1 Chronicles 16:34 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

 

Thanksgiving was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace. The first Thanksgiving lasted three days! Can you imagine three days of feasting, celebrating with family and friends, and giving thanks to God? Pilgrims recognized that everything they had was a gift from God and gave thanks for the blessing of the harvest. How appropriate that Thanksgiving is just before Advent, a period of spiritual preparation for the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the church year.

 

Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, and shifting your focus from what is missing in your life to the abundance that is already present. Research has shown that giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, strengthens relationships, improves health, and reduces stress. As Thanksgiving approaches, what are you thankful for? When you gather around the table this Thanksgiving, imagine if everyone shared at least one thing they are thankful for. How might the mood shift from stressful to grateful? What a difference our time of fellowship would be!

 

My prayer is that as you approach Thanksgiving, you will remember to slow down and take time to give thanks to God for all your blessings. May you put aside any hurt or pride and come to the table with a heart filled with gratitude.

 

Blessings,

Shannon Whitley

Elder for Fellowship and Events

It's time to clothe our church in the joyous colors and glorious symbols of Advent and Christmas! Come join the decorating team on Sunday, November 22, following the 11:15 service. We will assemble and decorate trees, hang the greens, and place the season's banners throughout our church home. Make it a family activity; make it a family tradition. People of all ages can have a hand in rolling out a holly, jolly Christmas. We will start it all with a delicious light lunch. So we can be sure to have plenty of food, please let us know if you will join us by emailing Kathy Dudley at kathyrdudley@gmail.com or Kim Newton at kimnewton99@gmail.com.

Will you help decorate our live Chrismon tree in the sanctuary on Saturday, November 28? If you can help, please contact Kathy Dudley at kathyrdudley@gmail.com or Kim Newton at kimnewton99@gmail.com.

It is November, and it is time to start gearing up for our Christmas Angel Program. This year we are collecting small stuffed animals, word search books, pens and homemade Christmas cards to distribute during our program at Hillside Nursing Home at 10:30 AM on Saturday, December 19. Please plan to come sing carols and help hand out the gifts with other church members that morning. Older adults LOVE to see the children, so it is a great way your family can make lonely people very happy!

Also, please donate financially for the Christmas Angel Program to get gifts for families in need in our area, as well as at the Battered Women's Shelter.  Please make sure you write "Christmas Angel Program" on the memo line of your check, or use one of the special envelopes you'll find in your bulletin on Sunday. If you have any questions, contact Dana Wills at jimanddana@nc.rr.com. 

To all those that volunteered their time and talents to WIHN (Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network) this year, please know that you have touched the hearts of those that have come to find refuge in our church home. We added a third hosting week this year, which made WFPC home to 14 families in 2015, a total of 41 parents and kids. One of the moms from our June hosting recently shared her unsolicited opinion of our church on our WFPC Facebook page, five months after she stayed with us. If you didn't think that our church would have a lasting impact on our guests, please take a look at her post. Another mother, Rose, who stayed with us in September, sent the following thank you note to our church:

Looking forward to 2016, please add the following dates to your calendars for WIHN, and plan on volunteering. Our January hosting is only 2 months away! Be sure to watch for volunteer sign-ups in the WFPC bulletin and Leaflets coming in December:

• January 24 - 31, 2016
• June 12 - 18, 2016
• September 25 - October 2, 2016

The set is looking good, but we still have a few more things to do at the next WTB work day, which will be tomorrow, Saturday, November 21. Some of us will start at 8:30 AM, but come whenever you are able. You will be finished by noon. Our main focus will be putting up the black felt, hanging the breezeway panels, and touch-up painting. If you can, bring gloves, cordless screwdrivers, ladders and, of course, a sunny smile.

We hope that everyone will come out and Walk Through Bethlehem with us, whether you have experienced it previously or not! This is our Christmas gift to the community, so please invite your friends and neighbors as well. All performances are free to the public. Monetary and non-perishable donations will be accepted to support Tri-Area Ministries. Non-perishables are also being collected for Back Pack Buddies. Individual cereals, orange juice, canned soups, peanut butter, ham/chicken/tuna salad packets, beanie weenies, spaghettios/raviolis, and cereal bars are needed.  Visitors in strollers and wheelchairs should be aware the Walk moves at a slow pace through grass, gravel and wooden ramps.

If you would like to support Walk Through Bethlehem with a monetary donation, you may do so online by using this link and selecting "Walk Through Bethlehem" in the drop down menu.

This is the third in a series of articles about Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This week's focus is on what to do after an AD diagnosis, including medications that may be helpful. AD is a progressive dementia for which there is no cure and which ultimately results in death. If you have a loved one who has been diagnosed as being in the early stages of AD, this article provides information on steps you can take to make life easier for both the individual and his caregiver.

Although there is no medication available that can reverse the memory loss associated with AD, there are a number of medications that may be considered to ease some of the symptoms. Click here for information on some currently used medications.

A major consideration for individuals who are in early stage AD and are still competent to make decisions is making sure their legal and financial affairs are in order, including their wishes for end-of-life care. While this may be a difficult top to approach, dealing with these decisions may help an individual feel some control over his life at a time when having control seems to be completely out of his reach. Click here for information about documents that need to be in order and sources of help in getting these documents in place.

Wednesday Nights Together are on hiatus until next year.  Plan to return - or join us for the first time - beginning on Wednesday, January 13, 2016.

~Lisa Baker, Director of His Kids Ministries | lisabaker@wakeforestpres.org

Pies and breads will be available for pick-up in the Christian Life Center between 10 AM and 12:45 PM Sunday. If you placed a large order, please bring a grocery bag to help transport your goodies home. Thank you again for all of your orders. Proceeds from the pie and bread sale will help pay for transportation for our 2016 Youth summer trips.

Triangle Bubble Ball is coming to our church on Sunday, November 29 from 3 to 5 PM. We will take turns putting on the inflatable bubbles to play soccer, kickball and other games. The bubbles allow you to collide, fall and dive without getting hurt. Cost is $20 per person. Talk about a fun way to burn off a heavy Thanksgiving meal! Reservations and signed consent forms are required. Talk to Amy Donahoo for more details.

~Amy Donahoo, Director of Youth Ministries | amydonahoo@wakeforestpres.org

We have a Contemporary Worship Service at 9 AM in the Christian Life Center and a Traditional Worship Service at 11:15 AM in the Sanctuary.  Join us for our Discipleship Hour between services beginning at 10 AM for Sunday School for all ages!

Click here to check out our Music Ministry's selections.

2015 Annual Budget	$852,807.00
Year to Date Budget (October)	$699,482.50
Year to Date Actual (October)	$662,052.54
November Budget	$72,260.00
Nov MTD Tithes & Offerings	$56,764.50
Nov Debt Elimination Budget	$8,000.00
Nov MTD Debt Elim Gifts Received	$5,468.24
SUNDAY'S:
Tithes and Offerings	$21,680.00
Designated Gifts	$1,862.00
Debt Elim. Gifts	$1,393.00

Sunday School Attendance	149
9:00 Worship Service Attendance	198
11:15 Worship Service Attendance	235