Happenings in Recent Months

This past week many of our church folks gathered at Gary's Seafood 

for a delicious lunch together and great fellowship!

On Saturday, a very welcoming baby shower was given for a granddaughter of our church and her new husband, as they await their new baby.

Even gathering at the church to clean the kitchen and bathrooms can turn into a party! Look at those smiles.

Pastor Adam Christiansen was the narrator for the Oriental live nativity in December.

Thanksgiving Day, many friends in the community gathered in the fellowship hall for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner, always a wonderful time with amazing food.

The Community 5th Sunday Sing in the autumn was a great event! So many churches participated, the music was excellent, and the fellowship was so heart-warming!

 

Seventh Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner!

 At 2:00 on Thanksgiving Day, a wonderful crowd of 35 friends and family gathered in our fellowship hall for a feast.
Eating together is a spiritual event. Eating with the Lord among us, as Christians, is worship and joy.

 One turkey baked in the oven; one fried in the parking lot with supervision.

 Meanwhile a few ladies transformed the fellowship hall into an autumnal feasting location!

 Pastor Adam baked his melt-in-your-mouth rolls.

 And he whisked up some gravy.

 Then our guests began to arrive.

 This meal is open to anyone - church members, members of other churches, members of no church, friends, neighbors, strangers, passing boaters. Everyone is invited and welcomed.

 Some guests arrived unexpectedly, so we swiped one of the food tables to give us more seating!

 Desserts:

 Even vegetarian eaters found plenty to enjoy!

 This is by far the largest Thanksgiving gathering we've had. Next year we'll need to rearrange our tables. What a delight it was to have everyone here.

 The Lord's table is a big table, a table where each person brings an offering for everyone, a table of sharing and joy, a table to which all are invited and many come.

We hope, wherever you are this Thanksgiving, you share a table with others thankful to God for His provision, love, and care for us all.

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!

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!

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!