Focus on Faith

Faith United Presbyterian Church Newsletter

September 18, 2014 

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

   

Pastor:  Rev. Dr. Kathy Stoner-Lasala

revkathysl@gmail.com  (609) 319-4030

 

     Church Email: faithup@maplecity.com      

Website: www.faithpresmonmouth.org

This Sunday - Blanket Sunday

Season of Peace 

 September 21, 2014 

   10:30 a.m. 

 

Sermon Title: "Pharaoh, Pharaoh!" 

Exodus 14: 19-31                                      Matthew 5: 38-44                               

         Liturgist: Ann Phelps
Ushers:  Jon Graham, Ted Briscoe, Larry Willett, Bryce Willett
Greeters:  Norma Mettler and Ruth Wright 
Children's Church:  Lorna Blackford
Nursery:  Tammi Hottle
Coffee Hour:  George & Liz Nieman
CD Recording:  Ted Briscoe

Upcoming Meetings/Events 

 

Today, Thursday, September 18 - Monmouth Associates - 11:45 a.m. shuttle leaving from Faith Church parking lot

Sunday, September 21 - Choir Rehearsal - 9:00 a.m.
- Sunday School Pre-K thru adult - 9:15 a.m. 
- Worship - 10:30 a.m.  Blanket Sunday
- Coffee Hour - 11:30 a.m.
- Youth Group Lunch at Maple City Restaurant - 12:30 p.m. 

Tuesday, September 23 - Session Meeting - 7 p.m. 

Tuesday, September 23 - Community Cares Board Meeting - 7 p.m. 

Wednesday, September 24 - Wednesday Night Live (first session) - 3:20 to 6:00 p.m. 
Wednesday, September 24 - Adult Discussion Class on 
Acts of Faith - 6 p.m.

Thursday, September 25 - Sewing Circle - 9:30 a.m.

Thursday, September 25 - Isabel Circle - 7 p.m. @ Jane Kellogg's

Friday and Saturday, September 26 & 27 - Community Care Work Days
Finance Committee Meeting - Sunday, September 28, 2014   moneybag_graphic.jpg

There will be a meeting of the Finance Committee after church on Sunday, September 28.  

Jr. & Sr. High Youth Group Sunday Lunch

Sunday, September 21, 2014
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.  

       

Maple City Restaurant - 235 S. Main
Please bring $12 to cover the cost of your meal ~ Friends Welcome!

If you have questions, please contact Stephanie Reading via email at youth@maplecity.com 
or you can call 309-368-0457
Monmouth Associates - Today, September 18

At noon, faculty members Dan Ott and Carina Olaru will speak to the Monmouth Associates on the Alternative Spring Break trip they led last March to the U.S. - Mexican border where Monmouth students studied immigration issues. This is one of four Monmouth Associates programs to be held this academic year.

The college is observing Latino Heritage Month and has scheduled two events on September 18 dealing with immigration. 

At 7 p.m. in Dahl Chapel, José Angel N., author of "Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant," will speak about his experiences. José Angel, who lives in Chicago,wrote a letter to President Obama about immigration reform which has been published online at several sites, including El Besiman and Truthout.org.

Isabel Circle - Thursday, September 25 - 7 p.m. 

Members of Isabel Circle will meet on Thursday, September 25, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Jane Kellogg at 1012 East Euclid Avenue in Monmouth. Jonalyn Heaton will introduce the 2014-2015 Horizons Bible Study, Reconciling Paul: A Contemporary Study of 2 Corinthians.  She will also serve as leader for Lesson One: The Promise And Problem Of Paul. The study will begin with the reading of the PW Purpose and will be followed by the lesson. The business meeting will follow the Bible study. Study guides can be purchased for $9.00 in the church office.

All interested members and friends are welcome to attend. For more information about Presbyterian Women, contact Jonalyn Heaton.
Community Cares Days Work Days     
                                                            
Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27 will be the Community Care Work Days. Participating churches are First United Methodist of Monmouth, Fairview Center Methodist, First Lutheran Church of Monmouth, Faith United Presbyterian, and Sugar Tree Grove. Any questions may be directed to Faith's committee representatives, Bob Wells and Ralph Whiteman. 

The Community Cares Board will have one more planning session before the work days, meeting at Faith United Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, September 23 at 7 p.m. 

Wednesday Night Live  - Starts September 24    

 

Folks have been signing up for Wednesday Night Live.   Our theme this year is the Parables of Jesus. I am also very excited to announce it is the 25th year of WNL.

 

WNL is sponsored by our church and is a program for children in grades 1st through 6th grade.  It is held on Wednesday nights from 3:20 to 6 starting on Sept. 24th.  

 

September 24 - Parable of the Yeast

"God grows his kingdom in amazing ways."  Matthew 13:33

 

Sign up soon!  If you haven't already signed up, please do so as soon as possible. The sooner I know how many children we will have, the easier it will be to arrange the carpools and prepare for what we need to run this very important program. Registration forms have been sent in the mail and are also available in the church office and in the Social Hall after church on Sundays.  Click here for a 2014-2015 WNL Registration Form that you can print and fill out (be sure to fill out both pages, including the photography consent form). 

 

Reminder to Parents: Please remember to pay your child's fees.  Cost is $20 for the first child for one semester or $40 for the year.  If you have two children, it's $35 for the semester and $70 for the year.

 

We can also use monetary donations for scholarships or supplies used at WNL. 

Finally, we need your weekly prayers for the success of this program.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or know of someone who hasn't come before so I can get them the information.  Thank You! 

 

Debbie Dingman - WNL Director 2014-2015  

CWS Tools & Blankets Offering - Sunday, September 21 
                           
Blanket Offering image
Sudan, Paul Jeffrey / ACT Alliance

Church World Service began in response to an emergency, coming together in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, and provided more than 11 million pounds of food, clothing and medical supplies to war-torn Europe and Asia. More than 66 years later, emergency response continues to be a priority. 

Church World Service is a founding member of ACT Alliance, a coalition of more than 130 churches and church-based humanitarian organizations working together in humanitarian assistance and development around the world. Their U.S. emergency response program focuses on serving vulnerable individuals and families in disaster-affected communities. Immediately after disaster strikes, they offer CWS Kits, Cleanup Buckets and Blankets.

If you wish to make an offering by check, please note "Tools & Blankets" in the memo section and make your check payable either to CWS or Faith UPC. Thank you for your support.
Would You Like a Free Subscription to Presbyterians Today Magazine?
                           
There is a free subscription offer from the publishers of 
Presbyterians Today.  This is a one-year print copy subscription available to new subscribers only.  If you are interested and not already a subscriber, please let Vicki know so that she can sign you up as a gift subscription recipient. I will need your name and address. There is no limit to the number of subscriptions, but this offer expires on October 31, 2014 and must be submitted by that date.  After the free one-year subscription, you can decide whether or not you want to continue the subscription at regular rates. 

Discover a Season of Peace


A 
Season of Peace 
is a four-week pilgrimage spanning five Sundays developed by the PCUSA which is designed to deepen the pursuit of peace for congregations, small groups, families, and individuals. Through daily peace reflections, family activities such as peace cards, Bible studies, and other online resources, you are invited to define and deepen your calling as a peacemaker.  This Season is a time of encouragement, challenge, inspiration, and education. 

All of these resources are designed to culminate in the Peacemaking Offering, traditionally received on World Communion Sunday, the first Sunday in October.  The Offering gives us a concrete way to contribute locally and nationally to the work of peace enabling the Presbyterian peacemaking Program to:
  • Inspire new approaches to active peacemaking;
  • Equip God's people to be compassionate, prophetic peacemakers; and 
  • Connect communities of peace in accompaniment, mutual learning and shared action for the transformation of the world. 
What are the opportunities Faith Church is offering for you to participate in this pilgrimage?  
  •  Providing a link to subscribe to Path of Peace Daily Devotions for this four-week period. The 2014 Path of Peace Daily Devotions were authored by Presbyterians who traveled to Israel and Palestine in April/May of 2014 for the Peacemaking Program conference, Mosaic of Peace. Conference participants reflected on scripture readings from The Biblical Witness to Peacemaking and were guided by stories and experiences shared by our Israeli and Palestinian church partners, who live with military occupation as the backdrop of church life.  To receive these daily devotions go to http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/peacemaking/path-of-peace-daily-reflections/.  You can subscribe by email or by RSS.  If you would like to preview by taking a look at last year's Daily Peace Reflections, click on that link on the page above. 
  • Incorporating parts of the five-session Bible study that helps us in recognizing peace, finding peace, practicing peace, extending peace, and living peace. We have already looked at Recognizing Peace and Finding Peace. This Sunday we will look at Practicing Peace.  "So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace."  What does it mean to "turn the other cheek"?  What is the difference between being a doormat and choosing non-violence?  In this study we explore Matthew 5: 38-44 as a foundation for active non-violence. 
  • Use of a special hymn that was written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette to support the work of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and its annual special offering called "O God, the Things That Make for Peace." The hymn is based on the Bible study mentioned above. 
  • A special interfaith "Prayer for Peace" 
    event honoring the International Day of Peace was held on Wednesday, September 17, in conjunction with Monmouth College and included the civic and campus community joining in prayer on the front lawn of the Intercultural House. Following this half-hour service, all were invited to a Group Soup Meal in the Social Hall at Faith Church. The congregation brought a vegetable, vegetable stock, beans, tomato juice, or crackers/ bread to church on September 14, the Sunday before. These offerings were laid on the Church World Service blanket on the communion table to represent peace efforts in the form of humanitarian aid to our brothers and sisters in the world who are in need of comfort and support.  
  • Beginning on Wednesday, September 24, Pastor Stoner-Lasala will lead a weekly series of discussion groups on Eboo Patel's book Acts of Faith on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m.  Dr. Patel will be speaking at Monmouth College on October 28. His topic will be "Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Conflict." The book is available for sale ($10) in the church office. More copies will be ordered if needed. 
  • Denominational bulletin inserts on Anti-bullying and International Peacemaking on September 28 and October 5.
  • A Season of Peace 
    will culminate in World Communion Sunday and the
    Peacemaking Offering
    on October 5.
Christian Education News 
 
September 14 - 9:15 a.m.  Sunday School Begins!

Preschool children & parents - meet the teacher upstairs in the Noah's Ark room.  Use the East Hallway to get to the stairs and go upstairs. 

Elementary children - meet at 9:15 a.m. in the theatre upstairs for opening. 

Youth grades 7-9 - meet upstairs in the Youth Room of the Youth Wing at the NW corner of the church building.  Use the West Hallway to get to the stairs and go upstairs. 

Adults - Bible study on the Parables of Jesus.  Meet in the Adult Lounge.  Directions:  Use the West Hallway to get to the stairs and go upstairs. It's the  room on the far left. This study will be coordinated by Rod Lemon.

Starting Wednesday, September 24, Rev. Kathy will be leading a discussion class for adults on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. on the book 
Acts of Faith
by Eboo Patel. 

Youth Group - will kick off in early September. More details to follow.

Nursery will be available from 10:30 through the end of the worship service. 

Children's Church meets after the Children's Time in the service.  Children's Church helps children to learn to worship God and to understand what happens during worship.  Children 5 years old to 3rd grade are encouraged to attend Children's Church. 

Book Discussion Group  
 Beginning on Wednesday, September 24, Pastor Stoner-Lasala will be leading a weekly book discussion group at 6 p.m. in preparation for the arrival of guest lecturer Eboo Patel on the Monmouth College campus on October 28.  

Sponsored by the Lux Center for Church and Religious Leadership, Dr. Patel will be speaking on "Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Conflict."  He is the author of Acts of Faith:  The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation 
-- the book we will be discussing.

Eboo Patel's core belief is that religion is a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.  copies of the book are available in the office for $10.  
September Local Mission Focus:  Jamieson Center

One area of service that Jamieson Center provides addresses the problem of food insecurity (not enough to eat) in many homes in our area.  The Center has seen an increasing demand in its food programs in the first half of 2014, with Senior congregate and delivered meals up 8%, food pantry demand up 17%, and the Summer Feeding Program up 21%.  

Other programs and services provided are:

* STARS - Students Arrive Ready to Start - school supplies
* Thrift Store - a resource for the community to find quality clothing and goods for low prices. The Thrift Store revenue goes back into Jamieson Center programs so is an important source of revenue to match grants and fund programming. Daily sales have doubled recently thanks to the generosity of the community and the dedicated staff.
* Christmas Store - Families will begin applying soon for this great program. They pay a small fee to be able to shop for their families for Christmas including clothing, winter apparel and 1 toy per child.
* Angel Trees - placed throughout the community to provide gifts for pre-approved children
* Christmas Baskets - families choose either the Christmas Store or a food basket. Many of the recipients of the baskets are older adults. Look for letters going out to the community soon asking for support for these Christmas programs.

There is a flu shot clinic coming up on October 2 from 1-3 p.m. for the uninsured and underinsured.  Registration is encouraged. Call 734-4251.  Jamieson Center is located at 1025 South 2nd Street in Monmouth. 

Just recently Jamieson was approved for an AmeriCorps Vista position to assist with some new programming they hope to bring to the community. 

If you would like to explore the programs at Jamieson Center on your own, they have a new website which is  www.jamiesoncommunitycenter.org.  Also, if you are interested in finding your niche as a volunteer, on the table under the mirror near the office are some information sheets on the different types of volunteer opportunities with the center.

Path of Peace Daily Reflections

Each Sunday we pass the Peace of Christ in church and many of us yearn for more peace in the world.  During "A Season of Peace," (September 7 - October 5), if you would like to have more peace in your life and better understand its dimensions, you can subscribe to Path of Peace Daily Reflections 
 (for free) by clicking here 

Prayer Concerns

Larry Byrne; Jim Andrews;  Bobbi Cady (Sarah Torrance's mother); Bob McClintock; Robert Cooper (Bonnie Heflin's cousin); Louise Roos; Bill Smallwood;  Etta Jane Pullen;  Ed Strickler; Cathy Abernathy; Greg &  Joy Haning; Bill Hoover; Blaine Robinson; Vern Mettler; Cinda Stansbury; Mary Johnson; Lindsay Murdock; and Jim Paris. 

Barb is asking for prayers for her husband Larry Byrne as he undergoes hip replacement surgery on Monday, September 22. 

Jim Andrews, son of Judy and Steve Andrews, was in a motorcycle accident on Saturday, August 30 and was life-flighted to Iowa City where he remains in critical condition. His address at the University of Iowa Hospital is:

Jim Andrews
SNICU. 5JPP UIHC
200 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA. 52242
Fifty Years Ago This Month...   
1964 - 2014
  
 SPECIAL SESSION MEETING - September 24, 1964

A special meeting of the Session of Faith United Presbyterian Church, Monmouth, Illinois was held at 9 o'clock p.m., September 24, 1964 in the Faith Church building at 200 South Eighth Street. 

Present were Elders Rhea, Allison, Rankin, Simpson, Carlson, parsons, Manley, Keating, Armstrong, Lipes, Thompson, Kritzer, Hallam, Connell, Royer, White, Beveridge, Jewel, Wells, Wallace, and Marshall. And the moderator, the Rev. G. Robert Buttrick. Absent were Elders Ebersole, Patterson and Morrill.

The meeting was opened with prayer by the moderator. 

On motion duly made, seconded and carried the following persons were admitted to membership in Faith United Presbyterian Church by transfer of letter from other churches: Mrs. Edith H. Buttrick from First Presbyterian Church, Mason City, Iowa; Mr. George Beam and Mrs. Jane Beam from Westminster United Presbyterian Church, Kirkwood, Illinois; Duncan Wimpress and Mrs. Margaret Wimpress and Miss Wendy Wimpress from First Presbyterian Church, Alton, Illinois; Mr. Dalmer Clark and Mrs. Joyce Clark from First Presbyterian Church, Booneville, Missouri; Miss Donna Fillman from Alpha Baptist Church, Alpha, Illinois; Mrs. Ruth McClanahan from Assuit College Church, Assuit, Egypt and Mr. David McClanahan from Palais Coptic Evangelical Church, Alexandria , Egypt; Mr. George Pape from the Presbyterian Church of Arroyo Grande, California. And Mrs. George Pape (Dorothy) by Reaffirmation of Faith.

Following discussion it was moved, seconded, and carried that a call be extended by the Session to the Rev. Chester O'Neal, Jr. pastor of First United Presbyterian Church, Chenoa, Illinois to become Assistant Pastor of Faith United Presbyterian Church, terms of said call to be as follows: $7,000 annual salary, car allowance of $500, free use of the manse, one month annual vacation, 13% of pension and all moving expenses from Chenoa. 

It was further moved, seconded and carried that the Session direct the Trustees to sell the manses of the former Ninth Avenue and Grace Churches and to secure a residence property more suitable and adequate for the needs of the Rev. and Mrs. O'Neal. 

Request from the Board of Deacons that they receive the loose change from offerings taken during the services of worship on Communion Sundays in order that they may better fulfill their responsibility of ministering to the sick and needy on behalf of Faith Church. Moved, seconded and carried that this request be granted.

Moved, seconded and carried that motions regarding the formation of a music committee and regarding the place in which to carry on the worship and program of Faith Church be taken from the table for further consideration. Following discussion it was moved, seconded and carried that the following recommendation of the Worship Committee, tabled at the meeting on September 20, 1964, be approved; the Session appoint a music committee made up of seven or more persons and responsible to the Session with the total committee consisting of two Session members, one of whom shall be committee chairman, a trustee and other men and women from the congregation representing various age groups.

It was moved, seconded and carried that the church school program be continued in the Second Church building and that services of morning worship and some adult church school classes be continued in the former First Church building, so long as adequate facilities are available there to accommodate those attending services of worship.

There being no further business to come before the Session it was moved, seconded and carried that the meeting adjourn. Adjournment followed prayer by the Moderator.

Rev. G. Robert Buttrick, Moderator
David M. Hallam, Clerk
Giving through September 14 2014

Receipts
Actual Giving
Budgeted Amount Needed
September 7
$3,426,00
$3,808.42
September 14
$2,491.00$3,808.42
Sept Total thru Sept 14
$5,917.00
$7,616  (rounded)
Annual Total thru Sept 14
$106,069.06$140,888 (rounded)

Birthdays

 

September 11 - Greg Baber

September 14 - Eileen Giddings, Phyllis Wilson
September 17 - Mary Fleming, Jeanne Robeson
September 18 - Peter Byrne
September 19 - Marian Mills, Jordan Watson
September 20 - Brady Agan
September 22 - Hannah Finnicum
September 23 - Colton McClintock
September 25 - Rachel Haynes
September 26 - Ethan Clark
September 30 - Mona Buchholz
 
 

Wedding Anniversaries

 

September 1 - Gary & Denise Pullen (35th)

September 7 - Ralph & Martha Whiteman (28th)

September 20 - Frank & Kathy Stoner-Lasala (28th)