Monday, December 17, 2012

December 2012

A Note from Pastor Ben
Dear Friends,

I decided to give up Facebook during the Advent and Christmas seasons. There are two reasons for this: the first is that, like many people around the world, I find it hard to resist the siren call of social media, and Facebook, for me, has become a time-sucking distraction—something I don’t need during a clergyman’s busiest season.

But a bigger reason for my holiday from Facebook has to do with my college friend, Maggie Henry, who suffered an aneurysm and died while vacationing on Cape Cod in August of this year. I learned of Maggie’s passing the old way—a brief obituary was included in the class notes section in the November issue of our college’s alumni magazine—and my first reaction, upon reading the sad news was incredulity. “Maggie cannot be dead, I told myself, she’s my friend on Facebook.” Immediately, I logged onto Facebook and I saw her Icon in the rouges gallery of my electronic friends. I went over to her page and found it to be very much alive. There were a few tributes on her timeline, but some messages were left by friends who were, apparently, entirely unaware that Maggie had died, leaving behind a husband and three teenaged children.

I felt let down by Facebook. I had grown dependent on social media to bring me the important news of friends old and new, close by and far flung, but it turns out that some kinds of information are best transmitted in the old-fashioned medium of ink on paper, delivered by a postal worker who knows your name.

Facebook and other social media sites offer us a bogus sense of community. We log on, we chat, we exchange ideas and stories and information, and it can be a wonderful experience, but it is not community. Real community happens when we  meet face to face. Real community happens in venues we cannot power off—in our homes and in our neighborhoods, in our families and in our churches—and during this season that remembers the birth of Jesus, the Child of Mary, who is God with us, I want more of what is real in my life, and I want community that is as incarnate and as present as the Christ Child, whose real presence inspired a king’s hatred, the adoration of the Magi, the shepherds’ devotion, and the praise of angels.

So if you are my friend on Facebook, I’ll be back on after Epiphany. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping it real.

A Blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas to You,
Ben

Sunday Morning Hymn Sing
Sunday, December 9, 16, & 30 at 10:15AM

Arrive early on Sunday December 9, 16, and 30 for a Hymn Sing right before church at 10:15 AM. 
Dawn Imada’s ukulele group will lead the singing of Christmas hymns and carols from the hymnal.

Sunday School Christmas Party
Sunday, December 16 during regular Sunday School time

The Sunday School Christmas Party is on Sunday, December 16 during regular Sunday school time.  All Sunday school aged children and grandchildren are invited.  Please RSVP to Bertha Nelson

Women's Ministry Invites You to a Cookie Exchange
Saturday, December 15, 2012 1:30 - 3:30, Room 9

If you aren’t a baker you are still invited to come for the fellowship.

Please bring four dozen cookies, wrapped in packages of a half dozen (eight packages) plus a half dozen for sampling during the party. Also, bring copies of your recipe to pass around. If there are family stories and/or traditions for a cookie please tell us about it. Please bring a container to take your cookie assortment home.

Questions? Please contact Marilyn Kromrey, Nancy Leonard or Dana Marino.













The Lord’s Pantry Helping 650 Families in Need
The Lord’s Pantry is helping 650 families to have a merrier Christmas this year by providing Christmas
dinner, gifts for children, and diapers for babies.

This year instead of focusing on collecting food, we will partner with the Lord’s Pantry by collecting items that are greatly needed and not often donated.

baby wipes and diapers of all sizes.

Diapers are expensive and have a great impact on the budget of families that are already food insecure. Please help by donating baby wipes and diapers of all sizes. You can also help by collecting coupons for diapers.
young adult fiction

Instead of collecting toys this year, we are going to collect books for young adults up to 16 years old. Books need not be new, but should be in good condition. The following is a list of the top ten teen books
according to Barnes and Nobel:
The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
Pretty Little Liars Series #12, by Sara Shepard
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Matched Trilogy, by Ally Condie
Divergent Series #1, by Veronica Roth
Harry Potter Series, by J. K. Rowling

We will need volunteers to wrap the books. Please contact Peg in the church office to volunteer or donate wrapping paper.

Socks and Hygiene Items Needed

Foothill is working with Greg Plant and First Presbyterian Church to feed the homeless and provide them with items such as new socks and toiletries. The homeless spend most of the day on their feet, and having new good quality socks is a great comfort for them.

Please bring new socks and the following hygiene items to be distributed through the Bag Lunch for the Homeless program at First Presbyterian Church. toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, razors,
deodorant, laundry soap, feminine products, and lotion

For more information or to volunteer , contact Greg Plant at First Presbyterian 49 North 4th Street,
San Jose, CA 95112, (408) 297-7212.

Preschool is Having Fun in December with 39 Kids


December’s spiritual message is “Peace and Giving”.  Saturday, December 15 is Christmas Family Fun Day.  Activities on the 15th include gingerbread house making, gift exchange, and pictures with Santa.

Preschool will be closed from Monday, December 24 to Tuesday, January 1 and will reopen Wednesday, January 2, 2013.


You Know the Preacher, Meet the Teacher
Julie Cline

If you attend the regular Sunday morning service at FPC, you are most likely aware of Ben Daniel’s gift for preaching, but what I would like to affirm to you is his gift for teaching. I’ve attended several of the “extras” that Ben offers in the evenings at FPC—the book discussions, the Bible studies and the latest, a comparison of the Christmas story in the four Gospels. He approaches teaching as soundly as he does preaching, referring to excellent scholarly works, reflecting on what’s happening in the world right now and sharing what he carries in his heart. Unlike Sunday morning, we students get to ask questions and enter into a more active process of engaging the word of the Lord. When Ben combines a class with his cooking or playing his guitar, well, that’s an added bonus. I also enjoy getting in a couple of extra prayers during the middle of the week. I find that pausing to ponder and to pray, with an assist from a good teacher, is manna in my weekly wilderness. I invite you to take advantage of the opportunities that Ben is providing our congregation. Come meet Teacher Ben. He’s every bit as likeable as the Pastor and the Preacher!

After School Art Activities
Wednesday Afternoons in the Fellowship Hall


Beginning in January, Christine Harkins and Julie Cline will be providing art lessons for children and youths aged 6 to 12 years. Together, Christine and Julie have experience with a variety of media: oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastes, collage and sculpting. Both also have had many years of experience working with children. As the classes progress and the instructors become familiar with their students, , Christine and Julie hope to fashion lessons that reflect their students' particular talents and interests. Classes will begin at 3:30 PM and end at 5:00 PM. The cost will be $ 65 for a 6 weeks session. The deadline for registration is December 19th. For more information or to sign up, please contact Julie Cline (juliacline@sbcglobal.net or 408-258-4984).

Easy Fundraising at Orchard
Peg Nickl, Office Administrator

Help Foothill collect Club Orchard Points.  Every time you shop at Orchard you can help offset the churches maintenance and repair costs by entering the churches phone number into the card reader before paying for your items. 

We get one point for every dollar spent using the church’s Club Orchard account.  We get $5 for every 250 points.  If we all remember to enter the church’s phone number the points are sure to add up quickly.  So remember enter 408-258-8133 before you pay at Orchard.

Halloween Festival a Successful and Appreciated Community Event!!!
(Thanks to the volunteers and to those who made donations)
Nancy and Bill Leonard and Peg Nickl

A special thank you to all who helped make the 2012 Halloween Festival happen:

Decorating on Friday and Saturday morning – Connie Carpio, Liz Barragan, Gary and Ryan Robertson and Scouts from Troup 13, Herb and Jan Miller, Jerry Siegfried, Bill and Nancy Leonard, Julie Cline and Christine Harkins and Peg Nickl;

Setting up and running games – Kevin Rockwood, Ronn and Anna Ealy, Sue LeValley, Jan Miller; Peg Nickl and Michelle Cassillas;

Fortune teller – Joanne Sanchez;

Manning the Trick or Treat doors – Jahn Wallace and Angie Carillo, Don Village,
Harvey LeValley and Virginia Siegfried;

Thanks to the Siegfrieds – Jerry, Jeff, Brian, Yvonne and Darlene – for the wagon ride;

For the Enchanted House organized by Julie Cline and manned by Julie and Dana Marino and helped by the Nickl brothers;

And of course, the kitchen crew – Darlene Ristrim, Ruby Milam, Bill and Sue Waldrop,
Joyce Banks and Rene’ Banks;

Greeters – Gay Southwell and Jane Wallace;

Popcorn lady – Tine Ude;

Thanks to everyone for help with the take down and clean-up – especially Heather Paunet who stayed late to vacuum so the narthex would be ready for Sunday morning.

Halloween means candy and lots of it, so thanks to all of the church family and friends, including the
Jazzersize ladies who brought candy.

Extra candy and hotdogs were donated to the Lord’s Pantry before Halloween.

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