Presbytidings – August 2014

The Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church

216 West Third Street, Wayne, Nebraska 68787

(402) 375-2669 + http://www.fpcwayne.org

“Our chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever.”

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR

Why do bad things happen? Well, for one thing, it all depends on how you define “bad.” Consider a parable about an old man who lived in a small village. He was the poorest man in the village, but he owned the most beautiful white stallion. And the king had offered him a small fortune for it. After a terribly harsh winter, during which the old man and his family nearly starved, the townspeople came to visit.

“Old man,” they said, “you can hardly afford to feed your family. Sell the stallion, and you will be rich. If you do not, you are a fool.”

“It’s too early to tell,” replied the old man. A few months later, the old man woke up to find that the white stallion had run away.

Once again the townspeople came, and they said to the old man, “See, if you had sold the king your horse, you would be rich. Now you have nothing! You are a fool!”

“It’s too early to tell,” replied the old man.

Two weeks later, the white stallion returned, and along with it came three other white stallions.

“Old man,” the townspeople said, “we are the fools! Now you can sell the stallion to the king, and you will still have three stallions left. You are smart.”

“It’s too early to tell,” said the old man.

The following week, the old man’s son—his only son—was breaking in one of the stallions and was thrown, crushing both his legs.

The townspeople paid a visit to the old man, and they said, “Old man, if you had just sold the stallion to the king, you’d be rich, and your son would not be crippled. You are a fool.”

“It is too early to tell,” said the old man.

Well, the next month, war broke out with the neighboring village. All of the young men in the village were sent into the battle, and all were killed.

The townspeople came, and they cried to the old man, “We have lost our sons. You are the only one who has not. If you had sold your stallion to the king, your son, too, would be dead. You are so smart!”

And once again, the old man said, “It’s too early to tell.”

Like the townspeople, we are tempted to jump to conclusions and judge a situation as either black or white, “good” or “bad.” But we don’t see the whole picture. We see only our finite, human side of the tapestry of life. We do not see the eternal, divine plan that holds the complicated world together. Our ways are not God’s ways, and we see only dimly, as though in a clouded mirror.

So even when we are tempted to judge a situation—to ask that age-old question, “Why do bad things happen?”—let us remember that it all depends on how we define “bad.” And ultimately, it all depends on God’s infinite wisdom. So let us approach life with a dose of humility and faith in the one who works all things together for our good.

Pastor Ray

A CHANGE IN THE WIND: Presbytidings:

Due to changes in postal regulations, we are changing the formatting and distribution of our newsletter.

• Starting with this issue, we would like to encourage anyone with internet capabilities to subscribe to our online edition (detailed instructions are at the end of the newsletter) or simply read it online at either http://www.fpcwayne.org/blognewsletter or on our Facebook page.

• For those of you who are unable to reach our congregation, a paper copy with be mailed.

• Jenny will also make a few paper copies available in the Narthex and in Fellowship Hall. Please let her know if you have any questions.

COMMUNION

We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper together on August 3.

SESSION

The next session meeting will be held on Monday, August 25, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN & SEWING SOULS

Presbyterian Women & Sewing Souls will be taking a short reprieve for the month of August. Meetings will begin again in September.

YOUTH GROUP MEETINGS RESUME

The first Junior High youth group meeting for the new academic year will be held Wednesday, August 27th at 7:30pm. The first High School group will meet on Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:30pm.

HAZEL ROBERTS

Hazel Roberts passed away July 2 in Wayne. A service was held at FPC on July 5. Memorials may be directed to the Roberts family for later designation.

FOOD PANTRY/COAT CLOSET RENOVATION

Many thanks to Greg Worner & Mark Hammer and their families for putting in many hours renovating our church basement. Please take a look next time you have a few minutes. This project was funded by the Monsanto America’s Farmers Grow Communities grant (The Ken & Carol Wilke Family), the Food Pantry, the Coat Closet, and the Boy Scouts. Great Work!

CALVIN CREST NEWS:

• GOAL REACHED! Calvin Crest has reached their goal for the new pool! Thank you to everyone who helped them reach this milestone. Celebrate with them on August 16th for a day of games, activities, pool party and ground-breaking ceremony. Enjoy hot dogs and burgers on the grill and finish the evening singing songs around the campfire with Dave Friedli. The quilt auction and activities for the kids begin at 1:00 PM. The pool will be open from 3:00-5:00 PM with ground breaking and supper at 5:30.

• CALVIN CREST QUILT AUCTION

Mark your calendars for the 17th Annual Quilt Auction on Saturday, August 16. Quilts will go on display at 10:00am and the live auction begins at 1:00pm. After you’ve looked at the quilts, you can enjoy a BBQ lunch before the auction. If you can’t make it to Calvin Crest, you can bid online at http://www.proxibid.com/calvincrest

SERMONS ON THE WEB

Pastor Ray’s sermons can be heard on our Web site: http://www.fpcwayne.org/media.

SUMMER MISSION CAMP 2015? Are your youth interested in joining the mission trip to Colorado in 2015? Please contact Chris Hansen at First Presbyterian in Lincoln if you have ANY questions or would like to join the group. Chris can be reached at yaya@fpclincoln.org or 402-477-6037. We would love to send some youth on a mission trip next summer! Please visit with Pastor Ray if you are at all interested.

FOOD PANTRY & BACKPACK NEWS

We are gearing up for the new school year. Last year we served over 3,500 backpacks to the Wayne community. In July, a high school group (Launch Leadership) came up from Lincoln and packed 400 backpacks for us. We would still be glad to accept donations (individually wrapped packages of nutritious food & snacks, financial donations, time…) Contact Jenny at the church office: fpcwayne@gmail.com or (402)375-2669 for more details.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL UPDATE

Son Harvest County Fair Vacation Bible School, will be held August 4-7 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WayneVBS We are in need of the following supplies:

• empty (& rinsed) 1 & 2 liter plastic bottles

• watermelon (cut in wedges)

• apples (whole)

• caramel dip for apples

• dirt pudding cups (1 dozen per donation) The recipe is on the Opportunity Table and available online at: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/dirt-cups-57763.aspx.

These items are needed at the church by Monday, August 4th by 12:00 noon.

BACK TO SCHOOL BRUNCH

Join us for a Back to School Brunch, Sunday, August 24th at 9:00am. Sign-up sheet is on the Opportunity Table in Fellowship Hall.

CHURCH SCHOOL KICK-OFF

Church school will resume for the fall semester on Sunday, September 7. This is for kids, preschool through 6th grade. Invite a friend!

WAYNE GROW AN EXTRA ROW

Consider sharing your garden bounty this year with those in need in our community. Set aside a small bag of produce, and bring it to our food pantry. The program was well received last year. You can help make a difference!

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

First Presbyterian Church – Wayne, Nebraska

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

• The family of Hazel Roberts

• Our community

• Our schools and teachers

• Our unchurched neighbors

• All who are battling cancer

• All who live in care centers

• CrossPoint Campus Ministry and our college students

• Peace in the Middle East

• Persecuted Christians in Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea

GREETERS

AUGUST 2014

3rd – Phil & Jean Griess, Ken & Karen Marra

10th – Pat & Glenda McDonald, Mark & Jenny Hammer

17th – The Heese Family

24th – The Worner Family

31st – Jim & Shari Paige, Ken & Jan Liska

29th – The McCorkindale Family

SEPTEMBER 2014

7th – The Peitz Family

14th – J. Curtiss, P. Straight, K. Johnson, & B. Middleton

21st – Milton & Jackie Owens, Jim Lindau & Joyce Reeg

28th The Pulfer Family

LECTORS

AUGUST 2014

3rd – Kevin Peterson

10th – Jodi Pulfer

17th – Mark McCorkindale

24th – Ronda Ras

31st – Bev Beeson

SEPTEMBER 2014

7th – Jim Curtiss

14th – Sydney McCorkindale

21st – Kent Pulfer

28th – Pat Straight

ACOLYTES

AUGUST 2014

3rd – Bralen Murphy

10th – Nina Hammer

17th – Andy Wibben

24th – Taytum Sweetland

31st – Ethan Wibben

SEPTEMBER 2014

7th – Madison Urbanec

14th – Cate Worner

21st – Henry McCalla

28th – Maria Ras

 

 

August 2014 Calendar – First Presbyterian Church

Each Sunday Morning:

o Handbell Choir 8:45

o Church School 9:00

o Worship 10:00

o Fellowship 11:00

8/4 – 7th SonHarvest VBS at Wayne County Fairgrounds 6:30-8:30pm

8/24        Back to School Brunch 9:00am

8/25        Session Meeting 7:00pm

8/27        Jr. High Youth Meeting 7:30pm

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

(Would you like to see your birthday listed here?

Just contact the church office 402-375-2669 or fpcwayne@gmail.com)

2 Gordon Granberg

3 Ken Marra

8 Nina Spangler

12 Alissa Johnson

20 Russ Urbanec

23 Hannah McCorkindale

30 Layne Heese

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