Links to Good Stuff
July 28, 2015 
eNews 
The 1stPres Newsletter
#LOVE1st

Blog of the Week

Tears & Joy
By Erica Waterman
 

 

Having survived 18 years of on the job training I feel qualified to make one sweeping statement of fact: being a parent is a tough job.  This is perhaps the only sweeping statement outside of sharing  the Good News  that I'll every actually be capable of making with absolute certainty.   As each of my four (soon to

be five!!) grandchildren were born I tried my best to explain to my stepchildren that the seemingly endless months before their babies learned to walk and were actually the easy ones...and they all seem to think that I'm kidding.

 

Each day I face new challenges navigating the unique world of young adults and preteens.  Some days I... Read More
  

 

Announcements

Bolivia Team Update

Thank you for all of your generous support for our mission team and for our Global Mission Partner, Niņos Con Valor. We had an amazing time serving with NCV in Cochabamba, Bolivia last month. God's power is so present through the work being done to care for these children; we are humbled and grateful for the time we shared with them. Please feel free to ask us about our experiences down there and ways you can get involved.


 

Tyson Malo, the NCV Director, sends out frequent prayer requests and newsletter updates. If you would like to get connected to NCV through newsletters or would like to join us praying for these children, [click here]. 
 
Child sponsorship helps NCV provide holistic care to meet the needs of their children.If you would like to learn more about child sponsorship, [click here].


 

We are excited to continue growing our relationship with NCV and anticipate more teams in the future. If you would like to receive information as it becomes available about serving on a future team, please contact Kierstie@1stpresdowntown.org

 

From the Family of Jim Edinger

Many thanks and much love to all of you, Our Church Family.
Your love, your cards of sympathy, the gifts of food, flowers and especially
your prayers have given our family such peace and comfort. Jim and I have loved and worshipped here for 42 years and so many of you are truly family to us. God had certainly blessed us in this circle of Christian friends.
Thanks each and every one.

In Christ's love,

The family of Jim Edinger
 

 

A Silent Servant
 

Last week, one very important Downtown Church Day Camp volunteer was inadvertently left off of the list of volunteers. Charlie Branch quietly and faithfully came everyday and worked behind the scenes to insure that everything needed for the morning worship each day was taken care of. Charlie set up and operated all of the sound and tech equipment allowing the Day Camp staff to focus on the children and program aspects. Thank you Charlie for being such a wonderful silent servant!!

 

Church News

DYG 2.0 Heads to the Beach
Mon, Aug 3
 

The youth group will be going to the beach Monday Aug 3. We will meet at the church at our regular fellowship time of 6:30pm, then head to the beach and be back by 8:30pm. Bring a swimsuit, towel, and a friend!

Kierstie | Youth Leader (208) 651-4204.


Youth Sunday
 Sun, Aug 9

 

Sunday August 9th, the Downtown Youth Group will be serving the congregation through worship and testimonies. Don't miss this special Sunday, celebrating the ways God is moving in and through our youth. #LOVE1stDYG
 


Youth Family Lake Day
Sun, Aug 16
 
 The end of summer is rapidly approaching, which means, it's the perfect time to celebrate with our youth and their families! Families with youth (grades 6-12) are welcome to join us AUGUST 16th @ 3:00pm, for a fun afternoon and BBQ at the lake! We're hosting potluck style; we'll provide the meat and drinks, and we ask that each family bring a side dish or dessert item. Please RSVP by AUGUST 9th, with the number of family members attending, and your side dish/dessert item you wish to contribute. Directions will be given out upon RSVPs. Thank you! We can't wait to spend time with our youth families all together!

 

WANTED: We are currently looking for a couple volunteers, with boats & tubes, who may be willing to pull kids for an hour or so that afternoon. Please contact Kierstie if you are interested.

 

RSVP INFO: Please RSVP via email to: Kierstie@1stpresdowntown.org

Barb McPoland Annual: Clothing Give-Away
Sunday, Aug 22
 
The Children's Clothing give away is coming right up. On August 22nd we will have families lined up outside to find wonderful items for their children for the coming school year. We want to provide as much as we can so the Deacons are asking for your help and support. Here are some ways to be involved:
* Donate a new backpack or monetary donation to purchase one. Last year there were many families looking for backpacks of which we had very few.
* Participate in the August Noisy Offering.  Along with the backpacks we will have some school supplies available. When the children collect the August Noisy Offering it will go towards purchasing the school supplies
* Volunteer on Sunday, August 16th between services, especially some of our strong guys! We will be bringing all the clothing, racks, and supplies to the gym that day.
* Volunteer Monday the 17th, Tuesday the 18th, or Wednesday the 19th to help us get it all set up. We will work from 8:30-12:00 those days, but don't feel you have to be there the whole morning--just whatever works for you.
* Volunteer Saturday morning the 22nd from 7:45-12:00 and watch how grateful our community is for this annual opportunity.

If you have questions or wish to volunteer please e-mail Nancy Mueller at njmueller@roadrunner.com or call 640-6798. This congregation is always so generous to the Deacon Projects so we would like to say thank you in advance for your support. 
 
ARKade Volunteers Needed
Month of August
 
Many parents and church volunteers stepped up to lead Children's Summer Sundays ARKade classes for the 1st two months of the summer, but we have very few volunteers willing to serve during the month of Aug. All materials and lesson plans are provided for you and there is little to NO preparation required.  If you are willing to serve or want to learn more about Children's Summer Sundays ARKade please contact Lou Pennebaker (call 667-8446 or email Lou@cdadowntownchurch.org). Or look for the Summer Sundays Volunteer Charts in the Hunter Building Lobby this Sunday and sign-up to serve!
Parking Lot Palooza is Coming!
Month of August
 
It's almost Parking Lot Palooza time! Once again we will be participating in Wednesday downtown Farmer's Markets with a stall that includes games and free face painting AND we will be providing a bounce house for kids to use free of charge. This will be all four Wednesdays in August so we are recruiting volunteers to help out. Please contact Steve Balas at the church - 208.667.8446 for more info.
Groups & Gatherings

The Downtown Youth Group 2.0
 
The Downtown Youth Group 2.0 (DYG 2.0) is a safe, fun, and positive environment for Middle & High School students to grow in their faith. This summer, we are meeting on Monday nights, 6:30-8:30pm  for worship and downtown fellowship. 
    

DYG 2.0 SMALL GROUPS

Small groups are a time for youth to have fun, hang out and to talk about life. The Small Groups will also be studying the Book of James, talking about God,

and discovering how much God cares about us in every circumstance; unconditionally.


 

Middle School small group meet Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30pm in the Youth Room. Farmer's Market Kettle Corn and Lemonade is provided each week.


High School small group meet Thursday mornings from 9-10am at Bakery by the Lake. Beverages at Bakery by the Lake are provided each week.

Summer Sunday ARKade
 
Summer Sundays ARKade takes place on Sundays  at both 9:00 and 11:00! Each week the children get to Know-A  different Bible character and learn the weekly Know-A  Bible Verse. Children, 3 years old - incoming 6th graders, are invited to join in the fun and games, Bible characters, animal crackers and lemonade of Summer Sundays ARKade at 1st Pres. CdA!
 

Throughout the summer, the elementary children earn animal stickers to add to their own ark each week for attendance; bringing their Bible; if they got to Know-A Bible Character at home during the weekand if they Know-A Bible Verse.

 

Know-A Bible  Character and Bible Verse this week:

Woman at the Well - John 4:1-26

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst." John 4:13-14a
Volunteers Needed in August
Many parents and church volunteers stepped up to lead Children's Summer Sundays ARKade classes for the 1st two months of the summer, but we have very few volunteers willing to serve during the month of Aug. All materials and lesson plans are provided for you and there is little to NO preparation required.  If you are willing to serve or want to learn more about Children's Summer Sundays ARKade please contact Lou Pennebaker (call 667-8446 or email Lou@cdadowntownchurch.org). Or look for the Summer Sundays Volunteer Charts in the Hunter Building Lobby this Sunday and sign-up to serve!

Knitting for Warmth
 
Junior High and High School students are welcome to join the Knitting for Warmth knitters. This delightful group meets on Friday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 in the Fireside Room.  What a fantastic ministry to the sick, housebound, or those in crisis.  All knitters welcome. Contact Betty Cheeley at (208) 664-2612 if you have questions.

Deacon's Doings

From the Deacons

How fortunate are we, as Deacon's of First Presbyterian Church, to have such a faithful church family that generously donates to the Deacon Fund.  By your generosity we are able to help so many in so many different ways.  We continue to support St. Vincent de Paul with a monthly contribution for the homeless, and in June we were able to send a young child to vacation Bible school for a week when it was discovered that his school would let out a week earlier than Family Promise started.  It was a relief to the family when they didn't have anyone to help care for him during the day.  Assistance was given in paying $500 toward the medical deductible of a church member.  It paid for half their deductible thereby easing the burden of a medical bill they couldn't afford.  We also helped a woman who had broken her arm in six places and was confined to a rehab facility by paying $130 toward her electric bill.  In each case, the recipients were so  grateful and Deacon's were blessed by being able to offer that financial assistance because of your faithful contributions.

Deacons were pleased to be able to provide a three wheeled bike for Rueben Ellerd so he can get out and exercise with his wife.  Due to a medical condition he was no longer able to get out and exercise with her.  Take a look at the happy smiles in the photo we're submitting after Rueben received his bike.  What a joy to be able to help him in this way.

As part of our regular work we continue to send care and concern as well as sympathy cards to our church family members as they are needed as well as continue to visit home-bound church members and offer assistance in helping them to church when possible.   Our Prayer Shawl group meets every Friday morning and as of the end of June had given 130 Prayer Shawls to people battling cancer or other medical or emotional issues.  Each shawl is made with prayers being said for the recipients as they are being knit.

We're busy preparing for the annual clothing give-away right now and will once again bring the clothing up from the basement a week prior to the give-away.  On August 16th after the first service we will welcome any and all helping hands in pulling things up into the gym. 

Once again, we want to thank all of you for your generous donations to Deacon's.  Because of  you we are able to help so many more than we might otherwise be able to help. 
 

Community Events

Position with Family Promise

  

AmeriCorps Vista is looking for a unique individual to work with Family Promise in downtown Coeur d'Alene!

The AmeriCorps Vista program will increase and strengthen resources to homeless families with children. This VISTA recruits, trains and supports volunteer opportunities for the organization. They will also develop 3 training presentations, and provide 30 hours of training to 120 new volunteers.

This position also comes with BENEFITS!

To learn more contact Cindy Wood at (208) 777-4190 or visit https://my.americorps.gov/grantee/listing/viewListing.do?id=62551

We will be accepting applications from 7/16/2014 through 7/28/2015. 

 

Muscular Dystrophy Lock-Up
Thursday, July 30
At the Texas Roadhouse
12pm
 

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is holding its annual Coeur d'Alene Executive Lock-Up on Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 12:00 pm. at the Texas Roadhouse.

 

The Lock-Up program centers on recruiting business and community leaders as "jailbirds" to raise "bail" for MDA families in the Coeur d'Alene community.  After the jailbird has been served their "arrest warrant", they look to their friends, family and co-workers for assistance in raising bail prior to their "sentence". 

 

If you have any questions about the Coeur d'Alene Executive Lock-Up call our Spokane office at

509-325-3747.


A Chance to Support the SIDS Foundation
Sat, Aug 8
 
Hello,
I wanted to let you know about a volunteer opportunity that will help raise funds for the Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation.  We are needing 20 volunteers to help at the CDA Trathalon on Saturday, August 8th.  We need to fill our "pointers" along the bike and run course.  Here is a link to REGISTER as a volunteer. This is a great opportunity for middle school and highschool aged kids! All funds raised will support our safe infant sleep education and our grief support programs.  Please feel free to email me with any questions. Thank you for your support!

Liz Montgomery, BS Ed.