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
March 4, 2010
Our email is churchoffice@fpcmp.org
Our website is www.fpcmp.org
In This Issue:
Prayer concerns
- Invitation From The John H. Goodrow Fund (NEW)
- Congratulations to Jonathan Nichol (NEW)
- Announcement about Evolution Sunday (NEW)
- Easter From the Backside
- Holy Week Schedule (NEW)
- One Great Hour of Sharing (NEW)
- Annual Rummage Sale (NEW)
- A Message from the Personnel Committee about Interim Pastor
- An Invitation from the Presbyterian Women
- Food Pantry Needs
- American Red Cross Thanks First Presbyterian Church
- Mobile Food Pantry
- 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 and Lois Austin.
Loving God, walk with us in our times of pain and show us how we can be your hands and heart reaching out to those around us - to be the channel for your rivers of living water in our world. Amen.
Prayer taken from the 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study.
Invitation From The John H. Goodrow Fund
The John H. Goodrow Fund invites you to HIGH TEA April 18, 2010. Cost is $20 per person at the Masonic Hall 2174 S. Lincoln Road, Mt. Pleasant from, 2 pm to 4 pm. There will be a VINTAGE HAT SHOW by Marydeana Duckworth. MENU: Assorted finger sandwiches and petit fours with tea, coffee, and punch, table favors and door prize. For reservations: call 989-621-6394 or 989-772-1443 OR send completed registration form and check payable to GOODROW FUND to: Margaret VanFaussien, 1088 S. Bundy, Lake Isabella, MI 48893. Registrations due by April 12, 2010. This is a fundraiser for the Goodrow Fund. (All profits stay in Isabella County to help people with emergency needs) Website; goodrowfund.org
Congratulations to Jonathan Nichol
Upon receiving his Doctorate of Musical Arts from Michigan State University.
Announcement about Evolution Sunday
Since 2007 we have been offering a time once a year to consider how religion and science can be seen as two complementary truths rather than as having to be seen as complete opposites. This year we will be approaching this subject on Sunday morning March 14 when The Rev. Peter Russell will address this theme in a sermon entitled: “EVOLUTION AND THEOLOGY IN PARALLEL” All are encouraged to come and bring a friend. As always our worship services are open to the public.
Easter From the Backside
Please join us for the Wednesday night bible study each week at 5:30 pm in the Witherspoon Room. We are studying “Easter From the Backside” by J. Ellsworth Kalas. On Wednesday, March 10 we will be covering chapters 1,2 & 3.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
Palm Sunday
March 28, 10:30am Worship
Donate your gently used coats for the
Palm Sunday Parade
6:00 pm Passover Seder w/potluck
Maundy Thursday
April 1, 7:30 pm
Worship and Communion
Dramatic Portrayal
Good Friday
April 2, 12:00 pm
Union Good Friday Service
Plachta Auditorium in Warriner Hall
Central Michigan University
Easter Sunday
April 4
8:00 am Sunrise Service/Breakfast
10:30am Worship Service
Including the Cross of Flowers,
One Great Hour of Sharing Offering
After Worship:
Time for Fellowship and
Easter Egg Hunt
One Great Hour of Sharing
About the Offering
Gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering provide emergency relief, promote sustainable development and enable people to build better lives for their families and communities. Nine denominations and Church World Service join together in this offering. Our offerings also support the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-Development of People and the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance programs. Like the gifts of God, our gifts multiply as we share.
Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 1 Peter 4:10b
Offering received Easter Sunday April 4, 2010
Annual Rummage Sale June 12!
A message from the personnel committee:
Update on Interim Pastor: the session is working closely with the committee on ministry to call an interim pastor. We are in the final stages of selection and negotiation and will probably know in about 10 days if the pastor we selected will accept this call. If so, they will begin work May 30th. The interim pastor cannot be our called pastor. The interim is an ordained pastor that will carry out the sacraments of worship, perform weddings and funerals, preach, handle administrative duties, and guide us in finding our new permanent pastor. To select the permanent pastor, the nominating committee will select a pastoral nominating committee consisting of about 8-10 members of the congregation. Feel free to contact any member of the personnel committee (Jane Staples, Shari Lowe, Alain Shannon, Jan Cox) if you have any comments or suggestions.
An Invitation from the Presbyterian Women
Join us for a production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” Sunday March 7 at 2:00 pm. The Broadway Theater. Cost is $8. Immediately after the show, all are invited to Rev. and Mrs. Shugerts home for Tea and Treats. A sign up sheet is located in the Narthex. This is sponsored by the Presbyterian Women.
Food Pantry Needs Items
The food pantry is in need of soups and pastries. Please drop these off at the church or the Food Pantry if you wish to contribute some of these items. Thanks and God Bless Everyone who helps feed our community.
American Red Cross Thanks First Presbyterian Church
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Central Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross, we want to “thank you” for your recent in Kind Donation. We will be carrying out many services because of your generosity and support to the chapter. Once again “Thank You”.
Sincerely,
Deb Birkam, Executive Director
Mobile Food Pantry March 13, 2010
Do in part to the 2-coins a meal money that our church keeps, we are sponsoring a Food Truck on March 13, 2009. It will be at the West Intermediate School on Bradley.
We will need your help in donating breakfast foods/ finger foods for those people waiting to get their food items.
The church will be open from 12 to 6:30 on Friday, March 12, so that you can bring donations.
If you do not want to do the shopping financial donations will be accepted.
Please indicate the money is to be used for Food Truck expenses.
There are generally over 400 people there to get food.
We will need people to help serve the food and coffee.
Volunteers will need to be at the school by 6:30 AM to help set up.
Servers will be needed till about 9:30 or so.
You can also come and volunteer to help distribute food off the food truck.
Please see sign up sheets in the narthex.
You can contact Cam Ellis or Heidi Zwyghuizen if you have further questions.
LECTIONARY READINGS for Sunday March 7, 2010
Isaiah 55: 1-9
I Cor. 10: 1-13
Luke 13: 1-9
A GLIMPSE AT THEWEEK AHEAD (Thursday - Thursday)
All events are at First Presbyterian Church unless otherwise noted
Thursday March 4
9:30 am FPC Playgroup
6:30 pm Handbell Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sunday March 7
9:30 am Sunday School for all ages
10:30 am Worship/Communion
"Judgment and Grace" by Rev. Stephen F.Shugert
11:30 am Fellowship Luncheon
12:30 Social Justice & Peacemaking Committee meets
Monday March 8
10:00 am Staff Meeting
10:00 am GFWC
5:00 pm Finance Committee meeting
6:30 pm Deacons meeting
Wednesday March 10
5:30 pm Bible Study
8:00 pm AA
Thursday March 11
9:30 am FPC Playgroup
6:30 pm Handbell 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
March 3 Variety Show
April 7 Mission Night
May 5 Picnic and Blessing of Animals
Bring place setting and a dish to pass. Drink provided.
Bingo
Mobile Food Pantry 2010 Schedule
March 13 - West Intermediate School
March 27 - Finch Field House
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 March
4 Dave Patton
4 Phyllis Hall
8 Bruce Kent
9 Renee Florian
10 Marjorie Counterman
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