In order to provide quality worship for our children each Sunday, BPC depends on volunteers to assist with Wee Worship. The list of volunteers is quite short! Please consider supporting Wee Worship. The longer the list, the less often everyone is called upon. Our little ones need you!
The flowers given on March 9th were loving memory of the Rev. Dr. Silas “Si” Franklin Mack and Mrs. Katherine “Kitty” Mack by Pastor Karen O'Brien.
In celebration of Easter, you are invited to place an Easter lily in the sanctuary in honor or in memory of a loved one. The order forms are on the table in the hall. The deadline for placing an order is noon on March 17th.
You are invited to the annual Easter egg hunt at the home of the honorable Judge and Mrs. George Carlson, 505 College St., Batesville. The hunt will be Saturday, March 22nd at 11:00 AM.
Parents are asked to please bring at least 12 plastic eggs with candy to the church office by Thursday, March 20th. (The office will be closed Friday, the 21st for Good Friday). Our thanks to PYF for hiding the Easter eggs for us once again this year.
SNL canvases and pottery projects are ready to be picked up in the Rec. Room. Pottery pieces are placed on top of your canvases if you did both. We have some really talented young artists in our church.
Pastor Karen will bring the morning’s message. Please keep her girded with prayers as she prepares for this Kirkin’ service.
Weather permitting, musicians from the Wolf River Pipes and Drums will perform a “mini concert” on the front lawn at 10:30 a.m.
A representative from each family is invited to walk in the processional into the sanctuary at the beginning of the 11:00 service. Please be in the sanctuary at 10:45 a.m. to receive instructions before the processional begins.
One--or two--or seven will be in the kitchen bright and early this Sunday morning. We'll have someone at the ready to help those of you who need some assistance getting your dishes in. Again, we deeply appreciate your response to our call for dishes.
The Deacons
If you would like to sponsor a flower offering for Sunday morning worship, the sign-up sheets are in the hall, or you may call the church office.
March 9: Karen O'Brien
March 16: Dennis Lightsey and Jana Brock
March 23: An Easter opportunity for you!
Lucille Monk would like to express her sincere thanks to everyone for the phone calls, visits, food and prayers offered after her recent surgery. She is recovering at home.
Junior High PYF will have “movie night” Sunday evening from 5:00 - 7:30 PM at the Whitten house.
SNL will meet at the church this Sunday, 2/17 at the regular time from 4:30-6:00 to begin a SPRING POTTERY PROJECT, play basketball, and have dinner. They hope to see you there!
The flowers placed in the sanctuary this Sunday, Feb. 17th will be given in loving memory of Brandon Presley by Rusty, Meg, Carlee, Sulli, and Mathew Woods.
The Board of Deacons and the Session met on Monday, February 11th. The Deacons continued planning for the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans, and discussed action for care of the congregation.
The Session took the following actions:
· They set communion dates for 2008;
· Elected Paulette Norman as Clerk of Session;
· Elected Kenny Hopper to continue as Church Treasurer;
· Accepted the treasurer’s report for Jan., 08;
· Approved a list of repairs and purchase of appliances for the Whitten house for PYF;
· Heard the report of the PYF/Christian Education Task Force;
· Discussed adding a Men’s Breakfast and an adult “Supper Club” to our calendar.
There are sign-up sheets on the hall bulletin board, or you can call Teresa in the church office at 662-563-3001 to sign up. If you have questions about the luncheon, contact Janey Ginn at 662-915-8821 or jginn@olemiss.edu.
Thank you for your support!
The Deacons
Steve and Allison McCord wish to thank everyone who participated or contributed to the PYF Super Bowl party. It was a huge success. Congratulations to J.J. Kilpatrick, who picked the Giants to win 17-14.
This Sunday, 2/10, PYF will meet at the Whitten House at a new time—6 - 8 PM, to finish their pottery projects and to play basketball and football.
SNL will meet at the church at 2:30 Sunday to travel to The Skate Place in Oxford for a fun-filled afternoon. We will skate from 3:00-5:00 and return back to the church around 5:30. Bring money for dinner/snacks. Remember children 1st grade and under will need a parent/adult chaperone for the outing. (Plans are to take the bus.)
Our church collected $330and 43 non-perishable items for the Souper Bowl of Caring.
With 8,313 groups reporting nationwide, as of the newsletter’s press time, here are the totals as of noon Wednesday, 2/6:
¨ Total raised—$4,,970,954
¨ Pounds of food collected - 1,820,891
The PW Morning Circle will meet Tuesday, February 12th at 9:30 AM at the home of Betty Davis, 506 Broad St.
The PYF Task Force continues to work on plans for our youth.
At the last meeting, we looked at the list of youth and made plans to ask members of the church to aid us in this time of transition. We are still looking for a person who will direct the youth and possibly other education programs here at BPC. The Task Force is rearranging the Wednesday night Bible study time and is planning to present it to the youth this week.
The next PYF Task Force meeting will be on Wed., Feb. 6th at 7:00 PM in the Session room.
The mission of the Committee for Congregational Care and Membership is to work with the Presbyterian Women Circle Committee to provide a complete program of congregational care to our existing members, new members, prospective members, shut-ins, members with special needs and concerns, and new parents.
The Committee for Congregational Care and Membership is charged with informing the Session about and involving the Session in the special needs of the congregation, and to create awareness among the congregation of the needs and joys of our members.
Please help us nurture, encourage, console, and celebrate the members of BPC by sharing news and information with a member of our committee.
Teddy Morrow, tamorrow@cableone.net,
Adam Pittman, apittman@panola.com,
Janey Ginn, jginn@olemiss.edu,
Ben Graves, ben@gravesoil.com,
Margaret Nix, mnix@watervalley.net,
Steve and Allison McCord will host a super bowl party for PYF this Sunday, Feb. 3rd beginning at 5:30 PM. Supper and game snacks will be provided. Join them to cheer on the Patriots and Giants!
Our youth will hold soup pots at the church doors on 2/3, “Souper Bowl” Sunday. They will join young people in churches across the country to collect money for those who are hungry and hurting. In 2007, The Souper Bowl of Caring generated over $8 million. All of the money collected is donated to a charity selected by the participant. None of the money is sent to Souper Bowl headquarters. Since the Souper Bowl of Caring began in 1990, more than $41 million has gone to help people in need. Please support the youth of our church in this effort to “love our neighbors” by dropping your dollar in the soup pot this Sunday.
Through March, the new hours for the pottery mission are Mondays 3:00 - 8:00 PM.
Both Jr. High and Senior High PYF will meet at the church this Sunday, 1/27 at 4:30 to go bowling in Oxford. Lloyd Campbell has graciously agreed to drive the church bus for this trip.
PYF members will need to bring money for supper.
HOPEWELL RETREAT DEADLINES:
· Sr. High deadline for registration - Jan. 27th.
· Jr. High deadline for registration - Feb. 10th.
Scholarships are available for both of these retreats. Contact the church office.
It’s almost time to pick up your application for the J. C. Dunlap or John C. Curry Scholarship. If you are a graduating high school senior, please contact the church office for more information.
The choir has begun making preliminary plans to record a CD! That's right. You heard it here first. David Honnoll, Susie VanDyke, Cherie Matthews and others will also record solos as well as favorites of the choir and congregation. The choir has started a list of their favorites, but welcome any "nominations" from the congregation. They also welcome anyone who is interested in using their musical talent to enhance the worship service to join them! There is ALWAYS room for another voice!
Bundle up for a canned food collection! We need to help restocking the Panola County Food Pantry for those less fortunate. Meet at the church this Sunday at 4:30. We will divide into teams to collect items. Our night will end at Burger King. Bring money for your meal. Parents, pick your children up at Burger King at 6:00.
No SNL on Feb. 3rd
"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into."
Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858
The altar flowers given this Sunday, Jan. 27th, are to the glory of God and in recognition and celebration of the 7th birthday of Alden Elizabeth Graves by her dad and her big brother.
Fresh flowers add so much to a worship service. This year, please consider placing flowers in the church for one of our Sunday morning services. You can honor someone, remember someone, celebrate someone, encourage someone, commemorate a special occasion, welcome a favorite season--or you can do it for the pure joy of it. There is a new sign-up sheet on the hall bulletin board and a place for you and your family. Thank you for your consideration!
Faith Hospice in Batesville is having a difficult time recruiting volunteers to work directly with patients and families, and also in the hospice office.
Some direct patient activities include: talking, listening, sharing stories, playing cards, providing emotional support, grocery shopping or other errands, and Bible reading.
Some office activities that volunteers perform include: clerical duties, filing, mailing greeting cards, answering the telephone, and coordinating with other team members.
Faith Hospice treats the person instead of the disease, and focuses on the quality of life instead of its duration. They are asking that you please consider volunteering; even thirty minutes can make a difference in someone’s life.
If you are interested or would like additional information, please call Melissa Meek at 662-934-2981 or Stephanie Caruthers at 662-934-6560.
A 2008 sign-up sheet for flower offerings has been posted on the bulletin board in the hall. Please help us keep fresh flowers in our sanctuary on Sundays.
January 20: Janey Ginn
January 27: Bob Graves
February 3: Available
February 10: Available
The church is sponsoring an effort to find clothing for a local family who lost everything in a house fire. The 3-year old girl wears 6x pants, 7-8 shirt and a size 13 shoe. Another girl, age 10, wears size 12 pants, 14-16 shirt, and 3 1/2 shoe. The father of this family wears a size 31-30 pants, 32 jeans, a medium or large shirt, and size 8 shoe. Please contact the church office with questions or donations.
Are you ready to jump in and help? Do you have teenagers or soon-to-be-teenagers? Have you raised teenagers? Did you participate in a PYF program as a teen? I’m sure most of us have said ‘yes‘ to at least one of these questions. Here is a great opportunity: the Christian Education and Program Committee is forming a Task Force. Their mission will be to review the PYF current program, identify resources, and present recommendations to the Session. This will allow the Administration Committee to focus their recruiting efforts.
This task force should only be required to meet 3-5 times, such a small commitment for a great cause. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting effort, please contact Bill Mundroff or Pastor Karen. We would like to get the task force kicked off in a couple of weeks.
What Is the Next Step in Our Search For a New Minister?
Our interim is here, and the next step is for a member of the Committee on Ministry from St. Andrew Presbytery to meet with the church Session. This individual will be our liaison through the process. We do not know when the Pastor Nominating Committee (PCN) will be elected, but possibly this spring. We will keep you posted through the newsletter!
The swimming pool at Camp Hopewell needs to be refurbished. The Session has offered to match any contributions for the pool coming from the congregation. We will match them over the next three years up to $500 per year.
Some of our members were involved in the initial building of the pool years ago. Now it is time to make sure that the pool remains an attractive, important and safe part of the camp experience for our children and youth.
You may now set up your monetary gifts to the church through Direct Deposit. It is easy and convenient for both you and the church. Please contact a member of the Stewardship Committee or call the church office with the particulars to begin your Direct Deposit.
A new tax law has gone into effect recently that will affect all "cash" contributions to any non-profit organization. This law requires that the individual filing must have a written receipt for all cash contributions as proof of the donation.
In order for your cash contributions to be recorded on your annual tithe, please ensure that your name is submitted in writing (as on the pew envelopes normally used) along with the donation itself. Most of BPC’s cash donors are already in compliance with this law.
The Deacons will meet Monday, January 14th at 6:00 PM, followed by meetings of the Administration, the Christian Education and the Endowments and Trusts committees.
The Session will meet later that evening at 7:00 PM.
We welcome the Class of 2010 church officers:
Elders - Smith Murphey, Teddy Morrow, Kay Wolfe, Roy Girner and Johnny Spencer.
Deacons - Steve McCord, Andrew Garner, Rob Maddux, Andrea Staten, Ben Graves, and David Maddux.
On Sunday, Jan. 13th, SNL will use the newly-repaired church bus for a bowling trip to Oxford. A departure time from the church will be determined before Sunday. Please check your bulletin Sunday morning or contact Meg Woods for details.
The PW Afternoon Circle will meet Mon., Jan. 14th at 2:00 in the Rec. Room.
The PW Evening Circle will meet Tue., Jan. 15th at 6:00 PM in the Session room.
We need 3 or 4 volunteers each Tuesday morning this month to work at the Food Pantry. You will need to be there at 9 a.m. and usually finish by 11:15 a.m. The work involves packaging groceries for clients. Men and women are welcome to volunteer. If you are interested, please contact the church office.
The Thirst Quenchers Young Adult Sunday School Class has begun meeting again after the holidays. New members are welcome. They meet upstairs in the corner room next to the Media Room at 9:45 am. Please contact Meredith Fleming if you have any questions at meredithcfleming@gmail.com or 662-801-1585.
Camp Hopewell will host a retreat for college students on Feb. 8-10, 2008. David LaMotte from North Carolina will be the keynote/music leader. The cost is $45. The deadline to register is Jan. 24th. For more information, e-mail Allyson Ashmore at allyson@camphopewell.com or call the camp at 662-234-2254. Scholarships are available. Please let us know if you need one.
Feb. 8-10 Collegiate Retreat age - College, $45
Feb. 15-17 - PYC Senior High Retreat, ages 14-18 , $72
Feb. 29 March 2 - PYC Junior High Retreat, ages 11-15, $72
April 6 - Hopewell Open House, all ages, Free
April 25-27 - XYZ Spring Retreat, ages 50+ , Fee to be announced
