FIRST THINGS FIRST. The First Presbyterian Church of Kingsville, Texas. March 29, Dear Friends,

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1 FIRST THINGS FIRST A publication of The First Presbyterian Church of Kingsville, Texas 302 W. KLEBERG P.O. BOX 1551 KINGSVILLE, TEXAS (361) TRANSITIONAL PASTOR: Website: THE REV. SONJA DALGLISH fpckingsville@sbcglobal.net EDITOR: MICHELE BARNETT March 29, 2017 Dear Friends, Where is the light in your life? Do you recognize light and the grace of God in your life even when bad things happen? I belong to a women s memoir group based in Austin called the Story Circle Network. Each month, we read a memoir and discuss it. We also write and share stories about our lives. Memoirs and autobiographies are different. Where an autobiography details a person life from birth to death, a memoir is concerned with the meaning of a person s life. For instance, if an artist wrote a memoir, it might be seen through a lens that would emphasize everything pertaining to the development of the artist. Memoirs that I enjoy find light and grace in life, even in hardship or disaster. They are filled with blessings and meaning. I love seeing light shine through events, showing possibilities of living well even in the midst of pain or chaos. No life is perfect, in that it is without struggle, disappointment, and pain. When we see another person face life with courage, dignity, and compassion, we can discover how to find the grace in our own circumstances. I like the way that Leonard Cohen, in Anthem, speaks of our imperfections or cracks being where God enters our lives: (continued on page 2) 1

2 Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack in everything. That s how the light gets in. ~ Leonard Cohen This Easter, may we bring our imperfect, cracked lives to the cross so that we might experience God s presence. We will be doing a new thing at the end of the Palm Sunday service by nailing our pain and contrition to a cross at the front of the sanctuary. May we be healed by the light that shines through our cracks and imperfections. Even people of faith sometimes have trouble recognizing good news or blessings unless they learn to look at life differently. Luke 24:31 says that on the road to Emmaus, the disciples eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. Even when they thought the one they followed was dead and gone, they were able to perceive the truth that Jesus was with them and not in the tomb. May God open our eyes that we may see visions of truth, hope, and grace. With God, there is life! Easter Blessings of new life, new hope, and possibilities, Pastor Sonja MARGINAL NOTES: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A smile is a light in the window of your face to show your heart is at home. It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. Aristotle Onassis People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Christendom bows humbly before the cross. The crown of thorns has become the crown of light. John Skelton 2

3 The Sacrament of the Lord s Supper will be celebrated during the morning worship service at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 2, on Thursday, April 13, and on Easter Sunday, April 16. The BUNCO GROUP will meet for food and fun on Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The THURSDAY EVENING CIRCLE will meet with the BILINGUAL CIRCLE on Tuesday, April 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Parlor. The TUESDAY MORNING CIRCLE will meet on April 4 at 11:00 a.m. in the Parlor. The SESSION will meet on Monday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the Library. Please pick up your Information Packets from the table in the Narthex on Sunday, April 2. The PNC (Pastor Nominating Committee) will meet on Thursday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Library. The Chancel Choir will rehearse on Wednesdays, April 5, and April 12 in the Choir Room. New members will be warmly welcomed. The fellowship is excellent and you have guaranteed seating for all worship services! The DIACONATE will meet on Tuesday, April 25, at 7:00 p.m. in the Library. Please pick up your Information Packets from the table in the Narthex on Sunday, April 23. It is time to order our Easter Lilies! The cost is (hopefully!) $11.00 per plant. Once we get a firm price, we will publish that in the Sunday Bulletin. You may order Lilies by dropping a check in the offering plate, by calling the Church Office ( ), or s e n d u s a n e - m a i l a t fpckingsville@sbcglobal.net. Please let us know if you would like to have your plant dedicated in memory or in honor of a special person or event. Thank you. 3

4 Holy Week Community Lenten Lunches A light lunch of soup, sandwiches, & cookies with a brief devotional service: Fellowship Hall / Sanctuary First Presbyterian Church 302 W. Kleberg Ave. Mon-Wed, April :45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m O u r a n n u a l M A U N D Y T H U R S D A Y Communion Service th will be held on April 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Communion will be served by intinction. Please plan to join us in this meditative preparation for Good Friday and Easter. We will have a Good Fri d a y T e n e b r ae S e r v i c e i n t h e Sanctuary on April 14 at 7:00 p.m. This will be a time of scripture and meditation. Our Annual Easter Party and Egg Hunt will be held on the church grounds on Saturday, April 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. This, of course, means we are in need of EGGS... plastic eggs filled with just about anything you can think of that won t potentially melt! Cookies (home-made or store-bought) for the party would also be appreciated. Begun in 1949, One Great Hour of Sharing is supported by eight denominations and Church World Service. Every gift made through this offering yields funds that help relieve suffering and poverty throughout the world, including North America. Gifts are divided among three mission programs: Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self- Development of People, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Like the blessing of grace itself, the results go on and on. We will receive our One Great Hour of Sharing offering on April 16, Easter Sunday. 4

5 The Board of Deacons would like to thank all who participated in the Church Cleanup Day, which took place on Saturday, March 25. The Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, and kitchen, as well as classrooms, storage rooms, and restrooms were cleaned and organized. The breezeway was swept and outside windows and doors were spiffed up. The papier-maché nativity set was repaired. Those who graciously gave their time and energy were: Bert & Rose Alvarez Scott & Claudia Conard Christa Corley Jerry Cumberland Pastor Sonja Dalglish Barbara Elliott Olivia Holt Jim & Bobbi Kirkpatrick Eric Nave Darlene Scott Mary Wright Special thanks to: Helen Mebane for providing a delicious lunch which included chili dogs, chips, fruit, and brownies; Jerry Cumberland for his superior grilling skills. Come one, come all, to the upcoming NURSERY BABY SHOWER. We are going to start the full renovation of our Baby Nursery rooms and want to invite you to a shower for that project. It s time to fix everything in the rooms and to restock them with new, safe furniture and toys (bright colors!). The walls and cabinets are going to be painted, the doors replaced with doors that have windows so that parents can see into the rooms, the plumbing fixed, and all kinds of fun things, but we need your help and prayers. Our children are the future of our church and we must begin in the nursery. We need to be able to assure the parents of our infants that we have a safe, clean, fun, and nurturing facility for their children. That s the first step. The shower will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2017, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. There will soon be a chance to view items needed on several websites. We hope to see you at the shower or to hear from you. We are excited and just know that God will bless this endeavor. Claudia Conard, on behalf of the Nursery Renovation Committee Please excuse any inadvertent omission of participants names and/or other tasks that were done. 5

6 The Session held t h e i r s t a t e d m e e t i n g o n Monday, March 6, Among other business, the Session considered and/or approved the following: 1. A request from the Robert J. Kleberg Public Library to use our facilities for their 2017 Summer Activity Programs. Additional information was requested and will be presented at the April meeting. 2. A request from Dr. Reinhuber (of the TAMU-K music department) to use our sanctuary for a studio piano recital by his students on Tuesday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. for about 45 minutes. Session approved this request. 3. A request from Myrna Holland (a nonmember friend of Helen Mebane s) to use Fellowship Hall for a Baby Shower in March. This request was approved, charging a fee of $35.00 for 2 hours use. 4. A request from Jessica Mellencamp (one of our Choir Interns) to use our sanctuary for a vocal recital in April, date to be determined and contingent on no conflict with church needs; request granted. 5. Tom Langschied had to resign as Clerk of Session due to lack of available time to carry out the job requirements. Mary Wright was elected Clerk for the remainder of The Amistad Thrift Shop is a ministry of our th church. It is located at 914 S. 14 Street in Kingsville and is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 to 5 p.m. Amistad accepts donations of various kinds: clothing, household items, books, shoes, CDs, kitchen items, small appliances (in working order, please) small tools. It is run by a modest staff of faithful volunteers who sort, price, display, and sell these items. It is a nonprofit organization and seeks to serve the community and help those in need. When possible, small amounts of money are used to help those in need to pay utilities. New volunteers are needed to help as current volunteers age out. New donations are needed to replace those that are sold. If you feel this ministry is a good fit for your time and talents, please contact Talmer or Corky Peacock or the church office for more information. 6

7 Birthstone: Diamond Flower: Sweet Pea 1 Reba Howard Nohemi Castillo 2 Weston Vinyard Russell 5 Paul Treptow 6 Reagan Wright 9 Tracie Jannell Mendietta 10 Cathy Henry 11 Traci Park Preiss 12 David Mebane 14 Riley Scott Wright 15 William (Bill) Jones 16 Ethan Luciano Perez Steve Marbach 19 Barbara Oates Whitney Cornett Esau Perez 21 James D. Arnold 22 Anthony Wells 27 Leslie (Mebane) McClain 29 Judy Arnold 30 Susan Holemon APRIL ANNIVERSARY: 22 Jed & Nancy Munn (2006) If your April birthday or anniversary is not shown, please call the church office ( ) so we can include you on our list and not miss the big event next year. We want to celebrate with you whether you are an official church member or not! 7