Horizon Highlights. Mission Statement

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1 Horizon Highlights Mission Statement New Horizon Presbyterian Church Strives to know Christ and share God s love. Happy New Year! Ok, after that, what can one say in a New Year s newsletter article that hasn t been said hundreds of times before? I admit, that I was in a bit of a quandary, until last night s Deacon s Meeting. Jacqueline McCoy offered a devotional which, in part, suggested that New Year s was a mark on the calendar by which we put the past to bed. Now there is a novel idea! Don t get me wrong, I am not one of those what is in the past does not matter kind of guys. How could I be? I understand that historical context is vital in understanding scriptures. Calendars themselves are wonderful gifts. In addition to the pictures we hang on our refrigerators, calendars remind us to celebrate the people we love on their birthdays, anniversaries, graduation days, etc. Calendars remind us when certain projects need to be done, from school assignments to putting fertilizer on our lawns. Calendars are a visual reminder that time passes. The first day of winter may not always look all that different than the last day of fall, but the promise of spring and summer is that cold ends! All in all, calendars are wonderful things. On the other hand, the past can take on a life of its own. Some religious traditions enshrine the past as the ideal to aspire to, as if anything modern is somehow suspicious. We all have met people who carry the weight of the past with them like a ball and chain. Sometimes they are bowed under the weight of failed relationships or past failures. Sometimes they are tormented that they cannot undo time, go back and set things right. For them, the calendar is a jailer, reminding them of all the things they cannot do. What can we say to this, apart from, Welcome to the human race? The past is the only thing we really can know about - for we are making up the present as we go along and the future is still yet come. To a certain extent, we all drag the past around with us. What is the old line, Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment? We all have people in our past whom we have hurt, or disappointed, or both. Making mistakes is the price we pay for learning about life. Many times I have wished that I could go back and unsay or undo some thoughtless act. If we let them, these regrets can get in the way of both our todays and tomorrows. God s answer to all of this is one word: Grace. Since God is sovereign, God is the one who decides what matters. Romans 8:1-2 puts it this way, There is therefore no condemnation for those January 2014 New Horizon Presbyterian Church 30 Valley View Dr., Council Bluffs, IA Phone # Vol. 10 No. 1 who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Forgiveness is not just about God forgiving us our sin; God s forgiveness clears all obstacles to relationships. Our experience of God s forgiveness allows us to forgive ourselves and even, when opportunity arises, to mend fences with those whom we have wronged. Christ has set us free, free to live unencumbered from our mistakes in the past. So the words Happy New Year! become not just a generic wish for good fortune but a promise that through Christ, we are free to live as God has designed our lives to be; filled with love, challenge and accomplishment. So let me wish you a Happy New Year! knowing that the future that the God who has made us His own has planned is bright indeed. Let s go there together. See you in church! Paul Plan to Attend Annual Meeting New Horizon will hold its annual congregational meeting on Sunday, January 26, and we need you to attend! As a part of the New Horizon family, you play a vital role in the life of our church, and being educated about church business is an important part of that. The denomination requires all Presbyterian churches to hold an annual meeting for the purposes of reviewing and conducting church business. At this meeting, each of the Session committees will report on their work of the past year, pastoral compensation will be reviewed, and the budget for 2014 will be presented to the congregation. It is part of our duty as members of New Horizon to be familiar with the church s finances and programming so that we can help make decisions that will impact the future of our church. Please make time in your schedule to attend this important meeting. On that Sunday, we will hold one all-church service at 10:00am and the meeting will begin immediately after the service following the meeting there will be a potluck. The session of New Horizon strongly encourages everyone to participate in this important element of our church life. January 2014 Page 1

2 January Small Group Meetings Circles AM ers Thu, Jan 9, at 10:00am in Hearth Room Contacts are Zelda Gutha and Vicki Holder Evening Mon, Jan 20 at 7:00pm at Ellen Jaco Mary Contact is Jan Christensen Thu, Jan 23 at 9:30am in Hearth Rm Contact is Cathy Born Book Club - Mon, Jan 13, 6:30pm Contact is Mindi Skokan Dulcimers - Tue, Jan 3 at 1:00pm in the Choir Rm Tue, Jan 17 at 1:00pm it the Choir Rm Contact is Cleo Croson Mariners Thu, Jan 16 at 3:00pm Planning Meeting Contacts are Grant & Lois Nihsen Prayer Shawl Mon, Jan 13, at 4:00pm in Hearth Rm Tue, Jan 28, at 4:00pm in Hearth Rm Contacts are Mary Alice Fehr and Vicki Holder Stephen Ministry - Wed, Jan 8 at 10:30am in Hearth Rm Contacts are Jeff Sagert and Lois Nihsen Women s Ministry Coordinating Team Mon, Jan 6, 9:30am in the Hearth Rm Contact is Cathy Born Attention all NHPC Members and Friends All of the groups welcome you to attend or be a part of these activities and support the group projects. - If schools are closed due to weather we probably will not meet. If any questions please call the contact person listed above. Prayer Shawl Ministry The Prayer Shawl Ministry was started in September of At the end of 2012, they had made 881 prayer shawls. During the year 2013, this group of active women have knitted and crocheted 175 shawls. This makes the total number of prayer shawls The group is made up of women from NHPC, St. Peter s Catholic Church and a Baptist Pastor. Thank you to all who have helped through the years. Thank You Notes Thanks from the AM ers Circle for supporting the mitten tree. Over three hundred items were placed on and around the tree. There were large bags of caps, mittens and scarves taken to College View, Roosevelt, Bloomer and Kreft Elementary schools before Christmas break started. Thanks again for helping. Thank you to the church and the Board of Deacons for the Christmas goodies shared with us! Thank you to Stan Allen for delivering the items. We will think of all of you when we use these items. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. May the blessings of Christmas be with you all. Sincerely, Del and Janet Christensen Coffee Serving Schedule Each year, the Fellowship Committee assigns the major groups of the church a month during which they are responsible for serving coffee on Sunday mornings. The duties of each group include providing people to serve before and after each of the three services during the month assigned, preparing and serving beverages and food, preparing the cart for the Praise Service, as well as cleaning up the coffee area at the end of the morning. There are instructions posted in the Sacristy to remind everyone of their responsibilities. Due to the generosity of the congregation, there are treats in the freezer available to serve on Sundays, but you should confirm what is on hand ahead of time. Also, please ensure there are healthy treats available for those who wish to consume those. If you do not have enough people in your group, you are free to recruit volunteers from the congregation to assist you - let s get as many people involved as possible! Please check to see when your groups are called to serve. The schedule for 2014 is as follows: January - Fellowship Committee February - AM ers Circle March - Memorial & Endowment and Mission Committees April - Deacons May - Worship Committee June - Vocal & Bell Choirs Thank You Notes I appreciate the shawl. It is beautiful. Thank you so much and bless you. It is nice to know there are still angels out there. Sincerely, Angel Marie Wiser Dear church friends, You are the very best, and I can t thank you enough for all the cards, visits and gifts you have been so lovely and helpful during my hip episode. I apologize for the commotion that Wednesday night you all took care of me and I was and am so grateful! My church friends are so special, I am fortunate to be a part of such a loving group. I hope to see you soon I miss you all! Love, Alice Gerard Dear church family, Thank you for your prayers, visits, cards, flowers and phone calls while I was in rehab at Risen Son. Thank you to the Deacons for the goody bag and visit from Deacon Ruth Miller. I hope to be back at church soon. Sincerely, Miriam Miller Dear friends, Thank you very much for your generous donation of food to our pantry. We are so thankful! Gethsemane friends To the Stephen Ministry and Deacons: Thank you so much for your cards and words of encouragement during my difficult time. It gave me great comfort. I hope to return to church soon. Doris Poteet Page 2 January 2014

3 Mariners The Mariners group met for a potluck dinner on December 19. The Neola Community Choir shared their wonderful music with us and a large number of visitors. This was the last performance directed by Jan Elliott of Minden. Jan, who has directed the group for 40 years, was surprised by the attendance of members of her family who came from Texas to join in this last performance. There will be a planning meeting for the year 2014 on January 16, at 3:00pm. Anyone interested is invited to attend this meeting and help plan the year for Mariners. Children s Christmas Program January 2014 Page 3

4 Presbyterian Women The Evening Circle prepared and served a wonderful soup and salad luncheon for the Presbyterian Women s Gathering on the first Thursday of December. Following the lunch the women were treated to a variety of songs by the musical men s group from IWCC, directed by Luke Johnson. There will be a PW planning meeting for the year 2014 on Monday, January 6, at 9:30am. All women of the church are invited to attend this meeting and help plan the year for the women of NHPC. Remember if you are a woman and a Presbyterian, then you can attend. Special Christmas Music Sunday Page 4 January 2014

5 Contributions Nov Jan-Nov General $ 20,122 $ 233,102 Mortgage 4,325 90,599 Total $ 24,447 $ 323,701 Expenses Nov Jan-Nov General $ 19,812 $ 244,255 Mortgage 9, ,698 Total $ 29,330 $ 348,953 Contrib - Expenses - 25,252 Per Capita Total Received $ 6,289 Total Needed $ 13,596 Month Jan Feb Mar *211 Apr *222 * May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec * Easter Weekly Averages Per Capita is $ per Member - So far we have only received 44% of needed amount. Budget Breakdown November was a slightly stronger month for the church general contributions were up and expenses were down, which is always good. General contributions for November were $20, and expenses were $19, creating a positive difference of $ This is the first time since June that our contributions were larger than our expenses. Mortgage contributions, however, dropped they were $4,325 for November (our lowest amount in several months.) Our payment amount is $9,518, creating a negative difference of $5,193. As a result, our overall figures for November ended in us taking in $4, less than we spent for the month. As of this writing, the figures for December are looking strong, so hopefully that will help to boost our year-end numbers. Right now, based on figures from January to November of 2103, we have spent $25, more than we have taken in for general and mortgage contributions. An important event is coming up at the end of January NHPC s annual meeting will be held on Sunday, January 26, right after an all-church service at 10:00am. It is an important event because, in addition to hearing reports from the groups of the church, we will also be discussing our financial position. This will be a chance for you to learn what our final figures for 2013 were it is likely that we will end the year having spent more than we took in, as we have for the past few years but we hope that the negative number is as small as possible. Attending the annual meeting is also important because it will be first chance for the congregation to see the 2014 budget. By the time it reaches the congregation, the budget has had many hours devoted to it by the Administration Committee, the Session, and the church treasurer. We hope to create a budget that accurately reflects what the church will spend in 2014, and what we anticipate our contributions to be. It is not an exact science, but much research and insight is provided by committee chairs and church leaders, and this helps to create as accurate of a budget as possible. Condolences to Peg Wallner and family on the death of her mother Josephine H. Telfer who passed away on December 23. January Birthdays Name Date Name Date Becky Kay 1 Rev. Paul Masters 17 JoAnn Dryden 3 Cynthia Burke 18 Mary Phillips 4 Liam Schard 19 Lois Wall 4 Laura Young 19 Amanda Michalski 5 Evelyn Hancock 20 Jacqueline McCoy 7 Mark Shepard 20 Bill Phillips 7 Sue Simmons 20 Vicki Holder 8 Duane Sukup 20 Bonnie Quaas 8 Leota McManus 21 Mindi Skokan 8 Rich Williams 22 Marcia Antworth 9 Marsha Hoffman 23 Carole Lane 10 George Cenovich 26 Kathleen Pyper 11 Brianna Clapper 26 Julie Hoffman 12 Kailey Clapper 26 Sheri Wallace 14 Jo Peters 26 Carolyn Allen 15 Doreen Duffy 28 Don Larsen 17 February Birthdays Name Date Name Date Doris Rule 1 Alea Dorsett 10 Anne Crowl 4 Jim Jennings 10 Joan Campbell 5 Roxanne Arnold 13 Neil Shaver 7 Joyce Mass 14 Doris Poteet 8 John Woltmann 14 What is the Per Capita and why are we asked to pay it? Each year, along with your offering envelopes, you receive an envelope designated for the church s per capita. This year, the amount each member is asked to pay for their per capita is $ Perhaps you just write the check, unsure of where the money is going, or you don t pay it at all, perhaps assuming that your pledge will cover it. Either way, it is important to understand what the per capita is, and why it is important that members pay it. The money collected through the per capita goes to support the administration of the Presbyterian Church, both locally and nationally. It is divided between the Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly, based upon their budget for the year. It has been said that per capita apportionment is like a utility bill, just as we pay for heat, light, water, and telephone in order to remain connected to the utility systems and benefit from the services provided, we also pay per capita so that the Presbyterian system can function on behalf of all of us. January 2014 Page 5

6 New Horizon Presbyterian Church 30 Valley View Drive Council Bluffs, IA January 2014 Return Service Requested Non-Profit Organization U. S. POSTAGE PAID Council Bluffs, IA Permit 67 Calling All Kids! Wednesday night youth activities at New Horizon have been on holiday break, but activities will resume on January 8. Each week there is a youth choir rehearsal from 5:00pm - 5:30pm and bell/chimes rehearsals from 5:30pm - 6:00pm. One Wednesday of each month, Kids Club will meet from 6:00pm - 6:45pm and a family-style dinner will be served at 6:45pm. During January, the 6:00pm - 7:00pm activities will take place on January 8. Future dates are February 5, March 12, April 2, and May 7. All the kids of the New Horizon family, as well as their friends and relatives, are invited to join us. Calling All Cooks! We are looking for volunteers to help prepare meals for the Wednesday night youth program. Volunteers would need to prepare a meal for approximately 25 people to be served around 6:45pm one Wednesday of the month dates that cooks are needed are January 8, February 5 and May 7. If you would like to donate food or money to purchase food, but are unable to prepare the meal itself, we would welcome that as well. Look for the signup sheet in the Narthex, or contact Mindy Brewer at Articles Locations Pastor s Words/Annual Meeting Small Groups Calendar/Prayer Shawl Ministry Thank You Notes/Coffee Schedule Mariners/Children s Christmas Program Presbyterian Women/Special Christmas Music Program -- 4 Financial Information/Budget Breakdown/Per Capita Condolence/Birthdays Calendar/Kids Page for January Insert Annual Reports Due Annual reports are due in the church office as soon as possible. Please help to educate the church about the activities of your group/committee by completing an annual report - they will be combined into one document and made available to the congregation, and discussed at the Annual Meeting.