The Peace Press. "Following Jesus together, Building Faith" Honoring God

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The Peace Press. "Following Jesus together, Building Faith" Honoring God"

Beverly Miller
5 years ago
Views:

May 2017 Prayer and Preparation 8:30-9:00 AM Bible Study Hour 9:00-10:00 AM Sunday Worship 10:00-11:15 AM ϯmay 6th @ 2pm Women s Spring Tea ϯmay 7th Communion Sunday/Food Bank Sunday ϯmay 29th

up soon. The Bible is very clear in Exodus 20:12, about how we should treat our parents.

1 May 2017 Prayer and Preparation 8:30-9:00 AM Bible Study Hour 9:00-10:00 AM Sunday Worship 10:00-11:15 AM ϯmay 2pm Women s Spring Tea ϯmay 7th Communion Sunday/Food Bank Sunday ϯmay 29th Memorial Day Church Office closed The Peace Press "Following Jesus together, Building Faith" Honoring God As we enter the month of May, we are reminded that both Mother's and Father's day are coming up soon. The Bible is very clear in Exodus 20:12, about how we should treat our parents. God tells us, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." God blesses our lives when we honor our parents. Jesus reinforces the importance of this command in Matthew 19:17b-9, saying, "If you want to enter life, keep the commandments...you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. The command then to honor one's parents then is a core command, still in place for us as Christians and affirmed by Jesus. For some of us, this may be a challenge because our parents may have proven to be poor stewards of the gift of parenting that God has given them, by being harmful or abusive. In this case, we honor them by seeking to forgive them and entrusting them to God. In honoring our parents, as imperfect as they may be, we are giving thanks for the gift of life, for those who God has used to give us life. In doing so, then, we are on a deeper level giving thanks to God as our Heavenly Father for the gift of life. So, during May and June, let us honor God as we honor our parents, as we give thanks for the gift of life and for those who have given us life. Jesus loves you and I do too! God bless you! Pastor Brian Page 1 of 13

2 Worship News Sermon Series "Living by Faith" As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant, Reformation, we continue in May with our study of Paul's Letter to the Romans, a key Scripture for Martin Luther, as he wrestled with how we are saved and how we live out our faith. As Paul says in Romans 1:17, "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith." Come and be blessed as we learn more about living by faith in Jesus. Sunday, May 7 Communion Sunday Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Romans 5: "Overflowing Grace" Sunday, May 21 Isaiah 61:1-11; Romans 6:15-23 "God's Gift to Us" Sunday, May 14 Mother's Day Psalm 16:1-11; Romans 6:1-14 "Being Under Grace" Sunday, May 28 Memorial Day Weekend Ezekiel 11:19-20 ; Romans 7:1-6 "Serving the Spirit" Officers on Call Each Sunday, we have two (or more if a couple) church officers who have signed up to be on call, to be present early to assist with set up and to assist with whatever needs or questions may arise. The May schedule is: Sunday, May 7th, Communion Sunday Phyllis Mendenhall Sunday, May 21st Cindy Huff-Cochran Sunday, May 14th, Mother s Day Iron Men Sunday, May 28th Maila Eslabon, Sally Richardson, & Sherry Kirton The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper For 2016, the Session has approved normally celebrating the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday of each month. In May, we will celebrate on Sunday, May 7th. Please pray and prepare yourselves to receive and to celebrate this Sacrament together. Page 2 of 13

3 Food Bank Sundays to be on Communion Sunday The Session has approved designating Communion Sundays as Food Bank Sundays. Upcoming dates are Sunday, May 7th and Sunday, June 4th. We encourage you to bring food to donate and to make cash donations as well. We do not keep a discretionary fund to help those in need and instead refer all requests for assistance directly to the Food Bank. Please give generously to bless those in need in our community. Special Times of Prayer Everyone is invited to join Pastor Brian and Pastor Jerry each Sunday as we meet at 8:30 AM in the sanctuary to pray: to pray for the Sunday service and to pray for all of those involved in serving that day; to pray for God's Spirit to be poured out in our midst; to pray that we will become the church family God wants and wills us to be. The Deacons also invite you to join them in weekly prayer for our church and for our church leaders each Saturday at 8:30 AM in your homes (or wherever else you may be). Please join with your church family in setting aside time weekly to pray. Peace Kids Choir Rehearsals are Sunday mornings and Friday nights. We will sing in the Big Church on the 2 nd Sunday of each month. See Miss Rachel to get the CD to practice at home and in the car. Peace Kids Serve Others Come bless the elderly at Brookdale Chapel (formerly Emeritus Living Center on Laguna Park Drive). Our next visit will be on Sunday, May 14th. See Pastor Jerry for more info. Kid's Church Our vision is to teach and disciple our children in being life long worshippers and servants of Jesus Christ and prepare them to worship with their parents in big church. Our goals are: to actively involve the children in each aspect, such as worship, prayer and study; to be different than the Study Hour; to teach the kids to worship; to be an actual worship service for the kids; to encourage them to memorize scripture; to have visual for prayer request; to provide weekly bulletin for kids. Children s Church Certificates Giving the Message: Lauren A. (Matthew 28: 1-10); Addie S. (Isaiah 3: 1-15) Page 3 of 13

" Covenant theology is central to Reformed theology and one of the key ways we experience God's grace is through His covenants.

4 Digging Deeper "Amazing Grace" God's grace is amazing. As Paul tells us in Romans 3:23-4, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Covenant theology is central to Reformed theology and one of the key ways we experience God's grace is through His covenants. As we Dig Deeper into His Word in May, we will see how God's Amazing Grace has been shared through His covenants, culminating in His gift of the New Covenant, which was fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus. Sunday, May 7 2 Samuel 7:5-16; Isaiah 9:1-7 "Son of David" Sunday, May 14 Psalm 89:30-38; Luke 1:32-33, "God Remembers" Sunday, May 21 Acts 2:22-39 "Jesus fulfills" Sunday, May 28 "Jesus Brings" Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Peace Women s Spring Tea Saturday, May 6 th 2pm 3:30 pm We will have tea and light repast while we enjoy fellowship at the Mendenhall home. All women are invited, ages 13 or older. Carpools available. Please RSVP to Phyllis ASAP: (h), Mendenhall home: 8774 Williamson Drive Elk Grove, CA Page 4 of 13

5 Preschool Board Report The Preschool Board did not meet in April. Session News The Session did not meet in April to allow for attending to Holy Week planning and events. The Elders will resume meeting in May. Deacon Beacon The Deacon Board did not in April in order to allow for planning of and participating in Holy Week events. The Deacons will resume meeting in May. No Mother's Day BBQ We will not be having a BBQ on Mother's Day weekend this year, but we are planning for an upcoming joint Mother's and Father's Day event. The Iron Men will be on call on Mother's Day, May 14th, to give our ladies a break. Church Keys If you have church business that requires you to be here on a regular basis and don t yet have a key, please let Winnie know at your earliest convenience. Worship Leader & Flower Sign-ups Volunteers are needed to be worship leaders and to bless our church with flowers on Sundays. If you d like to sign-up, please do so on the sign-up sheets posted in Fellowship Hall or contact Winnie or Pastor Brian. Page 5 of 13

Iron Men's Discipleship Group to Form Are you interested in being in a Discipleship Group, with fellow Iron Men, where we spend time discussing how to grow in being disciples of Jesus?

6 Iron Men's Discipleship Group to Form Are you interested in being in a Discipleship Group, with fellow Iron Men, where we spend time discussing how to grow in being disciples of Jesus? The study will meet regularly, at an early morning time, to discuss various aspects of what it means to be faithful disciples of Jesus. Please talk to Scott Bland or Pastor Brian if you are interested. Iron Man Hebrews Study Continues in May! The Iron Men are studying the Letter to the Hebrews. We will normally meet on Mondays in May, at 7:30 p.m. in the preschool rooms to study Hebrews We will not meet on Monday May 8 due to the Session meeting. As we study Hebrews, we will see how Jesus brings us the New Covenant of Grace, in and through His death for us and for our sins on the cross. We are seeking to use our time wisely, so we will begin promptly and have our study time end after one hour. The Iron Men are nearing the end of their Hebrews study and will begin planning summer and fall studies. Come and join them for this time of planning during their normal weekly meetings. Please talk to Pastor Brian or Pastor Jerry with any questions, as they will be co-leading the study together. Current Women s Bible Study (ends May 5th) We were never meant to take this journey of faith alone. God has entrusted us with the great and mighty gift of the gospel, something too precious and life-giving to keep to ourselves. Books cost $15 (scholarships available as always). Please make checks payable to Peace Presbyterian Church. Thursday 6:30 p.m. Contact Raquel Lushenko Friday 10:00 a.m. Contact Rachel Spangler or Cindy Ganseret New Women s Bible Study in june Join us as we study the Gospel of John. Open to all. Bible knowledge necessary. Thursday evenings 6:30pm-8:00pm beginning June 1st. Friday mornings 10:00am-11:30am beginning June 2nd. Contact Raquel Lushenko raquellushenko@gmail.com. Cindy Gansereit or Rachel Spangler for more info or if you need childcare. Page 6 of 13

7 Seek God for the City 2017 As the year continues, and as we enter May we will continue to Seek God for our City as we lift up guided Prayers for Biblical Hope. During May we will Seek God- to awaken our hearts to seek Him; for assurance of His forgiveness; to give us pure hearts; to forsake falsehood; for passion to know and worship God. Season of Prayer for the Muslim World Begins in May On May 27, we will begin a 30 Day season of Prayers for the Muslim World, as we pray with faith, hope and love for the Muslim World. You can visit for more information. Copies of the prayer booklet will be available for $3.00 in the fellowship hall. Muslims are our neighbors and Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, so during Ramadan, we will pray for Jesus to move and bring the hearts of the Muslim world to Him. We will be praying that God gives us His heart for the Muslim world, as we seek to be faithful to fulfilling the Great Commission Jesus has given us, to sharing Jesus with the entire world. Kid s Church to Sponsor World Vision Child After Hope Sunday, our children in Kids' Church decided to adopt a child through World Vision. Adopting a child costs $39 a month and involves providing the funds they need for food, health care, schooling and more. Check out Sponsor a Child World Vision for more information. If each of our Peace Kids brings $1 every week, that would cover the cost. We hope to incorporate some educational activities in Kids' Church to enhance the experience. Thanks to Children s Church, the current balance for World Vision is $ Sponsorship Welcome Kit for Alexa Raquel has Arrived Our children in Kids' Church decided they would like to adopt a child through World Vision. Adopting a child costs $39 a month and involves providing the funds they need for food, health care, schooling and more. Our children selected Alexa Raquel from El Salvador. Our sponsorship welcome kit for Alexa arrived and was shared in kid's church. Page 7 of 13

8 Praying for the Persecuted Church in May In May, we will continue to pray for the persecuted church. Voices of the Martyrs is a key resource we will use. Their website is and We have two prayer banners posted in the sanctuary that provide us information on countries to pray for. At their website, you can also sign up for free monthly newsletters or ongoing updates. Barnabus Aid is another resource for us in these prayers, You can sign up at their website to receive regular updates as well. We will pray for the persecuted church around the world in May as led by news from these two websites. Relay for life 2017 From Denise: The event is on Saturday, May 20-21, I want to thank you for all of your support and prayers. This year I will be walking in memory of my dad who lost his battle to cancer in October. While my grief is fresh, I still want to fight so that more research can be devoted to finding treatments for rare cancers such as the one my dad had. Would you please consider supporting me in this worthy cause? Any amount helps. Last year the funds we raised allowed for 137 rides to be given to patients needing to get to their treatments, 44 wigs were provided for those who lost hair due to Chemo therapy, and 15 families were given funding for hotel stays near their treatment centers. Slowly, we are chipping away at this disease as the mortality rates for serious cancers such as breast cancer and colon cancer are dropping. Let's not give up! Together we make a huge difference. Thanks for your generosity. You can visit the web address: Elk Grove Food Bank Our church, along with our sister churches in the city wide Church of Elk Grove, consider the Elk Grove Food Bank to be an important mission to support. We do so in the following ways-- Spare change offering-- Bring your spare change in and we will collect it and send it on to the Food Bank. Every cent matters when you are hungry. Look for the collection vase in the fellowship hall every Sunday. Food donations-- each Communion Sunday, we collect food donations to take to the Food Bank. Monthly donation-- The Session has approved us sending $ a month to the Food Bank. Seasonal gifts-- Thanksgiving-Christmas turkeys. In between these two holidays, we collect frozen turkeys to drop off at the Food Bank. Special Offerings-- throughout the year, as we hear of needs, we plan to seek and solicit special offerings of blessing for the Food Bank. In May, we invite you to bring in used children's books to donate to the Food Bank. Please join us in being an active supporter and donor to the Elk Grove Food Bank. Page 8 of 13

9 Areas of Church Life In prayerfully pondering the assigning of church areas to new officers, the Session believes it would be helpful for us to regularly and actively refer back to who God is calling us to be in our vision, mission and core values. As a result, we have approved changing the names of the church areas our church officers will be overseeing. One area will be assigned to the Clerk of Session and staff (Faithfully Stewarding) and another to the Deacons (Lovingly Serving). This will leave three areas with two Elders assigned to each. At our Session meetings, we will ask ourselves questions for and of each area, such as: how are we doing with joyful worship or how can we increase our joy in worship; how are we doing with boldly disciplining and how can we grow in it, etc... Joyfully Worshipping -- Julie Reager; Fred Mansen Sunday worship service Prayer life of church How service flows and runs Special services Boldly Discipling -- Sherry Kirton; Julie Reager Study Opportunities Women Children Fun Fridays Iron Men Youth Sunday and Children's Church Faithfully Stewarding Mirna Bonilla (clerk); Fred Mansen (Property); Cindy Gansereit (Finance) Clerk of Session & Office Manager Repairs and maintenance Budget and Finance Personnel and payroll Graciously Sharing the Gospel--Sally Richardson; Chuck Anders; Sally Eversole (Preschool); Tracy Freeman (Preschool) Preschool Hospitality in terms of outside groups Gideons Angel Tree Lovingly Serving Deacons Pastoral Care Hospitality Food Bank Voices of Martyrs Winter Homeless Shelter Fellowship Page 9 of 13

Cash Flow Update These figures reflect the finance report information for April 2017: Income: Expense: General Offering $ 8217.46 Property $ 641.68 Fundraising $ 0.00 Office $ 598.29 Space Use $ 1280.

10 Cash Flow Update These figures reflect the finance report information for April 2017: Income: Expense: General Offering $ Property $ Fundraising $ 0.00 Office $ Space Use $ Personnel Expense $ Other $ 0.00 Programs: Total $ Celebration $ Christian Ed $ Growth & Outreach $ 0.00 Worship $ Payroll Expenses $ Per Capita $ Mission & Peacemaking $ Total $ 10, Finance News Thanks to your faithfulness, we collected $8, for the month of April and $31, this year-to-date. Our annual General Offering budget is $102,000.00, or approximately $8, per month, leaving us $ short of our April goal. Also, thanks to Children s Church, the current balance for World Vision is $ Please continue to give generously and graciously so we can continue to meet the ongoing expenses of our church home and family. We remain thankful for God's faithfulness in providing for the needs of our church. Page 10 of 13

fundraising Opportunities Did you know that there are several ways you can help Peace raise funds without spending any additional money yourself?

11 fundraising Opportunities Did you know that there are several ways you can help Peace raise funds without spending any additional money yourself? ewaste: Not sure what to do with all those old cell phones, computers, televisions, or other electronics? All you have to do is go to and fill in your information. Be sure to designate our church as the organization you want to support. Your old items will be picked up for free and the proceeds will be sent to us. See the flyer posted in the fellowship hall for more info or contact the church office. Extra Credit: Raley s and Bel Air have their Extra Credit program in which they contribute 1.5% of every eligible dollar in a transaction. Enroll at somethingextra. Once enrolled, follow these steps: Visit raleys.com/extracredit Click on the green Get Started button Select your organization(s) from the menu Designate the percentage of scrip to donate to each When you shop at Raley s and Bel Air, be sure to provide your Something Extra Rewards number when you check out. In 2015, Peace received approximately $365 from this program. escrip: We are enrolled in the escrip program, where participating business partners contribute a percentage of your loyalty card and credit card purchases to the organization of your choice. SaveMart grocery stores are now participating in the program and you can check out to see other merchants you may frequent. Just register a loyalty card or credit card so that any purchases you make with that card at any of the participating businesses will trigger contributions to Peace. It costs you nothing; the merchants make the contributions. ***NEW*** AmazonSmile: AmazonSmile is a program where Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organizations you choose. If you shop on Amazon.com, go to and select Peace Presbyterian Church as the organization you want to support (there are several, so please make sure to select our church). From that point on, make sure you shop at the smile.amazon.com site to generate donations to our church. Page 11 of 13

12 VISION, MISSION AND CORE VALUES OUR CALL At Peace Presbyterian Church, we are called to be Following Jesus Together, Building Faith. VISION Peace Presbyterian Church will be a unified body of believers where all are transformed by the Holy Spirit into people of joyful worship, students of the Holy Bible and bold disciples of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Gospel while serving our community. MISSION Our mission as disciples of Jesus the Christ at Peace Presbyterian Church is to reach out to our community by sharing the message of God's love and grace, by inviting each person we meet to follow Jesus. CORE VALUES We will prioritize our relationships with God and with one another by being faithful stewards, by loving God and loving one another through prayer and fellowship, by lovingly serving our church family creatively and compassionately. We will seek to inspire each person to actively encounter God's presence through the power of the Holy Spirit. We will encourage one another to worship and learn about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit through the study of the Holy Bible and education opportunities that teach us how to be disciples of Jesus the Christ. We will provide an encouraging and challenging environment that empowers and equips each of us to go out into the world rejoicing and serving Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We will seek to create mutually uplifting relationships with fellow believers, near and far, to further the work of God's kingdom. Page 12 of 13

13 Web-Site, Newsletter or Bulletin Additions Wanted to give a flyer to a friend but didn't have one handy? You can download, print and invitations for upcoming events, or church forms from our own church website. You can even get a copy of the just the monthly calendar or the church brochure to print or send by someone who has asked about your favorite studies. These are made for you to use as God leads you in sharing with others the reason for the hope you have. Do you have information to include in the Church Newsletter, Sunday bulletin, or an update for a ministry here at Peace? Please the church office at info@peacechurch.net and CC a copy to sherryk@peacechurch.net. The last day for submissions for the next Peace Press is: May 22 nd. Items received after that date may not be included. All items need to be print ready which means written in a format that can simply be cut and pasted into the newsletter as is. Please use Arial 14. Please do not submit just facts or dates; write a little something. Items may be edited for space. Article submission forms are located in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you! Who To Contact in the Church If Pastor Brian Spangler is not in the church office, he can be reached at: Home: 5626 Anchor Bay Way, EG pastorbrian@peacechurch.net (Church) brispangler@sbcglobal.net (Home) Elders on Session Share your ideas, suggestions, joys, concerns, questions Chuck Anders Finances/Graciously Sharing the Gospel Mirna Bonilla Clerk of Session, Faithfully Stewarding Sherry Kirton Boldly Discipling Fred Mansen Faithfully Stewarding, Property Julie Reager Joyfully Worshipping Sally Richardson Graciously Sharing the Gospel Cindy Gansereit Church Treasurer Deacons Phyllis Mendenhall Maila Eslabon Cindy Huff-Cochran Kresten Mansen Page 13 of 13

The Peace Press. "Following Jesus together, Building Faith" ENJOYING LIVES FILLED WITH THANKSGIVING

The Peace Press. Following Jesus together, Building Faith ENJOYING LIVES FILLED WITH THANKSGIVING NOVEMBER 2014 Prayer and Preparation 8:30-9:00 AM Bible Study Hour 9:00-10:00 AM Sunday Worship 10:00-11:15 AM November 2: Communion Sunday Elk Grove Food Bank Collection Deacon Meeting Angeja Home Emeritus