​The Lord be with you, Friends in Christ -
I do hope your week is off to a positive start.  It is hard to believe this month is nearly over!  Here are just a few things going on around the church:

Today:  Yoga at High Noon, then the Quilters spend the afternoon/evening in Fellowship Hall
Tomorrow:  Exercise, Eat and Pray at 9:00AM, the Dutch Treat Dames meet for lunch at noon at the Cornerstone Deli
Thursday:  Pastor's Big Day out and about (visitation, meetings, etc.)
Friday:  Exercise, Eat and Pray at 9:00AM, Pastor in the office till about noon/1PM.

I am available to visit you this week around the above schedule.  If you desire a visit from me, don't hesitate to let me know.  I have a couple of people already scheduled to see me.

Next week, I will be in Austin, Texas for 4 days of required continuing education hours.  I look forward to spending some time at my alma mater (www.austinseminary.edu) to attend lectures and do some research in their amazing library. This is a working trip, so if you need me, you can call me!  I will be driving home on Thursday, Feb 2nd.

Please remember in prayer, Peggy (Dyer) White, and her family, as they grieve the loss of her husband Bruce.  His obituary is attached.  Remember we came to know them better as Jack Dyer's daughter and son-in-law.  They are a dear part of our church.  Included in this obit is information on making a memorial gift to Kairos Prison Ministries, where they spent much of their time serving the Lord.

Annual Meeting February 5th!  Yes, I know it's also Superbowl Sunday, but this won't detain you for long.  We will meet briefly after worship to receive the Annual Report, vote on renewing my contract/covenant and elect new Elders and Deacons.  Come to church for communion and this meeting afterwards in the Sanctuary. Hopefully it will be more happy than humdrum.   

Just think, whenever you run into each other around town this week, Church happens.  For as Jesus says, "For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I am among them." (Mt 18:20)

Make this a great day!
Much Love,
Pastor Amy

​Good Morning, Friends
Thanks be to God we have been getting well-hydrated lately.  No wonder the Bible speaks so often of water as an agent of God's grace.  The prophet Amos says, "Let justice roll down like the mighty waters..." and the Psalms speak of God's merciful salvation as like springs in the desert.

How fortunate we are that even in dry times we live in a world where we are able to simply turn on the faucet and receive life-giving water! 

We are also able to experience such mercy and relief whenever we're gathered together in His name.  This past Sunday I was amazed that we actually had 20 people get to church, even though it was soggy and turning to snow.  Judging by the 4 different soups and stews you brought for dinner that day, we were obviously inspired by the weather!

On a related note, thanks to all who agreed to make food for our visiting college students! Unfortunately we never got to host them, since the weather began to turn nasty and they were advised to drive directly home to Kansas.  They did arrive safely on Friday night after driving all the way through. The kids send their greetings and gratitude to us. We will host another group in March during "Alternative Spring Break."

This week we stay on track to prepare for the Sunday, Feb 5th Congregational Meeting.  All members are called to attend so you can cast your votes.  Non members are welcome, as you can be recognized as having a voice.  This meeting will take place directly after our Communion Service, in the sanctuary.

This week is a planning week, as I continue to prepare our Annual Calendar.  
Today yoga meets at noon,
Exercise, Eat and Pray meets M-W-F at 9:00AM
I will be at a meeting in Roswell tomorrow, Wednesday, for the day.

Next week Betty Ragan and I will be in Portales overnight to attend the January Presbytery Meeting (Friday-Saturday, Jan 27-28).  You are welcome to drive over for the meeting if you wish to witness what that's like.  By the way, All Ordained Elders are invited to consider serving as Betty's alternate as a commissioner.  Barbara Cherry used to be our Alternate Commissioner.

Prayers:
Jesse Weeks - cancer diagnosis
Tim Healey (Julie Sursa's brother) - finds out more about his cancer this week
Jenna - pain management
Trujillo and Rivera Family, as well as the folks at NAPA in their grief for Edward Trujillo.  Edward worked for NAPA for a little over 40 years

For our church as we look ahead at 2017!
For this nation preparing for a change in leadership on 1/20

Friends, you have a hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That hope means new life comes to those who are able to give up the ways that lead to sin.  What will you do in 2017 that leads you to new life?  

May God bless you and keep you this week.
Much love,
Pastor Amy 

​The Lord be with you.
I do hope that your week is off to a wonderful start.  

Sunday we saw a couple of familiar and friendly faces in church, in addition to our usual church family.  Joyfully we welcomed Michael Page and Jenna Morris into our midst!  Mike also brought a Happy New Year card which we passed around during the Prayers of the People, so we could all see a photo of his little grandson, Calvin John Bruelhart.  Maybe our church should have a bulletin board of this church's grandchildren and great grandchildren?

Family Portraits:  Along those lines, I am looking for a date for when we can have LifeTouch come take pictures of our families for a free church directory. A photo directory shall help knit us together more as we evolve with new faces.  This should take place sometime in February or March.  Please provide your preferences as to which month, and whether a weekend or weekday is better.  This is an opportunity for you to purchase professionally-made family portraits, too.

Ministering to Travelers:  The KU students come back through town this Friday, Jan 13th to sleep at our church again.  I have cautioned them that the weather might turn ugly.  Right now they are doing a service project in the Four Corners area.  If you would like to help me provide them a hot meal when they get here, please let me know.  I will be in touch with them in a couple of days as the weather forecast and road conditions become more clear.  If they get stuck here an extra day we may need to provide them with more than a hot dinner.

Congregational Meeting Date Changed:  We have moved the Annual Meeting to Sunday, February 5th, after worship, so folks have enough time review the Annual Report before the meeting.  Elders, don't forget to get your reports to Sharon!  Thanks :)

2017 Church Calendar:  We are filling up with ideas of what to do this year!  If you want to put something on our church calendar, please send me a message at 1stprestucumcari@gmail.com.  

Prayer: It's a new year and always it seems we have lots of prayers to lift up, please make prayer for yourself and others a part of your daily discipline.  Prayer works!

We have yoga today, the quilters come later.  Exercise, Eat and Pray will meet this week, weather permitting.

May God bless you and keep you today and always.
Love,
Pastor Amy

Happy New Year, Friends!
It feels funny to type "'17" but I'll get used to it.  Consequently, this is the week to spend previewing our calendar for the 2017 year!  

This means, I will be in planning mode this week.  I will also be cleaning up around the manse, as the housekeeping tends to go undone around Christmastime - don't tell my mother!

Thank you very much, Ron, Sharon and Marge for your worship leadership this past Sunday!  I heard we had visitors and that all went well.  I took a much-needed break away, spending some time visiting with friends in Chama, NM, as well as in Albuquerque.  Chama was beautifully-blanketed in snow!

Today the yoga group resumes at noon.  We'll start right at noon, so we get in a full 55 minutes' workout!  This afternoon our girls and boys basketball teams play here at home, so I might be the "color commentator" at 6:00PM on AM1400.  We shall see how our kids do.  Go Rattlers!  If you listen, you might hear First Presbyterian Church advertised.

Upcoming dates
Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!: This Saturday, Jan 7th, there will be 6 college students from KU (Univ. of Kansas) sleeping in our church.  They are heading to AZ for a service project on a Navajo reservation at "Teec Nos Pos."  We are cooking them some green chile stew and homemade tortillas and they have pledged to help us with taking down Christmas Decorations!  Want to help?  Come on out! Please bring a snacky-food to supplement the meal. Their time of arrival is not exact, but I estimate they'll arrive sometime between 6 and 7 pm. Let's pray for a safe journey for them.  They will be back through town in one week.

Congregational Meeting:  Pending the session's final approval, I estimate the congregational meeting will be on Sunday, January 15th.  We will receive the Annual Report, elect new Deacons and Elders, and vote whether to keep me around another year (yes, that's part of it  )  This will take place once again following worship, during the potluck supper.  Elders - don't forget to send Sharon your reports!  Thank you. I have to do mine too. :) 

Presbytery Meeting Jan 27-28 in Portales:  The Presbytery of Sierra Blanca will hold their January meeting in Portales at 1st Presbyterian Church.  It's on our church calendar, if you wish for more information.  You may also visit the presbytery website @ www.sierrablanca.org.  Anyone from the church is welcome to attend.  If you are interested, please let me know so I can register you.

If you recently visited our online church calendar, you may have noticed our birthdays "disappeared."  I have corrected the problem.  You will see that and more at http://1stpreschurchtuc.weebly.com/calendar-of-events.html  "Right click" on an event and it will ask if you want to add it to your calendar.

Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?  I will be asking you about that this Sunday, on the Sunday in which we remember the "Baptism of our Lord."  The link will take you to this Sunday's Scripture Readings.

I look forward to seeing you around town this week, and... "God be with you till we meet again."
Much Love to you all.
Pastor Amy