Tuesday Game Day....Updated

Come join us for our Weekly Game Day! Everyone is welcome. Games are played in the Adult Education room at the Presbyterian Church each Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.  A variety of games have been played like bridge, checkers, and Chicken Dominos.  We have ping pong and pool in the recreation room.  We gather for fellowship with refreshments always available.  It is a time to relax and become better acquainted with other congregation members but is open to any members of the Salado Community.  We are active all year round so plan to join in the fun and fellowship.

Update on Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 3:40PM by admin

Every Tuesday Morning at 10:00 a.m. we gather together for games and recreation.  Snacks with coffee and punch are available for all to enjoy.  We have some brisk games of Chicken Dominos, Checkers and sometimes a bridge game.  We have added lunch served on the first Tuesday of every month.  Using this time for fellowship and recreation and we always invite all who wish to participate.

We would like to add more game tables and even a group who would like to work on Jig Saw Puzzles as we have a good selection of puzzles.  In the recreation room we have table tennis or pool so come out on Tuesday mornings and join us bring your friends and neighbors as we welcome everybody.

Ash Wednesday Service, Feb 22nd at Noon

Our Church will join the Christian community worldwide in recognizing February 22, 2012, as Ash Wednesday, the beginning of this year's Lenten Season. Our service will be a reflection of our mortality and the need to repent and turn our lives over to God.  Everyone is invited for a brief worship service at 12 noon in our church sanctuary. There will be a light snack to follow. 

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Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this forty day liturgical period of prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered after the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned.

This service is common in much of Christendom, being celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and some Baptist denominations

Presbyterian Church of Salado Music Program

It is so easy to take our Music Program for granted, so please tell our Music Director, the Organist/Pianist, and the Choir members a special ‘Thank You’ if you enjoy their work.

Jean Teal has been the music director at our church since before it was organized and she has never “missed a beat.” Jean’s philosophy has been to develop the hymns and the choir to be a contribution to the worship experience.

The church’s members and friends are in-vited to join the choir, first and foremost, because they love to sing. The goal is not to be a performance, but to add to the worship service. Our pastor is very involved in helping to select hymns that will add to the message.

Jeanette West has been a faithful pianist/organist for our congregation, and she chose to become a member of this church when she became our full time player in 2011. She plans the music during the prelude, offertory, and postlude.

It is an inspiration to watch our music program partici-pate in our services with joy, love, and fun. God has truly blessed us with this program!

Carl’s Comments - Reverend Carl Thompson

When I retired from the military I decided to transfer my Presbytery membership to Grace Presbytery,  which includes Salado. In order to transfer to this Presbytery, I was required, as are all transferring ministers, to write a short statement of faith that would be presented to them. They would then vote on my membership if I showed a good understanding of reformed theology.

This statement covers: God,
Jesus, Sin, Redemption, the Bible, the Sacraments, and the Church. Jean Teal had a copy of this  statement. It was presented to the committee that first interviewed me for the Stated Supply position here in Salado. She thought it would be a good idea to publish it in this newsletter. I agree with her. With this statement you will have my thoughts on these key theological issues. It was and still represents, where I stand  theologically. So here it is …..
          Carl

“I trust in one triune God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Lord of all and Head of theChurch. I believe God  created the heavens and earth and all that is in them. I believe in the sovereignty of God, that God  reigns in my life and in the world, and that God reigns with justice and mercy. I believe salvation by grace through faith: and that such a faith commitment enables us to do good works, not to earn  salvation, but as an expression of gratitude. I believe God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit has given us the power and dominion to be responsible stewards of all creation and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I believe God sent Jesus into the world to dwell among us. He was begotten not made and grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God. I believe Jesus engaged in a ministry of preaching,  teaching, healing, and praying for and with all those who would listen and learn. God calls us to the same kind of ministry.

Since we are all sinners that rebel against God we try to put ourselves above all else. I believe God, out love for his fallen creation, sent his only Son, Jesus. to save us from our sin and corrup-tion. Jesus, both fully human and fully God, suffered for the sins of the world to save sinners in all times and places. He lay down his sinless life for a sinful hu-manity. Through Jesus' death and resur-rection, God triumphed over sin. It is God's action and God's forgiveness which sets us free. Jesus came to save all those who confess Him as their Lord and Savior.

By God's Spirit we've been given God's Written Word to proclaim. The Bible is God's divinely authoritive and inspired Word. The Bible is our "rule of faith and life" for all we believe and do as a Church. Through the Bible, we learn of the nature of the God we wor-ship. It tells us of God's acts of love and justice for all people. When scripture speaks in one voice, I yield to the author-ity of the Bible over and against any other sources. When Scripture is silent on an issue or when there is more than one voice, I must allow' for diversity. Through the work of the Holy Spirit and the confessions of the Church, we must interpret the Scripture wisely.

I believe The Sacraments unite us with Jesus Christ and make us members of God's Church. Baptism affirms that we are not our own, but the Lord's. Through the grace of God we are called into the family of God. Baptism is our response to that call to faith. It is an outward visi-ble sign that acknowledges our intention to live as God's people. Communion is the Lord's feast. In communion we en-counter Jesus spiritually in the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine. Communion is more than just a memo-rial ceremony. Jesus is present, as He promised, sustaining and strengthening us by the power of the Holy Spirit

I believe in God's sovereignty and that God's reign will be brought about through the activity of God in God's own time. This final act of God's love will be through God's grace as God's gift and not on human achievement. I do not need to know the specifics of heaven or the end time, since they are beyond human com-prehension. I know that our future rests in God's loving hands and I am confident in God's finial victory.

The Church's calling is to make visible God's love and declare the Good News that in Jesus Christ the future is secure. The reformed church must be a reform-ing church, constantly reforming itself and the world. The Church universal consists of all people in every nation, who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”

Education and Outreach Committee

Nancy Healy, Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee for 2012 would like to extend an open invitation to the first committee meeting of the year, Tuesday at 9am (an hour before the weekly games session). You dont need to be a member of the Presbyterian Church of Salado either. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come share their ideas, and talents. So come on out!