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Christmas Eve: This year we will again have two services of worship on Christmas Eve. We will have our Family Candlelight Service at 7:00pm and we will have our Traditional Candlelight Service at 11:00pm. The services will take place at Calvary Cen-

ter. On Sunday morning December 30th we will have our usual Sunday morning 10:45 a.m. worship.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES

CANTATA

The Christmas Cantata “Night of the Father’s Love will be offered to our community on Saturday, December 15th at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Trinity Center. Please spread the word and bring some friends. Following the concert we will have refreshments in the Fellowship Hall of Trinity Center. Please note: To all you awesome bakers, please start thinking about what you might con-tribute for our fellowship in the way of cookies.

SPECIAL POINTS OF

INTEREST:

Christmas Dinner—Sunday, December 9th following service.

MYM Post Office—December 9th and 16th

Cantata—Saturday, December 15th at 7:30 p.m.

MYM Christmas Car-oling Dec. 19th

December 26th—No MYM

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

PASTOR ’S PAGE 2

OCC THANK YOU 3

SUNDAY SCHOOL

NEWS

4

MYM NEWS 6

D ISCERNMENT

NEWS

7

CHOIR NEWS 9

FAMILY L IFE

GROUPS/CARE L IST

10

Calendar 11

DECEMBER 2012

MCPRESBY NEWS

MCDONALD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CHRISTMAS DINNER—SUNDAY , DECEMBER 9TH

Following the service on Sunday, December 9th our Church Life Committee is hosting a special Christmas Covered Dish Dinner. This has always been a wonderful time of gathering together. The church will supply the meat and rolls. We ask that if you have a last name beginning with A-H please bring a dessert. If your last name begins with I-Z please bring salad and vegetables. We look forward to this special dinner

to kick-off this blessed time of year.

CAREGIVER NEEDED FOR JULIE HANCZAR

The Hanczar family is seeking a paid caregiver for weekday mornings. Responsibilities

would include waking Julie and preparing and feeding breakfast and medications to her (a

visiting aide will arrive to dress Julie and attend to her other needs). Approximate hours

would be 7:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. A commitment for the rest of the 2012-2013 school year

is needed. Contact Kris or Dave at 724/926-4598.

“The Color of Hope is Teal”

PASTORS PAGE - REV. JUSTIN AMSLER

Every Christmas Season we revisit the great birth narratives of Jesus so that we will be re-minded of the wonderful things that Christ has done for us. We think about how he visited Mary and Joseph and how he chose them to be the stewards of his one and only son. We well up with joy knowing that Jesus loves us so much that he came into this world as a tiny baby and suffered through many of the difficulties and hardships that we walk through on a daily basis.

It is so important that we take the time that we need to truly experience the Joy of Christmas. We need to spend time reading the accounts together as families. We need to explain to our children and speak to each other about how wonderful is the love of Christ. There are so many things that work to pull us away from this sense of wonder and appreciation. For some it is the increased pressure that the holidays bring to our sched-ules or perhaps it is the financial stress of providing an ideal kind of Christmas for our families. All of us want this to be a special time of year for us and for those around us. The way that this happens is for us to fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, the promised child of God, who takes away the sins of the world. It is simply amazing that he chose to enter the world under the cover of being a poor, illegitimate, Hebrew child. His mother and her soon to be husband Joseph were given what they needed to complete the assignment that they had been given. It was obviously way beyond their earthly ability to understand or to pull off such a won-derful task. God gave them what they needed to fulfill his plans for them and the same is true for us. God will give you exactly what you need to walk through the coming days accomplishing his purposes for your life.

This Holiday season often brings to the surface the loss of loved ones who have gone on to the kingdom triumphant. Sometimes the hurt we feel because of the ones who are not with us can take away from our joy in this season of the year. While we do mourn for those who are no longer with us we remember our command to “Rejoice in the Lord Always.” We can do this because we know there is a heaven where we will see our loved ones once again and also we know that this is a path that Jesus himself has walked. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he made provisions for his mother to be taken care of in her later years. It is best understood that Joseph, husband of Mary, had passed away at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. With his earthly father no longer able to take care of his mother the responsibility fell to Jesus as the oldest son of Mary and Joseph. In John 19:26 Jesus gives the responsibility of her care to the beloved disciple, namely John himself. Jesus knew what it meant to experi-ence suffering and loss and yet he completely understood the temporary nature of this life and focused on the life that was to come. We will do well to do the same. We live in this life for a time but rejoice over what Christ has done for us and know that our joy will reach full measure when we put our complete trust in him and his prom-ises.

May the God of Peace Bless you this Christmas!

Pastor Justin

PAGE 2 MCPRESBY NEWS

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,

praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

to men on whom His favor rests.”

Luke 2:12-13

** OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD UPDATE **

THANK YOU TO THE CONGREGATION OF MPC FOR MAKING O.C.C. AND OUR RELAY CENTER A WONDERFUL SUCCESS THIS YEAR!

Because of your generosity our friends, families, and Sunday School have packed 404 shoeboxes!

(at press time). Please continue to pray for all Operation Christmas Child volunteers and, most im-portantly, for the children who will receive a shoebox this Christmas. May they come to know the love of our Savior be-cause of our simple gifts!

Michelle Unruh and Jamie Wilson would like to publicly thank the following businesses who generously donated shoeboxes, filler items, gift cards or made cash donations (for shipping). Our ministry was especially blessed by:

Aspen Dental (Robinson) R. Lancione, DDS

V. Lynne Cochran, DMD Lowe’s (Robinson and Scott Twp.)

Costco (Robinson) Northwest Savings Bank (McDonald)

Day Apollo (Moon Twp.) Sam’s Club (Robinson)

Dollar General Corp. (McDonald and Imperial) Shop ’N Save (Imperial)

Giant Eagle (McDonald and Settler’s Ridge) Staples (Robinson)

The Home Depot (Bridgeville and Robinson) Steliotes Dental Spa (McMurray)

Imperial Dollar Store Wal-mart (Robinson

Thank you to all the individuals (by press time) who volunteered at the Relay Center.

Your service is invaluable!

Joann Bennett Tom Maxwell

Arlene Carr Debbie, Gary, and Shannon McGinnis

Kim Cook Suzanne Millner

Mary Lou Cooper Patty Sember

Hannah Fay Descutner Janet, Marah, and Macey Slack

Lynn Fehl Jim Strand

Becky Gladden Brad Unruh

Syndria Lowe Jamie Wilson

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD


We are again looking forward to another Advent Season where Pastor Justin will be leading the Small talk time each Sunday Morning. As in the past a child will be chosen to bring a secret item in a bag to present on Sunday Morning. Pastor Justin will then and there rely on the Holy Spirit to inspire him with a Children’s sermon that uses that item as an object lesson for the Gospel and the Christmas Story. The tradition is a delight to the children and to the whole church. If your family re-ceives the honor of a Stump the Preacher turn be creative in choosing an item for the bag!

STUMP THE PREACHER RETURNS

ANGEL TREE

We would like to start a new Christmas tradition here at McDonald Presbyterian Church with a Christmas tree decorated only with angels. This is a pencil tree (very slim) that will be placed in the Narthex as you enter the church. We would encourage those who are interested to buy an angel ornament, attach your name to it and place it in the angel container on the information ta-ble. You may donate the ornament in the name of someone else if you so choose. We will then lovingly adorn our tree with the ornaments each year as a tribute to all of our “angels “in our church family. We know you have been asked for a lot of donations recently, but this will be very inexpensive and it will be a yearly tribute to all, with the angels being as diverse as all of our per-sonalities.

If you would like to participate, please keep this in mind while you are out shopping!

Thanks so much, Linda Matchett and Michelle Unruh


SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS

Cantata Practice—Sunday, December 2nd through December 9th Cantata practice will continue. Students are to report to Syndria Lowe from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Trinity. *** Normal Sunday school hours will resume on Sun-day, January 6th at 9:30 a.m.

CHRISTMAS CAROLING INVITATION—The Sunday school kids will be making their annual caroling trek through the streets of McDonald of Sunday, December 9th immediately following “Small Talk”. In order to go Christmas Caroling (please dress in proper winter attire) We will leave from Calvary Fellowship Hall after Small Talk to visit Haveloch Com-mons and Paulin Personal Care and return to Calvary Fellowship Hall to enjoy our Christmas Dinner. We’ll be finished by noon. Any adult wishing to chaperone is welcome. Thank you so much!

We will resume with the normal Sunday school hour on Sunday, January 6th! Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

December/ Sunday school schedule

December 2- Cantata practice

December 9- Cantata practice/Christmas Caroling

December 16- Sunday school Christmas Party

December 23- Sunday school meeting to go over winter curriculum (no SS for kids)

December 30 - NO SS FOR ANYONE!!!

January 6- Begin winter curriculum

Small Talk—Stump the Preacher

December 2nd Pastor Justin

December 9th Pastor Justin



December 24th (Family 7:00) Pastor Justin

December 24th (11:00 p.m.) None Needed

December 30th Summer Steele

Nursery

December 2nd Help Needed

December 9th Help Needed

December 16th Betty Ryan/Katie Nemec

December 23rd Help Needed

December 24th (Christmas Eve) Self Serve

December 30th

Greeters

December 2nd Dana and Emily Eyler

December 9th Betty Ryan

December 16th Alicia Slovick

December 23rd Peggy Samarin

December 24th (Christmas Eve) Volunteers Needed

December 30th Lana and Ed (Sonny) Gilbert

Hospitality Bakers

December 2nd Michelle Unruh

December 9th None Needed/Christmas Luncheon

December 16th Emily Eyler

December 23rd Help Needed

December 24th (Christmas Eve) None Needed

December 30th Kathy Strand

Lay Leader

December 2nd John Casey

December 9th Peggy Samarin

December 16th Linda Matchett

December 23rd Michelle Unruh

December 24th (Christmas Eve) None Needed

December 30th Help Needed

Children’s Church Acolytes

December 2nd Summer Steele December 2nd Jillian Panizza/Adam Unruh

December 9th Summer Steele December 9th Tommy Gilbert/Clayton Roberts

December 16th Summer Steele December 16th Megan Stutzman/Hailey Bair

December 23rd Summer Steele December 23rd Luke Gladden/Alex Nemec

December 24th None December 24th Volunteers Needed

December 30th Summer Steele December 30th Logan Errett/Jimmy Gilbert

SUNDAY VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE—DECEMBER


MYM to ring bell for the Salvation Army from 4:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5th The youth will take turns ringing the bell for 30 minutes at the Giant Eagle in McDonald.

MYM Christmas Caroling—Christmas Caroling, Wednesday, December 12th—we will go caroling for our shut-ins in McDonald & Paulin. If you have a family member who would welcome a visit from MYM, please contact Summer Steele at 724/926-8561 or email [email protected]. All MYM Youth will meet from 6:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M at Trinity Fellowship Hall.

MYM Christmas Party will be held on Wednesday, December 19th.

MYM Post Office will be open December 9th and December 16th—MYM Post Office returns for Dec 2012. Instead of sending your Christmas cards through the Postal service, you may bring them to the MYM Post office and make a donation directly to MYM. During the service, the youth will sort them and alphabetize them and then they will be ready for pick-up after church is over. Thank you for your support in advance!

MYM December

December 5- Bell ringing at Giant Eagle 4:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.

December 12– Christmas Caroling

December 19- Christmas Party

December 26- NO MYM

MYM NEWS


MEMBERSHIP PER-CAPITA

Please be reminded that returning our pledge cards is an important step in assisting the church with our budgeting for the 2013 calendar year. It is also a great spiritual discipline to set a goal for our giving and to put it to pen and paper that it may be a tan-gible amount that we can hold ourselves accountable to throughout the year. We should never be afraid to make a pledge be-cause we may not be able to fulfill it. The pledge is simply our best estimate of what we will be able to give in the coming year and no one except our secretary knows if someone is behind or ahead in regards to their pledge amount. Please make your pledge freely knowing that the Lord is the one who takes care of our needs.

STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CARDS

Per-Capita is essentially the membership dues of the Presbyterian Church. It is an amount of money that we are assessed

for each one of our members that goes towards the operation of the local, regional and national bodies of our church

government. Each level is important in the overall operation and health of the church. The largest share of the funds go

toward the local Washington Presbytery to support the operations there. Smaller portions also go to the Synod which is

the leadership body over Pennsylvania and West Virginia and to the National Leadership. Our congregation has chosen

to withhold the funds from the national church due to some of the recent changes that have been made in the Book of

Order. Our congregation is using those withheld funds to support the work of the Fellowship of Presbyterians. The per

-capita assessment for 2013 will be $33.00 per member. If you have not yet given your per-capita for 2012 please do so

before the end of the year. Thank you for your wonderful and faithful support of our congregation.

MCPRESBY NEWS

A PROCESS OF DISCERNMENT

There are certain times in our lives

when we are called upon to make an important

decision that will impact not only ourselves but

others in the future as well. So often we think

about the decisions we make as impacting us in

the present but we cannot forget the impact

that those decisions make upon our children and

the generations to come. How many High School Students think about the consequences of their actions and choices upon their

future children? Not nearly enough is probably an appropriate answer. Do they realize that the work they are doing now will

have an impact on the rest of their lives and the future that they are able to provide for their children and family? This chain of

action continues with us throughout the whole of our lives. The choices that we make never impact just us they impact those

around us and those who follow us in whatever capacity we serve.

As you may know, our congregation has entered into a period of discernment regarding our denominational affiliation.

The Denominational Study Committee and the Session have felt God calling them to make a bold move that will secure the

foundational beliefs of the Gospel for generations to come. When the current state of our national Presbyterian Church is con-

sidered the future is uncertain at best. The numerical and theological decline is staggering. The leadership that they are giving

to congregations is almost absent. The Gospel is being attacked and the belief in the power of the cross to save us from our sin

is being eroded at an alarming rate. Many Presbyterians today do not find salvation by Christ alone as an essential belief. We at

McDonald Presbyterian Church do believe this to be an essential and seek to be associated with churches and leaders who be-

lieve the same. This is not to say that those who have questions about the matter are not loved and welcomed by our congrega-

tion, they most certainly are. It simply means that those in leadership, especially our pastoral leadership, need to believe that

the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one and only way to eternal peace and salvation with Jesus. We are a church that is committed

to ministering to the children of our community. When we think about our children and the generations to come we must

consider what kind of Gospel will be proclaimed from the leadership of this church in the future. Will the leadership be forced

to compromise and acknowledge those who do not believe in the truth as faithful Christians? This is already happening today

and it will continue to be a challenge in the future if this congregation continues to be led by the Presbyterian Church (USA).

When the definition of a Christian is opened up to the point where almost anyone qualifies then it becomes difficult to teach

with conviction that the Bible must be learned and the Word of God obeyed.

For some the decision may be a difficult one. For many others it is a clear and simple call by God to bring faithfulness

and renewal to the church. It is the belief of many that when the full accounting of the matter is laid out that the course of ac-

tion will become evident to the body of the church together. There are several things that will be occurring in early 2013 that

will help us with this process. The first will be a season of prayer in January and early February. Soon we will be taking sign-

ups for the various days of the prayer vigil and spending some time as a congregation asking for wisdom. Secondly, there will

be a congregational conference at a time to be announced that will give us ample time to be encouraged in the process and to

help us to determine what it is that we should do to make McDonald Presbyterian a strong and vital congregation in the future.

The Lord is faithful to his people and he will be faithful to us through this process. It is a true joy to be able to serve our Lord

through the church and be able to bring blessing to countless individuals through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to ride

on the wind of the Holy Spirit and find renewal and faithfulness in God’s Amazing Grace.

MCPRESBY NEWS

December Birthday and Anniversaries

Happy Anniversary to:

Terri and Duane Cole 12/05

Greg and Sue Gilbert 12/28

Happy Birthday To:

Jane Baker 12/01 Errett Logan 12/02

Blake McElhaney 12/02 Christian Nation 12/07

Cathy Krenn 12/09 Cathy Krenn 12/09

Pam Thomassy 12/09 Sandi Albertini 12/10

Jeff Keslar 12/10 Julia McCloud 12/10

Karen Cooper 12/11 Jim Schafer 12/13

Matthew McKay 12/15 Laurain Lacotte 12/17

Sharon Libby 12/20 Noelle Bair 12/22

Duane Cole 12/23 Luke Gladden 12/25

Carole Masquelier 12/25 Emily Muggar 12/25

Matthew Muggar 12/25 Nolan Vance 12/25

Steve Plavetzky, Jr. 12/26 Dave Hanczar 12/29

Brad Unruh 12/29 Terri Cole 12/31

Wayne Masquelier 12/31

THANK YOU

I wish to thank Rev. Justin Amsler and the many people of McDonald Pres-byterian Church for their prayers and support during Alvin’s illness. Your many kindnesses helped us through a very difficult time. The communion that Pastor Justin served Alvin in the hospital, the numerous visits, cards and phone calls he received, and some anonymous cookies found on our

front porch all were greatly appreciated. Your love and concern for him were abundant.

With much gratitude, thank you all very much. Carol L. Berthold

MCPRESBY NEWS

January Anniversaries

Diane and Jay Nation 01/10

January Birthdays

Bob Klimas 01/02

Patty Sember 01/02

Kristy Bennett 01/03

Naomi Brockman 01/03

Mary Hawes 01/05

Zoey Longstreth 01/09

Robert Cooper 01/12

Helen Catrain 01/14

Shirl Krenn 01/16

Hannah Fay Descutner 01/20

Roger McElhaney 01/25

Luke Errett 01/27

Becky Gladden 01/31

CHOIR NEWS

Sunday, Dec. 2 – 9:30am - Practice during Sunday School time for Cantata & Costuming for all kids/youth at Trinity Center Parlor

Monday, Dec. 3 – 7:00pm – Cantata Practice #6 – Trinity Center

Tuesday, Dec. 4 – 6:00pm – Bell Choir

Thursday, Dec. 6 – 6:45pm – Kids/Youth/Sunday School Kids for Cantata Song Rehearsal at Trinity Center 7:30pm – Adult Choir

Sunday, Dec. 9 - 9:30am - Practice during Sunday School time for Cantata & Costuming for all kids/youth at Trinity Center Parlor

Monday, Dec. 10 – 7:00pm – Cantata Practice #7 – Adults only – Trinity Center

Tuesday, Dec. 11 – 7:00pm – Cantata Practice #8 – Adults & Kids/Youth/Sunday School Kids/Actors/Narrators for Sound, Lighting, Movement – Trinity Center

Thursday, Dec. 13 – 7:00pm – Cantata Practice #9 – All Singers/Kids/Youth/Sunday School/Actors/Narrators for Dress Rehearsal – Final Rehearsal!!

Thursday, Dec. 20 – 6:00pm – Adult & Bell Choirs Dinner & Rehearsal

CARELIST DECEMBER 2012

Ms. Stacy Bennett Mrs. Donna Bennett

Mrs. Joann Bennett Mr. Clarence Brockman

Mrs. Naomi Brockman Ms. Dorothy Blank (Lynn Brockman’s cousin)

Mrs. Dolores Chambola (Ida Galicic’s sister) Mrs. Sylvia Cimarrolli

Mrs. Margie DeFaveri Mrs. Kris Hanczar

Miss Julie Hanczar Mrs. Dorothy Irwin

Mrs. Kat Rickenback (Friend of Lin Nalesnick) Mrs. Roberta Langer

Mr. Floyd Laughlin Mrs. Dorothy Laughlin

Mrs. Jane McRae Mr. Chuck Smith, Sr.

Mrs. Dorothy Smith Mrs. Jean Tucker

Mr. Carl Waspusk Mr. John Walker

Mrs. Carol Wanner (sister of Debbie McGinnis) Mr. Rob Guidice (Boyfriend of Jennifer Brockman)

Mrs. Dorothy Roths

Assisted Living /Rehabilitation

Miss Mary Ann Johnen, Presbyterian Senior Care, South Minster Place, Apartment 336, 880 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301 Telephone: 724/250-4951

Mrs. Jo McDowell, Washington Commons, Room 209, 528 Dewey Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

Dorothy Blank, Kade Nursing Home, 1198 W. Wylie Avenue, Washington, PA 15301 Telephone: 724/222-2148

Mrs. Hilda Balog, Providence Point Health Care Center, 200 Adams Avenue, Room 139-Memory Support

Unit Pittsburgh, PA 15243.

Mrs. Bea Cerezo, Country Meadows of South Hills, #4, 3570 Washington Pike, Room 414, Bridgeville, PA 15017. Please note change of address.

Mrs. Dorothy Roths, Presbyterian Senior Care , 835 South Main Street, Washington PA 15301 724/222-4300

PAGE 10 VOLUME 1 , ISSUE 1

FAMILY LIFE GROUP KICKOFF FOR 2013 SIGN UP FOR YOUR LIFE GROUP FOR

THE NEW YEAR AFTER WORSHIP ON JANUARY 13TH

The Launch of our Family Life Groups has been a great success in 2012 and we are

looking forward to how God will use them in 2013. For the first Quarter of 2013

our Groups will be choosing their own curriculum and continuing to meet on

their regular schedules. After worship on January 13th we will have an opportu-

nity to sign up for groups and to see what curriculum each group will use in the

new year. We also look forward to other church wide studies in the future.

Abbreviation Key—Choir

BC: Bell Choir; KC: Kids Choir; AC: Adult Choir; YC: Youth Choir


DECEMBER 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Nation’s Memo-rial Service 7:00 p.m. Calvary Ctr.

2 Communion

10:45 a.m. Service

9:30 a.m. Cantata Practice KC/YC Trinity Ctr. Parlor

3 Cantata Practice 7:00 p.m. Trinity Ctr.

4 Trustees Mtg. 7:30 p.m.

Bell Choir 6:00 p.m.

5 MYM 6 6:45 p.m. KC/YC Sunday School Kids Song Re-hearsal Trinity Ctr.

7:30 p.m. AC

7 AA 8

9

9:30 a.m. Cantata Practice KC

10:45 a.m. Service

Christmas Lunch

6:00 p.m. Session

10 7:00 p.m. Cantata Practice Adults Only Trinity Ctr.

11 7:00 p.m. Cantata Practice. AC/KC/YC Sun-day School Kids All Actors, Lighting Techs, Sound, etc.

12 MYM 13 Pre School Christmas Program 6:00 p.m.

Final Dress Re-hearsal 7:00 p.m.

14 AA 15 Cantata 7:30 p.m. Reception to follow

16 10:45 a.m. Service

17 18 19 MYM 20 Lioness’

Adult Choir & Bell Choir 6:00 p.m. Practice & Dinner

21AA

Office Closed

22


24 Office Closed

7:00 p.m. Family Service

11:00 p.m. Can-dlelight Service

25 Office Closed 26 Office Closed 27 28 AA 29


31

From the Staff of

McDonald Presbyterian Church

Pastor Justin Amsler

Donna Klimas

Syndria Lowe

Summer Steele

Paul Winters

Cindy Sell

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas

Non Profit Org.

US POSTAGE PAID

MCDONALD, PA

PERMIT NO. 9 McDonald Presbyterian

Church

Worship Site:

202 West Lincoln Avenue

McDonald, PA 15057

Offices Located at:

119 Station Street

McDonald, PA 15057

Telephone:

724/926-8561

December Newsletter

R ETURN SERVICE REQESTED

Website:

www.mcdonaldpres.org

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