THROUGH THE STUDY WINDOW. April Peru Community Church

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1 THROUGH THE STUDY WINDOW April 2017 Peru Community Church Rev. Peggi J. Eller, Pastor Services at 8am & 10:30am Church Office

2 From the Pastor's Pen April 2017 Proclaiming Easter So, what is there really to say about Easter. It seems mostly everyone knows the story. The tomb was empty; the disciples and followers were befuddled; no one knew who to blame; only the women believed Mary and the guys ran away mute. The End. So what is Easter really about? How should a pastor communicate these straight forward facts of this improbable story to people, some who know it by heart and others who know only of bunnies and chocolate. Is the responsibility to convince or cajole those who come to church, especially those who only attend periodically or to desperately find a novel approach to a traditional story that some have heard for decades? I like to think of the pastor s role in terms of an insight by Frederick Buechner who teaches that the pastor is the one who points at Christ, through words, prayers, music, reflection and proclamation. This is not about explaining it, but pointing to how to immerse one s self in the mystery that is Easter. Proclaiming that life overcomes death! Our burdens are lifted! Our lives are set free! So, as St. Augustine said, we can t not speak in the face of such wonder and mystery. Christ is not alive because he rose from the dead, he rose from the dead in order to be alive today. The stories in the Gospels are not written to be historically factual, but to allow us to have glimpses into God s plan for our lives. These glimpses enable us to see the ways in which Christ works in our lives and the lives of others. Easter is about making sense of our own lives. What is our story in relation to God, others and the world. To know Jesus when we meet him, we must deepen our own relationship to glimpse God at work in all we do. Peace, Pastor Peggi

3 Good Friday April 14 th 8:00am ~ a service of Communion and Prayer held in the Church Office, located in the Church s Fellowship Center. 7:00pm a Service of Darkness in the form of a musical cantata, Hope in the Shadows will be held in the sanctuary. The choir, narrator, and congregation will recall the increasing darkness of Jesus walk to and death on the Cross as candles are extinguished. The service ends in darkness and silence. Join us Easter Morning! This Easter, Peru Community Church offers three opportunities to worship with us! An outdoor Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 am on Sunday, April 16 th at the Peru NYS Boat Launch on Route 9, between Rock Road and South Junction Road. Communion will be served as the sun rises. Dress for the weather! Or, join us in the Sanctuary on Easter Sunday, April 16 th, with services at 8 am and 10:30 am, as we celebrate the joy of the Easter Resurrection. The Rev. Peggi Eller will offer a reflection entitled Seeing is Not Always Believing. The choir will sing at the 10:30am service. Coffee and Conversation follows each service in the Church s Fellowship Center.

4 APRIL WORSHIP ASSISTANTS 8:00 & 10:30AM SERVICES 8:00AM April 2 nd 5 th Sunday in Lent Worship Asst.: Nicki LaPlante Lay Reader: Cathie Butts Ushers: Cathie & Rob Butts Acolyte: Emma Posada Coffee Host: Dee Davis & Rose Vincent April 9 th Palm Sunday Worship Asst.: Dave Davis Lay Reader: Sandy Lashua Ushers: Sandy Lashua & Patty Rock Acolyte: Coffee Host: Palm Sunday Brunch April 16 th Easter Worship Asst.: Howard Paul Bell Lay Reader: Guy Rotz Usher: Guy Rotz Acolyte: Simone LaPlante Coffee Host: April 23 rd 2 nd Sunday of Easter Worship Asst.: Lay Reader: Don Haight Ushers: Don & Diane Haight Acolyte: Coffee Host: April 30 th 3rd Sunday of Easter Worship Asst.: Lay Reader: Steve Dennie Ushers: Steve & Barbara Dennie Acolyte: Emma Posada Coffee Host: 10:30AM April 2 nd 5 th Sunday in Lent Worship Asst.: Margaret Edwards Lay Reader: Lucy Godfrey Ushers: Evelyn & Joe Rinella Acolyte: Katerina Sabella Coffee Host: Don & Betsy Wickman April 9 th Palm Sunday Worship Asst.: Linda Richardson Lay Reader: Ken Edwards Usher: Carol Bellavance Acolyte: Aleksandra Hulkow Coffee Host: Palm Sunday Brunch April 16 th Easter Worship Asst.: Lay Reader: Jim Hammaker Ushers: Jim & Janet Hammaker Acolyte: Aleksandra Hulkow Coffee Host: Donna Scott April 23 rd 2 nd Sunday of Easter Worship Asst.: Lay Reader: Don Wickman Usher: Don Wickman Acolyte: Katerina Sabella Coffee Host: Yolanda Kinnelly April 30 th 3rd Sunday of Easter Worship Asst.: Lay Reader: Michelle St. Onge Usher: Michelle St. Onge Acolyte: Katerina Sabella Coffee Host:

5 The next issue of Through the Study Window will be for May Please your articles to the church office at: FLOWERS FOR THE ALTAR If you would like to place flowers on the altar in honor or in memory of someone please call the church office at If there are no requests for flowers, the life-like arrangements will be used. Thank you! PRAYER LIST Robin Callioras Pat Condon Delores Durgan Kathleen Fornecker Dr. Jorge Klaynbarg Bob Leahy George & Marianne Miller Pat Moore Barbara Perry If you have a prayer need, please know that the congregation of Peru Community Church is committed to making God s house a house of prayer as we pray for one another. A prayer request can be submitted in person, by phone, or by (office@perucommunitychurch.com). Names will be automatically removed from the list after 4 weeks. A Prayer Request form can be found in the church and the Fellowship Center. There is now an area for you to designate if you would like to provide a prayer shawl for the person you are requesting prayers for. All those living and stationed in war-torn areas of the world, all those affected by weather related disasters, world peace, children living in unstable environments, immigrants, and those serving in our Armed Forces: Serving in Iraq until April 2017 David Jaye, Grandson of Joan Dermatis Tyler James Goheens Caleb Webb

6 Connecting Faith and Life: Current Events, Christianity and the Church Would you be interested in an on-line, Christian dialog about current events and how they relate to the Bible and the Church? For example, many of us grew up watching Star Trek, but have we ever wondered why it was so appealing to us? How did Star Trek offer hope for the future of humanity? How did it model effective diversity that embraced our differences instead of separating us from one another? And how does Star Trek help us understand our own faith.read Revelation 7:9, 1 Corinthians 12:12-18, and Psalm 8. If you might be interested in trying something new, on your own time and from the comfort of your living room, please let me know at: PastorPeggi@gmail.com Let s try something new together! Beginning May 3 rd, I ll post a new topic to read and discuss on-line each Wednesday. Ladies Guild News All women of the church are invited to join us for our first meeting of the spring on Monday, April 10 th at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Center. We will be discussing our upcoming flower sale and spring meetings. Hope you will be able to attend!

7 Tips for Facilitating Church Growth Adapted from 7 Tips to Get Ready for Easter by Rosanna Anderson, Ken Sloane, and Taylor Burton-Edwards, UM Discipleship Ministries. Growing a congregation can be difficult, but there are six important aspects to attracting new people. 1. Be an inviting congregation. Use every means at your disposal to invite people to worship with you. For special services, remember to use your mailing list, your web and social media pages, and ads in local newspapers. Include details -- such as worship times and parking that will help new folks. 2. Be a welcoming congregation. Make sure your greeters are positive people. It s helpful if one greeter has been around for years and knows folks who haven t been there in a while and may want to reconnect. 3. Be an attractive congregation. The Building. Make sure your building is in top shape: It should be uncluttered, with clear, consistent signs indicating where to find restrooms, the nursery, and fellowship hall. Walk around and view everything with fresh eyes to see what could help visitors. The Nursery. This space is like a church s handshake, so give the right first impression! It should be clean and baby proofed. There should be at least two adults present whose dependability and kindness as care-givers are evident when they meet families. There should be a sign-in and sign-out process with clear information as to what age groups the Nursery serves. The Grounds. Let new life shine through the natural beauty around your church. Be certain that the grounds are well kept in all seasons, walkways are clear and entrances well marked and invitational. 4. Be a missional congregation. Find ways to let people know how your congregation is touching people s lives. Use the bulletin, Power-Point slides, or posters to share how you are agents of transformation locally and globally. Provide concrete examples of places where the church has helped offer hope in places that the world had written off or ignored. 5. Be an inclusive congregation. As you plan worship, be conscious of the presence of people who may be unfamiliar with the traditions of your congregation s worship or Christian worship all together. Include in the bulletin the words of the Doxology, Lord s Prayer, and the words your congregation speaks after the reading of the Scripture. If you invite people to open Bibles and read along, include page numbers so people who haven t memorized the order of the books of the Bible can easily find the Scripture readings. 6. Be an authentic congregation. Do all you can to keep this visit for a newcomer from being a one and done experience. Intentionally follow up with people. By having a plan on how you will reach out to first-time visitors: a phone call, a handwritten note, or a small token that says, Our Sunday was more joyful because you were with us.

8 Community Seder Meal Peru Community Church Fellowship Center 13 Elm Street, Peru, NY Thursday, April 13 th, 2017 at 5:30 pm Please bring a dish to pass. Drinks will be provided. In keeping with Jewish dietary restrictions, please refrain from bringing any items containing leavened bread, pork, or dairy/meat combinations. A signup sheet is in the Fellowship Center so we will have an idea of how many people to set up for. Please Reply by Sunday, April 9 th by returning this slip, signing up in the Fellowship Center, or by calling the church office at or ing the church office: office@perucommunitychurch.com Name: # Seats Requested: Dish to Pass:

9 MUSICA DELLE DONNE Celebrating the Music of Women Composers. Come to the Champlain Valley Voices community chorus Spring Concert at the Plattsburgh United Methodist Church, 127 Beekman St., Plattsburgh. Enjoy a variety of musical selections, all by women, including the world premiere of a commissioned work by a local composer. Tickets available at the door or from chorus members (including Barb Benkwitt, prior to April 29). Are you thinking of those beautiful flower gardens you will be having this summer? If so, while you are doing your planning, remember the Ladies Guild will be selling flowers in mid-may. Information about the varieties of flowers and order forms will be available soon. Please support this project of the Ladies Guild to help us carry forth our mission in the church and the community. ~ Mzuzu Crisis Nursery ~ Please pray for Paul & Darlene Heller as they prepare to travel to Mzuzu, Malawi in Southeast Africa this month to visit the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery. They will be bringing supplies, and offering their support to the nursery workers and babies. The nursery takes orphaned and abandoned infants and cares for them during their crisis period, from birth to 2 yrs old. At that time the child is taken back to the village where it will be cared for by a family member. Monetary donations can be sent to Presbytery of NNY, 311 Franklin St., Room B, Ogdensburg, NY ATTN: Mzuzu Nursery

10 HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRIL 01 Darrell Altizer 15 Evelyn Bennett 23 Tina Corcione 05 Zackary Raymond 17 Diana Connolly 25 Gary Finney 05 Travis Snider 18 Christopher Goheens 25 Alan Michaud 07 Geri Rickert 19 Merritt Spear 26 Zarina Brault 08 Wally Rickert 20 Judy Gallinger 28 Nancy Sunderland 09 Jared Posada 21 Harry Duprey 29 Allene Davis 09 Wendy Silverman 21 Gary Vaughn 29 Monica Day 10 Janine Hackett 22 Sarah Edwards 29 Emma LaClair 11 Sammy Godfrey 23 Barbara Benkwitt 30 Dawn Brault 12 Kathy Dube 23 Robert Bennett HAPPY ANNIVERSARY APRIL 03 Mr. & Mrs. Darrell Altizer 16 Mr. & Mrs. Howard Bell 03 Mr. & Mrs. Doug Holdridge 16 Mr. & Mrs. William Forrence 12 Mr. & Mrs. Scott Sartwell 21 Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Souliere 15 Mr. & Mrs. Ron Miller 25 Mr. & Mrs. James LaMont

11 April 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 5th Sunday in Lent Palm Sunday Palm Sunday Brunch 9-1 Easter Sunday Trustees Pastor s Communion 6pm Sabbath 8am AA 7:30pm Worship & Music 6pm Prayer Shawl Ministry 1-3pm Personnel 6pm Choir 7 Palm Sunday Brunch Prep AA 7:30pm Prayer Pastor s Communion Shawl Sabbath 8am Ministry 1-3pm Office Closed Seder Meal 5:30pm Choir 7 Good Friday Service 7pm Office Closed AA 7:30pm Prayer Pastor s Communion Shawl Sabbath 8am Ministry 1-3pm Choir 7 4th Sunday Prayer Svc. 3pm AA 7:30pm OFFICIAL Pastor s Communion BOARD Sabbath 8am 6pm Prayer Shawl Ministry 1-3pm Choir 7 Pastor Office Hours: Tues. & Wed. 10am 3pm (and by appointment)

12 PERU COMMUNITY CHURCH PO BOX 38 PERU, NY We the Community Church of Peru, A dynamic, ecumenical Christian community of faith, bound in Loving fellowship and service, gather to worship God, Looking for a sense of belonging, and seeking a faith to sustain us. PLEASE NOTIFY THE OFFICE IF YOUR ADDRESS HAS CHANGED