Happy Thanksgiving with Peace

Paul said to the Philippians, ⁴ I'm thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it's always a prayer full of joy. (Phi 1:1 CEB)

We rejoice in our new home at 12705 E. State Road 64, which is looking more beautiful every day, because of your gifts of time and energy.   Your love of Jesus Christ, your warm spirit, and your generosity have carried us to this new place in our journey.   We will gather there for worship this Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00.   Connect with one another at 9:45 in our café, gathering room, or multiple classrooms.

For those who missed Peace in the news, here are links to the three articles:
http://www.bradenton.com/2013/11/16/4832392/peace-presbyterian-church-moves.html

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20131118/ARTICLE/131119638/0/search

http://www.yourobserver.com/news/east-county/Front-Page/1113201330344/Church-finds-home

Don’t miss Sue and Bob Seiter’s Thanksgiving story today in the Herald Tribune:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20131127/ARTICLE/131129653/2416/NEWS?Title=Lakewood-Ranch-couple-gives-thanks-for-love-and-live

We rejoice with Tricia and Clay Thomas on the birth of their healthy baby girl on November 25.  Go to Facebook to see beautiful photos!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Peace family and friends!   Hope to see you soon.

Pastor Elizabeth

Last Day at Realtors (MAR)

In some ways it feels like we’ve already moved, but we will return to the Realtor’s building one more time. It will be our last Sunday there, and the last Sunday in the church year (Christ the King Sunday), and the last Sunday before Thanksgiving. So we will give thanks for our last three years, for Christ’s who has been with us, and for so many blessings to come.   Big, big thanks to all who have donated time, energy, materials, possessions, and money to our new home at 12705 State Road 64.   You will not believe all the home improvements of the last week!   Come and see on Sunday as we pack up the last items at MAR and tour once again after worship.   Work is still available for those who are eager. For all who donated or will donate to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in the Philippines, we have special cards that you can give to relatives, if you’d like your donation to be an alternative Christmas gift.  You can also direct gifts to the tornado victims in the Midwest. Thank you for the forty pledges for 2014 that we received last week and for all who will remember to make a commitment this Sunday or to mail or email the pledge in.  The pledge page is attached in paper and electronic forms and will be in the bulletin again this week. Also attached is the Peace Christmas Wish List.  Many of you have been asking what extra gifts you could make to Peace to help with special move-in costs.   This list will be in your bulletin Sunday too. On Thursday, I preached at the quarterly meeting of Peace River Presbytery and took the opportunity to thank all the people in our thirty-seven sister churches who have helped Peace to reach this milestone.   They are very happy for us, and thankful for the way lives are being transformed by this community of Christian faith, hope, and love. Speaking of hope, our Service of Hope, a meditative service for all who find the holidays hard and those who want to support them, will be on December 1 at 7:00 pm.  That’s the day we move into the new chapel and have worship at 8:30 and 11:00 with coffee, conversation, and classes in the middle. With gratitude for each of you, Elizabeth   Attachments Electronic Pledge Form for 2014.pdf Printable Pledge Page.docx Wish list for Property.docx

Dedication and Renovation

It has been home improvement week at Peace, thanks to the efforts of so many.   This Sunday we hope all of you will come after worship for a tour of the new ministry center.   If you can stay to work on Sunday, the men’s prayer group will serve you lunch.   Remember to wear or bring your work clothes, if you’re planning to tackle one of many jobs.   If you cannot stay, we understand, but don’t let that keep you from a quick tour.   We are grateful for all gifts of any kind – time, talent, and treasure -- but we do not want anyone to feel pressured – only invited.

This Sunday Kids Club will be packing up items (snacks, jerky, wet wipes, toothbrushes, sunscreen, sanitizer, single drink mixes) for the troops from Manatee County.   Youth Group will be preparing exam care packages for our college students (gum, candy, notes of encouragement). 

The Mission Team has wisely decided that we should collect a special offering for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in the Philippines.   Let’s bring a measure of hope to people in such a desperate situation by giving what we can.  Write checks to Peace with Philippines in the memo.   This makes a good alternative Christmas gift.   We can provide cards for that or for any extra giving you might decide to do for Peace’s building in honor of someone.   Cards with special inserts will be available beginning next  Sunday, the 24^th.
  
This is Dedication Sunday, the day when we encourage you to make a pledge to give to Peace Presbyterian Church in 2014.   Thanks to your generosity, thirty-five children and youth are growing in Christian faith.  Thanks to your generosity, two staff members can give nearly all their time to developing this new church.   Thanks to your generosity, Peace can keep a commitment to give away 10% of our income, approximately $28,000 this year, to missions beyond the life of Peace.   Thanks to your generosity, Peace now has a home from which to better fulfill our purpose:  Our mission is to make God known by growing as disciples of Jesus Christ, building a community of peace, and caring for the needs of others.   It is a great privilege to be partners with Christ in creating a Christian community that will love God and neighbor long after we are gone.

The pledge page is attached for your prayerful consideration.    There’s an electronic version (if you prefer to email it straight to Elder Mark Winters and a printable version to bring with you to church on Sunday.   Copies will also be available at church on Sunday – at the Realtors’ Building, that is.

I invite you to reply to me (it will come only to me) if there is someone you have observed being very generous (giving first fruits of time, talent, or treasure) to Peace, whom you think should be thanked for all they have given.   Sunday’s sermon will be filled with your thanksgivings.

With abundant gratitude for each of you,

Elizabeth
 

Attachments

• Electronic Pledge Form for 2014.pdf
• Printable Pledge Page.docx

 

Moving with Gratitude

This week at Peace we focus on gratitude, reading Psalm 145 and feasting together after worship.  I hope you have been working on your 100 reasons to give thanks to God.   To help you get started, I invite you to name family and friends, faith communities, teachers and leaders, country and community blessings,  service and helping professionals, hobbies and joys, beauties and wonders, comforts and conveniences, and more…..We will feast on the 10,000 reasons we have to give thanks to God at our Sunday brunch.   If you did not sign up for food, bring anything.  Most of all, bring a grateful heart.

Our church is especially thankful this year to be closing on our new property in Gratitude Season.   God has been so faithful to us!   We invite you to help with our momentous Saturday move from warehouse to Aurora.   Please contact Neil (neilmacqueen@gmail.com or 614-527-8776) if you can help load the truck at the warehouse at 8:00.   Otherwise, meet us at 12705 Hwy 64 at 9:00 or later for cleaning and unloading.  Lunch is being provided.   Joyous confirmation of closing will be sent to you on Friday!

Last but not least, we invite you to consider your pledges to Peace to the 2014 operating fund and to the building fund (2013-2015) if you did not already participate.   We would not be where we are without the generosity of so many of you.   Did you know that covering the salaries of your small staff costs more than $3000/week?   Gia and I are in this work for the spiritual rewards, but we are always grateful to be able to pay our bills, just like you.   And Peace has so many exciting, growing possibilities on the horizon now, we must make sure we can support them.

Peace is a generous church.  We have always given away at least 10% of our budget to worthy causes beyond ourselves.   Remember that a financial consultant told us we might raise half a million dollars in abuilding campaign, but we doubled that, thanks to you!   Many of you who are living month-by-month decided to give 50% more each year by adding a building pledge.   Others chose to take money from savings/retirement accounts to create this lasting legacy – a home for Peace’s ministry. 

Why pledge instead of giving occasionally?   Because it helps both you and the church to be better stewards of resources.    Why be generous?   You want to say thanks to God and to be part of the building the legacy of this new church.   What if your circumstances change?   Your pledge(s) can also be adjusted.
Attached is a pledge page, which you can complete and send directly via email to Mark Winters, our Stewardship elder any time before November 17.   He will confirm reception of it.   You may also mail them to 10902 Technology Terrace, 34211, until the end of November.  If you prefer hard copies to electronics, pledge forms will be available this Sunday and next.   

Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.    And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)

Also attached are the bios of two elder nominees – Roger Kragt and Henry Sunkenberg -- for our brief congregational meeting this Sunday.

With deep gratitude for each of you,

Elizabeth
 

Attachments

• Elder Nominees for Congregational Meeting on Sunday.pdf
• Electronic Pledge Form for 2014.pdf

 

Baptism, Saints, Kickball

Dear Peace Family, This week in worship we celebrate the Baptism of Jordan Duncan, while also remembering all the saints who have gone before us in the Christian faith.  Reading Luke 6, the Blessings and the Woes, reminds us that living the faith is challenging.   It is not for wimps. Sunday after worship, the youth, children, and families will play kickball and share a pizza picnic at Greenbrook Adventure Park.  Anyone is welcome to join in, but let Kris Pino (780-8808) know you are coming, so she orders enough pizza ($10/family or $5 for an individual)  Bunco for Moms on Saturday night has been postponed but the Asolo Tour on Saturday morning is on!  Call Lucy Kemp, if you have questions (751-9062) Six days to closing on the Aurora Property on Hwy 64, we hope and we pray.  Don't stop praying or giving!  Please turn in all keys to the office wing of MAR.  We do not live there anymore.  Call my cell phone (779-4900) because the office phone is at Aurora being checked only once or twice/week.  Assuming all goes well (you will hear from me!) we will move from warehouse to Aurora on Saturday, the 9th at 9:00.  Then on Sunday, the 10th, we will feast on Gratitude after worship at MAR.  Please sign up to bring food to this fabulous celebration because we have “Ten Thousand Reasons” to bless the Lord.  Prior to the Feast on the 10th, we will have a brief congregational meeting to elect two more elders. Unfortunately, David Mullen and Roy Green are no longer able to serve, but the nominating committee confidently recommends Roger Kragt and Henry Sunkenberg.  Elected elders will prepare for three months prior to ordination and installation. Peace to all of you, Elizabeth