Monday ~ Friday June 25 ~ June 29, 9 am ~ 12 pm ALL ARE WELCOME!!

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1 CHURCH CURRENTS First Presbyterian Church 210 S. Wayne Street Milledgeville, GA phone: June 2018 like us on Facebook First.Presbyterian.Church.Milledgeville.GA ONLINE GIVING We are on the radio Our worship service is broadcast on WKZR (102.3 FM.) every Sunday morning at 11:00am and Live on Facebook We seek to glorify God through: Inspiring worship in Word and music, Inquiring study for adults and youth, Inclusive hospitality locally and globally, Industrious outreach for social justice and environmental stewardship. Monday ~ Friday June 25 ~ June 29, 9 am ~ 12 pm ALL ARE WELCOME!! Our Vacation Bible School theme will revolve around the blessings God gives us through feeding us and how we share what we have with those who have less than us. Admission for each day will be a canned good to be donated to our Food Pantry. Children rising K-5 are invited to join us on a fulfilling adventure. Older children are asked to come be our helpers. Please see M s. Gloria for more information. Please talk with her about volunteering opportunities. WE NEED YOU! JOIN US FOR WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP Sunday School 9:45am Worship Service 11:00am

2 Pastor: Rev. Susan Balfour Coord. of Children & Youth Ministries: Gloria Burns Dear Brothers and Sisters, First Presbyterian Church Issue No. 265 June 2018 Admin. Asst.: Amy Snowden Director of Music: Dr. Jennifer Flory Organists: Kate Phillips Jenny Moore Child Care Providers: Sarah Clegg, Raeven Rodney, Andaysha Taylor Greetings in the name of Christ! I give thanks to God for you and for your faithfulness in all things. Your heart for one another, our community, and our Lord brings me great joy. Liturgically, the season between Easter and Pentecost is Easter, and we hang white paraments in the church. On Pentecost we switch to red, back to white for Trinity Sunday, and then we enter another liturgical season. There are two minds about what that season is; in the Presbyterian church, we typically enter Ordinary Time (or Proper time, in some traditions), marked with green paraments. We call it ordinary because it follows the ordinal numbers: First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, etc. But some other traditions mark these Sundays as the Sundays after Pentecost. For me, this presents the question: how might we see the time between Pentecost and Reign of Christ differently if, instead of calling it Ordinary Time, we call it the season of Pentecost? Let s be honest: Presbyterians (at least in the U.S. and Scotland) are not widely known for celebrating the Holy Spirit in any notable way. We tend to set aside Pentecost Sunday as the day we pull out hymns about the Spirit and talk about the ways in which the Spirit moves. Then we forget the Holy Spirit in our worship, even as we proclaim that we rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide and direct the church in our ongoing reformation. What if, even in the midst of the Ordinary, we keep an eye on the Spirit? What if we go out of our way to acknowledge that, even though the times are quite ordinary, the extraordinary still moves among us? How might that change the way we live out our faith in the midst of the ordinary? As we begin Ordinary Time, which is still the time after Pentecost, let us make a point of remembering the Spirit in all that we do: worship, work, play, and serve. The grace and peace of Christ be with you always, Rev. Susan Session: Dave Baarda Bill Werts Mary Baker Bob Wilson Donna Gautier Faye Heal Nancy Miller, Clerk of Session

3 JOIN US FOR WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP JOIN US FOR STUDY & WORSHIP Sunday School 9:45AM Potluck Wednesday 6:30PM Sunday Morning Worship 11:00AM Bible/Book Study 7:15PM June 3 June 10 June 17 June 24 NURSERY SCHEDULE: Doris Moody Anne Smart Elizabeth Baarda Gloria Burns Thank you, volunteers, for your service to our children. Anne Smart (asmart@johnmilledge.com). PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN Presbyterian Women s Study meets on the 2nd Sunday (June 10) at 5:00pm and 2nd Tuesday (June 12) at 11:00am in FPC Parlor. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 FPC Book Club We book club members continue to stretch our minds and to open our hearts by learning about tragic and uplifting historical events, including our most recent book, The Lady in Gold, the extraordinary tale of Gustav Klimt s masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Some had seen the movie The Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren, the story of the heirs struggle to regain rightful ownership of the painting stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The book more fully tells of the family s life in Austria before the Nazi occupation and how abruptly that meaningful and rich existence ended. The decade-long legal battle with the Austrian government had a just ending, but much of the art and other items taken by the Nazis is still in dispute and may never be restored to the original owners. Our group was fascinated to learn that one of our attendees recently had the opportunity to see the magnificent Klimt painting at the Neue Galerie of German and Austrian Art on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Mark Twain s Letters From Hawaii is the book selection for the June 14 discussion. Twain was late reporting on his 1866 Hawaiian adventures to the Sacramento Union, the newspaper underwriting his trip. I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I had a jolly time. I would not have fooled away any of it writing letters under any consideration whatever, Twain explained. We have learned the Mark Twain traveled extensively, as he was also mentioned as a visitor to Vienna in the May book about the Klimt painting. We are looking forward to reading about his thoughts on the Hawaii of that time, as well as learning about the Hawaiian adventure of one of our book club members who visited there recently. Our July choice is The Monk of Mocha by Dave Eggers. The book is described as...the true story of a young Yemeni American man, raised in San Francisco, who dreams of resurrecting the ancient art of Yemeni coffee but finds himself trapped by civil war. Try stretching your mind and join us in the parlor on any second Thursday at 2 p.m. Who knows what you might learn? Congratulations again to 2018 High School Graduate Dorothy Elangwe. In August, Dorothy begins her studies at Augusta State University.

4 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION It is Time to Think Ahead to Advent Those of us who have decorated the Christmon Tree for the past couple of years have noted the fact that the very beautiful Christmons created for our tree probably more than 20 years ago are in need of some repair or replacement. I, Gloria Burns, thought it would be fun to add a little variety to our tree by making Jesse Tree ornaments. The Jesse Tree is a symbolic way of portraying the spiritual heritage of Jesus. The Family Tree of Jesus begins with Jesse, father of David, and is based on the geneaology presented in Matthew 1. Think in terms of the big events in the Bible. Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses, just to name the first few. Don t worry you do not have to figure it out there are 20+ ornaments based on Old and New Testament stories. I would like this to be a church wide project, so my idea is to pair congregation members with our children and youth to make the ornaments (and repair the existing ornaments). We will plan to meet 2 hours on the second Saturday of August and September to work on making the ornaments. All work with children must be done in a group setting because of our Child Protection Policy. If additional time is needed we will set up additional times and may have small groups meet to work. The ornaments and their stories (Scripture) will be presented to the congregation during our Children s Times beginning in mid-september. This is a wonderful opportunity to work together as a church community and get to know each other better. To make room for your creativity and make this as easy as possible there will be several ways to make ornaments. Once you have agreed to help, you may pick from the unassigned ornaments (there are 20+ different symbols). If you have a specific idea and it will fit with the style of the existing group, you may pick how to make your ornament. However, if you do not feel inspired, I will provide materials to work with and you and your partner may decide what you want to do. In an effort to make this project as affordable as possible, if you have materials at home in your craft collection, wrapping paper and ribbons or if you come across sale items that seem appropriate to use in constructing our ornaments please think about donating those to our effort. Bring them to Gloria s office. Thank you for your service and faithfulness! Puppet Our puppets are taking June and July off as we all take our vacations and enjoy the time off. Watch for our puppets to return in August. Students That Always Rejoice and Serve Students That Always Rejoice and Serve had their final meeting for this school year and will begin again in August. These are K-5 graders. We ended this year with a party of games, crafts and food. Thanks to our Parents for making our year very successful by bringing your children each week. Middle and High School Youth Beginning in August our middle and High School Youth will begin meeting again. Watch the bulletin and your for exact times and day. TREASURER'S CORNER Calling all grant writers. We have approved a proposal to submit grant proposals to help us fund the needs of our historic facility, the Samaritan's Fund and the Food Pantry. Grants may be available to help us with these projects and free our regular contributions for other uses. If you are willing to help locate or write grant requests, please get in touch with me or Faye Heal. As you can see from our financial status, we continue to run a small deficit despite very careful spending. Everyone needs to step up and give that extra dollar to help us bring this back into balance. With God's help our ministry can flourish. March April 2018 YTD Contributions $17,033 $13,503 $67,756 Other Income Total Income $17,143 $13,738 $68,343 Budgeted Expenses 17,676 $15,665 $69,694 Net (Loss) ($533) ($1,927) ($1,351) ~ Joel D. Burns

5 Food Pantry~ 2nd Tuesday of the month 9:30-10:30am Thank you to FPC members that continuously support the cause to feed the hungry! We are in need of volunteers, 1-2 people once a month! Please let Donna Gautier know if you are able to help. Always in need: Canned soups, ravioli, ham, tuna, salmon, chicken; boxed mac & cheese, spaghetti, canned sauce, pb&j, beans, rice, cereal, oatmeal, and grits. Lunch bags consist of small boxes of tuna and chicken salad, Vienna sausage, or canned sardines, crackers, saltines. Bottled water, Boost, and Ensure. Thank you for your overwhelming compassion and generosity! We served over 30 families and at least 15 snack/care packs a week in May! COMMUNITY OUTREACH Samaritan Ministry Every 3rd Tuesday of the month we offer utility assistance to neighbors in the tri-county area who need help to get through a difficult or just overwhelming season in life. Lights, heat/ air, water, and so much more are able to remain on and functioning due to your generous and selfless donations! Help for the Hopeless, Love for the Brokenhearted, Peace for the Restless, and Rest for those who Strive... Prison Family Luncheon Prison Family Lunch for this month was accomplished differently than is usual. Both Barbara Rowe and Donna Gautier were out of town and unable to put the monthly meal together for the people that come to visit their loved ones. So the lunch became a joint effort by many members of the congregation. Millie Murphy coordinated the many talents of the volunteers, Marion Robinson made beautiful floral arrangements from the flowers that Millie bought from Kroger and that Margie Dodd cut from her garden. Marion was assisted in her artistic endeavors by Amy our secretary. After arranging the flowers, they set up the tables. Rosemary Begemann, Faye Heal, Steve Brown, Joel Burns, Devon Farmer, Sue Gladin, Sandra Balfour, Susan Balfour and Millie Murphy arrived Saturday morning to serve the meal and to clean up afterwards. Thanks to Steve for the heavy lifting with the dish washer. Fried chicken was served along with the many side dishes and desserts that were contributed by members of the congregation. Many thanks go out to all the people that helped serve and to the people that donated food to make this lunch the blessing that it always is. The people that help feel as blessed from the helping, as do the people that come for the meal. I have to share this story. There was the cutest little girl, about third grade, dressed up like it was Easter; beautiful frilly dress, patent leather shoes with lace on her socks, and ribbons in her hair. She was beautiful! I asked her who she had come to visit, and she told me that she was going to visit her father. I told her that he was going to be so happy to see her and that she looked so beautiful for him. When she finished eating, she got up and started helping us clear the tables. We were all touched by her happy smile, bubbly personality, and helping hands. This is only one example of the part we play in helping families stay connected to their loved ones, while they are incarcerated. As a parent, you can imagine how happy this father was to see his daughter, and the joy and anticipation he must feel as he looks forward to her next visit. This is why we do this lunch month after month. Thank you again for all your help. ~ Millie Murphy Our sincere thanks to Millie Murphy and her volunteers for hosting while Barbara Rowe and I were both out of town. Next date for this gathering will fall, as it often does, on the day before Fathers Day, June 16. If you will be free that day, we can use your help and you will, no doubt, feel blessed - we always do. Contact me at donna.gautier@charter.net or , and leave a message if I do not answer. Many thanks! ~ Donna Free Books Come and get them At the request of Session, John Lamsma and Barbara Rowe, with help from Gloria Burns, have been sorting through books in the church library. There are now two marked bookcases of older books that need new homes. You are welcome to take as many as you would like. Unwanted theology books will be sent to small seminaries in African countries through a contact in Athens given to us by General Presbyter Hilary Shuford. So, stop by the library before or after church and pick out a few books for your own library. Please do so ASAP! Got old photos? So, do we! Who knew that there were boxes of old photos in the church library? In fact, there are probably several hundred photos of church folks, youth, camps, church meals, etc. Nearly all are unmarked and undated. Who are these people? If you have been in the church a number of years, why not stop by the library, pick up a packet or two, take them home, identify the people and, when possible, the year. We want to save and organize these visual reminders of church life. Unidentified photos will eventually be discarded, so please help us put names to faces!!

6 CHURCH AND COMMUNITY VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS GROUP Lessons Learned from Caretaking Our May speaker, Rev. Terry Quick, Associate Pastor at the Milledgeville First Baptist Church, spoke about caretaking. With the permission of his father, he spoke about how the role of looking after his father, who was losing his vision, led him to learn life lessons as his father learned to adjust to his changing abilities & to cope with how his condition altered his relationship with those around him. One of the first lessons learned was not to play the blame game. He and his father initially asked why this could happen to his father, a minister who had devoted his life to God s work and to caring for others- who had much more he wanted to do. The answer to this was Lesson One: Don t waste time with assessing blame or grieving loss. Instead, try to understand what. What s next? What can I do to get something done? What does God want me to do? Terry had other questions: What can I do to help my father adjust to these changes? What can I do to help him live as normally as possible? What can I do to help me understand what my father is going through? The answers came as lessons learned. Terry had to learn that his father s perceptions were different; his father needed to be told things like when and how much of a drop was coming as he walked, and Terry needed to learn not to move furniture or leave items in his father s path. His father needed to explain what he could and could not do and what he needed Terry to do to help him. To better understand what his father s experience was like Terry began closing his eyes for two minutes each day. This helped him realize the helplessness his father experienced. It gave him more patience and empathy. Also, letting his father know he did this daily, helped his father realize Terry s love and caring for him. Another lesson learned was how little doctors and others understood about blindness. It creates a barrier between people. Educating others about what you feel and can do is essential to lower this separation. Learning that losing sight does not mean loss of vision or ability to think. Terry s father learned that he could help others by writing and his ability to concentrate and come up with new ideas increased after his vision loss. Terry and his father became closer as they worked together on three books and numerous projects, such as building a dog house. What an inspiring speaker! Next month Ken Jasnau will talk to the group about dealing with personal thoughts and issues that make us have negative thoughts. The meeting will be held June 20 th at 10:30 am. Anyone interested in this topic or learning more about coping with limited vision is cordially invited to attend. You re Invited... Both Care Groups have been meeting for a few years now. We always enjoy the fellowship, conversation and prayer, sharing a meal, and getting to know each other on a more personal basis. A few people have expressed an interest in joining the Care Groups. So, you are invited to join us for a potluck supper in the Fellowship Hall on Friday, June 22nd at 5:30 pm. If you are interested in joining us or would like more information, please call Anne Dennis or Debbie Lamsma.

7 Anniversaries Birthdays Church Family: Sandra Balfour, tests Harry Beck, chemotherapy Extended Family: Hayden Adams, Don & Terri Glover s 13-yr-old granddaughter, large cell leukemia, New York Ann Bertolli. health concerns Carol Boyd, resident at Chaplinwod Health & Rehabilitation Murphy Davis, Open Door Community, cancer, multiple health concerns Judy degrandcourt, Sandra Balfour s sister, advanced MS Kyle Dennis, Anne s husband, Multiple Myeloma, kidney issues Russell & Kathleen Edwards, Marianne s parents, numerous health problems Jeremy Erickson, Carolyn Erickson s son, liver issues Marty Flory, Jennifer s mother-in-law, multiple health concerns Dee Hartmann, Sandra Balfour s sister-in-law, health issues Leigh Humphrey, Will & Becky Humphrey s son, recovering Arthur & Julie Montemayor, Becky Henderson s parents, ongoing health concerns Tom Murphy, Kathy Carroll s brother, colon cancer Chris Pearson, Sunda Coleman s son, under heart specialist care Suzy Smith, Lois Callender s mother, prayers for improved physical & mental health Christian Vander Groef, Amy Snowden s uncle, terminal cancer Sue York, cancer treatment In Assisted Living: Bryan Dempster, Green Acres, 313 Allen Memorial Drive Bob & Eloise Lamb, Fellowship Home at Meriwether, 10 Meriwether Place In memory of our extended church family: Marguerite Owens, Gloria Burns mother Roy Pounds, Sunda Coleman s father Limited Mobility: Mary Carlton Martha Chappell Helen Danuser Polly Morrison Charlotte Owens Gloria Smith Communion for the Infirm and Homebound Our FPC Worship Committee would like to make Communion available to those members of our congregation who are unable to attend our church worship services. They will do so by bringing the communion elements to homes, hospital rooms, and nursing facilities. To request this service, please call the church office at (478) and leave your contact information. For as often as YOU eat this loaf and drink this cup, YOU keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives. 1 Corinthians 11:26 June 4 ~ Brandon & Jennifer Morris June 4 ~ Nancy Miller June 17 ~ Deanna Bivins June 16 ~ David & Elizabeth Baarda June 6 ~ Ken McGill June 18 ~ Jamie Jordan June 24 ~ J.F. & Tsu-Ming Yao June 8 ~ Gloria Burns June 21 ~ Grayden Young June 25 ~ Bill & Jennifer Flory Bill & Ruby Werts June 30 ~ Bob & Kathy Carroll Gerald & Karen Grimes June 10 ~ Devon Farmer June 12 ~ Jenny Moore June 14 ~ Michael Phillips June 27 ~ Amy Smith June 28 ~ Anne Dennis

8 3 11:00 Worship Service w/communion & Food Offering Rec d June 6:30 Potluck Gathering 7:15 Bible/Book Study & Discussion 7 1:00 Afternoon Bridge Club 5:30 Worship Committee 6:30 In Our Best Interest 7:00 Choir Practice :00 Worship Service 12:00 Allocation Committee 1:00 Session Retreat ~ LRP Review 5:00 Presbyterian Women Study :30~10:30 FOOD PANTRY 11:00 Presbyterian Women Study 12:00 Kiwanis Club Luncheon 5:30 SESSION 13 6:30 Potluck Gathering 7:15 Bible/Book Study & Discussion 14 1:00 Afternoon Bridge Club 2:00 FPC Book Club ~ Letters from Hawaii 7:00 Choir Practice 15 9:30 Setup for PFL in Fellowship & Kitchen 16 11:00~1:00 PRISON FAMILY LUNCHEON General Assembly St. Louis MO 6/16~6/23 17 FATHER S DAY! 11:00 Worship Service Presbyterian Homes of GA Offering Received 24 11:00 Worship Service :30 SAMARITANS MINISTRY 25 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL MON ~ FRI 9 AM ~ 12 PM ALL ARE WELCOME!! 12:00 Kiwanis Club Luncheon 26 12:00 Kiwanis Club Luncheon 5:15 Kiwanis Board 5:30 Finance Committee 6:30 BRIDGE 20 10:30 Visually Impaired Persons Group ~ Speaker Ken Jasnau 6:30 Potluck Gathering/SAR - Eagle Scouts certificates awarded 7:15 Bible/Book Study & Discussion 27 6:30 Potluck Gathering 7:15 Bible/Book Study & Discussion 21 1:00 Afternoon Bridge Club 2:00 Learning in Retirement Reading 3:00 Learning in Retirement Writing 6:30 In Our Best Interest 7:00 Choir Practice 28 1:00 Afternoon Bridge Club 7:00 Choir Practice 22 5:30~9:00 FPC Care Groups Gathering :00 Worship Service w/communion & Food Offering Rec d :00 Kiwanis Club Luncheon 4 Office Closed!! Happy Independence Day 5