Selections from the Lantern for November 2001

The Lantern December 2001

FROM THE INTERIM PASTOR

My first 18 days here have been exciting ones! I could also say "busy" ones, but I know I sometimes get turned off by people who always talk about how busy they are, so I won't do that!

I have appreciated the large number of you who have taken the time to come by the office to bring me up to speed about things or to just visit. Thanks!

This month has been and will continue to be "get acquainted time" for me. There is much to learn about you as a congregation.

One of the joys and privileges an installed pastor has that an interim does not have is the luxury of time. I have been called here to perform a "different" kind of ministry in that there are specific tasks that must be accomplished in a reasonably specific period of time. I roughly outlined some of those in my letter to you last month and you'll be hearing more in the future.

In the meantime, let us be in prayer: for a successful culmination of our Stewardship Emphasis Season; for our Nominating Committee as they nominate persons to serve on our PNC; and for a joy-filled, Christ-filled Advent and Christmas Season.

A Merry Christmas to you all! PEACE!

SERMONS

Our Interim Pastor's sermons during the Advent and Christmas Season are as follows:

Dec. 2^nd "SOUND OUT OF SILENCE"

God's sounds are always strange. They are never really what we expect. No daily releases to let us know what's going on in the Heavenly White House. Can we hear God speak to us today? Read Luke 11:5-13.

Dec. 9^th DEDICATION SUNDAY

Dec. 16^th "CHRISTMAS BABY, THANKS A LOT"

The Christmas Baby was born to be crucified; did you ever pause to realize that? What can it mean for us? Read Isaiah 52 and 53.

Dec.23^rd "SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT"

Is there anything to sing about this Christmas? All those fine promises associated with the birth of Jesus about peace on earth…where are they, anyway? Read Luke 2:1-20.

Dec. 24^th "BETHLEHEM AND BEDLAM"

"Bethlehem" is a combination of two Hebrew words, "house" and "bread". "Bedlam" means any place or scene of wild uproar and confusion. Do the two go together? Read Matthew 2:1-12.

Dec. 30^th "THE SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS"

How would you like to preach a sermon on the Sunday after Christmas? I mean, what kind of mood, what type of theme do you try to capture? Be here and find out as our celebration of Christmas continues. Read Matthew 2:13-15 and 19-23.

BRING SOMEONE TO WORSHIP WITH YOU DURING THIS ADVENT SEASON.

Advent

Sunday, December 2^nd is the first Sunday in Advent. “Advent” means “coming” and the four Sundays prior to Christmas are set aside to help us prepare for the celebration of Jesus' “coming” to our planet.

Each Sunday a candle in the Advent Wreath will be lighted by members of the congregation.

Purple, signifying royalty, is the color on the pulpit and the stole worn by our Interim Pastor during the Season.

Let us prepare for a truly joyful celebration of God's great gift to the world!

ADVENT DEVOTIONAL

All members and friends of the church should receive a special Advent Devotional Booklet in the mail prior to the first Sunday in Advent.

Please read the first few pages carefully and consider acting upon the recommendations found there.

It is our hope that your celebration of the Christmas Season will be spiritually enriched by using the weekly devotions suggested.

PNC Job Description

It goes without saying that persons being elected to the Pastor Nominating committee (PNC) are being elected to a most responsible job. This job in the church is to receive priority. If necessary, persons may resign from other responsibilities to adequately care for the demands being place upon them.

The job has two main tasks: to help conduct a church mission study and to conduct the actual search for a new pastor.

The church mission study will be conducted by the PNC with a task force chosen by the session and the interim pastor.

The purposes of this study are:

· To obtain an up-to-date profile of the congregation: its needs, its spirit, its future.

· To form the basis for filling out the Church Information Form.

· To determine the kind of pastoral leadership which will be required to help fulfill the mission of the church.

· To develop a tool or document for the new pastor and session to use as the new ministry begins and continues.

Following the completion of this study, the active search begins. During the following tasks the PNC works with the Committee on Ministry (COM) of Sierra Blanca Presbytery through a liaison person. A list of the tasks to be done in the approxcimate order follows below.

· The PNC completes the Church Information Form in coordination with the session.

· The Church Information Form is sent to presbytery for their comments and suggestions.

· The PNC meets with the liason from COM for training with respect to reading Personal Information Form. (PIF).

The actual search for a new pastor then begins.

· The PNC will meet WEEKLY to review the PIFs that will be arriving; to evaluate and prioritize the names of the candidates. (Liaison from COM will suggest a rating system, and will meet with the PNC regularly.)

· The PNC will make monthly progress reports to the congregation.

· The PNC requests preliminary clearance for 3-5 candidates from the Presbytery Executive or COM before any in-person interview occurs. Provides PIFs to liaison in advance. Executive does reference checks and reports results to liaison.

· The PNC must be available to visit churches for listening to persons in their own pulpits or a neutral pulpit in the area.

· The PNC must be available to interview persons on Sunday or during the week as the occasion calls for.

· The PNC sets up interview for final clearance with candidate in Las Cruces, giving COM liaison two weeks notice.

· COM interviews the candidate and informs the PNC chair of the results of the interview.

· The PNC arranges a neutral pulpit.

· The PNC selects one candidate to present to the congregation. Arranges travel, meals, and accommodations.

The candidate preaches for the congregation.

Suggestions Requested

The Congregation's Nomination Committee is now in the process of preparing a slate of nominees to present to the congregation to serve on our Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC).

They would appreciate hearing from you if you have any persons you would like them to consider. If you do, please complete the form below and turn it into the Church Office or to any of the Committee Members.

A copy of the Job Description for the PNC was inserted in the bulletin December 18th and can be found in the preceding article

SUGGESTIONS FOR PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE

I suggest the name of ___________ for nomination to the Pastor Nominating Committee.

The Committee needs further information to help decide, among the names suggested, which to nominate. To help them judge the person's qualifications, please comment on the candidate in such areas as the following:

GENERAL CHURCHMANSHIP

Attendance at worship_________________

Participation in church activities________

Offices held ___________________________

Services rendered _____________________

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS & SKILLS

Cooperativeness _______________________

Willingness to learn ___________________

Openness to new ideas _________________

Maturity of judgment __________________

Ability to follow through on assignments ______________________________________

PARTICULAR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THIS OFFICE:______________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Presbyterian Women

Tuesday, December 11, 10:30 AM in Watkins Hall

Christmas Coffee, Dedication of the Thank Offering, Christmas Music with Ruth Brink, Christmas Reading with Nora Yaryan and Juanita Treat.

Bring gifts for the Community of Hope.

Tuesday, December 18, 9:00 AM Coordinating Team in Library

Thursday, January 17, 2002 9:30 AM in Parlor

Book Review of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, led by Beverly Briggs. Copies of the book can be ordered from Hastings for $11.20 - contact Beverly (522-1445)

Notes, Announcements

Holiday Breaks

Sunday school classes will not meet on December 30. This gives more freedom to our teachers to be with their families. Childcare will be provided at all worship services.

Salt & Light Co. will have their last Wednesday together in 2001 on December 12. The program will begin again on Wednesday, January 9, 2002

The church office will be closed December 25 – 28 and January 1.

Tomlin New Moderator

Joel Tomlin is the new moderator of Sierra Blanca Presbytery. He will hold the position for the next year. As part of this task, he will also serve on the Synod of the Southwest board.

October Finance Summary

Operating Income $28,923.66

Operating Expenses 20,854.75

Balance $ 8,068.91

Year to Date Summary

Operating Income $308,222.80

Operating Expenses 291,613.59

Balance $ 16,609.21

October Worship Attendance

November 4 257

November 11 283

November 18 210

November 25 209

Communion

Will be served on December 2 and January 6.

December Birthdays

12/01 Margaret Stevenson

12/03 Nora Yaryan

12/03 Stephanie Suggs

12/06 Ryan Becker

12/10 Joel Tomlin

12/10 Alice Lee Cox

12/13 Rondla Hardin

12/14 Darla Topley

12/15 Ted Novack

12/16 Katya Garcia

12/22 Peggy White

12/25 Nancy Davis

12/25 Caroline Darr

12/28 Johanna Miller

12/29 Nora Hurab

12/29 Joy Miller-Bell

12/30 Jason Silva

12/30 Pam Briggs

12/30 Sue Carter

12/31 Marti Whaley

New Church Development

For the last several months a presbytery task group on new church development has met in our church. Larry Cooper has been chosen as chair of the task group. There were about a dozen people in attendance at the last meeting, five of them from First Presbyterian. Several people represented Northminster Presbyterian church. The presbytery executive, Shannon Webster, was there. People from Alamogordo have also attended.

The group that met is not a presbytery committee. It is an informal task group that has no official members and is open to anyone who wants to attend.

It was formed partly as the result of a gift of land in eastern Las Cruces by a development company active in the area. However, it should be emphasized that nobody has decided to build a new Presbyterian church in Las Cruces. Most of those who have met are undecided as to whether to build on the land offered or even as to whether to build a new church anywhere near Las Cruces. All are very concerned as to the funding of such an effort.

The meetings have been interesting and productive, however. A local Jewish congregation will build a temple on the next lot. The October meeting of the task group had a very thought-provoking discussion with several of the Jewish leaders about the possibility of coordinating building plans to enable joint use of some facilities.

Presbytery commisioned a professional demographic analysis of the Las Cruces area and the two Presbyterian congregations. This study will be of great help to First Presbyterian Church when we start our self-study in connection with the search for a new pastor. Preliminary arrangements have also been made with Northminster church for joint consultations as we, and they, make long-term plans for the future.

The next meeting is scheduled at our church on January 17, at 7:00 PM.

Tax Information

IRS rules state “Donors must deliver or mail (and postmark) checks on or by December 31 in order to claim a charitable contribution deduction for 2001. Checks which are placed in the church offering during the first worship service in 2002 will not qualify for a charitable contribution deduction in 2001, even if the check is predated to 2001 or was actually written in 2001. However, checks that are written, mailed, and postmarked in 2001 will be deductible in 2001 though they are not received by a church until 2002.”

To properly credit contributions for 2001, please be sure they are received by Kathy Tucker in the office before 2:00 PM on December 31^st or postmarked by the 31^st. Contributions received after this time will be recorded on statements for the year 2002.

In-Betweeners

December 1, Saturday at 8:30 AM - meet to decorate the Sanctuary. We will be going to a light breakfast or early lunch depending on how long it takes to decorate. For further information contact Jacque Parks.

Have dinner with a few old and new friends in a home warm with Christmas decorations. Then join everyone at Watkins Hall for carols, renditions and an array of desserts. The Progressive Dinner sponsored by the In-Betweeners is scheduled for Sunday evening, December 9, at 6:00 p.m. This event is for adults only. Call Judith Ames at 526-3247 or Marjorie Burr at 522-2528 by Monday, December 3 if you would like to attend.

From the Organist

As a church organist, this season has for many years been my favorite. In general, the autumn season is probably the most musically exciting time of the year for an organist. The aura of expectation becomes very prominent around October. Not only do the days cool down, making it easier to concentrate while practicing, but the AFall Festival@ season stretches before us: Reformation, All Saints, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas. Although some of these celebrations may be uniquely Protestant, or predominately American (in the way in which we do or do not emphasize them), I think that most believers in the western world sense a special excitement during this season, especially as we take stock of the historical background of our faith, bring to mind that for which we are thankful, and begin to look expectantly to Advent and Christmas. Although we associate the Christmas season with winter, technically Advent is in reality a AFall Festival@ because, if I recall correctly, at least three Sundays of Advent occur within the season of autumn.

As this issue goes to press, most church organists are concentrating on selecting and preparing their music for Christmas. Actually, this process has started months earlier, as we have eagerly been examining and earmarking new music for the Christmas season, and going through Aolder@ pieces that we feel led to share anew with our congregations.

The close of a year is traditionally a time of reviewing past activities, as well as looking ahead. I thought that the congregation might want to know a few statistics concerning our organ music for the year 2001. As you may know, I keep accurate records of nearly every piece of music I play in our worship services. If my count is correct, between January 1 and November 30, 2001 I shared a total of 174 published pieces of music through preludes, offertories, and postludes (this does not include my own improvisations or music played for Children=s Church dismissals, music during the serving of the Lord=s Supper, choir anthems, or vocal solos). Approximately 80% of these 174 pieces were newly published (within the past several years). Most were hymn-based. Many are Anew@ to our congregation.

The organ-music budget which this congregation so generously provides, and for which I=m very grateful, has made it possible to secure and share much of this new music. In addition, every year I purchase a number of pieces and books of music from personal funds. Since individual organ pieces may cost in the range of $4 to $6 and quality books of new organ music can cost $25 or more, the maintenance of a good organ music library represents a real commitment. I can assure you that the organ music allocation of the church is well used and always spent!

A number of you have expressed gratitude for the brief comments on the organ music which have appeared in the worship bulletins. I will try to share more information with you concerning the history behind selected pieces and their composers or arrangers, with the objective of enhancing our worship by engaging our congregation more deeply in the background of the music that you hear in the sanctuary.

In later issues of the Lantern I hope to be able to share with you some of the selection criteria which I use in choosing organ and piano solos. Right now, I am enjoying the preparation of a dozen or so Advent and Christmas pieces, some new and some old, which I hope will minister to our congregation and visitors.

The BRIDGE

Presbyterian and Disciples

Campus Ministry at NMSU

2511 Chaparral St. 522-6404

David Sallee, Campus Minister

Every Wednesday 7:30 PM - 10 PM

Food & Fellowship (games, snacks & study)

Dec. 7 Friday 6:00 PM

End of the year party for all Bridge programs

Dec. 15 Saturday 4:00 PM

Wendy Sattler & Chris Kassler's Wedding in Albuquerque

Salt and Light Company

FOG (Family of God Time) themes for December are

· Dec. 5 Veggie Tales Christmas

· Dec. 12 Christ the Savior Is Born!

Then we will have a break until January 9th, when we'll celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of our LOGOS program at First Presbyterian.

Everyone is invited to an evening of caroling with the Salt & Light Co. children's, mid-school, and high school choirs! Please come for dinner, too. (There is no charge for the meal, but you may make a donation.) That is Sunday, December 16 Chili Supper, 5:30 PM and Caroling at 7:00 PM.