Pastor on Call
For an emergency over the weekend, please contact our Associate Pastor, Stephanie Arnold

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Worship Sunday, January 21, 2007
Jody Welker, preacher

Scripture:
Luke 4:14-21
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon:
"Belonging to the Ourchestra"

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Attendance Sunday, January 14:
9:00 a.m.: 160
11:00 a.m.: 361

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Jody's Journal

Dear Family and Friends of the Kirk,

This coming week we have several members representing the Kirk on mission trips. We have a group going to New Orleans to help with the cleanup and reconstruction of homes in the area. I’m very grateful too for their ministry to those who are still suffering from Katrina. Virginia Anthony and Hal Jordan are heading to Guatemala to meet with church leaders there. Our goal is to explore a long term partnership with Presbyterian brothers and sisters there. I like the fact that we have two trips going away at one time- one domestic and one international. We need not forget those in need who are closer to home, but we also need to remember that we are connected by Christ to Christians everywhere.

Please remember to pray for those going on these trips and the people they will meet. You can also support them by reading of their experiences and hearing their stories. This is not only their trip, it is also OUR trip as they go as representatives of the Kirk.

The Long Range Planning Committee is meeting almost weekly now as we make preparations for conversations with the Session and in the congregation. We will be seeking to discern God’s vision for the Kirk through those conversations. There will be some key congregational events where we will be asking you to be a part of that conversation. Stay tuned.

The Session is meeting Sunday night for the first time this year. On the following Friday and Saturday they will meet again for a retreat. We are blessed to have very committed people serving who love the church. One of the difficult issues we will be dealing with over the next month is the development of the budget. The good news is that we stayed within our budget for 2006. Committees were good stewards of their funds. The challenge will be for 2007. Our pledges rose only slightly and some expenses will rise faster. For example, the medical dues for pastors increased this year. Preliminary information indicates that we will be looking for significant cuts in the “asking” budget which comes from our committees. One of the pressures for our budget continues to be almost $235,000 we spend annually for the mortgage. That represents about 25% of our budget and is not available for mission or ministry. The Stewardship and Finance Committee will be working with the Session to develop a balanced budget. Please pray for God to give us guidance as we seek to develop a faithful budget. Our goal is to present the budget to the congregation as information at the Annual meeting on February 11th.

Having shared the challenging news of the budget, I’m glad to say that the other areas of church life seem to be healthy and growing thanks to the work of so many. These are exciting times for us. Thanks for being a part of it.

Grace and Peace,

Jody

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Habitat for Humanity The next scheduled Kirk work date is January 27. If you would like to volunteer, you must contact Jim Farthing no later than January 21.

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Acolyte Sign Up and Training
Acolyte training for all interested 4th - 7th graders will be held immediately following the 11:00 service on Sunday, January 28, in the sanctuary. Current acolyte volunteers, please stop by and schedule your dates for 2007. If you have questions, please call Julie Bell or Lisa Van Genderen.

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Cary Rotary Club Holds 4th Annual Chili Dinner Fundraiser
The Cary Rotary Club will hold its Chili Dinner Fundraiser on Friday, January 26, at the Kirk. Proceeds will be used to fight hunger locally and internationally. Lunch will be served from 12 noon - 2:00 p.m. and dinner from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. There will be entertainment from the Elder Brother Jazz Ensemble provided during dinner. Tickets and sponsorships are available for purchase in advance from any Cary Rotary Club member. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Visit the club webite at www.thecaryrotaryclub.org for further information.

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Souper Bowl

Each year on Super Bowl Sunday, church youth groups across the country collect donations for the Souper Bowl of Caring. Each group donates their collections to a local charity that helps the poor and/or hungry and then reports the total collected to a national registry. Since 1990 youth have collected over $33 million.

Look for Kirk youth with soup pots as you leave worship on Super Bowl Sunday, February 4. Drop in a dollar or two or even more to go directly to the Food Bank of North Carolina. Thank you!

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For Women Of The Church: Presbyterian Women's Mothers and Others Tea -- Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 p.m. Plan to attend with your mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, mentor, friend, or any other special woman/girl. Register by January 29 with your circle leader, in the Narthex before or after the service, or contact the church office.

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New FAT Class Study
The Faith and Theology (FAT) Adult Sunday School Class will begin on February 4 a study of Francis Collins’ "The Language of God." The author was the director of the international Human Genome Project. The central thesis of this challenging book is that in the modern era of cosmology, evolution, and the human genome, there is certainly the possibility of a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews. Come and join us in the Session Room. Books are $17.50. Contact Cader Howard with questions.

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In-Depth Bible Study
Want to grow in your faith? Do you want to learn about Scripture? Come join the In-Depth Bible Study class, which is going through the book of Luke and is taught by Jo Nygard, a graduate of Columbia Seminary. The class meets in room M-9 (the second room in the downstairs nursery area.)

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Faith Quest Memory Verse

Faith Questers, don't forget to memorize our Bible verse. Be sure to tell your shepherd so you can get the prize and your name on the wall.

Our memory verse is Matthew 28:20b "I will be with you always, even until the end of the world."

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Monthly "Windows" Deadline
The deadline for articles to be included in the February issue of "Windows" is Monday, January 22, at 9:00 a.m. There will be no e-mailed Krier next week due to the mailing of this issue.

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New Ethiopian Family Arrives
We have just learned the Kirk will be welcoming a new family of three from Ethiopia. Names are not available yet but there are two parents and a two-month old daughter. They need everything, especially a bed and crib, as soon as possible. Please call Wendy Segreti, or Endy Kidanewold, to donate household furnishings, furniture, and baby items.

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New KOALA Liaison Needed
The Kirk Outreach Afterschool Learning Academy (KOALA), which provides one-on-one tutoring to children in grades K-2 who live in the Wrenn Drive area and attend Briarcliff Elementary School, is seeking a new liaison for the 2007-2008 academic year. The KOALA liaison reports on the program's activities, needs, and concerns to the Mission Committee (the sponsoring sessional committee) and also helps the program's director with the following tasks: completing paperwork and keeping it in order; recruiting and training tutors; finding substitute tutors during the year when necessary; answering questions; planning KOALA's holiday and year-end parties. These tasks, though numerous, are not difficult. The position requires a time commitment of two to five hours per week during the academic year. For more information please contact Stephanie Horman. Thanks!

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Church Member Registration Dates for Kirk Children's Center
February 1 & 2, 10:00 a.m. Session Room
In order to register as a church member, you must be considered an active church member.

Completed registration forms and an $85 registration fee are due at the time of registration.

We will be having tours on the following date: January 23, 24, 25 & 26 beginning at 10:00 a.m. Please feel free to attend one of these informative tours.

For question, please call Brenda Holladay (469-4895).

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KirkJournal
The deadline is fast approaching for submissions to KirkJournal, the church's literary magazine. Back from a year's hiatus, we hope to go to press in early spring—but we need your writing and/or line art to do it. KirkJournal is a noncompetitive forum: you write, we publish. That's all there is to it. Any line art or written work by any Kirk member, in any genre, is welcome, provided that it is original and suitable for a church audience. Please reply by January 31 to Chris or Susan Mazzara. Thanks.

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Our Condolences to Janet Turner and family on the death of her father.

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Prayer Request of the Week: Please include in your prayers this week our Mission Teams who are away working in Louisiana and Guatemala.

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Prayers: We pray for Margaret Snow (Rex Hospital), Joe Long, Jerry Palmer, Stefanie Hansen, Heidi Fiedler, Pat Fennell, T. J. Guyton, Rebecca Slack, Sara Saunders, Nancy Davis, Alan MacIlroy, Colleen Calwell

If you would like more information regarding any of our concerns, please contact the church office.

Glenaire Healthcare Unit: Ruth Wagnon, Nedra Chesnutt, Martha Haake, Louise Harter, Mary Frances Webb, Lillian Soo-Hoo.

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Thinking about joining the Kirk or just want to learn more? Then consider becoming part of our next Exploring the Kirk Class. We'll talk about the Christian life, both in this congregation and in the Presbyterian (USA) denomination, and ministry opportunities available to us. It will be a great opportunity to meet other visitors and Kirk members, as well as a wonderful way to begin to discover different ways God might be calling you to participate in the life of this church.

The next Exploring the Kirk Class will meet in two parts on Sunday afternoons (February 4 and 11) from 3:00 - 6:00. This class is a prerequisite for membership at the Kirk. Please contact the church office (467-4944, kirkofkildaire@nc.rr.com) by Monday, January 29, to register or to request childcare. For more information, contact Cathy Church Norman (467-4944).

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New Orleans continues to be a city of turmoil. Most recently the "King City" has become the king of violence--8 murders in the first 10 days of January! In the middle of this disaster-plagued town lies a Presbyterian church that continues to sponsor hope. St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church has responded to the Katrina crisis of New Orleans with the RHINO program (Rebuilding Hope in New Orleans). Donald Frampton, senior minister of this church writes,

"Dear Friends, You have no idea how much you mean not only to this city, but to our church. Because of you, your wonderful volunteers, your kind and generous donations, your faithful prayers, we are a different church. Once, we were a typical, congregationally-oriented Presbyterian church with a nice mix of programs and ministries like a lot of other fine, healthy Presbyterian churches. Now, since Katrina, since the event of the largest natural catastrophe ever to affect our country, we have become a full-blown Mission Center, daily going about the task of rebuilding New Orleans, and you have supplied the people and resources necessary to the task."

The Kirk has been privileged to share a role in rebuilding New Orleans with the help of the RHINO program. Last spring, RHINO housed and fed 15 Kirk members who worked to gut flooded homes and rebuild new ones. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Kirk youth and the Mission Committee, we send 10 more volunteers to help with deconstruction and reconstruction next week. We ask for your prayers for all concerned: the people of New Orleans, our hosts at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, and our mission team-- Joyce Billotte, Jim Cain, Karen Fleischhauer, Leslie Gordon, Linda Hale, Carol Hatley, Amy Huenemann, Joel Huenemann, Duane Westin, and Rich Woynicz.

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