Watering eyes, stuffy nose, swelling

sinuses … it must be spring in eastern North Carolina. The yellow “stuff” is everywhere. My car is covered in pollen. Yesterday’s rain shower left proof that spring has sprung in the form of dried pools of iridescent yellow. The good news is that this too shall pass. It seems like a small price to pay in order to revel in the showy splendor of spring. All around us creation is awaking from its slumber. The showy azaleas are beginning to bloom. The dogwood buds are on the edge of bursting. Flowers are pushing through the warm soil. It is a beautiful yet often short time of year. All this beauty reminds me of another glory that many thought was also fleeting. I am speaking of Jesus. We know his ministry was not a long one, but certainly a fruitful one. The gospels tell us of the many miraculous things Jesus did the glory of God. They also tell us that as a result, Jesus was hung on the cross. It is not too hard to imagine that at this time many thought, “well, it was wonderful while it lasted.” End of story. However, as Christians we know the cross was not the end of the story. In just a few weeks we will gather to worship on Easter Sunday. Easter is a time that we celebrate the wonderful truth that the glory of God was not defeated by death, but overcame it. Easter is a time to acknowledge that through Jesus’ life,

death, and resurrection, the way has been made for us to have an abundant life now, and to enjoy an eternal life to come. Easter is a time to boldly claim in faith the power of God to turn endings into new beginnings. As we enjoy the natural wonders of spring in the weeks to come, may we also be reminded of the beginning that started with an empty tomb so many years ago! May we find ourselves irresistibly drawn to a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior. And may we praise God for the most beautiful gift of all … Jesus! Easter Blessings,

Ben

CAPE CARTERET

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

APRIL 2017

APRIL 16, 2017

2017 Financial Report:

FEBRUARY

Receipts: General Fund $ 16,514.05 Building Fund $ 287.00 Wash Fund $ 2,075.68 Non Budget Fund $ 1,149.58 Year-to-Date Receipts: General Fund $ 33,123.68 Building Fund $ 4,617.00 Wash Fund $ 6,028.76 Non Budget Fund $ 2,598.78 Disbursements: General Fund $ 19,470.69 Building Fund $ - Wash Fund $ 2,075.68 Non Budget Fund $ 1,896.23 Year-to-Date Disbursements: General Fund $ 45,531.09 Building Fund $ - Wash Fund $ 2,075.68 Non Budget Fund $ 2,045.43 Checking Account: General Fund/Wash Fund $ 49,165.90 Non Budget Fund $ 9,551.92 Money Market General Fund $ 34,874.12 Building Fund $(15,539.00) Interest $ 5.44 Total $ 34,874.12 Certificate of Deposit 1% Interest, Renewed, 6/16 $ 100,000.00 Average Attendance 145 YTD Average Attendance 131

EASTER EGG HUNT APRIL 9TH

The Congregational Care Team invites children ages preschool through 10 to join us for an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 9th during the Sunday School hour. Please bring a basket or bag for your eggs and join us in the Educational Building to start off our egg hunt. Hope to see you there!!"

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FEBRUARY FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON

The next luncheon will be on Sunday, April 2nd

Upcoming 2017 Luncheon Hosts

April - Choir May - Adult Sunday School Class June - Congregational Care Team July - Men of Church August - Session

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Barbara Lemar 45800 Jona Drive, Unit 119 Potomac Falls, VA 20165

703-444-8164

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ONLINE GIVING

https://presbyterianmissionexchange.org/dashboard/make

-a-grant?orgId=37a634ce-31d2-435c-b129-5e2f407fe4d2

Or scan the QR code with your smartphone, and it will take you directly to the webpage.

BUILDING AND GROUNDS The Building and Grounds committee has a lot going on right now! The painting is currently underway in the atrium, hallway, and fellowship hall. It should be completed by the end of this week. The good Lord smiled upon us for a spectacular workday on Saturday, March 11th. We had over 30 people show up to clip, trim, rake, and spread pine straw. A special thanks to Thumper Swann who brought his work crew and mini excavator to clean out the weed-ridden azalea beds. The project on repairing the stained glass windows should be starting soon. Thanks to everyone who has participated to make all of these endeavors successful!

Lee Johns

CHURCH GROUNDS

CLEAN UP A HUGE SUCCESS The Men of the Church and other volunteers did a great job of cleaning the church grounds on the Saturday workday. Over 15 guys helped tidy up the parking lot, removing leaves and sand. At least 12 truckloads of leaves were removed from the grounds. Thumper had several of his folks and some heavy equipment clean up the overgrowth at the far end of the parking lot. Thanks, Thumper. A ugly tree was removed, hedges were trimmed, underbrush was removed, and on and on. Thanks so much for the heavy turnout of people. Nice job ladies on pine straw around the annex. Remember, The Men of the Church meet at 6pm on the second Wednesday of the month for fine food and fellowship.

Frank Reich

MEN OF THE CHURCH

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

The Men of the Church sponsored the third annual Sweethearts Banquet held in the fellowship hall for Valentine’s Day. As traditional, it was dedicated to our church seniors, and of course, to all our sweethearts. The event and prime rib dinner was ably organized and cooked by our head chef, John Worrell, with lotsa help from the Men of the Church. Much gratitude and thanks to all. Entertainment was provided by our own, Carolina Sky, hosted by Frank Reich. What talent we have in our church. The theme was music from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Wonderful music was played by, in order of appearance, Frank Reich, Saxophone, Suzanne Borrows, piano, Polly Page, upright bass (imagine that!), Erin Gull, vocals, and Junior Godbold, vocals and audio engineering. Everything went fine, until Elvis appeared, spreading chaos throughout the hall. We still don't know who played Elvis due to his outstanding costume. Junior, among singing other karaoke songs, sang a 10 minute Elvis medley, complete with a rousing Elvis intro of flashing lights, dance and passing out scarfs The show is the result of 6 months of rehearsals. What a group! The Men of the Church meet every second Wednesday at six o'clock for a meal, fellowship and praise to God. Come and join us. Out next full church event is hamburgers and hot dogs in July.

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OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

For the month of April, the youth will be collecting stuffed animals. Thank you for your continued support with this mission!

PRESCHOOL NEWS

It is interesting…but when the weather becomes warmer, the activity level of our preschoolers increases dramatically! Spring fever perhaps?! The children are thrilled that spring has sprung and the weather is cooperating for more outdoor playtime! We had a celebration filled March due to our St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. The two and three year olds jumped into learning this month as they were introduced to the letters I and K, as well as reviewing all the letters they have learned so far this school year. The learned about the number 8, and focused on the color green and shamrock shape. The children were immersed in their monthly themes of Science Fun, Insects, St. Patrick’s Day, Butterflies, and Spring. They were mesmerized by classroom science experiments such as watching baking soda fizz when vinegar was added, and making and playing with homemade slime. They also enjoyed going on a bug hunt using their “bug-noculars” and searched for wonderful signs from nature that spring is on its way! They watched the amazing lifecycle of butterflies. St. Patrick’s Week was full of lots of green crafts and yummy treats! The four year olds designed “Pots of Gold” wind streamers using the colors of the rainbow to show our luck of the Irish. They were shocked that a tricky “leprechaun” entered our preschool rooms and made quite a mess! Luckily the leprechaun left sweet treats for the children! The children learned about Simple Machines and created their own catapult levers and inclined plane ramps. Recycle Week gave the children the opportunity to explore all the categories of recyclable items (glass, paper, aluminum, metal, and plastic). They learned the importance of recycling and were immersed in the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle to help our planet. Weather Week was full of fun activities including a tornado in a bottle and raindrop painting. Construction Week was full of construction books, building and creating!

They were introduced to the letters Q, R, W, U and added the new sight words, “little” and “big” to their growing list of sight words. They reviewed the numbers 1-20 and continue to learn to create numbers using the concept of “tens and ones. They focused on the colors green, purple, and gold. It is so rewarding to watch the progress and growth of our little ones!

http://www.capecarteretpresbyterianchurch.org/

April Dates to Remember: April 1, Saturday – Crystal Coast Choral

Society Concert 7:30 p.m. (Tickets are $10)

April 2, Sunday - April Fellowship Luncheon April 2, Sunday – Inquirer Class 2:00 p.m. April 9, Sunday – Palm Sunday Egg Hunt 9:45 a.m. April 13, Maundy Thursday

Communion Service 7:00 p.m. April 16, Sunday – EASTER

Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at the home of John and Delores Worrell at 130 John H Hurst Dr. in Swansboro. Time to be determined

There will be NO SUNDAY SCHOOL on Easter. Classes will resume on 4/23 Easter Sunday Service at 11:00 am.

April 17, Monday – Easter Monday Church Office Closed

MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS

ANDREW ANTONELLI

Andrew is 17 years old and is currently a junior at Croatan High School. After graduation from high school, he hopes to go to NC State to major in engineering. Our church secretary, Tracy, is Andrew’s mom, and his father is Greg Antonelli. Andrew has a brother, Nick, and a sister, Erica. We at church have watched the Antonelli children grow up over the years from little tykes to young adults. Andrew works at Michaelangelos on Emerald Isle in addition to attending high school. Andrew is an animal lover, he enjoys playing video games, and is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

MAX BROWN

Max is 15 years old and a sophomore at Croatan High School. He enjoys sports, fishing, and hanging out with his friends. He loves attending and assisting at our church activities. Max loves helping people and is very kind hearted. His favorite sports teams are New England Patriots and the Golden State Warriors. And like his dad, they are huge Tarheel fans. He hopes to make the Croatan basketball team next year. Max has one sister Hannah, and an older brother Luke, who lives in Asheville.

MEET OUR MEMBERS-

BRIAN AND TERI WRIGHT Brian and Teri and family have lived in this area going on 11 years. A career as a Marine pilot in the USMC brought the Wrights to North Carolina. Brian retired from the Marine Corps in 2013 after 23 years of service. He is now a pilot for Eagle Aviation. Teri is one of the preschool teachers at our church preschool. She has been the two/three year old teacher for 5 years. The Wrights have 4 children. Their oldest, Scott, was married October 2016. He and his wife are currently living and working in Akron, Ohio. Their daughter Kylie is currently a junior at UNC Wilmington studying Recreational Therapy in hopes of using animal therapy to work with wounded veterans. Their daughter Megan is currently a senior at UNC Chapel Hill and plans to graduate December 2017 with a Neuropsychology and a minor in Spanish for medicine. She plans to then apply to PA school or medical school, and to one day become a pediatrician. The youngest Wright, is Mitchell, who is currently a senior at Croatan High School. Mitchell will be following his sister’s footsteps and will be attending UNC Chapel Hill in the fall. The Wrights enjoy living in this area and are very grateful to have found such a wonderful church family at CCPC.

APRIL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

1 Heather Molfetto 15 Steve Anderson 26 Matt Garman 6 Helen Giltz 17 Helen Holt 27 Christine Erwin 9 Dave Fellows 17 Carl Gull, III 27 Debbie Starliper 10 Tracy Antonelli 21 Sandy Sloan 27 Joey Harbolt 13 Max Brown 21 John Worrell 15 Fran Austin 23 Maureen Ackerson 15 Barbara Lemar 25 Betty Butler

Inquiring Minds Want to Know… Are you a relative newcomer to the Cape Carteret community of faith? Would you like to learn more about the CCPC family: its ministries in the community, beliefs, how and why we do what we do and who we are? Perhaps you’d like to explore membership at CCPC and what that might mean for you and for your life. Well the “Inquirers Class” is designed just for you. During this class, we’ll explore

• A brief history of CCPC • Various mission projects and on-going

ministries

• Ways you might plug into our family • How God might be calling you to use

your gifts • Membership steps

The class will be held in the Fellowship Hall on April 2nd. It lasts about 2 hours, beginning at 2:00 pm. The Inquirer Class will be offered twice more this year if you are unable to meet at this time. Please call, email, or tell Ben on any given Sunday if you would like to participate!

FRANCES AYSCUE MARCH 21, 2017

“And I give unto them eternal life,

and they shall never perish”

John 10:28

CRYSTAL COAST CHORAL SOCIETY CONCERTS

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CONGREGATIONAL CARE TEAM – APRIL

Visitation Ministry:

Betty Butler (910-934-5769) Glenda Sobotta(252-393-8913)

Card Ministry:

Joyce Brogdon (252-393-8839)

If you know of any needs or would like to

volunteer with these ministries, please contact the names listed above or Debbie

Starliper.

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NEWSLETTER DEADLINE – APRIL 21st

Articles for the MAY 2017 issue of the

newsletter need to be submitted Friday, APRIL 21st. Newsletters will be distributed on Sunday, APRIL 30th. Please bring any articles you wish to have included to the church office, or email them to capecarteretpres@gmail.com