First Presbyterian Church of EJ

*Please join us this Sunday for the baptism of Brynn Hawley!

*We need LOTS of helpers for things coming up: Hanging of the Greens, Advent Happening, Christmas Pageant, Christmas Eve Service, and Advent Wreath readers. You can choose speaking or non speaking parts for Hanging of the Greens and the Christmas Pageant. Sign ups are in the back of the church!

*Instead of asking the congregation to donate funds for Thanksgiving gift cards this year, the Session decided to use money from the Local Missions Fund. Each year, we receive an annual gift from the Charlevoix County Community Foundation’s Mary Glenna Malpass Mission Fund, which is deposited into our Local Missions Fund. This is a wonderful example of how the generosity of others allows us to continue our mission of serving those in need in our community. We are grateful for these gifts and the opportunity to share God's love in a tangible way with families who could use a little extra help, especially during the Thanksgiving season.

Continued prayers for Brady Schroeder. Brady came home from U of M last week and was able to be home for three days before needing to return to the ER on Friday and Saturday. He is now back at U of M, where he is receiving the care he needs. These days continue to be challenging for Brady and his family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as Brady continues his treatment and recovery. We pray for strength, comfort, healing, and encouragement for the entire family.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who has already shown their support by attending our Meet and Eat or making a donation. Your generosity and kindness mean so much to Brady and his family .If you would like to make a donation to help Brady and his family during this difficult time, you may send a check to the church. All donations will be given directly to the family. Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and generosity.

A note from Nancy Visser:

Thank you all for your kind words, as well as the gift cards. It has been a pleasure to be your clerk for the last 10 years and I will miss these meetings. I especially appreciated the wonderful coffee hour with great food and lots of desserts! You all have been a blessing to me and I look forward to many more years of fellowship with you all. Thank you!

Nancy Visser

*This is the last week to turn in Operation Christmas Child Boxes. Don't forget to put the label included in the box ON THE BOX and mark whether it is for a girl or boy and the age.

1. Help cover shipping costs. A suggested donation of $10 per box helps cover processing and shipping expenses. How do we do this at our church? Option 1: You can scan the QR code on the label sheet and donate online using the code to the right of the label. This allows you to follow your box and see where it goes! Option 2: Fill out the postage paid envelope included in the box and mail a check written to Samaritan's Purse with Operation Christmas Child in the memo line. If you are preparing multiple gifts, please make one combined donation. You can mail this envelope yourself or we can mail it. Please let Susan Kinloch know what option you have done.

2. Return your completed box to the church. There is a space along the wall in the fireside room that we are keeping the boxes until we have to turn them in to be sent.

Please pray for:

Brady Schroeder who has recently been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma and is receiving treatment at U of M; Richard Allen's son, Steven, who is on the waiting list for a liver transplant at U of M; Denny Jesiek who had a knee replacement on 10/29; Kathryn Bell who broke her ankle and had surgery on 10/29; Brady Schroeder who has recently been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma and is receiving treatment at U of M; Toni's brother, Butch; Natalie Malpass' dad, Tim Pilat; Ayden Peterson, Nancy Sherman's nephew; Mark Robinson; Ken and Nancy's niece, Paula; Sally Lilak; Boden Vrondran; Ted Jeffery; Jeff Cook; Joy Porter; Bonnie Jones; Debbie Archer; Nancy Ortwine, Tracey Sherman's mom; Vic Patrick; Bob Visser; Tom Reid; Leslie, Sally Lilak's friend; Rich and Wava Dietrich's sister-in-law, Lynda, Stephanie Saad; Mary Jason; Bonnie Grover; Ken Kline; Our Nursing Home Residents: Nancy LaCroix.

**Please let us know if you need someone added to or removed from the list! Thank you!**

Tech: Bristol Skop

Children's Sermon: Susan Kinloch

Jr. Church: Stacey Chipman

Liturgist: Anne Olstrom

Ushers: Susan and Rhonda

Fellowship: Anne Olstrom

Flowers: Ken and Donna Kline

Tech:

Children's Sermon: Stacey Chipman

Jr. Church: Brooke Hawley

Liturgist: Susan Kinloch

Ushers: Steve Bell

Fellowship: Donna Kline

Flowers: Ted and Toni Jeffery

Tech: Theo Payne

Children's Sermon: None

Jr. Church: None

Liturgist: None

Ushers: Need Volunteers

Fellowship: Need Volunteers

Flowers: Poinsettia

November 16th: Mary Kraemer

November 17th: Addie Steenwyk

November 18th: Kris Snyder

November 20th: George Small

November 21st: Brady Schroeder💙

November 10th: Shelly Malpass Raymond

None This Week!

We are excited to share that Stacey Chipman has been commissioned by Presbytery as a Commissioned Ruling Elder (CRE)!

But what exactly is a CRE? In the PCUSA, a Commissioned Ruling Elder is a church elder who has completed specialized theological and pastoral training and has been commissioned by their Presbytery to provide pastoral leadership. Depending on their commission, responsibilities may include leading worship, preaching, providing pastoral care, teaching, and administering the sacraments.

We are especially grateful to Stacey for committing her time, energy, and dedication to this training in service to our church. Her willingness to take on this journey is a wonderful gift to our congregation and an investment in the future of our church.

Please join us in congratulating Stacey on this meaningful accomplishment! We are thankful for her faith, commitment, and willingness to serve God and our church family.

We've learned that there is a need for gifts for teens ages 10–18 through our community’s Care & Share Secret Santa Project, in conjunction with Toys for Tots. It’s always fun to shop for the little ones, and we certainly encourage you to continue doing so! We also want to offer some suggestions and ideas for gifts that older children and teens would enjoy. From sports and fishing gear to electronics, games, spirit wear, and gift cards, there are lots of ways to make Christmas special for these older kids, too.

We will be collecting donations November 15 through December 6, with gifts distributed on December 12. We wanted to share these ideas early so you can keep them in mind as you begin shopping the great sales leading up to Thanksgiving! Thank you for helping make Christmas brighter for children and teens in our community. Your generosity makes a difference!

Our next Meet and Eat is December 14th and we will continue to give this month's donations to the Schroeder family If you haven't joined, we would love for you to join us! Please sign up in the back of the sanctuary so we know how much food to provide. If you aren't able to join and would still like to provide a donation to Brady's family, you can do so in the box of the back of the church or in the offering plate!

November 15th: Congregational Meeting

November 22nd: Session Meeting; Decorate the church for Advent

November 29th: Hanging of the Greens; First Sunday of Advent

December 6th: Advent Happening during fellowship

December 20th: Christmas Pageant; Bring a snack to share during fellowship

December 24th: Christmas Eve Service; 5:00 pm

November: Toilet Paper (a priority right now), shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hygiene products

December: Toilet Paper (a priority right now), mac and cheese, pasta and noodles, ramen.

It's easy to sign up for online giving to First Presbyterian Church of East Jordan! Either scan the code or click on the following link!

https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZDWE/home