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Philipsburg First Presbyterian Church |
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Our History Activities
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April 2006 Ever
enjoyed a nice cold drink on a hot, hard-working day? Ever soaked in a good long hug from a child after a trip
away? Ever taken a long,
hot bath after a physically exhausting day?
These are moments that remind us of the wondrous joy of Easter
after the long six weeks of Lent. Lent
is our chance to slow down a bit, to listen to Christ more closely as he
heads to the cross, and to experience the difficulty of waiting for joy
to come on Easter morning. I
hope you won’t hurry to Easter without stepping into Lent.
And if the weeks of Lent are distracted by other circumstances,
please enter into Holy Week so that Easter is richer than ever. Holy
Week starts on Palm Sunday, where we will start worship
remembering Palm Sunday, waving our branches and watching the children
celebrate. But the joy is
not intended to last into the week.
We will pause midweek and remember that Jesus died for us, in our
very place. Thus,
Maundy Thursday at 7:30 PM is a critical time of worship, with a tenebrae
(“darkness”) service that leaves us acutely aware of the severe
price paid for our souls. Good
Friday holds a community service at 7 PM in
the Gearhartville Free Methodist
Church where we face the reality of Christ dying and forgiving
us, even in the midst of his death. Holy
Saturday reminds us of the time in between,
where the disciples waited
in fear, but where we wait in hope, for Christ’s return. And
then, only then, can we enter into the joy of Easter morning –
taking in the Sunrise service at 7 AM, the breakfast following, the
children’s egg hunt during Sunday School, and the thrill of our Easter
Cantata, Wondrous Love, at the 10:30 Easter service.
It will be a refreshing drink for our parched souls who walked
through Lenten darkness!
Grace and Peace, NOTE:
If this newsletter has been passed to you by one of our members
as an introduction
to our church, we welcome the opportunity to get to know you better
through coming to worship with us.
Our Sunday worship service begins every Sunday at 10:30 AM, with
Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 AM.
Our church is located on Presqueisle Street between 5th
and 6th Streets, with parking behind the building or on the
street. OFFICER MEETINGS for APRIL (in the
parlor) Deacons:
Tuesday, April 6th @ 7:00 p.m.
Session:
Tuesday, April 13th @ 7:00 p.m.
Trustees:
Tuesday, April 20th @ 7:00 p.m. Presbyterian Women:
Monday, April 26th @ 7:00 p.m. MARCH
DEACON MEETING HIGHLIGHTS -
The hoagie sale was a success with 527
sandwiches sold.
-
Easter events have been planned, including
an Easter Sunrise Breakfast and
an Egg Hunt during Sunday School. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FEBRUARY TRUSTEE MEETING
PW NEWS Kitchen Shower April
9th – Presbyterian Women are asking the congregation to
help restock the church kitchen. Supplies needed include, but are not
limited to: coffee, coffee filters, kool-aid (canisters); snack,
sandwich, pint, quart storage or freezer bags; SOS pads, various sizes
of lidded plastic storage containers; Clorox or Lysol counter wipes;
dishwashing liquid; press-n-seal wrap; saran wrap; dishwashing cloths.
MARCH
BOARD REPORT – SESSION According
to the Presbyterian Book of Order, “It is the duty of the elders,
individually and jointly, to strengthen and nurture the faith and life
of the congregation committed to its charge.”
That’s an impressive task. It’s also a broad task.
But when you take a closer look at any individual month, the
actions taken at the monthly Session meetings are usually more
commonplace. One
task of the Session is to grant “approvals”. At its March meeting,
Session approved the use of the sanctuary and building for two upcoming
weddings. It approved PW’s plans for a “kitchen” shower in April.
It approved one plan for our church’s participation in the annual
community Heritage Days festival. Session also approves fundraisers. It
discussed a proposed fundraiser for the “Session designated fund” of
our Mission budget. One suggested use of this fund was to help supplement our per
capita payment for 2006. Session
is also in the process of planning, gathering information, and deciding
the best course of action on several projects. These include:
preservation of our historical church records; a community service
project that may be run in conjunction with the Methodist church’s
shoe bank; and additional plans for relief for hurricane Katrina victims
and the Faith Presbyterian Church in Harvey, LA. Another
Session duty is to work with the pastor to plan aspects of the worship
service. In March, Session discussed plans for upcoming Minutes for
Mission and also for the special services during the Easter season.
Session also oversees the other boards of the church, Deacons and
Trustees, and as such receives a monthly update from the pastor on their
plans and activities. And
most importantly, we realize that we do not act alone. We continually
seek God’s guidance so that we can make wise choices as we
“strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation.”
And we also need to hear from you, the congregation, as we seek
to work for and with you. We
take our charge seriously, and we welcome comments and suggestions from
you as we seek to be effective servant leaders.
Jeff
Eyet, Clerk of Session
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
2nd – John Kashella
20th – Ruth Marie Kashella
3rd – Ralph Nelson
24th – Rodger Pleskonko
5th – Marie DeAngelo Smith
25th – Lois Blake
7th – Chelsey Henry
25th – Mary Beth Eyet 15th – Christy Johnson
27th – Rose Calvin
15th – Tara Storck
27th – Matthew Starner
17th – Morgan Phillips
30th – Fran Tepsic
APRIL ANNIVERSARIES 7th
– Brian and Tina Askey – 27 years 12th
– Rob and Colleen Viehdorfer – 26 years 26th
– Bob and Joy Branstetter – 26 years SAVING TIME? Be
sure to set your clock FORWARD one hour on Saturday evening, April 1.
If you
don’t, you might just miss church entirely! SLINKY'S
IS BACK! After
Slinky's Action Zone lost our February trip registration, they have rescheduled
us for a SPECIAL DATE. We
are going MONDAY, APRIL 17, from 9:30 until 8 AM! (Students have
Tuesday, April 18, off of school to recover!)
We will spend a quick half hour at the church from 9:30 to 10 PM
before getting locked into Slinky's from 11 PM to 7 AM.
See the 5th Street Bulletin Board for Registration Forms! Tell your friends! Clear
the date! PER CAPITA EXPENSES The Session is keenly aware that the rise in per capita costs can be difficult for a family who is especially large.
Please note these allowances to per capita donations.
First, offering to pay your membership per capita is entirely
optional for you. The
Session has set aside some funds to pay for those who do not make it a
donation. In fact, they are
doing a ham and cheese sandwich fundraiser in May to help with these
funds. Second, the per
capita expense does not need to be donated in one full amount, but can
be done over time, if that is an easier way to donate.
Third, the Session would like to offer that larger families
consider only donating for the first two members of their family, rather
than for every member. Larger
families naturally have more expenses, and this is offered to help ease
those expenses. If you have
questions about per capita, please contact Edie Good, who is the ONLY
person who knows who has made a donation.
Per capita this year is $24.62 (but most people simply round it
to $25.00). WINTER
WORK DAY THANKS
Thanks go out again to the many folks who gave of their
Saturday morning to clean, fix, and sort through.
The work of the church would fall WAY behind if it were
not for these folks! Many
thanks go to those who gave in so many ways: Darrell and Helen Hollis,
Marty Bullis and Tracie Bullis, Jeff and Mary Beth Eyet, Shirley Turner,
Steve Starner, Gary Barnett, Don Blake, Dan Nelson, Gigi Sayers, Mary
and Harold Shirey, and Paul Springer.
Bonnie Rodgers and Betty Mantz provided a delicious lunch for
everyone after the work was finished. THANK
YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Many
folks have seen a need and stepped in to take care of it.
We are
grateful for your attentiveness! To
the Session who provided the Agape
Meal and communion … Thanks! To
Shannon Johnson, who planned, cooked and served the Agape meal …
Thanks! To Darrell Hollis
who hosted the groups providing Lenten Lunches … Thanks!
To the Young at Heart team, who provided the March 22 Lent Lunch
… Thanks! To the PW for
organizing the Communion Day Food Bank Donations, yielding 60 tooth care
items … Thanks! To the
Deacons and Session who sent Pastor Tracie to New Orleans for an
eye-witness account … Thanks! To
Mary Beth Eyet who repaired the Lenten Banner to send as a gift to Faith
Presbyterian Church … Thanks! To
those who sponsored Daffodils for the American Cancer Society …Thanks!
To PW for paying half the cost of the new tables for Westminster
Hall and for their $100.00 donation to the Shoebank at Trinity United
Methodist Church… Thanks! And
many of you continue to work behind the scenes in ways we don’t even
realize …Thank you so much! LENTEN
PLAY THANKS A few gifted
folks have blessed us with their acting ability during Lent by opening
worship with a monologue from the life of Jesus.
Their portrayals have brought this familiar season to us in a
new, fresh way. Thanks goes
to Paul Springer, Ilo Warg, Babs Herman, Jeff Eyet, Dan Nelson, and
Pastor Tracie. EASTER
CANTATA Using
the well-known hymn What Wondrous
Love Is This? as a
focal point, this
cantata blends Lenten and Easter hymn settings with beautiful new songs
resulting in a dynamic work. The
arrangements are woven together with
compelling narration to create a moving and worshipful Easter message. WONDROUS LOVE
by Benjamin Harlan Narrations by Mary Kay Beall Narrators:
Rev. Tracie Bullis and Mr. Paul Springer Prelude and Processional Be Thou My Vision Karen
Wood, soloist I Love Thee
Jill
Reed, Soloist Bread of the World
Lisa
Holden and Jim Gearhart, Duet Jill
Reed, Soloist Mary, Don’t You
Weep
Doug
Nelson, Soloist Carol
Moore and Dan Nelson, Duet A Dawning Alleluia All the Earth Rejoices NEW
ORLEANS UPDATE
It’s
hard to find words to express all I experienced on my trip to Harvey,
Louisiana, near New Orleans, to visit our partner church, Faith
Presbyterian Church, and Pastor Rhonda Detenbeck.
And preachers are often not at a loss for words! First,
I would say AMAZING. The miles
of damage amazed me with an overwhelmed sense of the loss.
Half of New Orleans’ population is gone.
House after house in the areas hit with 6-7 feet stand empty –
even after seven months. The
lack of infrastructure to deal with, first, the disaster, and now the
recovery boggles my mind. BUT,
I also found amazing people – pastors who were giving their all to
recovery efforts; congregations who were generous out of what little
they had because they knew they were luck to still have it at all, and a
city that is diverse and lovely. Next,
I would say RISING. I kept
thinking of the Psalm that speaks to beauty rising from ashes, and I saw
signs of that beauty all over the place.
The areas that had 28-30 inches of water are on the recovery
track. Many houses have
been cleared out, churches are working to rebuild, and needed
communication lines are beginning to be built.
Faith Presbyterian Church first reopened her preschool –
wanting to give families a safe place for children while the adults
dealt with the chaos of returning. Next, they took care of their sanctuary, which has given a
place of solace and grace amidst the chaos still in the congregation
member’s lives. I am
grateful that our church could add to that sense of God’s presence and
calm through providing chairs to finish the sanctuary remodel. Finally,
I would say CHANGING. I truly
believe that it will be the volunteer and creative force of the churches
who will rebuild the city. The
government agencies at all levels are disorganized and disconnected.
The economic entities will contribute only to the extent that it
benefits their bottom line. But the churches will go where it’s dirty, be present, and
offer options for change. New
Orleans has the chance to be a different, yet better city.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ as they move
in the name of Jesus among the ruins. ONE OTHER NOTE:
Our Session is currently exploring the possibility of going to Harvey,
LA, to do a work camp near either Faith Presbyterian Church or First
Presbyterian Church of New Orleans.
If you are interested in participating in ANY way (financially,
as a participant, or by sending goodies/supplies), please contact
Darrell Hollis (342-3376 or dhhollis@pennswoods.net) with your interest
level. KRISLUND
CAMP SUNDAY – APRIL 30 Campers get
ready! A representative
from Krislund Camp will be coming to church on Sunday, April 30, to give
a minute for mission. Then,
after worship, the Session will be bringing in Pizza for any camp-age
child or youth and their family to hear more about Krislund and even
sign up RIGHT THEN! Plan on
joining – and let Pastor Tracie know if you are coming so we have
enough pizza! COMMUNION IN CHILDREN’S CHURCH An Elder recently
asked about our policy regarding serving
children communion in Children’s
Church. Below is the letter
regarding this
matter that was sent out in November, 2003,
and is in the process of being revisited
with our new and changing attendees of
Children’s Church. These letters will be
going to Children’s Church families during
April to continue good communication
between our educators and their families. Dear
Parent(s) of Children’s Church Children,
The question has come to my attention regarding the serving of
Communion
to the children in Children’s Church.
This is what the Book of Order has to say
about the matter:
Baptized children who are being nurtured and
instructed in the
significance of the invitation to the Communion Table and the
meaning
of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s Supper,
recognizing
that their understanding of participation will vary according to
their
maturity. (W-2.4011b)
Since education regarding matters of faith are a joint venture
between the
church and the individual family, the Session has discussed
working with
parents regarding the question of communion.
The commitment of the church
is to do an educational time in Children’s Church on Sundays
when the Lord’s
Supper is being received by the congregation.
The children can then be
offered communion with the congregation.
If you are comfortable with this plan for your child, the
Children’s Church
attendants will help your child participate in communion.
If, however, you
feel your child is not ready for either the education about the
Lord’s Supper,
or for partaking in the elements, Children’s Church attendants
will provide a
separate activity for your child during that time.
3W: WOMEN WHO
WORK BIBLE STUDY You are ALWAYS
welcome to join in the Women’s Bible Study, even if we have just one
more study left! Come and
join in on Monday, May 1, 7-8:30 PM in the Parlor. DEACON’S OFFERINGS Just a reminder that Offerings taken on Communion Sundays are given to the Deacon’s Fund, which aids in ministry projects as well as specific
requests for aid.
The next Communion Sunday is Pentecost on June 4.
APRIL
2006 CHURCH CALENDAR
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