 Proposal for Mother’s Morning Out Program at Orange Presbyterian Church From the board of the Orange Presbyterian Weekday School This proposal is to request the renovations required to outfit Orange Presbyterian Church (OPC) to offer a Mother’s Morning Out program to the community. Improvements will bring the facility up to current building code in a manner that will emphasize both safety and aesthetics.
Orange Presbyterian Weekday School (OPWS) has received generous funding through government grants. One of the purposes of these grants is to expand program offerings to the community. OPWS would like to use some of this money to begin this new program. What is Mother’s Morning Out? The purpose of a Mother’s Morning Out program is to offer a flexible childcare opportunity for children 0-36 months in a caring and safe environment. The program will operate during preschool hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00am-Noon). The proposed cost of the program is $25/day (with the possibility of a sibling discount) and sign-up will be on a first-come/first-served basis. Families will be asked to complete a registration once annually and will have to provide any documentation required by the Virginia Department of Education. Staffing Current Virginia Department of Education guidelines require a staff:child ratio of 1:4 for children 0-16 months. The ratio is based on the youngest child enrolled. So for the age range 0-26 months, the ration will be 1:4. It is proposed that the program begin with two staff and a maximum of eight children. If the program proves to be very successful, additional staff may be hired at future time. It is proposed that staff will be paid similarly to the pay scale of current OPWS teachers. To get the program going and gain momentum, it is proposed that the program run each day whether or not there are eight children present. For the first year of operation, OPWS can cover any gap between the income and expenses create by the program. All staff will be required to satisfy the requirements of the Virginia Department of Education. Location Requested for use are the Leland Lord Library (approximately 324 square feet) and the current Nursery (approximately 400 square feet). Renovations required to meet current building codes are as follows:
Additional Facility Needs OPWS plans to make use of any resources that are currently in the OPC nursery as well as OPWS. Only necessary purchases will be made, such as:
If approved, it is proposed that renovations take place during spring/summer 2023, with a program launch to coincide with the beginning of OPWS in September 2023.
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 We'll be offering special music during our March 5th Lenten worship service. A vocalist will perform "Pie Jesu." So what is this tune, anyway? First off, it has nothing to do with dessert. The title is Latin and pronounced, "PEE-ay YAY-zu" (Pious Jesus). It's part of the liturgy for the Requiem Mass of the Catholic Church. A Requiem Mass is a church service for the repose of the soul. It's usually celebrated to mark the passing of a person. In our faith tradition, we'd call it a memorial service. The original text of "Pie Jesu" reads: Pie Jesu Domine, Dona is requeim (Pious Lord Jesus, give them rest) Pie Jesu Domine, Dona is requeim sempiternam (Pious Lord Jesus, give them everlasting rest) Several composers have included "Pie Jesu" in their settings of the Requiem Mass. So there's more than one tune associated with this text. Luigi Cherubini and Antonin Dvorak used it, for example. Gabriel Fauré's setting from his 1890 Requiem is the most famous. And it's also the most performed worldwide. But there are two modern contenders. John Rutter is one of the most popular choral composers of the late 20th Century. His setting from his 1985 Requeim is a favorite among church choirs. Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu" has even wider exposure. Lloyd Webber's Requiem also premiered in 1985. The "Pie Jesu" was a breakout hit. It's been recorded and performed by classical vocalists, Broadway singers, and pop stars. Which setting will you hear at worship this Sunday? You'll have to discover that for yourself. Worship begins at 10 am, Sunday morning.
 ORANGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING JANUARY 22, 2023
 This Sunday after worship, we had a big task. The sanctuary needed to be undecorated. The candles (all 78 of them) had to be taken down and packed into boxes. The wooden candleabras needed to be moved back to their basement storage room. The Crismon ornaments had to be removed from the tree and put away. The Crismon tree had to be placed back in its box and taken to storage. Wreaths outside the front door needed to be removed and bagged up for storage. The greenery swags had to be taken down and packed away.  It was a daunting task -- but it was done in record time. Several members of the congregation stayed after worship and started in.
Thanks to everyone who helped. When we all work together, we can accomplish much. (And no one person has to work too hard.)  Something special happened at OPC Christmas Eve. We presented Lessons and Carols. Thanks to the efforts of our music director Theresa Torian, the sanctuary was filled with glorious music. We're especially grateful to all the talented musicians who donated their time and talents to be with us that evening. The church was filled with long-time church family members and newcomers. We greeted friends both old and new. Families and extended families came -- and a few came by themselves. 142 people raised their voices in song, marking the significance of this special day. Below are just a few of the highlights of this very special service.  The service started at 7:30 pm. But the music began at 7:00. We heard selections performed by a brass choir, organ and piano, and a woodwind quintet.  Some of the carols were played by a woodwind quintet.  A small choral ensemble performed special music.  The brass choir accompanied many of the carols -- making us all really sing out!  What Christmas Eve service would be complete without "Silent Night" sung by candlelight?   We received a lovely card this past week from the Orange County Habitat for Humanity. We don't often hear from the folks we help. But it sure feels good when we do! Inside the card was the following message: Dearest Friends at OPC: A time to appreciate people who mean so much. It was a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving thanks to you! Thank you so much for partnering with us to provide blessing (in the form of $80 Food Lion Gift Cards) to 15 of our Habitat Partner Families! (here in Orange County) God's loving hand and heart... Thanks to all at Orange Presbyterian Church! - Jo-Anne McCausland   A native of Martinsville, Virginia, I graduated from Martinsville High School in 1967 and entered the Virginia Military Institute, where I received a B.A. in English in 1971. Soon afterwards, I entered Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1976.
Following graduation, I was ordained to the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments in the Presbyterian Church, and from 1976-1983 served as the pastor of several Presbyterian churches in North Carolina. In 1983, I returned to Virginia in order to do graduate work in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. During that same period, I served for about six years as the installed part-time pastor of the South Plains Presbyterian Church in Keswick. From there I went to St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, where for almost 15 years I served as the school chaplain and taught Religion, Latin, and English. Afterwards, I went to Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville, where I taught comparative religion, Latin, and English. While at Tandem, I felt the “pull” of parish ministry reasserting itself and decided to accept a call to serve as the pastor of the Louisa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a position I held for almost 17 years until my retirement in 2018. On a personal note, I have two sons, Tom and John, both of whom live nearby; and I have two grandchildren, Evelyn and Jack. I am married to Patricia Fleshman, a native of Louisa, and we live in the Spring Creek community in Zion Crossroads. It is clear to me that the Orange Presbyterian Church has a long and distinguished history, and, with God’s continued guidance, an equally promising future. As a Presbyterian minister who is “retired but not tired,” I look forward to talking with you about the possibility of providing part-time pastoral leadership to your congregation. - Denny Burnette  This late 19th-Century stained glass panel is a survivor of our previous church building. We had it displayed in our narthex. But over time the leading had deteriorated, and the panel was in danger of falling apart.
But now the panel has now been completely restored. After several months, this reminder of our past hangs once again in our narthex.
Advent VolunteersDecorating the Sanctuary (week of November 20th)
Advent Candle Lighting and Reading
Readers for Christmas Eve Service
Undecorating the Sanctuary (first week in January, 2023)
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