August 2014 Westminster Presbyterian Church 2915 Glenn Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106 712-276-3613 Westminster Witness Worship 10am Fellowship Coffee 11am Communion Served July 6 th Church E:mail westpres@siouxlan.net Church Website westminstersiouxcity.org Leadership: Rev. Dr. John Pehrson, Pastor E:mail johnpehrson56@hotmail.com Cell phone # - 712-212-0489 August Elder of the Month Pam Pfautsch 274-7460 August Ushers Judy Miller & Jeri Ducommun Coffee Servers Special Music - Aug. 3 CE Committee Aug. 10 Deacons Bible School Kids Aug. 17 Women s Fellowship Aug. 24 Cutter s Club Aug. 31 Still Needed Our Vision Statement As Presbyterians of the Presbytery of Prospect Hill, We are partners, Celebrating the Word, Spreading the Word, And Being the Word Of Jesus Christ. Our Mission Statement The mission of Westminster Presbyterian Church is to recognize that Christ is the head of the church. We are to be servants of God. We are not to think more of ourselves than others. Let each of us look not only to our own interests but humbly to the interests of others. We all have gifts that differ let us use them. Let us speak the truth in love and let love be genuine. Let us overcome our own disappointments and dislikes with constructive action. www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 1
Dear Friends, In his book, The Evolution of Faith, author Phillip Gulley writes about Prayer as Paying Attention. His illustrations tell stories of paying attention to others children, lonely adults, and also attentiveness to God. Reading it also reminded me of Fred Rogers of Mister Roger s Neighborhood who had a special ability to pay close attention to the person he was conversing with, instead of getting distracted either by how he should respond, or by other things on his agenda. Both Mister Rogers and Phillip Gulley emphasize paying particular attention to children. It makes a big difference to children when we adults pay attention to them when we greet them, see them as persons deserving of special attention as they learn life lessons on the ways to treat others. The same goes for the ways we treat other adults. It is easy to be distracted while talking with others. We start thinking about other things we need to be doing and our minds wander. It happens to everybody. So the challenge is to remind ourselves to stay focused on this person and this conversation. Such wandering even happens in prayer. Even as we seek to turn our hearts toward God it is still easy to find our own thoughts dominating what we want to say to God, instead of listening for what God may be trying to say to us. Prayer is listening for God more than it is sharing our ideas with God and hoping for affirmation. Part of prayer is paying attention, be it attention to children, other adults, or God. May each of us find ways to increase our ability to pay attention to others and to find ways to reach out to those outside our normal friendships and give them some of our attention as well. We never know when our paying attention to someone may make a big difference in their lives. Yours in Christ s service, Pastor John Remember Worship will return to 10:30 am on Sept. 7 th Also We re on TV!! If you miss worship and would like to watch it later in the week, our services are broadcast on CableOne Channel 10 at 10 am on Thursdays. Appreciation Coffee Jan Loewen has been our dedicated custodian for 10 years. The Personnel Committee invites everyone to tell her thank on Sunday, July 27 th following church service at 10:00 A.M. Judy, Liz & Jeri Many take vacations in the summer months. Regrettably, our bills do not. Please remember your pledge even in June, July and August. Thank you!!! www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 2
Vacation Bible School August 4 th 7 th 6 8 pm Westminster Presbyterian Church 2915 Glenn Ave. 276-3613 God s Word is SWEET!!!! Taste some popular candies while you hear some wonderful Bible Stories. We ll have Stories Crafts Outdoor Fun - Classes for age 3 5 th grade and Adults as well!!! Enjoy Music and a visit from 3 characters Sir Sour, the Peppermint Princess and Grandma Gumball!! Kids invite your friends and come have a very SWEET TIME learning about God s wonderful Book The BIBLE! Class, Crafts Even Dinner is FREE! A light supper served from 5:30 6 pm. There is no charge for supper but a freewill offering will be accepted if you would like to help us offset the meal costs. Kids. Will you help us decorate the church for Bible School? Color the picture on the back of this page and bring it with you when you come to VBS. We ll hang it up to make the church SUPER COLORFUL and exciting!!! A Partners in Ministry Project The Bible School program is a joint effort between the congregations of Westminster, Third & Morningside Pres. Churches ******************************************************************************************************************** Bible School Registration form Feel free to share with a friend or neighbor as well Pre-registration is not required but does help us with our final plans. You can also register by phone ( 276-3613 ) or by e-mail at westpres@siouxlan.net. Parent Name : Address & Phone : Children s Names, Birthdate & ( grade just completed ) : Any Allergies We need to know about : Will children be eating dinner here? Who will be picking the child up? If you like to give us your e-mail address, we can send you a copy of our newsletter with photos of VBS? www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 3
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Cookies Celery Cucumbers & Carrots. God s Word is Sweet - will be the theme of this year s Bible School program. We will again be joining with the congregations of Morningside & Third Pres. churches. The kids will be getting some candy when they go home each night but we want to make their dinners a wee bit on the healthy side. We will still be needing cookies for dessert and snack but we also offer fresh vegetables that are FINGER FOODS each night. We don t have silverware every night but carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes are one of the biggest hits of each dinner hour. So think Cookies Celery Cucumbers & Carrots!!! Thanks. God s Word is Sweet And we can make the world a little sweeter too! During the week of Bible School we will be learning about some community organizations and how they help to spread the Sweet Word of God in the area. We will be collecting items needed by these groups and having the kids make up Bags of Blessings for these groups and help pour on the love this summer. Below is a list of items we can use in case you want to bring some things to help sweeten the pot This same list is being sent to the members of Morningside and Third Pres. as well so this is truly a Joint Effort of the Ministry Partners of Morningside. Items can be brought to the church whenever you want to bring them over the summer. Our drive will end on Aug. 11 th with our Joint VBS worship service. Agencies receiving these items include The Ministerial Association from the Wakefield / Pilger, NE area Rev. Charity (Forbes) Potter - Camp High Hopes Ronald McDonald House and Siouxland Paramedics. Soap Toilet Paper Paper Plates Baby Blankets School Supplies Hand sanitizer Clorox Wipes New Baby Clothes Toothpaste Toothbrush Granola Bars Boxed Cereal Matchbox Cars Deodorant Tissues Shampoo Individually wrapped snacks Juice Dryer Postage Disposable Boxes Bottled Water Pool Toys Sheets Plastic Silverware Crayola Markers Stamps New Stuffed Animals Foam Stickers Glasses Coloring Books Sidewalk Chalk Puzzles Fruit Snacks Kids Books Puzzle Books Ava Jo Child of God It was our honor to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, July 13 th as we welcomed Ava Jo Ricklefs to the Westminster Family of Faith. During this service Ava s parents made a commitment to teach their daughter the truths of the Bible and raise her in the Christian faith. We, as a congregation, also made a commitment to help this family raise their daughters in the loving, supportive environment of a church family. There is no greater honor than to be given the chance to shape and mold the next generation of Christians. Without a doubt, Angie and Ben will feel the love and support of their Westminster family over the upcoming years. Congratulations to you all. www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 5
Sunday School Rally Day will be held on Sunday, Sept. 7 th at 9:15 am. At this time we will introduce the children and parents to our 2014 2015 curriculum and tell you about some of the exciting things we will be doing this year in Sunday School. Children s Church will resume the same day for those children age 3 2 nd grade who wish to participate. Seeking Youth Group Co - Leaders Rick & Jean have agreed to still do youth group at least 4 times a year. It is our hope, though, that others feel the pull to step in and assist with the group. This is an AMAZING group of kids (7 at this time ) that would best be served by the energy and stamina that comes with leaders who are not eligible for the Senior Discount at major stores and restaurants! Currently the youth meet after worship the 2 nd Sunday of the month. Lunch is shared and an activity planned. This works well for us, but anyone else wanting to step in and take a month can feel free to either keep the time the same or work out what works best for you. We hope some of you younger adults will feel like taking a go at leading this group. This are a WONDERFUL group of kids who love to eat, laugh, play and learn together. They are also great thinkers sometimes all you have to do is give them a topic to discuss and sit back and enjoy! We will be sliding into the season on August 10 th. With the return of the Wild Westminster Waterslide We have invited the youth from M/Side & 3 rd to join us as we slip and slide our way down the biggest waterslide we can manage to construct. Kids make sure you bring a towel and dry clothes to change into when the fun is over. Swimsuits or shorts both work well for the slide itself. We could use another couple or 2 to help host the event with us and if you can fill water balloons you will be a perfect fit. If you could help, call Jean and Rick at 276-1034. You won t regret it! Congratulations Westminster extends it s congratulations to Amanda Prescott & Keith Seubert who will exchange marriage vows here at Westminster on Sat., August. 23 rd. Amanda is the daughter of John Prescott. We pray that God will richly bless them as they begin their new life together. Remember in Your Prayers Verne Olson Kevin Lammers Lawrence Murren We are happy to report that Larry Murren is back in Sioux City. His new address is: Holy Spirit Retirement Home 1701 W. 25 th Room 115 Sioux City, IA 51103 Around Town Rustin Avenue UMC, 2901 Leech Ave., will be having a summer Rummage Sale Friday, Aug. 1 st from 4 8 pm and Sat., Aug. 2 nd from 8 am 3 pm. Lunch will be served on Sat. from 11 1. www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 6
She s Positively Outrageous! Congratulations to Jennifer Walters from Morningside Branch of Great Southern Bank for her nomination and being selected as having Positively Outrageous Customer Service!!! Jen was nominated for going above and beyond by giving one of her customers a ride to downtown Sioux City because he had missed his bus and it was raining. He was going to walk, but because he s legally blind, Jen wanted to make sure he got to where he needed to be safely. Way to go Jen! Choir practice will be starting up again soon. First practice is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 27. If you d like to join the choir, feel free to come join in the fun. Let s Make a Joyful Noise together!!! Wanted: Church Custodian Westminster is looking for a new church custodian. For a copy of the position description, please call the office and make arrangements to stop by and pick one up or have one e-mailed to you. LIVE IN CONCERT - RIGHT HERE AT WESTMINSTER - What: Blackwood Legacy Concert When: Sunday, August. 31 st at 6:30 pm. Where: Westminster Pres. 2915 Glenn Ave. Why: It s a great opportunity to sit back, relax and hear some old favorites and some new sound blended together as only these gentlemen can do it. For more info or questions Call the church office at 276-3613 For a little taste of Blackwood Legacy check out link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o84d7pvp9hs&list=uuvwjuac531kft9b4telqf-w&index=2 Joy s Gonna Come in the Morning And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had one, and he rested. Genesis 2:2 Fall is just around the corner. We hope you can find time this month to enjoy all the beauty that God has created and experience the rest and peace that only He can give. www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 7
Mark your Calendar - You Are Invited - Amethyst Elizabeth Richards and Joseph Thomas Muth together with their parents request the honor of your presence at their wedding Saturday, the sixth day of September two thousand fourteen at four o clock in the afternoon Westminster Presbyterian Church 3801 E. 26 th Street - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Reception to follow at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites 1103 N. Splitrock Blvd. - Brandon, South Dakota **************************************************************************************************** Westminster had the joy of watching Amethyst grow up in our midst and now Sioux Falls Westminster has the joy of watching this wonderful young couple grow as husband & wife. Amethyst and Joe have become very active members of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls but they definitely want their Sioux City Westminster Family to celebrate this wonderful day with them as well. If you will be attending, please RSVP to amethyst.richards@gmail.com or 712-898-0679 or sign the sheet on the bulletin board in the narthex. It s time to Celebrate an Upcoming Wedding. Let s Shower the Bride & Groom with Love!!! A couples shower is planned for Amethyst and Joe here at Westminster on Sunday, Aug. 17 th and all those from Westminster are invited to join in the fun. Amethyst s aunt and cousins hope you will please join in celebrating with desserts and games in the church Fellowship Hall on Sunday, Aug. 17 th from 2 4 pm. Please RSVP to Cara Drew at 712-898-6261 or cara.destigter @coyotes.usd.edu There will also be a sheet on the bulletin board at church where you can sign up if you plan to attend. In case you are wondering, the couple is registered at Target, Younkers and Bed, Bath & Beyond. www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 8
August At Westminster No Cutters meeting in August See you on Sept. 13 th! 8/3 10:00 am 11:00 am Worship w/ Communion Fellowship Coffee 8/17 10:am 11 am Worship Fellowship Coffee 8/4 8/7 5:30 8 pm Bible School Lite supper served from 5:30 6 Classes for age 3 5 th grade and adults from 6 8 pm 8/24 10 am 11 am Worship Fellowship Coffee Newsletter Deadline 8/10 10 am 11 am 5 pm 6 pm Joint Worship Service with M/Side & Third Fellowship Coffee Committees Session 8/26 8/27 8/31 10 am 6:30 pm 10 am 11 am 6:30 pm Naomi Circle Choir Worship Fellowship Coffee Blackwood Legacy Concert August Birthdays and Anniversaries Aug. 2 Nancy Peterson Aug. 13 Joey Milner Aug. 3 Mike Montgomery Aug. 16 Norma King Aug. 5 Will Buell Aug. 21 Sol Murad, Bob Loghry, Marv Jessen Aug. 8 Jim Skoglund John & Bette Lund, Rick & Sandi O Donnell Aug. 9 John & Rosemary McKinley Aug. 22 Marilyn Clifford, Derek & Sarah Krause Aug. 10 Karen Forbes Aug. 25 Eric Pfautsch Aug. 11 Dena DeStigter Aug. 28 Isabelle Barrett, Angie Ricklefs www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 9
Westminster Presbyterian Church 2915 Glenn Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106 Blackwood Legacy Concert August 31 st 6:30 pm Youth Great Waterslide Party August 10 th 11:30 am God s Word is Sweet - Bible School Aug. 4 7 th 6 8 pm www. WestminsterSiouxCity.org 10