Newsletter January 2016

Monthly Newsletter of

The Kirk of the Keys Presbyterian Church

Message from the Pastor - By Rev. Dustin Sedlak

Dear friends of the Kirk of the Keys!

Happy 2016! Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I pray that

the new year brings you an abundance of blessings, namely a deeper faith and intimacy

with our great God--who gives to all who ask! The church of Jesus Christ at the Kirk of the

Keys endured trials and tribulations in 2015, but we are certainly all keenly more aware of

God’s goodness and faithfulness. We have found the church not to be a museum of saints,

but rather a refuge for humble and hungry sinners who come seeking God’s grace and

presence.

January brings a whole host of possibilities. January also brings many of our beloved

winter and seasonal friends and members. We welcome you back and we are delighted to

spend another season with you. Christ’s church at the Kirk is made up of such a richly

diverse group of saints and sinners. It remains a great and humbling privilege to be your

pastor and chief among all sinners well acquainted with God’s amazing grace. I look

forward to a great year of seeking and serving Christ in His church and in our

community. We are, I believe, at the beginning of a deep and wonderful season and I

invite you to join me in praying for the opportunities and ways in which we will serve

Christ through loving Him and loving all those in our great (and at times bizarre)

community.

Let us together and individually keep close to God as we grow in our awareness that God

has come close to us through His love as found in Christ: born, crucified and risen. Here

we go!

On your mark. Get set…

Justabranch, Pastor Dustin

The Marathon Playgroup will be

meeting at the Kirk of the Keys this

Monday, January 11th for a fun time

with Wiggles and Giggles. Ms. Jill

Culver does a wonderful job in this

movement class. If you’ve got a little

one, please come and join us!

Marathon Playgroup Wiggles & Giggles

Shawn grew up in the quaint town of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. She attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania for a year before enlisting in the United States Navy during Operation Desert Storm. After boot camp, she spent over a year in school being trained as an Electronic Technician in Orlando, FL, Great Lakes IL, and Norfolk, VA.

She met her husband, Ricky, in Norfolk, while attending HF Communications “C” School. After school she was stationed at SHORE INTERMEDIATE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY, Norfolk while Ricky continued to serve on the USS GUADALCANAL LPH-7.

After a short engagement, Ricky and Shawn were married on February 26, 1993, in Virginia Beach, VA. On Friday, October 13, 1995, they welcomed their first born daughter, Jessica Lauren, at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital with fireworks in celebration of the U.S. Navy’s 220th birthday.

In 1997, Shawn re-enlisted and received orders to attended ISABPS/VERDIN VLF/LF “C” school and on to U.S. NAVAL COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS STATION SICILY, ITALY (Jessica too) while Ricky remained stationed on the USS WASP LHD-1, home ported in Norfolk, VA. In 1998, Ricky joined Shawn and Jessica in Italy when he was transferred to the Flight Line Fire Station at NAVAL AIR STATION, SIGONELLA.

On May 6, 2002, Ricky and Shawn welcomed their second daughter, Lainie Nicole, in Italy while serving consecutive overseas tours of duty. In 2003, Ricky and Shawn received orders to the San Diego area next. Ricky went to the Air Department on the USS TARAWA LHA-1 and Shawn went to Ground Electronics at NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND after Radar Maintenance School in Pensacola, Florida.

November 18, 2005 marked Shawn’s last day as an Active Duty service member, and the beginning of a very different life as a full-time Navy wife and mother. At the age of 10, Jessica accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was baptized at our church home, Eastlake Church in Chula Vista, CA.

In 2010, Ricky received orders to the USS DENVER LPD-9 in Sasebo, Japan. At the age of 10, Lainie accepted Jesus in her heart and was baptized while attending the International Christian Assembly church in Sasebo.

“In 2013, Ricky was transferred to NAS Key West to manage the Air Terminal and God led us to find our home in Marathon, and then He led us to the Kirk of the Keys. As God continues to guide our family, I feel His presence and see Him working daily. He has blessed us with our family at the Kirk. And as my family prepares to start another amazing chapter in our lives, I thank God for all the seeds planted in our hearts by the people God has put in our path along the way. I will forever be thankful for the special people He has brought into our life here in Marathon, especially those that have become our family. I pray God continues to bless the Kirk and everyone who walks through the doors.”

Meet the members that make the Kirk truly Amazing!

Member Spotlight!

SHAWN HANSON

Christian Education Update by Clara Werner

What Fun We Had Christmas Eve!

Our nursery was filled with little ones all playing beautifully

together. Shawn Hanson, Natalie Campbell and I were all set

for a group of little ones and the Lord provided! It was

complete joy having all those children in our nursery! Thank

you to Shawn and Natalie and to our parents who trust us with

their precious children!

We also discovered a need in the nursery. If anyone has any

interest in helping providing a “Dutch Door” it would be most

beneficial. Please let’s talk if you think you would be able to

help.

Bible Stories Being Revisited

As we start the New Year, our Sunday school classes will be focusing on some of our favorite Old

Testament stories. Moses, Noah, Samuel and David will all be making appearances. We want to

give each child a foundation in which to build their faith and knowledge of the Lord. I am sure

there will be some walls tumbling down, and seas being parted showing our children the miracles

God performed as we teach them miracles of God are still happening today!

Saying Farewell

This month we will be saying farewell to Shawn and Lainie Hanson as they move to Texas to start

a new chapter in their lives. Shawn’s husband Rick is retiring from the Navy after 26 years. Thank

you to Rick, Shawn, Jessica and Lainie for their service and support in and for our Military. All our

military families sacrifice so very much and I ask that you keep them in your prayers.

Shawn has been teaching our Toddlers along with Lainie’s help for the past few years. They have

shared God’s love and His word with so many children. She and Catherine Dunn have been our

Toddler teaching team. As Shawn says farewell, we say hello and welcome to Lucy Stalnaker as

our newest Sunday School Teacher! Thank you Shawn and Lainie for your never-ending support,

love and caring!

Hope You Didn’t Miss The Train!

The Conch train that is! If you did you missed out on a great time. There was singing and lights

and families and friends and an event that brought children of ALL ages out to see the sights of

Christmas in Key West. We had 4 trains and 142 people. A great turn out! It has become a

Christmas tradition at the Kirk and we hope it will be a Christmas tradition for you and your family

for many years to come.

With great joy!

Clara Werner

Christian Education

Butterfly Snack Bags Supplies: -Clothspins

-Snack size ziplock bags

-Googly eyes

-Pipe cleaners

-Glue

-Paint

-Snacks (goldfish crackers, grapes)

Directions: For each bag, decorate one side of a clothespin with paint. Glue two small googly eyes near the grip-

ping end of the clothespin and let the glue dry. Fill your snack into a snack-size ziplock bag until it's a little over half

full. Seal the bag, cinch the middle with your fingers, and clip it with the clothespin. Next, fold down/curl the tips

of a 6-inch length of pipe cleaner, then bend the entire piece in half. Clip the pipe cleaner in the clothespin.

Marcene “Marcy” Werner Busch

December 10, 1934 to April 16, 2015

Ruth Alice Campbell October 17, 1921 to June 26, 2015

Tracy S. Colfax Tracy June 9, 1924 to November 8, 2015

Doris Louise Jacka March 6, 1928 to November 22, 2015

Conch Train Pics!

1.7

PWA Fish Card Party

1.12

PWA Luncheon w/Kelly Grinter

1.15

Movie Night at the Kirk showing Disney

Pixar’s: Inside Out

1.19

All Church Potluck Dinner

1.24

Annual Congregation Meeting

Mark Your

Calendar For these Upcoming Events

Christmas Eve Pics!

Creating Fully Committed Followers of Christ in Our Community

Kirk of the Keys Presbyterian Church 8877 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 (305) 743-4256 www.kirkofthekeys.com