Pilgrim s Progress. December 2015 Issue

Transcription

1 Pilgrim s Progress December 2015 Issue The purpose of this church shall be to bind together followers of Jesus Christ, for the object of sharing in the worship of God and in seeking His will for our lives, especially as that will is set forth in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Page 1 Pastor s Message December Sermons SOS Page 2 Birthdays & Anniversaries Youth Group Nooma Page 3 Moderator s Corner Adopt a Family Church Women United Meeting Giving Thanks Page 4 UCW December Meeting Annual Cookie/Candy Walk Circle of Friends SOS Thank you Book Excerpt (From Congregational History) Prayers for Members Page 5 Calendar Church Contact Info: FCC 312 W. Main St. Marshalltown, IA pastor@fccmarshalltown.org secretary@fccmarshalltown.org treasurer@fccmarshalltown.org Pastor s Christmas Message Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!' The greatest day of hope for the year is Christmas Day, the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the marvelous event of God, the Creator, actually joining the human race and entering into Creation itself. Significantly, this day comes when winter has set in, and while snow in the tress and on the fields is beautiful; snow on the sidewalks and streets is messy and potentially dangerous. Cold has set in, and people who have trouble paying heating bills struggle. Everyone is also aware that Christmas can be painful for people who have lost loved ones, and in Christmas they see the years stretch out before them without that loved one by their side. Isaiah prophesied at the eve of impending tragedy, when the nation of Israel was about to fall, and few, if any, of that generation would see their homeland again. In that context of loneliness and suffering, he spoke of the restoration of the Promised Land, and how God can do anything. The Apostle Paul quoted this same verse regarding the power of the Gospel. For Christians, the Promised Land is symbolic of the promises of God, and restoration can involve those promises in our lives. For those who find that there is no joy, no presence of the Holy Spirit, no answer to any prayer, then may this season be a time the promise of God always being near is restored. That is my prayer for everyone this Christmas. Pastor Dan December Sermons Date Sermon Scripture 6 Preparing for Christmas Luke 3: Christmas Pageant 20 Magnifying the Lord Luke 1: Christmas Eve 27 The Father's Business Luke 2:41-52 SOS Saturday, December 12 at 5:00 p.m. is the next Service On Saturday. The subject is the story of Christmas with a new look at the details. Page 1

2 around 5:45pm. We will be done eating around 6:30pm for guardians who would like to pick up your children at pizza ranch, otherwise we will take kids home after supper. Sarah Paustian Dec 2 Sonya Calderon, Mackenzie Fuller, Sharon Greer Dec 3 Jeni Runner Dec 4 John Beaty. Dec 6 Don Bogenrief, Lauren March, Craig Ragland Dec 8 Kristi Cameron Dec 10 Beth Tigges Dec 11 Shauna Banks Dec 12 Jenny Berg Dec 17 Craig Carter Dec 18 Phyllis Wyatt Dec 19 Anita Niehouse Dec 20 Loretta Stubbe Dec 21 Jeb Long Dec 23 Norma Dannen Dec 25 Valois Brintnall Dec 27 Sarah Shirar Dec 28 Zach Woerner Dec 29 Todd Stanley Dec 30 Cindy Shirar Dec 31 December Anniversaries Alan & Sandy Packer 12/02/10 Greg & Barb Ellcey 12/12/60 John & Bobby Olson 12/22/84 Foster Hawkins & Nancy Urbanowski 12/29/89 Al & Stella Storjohann 12/30/45 Lee & Valois Brintnall 11/30/52 YOUTH GROUP HAPPENINGS! Sunday school every Sunday in December for preschool-12th grade at 9:15am beginning in the loft. YOUTH GROUP SCHEDULE Wednesday, Dec. 2nd We will have a special youth activities night. We will go to the Iowa Veterans Home to make crafts and/or play games with some of the residents there. This is for both D.O.G.'s (K-5th grade) and Pilgrim Youth (6-12th grade). Our schedule for the night will be different then our usual youth nights. We are going to IVH on the 4th floor of Malloy Hall, at 4pm, so Shelly will coordinate rides with guardians to get our students to IVH. We will then take everyone to pizza ranch for supper Wednesday, Dec. 9th We will have a makeup Christmas play practice for 1st-12th graders from 6-7:30pm in the sanctuary. We will not have supper this night, only a light snack. Wednesday, Dec. 16th both D.O.G.'s (K-5th grade) and Pilgrim Youth (6-12th grade) will travel around in the church van singing Christmas carols to some of our elderly church members. We will end the night at Joan Carter's house for supper and treats. Same time as usual 6-7:30pm. There will be no Wednesday youth activities, Dec. 23rd or Dec. 30th due to Christmas Break. NAPF/HOPE FUNDRAISING: The NAPF/HOPE group will be fundraising to prepare for our youth conference/mission trip this summer. On Sunday, December 6th we have again been invited to serve concessions for Kimi Kups Dance Konnection Christmas recital at the Coliseum. We get 100% of the proceeds we make selling concessions at the recital. We just have to provide the concessions. So if anyone is able to help us, we need bakers to bake and donate any sort of baked goods such as cookies, brownies, bars, puppy chow, etc. that we can take and sell. They have hundreds of people at this recital so we need LOTS of baked goods to sell. If you are able to do this please contact Shelly Speas and then have the desserts to the church by Sunday, December 6th by 10:30am (before the second church service). Thank you so much for all your help and support! FCC Annual Christmas Pageant: The pageant this year will be on Sunday, December 13th, 2015 at the 10:30 AM service. Practice Dates and Times: December 5th 10 AM - Noon (1st-12th grade ) December 9th 6-7:30PM (1st-12th grade) December 12th 10 AM - Noon (Preschool-12 th Dress Rehearsal) Please help your child/children be at the practices! This will be a wonderful way to start the Christmas season! If you have any questions please contact Shelly Speas: Nooma Nights:Youngish ;) adult Bible Study. Sunday, Dec. 13th at Kristin and Greg Meyer's home beginning at 5pm, with a meal and child care included. Currently studying Christian, It's Not What You Think by Andy Stanley. If you have any questions please contact Shelly Speas ( ) Page 2

3 MODERATOR S CORNER Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because He s given Jesus Christ, His Son Thus, we merge The Message in our hearts.november to December. We progress from Thanksgiving to the gift of God s own Son coming to Earth as one of us to love us, teach us, and to die for us that we might have Eternal life.if we so choose. Jesus came to teach us by His example how to love and care for each other. In everything He did, He showed us how to be compassionate. Compassion is defined as a step beyond sympathy not just a feeling of sorrow but the feeling plus the desire and actions to help with the problem that is causing angst or worse. Georgia and I heard a message a few weeks ago that suggested that Jesus compassion stemmed from recognizing His children had empty hearts. He did not expect the unsaved to act as those who held Him in their hearts. Jesus was relentless in showing His compassion for each person. He showed understanding for each person s actions. He loved the unlovable. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He brought Rivers of Living Water to a world bent on destroying itself. He treated EVERYONE as worthy.. And now may the weak say, I am strong. May the poor say, I am rich, Because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks! Dear Lord, We praise you and thank you for this day just as it is even with all its trouble and strife. Each day teaches us more about depending on You. Each disaster reminds us of our needs that only You can supply. Only You can heal our broken hearts and diseased bodies. Only You can reveal the joy and love You have embedded in each troubled day. Only You can show us the way to peace amidst the turmoil. May our hunger to receive more of You in our hearts increase with each breath we take. May each action on our agenda planned or unplanned reflect what You have taught us through your Word and deed. May being compassionate link us to all those in our daily walk. All that you did when you were here, you still do today. Remind us that we collectively and individually make a difference for You in the life of each person we encounter. We also teach by example. May our example be what You want. Thank you for this season during which we celebrate your gift of Jesus. First Congregational Church has many ways to share your message. Thank you for each opportunity. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Julianne Paustian Adopt-a- Family Christmas Angel Tree Mission and Benevolence committee wants to thank the congregation for the generous donations and willingness to help spread the love of Christ to the world and our community. After Thanksgiving, your generosity and participation is once again needed to help those impoverished families in our own community. Working with the House of Compassion, FCC has agreed to sponsor families (20 people) seeking help during the Christmas season. In the past we have decorated Christmas trees with gift tags that gave specific items requested by the families or individual. This year the House of Compassion has a change of policy concerning gifts to families who are experiencing financial difficulties. Families signing up for the program must meet a financial guideline of 150% of the federal poverty level. Each year there have been about 1/3 of those who sign up who do not get adopted. This year approximately 98 families and individuals signed up to be chosen for the Adopt-A-Family Program. In order to reach and serve more people, the House of Compassion determined that those who participate in the program will not buy gifts for the adults. Only persons who are in the household at least nine months of the year are included in the family. This year families have a choice of either receiving a personal/household box OR a food box and a $20 gift certificate to the place of their choosing. Each child through high school will receive 3 gifts. Our church will also be including a Bible for each family. As the Mission and Benevolence committee has done in the past, tags with the specific request, will be hung on the Christmas trees in the fellowship hall. We are hoping to have the decorated trees up and ready for you to select your tags by November 29 th. Please have your gifts wrapped and with the tag on the package to the church before the 18 th of December. Gifts can be left under the trees in the fellowship hall. The Mission and Benevolence committee is most thankful for your generosity and participation in our mission projects throughout each year. You are a blessing! Church Women United will have their December meeting on the 4 St. Henry s Church featuring the MHS Carolers with Amy Ose conducting. All FCC women are invited and encouraged to attend. On behalf of the Congregation, I thank all who made our Harvest Dinner a success. Planning, preparing, and cleaning up a feast for over 100 grateful, joyful, hungry pilgrims requires a dedicated team. That is exactly the scene from start to finish for this traditional event held November 22, 2015 at First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa. Fellowship in the name of Jesus is unequaled anywhere. Thank you one and all. Julianne Paustian Page 3

4 UNITED CIRCLE OF WOMEN A fellowship of Christian women being faithful in word and deed to our church and community. Thursday, December Noon Program: EXALTATION! A Christmas Program Hostesses: Judy Gaynor, Lenora Brown, Lynn Hall After the program and brief meeting, UCW will complete a quick project that we will be delivering to our members in care facilities. Tis the season for giving! REMINDER: UCW does NOT meet in January. ANNUAL COOKIE/CANDY WALK CALLING all bakers and candy makers...men & women alike: WE need you! On December 13th the United Circle of Women's group will have our Annual Cookie/Candy Walk following the Children's Christmas Program and luncheon. You don t need to be a member of UCW to donate baked goods. You may bring your baked goodies on Saturday, December 12 th (drop-off time to be determined) OR by 10:30 a.m. Sunday December 13 th. Then bring your sweet tooth and shop at the bake sale! All proceeds will go towards NAPF scholarships for our FCC youth. So that we know we have enough baked goods to have a sale, please contact Julianne Packer or the church office with your intent to donate your baked items. December Meeting Date: December 2 Time: 6:00pm Hosts: Bill & Lynn Maas Program: EXALTATION! Christmas sacred songs, solos and a sing-along! A meal will be served, please bring a salad or covered dish to share. Service on Saturday The next service will be on December 12th at 5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Many thanks to Jeanne Vellinga for taking over the décor in the South & North entrances. She has provided us with some new and attractive arrangements. Marian Gerdes Honoring the Puritan and Pilgrim Legacy Peggy Bendroth's new book The Last Puritans: Mainline Protestants and the Power of the Past is not a story about Thanksgiving. But the declaration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, one of Abraham Lincoln's last acts as president, came at a striking moment for Congregationalists. Like the rest of the country they were struggling with some big existential questions as the Civil War wound to its conclusion. In their case the problem was history, and whether their storied New England past would be a help or a hindrance as they contemplated their future. Congregationalists met in Boston in 1865, the first truly national gathering since the Cambridge Synod of 1648, determined to refit the old Congregational Way for new times and new challenges. Did being a Congregationalist mean believing a certain set of doctrines maybe even Calvinism or was the bottom line the independence of local churches? Which would best honor the Puritans? The historical context of the Civil War and the Thanksgiving holiday made these question all the more urgent for those considering the Puritan legacy at the national council in Bendroth writes, "The delegates did not just invoke the Pilgrims, they identified with them, having just 'emerged from the stormy deeps of a civil war' to find themselves 'standing on the verge of a vast and mysterious continent of the future.' We do to this day, they said, 'lift the psalm of thanksgiving where our fathers lifted it, mingling, as did theirs with the oar of the Atlantic surge to Him that sitteth King and Lord for evermore.'" Without a doubt that Pilgrim and Puritan legacy brought Congregationalists into the center of the national mainstream. Suddenly, everyone gave thanks with a feast, and the image of a buckle-hatted pilgrim could be found hawking bread and gelatin. Puritans were everywhere. Thanksgiving made all Americans feel connected to the Puritans, and in a way, the story of Thanksgiving was elevated beyond any single denomination. Would Congregationalists keep their own story alive in the midst of all that celebration? Did the holiday have special meaning for them? And how would they honor the past while keeping their eyes on the future? Pick up Peggy's book to read the whole story. (This info taken from the History Matters Congregational History & Archives November 2015) Please keep our Members in Care Facilities in your thoughts & prayers: Al & Stella Storjohann, Esther Riley, Pattye Morrison, Don & Connie Lyman, JoAnne Ainley, Betty Runner, Jan More, Melba Simmons, Loretta Stubbe, Beth Tigges, Mary Vellinga, Lavonne Rook, Dr. Rachel Mason, Lucy Grossman, Dr. John Garland. Page 4

5 December 2015 FCC CALENDAR OF EVENTS! Sunday Worship services: 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:15 a.m. SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY When inclement weather occurs, please refer to the following radio stations for announcement of cancellation of our worship services: KDAO 1190 am or 99.5 fm KIX fm KFJB 1230 am Church Offices Hours: Monday Friday 9 a.m. Noon Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 6 Communion 9:15am NAPF/Hope fundraiser 13 9:15am 5pm Greg Meyer home Christmas Pageant 20 9:15am December 7th 7 House of Compassion Prepare supper Help welcomed! contact: Liz Meyer :30 pm BCE mtg Emergency Food Box 8am-5pm Fellowship Hall 1 8 5:30pm Ben & Missions 15 6:30pm Deacons pm Circle of Friends 4pm PY&DOGS (IVH craft/game night; 5:45 pizza ranch end time 6:30) 9 6:30 Trustees 6pm:7:30 1 st -12 th Cmas Pageant Practice-no meal/snack only 16 6pm PY&DOGS (Caroling & Treats) 23 No PY or DOGS- Christmas Break 3 7pm Visioning Committee 10 noon-ucw meets Svcs 5pm & 11pm am-Cmas Pageant practice grades noon Stamp Club Christ is born to us. 12 Service on Saturday 10am-Cmas Pageant practice grades preschool-12 dress rehearsal am MOW@MMSC Vol: Wagars 27 9:15am 1 st day of winter No PY or DOGS- Christmas Break f Church offices closed 31 color code: youth events church meetings special events Community Events Church offices closed today and January 1 st. Page 5

6 First Congregational Church 312 W. Main St. Marshalltown, IA Address Service Requested -