CHRISTMAS EVE

CANDLELIGHT SERVICE

Thursday,

December 24 6 p.m.

You are invited to a very special time

of music and worship as we

celebrate the Birth of Jesus.

We will be socially distant & masked.

Candle lighting

will be outdoors.

Dear Members and Friends, We certainly know all about waiting this year. We waited to see how Covid-19 affected the world. We waited to see the results of the election. We wait for an available vaccine. We wait to be the church gathered in fellowship again. Think about God’s people Israel and how they longed and prayed for the promised Messiah to rescue them. They waited centuries for God’s promise to be fulfilled. Finally, in God’s perfect timing, the Savior was born. And now we long for God’s promise fulfilled in the Second Coming of Jesus. In the meantime, we wait. Priest, professor and theologian Henri Nouwen said this: “How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for”. Every day God provides signs pointing to our Lord’s active presence in the world. Keep looking for “God signs” as you wait these four weeks before Christmas. Pray for the com-ing year and together let’s celebrate all God has planned for us!

Christmas Blessings & much love to you all, Holly

December 2020 Volume 14, Issue 12

Rev. Holly Davis

Church Elders

Pat Briggs, Missions

Ruth Caldwell, Elder for Deacons

Rick Croskery, Building and Grounds

Gregg Miller, Worship

Hughes Roberts, Finance

Drew Schrader, Communications

Ron Tingle, Clerk of Session

Deacons

Beverly Benson

Bill Covin

Charles Cox

Lee Hutchison

Rachel Koger

Sylvia Lonnee

Church Staff

Joel Lillethun, Minister of Music

Diane Combs, Organist

Kristi Siplon, Office Manager

Beatrice Provost listens to the Sunday service, online.

The 2020 Salvation Army Mitten Tree is in need of your attention and decorating! Again, FPC will collect mittens, hats, gloves and scarves for children and youth served by the Salvation Army. The tree is locat-ed in the Breezeway Hall, and is waiting for your dec-orations. Please donate! You should deliver your gifts by December 04. This is the day we will deliver the mit-tens to the Salvation Army, allowing them time for delivery by Christmas. The children that receive your gift of warmth and the Mission Team greatly appreciates your thoughtfulness.

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Missions Committee Pat Briggs

On November 11th, the Vetting Committee (a sub-committee of Mission) met and approved two new missions for the First Presbyterian Church of Waynes-ville: Blue Ridge Health and REACH. Blue Ridge Health-Haywood plays a piv-otal role in providing outpatient primary care and preventive health services to the most vulnerable populations in Haywood County, regardless of their ability to pay. REACH of Haywood County serves survivors of domestic violence, sexu-al assault, dating and elder abuse, through advocacy, community outreach and prevention education. On December 9th from 10-12 A. M., we will be collecting soup for Haywood Christian Ministry (HCM). While this will be our last drive-thru this year, you can still drop off your food donations at HCM without getting out of your car. Pea-nut butter, soup, canned meats, fruits, and vegetables are always appreciated. On Wednesday, January 13, we will resume cooking for Haywood Community Learning Center (HCLC). I need 5 cooks each month, willing to prepare a casse-role for 10. I provide the recipe for a simple casserole, that you assemble at home and bring by the church by 10 A.M., to be baked and delivered to the school. We will do this every 2nd Wednesday of the month. If you would like to participate, please contact me-Pat Briggs-at 941-544-5258. Thank you from the hungry students! Finally, as your Mission Chair for the last 6 years, I want to thank you, the con-gregation, for your generous support. You have donated underwear and socks for Clothes for Kids, sunglasses for the Honduras Eye Clinic, duffel bags for the Children’s Homes, and mittens, scarves, and hats. You have filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, adopted Christmas Angels for the Salvation Army, rang the bell for the Salvation Army Red Kettle, and purchased school supplies for the fifth graders at Hazelwood Elementary. You have also cooked countless meals for the students at HCLC over the past 5 years. Last, but not least, thank you for all the canned and boxed food you have donated for HCM and the Open Door. Your generosity has been boundless!

Christmas Cheer Casserole With Love

Marti Peithman

1 lb. Hot Pork Sausage

12 slices white bread

Softed butter

3 C. extra sharp,

finely shredded ched-

dar cheese

4 eggs, slightly beaten

with 1 t. dry mustard &

1 t. salt

2 C. milk

Crumble, brown, &

drain sausage. Trim

bread crusts and light-

ly butter one side. Cut

bread into 1" cubes,

and place half in

greased 9x13" pan.

Sprinkle with ½ of

finely grated cheese

and ALL the sausage.

Put remaining bread

over sausage and top

with rest of cheese.

Mix eggs, seasonings

and milk and mix.

Pour over casserole,

cover, and refrigerate

overnight.

Before baking in the

morning, set out for

about an hour. Bake in

uncovered 350˚oven…

about ½ hour or more

until slightly brown &

bubbling.

Healing Hearts Pat Parker

Healing Hearts, our grief support group, met on Wednesday, November 18, in the church fellowship hall. We enjoyed lunch together, a devotion about God's constant presence in our lives and much discussion about the upcoming holidays. Everyone is comforted by the support that results from our meetings. Our December meeting will be a Christmas party with a catered lunch and gift exchange. It will be on Wednesday, December 16, at noon in the fellowship hall. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one is invited and encouraged to attend.

Memorial Poinsettias Kristi Siplon

‘Tis THE SEASON for memorial poinsettias in the sanctuary! Again this year, we will be ordering red poinsettias as memorials and tributes to friends and loved ones this Christ-mas. Please use the attached form or simply reply to this email with your instruc-tions. Seven inch plants in gold wrap are $14; you may take your plant(s) home with you following the Christmas Eve Candlelight Ser-vice or after church the following Sunday. If you’d like to place a memorial plant, but are not attending services in person, we can arrange curbside delivery of your plant(s) after Christmas.

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The worship team will be decorating the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas on Saturday November 28, starting at 10:00 a.m. Wear your favorite mask and come join us!

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Budget Tracker-Nancy Thompson

COVID Corner – December 2020 Gregg Miller

Increasing Infection Rate in Haywood County After a period of levelling off, the rate of COVID cases in Haywood County is on the rise once again. Data are current through the end of the day on Wednesday, November 18.

Sources contributing to this increase include exposure from another in the household, and from work, travel, funerals, parties and the holidays. Multiple health officials have cautioned everyone to care-fully consider plans for Thanksgiving, including travel, the size of the gathering, and to wear a mask if you’re with anyone who does not live in your household.

Return to In-person Worship We resumed in-person worship services on November 1 (before the latest surge in cases started) with a new seating pattern in the sanctuary that keeps at least 6 feet of distance between family groups, a new exiting approach after the service (rows closest to the rear doors go first, via the outside aisle), and everyone in masks. Many thanks for everyone’s cooperation in fol-lowing the directions of the ushers (even though you may not have ended up in your favorite pew). Some have commented that they feel safer in worship than in the grocery store. With the reassuring results so far, we plan to continue in-person worship, while keeping a close eye on the growing number of infections in the county.

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Temperature Checks During our first two Sundays of in-person worship, we were checking everyone’s temperature be-fore they entered the sanctuary. The infrared forehead thermometer gave us some very curious readings. After further research, we learned that the thermometer is not designed for outdoor use, due to variations in outdoor temperature and wind conditions. Both our own Dr. Rick Croskery and Dr. Mark Jaben indicated that checking temperatures is of marginal benefit in screening for COVID-19 We decided to discontinue the temperature checks and to replace it with a sign reminding worshippers that if they: • Are not feeling well • Have a fever • Think they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive in the last 3 weeks • Cannot wear a mask Please worship with us online at our Facebook page: First Presbyterian Church Waynesville or at our website https://fpcwaynesville.org/ on the Sunday Now tab.

The Significance of Masks and Distance in Worship Dr. Jaben made a few points about wearing masks and distancing. Since some spread of the virus is through asymptomatic people who are feeling fine, it is almost unavoidable that someone who is positive for COVID attends a service. The goal is to limit the spread if someone who is positive does attend. Masking and keeping distance will minimize the chance of the virus spreading within the congregation. Should someone who attends later test positive, if all have been masking and keeping distance, there is no need for anyone to quarantine, since none of the others in worship would be a close contact (defined as being within 6 feet, with no mask, for more than 15 minutes). Executive Orders from the Governor – indoor mass gathering limit of 10? The task force is closely monitoring the executive orders from Gov. Cooper. The orders issued so far include capacity restrictions in multiple categories. Executive order #176, issued November 10, reduces the limit of persons at indoor gatherings from 25 back down to 10, effective through Dec 4 (https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/EO176-Phase-3-ext.pdf). That limit applies to in-home and other informal social gatherings (page 2) among others, but not to facilities that are exempt from the mass gathering limit as defined in executive order #169. Executive order #169 which defined Phase 3 restrictions (issued September 30 - https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/EO169-Phase-3.pdf) states that meeting spaces (e.g. our sanctuary), are not subject to the mass gathering limit, but instead are limited to 30% capacity (pages 15 & 16). The seating pattern being used in the sanctuary has been specifically designed to maintain 6 feet of distance between family groups, and to ensure that we are at less than 30% capacity.

While, strictly speaking, worship services are exempt from the restrictions (order #169, page 8), we

are ensuring that our policies and practices are consistent with them.

Dear Faithful Supporters, Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our time as missionary co-workers in Brazil, through the Presbyterian Church USA, has come to an end due to COVID-19. A Voluntary Separation Package was offered to mission co-workers and staff in Louisville, 63 years old or older, who served continually for several years, and I qualify. In mid-March of 2020, we were told to shelter in place, and not to do any travel in the name of the Church. So on 17th September 2020, I signed the Voluntary Separation Package, which included a financial bonus. I will still get a salary for six months, and then receive 15 weeks severance pay. Dorothy and I will continue to have medical insurance coverage from the Church until 30th June 2021. So, now that I am retired, what next? Dorothy is looking for a teacher’s aide teaching position in the City of Decatur School System, so that she can contribute to social security before she re-tires. We plan to return to Brazil when the Coronavirus lets up, to say good-bye to our church mem-bers, wrap up our living situation, close our bank account, etc. I am hoping and praying that we can travel to Brazil in January 2021, and envisage getting everything done in six weeks. Once we return from Brazil, we will be actively looking to buy a “ranch style” house outside the city limits of Decatur (the taxes are exorbitant inside city limits). Our children call Decatur home, since this was where we returned to when we came home to the US to speak in churches. We are extremely grateful for the Mission Haven, where we have stayed over the years. Missionaries on Inter-pretation Assignment, or in transition are provided fully furnished houses or apartments, located in a wonderful neighborhood just minutes from downtown Atlanta. We worked for 18 years with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, returning to the US in January 2008. I had hoped to get a pastorate in the US, but that did not happen. In 2011, an invitation came from the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil to work with them in Evangelism and Leadership Development, in the local church. We accepted their invitation in January 2012, and returned to Brazil to resume our ministry. I already miss the Brazilian people, their warm embrace, their food, their culture and the hot weather. Winter weather is a strange phenomenon for me, especially since I grew up in Brazil with my missionary parents. I will learn to adapt. Thank you ever so much for your prayers and your financial support over the years. We could not have done it without you. As my sister Joyce says, “It will be interesting to see what doors the Lord will open for you, and where you will be next.” Praise God: He goes before us and keeps us in the palm of His hand.

In Christian Service,

Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell

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ENDOWMENT TEAM – Melonie Gross

In September, we announced 2020’s five recipients of $500 College Education Awards by our church. Since then, an additional $500 has been added to the Education Fund of the Endowment Program, which includes contributions that are designated for providing financial support for educational opportunities. Please consid-er a donation to the Education Fund of the Endowment Program to help FPC provide gifts in future years to college students. We hope you enjoy reading about our second recipient, Sarah Clarke. Sarah is a granddaughter of Pat Parker, whom we learned last month is lovingly called Baba. Sarah is cur-rently a freshman at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. She fell in love with Elon and the people who make up the campus during visits to her sister, Emma, who also goes there.

Sarah is planning on studying Public Health, for which Elon has a reputable program. She has always wanted to go into the medical field. Sarah wants to further her education, either at grad school or at medical school. The medical field is so widespread that, as of right now, she is undecided on what specialty she would like to declare. For the past two years, Sarah was a nursery attendant at FPC, providing care to any chil-dren/families who needed it on Sunday mornings. This past summer she was a cart girl at the Maggie Valley Country Club. She made sure that every golfer was given a cart, was the unofficial official starter for everyone on the course, making sure to get everyone

out on the course in an organized and timely fashion. Sarah also washed members’ clubs, washed carts, and made sure each cart was ready to go the next day. Above all, it was Sarah’s duty to make sure the members were treated with the utmost respect and care. In high school at Tuscola, Sarah was involved with tennis, cross country, track and field, soccer, swim, HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), FFA (Future Farmers of America), fly fishing club, and STEM Club (Science Technology Engineering and Math). Sarah does not belong to a church but participated in winter retreats and Wilderness Trail at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Both of those activities allowed her to connect with God in a very upbeat and fun way.

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Building and Grounds Committee

Rick Croskery Though there have been no visible changes on the church property, the renovation project is proceeding, with lots going on in the background. Of course, everyone is anxious to see the heavy equipment move in, but the site development has required considerable input and ad-justment from a number of sources. In addition to a complicated site plan—to be expected when you are building on a steep slope in Haywood County—there are other many moving parts in play which have caused unforeseen delays. Initially, the plan was to coordinate our site development with the NCDOT widening of Walnut Street. As that project was moved back a couple of years, we have had to renegotiate the movement of utilities and redesign some of the drainage in order to do everything correctly “up front” and connect properly later, without tearing anything back up, when the DOT does their work, now slated for 2023. We have just about concluded all the extra planning and negotia-tions with many parties, including Charter Communications, AT&T, the Town of Waynesville, Haywood County, and the NCDOT. The good news is that the engineering site plan, which the committee approved in July, is complete and has been approved by the town. The bids for site work are back, and everything is ready to start, when some final paperwork is done. Once the actual grading and filling starts, it will take 60-70 days to level the site and build the retaining wall, at which point we can start work on the building itself. The committee approved the final layout for the addition at its November 10 meeting. This in-cludes the new elevator and entry lobby, an 8-foot high covered drive with handicapped access to the door, a handicapped accessible bathroom on the lower floor adjacent to the elevator lobby, a multipurpose room over the portico, and renovation of the space in the rear of the chancel (where old organ pipes were removed last year) to widen the hallway that the choir uses and to provide two storage closets there. Based on this, the architects are nearly finished with their design drawings. The completed drawings are on track to go out for bids and con-struction can then start as soon as the site work is done, presumably by early spring. Construc-tion should take 4-5 months from then. Luckily, the elevator and building addition work is not contingent on approval and planning from so many outside sources and should be completed on a much smoother timeline than the site planning has been. We look forward to the summer of next year when we will (hopefully) worship together in per-son, and when everyone can get to and around our building safely—thanks to plentiful level adjacent parking and a brand-new elevator!

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Updated Church Directory-Kristi Siplon The Directory of our members and friends has been updated November 18, 2020. It is available (password protected) on the church website at:

https://fpcwaynesville.org/member-directory/

If you need the password, call Kristi Siplon at 828-456-3243. Printed copies are available in the church office.

Holiday Musings From Your Editor

Kathi Armstrong How does one celebrate Christmas in a pandemic, especially when there are young children? Reverend Traci Smith, a Presbyterian minister and mother of three children, offers some ideas in her book called: Faithful Families for Advent and Christmas: 100 Ways to Make the Season Sacred. Given the challenges of 2020, this book offers refreshing ideas to help parents teach faith within daily routines. For example, she suggests that parents think about routines that are already in place, such as bedtime, and imbed a faith practice into the routine, for example, evening prayers. Children learn best through practice and consistency within their daily routines, and this strategy helps to assimilate faith practices into what they are already doing. Rev. Smith proposes some other ways that families can incorporate the Christmas story into the many activities enjoyed throughout the holiday season. Her book begins in Ad-vent and follows through the Christmas holidays. As we celebrate Christmas, we can teach children about the birth of Jesus and the love he has for all of us. During these times, when many families cannot be together, Rev. Smith suggests a family Zoom ses-sion, during which each family member shows their favorite ornament and talks about why it is special to them. She offers the idea of the Christmas box, in which children place a food item on each Sunday during Advent, and then donate the box to a food pantry to feed others in the community. And for parents like me, who are not so crafty, Rev. Smith describes easy and fun activities to share with children. Some families may find the chapter acknowledging that Christmas is not always a hap-py time for everyone useful, especially when people are struggling with loss of a loved one. A practice that Rev. Smith suggests in helping children cope, is sharing stars in the night sky together, and connecting that quiet time as a moment with God. I wish this book had been available when my children were younger, and when I worked with children and families. While my granddaughters are still too young to ben-efit from Rev. Smith's wisdom, their parents will be receiving a copy of this book with hopes that they will incorporate faith into their daughters' lives. Many of you have grandchildren, and I imagine their parents are looking for ways to deepen their spiritual practice at home, especially during these trying times. Rev. Smith offers fun ways for parents to engage their children in faith practice. The book is available on Amazon.

First Presbyterian Church 305 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

news@fpcwaynesville.org 828-456-3243

The First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville a vibrant community of faith to call home. Everyone is welcome and

each of you is valued. Our varied backgrounds and stories woven together produce a beautiful tapestry of faith,

bound together with a common mission of loving God and our neighbors.

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