McLean Weekly for December 23

From the Ministries of MPC…

The Advent Season Continues…

Our Christmas Eve services begin this Saturday with the Family Celebration service from 4:30-5:30pm, followed by the first Candlelight service from 6-7:10pm, and the second Candlelight service from 8-9:10pm.  We also hope you’ll join us on Christmas Day when we will worship at 6pm and observe the Lord’s Supper.

Harvest

This Sunday, December 25, Harvest will join MPC's 6pm Christmas Communion Service.  For more information, feel free to contact Liz.

The End (of 2011) is Near!

The end of 2011 is rapidly approaching and as we look back over the past 12 months, we can see how God has graciously provided for MPC every step of the way. December is a big month for MPC's General Fund, as more than 15 percent of the annual budget is typically received during this month. These dollars support our missionaries abroad as well as our children and youth ministries, our adult communities and Sunday School, our libraries, not to mention our dedicated staff and beautiful building. Unlike recent years, we entered this December with contributions to the General Fund behind budget--by more than $30,000. With Christmas falling on a Sunday, the last regular Sunday morning offering for the General Fund was on Sunday, December 18. However, contributions may be designated for the General Fund during offerings collected in special Advent services.

Please prayerfully consider how God is calling you to support MPC during this Christmas season. All contributions for calendar year 2011 must be received in the church finance office by Friday, December 30 or postmarked no later than Saturday, December 31. Please contact Jean Johnson, Director of Finance, at (703)394-0569 should you have any questions.

Un-Hanging the Green!

Yes – we’re already planning to ‘un-hang the green’ on Sunday, January 8 after the 11am service. We’ll meet in the McLean Room and have a quick pizza lunch and then get right to removing the decorations from our church and storing them away for another year. We need about 15-20 people to help with this task, and we’re usually done before 2pm. If you are willing to help us, please click here to RSVP for lunch. See you then!

Upcoming Congregational Meeting

The Annual Stated Congregational Meeting of McLean Presbyterian Church is called for Sunday, January 22, 2012, immediately following the 11am worship service, to be held in the Sanctuary of the church at 1020 Balls Hill Road, McLean, Virginia.  The purpose of the meeting as called for in the MPC Bylaws, are to 1) elect officers and trustees and 2) receive a report on the financial status of the church.

Nominees for Ruling Elder:  Mark Brooks, Steve Brown**, Shawn Friesen, James Metzger, Mike Quinn**, Scott Redd*, Theodore Smith**, Don Solberg

Nominees for Deacon:  Chris Anderson, Blake Edwards**, Landon Johnson**, Mickey Konson, Andy Laperriere**, Jim Long*, Chris McAleer**, Aaron McKethan**, Dirk Phillips**, Diego Ruiz, Jonathan Steele**, Mark Whittle**

*Previously ordained and nominated for a first three-year term; **Eligible to be elected for a second three-year term.

Nominees for Trustee:  Eugene K. Goodell, Edwin B. Lawless III, Richard Osborne, and Edward D. Sinclair

Prospective and Current Fellows Host Families!

Are you currently hosting a Fellow from the Capital Fellows Program?  Are you interested in the possibility of hosting a Fellow but do not know what all it entails? On Sunday, January 8 we will hold the next meeting of Fellows' Host Families. This is a good opportunity for existing host families to connect with one another, get to know one another better, and just have a time of fellowship. If you are considering hosting a Fellow, this will be a great opportunity to hear the benefits and realities of being a host family. We will meet in the McLean Room after the second service.  A light lunch will be provided.  Please RSVP to Susan Reber or Kristy Hatch.  If you have any questions, please contact Kristy Hatch at (703)-278-0455.

Security Cameras

By now, you may have noticed the new security cameras around the building. In response to recent thefts at our church and in other area churches, as well as part of our emergency preparedness plan prepared by the Diaconate, it was decided that cameras would be a good step forward for our building. These cameras will help create a record of any events that may occur in the church should they involve theft, disaster, or something happening to a church member or visitor. The camera placement was designed to cover all of the hallways and exits in the building while excluding individual rooms due to privacy concerns.

Please remember that these cameras cannot stop a theft, they can only record what happens. You should always keep track of your personal belongings and keep them secure. If anything should happen that the camera footage might be able to help with, please contact Ed Baumann at (703)394-0581 or via the church main office during the week, or the Duty Deacon on a Sunday morning.

Give the Women's Retreat as a Gift

Christmas is coming, but so is Valentine's Day or maybe even a birthday. If you would like to give the Women's Retreat as a gift for your wife, sister, or best friend, a special brochure envelope is available. Just contact Chris Sherrill to order.

What dad doesn't want to be a great dad?

Our men's ministry is sponsoring the Great Dad's Seminar for both fathers and grandfathers Saturday, January 21 from 8:30am -12:30pm here at MPC. Begin the new year with one of the best investments of a Saturday morning you could make:  receiving fresh inspiration and practical ideas for being the best dad you can be. So, ladies please let your husbands know about it, and men please save the date. More information coming in January.

Fashioned by God - The 2012 Women’s Retreat - February 24-26, 2012

Ladies: Our annual retreat will be held at the beautiful Harbourtowne Resort in St. Michaels, MD.  Brochures have been mailed  and online registration is up and running, so please register early!  Hear our conference speaker, Holly Leachman, walk us through scripture on the topic of inner and outer beauty and how to be spiritually well dressed from head to toe.  Invite a friend or make a friend there.

Important! What to do when we experience severe weather…

MPC has a communications process in place to inform you of the status of ministry activities when we experience severe weather. To learn whether ministry activities have been delayed or canceled, please use one of these ‘communication tools’ to learn of any weather-related changes for any day of the week:

•    Go to the home page of our website at www.mcleanpres.org. If there are any delays or cancellations to our ministry activities, you will find a notice informing you of such. For daytime activities, an announcement will be posted by 7am; for evening activities, an announcement will be posted by 3pm. (No notification will be displayed if there are no changes to our scheduled events).

•    Or; Call our Weather Update Line by dialing (703)821-0800, then press 1 (General Information about MPC), and then press 4 (Weather-related schedule changes). The announcement process is identical to the website.

Correction

In last week’s McLean Weekly a column in the finance table was mislabeled. The column that was labeled ‘fiscal year to date’ should have been labeled ‘end of November’.

Service Opportunities at MPC…

Seeking Sound Volunteers

You are invited to serve the Lord through the sound ministry.  We are seeking several new people to join the team of regular sound volunteers for Sunday morning services.  Volunteers serve one service per month and are responsible for the sound quality and recording of the music, pastors, and speakers during Sunday worship.   Do you enjoy serving in a behind-the-scenes way that is essential to worship each week?  No experience is needed and training will be provided.  If interested, please contact Roger Custer at (703)338-8615.

Women's Study

Made to Crave...Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God not food. If your new year's resolution is to lose weight or eat healthier and you're a woman, then this 12-week study by Lysa TerKeurst (January 8 - April 15) at 9:15am in Room 13 is for you.  We'll listen to her DVD messages, and participate in group and individual discussions to help find our want-to --the missing link of spiritual and mental motivation that will make the difference.  This is an amazing spiritual journey linking God's truth with our eating and weight issues so that what we once thought was impossible will be more than possible with God.  The more saturated we are with God’s truth the more powerfully we’ll be able to resist temptation.   Participants can purchase this book and a participant’s guide ahead of time or at the first class.  If you have questions contact the discussion leader, Susan Reber at (703)629-8076.  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness...That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians  12:9-10.

AccessAbility Ministry

Do you have a heart for ministry but haven’t yet found your niche?  The AccessAbility ministry wants to welcome and share the love of God to children with special needs by enabling them to participate as much as possible in our Sunday school classes.    All it takes is a willingness to get to know one of these little ones and support them in class.   We have an immediate need for buddies or substitutes to be with a two, seven, nine or eleven-year-old child each Sunday morning or once a month.   Please email Nancy McMann or call her at (703)394-0568.  You may also make a note on the Welcome Form and place it in the offering plate.  Come and see what God will do with your willing heart. Training will be provided.

Young Adults Needed!

D-Cubed is in search of young adults to co-lead a group of 4th, 5th or 6th graders. Time commitment: 5:15-6:15pm some Sundays January through early June. Please email Nancy McMann  or call her at (703)394-0568 with questions. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity as we need your heart and passion for sharing the good news with our preteens.

Ushers Needed!

Additional ushers are needed for our Sunday worship services. Each usher serves during one service once a month.  If you are a member of MPC and are interested in serving as an usher, please contact John Bouma.

Join the Welcome Team!

Would you like to join the Welcome Team? We are a team of folks who consist of greeters at our main doors and Information Center, and who serve to extend a warm, friendly greeting to all who enter McLean Presbyterian Church (MPC) and to provide assistance as necessary and appropriate. The Information Center, located on the upper level in the Tower entrance area, provides resources about MPC, its ministries and communities. If you are interested in joining the Welcome Team as a greeter, please email Bob Lease or call him at (703)273-2161. The typical service rotation is once per month (for one service).

Care Team Breakfast

If you are currently on the Care Team, or are interested in learning more about it, then you are invited to come join us for a light breakfast, time of fellowship and informational meeting in the Fellowship Hall on January 22 during the 9:15 worship service.  Click here to RSVP. The Care Team is a cross-section of MPC members/regular attenders who desire to provide and coordinate practical support for individuals in our covenant community during times of need. Members serve in a variety of ways as we seek to engage the entire congregation in providing support. Support can include personal contact and prayer, meals, emergency childcare, light housecleaning, transportation, visitation, and note writing.

From Our Friends Outside MPC…

No announcements this week.