February Update: Occasionally winter driving conditions are so. Food Pantry Hours: Tuesday 11AM-12PM and 6:30PM - 7:30PM

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1 Newsletter of the Marcellus First Presbyterian Church Main & North Streets, Marcellus, NY Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity. The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope. The Offering provides us a way to share God s love with our neighbors in need. In fact, OGHS is the single, largest way that Presbyterians come together every year to work for a better world. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) works alongside communities as they recover and find hope after the devastation of natural or human-caused disasters, and support for refugees. PDA receives 32% of funds raised. Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) takes action to alleviate hunger, care for creation, and the systemic causes of poverty so all may be fed. PHP receives 36% of funds raised. Self-Development of People (SDOP) invests in communities responding to their experiences of oppression, poverty and injustice and educates Presbyterians about the impact of these issues. SDOP receives 32% of funds raised. Thank you for supporting One Great Hour of Sharing, an offering that responds directly to the needs God has called us to Fulfill. February 2018 Update: Occasionally winter driving conditions are so severe that it becomes necessary to cancel Sunday morning worship services for safety reasons. During our transition period, we may have pastors who need to travel a considerable distance to Marcellus. In the event that this becomes necessary, announcements will be made on TV channels 3, 5, 9, and 68 and also our church website Phone calls will no longer be made. Inside This Issue One Great Hour of Sharing Lenten Thoughts Calendar Caring Ministry Lenten Collection Presbyterian Classes Seeking Wisdom Word Search Christian Education Presbyterian Women Annual Meeting Lenten Lunch Food Pantry Hours: Tuesday 11AM-12PM and 6:30PM - 7:30PM February 2018 Page 1

2 Lenten Thoughts PRAYER: BEING WITH GOD Some thoughts from Ginny Smith this Lenten season For the past several weeks I have been receiving daily s from Spirituality and Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys. Each day I receive a story from Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat as a part of a course entitled Practicing Spirituality with Teaching Stories. Each one has helped me reflect on and deepen my relationship with God in a unique way, and I want to share one with you that I hope will offer encouragement to prayerfully be with God in a renewing way during the season of Lent. It s entitled The Boy Who Wandered in the Woods from the book Teaching Your Child About God by David J. Wolpe. A boy used to wander in the woods. At first his father let him wander, but over time he became concerned. The woods were dangerous. The father did not know what lurked there. He decided to discuss the matter with his child. One day he took him aside and said, You know, I have noticed that each day you walk into the woods. I wonder, why do you go there? The boy said to his father, I go there to find God. That is a very good thing. The father replied gently. I am glad you are searching for God. But, my child, don t you know that God is the same everywhere? Yes, the boy answered, but I m not. How did this story touch you? What was your initial response? Did you have an aha moment? Read the story aloud a second time. I invite you to simply sit with it, letting it simmer. How does the story speak to you? What is it telling you to do? Lent is the season of preparation in the church year, a time to return to the desert where Jesus spent forty trying days. I invite you to approach these 40 days as a time of prayer-filled opportunity; a time to reflect on stories like the one you ve just read; a time when Christ will increase as you decrease; a time in which you will be with God in a place of deep connection where you will experience God s love and grace as fully as possible. I d like to close with a quote from Ronald Rolheiser, in his introduction to the book God For Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Lent and Easter. He writes: Lent, it is a season to slowly prepare our souls. It is a time to open ourselves to the presence of God in our lives and let the angels feed us. It is a time to sit among the ashes, confident that love will abound in due time. It is a time to be washed by our tears into the water of new life, to come to real transformation and newness ready to celebrate the feast that is given us at Easter. May God s blessings abound in your life this Lenten season. With love in Christ, Ginny February 2018 Page 2

3 February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat am Zumba 7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal 4 Communion Souper Bowl Sunday 10:00 am Worship with Rev. Dr. Ginny Smith 10:30 am Church School am Zumba 10 am Seeking Wisdom 7 pm Mission Interpretation Meeting 8 pm AA Meeting 7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal 11 Transfiguration of the Lord 10:00 am Worship with Rev. Dr. Richard Smith 10:30 am Church School 11:00 am Annual Meeting 12:00 pm Habitat Bowl-a-thon 12:15 pm Samaritan Sandwiches 12 7 pm Board of Deacons Meeting 7 pm Building & Grounds Meeting 13 Shrove Tuesday 14 Ash Wednesday Valentine's Day 7 pm Ash Wednesday Service at St. Francis Xavier 8 pm AA Meeting 15 7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal am Zumba 9 am Elder and Deacon Training 18 Food Pantry Sunday 10:00 am Worship with Installation and Ordination of Officers with Elder Dan Debrucker- Cota 11:15 am Covered Dish Dinner 19 President s Day Office Closed 7 pm Fellowship & Outreach Meeting Noon-Lenten Lunch at MUMC 8 pm AA Meeting 22 7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal am Zumba :00 am Worship with Elder Dan Debrucker-Cota 7 pm Session Meeting Noon-Lenten Lunch at St. Francis Xavier 8 pm AA Meeting February 2018 Page 3

4 Caring Ministry Communion To Shut-Ins IN OUR PRAYERS The Deacons coordinate the offering of the Sacrament of Holy Communion to the homebound on Sundays that we celebrate the Sacrament in worship. The next opportunity for them to deliver Communion will be on February 4. If you are homebound and would like to receive Communion, please call the Church Office, , or Deb Swankey, Moderator of the Deacons, at CONNECTIONS Connections is published the first of each month by the Marcellus First Presbyterian Church. Deadline for materials is the 23th of the month preceding the month of publication. Submit materials and address changes to Church Office. Marcellus First Presbyterian Church PO Box 147, 1 East Main St. Marcellus, NY Phone: office@marcelluspc.com website: Worship: Church School 10:00 AM 10:30 AM Views expressed are those of the authors and not official positions of the Session, unless noted. Food Pantry Hours Tuesdays 11 am - 12 noon & 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm...gwenn Rice...Jamie Johnston...Phyllis Palmer...Shirley Knickerbocker...Julie Becker...Tom Brown...Hank Bartholomew and family...jan Linderman Lyn Rice...Roger Hakes...Mike Caster...Betty Olley...Jean Reichard Vicky Clark...Kathy Robinson...Tobey Casler...Our Armed forces worldwide...our friends & loved ones in need PEACE Luncheon Come join us for friendship, food and fun at the PEACE Luncheon, hosted every Thursday at the Methodist Church, The meal and fellowship is just $3.00. Reservations are requested so they know how many meals to make; call Darlene Hyde at (315) to make a reservation. You must be at least 60 years young to join us. The Deacons Worship Attendance Happy Birthday... Vladimir Horyl James Hamilton Lisa Gates Taryn Jirousek Justin Costa Tim Swankey John Longuil Stu Holden Carolynn Longuil Joyce Nesfeder Brian Ray Tom O Neil Joseph Heil 2/01 2/02 2/03 2/03 2/14 2/16 2/17 2/18 2/19 2/27 2/27 2/28 2/28 December 24 (10AM)78 December 24 (Eve) 128 December January 7 Cancelled January January January Thank You... Thank you for the prayers, calls, cards and food brought in recently. We have appreciated it all. Jamie and Phyllis February 2018 Page 4

5 Lenten Collection Syracuse WorkCamp 2018 The week of June 24, 2018, more than 400 youth and adult leaders will be coming to Syracuse to share the love of Christ and to make tangible changes in our community. These young adults, their leaders, and local volunteers will be performing light construction and home repairs to some of the neediest families in our area. Some of the construction projects that the group will be working on may include: -porch repair/construction; step repair -weatherization -wheelchair ramp repair/construction -exterior & interior painting -small roofing projects (not including tear offs) -mobile home skirting Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church is partnering with Group Mission Trips to bring these folks here. The youth will be staying at West Genesee High School. Group Workcamps began in response to an incredible need in 1976 when rains in Loveland, Colorado flooded the Big Thompson River destroying houses, washing away roads, and killing over 140 people. The staff of Group Magazine put out a call for help and over 300 youth and their adult leaders showed up ready to serve the residents of the Big Thompson Canyon. It was the spiritual growth-the boost in faith of the campers-that made the biggest impact on everyone involved. From this tragedy, God created a mission program that not only serves thousands of people directly each summer, but also brings a new understanding and deeper faith in Jesus. One way that our congregation can help is by contributing items to the Hospitality Team. These items include: Pencils/pens Note cards, pocket memo pads Fun stickers (many packs) Mini hand sanitizers Chap stick/lip balm Individual bags of chips/doritos Medium sized cookies Juice boxes Small bottles of water Packs of gum Packs of mints Purse sized tissue packs Granola/power bars Small toiletries (hotel size shampoo, toothpaste, razor) We are asking the congregation to bring in these items during Lent as Extra Mile giving. We will have tables set up in front of the sanctuary for you to leave your items. Let s help support this exciting mission that offers so much to so many. February 2018 Page 5

6 Being Presbyterian WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PRESBYTERIAN? Have you ever wondered about this? Perhaps you re someone who is new to Marcellus First Presbyterian Church or a long-time member or a friend of this congregation. Maybe you re just intrigued by this question. You might even be considering becoming a member of this congregation and were waiting for the opportunity to do so. Well, now s the opportunity you ve been waiting for. Please join Ginny and Richard Smith for lunch on Sunday, March 18, from 11:30 AM 1:30 PM, in Shinaman Hall as we look more closely at what it means to be a Christian in the Presbyterian Tradition and to be a member of a congregation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). In order to plan appropriately for lunch and to have enough copies of materials on hand, we are asking those who plan on attending to sign up by Sunday, March 11. You can call or visit the church office, giving the names of those coming, or you can sign up after worship. With more details coming on how and where to do this. In the meantime, talk this up with folks. You never know who might want to learn more about those incredible Presbyterians who have been meeting on the corner of Main and North Streets since the early 1800 s and are still going strong. See you in church!! Seeking Wisdom A Gathering for Those Seeking to Deepen Their Relationship with God And Find Out More About Being a Jesus Follower Saturday, February 10, :00-11:30 AM - Fireside Room Led by Dr. Ginny Smith Due to the snow and extreme cold on January 13th, Seeking Wisdom did not meet. Therefore, on Saturday, February 10th, we will continue reading in Brian D. McLaren's book entitled We Make the Road by Walking what we had planned for January 13th. In chapter 5, In Over Our Heads, we ll be reading and discussing various segments in chapters 4-9 in Genesis; Psalm 51; and James 4:1-8, and discovering how they apply to our lives today. If we aren t careful, we can grow comfortable and complacent with a status quo of injustice, oppression, and violence. That s why we are wise to gather often and retell these ancient stories. Rather than being conformed to this world and its mixed-up priorities, we can seek together to be transformed by a different and better story so we can join with God in the healing of our world. In looking ahead, the dates for our future gatherings are March 10th, Plotting Goodness; April 7th, It s Not Too Late; May 12th, Rivalry or Reconciliation? ; and June 9th, Freedom!. Hope to see you on February 10. PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ARE ENCOURAGED TO COME. February 2018 Page 6

7 Word Search February 2018 Page 7

8 Christian Education Souper Bowl Sunday Well, the final two teams are set for the Super Bowl, and whether you cheer for the Eagles or the Patriots, it is sure to be a great game! While most of us will be watching the game with family or friends and enjoying a big spread of traditional football snacks, Super Bowl Sunday gives us an opportunity to think of those less fortunate than us and do some good for our community. When you come to church on February 4th, we d like to ask you to remember to bring canned goods to donate to our local ecumenical food pantry. There will be collection buckets in the front of the sanctuary and in Shinaman Hall. If you happen to forget to bring a can or two, you can simply drop a bit of money in the collection plates or the buckets and that money will be dedicated to the food pantry, as well. Thanks so much for supporting this mission! Christian Education Calendar for February February Love Month 4 Souper Bowl/Lesson 11 Lesson and Habitat Bowl-a-thon in East Syracuse 12-2pm 18 No class Break 25 No class Break Silver Knights Soccer game, 4pm at OnCenter *Save the Dates: March 10 SU Men s Lacrosse game at the Dome at 1pm 18 Volunteering at the Samaritan Center from 12-3pm Habitat for Humanity Bowl-a-Thon We are once again participating in the Habitat for Humanity BowlA-Thon in East Syracuse on February 11th. All proceeds benefit the Syracuse chapter of Habitat for Humanity to support their housing efforts in the community. Youth will be collecting sponsorships in the next few weeks, so please find them if they haven t found you yet, and sponsor their bowling for a good cause! Participants will meet at Bowl-Mor Lanes in East Syracuse after church to eat some lunch and bowl two games. Parents are invited to stay and participate, and kids are invited to bring along friends if they would like to do so. Allison Ray will just need a head count a few days before the bowling event so we know how many lanes we will need. Bowlers are asked to bring $6 to cover the price of shoe rental and lane use. CE will cover the cost of lunch. Thank you! Every person matters! There is no denying that schedules nowadays are busier than ever for kids and adults alike! Unfortunately, this has resulted in some pretty sporadic attendance in the youth programs as of late, so this is a friendly request that kids be at church for classes and attend our extra activities whenever possible. Thanks so much for your continued support of efforts to help the kids connect, learn and grow in their faith each week! February 2018 Page 8

9 February is MUZIKI Month When February rolls around each year, our Christian Education program looks for opportunities to involve the kids in a service project. Sometimes these projects are local, such as working with the SPCA, Dogs4Vets, or Light a Candle for Literacy. Sometimes we expand our reach into global initiatives, previously working with Heifer International and Children of the Father s House orphanage in Uganda, for example. We always seek to identify a program that is in need and whose mission speaks to what the kids value and the differences that the children of MFPC want to make in the community and world. This year, when we batted around ideas for different organizations that we could support, the idea of searching for a program that was somehow connected to children and music was floated out for consideration. After all, almost every one of our young people in church is involved in music in one way or another, and has experienced its benefits. It was not even a week later that Charlie Smith happened to send along, unsolicited, some information to me from Karen Winters, who was a very active member of our congregation until just a few years ago when she moved, about a program called MUZIKI in Kenya. It was one of those times when I could not help but think that divine intervention was at play! From their website M.U.Z.I.K.I. is an acronym for Music Unleashing Zeal In Kenyan Individuals. MUZIKI aspires to bring quality music education and performance opportunities to people in Kenya by means of providing musical instruments, music equipment, printed music and periodically, music teaching personnel. It is a goal of MUZIKI to help establish, develop and maintain an on-going music program. MUZIKI is a program for Kenyans, and run by Kenyans, through a growing relationship with music colleagues in the United States. MUZIKI involves people from the USA, in particular, from Central New York, in donating new and used and playable musical instruments, music stands, and printed music to equip the program in Kenya. MUZIKI works with children in the One Heart Children s Home, an orphanage located in Turbo, Kenya. There, MUZIKI provides instruments and musical instruction to children who have lost everything, in an effort to help them reconnect to joy and learn skills that will help them secure employment and broaden their horizons as they get older and seek independence and work. The founders of MUZIKI believe that it is not enough to simply clothe, feed and house these orphans. It is imperative that they be given the opportunity to heal, learn and explore through music. We provide free music education and free musical instruments for the kids at One Heart Children s Home in Turbo, Kenya. These kids in the MUZIKI Band and Choir, all orphans or abandoned by their families, have all had dramatic changes in their lives. Having lost almost everything, the kids were fearful, shy, cautious, hesitant to speak up or express their feelings, and struggled academically. Now part of the MUZIKI music program for several years, they have learned to read music, play instruments, and perform in front of strangers with joy. During the summer of 2017, the Band won 1st Place for brass ensembles in the National Kenyan Music Festival. A HUGE accomplishment for these kids. The choir, only in existence since 2016 placed 14th out of 80 choirs from all across Kenya in the same festival last summer. Unfortunately, we lack the funds to buy more instruments so that we can eventually have all the kids at One Heart be part of the program. Karen Winters, 2018 During the month of February, our youth will be participating in a couple of different activities related to this mission project. We will be reaching out to local educators and music instructors (and the congregation!) to see if we can obtain used instruments for this program. We will also be undertaking a fundraising initiative to raise money that can be used by the MUZIKI organizers to enhance and expand their program. You will learn more about this mission early in February when the kids talk about it during the Minute for Mission. In the meantime, if you have any questions or ideas about how you can help, you can speak to Allison Ray for more information and to get involved. You can also visit their website and watch their recent promotional video at the links provided. We all have been touched by music in our lives and can appreciate the many benefits that is brings. We look forward to bringing that joy and those benefits to children on the other side of the world. February 2018 Page 9

10 Presbyterian Women PW will not be meeting February or March. Please join us instead at the Ecumenical Lenten Lunches. MARCELLUS FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH P.O. Box 147 Marcellus, NY Address Service Requested Ecumenical Lenten Lunch Lent is just around the corner, and the Marcellus Ecumenical Community invites everyone to come and join us for the annual Lenten Lunches, hosted on Wednesdays at Noon. Here s the location of each lunch: 2/21 Marcellus United Methodist Church 2/28 St. Francis Xavier 3/7 First Presbyterian Church of Marcellus 3/14 St. John s Episcopal Church 3/21 Marcellus United Methodist Church Please use P.O. Box 147 when corresponding with the Church Annual Meeting Immediately following the February 11th service, this church will hold it's annual meeting of the congregation. Annual reports will be presented which pertained to the following year. In addition, the 2018 approved budget will be presented. The Nominating Committee will be presenting an officer slate which will need to be voted upon and be electing members to serve on the 2018 committee. February 2018 Page 10