From the Pastor's Pen 1/17/23

1/17/2022

Dear Friends,

Today I had the opportunity to go to Mobile and record a Faith Time segment for the channel 5 Sunday news (it will air on February 5). While waiting for my turn, I was talking to another pastor who was also there to record a segment, and talking about the fact that churches are in need of being more creative and innovative in the ways that they participate in ministry in this day and age. I was able to share with him some of the things that we are doing to respond to the needs of both our church and our community, and he said that he had never heard of any churches doing anything like we are with the Hand-in-Hand Business Center.

While that shows that we are on the emerging edge of churches embarking on social enterprise, it also shows me that there is so much room for new, fresh, and innovative ways of doing minsitry, and there may indeed be other churches doing things that we haven’t even thought of yet.

I mentioned a few months ago that I would begin working on a Doctor of Ministry this spring, and as of today, the semester has officially started. The focus of this cohort is leading the church in/through/after times of crisis. Whether its things like a pandemic, financial struggles, or some other church crisis, all churches will face crisis at some point in time and will need to have leaders that can help the church process the crisis in order to move forward. I am looking forward to this new jourrney, which will involve not only me, but a team of people including the Session and Moving Forward Teams, so that the things I am learning are shared and processed within the context of our church along the way.

Sunday morning, I shared a portion of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech after the march from Selma to Montgomery. While it was written for a particular time and situation, I truly believe that it contains many truths, as well as many challenges, that are applicable to our world today. If you missed it, you can catch it on our Facebook page.

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.

While our six full-time office spaces are FULL, Hand-in-Hand Business Center is working on more ways to serve small businesses and entrepreneurs in our community. Soon we will have conference room space that will be available for use, and co-working spaces are also in the works. We are also creating a wait-list for those interested in office space. Also, we are partering with other local organizations to host a “Starting Your Business in Baldwin County” seminar on January 24. Spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested.

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.
• Bring your Blessing Box donations (non-perishable items) to church on Sundays or drop them off at the box during the week.

Upcoming Events:

• Annual Congregational Meeting – January 22 immediately following worship.
• January 29 – Special Guest Preacher, Rev. Bob Madsen, Regional Presbyter and lunch following worship – details forthcoming
• Presbyterian Pints – February 5 following worship at Big Beach Brewing
• GCAA Art Market – February 11, 2023, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Red Cross Blood Drive – February 14, 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Combined Choir Concert – February 23, 6:30 p.m.

Weekly Events:

• Chair Yoga led by Donna Holmes – Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
• 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 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; I Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23
• Craft ‘n’ Chat – Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. in the Parlor – bring something you enjoy doing (yarn crafts, jewelry making, coloring, or anything else) and hang out with Pastor Chrisy for open conversation and creative time together.

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