Presbytidings – March 2019
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.”
“At the Crossroads”
Evening Lenten Services
Beginning March 6th at at 7:00pm
This year during our Lenten services we will be meeting some of the people involved in the story of the Passion of Christ. Many people when they encountered Christ came to a crossroad and had to decide which way to go. Each week we will hear from an individual who encountered Christ and the choices they made. Some chose well, some did not, the stories of each of these experiences help us to know what to do and what not to do when we encounter similar crossroads in our own lives. It is hoped that each week will reveal how Christ and his cross lead us to discern God’s will for us. Beginning March 13th, Lenten services will include a fellowship meal of soup and sandwiches beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by a time of worship.
March 6th, Ash Wednesday – David (no meal)
March 13th – Judas
March 20th – Pontius Pilate
March 27th – Malchus
April 3rd – Peter
April 10th – John
April 18th – Maundy Thursday with communion (no meal)
Please plan to join us for this time of fellowship and worship
as part of your Lenten practices.
Preparation
Lent is a time for serious thought
A time of meditation;
It is a time to fast and pray,
A time for contemplation.
Lent is a time to look within,
A time of realization
Of just what means the most in life,
A time of revelations.
So Lent become a holy time,
A time of preparation
For all the joy that Easter brings,
A time of resurrection.
Author; Frieda Bair from
Feather in the Wind, Dorrance & Co.
From the Pastor,
Robert Frost’s beloved poem “The Road Not Taken” speaks of standing where “…two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” having a decision to make as to which road to choose. As in Frost’s poem we often encounter crossroads in our lives, when decisions must be made as to what path we will travel.
Standing at the crossroad we may choose to travel on a familiar road, however sometimes our choice takes us on a road void of anything familiar and we have a hard time getting and keeping our bearings. Marriage, family, education, vocation are but a few of the crossroads we encounter during our lives; college or a trade school, should we accept a new and challenging position or remain in a familiar setting. The experience of being told you have a serious health issue can quickly put you at a crossroad in what may seem like the wilderness, as you decide the best course of action; surgery or no surgery, treatment or no treatment.
There are numerous biblical accounts of folks who encountered crossroads in their lives which required hard decisions on what path to take. When God told Abram to leave his home and go to the land he would be shown, he didn’t have an on-board navigation system, he didn’t even have a road map. Yet Abram trusted God and set out. As part of his journey Genesis chapter 12 tells that Abram went to Egypt because of a famine in the land. He decided to say his wife Sarai was his sister to preserve his life and he was enriched by the Pharaoh as a result. The Pharaoh even wanted to marry Sarai, however, when the Pharaoh found out about the trick, Abram and his family were sent away. There were other times in his life that Abram displayed generosity rather than selfishness.
Rahab[*] made a choice to protect the spies of Joshua from the king of Jericho. She had heard of how God had blessed and protected the Israelites and asked for protection for her family and herself in exchange for helping the spies. To guarantee the family’s protection Rahab was to gather all her family in her home and tie a scarlet cord from her window, they were promised safety if Rahab didn’t give away the spies. She put her life in danger to protect her family. You remember the rest of the story; Joshua and his soldiers were given the victory over Jericho and Rahab and her family were saved.
Imagine if Mary[†] had said no to the angel Gabriel’s message! Mary certainly went down an unexpected road. Her journey was filled with love and joy as well as challenges and grief, much like our lives. Joseph was at a crossroads when Mary told him she was pregnant; he had to decide if he would he divorce her quietly or walk with her on a path that was certain to be rough. Joseph, with a little heavenly guidance decided to walk with Mary. Crossroads and the resulting choices can be dangerous places, places where we encounter fear and challenge, but they can also be places that we encounter beauty and mystery.
During our Wednesday evening Lenten services, we will encounter six biblical characters who to came to a crossroad in their lives some choose well, and others did not. Some wrong choices eventually lead to confession before God, other choices lead to betrayal and judgment. Some who encountered Jesus turned their lives around and went in a completely different direction, living lives of compassion, obedience and declaring their faith in Christ.
Every Lent we stand at a crossroad, we are invited to a time of self- examination, of our lives, our relationship with Christ, to repent of those things that get between us and God. Sometimes we do have to turn around, change directions, choose another path, other times our faith requires that we stay on the path, following the signs, trying not to be afraid even when the road is rough, and the terrain is unfamiliar. Whether we travel on familiar or unfamiliar roads we are not alone, for as God spoke to Jacob; “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go….”[‡] We can give thanks for the faithfulness of our Triune God who has promised never to leave or forsake us. Thanks be to God.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Teresa
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Spring forward one hour the weekend of March 10th!
COMMUNION
We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the following dates:
- Sunday, March 3rd (Communion elder, Jean Griess)
- Sunday, April 7th at 7:00pm (Communion elder, Jim Curtiss)
DEACONS MEETING
The Deacons will meet on Tuesday, March 12th at 4:15pm.
LENTEN SUPPERS & SERVICES
Our church family will gather for weekly Wednesday night suppers during Lent beginning Wednesday, March 13th through Wednesday, April 17th at 6:00pm. The supper sign-up sheets are on the Opportunity Table in Fellowship Hall. Afterward, we will gather for Lenten services at 7:00pm. All are welcome.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
- Palm Sunday, April 14th at 10:00am
- Maundy Thursday with communion : April 18th at 7:00pm
- Easter Sunday brunch: April 21st at 9:00am
- Easter Sunday Celebration with communion: April 21st at 10:00am
HOMESTEAD PRESBYTERY DAY OF DISCERNMENT PART TWO – March 16th, 2019
All members of PC (USA) churches in Homestead Presbytery are invited to participate in the Process of Discernment on March 16th at Calvin Crest Camp from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Synod representatives Elona Street-Steward and Deb DeMeester will be helping facilitate the conversation about the future direction of Homestead staffing, mission, and the Presbytery as a whole. ALL are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion of how the Presbytery can be more responsive to congregations and pastors as well as the communities we serve and the role of the Presbytery as a governing body. Pastor Teresa is planning to attend, please contact her if you are interested in going. There is no fee to attend and lunch and childcare will be provided.
YOUTH GROUP
Youth Group will meet Wednesday, March 14th and 28th this month. Contact Gail McCorkindale or Ronda Ras for more details.
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
Presbyterian will meet Wednesday, March 6th at 4:00pm in Fellowship Hall.
Check out these two new books which have been added to the PW Library, housed in Fellowship Hall. Take a look, you may find something interesting to read on a cold winter night.
- In This Moment. From #1 New York Timesbestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a brand-new Baxter Family novel about a beloved high school principal who starts a Bible Study to improve the lives of his struggling students, only to become the national focus of a controversial lawsuit.
- · Thomas Kinkade’s Cape Light: A Christmas Secret (A Cape Light Novel) by Katherine Spencer. The Christmas of 1955 seemed the last for his toyshop, until a miracle arrived, along with a stray dog named Otis. As Martin discovers, his grandfather’s greatest legacy is a priceless lesson about giving from the heart.
SEWING SOULS
Sewing Souls will meet Wednesday, March 20th at 4:00pm.
SESSION
The Session will gather on Monday, March 25th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
FOLLOWING DAMARIS RETREAT – March 29-31, 2019
Come, “Follow Damaris” to a more vital faith in a retreat setting where you will be introduced to life-giving and life-glorifying means of imagining and experiencing God. The retreat will be held at Calvin Crest Conference Center in Fremont, NE and begins on Friday before dinner and ends after Sunday morning worship. See more details on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.
SUMMER CAMP @ CALVIN CREST
The warm weather is coming! We promise! And what better way to spend your summer than going to camp with friends and Jesus! Calvin Crest is officially open for summer camp registration: www.calvincrest.org/summer-camp. Please visit with Pastor Teresa regarding scholarships from the church. Hope to see you there!
SYNOD SCHOOL
Make plans to attend Synod School 2018 this summer, July 21-26 at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Registration is now open. You can view the extensive catalog at http://www.lakesandprairies.org/SynodSchool
Lector/Greeter Schedule for March 2019
| 3/3/2019 | Karen Johnson | Presbyterian Women |
| 3/10/2019 | Milton Owens | Milton & Jackie Owens |
| 3/17/2019 | Jodi Pulfer | Kent & Jodi Pulfer |
| 3/24/2019 | Maria Ras | The Ras Family |
| 3/31/2019 | Jack Beeson | The Hammer Family |
March 2019 – First Presbyterian Church
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Each Sunday Morning:
o Handbell Choir 8:45 o Worship 10:00 o Fellowship 11:00
|
|
1
|
2 | |||
| 3
Transfiguration of the Lord
Communion
Celebrate the Gifts of Women |
4
5:40 Pastor has KTCH devotions 6:30 Scout Den Meeting |
5
5:40 Pastor has KTCH devotions
|
6
Ash Wednesday 5:40 Pastor has KTCH devotions 4:00 Presbyterian Women 7:00 Ash Wednesday Service
|
7
5:40 Pastor has KTCH devotions
|
8
5:40 Pastor has KTCH devotions
|
9 |
| 10
1st Sunday in Lent
Daylight Savings – spring ahead!
|
11
6:30 Scout Den Meeting |
12
4:15 Deacons Meeting |
13
10:30 Pastor at WACAM 6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lent Service 8:00 Youth Group
|
14 | 15
|
16
Day of Discernment Pt. 2 at Calvin Crest |
| 17
2nd Sunday in Lent |
18
6:30 Scout Den Meeting |
19
|
20
4:00 Sewing Souls 6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lent Service
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
| 24
3rd Sunday in Lent |
25
7:00 Session Meeting |
26
|
27
6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lent Service 8:00 Youth Group |
28
|
29
|
30
|
| 31
4th Sunday in Lent |
1
6:30 Scout Den Meeting |
2 | 3
6:00 Soup Supper 7:00 Lent Service
|
4 | 5 | 6 |
MARCH BIRTHDAYS
17 Jack Beeson
19 Judy Lindberg
24 Jacob Beair
25 Leigh Heese
28 Babs Middleton
29 Madison Urbanec
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Contact the church office 402-375-2669 or fpcwayne@gmail.com
Contact Information:
First Presbyterian Church
216 W. Third Street
Wayne NE 68787
FPC Office & Wayne Food Pantry:
402-375-2669
Tuesday – Friday, 9am – 12 noon
Websites:
Church: https://fpcwayne.org/
Wayne Food Pantry: https://fpcwayne.org/food-pantry/
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
First Presbyterian Church – Wayne, Nebraska
Wayne Food Pantry – Wayne, Nebraska
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Pastor Teresa Bartlett
402-375-2669 (office)
319-795-2911 (cell)
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[*] Joshua 2-6
[†] Luke 1:26-38
[‡] Genesis 28:15 a
First Presbyterian Church of Wayne, Nebraska 