All Saints Sunday
A bell will ring in memory of church family and friends who have died over the past year.
8:00 and 10:00 worship
Christ the King Sunday
Lessons and carols in celebration of the church year
First Sunday of Advent — Hope
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
The Swift Church Session met on Oct. 18.
■ The session spent a lot of time discussing physical maintenance and upgrades around the church. The driveway is complete and paid for. The trees left leaning by Hurricane Sally are removed. We will look into renting a grinder to clear away the stumps. The rotten siding on the fellowship hall and chapel has been addressed. One window with a rotten frame has been sent off for repair. The session authorized contracting for $10,000 to paint that whole exterior. Gutters on the annex have never worked correctly. Buildings and grounds will seek volunteers to remove them. The annex has issues with mold and mildew. We will contract with a company to clean duct work and vents and seek suggestions on future maintenance and prevention.
The session authorized a subcommittee under buildings and grounds to promote and proceed with exploring the creation of a garden area on the east, west and south side of the chapel, removal of the old buried butane tank, and chapel porch extension. This whole area will offer a walking garden as well as an outdoor chapel space. An existing balance of $1,265 from the outdoor chapel fund will be used.
■ We received a report that the Rev. Bob Madsen, current pastor at Andalusia, will become the new regional presbytery executive beginning Nov. 1.
■ Reviewing our COVID policy, a lot has changed for the better in the past month. We will immediately remove the tape blocking off pews. 8:00 worship will begin on Nov. 14 as well as all other activities that have been postponed. The fellowship committee will provide lunch on Nov. 21 after 10:00 worship.
►Walking prayer garden and outdoor chapel
Plans are underway for a complete re-landscaping of the chapel grounds. Plans for this are in the beginning stages but the idea is to have a beautiful walking garden from the west-side ramp and parking lot, sweeping around the chapel front to the east side junction of the historic chapel and the fellowship hall. Included in this will be the layout of an outdoor chapel. The walking garden will offer benches, perhaps an arbor with a swing, for people to stop, sit, meditate and pray. The garden will be accessible to everyone.
Work on this garden will be from volunteers from the church and community. If gardening preparation and implementation is one of your gifts, we welcome your help. If you will be thinning out your day lilies or agapanthus or other flowers, let us know. We might incorporate them into the garden.
Lynn Aspray will head this up under the authority of buildings and grounds. The goal is to have this complete by spring.
Important dates to remember
■ Remember to set your clocks back one hour on Sunday, Nov. 7. Standard time resumes at 2 a.m.
■ Worship in the chapel resumes at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14.
■ Session will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15.
MUSIC NOTES Lisa Cardwell | music director
Nov. 7
All Saints Day: Handbell choir will be playing an anthem as well as leading the congregation in honoring those beloved saints who have moved to their heavenly homes during this past year. We will hear their names called out, and a bell will be played in their memory. If you haven’t submitted your loved ones’ names, please do so by Nov. 2 as it will take some preparation to prepare this treasured tradition.
Nov. 21
Christ the King Sunday: We will celebrate the seasons of the church year with a lessons and carols service.
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Radical hospitality
►‘Two or More’ fellowship lunch
The “Two or More” fellowship lunch group will meet for the first time since the pandemic on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 11:30 a.m. This is a casual fellowship event open to everyone.
This month, we will go to MJ’s Grill, located at 24851 State St., Elberta. Join us and bring a friend!
Please RSVP by Nov. 3 to Pastor Jody Beth, 251-213-6625.
►Butterfly Girls and Guys Night Out
Make plans to attend our next dinner at Cracker Barrel in Foley on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m.
Please note the time change.
Please let Mary McNair (marymcnair@centurylink.net) know if you plan to attend.
►Below: Happy faces enjoying Mexican cuisine at Vallarta Mexican Restaurant
SAVE THE DATE
Mark your December calendar for our Swift Church Christmas dinner at Wolf Bay Lodge — Thursday, Dec. 16, at 6 p.m.
In order to reserve a banquet room, we have to have a minimum number of people attending. Please let Mary McNair (marymcnair@centurylink.net) know ASAP if you plan to attend so she can confirm the reservation.
Final plans will be confirmed in the December newsletter.
Mission and service
►Food pantry
The Swift Church food pantry served 44 families and 77 individuals during October.
The pantry will be open again on Nov. 10 and 24 from 10 to 11 a.m.
We are asking if you will help us supply total items they can use for a Thanksgiving dinner. This includes non-perishable items such as the following: box of stuffing mix, box of mashed potatoes, can of green beans, can of corn, can of yams, jar of gravy or package of gravy mix, can of cranberry sauce, package of dinner rolls, and something sweet for dessert.
Or if you would rather, a donation can be placed in the offering plate, designating on your check for “Food Pantry” and for “Thanksgiving.”
Intentional faith development
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION REPORT
►Cheryl’s adult Sunday school class
Cheryl’s class meets every week at 9 a.m. in room 2 in the annex.
We enjoy coffee, fellowship and Bible study.
Come grow with us as we continue our study in the New Testament.
— Cheryl Jensen
►‘Snacks with Susan and Daryl’ adult Sunday school class
Join us in the fellowship hall at 9 a.m. for some intriguing conversation about the Ten Commandments.
Beginning Oct. 31, we are going to look at Liquid: The Ten. It explores the Ten Commandments in a very contemporary light through the stories of drivers on the I-10 expressway. No preparation necessary — just join us for snack and discussion.
This Bible study will conclude on Nov. 18. However, joiners are welcome and encouraged.
Facilitators are Pastor Jody Beth and Philip.
Contact Pastor Jody Beth for Zoom links to join the study.
Extravagant generosity
►Please remember to give
Generosity describes the Christian’s unselfish willingness to give in order to make a positive difference for the purposes of Christ. Extravagant generosity describes practices of sharing and giving that exceed all expectations and extend to unexpected measures.
Thank you for your generous pledges and ongoing offerings. Your support and commitment to our church is greatly appreciated.
►Stewardship campaign for 2022
Our stewardship campaign goal for 2022 is $175,000, and to date, we have pledges totaling $130,221. This amount is needed for our church to continue to do God’s work and spread God’s word throughout our community and beyond.
The campaign will continue through Sunday, Nov. 7. We are grateful for the pledge cards that have been completed and submitted. If you need a pledge card, they are located on the sideboard in the sanctuary.
Stewardship isn’t just one element of the Christian life; it is the Christian life. God gives us time, talents, abilities, resources, and finances and entrusts us to use them for His glory.
►About online giving
Using your “smart phone” and this box you can connect to the church’s online giving page. You can set up for automatic donations of your tithes or one-time gifts to a number of funds benefiting ministries of Swift Church. Use this by either entering your credit/debit card information or your checking account information. Of course, this is a secure website.
You can also do the same thing by clicking a donation link on the church’s website.
►Church library
If you are an avid reader — young or old — come check out our library in the annex. Not only are there classics and books for young readers, there are biographies, fiction and even books featuring religious topics. Come browse on a rainy day and check out a book. You will be surprised with the many familiar authors and topics available. Children’s books are in room 3 in the annex.
Swift Church Preschool
Abby Sikes has served as our church preschool director since August 2019. We would like to thank her for her dedication and leadership during this time. Abby and her family are relocating to Tennessee to join her husband who began a new job in August. We wish Abby and her family all the best as they begin this new chapter in their lives!
We are happy to announce that Jessica Hammontree will be the new preschool director, effective Nov. 1. Jessica has been employed with the preschool since May 2017 and is the assistant director.
Kaitlin Fuller, who has taught at the preschool since March 2019, will assume the role of assistant director. We look forward to the continued success of our preschool program under their leadership.
October came and went with a flash! Thank you to all of the families that participated in our fall festival, and I know the students had a great time at their classroom Halloween parties.
Nov. 22–26 is Thanksgiving break. Please remember we will be closed for that week. We follow the Baldwin County Schools calendar.
November brings Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. Madam Blueberry in VeggieTales starts an episode unhappy with everything she has and believes that buying things will make her happy. She quickly learns that this is not the case. After loading her tree house down with everything she bought at the StuffMart, the tree house breaks. She ends up losing all of her belongings in a lake. She eventually comes across a little girl who is giving thanks to God for things in her life. Madam Blueberry learns that a “thankful heart is a happy heart.”
Wouldn’t it be fun as a family to create a book of things in your life that you are thankful to have? Each day you can brainstorm something to be thankful for and write it on a piece of paper while your child illustrates. These can be anything from having you as a parent to their school where they learn or a favorite toy. On days where we are struggling to be thankful, we can pull out the book with 30 different things written in it as a reminder to be thankful.
Fun days to remember:
Nov. 8: Wear orange
Nov. 11: Veterans Day — no school
Nov. 22–26: Thanksgiving break — no school
Nov. 18: Thanksgiving feast!
