Download the January 2015 newsletter in PDF format

January 2015
Pastor’s Perspective
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Happy New Year! I hope you are reading this over a cup of coﬀee or tea or even freshly-squeezed juice.
If you’re not, why don’t you pause and go get yourself some - I’ll wait.
I hope you’re enjoying some peace, now that the clu(er and the guests are gone, the traveling and
wrapping are over, the decora)ng and baking are done. What I really hope is that you can recall and
reclaim the sense of peace that comes when singing Silent Night in a darkened church with candles
aglow and the people near you singing boldly the words they know and joining their voices with yours,
making song together. Or the peace that accompanies relief a.er ﬁnishing a big task or ge0ng good
news instead of bad or even clearing out the garage before the ﬁrst snowfall. Or the peace that can be
found on a wooded trail or in a grassy ﬁeld or even in a movie theater.
We o.en equate peace with happiness but the “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you - I do not
give as the world gives” kind of peace that Christ oﬀers isn’t a promise of happiness. His peace is a peace
of well-being that comes not because all around us is going well but because we trust that God will be
with us through it all, good or bad. That’s in part why we share this reading from John 14 so frequently
when we celebrate someone’s life. I like to think and dare to hope that the Silent Night kind of peace,
that feeling, is a window onto the fullness of the peace which Christ oﬀers. And so, I hope you are
experiencing that peace now and I especially hope that you receive more than just glimpses of it in 2015.
That makes my wish to you more aptly “Peace-ﬁlled New Year!”
We can’t know what the year ahead will hold for any of us - and I’m not sure I would want that
knowledge - but through it all, God will be with us and so, too, I hope peace.
Peace to you and yours!
Nicole
First Presbyterian Church of Waukesha
810 North East Avenue, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186
(262) 542-4243 [email protected]
www.ﬁrstpreswaukesha.org
January Calendar
January 1 - New Year’s Day
Oﬃce closed
January 4 - Second Sunday a er Christmas
Epiphany
Communion Sunday
10:00 AM Children’s Sunday School [upstairs]
10:00 AM Middle School Sunday School* [H.S.
Room]
11:00 AM Removing the greenery*
11:15 AM High School Sunday School [H.S. Room]
January 7
11:30 AM Wednesday Bible Study [Oak Room]
5:30 PM Session [oﬃce]
January 11 - Bap&sm of the Lord
10:15 AM Children’s Sunday School [upstairs]
10:15 AM Middle School Sunday School [H.S.
Room]
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM New elder and deacon
training [oﬃce]
11:15 AM High School Sunday School [H.S. Room]
January 12
9:00 AM Rebekah Circle* [Oak Room]
January 14
11:30 AM Wednesday Bible Study [Oak Room]
January 15
8:00 AM Men’s Breakfast [Dady-Oh’s]
January 18 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ordina&on and installa&on of elders and deacons
10:15 AM Children’s Sunday School [upstairs]
10:15 AM Middle School Sunday School [H.S.
Room]
11:15 AM High School Sunday School [H.S. Room]
January 21
11:30 AM Wednesday Bible Study [Oak Room]
January 25 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
10:15 AM Middle School Sunday School [H.S.
Room]
11:15 AM High School Sunday School [H.S. Room]
11:15 AM Soup Showdown* [dining room]
and then Sundae Sunday* [dining room]
January 28
11:30 AM Wednesday Bible Study [Oak Room]
*see ar)cle
Soup “Showdown”
& Seminary Send-off
Please join us in the dining room a.er worship on
January 25 for a soup compe))on and a send-oﬀ
to seminary for Ka)e Ebel. All are invited to
submit a soup entry into the friendly
compe))on. If you’re more of a taster than a
chef, please come and cast your vote and wish
Ka)e well as she heads to the University of
Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa.
The Congrega)onal Life Commi(ee will provide
the needed utensils and bowls, drinks, and soup
accompaniments. Soup is, of course, welcome,
as are desserts.
Future fellowship events:
February 15: Chocolate dessert contest
March 15: Chili cook-oﬀ
April 5: Easter breakfast
May 3: An a.ernoon of appe)zers
Mark your calendars!
Caring Place Laundry
Needed: Volunteers for washing January and
February Caring Place laundry. It may be picked
up in the lower hall a.er noon on Friday or twice
a week, Wednesday a.ernoon and Friday
a.ernoon. Washing and drying required only;
usually two large loads per week. Clients fold
items as part of their ac)vi)es. Please contact
Gladys Manke at
262-542-7853 or [email protected]
if you can help. Hope you had a Happy
Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a Joyous
Christmas Season.
Thanks, Gladys
Sermons up to
Ash Wednesday
January 4 - Second Sunday a er Christmas /
Epiphany
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ma(hew 2:1-12
King of Kings
January 11 - Bap&sm of the Lord
Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11
Into What Were You Bap'zed?
January 18 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 3:1-20; John 1:43-51
Then the Lord Called
January 25 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
This World Is Passing Away
February 1 - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Mark 1:21-28
Raise up a Prophet
February 8 - Fi h Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 40:21-31; Mark 1:29-39
And He Went Throughout
February 15 - Transﬁgura&on of the Lord
2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9
The Face of Christ
Removing the Greenery
Just as the tree must come down in your home,
so must the tree (and garland and poinse0as and
wreaths and pew decora)ons) in the sanctuary.
Please join us a.er worship on Sunday, January 4
as we ready the church again for Ordinary Time.
Sundae Sunday
Sundae Sunday is January 25, a.er our church
soup contest. Sundae Sunday is a chance for
Pastor Nicole and the kids to enjoy casual
conversa)on over ice cream. We gather in the
dining room, shortly a.er worship ends, over mint
chocolate chip and vanilla. All kids are welcome!
January Birthdays
1/13
1/17
1/1 9
1/29
1/29
1/30
1/30
Derek Noska
Sue Root
Kaelyn Van Essen
Karen Schmidt
Logan Heider
Linda Volmar
Mackenzie Van Essen - Happy 1st!
Session Recap
The session met on Wednesday, December 10,
ﬁrst with the deacons, as we do each year, and
then on their own. We examined the newly
elected oﬃcers and welcomed them all into the
calls to which they had been elected.
We also began as to how to faithfully spend the
funds gi.ed to us by Marjorie Williams and we
began discussing improvements to each staﬀ
member’s job descrip)on.
Change of Address
Please note a new address for Joe Beringer below.
222 Park Place
# 431
Waukesha, WI 53186
Prayer Request
We’ve learned that Corinne Ellis’ mother has
suﬀered some strokes recently so we oﬀer our
prayers for healing to her.
Have something for the February newsle6er?
Please send it to [email protected] or
drop it in Jody’s mailbox by Monday, January
26 to have it included. Any items received a er
the 26th will be included in the March
newsle6er.
Counters Needed
A.er 25 faithful years, Rosemary is preparing to
re)re from coun)ng. Be0e, who has served
faithfully alongside her in recent years will also be
re)ring.
Therefore, we are seeking two
(unrelated) people to count, record, and deposit
contribu)ons receive by the church. Please talk
to Nicole by Sunday, January, 4, if you are
interested. Training will be available.
Deacons’ Closet
The following items are available for use from
the Deacons’ “Closet.” If you or someone close
to you has need of something, please contact
any Deacon, the church oﬃce, or Patrick Price.
Dona)ons of items are also accepted.
•
from Kelly Talley
I am wri)ng with a request. Your congrega)on
has had a signiﬁcant rela)onship with Dee and
his ministry. On January 2, we are having a small
family
surprise
celebra)on
for
his
re)rement. We would love to have cards, email
gree)ngs, ‘roas)ng’ stories from anyone who
would be interested in the congrega)ons where
he spent signiﬁcant )me. Would you be willing
to share this request with the appropriate people
in your congrega)on? We would love to share
these with him as his family celebrates with
him. And hopefully he will actually be relaxing in
2015, when he ﬁnishes major projects on our
house!
It is a SURPRISE, so please send emails to Kelly’s
work email address: [email protected]
and cards/paper gree)ngs to our daughter’s
address: Kirsten Colson, 1680 Indian Hill Dr,
Gra.on, WI 53024
We will be collec)ng everything to share with
Dee (much to his chagrin and embarrassment, I
am sure).
I know this is a very busy )me of year, and
appreciate any communica)on you can ini)ate!
May you all have a blessed Christmas,
Kelly
Rebekah Circle
Rebekah Circle meets on Monday,January 12 at
9:00 AM in the Oak Room. Presen)ng: Rosemary
Duwel
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2 bath benches with backs
1 bath bench without back
1 extended bath bench
1 bath rail for tub
4 elevated toilet seats
2 foldable toilet safety rails
1 4-point cane
1 sets of forearm crutches
3 sets of regular crutches
5 walkers with wheels
1 walker without wheels
2 walker extensions for height
1 wheelchair with leg rests
Thank You!
From Julie Stover:
Dear FPC,
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the
care package. It means a lot to me! The candy,
gi. cards and notes were all very thoughUul. I
really appreciate receiving them, thank you all
again!
Sincerely,
Julie
From Jim Farley:
Dear First Pres.,
Thank you very much for the care package! It
will come in handy for ﬁnals week without a
doubt!
Thanks again,
Jim Farley
Spiritual Exercise Program
12/28/14
AEROBIC
Matthew 1:18-25
memorize a verse
1/4/15
AEROBIC
John 6:41-47
memorize a verse
1/11/15
AEROBIC
memorize a verse
1/18/15
AEROBIC
John 4:27-42
memorize a verse
12/29/14
BALANCE
Psalm 96
meditate
1/5/15
BALANCE
Psalm 99
meditate
1/12/15
BALANCE
Psalm 145
meditate
1/19/15
BALANCE
Psalm 80
meditate
12/30/14
STRENGTH
Revelation 1:19-20
Lectio Divina
1/6/15
STRENGTH
Revelation 21:22-27
Lectio Divina
1/13/15
STRENGTH
Ephesians 1:15-23
Lectio Divina
1/20/15
STRENGTH
Ephesians 4:17-32
Lectio Divina
12/31/14
REST
Psalm 96
journal
1/7/15
REST
Psalm 93
journal
1/14/15
REST
Psalm 1
journal
1/21/15
REST
Psalm 4
journal
1/1/15
FLEXIBILITY
Gen 17:1-12a, 15-16
John 16:23b-30
look for similarities
& differences in
readings
1/8/15
FLEXIBILITY
Isaiah 59:15b-21
John 4:46-54
look for similarities
& differences in
readings
1/15/15
FLEXIBILITY
Isaiah 41:17-29
Mark 2:1-12
look for similarities
& differences in
readings
1/22/15
FLEXIBILITY
Isaiah 45:5-17
Mark 4:21-34
look for similarities
& differences in
readings
1/2/15
AEROBIC
Genesis 12:1-7
memorize a verse
1/9/15
AEROBIC
Isaiah 63:1-5
memorize a verse
1/16/15
AEROBIC
Isaiah 42:1-17
memorize a verse
1/23/15
AEROBIC
Ephesians 6:1-9
memorize a verse
1/3/15
FREESTYLE
Hebrews 11:13-22
your preferred
exercise
1/10/15
FREESTYLE
Revelation 3:1-6
your preferred
exercise
1/17/15
FREESTYLE
Ephesians 3:14-21
your preferred
exercise
1/24/15
FREESTYLE
Mark 5:1-20
your preferred
exercise
John 1:1-7,19-20,29-34
Middle School
Spiritual Exercise
Sunday School
Program, cont’d
This month, a new Sunday School class is star)ng
up, focused on ques)ons about faith. The class
will be taught by Sco( Farley, and will use a
curriculum from Sparkhouse Publishing called
“Re:Form”, which looks at founda)onal theology
in some really engaging, unconven)onal ways.
Topics include:
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Why does God let bad things happen?
Why should I follow Jesus; can’t I just say I
believe in him?
Did Jesus know he was God?
Is the Holy Spirit a person or wind or ﬁre or
what?
Who wrote the Bible, God or humans?
If there is only one God, why are there so
many diﬀerent religions?
The class will take a look at a range of faith topics
for our youth in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.
Addi)onally, we’ll use this class as a springboard
into Conﬁrma)on for eighth graders who feel
they’re ready.
If you’re interested in learning more, or in helping
to teach the class, please contact Sco( at
sco([email protected].
Treasurer’s Note
First Church maintains a permanent endowment
fund that allows members to express their faith
and provide a perpetual stream of support for
the congrega)on’s ministry today, tomorrow, and
in the future. Gi.s received from our members
are now suppor)ng the Church’s opera)ng, plant
and equipment, mission, Chris)an educa)on, and
music funds. Future gi.s can be used for these
and other donor-designated purposes. Past and
present members have demonstrated their
permanent stewardship through gi.s to the
endowment fund. Please prayerfully consider
this means of furthering the work of our
congrega)on. Contact Treasurer Dick Seeling
with any ques)ons.
1/25/15
AEROBIC
John 5:2-18
memorize a verse
1/26/15
BALANCE
Psalm 85
meditate
1/27/15
STRENGTH
Galatians 1:18-2:10
Lectio Divina
1/28/15
REST
Psalm 65
journal
1/29/15
FLEXIBILITY
Isaiah 49:13-26
Mark 6:30-46
look for similarities
& differences in
readings
1/30/15
AEROBIC
Galatians 3:15-22
memorize a verse
1/31/15
FREESTYLE
Mark 7:1-23
your preferred
exercise
Common Mission Offering
The 2015 Discovery Day Common Mission Oﬀering will support Presbyterian Disaster Assistance gi.s of the
heart kits - speciﬁcally, the School Kits. Four bags have already been made! Now we need help ﬁlling them we can save you the trouble of shopping for them if it’s easier to make a contribu)on of $15, the
approximate amount needed to ﬁll a bag.
Items needed for each kit include:
1 - pair of blunt scissors (rounded )p)
3 - 70-count spiral notebooks or notebooks (total 200-210 pages; no loose-leaf or ﬁller paper)
1 - 30-cen)meter ruler (12")
1 - hand-held pencil sharpener
6 - new pencils with erasers
1 - large eraser
1 - box of 24 crayons
1 - cloth bag, 12" x 14" to 14" x 17" ﬁnished size, co(on or lightweight canvas, cloth handles
INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOW
All items must be packed into the cloth bag. The value of the kit is approximately $15. Cash dona)ons will
also be accepted.
If you would be interested in crea)ng kits (buying components or making bags or both) for our church to
contribute on Discovery Day, please let Nicole know by Sunday, January 4.
High School
Mission Trip
We are excited to be going to serve in the
Appalachian region, Williamson (Mingo County) West
Virginia. Below are the details you need to get you
started:
Sunday, July 19 - Friday, July 24
approximate cost $350.00
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Since the trip is the farthest we’ve taken and we
need to arrive there by 6:00 PM, we will be
leaving at 6:00 AM on Sunday, and will be
commissioned the week before in worship.
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We’ll do two fundraisers and three pre-trip
mee)ngs, dates TBD once we know who is going.
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We must commit to the number of people going
by Sunday, January 11. Commi0ng by this date is
ﬁrm - a.er that date, we are s)ll charged for any
people who cancel.
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The three payment dates will be:
Sunday, March 8 $100
Sunday, April 26 $100
Sunday, June 14 TBD a.er fundraisers
Interfaith Snow Removal
A neighbor in your community needs a volunteer
to help with snow removal this winter. Adopt a
home nearby, or sign up as a “snow sub” to ﬁll in
for another volunteer while they’re away.
Volunteer as a family, school group,
congrega)on, business or community group.
Snow is on the way and we want all of our
Waukesha County neighbors to remain safe this
winter.
For more informa)on or to volunteer, visit
InterfaithWaukesha.org
or contact Hannah at (262) 549-3348 x2405 or
[email protected]
Interfaith Drivers
Interfaith is always looking for volunteer drivers to
help get seniors and adults with disabili)es get to
medical appointments and shop for groceries. If
you would be interested and able, please contact
Kris Lombardi at (262) 522-2402 or
[email protected].
Mission Prayer List
Please consider praying for the mission sites, including presbyteries and synods across the na)on, associated
with the dates for this month.
Should you want more informa)on on any of the mission sites, you can:
• look at the oﬃce copy of the book, located in the rack in the Oak Room, or
• go to presbyterianmission.org/yearbook
January
1: Synod of the Rocky Mountains
2: Presbytery of Denver
3: Presbytery of Glacier
4: Univ. of Dubuque Theo. Sem.
5: Presbytery of Plains and Peaks
6: Presbytery of Pueblo
7: Presbytery of Utah
8: Presbytery of Western Colorado
9: Presbytery of Wyoming
10:Yellowstone Presbytery
11: Human Traﬃcking Awareness
12: Synod of South Atlan)c
13:Central Florida Presbytery
14: Charleston Atlan)c Presbytery
15:Cherokee Presbytery
16: Flint River Presbytery
17:Presbytery of Florida
18: Race Rela)ons
19: Chris)an Unity
20: Foothills Presbytery
21: Presbytery of Greater Atlanta
22:Presbytery of New Harmony
23:Northeast Georgia Presbytery
24:Peace River Presbytery
25: Criminal Jus)ce
26:Providence Presbytery
27:Savannah Presbytery
28:Presbytery of St. Augus)ne
29:Presbytery of Tampa Bay
30:Trinity Presbytery
31:Presbytery of Tropical Florida