Pilgrim s Progress. APRIL 2012 Issue

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1 Pilgrim s Progress APRIL 2012 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 Page 2 Our Soldier in Afghanistan Members in Care Facilities Stats Corner EFB Birthdays Anniversary Page 3 Upcoming FCC Page 4 Youth Director Page Page 5 Church Calendar Page 6 Contact Info I have recently rediscovered the Letters of Flannery O Conner. In perhaps her most famous work, The Habit of Being, Ms. O Conner describes being as seeing the world in the light of faith. She would say one doesn t join the church one becomes part of the church. For behold, the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you. Luke 17:21 We have been studying/discussing spiritual disciplines this Lenten season to encourage healthy spiritual hearts. We look at things like regular prayer time with God and Bible study. Many of Flannery O Conner s writings dealt with moral decay of society. Look at the following quote from An Unbelieving Age: The moral sense has been bred out of certain sections of the population like the wings which have been bred off certain chickens to produce more white meat. This makes for a generation of wingless chickens, which I suppose is what Nietzsche meant when he said God was dead. I wonder if even now does a lack of true spiritual discipline allow my spiritual heart to harden, making it unusable, like a wingless chicken. I truly hope that is not the case. The point is this, we should constantly gauge our relationship with God and each other and be willing to change as needed according to God s Grace. As always, keep me in your prayers and I ll do the same and may the Lord bless you and keep your heart strong this Easter season. Sincerely Yours and His In Christ, Pastor Barry Page 1

2 Please pray for our soldier that is serving in Afghanistan: Shawn Wimberly CPL Wimberly Shawn W. 2nd MLG FWD HQ SVC CO. H & S COMPANY EPT UNIT FPO AE Please keep our members in care facilities in your thoughts and prayers: Helen Berg, Woody Shives, Pattye Morrison, Esther Riley, Delores Bavender, Don & Connie Lyman, Ginny Southard, Merle & Jo Anne Ainley Note from Emergency Food Box With each passing month, we see an increase in the number of families needing help throughout all of Marshall County, your offerings of food and/or cash donations help us meet these needs. Currently, the items that we are most in need of are pork & beans, tuna, soups, mac & cheese, corn, green beans, peanut butter. If you would prefer to give a monetary donation, you may send a check or cash at any time. Make checks payable to: Emergency Food Box. These funds are used to buy needed items locally and to pay handling charges for items we are able to get from the Food Bank of Iowa. Again, thank you for your past contributions. Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated. Page 2 Trisha Gill April 1 Max Dannen April 3 Joy Kreykes April 4 Sam Good April 8 Foster Hawkins April 8 Vicki McKibbin April 9 Leah Stanley April 10 Piper Harlan April 11 Branden Storjohann April 12 Ashley Miller April 15 Lisa Blabaum April 16 Bill Grabe April 16 Susan Malloy April 16 Sam Speas April 17 Liz Meyer April 18 Linda McGregor April 19 Don Mackaman April 20 Sara Schwab April 20 Katie Paustian April 21 Shelly Speas April 21 Thomas Stanley April 23 Kirk Shirar April 25 Ken Niehouse April 26 Britta Adams April 27 Ron Estabrook April 27 Ryker Shields April 27 Drew Carson April 28 Adam Swope April 28 Joanne Berg April 29 Allison Reeder April 29 Liz Schryver April 29 Clarence Balcom April 29 The Chancel Choir wishes to thank Tom and Jane Adams for their generous donation which enabled 20 new choir folders to be purchased!!! Willis & Jane Fiscus April 2, 1955 Barry & Cheryl Holmes April 4, 1998 Gus & Bonnie Pappas April 7, 1977 Troy & LaRae McGahuey April 9, 1988 Elliott & Carol Stanley April 11, 1959 Dwayne & Maxie Shultz April 12, 1967 Bill & Lynn Maas April 13, 1996 Eric & Nickie Weeden April 18, 2004 Communion for People with Gluten Intolerance If you are gluten intolerant you cannot safely receive communion using ordinary bread. To enable you to participate fully in this important Christian rite, gluten-free bread will henceforth be available for communion. Please request it from any usher before you enter the sanctuary. GO (there's that word again!) ye to the sign-up sheet and volunteer to bring and/or serve snacks for Fellowship Time. Monetary donations will be accepted in lieu of providing food. Anyone who would like to only serve is welcomed also. All help is appreciated! Please contact the church office to volunteer. Thank you from the Hospitality Committee

3 April 1 Waving of the Palms during 10:30 a.m. worship service by youth of FCC. One remaining Lenten Prayer Breakfast. It is here at First Congregational Church, Wednesday, April 4 th. FCC s Cum Double is sponsoring the breakfast with Don Benbow serving as chair. Event starts at 6:30 a.m. and ends approximately 7:15 a.m. Theme this year is What Does God s Resurrection Mean to Me? Youth Easter Caroling Wednesday, April 4 see Youth Director s page for details. CUM DOUBLE Bring something (NICE) to donate. Hosts: Jim Clark & Claudia Koch, Barry & Cheryl Holmes and Joan Carter. Cum Double President Ray Gerdes April 5 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday is the day that Christ celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, four days after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Only hours after the Last Supper, Judas would betray Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, setting the stage for Christ's Crucifixion on Good Friday. This feast, however, is more than just the lead-in to Good Friday; it is, in fact, the oldest of the celebrations of Holy Week. During the Last Supper, Christ blessed the bread and wine with the very words that are used today to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ during the worship service "Do this in remembrance of Me." Near the end of the Last Supper, after Judas had departed, Christ said to His disciples, "A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." The Latin word for "commandment," mandatum became the source for the name for Holy Thursday: Maundy Thursday. Easter Sunday April 8 8 a.m. Chapel Service 10:30 a.m. Worship Service Amity Thursday, April 12 noon Hostesses: Jeanie Burt Anita Niehouse Susan Malloy Hostesses: Liz Meyer Lenora Brown Judy Gaynor Page 3

4 YOUTH DIRECTOR PAGE contact info for Shelly Speas: Nooma Nites: Sunday,April 1 st, 5:30 Meyer's home This is a group for young adults to come together for fellowship and Bible Study time. We meet the 1 st Sunday of the month, and we potluck and create a meal for us to share. There is no cost to join! There is also a babysitter that comes to take care of the kids during the Bible Study. If you have any questions please contact Kristin Meyer: or Shelly Speas. April 1 st Palm Sunday. Please bring your children, big and small, to our 10:30am worship service and they will celebrate the arrival of Jesus entering Jerusalem by waving the traditional palm leaves through our sanctuary. April 4 th We are going Easter Caroling! Time TBA we are going to spend time together during the school break going to the homes of some of our church members and nursing homes and spreading the celebration of our Easter season! Kids of all ages, and adults who want to join us, are welcome to come! Contact Shelly Speas for details. April 4 th 6-12th grade youth group, Dinner and a Movie church! Contact Shelly Speas for details. April 14 & grade invited to Spring First Congregational Church in Elkader, IA. Please contact Shelly for a Registration form and details. April 11, 18, grade youth group! April 21 st 6-12 grade Youth Group going to Planet X in Cedar Rapids, IA. We are joining other youth in Marshalltown for a laser tag tournament and enjoying games and pizza together. April 11 & 25 D.O.G. s (Depend on God) group, K-5th grade! And a word of Thanks and Appreciation from NAPF/HOPE group! We sincerely can't thank everyone enough for your overwhelming support financially, spiritually, and physically. Thank you for all the work that everyone put in to make our last two fundraisers so successful! Our Butterbraid sales made us almost $700 and our Spaghetti Dinner the same around $700! What an amazing gift, used for such an amazing experience for our kids! Thank you! Shelly Page 4

5 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Lenten FCC 6:30 am NOOMA Nites 5:30 pm Cum Double 6:30 pm Easter Caroling Time TBA Trustees Mtg. 6:30 pm *D.O.G.'s Club 12 Amity - Noon 13 FCC Stamp Club 10 - Noon 14 IA/NE Spring Retreat Elkader, IA 15 IA/NE Spring Retreat Elkader, IA 16 BCE Mtg. 6 pm 17 Deacons Mtg. 6:30 pm 18 * 19 Women's Fellowship Noon Planet X Laser Tag Youth Group *D.O.G.'s Club FCC Stamp Club 10-noon 28 Membership Class 7 8:30 pm 11 MMSC 29 Ben & Missions Mtg. 11:45 am 30 Weight Watcher Meetings held at FCC: Wednesdays weigh in: 11:45 a.m. meeting begins: 12:15 p.m. Thursdays weigh in: 5:30 p.m. meeting begins: 6 p.m. Saturdays weigh in: 8 a.m. meeting begins: 8:30 a.m Page 5

6 First Congregational Church 312 W. Main St. Marshalltown, IA 50158