Sharing the Love of Christ

Transcription

1 Sharing the Love of Christ First United Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) PO Box Douglas Avenue Las Vegas New Mexico MAY 2018 I have just returned from some time away. I spent four days on study leave at a silent Retreat House in Colorado. Those days of silence were bookended on the weekends with the happy noise of family time, friend time, and some special events. D.R. sang in a concert with my former chorus Resonance Women s Chorus of Boulder. (You can ask him about how he ended up singing with this 120-voice women s chorus) and we attended the spring musical at Campus Middle School in Denver, which was directed by our daughter Tegan. It s always a joy to see what these young people can do! Those few days of silence were wonderful in many ways. The Retreat House sits on 280 acres in the Rocky Mountain foothills. Walkways and art surround the House; the vistas in all directions are beautiful. Aware of that beauty, the facility managers have ensured that chairs, swings, prayer decks, and gazebos dot the landscape; a place to sit and reflect is always at hand. I walked this space several times each day (except the day when it snowed all day!), stopping to take in the landscape and my thoughts, to read a book or do a daily study. One of my favorite statues, called Ascension, made me think of Jesus dancing. I could see it from the window in my room, and I swear that some days it looked closer than others, as if Jesus had danced across the lawn. I even fancied that sometimes it was Jesus right arm raised, and sometimes his left. One of my exercises while I had this time away was to think about the things that bring happiness. Ascension is one of them. I am grateful for the provision of study leave. When it begins, I always think about the days that stretch before, during which I have plans to accomplish so much. And, indeed, I did many of the things on my to-do list. But study leave is precious mainly because it provides time during which to slow down, to think about Jesus dancing and how the clouds change the landscape and how the snow greens the grass. One of the songs that Resonance sang during their concert was one I had sung with them a few years ago. The text is from a poem by Mary Oliver, called Sunrise. It is, I think, fitting for the pondering of happiness, and for the celebration of Pentecost, which we are quickly approaching. I leave you with an excerpt from it. from Sunrise by Mary Oliver... this morning, climbing the familiar hills in the familiar fabric of dawn, I thought of China, and India and Europe, and I thought how the sun blazes for everyone just so joyfully as it rises under the lashes of my own eyes, and I thought I am so many! What is my name? What is the name of the deep breath I would take over and over for all of us? Call it whatever you want, it is happiness, it is another one of the ways to enter fire Pastor s Ponderings With thanks for all of you, Pastor Katie

2 MAY 2018 PAGE 2 Worship Tidbits From Pastor Katie May moves us toward Pentecost, which we celebrate 49 days after Easter this year, that s May 20. Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Spirit of God onto the apostles and followers of Christ in Jerusalem. These followers were gathered to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost a feast celebrated 50 days after Passover. We remember those tongues of Spirit-Fire descending on those people gathered together in part by using lots of fiery colors in the sanctuary. Please wear some of these colors on May 20 I m hoping to look out and see a sanctuary full of flaming reds, oranges, and yellows! We will hear the story of that Pentecost from Acts 2, but our Scriptural focus that day will be from Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always! New Members Class Pastor Katie is working to schedule a new members class. If you are interested in membership, please let Katie know, or call the office and express your interest and let us know what your schedule looks like. This class will meet over refreshments or a meal weekly for four weeks and will give participants information about Presbyterianism and particularly about how we here at First United Presbyterian organize ourselves and what our mission and vision are. While Katie originally thought the class might begin in May, she s already become aware of some schedules that would make May difficult for some folks. How about later in the summer? Presbyterian Women Birthday Offering Offering envelopes are available on the action table and from Joyce Litherland. Gifts should be remitted by May 31 st. Please mark your checks for PW Birthday Offering. Mother s Day Luncheon Make plans on May 13th to stay after church and enjoy our annual Mother s Day Luncheon. The men of the church are invited to help prepare, serve and clean up. Sign up on the clipboard beside the kitchen door or contact Richard Lindeborg at ralindeborg@cs.com. Room Setup Requests Effective immediately Room set-up requests for the Douglas Street church should be ed to, or dropped off at, the church office. All requests must be in writing. Please include: Contact name, phone number and address Name of room being used Date and time room is to be used Number of tables Number of chairs at each table How you want the tables arranged If you are coming in to decorate the tables, note when that will happen so we can get tables and chairs set up in time Any special requests or directions should be clearly noted

3 MAY 2018 PAGE 3 Getting to Know Mack Salman Although we see him only occasionally these days, Mack Salman remains a beloved and familiar member of the Las Vegas First United Presbyterian Church. Most of us will remember him as a young boy who, along with his sister and other church youth, participated regularly in LOGOS, Sunday School, and church activities which included an ill-fated snowball fight and a cracked window in the Fellowship Hall. Mack s parents, Jeff and Juli Salman, moved to Las Vegas with his older sister, Molly, in late In the spring of 1994, Mack (full name, Mackenzie Andrew) was born in the same hospital where his father was born, some 31 years before him. He and Molly almost share the same birthday, just two days apart. As a youngster, Mack attended Los Niños elementary school participating in the Spanish immersion program, played T-ball and several years of soccer. During his freshman year at Robertson High School, Mack wrestled for the Cardinals, taking fourth place at the state competition before retiring from the sport. Seeking new educational experiences, Mack made the decision to attend the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, where he finished his high school years studying, playing soccer, and working towards obtaining his private pilot s license. He began attending the First United Presbyterian Church in Las Vegas with his family when he was about 4 years old, was baptized at age 7 by the Reverend Michelle Vetters, and was confirmed by Randy Campbell. Mack counts among his favorite memories of his time at FUPC acting in Bethlehem s Best, two mission trips to Juarez, and attending camp at Ghost Ranch. After graduating from NMMI, Mack attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock and earned his bachelor s degree in architecture. He enjoyed the intense schedule and the chance to express his creativity. One of his classes took him to Japan and South Korea for study, which has inspired in him a desire for more travel and exposure to other cultures. Following his time at TTU, he spent the next several months working with Rod Billingsley at his engineering firm here in Las Vegas. Mack notes the wonderful connection he has had with Rod who employed him as a middle school student in the job-shadowing program and who also encouraged him in his quest to earn his pilot s license. Mack currently lives in Santa Fe and works for an architectural firm. He will leave that employment this summer to begin his graduate studies in architecture at Colorado University, Denver. For fun, Mack enjoys exercising, getting outdoors, playing sports, photography, designing and making things. He has been dating Maria Laura Mora for about two years. Maria, a native of Venezuela, was a Rotary exchange student living with the Linder family when she and Mack became acquainted. When asked what he d like to be doing in five years, Mack says he d like to be a licensed architect, traveling to new places and designing the most beautiful Presbyterian church! Game Night May 18th at 5:30 Mark your calendars for Game night May 18th at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall. There will be pizza, salad and GAMES. You are welcome to bring your favorite game or games.

4 MAY 2018 PAGE 4 May 20 August 5 The Class for Adults and Youth Will Discuss the Bright Future of Christianity -- But Will It Be a Christianity We Can Recognize? The Bible-Based Class for Adults and Youth will begin a new series on Sunday, May 20, with discussion of the book The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity by Pennsylvania State University Professor Philip Jenkins. The text won the Christianity Today Book Award in the category of Christianity and Culture. Jenkins completed his undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral work at the University of Cambridge. He has been following world Christianity trends for over a decade and has put together a compendium of important trends that span the globe and give great insight into causalities behind the news headlines. In this book, he explores the remarkable expansion of Christianity in the global South--in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, asking and answering important questions about the future of our Faith. The first few class sessions take on chapters that cover the growth and spread of Christianity through time and from several perspectives: Although Christianity claims 1/3 of the world s population as adherents and will continue to do so for decades, the centers of Christianity s universality are no longer in Geneva, Rome, Athens, Paris, London and New York, but Kinshasa, Buenos Aires, Addis Ababa and Manila (CH 1, May 20). Our Paul-based tradition has Christianity growing from east to west, but the greater expansion in the early church was to the east and south. Only Rome of the five ancient patriarchates of the church was clearly in the West: the others were at Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. The trend continues: A quarter of Africans had become Christians by the mid 20th Century, and there were even 5 million Christians in China by then (CH, 2 June 3). Christianity exercises an overwhelming global appeal, which shows not the slightest sign of waning. Reasons for this appeal include the attractiveness of Christianity to the marginalized, young people, geographically mobile people, and women -- plus the poetry and relevance of Christian imagery (CH 3, June 10). In the half century since the end of the colonial era, major European-oriented churches have successfully adapted and incorporated native ways into local liturgies and worship styles. Even so, the most spectacular Christian expansion in recent years has been in new independent denominations (CH 4, June 17). We can safely predict that Christianity will further expand outside of Europe and the West. There is a massive decline in the proportion of the world s people who live in the traditionally advanced nations. Growth will continue in the global South. However, the patterns will be different in Europe and the United States as they become increasingly diverse while growing more slowly in overall population (CH 5, June 24). After a break for the Las Vegas Fiestas and Independence Day, the class will discuss the present status of Christianity and the outlook for its future The next Christendom and the coming of Global Christianity. This series will run through August 5th in the East Wing, with no class or breakfast on May 27 (Memorial Day weekend) or July 1 (Las Vegas Fiestas). Classes are at 9:30 a.m. Sunday mornings immediately after the Jump Start Breakfast, which will be at 9 a.m. Childcare will be available. Books will be available in the Church office by May 7 for $ Mission & Peacemaking The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering (OGHS) was taken this year, as in years past, during our Lenten Soup Lunches following worship each Sunday of Lent. You ll remember that OGHS supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger Program and Self-Development of People. Certainly in this year of enormous natural disasters, continuing hunger and poverty the world over, and the need to assist people who experience oppression and injustice in our communities, OGHS is essential. FUPC contributed $ this year. Thank you. The last national church offering is the Pentecost Offering on May 20th, which supports child advocacy, the Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) program and ministries for youth like Triennium, summer camps and youth weekends. Bulletin inserts and offering envelopes will be available in worship in the next few weeks for this offering. (Mission & Peacemaking continued on next page:)

5 MAY 2018 PAGE 5 News from JOT Activities at the Old Town Mission Community Center with its SPOT Youth Programming are continuing to progress. We have met with a former county employee concerning re-striping the parking lot. He thinks he can get a parking lot expert to do a proper layout for us on paper, pro-bono. Then we would have to get the paint and do the painting ourselves. Unless, of course, we find someone who would be willing to donate that as well! Once we take care of the lot then we need to encourage the city to replace street signs so that people trying to find us know where to turn. Along with that we want to erect a large sign at the parking lot entrance to designate our presence. We're getting more and more people requesting to see the space. We have given a number of tours and recruited a couple of new groups. The after-school pilot program has now ended for the semester and was a success. 100% of the parents want us to start up again in the fall. A meeting still needs to be scheduled to de-brief and plan for next year. A few of the SPOT Youth Team members met with recently retired LV Police Chief Juan Montaño at OTMCC. Juan wants to team up with us on activities for the youth. He is a great asset. The SPOT Youth Team wrote a letter of recommendation to the WLV School District in support of Juan's application to be their School Resource Officer. Juan landed the job! He then immediately requested a meeting with the SPOT Youth Team, and JOT Youth member, David Lopez, was able to meet with him to begin some planning. Pat Leahan attended a Las Vegas First Independent Business Alliance meeting last week and was given the chance to update folks on what's happening at The SPOT and how they can donate. People were glad to hear about the increased youth engagement, and they're excited about the after-school programming. Brooklyn also did a presentation to a different group last week. The word is being spread. We're still bringing our UWC SPOT Team in on Tuesday evenings to gather with local youth and it's going well. Recently they went to NMHU to meet with the NM Dream Team in their new student space at Highlands and attended a Know Your Rights training. The SPOT was the perfect space for the youth and community to gather as they planned the March 24th March For Our Lives. There were numerous planning meetings and sign-making sessions held. Folks were grateful to the First United Presbyterian Church for their generosity in sharing the space with the youth. The march itself was a success, with video showing 250 people attended (youth, teachers, administrators, church members, local groups, businesses, toddlers-to-90- somethings, etc.). Thanks to everyone for your support of our mission! Mission & Peacemaking continued: Members of the Mission and Peacemaking Committee have been partnering for the last few months with the Las Vegas Jewish Committee, the Las Vegas Sufi Community and the Religious Society of Friends to have an inter-faith gathering to raise awareness of and support for an educational initiative in Israel called Hand in Hand Schools. That gathering was held in the FUPC Heritage Hall last Sunday, April 22. This effort began with an 18-month study, led by Bob and Carrol Pearson, which included the origins, history and progression of events leading to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. A group of people from FUPC and the community participated. Following the study, the group met with members of the Las Vegas Jewish Community to hear their perspectives on the conflict. During that meeting there was mention of some schools in Israel that seem to be offering hope for change. The schools, called Hand in Hand, enroll equal numbers of Arab and Jewish K-12 students, are taught by two teachers in each classroom - one Arab and one Jewish - using the Arabic and Hebrew languages. Our inter-faith gathering featured a presentation on Hand in Hand by Andy Gold, videos of the schools, talks by an Israeli and a Palestinian UWC student on growing up in Israel/Palestine now, and music and Mediterranean food. We re delighted to report that 40 people attended and participated in the discussion with many thoughtful questions and insights. More than $1500 was raised for the Hand in Hand Schools. We are grateful for the support of the FUPC congregation. The steering committee for the event isn t sure what directions this initiative will take, but is sure that it will continue. Stay tuned for more information about the wonderful work of Hand in Hand in building a shared community of equality, respect and inclusivity in Israel! Karyl Lyne, Chair, Mission & Peacemaking

6 First United Presbyterian Church 1000 Douglas Avenue PO Box 37 Las Vegas NM Website: Facebook: Las Vegas First United Presbyterian (NM) Sunday Schedule 8:30 a.m. - Jumpstart Breakfast: 9:30 a.m. - Bible Based Study 10:30 a.m. - Sunday Worship Fellowship Hour following the worship service Communion is offered each Sunday from October 1 through Pentecost (May 20, 2018) and on the first and third Sundays of each month from June through September. We do not celebrate Communion on the fifth Sunday of a month due to the addition of the Healing Liturgy to the service. May Birthdays 3 rd Leslie Jones 4 th Gene Solyntjes 8 th Joyce Litherland 10 th Molly Salman 12 th Mack Salman Bud Geng 20 th Robin Carlson 26 th Susan Apodaca Deep and Wide A Contemplative Service at the Old Town Mission 5:15 p.m. 6:15 p.m. - second and fourth Tuesdays at the Old Town Mission. This is an ecumenical gathering open to all, sponsored by FUPC. Questions? Call D.R. Palmer Our church and other Presbyterian churches in Northern New Mexico identified many social needs and developed mission programs to meet those needs. These included resident and day schools, medical clinics, vocational training, alcoholism treatment, opportunities for home ownership, shelter for the homeless, and early childhood education. As government entities and larger community efforts adopted each of these missions, our involvement as a church transitions from direct sponsorship to individual participation and some residual funding for wider programs. What are the new needs, and what will be our new missions as we enter our second 150 years?