THE LAMB’S KIN www.fpcsanangelo.org November 2015

Devotion for November

What follows are brief excerpts from just a few of the updates Bill sent while on his

trip to the Holy Land:

After breakfast we boarded our bus at 7:00 a.m., and off we rode to Mt.

Arbel. From the top you can see clear across the Sea of Galilee. We looked down on

Magdala, which is the village considered to be the home of Mary Magdalene. We

could also see Bethsaida, Capernaum and Korazim - all places where Jesus once

did ministry. Mt. Arbel was the sight of one of Herod the Great's worst massacres -

the details of which are too unpleasant to recount here. Suffice it to say that thou-

sands were killed.

Today began with a bus ride to Gamla, which was once home to up to 5,000 Jewish

Zealots. A devastating battle was fought here in 66 AD. The Roman commander

Vespasian laid siege against this small mountaintop. It took weeks to take the

small city. The Romans were astounded at the resistance. In the end the Romans

prevailed and the historian Jousephus reports 5,000 people died - with the majority

jumping to their death off the top of the mountain. They refused to be taken prisoner

or to be sold into slavery.

Our day began with a drive to the Jordan River. RVL presented a great lesson on

John the Baptist and his ministry, as well as Jesus and his baptism. Jordan

means "descending" because the River originates on Mt. Hermon, which is 13,000

feet high. The Jordan flows down through the middle of the Rift Valley that bisects

Israel. Several of us got in the water and then we walked across the Jordan so that

we could say we had "crossed" the Jordan like Joshua and the Israelites. Of course

we got wet unlike Joshua and those crossing with him.

Our day today was remarkable. We began with a visit to the location that is tradi-

tionally thought to be the site of the Mount of the Beatitudes. The setting is beauti-

ful since it provides a perfect view of the Sea of Galilee. We walked down to the wa-

ter and visited a place known in Scripture as Dalmanutha. It is here that a warm

spring flows out of the hillside. Fishermen would wash their nets in this spring wa-

ter because the warm - not hot - spring water has a very low mineral content, which

meant it helped to clean the nets without harming them. What RVL told us is that

the nets were very expensive. They were made out of linen and required great care.

What made the day longer still was that we first traveled to Caesarea By the Sea,

which is where Herod the Great built what was - and still is - one of the most re-

Continued on P. 2

Highlights and excerpts from Bill’s recent trip

From our Pastor Bill Proctor

First Presbyterian

Church

15There are glad songs of

victory in the tents of

the righteous:

“The right hand of the

LORD does valiantly; 16 the right hand of the

LORD is exalted;

the right hand of the

LORD does valiantly.” 17 I shall not die, but I

shall live, and recount

the deeds of the LORD. 18 The LORD has pun-

ished me severely,

but he did not give me

over to death. 19 Open to me the gates

of righteousness, that I

may enter through them

and give thanks to the

LORD. 20 This is the gate of the

LORD; the righteous

shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you

have answered me and

have become my salva-

tion. 22 The stone that the

builders rejected has be-

come the chief corner-

stone. 23 This is the LORD’s do-

ing; it is marvelous in

our eyes. 24 This is the day that the

LORD has made; let us

rejoice and be glad in it.

Continued on P. 2

P A G E 2

T H E L A M B ’ S K I N

Continued from P. 1

markable ports in the ancient Middle East. Somehow Herod - who has to rank as one

of the greatest builders the world has ever known - managed to create a port where there

was none. For example, he managed to pour concrete 100 feet down to the seabed using

human divers. Concrete was actually a fairly new construction material at that time,

and Herod mastered its use. Engineers today really do not know how Herod accom-

plished such a feat. RVL calls it yet another example of Herod's miraculous abilities.

The ruins of Ephesus are amazing. We walked right where both Paul and John would

have walked. What they saw in ancient Ephesus would be shocking to our eyes. RVL

described the reality of life in Ephesus and most of what we learned is too graphic to

share in this post—what was routinely done to babies, slaves, and any who defied Cae-

sar is not something we would tolerate. Ephesus was the slave trading capital of Asia

Minor. It was the original "magic kingdom" due to the many magicians who sold in-

cantations and scrolls to use against your enemies.

Continued from P. 1

25 Save us, we beseech

you, O LORD!

O LORD, we be-

seech you, give us

success! 26 Blessed is the one

who comes in the

name of the LORD.

We bless you from

the house of the

LORD. 27 The LORD is God,

and he has given us

light. Bind the festal

procession with

branches, up to the

horns of the altar. 28 You are my God,

and I will give

thanks to you; you

are my God, I will

extol you. 29 O give thanks to

the LORD, for he is

good, for his stead-

fast love endures for-

ever.

Psalm 118:15-29

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

Professor Maierhofer will be playing in Worship on November 8 during

the 11 o’clock combined worship service.

P A G E 3 T H E L A M B ’ S K I N

11/1 Ethan Collum,

Chelsea Zipper

11/2 Christopher Lauer,

Dave Stinnett

11/3 Jasper McClellan,

Hannah Jones

11/4 Leslie Turner, Cori Mae Sturm

11/5 Paul Little, Carrie Henderson, Noma Perrine,

Bill Vickery, Dorothy Schuch, Martha Williams

11/6 Donna Palmer

11/8 Hubert Whittley

11/9 Eloise Hodapp

11/10 Mike McCammon, Gabriela Spraggins

11/11 Davis Allison

11/12 Hayden Gray, Cash Millican

11/13 Patty Gardner, Blake Vincent, Ruth Hunt

11/14 David Vann

11/15 Madison Bates, Bill Jones, Jorge Napoles

11/17 Carlie Jane Smith

11/19 Philip Vann, Jackson McQueen

11/20 Ginger Treadwell, Katie Rigdon

11/21 Liz Bates, Shay Neal

11/26 Sandy Puckitt, Gwen Parsons

11/27 Susan Woods

11/28 Luke Puckitt

11/29 Ellen Brown, Kyle Grafa

11/30 Addison Walling

birthdays

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 COMMUNION 9:00 Praise Service 10:00 Sunday School 11:00 Traditional Congregational Meet-ing

2 9:00 Angel

Academy 7:00

Evening WOW—

Parlor

3 8:45 Staff Meet-

ing

12:00 WOW—

Parlor

4 6:45 MBS-210

9:00 Angel Academy

5:15 PT-Rehearsal

Thanksgiving baskets

5

10:30, WID—CR

5:15 Adult C.E—

CR

6

8:15 a.m. METS

Day Trip to Ma-

son

3

8 10:00 SS 11:00 Combined Srvc, Guest organist New Member lunch 4:00 Organ Concert, Sanctuary

9 9:00 Angel

Academy

TIME Music &

Worship

7:00 Evening

10

12:00 WOW—

Parlor

5:30 p.m., Dea-

cons—

11 6:45 MBS-210

9:00 Angel Academy

5:15 PT-Rehearsal

7:00 Chancel Choir

12

10:30, WID—CR

13 14

15 9:00 Praise Service

10:00 Sunday School

11:00 Traditional Srv

New member lunch

16 9:00 Angel

Academy

5:15 Steward-

ship—CR

7:00 Evening

WOW—Parlor

17 8:45 Staff

Meeting

12:00 WOW, Par-

lor

5:15 p.m., Session

18 6:45 MBS-210

9:00 Angel Academy

5:15 PT-Rehearsal

7:00 CHANCEL

CHOIR

19

10:30, WID—CR

11:45

METS/LUNCH

20 21

22 10:00 SS 11:00 COMBINED CHURCH: THANKSGIVING DINNER

23 9:00 Angel

Academy,

Soup Kitchen

7:00 Evening

WOW—Parlor

24

12:00 WOW –

Parlor

25 6:45 MBS-210

26 Church Office

Closed

27 Church Office

Closed

28

29 1st Sunday of Advent 9:00 Praise Service 10:00 Sunday School\ 11:00 Trad. Worship

30 9:00 Angel

Academy

7:00 Evening

WOW—Parlor

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART. GIVE THANKS TO THE HOLY ONE, GIVE THANKS FOR HE’S GIVEN JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON.

P A G E 4

T H E L A M B ’ S K I N

Youth Childcare

Thankful Hearts Dear FPC,

Thank you for sending the

flowers home with me on Sunday,

for my birthday. It was quite a

surprise, and they put a big smile

on my face. I love my First Pres-

byterian family.

|Sherry Albert

Dear FPC,

How thankful I am for all

my dear church family members

at First Presbyterian. The beauti-

ful flowers given by Susan &

Dwain Gober were delivered by

Angela Day and they truly lifted

my spirit. You are truly a unique

people who serve an Amazing

GOD and your service gives Glory

to His name. I Thank all of you

for thinking of me and especially

for your Prayers.

Your sister in Christ,

Carolyn Bradley

FPC Board of Deacons,

Thank you so much for the

card and gift certificate. What a

blessing our family has received!

Being a granny is so special—I

love it! You are such a wonderful

group of people to work with.

Thank you ad many blessings on

each of you!

Kathy Newman

Dear Susan & the Chemo Care

Package Gang,

Thank you so much for all

the goodies in my care package!

They will all be put to good use as

I undergo chemo.

I so appreciate your

thoughtfulness and will think of

you all as I use each item!

Grace & Peace,

Bob Barnes

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

O peration

Christmas

Child, a minis-

try of

Samaritan’s Purse, has

delivered shoebox gifts to

more than 124 million

children around the world

since 1993. FPC is partici-

pating in Operation

Christmas Child again

this year. Between now

and November 15 infor-

mation about packing a

shoebox and the pre-

wrapped boxes will be

available in the

Commons. If you want to

fill one or more boxes,

just take as many as you

plan to fill. If you’d ra-

ther make a donation to-

ward items to fill boxes,

that is okay too! Just

note on the memo line of

your check, Operation

Christmas Child.

Thank you!

Texas Hunger Initiative to sponsor Soup & Bread fundraiser for Wesley

Trinity Daily Bread Soup Kitchen

T he Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) is sponsoring a Soup & Bread

Lunch benefitting the Wesley Trinity Daily Bread Soup Kitchen

on November 10, 2015 from 11:30 a.m.—1:30 p.m. at the Cactus

Hotel. Everyone attending the fundraiser will leave with a hand-

crafted pottery bowl as a reminder that many empty bowls remain in our community

and the world. If you would like to donate a bowl, please call 656-4170. To

purchase advance tickets come to the THI office, Suite 201 of the Cactus

Hotel Mezzanine or call the number above. Soup will be provided by local restaurants.

FPC supports the Soup Kitchen both financially and through volunteers who

prepare and serve a meal the fourth Monday of every month. If you would

like to help with this event, call Susan at church.

P A G E 5 T H E L A M B ’ S K I N

Join us for Third Thursday lunch on 11/19

@ 11:45 a.m. in the Commons.

$7 for a delicious lunch! RSVP by noon on Wednesday, 11/18

Join the METS for a day trip down to Mason to tour the Reynolds-

Seaquist home

O n Friday, November 6

we will depart from

the church parking lot

at 8:15 a.m. enroute to

Mason to tour the Reynolds-

Seaquist home. Listed on the Na-

tional Register of Historic Places,

the Reynolds-Seaquist House is a

remarkable Victorian residence

that is one of the best examples of

Italianate architecture in the Texas

Hill Country. Monumental in

scale with 22 rooms, 15 fireplaces,

a third-floor ballroom, wine cellar

and a tower with shower room, it

is an architectural landmark. Cost

to tour the home is $10 per person.

We will enjoy lunch at Ma-

son’s Santos Taqueria, located on

the southeast corner of the town

square. You can look at their

menu by visiting:

santostaqueria.com

Cost for lunch will vary depending

on your selection. Menu prices

range from $6.50-$11.95.

We will do a little shop-

ping before returning to San An-

gelo—we will get home before

nightfall. Some of the shops we

could visit are: Benjie's, The

Shooting Star, Market Square,

The Thing Is, Lilacs & Calico and

Chicka Chula.

Please make your reserva-

tion by noon on Wednesday, No-

vember 4, by calling Susan at

church, 655-5694. Or email her at:

programs.director@fpcsanangelo.org

If cost is a factor in your

making this day trip with us,

please let Susan know. We en-

courage everyone to join us on

this delightful journey to the

Texas Hill Country.

Save the date! December 6 we will have a chili cook-off, lunch, Advent crafts & then go caroling!

D ust off your favorite chili recipe and enter the First Presbyterian

Church First Annual Chili-Cook Off! The judging and then eating

of the chili will take place following the 11:00 a.m. worship service on

December 6. There will be wieners, buns, Fritos, cheese and more to

please everyone’s palate. Following our spicy fellowship lunch, we will

enjoy a time spent doing Advent crafts—or, you may simply continue in

fellowship with members of your church family. Around 2:00 p.m. we

will depart in groups to not only carol to our homebound church mem-

bers and friends of our church; but serve them Communion as well. What a blessing—to offer the sacrament of

Communion—and then sing about the birth of the Savior who gave his life for many. If you want to enter the

chili cook-off, more details will follow as date draws near.

11/1

9:00 a.m.

Steve Stephens & Devin Albert,

Gabriela Spraggins,

Ronny Hooker, Bill Morehead

11:00 a.m.

Susan & Bub Williams,

Polly Brooks Harper,

Renee & Rod Winn

11/8

Combined Service 11:00 a.m.

Allyn Byars, Mary Louise Strain,

Carter Behrens, Steve Boster,

Donna Crisp

11/15

9:00 a.m.

Evalie & Neal Grigg,

Suzanne & Richard Dorris,

Susan Woods

11:00 a.m.

Cybee & Bob Hamblen

Tom Granaghan,

Doran Reynolds,

11/22

Combined Service 11:00 a.m.

Beth & Jay Uherik,

Bette & Don Allison,

Carolyn & Bill Quillen

11/29

9:00 a.m.

Noma Perrine, Hayley Perrine

Carolyn & Troy Bradley,

Gabriela Spraggins

11:00 a.m.

Alicia & Sterling Cole,

Colleen Hair, Robert Meyer,

Renee & Rod Winn

The Lamb’s Kin is published monthly for the mem-

bers and friends of First Presbyterian Church.

Church office: 655-5694

Website: fpcsanangelo.org

Send any news items or thank you letters by the

25th of each month to:

programs.director@fpcsanangelo.org

Or to: FPC* 32 N. Irving St., San Angelo, TX 76903

Food for the month of November

Thanksgiving trim-

mings of any and all

kinds—

nonperishable!

Please place your

donations in the bas-

ket in the Commons.

Chemo Care Package Ministry Items needed for

November: warm & cozy socks for men and women

If you have a family member, neigh-bor or friend who is under

going chemo therapy, please take them one of our Chemo Care pack-ages! Call the church office, FMI.,

655-5694.

To the family & friends

of LeRoy Olsak,

who passed into eternal

life on, October 5, 2015

We rejoice with

Lynden Duerksen & Joshua

Dela Pena, parents, &

Kay & Richard Duerksen,

grandparents, on the birth

of Joslyn Jeanette,

born 9/30/15

And with

Gentry & Tanner Fields,

parents & Kathy Newman,

grandmother, on the birth

of Max Robert, born 10/1/15

And with

Berkeley & Casey Puckitt,

parents & Sandy & Lee

Puckitt grandparents on the

birth of Sadie Grace,

born 10/2/15.