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Sunday Seconds The Session has approved “Sunday Seconds.” Just what is “Sunday

Seconds”? The Session is going to have a second Worship Service on Sunday

evening on the second Sunday of the month. The desire of the Session is to move

to regular Sunday Evening Worship Services but is going to begin by doing so once

a month.

The Sunday Evening Worship Service has fallen on hard times. For most of

its history, churches worshiped on Sunday mornings and evenings. In the early

fourth century, the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea described what he

understood to be the universal practice of the church, “For it is surely no small

sign of God’s power that throughout the whole world in the churches of God at

the morning rising of the sun and at the evening hours, hymns, praises, and truly

divine delights are offered to God. God’s delights are indeed the hymns sent

everywhere on earth in his Church at the times of morning and evening.”

During the Middle Ages, morning worship became known as “lauds” and

evening worship as “vespers.” Attending both lauds and vespers was standard

practice for Christians.

In the first four and a half centuries following the Reformation, most

churches met for worship twice on the Lord’s Day and both worship services were

considered important. Only in the last fifty years has the evening service all but

disappeared from the church’s calendar.

January 2018 Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church, PCA Volume 13 Issue 1

Tampa Bay

Presbyterian

Church Staff

Rev. Freddy Fritz, Pastor

Melissa Bayley,

Office Administrator

Joanne Campbell,

Bookkeeper

Eileen Fritz,

NTCA Administrator

Marianne Cali,

Nursery

Millie Myers,

Pianist, Choir

Chris Christopher,

Custodian

From the Pastor’s Desk By Rev. Freddy Fritz

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TBPC Ministries Adult Christian Education & Fellowship Ed Jordan Children Kristine Wyss EmptyNesters Sandy Neal Greeters & Welcome Table Brian Carrier Growth Groups Session Hospitality Joan Kosanovich Men’s Bible Study Jeff Beams Men’s Ministry Brian Carrier Missions Rich Thompson Music Millie Myers NTCA Eileen Fritz Nursery Marianne Cali Outreach Vacant Pastoral Care Rev. Freddy Fritz Ushers Lenny Chew Women’s Bible Study Eileen Fritz & Debbie Jordan

Women’s Ministry Suzanne Swenson Youth Richard Hunter

Trumpet Staff Rev. Freddy Fritz, Editor-in-Chief Nancy Morrison,

Editor

It is the goal of the Trumpet staff to provide articles for learning and growing, news for connecting with our church family, and information on opportunities for service and participation. The views and opinions expressed in the Trumpet have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Session. Please forward articles, ministry reports and calendar items for the next edition of the Trumpet to morrison774@gmail.com by the 20th of the month preceding publication.

Why have Sunday Evening Worship Service? Let me begin by saying that

there is no explicit biblical command to hold two worship services on the Lord’s

Day. However, that does not mean that there is no biblical basis for having two

worship services on the Lord’s Day.

Two worship services on the Lord’s Day enables Christians to keep the

Sabbath holy. The Fourth Commandment directs people to “remember the

Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). The entire day is to be kept holy, not

just the morning. God has given us a beautiful pattern of six days to do our work,

and one day to enjoy a sacred rest from our work and worship God. Holding two

worship services on the Lord’s Day is one way of keeping the day holy.

Two worship services on the Lord’s Day comes from the pattern of

morning and evening sacrifices in the Temple. In Numbers 28:1-8, God

commanded that two lambs be sacrificed each day, one in the morning and the

other at twilight. These sacrifices were acts of worship. They were done in the

morning and in the evening. The same passage commands additional sacrifices and

offerings on the Sabbath. Worship on the Sabbath was intensified, and it took

place morning and evening. Psalm 92:1–2 reflects this practice of morning and

evening worship, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your

name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your

faithfulness by night.” While this is not an explicit command to worship in the

morning and evening, it is a clear reflection of the heart of God’s people in the Old

Testament who worshiped him morning and evening.

So, beginning on the second Sunday in February, February 11, we will have

a Sunday Evening Worship Service, most likely at 6:00 p.m. We will have another

opportunity to hear the Word of God preached, and to lift our voices to God in

praise and prayer. Those are wonderful benefits that the Session believes will be of

inestimable value to the people of God here at the Tampa Bay Presbyterian

Church.

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HAPPENING IN JANUARY MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2018 -- The Church Office is closed in observance of New Years’ Day.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 9:00 A.M.: TAKING DOWN THE GREENS -- Help is needed with taking the tree

and garlands down. We would appreciate help, especially from the "ladder climbers".

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7, 8:45 A.M.: NEW ADULT CE&F CLASSES BEGIN -- Please write “Lead, LIB, or Eph.”

on your Welcome Card to enroll in one of these classes:

• LEADERSHIP CLASS: Using the Scriptures, the Westminster Confession of Faith and the PCA Book of

Church Order, this class will help all those interested in further developing their skills for ministry leadership.

For more information see Pastor Freddy. Facilitator: Pastor Freddy Fritz.

• LIFE IS BEST: This class will be a DVD lecture series that will thoroughly equip and inspire you to join the

fight for lives and souls. There are three goals in mind: 1) Souls will be saved as they hear that Jesus is willing

to heal and forgive women and men who have had abortions. 2) Christians will value life and not want to see

God’s image-bearers thrown into a dumpster. 3) Christians will be prepared to engage and demolish every

pro-choice argument. Facilitators: John McNulty and RE Ed Jordan.

• EPHESIANS BIBLE STUDY: Paul’s letter to the Ephesians has been called “the crown and climax of Pauline

theology.” Goals for this class include: 1) Understanding our union in Christ; 2) Knowing what the fullness of

the Spirit means for holy living; 3) Learning about God-given roles in the home and workplace; 4) Gaining

victory in spiritual warfare. Teachers: Rich Thompson and Ken Pothoven.

MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.: WBS EVENING SESSION BEGINS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 9:00 – 11:30 A.M.: WBS MORNING SESSION BEGINS Women from TBPC and the community are invited to join our study of “Lessons from the Upper Room.“ Jesus

spent His final hours with his closest friends serving them, teaching them, and praying for them. In these video

presentations, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson paints a vivid picture of the disciples’ final moments with their Savior.

Carefully walking through John 13-17, Dr. Ferguson reminds us of the centrality of Christ in all of life. Our class

sessions will include the video presentation and working through the study guide together as well as discussion

of the “homework,” which will focus on application and reflection. The study fee is $10. Please contact Debbie

Jordan (debbiejordan1@gmail.com) or Eileen Fritz (eileenfritz@verizon.net) for more information or fee

assistance. Even if you cannot attend one or more sessions, your participation is welcome as your availability

allows. Free childcare is available with reservation to Barb Hess (bhess105@gmail.com). To register write WBS-

Evening or WBS-Morning on your Welcome Card.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 11:00 A.M – 1:00 P.M.: SOUP’S ON -- All the women of the church are invited.

Three amazing women are making homemade soups and the rest of us will bring a side dish (salad,

sandwiches, veggies, or desserts). We will learn how to fold linen napkins in various designs. If you want to

participate in the demonstrations, bring a couple of napkins to practice with. It will be a time of fellowship, fun

and food. Come, join us.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 12:15 P.M.: EMPTYNESTERS LUNCH – We are looking forward to having every one

of you all with us. Finalizing of the location will be announced and shared soon.

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January Anniversaries Lenny & Cheryl Chew January 1 30 years Jerry & Jeanne Higby January 13 23 years Jeff & Lindsay Montoney January 14 12 years Luke & Wicke Egbert January 26 10 years

January Birthdays

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 6:00 P.M.: MISSIONS CHILI COOK-OFF -- The Missions Committee is hosting a

Chili Cook-off in conjunction with the Missions Weekend; please write “Chili” on your Welcome Card and

indicate number of people attending. Please see the bulletin for additional details and suggested side dishes or

contact Luke Egbert (legbert35@yahoo.com or 813.541.3518) or Freddy Fritz

(freddyfritz@tampabaypresbyterian.org).

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 8:45 A.M.: CE&F with Missionaries --Everyone is encouraged to attend and get to

know our missionaries a little better.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 12:45 P.M.: LUNCH WITH MISSIONARIES -- Everyone is invited to join us for lunch

(Dutch) with the Missionaries at Asian Buffet (The Shoppes at New Tampa, 1742 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Wesley

Chapel). Please write “Asian Lunch” on your Welcome Card and indicate number attending.

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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a joyous Christmas with friends and family. I know I did.

Twenty nine years ago our very own Marianne Cali

started the Women's Brunch and served as the initial

hostess. Our thanks to you, Marianne. This event has

grown to over 100 attendees. Additional thanks to our

team of prayer warriors, caterer, coordinators,

hostesses, servers, decorators, ladder climbers, music

and soundboard support, who all came together to

make this event happen. Amazing what God can do

through his people. Praise the Lord.

Sharon Keller Johnson thoughtfully agreed to be our speaker and our thanks to Nancy Kirkpatrick for

making the arrangements. Sharon's topic was "Ruth and Naomi, A Christmas Story." It is the story of

a mother and a daughter-in-law and God's love for us. Gertrude Hunter and Michelle Hunter; a

mother and a daughter-in-law, gave their testimony. Following the speaker, Kim Semeniuk sang "I'm

With You" (Ruth and Naomi). What a powerful message!

SAVE THE DATE -- Sister to Sister event, "Soups On", is scheduled for Saturday, January 13, 2018,

from 11 am to1:00 pm. It will be held at the church. Check the bulletin for details. See you then.

By Suzanne Swenson

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Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church 19911 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Tampa, Florida 33647 Phone: (813) 973-2484 Email: office@tampabaypresbyterian.org Website: www.tampabaypresbyterian.org

Are You Helping to Build the Kingdom?

By John McNulty Jr.

The other day I was watching the latest episode of Wretched with Todd Friel and he

mentioned something that bears repeating. After finishing a segment on evangelism, he said that

some people are gifted with the ability to share the Gospel wherever they go, while others are not.

He followed up that comment by saying, “If you’re not one of those blessed with the gift of

evangelism, at least hold the rope for those who are.”

There are numerous exhortations in the New Testament to engage in service to the Lord. You

were saved not just to avoid punishment, but you were saved also for service. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

states that there are varieties of gifts, varieties of service, and varieties of activities that are given to

the Church to build her up. Our Lord himself said that one way to prove that you are one of his

disciples is to bear much fruit (John 15:8). The apostles Paul, Peter, and James frequently wrote about

serving one another and encouraging the early Christians to support the Church—not just financially,

but also through service.

Are you being a good and faithful servant? What are you doing to help build up the body of

Christ? God gave each of us certain gifts to serve him and his people. To some he gave the gift of

teaching, to others he gave the gift of generosity and to others still He gave the gift of leading. There

are many other gifts of the Spirit mentioned in the Bible (cf. Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:28). Do you know

what your gift is? If you do not know, ask God for wisdom to help you discern what it might be (cf.

James 1:5).

I challenge you this upcoming year to really think about what it is you are doing for Christ.

Remember, our works do not save us, but we were created for good works (Eph. 2:10). Martin Luther

rightly said, “Our works do not generate righteousness, rather our righteousness in Christ generates

works.” What good works are you doing? What fruit are you producing? What do you do other than

come to church for one hour every Sunday?

I ask these questions to challenge you, not to chide you. I want everyone to serve Christ to the

best of their abilities. TBPC needs your help to grow and flourish. If you love Christ, if you love his

Church, then let us work together to make 2018 really special.