"The Messenger"
September 2010
Amherst Presbyterian Church,
Incorporated Amherst, VA
24521
"Daily
Bread" Saturday,
September 4,
volunteers for Daily Bread should arrive at the church at 9:15 a.m. If you are interested in helping with
this important ministry, please show up and a rewarding experience is
guaranteed.
"Adult
Sunday School" -
Beginning September
12 at 9:45
a.m. Adult Sunday School class will resume. Please meet in Pastor De's office.
"Thank
you" - Thank you to Anne Wilkins for providing homemade, fresh
lemonade which was served in the fellowship hall directly after service on the
second Sunday in July & August!
Thank you, Anne. Your
thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated!
"Congregational
Meeting"
- On September
19 a
congregational meeting will take place following the morning worship
service. The purpose of this
meeting is to elect 3 members from the congregation to serve on the nominating
committee. Joe LeBlanc and Anne
Wilkins are the elders serving.
"Fellowship
& Membership" Committee - "Our committee has had their hands in many things!
APC
Directory -- a new church directory has been sent
out to all. If you see any thing that needs to be changed, please let one of
our committee members know and we will do an update.
Breakfast - A "Back-to-School"
breakfast was held on August 15. The fellowship was wonderful, the food was
great and we collected $163 to give to our Preschool Scholarship Fund. Please
look for details on the next breakfast we have. This is a great time for
fellowship and we hope you will join us.
Photographer - As many of you may have
noticed at our church functions, there has been the click of a camera capturing
these events. The pictures are then made into displays for all of us to enjoy.
We would like to recognize Joe LeBlanc for the great job he is doing and since he is
doing such a great job, we have named him our "Official Church
Photographer". Thanks, Joe!!
Yard
Sale - Our 2nd
annual ecumenical yard sale will be September 25. This yard sale is to raise
funds to give back to our community. We would like to give to a couple
organizations and one of them being our local food bank. Currently we have 2 other churches
joining us in the endeavor and hope more will join.
This
event was a success last year due to many helping hands. We hope you can help
out again this year. Here are
areas where we need use help:
Donating items to sell
Saving plastic bags
Pricing
the items - Sept. 22 & 23 in the church fellowship hall at 5:00 p.m.
Loading
items for delivery to our church property - Sept. 24 at 5:00 p.m.
Setting up for the day of the sale at the church property at 6:00 a.m.
YES, there will be fresh coffee
Working
the day of the sale
Cleaning
up after the sale
If
you have any items you would like to donate you may start bringing them to the
church and put them in our nursery (the room across from the kitchen). Grant
Massie has offered to pick up (with your help) any large items the night
before the sale. Please contact him directly if you need his service.
God Bless, Joanne, Anne, Carol, Donna, Grant, Janice and Sharon.
"Preschool
News" Our
2010 - 2011 school is off to a great start! Enrollment has increased from last
year leaving limited available spaces. We are happy to announce that we have
added "The Extended Care Program" which operates from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday. All our
previous teachers are returning this year and we have hired two new employees.
As
always, we welcome each of you to come visit our classrooms and we would love
for you to sign-up to volunteer.
We can always use you to read to a class, help with carpool, or anything
else you might like to offer.
Thank
you so much to all everyone who has given so generously to our Preschool
Scholarship Fund. Currently, there
are five families benefiting from this wonderful mission that Amherst
Presbyterian Church provides for the preschool. So, once again...a very heartfelt
"thank you"!!
And
finally, we are looking forward to the 2nd Annual Yard Sale. Some
items have already been donated and a few parents have volunteered to help out.
Kimberly
Maddox, Director
September
Volunteers
Building & Grounds - Ernie
Baker & Ed Kryspin
Greeter - Barbara Baker
Ushers - Ernie Baker & Bob
Wimer
Pastor's
Page - The
little boy sat on the bench outside the museum with his grandmother. Before
entering, they would have their lunch. He carefully unwrapped the mayonnaise
and lettuce sandwich which he had made for himself. "I am trying to eat more
healthy, Grandma." Gravely, he ate every bite, folded up the wrapping, wiped
his face, and tossed the trash into the litter basket.
He
reached into his pocket and pulled out his New Testament given to him by his
minister, opened it, held it up before his eyes, and proceeded to read, moving
his eyes back and forth across the page in a devout but uncharacteristic
silence. After a long minute, he closed the book slipping it into his pocket.
"Okay, Grandma. I'm ready. Let's go to the museum."
Grandma
was impressed, and amused, because the boy cannot read. He wants to read. His
sister can read. Some of his friends can read. But he cannot read. And he knows
he cannot read, telling folks what he is missing. So what was he doing,
"reading" the New Testament on the park bench that afternoon?
The
little boy, moving his eyes back and forth across the pages of his Bible,
"reading" but not reading, reverent but uncomprehending, honors this book but
without awareness that it has anything to with either the lettuce sandwich he
has eaten or the museum he is about to enter. Is he like us?
In
order to read the Scriptures adequately and accurately, it is necessary at the
same time to live them. Not to live them as a prerequisite to reading them, and
not to live them in consequence of reading them, but to live them as we read
them, the pendulum of living and reading.
Reading
the Bible is letting ANOTHER have a say in everything we are saying and doing.
It is as easy as that. And as hard.
Shalom, De