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Philipsburg First Presbyterian Church |
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Our History Activities
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April 2005
WORDS FROM PASTOR
TRACIE…. Dear
Partners in the Gospel, I’ve
heard some disturbing things about churches in the Philipsburg area.
You’ve probably heard them, too.
Some churches are losing members such that they cannot sustain a
full-time pastor. Some are
struggling with divisions. Some
have pastoral issues. It
doesn’t really matter what the details are.
What matters is that the body of Christ in Philipsburg is hurting
right now. The
breath of fresh air amidst this other sad news was our Community Lenten
Lunches – weekly gatherings every Wednesday in Lent to share the
journey as we follow Jesus Christ’s steps to the cross.
There were Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopals, Lutherans,
Anglicans, Baptists, Church of God folks, Church of Christ folks, and
even a few Catholic and Orthodox friends.
It was a time to come together and look at Jesus, hearing
perspectives from different ministers and tasting delicious meals
prepared by various churches. It
was community in the body of Christ. As
I put these two situations side by side, I am reminded that we, as
Christians, are in the Kingdom of God together.
That means in our community, we are in our losses together, too. That means we need to seek God’s way together, too –
asking as a community how to guide and nurture our children and youth,
how to help poverty-level families sort through finances, how to put
working folks into jobs, how to be the church together more than apart,
how to renew the stretched-thin life of a single parent, how to minister
to incoming prisoners and their families that follow or visit them.
There are so many fronts that it is only by our conversation
together that we can see our way to what God is doing. My
encouragement to you in the coming Spring month of April is, as you
begin again to wander outside, renew conversations with neighbors and
passers-by. Talk in the
restaurants, parks, and workplaces about the community, and God’s work
among us. Invite the church
folks of every church to be part of solutions.
By this, we give each other vision and hope, remembering that we
are in this together, as our Shepherd leads us.
Grace and Peace, OFFICER MEETINGS for APRIL
(in the parlor)
Deacons:
Tuesday, April 5th @ 7:00 p.m.
Session:
Tuesday, April 12th @ 7:00 p.m. Trustees:
Tuesday, April 19th @ 7:00 p.m. Presbyterian Women:
Monday, April 25th @ 7:00 p.m.
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
12th – Mikayla Henry
27th – Rose Calvin
15th – Christy Johnson
27th – Matthew Starner
15th – Tara Storck
30th
– Fran Tepsic
APRIL ANNIVERSARIES April
7th – Brian and Tina Askey – 26 years April
12th – Rob and Colleen Viehdorfer – 25 years April
26th – Bob and Joy Branstetter – 25 years SAVING
TIME? Be
sure to set your clock FORWARD one hour on
Saturday evening, April 2. If
you don’t, you might
just miss church entirely! 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: Helen and
Mouse Dixon for cleaning
lights; Darrell and Helen Hollis for cleaning the downstairs
ladies bathroom and reworking a table; Marty Bullis for cleaning the
carpets in the church and the manse; Tracie Bullis along with Jeff and Mary
Beth Eyet for sorting through a closet and making plans for historical record
storage; Steve Starner and Gary Barnett for cleaning the storage area
downstairs next to the stage; Don Blake for reworking the church locks; Pat
Milsom, Bonnie Rodgers, and Babs Herman for providing 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
Ethel Cipollini for working on Stained Glass window fundraisers …
Thanks! To
all those who have sponsored a Stained Glass window refurbishment …
Thanks! To Darrell
Hollis and Harold Shirey, who hosted the groups providing Lenten Lunches
… Thanks! To those who
sponsored Daffodils for the American Cancer Society … Thanks! To the Choir and Sally Laux for another fabulous Cantata …
Thanks! To Ilo Warg, who
has spearheaded organ tuning and small repairs … Thanks! And many of you continue to work behind the scenes in ways we
don’t even realize … Thank you so much! THAILAND MISSION
TRIP - HOAGIE SALE Remember
to pick up your hoagies and pizza orders for the Thailand
Mission Trip on Thursday, April 7th!
Pick up times are 10:00
a.m. to Noon and 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Subs will be refrigerated until
pickup. If you are unable to pick up your order, arrangements can
be made for personal delivery – just talk to the Holden family! FAITH
AND SCIENCE SEMINARS
On
Thursday, April 14th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., on
Thursday, April 21st from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., and on
Thursday, April 28th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Marty
Bullis and guest speakers will explore “faith” and “the
sciences.” Please
take some time out of your Thursday evenings in April to learn how these
two very different topics intertwine in your life.
All three seminars will
take place in Westminster Hall. Hope
to see you there! NITTANY
VALLEY HANDBELL FESTIVAL The
annual handbell festival concert will
be held on Saturday, April 16th, at 7:00
p.m. in the State College High School
Gymnasium. Once again, our own
Westminster and DOVE Bell members will be participating in this event.
Please
come out and support our choir members while you enjoy an evening of
beautiful music as area bell choirs perform for your entertainment. JOIN US FOR LUNCH! Sunday,
April 17, 2005, will be another Fellowship Lunch where
we have the chance to enjoy some good food and
talk with one another. We
might even get a chance to
hear about Barbara Mosch’s Ghana trip!
Plan to stay for
lunch at the church that Sunday! SIGHT
AND SOUND THEATER VISIT? The
Women of the church are hankering
for another adventure! If
you are interested in taking a trip to
the Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster to seethe productions of Ruth
or the Psalms of David (or both!), please meet with Tracie after the
April 17 Soup and Sandwich to discuss summer dates for the trip. WOMEN’S RETREAT It’s
not too late to come and “Rest, Renew, and Revive” at
the Krislund Women’s Retreat on April 22-24.
Talk
with Tracie for more details! YOUNG
AT HEART
The
“Young at Heart” luncheons for those of
you 50 and over will resume on Wednesday, April
27th in Westminster Hall.
Lunch will be served
at noon followed by either a speaker or some
form of entertainment, and the cost is a $3.00 donation. Reservations are requested and can be made by contacting
Gertie Clyde at (814) 342- 3W: WOMEN WHO WORK You
are ALWAYS welcome to join in the Women’s Bible Study, as
we close out the school year with these last two studies: Monday,
April 18th, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Studying Honesty from Sapphira Monday,
May 16th, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Studying Faithfulness from Ruth and
Naomi 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 May 15. APRIL
CALANDER OF EVENTS
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