e-mail us at: spchurch@bellatlantic.net

Guess what? They are not there anymore! Those same types of people are going to college, taking aerobic classes, flying to Acapulco for a get-away-weekned, or storming the casinos.

Patience is supposed to be a virtue that people would really like to have. Yet, as a society we seem to value impatience even more. The impatient person seems to get the table quicker, and their meal for half price. The impatient person seems to get the test results quicker, and over all faster service.

These persons who are driven, motivated, can-not-sit-still, or take "No!" for an answer are rewarded. We elevate them to places of importance. We make them CEO’s, physicians, or some other job that requires a fanatical commitment of the human spirit. They are much more concerned with getting the job done, than they are with civility.

The images of impatience are everwhere. They are tapping their impatient fingers, jockying for position at the toll booth, berating their overworked waitress, screaming at their children, and counting our "fifteeen or less"items.

Truly, what scares me the most is that sometimes "They" are "us".

The patience-impatience factor has been noticeable as the nation awaits the outcome of the Florida Count. Nobody likes to wait. Culturally we are hoplessly impatient.

Yet the Christian community is celebrating a whole season which is given over to the very concept of waiting. Advent is a time of anticipation and patience. Though the movement of Advent is toward the incarnation of Christ and the Christmas story, the greater drama is that Advent of our Lord in the culmination of history.

Patience is a by-product of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul lists it right behind love, joy and peace in Galatians. Perhaps the connection between the absence of peace in our land and in our hearts is as much connected to our unwillingness to accept the fact that God has a time table of His own. God’s goodness is imparted to God’s people for Christian living and service, and sometimes that means simple to wait…and be patient.

Your less than patient servant…

Pastor Roan

Preparation: George Earling and Fred Gary

Serving: John Van Decker, Bruce Wolfinger, Frank Baylor, Ralph DeHaas, Dale Dykstra

December 3 Linda Roan Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; l Thess. 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

December 10 Debbie Sansone Mal. 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Phil. 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

December 17 Bill and Derek Schisler Zeph. 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Phil. 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18

December 31 Norman Smith l Samuel 2:18-20,26; Psalm 148; Col. 3:12—17; Luke 2:41-52

The congregation extends its deepest sympathy to the family of Barbara Hamlen-Merritt who went home to be with the Lord on Monday, October 30, 2000.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die".

REMINDER; A reminder to those who will be making annual reports. Please start your reports as soon as possible. All reports should be submitted to the church office by the beginning of the New Year.

The December meeting of the Women’s Association will be held on Monday, December 18th at 7:30 p.m.

A cookie swap will be held. All women of the church are invited.

The children will present their program at 4:00 p.m. The dinner will follow. Please plan to come with your family and celebrate Christ’s birth as a church family. All are welcome. Please bring a covered dish. Coffee, tea and beverages will be provided.

Join with us on Christmas Eve for the Candlelighting and Communion Service. The choir will sing, the Christmas birth story will be told and the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated. The time is 7:30 p.m., December 24^th.

*Denotes 2^nd term.

My name is Ben Urban, Ben is a nickname that has stuck forever, my real first name is John. I’ve been a member of the Stewartsville Presbyterian since 1998, prior to that I was a Methodist (Spring Valley United Methodist Church in New York for about 6 years and Summerfield United Methodist church in Port Chester, NY for over 30 years). I live in Stewartsville, in the Greenwich Chase Toll brother’s Development with my wife of over 15 years and sons Michael, Matthew, Mark and Mitchell.

I am the leader of 5^th and 6^th grace Sunday School class. Last year I helped Colleen with this age group and this year I am working with Matt Gary on this same age group. I am supposed to be the teacher, bur we are all learning together, I just plan ahead and have some of the suggested answers ahead of time.

Besides working with the Sunday School class, I also enjoy my family, coin collecting, woodworking, the Cub Scouts and genealogy. I have also been working the Church’s Web site