OPMH E Gram (Nov 11, 2007)

Meeting House Worshipers: Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

This is Stewardship Dedication Sunday

Morning Services (8:30 and 11:00 am)

Scripture

I Timothy 6:17-19

Sermon

Taking Hold of Life — Dr. Laha

Hymns

Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

Guide My Feet

Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples

Other Special Music

Prelude:                      Prelude and Fugue – Joh. L. Krebs

Introit                          8:30 O come Ye Servants of the Lord – C. Tye

                                    11:00 Sing Praise – The Children’s Choir

Anthem:                      Dear Lord and Father of Mankind – C.H.H. Parry

Offertory:                    Now Thank We All Our God – J.S. Bach

Postlude:                     Rigaudon – André Campra

Coffee Hour: Join us in Fellowship Hall after the 11:00 am service. The host this week is the Worship Committee.

Christian Education. Sunday morning education classes and Bridges to Worship resume this Sunday

Children’s Education: Classes for children, age 3 years through Grade 12 meet at 9:30 in the Education Building and Flounder House. Children in grades 1-5 continue their study of Jonah – check the board in the Education Building entrance for your grade’s room assignment.

Adult Education

Wednesday Evening Bible Study: The Book of Acts, 7:30-8:30 pm, Flounder 1b, through Nov. 28.

Westminster Hall: The Gospel of Matthew, continues through Dec. 23.

Heritage Hall: “Practicing our Faith,” continues through Nov. 25. In the midst of such activities as prayer, hospitality, singing, forgiveness, keeping Sabbath, and household economics, participants will find ways to “practice faith”.

Fellowship Hal: “Presbyterian 101,” a four-week study exploring our Reformed heritage, continues through Nov. 18.. This week’s discussion will delve into our worship and sacrament celebration and the last week will explore our polity and form of church government.

Reformed Institute: Look on the web site for these special offerings.

Fellowship, Study, and Prayer Groups:

Youth: We will meet Sunday night at 5:00 in Fellowship Hall to watch the movie “Paradise Now” (PG-13). We will eat dinner during the film and hopefully have some time for discussion afterwards. Pick up time will be 7 pm.

20s/30s: This group is open to all in their 20s and 30s (married, single, members, visitors, friends). Join us Monday nights at 913 Oronoco Street at 7 pm. All are welcome! For more info., call Mike Campagna at 703-785-4736 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

First Sundays with the Stephen Ministers: An informal time of fellowship on the first Sunday of each month in the Elliot House Parlor. We welcome all who are experiencing loss or struggling to find joy in their lives to meet, one-on-one, with a Stephen Minister. Call Susan Grandy (703-780-4134 or 703.836.6701) if you have questions.

Please join the Celebration married couples group for Scottish Walk and their annual Christmas luncheon on Sat., Dec. 1. We will attend the church service at OPMH, have coffee at the McElveen’s (212 ½ S. Pitt St.), and watch the parade, followed by lunch at the Warehouse Restaurant in Old Town at 12:30. Reservations for lunch are necessary not later than Thurs., Nov. 29. Email Jean Rood at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 703.323.9503.

Calling all Scandihoovians! Join in a day of lefse-making in preparation for the holidays. We will take over the Fellowship Hall kitchen and break into teams to peel 20+ lbs of potatoes (depending on number of participating households), boil them, rice them, make lefse dough logs, enjoy a lunch of soup while the dough logs cool, then start rolling out and cooking the lefse until it is all made! This is a lot of fun in a group and everyone will go home with lefse to put in their freezer or consume as they choose. Call Lisa Anderson to RSVP and coordinate at 703.549.5609 or cell, 703.851.0189. Tentative date reserved on OPMH calendar is the Friday after Thanksgiving. If too many interested in joining in will be out of town that day, another date can be planned.

Mission

Stockings for Soldiers: Help our OPMH Youth send some Christmas cheer to soldiers in Iraq and and other overseas locations. Simply pick up a stocking from one of our youth after today’s service and stuff it with goodies for the holiday. A list of suggested items will be in each stocking. And don’t forget a Christmas card and personal note to let the troops know they are not alone. Children’s drawings are a real hit! Please return stockings to the church on Sun., Nov 18 or 25. Questions? Contact Cristy at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Emily Oehler at 703.836.1625 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

United College Ministries in Northern Virginia invites individuals and families from area congregations to host international students in their home for Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 22. Over the last 6 years 466 students have been hosted in 231 homes for a taste of an American family holiday. If you are interested, please send your name, address, phone number, email address and number of students you would like to host to Camilo Bearman at 703.739.9469 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Deadline is November 15. You will be matched with a student close to your home.

Sponsor a Family for Christmas! Alexandria’s Department of Human Services “Holiday Sharing” program matches our neediest neighbors with those who would like to share their blessings. OPMH has participated in this program for many years: Last year our congregation sponsored more than 20 families and several foster teens and senior citizens. If you would like to sponsor a family, please contact Debra McKeown by Nov. 11 at 703.780.5201 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You will receive a “wish list” by Thanksgiving and need to deliver wrapped gifts to the church by Dec 14. Some people got to deliver directly to the family, and that can be arranged. Please prayerfully consider this mission opportunity.

Special Gifts to our Family-to-Family ministry at last week’s Hymn Festival exceeded $2,200. Members of our community would say “Thank you!” for assisting with the cost of shelter, water, warmth, and, this week a first time request, a gall bladder operation for which a 50% deposit is required.

Thanksgiving Offering: Each year, the Meeting House receives five special offerings that support the larger work of the Presbyterian Church USA. The Thanksgiving Offering will be received on Sunday, Nov. 25, and goes to benefit several regional Presbyterian organizations that provide services for children in crisis: Edmarc Hospice for Children, Presbyterian Children’s Home of the Highlands, Presbyterian Homes & Family Services, and Volunteer Emergency Families for Children.

Join the No. VA AIDS Ministry at the inaugural Concert for Hope on Fri., Nov. 30 at 7:30 pm. The Concert for Hope is a musical celebration in recognition of World AIDS Day, and will feature performances by the Howard Gospel Choir, Jason & deMarco, and the Unity Fellowship Church of DC Drum Ministry. Location: Kenmore Middle School Auditorium lacated at 200 South Carlin Springs Road in Arlington. Tickets are available online at www.novam.org or by calling 703.533.55.05, x 13.

Music:

Our guest organist and choir director for this Sunday is Samuel Baker.

Adult Choir rehearses on Thursdays, at 7:30 pm in the balcony. Everyone is welcome!

Children’s Choir’s rehearses on Sundays, in room 22, Education Building. 12:05-12:50 pm.

If you’ve ever thought about singing with our adult choir but don’t have the time to devote to it permanently, you might consider joining for only a few weeks. On Sun., Dec 2, the choir is performing Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” during both worship serivces and we welcome you to join us. Rehearsals begin at 8:15 pm on the Thurs evenings in Nov. You don’t need to be a budding Pavarotti or ‘American Idol’ finalist to join, a nice voice and the ability to read music is helpful. For more information contact Robert Saladini at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Churchwide News:

Stewardship Dedication Sunday – This Sunday we will dedicate our pledges for the coming year. All members are asked to present their pledge cards as a part of our worship. This promises to be a special time in the life of the Old Presbyterian meeting House. Your presence and pledge are very important.

Flower Dedications/Memorials: Kerri Stevens, the new point of contact for OPMH’s flower dedications, is seeking contributors for the next three months. Dedications are needed for Sunday, Oct 21^st onward. Donation cost is $65. Please contact Kerri at 703.966.3895 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to schedule your date and related dedication.

Are You Ready? A book entitled A Letter to My loved Ones is available for sale in the church Office. The book is offered for $10 by the Spirit organization of the church. It is a self-help book to guide you through the process of collecting information your survivors will need after your death. It includes actual legal forms, listings, addresses and other useful hints to make it easy to compile your wishes. The book is offered for $10 by the Spirit organization of the church.

Anyone interested in training to be a Lay Reader on Sun. mornings, please meet Skip Bea and Christine Heiby in the Sanctuary immediately following the 11:00 service on Sun., Nov. 18. This is a refresher course for current Lay Readers and a chance to learn how to become a Lay Reader. All are welcome.

Did You Know – Patient’s lives depend on Inova Blood Donor Services collecting over 200 units of blood every day all year round! (One day’s worth of donations would be one unit from every person attending OPMH on an average Sunday.) Someone you know could need your blood. A Blood Drive will be held on Nov. 25 from 11:00 to 3J0, sponsored by the Deacons. Sign up before adult education or at coffee hour or call the Church Office.

Wayne’s Book – Please send your notes of thanks, photos (can be emailed, placed on disk or regular prints) and other remembrances to Kay Downey at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 823 S. Lee St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Insertion deadline is Dec 20. Let’s all participate to insure this special scrapbook honors Wayne’s 12-year mnistry with us! Questions? Please call Kay at 703.836-6229 or Jean Rood at 703.323.9503.

The Presbyterian Cemetery, located on Hamilton Lane in Alexandria, is a mission of OPMH. For nearly 200 years, it has provided tranquil final resting places for members of this congregation and others of our faith. Interred in these hallowed grounds are a number of patriots of the American Revolution, leaders from Alexandria’s historic past, members of the clergy, and many others. The cemetery still contians space for more than a thousand burial plots, and a new columbarium will provide 192 niches to serve as permanent repositories of cremated remains when it is completed later this month. For more information, contct Bob Ellis, the Cemetery Superintendent at 703.626.0879 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it