PASTORS’CORNER

December 2015/January 2016

YOU’RE INVITED!Dec ......... Advent Schedule ............... p8

Dec 5 ...... Knitters and Crocheters ... p7

Dec 5 ...... Yankee Swap ..................... p2

Dec 13 .... Cookie Swap ...................... p6

Dec 17 .... Young at Hearts ................. p7

Dec 20 .... Giving Tree ........................ p2

Jan 2 ....... Knitters and Crocheters ... p7

Jan 3-10.. Shelter Meals ..................... p3

Jan 10 ..... Secret Sisters Program .... p4

Jan 24 ..... Blanket Sunday ................. p5

FACING FEAR, ANXIETY WITH GOD’S HELP “Don’t be afraid!” These are the first words an angel spoke

to a rag-tag company of shepherds keeping watch at night over their sheep. Luke writes that the angel ap-peared to them “and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” (Luke 2:9). I imagine fear would be my first emotion if I was in the shepherds’ shoes, and my first thought would be to turn tail and run! How terrifying it would be to see a heavenly being amidst the glory of the Lord in the Bible, heavenly beings who serve as the Almighty’s messengers do not always have news that puts humans at ease (see Genesis 19). What an awesome sight for these shepherds to witness—no wonder they were frightened. Today we find ourselves living in frightening times. We are inundated with reports of ISIS terror attacks, threats of those attacks returning to our shores, social unrest in our streets and on college campus, and political uncertainties headed into an election year. News of peace seems fleeting. Do we have reason not to be afraid? The answer God has given us is yes! Because God came to earth in human form on that holy night in Bethlehem, we know God has not forgotten us! And even though we live in uncertain times, we can experi-

ence the greatest gift of God’s hope, peace, joy, and love in Christ. More than putting us at ease, the message of Christmas gives us reason to cel-ebrate, and to share that celebration with the world. Once he had the shepherds atten-tion the angel continued, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!” Their fears gave way to great joy in the Savior. Rick Warren writes in Raising Your Kids without Raising Your Blood Pressure, “Fear will keep you from becoming all God intends for you to be; it will limit your poten-tial, even ruin and devastate your life. God does not want you living a life filled with fears. You might call it coincidence, but there are 365 “fear not” commands in the Bible. That’s one for every day of the year. I would say God hates fear.” John 4:18 put it this way, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” God is love, and the more you fill your life with God, the less fear you are going to have. When you are afraid or anxious, remember you are in God’s family. Romans 8:15 says, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.” As Chris-tians we are no longer slaves to sin, which among other things leads to fear about our present and future. Instead we are adopted as sons and daughters of God’s family. You’re not an orphan; you’re not alone. He is your Father, and God is greater and

Pastor Pete

The Neelsville News will not be published in January. The next issue will be the February 2016 edition. If you have an event scheduled in February, make sure to get the information to us by the January 15th deadline.

May God’s love surround,

God’s grace abound,

And heavenly peace

Be all around.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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OUR ANNUAL GIVING TREE MINISTRYWould you like to help a local family in need this Christmas? If so, check out the Giving Tree in the Narthex. We will support families in Ger-mantown through Germantown HELP. Gift Givers, please go to the Giving Tree decorated with gift tags and unclip one. The tag will give you the first name, age, gender, size (for clothing), or wish (for a toy). The tag will also include the ‘family number’ which is needed for when you return the gifts to the church. Then … enjoy shopping for your youngster! After you purchase your gift, wrap it, tape the tag securely to the front of the package, and bring it back to the church, placing it in the box with the matching family’s number. All gifts need to be in the appropriate family box by Sunday December 20th. If you are providing a baked good, please again attach the tag to the front of the wrapped baked good and place it in the corresponding family’s numbered box. Groceries for the food boxes will be picked up and assembled the morn-ing of Saturday December 19th. If you would like to help with the sorting, please call Jim Hensley at 703-217-7900. We could use your help and many hands make for light work! Thank you for your generosity during this most holy of seasons! If you have any questions, please contact Jim Hensley at 703-217-7900.

20701 Frederick Road • Germantown, MD 20876www.neelsville.org

You can reach the Office at office@neelsville.orgTEL: (301) 972-3916 • FAX: (301) 972-3255

Senior Pastor Parish Associate Rev. Dr. Peter Della Santina Rev. Derek Longbrake pete@neelsville.org dereklongbrake@gmail.com

Organist Choir Director Michele Kelly Greg Grafmmkelly440@hotmail.com gggraf@gmail.com Director of Youth Ministries Treasurer Vince Inatomi Wendy Coulliard inatomiv@gmail.com treasurernpc@gmail.com

Neelsville News is published by Neelsville Presbyterian Church.

Submit Word files and photos by the 15th of each month to neelsvillenewsletter@gmail.com.Sherrie Cardea, Melissa Blount, Jenn Park

FINANCIAL UPDATEOctober Operating Budget: As of the end of October, our General Oper-ating Income was $546,986. Our year-to-date expenses were $495,014 giving us a year to date surplus of $51,971. On the Building Fund side our income is $25,078, which falls short of our budgeted mortgage expense of $30,000. As always thanks for your generous and faithful giving.

Operating Income Received $546,986

Total Operating Expenses $495,014

Building Funds Received $25,078

Total Building Fund Expenses $30,000

Year

To

Dat

e

FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

LOCAL MISSIONSFELLOWSHIPCHRISTMAS PARTY ANDYANKEE SWAPYou are invited to this year’s Christmas Party and Yankee Swap, which will be held on Saturday, December 5th, 2015 at 6pm in Fellowship Hall. The event, open to all Neelsville adults, starts with a potluck dinner, music, and devotion, and ends with the traditional swap. Come join in – there are always surprises! The Yankee Swap began as the Christ-mas event of the adult fellowship group many, many years ago. Some of us remember attending our first Yankee Swap in the 1980’s and it is still going strong! Please bring a potluck dish to share (ham and turkey will be provided) and a wrapped inexpensive gift to Swap – one gift per couple or single attend-ing. Gifts can be new, recycled, funny, serious, or even food... anything goes! We have had some very creative gifts in the past. RSVPs will make our planning eas-ier. You can let us know if you are com-ing by contacting Mary Esther Michels via e-mail at michelsme@verizon.net or by phone at 301-963-4828. Volunteers for set-up and clean-up are always welcomed and appreciated.

more powerful than anything. You can cry out to God anytime and He will hear you. “By the Spirit’s power we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). The Holy Spirit will come and calm you down. Our Heavenly Father is in control. Remember whose child you are and that you can call on Him any time of the day. May we, as children of our loving God, celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year in joyful confi-dence our God reigns.

FACING FEAR, ANXIETY WITH GOD’S HELPCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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LOCAL MISSIONSMOPSWhen I look back over 2015 one of my biggest blessings has been the MOPS, or Mother’s of Preschoolers pro-gram that will begin its fourth year at Neelsville this Jan-uary. MOPS is a program with 41 moms who meet at the church every other week to bond in Christian fellowship, enjoy breakfast, a craft and a speaker while their children are lovingly cared for by a team of amazing volunteers in the preschool wing. The volunteers shower these chil-dren with love and care and are a true reflection of Christ’s love. Thank you MOPS volunteers. In addition to these meetings at the church, the MOPS moms enjoy a play date each morning and afternoon Monday through Friday to stay connected and avoid feelings of isolation and loneliness.

MOPS will resume meeting in January. There are currently more than 20 moms on the waitlist to participate in this ministry. In order to welcome more moms, we need more volunteers on Tuesday mornings to care for chil-dren. Would you consider serving for just two hours on a Tuesday morning so that we can welcome more moms in to this group? You could help with snack, hold babies, play with toddlers, entertain preschoolers, help with art projects, help with music or bring a new idea to this minis-try. We meet form 10:00 to 12:00 on the flowing dates: January 12 March 22 January 26 April 5 February 9 April 19 February 23 May 3 March 8 May 17Please contact Kimberly if you can help at kimberlynu-gent@hotmail.com or 301-538-0818.

LIBRARY NEWS!Thanks to all who heard our request for more DVDs for the church library. The library committee has set these on the new bookshelf. Many are new Children’s DVDs. Need some Christmas inspiration? There is a wealth of Christmas books and DVDs in our library as well. Check them out and if I can be of any help, just let me know!

–Sue FarrellDVDs for kids: Awesome Bible Adventures • Jesus’ Amazing Miracles and David’s Mighty Battle • Escape From the Fiery Furnace and Lot’s Amazing Adventure • Moses Receives the Ten Commandments and Moses’ Great Escape • Noah’s Incredible Journey and Joshua’s Awesome Victory •Samson’s Super Strength and God Destroys the Tower of BabelCDs for Kids: A Date with Dad: and Other Calamities by Focus on the FamilyDVDs for Adult Study James Mercy Triumphs – a Beth Moore Study Charlton Heston Presents Series The Bible: The Passion The Bible: Jesus of Nazareth The Nativity Story – full length movie 2006 Matthew – from the Visual Bible series The Prayers of Jesus – from Zondervan

NPC MEALS FOR ROCKVILLE WOMEN’S SHELTERNPC is providing meals for the Interfaith Work’s Wom-en’s Center in Rockville from January 3rd-10th. We need your help! The mission of the Interfaith Works is to help our neighbors in need move from crisis to stability through prevention, support, and empowerment. Each year families, small groups, scout troops, youth, and friends get together to prepare bag lunches or a hot dinner and to serve the women at the Interfaith Works shelter. If you are interested in providing a meal, please contact Sandy Folkendt at folkendt4@gmail.com or 301-916-4651.

April 1989

November 2015

Neelsville Throwback!Sandy and Kevin Hutto with Gary Hanson

then and now...

LIBRARY

Romans 12:13, (NIV) “Share with the Lord’s

people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

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SECRET SISTER’S PROGRAM 2016All of the ladies of the church are invited to participate in this ministry of caring and sharing with other sisters in Christ. You will each be given a ‘sister’ that you will need to pray for and encourage throughout the year. It is wonderful to have someone that prays for you and is there to send you an encouraging note from time to time. We’ll be keeping our ‘sisters’ a secret, so don’t let anyone know who you have as your secret sister. In January 2017, we will reveal our secret sisters at a brunch. Deadline for signing up for the 2016 program is January 10, 2016. Please place your completed form in the Secret Sister box in the welcome cen-ter!Responsibilities if you participate in the Secret Sister’s program?1. Uphold your secret sister in your prayers.2. Be an encouragement to your sister. Send her cards or notes of encouragement.3. Remember your sister on her special occasions. Send cards for her birthday, anniversary, or special land-

marks in your sister’s life.4. Keep it a secret! Don’t let your secret sister know your identity until the brunch in 2017!Guidelines:1. If you choose to give purchased gifts, please keep them inexpensive. Food gifts, candy, and homemade

goodies are great ideas.2. Make sure you contact your sister by means of a note or card at least once every other month.3. The secret sister ‘revealing’ will be announced. Please bring a small gift for the secret sister who has been

ministering to you during the year.4. Please complete the secret sister information form below and place it in the secret sister box located in the

Narthex (sometimes it gets moved to the welcome center). You can contact Kimberly Nugent King at kim-berlynugent@hotmail.com or 301-528-2953 with questions.

Name ___________________________________________address ______________________________________Married, single, widowed ____________________________anniversary ___________________________________Children (ages) ___________________________________grandchildren __________________________________Birthday__________________ Times when you need extra prayer _______________________________________Some of my favorite things Color ________________________Flower _____________________ Author ___________________________ Candy ________________________Season ____________________ Holiday __________________________ Restaurant ____________________Kind of food _________________ Singer ___________________________ Pets _________________________Collections __________________ Hobbies __________________________ Books of Bible/Scripture ____________________________Hymn ________________________________________Activities at Neelsville ______________________________Outside Neelsville ______________________________Tell your secret sister about yourself _______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

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SESSION NOTESNOVEMBER SESSION NOTES Session met on November 19th, with all 10 elders present. We discussed a range of issues important to the church. As always, we considered reports from Pete and Derek on their activities, approved routine membership changes, and heard from the various committees. We spent time in discussion with Evangelism Chair Kevin Hutto to learn about and pray for that committee as they try to win souls in our area. We again spent significant time discussing problematic decisions that we don’t feel are biblical that our nation-al denomination has made, and what our response at Neelsville should be. Session agreed to pray and to seek input over the next few months from the membership at large on these issues and also on whether NPC should enter into the official discernment process to seek reaffiliation with a Bible-believing, evangelical Presby-terian denomination. Accordingly, the elders will be seeking your input—we strongly encourage you to make your thoughts known to any member of Ses-sion: Craig Arold, Connie Barnes, Adam Condrick, Gregg Couillard, Aroon Datta, Brian Farrell, Marge Jarrett, Mary Esther Michels, Chad Porter, Brian Shute. –Brian Farrell

GLOBAL MISSIONSBLANKET SUNDAY COLLECTION SUNDAY, JANUARY 24th, 2016Neelsville is one of 8,000 congregations and groups across the U.S. that hold Church World Service (CWS) Blankets events, providing funds to help people in need around the world. Through this collection, CWS will be ready to help fami-lies around the world recover from disasters and displace-ment and build viable, sustainable lives and communities. CWS helps to provide primary health care for displaced and other families in need in such far-flung places as Sudan, Pakistan and Nicaragua. CWS gives comfort and care to moms and babies and helps children get the nu-trition they need to grow up strong and healthy. And here in the U.S. CWS blankets provide comfort in many communities hit by disaster and in shelters or agen-cies assisting those experiencing hard times. For over 60 years, CWS has worked in partnership with local communities. It only costs $10 to sup-ply one blanket which will make a difference in the life of one of God’s children in need. We will be collecting donations on Sunday, January 24th.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILDThank you to everyone who participated in the Opera-tion Christmas Child program by providing shoeboxes for girls and boys in underprivileged countries. Thanks to you, 65 children will be blessed with fun things to bring them joy and teach them about Jesus’ love.

–Christmas blessings, Sue Green

Caroline Green helps transport the OCC boxes

UPDATE ON RYAN MOWEN...Ryan Mowen, NPCs former Contemporary Worship Director and Director of Student Mi-istries, will be Ordained and Installed as Associate Pastor at Graystone Presbyterian Church in Indiana PA on Sunday, December 6th at 6pm. There will be a reception to follow. Pastor Pete and former NPC Associ-ate Pastor Andy Nagel will be taking part in the service. All are welcome to participate in this celebration!

Graystone Presbyterian Church

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FELLOWSHIP

COOKIE SWAPSUNDAY DECEMBER 13th

If you love to bake, but do not want six dozen cookies, you can feel free to donate to the swap and the Fellow-ship Committee will make arrangements for cookies to be delivered to a person who could use some extra holiday cheer.Here are the guidelines:1. Bake six dozen homemade cookies. (If you do not

have time to bake, but still want to participate, you can go to a bakery and purchase yummy cookies.)

2. Package your cookies in packages of six cookies each. You may choose to use zip lock baggies or any other festive packaging of your choosing. You should end up with 12 packages. If you want to bring an extra six cookies (a total of 13 packages), we will donate a set of cookies to a family in need.

3. If your cookies contain nuts, please label them as such.

4. You may attach a copy of your recipe to your cookies if you choose.

5. Drop your cookies off in the vestibule outside the Fellowship Hall between 9:30 and 10:00am. The Fel-lowship Committee will sort the cookies, place them in a festive bag and have them ready for people who are participating in the swap to pick up between 10:30am and 11:00am. If you plan to drop cookies off earlier, you may leave them in the kitchen labeled cookie swap and your name.

6. So that the Fellowship Committee can have enough supplies on hand, those planning to participate should RSVP to Kimberly Nugent King at kimberly-nugent@hotmail.com or 301-528-2953.

GARY AND BETH HANSON’S POTLUCKOn Saturday, November 7th, roughly 60 people gathered in Fellowship Hall and enjoyed a fabulous potluck dinner with Gary and Beth Hanson. It was a trip back in time as you looked around the room and saw many faces from years ago who have moved out of the local area and/or no longer attend our church. It was GREAT seeing Beth and Gary and also being able to spend time with mem-bers from the past. As the evening grew late, one could tell that nobody really wanted to say goodbye until we were finally kicked out by Sam so he could break down the tables. Thank you to all who came and brought such delicious food! Also, many thanks to Marilyn Splete, Chris Fletcher, and Barbara Miller for all their help that evening and to Merilee Worsey for her help in the planning. See how many of these faces you recognize! –Melissa Blount

Tom and Amy Lacko, former members

Christmas Cookies!

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FELLOWSHIP

It’s a Christmas tradition at Neelsville for the Young at Hearts to gather for a luncheon prepared and served

in the Sunday school room of the White Church. Please join us on Thursday, December 17th at 11:30am

for old-fashioned Christmas fun and a home-cooked meal. Please bring an item of warm clothing for our

collection basket that will be distributed to the homeless by our youth in January.Questions? Contact Marilyn Splete

at amsplete@yahoo.com

YOUNG AT HEARTS

CHRISTMASLUNCHEON

THANK YOUTHANKS FROM GARY AND BETH HANSONDear Friends: Words cannot express the deep apprecia-tion and gratitude felt during our weekend spent with you. Five months into retirement from our MN church and the ministry in general, the celebration was icing on the cake, as the expression goes. It was truly a heart-felt, second retirement send-off. To greet and hug so many current members and old friends was a thrill. To have neighbor-hood folks give up a busy Saturday night is one thing, but to have people travel from Frederick, Mt. Airy, and even Columbus, Ohio for a church supper was mind boggling!Neelsville’s potlucks remain second to none in terms of food and fellowship. By greeting people as they stood in line for the buffet, I guaranteed myself an opportunity to acknowledge everyone who attended. And, Thelma Fletcher – how could you remember one of my favorites, kielbasa and sauerkraut? I had two helpings! During both services, the music, prayers and Word of God gave me a real sense of worship, an aspect of Neelsville that hasn’t changed over the years. To look out over the congregants and see so many familiar and new faces was incredible. Despite the time warp of twenty years, worshipping with you brought back a flood of mem-ories of your wonderful faith community. A special shout out go to Melissa Blount and Mer-ilee Worsey who I’m told basically organized the event, publicity and dinner. I understand Marilyn Splete, Chris Fletcher, and Barbara Miller also helped, and I’m sure others as well of which I’m not aware – humble servants everyone. Melissa, Al and Colin (and the chickens and horses!) were fantastic hosts as we enjoyed our stay on their farm. Finally, thank you to the session which extend-ed the invitation, and of course, Pastor Pete who planned and led the worship. My encouragements to you expressed in the sermon remain. I have no doubt your ministry will continue to flourish. Affectionately in the name of our Lord, Gary and Beth

GLUTEN FREE COMMUNIONWe have received some inquiries about providing gluten free communion. The Deacons and Worship Committee have been researching possibilities for this. If you are a person who has a true medical need, please contact us so we can talk about how we might make this available. It appears it would be prohibitively expensive to do this for the entire congregation. Please email Michele Kelly at mmkelly440@hotmail.com or put a note in the Worship Committee mailbox in the office.

KNITTERS AND CROCHETERSWarm hats and scarves, and lap afghans and prayer shawls are most needed at this time of year. There is new yarn in the cabinet in the conference room. Help yourself to yarn, begin your project, and please join us if you can on the first Saturday of the month, Saturday, December 5th and again in the New Year on Saturday, January 2nd. We will meet in the conference room, next to the library, where the yarn is stored. Questions? Contact Marilyn Splete at amsplete@yahoo.com.

TRUSTEESTHANK YOUThe NPC Trustees give a shout out to Brandon Hill’s patrol with Boy Scout Troup 489 for a job well done on the front hill of the church along Frederick Road! It looks great and we appreciate your service!

–Sandy Hutto

WORSHIP

20701 Frederick RoadGermantown, MD 20876

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Neelsville Advent ScheduleNovember29 First Sunday in Advent

December5 Yankee Swap at 6pm6 Communion Sunday13 Choir Lessons and Carols and New Member Sunday24 Christmas Eve Schedule 5pm ..........Family Service (no candlelight) 7pm ..........Candelight and Carols 9pm ..........Candelight, Chior and Communion27 10am ........Sunday Worship - one service only