THE PULSE - First Presbyterian Church of Mason City, Iowa

(641) 424 - 4273
June 1, 2015
Vol. 55 No. 10
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
THE PULSE
CLASSES FOR ALL AGES - 9:00 A.M.
SUNDAY WORSHIP - 10:30 A.M.
www.firstpresbymc.com
A Note from Pastor Paul
This note is something of a follow-up to the sermon
on May 31. We read Isaiah 6:1-8, and I pointed out that
for all the other-worldly nature of Isaiah’s vision, the
hymn the angels sing proclaims that “the whole earth is
full of God’s glory.” We talked about the many ways
God’s glory is revealed in this world, including the everyday events of our
own lives. But I want to encourage you, this Summer, to be more aware
of the glory of God in creation.
At the Wednesday morning Bible study we were sharing those
moments of awe that leave you speechless, and many of them involved
being in a natural setting, like the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls, or the
Grand Tetons. But you don’t have to travel miles from home to
experience God’s glory in creation.
This morning all I have to do is glance out the window of my office—
the clear blue sky, the green lawn, the trees in full leaf—or open my
window and feel the cool breeze. Or, you can sit out in your own back
yard, or one of our city parks. Or, take a walk down the trail by the
Winnebago River and listen to the bubbling water, smell the blossoms
and even the dankness of the air, listen for bird calls, watch a pileated
woodpecker hammer at a dead tree branch—and you are reminded of
the poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, “the world is charged with the
grandeur of God;” or Psalm 104, “O Lord, how manifold are your works!
The earth is full of your creatures;” or the words of Jesus, “consider the
lilies of the field, and the birds of the air;” or the hymn by Maltbie
Babcock, “This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears all nature
sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.”
So get out and get in touch with creation in whatever way you can,
and let your awareness of the beauty and grace of it all be a prayer.
We are offering a few ways to experience God’s good world with our
church family this summer—on the water in a kayak, on your feet on a
hike, on a bike, or in worship in the courtyard. There are more details in
this Pulse about these Summer Events, but I want to encourage you to
join us on Sunday, June 14, at 10:30 am, as we move worship out into
the courtyard. We will set up chairs, so no need to bring your own. But,
I invite you to bring along a potted plant or flower, just for the day, to
add some color to our worship space. And if you know someone who
will not be worshiping with others, invite them to join you.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
they shall speak of the glory of your kingdom. Psalm 145:10-11
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, JUNE 3
Bible Study—10:20 am
Summer Kickoff Party—6:00 pm
Thursday, JUNE 4
Prayer Shawl Ministry Team—1:00 pm
Friday, JUNE 5
Community Kitchen—9 am-12:30 pm
Sunday, JUNE 7
Worship—10:30 am, Communion
New Members Received
Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank Sunday
Tuesday, JUNE 9
Staff Meeting—8:30 am
Coffee and Conversation—9:00 am
Membership and Outreach—11:00 am
Wednesday, JUNE 10
Bible Study—10:20 am
Saturday, JUNE 13
Eat, Pray, Love Group—9:00 am
Sunday, JUNE 14
Outdoor Worship—10:30 am, Courtyard
PALS at Pasta Bella—5:30 pm
Tuesday, JUNE 16
Worship and Music—4:30 pm
Wednesday, JUNE 17
Bible Study—10:20 am
Thursday, JUNE 18
Deacons—7:00 pm
Sunday, JUNE 21
Happy Father’s Day!
Worship—10:30 am
(Calendar continued on page 2)
Upcoming Dates
(Continued)
Tuesday, JUNE 23
Staff Meeting—8:30 am
Special Needs and Endowment—1:30 pm
Wednesday, JUNE 24
Bible Study—10:20 am
Thursday, JUNE 25
Spirited Readers—5:30 pm
Session—7:00 pm
Saturday, JUNE 27
Eat, Pray, Love Group—9:00 am
Kayak Trip—9:00 am
Sunday, JUNE 28
Worship—10:30 am
Camp Needs
Please help us fill a
basket with items that
are needed for the
camp. The following is
a list provided by
Beth Ehlers of items the camp could use: bug spray,
sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher), band aids, antibiotic
ointment, hand sanitizer (larger bottles), sidewalk
chalk, crayons, end rolls of news print paper
(butcher paper) - used to be available at the Globe
Gazette, flashlights, nightlights, paper towels, Swiffer
refills, toilet bowl cleaner, and air fresheners.
Please place your items in the basket located next to
the camp display case in the Friendship Room.
Thank you for your donations!
Please keep the following people in your prayers:
Karen Olthoff, IOOF Home; Coni Samsel, knee
replacement recovery; Lee and Judy Butler’s
daughter, Julie Eaton; Jeannie Robertson;
Flooded communities in Texas; Recovery in Nepal.
Pentecost Offering Update
Thanks to all of you who contributed to the Pentecost
Offering. We brought in $729! The Pentecost
Offering, one of four special offerings in the PC(USA),
is one way we are connected to the mission of the
larger church. The Pentecost Offering supports
mission through child advocacy,
youth ministry, and Young Adult
Volunteer opportunities. The
Pentecost Offering also allows
congregations to keep 40% of the
offering to be used locally, especially
for ministries that benefit children at
risk. Thank you for your generosity.
Worship in the Courtyard
Sunday, June 14, 10:30 am
Chairs will be provided
Bring a potted plant or
flower for decoration!
Check out the Pulse Online!
The Pulse is available on our website at
www.firstpresbymc.com in full color and in PDF form.
If you want to receive an email notification when the
newest Pulse newsletter is posted on the website just
email Rhonda at [email protected]
and we’ll add you to our email list.
A Thought from the Special Needs and
Endowment Ministry Team
Are you leaving a legacy of “red tape” for your heirs?
A will can eliminate confusion.
Your will can benefit your church too.
With the love of Jesus Christ, First Presbyterian Church welcomes you just as you are — a child of God.
Wednesday Bible Study Readings
Wednesdays at 10:20 am
What a wonderful way to enjoy Bible
study! Come join us in the Friendship
Room as we look at the upcoming
Sunday scripture. We laugh, share,
and learn about God working in us.
June 3
1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15); Psalm 138
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35
June 10
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17; Mark 4:26-34
Summer Kickoff Party
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 @ 6:00 pm
Help us kickoff the summer
right with a cookout in the
church parking lot!
We’ll have plenty of burgers,
hot dogs, and sides. Bring your
friends for a fun night as we
enjoy God’s creation.
We’ll also have information about upcoming summer
activities such as...
Outdoor Worship, Kayaking, Road Trips, Mission Work,
Retreats, Hikes, VBS, Pool Party, Biking, and more!
Sign Up for Camp!
Experience Creation - Kayaking
We want to help you get
your camper registered.
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 @ 9:00 am
Information on all the camps being offered,
(including activities, dates, and cost)
can be found in the Friendship Room or at
www.lakeshorecenteratokoboji.org
FPCMC will cover 50% of your student’s camp cost,
and their friends too! We'd love for your child to
experience this wonderful place and hope you can find
the perfect camp for your youth.
Here are the steps
1. Find a Camp!
2. Register for Camp (register online or at the church)
3. Fill out the Health Form
4. Let FPCMC know what camp you're going to
Skyzone Trampoline Park - Road Trip
SUNDAY, JUNE 7 @ 1:00 pm
Have you ever wanted to be in a room full of
trampolines? Well this is the Road Trip for you!
Join us as we head
down to SkyZone
in Des Moines for
an afternoon full of
flying through the air with your friends. We’ll leave
the church parking lot @ 1:00 pm and be back in the
early evening. Cost is $20 + Dinner $ (Fazoli’s).
Be sure to turn in your PPP and SkyZone Forms!
We’re paddling down the Winnebago River for our first
Experience Creation event this summer.
All ages are invited and you don’t even have to own a
boat to get down the river (we can find one for you).
We’ll meet in East Park @
9:00 am and make our way
down the river to the Cupola
Inn Bed & Breakfast. The trip
should take around 1.5
hours and we will arrange
transportation back.
There are even rumors there may be pie at the
end of our day. We hope you can take a little
time to enjoy the beauty of creation with us!
PALS
We have booked one of our
favorite restaurants for the next PALS
get together. On Sunday, June 14, at
5:30 pm we will eat at Pasta Bella.
They will only book our large group
on a Sunday, but we feel the food is worth us changing
our schedule a little. We hope you agree. Please
contact the Attlesons or Kresses if you are able to join
us. Please keep in mind that it is important for us to
have an accurate count when we confirm our
reservations with restaurants. Thank you.
With the love of Jesus Christ, First Presbyterian Church welcomes you just as you are — a child of God.
Thank You Meals on Wheels Volunteers!
Love Is Something
Thursday, May 21, provided an opportunity to say
‘Thank You’ to all the dedicated Meals on Wheels
volunteers who delivered meals throughout the past
year. First Presbyterian’s Friendship Room once again
hosted the annual Volunteer Appreciation Brunch with
food provided by Meals on Wheels under the direction
of Amanda Ragan and Sandy Funk. Our special
appreciation to Pastor Paul Collier and to Nate Ruge
for their willing spirits and hard work in arranging the
chairs and tables. Many thanks also to Merritt Balmer,
who made the coffee, Virginia Balmer, who brought
and arranged clever centerpieces, and to both of them
along with Warren Woerner, for helping serve the
brunch. And in particular we especially thank all of
those who gave of their time, energy, and love to
deliver meals during the past year. They included
Merritt and Virginia Balmer, Nancy Beenken and Rain
Eckholt, Mary and Rusty Davenport, Bob and Teri
Elsbury, Marsha Gordon, Jim Lalor and Laura Cerny,
son Michael and niece and nephew Leah and Jonah,
Karl and Jean Laudner, Bonnie McCoy, Wayne and
Barb Opheim, Dick and Doris Smith, Jerry and
Kathy Stephens, and Jill Thoreson.
Every once in a while we learn from the young children
in our church. This past Sunday was one of those
experiences and I’m not writing about the children’s
service. Perhaps you were there and missed what was
happening; I felt this was a story worth sharing.
From the choir loft I watched as Pam Little’s grandson
was scurrying around the pew and aisle picking
something up off the floor. In fact he was getting in
the way of the ushers who were trying to pass the
collection plate. What had he dropped and why was it
so difficult for those little fingers to pick up? Those
around probably heard the noise of whatever it was
that fell, but from the choir loft, I thought it was the
M & M candy from the tubes for the FMSC mission
project. As he stood he looked up at the usher and
dropped in handfuls of what he had picked up. He was
taking to heart Pastor Paul’s call to not let the plate
pass without putting something in it. It was then I
realized those M & M’s were magic pennies that were
rolling all over the floor. But, the story doesn’t end
there; he discovered more dropped change in the
pew. He quickly picked them up and turned around to
place them in the plate as it went by in the pew behind
him. This was a lesson we all can learn from and the
song just keeps singing in my mind. But the call to fill
the plate extends beyond the change we have in our
pockets. It includes prayer concerns, joys, and
sorrows, or just a thought for the day. I encourage
everyone to pass the plate and put a
little love in as an offering.
Feed My Starving Children
Here is a fun way to address a serious
problem. A creative mission project has
begun in First Presbyterian Church.
According to the United Nations’
UNICEF organization, nearly 18,000
children die each day from starvation or
starvation-related causes. For nine
years Westminster Presbyterian Church of Waterloo
has sponsored a food-packing event for the
organization called Feed My Starving Children (FMSC).
This year our church will once again partner with them
to help raise funds to support this life-saving endeavor.
Hunger is a very challenging problem, but here is a way
you can help alleviate it. Pick up a tube of M & M
candy found on the table in the narthex. Then you
encouraged to do three things: 1) Enjoy eating the
candies. 2) Fill the tube with quarters. 3) Return the
quarter-filled tube to our church office or place it in the
offering plate. Marv DeWaard, a Westminster
member, suggests putting the tube on your dining
room table and saying a word of thanks every time you
put a quarter in the tube. You’ll be amazed how
quickly it fills up, and you can rejoice knowing that
every quarter will provide a meal to a child in need.
~Judy Henry
Love Is Something
by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1955
Love is something if you give it away,
Give it away, give it away.
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more.
It's just like a magic penny,
Hold it tight and you won't have any.
Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many
They'll roll all over the floor.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about
any program, event, or item in this newsletter,
please contact one of our staff or the church
office. We would be happy to hear from you!
Minute for Wills Emphasis
Diane Trimble
This is a Minute for Wills Emphasis by the Special
Needs and Endowment Ministry Team. This is a story
about how much a bequest can contribute
to the life of the church.
Many of you have heard about the Rorick Fund. Some
of you knew the Roricks when they were members of
the church. For others, Rorick is just a name
so let me tell you more.
Ray and Lorraine Rorick joined the church when they
came to Mason City in 1931 for Ray to work as a
bookkeeper for the Globe Gazette. He retired in 1969
as the Globe’s publisher. Ray was an elder and served
as chairman of the building committee when our
church was built. They moved to Arizona soon after
retirement. During his work years, he acquired stock
in Lee Enterprises—the parent company of the Globe
Gazette. In his will Ray set up a trust that each year
sells a portion of the stock. The proceeds are
distributed and our church receives 10%.
Ray died in 1983 so he might have hoped, but could
not possibly have known, that the Lee Enterprise stock
would grow to such great value. The first grant from
the Rorick Fund in 1988 was for $2,000. But gradually
the amount increased, as stock values increased,
so that for a few years the annual amount
was over $20,000.
It has been 27 years since the first grant. In recent
years the shares of stock and its value have both
decreased, but the grants continue to come
and benefit our church.
The trust was not restricted but indicated a preference
for capital improvements and debt reduction. Among
other projects the Rorick grants have paid off the debt
from the Friendship Wing construction, paid for the
boiler, paid for the Fellowship Hall energy efficient
windows, and most recently, paid a portion of the
parking lot paving.
Please consider including the church in your will. We
have the church in our will. A bequest to our church
allows you to keep on giving and may make a greater
difference in the life of our church that you
can now imagine.
There are updated Special Needs and Endowment
brochures in the narthex and by the church office.
And there are new versions of the Presbyterian
Foundation booklets, Composing A Legacy and
Personal Record Book in the church office. The
Personal Record Book is a great tool to provide a
precise record of personal and financial information.
First Presbyterian
SUMMER
EVENTS
June
SUMMER KICKOFF PARTY - JUNE 3
SKYZONE TRAMPOLINE TRIP - JUNE 7
OUTDOOR WORSHIP - JUNE 14
WINNEBAGO KAYAK TRIP - JUNE 27
July
NEIGHBOR MISSION WEEK JULY 13-16
CAMP RETREAT - JULY 17-19
LIME CREEK HIKE - JULY 25
G-FORCE VBS - JULY 27-31
August
CHURCH POOL PARTY - AUGUST 1
VBS WORSHIP - AUGUST 2
FORT FRENZY ROAD TRIP - AUG. 16
BIKE AROUND CLEAR LAKE - AUG. 22