Midweek Newsletter: Wednesday, May 10th, 2023.

 

NARTHEX NEWS  Weekly Edition, May 10, 2023

“That we might be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,

both yours and mine.” Romans 1:12

IN THIS ISSUE:

Music Notes

Reminders & Celebrations

Live & Learn

Life Sunday

Graduates

PPM Update

Weekly Devotional

Encouragement for women

              Prayer Room

CONTACT INFO:

Rev. Je Lee, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lebanon:

je@lebanonfpc.org

Gretel Magnuson, administrative assistant for First Presbyterian Church in Lebanon:

gretel@lebanonfpc.org

(765)482-5959

Lori Rowe,

Director for Presbyterian Preschool Ministry:

(765)482-8198

OFFICE HOURS:

For Pastor Je:

M & F: 1-3 pm & evenings

Tues: 3pm-evening

Wed: evening

Sat. & Sun.: All day

For church office:

M, T, Th, F: 8am-4pm

Wed: 8am-2pm

Music notes:

Choir Resumes Thursday May 11^th at 7pm. 

Reminders: Liturgist for May: George Piper. Thank you, George! Elder of the month: Dennis Brannon. Thank you, Dennis! Greeter for May 14^th: Bess Wilkes. Thank you, Bess! It is Mother’s Day this Sunday. On Mother’s Day we will celebrate all women of faith. It is LIFE Sunday this Sunday. Please see below for more details on how you can participate in LIFE Sunday.

Celebrations:   

Congratulations! We celebrate with you! Know that we love you and God loves you too! Happy birthday, Lynna Shaw! (5/10) Happy birthday, Todd Meyer! (5/16) Happy anniversary, Jennie & Allen Woods! (5/14)

 

Live & Learn:

Live & Learn, Saturday May 13^th, Church Library, Lunch TBDW (to be determined weekly) and Bible Study, Luke ch.9

Life Sunday:

Beginning on May 14^th, FPC will now be celebrating “Life Sunday” the second Sunday of every month. Every second Sunday, funds and other donated items will be shared with Live for Life. This is a local organization dedicated to rebuilding lives and restoring hope for women. They provide shelter, counseling, mentoring, financial support and more in a judgement free setting. FPC is proud to support such a

           worthwhile cause. You can give financially to Live for Life. Please designate on your check that it is for Livefor Life. You may also bring material goods. The following are some needed items which you may bring and  leave he box in the lobby:

New Pillows; Personal Hygiene: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, women’s razors, deodorant, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, tampons, feminine napkins 3. Gently used or new shoes. Bags (zip closure, storage or freezer, sizes: sandwich, quart, gallon). Large trash bags. Cleaning Supplies. Laundry Supplies.

Graduates: 

FPC will be honoring graduates on May 21^st. Are you or someone you know in our community celebrating a graduation this spring? We are aware of three local graduates, from Lebanon High School: Oliver Hutcheson, Sam Piper, and Evan Whipkey. As extended family of FPC, we recognize college graduate Ted Deem and high school graduate Andy Deem, sons of Gretel Magnuson. If there is someone we are missing, please let us know. Thank you!

PPM Update: 

I wanted to update you on our PPM Family that I asked for prayers for last week. Rileigh was diagnosed with Stage 1 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She will begin Chemo treatments next Monday. This little girl has been brave, asking questions and wanting to learn about her diagnosis. After talking to her mom, the older sister (1st grade) has been right by her side at all her appointments. As the family prepares for this next step with treatments, please continue to pray for them and her strength to overcome this. The parents know that God is their strength during this time and appreciate all the prayers. Rileigh will be in kindergarten next year and is excited to attend school with her older sister. Happy Mother's Day! Blessings, Lori 

Weekly Devotional: 

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of

the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

            Do I need patience, comfort, or hope? Where can I find that? In God’s Word. How often do I treat the Bible more as a convenience store, breezing in and out as quickly as I can? Are there times when I avoid studying the scriptures because I think I can’t afford a lengthy “shopping” experience?  Do I see it as too big a “store”, too many “departments” to wade through? Or maybe I view it as a trip to the mall, and I pick and choose where I want to go, only visiting the same places again and again. What am I missing out on? What patience and comfort would be mine if I spent more time there? How might my hope increase if I took God’s Word more seriously? I think I’d rather view time in the scriptures as a stop at a bookstore: I’d get a cup of coffee or tea, find a comfy chair by a fireplace and curl up for a while. 

            The next question I need to ask myself, if I’m following this analogy of shopping, is this: what price am I willing to pay for time in God’s Word? How valuable is His book to me? What is the cost to me for such a prize? A little more time? A little more effort? A little less self?  For what? More of Jesus. More truth. More peace. More patience. More comfort. More hope. More direction. More answers. 

Will this be a book I read through once, set on the shelf, and never pick up again? Or will this book be as a beacon in my life? Light pours forth from God’s book even after its cover is closed. A lighthouse on a shelf or on a table draws me to it. The light of God’s Word never goes out. If I ignore it long enough the light may fade, but when I turn my attention to it, the light increases in power. As the light grows, so grows my hope, and so will grow patience and comfort.  I have a small lighthouse that looks like a real lighthouse. It plugs into a socket and shines a light from the lamp room. This particular lighthouse of mine is broken. The plug and lightbulb work fine, but the lighthouse itself is broken, so I keep it in a box. I never see its light because I do not take it out of the box. If I treat God’s Word the same way, neither will I share in its light. Lord, help us to engage with You and Your Word, that we may experience Your light and share it with those around us. Amen.

 

Encouragement for Women:

Have you ever felt marginalized, overlooked, ostracized, or forgotten? Do you long for a word of comfort, peace, acceptance? Jesus has a message for you today. It is the same message He spoke to a woman years ago who needed a special kind of healing touch.

“’Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being).’” (Luke 8:48, Amplified Bible)

Jesus addressed this woman with a word of affection, recognition and acceptance when he referred to her as ‘daughter’. For 12 years she had lived with a physical condition which would have separated her from others. She would have lived in seclusion, isolation, and reproach – silent or otherwise – for 12 years. She reached out for healing from Jesus without speaking to Him or addressing Him directly, but He knew. He saw her. He not only recognized her need, He identified that she was worthy. Worthy of what? His attention, His compassion, His love. She received healing – physically, as well as otherwise. If her body was in such a state of need for 12 years, how was her heart? How had she suffered in her spirit as she lived in such lonely and condemning conditions? Jesus saw and knew, not just her physical needs but those that went far deeper.

He sees you, too, daughter. He sees you, He knows you, He loves you. He does not condemn you. He does not send you away. Have you reached out to Him? Are you reaching for Him today? His response is to welcome you with open arms and a tender heart. “Daughter,” He says to you. “My beloved, my cherished one. I see your personal trust in me and your confidence in me.”

Jesus told the woman that her faith had made her well. Did the power come from her? No, the power came from Him. But it could not be shared with her if she did not believe in Him and His ability to touch her life. She  had such faith that she did not need to see His face, she did not need to even speak with Him. She did not even need to touch His person. She had such faith that she believed touching His garment was enough. “But my faith is not that strong!” you say. “But my faith is not that big or overwhelming! I’m just struggling to believe for today!” you say. That’s ok. Jesus sees. Jesus knows. Jesus loves. Jesus cares. For you. For you, daughter. And Jesus says to you, “Go in peace – go from My presence untroubled, undisturbed in your well-being.” Whatever your need is today, daughter, Jesus has peace and compassion to share with you. He will take the time to listen, to see, to hear, and to love. Go to Him.

 Prayer Room:

Here at FPC, prayer is important to us. Are you interested in joining the prayer chain? Would you like to learn more about the role of prayer in our lives? Please contact Phyllis Duff, Prayer Coordinator, at (765)482-1485/ raduff2@att.net

                     Dear God, may we find comfort and patience in the scriptures. May they give us hope. May we learn from Your Word. As we learn more, may we yearn for more. Thank You for these things written “aforetime” that are still pertinent for our time. Thank You for the one-stop-shop option in Your Word. Thank You for the riches You give to us at such a low cost to us. Dear Lord, I realize there are those in our world today that still pay for Your Word with their lives. Protect those brave souls, I pray. Bring Your Word to those who do not have it. For those who do, may we value it more and more. May we truly treasure the Bible, the living Word of God. Amen.