THE CUP
NEWS OF THE
CLINTON UNITED
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
2015
‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down
where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves
in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley
of love and delight.
—Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848
The Rev. Laura E. Strauss
We’ve had ENOUGH! For the five
Sundays of Lent, we journeyed
through a study of Enough: Finding
Joy
Through
Simplicity
and
Generosity. On Palm Sunday, we
turned in our Commitment Cards.
This
Easter
will
provide
the
opportunity for those who were
unable on Palm Sunday to turn in
their commitment cards during the
offering. We will celebrate these
commitments on Sunday, April 19
with a Sandwich and Salad Potluck
following worship.
So, what has God taught us in these
weeks?
First, we were reminded of the words
of our Lord Jesus Christ from
Matthew’s gospel, “For what will it
profit them if they gain the whole
world but forfeit their life? Or what
will they give in return for their life?”
The American Dream changed from a
dream of liberty and freedom to a
dream of more stuff. This dream
became a nightmare as we’ve been
impacted in our spirits with the
illnesses of Affluenza (the constant
need for more) and Credit-it is (debt).
These illnesses were caused by a
desire for possessions as opposed to
a desire for God in Christ. The Bible
called us to a heart change!
Second, we listened to the Parable of
the Prodigal Son. As it turns out, a
prodigal isn’t one who runs away
from home…it’s someone who wastes
money! We learned of our own
prodigal nature through impulse
buying and eating out. We had lost
our sense of purpose and calling as
those meant to use our resources to
the glory of God for the building up of
God’s kingdom. We then received
resources for setting goals related to
our Godly life purpose, and six
financial principles for achieving
those goals.
On the third Sunday, we heeded
Jesus’ warning in Luke’s gospel,
“Take care! Be on guard against all
kinds of greed; for one’s life does not
consist
in
the
abundance
of
possessions.” A life lived in greed is a
life lived in discontentment. Christ
calls us to contentment, particularly
the kind of contentment found by the
Apostle Paul in ALL circumstances,
even prison in Rome. The four keys to
this kind of contentment are a
recognition that things could be
worse (we could not know Jesus!),
asking ourselves how long our desires
would make us happy (usually not
long), developing a grateful heart in
all circumstances and finding our
soul’s true satisfaction in God alone.
Finally, we were commanded by Paul
in his first letter to Timothy, “as those
who in the present age are rich,
command them not to be haughty, or
to set their hopes on the uncertainty
of riches, but rather on God who
richly provides us with everything for
our enjoyment.” The Lord provides
ENOUGH, and we are therefore
invited to trust God as we follow
God’s command to give from the top.
We are created to be generous, even
as we are tempted to hoard out of
fear and/or self-gratification. We
listened to Biblical guidelines for
giving, noting what tithing means to
both God and ourselves.
It has been an exciting, challenging
and uncomfortable Lent, much like
Jesus’ forty days in the desert. But,
my prayer is that we all have grown
in our understanding of what it
means to be content through
simplicity and generosity. I know that
I have. With joy, let us enter into the
Easter season with thanksgiving…
thankful that our times, gifts and
treasures may be used to their fullest
to the glory of God’s kingdom on
earth as it is in heaven.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Laura
Holy Week Events
Sunday, March 29: Palm Sunday
Clinton U.P. Church
Consecration Sunday
11:00 a.m. with Palms
feat. the Bell Choir
Thursday, April 2:
Maundy Thursday
Clinton U.P. Church
7:00 p.m., Rev. Isler
preaching
Sacrament of
Communion
feat. the Bell Choir
Friday, April 3: Good Friday
Cross Walk
Shop N Save Parking Lot,
Imperial
Meet at Noon,
Walk at 12:15
Sunday, April 5: Easter Sunday
Sunrise Service
Hebron Presbyterian
Church
7:00 a.m., Rev. Strauss
preaching
Breakfast to Follow
Clinton U.P. Church
11:00 a.m. with Communion
feat. the Bell Choir
Monday, April 6: Easter Monday
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED
The Sacrament of Communion
The Eucharist will be taken on Maundy
Thursday, April 2 and Easter
Sunday, April 5. Please prepare your
hearts and minds for the partaking of this
holy sacrament!
Check out the
Worship Archive!
Dakota Lamb has begun recording video
of our Sunday Scripture readings and
sermons. These videos can be found on
the church web site:
www.clintonupchurch.weebly.com in the
Worship Archive.
Administrative Professionals' Day
Amanda Leonard has given tirelessly of her
time and energy throughout 2014-15 in her
substitute position as our Administrative
Assistant. She has moved our newsletter online, taken on the position of Church Historian
and tackled our stewardship campaign with
dedication and grace. Be sure to thank her as
we observe Administrative Professionals' Day
the week of April 19 – 26.
Special Congregational Meeting
There will be a special congregational
meeting on Sunday, April 26 following
our 11:00 a.m. worship to hear a report
from the Finance and Stewardship
Committee regarding our financial
situation and the results of the
stewardship campaign. We will also
review and approve the pastor's
compensation package. Please mark
your calendar and plan to be present.
CHOIR NOTES
Bell Tones
With April this year comes Easter and the
choir has been very busy this Lenten season
with our special music to celebrate the Easter
season. Thank you to Jim Huffman, Judy
Huemmrich, Joe Miller, Sandy Cogis and
Amanda Collins for your extra special music
during the offertory
throughout
this
Lenten season. All of
your selections were
beautiful and were
enjoyed by everyone
in our congregation.
Thank you all.
Thank you to our bell tones and the
wonderful music they provide during this
Holy Week and Easter Sunday. It is quite a
skill to work together to make our music
joyful and they all do a fantastic job. We will
put our bells away again till next fall, so look
for us back up front during Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
We look forward to continuing our singing till
Pentecost on May 24th at which time the
choir will take a well deserved summer
break. During the summer we try to provide
special music for our service and if anyone
would like to play an instrument or has a
special song they would like to sing or would
like to hear, just let me know and I will help
you find the right date for you to sing or play.
Join us on Sunday, April 19, following
worship as we celebrate the commitment of
our congregation to give to the Lord. This will
be a potluck-style luncheon where we are
invited to bring salads and sandwiches to
share in celebration of what our God has done
through our Enough stewardship campaign!
Thanks again to all our wonderful choir
members and their continued dedication and
to our congregation for your appreciation of
our music every Sunday.
“Easter says you can put truth in
a grave, but it won’t stay there.”
—Clarence W. Hall
Salad and Sandwich
Celebration Luncheon!
DEACON COMMITTEE
The Deacons will host the after church
luncheon on April 19 to celebrate the
church's commitment to our future. We will
need donations of sandwiches and salads
and desserts. There will be a sign up sheet
in the back of the church or you can let
Maxine Wilson know what you would like to
bring. Also, the Deacons will meet on
Sunday April 12 after church in the 3M’s
classroom.
Officer Training is Re-Scheduled!
There will be Officer Training for all
elders and deacons on Sunday, April
26. Deacons are asked to be present
from 1:00 - 2:30, elders from 1:00 - 5:00.
We will begin with a salad and sandwich
potluck luncheon. Please let Pastor Laura
know if you will not be able to attend.
‘
“I lied on my Weight Watchers
list. I put down that I had three
eggs…but they were Cadbury
chocolate eggs.”
—Carolina Rhea
Attention
Golfers:
Yes, the days are getting longer
and yes they will surely get warmer
pretty soon and so we are once
again going to head on out to the
Ponderosa Gold Lands. We gather
on Friday evenings at 5:00 and
play a friendly round of 9 holes
and then we gather in the dining
room for a light dinner. We would
encourage anyone who would like
to golf to join us for this fun
activity.
Women's Group
The Church Women's Group is still active
and we are always looking for new
members. We meet on the first Thursday
of the month, and this past year we have
been studying the 7 deadly sins. Our next
meeting will be April 9th at 6:30 due to the
fact the Maundy Thursday is the first
Thursday of April. Please mark your
calendars to attend this meeting.
The Women's Group will be selling
Hoagies through April. Look for Lena's
special announcement about the cost and
pick up days in the CUP and the weekly
bulletin. We are also planning our annual
Ladies Tea. It will be held on May 9th
starting
at
12:30.
This
year’s
entertainment will be Gary Means, Chalk
Drawing/Story Teller. Some of our ladies
have seen him before and he is wonderful
and we are excited to have him come and
be with us that day. Adult tickets will be
$8.00 and children 12 and under tickets
are $4.00. You may get tickets from Cindy
Macek. We are also planning an after
church picnic in the pavilion on Pentecost,
May 25. There will be more information
coming about that picnic. Please mark
your calendars for these special activities
that our church is having and plan to
attend and support the Women's Group.
The Youth Group’s 30 Hour Famine was
a success! Eight youth fasted for 30
Hours as we learned to make hunger our
fight, using the story of David and Goliath
as our inspiration. The parents led Tribe,
in which the youth were divided into two
Ethiopian tribes playing games which
illustrated the global struggles for hunger,
nutrition, education and water. We
learned about the global pursuit of
happiness, and what actually makes
people happy (HINT: serving others). This
year's mission service took place at the
West Allegheny Food Pantry where the
youth dusted shelves, cans and the tops
of the refrigerator. After learning about
the mission of the Food Pantry from
Deacon Linda Stoner, the youth headed
up to Imperial Point where they collected
non-perishable goods. Thank you to our
youth for their service, and to the
congregation for their support!
The youth group will meet on Sunday,
April 12 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. We will
also meet with the Community Youth
Group on Sunday, April 26 from 6:00 –
7:30 p.m. at Montours Presbyterian
Church. We will meet at Clinton U.P.
Church to carpool to Montours at 5:40
p.m.
Save The Date: The youth group will
partner with Boy Scout Troop 830 for a
car wash fundraiser on Saturday, May 16
at King's in Imperial. The portion raised
by our youth will go toward our summer
2016 mission trip.
Youth Group Good Friday
The youth group will meet on Good
Friday, April 3, at 12:00 at the Shop N
Save in Imperial for the annual
CrossWalk. A TBA activity will follow. Join
us!
Kid's Group
The Kid's Group for children in grades
two – five will meet on Sunday, April 12
and April 26 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Join
us!
Kids' Group Leader Needed
We need a Kids' Group leader for the
2015-16 academic year! The Kids' Group
meets on the second and fourth Sunday
of the month from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. It is
open to all children in grades two – five.
Please contact Brenda Lamb, Pastor
Laura or Brenda Metz if interested.
Thank You, Scott and
Amber Hilpert!
The Christian Education Committee would
like to thank Scott and Amber Hilpert for
their service in leading Kid's Group in
2014-15. Our children were blessed by
your energy, enthusiasm, and Biblical
imagination in teaching them about the
ways of Jesus Christ. May God bless your
growing family richly!
Presbyterian Men 2015 Conference and
Fellowship: Join us at the Massanetta Springs
Conference Center in Harrisonburg, VA from July
17 - 19, 2015. Our focus this year is 1 Corinthians
12:12, "Christ is like a single body, which has
many parts; it is still one body, though it is made
up of different parts." Speakers include Extreme
Global Impact president, Richard Pringle, and
Associate Director of the mission agency the
Outreach Foundation, Rev. Dr. Jeff Ritchie.
Activities will also include a golf tournament,
Appalachian trail hike, work project and history
tour. Cost begins at $290.00 for conference
registration, six meals and two nights lodging. This
event is sponsored by the Synod of the MidAtlantic. Go to:
http://www.midatlanticmen.org/ for more info.
Presbyterian Men Conference: Join us at the
Massanetta Springs Conference Center in
Harrisonburg, VA from July 17 - 19, 2015. Our
focus this year is 1 Corinthians 12:12, "Christ is
like a single body, which has many parts; it is still
one body, though it is made up of different parts."
This event includes dynamic speakers, work
projects, fishing and hiking. Sponsored by the
Synod
of
the Mid-Atlantic. Go to:
www.midatlanticmen.org
Youth Sunday
The youth will be leading 11:00 a.m.
worship on Sunday, May 10. Dakota
Lamb will be preaching a sermon
compiled by himself in conjunction with
the entire youth group. Please join us for
this special service.
“But from this earth, this
grave, this dust, my God
shall raise me up, I trust.
—Sir Walter Raleigh
Dear Beloved in Christ,
As of May 17, 2015, enough presbyteries
have ratified an action of the 221st
General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) to make that action
effective across our denomination. This
action has been reported by the national
media, as I'm sure many, if not most, of
you are aware. I have prepared the Q&A,
with the help of colleague in ministry the
Rev. Ryan Baer, below in hopes that it
might be a helpful conversation partner
as you discuss this issue with your friends,
neighbors and church family. As always,
my door is open to you if you’d like to
discuss these or any other issues.
Q: What was the action?
A: At its meeting in June 2014, the
General
Assembly
proposed
an
amendment to our church Constitution
regarding marriage. As of March 17, 2015,
a majority of the 171 presbyteries in our
denomination
have
ratified
the
amendment, making it effective. The new
language now reads:
Marriage is a gift God has given to all
humankind for the well-being of the
entire human family. Marriage involves a
unique commitment between two people,
traditionally a man and a woman, to love
and support each other for the rest of
their lives. The sacrificial love that unites
the couple sustains them as faithful and
responsible members of the church and
the wider community.
to seek and represent the will of Christ for
Christ’s church.
In civil law, marriage is a contract that
recognizes the rights and obligations of
the married couple in society. In the
Reformed tradition, marriage is also a
covenant in which God has an active part,
and which the community of faith
publicly witnesses and acknowledges.
Q: How did our presbytery vote?
A: Our church is a member congregation
of Pittsburgh Presbytery. Our presbytery
has not yet voted on this amendment.
However, even though there is already a
majority and the amendment has passed,
the presbytery will vote at our next
presbytery
meeting
as
originally
scheduled. A ruling elder and myself will
be present to represent Clinton U.P.
Church in voting at that particular
meeting.
Q: What does the amendment do?
A: The amendment grants freedom of
conscience to pastors in jurisdictions
where permitted by civil law to perform
wedding ceremonies for same-gender
couples, and it also allows sessions to
authorize the use of church facilities for
such ceremonies. It does not require
pastors to perform or sessions to authorize
such a service if it would violate their
conscience.
Q: What is the General Assembly?
A: The General Assembly is the highest
governing council in the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) It is made up of equal
numbers of pastors and elders who are
sent as commissioners from their regional
presbyteries. You may remember that our
own Elder Amanda Wade attended the
2012 General Assembly as a Young Adult
Advisory Delegate. Unlike our civil
government, commissioners are not sent
only to represent their constituencies, but
Q: How does this amendment affect our
church?
A: In general, our church does not receive
many requests to perform weddings. In
fact, I have only performed four weddings
in my five-year tenure. So, we do not need
to worry that this will become an issue for
our particular congregation in the near
future. That said, the session has the
option of voting to create a statement in
our by-laws making it clear our position
on this particular amendment.
Again, if you have any questions, please
feel free to contact me via phone (412956-9438) or email, Monday – Thursday.
I'd also be happy to schedule a time to
meet with you to chat face-to-face.
May God bless you richly with the
GRACE and PEACE of our Lord Jesus
Christ as we near the end of this Lenten
season!
In Christ's Service,
Pastor Laura
UPDATE: The Session of Clinton U.P.
Church has been made aware of the
actions taken by the General Assembly of
the
Presbyterian
Church
(U.S.A.)
regarding this amendment. They will
have a representative present to vote at
the next Presbytery meeting, along with
Pastor Laura. Additionally, they will be
continuing in prayerful discussion and
discernment regarding how to proceed as
is best for our congregation in its desire to
follow the direction and leading of the
Holy Spirit regarding this particular
matter.
The Women’s Association is selling hoagies.
Orders must be in by April 12th to Sandi Cogis
or Lena Cool or any member of the Women’s
Association. Orders may be picked up at the
Church on Friday, April 24th from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. Payment must accompany your order.
Checks should be made payable to Clinton U.P.
Church. We are selling Italian, turkey, and roast
beef hoagies, along with pepperoni rolls.
Thank you for your support!
The Answer is Easter
After the April 2013 suicide of his 27year-old son, Matthew, pastor and author
Rick Warren was often asked how he was
able to keep going. His frequent reply?
“The answer is Easter.”
In the Easter sermons Warren preached
the following year, he emphasized that
Jesus’ resurrection is the answer to
discouragement, defeat and devastating
trials.
“The death, burial and resurrection of
Jesus happened over three days,” Warren
explained. “Friday was the day of suffering
and pain and agony. Saturday was the
day of doubt and confusion and misery.
But Easter, that Sunday, was the day of
hope and joy and victory.
“You will face these three days over and
over and over in your lifetime. And when
you do, you’ll find yourself asking, as I
did,
three
fundamental
questions.
Number one, what do I do in my days of
pain? Two, how do I get through my days
of doubt and confusion? Three, how do I
get to the days
of
joy
and
victory?
The
answer is Easter.”
Just want to thank everyone for their warm
thoughts, prayers, and encouragement as I
faced health issue testing. God is very good!
Thank you and God bless,
Peggy Steffanus
Thank you Clinton Church and Family,
Denny and I would like to thank all our
family, friends, and neighbors that sent
us cards and wished us well for our 50th
anniversary. It doesn’t seem like it should
be 50 years already, time really flies by.
We will continue to look forward to
many more years together. Thank you
one and all.
—Cindy & Denny Macek
We would like to thank all the folks
at
Clinton
parents’
church
anniversary
for
so
making
special
our
by
keeping it such a secret and showering
them with cards. Thank you all for
helping us make this such a special
occasion.
Mark Macek and Amy Langeberg
kits, which consumers use to
decorate 180 million eggs.

EGG-STRA FACTS
Easter eggs were once part of
pagan spring festivals, they’ve
become Christian symbols of new
life. A cracked-open shell also
represents Jesus’ empty tomb on
Easter morning.

The early Christians of
Mesopotamia began staining eggs
red in honor of Jesus’ blood shed
on the cross. Red eggs remain part
of Greek Orthodox celebrations
today.

For Lent, some families used to
give up eggs and dairy, so they
prepared a pancake feast on
Shrove Tuesday, the day before
Ash Wednesday. They solved the
egg surplus by hard-boiling them in
various broths, which led to
colored eggs.

In medieval times, churches held
“egg-throwing” festivals. The priest
threw a hard-boiled egg toward the
choir boys, who tossed it back and
forth. When the clock struck 12,
whoever was holding the egg got to
keep it.

In some European countries,
children go from house to house to
collect Easter eggs.

Each year, the PAAS Dye Co. sells
more than 10 million egg-coloring

The tallest chocolate Easter egg
ever produced weighed 16,000
pounds — more than an elephant!
We Need Cookies!
The
West
Allegheny
Ministerial
Association is seeking 10-12 dozen cookies
from our congregation for the Sunday,
May 31 Baccalaureate Service. Delivery
time and place to be announced. Thank
you!
BLT Sunday is Coming
Save the Date
The
West
Allegheny
Ministerial
Association Baccalaureate Service for all
West Allegheny graduating seniors will be
held on Sunday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. at
the Church of the Living Christ. Please
join us as we celebrate God's work in the
lives of our seniors and as we ask God's
blessing on their future!
Graduation Sunday!
Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 31 as
we celebrate our graduating seniors during
the 11:00 a.m. worship service. We will
recognize those graduating from high
school during the morning worship
service, and they will be provided with a
special gift from the congregation.
The Youth Group is holding a BLT Sunday
fundraiser on Graduation Sunday, May 31
following the 11:00 a.m. worship service.
Tickets will be available by pre-sale. The
lunch will be provided in take-out form,
though you may enjoy the lunch in the
pavilion,
weather
permitting.
This
fundraiser will allow the youth to support
Bishal, a four-year-old boy in India,
through World Vision for another year.
CLINTON U.P. CHURCH
CEMETERY SEEKING BIDS
Clinton U.P. Church Cemetery is seeking
separate sealed bids for the mowing of
both the old and new sections of the
Clinton Cemetery. A sealed bid for
trimming of the grass around the
headstones of both the old and new
sections of the Clinton Cemetery will be
accepted. Clinton Cemetery will need a
copy of a certificate of insurance. Bids must
be received by April 15, 2015. Any
questions, please contact a cemetery board
member: Bill Marburger, Denny Macek,
Mark McConnell, or Larry Wilson.
to Ty Watters who is the new:
Pennsylvania State
Wrestling Champ
in the 10 years and younger,
70 lbs. category. Great job Ty!
TGIF
I recently read an article that said “If
you want to do your best work, it’s
important to get away from that
work every once in a while.” As a
teacher, I couldn’t agree more with
this statement. I have come to
realize that I spend more time with
other people’s children than I
spend with my own, and I spend
more time with other people’s
children than THEY spend with
them. I love my job, but I will be the
first to admit that I am happy each
and every week when Friday arrives
– I need those days off!
I think many people can relate to
this – you can love your job, but
you also love and need your time
off. It reenergizes us, relaxes us and
makes us better at what we do. A
pastor’s job is unique and has many
demands, but a pastor also needs
to get away from their work. In
addition to leading worship and
Youth group on Sunday, Pastor
Laura has office hours, visitations
and meeting Monday through
Thursday.
On
behalf
of
the
Personnel Committee, I would like
to remind everyone that Pastor
Laura’s days off are Friday and
Saturday.
Please
respect
her
personal time and do not call her in
the evenings or her days off.
The Session has communicated to
Pastor Laura that she should not
check or return emails and phone
messages until she returns to the
office after her days off. Unless on
vacation, Pastor Laura will continue
to be available for emergencies in
which pastoral care is needed, but
if you have routine church business,
information to share or simply have
a question, please contact Pastor
Laura Monday through Thursday
from 9:00 – 5:00. At Clinton UP
Church we are blessed with an
amazing pastor and so let us each
do our part to allow her the time off
that each of us needs and
deserves.
Yours in Christ,
Brenda Lamb
"The mind should be allowed some
relaxation, that it may return to its
work all the better for the rest."
Seneca
Lorrie Leonard ...................... 1
Sarah Metz ........................... 1
Erin Welte ............................. 5
Carol Elek ............................. 7
Debbie Searcy ..................... 11
Betty Stickley ..................... 15
Josh Hilpert ........................ 18
Michael Ayers ..................... 18
Don Behnke ........................ 22
April Field ........................... 23
Beth McCullough ................ 28
Faith Miller ......................... 29
Kid’s Corner