P u b l i s h e d : M a y 2 4, Pentecost Sunday, June 4

Transcription

1 P u b l i s h e d : M a y 2 4, Pentecost Sunday, June 4 Intergenerational Breakfast 9:30 a.m. Fellowship Hall

2 Pastor s Pen Dear Lord, we have so much to be thankful for for food, our church, our friends and families, our parents, our coaches, our teachers, and our pets. We are thankful for sports, games, books and the earth. We still need your help, Lord, getting along with siblings, helping others who are sick, making time for God and family. We pray for people who suffer from autism, cancer, injury, and for those who are hard of hearing. We pray for aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, moms and dads and grandparents. We pray for people who have nightmares and violence in their lives. We pray for peace and safety for the children of the world. Prayers of Thanksgiving and Supplication Children s Sunday, May 14, 2017 Inspired by the Children of MPC Dear Friends, I hope that you had the opportunity to join us for worship on Children s Sunday, May 14 th, because it was a truly wonderful morning. On this particular Sunday, the children of MPC filled the sanctuary with joyful noise as they led our congregation in worship. I was overwhelmed by their leadership and blown away by the music and liturgy they offered. For those of you who weren t able to join us, the Agape and Teen Choirs led us in a musical sermon that took the congregation through the well-known story of David and Goliath. The music was lively, entertaining, and full of joy, and it was such a gift to see our young people so engaged with this ancient story. But what caught me off guard perhaps more than any other moment in the service was after David had defeated Goliath and the crowds were celebrating, one lone voice came racing down the center aisle yelling, Wait a minute, stop the show! Maybe Goliath was a big bad guy, but he s nothing compared to the giants we ve got running around this world today. At this point, the teen choir returned carrying signs that articulated the giants of our world today: Hunger, Poverty, Racism, Pollution, etc. It was a poignant moment that turned my experience of the whole morning on its head. For not only were the young people of our church leading us in worship and the proclamation of the word, but they were articulating deep and abiding truths that are present in our world today; truths that often feel so much like giants that we look on from afar and respond saying, Nope, not me, God! I m too small to take on something so giant. I might as well not even try. And yet, this story of David and Goliath reminds us that even if we feel small and ill-equipped, that doesn t mean God can t and won t use us for incredible purposes in God s world. Our young people did a beautiful job conveying this message and were a testament to the ways God is actively using our youngest members to guide and teach us all. I hope you will join me in extending thanks to Tim and Carol Carpenter, Debbie Heffernan, Geoffrey Shoffstall, the Educational Ministry Committee, our amazing Sunday School teachers, and especially to our children and their families for leading us in memorable and meaningful worship. Thank you all! Blessings and Peace, Rachel 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. --Isaiah 11:6 2

3 OUR CHURCH FAMILY Sacrament of the Lord s Supper The next celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper will occur on Sunday, June 4, 2017 during the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Sacrament of Baptism Benjamin Harvey Morton Rhodes, son of Rachel and Matthew Rhodes, received the sacrament of baptism on May 21, Adults wishing to be baptized or parents requesting baptism for their child are asked to call the church office at In Loving Memory Our sympathy goes out to the family of Marjorie LeGoff, who passed away on May 6, Our sympathy goes out to the family of Joseph M. Battaglia, who passed away on May 9, Our sympathy goes out to the family of Ruth D. Broomfield, who passed away on May 17, Our sympathy goes out to the family of Lillian Burgholz, who passed away on May 18, Our sympathy goes out to the family of Nora R. Thomas, who passed away on May 22, Remembering our Identity The fish represents the first disciples, who were fishermen, and the feeding of the 5, 000 with a boy s lunch of five loaves and two fishes. It serves as a reminder of the mission opportunities that are continually available to MPC members and staff. MPC VOLUNTEERS AT THE POSTAL FOOD DRIVE 3

4 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Pentecost Sunday June 4 On June 4 children, youth, and adults will join in Fellowship Hall at 9:30 a.m. for breakfast, songs, and intergenerational activities as we celebrate Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the church. Christianity & Islam Follow-Up Class June 11 At the request of several attendees of the HSS/Adult Education class on Christianity & Islam, a follow-up class will be held by Elizabeth Dugan & Drew Hunger at 9:30 a.m. on June 11. This class will provide an opportunity to ask questions on what has been presented. Those who may have been unable to attend the previous three classes are also welcome to come. ONGOING EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS Weekly Prayer Group The Weekly Prayer Group which meets every Wednesday following Brown Bag Bible Study, will go on a summer break and resume meeting in September. Join us in the Fall when we will again offer prayers on behalf of those on the church s prayer list. SERMON VIDEOS AVAILABLE Videos of MPC sermons are now available on YouTube. You can link to the videos through the MPC website under the Worship tab and click on Sermons. A menu dating back to Pastor Rhodes first sermon is listed. The list will be updated as videos are posted. You may also view the videos by going directly to and searching for Morrisville Presbyterian Church. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL NEEDS VOLUNTEERS VBS will be held at Morrisville United Methodist Church on July 9 through July 13, 2017 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. for ages 4 through 5 th grade. Dinner is included. Please register your child for the program or yourself as a volunteer online by visiting Would you like to brighten the lives of Morrisville s children? Do you have an evening or five to spare from Sunday July 9 through Thursday July 13? Morrisville United Methodist, Morrisville Presbyterian, St. John Lutheran Church and Elect Saints Church will once again join forces to offer the community an expanded Vacation Bible School experience this summer. You should know that last year we encouraged and sheared the love of Jesus with almost 100 children, which was double the number of previous years. What a blessing for the community! This growth means your involvement is needed more than ever. We need 8 adults to be Guides and 16 students to be Assistant Guides. We hope you will be able to participate in our VBS program, Sunday July 9 through Thursday July 13. If you can walk down a hall, or sing a song, or help a child with crafts, or watch a science experiment with amazement we need you! Please take a moment to visit to see the volunteer opportunities and electronically submit the volunteer form. Contact Kim Jakimowicz at kimyocko@comcast.net for more information. Our theme this year is VBS Hero Central, where we will help our children discover their strength in God, through Bible stories, missions, crafts, games, and science. Sign up for a volunteer role and join us in the excitement at VBS Hero Central. Discover your strength in God. More details on the program can be found at cokesburyvbs.com. Thank you, Pastor Debbie DebbieHeffernan@mpcusa.net 4

5 CJCS CONCERT AT MPC The Central Jersey Choral Society Concert will perform Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem at MPC on Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. General Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door; and children under 12 are free. Commenting on three performances this past season of Brahms A German Requiem (at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and All Souls Church), a recent article in the New York Times called the work an anthem for our time. Based on Luther s German translation of the Bible rather than on traditional liturgical texts, the work is one of comfort for those who mourn. Treat yourself to a little solace as the CJCS returns again to its birth place. COUNTRY LINE DANCE FUNDRAISER The Ivins Outreach Center will once again have a Country Line Dance on Friday, June 9, 2017 in Fellowship Hall from 7:00-10:00 p.m. with JoAnn Lawrence and Captain Ray. The cost is $20.00/per person, pay at the door with cash or check. Light refreshments will be served. Beginners, don t worry; JoAnn will teach us a few dances so everyone can participate. Come out for fun, dance, food and fellowship, and support the Ivins Outreach Center in our efforts towards Reaching Out, Enriching Lives in Morrisville and beyond! For more information or to R.S.V.P., call the Ivins Outreach Center at DESIGNATE MORRISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AS THE CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION FOR AMAZON SMILE If you shop at Amazon, you can help the Board of Deacons Food Basket Program by ordering through Amazon Smile and designating Morrisville Presbyterian Church as the recipient. As you may know, the Deacons provide 72 food baskets three times a year for needy families. The contents of these baskets are not funded from the church's operating budget, but by separate donations. If you normally shop on Amazon, type in smile.amazon.com as the URL instead. You can then select Morrisville Presbyterian Church as the charitable organization, and Amazon will contribute 1/2% of your purchase to us. There is no cost to you or the church for this, and once you have designated the church as the organization, every time you visit smile.amazon.com to shop, we will receive 1/2% of the purchase amount. We are hoping to defray a portion of the cost of the food baskets through this program. Thanks for your support! Pastoral Care Reminder Members of the staff truly want to be attentive when members or friends of MPC are experiencing health difficulties. If you (or a family member) have been admitted to a hospital, please let us know by contacting the church office, and one of the pastors will be pleased to visit. You may also reach the pastor on their mobile phone: Debbie Heffernan Thank you for your assistance. CLOTHING CENTER UPDATE MPC Clothing Center will be closing for the summer on June 13 and reopen on September 5. We thank you for your donations and continued support to help the Outreach Committee help those in need. During the summer, please do not leave any donations at the church. Donations will once again be accepted at the end of August. See you in September. 5

6 YOUTH CLUB GRADUATES YOUTH IN MISSION In support of the youth in mission trip, our next fundraiser will be a car wash and bake sale on June 11. Please come out and have your car washed and purchase a few treats at the bake sale. PIPESTEM W.V. Congratulations to MPC Youth Club s Class of 2017 SCENES FROM THE WOMEN S RETREAT 6

7 MPC FINANCE COMMITTEE & TRUSTEES REPORT MPC FINANCIAL SUMMARY APRIL 2017 FISCAL YEAR-TO-DATE RESULTS Fiscal Fiscal YTD Year to Date Year to Date Variance Actuals Budget (See Note 1) Total Operating Revenue $194,102 $185,595 $8,507 Total Expenses $204,542 $223,192 $18,650 Operating Excess / (Shortfall) ($10,440) ($37,597) $27,157 Other Income $3,505 $7,000 ($3,495) Net Excess / (Shortfall) ($6,935) ($30,597) $23,662 Note 1: The variance is the difference between the Actual dollar results and the Budgeted dollars. All favorable variances are noted as positive numbers; all unfavorable variances are shown as bracketed numbers above. OVERALL SUMMARY: Year-to-date results were favorable by $23,700 primarily due to higher than budgeted investment income, receipt of prior year pledges, budgeted severance pay for our interim pastor which was not needed and solid cost controls. April 2017 Year-to-Date Variance Explanations: - YTD Operating Revenue ($9K favorable): Investment income was favorable to budget by $3000 and prior year pledges of $2,200 were received. In addition, Head Start rent for May was received early. - YTD Total Expenses ($19K favorable): Overall expenses were lower than budgeted primarily due to budgeted severance pay for our interim pastor which was not needed, lower than expected snow removal and solid cost controls in most other departments. - YTD Other Income (Bequests): Bequests were unfavorable to budget by $3,500. On May 20, another team of members from MPC worked on the Morrisville Habitat for Humanity home. Thank you to all of the volunteers for their hard work. 7

8 MORRISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 771 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Morrisville, PA Phone: web: Staff Morrisville Presbyterian Church Currents (USPS# ), is published monthly except for July and August. Periodical mail postage paid at Levittown, PA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Morrisville Presbyterian Church, 771 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Morrisville, PA C OMING EVENTS JUNE 4 Pentecost Sunday Confirmation Sunday 9:30 a.m. Intergenerational Breakfast 10:30 Worship Service & Communion 11:45 Youth in Mission Pre-Trip Meeting 4:30 p.m. Central Jersey Choral Society Concert 9 7:00 p.m. Ivins Line Dancing Fundraiser 11 10:30 a.m. Worship Service - Ordination & Installation of Officers 11:30 Youth in Mission Car Wash & Bake Sale 11:45 Congregational Celebration Luncheon 17 6:45 a.m. Prep & Serve Breakfast at FPC of Trenton 18 10:30 a.m. Worship Service - High School Graduation Recognition & Scholarship Presentation 25 10:30 a.m. Worship Service The Evangelism & Communications Committee is committed to keeping church news up to date. It is our goal to print and distribute Currents within the last week of the month. Therefore we ask that you please submit articles for the July/August 2017 Currents by June 10th to Currents@MPCusa.net Don t forget to wear your name tag! If you need a new one, please contact the church office.