Call to Elect Ruling Elders and Deacons

The session of First Presbyterian Church of Garland, Texas hereby issues a call for a special meeting of the congregation. The meeting will be held Sunday November 9^th, 2014 in the church sanctuary immediately following the 10:50 am worship service.  The purpose of the meeting is to hear and act upon two (2) motions from the Congregational Nominating Committee (CNC).  First, the nominating committee will present the ruling elder and deacon classes of 2017.  Secondly, the nominating committee will present four (4) at-large members to represent the congregation on the 2015 Congregational Nominating Committee (CNC).  Nominations may be taken from the floor for either of these motions with the consent of the person you wish to nominate.  Signed, Ty Bailey, Clerk of Session and the Rev. David Ivie, Interim Pastor

I wish to thank the Congregational Nominating Committee for their faithful work in identifying these candidates for office. They worked well together—and faithfully.

The nominated officers, once elected, will undergo a series of training classes with me to prepare them for their examination, ordination/installation, and their service as spiritual leaders. Pray for them as they prepare to serve Christ in this church.

The meeting on Sunday November 9^th is expected to last approximately 15 minutes. We will then proceed to the Fellowship Hall in the Ed Center for the annual Chili Cook-off.. And I’m determined to beat Louis Gold this year. See you all there!

A Word from Nancy our AA

This week Pastor David is on a well-deserved vacation so instead of the usual Pastor's Corner, he has asked me to give you an update on the transition in the church office.

It's been two months and counting since I became a part of the FPC staff. Change is a constant in life, and it is no different here. The office has been in transition, first with Kat's departure after a whirlwind, in-depth two-week orientation. When that was done, my training wheels came off,

and I began to solo. Ron, who came and out almost every day doing something to make the church run more economically and smoothly, retired. Then within weeks his wife Ardyce, a gentle presence in the office and an authority on everyone and everything in the church I am trying to familiarize myself with, resigned. I'm grateful to have had the chance to work alongside both Ardyce and Ron. I miss their comings and goings and their interest and advice. Dana has come on board as Receiving Secretary. I am looking forward to working with Dana, even though will often have different work schedules.

 

Another new development around here is that a volunteer comes in each day between 11 and 1:00 to hand out sack lunches. This has given me an opportunity to know some of you better.

 

Through these transitions, I've been learning many things I need to know about the procedures for running the office, from Acolytes through Youth. Have you seen that HUGE notebook of info Kat left me? It's a volume with almost as many chapters as the Bible has books!

 

The best part of my job is keeping up with members and your activities and ministries and the groups you kindly share your facilities with. I've visited the Community Breakfast and both worship services, and it was an eye-opener to me to realize I like contemporary service. That was really unexpected for this old-time traditionalist. It's an on-going process, particularly some of the technological aspects. The technology thing is no secret to some of you! Kat performed magic, keeping all the balls up in the air here. She has been a resource for me; Barbara, too, as well as the many volunteers that have come through doing different tasks.

In my home church of NorthPark Presbyterian, I am a participant currently in a book study of We Make the Road by Walking. I've been reading about walking on faith journeys. The author,

Brian McLaren, made a point in this week's study that when people receive blessings they can spread their joy by becoming a blessing to others. From the day I began work here, I've shared with many friends how blessed I felt when I had the opportunity to join your staff, and it is my hope that I can become a blessing to the family of FPC Garland.

Love and peace to you!