Mailing address: PO Box 490, Maysville, KY, 41056. 

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The Adventure Continues

Mexico Mission Trip - 2019

By Pastor Jim Dougans


After much preparation, members of the Mexico Mission Team are ready to depart. Six of us will leave Cincinnati airport at 9 am on

Saturday, November 16 and fly to Houston. We have a seven-hour layover and then catch a 7 pm flight to Merida, MX. When we

land one of our translators Doug Depies will pick us up in a twelve passenger van we are renting from Peninsula Presbytery. Also in

the van will be our second translator Daniela Vargas who lives in Playa del Carmen. We will then drive two hours to the Hotel

Lopez in Campeche. If you want to see what the hotel looks like visit http://www.hotellopezcampeche.com.mx./


In Campeche we will join up with team member David Harnish and his father Alan who are leaving several days ahead to make advance preparations. A well has already been dug with financing from our church. 


On Sunday morning we will worship with our host church, Iglesia Presbiteriana Principe de Paz (Prince of Peace Presbyterian Church).

The church is located in Tikinmul, thirty minutes east of Campeche. Tikinmul is a village of about 1,700 people that is known for its watermelons. Another U.S. church is building two new buildings to house the water purification system. Those buildings will be done by the time we arrive.

We begin our work on-site on Monday, November 18. The education team of Bill Reed, Phillip Yunker, and Jennifer Smith will train women from Prince of Peace Church to lead educational workshops for others.


The installation team of Kate Gausmann and the Harnish’s will work with local men to install the water purification system at the new site. General Presbyter Philip Lotspeich and I will plug in where needed. All work should be done and the system installed by Thursday morning. We will celebrate on Thursday afternoon. Friday, November 22 we climb back in the van and head for Merida. We will tour this historic colonial city on Friday afternoon and evening. Saturday morning we fly back to the states. Please keep us in your prayers. And a thank you to the church for its longstanding support for Living Waters for the World! We are bringing clean water to people. God is using us to further his kingdom. God is good. Thanks be to God!


Blessings,

Pastor Jim

A well has already been dug with financing from our church. 

Is God Calling You to Be a Deacon?


Councils of the Presbyterian Church ordain and install church members to three offices: ruling elder, minister of the Word and Sacrament and deacon. Ruling elders exercise their gifts of governance. Ministers of the Word and Sacrament are the resident theologians who teach the faith. Deacons are engaged in ministries of compassion. First Presbyterian Church ordained and installed deacons from 1820 until 1975. Mike Denham, Dan Crum, and Jim Shires were part of the last class of deacons.


Recently the session voted to once again ordain and install deacons. According to the Book of Order “Deacons are called to lead the congregation in compassion, witness, and service, representing the ministry of the church in the world and the presence of the world in the church (W-2.0302).


The Book of Order further states:

The ministry of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, witness, and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, those burdened by unjust policies or structures, or anyone in distress.  Persons of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly and sisterly

love, sincere compassion, and sound judgment should be chosen for this ministry (G-.0201).


God may be calling you to be ordained and installed as a deacon. Please pray about this. Deacons at First Presbyterian must be active members of the congregation who have demonstrated their support and contributions to the church and its work. The Nominating Committee will start making contacts in December. If you say yes to the call you will operate                                                                                             under the direction of the session. If you have questions about this office please see me or                                                                                                 those who have served as deacons.

Blessings,

Pastor Jim





From Outreach Director Erik Wesley

Since last penning an article for this fine newsletter there has been a flurry of activity both inside and on account of First Presbyterian of Maysville. The youth group has been dropped from towers and put through Chuck Yeager-esque positive G turns (at King’s Island-see photo), the community now has a youth choir of roughly 20 children (thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Carlson, The Zeiglers and Nick Denham) and the Living Waters team is ready to execute their mission. The world, in short, is affected by this church in a way that embodies how churches are meant to be effective. We are not only thinking globally and acting locally, but are acting globally as well. Per capita, we are a pound-for-pound contender.


In what may seem a less glamorous activity than sacred music, gravitational horseplay and international travel, the highlight of the month personally has been the chili cook-off on Sunday the 20th. Grandparents and grandchildren, parents and children, friends, neighbors and Presbyterians all engaged in the ancient human ritual (imperiled by our digital age) of preparing and sharing a meal, and what a meal it was.


From traditional entries running the gamut from mild to spicy, to white bean and chicken variations and coffee infused youth group rebellion in a pot, the church was alive with all sorts of activity at every socially acceptable level of the energy spectrum in an exceedingly positive and edifying manner. This was, naturally,punctuated by the ubiquitous Maysville dessert spread. Getting the kitchen dirty (and clean again) was an unquestionably big deal, one that will inevitably result in misplaced items and minor border skirmishes. Ultimately, the cost was well worth the effort. The occasion served as a magnificent ritual for this harvest season. The night was not only a celebration, but also a reaping of the long deliberations, allocations of funds and thoughtful consideration that went into creating that incredible space.


God bless,

Erik


Ask the Stated Clerk!

From time to time, I receive questions on various issues. If you have a question or something you’ve always wondered about, sent them to me at statedclerk@transypby.org and I’ll address it in the future newsletter.



Here’s a question for this week:

Does the congregation approve the yearly budget?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Maybe

Answer:

B. No

In the Presbyterian form of church government, the responsibility for finances and budgeting falls under the duties of the session. Here’s how the Book of Order says it: “...the session shall prepare and adopt a budget and determine the distribution of the congregation’s benevolences.” (See BOO G-3.0205 Finances.)

Whenever the Book of Order uses “shall,” that means it’s a mandated or required action. Of course, the session would want to communicate with the congregation and encourage support of the congregation’s finances and budget, but it’s the duty and responsibility of each session to prepare and adopt an annual budget. For more information, see BOO G-3.0113 Finances and G-3.02 The Session.


Blessings,

Rev. Jerry Utt

The PW Evening Circle Bible Study will meet on Wednesday, November 13th at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the church. The Evening Circle Bible Study for 2019-2020 is entitled “Love Carved in Stone” , a fresh look at the Ten Commandments, written by Eugenia Anne Gamble. We welcome all women to join us!


   

Session Meeting


The Session will meet Monday,

November 25th at 5:30 p.m.



Our facebook site is: www.facebook.com/maysvillepcusa.org


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

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


New Class: Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m., Erik Wesley our Outreach Director, will be teaching a Western Philosophy 101 class. Beginning with the pre-Socratics and ending in the 20th century, Erik will devise a comprehensive curriculum to introduce any interested parties to the Western tradition which, when combined with Biblical thought in the 1st Century A.D., gave birth to the Christian tradition as we know it. Feel free to contact Erik: etaylorwes@gmail.com to register and/or ask questions. Study materials will be provided, notebooks highly recommended.


Green Dot Maysville and Comprehend, Inc. present “Trauma and Its Effects” mini-conference on Wednesday, November 20th from 12:30-4:30 p.m.

The conference will be held at Comprehend, Inc., 611 Forest Ave., Maysville.

The speaker is Dr. Amanda Brown, Trauma Informed Specialist from Northern Kentucky University. The conference is free. Light snacks will be available.                                                                                  Register: http://greendotgcky.org/trauma

You may also contact Missy Verdin, Women’s Crisis Center or missyv@wccky.org


Limestone Children’s Choir will meet on Sundays at 2:30 p.m.


Emergency Operation Plan: Emergency operation practice date will be next Sunday, November 10th.


Safety and Security Committee will meet on Thursday, November 7th at 5:30 p.m.


Chili Cook-off and Silent Auction was well attended. The silent auction brought in $230.50 for the Living Waters for the World project!


Called Congregational Meeting: At it’s stated meeting on October 28, 2019, the Session called a congregational meeting for Sunday, November 10, 2019, following worship service for the purpose of electing three officers to the session class of 2022.


Operation Christmas Child envelopes are on the table in the back of the sanctuary. The shoebox needs to be in by Sunday, November 17th. Items that cannot be sent are: candy, gum, war related items, chocolate or food, seeds, fruit rolls, drink mixes, lotions, vitamins, breakable items, and aerosol cans.

You may go to https://www.samaritanspurse.org/ to learn more about this project.


Church Women United will meet on Friday, November 8th at 6:00 p.m. at the Seddon United Methodist Church, 1317 Forest Ave. They will be celebrating World Communion Day. The speaker will be Billie Carol Lofton (B.J.’s Gift of Giving) The title of the program is “Resolve to Love”.

Please enter the fellowship hall at the Broadway St. entrance. There will a dessert buffet to follow the service.


Scouting for Food will be Saturday, November 16th and Sunday November 17th. Bags will be distributed on Saturday and picked up on Sunday. Anyone wanting to help contact Dan Crum.


Community Thanksgiving Supper and Service will be held on Thursday, November 21st at First Christian Church. The chili supper is at 5:30 p.m. and the service is at 7:00 p.m.

Click on puzzle to print

There is a basket on the table in the back of the sanctuary with note cards, envelopes, pens, labels and
stamps. These cards will go to people on the prayer list and the homebound.

 If you know someone’s address on this list please give it to Gwen in the office so she can make labels with their name and address for your convenience. Thanks!

Over 200 families are served by the Mason County

Food Bank each month. Please keep bringing nonperishable

food donations each week to our basket in

Fellowship Hall. Please also consider a financial

contribution to Limestone Ministries, Inc. and/or the

Mason County Food Bank, because despite regular food donations

from area churches, food still needs to be purchased each month.

Mason County Food Bank is the only one available since the Calvary

Baptist Food Bank closed. Any non-perishable item will be accepted,

but the most needed items are: spaghetti sauce, boxed spaghetti,

macaroni & cheese dinners, dried beans, saltine crackers, cornbread

mix, peanut butter, oats, cereal, canned soup, canned vegetables, and

canned fruit. Cash donations are welcome also! If you write a check,

please make it payable to the First Presbyterian Church and put

‘FOOD BANK’ on the memo line. Or you can send funds directly to the Mason County Food Bank,                                                                  located at 1679 Forest Avenue, Maysville, KY 41056.

CLICK ON CALENDAR TO PRINT and see Birthdays and Anniversaries

Policy for Worship Service Cancellation Due to Bad Weather:  “First Presbyterian Church will almost always hold a worship service on Sunday morning.  The worship service will be cancelled when there is a Level Three Snow Emergency declared where only personnel are to use the roads.  On weekdays the church office and all church programs will also be cancelled when Level Three Snow Emergency is in effect.  During other storm conditions church members are advised to use caution and best judgment when determining whether to travel to church.”