Covenant Caller - Covenant Presbyterian Church
Transcription
Covenant Caller - Covenant Presbyterian Church
Covenant Caller April/May 2014 From the Pastor In a light moment, trying to overcome the dreariness of the long cold snowy winter, a few of us were laughing about old cartoons. One that came to mind was an old Warner Brothers cartoon of Elmer Fudd tip toeing and turning to the audience and saying, “Shhh!” and then continuing to tip toe and survey the scene. Behind him comes Bugs Bunny, also tip toeing and tapping him on the shoulder with, “Eh, What’s up doc?” Elmer responds, “I’m hunting for a wascally wabbit.” He continues, oblivious to the fact that the very quarry he is seeking is interacting with him. It dawned on me later that we are in the cartoon in two ways. The first is our hunting and seeking for God. We make it a point to go out and find God as if we are on a great hunt. It is finally God season in our lives and we are bound to take full advantage of it. With all attentiveness, maybe too much, we are focused to find the God we know. Only God is walking with us, and always has. Many are the times we do not recognize the presence of God who is right with us. So much of Jesus’ ministry is his walking amidst the people, who are looking for Messiah, a deliverer, missing the very signs meant to attract them. That is us. We miss the presence of Jesus because we are on a God hunt. We may come to worship, as those did at Jerusalem during what we now call Palm Sunday. Jesus even rode before them, but he disappears from them in later days amidst the busyness of the times. He was right there, and they overlooked him. It would be funny if it were not truly frustrating to us. Here we are hunting after God and God is right with us. We get hot, bothered and tired of trying to track down God, and run after him, when he is really reaching out to us. Maybe in this season our personal approach to God should be to wait and watch, listen and look, but more to open our hearts to one who is trying to reach into them. We really don’t need to hunt for Him. He’ll find us. He always has. The second way this cartoon hit me was in the midst of my reading the Multiply material so many of us are reading. (If you haven’t by now picked one up or joined on line, this is the time!) It is about being a disciple to make disciples. We often think of those about us as this crazy quarry we need to hunt down with the gospel. They are elusive and confusing. We feel like the inept hunter, without direction, or ability in even the simplest tasks. We tip toe around the countryside, always on guard, but never ready. People are tapping us on the shoulder and saying, “Eh, What’s up Christian?” “We are looking for someone to share the gospel!” Fulfilling the Great Commission should not be so hard, nor so exasperating, nor so ridiculous. We are all living out a different story. As we live out that story, which is part of us as well as about us, we are going to turn to those who tap us, and say, “Jesus is up!” I know you think I’m exaggerating. Reread the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13ff with the cartoon in mind. You’ll sense what I’m talking about. The gospel is light, not laughable. It is life, not a cartoon. “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world” - John 16.33 Yours in Christ, Rev. Robert D. Cummings Deaths William D. Frye William T. Lemmon Linda Sue Williams Memorial Gift Contributing to the Memorial Fund since the last Covenant Caller: Raymond Irwin and family and Donald & Patricia Butts. National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 6 - 13, 2014 Our church is blessed to have so many willing volunteers that care so much for the adults, children and families that pass through our doors. If you have ever tried to schedule something on the church calendar, you know how busy this church is! Most of that is due to the love and service of volunteers. To all those who give of their time serving on boards, arranging meetings and dinners, helping with youth and children’s activities, teaching, the list goes on and on.....thank you for all you do! The love of the Lord you share as you serve is a blessing to all. Please remember to encourage each other as you volunteer together! “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him..” John 12:26 The Annual Women’s Association’s Rummage Sale star ts Fr iday, Apr il 11th , from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 12th, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Please begin bringing your gently used clothing and items on Monday, April 8th to the Fellowship Hall. Volunteers to sort and help during the week are needed, as well as, to help with the sale on Friday and Saturday. Please look for the sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall. TAKE ME HOME! **There are many items found at the church, as well as dishes left in the kitchen for several weeks. Please be sure to check if any of the items belong to you. Anything not claimed will be put in the Rummage Sale.** MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Pine Springs Golf Outing Latrobe Country Club May 19 Presbyterian Home of Johnstown Champion Lakes June 2 Covenant Christian Preschool THINKING ABOUT SUMMER CAMP? CAMP June 9 - 13 Up, Down and Around Take a break from the cold weather to think about summer camp and how it will fit into your family’s summer plans! We are blessed to have three Christian camps very close to us that can give a child an amazing experience. Information about all three camps can be obtained by calling the following phone numbers or visiting the web sites below and also by contacting Kathy Huber. A week or two of fun could be waiting for you! Ligonier Camp & Conference Center, Ligonier 724-238-6428 June 30 - July 2 From Here to There Pine Springs Camp, Jennerstown 814-629-9834 July 7 - 11 Whipping Up Some Fun! www.ligoniercamp.org www.pinesprings.org Summer’s Best Two Weeks, Boswell 814-629-9744 www.sb2w.org August 4 - 8 If You Take a Preschooler ... Women’s Association Spring Dinner The Women’s Association Spring Dinner on May 16th at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Chef Cummings and his cohorts will be preparing the meal. The cost is $10 and reservations will be required. More information to come! REPORT ON THE GENERAL FUND January 2014 Contributions $ 27,723 Transfer to Mission Fund ( 2,772) Expenditures ( 8,933) Difference ($ 3,982) February 2014 Contributions $ 24,357 Transfer to Mission Fund ( 2,436) Expenditures ( 28,253) Difference ($ 6,332) AMOUNT NEEDED PER MONTH TO MEET THE BUDGET IS $29,124 Easter Offerings During the Easter season, it is encouraging to see both new and familiar faces at our worship services. Throughout the year, many of you already support the congregation with your time, talent and financial contributions but greater participation is always welcome. We encourage you to look into our electronic giving program. It takes just a few minutes to setup a recurring giving plan. Visit the church website and locate the donation link, complete a paper authorization form or scan the QR code below. Scan to give. ON LINE GIVING ~ If you would like to make a one-time or ongoing contribution visit our website www.cpclig.net and click on the DONATE NOW tab, or contact the Church Office. ON LINE BANKING ~ Most financial institutions offer online banking, allowing you to set up either onetime or recurring donations. Contact your bank to learn more about this option. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND Balance January 1, 2014 Investment CIV (January & February) Balance February 28, 2014 $102,953 1,682 $104,635 NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014 Are you willing to commit to pray for out country? The Ligonier Valley Association of Churches is again offering special opportunities to join our brothers and sisters in Christ as we pray for our nation on May 1. Please note the date on your calendar. The NDP celebration will begin with a prayerbreakfast buffet at the Barn at 7:30 a.m. Please telephone Glema Burke, (724)995-8014 (cell 412327-4548) or e-mail [email protected] for tickets and reservations. The cost is $6.00. Again, several people from the community will speak (briefly) and offer prayers for the seven centers of power in our nation (government, military, media, business, education, church and family). Everyone is invited to an old-fashion hymn sing at the Ligonier Gardens from 11:00 a.m.— noon and a contemporary praise sing at Heritage UMC at 7:00 p.m. A Prayer Journey will be available at the YMCA from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Valley Youth Network members are planning special events also. (No prayer walk or balloon launch this year). Please consider flying your flag on the National Day of Prayer as a show of support for the Christian principles upon which our nation was founded. YOUTH CLUB Our winter term of Youth Club was full of fun and fellowship. Eighteen 2 nd-5th graders met each Thursday afternoon from January 23 through March 13. Our study this term was some of the parables of Jesus. We started with the Parable of the Mustard Seed and “planted” a seed on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. Each week as we learned about another parable, the children were encouraged to write something they learned that helped their faith to grow, on a green leaf which we added to our “growing mustard seed tree”. By the end of our eight weeks, we had a large tree of faith to share with one another and anyone who took the time to stop and read a few leaves. During our weeks together, we also made Valentine cards for Meals on Wheels and enjoyed a scavenger hunt which was held in the church due to extremely cold temperatures! We were visited by Pine Springs Camp and Ligonier Camp and Conference Center who played games, sang songs and talked about great summer camping opportunities. Our annual limbo contest was great fun as Jake Roadman won, following in the footsteps of his sister, Brooke, who won the last four years! Our term ended with the annual carnival, which is always greatly anticipated and tons of fun! We enjoyed games, prizes, cupcakes and ice cream. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help with the games and donated food. All the families were invited to attend and bring friends. The children and I want to give many thanks to Kathy Mileca, Betsy Pride and Hope Smithley for all their help with Youth Club this term. We also appreciate all the snacks that were donated by parents each week. Thank you to the congregation for all your continued prayers and support! “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain ,’Move from here to there’, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!!!!! July 14 – 18 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM Wilderness Escape: Where God Guides and Provides Join us as we catch up with Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness! Moses will show us firsthand what it is like to live in an Israelite camp. We will learn that God guides us so we need to trust Him! We will have games, crafts, snacks and of course, great music! Join us and bring a friend!! Volunteers to help for any or all of our days are greatly needed!! Please see Kathy Huber to volunteer! PRESCHOOL SUNDAY Covenant Presbyterian Church will celebrate the blessings of our preschool and our children at "Preschool Sunday" on May 18th at the 8:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services. We will share a children's message and the preschool children in attendance will be recognized. The Preschool Board will host a luncheon as their final fundraising event of the school year. The luncheon menu will include chicken and biscuits with pie or cake for dessert. Takeout orders will available after both services. The luncheon will immediately follow the second service. Please join us as we celebrate another blessed year! Youth Fellowship The winter weather has been brutal this year to say the least. In February we were forced to cancel Primetime 2 out of the 4 weeks due to school closings. But the youth fellowship has remained busy with many different activities during the last couple months. In mid-February, several of us went with Valley Youth Network on their annual ski trip to Gore Mountain. It was nice to have a ton of fresh snow up there which provided for great conditions throughout the weekend. On March 7-8, we took a group of 28 people to Splash Lagoon indoor water park in Erie. We all had a great time escaping the cold for an afternoon and getting a little taste of summer. We also took a group to the Winter Jam Concert on March 21, which featured the Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North, and Lecrae among others. For Sunday school, we have been going through Multiply along with the rest of the church. We have had really good discussions on the material and students are being challenged to live as disciples and be more involved in the church. This study will take us through April, and we have combined our Jr. & Sr. High classes for these weeks and are meeting in the couch room.