From the Pastor's Pen 11/29/22

11/29/2022

Dear Friends,

I am back in the office today after two weeks of being gone and I loved returning to cars in the parking lot and activity in the building. The Sewflakes are once again using the Fellowship Hall on Tuesday mornings for their gathering, and as I type the Red Cross is in the Fellowship Hall coordinating a blood drive.

It is a wonderful thing to see our facility being used in so many ways, and it makes me smile knowing that we are serving our community in sharing our resources.

After Black Friday last week and Cyber Monday yesterday, today has become known as Giving Tuesday. I’m not going to get into a theological treatise on how these three days are related or the qualities espoused by the ways they have been named, but I will suggest this: would you consider giving an extra gift to the work of the church today? We have come a long way this year, and would love to be able to end the year without having to take any more money out of the quickly diminishing Hartlein Fund that has supplemented our income over the last few years. I am sure your email inbox has been filled with many opportunities to give today, and I don’t want to be just another plea in the cacophany of voices, but I do want to make sure that the work we are doing for the Lord in this community can continue both in the short and long-term. See the image above  for the ways you can give a gift to the church.

Our theme this Advent is Waiting Well. I don’t know about you but waiting is not something that I like to do. It is often inconvenient and frustrating, especially in our instant-fix world. But, what if learning to wait well is an important spiritual discipline that contributes to our emotional health, spiritual vitality and actions that are grounded in faith? I look forward to exploring what it means to wait well as we anticipate the coming of Jesus during this season.

For those unable to join us in-person, Sunday morning worship is livestreamed on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/GulfShoresFirstPresbyterianChurch. The service airs each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and will be available to watch after that as well.

I have been praying that God would bring the right people to rent space in the Business Center, and that we would be able to at least fill the six regular-sized classroooms-turned-offices by the first of the year  - and we are FULL! People continue to call and ask about space, so we continue to think creatively about how we might serve more businesses with our space.

Don’t forget:

• If you know of those who need a place to park during their visit to Gulf Shores and they would like to use our parking lot, here is the link to share: https://www.premiumparking.com/P2658. You can also pick up postcards at the church to pass on to those who might be interested.
• Keep collecting that loose change and bring it every week to add to the collection! All of the loose change will go toward the ongoing ministry of the church, as we continue to spread the life-changing good news of God’s love.
• Want to help the church just by doing your normal Amazon shopping? Now you can! Just go to https://smile.amazon.com/ch/63-0859397 and make all your purchases through this link! Each quarter the church will receive a donation equal to 0.5% of your total purchases. You can also set it up so the Amazon app on your phone automatically purchases through Amazon Smile. For help setting that up, see this link: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=15576745011.
• The church can now receive donations through Facebook, either by clicking on the “Donate” button on our Facebook Page, or through Fundraisers you can host on your own Facebook page. 
• If you have more ideas about how we can creatively fund the ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Gulf Shores, reach out and let me know!
• For safety reasons, at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday, all the doors of the building will be locked EXCEPT the north door that leads into the narthex. If you find yourself running behind, just remember to park up front by that door and enter there.

Thank you for your continued support of the Blessing Box! With the current inflation, we are struggling to keep it filled. Your donations are desperately needed. Keep bringing those non-perishable items to church on Sunday, or dropping them at the box during the week. With rising costs of everything from gas to food, the box is being used very regularly, and your donations are key to helping us bless those who are in need of what our box can offer.

Upcoming Events:

• Presbyterian Pints – December 4 after worship
• Longest Night – December 21st, 6:00 p.m.
• Christmas Eve – December 24th, 5:30 p.m.
• Christmas Day – Worship at 11:00 a.m.

Weekly Events:

• Bible Study – Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. both in-person and on Zoom.
  • Join the in-person group in the church Fellowship Hall
  • Join the Zoom meeting at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81951398375?pwd=S0FBSEFxRmhhUWt2QnN3WERUY1dOUT09, entering the meeting ID and password below, if prompted.
  • Meeting ID: 819 5139 8375
  • Passcode: 846358
  • This week’s scriptures: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

As always, you are welcome to reach out to me via email, text or phone with any needs or just to chat!

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
 
Rev. Chrisy Ennen
gsfpcpastor@outlook.com, (618) 980-9899
"Let all that you do be done in love.”
I Corinthians 16:14