First United Presbyterian Church 605 N. Webster Ave. De Pere, WI 54115 (920) 336-1446 [email protected]www.firstunitedpc.org Sunday School 8:30 am Worship Service 9:45 am Coffee Fellowship 10:45 am Office Hours Monday - Friday 9 am - 1 pm Facebook.com/ First.United.Pres APRIL 2014 First United Press Author C.S. Lewis in his book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe describes a world in the grip of perpetual winter due to an evil witch’s spell. However, with the return of Lewis’ Christ figure, Aslan the Lion, the ice and snow begin to melt. The great thaw of Narnia has begun. The witch’s spell begins to lose its sway over the land, and signs of spring begin to break through the frozen ground. The story of Aslan’s return and the subsequent thawing of Narnia has always resonated with me. Winter has its own unique beauty and appeal; nonetheless, this year especially I am all too ready to welcome spring. Here at First United, it seems fitting as we prepare to celebrate Easter that we reflect on Jesus’ resurrection as the ushering in of a new eternal spring. The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Roman church that “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom.” Jesus’ resurrection has begun the rebirth of creation, the thawing of our hearts, and a new freedom found in Christ. On that first Easter morning Jesus broke forever the power of sin and death by being raised from the grave. Was it a coincidence that it occurred in a garden? Or was it exactly the place that God wanted to communicate and express what God’s intentions were all along for our world? It seems very fitting that God would choose a garden to be the place in which all of God’s promises would be fulfilled. It was in a garden that God first placed humankind, and it would be in a garden that God would begin the process of rebirth which we are heirs of today. Jesus Christ, the same person who greeted Mary Magdalene, continues to meet us and ask, “who are you looking for?”. This Easter may we encounter the risen Christ and stand in awe of God’s love for the world. As witnesses of that love may we also be active participants in a different kind of global warming. After all, winter has passed and the great thaw has begun and there are signs of new life all around us! Perhaps this Easter, we too will be surprised to meet face to face with the Master Gardener. In the Gospel of John, Mary in her grief mistakes Jesus for a gardener. Perhaps she was more right than she could ever imagine! May all of us this Easter join together with Mary as we proclaim today and always - “I have seen the Lord!”. Happy Easter! In Christ, Luke “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2:11-12
Transcript
First United
Presbyter ian
Church
605 N. W ebster Ave.
De Pere, W I 54115
(920) 336-1446
in fo@f irs tuni tedpc .org
www .f i rs tuni tedpc .org
Sunday School
8:30 am
Worship Service
9:45 am
Coffee Fe l lowship
10:45 am
Off ice Hours
Monday - Fr iday
9 am - 1 pm
Facebook.com/
F i rs t .Uni ted.Pres
APRIL 2014
First United Press
Author C.S. Lewis in his book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe describes a world in the grip of perpetual winter due to an evil witch’s spell. However, with the return of Lewis’ Christ figure, Aslan the Lion, the ice and snow begin to melt. The great thaw of Narnia has begun. The witch’s spell begins to lose its sway over the land, and signs of spring begin to break through the frozen ground.
The story of Aslan’s return and the subsequent thawing of Narnia has always resonated with me. Winter has its own unique beauty and appeal ; nonetheless, this year especially I am all too ready to welcome spring. Here at First United, it seems fitting as we prepare to celebrate Easter that we reflect on Jesus’ resurrection as the ushering in of a new eternal spring. The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Roman church that “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom.” Jesus’ resurrection has begun the rebirth of creation, the thawing of our hearts, and a new freedom found in Christ.
On that first Easter morning Jesus broke forever the power of sin and death by being raised from the grave. Was it a coincidence that it occurred in a garden? Or was it exactly the place that God wanted to communicate and express what God’s intentions were all along for our world? It seems very fitting that God would choose a garden
to be the place in which all of God’s promises would be fulfilled. It was in a garden that God f irst placed humankind, and it would be in a garden that God would begin the process of rebirth which we are heirs of today. Jesus Christ, the same person who greeted Mary Magdalene, continues to meet us and ask, “who are you looking for?”.
This Easter may we encounter the risen Christ and stand in awe of God’s love for the world. As witnesses of that love
may we also be active participants in a different kind of global warming. After all, winter has passed and the great thaw has begun and there are signs of new life all around us! Perhaps this Easter, we too will be surprised to meet face to face with the Master Gardener. In the Gospel of John, Mary in her grief mistakes Jesus for a
gardener. Perhaps she was more right than she could ever imagine!
May all of us this Easter join together with Mary as we proclaim today and always - “I have seen the Lord!”.
Happy Easter!
In Christ,
Luke
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs 2:11-12
There’s a change of plans for the Men’s Bible Study and Prayer Group during April. The gang will meet on Wednesday,
April 2, at 7pm and then again on Wednesday, April 23. Why not stick around after Simple Supper on the 2nd and join our regulars to see what you’ve been missing?
The Famine is coming! For the second year in a row, our youth in grades 6-12 are invited to the 30-Hour Famine lock-in event hosted at our church on
April 11-12. Participants raise donations to fight hunger, go without food to feel what it’s like to go hungry, and share an amazing experience. More details and permission form information can be found on page 4 of this newsletter.
*By the way, our Youth Groups are collecting empty one-gallon milk jugs (with caps) for an activity planned during the 30-Hour Famine event. Please contact Sarah Jane or the church office if you have some you can share. Thanks!
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Tuesday, April 1 is an elec-tion day, and that means it’s time for a Presbyterian Women Bake Sale in the Family Life Center kitchen! The sale will begin at 7am and
run until everything’s gone. Funds raised will sup-port P.W. mission projects. If you want to show off your baking skills, please drop off your items in the kitchen on Monday (March 31) or early Tuesday morning.
It’s a new month and time again for Simple Supper! Wednesday, April 2, at 5:45pm, the Deacons will host a special meal featuring taco bakes, salad, and a variety of breads and cookies. You’re also encouraged to stick around following your meal for the Christian Education Ministry’s Lenten Family Activity Night for a chance to learn more about Easter and create some make it-take it crafts!
Sunday, April 6, is the day for our annual Middle & Senior High Silent Auction following worship! All proceeds will benefit our Youth Mission Trip to Hammond, Indiana and other youth programming. In order to have table space and a bidding sheet for each auction item, please drop off your donations at the church office no later than Friday, April 4. Include a brief description and an estimated value of the item you donate. Have questions? Contact Sarah Jane Peters, Director of Christian Education, at [email protected] or 336–1446.
The Contemporary Readers Group will meet Saturday, April 5, at 6:30pm in the Koinonia Lounge. Don Nighorn will lead a discussion of Eboo Patel's book Acts of Faith. Religious beliefs differ. Can we find common ground and still retain our diversity? Mr. Patel’s book takes us through his search for an answer.
April 13 - Palm Sunday - 9:45am
April 17 - Maundy Thursday - 7pm
April 18 - Good Friday - 7pm
April 20 - EASTER SUNDAY! -
8am (new time!) & 9:45am
Church Office Hour Adjustments
Please note that Sonja’s schedule will be changed just slightly on a number of upcoming days. On March 31 -
April 3 and April 14-17, she will be in the office from 8:30am to 12:30pm.
Thanks to many of you, we reached our first fundraising goal for the new GLORY TO GOD hymnals! While we’ve been enjoying them the past few months, we’re finding we could use a few additional copies. Please consider a $20 donation to dedicate a new copy “in memory of” or “in honor of” someone or some place important to you. Use a special “Glory to God” envelope from the Narthex table to turn in your donation/dedication.
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How can your Spring Cleaning help the church? All that stuff you don’t use anymore could become someone else’s treasures at the 2014 Prebyterian Women Rummage Sale. The big annual event will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 9am to 2pm. Donations can be dropped off beginning April 20. Find out more on page 7 of this newsletter.
The Search is On…
We are looking for a new part-time child care person to assist in nursery supervision during church functions.
If you know of a possibility, please have them contact Sarah Jane Peters ([email protected]) for more information about the needs and requirements.
Our church helps support the Presbyterian Pantry which operates out of First Presbyterian Church in Green Bay. To focus our efforts, they provide a monthly suggestion for giving. The item for April is peanut butter & jelly. Please drop your donations in the collection box near the Family Life Center.
Mark your calendar! Thursday, April 24, at 7:30pm, our own Handbell Choir will join the St. Norbert Handbell Choir for the Handbell Explorations Concert. This free event will be presented at the Dudley Birder Hall in west
De Pere. Come and support our bell ringers and enjoy some great music!
The Deacons are requesting donations for Easter flowers. If you’d like to contribute “in memory of” or “in honor of” a loved one, please use the specially-marked envelopes in the bulletins and pew racks.
Get Out Your Old Bike!
Wipe off the dust and pump up the tires. It’s almost time for the return of the Health & Wellness Committee’s Sunday Bicycle Rides. Beginning May 4, you’re invited to join us for a great time of fun and exercise every
Sunday afternoon. We meet at various locations and generally ride for about an hour. Watch the weekly bulletin inserts and our website for locations and details as we get closer to May.
The Easter season is a great time to gather with friends and family and celebrate the gift we have in Jesus! This month in Sunday School, children will be hearing the stories of Lazarus (John 11:1-45), Passion/Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11; 26:14 - 27:66), and Doubting Thomas (John 20:19-31). We will be praising in a palm procession during worship on April 13. There will be no Sunday School
on Easter Sunday. We are also excited about the return of the Cherubs - now consisting of children pre-K thru 2
nd grade.
They’ll be singing on the second Sunday each month during the school year.
Lenten Family Activity Night
Following Simple Supper on Wednesday, April 2, everyone’s invited to stick around for a special activity night where we will create some take-home crafts and learn more about the Easter Season.
Everyone’s invited to join us after worship on April 6 when the youth of our church will hold their annual fundraising extravaganza. Appetizers will be served. It’s a great time to support our youth since proceeds benefit Youth Programs and Mission Trips. We’ll be accepting donations for the Auction through April 4.
30-Hour Famine
Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to participate in our 30-Hour Famine event on April 11-12.
It’s an opportunity for teens to come together and help fight world hunger. This is the second year that we have had youth participate in this activity in collaboration
with St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in De Pere. Last year, St. Anne’s hosted the event, but this year we will hold the lock-in at FUPC. Youth pledge to raise cash donations to support the fight against hunger from friends, family, and neighbors. All of the participants voluntarily go without food for 30 hours in
order to experience a small example of what it is like to “go hungry.”
During the lock-in event, the youth participate in games, service projects, and discussions on how they can help fight against hunger. At the end of the 30-Hour Famine event (3pm on Saturday), participants will break their fast with a simple meal together.
All youth interested in participating are welcome! Adult volunteers are also invited. Signed Permission Slips are required and are available to download on the church website. Paper copies can be found outside my office door and on the Christian Education Bulletin Board in the Family Life Cen-ter. Please feel free to contact Sarah Jane or Amy Braun with any questions regarding the event.
Vacation Bible School!!!
A group of excited volunteers met in March to discuss resuming Vacation Bible School this summer. Scott McPherson graciously agreed to coordinate this year’s program! The fun will begin on Sunday, July 20 following Worship, and then continue Monday through Thursday (July 21-24) from 8am-noon. The theme will be “Weird Animals” b y G r o u p Publishing. Each day, leaders will reinforce one simple Bible truth which makes it easy for kids to remember and apply to real life! Anyone interested in helping can contact Scott at [email protected].
Special Date - May 18 we will celebrate Confirmation Sunday as well as Recognition Sunday when we give a special thanks to everyone involved in Christian Education. This will also be our last week of Sunday School until we reconvene in September.
Christ’s Kids Christian Education Ministry News
by Sarah Jane Peters
CONNECTING…
to God’s world and to our Community
238!
That’s the number of guests served at the N.E.W. Shelter on March 18 by our team of Lee Richardson, Joe Williams, Cindi Barnett, Bruce Kilmer, Mike Kettner, Amanda Beck, and Ken and Jean Schneider. The menu was Chicken Alfredo, coleslaw, fruit, and cake. In addition, Lee Richardson and Lois Pelishek served the same meal to 30 people at Freedom House. If you want to know more about our involvement or would like to help cook and/or serve on the third Tuesday of each month, contact Cindi Barnett at 737-5376.
What Can I Do to Help the
Poor in Colombia? Pray!!
April 5-7 has been designated Days of Prayer: Adelante: Peace with Justice for ALL Columbians! There is much work to be done regarding human rights in Colombia, which has the h ighest percentage of displaced people in the world, driven from their l a n d s b y m u l t i n a t i o n a l
corporations. The Presbyterian Church (USA), and our Winnebago Presbytery have been active in Colombia providing accompaniers who are witnesses to the violence there as well as to the courage of the poor, learning through the Gospel that they also have value in the sight of God.
Winnebago Presbytery Visits Uraba Presbytery in
Colombia
Three pastors and two elders visited Uraba Presbytery in Colombia March 10-15. They gathered with pastors for study and reflection together. One pastor wrote, “We have had such lovely conversations about how this presbytery partnership between Winnebago and Uraba blesses us all.” The people in the sma l l P resby te r ian churches in Uraba Presbytery are incredibly poor. Many have been displaced and live in subsistence communities, but their faith is strong. They are empowered through their faith to seek justice for themselves and their families.
“One Great Hour of Sharing” Offering Coming Up on
Easter Sunday
“Hope does not disappoint
us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.”
Romans 5:5
Your help gives hope! Empower others. The “One Great Hour of Sharing” Offering goes to help all of God’s people find resilience, hope, and faith in the f a c e o f c h a l l e n g i n g circumstances: to rebuild, to attain economic self-sufficiency, and to create community through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and the Self-development of People ministries.
Who’s God calling to be the next Ruling Elders and Deacons in our church?
Our next class of leaders will be elected in a few months to serve a three-year term beginning in September. Please prayerfully consider who you will nominate - even yourself. Contact Judy Nighorn ([email protected]) with your thoughts, questions, or nominations. Here are the general responsibilities:
RULING ELDERS: Ruling Elders are chosen by the people together with the Ministers of the Word. They exercise leadership, government, and discipline plus the responsibilities for the life of a particular church as well as the church-at-large. They shall serve faithfully as members of the Session. Elders should be persons of faith, dedication, and good judgment. It is the duty of Elders, individually and jointly, to strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation committed to their charge.
DEACONS: The office of Deacon as set forth in scripture is one of sympathy, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ. It is the duty of Deacons to minister to those who are in need - to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress. They shall assume such other duties as may be delegated to them from time to time by the Session.
Are there any famous Presbyterians? (source: “Presbyterians Today” magazine)
John Wayne Robin Roberts Peyton Manning Neil Armstrong Major Hollywood Co-host “Good Morning Super Bowl-winning U.S. astronaut
movie star America” quarterback 1st person on the moon
This is the latest of a new series of monthly
articles by Jean Hamersky highlighting all
the ways that people can be connected with
others in our church. This month’s topic is:
Youth Activities.
Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible we
read scriptures which command us to teach
our faith to our children, our youth. Psalm 78
states,
“….we will tell the next generation the praise-
worthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the
wonders he has done…..he commanded our
forefathers to teach their children, so the next
generations would know them, even the
children yet to be born, and they in turn would
tell their children. Then they would put their
trust in God and would not forget his deeds but
would keep his commands.”
In Baptism, as a community of faith, we
promise to support and raise our children in
their faith development. And so our church
family provides many opportunities that include
our youth in our faith community activities.
A few of these activities include:
>Middle and Senior high youth groups:
study, fellowship, and connecting with
youth from other Presbyterian churches
>National Youth Triennium for Senior Highs
>Winnebago Presbytery-wide Youth camp
>Sunday school classes for ages 3 to
Senior High
>Youth lock-ins for teens grades 6-12,
including a “30-hour Famine” event
>Acolyting, ushering, singing or playing an
instrument during Sunday worship
>Yearly Mission trips
>Children's Time in worship
>Confirmation Class
>Communion Preparation Class, second
grade or when parents desire
>Advent and Lent activity nights for families
with children 3rd
- 5th grade
>Simple Supper and special meals
>Joyful Noise - our youth praise band
>Volunteering in any adult activity within
the church and within the community
programs, including Ecumenical Part-
nership for Housing and serving meals
>Senior High Youth Deacon or Elder
If you need help getting connected with the
right person to share your gifts and talents in
youth activities, contact Jean Hamersky at
265-4417.
April 1, Tuesday - PW Election Day Bake Sale @ 7 am, Kitchen April 3, Thursday - Presbyterian Women Coordinating Team @ 9 am, Room 11 April 3, Thursday - Mission Sewing, 9:30 am-2 pm, Koinonia Lounge April 10, Thursday - Ruth/Talbot Circle @ noon, Koinonia Lounge April 16, Wednesday - Esther Circle Bible Study @ 9:30 am, Koinonia Lounge April 19, Saturday - Papercrafting @ 10 am, Room 11 April 22, Tuesday - 4th Tuesday Readers @ 12:30 pm, Church Library April 25, Friday - PW Rummage Sale set-up @ 9 am, Family Life Center April 26, Saturday - PW Rummage Sale, 9 am - 2 pm, Family Life Center April 26, Saturday - “Spring Gathering” Presbyterian Women of Winnebago Presbytery, 9 am -1 pm, Sheboygan Presbyterian Church
If you would like more information or are interested in attending any of these events, please contact Julie Mackey at (920) 337-0890.
Presbyter ian Women News & Notes
We’ll Vote for That!
P r e s b y t e r i a n Women will be running an Election Day Bake Sale on Tuesday, April 1,
during the local municipal election. It will be held in the Family Life Center kitchen from 7am until baked goods are all sold. Funds raised by the bake sale will go towards Presbyterian Women mission projects and activities. PW offers you the chance to show off your baking skills for a good cause! Items are requested to be brought to the church kitchen on Monday, March 31 and Tuesday, April 1. Thank you for your donations.
Annual Sale is Coming
P r e s b y t e r i a n Women will be holding their Rummage Sale on Saturday, April 26. Here’s your chance to do some spring cleaning and sorting, giving away your no-longer-used clothing and household items to do some good at the same time. Money
raised by the rummage sale goes toward Presbyterian Women’s activities and mission projects. Items can be brought to the church beginning on Sunday, April 20. Set up will start on Friday, April 25 at 9am. Sale times on Saturday, April 26, are from 9am to 2pm. Volunteer help will be needed on that Friday for setting up, and on Saturday for sale help and cleanup. For any questions or for offers to help, contact Carol Bielefeldt or Lois Pelishek.
P.W.W.P. Spring Gathering
All the Presbyterian Women groups f rom Presbyter ian churches in our Presbytery (Winnebago) will be meeting on Saturday, April 26, for a Spring Gathering. The meeting will be at Sheboygan Presbyterian Church from 9am to 1pm. It will start with a lovely brunch, followed by a presentation by Marilyn Stone, our PW-Synod moderator, who will be speaking on her first-hand experiences with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and how it works, how it ministers to folks in need. The day offers an
opportunity to connect with others in our presbytery and learn about how the church is helping out in the world. There will be car-pooling available. Contact Jan Nelson with any questions.
Presbyterian Pantry Packers Needed
We are looking for a few good packers (no, not football players). Could it be you? Susan Leiber and Julie Mackey coordinate our church’s involvement in the First Presbyterian Church (Green Bay) Food Pantry, by supplying people to pack 60-120 grocery bags full of food items from the Pantry shelves twice a month. Our worker list is getting small, so we need more help! It entails packing grocer ies at the Presbyterian Church downtown two Mondays a month, from 9am until about 10:30 or 11am. We only need two people per packing day. If this short-term time commitment f its into your schedule, this is a wonderful way to do hands-on mission in our city! For questions or to volunteer, please contact Julie Mackey or Susan Leiber.
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Here’s last month’s photo…
It’s the Picards from around 1981 - Bill, Dawn, Michael, & Amanda. Emily hadn’t made her arrival yet. Below is the scene from February when the whole family gathered here for new grandson Liam’s baptism.
Bill and Dawn Picard have been members of this church since 1978. They have three children and six grand-children.
Bill has served as an Elder and a liturgist, taught Sunday School, helped build the balcony of the church, and frequently provides a helping hand to our custodian, Jim.
Dawn was our church’s first Christian Education Director. She has been an Elder, Sunday School teacher, choir member, liturgist, and occasional pianist during worship. Most recently,
Dawn served as coordinator of our “Celebrating the Arts in Worship” event and is currently serving as Clerk of our Session.
Here’s our next family
photo from more than
30 years ago. Can you
recognize them? See
an up-to-date photo
and find out more
about them next month.
(left to right) William, Alex and Amanda Johnson, Jason & Emily Logue with baby Liam, Bill & Dawn, Mike, Henry, Joe, Anna & Sara Picard.
Your Elders Cindi Barnett
Martha Bayer
Bob Bivins
Amy Braun
Corday Goddard
Dave Griffin
Lynn Huebbe
Marisa Marks
Judy Nighorn
Ken Nyberg
Allan Pagel
Kip Pelegrin
Anneliese
Waggoner
Steve Warner
Mark Welle
Your Deacons Carol Bielefeldt
Judy England
Cindy Finesilver
Alan Finesilver
Sydney Goddard
Cassie Griffin
Cayley Griffin
Karen Hanold
Sally Lindow
Rosemarie Pagel
Carol Pointer
Nancy Rosenthal
Barb Ryan
Kathy Thorpe
Per Capita Update
First United will make its first Per Capita Payment to our Winnebago Presbytery in April. This year’s Per Capita amount is $31.15 per member. The a p p o r t i o n m e n t f o r o u r congregation this year is $9,400.
The Per Capita apportionment is the set amount of money based on membership numbers that our congregation pays to Winnebago Presbytery for distribution. Of the $31.15 per member sent in, our Presbytery receives $19.13. Our Synod (Lakes and Prairies) receives $5.00, and our national PC-USA General Assembly receives $7.02.
The apportionment is used to finance the leadership and governing bodies of PC-USA. It is the fundamental way that all 1 1 , 0 0 0 P r e s b y t e r i a n congregations are connected and participate with the work of the wider universal church. To make your requested annual donation for this, please use the Per
Capita envelope in your envelope box or write “Per Capita” on an envelope and drop it in with the regular Sunday morning offering.
I Give Electronically
In the pew racks you can find new “I Give Electronically” slips that may be used to place in the o f f e r i n g plate if you give by a u t o m a t i c withdrawal or electronic checks. I t ’ s a symbo l ic way of demonstrating your generosity and participating in the offering during the worship service. It is not necessary to add your name or envelope number.
If you are interested in giving by automatic withdrawal, put your name and E-mail address on the slip and place it in the offering plate. Sue Planert, our treasurer will send you information upon your request.
Leadersh ip & St ewardship M in ist ry Page 9
Special Thanks! The Connecting Ministry thanks all of you who responded to our call for cof fee. Because of y o u , o u r cupboards are no longer bare.
