Johnna and Justin’s Wedding Shower
Isn’t it wonderful that Johnna Compton and Justin Isaacs are going to be wedded on June 5th?!? The whole congregation is invited.
They invite you to their wedding shower Sunday afternoon April 8th from 2-4 pm in Westminster Fellowship Center parlor. They are registered at Walmart, Amazon, Gem Jewelers and Serendipity of Ada. Church family, come celebrate with them!
Outdoor Worship and Fellowship Luncheon
Please join the Worship and Congregational Life and Membership committees, and the Session, in looking forward to an outdoor worship service Sunday, April 15th, on the church grounds (April 22nd as a weather-alternate).
Salad luncheon to follow in the WFC hall. Bring your favorite salad to share!
Called Congregational Meeting
Dear Members
In its stated meeting on March 25th, 2018 the session acted unanimously to call a congregational meeting for April 22nd, 2018, in the sanctuary following the worship service, having two items of business: 1. to update Congregational Bylaws; 2. to elect the Congregational Nominating Committee. The Session unanimously acted to move to the congregation in this congregational meeting a “Bylaws March 2018”. The church office is this document to you by mail and email, as well as, for reference, draft bylaws dating to 2011, and bylaws 1956.
We look forward to the congregational meeting.Grace and Peace,
Teresa Mayhue (Stated Clerk) and Scott M. White C lerk of Session Moderator of Session
Video Devotional – Late Lent, Early Eastertide 2018
Friends, Pastor Scott produced a short video devotional expressing the essence of the Reformed/Presbyterian tradition. It is available here, and here. Grace and Peace!
YouthQuake (Indian Nations Presbytery) coming soon!
YouthQuake is the annual Indian Nations Presbytery retreat/gathering of 6th-12th grade youth for recreation, fellowship, energizers, study, and worship. Registration is online at okinp.org/youth. Community kids are welcome too…and there may be a bit of funding available to waive the cost. Blessings!
Holy Week 2018 @ FPC
Holy Week begins Sunday March 25th with Psalm Sunday service. Our observances will then continue with Maundy Thursday service on March 29th at 7pm in the FPC sanctuary.
Good Friday services are two: first, an ecumenical Good Friday service at 12noon on March 30th at St. Joseph Catholic Church hosted by St. Joseph Church and the Ada Ministerial Fellowship (it is a traditional “stations of the cross” service); and then FPC will conduct its own Good Friday service at 2:30pm in our sanctuary.
Wedding and Wedding Shower!
How wonderful that David Horne and Robbie Bottoms will be married on April 21st! The whole congregation is invited.
We are hosting a Wedding Shower for them Sunday, March 11th, in the Upper Church Parlor following the worship service.
In lieu of personal gifts, David and Robbie have asked for needed items for the new community homeless shelter, Mama T’s Bread and Blessings.
According to the board president, here is what is needed: childrens books and adult books for the shelter library. What a wonderful thing!
Presbyterians are thoughtful, and they are readers. So, take a couple books from your collection, or do some shopping.
You know, gently used (and new) books can be acquired in various ways, in town and online.
So what were your children’s or your grandchildren’s favorites? Those are the ones we want to give.
What are your favorites? Those are the ones we want to give. Good reads of any kind are of course appropriate, and especially those with Christian themes and values. Of course, cash or check donations would also be accepted.
Lent @ FPC 2018
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, and we will mark the beginning of Lent with the traditional Presbyterian Ash Wednesday service in the sanctuary at 6:15pm (Adult Study in recess).
Friends in Christ,
every year at the time of the Christian Passover
we celebrate our redemption
through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration
and to renew our life in the paschal mystery.
We begin this holy season
by acknowledging our need for repentance,
and for the mercy and forgiveness
proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes.
This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,
and marks the penitence of this community.
We are invited, therefore, in the name of Christ,
to observe a holy Lent
by self-examination and penitence,
by prayer and fasting,
by works of love,
and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.
– Book of Common Worship, PC(USA)
Hope to see you there.
Indian Nations Presbytery stated meeting
The next meeting of Indian Nations Presbytery will be Friday and Saturday, February 23rd and 24th, at Santa Fe Presbyterian Church in Edmund. Commissioner David Butler and Pastor Scott will be attending.
Commissionings, Ordinations, and Installations
Sunday, February 4th, in service the following will be commissioned as deacon for a one-year term: Bill Brooks, Betty Childers, Kelley Dorsey-Miller, Jeremy Pippenger, Karah Thompson, Junior Vargas, Cheryl Weems, Linda Wells, Miriam White. Please hold them in your prayers. Also next Sunday the following will be ordained Elder: Amy West Mayhue, and Matt Sweatt. Please hold them in your prayers. Also next Sunday the following will be installed as session members in the classes of 2019 and 2020: Cathy Blackburn, Becky Compton, Amy West Mayhue, Regina Robertson, Matt Sweatt, Bruce Weems. Please hold them in your prayers. We are blessed!
Annual Congregational Meeting
The session has set the date of the annual congregational meeting for Sunday, February 4th, 2018, in the sanctuary following the worship service. The Annual Report 2017 will shortly be emailed/mailed to the congregation according to your newsletter preference (“I prefer to receive the newsletter electronically” “I prefer to receive the newsletter in print by mail”). To adjust your newsletter/annual report preference please contact the church office at 332-3073. Extra copies of the Annual Report 2017 will be available in the narthex on the day of the meeting. See you all there!
Music Recital
Bonita Blackburn’s Classic Arts Academy will offer student recitals Sunday, January 21st, at 2:00, 3:30, and 5:00pm. Come hear the great music!
Called Congregational Meeting – January 7th, 2018
The Session has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, January 7th, in the sanctuary following the worship service, with the item of business being to elect members to be ordained and/or installed onto the Session in the classes of 2019 and 2020.
Christmas Eve 2017
Our services will be at 10:45am (Lord’s Day) and 7:00pm (Candlelight). Nursery open and staffed for both events.
Community Lessons and Carols! – December 17th 2017
Sunday evening December 17th, at 6pm, our church will be hosting a community “Lessons and Carols” service featuring members of our adult choir, professors and students from East Central University, and a composition from local composers Tori Davidson and Rudy Lupinski. Reception and fellowship will follow. See you there!
Midweek Advent Services 2017
Is it a challenge to get in the Christmas spirit, truly? Is Christmas about more than shopping, traveling, and gift-giving? Important as those things can be, the real gift of Christmas is a child born in a manger, Jesus, the Savior of the world. At FPC we meet Wednesday evenings in Advent for quiet, meditative, reflective, prayerful services which include celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This year the three services will be held December 6th, 13th, and 20th at 6:15pm. Come and be at peace. Come and be lifted.
Hanging of the Greens
The annual FPC tradition happens this year after service Sunday, November 26. We’ll be ready for the 1st Sunday of Advent, December 3rd.
Thanksgiving Week Community Ecumenical Service 2017
This year the Ada Ministerial Fellowship has asked First Presbyterian Church to host the 25th Annual Ada Ecumenical Community Thanksgiving Service. It will be held in the FPC sanctuary Sunday evening, November 19th at 6pm, with ecumenical choir rehearsal at 5:15pm, and with cookie-and-coffee fellowship to follow. The nursery will be open and staffed from 5-7:30pm. Wonderful pastor Dr. Roberto Escamilla of Ada First United Methodist Church, preaching. Bring your friend and neighbor and thankful spirit, and we’ll see you there!
Alternative Gift Market! – Sunday November 12th, 12noon
It’s the “must do”, get-in-the-Christmas-spirit, FPC outreach event of the year. In an Alternative Gift Market you can purchase a gift in the name of one of your friends or family, but the gift is: helping a hungry or homeless in Pontotoc County, or purchasing a farm animal through Alternative Gifts International. There will be food, music, and fun, and this year the special emphasis of the FPC Alternative Gift Market will be: Abba’s Tables, Ada Homeless Services, and Mama T’s Bread and Blessings.
Dinner With Friends – 2017 edition!
This wonderful annual event this year will be held Saturday, November 4th at 6pm. We will meet at the homes of our hosts, as small groups, for dinner, and then gather together in the Upper Parlor for whole-group dessert. To sign up, contact Kay Shaw, Mary Hampton, or the church office. Bring your appetite!
Abba’s Tables
FPC prepares and serves the dinner every first Thursday of the month at Abba’s Tables. Next up: November 2nd. Contact Cheryl Weems to sign up! BREAKING NEWS: the Ada High School leadership classes will join in with us.
All Saints’ Sunday
Scott will ring the church bell and offer prayer for the saints known of the congregation on Wednesday, November 1st, at 11am. In Reformed Protestant thought, all the called and baptized are “saints”, as in the New Testament writings. To ensure your saint is on our list please contact the church office.
Happy Five Hundredth Anniversary!
On Reformation Sunday, October 29th, we will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Scott will preach Reformed commitments, thought, and faith on October 15th and 29th.
FPC Serves Meals on Wheels
October 30 through November 3. It looks like the team is complete, but if you’d like to be a driver for the next commitment, please contact Kurt Jackson.
FPC and Fellowship of Christian Athletes
FPC will serve the lunch at Ada High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Monday, October 2nd. If you can make a dish or help out please contact one of our deacons.
