HOTLINE. Westminster. Presbyterian Church. "The Giver of Life" -- from Hal Murry's Sermon on 2/18/18

Transcription

1 HOTLINE Volume XVIII, Issue 3 March 2018 Westminster Presbyterian Church 2155 University Ave. Dubuque, IA hal@wpcdbq.org Inside this issue: Foundation Grants 4 Youth CE 3 Church News 3 4 Adult Faith Formation 2 Calendar 5 One Great Hour 4 Worship Scripture 6 FROM YOUR WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FOUNDATION: Your will speaks for you after death. Have you included a bequest to Westminster Presbyterian Church in your will? "The Giver of Life" -- from Hal Murry's Sermon on 2/18/18 The Christian or the community of Christians who created the Gospel of John had decades to reflect on who Jesus was and exactly what he meant to them. Jesus was crucified around the year 30, but scholars believe that the Gospel of John didn't reach the form in which we have it until the decade of the 90s. That's sixty years -- a generation or two of telling and retelling the stories of Jesus before this gospel was written down. So we don't read the Gospel of John like a newspaper -- like it's an account of something that someone experienced just yesterday. And we don't think of John as a journalist, trying to impartially and as quickly as possible, report to us exactly what happened. Instead, we think of John as a gifted artist, inspired and blessed by God, who for years reflected and ruminated on who Christ was and what he meant for the world. When John figured that out, he just had to tell the world what a difference Christ had made in his life and can make in ours. So John painted pictures with words, created scenes and wrote dialogues that often run a whole chapter long. It's very different than the other three gospels. As with all great literature, it's possible to discover multiple details and truths and subplots in each chapter, but always, in each episode, there seems to be one main channel, one unforgettable theme or truth that rises to the top, that John wants us to know and remember about Jesus. For example, take this theme: Jesus brings joy to our lives. How would you make that truth come alive in a memorable way? Well, John has Jesus attending a big wedding in a small town. For newlywed peasants, it was the event of a lifetime. And when the host family ran out of wine, right in the middle of the party, Jesus averts social disaster for them by quietly turned gallons and gallons of water into the best wine ever. And the party went on. John's point: Jesus brings joy to our lives. Or this theme: Jesus can quench all of humanity's spiritual thirst for God. John's illustration: Jesus begins a conversation and offers living water to a thirsty Samaritan woman he meets at a well in Samaria, a foreign country, the other side of the tracks for the Jews. Wrong place, wrong gender, wrong race, wrong religion. "But you know," Jesus says, "ANYONE who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. For my water will become in those who drink it, a spring that bubbles up into eternal life." The woman left this conversation and told all of her friends, all of them Samaritans, that she had met the Messiah. When her friends met Jesus, they concluded that he was the Savior of the whole world. John's point: Jesus yearns to quench all of humanity's thirst for God....continued on the next page

2 Volume XVIII, Issue 3 Page 2...continued from page 1 Next John says, Jesus is the light of the world. And he yearns to bring light into the darkness of our world and into the dark corners of our individual lives. Surprisingly, when Jesus heals a man born blind, the implication is that even and maybe especially the sighted struggle in our lives to see and to recognize God. It used to be that before electricity, whenever the sun went down, humanity lived in darkness. Now we have artificial light, 24 hours a day, but just listen to the news -- read about our violent history as a species. This week it was events at a high school in Florida confirming that the darkness inside of us is the hardest to illumine. John's point: We ALL need the light of Jesus in our lives. So Jesus brings joy; Jesus quenches our spiritual thirst; Jesus brings light in the darkness, and today, in John's most dramatic reflection, Jesus brings life even in the midst of death... (see John 11). Church News ADULT FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES Spring Bible Study on the Letter of James How do we live out our Christian faith with integrity in our everyday lives? What impact does (should?) our faith have on things like: Our speaking to and about other people? Our economic pursuits? Our experience of trials and temptations? Our attitude and behavior toward others (rich and poor)? Our life together in the Christian community? Our prayer life? The Letter of James addresses these questions and offers advice as relevant for us today as it was for the early Christian community. Marsha Wilfong will be leading three groups of Bible study on James this Spring. All are welcome to join any group: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., WPC Conference Room Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m., Bethany Home Sundays, 10:45 a.m.; WPC Board Room "Welcome to Westminster", Hal Murry's three-week class for anyone considering church membership, or anyone who would just like to know more about Westminster and what it means to be a Presbyterian, will meet March 11, 18 and 25. ALL are welcome! Location TBA. Men's Lenten Fellowship/Bible Study: First meeting is Tues., March 6th at 7:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. We will meet weekly. The day and time TBD. For more info, see Rich Henderson. To Order or Donate an Easter Lily for Easter Sunday that benefits the Deacons Emergency Fund, please send $12 to the church office at 2155 University Ave Please include a note saying: In Memory Of or In Honor Of

3 Page 3 HOTLINE Youth Formation News No Sunday School Easter Morning The Nursery is open 9:30 to Noon on Sunday Mornings for kids ages 5 and under. Church News continued... FEBRUARY PROPERTY COMMITTEE MEETING HIGHLIGHTS: Received the report of the Sanctuary Improvements Task Force which encourages consideration of: installation of digital projection; sound and lighting improvements and expansion of fellowship space in the back of the sanctuary. The Property Committee recommended the report to the Session for consideration. The Task Force is seeking the Session's permission to share its recommendations with the congregation for feedback. Currently serving on the Sanctuary Improvements Task Force are Cameron Fast, George Hellert, Mark Oberhoffer, Jeff Oberhoffer and Hal Murry as staff. Approved a request from Westminster's Mission Garden Team to expand this summer's garden to allow for the planting of berry bushes and other perennials. All produce grown in the garden is given away to local food pantries. The Garden Team also reported that this coming summer, several members of the church are reserving space in their home gardens to grow produce that will supplement the church's offering. For more information on the Mission Garden, see Rich Henderson. AT FEBRUARY'S SESSION MEETING (Westminster's Governing Council) The Session received the report of the Sanctuary Improvements Task Force as recommended by the Property Committee. The report contains recommendations for Sanctuary modifications including installation of digital projection, improved lighting and additional fellowship space. The report was reviewed and discussed at length. The Session approved sharing of the report with the congregation in order to seek feedback/ideas. Meetings will be arranged over the next two months. Received correspondence from John Knox Presbytery that Westminster's Session Minutes have been "approved without exception" in the Presbytery's annual review. (Thanks and congrats to co-clerks Lois Pearce and Tom Stovall!) Appointed a Supervised Practice of Ministry Committee to work with Westminster's Seminary Intern, Logan Ellis. Committee members are: Adam Etheredge, Allie Hinga, Norma Smith, Tom Stovall, Arlys Williams

4 Page 4 Congratulations! Tom & Linda Stovall on the birth of their new grandson, Lewis Thomas McMahon Howard & Dorothy McLean on the birth of their first great-grandchild, David Allen Neufeld Church News Westminster Vital Statistics Average Sunday Worship Attendance for February We are saving a seat for YOU! DACU (Dubuque Area Congregations United) Delegate Meetings are held the 4th Tues. each Month Next Meeting Tues., March 27th-7:00 p.m. Mt. Carmel Sisters of Charity BVM 1100 Carmel Dr., St. Joseph Hall Immigration/Refugees By Mary McCauley BVM Financial Stewardship through January 31, 2018 (numbers rounded to the nearest 1,000) Year-to-Date Operating Budget $32, Expenses 33, Income 92,000* Income over Expenses 59,000 *Y-T-D income includes more than $59,000 of "pre-paid" pledges, at least some of which is presumably related to recent tax law changes approved by the Federal government. One Great Hour of Sharing Easter offering As Presbyterians, the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering encourages us to share God s love with our neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief from natural disasters, food for the hungry, and support for the poor and oppressed. Westminster will participate in the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering during the month of March, on the Sundays leading up to Easter. This offering is an opportunity for us to participate by giving our gifts and supporting the good work that the Offering provides. It is one way that we show love and dignity to those in need. There are a number of programs that are supported by your gifts: Westminster Foundation Grants The Westminster Presbyterian Church Foundation was established for the purpose of generating financial resources in order to support specific projects within Westminster Presbyterian Church and in its ministry within the community and throughout the world. The Board of Managers of the Foundation is pleased to announce that in May, 2018 it will be awarding a grant or grants totaling approximately $15,600 for specific projects directly affecting Westminster Presbyterian Church and is now inviting applications from interested organizations, groups, or individuals from the Church. In past years awarded grants have ranged from $500 to $6,000. Applications are available in the Church office or on the Church s website, and must be submitted to the Church office on or before May 1, 2018 in order to be considered. Questions related to the application process may be directed to members of the Board of Managers who are Betsy Badger, Edwin Blinks, Paul DeLong, Jennifer Klinkhammer, Howard McLean, Don Reyerson, and Norma Smith. Questions may also be directed to Hal Murry. Applications must include a description of the proposed project or activity, a budget for it, and the dollars being requested to fund it. Grant recipients are also asked to submit documentation to the Board of Managers upon completion of the project showing that the proposed project or activity has been successfully completed. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (working alongside communities as they recover and find hope after devastation of natural or human-caused disasters) Presbyterian Hunger Program (taking action to alleviate hunger, care for creation, and the systematic causes of poverty so that all may be fed) Self-Development of People (investing in communities responding to their experiences of oppression, poverty and injustice) You will find OGHS offering envelopes in the pews on March 18, 25 and on Easter Sunday. The familiar fish box banks will be distributed to kids, in an effort for families to use them together and returning the full box, jingling with coins, back to Westminster by Easter. Thank you for sharing and supporting One Great Hour of Sharing, an offering responds directly to the needs God has called us to fulfill in Isaiah 58.

5 Volume XVIII, Issue 3 Page 5 March Calendar go to website for a larger version

6 Westminster Presbyterian Church 2155 University Ave Dubuque, IA NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID DUBUQUE, IA PERMIT NO. 577 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED THE CHRISTIAN SEASON OF "LENT" draws its name from an Old English word for Spring and the lengthening of days. "In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year's income to some holy use. For Christians to observe the forty days of Lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year's days. After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus. During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves." -- quote is from Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized by Frederick Buechner March 4 3rd Sunday in Lent; Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Rev. Dr. Marsha Wilfong preaches Music: Adult Choir; Adult Handbells March 11 4th Sunday in Lent (Girl Scout Sunday) Rev. Hal Murry preaches on John 18:28-40 (Jesus and Pilate) Music: Youth Choir and Youth Handbells: Timbrel and Lyre Join Us for Worship at Westminster 9:30 a.m. Sundays Contact Information: 2155 University Ave. Dubuque, IA March 18 5th Sunday in Lent Rev. Hal Murry preaches on John 19:1-16 (Jesus Condemned) Music: Church Band; Adult Choir March 25 Palm Sunday (Holy Week begins) Rev. Hal Murry preaches on John 12:12-27 (Triumphal Entry) Music: Timbrel and Lyre 7:00 p.m., Thursday, March 29 Maundy Thursday worship with Communion Join us for Communion at Bethany Home March 18th at 1:30 p.m.