Delivered especially for you via e-mail!
Transcription
Delivered especially for you via e-mail!
June, 2015 The First Presbyterian Church of Zephyrhills 5510 19th St. Zephyrhills, FL 33542 Delivered especially for you via e-mail! “ Together We Serve” Office — Mon-Friday 9:00 AM—1:00 PM 813-782-7412 — Fax: 813-782-4352 E-mail: [email protected] // Web site: firstpcz.org Church Staff Rev. Ginny Simmons Ellis — Interim Pastor E-mail: [email protected] — (813)404-6723 Dell Anderson Debbie Edwards Jason Edwards Henry Skaggs Tracy Clemmer — — — — — Church Office Administrator Director of Music Choir Director Youth Leader Nursery Attendant Deacons Session Class of 2015 Sharon Harmsen David Reifsteck Rebecca Rognas Class of 2015 Joanne Combs Audrell Howard John Wilcher Class of 2016 Anne Brothers Linda Lawson Suzann Parrish Class of 2016 Megan Hall Robert Harmsen Clare Bryington Class of 2017 Joe Angello Fran Crum Phoebe Kay Haas Class of 2017 Margaret Andersen John R. Murch, Sr. Mary “Mitzy” Tiffault Yvonne Daume, Clerk of Session June, 2015 CAMP DISCOVERY VBS The week of: JUNE 15-19, 2015! Calling all children Pre–K—5th Grade. Our VBS begins every evening at 6pm with a light dinner prepared and served by Audrell Howard and her many kitchen volunteers. After dinner, our campers will be led through our theme song by Christy Miller. Yvonne Daume will tell a Bible story with a whimsical flare and after that, teachers will take their campers to their rooms, answer questions and give key themed Bible verses. Classes are split as follows: Pre-K-1st, with teachers Megan Hall and Ron Bergstrom; 2nd-3rd with teachers Linda Bergstrom and Rhonda Register, and 4th–5th grade with teachers Roy Marks and Catherine Coffey. Children will catch some tunes daily with Debbie Edwards, crafts with Kathy Stinnette, outdoor fun with Henry Skaggs, and before the fun is over, a magical experiment with Jessica Boydston. Some other camp volunteers you may see are Maggie Andersen, John and Chris Wilcher, Rosalyn Pugh, Jason Edwards, Meagan Sammons, John Murch, Ginny Ellis, Mary Jo Combs-Hall, Clare Bryington, Shanna Royal, Heather Kline and Joanne Combs. It's not too late to join the fun. Sign up every Wednesday 5pm-6pm. Attend Camp Discovery for guaranteed fun! to get to know them. Invite them to consider getting more involved, deeper in the swimming pool, you might say. (Enjoy the water, learn to swim, then get in the deep end.) MARKING A YEAR Friends! I greet you in the name of Jesus, saying as he does: Peace be with you! I have just marked a year as your interim pastor. The year has flown by: meeting you, visiting in homes, hospital, and rehab facilities, attending meetings galore, as well as Lenten Lunches, Movie Night and Work Day. And lots of good worship! Having experienced a full year among you I now have some ideas about ways we might tweak the focus of our ministry. First, I think the church needs to be more intentional about welcoming people into worship, fellowship and service, even into church leadership. We need to invite those who are worshiping here to get more involved. We need to be intentional about offering entry points, words of welcome, and invitations. Whatever your group is doing, be sure to invite others to come give it a try. And once they get there, say a personal word of welcome. Take time to introduce each other and make some connections. I believe that for many of our events we really should provide nametags: sticky ones will do, permanent ones are better. Help people get to know each other and make connections! It's extremely important if we want to be a growing church. Second: We need to be sure the Zephyrhills community as a whole knows about First Presbyterian Church and knows they are welcome here. Then when people come, we need Third: I believe we need to do a better job of inviting people to become members. Yes, it's okay to attend and participate without being members. But membership says "I belong." Those are significant words, my friends. Real Belonging is rare in our world. Community is important. Being an official part of the church can be a wonderful thing. I have been listening to a song from the Iona Community in Scotland. It begins like this: In love You summon; In love I follow; Living today for your tomorrow. What wonderful words. We are all summoned by God to live into God's plan for the world. How do we follow our calling? How can we acknowledge, encourage and celebrate others as they too follow God's call? How can we be open to what God's Tomorrow might look like? How can we be open to God's Tomorrows that are not what we might have envisioned ourselves? That's a big challenge for each and all of us. I'll share more ideas as time goes along. In the meantime, join us in ministry. The Mission Study Retreat will benefit from all our ideas. Help with Vacation Bible School. Support our church financial needs overall so we can be strong moving forward. Pray for the Pastor Nominating Committee on their significant task. Pray for all these things. Help in the ways you know that you can. Follow where God is calling you: with love, with faithfulness, taking the risks of relationship, taking the risk of faith, offering support. I know as you take this journey you will experience deep joy. Love to each of you, wherever you are, Ginny Ellis Congregational Life Ministry Team We thank all who were participants in providing May’s Coffee Hours: Megan Hall and Maggie Andersen, Property Team., Edwards Family, Worship Team. and the Deacons. M E N. . . Stop by for a cup of coffee on Saturday, June 13 at 9:00 AM!! No Agenda, just casual talk with friends (Old and New)! Members of the Congregational Life Team did a Kitchen Refresh on May 12. This consisted mainly of returning items where they belonged, resupplying the pantry and labeling the boxes in store room. We thank all who are supporting Coffee Fellowship. There are 14 Sundays needing Hosts to finish out the year. Please check the Coffee Fellowship Calendar and help out as you are able with any of the unhosted dates. Keep it simple and remember to celebrate Birthdays, Anniversaries or neighborhoods as a suggestion. Thanks in advance! We will be furnishing a cake as a treat for the men on Father’s Day, June 21st. We will also be asking for donations of cheese and crackers for the Coffee Fellowship. Our next Team Meeting is Sunday, June 7. Submitted by Linda Bergstrom, Secretary * * * * * * * * * * REMINDER! ONLY PAPER! Please only put into the blue dumpster by the shed on 19th St. newspaper, office paper, cardboard, junk mail, phone books, magazines and paper bags. ONLY PAPER. Wednesday Night Bible Study PLEASE JOIN US EACH WEDNESDAY AT 6 PM FOR BIBLE STUDY! God’s beautiful promises, instructions and blessings are sprinkled in His Word…let’s study them together! Saturday, June 13 the Supper Club will be eating at Chancy’s Catfish Shack in Plant City at 5:00 PM. RSVP to Sue Reffit at 813 783 1299 by Noon on Thursday, June11. Van will leave the church at 4:00 PM. Reserve your seat! On Sunday, June 14, please remain in the Sanctuary after Worship to ask any Questions that you may have regarding the Property Campaign: “Keep Cool and Raise the Roof! OUR POTTER PROJECT POTTER – Prayer on Thursdays at Ten Enlightens and Refreshes “Pray continually.” I Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) “This is the promise of Paul’s command: not to ignore the daily tasks by turning to God in prayer, but periodically to interrupt our daily tasks with moments of prayer so that everything else is shaped by that attitude.” Martha Moore-Keish Each Thursday at 10 a.m. (wherever we are), let us pause to pray. * * * Remember the church in your prayers Remember the church in your will. Remember the church when you speak with your neighbors! From the Deacons’ Corner Phoebe Kay Haas, Moderator 813-788-3454, 813-469-2225, [email protected] We cannot thank you enough for your donations to the Deacons’ pantry! On May 14 we served 79 families, with 13 being new to this ministry. Those in our community who need a helping hand are blessed by your generosity! Items requested for June are Spaghettio’s and tuna or canned meat. The Post Office Food Drive was a Blessing for our community; 22,000 pounds of food was received by the Neighborhood Care Center (NCC)! However, this was about 1,000 pounds less than last year. Three of your Deacons and one person from the congregation helped sort food at the NCC on Saturday and during the week. The Director of the NCC was very kind to share some of the food with our Church pantry and two other local churches. Max Lucado writes, “Daily do a deed for which you cannot be repaid.” What a good idea! So, you are invited to come and help us on Pantry Day (2nd Thursday of each month, 9:30-11 a.m.). You might hand out sacks of groceries, or carry the sacks for those who are disabled, or just chat with our pantry families and share Christ’s love! Come and celebrate the joy of the Lord! We appreciate your prayers; please be assured that you are in our prayers as well. We are here to serve, so please let us know how we may serve YOU! In Christian love, Suzann Parrish, Deacons’ Secretary * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS FROM THE F.R.E.S.H YOUTH GROUP! First, a huge WAY TO GO to the members of our youth group who sing with the Zephyrhills High School choir. They performed in a local church and raised $6,000 for the homeless. Members of the choir who participated were: Ashleigh Blackburn, Celine Johnson, Danielle Vadenheen, Joel Skaggs and Kaitlin Morley. Celine and Kaitlin also performed a duo for state and received an excellent rating. Celine sang a solo which earned her a superior rating. Congratulations to all. In April our youth group toured the campus of USF during the Stampede for Success program (an Open House for high school students to see what USF has to offer them). Many were inspired and I believe we now have a few USF Bulls in our midst. All had a great time. The youth group would also like to thank all who supported the youth group during the Chili Bar fund raiser. We are always grateful for the support given by church members. We want to honor Joel Skaggs who has earned a 4.5 GPA. Joel is a member of the National Honor Society and was placed within the top 6 of his class. We know his parents must be beaming with pride (and who could blame them)! F.R.E.S.H. birthdays for June are: Julian Hay and Marvin Miller. Prayer List Mary Andersen/daughter of Maggie Andersen David Mann/Friend of Joe and Anna Angello Glen Badgero Sally Martin, C.O.M., Presbytery of Tampa Bay Jean Basnight Family/sister of Rosalyn Pugh Gordon McDonagh Stu Daume Diane Middlekauff/Fran Crum’s daughter John Britton/ Pam and Rex Nichols/daughter and son-in-law Michael Doran/Linda Lawson’s nephew of Martha Wilson Vickie Ellingwood Charles Pugh Donna Englebrecht Sue Reffit Mardell Franke Joe Soueidan/grandson of Rosalyn and Frank Guth/Husband of Holly Neiswender’s niece Charles Pugh Kevin Haas/son of Phoebe Kay Haas Ken Keslar/son-in-law of Donna Brooking Prayer concerns remain for thirty days unless the office is otherwise notified by family. Pray for those in Nursing Homes: Reba Carlson/Westbrook Manor — Irene Finn/Heartland — Joe Horak/The Commons Elaine Truelson/Zephyrhills Health & Rehab. Pray for those in the Armed Forces: LSC(SS) Matthew E. Edwards Major Craig Young/Jack and Dianne Young’s son. Mark and Debbie Edwards’ son Ashley Lawson, USMC/Linda Lawson’s 5 Sr. Airman Jason Haas/Phoebe Kay Haas’ grandson 02 05 07 08 08 17 John Wilcher Randy Neiswender Patricia Hopkins Reba Carlson Tina Hannold Richard Putskey 06 13 14 15 19 26 27 53 Jack and Dianne Young James and Megan Hall Warren and Marcia Stearns Bill and Elizabeth Hughes Kenneth and Mary Gregg Dave and Vicki Arndt Joseph and Joan Pound Jack and Peg Wilson 20 22 26 29 30 Art Kopp Noah Ainsworth (Hopkins) Howard Hague Joanne Wussow Joan Pound 51 Years 04 Years 57 Years 47 Years 67 Years 39 Years 17 Years 53 Years SUMMER’S JOYS AND STRESSES Summer is upon us, that traditional time of relaxation; some of us will travel near and far, and others simply stay home and rest. Such a happiness-inspiring season, yet there are those who are unhappy still: alone in angst, feeling sorrowful, unloved, or grieving. As Micah described Israel’s Miseries in verse 7:1, "I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave." That's a gap Stephen Ministers help fill, addressing those concerns within, bringing the love of Jesus; bringing Summertime into the heart, and that's when healing begins. Please call Tina Hannold: (813) 782-8303. * * * * * KEEP COOL; RAISE THE ROOF News from John Wilcher, Chair — Administration, Finance and Personnel Ministry On Sunday, May 17, the Session approved our next project. Our capital campaign will be called: Keep Cool and Raise the Roof. This project will be divided into two phases: Phase I is to replace 9 of our air conditioners at a cost of $50,000. This includes the immediate replacement of two units plus fixing the roof where these units are located. In order to have VBS, this is necessary for the comfort of the students. Phase II is to replace the roof shingles at an additional cost of $70,000. The total cost of these projects is approximately $125,000. The funding of the projects will come from 4 sources: a) Pledges. We are asking you the congregation to pledge over a three year period for this project. You soon will receive a letter explaining how the pledge system will work; b) Borrowing. We can borrow from ourselves, using our investment account or from an outside agency, ie the Presbyterian church or a bank; c) Fundraisers. This would need a group of people to run this program to raise money expressly for the use of the church. d) Estate Planning. Bequeathing money to the church through your Will is always appreciated. We will keep you apprised of money raised through the Weekly Word and the First Word newsletter. * * * * * * * * Chelsey Judd * Class of 2015 Congratulations to our graduating senior Chelsey Judd. She was honored with a brief presentation by Yvonne Daume during the Sunday service on May 24. Chelsey has been a member of our youth group for 5 years. If you have ever been to Movie Night you probably have seen her making the popcorn. Or if you've been to VBS in the past couple of years, you would have seen her teaching a younger class. She has always been a big help with many church activities. We want her to know how much we have enjoyed having her in the youth group and give her an invitation to continue her biblical education on Wednesdays with the adult class. Best wishes to you always. June, 2015 First Presbyterian Church of Zephyrhills 5510 19th Street, Zephyrhills, FL 33542 (813)782-7412 Fax (813)782-4352 Email: [email protected] Website: www.firstpcz.org Sun Mon Tue 1 The Scouts will not be meeting during June and July. 2 10:00 AM Women’s Bible Study 3 4 10:00 P.O.T.T.E.R. 5 6 7 8:30 Adult Study 8 Ministry Team 10:00 Worship/ Reports are due Communion 11:00 Coffee Time 11:30 Ministry Teams 9 10 2:30 Deacons 5:30 Weds. Supper 6:00 Classes 7:00 Choir 11 9:30 Food Pantry 12 13 9:00 AM Men’s Morning Coffee Supper Club to eat at Chancy’s Catfish Shack/Plant City 14 8:30 Adult Study 15 10:00 Worship 11:00 Q&A time following Worship 11:20 Coffee Time 11:45 Session meeting 16 17 18 10:00 P.O.T.T.E.R. 19 20 21 8:30 Adult Study 10:00 Worship 11:00 Coffee Time 23 22 Thu Fri 10:00 P.O.T.T.E.R. Sat Vacation Bible School each night this week! 6:00— 8:30 PM 24 5:30 Weds. Supper 6:00 Classes 25 26 27 10:00 P.O.T.T.E.R. CHURCH GROUP WILL BE AT MONTREAT CONFERENCE CENTER Father’s Day 28 8:30 Adult Study 10:00 Worship/Food Pantry Collection 11:00 Coffee Time Wed 29 30