To all our Ladies:
The books are in!
Please plan to join the women of HARP on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am beginning January 17 for a continuation of their study of David.
They will be using Volume 2 of Michael Bentley’s book David: Encountering the king who reigned in power for a 16 week study.
Childcare will be provided.
This past Fall was an active time for Women’s Ministry at HARP! In October, we had a good group attend First Presbyterial’s annual meeting at Pressley Memorial ARP. Then in November, 24 women enjoyed our annual women’s retreat to Cherry Grove Beach, SC. We finished our year with a delicious brunch at the Acropolis Restaurant on December 10th. Thirty women attended this great time of fellowship! Ladies in our three Circles meet monthly throughout the year for Bible study and caring for each other. Our women also stay busy with the meal ministry program, caring for children in the nursery and children’s church, as well as their individual acts of service throughout the congregation.
We Give Special Thanks to Laura Navarro who has been the Women’s Ministry President since 2005! She has given much of her time and special gift of teaching in keeping this ministry alive and well. She has been an encouragement and blessing to all of us with her teaching, praying, and organizational/leadership skills! Laura will be stepping down as our president but has assumed the office of Vice President of First Presbyterial. She also serves at HARP as a deacon and in the choir. As you can see Laura is one of those ladies who makes things happen – and does it very well!!
We also want to thank those ladies who are instrumental in making sure the Beach Retreat is always a success: Donelle Whitby handles the housing arrangements and makes sure we eat well; Jill Gazzaway and Laura Navarro always have thought-provoking and Biblical devotional times; and Chris Ferrell entertains us (understatement!) with her ice-breakers and game times. But it takes all of us attending to make it truly successful! If you missed last year, we hope you will consider coming the weekend of November 8-11, 2012. Donelle has begun taking reservations!
First Presbyterial also offers a women’s retreat every other year at Bonclarken. It is their hope that ARP women in our Presbytery (district) would come and get to know each other better. This retreat will be held on November 2-3, 2012. More information will be coming this Spring.
This year will be an active year for our women as we will be the host church for First Presbyterial’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Approximately 150 women usually attend and many preparations will need to be made for this meeting. (Most importantly, pray that our new building renovation will be completed in time!!)
The new 2012 Women’s Ministry Board is:
The following ministries are in need of additional volunteers. Remember-the more volunteers, the lighter the load!
HARP has a very loving and generous group of ladies! It is the board’s desire to offer a place where every woman in our congregation can feel connected and cared for. In the coming months we will continue to give our women additional opportunities to enjoy fellowship & service. But don’t wait for us organize it! We ask that each of you reach out to others, especially to our newer members and visitors, and welcome them into the warm fellowship of HARP Women’s Ministry!
-Patti Snyder
C.A.R.E. (Cards Are Really Encouraging) is a ministry designed for those in our church body who need encouragement. A small card can make a big difference!
Our goal is to be an encouragement to everyone at HARP when it is needed. If you know someone who would benefit from a card, please email names to chblackm1@yahoo.com or call 704-992-1858 and leave your message.
There is also a C.A.R.E. box in the Fellowship Hall where names, cards, and stamp donations may be dropped off. Questions?
Contact April Blackmon at the email address or phone number listed above.
The ARP Denomination has a Retreat Center called Bonclarken in the beautiful mountains of Flat Rock, NC. (Yeah, we know… mountains of “Flat Rock”… go figure!)
This retreat center is used by multiple churches and organizations in addition to the ARP. It hosts various meeting rooms, an activity center, hotels, dorms, a chapel, and a multitude of outdoor activities.
Twice per year, in the Spring and the Fall, the ARP Christian Education Committee runs a Retreat for the MiddleSchool students and the High School Students (that’s 4 Youth retreats per year! It so happens that our very own Pastor David Winburne co-chairs the Middleschool Retreats for First and Second Presbytery and Anthony Navarro co-chairs the Senior High retreats.
Each retreat has a featured speaker, a theme, a worship band or leader, and outdoor activities that can include ropes courses, bowling, a climbing tower, ultimate frisbee, and frisbee golf. Devotionals are held in the evening after worship.
1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life,in love, in faith, and in purity.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The Youth Group of Huntersville ARP Church call themselves the BIG FISH: Believers In God, Faithful In Serving Him.
Our BIG FISH typically meet on Sunday Evenings at 7:00PM at various member’s homes with activities, songs, and devotionals. Activities include movie night, skating, volleyball, outdoor and indoor games, bowling, and more!
If you have (or are) a child in the 6th through 12th grade, please join us for our next Sunday evening or mid-week activity!
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go - Joshua 1: 7-9
Have you ever wondered where we get all those yummy pasteries and cookies for our Sunday Morning Fellowship time? Panera Bread donates (or dough-nates) all the bread remaining at the end of every evening to local charities.
Each Saturday night a team from Huntersville ARP picks up the bread at closing time and brings it to the church for the Fellowship Snack Team to prepare the following morning. After Worship, a representative from Huntersville United Methodist Church picks up the loaves of bread, bagels, and other baked goods for the Huntersville Food Pantry, so Each Saturday’s Dough-nation reaps a double blessing!
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart. – Psalms 104:14-15
The Women of HARP are involved in many different ministries and groups. Currently we have four organized groups. Below we describe the group, meeting schedule, and current study. All four groups are open to any women in the church and all welcome visitors – bring a neighbor or a friend!
The Friendship Circle meets at 7pm the first Monday of each month at the home of one of the members. The date and place for the next meeting are listed in the bulletin and HARP Notes. We have a Bible study, prayer time, and fellowship. We also participate in the Christmas decoration of the church. In February 2010 we are finishing up a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. Then we will spend four months going through the book of Jonah, using a book chosen by the Synodical Women’s Ministries, Salvation Through Judgment and Mercy. Contact Clara Brown with any questions.
The Circle of Grace meets at 7pm the third Monday of each month at the home of one of the members. We have a Bible study, prayer time, and fellowship. We also participate in various service ministries in the church. In February 2010 we are beginning a new study of the book Your Home, a Place of Grace by Susan Hunt . Contact Renee Maddox with any questions.
The Covenant-McDowell Circle meets the afternoon of the third Thursday of the month. Contact Sarah McAulay with any questions.
The Tuesday Ladies’ Bible Study meets every week at 10am Tuesday morning at the church. They are currently studying through the Gospel of Mark. Contact Nancy Winburne with any questions.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. – Proverbs 31
Huntersville ARP Church supports the Mooresville Community Pregnancy Center – a non-profit, inter-denominational ministry that seeks to serve Jesus Christ through ministering to those touched by possible crisis pregnancy, including the woman and her unborn child, by providing emotional and material support, as well as the personal knowledge of the grace and love of the Living Lord. They provide peer counseling, education, and support services using staff, trained volunteers and lay counselors, with the assistance of individuals and churches within the community.
Each year they sponsor a program called the Baby Bottle Boomerang, where they send bottles to local churches and organizations to fill with spare change. In 2009 they raised over $34,000 and they look to match that this year in 2010.
May we continue to bless them with our spare change as they share the love of Christ to women who are in need of His love.
If you have any questions about the ministry, you may contact Michael or Krista Krueger. You may also contact the ministry directly to see how you can help.
Lo children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. – Psalms 27:3
The church Audio Ministry is one whose work is often behind the scenes. The audio technician sits above and behind the congregation away from the normal thrall of the people. They are usually the first to arrive and one of the last to leave. They make possible the amplification of the spoken word so the Word of God can be heard throughout the sanctuary and to the nursery rooms. They help the hard-of-hearing participate in worship through the use of Assisted listening devices. After the service they create audio CDs for the homebound and those who missed the last Sunday Service and create the podcasts that can be listened to on the HARP website or subscribed to via podcast. They are an extension to the ministry of the minister as the Word of God goes out to the congregation, and to the world, as our sermons are listened to from all corners of the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Austrailia, the Phillipines, Romania, India, South Africa, and Kazakhstan.
If you would like to assist in the Audio ministry, be it the Sound System, the Website, or CD ministry, contact Wayne Brown or Anthony Navarro for more information.
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it -Isaiah 55:11.
The men of Huntersville ARP meet for Breakfast on the second Saturday of every month. Each time we meet we will have food and fellowship starting at 8AM followed by discussion of the book we are currently reading, and a wrap-up at 9:30. Bring your Bibles, your appetites, and your input!
The book we are currently studying is The Pillars of Christian Character: The Basic Essentials of a Living Faith by John MacArthur. At the time of this posting you can purchase it on Amazon.com at the links provided above for as little as $4 including shipping!
Men, We’ll see you on Saturday!
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another -Proverbs 27:17.
