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 The Church Bell Volume 65, Number 8 February 19, 2013 First Presbyterian Church Chartered in 1848 200 Church Street, PO Box 100 Neenah, Wisconsin 920-725-4391 This Sunday, February 24, 2013 2 nd Sunday in Lent Y Worship SPY Grilled Cheese Fundraiser 8:00 a.m. Worship in the Chapel 9:00 a.m. Christian Education 10:15 a.m. Worship in the Nave G rilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup The SPY (Senior Presbyterian Youth) group will be serving freshly made grilled cheese sandwiches following the 10:15 a.m. service Sunday, February 24. You will have your choice of American Cheese, Colby Jack, Sharp Cheddar or Pepper Jack, along with steaming hot Tomato Soup, chips, pickles and milk!! The cost is $4 per person, $2 for children 4 and under. We hope you will join us for this fundraiser as we continue to prepare for this summer s mission trip.
Upcoming Events... L ion King Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Lion King will be at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 2. The bus will pick-up around 1:00 p.m. at VNA, Highlands at Mahler Park, and the Shopko parking lot. Payment is due by Friday, March 15, with your check payable to First Presbyterian Church. If you have any questions, contact Debbie Griffith (836-0283). The bus trip to War House is Saturday, June 29, and payment is due by May 15. C hair Yoga Chair yoga is a new class that will meet every Friday at 1:00 p.m., in the SPY Room on the second floor, beginning this Friday, February 22. No yoga mats or yoga attire are required. The instructor is Laika Llewellyn-Hartfiel, certified in Yoga, Pilates and Zumba. This class is instructed from the chair with some standing poses. No yoga poses are done on the floor. The fee is $2 per class and there is no fee for the first class. Punch cards can be purchased before class or in the Church Office. This class is for everyone!! F riend s Class Friend s Class is the longest running program in our church. They meet on the 3 rd Friday of September, October, November, March, April and May of each year at 12 noon. As the name states, their purpose is for friendship, new and longtime. What better way to begin than with a hot home-cooked dinner? It also includes a featured program and time for visiting. On March 15, Gina Struensee will talk about social networks: Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. On April 19, Guenter Petermann will take us to Costa Rica via a DVD of his Smithsonian trip. And, on May 17, Paul Huxtable will share information on mission trips our youth groups have taken and how our church reaches out to the world. The Five-Second Steward Compliments to the chef(s)! First Pres has the best of all! The Progressive Dinner and Wonderful Wednesdays attest to that. Huge thanks to all who help make the delicious meals happen.
Christian Education... A dult Christian Education Please join us 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. in the Meeting Room: February 24 March The Promise and Ethics of Stem Cell Research Led by Dr. Beatrice Holton, Associate Professor of Developmental Biology, UW-Oshkosh What are stem cells and how likely is it that they could be used to replace diseased or injured tissues? After defining embryonic and adult stem cells, we will examine experiments that demonstrate the usefulness of stem cells. We will discuss various techniques that allow usage of adult stem cells instead of embryonic stem cells, and we will consider the ethics of using either adult or embryonic stem cells for treatment in humans. Singing the Unsung Liberating the Song of God s People What we sing shapes our faith: Do we sing about God s creation, the equality of men and women? About God s love for justice, about our concern for other people? Or do we just sing about me? Ultimately, what we sing repeatedly shapes our belief, our discipleship and our faith. John Bell This DVD series featuring world-renowned musician, theologian John Bell, Singing the Unsung guides participant reflection on the theology of the Church s song and offers practical techniques on how we can sing and pray together with integrity. March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 Why We Sing What We Sing Congregation as Choir Improving Congregational Singing L enten Devotional The Christian Education Committee would like to offer you a copy of a Lenten devotional booklet, Followers of the Cross-Devotions for the days of Lent, by Martin E. Marty. Booklets are available on the Information Desk. Feel free to take one for your family.
Christian Education... Y ou Are Invited! Children and youth (ages 3 years 8 th grade), and their parents, are invited to attend a camp themed Sunday School hour this Sunday, February 24, 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. (Please note... choir is on as regularly scheduled so the children/youth in choir will be joining us at 9:10 a.m.) Gather in the SPY Room (the large room upstairs next to the Art Room) as we welcome Mike Klemp-North, the director from Pilgrim Center, to our church to tell us about camping experiences at both Pilgrim Center and Moon Beach camps. This will be a fun time for kids and informational for parents as well. If you or your child attended either of these camps in the past, we need your help. Join us and share your memories and experiences of camp with the group. (You are welcome to bring photos and memorabilia from camp too!) For several years our Presbytery has been helping financially to support the mission of both Pilgrim Center and Moon Beach. Because of funds available from the Ernest and Vi Schaefer fund, First Presbyterian is able to offer scholarships to camp. We will pay 50% of the cost of camp tuition at either Pilgrim Center of Moon Beach. For more information of scholarships and registration, please contact Gina Struensee (725-4391 or gstruensee@firstpresneenah.org). Mission and Outreach... A dult Mission Trip Have you checked your calendar for April 20-28 yet? Our next adult mission trip is that week to Minot, North Dakota. We ll leave in the early afternoon of the 20 th, stay overnight at a church in Minnesota and continue to Minot the next day. From Monday to Friday, we ll work to rebuild homes that were damaged or destroyed by the Souris River Flood in 2011. We ll leave for home on Saturday, again stay overnight in Minnesota, and arrive home around lunchtime on Sunday. The work we ll be doing will most likely include framing, installing windows and doors, installing insulation, and hanging and taping drywall. If you d like to join the group or have questions, contact Cathi Buttron (205-5262 or cbuttron@sbcglobal.net).
Mission and Outreach... T.L.C. Sewing T.L.C. Sewing is a hands-on sewing group that has been in existence for 18 years!! Over that time, we have sewn thousands of children s outfits for Easter, back to school and Christmas. But like everything else, times change, including children s clothing, and what children like to wear. Due to this, we are changing the focus to specific projects, which we have been doing over the last couple of years. This includes flannel pajamas for homeless shelters, pillow cases for children and cosmetic bags for women at the domestic abuse shelters. Instead of meeting on the first Thursday of each month, we will schedule a specific work day for these projects. I am very excited about how First Presbyterian can continue to offer a hands-on mission opportunity that many can participate in. Watch the Bell for these future work days and how you can help. If you have any questions call me, Amy Cebulski (757-0694). Thanks to all for your continued support with T.L.C. Sewing. Member News... W ith Sympathy We extend our sympathy to the family of Hazel Roberts, who died on February 12, 2013. Health Watch... P arish Nurse Office Hours 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Monday, February 25 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 26 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 27 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Thursday, February 28 Please feel free to call Susan directly (851-3351) on her cell phone during these hours and to set up a time to meet with her. Thank you!
The Back Page... A while ago, I decided to unsubscribe to a bunch of e-mail advertisements I receive. What set me in the mood was one in particular called My Habit. I m not even sure why I started to get My Habit. My suspicion is that it s hooked in with Amazon.com. But My Habit was coming way too often (I think daily) with offerings I had little interest in mostly high-end designer clothing and accessories. The trouble with this was that, in spite of me having no interest in making a purchase, the ads were compelling enough to catch my eye. What finally made me say, Enough is enough, was the ad that arrived touting True Religion brand jeans. I knew, of course, that no matter how much I might want True Religion, their ultra slim profile would be a not so comfortable match for me, to say nothing of the cost! Imagine paying between two and three hundred dollars for a pair of jeans! But it doesn t stop with jeans. You can get True Religion T-shirts and sweatshirts with the words True Religion in large letters brandished across the front and back. I wondered what the idea behind this label might be, other than it being a catchy concept. But the thought occurred to me that in the New Testament letter to the Colossians, the apostle speaks of wearing your faith like a garment. Clothe yourselves, he writes, with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience Above all, clothe yourselves with love and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (Col. 3:12-15). That s the true religion we all can wear. And the good news is that it doesn t cost a dime to put it on! Yours for wearing the right duds, First Presbyterian Church 200 Church Street Neenah, WI 54956 (920) 725-4391 firstpresneenah@firstpresneenah.org Visit our website: www.firstpresneenah.org Pastor: Richard J. Moore Associate Pastor: Paul Huxtable Director of Christian Education: Gina Struensee Director of Music: Steven Paul Spears Sunday Worship: 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel 10:15 a.m. in the Nave Nursery care available during both services Thursday Worship: (First Thursday of each month) 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel Organist: Daniel O Connor Handbell Program Coordinator: Paul McKlveen Children s Choir Director: Cayla Rosché Parish Nurse: Susan Jares