epulse: December 18, 2009

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Christmas Eve Services

All are welcome to attend--there is a service for everyone! The 5pm service is designed for families and includes carols, children's choirs, communion and a children's sermon. Childcare is available for children ages 0-2 years. The 7 and 9pm services are candelight services led by Dr. Charles B. Hardwick. These services also include carols, communion and performances from 2PC choirs. Childcare will be available at the 7pm service for children 0-5 years. No childcare will be offered at the 9pm service.

December Session Update
 
The session is composed of the 19 elders who provide spiritual leadership for the church plus the pastoral staff. At its December 15 meeting, the session's topic of the day was the finalization of the 2010 budget. During the fall stewardship campaign, the session asked you to pray about and contribute toward a budget that would be four to six percent higher than 2009's budget.

The results to date show that God has been miraculously generous through your pledges: both the total dollar amount and the average pledge are approximately 6.5% higher than last year's. Because of God's goodness to us and through us in this, the session set a 2010 budget which is 5% higher than 2009's, for a total of 2.3 million dollars. (This figure includes other receipts beyond contributions/pledges.)

This increase allows for the specific ministries presented during the stewardship season to be funded for 2010: internships in ministries like children's, youth, worship, and assets; an assistant chef to help staff the ever-busier food ministry; and a proportional increase in the mission budget. Also included is money to support an ongoing TV ministry on a broadcast channel (more details to come).

The session also approved the format for discussing a motion from the worship committees regarding the U.S. flag. This discussion will occur at the 1/26/10 session meeting (6:30 to 9pm), and will be open for members of the congregation to observe.

Everyone's Invited

2PC Sermon Videos Available Online
Did you know you can view each Sunday's sermon on YouTube? Thanks to the diligent work of those who serve in the video booth, sermons can be viewed on www.YouTube.com/secondpres. You can also find a sermon description and the text to the sermon on http://secondpres.info. Check it out!

Storage for 2010 Group Sale Items Now Available
Thanks to the owners of ABC Storage, we have secured a donated storage space for Group Sale items. We know that estate items or items from a remodeling project need to be taken care of in a timely manor, and that donations would be made if storage space is available. However, we need to restrict this to furniture and higher priced items that you are not able to store until April. Please contact Cheryl Chrisman (378-4562 or jymmlc@mchsi.com) or Karen Kuntz (965-2927 or kuntz6@mchsi.com) for more information. Again, space is limited! The 2010 Group Sale will be on April 24. 

Serving on Saturday (SOS) Returns! (1/23)
Serving on Saturday returns on Saturday, January 23. The day will begin at 8am with a light breakfast and then we will go to various locations for work projects. We will work at Recycling for Families, Brigham School, the Habitat ReStore and Western Avenue Community Center. There will be a carnival at Western Avenue over the noon hour with games and some health screenings. Save the date and plan to be part of this worthwhile and fun-filled day. For more information, contact Carol White at 662-4862.

Adult Events

Friday Prayer Lunch (Every Friday)
Join us on Fridays at 12pm in F100B to share joys and concerns of 2PC members. Chef Paul provides an excellent meal ($5), there is a review of current prayer concerns and the fellowship can't be beat!  Everyone is welcome! Please RSVP to Kim Pare (828.6297 or kim.pare@secondpres.info) by Thursday if you plan to attend.

2PC Deacons Are There to Care
The 2PC deacons want to provide care to all church members. This includes visits, phone calls, emails or cards. Deacons also want to know about prayer concerns or hospital visits in order to better provide individual care. If you are not currently connected to a deacon and would like to be, please complete the card included in the Dec. 6 bulletin, or pick up a new one at the Welcome Center. Additionally, if you are not certain if you are already in a deacon's parish, please note that on the card. Please place the completed card in the offering plate or the Pastoral Care basket at the Welcome Center. If you have any questions about Deacon Ministries, please contact the Pastoral Care Office.

Youth Events

Commissioning Class (Begins January 10)
The Commissioning (confirmation) Class at 2PC is open to all 8th graders, and provides students with a faith formation experience that will allow them to be adult participants in the mission of the church. The end of the class is the beginning of the students' status as “commissioned” members of the church who are called to share the heart of Christ in the heart of the community wherever they go. A 2010 Commissioning Class Schedule and Details are available in a PDF file on the website (http://secondpres.info/2pc.ym). Please email janice.bauder@secondpres.info with further questions.

• Commissioning Class Retreat: There will be a retreat from Jan. 16-18 at East Bay Camp. The cost is $100 (due by Jan. 4) and registration forms are available at http://secondpres.info/2pc.ym.

High School WinterXtreme  (1/29-31, Deposit due by 1/11)
Calling all high school students! It's time for the WinterXtreme Retreat in East Troy, WI. Students spend the weekend hanging out with friends, meeting new ones, and participating in awesome activities (tobogganing, tubing and karaoke, to name a few). Students also share in meaningful times of worship. Registration forms may be found at http://secondpres.info/2pc.ym and a $25 deposit is due by Jan. 11. Please email janice.bauder@secondpres.info or josh.erickson@secondpres.info for further information.

Jr. High WinterXtreme  (2/5-7, Deposit due by 1/21)
Calling all jr. high school students! It's time for the WinterXtreme Retreat in East Troy, WI. Students spend the weekend hanging out with friends, meeting new ones, and participating in awesome activities (tobogganing, tubing and karaoke, to name a few). Students also share in meaningful times of worship. Registration forms may be found at http://secondpres.info/2pc.ym and a $25 deposit is due by Jan. 11. Please email janice.bauder@secondpres.info or josh.erickson@secondpres.info for further information.

Powerhouse Schedule
Powerhouse will resume after the holiday season on January 20. For information on Powerhouse programming and registration, as well as other youth programming, go to http://secondpres.info/groups/2pc.ym-junior-high. Please email janice.bauder@secondpres.info with questions.

Kids' Events

Kids of the Kingdom Schedule
Kids OK will resume after the holiday season on January 20. For information on Kids OK programming and registration, as well as other kids programming, go to http://secondpres.info/kids. Please email miranda.frank@secondpres.info with any questions.