Highland Herald A PUBLICATION OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MUSKEGON, MI. Join us with your favorite kids on Sunday, March 31 st from 1 3 pm!

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1 March 2019 Highland Herald A PUBLICATION OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MUSKEGON, MI Join us with your favorite kids on Sunday, March 31 st from 1 3 pm! We will have yard games, an art area and egg hunts for children 0-10 years of age: 1:15 pm Age 0-3 1:45 pm Age 4-7 2:15 pm Age 8 10 Volunteers are needed for the Easter Egg Hunt. Come be a welcoming face from our church family! Lenten Breakfast INSIDE I N S I Dthis E tissue h i s i s s u e Property Council Information Interim Pastor Notes LMPW Spring Gathering Dollars & Sense Mission News Men s Breakfast April Birthdays/Anniversaries Upcoming Events April Worship Assistant Schedule All men and women are invited to attend the FPC Lenten Breakfast on Saturday, April 13 th 10 a.m. Rev. Miriam Bush will present an Iona Reflecting Experience. Please RSVP on the sign-up sheet in the main hallway or call the church office at (231) Deadline to sign up is April 10 th. 1

2 F R O M T H E I N T E R I M P A S T O R : BRING IT ON! We are in the thick of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. We call it March Madness, but it certainly is in April as well. I am truly impressed with college athletes. They work so very hard, year-around, on their respective sports. They endure injuries. They have to juggle their high-level athletic endeavors, education, travel, personal lives, and endure their triumphs and failures in front of nationally televised audiences. In short, every day these young women and men have to overcome adversity. I am a Michigan State fan, but I am not trying to partisan in this article. Cassius Winston has been named the Big Ten Men s Basketball Player of the Year. He won the Outstanding Player Award for the Big Ten Men s Basketball Tournament. His team, the Spartans, have had to overcome amazing adversity especially in the form of injuries. In an interview, he was asked to talk about overcoming adversity. He spoke some very wise words. He talked about letting mistakes go, and not dwelling on missed plays in the past, but on the future opportunities to do it right. He spoke of trusting his team-mates, and giving them the opportunity to shine. He spoke of team victories being more important and enjoyable to him than individual accolades. It gives me great pause that a 21 year old can teach me so much in a single interview. I confess, I have not often handled adversity well in my life. I do hope in my older age I am handling it better. Still, I have dwelt upon mistakes and misstatements I have made. I still can easily bring to mind bone-headed things I said while at Alma College, and that was decades ago. Worrying about mistakes of the past has certainly hindered my focus on making good plays and good decisions in the moment. I have failed to trust my team-mates too. For years I thought I was the only one who knew how to do certain things the right way. While family success and congregational success have always been more important to me than personal success, I have not always had the best mentality for team success. I am a work in progress. We all have adversity in life, as individuals and as part of the teams of our lives like family, work, school, and congregation. We have suffered injuries, illnesses, and diseases. We have known relational stress, work stress, financial stress, environmental stress. We face situations in which we must make important decisions very quickly, far more quickly than we would like. We stumble and fall, often. Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up! (Batman movie) C.S. Lewis, in his amazing satire, The Screwtape Letters, has Screwtape claim that humans sometimes give up right at the cusp of victory. I wonder how many times I have done that, or the Church has. The student-athletes we watch on television never give up. They may fail, but they never quit, and they play for an ethereal win. We play this game of life for a God who is forgiving of our failures, who revels when we share the light and glory with others, and who in Jesus Christ, has already won the ultimate victories for us. Therefore, our daily adversities may be born with grace and hope and love. So, life, bring it on! We will be winners in Christ Jesus. We will get back up! Blessings, Pastor Scott Paul-Bonham PROPERTY COUNCIL NEWS It looks like winter is finished rearing its ugly head, I hope. So, on a happier note, I would like to announce our church annual spring clean-up. The date is Saturday, April 6 th from 9 am to 12 noon. In case of inclement weather, the alternate date will be April 13 th. Bring your rakes, brooms, blowers and whatever you need to remove leaves and debris. We always meet for lunch at the oh, so good La Casa Fierro on the corner of Sherman and Glenside for lunch. Join in for some good, old Presbyterian fellowship. You know what they say, Many hands make light work! When you park in our newly paved parking lot, please don t drop your front wheels off the pavement. This has happened many times already, and some of the edge has broken off. This will lead to premature failure of the asphalt. Please take a little care while parking. The annual Glenside yard sale is coming this June. Remember that donations will only be allowed to be brought in to the church one week before the sale. You may store them in rooms 9 & 10. If you have an event at the church, please remember to relay a message to the Property Council for any set ups that you will need (chairs, tables, special room). After your meeting or group is finished using the library or other area of the church, please remember to turn down the heat, turn off the lights and make sure the outer doors are locked when leaving. This will help to keep expenses down. Thanks for your cooperation. Bob Hartman, Co-Moderator Property Council 2

3 Lake Michigan Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering The Lake Michigan Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering will be held on Saturday, April 27 th 9:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Grand Haven. The theme for the gathering is, All Are Welcome Here. The registration forms, which include additional information, are available in a folder on the bulletin board near the library. The fee is $15 (includes lunch) and must be paid by April 12 th. There will be no registration the day of the gathering. Please meet at FPC-Muskegon by 8:45 a.m. if you wish to carpool. Leaving a Legacy Presentation Rescheduled April 16 th 6:30 pm Leaving a Legacy for the future... Emma Torresen and Heidi Sytsema from the Muskegon County Community Foundation will talk with us about estate planning on Tuesday, April 16 th at 6:30 pm. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board so we know which room to use and how many chairs to have available. You don t need a lot of money in your estate to make a good plan. In fact, people with only some real estate, a retirement account, and a pension should probably be the first to make a plan. If there is an organization you support during your life, you should consider leaving support for them also after you join the church eternal! Join us to find out about options and possibilities. It will be a good use of your time. General Fund Financial Figures February 2019 Dollars and Sense Summary February Year-to-Date Total Income (actual) $ 29,468 $ 48,126 Total Expense (actual) $ 19,672 $ 52,102 Net Increase (Decrease) $ 9,796 $ (3,976) Budgeted Income $ 22,493 $ 44,987 Current month and year-to-date income is higher than budgeted income due to prepayment of pledges in February. Please submit the Per Capita Apportionment envelope found in your box of offering envelopes. This is for the annual General Assembly fee of $32.20 per member and is paid in January each year. Thank you for your continued financial support. It s time for the office to order boxed offering envelopes for If you would prefer not to use the offering envelopes, please contact the office before March 27 th so we know how many boxes to order. Thank you. 3

4 One Great Hour of Sharing PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity. The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self- Development of People all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope. Received during the season of Lent, each gift to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) helps to improve the lives of people in these challenging situations. The Offering provides us a way to share God s love with our neighbors in need. In fact, OGHS is the single, largest way that Presbyterians come together every year to work for a better world. Offering envelopes are available in the pew racks and in your offering envelope boxes. Please give generously to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. For more information visit the OGHS website at presbyterianmission.org/oghs. Mission Council has contributed $200 to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to assist the many citizens of Alabama who were affected by the recent tornadoes. PDA was on the ground immediately following the devastating tornadoes and they will continue working with other agencies, such as Church World Service, for as long as needed. The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet and knit together on Tuesday, April 2, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the youth room. Hope to see you there. Mission Box for April Love in the Name of Christ The mission box emphasis for April is Love in the Name of Christ. Please consider these items when shopping: personal care products are especially needed - deodorant, shampoo, hair conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hand lotion, hand soap, tissues, feminine hygiene products and all shaving products. Food items requested are canned meats and tuna, hamburger and tuna helpers, canned vegetables, cereals, pancake mix, syrup, peanut butter, jelly, chunky soups, spaghetti sauce and noodles, crackers (all varieties), flavored rice, instant oatmeal, canned fruit and juices. Consider baby needs - toothbrushes for small children, small tubes of toothpaste, new layette items, baby lotion, baby bath supplies, and newborn and medium sized diapers. Please note all items must be new and unopened. Canned goods that have expired or are dented cannot be delivered. Please note also all agencies have been contacted recently and their needs changed as requested. Many, many thanks to our generous contributors of food and personal care items. MISSION COUNCIL THANK YOU NOTES The Mission Council/Hunger Committee received notes from: Habitat for Humanity, Mission for Area People for the Medical Fund, Church World Service, Hope Project, and Community encompass. Sarah Rinsema- Sybenga, Executive Director, wrote, "We sold two homes this year (1440 Clinton and 38 Diana), and love our new neighbors! Both were homes that we rehabbed years ago and rented to many families over the years. We are grateful to have journeyed with these families for the time they were our neighbors." 4

5 PRESBYTERIAN HUNGER PROGRAM CENTS-ABILITY OFFERING SUNDAY, APRIL 7 th Our March Cents-Ability Offering, Presbyterian Hunger Program, of $ supports the following projects: the Feeding America food truck, Supper House, serving supper five nights per week, and MAP Healthy Foods Pantry. Additional contributions have recently been made to the Salvation Army, Kid s Food Baskets and an extra contribution to Map Healthy Foods Pantry as their needs have significantly increased. The Cents-Ability Offering will be received again on Sunday, April 7 th. Bills as well as rolled coins are appreciated. When writing a check, please place in an envelope with Cents-Ability Offering designated on the envelope. Due to generous donations to our monthly Cents-Ability offering, in part from our FPC share of the Souper Bowl Luncheon contributions, we have been able to present A $500 check to both the Mission for Area People Food Pantry and the Kid's Food Basket. The MAP Food Pantry is in need of assistance currently with resources beginning to run out. And the Kid's Food Basket, during the period of the government shutdown and in conjunction with other local organizations, provided many meals for those who needed food, including dinners. Your Hunger Committee thanks all of you for your generosity. BREAD FOR THE WORLD BREAD SALE SUNDAY, APRIL 7 th Many delicious breads and baked goods sold at our March BFW Bread Sale added $95.30 to our Covenant Church pledge to Bread for the World. We appreciate our bakers and purchasers who make this hunger advocacy possible and all baked goods are always welcome. Our next Bread Sale will be held on Sunday, April 7 th. Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. BFW O God, in the wilderness of our lives, we place our faith in Christ who has conquered all the forces of evil. During these days of Lent, may we be strengthened by his Spirit, so that we might serve you by raising our voices against the evil of hunger in our world. Amen. ~ Lenten Prayers for an End to Hunger 5

6 04/02 Kathy Dickinson 04/03 Bev Spiwak 04/05 Amber Young 04/06 Nancy Simon 04/06 Larry Ayers 04/10 Mark Schumaker 04/11 Lois Waalkes 04/13 Mike Foster 04/14 Melissa Boughton 04/16 Rodger Kroes 04/17 Mary Ann Page 04/19 Kirk Wahamaki 04/19 Jolene Cloutier 04/20 Judy Jazdzyk 04/22 Andrew Hussey 04/23 Inge Boelkins 04/23 Izzy Reynolds 04/28 Ray Genter 04/28 Martin Waalkes 04/28 Maria Olson 04/29 Nancy Bierenga 04/30 Brook Ireland 04/07 Richard & Edythe Wierda 04/11 Bob & Yvonne Friel 04/17 Dave & Vella Caruso The Men's Breakfast at the Cherokee Restaurant will be held on Wednesday, March 27 th at 8:00 am. Come and tell us your favorite humorous story or a joke, or something about you or your career that no one knows. Most importantly, just enjoy a relaxing breakfast with good conversation. Spouses and guests are welcome to attend. The FPC Library Book Sale was a success, with lots of books going to good homes and some funds raised for library materials. Thank you to those who participated in the sale. You are always welcome back to the library to check out a book. Sunday, March 31-1 pm Saturday, April 6-9 am Saturday, April am Sunday, April 14-11:15 am Thursday, April 18-7:00 pm Friday, April 19-12:00 pm Sunday, April 21-10:00 am Sunday, April 28-10:00 am Easter Egg Hunt FPC Yard Clean-up Lenten Breakfast Palm Sunday Pancake Brunch Maundy Thursday Worship Service Good Friday Worship Service Easter Sunday Worship Service Holy Humor Worship Service 6

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10 First Presbyterian Church 2577 Wickham Drive Muskegon, Michigan Phone (231)