Presbytidings – February 2017
The Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church
216 West Third Street, Wayne, Nebraska 68787
(402) 375-2669 + www.fpcwayne.org
“Our chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever.”
From the Pastor……
February is the month of cupids, conversation hearts, valentines and L-O-V-E! I came across this blog devotion written by Missy Butler[*] and wanted to share it with you. I appreciated Butler’s comments that Valentine’s Day should remind Christians not of candy hearts or chocolate but instead how much Christ loves each of us. I emphasized Butler’s quotes from John’s gospel and Isaiah with bold print for these are words of love and assurance for each of us. May Butler’s words give you a new insight into Valentine’s Day.
“Every year, thousands of heartfelt messages are inscribed upon the most beautifully decorated Valentine’s Day cards. At any corner drug store, you’ll find them neatly displayed on the greeting card aisle in every conceivable category. They come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from pop-ups to fold-outs, some play a catchy-tune, while others contain gigantic card-board lips that “spring” out at you when opened!
All of them are wonderful expressions of affection in their traditional pinks, reds and lavender trim!
The cards wait patiently for a passersby, hoping to catch the attention of a glancing eye as they pose, ready for close inspection. Each reader quietly contemplates the words inside to see if the message spoken, will be just the right arrow sent by Cupid to “pierce” the heart of their beloved!
Yet with all the flowery words and the romantic prose, none of them can drive home the message more poignantly then the simple invitation to “Be Mine.” Now talk about NOT mincing your words! That rather bold command is undoubtedly an earnest expression of an inward desire to claim one’s love interest as their very own! I have to confess, the Cinderella in all of us gals would gladly pass up the lace trimmed box of chocolates, the long stemmed roses, and even the glass slipper to hear that no nonsense invitation coming from the heart of our Prince Charming!
Most assuredly, many well-known companies such as Hallmark and American Greeting have hired the best and most prolific writers in an attempt to try to come up with new and more innovative ways to say those three longed for words… “I Love you.” Yet none of them can come close to the most beautiful expression of love ever recorded in history, found in the gospel of John:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should
believe in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Yes, God’s message of love is breathed into every word contained within the Holy Scriptures. For God Himself is LOVE! (John 4:16). His love is unconditional and all encompassing. He longs to embrace us and hold us close to His heart as He softly whispers “Be Mine.”
Would you like to receive a very special Valentine this year? The truth is, it has already been sent to you. It arrived “Special Delivery” two thousand years ago by way of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Will you receive Him today? He longs to bring his message of love to you and transform “all your days” into Valentine’s Day! Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1)”
We are God’s beloved children, redeemed by Christ, named and claimed in our baptism and sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit. The breadth and depth of God’s love for humanity is beyond our understanding and there is no better gift we can receive than the Triune God’s loving claim on our lives. Thanks be to God!
Grace and peace, Pastor Teresa
[*] Butler, M. (2017, Feb 1.) Be Mine (Blog post). Retrieved from http://www1.cbn.com/devotions/be-mine
Pastor Teresa’s tentative office hours are:
Monday – off
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 9:00 to 12:00
Wednesday – Brookdale, WACAM, home visitations, etc.
Afternoons working out of the office working on sermon prep, worship planning,
meetings, and visitation.
Pastor Teresa will also be available by appointment.
INSTALLATION PLANS
Plans are being made for Pastor Teresa’s installation. Please stay tuned for further details as they develop. Thank you!
SESSION
The Session will gather on Monday, February 27, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
COMMUNION
We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper on:
Sunday, February 5th (Greg Worner, Communion set-up elder)
Wednesday, March 1st (Ash Wednesday) (Communion elder TBD)
Sunday, March 5th (Communion elder TBD)
LOOKING AHEAD TO ASH WEDNESDAY & MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICES
Observe a holy Lenten season this year. We will begin Lent with an Ash Wednesday service with communion March 1st at 6:30pm. Maundy Thursday will be observed with a service the following day, March 2nd at 7:00pm.
LENTEN SUPPERS AND SERVICES
Our church family will gather for weekly suppers during Lent, beginning on Wednesday, March 8th, at 6:00pm. (Watch for the sign-up sheets on the Opportunity Table in Fellowship Hall.) Following the suppers, we will gather from 7:00-7:30pm for Lenten service.
ECUMENICAL LENTEN SERVICES
Ecumenical Lenten prayer services will be held on the first four Wednesdays (after Ash Wednesday) of Lent (March 8, 15, 22 & 29). The services will be hosted at a different area church each week and will begin at 12:00pm; followed by a light lunch. Volunteers are welcomed to assist by providing soup, sandwiches and/or cookies/bars. Please contact Pastor Teresa or Jenny if you can assist. The service will be about 20 minutes—so anyone coming who only has an hour off for lunch will be able to attend the service and have lunch in under an hour. A free-will offering will go to WACAM (Wayne Association of Congregations and Ministries). All are welcome!
The order and location of the services will be as follows:
- March 8—TBA
- March 15—St. Mary’s Catholic Church
- March 22—First Presbyterian Church
- March 29—TBA
THE CHURCH DIRECTORY UPDATE
Have you changed your phone number or moved lately? Please use the update sheet on the Opportunity Table to make any changes to your current listing.
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
- Presbyterian Women met on Tuesday, February 1, at 6:30pm for a business meeting and a Bible study. Glenda McDonald led the lesson, and Martha Svoboda was the hostess.
- In March, PW will meet on TUESDAY, March 7th at 6:30pm for a business meeting and lesson 6 in the Bible study. Jackie Owens is the hostess.
SEWING SOULS
- Sewing Souls will meet on Wednesday, February 15th at 6:30 p.m. Babs Middleton will be the hostess.
- Sewing Souls will meet on TUESDAY, March 21st at 6:30pm. Judy Lindberg will be the hostess.
Please note: In March, both Presbyterian Women and Sewing Souls will meet on Tuesdays (during Lent)
THE 2017 LECTOR, ACOLYTE, GREETER SCHEDULE will be available on the Opportunity Table next week. As in the past, please find a replacement if you cannot make it, and contact the church office about any changes. If you would still like to be added, we would be happy to put your name on the substitute list. Thank you!
2017 ELDER & DEACON LIST
Elders for 2017:
Worship: Shari Dunklau, Gail McCorkindale
Discipleship: Misty Beair, Ronda Ras
Fellowship: Jim Curtiss, Jim Paige
Outreach: Ronda Ras, Greg Worner
Stewardship/Finance: Kevin Peterson, Jay O’Leary
Administration: Kevin Peterson, Greg Worner
Property: Jim Paige, Greg Worner
Deacons for 2017: Jan Liska, Karen Marra, Lindsay McLaughlin, Jackie Owens, Jill Sweetland & Melissa Urbanec.
HOMESTEAD PRESBYTERY
Our presbytery will gather on Saturday, 2/18, beginning at 10:00am, at Good Shepherd Church in Lincoln. Pastor Teresa will be attending, elders are welcomed to attend with her. Please contact Pastor Teresa by February 8th if you can attend. You can register by following this link: http://homesteadpres.org/
CITY FUND PROVIDED SPECIAL BACK PACKS
The Wayne Food Pantry recently received funds that allowed us to provide approximately 100 children enrolled in the Wayne Community Schools Backpack Program with a special bag to help them over the past Christmas holiday. We were able to purchase a loaf of bread, and a jar each of peanut butter & jelly for each child. The money for this project was made available through donations to the Wayne Food Pantry/Backpack Program and the City’s Trust & Agency Account, which came from the M.E.Way funds. In 1962 the Mary Elizabeth Way estate requested that the money be put in an interest bearing security and the income from the investment to be used by the City of Wayne for the use and benefit of undernourished and underprivileged children of the City of Wayne. We thank the Wayne Community the City of Wayne and the Estate on behalf of the children of Wayne.
FPC ANNUAL REPORT
Our Annual Meeting was held on Sunday, January 29th. If you would like a copy of the report, please contact Jenny at fpcwayne@gmail.com
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
- Our community
- Our schools and teachers
- Our unchurched neighbors
- All who are battling cancer
- All who live in care centers
- Peace in the Middle East
- Persecuted Christians in Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
First Presbyterian Church – Wayne, Nebraska
February 2017 – First Presbyterian Church
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Each Sunday Morning:
· Handbell Choir 8:45 · Sunday School 9:00 · Worship 10:00 · Fellowship 11:00 |
1
6:30 Presbyterian Women |
2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 5 Communion | 6 | 7 | 8
7:30 Youth Group |
9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12
1:30 Chapel at Careage |
13 | 14 | 15
3:30 Chapel at Brookdale
6:30 Sewing Souls |
16 | 17 | 18
9:00 Homestead Presbytery Prime in Lincoln |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22
7:30 Youth Group |
23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27
7:00 Session Meeting |
28 | 1
6:30 Ash Wednesday Service with Communion |
2
7:00 Maundy Thursday Service |
3 | 4 |
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
(Would you like to see your birthday listed here?
Just contact the church office 402-375-2669 or fpcwayne@gmail.com)
7 Karen McElwain
10 Jodi Pulfer
20 Karen Marra
25 Pat Straight, Gabriel Peitz
27 Jan Liska
28 Amy Bowers
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Acolyte, Greeter, Lector & Communion Elder Schedule
ACOLYTES – FEBRUARY 2017
5th – Cate Worner
12th – Braydn McCorkindale
19th – Emily Worner
26th – Ethan Wibben
ACOLYTES – MARCH 2017
5th – Nina Hammer
12th – Madison Urbanec
19th – Braydn McCorkindale
26th – Nina Hammer
GREETERS – FEBRUARY 2017
5th – The Worner Family
12th – Jean & Phil Griess, Kevin Peterson
19th – Glenda & Pat McDonald, Joann Proett
26th – Anita & John Fuelberth, Shari & Jim Paige
GREETERS – MARCH 2017
5th – Judy Lindberg, Glenda McDonald, Babs Middleton, Jackie Owens
12th – The Urbanec Family
19th – The Ras Family
26th – The Hammer Family
LECTORS – FEBRUARY 2017
5th – Jon Worner
12th – Gail McCorkindale
19th – Misty Beair
26th – Jim Curtiss
LECTORS – MARCH 2017
5th – Karen Johnson
12th – Gordon Granberg
19th – Mark McCorkindale
26th – Mark Hammer
COMMUNION SET-UP ELDERS
February 5th– Greg Worner
March 1st – TBD
March 8th – TBD
First Presbyterian Church of Wayne, Nebraska 