Thank you, Lord!!

How many of you have watched the movie, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh? I watched that movie often when our children were young. One character in the Winnie the Pooh movie is Eeyore the donkey. Do you remember him? In contrast to Pooh, Eeyore is a pessimist. Life is always gloomy. The worst is going to happen, as he moans and spreads his misery. No one can cheer him up. The Bible offers a wonderful cure to those stricken with the “Eeyore” approach to life – you can’t be an Eeyore and be thankful at the same time.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week and embark on our Advent journey, we celebrate that God took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ so that we might have eternal life. And, friends, isn’t that something to truly give thanks?

Therefore, we need to take time to change our focus from fears and problems, complaints, grumbling, and “if onlys,” to the joy that comes from counting God’s blessings and saying, “THANK YOU, LORD, for your grace, mercy, and lovingkindness!” Thank you for offering me the free gift of eternal life! How often do you and I say thank you to God for that precious gift? How often do you thank God that Jesus came into the world to forgive your sins? May we always be people of gratitude as we count our many blessings!!

Worship

In Pastor Glen’s absence, we welcome the Rev. Andy Koesters to our pulpit! Andy has loved pointing children, youth, and families to Jesus for over twenty-five years. He currently serves as Pastor to Churches and Families with a ministry called Families Alive (familiesalive.org), where he loves to equip and encourage God’s people to embrace the biblical vision of discipling the next generation. He also serves as the Missional Director and Church Health Coordinator for the New River Presbytery of the EPC. He has been married to his beautiful bride Jodi for almost 25 years and they have six children – Titus, Sam, Mara, Lily, Drew, and Cohen. Most of all Glen is excited, as Andy and Jody are from Cincinnati!! Andy’s sermon is “Hide or Tell? based on Psalm 78. Please read this text in preparation for worship.

Sunday Morning Bible Study Class (Formerly Adult Sunday School)

Janet Coiner, Lowell Gross, and Harold Cook invite you to join our Bible study. At present, we meet from 9:30 until 10:15 in the large room. Beginning January 5, 2025, our class decided to change the timing to 9:15 until 10 a.m., so the Hope choir members and others could join. Our class reads scripture, discusses the background of the passage, including applications to our present life, and prays.

Sunday Morning Bible Study Class

Our Adult Bible Study class will meet this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the large Sunday school room. Please join Janet Coiner and others for a wonderful time around God’s Word!! We will focus on 1 Corinthians 11: “Be Wise About Church Order and Worship.” Please bring your Bible.

Pastor Search Committee Update & Prayer

Your Pastor Search Committee is in the process of finding our next lead pastor. They are reviewing some initial inquiries about the position and beginning the process of interviewing some selected applicants.

We invite you to covenant to pray for the next pastor and specifically for the Pastor Search Committee, as they seek the Lord! As the Lord directs, you may even wish to fast for a meal or a day or more. Corporate prayer is so needed! Join with other sisters and brothers if you can.

Tithes & Offerings

An offering box is available when you enter or exit the sanctuary. Additionally, Online Giving

Hurricane Relief

As of October 21st, $2,400 has been donated by HCC members (above tithes/offerings) to the EPC General Assembly for the Hurricane Disaster Relief effort. Thanks so much for making a difference in so many whose lives have been dramatically changed!

Session Highlights

Our Session met on Monday, November 18th at 5:00 p.m. The following are some of the highlights:

Ruling elder Marty Porter led a study of 2 Peter 1:5-9 and Galatians 5:22-24, focusing on the importance of self-control in our lives, which is a fruit of the Spirit.
Additional discussion/development of the “Alpha Course” for Hope early in 2025
Agreed to look for innovative ways to cover Hank’s retirement from being the Administrative Assistant via Richard and two Deacons who volunteer for that effort; agreed to pursue a Deputy Treasurer in training.
Accepted the proposed “Inclement Weather/Church Closing” policy and procedure [stay tuned for a website update on that]
Reviewed church domain email addresses for select church service roles for providing continuing addresses for the role as people change roles
Agreed to purchase a TracPhone type device for use by Care and Compassion leaders to assist them in communication with people in need
Hand-rails-on-the-bank installation is imminent, with the contractor donating his labor for the installation
Successful test of ChurchTrac sending of one-way-only text messages for church closings/delays for those with mobile phones listed in ChurchTrac
Requested attorney Bill Watkins to present a brief “Legacy Giving” announcement during worship
Agreed to engage a professional janitorial service to clean our bathrooms, weekly, perhaps expanding services later
Agreed to provide the “Annex” for our Women’s Ministry once contractual necessities are signed, including church internal easy access to/from the annex, safety provisions for using the Annex, etc.
Received a suggestion and discussed ways to improve/maintain “fellowship time” on Sunday mornings
Approved the purchase of fifty (50) padded folding chairs to become dedicated “Annex chairs” for the Women’s Ministry and other church gatherings
Presented the Pastor’s Terms of Call (which will be voted on at our annual congregational meeting in January); approved planned earnings adjustments of merit for other staff
Agreed to meet in a week to finalize the 2025 budget for the church and expectedly approved lease modifications with Miller’s Supplies at Work

Budget Update

Total Tithes/Offerings for October: $25,568.20 YTD: $257,155.89

Total Expenses for October: $9,808.58 YTD: $161,414.86

Golden Oldies

2025 will be a great year for those 70 or older as we meet the second Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Panera Bread Community Room on the following dates:

January 8th – Bingo fun – Each person attending, please bring a wrapped gift with a value limit of $10, so everyone will be a winner!

February 12th – Our experienced Music Director Don Coffey will be our guest speaker.

March 12th – Steve Everidge of Shenandoah Tours will present a program of travels.

On August 20-21 – Golden Oldies will travel to Lancaster, PA, to see Noah and Then Sings My Soul. Information on the trip and a sign-up sheet are available in the welcome center.

Mission Corner

The Prayer Room is an outreach ministry in downtown Waynesboro, caring for people practically and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ! We are collecting personal hygiene and wrapped food items to support this ministry. Any donations can be brought to the church, and they will be given to the Prayer Room. Love INC We are collecting cleaning supplies (e.g., dish detergent, all-purpose household cleaner, laundry detergent) from October through December for Love INC.

The Missions Team actively keeps in touch with our missionaries and other ministries. Please keep updated! You can visit our website and go to the Mission Page

Holy Yoga

We are currently hosting Holy Yoga, led by Emily Gray. Holy Yoga offers a holistic approach that connects the mind, body, and spirit with God, and it is accessible to everyone. This approach is founded on three pillars: exercise, breathing, and meditation. Emily leads the class using the Bible as the focal point. The class meets each Thursday at 6:00 in our church facility. If you have questions, please contact Emily at ewgray@live.com.

December Birthdays

John Severs (12/1); Don Land (12/3); Melissa Bare (12/6); Jennifer Berry (12/11); Gail Fisher (12/14); Ron Layne (12/18); Terran Williams (12/25); Cliff Scott (12/28)