What beautiful fall days we've been having...sunny but cool and crisp, with blue skies and the fragrance of autumn in the air.  Later this month we'll see the glorious colors and feel the crunch of dry leaves underfoot.  Today at the Farmer's Market, the summer corn and tomatoes seemed to be phasing out, and pumpkins and a new crop of red and gold apples were in.  We praise God for the special blessings of every season!

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Come to the World Communion service on Sunday, October 6, and enjoy the Skype hookup with the Seventh Presbyterian Church of Barranquilla as we celebrate communion together!

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 

Christine Garton, Director of Christian Education, can be reached at cgarton@OxfordPresbyChurch.org or you can call or text her cell phone at 850-276-3231.

ADULT VOLUNTEERS AND DRIVERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE KIWANIS FOOD DRIVE FROM 1-4 PM ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3. 

Teams of adults and youth will go door to door to collect food.  Please meet at the Seminary at 12:45 PM.  If you can help, PLEASE contact Christine Garton.   

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THANK YOU to everyone who made food for the college student dinner at the Barnes' on September 12.  The food was great!

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THANK YOU to our 2nd-5th grade teachers for September: Lisa Gayhart, Paula Green, Linda Hesford, Alyssa Klein, Alex Logsdon, Elaine Patterson, and Sam Poetter.

 

IN OUR PRAYERS

 

Keep these friends in your prayers:

John Woodruff, Jean Butterfield, Steve Friede, Becky Bee, Carol Klumb, Joyce Trump, WW Ridenour, Helen Martin, Cathy Fey, Marilyn Rettig, Brian Hitsman 

 

 

We remember the family of former member Jan Augenstein Miller in our prayers. Jan passed away September 11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico following a short battle with cancer.

 

We remember Robert and Marjorie Smith and their entire family in the death of his brother, Gerald.

 

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JOYS

 

 

On October 9, we will celebrate the second anniversary of Carter's baptism.  Carter is the son of Andrea & Larry Johnson.

  

  

A rosebud signifies the celebration of the 

September 3rd birth of Alice Laura Ellison, daughter of Laura and William Ellison and granddaughter of Kim and Russ Logsdon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rich and Sandy Drewes are new grandparents of little Skylar.

 

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We had the joy of drop in guests at the Welcome picnic...Bikers and Babes

 

from Michigan. What fun!

 

 

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THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON CIRCLE 

is meeting October 15, at 1:30 p.m.  in the Country Kitchen at the Knolls of Oxford. Lawretta Clum will lead the lesson, Sarah Soika will do the Mission Yearbook and Becky Quay will do the Least coin reading. If you have any questions call Prue Dana 523-6579 or Lynn Cronk. If any circle members would like to join the gathering for lunch at 12 noon at the Knolls before the lesson, call Lawretta Clum at 524-7437. Lunch is $6.

THE TUESDAY EVENING CIRCLE

Will meet October 1st at Connie Everhart's home.  The Co-hostess is Debbie Davidson.  Jo Reinhart will lead devotions and Jean O'Connell will direct the program.

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THE THANK OFFERING began in 1888 when Eliza Clokey, of Springfield, Ohio, urged each woman to give one dollar over and above usual contribution to the Women's General Missionary Society of the United Presbyterian Church of North America as a "thank offering to her Lord." The impact of the gifts received was immeasurable. It has been said that women's giving saved the worldwide missionary movement at that time.  The focus of how and where the money goes has changed over time. Thank Offering remains an important part of Presbyterian Women's Celebration Giving program. This year's goal for the 2013

Thank Offering is $900,000.

2013 recipients receive grants funded by the 2012 Thank Offering. Among the local grant recipients are the American Red Cross, Dayton Area Chapter, the Lighthouse Ministry, Ligonier, Indiana, the Lexington Kentucky Rescue Mission, and the Lower Lights Ministries, Columbus, Ohio. There will be a list posted on our OPW bulletin board and you can come and get your own list at our October 13 Fall Gathering as we continue our tradition of meeting together to give thanks for all the Lord has done for us. For further information you can call Karen Simpson, 523-8363 or email me at k.simpson2007@yahoo.com.

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Oxford Presbyterian Women's Fall Gathering

The Simple Present Tense:

I rummage, you rummage, he rummages, we rummage, you rummage, they rummage.

The Fall Rummage Sale is October 17, 18, 19. Donations are accepted at the Seminary Wednesdays from 9 to noon, and any day at the church office. 

WE NEED YOUR STUFF!

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PEACEMAKING COMMITTEE

Peacemaking Offering, October 6

...Peace at all Times and in all Ways...

(2 Thessalonians 3:16)

Sunday, October 6, is World Communion Sunday.  Traditionally, it is the Sunday that the annual Peace-making offering is taken, and the Eldon Hill Peacemaking Award is presented. This important and now one of the major offerings of our church goes to national and local projects. In this past year the offering was used to support and join Bread for the World and to purchase a subscription of Sojourners for the church library. The Peacemaking Committee also purchased porch furniture for the Faith Build Habitat House and sponsored the community dinners.  We also supported the printing of Meeting the Energy Challenge, a booklet created and written by the Interfaith Climate Change Work Group of Oxford. It features 17 projects and resources of local citizens reducing their Carbon Footprint. It is full of ideas and resources explained by people willing to share their expertise. Pick up your copy on the table outside the church office.

This year the committee has chosen to sponsor a child or children served in the Goel Project of the Seventh Church of Barranquilla, Colombia.  The sponsor-ship for each child is $500 and purchases the necessities for the child's education (uniform, books, school supplies, etc.), as well as supplying food for daily nutrition. Two members of the Peace Committee were among the group that traveled to Barranquilla this summer and were very inspired by the Goel project, and the commitment of the church members to help displaced, abused or abandoned women and children. We returned with the hope of supporting these women and children in any way that we could.  The entire Peace Committee concurred and voted to support Goel.

Here is another way you can help end hunger, send Bread for the World Christmas Cards to your family, friends, and co-workers. Multiple designs are available, all use dramatic photos to convey messages of peace, joy and hope. The photographs reflect the world in which Bread for the World seeks to make a difference.  See Prue Dana after the service to look at these and order. Design A: young shepherd boy from Bangladesh, Design B.  Mother and Child, Design C, travelers in the desert.  

With your generous donations to peacemaking, the committee will be able to provide for the educational and nutritional needs of one child or several children of Goel.  Thank you for your support of our committee's peace-making efforts.  

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MISSION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE

This year the Mission and Outreach Committee provided financial support to help Adam Gullette work as an intern with our partner church, the Seventh Presbyterian Church, in Colombia.  Those of us who went on the Colombian Mission Partnership Trip in July met Adam, who is a student of former Miami student and Oxford Presbyterian regular attender, Dr. Alexander Steffanell.  Adam is a wonderful young man and our Colombian friends loved him!  Here's a letter of thanks from Adam.    

Mark Barnes

Dear Oxford Presbyterian Church    July, 2013

            First of all I want to thank you again for giving me the opportunity to visit Colombia. It was an amazing experience to be able to be immersed into another culture and I really feel like I was able to do a lot of good for the students in the Colegio Nazareth (Nazareth School) which is a mission of the Seventh Church. 

            While I was in Colombia I stayed with the parents of Alexander Steffanell; this was convenient for me because their house was about a ten minute walk from the Colegio Nazareth. On a normal weekday I would get up around 6:20 and arrive at the Colegio around 7:00.  The time that I spent in the school speaking and interacting with the kids was definitely my favorite time that I spent in Colombia; I also felt like it was the time in which I was able to minister to the children the most.

            Normally when I was in the school what I would do was either assist the English teacher in her class or speak with the students in groups of six in the library. This was a unique opportunity not only for me but also for the students of the school because the classes are so big that they almost never get any teacher-to-student interaction and so I was able to be almost a tutor for the students and answer any questions they had about the English language, my life, The United States, or whatever they wanted to talk about. While in these groups I would try to speak with the students in English as much as possible but there were not many students in the school who had the ability to speak beyond basic conversation, such as "hi, my name is...." And "how are you?" For the most of the time when I spoke with the students we spoke about how the social norms and customs of the U.S. or I asked them about Colombia. I believe this is where I was most able to minister to the children and this came through just being a good example to them. They would ask me a certain question about a controversial topic or a temptation in life and ask me what I th

Another unique opportunity I received when I was in Colombia was the opening for me to appear on a radio station with a few members of a local church who hosted a program for young adults and young families. One of the members of the church told me about the program and asked me if I wanted to appear as a "special guest" on the show and so I said yes. In my mind I was thinking the show would maybe be for a few hundred people or a few thousand but I asked the man who ran the station before and he said, "well, last time we checked the numbers over 40,000 people were listening to the program, and that doesn't include the online listeners. We don't usually tell our guests that number but you asked." So needless to say I was very blessed and humbled to be able to sing a few songs and join in with their discussion about the Bible on such a big platform. So all-in-all, these are just a few of the examples of how I was able to minister and I believe leave a

Adam Gullette

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Missionaries We Help Support are:

• Alan and Ellen Smith, Russian and Eastern Europe
• Ross and Mary Hunter Ecuador
• Mark Hare and Jenny Bent, Haiti and Dominican Republic (new to OPC)
• Joshua Heikkila, Ghana and Western Africa (new to OPC)
• Young Adult Volunteer Program (Richard Williams lead) (new to OPC)

"She polished up the brass so carefully..."

What beautiful fall days we've been having...sunny but cool and crisp, with blue skies and the fragrance of autumn in the air.  Later this month we'll see the glorious colors and feel the crunch of dry leaves underfoot.  Today at the Farmer's Market, the summer corn and tomatoes seemed to be phasing out, and pumpkins and a new crop of red and gold apples were in.  We praise God for the special blessings of every season!

          In this season of the church's life, we're praising God as well

... as we're inspired by the 17 youth leading Youth Sunday and hear reports from the summer youth mission work camp,

...as we rejoice in our Colombia partnership as the team who visited our partner church on our behalf share their powerful and moving experiences there,

...and as we worship with our partner church by Skype on World Communion! 

We also honor God by continuing to grow in faith, so the Engage: Gospel small group studies were launched, with one afternoon group, one evening group, and one college-age group relating the stories of their lives with the great gospel story. 

          October also brings us more opportunities for service to our community

...another turn to serve the Community Meal, for those in our community with food insecurity,

...for the ongoing food drive for the Choice Food Pantry,

...and for the rummage sale that benefits mission in several ways. 

             Watch for all these, and many more activities in the works this month! 

         Looking ahead, it's time to sign up for special events.  Contact the church office or one of the pastors for more information, and to sign up. 

8th and 9th Graders, sign up for Confirmation Class!

Confirmation class will gather for an informational luncheon in November. Then it will begin weekly meetings in January and meet throughout the spring.  This is a special opportunity for 8th and 9th graders. The class will include an overnight retreat, a mission project, and a confirmation breakfast in addition to weekly sessions.  Teaching confirmation is one of our favorite things to do!  We find it both meaningful and fun. Christine Garton, who will participate in teaching as well, feels the same way.  Adults in our church will serve as confirmation sponsors.

Adults, sign up for the November Retreat, with a nationally-known leader!  The retreat, "Creating Sacred Space in Our Busy Lives," will be held Friday evening November 22 through Saturday afternoon November 23, at a beautiful center in Glendale, Ohio (northern Cincinnati, 45 minutes from Oxford).  Dr. Nancy Copeland-Payton, a physician, pastor, author, and spiritual director, will be our leader. See the brochure about the retreat enclosed with this newsletter, and tear off the sheet to register, or call the church office. We urge everyone who can to plan to attend.  You won't want to miss the refreshment and renewal, as well as the fun and fellowship, of this time together! 

Dr. Paul Russell Is Offering The Third Forum in a series of "A Biologist's Stroll through the Bible: Pigs and Dogs" on Sunday October 13 after worship. 

(a cute dog photo to remind you-ed. )  

                               Mark and Barbara

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Christian Education Full Article 

 

 

ADULT VOLUNTEERS AND DRIVERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE KIWANIS FOOD DRIVE FROM 1-4 PM ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3.  Teams of adults and youth will go door to door to collect food.  Please meet at the Seminary at 12:45 PM.  If you can help, PLEASE contact Christine Garton.   

 

THANK YOU to everyone who made food for the college student dinner at the Barnes' on September 12.  The food was great!

 

THANK YOU to our 2nd-5th grade teachers for September: Lisa Gayhart, Paula Green, Linda Hesford, Alyssa Klein, Alex Logsdon, Elaine Patterson, and Sam Poetter.

 

THANK YOU to our Engage: Gospel small group leaders: Barbara Barnes, Mark Barnes, Prue Dana, Christine Garton, Mary Jo McFadden, and Nancy Moeckel.

 

CHURCH T-SHIRT ORDERS will be taken from September 8-October 20.  Shirts cost $20 for adult sizes and $15 for youth sizes.  Navy shirts and grey shirts are available.  All proceeds go to the youth mission trip fund.  Place your order on the clipboard outside the Molyneaux Library or contact Christine Garton.  Thanks for your support!

 

 

 

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED for the 2nd-5th grade workshop rotation classes this fall.  Teachers commit to teaching one workshop for 2 Sundays in a 3-Sunday block.  If you would like to teach Sunday School sometime this fall, please contact a member of the Christian Education Committee or Christine Garton. 

 

CONGRATULATIONS to our 3rd graders who received Bibles on September 15!  They are Kylee Fears, Norah Green, and

Sam Garton. 

 

THANK YOUto all the youth who planned and helped lead Youth Sunday on September 22.  And THANK YOU to everyone who gave donations for the mission trip.  We really appreciate your support!

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL for grades 2-12 on Sunday, October 6 since it is World Communion Sunday.  Children are invited to help with the World Communion processional at the beginning of the service.  There will be "beefed up" Children's Worship bags available in the narthex for 2nd-4th graders.  The preschool and K-1st grade classes WILL meet on October 6.

YOUTH NEWS

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUPS WILL NOT MEET OCTOBER 13 DUE TO FALL BREAK.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUPS WILL NOT MEET OCTOBER 27.  INSTEAD, WE ARE GOING TO DREAM ACRES.  SEE BELOW.

OCTOBER MONTHLY YOUTH OUTING for grades 6-12 will be a trip to Dream Acres Farm in Camden for a hayride and corn maze on Sunday, October 27, from 3:30-5 PM.  Cost is $5 ($3 for kids ages 6-11).  Cost includes the corn maze and the hayride.  IF YOU PLAN TO GO, PLEASE CONTACT CHRISTINE GARTON BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25.  Friends are welcome to attend!  Dream Acres Farm is located at:

11704 Camden Darrtown Rd
Camden, Ohio 45311
513-796-2061 

NOVEMBER MONTHLY YOUTH OUTING for grades 6-12 will be the Kiwanis Food Drive on Sunday, November 3.  Youth are needed to help collect food door to door from 1-4 PM.  Please meet at the Seminary at 12:45 PM.  If you can help, PLEASE contact Christine Garton.  Thanks!  

8th and 9th Graders, sign up for Confirmation Class!

Confirmation class will gather for an informational luncheon in November. Then it will begin weekly meetings in January and meet throughout the spring.  This is a special opportunity for 8th and 9th graders. The class will include an overnight retreat, a mission project, and a confirmation breakfast in addition to weekly sessions.  Teaching confirmation is one of the Pastors favorite things to do!  Mark and Barbara find it both meaningful and fun. Christine Garton, who will participate in teaching as well, feels the same way.  Adults in our church will serve as confirmation sponsors.

2014 YOUTH MISSION TRIP is heading to the Jersey Shore!  Trip dates are June 5-15, 2014 and the cost is $600 per person (we have to raise money for the van rentals, gas, and adult chaperones as well).  We are working with a group called TEAMeffort to repair and rebuild homes that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy.  Our work site will be Union Beach, New Jersey, where over 85% of the homes were damaged or destroyed during the storm.  We will have a tourist day in New York City and a beach day at the Jersey Shore.  If time and money permit, we may also take a trip to Six Flags theme park.  Youth, if you are interested in this trip, please contact Christine Garton.  A $50 deposit will hold your spot.

A mandatory fundraiser meeting for trip participants and a parent/guardian will be held immediately following worship on Oct. 20. 

We will start doing fundraisers this fall.   

FAMILY NEWS

Families are invited to Dream Acres Farm in Camden for a hayride and corn maze on Sunday, October 27, from 3:30-5 PM.  Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-11, and free for kids under 6.  Cost includes the corn maze and the hayride.  There is a bounce house and a petting zoo for children for an additional cost.  IF YOU PLAN TO GO, PLEASE CONTACT CHRISTINE GARTON BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25.  Dream Acres Farm is located at:

11704 Camden Darrtown Rd
Camden, Ohio 45311
513-796-2061  

www.dreamacresonline.com

NEWPORT AQUARIUM FAITH WEEKEND OCTOBER 5 & 6.  All tickets are just $12 for church members, family, and friends.  You must place your order by Wednesday, October 2.  Contact Christine Garton for an order form or go to www.newportaquarium.com to order tickets. 

COLLEGE STUDENT NEWS

All college students are invited to our study of Engage: Gospel.  Engage is a 6-week small group study about faith sharing.  We will look at our own faith journey and explore how it fits into the larger picture of the gospel.  At the time this article was written, Christine Garton was still receiving feedback from students about the best day and time for this study.  If you would like more information, please contact Christine Garton.  Thanks!

ADULT EDUCATION NEWS

Would you like to be a small group leader for our Enough study?  Bill Fisher will lead the large group portion and DVD viewing each week, but we are in need of 2-3 adults who would be willing to be a small group leader to facilitate discussion from the leader's guide.  Dates are October 27-November 24 and the group will meet in the Molyneaux Library at 11:20 AM.  Please contact Christine Garton if you would like more information or would like to be a small group leader.

ADULTS, COLLEGE STUDENTS & HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH are invited to our next adult study called Enough.  It is a DVD-based study that invites us to rediscover the Bible's wisdom on prudent financial practices.  This study is endorsed by Dave Ramsey, famed Christian finance expert.  Enough will start October 27 and will run for 5 weeks.  All participants will meet together at 11:20 AM in the Molyneaux Library to watch the DVD, then split into small groups for discussion.  Study will take roughly 1 hour each week.  Please sign up on the sheet in the Molyneaux Library or on the church secretary's door, or contact Christine Garton to sign up. 

A Biologist's Stroll Through the Bible: Pigs and Dogs will be presented by Dr. Paul Russell on Sunday, October 13 at 11:20 AM in the Molyneaux Library.  Dr. Russell will present several seminars in the coming months on Biblical animals.  These presentations are stand-alone seminars, so you won't be lost if you miss one of the seminars in the series.  

Kids Corner

We have started a new feature in our newsletter called the Kids Corner.  Each month during the school year the Kids Corner will feature a character or place from the Bible and a trivia question.  You are encouraged to read the story along with your child or grandchild and discuss!  Any child who can tell Christine Garton the answer to the trivia question will receive a piece of candy.  Come by Christine's office or find her on Sunday morning to answer the trivia question.

Samuel

Samuel's name means, "asked by God."  When Samuel was just a little boy, his mother gave him away.  It's not that she didn't want him.  She loved him very much.  But she'd made a promise to God. 

Samuel's mother was Hannah.  She couldn't have children.  Something seemed to be wrong with her body.  Other women made fun of her for this.  She became so sad that she cried a lot.

One day she traveled to the city of Shiloh where Jews worshipped God.  This was before they built the temple in Jerusalem.  Hannah prayed to God for a son.  She promised that if God let her have a baby, she would give the boy back to him.  She would let her son grow up with the priests at Shiloh.  Her boy would serve God by helping the priests. 

That's exactly what happened.  Hannah and her husband, Elkanah (el CAN ah), kept Samuel until he was able to eat regular food.  Then they took him to Shiloh.  The high priest, Eli, raised him like a son. 

Though Samuel's parents lived a day's walk away, they came to visit as often as they could.  When they did, Samuel's mother brought clothes she made for him.

When Samuel grew up, he became a leader of the Jews.  As a judge, he settled disagreements.  As a priest, he offered sacrifices for the people.  And, as a prophet, he delivered God's messages. 

Samuel was a good man.  But he had lousy sons.  They were greedy crooks.  When Samuel got old, the Jews were afraid that his sons would be horrible leaders.  So they asked Samuel to give them a king.  It hurt his feelings.  And it hurt God, too.

"Don't feel bad," God told Samuel.  "It's not you they've rejected.  It's me.  I have always been their King."

God told Samuel to make Saul the first king of Israel.  Samuel did.  Years later, Samuel selected the king who would someday replace Saul.  At the time, David was just a shepherd boy.  But one day he would become Israel's most famous king.   

*Taken from Who's Who & Where's Where in the Bible for Kids by Stephen Miller. 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Whom did God tell Samuel to appoint as the first king of Israel?  Saul

Find the Word Search Puzzle about Samuel in the newsletter.

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