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First Presbyterian Church Sweetwater, Texas
December 2015 The mission of our church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ
Our vision is to be an oasis of God’s love.
From the Pastor’s Pen
Dear Everybody,
I celebrate that you have raised $50,231.00 over
the past three weeks for our upstairs renovation!
Wonderful blessed gift have arrived with notes of
thanksgiving in memory and honor of all who have
been transformed by the Christian education pro-
gram of First Presbyterian Church. The Session
voted to extend the renovation to include the hall-
way and stairs. Gift are still needed to complete the
rest of the rooms. Thank you for your very gener-
ous response! What joy awaits us in the years to
come.
This week we enter into the season of Advent, a
season marked by expectant hope. The hope of
God’s Word is found in the fact that God is single-
minded about getting to know you and me; that
God has and will continue to be involved in our
lives. As Psalm 139 reminds us, there really is not
anything that we can do or anywhere we can go
that God does not already know where we are. Do
you feel alone as you are wheeled into surgery?
God is already there to receive you.
Worried about going home to a lonely apart-
ment? God is there filling it up with love! Are
you afraid to make a change? God is there en-
thusiastically guiding you! The gospels tell us
clearly:
Open your eyes! Listen! God is here! The King-
dom is ushering in all around you! Be a part of
things! God is calling you!
To walk in hope as a Christian is to live with a sense of purpose. We walk in the presence of the living God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Join with us this Advent as we light can-dles of hope, peace, joy and love in the won-drous name of Jesus. Blessings this Christmas, Kary
Advent Candle Lighting
1st Sunday of Advent~ Mitch Moore Family 2nd Sunday of Advent~ Neil Moore Family 3rd Sunday of Advent ~ Dave Collins Family 4th Sunday of Advent~ Zach & Marina Wilcox & Max Nemir Christmas Eve~ Cathy, Caleb & Katie Reed
1311 McCaulley Office hours: M ~ F, 9:00 am ~12:00pm website: www.fpcsweetwater.org
P. O. Box 956, Sweetwater, Texas 79556 325-235-5491 email: [email protected]
Pastor – Rev. Kary Fry email: [email protected]
Clerk of Session: Paula Carmichael Elder of the Month: Ruth Ann Campbell
Dates to Remember 2 Presbyterian Women~5:00pm Mexican Pile on Meal
Devotional by Kay Staton
3 Kary Ann’s Clan~11:30am~Oak Street Cafe
Choir~ 5:30pm
6 2nd Sunday in Advent
Hoyt Place Worship ~ 9:00am-9:30am
Sunday School ~ 9:30am
Worship ~ 10:45am ~ Reverse Offering
Communion Class of 2017
MS&HS~Hoyt Place~4:00pm
(Meet at Hoyt Place & be pickup at FPC at 6:00pm)
All Youth Christmas Program Practice 5:00pm
10 Kary Ann’s Clan~11:30am~ Amole’s
Choir Practice~ 5:30pm
13 3rd Sunday in Advent
Sunday School ~ 9:30am
Dress Rehearsal~ 9:30am
Worship~ 10:45am~Congregational Meeting to
elect Elders, accept Budget and
receive Committee Reports.
Christmas Program
Wedding Shower~ Kathleen Campbell
17 Kary Ann’s Clan ~ 11:30am~ Pizza Hut
Angel Tree Presents due.
20 4th Sunday in Advent
Sunday School~9:30am
Worship~ 10:45am
Christmas Reflections~ Kirk Stroman~ 6:00pm
24 Christmas Eve Service~ 6:00pm~ Communion
Christmas Joy Gift Offering
25 Merry Christmas! Church Office Closed
27 No Sunday School
Worship~ 10:45am~ Noisy Offering
31 Kary Ann’s Clan ~ 11:30am~Big Boy’s Barbeque
6 Patty Gesin and Richard Gesin
13 Mike Fry and Keith Brock
20 Karen Brown and Gary Brown
27 Paula Carmichael and Alan Carmichael
Greeters needed! If anyone is interested in
greeting on Sunday mornings, please call the
church office.
Thank you!
Birthdays 3 Richard Smola
4 Max Nemir
6 Michelle Maxwell
Betty Staton
7 Anissa McCollom
8 Caroline Brennan
9 Justin Wilburn
10 Mike Fry
12 Jessica Bond
20 Kristen Shirley Peters
22 Mason Bennett
25 James Parker
25 Lisa Collins
26 Robert Whitteker
29 Aidan Collins
All Women of the Church are invited to come
for fellowship, prayer and Bible Study.
Presbyterian Women will meet on Wed.
December 2nd at 5:00pm.
A Mexican Pile on Meal will be provided and
Kay Staton will give a devotional.
Hoyt Place
We are excited to lead worship every
first Sunday of the month at Hoyt Place,
from 9:00-9:30 a.m. We will sing, hear the
Word of God, and share Communion.
Come join us in this wonderful
Ministry of fellowship.
Donations given for Renovation Project
In Honor of:
Grandchildren~ Conner and Grant Gohlke and Elise Norris by Doloras Berryhill
Alice Moore by Katherine Dickson Morris Hinshaw and Ed Ireland by Lynn and Sharon Gotcher
In Memory of:
Lucille Terry by Evalyn Bates Eska Hinshaw by Morris Hinshaw Lucille Terry by DeeAnne McFarland Mrs. Charles Shuff and Mrs. Bob Bardwell by Margaret Shuff Joyner Lucille Terry and Buddy Huddleston by Sonja Nash Virginia Hefner by Carroll and Dorothy Stroman
We are also very grateful for several anonymous and undesignated gifts.
Mission Projects for December
This year’s Angel Tree will be decorated in the narthex for two Sundays, December 6 and De-cember 13 with Angels from the West Texas Child Advocacy Center. Each angel has the age and gender of a child along with their Christmas Wish and sizes. The Mission Committee urges every-one to take an angel or two and help make this Christmas special in the eyes of a child. Please place your UNWRAPPED gift with the angel af-fixed under the Angel Tree by Thursday, Decem-ber 17, so that we can fill Santa’s Sleigh and de-liver them to the Child Advocacy Center. The West Texas Child Advocacy Center strives to re-store the lives of victims of child abuse, their fam-ilies, and our community. Won’t you be an Angel to one of these children?
As we gather together on Christmas Eve to cele-
brate the birth of Jesus Christ, we have the oppor-
tunity to make a gift to the Christmas Joy Offer-
ing. Thanks to your gifts, The Christmas Joy Offer-
ing is able to provide financial assistance to indi-
viduals and families that have dedicated their
lives to the church and to also support racial eth-
nic education and leadership development for
students attending Presbyterian-related schools
and colleges. Special Christmas Joy Offering en-
velopes will be located in the pews Christmas Eve
and collected during the service. Your gift pro-
vides hope in situations where hope can be hard
to find and provides light where there is a darken-
ing world.
All are invited to a wedding shower honoring
Kathleen Campbell and Tyler Wilson On Sunday Dec. 13th after worship. Light refreshments will be served.
Selections: Bed, Bath and Beyond & Sears (Select~ State: Arizona)
Gifts Cards would be appreciated.
Christmas Reflections
Kirk Stroman will present his 2015 “Christmas Reflections” concert on
Sunday, December 20th at 6:00 pm.
Bring your family and friends to enjoy the music
of the season and Kirk’s amazing talent.
My Church Family,
My dad taught me that “it’s better late than
never”. I have told myself so many times this year
to express my heartfelt THANKS to my church
family and just never got around to it. Now it is
Thanksgiving and I have so much to be
THANKFUL for. So here is to dad and his
teachings. 2015 has been a busy year for us and
the thoughtfulness of this congregation has been
felt all year long. I very much appreciated the
prayers while Makee was recovering and then
hospitalized from tonsil removal and my
bronchitis. I was very thankful for the monetary
donation so that I could have my yard mowed
several times while I recovered and handled life
and didn’t have to worry about also mowing the
grass. Then several short months later, my mother
was then hospitalized, prayers were again
answered and she recovered beautifully. Tiffany
Rotan is another huge blessing to my family, as I
couldn’t have been there for my mom without
Tiffany being there for Makee during that
time. Along the way another monetary donation
was given in Makee’s name, I cannot find a word
strong enough to fully express my THANKS at the
thoughtfulness of this congregation! I am very
thankful to the church for finding Cindy Camacho
to watch Makee during services on
Sundays. Annisa and I truly enjoy the time we are
given on Sundays to listen to the sermon. Please
forgive my delay/lateness in expressing my
THANKS, but know I am very THANKFUL to
this congregation and all of its amazing gifts and
for loving my family and praying for us as our
journey continues.
Smile,
Stacy, Annisa, and Makee McCollom
Directory Updates
DeeAnne McFarland & Evalyn Bates
1662 FM 419 S
Sweetwater, TX 79556
Alma Green
1700 Hoyt St. Apt. 22
Sweetwater, TX 79556 Cole Maxwell
3815 49th
Lubbock, TX 79413
Dorothy Richards
1311 Grand
Sweetwater, TX 79556
235-8382
December Activities for Little Ones and IBKS
December 6: Christmas Program (Little Ones,
IBKs, Middle School, High School) at 5:00
December 13: 9:30am Christmas Program
Dress Rehearsal Christmas Program during
church services
December 24: For all of those who are in town,
The Little Ones and IBKs will sing during our
Christmas Eve Service. It's a very special
service that I hope you all can attend. The kids
will not wear their costumes; they will wear
their regular clothes.
December Youth Activities for Middle
School/High School
Sunday, Dec. 6th – Sunday School.
Sunday, Dec. 6th – Hoyt House @ 4:00 followed
by Christmas Play Practice at 5:00. (Meet at
Hoyt House & be picked up at FPC at 6:00 PM.
Sunday, Dec. 13th – Dress Rehearsal during
Sunday School, followed by Christmas Play
during Worship.
Sunday, Dec. 20th - Sunday School
Thursday, Dec. 24th – Christmas Eve Service.
Hope you’ll attend with your family.
Sunday, Dec. 27th & Jan. 3rd – No Sunday
School
If you are visiting First Presbyterian Church,
we warmly welcome you in the name of Jesus
Christ!
If you want to join in this journey of faith, you
are invited to join by:
-letter of transfer from another church;
-The Sacrament of Holy Baptism; or
-Reaffirmation of faith in Jesus Christ as
your Lord and Savior.
Kary and the Session elders are always happy
to meet with you.
We celebrate the Sacrament of Holy
Communion every first Sunday of the month.
Because this is the Lord’s Supper, we invite all
in Christ to share the blessings of this
Sacrament.
Letter from Alice Moore
Dear Folks,
It’s difficult to believe it’s not only nearly
Thanksgiving, but December with all its seasonal
holiday sparkles to celebrate and be joyful in again.
IT IS A TIME THAT IS JOYFUL FOR ALL OF US
– CHILDREN AND ADULTS- SOMETIMES NOT
FOR THE SAME REASON, BUT EVEN WHEN
NOT, IT BECOMES KNOWN TO US ALL, AND
MAY YOU ALL BE THANKFUL for whatever and
have a Merry Christmas with all its joys and follow
it with a Happy New Year!!! Count your many
blessings, see what God has done! I have a new
blessing. A new friend who invited me to join the
Bible Study class she teaches. I didn’t really want o
because I’m so deaf, but she said she would save me
a seat next to her chair and use an amplifier which
would make sure I could hear. So I joined her class,
and guess where she began? With Genesis 1! I have
read Genesis more than once, but I don’t think I’ve
ever studied it in a class. So I’ve been twice, and
we’re to where Jacob and Laban have agreed to
behave themselves, and Jacob is about to try to
make up with Esau, and I’ve learned some things
that I’d forgotten or just never knew. My friend
goes right through the book, and I’m enjoying the
study. It’s nice having a new friends too.
My sweet daughter-in-law hates my messy desk, and
I do, too, especially right now when I want to find
the November newsletter with Kary’s letter to
everybody telling us how happy we can be for
Thanksgiving and all the songs it reminds her of.
Right now as I write to you, I would like to mention
those songs and maybe add a few that I like too, but
do you know that I can’t find my stack of letters! If I
would do as Cindy wishes I would, I could lay my
hand right on the November letter and quote what I
wish! Thank you, Kary, anyway.
Here in Wichita Falls, they make a big deal of
Thanksgiving which please me. Thanksgiving is one
of my favorite holidays, and it was great to have
Kary like it too. I think I have mentioned my friend,
Jana, who comes on Mondays at four to play for all
the old people who like to choose songs to sing as
she plays for us. Last Monday, we sang “Count Your
Blessings” because it was almost Thanksgiving.
One of the old ladies said she felt so blessed to
be in such a nice place as this. “If you can’t be
living at home, this is the best place to be,” she
said. Don’t you think that’s a positive attitude? I
now have a room to myself, and one of the
things I like is that I have a painting that Billie
Joe Carmichael painted of seagulls flying around
the Gulf of Mexico at Padre Island where she
and Harry used to go almost every summer. The
colors of the sands and the sea weeds and the
gorgeous sky are so pretty. But the great things
is that the draperies in my room match the colors
in B.J.’s painting beautifully! And it always
makes me think of her, too. So- Precious
Memories!
Another thing to be thankful for is that my room
has two windows (most have only one) and I can
especially enjoy watching it rain- especially now
that the drought is over (cross fingers). Also, I
have quite a few plants I’ve been given, and
having two windows gives me enough light for
them. Another things is that I could check to see
who the greeters are; I’ll probably find my
newsletter when I’ve sent this letter to you. Well,
that’s the way it is.
God bless you everyone and again Merry
Christmas!!!
In Jesus’ Name,
Alice
Middle School and High School
Mystery Dinner
Children’s Time During Worship
Christmas Program Practice.
Christmas Program will be Dec. 13th
during worship.