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BEDFORD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
NEWSLETTER Deember 2018
e-mail: [email protected]
telephone: (540) 586-5284
fax: (540) 586-5284
www.bedfordpresbyva.org
Christmas 2018 marks the 200 Anniversary of "Silent Night" German: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, "composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.
In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the
Austrian Alps. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg
where they were to re-enact the story of Christ's birth in the small Church of St.
Nicholas.
Unfortunately, the St. Nicholas' church organ wasn't working and would not be repaired before Christmas.
(Note: some versions of the story point to mice as the problem; others say rust was the culprit) Because the
church organ was out of commission, the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home. That Christ-
mas presentation of the events in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a
meditative mood. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. The longer
path took him up over a hill overlooking the village.
From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. Reveling in majestic silence of
the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing Christmas-card like scene. His thoughts about the Christmas
play he had just seen made him remember a poem he had written a couple of years before. That poem was about
the night when angels announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to shepherds on a hillside.
Mohr decided those words might make a good carol for his congregation the following evening at their
Christmas eve service. The one problem was that he didn't have any music to which that poem could be sung.
So, the next day Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber only had a few hours to
come up with a melody which could be sung with a guitar. However, by that evening, Gruber had managed to
compose a musical setting for the poem. It no longer mattered to Mohr and Gruber that their church organ was
inoperable. They now had a Christmas carol that could be sung without that organ.
On Christmas Eve, the little Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing their new composition to
the accompaniment of Gruber's guitar.
Weeks later, well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived in Oberndorf to fix the organ in St. Nicholas
church. When Mauracher finished, he stepped back to let Gruber test the instrument. When Gruber sat down, his
fingers began playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr's Christmas poem. Deeply impressed, Mau-
racher took copies of the music and words of "Silent Night" back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two
well-known families of singers — the Rainers and the Strassers — heard it. Captivated by "Silent Night," both
groups put the new song into their Christmas season repertoire.
The Strasser sisters spread the carol across northern Europe. In 1834, they performed "Silent Night" for
King Frederick William IV of Prussia, and he then ordered his cathedral choir to sing it every Christmas eve.
Twenty years after "Silent Night" was written, the Rainers brought the song to the United States, singing it
(in German) at the Alexander Hamilton Monument located outside New York City's Trinity Church.
In 1863, nearly fifty years after being first sung in German, "Silent Night" was translated into English (by
either Jane Campbell or John Young). Eight years later, that English version made its way into print in Charles
Hutchins' Sunday School Hymnal. Today the words of "Silent Night" are sung in more than 300 different lan-
guages around the world.
Article by Howard Culbertson (edited for brevity). For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert
December, page 2
December 24th- at 7pm, Church Sanc-
NOVEMBER CLERK’S CORNER
Another added to the fold! Lynne Palmer, who moved from California this
summer, was accepted as a member by reaffirmation by faith.
With the death of Bob Abbott on October 15, 2018, membership is now at 137.
Elder Russell Stevens and the Pastor attend the Presbytery meeting at First
Presbyterian Danville that had been postponed until November 29 due to inclement
weather.
Did you see it? Session approved a half- page ad going into the Bedford Bulletin mailing distributed to all
Bedford County residents on the day before Thanksgiving.
Painless giving: The church will look into registering with Amazon’s non-profit Center as well Food Lion
and Kroger.
Donated devotion and prayer books will be placed in the library to be distributed to shut-ins.
Middle schoolers will meet on Thursday afternoons.
Heather Poindexter is ready to start the MOPs group. Motion from committee to fund needed materials
was approved.
Coming in January: upgrades for the sanctuary lighting and fire alarm up-grades will be worked along
with a sanctuary heating system up-grade.
Do you feel called to serve? The Nominating Committee is still looking for candidates to fill the Property
and Communication elder positions.
Committee has found candidates for the Administration and Missions positions.
Santa is coming soon—but stewardship cards are coming sooner! Those that can’t be distributed on Sun-
day December 2nd and 9th will be mailed out.
175th Anniversary Celebration is starting! The first event is our entry in the Bedford Christmas Parade on
December 1. Please support this.
The next event is a combined communion with Peaks, Pisgah, and Cool Springs; using communion sets
from each church. A pot luck will be held afterwards.
Want a memento? 175th commemoratives will be offered to the congregation.
Mark your calendar for upcoming Congregational meetings:
Sunday, December 9—elect officers
Sunday, January 27— receive year end and 2019 Budget reports; vote on pastor’s terms of call
December 2018, page 3
December 2018 Praise God from whom all blessings flow! It’s that time of year when your acts of financial steward-ship, which certainly benefits the church, can also grow your faith and enrich your personal relation-ship with God. Here are five principles to consider regarding giving. First is the principle of relationship. When your giving ceases to be a transaction between you and the church treasurer and becomes a transaction between you and God, who gave it all to you in the first place, then you signify, symbolize and confess that all you are and all you have comes from God. What a statement of faith! Secondly, prioritize giving. Take God’s share off the top and not off of what’s left over. This may cause you to reorganize your life. All that beautiful language, “God is first, others second and I’m third” becomes concrete and actual. Thirdly, make a habit of giving regularly. Weekly giving trains us to spend more time thanking God for his blessing us. Fourth is the principle is faith. If we actually give God the priority, take his share off the top, then we begin to live adventurously! You can trust that God will not let you go bankrupt or starve. A gift that does not make you step out in faith is hardly a gift at all. Giving should bring joy and excitement to your life! Fifth is the principle of proportionality. Jesus talked a lot about money but only mentioned the tithe twice – both times critical of those who thought a tithe was sufficient proof of their faith (Matthew 23:23, Luke 18:11-12). In the freedom that Christ gave us, we are responsible for fixing our own percentage, based on what we can joyfully afford to give from our personal sense of abundance (2 Corinthians 8:11-15, 9:6-12). There are some who tithe in the sense of giving regularly, with a pri-ority on God, and at great personal sacrifice, with a proportion far less than 10%. There are others who will not be tithing in that sense until they give much more than 10%. Please consider pledging this year. It will help the session with the budget and help you grow your faith. Here’s my prayer that your faith will grow and your love of God increase as we head into a new year. May the peace of Christ be with you! John Blair/ Stewardship chair
December 2018, page 4
THE PERFECT PASTOR FOR THE NEW YEAR! (A chain letter)
The perfect pastor does indeed exist – you’ve never met one, but you know they are out there.
Here is a sure-fire way of guaranteeing that you will find that perfect pastor just in time for
new year. Note the following checklist to help you in your quest:
1. They are that unique church elder who will please everyone.
2. They preach exactly 15 minutes and then sit down.
3. They condemn sin, but never steps on anyone's toes.
4. They work from 8 in the morning to 10 at night, doing everything from preaching to
setting tables in the Fellowship Hall.
5. They make $400 per week, give $100 a week to the church, drives a late model car,
buys lots of books, wears fine clothes, and has a nice family.
6. They always stand ready to contribute to every other good cause and to help panhandlers who drop by the
church on their way to somewhere.
7. They are 36 years old and have been preaching for 40 years.
8. They are tall on the short side, heavy-set in a thin sort of way and handsome; having eyes of blue or brown
(to fit the occasion), wearing their hair parted in the middle, left side, dark and straight, right side, brown
and wavy.
9. This pastor has a burning desire to work with the youth, and spends all their time with the senior citizens.
10. This pastor smiles all the time while keeping a straight face, because they have a keen sense of humor that
finds them seriously dedicated.
11. They make 15 calls a day on church members, always out evangelizing the unchurched, but can be found
anytime in their study if needed.
12. The Perfect Pastor always has time for – never misses – any church or committee meetings or any other
church organization.
If your pastor does not measure up, simply send this notice to six other churches that are tired of their pastor too.
Then bundle up your pastor and send them to the church at the top of your list. If everyone cooperates, in one
week you will receive 1,643 pastors from which to choose. One of them should be perfect. But beware! One
church broke the chain and got its old pastor back in less than three months.
Bedford Hiking Club marches into the New Year! Keep your hiking boots warm under your bed! On New Year’s Day, Tuesday, January 1
st at 11am, the Bedford Hiking Club will once
again gather at the Peaks of Otter Lodge for our traditional BRISK stroll around Abbott Lake followed by a hurried retreat to the Lodge for a warm meal. This is an easy walk along a level paved trail, but if the day is cold you will want to protect your face from the wind. We’ll see you up at the Lodge! -- Junior Walkmaster John Salley
HOPE FOR TOMORROW COUNSELING LADIES GROUP (Part of Patrick Henry Family Services) Hope for Tomorrow Counseling us offering a safe, supportive, en-couraging, closed group for women. This small group is dedicated to helping women overcome the traumatic events and relationships that they have experienced.
Women can expect a relaxed, comfortable and educational environment where they can engage at their own pace. Contact: Katelynn Jones at 434-376-2006 1621 Enterprise Drive Lynchburg, VA
December 2018 , page 5
Bedford County Nursing Home
Betty Abbott- Room 114
Elks Home – 931 Ashland Ave.
Anna Latimer, Room B-208 Frankie Latimer, Room H-205 Nat Harvey, Apt F-103
Frank & Tinkie Avery, Apt E-202
Quarry Hill
Anne Tiedeman 30 Community Dr., #312
Camden, ME 04843
Runk & Pratt
Frances Childress Liberty Ridge
30 Monica Blvd. Room 349 Lynchburg, VA 24502
Bentley Commons Pat Clarke
Bentley Commons, 1604 Graves Mill Rd. Room 210
Lynchburg, VA 24502
In Tennessee
Polly Turner C/O Steve Turner 12 Riverside Dr.
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
In Our Prayers Diddams: Betty Lou- (sister-in-law)
Dills: Kathy’s father
Foster: Betty Dudek- (friend)
Blanton Bryant- (former member)
Sue & Ron -(Ellen’s sister & brother in law)
Gile: Pastor Gary
Goodman: David Abbott-(Betty’s nephew)
Barry Owen-(friend)
Gould: Muriel Ryder- (Friend’s wife)
Heinrich: Steven - (grandson)
John Primrose-(brother)
Barbara Lore- (Helen’s sister)
Kibbey: Joy Byrne-(friend)
Nancy Milton-(friend)
Rachel Rutledge- (granddaughter)
Troy- (friend)
Koch: Doris
Bill
Long: Bradley
Mauser: Joyce Reese- (friend)
Steven-(son’s boss)
Jim- (friend)
Pat- (Al’s sister)
Ann-(niece)
McManis: Matthew McManis (grandson)
Morris: All first responders and police officers
Cleta Weitenthaler- (sister -in-laws mother)
David Bateman- (friend)
Richwine- Brent’s (nephew) wife
Riley: Carolyn Borsini-(niece)
Rumpf: Mildred Daniels -(sister)
Frances
Rutledge: Bordeas family
Salley: John Solon-(Betty’s brother)
Saunders: Colin Bridges- (grandson- 12yr old)
Saunders: Nelson
Scheurer: Stephanie Hale- (friend of Sandy’s)
Mickey- (friend’s daughter)
Schubert: Gerda & Ed
Stetson: Dave’s Boss’ wife
Gwen Witt- (friend)
Nick
Stevens: Larry Johnson -(friend)
Jackie Landis
Toney: Karen Hyde- (friend)
VanDyke: Jeff-(son)
Webb: Raymond (father)
Weeks: Mary Lohmeyer-(friend)
Wilkes: Marty Ponder- (friend)
Wilkerson: Ricky Wilkerson-(Dan’s cousin)
Prayers for those affected by Hurricanes
Prayers for affected by mass shootings and wildfires
Prayers for persecuted Christians
In Our Prayers Barnes: Jane (friend)
Pete Dudding (brother)
Angie Crouch- (friend)
Benton: Britany (granddaughter
Blair: James Thorne
Boone: Ron Hackman-(neighbor)
Jim Hedrick- (friends)
Kay Bailey-(friend)
David Grant- (Sam's cousin)
Chapman: Winston
Chryssikos: Phillip-(son)
Cram: Winslow’s-(friends of Sally’s)
Janice Campbell (friend)
Nancy Holmes- (Friend)
Sergeant Dan- (friend)
DeWitt: Shirley Magann- (friend of family)
Gerald
Janet Morris- (cousin)
December 2018 , page 6
Members in the Military
Nick Stetson- Navy
Deployed
Ben Daniel- Army
Deployed- Iraq
Joy Byrne- Army
Deployed- Afghanistan
Land of the Free,
Because of the Brave
December Birthdays
Nancy Dwyer - 4 Anna Latimer - 5 Al Toney - 9 John Blair - 10 Janet Eagler - 16 Bill Mitchell - 17 Shawn Webb - 18 Kathy Chryssikos - 24 Jade Creasy - 28 Gayle Mauser - 30
December Anniversaries
Ken & Charlotte McManis - 3 Ed & Gerda Schubert - 8 Scott & Patty Meyers - 9 Al & Gayle Mauser - 12 Roy & Libby Monk - 20 Raymond & Emilie Citty - 21
MISSIONARIES SUPPORTED BY THIS CHURCH: Lee and Gracie Murphree, La Ermita, Honduras
website: heartofchristhonduras.org
Our Friends in Turkistan
(Central Asia)
Devotionals Do you have any small inspirational, devotional or prayer books that you no
longer need or use? If so, the Pastors and Deacons can use them to take to our shut-ins and those with medical issues that can’t make it to church. Please see Ellen Foster.
1. One 20 oz can of crushed pineapple in syrup. 2. Six slices of white bread. ( I leave the crust on) 3. One cup of sugar. 4. Three eggs. 5. One quarter pound stick of butter.
Melt the butter. Tear the bread into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add the eggs, butter and sugar and mix well. Add the crushed pineapple. NOTE: The pineapple should the drained, but I like to leave some of the pineapple juice and add that to the items above, it gives the "Stuff" a little more flavor. Mix all of the above well so the bread is soaked, the sugar is dissolved, etc. After mixing all of the ingre-dients well, place the mixture in a GLASS baking dish. USE ONLY A GLASS BAKING DISH!! Bake for 1 hour. Dad also said that sometimes he would add a few raisins, but not all the time. On occasion he might also add two jiggers of brandy, but he rarely did that, also for taste.
NOTE: This dish can be served as either part of the other dishes for the meal or it can be served as a dessert. It can also be served either hot or cold, good both ways! Ron Morris.
“Pineapple Stuff." Heat oven to 350 degrees
while mixing the "Stuff." Baking time is one hour after everything is mixed, poured in a glass baking dish and ready to go into the oven.
December 2018 , page 7
December 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1
2
10 am Service
Communion
Prayer Meeting
Abendmusik ,7pm
3
Quilters,6pm
4 Something
More,
4:30 pm
Cubs, 7 pm
5
Deacons
Meeting, 5 pm
Joyful Noise,
6:15 pm
Choir, 7 pm
6 Small Group,
2 pm
7 Office closed
8 Quilters,
all day
9 10 am Service
5¢ a Meal
Congregational
Meeting
Worship Team
Meeting,
11:30 am
Prayer Meeting
Small Group, 5pm
10
Shepherds’
Table
Quilters, 6 pm
11 Something
More,
4:30 pm
12
Joyful Noise,
6:15 pm
Choir, 7 pm
13 Small Group,
2 pm
14 Office closed
15
16 10 am Service
Session
Small Group, 5pm
17
Quilters, 6 pm
18 Something
More,
4:30 pm
Cubs, 7 pm
19
Joyful Noise,
6:15 pm
Choir, 7 pm
20 Small Group,
2 pm
21 Office Closed
22
23
10 am Service
Prayer Meeting
Small Group, 5pm
24 Christmas Eve
Service, 7pm
25 He Is Born!
26
27 Small Group,
2 pm
28 Office Closed
29
30 10 am Worship
Prayer Meeting
Small Group, 5pm
31 Quilters, 6 pm
112 Center Street Monday- Scouts 6:30 pm , Tuesday- Narcotics Anonymous , 12 pm, Wednesday- Narcotics Anonymous , 8 pm
Sundays: Narcotics Anonymous 6 pm
December 2018 , page 8
D e c e m b e r 2 018 N ews l et t e r
Bedford Christian Ministries is in need of household items for their pantry.
The following list will help guide you to fulfill their needs. Mops Diapers (sizes 1,2,3,4) Brooms Detergent (laundry & dish) Queen Size sheets Bleach Towels Toilet Paper Wash Cloths Paper Towels Dish Cloths General hygiene products Rugs (bath & home) Silverware Microwaves Toasters Mixers Can Openers Blenders Pots & Pans
Please prayerfully consider how you can help, especially during the holiday season.
The Sounds of Christmas
During this holiday season we are surrounded by the sounds of Christmas, especially the beloved carols announcing the birth of
Christ. But do we know who wrote them and why they were composed? Through music, drama and narration, we would like to
take you on a joyous journey through sight and sound. We’ll discover the story behind some of our most beloved Christmas carols, as well
as several that may not be so familiar. The Sounds of Christmas written by our own Philip Parker,
will be presented December 15th and 16th at 6 pm at Hunting Creek Baptist.
Hunting Creek Baptist is located on Route 122 in the Big Island community.
Christmas Eve Communion Service
Invite your friends and family to join with you in worship on Sun-day, December 24th at 7 pm as we celebrate God’s greatest gift to us all at our traditional Christmas Eve Communion Service.