Faith United Presbyterian Church

Focus on Faith


Phone: (309) 734-5129 
Pastor Charles Cunningham: (emergencies)
(309) 221-8168
 
November 14, 2013
  

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In This Issue
This Sunday
Meetings
Fillman Fellowship
November Mission Focus
Book Discussion
Operation Backpack
Stewardship
Thank Offering Sunday
Wedding Invitation
Giving Thanks Potluck
OSF Holy Family Christmas Sale
Christian Education
ChristianEve Pageant
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Giving Catalog
New Hymnal Event

Quick Links
 
 
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(309) 734-5129


November Birthdays
 
1 - Larry Inman
 
2 - Scott Gibson

6 - Dalton Hottle

7 - Tammi Hottle, Heather Turnquist

8 - Alice Lawson, Alison Clark, Susan Gilliland

9 - Lila Blum, Kylie Finnicum

10 - Jodi Cheek, Donna Lee, Megan Brown, Brenda Runge

13 - George Haynes
 
14 - Dixie Wells

16 - Deborah Stanton, Jamie Youngblood

21 - Mia Logsdon

26 - Carolyn Simpson, Marcella Kesinger

27 - Cindy Wilson, Krista Larson

29 - Bill Lee

30 - Carolyn Meling

Wednesday Night Live!
   Fruit of the Spirit
 
Fruit of the Spirit for
November 20:  Faithfulness
 
What's Happening?
 
Kitchen Team for Nov. 20:
 
Sheila Wilson, Candy Smith, Jo Ellen Dollinger, Melissa Putnam
  
Thank you for all the cookies and pumpkin pie donations!  You've been such a big help! 

On November  20,
the children will continue making 300 special cards to
be enclosed with delivered Community Thanksgiving Dinners. 
 
Pastor Cunningham will write a special prayer that will  go on each card, too.  
 
November 20 will be the last WNL session for the fall semester. WNL will resume January 15.  

 

 

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Prayer Concerns
  
Please continue to keep in your prayers:  
 
Ryan Smith,
 Jessie James
 Mary Fleming
 Phyllis Wheeler
 Brittany Wilson
Joyce Hagemann
Bill Hoover
 Blaine Robinson
 Vern Mettler
Cathy Abernathy
Cinda Stansbury
Irvin Lipp
 Tara Hanson
Mary Johnson
 Sally McVey
 Gary Youngblood
Lindsay Murdock
Jim Paris
  
Irvin Lipp has new updates on CaringBridge.org. His bone marrow transplant process begins this week at Sloan-Kettering. He appreciates all the cards, letters, emails, and calls from this congregation and wants you to know that your prayers make a difference.
  
Blaine Robinson and Lindsay Murdock also have updates on CaringBridge.org.
  
Thank you for your prayers for Andrew  Hayward Smith, who has safely returned from his 22,525-mile, four-month Arctic Ride for Dreams on a motorcycle. There was a huge celebration to welcome him home at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church on November 3.
 ~  
Please also pray for  the thousands of people in the Philippines who have been impacted by Typhoon Haiyan.
In the Community
  
A Christmas Carol
 
A Christmas Carol will be performed by the Buchanan Center for the Arts and Monmouth College on Thursday, November 21 through Saturday, November 23.  Th-Sat. performances at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. For more information, contact the BCA at 734-3033.
   
1st Street Armoury Christmas Expedition 
 
Friday, December 6, 2013 
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.   
 
  
Maple Leaf Community Concert Series
  
Songs of the Season
...with a Twist
 
Thursday, December 12, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
  
Maureen Christine rings in the holidays with favorite songs of the season, from "White Christmas," "Santa Clause in Comin' To Town," "Let It Snow," and "Winter Wonderland," to sacred selections such as "Silent Night," "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Oh Holy Night."  There's a lot of fun in this holiday program with sing-a-longs, interesting narratives about the songs and their history, a surprise audience participation number and many wonderful melodies designed to put audiences in the holiday spirit.
 
The concert will be held in the Monmouth College Dahl Auditorium.  
  
Buchanan Singers
  
 Saturday, December 14,
  
The Buchanan Singers
will be performing their Christmas concert
on
Saturday, December 14
at
Faith United Presbyterian Church.
  
Hanging of the Greens in the Sanctuary
  
 Please come and help decorate the church sanctuary on Monday, November 25,
at 9:00 a.m.!  We will be decorating the sanctuary for Advent (and also coincidentally for the Pullen wedding on Saturday the 30th).
  
Your talents are needed to help put up the
beautiful pre-lit
Christmas trees (much easier), wreaths, and greenery.  
  
FUPC
By-Law Changes
  
At the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, November 10, the congregation voted to take the following actions to amend the church By-Laws:
  •  The Session will be reduced from 15 elders to 12.
  • Faith Church will move to a unicameral system with Session and Deacons. Responsibilities formerly handled by the Trustees will be covered by the Building & Grounds Committee of Session.
  • The term limits for the offices of Elder and Deacon will be lifted so that they will be eligible to serve two consecutive terms for a total of six years in conformity with the current Book of Order G-20404.

 

 

 
  
  
This Sunday ~ Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
 November 17, 2013   
10:30 a.m. 
  
Lectionary
 
 Isaiah 65:17-25                                    Isaiah 12                                
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13                            Luke 21:5-19
     
Liturgist: Ruth Wright
 Ushers:  Robert Blackford, Bill Lee, Dominick Reading, Malik Reading, Ed Melvin
Greeters: Gary & Jonalyn Heaton, Gary & Mary Distin
Children's Church: Tom Best
Nursery:  Lolla Ballard
Coffee Hour:  Ralph & Martha Whiteman, Wendell & Dorothy Woodall
Meetings

TODAY   - Fillman Fellowship - 11:30 a.m.
  
Thursday, November 14 - CE Committee Meeting -
7 p.m.
  
Sunday, November 17 - 12:30 p.m. Youth Lunch at Church
  
Tuesday, November 19 - Community Thanksgiving Dinner Planning Meeting - 6:15 p.m. 
  
Tuesday, November 19 - Trustees Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
  
Tuesday, November 19 - Mission Committee Meeting - 7 p.m.
  
Wednesday, November 20 - Wednesday Night Live
3:20 - 6:00 p.m.  (last WNL until January)
  
Wednesday, November 20 - Bible study with Pastor - 6 p.m.
  
Thursday, November 21 - Monmouth Associates - Parking at FUPC for shuttle - 11:40 - 1:00 p.m.
  
  
Fillman Fellowship - November 14

  

Remember if it is the second Thursday in the month, it is lunch with Fillman Fellowship and we meet in our Social Hall!  Please bring your own sack lunch.  Hot coffee and tea will be provided.  The date and time is Thursday, Nov. 14 at 11:30 a.m.  Reservations are NOT required!!  Bring a friend and join us for fellowship and support as well as fun!

  
November Mission Focus:
Jamieson Center

 

The children of Wednesday Night Live have been collecting canned goods for the food pantry on November 6 & 13.
 

Book Discussion - November 20, 2013
  
There will be cookies, conversation, & more at the Henderson County Public Library, located at 110 Hill Crest Drive in Biggsville on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. This month's featured speaker is Owen Muelder, author of The Underground Railroad in Western Illinois, published in 2008.  Mr. Muelder was appointed Director of the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Freedom Station at Knox College in July of 2004 and has delivered more than 200 lectures on the Underground Railroad and the anti-slavery movement.
  
Dates for future book discussions are December 18, January 15, February 19, and March 19.
  
Operation Backpack  
  
Thank you for your generosity. Operation Backpack received $180 in donations.
  
Stewardship Commitment Sunday
  
As of Sunday, November 10, 53 pledges have been received thus far for $97,776.  Pledges for 2012 totaled
$151,265, given by 88 pledging units.  
Thank Offering Sunday - November 24
  
Since 1888, Presbyterian women have expressed gratitude for God's blessings by sharing their blessings through the annual Thank Offering.  This offering funds programs that relieve pain, provide clean water, alleviate homelessness, provide educational opportunities, promote health and improve the lives of women and children throughout the world. 
 
Visit www.presbyterianwomen.org/thank or read the July/August 2013 issue of Horizons to learn about the 36 life-changing projects funded by your gifts to the 2012 Thank Offering. And help Presbyterian women continue to support important work nationally and internationally next year by giving generously to the 2013 Thank Offering.
 
If you would like to contribute to the Thank Offering by check, please make it payable to Faith United Presbyterian Church and designate "PW Thank Offering" on the memo line or if giving cash, use the special Thank Offering envelopes that will be in the pews.
  

Wedding Bellswedding-rings-pillow.jpg

 

Gary and Denise Pullen cordially invite the members of Faith Church to the wedding and reception of their daughter Whitney.  The wedding will be held at Faith at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 30, 2013.  The reception will follow immediately at the Monmouth VFW. The groom is Seth Eberhardt.
  
Giving Thanks Potluck - November 24
  
Along with the Thank Offering, a second way of expressing thanks for our many blessings is to gather together in fellowship following worship on Sunday, November 24 for an all-church potluck. Bring your favorite covered dish to share and your own table service.
  
Christmas Bonanza - December 6
  
The OSF Holy Family Medical Center Auxiliary presents their annual Christmas Bonanza on Friday, December 6 from 8:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the OSF Holy Family Classroom & West Hallway. American Hometown Puzzles will be featured, along with Scentchips, Jewelry is Fun, and a Bake Sale and Nut Shop. Come and select some wonderful Christmas gifts and help the hospital at the same time.
  
Upcoming Surgery
  
Janie Hottle will be undergoing spinal surgery on November 18 at OSF St. Francis in Peoria.  If you would like to lift her spirits by sending her a card, you may send it to:
 
Jane Hottle
c/o Geneen Gillen
161 210th Avenue
Monmouth, IL  61462
 
Janie would enjoy cards very much.
  
Christian Education News
  • Children, Pre-K through 6th, meet upstairs in the movie theater for opening and then go to their individual classrooms.  
  • Faith & Life adult class:  November 3 - December 15:  What Do Presbyterians Believe? Rod Lemon
    • November 17 & 24 - Poverty: material & mental
    • December 1 & 8 - The State, Debt, and Basic Ethos
    • December 15 - Stewardship 
  • Adult Bible Study meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Bride's Room.  Pastor Cunningham is leading a study on the Gospel of Mark. The Wednesday evening Bible study is also discussing the Gospel of Mark.
Youth Group - Upcoming Events:  Next 12:30 p.m. lunch meeting at the church is November 17.  Tom Best will provide the lunch.  
 
Nursery:  Contact Ann Phelps, Interim CE Director,  if you are interested in helping in the Nursery.  You would only work once every 6 or 8 weeks.   

Christmas Eve Pageant - December 24

 

All children in preschool through 6th grade are invited to participate in the Christmas Eve Pageant.  This year's pageant will be on December 24 at 5:00 p.m.  This has been a special event for those who have participated in the past.  Information and sign-up forms will be sent home with all the WNL and Sunday School children in that age group. 

 

Rehearsal dates:   

  • December 4
  • December 11 (preschoolers also)
  • December 18

Children will be picked up after school, given a snack, and will be ready for parents to pick them up at 5:00 p.m.  Pre-schoolers are welcome, too, at the December 11th practice.  If you have any questions or would like to help, please call Ann at 734-5129.  More details to follow.

 

Anyone willing to supply a live baby Jesus should also talk to Ann Phelps.

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving
 
UPDATE FROM KRISTA LARSON: (Also posted on the Community Thanksgiving Dinner Facebook page)   After the Nov. 5th meeting, we determined help is needed: Wednesday (evening only-6pm) - assembling meal delivery boxes, and could possibly use some help carving a few turkeys. (Just need a few people here.) The biggest need is Thursday from 11:00am to clean-up (approx. 2:30). If a few who are confident in their cooking skills wanted to volunteer, we could use a point person Thursday morning to make gravy, green beans and yams. Otherwise, the biggest need for help remains to be Thursday 11:00-2:30. We need a large number of helpers during that time to: pack delivery meals; replenish food from the kitchen; serve food; serve drinks; cut & serve pie; clear tables (and probably misc. things). I do not need to know right now, but if any of those work, we'll be happy to have more people at those times.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
  
NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday, November 19 - 6:15 p.m. (final planning meeting) 
  
Also, thank you very much for all your generosity in donating supplies like paper towels, cups, coffee, tea, and other needs. The response was tremendous and we are now well supplied.  
  
- If you would like to help with tasks, call 309-221-4020 or 309-221-3227.
 
- If you would like to help financially, please drop off your donations payable to "Community Thanksgiving Dinner" at Security Savings Bank in Monmouth.
 
- If you would like a delivered Thanksgiving meal, please contact Vicki at Faith United Presbyterian Church 734-5129 through November 27, or call the American Legion Hall at 734-2976 the morning of November 28 (Thanksgiving Day).
  

What to Give for Christmas?
 
We have received copies of the new Giving Catalogs from the Presbyterian Mission Agency.  Some have been placed in the Social Hall and some on the Welcome Table in the Narthex. These catalogs are full of interesting gift ideas--everything from a mule for transport to clean-up buckets for disaster areas; an emergency life pack to school kits, just to mention a few. Some are priced low enough to be gifts from individuals; others are better suited for a group or family gift. Think of what a difference you can make in the world by using a little creative thinking in your Christmas (or anytime) gift giving!    

 

"The new Presbyterian Giving Catalog will provide Presbyterians with examples of how their generosity can help make an impact around the world. With examples like goats, chicks or new wells providing clean drinking water, the catalog will help Presbyterians make a direct connection with those on the receiving end of their gifts."

 

An online version of the catalog will be available next month on the PCUSA.org website. 
New Presbyterian Hymnal Introduction Event - Dec. 7
  Singers

 

Pat Wakeley, an elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rockford, Illinois is coordinating arrangements for a workshop that Westminster is holding on December 7 to introduce the new Presbyterian hymnal. 

 

Event details and registration are available at the Rockford Westminster website.  www.westminsterrockford.org