrealistic amounts so the income
everyone who has
and expense projections were the same. The
returned pledge
realities of the actual income and actual
cards for 2016. If
expenditures told a different story.
we hold to
In 2015 and 2016 we adopted deficit budgets to
tradition, we will
reflect a more accurate picture of our financial
continue to receive
health. Our Finance Committee is anticipating
a few more for the
proposing to an upcoming Session meeting a
next two or three
revised 2016 budget that will reflect an even more
months. The 2016
accurate picture.
pledge totals are
We hosted a Stewardship workshop in
2014 led by Cliff Christopher, who is
an expert in church finances and was
Preaching For February
on our church campus in 2014 to
conduct a seminar for several churches.
In February the sermons will continue with the
We adopted many of his suggestions,
Ten Commandment series:
which we believe are reflected in the
increases in pledges. Committees and
February 7!
Ten Commandments No. 5 —
elders are also taking a harder and
From Generation to Generation
harder look at our spending. We are
working on reversing this trend, but we
February 14!
Ten Commandments No. 6 —
have more work to do.
I am not only optimistic, but very
The Skeleton at the Feast
encouraged by two factors.
First, we are continuing to do the work
February 21!
Ten Commandments No. 7 —
of God and we are making a difference
Love, Sex, and Life
in the lives of people in our
community.
February 28!
Ten Commandments No. 8 —
Second, we’ve had the problem of
Stop! Thief!
outspending our income for almost a
decade, but more and more I see our
elders working with increased devotion
to reversing that trend.
We’ve had this situation for a number
of years, and resolving it will take time
—but it will happen!
Message from Maynard, continued from Page 1
FEBRUARY 2016
GRACE COVENANT
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 10:45 a.m.
Office Hours:
Mon.–Thurs.: 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Fri.: 8:30 a.m.–noon
1655 Peel Ave., Orlando, FL 32806
Phone: 407.898.6571
E-mail: [email protected]
WE’RE ON THE WEB!
WWW.GRACE.TO
Dr. Maynard Pittendreigh,
Senior Pastor
Candy Vander Weide,
Commissioned Lay Pastor
Plans Under Way for Vacation Bible School!
Our annual Vacation Bible School
is scheduled for June 13–16,
9 a.m.–noon. The curriculum this
year is “Surf Shack: Catch the
Wave of God’s Amazing Love.”
It is time to start plans for this
amazing week which reaches out to many
children in our community. Do you have some
ideas you would like to explore? Would you like
to share in giving children an awesome
experience growing in faith and in making new
friends?
Please prayerfully consider how YOU might
be involved this year. Is God calling you to
oversee the planning and presentation? To work
with others in a targeted area like music, art,
recreation? To help with the family picnic at
noon on Thursday? To help register and
welcome the children when they arrive?
Please contact Candy through the church
office with any questions or ideas or to express
your willingness to share God’s love in this fun
and special way.