December Newsletter

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As a child, one of my greatest moments of anticipation was Christmas. I couldn’t wait for the chance to decorate, eat Christmas cookies, and, of course, open presents on Christmas Day. Every Christmas Eve I struggled to go to bed, and was usually the first one up to see what was waiting under the tree. The anticipation and wonder were like adrenaline coursing through my body.

As we grow older, most of us lose some of our wonder. The novelty of Christmas starts to wear off, at least a little bit. Along with that, our anticipation gets trampled down under the weight of responsibilities, the rush of preparations, and, at times, the heaviness that comes on those of us for whom the holidays bring sadness.

How do we recover that wonder and anticipation? Just like a marriage or a relationship that has lost its spark, we need to spend time to see what is right before our eyes. Churches have a recovery program for those who have lost their wonder and anticipation. It is called Advent.

Advent, comes from the Latin word adventus, which means "appearing." During Advent, we look back at the wonder of the birth of Jesus over two-thousand years ago, and at the same time, we look forward with anticipation to his return.

This year, we are approaching Advent with the theme of “Angels Among Us, #Do Not Be Afraid”. This year, more than ever, we need angels and we need to pay attention and recognize the angels among us. All of us have had angels in our lives, some who now live in the heavenly realm and some who still roam on this earth.

Angels have always played an important part in the Bible. The English word “Angel” comes from the Latin angelus and initially pointed to the function of a messenger. As time went on, the word angel came to signify a name for a class of “beings” existing between God and humanity.

The angels of the Bible are not the angels of the Hallmark cards. The people the angels appeared to were often scared by the angels. The appearance of angels usually “surprised the you-know-what” out of those to whom they appeared and often would begin by saying, “Do Not Be Afraid.” These angels were usually a wake-up call and brought life-altering messages.

Perhaps “Do Not Be Afraid” was both imminent (don’t be afraid, right now while you are quaking in  your boots because I’m here) and prophetic (don’t be afraid, as you set out to fulfill what God is calling you do do and be). 

When we seek and see the angels among us, we can cry out with longing, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and sing with joy, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

I invite you, this season of Advent, to think about the angels in your life. Think about those  and to join us for worship either in person or on Zoom or Facebook live.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bonnie

Woman in the Mirror, Precious Child of God, or Just a Rib?

Pastor Bonnie is working on her Doctor of Ministry degree from Liberty University. As part of her course work, she is required to do a research project based on her topic of interest. She is writing a thesis called, “Woman in the Mirror, Precious Child of God, or Just a Rib?” exploring womens’ understanding of their place in the kingdom of God.

The research that she collects from her project will be used to create a curriculum for women. She is inviting all the women of our church, both members and non-members to participate. There is no cost to any woman other than the time required to participate which is estimated to be about four hours total.

Session has given Pastor Bonnie approval to conduct the research at the church in her office, using the church’s audio-video equipment. All participation is voluntary and no names or identifying information will be used in creating the results of this project.

You will be receiving a letter inviting you to participate. If you are interested in participating, please let Pastor Bonnie know of your interest.

 ADVENT    “Angels Among Us, #Do Not Be Afraid”

Our theme for this advent is “Angels Among Us, #Do Not Be Afraid.” Feathers will be everywhere. We will have a pair of life-sized wings and we ask that you stand in front of them and become an angel for a day. We will then post these pics on our website and use as part of our worship service. Please consider allowing us to photograph you as an angel because you are an “Angel Among Us!”

ADVENT    LVING ADVENT WREATH TREES

You have seen Advent wreathes in church and perhaps even in your own home. Have you ever seen an

Advent tree gathering. This year, because of COVID, we are doing Advent Tree Lightings. We have five trees set up outside the church each with different color lights. Each week we will light one tree to represent Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Stop and drive by at night to gaze upon the trees and celebrate the season.

Advent Bible Study

Tuesdays – At 6:00 p.m. the weekly Bible Study is available on Zoom and Facebook live.  On November 24th we started “The Light of the World: A Beginners Guide to Advent”.  Those who would like to participate on Zoom, call the church office and leave your name and email address to receive a Zoom invitation. 

December 16,17 and 23  Christmas Caroling

This year, because of COVID, we are finding ways to sing! The only safe way is to sing outside, with masks on. So, we have planned some caroling events. We will be Christmas Caroling at the Extended Care Facility at Nathan Littauer Hospital on Thursday, December 17th at 6:00 and hopefully at the Fulton Center and also in Mayfield going to the homes of some of our shut-ins. The dates we have set are December 16, 17 and 23. If you would like to participate, please call the church or email Pastor Bonnie at mayfieldpreschurch@gmail.com to let her know and we will let  you know where and when to be on those dates. We will provide the songbooks.

December 17  Parkinson’s group

The Parkinson’s Group will meet on Thursday, December 17th at 2:00 pm in Fellowship Hall.  These meetings are educational, supportive and open to the community.  Face masks and social distancing will be observed.

December 21   Longest Night Service

We will be having a Longest Night Service on Monday, December 21 at 7:00 p.m. The Longest Night Service marks the winter solstice, the day with the fewest hours of daylight. This service, sometimes called Blue Christmas is for those who may be dealing with anxiety or depression, grief or loneliness and find the cheer and noise of the holidays oppressive. This service provides a quiet place, a calm and centering space, to unplug from technology. People participating find themselves stepping away from the frenzy of the holidays season and all the pressures that come with it. Please join us.

December 24 Christmas Eve Service

– indoor/outdoor service – a candlelight/communion service will be held on Christmas Eve at 7:00 pm – beginning in the sanctuary and ending outside around the Advent wreath with the singing of Silent Night. 

Between Christmas and New Year

I was raised on “The Good Lord willing and the creeks don’t rise” – so with that in mind, I share the following information about a fundraiser for Victor’s school.  If God is “willing” -  this will take place between Christmas and New Year. 

HELPING VICTOR

Our former summer intern and good friend, Victor Doe, had the official groundbreaking for the school he is building on November 8th.  We had planned another fun and musical “Hitrick Family” event for this past August to help him financially, but that did not happen (due to Covid19 restrictions).  In an attempt to give Victor a Mayfield Presbyterian “boost”, we are organizing a fundraiser that will take place in December.

With our new and improved technology, we have invited the very musical Hitrick Family to perform “live” through our Facebook and Zoom connections for a holiday concert.  This event is in the planning stages and may include a telethon for pledges.  Stay tuned! 

PLEDGES & OFFERING ENVELOPES

Offering envelopes for 2021 will be available for pick up in Fellowship Hall in December.  Envelopes will be given to those who used them last year and any who requested them with their pledge slips.  REMEMBER  PLEASE DO NOT USE 2020 envelopes in 2021.

CHURCH SCHOOL NOTES

The Sunday School children have been busy making cards and will soon be making cookies for our shut-ins this Christmas.  They are learning about God’s gift to them by doing for others.  They are also getting ready for their annual Christmas performance in church which will be held on Sunday, December 20th, during the worship service at 10:30 a.m.  Children should be at church at 9:30 to practice and put on costumes if necessary that day.  Kelly and Elaine will keep in touch.  There will be no Sunday School classes on Sundays, December 27th.

HAM DINNER UPDATE

The 28th annual Harvest Ham Dinner was a huge success this year!  Despite the need to offer take-out only (due to COVID-19), we sold more than 300 dinners and raised $3561.00!  That is an increase of 70+ meals over last year.  For the first time ever, we actually sold out of food and had no leftovers for sale after our Sunday service. 

A heartfelt thank you is given to the many people who made the 2020 Annual Harvest Ham Dinner a success. Thank you to those who helped prepare and donate the food, worked in the kitchen, directed traffic, delivered meals to cars, and cleaned up when all was done.  Special thanks are given to the Mayfield Stewarts who donated the butter, milk, and cream and to the Kucels who donated the hams and rolls. 

WORSHIP COMMITTEE NOTES

Worship Committee is well underway with the Advent/Christmas decorations and plans.   We have been busy bees and it shows!   The women who have been working with us have been so dedicated and full of energy.   The sanctuary is now lovely, with the white Communion Table, the window decorations finished and the trees for outside all put together and decorated with lights.   There will be four trees in the front of the church for Advent celebrations.   Pastor Bonnie has had so many beautiful ideas which we have been attempting to achieve.   The tree in the sanctuary is up and will be lit and decorated by the time this newsletter arrives in your mailbox.

One of the biggest projects for this year is round wooden discs which were cut from hardwood, by Kris and John Hart.   It was not an easy task.  First  and they had to tromp around in the forest to find the perfect sized branches.   Then after they got branches all collected and back home at their shop,   they cut 250 (yes 250!) discs about 1/4” thick.  Believe me they went above and beyond.  If you see them during our holiday worship, please thank them for this monumental endeavor.   We cannot thank them enough for their many hours of hard work.   The discs are lovely. .   Good work Kris and John! 

After the discs were cut,  they needed to have a small hole drilled in the top of each one.  Mike Frank was kind enough to do all of them for us.   Thanks, Mike.   Then the women on the Worship Committee decorated each one.   I know you will enjoy getting your very own disc each week of Advent and one on Christmas Eve  Take them home and enjoy them.

We also need to recognize Gary DiSanto-Rose and his team who have given their time and expertise not only in putting the lights on the tree in the sanctuary but have figured out how to set up the trees outs in front of the church for Advent.  I’m thinking that was not a real fun task.   Thanks, guys.

And last, but certainly not least, we thank Dick Foster for his absolutety amazing painted wings!  They are so beautiful and will be used throughout Advent season as a background for pictures of our own angels.  Dick , we thank you so much.

And again, we thank the women who have spent so many hours helping to turn our church into a beautiful and peaceful place to celebrate our Christ baby’s birth.  You are all special people.  Our dedicated  worker bees were::  Kate Ludlow, Vicki Kucel, Deb Lair, Sandra Ann Sparks, Sharon Brower, Ginnie Hall and Jean Gifford, Charlotte Conyne.

And we wish you a blessed Christmas Season.   Mary Seaman and Nancy Frank

P.S. – It is our custom to have different families or groups light the Advent candles each Sunday during Advent.  Speak to Pastor Bonnie or Nancy Frank if you are interested in doing that.

OUTREACH NOTES

FOOD PANTRY 

Thank you so much for all your donations and help getting out the Thanksgiving boxes. It went smoothly. Of course we are now low on food for the Christmas boxes. Could use desserts, pb&j, tuna, pasta, sauce, soup and cereal. Also boxes if you can get them.  Our Christmas baskets will go out on December 21st from 12:30 – 3:00.

We did about 63.  Thanks again, Crystal

CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING

The Christmas Joy Offering will be collected through out the Advent Season.  This offering is one of four special offerings designated by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to provide congregations direct ways of supporting specific causes that help those in need.  The receipts from the offering are distributed equally to the Board of Pensions for assistance programs and to the National Ministries Division of the General Assembly Council to support eight Presbyterian racial ethnic schools and colleges.  Envelopes are in the pew racks during December.

New Biginnings Christian Academy – Gift Idea

Victor Doe broke ground on November 8th for his New Beginnings Christian Academy and now the work begins.  Some materials that are needed for the pilot project and their estimated cost are:  blocks (5200 pieces) at $2.00 a piece, sand (54 Cubic meters) at $6.67 per cubic meter, crushed rock (98 cubic meters) at $24.29 per cubic meter, steel rod (894 pieces) at $11.00 per rod, and cement (475 bags) at $7.50 per bag. 

Rev. Bonnie has thought of an idea to help Victor’s school get built and solve some of her gift giving for those who have everything.  Make a contribution to Victor’s School to buy some of these needed things.  She  even has a card  that can be sent to the person!  So that you too may give gifts this easy way forms and cards will be available at the church and an abbreviated form is on the last page of the newsletter.  Or call or email the church to obtain one.  Checks should be made out to Mayfield Presbyterian Church and the money will be transferred to Victor’s account.

DID YOU KNOW?

… that in November we have lost three members of our church family: George Alan Olson, Dan Hannis and Betty Hughes.  We send our thoughts and prayers to their families.

…that Mary Lou Bryan has put a spiral bound book of Josh Grovin musical arrangements somewhere special and now can’t find it.  If you have seen it please put it back on the piano in the music room.  She likes it for funerals and missed it last month.

…that 22 shoeboxes were packed and sent to Operation Christmas Child by the Sunday School children.  Thank you to all who contributed to the effort with boxes, gifts and money that gets sent with the boxes to drfray the cost of transporting them around the world!  Last year over 10.5 million boxes were sent.

… that a small number of white poinsettias have been ordered for Christmas.  If anyone would like to purchase one as a memorial or in honor of someone, please see Nancy Frank (661-5328) or Mary Seaman.

…that 40 bags of leaves were put out for the Village to pick up and recycle after the fall clean-up day. Thank you to all who helped that day and before hand.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Alex Hitrick    Dec. 4

Orletta LaVada    Dec. 4

Greg Hitchcock    Dec. 7

Deb Hannis    Dec. 7

Seamus Donde  Dec. 10

Vince Hughes   Dec. 18

David Fox   Dec. 23

Dakota Donde   Dec. 24

Suzanne Fox   Dec. 27

Chris Dahl   Dec. 28

Darci Wemple   Dec. 30