FINLEY
FOCUS
January
2008
Founded 1891
Picture by
A Thought
from the Interim Pastor…
For as in one body we have many members
and not all members have the same
function,
so we, who are many, are one body in
Christ,
and individually we are members of one
another.
-- Romans 12:4-5
Grace to you and peace from
God and from our Lord Jesus Christ!
Let
me be among the first to wish you all a happy New Year. As we go into 2008, we do it together, and
this is a wonderful time to really begin the interim process. The session and I are going to have a day
together to talk and to plan. We will be
doing the small group gatherings this month, and I hope we will begin the
mission study next month. This is truly
a time of beginnings.
With
all that said, I want to introduce you to what the interim gurus call The Five Fundamental Tasks of Interim
Ministry. That’s a large mouthful to
describe the way my work with you is organized, and the goals which I set for
myself and the session for our contract time.
These are not goals that are worked on one after another, or even in any
particular order, but they do give us all an outline for our time
together. I’ll list them this month,
then expand on them in the months to come.
1. Coming to terms with history. Every
congregation has a history. It includes
all the wonderful things that are part of your past, as well as the not so
wonderful things. Your history influences
your life together even today.
2. Discovering
a new identity. Just as God calls
persons in different ways to do different things throughout a lifetime, so God
calls churches to new ministries over the years. Does God have something new in store for
Finley Memorial in the future?
3. Allowing needed leadership change. It’s just so
easy to let the same folks do the same work in the church year after year. But aren’t there folks out there with skills
and talents just waiting to be put to work for the life of the church? They need to be discovered and empowered.
4. Renewing denominational linkages. Is everybody
at Finley completely happy with Presbytery right now? Are there any Finley elders serving on
Presbytery committees? What are your
concerns about the wider church? We are
a connectional, Presbyterian church, and we need to know what that means.
5. Committing to new leadership and directions. This is the
only task that comes at a particular time.
It comes toward the end of our time together, and this is where we make
sure that you are ready to welcome your new installed pastor.
I
look forward to working on all this with you, and thank you for your warm
welcome to me. Please continue to tell
me your name until I call you by it, and come by or call when ever you need to.
Yours in Christ,
Sally Robinson
Scripture
January 6 Matthew 2:1-12
“Journey in Another direction”
January 13 Isaiah 42:1-9
Matthew 3:13-17
“Chosen to Be a Servant”
January 20 Isaiah 49:1-7
John 1:29-42
“When Life Gets Messy”
January 27 Isaiah 9:1-4
Matthew 4:12-23
“Ice Fishing”
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Adult Sunday School Winter Session
For the winter term (Jan.
6-Mar. 30), the adult Sunday School class will be studying the book “The
Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People” by
John Ortberg.
This is a book about
spiritual disciplines for Christians written in an easily understandable,
practical format and contains a study guide which includes, for each chapter,
questions, scripture, prayer direction, and personal reflection guides.
The following is a book
summary from amazon.com:
This is more than just a
book about things to do to be a good Christian. It is a road map toward true
transformation that starts not with the individual but with the object of the
journey - Jesus Christ. As with a marathon runner, the secret to winning the
race lies not in trying harder, but in training consistently, training with the
spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are neither taskmasters nor an end in
themselves. Rather they are exercises that build strength and endurance for the
road of growth. The fruit of the Spirit: joy, peace, kindness, etc. are the
signposts along the way. Paved with
humor and sparkling anecdotes, The Life You’ve Always Wanted is an encouraging
and challenging approach to a Christian life that’s worth living a life on the
edge that fills an ordinary world with new meaning, hope, change, and joy.
The book contains these 13
chapters:
1) “We Shall Morph Indeed”: The Hope of Transformation
2) Surprised by Change: The Goal of Spiritual Life
3) Training Vs. Trying: The Truth About Spiritual
Disciplines
4) A “Dee Dah Day”: The Practice of Celebration
5) An Unhurried Life: The Practice of “Slowing”
6) Interrupting Heaven: The Practice of Prayer
7) “Appropriate Smallness”: The Practice of Servanthood
8) Life Beyond Regret: The Practice of Confession
9) The Guided Life: Receiving Guidance from the Holy
Spirit
10) A Life of Freedom: The Practice of Secrecy
11) An Undivided Life: The Practice of Reflection on
Scripture
12) Life with a Well-ordered Heart: Developing Your Own
“Rule of Life”
13) A Live of Endurance: The Experience of Suffering
Each chapter can stand
alone, so participants who cannot attend each Sunday need not fear falling
behind or being left in the dark. You may purchase the book on your own through
bookstores or amazon.com. or contact
It has received rave reviews
and seems especially useful for Sunday School classes. Here are 2 reviews:
By Dr. Robert W. Kellemen (
In "The Life You've
Always Wanted," pastor and author John Ortberg calls Christians back to
the basics. In fact, you could think of his book as "Spiritual Disciplines
101," or "The ABCs of Growing in Grace".
By N. Simpson :
Our Sunday School class is
finishing The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg. It has been a big hit.
Ortberg is very readable. He knows his subject matter well, ties the Bible in
appropriately, tells good stories and offers excellent insights. Yet he does it
in a very transparent and humble fashion. He never pretends that he has it all
together and is now going to enlighten the little people. He is candid about
his own failings and challenges, which makes his work much more approachable.
It has study questions for each chapter in the back, so it works well for a
Sunday School class format.
Calling
all mission-minded people. As we begin a new year and reflect on the old, lets
consider how we can include service to others in our lives. Our Mission
Committee needs more help to serve our community and those in need. We have
seed money for another trip to the Gulf to help with the continuing rebuilding
in that area, and we have some money for helping families in our own community.
IF YOU HAVE any ideas for service in our area or know of someone who could use
a helping hand, or if you would like to join in our ministry, please contact
Jacquelyn May
There will be a session
retreat at Finley on January 12 from 9-3. New incoming session members and
continuing members are included.
Church Closing Info
It is a good time now for us to review the inclement
weather procedures in preparation for the winter. Please keep in mind that we
will do all we can to have worship on Sunday mornings if possible, therefore we
will always try to make a decision to cancel by
WHSV – TV 3 Channel 3 This is the best and quickest way to find out info.
WVIR – TV 29 Channel 4
WKCY 1300AM / WKCI 970AM
WNLR 1150AM
Small group gatherings will
be beginning in January, opportunities to spend time in an informal setting
with Sally. You will receive information and invitations soon!
We are looking for
volunteers to be lay leaders for our worship services. If you have done it
before, please consider signing up again; if you have never tried it, Sally
will be happy to work with you and help you learn to participate as a worship
leader. Our goal is to have a schedule of regular worship leaders to work with,
on a monthly or weekly basis.
Everyone
is invited to a New Year’s open house at the Coble’s (131
PW
will be meeting Tuesday, January 1 at
CALLING
Youth News
Middle School Youth Group: Meeting at
Beth Gibson’s house, 7-8:15. Don’t forget to invite your friends!
High School Youth Group: Fellowship & Devotion at the Coble’s 7-9.
Bring your bibles and your friends!
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Nursery Schedule |
Visitation Schedule |
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Jan. 6 |
Coble family & |
Janet Robinette &
Doris Willey |
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Jan. 13 |
Leslie & Lance Allen;
Linda Peery |
Marjorie Shreckhise |
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Jan. 20 |
Allison & Randy Fink;
Jacquelyn May |
Esther Winton &
Beverley Ellis |
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Jan. 27 |
Sue & Jessica
Brubaker; Gina Henderson |
John Gibson & Gloyd
May |
Don Splaun CH
|
Don McClure |
David Brubaker |
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Caitlin Brady |
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|
Josh Coble |
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Leigh Anne Coble |
Dustin Henderson |
Birthdays and Anniversaries
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 PJ
Willey’s Birthday |
5 |
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6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 Heather Allen’s Birthday |
12 Chris Moneymaker’s Birthday Jessica Steele’s Birthday |
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13 Mason Seaman’s Birthday |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 Leslie Allen’s Birthday |
19 |
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20 |
21 |
22 |
23 Kathy Boswell’s Birthday |
24 |
25 Dustin & Gina Henderson’s
Anniversary |
26 |
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27 Ann Willey’s Birthday |
28 Martha Moneymaker’s Birthday |
29 |
30 Ray Snyder’s Birthday |
31 |
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2008
|
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 Presbyterian Women New Year’s Day |
2 Chancel choir |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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6 Men’s Breakfast 4˘-a-Meal Epiphany of the Lord |
7 |
8 |
9 Chancel choir |
10 |
11 |
12 Session Retreat 9-3 |
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13 Baptism of the Lord |
14 Session |
15 |
16 Chancel choir |
17 |
18 |
19 |
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20 |
21 Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday |
22 |
23 Chancel choir Focus article deadline |
24 |
25 |
26 |
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27 |
28 |
29 |
30 Chancel choir |