GRACE NOTES APRIL 2018

Transcription

1 GRACE NOTES APRIL 2018 During the month of April and the first weeks of May, Grace Presbyterian Church will be prac cing the sacrament of communion, or the Lord s Supper, on a weekly basis during worship as a part of the season of Easter. This will no doubt feel unusual and probably uncomfortable for some of us. For a tradi on that only a few decades ago only observed the Lord s Supper four mes a year, a weekly prac ce will no doubt come as a shock. More and more, however, Presbyterian churches are recovering and returning to the idea that the sacrament is not an addendum to worship, but a basic part of it; worship, rightly understood, is a service of word and sacrament, Word and table. A few other points on the subject: This is how the church prac ced in its earliest days. Gatherings of the followers of Christ regularly and rou nely included both an exposi on of the scriptures and the observance of the Eucharist (Lord s Supper). This remained true of the church un l the Reforma on. Contrary to historical misconcep on, John Calvin, the spiritual mo vator of the Reformed tradi on, intended for the churches under his leadership to prac ce the sacrament in all occasions of worship. It was the elders of the city of Geneva, not Calvin, who nixed the weekly prac ce of communion, swayed by popular supers ons about the sacrament and ignoring Calvin s theological argument. It was other Anabap st reformers in other parts of Switzerland, not Calvin, who argued against the weekly sacrament. The Directory for Worship, part of the PC(USA) s Book of Order, instructs of the Lord s Supper that it is appropriate to celebrate the Lord s Supper as o en as each Lord s Day, and also notes that it should be celebrated regularly and frequently enough to be recognized as integral to the service for the Lord s Day. Some Presbyterian churches are in fact prac cing the sacrament of communion weekly, as integral to the service for the Lord s Day. The experience of some such churches are collected in the book Come and See: Presbyterian Congrega ons Celebra ng Weekly Communion, by Ronald Byars, emeritus worship professor at Union Presbyterian Seminary (my alma mater, but he re red before my me). Some of you may want to find and read this book during the Easter season as a further reflec on on the sacrament and its integral place in our worship.

2 Page 2 The Anna Circle will meet on Tuesday, April 10th at 10:00 am in the library. Sherry Crane and Karen Jennings will be the hostesses. Karen Russ will lead our study of Lesson 9 Mary Magdalene Encountering the God of Surprises in the Ten Women of the Bible" by Max Lucado. Please bring your study book and your Bible. All women of the church are welcome. Please come and enjoy the fellowship. 2 Lyn Collins April Riley 6 Lisa Weaver 14 Carl Crane 15 Kathy Youngblood 18 AJ Williamson Jean Morgan 23 Harriet Brask 28 Dennison Nlwenti 30 Sarah Youngblood 17 Jerry Butler APRIL ANNIVERSARY 11 Jerry & Lois Butler Please call the church office at , if your special day is NOT listed or is NOT correct. LPG, Living, Praying, Giving We learn to PLAY by playing; we learn to LIVE by living; we learn to PRAY by praying; we learn to GIVE by giving. This project is a food and household item collection. For the month of April we will be collecting dried beans and rice.

3 WORSHIP & MUSIC COMMITTEE Page 3 Communion will be by tray service on Easter, April 1 The new Paschal candle will be lit. The candle was graciously given by Bill and Ann Preston in honor of CD and Myra Weaver Communion will be served each Sunday for several Sundays following Easter Committee will meet after worship hour on April 15 MISSION COMMITTEE Fish banks were distributed to every family. They are to be used for donations for the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering on Easter Sunday Blood Drive will be held on April 15th at Parkview Baptist Blankets Plus Offering was $610 St Francis House dinner will be held on Tuesday, April 17th. A sign up sheet will be posted on the kitchen door. Please sign up to help prepare and serve. Meet in kitchen at 10 am on Tuesday 17th to prepare the food. We will also need people to load and carry the food to the St Francis House. Beth Wood, First Presbyterian Church Gainesville, will speak at the Mission meeting in the library after the worship service on May 6th. She will be speaking about the Days for Girls International Mission The Trim music honors society from Trenton High School will participate in a service project on April 7 at Grace by cleaning up the Courtyard Garden. They will put down weed resistant ground cover and mulch. They will be supervised by Jennifer Wingate, our Music Director.

4 Page 4. NEW PICTORIAL Pastoral Care

5 March Session Meeting Highlights March 12th Page 5 STEWARDSHIP & FINANCE Cost of property appraisal for church office would be $800$1,000 Permi ng of new office could be a problem Sam Bridges from the City of Gainesville will be invited to our next Session mee ng WORSHIP No guest speaker on March 18 th Commi ee Mee ng will be held on March 18 Palm Sunday March 25 Maundy Thursday Service March 29 dinner and communion Covenant Presbyterian Church joining us Good Friday Service March 30 at noon Tenebrae service by the choir Good Friday Service March 30 at 7 pm at Covenant Presbyterian Church Easter Service April 1 Communion by tray service new Paschal Candle will be lit Communion each Sunday in April and the first few weeks of May CONGREGATIONAL LIFE & OUTREACH Work on new pictorial directory con nues Maundy Thursday service and dinner will be held at 6 pm with Covenant Presbyterian Church Easter breakfast on Easter Sunday, April 1 No Fellowship Hour MISSION Family Promise week is March 1925 need dinners for March 21 & 22 Blankets Plus Offering is $540 to date One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be held on Easter Sunday Fish boxes will be given to every family Blood drive will be held at Parkview Bap st Church on April 15 Commi ee will meet on May 6 St Francis House dinners are in April, July & October Gathering informa on about Days for Girls Interna onal PROPERTY & OPERATIONS Es mate to fix Fellowship Hall roof is $1,800 Trim music honors society from Trenton High School will be sprucing up the Courtyard Garden on April 7 MEN S NOON LUNCH & FELLOWSHIP The men of the church are invited to meet each Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the library for fellowship. Please bring your own brown bag lunch, beverages will be provided.

6 Please join us in praying for those who have immediate concerns: Grace Gillespie; Martha Turby ill; Lois Butler s sister, Holly Durst; Doug & Jo Bartz; Wally Kirk; April Riley s sister, Libby Jones; Kathy Franks sister, Gail Rawlins; and Julie Woodward. Also pray for those with longer term needs: Harriet Brask, Evelyn Caldwell, Mickey Kientz, Pauline Kirk, Anette McGee, Phyllis Piazza, Laura Raizada, Dick Ramer, Betty Squires, Mabel CheTuma s niece Shekina, our military, irst responders and our church. If there are other people or concerns that you would like to add to this list, please contact Karen by phone, or of ice@gpconline.org. Page 6

7 FELLOWSHIP HOUR PROCEDURES There is a signup poster in Fellowship Hall with each Sunday of the month listed. Please sign up to host/cohost one or two Sundays. Gift Cards are available in the Church Office if needed to buy snacks. If you don t have the time, you can donate Gift Cards for others to use. Page 7 RESPONSIBILITIES: Prepare Drinks Set up Snacks Clean up afterwards. This includes putting away any dishes in the dish drain board and taking out the trash. PREPARING DRINKS: Set up the coffee, Tea, Punch & Water on the table against the Choir room wall. TEA: Boil water on the Stove and Pour into glass pot. Place pot on hot plate plugged into the power strip. COFFEE: Plug coffee machine DIRECTLY into the wall socket (NOT THE POWER STRIP) to heat up at least 20 minutes before making coffee. (Coffee is located in the cabinet over the sink in the small kitchen) Place 1 scoop (1/2 cup in coffee can) coffee & filter in basket. Make sure empty pot is under coffee basket. Pour 1 pot of water into opening on right top of machine (Coffee will begin to drip out immediately) Turn on hot plates under pots to keep warm. Condiments (sugar, creamer, sweeteners, tea bags, etc.) are in the kitchen cabinet to the left of the stove on a tray. Extra Creamer and sugar are in the corner cabinet. PUNCH: Punch, Soda, Pineapple Juice should be in the fridge. (If not, they are in the cabinet over the sink in the small kitchen)1 Gallon Punch, 1 Bottle Soda, 1 Can Pineapple Juice. Ice ring is in the freezer. Use leftover punch to refill ice ring. If you prefer Ice Tea or Lemonade check the fridge or bring your own.

8 Page 8 SET UP SNACKS: You can do whatever you want. Some like to keep it simple with just cookies, some like to do a little extra both are acceptable. The LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH we celebrate Birthdays and Anniversaries with cake and ice cream. You may submit a voucher (from church office) to be reimbursed for your expenses to Debbie Harris. Serving Trays, Baskets, Plastic Platters are in lower drawers of cabinet (Fellowship Hall wall). Punch Bowl is located with other assorted bowls and trays on the shelf of center work island. Plates, Cups, Napkins, Paper Coffee Cups are in hall closet, center section. Plastic juice, water, punch cups, a few coffee cups are in top drawer of cabinet on fellowship hall wall. Napkins, Small bowls & Plates are in the 2 nd drawer. Plastic Utensils are in the Bottom Drawer to right of Stove. Silverware for Congregational dinners is in clear boxes in tall storage cabinet behind kitchen doors, and is to be washed in dishwasher. Tongs are in Right Drawer next to Freezer CLEAN UP: place left over cookies etc. in plastic bags (left middle drawer cabinet fellowship hall wall) date & place in freezer. Wash all items used, dry (towels in drawers to right of sink) and return to proper location. MAKE SURE DISH DRAINER IS LEFT EMPTY! Wipe Tables in Fellowship Hall. NOTIFY SHERRY CRANE If Supplies are running low. TRASH: Empty Trash receptacles. Take trash to the dumpster located at the end of the kitchen parking lot (fellowship hall). Key to the dumpster is hanging on the side of the cabinet to the left of the Kitchen Door. New trash bags are in the hall closet on the right hand shelf. WHY NOT TAKE A TRIP TO THE KITCHEN & FAMILIARIZE YOUR SELF WITH WHERE THINGS ARE LOCATED REVISED MARCH 18, 2018

9 10:00 Adult Sunday School 11:00 Worship Service Communion 1:00 Korean Service 7:00 pm Square Dance Group AA (Every Step We Take) meets every evening at 7 pm AA (Out to Lunch Bunch) meets MF at noon 10:00 Adult Sunday School 11:00 Worship Service Communion 1:00 Korean Service 7:00 pm Square Dance Group 6:30 pm Barbergators 6:30 Choir Rehearsal 6:30 pm Gainesville Harmony Rev. Freeman s Days Off 6:00 pm Girl Scouts 12 noon Men s Lunch Blood Drive 10:00 Adult Sunday School 11:00 Worship Service Communion Worship & Music Committee 1:00 Korean Service 7:00 pm Square Dance Group 6:30 pm Barbergators 6:30 Choir Rehearsal 6:30 pm Gainesville Harmony 6:00 pm Girl Scouts Rev. Freeman s Days Off 12 noon Men s Lunch :00 Adult Sunday School 11:00 Worship Service Communion 1:00 Korean Service 7:00 pm Square Dance Group 6:30 pm Barbergators 6:30 Choir Rehearsal 6:30 pm Gainesville Harmony 6:00 pm Girl Scouts Rev. Freeman s Days Off 6:00 pm Session 10:00 am Anna Circle 12 noon Men s Lunch :00 Korean Service 7:00 pm Square Dance Group 6:30 pm Barbergators 6:30 Choir Rehearsal 6:30 pm Gainesville Harmony Rev. Freeman s Days Off 1 9:30 Easter Breakfast 11:00 Worship Service Communion 6:00 pm Girl Scouts 12 noon Men s Lunch Trim music honors society clean up day Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Page 9 APRIL 2018

10 APRIL Grace Presbyterian Church 3146 NW 13th Street Gainesville, FL Phone: Fax: W E RE ON THE WEB: GPCO NLINE. ORG The finance committee would like to keep the congregation informed as to our General Fund income and expenses and our pass through donations. If you have any questions, contact Lois Butler at or treasurer@gpconline.org. February Income $ 17, Expenses $ 20, Pass through donations: February Two Cents a Meal $ Good Sam $ Blankets Plus $ Liturgy Passages for April 4/1 Easter Acts 10:3443 or Isaiah 25:69 Psalm 118:12, Corinthians 15:111 or Acts 10:3443 John 20:118 or Mark 16:18 Easter Evening Isaiah 25:69 Psalm Corinthians 5:6b8 Luke 24:1349 4/8 2nd Sunday of Easter Acts 4:3235 Psalm John 1:12:2 John 20:1931 4/15 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 3:1219 Psalm 4 1 John 3:17 Luke 24:36b48 4/22 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 4:512 Psalm 23 1 John 3:1624 John 10:1118 4/29 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 8:2640 Psalm 22: John 4:721 John 15:18