A note from the pastor
One of the first funerals I officiated was for Barb Julian, who
wrote this lovely thought:
The year is a landscape;
summer the valley, spring and fall the foothills, winter the mountain.
At the new year we can stand at the peak of the mountain, and look
both ways;
back over past years and ahead to a new year.
But the new year is misty and we cannot see ahead very well.
Only as we progress ahead through the year does the mist part.
There is no fear, for God is there, leading the way.
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Permit #40
Edwardsville, IL 62025
U.S. Postage Paid
Nonprofit Organization
Volume 28, Number 1 January 2015
As we move into a new year of following God in Jesus Christ, keep in
mind special education opportunities:
On Saturday, January 10, new elders and deacons will gather at 9:00
AM for officer training, followed by a meeting with session, officer
examination, and a luncheon meeting.
On Sunday, January 11, a new adult class opportunity begins,
entitled “Christian Parenting of Teens,” and co-led by me, Bob Gibson,
Dennis Pluta, and coordinated by Valerie Barber. Sessions include:
 Jan. 11: Teenagers 101: Parenting Graduate School
 Jan. 18: What Changed?
 Jan. 25: Training Teens to Act Responsibly
 Feb. 1: Parenting Pearls of Wisdom
Feb. 8: Is Christian Parenting Different? Panel Discussion.
The book “Parenting Teens with Love and Logic” will be used; copies
of the book are available for order.
Continued on inside back page
FOR THE RECORD
Long-time FPCE member Hazel Marti passed away on
December 2nd at the age of 95. Hazel joined FPCE on
April 28, 1946, after coming to Edwardsville from South Carolina
shortly after WWII to live near the family of her husband Orville.
Hazel is survived by her son Dick and daughter Mimi and their
families. A note of appreciation was received from Noel Lane Jr.,
informing us his mother Mary Jane Lane died on November 17th.
Noel especially thanks Betty Dierkes for her regular and faithful
communication. Condolences go out to Tricia Keagy and her family,
on the passing of her father, Jerry Pierson and also to Stephenie Vogt
and Nichole Kirk on the passing of close family friend, Carol
Crosby.
BITS & PIECES
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN LUNCH
Start the year on a high note by joining us on Wednesday January 7th
for a potluck luncheon. Bring a dish to share and open arms for a New
Year’s hug. Catch up after the holidays with old friends and new. A
good time is always had by all who attend.
GLEN-ED PANTRY
The Glen-Ed Pantry is in need of coats and blankets, all sizes. Coats
and blankets can be dropped off in Fellowship Hall and they will be
delivered to the Pantry for distribution.
SANDWICH NIGHT
It’s BACK! Sandwich Night preparation will be done on
Sunday, January 25th, with the sandwiches being
distributed on Monday, January 26th. Sign up sheets are posted on the
kitchen door.
THANK YOU!
“Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. Thank you
also for the amazing gift box for finals week! I will be enjoying mine
the last semester of school! I wish you all the very best. Thank you
again. Fondly, Mallory Milner”
FAIR TRADE
Please consider adding a Fair Trade item to your
shopping list. Hot Chocolate is here! We continue to
stock our coffee and tea! Come give us a try! We
might become your new favorite! AND you will be helping to give a
living wage to a small farmer or tradesperson.
2014 INCOME AND EXPENSES
through November 30, 2014
Pledges
Other Income
Savings Transfer
Total Income
ACTUAL
$306,567
$ 49,091
$
0
$355,658
BUDGET
$296,087
$ 51,546
$ 12,551
$360,184
Total Expenses
$348,669
$360,184
Net Income
$
6,989
GIVING MADE EASY—GO ONLINE
It’s not too late to start the new year off right by signing up to pay your 2015
pledge online. It’s quick, easy, and most of all, secure! Go to our website,
www.fpcedw.org, and click on the red “giving page” button in the upper right
corner of our home page. You can use your checking account or credit or
debit card to set up a one time donation or a recurring monthly or weekly
donation. Ask Deidra Weidinger or Kathy Bellmann if you have any
questions.
FIRST READ BOOK CLUB
If you made a New Year’s resolution to spend more time with a good
book, please consider joining The First Read Book Club. The group
meets on the third Wednesday of each month, September through May
for a lively discussion. We will meet on Wednesday January 21, at
11:45 a.m.in Fellowship Hall to discuss Sue Monk Kidd’s book The
Invention of Wings. Joy Myers will be our discussion leader. In
February Joyce Toussaint will lead a discussion on The Boys in the
Boat by Daniel James Brown. In March Mary Anna Davis will guide
us through The Goldfinch, 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction. All
are welcome. For information, contact Donna Crider at 343-1404.
FAITH FORMATION NEWS:
Our Nursery is staffed by (we are currently looking for
someone) who is available each Sunday morning for
both worship services and Sunday School hour. Pagers
are available for parents to hold while they are away from their
child. In case of concern, parents will be notified by the nursery
worker..
PreSchool – Sunday School class. Anne Caton is prepared to lead
the pre-school class for 3 year olds through pre-kindergarten which
meets from 9:15 to 10:15 am each Sunday. Please contact the
church office if your child is NOT going to participate in this
program.
Set aside the morning of March 14th for Faith Formation to travel to
the Presbytery Office in St. Louis to view a new curriculum from
PC(USA) called “Grace and Gratitude”. Other reformed curricula
will also be available to view.
The N.E.T. (New Experience Together)
Kindergarten through Grade 7
Students will rotate to each workshop over this two week period
of time by age categories.
Thank you to all who helped us travel around the world…we
learned many new customs and new ways to celebrate Christmas in
our own homes.
January will begin a new rotation on Jonah:
A Reluctant Believer. This is a whale of a
story with a big message from God for
children to catch. Students learn that you
can’t hide from God – even in a whale! Students discover that
Jonah ran away from God because he didn’t “get” God’s message of
Compassion, Mercy, and Grace for everyone who repents. As a
special enhancement, in each workshop students will collect a
different “Catch of the Day” fish to add to a metal key ring. Each
fish has an important message from God for living each day.
Thank you to Scott Weber and Mark
Weidinger for creating our new decoration for
the Fellowship Hall. We hope you will take a
moment to “experience” Jonah’s visit to the
belly of the big fish! We appreciate their creativity and expertise in
crafting our inflatable visitor! We also note that the visitor is smaller
than a full-sized whale would be but it will give us the vision of what
poor Jonah might have gone through!
January 4 and 11 will find Robin Paproth
leading an Art Workshop where students
will travel through an imagination exercise,
pretending that they are Jonah sinking to
the bottom of the ocean. As they open
their eyes they see all varieties of beautiful
fish that God created. Students learn that as God created and cares for
the fish in the ocean, God also created them and gives them
compassion, mercy, and grace when they trust God. Students learn of
God’s compassionate character in the Jonah story and further learn
that God wants them to put on a compassionate and forgiving attitude
towards others.
Also on January 4 and 11 students will participate in a Computer
Workshop with Mary Lou Sullivan where they will encounter the
Compassion Fish who introduces students to the Catch of the Day.
Students explore their understanding of compassion and read from the
Bible a passage reflecting God’s compassionate character. They use
Compassion Meters to rate Jonah’s and God’s compassion or lack of
compassion in the story. A highly interesting and interactive CD
helps students learn Jonah’s story, understand Jonah’s lack of
compassion towards the undeserving Ninevites and God’s character of
compassion for everyone.
January 18 and 25 will find Mary Anna Davis leading a Movie
Workshop where a message in a bottle washed ashore
from the Mediterranean Sea and introduces students to
God’s marching orders to Jonah – go to Nineveh. As
students view the movie Jonah, they are asked to find out how Jonah
responded to God’s message. Following the movie, a guided
meditation complete with humpback whale sounds playing in the
background helps students understand Jonah’s feelings of being
captive in the cavity of the great whale.
Since music is now being handled in a different way…
we ask that parents supervise their children after
Sunday School ends at 10:15am.
If you would like to be a part of this Sunday morning program – even if
it is NOT teaching, please contact a member of the Faith Formation Team
and we will discuss possibilities with you. We always need people to
help purchase items, set up and take down classrooms, decorate or create
an atmosphere for a workshop, and help to keep our supply
closet neatened. Your prayers are always encouraged and
welcomed. If you merely want to support the efforts but do
not feel you have anything to contribute…we are always open to
receiving scrip cards…used to purchase items at Walmart or Target for
the program.
Team members are: Donna Crider, chair, Dennis Pluta, Peggy
Lambdin, Robin Paproth, Lee Bernard, Jeannie Trimmer, Joyce
Toussaint and Joy Myers, staff. Advisors are: Gayle Driscoll, Anne
Caton and Lynn Warren.
Time with Young Worshippers
This is an opportunity for persons to assist in worship by leading a Time
With Young Worshippers. Material is available to assist you in planning
and preparation. Please contact one of the pastor’s with your willingness
to assist.
Confirmation Class:
Continues their study of “Professing Our Faith” continuing
the discovery of how the church has used The Lord’s Prayer,
The Confessions and the Ten Commandments as a
foundation for belief.
High School Class:
…meets with Eric Voss in the classroom off the balcony. This class if
for all high school students and uses the “Feasting on the Word”
curriculum produced by our denomination. Topics to be discussed this
month are as follows:
January 4 – John 1: (1-9), 10-18 – Grace Upon Grace
January 11 – Mark 1:4-11 – Beloved, with You I Am Well-Pleased
January 18 – 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20) – Called to Speak Out
January 25 – Mark 1:14-20 - Called
February 1 – Mark 1:21-28 - Transformation
Sunday Morning Adult Class will include:
The Upper Room class meets with Scott Hagin leading most Sundays
using Feasting on the Word as their curriculum.
January 4 – John 1: (1-9), 10-18 - The Source of Change
January 11 – Mark 1:4-11 – Baptism as a New Beginning
January 18 – 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20) – Discerning God’s Call
January 25 – Mark 1:14-20 – Follow the Leader
February 1 – Mark 1:21-28 - Transformation
Christian Parenting of Teens Class
A new 5 week Sunday School class will be offered starting January
11th through February 8th in the Inner Room. It will be co-lead by
John Hembruch, Dennis Pluta and Bob Gibson using resources
from The Thoughtful Christian. Please join us as we learn how to
shepherd our teens through this challenging time while maintaining
serenity for ourselves.
Wednesday Spirituality Group:
…Meets from 10:30-11:30 am each Wednesday morning spending
time in prayer as well as study. We resume the study on January 7th
led by Robin Paproth on the book by Barbara Brown Taylor entitled:
“An Altar in the World.” Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal
priest and an excellent preacher. Come and find out what this book is
all about. You do not need to have participated before this time but
can quickly jump in and catch up on the reading. We plan to
complete the study early in February. You might note that Barbara
Brown Taylor is a favorite of both of your pastors and frequently
quoted! Each chapter is a spiritual exercise…you might want to join
in! Come and join in the conversation – your opinions will be
welcomed!
Youth Ministry News:
January 24, 2015, a Saturday night, will be our
Trivia Night. Consider putting together a table of
your friends for a night of fun and frivolity with a
hint of knowledge sharing. Cost for the Trivia
Night is $15 per person for a table of 8. All funds
raised will be used toward our summer trips.
High School students will travel to Lexington, KY this summer on June
6 to June 12 to participate in an urban ministry experience working
with homeless and hungry people through the Maxwell Street
Presbyterian Church. This is a well-loved trip for those who have
traveled here before and much is learned and experienced during the
week.
Middle School students will travel to Green Lake, WI on July 13 and
return on July 18. This is a very experiential time for our students who
will share space with up to 900 other middle school students in games,
Bible study, singing and worship and a “back home” group time. The
candle-light service overlooking the lake is a meaningful time for all
our youth….and the adults who travel with them!
please make your check payable to FPCE for $100. A second
payment will be due in April for the balance of the family payments.
Remember that if you have more than one student participating in either
a middle school OR a high school trip, you may deduct $25.00 for each
student. Gail Miller has agreed to travel with us for this trip. If you
think you would like to be one of the adult chaperones but have some
questions about the event and your responsibilities, please do not hesitate
to contact Pastor Joy or one of our many adults who have traveled with
the group: Bob Gibson, Lynn or Bill Warren, Jerry Barber, Terry Trueb,
Ron Myers, Gayle Driscoll, Pam Farrar, Valerie Barber (I’m sure I could
have left someone off the list!)…or talk to one of the youth who have
participated!
TUXIS – High School Group – (Together Under Christ in Service)
MIDDLE SCHOOL
This group normally meets from 4:00-5:30 pm on Sunday afternoons.
A parent volunteer should be present and lead the group in a game and
provide snacks.
PARENTS, please let us know which of the Sundays will work for you
to provide a snack and be present to assist at the meetings. PLEASE
let Pastor Joy know when you are NOT going to be present so that
plans can be adjusted for the people who do attend. An email at
[email protected] or [email protected] a text to 815-501-5522 or a
phone call to home 288-4211 or cell 815-501-5522 will be GREATLY
appreciated.
January 4 – Trip to the Missouri History Museum in St Louis for both
groups!
January 11 – Prepare for Trivia Night, sledding or skating (Depending
on the weather!)
January 18 – Prepare for Trivia Night, sledding or skating (Depending
on the weather!)
January 25 – No meeting because youth will be working at the Trivia
Night on the 24th!
February 1 – SouperBowl of Caring – party at the Loyet home
The Great Escape is set for all Middle School youth for July 13-18,
2015. A deposit for 8 youth and 4 adults was mailed at the end of
November taking advantage of a reduced rate for the week. Forms will
be available sometime in March. If you have not made your deposit,
This group normally meets from 6:30-8:30 pm on Sunday evenings. A
volunteer will be present to offer a game and a snack during the last half
hour of our meetings.
PARENTS, please let us know which of the Sundays will work for you
to provide a snack and be present to assist at the meetings. PLEASE let
Pastor Joy know when you are NOT going to be present so that plans can
be adjusted for the people who do attend. An email at [email protected]
or [email protected] a text to 815-501-5522 or a phone call to home
288-4211 or cell 815-501-5522 will be GREATLY appreciated.
January 4 – Trip to the Missouri History Museum in St Louis for both
groups!
January 11 – Prepare for Trivia Night, sledding or skating (Depending
on the weather!)
January 18 – Prepare for Trivia Night, sledding or skating (Depending
on the weather!)
January 25 – No meeting because youth will be working at the Trivia
Night on the 24th!
February 1 – SouperBowl of Caring – party at the Loyet home
The High School Go ‘n Serve Mission Trip is scheduled for June 612, 2015. We will travel to Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church in
Lexington, KY to participate in a variety of urban ministry activities
and learning environments. Deposits are due by January 25, 2015.
David Lowry has agreed to travel with us. If you think you would like to
travel with the group for this trip, please do not hesitate to contact Pastor
Joy or Gail Miller, chair of the Youth Ministry team.
Unless otherwise specified in the description each youth group will
meet separately at their regular meeting time.
Dates to look forward to:
April 26 – Visit the Holocaust Museum with a viewing of “The Book
Thief” the week before the trip.
It is going to be a GREAT year…don’t forget to put us on your
calendar. We love spending time with you!
mission outreach ministries spotlight
Other special events in January include officer ordination and
installation on January 11, and the annual meeting of the
congregation on Jan. 18.
In Christ’s Service,
John C. Hembruch, Pastor
Pastor’s Blog: http://jchembruch.wordpress.com
Friend us on facebook: First Presbyterian Church Edwardsville
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
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SOCK-IT-TO ME & UNDIES-A-GO-GO
Yes, you saw it right. Glen-Ed Pantry is doing the Sock Drive again and
adding undies to it this time around. I use them, you use them, we all use
them. These are the first two things every kid needs to start the day (well,
except for brushing their teeth, washing their face, shower…). Let’s get
socks and undies to these kids! January is cold enough without not
having that first layer of warmth to start the day. I know you want to.
We accept checks and cash, or socks and undies. Drop the socks and
undies in the Glen-Ed grocery basket in Fellowship Hall. Checks may be
made payable to Glen-Ed Pantry Sock Drive and can be placed in the
offering plate, mailed to the church or dropped off in the church office.
Or you can go online to our website, www.fpcedw.org, click on the red
“giving page” button and make a special gift payment online using your
credit card or checking account. Just write “Glen-Ed Sock & Undie
Drive” in the memo of your check or in the comments box on the giving
page. Thanks for the essentials!
MISSION OUTREACH UPCOMING EVENT
Mark your calendar for our Mission Fair on March 1, 2015. It’s a
chance to visit with our mission partners and discover the work they do.
More information to follow.
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Kay Siegrist, Valerie Barber, Mimi Braun,
Rev. Susan Nieson at the Presbytery Office
Carter McCall
Jewell Daugherty, Rick Powell, Kris Kassens, Sloan Watson
Leanna Jackson Rizzoli
Nicholas Trueb
Doug Gorsage, Steve Rhoten, Therese Hembruch, Josh
McIntyre, Caroline Caton
Denny Tiede
Sandy Stuart, Brendon Cook
Chris Farrar, Andrew Albrecht, Anna Farrar, Molly Farrar,
Marion Lampe, Harry Armstrong, Pat Atkinson
Don Davis, Bob Towell
Abby Cotter
Amy Loyet, Dane Lowry
Sharon Voss
John Baisch
Bonnie Sherman, Marsha Wohlford, Alanna Nevenner
Ed Nieves
Richard Farrell
Katie Lambdin, Bob Raymond
THANKS!
We’d like to offer our thanks for all the work and effort the church put
into building our ramp. It has been a real blessing for us. Before we got
it, it was a real struggle to get Cyntha in and out of the house, but since
the ramp was built we all take advantage of its ease of use. Thank you
all, The Bastholm Family