The Lamplighter - Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church

The Lamplighter
Loving, Praising, Caring
Vol. 20 No. 11
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
December Lamplighter is November 16,
2015.
November 2015
A few months ago, my seven year old dog, Ben, ran out into the yard to chase a
squirrel. He came back limping. I hoped that it was something as simple as a
thorn in his paw but as the veterinarian would soon explain, Ben had “torn or
ruptured his cranial cruciate ligament.” For us two legged creatures, this is the
equivalent of an ACL injury that is common among athletes. The vet explained
that one of three things would happen: 1. Ben would heal on his own. 2. Ben
would need a $4,000 surgery that might or might not work. 3. Ben would remain
in pain because his owners opted to avoid surgery. There was yet another option
but we really didn’t want to be forced with that kind of decision.
Fortunately for us – and for Ben! – things seem to have worked out. Ben still
comes up limping from time to time, but normally walks and runs perfectly well
(sigh of relief). One potential costly thing avoided so that other costly things could
be paid for: sick children, balding tires, septic tank repair, travel expenses,
monthly bills, and the list goes on. Such is life.
Somewhere in the middle of all this is the church. And people like you and me are
asked every year to support it with the generosity of our time and money. We are
asked to decide where a financial pledge fits into the rest of everyday life. In a
way, it is like the decision that my family almost had to make with dear old Ben:
“How much is the life of this living thing worth to you?”
The obvious difference is that the church involves the life of many. The church is
where faith is learned and practiced. The church is where young and old come
together to be in community. The church is where we grieve and celebrate
together. The church is the “home base” from which we go out to serve in
compassion and mission. The church is where we worship a God who heals,
forgives, redeems, and sustains; a God who provides life and hope in the
resurrection.
I know that you are asked to stretch every year when deciding what you will
pledge. I know that your gift can be used in other ways to cover life’s expenses
and pursuits. But adapting the list above, please consider: 1.We can’t heal on our
own; only through God does that happen. 2. Sacrificial giving is required to keep
our life of faith together 3. The lack of generosity and the avoidance of giving
leads to painful results. And yes, there are other options, but we don’t want to be
forced with those kinds of decisions.
Moving back into a direction that “gets our tail wagging,” there are many exciting
things on the horizon ahead: LPK will close and The McGee Learning Center will
resurrect in its place. Through the Holy Spirit and your time together “sailing into
the future,” the church will celebrate 125 years of life with a renewed sense of
direction and mission. We will have two events filled with joy and thanksgiving to
celebrate the gifts and accomplishments of two very special people: Joyce Parks
and Sandy Futch. We will send more people to Guatemala. We will serve as a
home to more children and families. We will follow Christ who leads us into hope
and life.
Let’s run into this life together with excitement, as if we were a dog chasing a
squirrel. Even if we come up limping, we know that it will be for the glory of God!
Session News
LPC Session
Committee Meetings –
Clerk of Session – Tina de Waart
November 8, 12:00 pm
Administration – Barbara Wilson, Dick McCracken
Building and Grounds – Cary Hannon, Ben Davis
Session Meeting –
Fellowship – Stephen Rary
November 22, 12:00 pm
Missions – Margaret Bell, Julia Bartlett
Welcome and Care – Sue Seibenhener
Worship and Christian Education – LaWanda Burke, Emma Grace, Skip Robinson
Session Highlights
Your Session held its monthly stated meeting on Sunday, October 25, 2015. The following is a recap of the decisions
made by your Session during this meeting:
 Session approved the request for transfer of Emily Lofstrand from LPC to Johns Creek Presbyterian.
 Barbara Wilson, as representative of the Administration Committee, reviewed the audit report that was
performed for the calendar year 2014 of LPC’s financial records. No significant issues were found.
 Session approved, at the request of Building & Grounds, an expenditure of up to $7,500 to patch the back
parking lot for the McGee Learning Center. Funds will be taken out of the Capital Reserve Fund.
 Session approved a food drive for Lawrenceville Co-op. Missions Committee will ask the congregation to
donate items and $10 gift cards for a Thanksgiving meal in a bag.
 Session approved the following individuals as trustees for LPC for a one-year term, 2015-2016, who will be
responsible for managing the affairs of the Corporation of LPC: Julia Bartlett, Ben Davis, Cary Hannon, and
Skip Robinson.
 Session elected Julia Bartlett and Sue Seibenhener as commissioners to attend the Presbytery meeting on
November 10.
A full set of the Minutes are available in the Church office for your review. Please continue to be in prayer for your pastor
and your Session as they discern God’s will and make decisions for LPC.
Administration
Memorial Tree
New leaves have recently been added to the Memorial Tree. Leaves have been
added in memory of Katherine Trimble and Johnnie Sue Wallace. Also added were
leaves for Bonnie Hunter and Dorothy King who had been missed during the initial
updating.
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.
Christian Education
The Fall brings lots of fun to the preschool. The crisp mornings and lovely
afternoons are perfect for enjoying the beautiful and large playground that we are
blessed with. Favorite activities of our preschoolers are collecting nuts and
chasing the leaves that are blowing around, just as the children of LPK have
done for years! The teachers and students have loved being able to see all the
Fall changes through our new doors and windows!
Children have been carving Jack-O-Lanterns, sticking their fingers in pumpkins to
feel the “goo,” learning about Pilgrims and Native Americans, and being thankful
to God for all that He has given us.
The Preschool will be closed the week of Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving Break. Our three year old class is full, but there
are openings in both our two and four year old classes. Please keep us in your prayers and let your friends and
neighbors know about the wonderful place that is LPK.
The Preschool Board has submitted a budget to the Administration Committee for the McGee Learning Center for the
2016 year. Part of that includes a director’s salary with full benefits. The Board has also submitted a job description of
the Learning Center Director. This will be a key employee and we pray that God sends the person who will best run our
renovated facility. It is the goal of the Board to begin the search in January.
Many of the renovations have been completed, there are still a few to go and the funds have been mostly used. If you
haven’t had a chance to come by and look at our facility, please do.
As always, please keep LPK, the staff, students, their families, and the future in your prayers.
Fellowship
Our November meeting is at noon on Wednesday, November 11, which is actually
Veterans' Day, so we will honor all our vets and share memories about how life was for all of
us during wartime. If you have any items that are remembrances of that time, please bring
them to share. (We'd especially like to see uniforms etc., from any of the wars.) We'll sing
some of the music that was popular during World War II, since that may be the one we
remember best.
We will have our traditional Thanksgiving feast for our meal. Turkey will be provided, but the rest will be potluck.
Please bring some dish that has been a traditional favorite of your family at the holidays.
Missions
Thank you to all of you who supported our Family Promise host week in October –
your prayers, your meals, your supplies, your fellowship meant a lot to the families.
We hosted 4 families – 4 adults and 8 children. The families were wonderful. They were very quiet – after their dinner,
they usually retired to their rooms. But during dinner the volunteers got an opportunity to have fellowship with them and
listen to their stories.
The children caught our hearts. On Wednesday evening, the youth hosted the families in Fellowship Hall. The youth
group, led by Pastor Ryan and Kristi Sukkert, provided dinner and music. After dinner, all the children of the families
went on the stage and danced to the music. Pastor Ryan joined them. One little girl was so taken with our pastor that
she did not want to stop dancing with him. She even called Pastor Ryan her best friend.
We can call this host week a success for several reasons. One of the families secured housing and they will be
graduating from Family Promise by the end of October (this Mother and her child lived in their car before they found
Family Promise). Another family found out that they would receive a car that was donated to Family Promise and they
had been without a car for a very long time. And one of the Moms interviewed for a job that would provide higher salary,
benefits, and a shorter commute (she is currently driving an hour to work) – and she got the job. Yes, the week was
very much a success for the families. They were blessed in many ways during our host week. This church provided
many of those blessings. The families did not have to worry about a roof over their heads nor about food for their
families. This church was able to provide all of those needs.
Thank you again for your support of our host week for Family Promise. With your help, Family Promise is ending
homelessness in Gwinnett County one family at a time.
Missions (Continued)
“For I was Hungry and You Gave Me Food." Matthew 25:35
Once again this year, we are having a Thanksgiving Dinner food drive for Lawrenceville
Co-Op clients. Last year we collected more than 50 bags.
You can fill a bag as a family or more than one family can fill a bag or you can collect the
items from neighbors and friends to fill a bag. The food drive will begin Sunday, November 1
and end Sunday, November 22.
This year non-woven fabric shopping bags will be used. Beginning Sunday, November 1, you will be able to pick up a
bag from the Lawrenceville Co-Op display table with a list in each bag of the non-perishable items to be donated.
Please fill the bags with only the items listed. If you would like to donate other non-perishable items, you can still put
those in the Mission House. Due to storage we cannot collect perishable items including bags of sugar, flour, or
cornmeal.
We are asking for a gift card of at least $10 to be included with each bag. So that the gift cards do not get lost, please
put those in the Missions mail box in the copy room or give it Margaret Bell, Julia Bartlett or Annette Houtz. If you prefer
to donate money for the item, please place in an envelope marked "Thanksgiving Bags" and place in the offering plate or
give to Annette in the main office.
$10 gift card (to be used by the client to purchase their turkey)
1 Box Instant Potatoes
2 Gravy's
1 Can Pumpkin or Pumpkin Pie Mix
1 Box of Jiffy Pie Crust
1 Can Evaporated Milk
1 Can Sweet Potatoes or Yams
1 Pkg Stuffing Mix
2 Cans Green Beans
1 Can of any Vegetable
1 Can Cranberry Sauce
1 Box Cereal
1 Pkg Iced Tea Bags or Iced Tea Mix
Music and Worship
Opportunity to Read the Liturgy
Reading the Liturgy is a way for you to help with our worship of God. Pastor Ryan
makes it very easy and sends you not only what you will read – the Prayer of
Confession, and the first Scripture Reading, but also tells you what to say to
introduce it, such as “please be seated”, “let us pray”, etc. It’s so easy and doesn’t
take long. I believe you will find it fulfilling. If you are interested, please contact
Judy Blanton in person, by email at [email protected] or (770) 995-9706.
Chancel Choir and Bells
Don't forget that this is your special opportunity to join in rehearsals for
Christmas music. Chancel Choir meets at 7:00 PM on Wednesdays. Bells for
Christmas (or Belles) will soon meet on Tuesdays. Time TBA. Please let Joyce
know if you are interested in singing and/or ringing. (We don't limit our ringers to
just belles, however.)
Music and Worship (Continued)
Annual Community Messiah Sing-a-long
Sunday, November 22, 2015
3:00 PM
LPC Sanctuary
Listen or bring a copy and sing along.
Admission free - love offering taken.
This year's "Messiah" will be even bigger and better. We are billing it as a
community, ecumenical, intergenerational, and multi-cultural event. Maestro
Eugene Lee will be bringing his youth chamber orchestra. We have
wonderful soloists coming. Don't miss it!
LPC members: this is a great opportunity for community outreach for all of
us. Please help to welcome our visitors on this day.
Our Praise Kids have presented wonderful music on two Sundays this fall. They
are singing praises with exuberant voices. They love percussion, too. We are
learning to tell Bible Stories with percussion accompaniment. They will play in a
few weeks.
We have begun rehearsing for our Christmas pageant. This will be presented on
Sunday, December 13 during the Sunday School hour.
Welcome and Care
Monday, November 2, 2015
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church
Megan Parker RN, Living Donor Transplant
Coordinator at the Piedmont Transplant Institute
will be at Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church on
Sunday, December 6th. She will give a short
presentation during the worship service and will
be available to provide additional information and
answer questions in the Gathering Area after the
worship service.
Welcome and Care (Continued)
November 1
Gayle Harrison
Jennifer Branch
November 2
Annette Houtz
Ryan Jensen
November 3
Bill Vanderplough
David Bloodworth
November 4
Gerald Childrey
November 5
Libba Cofer
November 7
Lougy Dunn
November 15
Donel Butler
November 23
Bill Portwood
Brenda Wilkerson
November 18
Matt Quinton
November 25
Sue Seibenhener
Allan Ndamukong
Sean Ndamukong
November 19
George Demchak
November 28
Gilbert Thomas
November 21
Joan Cate
Jim Carroll
November 29
Bill Atkinson
November 22
Chris Harrison
November 30
Camille Jensen
November 6
Mary Hamilton
December 1
Linda Westphal
December 2
Jennifer Reuter
December 3
Frances Wilkerson
December 5
Sissy Routh
First 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
Second Week
Lew Beam will be coming home from Life Care on Thursday Oct. 22
Edward Nuckles, neighbor of Laurie Burroughs, is having surgery to get blood flow to his foot
Justin Calhoun, nephew of Janet Blackmon’s cousin passed away on Oct. 19 from injuries suffered in an ATV accident
Julie Hosford is at Life Care Gwinnett for rehab
Nancy Merenuk is at Life Care Gwinnett in rehab for knee surgery
Third Week
Eleanor Futch Rosen, mother of Trey Futch, is having rotator cuff surgery on Oct. 15
Bill Bailey, father of Kristi Sukkert, passed away on Oct. 17
Fourth Week
Family of Susan Schmidt, former members of LPC
Beth Irwin, an extended family member of Paul and Susan Ard; tests indicate possible blood clots in her brain
Judy, sister of Pat Capper, received test results of no cancer cells found
Dodie, sister of Pat Capper, broke and shattered her shoulder and will have surgery
Nursing, Extended Care, Rehab, Shut-ins:
Joy Beck, mother of Sherry Blalock
Julienne Carter (Life Care Gwinnett)
Mike and Barbara Nape
June Leonard
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 1 - 22
Thanksgiving Food Drive for
Lawrenceville Co-Op
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