Tower Views Firs t Presby terian C hurch of South St . Paul Page 1 Tower Views Volume 26, Issue 6 June 2014 Graduation Sunday, June 1 Join us as we honor those students graduating from high school and post-secondary schools, and award scholarships to those graduating high school. This is also our seminary intern, Erin Marth’s, final Sunday with us, as she will be graduating from Bethel Seminary. Come wish the graduates Godspeed on the next path of their journey. Patrick Eiden Patrick is graduating from Eagan High School. He will be attending Creighton University in the fall. Libby Lough We strive to be a vibrant Christian community that is loving, nurturing, open, sustainable and renewing, and one that inspires people of all ages to live in the Christian faith and serve the world. Libby is graduating from South St. Paul High School. She will be attending Minnesota State University Mankato, with a major in business and minor in communications. JP Swanson JP is graduating from Simley High School. He will be attending the University of Minnesota with a major in aerospace engineering and a minor in astrophysics. Lauren Horan Lauren is graduating from North St. Paul High School. She will be attending St. Cloud State University in the fall. Abbey Luhrs Abbey is graduating from South St. Paul High School. She will be attending Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, for pre-med/pharmacy. We would also like to recognize the following post-secondary graduates: Bethany Bourgoin, graduating from the U of M Duluth, with a BFA in Studio Art—emphasis digital art & photography, minor in business administration; Courtney Campbell and Bogar Mendiola, each received Associate's degrees from Inver Hills Community College. Page 2 Volume 26, Issue 6 For Your Information Congratulations to the 2014 Confirmands! Office: (651) 451-6223 Fax: (651) 451-3866 www.fpcssp.org “All Are Welcome Here” Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Pastor Katie off on Monday; Pastor Tom off on Friday Email Addresses: On Sunday, May 18, nine of our students made their Confirmation during the worship service. Congratulations to Brady Campbell, Grace Estes Collins, Rachel Kaisler, Tucker Kaup, Willard Lee, Jack Luhrs, Grace Ross, Lizzie Rud and Luke Zaiser. Pastor Katie Estes [email protected] Pastor Tom Watson [email protected] Eleta Pierce Church Administrator [email protected] Linda Kachelmeier Director of Music & Hand Bells [email protected] Jen Bierlein Organist [email protected] Ruth Rutford Youth Coordinator [email protected] Follow us on Twitter @FPCSSP Wednesday Night June Jam! Do you play an acoustic instrument, even if you just know a few chords? Every Wednesday night in June at 7:00, Linda Kachelmeier will host an informal jam session at church. Bring your guitar, ukulele, bass, harmonica, spoons, etc. and/ or your voice. The ability to read music is absolutely not necessary, although chord charts will be available. Talk to Linda if you have any questions. Depending on interest, look for a possible July Jam! First Friday Film Forum: “The Monuments Men” June 6 • 7:00 p.m. Rated PG-13. Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Roosevelt with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys - seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 - possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements. This film is based on the book by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter, directed by George Clooney, and stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. Tower Views Page 3 June 1 June 15 Graduation Sunday 8:30 a.m. Adult Education 10:00 a.m. Worship Celebration 11:00 a.m. Reception for Graduates Trinity/Father’s Day 8:30 a.m. Adult Education 10:00 a.m. Worship Celebration 11:00 a.m. Coffee & Fellowship 1:15 p.m. Timber Hills Worship June 8 Pentecost/Communion 8:30 a.m. Adult Education 10:00 a.m. Worship Celebration 11:00 a.m. Congregational Meeting 11:15 a.m. Coffee & Fellowship Congregational meeting following worship on June 8, for the purpose of electing Elders & Deacons. Bible Study Wednesdays, 9:00 am & 7:00 pm The Acts of the Apostles is one of the most exciting and action-packed books in the New Testament. In June we will continue our study of Acts. In it we hear the evocative story of the Church’s roots that traces its beginnings from the final days of the risen Jesus and the Pentecostal arrival of the Holy Spirit, to Paul’s final missionary trip to Rome. The book provides a detailed, orderly, eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of Jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. In Acts, we learn just how the good news of Jesus Christ spread from Jerusalem to the “ends of the earth” from the viewpoint that we, too, are called to be disciples. Meeting these first Christians and experiencing their passions and struggles among Jews and Gentiles gives us a glimpse of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Come join us on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. or evenings at 7:00 p.m. for the study. All are welcome, whether you are a student of the Bible or new to the faith! Good discussion, no tests, maybe a little homework, and plenty of encouragement and fellowship are the goals of this Bible study. June 22 Baptism 8:30 a.m. Adult Education 10:00 a.m. Worship Celebration 11:00 a.m. Coffee & Fellowship June 29 8:30 a.m. Adult Education 10:00 a.m. Worship Celebration 11:00 a.m. Coffee & Fellowship 5:00 p.m. Dinner & “Sinatra” Show The church staff will be away from the office June 12-14 for a program planning retreat. Volunteers will be in the office answering phones Thursday and Friday, and the pastors will be available via their cell phones if pastoral needs arise. FPC-SSP included in SSP Garden Tour! On June 29, the Sunday of Kaposia Days, the South St. Paul Garden Club will be hosting a tour of local gardens, including our Memorial Garden and Community Garden. The tour starts at 10:00 a.m., so the south parking lot will be reserved that day for tour participants. Please stop out to see our gardens, and perhaps buy a ticket to see the other gardens that will be on the tour. Page 4 Volume 26, Issue 6 from the Property Committee... Do You Like to Paint? Dinner & “Sinatra” Show June 29, 5 pm • FPC-SSP “Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the flowers is?” We all know that old ditty, however this last winter has left the Property Committee holding the bag rather than a bouquet. We have had, or are still dealing with, a leaky roof, malfunctioning software for the heating and cooling (HVAC) system, non-functioning valves in the HVAC system, and our share of parking lot potholes. We still have to repair the air handler for the Sanctuary and in addition the City is assessing the Church for work on Congress Street. All of a sudden FPC-SSP has been piled on with six significant repair projects that are outside the church’s operating budget. Known costs are about $12,000, but bids have not yet been received for fixing the roof and the parking lot—so you can see we aren’t talking about small change. The Property Committee occasionally has projects that they do not have time for due to other responsibilities. Two of those projects that we can use a hand at are painting the storage shed in the South parking lot, and On Sunday, June 29, at 5 PM, the Property Committee will host a spaghetti dinner and show concert to begin to raise funds to pay for the six projects. painting the insides of the Les Lankhorst, (Christel Brosi’s brother), an award cupboards in the Fellowship Hall winning singer, producer and vocal coach, will grace us kitchen. If an individual or a with his musical talent. In addition to his award winning group is interested in doing one of solo show RED, HOT & SWING!, Les has appeared as these projects please contact Frank Sinatra in the acclaimed Las Vegas show The Rat Pastor Tom, or one of the Pack is Back! Please bring your neighbors and friends members of the Property and join us for good food and music. Watch for more Committee, and we will be happy information on tickets coming soon! to assist in getting you started. Volunteers Needed in July for Project Home! In July our ⇒ Luther Memorial and St. John church once Vianney Catholic Church take again becomes the 13th through the 26th. a homeless ⇒ Volunteers hosts have two shelter for a options: month through St. Paul Area 1) The evening hosts arrive Council of Churches’ Project by 5:30 pm, greet the Home. Many of you have families at they get off the volunteered in the past and we are bus, prepare and serve a hoping you will return again this light snack, play and read year. This is a wonderful with the children and chat opportunity to help your community with their parents. in a very personal and hands on 2) The overnight hosts arrive way. by 9:00 pm and can sleep once the families are in Project Home volunteers generally their room for the night, say they “received more than they prepare and serve a light gave.” We partner with other area breakfast, wake the churches to make this happen. ⇒ We provide volunteers for July 1st through July 12th and again July 27th through July 31st. families and help them get on the bus. Project Home has created an online training for volunteers. Go to www.spacc.org and choose “Project Home Training” from the Programs drop-down menu. The sign-up sheets will be available starting Sunday June 1st. Please stop by the Mission Committee table and sign up, or call Ruth Krueger at 651-455-7367, or the church office. Be sure to check out another way to support this ministry in the article on page 5 of this newsletter! Tower Views Page 5 Pentecost Offering • June 8 In April, Session approved the recommendation of the Mission Committee that our portion of the Pentecost Offering be used to support the work of Rev. Dustin and Sherri Ellington, Mission co-workers of the PC(USA) in Zambia, a small impoverished country in Southern Africa. Following a 2012 General Assembly decision, PC(USA) missionaries like the Ellingtons must generate financial support for their missionary work from local congregations. The Ellingtons and their two sons, Clayton and Christopher, have a connection to our church: Sherri’s grandmother was Ruth Nelson’s cousin. The family will soon be returning to Zambia for a second four-year assignment. Dustin is a faculty member at the Justo Myale Theological College and Sherri serves as a teacher both at a church and a school, and bases her mission work on the parable in Mark 4 of “the sower and the seed.” The Ellington family visited our church in July 2013 and presented a program to the adult education class describing their mission work. All present were deeply impressed with the dedication of their family to this mission, and the many examples of the impact that their Ellington family: Dustin, work is having on the lives of the Sherri, Clayton & Christopher people they touch directly and indirectly, as graduates of the You can follow Sherri & Dustin’s college move on to establish mission and/or subscribe to their churches throughout the region. mission letters on the Presbyterian Mission website at: So, please give generously as you www.presbyterianmission.org/ are able to on Pentecost Sunday, ministries/missionconnections/ June 8, to support this dedicated ellington-dustin-and-sherri mission project. The contribution of our church can make a difference! There’s never been a better time to give! Project Home, the family shelter program we host in July, has received a wonderful match grant from the Mardag Foundation. Contributions made between now and June 22, up to $15,000, will be matched. While our generous gift of space and volunteer support helps keep costs low, Project Home still needs funds to provide vital infrastructure for the year-round shelter program – including insurance, daily and emergency transportation, overnight on call staff support, laundry, and healthy snack and breakfast items. Contributions should be made to FPC-SSP with "Project Home" noted in the memo line. Thank you for supporting Healthy Women Healthy Families with your purchase of Mother’s Day cards last month. We are able to send $65.00 to this joint mission, sponsored by the Presbyterian Mission Agency and Presbyterian Women, who will see that health programs in Africa and beyond are helped. $297.30 A round of applause for Jan Olson, whose guess was within $2 of the actual amount that was in the water jar, and for all of you who gave your coins to fill it. That amount, plus an additional $113.28 that was in the larger jug, will be given to Compatible Technologies International, to help fund a few more water chlorinators for Nicaragua before their goal deadline. Over the past three years of this mission, FPC-SSP has given over $1,100! Page 6 Volume 26, Issue 6 Last Summer for Adult Education we offered a series of classes with the theme of “God in Popular Culture”. We looked at how different biblical and theological themes get expressed in specific films and television shows such as The Lord of the Rings, Welcome Back Kotter and Battlestar Galactica. This Summer we are going to do something similar, but turn this idea on its head a bit. Instead of looking at specific shows and movies and pulling out the themes, we are going to start with specific themes and then see how they are expressed in a variety of ways in popular culture. So instead of miniclasses such as “The Gospel According to Disney” we will have something more like “Heaven and Hell in Popular Culture.” In fact, we plan to start this summer-long series on Sunday, June 1 with exactly that class on Heaven and Hell. We have the possibility of having guest speakers during the summer months that will speak on other non-related topics, but for the most part this will be our focus through the end of August. We hope that you will come and join us and perhaps even offer up your own ideas for themes that would particularly interesting and compelling. Adult Education class will continue to meet at 8:30 AM on Sunday mornings in the Knox Room. Saturday Book Group June 7 • 8:30 am This month's book is “Paper Towns” by John Green Quentin Jacobson has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew... Come join us for good discussion and delicious treats. Books available in the church office. Library News Register TODAY for CampCamp-inin-a-Van July 21-25 Right here at FPC-SSP! For kids entering Preschool through completed 6th grade Monday—Friday, July 21-25 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. $30 registration fee Registration forms now available in the church office! Four New Bookcases The new bookcases have been installed in our library providing space for expanded collections of both adult and children’s books. Donations The library is seeking book donations. We will add donations that fit into the library collection and sell the others at the church’s August book sale. Proceeds from the sale will be used to help fund the library. If you identify your donation, you will receive a thank you from the church. If you want your books back if they don’t fit the collection at this time, please indicate that. NEW DVDs Saving Mr. Banks The Help I Am Frozen • • • • The library Committee meets at 10:00 am on June 7 in the library. All are welcome. Tower Views To all those who planned, shopped for and prepared the meal, planned and executed the decorations, copied and cut the bio/menu cards, set the tables, provided the bread and rolls, served the meal, guided the servers, arranged for the speaker and the meal crew, and cleaned up and washed dishes for the Senior Brunch: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This event could not have happened without all your help. It is so wonderful to belong to a congregation that steps up to the plate when help is needed. Sincerely, Mary Love, Moderator of The Board of Deacons Dear Deacons, What a fabulous meal you prepared for us seniors! You really outdid yourselves. The young people did a splendid job as well. It is so kind of you to invite me and it is added joy to see old friends. Thank you very much. Affectionately, Nancy Kachel Page 7 Yet another delightful Senior Brunch—a gastronomical and social pleasure! Thank you to all who made it possible. And thanks to the Deacon Board for all that you do. You are appreciated. Blessings, Ruth Nelson To all Deacons: Cal and I want you to know what a joy it was to attend the Senior Brunch. The tables were lovely, and the food very good. It was especially fun to see the young teens serve. Thank you for your hard work. Lovingly, Eleanor Twining To everyone who helped with the Senior Brunch, Thank you all so much for the lovely brunch. The food was wonderful! The youth group did a great job serving. We should all be so proud of the youth in our church. Many thanks again, Wayne and Sandy Otto SCRIP FUNDRAISING PROGRAM UPDATE The Scrip program kicked off on March 30, 2014. Total sales to date have been $5,635.00 with an instant rebate to the church of $256.78. Gertens plant card sales have totaled $400.00 with an instant rebate of $60.00. 33 different families have participated in the program so far. So you can see that your everyday expenses are helping to raise funds for the church. church. The cards are available for hundreds of retailers nationwide. Scrip is available to purchase the last Sunday of every month and delivery of the card not in stock are delivered the following Sunday. You can pay by Curious what the buying buzz is cash, check, or online with a preabout for Scrip? Scrip fundraising registration account. Questions on uses gift cards purchased at face the program or registration, please value by members and the church orders those same cards at a reduced contact Julie Vigness-Pint. price. It’s an instant rebate for the Prayers for those members who have had surgery, been hospitalized or ill in recent weeks, including: Lauren Horan, Elaine Quinn, Montell Pierce. Congratulations and best wishes to: Jana & David Prall, who are expecting their first child in October, and Ruth Rutford & Peter Buller, who will be married on June 27 in Stillwater. Please contact the church office with all prayer requests, thank you! Highway Haiku Our people put on Vests, with bags in hand, oddly One black sandal found. Five great trash pickers! Wentworth is now neat & clean. Hope it stays that way. Thanks to those who picked up trash last month. Here are the dates of the next cleanups to put on your calendars: August 16th & October 18th. Session has approved a new sexual misconduct policy for the church members, staff and volunteers. Copies are available in the church office by request. Page 8 Volume 26, Issue 6 First Presbyterian Church of South St. Paul “All are Welcome Here” 535 20th Avenue North South St. Paul MN 55075 Phone: (651) 451-6223 www.fpcssp.org Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID South St. Paul, MN Permit No. 156 Adult Education at 8:30 a.m. Worship Celebration at 10:00 a.m. Coffee and Fellowship at 11:00 a.m. Tower Views is a monthly publication of the First Presbyterian Church, South St. Paul, MN Rev. Katie Estes Rev. Tom Watson Pastors Eleta Pierce Church Administrator Tower Views Deadline June 15, 2014 For events taking place in July 2014 July 20 Lorraine Park (3rd Ave. South between 7th & 8th Street) 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am Picnic