The Evangel The First Presbyterian Church JANUARY 2015
Pastor s Note From the Pastor: His Love... Reaching If you turn in our brown hymnal to #200, you won t find a hymn; instead, you ll find this quote: Right from the beginning, God s love has reached, and from the beginning, man has refused to understand. But love went on reaching, offering itself. Love offered the eternal... we wanted the immediate. Love offered deep joy... we wanted thrills. Love offered freedom... we wanted license. Love offered communion with God Himself... we wanted to worship at the shrine of our own minds. Love offered peace... we wanted approval for our wars. Even yet, love went on reaching. And still today, after two thousand years, patiently, lovingly, Christ is reaching out to us today. Right through the chaos of our world, through the confusion of our minds, He is reaching....longing to share with us... the very being of God. His love still is longing. His love still is reaching, right past the shackles of my mind. And the Word of the Father became Mary s little Son. And His love reached all the way to where I was. Gloria Gaither. There is the Gospel message, my friends. We rebelled against God; we declared war on Him, deciding that we would be our own gods, that we would determine what was right and wrong for ourselves. We refused to submit to our Creator, preferring to live in the little hells of our own making. And yet... God reached out to us. And yet, God reached toward us with love, with compassion, and yes, with anger toward our sin. But even in His wrath, He reached toward us, for on the cross, He took that wrath upon Himself. This is the message we need to preach to ourselves over and over again the message of the Gospel. God reaches toward us in love. God longs to share His very Self with us. In Jesus Christ, God reaches out to His broken, rebellious creation. How will we respond? For be careful, my friends! For when we receive God s love reaching out to us, He then calls us to reach out in the same way to others! As He loves us, so are we called to love one another. As He forgives us, so are we called to forgive one another. As He shows compassion to us, so are we called to show compassion to one another. And that s not easy. Most of us would simply prefer to receive, but God calls us to give lavishly, promiscuously, generously. Never can we say, Well, I ve done enough. Imagine if God had said that about us! And never can we say, Well, I love everyone, but I just can t stand so-and-so! Again, imagine if God had said that about us! No, in the same way God reached out to us, gathered us up, and grabbed a hold of us even as much as we did not deserve any of those things! so are we called to do the same for others, especially for the undeserving. And as we move from Christmas toward Lent and Resurrection Sunday, we need to hear this. I think it s also helpful to us as we begin a new year a year fresh with possibilities, a year pregnant with potential. We may have some special challenges this year when it comes to our budget, but there s one thing that won t be in short supply this year: the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing can separate us from that. And if we are willing to reach out with that love in bold, creative,
courageous, relentless ways, then there s no telling what good we can do for the Kingdom of God. If we are willing to forgive others, even when it hurts, even when we d rather nurse our bitterness and our entitlement, there s no telling what anger, what evil, what brokenness will be healed. If we are willing to brave the ridicule of others and reach out with the love of Jesus Christ by inviting others to put their faith in Him, there s no telling what lives will be transformed. If we are willing to deny ourselves, and to deny our comfort, and to give generously of our time, our talents and our treasures, there s no telling what blessings will come. All we need to do is to reach, just as God has reached out to us. So what love will we give? What reaching out will we do? The choice is ours. et us choose wisely! And to God alone be the glory! In Christ s Love, Joshua NOTICE! In an effort to reduce paper and postage costs, this is the last mass-mailing of the Evangel. You can read it on the church s website (harrisonpresbyterian.com) or receive an email copy but starting in February, only a limited quantity will be printed and made available at church. If you require a stamped/mailed version, please notify the office. To be added to the digital email list, please notify Kristy (kkathman@harrisonpresbyterian.com). Thanks! Thanks to all of you who sent cards, baked goodies or gave us gifts during the Christmas season! We appreciate your kindness and generosity! In Christ s Love - Joshua, Marcia & Kristy Ordination and Installation of new church officers will happen during the 10:45 service on Sunday, January 4. Please come and give your prayers and support to our new elders and deacons as they make their ordination vows! Kristy s New Office Hours: Monday Thursday, 9am-1pm. Pastor s Office Hours: Monday Thursday, 9am-12pm. Other times available by appointment. Sabbath Day: Friday. If you would like a visit from the pastor, please call (513) 367-4301, or e-mail jlong@harrisonpresbyterian.com.
Our most recent Kroger check was in the amount of $513.07 for the period of Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. The total we have collected since we began the Community Rewards Program is $13,893.40. We have 51 households contributing - a number we d like to see go up this next year! Contact Reta Crone (367-4917) for assistance with signing up. It s such an easy way to give back to church! We would like to take a moment to remember those members of our church who passed away in 2014: Grace Dazier and Hammond Roudebush May the Lord continue to bless and comfort us as we grieve! Prayer Meeting Our next monthly prayer meeting is Saturday, January 10 at 11am in the chapel. Please join us as we lift up our congregation, our leaders, our nation, and other needs in prayer! All are welcome! Dear Ones: You are so good to me. Thank you so much. Affectionately, Jeanette Rae 2 A MEAL ~ SUNDAY, JANUARY 11. You can place your donations in the gold pots located at both entrances to the sanctuary. Thanks for your donation to feed the hungry. Congregational Meeting - Sunday, January 11. Our next congregational meeting is on Sunday, January 11 after the 10:45 worship service. We will be meeting for the purpose of electing our new nominating committee, and for receiving both the 2014 Annual Report and the 2015 budget. All active members are encouraged to attend. See you there!
5. Jo-Jean Kleinfeld, Evan Kessler 6. Nathan Meyer 7. Belinda Moul 9. Troy Sebastian 10. T.J. Snape 11. Lou Rozmarynowski 12. Shirley Fury 13. Makenzie Thomas 14. Jennifer Coleman 16. Phyllis Wolf 20. Jim Trabel 25. Louanna Smith 26. Raymond Loos 27. Marcia Merse, Millie Koehler 28. Mike Green, Jerry Francis 30. Andrew Snape 31. Sandra McCauley, Greg Bybee JANUARY BIRTHDAY BAKERS: Shirley Fury, Amy Green, Mindy Sindiong Quote to Ponder Notice that Christ said specifically that the gates of Hades will not overcome the church. The thought often occurs to me that Satan can do nothing to overcome the Church from the outside. No amount of perversity, depravity, or even persecution will ever overcome the Church. Satan can t tear us down from the outside; that s why he seeks to do an inside job using division, bitterness among believers, infighting and denominational elitism. Local church bodies don t die because of the world s influence; they die from internal disease. Let s be on the lookout for inside jobs. Keep Satan out, and the very gates of Hades can t prevail against us. Beth Moore, on Luke 9:18-21. Look for Worship and Sunday School cancellations and delays at the following TV channels & websites. You can also check the Church s Facebook page for updates. WCPO Channel 9 www.wcpo.com/ closingsadmin WKRC Channel 12 www.schoolwatch.com
Quote to Ponder Resolved: That every man should Resolved others do this love to the glory of God. second: That whether There will be a HEALING SERVICE in the chapel after the 10:45 service on January 25. All who wish to receive anointing, the laying on of hands and prayers for healing are welcome. Saturday, January 3, 8 am - 4 pm Matthew 25 visit Sunday, January 4, 6 pm- 8 pm YC Meeting in the YC Room Sunday, January 18, 6 pm- 8 pm YC Meeting in the YC Room If you have an article or event you would like featured in the February Evangel, please submit them to Kristy by January 19. You can leave a note in her mailbox or email her at kkathman@harrisonpresbyterian.com
For Health Needs Jo Jean Kleinfield Gene Steelman Louanna Smith Bennie Pierson Hester Konkle Janet Coakley Russell Taylor Ellen Puckett Elaine Harris Nomi Taylor Jane Poland Earl Dwelly Pam Kraus Diane Arel Jean Vest Bill Bates THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCH FAMILY Our Shut-Ins Pauline Zimmerman Nora Montgomery Specific Prayer Needs Theresa Johnson Deb Menninger: for her son s health; June Merten: for her brother s health; Stephanie Trabel: for her aunt s health; Jeanette Rae Linda Hellmann: for her sister s health needs; Ginny Thiele Deana Doepker: for her mother in-law s health; Gloria Culley Georgia & Earl Dwelly: for their daughters health; Taaron Meyers: for her cousin, Lauren Hill s health; Lana Bybee: for her niece & family - for the health of their new triplets; Ted & Janet Coakley: for their granddaughter s, her sister s & his brother s health PRAYER CHAIN CALLS FOR 2014 The Prayer Chain is a group of people who are committed to praying daily for those requesting prayer. This ministry is administered through our Board of Deacons. If you have a prayer request please contact Marcia Merse at 812-637-3702 (home) or 367-4301 (work) during the day or Phyllis Wolfram at 367-4578 during the evening. For two weeks, the people on the chain will pray daily for the person or situation requested. Necrology Sunday: On Epiphany Sunday, January 4, be sure to join us for our annual Necrology service, in which we remember all those who have made the move from the Church militant to the Church triumphant. Pastor s Bible Study Continues! Have you always wanted to learn more about the Bible? Do you want to learn how better to read and understand the Scriptures? Come join the Pastor s Bible Study! We meet every Monday at 7pm in the Conference Room. This year, we re studying 2 Kings. All are welcome!
First Presbyterian Church 115 S. Vine St. Harrison, OH 45030 Pastor: Joshua Long Church Phone number: 367-4301 Church email: kkathman@harrisonpresbyterian.com Pastor email: jlong@harrisonpresbyterian.com OUR CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT First Presbyterian Church of Harrison, Ohio is growing in faith by building stronger relationships with God and community through prayer and worship. The reading and understanding of God s Word strengthens our commitment to share the Good News of Jesus Christ through love and service to our neighbor so that all may experience God s grace.