The Paoli Press Knowing Christ. Making Christ Known.

There is an old seminary legend about the pastor who was walking in the cemetery and saw these famous last words inscribed on the tombstone, "I told you I wasn't feeling well!" Interesting that they could have been written as an expression of humor or anger. Last words can tell us a lot about a person's life. After stepping on the toe of her executioner it is stated that Marie Antoinette said, " Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose." "How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?" came from P.T. Barnum. "Now why did I do that?" from General Erskine after he had jumped out of a window. And writer Joseph Addison in 1719 declared, "See in what peace a Christian can die."

For our Lenten worship series we will be examining the most famous last words of all, the words Jesus expressed to humanity from the cross. Taking a phrase each week, at all three worship services, we will bathe in the power of these lasting words that Jesus wants us to have to give us the Spirit's transformative power to live out our journey of faith. Please join us for worship at 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 5:05 p.m. as we gather together to worship our Loving God.

By Jeff Conway, Pastor at Paoli Presbyterian Church

Thanks to all who befriended Beverly DeAddio through driving her to church, shopping, doctors appointments, giving home-bound communion, and just listening to her. You opened your homes and hearts to her, you gave her good Christian friendship. You blessed her through hard times. You visited her in the nursing home. In God's perfect timing those blessings are coming back to PPC in a big way - the DeAddio Fund. The fund shared $150,000 with our year-end giving that brought the total to over $300,000 which is being used to serve children living in distress in Egypt, Belize and Chester, PA; and contributing towards the organ and property fund that will ensure discipleship and worship to continue for generations at PPC. (See page 4 for more information on year-end giving distribution.)

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IN THIS ISSUE

2 Church Officers

3 Adults at PPC

4 & 5 Mission

6 & 7 Thank You Notes

8 Children & Families

9 Youth

10 Young Adults

11 Music & Ministry

Congratulations to the Class of 2018 officers. Please continue to keep them and all church officers in

your thoughts and prayers for discernment, wisdom, imagination, caring, and dedication as they seek

to follow God’s call to lead His people.

Church Officers – 2016 ELDERS:

Class of 2016 Melissa Cassel (Christian Nurture), Roger C. Devonald (Personnel), Richard M. Hawkins (Nominating), Doris D. Humphrey (Stewardship), Susan B. Mayes (Worship & Music), Elizabeth D. Yespelkis (Mission)

Class of 2017 Amy Siverling (Fellowship), Annemarie Lange (Christian Nurture), Donna Russell (Personnel), Fran Alloway (Worship & Music), Larry Haack (Property)

Class of 2018 Chuck Baker (Property), David Straub (Finance), Janet Sainsbury (Mission), Steve Krentel (Christian Nurture), Susan Archibald (Fellowship), Tammy Sue Carriker (Nominating)

DEACONS:

Class of 2016 Beverly Loesche, Brad Warfel, Carol Lenker, Grant Harris, Joan Overdorf, Kathie Ryan, Leslie Kingston, Linda Zink, Maribeth Hacker, Mollie Van Zanten, Renee D'Antonio, Sue McCormick

Class of 2017 Becky Bemis, Doris Peraino, Doris Rickards, Jane Wafula, Janet O'Reilly, Julia Ruccius, Kay Joseph, Lynne Little, Pat Henige, Patty Madara, Suzi Burke

Class of 2018 Ann Plambeck, Becky White-Burke, Betsy Bemis, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, Jane Alexander, Karen Bittenbender, Kathy Agnello, Kim MacDonald Brown, Noreen Perrone, Sandy Forrester

Appreciation and gratitude to those officers whose service was

completed as they rotated off the boards at the end of 2015:

Elders: Class of 2015 James C. Burke, Michael I. Chamberlain, Tambralee B. Foreman, Glenn Gorman, Linda H. Hassett, Beth Previti (filling an unexpired term).

Deacons: Class of 2015 Ann Plambeck, Barbara Woodcock, Doug Tunnell, Jeff Naser, Joy Dodge, Linda Simpson, Lori Naser, Nancy Harper, Nicole Doyle, Pat Arrington, Phyllis Duncan, Sandy Forrester, Tony Dahm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Adults at PPC

Groups and Studies:

Women’s Monday Evening Bible Study: 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7:00 p.m. in Streeter Lounge. Questions? Email Linda Hassett at linda.hassett@comcast.net Women’s Tuesday Morning Bible Study: 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays in Churchill Hall. Light refreshments and free childcare. Questions? Contact Charlotte Fitzpatrick, 484-202-8374 or char7fitz@comcast.net Men’s Wednesday Night Bible Study: 6:45 p.m. in the Reception Room. Questions? Call Chuck Moore: 610-296-5442. Men’s Breakfast Group: Thursday mornings at 7:05 a.m. at The Great Valley Diner. Questions? Call Bob Zimmerman: 610-644-2974 FABS (Seniors) Events: • FABS Breakfast Club:

4th Wednesday of each month at Our Deli in Paoli at 9:00 a.m.

• Other Events: contact Judy Smaltz at 610-688-8076 or jmsmaltz@verizon.net

Small Group Lenten Book Study

Our small group book study will be Jesus the King, by Timothy Keller. In discussing the identity of Jesus, Keller describes him as a man both deeply embedded within his culture and times while also living counter to them in many ways. Jesus is shown to be a man aware of his upcoming sacrifice and in continual sacrifice as he descended from heaven to live on earth. Sign up in the Narthex.

Sundays

• Churchill Hall: Feb. 14th – March 20th Join us for a 6-week Lenten Series led by Dr. John Pauley from Eastern University. Dr. Pauley will be discussing several parables in which Jesus taught about the nature of the "Kingdom of God.”

• Gould Library: through March 20th Jonathan Mikesell is leading an 11-week New Testament overview - "Solving the New Testament Puzzle: How does it all fit together?"

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Year-End Mission Donations at Work

Mission

The Power of God’s Love “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

The internationally known speaker, author, sociologist and pastor, Dr. Tony Campolo, will be our special guest for a weekend in April. He will deliver the keynote address at our Mission Conference, entitled “The Power of God’s Love,” on Saturday, April 9th, and will speak at both the 10:00 a.m. and the 5:05 p.m. services on Sunday, April 10th. Over the course of four decades, Tony’s powerful

messages laced with humor have called upon Christians to live out their love for Jesus. He asks believers to keep in mind the actual words of Jesus, sometimes printed in red letters, in the Bible. He is a founder of a movement called Red Letter Christians. He challenges liberal Christians to witness more openly and directly to the saving grace of faith in Jesus Christ, and he challenges conservative Christians to hear the needs of the poor and oppressed, and to love all of humanity. For decades, Tony has traveled the world to speak at churches, conferences and universities. To us, he is neighbor Tony. He grew up in Philadelphia, has long lived in the Main Line area, and has been associated with Eastern University, his alma mater. He leads the Campolo Center for Ministry at Eastern University, which has named its graduate school in his honor. Dr. Campolo is the founder of several mission ministries, including Cornerstone Christian Academy in Southwest Philadelphia, which Paoli Pres. Supports through volunteer activity and with its mission budget. He last spoke in worship at Paoli Pres. In the 1990s. The April 9th Mission Conference will build on our 2015 Mission Conference. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with breakfast, coffee break, and lunch. We will have mission exhibitors as well as panel discussions. And Tony will give the closing remarks at 1:00 p.m. It will be an event that you don’t want to miss. - Tom Infield, Mission Coordinator

Mission Conference Saturday, April 9th

8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. All are invited.

No cost, but lunch donations accepted.!

* $40,000 for Health and Hope Oasis, Egypt. This is to provide safe, clean produce and dairy products for children with cancer whose immunity from food-borne illness is comprised by chemotherapy treatment. PPC donations will fund hydroponic vegetable greenhouses and a facility to make butter, cheese and yogurt at HHO’s farm and campus northwest of Cairo. Health and Hope Oasis is run by Dr. Magda Iskander, whom PPC supports through the regular mission budget.

* $25,000 for Cityteam’s Mother & Baby Program in Chester, PA.

The Mother & Baby Program serves the poorest of thepoor in Chester, PA by providing diapers, infant formula, baby clothes and other necessities to young mothers who cannot afford them. PPC donations will enable Cityteam to enhance and broaden the program. We are providing $5,000 for car seats (so moms and babies can safely leave the hospital) $10,000 for school shoes, and $10,000 for school backpacks. * $25,000 to Marla’s House of Hope in Belize, Central America. Marla’s serves girls who have been removed from unsafe homes because of abuse or neglect. PPC mission teams twice visited Marla’s and befriended the girls in 2015. PPC will upgrade safety at Marla's. Our funds will go primarily for construction of a better security fence and security lighting.

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From Dec. 12-21, 2015, an intergenerational team of six from PPC participated in The Word At Work’s (TWAW) annual Christmas Project in Belize. In addition to myself, the team included David and Sheelagh Straub; Lakeea Ernestine Lowry and her daughter, Tatyana Lowry, and Donna Sargent. PPC’s team joined eight other people from several different states and churches to be God’s hands and feet during the Christmas season. The team delivered 11,101 stuffed animals, along with toys and school supplies, to partners of TWAW across Belize. Although the team physically made the deliveries, it was God who provided for the people of this Central American nation. The team spent time at The King’s Children’s Home, a private organization that provides a home for children in difficult situations. Our time at the home allowed the team to develop meaningful connections with the staff and many of the 76 children currently there. The team also continued PPC’s relationship with the girls and staff at Marla’s House of Hope. The staff and children at Marla’s were thrilled to see a familiar face and know that PPC had not forgotten about them. It goes to show that the work our church has already done in Belize has made a difference in the lives of the Belizean people and needs to be continued. PPC’s relationship with Belize has only just begun, and has opportunities for everyone to serve. A significant portion of Christmas giving at church will go to enhance the work at Marla’s House of Hope. Another PPC mission team will visit Belize July 30-Aug. 7, 2016.

Ashleigh Straub is a sophomore at Elon University. She led the December trip and participated in the summer 2013 and 2015 Belize trips.

Mission

TO ALL OUR PPC ANGELS AND ELVES… Once again Paoli Presbyterian Church shown as a beacon of hope, faith and mission to 138 families from the Great Valley and Tredyffrin-Easttown School Districts. Your generosity in time, talent and donations made Winter Wonders a huge success. 365 children in addition to 60 young people from The Village (formally The Presbyterian Children’s Village) received a total of 985 gifts, the majority of which were purchased by members and friends of PPC. The remainder were bought by our team of Super Shoppers through your monetary donations. You also supplied 164 hoodies and 264 pairs of sweatpants to these very appreciative children. Almost 100 of you volunteered multiple hours to prepare for Winter Wonders night with about 140 volunteers working the evening of December 11th to make the night go off without a hitch. We, on the Winter Wonders Committee, cannot thank you enough. It takes everyone working together to make this large project happen. Bringing the love of God and the blessings of Christmas to these families is actually a blessing to all of us. If you did not get the opportunity to participate this year, mark your calendar for September, when we start preparing for Winter Wonders 2016. As we continue to strive to improve Winter Wonders each year, we can use your help. We are looking for an Assistant Gift Manager to help Ellen Burnham and we are also looking for an Assistant Winter Wonders Coordinator. Please prayerfully consider these opportunities. We promise you a joyful and very satisfying experience. Please keep in mind that we will be continuing to serve these families with the PPC Community Café on the last Friday of each month. Come and enjoy dinner and fellowship with our neighbors. The Winter Wonders Committee: Lindsey Bell, Marshall Bell, Ellen Burnham, Pat Henige, Lynn LaRocca, Heather McConnell, Susanne McCormick, Amy Miller, Gretchen Moyer, Bill Norcini, Amy Siverling, Judy Smaltz, Kim Smedley, Don Thompson, Betsy Yespelkis

2015 Belize Trip Recap by Ashleigh Straub

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THANK YOU FROM THE METRY FAMILY To our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, We cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of support and prayers during the six months of Adam's battle with cancer. Pastor Jeff's visits with Adam and our family in Houston; the countless calls, cards and the prayer shawls brought us comfort and strength during the most difficult time of our lives. Special thanks to the Pastoral Staff, The Worship Team and the Deacons for preparing and hosting a very special service to celebrate Adam's life and to give praise and glory to God. We are grateful to share that the overwhelming and extremely generous contributions to the Fowler Orphanage for Girls (in lieu of flowers). These gifts will be used to renovate an entire floor at the orphanage in Cairo, Egypt. Thank you. May the Lord richly bless you all and the many ministries of PPC. Amir, Nawal and Bob Metry

Dear PPC Turkey Feather-ers, Wow, what a blessing! You all went over and beyond! And we’ve already used everything so much. Augie loves his musical instruments set, flash cards, and the set of sports balls, and the clothes, shoes, and coat are coming in very very handy. Rosey is loving her warm jammies, books, and toys; she’s putting everything soft and fuzzy into her mouth these days. So we are grateful. Honestly, we were blown away by your generosity. Thank you for your constant love and support for our little family here in Bristol.

Take care, Susan Alloway

To whom this may concern, I have been extremely ill while I have been recovering from surgery and have come to rely on Linda Simpson, who has shown nothing but kindness. She has been a rock through this process. Be it driving me to a doctor’s appointment or picking up scripts, Linda has always helped, with a smile as well. So please pass on my thanks. You are lucky to count Linda as a parishioner. In this day and age, you do not meet many people as nice as she. Thanks, Eric D. Behenna

Paoli Presbyterian Church, We joined PPC after an absence of many years from our faith. We found a sense of peace and purpose in our lives, which had been missing. In addition to the opportunity to serve, we made many new friends at PPC. These have been among the happiest and most fulfilling years of our lives. We thank Pastor Jeff and the entire congregation for their caring and love. Blessings to all, Tom and Pat Sebring

“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me….” (Psalm 50:23a, ESV)

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Dear Sharon, Toni and PPC, Thank you so much for your generous and thoughtful gifts to our children. Our kids always enjoy making their wish lists for you in the fall and then, of course, opening their gifts on Christmas. This year the two big boxes arrived about 10 days before Christmas…in plenty of time and in perfect condition! What a blessing from the Lord and from you, Sharon, in getting everything together and in the mail way in advance. Our kids love their gifts!! All of you did such a great job searching for and finding just what they wanted. Thank you so much for this expression of love to our family. Even though there are more and more different things available in Mongolia, we still can’t get many kinds of toys and crafts, especially ones that are of good quality. So all these wonderful presents from America are really appreciated by us!! We have a small, outdoor basketball court in our yard that gets used a lot by our Mongolian neighborhood kids and our own children. We have gone through many basketballs from Mongolia because they just don’t last very long. We also have had two basketballs from America for several years, one from PPC. This fall both of our good balls finally were done in! So we were glad that our daughter, Hadassah, had asked for a new ball from PPC

this year. It will be used to the fullest!! Emma is having fun doing her two new crafts that you sent, and Jonathan is torturing our cats with his new RC car :). Rachel is having a ball learning and showing us her magic tricks from the kit you sent. I hope I have expressed to you how grateful we are to you and to the Lord for your love to us. Here are a few photos taken on Christmas morning. Enjoy!! Love in Christ, Barb Henry

Dear Friends at PPC, Thank you so much for sending me so many nice presents!!!! It was so much fun to get the packages and then open our gifts on Christmas morning! I love the Bengal Spice tea! It's my favorite kind of tea!!! The feather ring is so cute! I love that it's adjustable so I can wear it on any finger! I used the How To Draw Beautiful Faces book once. Attached is the picture I drew using the steps from the book! I can't use the basketball yet but I can't wait till it gets warm enough in the spring so I can try it out with my friends! They'll be excited that they have a new one to play with because both of our old basketballs popped! Thanks again for thinking of us!!!! Sincerely, Hadassah G. Henry

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The children's spring musical is called "Big Shot" and is about a band of garden insects who fear extermination by Goliath, the bug sprayer. It will be offered on Sunday, April 17th at the 10:00 a.m. worship service.

Kids Ministry on Sundays • Sunday School for kids ages 3 & up

at 9:00-9:45 a.m. and during the 505 service.

• Classes: Preschool, Kindergarten/First Grade, Second/Third Grade, and Fourth/Fifth Grade

• See deepbluekids.com to see the fun things our kids are learning

• Childcare for kids under 3 provided during the Sunday School Hour, and the 10:00 a.m. and 505 worship services.

• Children’s Choir for kids ages 3 to 5th grade

• Practices during 10:00 a.m. worship • Sing at the 10:00 a.m. worship every 2nd Sunday

There will be no Sunday School on Easter Sunday, March 27th.

The will be March 26th at 10:00 a.m. rain or shine starting in Churchill Hall.

Children & Families

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Youth

Read one student’s thoughts on the

pressures of high school and the importance of

PPC’s annual Youth Winter Retreat.

Every year since before I was born, the junior and senior high youth groups go on a combined retreat to the Mont Lawn Retreat Center. The beautiful retreat center sits on a picturesque lake in the mountains and provides the perfect backdrop to an awesome weekend of worship and growing closer to God. The weekend is filled with typical retreat activities such as worship, games, small groups, devotionals, a variety show, eating, and growing closer with friends. Worship on the winter retreat consists of praising God with inspiring music and hearing God’s word through an age-appropriate speaker. What makes the winter retreat different from any other retreat is the worship on Saturday night. Worship on Saturday night challenges us to go deeper into our relationship with Christ. We are invited to surrender any problems, hardships, or hesitations we have and pray about them with a leader. It is all topped off with a candle-lighting ceremony. At the candle lighting we have the opportunity to spread the light of Christ around the room by lighting a peer’s candle and praying for them. It is a very emotional and spiritually rewarding night and we can truly feel the presence and power of God in the room with us. What makes the winter retreat so special to me, though, is not the games, or fun times with friends, or the worship (although all those things are still awesome), but it is the chance to get away from everyday life. It is hard to find the time and discipline to spend time with God with the distractions and obligations of school, family, and other obligations. The winter retreat gives me the chance to get away from and forget about the distractions of life and focus on building my relationship with God. I think people can sometimes underestimate how hard the lives of teenagers can be. Even though we don’t have to worry about jobs or paying the bills, we are still faced with other

hardships and worries. So much pressure is put on teenagers to be perfect from school, parents, and other activities. We are haunted by the pressure of getting good grades and getting into college. I witness every day in high school peers showing signs of depression and going through school while dealing with other struggles.

It is easy to lose sight of God and what’s really important when constantly being surrounded by a negative environment. The winter retreat is a chance to be surrounded by a positive and loving group of people. Especially with this year’s theme of “Refresh” I am looking forward to finding new energy and hope in Christ. - Erin Cates, 11th Grader @ Great Valley High School

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Young Adults

The statistics are scary… Research shows that 71% of people ages 18-23 drop out of church for at least a year, even if they were active participants in and leaders of their church’s youth ministry. Read that sentence again. Let it sink in.

• 7 out of 10… of the children you see going up for Children’s Time on Sunday mornings.

• 7 out of 10… of the Middle Schoolers we hear running around the building on Sundays.

• 7 out of 10… of the High Schoolers who come back all fired up from the Winter Retreat.

Dropped out. Gone. Not a part of our church. Not a part of any church. It’s kind of depressing to think about, isn’t it? Because I hear you say it, and I know you mean it, when you tell our kids every Sunday, “You’re beautiful. God loves you. And we love you too.” You say it from your hearts and you want so badly for those kids to hear it, receive it, live it. It’s sad to think about them walking away. So what if I told you that there’s something we can do to change the statistics? What if I told you that you could be a part of bringing them back? Of making sure they didn’t walk away in the first place? Yes, it’s true that 71% walk away from church. But we have the power to change that. The statistics are also hopeful… For research also shows that that if every kid who graduates from our youth ministry had one older person (who is not their parent) reach out to them, stay connected to them, keep in touch with them as they grow into adulthood, we could cut that 71% number in half. Young Adulthood can be a scary, disorienting, lonely time of life. Almost every young adult I know is looking for, longing for a mentor. Someone to walk alongside them and love them through the MANY transitions that happen during these 5-15 years. As a church, we have an opportunity to turn to these 18-30 year-olds in our community and tell them, in our words and in our actions, “You’re beautiful. God loves you. And we love you too.” PPC, I believe that we can cut that 71% statistic in half. PPC, I believe we already are on our way.

Turns out doubt in and of itself isn't toxic; it's unexpressed doubt that turns toxic. Join us for the “I Doubt It” sermon series at 505. *Sundays at 5:05 p.m.

505 Small Groups ! Sunday nights after 505 – open to all

o Leader: Steve Krentel skrentel@worldvision.org ! Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. – Eastern Students

o Leader: SarahKim Vennard skvennard@gmail.com ! Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. – ladies

o Leader: Becca Bruner becca.bruner@paolipres.org ! Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. – Married peeps

o Leader: Adam Ruggieri aruggie2@gmail.com

71% of Young Adults Walk Away from Church

by Becca Bruner

Jesus was in a small group. Just sayin’…

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Music Ministry at PPC

The Sanctuary Choir of PPC will again join the Chancel Choir of First Presbyterian Church of West

Chester and offer both congregations Dan Forrest’s Requiem For The Living. Lent is a time of reflection and introspection. This setting of the funeral mass

text is a perfect musical worship for Lent. You will not want to miss this stunning musical offering!

• March 5th at PPC at 7:00 p.m. • March 6th at First Presbyterian Church at 3:00 p.m.

PAOLI PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 225 SOUTH VALLEY ROAD PAOLI, PA 19301 OFFICE: 610-644-8250 WWW.PAOLIPRES.ORG

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In Ministry Together: Susan Alloway (Communications Specialist), Becca Bruner (Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Families), Jeff Conway (Pastor), Vickie Foti (Custodian), Gail Glass (Financial/Membership Secretary), Daphne Hager (Director of Christian Education), David Hall (Parish Associate), Virginia Iacone (Executive Assistant), Tom Infield (Mission Coordinator), Bryan Jones (Director of Youth Ministries), Jonathan Kreamer (Music Ministries Director), Daniel McFarlin (Custodian), Jonathan Mikesell (Pastoral Associate of Administration), Felicia Mulé (Associate Director for Children’s Creative Arts), Jenifer Murray (Childcare), Adam Ruggieri (Associate Director for Contemporary Music Ministries), Richard Streeter (Pastor Emeritus), Wes Thomas (Custodian), Marcia Woodruff (Parish Associate).