November 2020

2 November CelebrationsNew Church OfficersSermon Series

3 November WorshipFlowers in Worship

6 Welcome, New Members8 The Art of Listening9 Financial Statement

2021 Stewardship11 Art Gallery12 Property Committee14 Pastor Emeritus15 In-person Worship Service16 November Calendar

Session Meeting

Christian Education4 Message from Stephanie

Online Classroom5 Sunday School

Men’s Lunch Bible StudyLadies’ Lunch Bible Study

Youth Ministry6 DL’s Column

2020 Confirmation Class

Mission7 Manos de Cristo Tamales

Operation Christmas ChildMission Sewing

8 The Caring Place

Fellowship9 Presbyterian Women

Compassionate Care2 Among Our People

10 Points from Parish NurseSenior SeminarA Gift of Time

FIRSTWORDR o o t e d . R e f o r m e d . R e l e v a n t.

Contents

16 F I R S T W O R D

NOVEMBERNOVEMBERNOVEMBERNOVEMBERNOVEMBER

SUNDAY

1All Saints’ Day/CommunionDaylight Saving Time ends/Fall backDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School11:00am Livestream Worship

8Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School9:30am New Officer Training11:00am Livestream Worship

15Youth SundayDavid Lee Hulsey Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School9:30am New Officer Training11:00am Livestream Worship

22Reign of Christ SundayGreening of the ChurchStephanie Mettler Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School11:00am Livestream Worship

291st Sunday of AdventDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School11:00am Livestream Worship

MONDAY211:00am PW Board12:00pm Stephen

LeadersMeeting

9

16

23

30

TUESDAY310:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting6:30pm Elizabeth Circle7:00pm Youth Leaders

1010:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting6:45pm Executive Comm7:30pm Committee

Meetings

1710:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting4:30pm Newsletter

Deadline7:00pm Youth Leaders7:00pm Diaconate

2410:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting7:00pm Session

110:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting

WEDNESDAY49:00am Virtual Coffee12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study6:00pm Youth Gathering

119:00am Virtual Coffee12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study1:00pm Lydia Circle6:00pm Youth Gathering

189:00am Virtual Coffee10:00am Rachel Circle10:00am Martha Circle11:00am Hannah-Esther Circle12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study6:00pm Youth Gathering

25

29:00am Virtual Coffee12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study6:00pm Youth Gathering

THURSDAY5

12

1910:30am Senior

Seminar

26Church OfficeClosed –Thanksgiving

FRIDAY6

13

20Hulseys out oftown thru 11/29

27Church OfficeClosed

Saturday, November 21Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lipperton vacation thru 11/28

Sarah, Luke, Lily and David Lee Hulsey

David Lee and Sarah Hulsey announcedthat they will resign their positions asYouth Ministry Directors effective Decem-ber 31. In a letter to the congregationdated October 26, the couple wrote: “Wehave such great love and deep gratitudefor the incredible congregation of FirstPresbyterian Church in Georgetown andthe blessing that you have been over thepast 15 years that I have been on staff. Itis time for this season of vocational min-istry to come to a close for the Hulseys.After much prayer and discerning, DavidLee has decided to enter flight school as afull-time student in pursuit of a career inaviation.” He recently earned his pilot’slicense.

In an email and the Hulseys’ letter sentto church members announcing the res-ignations, Pastor Bobby said he will workwith staff, Administrative Committee andEducation and Nurture Committee to de-vise a transition plan and form a YouthMinistry Director search committee.

“God is calling David Lee and Sarahto move on from their ministry at FPC andinto a new season of life and vocation,”Pastor Bobby said. “Undoubtedly, theyand their children will be dearly missed astheir joy, love and steadfast faithfulnesshave deeply blessed this congregation.”

In announcing their resignations, theHulseys said, “We appreciate your prayersas we transition our family into a newseason and look for God’s direction andprovision. You will all be missed greatly.First Presbyterian Youth Ministry has awellspring of vitality because of thethoughtful and engaged youth and fami-lies and the insightful and profound sup-port of the congregation at large, so wehave high expectations and ferventprayers for all that will continue to hap-pen at FPC.”

Sarah will continue teaching 3rd gradeat Grace Academy while David Lee attendsflight school. “We’re grateful that this al-

Hulseys to leave Youth Ministry positions

lows us to stay in Georgetown, and welook forward to seeing familiar facesaround town,” they wrote.

Following are excerpts from theHulseys’ letter:From David Lee—”This church has beenmy home; this congregation has been myfamily. I have watched children grow,teenagers struggle and shine and youngadults step into new transitions in life. Ihave been guided by the wisdom of ourleaders, mentored by our sages and edu-cated by our children. I do not hesitate insaying that I gave my all for this ministry,yet I feel I was given so much more. Mygreatest joy in serving as Youth Directoris simply getting to live out the experienceswith the youth on this journey. It’s beenthe hard conversations after a Bible study,late night phone calls with a parent,breakfasts with older fathers, sweatingside-by-side with youth while building afence, singing and dancing with childrenfrom a foreign land and shedding tears asI saw youth genuinely lift up their heartsto God in worship. When we had chil-dren of our own, this church welcomedthem as their own. We have been envel-

(continued on page 3)

At its October 27 meeting, sessiondiscussed the in-service Sundayworship service held two days be-fore, and elders who were presentsaid it felt good to gather again inFellowship Hall and worship whilefollowing guidelines from session’sSafety and Security task force,ODTAP (Open the Doors and There’sAll the People).

No additional in-person serviceshave been scheduled at this date,but elders plan to get with ODTAPat its November meeting and stayinformed on monitoring data per-taining to COVID-19 in WilliamsonCounty.

The Presbyterian Cemetery willagain be the site of an 8:30 a.m. ser-vice on November 8, and the Wor-ship Committee is working withchurch staff to hold a specialChristmas Eve service at 5 p.m. inthe cemetery.

ODTAP’s recommended thresholdto open the church for in-persongathering depends on two sets ofdata: test positivity rates and case in-cidence trends in the county. The taskforce has recommended a 14-plus-dayperiod with fewer than four newCOVID-19 cases a day per 100,000

Session discusses ODTAP input population and less than a 3% posi-tivity rate.

”We are close, and when wemeet this threshold, ODTAP sup-ports gathering again for in-personworship,” Karen Rayburn, taskforce chair, said.

Other task force members areNancy Robohn, Kelly Seaman,Jaime Cowan, Christina Bondesenand Kathy Kerr Kubatzky.

2 F I R S T W O R D

5 Larry & Yvonne Crabb6 Daryll & Rachel Gremillion8 Mike & Cindy Roberts9 Bruce & Jennifer Gunn10 Chris & Cari Spruiell11 Rod & Carole Burke12 Robert Cravens & Linda Thomas16 Phil & Dawn Bookert24 Don & Dottie Willhouse27 Sturdy & Tammy Wanamaker28 Lou & Marty Brown30 Cliff & Rita Snyder

Carl & Nancy Spivey

1 Don CurlJerry Pearson

2 Jeff Willett3 Fred Hilgeman

Walter JunckerBrandon Walters

5 Darlene MillerDavid Ramsey

6 Sharon Judkins7 Drake McIntosh8 Jerry Fine

Susan PoteeteAnna RobertsDottie Willhouse

9 Leila Ramsey10 Doug Arnold11 Doug Bond

Kendall GuinnMichelle Hulme-LippertKeith Renard

13 Kathi DavenportBecky Hesson-SmithAshley HuntTori Schmalstieg

14 Elizabeth Bailey15 Bryan Bell16 David Gipson

Becky Kennedy17 Nancy Marks

Jo Ann Yantis19 Denise Ferguson

Randa Toungate22 Anne Gowdy23 Sarah Crenshaw

Bernie LovejoyJeanie Wiesner

25 Shelley Sorenson26 George Biggs

Jerry BurkettDel BurkettLloyd DavisMary McKennaTess McKennaLucy Yantis

27 Anna Maspero28 Joan Lawrence

Annabel McClure30 Emily Tolbert

ANNIVERSARIES

Boldface indicatesa member of

First Presbyterian Church

BIRTHDAYS

Class of 2023 Church officers were electedat a congregational meeting via Zoom onOctober 18 following the worship service.

Elected to serve as elders are: SharonPlace, Administrative; Beverly Jones, Wor-ship; Karen Jones, Education and Nurture;Glen Kaiser, Property; Dawn Bookert, Mis-sion; and Charles Dennis, Finance andStewardship.

Deacons elected were: Cheryl Jenkines,Fellowship; Ann Kaiser, CompassionateCare; Liz Weaver, Evangelism; and SandieKienitz, Ushers and Greeters.

Patsy Becker was elected deacon, Classof 2021, to fill a vacancy on Compassion-ate Care.

Gary Nelon was elected to the Board ofTrustees.

Members of the 2020 Church OfficerNominating Committee are Ben Nichols,Chair; Marty Curtis, Vice Chair, Gary Cox,Liz Decker, Jana McCown, Minta McIn-tosh, Tricia Osborne, Cathy Shirley andLenice Smithwick.

Training for officers-elect will be from9:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday, November 8 and15 and December 6 and 13. After complet-ing the training, officers-elect will beexamined by the session December 15. TheService of Ordination and Installation willbe during the service of worship at 11 a.m.January 3. The church leaders’ retreat for2020 is set for Friday evening and Satur-day morning, January 8 and 9.

New church officerselected to serve

In the hospital last month: George Biggs,Ardith Lane and Carol Siekmeier (sur-gery).

Our sympathy: To Kim Peel on the deathof her brother, Mike Angell, October 5 inDallas.

In memoriam: George Biggs joined the Church Trium-phant October 18. He had been a membersince October 1989, served as elder from1997-1999 and sang in the choir for years.He was instrumental in bringing the Ser-vice of Wholeness to FPC. Jim Southerland joined the Church Tri-umphant October 23. He had been a mem-ber since September 2001 and was activein church men’s groups.

Thank you: Dear Ones, I thank you fromthe bottom of my heart for all the love andcare you have shown me and my familyduring our time of loss. From the time ofJustin's death in March, through the timeof his memorial service in October, you'vewalked beside us. Pastor Bobby provideda beautiful service, with Stephanie Mettlerstepping up to provide great music. TheCompassionate Care Committee, StephenMinisters, Church staff and many other in-dividuals have reached out to ease the wayon a long journey. Truly you are mychurch family. I love you and thankyou. —Beverly Jones

Serving in the military: Col. Brian Burk,Larry Burk’s son; Maj. Josh Daleiden,Betty Bradford’s grandson-in-law; JohnDecker; Jared A. Gross, Robert Bedford’snephew; Brian Hall; Capt. Daniel Ham-mond, Keith & Sue Renard’s grandson-in-law; Garrett Herbst; Gunnery Sgt.Matthew L. Johnson, son of Glen & AnnKaiser; Brandon Keith, Phil & JeanneSmith’s son-in-law; Tech. Sgt. RobertMcClanahan, grandson of Minta McIn-tosh and nephew of Lee McIntosh; Lt. Col.Mike Pratt, Jeff Pratt’s brother; Sgt.1stClass Paul Rayburn; Nicholas Stamos,Larry & Helen Burk’s grandson; andChristian Winckel, grandson of SandyHayes.

ROOTED. REFORMED. RELEVANT.Fall Sermon Series:

(Through November 8)

What does it mean to be apeople who are deeplyrooted? How is it that ourReformed theological tradi-tion informs, shapes andguides our path in the world today? Andwhat does it mean to be a congregationattentive and relevant to God’s work inGeorgetown and throughout the worldtoday? I pray it proves to be a seriesthrough which the Holy Spirit continuesto faithfully shape us and lead us into God’sfuture together. —Pastor Bobby

F I R S T W O R D 15

Pastor Emeritus Honor Bestowed on Retired Pastor: Participating in the spe-cial program during the September 27th worship service were Cindy and retiredpastor Dr. Mike Roberts, current pastor Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert, and Dr. SallieWatson of Mission Presbytery. Flowers for the service were given by First Presby-terian Church in honor of Mike and Cindy.

Some 40 church members made reser-vations to attend the 8:30 a.m. in-person worship service on October 25.The service was approved by session,which was to reassess the experienceat its October 27 meeting. Staff, eldersand deacons were on hand to helpmembers observe guidelines set by theSafety and Security Committee’s taskforce, including masks, social distanc-ing and hand sanitizer.

In-person worship A plexiglass screen was placed betweenPastor Bobby at the pulpit and the con-gregation. On hand to help the servicerun smoothly were Christina Bondesenand Penny Leone from staff; Bryan Belland Nancy Robohn, Worship Commit-tee; other elders, Keith Brainard, BenNichols, Celeste Frost, Bill and TheresaMcKenna and Babs Cape; and deaconsThomas Isenhour, Cheryl Dorothy andCorey Bailey. Jeff Pratt was in thesoundbooth, running the sound andvideo.

Among Our People

F I R S T W O R D 3

November 1All Saints’ Day/CommunionDaylight Savings Time Ends/Fall backDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert PreachingScripture: Matthew 23:1-12

November 8Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert PreachingScripture: Matthew 25:1-13

November 15Youth SundayDavid Lee Hulsey Preaching

November 22Reign of Christ SundayStephanie Mettler PreachingScripture: Matthew 25:31-46

November 29:1st Sunday of AdventDr. Bobby Hulme-LippertScripture: Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-15

Flowersin Worship/November

N O V E M B E R W O R S H I P

(on YouTube at 11 a.m.)

Sign up virtuallyto provide flowersfor worship in 2021The Flower Chart has gone

virtual! You can now useSignUp Genius to volunteer

to provide flowers in worshipin 2021. Look for informa-

tion in the weekly FPCemail, click on the link,

choose a date and sign up.An email reminder will

automatically be sent to youa week prior to your date.

Contact Christina Bondesenwith any questions.

1 George & LinetteHarwell

8 Sid & Celeste Frost15 Phil & Dawn

Bookert22 Jeremy & Linda

Gambell29 Lou & Marty Brown

14 F I R S T W O R D

Dear Congregation:I want to thank you for the great

celebration on September 27th. I con-sider being your Pastor Emeritus agreat honor for me and a recogni-tion of my ministry of 30 years asyour Pastor. I’m grateful for Pastor Bobby de-signing and leading a thoughtfuland meaningful presentation duringthe worship service. I appreciate Gen-eral Presbyter Sallie Watson beingpresent and praying during the ser-vice. The Zoom reception was a funand enjoyable time of connectingwith you. The cards that you pre-pared for me were the culminationof the celebration. After two years, itwas great to read your good wishesand the updates on your lives. I havekept the cards you have given me in

Thank you from Mike the past and I love reading them overand over again.

The Certificate of Election and thecongregational Resolution on theplaques were so well-written andvery nicely prepared. I appreciate theeight individuals, all dear to me,reading the resolution during thevideo presentation. The large bou-quet of flowers was beautiful andgraced our living room for manydays afterwards. As I said on the 27th, Cindy andI have very much enjoyed retirementthese past two years. This has beena happy time for us to be togetherand to enjoy a more relaxed pace oflife. It was the right time for me toretire. I’ve been able to read widely,reflect on my ministry, research myfamily history, and work on somehouse projects. We have taken mul-tiple trips to see our family on both

coasts. Retirement has been a goodtime for us.

Both of our sons, Timothy andJonathan, live in Massachusetts now.Elizabeth lives in Austin. Timothyand Anna welcomed their first born,Austin Elizabeth, in July. We havejust returned from meeting ourgranddaughter. She’s lovely andbeautiful and great. Our son Jonathanmarried his fiancée Liz while we werethere in Massachusetts. Our daugh-ter Elizabeth married her fiancé Vin-cent back in December in Georgetown.Our kids are moving on in their livesand they are doing well.

I give thanks often for PastorBobby, the staff and officers, and you,the congregation, for following andserving Jesus Christ during thesechallenging times. I will continue topray for your mission and life to-gether. The Lord bless you and keepyou. —Yours in Christ, Mike

The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Roberts—“Pastor Mike”—was honored Sep-tember 27 during a virtual worshipservice, with the conferring of thetitle, Pastor Emeritus of First Pres-byterian Church. Helping PastorBobby with the recognition servicewas the Rev. Sallie Watson from Mis-sion Presbytery. Also present wasMike’s wife, Cindy.

Mike’s election received the unani-mous approval of both session andthe congregation during virtualmeetings held due to COVID-19.

Church members who read theresolution in a video were SturdyWanamaker, Tim Kennedy, FredHilgeman, Lenice Smithwick, GaryNelon, Cliff Snyder, Cathy Ramseyand Debbie Pilcher. Sturdy was chairand Tim a member of the PastorNominating Committee in 1988 thatrecommended Mike to be pastor ofFPC. He retired in 2018 after 30 years.

Mike was presented two plaques:a Certificate of Election for the honorand the resolution approved by ses-sion. He also was given a basket ofenvelopes containing cards and let-

Pastor Mike honored September 27 as Pastor Emeritusters from the congregation. After theservice, church members joined onZoom to congratulate Mike.

In bestowing the honor, PastorBobby told Mike, “You have been adistinguished leader and a faithfulshepherd; this congregation hasgrown deeply in its faith in JesusChrist and has dramatically increasedin mission and outreach because ofyour ministry. On June 23, 2020, theSession voted unanimously, and thecongregation subsequently agreed toelect you Pastor Emeritus.” In remarks after accepting thehonor, Pastor Mike said, “Certainly,the congregation knows me well. Ilove plaques, and now I have twotoday. I am very touched that youwould honor me and my ministrywith you in this way. I want to thankPastor Bobby and the session for pro-posing this recognition. I am grate-ful to the congregation for electingme Pastor Emeritus at your Zoomcongregational meeting in August.That’s something I never said in 30years of ministry: ‘Zoom congrega-tional meeting’.”

Mike said September 27 is a specialday for him. “Thirty-two years agothis day, September 27, 1988, was myfirst day of ministry as your pastor.Throughout those 30 years we wor-shipped and grew and learned andserved together. I am very grateful forall that has been done today to makethis a great celebration and recogni-tion. I am grateful to you all.”

Only one other pastor in the 166-yearhistory of FPC has held the title of PastorEmeritus: Rev. M. C. Hutton. He begana 35-year ministry with the church, span-ning the 19th and 20th centuries, when hebecame stated supply minister January 3,1886. He was later called to be pastor andwas installed May 9, 1886. In March1921, Rev. Hutton resigned because of hisdeteriorating health. In accepting his res-ignation, session elected him “as PastorEmeritus of this church, without salary,for life, or so long as he desires to occupysuch honorary position.”

100 years ago...

Church DirectoryIf you need an

up-to-date churchdirectory, contact

Christina Bondesenand she can emailyou the directory

as a pdf document.

It was always fun for youth and church mem-bers when the fundraiser for Christmas Angelshopping rolled around: Will David Lee get tokeep his nice long locks or will he have to shavethem? This year, more people donated to shavethem, so the youth did the honors in January.

Hulseys

From Sarah—”When David Lee and I weremarried, you all embraced me so warmlyand generously. I was overwhelmed. WhenMike Roberts brought me onto the churchstaff in 2009, I had no concept of the bondsthat I would gain and the ways you wouldshape me even as I sought to serve andteach. We brought our babies home to FPCand you loved them like they were yourown grandchildren, children, brothers andsisters. What a unique gift for them andfor David Lee and me. These are very gen-eral but true observations of who you allare as a congregation, yet what I cherishmost about the people of First Presbyte-rian are all the raw and real conversations,the engaging insights, the cards and quickemails of encouragement, the bouncing ofideas, the intuitive inquiries, the cups ofcoffee, the stories shared about your livesand the endless smiles. You are a fascinat-ing and earnest bunch! What wonderfulthings I have witnessed God do in, withand through you. That is my treasure. Iam so grateful.”

David Lee joined the church staff inAugust 2005 as Pastoral Intern and Pas-toral Assistant, and to work with theYouth Ministry under then-directorsKim and Paul Pereira. He has a Masterof Arts degree from Austin Seminary.He has been the primary leader of ourYouth Ministry since September 2008.The Session approved David Lee andSarah as Youth Ministry Directors (ashared position) in August 2009. Priorto that, Sarah had been active with theYouth Ministry.

oped by a church family that is overflow-ing with compassion, empathy, integrity,intelligence and hope. I cannot begin tothank this church enough for loving me,encouraging me, challenging me and put-ting your faith in me. You have shown mewhat is good by doing justice, lovingmercy and walking humbly with God. I amgrateful and will always remember you.”

(continued from front page)

4 F I R S T W O R D

C H R I S T I A N E D U C A T I O NStephanie MettlerEducation Director

A 4-year-old boy wasasked to return thanksbefore Thanksgiving dinner.The family members bowedtheir heads in expectation.

He began his prayer,thanking God for all hisfriends, naming them oneby one. Then he thankedGod for Mommy, Daddy,brother, sister, Grandma,Grandpa and all his auntsand uncles. Then he beganto thank God for the food.

He gave thanks for theturkey, the dressing, thefruit salad, the cranberrysauce, the pies, the cakesand even the Cool Whip.

Then he paused, andeveryone waited—andwaited. After a longsilence, the young fellowlooked up at his mother andasked, “If I thank God forthe broccoli, won’t He knowthat I’m lying?”

Humor

Hello, church family—I am excited to share with you what ishappening in the Education Departmentat FPC. We are continuing the fall SundaySchool classes with some wonderful offer-ings. Please read about them on the nextpage and know that now is the time tovisit a class (virtually) that you’ve nevervisited before while we are all trying newthings together!

Please pray for our families and for ourteachers. Parents are dealing with moreexpectations on their shoulders, often bothfrom work and from their children’sschools. Our faithful Bible teachers areadapting to teaching in a new medium, butthey are missing their students. Please praywith me that all of us will keep our eyesfocused on what is eternal, beyond thisshort season of struggle. Thank you foryour support and prayers. I’m grateful foryour partnership! —Stephanie

What’s going on in theEd Department at FPC

We continue to update our online class-room each week, and each week’s lessonsare available all week. Familiar faces presentBible lessons, music, art, mystery guestsand more in our bitmoji classroom!

Family Zooms have kicked off with 30minutes together every other Wednesday,and it has been nice to do activities togetherin our homes, to talk together and just tosee each other’s faces!

It has been wonderful to meet some ofour FPC Kids’ families (and their pets!) ontheir porches. Parents, if your family hasn’tyet had a porch visit with me, send me amessage to schedule a time!

We are anxiously awaiting the oppor-tunity to meet together again in person,and when we are able to meet, we will senda notice to everyone. Stay posted for bothcontinuing online opportunities and up-dates on in-person opportunities.

Visit online classroomfor weekly updates

F I R S T W O R D 13

tractor pointed out what work needed tobe done. Some damage had been done tothe system along Church Street by a citycontractor extending gas to a new build-ing in the next block of Church Street.

After the repairs, “The church prob-ably saved some money each month onits water bill,” Mike said. “We were losingmore water in leaks than we were sprin-kling the grass.”

Ben credits Mike and George for sav-ing the church thousands of dollars fornot having to contract this work. “Mike’stenacity and expertise have been veryvaluable.”

George is the one who heard the dis-tinctive rattling of a rattlesnake when hewent looking for tools in the storage areaunder the sanctuary where an extensionladder is also stored. Traps have been setand it’s hoped the snake will be caught.There has been evidence of rats getting intothe attic through rotting fascia boards,and it will require a major expenditure toaddress the problem of replacing fascia,Mike said.

Ben said, “We had the trees on ChurchStreet trimmed, as well as those behindthe office. Utility trucks were hitting thetrees and doing damage as work was doneon Church Street.”

Mike also oversaw the major renova-tion work by the contractor hired to cre-ate The Gathering Place lobby and updatethe two restrooms off the lobby.

After The Gathering Place was com-plete, Mike affixed molding in the lobbyfrom which to hang original art of churchmembers. He also remodeled the women’srestroom near the church office, install-ing LED lights, new cabinet doors andhardware, sinks and faucets, tile back-splash, granite counter top, framed mir-ror and new commodes. The stall panelsand room also got a new paint job. In themen’s restroom, panels that had rustedfrom water leaks got a new paint job andthe room also got a new commode.

With 55 HVAC units needing filterchanges, Mike said the committee now hasa spreadsheet that tracks the location ofeach unit, the size of the filter needed andthe date. “Basically, anyone could comein now and know what is needed andwhere,” Mike said. Filter changes are duefour times a year, for a total of some 220replacements.

Most light bulbs in the buildings arefluorescent and have mercury so they can’tbe discarded in recycle or trash bins. Theyhave to be packaged, 80 to a box, and sentto a waste management company in Cali-

fornia, at a cost to us of$140. The church averagesdisposing of about 120fluorescent bulb changes ayear.

Gallons of paint leftover from church projectsgoing back many yearstake up space in some stor-age areas, and Mike hasbeen trying to get rid ofthem. They are hazardouswaste and require a vou-cher from the city to dis-pose of, 25 gallons at atime, and there is a back-log for the vouchers. Hesaid he applied for avoucher in July and re-ceived it in October.

—Marty Curtis

An ongoing problem forthe Property Committeehas been the fire alarmcontrol system in theEducation Building, RodBurke said. “It wasn’tworking correctly andwas red tagged oninspection. We had fourrepair men investigatethe problem. It was acircuit board in the firepanel that communicatedwith the fire departmentand the monitoringcompany. Unfortunately,it wasn’t economicallyfeasible to repair itbecause of the outdatedtechnology. We ordereda new panel and it wasdue to be installed at theend of October.”

Fire alarm panelis a problem inthe Ed Building

Website:www.fpcgeorgetown.org

First Presbyterian ChurchDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert

Pastor703 S. Church Street

Georgetown, TX 78626

Phone: 512-863-3381Fax: 512-868-1226

George Harwell (left) and Ben Nichols survey the work by Georgeand Mike Carson to clear dead or dying shrubs from the areas oneither side of the steps into the sanctuary .

published monthly by

FIRSTWORD

Virtual Sunday School awaits you at FPC Kids Connection.

F I R S T W O R D 5

Meets at 12 noonWednesday via Zoom,with Sturdy Wanamakerleading the discussion ofthe Gospel of John. Thereis ample time and spacefor discussion and ques-tions concerning thiswriting by John, whommany consider to havebeen Jesus’ closest friend.Plans are to continuegathering on Zoom untilthe group is able to meetsafely again at church.

Contact Ron Place forthe Zoom link.

Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study

Men’s LunchBible Study

CrossroadsAmanda & Patrick Tolbert This discussion-based class continues con-fronting headlines with hope and scrip-ture, focusing on God’s call for ourindividual lives as we work to build com-munity in Jesus Christ. After all, in Christthere is no Blue or Red, only brothers andsisters. Contact Patrick to receive the Zoomlink.

Homebuilders Free Market JesusNovember 1Karen JonesThis two-week video series by DonaldMiller shows the average American en-counters more than 3,000 advertisementseach day. The formula for most ads: 1. Youare not happy; 2. You will be happy if you

buy this product. Thisstudy illustrates howculture serves as a lensfor our understandingof Christianity, andhow scripture definesspirituality in a waythat is still relevant inour modern culture.

PCUSA Study: “Principles Taught by FredRogers”Starting November 15Karen JonesSome of these principles are neighboring,peace and love. Homebuilders is a discus-sion oriented class for adults that coverstopics in Christian liv-ing, church historyand scripture. Formedto meet the needs ofadults in the family-building stage of life,Homebuilders welcomes all. Contact Karento be sent the Zoom link.

O N Z O O M

Surveyors “Jesus and the Paradigm Shift”Through November 8Phil SmithOften we read scripture with a 21st centuryview. As a result, we miss Jesus challeng-ing his listeners to go beyond their nar-row views. Join us as we consider Jesusand the New Covenant, Jesus’ teachingsabout our vertical relationship with God,Jesus’ teachings about our horizontal re-lationship with each other and our re-sponse to Jesus.

Meets at 12 noon Wednesday on Zoom. Beginning November 11,the group will look at the message of Advent in Incarnation: Redis-covering the Significance of Christmas. Author Adam Hamilton exam-ines the names of Christ used by the gospel writers, exploring thehistorical and personal significance of his birth.

Join us in this Advent as we reclaim theChrist Child who brings us together, healsour hearts and calls us to bring light intothe darkness. Now more than ever, in theface of uncertainty and conflict, we inviteyou to reflect upon the significance of theChrist-child for our lives and world today!

Order a book through your favoritesource, pull up your chair, sit back andlearn with us. Let Karen Rayburn know ifyou would like further information and ifyou would like the Zoom link sent to you.

12 F I R S T W O R D

When we stopped gathering at church forworship over the past eight months, thefacilities didn’t stop needing routine main-tenance, inspections and major problemsolving of issues. That’s according to ses-sion Property Committee elders RodBurke, Ben Nichols and Mike Carson.

Ours is a campus of two large build-ings with 35 air conditioning units need-ing filter changes and monitoring of drippans, almost 1,400 light bulbs, 25 com-modes and urinals, and 15 faucets. SinceMarch, when we discontinued on-campusworship services, the Property Commit-tee has dealt with such problems as: Major repair of the three landscapesprinkler systems suffering from old ageand which haven’t been maintained forseveral years. Some damage to sprinklerheads and pipes was caused by a contrac-tor working on Church Street. An Education Building fire alarm sys-tem that malfunctioned and has to be re-placed. Air conditioners in the attic that neededrepairs to plug leaks of water into therestrooms.Waste water leaks from urinals and com-modes. Rattlesnakes, rats and other varmints in-vading crawl spaces under the church andthrough holes in the roof and fascia. Identifying hail damage to the roof inpreparation for filing an insurance claim. Organizing storage spaces for betterefficiency after the loss of a space in themen’s restroom.

Rod, third-year elder, said, “In addi-tion to routine maintenance, we are re-sponsible for mandated inspections for ourelevators, fire-suppression systems andfire-alarm systems. We were flagged fordiscrepancies and have had to resolvethese issues. Most of our heating, venti-lation and air conditioning (HVAC) unitsare approaching their life expectancy,which means more repairs, not to men-tion changing filters. We discovered thatall 14 air conditioners in the EducationBuilding rafters were wired incorrectlyand were causing a lot of our problems inthat building. We fixed the wiring our-selves to minimize the expense.”

Air conditioners in both worshipspaces are run as if we were holding in-person worship. The pianos in thosespaces have to be kept at a tempera-ture ranging around 70 degrees, plus orminus five degrees since humidity affectsthe strings and soundboard.

Six air conditioners in the attic overFellowship Hall were causing problemswith stopped-up drain lines and waterrunning down into the bathrooms. Acontractor did a deep clean of the units,actually taking them outdoors, disman-tling them and power-washing them be-fore installing new drain lines. Better,more efficient filters were also installed.

Rod added, “Our sprinkler systemswere in need of a maintenance project.They are old and have the typical old ageproblems such as broken rotary andplugged sprinkler heads, mismatchedsprinkler components, leaking valves andin need of some rerouting of the waterlines.” When a contractor bid more than$10,000 to fix the problems, Mike andGeorge Harwell did the job after the con-

Taking care of church property, they deal witha myriad of issues during COVID pandemic

“Mike has done a

tremendous amount

of work these past

months,” Rod said.

”He is there virtu-

ally every day and

has handled innu-

merable mainte-

nance projects:

painting, replacing

light bulbs with

energy-saving LED

bulbs, door repairs,

plumbing repairs,

kitchen appliance

repairs, water foun-

tain repairs, and

construction projects

such as adding

a mail drop to

the Financial

Secretary’s

office door.”

Mike Carson surveys supplies delivered forThe Gathering Place renovation.

‘‘‘‘

—Rod BurkeProperty Elder

“Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven,the Resurrection, and the Mission of theChurch”November 15 - December 20Gary NelonThis class will use a six-part video seriesby N. T. Wright. What is heaven reallylike? Is our duty to help non-Christiansget there? The authorexplores hope, resur-rection, heaven, thesecond coming, sal-vation and the church,revealing that whatwe believe about thefuture has a directimpact on how welive in the present.Contact Bill Stanleyto receive the Zoomlink.

6 F I R S T W O R D

Y O U T H M I N I S T R Y

Remembering special moments with FPC youth

David Lee HulseyYouth Director

FPC’s 2020 Confirmation Class

Welcome,new members! It is always exciting to think about what

God has coming up next in FPC YouthMinistry. This season, it’s a little bitter-sweet because I know that I will be watch-ing what takes place from a differentperspective. As my time of serving inYouth Ministry comes to an end, I can’thelp but take a moment to think of all themoments and memories that God allowedmy family to be a part of through this min-istry at FPC. The Bible studies, gamenights, youth rallies, mission trips, wor-ship services, late night kitchen raids, con-versations over coffee, running throughthe church at lock-ins, explaining to thepolice that we were NOT robbing thechurch, sweating with youth at a serviceproject, talking with a concerned parentover teen struggles, praying with and forour students, seeing Christ’s love in ourchildren... What a journey!

And I am truly looking forward towhat God has in store in this next sea-son, because God never ceases to amaze,

and neither do our youth. I have felt thatour Youth Ministry was coming to a pivotpoint—that the Holy Spirit was puttingsome wind in our sails in a new direc-tion. This experience (for me) is like Moseswho got to see the promised land, but didnot get to go with the Israelites into theland because his task was complete andhis time was done.

Now I am no Moses, but I havewrestled with God on this next phase ofministry and life, and I am now at peaceand joyful of what is to come.

I am grateful beyond words for thischurch family, my fellow church staff andthese students. I have grown so muchthrough this journey, but I know thatGod still has so much more in store formy life and this church. And that is some-thing that has not changed since I firststarted serving at this church... I can’t waitto see what God will do next!

—Thank you and God bless, David Lee

We welcomed eight new confir-mands on Sunday, November1, during the livestream worship.

Maddox Azuma-Hall attends aGeorgetown IndependentSchool System (GISD) middleschool and enjoys swimming,playing tennis, cello and crosscountry.

Kailyn Bailey attends GatewayCollege Prep and loves dance,basketball, watching musicalsand sewing with her Memaw.

Charles Brainard attendsMeridian World School andenjoys piano, reading, videogames and tennis.

Reece Cowan attends StilesMiddle School and enjoys play-ing trombone, video games andspending time with friends andfamily.

Eli Crenshaw attends TippitMiddle School and enjoys play-ing trumpet and football, and isan avid reader.

Johnny Decker attends a GISDmiddle school and enjoyssoccer, basketball, fishing andany outdoor activity, and playingtrumpet.

Landen Hammit attends aGISD middle school and enjoysart, running, creating andanimals.

Maya Spruiell attends ForbesMiddle School and enjoys GirlScouts, reading, writing,movies, theater and baking.

It’s 2020 and the time of a global pandemic, so our Confirmation Class this year is masked and sociallydistanced from each other (and Pastor Bobby, Minta McIntosh and Phil Bookert) as they are examinedby members of session on October 21 on the lawn by the Education Building.

F I R S T W O R D 11

“Grandma, was Noah’swife called Joan of Ark?”asked Jill.

Amanda was having a littledifficulty with the Lord’sPrayer. “Our father whodoes art in heaven…”

Ellen told the teacher whyshe brought her dolls toSunday School. “I’mbuilding a Tower ofBarbie.”

After Sunday School, Davidexplained to his parents,“Jesus used to fly on anairplane and Pontius washis pilot.”

Kenny told his mother hewas afraid the pastor wouldthrow an egg at him becausein his sermon he said, “Takemy yoke upon you.”

A child’s prayer: “DearGod, please take care ofMommy and Daddy andmy sister and my brotherand me. And please takecare of yourself, God. Ifanything happens to youwe’re gonna be in a bigmess.”

HumorSeveral walls in the newly expandedlobby—The Gathering Place of the Wor-ship Center-Fellowship Hall—have beenturned into an art gallery featuring theworks of seven church artists. Another art-ist, Betty Smith, has four works hung inthe beautiful renovated restrooms.

Bill Stanley contributed a photographfor the gallery, while Lois Stanley, NancyRobohn, Joyce Hinds and Beverly Denniseach have two paintings included. Tristan

Art will greet visitors to The Gathering PlaceSnyder, an architect who entertained uswith his drawing exhibitions while ayouth at FPC, has two paintings amongthe art work. Joyce Davis contributed aquilt for the current display.

The pieces are hung from molding putup by Mike Carson.

Babs Cape said plans are to rotate theart after several months. She hopes in thefuture to have a wall with art by FPC chil-dren.

Top left, Babs Cape and Nancy Robohn get ready to hang a painting by Lois Stanley. Top right:a quilt by Joyce Davis. Bottom: the finished walls of the art gallery.

We know that FPC certainly has talented members!Artists, contact Babs Cape if you would like to participate in this special

art gallery in the future. It’s all about creativity, variety and sharing!

F I R S T W O R D 7

M I S S I O N

Mission SewingIt’s that time of the year: tamale time!Again this year, FPC will take orders tosupport Manos de Cristo's Annual TamaleSale. The tamales are great for holidayparties, family gatheringsand everyday meals, saidJeff Pratt, who will facilitatethe orders.

The gluten-free tamalesare $15/dozen and come infive varieties: pork, jalapenopork, chicken, nonvegetar-ian bean, and vegan southwestern blend.About $8 from each dozen sold will ben-efit Manos de Cristo, a nonprofit Presby-terian-related agency and one of FPC’slocal missions.

Since we are not yet back in regularin-person worship, Jeff has tried to makeit easy for church members and friends toorder. Here’s what you should do: Writea note with your name, as well as thequantity and variety of tamales you wishto order, and mail that, along with a check

for the total amount, to the church office.Or you can drop it off at the office between8:30 a.m. and noon on Wednesday and 8:30and 10 a.m. Friday. Orders start Novem-

ber 1, and the final day fororders to be received in thechurch office is November 25.A bulk order will be placedon December 1.

Social distancing andmasks will make your orderpickup safe on Friday,

December 4, between 5 and 6:30 p.m. out-side the 7th Street doors into the WorshipCenter-Fellowship Hall.

For more information, contact Jeff Prattat 512-970-5030.

Austin-based Manos de Cristo offersaffordable dental care to under- and unin-sured individuals, educational classes foradults, emergency food and clothing relieffor families, and school supplies for chil-dren in need.

Order your tamales through November 25

It’s November and that means OperationChristmas Child (OCC) and packing ourshoeboxes! Wait a minute: Things look alittle different this year since we are in themidst of a pandemic, but, yes, childrenstill need to receive their shoebox gifts!And this year you can either pack a boxthe traditional way or build one onlinefor a $25 donation per shoebox.

Liz Bailey, OCC advocate for FPC, saidwe can help our church reach a goal of100 boxes by building our shoebox onlineat a church page she has set up (see below).

Build your OCC shoeboxes online this year

https://build-a-shoebox.samaritanspurse.org/view/1fec2cb9-d8fd-404c-a15e-0638a7a167bf

With a few steps we can pick an age groupand Samaritan’s Purse will take care of therest. No need to go shop or drop a box offsomewhere.

However, Liz said if church memberswant to pack their own shoeboxes, theycan reach out to her and she will makearrangements to collect them. Nationalcollection week is November 16-23.

Shoeboxes are actually delivered year-round and not just at Christmas. Thereare many levels of red tape to go throughwith shipping after the national collection,especially this year when many countriesare experiencing the impact of corona-virus.

Here is the address of our OCC churchpage at Samartian’s Purse:

In 2019, more than 10.5million children in 100countries and territoriesreceived shoeboxes full ofspecial gifts distributed bySamaritan’s Purse. Inmany of those places, thechildren also received agospel story booklet devel-oped for shoebox recipients,telling children that Godloves them.

Lions and tigers and bears,oh my! Plus: puppies,horses, frogs, rabbits,monkeys and a buffalo, too.The ladies of MissionSewing donated a veritable"Noah's Ark" to theWilliamson County Chil-dren's Advocacy Center.More than 50 stuffedanimals with matchingblankets and books weredelivered during the past twomonths.

Thank you to AlisonHarrison, Linette Harwell,Lenice Smithwick, JudyWillett and Barbara Caudlefor their tireless efforts.

And thank you to theanonymous donor of thebags of stuffed toys. Becauseof your generosity, we areable to support this worthyorganization and the childrenunder its care.

—Kathy Jones

10 F I R S T W O R D

The topic of this month’s Senior Seminar,“Downsizing,” brought to mind many ofyou I’ve spoken to these past months whorelated you were using the time to sort,disperse and cull out the extras. One per-son was actually sitting at her dining tablesorting through things when we visited!I need the motivation and so, together withyour stories and the hope of a more sim-plistic life, I am researching steps to sim-plicity.

Turns out simplicity is one of the spiri-tual disciplines according to Richard Fos-ter in his book, Spiritual Disciplines. Fostertalks about the reasons simplicity is diffi-cult in our society and also highlights thejoys of embracing it. He doesn’t provide anice succinct way to get there. But here area few ideas from an Internet search aboutbringing simplicity to your life: Stop adding stress to your life, or as aFacebook meme put it, “Don’t add dramato your own drama.” To do this, ask your-self: Will this matter in five days? Will itmatter in five months? Will it matter in fiveyears?” Or perhaps: “When I faced otherproblems has God been faithful in my life?”

Virtual SeniorSeminar Nov. 19

C O M P A S S I O N A T E C A R E M I N I S T R Y

Penny LeoneParish Nurse

Pointsfrom Parish

Nurse Penny

Check out these November “Living Wellwith Dementia” Education Series programsof A Gift of Time adult day center (agiftoftimegeorgetown.org). Unless specifiedotherwise, to register for any of theseevents, email education@agiftof timegeorgetown.org. Sleep and Memory: 10 a.m. Tuesday, No-vember 3, Dr. J. Douglas Hudson, SleepMedicine Consultants Founder Home for the Holidays: Tuesday, Novem-ber 10, Alzheimer’s Association, Capital ofTexas Chapter (To register call 800-272-3900) Understanding Medicare: 7 p.m. Thurs-day, November 12, Michelle Fiebus, Medi-care Specialist Virtual Nonprofit Fair (Bilingual): 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, November 14

Make your home simple by getting ridof clutter. If you don’t absolutely lovesomething or if you haven’t used it in twoyears, take a picture of it and then get ridof it. The picture-taking works especiallywell if it is a “keepsake.” Cook more food than you will eat. Thiscuts out much clean-up and simplifiesyour life by having convenient nutritiousfood ready to go when life has “cluttered”your day. Eat slower. Put the fork down betweenbites. Savor. Look for the simple pleasures and enjoyfully. The sun, the sight of the trees blow-ing, the color of the flowers, a laugh witha friend, the taste of the coffee.Make notes. None of our memories areperfect, so writing lists, thoughts, ideasdown helps to clear and “simplify” yourmind to enjoy God moments and Hispeace. Practice gratitude. Focus on not whathas broken along the way but what hascome together in love.

Simplicity: A few suggestions to get there

Memory Cafes: Making Space for Demen-tia and Joy: Tuesday, November 17, 10-11a.m., Beth Soltzberg, Director, Alz-heimer’s/Related Disorders Family SupportProgram, Jewish Family & Children’s Ser-vice, Waltham, Massachusetts In-Home Respite: 10 a.m. Thursday, No-vember 19, Stacey Scarborough, VisitingAngels

Living with dementia program series

Is “downsizing” an uglyword for you? Youknow you “should” butcan’t get started. TheSenior Seminar webinarfrom 10 to 11:30 a.m.Thursday, November 19,will be “SurvivingDownsizing: GettingThrough It with theLeast Pain Possible,”

Senior Seminars arefree educational oppor-tunities sponsored byVirginia Lazenby, mem-ber of San GabrielPresbyterian Church.The programs provideinformation withoutstrings attached.

While the seminar isfree, you are to call 512-862-7330 to receive yourlink to the webinar.

8 F I R S T W O R D

Want to be someone “Shopping forGood?” Someone whose act of shoppingsupports The Caring Place mission to pro-vide for the basic human needs of peoplein our community? Integrate “shoppingfor good” in your life. You can: Shop in TCP thrift stores—Two storesare fully stocked by donations from a gen-erous community: The Shops at The Car-ing Place, 2000 Railroad Ave., openMonday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., andSecond Helping, 3700 Williams Dr., openby appointment (512-987-2998, caringplacetx.org/shop). Shop TCP’s eBay store—Are you a dis-cerning collector or do you have a tastefor some hard-to-find vintage? The eBaystore is at caringplace tx.org/ebay. Shop AmazonSmile—Designate TCP(of Georgetown, Texas) as your nonprofit

Your food donations:If you put food items in TheCaring Place barrels atchurch, please know that itis being taken to HelpingHands of Georgetown andput to good use in feedingpeople in our communitythrough a mobile foodpantry. Thank you for yourdonations during this timethat TCP is not acceptingdonations of food.

of choice when you make Amazon pur-chases, and TCP receives half a percent ofyour eligible purchase! Find the link andmore info at caringplacetx.org/amazonsmile. Shop for groceries—You can link yourRandalls Remarkable Card to TCP! Printthe form at caringplacetx.org/randalls,complete it and take it to the Randalls cour-tesy booth. One percent of your eligiblepurchases will go to TCP. Shop by giving—Consider making adonation to TCP in a gift recipient’sname. TCP will send that person a cardto let him or her know of the dona-tion. Go online at caringplacetx.org/donate to give, or mail checks to P.O. Box1215, Georgetown, Texas 78627.

Be a “Shopper for Good” and support TCP

You are invited to a special FPC educa-tional program, ”The Art of Listen-ing,” by guest speaker Rev. Harry Brown,honorably retired Presbyterian minister,at 7 p.m. Monday, November 16, viaZoom.

Harry served as pastor for 40 years: 10years in a three-church parish in NorthDakota, 15 years at First PresbyterianChurch in York, Nebraska, and 15 yearsat John Calvin Presbyterian Church inMetairie, Louisiana. He retired in 2018.

He is a lifelong Presbyterian, havinggrown up on a farm in North Dakotawhere his family attended the Presbyte-rian church that was begun by earlier gen-erations of the family. After graduating

from North Dakota State University, heattended the University of Dubuque Theo-logical Seminary, earned a Master of Di-vinity degree, and was ordained bythe Presbytery of Northern Plains.

He and his wife, Laurell, recentlymoved to Georgetown to be closer to theirtwo children and five grandchildren in theAustin area. He said, “As we move intoretirement, we are in the process of dis-cerning how God is calling us to use ourskills in this new phase of life.” They havedecided that First Presbyterian “will beour church,” and Laurell has become amember.

Watch for more information about theprogram and the Zoom link to it in theNovember 13 FPC weekly email.

Your invitation toa special educational

program at FPC:7 p. m. Monday

November 16(over Zoom)

Speaker:The Rev. Harry BrownFriends

in Deed

An FPC missionproject

helping memberswith routine home

maintenance.Call the church office

to schedule a visitfrom one of

FPC’s Friendsin Deed

F I R S T W O R D 9

F E L L O W S H I P

Elizabeth CircleTheresa McKenna512-635-5152

Lydia CircleKitty Bristow512-843-4288Alison Harrison512-388-1812

Sarah-RuthSusan Poteete512-863-6303

Martha CircleCarol Siekmeier512-863-8601

Rachel CircleSandie Kienitz512-868-2519

Hannah-Esther CircleMarty Curtis501-517-3503Lenice Smithwick254-793-8039

PW Circle Leaders

PW circles will collect 2020 Thank Offering

Presbyterian Women are joyful, and since1888 they have expressed gratitude forGod's blessings by giving back throughthe annual Thank Offering. Our PW Trea-surer, Kitty Bristow, is still acceptingThank Offerings from individuals. Checksshould be made out to PresbyterianWomen, with "Thank Offering" in thememo line, and mailed to Kitty.

Elizabeth Circle continues with theirPhilippians/Max Lucado series. Theygather on Tuesday, November 3, at 6:30p.m., with a hybrid in-person/Zoom meet-ing. Contact Theresa McKenna for moreinformation.

"Into the Light" Horizons Bible StudyLesson 3 for November is titled "Women'sLament." The main idea is that in scrip-ture and tradition, women have carriedmuch of the burden of lament for society.

Lesson 3 will be taught in November

"The root of joy is gratefulness....It is not joy that makes us grateful;it is gratitude that makes us joyful." —David Steindl-Rast

with one live, porch-style meeting, andthree Zoom meetings. Lydia Circle willmeet on the porch of Linda Nix’s home,at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11(note the time change from last month).

Hannah-Esther, Martha and Rachelcircles will meet on Wednesday, Novem-ber 18. Zoom links will be provided in theFriday church e-mail the week before.

Members of Sarah-Ruth Circle (andALL women---need not be a "member") areinvited to join one of the Zoom meetingsuntil we are able to return to our usualway of meeting in homes or at church.We are adapting to accomplish our PWmission in different ways.

2020 has been a tough year. Peoplecomplain that roses have thorns, but wecan be grateful that thorns have roses.Let's be roses in this challenging time,

—Beverly Jones

“Women’s Lament”Presbyterian Women’s

November Horizons lesson

Actual AnnualBudget

YTD %AnnualBudget

Income and Expense ReportYear to Date - September 2020

General Operating Fund

Income Pledges $636,851 $841,881 76% Other $104,651 $105,180 99% TOTAL $741,502 $947,061 78% Expenses Validated Mission $44,024 $57,593 76% Local/Other Mission $17,450 $29,802 59% Ministry of the Word $112,024 $150,133 75% Program/Support Staff $347,705 $468,710 74% Christian Education $22,183 $39,350 56% Music and Worship $17,670 $21,756 81% Evangelism/Care $5,090 $11,115 46% Property $75,011 $90,500 83% Stewardship/Finance $13,094 $19,700 66% Other Oper Expenses $23,632 $43,970 54% Debt Retirement $73,165 $97,548 75% TOTAL $751,048 $1,030,177 73%

If you have not returned yourpledge card and Time and Talentform for 2021, you are asked toplease do so as soon as possible. Youcan mail them to the church officeor drop them by the office from 8:30a.m. to noon on Wednesday andFriday. Once pledges are received,committees will revisit the proposedbudget, and session will approve afinal budget at its December 22meeting.

2 0 2 1

8 F I R S T W O R D

Want to be someone “Shopping forGood?” Someone whose act of shoppingsupports The Caring Place mission to pro-vide for the basic human needs of peoplein our community? Integrate “shoppingfor good” in your life. You can: Shop in TCP thrift stores—Two storesare fully stocked by donations from a gen-erous community: The Shops at The Car-ing Place, 2000 Railroad Ave., openMonday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., andSecond Helping, 3700 Williams Dr., openby appointment (512-987-2998, caringplacetx.org/shop). Shop TCP’s eBay store—Are you a dis-cerning collector or do you have a tastefor some hard-to-find vintage? The eBaystore is at caringplace tx.org/ebay. Shop AmazonSmile—Designate TCP(of Georgetown, Texas) as your nonprofit

Your food donations:If you put food items in TheCaring Place barrels atchurch, please know that itis being taken to HelpingHands of Georgetown andput to good use in feedingpeople in our communitythrough a mobile foodpantry. Thank you for yourdonations during this timethat TCP is not acceptingdonations of food.

of choice when you make Amazon pur-chases, and TCP receives half a percent ofyour eligible purchase! Find the link andmore info at caringplacetx.org/amazonsmile. Shop for groceries—You can link yourRandalls Remarkable Card to TCP! Printthe form at caringplacetx.org/randalls,complete it and take it to the Randalls cour-tesy booth. One percent of your eligiblepurchases will go to TCP. Shop by giving—Consider making adonation to TCP in a gift recipient’sname. TCP will send that person a cardto let him or her know of the dona-tion. Go online at caringplacetx.org/donate to give, or mail checks to P.O. Box1215, Georgetown, Texas 78627.

Be a “Shopper for Good” and support TCP

You are invited to a special FPC educa-tional program, ”The Art of Listen-ing,” by guest speaker Rev. Harry Brown,honorably retired Presbyterian minister,at 7 p.m. Monday, November 16, viaZoom.

Harry served as pastor for 40 years: 10years in a three-church parish in NorthDakota, 15 years at First PresbyterianChurch in York, Nebraska, and 15 yearsat John Calvin Presbyterian Church inMetairie, Louisiana. He retired in 2018.

He is a lifelong Presbyterian, havinggrown up on a farm in North Dakotawhere his family attended the Presbyte-rian church that was begun by earlier gen-erations of the family. After graduating

from North Dakota State University, heattended the University of Dubuque Theo-logical Seminary, earned a Master of Di-vinity degree, and was ordained bythe Presbytery of Northern Plains.

He and his wife, Laurell, recentlymoved to Georgetown to be closer to theirtwo children and five grandchildren in theAustin area. He said, “As we move intoretirement, we are in the process of dis-cerning how God is calling us to use ourskills in this new phase of life.” They havedecided that First Presbyterian “will beour church,” and Laurell has become amember.

Watch for more information about theprogram and the Zoom link to it in theNovember 13 FPC weekly email.

Your invitation toa special educational

program at FPC:7 p. m. Monday

November 16(over Zoom)

Speaker:The Rev. Harry BrownFriends

in Deed

An FPC missionproject

helping memberswith routine home

maintenance.Call the church office

to schedule a visitfrom one of

FPC’s Friendsin Deed

F I R S T W O R D 9

F E L L O W S H I P

Elizabeth CircleTheresa McKenna512-635-5152

Lydia CircleKitty Bristow512-843-4288Alison Harrison512-388-1812

Sarah-RuthSusan Poteete512-863-6303

Martha CircleCarol Siekmeier512-863-8601

Rachel CircleSandie Kienitz512-868-2519

Hannah-Esther CircleMarty Curtis501-517-3503Lenice Smithwick254-793-8039

PW Circle Leaders

PW circles will collect 2020 Thank Offering

Presbyterian Women are joyful, and since1888 they have expressed gratitude forGod's blessings by giving back throughthe annual Thank Offering. Our PW Trea-surer, Kitty Bristow, is still acceptingThank Offerings from individuals. Checksshould be made out to PresbyterianWomen, with "Thank Offering" in thememo line, and mailed to Kitty.

Elizabeth Circle continues with theirPhilippians/Max Lucado series. Theygather on Tuesday, November 3, at 6:30p.m., with a hybrid in-person/Zoom meet-ing. Contact Theresa McKenna for moreinformation.

"Into the Light" Horizons Bible StudyLesson 3 for November is titled "Women'sLament." The main idea is that in scrip-ture and tradition, women have carriedmuch of the burden of lament for society.

Lesson 3 will be taught in November

"The root of joy is gratefulness....It is not joy that makes us grateful;it is gratitude that makes us joyful." —David Steindl-Rast

with one live, porch-style meeting, andthree Zoom meetings. Lydia Circle willmeet on the porch of Linda Nix’s home,at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11(note the time change from last month).

Hannah-Esther, Martha and Rachelcircles will meet on Wednesday, Novem-ber 18. Zoom links will be provided in theFriday church e-mail the week before.

Members of Sarah-Ruth Circle (andALL women---need not be a "member") areinvited to join one of the Zoom meetingsuntil we are able to return to our usualway of meeting in homes or at church.We are adapting to accomplish our PWmission in different ways.

2020 has been a tough year. Peoplecomplain that roses have thorns, but wecan be grateful that thorns have roses.Let's be roses in this challenging time,

—Beverly Jones

“Women’s Lament”Presbyterian Women’s

November Horizons lesson

Actual AnnualBudget

YTD %AnnualBudget

Income and Expense ReportYear to Date - September 2020

General Operating Fund

Income Pledges $636,851 $841,881 76% Other $104,651 $105,180 99% TOTAL $741,502 $947,061 78% Expenses Validated Mission $44,024 $57,593 76% Local/Other Mission $17,450 $29,802 59% Ministry of the Word $112,024 $150,133 75% Program/Support Staff $347,705 $468,710 74% Christian Education $22,183 $39,350 56% Music and Worship $17,670 $21,756 81% Evangelism/Care $5,090 $11,115 46% Property $75,011 $90,500 83% Stewardship/Finance $13,094 $19,700 66% Other Oper Expenses $23,632 $43,970 54% Debt Retirement $73,165 $97,548 75% TOTAL $751,048 $1,030,177 73%

If you have not returned yourpledge card and Time and Talentform for 2021, you are asked toplease do so as soon as possible. Youcan mail them to the church officeor drop them by the office from 8:30a.m. to noon on Wednesday andFriday. Once pledges are received,committees will revisit the proposedbudget, and session will approve afinal budget at its December 22meeting.

2 0 2 1

F I R S T W O R D 7

M I S S I O N

Mission SewingIt’s that time of the year: tamale time!Again this year, FPC will take orders tosupport Manos de Cristo's Annual TamaleSale. The tamales are great for holidayparties, family gatheringsand everyday meals, saidJeff Pratt, who will facilitatethe orders.

The gluten-free tamalesare $15/dozen and come infive varieties: pork, jalapenopork, chicken, nonvegetar-ian bean, and vegan southwestern blend.About $8 from each dozen sold will ben-efit Manos de Cristo, a nonprofit Presby-terian-related agency and one of FPC’slocal missions.

Since we are not yet back in regularin-person worship, Jeff has tried to makeit easy for church members and friends toorder. Here’s what you should do: Writea note with your name, as well as thequantity and variety of tamales you wishto order, and mail that, along with a check

for the total amount, to the church office.Or you can drop it off at the office between8:30 a.m. and noon on Wednesday and 8:30and 10 a.m. Friday. Orders start Novem-

ber 1, and the final day fororders to be received in thechurch office is November 25.A bulk order will be placedon December 1.

Social distancing andmasks will make your orderpickup safe on Friday,

December 4, between 5 and 6:30 p.m. out-side the 7th Street doors into the WorshipCenter-Fellowship Hall.

For more information, contact Jeff Prattat 512-970-5030.

Austin-based Manos de Cristo offersaffordable dental care to under- and unin-sured individuals, educational classes foradults, emergency food and clothing relieffor families, and school supplies for chil-dren in need.

Order your tamales through November 25

It’s November and that means OperationChristmas Child (OCC) and packing ourshoeboxes! Wait a minute: Things look alittle different this year since we are in themidst of a pandemic, but, yes, childrenstill need to receive their shoebox gifts!And this year you can either pack a boxthe traditional way or build one onlinefor a $25 donation per shoebox.

Liz Bailey, OCC advocate for FPC, saidwe can help our church reach a goal of100 boxes by building our shoebox onlineat a church page she has set up (see below).

Build your OCC shoeboxes online this year

https://build-a-shoebox.samaritanspurse.org/view/1fec2cb9-d8fd-404c-a15e-0638a7a167bf

With a few steps we can pick an age groupand Samaritan’s Purse will take care of therest. No need to go shop or drop a box offsomewhere.

However, Liz said if church memberswant to pack their own shoeboxes, theycan reach out to her and she will makearrangements to collect them. Nationalcollection week is November 16-23.

Shoeboxes are actually delivered year-round and not just at Christmas. Thereare many levels of red tape to go throughwith shipping after the national collection,especially this year when many countriesare experiencing the impact of corona-virus.

Here is the address of our OCC churchpage at Samartian’s Purse:

In 2019, more than 10.5million children in 100countries and territoriesreceived shoeboxes full ofspecial gifts distributed bySamaritan’s Purse. Inmany of those places, thechildren also received agospel story booklet devel-oped for shoebox recipients,telling children that Godloves them.

Lions and tigers and bears,oh my! Plus: puppies,horses, frogs, rabbits,monkeys and a buffalo, too.The ladies of MissionSewing donated a veritable"Noah's Ark" to theWilliamson County Chil-dren's Advocacy Center.More than 50 stuffedanimals with matchingblankets and books weredelivered during the past twomonths.

Thank you to AlisonHarrison, Linette Harwell,Lenice Smithwick, JudyWillett and Barbara Caudlefor their tireless efforts.

And thank you to theanonymous donor of thebags of stuffed toys. Becauseof your generosity, we areable to support this worthyorganization and the childrenunder its care.

—Kathy Jones

10 F I R S T W O R D

The topic of this month’s Senior Seminar,“Downsizing,” brought to mind many ofyou I’ve spoken to these past months whorelated you were using the time to sort,disperse and cull out the extras. One per-son was actually sitting at her dining tablesorting through things when we visited!I need the motivation and so, together withyour stories and the hope of a more sim-plistic life, I am researching steps to sim-plicity.

Turns out simplicity is one of the spiri-tual disciplines according to Richard Fos-ter in his book, Spiritual Disciplines. Fostertalks about the reasons simplicity is diffi-cult in our society and also highlights thejoys of embracing it. He doesn’t provide anice succinct way to get there. But here area few ideas from an Internet search aboutbringing simplicity to your life: Stop adding stress to your life, or as aFacebook meme put it, “Don’t add dramato your own drama.” To do this, ask your-self: Will this matter in five days? Will itmatter in five months? Will it matter in fiveyears?” Or perhaps: “When I faced otherproblems has God been faithful in my life?”

Virtual SeniorSeminar Nov. 19

C O M P A S S I O N A T E C A R E M I N I S T R Y

Penny LeoneParish Nurse

Pointsfrom Parish

Nurse Penny

Check out these November “Living Wellwith Dementia” Education Series programsof A Gift of Time adult day center (agiftoftimegeorgetown.org). Unless specifiedotherwise, to register for any of theseevents, email education@agiftof timegeorgetown.org. Sleep and Memory: 10 a.m. Tuesday, No-vember 3, Dr. J. Douglas Hudson, SleepMedicine Consultants Founder Home for the Holidays: Tuesday, Novem-ber 10, Alzheimer’s Association, Capital ofTexas Chapter (To register call 800-272-3900) Understanding Medicare: 7 p.m. Thurs-day, November 12, Michelle Fiebus, Medi-care Specialist Virtual Nonprofit Fair (Bilingual): 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, November 14

Make your home simple by getting ridof clutter. If you don’t absolutely lovesomething or if you haven’t used it in twoyears, take a picture of it and then get ridof it. The picture-taking works especiallywell if it is a “keepsake.” Cook more food than you will eat. Thiscuts out much clean-up and simplifiesyour life by having convenient nutritiousfood ready to go when life has “cluttered”your day. Eat slower. Put the fork down betweenbites. Savor. Look for the simple pleasures and enjoyfully. The sun, the sight of the trees blow-ing, the color of the flowers, a laugh witha friend, the taste of the coffee.Make notes. None of our memories areperfect, so writing lists, thoughts, ideasdown helps to clear and “simplify” yourmind to enjoy God moments and Hispeace. Practice gratitude. Focus on not whathas broken along the way but what hascome together in love.

Simplicity: A few suggestions to get there

Memory Cafes: Making Space for Demen-tia and Joy: Tuesday, November 17, 10-11a.m., Beth Soltzberg, Director, Alz-heimer’s/Related Disorders Family SupportProgram, Jewish Family & Children’s Ser-vice, Waltham, Massachusetts In-Home Respite: 10 a.m. Thursday, No-vember 19, Stacey Scarborough, VisitingAngels

Living with dementia program series

Is “downsizing” an uglyword for you? Youknow you “should” butcan’t get started. TheSenior Seminar webinarfrom 10 to 11:30 a.m.Thursday, November 19,will be “SurvivingDownsizing: GettingThrough It with theLeast Pain Possible,”

Senior Seminars arefree educational oppor-tunities sponsored byVirginia Lazenby, mem-ber of San GabrielPresbyterian Church.The programs provideinformation withoutstrings attached.

While the seminar isfree, you are to call 512-862-7330 to receive yourlink to the webinar.

6 F I R S T W O R D

Y O U T H M I N I S T R Y

Remembering special moments with FPC youth

David Lee HulseyYouth Director

FPC’s 2020 Confirmation Class

Welcome,new members! It is always exciting to think about what

God has coming up next in FPC YouthMinistry. This season, it’s a little bitter-sweet because I know that I will be watch-ing what takes place from a differentperspective. As my time of serving inYouth Ministry comes to an end, I can’thelp but take a moment to think of all themoments and memories that God allowedmy family to be a part of through this min-istry at FPC. The Bible studies, gamenights, youth rallies, mission trips, wor-ship services, late night kitchen raids, con-versations over coffee, running throughthe church at lock-ins, explaining to thepolice that we were NOT robbing thechurch, sweating with youth at a serviceproject, talking with a concerned parentover teen struggles, praying with and forour students, seeing Christ’s love in ourchildren... What a journey!

And I am truly looking forward towhat God has in store in this next sea-son, because God never ceases to amaze,

and neither do our youth. I have felt thatour Youth Ministry was coming to a pivotpoint—that the Holy Spirit was puttingsome wind in our sails in a new direc-tion. This experience (for me) is like Moseswho got to see the promised land, but didnot get to go with the Israelites into theland because his task was complete andhis time was done.

Now I am no Moses, but I havewrestled with God on this next phase ofministry and life, and I am now at peaceand joyful of what is to come.

I am grateful beyond words for thischurch family, my fellow church staff andthese students. I have grown so muchthrough this journey, but I know thatGod still has so much more in store formy life and this church. And that is some-thing that has not changed since I firststarted serving at this church... I can’t waitto see what God will do next!

—Thank you and God bless, David Lee

We welcomed eight new confir-mands on Sunday, November1, during the livestream worship.

Maddox Azuma-Hall attends aGeorgetown IndependentSchool System (GISD) middleschool and enjoys swimming,playing tennis, cello and crosscountry.

Kailyn Bailey attends GatewayCollege Prep and loves dance,basketball, watching musicalsand sewing with her Memaw.

Charles Brainard attendsMeridian World School andenjoys piano, reading, videogames and tennis.

Reece Cowan attends StilesMiddle School and enjoys play-ing trombone, video games andspending time with friends andfamily.

Eli Crenshaw attends TippitMiddle School and enjoys play-ing trumpet and football, and isan avid reader.

Johnny Decker attends a GISDmiddle school and enjoyssoccer, basketball, fishing andany outdoor activity, and playingtrumpet.

Landen Hammit attends aGISD middle school and enjoysart, running, creating andanimals.

Maya Spruiell attends ForbesMiddle School and enjoys GirlScouts, reading, writing,movies, theater and baking.

It’s 2020 and the time of a global pandemic, so our Confirmation Class this year is masked and sociallydistanced from each other (and Pastor Bobby, Minta McIntosh and Phil Bookert) as they are examinedby members of session on October 21 on the lawn by the Education Building.

F I R S T W O R D 11

“Grandma, was Noah’swife called Joan of Ark?”asked Jill.

Amanda was having a littledifficulty with the Lord’sPrayer. “Our father whodoes art in heaven…”

Ellen told the teacher whyshe brought her dolls toSunday School. “I’mbuilding a Tower ofBarbie.”

After Sunday School, Davidexplained to his parents,“Jesus used to fly on anairplane and Pontius washis pilot.”

Kenny told his mother hewas afraid the pastor wouldthrow an egg at him becausein his sermon he said, “Takemy yoke upon you.”

A child’s prayer: “DearGod, please take care ofMommy and Daddy andmy sister and my brotherand me. And please takecare of yourself, God. Ifanything happens to youwe’re gonna be in a bigmess.”

HumorSeveral walls in the newly expandedlobby—The Gathering Place of the Wor-ship Center-Fellowship Hall—have beenturned into an art gallery featuring theworks of seven church artists. Another art-ist, Betty Smith, has four works hung inthe beautiful renovated restrooms.

Bill Stanley contributed a photographfor the gallery, while Lois Stanley, NancyRobohn, Joyce Hinds and Beverly Denniseach have two paintings included. Tristan

Art will greet visitors to The Gathering PlaceSnyder, an architect who entertained uswith his drawing exhibitions while ayouth at FPC, has two paintings amongthe art work. Joyce Davis contributed aquilt for the current display.

The pieces are hung from molding putup by Mike Carson.

Babs Cape said plans are to rotate theart after several months. She hopes in thefuture to have a wall with art by FPC chil-dren.

Top left, Babs Cape and Nancy Robohn get ready to hang a painting by Lois Stanley. Top right:a quilt by Joyce Davis. Bottom: the finished walls of the art gallery.

We know that FPC certainly has talented members!Artists, contact Babs Cape if you would like to participate in this special

art gallery in the future. It’s all about creativity, variety and sharing!

F I R S T W O R D 5

Meets at 12 noonWednesday via Zoom,with Sturdy Wanamakerleading the discussion ofthe Gospel of John. Thereis ample time and spacefor discussion and ques-tions concerning thiswriting by John, whommany consider to havebeen Jesus’ closest friend.Plans are to continuegathering on Zoom untilthe group is able to meetsafely again at church.

Contact Ron Place forthe Zoom link.

Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study

Men’s LunchBible Study

CrossroadsAmanda & Patrick Tolbert This discussion-based class continues con-fronting headlines with hope and scrip-ture, focusing on God’s call for ourindividual lives as we work to build com-munity in Jesus Christ. After all, in Christthere is no Blue or Red, only brothers andsisters. Contact Patrick to receive the Zoomlink.

Homebuilders Free Market JesusNovember 1Karen JonesThis two-week video series by DonaldMiller shows the average American en-counters more than 3,000 advertisementseach day. The formula for most ads: 1. Youare not happy; 2. You will be happy if you

buy this product. Thisstudy illustrates howculture serves as a lensfor our understandingof Christianity, andhow scripture definesspirituality in a waythat is still relevant inour modern culture.

PCUSA Study: “Principles Taught by FredRogers”Starting November 15Karen JonesSome of these principles are neighboring,peace and love. Homebuilders is a discus-sion oriented class for adults that coverstopics in Christian liv-ing, church historyand scripture. Formedto meet the needs ofadults in the family-building stage of life,Homebuilders welcomes all. Contact Karento be sent the Zoom link.

O N Z O O M

Surveyors “Jesus and the Paradigm Shift”Through November 8Phil SmithOften we read scripture with a 21st centuryview. As a result, we miss Jesus challeng-ing his listeners to go beyond their nar-row views. Join us as we consider Jesusand the New Covenant, Jesus’ teachingsabout our vertical relationship with God,Jesus’ teachings about our horizontal re-lationship with each other and our re-sponse to Jesus.

Meets at 12 noon Wednesday on Zoom. Beginning November 11,the group will look at the message of Advent in Incarnation: Redis-covering the Significance of Christmas. Author Adam Hamilton exam-ines the names of Christ used by the gospel writers, exploring thehistorical and personal significance of his birth.

Join us in this Advent as we reclaim theChrist Child who brings us together, healsour hearts and calls us to bring light intothe darkness. Now more than ever, in theface of uncertainty and conflict, we inviteyou to reflect upon the significance of theChrist-child for our lives and world today!

Order a book through your favoritesource, pull up your chair, sit back andlearn with us. Let Karen Rayburn know ifyou would like further information and ifyou would like the Zoom link sent to you.

12 F I R S T W O R D

When we stopped gathering at church forworship over the past eight months, thefacilities didn’t stop needing routine main-tenance, inspections and major problemsolving of issues. That’s according to ses-sion Property Committee elders RodBurke, Ben Nichols and Mike Carson.

Ours is a campus of two large build-ings with 35 air conditioning units need-ing filter changes and monitoring of drippans, almost 1,400 light bulbs, 25 com-modes and urinals, and 15 faucets. SinceMarch, when we discontinued on-campusworship services, the Property Commit-tee has dealt with such problems as: Major repair of the three landscapesprinkler systems suffering from old ageand which haven’t been maintained forseveral years. Some damage to sprinklerheads and pipes was caused by a contrac-tor working on Church Street. An Education Building fire alarm sys-tem that malfunctioned and has to be re-placed. Air conditioners in the attic that neededrepairs to plug leaks of water into therestrooms.Waste water leaks from urinals and com-modes. Rattlesnakes, rats and other varmints in-vading crawl spaces under the church andthrough holes in the roof and fascia. Identifying hail damage to the roof inpreparation for filing an insurance claim. Organizing storage spaces for betterefficiency after the loss of a space in themen’s restroom.

Rod, third-year elder, said, “In addi-tion to routine maintenance, we are re-sponsible for mandated inspections for ourelevators, fire-suppression systems andfire-alarm systems. We were flagged fordiscrepancies and have had to resolvethese issues. Most of our heating, venti-lation and air conditioning (HVAC) unitsare approaching their life expectancy,which means more repairs, not to men-tion changing filters. We discovered thatall 14 air conditioners in the EducationBuilding rafters were wired incorrectlyand were causing a lot of our problems inthat building. We fixed the wiring our-selves to minimize the expense.”

Air conditioners in both worshipspaces are run as if we were holding in-person worship. The pianos in thosespaces have to be kept at a tempera-ture ranging around 70 degrees, plus orminus five degrees since humidity affectsthe strings and soundboard.

Six air conditioners in the attic overFellowship Hall were causing problemswith stopped-up drain lines and waterrunning down into the bathrooms. Acontractor did a deep clean of the units,actually taking them outdoors, disman-tling them and power-washing them be-fore installing new drain lines. Better,more efficient filters were also installed.

Rod added, “Our sprinkler systemswere in need of a maintenance project.They are old and have the typical old ageproblems such as broken rotary andplugged sprinkler heads, mismatchedsprinkler components, leaking valves andin need of some rerouting of the waterlines.” When a contractor bid more than$10,000 to fix the problems, Mike andGeorge Harwell did the job after the con-

Taking care of church property, they deal witha myriad of issues during COVID pandemic

“Mike has done a

tremendous amount

of work these past

months,” Rod said.

”He is there virtu-

ally every day and

has handled innu-

merable mainte-

nance projects:

painting, replacing

light bulbs with

energy-saving LED

bulbs, door repairs,

plumbing repairs,

kitchen appliance

repairs, water foun-

tain repairs, and

construction projects

such as adding

a mail drop to

the Financial

Secretary’s

office door.”

Mike Carson surveys supplies delivered forThe Gathering Place renovation.

‘‘‘‘

—Rod BurkeProperty Elder

“Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven,the Resurrection, and the Mission of theChurch”November 15 - December 20Gary NelonThis class will use a six-part video seriesby N. T. Wright. What is heaven reallylike? Is our duty to help non-Christiansget there? The authorexplores hope, resur-rection, heaven, thesecond coming, sal-vation and the church,revealing that whatwe believe about thefuture has a directimpact on how welive in the present.Contact Bill Stanleyto receive the Zoomlink.

4 F I R S T W O R D

C H R I S T I A N E D U C A T I O NStephanie MettlerEducation Director

A 4-year-old boy wasasked to return thanksbefore Thanksgiving dinner.The family members bowedtheir heads in expectation.

He began his prayer,thanking God for all hisfriends, naming them oneby one. Then he thankedGod for Mommy, Daddy,brother, sister, Grandma,Grandpa and all his auntsand uncles. Then he beganto thank God for the food.

He gave thanks for theturkey, the dressing, thefruit salad, the cranberrysauce, the pies, the cakesand even the Cool Whip.

Then he paused, andeveryone waited—andwaited. After a longsilence, the young fellowlooked up at his mother andasked, “If I thank God forthe broccoli, won’t He knowthat I’m lying?”

Humor

Hello, church family—I am excited to share with you what ishappening in the Education Departmentat FPC. We are continuing the fall SundaySchool classes with some wonderful offer-ings. Please read about them on the nextpage and know that now is the time tovisit a class (virtually) that you’ve nevervisited before while we are all trying newthings together!

Please pray for our families and for ourteachers. Parents are dealing with moreexpectations on their shoulders, often bothfrom work and from their children’sschools. Our faithful Bible teachers areadapting to teaching in a new medium, butthey are missing their students. Please praywith me that all of us will keep our eyesfocused on what is eternal, beyond thisshort season of struggle. Thank you foryour support and prayers. I’m grateful foryour partnership! —Stephanie

What’s going on in theEd Department at FPC

We continue to update our online class-room each week, and each week’s lessonsare available all week. Familiar faces presentBible lessons, music, art, mystery guestsand more in our bitmoji classroom!

Family Zooms have kicked off with 30minutes together every other Wednesday,and it has been nice to do activities togetherin our homes, to talk together and just tosee each other’s faces!

It has been wonderful to meet some ofour FPC Kids’ families (and their pets!) ontheir porches. Parents, if your family hasn’tyet had a porch visit with me, send me amessage to schedule a time!

We are anxiously awaiting the oppor-tunity to meet together again in person,and when we are able to meet, we will senda notice to everyone. Stay posted for bothcontinuing online opportunities and up-dates on in-person opportunities.

Visit online classroomfor weekly updates

F I R S T W O R D 13

tractor pointed out what work needed tobe done. Some damage had been done tothe system along Church Street by a citycontractor extending gas to a new build-ing in the next block of Church Street.

After the repairs, “The church prob-ably saved some money each month onits water bill,” Mike said. “We were losingmore water in leaks than we were sprin-kling the grass.”

Ben credits Mike and George for sav-ing the church thousands of dollars fornot having to contract this work. “Mike’stenacity and expertise have been veryvaluable.”

George is the one who heard the dis-tinctive rattling of a rattlesnake when hewent looking for tools in the storage areaunder the sanctuary where an extensionladder is also stored. Traps have been setand it’s hoped the snake will be caught.There has been evidence of rats getting intothe attic through rotting fascia boards,and it will require a major expenditure toaddress the problem of replacing fascia,Mike said.

Ben said, “We had the trees on ChurchStreet trimmed, as well as those behindthe office. Utility trucks were hitting thetrees and doing damage as work was doneon Church Street.”

Mike also oversaw the major renova-tion work by the contractor hired to cre-ate The Gathering Place lobby and updatethe two restrooms off the lobby.

After The Gathering Place was com-plete, Mike affixed molding in the lobbyfrom which to hang original art of churchmembers. He also remodeled the women’srestroom near the church office, install-ing LED lights, new cabinet doors andhardware, sinks and faucets, tile back-splash, granite counter top, framed mir-ror and new commodes. The stall panelsand room also got a new paint job. In themen’s restroom, panels that had rustedfrom water leaks got a new paint job andthe room also got a new commode.

With 55 HVAC units needing filterchanges, Mike said the committee now hasa spreadsheet that tracks the location ofeach unit, the size of the filter needed andthe date. “Basically, anyone could comein now and know what is needed andwhere,” Mike said. Filter changes are duefour times a year, for a total of some 220replacements.

Most light bulbs in the buildings arefluorescent and have mercury so they can’tbe discarded in recycle or trash bins. Theyhave to be packaged, 80 to a box, and sentto a waste management company in Cali-

fornia, at a cost to us of$140. The church averagesdisposing of about 120fluorescent bulb changes ayear.

Gallons of paint leftover from church projectsgoing back many yearstake up space in some stor-age areas, and Mike hasbeen trying to get rid ofthem. They are hazardouswaste and require a vou-cher from the city to dis-pose of, 25 gallons at atime, and there is a back-log for the vouchers. Hesaid he applied for avoucher in July and re-ceived it in October.

—Marty Curtis

An ongoing problem forthe Property Committeehas been the fire alarmcontrol system in theEducation Building, RodBurke said. “It wasn’tworking correctly andwas red tagged oninspection. We had fourrepair men investigatethe problem. It was acircuit board in the firepanel that communicatedwith the fire departmentand the monitoringcompany. Unfortunately,it wasn’t economicallyfeasible to repair itbecause of the outdatedtechnology. We ordereda new panel and it wasdue to be installed at theend of October.”

Fire alarm panelis a problem inthe Ed Building

Website:www.fpcgeorgetown.org

First Presbyterian ChurchDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert

Pastor703 S. Church Street

Georgetown, TX 78626

Phone: 512-863-3381Fax: 512-868-1226

George Harwell (left) and Ben Nichols survey the work by Georgeand Mike Carson to clear dead or dying shrubs from the areas oneither side of the steps into the sanctuary .

published monthly by

FIRSTWORD

Virtual Sunday School awaits you at FPC Kids Connection.

F I R S T W O R D 3

November 1All Saints’ Day/CommunionDaylight Savings Time Ends/Fall backDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert PreachingScripture: Matthew 23:1-12

November 8Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert PreachingScripture: Matthew 25:1-13

November 15Youth SundayDavid Lee Hulsey Preaching

November 22Reign of Christ SundayStephanie Mettler PreachingScripture: Matthew 25:31-46

November 29:1st Sunday of AdventDr. Bobby Hulme-LippertScripture: Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-15

Flowersin Worship/November

N O V E M B E R W O R S H I P

(on YouTube at 11 a.m.)

Sign up virtuallyto provide flowersfor worship in 2021The Flower Chart has gone

virtual! You can now useSignUp Genius to volunteer

to provide flowers in worshipin 2021. Look for informa-

tion in the weekly FPCemail, click on the link,

choose a date and sign up.An email reminder will

automatically be sent to youa week prior to your date.

Contact Christina Bondesenwith any questions.

1 George & LinetteHarwell

8 Sid & Celeste Frost15 Phil & Dawn

Bookert22 Jeremy & Linda

Gambell29 Lou & Marty Brown

14 F I R S T W O R D

Dear Congregation:I want to thank you for the great

celebration on September 27th. I con-sider being your Pastor Emeritus agreat honor for me and a recogni-tion of my ministry of 30 years asyour Pastor. I’m grateful for Pastor Bobby de-signing and leading a thoughtfuland meaningful presentation duringthe worship service. I appreciate Gen-eral Presbyter Sallie Watson beingpresent and praying during the ser-vice. The Zoom reception was a funand enjoyable time of connectingwith you. The cards that you pre-pared for me were the culminationof the celebration. After two years, itwas great to read your good wishesand the updates on your lives. I havekept the cards you have given me in

Thank you from Mike the past and I love reading them overand over again.

The Certificate of Election and thecongregational Resolution on theplaques were so well-written andvery nicely prepared. I appreciate theeight individuals, all dear to me,reading the resolution during thevideo presentation. The large bou-quet of flowers was beautiful andgraced our living room for manydays afterwards. As I said on the 27th, Cindy andI have very much enjoyed retirementthese past two years. This has beena happy time for us to be togetherand to enjoy a more relaxed pace oflife. It was the right time for me toretire. I’ve been able to read widely,reflect on my ministry, research myfamily history, and work on somehouse projects. We have taken mul-tiple trips to see our family on both

coasts. Retirement has been a goodtime for us.

Both of our sons, Timothy andJonathan, live in Massachusetts now.Elizabeth lives in Austin. Timothyand Anna welcomed their first born,Austin Elizabeth, in July. We havejust returned from meeting ourgranddaughter. She’s lovely andbeautiful and great. Our son Jonathanmarried his fiancée Liz while we werethere in Massachusetts. Our daugh-ter Elizabeth married her fiancé Vin-cent back in December in Georgetown.Our kids are moving on in their livesand they are doing well.

I give thanks often for PastorBobby, the staff and officers, and you,the congregation, for following andserving Jesus Christ during thesechallenging times. I will continue topray for your mission and life to-gether. The Lord bless you and keepyou. —Yours in Christ, Mike

The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Roberts—“Pastor Mike”—was honored Sep-tember 27 during a virtual worshipservice, with the conferring of thetitle, Pastor Emeritus of First Pres-byterian Church. Helping PastorBobby with the recognition servicewas the Rev. Sallie Watson from Mis-sion Presbytery. Also present wasMike’s wife, Cindy.

Mike’s election received the unani-mous approval of both session andthe congregation during virtualmeetings held due to COVID-19.

Church members who read theresolution in a video were SturdyWanamaker, Tim Kennedy, FredHilgeman, Lenice Smithwick, GaryNelon, Cliff Snyder, Cathy Ramseyand Debbie Pilcher. Sturdy was chairand Tim a member of the PastorNominating Committee in 1988 thatrecommended Mike to be pastor ofFPC. He retired in 2018 after 30 years.

Mike was presented two plaques:a Certificate of Election for the honorand the resolution approved by ses-sion. He also was given a basket ofenvelopes containing cards and let-

Pastor Mike honored September 27 as Pastor Emeritusters from the congregation. After theservice, church members joined onZoom to congratulate Mike.

In bestowing the honor, PastorBobby told Mike, “You have been adistinguished leader and a faithfulshepherd; this congregation hasgrown deeply in its faith in JesusChrist and has dramatically increasedin mission and outreach because ofyour ministry. On June 23, 2020, theSession voted unanimously, and thecongregation subsequently agreed toelect you Pastor Emeritus.” In remarks after accepting thehonor, Pastor Mike said, “Certainly,the congregation knows me well. Ilove plaques, and now I have twotoday. I am very touched that youwould honor me and my ministrywith you in this way. I want to thankPastor Bobby and the session for pro-posing this recognition. I am grate-ful to the congregation for electingme Pastor Emeritus at your Zoomcongregational meeting in August.That’s something I never said in 30years of ministry: ‘Zoom congrega-tional meeting’.”

Mike said September 27 is a specialday for him. “Thirty-two years agothis day, September 27, 1988, was myfirst day of ministry as your pastor.Throughout those 30 years we wor-shipped and grew and learned andserved together. I am very grateful forall that has been done today to makethis a great celebration and recogni-tion. I am grateful to you all.”

Only one other pastor in the 166-yearhistory of FPC has held the title of PastorEmeritus: Rev. M. C. Hutton. He begana 35-year ministry with the church, span-ning the 19th and 20th centuries, when hebecame stated supply minister January 3,1886. He was later called to be pastor andwas installed May 9, 1886. In March1921, Rev. Hutton resigned because of hisdeteriorating health. In accepting his res-ignation, session elected him “as PastorEmeritus of this church, without salary,for life, or so long as he desires to occupysuch honorary position.”

100 years ago...

Church DirectoryIf you need an

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It was always fun for youth and church mem-bers when the fundraiser for Christmas Angelshopping rolled around: Will David Lee get tokeep his nice long locks or will he have to shavethem? This year, more people donated to shavethem, so the youth did the honors in January.

Hulseys

From Sarah—”When David Lee and I weremarried, you all embraced me so warmlyand generously. I was overwhelmed. WhenMike Roberts brought me onto the churchstaff in 2009, I had no concept of the bondsthat I would gain and the ways you wouldshape me even as I sought to serve andteach. We brought our babies home to FPCand you loved them like they were yourown grandchildren, children, brothers andsisters. What a unique gift for them andfor David Lee and me. These are very gen-eral but true observations of who you allare as a congregation, yet what I cherishmost about the people of First Presbyte-rian are all the raw and real conversations,the engaging insights, the cards and quickemails of encouragement, the bouncing ofideas, the intuitive inquiries, the cups ofcoffee, the stories shared about your livesand the endless smiles. You are a fascinat-ing and earnest bunch! What wonderfulthings I have witnessed God do in, withand through you. That is my treasure. Iam so grateful.”

David Lee joined the church staff inAugust 2005 as Pastoral Intern and Pas-toral Assistant, and to work with theYouth Ministry under then-directorsKim and Paul Pereira. He has a Masterof Arts degree from Austin Seminary.He has been the primary leader of ourYouth Ministry since September 2008.The Session approved David Lee andSarah as Youth Ministry Directors (ashared position) in August 2009. Priorto that, Sarah had been active with theYouth Ministry.

oped by a church family that is overflow-ing with compassion, empathy, integrity,intelligence and hope. I cannot begin tothank this church enough for loving me,encouraging me, challenging me and put-ting your faith in me. You have shown mewhat is good by doing justice, lovingmercy and walking humbly with God. I amgrateful and will always remember you.”

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2 F I R S T W O R D

5 Larry & Yvonne Crabb6 Daryll & Rachel Gremillion8 Mike & Cindy Roberts9 Bruce & Jennifer Gunn10 Chris & Cari Spruiell11 Rod & Carole Burke12 Robert Cravens & Linda Thomas16 Phil & Dawn Bookert24 Don & Dottie Willhouse27 Sturdy & Tammy Wanamaker28 Lou & Marty Brown30 Cliff & Rita Snyder

Carl & Nancy Spivey

1 Don CurlJerry Pearson

2 Jeff Willett3 Fred Hilgeman

Walter JunckerBrandon Walters

5 Darlene MillerDavid Ramsey

6 Sharon Judkins7 Drake McIntosh8 Jerry Fine

Susan PoteeteAnna RobertsDottie Willhouse

9 Leila Ramsey10 Doug Arnold11 Doug Bond

Kendall GuinnMichelle Hulme-LippertKeith Renard

13 Kathi DavenportBecky Hesson-SmithAshley HuntTori Schmalstieg

14 Elizabeth Bailey15 Bryan Bell16 David Gipson

Becky Kennedy17 Nancy Marks

Jo Ann Yantis19 Denise Ferguson

Randa Toungate22 Anne Gowdy23 Sarah Crenshaw

Bernie LovejoyJeanie Wiesner

25 Shelley Sorenson26 George Biggs

Jerry BurkettDel BurkettLloyd DavisMary McKennaTess McKennaLucy Yantis

27 Anna Maspero28 Joan Lawrence

Annabel McClure30 Emily Tolbert

ANNIVERSARIES

Boldface indicatesa member of

First Presbyterian Church

BIRTHDAYS

Class of 2023 Church officers were electedat a congregational meeting via Zoom onOctober 18 following the worship service.

Elected to serve as elders are: SharonPlace, Administrative; Beverly Jones, Wor-ship; Karen Jones, Education and Nurture;Glen Kaiser, Property; Dawn Bookert, Mis-sion; and Charles Dennis, Finance andStewardship.

Deacons elected were: Cheryl Jenkines,Fellowship; Ann Kaiser, CompassionateCare; Liz Weaver, Evangelism; and SandieKienitz, Ushers and Greeters.

Patsy Becker was elected deacon, Classof 2021, to fill a vacancy on Compassion-ate Care.

Gary Nelon was elected to the Board ofTrustees.

Members of the 2020 Church OfficerNominating Committee are Ben Nichols,Chair; Marty Curtis, Vice Chair, Gary Cox,Liz Decker, Jana McCown, Minta McIn-tosh, Tricia Osborne, Cathy Shirley andLenice Smithwick.

Training for officers-elect will be from9:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday, November 8 and15 and December 6 and 13. After complet-ing the training, officers-elect will beexamined by the session December 15. TheService of Ordination and Installation willbe during the service of worship at 11 a.m.January 3. The church leaders’ retreat for2020 is set for Friday evening and Satur-day morning, January 8 and 9.

New church officerselected to serve

In the hospital last month: George Biggs,Ardith Lane and Carol Siekmeier (sur-gery).

Our sympathy: To Kim Peel on the deathof her brother, Mike Angell, October 5 inDallas.

In memoriam: George Biggs joined the Church Trium-phant October 18. He had been a membersince October 1989, served as elder from1997-1999 and sang in the choir for years.He was instrumental in bringing the Ser-vice of Wholeness to FPC. Jim Southerland joined the Church Tri-umphant October 23. He had been a mem-ber since September 2001 and was activein church men’s groups.

Thank you: Dear Ones, I thank you fromthe bottom of my heart for all the love andcare you have shown me and my familyduring our time of loss. From the time ofJustin's death in March, through the timeof his memorial service in October, you'vewalked beside us. Pastor Bobby provideda beautiful service, with Stephanie Mettlerstepping up to provide great music. TheCompassionate Care Committee, StephenMinisters, Church staff and many other in-dividuals have reached out to ease the wayon a long journey. Truly you are mychurch family. I love you and thankyou. —Beverly Jones

Serving in the military: Col. Brian Burk,Larry Burk’s son; Maj. Josh Daleiden,Betty Bradford’s grandson-in-law; JohnDecker; Jared A. Gross, Robert Bedford’snephew; Brian Hall; Capt. Daniel Ham-mond, Keith & Sue Renard’s grandson-in-law; Garrett Herbst; Gunnery Sgt.Matthew L. Johnson, son of Glen & AnnKaiser; Brandon Keith, Phil & JeanneSmith’s son-in-law; Tech. Sgt. RobertMcClanahan, grandson of Minta McIn-tosh and nephew of Lee McIntosh; Lt. Col.Mike Pratt, Jeff Pratt’s brother; Sgt.1stClass Paul Rayburn; Nicholas Stamos,Larry & Helen Burk’s grandson; andChristian Winckel, grandson of SandyHayes.

ROOTED. REFORMED. RELEVANT.Fall Sermon Series:

(Through November 8)

What does it mean to be apeople who are deeplyrooted? How is it that ourReformed theological tradi-tion informs, shapes andguides our path in the world today? Andwhat does it mean to be a congregationattentive and relevant to God’s work inGeorgetown and throughout the worldtoday? I pray it proves to be a seriesthrough which the Holy Spirit continuesto faithfully shape us and lead us into God’sfuture together. —Pastor Bobby

F I R S T W O R D 15

Pastor Emeritus Honor Bestowed on Retired Pastor: Participating in the spe-cial program during the September 27th worship service were Cindy and retiredpastor Dr. Mike Roberts, current pastor Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert, and Dr. SallieWatson of Mission Presbytery. Flowers for the service were given by First Presby-terian Church in honor of Mike and Cindy.

Some 40 church members made reser-vations to attend the 8:30 a.m. in-person worship service on October 25.The service was approved by session,which was to reassess the experienceat its October 27 meeting. Staff, eldersand deacons were on hand to helpmembers observe guidelines set by theSafety and Security Committee’s taskforce, including masks, social distanc-ing and hand sanitizer.

In-person worship A plexiglass screen was placed betweenPastor Bobby at the pulpit and the con-gregation. On hand to help the servicerun smoothly were Christina Bondesenand Penny Leone from staff; Bryan Belland Nancy Robohn, Worship Commit-tee; other elders, Keith Brainard, BenNichols, Celeste Frost, Bill and TheresaMcKenna and Babs Cape; and deaconsThomas Isenhour, Cheryl Dorothy andCorey Bailey. Jeff Pratt was in thesoundbooth, running the sound andvideo.

Among Our People

November 2020

2 November CelebrationsNew Church OfficersSermon Series

3 November WorshipFlowers in Worship

6 Welcome, New Members8 The Art of Listening9 Financial Statement

2021 Stewardship11 Art Gallery12 Property Committee14 Pastor Emeritus15 In-person Worship Service16 November Calendar

Session Meeting

Christian Education4 Message from Stephanie

Online Classroom5 Sunday School

Men’s Lunch Bible StudyLadies’ Lunch Bible Study

Youth Ministry6 DL’s Column

2020 Confirmation Class

Mission7 Manos de Cristo Tamales

Operation Christmas ChildMission Sewing

8 The Caring Place

Fellowship9 Presbyterian Women

Compassionate Care2 Among Our People

10 Points from Parish NurseSenior SeminarA Gift of Time

FIRSTWORDR o o t e d . R e f o r m e d . R e l e v a n t.

Contents

16 F I R S T W O R D

NOVEMBERNOVEMBERNOVEMBERNOVEMBERNOVEMBER

SUNDAY

1All Saints’ Day/CommunionDaylight Saving Time ends/Fall backDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School11:00am Livestream Worship

8Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School9:30am New Officer Training11:00am Livestream Worship

15Youth SundayDavid Lee Hulsey Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School9:30am New Officer Training11:00am Livestream Worship

22Reign of Christ SundayGreening of the ChurchStephanie Mettler Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School11:00am Livestream Worship

291st Sunday of AdventDr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert Preaching9:30am Virtual Sunday School11:00am Livestream Worship

MONDAY211:00am PW Board12:00pm Stephen

LeadersMeeting

9

16

23

30

TUESDAY310:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting6:30pm Elizabeth Circle7:00pm Youth Leaders

1010:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting6:45pm Executive Comm7:30pm Committee

Meetings

1710:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting4:30pm Newsletter

Deadline7:00pm Youth Leaders7:00pm Diaconate

2410:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting7:00pm Session

110:30am Pastoral Care11:00am Staff Meeting

WEDNESDAY49:00am Virtual Coffee12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study6:00pm Youth Gathering

119:00am Virtual Coffee12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study1:00pm Lydia Circle6:00pm Youth Gathering

189:00am Virtual Coffee10:00am Rachel Circle10:00am Martha Circle11:00am Hannah-Esther Circle12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study6:00pm Youth Gathering

25

29:00am Virtual Coffee12:00pm Ladies’ Lunch Bible Study12:00pm Men’s Lunch Bible Study6:00pm Youth Gathering

THURSDAY5

12

1910:30am Senior

Seminar

26Church OfficeClosed –Thanksgiving

FRIDAY6

13

20Hulseys out oftown thru 11/29

27Church OfficeClosed

Saturday, November 21Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lipperton vacation thru 11/28

Sarah, Luke, Lily and David Lee Hulsey

David Lee and Sarah Hulsey announcedthat they will resign their positions asYouth Ministry Directors effective Decem-ber 31. In a letter to the congregationdated October 26, the couple wrote: “Wehave such great love and deep gratitudefor the incredible congregation of FirstPresbyterian Church in Georgetown andthe blessing that you have been over thepast 15 years that I have been on staff. Itis time for this season of vocational min-istry to come to a close for the Hulseys.After much prayer and discerning, DavidLee has decided to enter flight school as afull-time student in pursuit of a career inaviation.” He recently earned his pilot’slicense.

In an email and the Hulseys’ letter sentto church members announcing the res-ignations, Pastor Bobby said he will workwith staff, Administrative Committee andEducation and Nurture Committee to de-vise a transition plan and form a YouthMinistry Director search committee.

“God is calling David Lee and Sarahto move on from their ministry at FPC andinto a new season of life and vocation,”Pastor Bobby said. “Undoubtedly, theyand their children will be dearly missed astheir joy, love and steadfast faithfulnesshave deeply blessed this congregation.”

In announcing their resignations, theHulseys said, “We appreciate your prayersas we transition our family into a newseason and look for God’s direction andprovision. You will all be missed greatly.First Presbyterian Youth Ministry has awellspring of vitality because of thethoughtful and engaged youth and fami-lies and the insightful and profound sup-port of the congregation at large, so wehave high expectations and ferventprayers for all that will continue to hap-pen at FPC.”

Sarah will continue teaching 3rd gradeat Grace Academy while David Lee attendsflight school. “We’re grateful that this al-

Hulseys to leave Youth Ministry positions

lows us to stay in Georgetown, and welook forward to seeing familiar facesaround town,” they wrote.

Following are excerpts from theHulseys’ letter:From David Lee—”This church has beenmy home; this congregation has been myfamily. I have watched children grow,teenagers struggle and shine and youngadults step into new transitions in life. Ihave been guided by the wisdom of ourleaders, mentored by our sages and edu-cated by our children. I do not hesitate insaying that I gave my all for this ministry,yet I feel I was given so much more. Mygreatest joy in serving as Youth Directoris simply getting to live out the experienceswith the youth on this journey. It’s beenthe hard conversations after a Bible study,late night phone calls with a parent,breakfasts with older fathers, sweatingside-by-side with youth while building afence, singing and dancing with childrenfrom a foreign land and shedding tears asI saw youth genuinely lift up their heartsto God in worship. When we had chil-dren of our own, this church welcomedthem as their own. We have been envel-

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At its October 27 meeting, sessiondiscussed the in-service Sundayworship service held two days be-fore, and elders who were presentsaid it felt good to gather again inFellowship Hall and worship whilefollowing guidelines from session’sSafety and Security task force,ODTAP (Open the Doors and There’sAll the People).

No additional in-person serviceshave been scheduled at this date,but elders plan to get with ODTAPat its November meeting and stayinformed on monitoring data per-taining to COVID-19 in WilliamsonCounty.

The Presbyterian Cemetery willagain be the site of an 8:30 a.m. ser-vice on November 8, and the Wor-ship Committee is working withchurch staff to hold a specialChristmas Eve service at 5 p.m. inthe cemetery.

ODTAP’s recommended thresholdto open the church for in-persongathering depends on two sets ofdata: test positivity rates and case in-cidence trends in the county. The taskforce has recommended a 14-plus-dayperiod with fewer than four newCOVID-19 cases a day per 100,000

Session discusses ODTAP input population and less than a 3% posi-tivity rate.

”We are close, and when wemeet this threshold, ODTAP sup-ports gathering again for in-personworship,” Karen Rayburn, taskforce chair, said.

Other task force members areNancy Robohn, Kelly Seaman,Jaime Cowan, Christina Bondesenand Kathy Kerr Kubatzky.