Pastor Paul s Post. Thoughts from the Heart. By Pastor Katie Hopper

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1 Pastor Paul s Post Thoughts from the Heart By Pastor Katie Hopper God is good. It is with joy we celebrate Easter on this first Sunday in April. God has worked out salvation in Jesus Christ so that none may perish but inherit eternal life. We have a great God. Not only on Resurrection Sunday do we worship such a marvelous One but we have gained that opportunity for every minute of our days. The Holy Spirit guides us and we respond. The ministry of our church in loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbors as we love ourselves is exciting to give ourselves to participate in. Members of our congregation were able to go and serve a church and community in Northern Belize in the Corozal district this last month. They now have stories of their involvement in the work God is doing that country, in particular villages, families and individuals. It was my privilege to be with that group and also to witness how God is at work in and through the people who went as well. God continues to work out God s glory in all God s people. May our church be blessed by the sharing of God s grace in all the places we see it manifest. One of the ways we have seen that is how blessed the mission team is by the support from those who helped send them. Financial needs were met and there were many who stepped up to pray for the mission. We are very thankful. We now look forward to the Easter season, after experiencing the events of Holy Week and all that Jesus has fulfilled and accomplished because of his love for the world, there will be even more gratitude for such a great God. Beef House Musical We are making very early plans for our annual trip to The Beef House Dinner Theatre in Covington, Ind. Please let us know if you would like to buy a ticket to: Dolly Parton's "9 to 5: The Musical"- Saturday, July 25, 2015, 6:00 pm. Reservations are $42 and include a buffet meal. The E & F committee will be taking your reservation. We would like to hear from you by Sunday, April 12th, as the tickets go on sale soon after. Please contact Julie Clodfelter to make your reservation. Easter Breakfast E & F Committee invites you to Easter Breakfast at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, April 5th. Les Schwarzentraub has offered to make pancake, after pancake, after pancake. There will be a sign -up sheet for other food items that will be needed. Please come and enjoy yourselves.

2 All Daughters Banquet to Feature Favorite Children s Books The annual All Daughters Banquet will be held on Saturday, May 2 in the fellowship hall. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., followed by the program Favorite Children s Books Across the Decades. Do you have a favorite book from childhood (either your own childhood or your children s or grandchildren s)? You re invited to bring your favorite(s) to the banquet and share your memories with the other girls and women attending. If you don t have the book, simply bring your memories and tell us about what made the book special to you. People can also bring other books, not necessarily children s books, but ones that mean a great deal to them, perhaps given to them by a family member. We re hoping that the youngest daughters of our church will participate in the program as they can bring their favorite books and, if they choose, tell us why they like the book. The majority of the program will be people talking about their favorites, and Barb Lintner, retired children s librarian, will share information about children s literature. The menu for the All Daughters Banquet features homemade chicken and noodles from our own Kathy Price, along with vegetable medley, cole slaw, fruit, croissants, and assorted desserts. The price is $7 per adult and $5 per child (10 years old and younger); checks should be made out to Presbyterian Women, and cash or checks are to be given to Kathy Price. A sign-up sheet is located in the back of the sanctuary.

3 The Clown Report How do you manage a bunch of clowns?! Answer keep them busy! Jesters for Jesus will meet on Sunday, April 12th, immediately following our worship service. We will discuss plans for our next appearance and rehearse a clown skit or two! Watch for us! Until next time Butterfly (the clown) By Butterfly the Clown Hello, my name is Eun Yung Lee who is a friend of Hyeyeon Jung. I came from Seoul in South Korea. I have studied piano performance at Cleveland Institute of Music where I earned a master's degree. Now I am a doctoral student at University of Illinois. I am married and have two babies, Jeremy and Anna. My husband, Minhwan, is an engineer working at Research Park in Champaign. I will be graduating this May, but my family will probably stay in town for more than 2 years. I am thankful for knowing the First Presbyterian Church and serving as an organist. I look forward to getting to know you all. Eun Yung Lee John Calvin Quote of the Month We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.

4 Belize Mission Trip - Thoughts from Julie Clodfelter Ministerio Casa De Oracion is a small one-room church which has double doors in the front, a single door on the side and about 12 windows. There aren't any screens or glass in the windows, but instead there are wood louvered windows. We had cream colored oil-based paint and the window louvers each received two coats of fresh paint on each side. About eight people took turns painting. It took some time to finish the painting because the sun made it hot for the painters, and also made the paint thicken and drag across the painting surface. It was fun to paint alongside our sisters of Cristo Rey, Belize. ********************************* Three weeks before leaving for our mission trip I had volunteered to lead the Women's Bible Study on Tuesday evening. In planning for the evening I remembered that our first devotional scripture reading in the Thirst Missions study book was Philippians 4: So from that I chose Philippians 4: 4-9 to discuss with the women. I purchased 20 journaling books and asked members of our congregation to bring magazines with beautiful outdoor photos. So I packed my suitcase with the 20 pounds worth of journals and magazines and headed to Belize. I was very concerned whether I had made the right choice for the Bible study. The ladies of Cristo Rey participated in the evening by sharing with us items they use in their daily lives. We were introduced to a coco yito (similar to a potato), Custard apple juice (milk, Red Fanta & Camite), Black recado, Red recado, Borbado (embroidered piece to hold tortillas). That was fun and we were so glad they shared with us. I told the women about our Secret Sisters that we enjoy at our church. I shared with the women the bag of Lifesavers that I had received from my Secret Sister just before I left on the mission trip. After reading and discussing Philippians 4: 4-9 I suggested to the women that when they, "fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable", they can write in their journal all of these thoughts and remember our time spent together that evening. We then passed out the journals and the magazines, some stickers, sequins, rickrack, ribbons, scissors & glue. The ladies were so enthralled with the beautiful magazines and could hardly bear to cut them up. They do not get to read magazines! We brought along plenty of magazines for them, so it was suggested they each take one or two to enjoy at home. Then we started cutting out favorite colorful photos from the remainder of the magazines and they glued them onto the front and back of their journals. They added embellishments of shiny hearts, leafy sequins, ribbons, etc...then we used clear packing tape and carefully covered their beautiful works of art on their journal covers. Each book was beautiful. The ladies decided that we should have had a slumber party because it was so much fun. We didn't leave until 9:45. It was a very fulfilling evening for everyone. Janice, Sheila and I now know our sisters in Cristo Rey. John Knox Quote of the Month "Prayer is an earnest and familiar talking with God.

5 Three years after its initial launch, the Illini Fighting Hunger Program packaged its one millionth meal at the Illini Fighting Hunger (IFH) event in Monticello. To celebrate, IFH is holding a congratulatory meal. We are invited to join IFH for the Illini Fighting Hunger Millionth Meal Celebration on the evening of April 14, 2015 at the beautiful 77 Club at Memorial Stadium. Tickets and more details are at: See you there! Half Week Mission Trip, June 28-July 1: Chicago This summer our middle school students and accompanying adult leaders have an opportunity to serve in urban missions and ministry in Chicago. This program is hosted by 4th Presbyterian Church, where they will stay, in the middle of the magnificent mile on Michigan Ave. They will explore the city in new ways, understanding about the dynamics of life in the third largest city in America while in service to those in need. This information and more is on their website: If interested contact Pastor Paul by April 11. To reserve your spot we need a $100 deposit. FCA Banquet Opportunity First Presbyterian Church is considering sponsoring a table for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Banquet on April 19. The banquet itself is at 6 pm and is a free fundraiser for FCA! The banquet also includes hearing a message from Steve Fitzhugh, as well as stories from local student athletes and coaches. If you are interested, let Pastor Paul know. Allerton Trails Half Marathon and 10K Race On April 10 and 11, the Allerton Trails Half Marathon and 10K will be held at Allerton Park. The event will raise money for Make A Wish Illinois, which fulfills the wishes of more than 10,000 children with life threatening medical conditions across Illinois. For more information, please visit: also need volunteers to help with the festivities, so even if you aren t a runner you can still contribute! Bonus Protestant Reformer Quote of the Month Trouble and perplexity drive me to prayer and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble. Philipp Melanchthon, Lutheran Reformer and Theologian

6 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 9:45 am Ministerial Alliance Mtg. 7 pm Worship Mtg. 7 pm E&F Mtg. 2 Maundy Thursday 7 pm Maundy Thursday Service 3 Good Friday 12 pm Pastor Paul preaching at Community Service (First Christian Church) 4 Easter Vigil 7 am Men s Meeting at the Red 3 pm Choir Dress Rehearsal 5 Easter Communion pm Stephen Ministers Mtg. 8 7 pm CE Mtg. 9 2 pm Pastor Paul at PCNH Service 7 pm Missions Meeting :15 am Deacons Mtg. Stephen Ministry Conference Begins 13 7 pm Mary- Martha Circle 14 6 pm Friendship Circle 15 Taxes Due Camps and Conferences Work Day Stephen Ministry Conference Ends 19 6 pm FCA Banquet Earth Day 7 pm Session Mtg May TT articles and calendar events due 25 9 am Dinner Downtown Decatur May TT Mailed :30 pm Mother-Daughter Banquet