GREENSBORO FUN SHOW
Mark your calendars for Jan. 20, we will be having a Fun/talent show as well as a potluck meal! Start planning now on how you will be sharing your talents with the brethren! Please see Roger Robertson for any questions and to sign up! If you need his contact information, please ask Mr. Kelley.
 
NICK BOLINGER UPDATE
Word was received from Mr. Bolinger this week that regretfully, his parole has once again been denied for 3 years. While he was greatly disappointed, he remains confident that God is working out His purpose in his life and will be with him through this continuing trial.  Earlier this week we let you know that today is his 75th birthday and perhaps you could send a card. In light of this recent news, perhaps a card of support and encouragement would be really appreciated. Please let Mr. Kelley know if you need his address.  It was on a recent email to you.
 
WINTER FAMILY WEEKEND
The Winter Family Weekend runs from Friday evening, Dec. 22, through Tuesday night, Dec. 26, 2017.
It’s not too late to register and sign up to attend this special event. Complete information is on the member’s webpage.
 
Sabbath Services in all 3 of our locations will have afternoon services at promptly 2:30pm on December 23rd to watch the Webcast from Louisville.
From Mark Winner, coordinator, Winter Family Weekend:
 
We are pleased to announce two webcasts from the Winter Family Weekend in Louisville on the weekend of Dec. 22-23. The Friday night Bible study webcast will start at 7:15 p.m. Eastern time, and the Sabbath service webcast will begin at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time. The password will be (available upon request to Mr. Kelley)  and the webcast links will be available at cogwa.tv prior to the Sabbath.  
 
ANNOUNCING THE VIRGINIA BEACH WEEKEND:
From Larry Lambert:
The Williamsburg Virginia brethren will be hosting their 18th annual Virginia Beach Weekend Friday, January 12th through Sunday, January 14th.  Our guest speaker this year will be Mr. Eric Evans who pastors in three states, Asheville, NC; Knoxville, TN and London, KY.  Mr. Evans and his wife Jeannie are excited to be able to fellowship with us on this special weekend.   This event will be held once again at the Holiday Inn & Suites North Beach at Virginia Beach.  I would like to encourage as many of you as can to attend.  I think you will truly enjoy it and it falls on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend so most will have off work and school on Monday the 15th.  The hotel rooms are $76 for two queen beds and $99 for 2 queen bed suites with pull out sofa.  The cost of the group dinner on Saturday evening is $20 for adults,  $12 for children (4 and under are free.)     There is a booking link for you to make your reservations:  Virginia Beach Weekend 2017, but you will need to receive the actual Email with the link from Mr. Kelley.     We will also have a food drive on this weekend. 
 
This year’s costume dance theme is Disney Characters and we will have a poster contest of the same theme.  Entry is open to all ages and posters may be submitted prior to the dance.  More information will be provided about the art contest soon.   The weekend will be packed with enjoyable activities and wonderful opportunities for fellowship.  We will begin the weekend on Friday evening with a general Bible study followed by snacks and fellowship.  Sabbath morning we will have Bible studies for all ages, with a break for lunch before Sabbath Services in the afternoon.   We will have a dinner beginning at 5:30 (adults-$20; children-$12 (4 and under are free.))  After dinner we will that a costume dance (costumes are optional,) a bake sale, a silent auction and an art contest.   On Sunday, choose the Lazy River or a family movie where once again we will have a good opportunity for fellowship.
 
We follow the guidelines set down by our COGWA Youth Camps.      Please see Mr. Kelley for all of the current details.    – Larry Lambert
 
NORTH CAROLINA ANNUAL SUPER SOCIAL
Super Social 2018 will once again be held with the combined congregations of North Carolina. The date is Feb. 23-25, 2018. The event will begin with a Friday evening special group dinner at 6:00pm. This year we are happy to be able to host the dinner at the Holiday Inn Airport; Greensboro where many of us will be staying. We will have a private dining area to enhance fellowship opportunities.
 
DINNER ANNOUNCEMENT INSERTED HERE:
Yesterday, you should have received an Email from me letting you know about our Friday night dinner plans.  At this time we’re going to take a survey of those interested:  Here is the announcement about dinner:
 
“As we have mentioned earlier, we are planning to start the Super Social with a combined group catered dinner at the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel. Dinner would be served beginning at 6:30pm.  In order for us to finalize our plans, we need to determine the amount of interest in this among the membership.  Currently the estimated total cost per person for dinner would be approximately $20 per person depending on entrée. We are also still working on prices for children for 12 and under.   The meal choices would be the following:
 
•           Prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans almandine and garden salad
•           Chicken piccata with rice pilaf, sweet baby carrots and garden salad
•           Beverage provided and included in cost
 
We are not yet asking you to make a choice on the meal, however, we are attempting to determine how many of our members will actually plan to attend this special dinner to begin this year’s Super Social.  We are working on plans to pay in advance for the meal.
We also want to let you know that some members have volunteered to help pay for those who cannot otherwise afford it, so if you would LIKE to go, but thought you could not afford it, please let us know!
Our hope is that we will have a large attendance and make this dinner a very special evening.  Following dinner, at 8:00pm, we will move to the room next door for dessert which will be provided for us. A cash bar is available at the hotel for those who might desire that, but other beverages will be provided.
Remember that Mr. and Mrs. Jim Franks will be attending the dinner and reception.
 
The main event will be held again at the Southwest Middle School; 4368 Southwest School Road, High Point, NC 27265.  The date is Feb. 23-25, 2018. The hotel we’ll be using this year is located on the opposite side of I 40 from previous years.  We’ll be at the Holiday Inn Airport; 6426 Burnt Poplar Rd, Greensboro, NC 27409.  Cost of the hotel will be $79.00 per night which is a significantly discounted rate. When making reservations; be sure to mention “Cogwa”. We actually encourage you to please make your reservation ASAP as this will help in knowing the need to block additional rooms.
 
The phone number for reservations is: (336) 668-0421.
 
As mentioned, our guest speaker this year is Cogwa  President, Mr. Jim Franks. Mr. Franks will conduct a seminar at the school Sabbath morning at 11:00am followed by lunch and combined Sabbath services at 2:30pm.  We’ll have a dinner at the school consisting of beef brisket and a variety of soups; followed by an evening of activities at the school including the gymnasium for basketball and volleyball.  They’ll be something for everyone. Sunday morning, Mr. Franks will conduct another seminar at the hotel  beginning at 10:00am followed by a Q & A session and then a group lunch at the J & S Cafeteria; 5835 Samet Dr, High Point, NC 27265.
Greg & Jan Swartz will be coordinating the event. If you would like to volunteer for various responsibilities, please send them an Email to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

December 9th - potluck following the sermonette class.  One thing to make a note of: sometimes at potluck meals, there is an abundance of left overs. Folks often are happy to share these leftovers with anyone who would enjoy them later. If anyone needs a container for this purpose, Carol Renegar said she would be happy to provide a few, or you could simply bring your own to make a “TV Dinner potluck leftover plate” to take home. Might be a good idea to bring a cooler with you on potluck days if you plan to take some leftovers home also.
 
December 16th - Ladies' Club
December 16th will be the final meeting for the Raleigh Ladies' Club in 2017. We will be wrapping up our discussion on "Blending the Generations," by looking to the future.
Our meeting will begin,15 minutes after services.
 
Service Opportunities in Raleigh
We deeply appreciate all the volunteers who have helped with the coffee and cards this past year. It has been a joy to work with you. New volunteer lists will be coming out in January. If you would like to add (or delete) your name please contact Mrs. Renegar for the coffee service or Mrs. Villaescusa for the cards.
Thank you.
 
LADIES CLUB IN HICKORY:
The Hickory Women’s Club will hold their final meeting for 2017 on December 16 after services.
We will conclude our theme of  Blending the Generations with a program involving the Millennium.
Please be thinking of a theme to usher in the next year of 2018 and how you would like to proceed.
Thanks for your contributions and participation.
 
WINTER FAMILY WEEKEND
The Winter Family Weekend runs from Friday evening, Dec. 22, through Tuesday night, Dec. 26, 2017
There should also be a copy of the Flyer on the Information Table.
 
Registration is open for WFW.  Go to the Member’s website to register and to obtain the link for discount price housing at the Galt House.
Don’t forget to click on the “pay online” tab after you complete your reservation.  Cost is cheaper paying in advance.
 
Sabbath Services in all 3 of our locations will have afternoon services at 2:30pm on December 23rd to watch the Webcast from Louisville.
From Mark Winner, coordinator, Winter Family Weekend:
 
We are pleased to announce two webcasts from the Winter Family Weekend in Louisville on the weekend of Dec. 22-23. The Friday night Bible study webcast will start at 7:15 p.m. Eastern time, and the Sabbath service webcast will begin at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time. The password will be (available upon request to Mr. Kelley) .  
 
GREENSBORO SOCIAL
Plan on staying a little later next Sabbath, Dec. 9th,  as we enjoy an evening of sandwiches, and games. If everyone could bring a sandwich for themselves and one other person, that would be great. Please bring your favorite games. Looking forward to seeing you!
.
NORTH CAROLINA ANNUAL SUPER SOCIAL
These are preliminary announcements about the Super Social for your planning purposes only. Information will be provided soon about service opportunities and reservations for the hotel and dinner.
 
Super Social 2018 will once again be held with the combined congregations of North Carolina. The date is Feb. 23-25, 2018. The event will begin with a Friday evening group dinner at 6:00pm. This year we are happy to be able to host the dinner at the Holiday Inn Airport; Greensboro where many of us will be staying. We will have a private dining area to enhance fellowship opportunities. The dinner was a very successful event last year with approximately 40 people enjoying dinner together. We will provide registration information for the dinner soon. 
 
The main event will be held again at the Southwest Middle School; 4368 Southwest School Road, High Point, NC 27265.  The date is Feb. 23-25, 2018. The hotel we’ll be using this year is located on the opposite side of I 40 from previous years.  We’ll be at the Holiday Inn Airport; 6426 Burnt Poplar Rd, Greensboro, NC 27409.  Cost of the hotel will be $79.00 per night which is a significantly discounted rate. When making reservations; be sure to mention “Cogwa”. You may begin making reservations now. We actually encourage you to please make your reservation ASAP as this will help in knowing the need to block additional rooms.
The phone number for reservations is: (336) 668-0421.
Activities will begin with a welcome reception Friday evening at the hotel. Our guest speaker this year is Cogwa  President, Mr. Jim Franks. Mr. Franks will conduct a seminar at the school Sabbath morning at 11:00am followed by lunch and combined Sabbath services at 2:30pm.  We’ll have a dinner at the school (yet to be determined menu); followed by an evening of activities at the school including the gymnasium for basketball and volleyball.  They’ll be something for everyone. Sunday morning, Mr. Franks will conduct another seminar at the hotel  beginning at 10:00am followed by a Q & A session and then a group lunch at the J & S Cafeteria; 5835 Samet Dr, High Point, NC 27265.
Greg & Jan Swartz will be coordinating the event. If you would like to volunteer for various responsibilities, please send them an Email to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
 
 
TIER 2 DONATIONS
A couple of times per year, we mention the need for Tier 2 donations to cover the cost of our socials including our upcoming Super Social.  It also helps pay for coffee and various supplies for our snack table.
If you would like to give a tax-deductible contribution, please send your donation payable to Cogwa to our local church treasurer and note the check is for Tier 2 funds.
In Hickory – Martha Roark
In Greensboro – Sylvia Robertson
In Raleigh – Margaret Villaescusa

NOVEMBER 11,2017

RALEIGH EVENTS:

November 18th -On the Sabbath of November 18, we are having a Thanksgiving theme for our snacks. Bring your favorite fall or Thanksgiving snack. Please ask if you have any questions as to what to bring.  I would like to thank everyone for bringing all the wonderful food -- it's nice to see so many brethren gathered around our food and enjoying!

December 9th - potluck following the sermonette class

December 16th - Ladies' Club - more details to follow

FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES:

YALW TAKING A YEAR OFF
Since this coming year will be extremely busy with the new office building and with conducting training classes for our international ministry this winter, we have decided to take a year off from sponsoring the Young Adult Leadership Weekend in 2018. In place of the usual Presidents’ Day weekend activity, we will have two special seminar presentations at this year’s Winter Family Weekend in Louisville.
The first special seminar is titled “Five Major Messages for the Next Generation” and will be presented by Doug Horchak, operation manager for Ministerial Services. The second is “The Deciding Decade: Why Your 20s Are Important and What to Do With Them” and will be given by Dave Myers.

For those young adults who will not be able to attend in person, each session will be video recorded and posted on the Church’s member website so that everyone can have access to the material.
While we know that not having a weekend retreat in 2018 will be disappointing to some, we are looking forward to revamping the YALW in 2019 to make it more inspiring and effective than ever.

WINTER FAMILY WEEKEND

What is it and when is it?

The Winter Family Weekend runs from Friday evening, Dec. 22, through Tuesday night, Dec. 26, 2017—so it’s more than just a weekend! We start things off with a Bible study on Friday night, followed by Sabbath morning seminars, afternoon services and some Saturday night dancing. From Sunday through Tuesday evening, all attendees can participate in daily educational seminars, basketball, volleyball, organized games for the kids, including bowling. Other activities include karaoke, a jam session for musicians, family novelty Olympics, a clothing swap for families, free pizza dinner, a family dance and of course the family fun fair, which includes large inflatables, putt-putt golf, a mechanical bull and more. The “best costume” winner at the adult dance on Saturday night wins a complimentary night’s stay at the Galt House, and the “best costume” winner at the teen dance wins $20. For most, the highlight seems to be the fellowship time with our spiritual family. There truly is something for everyone.

Additional information was sent to everyone on the Email list yesterday. There should also be a copy of the Flyer on the Information Table.

Registration is open for WFW.  Go to the Member’s website to register and to obtain the link for discount price housing at the Galt House.