May 2014 Meeting House News First Presbyterian Church On the Square 2A North Hanover Street Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013 Session Members, Worship Leaders Debby Madden, Director of Educational Ministry Arthur Thompson, Organist Susan Shuey, Choir Director Jack Sprecher, Sexton Avis Allen, Administrative Secretary Church Administrative Office Hours: M, W, F, 9AM-2PM Phone (717)243-4612 E-mail fpcarl@pa.net Debby Madden dmadden.fpcarl@pa.net Website www.firstprescarlisle.com
May 2014 Page 2 In This Issue 2 Mission Study Committee Message 3 Worship Highlights for May 3 PW Birthday Offering (May 18) 4 Life of the Church Book Club OGHS Lenten Music/Lunches Medical Mission Trip Blanket Sunday Chip in for Krislund Senators Ball Game 5 Krislund News 5 Other News Lend-a-Hand Trip Farmers Market Our Recycling Fairy Truckstop Ministry Fundraiser 6 Children/Youth News Rock the Camp report Confirmation Class news VBS Toddler Time Youth Sunday 7 Serving in Worship in May May Birthdays 8 Calendar Let s Go Camping! It s time to turn your thoughts to a summer camping adventure! Do any of these activities sound like fun to you? faith building & worship high ropes course zip line 52-foot adventure tower whitewater rafting photography / crafts kayaking mountain biking caving fishing riding horses If so, visit our church website, www.firstprescarlisle.com (see Krislund link on right side of opening page), or www.krislund.org, or call (814) 422-8878, to learn more. A list of camping programs & dates is posted on the bulletin board. P.S. Debby Madden is a camp chaplain at the July 20th camp! The Mission Study Committee has chosen the following passage of Scripture to help lead them through their work. This Scripture was written during Israel s exile in Babylon in the sixth century B.C. The God who saved the people from Egypt will also be the God who saves them now. It is God s grace which enables the people to look forward in hope and to not remember their sins of old. The passage is full of joy and anticipation of the future! The Mission Study Committee, the Session, and the Nominating Committee asks that members read this and pray for the new thing God will create for First Presbyterian Church. Isaiah 43:16-21 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 16 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
May 2014 Page 3 Worship Highlights - May May 4 (3rd Sunday of Easter) 9:15 AM: Prayer, in the sanctuary 9:30 AM: Education hour; classes for all. 10:45 AM: Worship. Sermon, A Meeting with Thomas, Rev. Dr. Steve Fleming. Scripture: John 20: 19-29. After worship: Fellowship time. May 11 (4th Sunday of Easter) 9:15 AM: Prayer, in the sanctuary 9:30 AM: Education hour; classes for all. 10:45 AM: Worship. Youth Sunday; our youth will lead the worship service. After worship: Fellowship time. This is Mother s Day and Blanket Sunday! May 18 (5th Sunday of Easter) 9:15 AM: Prayer, in the sanctuary 9:30 AM: Education hour; classes for all. 10:45 AM: Worship, with Communion. The PW Birthday Offering will be received (w/info from Indian reservations expert, Ms. Cindy Corn). After worship: Fellowship time. May 25 (6th Sunday of Easter) NO Education hour. 10:00 AM: Worship. After worship: No Fellowship Time due to holiday weekend. BEGIN SUMMER SCHEDULE No Education Hour 10 AM: Worship Presbyterian Women s (PW) Birthday Offering May 18th The Birthday Offering was started in 1922 by the Woman s Auxiliary (PCUS), wherein an offering was taken for a definite cause. The tradition continued when the Auxiliary became Women of the Church in 1948, and then Presbyterian Women in 1988. The offerings have enabled a long succession of new and innovative mission projects throughout the world. This year, one project will be funded so that the grant will be larger and more impactful. The actual grant amount will depend on gifts offered during 2014. The goal for the Birthday Offering is $500,000! This year s grantee is Blue Corn Mothers Alliance, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The BlueCorn Mothers Alliance provides a range of services for Albuquerque s Native American women who experience domestic violence. This multifaceted program offers advocacy; crisis intervention; health, counseling and education services; and referrals for legal and shelter services to native American women and children who have suffered domestic violence. Through a Birthday Offering gift, this 1x/week program, currently run by volunteers out of La Mesa Presbyterian Church, will be available 5x/week, with staff. A Minute for Mission will be presented on this topic during a worship hour in May. On the date of the offering (May 18), Cindy Corn will be available in Fellowship Hall to answer questions on the present situation of Red Lake and other Ojibwe reservations in upstate Minnesota, where she has been accepted into some of the most remote, poorest, and misunderstood communities in the country. Ms. Corn received her M.Ed. in Int l Training and Organization Development from Penn State Harrisburg. She has 20+ years experience in the field, and is dedicated to Native American cultural revitalization, economic development, justice & peace-building. Please prayerfully consider your Birthday Offering gift.
May 2014 Page 4 In the Life of the Church Join in a lively discussion at this month s Book Club meeting May 8th, 7 PM in the church library. Silver Like Dust by Kimi Cunningham Grant is the book. One Great Hour of Sharing Offering Results Monies for the One Great Hour of Sharing offering were collected in various ways this year. Here are the results: Fishing Contest: total $213.70 (with congratulations going to the Odd side of the street for their $144.22 donation) Fish Banks: total $139.47 Envelopes: $1,620 (Grand Total: $1,973.17) Thank you so much for your generosity! Lenten Music Series & Soup Lunches By ALL accounts, this year s Lenten Concert Series and Soup Luncheons were a HUGE success! Both the high quality of the music and the delicious-ness of the soups & desserts, along with the fellowship, resulted in $1,988 being raised for Project S.H.A.R.E. THANKS to: all who supported and prayed for these Lenten events; all who donated food and time; Art Thompson for coordinating the musicians; Bob Davis (Soup-er Man), Barb Allen, Peggy McKeehen, Pat Grabey, Lois Lloyd, Ellen Darr, Fred Seltzer & Emily Compton for their work on the luncheons; and Jack Sprecher for a little extra sprucing up for our guests. See you next year! Medical Mission to Honduras I am going on a 10-day medical mission trip to Limon, Honduras in September. Our group of 12 will offer health care in a clinic owned by Carolina Honduras Health Foundation. Our team is supported locally by Cumberland Global Medical Care Mission, a non-profit charitable organization. The clinic provides care to the people of Limon and surrounding villages. We will care for about 800 people while there. Each member of our team is humbled by the generosity of our family, friends and colleagues. We appreciate your donations, 100 percent of which will be used for travel expenses, medications and supplies. If you wish to support our efforts, please make checks payable to Cumberland Global medical Care Mission and mail them to 835 W. South St, Carlisle. Please put my name, Laura Crim, on the memo line. Donations are tax-deductible. Thank you in advance for your consideration and kindness. With peace, Laura Crim 5th Annual Krislund Golf Tournament June 13, 2014 You re invited to support Camp Krislund by participating in the June 13th Chip In for Krislund golf tournament. This event is held at the Carlisle Barracks Golf Course. The cost is $280 for a four-some, and includes lunch, golf cart, range balls, prizes, and a steak dinner. It s a 4-player scramble format, with a 1 PM shotgun start (following a 11:30 AM registration and lunch). 1st, 2nd & 3rd place cash prizes will be awarded for longest drive, closest to the pin, and more. Go to the Krislund website www.krislund.org to get a registration or sponsorship form. Blanket Sunday May 11 (Mother s Day) In addition to the joy of being led in worship by our youth on this date, after worship you are invited to purchase a blanket and dedicate it in memory of or in honor of a special woman in your life. $5 donation buys a blanket thru Church World Service (CWS). Blankets are a real presence of shelter, warmth, and care for people in emergency need. So, stop by the table on May 11 and support this mission for the women in your life! Presbyterian Night with the Harrisburg Senators May 17th The Harrisburg Senators will host a Presbyterian Night on Saturday, May 17. Game time is 6 PM; gates open at 4:30 PM. $4 of your $11 ticket will be donated to Camp Krislund! Highlights include: watching the game from Box Seats.kids running the bases.a kids jersey giveaway. A sign-up sheet is posted in Fellowship Hall. Come out, sit as a First Church group, and enjoy a delightful evening of baseball and fellowship!
May 2014 Page 5 In Krislund News... There are many ways we can support the ministry of Krislund Camp and Conference Center. The greatest form of support comes in prayer prayers for the staff, campers, facilities and their outreach ministries. Krislund is also funded through many gifts from very generous people. These gifts are given through a few different avenues. Krislund s Annual Fund raises money to help supplement their operating budget needs. Other gifts are given towards specific building needs and program projects. There are also many smaller items needed to support the Camp s programs. The donation of these items or the funds to purchase them, provides valuable assistance. First Church has informed Krislund that we will donate S More items (see below). To help out, place items in the marked receptacles in Fellowship Hall. Marshmallows (need 100 bags) Graham Crackers (need 50 boxes) Hershey Chocolate Bars (360; or $20 to purchase one 36-count box) In addition to the S More items, we will provide 10 ga-ga balls (either buy one your kids will explain what it is or donate $5 toward the purchase of each one.) Your monetary donations can be placed in the offering plate, with a check written TO the church, with for Camp Krislund on the memo line. Thanks so much for your help! KRISLUND SPRING WORK DAY SATURDAY, MAY 3 Each year, people go to Camp Krislund to help get the camp ready for summer campers. This year, there are a number of projects for both skilled and unskilled workers, kitchen cooks and many others. Work on projects will be done from 8 AM 1 PM, followed by lunch. Workers should bring work gloves and weather-appropriate outerwear. Reservations are not necessary but, if you know you are going, you re asked to notify the camp office by calling (814) 422-8878, or by e-mailing them at info@krislund.org. In Other News... Lend A Hand May Trip Next trip to the Point Pleasant Presbyterian area of New Jersey is May 18-23. To learn more about this organization of the Carlisle Presbytery and see if it s a fit for YOU, visit their website (link provided from our church website). FARMERS ON THE SQUARE The 2014 season of FOTS opens Wednesday, May 7, at 3 PM. The opening day bell-ringer is our own Debby Madden. Mrs. Ann Light, who heads up the market, reports that a crew of six FOTS folks cleaned up our church grounds on Saturday, April 19, from 9 AM Noon. Their work included re-seeding grass areas and planting the front flower box. Thanks! OUR OWN RECYCLING FAIRY!!! Did you know that First Church has a Recycling Fairy, a friend of the Earth who visits every week to carefully sort & clean recyclables to haul home to place at the curb for pick-up? Please help our Fairy by placing items in marked containers! Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry Fundraiser Hoss s Community Night What: A fundraiser to support the work of the Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry Where: Hoss s (Carlisle, Chambersburg, Mechanicsburg) When: Saturday, May 3, 2014 How It Works: Each diner takes along a flyer (available in Fellowship Hall) when they dine at one of these Hoss s restaurants on May 3rd. Servers will collect the flyer along with the guest check (one flyer per check), and each store will total the checks and send 20% of the total of those sales to the Truck Stop Ministry. Please consider supporting this fundraiser!
May 2014 Page 6 Children/Youth News ROCK THE CAMP held April 17-19 This year, instead of our traditional Good Friday Children and Families service, from Thursday to Saturday of Holy Week we participated in a work-and-worship retreat at Camp Krislund. Eight youth from our church went; Matt Crum, Heather Thompson & Debby Madden were chaperones. In all, more than 100 youth attended from three Presbyteries. Their work included painting, mulching, building, moving items, and lots of clean-up and prep tasks for the upcoming camping season. Their worship experience included a service led by Rev. Mark Allio, with music by Vision - a Christian rock band from Liberty U, Lynchburg, VA. Of particular note is the fact that Jenna Fetter won 22 games of ga-ga ball (dodge ball inside a pit). A good time was had by all! CONFIRMATION CLASS NEWS! Our confirmands have concluded their series of weekly dinner meetings, held March 10 through April 7, and are putting the final touches on the special worship service they will lead on Sunday, May 11th (Mother s Day). JUNE VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (VBS) The VBS planners have had to change the dates of this summer s program. Due to ice & snow possibly affecting the date of the last day of school, VBS is now June 23-27. Workshop of Wonders, Imagine & Build with God is the theme this year. As in past years, this is a coordinated effort of First and Second Presbyterian Churches, being held AT Second Presbyterian. Check-in time on June 23 is 8:30 AM. Online registration is open now for volunteers and attendees. If you are a nonmember, you must submit a Medical Release Form (available online at the Second Presbyterian website, www.growwithsecond.org, or from Debby Madden) to either church office. Please plan to attend! AUGUST TODDLER TIME Please hold these dates so that your toddler can attend this summer s Toddler Time Tuesdays and Thursdays, August 5 through August 21 (i.e., Aug. 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21). Toddlers age 2+ thru Kindergarten (must be potty-trained) are invited to these six sessions where they will learn about The Parables The Stories of Jesus through music, crafts, stories and play. Children in 4th grade and above are invited to be Debby s special helpers during these events. The time (day, evening, or a combo) will be announced as soon as possible. For now, please mark your calendars. YOUTH SUNDAY MAY 11th On May 11th, worship will be led by our Confirmation Class, which includes: Delaney Crim, MacKenzie Ellis, Jenna Fetter, Julia Gottlieb, Connor Madison, Grace Patterson, Janie Thompson and Rebert Thompson. Sermons will be delivered by Delaney Crim, Jenna Fetter and Rebert Thompson. Please plan to be in worship to experience these youth s vision of worship, and to celebrate the gifts and talents they each bring to our church. Currently, these students are working on their Statements of Faith and their meeting and examination by Session as they prepare to be confirmed into our church on Sunday, June 8th (Pentecost Sunday).
May 2014 Page 7 Readers May 4: Delaney Crim May 11: Youth May 18: Joe Shane May 25: Peg Owen Serving in Worship May Ushers May 4: Ray & Katie Thomas; Jean Thompson; Sylvia Thompson May 11: Heather, Camryn & Rebert Thompson; Mary Jane Blosser May 18: Jack & Nancy Augustine; Dan & Bonnie Deardorff May 25: Jeff Alleman; Ryan & Duncan Crim; Michael Cameron Communion Servers (May 18): Joe Shane; Richard Sommers; Tracy Sommers; Deborah Sweaney Nursery May 4: Rick & Lucy Zander May 11: Nicole & Jeff Alleman May 18: Tim & Tricia Naylor May 25: Jeff & Terry Shull Children s Church May 4: April & Madi Brymesser May 11: Jen Blyth May 18: None needed Communion May 25: None needed Begin Summer Hours Fellowship Hosts May 4: Jack & Peg Owen May 11: XX May 18: PW for B-Day Offering May 25: None needed Holiday weekend (start Summer Schedule; 10 AM worship) Counters May 4: Richard Tritt; Laura Crim; Lynne Hofferica May 11: Bruce & Trudy Bailey; Jarl Uilkema May 18: JJ Patterson; Michae Gogoj; Kay Hock May 25: Bill & Ann Gottlieb; Bruce Mulvey CD Recording: Ray Thomas Flowers: Joan Line (chair); Tracy Sommers OPPORTUNITY FOR TEENS S.P.Y Camp (Summer Program for Youth), held at St. John s Episcopal Church, on the square, has several openings for Counselors-In-Training (CIT) for this summer. Eligible teens are rising 9th & 10th graders (13-16 years of age). The camp runs for seven weeks. CIT s will work 2-3 days per week, 8 AM 3 PM. Training is provided. If interested, e-mail Maddie Young: myoung@capbigs.org. MAY BIRTHDAYS 2 Dennis Rydberg 16 Bob Dowell 29 Colton Madison Bridger Thompson 17 Jack Zander 30 Janet Chadney 4 Stephanie Martin 18 Jack Owen 31 David Dennison 10 John Crum 19 Clare Hamm 14 Tiffany Landis 23 Justin Brymesser Mabel Schlusser 24 Bob Davis Aidan Metzger 27 June Wilson
May 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 National Day of Prayer (see note below) 2 3 Carlisle Truck Stop Ministry s Fundraiser at Hoss s 4 9:15: Prayer 9:30: Education 10:45: Worship (Rev. Fleming) Fellowship Time 5 7 PM: Deacons 6 6 PM: Session (note changed date & time) 7 3 PM: Opening Day of Farmers on the Square (FOTS), Church plaza 8 7:30 AM: Men s B-Fast (Walnut Btm Diner) 7 PM: Book Club 9 10 11 9:15: Prayer 9:30: Education 10:45: Worship Youth Sunday Fellowship time Mother s Day Blanket Sale 12 7 PM: Space for God 13 14 3-7: FOTS Church plaza 15 16 17 9 AM Noon: Presbytery s PW Coord. Team meets (Fell. Hall) 18 9:15: Prayer 9:30: Education 10:45: Worship, w/communion Fellowship time; Prayer Comm. 19 2 PM: Faith Circle 7 PM: Fell. Hall in use 20 21 3-7: FOTS Church plaza Deadline for items for June/ July newsletter 22 23 24 25 BEGIN SUMMER SCHEDULE! No Educ. Hour 10 AM: Worship 2 PM: Memorial Day Service at MHS Cemetery 26 MEMORIAL DAY (Office Closed) 27 6 PM: Carlisle Presbytery meets (Lost Creek PC) 28 3-7: FOTS Church plaza 29 30 31 On Thursday, May 1, 1:00-1:30 PM, there will be a community gathering at the Old Courthouse to pray for our Nation. The theme is One Voice United in Prayer. The key scripture verse is Romans 15:6, So that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.