Issue 1 Volume 13 - Week of January 4, 2015

From Dr. Jim Weldon, Jr.

Dear FIPC Church Family,

I have truly been blessed!! I have been blessed by the Lord, by my family, and by you--my church family! One of the blessings I am experiencing right now is my involvement in Macedonian Ministries. Let me explain...I am one of 10 pastors in North East Florida selected to participate in a Clergy Group led by Macedonian Ministries. Macedonian Ministries was started by Tom Cousins, Founder of the Cousins Foundation out of Atlanta, Georgia. One of his passions is helping pastors of mainline denominational churches experience renewal and refreshment. His plan is very simple--get pastors together monthly for prayer, support, encouragement, and learning. Over the past year, I have met with 10 other pastors: 5 Presbyterians, 3 Episcopalians, 1 United Methodist, and 1 Cooperative Baptist. It has been a wonderful experience! We have read books together, visited different ministries together, worshiped together, prayed together, and shared our lives and struggles. A big part of this renewal process is a 2-week spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Cousins Foundation pays for the whole thing! I left for Israel on 01/05 and will return late on 01/19. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to walk where Jesus walked, pray where Jesus prayed, worship where Jesus worshiped. God is so good! There are 14 of these Macedonian Ministries groups around the country. We are joining with a Group of 11 Presbyterian pastors from the Richmond, Virginia area. Macedonian Ministries is also sending a Biblical archaeologist from Emery University with us, along with 3 pastors for the pastors.

I cannot wait to see the places I have been preaching about for 24 years! One of my goals while I am in Israel is to explore and begin laying the groundwork to take a group from Fleming Island to the Holy Land in 2016 - so begin praying about going with me!

Please pray for me, my family, and our church family while I am away. I will see you when I return.

God is good all the time! All the time God is good!

Grace and Peace,

Jim Weldon

Church Celebrations

Join us for a

Lawn, Garden & Patio Shower for

Mike Horst and Keri Pound

Wednesday, January 21 @ 6:30 pm

Fleming Island Presbyterian Church

Plan to join us as we shower the happy couple with lawn, garden, and patio gifts.

We will also be collecting money at church for the purchase of larger gifts and to make a money tree.

Also, gift cards are welcomed!

Mike and Keri are registered at:

Home Depot

Target

Bed Bath & Beyond

Williams-Sonoma

Adult Ministries

Women's Monday Evening Bible Study
2nd & 4th Mondays @ 6:30 pm

Worship Building Room #2

Currently studying "A Beautiful Offering: Returning God's Love With Your Life" by Angela Thomas. Given the enormity of God's grace and love to you, do you long to show your gratefulness by offering your life to Him? Angela Thomas, author of the best-selling "Do You Think I'm Beautiful" did. Enthralled by God's love, she turned to the Sermon on the Mount to learn how to glorify her loving Father with her life. Along the way, she came to see the Beatitutes not so much as a list of commands but rather a list of "when you are's" offering a spiritual inheritance. Rather than requiring perfection, discover that God simply requires your gracious obedience. In His eyes, your life, complete with mistakes, blemishes, and imperfections, is A Beautiful Offering.

A Beautiful Offering is an 8 session Bible study experience. The member books will be available for purchase at the first class (price is about $5.50). This group meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 6:30-8:30 pm. They meet for fellowship, a light meal, prayer, and Bible study and are open to all women. Contact persons: Ann Roos, C: 904-887-2265 or Candy Cafcules, C: 904-303-7674.

New Lunch Bunch Small Group

Wednesday, February 4 @ Noon

Gathering Area

Led by Pastor Jim

Bring a dish to share and come enjoy the fellowship. All the details of this small group, such as how often to meet, will be determined at this first meeting. Contact person: Pastor Jim Weldon, C: 904-553-8493.

Christian Growth Classes

January 25 @ 1:00 pm

Worship Building

We would love for you to join the church and continue your discipleship journey by partaking in one of these classes. If you are interested in joining the church or attending one of the classes, please contact Sara Dryden, Director of Membership. 1st Base participants, please sign up ahead of time in order to receive information to be discussed at the meeting.

Youth Ministries

The Net Wednesday Nights

Resumes January 14

Wednesdays

6:30-8:30 pm

Jr. High & Sr. High Youth

The Shack

Games, music, small groups, and worship! Invite your friends!

Children's Ministries

ROCK Wednesday Nights

Resumes Tonight

5:30-7:00 pm

ROCK Room

ROCK stands for "Reaching Out for Christ's Kingdom" and is a youth group for 5th and 6th graders.

January 7: Taco Dinner and Study: Revenge--Is This Cool With God?

January 14: Dinner and Study: What Does God Say About Bullying?

January 21: Dinner and Study: TBA

January 28: Dinner and Study: TBA

In This Issue

Church Celebrations

Adult Ministries

Youth Ministries

Children's Ministries

Thank You

Thanks and Prayer Requests

This Week's Funny

This Week's Devotional

FIPC Calendar

A Record of Our Faithfulness

FIPC is a member supported church.

We do not receive any outside funding. Everything we do is made possible through your faithful giving.

New Members This Year: 0

Attendance:

01/04/15 = 161

Ministry & Building Fund Offerings:

01/04/15 = $7,246.20

(2015 weekly need = $8,154)

Offering envelopes are available in the church bulletin for cash offerings. The envelopes are not necessary for checks. If you ever have any questions about FIPC finances, please contact our CFO & Church Administrator, Dawn Vanderpool, at the church office at (904) 269-2412 ext. 701.

Sunday Worship

Worship Service is held every Sunday morning
10:00 AM

Attire is casual. It is an uplifting, come as you are service.

God never intended for us to go it alone!

We want to help you find the Small Group where you can you grow in your faith and have some fun doing it!

ChristLife - Senior High Youth

Fuel - Jr. High Youth Group

ROCK / Children

Thank You Notes

Thanks to:

The Hospitality Team for Sunday morning refreshments!

The counting team for your continued service to your church!

Our Awesome Worship Band!

Those who helped usher/greet last Sunday!

Our Children's Ministry Volunteers!

Our Youth Ministry Team!

Announcements

Announcements for the e-newsletter, power point slide show during worship, and web site should be emailed to Dawn Vanderpool by 9 am on Mondays.

Announcements for the bulletin should be emailed to Sara Dryden by 10 am on Tuesdays.

Christian Counseling Center

A ministry of Fleming Island Presbyterian Church, The Christian Counseling Center of FIPC is an outreach of the church to our community.

Church Staff

If you would like to contact a church staff member please go to our website.

Facebook

Check out our Facebook page! It's a great way to add photos of events and stay in contact with your church.

Quick Links

Register Now

News

Related Topics

More On Us

Thanks and Prayer Requests

Praise / Thanks:

To God for all the new families He is bringing to us.
To God for blessing us abundantly.
To God for His Word revealed to us in the Bible.
To God for all those who work so hard behind the scenes.
To God for our Hospitality Ministry.
To God for our Sunday School Team.
To God for our Youth Group Leaders.
To God for our Great Worship Band and AV Team.
To God for all those folks who pray each day for FIPC.

Praise from the Welcome Cards:

All that worked on the holiday program.
My grand nephew, Robert, was born 12/24/. Mom is in good health and baby.
Rev. Bill's study in Mark class resumed. Super. It's challenging like college.

Prayer Requests:

For our community.
For our church's growth in spirit, connections, and number.
For those who do not know Christ.
The grace to live out our faith.
For our FIPC Pastor, Staff, Elders, Deacons and their families.
For families and individuals who are hurting.
For the PCUSA and FIPC's response to the changes. For our Denominational Relations Committee.
Martha Williams, health.
Faircloth family.
Sydney Ward.
Betty Gedrottis.

Prayers from the Welcome Cards:

Please pray for more strength for me and my spouse to raise our kids on the right path. And for it to be a better year for my family.
Safe travels for the kids going back to college; church and gov't leaders.
Loving comfort for Linda who lost her beloved husband, Bruce.
Pray that Kevin finds a job.
Continued recovery for Sonya, physical, emotional and spiritual.
Asking God for travel mercies for our Pastor, Jim and my husband, Hamilton.
Safety for Pastor Jim's trip to Israel.
Direction for Don and Ann living God's purposes.
Strength for Candy and Harry; healing for Georgiann.
For Dick who is in the hospital.
Jason get better.
Ruth Thomas.
Safe trip for Jim.
Karen K., Dick C., Peggy W., Martha Williams, and all who have health issues.
Please keep our niece, Jaclyn, in everyone's prayers. Christmas time we found out she has cancer. Chemo will not work; for now there is no treatment. It is stage 3. The doctors also found a spot on her lung, so for now they are keeping an eye on it because it is small.
Jim to be spiritually fed and for safety in his pilgrimage in Israel.
Ally, Stokes, Wilne, Wilson families; my son to continue his walk with God.
For my husband, Richard, in hospital.

This Week's Funny

This Week's Devotional

"When You're Under Attack, Just Rest"

by Rick Warren

PurposeDriven.com

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

Our civilization is losing its civility. The world is getting ruder! One of the things that's causing that is the Internet, because it allows people to hide behind the screen and say things online that they would never have the courage to say to others face to face.

All those people are doing is revealing the smallness of their hearts. Great people make people feel great, but small people belittle people. People who belittle others have a little knot for a heart, and they make fun of others because they think it will make them feel better.

How do you handle rude people? You don't. You let God handle them. You let God be your defender.

King David was a pro at this. He knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but he spent two years running from his predecessor, who wanted to kill him. He hid in caves while being criticized constantly behind his back.

Yet David never said a bad word against the king. He never retaliated, because God was preparing him to be the king after his own heart.

David says in Psalm 23:5, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows" (NIV).

David was recognizing God's goodness to him. God would anoint his head with oil, which says to the world, "This is my guy! Back off! This is going to be the next leader." David's cup overflowed, which meant God kept blessing him and blessing him, even when others attacked him.

Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn't have to use up all his energy defending himself because he trusted God to be his defender.

It takes a lot of faith and humility to rest and trust God when you're under attack, when you're misunderstood, when rumors are spreading about you and people are saying things about you online. When that happens, everything in you wants to rise up and do something about it.

But you are most like Christ when you remain silent under attack. Jesus was constantly attacked, yet he never retaliated, even on his way to the cross. He remained silent before his accusers because he had entrusted himself to the care of the Father.

"So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you" (1 Peter 4:19).

Fleming Island Presbyterian Church 1743 County Road 220 Fleming Island, FL 32003 904-269-2412 www.myfipc.org Directions