FROM THE PASTOR
. . .
What an encouragement it is to me to see so many of you on Sunday mornings in our temporary worship space.
Friendship Hall has turned out to be a comfortable and worshipful space where we seem to be renewing old
acquaintances and making new friends. Thank you for your loyalty to the worship life of this congregation.
Repairs and renovations continue in the Sanctuary and are progressing well. At the last Session meeting,
Barry Porter made the report included here. Some of the items in his report are now completed, but I wanted
you all to have this summary of what we’re doing so far.
SANCTUARY RENOVATION REPORT
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New acoustical ceiling tile has been replaced and installed in all of the sanctuary side rooms.
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The sanctuary ceiling has been scraped, taped, mudded, sections replaced where needed, and painted. The walls in the sanctuary and side rooms have been painted.
The painting of doors, trim, and facing around the organ is being completed.
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The lectern has been removed from the choir stage. The platform has been extended and wiring
for sound completed. Additional staging was extended on
each side of the platform and electrical receptacles installed.
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The ceramic tile on the choir stage has been removed and will be replaced with new tile.
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The ceramic tile in the Narthex is in the process of being removed and will be replaced
with vinyl tile and carpet.
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The carpet is to be shipped on October 1, 2007.
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The vinyl tile that was located under the pews will be removed and replaced with new vinyl tile.
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The exterior doors on all buildings will be refinished and painted.
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The ladies of the Church Bazaar will pay for the tinting of all sanctuary windows.
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The Sanctuary Cross will be refinished due to sun damage.
God bless you,
TOM
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The Stated Congregational Meeting will be held Sunday, October 28, 2007, at 11:30 a.m. in Friendship Hall.
This Stated Meeting is for the purpose of electing new classes of church officers (Elders, Deacons, Endowment Committee), approve Pastoral Terms of Call for 2008 and to elect
congregational members for the 2008 Nominating Committee.
Special thanks are extended to the 2007 Nominating Committee, chaired by Elder, Barry Porter, Elder, Jay Couturier, Lila Ptak, (Deacon), Mickey Crouse (congregation), Jeanie Madaus (congregation), Joy McCollum (congregation), Julie Wilson (congregation).
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Church
Register
DEATHS
Marcia Jones,
Monday, August 13.
David Platt, husband of Pat Platt, Saturday,
August 25.
BIRTHS
Olivia Ann Zinsmeister,
daughter of Chris and Betsy Zinmeister, born
Wednesday, July 11.
Grandparents are Tom and Pam Zinmeister; Great grandparents are Ray and Shirley
Hester.
Leanna Morgan Wright Bockover,
daughter of John and Julie Bockover, born Tuesday, August 14. Grandparents
are Jim and Alice Bockover.
BAPTISMS
MacKinley Wayne Banner, son
of Eric Wayne and Susan Lynn Tofanelli Banner, Sunday, September 16, 2007.
GIFTS
Parament Fund:
in memory of David
Platt by Bill & Jean Adams, Helen Herge, Jim &
Isabel Rumbold.
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THE SANCTUARY OF HOPE
The Decorating Committee is excited about the renovation of our
Sanctuary. Toward the end of October, the work should be
completed. We hope you will be pleased.
The Committee needs to furnish the Bride’s Room, the Theda Balliet
Library, and the Sunset Room. We have picked out the following
items which are needed:
- Full-length mirror for the Bride’s Room
- Six leather chairs and a round table for the Library
- Storage cabinet for the Sunset Room
We would appreciate any donation that you might choose to give
toward the purchase of these items.
Thank you for your help and patience as we continue this redecorating
process, and special thanks to Barry Porter who has served as
Project Manager for this renovation process.
The Task Force Decorating Committee
Ellie Henderson, Co-moderator
(293-7908)
Lou Bell, Co-moderator (324-3967)
Ardis Boland
Lynn
Lang
Nancy Porter
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GREETINGS
TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AT HOPE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Many of you have raised Marcia’s spirits over the past year with
your cards, visits, and prayers. Your expressions of care and
concern were very comforting and truly kept us going. I began to
realize several years ago that I did not have Marcia to myself.
She was active in many worthwhile events that took a plan,
commitment, follow through and usually the coordinated efforts
of several other people. Many times she was involved with
several things at the same time. Her teamwork approach ended
with several people feeling good about something worthwhile
being accomplished. The events were always varied and each
seemed to have her undivided attention. It could have been
planning for the mother/daughter tea at the church, working in
Vacation Bible School, helping a new teacher or working with a
parent on the trying aspects of potty training for a preschool
student. She managed still to have time for and look forward to
fellowship with friends, family and especially the
grandchildren. She and I always managed to find time to do
things together. Even these were varied. We did everything from
a train trip to North Carolina for a football game to a trip to
Publix for a dozen eggs. As I look around to see what has been
left undone, there doesn’t seem to be anything. You have all
done a great job. I am grateful to have been included for 43
years.
Thanks,
Dan T. Jones
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THANK YOU . . .
Dear Hope Church members and friends,
We
would like to thank everyone for their many acts of kindness
while Pete was in the hospital and recuperating at home. And
many thanks to Tom for his visits and phone calls!
– Pete & Elaine Bower
To Hope Church members and friends,
A
big thank you for the prayers and your support during my
recent open heart surgery. Thanks, Dr. McGrath, for your
visits while I was in the hospital and your follow-up calls
when I got home. Thanks to all of you.
– Dave Shupp
To our friends at Hope,
Thank
you so much for the gift basket for our new baby, Olivia. It
was such a nice surprise to see it the other day. Everything
in the basket - the onesie, socks, wipes, shampoo, etc. - is
so useful and is perfect for getting started with a new
baby! We sure appreciate all of the thoughts and good wishes
that came along with your gift. God sure gave us a perfect,
special little girl. Thanks!
– Chris, Betsy, Zach and Olivia Zinsmeister
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RESTORING THE
HOPE CELTIC CROSS
Among the most significant parts of the Church Sanctuary project has
been the restoration of the large hand-chiseled Celtic cross, a
treasured centerpiece of worship at Hope Church. The huge cross
was designed as a gift to Hope by Elmer R. Kaiser in 1980. Mr.
Kaiser built, carved and finished the cross in his home workshop
on Collier Drive, very near the church. It took him 1200 hours of
loving, careful, exacting work over a 14-month period. The cross
is made of hard-as-rock wild cherry, is 14 feet high and weighs
over 500 pounds. Mr. Kaiser even designed a temporary frame
structure to assist in suspending the cross from the church
chancel roof. A scale model is on display in the church library,
along with other artifacts of Hope’s early days.
 For
27 years the cross has been suspended before the church chancel
windows and that has taken a toll on the magnificent wood. Sun
damage, especially on the back side of the cross facing the large
walls of windows, bleached the finish and caused some over-drying
and signs of minute cracking. Almost three decades of tiny dust
particles had settled into the intricate carvings. Excitement over
the cross’s pending restoration buzzed around many members at
Hope when the sanctuary project got underway. Painter Joseph
Benoit of Wheat Painting, Inc., a sub-contractor for J. M. Ryan
Construction, Inc., took ownership for the effort to restore the
cross. After meticulous cleaning, coats of polyurethane
ultraviolet protectant were applied to the cross. Mr. Benoit took
extreme pride in his detailed effort to restore the magnificent
Hope Celtic Cross as well as the pipe organ case refinishing. To
add another measure of protection, the great chancel windows now
have a tint applied to them to significantly reduce sun damage.
The windows continue to give us a glorious view of the sky, but
now will yield a bit less glare and sun damage inside the
sanctuary.
The
Hope Celtic Cross symbolizes two significant Christian truths: The
constant and enduring presence of God’s greatest gift to us, His
Son, Jesus Christ. And, the reassuring reminder that the spirit of
love so warmly manifested in this work of art is truly immortal.
Since it was originally suspended inside Hope Church, the
beautiful Celtic cross has been regarded as an important focal
point of our worship.
- Patrice Hatley
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Not
only are we renovating the Sanctuary building, we are also
renovating our website!
 Our
new Webmaster is Ava Vanyo, daughter of Curtis and Zelma
Bullock and sister of Patrice Hatley. Ava moved to Winter
Haven last year and attends the 10:30
a.m. worship service. After looking at our sadly out-of-date
website, Ava offered her expertise to make it . . . and keep
it . . . current. Ava works for IBM as a technical writer and
editor of software products. She is also an experienced
website developer which makes her an ideal choice for our
Webmaster. She is working hard to bring our site up to date
and include information to help keep you “in touch,” even
when you are out of town. So come on in, look around, and
explore the world of Hope at your fingertips! Our website
address is www.hopepreswh.org.
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WORSHIP
COMMITTEE NEWS
Helen Herge, Moderator
PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP
We like to think of our Church
as a friendly and welcoming place, and it is! In the quarter
hour before worship, our Sanctuary is busy with greetings and
conversation. The Worship Committee affirms the value of this
time and also reminds us that as the chimes and prelude call us
to worship, many worshipers enjoy the quiet moments of reverence
and preparation. This growing stillness at the beginning of
worship is a good thing too. In the same way that we all help to
make Hope a friendly church, let us also encourage one another
in the gifts of reverence as worship begins.
The Worship Service is a worship of God, not man. Therefore, the
Order of Worship is purposed to bring glory to God, not man.
Participation in the worship service is designed for all praise
to go to God, not to preachers, musicians, artists, missionaries
or church leaders. Decorum concerning dress, instrumentations
and presentations should not be performances but rather an
enhancement of our awareness of God’s admonition, “Let all
things be done properly and in an orderly manner.” We rely
upon the Holy Spirit to assist us in establishing an environment
that encourages and advances our entry into the transforming
presence of the living Lord Jesus Christ.
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Special thanks to the members and friends of Hope for your excellent
cooperation in the seating arrangement while using Friendship
Hall as our Sanctuary. Sizing down from four sections to two
sections and 500 seating capacity to 260 seats has been quite a
challenge. The last two rows have been reserved for those with
special needs, parents with small children if they are
uncomfortable sitting near the front, visitors who may come in
late and prefer not to disturb others after the worship service
has begun.
NURSERY
The nursery,
located in the Christian Education Building, is available at
9:30 and 10:30 a.m. for toddlers three years of age and under.
CHANCEL
FLOWERS
Members
of the Flower and Worship Committees wish to thank everyone who
provided the beautiful Chancel and Narthex flower arrangements
for our worship services and shut-ins. The 2008 Flower Calendar
is now available on the stand in the Narthex. Now is the time to
sign up if you wish to reserve a special date.
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 A
fun event during the Holiday Season here at Hope Church is the
“Hanging of the Greens.” Everyone is invited to assist the
Flower Committee in decorating the Sanctuary for Christmas.
“Hanging of the Greens” will take place after the 10:30 a.m.
worship service, November 25. Lunch will be served in the Sunset
Room – pizza, sandwiches, cold drinks and dessert. Please plan
to join us for a really good time!
- Flower Committee
Elaine Clifford, Molly Griner, Ellie Henderson
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SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICES
There
will be a special Christmas
Family Worship Service on Sunday, December 23 at 10 a.m.
The Worship Committee, with Session approval, is combining the
8:30 and 10:30 a.m. worship services so that we may worship as a
church family. The service will include communion, Youth of
Hope, Chancel and Youth Choirs, Nativity, and sermon.
There
will be one
worship service on Christmas Eve – Monday, December 24 at 7
p.m. The Youth will participate in the Nativity Tableau. We will
celebrate Christ’s birth with music, communion, and a
candlelight service.
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WORSHIP SCHEDULE
October 2007
World Day Communion - October 7, 2007
November 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007 - Communion
Thursday, November 22, 2007 - Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 25, 2007 - “Hanging of the
Greens”
December 2007
Sunday,
December 2, 2007 - Communion First Sunday of Advent
Sunday,
December 16, 2007 - Chancel Choir Cantata
Sunday, December 23,
2007 - Communion
Christmas Family Worship Service – 10 a.m.
Youth, Nativity, Choir, Sermon
Monday, December 24, 2007 -
Communion
Christmas Eve Worship Service 7 p.m.
Candlelight
Service, Nativity Tableau
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The
Holiday Mini-Boutique will feature many items with an autumn,
Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas decorating theme. If you long
for the lovely colors of autumn leaves, but not the raking chores,
then come to the Holiday Boutique! Thanks to generous donations, we
have tons of gorgeous autumn leaf branches for you to decorate
your home. We also have MILES of Christmas wrapping papers. There
will be collectible Christmas ornaments, tree lights, not-too-scary
Halloween decorations and even costumes for tiny tots available for
purchase, as well as lovely things to decorate holiday tables.
There are even cinnamon-scented pine cones for you to enjoy the
yummy scent without the calories! The mini-boutique also offers
both inspirational and funny holiday greeting cards, too. We
also have clever New Year's Eve celebration trinkets. Everyone is
welcome to get an early start on holiday decorating ideas.
Remember
to bring in your Bazaar donations! The Bazaar committee works
almost every Thursday morning ...sorting, pricing and packing all
sorts of neat things. As a reminder:
leave
your small donations in the Friendship Hall service area, but give
Nancy Porter a call if you have large or heavy items. She can be
reached at 324-4837.
No
clothing or shoes, please! You may take those items to the Women's
Resource Center or other worthy charities.
If
vou have things for the Holiday Boutique, please make an effort to
get them to us soon so we don’t have to scramble at the last
minute.
Some
incredibly motivated church ladies worked at the last Holiday
Boutique and because of their marvelous selling skills, we sold
almost everything we displayed. We're looking forward to another
successful and FUN event!
- Patrice Hatley, Hope Bazaar Committee
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 THE
RALEIGH RINGERS, an internationally acclaimed, advanced handbell choir based in
Raleigh, North Carolina, will perform at the Lakeland
Center on Sunday, November 11, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. The Bells of
Hope were instrumental in bringing this extraordinary group to
Florida and we encourage all church members to consider
attending the concert. Since its founding in 1990, The Raleigh
Ringers has been dazzling concert audiences with
unique interpretations of sacred, secular and popular music,
including famous rock ‘n’roll tunes arranged just for
handbells. Under the direction of David M. Harris,
The Raleigh Ringers has released four CDs, and a DVD of a holiday
concert titled “One Winter Evening at Meymandi.” This concert
has been broadcast on more than 250 public television stations in
44 states. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for groups of 10
or more. A limited number of seats in the orchestra pit are
available at $30. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster online
or you may call (863) 682-5300. For Group tickets, call (863)
834-8137.
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 Your
50th Anniversary Committee is hard at work developing
commemorative items, fun activities and stellar special programs
to honor our Lord’s church. Watch for information about a
beautiful new commissioned Christmas ornament honoring Hope’s
anniversary as well as a lovely lapel pin fashioned after the
focal point of our Sanctuary, the Celtic cross that hangs in the
Chancel. Right after the first of the year, it
will be “Lights,
Camera, Action!” when
we launch a series of special concerts and events. There’s
more to come, so stay tuned to the church bulletin and
Hope-Line.
The 50th Anniversary
Committee has been exploring ways to help ensure the future of
Hope Church. One wonderful opportunity we discovered is to do so
through a direct IRA contribution to the church. Here’s a
brief background: Congress passed a law in August 2006 called
“The Pension Protection Act” that allows people 70½ and
older to exclude up to $100,000 from their gross income for a
taxable year when they make a direct gift from a traditional or
Roth IRA to a qualified charity such as Hope Presbyterian. But
time is limited; the law expires
on December 31 of this year.
Here’s how the IRA Charitable
Rollover works:
- You must be 70½ at the time
of transfer. Your gift should be made on or after you turn
70½ to ensure favorable tax treatment for this tax year.
- The transfer must pass
directly from your IRA custodian to Hope Presbyterian Church
and you must make sure you give your IRA custodian adequate
time to complete the transfer by year end.
- The gift amount is limited
to a maximum of $100,000 for the tax year and is tax free to
the giver.
- Your gift is not subject
to the 50% limit of adjusted gross income (AGI).
- The charitable gift counts
toward minimum required distributions.
- The transfer cannot be made
to a donor advised fund or a supporting organization.
- The transfer cannot be used
to fund a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder
trust.
None of us on the 50th
Anniversary Committee are tax attorneys or advisors so it’s
important that you work with your own tax advisor and IRA
custodian to assist you in making the contribution. Please
prayerfully consider capitalizing on this extraordinary
opportunity to ensure Hope’s future. But it is important to
act soon before the chance is gone.
Respectfully yours,
The 50th Anniversary Committee
Ron Hatley, Moderator
Janci Hurt
Heather Lee Blackwell
Dick Madaus
Marvin Burdette
Edith Saterbo
Bob Carter
Carolyn Wheeler
Elaine Clifford
Julie Wilson
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50TH
ANNIVERSARY
COMMEMORATIVE PLATE ORDER FORM
NAME ______________________________________________________
PHONE _____________________________________________________
NUMBER
OF PLATES ORDERED AT $25 EACH _____________________
Plates
must be paid for in advance. Please attach your check for
the full amount of your order made out to Hope Presbyterian
Church. Please write “anniversary plate” on the memo
line of your check to ensure proper accounting of your
order. Plates should arrive by early 2008.
Deadline
to order plate is DECEMBER 1!!
- Ron Hatley, Moderator
50th
Anniversary Committee
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FELLOWSHIP
COMMITTEE
Sunday Morning Fellowship (9:15 - 10:15 a.m.) on
the Patio. Volunteers are needed! Sign up for a Sunday when
you may host a Fellowship Time. You might celebrate an
anniversary or birthday, or remember a loved one. This is a
great time
to share – between worship services – when you may meet
and greet Hope friends. The coffee will be made for you . .
. just supply the juice and goodies. Choose your date now,
and sign up in the “Fellowship Notebook” on the brochure
table.
 No
Wednesday Night Fellowship Dinners are scheduled at this time due to the ongoing construction
project. Watch the Sunday bulletin and newsletter for the
next dinner. The dinners will resume as soon as Friendship
Hall is available. We look forward to good food and programs
to interest all ages! For comments and suggestions, please
contact Don Wainscott (439-2737) or Bob Wilson (324-6210).
-
Don
Wainscott / Bob Wilson, Co-Moderators
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Sunrise
Center Children's Library News
 Have books, will travel!
Look for the books in Classroom 202! Our mobile
library has been on the move again! We have joined Hope
Creative School's music classes and the Girl Scouts, sharing
the Youth Room until the construction is completed in the
Sanctuary building! Thanks to the Youth for sharing their
rooms during this period. Everyone is making adjustments and
all is working well! Hope Creative School Story time is on
Thursday mornings. Our first story reader this fall was
Carol Stasiak! She has agreed to help with the clerical work
each week also. Sherry Summers is again assisting in all
phases of our story times! Great to have her helping the
children choose books and helping during the story times. (HCS
has 116 students this year, and all may check out
books...lots of names to sign, and books to re-shelve!)
Another reader was Richard Madaus...great stories and lots
of giggles! Ron and PeggyAnn White will also be readers.
Lots of joy is found with the children. Please consider
joining the fun; volunteer to read with the Hope Creative
School! For questions, please call Ann Wainscott (439-2737).
–
Ann Wainscott, Children’s Librarian
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PRESBYTERIAN
WOMEN
OF HOPE CHURCH
JOIN
A CIRCLE FOR BIBLE STUDY, FELLOWSHIP AND REFRESHMENT
Circles
I, II, and III
Tuesday,
October 2 – 10 a.m. – Church Parlor Meeting, followed
by Luncheon
Roberta Ackerman (299-5021), Leader
Circle IV
Monday,
October 1 – 6 p.m. Perkins Restaurant, Cypress Gardens
Blvd
Leaders:
Jeanie Madaus (326-6056); Denise McGrath (326-1260)
All
women of the church are invited to attend any of the above
circles, as well as the special Gatherings held in
Friendship Hall. As the opportunities arise, details will
be found in the Sunday bulletin.
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MEN’S
LUNCHEON GROUP
Hope
Presbyterian Men’s Luncheon Group meets on the last
Wednesday of each month at Perkins Restaurant on Cypress
Gardens Boulevard. We start gathering at 11:30 a.m.
and order meals at 12 noon. All men are welcome. Hope to
see both old and new members there. Please call Fletcher
Brown at 299-8578 by the Monday evening prior to the
luncheon with your reservation.
— Fletcher Brown, Coordinator
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 DO YOU WANT TO ENJOY
some good FOOD, FUN, and FELLOWSHIP? If so, you need to join
the “Dinner for Eight” groups for the months of
November, December,
and January. Please contact the church office (324-6382) by October 21
and leave your name and phone number.
- Brenda and Bill Gregory, Coordinators
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A
Word
of
HOPE
from
STEPHEN MINISTRY:
 After
six months of physical therapy, I am now able to resume
responsibilities with Stephen Ministry and Pastoral Care programs.
Your
concern, your notes of encouragement, telephone calls and special
little “gifts” have meant a great deal to me. Thank you one
and all!
Beginning
the first week of October, the Stephen Ministry Center and office
will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please come in and browse. You
are invited to check out books and take any brochures or pamphlets
that would be helpful to you or someone you know. Welcome!
God
bless each of you.
—
Lou Bell, Director
Stephen Ministry |
