Session Digest Stated Meeting - Thursday, May 25, 4:30 pm

Transcription

1 The first Sunday of June is Pentecost Sunday. Please wear red to celebrate God s pouring out of HIS Spirit upon us. This is an important day, for on it we ll recall how Jesus Spirit came upon and into HIS disciples. This day we ll celebrate how it is the gift of The Spirit which empowers us and enables us to be Christ s people today. Pentecost is a great time for us all to examine our relationship to Christ and HIS church. The following comes from section G of the Book of Order. (the second part of our constitution as a Presbyterian Church (USA)) Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is a joy and a privilege. It is also a commitment to participate in Christ s mission. A faithful member bears witness to God s love and grace and promises to be involved responsibly in the ministry of Christ s Church. Such involvement includes: Proclaiming the good news in word and deed, Taking part in the common life and worship of a congregation, Lifting one another up in prayer, mutual concern, and active support, Studying Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life, Supporting the ministry of the church through the giving of money, time, talents, Demonstrating a new quality of life within and through the church, Responding to God s activity in the world through service to others, Living responsibly in the personal, family, vocational, political, cultural, and social relationships of life, Working in the world for peace, justice, freedom, and human fulfillment, Caring for God s creation, Participating in the governing responsibilities of the church, and Reviewing and evaluating regularly the integrity of one s membership, and considering ways in which one s participation in the worship and service of the church may be increased and made more meaningful. Which are you doing really well? Which do you want to work on this summer and the rest of this year? Praise be to God for the gift of HIS Spirit, which empowers us, enables us, to be God s holy people. May we trust in God s Spirit to guide us on our continued journey of life. Beginning Sunday June 11, I ll be helping us take a look back on our past 125 years. We ll do this in worship by looking at different segments of our past. I think it will be revealing as to what our members of the past went through and brought to the church. By looking back at where we have come from, this will help us look at where God is calling us today. As it says in this newsletter hold the date of July 9, as that is when we ll be celebrating our 125 years as a witness to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Plan on joining us that special day. If you know members from the past, don t hesitate to invite them to this special celebration of witness and life. Pastor Dennis

2 Ten of the twelve elders were present. Session Digest Stated Meeting - Thursday, May 25, 4:30 pm Devotional & Opening prayer was focused upon Jesus Ascension and what it means to us today. Pastor Dennis reported on a recent continuing education event he attended in St. Louis; Transitional Ministry. He reported on all the transitions we experience in life, culture and technology. God s word may be the same yet the way it shared has changed. As a part of his report, Pastor Dennis shared a YouTube Ted Talk entitled, Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action. If you wish to view this Ted Talk, you can do so by going to; Pastor Dennis also reported on upcoming vacation time, so he can spend time with the Bowman clan. That s Phyllis side of the family. Vera Harding reported on the most recent presbytery meeting held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Shell Knob, MO. A highlight of the meeting was hearing The Rev. Charles Spenser, Executive of Heartland Presbytery. He spoke on Stewardship as a way of life not just a yearly event. She encourages other elders to attend, so they can experience the larger church at work. Pastor Dennis reported on plans for Training for CPR and disaster situations scheduled for Tuesday, June 6 at 2 to 4 pm at the church. Mostly in the sanctuary but also in the main fellowship hall. Chief Nathan Bowers and other fire personnel will come to lead this training. Mackenzie Winzenried communicated thanks for the church s support of Kids Fun Day. This was the fourth year she has held her Kids Fun Day at the church. Attendance was down because of the weather. She has said she wants to continue this for the rest of her life. Elders approved the installation of curtains in the old fellowship hall to help muffle the heating/ cooling fan sound and help hide the chairs. This will be paid for out of refurbishing monies. The elders approved inviting leadership from the Forsyth Boys and Girls Club to present what they are accomplishing and funds to help support their good work. The elders reviewed the financial reports for April, giving thanks for the continued faithful giving of members. Under Personnel and also Budget and Finance the elders approved increasing the hours for our Administrative Assistance, giving her more time to work on the website and other means of getting the church out before the community. The building and Grounds committee is in the process of reviewing bids on the church s insurance. This is going well and hopefully with save us money in the future or show we have the best insurance for the church. The elders heard a report on the sales of T-Shirts. It is going well. First order has been placed, more can be ordered at any time. Under good points of our meeting, the elders gave thanks for open discussion on different topics. Meeting was adjourned with prayer lead by Pastor Dennis. Tuesday, June 6, 4:00 p.m. Forsyth Fire Chief, Nathan Bower, will be leading this training. We ll cover medical emergency situations, severe weather events and what to do in case of fire. 2

3 Statement does not include end of month income and salaries. Benevolence Fund Report: During May we helped 18 people: 6 with rent, 6 with food/meals, 4 with utilities, and 2 with prescription medications. We also received 4 donations to the fund this month. In addition, we received a generous grant from the Slusher Foundation! Thanks for your wonderful gifts! If you would like to make a donation to the Benevolent Fund, please do so by marking your check special gift - benevolent fund. You can also donate to the fund through our website s PayPal button. It s toward the bottom on the first page. Please mark your gift for the Benevolent Fund. Those who receive our assistance greatly appreciate your gifts! Diabetic Focus Group Our regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 5, at 10:00 AM. This will be a sit & chat type of meeting. Bring any issues or tips for diabetes, or any other chronic illnesses that you may be dealing with, for open discussion. Anyone wanting to bring diabetic treats may do so. See you then if not before! Come and join us and bring a friend or a neighbor! 3

4 Stewardship is often relegated to the fall months of the year as we begin to prepare our budgets for the next year but actually, stewardship is year round. Everything we do has a connection to stewardship. In the summer months, VBS could not be done without the stewardship of time, talents, and treasure. Imagine trying to set up a VBS without any of those things. Another use of stewardship in the summer is camp scholarships. Without generous people and willing children and young adults, camps would not happen. Then there as those churches who have special music during the summer so the choir can take a break. Again, wonderful use of time, talents and treasure. I guess my point is that we should not just talk about stewardship during budget time, but instead mention it all through the year so people can be more aware that stewardship is not just about money, but about being faithful with all our time, talents and treasure. The Rev. Charles Spencer talked to us about stewardship at the May Presbytery meeting and will be doing another presentation on October 21st at Equipping the Saints. I hope everyone gets at least one chance to hear him as he gives us wonderful suggestions as to how we can do stewardship better. Have a wonderful June. Pastor Susan. The Bookies The next meeting of the Bookie Club is scheduled for Thursday, May 4, 2017, at 10:30 AM in the hospitality room. Looking forward to June, our book is Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margo Lee Shetterly. Science and Technology. Daughter of a NASA engineer profiles the black women who worked for NASA, and its predecessor NACA, as human computers. Discusses their lives prior to joining NACA/NASA, the challenges they faced due to gender and race discrimination, and their impact on the space program. Basis for the 2016 movie. Looking forward to July, our book is Simple Gifts by Joanne Greenberg. Family. Humorous novel set in the modern West tells about the Fleuris, a family of poor but engaging misfits, who live on a Colorado ranch. They barely make a living until a government agency persuades them to turn their ranch into a home for visitors that recaptures life as it was for the early homesteaders in Please join us and bring a friend! Saturday, June 3, 4:00 p.m. At the home of Steve & Susan Wood 379 Links Lane, Forsyth Please RSVP to the office, by Thursday, June 1, if you plan to attend! Bring a salad or dessert to share and bring folding lawn chairs, if you have them. See you there! 4

5 Front of shirt Back of shirt (It will also have Forsyth, MO under the Presbyterian symbol.) Cost of the T-shirts are: $10 (50/50) cotton or $ % polyester (For sizes XXL +$2 extra, XXXL +$3 and 4X +$4) Payment needed at the time you place your order. 5

6 Save The Date Sunday July 9, 2017 Immediately following church, in fellowship hall. 125 th Anniversary Celebration of Community Presbyterian Church. More details to come. A Taste Of Heaven Cookbook! We still have plenty of cookbooks left, for yourself or a gift for a friend! The book contains over 600 recipes submitted by members and friends of the church. Cost of the book is a very reasonable $12.50 each. They are available in the hallway next to the offices and in the sanctuary, in the literature rack as you come up the stairs. 6

7 PANTHER PARTNERS MENTOR PROGRAM A child will soon forget the presents you give them, but they ll never forget your presence in their life. Spring is here! And that means it s time to seek volunteers who would like to mentor a first grader at Forsyth Elementary School for this fall! We have found that meeting with the child for 30 minutes a week seems to work best. We ve had fun getting to know our child through games and puzzles (available in the Game Closet in the room where we meet one-on-one with the child), through reading books, or eating lunch with them. WE ARE NOT TUTORS! We currently have 62 mentors from 9 area churches who are enjoying their mentoring experience. Our goal is for our current mentors to continue this fall with the same child who will be advancing to the next grade. Hopefully there will be new volunteers each fall to mentor incoming 1st graders. These are children who can benefit from a long-term, positive role model in their lives. If you have any questions about being a mentor, please call Jeanne Legge at or talk with one of the other mentors to get some feedback about their experiences. Many of us travel during the year but have been able to send postcards to the child while we re gone and share our adventures/pictures with the child upon our return. So, your travel shouldn t be a barrier in being a mentor. Training will be provided to mentors in early September. Please pray about how you can be part of this great opportunity to show God s love for the children of Forsyth and, in turn, have a rewarding experience. If you want to volunteer, or are just curious and need more information, please leave this form in the church office or in the offering plate. 1 Student + 1 Mentor = 2 Lives, Changed Forever Name Phone Address address Will volunteer as a mentor Would like more information 7

8 BIRTHDAYS: 1 Mary Prewitt 2 Vera Hardin 4 Phyllis Winzenried 5 Roy Green, Kathy Weeks 6 Eloise Clark 7 Alexander Merrell 14 Judy Gathman 23 Madelon Kinkade 28 Dave Wright ANNIVERSARIES: 1 John & Bonita Soutee, 4 years 2 Clayton & Margaret Cooper, 52 years 2 Ed & Bonnie Schanda, 53 years 5 Jim & Jean Buchanan, 58 years 14 Ed & Jeanne Legge, 31 years 16 Richard & Pat Hibben, 67 years 23 Len & Ginger Clifford, 61 years 28 Dave & Sue Wright, 42 years 29 Bob & Cheryl Saforek, 32 years Food Pantry Sundays The first Sunday of each month we will have a special offering for Christian Action Ministries Food Pantry. Although food can be donated for this effort, CAM can turn each $1 into $4 to purchase food for the pantry. The total food pantry collection for March was $82! 2017 Per Capita Rate Per capita is an amount of money per member that our congregation pays to our larger Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This annual amount is shared between our local presbytery, regional synod and General Assembly. For 2017, our per capita rate is $35.00 per member. Any contributions toward this amount would be appreciated. Please note your contribution as Per Capita to be sure it s credited correctly. We have received $392 toward Per Capita so far this year. Thank you! Quote of the month: Believe you can and you are halfway there. --Theodore Roosevelt I wish to thank all who sent cards, brought food, or called me after my recent surprise appendectomy. A very special thank you to Linda Reynolds who took me the ER at midnight and stayed with me through my surgery. These last 6 months have shown what having a church family can do for you, physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually. I am so blessed to a part of the family. God bless each and everyone of you, Juanita Elders Copyright 2015 HarperCollins Christian Publishing. 8

9 Ushers/Greeters CJ Gailey Wayne Gailey Kathy Weeks Cindy Werner Liturgist Edd Riley Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Every Sunday: Sunday School 9:00 am Worship* 10:30 4 CAM Food Pantry Sunday Diabetic Focus Group Yoga 5:45 pm Yoga 5:45 pm 6 Emergency Training 4:00 pm 13 Exercise Chamber Lunch 11:30 am Yoga 5:30 pm 20 7 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Choir 7:00 pm 14 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Calico Cutups 10:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm 21 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast 1 The Bookies 10:30 am Bar Assoc Lunch 11:30 am 8 15 Session Meeting 4:30 pm 22 2 Care Center Birthday Party 2:30 pm Church BBQ 4:00 pm Forsyth Sr. Ctr. Breakfast Yoga 5:45 pm Yoga 5:45 pm Yoga 5:30 pm 27 Yoga 5:30 pm Choir 7:00 pm 28 Wmn s Breakfast Men s Breakfast Choir 7:00 pm *If you would like a copy of Sunday s service, a CD can be made available to you. Please contact the church office for more information. 9

10 COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH P.O. Box 486 Forsyth, MO Community Presbyterian Church C O M M U N I T Y P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H PO Box Main Street Forsyth, Missouri (417) Dennis Winzenried, Pastor Website: compresby@centurytel.net Staff Members Pastor...Dennis D. Winzenried Secretary...Denise Carr Choir Director.Arliss Stillings Organist.Linda Stillings Custodian....Gala Vrionis Sunday School Sunday Worship Service 9:00 am 10:30 am 10