Here is your December Newsletter! Have a blessed Advent and Very Merry Christmas!
December Newsletter
Author: Pastor Doug Abel
CA Wildfires: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
The flame shall not consume you…
Dear family of God,
We know that your hearts, like ours, have been broken as the devastation wrought by 
wildfires in California continues to increase in severity. In addition to the destruction of land and forests, the cost to lives and human community has been unprecedented, and those costs are still rising. The town of Paradise has been leveled; more than 80 people have been confirmed dead at this writing, and thousands more are unaccounted for. In Northern California, families are living in tents and having difficulty accessing basic services; many of those who have lost their homes are older than 60. While the focus is on those closest to the fires, the impact is widespread. Due to the smoke, communities hundreds of miles from the fires are being impacted by unhealthy air quality. What’s more, after the wildfires there is an increased risk of mudslides.
Through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been present since the beginning of the disaster. Working closely with leadership in the affected presbyteries, we have released emergency grants to support the presbyteries in meeting the urgent needs of their neighbors. At the request of the Red Cross, PDA has deployed four disaster spiritual care providers from our national response team to work directly with survivors in shelters and the affected communities. We are deploying additional PDA teams to support the presbyteries in their assessment and response as they help their neighbors begin recovery. Additional grants for ongoing emergency support for survivors and long-term recovery will be forthcoming.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Your gifts to DR000165 (U.S. Wildfires) will ensure that PDA has adequate resources to support the recovery. Gift of the Heart kits are a hands-on way to help others and a fun project for the Advent season; hygiene kits and school kits will especially be needed in California. You can also share this bulletin insert in church on Sunday.
As people of faith, we seek comfort, support, and direction from God. We ask that you join your spirits with ours as we walk with our California neighbors through the valley of the shadow
Community Thanksgiving Dinner November 18th!
Please join us for this always-uplifting time! Dinner @ 4:30 and service @ 6:00.
This dinner is a potluck. If you wish to bring a dish to pass, our church has been asked to bring hot or cold vegetables.
A Joint Community Choir will be offering their talents.
Hope to see you there!
November Newsletter & Time Change
Hi everyone: First, this is your heads-up that we “fall back” to Standard Time this Sunday! If you show up and no one is at church come back in an hour. 🙂
Secondly, here is your link to the November Newsletter!
Parables Study Continues
Hello everyone:
Our Wednesday night parables study continues tomorrow night at 6:30 at the manse. We will be getting to know Jesus’ parable of the seeds (aka the Sower). If you did not sign up you are still welcome, the sign-up was only for scheduling purposes. Also, if you have been interested but the scheduled night does not work for you I have had inquiries about a possible afternoon study; if you are interested in that please let me know and we can make that happen.
Hope to see many of you there as we gather around the word of God together!
Parables Study Begins Tonight
Hi Everyone: just a reminder that our parables study begins tonight at 6:30 at the Manse (call or text if you need more detail; 989-780-2813). This will be Every Wednesday through Dec 12th, with Thanksgiving week off.
Whether you signed up or not, you are welcome. Nor is this a study that one needs to prep for or make every week in order to keep from falling behind. Rather, each is a self-contained week focused on one of Jesus’ parables.
Please be aware that our house will be partially “discombobulated” due to being in the middle of painting. It will still be fine to meet (no wet pain!), but you may be enjoying the delightful smell of fresh paint. If that causes you issues please be aware.
Please bring your bible, a notebook and pen if you need them, a curious mind, and an open heart!
Looking forward to being in the Word together again…
~PD
October Newsletter
Happy Autumn! Click Here for the October Newsletter!
A Letter from the Ludwigs Serving in Niger
The link below will take you to the PC(USA) Mision Agency site, where the Ludwigs have posted an update. We encourage you to read it and stay in the know on what these missionaries that our church supports are up to!
LETTER FROM THE LUDWIGS
Presbytery to Welcome Church Leader from Niger
The Presbytery of Lake Huron is honored to serve as a host for President Mai-Aiki Kadade of the Evangelical Church in Niger (EERN) in West Africa. President Kadade is in the U.S. as an ecumenical delegate to the PCUSA and Reformed Church General Assemblies. He will itinerate in our presbytery from June 28 to July 3:
Thursday June 28: Fellowship event with Midland Memorial Church at Dow Diamond. (Ticket required)
Friday June 29: Breakfast presentation at Midland Memorial Church (9:00 a.m. – RSVP 989-839-6926)
Saturday June 30: Itineration in Detroit Presbytery
Sunday July 1: Presentation and worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Bay City (morning worship); Presentation and fellowship for Saginaw area churches, First Presbyterian Saginaw (4 p.m.)
Monday July 2: Presbytery-wide luncheon presentation at First Presbyterian Flint – 11:30 a.m. register at www.presbylh.org
After going through various levels of Bible school and teaching himself French, Kadade became a pastor in the main city in his area and later became an instructor at one of the church’s Bible schools.
In 2014 he was elected president of the church, ushering in a large change of vision and structure, and is currently serving his second term. Rev. Kadade is also pastor of the oldest church in Niger’s third largest city, Maradi, which is the headquarters of the EERN. He is the father of four children, the youngest of whom has just turned one year old.
President Kadade partners with our mission co-workers Rachel and Michael Ludwig in Niger. We are very fortunate to host him, and I hope many of you will take advantage of this opportunity!
Meals Needed for Reach Set Up Week
Hello all: we are looking for one breakfast and one dinner each of the five days of set up week, the week before the campers all come. For M-W they need to feed 7, for Th and F they must feed 11. Lunches are on their own so no need for lunches.
We are asking several churches to participate, and have so far covered two of the 10 meals.
If you are interested, please contact Winona Williams. Number available upon request.
