A St. Patrick’s Fellowship Luncheon / Deacons Fundraiser For Ada High School Ministry will be held next Sunday, March 17th, from 12:30-1:30pm in the WFC Hall. What a neat idea! The Deacons will offer a potato and salad bar at this event and there will be other foods as well. Thank you Congregational Life and Membership Committee, and Commissioned Deacons!
Midweek Lenten Services 2019
We’re looking forward to them!
Shrove Tuesday Party March 5th at the White’s, 6-8pm; call the church office for directions.
Ash Wednesday March 6th in the sanctuary, 6:15-6:55pm
Midweek #1 Wednesday March 13th we meet for brief Lenten service from 6:15-6:55pm in the sanctuary. This will be a time of centering, scripture, prayer, celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and thinking on the spiritual renewal that God wants to give.
Midweek #2 Wednesday March 27th we meet for brief Lenten service from 6:15-6:55pm in the sanctuary. This will be a time of centering, scripture, prayer, celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and thinking on the spiritual renewal that God wants to give.
Maundy Thursday April 18th in the sanctuary, 6:15-6:55pm
Good Friday April 19th in the sanctuary, 6:15-6:55pm
Meals On Wheels Ahead! FPC delivers the community meals March 18th–22nd 2019 for this calendar quarter. Please contact Kurt Jackson if you are interested in participating.
Peace At Dwight Mission! Have you begun thinking about summer camp possibilities yet? “Peace” is the theme for the camp programs this summer; more information presented in Sunday services and on the Dwight Mission web site.
The Steering Committee looks forward to getting your input for some congregation analysis it is doing. Please be thinking about FPC’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. We’ll be gathering your inputs later this month and in April. Thank you! ~ David Butler
A “Sweetheart Italian Themed Luncheon” follows service Sunday, February 10th, in the Westminster Fellowship Center Hall. Enjoy your favorite Italian dish or treat and celebrate the love of Valentine’s Day with your church family. Sweetheart awards will be part of the celebration!
Big Events on February 3rd, 2019!
Members Are Commissioned As Deacon For A One Year Term. We give thanks for the diaconal service in the last year of Bill Brooks, Betty Childers (chairperson), Kelley Dorsey-Miller, Jeremy Pippenger, Karah Thompson, Junior Vargas, Cheryl Weems, Linda Wells, and Miriam White.
David Horne Is Ordained Elder In the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Elders Are Installed Onto The Session for a two-year term in the class of 2021.
FPC Conducts Its Annual Congregational Meeting in the sanctuary following the worship service. Copies of the Annual Report 2018 were emailed and mailed to the members and friends according to their distribution preference; additional printouts are available in the narthex.
FPC Serves At Abba’s Tables Thursday February 7th; the ‘JoAnn Carpenter Service Team’ serves the meal. This is a monthly outreach we participate in and we always welcome new helpers. You don’t have to commit to serving every month. When you are available please visit with Cheryl Weems if you’d like to be a part of the team.
A Classic Arts Recital will be offered Sunday, January 27th at 2pm and 4pm. Bonita Blackburn will proudly showcase her music students as they offer their Winter Recital. In the sanctuary; all are warmly invited to attend.
Epiphany on a Sunday this year!
Come to the Day Of Epiphany Service at First Presbyterian Church, year of our Lord 2019. Epiphany means appearing, or manifestation, and this is the church season that bridges between Christmastide and Lent. It is a celebration of the ways that Christ appeared in his time and place during his earthly life, and a celebration of the ways that Christ yet appears today.
Full Study of Mark’s Gospel, continuing in 2019, in “Coffee and Conversation”!
This adult study continues to go strong and all are welcome. We’re in church school classroom 2 during church school hour (9:30-10:30am Sundays) and we’re going to land on Mark chapter 16 (the account of the resurrection) on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019!
Christmastide Observances 2018
Sunday December 30th – our traditional Lessons and Carols Service – same time as always, 10:45am. Welcome, neighbor, to this rich and interesting presentation of the Christmas Story with scriptures and carols.
Monday December 24th – our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Welcome neighbor!
In service on Christmas Eve we will also receive the PC(USA) Christmas Joy offering. “This offering provides assistance to current and retired church workers in their time of need and develops future leaders at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.”
Advent 2018 @ FPC
The sanctuary is decorated and Sunday mornings we are lighting the Advent candles and singing special hymns. We’re following the lectionary and entering into the hope, peace, joy, and love of the season…the season of the nativity, of the incarnation, of the birth of the Christ.
Midweek services featuring scripture, prayer, centering, and celebration of The Lord’s Supper: December 5th and 19th, in the darkened sanctuary, 6:15-6:55pm.
Welcome, neighbor!
It’s the All-Church Christmas Party!
December 16th, from 5-7pm in the Westminster Fellowship Center Hall, it is the All-Church Christmas Party. Festivities include: Children’s Christmas Presentation, Cookie Decorating, A Beautiful Meal for the Whole Family, FPC Choir, Ornament Exchange, and Mission Giving Opportunities!
Please Bring A Christmas Tree Ornament for ornament exchange during the party. Bring something dear—but not too dear. At an appropriate moment you will be matched with another individual/household in the church. Then you will exchange stories about the ornaments. Each will remember the significance of this ornament for years to come.
One Additional Note On The All-Church Christmas Party One of the five giving opportunities will be to a new, Session-created fund: “FPC Campus Renovations and Development”. (It may seem like giving to ourselves, but our neighbors use the buildings constantly.) Well, a church member has pledged to match gifts to this giving opportunity up to $10,000. That is so wonderful!
December 2018 – FPC Campus Renovation And Development Fund Matching Opportunity Due to the generosity of a church member, contributions to this fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000 through the end of this month. Also, you can make a pledge this month, to be paid in the first quarter of 2019, and it will still be matched! Please mark your cash-in-envelope, check, or pledge accordingly.
“Ready To Share”, This Year’s Funding Our Ministry Campaign For 2019, has been very successful and we thank the members and friends. We have received many pledges from many congregational households. It isn’t too late to pledge; the online option is at fpcada.org/links and there are additional pledge cards in the narthex. Thank you! ~Bruce Weems and Matt Sweatt.
Ready To Share – Our Stewardship / Funding Ministry Campaign 2018 for 2019 – completes November 11th. “Ready to Share” (1 Timothy 6:18) has been our theme. Besides two mailings rich in information and inspiration from the Finance Committee, we’ve had speakers recently each Sunday. November 11th is Pledge Dedication Sunday. We hope and trust you have prayerfully and joyfully considered your giving, and will return a pledge card. First Presbyterian Church is Ready to Share!
November 11th Is Pledge Dedication Sunday. Let us bring the full tithe into the storehouse! ~ Malachi 3:10 Extra pledge cards are in the narthex. NEW THIS YEAR: online pledge form option. It is at fpcada.org/links.
FPC Serves The Meal At Compassion Outreach this Tuesday, November 13th. Contact Kurt Jackson if you wish to contribute a dish, or join the serving team.
The All-Church Tailgate Party With Chile/Stew/Soup Cook-Off takes place after service November 4th in Westminster Fellowship Center and on tailgates scattered throughout the parking lot. See you there!
Pumpkin Patch Extravaganza Hey friends, it’s the time of year to get our Pumpkin Patch on! Christian Education has some funds and we would like to use those funds to treat yourselves to a Pumpkin Patch good time. We will meet at Cornerstone Kids Ranch at 3:30pm Sunday, October 28th. We will check in as a team. We will then commence on the Patch until we cannot Patch anymore. Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, God-parents, your BFF, tell them to come on! We can Pumpkin Patch until our hearts burst, or, until 7:00pm when the ranch closes. We hope to see everyone there!! ~ Brooke, Amy, Tami
All-Church Tailgate Party With Chile/Stew/Soup Cook-Off, coming after service Sunday November 4th! Wow! Can you bring your pickup truck? (Yes!) Can you wear your high school or college t-shirt and other accessories? (Yes!) Can you decorate a fellowship hall table in the style and colors of your school? (We hope so! Contact Amy Mayhue to express willingness.)
Congregational Meeting October 21st 2018 The Session has called a congregational meeting following the worship service on October 21st, in the sanctuary, with the one item of business being to elect members to serve as session members in the class of 2021. The report of the Nominating Committee was emailed to you last week, and additional copies are in the narthex. The Nominating Committee nominates: David Butler, David Horne, Kurt Jackson, Teresa Mayhue, and Tami Thompson. See you there!
World Communion Sunday at First Presbyterian Church! October 7th, 2019. Welcome, neighbor!
The Communion Liturgy on this day will be traditional Presbyterian; the form, prayers, and choral elements were inherited from the early church in the Middle East and from the Catholic church in Europe. The liturgy took new shape in Switzerland, the birthplace of the Reformed tradition, and has been refined through the centuries by the Presbyterian churches in Scotland and America.
The Confession Of Belhar, source of our Affirmation of Faith on World Communion Sunday, is the newest confession of the Presbyterian Church (USA), being adopted for the Book of Confessions, a constitutional document, by the 222nd General Assembly (2016). It has roots in the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa and the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa. It is those churches’ response to “sin that disrupts the church’s unity, creates division among the children of God, and constructs unjust systems that steal life from God’s creation”; it is those churches’ response to Apartheid.
FPC Ada Hosts The Next Meeting Of Indian Nations Presbytery Friday, October 5th, from approximately 9:30am-3pm. The Deacons are serving morning refreshments and Presbyterian Women are serving lunch. If you are free or could be free these groups would certainly welcome your help. Thank you so much!
The Next Building And Grounds Work Bee will be Saturday, September 29th, from 9am-2pm. Lunch will be served!
Ada High School Will Conduct Its Homecoming Dance @ FPC, in the WFC Hall, Saturday evening, September 29th.
The Next Hymn Sing Sunday will be next Sunday, September 30th in the sanctuary, with potluck following in the WFC hall. Send in your favorite hymns to the church office please!
Church School Kickoff 2018 – September 9th! The Church School kickoff breakfast will be prepared and hosted by the Christian Education Committee. Then Church School for all ages in the 2018-2019 year will be underway. Please contact a Christian Education Committee co-chair (bulletin back cover) if you have questions about your child being in the church school.
Meals On Wheels FPC delivers the meals Monday through Friday, September 10th through 14th. Please contact Kurt Jackson to participate.
Presbyterian Women Bible Study The monthly study resumes after summer break Tuesday September 11th at noon.
Compassion Outreach FPC is serving the meal Tuesday September 11th, 5-7pm. Contact Kurt Jackson or Bob Neman to participate.
Wednesday Evening Bible Study resumes Wednesday September 5th at 6-7pm in the church parlor. Taught by the Rev. Buddy Baltimore.
Services For Jean Lyon will be held Thursday, August 30th, at 2pm: Memorial Service and Witness to the Resurrection in the sanctuary; Reception to follow in the upper parlor.
Back To School Thank you so very much for always showing your support to FPC’s adopted school, Ada High School! There are two ways of helping our students. 1. By making a monetary contribution (please note on check or envelope that it’s for AHS Supplies), or 2. purchasing the supplies and bringing them to the church office. 2018-2019 AHS School Supply List:
2 Reams Copy Paper
1 Binder (3 or 4 inch)
1 Package Highlighters
1 Pkg “Black” EXPO Markers
2 Pkgs Notebook Paper
2 Boxes of Kleenex
1 Pencil Pouch
1 Pkg #2 Lead Pencils
7 Subject Tab Dividers
1 Container of Clorox Wipes
Frontier City And Toby Mac! The Indian Nations Presbytery Youth Committee welcomes all Presbyterian Youth and their friends to attend a special day at Frontier City in Oklahoma City this Saturday, August 18, 2018, for an afternoon and evening of fun from 2 pm–10 pm. The Toby Mac concert wraps up the day! Tickets are $32 at the gate; the FPC office can connect you with the rest of the presbytery youth at Frontier City.
Choir Rehearsal Resumes Wednesday, August 8th, at 7 pm. For more information or questions please contact Music Director Johnna Isaacs.
The Mama T’s B & B Open House will be Friday, August 10th, from 5:30 – 7:30pm, at 222 East 12th St. Mama T’s will open as a homeless shelter Monday, Aug 13th, 6pm. What a great addition for our community. It’s been a long road to get it up and running but the welcome mat is ready to be laid at the door. We encourage you to go the Open House and see the results of the community pulling together!
FPC Mission Emergency Fund Disbursements from the mission emergency fund are ongoing for the most-in-need of our neighbors. Donations into the fund are accepted at any time, just mark “Mission Emergency Fund” or “Urgent Needs Fund” on your check or envelope. Thank you.
Car Wash A Big Success! Thank you to all who came out to help wash and serve during last Saturday’s car wash. A great time was had by the car washers and our patrons came away with clean, shiny vehicles. There was good camaraderie, fellowship and laughter. More than $575 was raised to help us meet more of our goals and missions!
Christian Education Pool Party!
Yes, it is hot. Join us and our neighbors at Wintersmith Park Pool Saturday, July 14th, from 6-8pm. Intergenerational fun and meeting our neighbors!
Car Wash Fundraiser!
On the south church driveway, Saturday, July 7th, 9am-1pm. Come on out to meet our neighbors! Lunch provided
“Soccer on the Grounds”!
After service and congregational meeting Sunday, June 10th. Come on out for intergenerational fun, and cool watermelon and beverages. Hosted by the Congregational Life and Membership Committee.
Congregational Meeting June 10th, following service
To hear the report of the Nominating Committee and to elect a member to serve on the session in the class of 2019.
The Wedding of Justin Isaacs and Johnna Compton
Saturday, June 2nd, 3pm in the sanctuary, with reception to follow. The whole church is invited!
Ada Homeless Services Crawfish Boil Fundraiser
Saturday, May 19th, 6-8pm, at the Chickasaw Nation Community Center.
Property Work Bee
Come on out to beautify the grounds! Plus we have some indoor chores as well. It all happens Saturday, May 5th, from 9am-2pm. Lunch will be served!
Congregational Potluck Luncheons!
Sundays April 15th and 29th. Hosted by the Worship Committee and the Commissioned Deacons
The Wedding of David Horne and Robbie Bottoms
Saturday, April 21st, 3pm in the sanctuary! The whole church is invited! Reception to follow in Westminster Center Fellowship hall.
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.
