THE LAMB S KIN. First Presbyterian Church. Devotion for July. 4th of July, Anniversary of our ECO membership and it s almost time for Guatemala!

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1 First Presbyterian Church Devotion for July Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows!" John 16:33 Dear friend, You have lately been in the furnace and are now brought safely out. I hope you have much to say of the grace, care, and skill of the great Refiner, who watched over you; and that you have lost nothing but dross. Let this experience be treasured up in your hearts for the use of future times. Other trials will come but you have found the Lord faithful to His promise, and have good encouragement to trust Him again. I doubt not, but you will have your share of trials; but when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, it sweetens what bitter things the Lord puts into our cup, and enables us to say, "None of these things move me!" Yes, the life of faith is a happy life, and if attended with conflicts there is an assurance of victory; if we sometimes get a wound there is healing balm near at hand; if we seem to fall we are raised again; and if tribulations abound consolations shall abound likewise. Is it not happiness to have an infallible Guide, an invincible Guard, an almighty Friend! to be able to say Continued on P. 2 THE LAMB S KIN July 2016 A message from our Pastor 4th of July, Anniversary of our ECO membership and it s almost time for Guatemala! T his week we celebrate two birthdays. The first takes place on July 4 th when we celebrate Independence Day. This coming Sunday, July 3, I can promise you some wonderful patriotic music, so if you are in town over the Independence holiday, I hope you will make it a point to be in worship. In addition, if you would like a great seat and an easy place to park I hope you will drive out to the Lake Lodge and join us for dinner and fireworks on Monday, July 4 th. As you will read elsewhere in this newsletter, the church will provide the hamburgers and the hot dogs and you are asked to bring a side dish and/or a dessert to share. If the weather remains hot and clear you and your children are welcome to swim or float around the dock. Bring your folding chairs as well so that you can have a comfortable seat from which to enjoy the fireworks over the lake. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. The fireworks show typically begins after sunset, which means about 9:15-9:30 p.m. The second birthday I mention above actually took place on June 25 th which happens to be when I am writing this column. The 25 th of June marks our first full year as a member congregation in the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians better known to us as ECO. As of today, there are 281 member congregations across the country though this number continues to increase each month, and sometimes weekly, as more congregations are given the freedom to join ECO. Yesterday, I returned from a meeting at a retreat center in Sequin with other pastors from several of the larger Presbyterian churches here in Texas. Of the thirteen congregations represented, one pastor is now the head of staff at a large non-denominational church outside of Austin. Three other pastors serve congregations that are currently in the process of joining ECO within the next six months. The rest of us now serve congregations that joined ECO in the past two years. Those of us who have gone through the challenging process of entering ECO spent a good deal of time encouraging those pastors who serve those congregations that are still in process. Though I am not free to identify the congregations who will soon be joining ECO, I can tell you that according to the statistics posted online by our former denomination they represent 8,214 Presbyterians which is a considerable number indeed! Continued on P. 2

2 P A G E 2 Continued from P. 1 of the Maker of heaven and earth, "He is my Beloved, my Shepherd, my Savior, and my Husband!" Oh the peace that flows from believing...that all events in which we are concerned, are under His immediate disposal; that the hairs of our head are all numbered; that He delights in our prosperity; that there is a need-be, if we are in heaviness, and that all things shall surely work for our good! How happy to have such views of God's sovereignty, wisdom, love, and faithfulness as will enable us to meet every painful dispensation with submission, and to look through the changes of the present life to that unchangeable inheritance to which the Lord is leading us, when all evil shall cease, and where joy shall be perfect and eternal! Letters from John Newton "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away!" Revelation 21:4 Continued from P. 1 The point I want to make as we celebrate our first anniversary in ECO is that we are in good company. Those of us who met this past week marvel at the freedom we now have to be the church without the many burdens, rules, and regulations placed upon us by our previous denomination. What I especially appreciate is that we are now all in the same Presbytery, which means we get to work together for the common good. We are also doing one of the main goals of ECO and that is sharing best practices with one another. What I think is the best sign of all is that have each committed to pray for one another and for the congregations we serve. This means congregations in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Amarillo and more are praying for us here in San Angelo. What a great way to build up the church and serve the cause of Jesus across the great state of Texas! In other news, July is the month we return to Guatemala in order to do mission. This year I am leading the team from our congregation and Joel will stay behind and minister in my absence. One of the things I am especially looking forward to is that my entire family will be going this year including my wife, Lanee, and our children Coree and Spencer. We realize that as our children grow older this may be the last opportunity we have to do a mission trip together, so we are excited for this chance to return to San Lucas Toliman. I ask you to keep our mission team in your prayers from July and to keep our church in your prayers as well as we seek to serve faithfully and joyfully here in West Texas. Blessings to you!

3 7/1 Randy Brooks 7/3 Devin Bates, Tim Pucci, Alan Erwin, 7/4 Margaret King, Kathy Newman 7/7 Vivian Meyer, Katie Hooker, Chris Hooker 7/8 Cari Curry 7/9 Jean Heare, Macy Barnett 7/10 Ketch Lee, Amber Smith, Ashley Darby, Reagan Darby 7/11 Susan Little, Richard Rigdon 7/12 Sandy Whittley, Carmen Giesecke 7/13 Sloan Cole 7/14 Thomas Mackie P A G E 3 7/16 Mary Louise Strain, Diane Montgomerie, Landon Neal 7/17 Morgan Moore, Mary Cathryn Darby 7/18 Colleen Hair 7/19 Lesli Uherik 7/20 Adley Wall 7/21 Morgan Mann, Marissa Giesecke 7/22 Shane Hill, Kay Kennemer 7/23 Davis Darby 7/24 Bob Ferguson 7/26 Clifford Anderson, Lanee Proctor 7/27 Frank Rose, Bart Pfluger, 7/28 Wendall Hirschfeld, Kay Bates, Chester Bobo 7/29 John C. Olson 7/31 Nancy Granaghan Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Happy 4th of July! Chrch Ofc closed 6:30 p.m :45 MBS-210 1:30 p.m. HOF Lake Brownwood 7 9:00 C.E.,C.R. WID:10: :00 Angel Academy ( 2 Vans) :45 MBS-210 (2 Vans) Music Rehearsals 14 WID:10: :00 Angel Academy ( 2 Vans ) 5:15 Stewardship 19 5:15 Session, :45 MBS-210 (2 Vans ) Music Rehearsals 21 WID 10:30-11:45 METS 3rd Thursday Lunch Mission Team To Guatemala 24 / :00 Angel Academy ( 2 Vans ) 9:00 Soup Kitchen 26 11:00 Children s C.E. 27 6:45 MBS-210 ( 2 Vans ) Music Rehearsals 28 WID 10: Mission Team Home

4 P A G E 4 Monday, July 4 6:30 p.m. FPC Lake Lodge 2014 Willow Dr. Bring a salad, side dish or dessert to share hamburgers & hot dogs will be provided! You might throw in lawn chairs and a blanket so you can comfortably watch the fireworks! If you plan to attend and you have not called the church office, please Susan by 7/2/16: gosusan@msn.com THANK YOU! Project Dignidad in need of volunteers L ooking for an outreach ministry that is hands-on? One that affects the lives of individuals and families in our area every day? Project Dignidad may be just what you or your group is looking for! This ecumenical food ministry is located at 313 W. Ave N and is open from 9-1 Monday- Friday. We welcome volunteers who have a heart for those in need, who work well with others, and who can lift heavy items easily. We often get large bags of rice and beans, for instance, as well as cases of canned food, which need to be lifted off the back of trucks or from the trunks of cars and put away on storage shelves. Then food has to be placed in grocery carts for clients to take to their vehicles, so the ability to lift without physical limitation is a must. Please contact Josie Jones, Director of Project Dignidad, at (325) , for more information about volunteering. Thanks! Cookies wanted to feed hungr y House of Faith campers! E ven if you aren t able to travel with our team of volunteers over to Lake Brownwood, you have an opportunity to help make this year s meal a roaring success and, that s by contributing home baked goods to our meal effort. Any cookie/brownie/bar you d like to make would be welcomed with the exception of cookies containing peanuts or peanut butter. With so many having peanut allergies, it s just best to steer clear of peanuts. If you would like to showcase your baking talents by contributing to the feeding of 300, please call or Susan at church, or programs.director@fpcsanangelo.org by July 5. You could bring your baked goods to the church on Tuesday, July 5, 8:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Or, Wednesday, July 6 by a.m. Thank you!

5 Thank you for your kind donation of the clothes. Having a residential shelter requires having clothes on hand for our residents. We have been serving an average of 50 adults and children per day. Your support of the Family Shelter is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rachel Dienda Victim Advocate Sunday afternoon Angela and Gordy brought me a wonderful bouquet! What a nice surprise! It still brightens my room! How do I say thank you correctly? Gus Eckhardt Thank you so much for the beautiful sanctuary flowers delivered to us on June 12. They really brightened our day along with the visit from Beth and Jay Uherik. We feel blessed to be a part of such a special church family and we sincerely appreciate all the prayers. Cynthia & Bill Keel I appreciate the beautiful flowers. The red gladiolas and carnations were a strong reminder of the Holy Spirit. I enjoyed the reminder of His presence as I recovered from surgery. Thank you for thinking of me. Love, Libby Thankful Hearts P A G E 5 Dear Church Family, A warm and heartfelt thank you from Neal and me for the beautiful flowers, card, visits, calls and especially your prayers on Neal s behalf. Your love and support touches our hearts, lifts our spirits, keeps us going and makes all the difference. We are so grateful to each of you and ask for your continued prayers of intercession as Neal continues his treatments and healing. We feel so blessed to be part of such a loving congregation! Love, Neal & Evalie Lamar Elementary says thank you for books given to 1st and 2nd graders! Dear First Presbyterian Church, On behalf of the 1st and 2nd graders, I want to hank you for the chapter books that you purchased for the kids. They were very excited to receive a nice gift at the end of the school year. Research has shown that summer reading and learning opportunities overall have a positive impact on student achievement. Wit your support, students are able to continue reading during the summer break. You are giving a gift that will last them a life time by creating lifelong readers. Sincerely, Lucy Kocich Librarian, Lamar Elementary Krisanna Byars with her 1st grade class showcasing their new books! Second graders showing off their new books!

6 Rosemary Calvert on the loss of her mother, Martha Dorrity, who passed into eternal life on June 6, Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3 Food for the month of July Caned tomatoes of any kind, to include tomato sauce; canned beans of any kind; cereal, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, dry pasta, mac-n- cheese, canned meats of any kind, any kind of canned veggies, canned soup, broth, and baby formula Please place your donations in the basket in the Commons. Josie said they are in urgent need of food. July 3, 11:00 a.m. Dennis Grafa, Ezra Walling, Clint Symes, David Hirschfeld, Mike McCammon July 10, 11:00 a.m. Bob Hamblen, Joe Kilman, Ellen & Stephen Brown, Susan Little July 17, 11:00 a.m. Beth & Jay Uherik, Ronny Hooker, Alicia & Sterling Cole, Donna Crisp July 24, 11:00 a.m. Susan & Bub Williams, Polly Brooks, Sheila Patteson, Mary Louise Strain July 31, 11:00 a.m. Carter Behrens, Steve Boster, Joy & Bill Morehead, Noma Perrine, Hayley Perrine Congratulations to: Becky & Ted Swiderski, grandparents, and Nikki & Keith Swiderski, parents, on the birth of Theodore John Swiderski, III Teddy born on June 2, Welcome to this world, Teddy! Third Thursday Lunch, July 11:45 a.m. $7, RSVP by noon on 7/20. The Lamb s Kin is published monthly for the members and friends of First Presbyterian Church. Church office: Website: fpcsanangelo.org Send any news items or thank you letters by the 25th of each month to: programs.director@fpcsanangelo.org Or to: FPC* 32 N. Irving St., San Angelo, TX 76903