Midweek News December 13, 2023

December 13, 2023

Announcements and Items of Interest

Third Sunday of Advent, December 17, worship at 11:00 a.m. Michael Willis, Irish Harpist, will provide special music for our worship service.

Our Christmas Potluck Luncheon will be held following worship. Ham, coffee, lemonade, and tea will be provided. Please bring a side dish to share. We will also be honoring Kathy Hutcheson, who is retiring after serving as our Music Director for 23 years. If you would like to bring a card for her, there will be a basket in the fellowship hall.

One of our Christmas traditions is to place poinsettias as decorations in the sanctuary for Christmas. Individuals can order a poinsettia in honor/memory of or to the Glory of God. Poinsettias are $10.00 each and the order forms are at the front and back of the sanctuary, as well as on this website. Please make checks out to Crossnore Presbyterian Church and designate for “poinsettias.” You can drop your form and check at the church office or mail it to Crossnore Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 386, Crossnore, NC 28616. Poinsettias can be taken home after the evening Christmas Eve Service.

Our annual Christmas Eve Offering provides funds for gas, propane, and electricity to families and individuals in financial need in Avery County. With rising costs for propane, gas, and electricity, this offering will make a real difference in the lives of so many people. If you will not be attending the Christmas Eve service, you can still share in this offering by writing a check made out to Crossnore Presbyterian Church, designating it for the “Christmas Eve Offering,” and mailing it to Crossnore Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 386, Crossnore, NC 28616. Thank you for caring and sharing!

Our Advent Bible Study continues this Wednesday, December 13, at 3 p.m., in the fellowship hall and continues through Wednesday, December 20. Pastor Jim Taylor is leading our study on the newly published book, Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation, by Bishop Will Willimon. What a great way to prepare for Christmas!

***Please Note the day and date change. Sunday, December 17, 3 p.m., Handbell Christmas Concert at Pineola Presbyterian Church.

Our Knitting & Crocheting Group will not meet Wednesday, December 20 and December 27.

Do everything in love. ~ Corinthians 16:14:

There will be a morning Christmas Eve Service at 11 a.m. on December 24 in the church sanctuary. Rev. Maggie Lauterer will be our preacher as we celebrate Christ’s birth. Every dollar of our Christmas Eve offering will go to provide electricity and heating for those in need in our county.

Our traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve Service will be held on Sunday, December 24, at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Christmas Eve Worship will be filled with special music, Christmas carols, scripture readings, Christmas stories, and prayers as we worship Christ, the babe born in Bethlehem, the Lord of all, and the Ruler over heaven and earth.

Two thank You notes from recipients of our Thanksgiving bags:
Thank You So much for the basket of goodies and the Ingles gift card. Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated. May God bless you richly as you continue his work. - H.B.

Thank you for the wonderful gift. Is was very nice of you to think of me. Bless you and the congregation. Happy New Year and very Merry Christmas to all of you. Thanks and may God be with you all. - P.P.

We celebrated Jackie Rullman’s graduation from ASU this past Sunday, December 10. She is graduating with high honors and has been accepted into law school for the fall at both Elon University and Campbell University. We are so proud of her.

Thank you to Carroll and Linda Berkley for the LED white pillar candles in the windows of the church. With the greenery setting them off, they are beautiful and perfect in our sanctuary. Thank you to Gene Hodges and George Riggsbee for bringing the heavy bleachers up from the basement, Maggie Lauterer and Terry Smith for picking up the poinsettias, and Cheryl Lewis and Jo Ann Riddle for setting them up so beautifully.

December Birthdays

 Patricia McGarr - December 1
 Noah Kidder - December 14
 Tasha Reid - December 16
 Linda Taylor - December 24

Prayer Requests

 Beverly Wait & Family

 Daryl Storm & Family

 Boyd Barrier & Family

 Eric & Jane Sowder & Family

 Robert & Melanie Dunn & Family

 Jill Sanders

 Owen, Bill and Laura Lind’s Grandson

 Gary Aldridge

 Melissa Church December 13, 2023

Midweek News December 10, 2023

Second Sunday of Advent, December 10, worship at 11:00 a.m.

Please come and join us for coffee and cake following worship.

Announcements and Items of Interest

Our annual Christmas Eve Offering provides funds for gas, propane, and electricity to families and individuals in financial need in Avery County. With rising costs for propane, gas, and electricity, this offering will make a real difference in the lives of so many people.

If you will not be attending the Christmas Eve service, you can still share in this offering by writing a check made out to Crossnore Presbyterian Church, designating it for the “Christmas Eve Offering,” and mailing it to:

Crossnore Presbyterian
Church, P.O. Box 386,
Crossnore, NC 28616.

Thank you for caring and sharing!

Our Advent Bible Study continues this Wednesday, December 6, at 3 p.m., in the fellowship hall and continues through Wednesday, December 20. Pastor Jim Taylor is leading our study on the newly published book, Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation, by Bishop Will Willimon.

What a great way to prepare for Christmas! Our Knitting & Croc Group will meet this Wednesday, December 6, 1-3 p.m. in the fellowship hall. One of our Christmas traditions is to place poinsettias as decorations in the sanctuary for Christmas. Individuals can order a poinsettia in honor/memory of or to the Glory of God.

Poinsettias are $10.00 each and the order forms are at the front and back of the sanctuary as well as on this website. Please make checks out to Crossnore Presbyterian Church and designate for "poinsettias.” You can drop your form and check at the church office or mail it to Crossnore Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 386, Crossnore, NC 28616. Poinsettias can be taken home after the evening Christmas Eve Service.

Saturday, December 16, 3 p.m., Handbell Christmas Concert at Pineola Presbyterian Church.

Sunday, December 17, Michael Willis, Irish Harpist, will provide special music for our worship service. Our Christmas Potluck Luncheon will be held following worship. Ham, coffee, lemonade, and tea will be provided. Please bring a side dish to share. We will also be honoring Kathy Hutcheson, who is retiring after serving as our Music Director for 2 checks out to Crossnore Presbyterian Church and designate for “poinsettias.” You can drop your form and check at vthe church office or mail it to:

Crossnore Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 386
Crossnore, NC 28616.

Poinsettias can be taken home after the evening Christmas Eve Service.

Saturday, December 16, 3 p.m., Handbell Christmas Concert at Pineola Presbyterian Church.

Sunday, December 17, Michael Willis, Irish Harpist, will provide special music for our worship service. Our Christmas Potluck Luncheon will be held following worship. Ham, coffee, lemonade, and tea will be provided. Please bring a side dish to share. We will also be honoring Kathy Hutcheson, who is retiring after serving as our Music Director for 23 years.

Do everything in love. ~ Corinthians 16:14:

There will be a morning Christmas Eve Service at 11 a.m. on December 24 in the church sanctuary. Rev. Maggie Lauterer will be our preacher as we celebrate Christ’s birth. Every dollar of our Christmas Eve offering will go to provide electricity and heating for those in need in our county.

Our traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve Service will be held on Sunday, December 24, at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Christmas Eve Worship will be filled with special music, Christmas carols, scripture readings, Christmas stories, and prayers as we worship Christ, the babe born in Bethlehem, the Lord of all, and the Ruler over heaven and earth.

A Thank You note from one of the recipients of our Thanksgiving bags: Crossnore Presbyterian Church, Thank you so much for your generous gifts I received this Thanksgiving. So special of you all to remember me. I am blessed every day with friends that touch me. With God on our side, we will never be without. May God continue to bless you all. Love and Prayers.

Feeding Avery Families needs volunteers to help distribute food on Wednesdays. Please check out their volunteer page: https://feedingaveryfamilies.org/.

Volunteers are also needed at Reaching Avery Ministry (Ram’s Rack) next to the Dollar General in Newland. They need help from volunteers to pack food boxes and assist in the thrift store. You can show up and they will put you to work! Mon-Fri: 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Sat 9 am - 3 pm

December Birthdays
 Patricia McGarr - December 1
 Noah Kidder - December 14
 Tasha Reid - December 16
 Linda Taylor - December 24

Prayer Requests
 Boyd Barrier & Family
 Eric & Jane Sowder & Family
 Robert & Melanie Dunn & Family
 Dallas Mabry
 Jill Sanders
 Steve Padgett & Family
 Owen, Bill and Laura Lind’s Grandson
 Gary Aldridge
 Melissa Church

Midweek News December 7, 2023

 Announcements and Items of Interest - December 7, 2023

First Sunday of Advent, and Communion Sunday, December 3, 2023. Please join us in the fellowship hall following worship to celebrate December birthdays with a birthday cake.  The Advent Devotional and letter from Pastor Kathy were mailed at the beginning of the week. Please keep an eye out for it. If you do not receive them, please call or email the office and Ashlyn will send one to you (or you can pick one up in the office). This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (828) 733-1939.

Thank you to Lynn O’Meara and Cathi Ayers for stuffing the Advent mailing envelopes on Tuesday. It was a great help!

Advent Bible Study began, December 29, and will continue next Wednesday, December 6.from 3-4:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Pastor Jim Taylor will be leading our study on the newly published book, Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation, by Bishop Will Willimon. What a great way to prepare for Christmas! For those who have ordered a book, please pick up your copy in the church office.

Our Knitting & Crocheting Group will meets on Wednesdays from 1-3 p.m. in the fellowship hall.  The Men’s Breakfast Group will meet this Friday, December 1, at 8:30 a.m. at Kaye’s Kitchen in Newland.

The Worship Committee is asking for volunteers to help decorate the sanctuary for the Christmas season this Saturday, December 2, from 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon. You are invited to join in decorating the Chrismon tree and the rest of the sanctuary.  It is fun and rewarding to see the sanctuary transformed for Advent and Christmas.

The December Taizé Prayer Service will be held next Sunday, December 3, 6 p.m., in the Sloop Chapel on the campus of Crossnore Communities of Caring. This is a worship service of prayer, song, and contemplation by candlelight. For more information, call Bren Nidiffer at (423) 707-4514

Do everything in love. ~ Corinthians 16:14:

Our October & November Mission Project included collecting donations, preparing Thanksgiving bags, and delivering them to those in financial need.  We went beyond our goal and raised $2,700, which means 27 families enjoyed a special Thanksgiving.

Thanks to all who have made this year's annual Thanksgiving mission possible. The bags included a $100 Ingles grocery card, socks, a lap blanket, holiday decorations, toiletries, goodies, and a devotional. A special thank you to Carroll and Linda Berkley, and Charlotte Davila for doing such a wonderful job with our Thanksgiving bags. They recruited volunteers to deliver the bags, bought the goodies, and then prepared the bags.

Thank you to all the delivery volunteers, also. It is like a scavenger hunt, isn’t it?

Feeding Avery Families needs volunteers to help distribute food on Wednesdays. Please check out their volunteer page: https://feedingaveryfamilies.org/.

Volunteers are also needed at Reaching Avery Ministry (Ram’s Rack) next to the Dollar General in Newland. They need help from volunteers to pack food boxes and assist  in the thrift store. You can show up and they will put you to work! Mon - Fri: 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.

December Birthdays

Patricia McGarr - December 1
Noah Kidder - December 14
Tasha Reid - December 16
Linda Taylor - December 24

Prayer Requests

Jayne Spangler
Hannah Acton
Megan Armstrong
Paul & Jane Lyon
Kurt Kuenzel
Owen Lind
Kay Hodges
John Neel
Debbie Pucket
Lu Ann Barrier
Pat Silver
Dan Leahy
Andy Cappola
Marie Cook
Tasha Reid

Midweek News November 19, 2023

November 19, 2023 Announcements and Items of Interest

Sunday, November 19, 2023; Worship begins at 11:00 a.m.
Please come and join us in the fellowship hall for cookies and coffee following worship. We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving next week! The office will be closed on
Wednesday, November 22, and Thursday, November 23. There will be no Midweek News next week.

Our Thanksgiving potluck luncheon is this Sunday, November 19, following worship.
Please bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Turkey will be provided. Also, if you can bring dressing, green beans, or mashed potatoes, please get in touch with Gayle at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or text/call her at 828-467-5407.

If you have volunteered to deliver Thanksgiving bags before Thanksgiving, you can pick them up along with directions to the homes this Sunday. Look for Jason DeWitt.

Our Knitting & Crocheting Group will not meet on Wednesday, November 22, the day before Thanksgiving. They will resume meeting on November 29, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. They welcome anyone to come and join the fun, and conversation. Please come and work on your crafts, knitting, and crocheting, or just come for the fellowship. Contact Janis Kenyon for more information: email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Food for People and Pets and Daily Change offerings will be collected on Sunday, November 26.

Our Advent Bible Study will meet on the following Wednesdays (November 29, December 6, 13, and 20) at 3 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Pastor Jim Taylor will lead our study on the newly published book, Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation, by Bishop Will Willimon. What a great way to prepare for Christmas! Books are $10 each. Please email Pastor Kathy to reserve a book: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Advent Study introduction: “It’s not within our own power to make a fresh start. If we’re to have a future different from the past, it must come as a gift, something not of our devising. What we need is a God who refuses to be trapped in eternity, a God who not only cares about us but is willing to show up among us and do something with us, here, and now. Will Willimon introduces you to the God who does just that, bringing heaven to earth and changing everything. In Advent, we celebrate and anticipate the earth-shaking, life-transforming good news that God is coming to us. Watch out. Get ready. God is on the way.”

The Men’s Breakfast Group will meet on Friday, December 1,  at 8:30 a.m. at Kaye’s Kitchen. Please come and join in the food and fellowship!

The Worship committee is asking for volunteers to help decorate the sanctuary for the Christmas season on Saturday, December 2, from 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Please come and help decorate the Chrismon tree and the rest of the sanctuary. It is so fun and rewarding to see the sanctuary as it is transformed for Advent and Christmas. Advent begins the next day on Sunday, December 3.

Birthdays

 Charlie Stuart - November 5
 Eunice Heilig - November 9
 Caroline Jones - November 10
 Michael Richardson - November 10
 Gabe Vuolo - November 11
 Wayne Matlosz - November 14
 Barbara Ross - November 17
 Megan Tennant - November 19
 Gayle Culbreath - November 20
 Trish Winger - November 20
 Alan Winger - November 29

Prayer Requests

 Jayne Spangler
 Hannah Acton
 Megan Armstrong
 Paul & Jane Lyon
 Kurt Kuenzel
 Owen Lind
 Kay Hodges
 John Neel
 Debbie Pucket
 Lu Ann Barrier
 Pat Silver
 Dan Leahy
 Andy Cappola
 Marie Cook
 Tasha Reid

Do everything in love. ~ Corinthians 16:14:

A huge thank you to Carroll and Linda Berkley, and Charlotte Davila for doing such a wonderful job With our Thanksgiving bags of goodies including a $100.00 grocery gift card for those in need in our county. They have done everything from finding volunteers to deliver bags to buying the goodies and then preparing the bags. We appreciate them and their efforts! Because the initial goal of collecting enough money for 20 bags was surpassed, 22 Thanksgiving bags will be delivered and there will be an additional 5 grocery cards presented to those in need by Volunteer Avery. Thank you to all who have made this year's annual Thanksgiving mission possible.  Our tradition is to place poinsettias as decorations in the sanctuary for Christmas. Individuals can order a poinsettia in honor/memory of or to the Glory of God. Poinsettias are $10.00 each and the order form is attached to this email. Please designate on checks “poinsettias” and mail them, drop them by the office or place them in the collection plate along with the order form.

Jackie Rullman is graduating from Appalachian State University this year. We will celebrate her graduation with her on Sunday, December 10 following worship with a cake reception. Kathy Hutcheson has led the CPC music program for 23 years and she is retiring this year. We would like to honor her dedication and hard work with a retirement celebration potluck luncheon following worship on December 17. More information will follow.

Our church pantry is running low on caffeinated coffee and cookies. You can drop off your donations in the church kitchen.

Feeding Avery Families needs volunteers to help distribute food on Wednesdays. Please check out their volunteer page: https://feedingaveryfamilies.org/.

Volunteers are also needed at Reaching Avery Ministry (Ram’s Rack) next to the Dollar General in Newland. They need help from volunteers to pack food boxes and assist in the thrift store. You can show up and they will put you to work! Mon-Fri: 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.