March Lenten Study: What Wondrous Love. Each Tuesday of Lent at 6:00 p.m.

Transcription

1 Lenten Study: What Wondrous Love Each Tuesday of Lent at 6:00 p.m. Join Pastor Cheryl each Tuesday evening at 6:00 during Lent to study the events of Holy Week in word and art. First meeting is Tuesday, March 7. Each gathering will feature a scripture story from the week leading up to Jesus crucifixion and a corresponding artwork illustrating the text from contemporary artist John August Swanson. Video presentations each week will include commentary by world-renowned Biblical scholars, leading into discussion about what the sacred scripture means in our lives today. Childcare is available with reservation. Please cheryl@firstpresrockwall.org to reserve nursery care. Calendar...2 Something to Think About...3 Next... 4 Financials...8 Days of Our Lives....9 Remember..10

2 CALENDAR Sunday Monday Tueday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Ashes to Go Noon: e News Deadline 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Ashes to Go 5:00 p.m. Band 7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday Service 5 8:55 a.m. Bell Choir 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Choir Practice 11:00 a.m. Worship Communion 12:15 p.m. Mission Committee 4:00 p.m. Youth Group 6:30 p.m. Contemplative Prayer Library 6 9:00 a.m. Monday Morning Group 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 7 6:00 p.m. Pastor s Lenten Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Flute Circle 8 Noon: e News Deadline 5:00 p.m. Band :30 a.m. Serve at The Bridge OFFICE CLOSED :55 a.m. Bell Choir 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m Worship 4:00 p.m. Youth Group 6:30 p.m. Contemplative Prayer Library 9:00 a.m. Monday Morning Group 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 4:00 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting 6:00 p.m. Pastor s Lenten Bible Study Noon: e News Deadline 5:00 p.m. Newsletter Deadline Noon: Lunch Bunch Palios 5:00 p.m. Band 6:00 p.m. Book Club Napoli s 19 8:55 a.m. Bell Choir 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship Helping Hands Offering 12:15 p.m. Birthday Sunday 4:00 p.m. Youth Group 6:00 p.m. Koinonia Small Group Meeting 6:30 p.m. Contemplative Prayer Library 20 9:00 a.m. Monday Morning Group 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 21 6:00 p.m. Pastor s Lenten Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Stated Session Meeting 7:30 Boy Scout Adult Leadership Meeting 22 Noon: e-news Deadline 5:00 p.m. Band :55 a.m. Bell Choir 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship 1:00 p.m. Staff/Session CPR training 6:00 p.m. O.W.L.S. Small Group Meeting 6:30 p.m. Contemplative Prayer Library 27 9:00 a.m. Monday Morning Group 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts 28 6:00 p.m. Pastor s Lenten Bible Study Youth Quake through April 2 at Camp Gilmont 2

3 SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT From your Pastor... Lent is a holy set apart season of preparation for the miracle of Easter. On Ash Wednesday, March 1, we will begin Lent with the imposition of ashes. But we will do this in both traditional and somewhat unorthodox ways. Our annual Ash Wednesday service of worship will be held at 7 p.m., a time during which we will examine our lives and consider the work we need to do in order to better follow our Resurrected Lord. The meditative service will feature the spiritual practice of examen, and those attending will be invited to come forward to receive ashes on their foreheads a sign of our mortality and our eternal hope in Christ. During the day, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 4 to 6 p.m. I will be standing out front by our signature cross offering Ashes to Go as an outreach to the greater community. Those driving by will be invited to stop and receive the sign of the cross in ashes and to share a prayer with me. They also will be invited to stop by again for worship. If you know people who are hesitant to make a commitment to attending church, perhaps this is the perfect way to introduce them to FPC! Throughout Lent I will be preaching a series on Jesus Kingdom Math. From the subtraction of what we give up for Lent, to the multiplication of loaves and fishes in the feeding of the 5,000, to the calculus (the mathematical study of change) of resurrection, we will discover how the story of Jesus adds up to salvation and freedom from death. Plus, on Palm Sunday, April 9, our Director of Music, Dan Vaughan, will lead our choir in selections from Jesus Christ Superstar. Confession: I still listen to the entire rock opera each Good Friday. Commit now to set apart these seven weeks to grow in Christ! Grace and peace, Pastor Cheryl 3

4 NEXT! Mark Your Calendars! LENTEN ACTIVITIES AT FPC Ashes to Go Wednesday, March 1 Invite your friends to drive by to 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. receive ashes by the cross. 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday Worship Childcare provided Wednesday, March 1, 7:00 p.m. Lenten Study What Wondrous Love Childcare by reservation Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. March 7,14,21,28 April 4 EASTER ACTIVITIES AT FPC Tenebrae and Maundy Thursday Service Easter Service Easter Egg Hunt Easter Service Thursday, April 13, 7:00 p.m. Sunday April 16, 9:00 a.m. Sunday April 16, 10:00 a.m. Sunday April 16, 11:00 a.m. 4

5 NEXT! Mark Your Calendars! Our All-Church Retreat to Mo Ranch is ON! Sign up now in Fellowship Hall Our all-church retreat returns this year as we travel to beautiful Mo Ranch on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the scenic Texas Hill Country. Dates are Oct (Friday evening through Sunday morning). Cost is $300 per room and includes two nights lodging, four meals and all activities. To reserve your spot, please sign up in Fellowship Hall or contact Rob Mehl Payment for the trip is due by June 1 simply make out your check to FPC and write Mo Ranch on the memo line. Plan now to join in the fun, fellowship, peace and worship! Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls 5

6 NEXT! Mark Your Calendars! Book Club Meets Wednesday, March 15, at 6 p.m. at Napoli s Our FPC Book Club will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15 at Napoli s to discuss The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel. Here s a brief summary from Amazon: In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or human computers, to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women's colleges Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe. FPC Flute Circle Meets Tuesday, March 7, 7:00 p.m. Join member Richard Nash and people of all ages who play or who wish to learn to play the Native American Flute The group meets the first Tuesday of each month. Please join us Friday, March 10 to serve breakfast at The Bridge. We meet at the church at 6:30 a.m. If you are meeting us at The Bridge, plan on being there at 7:00 a.m. when we gather and receive instructions. We start serving at 7:30 a.m. and stop serving at 8:30 a.m. This is a wonderful volunteer opportunity, and, as an added bonus, we strengthen our relationships with each other! Lunch Bunch Meets Wednesday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. The women of the church are invited to meet for lunch at Palios in the Kroger shopping center the third Wednesday of each month at noon for lunch and fellowship. Remember to wear long pants, closed-toed shoes, and leave purses and other valuables in locked cars. If you can serve, please contact Andrea Vanderpool or Greg Blair. 6

7 NEXT! SESSION NOTES FPC is governed by The Session which is composed of members who have been ordained as Ruling Elders, along with our Pastor, who moderates the body. Ruling Elders are nominated from and elected by our congregation and serve for a period of three years, during which time they oversee committees, which anyone can join. The Session is functionally divided under the three elements of our motto: Feel the Love, Be the Love and Make the Love Possible. FPC SMALL GROUPS There are many reasons to join a Small Group at FPC. Fellowship, encouragement, support, prayer, acceptance fun and food are generously offered. Try one on for size! Koinonia will meet Sunday, March 19, at 6:00 p.m. Contact: Greg Blair Feel the Love will NOT meet in March. Next meeting is April 2 at 12:15 p.m. The Christian Education (CE), Worship, and Fellowship Committees meet on an as-needed basis. Christian Education plans and prepares our education offerings for adults, youth and children. Contact: Erika Nannis The Worship Committee facilitates the Sunday worship service and also helps prepare for special services like Seder and Tenebrae. Contact : Julie Rowan The Older, Fellowship Wiser, Livelier Committee Souls manages a full calendar of opportunities to share fellowship with one another, including picnics, potlucks, breakfasts, dinner and a movie night, Halloween parties, Easter Egg Hunts and Birthday Sundays. Contact: Carolyn Hickey (coy NO nyah) The New Testament says communion or koinonia begins with a joining of Jesus with the faithful. This union is also experienced in daily life. The same bonds that link us to Jesus also link us to other faithful. The New Testament letters describe those bonds as so vital and genuine that a deep level of intimacy can be experienced among the members of a local church. Koinonia meets the third Sunday of each month, usually at 6:00 p.m. O.W.L.S. will meet Sunday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m. at the home Of Susan and Darren Kameyer. Contact: Joanie Mehls The Member Care and Hospitality Committee will NOT meet in March. Contact: Kay Dutta Mission Committee wil meet March 5, 12:15 p.m.. They usually meet the first Sunday of each month. Contact: Greg Blair. The Older, Wiser, Livelier, Souls Small Group meets the fourth Sunday of each month, usually at 6:00 p.m. G.I.F.T Small Group Contact: Kristi Gordon. The Finance Committee meets March 14 at 4:00 p.m. The Finance Committee usually meets the second Tuesday of each month. Contact: Dale Hamilton Facilities and Personnel meet on an as-needed basis. 7 Growing in Faith Together is our newest Small Group. They meet bi-monthly, days and times vary.

8 Financials FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE: MONTHLY and YEAR-to-DATE OPERATING BUDGET REPORT JANUARY 31, 2017 $ 60,253 Actual Jan. income (pledges, offering plate, Christmas gift offering) $ 22,004 Budgeted Jan. income $ 60,253 Actual YTD income $ 22,996 Budgeted YTD income $ 18,837 Actual Jan. expenses $ 22,996 Budgeted Jan. expenses $ 18,837 Actual YTD expenses $ 22,996 Budgeted YTD expenses Please note: Some pledges have actually been prepaid as lump sums for the year. However, pledges are budgeted evenly over twelve months. Therefore, actual income appears to exceed what is expected, and the amounts will approximate by year end. This applies to both the General Fund and MTF reports. MONTHLY and YEAR-to-DATE MORE-TO-FOLLOW CAPITAL PROJECT REPORT JANUARY 31, 2017 $ 20,728 Actual Jan. and YTD income (pledges, donations) $ 6201 Budgeted Jan. and YTD income $ 0 Actual Jan. and YTD expenses $ 0 Budgeted Jan. and YTD expenses Financial report details are available in the fellowship hall. Chris Rinner 8

9 DAYS OF OUR LIVES Please Welcome Evee Joy McConnell (AKA Baby Jesus 2017) was born Monday, February 27, at 3:15 p.m. to proud parents Elizabeth and Cody McConnell. Weighing in at 7 lb. 8.8 oz. and 20.5 inches in length, Evee joins big sisters Allie and Maggie as beloved children of God s covenant. We rejoice with the McConnell family and with great-grandparents Sherri and Ken Strack! Evee Joy McConnell Thank You Notes We also received a note of thanks from the Stewpot for our donation of $

10 REMEMBER Remember In Prayer David Brooks; Gonzalo Castillo; Jayrard Denysschen; The Dutsch Family; Dale Hamilton Art Hendon; Karen Miller; Tom Moore; Erika Nannis; Mandy Noerper; Sally Jo Parise; Brian Petty; Ginny and Jack Progelhof; Joanie Mehl s mother, Doretta Reif; Chris and Steve Rinner; Jill Culmo s father, Joel Roberson ; Roy Rowan; Sue Sinclair; Sherri Strack; Sherri and Ken Strack s granddaughter, Megan; Mary Thacker s mother, Elizabeth Johnson; Mandy Adams Marie Breland Caitlin Demura Reg Denysschen Geoff Detgen Glenn Detgen Preston Dobbs Jonathan Dutsch Larry Eshelman Mike Guzan Art Hendon Alex Hickey Mike Kersey Gary Lindsley Maggie McConnell Sean Mote Joel Nannis Wanda Roy Anna Saucier Meg Schultz and Jack Williams Joan Vanderpool and Ian Wright. T H E F I R S T P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H P. O. Box White Hills Drive Rockwall, Texas Telephone: welcome@firstpresrockwall.org 10