February 2023
Overview of My First Year as Your Pastor
The time has gone by very quickly for me. I have had so much to learn and so many new people to meet. While I did not get around to visit all of you, I was able to visit many of you. I may not say it often enough, but know that I appreciate the support and friendship that all of you have given me this past year.
Last year we had one baptism. A guest pastor, Reverend Jim Davison, had to officiate because I had been exposed to Covid just the week before.
Speaking of Covid, I had to miss two weeks because I tested positive for Covid. During these two weeks Sam Shaneyfelt and Carolyn Leah stepped forward to preach in my place. What a wonderful team we have here at The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek that people are willing and able to step in for one another when emergency strikes. I watched both of those services on YouTube and can affirm that the worship services were well done, and the messages given were excellent!
Last year we had two weddings, one at a wedding venue and one in the church. Together we have launched two couples into their new lives together.
Communion was celebrated on a regular schedule. I introduced sung responses into the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving as a way to get the congregation more involved in the sacrament. The response to me is that this change is well received. Emboldened to add little more music to the Communion services, we have started singing an anthem of invitation just before the Communion liturgy begins. To my knowledge, this too has been well received. During the season of Lent, we worshipped on Ash Wednesday and followed that with a weekly Bible study that was well attended. Our Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Service brought out worshippers from Kerr Presbyterian Church to worship with us.
In 2022 we entered into a relationship with Beulah Presbyterian Church that, as far as I know, is a first in our Presbytery. We are sharing the services of Carolyn Leah, a Certified Christian Educator, as their youth leader and our Director of Christian Formation. This relationship is benefitting both churches as we share ideas for Christian Formation and share each other’s summer camp resources. Additionally, we are both seeing parishioners from each other’s church attend some of our events. That means we are taking advantage of programming that neither of us could offer by ourselves. God is certainly good, and often in unexpected ways!
Our committees continue to work together well. We are making strides to continually improve our worship services, both online and in person. The schedule for Christmas eve and Christmas Day this year, prompted us to pre-record our Christmas Day service and make it available to all. I really appreciated how many people were willing to be involved in our Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols.
2022 was certainly a good year for The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek and a good year for me as well. May God continue to bless us all in 2023.
Looking forward into 2023
Session has approved a New Member Orientation Class that will meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 am9:45 am on five consecutive Sundays beginning Sunday, January 29. The class structure will be as follows:
Session 1: What does it mean to be Presbyterian Part 1
Session 2: What does it mean to be Presbyterian Part 2
Session 3: What does it mean to be a member of The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek
Session 4: Meeting with one or two current members to discuss why they are members here and briefly share their experiences. Answer any questions that the new member orientation class has for them.
Session 5: What steps remain should I decide to become a member of The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek.
We will once again have a Lenten Bible Study that will meet on five Tuesday evenings beginning on February 28, from about 5:30 pm beginning with a light meal and fellowship and move into an hour-long study. This year we will use the book, Meeting Jesus at the Table by Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr. I have purchased a number of copies of the book that are available to you by contacting the church office. A Kindle version of the book will be available from Amazon on the Monday after we begin our study
Retirement dinner to celebrate Kathy Kirk and her contributions to the church for over 22 years
Please remember to RSVP that you will be attending the retirement dinner for Kathy Kirk on Saturday, February 18 at 5:00 pm. The Evangelism and Fellowship Committee will pay for a catered dinner so that everyone can enjoy the meal and our time together. Please feel free to bring a card of appreciation to the dinner to present to Kathy. We expect that her husband Jim, their two daughters and their families will be there as well.
To God be the Glory!
Pastor Frank Hancock
Email: pastor@plumcreekpc.com
Office: (412) 793-4525
Cell Phone: (412) 860-3719 – Please feel free to leave a message
Hello! As you may know, I am currently in my junior year at Plum Senior High School, and I will be graduating in the Spring of 2024. I cannot believe I am almost finished with high school & have begun seeking colleges! I am excited to see what God has for me in the future, and I am looking forward to a mission trip to Cambodia that I have recently been invited on, but first here is a quick snapshot of what I have been up to.
Through the Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek, I am a member of the Mission's Committee, aid in leading Sunday School classes, participate in the Living Nativity production over the holidays, and volunteer during Worship on Sundays (Liturgist and Offering), just to name a few things. I have also been involved with Riverside Community Church since I was a baby. It has always been my dream to become more involved and start serving with the children. This past year I joined what we call "Student Staff of Nexus (the youth ministries program at Riverside Community Church). I am now a leader on Junior High nights, getting to lead small groups, games, and share my relationship with God to the kids. I have truly enjoyed these experiences so much and I feel that I get just as much out of it as I give! I was beyond excited to be invited on this trip!
The 10-day trip is coming this July. We will serve as a team, partnering with mission's organizations, South East Asia Prayer Center (SEAPC, seapc.org) & New Hope Children's Homes (Cambodia) to support their work by building relationships with local children. Our main focus will be working with the children at Kampong Speu (a children's home we have worked with many times), but we are also hoping to visit some other children's homes on our trip. While at these homes, we will be spending time with children of all ages, teaching them all about the love that God has for them and helping them find their relationship with God.
Now, here is why I am telling you all of this. A trip like this is not possible without the love and support of my family, friends, and church community. It is my hope to have a big network of people supporting me through prayers and donations. The best way you can donate financially is through this link-http://bit.Ly/NXSEAsiaTrip(be sure to choose my name in the drop down menu). Another way you can donate is by writing a check to my mother, Candice Stegner.
Thank you in advance for working with me in this adventure that God has called me to. I truly appreciate any donations, but I also want to be clear that your emotional and prayerful support means much more to me than any donation. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey, I am really looking forward to this and I will be sure to share all of the details when I return!
Sincerely, Allie Stegner
"Religion that God considers pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1
Annual Meeting
The 2023 Annual Meeting of The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek will take place immediately following worship at about 11:00 am on Sunday, February 19, 2023.
This year, we will be offering a second option for Lenten study surrounding the book “Meeting Jesus at the Table”. If you can’t get to the Tuesday night in person study why not join us for the Lenten Study discussion on Zoom on Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Carolyn Leah, Director of Christian Formation, will be leading the online study and we will be discussing the same lesson as the Tuesday night group. A Zoom link will be sent to you via email to use for joining in. To be on the Zoom link list, please sign up at https://www.cognitoforms.com/BeulahChurch1/LentenZoomStudyMeetingJesus AtTheTable
This study is open to members and friends of Plum Creek PC and our partner churches of Beulah and Kerr as well as any friends or family that you would like to invite. We encourage you to send on the registration link to anyone you would like to invite.
You are welcome to purchase the accompanying book on your own if you like but you can still join the study discussion even without the book.
It is available at the PCUSA Store website for $11.05 plus shipping: https://www.pcusastore.com/Products/0664267793/meeting-jesus-at-the-table.aspx
Or on Amazon for $16.99 (a Kindle version will be available March 1 after the start of our study for $11.49): https://a.co/d/f18ewBt
