Inside this issue: F I R S T U N I T E D P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U RC H N A M P A, I DA H O APRIL 2018

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1 F I R S T U N I T E D P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U RC H N A M P A, I DA H O Nampa First United Presbyterian Church Purpose Statement To bring people together to love and magnify God through worship, to minister to the needs of all His children, to fellowship in God's family, to spread the Good News, and to develop people to Christ-like maturity for their mission in the world. Office Hours Monday - Friday 9:00am -1:00pm Office firstpresnampa@gmail.com Website: Phone: (208) Fax: (208) Pastor Aaron Berkowitz alb733@gmail.com Phone: Pastor s Office Hours Mondays & Thursdays 10:30am -1:00pm Inside this issue: APRIL 2018 Pastor s Message 2 Book Suggestion 2 General Fund Activity 3 Session/Deacons Highlights 3 Church Potluck 3 Family Camp 3 Birthdays & Anniversaries 4 Nursery News 4 Movie Night 4 PW Spring Gathering 4 Adult Christian Education 5 WHO? 5 Women s Retreat 5 Family Ministry Director 6 Jr. Jammer Concert 6 Youth Activities Camp Dates 7 Nursery Attendant 7 Kids Page 8 Calendar of Events 9

2 Page 2 The Church s Mission Today, many Christians are asking the question, what is the mission of the church? Another way of asking the question is, what is the church s identity? Who are we, and what are we supposed to do? The mystery around the church s mission and identity is not one of difficulty. The answer is not complicated or hard to understand. The cause of the mystery is forgetfulness, not confusion. The reminder is here, in the Bible of course, at the end of Matthew s gospel: 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:16-20 The answer becomes clear when you look at the verbs above. What is the church s mission? To make disciples, baptize them, and teach them what Jesus taught his own disciples. You make disciples by preaching the gospel to them. You baptize them in worship, and invite them to remember their baptism in worship. You teach them the Bible, which is what Jesus commanded his disciples to obey. Book Suggestion from Pastor Aaron What does it mean to be a Christian? In this book, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams answers the question with four answers, Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, and Prayer. This book is easy to read. It also includes discussion questions after each chapter for small groups. I plan to lead a study of this book sometime this year. But dont let that stop you from reading it ahead, you ll just have more insight to share when we do the study! The mystery and confusion come because the church has forgotten its mission. In some cases, it has abandoned its mission for easier, more popular activities. I can name several substitutes: entertainment, community service, and political lobbying, just to name the ones Presbyterian Churches often err into. If you ask me why so many Presbyterian Churches are shrinking, I say because they have abandoned their true mission for trendy new ones. All of those mission substitutes aren t bad. It s even ok for the church to do them, as side projects, and sub-themes. But we need to keep in mind the fact that our society has plenty of institutions already devoted to community service, entertainment, and political lobbying. On the other hand, there are no other institutions devoted to the mission of the church, to making disciples, baptizing them into God s family, and teaching them the Bible. I also wonder if we sometimes forget the churches mission because our faith wavers. Do we really believe that salvation comes through Christ alone? Do we believe that the highest purpose of every human is not amusement, or even a full stomach, but a soul filled with the truth and goodness of God? The mission of the church has not been lost, it s just been forgotten. What we need is not to find a new mission, but to be reminded of the original mission, given 2,000 years ago. We don t need creative new missions. We need renewed faith in the mission we have from Christ. -Rev. Aaron Berkowitz His words on the Lord s Table inspire me! It is, as some modern Christian thinkers have said, what makes the Church what it really is. For that short time, when we gather as God s guests at God s table, the Church becomes what it is meant to be a community of strangers who have become guests together and are listening together to the invitation of God. Rowan Williams, Being Christian

3 General Fund Financial Activity Revenue to date $47, Page 3 Expenses to date $48, Difference -$1, April 25, 2018 Session Highlights March 20, 2018 At its regular meeting on March 20, 2018, the Session: heard Christian Education Committee s plans for Easter activities and Vacation Bible School. moved last year s remaining funds to the Synod savings account. approved a small revision to the job description for a youth/family ministries director. allowed a Girl Scout Daisy group to meet regularly at the church. planned a hymn-sing Sunday for April 8, followed by a potluck dinner. set the next regular meeting for April 17, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Linda Zornik, Clerk of Session Deacons report March 5, 2018 The February Treasurer report showed $3, in the Deacon fund. Reports were given by Deacons having concerns for members in their respective parishes. Jean Stansbury and Barbara Hindman will prepare Communion for April. Pastor Aaron gave an update on the Candidate Search for the Youth Director. The next meeting will be Monday, April 2nd at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Frederiksen, Secretary Congregational Life is planning a church potluck on Sunday, April 8th after the worship service in the fellowship hall. Please bring a dish to share and join us for food and fellowship after the worship service. Family Camp at Camp Sawtooth Family Camp will be August 2-5, Camp Sawtooth is located just outside of Ketchum, Idaho. Everyone of all ages are welcome to attend family camp! Come for the whole time, or just for a day or two, however it will fit in your schedule. Watch for more details in the next few months.

4 Page 4 4/2 Rita Overman 4/2 Linda Smalley 4/3 Jennie Ficks 4/5 Sarah Berkowitz 4/6 Lyle Sample 4/9 Cindy Larimer 4/11 Mary Stafford 4/11 Susan Williams 4/12 Gail Decoteau 4/15 Barbara Burri 4/16 Emma Takatori 4/21 Bob Choat 4/22 Gwen Sample 4/24 Nita Broomhall 4/28 Tom Cole 4/3 Gary & Gail Decoteau 4/8/68 Dale & Lori Ober 4/14/96 Lyle & Gwen Sample 4/17/54 Bob & Gussie Choat 4/17/55 Clyde & Mary Joyce Hawley Thank you! I would like to thank everyone for all the flowers, food, and the many, many cards that I have received and all your thoughts and prayers. It has meant so much to me. Thank you, Barbara Greene Known April Birthdays 4/27 Blake Decoteau 4/27 Arielle Decoteau Movie Night The next movie night will be Saturday, April 28th at 5:30 PM. The movie is The Greatest Showman and will be available at Redbox on April 17th. Watch the movie ahead of time and then bring a potluck dish to share, your own table service and beverage and join in the discussion and fellowship. Love Makes the World Go Round You are invited to join us for the Spring Gathering of the Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery meeting on Saturday, April 14 th at 9:30 a.m. at the Nampa church. The meeting includes speakers, a worship service, business meeting and luncheon. Barbara Clark has traveled worldwide serving in the Peace Corps and then as a Presbyterian Mission worker. She is currently a member of the PW Churchwide Nursery Thank you to our nursery volunteers who helped in March! Shirley Horrace Barbara Hindman Jaci Johnson Willard Kneidl & Sarah Berkowitz Coordinating Team. She will discuss her travels and advocacy work. The other speaker is our own Lorraine Diehl, who was an Army nurse in Vietnam in the 60s, treating both military personnel and local people. She will show pictures of the conditions in which she worked. Gwen Sample will sing Love Makes the World Go Round in keeping with the worldwide theme of the meeting. Here is the nursery schedule for April. 4/1: Sandi Kurtz & Yvonne Miller 4/8: Melanie Jones & Brett Lolley 4/15: Karen Lolley & Sarah Berkowitz 4/22: Marge McKee & Sarah Berkowitz 4/29: Senita Watkins & Sarah Berkowitz

5 Adult Christian Education For the adults in the congregation, there are many opportunities for Bible Study on several topics and different times of the week. We are striving to provide study and contemplation for everyone, if that's your desire. Here's what's going on: Couple's Bible Study, 3rd Friday of each month Women's Bible study 2nd and 4th Monday's at Bev Palmer's house, 10:30 Early Sunday morning study on the Holy Spirit, studying the Acts of the Apostles, 8:30 in the Library New study on Comfort for Grief, reading "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. This starts WHO? (Women (and Men) Helping Others) Don t forget to add your name to the sign-up sheet on the table in the narthex if you would like to join a tour of the local shelter and find out how you could assist them in some small way with their ministry. We have been long-time supporters of this April 2 at 11:30 AM at church and will meet every Monday. Fellowship Questions on tables during Fellowship after church, once a month. This is an optional, informal study not to defer from regular visiting. Lunch and Learn Study, Thursdays at noon. For more details on studies, please contact the church office. And, as always, feedback and suggestions are welcome. -Tiffany Neely and Sharyn Barrett work and want to learn how we can continue to support community members who need a helping hand. Just sign to indicate your willingness to see what you can do. The date for the tour is currently being arranged. Page 5 Comfort For Grief If someone you love has passed away; a spouse, friend, parent, sibling, anyone close to you, this class is for you. We will gather once a week on Mondays at 11:30am, starting April 2nd. We will read C. S. Lewis classic book, A Grief Observed. This book will help guide those who are grieving into hope in Christ. Below is a description of the book. Written after his wife's tragic death as a way of surviving the mad midnight moment. A Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis's honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss This is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings. The Deacons have generously offered to provide the books to all participants at no cost as part of their ministry of spiritual care. Women s One-Day Retreat Saturday August 25, 2018 Theme: Listening to God Presenter: Joey Mills Registration Coming in June SAVE THE DATE!

6 Page 6 Family Ministry Director Update So in case you haven t been in church in awhile, our Christian Ed committee, our Session, and most importantly our Congregation, have decided it is time to hire a Youth Director. No wait, I mean Youth Pastor no wait I mean Children s Minister no wait Who are we hiring? And what is this person going to do? Oftentimes, the terms above are used interchangeably which can lead to confusion. And so we want to make sure that the congregation is clear on exactly what the purpose of hiring this person is going to be. To quote the job description: The objective of the position of Family Ministry Director is to reach out to the youth (K-12 th grade) within this congregation and the community; sharing the good news of Jesus Christ s lordship and helping them to grow and to deepen their faith through educational, missional, and recreational opportunities. The selection committee has named this position Family Ministry Director for several reasons. First, in this field of work the term Youth generally refers to kids in middle school & high school, while the term Children s generally refers to kids in elementary school. We (FUPC) wants to hire someone that will work with ALL ages of kids, and since kids generally are part of a larger family we decided that Family Ministry was an appropriate description. Second, because we are not necessarily hiring an ordained Pastor, we felt that Director was also a more appropriate term. So please don t get caught up in the semantics, but rest assured that this church s purpose is still to encourage youth of all ages to grow & flourish in God s love and grace. The committee members are Sharyn Barrett, Aaron Berkowitz, Brett Lolley, Sally Moore, Tiffany Neely, & Senita Watkins. We have been meeting regularly and have begun advertising this position. If you know of anyone that may be interested in this role please let us know. And if you have any questions please let us know that as well! We will continue to keep you updated here in The Link, so stay tuned! Jr. Jammer Concert The Jr. Jammers are excited to give back to this church! They are planning a concert at our church on Sunday, April 8th at 3:00 PM. There will be no admission cost, however a free will offering will be taken and given back to the church. Bobbie Pearce, Director, is so thankful for the use of the building and appreciates the church and their willingness to allow the Jammer's to hold their practices each month. Our True Power Source The story is told of someone who plugged a power strip into itself and then couldn t understand why the system wouldn t turn on! We get a kick out of such tales, yet how often do we try to power our own lives? We frequently think we need to be the source of our own strength, joy, peace, energy and wisdom. Jesus doesn t teach us to find life within ourselves or in any human being or earthly circumstance, object or philosophy. Rather, calling "We are thankful for the opportunity to give back!" Please plan to join the Jammers on Sunday, April 8th for an exciting concert filled with traditional fiddle music, Irish music, a set of Texas swing, and a set of competition tunes performed by five-time National Champion and third-time World Champion, Katrina Nicolayeff. himself the good shepherd, Jesus says, I have come that [my sheep] may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). We don t access that abundant life by plugging into ourselves. Instead, Jesus invites us to plug into his power and joy, peace, hope, truth through prayer and Scripture, worship and service, fellowship with other Christians and the beauty of God s world.

7 Youth Activities Spring is here and Christian Ed is rolling right along. Thank you to Marianne Paul & Paul Anderson for teaching Sunday School in March. Our kids are so blessed to have a congregation that is willing to teach them! Also, this summer will bring some additional changes for Sunday School. The PreK-5 th grade class will continue with Sunday School thru the summer. The 6 th -12 th grade class however will take a break over the summer so that the older kids can attend worship service and so that they can occasionally assist in teaching the younger class! However, we still need adults to teach the younger class as well this summer, so please sign up on the back table! In March Youth Group & Presby Kids Club met at the church where we studied Lent & Easter. We have also started discussing the concept and implementation of prayer in our lives and the younger kids made prayer boxes for themselves and for the older kids. Our second meeting was an outing to the Nampa Rec Center for a fun afternoon of swimming! In April, YG & PKC will not meet on the 1 st Sunday so that everyone can spend Easter with their families. But on the 15 th of April we will be taking both groups to Camel s Back Park for a picnic lunch & hike for the older kids and playground time for the younger kids. Next month we hope to do a ceramics outing and an end of school year BBQ so stay tuned for those details. We are looking forward to our annual Easter Egg Hunt after the service on April 1 st. Please invite your friends, grandkids, neighbors, (whoever!) to join us for this fun event! And we want to send a special thanks to the congregation for donating candy for the eggs! Lastly, please SAVE THE DATES for upcoming summer activities: Page 7 June 11 th -14 th VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - Registration forms are available in the church office for anyone that may be interested. Register by May 15 th to be entered into a drawing for a special prize! And as always, if you are interested in volunteering for VBS please contact Sarah Berkowitz or Tiffany Neely. June 24 th July 27 th CAMP SAWTOOTH YOUTH CAMPS Registration forms are available on the back table in the sanctuary. Register early to receive a discount. Scholarships are also available from the church for any youth that would like to attend. June 27 th -30 th LOCAL MISSION RETREAT Kids 7 th -12 th grade are invited to a three day retreat here in Nampa where they will participate in local service opportunities as well as fun activities and overnight campouts in the Lolley s back yard! Please sign up on the back table at the church if you plan to attend so that we can plan our activities. Contact Brett Lolley with any questions Camp Dates Nursery Attendant Needed We have money available to help any youth in our church attend Camp Sawtooth. Please contact Pastor Aaron to request financial aid. Registration packets are available in the narthex at the church. 5 th & 6 th Grade / June rd & 4 th Grade / July th & 8 th Grade / July th & 10 th Grade / July th & 12 th Grade / July The Christian Education Committee is now actively seeking a new nursery attendant to begin immediately. Unfortunately our nursery attendant, Maddi, has left us for a job that is going to pay for her schooling. If you or anyone you know might be interested in this position, please contact Sarah Berkowitz (nursery coordinator) to apply for this position.

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9 1 Easter 25 The Link Deadline Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 8:45a Bible Study 10:00a Worship-Communion 10:15a Sunday School 11:00a Easter Egg Hunt 8 8:45a Bible Study 10:00a Worship-Hymn Sing 10:15a Sunday School 11:00a Potluck 3:00p Jr. Jammer Concert 15 8:45a Bible Study 10:00a Worship 10:15a Sunday School 11:30a Youth Group & Presby Kids Club at Camel s Back park 22 8:45a Bible Study 10:00a Worship 10:15a Sunday School 11:30a Christian Ed Meeting 29 8:45a Bible Study 10:00a Worship 10:15a Sunday School 2 11:30a Comfort for Grief 7:00p Boy Scouts 7:00p Deacons 9 9:00a Worship Committee 11:30a Comfort for Grief 7:00p Boy Scouts 16 Community Shelter Meal 11:30a Comfort for Grief 7:00p Boy Scouts 23 11:30a Comfort for Grief 7:00p Boy Scouts 30 11:30a Comfort for Grief 7:00p Boy Scouts 3 10:00a PW meeting 6:00p Community Dinner 6:00p Youth Director Search committee 10 6:00p Community Dinner 17 6:00p Community Dinner 6:00p Youth Director Search committee 7:00p Session meeting 24 10:00a PW Birthday Gathering 6:00p Community Dinner 4 6:00p Bell choir 7:00p Chancel choir 11 6:00p Bell choir 7:00p Chancel choir 18 6:00p Bell choir 7:00p Chancel choir 6:00p Bell choir 7:00p Chancel choir 5 12:00p Lunch & Learn 12 10:00a Brunch Bunch 12:00p Lunch & Learn 19 12:00p Lunch & Learn 6:00p Recital 26 12:00p Lunch & Learn Pastor Aaron on vacation 6 Half-Link Deadline 7 8:30a Stated Clerk meeting :30a PW of Boise Spring Gathering 20 6:00p Boy Scout Taco Feed 27 5:00p Building in use until 7:00p :00a Building in use until 6:00p 5:309 Movie Night The Greatest Showman

10 400 Lake Lowell Avenue Nampa, ID If this publication is no longer needed, please notify the church office. F I R S T U N I T E D P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H March March March March