CHURCH NEWS Volume 2, Issue 3 - March Dear Friends,

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1 Dear Friends, CHURCH NEWS Volume 2, Issue 3 - March 2017 Welcome to March! It s a new month and a chance to start anew. As far as months go, February did not have a lot going for it. Bleak, cold and dingy seem to define the second month of the year. All would be lost perhaps, if not for the 14 th of the month. Valentines! A day that seems to be all about the heart of God. A day that shouts the very nature of God! Do you doubt me? Read 1 John 4:7-8. Go ahead, read it. If you are thinking that you already know that scripture and don t need to read it, please stop, take the time, and read it anew. Read it with a new appreciation for the character of God. God is love. What a great day! What a great God! God s love for us is more than just descriptive, it is creative, directing, and empowering. In love God created us to fulfill a special calling a special purpose. Do you believe that you were lovingly crafted to uniquely love others in a very special way? Read on But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:4-10). Join me this month of March with a concerted desire and effort to GO love others in the unique way you were created and crafted to love. May we love those both near and far. May we love with prayers, time, money, compassion, smiles, words, touch, letters, and kindness. May we love as we were woven in the womb to love. Because God is love. Your Pastor and Friend, Louis

2 First Presbyterian Church Lent and Easter Worship Schedule 2017 Wednesday, March 1 Ash Wednesday Worship 6:30 PM - Sanctuary Wednesday, March 8 Lenten Mid-Week Service* 12:00 Noon - Chapel Wednesday, March 15 Lenten Mid-Week Service* 12:00 Noon - Chapel Wednesday, March 22 Lenten Mid-Week Service* 12:00 Noon - Chapel Wednesday, March 29 Lenten Mid-Week Service* 12:00 Noon - Chapel Wednesday, April 5 Lenten Mid-Week Service* 12:00 Noon - Chapel Saturday, April 8 Easter Egg Hunt 11:00 AM - Fellowship Junction Sunday, April 9 Palm Sunday Worship 8:45 AM Confirmation - Worship Center 11:00 AM Bach Cantata BWV No. 4 - Chancel Choir - Sanctuary Monday, April 10 Holy Week Worship 6:30 PM - Taize Service - Chapel Tuesday, April 11 Holy Week Worship 6:30 PM - Healing and Wholeness - Chapel Wednesday, April 12 Holy Week Worship All Day - Day of Fasting and Prayer Lenten Mid-Week Service* 12:00 Noon - Chapel Celebration and Breaking of the Fast 5:45 PM - Fellowship Hall Thursday, April 13 Holy Week Worship 6:30 PM - Maundy Thursday Service Friday, April 14 Holy Week Worship 6:30 PM - Good Friday Service Saturday, April 15 Holy Week Worship 6:30 PM - Great Easter Vigil - Chapel Sunday, April 16 Easter Sunday Worship 8:45 and 11 AM *Mid-Week Services are Followed by a Light Lunch in the Welcome Center.

3 MID-WEEK LENTEN SERIES SCHEDULE Throughout the Gospels, Jesus tells his followers or those around him, Do not be afraid. Yet today fear plays an enormous part in our lives. This Lenten season, we will look at the times where Jesus says, Do not be afraid, to discover what fears Jesus is releasing us from today. March 8 Fear of Inadequacy - Luke 5:1-10 Louis Imsande March 15 Fear of Circumstances - Mark 4:35-41 Gary Arner March 22 Fear of Death - Mark 5:35-43 Tim Jones March 29 Fear of the Unexplainable - Matthew 17:1-9 Larry Dodd April 5 Fear of Hell - Luke 12:1-7 Jennifer Jacobs April 12 Fear of Conquest - John 12:12-16 Louis Imsande FPC Sermon Series Begins March 5

4 Joe Rightmeyer SPIRITUAL RENEWAL WEEKEND CONFERENCE LEADER will be speaking Wednesday evening March 8, 6:30 PM. PREACHING March 5 I AM I AM John 8:24-28 March 12 Light of the World I AM John 8:12; 9:5 Concert Saturday, March 11 7:00 PM FPC Sanctuary PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN Thursday, March 16 10:45 AM - Fellowship Hall Join us for Bible study and lunch ($5.00). Reservations needed by March 15 Call the church office, Table Bible Studies and Break-out Sessions for Adults and Children Wednesday Evenings March 19 Good Shepherd I AM John 10:11-14 March 26 True Vine I AM John 15:1-5 In Spirit Birthdays (Consider sending a note or card to our folks who are not physically able to join us but join us in spirit to brighten their day on birthdays, or just because...) None Listed for March

5 GOOD SAMARITAN LUNCH (MELTING POT) MONDAY, MARCH 20 10:30 AM Church Office Bring sandwiches (individually wrapped), bananas and chips. Sign-up sheets for food donation or to help serve are posted outside the church office and the Worship Center. For further information, call Shelby Ingram ( ). I WAS HUNGRY AND YOU FED ME Matthew 25:35 (NLT) How grateful we are to all of you who bring sandwiches, bananas, and chips to be served at the Melting Pot! We truly appreciate and depend on each of you. We thank you for your love of others, your time and energy in preparing the food. God bless all of you! The third Monday of each month people walk through the doors at the Melting Pot at Munsey Memorial in need of one basic necessity food. These are not lazy people; these are people with disabilities, veterans who never get over the effects of war, lost jobs, senior citizens abandoned by families, some with chemical dependence, some from other states who cannot find work, and many more reasons. FPC has been so blessed to have the privilege of helping these less fortunate. However, for the past few months it seems the number of people we are serving has increased, or the number of sandwiches has decreased. We are asking everyone to please consider becoming part of this important mission of our church by contributing sandwiches (needed most), chips or bananas each third Monday of every month. We appreciate any number of sandwiches, no matter how large or small, no matter what kind. You may bring the food on the third Sunday and leave it in the office. If it needs to be refrigerated, there is one available, or bring it to the church on the third Mondays before 10:45 AM. Thank you again, for your kindness, generosity, and time you put into feeding the hungry and making the Melting Pot a success. We can all say, All that I am/by God s Grace All that I do is a response to God s Grace ~Poh Fang Chia - Our Daily Bread May the peace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, abide in you. Shelby Ingram March Calendar 1 Ash Wednesday Worship Service 6:30 p 2 Civic Chorale Rehearsal 7:00 p 3-5 Youth Spring Retreat 8 Mid-week Lenten Service 12:00 p 8 Lenten Lunch 12:30 p 9, 10 Civic Chorale Rehearsal 7:00 p 11 Civic Chorale Concert 7:00 p 12 New Membership Class 10:00 a 15 Mid-week Lenten Service 12:00 p 15 Lenten Lunch 12:30 p 16 Presbyterian Women 10:45 a 19 Miracles Happen Business Mtg 1:00 p 20 Kindergarten 101 9:00 a 20 Good Samaritan Lunch 10:30 22 Mid-week Lenten Service 12:00 p 22 Lenten Lunch 12:30 p 23 Classical Guitar Concert -Palmer 7:30 p 25 Streetside Ministry 11:00 a 27 Garcia -Rehearsal 6:00 p 28 Session Prayer 6:40 p 28 Session Meeting 7:00 p 29 Mid-Week Lenten Service 12:00 p 29 Lenten Lunch 12:30 p Each Week Sunday Praise Team Rehearsal Worship service Chancel Choir Rehearsal Fellowship and Refreshemnts Sunday School Officers' Prayer Time Worship Service 1PSM Games and Devotions Monday Drama Team Chamber Ringers Celebration Ringers Miracles Happen Tuesday Worship Planning Team Staff Meeting LXI Bible Study and Dinner Wednesday Instrumental Ensemble Fellowship Dinner - 1Table Adult Bible Study 1PSM Elevate Children's Programs Chancel Choir Rehearsal Thrusday Sanctuary Reserved Men's Lunch, Bible Study Friday Miracles Happen Saturday Miracles Happen 7:45 a 8:45 a 9:45 a 9:45 a 10:00 a 10:45 a 11:00 a 6:00 p 6:00 p 7:00 p 7:30 p 7:00 p 9:00 a 10:00 a 5:00 p 5:00 p 5:45 p 6:30 p 6:30 p 6:30 p 7:30 p 9:00 a 12:00 p 7:00 p 7:00 p 5

6 CHASING SNAKES BENEFIT RACE AND WALK Chasing Snakes 10K Road Race and 4K Family Walk is coming up March 18th! May the road rise to meet you at this 9th annual festive event to benefit Family Promise of Johnson City and help chase homelessness out of our community. This USATF certified course showcases downtown and Johnson City neighborhoods. The 4K is kid- and dog-friendly. Awards are made by a local potter and include the Leaping Leprechaun award for best St. Patrick s Day costume. See for registration and details. Family Promise of Greater Johnson City (IHN), is a network of churches and community agencies in the Johnson City area which provide support for homeless families with children. FPC is a host church. Legend has it that in the 4th century, Saint Patrick cursed all of the venomous snakes in Ireland and drove them out into the sea where they drowned, never again to return to the isles shore. APPALACHIA SERVICE PROJECT NEW SEASON, NEW HOMES! Looking forward to spring 2017 we are excited for a new season of new homes! ASP's New Build Appalachia program is beginning several local new construction projects over the next couple of months. These homes will be gifts of grace to local families including a family with three children and custody of three grandchildren and another family providing a stable home for nieces and nephews in addition to their own children. If you are willing to share your time and energy to work alongside our staff providing a new season and new homes for these families, we would love to have you serve with us. We are currently scheduling groups and individuals between mid-march and early June. Tasks may include building porches/ramps, installing insulation, interior painting and trim, installing flooring and exterior site work including cleaning, yard work and laying grass seed. Come for a day or multiple days. All materials, tools and supervision will be provided. This opportunity is open to volunteers age 14 and older scheduling Monday through Saturday. For more details and/or to schedule a time to serve with us, please contact Jen Rickert; jrickert@asphome.org or

7 Welcome Spring! This month s Bible verse is For Everything there is a Season Ecclesiastes 3:1 March Preschool Highlights ~Read Across America Day - March 2nd ~St. Patrick s Day - March 17th ~First Day of Spring - March 20th ~All School Story Days - March 23rd & 24th Wondering about the world of Kindergarten? Join us for Kindergarten 101 Monday, March 20th at 9:15AM Mrs. Susan Henry, Kindergarten teacher at Southside Elementary, will give us an inside look! 7

8 FROM OUR MISSIONARIES

9 Strang Mission News February 2017 Dear Friends, In this new year, we humbly greet each of you and want you to know we lift you up in prayer. We pray that God s hand of grace is visible in big and small ways in your walk of life. We have had an eventful past two months and are just resting enough to finally share with you. We have unexpectedly faced health crisis in family and person, but we stand firm on the promise of our great God that the psalmist wrote: "You hem me in behind and before; you lay your hand upon me." Psalm 139:5 Cecily's mother suffered a medical event, was hospitalized, and is no longer able to live independently. Cecily returned to Missouri to provide in-home care while she recovered and decisions about her future care were made. She and her brother have worked with care management, finding a suitable assisted living facility, and getting her mother's belongings distributed and the home ready for sale. Fred Foy suffered a broken foot (after Cecily left) and torn tendon in Kenya and is now getting treatment in the USA. The bone is healing. Surgery will be needed to repair the tendon, but we are currently unsure whether that will be in the near or distant future. After the bone is healed completely and walking is resumed, that decision will be made. The situation with both Cecily's mother and the foot repair are evolving. The Antioch Partners have placed us on a two-month medical leave. If all goes well, we are slated to return to Kenya in late March. In our separation from one another (Cecily in MO and Fred Foy in Kenya and now FL), we have seen God's hand clearly upon us, comforting us in days of sadness or pain, and allowing us to be in the USA at the same time (Cecily has been traveling between her two patients!). We covet your prayers and continued support as we currently care for our family's needs. In Christ, Fred Foy & Cecily Strang 9

10 From Doug & Ruth Baughman in Brazil Dear team, Recently we asked you to pray about a large gathering of Christian indigenous leaders in Brazil, which occurred on October Doug attended the event, and gave this brief update. We asked you to pray for the following: 1. Unity in the midst of the diversity of over 100 different ethnic groups attending. Doug: Forty-six different ethnic groups attended. Certain issues could have caused division and confusion. However, thanks to your prayers we experienced great unity during the event. An estimated 2,700 attended the opening ceremony. 2. Encouragement for Christian indigenous leaders as they listen, learn from each other and worship together. Doug: One indigenous believer, who I know personally from my flying days, said he enjoyed hearing God s Word preached, and was encouraged at having gone to the conference. My sense is that this was the experience of all indigenous believers who attended. Thanks for praying! 3. Transformation in lives of those attending who do not know the Lord. Doug: One indigenous group, where there are very few believers, invited around 20 friends from their village who did not know the Lord. They traveled together to the event by bus (see photo at right). The highlight of the Conference for these friends was when an indigenous group sang evangelical songs in their language, and then invited those attending the conference to come and join them in dancing in their own traditional indigenous way. This is a group where there is a high degree of alcoholism. These friends were so impressed that they could have fun without alcohol! Thanks for praying! It was evident that this gathering had impact on the lives of those attending who are still on their journey of coming to Christ. Continue to pray that the seeds planted during this event will result in many more experiencing the transforming power of the Gospel. 4. Good planning sessions for Doug with key leaders. Doug: It was amazing how many leaders I was able to meet with in such a short time. I felt like I accomplished a year s worth of key discussions in four days. Thanks for praying! 5. So many things can go wrong when hosting a large event like this, so your prayers are needed. Doug: Overall, the logistics went amazingly well. There was an initial shortage of food and an offering needed to be taken. But at the end of the day, there was sufficient food for those who attended and the event was completed without going into debt. Praise the Lord! Thanks for your prayers. 6. May God's name be glorified in this gathering! Doug: The most important thing of all is the glory of God. I m so thankful that this amazing event lifted up the name of Christ and demonstrated the unity that Jesus so passionately prayed for in John 17. Thanks for praying and partnering with us, Doug

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12 First Presbyterian Church 105 South Boone Street Johnson City, Tennessee FPC Johnson City Staff Gary Arner Director of Facilities Abraham Bodkins Contemporary and Youth Music Brenda Brewer Maintenance and Kitchen Laura Champouillon Organist Janice Cunningham Ministry Assistant and Receptionist Linda DeLong Kitchen Manager Larry Dodd Director of Worship Sherry Gaskins Church Business Administrator Louis Imsande Senior Pastor Jennifer Jacobs Director of Children s Ministries Tim Jones Director of Student Ministries Stacy Larsen Director of The River Amy Sentell Director of the Preschool March 2017