August 2012 The Link The Link The Link The Community of New Possibilities ‐ First Presbyterian Church, Encino Newsleer Happy Birthday: 8/15 Alma Nieters 8/15 Doie Slocum 8/18 Connor Stewart 8/20 Derek Yardum 8/21 Meghan Sage 8/23 Tyler Jackson 8/24 Larry Jackson 8/25 Janelle Vaughan 8/26 Bea Haiꜩ Craig’s Corner Presbyterians are fairly learned, wise, intelligent and caring people. They are also people committed to Jesus Christ, who share a desire to be faithful to scripture. Why is it then, if you put six or seven hundred of them in one room, the one thing you can be sure of is that an argument is certain to ignite. Go figure! Or, go to a General Assembly! I did. As my Study Leave this year, I shipped myself off to Pittsburgh, PA (the land of my birth!) in order to “observe” the 220th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church (USA). Let me direct your attention to the Presbytery letter by Executive Ken Baker which has been posted here and there around the facility. Also, I brought back a copy of each day’s G.A. newspaper; some of you have been checking them for more detailed information. As you may know, I have been somewhat involved in our presbytery’s effort to plant new worshipping congregations. One of these, Northland Village Church, was featured at General Assembly as part of a presentation promoting our effort to establish 1001 new worshipping communities. Also encouraging, if slightly tardy, were ideas and initiatives for revitalizing congregations which have grown a bit out of touch with changing community and generational trends. It was wonderful to see this energy and hope. It was not so glorious to see these items presented as “feel good moments” and temporary distractions to the “real” business of the Assembly. Major attention was instead directed toward two “special interests” driven issues: divestment of investments in certain companies doing business in Israel, and how we shall define marriage in our denomination. You don’t need me to tell you that these two issues, and especially the last, are highly charged, potentially divisive. The problem is that, while they are without question important, they are hardly the main business of the church (in fact current policy or standards were not changed in either case!) Continued on next page Happy Anniversary: 8/4 Marilyn & Ralph Drengson 8/7 Lianne & Kendall Marr 8/11 Marilyn & Don Fetherolf 8/13 Janelle & Peter Vaughan 8/16 Jody & Jeremy Lawrence 8/17 Marilyn & Robert Hepler 8/24 Sonya & James Daugherty Have we missed your birthday or anniversary? Unsure if we have your birthday/anniversary on file? Email Amber Guzman ([email protected]) or call 818 788‐1147 to make sure you get added to our birthday & anniversary lists!
Transcript
August 2012
The LinkThe LinkThe Link The Community of New Possibilities ‐ First Presbyterian Church, Encino Newsletter
Happy Birthday: 8/15 Alma Nieters 8/15 Dottie Slocum 8/18 Connor Stewart 8/20 Derek Yardum 8/21 Meghan Sage 8/23 Tyler Jackson 8/24 Larry Jackson 8/25 Janelle Vaughan 8/26 Bea Haitz
Craig’s Corner Presbyterians are fairly learned, wise, intelligent and caring people. They are also people committed to Jesus Christ, who share a desire to be faithful to scripture. Why is it then, if you put six or seven hundred of them in one room, the one thing you can be sure of is that an argument is certain to ignite. Go figure! Or, go to a General Assembly! I did. As my Study Leave this year, I shipped myself off to Pittsburgh, PA (the land of my birth!) in order to “observe” the 220th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church (USA). Let me direct your attention to the Presbytery letter by Executive Ken Baker which has been posted here and there around the facility. Also, I brought back a copy of each day’s G.A. newspaper; some of you have been checking them for more detailed information. As you may know, I have been somewhat involved in our presbytery’s effort to plant new worshipping congregations. One of these, Northland Village Church, was featured at General Assembly as part of a presentation promoting our effort to establish 1001 new worshipping communities. Also encouraging, if slightly tardy, were ideas and initiatives for revitalizing congregations which have grown a bit out of touch with changing community and generational trends. It was wonderful to see this energy and hope. It was not so glorious to see these items presented as “feel good moments” and temporary distractions to the “real” business of the Assembly. Major attention was instead directed toward two “special interests” driven issues: divestment of investments in certain companies doing business in Israel, and how we shall define marriage in our denomination. You don’t need me to tell you that these two issues, and especially the last, are highly charged, potentially divisive. The problem is that, while they are without question important, they are hardly the main business of the church (in fact current policy or standards were not changed in either case!)
Continued on next page
Happy Anniversary: 8/4 Marilyn & Ralph Drengson 8/7 Lianne & Kendall Marr 8/11 Marilyn & Don Fetherolf 8/13 Janelle & Peter Vaughan 8/16 Jody & Jeremy Lawrence 8/17 Marilyn & Robert Hepler 8/24 Sonya & James Daugherty
Have we missed your birthday or anniversary? Unsure if we have your birthday/anniversary on file?
Email Amber Guzman ([email protected]) or call 818 788‐1147 to make sure you get
added to our birthday & anniversary lists!
From the Christian
Education Committee:
We are all so excited to announce that Kay and Jessica Lawrence will be hosting a church-wide LUAU at their
home on August 19th following worship from
1:00 to 4:00. Their address is 16512
Knapp Street, North Hills, CA. It should be a ton of fun for all. Please
bring with you: a swimming suit, a towel, sunscreen, and finger foods to share, and a
beach chair should you like.
Another upcoming event
that we hope you can start stretching for will be our September 9th
Fall Kickoff that will include a cookout at the
park behind the church. The burgers
and dogs will be provided. Please bring
a side or munchie to share. You may want to bring a change of shoes in order to participate in all of the official Olympic
events. Although you will not need a change
of shoes for the Watermelon Spitting
Contest. Medals will be awarded to the Gold,
Silver and Bronze winners!
Come for fun,
fellowship, and competition!
Craig’s Corner (cont’d) We are too often a denomination “majoring in minors,” letting special interest driving issues take possession of far too much of our attention and energy. While I was at Glendale Press, five of my non-Presbyterian interns chose to come into our denomination with a passion to do ministry. These younger servants don’t care about our special interest issues, or what I call “old men’s fights.” They want to reach their communities and serve their communities for Jesus Christ. I pray our denomination can find a way to put first things way up front, and get out of the way of what I see God stirring among us. Pastor Craig
Session Notes At the Stated Meeting of Session July 17, 2012 Pastor Craig opened with prayer and led the Call to Worship. Elder Randy Greer from P&F reported on the progress of our building project: Picture Perfect Construction Company will begin the tearing down of the Addison St. entrance to the CE building. (This part of the property will become a playground for the youngest children in preschool.) Excavation for underground parking for the IMT apartments will begin soon. Also, there will be a new security system installed in both the church and the CE buildings. Randy reported that at the end of the fiscal year, June 30th, our church was “in the black” for the first time in several years. Bill Mandernach reported for Personnel Committee that Church Administrator Amber Guzman will be on a two month pregnancy leave starting October 1st. A part time, interim person will be hired to maintain the office. Chrissy Zollenberg has been hired as a part time Christian Education resource person. Bill Mandernach also reported that the PNC has received some 80 Pastor Information Forms (PIF) and will soon interview promising candidates. Pastor Craig will be on vacation from August 6th until Labor Day. Pastor Charles Castles will be preaching during August. Pastor Craig explained to Session the procedures and debates at General Assembly (held in Pittsburgh in July) that resulted in no resolution of some basic questions. Then the discussion moved on to ways of preserving local churches and growing new ones. Session voted to hold the Annual Meeting Sunday, September 23rd in Fellowship Hall. All committee reports for this meeting are due the first week of September. Session’s next meeting will be September 18th. The meeting was closed with prayer by Don Fetherolf. Liz Hargleroad, Clerk
Thank You’s Dear congregation, Thank you for your gift to Vroman’s Bookstore. I bought two books with it. The first book I chose was The Wounded Healer, Ministry in Contemporary Society by Henri Nouwen. I enjoyed our Lenten study which was by Nouwen which inspired to buy this book. I also bought an autographed copy of Acedia & Me—a Marriage, Monks, and A Writer’s Life by Kathleen Norris. I have been wanting to read on of her books, and the autograph cemented by choice. I am pleased to be under the care of this congregation. Ruth Mandernach CMS Commissioned Ruling Elder Trainee Presbytery of San Fernando
Dear First Presbyterian Church of Encino,
Thank you so much for the Target gift card! I love Target and I will use it soon. Thank you for the
support throughout my college experience! Thank you for allowing me to work at the church and for my mom’s summer camp. I appreciate everything and I
have learned a lot!
Love,
Tyler Trapani
It’s that time of year again ... Kohl’s Shopping Spree!
WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 2012
TIME: 6:00 am
WHERE: Kohl’s 6651 N Fallbrook Ave. West Hills, CA 91307
ACAC needs volunteers to shop with the youth and any donations to ACAC to be a partial sponsor for a shopper.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Betsy Lindsay, 818-625-7057.
1-2-3 1st Sunday 2 Dollars
3rd World Country
The first Sunday of the month is the time to remember this
special offering for 3rd World Countries. $2 is all it takes to make a huge difference in the
life of someone!
August 5 Come to Church -
Come to Breakfast!
Worship and dine in Fellowship Hall
10:00 a.m. Bring breakfast food to share!
Use your imagination! Beverages will be provided
Urban Disciples THE URBAN DISCIPLES COMPLETED A BUSY FOUR DAYS SERVING, LEARNING AND HAVING FUN! We began the week on Sunday, June 24 with a visit and flower delivery to Betty & Hollice Favors. We then gave our time to Hope of the Valley Thrift Shop and also discovered the many programs they provide for others. A crazy game of kick ball and a picnic at El Cariso Park concluded the day. Monday was our day to pack food bags at the Food Pantry. We topped our record and filled 125 bags in one hour. We then headed back to the church to bake brownies and cookies for Daybreak and patients at the West Hills Rehabilitation Center . We also cleaned the kitchen, updated hall bulletin boards and visited Corrine Kingsbury. Tuesday found us at Daybreak, where we served a bar-b-q hamburger lunch with all the trimmings and led a bingo game with over 40 prizes which we provided. Wednesday took us to The West Hills Rehabilitation Center for a tour with Judy Linse, a licensed Occupational Therapist, exercises with patients and bingo with patients rounded out our day there. We wrapped up our time together with swimming and a bar-b-q at Chrissy and David Zollenberg's. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING THE VARIOUS VENUES WERE: Sonya & James Daugherty as well as four members of their family; Stan Hargleroad; Julian, Sherrill & Jose Herring; Amy, Lynne, Shelby, Travis & Tyler Jackson; Justin & Jeremy Lawrence; Jessica Lesko; Judy Linse; Ruth Mandernach; Sydney Price; Heather Sells; Lucy Walker; Bryan, Lauren & Tollis Zuber and Chrissy & David Zollenberg. THOSE PROVIDING FOOD FOR THE ABOVE INCLUDED: Alice DeGuzman, Judy Linse, Lianne Marr, Marguerite & Marissa Minor, Neysa & Chuck Pickens, Toni Wohl, Chrissy & David Zollenberg and Tollis Zuber. THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED AND CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ALL CHURCH-ALL AGES EVENT! IT WAS A GREAT WEEK AND "CHRIST WAS SEEN MANY TIMES IN STRANGER AND FRIEND." NEXT YEAR...THE LAST WEEK OF JUNE... EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF! A WORD ABOUT THE VENUES THE URBAN DISCIPLES VISITED: THE HOPE OF THE VALLEY RESCUE MISSION is committed to meeting the needs of the hungry, homeless and destitute. The Thrift Store provides some of the income needed to facilitate this work. Volunteers from community agencies, churches and temples provide a Sunday afternoon meal on site. The facility offers a secure parking lot for persons who sleep in their cars at night, provides a place to shower, offers use of their computers to those seeking jobs, and provides tutoring for students. THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD FOOD PANTRY is a site where each Monday a group of volunteers from this congregation pack food bags which are distributed each week to those in need. DAYBREAK is located at the Ocean Park Community Center. Several programs are offered one of which includes Daybreak Designs, which operates a member-run project based business which empowers women recovering from homelessness and mental illness to rebuild their lives through creative, personal and financial growth. 50 women reside on site and those are the clients we provided with a bar-b-q lunch and bingo with prizes. THE WEST HILLS REHABILITATION CENTER is located in Canoga Park and provides rehabilitation services (OT, PT, speech therapy) and skilled nursing care to individuals suffering from a variety of illnesses. Residents can be short term or permanent.
Chancel Flowers
Sunday, August 26 is available for anyone who would like to sign up to donate flowers for worship. To
sign up visit the flower calendar on the kiosk in the Narthex or contact the Church
Office. Flowers are $45 for each Sunday and may be taken home after worship or donated to the Deacons to be delivered to homebound members. You may choose
what colors you would like and you will be acknowledged with an announcement of
your choice in the bulletin.
Thanks, Ralph & Marilyn
Drengson for
providing our fairly
traded coffee in August!
Sunday Morning Goodies
Sundays, August 12 & 26 are available for anyone who would like to
sign up to bring goodies for coffee hour after worship. Members and friends of the
church are invited to bring goodies (cookies, bagels, muffins, etc.) for everyone to enjoy during coffee hour after worship. Visit the “Coffee Hour Goodies” sign up sheet on the
kiosk in the Narthex or contact Amber in the church office to sign up.
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1
11:00 Staff Meeting, FH
6:30 Recovery Group, Rm. 204
2 7:30-8:30 Enduring Grace Book Study, FH
3 4
5 10:00 Breakfast Worship in Fellowship Hall 11:15 Adult Discussion Forum, FH
Sunday Mornings Sunday, August 5 - Communion & Breakfast Worship in Fellowship Hall Worship: Rev. Craig Hall, preaching “When God Gets Scary” Job 19:1-8, 23-27 Liturgist: Kendall Marr Media: Not Needed Greeter/Guest Book: Sherrill Herring Ushers: Bill Mandernach, Sara Coyle, Larry Jackson, Sally Vandenburg Coffee Hour Snacks: Not Needed Sunday, August 12 Worship: Rev. Charles Castles, preaching “Multiplication by Zero” Philippians 4:10-13, John 15:1-11 Liturgist: Neysa Pickens Media: TBA Greeter/Guest Book: Joy Hogley Ushers: Stacy P., Tollis Zuber Coffee Hour Snacks: Available
Sunday, August 19 Worship: Rev. Charles Castles, preaching “You Choose the Scoop” Luke 6:27-38 Liturgist: Joy Hogley Media: Sonya Daugherty Greeter/Guest Book: Liz & Stan Hargleroad Ushers: Kay Lawrence, Ken Cooper, Betsy Lindsay Coffee Hour Snacks: Joy Hogley Sunday, August 26 Worship: Rev. Charles Castles, preaching “2x2x2” 2 Timothy 2:1-13 Liturgist: Lucy Walker Media: Justin Lawrence Greeter/Guest Book: Heather Sells Ushers: Jeremy Lawrence, Jody Lawrence, Donovan McGrath Coffee Hour Snacks: Available
Craig Hall Pastor [email protected] Amber Guzman Office Administrator [email protected] Gina Koehn Bookkeeper [email protected] The Community of New Possibilities First Presbyterian Church, Encino 4963 Balboa Boulevard Encino, CA 91316 Phone: 818 788‐1147 Fax: 818 788‐1202 Email: [email protected]
We’re on the web! Www.FirstPresEncino.com Cool Stuff for a Hot Summer!
Among the special opportunities this summer - mark your calendars for the following. More information will be coming soon!
Breakfast Worship August 5
Communion in Fellowship Hall
All Church Luau and Pool Party at Kay Lawrence’s Home August 19
