We are Family By Ginna Lister

On Wednesday, November 19, 2014 something really special happened, right before my eyes. It seemed at first

glance a Wednesday like any other. The halls of the educational wing were filling with the sounds of Middle

School youth as they began gather after school for homework time and fellowship.

The music room was ringing with the notes of elementary hand bells. I was scurrying around making sure the

classrooms were ready for children later in the night. Just a typical Wonderful Wednesday, or so I thought.

During the time of gathering in the Sanctuary, we sang a lovely Thanksgiving hymn and Bill opened with prayer,

just as he does each week. See, no different than any other week. Then it was time for my weekly

announcements. I reminded the group of our dinner at OJ’s following Bible study, urged them to buy t-shirts for

the Youth Mission Fundraiser and offered Advent devotionals for families to use. Then it happened. I told the

group that due to Thanksgiving, we would NOT have Wonderful Wednesday the next week, so that “you could

spend time with your families” during the Thanksgiving break.

At that moment, Addie Sanders (a 3rd grade girl in the second row) exclaimed,

“Wait, but this is OUR Family!”

I could hardly continue with my announcements. She’s right you know. WE ARE FAMILY. What is so amazing is

that Addie’s family had only been members of EPC for just over a year when she so boldly made that profound

statement. WE ARE FAMILY. She had been listening; to Sunday school teachers, to children’s church lessons, to

sermons, to hymns, to her parents and to her friends. In that moment, she reminded all of us of that Biblical

truth – we are family, we are God’s family – brothers and sisters in Christ.

As in any family …

We love and we argue

We comfort and we hurt one another

We laugh and we cry

We help and we hinder

We play and we get jealous sometimes

But above all, we have been given this precious gift of being a part of God’s family together. So through it all,

WE ARE FAMILY.

Day by day as the spent much time together in the

temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with

glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the

good will of all people. And day by day the Lord added to

their number those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

Our Neighbors House is a ministry provided by Easley Presbyterian

Church in partnership with The Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network or

GAIHN. Our Neighbors House provides short term housing for families

transitioning from homelessness to full-time housing. Our house gives families a

place to live while they earn money and save up for a place of their own.

At the present time, we have a single mother and her two children, a 7 year old

boy and 9 year old girl, living in the house. The mother is working hard to take

care of her children and maintain her 9 to 5 job. They are a beautiful family who

is working hard to get back on their feet.

This Christmas GAIHN gave us the

opportunity to provide a special

Christmas for this family. On

Sunday December 14th the

congregation was challenged to

donate five-hundred dollars to

this cause. In a week’s time close

to two-thousand dollars was

raised for the family! With this

generous donation Easley

Presbyterian Church was able to

purchase not only toys for the

children but clothes and other

essentials for the whole family.

Also, with the extra money raised,

the church was able to help fix

the broken heat in the mother’s

van and complete some needed

repairs around the house. This gift

will allow them to make progress in their quest for sustainability and the family

is very appreciative.

Thank you to everyone who donated and sacrificed to help provide for this

family. Thank you for being the church and generously showing love to others

the way Christ has shown love to us.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

First Grade Worship Education – begins January 11 during the 11:00 service.

The First Grade Worship Education will focus on all the parts of worship including: The Lord’s Prayer, The Doxology, the Gloria Patri, The Lord’s Supper, Baptism, how to read the bulletin, how to read a hymn, and much more! The goal of the class is to learn why we worship, why it is so important, and to help children feel more comfortable in worship. Children will be able to be participate fully in the service if they understand the parts of worship and if they understand how to read and follow the bulletin.

We will meet in the room that children’s church has been meeting in. (Children’s church is moving to the nursery area in January). We will leave at the Prayer for Children during the service for our time together. Please call or email Ginna Lister if you have any questions.

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Make Sunday School a part of your new year’s resolution!

If you have been looking for a Sunday School class, or have just been out of the habit for a while, now is the time to get back into it. Come to a place to strengthen your faith while strengthening your ties with others, through bible study, discussion and fellowship.

Adult classes include:

Discovery: Led by Kathy Lyles

Life and Faith –College age class (meets during breaks) –Led by Floride and Nick Caldwell

Seasons –Led by Laura and Eric Anthony

Seeking Fellowship –Led by Duane Hurne

Sojourners –Led by Billy Waddell

Stages –Led by Anne Seel

And of course, there is a spot in Sunday School for all ages of children and youth.

Hope to see you in 2015!

Safe Place Training January 4 @

10:00 AM in Church Library

This training is for all who who work with

our children and youth and who have not

previously been trained. Please contact

Ginna if you have any questions.

New Children’s Church Location

beginning in January

Our Children’s Church will be moving on

January 4 to the classroom beside the

nursery. This will allow all nursery &

preschool children to be in the same wing

providing convenience for families. Our

nursery workers will also help in Children’s

Church when available. Signs will be posted

to help you find your way.

Equipping the Saints classes

resume Jan 18

How to Read the Bible led by Bill Seel.

Wonderful Wednesday will resume January 7. If you have not made WW a regular part of

your week, why not give it a try now! Where else can you enjoy a good meal, visit with friends, meet new ones and be challenged by thought provoking Bible studies? Plus, we will have the added benefit of meeting and eating to-gether in our beautiful, new, stink-free space!! Remember to register for dinner online or on the bulletin tear slip.

According to some who attend regularly, here are the…. Top Ten Reasons to Come to Wonderful Wednesday: 10. You don’t have to wait until Sunday to see your church family 9. A tasty dinner is prepared by someone else and you don’t have to wash dishes! 8. Getting to know folks you may not already know 7. It’s a casual, fun, family-type fellowship with other church members 6. Giving and receiving support from your church-family mid-week 5. Children and youth learn God’s word in new, fun and creative ways! 4. Seeing the excitement of children playing! 3. Friendships are found and relationships are formed that last a lifetime! 2. Classes are always educational, thought-provoking and enable us to grow in our knowledge & faith 1. A mid-week pause to be reminded of God and a great way to get “re-charged” each week.

There will be one class option for adults. Adults will remain in the Fellowship Hall for class beginning in January. Led by Dr. Bill Seel.

Temptation in the Desert January 7 The Familiar Voice of Judgment January 14 The Surprise of Being Beloved January 21 The Temptation to Be Full January 28 The Temptation to Be Certain

The preschool and elementary children will be studying “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Come see what makes Wednesday so Wonderful!

EPC Basketball is in full swing –

come support one of our many church teams.

Schedules are available at

www. Easleypresbyterian.org/news and events.

Come cheer on EPC teams!

Mark your calendars now for VBS 2015

June 7-11 from 5:30-8:30pm each night at Easley Presbyterian Church!

More information to follow!

December is a frantic month full of activity and fun. This December EPCHigh equipped their minds by focusing on having confidence in their identity in Christ. In our first meeting of the month we discussed how to combat hate and prejudice with love, humility, and a God-centered view of all things. In our second meeting we watched a session of Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God DVD series. In this session we learned to have confidence that Jesus is the only way to heaven while still being compassionate and kind to those who disagree. We learned to see God’s grace as a gift instead of something that has to be earned. We learned to admit that we are not perfect but Jesus comes to meet us instead of the other way around. In our third meeting we connected with each other at our annual Christmas party. We gathered at the Caldwell home and enjoyed a gift card exchange and tacky Christmas sweaters. In our final meeting we practiced our faith by volunteering with the Pickens County Animal Shelter. EPCMiddle had switched p there schedule and had an exciting December! In our first meeting we were able to equip our minds and study practical ways to share our faith in our daily lives. We asked the question, “Are you proud to be a Christian?” We discussed this in-depth and decided that we were. Then the students were challenged to live their lives in ways that reflect Christ and not to be afraid of talking about something they loved so much. In our second

meeting we gathered with the rest of the Wonderful Wednesday congregation and sang Christmas carols to some of our shut-ins. EPCmiddle made up about half of the large group of 70 carolers. There joy and enthusiasm was contagious and spread throughout the whole group. The middle school students then held their annual Christmas party the following Sunday. Around 30 students showed up and swapped white elephant gifts

and enjoyed each other’s fellowship. EPCmiddle took the final two weeks of December off for the holidays and will return strong in 2015!

Healing from Divorce group will resume Thursday, January 8, at 6 p.m., in

Room E201 with Rev. Beth Templeton. Beth will speak on the topic of “Growth.”

This group welcomes anyone who is facing the challenges of separation or divorce.

Child care for this group is available. If you or someone you know is interested in

learning more, please contact Ginna Lister or Christie Gravely.

Amazing Grays February 4

Guest Speaker: Phyllis Spearman Come hear author, Phyllis Spearman tell about growing up in a Mill Village near Easley. We will meet in the Soujourner’s Class Room E201 at 10:00 a.m. We will have lunch afterward at a local restaurant. If you have any questions, call Denise at 616-7454.

January 7

Bingo

at Foothill Presbyterian Community

Meet there in the lobby at 12:00

noon Bring money for lunch Bring white elephant gifts If you have any questions, call Denise at 616-7454.

*************************************************************** Are you interested in a Spring getaway to Callaway Gardens with Christian Tours on April 16-18? Join us on January 26 to learn more. We will meet at the Church at 10:45 then take the bus to Harbor Inn in Greenville for a Dutch lunch at 11:30 and an informational meeting at 12:30. Plan on making a $100 deposit that day if you are interested. Call Denise at 616-7454 for more details.

Dustin & Zane Coats

Gavin, Jack, Sara Margaret

110 Lockmere Ct., Easley SC 29642

640-9750 / 640-2376

Sharron Godfrey

530 Brighton Cir., Easley SC 29642

414-0239

Women’s Retreat Feb. 27 - Mar. 1, 2015

You are invited to attend our Retreat at Kanuga, located just outside of Flat Rock, NC, on the weekend of February 27 through March 1, 2015. You may choose to come up just on Saturday (the 28th) or to spend one or two nights enjoying the peace and time away, with other EPC women. Brochures with much more information will be available in January. The retreat theme and activities are being creatively developed around the idea of “Listening for God” (in a busy and noisy world). In our everyday lives we always seem to be going somewhere, doing something, caring for someone, cleaning and earning and preparing and fixing and meanwhile we are listening to music or TV or friends or sports or commercials. Please consider joining us for a weekend to experience the opposite of all of this: where the Kanuga staff cook good food, you have no chores or responsibilities, so we have time to experiment with both shared and individual ways we might be able to listen for, and even hear, God speaking to us.

Easley Presbyterian Women will be cooking

up homemade soups, chili and cornbread to

sell the Saturday before the Super Bowl.

Make your Super Bowl party easy or freeze

some for a later simple supper. Order forms

will be available in early January. The orders

will be picked up on Saturday, January 31,

2015. The proceeds from the soup sales will

go to Salvation Army.

Circle Meetings for December

For more information about Easley Presbyterian Women, or about joining a Circle, please contact EPW Moderator Lori Brock at 350-4644 or lori_brock@yahoo.com.

Coordinating Team will meet in the Church Library on Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. F.I.S.H. Circle will meet in Room E206 on Jan. 11 at 4:00 p.m. F.R.O.G. Circle will meet Jan. 15 at 10:00 a.m. Journey Circle will meet Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Joy Circle will meet in the home of Mary Boggess Jan. 6 at 7:00 p.m. Supper Sisters Circle will meet Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday AM Circle will meet in the Church Library Jan. 14 at 10:00 a.m.

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR JANUARY

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 Church Office Closed SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4 Safe Place Training, 10:00 AM Ordination/Installation of Officers, 11:00 AM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6 Joy Circle, 7:00 PM (home of Mary Boggess)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 Wonderful Wednesday Classes resumes Amazing Grays Outing WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 Divorce Group 6:00 PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 First Grade Worship Ed. Begins Dedication of new facilities, 10:00 AM Officer Retreat F.I.S.H. Circle, 4:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 Wednesday AM Circle, 10:00 AM, Library THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 FROG Circle, 10:00 AM Supper Sisters, 6:30 PM

SUNDAY OPPORTUNITIES

9:00 AM Worship Service 10:00 AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Worship Service 5:30 PM EPC High 6:30 PM Adult Handbells

WEDNESDAY OPPORTUNITIES

3:30 PM EPCMiddle 4:00 PM Handchimes 4:30 PM Youth Handbells 4:45 PM Children’s Choir 5:10 PM Youth Choir 5:30 PM Dinner 6:15 PM Wonderful Wednesday Classes 7:10 PM Adult Choir

Other Weekly

Meetings

Prayer Group, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM

Men’s Bible Study & Break-fast, Thursdays

at 6:30 AM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 Equipping the Saints, 4:00 PM Diaconate/Session, 6:00 PM Journey Circle, 6:30 PM MONDAY, JANUARY 19 Book Club, 7:00 PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 Divorce Group, 6:30 PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 - SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 High School Ski Trip, West Virginia TUESDAY, JANUARY 27 SHINE, 4:30 PM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 PW Coordinating Team Meeting, 10:00 AM

Sharon Beard 1 Charlene Brock 1 Grace Cook 1 Curtis Davis 1 Aaron Ellison 1 Brayden Ellison 1 Drew Schonhar 1

Michelle Wiles 3

Harry Carson 4 Anna English 4 Sharron Godfrey 4 Eric Pernotto 4 Dyke Spencer 4

Ken Kavanagh 5 Sue Kavanagh 5 Beth Taylor 5

Ellen Davis 6 John DuBose 6 Skyler Lorey 6 Matthew Wilbanks 6

Terry Ledford 7 Farrell Moss 7 Cyndi Sheriff 7

Cathlin Guernsey 8 Grayson Howerton 8 Patsy Rogers 8

Bobbi Laue 9 Cynthia Waddell 9

Arden Van Wagner 10

Wylie Furr 11 Stacey Garrison 11

Cherie Benton 12

Bruce Adkins 14 Jacob Davis 14 Debra Gantt 14 Joyce Massingill 14

Seth Cook 15

Deborah Mintz 15 Parker Myhand 15 Ben Prins 15

Brad Barker 16 Deedie Hancock 16 Bob Hazen 16 Frank Ward 16

Jennifer Willis 17

David Reed 18

Jack Nunnery 19 John Robinson 19

Jim Brice 20 Sara Kavanah 20 Richard Mintz 20 Ashley Nicholson 20 Rebecca Parker 20 Katie Porter 20 Clark Rettberg 20 Bill Wilhelm 20

Barry Brock 21 Sandy Lamberson 21 Parker Smith 21 Meg Sullivan 21

Margaret Bishop 22

Joan Groome 23 Hannah Willis 23

Samantha Lake 24 Don Lorey 24 Jackie Orr 24 Jason Sanders 24

Kelvin Kearse 25

Lauren Jones 27

Sally Hansen 28 Zachary Stover 28 Ron Taylor 28

Lydia Branham 31 David Owen 31

Rick & Eleanor Swillen 4

Harry & Lynn Human 5

Cliff & Reshcin Moore 5

Gary & Brenda Thompson 6

Matt & Sally Boozer 7

Tony & Charlene Brock 14

Randy & Ann Todd 15

Tracy & Sally Barnes 19

Bill & Kaye Bowick 20

Jack & Tonya Drawdy 25

Jim & Barbara Stuckey 29

Bud & Anita Nalley 30

The mission of Easley Presbyterian Church is to reach out and invite people to

join in the life and love of Jesus Christ, to nurture them in the Christian faith

within the tenets of Presbyterianism and to send them into the world to serve.

Church Staff

Pastor

Rev. Dr. Bill Seel

Associate Pastor

Rev. Christie S. Gravely

Director of Christian Education

Ginna Lister

Director of Youth & Missions

Thomas Clanton

Director of Music

Dr. Ralph Boggess

Youth Choir Director

Angela Weisner

Youth Handbell Director

Bunny Deener

Kindergarten Director

Libby Dodson

Church Secretary

Jonene Garrett

Financial Secretary

Nancy Cochran

Christian Education Secretary

Cynde Whitmire

Building Superintendent

Tony Brock

Asst. Building Superintendent

Mel Brock

Easley Presbyterian Church

200 South 1st Street

Easley, SC 29640

OFFICE 864.859.4220 FAX 864.859.0212

www.easleypresbyterian.org

Worship: Sunday 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School: 10:00 a.m.

Class of 2015

Stewart Bauknight

Scott Beane

Karen Cooper

Joel Ledbetter

Phil Lyles

Monty Oxendine

Carl Walsh

Scott Wilbanks

Class of 2016

Phil Barker

Floride Caldwelll

Paul Cook

John Cutchin

Chuck Dawkins

Terri French

Kathy Lyles

Dan Nunnery

Class of 2017

Nick Caldwell

Tracey Lake

Dennis Latham

Richard Mintz

Ruth Rice

Alfred Robinson

Billy Waddell

David Weaver

Class of 2015

Linda Black

Rick Gantt

Jennifer Graham

Meg Jewell

Steve Lewis

Wilma Shealy

Elizabeth Weaver

David Whittemore

Class of 2016

Barry Brock

Dottie Grantham

David Houck

Greg Lucas

Deborah Mintz

David Mitchell

Heidi Roach

Will Young

Class of 2017

Gregg Branham

Kelli Burnett

Rachel Coon

Clare Nunnery

Rex Rice

Chuck Riehm

Robert Sams

Carey York

Church Officers Session

Diaconate

Trustees

Elder Emeritus: Bill Robinson

Jim Brice Hubert Bowick Dan Spearman