Transcript
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Church and Home NOVEMBER 2014

“Boldly with Christ We Belong, Believe, Grow and Reach Out”

First Presbyterian Church 1901 W Leota Street

North Platte, NE 69101

Telephone: (308) 532-1083 Fax: (308) 532-2968

Web site: www.fpcnp.org Church e-mail address:

[email protected] [email protected]

STAFF

PASTOR: Polly K. Deppen-Williams

Admin Assist: Naomi Okoye

Custodian: Regan Brown

Choir Director: Connie McCreery

Bells Director: Ann Jones

Child Care: Deb Welsh

ELDERS Clerk of Session:

Jon Beggs Larry Pedersen, Treasurer

Scott Baker Doris Craig

Lowell Fenster Darlene Finke Chuck Francis

Rhonda Godbey JoAnne Greene

Ann Jones Dean Kurth Ned Mack

Martha Orcutt Glenn Petersen

Deb Weitzel Jim Whitney

DEACONS Jody & Tim Hudson

Glenda Feeney Jim McClymont

Marlene Minshull Maxine Mulder

Christina Ochsner Scott Orr

Susan Peters Betty Priel

Irene & Danny Ridgway Bev & Cecil Sallee

Maris Schad Gertrude Stewart

Doris Wells

PW Moderator: Joyce Kohler

Vice Moderator: Dixie Francis

Dear Friends,

Have you noticed that Thanksgiving seems to get lost in between Halloween and Christmas? The wonderful thing about Thanksgiving is that it causes us to think about the blessings in our lives and to give thanks to God for these blessings. As you gather with family or friends or both for the holiday, I hope you will take time to share your blessings with one another. Recently, I came across this prayer and I wanted to share it with you. Perhaps it will be a prayer you can use at the table for your Thanksgiving meal.

Prayer of Thanksgiving by Vienna Cobb Anderson

God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold fill-ing the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves. We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our be-coming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight. We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experi-ence of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation. For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. May the month of November bring you joy as you remember the many bless-ings God has given each of us. May you be thankful! Thanking God for each one of you! Grace & Peace,

Pastor Polly

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FPC & ME Our children and youth gather each Wednesday for fellowship, food, fun, and Bible study. In the story of Moses God showed that he had a plan – a plan for his people. Moses questioned his call to lead, but God reassured him, “I will be with you.” The prophet Jonah tried to run from God's call. Trapped in the whale, Jonah came to understand that God would give him a second chance. Jonah went on to speak for God. Knowing God will be with me and knowing God will give me another chance is valuable knowledge for God's children of any age.

In worship the children are meeting other prophets and sharing their message for the coming of a Messiah. Micah; the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. Jeremiah; the Messiah will be of David's family. Isaiah; the Messiah will come as a child. As we move toward Advent we will see how these prophesies play out. On a recent beautiful fall evening we closed our time together around the campfire. What better way to know God's presence: beautiful fall foliage, a slight hint of chill in the air, the smoky warmth of a campfire, smiles and laughter, biting into a s'more I made myself!

Senior High toilet paper mummies and charades!

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We express our sympathy to Dick & Evelyn Headen on the death of their daughter, Elizabeth, ‘Beth’, who passed away August 31

To our (former) church family at First Pres.: We wanted to let you know that our daughter, Elizabeth, died on August 30th, following a long I llness related to myotonic muscular dystrophy. She was in a rehab facility and making progress toward independence when she went into cardiac arrest and died. Details are on Liz's Caring Bridge site under "Elizabeth Gillespie." (The North Platte church knew her as Beth. Dick served as pastor there from 1973 -79.) Dick & Evelyn Headen (612) 618-6914

We express our sympathy to the family of Doris Kugler who passed away October 8.

We express our sympathy to Joan Callahan and family on the death of Bill who passed away October 15.

Fellowship Time!!!

MS Friendship meets Friday, November

6:00pm at Merricks

RSVP to Deb Welsh or Rhonda Godbey if you plan to attend.

ALL are welcome!

You are cordially invited to the 100th Birthday Celebration in honor of George Robertson on Saturday, November 22, from 2-4pm in the Linden Estates Dining Room.

1 Shad Connick John Zachry 2 Rhonda Godbey John Handlin 3 Ford Craig 4 Pennie Mattke 6 Gaylene Lombardi Linda Nelson 7 Regan Brown Nick Henline Sam Henline 8 Sarah Kaminski Tammy Miller 9 Drew Callaghan 10 Tanya Connick

10 Matt Williams 12 Rosalyn Finke Dave Glenn Lyle Johnson Clif Orcutt 15 Katie Ackerman 16 Jackson Erickson 17 Nicole Weitzel 19 Mary Mougey 20 George Robertson Blakeley Staroska Becky Tiedeman 21 Doris Craig 22 Amy Cauffman 23 Derek Finke 26 Susan Petersen 27 Melvin Ackerman 28 Tom Callaghan Carroll Miller 30 Ally Pierce

November Anniversaries 11/02/1985 Kay & Doug Wright 11/04/2006 Chad & Jennifer Finke 11/10/1946 Margaret & Roland Johnson 11/16/1968 Nancy & Stephen King 11/25/1960 Maris & Murray Schad

The congregation is invited to provide poinsettias for Christmas.

There are 2 ways to participate: * Buy a poinsettia in full. A poinsettia is $15.00. ___ Check yes, if you want to take yours after the 7:00pm worship service on Christmas Eve (24). Name those for whom your plant is in memory of or in honor of.

Contribute toward the purchase of a poinsettia. Name those for whom your plant is in memory of or in honor of.

The names of all donors will be printed in the bulletin.

Orders must be in by December 5.

(in memory of / in honor of ) please circle______________________________ Your name ________________________________________

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Adventures of Bob and Kristi Rice Democratic Republic of Congo / Kanaga, West Kasai

Keeping up With the Rices In June, Bob and Kristi Rice went to Mutoto for the graduation ceremony at the Pastoral Institute. It was a huge celebration, the event of the year for this village. Along with pastoral studies, they were taught trades of carpentry, sewing and rais-ing livestock. When the graduates go out to serve as Pastors in rural villages they will have a trade to help support their families. As you can see in the picture, they are wearing the green choir robes that our church sent them.

By the end of July, the curriculum for teaching the Christian faith in primary schools was finally produced and distributed. Bob and Kristie spent many long days working with the group to get this finished.

In August, they had the grand opening of the Diteke-mena program. This is a first step of the Congolese Presbyterian Church to address the challenges faced by families as they care for their children. They have rescued 23 children that live on the streets. They are being cared for as a group at a center in Kananga, with the goal of reinserting them into their families of origin or foster families. Local churches are being trained and empowered to give emotional, spiritual and food support to these families who welcome the children. This program was started with a generous grant from Presbyterian Women. Please pray for these children.

SEPTEMBER 2014 RECEIPTS & EXPENDITURES

MTD YTD Receipts Receipts Actual: $9,545.25 $149,513.61 Budget: $19,351.24 $174,161.16

MTD YTD

Expenses Expenses Actual: $18,415.65 $183,574.61 Budget: $23,305.72 $193,850.46

Annual Youth Turkey Dinner Sunday, November 23

The annual Youth Turkey Dinner will be held November 23rd following morning worship. The senior high will be hosting it. Your donations will be used for youth activities.

Contact Renee Callaghan or Susan Petersen if you would like to help.

Thanksgiving Day Dinner Thursday, November 27

Open to all members of the church. R.S.V.P to the church office or email: of-

[email protected] Contact person: Rhonda Godbey

September brought two pastors from America to participate in a seminar to teach the people how to study and teach the Bible. “It was good to see these youth expressing their opinions and feeling free to contradict the teacher, but it also affirmed to me the need for discipleship and resources in the church for learning the Bible well.”

The Bible subsidy program continues full steam ahead. Many people walk or bike for miles to be able to purchase a Bible. Between May and July they sold nearly 500 Bibles and 200 song books. Our Mission Committee contributed $100 for Bibles. The Bibles cost $12.00 now, which is more than the Congolese can afford. With the subsidy program they can purchase a Bible for $5.00. So our donation bought 8 Bibles.

If anyone would like to contribute for the Bibles, you can make your donation and designate it for Bibles.

Please read Bob and Kristi’s Blog. It is like reading a letter from a friend. They share their problems and joys. http://bobandkristi.blogspot.com/

Raising Hope

The 1,000 paper cranes spiraling in the narthex of our church remind us of the hope we can bring to others.

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Grace Ministries Food Pantry

We have the winning NUMBERS!

The winning numbers for Grace Ministries Food Pantry are 164, 310, 266, and 163! Curious? In September 2014, 164 pre-filled sacks of groceries were given out…that is the largest number of sacks distributed in a September in the past 13 years! The second winning number is 310, for the number of individuals given food in September. Again, the largest number of individuals served in a September in 13 years, most likely in the history of the Pantry!

It is heartwarming to know that we are helping so many people by easing their hunger. It is also very sad that there IS such hunger here in America's Heartland. If we didn't have your wonderful support, we wouldn't be so successful. It took 266 man (and woman!) hours to run Grace Ministries in September. That is the highest number of work hours for a single month so far in 2014. 207 of those hours were logged by First Presbyterian members!

You all have been so generous with your "Pennies for the Pantry" jar donations, "Second Sunday, Second Purchase" cart donations, and the items you have placed in the collection box in the Narthex. You also continue to support us financially which is very much appreciated! Grace Ministries relies solely on contributions to stay afloat. It is run entirely by volunteers. We are so proud of what you at First Presbyterian Church do to help others, and the compassion you show the less fortunate.

Oh yes, our last winning number is 163. That is the number of jars of peanut butter that left our Pantry in September! Along with the peanut butter, we gave out 373 pounds of frozen meat, 445 cans of fruit, 564 cans of soup, 282 boxes of Mac 'n Cheese, 250 cans of tuna…..well, you get the idea! LOTS of food!

We also want to thank all of you that supported the North Platte Kiwanis' annual "Pasta for the Pantries" event! 271 diners were fed a variety of meals, including our own Ford Craig's pepper steak, and his beef and noodles! The ladies of Ki-wanis provided beautiful Bundt cakes for dessert. Grace Ministries was overjoyed to receive a $1400 contribution from the group's efforts for which we are most grateful! How wonderful that FPC has such a perfect facility to host this popular event!

Thank you all for your constant and cheerful giving! We couldn't do this work without all of YOU! Keep these winning numbers coming!

- - Leigh Henline

“Second Sunday = Second Purchase” of an item for the Pantry

Bring an item (or two) and put them in the grocery cart on the Second Sunday - or - leave it in the pantry box any time during the week - or - take it to the pan-try at 114 C Street between the hours of 1-3pm.

Stamps for Mission

There is still one month to bring your cancelled stamps to church! As you know, Stamps for Mission will be ending in December after a 30 year run. Director Peggy Reinhold, now in her 90's, sites the use of email and fewer commemoratives as two of the reasons for ending this mission benefitting the church in the Congo of Africa. She also mentioned that many stamps come to her from well-meaning groups that are torn, damaged, have exposed ad-hesive and sadly, those stamps have no value. Stamp companies buy only a small amount of the common roll stamps (such as American flags) when they first come out, and after that they buy no more.

That said, there is still time this coming month to hunt down some great stamps for Stamps for Mission! Remember to CUT around each stamp, leaving a quarter inch 'border' of the envelope showing. Look for commemorative and foreign stamps, and stamps of unusual denominations.

We are proud of First Presbyterian Church's contributions to Stamps for Mission and thank Ruth Reynolds for doing such a fine job trimming and sending the stamps to Peggy. As Peggy said in a recent letter, 'We must find other ways to help the church in the Congo!' Perhaps YOU have an idea??

Thank you all! Leigh Henline

From the Mission Committee: For our Christmas project this year, we are going to take donations for the Good Fellow Shoe Fund. We will place a Christmas tree in the Narthex with envelopes for you donation. These envelopes can then be placed in a box that will be beside the tree. There will be more information in the December Church and Home.

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READING TIME: Attention Readers

2014 Reading List books are on the cart in the Narthex. Please be sure to check out the books, take them home and enjoy them and then bring them back in a timely manner so others may read them also. Whether you are part of Presbyterian Women or just like to read, you are welcome to join the reading list.

Coordinator: Glenda Feeney Members: Melinda Baker Barb Barr Tanya Connick Gaylene Lombardi Nancy Mack Nikki Wiezorek Kay Wright

BIBLE STUDY: “Reconciling Paul - a contemporary study of 2 Corinthians”

All women of the church are invited to attend one of the women's fellowships the second Thursday of the month.

Reconciling Paul - - a contemporary study of 2 Corinthians Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul faced many challenges as an apostle sharing the 'good news' in Corinth. In Paul's day the city was a major trade center with a multicultural population of Greek and Roman backgrounds. The Jews held minority status. There was a range of socio-economic groups and religious practices. Some groups practiced polytheism, the worship of many gods, and some practiced monotheism, the worship of one God. The monotheists were the Jews and the Christians. Other super apostles competed with Paul threat-ening his message. Accusations were directed towards him when he didn't return to the city as he had promised. “If we can't trust the messenger, how can we trust the message?” Paul wrote as a man who knows trouble to those who are in trouble. Through his example and teach-ings we witness: He had an unshakable confidence in God. He asked for the prayers of the Corinthians. All can give the priceless treasure of their prayers. We can rely on God. Jesus is the 'yes' to every promise of God. Praying 'through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen' expresses our confidence to God. God's spirit in us is the first installment guaran-teeing the rest that is to follow. How does Paul's model strengthen your faith?

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

FELLOWSHIPS: Presbyterian Women Fellowships

Thursday, November 9:30am - Morning Fellowship

Hostesses: Gertrude Stewart & Dixie Francis

meets at 2601 West E Street

6:00pm - Evening Spirits meets at the church

In the news around the Presbytery: Three Administrative Personnel Association (APA)

members from the Presbytery of Central Nebraska received their certification awards during the National APA Conference last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Angie Palmer from the Presbytery of Central Nebraska was certified in a second additional 50 hours of course study, Rose Miller from the First Presbyterian Church of Kearney was certified in Level III, and Naomi Okoye from the First Presbyter-ian Church of North Platte was certified in an addi-tional 50 hours of course study. The Presbytery of Central Nebraska would like to congratulate all three of them on their certification awards.

Dean Kurth will serve as Moderator for Presbytery

in 2015 year. Our church will host the Presbytery meeting on June 22, 2015.

SERVICE: November Service Committee

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, November 2

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed on Saturday.

To enjoy the color photographs and clip art that are included in this newsletter, go to the website and view it: www.fpcnp.org


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