You are the salt of the earth. Jesus (Matthew 5:13) P A R K V I L L E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H

Transcription

1 The Salt Shaker You are the salt of the earth. Jesus (Matthew 5:13) P A R K V I L L E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H M A R C H OUR MISSION Parkville Presbyterian Church is a community of believers following Jesus Christ by sharing God s Word, serving and welcoming all. I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Communication Ministries 2 Women s Event 2 From the Rabbi 3 Adult Education 4 Welcoming Team 5 Session Highlights 6 PNC Update 8 Presbytery News 9 Lent Begins with Ash Wednesday Service - March 5, 7:00 pm Maybe Lent is a good time to stop doing and try being. Relinquishment lies at the heart of the Christian gospel and is a countercultural choice that hones our discipleship. If I let go of the assumption that my hard work will bring me all that I desire, I begin to look at the present moment, receive it with gratitude, and know what it asks of me. I learn when it is time to rest, time to plan, time to play, time to wait, time to act boldly. - Elizabeth J. Canham in Weavings T H E S A L T S H A K E R

2 From your Communication Ministry Team... How do you find out about worship, faith development, mission, hospitality, and generosity happening at Parkville Presbyterian? There are many ways the Communication Ministry team works to keep everyone informed. As you are seeing as you read this -- the March Salt Shaker has been published (yes, you did get two Salt Shakers in February!). As one of the primary ways to look at the calendar for the month ahead, the Salt Shaker will be published close to the first of each month. If you have information to be included, please submit it to Janet Geary, Bob Turpin, and Peggy Pape, by the last Sunday of the month. If you prefer to read about things on a weekly basis, or want a reminder of upcoming opportunities, be sure to read the weekly update each Friday. If you are not receiving the , just let the church office know. Do you like to see pictures from mission work, get notice of special services, or just see who is commenting on posts? Friend us on Facebook and be part of the PPC social network; be sure to share your photos of church people and events with us. Finally, don t forget about the web site. Visit and explore the adult education schedule, the church calendar, learn about the numerous mission and small groups. You can even listen to previous sermons. And remember you put the U in communication! From the Mountains to the Prairie: Giving Hope to Women Parkville Presbyterian Church will host the 2014 Spring Gathering of the Presbyterian Women of the Heartland Presbytery on Saturday, April 26 from 8:30 to 1:00. Scheduled to present are Bev Strobie, participant in 2013 USA Mission Experience to Appalachia; and Kristy Childs, Executive Director of Veronica's Voice, an organization to end sexual exploitation in the U.S. All women of the church are encouraged to attend. If you would like to volunteer to help host the event, sign up sheets will be available in the Narthex. T H E S A L T S H A K E R

3 From the rabbi... P A G E 3 As an interim pastor, I participate in a monthly Interim Pastor's Group that our Commission on Ministry sponsors and encourages. Between those monthly meetings and quarterly reports that we provide COM, I regularly am grateful to have been spending this last year with you good folks at Parkville Church! I've been reviewing the past four reports as I get ready to submit another one for this first quarter of 2014, and I am quite impressed with the tremendous strides we have made together in this time! You have been through a lot and accomplished even more... and the list could go on and on.... While not stellar growth, we've received a half-dozen folks in the past year and many congregations never grow at all during an interim time. And we have some additional folks who are choosing to make Parkville Presby their church home in the near future... all because of your welcoming hospitality! We continue to meet our promises with regards to our stewardship commitments, further emphasizing your extravagant generosity! You have made your building available to a major music arts group recently and that partnership offers promises of other community opportunities that will strengthen our presence in the heart of Parkville! has only praise and appreciation for their hard work and thoughtful discernment of where God is leading them in the search for your new pastor! I trust you are joining me in keeping them regularly in prayer, asking God's blessing and guidance! So, thank you for the faithful disciples you seek and strive to be! "May your tribe increase!" Blessings! Rev. Ky Weekley See you in worship! And, not least of all, our COM Liaison to the Pastor Nominating Committee regularly tells me how impressed he is with the folks who make up that search committee! He

4 P A G E 4 March Food Pantry Needs Highway Clean-Up Rescheduled for March 15 due to snow in February Adult Education Two Sunday morning Adult Ed sessions remain for Dr. David May s study on Exploring the Scripture through Different Avenues. Thank you for all you do to bless our neighbors! Place any of the following items in the grocery cart outside the Sanctuary Ramen noodles Pancake mix Saltine Crackers Cooking oil Feminine hygiene products Hair conditioner Paper towels Toothpaste Cash donations are always helpful make checks to SPEAC Food Pantry Loving Our Neighbors Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto me. Jesus Breaking Bread Bunch will meet at the church March 27 at 5:30 to assist the Children and Youth Ministry team prep eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. Not to worry: there will still be food and fellowship. The current Financial Report will be included in a future publication. If you are not receiving the weekly update by , contact the church office to include you. Printed copies are available on the kiosk in Narthex. Thank you... Thank you again for your generous gift to Friends of the IMCK, (Medical Center in Congo) Endowment Fund. This year marks 60 years since the founding of IMCK. By God s grace and mercy, we pray for many more years ahead. This fund will help to see that happens. We appreciate your gift, and we are encouraged by the support of your church. God bless you! This Sunday, March 2 Everything I learned about the Gospel I Learned from Homer Simpson. Next Sunday March 9 Everything I Learned about the Bible I learned by Going to the Movies Beginning March 16 A new Sunday morning study series led by Bill Geary TBA. LENTEN WORSHIP SERIES T H E S A L T S H A K E R

5 Report of the Welcoming Team P A G E 5 The Welcoming team met on Thursday, Feb. 20th. Attendees: Lisa Weixelman, Russ Jones, Linda Myers, Laura Ozenberger, Shannon Windmeyer, Dona Jones, Paul Wickens, and Joyce Schrimsher. We ll meet on the third Thursday of each month at 6pm. This time would enable at least one member from each team to join our discussions as there is much overlap in developing the various initiatives in growing and developing our church family. Communication is a priority between the different teams to be effective in fulfilling the goals and objectives of each team. Radical Hospitality is our focus. We will break into small groups to accomplish our tasks and goals more efficiently as we continue to grow. Exterior Appearance - Russ Jones will coordinate with the various Teams to replace signage on Main Street entrance. Banners will be purchased to communicate specific upcoming activities such as Easter Egg Hunt, VBS, etc. Greeting the Guest - Lisa Weixelman and Gerry Lowery will develop and coordinate training for Hosts and Greeters and members to welcome guests, get contact information, and initiate communication. Welcoming Team will be responsible for letter of welcome going forward which the Deacons have been responsible for in the past. Russ Jones will establish a welcoming table, signage, tours of facility, to assist guests in learning about our church and everything it offers to community as well as maneuvering about the building easily. Paul Wickens and Shannon Windmeyer will do a study on what visitors are looking for (needs) when visiting a church and the ways we as a congregation can support those needs. Examples are youth activities, Sunday School for children and adults, young adult groups, mission, worship style, etc. Current groups using our facility - Formal welcome greeting and regular engagement by team and members of congregation: Joyce Schrimsher, Dona Jones, and Linda Myers. i.e. Boy Scouts, CYT, Girl Scouts, Home School Coop. We feel this is an area that is critical to our mission of welcoming guests currently in our midst. Supporting these groups through engagement will grow and build long lasting relationships. Communication - Tools will be developed by Lisa Weixelman, Shannon Windmeyer, Laura Ozenberger (Congregational Life), Gary Blanck (Communication), Larry Lorenzen (Young Adult), Jan Myers (Worship). These tools (banners, postcards, newsletters, internal signage, etc.) will include announcements for upcoming events, regular activities and programs of our church life. Current membership - Communicating with current membership who are not attending regularly. Discussion is ongoing on who will be responsible for follow up communication. Our next meeting is scheduled for 6pm, March 20th, Rm 307, and anyone interested in being a part of this team is welcomed to join us. Linda Myers, Co-Moderator/Session Liaison

6 Session Highlights February 13 The Stated Meeting of the Session, originally scheduled for February 4 th, 2014 was postponed due to weather and safety concerns and was finally convened on Thursday, February 13 th, 2014 at 7:00pm. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Pastor. The Session focused its initial attentions on readings excerpted from Matthew Chapter 5 in which Jesus describes the blessed ones and then characterizes them (us?) as the salt of the Earth, the light of the world and a city on a hill. The Communications Team then advised the Session that the publishing schedule for the Salt Shaker has been revised. As a result, beginning with the March 2014 issue, the Salt Shaker will now be published on the Wednesday after the last Sunday of each month. This adjustment will place the Salt Shaker in homes (via either or USPS) just prior to the beginning of the next month or very early in the next month. This schedule places the church calendar in the congregation s hands early enough in the month to maximize its usefulness and also ensures that the most recent closed reports can be included. The session reviewed and discussed the trial period of the partnership with the CYT (Christian Youth Theater) group. The Session observes that the impact on the church is as it expected and notes that CYT s activity and behaviors are in alignment with our stated intention to enhance the church s visibility and increase the usage of the church facility. The session agreed that partnership with CYT is of mutual benefit to both groups (the church and CYT) and should be continued. Steve Walker, Moderator of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) and other members of the PNC provided their analysis for the Session s information regarding comparative salaries for pastors recently called to ministry in Heartland Presbytery. The PNC asks that the congregation continue to be in prayer for the church and the PNC as they seek to know God s will for PPC s next Pastor. Personnel matters were discussed in executive session. There being no other business the meeting was closed with prayer. The next stated meeting of the Session will be Tuesday, March 4 th, 2014 at 7pm. We ll be collecting eyeglasses for the next TWO months One month remaining to help with this mission project for Neema Community Church S A L T S H A K E R

7 P A G E 7... of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Children s Sunday School Classes have been focusing on the stories of Jesus in recent weeks: Calling the disciples, Jesus calming the storm, Jesus dinner with Zacchaeus, and the miracles of turning water to wine and feeding the We will remember these stories as we move into our Lenten stories. Thanks to our teachers for guiding our children each week. Preschool Laura Ozenberger & Linda Meyers K 2 nd - Carole Bloomer & Mary Dixon 3 rd 5 th Carol Park & Kay Jackson We continue to participate in Heifer, International to purchase animals and help people in developing countries become more self-sufficient. Our next project, purchasing at least one lamb, will culminate on Easter. You might consider giving your child two piggy banks one to save money for themselves and another to provide for others. Sheep not only provide families with high-quality wool, but their milk is also wonderfully rich and nutritious. Recently sheep have been provided to Poinana, a small village in Romania. Traditionally, the residents knew how to care for sheep but had no money to buy them. Thanks to Heifer donors 50 farmer families received a sheep and a ram. Their flocks continue to grow. Little Dresses for Africa Ministry Work Day Friday, March 9 2pm 6pm

8 Update from the PNC Our PNC is continuing its deliberations toward a final decision. The good news is that we have excellent finalist candidates; the bad news is that we have excellent finalist candidates! Translation picking just one of them is proving very difficult. However, we have had excellent follow-up discussions with the candidates and amongst ourselves and are continuing to do so regularly. Ultimately, our goal is to pick the person we think provides the best opportunity to lead us successfully into our future and fulfilling the criteria we outlined in our Mission Study and our Ministry Information Form. Obviously, we are looking for someone who can effectively pastor to our current congregants. But just as importantly, we need someone who can attract and effectively pastor congregants we haven t even met yet! In other words, those we hope to attract as we grow our church and our mission outreach. The Thursday night classes may be over... but the ACTION continues The pictures show some of our tangible Love in Action to date... Your continued prayers are much appreciated. We are doing everything we can to reach a final decision as soon as possible. In the meantime, feel free to grab one of us and share any thoughts about your desires or visions for our new pastor. We are open to hearing your ideas and considering them as they may relate to our finalists! Steve Walker (on behalf of your PNC: Chris Cary, Sandy Dixon, Teri Frazier, Jack Schrimsher, Judy Seifert, and Mike Vaughn) S A L T S H A K E R

9 Heartland Presbytery News From Randy Smith, our Commissioner to the Presbytery following the February 22 meeting: This was a joyful, theologically centered gathering and featured business, worship and fellowship in equal doses. Simply stated, of the dozen or so Presbytery meetings I have attended over the years, this was easily my favorite. I have shared my feelings with Ky. Central is a beautiful church with a magnificent sanctuary. Rev. Heidi Peterson and the many volunteers were gracious and attentive hosts. The worship and sermon by Rev. Paul Rock based on Romans 11:17-24 was memorable and inspiring. The music, especially the jazz trio was quite outstanding. They could have implemented a cover charge and I would have willingly paid. We heard encouraging and uplifting reports about the Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House in NE Kansas City, the Maya Quiche project in Guatemala, The 1,001 Worshipping Communities initiative and exciting growth at the Heartland Presbyterian Center that made it clear that many people in this Presbytery are making a difference in many lives every day. Ky oversaw the examinations and approval of membership for three Teaching Elders and one applicant for Candidate for the Ministry which were faith filled, sincere and full of emotion and passion for their work that let us know that our clerical ranks are being filled with people who have joy and faith. P A G E 9 Executive Presbyter Charles Spencer used his time in a Socratic inquiry where instead of merely reporting he asked questions of the gathered and in the process pointed out that in our Presbytery this weekend we will celebrate in several languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Swahili, French and Korean), that there are many growing congregations and that the number one attribute of successful congregations is "HOSPITALITY". Yes, there was business and some of it was not pleasant including the dissolution of the Brookdale congregation in St. Joseph, but we addressed it, took a decision and moved on without rancor. My observation is that usually these meetings feel like heavy, procedural, administrative events with a bit of prayer and theology around the edges. This felt like a religious experience where business was done as necessary but that the overriding theme was our unity in faith and fellowship. A recap of each meeting is on the Presbytery website: under "Meetings"

10 Parkville Presbyterian Church M a r c h Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Boy Scout Chili Dinner/ 2 Lord s Supper 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:45 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. SPARK Middle School Youth and BLAZE Senior High Youth 3 5:00-8:45 p.m. Christian Youth Theater 6:30 p.m. Cubs/ rooms 206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts/ 7:00 p.m. Evening Circle/Room :00 a.m. Home School Co-op 5:00 p.m. CYT Rehearsal 6:30 p.m. Cub Scouts/rooms 206/207/208 7:00 p.m. Session/ :30 a.m. Morning Prayers 7:00 p.m. 6 10:00 a.m. Circle III 5:30 p.m. Thirsty Thursdays/PCH 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks Room :00 p.m. Little Dresses for Africa/ room 207 5:00 p,m. CYT Rehearsal Cub Scout Lock-in rooms 206/207/208 until after 9 pm 8 9 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:45 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. SPARK Middle School Youth and BLAZE Senior High Youth 10 5:00-8:45 p.m. Christian Youth Theater 6:30 p.m. Cubs/ rooms 206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts/ 11 9:00 a.m. Home School Co-op 1:30 p.m. SPEAC Officers 5:00 p.m. CYT Rehearsal 7:00 Ministry Team Meetings for Building and Grounds; Communications; Congregational Life; Generosity; Mission 6:30 p.m. Cub Scouts/rooms 206/207/ :30 a.m. Morning Prayers 6:00 p.m. Children & Youth Team 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 13 1:00 p.m. Mary Martha Circle/Room 311 5:30 p.m. Thirsty Thursdays/Pkv Coffee House 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks Room :00 p,m. CYT Rehearsal 15 9::00 a.m. Highway Clean-up 16 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:45 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. SPARK Middle School Youth and BLAZE Senior High Youth 17 No CYT on Springbreak 6:30 p.m. Cubs/ rooms 206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts/ 18 No CYT on Springbreak 9:00 a.m. Home School Co-op 6:30 p.m. Cub Scouts/rooms 206/207/208 7:00 p.m. Board of 19 7:30 a.m. Morning Prayers 6:00 p.m. Community Music & Arts Team 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 20 5:30 p.m. Thirsty Thursdays/PCH A6:00 p.m. Welcoming Team/Room 307 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room No CYT on Springbreak ( setup for Memorial luncheon) 22 9:00 a.m. Worship Team 10:00 a.m. Gresham Memorial Service/ Lunch 23 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:45 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. SPARK Middle School Youth and BLAZE Senior High Youth 24 5:00-8:45 p.m. Christian Youth Theater 6:30 p.m. Cubs/ rooms 206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts/ 25 9:00 a.m. Home School Co-op 5:00 p.m. CYT Rehearsal in SS Classrooms 6:30 Pack Meeting/Whipple Hall 7:00 p.m. Coordinating Committee/Room :30 a.m. Morning Prayers 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir 27 5:30 p.m. Thirsty Thursdays/PCH 5:30 p.m. Breaking Bread Bunch Easter Egg Prep with C&Y Team/ 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room :00 p,m. CYT Rehearsal :30 a.m. Worship 9:45 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. SPARK Middle School Youth and BLAZE Senior High Youth 31 5:00-8:45 p.m. Christian Youth Theater 6:30 p.m. Cubs/ rooms 206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts/

11 Parkville Presbyterian Church 819 Main Street Parkville, MO Office: Fax: PPC has a Facebook page! "Like" us at "Parkville Presbyterian Church" Forward the Salt Shaker to a Friend Sunday Worship 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Church School: 9:45 a.m. Wednesday Morning Prayers: 7:30 a.m. Church Office: Church Fax: church@parkvillepresby.org Salt Shaker published monthly by Parkville Presbyterian Church The Rev. Ky Weekley, Transition Pastor Paul Erickson, Director of Music and Arts & Organist Peggy Pape, Office Manager S A L T S H A K E R