The Messenger
Lead With The Light
Message from the Moderators
Happy November, “ye thankful people”! “God, our Maker, doth provide,” and gracious, are we ever thankful for our PW sisters at Village. We celebrate the light within each of you and the light that you bring to others. We give thanks for you and to you as we together:
- work towards God’s light
- work with God’s light
- reveal God’s light
- share God’s light
- celebrate God’s light
- let God’s light guide us in every way.
Take a moment or two for yourself, and consider another of our selected verses about light and some of the Board members’ reflections. This month, we highlight Matthew 5:16, which says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Thoughts collected from PW Board members:
- I have God’s light in me for others’ benefit- Christ’s light can shine from us when we seek His will
- Be a servant to God
- Show and tell the way Christ’s light shines in you. Others need to know.
- It is important to listen when God calls you so you can let your light shine
- What makes our light shine in our city?
- Shine and SHARE: best way to influence others
- PW lets their light shine!
- May my actions point to God, not to me
- Don’t hide your light under a bushel
- Love how God is proud of us!
- Our contributions in His name help others and glorify God
- Walk in God’s light – see this in the eyes of others
What would you write in response to this verse? What opportunities will you have this month to shine your light? What have you noticed others doing that gives glory to God? Lots to consider here.
Love and Light and luscious leftovers this month!
Laura Langdon and Suzanne Willey, Co-ModeratorsAdvent Celebration
As we head into the season of Advent, we have good news to share! The Advent Celebration committee, led by Cindy Henderson and Susan Satterlee, is in the midst of
planning an in-person worship in the sanctuary at Village on Mission for Tuesday, December 7 at 6:30 pm for our beloved Presbyterian Women event.
We are so excited to welcome our friend and former pastor, The Rev. Jenny McDevitt as our special guest speaker for the evening. Leading us as we prepare in the season of Advent, she will share her intriguing, unique perspective on the Magnificat, known also as Mary’s Song. In harmony with Jenny’s beautiful reflection, you will be inspired by joyful music and be offered the opportunity to take part in the sacrament of communion.
Being mindful in creating a meaningful, yet healthy space for you and your guests, our focus is on what matters to us all, simply being together and connecting with friends.
Accordingly, you will note a number of adjustments for the evening; most notably, we will not be serving a meal and the event is complimentary. Expect to be greeted in the
Welcome Center upon arrival, then guided to the sanctuary, with face masks required.
To confirm your reservation, committee members will be at Village on Mission in Friendship Hall and in the Welcome Center and Village on Antioch in the Narthex on November 7 and November 14. Or, you may choose to register online here, beginning November 7. Be aware that reservations for the Advent Celebration will close on November 21. Please understand the importance of this process, most importantly as a means of communication in these unprecedented times.
It is our hope to also provide online streaming for the Advent Celebration for anyone who is unable to attend in person. Look for detailed information in the December Good News and on the Village Church Facebook page as we draw near to December.
We appreciate your grace and your generous, compassionate spirit as we journey through these extraordinary circumstances.
A goodwill offering to assist with event expenses will be collected at registration, on the evening of the event or online at villagepres.org/pw. Contributions beyond our
event expenses will be given to Restoration House, a non-profit organization in Harrisonville, bringing hope to survivors of human trafficking through love, guidance and the assurance of a long-term home. For more information on Restoration House, click here.
Nancy Gatewood (VOM)
nngatewood@gmail.com
913-638-1922
Lisa Harrison (VOA)
lharrison.kc@gmail.com913-317-9688
Volunteers in the Tuesday Mission Sewing
Mission Sewing Volunteers
SEW Grateful
The project was a departure from the usual litany of eyeglass cases, chemo caps, walker bags, comfort pillows, medicine bags, NICU gowns, winter hats and mittens, etc. that normally occupy the volunteers. Several of the agencies Mission Sewing serves are in various stages of recovery from the pandemic. If you know of a group who might benefit from Mission Sewing skills, please forward that information to coordinators Cheryl Brady, or Anna Staton.
Mission sewists strive to make a joyful noise in room 115. The bright wall hanging creates a backdrop for our work. We are SEW grateful to be sewing together again.
Adopt a STAR Family Online Sign-Up Welcomes Adopters
Village Church will again sponsor “Star” Families from Operation Breakthrough. We will help provide Christmas gifts and holiday meals for low-income and/or homeless families. Stars are now available for adoption at here.
Simply go online, select your family you wish to adopt and follow the instructions provided on the website. Also, once you adopt a family, you will need to come by the south entrance at Village on Mission from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13 to pick up your adoption packet on your family. Each child in a family receives at least 3 new, unwrapped gifts; and, the mom receives a $25 gift card to Target or WalMart. The Operation Breakthrough Truck will be in our parking lot to receive the donations on Sunday, Dec. 5 between 9 a.m. and noon.
We also invite you to make a monetary donation to Village Church for Star Family holiday meals. $30 will feed a family of three or less and $60 a family of 4 or more. Note: Operation Breakthrough in the memo of your check and send your check to Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208. If you have questions and/or need help with the online adoption process, contact Ann Colston, 913-461-1791 or Marilyn Borel, 913-708-1917.
PW Thank Offering
The Presbyterian Women Thank Offering, begun in 1888, has been a way for us to show our deep gratitude for God's blessings in our lives, by giving back to people in our communities and around the world. The offering helps fund programs that provide education, relief from disasters, safe housing, cooking instruction, training for justice and advocacy work and so much more.
Please consider contributing to the ministries chosen this year for the 2021 Thank Offering. Make your check payable to Village Presbyterian Church, with PW-Thank Offering in the memo line. If your circle is meeting in person, your Treasurer will collect the donations at the November meeting.
Spiritual Growth Corner - Be The Light
Be the Light
Several years ago, as half a dozen of my childhood friends gathered to collectively celebrate our 50th birthdays, one of the gals revealed with great excitement a small tattoo on her ankle. It read “Be the Light.”
She looked at me with great anticipation as she shared her first-ever ink with the group. I was clueless as to why I was supposed to have a certain reaction.
“Don’t you remember?” she asked.
I was still oblivious.
“You wrote me a letter – you told me to “Be the light…”
I had absolutely no memory of it.Apparently, I’d written her a note of encouragement as she experienced a challenging chapter in her life—twenty years before. And my words – Be the light – had touched her heart. They’d become a mantra. They were her light in the darkness. She’d kept the notecard all these years. (She sent me a photo of it later and I finally had a tiny recollection of having written the note.)
How often do we have the opportunity to be the light in a time of someone else’s darkness?
I’m not talking about advice, because we probably all need to break the habit of offering unsolicited advice.
I’m talking about heart-felt encouragement.
-I have faith in you.
-I appreciate you.
-You are stronger than you realize.
-You are so brave.
-You’ve got this!
Her grip on those words has meant the world to me in the past few years. Realizing how my words had that ripple effect bring me joy.
Go be the light for someone else in their time of darkness.
-Lisa Harrison
Lisa Harrison serves on the staff of Village on Antioch as the Communications/Site Coordinator. Lisa is Mom to two young adult boys and is married to Tim.
We will meet November 8 (second Monday) at 6:00pm in the Library at VoA for a bring your own supper and Lesson Two.
November 22 (4th Monday) 6:00pm women of the church gather for a casual dinner at Panera ( 135th and Metcalf) . All are welcome! Bring a friend!
Village on Mission Circles
Thought-provoking Bible studies and fellowship meet on the second Tuesday of each month and are open to women of all ages. Contact Sherri Robeson at 913-219-9925 or email for more information.
Page Turners
Please join Page Turners book group on Tuesday, November 23, for a discussion of Ann Patchett’s novel, The Dutch House. We meet at 10:00 in Room 127, and always welcome newcomers to our lively exchange of ideas.
Ann Patchett has crafted a compelling story of a brother and sister, the house where they grew up, and the complicated family story under the surface.
The “Dutch house” in a wealthy suburb of Philadelphia is the site of Cyril Conroy’s failed first marriage to Elna, a woman who flees the ornate excesses of the home. It is also the site of Cyril’s second, catastrophic marriage to Andrea, a cruel stepmother who disinherits his children after his death. It is, most crucially, the site of narrator Danny Conroy’s cherished conversations with Maeve, his elder sister. Following Elna’s willful departure, Cyril’s sudden heart attack, and Andrea’s dismissal, the now-grown siblings establish a habit of parking on their old street with a view of their former home to hash out the past and consider their future.
The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are.
For more information please contact Barbara Lee, lhlee@att.net, 217-891-3557, or Judy Lockett, judylocket5@gmail.com, 913-385-2280.
Amazing Graces
Operation Breakthrough
Operation Breakthrough: We will not be reading with the children from Operation Breakthrough this Fall. Instead we will focus on a long ramp up toward March 2022. By then, the children will hopefully be vaccinated and our volunteers will be more than ready, willing, and able to return. To accomplish this we may also need to tap into a younger group of potential volunteers at church. We have enough donated books on-hand for next March.
Presbyterian Women
Email: laura.hobbs@villagepres.org
Website: https://www.villagepres.org/pw.html
Location: 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 262-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/presbyterianwomenofvillagechurch