The Good News Northfield Presbyterian Church March 2018 The Pastor s Pen How curious that Lent should begin on Valentine s Day and that Easter is on April 1 st. But perhaps on further inspection it is appropriate to start our journey toward the cross and resurrection on a day that signifies universal love. It is with eternal love that Jesus makes the journey to Jerusalem where he will be crucified. And God will raise him up on the third day and thereby granting eternal life to those who choose to believe. And for that third day to be April Fools Day is also interesting. We are told in scripture that on the first day of the week (Sunday) the women went to the tomb to prepare the body for its final rest. They were going to do the duties prescribed in that time. The women didn t expect to see what they saw. They were fooled into believing that the body would be there, lying in death s rest. We know the story so we are never fooled by the empty tomb. But in that time, the story was unknown, the resurrection wasn t even contemplated and there was that big stone sealing the tomb. They concentrated on the stone and on their duties, but God had another idea for that morning. God s thought was victory over death, a gateway to eternal life, a promise to God s children answered. And thus we move through our normal time of preparation for Easter, a time we call Lent. What we prepare for is the incredible gift of Easter morning, the resurrection. How we prepare differs by each individual and for the called forth churches of the risen Christ. In some traditions, we give up something for Lent. When I was a kid, I lived in a predominantly Irish neighborhood and the sacrifice s of my friends was awe inspiring. I often copied their sacrifice although as a Protestant kid that sacrifice wasn t prescribed. I gave up chocolate, but not chocolate ice cream. I know, hardly a sacrifice. Now I still make a concession to Lent. But now I don t give something up. Instead I try to do something each day that is positive. I add new people to my daily prayer list, often unnamed people like the barista at my local Starbucks or the checkout person at the grocery store or the guy on the corner begging for cash almost every day in all kinds of weather. One year I worked one day a week in a soup kitchen. That was very helpful in reminding me that I was very fortunate to have food, clothing and shelter. So I would suggest to all of you, as the Lent progresses, to do something positive for the kingdom of God in our midst. Sometimes a healthy greeting to folks we interact with might be just what s needed that day. The idea of random acts of kindness is a great idea. We can make a difference and during this Lent let s be a good disciple and do something positive for the One who died that we might live. Easter is coming but it s still Friday for many people. God bless you all, Pastor Wally
Palm Sunday, March 25th, 10:15 a.m. Combined service with Victory Baptist Church Maundy Thursday Communion Service April 13th, 7:00 p.m. Easter Breakfast, April 1st, 8:45 a.m. Please call the office or sign up in the Narthex if you plan to attend. Easter Sunday Service, April 1st 10:15 a.m. Anti-Trafficking Team Update The month of March brings us to the end of our imagined day. It s eleven o clock and time to go to bed. Did you know that the cotton in your bedroom may have been picked by men, women and children as young as THREE? They work in cotton fields, primarily in Central Asia and Africa. During the annual cotton harvest, children are forced to leave school to work under arduous and abusive conditions, often with no pay. This is modern-day slavery and needs to be abolished! This concludes our series on A Day in Your Life. We hope you are now more aware of how your everyday existence may be touched by Human Labor Trafficking? We will continue to write a monthly report about Human Trafficking. Next time : So, What Can I Do about It?
Women s Association to Meet The next meeting of the Women's Association will be on Monday, March 12th at 10 a.m. in the Family Living area. Kathy Moore will lead the discussion based on Revelations 4 entitled Practicing Our Praise from our study booklet HEAVEN. All NPC Women are welcome to join us for this Bible study and a brief business meeting. Thank You! Thanks to all who contributed money toward the College/ Military gift certificate program hosted by the Deacons. We received $ 155.00 in donations. Eight college students and one military family received gift cards for Amazon Thank you notes have been arriving! Teresa Van Der Meulen Scott Williamson Jan Helin Josh Helin Carol Metz Brandon Van Der Meulen Kirk Louis 4-Mar 5-Mar 5-Mar 10-Mar 12-Mar 12-Mar 27-Mar CPR/AED Training Offered If you took the training 2 years ago and need to be updated or would like to take the training, the Day Care is holding a training on Saturday, March 24th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Training includes using the Automatic Electronic Defibrillator which we now have on site. Please contact the office by the 19th to be added to the class roster. Stewardship Report February 2018 Income: $10,466 Expenses: $ 14,366 Year to Date Income: $23,175 Expenses: $23,980 PANTRY ITEMS CONTINUE TO BE COLLECTED The Women s Association will continue to collect food items for the Macedonia Emergency Center. They need dry, boxed nonperishable food items such as: Spaghetti noodles and all other types of pasta either in a box or bags as well as rice, instant potatoes, cereal, hamburger or tuna helper, etc. There is a container in the narthex where church families can drop off their donations on Sundays or any other day they are in the building. Thank You!
Easter Flowers Order Form Spring will be here soon and with it the season of rebirth and renewal. Easter is on April 16th and it is time for the Deacons to place our holiday order for Flowers. The Easter Lilies and other varieties of flowers listed below are available for purchase. The cost is $9.00 for a 6 ½ foil wrapped pot. All orders must be received in the church office by Sunday March 18th, The order will be placed with the greenhouse the following day to assure pricing and delivery dates. Please indicate your choice of flower, circle color preference where necessary, and mark the number of plants desired. Checks should be made payable to Northfield Presbyterian Church and marked for Easter Flowers. Cash payments should be placed in an envelope and also marked Easter Flowers. Payment must accompany all orders. Easter Lilies Daffodils Tulips (red, pink, or yellow) Hyacinths (Blue or Pink) Pansy Baskets (Assorted Colors in one basket) Your Name(s) Phone # In Memory of In Honor of Taking flowers home? Yes No Cash ( ) Check ( ) Total $ Flowers marked for take home should be picked up after the 10:15am service on Easter Sunday. All other flowers will be distributed to those who are ill or shut-in. Please mark your order form appropriately. Day Care Service Project Successful The school agers, for their service project for the year, collected socks and mittens for the Emergency Assistance Center. When asked by the teachers why they should do this, some answered so their toes and fingers don t fall off,, without socks you can get blisters, and with gloves your hands won t get dry and itch. But don t give gloves that you find run over in the middle of the road. They managed to collect 170 pairs of socks and 106 sets of mittens (all clean and new).
March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 6:30 pm VBC Choir 4 COMMUNION 12:30 pm VBC Worship 5 6 7pm Evening Bible 7 6:30 pm Cub Scouts 8 9 10 11 11:30 am Deacons 12:30 pm VBC Worship 12 10:00 am Women s Association 13 6pm Day Care Class 7pm Evening Bible 14 6:30 Cub Scouts 7pm VBC Bible 15 16 17 18 12:30 VBC Worship 4pm Lenten 19 20 7pm Evening Bible 21 6:30pm Cub Scouts 7pm VBC Prayer 22 23 24 9am Day Care CPR Training 25 PALM SUNDAY With VBC Worship 26 7pm Session 27 28 7pm VBC Bible 29 7pm Maundy Thursday Service 30 5:30 pm Community Meal 31 Set up for Easter Breakfast
Northfield Presbyterian Church 7755 S. Boyden Rd. Northfield, OH 44067 330-467-4137 npc7755@roadrunner.com www.northfieldpreschurch.com