Pathfinder

  “There are a lot of new faces. I don’t know a lot of people’s names.” “This feels different.” “Things are not the way they used to be.”    Whenever I hear any of these statements (or some variation of them), my response is usually, “I know. Isn’t it exciting?”    In saying this I am not saying that things were bad. Nor am I saying that I didn’t like APC in the past. And change simply for the sake of doing something different is a waste of time. But change may be a sign that God is doing something in us. God is going to grow us into the image of his Son and this will mean change.    Imagine how topsy turvy the early church must’ve felt. Peter and the other apostles were following Jesus and spending their days and nights learning from him. Then Jesus is crucified and resurrected. He gives them a commission and ascends to His father. Then the Spirit comes.     And when the Spirit shows up, things really begin to shift. Peter p...

  The Session met on 11/16. We spent time making adjustments to the 2024 budget and going over the proposed Missions budget. We decided to move the unspent missions funds ($2,340) from 2023 into the Food Pantry line as more people are using the Food Pantry and food is more costly to purchase. We voted to take Guy and Shaun Wilson and Dick Ayers into membership on 11/26. They have completed the New Members Class and been examined by Session members. We are always excited to have new members! Ida Williams has been working on a new church website. She presented it to the Session and it is very user friendly and well done. We are excited to roll this out once a few more ‘bugs’ are worked out. Look for information on that soon. As always, if you have any comments or concerns, please let a Session member know. Karen Lohret for the Session

  Many of us are troubled by the hostilities between Israel and Hamas entrenched in the Gaza strip. This war on top of the events of the Ukraine- Russia war, genocides in Armenia by Azerbaijan, earthquakes and hurricanes have left many of us asking questions like, “Are we in the end times?” This is a good question to ask. We are meant to hold our Bibles in one hand and our newspapers in the other. We are called to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves as we discern the times and seasons. And we are meant to look expectantly, hoping for the return of Jesus.           In 2 Peter 3 we read, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God , because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens...

  The Session met in October jointly with the Deacons and Trustees to work on our 2024 budget. We began by spending some time in Matthew 6 which discusses money. We are reminded that how we spend our money shows where our heart is. We spent some time asking God to help us spend wisely and to seek wisdom. After reviewing the budget, the session approved it to be presented to the congregation at our annual meeting in January. The Deacons and Trustees both updated us on the things they are working on. Deb Bailey updated us on the hotdogs that were given away Columbus Day Weekend. The balance of the hotdogs will be donated to the Food Pantry or Open Door. A new members class was held on 10/21. Our next scheduled meeting will be 11/16 where we will meet with those nominated to take over positions of Session, Deacon and Trustee. If you have any question, suggestions or ideas, please speak to an elder. We would love to hear from you! Karen Lohret for the Session

  As fall slowly slips away and the holidays approach let us be thankful for all that the  Lord has provided for us. We want to thank all the folks that donated baked goods for the Open Door Ministries.   We are also thankful to all the folks that purchased our yummy pies and baked goods. Coming up in December we are looking for folks to bake cookies for our friends at home.   This is a great way to minister to our members who cannot make it to worship. There are 15 folks this year and we are asking to have the cookies brought to APC on December 10th. You may drop them off in the kitchen marked 'deacons' Volunteers are still needed for the Open Door Mission to serve meals at lunch and dinner.   Please contact Lisa White or Kelsey Tuttle to serve in this ministry. Our extended community can always use a helping hand. Please always remember your Deacons are here in time of need. Please reach out to u times of hardship, help with a meal, or even a ki...

F all is once more upon us and always a special time to give thanks to our Lord for the harvest and the beauty that surrounds us. Kids are back to school, another APC car show is behind us, and our Pastor and family moved into the Manse. A full summer indeed. Upcoming ministry events to be looking for forward to; October 29th will be a pie and autumn goodie sale to benefit the Open Door Mission. All you bakers, pie makers be prepared to put out your best wares. Also, the Christmas Jars will return for all that loose change that has been collecting throughout the year. Lucille McEachron and her Bible study group have put them together. These jars, once collected, are a gesture of kindness to families in our community in need of a small blessing. If anyone knows of a family, please let a deacon or pastor Bryan know and we will deliver them in December. Also please help support Operation Christmas Child. Volunteers are needed. Please contact Lisa White for more i...

The Session met in September. We began our time in Ecclesiastes 11 & 12 and then spent some time in prayer for our congregation and community. Bryan attended Presbytery Sept 23-24 in Voorhees, NJ. We approved Matthew Randles to be the new Media Ministry Coordinator to fill the spot previously held by Ray Monroe. We are so thankful for this ministry so that those who are unable to attend church can still be a part of our worship service. Debbie Bailey is seeking help on Saturday (10/7) of Columbus Day Weekend to cook and hand out hotdogs. The Fitzgerald’s are settling into the Manse after their big move on 9/16. Our next meeting is 10/19 with Deacons and Trustees. We will be discussing the 2024 budget. If you have any question, suggestions or ideas, please speak to an elder. We would love to hear from you! Karen Lohret for the Session

           We are moved in. We still have work to do at the old house and we have not closed on the sale yet, but we have been sleeping in the manse for a little over a week and the family is adjusting to life in the village wonderfully. I want to thank the more than dozen of you who showed up with willing hands, trailers, and truck beds to help us relocate. It was a remarkable amount of work that got done in about 4 hours. We could not have done it without you.           If everything goes as planned, we will conclude our series in Ecclesiastes this Sunday. I have really enjoyed this series. Over the last 9 sermons, here are the main questions or lessons we ’ve wrestled with:       1. If you only have one life, how should you spend it?       2. In a broken world, are some options still better than others?       3...