Maysville Presbyterian

Please find attached the bulletin for this Sunday, September 26, 2021, along with the church announcements. This service will be broadcast on Facebook Live at 10:45 am and the sanctuary is open for worship.

This Sunday is the 18th Sunday after Pentecost. The title of my sermon is “A Small Miracle on Highway 8.” The scripture readings are Psalm 130, and Romans 8:5-11. My sermon will be based on the Romans passage.  The apostle Paul reminds us we are blessed to share in Christ’s victory.  Because we see the world through his eyes we can have hope even when there doesn’t seem to be a reason to hope.  I will share a story that will illustrate this reality. See you Sunday.

Cheers,

Pastor Jim

I like numbers. They can succinctly convey information. The Presbyterian Church (USA) recently released some numbers that I would like to share with you. They tell a story about what is happening in our denomination. Read all the way through to find the

good news.

First, membership in the PCUSA continues to decline. In 2020 our denomination lost 56,000 members, which averages the same loss rate as reported since 2016. “The COVID-19 pandemic may have kept Presbyterians from meeting in person, but the decline in membership over the past year is not significantly different from the previous four years.” In 2016 membership stood at 48 million. In 2020 total membership dropped to 1.24 million.

Second, while overall membership decline remained consistent over the past five years, there was s sharper than usual decline in one area of church activity. There was a sharp decline in professions of faith in 2020. Youth professions of faith numbered just over 5,300 last year, a drop of 4,000 compared to 2019. And adult professions of faith and reaffirmations of faith declined even more, from 21,400 in

2019 to 9,200 in 2020.

Third, while the denomination continues to lose members, 2020 statistics show new worshipping communities are still on the rise and new church developments are starting to move upward after years of decline.

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II is the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly. Dr. Nelson notes that church growth will come from these new worshipping communities and new church developments. In fact, he writes, “if we were to count these, we would actually see growth in the life of the denomination.”

I am serving on the steering committee for Transylvania Presbytery’s only new worshipping community. The Presbytery just signed a lease for a building in Nicholasville. Jeff Shaver is the organizing pastor. I will share more good news with you in the future as this new worshipping community takes shape.

The Nicholasville project is part of 1001 New Worshipping Communities, “a movement within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to create new ways of being and doing church. Some of these new communities may ultimately turn into “traditional” churches; others do mission and ministry in an entirely new way. Their common purpose is to form new disciples of Jesus Christ by participating in God’s mission that is already happening in their communities and neighborhoods.”

Blessings,

Pastor Jim

Two Free Guardian Angel Apps for Your Smartphone

(From the August/September 2020 AARP Newsletter)

Noonlight-This free app for your smartphone silently calls for help to your exact location with the tap of a button. A trained operator at Noonlight's monitoring center will text and call you to verify the alarm. If you can't talk or don't respond, the app sends 911 an alert including GPS location profile information and even a picture of you. For Android and Apple phones.

Snug Safety-This free app is made for people who live alone. This app checks on you at a time of day you select. You press a green checkmark on the app and receive a quote of the day. If you fail to check in, your emergency contacts are notified. For Android and Apple phones.

Church mailing address is P O Box 490, Maysville, KY 41056.

The post office will not deliver if addressed to 21 W. 3rd St.

Choir practice on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. when county is no longer red.

Session Meeting will be held on Monday, September 27th at 5:30 p.m.

Offerings: You may mail your checks to P O Box 490, Maysville, KY 41056, if you wish to mail in your

offerings while we are going through this pandemic or you may pay by credit or debit card through a link

on the church’s website: www.maysvillepresbyterian.org.

Revised Safety Protocols: For all services, First Presbyterian Church will observe the safety protocols

outlined by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Transylvania Presbytery.

_ Hand sanitizer will be available.

_ Pews and other surfaces will be properly cleaned.

_ Wear masks.

_ No singing.

The Big Beautiful Bountiful Bouquet: Please bring some of your posies to church to add to the big bountiful

bouquet. Bring the flowers to the church kitchen and we will add them to the bouquet. If you are coming to church in person, bring your flowers to the kitchen - a little before the service. If you are worshiping on-line, but would like to add your flowers to the bouquet, please get in touch with Gwen Tuel, the church secretary and she will make arrangements. The flowers are an extravagant symbol of our togetherness

in person and virtually. Cheers! The Congregational Life Team.

Presbyterian Women’s Evening Circle Bible Study: The PW Bible Study will meet on September 8th at 6:00 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall. Depending on COVID rules, we may be meeting virtually using Zoom. The PW Bible study meets on the second Wednesday of each month from September through May (except in December. This year’s Bible study is “What My Grandmothers Taught Me” Learning from the Women in Matthew’s Genealogy of Jesus. We welcome all interested women of the church. If you have

any questions, please contact Linda Reed at 606-763-6125. Thank you

Bible Study will resume September 1 at 6:00 p.m.

Office closed on Monday, September 6th for Labor Day.