Faith United Presbyterian Church
Focus on Faith 
30 hour famine  
February 21, 2013                                                                        
This Sunday - 2nd Sunday in Lent

 "Do Not Hide Your Face from Me"

 

    Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18                                                       Luke 13:31-35 

                 Psalm 27                                                       

                                                                          

Lay Assistant: Lorna Blackford

Beedle/Crucifer: Kara Fisher and Will Best  

Ushers: Gary Distin, Jon Graham, Ted Briscoe, Larry Willett, Bryce Willett
Greeters: Jim Brown and Ruth Wright
Nursery: Krista and Chloe Larson
Children's Church:  Tom Best
Coffee Hour:  Carol and Bonnie Heflin

 

Meetings  
                      Tonight, February 21   -   Outreach Committee 7:30 p.m.
                      Friday, February 22    -   30 Hour Famine 5:30 p.m.
                      Saturday, February 23  -  30 Hour Famine (all day)

                      Tuesday, February 26  -   Session Meeting 7:00 p.m.
                      Thursday, February 28 -  Sewing Circle 9:30 a.m.
                      Thursday, February 28 -  Isabel Circle 7:00 p.m. @ Lolla Ballard's  

For evening meetings, if you do not have someone in your meeting group who has a key to the outside door, please make arrangements to check out a key by seeing Vicki in the Church Office. If you do check out a key, remember that you will be responsible for turning down the heat and locking up afterwards. Thank you.

  

Wednesday Night Live  

 

The kitchen team for February 27 will be Lolla Ballard, Paula Nuckles, Melissa Brown, and Tiffany Marie.    

 

Fill the Corner for Jamieson Center's Food Bank!  

 

Feb. 17 - Rice & beans

Feb. 24 - Peanut Butter & Jelly

Mar. 3 - Hamburger or Tuna Helper & tuna or Macaroni & Cheese

Mar. 10 - Cereal

Mar. 17 - Pancake Mix & Syrup

Mar. 24 - Cake Mixes, Frosting, & Brownie Mixes

Mar. 31 - Canned vegetables & canned meats   

 

Sunday Morning Bible Study Class

The adult Bible study led by Joyce Hagemann will resume meeting on March 17. This quarter's study is called "Undying Hope" and uses texts from Daniel, Luke, Acts, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and 1 & 2 Peter.  Lesson 1 is in the cabinet in the Bride's Room, if you would like to get a head start.   

 

Faith & Life - Poetry of Faith 

For the month of February, Rob Hale will lead the Faith and Life Sunday School Class on the subject of faith and poetry. Each week, we will examine a different poet and see how he or she approaches issues of faith. Rob will give an overview of each poet's life, read poems aloud, and lead a discussion of each poem.  We will be doing Elizabeth Barrett Browning this week and then Gerard Manley Hopkins the final week. No special knowledge of poetry is required. This class will meet in the church library or Social Hall.

 

 

   
30-Hour Famine - Our youth group is doing World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. We're going hungry so others don't have to.

WHAT:  We're going without food to understand the hunger millions face every day, and raising money to do something about it. Just $30 can help feed and care for a hungry child for a month through World Vision! 
 
WHY:  Because we don't want to just sit around while as many as 7,000 kids die every day from hunger-related causes. Together, we can  make a difference.
 
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Here are three ways you can come alongside us.
1.  Pray.  Ask God to work in and through our students.
2.  Volunteer.  Join us for an amazing Famine weekend!
3.  Give. Write a check to World Vision and give it to Stephanie Reading, or visit our online fundraising page at:
www.30Hourfamine.org/donate/ Click on DONATE to a student or Famine group. If you want to donate to our youth group, enter the number 54878384 as the Group Name, NOT the name of the church. If you prefer to donate to an individual youth member's account, search for their name by entering first and last name. When their name is displayed, Faith United Presbyterian will show as their "Team Name" along with the group number 54878384.

Our Famine dates: February 22 & 23, 2013
Our Goal:  To raise $500.00
Contact: Stephanie Reading 309-368-0457 
 

 Chad Simpson - Local Author

Chad Simpson, local author, will read from his award-winning short story collection, Tell Everyone I Said Hi, at the Buchanan Center for the Arts tomorrow night, Friday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. He is a graduate of Monmouth College and an Associate Professor of English at Knox College. Chad is the son of Dennis and grandson of Carolyn Simpson. Hope to see you there!  

 Church Women United - World Day of Prayer  - March 1

World Day of Prayer is Friday, March 1st (not March 8) at 1:30 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 116 South B Street, in Monmouth. The building is handicap accessible.   

 

2013 Session Committees

 

Moderator:   Rev. Kathy Stoner-Lasala, Pastor/Head of Staff, 1st Presbyterian Church of Macomb

 

Clerk:             Scott McClintock

 

Personnel       Rob Hale -Moderator
                         John Marshall, Mary Distin

 

Worship        Denise Turnbull-Moderator

                        Gene Larson, Deb Tomlin

 

Stewardship

& Budget        Mary Distin-Moderator

                        Scott McClintock, Rod Lemon

                       

Mission          Barb Byrne -Moderator

                        Gary Pullen, Ann Phelps

 

Outreach        Heather Fisher-Moderator

                        Tammi Hottle, John Marshall

 

CE                  Ann Phelps-Moderator

                        Rod Lemon, Rob Hale

 

Fellowship      Tammi Hottle-Moderator

                        Heather Fisher, Denise Turnbull

 

Audit              Gary Pullen-Moderator

                        Kristie Murdock

 

Memorial        Deb Tomlin-Moderator

                        Kristie Murdock

 

Investment     Scott McClintock-Moderator

                        Deb Tomlin

                       

Nominating    Gene Larson-Moderator

                        Vicki Young Briscoe

 

Wash Day      Vicki Young Briscoe-Moderator

                        Barb Byrne

 
    
   
Lenten Breakfasts at Strom Center

The 38th Annual Lenten Lay Breakfast Series will begin on Friday, February 15 and will continue through Good Friday, March 29. Strom Center will again host the breakfasts. Rolls and/or toast, juice, and coffee are available at 6:30 a.m., with the services starting at approximately 7:15 a.m. and ending around 7:45 a.m. There is no set charge for the meal, but a free-will offering will be taken to help defray expenses. The series is sponsored each year by the Warren County Ministerial Association. The participating church schedule is as follows: February 22 - First Lutheran, March 1 - Faith United Presbyterian, March 8 - Fairview Center, March 15 - Immaculate Conception, March 22 - First United Methodist, and March 29 - Heritage Presbyterian.
   
Little Cedar Church Annual Soup and Salad Luncheon - February 24
The Little Cedar Church in Little York will be having its Annual Soup and Salad Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Soup selections will be chicken noodle, chili, vegetable beef, and broccoli cheese. There will be a salad bar, as well as dessert and beverage.

Silent auction

Donations will be taken at the door, with the proceeds going toward recreational equipment for the youth.  
    
   
Taco Luncheon at Westminster UP Church - February 24

Melt away the winter! Another option for February 24 is the Taco Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Westminster UP Church, 200 E. Cedar St. in Kirkwood. Salads, desserts, and drinks are furnished. Call (309) 768-2004 if you would like delivery. Free will donations accepted.

    
   

Isabel Circle - Thursday, February 28 

 

Isabel Circle will meet at the home of Lolla Ballard at 119 South 7th Street in Monmouth on Thursday, February 28, at 7:00 p.m.  All members and friends of the church are welcome to join the group. Vicki Briscoe will be the facilitator for Lesson 5:  The Ties That Bind from the 2012-2013 Horizons Bible Study: Dispatches to God's Household: The General Epistles. In Lesson 5, God calls us to model non-coercive love in all relationships, including marital relationships. The lesson examines Chapter 3 of 1 Peter in order to uncover aspects of the Epistle's message that allow for the possibility of a more egalitarian understanding of godly male-female relationships. 

   
 Gifts of Women Sunday

This year we will celebrate Gifts of Women Sunday on March 3. In this season of Lent, we will recall that Webster defines celebrate as "to honor with a solemn ceremony, a refraining from ordinary business."

 

In 2013, this Sunday "honors women through whom God is transforming the church in an emerging era." PW's Horizons (Nov/Dec 2012, unnumbered insert) highlights two pastors who have been deeply involved in the challenge of struggling ministries.

 

Theresa Cho's story is one of gathering pastors and leaders to an Urban Legacy Convention where they examined "their contexts, challenges and fears, what kind of leadership was needed for the future and what they hoped their collective legacy might be." God transforms the church through witness, not only in Isaiah's time, but also today.

 

Mary Ann McKibben Dana is devoted to helping families rediscover the Sabbath together, writing Sabbath in the Suburbs. She witnesses her family's year-long experience of attempting to keep the Sabbath, amidst so-busy lives. She has a vision of the church being renewed and transformed, as families are renewed and transformed. "She is convinced that the pain churches in transition are feeling are labor pains, not death pangs." For more information, see her video at  http://vimeo.com/25360983 

 

We honor women in our midst whose vision and resulting action work God's grace.

The Rev. Dr. B. Kathleen Fannin will be our guest preacher.  

 

We will break bread together following the service with a potluck meal. All are welcome. Drinks will be provided. Please bring a dish to share and your own table service.          

   
February Mission Focus is on Kandithankulam

Recently we received correspondence from Raj and Saro Ambrose concerning the ongoing mission in India. Faith Church and many members have been generous contributors to this mission for over 20 years, and due to the broadening gap between the haves and have-nots in India, there is still a great need for aid.  Please thoughtfully consider a contribution to this mission of Faith Church. 

Thank you.

The Mission Committee
 
Lenten Devotionals

Lenten devotionals are now available for both adults and children.  For kids (of any age) we have a one-page calendar with activities and things to think about every day until Easter.  The adult devotional is "Called to Life, Called to Love" and contains reflections taken from the writings of Henri J. M. Nouwen.  Copies will be in the Narthex and on the table outside the office.

For e-book readers:  This devotional is not available as an e-book but several recommended ones are available for both Kindle and Nook:  Followers of the Cross by Martin E. Marty; Who Do You Say I Am? by Mark Neilsen; Imitators of Christ by Mark Zimmermann; and Countdown to Easter by Ruth Geisler. 
 
February Birthdays
 
21  Gary Heaton 
22  Ryan Cheek 
      Bill Smallwood 
23  Catrina Pullen 
24  Jackie Howard
      Ted Briscoe
25  Martha Whiteman
26  Carl Schaub
      Kathleen Fannin
      Helen Owens
27  Susan Trevor
28  Joyce Patterson
  
Prayers
For          
 
Please continue to keep in your prayers: Don Robeson, Mary Johnson, Tara Hanson, Rich Miller, Sally McVey, Bob Roney, Gary Youngblood, Vern Mettler, Jane Warfield, Lindsay Murdock, Janet Themanson, Jim and Janet Paris.

Sympathy  
To the family and friends of Janis Brown who died on February 16, 2013. She was the wife of the late Carroll W. Brown who was a member of Faith United Church.

 

Thank you 

To Heather Fisher who graciously volunteered to clean the aquarium in the office over the weekend.

 

 

 

JOYS  Julie McVey reports that her mother, Janet Paris, is doing wonderfully following her brain surgery on February 14 and is now home from the hospital. They removed two brain tumors. The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers.

Also, Sally McVey will be leaving the Rehab Center in Roseville and will be moving back to H Street on Saturday, if all goes well. We hope to see Sally in church pretty soon.