First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM November 2018
Stewardship Sunday November 11 Lyn Ames There is nothing in the mission statement of our church about collecting and dispersing money, but financial matters are vital to meeting our goals of worship and service for God. As we begin our annual Stewardship Campaign, here is a brief financial report of our current financial status. As of the end of September, our income and expenses were about balanced, which is the good news. Also, every Session committee is within its budget. Your Session has been a good steward of our resources. How this balance has been achieved, however, is far from ideal. For three of the past five years we have had to cut drastically the budgets of our Committees of Session. This includes reducing the funds available for materials for Christian Education and for Music and Worship. It means significant decreases in mission contributions. Needed repairs to our buildings have had to be postponed. Also, for two of the past five years we have failed to give our pastor and office staff even a cost of living pay increase. In the coming year, we are hoping to have more financial resources available to restore some of these cuts, to make repairs that can no longer be postponed, and to give small salary increases to our staff. We ask that you calculate the percentage of your income that you now donate for God s work through this church, and prayerfully consider if you can increase your pledge for the coming year, 2019. November 11th is Stewardship Sunday, the day when we bring our Pledge Cards and Time & Talent Surveys forward during the Worship service. This is a joyful time each year when we rededicate ourselves and our resources to the Lord, who has given us life and abundance. As you consider making your pledge, remember the words we often sing to God during the Offering Response: We give Thee but Thine Own, What e er the gift may be; All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. Trudells to Speak Sunday Joel and Barbara Trudell, missionaries whom we have supported for many years, will be visiting this weekend. They work with Wycliff Translators and SIL on literacy programs in many countries in sub-sahara Africa. They work with Christian, secular, and government agencies to expand literacy programs and study the effects of these programs on language communities and Bible reading and comprehension. Be sure to hear them at 9 AM and after fellowship hour in the library. 2
Deacons Hamburger Fry Jasey Loman The Annual Deacons Hamburger Fry was a success! Thank you to all who attended! Our grill master Eddie manned the grill while the Deacons prepared and served a wonderful meal of burgers, hot dogs, and all the best toppings and sides we could eat. We finished off the meal with an assortment of cupcakes, cookies and ice cream. The Deacons received over $1,750 in donations and we served 105 people at our one and only fundraiser completely dedicated to the Board of Deacons. Throughout the year, Deacons also receive half of the "loose" offering and any offering designated "communion". Please consider designating funds to the Deacons throughout the year as our needs continue all year. If you are wondering where your donation goes, the Deacons use these funds to continue our outreach to our church family and to our community. Deacons contribute funds and/or volunteer assistance to the Salvation Army, Community of Hope, the Soup Kitchen, emergency assistance to families in need, sack lunches for transients, and gas vouchers. We fill backpacks with school supplies for students; we collect and distribute socks and undies; and also offer Christmas boxes filled with food and necessities to needy families and to those in hospice care. 3
Why I Serve Vicki Edwards Music is one of my favorite gifts from God, and it is one of the reasons I serve. But the number one reason I serve is to show my gratitude to God. I was not raised in the church. My father was a professor of mechanical engineering at UCLA. He was an agnostic, believing that it was not possible to know, one way or the other, whether God existed. But even during all of those years of unbelief, God blessed me, and He kept putting out stepping stones to draw me closer. One was when I learned Buddhist-style meditation, where you just sit quietly. When I was going through breast cancer, I meditated regularly, and I knew that many people were praying for me. At that time, I believed that God was guiding me through cancer, and giving me strength, but I still did not believe in the Trinity. When my husband, Ed Martinez, was dying of pancreatic cancer, I prayed fervently for him. But he wasn t getting any better. I had to bring him to the Mesilla Valley Hospice facility because I couldn t lift him when he fell. Because Ed was raised Catholic, Father Chuck gave him his last rites and reminded him that all of his sins were forgiven. I have never seen Ed look so grateful and relieved. A few days later, I was alone with Ed while he was sleeping, and the thought came to me: Is it really such a big leap of faith to believe in Jesus? And in that instant, I had been given the gift of faith! That is why I serve. Vicki Edwards playing the flute, one of the ways in which she serves. 4
After Ed died, I started looking for a church. When I came here, I instantly felt at home. I loved the architecture, Norm s sermon, and the music. And I stayed for fellowship, and felt totally comfortable with everyone. I didn t even bother to check the other churches on my list. I joined a couple of months later, was baptized, and started playing flute in services. Then the nominating committee asked me to prayerfully consider being an elder and moderator of the Music & Worship committee. My initial reaction was fear and feeling inadequate. I had only been a Christian for a year, and I hadn t even read the whole Bible. But, as the LORD told Joshua: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. So I ask, LORD, that you be with everyone at FPC, and grant them Your grace and peace in abundance. Trunk or Treat The church held its annual Trunk or Treat Halloween party from 6 to 8 PM in the west parking lot on Wednesday October 31. The event brings many children and their parents to the church for lots of food, candy, and fun. It is an excellent way to introduce the church to the nearby apartments and homes, as well as the wider city. This evening there were two tables dedicated to decorating sugar cookies, an inflated jumping room, games, (including golf and shuffle board), music, six tables for people 5
to sit at while eating their hot dogs, and, of course, dozens of cars with their trunks opened and decorated to pass out candy to a steady stream of children dressed in sometimes elaborate costumes. Members of our congregation put forth a lot of effort. Some arrived before 4 PM to set up and left well after 8 PM to clean up afterwards. Many dozens of hot dogs were roasted, dozens of sugar cookies decorated, and an unknown number of candy pieces distributed from two dozen cars parked east of the flood lights installed at the west end of the parking lot. It may not have not been nutritious, but a lot of kids had fun. In-Betweeners Learn About the Hermit of Las Cruces. On October 26 the In-Betweeners held a catered Mexican dinner and heard an informative talk by David Thomas about a documentary movie being made about his book entitled Giovanni Maria de Agostini. Agostini is sometimes known as the hermit of La Cueva. He was a monk who traveled though the Americas with significant stops in Peru, Cuba, and Las Vegas, NM before being killed by Apaches near Las Cruces. Thomas knows more about his life than anybody else. He recently made a trip to Peru with a Brazilian movie company which is making a documentary based on his book. They attended an annual event in which thousands took part, celebrating the time the hermit was living in a cave near a small town in Peru. 6
Notes and Announcments The Lantern November 2018 Daylight Savings time ends on Sunday Stewardship Sunday is November 11 Office closed on Monday, November 12 Office will also be closed on Thursday, Nov. 22 for the Thanksgiving Holiday and Friday the 23 rd. Linda will be out of the office November 19-21 The Cover The cross shown on the cover belongs to Barbara Trudell. It is a gift from her husband, Joel. It was purchased at Lindisfarne which is a monastery in England famous for its illuminated manuscripts Photographs provided by Alex Burr First Presbyterian Church 200 East Boutz Road Las Cruces, NM 88005 Tel (575) 526-5559 E-mail linda@fpc.lc Web URL http://fpc.lc Rev. Dr. Norman Story, Pastor The The Lantern Lantern is a monthly is a monthly publication publication of First of First Pres- Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM. NM. Articles and and photos, photos, preferably are in welcome, computer and readable will be used form at are the welcome, discretion will be of the used publisher. at the discretion For further of the information publisher. call For fur- and 526-5559 ther information send call e-mail (575) to linda@fpc.lc. 526-5559 or send This, e-mail and to back aburr@aol.com. issues, are available on the Internet at http:// lantern.qzxservices.com. Editor: Alex Burr Editor: Production: Alex Burr Linda Ramirez Production: Linda Ramirez 7
P FIRST E S B Y T E R I A N 200 E. Boutz Rd. Las Cruces, NM 88005 Stewardship Sunday November 11 Mission Vision Statement Statement for 2007-2008 To be a To place emulate where the Christian work, the love word, is modeled and the way of Jesus Christ in ministering to the needs of members and preparing them for Christian outreach to people within and outside the Church of Jesus Christ. Mission Statement To be Our a place Vision where Christian Objectives love is modeled for 2007-2008 through: are: 1. Understanding, celebrating, and sharing God s Word. To create spiritual leaders from within our congregation to recognize and minister to members in need. 2. Following obediently where God is leading us 3. Leading, nurturing, and serving our community for Christ 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 worship that will attract and bind individuals, families and youth to our church. 8