“Why do I always want Chic-Fil-A on Sundays?” I laughed when I reminded Michael that he wants Chic-Fil-A every day of the week, not jut Sunday. As you know, the restaurant practices a policy of Sabbath, which means that they do not open on Sunday at all. This is practice that only a few businesses have retained after the “Blue Laws” were repealed. A day set aside seems like a foolish dream in the fast-paced world we live in today, but it’s a dream worth having.For our Jewish brothers and sisters, the Sabbath or Shabbat is still the practice of rest on the seventh day of the week, Saturday. We Christians moved our Sabbath practice to the “Eighth Day.” This marked when Jesus rose from the tomb. This “New Day” is a celebration of our new life in Jesus. Each Sunday when we come together to worship, we recognize and celebrate the foundational act of our faith; He is Alive. but we also come together to rest from the labors of life.“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it Holy.” The Law of Moses stated in Exodus Chapter 20 was a well-defined rule by Jesus’ time. There were 39 categories of forbidden work. One rule included writing two letters or erasing two letters. If you are like me, these categories seem strange and foreign to me. Jesus demonstrated several times to the Pharisees that it is not the letter of the law that God wants from us, but it is the very Spirit of the law that God wants for us. Keep Sabbath was a gift to us, not a burden upon us. We learn from Jesus that it is less about keeping a rule than keeping relationship.We need rest. We need times apart. We need time for silence, listening, and to be unplugged. God knows that about us, and Sabbath is a gift to us to give us pause and re-center. So, put down the phone from time to time, push away from the computer screen, or maybe let work wait for a little while. It is okay to rest. It is good to rest. Give thanks that some businesses see rest as a necessary part of life and give thanks that you have that same invitation. Find Sabbath, God made it for you.God Bless,

Rest

TomMeet Our New Program

Director,Robert Newman!!!

Robert has been the Leader of Youth and Media Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, MO since August 2017. Prior to his time in Columbia, Robert spent several years in Tuscaloosa, AL. While in Tuscaloosa, Robert served on the Planning Team for UKIRK, and as a youth adviser and intern with the youth group at First Presbyterian Church. Robert is passionate about youth ministry and enjoys helping youth realize that they are not only the church of tomorrow, but also the church of today!

Robert grew up in Birmingham, where he played baseball, golf and tennis. Robert is an avid sports fan, especially anything involving the University of Alabama. (Roll Tide!!) He is also a long-suffering Atlanta Braves fan, and, due to his time in Missouri, has jumped on the Kansas City Chiefs’ bandwagon. In addition to sports, Robert loves to travel and see new things. His favorite places he has been are Yosemite, Iceland, and Zermatt

Switzerland. He loves to snow ski, loves all things Montreat and considers the mountains his happy place.

Robert will be joining us on Sunday, March 3rd, so please make every effort to be here! There will be a reception in Grace Hall immediately following the worship service to welcome Robert to Southminster!!

A summary of the actions taken in Session and Congregational meetings since the last newsletter is as follows:

1. The Service of Holy Communion was held on Sunday, January 13th, with Home Communion on Saturday, January 12th.

2. Al Nebrig was elected as Commissioner and Mark Ezekiel was elected as Alternate Commissioner to the February Presbytery Meeting at South Highland Presbyterian Church on Friday, February 22nd, at 9:00 a.m.

3. The Assistant Clerk reported that the Main Event leadership conference, sponsored by the Presbytery, is scheduled for Friday, February 22nd, at South Highland Presbyterian. See the detailed schedule below and how to register. Questions? Contact Mark Ezekiel or Betsy Murphy.

4. Elder of the Month for February is Al Nebrig.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Ezekiel

Clerk of Session Report

Schedule:

9 – 10 Registration10 AM – 12 PM Presbytery Business12 PM Lunch at south Highland1 PM Worship – Rev. Denise Anderson, Co-Moderator of 222nd General Assembly, to preach2 PM Workshops I3 PM Table Conversations4 PM Workshops II5:30 PM Dinner on your own in Five Points7 PM Beer and Hymns Event

February 6th:Menu: Potato Soup, Salad, Corn Muffins, DessertProgram: Ministry Unit Meetings

Supper starts at 6:30 p.m., following Ministry Unit Meetings, which meet at 5:30 p.m.

February 13th: Menu: Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread, Chocolate PuddingProgram: Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes will be updating us about the Community Spaces Plan, especially regarding the area around Wald Park and Southminster, the pedestrian bridge and the walkway behind the church.

February 20th: Menu: Fried Chicken, Corn Casserole, Greens, Rolls, DessertProgram: Larry Hardin will present a program on the history of music

February 27th:Mardi Gras Montreat Fundraiser. See elsewhere in the newsletter for more

details!!

**Make Reservations by signing the Attendance Form on Sunday or calling the Church Office, 822-1124, by Noon on Mondays**

Would you like to attend Wednesday Night Suppers and don’t drive at night? Don’t let that deter you! Just call the Church Office and we will see about arranging a ride for you. What a better place to be on Wednesday nights but in Grace Hall for a fantastic meal … any meal you don’t have to cook is fantastic in my books … and reasonably priced to boot – just $7 per person or $15 for a family of 4 or more!!! What a deal!!

Also, if you do sign up in church, please make every effort to attend. We know that unforeseen things come up, but we use these numbers to gauge how much food is needed. We want to have enough to serve everyone … but we don’t want to have too much to go to waste!

See YOU on Wednesday nights!!

Wednesday Night Supper and Programs

In June Dr. Tom encouraged Outreach Ministry to take a look at the missions the church supports. He encouraged us to go deep into one area, instead of skimming the surface over a bunch of different areas. He said we can make a big difference, and just trust that our brothers and sisters in Christ are feeling led to support the other areas. After many months, many discussions, many charts, and many color-coded lists, Outreach has come to realize we already have a lot of ties and connections with Hunger and Homelessness. As we navigate through the year, Outreach invites you to think and pray about the ways you can help support hunger and homelessness as opportunities arise. Thank you for being a beacon of light!

Sara Brown, Outreach Moderator

Congregational Care Ministry Unit will meet Monday morning, February 4 th at 10:30 AM. The remaining ministry units - Administrative, Faith Formation, Fellowship, Outreach, Property, and Stewardship - will meet Wednesday evening, February 6th, at 5:30 P.M. All are encouraged to stay for dinner at 6:30.

Moderators are to submit Ministry Unit reports by Saturday, February 9th. All Session members are asked to pick up (or check your email) minutes, agenda and reports following worship on the 10th in preparation for the Stated Meeting on Monday, February 11th, at 5:30 p.m. in Grace Hall.

ANNUAL WOMEN’S LUNCHEON will be held on Sunday, February 10th. We will meet in Grace Hall at the conclusion of our morning worship service. The menu is tasty Brunswick Stew, Salad, Bread, and Cake. All Southminster Women are invited to our annual luncheon for fellowship. A nursery will be provided for those with young children. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted. Confirm your reservation with the church office.

ANNUAL SPRING GATHERING will be March 23rd at Living River. Our theme is “Creation and Re-Creation.” We will be discussing our stewardship of God’s creation, as well as an afternoon discussion on programs and missions for Presbyterian Women as we move into the future.

Outreach Ministry Unit News

Ministry Units Meet

Attention Session Members

Presbyterian Women Mission Monthly

Our mission for this moth is the Better Basic reading program, which provides literacy support to 25,000 children annually here in the Birmingham area, as well as surrounding counties. Volunteers work cooperatively with school staff to provide tutoring to students who need assistance to improve their reading skills. To encourage additional skills in reading, the program distributes books to students to facilitate reading at home. As many children have few books in their homes, this book distribution enables each child to have their own book for both reading enjoyment and increased vocabulary skills. We ae proud to support Better Basics this month by bringing children’s books to share in providing an enrichment experience for Birmingham’s children.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN are here, there, and everywhere! Southminster Women serve on Ministry Units, teach Sunday School, train our children’s choir, serve as ushers, serve as elders, visit the homebound, volunteer for youth trips to Montreat and help during our church clean up days. We will really celebrate at our Annual Luncheon. We have so much to celebrate and so much to be thankful for. See you at the luncheon.

Charlotte Worsham, Secretary and Historian, Presbyterian Women

The Super Bowl Sunday will be played this Sunday, February 3rd. This is a day when much of nation turns its attention to a football game. Millions of dollars are spent on advertising and publicity is huge. Our hope is that on this day people's attention can also be turned to caring for those in need.

Did you know that: 49 million Americans are affected by hunger? 17 million children suffer from hunger? 1 in 8 people rely on food banks? 46% of hunger relief recipients have to choose between paying for food or utilities? 7 meals are served from a $1 donation?

The Souper Bowl of Caring was started by a youth group in 1990 and has since grown all over the world. Last year alone $8,211,365 in cash and cans were collected!!!

So, whether you’re a Los Angeles Rams or a New Orleans Patriots fans … as you prepare to go home and sit down with family and friends around a TV … with an abundance of “tailgate” food, won’t you drop some bills into the soup pots as you exit the sanctuary on Sunday? In doing so, YOU are changing the lives of people not only in our community, but around the world! Thank YOU for caring!!

The start to 2019 has been fast and busy. While we are back in the classroom learning and working hard, we are all mindful of, and missing Bill Christians, who blessed us with his presence on so many occasions throughout the week. His service to Southminster Day School was special and we are eternally grateful for his servant heart to this school and this building.

Recently, we learned that our D.A.R. (Daughter’s of the American Revolution) school winner, Isabelle Taylor, was also selected as the statewide winner! Her topic on Women’s Suffrage earned her the privilege to present her essay at the local event, as well as the statewide event which will be held in Montgomery this spring! Isabelle is a current 5th grader and we are very proud of her!

We thank those church members who donated items for the Salvation Army Super Bowl Party, which will be held on February 3rd. This is the second year for Southminster Day School students and church members to help gather items that will be given to the homeless in Birmingham while they enjoy a catered meal and the opportunity to enjoy watching the Super Bowl.

Souper Bowl of Caring

Day School News

Our students enjoyed a “snow day,” even though there was no snow this week, so we are working extra hard in our rooms! Feel free to come by and stroll the halls to see their classwork and art displays. We are very proud of them.

Jeanie Covin, Day School Director

You are invited to Women’s LuncheonSunday, February 10

After worshipCost: free

All ages invitedNursery will be provided for your convenience

Please sign up on the bulletin board, through Sunday Schools or circles, or by calling the office

Our guest will be the Director of Better Basics. Donations will be accepted for Scholastic book purchases OR you may purchase the following books to

donateDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The MeltdownI Survived – The Sinking of the Titanic

Who is Jeff KenneyUndefeated (Jim Thorpe)My Awesome Summer

Code Talker: A novel about the Navajo MarinesTrail of Tears (Step 5)

Raymie Nightingale by Kate Dicamillo

From time to time we have asked you to indicate your account (old envelope) number on your check when giving money to the church. By doing so, this assures the money counters get your contribution properly posted.

If you give cash, please use a pew envelope and enter your account number and name on the envelope. If you don’t know your number, call me at 447-7042 and I will be glad to look it up for you.

Many thanks for your assistance as it will be greatly appreciated.

Administrative MU

Jim Prince, Administrative Moderator

I apologize that it’s been so long since I wrote “home” about our journey! We’ve traveled a long way in John since I last wrote: Chapters 9 through 17. We “saw” the Pool of Siloam where Jesus performed the miracle of restoring sight to a blind man and taught so authoritatively about physical sickness and malady, challenging the prevailing notion that they were connected with character. How could people ever think that way, we mused. In Chapter 10, we rejoiced over another I AM statement: I am the Good Shepherd, and no one snatches the sheep (that would be us) from the Father’s hand! We marveled and grieved and prayed over those who stumble at this point.

Chapters 11 and 12 brought us to Jesus’ greatest miracle in raising Lazarus from the dead and from that miracle, the prophecy of Caiaphas, the high priest, that Jesus’ death was required to fulfill God’s plan for our atonement. There was so much mystery and so much spiritual depth here for us. Then, as if we needed any more excitement, John told the story we always tell on Palm Sunday of Jesus riding triumphantly into town!

We learned in Chapter 13, as we experienced washing each other’s feet, that Jesus was giving his disciples a deep lesson in the experience of the Gospel, that if they desired to be great in God’s Kingdom, they would have to become servants of all. The Holy Spirit and the Trinity and the great comfort Jesus’ teaching brought the disciples (and us) in Chapter 14 was exciting.

Some of the best fellowship and teaching came to us in Chapters 15-17 where Jesus, in the hours before his arrest, taught so beautifully and deeply about abiding in Him (as branches in a grapevine) and loving Him, and then voicing in his longest prayer those remarkable words, even directly to us: “I in them and You in Me.” This is truly the heart of the Gospel. More to come next month, as we end the journey and return home.

George Van Kirk

Based on 2018 contributions we have received to date, there is a significant amount of money that was pledged to the General Fund but was not received. The result is that we have ended the year with a budget deficit. We are expecting some additional money to come in, but we request families that have not met their 2018 pledge and are not having financial hardships, to consider make an additional contribution to go toward their 2018 pledge. By now you should have received your year-end pledge/gift summary so please check this and let us know if there are any discrepancies. Thank you all for your gifts!

The Stewardship Ministry Unit

General Fund Pledge Update

Lectio Prayer Journey – November thru January

Thank You Note Received

A prayer of thanks to God for giving me another chance to live. When you are ill, the Southminster family shows a lot of love with visits, cards, calls, prayers, food, and especially my little seat card. Thanks seems like a very small way to express my thoughts but it’s from my heart with lots of love!

Yvonne Kirkland

Did you know that Southminster has about 85 members who would be considered “baby boomers”? This is a generation of people born from the early 1940’s to the early 60’s. “Boomers” are currently finding themselves to be grandparents, retirees, caretakers for aging parents, empty nesters, etc. Boomers often find themselves searching for purpose, friendship, support, and meaning in their transitioning lives. Many of our members in this group are very involved in leadership and service in the church and the community. Perhaps many other of our members would like to be more involved in service and would like to have deeper connections socially and spiritually having left friends and meaningful work when they retired or as their family life changes. There must be thousands in our community who are in similar circumstances.

Often as we transition from our careers or in our familial roles, we wonder “who am I now” as if we “are” what we do as engineer, teacher, painter, accountant, parent, spouse, etc. The truth is we continue to “be” who we always have been, a child of God, made in God’s image and gifted by the Holy Spirit with talents that are intended for building up the Body of Christ, the Church. In retirement, we are given an exciting time period to explore new ways to use those gift and talents to glorify God.

We have recently organized a ministry for people within the boomer generation (give or take a few years) called “Encore.” The word encore means “called out by an audience at the end of a concert to request an additional performance.” Christ is the audience calling us out for additional performance, using our God-given talents as God’s hands and feet in the Church and the community. Regardless of age, we are called to grow spiritually and to serve Christ in any way that we are able.

The Encore Ministry has been formed to find ways to reach people for Christ, to call them into service in and outside the Church, for spiritual growth and to offer opportunities to connect socially to enter into deeper friendships. If you are in this age group, we hope that you will be eagerly supportive and willing to participate in intergenerational activities socially and in serving together. Together we are the Body of Christ at Southminster, regardless of age!

If you have questions or ideas for this new ministry, please call Janet Nebrig at 223-1045.

The Encore Ministry is hosting a Bingo Potluck Party for everyone who is 50 or older on Friday, March 8th, at 6:00 PM in Grace Hall.

Please bring a covered dish and your lucky charm and maybe you will be the big Bingo winner!

Something New – Encore Ministry

Encore Bingo Potluck Party

Friends are welcome! Sign up is not required, but would help with set up, etc. If you haven’t seen a signup sheet, please call the Church Office, 822-1124, to add your name.

If you need a ride, please call Janet Nebrig (223-1045) because we want you to join the fun and we can find someone to pick you up.

Starting Sunday, February 3rd, a new Confirmation Class will begin. This is an exciting time for those participating and for the church as a whole. We are meeting through the spring until the participants join the church around Easter. Please keep this wonderful group of young people in your prayers.

From the new PC(USA) curriculum:Confirmation is an act of covenant/renewal that includes three parties:

1. The Spirit of God confirms a confirmand’s baptismal identity as a child of God,whether Baptism occurred in childhood or will happen at the Confirmation

service;2. The confirmand confirms their faith in Jesus Christ and the teaching of the

church; and3. The congregating, including parents and other family member, confirms

the confirmand’s spiritual gifts for ministry and active church membership.

The 2019 Flower Calendar is posted in the Gathering Area outside of Grace Hall and also on SignUp Genius. There are plenty of opportunities to sign up for flowers. If you would like to give flowers in honor or memory of someone, take a minute and sign up on the poster outside of Grace Hall or go to

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f48aaae2da4fc1-20191

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Betsy in the Church Office. Thanks for helping beautify our Sanctuary.

Ash Wednesday will be observed March 6th. This year there will be several opportunities to receive ashes – with an early morning time, noon and 6:45. Dinner will be served at 6:00 and then we will transition into the sanctuary for the service. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

Big God, Big Questions

Flower Calendar

Ash Wednesday

Dear Southminster Church Family,Thank you for the Christmas gift checks presented to each of us by the Personnel Committee on behalf of the Session and congregation. We are ever so grateful to work with and for each and every one of you. May God bless you with a Happy and Healthy 2019!

Your Church Staff, Tom, Larry, David, Betsy, Dereck, Tiffany and

JaneADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDSouthminster Presbyterian Church1124 Montgomery HighwayVestavia Hills, AL 35216Church: 205/822-1124Church Fax: 205/822-6739Website Address: http://southminsterpcusa.orgE-Mail Address: southmin@bellsouth.net

SOUNDS OF SOUTHMINSTER

MARDI GRAS PARTYMontreat Fundraiser

Wednesday, February 27th

6:00 p.m. Great Cajun Food

(Prizes for the Winning Dishes)

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPERMIT NO.

2358BIRMINGHAM,

ALA.Staff Members

The Rev. Dr. Tom Bryson, PastorLarry Hardin, Dir. Of Music MinistriesDavid Renaker, OrganistJeanie Covin, Dir. Of Day SchoolBetsy Murphy, Church AdministratorDereck Stewart, Sexton

Thank You from the Staff!

Mardi Gras Parade

Fun for children of ALL ages!!!!

If you would like to help out by preparing a Cajun dish (which would GREATLY be appreciated!!!), please contact Betsy Murphy

at 822-1124.Monetary Donations are also Welcomed!!