Discover
I don’t know many things that encourage a pastor more than to see members of our congregation invite and encourage friends to worship with them here. A new church like ours can count on some walk-in traffic in response to advertisements and other efforts we make to let people know about who we are and what we’re doing. Some of you who are regulars among us now came in response to some of those efforts. By now, though, many of our neighbors know we’re here. But many of them still aren’t here. Think about how good you feel when people care enough about you to invite you into their home or to share a special experience with them. That’s the same way people feel when you invite them to worship and participate in other activities at church with them. Of course many people you know are in satisfying, fulfilling relationships with their own congregations. Our call is not to disturb those relationships. But most of us probably know some who either don’t participate in church at all or whose participation is not what it once was. Several of our recent visitors have been here because some of you personally invited them to come. As important as our efforts to promote the Church are, they can’t come close to a personal invitation from someone who has found a good thing here at
A Word from Our Pastor
Yes, you’re reading the February newsletter with only a few days left in the month. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down this month to get this out to you and been unable to get to it because of other projects. I know some of you wonder what in the world I do all week between Sundays. Two big projects this month have been working with a group here to complete a New Church Development Grant Application which we hope will help secure funding for expanding our ministry and working with another group of folks from across our Presbytery to plan for a leader development event we’ll conduct this summer (more on that later). Of course, there is the regular weekly study and preparation that goes into the sermon, preparing to lead Bible study on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings (We finished up this month, but don’t worry, something else will fill that time!) and with children on Tuesday afternoons. Ash Wednesday worship fell in there last week. That column I write for the Nassau News keeps rolling around. You get the picture.
The good news about all this is that all these things are helping to grow our ministry. You’ll read about some things coming up this spring and summer in this issue. I know you’re all busy, too. Let’s remember to pray for one another and the various projects and things in which we’re all involved. And let’s remember to continue to pray for our church as it continues to come into being. God is doing good things among us. Thanks for being part of them!
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee held its regular meeting for January on the 18th at 7:00 pm at the Church. Actions taken include:
--review and approval of minutes and financial statements.
--review of 2009 annual report statistics.
--noted receipt of new guidelines for NCD Mission Grants and agreed to a process to participate.
--review of upcoming calendar.
--reports from various Ministry Teams.
The Steering Committee has also been meeting monthly to study and complete a New Church Development Mission Grant Application by March 17. The Steering Committee regularly meets monthly. The February meeting was held on the 15th and will be reported in the March newsletter. March’s meeting will be on March 15. If you have questions or items for the Steering Committee to discuss, please see Bob or another member of the Committee. Please remember to pray for the Committee as its members provide leadership for our growing congregation.
Stewardship Reminder:
In Plenty and In Want!
The new year is now in full swing. As we have all settled into new schedules and activities, we encourage you to remember your pledges of financial support of the church and its ministry. As each of us gives regularly and proportionately in response to the blessings God provides in our lives, we are able to do far more together than any of us could do alone. Whatever schedule works best for your situation, we encourage you to give faithfully and systematically so that we can meet and exceed the goals we have set for this year and beyond. Thank you for your continuing participation in the ministry of Providence Presbyterian Church as it grows.
Special Guests Scheduled
The next couple of weeks bring opportunities for us to welcome family members from our Presbytery who will be with us for worship.
On Sunday, February 28, Alisun Donovan, Associate Executive for New Missional Communities for the Presbytery of St. Augustine, will worship with us. Alisun lives and works in
Cal Findeiss serves as Program Director at
Christian Education News:
Fifteen participants in two groups recently completed a fourteen-week study of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Watch for an announcement about a new study after Easter.
Dinner and a Movie Night and What’s Love Got to Do With It? both provided opportunities for us to gather to learn about our faith together.
A full schedule of other events awaits us after Easter. That schedule is available at the church and on our website at http://www.providenceyulee.com/. Plan to join us as we study and learn together.
Tuesday afternoons continue to be filled with children’s activities. Each week, kids meet for Bible study and music activities. See Deanna for more information or if you know a child in grades 2-5 who need to come.
Lenten Opportunities at
Sometimes people think of Lent as a time to give up things or to focus on things we can’t do. At
Ash Wednesday worship began the season on February 17. Several of us gathered to begin the season in solemn remembrance of God’s call to discipleship.
Sunday Worship each week at 9:30 am will focus on We’re Listening as a theme. Each week, we’ll listen to a story or individual with something helpful to say to us as we ponder God’s grace.
Holy Habits—Tuesday evening opportunities to learn together. On Tuesdays during Lent we’ll gather at 6:30 pm to consider a different discipline or resource for spiritual growth each week. These events will feature brief times of worship followed by conversation about how to use things like Scripture, prayer, devotional reading, quiet time and self denial as tools for spiritual growth.
Where in the World is God? is the daily devotional reading guide we’ve selected for this year. If you haven’t picked one up yet, there are still a few available at the church.
We will provide a schedule of Holy Week and Easter activities soon. Plan to join us as we participate in special activities designed to help us grow in faith together.
A Couple of Save the Dates!
Mark your calendars:
Sunday, March 14, after worship we’re all invited to enjoy lunch together at
June 4, 5, and 6 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). We are very excited to announce that we’re bringing widely-known church music composer and director Hal Hopson to
Is That a Tree?
After the dreary and cold winter we’ve experienced, most of us are ready for any sign of new life we can find. Frostbitten
Outreach Opportunities
We have several ongoing opportunities to help others in our community and beyond. First, thanks to all who have contributed to special offerings to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). At last report, our gifts had totaled $980.00. Our gifts are a part of the more than $500,000 Presbyterians have given toward relief in
Another way we can help PDA is by helping with a summer project at
hand (not bath) towels
washcloths
wide-tooth combs
nail clippers
soap (bath size in wrapper)
toothbrushes (original packaging)
band aids (standard size)
gallon size Ziploc bags.
We will gather your gifts and get them to the
Of course, we continue to collect food for the Barnabas Food Pantry every Sunday as part of our regular offering. Thanks to Barnabas volunteers who deliver your gifts of food to the Pantry each week.
Thanks for your participation in these and other efforts to help people in need here in our own community and around the world
News on the Way about
Feeding the Hungry
We have not forgotten our plans to work with other churches in our area to feed the hungry in an off-Island location. We have exciting news to report. A facility (the former
Worship is at 9:30 am on Sundays. Everyone is welcome! Other programs occur at various times throughout the week and are announced in the bulletin and on the church website at http://www.providenceyulee.com/. The website also includes recent sermons and links to other helpful information.
You can also contact us be e-mail at providenceyulee@comcast.net or by phone at 904-432-8118.
