"Practicing Presence"

            Our yoga class at the Miami Rec Center meets right beside the room where another class takes place.  I don't know what kind of class it is, but it seems to require lots of loud music with a hip hop beat and an instructor who is even louder.  This presents a challenge for the yoga class.  Our task is to clear our minds of everything but the yoga posture we're doing and just focus on our breathing.  But the "boom, boom, boom" and the "Four, three, two, one and..." is leaking through the wall! 

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 

You can contact Christine Garton at cgarton@oxfordpresbychurch.org or call or text her cell at 850-276-3231.

The congregation is invited to "Amazing Love: A Holy Week Experience," on Sunday, March 24, immediately following worship at the Seminary.  Lunch will be provided.  We will start with a reader's theater telling of Jesus' death and resurrection where the audience helps tell the story, then we will have 6 Experience Stations that everyone will do.  The stations will rotate to your table so you don't have to move to a new table for each station.  This event will help you not just hear the story of Christ's sacrifice and the good news of his resurrection, but experience it through each of your senses.  One of the stations will have an item each participant can take home.  If you would like to attend, please contact Christine Garton, fill out the sign-up sheet on Elaine Patterson's office door, or make a note in the pew pad so we can have an accurate count for the meal.  THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL TABLE FOR YOUTH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXPERIENCE STATIONS.  THIS IS A CHILD-FRIENDLY EVENT AND THE SUBJECT OF JESUS' DEATH AND RESURRECTION WILL BE HANDLED DELICATELY FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE PRESENT.    

 

IN OUR PRAYERS:

                   

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THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON CIRCLE

will meet on March 19th at 1:30 in the Country Kitchen at the Knolls.  The lesson is # 6 The Elders and will be led by Lynn Cronk. Becky Quay will conduct Least Coin and Pat Gifford will read Least Coin. An optional lunch is available at 12 noon in the Café with reservations due to Lawretta Clum by Friday March 15th.  Visitors and guests are always welcome. 

THE TUESDAY EVENING CIRCLE

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RUMMAGE SALE!!!!!

WHO?:  Everyone is invited to participate. Please donate, sort, set up, sell, and/ or tear down.

WHAT?:  We display over 25 tables or racks of clothing, shoes, household items, linens, toys, purses. We sell many of these for 25 cents, 50 cents, $1, $2, or $3.  We feature especially nice items in our Boutique, including china, jewelry, art, fine glassware and crystal.

WHY?:  1) We offer nice, clean items, inexpensively, to the community. 2) All proceeds go to charities. 3) This is an opportunity for service and for fellowship among the volunteers. Come get to know new members and enrich existing friendships.

WHERE?: At the Seminary building, on the northeast corner of Church St. and Poplar Street.

WHEN?: Preparation all of March through April 10th. See details below. SALE DATES: April 11, 12, and 13.

OPPORTUNITIES to PARTICIPATE:

DONATE:  Drop off donations at the church office every weekday 9:00-4:00.

                Drop off donations every Thursday evening, outside the church office, 7:00-8:30.

                  Bring donations to the Seminary on Wednesday mornings, March 6, 13, 20, 27, and

                  April 3.

2 special drop-offs: SATURDAYS March 23 and April 6, 9:00-noon.

SORT DONATIONS: We NEED LOTS OF HELP here. We sort donations into boxes, which we store until the week of the sale.

                  Every Wednesday in March as well as April 3, from 9:00 til noon. Snacks provided. Good fellowship promised.

SET-UP the sale:  Saturday April 6, from 9:00 A.M. until done. This takes about one hour. We need MEN, please, to carry many boxes, some racks, etc.

UNPACK: DISPLAY and PRICE items: Mon, Tues, Wed, April 8, 9, 10 from 9-3p.m.

THE SALE: Thursday, April 11, 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. ***We need many volunteers to sell this evening.

                    Friday, April 12, 11:00 to 4:00 P.M. ***Salespeople needed.

                    Saturday April 13, 9:00 to noon with a bag sale from 11:30 to 12 noon.

TEAR-DOWN the sale: Sat. April 13, starting at 12 noon. This usually takes one hour.

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MEMBERSHIP, EVANGELISM AND FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE

JOIN NEW FRIENDS AND OLD FRIENDS FOR "TIME TO DINE!"

What fun! Great fellowship!  Enjoy meeting new members!  Get to know each other over a meal!  That is what "Time to Dine" is all about.  The Membership, Evangelism, and Fellowship (MEF) Committee is forming groups for gathering this Spring through Fall.  Sign up after church in the Molyneaux on March 17th and March 24th, email Pat Gifford at gifforp@miamioh.edu, or call the office (523-6364),

Here's how it works--Sign up to participate, then indicate if you would be willing to host a group in your home (but not necessary!).  The MEF Committee will form groups of seven to nine people and identify a host individual or couple to coordinate the first get-together.  The host will contact group members early in April to determine a date, time, and place to meet...it may be the host's home or a local restaurant. You may want to have brunch, lunch, or dinner, whatever the group decides.  Then share a meal and have a good time!!  Hopefully groups will dine in April or May, during the summer (optional), and again in the Fall.  Hosts and locations will change, based on the group's preferences.

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MUSTARD SEED INVESTMENT GROUP SEEKS MEMBERS.

If you would like to join a small investment group of fellow congregants, learn a little about investing, and support mission giving, please consider joining the Mustard Seed Investment group.

The group meets four times a year in members' homes, contributing $50 each quarter.  The value of our portfolio currently fluctuates between roughly $13,000 and $16,000 dollars at present.   For the third year, we contributed $500 to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  The beneficiary is determined by vote of the members.  As the value of the portfolio grows we hope the amount distributed will grow as well. The portfolio is the property of the church.

ATTENTION SUPPORTERS OF THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:  In order to participate in the program for 2013, we must all re-enroll our Kroger Plus Cards, on-line, AGAIN!! This will need to be done during the month of April.

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SAVE THE DATE!!

Spaghetti Luncheon - Come enjoy a meal and help support the Youth Mission Trip to Tennessee.

Main course, Salad, Bread and Dessert for only $5/ $20 Family maximum

Sunday, April 21st   11:30

Call Leanne Staley (726-1417) or Debbie DeGennaro (524-2409) for reservations

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CHURCH SERVICES AT THE KNOLLS

Fairly recent church services on DVD will be shown at The Knolls on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. For March that's

March 12

March 26

We will be in the Country Kitchen at 10:00am and anyone who would care to come is invited.

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All Church Talent Show

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Pot-luck at 5:50 pm with Talent Show to follow at

Seminary Building

Get ready for the 4th annual All Church Talent (A.C.T.) Show with your best (or worst - it's all in fun so it doesn't matter) display of your talents, hidden or otherwise.  During the first 3 shows we've had everything from dribbling basketballs to fine needlework to singing and dancing, to story-telling and comedy, to instrumental solos, in addition to other displays of the diverse talent existing in our church family.  We'd love to continue to enlarge our show to include more acts of performance (singing, dancing, instrumentals, story-telling, poetry, jokes) art (painting, pottery, photography, weaving, etc.), crafts (woodworking, nature crafts, specialized collections, jewelry making, etc.) and hobbies (scrapbooking, coins or stamps, other collectables).  Display space will be available for arts, crafts, and hobbies.

Please see Dick Munson (in the choir) after church for any questions or to sign up.  Or call him at 513-374-2118 or email beaver1948@juno.com or munsonrh@miamioh.edu

Let's get our ACTs together!!

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Help spread the news-share what's happening with you and your family by sending info to Nancy Moeckel, your newsletter editor. (moeckenj@muohio.edu)

"Practicing Presence"

            Our yoga class at the Miami Rec Center meets right beside the room where another class takes place.  I don't know what kind of class it is, but it seems to require lots of loud music with a hip hop beat and an instructor who is even louder.  This presents a challenge for the yoga class.  Our task is to clear our minds of everything but the yoga posture we're doing and just focus on our breathing.  But the "boom, boom, boom" and the "Four, three, two, one and..." is leaking through the wall! 

            This week our instructor said, "I know the music next door isn't exactly conducive. And that we all have inner noise, thoughts and worries nibbling at our minds.   But you can focus your attention so that all that will fade into the background and you can be in the present moment just doing yoga.  You can do this."  Then she said, "You know how on the older radios there was a tuning knob?" (For the benefit of the Miami students raised in the digital age she added, "Does everyone know what I'm talking about?!")  She went on, "Well, you turn the dial and run through a cacophony of sounds from many stations, and then when you get close to the station to which you want to listen you begin turning the dial minutely back (not quite there) and forth (not quite there) until it comes in clearly.  You focus in on just that one station. Just so, I want you to focus now, to turn the dial in on your breathing and on each yoga pose, one at a time and let the distractions slip away."  "Sure," I thought, "we'll see about that!"  But then, in no time at all it seemed, she was saying, "And that concludes our practice of yoga for today."  And she was bowing to us with her hands pressed together in a prayer gesture as you do to each other at the end of a session.   An hour had passed!  We had been really present (mostly) to what we were doing.  The beat went on next door but it didn't matter! 

            Since it's Lent, I've been thinking that this season of preparation for Easter is really about focus.  Finding ways to "turn the knob" past all the voices and tasks, the inner and outer chatter, in order to tune into the presence of God around us and in us.   .  Simone Weil has said that the essence of prayer is simply attending.  Paying attention to the Creator, or to the creation which will point us in the end to the Creator.  It's the counsel of many generations of Christian teachers of prayer.  Take time, focus.

            But how often do we make the time?   To really sit or stand or kneel in the various postures of prayer?  To let our attention be tuned by adoration or confession or thanksgiving or supplication or intercession?  Just focusing on one of these and our breathing and nothing more?  Probably, if you're like me, not often enough.  We struggle to grab a little stillness, but can't quite shut out the loud beat of the world around us or shut off the "monkey mind" within so we can simply practice being present with God and with ourselves in the great ocean of love that is always around us.    

            It takes time!  And actually we have time, each of us, the same 24 hours every day with some minutes available to be available.  We can do this!  We can focus during Lent; we may practice presence.   "Sure," you think, "we'll see about that!"  

            I invite you to the practice of presence and to the possibility of being surprised. 

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