Midweek
3-22-23
In
This Issue:
- Music Notes
- Live
and Learn
- Support Disaster Relief
- Caring
Sunday is This Sunday!
- Reminders &
Celebrations
- Lebanon Lenten Soup
Supper
- Connect with Connections!
- Missions: “Dignity for
Women”
- Adult Sunday School & Nursery
- Welcome Cards
- PPM Update
- Enter Thou In: Vocabulary Quiz
- Yet all this avails me
nothing . . .
“. . . that we may be mutually
encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Romans 1:12
Music Notes: No Choir rehearsal this Thursday.
Live and
Learn on Saturdays: Live
& Learn, Saturday March 25th, Luke Ch. 8 with Pastor Je. 11:30am lunch and
study.
Support Disaster Relief: Presbyterian Disaster Relief is collecting for the Syrian and
Turkey earthquakes. The church is matching funds up to $5,000. Make your check
out to First Presbyterian Church and in the memo write Syrian/Turkey
earthquakes. Thank you for your kind donation.
“Caring Sunday” is This Sunday! The last Sunday of the month is an
opportunity to share care and compassion with this community – and that means
this Sunday! All donations will go towards The Caring Center here in town.
Monetary donations are of course welcome. Please designate any monetary gifts
as towards “Caring Sunday/The Caring Center”. Non-perishable food items are
also welcome. The Caring Center has a thrift store – so other items are welcome
as well, as long as they are in good condition. Do you have a specific item in
mind and are uncertain if it will be acceptable or needed? Give them a call at:
(765)482-2020 or check out their website at https://thecaringcenter.net You
will find a detailed list on their website of items they need on a regular
basis. They request that clothing be seasonal, clean and in good condition.
Furniture and items larger than a microwave can be dropped off at a specific
location or you can call them to arrange for a pick-up. They are always in need
of certain items which include small kitchen appliances, pots & pans/dishes/glasses/cups/coffee
makers, bedding, and more.
The Lord cares for our concerns;
let us extend His care to others by extending our arms (or pocketbooks or pantry)
to others. Thank you! Please look for a receptacle in which to leave your items
somewhere in the lobby. Thank you.
Reminders:
Liturgist for March is Margi McConnaha. Bess Wilkes will bring the treat for
this Sunday.
“Congratulations to you! We celebrate with you! Know that we love you, and God loves you
too!” Happy birthday to Sharon Clem, 3/28, and
Nancy Morton, 3/29!
Lebanon Lent Soup Supper: Tonight is the last of the Lebanon Lent
Soup Supper Series. It will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. As before
– soup supper is at 6pm and service is at 7pm. They are located at: 950 E
Washington St. in Lebanon. Thank you for participating in the Lenten Supper
Series. Next week there will not be a service, but you can take the time to
personally meet with the Lord and commune with him in your own private space. Perhaps use the
devotional provided for the church this Lenten season and take extra time to
pray for the body of FPC.
Connect with Connections! What do Legos and First Presbyterian Church
have in common? (Did you even know they had something in common? Well, you are
about to find out the connection!)Legos are colorful toy plastic bricks
that come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. They fit together with a
unique interconnecting system. Using imagination, innovation, and creativity, a
pile of Legos can become a person, a house, a castle, a pirate ship, even “Rivendell”
from Lord of the Rings with all its glorious detail! Similarly, the church as the body of
Christ is made up of people in all sorts of sizes, ages, and colors. When the
body of Christ works together, it is like building with Legos – one piece
connects with another piece, which connects with another piece, and so on – until
what you have is a masterpiece! Our Creator is a Master Builder and we are His
workmanship. He delights to use us to share His love and care with the world. It
is a delight to be used by Him. It is also a delight to work together, to make
connections.
Imagine someone (child or adult –
because Legos are not just for kids anymore!) sat down in front of a pile of Legos,
picked up the pieces one by one and set them next to each other in a line.
Would that build a Lego creation? Well, it’s still Legos, but they aren’t
connected. Without connecting the pieces, you may have a colorful string of
bricks, or you may lay out a neat design on the tabletop or the floor, but the
creation grows in beauty, purpose, and function the more pieces are connected
together. It's not really a Lego creation unless the Legos connect with each
other.
Would you like to be a part of building
connections here at FPC? Would you like to grow in beauty, purpose, and
function? As individuals, each person is an amazing example of God’s
workmanship. Connect those individuals together, throw in some creativity,
innovation, and imagination, and just think what incredible works of art God
could create out of such a group!
The Connections group here at FPC is in
need of new leadership. Under the leadership of Jennie Woods, it had a
delightful start earlier this school year. We are now needing to know answers
to two questions: 1) Would you like to
be a part of Connections? 2) Would you
like to help lead the group?
We are suggesting a co-leadership, so
as to ease the load of any one person in taking charge of the group. We are
also suggesting that this start out as a time to simply enjoy being together,
getting to know one another over a meal once a month, for instance. Connections
has been meeting on the second or third Tuesday of the month at 11am. If there
is interest but a better time suits people, let us know. One person connects
with another person, who connects with another person, and so on – until what
you have is a masterpiece, created simply out of the connections of unique and
amazing individuals. Not sure you are unique and amazing? Come to Connections
and we will assure you that you are. Doubt you have anything to offer? Come to
Connections and we will assure you that you do. Tired, drained, overwhelmed?
Come to Connections and find rest in a gathering of friendship and
encouragement. Let’s build together!
“Being
confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil.1:6)
Contact Gretel in the office with your interest
and/or questions and/or comments: gretel@lebanonfpc.org or (765)482-5959.
Missions:
“Dignity for Women”: The spring missions’ campaign, "Dignity for Women", began March 12 with a kick-off
of a fun fellowship meal and guest speaker. The “Dignity for Women” program
will help keep young women in school. Please help with this very worthwhile
cause. We are collecting cotton briefs for women in sizes small and medium to
send to Malawi. These will be sent in connection with the Little Dresses for
Africa ministry. We will be collecting donations for
the next 4 weeks. You can put your donations in the blue box in the foyer; this
box is by the closet to the left as you come into the church. Adult Sunday School: Sunday School is now in
session and going great! Sundays in the church library from 9:00 to 10:15 a
group is going through the book Meeting Jesus at the Table. This study
will continue through the Lenten season. Imagine yourself going on a glorious
and nourishing progressive dinner. Learn how to love, serve, and expand the
hospitality of God's grace to others. Come join the feast and the sweet
fellowship.
Nursery: We
have space for a nursery for ages infant to 3 yrs. but would love more
volunteers to take care of the children during the 10:30 service. Please
consider sharing your love, compassion, tenderness, and joy with these little
ones. If you would like to help out, please notify Gretel in the office.
Welcome Cards! Did you notice that there are new
“Welcome Cards” in the pews? They have been created for the purpose of making
it easier for newcomers to share with us, so we can then share with them; be it
sharing fellowship, showing compassion in a time of need, or expressing a
hearty welcome to our community of faith. There is a space for contact
information as well as a few questions about themselves. There is also a brief
space for a prayer request. We do have prayer request cards in the pews as
well, but having a space on the welcome card provides a one-stop-opportunity.
You are welcome to use the welcome cards, too, if you like! You may not be new
to our community of faith, but if you have updated contact information, a
prayer request, or wish to share a comment or information about yourself,
please feel free to use a card. You can leave it in the offering plates by the
sanctuary doors or leave it on the desk in the church office. Thank you for
joining us in welcoming others to our “house of prayer” and thank you for you!
Enter Thou In: Vocabulary Quiz. “Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Mt.25:23).
Jesus shares this as part of “the Parable of the Talents”. To those servants
who have done well and invested what He gave them, he commends by telling them,
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of
your Lord.” (Mt.25:23) Well I have invested . . . trying to figure out what is, to me, a
vocabulary puzzle. I am hoping you can enlighten me! I have looked up the
following terms and asked other folks and there remains a bit of question on
the following:
The difference between a lobby, a narthex, a
vestibule, and a foyer. Beyond that, how are those terms applied to our
building here? Are multiple terms used for the same area? Is a different area
referred to each time? Someone please help me out here! Let me break this down:
What do you call:
1) the area between the first set of doors (which
are off the street) and the second set of door (that are usually kept locked)?
2) what do you call the area inside the second set
of doors, once you are inside the building?
3) what do you call the area that is inside the
sanctuary doors between the stained glass windows (street side) and the start
of the pews?
4) what do you call the area under the bell tower
(where the door is that leads to the ramp)?
It
will be fun to get your answers and see if you all are calling the same thing the
same thing or if you are using different terms for the same thing. Like calling
a soft drink “a pop”, or “a coke”, or “a soda”, depending on where you are
from: multiple terms for the same drink!
Thank you for sharing! (If you have other vocabulary
quiz topics – let me know! We can keep this going! Presbyterians are known for
supporting education after all, right?)
Yet all this avails me nothing . . . "Then Haman told them of his great riches
. . . Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting
at the king's gate." Esther 5:11-13 (NKJV)“And though I bestow all . . . . but
have not love, it profits me nothing. . . . Love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own,
is not provoked, thinks no evil . . .” 1 Co 13:4b-5 (NKJV)
When you
read this passage in Esther, did the concept of “love” jump out at you? I
confess that for years when I read this passage in Esther, I did not think of
love. But then one day, after spending time in the book of Esther, I read
through 1 Corinthians 13, and I saw the characters from the book of Esther all
throughout the chapter.
When Haman
got home at the end of his day, he bragged to his family and friends about all
he had. (He was, in essence, showing off his stuff to the ones who had already
seen it!) He shared with them how things had gone at work that day. However,
the splendor was soiled for him. Haman had been honored by the queen. He spent
time in the presence of the king and queen, but what Haman kept harping on was
one man who wouldn't stand up when he passed by. Mordecai was that one man. Mordecai
had his allegiance in the right place: he wouldn't even move for Haman (Esther
5:9). Mordecai would be moved only by the Lord. Lord God, may we be so
committed.
Haman was
boastful, proud, arrogant, definitely seeking his own, most definitely easily
provoked. He not only thought evil but planned it. Haman sought evil. The king
sought answers. Esther sought peace, deliverance, and freedom for God’s people.
Are there
times when we choose to seek our own, rather than seek for the welfare of
someone else? God, forgive us. Are there times when we boast in
something other than God, when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought?
God, forgive us. Do we place a higher priority on gaining knowledge of
the world rather than getting to know God? Do we take an abundance of pride in
what we can say, or what we can give, or what we can do? God, forgive us. Perhaps
the best we can give is love, hope, and forgiveness. Perhaps the best we can
show is faith, grace, and mercy.
Haman had his
sights set on himself alone. Paul, in the book of Colossians, advises us to set
our sights elsewhere: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the
earth. For you died, and your life is
hidden with Christ in God.” (Col.3:2,3) If you are familiar with the book of
Esther, then you know what happened to Haman in the end and where his hope
landed him. Where do we set our hope? Where will it lead us in the end?
Interested in joining the
prayer chain? Contact Phyllis Duff at
(765)482-1485/
raduff2@att.net.
Dear
Heavenly Father,
We come before You
now, seeking Your kingdom first. We come here boasting in Christ. Oh God, help
us to love as You love. As we share Your hope with others, help us do so in
love. As we speak, help us speak in and with love. As we seek to inspire, may
we do so from love. May we stand on love as our foundation, that no matter what
rug the world tries to pull out from under our feet, they will find us standing
still. For nothing can separate us from Your love. Esther took the action she
did out of love for Your people. May we do what we do also out of love. When we
tell of our great riches, may they be Your riches of which we speak. Amen.
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