Pilgrim s Progress. February 2017 Issue

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1 Pilgrim s Progress February 2017 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 Ash Wednesday Sermons No Vision or SOS Page 2 Circle of Friends Meets Birthdays, Anniversaries UCW Meets Women s Conference Prayers for Members Can you help? Youth Group Happenings Cooks needed Ski Retreat NOOMA Page 3 A Moderator s Corner MKM Ministries MOW Thanks YOU! Our Church Begins Page 4 FCC February Calendar Church Contact Info: FCC 312 W. Main St. Marshalltown, IA pastor@fccmarshalltown.org secretary@fccmarshalltown.org treasurer@fccmarshalltown.org In a recent sermon I compared the ministry of Jesus with the light that shines in a great darkness mentioned in Isaiah 9:2. I thought that the spiritual light that enlightens souls came through words. God spoke physical light into existence in Genesis 1:3, and the preaching and teaching of Jesus was a sort of spiritual light. The Holy Spirit, I believe, continues to speak light to us today. Here, in Matthew, the metaphor of light takes on a new turn. Here Jesus says, "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." Here the light is the good works that glorify our Father in heaven. These good works are the demonstration of the church being "salt and light". Salt was considered so valuable in ancient times that it was used as salary. One only needed a little bit at a time. Perhaps that means that, while we may be called on to do a good act that is great and involves a sacrifice in a rare moment, most of the time being salt and light means gaining inspiration by means of prayer and meditation on the Scriptures, and doing a multitude of small good works over time. Asking oneself, "What can I do to make someone's life a little easier" on a daily basis can really add up. A long list of small acts of goodness, inspired by the love of Christ, is what makes up the salt and light that makes this world palatable to the Lord. Pray hard, look for ways to help others, and have a good month. Pastor Dan Ash Wednesday Worship March 1st is the beginning of Lent, the season in which we prepare for Easter. It is a time to prepare for the promise of the Resurrection by acknowledging our mortality and need for grace. That is usually done by the imposition of ashes, either on the forehead or on the left hand. At 7:00 p.m. on that night we will meet in the sanctuary, ponder the appropriate Scriptures, spend some time in prayer and receive the ashes. Everyone interested is welcome. Hope to see you there. Pastor Dan Sermons February: Seeking Wisdom from God God's Wisdom 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 God's Field 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Fool's Wisdom 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Going to the Mountain Exodus 24:12-18 Vision Committee and SOS: There will not be a Vision Committee meeting or Service On Saturday (SOS) in February. Page 1

2 February 2017 Meeting Date: February 1st Time: 6pm Program: House-sitting Abroad - Australia and Scotland by Foster Hawkins and Nancy Urbanowski Come and bring a covered dish and share a meal. FEBRUARY 2017 BIRTHDAYS! Feb 2 Madelyn Latham Feb 3 Angela Dickey Feb 4 Marian Gerdes, Terry Tremain Feb 5 Katie Woltjer Feb 16 Pat Anderson, Brian Mattingly, Beau Ragland Feb 17 Jon Weeden Feb 20 Betty Runner Feb 24 Danielle Wical Feb 25 Adam Berg, Staci Moyer Feb 26 Joel Greer, Melba Simmons, Jeanne Vellinga Feb 28 Mildred Lathrop Feb 29 Terry Paustian (sorry Terry, not this year!) Ray & Marian Gerdes Feb 7, 1965 Ron & Julian Ohrt Feb 14, 1987 Robert & Barbara Hibbs Feb 28, 1970 UNITED CIRCLE OF WOMEN Thursday, February 23, Fellowship Hall Time: 1 pm Dessert Divas: Pat Anderson & Julianne Devotions: Norma Dannen Packer We re inviting everyone to bring a favorite charm bracelet and the stories behind them. Last meeting for year: May 25 Please mark your calendars for a Women's Conference beginning March 24 in the evening, ending March 25 in the afternoon. Our speaker is Debbie Holland of Coeur d'alene, Idaho who works with King's Highway Ministries and was privileged to work with the late Nancy Missler. It will be held at the church. Cost: $15 (if a scholarship is needed, contact Jeanne Vellinga.) We hope this will be a great time of learning, fun and fellowship. More information to follow. Please keep our Members in Care Facilities in your thoughts & prayers: Al & Stella Storjohann, Esther Riley, Pattye Morrison, JoAnne Ainley, Betty Runner, Jan More, Loretta Stubbe Melba Simmons, Mary Vellinga, Lavonne Rook, Dr. Rachel Mason, Lucy Grossman, Jewel Blahnik, Mildred Lathrop, Eleanor Rowden and Dr. John Garland. Nay Liew has been attending FCC as a guest for a number of months. He has been welcomed by the congregation and we are pleased to have him in our family. Nay has recently purchased a home in Marshalltown in hope of bringing his wife here soon. He is in need of furnishings for his new home, so we are asking the congregation to shower him during the month of February with furniture and supplies for his new home. Suggestions Kitchen table & chairs, dining room table and chairs, sofa, chairs, beds, linens, kitchen items, bath towels, and personal items. Just about everything! If you have furniture to donate, please call Kolleen Shollenbarger as she is coordinating this effort. Smaller items can be brought to the church and placed on the counter outside of the kitchen. Kolleen will collect these items weekly and deliver to Nay. Thank you for your donations and for showing love and support to Nay. Kolleen s phone number is YOUTH GROUP HAPPENINGS! Sunday school every Sunday at 9:15am for all! YOUTH GROUP Feb. 1: PY 6-12th grade youth group, 6-7:30pm Feb. 8: PY and DOG's K-5th grade youth, 6-7:30pm Feb. 15: PY, 6-7:30pm Feb. 22: PY (6-8pm) and DOG's (6-7:30pm) This night (the 22 nd ) the First Congregational Church will host a Come Together Worship with other community youth groups at our church this night in the sanctuary. The activities will last until 8pm for PY. DOG's will be finished at normal time 7:30pm. COOKS! We are still looking for cooks to help with the Feb-May Wednesday night activities! Please contact Shelly Speas if you are able to help! Feb th Ski Retreat: (6-12th graders) Fellowship, Church, and Skiing/ Snowboarding at the Afton Alps in Minnnesota. Friday night- Sunday afternoon. Contact Shelly Speas for more information. Nooma Nights Adult Bible study group Feb. Gregg Meyer home. They will host a Super Bowl Party starting at 5pm. All are invited, bring a dish to share We had 7 volunteers come on our first Sewing for a Cause Day and 5 dresses were made. There were not enough machines for everyone so Debi made bias tape which proved to be a huge point of interest. Debi had several dresses cut out that didn t get assembled so Gaby and Mackenzie are sewing those. I would like to organize another sewing day on Monday February 13th or Friday February 17 th. Please check your calendars and see if either of those days work for you and let Mary (church office) or Debi know if you can participate. Also comment if you want to make dresses or another project i.e. back packs or pillow cases for HOC or boppies (pillows used for breast feeding) for CAPs. Debi Estabrook. Page 2

3 A MODERATOR S CORNER 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, Jeremiah 29:13 (NRSV) As I write this last Moderator s Corner, I am trying to determine the words that are most important for us to remember together. There is no doubt that the most important message we share is that we stand together declaring that the Lord of Lords reigns in our hearts. Our choice to accept Him is individual. No one is grandfathered in to being a Child of God. Afterwards, we rejoice as we stand together and worship our Lord and Savior in prayer, in song, in word, and in deed. Thank you, Lord, for this church family.a family residing in this great land where we may worship as God s free people. Dear Lord, Thank you for this day. Your Son is shining in our hearts. Your ways are shining in our actions. We are praying for your miracle of healing which in some cases is happening more slowly than we want. In other cases, we rejoice with thrilling progress. Your timing is perfect, O Lord. We ask for your Wisdom and your Truth to rule in our hearts and our actions. We need your Strength for each step we take and your Peace to calm each beat of our hearts. You have taught us that it is by trusting You, by seeing You in the world around us, and by hearing Your voice as we ponder and lock Your words in our hearts that we flourish in the joy of belonging to You. Thank you, Lord. Let our prayers and shouts of thanksgiving be heard in all the Heavens and all the Earth. May there never be a doubt about the fact that we serve You. WE SERVE YOU, LORD! In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 5 You see, we don t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus sake. 6 For God, who said, Let there be light in the darkness, has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 (NLT) May your peace and joy in the Lord be ever with you, my friends. Julianne Paustian A retiring moderator MKM Ministries: Two volunteers are going to Sierra Leone February 9. They won t have room to take extra things over this time, but asked for letters with a picture if possible from church members. They don't have to be long, possibly a short testimony or words of encouragement to a new member in the church. Please print or type (might be easier for them to read) and sign the letter. Put them in the labeled box on the shelf in the Narthex. Deadline is Feb 6 th. Questions can be answered at Thanks! Cherryl Woltjer THANK YOU TO ALL THE 2016 MOW DELIVERY PEOPLE! We couldn t have done this without you! The following people gave of their time and we want to recognize you for this selfless act January Doug and Krystal Randall Jan, June, Sept Bill & Lynn Maas February Cherryl & Katie Woltjer March & August Kolleen Shollenbarger & Doris McCarty April & November Wayne & Jonna Wagar April Kolleen Shollenbarger & Bonnie Pappas May Don Benbow July & December Bob & Judy Gaynor July Pastor Dan Vellinga October Anna Wolvers October Rod & Kristi Hassler December Todd & Leah Stanley & Family Our Church begins a small group who had known Congregationalism back East and long considered action to establish a town meeting type of church in which every member had a n equal boice in policies and disciplie Do you suppose, in the cold of the 1867 winder, the 10 men who eventually issued the call for a council (which established our church in July 1868) began their long consideration? These men had witnessed the growth of Marshall County from 338 residents in 1850 to 12,000 folks in Businesses were prospering and the railroads were bringing in new opportunities every day. Was it time to bread away from the Presbyterians and establish a new chuch in the Queen City? We gratefully know the answer but if you would like to learn more of the details of the Founding and the personalities involved see the First 100 Years publication in our library. This booklet was compiled by the Centennial Committee in 1968 and dedicated to our Founders. ******************************************************************** We welcome Debi Estabrook to the Heritage Committee. Thanks for joining Julianne Packer, Georgia Thomas, Matt Dickey, Danielle Propst, Julie Paustian and Miriam Bryant. Anyone is more than welcome to contribute memories and stories to us as we make our way toward our Sesquentennial Celebration. ****************************************************** Truly we can praise God as we enter his house of worship, because faith built this church, and hopes and dreams are in her structures along with steel, concrete, wood, brick, and mortar. Page3

4 2017 FCC CALENDAR OF EVENTS! Sunday Worship services: 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. : 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 Church Offices Hours: KIX fm Monday Friday KFJB 1230 am 9 a.m. Noon Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday color code: youth events church meetings special events Community events 1 6pm Circle of Friends 6-7:30 PY with a meal Communion Annual Meeting 9:15am 5pm Meyer home 1901 W Olive. Super Bowl Party :30 Trustees 6-7:30 PY & D.O.G.S. Group w/meal noon Stamp Club :15am :30pm Ben & Missions :30 PY Youth Group/w meal am-4pm Sewing for a Cause Ski Retreat th Afton Alps in MN Contact Shelly for details :15am 11:45am BCE 26 9:15am Sunday School 20 6:30 pm BCE mtg :30pm Deacons mtg :30 pm D.O.G.S. 6-8 pm PY worship together night 23 noon-ucw noon Stamp Club 25 11am MOW Page 4

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