First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM January 2012

Transcription

1 First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM January 2012

2 Cuba Al Kissling On December 4 after the fellowship time I was given the opportunity to report on a trip to Cuba to visit with Presbyterian churches in that country. The trip was arranged by the Santa Fe Presbytery for the purpose of visiting some Presbyterian churches and the Seminary in Matanzes. The churches visited all had some connection to churches in the Presbytery, who often supplied such things as clothing, toiletries, and blankets which are difficult to obtain in Cuba. Members of this group all carried extra luggage to facilitate the delivery of these items. Travel restrictions on the part of Cuba and the United States have recently been eased so that it was easier to be included on a special group visa and a specific itinerary was no longer required. In this case the group flew from Albuquerque to Miami and then took a regular charter flight to Havana. The group had extensive visits to two churches and the Seminary. There was also opportunity for short visits to other churches and to families in several towns. The visiting group (of which this was only one of a number) was housed in converted schools which had been connected to individual churches. The schools had been closed when all education was nationalized. All of the churches were in financial difficulties and are dependent on support from congregations in the United States as well as churches in Canada, Scotland, Germany, and other countries. The Castro revolution was successful because economic inequities and financial domination by outside organizations, often supported by the United States, left most people with limited options. One of the goals of the revolution was to provide education (previously essentially controlled by the Roman Catholic Church) and health care to the rural areas. The Revolution had the effect of driving many of the successful members of the upper and middle classes to the United States and the economic blockade made it difficult to keep factories operating., The direct effect on the churches was that many of their more successful members left, causing a leadership and financial crises. The congregations visited all had struggling but enthusiastic and hopeful members. In the past few years, the government had discovered the wisdom of using the churches as social services agencies, distributing services through Protestant churches. In summary I was impressed. Cuba is a beautiful island with an increasing tourism industry. The singing is particularly impressive and the people are hopeful for a new day. 2

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4 Las Cruces Cares Alex Burr Our church held a very special Christmas season event on December 10. Ten Las Cruces charities displayed a summary of their programs in booths set up in Watkins Hall from 10 AM to 3 PM. Visitors had an opportunity to discuss the various programs with representatives of the organizations and to make a contribution toward specific parts of their program. Each of the charities (listed below) was given a booth in which they displayed posters and literature offering details of their efforts. One or two volunteers from each organization was present to answer questions about the program. * St. Lukes Health Care Clinic * Gospel Rescue Mission * Mesilla Valley Community of Hope * Jardin de los Ninos Homeless Child Care * El Caldito Soup Kitchen * Casa de Perigrinos Food Bank * Child Crisis Center * Kairos Prison Ministry * La Casa Domestic Violence Shelter * Cristo Rey Outreach Don Behnke was the originator of this idea. He organized it and did much of the work. The deacons provided the expense money, so all of the over $6000 that was contributed went to the organizations involved. A short article on the event, including a picture, appeared in the Las Cruces Bulletin. Cantata Wayne Maley Worshipers at the December 18 Sunday morning service heard the First Presbyterian Chancel Choir present one of the classic Bach cantatas. Director of Music, David Klement, selected for this special Christmas offering A Child is Born to Save Us. It truly set an anticipatory mood for Christmas. With the first choral movement, For Us a Child is Born, we knew we would share an exciting musical experience as Advent progressed toward Christmas eve, when that number would be heard again as part of the six lessons and carols. The Cantata 142 (attributed to J. S. Bach) was first published in 1884 and features accompaniment by a small string orchestra. The opening chorus is followed by an 4

5 aria for bass sung by Jeremey Borchert, and then a chorus of praise in triple meter, homophonic texture, and fast tempo. Emma Rosenthal, our soprano choral scholar, sang Jesus, Thine Be Thanks accompanied by two oboes and harpsichord. Valerie Mirelez, a choral scholar who has been singing with the choir this fall, sang the aria Emanuel. The concluding movement was the energetic chorale of praise entitled Alleluia that is simply written for the chorus (like a hymn) but with a soaring, continuously flowing sixteenth-note melody written above the voices, played by strings. The blessings of the Christmas season were truly enriched with the choir presentation building on the Salt and Light youth musical and the special music of Advent. Music of the Chancel Choir can be heard on-line at And of course, continue to hear them at Sunday morning worship every week at 10:30 AM. Advent Events Alex Burr The advent season is educational, enjoyable, and also busy. Our church provided all of these attributes. Many people helped decorate the church, the congregation provided poinsettias, the youth provided a musical program, the cantata is described in an earlier article, there were two Christmas Eve services, an impressive Christmas service, and many people will help undecorate the church later in this month. As befitting a joyful season, the many fellowship times featured more than the usual number of homemade items (as exemplified by the cover) and even featured a special cake in honor of the 30 th wedding anniversary of Gene and Eileen Hood. Jacque Parks: Kitchen Minister Ann Velia The title of this article falls short of covering Jacque Parks' story, because many diverse activities at First Presbyterian Church bear her imprint. For example: I love playing in bell choir, she said, an interest she shares with husband Jim. We have been blessed that our last two directors have been very good. I have learned so much and I enjoy being in music again. She met Jim in the Husky Marching Band at the University of Washington where she majored in nursing. I went to the Rose Bowl two times and Jim went three times, she said. I played clarinet and he played French horn. She has been a member of FPC since 1979, the year she and Jim moved to Las Cruces. Recently installed as Deacon (class of 2014). she has previously served on Ses- 5

6 sion and on the Christian Ed, Missions, Congregational Life, and Music and Worship committees. She belongs to the Inbetweeners and the Jenny Curry Circle. She has spent 25 years teaching Sunday school. I loved all my classes and the children, she said. Jacque has also been on all but two mission trips with the youth group to build houses in Juarez where her kitchen skills came into play. I planned and cooked all the food for the team, she said. It was lots of work in interesting surroundings. One of my main concerns was to keep all of us from getting sick. It was a wonderful experience to see teenagers work hard and build a house together for a very poor family who either had no house or lived in a cardboard house. It was humbling to see such poverty, but people worked very hard and seemed to be happy. The children were beautiful, full of life and inquisitive. Our kids had fun playing with them. It was amazing to watch our kids grow and change. It was a life changing experience for each one of us. We certainly appreciated what we have in this country. We have been very blessed. Meal preparation as ministry has continued throughout Jacque's life at FPC, and she has set a gold standard in that area. She serves on an FPC team at the community soup kitchen and has been part of Salt and Light, with its weekly kid-friendly suppers, since the beginning. Over the last 20 years food preparation has become easier, Jacque said. More products are available locally and I am more experienced. Working in the kitchen has been fun and one way I can serve the Lord. Over the years the church kitchen has improved. No longer do we have to lean over deep sinks and do all the dishes by hand. We also have a much bigger stove, lots more oven space, much larger refrigerator, a freezer, and an ice machine. We now have three rooms, instead of one smaller room, with lots more cupboards and counter space and a large pantry. I used to shop once a month and drove to the east side of El Paso to Lee Trevino. Then Sam's opened on Mesa and the drive became shorter. Shopping is much easier now that Sam's is in Las Cruces, she said. 6

7 Jacque has also spearheaded food preparation for the renowned Women's Retreats at FPC, an event which will be revived in 2012 after a hiatus of 14 years. Cooking for Women's Retreats is different because the meal is for adults, she said. We have done cold lunches in boxes, salad and sandwich bars where each person made their own sandwich, and hot lunches. The type lunch we will serve at the upcoming retreat will depend on the time of year, how much time and money we have, and what the committee would like. I am looking forward to the planning and the retreat. Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Jacque's life as a military daughter included living in southern California, Houston, Chico, Guam and Seattle. We moved to Seattle when I was in the fourth grade, she said. My dad retired from the Navy and we stayed there. Her military travels resumed with marriage to Jim in 1964, the year she graduated and took her state nursing boards. We moved to Ogden, Utah, where Jim was stationed at Hill Air Force Base, she said. Along with her career as a public health and school nurse, Jacque and Jim are parents of four sons who were raised at FPC. Joel, Liz, Jeremiah, James, and Joel Jr. live in Everett, Washington. Jeff, Katrina, Allison, and Danielle live in Colorado Springs. Jonathan and Jenni live in Manassas, Virginia near DC, and Jerry, Melissa and Davis live in Des Plaines near Chicago, Jacque said. A Christian since she was nine years old, Jacque said, My relation with the Lord has grown and matured because of the activities and people of this church. I am honored to serve as a Deacon and look forward to the next three years. Advent Decorations The beautiful decorations in our sanctuary result from the creative talent of Mariann Novak and the help more than 30 people who came to the In-Betweener s work morning, some of our youth and other helpers. As the poinsettias were added to the arrangements, Mariann was asked how she managed to always provide us with fresh looks. Her reply, The Lord gives me ideas. The result is greatly enriched worship for us all. We owe many thanks to all who helped add to the Christmas experience. Decorations will remain through all twelve days of Christmas, until after Epiphany and the commemoration of the baptism of our Lord on January 8. Then the wreaths, garlands, bows and nativities will be boxed and stored until next Advent. It is planned to do the un-decorating on Saturday, January 14. Many hands will make this an easy job. You are invited to come at 9:00 on the 14 th to help with the packing and to see how we are able to store all the supplies. Prayer Shawl Ministry Margaret Burr Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo created the Prayer Shawl Ministry for Crocheting and Knitting. The ministry is one in which people crochet or knit shawls for people who receive this gift for all sorts of reasons medical treatments, loss of someone in 7

8 their life, stress, marriage, new baby, nursing whatever passages of life or illness for which the warmth and comfort of a hand-worked shawl may help. People who make the shawls may pray as they work on the project. They then give the finished shawl to someone they think needs it, and their prayers go with the garment to the receiver. At First Presbyterian, we are making the shawls for the Deacons to give to people in hospice care. The Deacons have provided funds to purchase yarn for the project. We have patterns from easy to complicated. Or you can provide your own yarn and/or pattern. Several people in the congregation are now working on shawls. Two prayer Power of Three Cornerstone Detail shawls have been completed to date. Gracia Class knitted a shawl using the Cornerstone pattern. Eunjeong Moe crocheted her prayer shawl from a pattern called Power of Three. Others would like to work on one, but they need instruction and/or help. Now we have set up a group of beginners to experts to help and instruct and learn from each other. The group will meet in the Parlor of Jones Hall on Thursday morning, January 26, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you would like to gather with this group you can drop in during that time. Call Margaret Burr at if you need more information. We would like you to be part of the Prayer Shawl Ministry at First Presbyterian Church. The Cover The cross on the cover this month is a bit unusual. It is edible. It was made by Judith Ames and served during the after service fellowship time in November. First Presbyterian Church 200 East Boutz Road Las Cruces, NM Tel (575) fpc1@zianet.com Web URL Rev. Dr. Norman Story, Pastor Photographs by Alex Burr and Howard Smolleck The Lantern is a monthly publication of First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM. Articles and photos, preferably in computer readable form are welcome, and will be used at the discretion of the publisher. For further information call or send to fpc1@zianet.com. Editor: Alex Burr Production: Linda Ramirez 8

9 P FIRST E S B Y T E R I A N 200 E. Boutz Rd. Las Cruces, NM Salt & Light Restarts January 11 Non-Profit Org. U. S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 91 Return Service Requested Mission Mission Statement Statement for To emulate minister the to the work, members the word, of and our Church the way and of Jesus prepare Christ them in ministering for Christian to Outreach the needs of members and preparing them for Christian outreach to people within and outside the Church of Jesus Christ. Vision Objectives To clearly and courageously communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ Our to Vision all within Objectives our reach. for are: To create develop spiritual leadership from within that recognizes our congregation and ministers to recognize those and in need. minister to members in need. To develop and maintain specific ways for members to reach out and draw the community into our fellowship. To create a God-centered atmosphere for for worship that will attract and bind individuals, families, and and youth youth to our into church. Christian commu- to nity. 9