The Rev. Robert Taylor and wife Mary (Davison-St. Andrews) on Bob's recent retirement.

Elder Charles Richter (Saginaw-First and COM Member) who continues to undergo treatment for CMML (Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia).

 

Congratulations to Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church in Saginaw who on Sunday will be celebrating 33 members who are GOLDEN and DIAMOND members. Over one third of the congregation have been active members 50+ years.....two have been members over 75 years!

You are invited to a memorial service to celebrate the life of Elder Sue Loenshal who passed to the larger life on April 22nd.  Sue was serving as the Commissioned Lay Pastor of Alma-Eastminster.  She was also the spouse of our former Stated Clerk and Pastor of Ithaca-First, the Rev. Michael Loenshal.

The service will be held on Saturday, May 21st at 11:00am at Alma-Eastminster.  The church is located at 1945 Michigan Avenue in Alma. There will be a coffee hour following the service.

Hope springs eternal

Presbyterians from across the United States are taking action to address the immense need following April's deadly storms proving that, with Christ's love, hope is never lost. Download a bulletin insert with ideas for how you and your congregation can help.

Find another way to help
Simply visit the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance website or call (800) 728-7228 to donate in support of the Presbyterian response and ministries in the worst hit areas.

Taking worship into the world: Alma College students who participated in a faithbased service project with Habitat for Humanity, one way of cultivating their spiritual lives

Going to the chapel
Student-led worship is a hit at Alma College.

 

The pews are filling up for chapel services at Alma College now that students are involved in planning worship. This year attendance has averaged more than 120 people."Ten years ago we had a traditional Presbyterian service on Sunday mornings, and there were, at most, 10 people present," says the college's chaplain, Carol Gregg. "One of the former chaplains introduced a contemporary service and moved it to 9 p.m. It has grown since."Young adults designated as "student ministry coordinators" lead and design the services, with Gregg's guidance. They develop a schedule for speakers, play in the worship band and coordinate refreshments, among other responsibilities. They work hard to make the services warm and welcoming so that those who attend can find both friendship and fellowship. "The music, the style, the format all resonate with young adults," says Gregg. Students are spiritual beings who are looking for ways to express that spirituality. This is one way to do that."Three times as many Alma students applied to be student ministry coordinators as there were...continue reading.    

 

Article written by Mike Silverthorn, Alma College staff, for Presbyterians Today magazine. 

 

Reprinted with permission from the May 2011 issue of Presbyterians Today. © 2011. All rights reserved. 

Brenden Neville | The Saginaw News

The Saginaw News features local residents in their weekly column Meet Your Neighbor.  On Sunday, May 1st they highlighted Dan Groom, Choir Director at Saginaw-Countryside Trinity. Here is the article about Dan.  Click here to read it online. 

 

Dan Groom of Saginaw Township directs a church choir to express his love for music.

 

How long have you led the choir?

I have been choir director at Countryside Trinity Church since 1999, a short time after our congregation merged with Washington Avenue Presbyterian Church. Prior to that, I began directing the choir at Washington Avenue in 1971.

 

How did you get started in music?

I have always had a love for music. My family was musical. Whether singing or playing an instrument, we enjoyed any type of music.

At an early age, I studied piano, but only for a few years. In junior high school I was in the band, and in high school, I sang in the choir. I sang in the church choir since high school, and was fortunate to sing under very good directors such as Merle Leis, Don Tait and Riley Dennett Jr. They taught me a great deal and were instrumental in my decision to begin directing.

 

Over the years, the music ministries at Washington Avenue and Countryside Trinity were enhanced as we were blessed to have three of the Alexander siblings accompany our choirs. They are all excellent pianist and organists.

 

What is your day job?

I am employed as a territory manager for Tommark, Inc., a temperature control and HVAC/R wholesaler. Early in my career, I was in the retail clothing business.

 

Tell us about your family.

My wife Barbara and I have two married sons and four grandchildren whom we enjoy very much. We are blessed to have them all living in the area and we enjoy spending time together. It keeps us on the go as we attend the sporting events our grandchildren have participated in over the years. It has been a great joy in our lives.

 

What are your hobbies?

I guess you could say that my music is my hobby. I do some composing, but primarily for our church pageants and Sunday school children's choir. I enjoy golf and working in the yard. Barb and I volunteer at our church, which we truly enjoy. Spending time with our church family and dear friends is important and very rewarding.

 

 

- Reported by free-lance writer Jill Armentrout. Know someone you'd like to nominate for Meet Your Neighbor? Contact Features Editor Carol Zedaker at 989-671-1258 or czedaker@thesaginawnews.com. 

Elder Julianne Princinsky of Davison-St. Andrews and former CLP of Deckerville-First was inducted into the Genesee County Women's Hall of Fame by Zonta Club of Flint on April 21st.  Julianne is an educator and administrator, President of Baker College's Flint Campus.  Women who are chosen for the Hall of Fame have made lasting contributions to their communities in a social, cultural, economic or political manner. Congratulations, Julianne!

For the third summer in a row, construction has closed most or all of I-675.  For a suggested alternate route to the Presbytery Office if you are coming here from the south, please visit the Detour 2011 page on our website.

The May 2011 issue of Presbyterians Today featured an interesting article on who is serving as Commissioned Lay Pastors.  Lake Huron Presbytery currently has 12 elders serving our congregations as CLPs.  In addition there are 3 who are ready to be commissioned but are not serving at this time for various reasons and an additional 7 who are enrolled in the presbytery's CLP training class.

Here are some highlights of the Presbyterians Today article:

In 2010, a total of 1,039 commissioned lay pastors (CLPs) were serving PC(USA) congregations, a 500 percent increase since 2000. A recent survey provides a profile of these individuals:

• Six in 10 CLPs are men (62 percent).
• The median age is 60 years; 8 percent are younger than 50, while one-third (34 percent) are 65 or older.
• More than nine in 10 CLPs are white (92 percent); 3 percent are Native American; and 2 percent, African American.
• A large majority are married (84 percent).
• Most CLPs have children (92 percent), but most of their families are small; the median is two children.
• The average household size is 2.3 persons. Only 10 percent live alone; almost two-thirds (65 percent) live in two-person households.
• The median family income of CLPs is between $60,000 and $69,999.
• CLPs are paid to work a median of 20 hours per week, but the median number actually worked is 26.
• Fewer than half have another paid job (40 percent).

This article was written for Presbyterians Today magazine by Jack Marcum, coordinator of Research Services of the General Assembly Mission Council of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.).

Click here to read more.

Other findngs: www.pcusa.org/research

Reprinted with permission from the May 2011 issue of Presbyterians Today. © 2011. All rights reserved.

The location of the June 7th presbytery meeting has changed.  Same town, different site.

The June 7th presbytery meeting will now be held at Alma-First.

The church is located at:

495 Charles Road
Alma, MI  48801

The docket and other meeting materials will be available in late May.