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Focus on Faith

Faith United Presbyterian Church Newsletter

July 24, 2014 

Phone:   734-5129     Hours:  M-F   8 AM - Noon  and 1 -4 PM   

    (Office closed on Mondays during the month of July)

 

Church Email: faithup@maplecity.com      

Website: www.faithpresmonmouth.org

This Sunday - 7th Sunday after Pentecost 

 July 27, 2014 

   9:30 a.m. 

 

Sermon Title: "The Kingdom of Heaven is Like..." 

Genesis 29:15-28                 Psalm 105:1-11, 45b
Romans 8:26-39                   Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
              
Guest Preacher:  Rev. Dr. Danie de Beer
Liturgist: Richard Griffiths
 Ushers: Gary Distin, Ted Briscoe, Larry Willett, Bryce Willett, Jon Graham
Greeters:  Gene & Donna Larson, Esther White, Marilyn Van Hoozer
Children's Church:  Stephanie Reading
Nursery:  Tammi Hottle  
Coffee Hour:  85+ Birthday Party
CD Recording:  Vicki Briscoe 
Special Music:  Carolyn Kellert, organist
 

Upcoming Meetings/Events 

 
Sunday, July 27 - Birthday Party for 85+ Honorees - 10:30 a.m.
 
Monday, July 28 - OFFICE CLOSED
 
Tuesday, July 29 - Washday Ministry client - 10:00 a.m. 
 
Saturday, August 2 - Larson Family Celebration @ Pam & Terry Moore's house - 5 to 9 p.m. 
 
Sunday, August 3 - New pastor Rev. Dr. Kathy Stoner-Lasala begins!

Faith United Has a New Pastor!

 

Last Sunday, having received overwhelming support from the congregation for Rev. Dr. Kathryn J. Stoner-Lasala to be our new pastor, the Session contracted with her to begin August 3, 2014.  This is a one-year contract, renewable annually.  The picnic on Saturday was very well attended and we had 125 in worship on Sunday.  

 

Church Office Closed on Mondays during Month of July

 

Instead of taking a week of vacation in July as originally planned, because there will not be a pastor in the office during the month of July, the session has approved the church secretary's request to take her vacation on each of the four Mondays in July.  Therefore, the church office will be closed on July 7, 14, 21, and 28.  It will be open as usual from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.  

 

If there is an emergency on a Monday during July, please call Jim Brown (734-4257), a Deacon, or John Marshall, Clerk of Session (536-0638), or an Elder. You can also always leave a message on the church answering machine, but it may not be picked up until Tuesday morning. 


Ice Cream Social - Sunday, August 24  
Ice Cream Social - Apple Pie

 

The Ice Cream Social Committee met after church last Sunday and has set the date and time for the Ice Cream & Pie Social.  It will be 4:30 - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 24, 2014 in the Faith Church Social Hall.  The menu will feature pie, ice cream, a pork chop sandwich, baked beans, applesauce & a drink. Cost is $7 for adults/$4 for children 12 & under for the full meal; $4 for adults and $2 for children 12 & under for pie, ice cream & a drink only.  

 

Drive-up service will again be available on East 1st Avenue.  

 

Tickets are being distributed and there is a job assignment posting on the Welcome Board near the office.  Contact Martha Whiteman at 734-4641 or 309-255-1913 if you can't do your assignment.  Otherwise, show up with a smile. There will be 1 hour or 1-1/2 hour shifts for most positions:  4 - 5:30 and 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Set Up will be 2 p.m. on Saturday. 

85+ Birthday Party - July 27, 2014 
 
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The Deacons are busy planning a special birthday party on Sunday, July 27, during the coffee hour immediately following worship, to honor our wisest and most experienced members 85+ years young.  

 

We want to make sure we don't miss anybody!  If you are new to the 85 and over milestone group (or know someone who is), please call the church office so that you may be added to the invitation list. Also, if you have failed to get an invite in previous years  and should have been included (or know someone who has), please let us know.  So many of you wear your age so well - nobody has a clue - so please forgive us if we thought you were much younger and help set us straight!

 
Once you have received your invitation, please RSVP to Vicki at the church office at 734-5129, so that the Deacons will know how many to plan for.  

 
 - Getting older is simply the price we pay for living a long time! -  
 
Gift of the Heart School Kits 
 
We have received word from the Rapid Information Network (RIN) of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance that there is an urgent need for school kits.  In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, the number of School Kits in the New Windsor, MD warehouse is down to 60 cartons and in the Little Rock, AR warehouse is down to 120 cartons.  In November 2013 approximately 3,000 School Kits were shipped for distribution in Syria.  The Church World Service Gift of the Heart School Kits include basic necessities for learning, such as notebooks, pencils and crayons and help children return to normalcy faster, helping them avoid the long-term effects of trauma.  
 
The Mission Committee of Faith Church would like to help support this humanitarian aid effort by adding the Gift of the Heart School Kits project to its July mission focus and to ask the congregation for contributions of school kit items and/or monetary contributions toward the kits, valued at $15.  Liz Nieman and Ruth Wright have agreed to sew the tote bags to give each child something to hold and carry their school supplies in.  We have a pattern, if anyone else would like to volunteer to sew bags.  If anyone has any "kid-friendly" fabric they would like to give to this cause, that would be welcome too. 
 
SCHOOL KIT CONTENTS:  The kits are easy to assemble and cost of items is nominal. 
  1. one pair of blunt scissors (rounded tip)
  2. three 70-count spiral notebooks or notebooks totaling 200-210 pages. (no loose-leaf or filler paper)
  3. one (12-inch) ruler
  4. one hand-held pencil sharpener 
  5. six new pencils with erasers
  6. one large eraser
  7. one box of 24 crayons (Crayola preferred)
  8. one cloth bag, 12" x 14" to 14" x 17" finished size, cotton or lightweight canvas, cloth handles (pattern available)
We will be collecting these items for the next few weeks.  There will be a box marked "School Kits for Syria" outside the office where you can drop off any of these items. Checks for monetary donations may be made payable to Faith United Presbyterian Church - please write "PDA School Kits" on the memo line. There is also a poster on the office door listing the items that are needed for the kits.  In a world filled with chaos and suffering, many of us are looking for something that we can do.  These are very easy-to-obtain items and many are on sale right now. 
 
2014-2015 Horizons Bible Study Books Now Available
 
The 2014 - 2015 Horizons Bible Study is "Reconciling Paul:  A Contemporary Study of 2 Corinthians" by Elizabeth Hinson -Hasty. 

When the PW/Horizons Bible study committee selected 2 Corinthians for the topic, they requested that the study focus on the following aspects of faith: generosity, grace, forgiveness, living by faith, the image of God, funds development, ambassadors of reconciliation (peacemaking), reconciliation, the ways in which Paul's letters are a response to these themes, what was in the original letters, and Paul himself. 

The books are illustrated with traditional and contemporary stained glass designs that are truly beautiful. 

Copies may be purchased from Vicki at the church office 8 - noon and 1 - 4 p.m. M-F for $9.00 (except Mondays during July).  Please make checks payable to Faith United Presbyterian Church and write "PW Horizons Study Guide" on the memo line. 
A Book for a Child

Through her work with Energy League this summer, Lolla Ballard has encountered many children who would love to own one book of their very own. Please take a look around your house to see if you have any children's books, grades K - 6th, that you no longer need and bring them to the church to brighten a child's life. 
Prayer Concerns

The family of Gerry Spicer; the family of John Adair; Eilleen Spoerl; Buff Hottle (knee replacement surgery July 15 at St. Mary's); the family of Lois Strickler (Kris Brown's mother); Bill Smallwood; Rick Roundtree;  Joyce Lantz; Irv Lipp; Etta Jane Pullen (now at Seminary Bounce Back);  Ed Strickler; Bobbi Cady (Sarah Torrance's mother);  Cathy Abernathy;  Greg Haning; Bill Hoover; Blaine Robinson; Vern Mettler; Cinda Stansbury; Mary Johnson; Lindsay Murdock; and Jim Paris. 
In Sympathy       

Geraldine F. "Gerry" Spicer, 83, passed away at 9:35 a.m. 
on Sunday, July 20, 2014 at her home. Her memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 26 at Faith United Presbyterian Church with  Rev. Dr. Daniel Ott officating. There will be a fellowship time in the Social Hall following the service.  A memorial fund has been established for Faith United Presbyterian Church where she was a long-time member. 
 
Online condolences may be left at turnbullfuneralhomes.com
Thank You       

I would like to thank our church family for all the cards, prayers and calls during my illness.  Also I would like to thank the Deacons for the beautiful rose.  I am truly blessed!
 
Hugs to All,
Joyce Lantz
In Sympathy       

We would also like to offer our condolences to our member Linda Adair, whose brother-in-law John R. Adair, 71, of Kirkwood passed away at Seminary Manor in Galesburg at 12:02 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, 2014. His service will be 10 a.m. Thursday, July 24 at the Rozetta Baptist Church. You may view the obituary by clicking here

Birthdays

 

July 15   -  Hallie Hottle

July 16   -  Gene Larson
July 17   -   Jeff Rankin, Will Best
July 18   -   Louise Roos
July 19   -   Mark Lyle
July 21   -   Lolla Ballard, Shari Glasgow
July 25  -   Mary Distin
July 27  -   Dee Ann Shuff
July 28  -   Judy Andrews
July 29  -   Eugene Inman
July 30  -   Donna Larson, Emily Fisher
August 2 - Sue Connell, Les Dollinger
August 4 - Carol McCurdy, Benjamin Bowman
August 6 - Sally Bowman
August 7 - J. Lowell Long
 

Wedding Anniversaries

 

July 3    -  Bill & Erma Smallwood (64th)

July 3    -  Dick & Jan Speer (60th)

July 7    -  Charles & Janet Cunningham (30th)

July 23  -  Gary & Jonalyn Heaton (37th)

August 2 -  Gene & Donna Larson (61st) 

August 2 -  Jim & Kris Brown (17th) 

August 4 -  Mary & Gary Distin (41st)

August 10 - Les & Jo Ellen Dollinger (56th)

August 20 - Dale & Deb Dingman (37th) 
Fifty Years Ago This Month...  
 

We'll be back with highlights from the August 1964 Session Minutes in  the August 7th issue of the Focus. 


                               


While all the Back-to-School sales are going on, please consider picking up a few things for CE and WNL. We can always use glue sticks--kids use them up in a hurry, and with all the new dry erase boards we could use markers and erasers for the boards. I hate to be picky but for the dry erase markers please get Expo or other high quality markers. Also, Deb could use washable markers for WNL. Thank you for your generosity.

 

Ann Phelps

 

A Larson Family Celebration 
 
Here they are at the age of 19 getting married!

Brad Larson and his brother Steve and sister Pam Moore are hosting a celebration for Gene and Donna Larson's 80th birthdays and 61st wedding anniversary.  (It's also Pam's 60th birthday and her daughter Kellie's 30 birthday!)  The party will be on Saturday, August 2, 2014 from 5 - 9 p.m. at Pam and Terry Moore's at 273 235th Avenue in rural Monmouth.  No gifts please, just attend and have a good time.  A light meal will be furnished with tea and lemonade.  You are all welcome! 

DIRECTIONS:  Take the M&M Trail by Farm King to Sugar Tree Grove Church.  About a mile and a half north of Sugar Tree Grove Church, turn left at the Christmas Tree grove and then it's the first house on the left about half a mile.   
S.T.A.R.S.
(Students To Arrive Ready for School)
 

Need help with your child's school supplies?  Apply at Jamieson Community Center, 1025 S. 2nd Street, Monmouth, IL.  (309-734-4251)  Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, July 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  STARS is sponsored by Community National Bank, with contributions from area businesses and churches.  STARS donations are accepted at Community National Bank. Faith Church will also be accepting donations of school supplies.  We'll have a list posted on the office door and a box clearly marked "STARS donations."