September. newsletter. Monthly Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church September 2016

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1 September newsletter Monthly Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church September Marschall Road Shakopee, MN MISSION OF THE MONTH HEIFER PROJECT Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth. HOW IT WORKS We empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity but our approach is more than just giving them a handout. Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market. PASSING ON THE GIFT The goal of every Heifer project is to help families achieve selfreliance. We do this by providing them the tools they need to sustain themselves, and it's thanks to the generosity of donors like you. You have the power to give a hungry family the training it takes to feed themselves and their children; to give a young girl a chance at an education; to empower a woman to have a voice in her community. Together, we can change the world, one family, one community, at a time. And it all starts with a gift. Church Events Sept 5th Labor Day Office Closed Sept 6th Team Meetings 6:30 pm Sept 11th Rally Day Sept 12th Game Day 9:30 am Sept 13th Deacon s Meeting 6:30 pm Sept 18th Congregational Conversation Interim Topics Sept 20th Session Meeting 6:30 pm Sept 25th Congregational Conversation Interim Topics 1

2 birthdays September 1 Tom Schmit September 14 Judy McGovern September 3 Jerilyn Benson September 21 Arne Benson Todd Myhre September 22 Taylor Myhre September 13 Vivian Geis September 30 Donald Larsen Sr. SEPTEMBER PRAYER FAMILIES September 4 Gaylen & Donna Case September 11 Eugene & Carol Chapman September 18 Edie Cook Eileen Mast at her 90th Birthday Celebration! September 25 Lyle & Roberta Crider A big THANK YOU to the congregation for coming to my 70th birthday party and joining my family and friends in the celebration! I loved the huge gathering of people, the wonderful cards, your contributions to the food shelf, and all of your birthday greetings. May God bless all of you! Edie Cook Bobbie Wiggen - Pat Zwart - Jim Underwood - Ina Lipke Tal Nolting - Sindy Huth - Verda Wolf - Steven Beeney Linda Brooks - Jan Oliverson and Family, Annette Nicholas nephew, Dale; sister, Julie; & father, Dale Jonathan Lindh - Jane Rockwell s grandson, Aaron Jan Oliverson s friend, Monica, Lyle Crider 2

3 STATED SESSION MEETING First Presbyterian Church 909 Marschall Road Shakopee, MN July 19, 2016 GATHERING The Stated Session Meeting of the First Presbyterian Church of Shakopee was called to order at 6:30pm on July 19, 2016, by Pastor Judy Landt, our Temporary Stated Supply Pastor. Meeting was held in the Fellowship Hall with a quorum present. Roll Call: Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Tom Schmit Ken Oliverson JoAnn Hansen Jay Portwood Rene Vanoni Susan Taylor (one-year term) JoAnn Kruger Gaylen Case Elders Excused: None Elders Absent: Tom Schmit Moderator: Pastor Judy Landt. It was decided that in order for a Session member to get an excused absence, he/she must notify Clerk of Session of his/her absence prior to scheduled meeting. M/S/C to accept session agenda for July 19, 2016 meeting. Gaylen opened meeting with devotions and prayer. CLERK S REPORT M/S/C to approve minutes of Stated Session Meeting of June 21, It was noted that final count from Loren Wolf s Johnny Cash tribute was $1,944. Amount collected at the time of 6/21/16 meeting was $1,800 (reflected in 6/21/16 meeting minutes). WORSHIP ATTENDANCE June 26: Worship Adult Sunday School 0 July 3: Worship - Adult Sunday School 0 July 10: Worship - 47 Adult Sunday School 0 July 17: Worship - 48 Adult Sunday School 0 Communion was served July 3, 2016, to 53 individuals. BOARD OF DEACONS MSC to accept Deacons Minutes as submitted from July 12, 2016 meeting. TEAM REPORTS Parish Life No report. It was decided that going forward Parish Life would be handled by the Deacons. Any events would be presented to the Session for approval. Session will assist as needed. 3

4 Discussion was held regarding taking communion to home bound members. M/S/C that Deacons and Elders would take communication to home bound members requesting it. Pastor Judy will do a training for those interested. Communication A report was provided by JoAnn Hanson regarding rotating newspaper advertising, and discussion was held. M/S/C to postpone discussion of advertising until September. Subject will be discussed again at August meeting. Missions A report was provided by Rene Vanoni. Rene reiterated that 5% of monthly collection goes to Outreach fund, and 5% goes to Mission fund. Some discussion was held and it was decided that we would continue with the missions as approved for Finance & Stewardship A financial report was provided by Tom Schmit. Fifth Sunday offering (not part of pledge) going to capital funding was discussed. It was also noted that the roof is leaking. No decision was made regarding 5 th Sunday offering Property & Maintenance No report. Parking lot project fully funded and scheduled. Worship & Music A report was provided by Donna Beeney (Deacon). Report noted that on 8/13/16 Eileen Mast will be celebrating her 90 th birthday. There will be a guest preacher that day. The Session was wondering if the Mast family needed assistance in preparing for the celebration. It was decided that Susan Taylor would check with Eileen and let her know that the Elders are available to help as needed. Personnel No report. M/S/C to report 100% of Pastor Judy s salary to Housing Allowance. Christian Education/Youth JoAnn Hanson updated the Session on current plans for Sunday School starting in the fall of At this time plan is to have the following schedule for Sunday School: 10:00am Church Service w/children s Story (15 minutes) 10:15am K-6 to go to Sunday School room for lesson Teacher Commitment: One Sunday at a time. Teacher orientation to be provided. Need to identify attendees and teachers. Need to identify curriculum. JoAnn Hanson to check out Spark House. Nominating Committee No report. JoAnn Kruger noted that the following individuals make up the Nominating Committee: JoAnn Kruger (Session Member) 4

5 Becky Kelso (Deacons Member) Phil Rudell (representative of Congregation) Carol Balvance (representative of Congregation) M/S/C to approve Team Reports as submitted. OTHER BUSINESS Pastor s Update Pastor Judy presented. It was brought to the Session s attention that several members of the congregation missed the greeting of one another during the service. Pastor Judy said she would reinstate it during the service rather than at the end. Request for Special Session Meeting The calling for a Special Session Meeting to discuss the extension of Pastor Judy s contract was discussed. It was decided that Susan Taylor would work with Session members to set a date and time, and handle the request process. Pastor Judy will not moderate this meeting in order to provide the opportunity for full discussion. Fund Raising Concert: It was noted that Dave and Mary Loftness daughter is interested in doing a benefit Christian concert in August with all funds going to the church. More information to follow. SACRAMENTS Serving for August 7, 2016: JoAnn Kruger Rene Vanoni Jay Portwood DEVOTIONS Persons responsible for devotions for upcoming meetings: August: JoAnn Hansen September: Susan Taylor MEETING SCHEDULE Next Stated Session Meeting is Tuesday, August 16, 2016, at 6:30pm. SENDING FORTH M/S/C to adjourn meeting at 8:30pm. Meeting closed with prayer by Pastor Judy. Respectfully submitted, Susan Taylor Clerk of Session 5

6 SPECIAL SESSION MEETING First Presbyterian Church 909 Marschall Road Shakopee, MN August 2, 2016 GATHERING The Special Session Meeting of the First Presbyterian Church of Shakopee (SFPC) was called to order at 6:00pm on August 2, 2016, by Pastor Ray Kruger who acted as moderator for the meeting. Roll Call: Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Tom Schmit Rene Vanoni JoAnn Hansen Jay Portwood Gaylen Case Susan Taylor (one-year term) JoAnn Kruger Elders Missing: Tom Schmit (Excused) Meeting opened with prayer by Pastor Ray. Purpose of meeting was to discuss an extension of current contract between SFPC and Pastor Judith Landt,Temporary Stated Supply Pastor. Current contract ends 8/22/16. All Session members were given the opportunity to voice their opinion regarding a contract extension. M/S/C to act on extending current contract with Pastor Judith Landt and discuss terms. M/S/C to extend contract thru end of 2016, with terms remaining the same as current contract. SENDING FORTH M/S/C 6:35pm close to adjourn the meeting. Respectfully submitted, Susan Taylor Clerk of Session 6

7 On August 9, 2016 was our turn to prepare and serve a meal for Loaves & Fishes. A thank you to all the volunteers who made this event a success. Our monthly mission in August was Back to School. We collected 98 boxes of Kleenex tissues and over $ worth of school supplies, which we then dropped off at the Shakopee School District Office. We also had some late comer s and the District Office accepted them gladly. Diana s Office Hours Mon - Tues - Wed - Thurs 8:00 am - 2:00 pm Office will be closed Monday, Sept. 5 They send many thanks to Shakopee First Presbyterian Church for the donations. We from the Mission Commission Team want to thank you all for making this a huge success, thank you Deacons for your generous cash contribution, thank you Shirley and Abby for shopping for additional school supplies, and packing up all the Kleenex s, and delivering all the items to the School office. In August we delivered to the CAP Agency 78 lbs. of canned goods. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this worthy cause. M I S S I O N NEWS I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30 D E A C O N S NEWS The August meeting was very educational and spiritual with the Deacons receiving Communion Serving Training from Pastor Judy. In teams of two, the deacons and elders, with or without the pastor, are being trained to take communion to congregational members who are not able to attend the church on Communion Sunday because of illness or hospitalization. The deacons will be contacting home bound members to see if they are interested, and if any of you want to be included, please contact the church office. On Rally Sunday, September 11th, the Deacons will host a meal after the worship service. Grilled meat and drinks will be provided. All are welcome to join in the fellowship. Hope to see you! GAME DAY September 12 9:30 am Fellowship Hall 7

8 August Session Highlights: The session voted to extend the contract between SFPC and Pastor Judith Landt thru the end of A new contract has been signed by both parties. Join Us for RALLY DAY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 On the first Sunday after Labor Day we celebrate Rally Day, which focuses on getting the whole family together to kick off our Fall schedule of learning about God and His word. Adult education will begin September 11 at 9:00 am. Children s Sunday School will start the following Sunday, September 18. A class for First grade and up will be held at 9:00 am. We invite EVERYONE to join us for worship at 10:00 am, and afterwards in the Fellowship Hall for a picnic. We will have hot dogs and hamburgers and all the condiments, potato salad and coleslaw, ice cream and all the fixings, and coffee and punch. This is an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the ministries of SFPC, for the adults to get acquainted with some old friends, or make some new ones after the summer break, and for the children and parents to get to know the teachers and leaders who are making so many great things happen. 8

9 HEAR GOD S CALL Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women is in need of volunteers! We have the following opportunities: crisis line advocates, support group facilitators, child care volunteers and safe home providers. All of our volunteers are important in helping our organization serve the community! Free volunteer training begins on September 10th. For more information, please call Alex at Just as our bodies have many parts that work together, First Presbyterian has many tasks that need to be done. Soon our Church Officers Nomination Committee will be in prayer and conversation to nominate people for positions such as Elders and Deacons. Please join them in those prayers and listen for an answer. Be assured that if you are asked to consider a nomination, God has likely put your name in the minds of committee members. Needing to be elected at the 2017 Congregational Meeting: ELDERS One (1) elder, one year term to fill the vacancy by the passing of Ken Oliverson - Class of 2017 One (1) elder, two year term Class of 2018 Three (3) elders, three year term Class of 2019 DEACONS Three (3) deacons, three year term Class of 2019 NOMINATING COMMITTEE Three (3) members for At-Large members selected from the congregation at the 2017 Annual Congregational Meeting. The Church Officers Nomination Committee for 2016 consists of the following: JoAnn Kruger - Session Representative, Chairperson Becky Kelso - Deacon Representative Sundays... WORSHIP 10:00am Coffee Fellowship Carol Balvance - Congregation member at large Phil Rudell - Congregation member at large If you, as members of the church, have any suggestions for officers, please contact a member of the Church Officers Nominating Committee as listed above. JoAnn Kruger, Chairperson 9

10 A Word from our Transitional Executive Presbyter By Jeff Japinga Older, but can we be doing better... continued on next page... 10

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12 Closing Thoughts "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34 NIV Dear Members and Friends of Shakopee First Presbyterian Church: I am so pleased to let you know that the Session voted in August to extend my contract through the end of I am now officially your transitional pastor for that period, and I am delighted to be a part of your warm and welcoming church community. I have already had the opportunity to get to know many of you, and have given a good deal of thought to the best way for us to use our time together. As I see it, there are at least three important questions related to the church s past, present, and future that would be September 18 helpful to address during this time. They are: 1) Are there obstacles from September 25 the past that are barriers to our church moving forward at this time? 2) How October 2 are we gifted for ministry, and how do our gifts fit with current needs in our community and beyond? And 3) Who do we see ourselves becoming and where do we see ourselves going? These are not necessarily the only important questions; I am sure you can think of others. But they are a very good place to begin. In order to facilitate conversation, on September 18, September 25 and October 2, I will be preaching on Biblical texts that relate to these topics. Following worship on those days, during coffee hour, I will distribute some questions for group discussion. I will also ask one person at each table to record their table s responses to the questions so that information gathered can be distributed and shared with everyone. CONGREGATIONAL CONVERSATION INTERIM TOPICS This process will only be as good as your participation in it, and the more people participate, the better the process will be and the more we will learn from it. So please mark your calendars for those days, make a special effort to be present in worship and to stay for the discussion afterwards. Please plan to use this opportunity to share your thoughts, hopes and dreams for the church with your brothers and sisters in Christ, so we can all learn and grow together. If you have any questions, please call me or me. You can always reach me on my cell phone, , or at judy.landt@icloud.com. I am at the church Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon to 2 pm, or at other times by appointment. Thanks in advance for your participation! Yours in Christ, Pastor Judy 12