First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM February 2018
Presbytery The article following this one describes in detail the recent Presbytery meeting in Roswell. The Presbytery is the organization that most closely connects the local church to the national church. It is important that we know what happens at Presbytery because the next meeting will be here in April. People will be needed to help with the event as food and meeting room will have to be provided and the attendees made to feel welcome. Also the Presbytery will be interested in a report on the various mission efforts of this church. Winter 2018 Presbytery Meeting Paul Deason The Winter 2018 meeting of the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca was hosted by the congregation of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Roswell on Friday and Saturday, January 27 and 28, 2018. Representing Las Cruces First Presbyterian were Rev. Dr. Norm Story, and elders Steve Loman, Janet Loman, Lloyd Kirshenmann, Dina Schroeder, and Paul Deason. Friday evening began with a fine meal prepared by the people at Westminster, after which it was established that a quorum was present. The agenda and consent docket were then approved, and reports, including one by Rev Story discussing the work of the Mission Coordination Committee, heard. Significant elements of this Mission Coordinating Committee report were recommendations that the Stated Presbytery Meetings be rotated in a regular pattern among the four Presbytery clusters (Central, Northeast, Southeast, and Western, the cluster Las Cruces is in). Also decided was that at each presbytery meeting there should be a Cluster Mission Fair to highlight the mission work being carried out in the cluster, and, most particularly, in the host church. The report should show how the congregation (s) is making a difference in their community through their hard work, generosity, and the outpouring of God s love in what they do. This was demonstrated on Saturday in a fine manner by the host congregation s description of their work in the Roswell community. And, in order to encourage congregations to think to their communities for mission work, it was decided that a mission project fund would be established in the presbytery, especially to fund Cluster programs. The fund would give support to the smaller congregations, to strengthen the congregations, especially in the eyes of their neighbors and their communities. This program would be similar to the 3:2:1 community effort to the disabled carried out through Deming First Presbyterian. A vital part of this project would be the requirement that the church and the funding serve as a catalyst, a multiplier of community efforts that carried on and supported the work beyond the years of the church s funding. Following the reports of the evening, there was a worship service. The service was conducted by the Rev. Randy Nolan of Westminster Church, accompanied by the fine playing of chimes and vocalization by the choir and a message brought by Rev. Dr. 2
John Guthrie, who had been installed as the pastor of Roswell First in November of 2017. An important element of this first presbytery meeting of 2018 was the recognition of Nancy Maushak as retiring Presbytery Moderator, the installation of Rev. Randy Nolan as the new Moderator, and the installation of Commissioned Ruling Elder Patricia Dobson as the Moderator-elect. After the benediction, the evening was capped off by a time for fellowship, hosted by Steve and Janet Loman, accompanied by excellent musical fare provided by CRE Adam Solis of Deming with his brother on the guitar. The worthiness of this time with other presbytery participants off the record was discussed at length during the Western Cluster meeting on Saturday, since Las Cruces First is to be the host congregation of the next meeting of the Sierra Blanca Presbytery in April 2018. Saturday dawned bright, early, and cold, which was eased in fine fashion by a breakfast of homemade treats again provided by the accomplished cooks at Westminster Church. This was followed by a morning devotional. The Necrology report recognized the lives and labors of several long serving Presbyterian Saints who slipped the mortal coil during 2017, including our own Bruce Carlson. A Presbytery meeting in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roswell 3
The Hour for Mission, described above, highlighted the mission work done in Roswell through efforts by the congregation to provide quilts for the Seniors and for infants, for providing a safe space with food and caring volunteers for high-risk teenage boys involved in the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program. They are also active on the international stage through their support of the Heifer, Inc. program, which provides food source animals to impoverished communities in Africa and Asia. Other reports of note: Honorably Retired Rev. Robert Reno of Alamogordo was installed as the new Synod Moderator at the meeting of the Synod of the Southwest in Tempe in October 2017. The finances of the Presbytery were reported as sound, and the investments were healthy mirroring the rise in the stock market. The Sierra Blanca Presbytery Presbyterian Women (PWC) has dissolved as a presbytery-led group, reported Synod PWC representative CRE Dixie Loy. The Synod PWC still functions, as well as individual church groups which may still operate. The reason is that there were too few surviving members to oversee the organization at the presbytery level. The remaining funds in the treasury were set aside as a scholarship for those attending General Assembly. The acrimonious separation of Clovis First Presbyterian has been finalized The congregation has elected to affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), Presbytery of the West. The EPC was notified by letter December 12, 2017 that the Clovis church was dismissed. The Administration Commission, which included as a member Elder Lloyd Kirshenmann, reported they were additionally saddened by the alienation of the Clovis First congregation for mere worldly disagreements. There is on the horizon the separation of the church in Nogal. But this is for a more reasonable reason in that there are insufficient members of the congregation left to make it a viable church. They have asked to be released from the presbytery and intend to identify themselves as a non-denominational Community Church. This intent was seen as favorable by the presbytery. A commission will be set, led by Rev. Dr. Steve Voris of Carlsbad, with the intent that the separation be recognized in the presbytery meeting in April, 2018. The action regarding the separation of Nogal overseen by Rev. Voris will also see his departure from Carlsbad First as he is relocating this spring to South Dakota. Dr. Janet Loman was re-commissioned as a Commissioned Lay Pastor for another three years. Rev. LaVonne Johnson of St. Mark s Lutheran Church in Roswell has accepted the pulpit in Ancho-Corona, as of February 12. She grew up on a farm in rural Minnesota, moved with her husband to Denver where she cooked for the homeless. She decided on a path following Christ, attended first a Methodist Seminary, then a Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, PA, and accepted as her first call the pulpit of the Roswell Lutheran Church. She said she will miss the community of Roswell but is anticipating returning to the rural life in Ancho-Corona. Rev. Jaime Quinones, retired pastor of Albuquerque Second Presbyterian, and a member of Santa Fe Presbytery, has relocated to Lovington, and will serve as the mod- 4
erator of the session, relieving, with thanks, the Rev. Caryn Thurman, who had undertaken that task for the last many months. The Permanent Judicial Commission report by Rev. Robert Reno concerned a set of overtures by Santa Fe Presbytery for proposed amendments to be sent to General Assembly; these proposed amendments were supported by Sierra Blanca Presbytery. There is to be a set of classes for those wishing to become Commissioned Lay Pastors. These classes will be held at First Presbyterian Ruidoso on one Saturday per month for 10 months. Applicants are being solicited. In a meeting of the Western Cluster, of which Las Cruces First is a member, Elder Steve Loman was thanked for his service, and Elder Lloyd Kirshenmann was selected as the new Cluster Moderator. Discussions followed regarding the upcoming presbytery meeting April, hosted by Las Cruces First, with the arrangements to be overseen by Elder Nancy Johnson. There was a discussion on the mission presentation to be offered, and the style, form, and preparation of the presentation. There is an interest in having another time of fellowship following the Friday devotional, perhaps using the facilities at Las Cruces First. Additionally, there was expressed a desire for Santa Teresa Presbyterian to take a more active role in the cluster, as well as the Korean congregation. Music Ministry: Our Congregational Mission Ryan R. Fellman How important is meaningful music within the realm of a worship service? How often do we really listen to the intricacies of the harmonies or the nuances of the phrases as it relates to the text? In the age of American Idol, even the self-proclaimed Hymnal Holder could probably notice the difference between music that has been planned with a purpose and music that just seems to fill the space. At First Presbyterian we are blessed to have a beautiful space to fill. Every Wednesday, the Chancel Choir will rehearse and work hard to connect to the message 5
of the pieces so that we may sing to inspire our whole congregation. Oftentimes what draws us to the music itself is not just the way it sounds but how the music enhances the text. But as with any genre, the good stuff is hard to find. At times the message can become muddled by the musical misdirection of the composer or perhaps we might find that the message itself is not one worth extending anymore. It takes time to find the right piece of music for any particular Sunday. For example, at its most basic level, it would not make sense to sing about Jesus s birth on Maundy Thursday. Great music, however, comes at a price. The average price of one octavo (a single piece of sheet music) is approximately $2.25. Typically around thirty-five octavos are ordered for the choir. This places our cost of one set of music at $78.75 (shipping not included). Due to recent budget restraints, we have no new music budget for the 2018- year. Copying music is also not a legal option. We are a quickly changing world and our music library will always need some careful and constant updating. The composers of today are still hard at work creating that space. Last Sunday, Pastor Norm posed an important question. He asked, Do you feel as though the best times of this church are behind us? Although, no one may ever surpass the genius of Bach, there are more composers out there writing meaningful music than ever before. If you find it in your heart to give to our Designated Choral Music fund we can continue to create the atmosphere that enhances everything else we do within a worship service and perhaps even inspire the next generation of choral singers and composers. After all, Psalm 98 does tell us to Sing to the Lord a new song. Valencia Owens Joins Salt & Light Michelle Osborne We are all blessed with our awesome Salt & Light Assistant, Ms. Valencia Owens. She started working last fall, and plans to continue through the spring semester. Wow. It is super-fabulous to have such a blessed member of our youth group giving of herself with her time, talents, energy and love for Christ to assist Ms. Michelle and our S & L children & youth program. Ms Valencia writes I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and so was my younger sister. My mother, sister and I moved out here to Las Cruces in 2009 to be closer to my mother s family. I love that Las Cruces has a homely feel to the city. In a big city it s hard to have that true home feel but Las Cruces has it. My family and I started coming to First Presbyterian Church in 2010 after my sister and I attended the Vacation Bible School that summer. Now I am an active member of the church and am also part of the youth group as well. The youth group here is absolutely amazing, I love it so much 6
because we aren t just another bible study group, we are a family and love and support each other every way we can. And along with the youth group, the Salt & Light program also has that family feeling to it as well. While being here at this church I look forward to the Salt & Light season the most. Then this past summer I was given the honor of being able to become Ms. Michelle s assistant and help out intricately with the Salt & Light program. I never truly understood how much time, effort and work go into getting everything ready for the week to come. I have a new found respect for everything that gets done for the program and the program itself. I look forward to coming back many years from now and still seeing the program going strong, the youth group alive and well, and seeing the church still thriving with new members. In-Betweeners The regular meeting of the In-Betweeners was a catered meal of pulled pork followed by a presentation by Blain and Carol Goss. They talked about their recent river cruse in Europe. One of the high points of their trip was a visit to Wittenberg Germany and learning more about Martin Luther and the posting of his 95 theses. The subsequent events were a major part of the Reformation. It was, of course, impossible to condense the history of the Reformation into an evenings conversation. But they did give some details of the 95 theses and of his family life which included his marriage to an former nun and raising a family of six children plus some who were adopted. It was noted that the 95 theses did not lay down a theological basis for the Reformation. That came later. The 95 ideas were almost exclusively objections to indulgences and comments on the pope himself. 7
Notes and Announcements February 3 Memorial service for Fran Johnson February 4 February 15 February 13 February 20 February 22 February 23 February 25 Youth Sub Sale Session Committee Meetings Memorial service for the Taylors Session meeting Book Club In-Betweeners Congregational meeting For more information call, the church office at 526-5559. The usual calendar page is not in this issue because it is difficult to get a readable page. If you find calendar information and wish to see it here, e-mail Alex Burr at aburr@aol.com suggestions on how best to display the information will be very welcome. The Cover The cover is a photograph of one of a large number for sale at the Pink Store in Polomas, Mexico. The cross is a very popular ornament in this area. Photographs provided by Alex Burr and Michelle Osborne 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 8
P FIRST E S B Y T E R I A N Annual Meeting February 25 200 E. Boutz Rd. Las Cruces, NM 88005 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. 9