Ordinary, commonplace, everyday.where God is found

Transcription

1 Ordinary, commonplace, everyday.where God is found First Presbyterian Church Do You Remember? Almost thirty years ago, our family moved to Pittsburgh. The plan had been for Stephen to work and I would be a stay-at-home-mom for a while. We soon discovered that the budget could only be pinched so far. I needed a job. I did not want to be a part-time nursing home chaplain, but that was the job which presented itself. I went for an interview, and when they gave me the job, I cried the whole way home. Did I mention, I absolutely did not want to be a nursing home chaplain? God works in mysterious ways. Part of my job involved leading the support group for families of Alzheimer's patients. It was also my job to lead weekly Bible studies and worship services on the Alzheimer's wing and visit with the residents. I did not know much about dementia. I read all I could, but in those days there wasn't much in print on the topic. Mostly, I learned from the patients and their families. I learned that half the population over 85 struggles with some form of memory loss. I learned how terribly frustrating and anxiety producing it is to live in a world where you cannot remember what just happened, or who you are with, or what is going to happen next. I learned how lonely it is when you are robbed of the recognition of the people and things that give your life meaning and how terrifying it is to know that it will get worse. Twenty years later my own mother began to develop signs of dementia. I discovered, from the inside, what it is like to watch a loved one die the slow death that happens long before the body dies. I am now very grateful that the winding path God has led me down includes the time I was a chaplain in the nursing home. The patients with dementia and their families have gifted me with knowledge and a sense of companionship on the journey. The reason I mention this is that so many families in our congregation are walking this journey -- and we as a congregation walk it with them. We are an aging congregation. As we live longer, more of us are developing illnesses which result in dementia. continued on page 2 March 2016 Volume 57 Issue 3 Inside this issue: Scholarships 2 Lent Opportunities 3 OGHS Offering 4 Youth Events 5 Garage Sale??? 6 Financial News 7 Calendar Birthday Pages Insert Insert Ash Wednesday Service Plan to come and begin Lent with worship! March 1 7:00-7:45 p.m. Our service will include the imposition of ashes. The Children and Youth of LOGOS will be attending this service.

2 Do You Remember?... continued In the early stages, often the family suffers in silence. Later, couples face the almost overwhelming task of one becoming the care giver for the other, even while their own health is declining. Dementia is a disease which isolates not only the patient, but the caregiver as well. So much more could be said, but in this note, I simply want to urge us (myself included) to be aware of the situation for so many of the families in our church and try to find ways to express kindness and offer help. It is not always "fun" to sit with to someone who has dementia. We hear the same stories over and over. We may have to deal with what seems like irrational anger or attacks. We will probably find ourselves unable to enter into other conversations because the person with dementia demands our full attention. Sometimes it is the things that are the least fun that are also the deepest blessing. Out of all the residents in the nursing home (and there were many who did not suffer from dementia) it is the Alzheimer's patients that I remember most vividly: a bright smile, a gentle hand laid on mine, the Lord's Prayer spoken with conviction and love when many other words were gone. I never felt judged in a negative way by them. We couldn't share old stories, but we could share something deeper -- a commonality in our humanity. God's love seemed closer to the surface on the Alzheimer's wing than anywhere else in the nursing home. Think of a way that you can reach out to someone suffering with dementia or to their caregiver, to break through the loneliness and make life a little brighter for them. I suggest we make this part of our Lenten Discipline. There is far more information available to us than was the case when I began my work in the care home. Three books from our Church Library will be in the Narthex to help us learn more: Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer's Journey: A guide for Families by Jolene Brackey Alzheimer's Disease: Help and Hope by Jo Huey A Dignified Life: Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care by Virginia Bell I want to thank Earl Potter, whose wife Wilma suffered from this terrible disease, for his help in nudging us to give more thought and prayer to the loving care of those among us who struggle with dementia. Caroline Scholarships Scholarship applications have been sent out. Applications are to be returned to the church office by March 17, Parents, please be sure your child has received their application, and remember that you will need to sign the form also. If you did not receive an application, please call the church office at Page 2

3 Lenten Study - What Are Your Gifts? Each of us has gifts to be used for God's glory and our joy. Our Lenten Study this year will focus on Spiritual Gifts and will be led by Pastor Caroline. This class will help us discern and explore our gifts. We'll be looking at the Biblical understanding of gifts in the context of various tools. (The Bible, an Inventory, Meyers Briggs, and the Enneagram) New this year: the Lenten Study will take place during the Sunday School hour 10:45-11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, March 5 - April 2. Please Come! We would love you to be part of this study. God willing, you will learn things that will help you discern God's plan for you. The Gift Of A Blanket We see devastation around the world or in our own country, and we often feel helpless. When disaster happens, one of the things we can do is provide a blanket. A blanket can bring warmth on a cold day. A blanket can provide shade on a hot day. A blanket can provide privacy when there is none. A blanket can bring comfort when your world is harsh. A blanket can bring hope, because someone cared enough to give it. $10 purchases a blanket for Church World Service to give to victims of disaster and desperation. We'll be receiving this offering on March 5. Checks can be made out to First Presbyterian Church and earmarked Blanket Sunday. Page 3

4 Lenten Devotions Lent begins on Wednesday, March 1. The Christian Education Committee is providing devotionals for adults and children, as well as daily Bible verses by text message. This year s adult devotional, Meeting Jesus by Jodi Craiglow, invites us to join 47 biblical figures one for each day of Lent who encounter Jesus during His earthly life and ministry. Speaking in unique, first-person conversational form, these characters tell us in their own words what they ve seen and learned. They draw us in to share their joys and struggles and help us understand Jesus in a newer, richer way. The narratives are rounded out with a daily Scripture reading and short prayer. Along with the text, Meeting Jesus includes a collection of multimedia artwork from Creation Lab in Chicago, featuring ancient Lenten symbols expressed in a contemporary, urban style. Families with children will receive Upon This Tree, a booklet of Bible verses and devotions and a stand-up tree. Each day of Lent, a sticker is placed on the tree, marking the days until Easter Sunday. Anyone is welcome to sign up for text message Bible verses. First, you must be subscribed to the church s service on your cell phone by texting alert to phone number Second, let the church know you wish to receive the daily Lenten texts by contacting Christina. OGHS - Save Up To Truly Make A Difference The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering is received on Palm Sunday, April 9 -- but don't wait until April to begin planning how you will respond to this call to serve others. The offering is divided between the Presbyterian Hunger Program, the Self -Development of Peoples, and Disaster Relief. When we give to One Great Hour, we are giving-forward. When a disaster happens, our help is on the way. When famine strikes, our gifts are there in the form of sacks of rice, when a community is struggling to survive, our gifts help provide tools, seeds, and a leg up. This is the one offering we receive each year through which we can begin to do more than weep when we are confronted by the enormous needs of this world. Think about how you will help. God s Family Around The Table A special class will be offered for elementary students and their parents during Lent. Ann Sukraw-Lutz will teach families about the Sacrament of Communion and helps prepare children to receive communion during worship. The class will meet on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on March 26 and April 2 in the Fellowship Hall. On Thursday, April 13, at 6:00 p.m., the class will meet in the kitchen to prepare the elements for the Maundy Thursday service. Page 4

5 Thank You I want to thank my dear church friends for keeping me in their prayers while I was at Methodist Hospital in Omaha. My surgery went well, and your concern helped us through a difficult time. Love You All, Marlene Fuehrer Happy Birthday June! You are invited to an open house on Sunday, March 12, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall in celebration of June Usrey s 80th birthday! Come help June and her family celebrate. Hope to see you there! Youth Activities 3/1 - Logos, 5:30 PM Ash Wednesday worship, 7 PM 3/5 - Sunday School, 10:30 AM 3/ Ignite Youth Leadership Conference 3/12 - Sunday School, 10:30 AM 3/15 - Logos, 5:30 PM 3/19 - Sunday School, 10:30 AM 3/22 - Logos, 5:30 PM 3/26 - Sunday School, 10:30 AM Christlighting Schedule 3/5 - Izzy & Carson Samelson 3/12 - Braden Horst & Leighton Weaver 3/19 - Sofia Hamner DePaula & Brooklynn Schanou 3/26 - Maci & Zoe Brooks March At LOGOS 3/1 - Happy St. Patrick s Day! Ash Wednesday worship at 7 PM 3/8 - No Logos (Spring Break) 3/15 - Futuristic 3/22 - Love Letters 3/29 - No Logos The Item for the Food for Thought Backpacks in March is shampoo. Donations can be dropped off in the box in the hallway by the church office. Remember to set you clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday, March 11! Page 5

6 SouperBowl Of Caring Thank you to all who donated to the SouperBowl Of Caring! We collected 150 food items and $265 for the Grand Island Community Food Pantry. Our gifts were very much needed and appreciated! Thanks From The Youth The youth want to thank everyone who donated supplies, helped in the kitchen, and attended our Pancake Feed. We made $565 for our summer mission trips. The middle school will go to Sioux Falls, SD in June and the high school will go to Loveland, CO in July.? Garage Sale?? The annual church garage sale has been put ON HOLD. Usually we would have this event on the last Saturday in April, but our numbers are going down. The amount of donated items and money raised has not decreased, but the number of youth participating in mission trips has. This means the pool of youth and parents to set up and work the sale has decreased, and we need help from the congregation if we are going to continue this profitable fundraiser. We are also open to sharing the work and the proceeds with another group within the church. Please contact Christina if you are interested in keeping the garage sale at FPC. In Remembrance Several of our church family have entered into the Resurrection life this month and so we remember with love: Sallie Folsom (January 10) Gladys Wicht (February 8) Bonnie Owen (February 20) Joyce Schultz (February 20) Beth Dwyer (February 15) Since Beth s services will be in Colorado and Lincoln, her family asked that we include a portion of her obituary, as many of you will remember her. She and Bob were a part of our congregation for 27 years and raised their children in Grand Island. She worked as a teacher for Presbyterian Preschool and for the Grand Island Public Schools Elementary Media Department. Throughout her life, Beth always believed that you can learn more from differences and being open to other cultures, beliefs, and religions. She exemplified those values by hosting exchange students, traveling the world, and opening her home to others. Page 6

7 Financial And Attendance Update Your generous gifts to the life and ministry of this church are greatly appreciated. Lives are touched, people in need find healing and hope, and the love of God is shared because of your support. Below you will find a summary of stewardship giving for 2016 and January Totals January grace giving received $38, $37, $ more than last year January actual ministry expenses $33, $36, $3, less than last year One month of budget expenses $38, $39, $ less than last year Year-to-date (January 1 - January 31) Grace giving received $38, $37, $ more than last year Actual Ministry Expenses $33, $36, $3, less than last year One month of budgeted Expenses $38, $39, $ less than last year Twelve months of budgeted expenses $462, $471, $9, less than last year Average attendance per Sunday in January: 108 Organ Restoration Report Total Pledges (52 pledges) $57,362 Pledge Money given to date $53,799 Unpaid Pledges $3, Organ Fund Balance as of 01/13/2017 ($36,583.97) Organ Restoration Agreement $441,890 Total amount paid to date $291,000 Due May 1, 2017 $48,000 Due August 1, 2017 $48,000 Final Payment due on completion $54,890 Total amount to yet to be paid $150,890 Memorials given during the month of January include: Sallie Folsom and Frances Brockelsby - Organ Fund Page 7

8 First Presbyterian Church 2103 West Anna Street; Grand Island, NE First Presbyterian Church 2103 West Anna Street Grand Island, Nebraska Phone: Fax: We re on the web! Caroline (Pastor) Sylvia (Preschool Director) Christina (Christian Ed & Youth Director) John Croghan (Music Director) Esther (Financial Administrator) Britteny (Secretary) Tom (Full Time Custodian) Kay B. (Part Time Custodian) Church (general) ADDRESSES The church s general address is for any staff member not listed as well as general church information. is always welcome! CHURCH INFORMATION/NEWSLETTER DEADLINE Our newsletter is published monthly to keep friends and members of our church informed. For weekly updates, please visit our website. The deadline for newsletter information to be submitted for the upcoming month is the 15th of each month. Please call the office with any questions.