The Messenger
Lead With The Light
Looking for An Outdoor Space for Spiritual Reflection?
At 99th and Mission Road on the Village Church Mission Campus, you can tap into the power of walking the Village Church Prayer Labyrinth to the west side of the campus parking lot. A brochure in a box at the labyrinth gives you more information about making the walk work for you. For more information, contact Deborah White in the Mission Office at 913-671-2369.
Message from the Moderators
Happy October, everyone! As you know, our theme for this year, Lead with the Light, correlates well with quite a few Bible verses. We asked Board members to reflect and comment on some verses as we began our journey together as a Board last spring, focusing on each person’s unique light and aiming to always:
▪ look for God’s light
▪ work towards God’s light
▪ work with God’s light
▪ reveal God’s light
▪ share God’s light
▪ celebrate God’s light
▪ let God’s light guide us in every way.
Whenever you are able, pause, take a few deep breaths, and spend at least a moment considering one of the verses about light and some of the Board members’ reflections.
This month’s verse is Psalm 119:105, which says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Thoughts collected from PW Board members:
• God provides a lamp and a light when we trust in Him and follow Him
• God’s word guides our path. We can look to it for guidance.
• The LIGHT = the ultimate guidance
• God’s word is essential to my journey
• God’s word starts the conversation with me – draws me in – leads me. I respond.
• God’s word in my heart shows me the way
• So true – we can always look to this verse to help us get back on the right path
• God gives us direction
• Learning the Word is light
• It’s tough to not fall in the dark
• Need to read more!
• Grateful for all guidance
• Amen!
Same questions as last month: What comes to your mind when you read these verses? With which reactions do you identify the most? How do these resonate with you today, this month, this year?
Love and Light and pumpkins a’plenty!
Laura Langdon and Suzanne Willey, Co-Moderators
Honorary Life Membership Nominations
Presbyterian Women Honorary Life Memberships are a national PC(USA) award, presented for outstanding service and leadership in some area of church work. Anyone may nominate a woman: she must be a member of the church, not currently on the PW board or a member of Session.
Please submit your nominations by Friday, October 29, 2021. Forms will be available at church, or by email (VillagePresHLM@gmail.com).
Advent Celebration
The PW Advent Celebration will be held Tuesday, December 7 in the Sanctuary at Village on Mission.
We are so excited to welcome our friend, and former pastor, The Rev. Jenny McDevitt, as our special guest speaker for the evening. To help us prepare during the season of Advent, she will share her intriguing, unique perspective on the Magnificat.
The Magnificat, or song of Mary, is a story of praise, of the lowly being lifted up, and the mighty being brought down, of the hungry being filled, and the plentiful being sent away. Imagine these holy words as her lullaby...
Look for details in upcoming issues of the Messenger, Good News, and on the PW Facebook and Instagram pages.
Giving to Presbyterian Women
Spiritual Growth Corner
when life gets crazy I crave both solitude and silence! I was the kid who was happiest with her
nose in a book or her hands busy with an art or sewing project. My children and grandchildren
are mystified that I rarely listen to the radio while driving and am unacquainted with their
favorite podcasts. Here’s a secret no one knows: running through my head most of the time are the hymns I’ve sung all my life, worship songs, camp songs, choir music, and scripture verses. Sometimes I think the Holy Spirit uses that inner music to make sure my focus is in the right place when I’m alone.
PW has been a part of my life since my 20’s, and has been for me a community walking together in the light of Christ. Through the years wonderful women of deep faith nurtured gifts and abilities they saw in me even when I was nervous and afraid of challenges. Five decades later, I hope I have walked in their steps along the way in helping other women walk in the light too, and grow into the fullness of Christ.
Written by:
Joyce Bardeen
Beachy Backyard Books & Beverages’
Join Women With Spirit for Beachy Backyard Books & Beverages’ on Sunday evening October 3rd at 6:30pm
We’ll share book recommendations and compile a master list for post-gathering distribution. We’ll also share laughs and long-awaited, laid-back time together!
Attendees are requested to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to wear masks when social distancing is not possible.
For more information or to rsvp please email Rachel Ciordas at rachelciordas@gmail.com
Adopt A STAR Family Online
Village Church will again sponsor “Star” Families from Operation Breakthrough. We will help provide Christmas gifts for families and holiday meals. Stars will be available online starting October 31 with packet pick up on November 13. Keep an eye out for the sign up web address in upcoming October eNews. Simply go online, select your family you wish to adopt and follow the instructions provided on the site. Each child in a family receives at least 3 new, unwrapped gifts; and, the mom receives a $25 gift card to Target or Wal-Mart.
The Operation Breakthrough Truck will be in our parking lot to receive the donations on Sunday, December 5 between 9 a.m. and noon. We also invite you to make a monetary donation to Village Church for Star Family holiday meals. $30 will feed a family of three or less and $60 a family of 4 or more. Note: Operation Breakthrough in the memo of your check and send your check to Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208.
The children who receive Christmas aid all come from low-income families. Some are homeless. Many are in foster care because they have been abused or neglected. Nearly all live in single-parent families, headed by low income working women. If you have questions and/or need help with the online adoption process, contact Ann Colston, 913-461-1791 or Marilyn Borel, 913-708-1917.
We will meet October 11 (second Monday) at 6:00pm in the Fellowship Hall at VoA for a bring your own supper and Lesson Two.
October 25 (4th Monday) 6:00pm women of the church gather for a casual dinner at Panera ( 135th and Metcalf) . All are welcome! Bring a friend!
Village on Mission Circles
Thought-provoking Bible studies and fellowship meet on the second Tuesday of each month and are open to women of all ages. Contact Sherri Robeson at 913-219-9925 or email for more information.
Page Turners
Page Turners meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month, visitors are always welcome. October’s meeting is on the 26th. We meet in room 127 at 10:00 AM. Having read the book, or not, participants will enjoy the vibrant discussion. For more information please contact either Barbara Lee, lhlee@att.net, 217-891-3557 or Judy Lockett, judylocket5@gmail.com, 913-385-2280
"New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult has seamlessly blended nuanced characters, riveting plots, and rich prose, brilliantly creating stories that "not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us" (The Boston Globe). Now, in her highly anticipated new novel, she's delivered her most affecting work yet - a book unlike anything she's written before."
In LEAVING TIME we learn about the more than decade’s long effort by Jenna Metcalf to find her mother, Alice. Jenna has never stopped thinking about her mother, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. At that time Jenna was only three years old. Refusing to believe that she would be abandoned as a young child, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice's old journals.
Operation Breakthrough
Operation Breakthrough: We will not be reading with the children from Operation Breakthrough this Fall. Instead we will focus on a long ramp up toward March 2022. By then, the children will hopefully be vaccinated and our volunteers will be more than ready, willing, and able to return. To accomplish this we may also need to tap into a younger group of potential volunteers at church. We have enough donated books on-hand for next March.
Presbyterian Women
Email: laura.hobbs@villagepres.org
Website: https://www.villagepres.org/pw.html
Location: 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 262-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/presbyterianwomenofvillagechurch