F I R S T U N I T E D P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H N A M P A, I D A H O J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9 Inside this issue: Financial News 2 Session & Deacon Highlights Purpose Statement First Sunday of 2009 2 2 3 Men s Group 3 New Classes 3 Birthdays & Anniversaries 4 Per Capita 4 Presbyterian History 5 Notes 6 NUTS Dear Friends, A grandmother who entertained her grandchildren over the holidays posted signs in her house based on their last visit. The signs read, The No Whining Zone. This would be a good sign for many churches. Church life for many is like walking through a dark cluttered toy room. No matter which way you go there is something to step on. The title of this letter to you is NUTS which I am at times. It really means Never Underestimate The Spirit. It refers to life and its challenges and is relevant at all times but now people may think about it more. We face in this New Year some fear-filled challenges. The economy is the number one fear. Will it turn around? If you have a friend who has lost their job in this tight market, the question is not will it turn around, but can I find a job in the next few days? The next question is will it pay what I need for my family and me? The economy is a spiritual battle because of what it does to us internally. The fear is great. It causes us to pull in our willingness to give, but more than that it causes us to carry a very limiting view of what can be done. This is why I think NUTS is such a good word for the New Year. The belief for Christians is we live in the power of the resurrection. This power can invade and engage our lives in ways that we cannot even imagine. yet! So, in the midst of hurting I am NUTS. This is not to diminish the pain of today s economics nor is it to treat lightly the brokenness and fall out that runs through relationships as this part of the drama of the world plays out. When people hurt, God hurts. When people hurt, the church should hurt and be sensitive to its community context which includes those in and out of the church. But at the same time we need not be victims of the despair of the times. The Spirit of God can enter our personal space and give us hope. Sometimes this Spirit of hope has to wade deep into the despair but it can come. Hope must never be underestimated. This same Spirit can be reflected on the year. This is a New Year. The possibilities are endless. I enter a challenge with excitement to see what can be done for you see I am NUTS. I am one who believed God is so big that he caused the Berlin Wall to fall. I am one who believed God is so big that he opened Russia and China to announce that the church did exist there in a vital expression of the Spirit of Hope. I am one who believes that God has led Debbie and I through hopeless times and without those struggles our faith would be less (Continued on page 4) Worship Lessons January 4 Psalm 1:1-6 Are there any pickles in Jerusalem? January 11 Leviticus 19:1-18 Early Instruction January 18 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 The Beyond for the Present January 25 Matthew 14:27 Taking Heart
Page 2 General Fund Financial Activity November 30 Anticipated Receipts toward budgeted expenses this month $16,725 Anticipated Receipts toward budgeted expenses year-todate $183,975 Actual Receipts this month for budget $28,849 Actual Receipts year-to-date $195,209 Expenses this month $20,824 Expenses year-to-date $180,314 January 14 Office Hours Monday - Wednesday, Friday 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Thursday 12:30-4:30 pm Friday is the Pastor s day off Office email: office@firstpresnampa.org Pastor s email: balaams@firstpresnampa.org Website: www.firstpresnampa.org Phone: (208) 466-7061 Fax: (208) 466-7176 Thank you to those who assembled the last issue of The Link: Nita Broomhall & Dorothy Fox. Session Highlights Session heard the report of the Personnel Committee. Time was spent on a new Mission/ Vision statement that has been in the works for several months. The Gospel Sing was deemed a great success and permission was granted to hold these every other month. Session voted to give a 3% cost-of-living increase to all church employees. A purpose statement was adopted and will be shared with the congregation. The 2009 budget was finished and adopted. Session will extend an invitation to Presbytery to house the Resource Library in our conference room. Rent money received for 2009 will be returned to the Boise Presbytery. Ruby Bracket was elected Clerk of Session. from Nov. 24 & Dec. 15 meetings Nampa First United Presbyterian Church Purpose Statement To bring people together to love and magnify God through worship, to minister to the needs of all His children, to fellowship in God's family, to spread the Good News, and to develop people to Christ-like maturity for their mission in the world. Respectfully submitted, Sally Moore, Clerk of Session Deacons report from Dec. 1 meeting Sunday, February 1 60 meals were served at the Shelter. This number is increasing. Christmas gift card of $50 will be given to our Adopt-A-Senior. Updates on the Festival of Trees and Hope House Dinner were given. $500 will be made available for Christmas gifts for those in need. Next meeting is Monday, January 5, beginning with a potluck at 6:00 pm to welcome the new class and thank the outgoing class. Respectfully submitted, Gary Decoteau, secretary
Session retreat set for January 17 There will be an orientation retreat for all session members includes those going off the session on Saturday, January 17. It will be held at the church and last from 8:00 am to noon. It is hoped that all new members will have read The Purpose Driven Church First Sunday of 2009 plus prayed over the last draft of the new purpose and vision statements. Page 3 This is a warning. The first Sunday worship of the New Year is always somewhat different or abnormal. Therefore, this is fair warning while at the same time be assured that the second Sunday of the year will be normal. This first Sunday is not one of resolutions since most are familiar with the long-term effect of resolutions. generally failure and guilt. Rather the spirit of the day is dedication for the year. It is a reminder that we are all called by God no matter what we are doing in life. Some are Spirit-ordained teachers, parents, grandparents, executives, retirees, tutors, etc, etc. Therefore the day is given over to very personal dedication of our lives and the church to this New Year of 2009. Men s group meeting on January 10 A Personal Pilgrimage is the title of the Presbyterian Men s Group that begins on Saturday morning January 10 at 8:00 am. Breakfast will be served and Bible study will be follow. Plan to come and bring your Bible. Light of the world Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). For the last few months the Christ candle has been lit throughout the worship service and remains lit even when the other candles are extinguished at the close of each service. We have been using the Christ candle New member class January 11 from the Advent wreath. A new Christ candle has just been purchased with several memorial accounts and the new stand was purchased by Worship Committee. May it remind us that the light of Christ shines continually and we are to reflect to others Christ s light in us. Interested in joining First United Presbyterian Church? There will be a new member class on Sunday, January 11, at 11:45 am in the Conference Room. A light lunch will be served then Pastor Bruce will give some background into the Presbyterian Church and answer any questions you have regarding our church. Please notify the office at 466-7061 at office@firstpresnampa.org by Wednesday, January 7 if you would like to attend. Adult Bible class Every Sunday morning (9:00 9:45 am) beginning January 11 until Easter there will be a Bible study class on the book of Acts. Anyone who would like to attend is asked to bring their Bible and meet in the Conference Room. Pastor Bruce will be teaching the class.
Page 4 1/01 Ruby Brackett 1/01 Jo Schmidt 1/04 Ardria Yoder 1/06 Truman Kohtz 1/08 Meva Gottschalk 1/09 Anna Tjaden 1/09 Don Tuckness 1/14 Mike Carl 1/15 Bernt Pederson 1/18 Mary Wood 1/20 Jean Borer 1/20 Herb Carlson Known January Birthdays Where can they be? 1/20 Robie Harano 1/21 Dora Gourley 1/22 Betty Pearson 1/24 Alexa Decoteau 1/25 Mary Joyce Hawley 1/25 Dan Wiebold 1/25 Avis Withers-Sandy 1/26 Nina Gilbert 1/26 Claris Morgan 1/28 Ina Helt 1/28 Kathy Mattson 1/29 Hank Sydor We are missing 3 white tablecloths that go on the round tables in the fellowship room. Please check to Known January Anniversaries 1/30/88 Ralph & Susan Williams 1/31 David & Sharyn Barrett All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in his divine Book. -David Livingstone, The Newsletter Newsletter see if you have taken one home to launder and forgot to return it to the church. Thanks! Tree of Peace given to Hope House Per Capita $24.54 per member The Per Capita Apportionment for 2009 is $24.54 per member. This apportionment is used for the operational expenses of each level of our denomination: Presbytery of Boise, Synod of the Pacific in San Francisco, and General Assembly in Louisville. NUTS (Continued from page 1) than what it may have been without the opportunity to struggle. Obviously, this attitude of Hope can be reflected in our church s willingness and ability to do mission. We finally had good conflict this last year. From it we are working to understand who we are and what we are to The Deacons tree for the Canyon County Festival of Trees brought in $700 for the Meals on Wheels program. The person who purchased the tree donated it to Hope House; the kids recognized the tree from the pictures on display on the revolving bulletin board. This is a wonderful project by the Deacons, headed by Gwen Sample, supporting a vital program in our community. Thank you to all who helped decorate. Last year we paid $3,657 of which $2,046 was contributed by members toward this obligation. The remaining came out of General Fund. This year we will pay $4,491. Each member is encouraged to pay their portion so more of our church s operational budget can be used to support programs. Please indicate on your check that it is for per capita. do. Conflict can give birth to strength depending how it is received. For some it can breed whining. Do not succumb to whining; be NUTS with me for this New Year: Never Underestimate The Spirit. Warmly, The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -Martin Luther King Jr., The Newsletter Newsletter
New phone number for Kip Winter: 208-794-7688 Love God with all your mind Virginia Allen 2398 Soundview Dr Langley, WA 98260 360-969-3243 Page 5 Calvin stated in The Institutes of the Christian Religion that there were two sources of knowledge: one was humanities self-knowledge and the second was scripture. The problem with exploring humanities selfknowledge is that it is captured by sin and is impossible to delineate what is accurate or false. The Apostle Paul writes we are slaves to sin. Scripture is the word of God and has some kind of divine authority. So, Calvin exchanged the infallibility of the Pope for the infallibility of Scripture. The Renaissance (14 th to 17 th century) was a revival of learning and reform of education. The Black Plague was still in the experience of many people and as a result there was a greater emphasis on the here and now versus the spiritual and afterlife. In the context of new conclusions knowledge was simplistically divided into two: either knowledge was subjective or objective. The scientific model which became the primary model to find truth promoted the objective over the subjective. Objective was considered real or actual and subjective was placed in the categories of emotions and not necessarily accurate truth. This meant that anything of faith or what we might call spiritual was suspect. Therefore, the Bible, a book of faith, was suspect. The Bible had not been exposed as a book one studied objectively until the Renaissance. The book became one studied and criticized just like other books. It began to lose credibility for its unique faith substance. Fundamental in the Reformation was the term Sola Scriptura. This meant that Scripture alone defined faith and the church. Therefore, the Reformation drew a line of faith in the sand which determined truth. Calvin writes, Let us use great caution that neither our thoughts nor our speech go beyond the limits to which the Word of God itself extends. For how can the human mind measure off the measureless essence of God. Let us willingly leave to God the knowledge of himself. So, for us in the 21 st century the question is how do we understand the spiritual nature of faith? What is the nature of faith? Is there anything objective about faith? Is subjective knowledge valid? This column deals with who we are as Presbyterians and what are Reformed roots have to say. -Bruce Swanson King and the Good Samaritan Many Christians will observe Martin Luther King Jr. s birthday on January 19. (His actual birth date is January 15.) King s comments about the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) are worth remembering: The first question that the priest and the Levite asked was: If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me? But the good Samaritan reversed the question: If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him? -The Newsletter Newsletter Let s go camping July 24-26 Last year s camping weekend at Pine Flats Forest Service Campground was so successful that we are doing it again! It will be the weekend of July 24-26 so put it on your calendar now. Each camping unit is encouraged to make their reservations early. They can be made up to six months ahead of the first night s stay. You can reserve online at www.recreation.gov. On the left, indicate state of Idaho, Park is Pine Flats, arrive date July 24 (unless you want to come early), length of stay is your choice. It will show what is available. At the top there is a link to see a map of the campground. You may also call 1-877-444-6777. This is a primitive campground along the South Fork of the Payette River. Food details we re planning a potluck on Friday night; after that???. Activities we ll just see what happens! Questions? Contact Ron or Phyllis Tincher at 461-3780.
Page 6 Remedy for a flat spirit Almost everyone has an occasional down day. You know the dreaded flat or blah feeling. Sometimes you don t even feel like praying. Is there any hope for this condition? In the 12th century, a Carthusian monk named Guigo felt drained and depressed. But as he rested, the following prayer came to his mind: My soul is so dry that by itself it cannot pray; Yet you can squeeze from it the juice of a thousand prayers. My soul is so parched that by itself it cannot love; Yet you can draw from it boundless love for you and for my neighbor. My soul is so cold that by itself it has no joy; Yet you can light the fire of heavenly joy within me. My soul is so feeble that by itself it has no faith; Yet by your power my faith grows to a great height. Thank you for prayer, for love, for joy, for faith; Let me always be prayerful, loving, joyful, faithful. -The Newsletter Newsletter On beginning the New Year Lord of heaven and earth, prosper thou us this year even as our soul prospereth. Let thy presence go with us. Be thou the Companion of our way. In our home, grant that we may cheerfully welcome thee as our daily Guest. In our relationships with others, teach us to practice the Golden Rule. In all our seeking, grant that we seek first thy kingdom and righteousness. -17th-century prayer, The Newsletter Newsletter Get ready for Epiphany Many Christian denominations celebrate Epiphany each year on or near January 6. Epiphany, which means showing forth, celebrates the visit of the magi, or wise men, to the baby Jesus. These men, also known as kings, saw the star that led them to Bethlehem. The fact that these wise men were Gentiles, not Jews, teaches us an important theological lesson: their search for the Savior shows that Jesus came for all people. In 1875, Philip Bliss wrote the hymn The Light of the World Is Jesus. The first stanza captures the meaning of Epiphany, a season of light: The whole world was lost In the darkness of sin, The Light of the world is Jesus! Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in. The Light of the world is Jesus! -The Newsletter Newsletter We truly appreciated the kindness of the home prepared dinner for Thanksgiving that Bruce brought over, and we truly miss being in the congregation on Sundays. Thank you again for the kindness you have shown. Dorlene & Elwyn Gaines
Especially for you from Pastor Bruce Dear children, I was told by one of our members a wonderful story about Thanksgiving. While sitting as a family gathered together for Thanksgiving, the host encouraged the family to tell about someone outside their family for whom they were grateful. The youngest early middle school shared first. He said he was grateful for one special friend. This person had been his friend since first or second grade. The friendship helped this young man understand how important he was. To have a friend means someone thinks you are neat. Friendship means that people get to be with one another on good days and bad days. It means they have had to put up with you when you are not so nice and on the other days they get to enjoy how great you are. The verse this month says God knows you inside and out. He loves you on the days you are not doing well and when you are doing well. At the same time, the power of that friendship is shaping you inside and out. God hangs in there with you because he wants you to know how valuable you are. Try to understand that the greatest, largest, most valuable expression of the universe says to you, you are important and lovable. Wow, even I need to hear that at my age. Hang in there. Bible Verse of the Month Oh, yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother s womb. I thank you, High God you re breathtaking! Psalm 139: 13
Known January Birthdays 1/11... Jessie Page 1/15... Andrew Anderson 1/30... Logan Thompson Sunday School resumes January 4 9:00 am Bible Quiz In John 8:12 (NRSV), Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will. Choose the phrase below that correctly completes this sentence. A. never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. B. never walk alone. C. be my companion always. D. sit at my right hand. Answer: A
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 Communion/Deacons 9:00a Sunday School 9:10a Chancel Choir 10:00a Worship 5 2:00p Bible Study at SunBridge 6:00p Deacons Potluck 7:00p Boy Scouts 6 7 9:00a Bulletin deadline 4:30p JuBELLant Rngrs 5:45p Koinonia Bells 6:30p TGIW-Trinity Luth. 7:15p Chancel Choir 8 10:00a Brunch Bunch 9 Annual Reports due 10 8:00a Men s Group 11 9:00a Sunday School 9:10a Chancel Choir 10:00a Worship 11:45a New Member Class 12 7:00p Boy Scouts 13 14 Link deadline 9:00a Bulletin deadline 4:30p JuBELLant Rngrs 5:45p Koinonia Bells 6:30p TGIW-Trinity Luth. 7:15p Chancel Choir 15 16 17 8:00a Session Retreat 18 9:00a Sunday School 9:10a Chancel Choir 10:00a Worship 25 9:00a Sunday School 9:10a Chancel Choir 10:00a Worship 19 Community Shelter Meal 2:00p Bible Study at SunBridge 7:00p Session 7:00p Boy Scouts 26 7:00p 3 C s at home of Ruth Solomon 7:00p Boy Scouts 20 10:00a PWCT 21 9:00a Bulletin deadline 4:30p JuBELLant Rngrs 5:45p Koinonia Bells 6:30p TGIW-Trinity Luth. 7:15p Chancel Choir 27 28 9:00a Bulletin deadline 4:30p JuBELLant Rngrs 5:45p Koinonia Bells 6:30p TGIW-Trinity Luth. 7:15p Chancel Choir 22 6:45p Seminary Without Walls 29 6:45p Seminary Without Walls 23 24 30 31
My Morning Prayer What guidance is God giving For my living of this day? Will I help someone who s needy? Will I have kind words to say? Will outrageous acts of kindness Be the gifts that I can share? Let YOUR will, God, be mine today, Help me to love and care! -Peggy Ferrell, Poems, Prayers and Hymns The Newsletter Newsletter November 23... 190 November 30... 173 December 7... 194 December 14... 177 F I R S T U N I T E D P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H 400 Lake Lowell Avenue Nampa, ID 83686-6617 PASTOR: Bruce D. Swanson RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Nampa, ID 83651 Permit No. 180 If this publication is no longer needed, please notify the church office.