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Cross Roads Presbyterian Church
Weekly E-Pistle January 21, 2010 This Week At Cross Roads: Sunday School for all ages begins at 9:15 am. The topic in FaithWorks is the Associate Pastor Search. The discussion in Fellowship Hall will be on questions such as: Where is the APNC in the process, and what do the finances look like to bring o an Associate Pastor? Those are some of the topics to be addressed. The New Members Class will meet in the Pastor's Study. Seasons of the Spirit class meets in the parlor and is led by Rennie Rhodes this week. The children's classes will meet as normal. My sermon, "We All Have Gifts to Offer," is based on 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a. Paul writes to the congregation at Corinth, speaking to them about the diversity of gifts within the church. God has given each of us diverse gifts. Following Jesus entails learning to affirm and utilize our own gifts and learning to utilize the gifts of others. This is Deacons Sunday, and our Board of Deacons will assist in leading worship. The Deacons will also host Fellowship Hour. We will also recieve New members during worship. Hope to see you there! Haiti Relief Efforts: Last week, I wrote to you concerning the situation in Haiti and how we can respond to this horrible tragedy. The first thing that we can do is PRAY! Keep this situation in your prayers. Another action that can be taken is to provide financial resources to help in the relief work. Cross Roads is collecting monetary donations and forwarding them to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church (USA), enables congregations and mission partners to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic events. Its core budget, including staff and administrative costs, is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), and its program work is additionally funded through designated gifts. This means that every dollar given through this special collection goes directly to the relief effort in Haiti, not to cover administrative costs. Donations will help meet people's physical needs and provide emotional and spiritual care to survivors and those who care for them. The following is a January 18, 2010 update found on the PDA's web-site: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is coordinating its efforts with our ecumenical and international partners in the relief work in Haiti. Carlos Cardenas is on the ground in Port-au-Prince as part of the initial response team. The past few days' priorities have focused on search and rescue, medical attention for those injured by the earthquake, along with food distribution for the survivors. Food and fuel supplies are limited and there is urgent need to bring in these most essential resources at this time. Fifteen sites have been identified for distribution of relief items. Distribution of food and clean water are a top priority. It is estimated that 200,000 families, nearly one million people, are without homes and living out in the open air. Temporary shelter is a focus for this next week. PDA and its partners are seeking to bring in 20,000 tents to Port-au-Prince in this next week. There are three to four thousand tents currently on site. The greatest need from the church, along with prayer, is financial support in order to gather and strategically mobilize these most urgent relief supplies in the critical days that lie ahead. If you would like to give to his fund for the Haiti Relief Effort, there are several ways to do so. On Sunday during worship, we will accept donations from individuals for the PDA Haiti Fund. Your check should be made payable to "Cross Roads Presbyterian Church." Cross Roads will then send one check to PDA. During the offering on Sunday, place your offering in a clearly marked envelope specifically designated for the Haiti Relief Effort. If Possible, please place this offering in a separate envelope from your regular offering. Be sure to write "Haiti" in the memo section of your check as well. We want to ensure that every dollar intended for this relief effort is identified and sent to PDA. Additional updates can be found at http://www.pcusa.org/pda/response/latinamerica/haiti-index.htm See you on Sunday. In Christ, Pastor Rob |