From the Pastor November 13, 2011

I Chronicles 16:7-18

“Then on that day David first appointed the singing of praises to the Lord by Asaph and his

kindred. O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the

peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy

name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength,

seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles,

and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of his servant Israel, children of Jacob, his chosen

ones. He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Remember his covenant

forever, the word that he commanded for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made

with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel

as an everlasting covenant, saying, „To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for

an inheritance.”

The covenant that God made with us, that began in the Garden of Eden, is like no other covenant

or promise that we make. Most of our covenants or promises are for car loans, mortgages, leases on

machines or buildings. They are really just transactions agreed to by both parties. It is a fair deal that

both agree to, after some negotiation. The only covenant we make that is vaguely close to God‟s is the

covenant of marriage, but even there, it is not the same.

God‟s covenant with us is very different. First, God initiated the covenant; it was born out of God‟s

desire to have a relationship with creation. Second, the terms are set by God: „I will be your God and you

will be my people.‟ Third, God never breaks the covenant, even if we do. One example is found in the

book of Hosea Chapter 11:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called

them, the more they went from me”… Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my

arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of

love I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.”

Later Hosea describes how the nation went their own way, but instead of wrath God says:

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like

Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm

and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim for I am God and

no mortal the Holy One in your midst,

and I will not come in wrath.”

God‟s faithfulness is not like the landscaper who shows up every Tuesday to cut your grass or the

steady stream of electricity that Duke Power agrees to supply. God‟s faithfulness to us, the very nature of

the covenant, is that God will always do what God has promised to do, always.

Steve

Question 17. Why then did God create the world? God's creation of the world was an act of grace. God granted existence to the world

simply in order to bless it. God created the world to reveal God's glory, to share the love and freedom at the heart of God's being, and to give us eternal life in fellowship with God.

Ps. 19:1 "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork."

2 Cor. 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Ps. 67:6-7 "The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us;

let all the ends of the earth revere him." Eph. 1:3-4 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every

spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love."

John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life."

Question 18. Does your confession of God as Creator contradict the findings of modern science?

No. Natural science has much to teach us about the particular mechanisms of nature, but it is not equipped to answer questions about ultimate reality. Nothing basic to the

Christian faith contradicts the findings of modern science, nor does anything essential to modern science contradict the Christian faith.

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being."

Question 19. What does it mean to say that human beings are created in the image of God? God created us to live together in love and freedom — with God, with one another, and with the world. We are created to be loving companions of others so that something of

God's goodness may be reflected in our lives.

Gen. 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the

wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." Gen. 1:27 "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them."

Question 20. What does our creation in God's image reflect about God? Our being created for loving relationships is a reflection of the Holy Trinity. In the

mystery of the one God, the three divine persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — live eternally in perfect love and freedom.

Luke 3:21-22 "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,

the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'"

John 1:18 "No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known."

John 5:19 "Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise."

John 17:21-22 "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them,

so that they may be one, as we are one."

Second Pres – Serving In Faith

Being the Hands and Feet of Christ

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:37-39

Foil

Brown Sugar

Aluminum Pans

Canned Milk

Crisco Shortening

Vanilla Flavoring

Lemon Flavoring

Sage

ALDIS BAGS

Raisins

Hams

Turkeys

Cranberry Sauce

Potatoes (white or sweet)

Pickles (sweet)

Pimentos

Cheese

Dish Detergent

Regular dish towels and dish rags

Black pepper

Salt

Sugar

Garlic powder

CARRY OUT BOXES

Presbyterian Women Thank Offering Accepting contribution for this Special Offering Sunday November 20, 2011

History of the Thank Offering

The PW Thank Offering originated in the late 1800s with Eliza Clokey of Springfield, Ohio. Her plan was to ask each woman to

give a gift in addition to her usual contribution to the Women’s General Missionary Society of the United Presbyterian Church of

North America as a “thank offering to our Lord.” In 1888, the women designated a day for prayer and thanksgiving when this

special offering should be received. These sacrificial gifts, it is said, saved the worldwide missionary movement of their

denomination. Though the thrust of how and where the money was used changed over the years, the “thank offering to her Lord”

continued to be an important part of United Presbyterian Women’s and her family’s giving.

Give to the Thank Offering

PW in the Congregations typically collect the Thank Offering in the fall and dedicate their offerings in the fall. No

giving guidelines are suggested other than “give as you are blessed.” Members who contribute to the Offering

should make their donation payable to PW Second Presbyterian Church.

5th ANNUAL HOMELESSNESS VIGIL

Thursday November 17, 2011

6:00 to 8:30 pm

BARNET PARK - Spartanburg

Homelessness is a reality for families and individuals in the upstate. It is a community issue.

Come be a part of the 5th Annual Homelessness Vigil November 17 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM at Barnet Park

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Neil Donovan - Executive Director National Coalition for the Homeless - Keynote Speaker

Mock Soup Kitchens, Testimonials, Music,

Spoken Work Poetry, Candlelight Vigil

"Like" The Haven on or visit us at

www.thehavenshelter.com

"Like" the Upstate Homeless Coalition on

or visit them at www.upstatehomeless.com

JUNE 26th –

July 2nd

Second Sundays Join us November 13th directly after church as we travel to downtown

Greenville to find the “Mice on Main”. Bring a bag lunch.

Please let Miss Elizabeth know by Nov 9th if you plan to attend.

A W o r d F r o m E l i z a b e t h

Youth Group

5:30

Price Hall

Love, Learn, Laugh

TOGETHER!

If you have any left-over Halloween

candy, please give it to Elizabeth.

Advent is the season to explore the abundant promise of Christ’s birth. Begin the celebration of Christmas and pick up your Advent devotional in

the narthex or main office.

2011 SECOND PRESBYTERIAN STEWARSHIP CAMPAIGN The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has

founded it on the seas, and

established it on the rivers.” —

Psalm 24:1-2

In 2011, Second Presbyterian Church will be celebrating a significant milestone in our church’s history; it will be our 120th anniversary and possibly our 120 Stewardship campaign to support the work of Christ’s ministries.

What is stewardship? It has been said, “Stewardship is everything you do after you say I believe.” At the very least stewardship is our thankful response to God’s grace and goodness. It requires a deliberation of how our choices affect us and others in our congregation and community, of how we can be good caretakers of the created world and of how we can best serve God as Disciples of Christ. Second Presbyterian Church is a place where we can share resources which help us individually and corporately to make the choices that make us the best stewards we can be of our skills and financial resources.

“Oh so you think that’s

funny huh?”

Greening of the Church November 20, 2011

Immediately following the morning worship service, there will be a sub sandwich meal in Price Hall for those who are staying to decorate the

church for the Christmas Season. If you are going to eat, please fill out the form which you will find in the pews and place

in the offering plate, or call Sharon in the office at 583-6696. We need a total head count in order to ensure that there will be enough food.

Second Presbyterian Church is ordering Christmas Poinsettias in honor/memory of loved ones. They are $13.50 each and will be delivered to the church on December 10th. The poinsettias

will decorate our sanctuary and then you may take the plants home with you.

If you would like to order a poinsettia(s), please indicate below. Forms can be placed in the offering plate on Sunday or turned into the office. Deadline is Sunday, November 27th.

I would like to order a poinsettia in honor or memory of a loved one.

Name _________________________________ Phone _____________________________ In honor/memory (circle one) of ________________________________________________ Payment of #13.50 included check _________________ cash ___________________

New Addresses

JR and Kristen Smith

137 Bristow Lane

Spartanburg, SC 29301

Bryan and Carolyn Coates

117 Fernridge Drive

Spartanburg, SC 29307

Alexis Deal

260 Dogwood Drive

Pacolet, SC 29372

New Members

Crystal and Manley Christian

Tyler, Caleb, Madelyn

326 Indian Summer Lane

Boiling Springs, SC 29316

(Please note the correct spelling of Crystal’s name

and the corrected Street address.)

Flower Calendar

Don’t forget to sign up for the

“Flower Calendar”.

In doing so, be sure that you let Sharon know so the honorary mention can be

put in the Newsletter.

Fellowship Class

Please note: The Fellowship Sunday School Class will be at Montreat on

November 11-13th.

Jan and

Jan and I would like to sincerely thank our friends of Second Pres

For all their kindnesses and concerns following my surgery.

We are so thankful for our caring and loving church.

Tom and Jan Sumerel

from Sharon

I’m not sure everyone realizes this, so

just to clarify: I am not in the office

on Fridays. Please feel free to leave

me a message or an email if you need

something and I will get back to you

on the following Monday .

A

At-home Members: Marjorie Allison, Lena Bryson

Laura Fowler, Roy Hall Nell McPherson, Betty Sims Everett Tillotson, Fay Tillotson

Grady Towery

Paul Atkinson

Adam Patterson

(Bess Jones’ son)

SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF NOV 13th – Nov 19th

SUNDAY – November 13th

9:45 am – Sunday School

11:00 am – Worship Service – Communion

5:30 pm – Youth Group

MONDAY – November 14th

No ladies Bible study

11:45 am – Circle #2 Meeting

5:30 pm – Circle #4 Meeting

TUESDAY – November 15th

6:00 pm – Family, You Can’t Beat Them

7:00 pm – AA Men, Closed Meeting

WEDNESDAY –November 16th

5:45 pm – Church Supper

6:15 pm – Royal Ringers

6:15 pm – WOW

6:30 pm – Bible Study

7:15 pm – Choir Practice

THURSDAY – November 17th

6:00 pm – Family You Can’t Beat Them

7:00 pm – Session Meeting

FRIDAY – November 18th

7:00 am – Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study

9:30 am – Family, You Can’t Beat Them

11:00 am – Family, You Can’t Beat Them

SATURDAY – November 19th

6:00 pm – Mixer Supper

7:00 p.m. AA Men, Open Meeting

Ushers for November

Richard Faust, Ron Fine, Skip Frye, Bill Mitchell,

Paul and Elaine Pruitt, George and Dale Wenger

Elder on Call for the week of November 13th

Vernon Atkinson. He can be reached at:

(H) 582-2793 (C) 621-2007

November Nursery Checkers

Nov 13 – Kristen Smith / Holly Hartell

Nov 20 – Elizabeth Tinga / Beverly Reynolds

Nov 27 – Betty Pryor / Martha Waters

Offering Team for November Danny Rhodes / Jared Young

People with Special Needs to Pray For:

Dawn Lowe, Bryant Reeves, Payton Dominick, Margie Goodwin, Mary Lee Hayes, Willie Hill, Pat Miller, Anslie Waters, Ava &

Garrison Williams (grandchildren of JoAnn & Roy Bishop), Sheila Cowen, Jeannette

Cannon (Cal’s mother), Juanita Smith, Robert Cason, Phyllis Dellenbarger (March Moody's mother), Loree George, Judy Rhodes.

In Assisted Living or Nursing Home: Eden Terrace – Martha Wharton

Fountainview Center, Atlanta, GA – Eva Veal Mountainview Nursing Home – Janet Baker (Loree George’s sister-in-law)

Presbyterian Home – Jackie Parris (Clinton) Skylyn Place – Mattie Allen (Assisted Living)

Skylyn Place – Rachel Hart (Assisted Living) White Oak Manor – Beth Bradley (Emily Reid’s Sister)

Write to our soldiers!

They need to hear from

home!

The caterer needs to have a firm head count of attendees each Monday so please contact Sharon in at the church office (583-6696) or fill in a reservation form and leave it in one of the boxes placed in the church for your convenience by NOON on MONDAY if you plan to join us for dinner on Wednesday. Cost: $6.00 per adult / $4.00 per child (12 and under) / $15.00 per family We look forward to sharing this special time together – please plan to join us!

November 2

Lasagna

Garden salad

Garlic Bread

Dessert

November 9

Pulled BBQ w/bun

Baked Beans

Cole Slaw

Dessert

November 16

Holiday Ham

Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Beans

Biscuit

Dessert

November 30

Roasted pork Loin

Hash brown Casserole

Green Beans

Roll Dessert

November 23

Holiday

Closed for

Thanksgiving

2 – Cathy Martin 3 – Nikki Allison Nathan Reynolds Kaelyn Young 5 – Velma Atkinson 8 – Haley Blanton 10 – Joy Hoyle 11 – Bryan Coates 12 – Dennis Regnier 13 – JoAnn Bishop 15 – Chantey Hannon 17 – Eden Young Mary Margaret Greene 18 – Patrick Anderson Kaysie Brady 18 – Patrick Anders

19 – Matthew Lee 21 – Juanita Smith Patrick Greene Mary Beth White 22 –Judy McKinney Kelley Reeves 23 – Martha Wharton Sandra Sweet Molly Atkinson 24 – Sherry McGarity 25 – Brenda Killian 26 – Doris Smith Brian Gregory 28 – Jo Anne Ballenger 30 - Frank Waters Matthew Goodman