January and February, 2012 Newsletter

Website: www.Forministry.com/USOHPCUSACPCCP

Sunday School—8:45 AM Worship Service—10:00 AM

Happy New Year!

As we begin this new year together, I want to express Cathy’s and my gratitude for the many ways you have befriended us this past year. We want to especially thank you for the cards and generous gifts this past Christmas season. 

This new year will bring many opportunities to strengthen our witness for Jesus Christ in the Sunbury/Condit area. As a community of faith within the reformed heritage, we offer a perspective on the Gospel that is in important ways unique and different from other faith traditions. In a time of social stress and anxiety, in a time of growing poverty and its accompanying injustices, Christians who believe that God desires wholeness for the human family, not just in some afterworld, but in this world, have a message to share and live that can make a positive difference to the community we serve.

To the end that we will more faithfully and more effectively share that message this year, I look forward to working with the leadership team of this congregation to refine, develop, and deepen our understanding of Christ’s call.

We will be served by several new officers in the coming year. Because this is a small-membership congregation, we know each other pretty well, but sometimes we are surprised at what we don’t know about each other. I have asked each of our new officers to share with you a bit of information, particularly about their past Christian experience and work. As you read what they have written, I hope you will pray for each one of them, and I encourage you to frequently include them in your prayers and find ways to encourage them as they serve and lead you.

Clifford G. (Cliff) Cook is a newly elected Elder who will serve in the Session Class of 2014. He shares that he initially attended Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church, Audubon, NJ, where he was christened as a newborn and was active in youth choir. He then attended Grace Baptist Church, Westmont, NJ, where he was baptized as a teen into church membership and was active in the Baptist Youth Fellowship (BYF). He then transferred his membership to his new wife's church, which was St. Luke's Lutheran Church in West Collingswood, NJ. The two of them co-directed the senior high school youth group, and Cliff served on the church council. More recently, Cliff transferred his membership to Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunbury, OH. There, he served on the council and served as treasurer, vice-president, and president of the congregation. He then transferred membership to Condit, where he sings in the choir and is a member of the Nominating Committee.

Donna Rhodeback has been elected to serve in the Session class of 2014. She writes: I've been around a long time—since about 1992. I've led a youth group, been involved in VBS, printed the weekly bulletin for about 8 years, and was involved with the Creative Hands Group. Currently, I am involved with Fibers of Faith, sing in the choir, and play handbells. I was on the Pastor Search Committee and am beginning my third three-year stint as Elder on Session.  I have been on Smorgasbord, personnel, communications and nominating committees. I'm glad to be back on Session to lend a hand to the business affairs of the church.

Frances Jenkins has been elected to serve in the trustee class of 2014. Frances Jenkins has served several terms as Elder and is looking forward to the new position of trustee. She many years ago served as Financial Secretary for the church and has served on the nominating, christian education, special events, stewardship and budget, and worship and music committees. In the music program, she is an occasional accompanist, plays in the adult bell choir, and directs the junior bells. She also edits the church newsletter and is a commissioner to the Synod of the Covenant from the Presbytery of Scioto Valley.

Chip Welch has been elected to serve in the trustee Class of 2014. Chip and his daughter Abigail are regular attendees of worship and Sunday School. Chip is a fire chief. We welcome him to our leadership team.

Let’s give these new leaders our enthusiastic support and have a great and productive year together as we seek to be faithful stewards of the treasures entrusted to us by our Savior and by faithful Presbyterians who have gone before us.

John

Prayer Concerns

Please contact Frances Jenkins with any changes in this list.

Health Concerns: Jane Lahmon, Chris Wampler, Betty Downing, Sally Harshbarger, Ashley Deck, Tim Burger, Eva Wampler, Carla Hatfield, Barbara Buell, Mike Mucci, Jim Irwin, Christie Lockwood, Carl Cocklin, Jim and Roxie Barger, PJ Bennett, Cheryl Bentz, Tabby Smith, Donna Hestle, Rhonda and Emily, Doreen Bartlett’s parents, Ruby Nettlehorst, Cindy Hogman, Patty Leonard, Bristol Whetnall, Becky Lauer, Gary Sparks, Kathy Kees, Zach Joseph, Pat Monroe, student with cancer, Sue Milem, Donna Evans, Sheryl Hernandez, Peg Sheets’ sister Louise and their aunt, Ann Connelly’s sister with ovarian cancer

Home-Based Folks:  Barbara Hartman, Earl Griffith, Ray Jacob, Fay Thorne, Jim Wilson

Loss of Loved Ones: Family and friends of Elly Beebe’s sister,

family and friends of Margaret Fete

Also remember all our military men and women and their families around the world.

Worship and Music Committee

The Worship and Music Committee wants to thank Rachel Buxton for the lovely Advent stand that was purchased from Tom Buxton's Memorial Fund. We would also like to thank the Townley family for the gifts from Gladys’s memorial fund. We purchased a new cooking stove for the kitchen, a coffee maker, and a crystal etched pitcher to be used for baptisms.

The Worship Committee was very busy planning and carrying out plans for the Advent season. We look forward to hearing on January 1 from two Condit members about "What Christmas Means to Me".

Condit Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee has been very busy filling the positions for trustees and elders for 2012. We also have the job of filling the position of Clerk of Session since our clerk is leaving us. We wish to thank John Connelly for his wonderful service to Condit. He will be greatly missed.

If anyone is interested in being on a committee please contact Sharon Irwin to sign up. We welcome old members of committees and would love to have new faces as well. Committees are approved at the January congregational meeting, and the next committee year runs from February 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013.

Condit Christmas

Many thanks go to all who helped to make our annual Christmas program on December 11 another resounding success. Instrumental in this success were Bonnie Caudill, Ken Bartlett, all our young people, bell players, Beth Files, Condit choir, our visitor from the North, and all those who worked behind the scenes. Special thanks go to Bonnie for providing us with costumes that actually look like costumes. Job well done!

Thanks to those who took charge of the Advent devotional book that helped us anticipate the true meaning of this season. Gratitude also goes to Jane Markley for doing the luminaries around the church for Christmas Eve, to George Justice who ordered all the poinsettias, and to those who helped assemble and care for the poinsettia tree.

To borrow a phrase from an African proverb, “it takes a village” to bring about Christmas at Condit. Thanks to all of you who helped each of us again welcome the Christ Child.

Condit on Sunday

Nursery

January 1  Donna Mucci or Teresa Gorsuch

January 8 Cathy Zuercher

January 15 Cathy Zuercher

January 22 Cathy Zuercher

January 29 Cathy Zuercher

February 5  Donna Mucci or Teresa Gorsuch

February 12 Cathy Zuercher

February 19 Cathy Zuercher

February 26 Cathy Zuercher

Ushers and Greeters

January 1 Condit People
January 8 Jeff and Terrie Groseclose, Janie Cockrell, Larry Strouse

January 15 Alma Jones, Jane Zimmerman, Harold and Sharon Ramsey

January 22 Bill and Teresa Gorsuch, Kathy Kees, George Justice

January 29 John and Georgann Whitney, Adrian and Leah Rond

February 5 Ken, Doreen and Grant Bartlett, Larry Strouse

February 12 Alma Jones, Jane Zimmerman, Marilyn and Jenny Woodruff

February 19 Doug and Karen Kerns, Mike and Donna Mucci

February 26 Dennis and Cheryl Caudill, Jane and Ali Markley

No one has signed up for flowers for January or February.

Anyone interested in providing two matching or very similar silk or dried arrangements that might be used when no one has signed up to provide flowers? Spring and fall arrangements would be especially helpful. 

Music, music, music…

If you enjoy singing, please consider joining the Condit Choir.  There is always room for more!

January 1 Jayne Strouse, pianist Marv & Mark Monroe, special music

January 8 Rick Howenstine, pianist  Sue Overturf, special music

January 15 Jayne Strouse, pianist I'll Fly Away, Chancel Choir

January 22  Jayne Strouse, pianist Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place, Chancel Choir

January 29 Frances Jenkins, pianist Glorify Thy Name, Chancel Choir

February 5  Jayne Strouse, pianist  I Will Praise You, O Lord, With All My Heart, Chancel Choir

February 12 Jayne Strouse, pianist Sharing the Love, Chancel Choir

February 19 Rick Howenstine, pianist The Light Will Come, Chancel Choir

February 26 Rick Howenstine, pianist The Old Rugged Cross, Chancel Choir

God’s Light into the World…

Acolyte for January: Olivia Wince

Acolyte for February: Jaden Jacob                                                 

Presbyterian Women

During the church service on December 4, Presbyterian Women honored Frances Jenkins. The following biography written by Frances’s daughter, Sheryl Hernandez, was read during the service. Frances would like to take this opportunity to thank the Presbyterian Women for this honor. 

Frances Lee Houston was born October 22 in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up spending her summers traveling to see family in Tennessee and playing with the neighborhood kids. She often spent Sunday afternoons after church with her grandparents. After graduating valedictorian from Dixie High School, she attended Miami University in Oxford, where she graduated with a degree in chemistry and her teaching license in math and science. She immediately began her first teaching job teaching high school science.

In April, 1969 she met Bob Jenkins. They were married December of that same year. Bob and Frances were married 30 years when Bob passed away. They lived in Dayton, Delaware, and eventually settled in the Sunbury area, where they built a house in the country that they did a lot of work on themselves. Her daughter Sheryl still lives in this house.

Family is a big part of Frances’s life. She has two step-sons, Steve and Scott, and one daughter, Sheryl. She has seven grandchildren, six in Ohio and one in California. She often spends Sunday afternoons entertaining Aidan and Bela at her house just as her grandmother did with her.

Frances ended up teaching for a total of 10 years, seven of which she taught at Big Walnut. After quitting teaching to have Sheryl, Frances would occasionally tutor or substitute teach. When Frances went back to work, she freelanced as a math/science curriculum editor and writer and has continued that work for more than 20 years. Although she technically retired last year, she still works some.

Frances enjoys spending her “free time” lunching with friends, playing bridge, and travelling. She’s religiously followed the Ohio State Women’s basketball team for years and attends many of the games. She occasionally volunteers for the Humane Society and has also taken in foster cats from time to time. She currently is an active volunteer for the Ohio Wildlife Center in which she helps provide educational programs at schools, the center, and events like Christmas on the Square.

Frances has been a member of Condit for over 35 years. Throughout her time here, she has graced us with her piano and bell playing, served several terms as an elder, and is currently preparing to become a trustee. She has planned Bible school, led children’s bells, organized events, chaired committees, written the newsletter, and found volunteers for different tasks. She currently represents our congregation and Presbytery as a commissioner to the Synod of the Covenant.

Overall, Frances is a dedicated member of our community and church family. She openly and willingly gives her time and heart into helping and enriching all of those around her on a daily basis. She has touched many of our lives in one way or another.

Our Part of a Larger Church

Each level of Presbyterian government contributes to the others. Each newsletter, we would like to share one aspect of the larger Presbyterian Church as it serves those within its boundaries.

Focus on the Synod of the Covenant:

In 2011, the Synod of the Covenant awarded $50,000 to 11 ministries as part of its New Covenant grant program. New Covenant grants are funded from shared mission dollars received from presbyteries, who receive the money from congregations as part of their Benevolence giving.

The program was designed to encourage new, emerging or revitalized ministries within the bounds of the synod. Projects were required to fit within one of the three synod mission priorities: congregational transformation and development; multicultural, racial ethnic and justice ministries; or ministries in higher education.

Applications are now being accepted for New Covenant Grants for 2012. If you know of a project that meets the criteria, they can apply for this grant money. Complete instructions for applying are found on the Synod of the Covenant website. The maximum amount of money awarded to any project is $10,000.

Two of the 2011 New Covenant grants were awarded to projects in our Presbytery. Below are the projects and the amount of money awarded to them:

Faith at 8th, Faith: Friendship and Feeding-$5,000
Crestview Presbyterian Church feeds the Homeless four times a year. The cost of feeding is covered by members of the congregation and is not in their budget. The requested funds will be used to expand the feeding to monthly. 

Hoge Memorial Presbyterian Church-$4,500

Funding for this project will help Hoge's ministry and outreach programs:

· Food Pantry which is open the last two weeks of each month and recently expanded it area

· HMG3: Hoge Music, Message and Meal: an alternative worship experience offered every Saturday night at Hoge

· Vacation Bible School and Peace School

· Center for Reconciliation and Mediation: Mediators will be available for appointments with parties in conflict. 

2011 for the Trustees

Condit’s Basement Clean-up Is Complete. Condit Sunday School classes were again able to use the church basement Apr. 10 as trustees and crews completed the clean-up project.

As most newsletter readers know, Condit’s main sewer line backed up in the basement Feb. 1 when tree roots clogged drainage, and heavy rain brought the issue to a head. After replacing the clogged pipe and tearing up the basement composite flooring to clean and sanitize it, trustees hired the same firm who originally laid the floor to come back and do it again.

However, your trustees could not find flooring to exactly match the former. The new floor runs were fabricated three years later. Name, brand, style number, etc. were all the same, but the color tone of the new flooring did not match the color tone of the previous flooring. Your trustees went ahead with what we could get, though about 20% of the flooring does not match what we were able to salvage.

Trustees capped the two floor drains, plus sealed in sink drains serving the kitchen. We are planning to do more work outside the building to assure the basement flooding does not occur again.

As reported in a bulletin insert in March, the clean-up had cost $3,375. That was before the new flooring, adhesive, and labor to install had been calculated. Total for the entire project comes to just over $7,000—none covered by insurance. A rider for insurance has since been added.

Session, at its April meeting, voted to use the remaining funds bequeathed from the Dean Cockrell estate to use for the flooring project. But more money is needed, and congregation members and friends are asked to help pay for Condit’s basement clean-up project with your donation.

Your trustees thank everyone for their help and patience through this project.

The concrete work has been completed between the church and Manse @ $2500. Doug and Karen Kerns have sealed the new concrete. We included a new sewer clean-out and catch basin in the outside basement stairwell for $575.

Wells Septic and Drain Co. came back to run a camera and water-jetted the effluent line from county ditch to holding tank @ $200. This will prevent basement problems this winter. All looks good.

Donnie Justice helped us with tree trimming @ $400.

Mike Mucci has our sign working again by re-running electric to church sign @ $250.

Work on the manse continued this fall with both the front and rear porches replaced. Manse work is scheduled for the front porch and rear deck. Trustees did the demo work and Rick Ross donated his time to re-install decking from our purchased lumber. Come spring, we will be painting these porches. Also, Clark Siding has given us an estimate on manse work including soffit, siding, spouting, roof cap, and boot for back bath vent pipe. Finally, the downstairs bathroom needs work with a new shower replacement. All this work will cost nearly $5,500. Our renter has decided to move on and as of January 1, 2012, the Manse will be empty.

Finally, all downspouts have been cleaned out and furnaces brought up to working condition.

We’ve had nearly $30,000 in maintenance expenses this year just to keep our properties in good standing condition. And, we borrowed $10,000 from the F.G. Smith Fund this summer to help pay for them, which we hope to pay back.

The trustees would like to thank all volunteers who helped us throughout this year as we had more work than usual.

Respectfully submitted,

Dennis Caudill

Trustee President

Condit Nursery

Many thanks go to those of you who so responsibly and lovingly cared for our little ones in the church nursery during church services in 2011. You showed up when you said you would, dried occasional tears, and led our little ones in the path of Christian love. You enabled parents to feel secure that their children were cared for while they actually got to listen to and participate in the church service. 

Frances Jenkins will no longer be the coordinator for nursery care. Cathy Zuercher has accepted this responsibility. Please contact Cathy if you are willing to help for one or more Sundays in 2012.

Join Us for Special Events

The following monthly events will occur in January and February:

· 2^nd Sunday Coffee Time and Fellowship after Church

· Committee meeting on 3^rd Monday at 7:15

Remember that the 4^th Wednesday Potluck and Game Night will resume in January. Join us for an evening of fun and fellowship. There will be no 4^th Wednesday Potluck and Game Night in February because of the Ash Wednesday service, but it will again resume in March.

Prayer Chain Concerns

There have been several instances lately where serious concerns have been on either the email or the phone prayer chain and not on the other one. This type of information needs to reach everyone. If you put an item of concern on one prayer chain, please put it on both. Call Jane Cockrell (965-2252) for the phone prayer chain, and send an email to conditprayerchain@yahoogroups.com for the email prayer chain. For those of you who do not have email, you can call Donna Rhodeback (965-1189), and she’ll see that it gets on the email prayer chain.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Note from the newsletter editor: Apologies to those of you with November and December birthdays and anniversaries. It evidently takes more than an editor and three proofers to catch that the wrong birthday list is in the newsletter. Please wish these people a happy belated birthday or anniversary.

If you have any additions or corrections to these lists, please send them to Frances Jenkins at sjeagle@aol.com. If your birthday or anniversary is in another month and you think we might not have it, please let us know that, too. Thanks.

November

3 Heather (Reppart) Altizer

 Gee and Nancy Fuller

5 Christopher Weiss

6 Mick Sheets

 Isa (Weiland) Mauch

7 Mick and Pam Sheets

9 Marvin Monroe

10 Joshua Shick

11 Jacqueline Kerns

 Jim Irwin, Jr.

 Rob Johnston and Jennifer Barrett

12 Harold Ramsey

14 Michael Curtin

16 Ken and Doreen Bartlett

17 Margaret Fete

 Kathy Kees

 Chance Hall

19 Kathy Wince

23 Gene Wampler

25 Luke Almendinger

 Wayne Weiss

27 Scott and Priscilla Brumbaugh

28 Lee Miller

 Mary Jo Wilson

December

1 Holly Fuller

2 Betty Cocklin

 Sue Bowery 

5 Becky Harmon

7 Rachael Gorsuch

11 Amanda Weiss

12 Gary and Deb Saunders

13 Jennifer Barrett

 Megan Gilbert

17 Bradin Reppart

 Jeff and Terrie Groseclose

18 Trent Pettit

 Elijah Wince

 Richard and Janice Howenstine

19 Pat Monroe

21 Jim Irwin

22 Nick Mucci

 Abigail Weiss

23 Cliff and Joyce Cook

25 Alma Jones

28 Kate Skeen

 Aidan Rond

 Gordon Rond

29 Ann Lafyatis-Schuler

 Kaitlin Ross

30 Jennifer Wampler

31  Nancy Wilke

2 Mike Joseph

3 Cheryl Wampler

6 Dick Fisher

7 Hank Worster

 Jim and Roxy Barger

8 Kathy Rasmussen

 Doreen Bartlett

10  Dorothy Justice

12 Karen Kerns

15 Allen Mann

16 Nancy Fuller

18 Matthew Connelly

 Tim and Kate Young

20  Fay Thorne

 Tim Young

21 Julie (Lahmon) Miller

22 Travis Showers

23 Rick and Darlene Ross

24 Wendell Carnes

25 Jennie Kavage

26 Jeff Groseclose

27 Laura Mucci

28 Jane Markley

 Maci Moseley

29  Lori Almendinger

30 Matt Wince

 Jane Lahmon

February

1  Aidan Hernandez

 Zack Whitten

2 Adrian Rond

3 Donna Butler

4 Ellie White

 Marilyn Woodruff

9  Jim and Jane Lahmon

10 Angie Hobart

 Trisha Gilbert

15 John Connelly

 Kaleigh Reppart

17 Helen Gilbert

21 Alex Sheets

22 Sheila Mann

 Angie Murphy

24 Leigh Ann Reppart

25 Kathy Reppart

26 Rachel Buxton

 Robert Hall

Christopher Fuller