The Presbytery of Eastern Virginia
invites you to join in witnessing to the work of the Holy Spirit in the installation of
The Reverend Miss Eleanor R. Norman
as Associate Pastor Hidenwood Presbyterian Church Newport News, Virginia
For the service of the whole body of Christ
Sunday, May Fourth, Two Thousand and Eight
at four o’clock in the afternoon
Your prayers and presence are requestedReception to follow RSVP, (757) 596-1151
APNC: Thanks to All for Your Support
The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee is thankful to our Heavenly Father for His love and answer to our prayers by sending Eleanor Norman as our new Associate Pastor. We wish to thank the congregation for their prayers, words of encouragement, and support during our search for God’s person as our associate pastor. We thank Bill Lamont for his encouragement and advice during this long process to find Eleanor to become his colleague in the ministry of Hidenwood
Presbyterian. We want to thank our families and friends for their love and understanding of the time we spent in this process. God has far exceeded our hopes and dreams by sending Eleanor Norman to Hidenwood. Please continue to pray for the ministry of Hidenwood as we begin this new phase of our church with two outstanding pastors to lead us.
SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
The APNC is hosting an evening to share with you what
Associate Pastor Eleanor Norman presented to us during her
interview. Childcare will be provided through 5th grade.
—The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee
Working Together
April was mission month at Hidenwood. On April 6 we sent a team of 14 on a mission trip to Houma, Louisiana, where they helped repair two homes damaged by hurricane Katrina. Then on Sunday, April 27, the whole congregation stayed for lunch and worked on 15 different service projects for One Great Day of Fellowship and Service. These two different initiatives reaped the same blessing for our congregation—fellowship. Fourteen people went down to Houma as strangers and came back friends. Now they greet one another enthusiastically in the narthex on Sunday mornings and linger in conversation. At One Great Day, people who never associate together were shoulder to shoulder making sandwiches, sorting stamps, packaging VBS materials and cleaning gutters. People weren’t just doing a project, they were getting to know each other. Whenever we work together with a single purpose, God blesses us with camaraderie, laughter, and energy generated. We become a community, which is exactly what a congregation is supposed to be. I am sure someone will try to measure the success of these projects by the work completed. Fair enough. I just want to say that it did my heart good to see the congregation working cheerfully together for a common purpose. It’s harder to measure but easy to appreciate.
In Christ,
Bill
Looking for Answers with Eleanor . . .
According to the Book of Order, when a child is baptized in
the Presbyterian Church, “The congregation as a whole, on behalf of the Church universal, assumes responsibility for nurturing the baptized person in the Christian life.” To affirm that we are accepting this responsibility, each time a child is baptized the congregation is asked: Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture this child, by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of His church? And, of course, everyone says, “We will.” As a congregation it is important for us to know not only how we fulfill this promise, but what this promise means to us. We should take time to ask ourselves:
• What do you feel is important for a child to know to be able to follow Christ?I wish as a pastor I had answers to all of these questions for us. However, they are not my questions alone to answer. Over the next few months, I am going to write a little something each week for us to think and talk about as a congregation. More often than not, I will write more questions than answers. My hope is that as I begin working with you in ministry together we can shape the Christian education, fellowship, and mission of our children and youth, so they will grow to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of His church.
• How do we nurture the children entrusted to us on Sundays and throughout the week?
• What are our prayers for our children?
• What is a faithful member of Christ church, and what are we doing to help our children live, love, believe, and hope in Jesus Christ?
—Blessings,
Eleanor
A Note from Audrey
The Reverend Dick Woodward, author of the Mini Bible College, says we are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. Thanks to all the many “saints” who gave helping hands on April 27— One Great Day of Fellowship and Service.
Day of Pentecost—Sunday, May 11
Susan Andrews, former moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly, shares these thoughts: “My favorite Pentecost story is not in the Book of Acts, but tucked into John’s appearance stories of Jesus. There in the 20th chapter we find the disciples cowering in a locked room, afraid. They are afraid of death. They are afraid of violence. They are afraid of responsibility. In a word, they are afraid of life. Without Jesus leading them, comforting them, healing them—without Jesus living life for them—they simply cannot imagine a future of meaning and purpose. And then, of course, Jesus suddenly appears, ignoring locked doors and locked hearts. He simply appears—breathing into them, onto them, among them. Re-creation—a new beginning—the Word becoming flesh, this time in the brand new birth of an infant community. It is a community that will call itself Church—a community that now has in them, on them, and among them the resurrected power of Jesus. And so, they— we—become the resurrected body of Christ in the world. Amazing!
I live in one of the most beautiful places in this country—the lovely, lively world of the Hudson River Valley. But like so many Presbyterian places across our nation, we...are locked up in our anxious faith—gloomy about our life without a visible Jesus, worried that the glory days of preaching and healing and witnessing are over. Shrinking resources, shrinking staff, and shrinking visibility...our tired spirits sag with wistful nostalgia. Yes, we want those former days with Jesus to come back—those days when faith was vivid, God was present...Many of us seem to be waiting for someone else to do and be who God is calling us to do and be.
What is the Pentecost Offering?
The Pentecost Offering is one of four annual church-wide special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It joins One Great Hour of Sharing, the Peacemaking Offering, and the Christmas Joy Offering. All of these offerings provide opportunities for individuals and congregations to support mission that makes God’s love present to people around the world.
Where does the money go?
Forty percent of the offering is retained by congregations for local ministries with children at risk. The remaining 60 percent goes to the General Assembly and is divided between child advocacy (10 %), and ministries with youth and young adults (50%). More specifically:
- More than 750 young adults since 1994 have served as Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs)— pursing theological education, full-time mission service or other professional church leadership roles.
- Almost $1.8 million has been raised since 1998 by congregations like ours for ministries with children at risk in our own communities.
- Through Presbyterian Youth Connection, youth develop leadership skills and a deeper
- faith.
When is the Pentecost Offering received?
The offering is traditionally received on the Day of
Pentecost. This year it will be received on Sunday, May 11.
April Session Highlights
- Approved the request for baptism of Stephen Casey York, son of Steve York and Annette Windhorn, on Sunday, June 15, 2008.
- Approved the request for the youth to conduct a garage sale on June 28 under the leadership of Molly Rountree, with the help of parents
of youth, and with the support of Rev. Eleanor Norman and Jimmie Espich. The proceeds of the sale will be shared equally with the
Mission and Christian Education Committees.- Approved continuing the Sunday School Breakfast tradition in the 2008-09 Sunday School year on the following dates: September 28,
2008, February 8, 2009, and May 3, 2009.- Approved for the Reverend Ron Bowie, First Presbyterian Church, Boone, NC, to preach at Eleanor Norman’s Installation service on
May 4.- Approved the Evangelism Committee’s request to hold Preschool Sunday on October 26, 2008.
1st Quarter Giving Statements Available
First quarter giving statements are now available from the Assistant Treasurer, Ed Austin. To request a copy of your statement, contact him via e-mail (preferred) at assistanttreasurer@cox.net or by telephone at (757) 596-8785. Statements can be provided either as .pdf files attached to a reply e-mail, or in paper copy via United States Postal Service. The Finance Committee has recently adopted a policy that 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter statements will be made available upon request, as described above. Fourth quarter (year-end) paper copy statements will be mailed immediately after printing. They will no longer be available in the narthex for pick up, as they have been in the past. This new policy will better ensure the privacy of each member regarding their church giving.
Hidenwood Tutors Wrap Up School Year
This year, the Hidenwood Tutoring Team has been working with Melissa White, the reading specialist at Hidenwood Elementary School, to help youngsters improve their reading and writing skills. The school recognized the hard work of the volunteers at a breakfast on Wednesday, April 23. Those recognized from Hidenwood Presbyterian were: David Varner, Jan Mattern, Ida Haid, Shawen Bartol, Bev Credle, Ian Jacoby, Connie Mitchell and Audrey Arthur. Thanks also to Kaye Aguirre for her help.
Youth Cheer On Triathletes in Angels Race
Led by Lindsay Conrad, a number of Hidenwood youth traveled to Lynchburg on Sunday, April 13, to support the athletes in the Angels Race Triathlon. This annual event was started as a tribute to a high school classmate of Lindsay’s, who died in a car crash in 2002. College teams and individuals participate as a living memorial to those persons, or angels, that inspire and strengthen us. Lindsay received the following thank you: “We are so blessed to have you in the Angels Race family! Thank you for all you do with that smile on your face and song in your heart. Please extend our thanks to all who traveled with you. They were awesome!” Hidenwood youth, dubbed the #1 cheer section, included Savannah Rountree, Marc Lovell, Taylor McLean, Jill Belote, Njiba Kasonga, and CNU students Tommy Faulconer, Shannon Augustine, and Lindsay.
Join us and Ride the Wave of God’s Love at Vacation Bible School!
Monday, July 21 - Friday, July 25; 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Hey kids! Gather your towels and beach balls and get ready to surf through the scripture this summer at Vacation Bible School. We will begin registration on May 4 in the narthex or you may register at the church office beginning May 5. Cost is only $15 per child! For more information, please call Shawen Bartol, (757) 596-4646, or Kelli Mason, (757) 930-2454.
VBS Volunteers Needed! Youth and adults! Put on your flip-flops and beach hat and join us this summer at Vacation Bible School! We are planning some wonderful activities for the kids and need your help! Please call Shawen Bartol, (757) 596-4646, or Kelli Mason, (757) 930-2454, for more information or sign-up on Sunday in the narthex.
Flowers for ‘08
There is a new flower calendar on the kiosk in the narthex. For a great selection of dates, choose your Sundays for memorial flowers soon. Remember to note “FG” if you would like the Flower Guild to prepare your arrangement, or if you wish to use a florist, please note that on the calendar. We look forward to arranging flowers in memory or in honor of loved ones or to celebrate a special anniversary, graduation, birth of a child or grandchild, or other special days. —The Flower Guild
Makemie Woods Schedule Available
Believe it or not, it’s time to register for summer camp! The brochure for Makemie Woods Summer 2008 programs is both in print and online! Go to www.makwoods.org to find descriptions of camping opportunities for every interest and age! Moreover, there will be an Open House at the camp on Sunday, April 27, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. for everyone who might want to see the grounds and facilities. Bring your friends and introduce them to the fun of Makemie Woods, including a campfire with s’mores! Makemie Woods is located near the town of West Point.
Presbyterian Women
Come join the Presbyterian Women in a spiritual adventure of Circle fellowship and Bible study. Be a part of community and worldwide ministries. Our Circle year runs from September through June. All women welcome-simply pick a time and place that suits you and join the group, or call the church office for more information, 757 596-1151
Mark Your Calendars for Bible School!
Monday-Friday, July 21-25This year during VBS, we will be surfing through the scriptures! Get ready to feel the surf and catch the wave of God’s love. Come and develop a new Beach Be-Attitude! We would love for YOU and your children to experience the blessings of this event! Look for registration information coming soon! If you would like to sign on as a volunteer, call Julie at the church office, 757 596-1151, or e-mail her at conka.hpc1@cavtel.net.
The Lectern is now availible E-lectronically!
Gain Support from Stephen Ministers Support:
Adjust: To adapt or conform to new conditions - Have you or someone you know recently had to adjust to any of these
situations? a new job, new baby, a new boss, a new house, a separation, a grown child moving back home, a seriously ill parent, a death, a best friend who has moved? Be caring and helpful to those around you who are having to make adjustments in their lives. You can make a difference and really help by encouraging them to talk to someone. Remember that our church Stephen Ministers are trained and available for confidentially listening to and helping people as they face changes in their lives. For more information about how Stephen Ministers can help, contact Rev. Lamont at the church office, 757 596-1151, or Kaye Aguirre at 757 596- 4036, or email at kaguirre@cox.net
“When I said, ‘my foot is slipping,’ your love,
O Lord, supports me.” (Psalm 94:18)
Media Center Notes
Located as it is far from the sanctuary, our Media Center/Library is an underused resource. Maybe it is because it is easily overlooked, or because some newer members don’t know it exists, or it is assumed all our books are treaties on religion. Well, it exists! It’s near the chapel and preschool! There are lots of different kinds of materials! Make it a point to stop by the center just to see what we have...you’ll be pleasantly surprised! Hours are Monday 2:00-4:00 p.m.; Sundays 9:00-11:00 a.m
THESE DAYS: Daily Devotions For Living
We have a wonderful resource available on the kiosk in the narthex: THESE DAYS. Published quarterly by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation in Louisville, Kentucky, this booklet offers daily devotions for those who could use a little lift in the morning—or evening. The devotion for Sunday, January 1: In the Beginning. Genesis 1:1. The booklet suggests the following way to use the devotions: Pray for God’s enabling, Read the scripture twice, Meditate on the word or phrase, Listen attentively, Read the reflection, Thank God, Consider writing in a reflection diary.
Notify Us if You're Hospital Bound
Because of the HIPPA PRIVACY ACT, which went into effect in April 2003, ministers will no longer be able to call the hospital to receive information about patients, their names or room numbers without the patient's permission. If you would like a visit while in the hospital, please call the church office, or have a friend or family member contact us.
