From the Pastor’s heart… “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 What a fabulous prophecy from Isaiah - the message of God’s Son breaking into this world come true! King Jesus establishes a new or-der, with authority above any earthly ruler or administrator. As God’s people discover the blessing of living in God’s kingdom, we may not always understand, but we can trust God’s good and sovereign plan unfolding day after day. Look at the names of God: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Ever-lasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Which name most resonates with you right now? Do you believe our Lord God made you, knows you completely and longs to give you good and wise counsel? God is a Wonderful Counselor. Do you believe God is greater than all your problems and more pow-erful than the brokenness of the universe? God is a Mighty God. Do you believe God loves you as a perfect Father loves his own child, never leaving you or forsaking you? Did you know you’ve always been part of God’s Story (and will continue to be) from eternity to eternity? God is an Everlasting Father. Do you believe peace is possible in this troubled world? Yes! says God’s Word. We are given perfect peace when our thoughts are fo-cused on God and his reign. God is the Prince of Peace. May the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace be especially near to each one of you this Christmas, filling you with joy for the season and blessings in the New Year! With much love, Holly

December 2021 Volume 15, Issue 12

Special Events Dec. 1

Mini Concert

Dec. 6

Poinsettia order due

Dec. 8

Drive Thru Food

Dec. 9

Women’s Luncheon

Dec. 10

Poinsettias arrive

Dec. 11

Poinsettias placed

Dec. 12

Cookie Exchange,

Fellowship Hall

Dec. 15

Mini Concert

Dec. 19

Congregational Meeting

Dec. 24

Christmas Eve

Candlelight Worship

4:45 p.m.

Bring friends, family, and neigh-

bors to a very special time of

music and worship as together

we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Jan. 3

De-greening of the church

Rev. Holly Davis

Church Elders

Beth Johnson, Missions

Ruth Caldwell, Elder for Deacons

Rick Croskery, Building & Grounds

Charlotte Casey, Discipleship

Gregg Miller, Worship

Hughes Roberts, Finance

TBA, Communications

Ron Tingle, Clerk of Session

Deacons

Beverly Benson

Stan Briggs

Bill Covin

Lee Hutchison

Janet Tingle

Sylvia Lonnee

Church Staff

Joel Lillethun, Minister of Music

Diane Combs, Organist

Kristi Siplon, Office Manager

Tony Caldwell, Sexton

Joy Gift Offering Mission Committee

In December, we take the fourth of four Special Offerings from FPC. This offering grew out of the financial needs of pastors during the Great Depression. Almost no pastor owned his own house at that time, so without any equity, retirement was a scary time. The Presbytery stepped in to ask all churches to contribute joyfully to a fund that would help elderly pastors with medical or financial prob-lems. Today the Christmas Joy Offering is much broader in scope. Half of the contribution goes to the assistance programs of the Board of Pensions. The remainder is split among Presbyterian schools and colleges, equipping communities of color for the future, as they have for nearly 140 years. The Christmas Joy Offering will be officially collected on two Sundays: December 12 and 19. You may give any time – by placing a check in the offering plate, cash in the special Christmas Joy envelopes, or depositing online to fpcwaynesville.org. Thank you for your generosity.

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Presbyterian Giving Catalog

Probably no one on your Christmas List really needs

another sweater or tie. However, many people really

need clean water or a better school or even just a

safe way to carry water home. Give a meaningful gift

by using the online or paper Presbyterian Giving Cat-

alog. Paper copies are on a table in the church’s hall-

way. Order gifts online by going to Presbyterian

gifts.org. Small Gifts. Big Impact.

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COVID Corner – December 2021

Gregg Miller

Data are current through the end of the day on Tuesday November 16.

The decline in the number of new cases each week has continued, putting Haywood County in the orange

range, after being in the red for several weeks. There was a slight bump after Halloween, which has since

subsided. There is concern about a potential surge from the upcoming holidays, combined with flu sea-

son.

Note that last year at this time, we were at the early stages of the biggest spike we’ve had so far, lasting

about 4 months. Hopefully with the availability of the vaccine, we won’t be facing a similar surge this

year.

We hope your holidays are happy, healthy, and safe.

Budgeting-Nancy Thompson

The Finance Team is charged with assisting Session in overseeing and guiding First

Presbyterian’s finances. Having a budget helps each team plan their activities for the

year and how much money they have to spend on those activities. The budget pro-

cess dovetails with the annual Stewardship campaign because your pledges and our

projection of unpledged giving determine the final amount of expenses for the year.

Other goals of the budget include setting aside a percentage of giving to the Asset

Replacement Fund and giving back 10% of our income to local, national and interna-

tional missions.

We start in September when the Finance Team maps out a schedule for the Steward-

ship Campaign and budget development. By the end of September, the annual Stew-

ardship packet is readied for mailing – which includes a letter from Holly, a pledge

card and a Time and Talent form. These money and time commitments are turned

back in on Stewardship Sunday and through the end of October. Also in October, each

Leadership Team of the church (Worship, Deacon Board, Building and Grounds, Mis-

sion, Discipleship, Fellowship, Communication, Administrative and Personnel) work on

what they’d like to do in the next year and how much money will be needed to com-

plete those activities. They submit their budget requests to the Finance Team and in

November, the Finance Team works up a draft budget. During December, the draft

budget is revised as needed – primarily trying to balance the projected donations/

giving with the requested expenses, to ensure we’re giving back 10% to missions and

to contribute to the Asset Replacement Fund.

The Congregation approves the pastor’s Terms of Call, or her compensation package.

The Terms of Call include her salary, various required allowances (housing, profession-

al expenses, social security equivalent and education/discretionary), pension/

insurance expense and time off. Each year, the Presbytery of WNC sends each church

information of the minimum Terms of Call, which provides us guidance on how to set

our compensation package. At the December 19th Congregational meeting, the rec-

ommended Terms of Call will be presented for approval.

After the usual give and take of a budgeting process, in January, the Finance Team

presents its recommended budget to the Session. The Session may accept or revise

the budget prior to approving the final budget. The final budget will be printed in the

February Newsletter for your information.

The members of the Finance Team are Hughes Roberts (Team Elder), Nancy Thomp-

son, Melonie Gross, and Mike McKinney. If you have any questions about the budget

or budget development process, please don’t hesitate to contact any one of these

members.

Thank you for your generous giving and for the team’s frugal spending.

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Gingerbread Bears

1 1/2cups sugar

1cup butter or marga-rine, softened

1/3cup molasses

1egg

2cups all-purpose or un-bleached flour

1cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground gin-ger

2 teaspoons ground cin-namon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Decorating icing Beat sugar and butter until smooth. Add molas-ses and egg. Mix dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Chill for 1 hour. Oven 350 degrees. Roll out dough and cut with bear cookie cutter. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 9 minutes. Cool 1 minute and re-move to drying rack. Decorate with icing and allow to set. Store between wax paper.

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Budget Tracker – Nancy Thompson

Birthday Girl Margaret Stockwell , copilots a plane on her 97th birth-day. Way to go, Margaret! Here’s hoping the year ahead is filled with many more adventures for you.

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Worship Team Meeting 11/8/2021

Present: Beth, Janet, Diane, Joel, Holly, Gregg (by speakerphone), Rick Croskery (Building and Grounds)

Gregg opened with prayer.

Feedback from the method of serving communion this past Sunday has been positive. We’ll continue to

use the same method for December. The choir will be served in place since access to the loft is limited

due to construction.

Beth expressed thanks to Tammy Bucy for sharing her recording of her playing carols from the carillon at

Myers Park Presbyterian in Charlotte. The recordings will be used for noontime bell tower music during

Advent and Christmas.

The current audio/visual setup in the sanctuary has been reviewed by John Haynes of WNC Audio Visual

(https://wncav.com). After recording from each of the microphones, a few on-site adjustments were made

to the audio. The current video is supplied by a single donated VHS-C camcorder. WNC Audio Visual will be

sending us a proposal to upgrade our video capabilities to two cameras connected to a video switch to

allow smooth transitions between shots.

Andrea Croskery has also spent significant time in testing and adjusting the sound in the sanctuary. Her

efforts, combined with the adjustments made by WNC Audio Visual, have resulted in a major improve-

ment in the quality of the online service.

WNC Audio Visual also tested the signal of the T-coil induction loop, which was found to be functioning

normally. Gregg will submit a newsletter item reminding members of its availability.

Discussion of use of the projector and screen was pre-empted by the fact that they have already been

removed. While the proper functioning of the projector has been an issue due to interference with other

wireless technology being used in the sanctuary, concern was expressed that this action was taken with-

out input or participation from the Worship Team. The direction for either expanding the bulletin, elimi-

nating song sheets, more extensive use of the hymnbook, or what and how to project, if anything, will be

discussed at a future meeting.

Rick Croskery from Building and Grounds reported to the team that current plans for the new construc-

tion and re-purposing of the existing facilities include a dedicated space for the Music Department and

expanded storage next to the sanctuary for frequently used items during worship (paraments, banners,

etc.)

(Continued on page 7.)

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(Worship Team Minutes, continued.)

We have received a request from the Asheville Symphony Chorus to use the sanctuary for a concert on Janu-

ary 9 (performance, rather than worship). Concerns were expressed regarding having sufficient space for

their 25 singers, and a possible conflict with Keyboards After Christmas. Joel will contact them to discuss fur-

ther.

Holly will get with Kristi to start publishing the ordering information for poinsettias for Advent/Christmas.

Upcoming dates:

Nov 28 - First Sunday in Advent

Dec 10 – Poinsettias delivered

Dec 11 – Poinsettias placed, starting at 10:00 a.m.

Dec 24 – Christmas Eve service at 5:00 (gathering music starting at 4:45)

Jan 3 – De-greening of the church 1:00

Jan 8, 9 – Keyboards After Christmas

Holly closed with prayer.

Ruth Circle-Pat Parker

Ruth Circle is part of the global organization, Presbyterian Women (PW), which like our own church here in Waynesville, is committed to supporting missions both in the US and internationally. To this effort, 2 offer-ings are collected each year: the Birthday Offering in the Spring, and the Thank Offering in the Fall. These traditions began in 1888, as a way for Presbyterian women to express their deep sense of gratitude for God's blessings in their lives, by giving back to people in their community and others around the world. Through the Thank Offering, PW helps fund programs that provide education, relief from disasters, safe housing, cooking instructions, training for social justice and advocacy work, and so much more. Thank Offer-ing grants range from $5,000 to $50,000, with at least 40 percent of the offering funding health ministries. This year, 29 Thank Offering applications were received and 12 projects were selected for funding. Nine of the projects serve people in the United States, and three others will go to projects beyond our borders. Two of the projects chosen are in our own Synod of the Mid-Atlantic. Cooperative Christian Ministries, in Concord, NC, received $12,000 to support their outreach program that delivers food to families who lack reliable transportation and reside in high-need neighborhoods. The Springwood Presbyterian Church in Whitsett, NC, received $50,000 to renovate their kitchen. The women of that church support outreach pro-grams through the Peacehaven Farm, a program for adults with special needs, and their church preschool. With this much-needed kitchen renovation, the women can cook healthy snacks and meals for these adults and children, as well as prepare family food boxes for hungry neighbors, provide large community dinners, and maintain their supply of frozen meals for emergencies.

MISSION Drive Through Food Drive

Melonie Gross November’s food drive was another success – we guesstimate 13 folks dropped off cans at church prior to the drive and 13 cars came by on the day, plus one was going to take a donation directly to Haywood Christian Ministry the next day! It was also another beautiful day for being outside. As al-ways, thank you to all who donated! We collected just over 300 cans of canned pasta. We’re always amazed by the varieties of the re-quested category – there were cans of lasagna, beefaroni, ravioli (cheese, beef, chicken, Italian sau-sage, and veggie), spaghetti & meatballs, spaghetti o’s, rings, letters, and numbers, along with canned mac & cheese. 300+ cans sound (and look) like so much, but in just the 2 days prior to our donation's delivery, they distributed 79 food boxes on Monday, 84 on Tuesday and were looking to be at 80+ on Wednesday. So, 300 cans won’t necessarily last a week, and only 1 can goes in each box! The final drive through food collection of 2021 for Haywood Christian Ministry will take place on Wednesday, December 8 from 10:00 to noon. This month they have requested canned green vege-tables, and preferably green beans. Dave Bryan from HCM advised that he’s having problems pur-chasing pallets of items from distributors such as Publix, Wal-Mart, and Manna Food Bank, as they are all having their own supply chain issues and can’t assist in large outside bulk purchases. Because of the uncertainty of winter weather, we will not be holding the drive throughs on the 2nd Wednesday for the months of January and February. We will still be collecting requested items for Haywood Christian Ministry each of these months, but in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption and reliance on fossil fuels by making an extra trip to church, we respectfully request that your donations be brought when you come for Sunday worship or a meeting prior to January 12 and February 9. Collection baskets will be available inside both vestibules at the sanctuary and fellowship wing en-trances. Most of us need to get in the habit of being more efficient at following the 3 Rs – REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE. Every little bit helps, and we can all do our part to consciously be faithful stew-ards of God’s creation. I will deliver the food drive items to HCM on Wednesday, January 12, and February 9. Once again, thank you to all who donate – your generosity is so helpful to those less fortunate in our community, and the need always seems greatest during the holidays and especially this year.

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Discipleship Team-Charlotte Casey

The Discipleship Team met on Tuesday, November 2, with Judy Bryson, Charlotte Casey, Van Davis, Laura Janson, and Billye Simmers in attendance. Following an opening devotion and prayer, the team addressed issues that have come up concerning child-care during worship time. These included age of workers, CPR, or other emergency training, how applicants are screened, and First Presbyterian’s insurance policies concerning childcare requirements. We decided to contact the following people, agencies, etc. about their childcare guidelines: the Presbytery, Corkey Taylor (FPC), and the Red Cross for possible CPR training. We will also contact the personnel team regarding the screening process for applicants. The sign-in sheet for adults leaving children in care will be updated, to in-clude phone numbers, so that the adults can be contacted by text, if problems arise. Billye will contact Mountain Projects, concerning the availability of a speaker for the Sunday School hour, sometime in February.

The Isaac Sunday School class will continue their study of Books of the Exile. They have completed Daniel, and will begin Esther, followed by Ezra, and complete the study with Nehemiah. Van Davis is leading this study.

Rick Croskery is leading a study in the Seekers class. This 8-week class will consider the many aspects of hymns, including their structure and composition, to their impact on the human spirit. Rick will explore how hymns have developed in parallel with church history, including the monastic tradition, the Reformation, the Great Awakenings, and into modern times.

Laura Janson closed the meeting with prayer. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 14.

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Hearing Assistance Available in the Sanctuary

Our sanctuary is equipped with a telecoil (or T-coil) system, which broadcasts the audio to hearing aids that

have that feature built-in. It is designed to reduce the background noise, and to make the audio clearer, and

can be activated by a button on hearing aids with the t-coil feature. Our system was recently inspected by a

professional audio/visual company, and it is working as intended.

You may have seen this poster in the entryway from the parking lot side. It’s a reminder that the system is

available for your use.

Crafters Help the Community

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Despite rain, wind, blown-over tents, and no bake sale, the two 2021 Craft Fairs were successful in raising money for charities. Profits from this year and from a few sales in 2020 gave the Craft Guild over $5,000 to donate, with a little money retained for emergency needs. One thousand dollars was given to the Elevator-Parking Project. Another $2,000 was donated to the United Way of Haywood County, to assist in rebuilding homes devasted by Hurricane Fred. The Share the Warmth program of Haywood Christian Ministry was given $1,000 to help with heating bills for homes that are often drafty, as they are repaired. To assist wom-en and children who have been abused and traumatized, REACH was given $1,000.

None of this would have been possible without help from the whole congrega-tion. During the set up and take down, some of the men of FPCW as well as the Junior ROTC of Tuscola, provided strength and a willingness to carry crafts, tents, and tables up and down steps. We were able to sell jelly, apple butter and honey, donated by generous people of the congregation. The Crafters also thank the kind people who let us use their canopies. It was a challenging event, but with help from many sources, and in many ways, the two 2021 Craft Fairs were able to meet their goals.

The Endowment Program of your church presented 5 Education Awards this year to

students advancing their undergraduate college education. Funds for these $500 awards

were made available by generous members of our congregation.

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Session met at 1 p.m. on November 8th in the fellowship hall. Ruth Caldwell, Charlotte Casey, Rick Croskery, Beth Johnson, Gregg Miller (via telephone), Hughes Roberts, Ron Tingle and Pastor Holly Davis were in attendance. For informational purposes and church records: Sunday in-person Worship Attendance in October: 3rd: 65, 10th: 77, 17th: 62, 24th: 52, 31st: 56. 10-Cents-a-Meal Offering: $185 for the Nickel-a-Meal hunger program $185 for Nkhoma Hospital in Malawi Pastor Holly opened the meeting with prayer. The devotional was responsive reading by the elders of Psalm 103, followed by a discussion of personally meaningful passages. Ruth Caldwell reviewed health and welfare concerns from the congregation and Pastor Holly led the elders in prayer for intercession. Pastor Holly then led the elders in a prayer for the blessing of a quilt from the Quilters’ Guild for Audrey Morrow as she recovers from spinal surgery. The agenda was approved and the meeting minutes from September 13th were approved. Finance Team leader Hughes Roberts presented the financial report for period ending October 31st. Income was $47,617 with monthly expenses of $24,246. Year-to-date General Fund balance is a positive $28,933. At 83% into the year, pledge performance is a healthy 86%. As Pastor Holly will be out of town on Sunday, November 21st, Ron Tingle led a discussion on conducting a Worship service led by our currently serving elders. The parts of the service were apportioned to elders, giving them two weeks to prepare. Gregg offered the monthly COVID statistics as of Friday and, while the numbers are looking better, Haywood County is still considered a “high transmission area”. Session concurred with Dr. Rick Croskery that we should continue masking at Sunday Worship through 2021 and then re-evaluate. Rick updated on the elevator and parking projects. The construction is still plagued by back-order of materials. However, electrical and plumbing have been roughed in. Precast concrete lintels should arrive next week, which triggers the start of masonry work. Drywall will be delivered by November 11th, and inside work can begin immediately, as blown-in insulation will be completed just before then. After working with the Quilters guild on relocating to a different space, Room 7 will be designated the Choir Room, with Joel’s office adjacent. Rick gave high praise to Janet Tingle and the quilters for their working closely with the EPP Team on the relocation. While we all would like to return to fellowship time after Sunday Worship, the close quarters indoors are still not advisable. Pastor Holly suggested a “cookie exchange” Sunday for December 12th. Details will be placed in the newsletter and Sunday bulletins. (Continued on page 15.)

November Session Notes-Ron Tingle, Clerk of Session

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(Session Notes continued.) Beth Johnson updated Session on the annual vetting of non-profits as recipients of our donations. The team added the local United Way and its subsidiary organizations, removed Blue Ridge Health, and declined the request by Canton Missional Network, as it is a network, not an organization that could be vetted. A note from Mission team: the Mitten Tree is up, as is the Angel Tree, with opportunities for Christmas giving to 15 children and 15 seniors. Pastor Holly reported that the Nominating Team has formed a list of names for the Elder and Deacon vacancies. There will be a called congregational meeting in December for elections. The Annual Congregational Meeting will occur in January. There being no further business before Session, the meeting was adjourned following a closing prayer.

Annual giving for Christmas staff bonuses-Nancy Thompson

Christmas is around the corner. This is not only a time to celebrate our savior, Jesus’, birth but also to spread the joy with friends and family .. and our church family. Each year we collect donations from anyone who wants to participate in honoring our staff with a Christmas bonus. The Christmas season is a perfect time to sharing the joy and thanks with our staff: Holly, Joel, Diane, Kristi, Tony and our children ministry workers, Eva and Mattie. To keep some element of surprise, please help keep the donations confidential by placing your donation in an envelope addressed to “Treasurer“. Your envelope can be mailed or left in the church office or placed in the Sunday offering. Please mail or bring in your donation (no amount is too small) by Friday, December 17th. After pooling the money received, with Christmas cheer, we will present a monetary “Thank You” gift to these wonderful peo-ple who do so much to keep our church alive and thriving. With grace and blessings, thank you for your participation.

ee, Ian, Paula, Gwen & Will

Editor’s Corner-Kathi Armstrong

Every family has their own Christmas traditions, passed down from one generation to the next. My

family lived all over the world and assimilated new traditions into our family Christmas. St. Nicholas

Day, the Advent Calendar, Speckulaas, pickle ornaments, and stollen all became part of the Hague

Family Christmas. Marriage brings even more traditions into the mix. Rich's family rips through their

Christmas presents first thing in the morning, while my family savors presents through the afternoon.

They eat roast beef, rather than turkey, a nice change to our Thanksgiving do-over. However, the figgy

pudding was not a hit, and made me want to start that post-holiday diet.

My first memories of Christmas were in the Netherlands, where the Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated

on December 5. Sinterklaas sailed into Amsterdam , dressed in red and seated on a white stallion. His

slave (yes, something the Dutch are trying to forget), Zwarte Piet, accompanies Sinterklaas, and carries

a big burlap bag. Dutch children place their shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas leaves gifts and

chocolate coins to the good children. The naughty children only receive sticks and may even be taken

away in Zwarte Piet's bag. I passed this tradition on to my own children, minus the part about being

kidnapped by someone in blackface. Speckulass is a Dutch gingerbread cookie, and stollen, a yeast

fruit bread, which are always part of our Christmas treats.

Living in Germany, we adopted the Advent calendar and lit Advent candles . Children open a door of

the calendar each day in December, as they count down toward Baby Jesus's birth. A treat is hidden

behind each door, making this a favorite activity for children-and dogs. One year, our lab finished all

the chocolate treats in the Advent calendar, and fortunately for her, lived to enjoy another Christmas.

Germany is also the home of the Christmas pickle ornament, always hung on their tree.

This year we will be spending Christmas with our two granddaughters. I wonder which traditions their

parents will pass down to them. Will their parents wrap the stocking presents in special paper, not

used anywhere else, to keep them believing in Santa as long as possible? Will Juniper and Riley get to

enjoy early Christmas cheer, with St. Nicholas Day and the Advent Calendar? Will the girls arrange the

nativity figures, and take special care of Baby Jesus? And, most importantly, will these parents teach

their daughters the true reason we celebrate Christmas? Wishing you and yours enjoy this most won-

derful time of the year, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!

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Carillon Carols

During Advent and Christmas, the noontime bell tower music is provided by our own Tammy Bucy. She

played all selections on the 26-bell carillon at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte (at left),

where she was the lead carillonneur. All were recorded, and later burned to a CD.

Each of the 26 bells is connected by a cable to a console, arranged much like a keyboard. Each baton

(or key) is pressed with the fist, which causes the clapper to strike the bell.

The collection of carillon carols has a total of 35 pieces. Hopefully, you’ll hear some of your favorites.

First Presbyterian Church 305 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

news@fpcwaynesville.org 828-456-3243

The First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville is a vibrant community of faith to call home. Everyone is welcome and each of you is valued.

Our varied backgrounds and stories woven together produce a beautiful tapestry of faith, bound together with a common mission of

loving God and our neighbors.

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