The Church Bell THE CHURCH BELL (U.S.P.S. #442-300) is published weekly for $1 per year by First Presbyterian Church, 200 Church Street, Neenah, WI 54956. Periodicals postage paid at Neenah, WI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 100, Neenah, WI 54957-0100 Volume 69, Number 11, March 14, 2017 First Presbyterian Church Chartered in 1848 200 Church Street, PO Box 100 Neenah, Wisconsin 920-725-4391 Sunday, March 19 th Third Sunday in Lent 8:00 a.m. Worship in the Chapel 9:00 a.m. Adult Christian Education in the Meeting Room Book Study: Waking Up White Week II FaithTime! in the Fellowship Hall Woman at the Well 9:15 a.m. Chancel Choir in the Sanctuary 10:15 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary Y Worship* 11:00 a.m. HOTDOGfest in the Fellowship Hall *Following the Children s Sermon children and youth second grade and up are invited to an age appropriate worship enrichment class. Five Second Steward In stewardship, God asks us all to look over and protect the gifts we have been given on this earth. We are all called to be good stewards. We Need Your Help! Community Table is Saturday, March 25 th. We are in need of volunteers to bring BBQ Chicken main dish (recipe is provided and very simple!), assorted pasta, potato, or fruit salads (store-bought is fine). We could also use a couple more volunteers for each of three shifts meal prep (10:30-11:30 a.m.), serve (11:30-12:30 p.m.) and cleanup (12:00-1:00 p.m.). If you can help, please contact Anne Jones (920-422-0695 or anne65jones@gmail.com) or sign up at the Volunteer from the Heart Table at the Church. Thank you!
Upcoming Events... Don t Walk the Journey Alone Caregiver Support Group Meetings March 16 th Communication is Key/Diffusing Conflict March 30 th Becoming a Resilient Caregiver All meetings take place at First Presbyterian Church (200 Church St., Neenah), 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Parlor. We hope that you will join us! Please let us know if you will be attending one or more of these meetings by contacting the church office at 725-4391 or firstpresneenah@firstpresneenah.org. Friend s Class Friend s Class kicks-off 2017 on Friday, March 17 th at noon with a special St. Patrick s Day Irish lunch and cream de mint pie. Following lunch, Jack Speech will join the group as an ornithologist this time! We will learn all about birds, their habits, what they like to eat, and so much more. Reservations are needed for lunch and can be made by calling the church office (725-4391) by Thursday, March 16 th. The cost for lunch is $7. Everyone, regardless of membership at First Presbyterian Church Neenah, is welcome to attend, so bring a friend to Friend s Class! Rides can be arranged please let us know when making your reservation. Women s Outdoor Fellowship Group The next event of the Women s Outdoor Fellowship Group takes place on Tuesday, April 18 th at 6:00 p.m. We will begin the evening with a salad and dessert potluck, and then show the movie Hidden Figures on the big screen in the SPY Room. Please RSVP to Cindy Huxtable (chuxtable@new.rr.com) and let her know if you will be bringing a salad or dessert. This is also an excellent opportunity to bring a friend! 4PM Conference The 2017 4PM Conference will be held on April 30 th to May 1, 2017 at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells. The conference is open to ALL. There will be opportunities to explore meaningful topics, connect with others, and achieve a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian and a Presbyterian. Register NOW at https://goo.gl/h3kp4u. Storied Past, Faithful Future On March 2, 1994, The Mamas, a Presbytery sponsored group of six laywomen from Kenya, visited First Presbyterian and shared slides, stories, costumes, and songs with us. They earned their own airfares to come to the U.S. and performed in the Fellowship Hall. The Presbyterian Women and The Mission and Outreach Committee were their hosts.
Christian Education... Adult Sunday Morning Classes Mar 19 Mar 26 Book Discussion Waking Up White Week 2 What is Race? Led by: Brian Epley Book Discussion Waking Up White Week 3 What is Racism? Led by: Gina Struensee In Waking Up White, Debbie Irving writes about how she began to question her long-held assumptions about race and culture. What assumptions do you have about race? Come join the discussions on Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Wonderful Wednesdays There is still time to register and join us for the next four Wonderful Wednesdays on March 15, 22, 29, and April 5. March 15 th Schedule 5:30 to 6:15 Dinner & Fellowship 6 to 7:15 Childcare 6:15 to 7:15 Child / Youth Classes Pre-K to 1 st Grade: Fun with Friends 2 nd to 8 th Grade: Become a Karate Kid led by Alex Luedtke Adult Classes Waking Up White What is Race? How many Psalms are there? Knitting 7:00 to 7:15 Prayer Service in the Chapel Connect with fellow members of First Presbyterian Church with your own personal stories of Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race through our Facebook page (www.facebook/firstpresneenah). Thought provoking quotes and questions will be posted daily. We hope that you will join the conversation! John N. Bergstrom College Scholarship The John N. Bergstrom Scholarship is an annual scholarship program available through First Presbyterian Church, Neenah, for anyone planning to attend a Presbyterian College or University. This Scholarship program seeks to aid students attending Presbyterian-related schools with the rising costs of education. Please contact the church office (725-4391) to obtain the 2017/2018 school year application form. Completed applications must be received by Thursday, March 30, 2017, to be considered. Bob Sparks Education Grant The Bob Sparks Education Grant works to promote access to higher education for all students. Each qualifying applicant will receive $250, which must be used to help supplement the student s tuition at an accredited institution of higher learning. Applications are now available. Print your copy from the church website (www.firstpresneenah.org under Christian Education/Forms) or pick one up from the Church Office. Completed applications must be received by Sunday, April 30 th to be considered. The Christian Education Committee reviews all applications and will notify applicants by mail of their status. Please contact Gina Struensee (725-4391 or gstruensee@firstpresneenah.org) for more information.
*The Young Adult Fellowship Group (ages 20 to 35-ish) is the place for creating friendships and developing community. The group gathers monthly for activities and fellowship. Contact Paul Huxtable to join.
The Music Room... Dear friends, First Presbyterian Church welcomes everyone to sing joyfully to the Lord. I encourage you to take a moment today to consider really consider if you might be ready to give singing in choir or ringing in a bell-choir a chance. Churches tend to get stuck in traditions, some good, some bad. At some point in the past, our music program sent a message of those without talent need not apply to participate in musical ensembles. I could not disagree more with this! Singing is not basketball: I can t practice my way into getting taller! But singing is different. If you can speak, you can sing. And you do not have to have the voice of an angel to be a part of a good choir. You need only to rehearse, to pay attention, and to sing with the voice God gave you. That s it! The rest is my responsibility to guide and coach the group. After all, do you suppose that God made a mistake in giving you a voice to sing God s praise? Or, are we perhaps hiding our light under a bushel? Someone may have told you that you couldn t sing well (and that happened to me, too). But will we follow the advice of the psalmist ( Sing to the Lord, all the earth! ), or that critic? We know that churches thrive when they have active covenant groups, smaller communities that serve the mission of the church. In choir or bell-choir you ll find a community big enough to make new friends and small enough to have real conversations. If you ve ever ushered, or taught RE, or worked with Habitat for Humanity on a build, you know the feeling of being an actively engaged member of the church. Remember the words of Paul s First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12: 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. There is perhaps no better metaphor for a choir! A choir needs high voices and low voices, louder and quieter voices, younger voices and older voices. Consider joining us and sharing your voice. We meet on Wednesday nights after the Lenten worship service (7:15-8:10 p.m.), and Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. Bell-choirs meet on Thursday evenings. Trudy T. Ravey April 19, 1948 March 5, 2017 We extend our sympathy to the family of Trudy Ravey, who passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2017 at her home following a lengthy illness. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1
... Finally, I want to let you know that I m taking a mini-sabbatical to visit the best choral programs in America for an upcoming book. I ll be out of town from March 19 th through April 13 th, but I ve arranged my travel so that I m always back home for Sunday morning worship. I want to thank your Children s Music Director, David Pecsi, for rehearsing the Chancel Choir on Wednesday nights in my absence! Please email me at Stephen.m.sieck@lawrence.edu to let me know if you want to begin singing in choir or ringing in the bell-choir. For example, you might consider singing with us in April so that you can sing the Hallelujah Chorus for Easter! Grace and peace,
The Back Page... When I was a little girl visiting my grandparents, my grandfather always said the same table prayer: Transform this food into life, O God, and transform our lives into useful work for thee; we ask it in thy name. Amen. My father-in-law has a different one that he uses: Dear Jesus, thank thee for this food; forgive us our many sins; we ask it in thy name. Amen. When my children were growing up, the prayer we always said at the table was: God is great, God is good, let us thank God for this food. Amen. When my oldest son was in middle school, he surprised me one day by mentioning that whenever he had a meal away from home at a friend s house, or in the school cafeteria he always thought this prayer to himself before eating. On Palm Sunday, we will take up the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, which supports programs to combat hunger, aid with disaster recovery, and empower the disadvantaged. The children s sermons for the next few weeks will focus on the first of those combating hunger by lifting up The Ten Commandments of Food, produced by the Presbyterian Hunger Program. This last week was the first one: Give thanks for the food you eat. How do you give thanks for your food? Do you have a rote prayer, like the ones above? Does someone at the table pray more informally? Do you simply bow your head in silence? There are many ways to give thanks, but the important thing is to be thankful. I have learned from my own experience, and from my son, that giving thanks is habit-forming. Unlike some other habits, though, it is actually good for us shaping us into grateful people who know a blessing when we see one. Blessings, First Presbyterian Church 200 Church Street Neenah, WI 54956 (920) 725-4391 www.firstpresneenah.org Interim Pastor: Terry Hamilton-Poore Associate Pastor: Paul Huxtable Director of Christian Education: Gina Struensee Director of Music: Steve Sieck Organist: Blake Doss Handbell Program Coordinator: Paul McKlveen Faith Time Director: David Pecsi Youth Handbell Choir: Tanya Schroeder Parish Nurse: Susan Jares Finance & HR Coordinator: Laurie Stafford Office Administration Coordinator: Cindy Kreis Office Assistant: Michelle Weber Housekeeper: Emily Buksyk Nursery Caregivers: Lauren Jares, Michelle Lewis, and Nikki Van Herwynen