January First Presbyterian Church. Racine, Wisconsin Music, mission, ministry Where tradition meets today s world!

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1 FIRSTNEWS MONTHLY First Presbyterian Church 2013 Racine, Wisconsin January 2012 Music, mission, ministry Where tradition meets today s world! Dear Friends, If you re like me these days, you may be wondering where the summer has gone. Yes, it s true, August is just getting started, but the time has flown and before we know it, another school year will be upon us. As we look to the fall and Rally Day on Sunday, September 8, it s exciting to anticipate another wonderful year of Sunday School for our children, youth, and adults! Many of you know that this coming school year brings a change for us as a congregation, as Nikki Blanks, our Director of Youth and Children s Ministries, is headed back to full-time student life at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. This is an exciting time in Nikki s life, so naturally we re excited for her and all that the year will bring in her studies, and we hope you ll attend the worship service August 11 as we bless Nikki for her seminary journey. What does this change mean for us? The Session has a plan that will provide continued full-time oversight for our Christian Education programs. We have posted the Youth and Children s Ministries position in various places and are actively searching for an individual who can continue to grow our ministries with children, youth, and families. We have several strong resumes already! Depending on scheduling and availability, this new person could come on staff full-time, or perhaps part-time to share the position with Nikki if sharing it is feasible. At this early stage, the Personnel Committee, Session, and I remain open to a range of possibilities as they emerge. Please hold this process in prayer as we look forward to another great Sunday School year! Thank you to all of you who treasure the children and youth of this church. Sunday School teachers, VBS volunteers, mission trip chaperones, mentors, loving grandparents and friends together you make First Presbyterian a welcoming place for our young people! Peace, Nikki is Going to Seminary! Join us for worship on Sunday, August 11 and bless Nikki Blanks as she prepares to begin her studies at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago this fall. We ll pray for and commission Nikki during worship and celebrate her during a reception to follow in Ihrman Hall.

2 The Wednesday noon Bible Study will not take place in August. See you in September! 2013 Edition; Volume 8 ORGANIZED IN 1839 MUSIC, MISSION, MINISTRY... WHERE TRADITION MEETS TODAY S WORLD Christian Education News 716 COLLEGE AVENUE RACINE, WI VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! It s time for an exciting week of VBS, a time for making new friends, learning, worshipping God, and having a ton of fun! This year s VBS curriculum is called Backstage with the Bible, and it has a concert theme with great music, entertaining skits, fun crafts, exciting games, and much more! VBS will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Monday, August 5 th Friday, August 9 th from 9:00 a.m. to11:30 a.m. If you haven t registered your child yet, you can still register on Monday morning! See the back cover of this newsletter for a form. Don t miss out on the fun! EVENING BIBLE STUDY We re pleased to announce that there is now evening Bible study every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the chapel! We ll begin our study by looking at key stories in the book of Exodus, and move to other books from there. Hope to see you! Pastor Ben Johnston-Krase Visitation Pastor Steven C. Fringer Director of Children and Youth Ministries Nikki Blanks Organist Gerald E. Buck Choir Director Alejandro Alumbreros Music Leader Mark Paffrath Handbell Choir Director Nancy Buck Office Administrator Julie Nondorf Financial Secretary Doris Deschler Deborah CIRCLE Sexton Leneen Schrieffer FirstPresRacine@wi.rr.com Deborah Circle will meet on Monday, August 5, at the home of Lissy Blandford, 8 Steeplechase Drive, for a Potluck Picnic/ Pool Party beginning at 5:30 p.m. Come and enjoy a relaxing time in or around the pool, and the gracious hospitality of the Blandfords! This party will be held, rain or shine. Hope to see you there! Web site: Pastor s blog: SayingGraces.com PLEASE RECYCLE

3 Toward the end of August/ beginning of September, we usually have a special blessing on those of our members who are going off, whether to work or school. This year, we ll include what we hope will become a tradition for years to come: an annual book bag blessing! Children and young adults of all grades and levels of study will be invited to come forward during service and be blessed and prayed for as they return to or begin their academic endeavors. At the same time, we will be collecting addresses like to update the Adopt-a-College-Student/ Adopt-a-Military-Person ministry by gathering names of our college-bound students and military persons. We re also looking for volunteers who ll pledge to contact their military/ college pal often with cards, notes, and of course, prayer. If you d like to take part in this wonderful and rewarding ministry whether as recipient or sender please contact Marlene Wilson at FINANCIAL and STEWARDSHIP UPDATE Financially we are half way through the year already. This June was very similar to last June financially for us. In June our income was $25,728 compared to income of $19,346 from last June. Year-to-date income is now $175,039 this year compared to $154,700 last year (difference is +$20,339 or +13.1%). We continue to track right on our budgeted income based on last year s pace! Costs in June were also on budget. Costs were $32,822 resulting in a net loss of ($7,094) for the month. Last June we had costs of $27,242 for a slightly larger net loss of ($7,896). Year-to-date costs are now $186,213 for a net loss of ($11,173). At this point last year we had costs of $164,124 with a net loss of ($9,423). Costs are up this year primarily due to planned payroll increases and maintenance costs. June s Angels of the Month are Dave and Ginny Holle! (No, I did not nominate my parents; they earned this on their own). Dave and Ginny have contributed to the church in many ways. They have demonstrated leadership through their involvement in numerous activities and functions. Finance, event coordination, Perk-n-Pour management, leading the history project, and teaching Sunday school are their primary contributions, but not their only ones. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything you do for our church! And thank you for your nominations. If you have a nominee(s) for Angel of the Month, please the information to angelofthemonth@ymail.com, or complete a nomination form that can be found in Ihrman Hall or the office, or let Julie Nondorf or me know. Angels Dave & Ginny Holle Ed Holle Treasurer

4 SENIOR GEMS NOT JUST FOR GIRLS! This month, the Senior Gems are having a picnic. We ll be roasting hot dogs and playing outdoor games at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, August 13th. We ll meet at Mary Johnson s home at 523 Thirteenth Avenue in Kenosha. Mary s home is right across from the Kenosha Country Club. Go south on Lathrop to get there. Once you cross the county line into Kenosha, Lathrop turns into Thirteenth. This will be a pot-luck, so please contact Leah Fisher ( ) in advance about what you d like to bring so we have a nice variety. Men, couples, and newcomers are welcome! Parish Nurse Notes Living as the Sandwich Generation Caring for children and aging parents can be a profound blessing and also very difficult. As we are blessed with longer life, many of us also live with more chronic health problems, associated disability, and difficulties in providing for our own daily needs. God s word calls us to honor our parents and help in providing for their needs. At the same time, the needs of our spouse and children also call out to us. God s word encourages us to care for, nurture and discipline our children out of love for them. Currently in the United States, around 40% of new marriages end in divorce. The average child watches four hours of TV every day, and many of them are exposed to situations not consistent with our faith. Many families are able to spend very little time in quality communication or in doing things together. With all this, how can we live our family commitments in a God-pleasing way? Here are a few thoughts: Be confident and hopeful in God s promises to walk with you and not send more than you can you carry. Listen to family and friends. They often see signs of stress before you do. Involve others in care. Others are ready to help, especially if you are specific about letting them know what would be helpful. It will enrich life for you and them! Delegate! This is an art form. You can do more but only if you don t do it all. Take some personal time for yourself every day take care of yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. Consider taking part in a support group or find someone to form one with you if none is available. I hope you are able to share some valuable family time yet this summer and wish God s blessings to you! Peggy Taylor, R.N. Your Parish Nurse

5 William and Carol Christensen August 1, years Jason and Jessica Smith August 3, years Aliya and Nick Pitts August 4, years Gerald and Nancy Ritter August 5, years David and Gayle Titus August 6, years Ben and Catherine Neal August 10, years Erik and Carla Stirle August 11, years William and Elisabeth Blandford August 18, years Nathan and Brooke Eisner August 20, years Tim and Kira Lafond August 20, years Garvin and Linda Shankster August 20, years Brooke and David DeLao August 22, years Oliver and Sandra Hopkins August 22, years Ken and Sue Schacht August 24, years Eric and Debora Sorensen August 24, years Mearl and Kay Mahl August 27, years Jacob and Johanna Warren August 29, years Gary and Lisa Sondergaard August 30, years Douglas and Maynonne Ford August 31, years August Babies! Katherine Kazanecki August 1 Evelyn Covell August 2 Zachary Higgs August 3 Stefanie Meiri Samantha Rogers Janna Smith Michael Griffith August 4 Bruce Armstrong August 5 Georgia Hall Steven Fringer August 6 Zachary Willing Melissa Kobs August 8 Linden Schulz Aubree Savage August 9 Betty K. Hansen August 10 Katlyn Potts Cody LaMarr August 12 Heidi Lawrence August 13 Darrell Paccagnella August 18 Annette Anderson August 19 Tom Braun August 20 Mary Lee Theodore Leavell August 21 Stephen Simpson Elise Stevenson Moreau McCaughey August 22 Michael Pirtle Barbara Rowe Malea Marie Pina August 25 Sarah Pina August 26 Marcia Rosenmarkel Kristine Schulz Carla Stirle Isabella Matson August 27 Evelyn Vanderheyden August 27 Mark Willing Lawrence Eastman August 28 Shane Ervin Mary Johnson Donovan Stevenson August 31 Feliz cumpleaños! Joyeux anniversaire! Alles gute zum geburtstag!

6 C h a p e l a r t n e w s Your Member Updates. Please submit your PHOTOS and NEWS whether a change of address/ phone/ , a new job, baby or grandbaby, a baptism, death, wedding, etc. to Julie at FirstPresRacine@wi.rr.com or by phone at Submissions for the September newsletter must be turned in by August 19th. Thanks! Our July artists reception was a huge success! Our current Chapel Art Show, Hot Stuff, has some really great paintings and photographs in it by parishioners and others from the wider community. Visit during coffee hour and enjoy the bursts of color and creativity. Hot Stuff will remain up for viewing until Sunday, September 1st, when we will take it down and make room for our early autumn Art Exhibit. The theme for the new show Happiness Is can include depictions of anything you think happiness is...two kinds of ice cream, a beautiful sunset, a pet or best friend, a kind word. We are especially interested in what our young people, and those young at heart, think Happiness Is... As always, any item that requires hanging should be submitted matted/framed, and equipped with a wire for hanging, clearly identified with contact information, title, medium and if for sale, a sale price or NOT FOR SALE. 10% of any sale price goes to the First Presbyterian Arts fund. Please bring your artwork to the chapel the week of September 1st so we can put up the next show. For questions or more information, please contact Ellen Cardwell, Chapel Arts Coordinator, or ERCardwell@aol.com First pres readers First Pres Readers: Please join us on August 2 at 7:00 pm at Debby Capener s home, 8020 Gina Drive, as we discuss Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. This novel is about an Ethiopian refugee who finds solace in his work in a New York City hospital. He must rely on the two men he thought he trusted least when his past catches up with him. Critics have called it vivid, thrilling and completely absorbing. All men and women are welcome! R E N T A Y O U T H So much to do...so little time? Too heavy, too big, too overwhelming, too high? Help is available! We do yard work, painting, organizing, cleaning, computers and more for a donation to the Summer Youth Mission Trips! Contact Ben Neal for information and appointments. You can beneal@hotmail.com or phone Ben at Thanks!

7 History corner that Needs In the spotlight Do you have photos, newspaper clippings, or other items that may be of interest to those working to compile First Presbyterian Church s 175th anniversary publication? The Church History Committee is currently reviewing items for possible inclusion and would love to hear from you! Please deliver material to the church office or place them in the Office Administrator s box at your earliest convenience. Our committee members, along with the professional writer, will work to select fitting items. Please put materials in an envelope with your name in the upper left hand corner if you want things to be returned to you. Label the envelope Potential Materials for the Church History. Photographs should be labeled with the subjects names, the event and date wherever possible. Different types of submissions (photos, letters, clippings) may be submitted in one envelope. Music & More Nancy & Jerry Ritter would like to share some new contact information. Their new land-line telephone number is Note that just the last four digits have changed. Our deepest sympathies go out to Dr. Bill and Mrs. Dorothy Little, and Barbara Earnest and family on the death of their daughter, and sister, Mary Ellen Little Kammerer. Condolences may be sent to the Littles at: 444 Dena Circle, Racine, WI, or to Royce and Barb Earnest at 5020 Wind Point Rd. Racine, WI Congratulations are in order! Leah Fisher would like to announce the birth of new greatgrandbaby, Alexandra Dembosky. Little Miss A was born on July 3. She weighed 8 pounds and was 22 inches!

8 It s not too late to REGISTER YOUR KIDS FOR VBS! You can complete this form and sign up on site at Covenant Presbyterian, 40 Ohio St., as late as Monday, August 5th. VBS starts at 9!