A Lovely Service

We had a truly beautiful, peaceful, worshipful, joyous Lessons and Carols Service this year. Many thanks to everyone who attended and made it such a lovely evening.

The poinsettias warmed the sanctuary with their deep red color.

After the service rich with beloved carols and sacred Scripture readings, everyone enjoyed delicious refreshments in the fellowship hall. Many stayed for over an hour, chatting and visiting.

Our hand chime choir played two numbers, and we enjoyed several special solos from musicians.

Merry Christmas to friends and family near and far!

Lessons and Carols Service

Lessons and Carols Service

December 20, 2015

6:00 p.m.

Scripture Reading and Carol Singing

refreshments afterward

Everyone is welcome to join us for this simple, quiet service 

of Scripture reading and Christmas music. 

Pamlico Presbyterian Church

1085 Kershaw Road

Oriental, NC

Thanksgiving into Christmas ...

As usual, our church participated in Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox ministry this year. We gathered boxes for weeks, culminating in a last-minute box-assembling on the evening of our usual Saturday fellowship dinner in November.

We donated thirty-three boxes this year!

Also in November, Pastor Adam gave a beekeeping presentation at the Oriental Lunch-and-Learn.

The program was quite well-attended and well-received. 

There's good interest in beekeeping these days.

On Thanksgiving Day our church had its usual Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who wants to come. We had a great group of 18 -- perfect!

The table was loaded with food, and we barely made a dent in the desserts.

We ranged in age from four to ninety-eight.

Pastor Adam asked each person what they were most thankful for. Many mentioned family and friends, but also jobs and God's work in their lives.

Our Christmas Lessons and Carols Service will be on Sunday evening, December 20th, at 6:00. Please plan to attend and enjoy the singing of carols, reading of Christmas passages, and some special music. Refreshments are served afterward.

September Lunch and Learn

Our church once again hosted the Prime Time program's "Lunch and Learn," a bi-monthly event for older folks that offers a delicious lunch and an interesting program. It was a packed house!

Pastor Adam prepared a menu of deli meats/breads/cheese/toppings at each table, plus an apple cole slaw and brownies for dessert. John Moores, a local master gardener, told us about plant care and floral design and handed out wonderful prizes.

A team of helpers from our church and the Prime Time team did all the food prep and serving, which is always fun. It was a great time of community fellowship at the Presbyterian church!

Memorial for Lea

Early Saturday morning, the Lord called Lea Braught home to be with Him. Lea is a dear saint, a precious woman, a cherished wife. She is dearly missed by us all.

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving, 2012. Lea battled cancer and other ailments for several years. Yes, she was uncomplaining and faithfully asked about the welfare of others. We pray for Dave, her husband, as he lives now without her.
A memorial service for Lea will be held at the church on Wednesday, September 9, at 11:00 a.m. All are invited to attend.

The Best Fifth Sunday Singing Yet!

Tonight our church hosted the 5th Sunday Sing enjoyed by the Oriental churches. Sixteen months ago, we hosted the first one -- after making the rounds of all the churches, it's back here!

It was standing room only -- nearly 100 people came this evening to sing, sing, sing. We ran out of hymnals and programs and chairs, but there was abundant joy!

We brought in a couple extra pews from the hallway. And our hand chime choir played, complete with silly girls:

Each church brought its choir. Here's the precious group from the Episcopal church.

And here are the Methodists. They sang a lovely arrangement.

First Baptists has a choir with lots of men. What a great sound!

I failed to get a photo of the Freewill Baptists, I was so excited to listen to them.
There was clapping and cheering and such excitement and joy. It was almost raucous, if that doesn't sound too thrilling. After we'd sung everything we'd planned to sing, and folks were filing out to the fellowship hall, I played To God Be the Glory as a little postlude ... and people started singing again. They weren't ready to be done! What a wonderful spirit filled our church tonight. Everyone truly felt it.

The time of sweet fellowship afterward was just the icing on the cake.

We're thankful for everyone who came, and especially for the fact that this is a recurring event -- every time there's a 5th Sunday -- and we can expect for years to come to enjoy only more evenings like this, a little picture of heaven's singing.

New Windows

This week our church is enjoying some new beauty in our sanctuary. Thanks to the generosity of a church member, all four of the sanctuary window transoms are now graced with stained glass. We previously had only one, donated by a family who have since moved away.

 The three windows added this week portray aspects of the life of Jesus Christ, beginning with his birth.

Continuing with His life of service, including the Lord's Supper,

And ending with His death and resurrection, shown in the lovely Easter lily.

We're so thankful for this beautiful addition to our worship environment. What a blessing to the church!

Cricket's Picnic, 2015

Each May, Cricket, our church's oldest member, hosts a grand picnic at her mobile home park and marina. Her residents all attend, bringing dishes of corn or beans or salads or desserts. Here's Cricket ~

Cricket has been a faithful member and encourager of Pamlico Presybterian Church for decades. At whatever stage of life she finds herself, she does all she can for God's church.
She always invites the church family to join with her residents in this annual celebration.

Cricket waits with the eager diners for the prayer to be said by Rev. Christiansen

Tents, tables, and chairs are set up beforehand to accommodate the crowd. There's always way too much food! Cricket provides the barbeque and chicken dishes.

But conversation and fellowship are the real goals of the day.

Church members bring along their lawn chairs and enjoy the fine weather by the marina.

And some friends who haven't seen each other in a few weeks get a warm hug!

Cricket's picnic always feels like the first true day of summer. Thank you, Cricket, for inviting us all to come and enjoy God's beautiful creation at your home!

A Tour of Israel

Tonight our congregation had a special privilege. Tracy and Joy Dager visited our church and told us of their ministry in the Middle East.

They've lived in Jerusalem for about five years, but have been in the Middle East since the 1980s.
Joy's father, Rev. Ransom, served our church years ago. Here he poses with Jordane, whom he baptized as a little girl.

Tracy's presentation was fascinating and informative. We learned about the great efforts going on in Israel and in the West Bank to bring reconciliation, friendship, understanding, worship.

The Dagers are involved with pastors on both sides of the 700-mile, 26-foot high wall that separates two groups of people who desperately need communication and understanding.

Our oldest parishioner, Cricket, listened with Joy's parents to the presentation.

We had a very good crowd for a Tuesday night!

Many, many thanks to the Dagers. It was a great privilege and joy to welcome them back to our church. We wish them God's speed and many blessings as they return to serve His people across the world.

At the Chowder Cook-Off!

A group of cooks from Pamlico Presbyteria Church participated in Oriental's annual Chowder Cook-Off, a fund-raiser for our local Woman's Club, on March 14, 2015. The day before, Pastor Adam, Edrae, and Garland met at the church kitchen to chop vegetables and catfish.

On Saturday morning, Garland and Adam prepared the chowder base and transported the stew to the town's marina, where the competition took place.

In spite of rain hundreds of eaters gathered there to taste fourteen different chowders -- clam, crab, catfish, shrimp, and chicken! Restaurants and other organizations -- fire departments, camps, banks, and our church -- tried their chowders on the public.

Pastor Adam and church members chatted with friends and strangers. Many people heard about our church for the first time.

The chowder was warm and delicious with a sweet cream base. The catfish was firm and perfect.

Pastor Adam baked four loaves of rustic white bread to serve with our chowder.

A small square of bread was ideal for dipping into the chowder and wiping out the bowl for that last bit.

Fellowship and community, over food -- one of the things that churches do best!

Donna enjoys a dab of chowder.

Our friend, Lily, with her human, Jim. She's dressed for the damp.

Harbor Sounds, a favorite local blue grass/gospel group, kept everyone foot-tapping and humming while eating.

We didn't win any awards, but our goal was to meet people and have our church present in the community ... and have fun! We succeeded!