WELCOME TO SUMMERLIN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

What does it mean to be a missionary?

by Donna Tate

I’ve often thought that to be a missionary you had to have a lot of manual labor skills. You know, be able to hammer, saw, climb, measure, paint, ect. Or if you didn’t have those skills you could always write a check, send if off, and ta da da you’re a missionary.

While that may be true it is still a very small part of what being a missionary is all about. To really have the true missionary experience you need to open yourself to the sadness and heartache, but mostly the joy of stepping out of your comfort zone; out of your every day life and placing your heart and emotions on the line.

To sit and talk with a teen who is living on the streets OR an entire family with little ones who are homeless OR people who have lost everything from material possessions to loved ones from a natural disaster and hear their stories and share their sadness and joy. What an amazing gift from God and what a true blessing as well.

I know that my life has been forever changed because I listened to what God laid upon my heart. Cook some meals for street teens, deliver them; AND, sit and talk with them and listen to what they have to say. Go to Amazing Grace and serve the people there by handing out food and clothes; AND, also listen to their stories. Go to Pearlington, Mississippi and live among the people there, help them rebuild their homes and churches; AND, take the time to get to know them by going into their neighborhoods and homes and listen to their stories and share their lives.

What does it mean to be a missionary? Feed the naked? Clothe the hungry? Give shelter to the homeless? Absolutely! Above all that it means taking the time to let these people know not only that you care about them but that God cares about them and you do that by listening – really listening!

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The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28:7

55 ALIVE!

55 Alive is having their annual Christmas Party at Fred & Mickie Bratschie's, 4768 Atlantico on Sat. Dec. 15 from 5:00p.m. to 8p.m. Members are to bring an appetizer and their drinks. All adults in the Church are invited to join us for conversation and fun. Please sign up at Church so we'll know how many will attend. Anyone can call Mickie (240-4760) or Marian (233-8452) for more information.

COOKBOOKS

The cookbooks are coming! Watch for them, they will make GREAT Christmas gifts! Proceeds will be to support mission and the new building.

HARVEST BANQUET

The first annual Harvest Banquet was held on Sunday, November 10th at SPC. A wonderful selection of soups and chili's were served along with homemade pumpkin and apple pies! All enjoyed an afternoon of food and fun. The children decorated pumpkins and played musical chairs, each winning a plate of fall decorated cupcakes.

CHRISTMAS for the HOMELESS

As a Christmas gift this year, SPC would like to donate 200 new hooded sweatshirts and 200 pairs of new socks to the Amazing Grace Ministry for the homeless people in Las Vegas. If you would like to help with this challenging opportunity, please purchase a hooded sweatshirt with pockets in men sizes LG, XL, XXL, or XXXL, or men’s socks in any size/color. If you would prefer to make a cash donation, please place your dollar bills in the coke bottle at the SPC Amazing Grace display table on Sunday mornings. Or if you would rather write a check, please make it payable to Summerlin Presbyterian Church with a memo notation designating “sweatshirts for the Amazing Grace Ministry”. The sweatshirts abd socks will be distributed to the homeless on Wed, Dec 19^th, at Christ Episcopal Church around 6:30pm after the homeless are served their dinner. Everyone is welcome to help serve dinner and distribute the clothing.

Also, please consider sharing this gift-giving opportunity with your friends, neighbors, co-workers, employees, and clients. There may be many people in the Las Vegas community who would like to assist with a worthwhile holiday project if given the opportunity. It could also be a wonderful way to let those around you know that SPC is actively involved in the community, some of whom may be searching for a great church to make their home.

If you would like to present your donation as a Christmas gift to that special friend or relative who has everything, gift cards are available on the SPC Amazing Grace display table on Sunday mornings during worship. Please help yourself.

HEY! Do you have announcements, event times or scandalous photos of Pastor Tom that need to reach the congregation? Why not send them through the newsletter? In a bigger hurry? We can also send individual announcements or prayer concerns via our newsletter list. Just let me know what you'd like to have sent out and just like magic, reach everyone in the congregation via an email blast! Please send newsletter announcements, event times, prayer request or scandalous photos of Tom to scott@thrasherarts.com.


Counting Pennies by Cayce Newton Early in our marriage Rick and I started saving our change. We have a big two liter glass Coca Cola bottle that we would put our change in at the end of every day. On it’s own it’s pretty heft, but full of change I can barely lift it. 26 years ago we didn’t have debit cards and ATM machines, so we actually used money for purchases! We always had a little handful of change to put in the jar. On December 1^st we would dump all the change we had accumulated for the year into the middle of the living room floor and sit together and roll the coins by hand. We would use that money to purchase our Christmas tree and any money left over was spent on new ornaments or lights. It usually wasn’t very much, $60 or $70 saved over the course of the year, but it was mostly pennies and nickels. As we’ve gotten older and our bank account has become a little bit more substantial, we still put our change in the jar, but now the pennies and nickels are joined by dimes and quarters as well. At some point about halfway through the year that jar is full and Rick starts filling plastic baggies with the coins. Since we have an artificial tree now and 26 years worth of ornaments, we don’t buy our tree with the money any more. Sometimes we’ll let our girls cash it in for spending money for vacation. Sometimes we will spend it on Toys for Tots or backpacks for needy kids for “Back to School”. Some folks think we should do away with pennies, that they aren’t worth anything. Maybe they think we should get rid of real money altogether; after all we use our debit cards for everything nowadays! I like pennies and I’d like to see them hang around for awhile. Pennies add up to REAL money. It only take 100 to make a dollar. Didn’t Ben Franklin say “a penny saved is a penny earned”? I like counting my pennies and my blessings. *Have a story you'd like to share with SPC about your life, traditions or faith? Send them to "Family Fireside" care of* Scott Thrasher at scott@thrasherarts.com.
Stewardship
What is Stewardship? It is the care and use of all that we have been given by God and is often explained in terms of talent, treasure and time. Here is a way to look at these aspects of stewardship. Talent We are all blessed with so many talents and yet we may not know they exist. Talents are found in your personality, your interests and your skills. Your use of talent for the work of God is one of the most personally fulfilling opportunities of your lifetime. Payment in a smile, in relief of suffering or in lending a hand to someone in desperate need is greater than any material payment you will ever receive. Time The gift of time is just that – a gift. In the time that we have, we are asked to use that time effectively by continuing the mission of Jesus Christ throughout our days. Your interaction with colleagues, customers, employees, employers and others should be conducted in the spirit of the second of God’s great commandments “love thy neighbor as we love ourselves.” Both at church and at home, we are responsible for handing on the faith to future generations. How we interact with people in front of children teaches valuable lessons on how to live. Our participation in ministries prepares a roadmap for ourselves and those with whom we have influence on how to lead a Christ-centered life. Treasure Treasure is a gift and also a burden. We become consumed with material goods. It is not wrong to enjoy many of the amazing luxuries life has to offer. However, justice requires us to consider the needs of others as we enjoy the gifts we have been given. Charity should be given freely because we understand and believe in the end result of our giving of financial support to any ministry. What should we give? There is no one answer, but we should all give according to what we have been given. A gift that is truly a sacrifice is a gift out of our need, not just our excess. Only you and God know what is fair but one way to know when you are making the right gift is when you stop making excuses for its size and stop trying to rationalize why it is enough. Taken from www.stewardship.com But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7 2008 Giving Commitment Cards are available at the front tables during worship. If you did not get the 2008 spending information, these are also available. Commitment cards can be turned in during the time of offering or given to one of the finance commission members: Amy Murzinski, Norma Somers, Scott Plummer, Fred Bratschie, Brent Flygar, Frank Schoen, or Keith Marcos.

What are you thankful for? What are some ways we can say, "Thank you" to God? Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19) Jesus has done so much more than heal our bodies, by his sacrifice on the cross. This week as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us remember that all good things do come from God, and remember to thank him for it!

KID'S CORNER is a monthly column for SPC children. If you have ideas, submissions or would like to take this column on as a project please contact Scott Thrasher at scott@thrasherarts.com.

HEY, HERE'S A TIP:

SHARE JESUS WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS