This Week: December 22, 2018

EVERYONE YEAR END GIVING

In order to comply with IRS regulations, Monday, December 31, is the deadline for donations to be receipted for 2018. Other than offerings given in worship or online, you may mail checks postmarked by Monday, December 31. Since church offices will be closed on the 31st, any hand-delivered contributions should be placed in the offering plate during regular worship services on Sunday, December 30. For stock donation instructions, contact Jean Hagin by noon, Friday, December 28.

Please note that mutual fund donations can take up to three weeks to process.

Thank you for your generosity in supporting all that God is doing at PCPC. Find more information at pcpc.org/give/. jean.hagin@pcpc.org or 214-224-2504

ALL CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Join us on Sunday, January 6, for both the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Sunday School hours, in the Fellowship Hall, as Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity speaks on Ruth Chapter 2: a society in decline, a community challenged, an immigrant looking for work, a manager on the spot. How will the godly respond? Come explore. blake.schwarz@pcpc.org or 214-224-2803 MidWeek, Wednesdays, January 16-April 17, is an opportunity to rest from your weeknight routine and join our church family for worship, fellowship, and learning.

Class details will be available online. matt.fray@pcpc.org or 214-224-2570 VOL. XXIX, NO .26 | DECEMBER 22, 2018 PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRICIA COTHRAN, EDITOR 4124 OAK LAWN AVENUE DALLAS, TX 75219-3152

WINTERGRACE – SAVE THE DATE

On February 17-18, we will be hosting WinterGrace. WinterGrace is a special time set aside to saturate ourselves in the love and grace of God. This year’s theme is “Generous Grace.” Through worship services on Sunday morning, evening, and Monday evening, we will explore our Lord’s generosity and examine our life response in light of God's glorious grace. cassie.rawson@pcpc.org or 214-224-2737

WOMEN SPRING 2019 BIBLE STUDIES BEGIN

Studies begin January 15-17. For details on each study and how to sign up, see pcpc.org/women. If you are currently in a study, you do not need to re-register yourself, but you do need to re-register for childcare. All reservations for children birth-K must be made online by Friday, January 11, noon. leslie.newman@pcpc.org or 214-224-2722

MISSIONS 2019 SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIPS

214-224-2500 pcpc.org facebook.com/parkcitiespca twitter.com/parkcitiespca

THISWEEK@PCPC

MIDWEEK

What better way to celebrate the new year than to gift yourself or a loved one with a chance to go share the Gospel! "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him who brings good news."–Isaiah 52:7. For more information, contact Hallie Powers. All of our trips are now posted on our website, so sign up at pcpc. org/shortterm today! hallie.powers@pcpc.org or 214-224-2510

MARRIAGE MINISTRY UNION AND RE|ENGAGE

THISWEEK@PCPC

VOL. XXIX, NO. 26 | DECEMBER 22, 2018

We long to see vibrant relationships that reflect God’s love for us in the Gospel.

Our marriage ministry serves pre-married, newly married, and established married couples through classes such as UNION, our marriage preparation course, and re|engage, a course for all married couples. Register at pcpc.org/marriage. melissa.abston@pcpc.org or 214-224-2679

deep digging

My husband and I bought a house in the last year and have recently devoted some time to the backyard—mainly, ripping out a dilapidated fence that cut our yard in half. Taking the pickets down was easy. Removing the posts was a muddy battle of wills. We started off with shovels and a jack, but made little progress. With a bit more digging, we discovered large, snaking roots entwined around the cement footings.

After tearing into the roots with some heavy-duty loppers, we eventually tossed the jack and wrapped a chain around the posts, tearing them out with our three-ton truck.

The wet, tar-like clay put up a fight, but finally, one by one, the posts came out with their near hundred pounds each of cement footings. We didn’t realize how big and heavy the footings were and they left gaping holes in our yard. I’m glad we didn’t waste much time with useless, smaller tools—otherwise we would still be digging today.

At the same time as this period of landscaping, just three years into our marriage, my husband and I had been attending PCPC’s marriage enrichment class re|engage.

I know not many people consider taking an enrichment course so early into their marriage, but in that short amount of time, we had so many life changes that we felt like we were partners in a struggling non-profit rather than madly in love. We felt we needed to reconnect.

BAPTISMS

December 9, 2018

births • Nathaniel Paul Schwarz, son of Blake & Julia Schwarz (CC#21) on December 2, 2018.

deaths • Dorothy "Kay" Gray (CC#02) on November 29, 2018.

sympathies Bowen Matthew Ballard son of Morgan and Matt Ballard

Luke McRoberts Ball son of Monet and George Ball

Let me back up a bit. As soon as we got engaged, we signed up for the Union class.

It opened up a lot of conversations that always felt too big for the dating stage. But more than that, it gave us a healthier view of marriage. It’s easy to get swept up in the emotions and then not feel emotionally prepared for the hard work that follows the wedding. I was marrying a sinner who was, in turn, marrying me, a sinner. The weight of that didn’t dawn on me until those first few classes of Union. I remember feeling shocked when we found ourselves able to calmly work through a fight that had been brewing for months! The tools and perspectives on conflict and communication served us well that first year.

Union was so beneficial in helping me plant more realistic expectations for my marriage. Re|engage was vital in helping me uproot the expectations I had inadvertently planted for my marriage.

Marriage is not a final destination but a constant cultivation

UNION & re|engage Register at pcpc.org/ marriage

I went into re|engage thinking our marriage was pretty good. We didn’t need a hospital stay; just a spa weekend to sluff off some bad habits. However, I was only looking at the surface of my marriage. As we worked through the classes, my husband and I started having conversations that, although hard, were so rich in new understanding of ourselves and each other. I started to see a lot of similarities between my sin in our marriage and those old, stubborn fence posts.

My false expectations were like those large, snaking roots and my sins were like those deep, heavy cement footings. I saw how my expectations that our responsibilities at home should be totally equal (Which led to me keeping score) was firmly entwined around my deeply rooted selfishness and prevented me from really dealing with it.

Those false expectations of mine didn’t just need some light pruning, but big loppers to cut them down. However, I firmly believe that if we hadn’t addressed them so early in our marriage, we would have needed chainsaws to deal with what they would have grown into. There was no way I was going to dig up my deep sin with my own strength. I would have given up in my weakness.

Things are still looking raw and patchy in our yard. Not only are the footing holes crudely filled, but the spinning truck tires tore up other parts of the yard that I thought looked pretty good before. The same is true for me and my husband’s relationship. God working His grace in our lives is not always a pretty process, but time and intentional cultivation will bring about new growth.

—Tricia Cothran

• John & Lisa Sharp (CC#14) on the loss of his father; Ben Sharp (CC#14) on the loss of his grandfather, Thomas Sharp, on December 4, 2018.

• Claire Kornfield (CC#04) on the loss of her grandfather, William Brown, on December 7, 2018.

Care Clusters – pcpc.org/care/care-clusters/ GENERAL FUND

budget

2018/2019 operating budget

Joseph Reagan Magnuson, Jr. son of Emily and Joseph Magnuson

Elizabeth Grace Peel daughter of Paige and James Peel

$13,500,000

July 1—December 9, 2018 budget

$5,521,350

July 1—December 9, 2018 giving

$4,587,440

Budget variance

($933,910)

ADULTS ALPHA

Alpha is an opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open, and informal environment over a delicious meal. Come on Tuesdays, February 5—April 9, 6:30—8:30 p.m., Gather Kitchen at Thanksgiving Tower, 1601 Elm Street. Please RSVP. johnpaul.schulze@pcpc.org or 214-224-2584

COUNSEL & CARE GROUPS

Charles Hunter Pond son of Lauren and Hunter Pond

Allison Grace Simcox daughter of Amy and Steve Simcox

We believe that the Church is God’s instrument to CARE for people as they really are, in all the unique ways God has created each person as an individual, and in all the difficult ways that brokenness, doubt, and frustration has come to bear on his or her story. We have Redemption Groups, DivorceCare, Men’s Group 2.0, and other groups that help bear the burdens of hurting hearts. pat.hobin@pcpc.org or 214-224-2541

WORSHIP & THE PERFORMING ARTS

I look back and see how I brought all the wrong tools for the job when it came to my soul’s darkness and how it affected not only my marriage but all of my relationships.

My own strength and resolve were like dull, puny pruners when compared to the grace that was needed. No matter where we are in marriage, we need some real torque and horsepower to uproot our sinfulness. (And remember—your sinfulness. Not your spouse’s. You cannot be someone else’s Holy Spirit.) We will never know how deep our sin goes until we start digging. And we will never know how rich our marriages can be until we go deep with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, I learned that marriage is not a final destination, but a constant cultivation.

Every day there must be an effort toward planting the good and pulling out the bad.

OUR FAMILY

CHOIRS KICK-OFF IN JANUARY

Our choirs are filled with people who love God, love to sing, and love to help others sing. We welcome new members, kindergarten through adult. The adult Chancel choir resumes rehearsals on January 2. The children’s choirs (Carol, Chapel and Covenant) resume on January 16. margaret.doria@pcpc.org or 214-224-2638 James Pearce Thompson son of Katie and James Thompson

MEN TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

Join us Tuesdays, January 22-April 23, 7:00 a.m., in the Fellowship Hall for our spring study which is open to men of all ages, in all places of their spiritual journey. Come for great teaching, fellowship, coffee, and donuts. elaine.montague@pcpc.org or 214-224-2736