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 - Wednesday mornings,
(Thursdays: home office,
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
April 8, 2010
Our email is churchoffice@fpcmp.org
Our website is www.fpcmp.org
In This Issue:
· Prayer
concerns
· Church
Photo Website (from Mark Cox) (NEW)
· Prayer
Ministry Team Celebrates 15th Birthday (NEW)
· Thank you
from Hope for Women International (NEW)
· Thank
You from the Worship & Music Committee (NEW)
· Cooking
Class (NEW)
· Pictures
for Retirement Party (NEW)
· New
Book Club (NEW)
· Congratulations
to Wally Blodgett
· An
Invitation to all Women
· Seder
Supper Salad Recipe
· A Message
From the Personnel Committee about the new Interim Pastor
· SJP Report
from Noisy Offering
· Members
Needed
· PW Silent
Auction
· Spring
Clean-Up
· Isabella
Community Soup Kitchen Chef Extravaganza
· Progressive
Dinner
· Announcement
about Evolution Sunday
· Holy Week
Schedule
· One Great
Hour of Sharing
· Lions
Annual BBQ
o Annual
Rummage Sale
· 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 Dorothy Nugent, Dorothy Scheibner,
Neil Sowle, Maxine Tanner, Kelly DeWitt (Kim DeWitt's
brother), Wally Blodgett, Shelly Roy, Betty Enders, Dick Featheringham, Helen Louise Hamel, Wendy Shugert and
Shirley Cassel.
O God, pour out to us the water of life to all who thirst.
We lift up those who walk hours to distant streams, who kneel beside rivers and
ponds to drink, cook and wash. We lift up those for whom clean water is a
luxury. Let there be clean water for all who
lack and for what we take for granted. Amen.
Prayer taken from the 2010
Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study.
Church Photo Website (from Mark Cox)
Dear Congregation,
Most of you know that a very important (and time-consuming) hobby
of mine is photography. You have seen me on numerous occasions with my camera
taking photos. I have had many requests for these photos but often did not have
the time to fulfill these requests. To address this, I now have a folder
entitled "First Presbyterian Church" at one of my websites:
Scroll down to the BOTTOM of the page and click on this folder.
You will see a series (only three so far) of folders from various events at the
church. The first folder is comprised of art shots and shots used in competitions
that I thought you might like to see; these are for sale to the general public
(also located at other sites that deal with my photography). The next set of folders are PASSWORD protected and are FREE to the
congregation (and friends). Click on the folder you are interested in. There
will be a prompt for a PASSWORD. Type in the letters:
fpc
to access the folder (small
caps). Once in, you can view the pictures. The description for downloading the
original, unedited photos are at the top of each page. These photos are large,
so if you have a slow internet connection, each photo could take awhile. Once
you download the photos onto your computer, they are yours to do with what you
want (print, use as background pictures, send to friends, etc.). I did leave
the "Buy" option on if you would prefer to have a professional
company print the photos (the parent company is called Smugmug
and they send photos to a professional printing company). You can print the
photos in different sizes, make them into mugs, mouse pads, etc., but this is
ONLY if you want to do it this way. You're welcome to take them yourself to
have them printed anywhere you'd like.
I figure instead of trying to send out each photo to the
appropriate families, the families could come to one place. Over the next few
weeks I will be posting other, older events that I have on my backup hard
drives. As future events come up, I will occasionally send out an announcement
in the E-Chimes to let you know what I have posted. If you have any questions
or have lost the password, please let either Mary Jo or myself know.
Enjoy
Mark Cox - EuTu Photography
PS - If you would like to see my competitive photo site, it is
located at:
Prayer Ministry Team Celebrates 15th Birthday
Thursday April 23rd, 2010 is the 15th
birthday of the Prayer Ministry Team!
We continue to cheerfully do this ministry in response to the
hundreds of requests by church members here and around the world. Our
list contains the 5 specific groups which we decided upon years ago, namely:
(1) continuing concerns, (2) cancer concerns, (3) prayers for the families at
the death of a loved one, (4) current requests, and (5) expectant mothers.
In general, we also pray for the church, it’s leaders and members,
for those afflicted with debilitating diseases, for victims of sexual abuse,
for those in military service and for a peaceful resolution to the troubles in
the Middle East. And we remember to GIVE SPECIAL THANKS FOR ALL ANSWERED
PRAYERS.
It is both an honor and a privilege for me to serve with the TEAM:
Sue Carey, Bev Crawley, Shannon Dillon, Betty Enders, Cam Ellis, Joan Griffendorf, Nancy Kinney, Diane Loseth,
Sheri Lowe, Donna Maddock, Lois Miller, Kathleen Sharrar and Sallie Scheide.
I really appreciate their faithfulness, humor and love.
Lois Miller
P.S. We would welcome new members at any time.
Thank You from Hope for Women International
First Presbyterian Church, Thank you SEW much for the 44
pillowcase dresses! A lot of girls are going to feel very special because
of your hard work!
Thank You from the Worship & Music Committee
The Worship and Music committee would like to thank everyone who
purchased an Easter plant to honor or remember a loved one on Easter
Sunday. The Sanctuary looked beautiful! The profit from the flower
sale went to the offering “One Great Hour of Sharing”. Thank you for
supporting this important mission which demonstrates witness to the
resurrection by helping those in need.
Cooking Class
For those interested in joining a cooking class, our first meeting
will be on Wednesday, April 21 at 2pm, in the
kitchen of the fellowship hall. Please bring ideas, recipes and
enthusiasm!! For more information, please contact Laurie Patton at
779-7142 or at dkplap88@yahoo.com.
Pictures for Retirement Party
If anyone has pictures of Steve during his ministry at FPC, please
bring them to the church office so they can be included in a CD. Pictures
will be returned. Deadline is May 1st.
New Book Club
|
A
new book club will be meeting on the 4th Tuesday of every month, with the
first meeting on April 27. Please contact Marydeana Duckworth at
463-0750 or md.duckworth2@verizon.net for
more information. |
Congratulations to Wally Blodgett
He is being presented with the William Brehm
Tourism Award on April 20 at noon at the Mt. Pleasant Comfort Inn & Suites
Hotel & Conference Center. The Brehm award
is presented in recognition of outstanding support to the tourism industry in
Isabella County. In addition to the award, a $1000 scholarship will be
awarded to a Central Michigan University student studying the tourism industry.
An Invitation to All Women
All Women in the Church are Presbyterian Women. Please join
together in the Parlor during coffee hour on Sunday, April 11, to learn more
about PW, what we do, and how your ideas are needed. Childcare will be
provided in the Witherspoon Room, with games and refreshments.
Cam & Jeff’s Seder Salad Recipe
Salad
3 “on the vine” tomatoes – wedged
˝ red bell pepper – chopped
Handful of baby carrots – semi julienned
3 small McIntosh apples – sliced
1 can artichoke hearts
˝ can black olives
Heart of Romaine
Dressing
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1TBS parsley
Ľ tsp salt
Ľ cup rice vinegar
A message from the
Personnel committee.
We have secured and interim pastor. Her name is Reverend
Sandra Hanna. She is coming to us from the First Presbyterian church in
Independence, MO. She has made a career of being an interim and this will
be her 11th call! She has been a pastor all over the county,
and actually has roots here in Michigan, as she attended Wayne State University
in the early 1970’s. She has a degrees in
childhood education, music and a master of Divinity from McCormick Theological
University in Chicago.
One thing we really need everyone’s help with right now is
housing. It’s up to us to find her a house. She’s looking for a 2-3
bedroom house with a fenced in yard and possibly a fireplace. She has 2 dogs
and a fenced in yard is really important. We’re looking for something in the
$800./month range. If anybody knows of anything,
please contact Jane Staples thestaplesfamily@chartermi.net
home# 773-4504 or contact any
session member. Thank you!
SJP Report from Noisy Offering
On Palm Sunday, March 28 SJP took up a Noisy Offering for 2 Coins
a meal and raised $126.50. Thank you to all who so generously gave to
this cause.
Members Needed!
Members needed for various committee’s to
plan Rev. Stephen Shugert’s retirement party.
Please contact Laurie Patton @ 779-7142, Pam Baker @ 854-0226 or Carolyn
Monahan 772-1852 for more info.
PW Silent Auction
The Presbyterian Women are holding a silent auction on April 18
and 25. Sale items will be on display in the Witherspoon Room on April 18
with the final bids received on April 25. Everyone, we need your
help. Please bring your donations to the church office—baked goods,
canned goods, crafts, white elephants, etc. – the week of April 12.
Spring Clean-Up at the church is Saturday April 24, 9:00 am till
12:00 noon.
Lunch will be a lunch served at noon.
Isabella Community Soup Kitchen Chef Extravaganza
Annual Smorgasbord Friday, April 9th from 4:30 pm till
7:00 pm. 621 S. Adams Street, Mt. Pleasant (1/3 block north of W. High St. (W.
M20) between Freddie’s Grille & Mill Pond Park)
Cost: Free will donation from your heart, helping to
feed needy people of your community.
Progressive Dinner
Please plan to attend the Third Annual Progressive Dinner on
Saturday, April 17, 2010. We will meet in the Church parking lot for
those who wish to carpool. The locations for appetizers and entrees have
not yet been finalized completely. Appetizers for the entire group will
begin at 5:30 pm. At one location. Members will
go to their selected entrée location at 6:45 pm and then the entire group
returns to the Witherspoon Room for dessert at 8:15 pm. There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board. Contact Carol
Shannon, Amy Madsen, or Laurie Patton with questions.
Lions BBQ
The Mt Pleasant Lions Club is having their 56th annual
Chicken Barbeque, Sunday May 2nd, from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm in Island Park here
in Mt Pleasant. Tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the Park.
Last year, the Lions Club raised over
$16,500 from this event of which 75% of this amount was spent on local
projects. This year one dollar of each ticket sold will go towards the New
Woodland Hospice house here in Mt Pleasant.
The Lions Club barbeques 5,500 chicken halves. The meal includes
a chicken halve, a baked potato, apple sauce, a roll, a large “Robaire’s” sugar cookie, a drink and utensils are all
packed in a foam container for pickup in the Park.
Tickets are available from any Lions Club member or call Bill Sowle at 944-2935
Annual Rummage Sale June 12!
Please check your closets, cupboards, basements, under the
bed. Donations will be accepted the week of June 1 to June 8. Call
Linda at 773-5913 with questions.
LECTIONARY READINGS for Sunday April 8,
2010
Acts 5: 27-32
Revelation 1: 4-8
John20: 19-31
A GLIMPSE AT THEWEEK AHEAD
(Thursday - Thursday)
All events are at First Presbyterian Church unless otherwise
noted
Thursday April 8
9:30 am FPC Playgroup
6:30 pm Handbell
Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sunday April 11
9:30 am Sunday School for all ages
10:30 am Worship
“Touching The Wounds”
by Rev. Stephan Shugert
11:30 am Fellowship Hour
Monday April 12
10:00 am Staff
Meeting
10:00 am GFWC
5:00 pm Finance Committee Meeting
6:30 pm Deacons Meeting
Tuesday April 13
4:00 pm Worship & Music Committee
Meeting
Wednesday April 14
5:30 pm Bible Study
8:00 pm AA
Thursday April 15
9:30 am FPC Playgroup
Noon Interfaith Collaborative Task Force Meets
6:30 pm Bell
Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm
Chancel Choir Rehearsal
LOOKING AHEAD AT EVENTS IN THE CHURCH, AROUND THE TOWN AND BEYOND
Vacation Bible School 2010
Mark your calendars! VBS will be July 12-15. Get ready
for a High Seas Expedition where we explore the mighty love of God. More
details coming soon!
FPC Playgroup
FPC Playgroup meets on Thursday morning from 9:30 am - 11:00 am in
the Nursery. Open to all parents and children (infant - preschool), this
is a time for children to play together and parents to relax and connect.
Come for the whole time or drop by for part. Everyone is welcome!
Wednesday @ First
Join us for a potluck supper on the first Wednesday of each month
at 6:00 pm, followed by activities for all ages.
*2010 Schedule
May 5 Picnic and Blessing of Animals
Bring place setting and a dish to pass. Drink provided.
Bingo
Mobile Food Pantry 2010 Schedule
April 10 - Mt. Pleasant Community Church
April 24 - Sacred Heart Parish
May 8 - Immanual Lutheran Church
May 22 - Central Assembly of God
June 12 - Sacred Heart Parish
June 26 - Zion Lutheran Church
July 10 - Location TBD
July 24 - Mt. Pleasant Church of the Nazerene
August 14 - Weidman United Methodist
August 28 - Mt. Pleasant Community Church
September 11 - Commission on Aging
September 25 - First Presbyterian Church
October 9 - Location TBD
October 23 - Central Assembly of God
November 6 - Sacred Heart Parish
November 20 - Mt. Pleasant Community Church
December 4 - Location TBD
December 18 - Location TBD
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES
Birthdays
April
10 Marilyn Johns
11 Ellen Scheide
11 Stephen Shugert
Anniversaries
9 Don &
Connie Holland
12 Jane &
Lewis Johnson
13 Glen &
Helen Louise Hamel
14 Stephen &
Wendy Shugert
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