With the new year upon us, Family Promise coordinators are looking for additional volunteers to add to our already awesome church volunteers. If you are interested or already volunteering, please complete the attached form and drop it by the office. Our next Family Promise week that we will be hosting is scheduled for March 15-22. Please contact Eric & Chris Fehr or Jack & Ginger Higens or Laura Harris if you can provide food, meals, hosting services or stay overnight. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. (VOLUNTEER FORM)      

Every Wednesday we will hold lunchtime prayer services during the season of Lent. The services will occur from 12:15pm until 12:45pm in the Sanctuary. You will enter through the Sanctuary doors off the corner of 6th and Lakeside. They are a beautiful time of prayer and meditation. All are welcome, and members of the public are encouraged to attend.

On Palm Sunday, March 29, we will mark the beginning of Holy Week and remember the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, with a Downtown Church Palm Parade. Come early and gather in the Hunter Building prior to the morning worship services. 15 minutes before the beginning of worship (8:45am & 10:45am). All who gather will parade out and around the downtown block of Lakeside/5th Street/Sherman Ave./6th Street waving Palm branches* and shouting "Hosanna!" then proceed right into the Sanctuary for worship.  

*Palm branches and streamers will be provided for parade participants.

"Full of beauty, fragrance and life that breaks forth from a lifeless bulb or seed, spring flowers are a wonderful reminder and symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who broke forth from the grave on the first Easter, conquering death so that all who believe in Him might also have new life."   

In celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter Sunday worshippers are invited to bring fresh flowers of any color or size, cut from the garden or purchased at the store. These flowers will be placed on a wire wrapped cross during the Easter morning worship services. The flowered cross is a beautiful symbol and reminder of the transformation and new life of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

This year for Holy Week we will have two choices for a Stations of the Cross service. We will have one at noon and one at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary on Good Friday, April 3. Please join us for this moving service.  

Children and Families are invited to gather on Easter Sunday between services (10am - 11am) in the Gym/Family Center. Each child and/or family will be able to create an Easter Story Basket full of items to take home and use to remember and retell the events of Holy Week..

Thank you to all who contributed to the Noisy Offering collected by the children of 1stPres on Sunday, Feb. 22nd.  The money collected by the children combined with the money the children have given as Sunday school offering over the last two months will be used to Help Others Ewe by Ewe by Ewe by Ewe by Ewe by Ewe! Enough money was collected to purchase SIX female sheep through Heifer Project Int. These sheep will be given to struggling families around the world. To learn more about Heifer Project International go to http://www.heifer.org 

 If you love to sing, the choir invites you to join their merry group of songsters. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings starting at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary. The choir shares their beautiful musical gifts on Sunday for both services. Please consider joining now. For more information call Judy Flieger at (208) 660-1639.  

An exciting video series entitled "Christianity Explored" is being offered starting April 8. We have room for 24 attendees. This is a seven week series to be held in the Fireside Room on Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The cost is only $10 per person. Be sure to sign up early and reserve your spot. Online signup begins this Friday. Don't miss this valuable series.  

For those who ordered offering envelopes, you should have received them by now. When you have them in hand, open the cover and the first envelope says "per capita". We've been asked about the Per Capita fee for 2015. We though some folks might like to know what this means. 

What is "per capita"? It is merely our share of helping to pay for Presbytery's 2015 expenses. All Presbyterian churches in our area make these annual contributions to Presbytery. Each active member of our church is asked to contribute $37.00. If you have questions, call Erica Waterman at the church office.