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1 ( J[U[N[E_W[I[N[D[O[W ) Make New Friends, But Keep the Old One of the things that makes any community great is the strength and resiliency of its relationships among its people. Building relationships take an investment in time. As Christians we are to be relational-people. If we follow Christ's example we are going to spend time with others. The Message, by Eugene Peterson points out in the first chapter of John that The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. The presence of Christ in our life is relational. When we seek to follow Christ, we are invited to build relationships. In simple terms we ought to get to know one another and to know our neighbor. Spending time with one another is not a waste of time; it is important to developing relationships. The easiest way to develop lasting relationships is to start out by simply spending time with others. Presence matters. One of the great things about Stockton, is that there are ample fun opportunities to break the ice if you are trying to make new friends. You may not have a life-changing conversation the first time that you spend time with someone, but all good relationships start somewhere. Here are some ideas to get us thinking about when and where we may be able to jumpstart some additional relationships. Each year I particularly enjoy the Concerts in the Park at Victory Park. These Wednesday evening events are free to attend and the picnic-type atmosphere is good for a wide variety of ages. On Friday evenings there are additionally some concerts at Stonecreek Village on Pacific Ave. Consider inviting someone to attend together. If sitting still is not your thing, maybe creating your own mini-mission trip would be meaningful. Invite a new friend from church to go serve at the Gospel Center Rescue Mission or St. Mary's some day this summer, or serve at the Breakfast Club. Try to get to know those you are serving. Invite someone out to lunch after a church worship service to encourage fellowship even in addition to our monthly luncheons. It could be at your apartment, a restaurant or even a park. Be creative. The church is providing a few fellowship resources this summer, but those are just to get things started. On June 12 th there will be an Ice Cream Social. In August we will go spend time with each other at a Ports baseball game. Each Sunday there is time to meet and pray with others at church. We want to be more than just a friendly church, we want to develop friendships. Make new friends, but keep the old, is not from the Bible that I am aware of, however it seems to be pretty good advice. As we go through life there is value in maintaining, preserving and growing established relationships as well as initiating new ones. The summertime would be a great time for us to prayerfully commit to investing in both. Calendar 2 Kids Corner 3 News 3-5 Mission Updates Get Involved Inside For Fun 10 Misc Notes 11 Reminders 11

2 (J[U[N[E) SUN MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT 1 10:30 a.m :30 a.m. PW Circles 4 6:30 p.m. Committee Mtg 5 7:00 p.m. Christian Education Mtg 6 7 6:30 p.m. 2 Timothy Study 8 10:30 a.m. Sunday School Ends Deacons Mtg Pentecost Luncheon 9 Guest Preacher Julia Leeth 10 3:00 p.m. FB&G Mtg 6:30 p.m. Session Meeting :30 p.m. Ice Cream Social Happy Father s Day! :00 p.m. PW Luncheon Deadline: July Window Articles :30 a.m. Last Saturday Luncheon 29 Cents-Ability 30 Key: Restore G.E.T. Mentoring Youth Leadership Camp 221st General Assembly in Detroit First Presbyterian Church in the Middle East First Presbyterian Church in Colombia Remember to keep these events in prayer! PG 2

3 (Answer at the bottom of page 7) (f[i[r[s[t_p[r[e[s_n[e[w[s) Summer We are attempting to Beat the Heat! Beginning Sunday, June 15th worship will start at and will take place in Westminster Hall. This is a big change, but we think it will be for the best! We know you may have some questions, so we ve prepared an FAQ sheet that is available in Westminster Hall For another way to keep up with what is happening here at First Presbyterian, check out the minutes from each month s Session meeting. They are posted on the bulletin board in the Geneva Room. (k[i[d[s_c[o[r[n[e[r) Psalm 98 It s summertime: The earth is blooming, school s out, vacations are here, time to enjoy the world around you! Find these happy verses from Psalm 98. Use the code to fill the blanks. New Address! Eva Roeser 877 March Ln #154 Rio Las Palmas Stockton, CA PG 3

4 (f[i[r[s[t_p[r[e[s_n[e[w[s) to our Graduates! Destiny Akins-Adams Graduating from Edison High School What is the next step for you? I want to be a computer tech and hopefully I can go to ITT Tech Institute. Do you have any advice for kids who are still in school? Never give up, don t listen to peoples negativity, always be who you are and stand up--that s right, pick yourself up when you fall. How can we be praying for you? Pray that good things keep coming my way. Ellen Yeager Graduating from San Joaquin Delta College What is the next step for you? I will be transferring to Monterey in the Fall, to work on my bachelors degree in biological sciences. Do you have any advice for kids who are still in school? My advice to kids that are still in school would be to never give up. You ll have classes that are hard and teachers that aren t so great, but keep working hard and it ll all pay off in the end. How can we be praying for you? Prayers for a smooth transition to Monterey would be greatly appreciated! PG 4

5 (f[i[r[s[t_p[r[e[s_n[e[w[s) IT S SUMMER! School is out and the G.E.T. Mentoring after school program is winding down as well. Once again, we greatly appreciate everyone who has partnered with First Presbyterian and Restore by donating time or money to serve the kids of our neighborhood. We will be continuing our partnership with Restore by hosting the G.E.T. Mentoring Youth Leadership Camp Monday - Thursday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., from June 9th - June 19th. This camp will instill leadership skills in pre-teens who will serve as Jr. Mentors next year. The focus is on empowering students from 6th - 8th grade and preparing them for the next step at G.E.T. Mentoring. The goal is to build confidence and knowledge using the power of the gospel as a guide. This camp provides an opportunity to work with community youth while they are not overwhelmed with academic pressure, allowing for even more effective discipleship. The Youth Leadership Camp aims to provide an enriching environment that will equip these students with the word of God and will uplift their spirits. You can help by sponsoring a student for $50. Just write Restore Youth Leadership Camp on the memo line of your check. Restore is also looking for more high school students to enroll in the camp as mentors for the junior high students. If you or someone you know is interested, contact the church office and we will put you in touch with Dave Cicileo from Restore. This program is budgeted at $50 per student, which will help cover their lunch, supply fees, and contribute to community adventures. Others in the community have partnered with Restore to provide opportunities for horseback riding, wakeboarding, canoeing, and other local activities. PG 5

6 (m[i[s[s[i[o[n_u[p[d[a[t[e[s) Mesopotamia 2014 Mission Trip Wow, Wow and Wow Ellen and I can not thank our Church Family enough for your very generous donations to help with the expenses of our mission trip. We hope everyone had enough to eat and enjoyed our time of Fellowship. We would like to shout out a special thank you to Nita Taylor, who is always willing to help me in the kitchen, thank you Nita We look forward to sharing our experiences of a Church Camp across the world with all of you when we return. Thanks again to our amazing Church Family Kathi & Ellen Up a steep hillside, around the corner and straight up again, through a wrought iron gate, into an adobe cluster of buildings you will find a shaggy dog named Beethoven guarding a new water purification system in a small church kitchen in Cusco, Peru. There is a plaque thanking God for the partnership of four PCUSA churches of California: First Monterey, Trinity, First Stockton, and First Visalia. Thank you for all your prayers and kind wishes. Check the bulletin board by the kitchen (or ask us) for your copy of the message to you from Pastor Josias it is too long to print here. We learned a lot from this installation. Most important is the reminder that this mission is not about the system, but about the relationships that form within the Kingdom of our God. We are learning to listen. So, when our Colombian brothers and sisters ask us to come and help them plant teak trees and sew carrying bags (and to wait on the water until they can put together the resources to build the rooms to house the system), that is what we will go and do. With your blessing we leave June 21. We will return July 12 with more stories. You will have the opportunity to experience the joy of coming back and telling stories as well in the next year. Our Presbytery is planning a trip to Guatemala. This will be a first class trip: only a week, a short plane trip, four star hotel accommodations, above average in-country transportation, chef-prepared food, translators, experienced team mates, and meeting wonderful Compassion International children and teachers. Check out Living Water World Missions if you don t believe us. God is moving across our hemisphere you don t want to miss Him. Pastor Josias playing the accordion Dedication Service PG 6

7 (g[e[t_i[n[v[o[l[v[e[d) Moment for Discipleship To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to learn from Jesus Christ -- to grow to be like Him. The person most responsible for your spiritual growth, your reflection of the image of Jesus and the character of life you live, is not your pastor or your Bible study leader or your Sunday School teacher. The person most responsible for your spiritual growth is -- YOU! You may think, well, I go to church every Sunday. Isn't that enough? No, it's not. If you ate a wonderful, nutritious meal on Sunday and then didn't eat anything at all until the next Sunday, you would not be in very good physical condition. The same is true of spiritual food. If you only partake on Sunday, the rest of the week you're wasting away spiritually, instead of growing. Having a daily devotional time that includes Bible reading, prayer, and possibly some other devotional material is a good place to start. The Upper Room is a devotional magazine that is available out in Westminster Hall. It has a daily reading, with scripture and a prayer. There are many other devotional materials available that can be purchased at Bible stores or online. You can find devotional materials that are directed to certain professions, interests, or times of life: student, teacher, medical professional, athlete, and many others. There are also great online daily devotionals available at Bible Gateway, Guideposts, d365, and Our Daily Bread, to name but a few. Some of these can be sent directly to your every day. We have included links to some of these devotionals below. I encourage and even challenge you to take charge of your spiritual life and begin a daily devotional time. You won't be sorry. I guarantee you will grow in Christ, and chances are, the time spent will become your favorite part of the day. Pick one up in Westminster Hall OR Check out June 29-July 5: Read Psalm 13 This week we pray for trust...trust in God to guide our churches, our homes, our nation during such unstable times. [The Upper Room -- daily devotionals] [The Upper Room -- daily reflections] [written for students but good for everyone -- sponsored by PCUSA] [Our Daily Bread] [Our Daily Bread sign up] [on left, under FAITH, click Daily Devotions] PRAYER GUIDES FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, BROUGHT TO YOU BY PRESBYTERIAN ELDERS IN PRAYER For the time leading up to, during, and following General Assembly (GA), held in Detroit, June Every prayer is to be offered in Jesus' name. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers each day. June 1-7: Read Psalm 93 This week we pray daily for those whose behind the scenes labors are so important: those involved in technology...providing the sound, light, computer systems, and climate control...also those who quietly observe and pray for the GA proceedings. And please pray for those who will be running for the office of Moderator...and for those who will be voting. June 8-13: Read Acts 2:1-21 As the week of GA approaches, let us all pray for a fresh and powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit to fall upon the PCUSA and all the various Presbyterian families. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill and guide all Commissioners, Committees, and Advisors. May the Word of the Lord be followed and obeyed! June 14-21: Read and pray the following Scriptures over the GA meeting each day... May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind that Christ had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6 This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10 June 22-28: Read John 17 A prayer for the days after GA: Righteous Father, we are grateful for the prayers of Your faithful people the Presbyterian family of Christians. Help all of us to continue to pray for Your Church throughout the world, for the part of it we know as the PCUSA, and for the congregations we call home. We continue to think and pray and process what has happened at this GA, and what may come next. Bring Your steady Presence to us, and fill our hearts with the prayer Jesus prayed for us in John 17. May the Spirit of Christ continue to make You known to us and fill us with Your love. May Your Church live to serve and glorify You [devotionals to read online, even audio ones!] [huge variety of devotionals sent to your ] PG 7

8 May 20, 2014 (g[e[t_i[n[v[o[l[v[e[d) Time for that Summer Growth Spurt Again! Dear Ones in our Community of Faith who continue this long tradition of witnessing to the Promise of God s Kingdom through circles of Presbyterian Women, Thank you Mary Lou, Helen, Carol, and Alyssa for all the advance preparations for our Mothers Day Celebration. And then Thanks so much Tami, Sylvia, Suzanne, Rae, Nita, Mara, Marilyn, Mary Lou, Jo, Carol and Wonderful You (sorry I overlooked your name) for all the help in the kitchen before, during, after! Everyone contributed something. We all had a good time remembering and sharing that we belong to God s Family, singing and dancing to the music of the 8 th Street Praise Team. It will be June when you read this! The first Tuesday Circle One and Two will finish their Bible Study. I hope the Evening Circle will meet, as well. We will have our luncheon on Tuesday, June 17. There will probably not be a coordinating team meeting because the moderator will be worrying about the food. I hope you bring the projects that you have worked on since our last luncheon speaker inspired us with Prayer Shawls and More. The lovely yellow shawl I received certainly comforted Doug s mother during her last days in hospice. We will evaluate this past year with all its ups and downs, comings and goings, giving and receiving. I am so grateful that God has blessed us with each other to share His Grace, His Peace, His Joy, His Light for our path. Your thankful moderator Cheryl Hunt A Guide to Your Summer Options beginning June 15th Last summer we had a time to study the Lord's Prayer in a lively group after the Sunday worship service. This was a great time, but it was missing one important component--something for children and youth to do. So this year we will try to build on the energy of doing something during the summer and expand it to include all ages. Here are the details at this point. After the 9:30 worship service has concluded, there will be an Arts and Education time. This will be child centered with adult participation encouraged. It will start around 10:50 a.m. each week. Participants will be encouraged to express their God-given creativity through the arts and will also learn more about God and each other. There will be a component that reinforces faith through scripture, as well as another component geared toward working on creating. So far there is at least one multi-week, collaborative project in store. It is also hoped that a couple of short dramatic skits will be prepared for sharing with the congregation. This time will be interactive and multi-generational. During the same time slot, there will also be a traditional Bible Study for adults. Jim Louden will facilitate the group that will be going through the Gospel of John. Child-care will be available throughout the morning. PG 8

9 (g[e[t_i[n[v[o[l[v[e[d) PENTECOST FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON Sunday, June 8th following worship Let's fire up the barbecue and celebrate Pentecost! Fellowship Committee will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, and hot links. Bring a side dish or dessert to share. Don t forget to wear RED on Pentecost! Don t Forget! Father s Day is Sunday, June 15th! Executive Presbyter Julia Leeth will be preaching on Pentecost Sunday. Saturday, June 28th 11:30 a.m. in Koinonia Hall Thursday, June 12th 6:30 p.m. Join us as we enjoy a warm summer evening with friends, neighbors, and ice cream. We will set up out in front of the church on the El Dorado side. This is a great opportunity to invite someone new to the church. If you would like to help out, we need volunteers to help make ice cream (yes, we will have homemade ice cream!) as well as to serve. We will have a sign up sheet in Westminster Hall on the Current Events bulletin board, or you can contact the office at (209) or office@fpcstockton.org. If you would like to help out, there are opportunities for set-up/clean-up, greeting visitors, and preparing the meal. Keep an eye on the Current Events bulletin board for more info and a volunteer sign-up sheet! Collection on Sunday, June 29th PG 9

10 (g[e[t_i[n[v[o[l[v[e[d) A look ahead Faith Stockton Ports Saturday, August 16th - 7:05 p.m. Join us for a night of baseball, fireworks, and fellowship! Keep an eye out for more details as the date approaches, or contact the office for more information. We are hosting August 21st - 23rd! We need several volunteers to help with facility arrangements, preparing meals for the group, and various other hospitality measures. This is a great opportunity to serve an organization with a meaningful mission, and to get to know new people while you re at it! This group is biking from Rhode Island, so let s show them a big Stockton welcome! If you would like to help us out, please contact the church office. We greatly appreciate any time and service you can give. Through service-oriented cycling trips, Bike & Build benefits affordable housing and empowers young adults for a lifetime of service and civic engagement. (bikeandbuild.org) (f[o[r_f[u[n) Funny Church Bulletins Don t let worry kill you off-- let the Church help. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. The vicar would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. Year 8 pupils will be presenting Shakespeare s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy. The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility. PG 10

11 Answer to Kids Corner puzzle: Sing to the Lord a new song! Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth! Burst into jubilant song with music! Make music to the Lord with the harp! Shout for joy before the Lord the King! Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy! (m[i[s[c_n[o[t[e[s) SERMON NOTES In one of my devotional books, Daily Guideposts 2014, the suggestion was made to write down a phrase or sentence from the sermon on Sunday each week to ruminate on during the week, posting it in a prominent place where you will see it each day. The idea is to ponder how you can live out the message and to see in a new way how God works in your life all week long. I decided to give it a try. There's even a place on the back of the bulletin expressly for Sermon Notes! I have to say I haven't been real good about posting them, but I do read them several times during the week. I can see how actually posting them so they are easily and readily seen every day would be beneficial. I'll work on that... Here are some of the things I wrote down over the last four weeks since I've been doing this: April 27: Trusting God is different than just acknowledging that God exists. It's our belief that gives us hope; and hope strengthens our belief. May 4: God has loved you your entire life. You have to know about Jesus to know Jesus; but knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Him. May 11: John 10:9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved. This is the best news ever! There is nothing you can do today that tomorrow you couldn't ask God for forgiveness. Grace is grace -- there's nothing you can do to earn it or to pay it back. May 18: Where is God? God is there all the time with us. The Church today is just as dynamic and powerful as it was in New Testament times. Stephen's faith was who he was. (Does that describe my faith? How about yours?) When you are down in the dumps, feeling your worst, God is there. I don't know if it means anything that I seem to be finding more "gems" each week. Maybe I'm paying better attention since I'm really listening to write something down. I think that's a pretty great side effect of this practice! If anybody else would like to try this, I would be interested to find out what you wrote down. Maybe we could have a gathering time before church to share our notes and how we see God working in our lives. Or maybe I'll start a Facebook group where we could share our thoughts with each other. Or maybe we could post them on a bulletin board. Let me know if you are interested. --Merilyn Vaughn One more thing: Apologies to Pastor Gus for any misquotes. I think I got the gist, but in some cases it's probably not quite what you said... Oh, and many thanks to Jeff Japinga and his entry in Daily Guideposts 2014 on Sunday, March 30. (r[e[m[i[n[d[e[r[s) The deadline for submission of articles for the July Window is JUNE 20th! CE Meeting Thursday June 5th at 7:00 p.m. Deacons Meeting Sunday June 8th following service FB&G Meeting Tuesday June 10th at 3:00 p.m. Meeting Wednesday June 4th at 6:30 p.m. Session Meeting Tuesday June 10th at 6:30 p.m. PG 11

12 First Presbyterian Church of Stockton 31 E. Vine Street Stockton, CA Phone: Website: fpcstockton.org Thank you for saving a stamp! Business Office Hours: Mon - Fri: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ( J[U[N[E_W[I[N[D[O[W ) Beat the Heat! Join us for Summer at beginning Sunday, June 15th in