August - Peace Presbyterian Church

The
of
Peace Church Vacation Bible School
August 9-16 ~ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
This year as we prepare for Vacation Bible School our theme is twofold. First, we want to focus on how blessed all of us are, and second
how we can pass blessings on to others. To help demonstrate this we
have two service projects: school bags and Christmas shoe boxes.
What has always made our VBS unique is that all children are welcome—from 3 years of age through 6th
grade, and there is no cost involved for parents. For the grownups there is an adult study and work project. We start out with dinner at 5:30 and then gathering together for songs and story. What follows next
are small groups of Bible story time, crafts and game time. At 8:00 we finish just in time for Mom and Dad
to take home tired children.
Do you know of some children who would enjoy being a part of loving, caring people whose goal is to pass
on the love of God? Check with neighbors, friends or grandchildren. Registration forms are in the church
Narthex.
Last of all, putting together VBS takes a crew of volunteers. We are thankful to all of you.
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Michelle Gallick and Pastor Zach: Teachers
Pat Wilson and Robin Councilman: Crafts
Julie North and Aaron Councilman: Games
Dean Meyer: Scenery
Val Eng: Music
Barb West: Adult Education
Dana Councilman and Kim North: all around helpers
Michelle Gallick, Judy Kirk, Lynn Kubista and Robin Councilman lovingly prepare our meals
Reminders
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There will be no Wednesday night dinners in August. Dinners will start up again in September.
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Don’t forget the all-church retreat at Clearwater Forest weekend of September 18-20
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The craft group WILL NOT meet on Saturday, August 8.
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People of Peace
Betty Kringlee
A walk down memory lane
Choral impresario, energetic cheerleader—
and producer of prize-winning potato salad
“Alright, gentlemen, let's settle down. This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” Upon hearing Betty Kringlee’s customary admonition from Psalms, a hefty group of adult males, clad in reddish
jackets and ties, would quietly turn toward their diminutive director. It was warm-up time before the Peace
Chor's monthly turn in the “choir loft.” No more lollygagging, please!
Annette Snyder, or later, Joyce Hillary, would be poised at
the organ, and the cherubic Mrs. K., her blue eyes sparkling, would raise her arms to begin the run-through. After a few stops, harrumphs and starts, a pleasing sound
would emanate from the gathered singers. “The boys,” as
their director often referred to them, were ready for prime
time with an anthem and offertory.
Afterward, as Peace Church members moved out of the
sanctuary toward coffee and cookies, many might nod at
their male singers in smiling approval. Not bad, some might say, for a bunch of workaday church guys who
liked to exercise their lungs together once a week.
No question about it. The Peace Chor men, basses, baritones and tenors, had found a calling. And their energetic director had given them a big reason why.
From the mid-1960s, when she took over as Peace Chor director, until the '90s when she “retired,” Betty
would rehearse them regularly for church services, instilling in them a sense of spiritual pride, cohesiveness
and pleasure few had expected to find in such a way.
Capitalizing on the men's ability and devotion, she also introduced them to extra-curricular duty with a
group of lady singers she directed called the Manortones, many from inside the church and a fair number of
different faiths as well. Each winter, the two groups would join together in rehearsals under Betty's baton
for spring “interpretations” of famous Broadway musicals – like Annie Get Your Gun, The Music Man, Brigadoon and numerous others. Audiences always responded very favorably to their home-grown efforts. Participants savored the fun and camaraderie.
How Mrs. Kringlee found the time and energy to direct a third group, the still-well-known “Leagueaires,” one
can only speculate. That she loved what she was doing surely provided one good reason. The people who
loved and performed with her certainly offered another.
We don't see Betty in church as often as we would like these days. She's pretty much at home with her son,
Jim. That doesn't mean we who've been inspired by her service to our Lord, our church's mission, and virtually everybody who's served with her, don't miss her smiling countenance and compelling energy. And did
we mention the potato salad she would whip up for Peace Chor picnics? Absolutely fantasic!
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They're good for our health!
I've long said I could get along without a
man in my life, and for many years that
proved to be true. But I've also said I'd
be lost without my girlfriends. It was two
of my best girlfriends who took me under their wing after my husband died
and I've never forgotten that. So when this article appeared in my e-mail the other day, I was not surprised.
In an evening class at Stanford University, the last lecture
was on the mind-body connection—the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry
at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best
things that a man could do for his health was to marry a
woman, whereas one of the best things a woman could do
for her health was to nurture her relationships with her
girlfriends.
At first everyone laughed, but he was serious. Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult
life experiences. Physically, this quality "girlfriend time"
helps us to create more serotonin—a neurotransmitter
that helps combat depression and can create a general
feeling of well being.
Women share feelings, whereas men often form relationships around activities. We share from our souls with our
sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very GOOD for our
health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as
important to our general health as jogging or working out
at a gym. There's a tendency to think that when we are
"exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies,
but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting
our time and should be more productively engaged.
Not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain
quality personal relationships with other humans is as
dangerous to our physical health as smoking!
So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just
pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health!
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A Life Well Lived
Dorothy Marx by Pat Wilson
As they say, it takes a village to raise a
child. We know this is true. Often we depend on aunts, uncles, grandparents to
support us but sometimes our help comes
from unexpected sources such as teachers, youth leaders or social workers.
This became clear to me as I read the obituary of Dorothy Marx. At one time Dorothy worked in the child welfare system
and later as a social worker in the St. Louis Park High school and elementary
schools. In the guest book of her obituary
someone wrote, “Miss Marx helped me a
lot when I was in St. Louis Park High
School. I was having problems at home
and school, plus working and attending
school. Miss Marx helped me graduate. I
later went on to become a nurse and enjoyed a 33- year career at HCMC. I couldn’t have done this without the help of
Miss Marx. God bless her.”
After Dorothy retired she spent many
winters working for Habitant for Humanity and other organizations such as Children’s Haven in Pharr, TX. Children’s Haven is a place that provides loving Christian care for children from abusive, broken or impoverished homes.
Dorothy was a longtime member of Peace
Church, but for the last several years she
had not been able to attend due to health
issues. She still loved to hear about what
was going on at Peace. I was Dorothy’s
deacon for many years and when I visited
her it was always a stimulating conversation. She will be missed.
Contributed by Betts Snyder
1) During a draught, all villagers decided to pray for rain.
On the day of prayer people gathered, but only one boy
came with an umbrella. That's FAITH!
2) When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because
she knows you'll catch her. That's TRUST!
Gretchen Moffet
4
Kathy Nold
4
3) Every night we go to bed, without any assurance
of being alive the next morning, but still we set alarms
to wake us up. That's HOPE
Agnes Portz
4
Barb Henry
6
John Maier
6
4) We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero
knowledge of the future. That's CONFIDENCE!
Brenna Warren
6
Julie North
8
5) We see the world suffering, but still we get married
and have children. That's LOVE!
6) On an old man's shirt was written a sentence: "I am not
80 years old ... I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience. That's ATTITUDE!
From the Mission Committee
For August Missions we will be collecting school supplies. We
have been given a list of four items:
1) Thick dry erase markers,
2) Elmers large glue sticks,
3) Hi-Lighters and,
4) Old style composition books (not spiral bound).
As always, cash donations can be made to STEP.
And as always food and toilet paper are also needed.
Linda Ostrem
15
Charlie Ostrem
21
Joshua Warren
21
Dawn DeBuhr
25
Marilyn Mullen
29
Marcia Curley
30
Paul Mullen
31
Peace Presbyterian Church
7624 Cedar Lake Road S.
St. Louis Park, MN 55426-254
Tel: 952-545-2586
E-mail: [email protected]
Tidings Staff:
Editor - Judy Kirk
Art Director - Marnie Fujii
Photographer - Dean Meyer
Peace Presbyterian Church is an
inclusive church community
where all God’s people find
hope, love, support,
and spiritual growth.
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