| Happy Thanksgiving! |
"It is therefore recommended...to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor..."
--Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution on November 1, 1777 (adopted by
the 13 states as the first official Thanksgiving Proclamation)
Foothills Presbytery office will be closed November 27 and 28 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The traditional Thanksgiving offering in the Synod of South Atlantic goes to assist in the ministry at Thornwell Home for Children. Thornwell is a vital ministry of the PC(USA) serving children and families throughout South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. You are asked to give generously to Thornwell at this holiday season. |
| Presbyterian College Info Page |
Keep up with upcoming events at Presbyterian College by reading their newsletter online. Click here to see the latest publication.
Christmas at PC will be on December 6 at 7:00 pm and December 7 at 3:00 pm. The PC Choir will present " Come with All Thine Angels, Come." Tickets are $10 per person. Visit here to get more information. |
| McCarter Dedication |
|
You are invited to be a part of a celebration at McCarter Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 7, at 10:30 am. The congregation will be celebrating the completion of an expansion and remodeling project with a service of dedication with a reception to follow. McCarter Church is located at 2 Pelham Road in Greenville. |
| National Pastors Sabbath |
On April 17 - 20, 2009, Presbyterian pastors from all over the country will gather at the Sea Trail resort at Sunset Beach, N.C., for a time of rest and renewal - a time apart to break bread with those in common vocation. Walter Brueggeman will lead the Bible study and reflection on the book of Exodus. Frances Taylor Gench and J. Herbert Nelson will be the daily preachers. Registration is open at www.pcusa.org/pastorsabbath. |
| Biblical Themes in Children's Literature |
PRESBYTERIANS TODAY is offering a series of creative Bible study resources that are perfect for families, youth groups, church school classes and intergenerational book clubs. The ten-part series is on Biblical themes in children's literature, each with an accompanying discussion guide (grades 5-8 level). The author is MaryAnn McKibben Dana, associate pastor of Burke Presbyterian Church in Virginia. The featured books are: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis; Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and more See the complete list here. The cost of the complete series is only $12.95 and can be ordered here. | |
|
|
|
| Loving our Neighbor: Servant or Sucker? |
|
Especially at the holiday season, people are moved to reach out to others. However, they may unintentionally make a bad situation worse or they may get angry because the person they helped did not react as they wanted. Sometimes people do not know what to do.
Beth Lindsay Templeton has for 26 years worked both with people who are poor as well as those who want to help. She has put her compassionate wisdom into a book, Loving Our Neighbor: A Thoughtful Approach to Helping People in Poverty, which provides practical and insightful guidance for reaching out to others. She teaches the ABCs of helping, the three mantras, and L.E.A.R.N for when you must say "no." She offers basic ideas for how to set up a direct aid ministry, how to "adopt" a family, how to set up a poverty tour, as well as a host of other thought provoking ideas and exercises.
Templeton is also the host and resource for a five-part DVD series produced by United Methodist Communications/EcuFilm titled Servant or Sucker? Wise and Compassionate Ways to Help the Poor. This resource helps viewers discern appropriate actions when it comes to addressing poverty on a personal or organizational level. Included are realities of poverty: concepts of time, relationships, money, and values; interviews with those who have been helped and/or have been suckered; and steps viewers can take to be an effective servant without getting suckered.
Loving our Neighbor is available through iUniverse, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. Servant or Sucker is available in mid to late December through Ecufilm.
(The Rev. Beth Templeton is a minister member of Foothills Presbytery and is Director of "Our Eyes Were Opened," a ministry of United Ministries.)
|
|
| |
|
