fall 2015 ~ singspiration - suffolk christian · christian’s chancel choir and men’s chorus...
TRANSCRIPT
216 N Main Street Suffolk VA 23434
Inside this issue:
Pastor’s Column
Calendar/Birthdays
Children’s News
Youth News
Memorials
Stewardship
Prayer Requests
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special points of
Interest:
Young at Heart Norfolk
Outing and Lunch
Fall Bazaar
Prayer List
Community Movie Night
Children’s Fall Festival
Cards for Katy
The Praying Church
October Church
Conference
Non-Profit
Org.
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Paid
Permit No. 33
Suffolk VA
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216 North Main Street
Suffolk, VA 23434-4421
We thank God for . . .
Mailed: September 18, 2015
Suffolk Christian Church
216 North Main Street
Suffolk, Virginia 23434
September 18, 2015
Office.................................................................................. (757)539-9182
Office Hours, 9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday
Fax (757) 539-6008 E-mail [email protected]
Website www.suffolkchristian.org
Pastor ................................................................... Rev. Michael D. Halley
Choral Director................................................….......…….Janet L. Rock
Director of Youth Ministries ...………………………..Erin C. Kessinger
Director of Children’s Ministries …...…….…………..Priscilla G. Bunch
Church Secretary .....................................................Margaret N. Saunders
Financial Secretary .............................…...................……. Dae R. Nixon
Organist .............................................................................Mary N. Huber
Pianist ..........................................................….........… Carmen B. Halley
Handbell Choirmaster ……………………………...…….. Sean C. Bilby
Sexton ………..... .............................…….………….…..Sarah P. Burford
Sexton ……………………………………….…………….. John Durham
Security Attendants ..................……...….... Gary Williams, John Durham
Nursery Workers.…....…………..……..…Logan Masters, Julie McBride
Webmaster ………………………………………..…………… Pat Hawn
Audio Recorders..........................................................…….…..Jim Goben
Jonathan Martin, Edie Matthews
Schedule of Service
Sunday School for all ages .............…….................... Sunday, 10:00 a.m.
Early Worship Service ...........................…….…......... Sunday, 8:45 a.m.
Worship Service .........................…....……..…...........Sunday, 11:00 a.m.
Children’s Church …………………………….……...Sunday, 11:00 a.m.
Children & Youth Choirs …………………......…….. Sunday, 9:30 a.m.
Youth Fellowship ...........................………………...... Sunday, 5:00 p.m.
Nursery Provided for Regular Worship Service / Nursery Provided for All Other Services
Holy Communion every First Sunday
Our Vision: We Worship. We Disciple. We Serve.
We are Committed to God’s Grace as the Foundation of the Christian life.
September 18, 2015
Fall 2015 ~ Singspiration
The Fall Singspiration service of inspirational music will be
held on Sunday, October 4,
2015 at Oakland Christian
Church, 6:30 p.m.
The best definition of
“Singspiraton” is a night of beautiful, uplifting music - a
combination of songs from
several local choirs and congregational singing. It is
followed by a time of fellowship and delicious food. Suffolk
Christian’s Chancel Choir and Men’s Chorus will be sing-ing.
If you have never attended a Singspiration, we invite you to
join us. You will leave with a song in your heart. And bring a friend ~~ you will be blessed!
For further information, please contact Janet Rock, Choir Director, or call the church office at 539.9182.
Young at Heart Adult
Fellowship Happenings by Evelyn Jones
On Wednesday,
October 28th, we will
leave the Church at 9:00
a.m. for a visit and tour of the State of the Art
Norfolk Library hosted
by our own Sean Bilby. After our tour, Sean will
provide us with a bell
concert followed by an observance of him ringing the bells at noon at Freemason
Street Baptist Church, which he has done
for seven (7) years. After this concert, we
will have lunch on your own at Max and Erma’s Restaurant in downtown Norfolk
and then return to church which should be
around 3:00. A sign-up sheet will be available on the bulletin board outside the
church office.
We will not have a meeting in
November due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
On Sunday, December 13, 2015,
we will enjoy a Christmas luncheon in the Fellowship Hall directly after the 11:00
o’clock worship service. We will then go
as a group to the Suffolk Cultural Arts Center to see the play “It’s a Wonderful
Life.” Cost per person for lunch and the
play is $20.00 due by November 12th.
Everyone is “Young at Heart” and we would love to have new members.
Membership is easy…just sign up.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Beverly McGahee
An exciting book was introduced
at The Praying Church in August. “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” was written by Jim
Cymbala and tells the story of the church
he pastors in New York, The Brooklyn Tabernacle. More importantly, it talks
about real prayer….fervent, down on your
knees prayer and how many modern
churches have wandered far away from praying as the Bible instructs.
Everyone at SCC is challenged to
read this book! Many copies are circulat-ing throughout the congregation. Please
find one, read the book, record your name
in the front and then pass it along to some-
one else. Look for this column in next month’s newsletters for comments and
reactions from our people. We pray that
fresh wind and fresh fire from heaven will fill us all as we go about serving our Lord.
My Dear Friends,
Many of your fellow church
members have been deeply moved and challenged by a
book by Jim Cymbala, Fresh
Wind, Fresh Fire. It is a book about prayer and I encourage
you to find a copy and read it
carefully.
We have posted a "book
review" on the website (under
"Halley's Comments") and I suggest you read what Deacon
Beverly McGahee wrote about
it.
Prayer is at the heart of who we are as Christians. Prayer is
so important that Jesus spent lots of time alone in prayer,
even though he was the Son of God. Prayer is our connec-tion to God, prayer is our time to pour out our hearts to
God, prayer is our time to plead for our friends and family
in need.
Each fourth Tuesday of the month, we gather as The
Praying Church. We take about 45 minutes to share concerns and to read each name on our printed church
prayer list. Opportunity is given for those who wish to pray
aloud, but nobody is ever asked to pray out loud.
In my own personal prayers, I use the little memory aid,
"ACTS". A - adoration of God. C - confession of my sins.
T - thanksgiving for all the wonderful gifts of God. S - sup-plication, praying for others.
Mother Teresa once wrote, "“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is
putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”
God bless you! Love,
Michael
Rev. Michael D. Halley Pastor
Pastor’s
Column
Prayer Concerns Mary Jane Cathey—at home …. Tom Atkins - at home .... Dorothy Bober - moved to Kindred Healthcare for rehab .... Herbert Briggs - at home .... Debra Carr - at home .... Steve Redd - at home .... Muriel Shumate - at home .... Grace Garner-Atkins .... Carter Ferguson .... Heather Ferguson .... Jane Pritchard .... Kitty Martin .... Tom Ashcraft Ongoing Prayer Dylan Lilley - mission trip to Ghana, Africa with AgriCorps (nephew of Becky Bradshaw) David & Dot Darden Forrest Cathey Milton Liverman (friend of Jim Thorsen)
Our College Students Austin Babb, University of Alabama; Meghan Babb, Louisiana State University; Rebecca Bangley, Longwood University; Kasey Banton, Tidewater Community
College; Matthew Bradshaw, University of Virginia; Courtney Buchanan, Tidewater Community College; Christine Comer, Belmont University; Mollie Edick, East Carolina University; Olivia Elliott, University of South Carolina; Kyle Griffin, Virginia Commonwealth University; Shannon Griffin, Old Dominion
University; Ashley Heuberger, Lynchburg College; Jacob Holland, Ferrum
College; Bryce Jones, The University of Virginia College at Wise; Connor Munn, Longwood University; Kaylor Nash, Radford University; Bracey Parr, George Mason
University; Margaret Parr, Christopher Newport University; Chase Phillips, Tidewater Community College; Blair Ritter, James Madison University; Jennifer Saunders, James Madison University; Nicholas Smith, Elon University; Will Wyatt, University of Virginia.
Our Missionaries Joyce & Jim White, Scripture Memory Mountain Mission, Emmalena, Kentucky Christine & Chris Surber, Supply & Multiply, Haiti Katy Johnson, Amman, Jordan Deployed Cris Beutler (son-in-law of one of Chery Ashcraft’s co-workers)
Lt. Edward G. Chalkley (grandson of Nancy & Milton Chalkley)
LCPL Langdon Conklin, USMC (grandson of Jack & Eloise Byrd) Extended Family & Friends Prayer Concerns Steve Triston & Celena Rose …. Brad Hemstreet (father of Jessica Rogge) …. Lillian Heffington (friend of Pat Bristow) …. Ivosallie1 (website submission September 12, 2015) …. Judy Welch
(friend of Floyd & Judy Twiford) .... arleenvano (website submission
September 10, 2015) .... Nell Williams .... Edna Earl Carter
(sister of Eloise Byrd) ....Thom Davis (Navy friend of Michael
Halley) .... Jeff Halley (son of Carmen & Michael Halley) .... Doris Bailey (sister of Margaret Saunders) .... Louise Bradshaw (mother
of Mary Lou Bradshaw) .....Patsy Morris Vance (friend of Eloise
Byrd) .... Joe Duke (former SCC staff member) .... Brenda Kizer (family friend of the Worrell’s) .... Robert Ascher (brother of David
Ascher) .... Judy Ascher (sister-in-law of David Ascher) .... Steven Burton (cousin of Elaine Abernathy) .... Patsy Smith (friend of Jim
Thorsen) .... Rick Pearce (son of Riddick Pearce & nephew of Judy
Eure) .... Joanna Bates (sister of Betty Johnson) .... Barbara Ricks Parker (sister-in-law of Margaret Herring and Sarah Burford) .... Audrey Smith (neighbor of Sarah Burford) .... Joshua Blocker (Nita Wyatt’s niece’s son) .... Martha Rekni (friend of Anne
Potter) .... Barbara Rice (friend of Nancy & Marcy Pichel) .... Clark Thompson and Patrick Annas (friends of Jim Hancock, Mills
Staylor, Glenn Ellis, Linda Culliton) .... Phil Gibbs (brother of Joyce
Ralph and father of Gretchen Jones) .... Harvey Parker (brother of
Margaret Herring & Sarah Burford) .... Martha Britt (sister of Margaret Herring & Sarah Burford) In order to keep our list updated, our prayer requests will remain on the list for 4 weeks and then will be removed unless the prayer request is renewed. Please call the church office 539.9182 or email to renew a request.
Skilled Care (Kindred Rehabilitation & Health Center) – Doris Gardner (aunt of Priscilla Bunch) (Autumn Care) – Patricia Griggs (Lake Prince Woods) – Louise Boone, Howard Boone (Consulate Health Care, Windsor) – S. A. Pylan Home Bound Shirley Crump, Nancy Fulgham, Dorothy Judkins, Margaret Ramsey, Rita Redfern, Vernon Taylor, Margaret Herring
Assisted Living (Kindred) Marjorie Wilkinson; Nancy Chalkley (Village at Woods Edge) Pete Kidd (Chesapeake Place) – Millie Strickland Our Christian Love and Sympathy go to Martha Savage, Richard Savage, and Thomas Savage
and families, on the death of their uncle, Charles Harvey Walker, on August 30, 2015. The Family of Dorothy Hancock “Dot” King who
passed away on September 8, 2015. Curtiss & Betty Johnson on the death of his aunt, Faye
Howell Eure, on September 1, 2015.
Circle News
The Afternoon Circle will resume meeting
monthly on Monday, October 5, at 1:00 p.m. The speaker for the meeting is Shirley Talbert.. You are
invited to attend and join us for Christian fellowship,
fun, and refreshments. If you would like more infor-
mation, please call the circle leader, Jane Marie Dailey, at 483.4220.
The Evening Circle will resume meeting monthly
on October 5 at 7:30 pm in the Saints Alive Center at church. We continue our study of the book ' Wonder-
struck'. Author Margaret Feinberg invites us to recognize
God in our every day routine. We invite you to join us
for Christian fellowship, fun, and of course, food. Elaine Abernathy is the circle leader. Contact her at 934.1422.
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday, October 27
7:00 pm — in the Sanctuary
Join us as we pray for those on our prayer list, our church, our community, our country, and our world.
National Acolyte Festival at
Washington National Cathedral
October 10th our acolytes join those from many
denominations across the
United States for a morning service of rededication and
worship with processional
crosses, banners, torches,
thuribles, flags, and stream-ers in a festive procession of
acolytes, clergy, and vergers. Workshops in the afternoon
offer enrichment and instruction. Open to the public, those interested in attending with us may contact Sean Bilby, 539-
6485.
News About Our People Lee Abernathy and Lauren Knowles were married on Saturday, August 29, 2015, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Our congratulations and best wishes to the newlyweds.
Missions Dimes for Missions
$594.20 Donations to the Food Pantry has been given by the West Memorial Bible Class and Evening Circle.
Stewardship Report “We Are Walking By Faith”
Actual income to date: $256,429.14
Actual expenses to date: $252,802.82
Missions Allocation
Special Monthly Missions for 2015
January – Coats for Community - $530.00
February – Salvation Army - $415.00
March – Youth/Children Mission Fund –
$804.00
April - CAPS — $655.00
May— Food Pantry — $583.00
June—Scripture Memory Mountain Mission—
$339.00
July — Supply & Multiply (the Surber family in
Haiti) — $771.00
August — Meals on Wheels — $318.00
September—Night Stay Ministry—$184.00
Donations to the Memorial Garden Fund
in memory of Randolph
Copeland have been
made by June Hood and Edie Matthews, Charlie
and Diane Mathias,
Charles and Audrey Johnson, Graham and
Ann Copeland, Delmar
and Mary Carter, Jack and Eloise Byrd, Larry H. Rountree, Joyce Trump, Margaret Saunders, Hamilton
C. Porter, Jim and Becky Bradshaw, Pat Turner, Jack
and Ann Nurney, A. T. and Nancy Mayo, Scott Carr,
the Chancel Choir, Jack and Bobbie Chapman.
A donation to the Memorial Fund in memory of
Larry Banton has been given by J im and Becky Bradshaw.
A donation to the Memorial Fund in memory of Dot
King has been given by the West Memor ial Bible
Class.
A donation to the Memorial Fund in memory of Emma, Warren, and Jim Rountree has been given
by Larry H. Rountree.
October Church
Conference
October 28
7:30 pm All conference reports are due in the church office no later than Wednesday, October 21.
Don’t Forget Your Cards For
Katy As you all know, Katy has
arrived in Amman, Jordan to
start her mission work. What
better way to let her know we
care and are thinking about her
than to send her a card of
encouragement. There will be a
box outside of the office for
cards. I will mail the cards to
Katy around the 15th of each
month. Please show Katy your support by sending some
encouraging words. If you should have any questions,
please contact Priscilla Bunch @ 539-8930 or via email @
Deacon Family Dinners by Jim McCrary
The Board of Deacons will, again this year, be hosting
a series of Deacon Family Dinners. The first dinner will be held on September 20th. Subsequent dinners
will be held on October 11, October 18th, and October
25th. All dinners will be held on Sunday nights at 5:30 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. These will be
casual evenings, so come as you are and enjoy the
company of fellow Christians. The Deacons have been divided into four teams, with each team hosting one of
the dinners. Appetizers, beverages, fried chicken, and
dessert will be provided. We are asking families to
bring a side dish to share. Many of you have already received invitations to your particular dinner. Others
will soon be receiving their invitation. Please respond
so we will know how many to plan for. We look forward to seeing you at your dinner.
Special dates
• World Communion Sunday, October 4, 2015
• Columbus Day Observance, October 12, 2015
• Reformation Sunday, October 25, 2015 • Reformation Day, October 31, 2015
Children’s Christmas Musical
Sunday, December 13th
There will be an informational meeting for the musical on Sunday, September 27th immediately
following the worship service in the library. Please
plan to attend if your child/children want to partici-
pate in the musical. If you should have any questions, please contact Sara Keene.
Youth Bible Study
Beginning in November, we will have a Youth Bible Study from 6:00-7:30 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Please contact Erin Kessinger at 757.544.1149 or [email protected] for more details and be on the lookout for more details to be announced.
Food Pantry Drive The Youth and Children Sunday School classes will be
having a Food Pantry Drive
during the month of October.
The participating class members with the most food donated will
each receive a gift card to Sweet
Frog! Please remember our community and pick up some
extra foods when you are
grocery shopping! Some items
that are always needed for the Food pantry are:
Boxes of Macaroni & Cheese
Canned Vegetables
6 packs of Applesauce
Boxes of instant oatmeal
Cans of Ravioli, Spaghetti w/meatballs, and
Chunky Soups
Community Movie Night
Saturday, September 26
6:30 pm Please join us for some fun and
fellowship! The Board of Christian
Education will provide hamburgers
and hot dogs for dinner. Please bring a side dish to share. This will be our
last movie night for the year so
please plan to attend and bring your friends. We will show the movie as soon as it gets dark
enough to show on our “big” screen.
2015
Christmas
Parade
December 12
The City of Suffolk’s Downtown Christmas Parade
will be held Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 7:00pm.
The Children and Youth will be making a float to
ride on for the parade. This year’s theme is
“Storybook Holiday” and our title will be “Jesus’
Birth…The Best Christmas Story.” More details will
follow soon!
Upcoming Youth Dates to Remember
Sunday September 27 5:30-8pm Youth Fellowship Saturday October 10 6:00—8:00 pm Youth Fellowship Sunday October 25 12—2:00 pm Outing TBD
~Please contact Erin Kessinger at
[email protected] or 757.544.1149~
Notes of Appreciation Dear Congregation of Suffolk Christian,
I want to express my most sincere gratitude for all of
your support, prayers, and encouragement. As I said
before, I embark not for God but with God and in partnership with every single one of you. I love SCC and
all of the people that make it into a family!
Love, Katy Johnson
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dear Suffolk Christian Church,
I would like to thank you for the book that you gave
me for graduation. I appreciate the thought and will use it to help me with my journey ahead.
Bryce Jones
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dear friends at Suffolk Christian Church,
Thank you for making our work through Scripture Memory Mountain Mission the focus of your missions
emphasis this past June. We had another well attended
camp this summer. Many young people made decisions for Christ.
It is such a blessing to know that you are praying for
our work in this region. Thank you for your generous gift.
In Christ,
Jim & Joyce White
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank you to our wonderful church family for your vis-
its, cards of encouragement and prayers during our
Father’s long stay at Lake Prince. And also for all of
your beautiful sympathy cards. This would have been a
much more difficult journey without the love and support
of our church family.
The Copeland Family
Peggy & Mel, Randy & Mary Ellen and Linda & John
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank YOU SCC Youth! by Erin Kessinger
Each Sunday during the
month of August, our SCC Youth went to Lake Meade
Park behind Farm Fresh to
participate in a community outreach mission project.
They spent time with the kids
at the park spreading God’s
love and also met several new families to the area. They
passed out over 50 back-to-
school packets that included some essential school sup-plies such as crayons, glue sticks, pencils, a notebook, and
a pencil box or pencil pouch. Each packet also included a
flyer about Suffolk Christian Church, an invitation to our
Community Movie Nights, and a prayer card that includ-ed a Bible Verse. Hot dogs, chips, and drinks were also
provided to the kids and their families at the park. We
will continue to pray for these children and their families. Many thanks to all who participated and donated items!
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your gift of $70 on August 10, 2015 to
Operation Blessing International. Your generosity is
helping hurting families go from heartbreak to hope.
On a daily basis, OBI provides strategic relief in 37
countries around the world, implementing programs to
provide food, safe water, medical aid, care for vulnera-
ble children, disaster relief and livelihoods to those
who need it most.
Your compassion ensures the flexibility for
Operation Blessing teams to move quickly to help the
people most desperate for immediate aid, whether
around the corner or around the world.
May God bless you,
Bill Horan, President
Operation Blessing International
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dear Friends of Suffolk Christian Church,
My heartfelt thanks for all the phone calls, cards and
food from friends and Care and Concern during my
time of being out with my surgery. We love each and
every one of you at this church.
Sincerely,
Eloise & Jack Byrd
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A very special thank you goes out to Judy Eure. She
saw the need for new baptismal robes and quickly
volunteered to make several robes in various sizes.
Judy is a talented seamstress and we thank her so much
for the church’s new baptismal robes.
Coffee Social
Every third Sunday of the month, a coffee social will be held in the south
foyer of the church at 9:30 am
until time for Sunday school. Stop by, have a cup of coffee or a cup of juice,
perhaps something sweet, and get
acquainted with our visitors, new
members, and others in our church family. It is a great opportunity to
fellowship with one another. See you there!
Welcome New Members
On Sunday, June 28, the following members of the 2015 Pastor’s Class were baptized during the
worship service: Conner Leary Blausey, Howard
Hamilton Harris IV, Jackson Conner Harry, and
Nathan Rivers Wilson.
On Sunday, September 13, the following members
of the 2015 Pastor’s Class were baptized during the worship service: Edward Clifton Thomas V, and
Aidan Matthew Wieck.
We welcome them into the fellowship of our church
family!
Please come and be a part of our worship community! We
welcome you!
If you believe God is calling you to join our church as your
place of worship and service,
please see Reverend Halley after worship on Sunday or give him a call at (757) 539.9182. If you
would like to email him, you may do so at