Elation Arts Series Presents

Duruflé’s Requiem & Selections from Les Miserables

Novum Voce brings Emmanuel’s 50th Anniversary celebrations to a spectacular close on Sunday, October

28 when they present a concert featuring Duruflé’s Requiem and selections from the Broadway show, “Les Miserables” with organ, harp and chamber orchestra.

If you are familiar with Faure’s Requiem, you will certainly love the beautifully written and haunting melodies of the Durufle – a fine master work in the French style. The French theme continues as the focus moves to the Broadway musical, “Les Miserables,” based on the novel by French poet and playwright Victor Hugo.

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Since June, Emmanuel has taken a collective pause to reflect on and celebrate our rich history here in the

Conejo Valley. During the 50th Anniversary Celebration, we have installed and dedicated a new sanctuary cross, enjoyed movies and family fellowship, gathered together for corporate prayer at the Emmanuel Prayer Walk, paid homage to our mission-centered heritage at the Missionary Shout-Out, and shared a special reflective CARP weekend.

We’ve heard many Emmanuel stories through the Memory Minutes videos each Sunday morning. Old friends have stopped by to share the fun, including our founding pastor’s children, David Meriwether and Margaret Connell.

Our theme has been Praise for the Past, Faith for the

Future. Pastor Stuart shared some thoughts from the pulpit about the first part of this theme:

“What a past it has been! There have been several dozen going into the ministry over the years; millions of dollars given in missional service around the world; legacy of families who have raised their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, as the old phrase proclaims. There have been thousands of graduations from high school and thousands of graduations from this world to eternity. At every stage of life, Emmanuel has stood strong for Jesus Christ and has lifted up the Gospel. It didn’t matter who the pastor was or the staff or session: in every year we have done our best to honor Christ.”

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October 6 & 750th Celebration Weekend

OCTOBER 2012 VOLUME 8 l ISSUE 8EMMANUEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH NEWSLETTER

50th Weekend Cont.

A five-week series that will challenge

us to understand and engage in the five main purposes of the church as found in the book of Acts:1. Devotion to authen-

tic community (Acts 2:44) 2. Develop a worshipful

lifestyle (Acts 2:46-47) 3. Commit to spiritual

growth (Acts 2:42) 4. Embrace steward-

ship and a generous lifestyle (Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-35) 5. Engage in sharing God’s love and the gospel with

others (Acts 2:47)

When Will “The Five Purposes” Begin?The program runs from Sunday, October 14, continu-

ing for five weeks. Here is an opportunity for Em-manuel members and friends to once again bring new study to your small group or, if you are not in an active group, to form one!How Do I Sign Up?* The Connection Center desk in the narthex is

the place to sign up to join a group, form a new group, order leader’s guides and participant’s workbooks.* Call Kathy Michael, Volunteer Coordinator,

480-2699.* Call Sharon Lounsberry in the church office,

498-4502.

Five Purposes of the ChurchSmall Group Study Starts this Month

Sunday Journey

This month we begin with a great celebration. We are

putting the finishing touches on the service right now, but I can tell you it

will be a special day. ONE service, 10:30am on October 7. That week we focus on the second part of our 50th Anniversary theme: Faith for the Future.

With that in mind, we move into our fall sermon series that is reinforced by materials you can have for your small group or simply to do on your own. In fact, this year the reading material is a daily devotional that can either work for you as a follow up for the sermon or

a preparation. This year our theme is The Five Purposes of the Church. We will use the Acts early church as our model for how we can incorporate these purposes into our own church and our own lives. That early church devoted themselves to authentic community (Acts 2:44), they developed a worship lifestyle (Acts 2:46-47), they committed themselves to spiritual growth (Acts 2:42), they embraced a generous lifestyle (Acts 2: 44-45) and they engaged in sharing God’s love and the Gospel with others (Acts 2:47).

In a related article found below, you will see more details. I am looking forward to sharing this with you!

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The 50th Anniversary Celebration culminates on October 6 and 7 with a weekend filled with fun and fellowship. Saturday night, beginning at 7 p.m., Emmanuel will have a Homecoming, featuring music, memories, laughter and praise. There will be a dessert reception on the brick patio following the Homecoming program. All are welcome to join.

On Sunday morning, October 7, we will gather together for a single service at 10:30 a.m. The morning will be full – of worship, music, prayer, and fellowship. Following worship, a celebration luncheon has been planned on the front lawn – a birthday party of sorts! If you have not RSVP’d for the luncheon, please contact the office quickly to reserve a spot at the table. Cost is $12.

Looking toward the second part of our theme, Faith for the Future, Pastor Stuart also shared these thoughts from the pulpit:

“As we stand on the brink of the next 50 years, we need to hold the memories close of God’s faithfulness to Emmanuel. He has been with us in the good times. And he has been among us in the hard times. As we praise God for the past we are praising him for his mighty acts in Egypt and his mighty acts in the lives of people here at the corner of Lynn and Manzanas. And we pass on the story to the next generation that we were once slaves to this world, but we have been transformed by Christ.”

Children’s ministry wants to thank all those who made our annual Carpinteria weekend retreat a

great success for all our families. The children enjoyed a bible verse activity, building sandcastles, footprints in the sand, and many more memorable times with their families.

The kids are back in school and we have begun our exciting new Sunday School curriculum. Our preschool and kindergarten class will begin exploring through Group’s Hands-on Bible curriculum and our elementary-aged children will get in the action with Group’s Living Inside Out. Our focus is to truly allow our children here at Emmanuel to engage with each other, engage with our energetic teachers, and engage in a relationship with God. Living Inside Out provides an opportunity to have discussion within the family about our wonderful creator.

We will continue with Family Sundays starting in November at the beginning of both our 9 and 10:45am

services. We invite the entire family to join us for 20 minutes of drama, music, and puppets in our rainforest parable quest. Please come directly to room 5 and when dismissed, please return to the sanctuary quietly.

There will also be a monthly update on our mission for MANNA on the first Sunday of the month. We will be asking our children to bring in items every Sunday that we will be donating monthly to MANNA. For all the families this will be a great time to come together to talk about ways to serve our community and those in need.

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Children’s Ministry News

The concert features world-renowned artist John West on the organ. Besides accompanying Novum Voce on the Requiem, West will also perform an organ solo. Holding a master’s degree from the New England Con-servatory of Music in Boston, West has played with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pasadena Sym-phony and the Boston Pops with Arthur Fiedler. He has also performed at numerous venues around Southern California, including the Disney Concert Hall, the Hol-lywood Bowl and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The requiem will feature two soloists, Emmanuel’s very own, Sean Harbor and popular Los Angeles Baritone, Kevin Dalbey. Kevin currently performs with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Cantori Domino.Soloists featured in Les Miserables include Megan

Hagy, Jalin Hsu, William Martinez and Kevin Dalbey. Tickets are $15 prior to the show and $20 at the door.

Tickets go on sale on Sunday, October 7 and will also be available online or in the main church office during the week.

Elation Arts Series Concert cont.

Carp Fun!

EPC LibraryBook Notes

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Mission Morsels“God’s Heart for the World,” January 25-26, 2013 Santa Barbara Mission Conference

Work is well underway for the 11th annual Santa Barbara Mission Conference, January 25-26,

2013. All the speakers and workshop leaders have been booked, and the literature is nearing completion. The 2013 conference will feature some of the best mission people available. Our keynote speaker, Scott Sunquist, is the new dean of Fuller Seminary’s School of Intercultural Studies and is universally respected as a scholar and teacher. Brenda Salter McNeil, our plenary speaker, can be counted on to excite her audiences, especially collegians. Her topic will be racial reconciliation. Rodger Nishioka is our gift from Presbyterian World Mission. Rodger, like Brenda, is a gifted communicator to youth. He is an associate professor at Columbia Seminary in Atlanta (Decatur) and will be leading a double workshop for pastors. Other outstanding people will lead the remaining eight workshops.Santa Barbara Mission Conference continues in the

direction begun last year as it strives to reach and

engage collegians. In 2013 the focus will be on racial reconciliation, and Brenda Salter McNeil is just the person to address it. She has been the closing speaker at the Urbana Student Missions Conference, where she fired-up a crowd of 20,000.The planning of the

conference is also evolving. Representatives from the Free Methodist Church and Montecito Covenant Church have joined the Presbyterians serving on the Council. They bring access to college communities in addition to other resources and capabilities.This year’s prices are $35 general admission and $10

student admission. Registration forms can be found in the church office. Pre-registration is now open through January 15, 2013.

Book of the Month: “Cast of Characters” by Max Lucado. Stories of Bible characters who

encountered the living God, and how that same experience of grace and redemption can be ours.

Guest Speaker: Scott Sunquist

From Your DeaconsThank You!

The deacons would like to thank everyone who gave blood at the recent blood drive. Once

again we had a wonderful response from Emmanuel.

Save the Date!Emmanuel Christmas Mission Market

Saturday, November 10, 2012, 10am-3pmFeatured Activities & Participants

Mission Market Participants, Manna Collection,Habitat for Humanity, Ventura Rescue Mission,

Joni & Friends, ACTION, Emmanuel BBQ Team

Open House for Emmanuel Choirs

If you love to sing, but the idea of going through an audition to join a chorus intimidates you, or you just want to sing for fun with others, then the Choral Arts at EPC has the perfect place for you. Come check us out during the month of October and see if this is where you would like to sing.

Newsong (grades 2 – 5), will host open houses every Tuesday in October from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. All children have the chance to check out the mini Christmas musical that Newsong will perform at both services on Sunday, December 2. Auditions for the parts in the musical will be held on October 23, with the results being announced on October 30. Newsong welcomes children throughout the church and from all over the Conejo Valley.

Emmanuel Choir and its community partner Novum Voce, open to high school students and adults, are also opening their doors on Thursdays in October for open houses from 7 – 9 p.m. The first half of rehearsals 7 – 8 p.m. will focus on the Novum Voce concert music, with the second half being dedicated to what happens musically each week for Sunday worship.

Novum Voce’s members come from all over Southern California to join together with the Emmanuel Choir. The next concert will be on Sunday, October 28, featuring Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem and selections from the Broadway show, “Les Miserables.” Since Novum Voce only has 2-3 concerts per year, this might be the perfect place for a singer who doesn’t have time to sing every week in a worship choir.

If you’d like to check out Emmanuel’s music ministry opportunities, give Tony a call in the office at 805-498-4502, ext. 12, and find out for yourself how passion lives in the Choral and Instrumental Arts at Emmanuel!

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MOTS - Mothers of Teenagers

MOTS is starting up again for the Year! We meet every Wednesday from 12:00-1:30 p.m. in the

Youth Room.We are a group of moms of teenagers and college age

kids, who laugh, cry, support, and pray for each other as we navigate the waters of parenting. We also just started studying the book, “Letters from a Skeptic,” to

encourage and strengthen us as we work through ques-tions we and our children will be facing in the Faith. It is never too late to join us! Please give Lynn Foerster, 805-405-8550 or Lori Hall, 805-469-3130, a call and jump into joy of supportive sisters!

Friday, October 19, 10 a.m.Senior Friends Coffee

The Deacons have a great ministry that provides

friendship and fellowship for our Emmanuel members who are shut-in, unable to drive, or living alone. If you are looking for an opportunity to participate in this meaningful and valuable ministry that fits a flexible schedule, Senior Friends could be a perfect fit for you!There will be a coffee for all

those who currently have a special friend, those who would like to connect with a new friend, or just to learn more and consider joining a ministry that provides God’s love and support.For more details, please call Lynn

MacKenzie at 497-3833 or Judy Haskell at 497-2466.

Save the Date & Decorate: Sunday, December 2Tree Lighting Ceremony at Emmanuel!

The holidays will soon be upon us, and Emmanuel is kicking off the Christmas season festively on Sunday, December 2, the first Sunday of Advent, with a tree-lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. There will be carol singing, refreshments, a welcome to our friends and neighbors from the pastors, and the lighting of a tree on the front lawn of the church. Please set aside the date and bring your family and friends to this church-wide event as we welcome the community to our home! To greet our friends and neighbors in the spirit of the season, we’re inviting our church family to help decorate our spiritual home on Saturday, December 1, and prepare for the ceremony the next day. There are opportunities for all of

our ministries to be involved. Join one of our teams as we bake and decorate cookies for refreshments at the ceremony, make swags to hang on the church doors, set up the tree and put lights on it for the next evening, decorate the sanctuary and hang lights outside. A schedule of times and specific activities will follow soon. To sign up or find out more, contact Suzanne Luce at rsluce@yahoo.com or at 558-1962. Come, be a part of this special time for our church family. Help prepare the church on Saturday, December 1, then come welcome our neighbors at the tree-lighting ceremony on Sunday, December 2, and be a part of the light shining in the darkness this Christmas season!

Get the latest facts and learn about all the upcoming

changes in Social Security and Medicare at our workshop on Wednesday, October 24, 7-8:30p.m. in the Fireside Room.Betty Berry, the Senior Concerns’

Advocate in our community, will explain the ins and outs of the programs included under Social Security Benefits. Baby Boomers are encouraged to attend!As you plan ahead, this is a great

opportunity to gather information to make informed decisions for your future. You don’t want to miss this one! Watch for flyers with more details soon! Reservations are requested, please call the church office at 498-4502 by October 22 to save your place for this popular speaker.

Social Security & MedicareWhat’s New in 2013?

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10/3 New Members Class 6:30-8pm, fireside room

10/6 50th Celebration Homecoming Program celebrating Emmanuel through the decades, 7pm, sanctuary

10/7 50th Celebration - One Service 10:30am. Luncheon on the lawn follows the service

10/9 Parents of Young Children 6:45pm drop off children at EPC nursery, 7pm at Bond’s

10/10 Empty Nesters, 7pm at the Bond’s

10/19 Senior Friends Coffee 10am, fireside room

10/24 Social Security Workshop 7pm, fireside room

10/28 Duruflé’s Requiem & Select- ions from Les Miserables Concert, 6pm, sanctuary

Coming in November

11/7 Empty Nesters, 7pm at the Bond’s

11/10 Christmas Mission Market 10am-3pm, EPC campus

11/13 Parents of Young Children 6:45pm drop off children at EPC nursery, 7pm at Bond’s

Weekly & Bi-Monthly GroupsROMEOS - (Retired old men eating

out), Thursdays 8am at the Newbury Park IHOP.

Mom’s In Prayer, 8:30am, everyFriday, Youth Room

MOPS - Mothers of Preschoolers, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 9:15am

MOTS - Moms of Teens, everyWednesday, 12pm, Youth Room