January 2024 Newsletter

JANUARY 2024 NEWSLETTER Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church Wednesday Night Dinners

Sun., January 28: Ordination and Installation of Elders Service at 6:00 pm Jan. 17: Parmesan Crusted Chicken Sun., February 11: Transfiguration Sunday; SOUPer Bowl Sunday; Pancake Sunday Jan. 24: Hamburgers and Kielbasa Wed., February 14: Ash Wednesday Jan. 31: Piccadillo and Yellow Rice Sun., February 18: 1st Sunday of Lent Feb.7: Greek Lemon Pork Loin Sun., February 25: Confirmation Service Sun., March 10: Strawberry Shortcake Sunday

Sun., March 24: Palm Sunday Thurs., March 28: Maundy Thursday Fri., March 29: Good Friday Sun., March 31: Easter Sunday Sun., May 5: Youth Sunday Sun., May 19: Pentecost

Feb. 14: Parmesan Roasted Lemon Chicken Feb. 21: Spanish Bean Soup Feb 28: Shredded BBQ Pork All meals are subject to change pending grocery availability.

Wednesday Adult Faith Formation Class

SUNday Adult Faith Formation Class

Adult Faith Formation Staff Contact: Rev. John Reiter: johnreiter@palmaceia.org

A December Adult Faith Formation Class

Faith & Fiction Faith and Fiction meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm in a hybrid fashion — in person in Room EM 310 and on Zoom. The group reads a wide range of fiction and (occasionally) non-fiction books, looking for evidence of faith in the lives of the characters.

We are always looking for new folks to join us.

Here are the books for first half of 2024: January 16: Search by Michelle Huneven February 20: Raphael, Painter in Rome by Stephanie Storey March 19: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins April 16: Hamlet by William Shakespeare May 21: Called to Forgive by Anthony Thompson June 18: Fail-Safe by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler

Interview & Conversation with Geoff Kohler January 28 at 7pm at PCPC Rev. Kohler was an Associate Pastor at PCPC from 2003 to 2012. He will be sharing his thoughts on his new book “Getting God Wrong.” You are invited to join this interview and book-signing in the Connection worship space.

Upcoming PW Bible Study Dates: Feb. 12, March 11, April 8 Daytime meetings start at 12:45 with lunch, followed by study from 1:15-2:00.

Night meetings (in-person/Zoom hybrid) start at 7.

Children & Families

Service Half-Hour Sundays!

Sun. Jan 21, Jan. 28, Feb 4, and Feb. 11 from 12:00-12:30 pm in Room Covenant Hall 312. Children and Families are invited to come to sort food for End 68 Hours of Hunger.

Children & Families Staff Contact: Allison Kelly: Allison@palmaceia.org

Justice Seekers (4th & 5th Grade) Fourth and Fifth Graders are invited to volunteer at the Interfaith Refugee MLK Celebration on Sun. Jan 21st, 4:00-5:30 pm at Temple Terrace United Methodist Church. Please contact Anna Shuford or Allison Kelly if you are interested in attending or need a ride.

Justice Seekers Schedule: Jan 21st - Interfaith Refugee Volunteer Jan 28th - Meet on campus Feb 4th - Meet on campus Feb. 11th - No Justice Seekers Feb 18th - Meet on campus

vbs

Justice Seekers kicked off the “semester” after Christmas Break with a trip to Chill Bros.!

SAVE THE DATE: VBS June 3-7, 2024 Camp Firelight

Parent Information meeting about Human Sexuality Workshop: God’s Gift February 4, 10-10:50am in WM 202/204 The Feb. 4 info session will be led by Rev. Dr. Nicole Abdnour & Allison Kelly. Parents are invited to ask questions regarding what content will be covered and whether your child is ready. 4th & 5th graders are invited to attend Faith and Fellowship Hour during this info meeting.

The workshop, which is Feb. 25, is specially designed for 4th and 5th graders.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Allison Kelly at allison@palmaceia.org.

Ordination and Installation of Elders Sunday, January 28th at 6:00 pm “Within the community of the church, some are called to particular service as elders and as ministers of the Word and Sacrament. Ordination is Christ’s gift to the church, assuring that his ministry continues among us, providing ministries of caring and compassion in the world, ordering the governance of the church, and preaching the Word and administering the sacraments.”

(Book of Occasional Services)

The service of ordination and installation for the new class of elders will take place at the Vespers Service January 28. The whole congregation is invited and encouraged to come and participate in this worship service, which is an important part of our communal life together as we focus on Jesus Christ and the mission and ministry of the church.

At this service we will be ordaining and installing 12 elders to serve in the class of 2026.

Those to be ordained are: Kim Carswell, Elizabeth Cutler, Christina Hill, Jeff Jinks, Tom McKeon, Michael Poland, Mindy Powell, Ashley Reiss, Joe Taggart, Jodi Traster, and Bo Young. Additionally, David Pead an ordained elder in the PC(USA) will be installed to serve in this class as well.

PCPC Pastoral Contact: Rev. Dr. Nicole Partin Abdnour: Nicole@palmaceia.org

The Baptism Guild of Palma Ceia Presbyterian An Invitation to be a Communion Server The sacrament of communion is served the first Sunday of every month at PCPC. We use volunteer communion servers who serve the sacrament as they are available.

If you have an interest in being a part of the pool of those who serve the sacrament, please reach out to palmaceiacommunionservers@gmail.com and a member of the communion guild will respond. Those who serve in this ministry tell us it's a very meaningful form of Christian practice.

Our December class of New Members Welcome!

Pastoral Contact: Rev. Dr. John DeBevoise: john@palmaceia.org

Christmas Generosity Report Our Electronics Drive in November resulted in half a ton of used electronics being recycled responsibly and diverted from landfills. Plus, 8 laptops were rebuilt, refurbished and provided to Hillsborough County High School students in need.

PCPC is indeed an Earth Care Congregation!

(You are still welcome to bring items to the Church office at any time.)

30 Boxes of Hope that came back through PCPC supplied holiday food for Metropolitan Ministries.

(And even more boxes went directly to Metropolitan Ministries.)

The Giving Tree gifts totaled 275 very generous gifts to about 120 people, distribution through our partners at: Guardian Ad Litem Champions for Children Created Ministry Beth-El Farmworker Families FED Ministry Timothy Initiative House The Rise Against Hunger event packed 10,110 meals going to hungry people around the world. This means we have packed over 80,000 meals since we started packing annually 8 years ago.

The total collected for Christmas Around the World was $7,217.70. This is being used to purchase livestock, clean water stations, seeds, and other necessary items for families in Uganda, Haiti, and Honduras.

At the Longest Night Service we received two wagon loads of socks, canned goods, flashlights, rain jackets, clothes, and sleeping bags which were distributed by the Kindness Matters ministry to people living on the streets here in Tampa.

And the final Christmas Joy Offering totals $24,658.30 for the support of specific facility needs at the Beth-El Farmworkers Ministry here in southeast Hillsborough County!

Thank you for your generosity!

PCPC Business Administrator Contact: Erin Lagor: ErinLagor@palmaceia.org

PCPC Stewardship Report for 2024 Our stewardship goal was $1,900,000.

We raised $2,024,367 … which is 106.55% of the goal!

Thank you, PCPC! “We, who are many, are one body in Christ!”

-Romans 12:4-8 Tampa Oratorio Singers present Mozart ‘s Requiem with Orchestra & Soloists at PCPC Sunday, March 24 at 7:00 pm Conducted by Nancy Callahan Legends swirl around the creation of Mozart’s Requiem written on his deathbed and left unfinished: What parts of the work were truly his own? Was Mozart composing his own funeral mass?

Generations of musicians have been inspired by the Requiem, a masterpiece of classical music. The composer takes the audience on a moving and emotional journey, using this composition to explore themes of redemption and hope.

Save the Date: Florida Wind Band Concert The Music of John Williams April 7 at 6:00 pm at PCPC

Tickets may be purchased online at tostampa.org, at the door, or free tickets are available in advance to members of PCPC. see Susan Frost for tickets: SusanFrost@palmaceia.org.

Interested in Joining the PCPC Chancel Choir?

Choir rehearsals have resumed. If you have an interest in joining the Chancel Choir to sing the music of Lent and Easter ahead, please reach out to our Music Director Nancy Callahan (callahan@palmaceia.org) and she'll be glad to give you direction!

Volunteer Opportunities

PCPC welcomed CUP ministry Sunday, January 7th, serving coffee across the morning at church.

Great coffee with a great mission!

CUP is "Coffee Uniting People:" CUP hires people with and without disabilities to work together in an inclusive workplace. CUP, a 501(c)3 nonprofit coffeehouse, is about inclusion, acceptance and opportunity for people of all abilities.

YOUTH Our regular programming returns this semester:

Youth Group: Middle School meets on Wednesdays from 6:00pm-7:30pm in the Gym and High School meets on Wednesdays from 7:30pm-8:45pm in the Youth Room. Youth returns to its regular pattern on January 17th.

MnMs (for High Schoolers) meets every Monday evening from 7:30pm-

8:30pm in the Couch Room (Eastminster 206). MnMs resumes January 22.

L.I.F.T (for Middle Schoolers) meets every Sunday morning from 1010:45am in the Couch Room (Eastminster 206). L.I.F.T. resumes on

January 21.

Confirmation Class 2024:

Confirmation Class (for 9th graders and up) begins on Sunday, January 21.

Confirmation runs as a 6-week course from 10am-12pm and culminates in a Confirmation Service February 25 where students are invited to join the church. Confirmation is one way in which we honor our baptismal vows -- that we will raise up our young people in faith. In Confirmation, students will learn about tradition, theology, scripture, church history, and more.

They will have a chance to ask big questions and grapple with the parts of faith that have been challenging to them. Confirmation continues to be an exceedingly formative part of our students' faith journey and we encourage you to sign them up! Simply email ken@palmaceia.org to register them.

Youth Staff Contact: Kate Donaldson: Kate@palmaceia.org or Rev. Kenny Hubbell: Ken@palmaceia.org

Registration for our 2024 Summer Trips is open Disciple Now Service Week // Rising 7th - 9th grade // June 3rd-7th // $150 Click to sign up The Great Adventure // Rising 10th - CO' 24 // June 11th - 17th // $675 Click to sign up High School Service Trip to Spencer, Tennessee // Rising 10th - CO' 24 // June 22nd-29th // $850 Click to sign up ‘Great Escape at Southwind' Sleepaway Camp // Rising 7th - 9th grade // July 16th-21st // $550 Click to sign up

Save the Date: Youth Sunday is May 5!

Enough Light for the Next Step: A Prayer for Epiphany Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, "How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?" There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let's rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.

-Henri Nouwen “Bread For The Journey”