Midweek Newsletter: Wednesday, May 24th, 2023.

 

From:

The News Desk

To: First Presbyterian Church

May 24, 2023

 

Your Weekly Edition of Narthex News is here!

 

 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

·         REMINDERS

·         CELEBRATIONS

·         OLIVER’S GRADUATION PARTY

·         HONORING THE MEMORY ON MEMORIAL DAY

·         PCUSA SPECIAL OFFERING

·         GOURMET SEEKERS

·         PPM UPDATE

·         WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL

·         PRAYER ROOM

 

Dear Church,

Welcome to a new week! We hope you are experiencing God’s comfort and care in each area of your lives, as well as His guidance for whichever part of life’s journey you are on.

We here in “the newsroom” have been trying out different formats for the Midweek Newsletter. Thank you for bearing with us as we experiment with creativity. You are welcome to share feedback with “the news desk” (a.k.a. Gretel). The following are the “news-bites” of what is happening within the FPC family this week and in the near future.

 

Reminders:

Liturgists! We have liturgists for June (Ralph Willard) and July (Bess Wilkes). Thank you! We need a liturgist for August. Please contact the office and let Gretel know of your interest/intentions:

gretel@lebanonfpc.org or (765)482-5959 or leave a note on her desk on Sunday.

This coming Sunday! May 28^th is Pentecost Sunday and Caring Sunday. Pastor Je suggested in the service last weekend that folks wear red for Pentecost Sunday. The Caring Box is in the lobby/foyer/vestibule near the front doors. As before, you may give monetarily, in which case please note on your check that it is for “The Caring Center” or “Caring Sunday”. If you bring items, non-perishable food items are welcome – such as apple juice, canned fruit or vegetables, or pasta; as are cleaning supplies like laundry detergent or dish soap; as well as personal hygiene items like shampoo, conditioner and bodywash.

Live & Learn! There will be no Live & Learn this Saturday, May 27^th, so as to encourage folks to go to Oliver’s graduation party. (Details below)

There is a new These Days daily devotional available. Copies are on the table in the foyer hallway.

Celebrations:

Happy birthday to Bud Hunter, May 24^th; George Piper II, May 28^th; and Dennis Brannon, May 30^th! Happy anniversary to Ryan & Echo Nunley, May 28^th!

May the  gift of God’s grace strengthen you,

The gift of God’s presence comfort you,

And the gift of God’s love refresh you.

Oliver’s Graduation Party:

You are cordially invited to celebrate Oliver Hutcheson’s high school graduation with a party at their home. When? Saturday, May 27^th, from 12-3pm. Where? Contact Lisa Hutcheson for address and directions. Enjoy catering from City Barbecue, cake, and friendly fellowship.

Honoring the Memory on Memorial Day:

We would like to honor those saints who have gone before us to be with the Lord, but we need your help! Do you have photos of members who have died? If so, please share with us! You can send them in an email to Gretel in the office: gretel@lebanonfpc.org. Please include the following information: name; date of birth and death; if they served in the military – which was their branch of service and time of service, if you know it. Thank you! We would like to share this information and accompanying photos with the church family during the worship time this coming Sunday.

PCUSA Special Offering for Pentecost:

This Sunday is the last Sunday to participate in the special offering for Pentecost. 40% of the gifts offered will stay with the church. The rest is sent to the General Assembly and will be used for children at risk, young adult volunteers, and ministries with youth. The following quote was shared in a church-wide email recently, but is shared again here. It speaks to the purpose behind this special offering. It comes from an article written by Gwynn Wills, a member of Wabash Avenue Presbyterian Church in Crawfordsville and was used in the Presbytery of Wabash Valley’s newsletter recently.

"As adults and parents, how many times have we heard children ask, “Are we there, yet?” The answer to that question was in relation to a specific destination. The theme of the Pentecost Offering, “We Are There,” also answers with a deeper, important meaning. “We are there” means we have your back, children. “We are there” for you when you need us to help you navigate this oftentimes challenging world. The yearly Pentecost Offering is designated to go to programs that unite us in a church-wide effort to support young people and inspire them to share their faith, ideas, and unique gifts with the church and the world."

Please make checks out to First Presbyterian Church and designate on your check in the memo line that this is for the Special Offering for Pentecost. Thank you.

Gourmet Seekers:

Gourmet Seekers this week will go to El Rodeo for lunch. This coming Friday, May 26^th, all interested parties should meet at the church at 11:30. If you plan to go directly to the restaurant, please plan to be there by noon. The address is: 6673 Whitestown Pkwy, Zionsville, IN 46077. If you plan to be a part of this event, please let Pastor Je know you are coming and if you plan to go to the restaurant or meet at the church. Come along and enjoy the good food and fun fellowship!  

PPM Update:

Sunshine’s shining brighter,

There’s change in the air;

Summer’s around the corner,

End of school year – almost there!

Teachers and their students

Have worked hard all year long;

We praise God for His blessings

And lift up Thanksgiving’s Song.

Join us as we pray

For the transitions soon to come

And for the children, we love

each and every one!

Weekly Devotional:

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28

Even when I don’t know what to pray or how to pray, know what is going on or where my life is going, God knows and God is still working. The difficult things in life often come with the questions “why” or “what for”, even if we don’t voice them aloud. Somewhere in our hearts these questions may stir. Even if it is against our wishes, a restlessness in our hearts may awake as we grapple for something solid to hold on to.

We may ask ourselves: “But should a believer respond like this to difficulty?” I would say today – why wouldn’t we?  We are still human and so we are frail and full of questions without answers. I also suggest: to grapple, to wrestle, to question, shows our faith- in that we are reaching. Because we are grappling, we believe there is Someone to grapple with. We believe there is some place beyond the quagmire in which we find ourselves and Someone who is listening as we cry out. We are not content to sink. We will scan the horizons for any flotsam to hold on to. We will fight the storm in order to reach the top. There is an irresistible urge to move away from the deep and the darkness and strain towards the light that will fill our sights and the air that will fill our lungs. We dare not hope and yet we cannot do aught but hope.

In such troubling situations as life has a tendency to throw us into, as believers we rest in the arms of God. We are still carried on His wings and sheltered beneath His shadow. We are still fed by His sustaining fruit and replenished by His healing waters. Because of this, the hope that rises in the storm and the darkness, albeit unexpected or even astonishing, rises not so much from us as from Him. Hope rises from the One who carries, the One who shelters, the One who nourishes, the One who replenishes. Is He not our source of light and life? Is He not then also our living hope?

Grief has a way of choking what strength we thought we had. But it can NEVER QUENCH the life of God in us. God is stronger than us. When we give out, He does not. When pain or weakness get the best of us and the worst of us and we confess: “I am all done!” – God says, “I am not.”

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, during this time that is so hard, these challenges that are so taxing, please draw ever nearer. May Your shelter be broader, Your support be firmer, Your strength be stronger, Your wings lift higher, and Your arms wrap tighter. Amen.