E-CHIMES
A Weekly Update of Joys,
Concerns and Ministry with
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Sunday Worship Hour
10:30 a.m.
Church Office Hours: Monday
- Thursday: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Pastor's Office Hours: Monday
– Thursday 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
(Fridays: Pastor's day off,
office closed)
OUR MISSION
We are committed to
inspiring a
sense of
identity and belonging
through love,
faith, and service in Jesus Christ
January 27,
2011
Our email is churchoffice@fpcmp.org
Our website is www.fpcmp.org
Church Phone 989-773-9609
Pastor Hanna’s phone
989-317-0820
Email address Revslhanna@gmail.com
In This Issue:
· Prayer
concerns
· Thank You
from Community Compassion Network (NEW)
· Thank You
to all who helped with the Bake Sale (NEW)
· Ronald
McDonald Pull Tabs (NEW)
· Workshop:
“Christians Living in a World of Religious Diversity” (NEW)
· A Review
Letter from Community Compassion Network of 2010 (NEW)
· Per-Captia for 2011
· Update
from the Pastor Nominating Committee
· First
Presbyterian to Host Food Truck at West Intermediate
· Isabella
Community Soup Kitchen “Great Chili Cook-Off”
· An Introspective
Look at Isabella County’s History
· Lectionary
Readings
· A Glimpse
at The Week Ahead
· Looking at
Events in the Church, Around the Town and Beyond
· Birthdays
and Anniversaries
· Web Links
of Interest
PRAYER CONCERNS
Prayers of Concern for Shelly Roy, John Kingsnorth (Nancy Klunzinger’s
brother), Sarah Cox, Sue Blodgett, Cindy Miles, Warren Long, Tim O’Brian
(The Loubert’s brother-in-law), Alfred O’Brian (The Loubert’s nephew) and China, Hong Kong, Macoa,
and Taiwan.
Gracious God we thank you that your love is always new, and that
we can trust it. We cannot see around the corners of our lives, but we
know you are with us where we are and that you also will be with us when we
round the corners ahead. Amen.
Prayer taken from the 2011
Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study.
Thank You First Presbyterian Church
Thank you for your donation of $3,800 toward the purchase of
food. Your contribution will be used to help families in and around
Isabella County meet their basic needs. Thank you for making a difference in
our community.
Thank You all Who Helped with the Bake Sale
Dear Friends,
On behalf of Christian Unity Restoration Home, I wish to thank ALL
of the bakers and All of the buyers who helped at our
Bake Sale on Sunday! Linda Oates and Charlotte Ison
from our Board were happy to meet so many of you; with your help we raised
$293.58! Your warmth and great enthusiasm encourages us in our efforts to
establish a homeless shelter in the Mt. Pleasant Area.
With Sincere love,
Lois Miller
Corresponding Secretary
Ronald McDonald Pull Tabs
We have just sent our 3rd Pickle jar of Pull tabs to
Ronald McDonald House. Keep up the good work!
“Christians Living In a World of Religious Diversity”
Memorial Presbyterian Church is honored to welcome Peacemaking
Weekend Theologian in Residence. Reverend Dr. Cynthis
M. Campbell, Ordained Minister, President of McCormick Theological Seminary,
Gifted Author
Saturday, February 5,
Fellowship Hall
Workshop 9:30 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.
“How Big is God’s Story? Revisiting the Bible in Light of Religious Diversity” and “Living
Peaceably With All: Peacemaking and Religious Diversity.”
Evening Gathering – Meet & Greet 5:30,
Catered Dinner 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 6
Preaching at 8,9 and 10:45 a.m. services
Congregational Dialogue following potluck
luncheon 12:30 p.m.
Please make reservations for the Saturday dinner, $10/person, by
January 31, phone the Church Office 835-6759 or sign up Sunday morning.
Dear Volunteers, Ministry and Pantry Partner,
We would like to thank you for partnering with us as we strive
toward our vision that All Will be adequately fed, clothed, housed and know
the love of Christ. Together we made a difference in our community in
2010 and we look forward to what God has in store for this ministry in 2011.
In 2010 we saw a significant change in food costs and
availability. In January, we learned that the food bank would no longer
be able to provide the subsidized mobile pantry that we had been blessed to
receive each month for a cost of $1,000. Instead we would be required to
purchase the food at a cost of about $.20 a pound. We quickly jumped into
action and worked with you, our partners. I am thrilled to report that
thanks to your generosity and faithful support, we were able distribute over 500,000
lbs of food in 2010 to families that were struggling to make ends meet.
Thank you for your partnership in this important outreach.
As we work with our fellow pantries and service agencies in the
community we see that the need for food and other basic necessities continues
to grow. We hope to develop stronger partnerships with these groups so
that the resources that we have can go farther and meet more needs in 2011.
One area of growing need is
personal care. Each month we have requests from community agencies for
about 400 total personal, home and baby care kits. A family who is
struggling to put food on their table is unlikely to have the resources to
purchase deodorant, toothpaste and laundry detergent. We are currently
able to meet about 25% of that need. We desire to increase our
collections by partnering with student groups as well as civic, church and
business partners.
Over the years, we have been blessed with many long term pantry
and care kit partners. We would also like to welcome our new and
returning partners, including: Zion Lutheran Church, CMU Dining Services, Zonta Club, Mt. Pleasant Technical Center, Mt. Pleasant
Rotary, St. John’s Episcopal, First Bank, Women’s Medical Center, Broadway
Playhouse Kids and Weidman United Methodist Church. Thank you for joining
team CCN. We are thrilled to have you and look forward to serving
alongside you for many years to come.
This New Year, we invite you to be in prayer with Community
Compassion Network. We ask for guidance and wisdom for the leaders and
for grace and peace for the many volunteers who work faithfully to make all of
the ministries of CCN possible. We also ask you to consider how you want
to use your gifts and skills to be a part of this ministry in 2011.
Have a Blessed New Year!
Sue and CCN Leadership
Team
Visit us on the web at www.ccnhome.org
1400 W Broomfield (989)773-3641 #222
Per Captia for 2011
Per Capita for 2011 is $22.25. You will find the envelope
for this in your offering envelopes.
Update from the Pastor Nominating Committee
Our charge to call a pastor to serve in ministry with this
congregation has two major components. We are sitting at the back door of phase
one and are anxiously awaiting to open the door into phase
two.
Phase one is a Mission Study which included a congregational
survey followed by small group sessions with greater than 70 participants over
a two month period. To complete this mission study phase, a summary document is
being prepared and a retreat with the PNC and Session which will occur on
February 11 and 12. The outcome will be twofold:
1.
Congregational vision statement which will reflect our
beliefs and our mission context
2.
3 year ministry and mission plan including initiatives for
the near future (3 year) and “plando” strategies for
the immediate future
Phase two is the actual search process and will begin with writing
a Church Information Form to be approved by session and the Presbytery before
being posted for potential candidates to see.
So why did we take the time to complete a mission study? For
one, things change after 28 years. But most importantly, we need to know who we
are so that we can present ourselves honestly to those who may be called to
serve with us in ministry. Questions that the PNC is asked to answer on the
documents (Church Information Form) read by potential candidates include:
1.
What is your church mission statement?
2.
Describe your church’s programs and accomplishments.
3.
Describe the gifts, skills and experiences your congregation
possesses to fulfill its mission.
4.
What are the key theological issues of your church and society
that are reflected in the ministry of your congregation?
We appreciate your prayers and patience as we have implemented
this mission study. It would be impossible to answer these questions about
ourselves as a congregation without time in prayer and biblical reflection.
The past 5 months have been devoted to the mission study. I
anticipate that phase two will be a process that will take us into the summer
months. We will keep you informed along the way. There is a bulletin board in
the hallway next to the nametags that is devoted to the PNC. There is a
notebook there that contains pertinent documents and also website links if you
prefer to read the documents on line.
The PNC is not working alone. You have already contributed so much
to the mission study. But you are not done!! Please continue to support the
ministry of the church
through prayer, participation, and
financial support during this time of pastoral transition.
First Presbyterian to Host Food Truck at West Intermediate School
On February 12, 2011, our church will be hosting the food truck that the
Women's Medical Center is sponsoring at West Intermediate School. This
means that we will be providing and serving the refreshments, and supplying
some workers, while the Women's Medical Center will be paying for the food
brought on the truck. This also the day that our
Session and Pastor Nominating Committee will be in retreat in Saginaw.
So SJP needs the help of everyone; we need people to provide,baked goods, fruit and protein for the snacks;
people to receive and plate the food on Friday afternoon; and people to deliver
and serve the food at West Intermediate School gym on Saturday morning.
Sign up sheets for food and workers are posted on the bulletin board in the
Narthex. Please sign up.
Thank you,
SJP
Isabella Community Soup Kitchen “Great Chili Cook-Off”
Saturday, February 12, 2011 621 S. Adams St. (between Freddies and Millpond Park). Public is invited.
Judging and presentation of awards 4:00 pm. Serving 4:30 pm till 7:00 pm. Menu also includes
desserts and beverages. COST is a free will donation. Must register by Friday, February 4th. Call
989-772-7392 Monday thru Friday.
An Introspective Look at Isabella County’s History
Ziibiwing Center
6650 E. Broadway, Mount Pleasant.
January 27, 2011 at 7:00 pm.
Free tours of the Ziibiwing Center begin
at 5 pm.
Light appetizers served at 6:30 pm prior presentation.
RSVP by Friday January 21, 2011 to (989) 775-4096 or email
sasprague@sagchip.org
LECTIONARY READINGS for Sunday January 30, 2011
Micah 6: 1-8
I Corinthians 1: 10-18
Matthew 5: 1-12
A GLIMPSE AT THEWEEK AHEAD (Thursday -
Thursday)
All events are at First Presbyterian Church unless otherwise noted
Thursday January 27, 2011
6:30 pm Handbell
Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sunday January 30
9:30 am Adult Bible Study
9:45 am Chancel Choir Rehearsal
10:00 am Children’s Choir Rehearsal
10:30 am Worship & Sunday
School
“What Do You Want From Me?” by Rev.
Sandra Lee Hanna
11:30 am Annual Meeting
12:30 PNC Meeting
Monday January 31
10:00 Staff Meeting
Wednesday February 2
2:00 pm Cooking Club
6:00 pm Wed @ First Potluck
6:00 pm Girl Scouts
8:00 pm AA
Thursday February 3
6:30 pm Handbell Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
LOOKING AHEAD AT EVENTS IN THE CHURCH, AROUND THE TOWN AND BEYOND
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2011
February 12 West Intermediate School
February 26 CMU’s Finch Field House
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES
January Birthdays
28 Verna Russell
30 Betty Gempel
31 Carol Stark
February Birthdays
2 Jim
Bidwell
2 Jane
Staples
February Wedding Anniversaries
LINKS
Presbytery of Lake Huron www.presbylh.org
Presbyterian Church USA www.pcusa.org
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance http://pcusa.org/pda/response/usa/hurricanekatrina-index.htm