FEATURE STORY—CHRISTMAS PROGRAM 2

PASTOR MIKE’S MEDITATIONS 3

YOUR SESSION AT WORK 4

DEACON’S CORNER 5

PRAYER & HEALING & MILITARY 6

SCRIPTURE SUNBEAMS/SUPPORT GROUP 7

MARK YOUR CALENDARS 8

NOVEMBER 2012—CALENDAR 9

SHARING OPPORTUNITIES 10

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES 11

LOCAL MISSIONS UPDATE 12-13

UPCOMING EVENTS 14

CHURCH FAMILY NEWS 15

DECEMBER SIERRA STORY ARTICLES: Please submit all Sierra Story articles by Friday, November 23rd to

cecilia@sierrapres.com BULLETIN ARTICLES: Submit all weekly articles by

Tuesday for the upcoming Sunday Bulletin

Join Us for a Special Season of Worship!

Sunday, December 2 at 3:00 p.m.

Pastor Mike has been preaching a series of messages on Jesus’ invitation to

“Come and See,” and “Come and Follow.” In the season of Advent we are

also given an invitation – to come and worship. The wise men received and

answered that invitation – they followed, they saw, and they worshiped.

Advent is a time of preparation, reflection, and anticipation. But often, our

focus is on the outward traditions of the season and of our culture. In the story

of the Wise Men, we see that their focus was on Jesus, and their preparation,

reflection and anticipation was about worship.

On December 2nd, you are invited to a worship experience, and to see how

the wise men worshiped Jesus, and learn to follow their example. There will

be special music by the choirs, the Bells of the Sierra,

soloists and ensembles, children, carol singing and more.

Invite your friends and neighbors! There is no ad-

mission charge, no offering will be taken. It is our

hope that this event will prepare the way for a

worshipful and meaningful Advent and

Christmas!

The Emotionally Healthy Church “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confi-dent of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 1:3-6. This fall, both the Session and Staff of the church have been reading and discussing Peter Scazzero’s book, entitled; The Emotionally Healthy Church. The central thesis of the book is that

“Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not pos-sible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.” So, we are working on how to integrate our spiritual health in Christ with our emotional well-being. We are looking at how we can demon-strate Christ-like love in our interactions with one another and in our leadership of the congregation, so that we can best serve Christ’s pur-poses. The question is, how can you partner with us in this? The first way, is to pray. Pray regularly for the Pastors, Staff, and Session of the church. Pray that we would experience unity in the mind of Christ. Pray that we would be guided and directed by the power of the Holy Spirit as we seek to discern together God’s will for our church. Secondly, communicate with the leadership of the church on a regular basis. This communication may include expressions of en-couragement, support, and blessing for people’s willingness to serve. At the same time, you may have ideas that you would like to share or

areas of concern that you would like to express. My encouragement to you at those times is to communicate as directly as possible with the person (pastor, elder, or staff member) who has pri-mary responsibility for the aspect of ministry you want to address. Also, remember that your lead-ers are imperfect people who will at times fall short. Expressing God’s forgiveness in those times is vital to the ongoing health of our community. Thirdly, seek to grow in your own spiritual and emotional health. While growth always comes from God, it can be supported by a variety of expressions of Christian community. For in-stance, be open and honest with your small group. Share where you are struggling and how you are hoping to grow. You may ask for input from members of your group in terms of how you are relating to others and how you can communicate more effectively. For deeper areas that God may be calling you to address, I would encourage you to set an appointment with one of the pastors, see a trained counselor such as Karen Tyner, who as an affiliated staff member of the church is a wonderful resource, or consider meeting with a Stephen Minister for a season so that God can bring the spiritual and emotional health that you long for. Our deep desire is that we integrate emotional maturity as a focus in our discipleship. Oth-erwise, we are in danger of missing out on experiencing God’s love in all its’ fullness. Scazzero says, that “The overall health of any church or ministry depends primarily on the emotional and spiritual health of its leadership. In fact, the key to successful spiritual leadership has much more to do with the leader’s internal life than with the leader’s expertise, gifts, or experience.” As your leaders are seeking this kind of internal spiritual and emotional health, I encourage you to make a similar commitment. When you do this hard work of becoming an emotionally and spiritually ma-ture disciple of Jesus Christ, the impact will be felt all around you.

Your Session At Work in October

Statistical Report Membership as of October 8, 2012: 401 / August Average Worship Attendance: 327 Approved a Stewardship Focus (mailing a letter with estimate of giving card to be

returned on October 28, 2012) Approved a special EPC Thanksgiving Offering which is designated for church planting Approved ankor youth shopping for KARE Crises Nursery for resale Xmas gifts Approved KidVENTURE volunteers Approved 6 AARP Driver Classes in 2013 to be held at SPC Approved sale of pumpkin pies November 18 to benefit SonShine Pre School (canceled) Approved Nevada County Concert Band using Ryosa on Monday evenings once a

month in October, November, February and March Continued the study of The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero Session held a retreat on Saturday October 27, 2012 Discussed Chapter Two of The Emotionally Health Church S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of our church in terms

of how we are carrying out our mission

Mary Reeve, Clerk Pro Tem

THANK YOU Health Fair Volunteers! A great big thank you to all the staff and volunteers that made our 6

th annual Community Health Fair

a BIG SUCCESS! Approximately 350 people attended the 5 hour event. These visitors got to enjoy SPC’s lovely campus, were able to get free health screenings, visited over 60 health & wellness vendors, got their annual flu vaccine, and enjoyed homemade soup cooked by SPC’s HOPE team. New this year was a low cost blood draw by Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. For $50, attendees were able to get a full chemistry and coronary risk assessment. Exercise demonstrations from local fitness clubs were presented throughout the day. A new event this year was the great door prizes donated by local vendors. Again, for all the people that helped, thank you for all your hard work. Without you, this event could never happen.

Dick Dirga, Event Coordinator

‘’I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with Thanksgiving.’’ -Psalm 69:30

“O Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; or His loving kindness is everlasting.” -I Chronicles 16:34

We will soon be celebrating Thanksgiving, a tradition which began hundreds of years ago. Studying about the Pilgrims and the Indians teaches us about that first Thanksgiving. It is said that they looked at everything as a gift from God, were amazing Christians, and great examples for us today. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God for the many blessings that He has bestowed upon us and to enjoy a wonderful feast with our family and friends. We also have the freedom and opportunity to watch the Macy's Day Parade and the football games. Celebrating God’s greatness with thanks everyday instead of just that one day a year should be our focus. God was very much a part of that first Thanksgiving and we should continue to keep Him as the most important part of Thanksgiving today by giving thanks for our many blessings. We are thankful to be members of a congregation who gives generously to the Deacon Fund making it possible to bless others who are in need.

God Bless You, Dave and Nurene Bundock, Deacons, Parish 9

“And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’’ Colossians 3:17

HEALING PRAYER—Prayer for God's healing touch on any area of your life is offered after each Sun-day worship service in the Prayer Room. On the third Sunday of each month, Prayer Stations are set up

inside the Sanctuary. All prayers are strictly confidential. Prayer teams are available for those who are in need of a home visit or are hospitalized. Call Caroline Obermuller (265-1910) or Marie Alden (265-5459). Healing Rooms of Nevada County takes place each Thursday evening from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in the Chapel—Located at 155 Glasson Way. Enter through the main entry doors. Christian prayer for healing in a small group setting. For more information, please call 478-1478.

Pray Nevada County Open to all for Christian prayer, Pray Nevada

County meets each Tuesday from Noon to 1:00pm to pray for our county governments

and their services, schools and families, businesses and media, and churches and

parachurch ministries. In November, we will be meeting at

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Church St., GV

HEALING PRAYER

Name Branch/Div/Location Family/Friend

Thomas Akin Army Betz’s Family Friend

Jason Bailey U.S. Army Rangers Dennis & Bobbie Bailey

James Brown U.S. Navy Lea William’s Son-in-Law

Chris Burkhart Edwards Air Force Base, CA Amanda Burkhart—Husband

The Burkhart's—Son

Darrin Campbell U.S. Navy—Bahrain Patrick Campbell's Grandson

Jacob Delaney U.S. Army—Iraq Susan Colbert—Nephew

Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Doyle

BUPERS—Millington, TN Judy Doyle—Son

Justin Fifer U.S. Navy Oahu, Hawaii

Norm & Arlayne Fifer Grandson

Uriah Gibson Afghanistan Millie Raiche—g. grandson

Anthony Gilleland Staff Sgt.—Marines Afghanistan

Bob & Gladys Joost Great Nephew

Steven Harvey US Coast Guard Reserves Port Security, San Francisco

Brenna Harvey—Husband The Harvey's—Son

Shane Havle Marines—Iraq Betz Family Friend

Casey Haynes Iraq Tish Wathen— Neighbor’s son

Nathanael Higgins 1st Lt.—Army Germany

John MacDonald’s Grandson

Scott Lawson AF Major/Flight Instructor Little Rock, Arkansas

Don & Loretta Lawson

Staff Sgt. Larry Moorhead

U.S. Air Force Base McCord Air Force Base—

Tacoma, WA

Beth & Jack Moorhead Grandson

Matthew Nesselroad 2nd Lieutenant Transportation

Officer, El Monte, CA

Dick & Joan Ortlieb Grandson

Lt. Megan Pascoe U.S. Army The Spreiers—Daughter

James Brennon Afghanistan Hannah Samco—Fiance’

Lt Cmdr. Phil Pelikan Chaplain-USS Essex Karen Tyner

Alec Schreiber Lance Corp. USMC Camp Pendleton, CA

Paul Schreiber’s Grand-son

Matt Schreiber M/Sgt. USMC Okinawa Paul Schreiber’s Son

Lt. Ryan Smith U.S. Army, Ft. Irwin, CA Beth & Jack Moorhead Grandson

Matthew Ward Afghanistan—July Charles & Norma Black-Nephew

Walter Wiggins U.S. Army Special Forces Nate & Betty Beason

Evan Wolverton, PFC USMC—Camp Pendleton Denise Harvey’s nephew

Nevada County at Prayer ~ Fall 2012 ~ Prayer for National Election ~ Monday, November 5 County-Wide Service - 6:30 PM at Bethel

Church, 13010 State Highway 49, Grass Valley. Voting is important. Prayer is essential. Join the

family of Jesus Christ in prayer for our nation-wide elections. Coming up in 2013 ~ "Seeking the Face

of God for America" ~ Six Sunday nights during Lent February 17 to March 24 (Easter is March 31).

Letter from a Soldier—Submitted by Deni Dax

Walking through the beauty of Fall I notice the brilliant colors of the leaves as they take their turns dancing down to the earth. November! October has left on its canvas some of the most spectacular sights! Some of the colors remain on the pallet as we enter into November but we know the Artist will be rearranging and adding to all of that and we look forward to a different display. I’m so thankful to live in such a place as this that offers these incredible displays. We not only have these glimpses of beauty in nature but also in people

around us. Each of us is created with a unique design of colors and shapes that contribute to the world around us. And so, we can say “thank you” to the Master Artist. Richard Cabot wrote this piece entitled “Thank You, God”. I think it says a lot about the start of our Thanksgiving season: “When you say to me THANK YOU, remember I could not have done for you what I did had it not been for what hundreds of other people have done for me. Neither could they have done for me what they did had it not been for what thousands of other people had done for them. And so the thing goes on in infinite time and space. Therefore, when you say THANK YOU, you really meant to say, THANK YOU, GOD.” A most blessed Thanksgiving to one and all….. -Karen

GRIEF AND LOSS GROUP If you have recently lost a loved one (within the last 1-3 years) you are invited to join an on-going grief and

loss support group meeting the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. The group meets from 10:30 to 12:00 and is led

by Karen Tyner, MFT. The focus of this group is to support one another, and to receive the tools that allow one to

move through grief in such a way that one moves ahead spiritually and emotionally in order to fully embrace life. If

you feel you could benefit from such a group please call Karen at 265-5890 for more information.

Tom & Deni Just wanted to drop you a quick note. Thanks for the cards. The boxes are now just about completely empty. My Soldiers went through the boxes, came back for more. I have found it really helps our families to get mail. My boys love it. So it makes a huge difference in helping us stay connected...even in this digital Age. On behalf of my Soldiers - Thank You Again!! Your support is truly appreciated. I also loved the sachet - It is keeping some nice aroma to the area I call my room. It's a nice touch and I appreciate it. I grew lavender behind my house, so words don't express it - but Thanks again. LTC Robert B. Afghanistan

p.s. Enjoy the Holidays - we should be home by then (fingers crossed). :-) Note from Deni - I make homemade sachets with lavender that I grow. That is what he is referring to.

11/02—Parent’s Time Out—Free Childcare 11/03—Daylight Savings Time—Fall Back 11/04—Brayton Hahn Memorial—2:00pm 11/05—Prayer for the National Election @ Bethel 11/09—ankor Youth Car Rally 11/10—Men’s Mentoring Group 11/11—Last Day—Shoe Boxes 11/14—Creative Hands Special Quilting Class 11/14—Women’s Holy Spirit Mentoring 11/15—Women’s Thursday Mentoring 11/16—Parent’s Time Out—Free Childcare 11/18—Last Day to bring in KARE Gifts 11/22—Thanksgiving

11/23—Sierra Story Articles Due for December 11/26—Women’s Fellowship Decorate Ryosa 11/30—Roadrunner Reunion 12/02—Christmas Program 12/04—Staff Christmas Party 12/24—Christmas Eve Services at 5:30 & 7pm 12/25—Christmas Day Coming in 2013: 02/11—AARP Renewal Class 03/11 & 03/12—Initial AARP Class 04/19—Women’s Retreat 06/10—AARP Renewal Class 07/15 & 07/16—Initial AARP Class 10/07—AARP Renewal Class

EVERY Sunday:

EVERY Monday:

EVERY Tuesday:

EVERY Wednesday:

EVERY Thursday:

EVERY Friday:

EVERY Saturday:

Worship Services: 9:00 Traditional 10:30 Contemporary

PRAISERCISE for Women: 7:30am to 9am - Activity Room

Men’s Bible Breakfast: 6:30am

PRAISERCISE for Women: 7:30am to 9am - Activity Room

Hospitality House 5pm-all night

PRAISERCISE for Women: 7:30am to 9am - Activity Room

SPC Men's Small Groups 8:00-9:30am (Room B)

HEALING PRAYER after Services

PRAYER TEAM: 1:30-2:30

SPC Staff Meeting and Devotional 10-11:30—Library

AA Group in Hatcher 2 & 3 12-1pm

*Bells Practice: 5:15pm

Holy Helpers (church bulletins)9:00am-10:30am in the Library

Common Solutions AA Group 9am-12 Hatcher 1 (2nd Saturday of the month)

ADULT BIBLE STUDIES: 9 and 10:30am

Stephen Minister Class 5:30-8pm

Worship Planning Meeting—1:00pm Cecilia’s Office

ankor Youth: 5:30pm - 7:30pm

*Ensemble Practice: 6:45-7:15pm

AA Group- Hatcher 3 11am-12pm

KidVENTURE CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS: 9:00am & 10:30am

Stephen Minister Support on the 2nd and 4th Mondays in Ryosa Library 2-4pm

PRAY NEVADA COUNTY: 12-1pm:

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Church St., GV

*Pastor’s Class 5:30pm—6:30pm

*Choir Practice: 7:15pm

Ankor Youth: 9:00am—ankored 10:30am—Worship

Eskaton Bible Study on the 1st & 3rd Mondays at 7:00pm

*Praise Choir Practice: 6:00pm-7:30pm

Primary Purpose AA Group- Hatcher 1 6:30-8:30pm

Hospitality House 5pm-all night

*Praise Band Practice: 7:30-9pm *AV Practice 7pm-8:30pm

Grief Support Group on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays in Karen’s Office 10:30am-12p

Creative Hands 2nd & 4th Wed. 9/12 & 9/26 10am-12pm

*Check the Bulletin for updates in the

Weekly Calendar

Coming up:

(Events in italics are outside groups)

Lunch at the Crossroads @ GV Methodist

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2 3

Parent’s “Time Out” Free Child

Care (RSVP to

Heather)

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME-

FALL BACK

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Last day to bring in Shoe Boxes for

Operation Christmas Child

Parent’s “Time Out” Free Child Care (RSVP to

Heather)

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

December Sierra Story Articles Due: Email to

cecilia@sierrapres.com

25 26 27 28 29 30

Communion Sunday and

Deacon’s Offering

Children’s Talk 10:30am Service

Session Meeting 6:00pm

Prayer Team Meeting—Noon Fellowship Hall

Small Group Vision Team

Meeting

Prayer Stations available after Worship Services

Deacon Meeting 2:30-4:00pm

Elder Reports Due

Sierra Services for the Blind 1:30-3pm

Room B or C

Sierra Services for the Blind 1:30-3pm

Room B or C

Girl Scouts

3-5:30—

Room C

Girl Scouts

3-5:30—Room C (Events in italics are outside groups)

Men’s Mentoring 9:30am-12pm

Women’s Thursday Mentoring

5:30-7 Room B

Women’s Mentoring

Level 6 2:30pm-Ryosa

Moment for Missions: Hospitality

House

Staff Reports Due

Missions Team Meeting

4pm

ESKATON Bible Study

Finance Team Meeting 4pm

Roadrunner Reunion

Luncheon 11:30am Ryosa

Decorate Ryosa Hall

Local Missions Team Meeting 3:30 Room B

AARP

Save Driver

Class

PLEASE SEE RECURRING EVENTS ON

OPPOSITE PAGE

Brayton Hahn Memorial 2:00pm

Sonshine Preschool Pumpkin Pie Sales

Last day to bring in Donations for KARE

Crisis Operation Christmas Shoppe

Prayer for the National Election Bethel—6:30pm

Special Creative Hands Quilting

Class with Ruby Foster at 10am

Christmas Canvas… if you haven’t looked at the art canvas in the lobby of Ryosa or in the cross in the

Lobby of the sanctuary…do so now. Each of these canvases was created by a member of our congregation and they are fabulous. Lynne Dirga & Judy Doyle have a dream of having all the canvases displayed from Thanksgiving until after Christmas being of a Christmas theme. What could be a more meaningful décor for God’s church at that time than the birth of His Son. We will need about ten new Christmas themed canvas to make this happen. If you crafted one before…here’s your opportunity to make another. If you haven’t taken the jump…please do so…we would love new eyes and hearts in this project. Canvases are available…if you need one (they need to all be the same size) just call Lynne Dirga 265-3842.

Would you like to go on an Easter vacation that will change you and your family's lives forever?... See Mexico like you never have before. Join us as a family for a one week mission trip to Mexicali, Saturday March 23 until Sunday March 31, 2013. Everyone is invited, but this is a wonderful trip to experience as a family.

This is your chance to get to know Pastor Juan, his family and the local people as we put on a Vacation Bible School for the children and help with a building project at Pastor Juan's church.

For more information, please contact Dan & Filis Hyland 530-478-0817 (email: filhyl@att.net) or Mike Dyer, 530-477-1642 (email: mike@mkke.org).

Ankor youth and KidVENTURE are partnering with KARE Crisis Nursery to serve

families in our area with Operation Christmas Shoppe. Here is where we could use your help... We are asking our church family to participate by bringing a new, unwrapped gift with a value of no more than $10.00 for a child, mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa and drop it off in the church lobby through Sunday, November 18th. We are also in need of Christmas wrapping paper, tissue paper, and scotch tape to supply the wrapping station. Thank you for helping KARE Crisis Nursery.

HELPING THE WORLD AT CHRISTMAS OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

The Women's Fellowship Coordinating Team with the assistance of ankor Youth is working on this year's Operation Christmas Child, a project of Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse. On Sundays, Empty Shoe Boxes and Brochures are available at the Information Table, just out-side the Sanctuary Lobby and the Church Office on week days. It is a wonderful way to give Christmas gifts to millions of boys and girls in more than 100 countries in various parts of the world, including the U. S. You will be very blessed filling a Shoe Box with the needed items for a desperately needy child. PLEASE FOLLOW THE LIST OF NEEDED ITEMS AND INSTRUCTIONS IN PREPARING THE SHOE BOXES IN THE BROCHURE. PLEASE HELP US HELP THE POOR AND NEEDY CHILDREN IN THE WORLD. OUR GOAL IS 150 BOXES FROM OUR CHURCH. The last day to turn in your filled Shoe Box is November 14th. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

Adult Sunday School We want to thank Don Denton and company for teaching “The Life of John Knox” at the 10:30 hour in October ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR NOVEMBER: 9:00 AM—Irma Heiple: “Are We Home Yet?” Irma’s two main resources are the Bible and the book by Billy Graham, Nearing Home. The renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, writes to encourage people of all ages to live with purpose and grace in Nearing Home. You may read the first two chapters without charge on-line at Amazon.com. This class will be held through November 25.

10:30 AM—Charles Erion on “The Ark Covenant, Tabernacle, Temple” We encourage the congregation to attend these classes. It will not only help you to grow closer to the Lord but also to grow closer to other people that are attending the classes. These adult Sunday School classes allow for great personal fellowship. Submitted by Dave Anderson, Elder

Join us for Pastor Mike’s Class on Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm.

It’s Okay to Ask For Help ~ It’s Okay to Ask For Help Are you going through a difficult time? Are you worried, lonely, or overwhelmed?

Our Stephen Ministers are ready to listen, care for and encourage you, pray with and for you, and provide confidential Christian care

to help you through whatever it is that you are facing.

For some reason, we try to be strong, self-sufficient, independent people. But we don’t need to suffer alone – even for little things.

It’s Biblical to ask for help. It’s biblical to care for one another!

The role of a Stephen Minister is to give care. They listen, empathize, encourage, pray

and provide emotional and spiritual support for as long as you need them. It may be for a couple of weeks or several months – they are here for you.

Why are you trying to struggle alone? The love and care of a Christian friend is only a phone call away.

There is a Stephen Minister card in the sanctuary chair pocket or you may call Audrey McIntosh in the church office.

It’s Okay to Ask For Help

Quilting at Creative Hands

At the November 14 meeting of Creative Hands, we have a rare opportunity. Our own…Ruby Foster…has offered to instruct a class. We will be making a primitive wall hanging to celebrate the birth of our Savior. The only thing you need to bring is yourself, a thimble and a pair of scissors. All other supplies will be provided. Because everything is being provided, we will need you to make reservations for this class so we can have enough kits available. Please call Judy Doyle 2749549 to register. We meet downstairs in Room C. I hope to have a sizable turn out for this fun morning…no experience needed…just come and enjoy.

Announcing ~ Community-wide Prayer Services in Nevada County

Prayer for the National Election—November 5, 2012 ~ Monday, 6:30 PM

at Bethel Church, 13010 Highway 49, Grass Valley CA

These services are announced by and led by a broad coalition of Nevada County Christian Ministers and Pastors

Coming Up in 2013 ~

"Seeking the Face of God for America"

Six Sunday nights of Prayer during Lent 2013.

February 17 to March 24 ~ Locations to be announced.

Operation Turkey is in full swing. This is where you can

sponsor a family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addi-

tion to sending a check you can go to our website interfaith-

foodministry.org and donate through PayPal. Please "share"

this with your Facebook friends and consider creative ways

to support a local family. (maybe everyone at your Thanks-

giving celebration could sponsor a family for Christmas???)

Last year we had approximately 950 families at Thanksgiving

and 850 at Christmas. We could use all the help you can give.

LOCAL MISSION NEWS

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE COALITION—EAC is a behind the scenes kind of organization that offers lodging, food and gas to people in emergency need. It was formed by groups of local churches and has operated for many years in Nevada County. They help by having a 24 hour Call 211 telephone line. Everyone is referred first to Hospitality House and if they cannot stay there due to illness or other viable reasons, then Hospitality House gets approval for assistance from EAC. There is an emphasis on bus passes, and sometimes gas vouchers. Donations of bus passes would be very helpful. The EAC, Cal Works, Hospitality House, Women of Worth and Salvation Army work closely together, to meet the needs of these people. GIVING OUTSIDE THE REGULAR BUDGET I am happy to report that our congregation has a heart for giving to local needs outside of the Local Mission Committee’s yearly budget. Our members gave individually to local things like:

Christian Encounter Hospitality House Interfaith Food LivingWell Medical Clinic Yard Sale proceeds (which went to all of the above plus Anew Day and KARE Crisis)

ADDITIONAL NEWS CASA (which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate) is a non-profit program seeking volunteers to advocate and speak for individual foster children who have active cases in court. A CASA is trained to be an officer of the

court, develops a trusting relationship with an assigned child and then reports to the court on that child’s safety and well-being. A CASA makes a real difference in the lives of foster kids and improve their outcomes considerably. If you would be interested in participating in this, please contact Melinda Douros 530-265-9550 ext 222.

Thanks, Sierra Presbyterian! Linda Norman, Local Mission Chair

We at Sierra Presbyterian Church are in the midst of our seventh year of providing shelter and meals on Thursday nights for our homeless population in Nevada County through Hospitality House. A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to all of you who have given of your-

selves to our valued guests by bringing food, setting up Ryosa Hall, supervising cleanup, eating meals with our guests and supporting this endeavor with your prayers and donations. And THANK YOU to our wonderful church staff and members of Session who have lent their support and approval of our providing emergency shelter nights in addition to our regular Thursday nights! There’s no place like home. But with your help and support, we’ve been able to offer hope to the homeless in our community. Since National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 10 – 18, I thought it would be a good time to give you an update on what is happening in Hospitality House. As you may know, Hospitality House has purchased a 6500 square foot building at 1262 Sutton Way in Grass Valley, which will be a permanent year-round shelter for Nevada County’s homeless population;

this will eliminate the need for the nomadic shelter, provided by the churches. This building, to be named Utah’s Place in honor of the late Utah Phillips, co-founder of Hospitality House, was once the home of Club Sierra gym, and is plumbed for showers and has a dining area and kitchen. Among the needed renovations, the kitchen will need upgrading to commercial standards. As you might imagine, a large amount of money will be needed to complete the renovation. In addition to donating as you feel God’s leading, watch for notices of fund raisers in the newspaper, radio and online. The goal is to have the new building ready for occupancy in March of 2013. If you would like to help with Hospitality House in any way, or if you’d like to learn more about Hospitality House, please call or e-mail me at 265-6349, marty127@usa.net. In the service of our Lord, Marty Dinwiddie, Hospitality House

REUNION OF PAST, CURRENT and NEWLY INTERESTED RV'rs: Roadrunners would like to invite ALL past Roadrunners and those who might be interested in joining Roadrunners to a Potluck Luncheon on November 30th. Come and share your stories with us. More information will be available next month.

Be sure and save the date of November 30th.

2013 Annual Women's Retreat "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family

in heaven and on earth derives its name." -Ephesians 3:14-15

The annual women’s retreat will be held at Zephyr Point Conference Center, Lake

Tahoe, Nevada on April 19-21, 2013. Our conference speaker will be Irma Heiple

Look in the December Sierra Story for information on purchasing a gift

certificate this Christmas for someone you know would love to attend.

Coming Winter 2013—Family Nights! Beginning on Wednesday, January 9th for five consecutive Wednesdays there will be an opportunity for families with children to gather for a meal and discussion (while kids are being cared for). The discussion will be on Foster Cline and Jim Fay's material Parenting With Love & Logic. If you want to raise kids who are self-confident, motivated, and ready for the real world, take advantage of this win-win approach to parenting. Your kids will

win because they'll learn responsibility and the logic of life by solving their own problems. And you'll win because you'll establish healthy controls-without resorting to anger, threats, nagging, or exhausting power struggles. Plan on joining in on this time of connection for our kids and valuable input for you as a par-ent. The first night, dinner will be provided, with potlucks to follow. This class will be facilitated by Pas-tor Mike and is open to all parents in our church and community.

If you have a milestone birthday or anniversary you would like published in future Sierra Stories, please submit them to cecilia@sierrapres.com

FIREWOOD FOR FREE: Pine Logs—located on the NE Corner of the property (across from

Robinsons) - We Do Not Deliver

Where do you wear your SIERRA Pres Teal Shirt?

Keep the pictures coming in. Ellen has more shirts available in the

Church Office for $15

If you might be interested in going on a River Cruise in Europe next year in August you can contact Lori Gunder-son for information, phone 432-5178.