2017 Adult Book Study

The 21st annual FDP Book Study is scheduled for the final two Sundays in January (the 22nd, 29th), and February (the 5th).  This year’s book is St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate by Karen Armstrong.  Although Armstrong is best known for long, difficult religious histories (A History of God, Jerusalem), St. Paul is small (125 pages of text), readable, and offers a fascinating portrayal of Paul’s life drawn primarily from his own writings.

Armstrong’s Paul is not the misogynistic and anti-Semitic character too often portrayed in books and pulpits across America.  Rather, he is a self-appointed missionary, primarily to Gentiles, who wrote passionate letters to congregations he had established in what are now Syria, Turkey and Greece, desperately trying to prevent them from being “led astray” by competing missionaries proclaiming differing views of Jesus and the “Christian” life.

The book is available from Amazon for Kindle ($5.39), or in hard cover ($13.51) or paperback ($5.33 and up).  We will meet each Sunday after church (about noon) in the Adult Room upstairs.  A light lunch will be provided.  Ron Scott will lead the discussion. Contact Will Ridley (821-8524ridleywp@att.net) for additional details.  

Faith Des Peres Freeze Out

The Latin origin of the word "compassion" is “to suffer with”.  In the cold, bleak winter, the suffering of the homeless is greater than we know. Join us as we express compassion by leaving our comforting heated homes behind and spend a night camping outside Faith Des Peres.  Bring your flashlights and sleeping bags on January 28th to sleep in solidarity and raise awareness for our homeless brothers and sisters.  We will conclude our experience of living compassion with a collection of helpful goods for the homeless one week later. In addition, you can participate by lending camping gear, food, or drink for the evening and morning. Wear your long john's and invite your friends!

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 5:30 pm

Plan on joining us for a traditional candlelight service on Christmas Eve at 5:30 pm. Sing the carols, hear the stories and find hope here! Invite your friends.

Christmas Day Service

There will be a very informal service at 10:30 Christmas morning. Come dressed casually. Kids, wear your pajamas if you’d like.  Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child with us.

Church Office Hours

The church office will not be open for its usual hours the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Please contact Annie directly if you have an emergency or leave a message on the church phone and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Regular hours will resume in January.

Dear Faith Des Peres Family,

It's hard to believe, but there's only one Sunday left in Advent. This week I'll conclude my sermon series "Many Names" with a title used to describe Jesus: "Prince of Peace". I've been thinking a lot about the title "Prince of Peace" given the news about Aleppo, Trump's choice of Secretary of State, and the guilty verdict of Dylan Roof. We often think peace is achieved when there is no war or conflict, but the peace Jesus urged us to keep goes much deeper than that: it's about shalom, which is another word for wholeness. Jesus believed that when everyone is whole, then there will be peace. This is much different than how we normally think of peace, which for us is achieved when one country or person wills its way onto another. But that doesn't make for peace, according to Jesus, that just means there isn't conflict. And the absence of conflict doesn't always equal peace.

Hopefully you've received a postcard in the mail inviting you to the Christmas Eve service. We have more available at church, and I hope you'll take one with you on Sunday and use it to invite a friend. The service that night is at 5:30 and includes the traditional candle lights during Silent Night. I hope you'll join us.

Blessings,

Annie

Christmas Eve Service, Saturday December 24 at 5:30 pm

Plan on joining us for a traditional candlelight service on Christmas Eve at 5:30 pm. Sing the carols, hear the stories and find hope here! Invite your friends.

Christmas Day Service

There will be a very informal service at 10:30 Christmas morning. Come dressed casually. Kids, wear your pajamas if you’d like.  Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child with us.

Tai Chi Classes

Tai Chi classes are taking a break for the holidays. Classes will resume January 9th. Join us in the new year! Just $5 per class.

The Baker, Marting, Ridley and Sisson Families are Celebrating!

Jim and Terry Baker’s newest grandbaby is the son of their oldest son, Jason and his wife, Cristie. He was born July 11, 2016 and his name is Henryk David Baker. He joins an older sister, Ella and brother, Anton. This is grandchild # 6 for them!

Rufus and Judy Sisson are proud to announce the birth of their grandson Alexander Graham Calderon who was born on November 16 weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 20.5 inches. Their daughter Jen, her husband Isaac and big sister Emma are all doing  very well. Alex is their 5th grandchild. 

Proud Grandparents Joe and Lindsay Marting announce the birth of their grandson, Amos Marting Jayaprabhu born at 12:45 am on Saturday, Dec. 3. He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long.  Proud parents are Ellen and Sundeep Jayaprabhu.

Will and Charlotte Ridley are the proud grandparents of Hollis Ridley Wong. She was born December 1 weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces. Parents, Caroline and Frank and big brother Calvin are thrilled with the new arrival and that Will and Charlotte could be there with them.

Presbyterian Women's Group Honors Joanna Gerst

 The Presbyterian Women’s Group have chosen to honor Joanna Gerst, an active participant of the group, with a beautiful bench that sits outside the Community Garden. A dedication service will be held in the spring once the garden is open.

Dear Faith Des Peres Friends

Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,

It’s hard to believe that this Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent! Where has the time gone? If you haven’t yet made it to church during Advent, don’t delay! The church looks beautiful and we’re singing everyone’s favorite carols. What’s not to love? This week we’re focusing on the story of Joseph. Poor Joseph; he’s just a small player in the story compared to Mary, but he really put his reputation on the line when he stayed with Mary. Most men would have left her when they found out she was pregnant, but not Joseph. He followed his heart instead of the law, and that made all the difference. When have you followed your heart?  And what difference did it make in your life? We’ll ponder these questions and others this Sunday.

Our Christmas Eve service is at 5:30pm and will include everyone’s favorite Christmas hymns and candles. Now is a good time to think about who you can invite to join you. Do you have family members here for the holidays? Invite them to church! We’ve created an easy way for you to invite someone by posting the service on the church’s Facebook page. You can find it here and share it using the “share” button on the event page. You can also directly invite friends using the share button. Not on Facebook? We’ll have postcards available at church for you to invite people.

Last but not least, I want to thank Elizabeth Pribor and Dianne Modrell for co-chairing this year’s Christmas Giving Tree. We supported 22 families from Southside Day Nursery and Lydia’s House, providing them with gifts and gift cards. Thank you, Dianne and Elizabeth for another successful Christmas Giving tree and to everyone who purchased gifts and gift cards.

I hope to see you Sunday.

Anni

Christmas Eve Service, Saturday, December 24 at 5:30 pm

Plan on joining us for a traditional candlelight service on Christmas Eve at 5:30 pm. Sing the carols, hear the stories and find hope here! Invite your friends.

Christmas Day Worship Service

There will be a very informal service at 10:30 Christmas morning. Come dressed casually. Kids, wear your pajamas if you’d like.  Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child with us.

Congratulations to the Baker, Sisson, Marting and Ridley families on their new Grandchildren!

Jim and Terry Baker’s newest grandbaby is the son of their oldest son, Jason and his wife, Cristie. He was born July 11, 2016 and his name is Henryk David Baker. He joins an older sister, Ella and brother, Anton. This is grandchild # 6 for them!

Rufus and Judy Sisson are proud to announce the birth of their grandson Alexander Graham Calderon who was born on November 16 weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 20.5 inches. Their daughter Jen, her husband Isaac and big sister Emma are all doing  very well. Alex is their 5th grandchild. 

Proud Grandparents Joe and Lindsay Marting announce the birth of their grandson, Amos Marting Jayaprabhuborn at 12:45 am on Saturday, Dec. 3. He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long.  Proud parents are Ellen and Sundeep Jayaprabhu.

Will and Charlotte Ridley are the proud grandparents of a new granddaughter, Hollis Ridley Wong. She was born December 1 weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz. Proud parents, Caroline and Frank and big brother Calvin are thrilled with her arrival.

Congratulations Rachel Neuner and Charles Livingston

Our congratulations to Rachel Neuner and Charles Livingston who were married on Friday, December 2. We wish them a lifetime of happiness.

Presbyterian Women's Group Honors Joanna Gerst

The Presbyterian Women’s Group have chosen to honor Joanna Gerst, an active participant of the group, with a beautiful bench that sits outside the Community Garden. A dedication service will be held in the spring once the garden is open.

Support Faith Des Peres when you shop on Amazon

Doing your Christmas shopping? Do you shop on Amazon? If so, you can support Faith Des Peres when you go to www.smile.amazon.com and choose Faith Des Peres as your charity of choice. That’s all you need to do! A percentage of your total bill is then donated to the church. Don’t forget to bookmark it!

Coffee and Coloring

Join us before church (December 11 and 18) for some coffee and coloring. It's a good way to relax during this busy season! We'll gather at 9:30 am in the Gathering Space and color until worship starts. The beautiful posters we’ll color represent the different names for the Messiah we're covering in the sermons. When we're done, we'll find a nice place to hang them. Invite your friends!

Dear Faith Des Peres Friends

 Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,

This Sunday we’ll dedicate the Christmas Giving Tree gifts. Please bring your unwrapped gifts and gift cards this Sunday! After church, we’ll celebrate with coffee, Christmas cookies, and hot chocolate. Also this Sunday we’ll have communion, so don’t forget your food for Feeding the Flock. Your food is needed more than ever! Kids at home during winter break=no free/reduced lunch at school=more food needed at home.

 This weekend marks the second Sunday of Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. This is a great time for you to share an invitation to worship with someone you know. You would be surprised how many people would come to church if only someone would personally invite them! On the church’s homepage, you’ll find a video about Advent (scroll down a little) that you can post and share (upper right-hand corner of the video) on Facebook. Please take the time to share it. You never who among your friends is looking a little peace, hope, joy and love this season – and we have it to offer.

 See you Sunday.

Annie