Faith Presbyterian Church

There will be a Presbyterian Women’s Fall Rally in Baton Rouge and it will be hosted by the women of Faith Presbyterian Church on August 15. Registration will start at 8.30 a.m. The guest speaker will be Randy Nichols, Executive Director of Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless. The mission for this rally is to help support the Youth Homes of the Capital Area. Items that are need at the Youth homes are paper products (toilet paper, paper towels) and personal hygiene items (toothpaste, tooth brush, deodorant, mouthwash, body wash, lotion, dental floss). Financial donations would also be greatly accepted to fun their arts and crafts projects. Edie Slaton will present the overview of this years Bible study, Joshua: A Journey of Faith by Mary Mikhael. To register for the Rally contact Carol Bell by phone (home) 225-275-4649 or (cell) 225- 953-4649. The deadline for registration is August 10, 2009. Lunch will be provided for a cost of $10.00.

With the help of dedicated volunteers, Faith Presbyterian Church is pleased to offer the Free Summer Reading program for elementary age children for the third consecutive year. The program was first held in 2007 as a way for Faith Presbyterian Church to reach out in love to our community in a simple yet meaningful way.  

The Free Summer Reading program aims to foster a love of reading in children entering grades 2 - 5 in the upcoming school year. It is completely staffed by volunteers and will be held from 10:00 a.m. until noon on the following six  Saturday mornings over the summer months. June 20th and 27th ; July 11th, 18th and 25th; August 1st.  Additional information and registration forms may be found on the church website at www.faithpcbr.org . Please pass the word on to friends, family and neighbors with school age children.  

It would be impossible to offer the Free Summer Reading program without the help of our Reading Team volunteers, Carol Bell, John and Karen Blewitt, Dwyer and Sandy Broussard, Rosemary Goodell, Gaynell Heston, Donna Janky, Juan and Pam Letelier, Lee Soileaux, Dora Summerell and Jill Wild. Thank you one and all!  ( Additional volunteer assistance will be more than welcome). 

We are looking forward to building upon the modest success of the past two years. 

For more information or to register your child online please click here.

The holidays are joyous and festive occasions for many of us. However, for some people this time of year can be quite painful and distressing. For those who have lost a loved one, for example, or who are separated from family, friends and the familiar, loneliness is often more acute at Christmas. While others are singing carols and feasting at parties and family reunions, these folks feel cut off and isolated.

We know our Savior as Emmanuel, which means God with us. Jesus comes to all, especially the downcast and brokenhearted. He reaches out to bring comfort and solace to those who are grieving.

Faith Presbyterian will offer a special worship service on Sunday evening, December 21st, 7:00 P.M., for all who may be feeling alone or down this year. The service is called “Blue Christmas,” and is traditionally offered when night is the longest. Blue Christmas worship is quiet and meditative, with candles and soft music, and speaks of hope, comfort, and light in the midst of darkness.

This service is for our members, of course, but is especially designed for our neighbors who may not have a church home. Do you know anyone who is lonely or hurting? Please invite him or her to come to the Blue Christmas worship. Offer to pick up and sit beside your friend through the service. (The present that is most appreciated by others is often the gift of our presence!)
Our Lord Jesus comes among us to heal, restore and save, and invites us to join Him in ministry to our neighbors.

Comfort me, comfort me,
Your Love will comfort me.
Letting go, now I see,
New hope embracing me.

A few reminders for everyone at Faith:

This year, Stewardship Sunday falls on November 16. On this day, we will collect and dedicate our pledges for 2009. There will be two stewardship dinners, both after church, on November 2 and November 9. Please make sure to take a moment on Sunday and sign up on the forms in the vestibule for one of the dinners. This will help us plan how much food we need to prepare in advance.

Pastor John will be using the insights from In Heaven’s Name, Why on Earth? By Harry Wendt. Dr. Wendt is the founder of Crossways International and the author of The Divine Drama. We will discover why stewardship involves much more than supporting the church budget!

Also, don’t forget that it’s almost Jambalaya Dinner Time! The Jambalaya Dinner Sale will take place this coming Friday, October 17th from 11 am - 1 pm. If you haven’t already, please make sure to purchase your tickets in advance. If you have any tickets left to sell, please try to do so! If you need tickets or have any questions, please call the church office at 225-275-7393.

Thank you to everyone who took so much time out of their busy schedules to volunteer and help with VBS 2008! It was a huge success and we couldn’t have done it without all of you! The kids had a blast and it’s really gotten people excited to be a part of our church!

Some of you may have noticed that during Rainforest Adventure last week we had a visitor from The Advocate taking pictures and talking to many of the kids and volunteers. This last Saturday our church and some members of the congregation were showcased in a great article in the People & Faith section of The Advocate about VBS and how far it’s come over the years! Below is a thumbnail of the article, and if you click on it it will bring you to a large version that you can read!

How exciting that the Word is spreading! God works in so many ways, and it shows in the lives of all who took part in Rainforest Adventure! Keep the Word and excitement alive until next years VBS!

If you have any problems clicking this thumbnail to view the large version, you can also right click and choose “open link in new window” or “save link” to save the file to your computer to read!