SWIFT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
A Church That Practices Fruitful Living
PASSIONATE WORSHIP
Services in August
Aug. 7 Communion
Family and Faith — Middle Age
Aug. 14 Family and Faith — Young Adults
Aug. 21 Family and Faith — Children
Backpack Blessing
Baptism of Ethan Woodall
Aug. 28 Baptism of Landyn Irwin
Worship Committee Report
Kim Whitchard
Summer has been very busy (as it always is). A lot of us have enjoyed a “summer break” from school, work, choir, church, etc. To address those schedules, the worship committee created a “Take-Out Church” for families that would not be able to be consistently in church for the summer.
There were great drawings, games, prayers, and exercises for the family to do while they were away for the summer. I hope everyone enjoyed them as much as the worship committee enjoyed creating and putting them together. Thank you again to my worship committee warriors! Also a BIG thank-you to the Bible study group on Thursdays who assembled the boxes. I think they were a hit because we had orders for more boxes.
The greeter/usher teams are going very smoothly! Thank you again for all of you who have volunteered to serve every Sunday. We have a total of five teams. I am looking for two or three people who might be able to participate on a team as a couple of people have found that they are not able to serve after the teams were formed. If you think that you can participate every five to six weeks as a greeter/usher, then please contact me at 251-979-5538. You have probably witnessed that the “job” is not that difficult. Just need a couple of willing souls.
Also as the fall approaches and we look toward children’s church being started again, I will be creating a “rotation team” of acolytes. The younger children will be able to participate on the first Sunday of the month since it is Communion Sunday, but then the other three Sundays of the month, I am looking for the “older” children/adolescents (fifth grade and above) to help out on those three Sundays.
A reminder: Aug. 21, we will dedicate students’ backpacks with a special blessing and token gift to remind them of the blessing throughout the school year.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your worship elder. May God bless and keep you safe, HIS Congregation of Believers.
Music Notes
Lisa Cardwell
Our dedicated chancel choir has continued to provide anthems through most of the summer. They work so hard, but there is a lot of laughter and fellowship during rehearsals. Thank you, chancel choir.
Our handbell choir will be starting back with rehearsals in mid-August. We will be rehearsing for upcoming events: 1) playing for the Presbyterian Women’s Fall Retreat Oct. 1 at Swift and 2) playing during worship on Oct. 2. We will be celebrating World Communion Sunday that day.
After VBS, I will be planning our music department’s Christmas program. This year we will be doing our own program on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m. in our sanctuary. We will be providing a variety show: chancel choir, handbell choir, Joyful Tones (tone chime choir), congregation participation in singing Christmas carols. Other suggestions for groups or solos are welcomed. Please mark your calendars.
Final decisions have not been made for other worship leadership dates for our Joyful Tones choir. This is a beginner group, and no music reading skills are necessary. It is an opportunity to meet people in our congregation as we learn new skills. (Remember that learning how to play an instrument is great for brain stimulation and enhancing your cognitive skills.)
Looking forward to a new year of musical opportunities.
In His Service,
Lisa
Sanctuary Flowers
Available Dates
Aug. 7, Aug. 21, Sept. 4, Sept. 25
Please contact Nancy Hope, 943-3966, to schedule.
RADICAL HOSPITALITY
Swift Presbyterian Church’s “Two or More” Lunch Group
“Two or More” is a monthly ecumenical fellowship luncheon, open to all.
We meet once a month, on the first Thursday of each month, at 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 4, we will meet at Captain’s Choice Restaurant in the Gulf Bowl.
Please RSVP to Lee Mansell at 251-232-4775 to make a reservation.
Butterfly Girls and Guys’ Night Out
Thursday, Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m.
ALL ladies are invited to Butterfly Girls & ALL men are invited to Guys’ Night Out.
Want an adventure but never have the time?
Want to travel to exotic lands and experience native cuisine?
OK, well maybe just go to Robertsdale?
Come join us at the next Butterfly Girls or Guys’ Night Out dinner!
Mark your calendar for Thursday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 p.m.
Girls will go to Frenchie’s Cajun Café
and Guys to Captain Q’s Seafood and Vietnamese, both in Robertsdale.
RSVP to Susan and Daryl Pichoff, 251-233-9486.
‘Connected Through God’s Creation’
Presbyterian Women of South Alabama Fall Gathering
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Swift Presbyterian Church
Registration 9:30–10; Gathering 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Pastor Kim Vanbrimmer will share with us how we are all connected to all of God’s creations.
Mission Project: Non-perishable food items for Swift Presbyterian Food Pantry
Come and join our Sisters in Christ for a day of learning, sharing and fellowship.
Contact Pastor Jody Beth for more information, 251-213-6625.
Name__________________________________________________
Phone Number___________________________________________
Home Church____________________________________________
Registrations received before Sept. 21 — $10 Mary Jenkins
Registrations received after Sept. 21 — $15 1203 Mixon Ave.
Includes lunch Bay Minette, AL 36507
INTENTIONAL FAITH DEVELOPMENT
Daniel: Determining To Go God’s Direction
Attend either Sunday evenings or Thursday mornings
A weekly Bible study on the book of Daniel will be offered beginning in September. You can attend either Sunday evenings, 5:30–6:30, beginning Sept. 11, or Thursday mornings, 10:00–11:30 (11:15 on “Two or More” luncheon days), beginning Sept. 8.
“Today’s society is a good deal like the one Daniel lived in centuries ago. The world still wants God’s people to conform to its standards and follow its practices. ‘Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold’ is the way J.B. Phillips translates Romans 12:2, and Daniel and his friends obeyed that admonition.
“As we study the book of Daniel, we’ll meet Daniel’s God, the Sovereign Lord who rules in the kingdom of men and who confidently announces things to come. In Daniel’s life and ministry we see how true believers live in the light of biblical prophecy — how they relate to the Sovereign Lord and accomplish His good, acceptable, and perfect will.” — From the study book author, Warren W. Wiersbe
The study will be facilitated by Pastor Jody Beth and Philip Melton. We will be using study materials by Warren W. Wiersbe that can be ordered on Amazon directly, or you can contact Sue Ann Lay through the church office (943-8367) and she will place a group order.
Youth Ministry News
Ginny Kleinschmidt
Summer is winding down, and we are winding up to have a great year planned for the youth.
The first part of summer we attended the Montreat High School Youth Conference. Wow! It was GREAT! We will be planning our worship service this month and the tentative date is Sunday, Sept. 11. You will be hearing more about that as we make our plans.
Youth ministry met this past month and we have our leaders in place for GɸG Sunday nights and Refuel Wednesday nights. We will be posting a calendar with those dates and some of the other events we have planned. Kathy Menk, our congregational rep, will be contacting some of our church families to host the Wednesday night Refuels and provide the meal. Kathy will also be looking for members who would like to provide the meal for the Sunday night GɸG meetings. Hopefully the kitchen will be available for us to use. The first GɸG will be Sept. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Tracy Akins will be scouting for some interested members to teach Sunday School for the youth. That will be on Sunday mornings, 9 until 9:45 in the youth room and includes sixth through 12th grades.
We had donated to us by the Taylor family some landscaping pavers and plan on using them to make an outdoor fire pit and area for the youth (and others that would like to use it). We want to put up our basketball goal and get an area ready for soccer, football and cam-jam. Maybe a cooler day in September to try to build these areas, so look for the call for a little bit of labor.
As always, be in prayer for our youth, our youth leaders and our church family as this new fall year begins. God has blessed us with our use of our time and our talents; we ask Him to continue to bless us.
MISSION AND SERVICE
Mission Report
Cathy Rogers
The Swift food pantry served 15 families on July 13. Phil Melton and Bill Lee volunteered that day. Sue Johnson and Vicki Elsler volunteered on July 27 and served 10 families. Our volunteers for both dates in August will be Rose Beno and Susie Alexander. Please remember to donate food/paper items on Aug. 7.
In August, Swift will be collecting for the Foley Area Santa Foundation. This organization makes sure that community children in need get gifts for Christmas. We will be decorating the Christmas tree in the front of the sanctuary for every $10 donated. This collection will be taken on Aug. 28.
The Peace and Global Witness Offering, a Presbyterian offering, will be collected on Oct. 2. A gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of injustice across the world. Individual congregations are encouraged to utilize up to 25% of this offering to connect with the global witness of Christ’s peace. Mid-councils retain an additional 25% for ministries of peace and reconciliation. The remaining 50% is used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of violence, including our own, through collaborative projects of education and Christian witness.
Swift will not participate in the Presbyterian Christmas Joy Offering this year. Instead, we will be collecting for the Alabama Presbyterian Children’s Home throughout December. Gifts from donors make up more than half of the operating costs of the Presbyterian Home for Children. Charity Navigator has recognized the Presbyterian Home for its good stewardship of donor gifts. Ninety cents of every dollar given to the home goes directly in support of the children in their care — very little goes to administration and fundraising.
Fellowship Hall and Chapel Cleanup Day
Saturday, Aug. 13, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Progress continues on the repairs from the flood in the fellowship hall kitchen. There is no longer any mold present, but there is lots of general cleaning to do. It is time to gather to do some deep cleaning of the entire building, inside and out, so we can get back into our chapel and fellowship hall.
Whether you are available to join the group on 13, or you can tackle some of the work a different day, please contact Philip Melton (213-6505) to let him know what you can do to help so he can coordinate all of our gifts and talents.
When we meet on Saturday, Aug. 13, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., please bring cleaning supplies such as buckets, sponges, rags, gloves, and safety goggles. We will also need several carpet cleaners and a few pressure washers and ladders. We will have cleaning products on hand such as glass cleaner, bleach, carpet cleaner fluid and Murphy’s Oil. We will also supply plenty of drinking water.
Here is a partial list of the work to be completed to reopen our fellowship hall and chapel:
Fellowship hall
• Clean up construction debris
• Clean walls, floor, ceiling, windows
• Clean all stack tables
• Wipe down and steam-clean folding chairs
• Clean and sort through cabinet and drawer contents
• Clean refrigerator (inside and out)
• Install flooring
• Install new toilets
• Redesign kitchen floor plan
• Order new cabinetry
Chapel
• Clean walls, floor, ceiling, windows
• Clean the carpet on the the pews
• Apply Murphy’s Oil to the woodwork
Outside
• Load dumpster/trailer with damaged items and construction debris
• Power-wash building and sidewalk
• Rake pine straw off roof over kitchen
We’re Asking for Your Opinion and Ideas
Please list some things that you think make Swift Presbyterian Church special. And list things that you think could be done to make the Swift congregation and its mission grow. Please pray about this first.
That’s what people attending the adult class during Vacation Bible School were asked to do near the end of the final night.
Here are some things that were cited:
►Swift pluses: friendliness, kindness and a loving, caring, nurturing attitude; humility of pastoral staff; a variety of ways to get involved, such as through the choirs; a great music program; Sunday school classes and other Bible studies; a peaceful setting; the passing of the peace during worship; an informative and inviting website; Cursillo; Pastor Keith leading a discussion class between worship services; GriefShare; the preschool; the food pantry; the meal gatherings of “Two or More,” “Butterfly Girls” and “Guys’ Night Out.”
►Ideas for growth of the church and proposals for other church needs: come up with more ways to get youth and young families involved; a bigger mission footprint in the world; a fellowship elder to focus on more events for fellowship to include people who attend both Sunday services and reach out to others; help hold worship services where services aren’t available; community projects; hymn sings.
What do you think as a member of the Swift family of faith? We want to know. On our website, www.swiftchurch.org, we have a form that you can use to tell us what you think makes Swift special. We have added another form where you can suggest growth and service opportunities. And there is a spot on that form where you can say how you think God is leading you to get involved or deepen your involvement in Swift Church’s mission:
Swift Church strives to be a biblically based community bringing God joy. Through the Holy Spirit we seek to become and make disciples of Jesus Christ in order to welcome unconditionally, worship passionately, grow faithfully, serve boldly and give extravagantly.
MISCELLANEOUS
BIG “Thank You” to All Our VBS Staff and Students
Thanks to all volunteers who helped make our “surfin’ ” experience at Vacation Bible School so successful.
Thanks to Tosha Thomas, Tara Morrow, Teresa Thomas and Lauren Peters, who were instrumental in this success … our teachers: Lisa Cardwell, Brett and Pate Cardwell, Megan Curry, Tara Morrow, Carlie Sims, and Tosha Thomas … our sound and media: Jimbo Woodall, Bridgit Gosa, Marvin King, Jane King, Lynn Aspray and Devery Thomas … those who prepared meals and desserts every evening … those who cleaned up … those who came to the adult Bible lessons … and the children who participated each evening as they learned about Jesus and his disciples.
Greetings from Bob Kinblom and Sultry Minnesota
We’ve been having Gulf weather for the last week, 90s and humid, most are complaining — don’t know why, the weather usually gets heck. Want to thank you all for sending me bulletins and news, keeps me in touch with my all-time favorite congregation.
I ordered flowers in memory of Gerri’s birthday July 30. Swift was Gerri’s church for the last several years of her life, mine too. I thought that flowers at Swift would be most appropriate and I’m certain she would agree.
Not much new in Hinckley; we did have our annual family get together last week in Iron River, Wisconsin. I think we’ve been doing this for about 10 years. Usually was over Gerri’s birthday, moved it up to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Had 25 on Sunday, all the grandkids were in the water, tubing, wakeboard, skiing and jet-skiing. Several tanks of fuel, but a great time. Each family takes a turn with meals, so it works fine, with the exception of too much food most of the time, could be worse; God is very good to us.
Greet all you good folks for me.
Love,
Bob
