NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

PASTOR R. LEE JENNINGS, JR.Church Office Phone: 715.473.3603

Lori Brooks, Admin. Assistant/Newsletter EditorKrystal Statezny, Graphic Designer

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We know that winter isapproaching, feel the silverwinds of old Jack Frost slicethrough our fall clothing.Immediately we think,“How do we get warmfast?” Some have alreadyflown the coup to moresouthern climes. But weready our down garments,waiting to play host both tothe snow and the icicle.

Here’s a thought though to warm you inside like acup of hot cocoa. A minister and his family arrived amidthe glories of a full Wisconsin spring. Since then, he andhis family have been treated to a gracious inclusion andcelebration inside the personal center of their new churchfamily. It has felt more like a homecoming than a welcom-ing for us. So, I thank each one of you. Forever, the mem-bership of Forest Larger Parish Presbyterian Church istattooed on my heart.

I am grateful not only for this, your unflagging spiri-tual hospitality. I long for others in our community to re-ceive a similar welcome and grounding in ourcongregations. People need you, the church of JesusChrist. Neighbors need your fire and your passionthrough the long lonely days of winter. The heat of Jesus’Spirit in your hearts can melt frozen, bruised souls andcarry them with the hope and love from God into a newand living springtime.

I offer you all a few statements on the nature of theChurch:

“The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of em-inent Christians but a school for the education of imper-fect ones.” — Henry Ward Beecher

“And whether it is a rich church or a poor churchanywhere, it is a great church if God is truly worshippedthere.”

“The Human is a religious animal and if he holds

aloof from public wor-ship he starves andstunts his highest in-stincts. If a person isto come to his fullstature, he must cometo it inside thechurch.” — James W.Clarke

“The Church isthe only society in theworld in which mem-

bership is based upon the qualification that the candidateshall be unworthy of membership.” — Charles C. Morgan

“Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a trans-fusion of rich healthy blood to a sick person.”—Dwight L.Moody

From the Pastors Desk

Church StaffRev. R. Lee Jennings, Jr. – Pastor

Pamela Schroeder – Children’s Ministries

Cindy Hart – After School Program (ASP)

Deb Kempf – Awesome Presbyterian Youth (APY)

Lori Brooks – Administrative Assistant

Jim Mathe – Church Treasurer

Patty Earnest – Clerk of Session

Lin Wittman – Presbytery Liaison

Office Phone: 715-473-3603

Website:www.forestlargerparish.comIf you would like to submit something for the website orhave a suggestion, email Joyce Warnacut atjwarnacut@yahoo.com. All submissions are subject toCommunications Committee approval.

MEMBERS & FRIENDS - Prayers of Concern:Clara Koskella, Anders Olsen, Logan Wamego, Jane Albers,Rita Pierce, Zetta Bangert, Pat Rasmussen, Jim Plymire, KimSchelfhout, Lori Exferd, Lyle Weyers, Jackie Kelm, ArleneKempen, Mary Reigle, Jay Mattick, Jamie Lowe, Linda Mentz,Joyce Lisner, Nancy Volk, Eileen Pasley, Elaine Hackbarth,Roger Market, Mike Beranek, Bill Connors Sr., Anna Hietpas,Ken Pagel, Mary Lou Enders, Brenda Mathison, Jim Odekirk,Jim Geeslin, Joe Quinn, Tim Clark, Cannon Henry Tarman,Mavis Vanselow, Shane Aschenbrenner, Donna Farrell,JoAnne Gipp, Lorraine Market, Ryan Nelson, Zach Salewski,Ryan Brunner, Roy Moore, Curt Gipp, Annette Harris, Susan(JoAnne Gipp’s sister), Colby Albert, Franny Sturzl, RogerBell, Jim Strupp, John M., Bill (friend of Glenn Ness), Addy,Judy Mohr, the family of Dan Peterson, Jerry Scheuerman,Missy Marvin

NU-ROC RESIDENTS: Charlotte Synon, Jeanne Haskins

SERVING IN THE MILITARY*Michael Schmitt, Eric Peterson, Doug Smith, Scott Swann, NickSwanda, Zack Ashbeck, Dakota Reynolds, Nicholas Pichotta, Clark Spaniol, Troy Graham, Mitchel Albert

rayer Requests

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COMMUNION DATES:

November 3*November 27† — Thanksgiving Eve

December 1*December 24† – Christmas Eve

*Served traditionally †Served by intinction

Parents of baptized children: Baptized children who are being nurtured and instructed in the significance of the invitation to the Table and the meaning of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s Supper, recognizing that theirunderstanding of participation will vary according to their maturity.

NOVEMBERKelly Boor 4Linnae Statezny 4John McCulloch 5Betty Scholz 6Bill Truttman 7Roberta Mooney 7Nancy Rehbein 9Max Donaldson 10Chyanne Elbe 11Joe Peterson 12Bob Rohe 12Mary Scheuerman 12Nancy Symes 14Marilyn Elbe 14Don Prueter 18

Jim Hixon 20Pam McCulloch 24Jeanette Dreckschmidt 26Guenter Dreckschmidt 26Madilyn Roberts 28Sharlene Kresse 29Glenn Ness 30

DECEMBERZetta Bangert 1Katie Collins 7Raletta Ashbeck 7Mary Dresie 9Troy Hoffmann 10Linda Mentz 11Steven Klingensmith 11Dan Sisler 11

JoAnn Gipp 15Marjorie Neddo 16Pam Schroeder 22Jolene Elbe 22Evan Hart 22Kelly Roy 25Sheri Hauch 25Joy Sisler 26Carol Swim 26Bruce Rasmussen 27Bell’s Anniversary 27Scott Shaffer, Sr. 28Katie J. Collins 28Beth Fuller 29Louis Spaude 30Janina Elbe 30

Birthdays & AnniversariesListed below are the reported birthdays and anniversaries of our members and friends.If your

birthday or anniversary has never been listed and you would like it to be, please write it in on theBirthday Calendar posted at your church, so the list can be updated.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Federal Privacy Regulations, we encourage you to

seek an individual’s permission before submitting their name to our printed prayerlist. *If you would like to add a family member serving in the military to the prayerlist, please fill out a prayer card and note “military” and give it to the pastors orcall the church office.

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What Is the Christmas Joy Offering?A Presbyterian tradition for almost 70

years, the Christmas Joy Offering is one ofthe four special offerings designated by the

General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church(U.S.A.) to provide congregations direct ways of

supporting specific causes that help those in need.You are encouraged to support the Christmas Joy Offer-

ing through gifts to your congregation’s offering. If for somereason that is not convenient, feel free to support the offer-ing directly.

ABOUT THE OFFERINGHistory of the Christmas Joy Offering

Presbyterians have long celebrated the birth of JesusChrist by giving generously to an Advent offering. The Christ-mas Joy Offering dates back to the 1930s when the formerPresbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) began an of-fering to supplement inadequate retirement income and pro-vide supplemental medical insurance for former ministers,missionaries, church workers, and their families. It was first of-ficially called the Joy Gift in 1949.

In the former United Presbyterian Church in the United

States of America (UPCUSA), a Christmas offering was firsttaken in 1960. Called the White Gift, its funds were used forgeneral mission and world relief. In 1964 the name waschanged to the Christmas Offering, and receipts providedsupport for health and welfare concerns related to children.The emphasis on global work with children continued until1973, when the offering was used to assist former servantsof the church who were living on inadequate pensions. In1974 racial ethnic education was added, and in 1979 nurs-ing home care assistance was also included. Funds were dis-tributed evenly between the Board of Pensions and racialethnic education.

In 1988, the PCUS and the UPCUSA offerings werejoined into one offering, the Christmas Offering Joy Gift. Itwas agreed that neither the Board of Pensions nor the racialethnic schools would suffer in the merger of the Joy Gift andthe Christmas Offering. In 1989, the offering was renamedthe Christmas Joy Offering, and in 1991, the 203rd GeneralAssembly changed the distribution of funds to 50 percent tothe Board of Pensions and 50 percent to the Presbyterianracial ethnic schools and colleges.

Christmas Joy Offering

Holiday

Service

Times

THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE Nov. 27– 7 p.m. – Wabeno

Pie and coffee following worship

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENTDec. 1 – ADVENTure Sunday –

Help decorate your church for Advent/Christmas!

NU-ROC SERVICEDecember 16 – 2 p.m.

CAROLING AT NU-ROCDec. 18 – Meet at the Wabeno at 5:15 p.m.

JOINT SERVICE ANDCHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Dec. 22, Wabeno – 10:30 a.m.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICESLaona – 3:30 p.m. • Wabeno – 5:30 p.m.

Lakewood – 7:30 p.m.

Billy Graham has prepared a special message on the Cross to air on his 95th birthday as part of his

“MY HOPE AMERICA” initiative. It will air starting Nov. 7 onDISH channel 258, Time-Warner channel 21, and Directv channel

372. Please check your listings for the time it will air. (This is the Trinity Broadcasting Network.)

Session has approved Mission/Evangelism to

administer the local portionof the Peace Offering. Plans

are for a shopping trip tostock up on personal groom-

ing supplies and basic toiletries for the use of

residents at Rainbow Housein Oconto.

Hams forThanksgiving/Christmaswill again be delivered on

behalf of FLPPC by Mission/Evangelism volun-

teers to those in needthrough the Christian FoodPantry (Townsend), the NewHope Shelter (Crandon) and

NEWCAP (Crandon.)

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FLPPC will again be filling shoeboxesduring this Christmas season withappropriate presents to send toneedy children around the world.Pick up your shoebox and all thedirections at your church building.Boxes must be returned filled nolater than Nov. 17, as they begintheir (long) journey to their intendedrecipients. Don’t forget to include a

check for $7 in the top of the box (payableto Operation Christmas Child — NOT

FLPPC!) for shipping costs (or followthe directions to donate on-line at theOCC website.) If you prefer NOT toshop yourself, a $20 donation canbe made to any Mission/Evangelism

committee member before Nov. 17and the shopping will be done for you.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

The annual Craft Fair Lunch-eon will be held on the Saturday,November 30, from 10 a.m. to2 p.m., at the Lakewood Presbyte-rian Church. Lunch items will in-clude sandwiches, barbeques, achoice of homemade soups, bever-

ages and an incredible assortmentof homemade pies! Hunters arealso welcome to come in from thehunt to have a hot meal and thepie of their dreams. “Gramma’sAttic” will also offer for sale craftsand Christmas items as well as

some collectibles. As in years past,trays of assorted home-bakedChristmas cookies will be availableto take home. Come get a start onyour Christmas season planning!

LAKEWOOD CHURCH PLANS LUNCHEONOffering A Quiet Place To Have Lunch After The Craft Fair

LAONA UPDATE AND PLEDGE

The following pledge/agreement was signed byall present at the September 9 Session Meeting:

“Attendance in Laona has averaged 10 to 11 perSunday, with a high of 20 and a low of six after beingclosed for six months in 2013. A total of 35 differentpeople attended worship services this summer.

Based on this attendance the Forest LargerParish Presbyterian Church Session is in agreementwith the Laona members and agree to continue withan 11:30 a.m. worship service through the end ofAugust 2014.

Pastor Lee has agreed to preach at all servicesunless he needs a break. Other people may be invitedby the pastor to fill the pulpit at that time.

Attendance will be monitored through August2014 and if the attendance remains steady this willgive the opportunity for the church to grow andflourish. If the attendance falls to three or fourmembers, the Session will need to revisit thisdiscussion.”

In order to focus more diligently on our prayers ofconcern, the Worship Committee has decided to movethe PowerPoint slide containing the prayer list to justbefore the prayers of the people in our service order. Atthis time, Pastor Lee will ask for updates on those listedon our current prayer list. Additional prayer cards willalso be received at this time.

When filling out a prayer card, please remember tocheck the “permission to print” box. This is very impor-tant due to Federal Privacy Regulations. If the box isn’tchecked, We will not be able to print the name on theprayer list. I f this is a one time only prayer request,please check the box on the prayer card indicating so.

Also, remember that the full prayer list is alwaysprinted in the newsletter. If you know of someone whoshould be removed from that list, please contact LoriBrooks. The prayer list that’s printed in the bulletin andon the PowerPoint contains names that have beenadded since the publication of the last newsletter.

A CHANGE IN ROUTINE

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The 2013 fall Alpha Course, held in Wabeno,has come to a close. According to surveys byparticipants new to the Alpha Course, the fa-vorite parts were the discussion time and thefellowship. All (100 percent) of the respondents(to the survey) indicated that their faith hadgrown because of experiencing Alpha (and theywould recommend the course to their friends!)

A Saturday retreat (focusing on the HolySpirit) was held on a gorgeous fall day at theNicolet Country Club in Laona and everyoneseemed to be inspired by the events of the day.

Let Lori Brooks know if you would like to beincluded on the 2014 Alpha Course at FLPPC!

The Alpha Course at the Forest County Jailcontinues into November. Jim Lentz and SuzanneBell, both trained as Alpha leaders, go everyweek to meet with groups of inmates and share the ba-sics of Christianity with the help of Nicky Gumbel. Thiscourse is an important part of the outreach of FLPPC and

strives to help those incarcerated to learn about Jesusand the hope He offers to them as they struggle to turntheir lives around.

The Bill Miller Concert (Fall Evangelism Program) was quite a suc-cess. Estimates of the audience ranged from 175 to 225. Thanks to MaryEllen Keller for serving as our musical director and to the Friesens forbrokering all the various performances by Bill at the school, the ForestCounty Potawatomi Cultural Center, Library & Museum, the BistroGallery, and of course, the public performance for FLPPC.

Left: Traditional Dancer Art Shegonee; Right: Bill Miller

Participants of the 2013 Alpha fall course attended a Holy Spirit Re-treat at the Nicolet Country Club in Laona.

2013 Fall Alphaby Suzanne Bell

BILL MILLER CONCERTSubmitted by Suzanne Bell - Photo by Lori Brooks

The After School Programbegan on October 14 in Laonaand October 15 in Wabeno withfour children registered in Laonaand 14 children registered inWabeno. It’s hopeful for a fewmore to be added to the Laonalist. This is quite a change fromour zero enrollment last year!Cindy Hart is the ASP teacher,Joan Hansen works with thekids on crafts, and Diane Spaudeprepares their snack.

Cindy will be working withthe children preparing a Christ-mas Program. Pending Sessionapproval, this will be scheduledfor Dec. 22 at the Wabeno loca-tion at 10:30 a.m. This will be ajoint service, allowing Pastor Leea little rest before the threeChristmas Eve services. Staytuned!

After SchoolProgram

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Forest Larger Parish Presbyterian Church Session Minutes

OCTOBER 2013

REGULAR SESSION MEETING • WABENO

Moderated by Pastor Lee Jennings

• The meeting opened with a devotion and prayer.Treasurer’s Report:• Motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. M/S/A

Pastor’s Report:Since our last Council meeting I attended our Presbyterymeeting on September 10, at Schofield with Elder Commis-sioner Pam Schroeder. We all enjoyed worshipping in theirlovely sanctuary. Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes was installed as thenew General Presbyter of Winnebago Presbytery. Two fine newministers were examined as to their faith and vision for thechurches to which they are called. Each was warmly receivedinto the membership of our presbytery. I undertook planningfor our ACY with Deb Kempf, Tim Derfus and Joey Chickeyand we are meeting each Wednesday at 5:30 in Wabeno.Mary Scheuerman is a great adult helper also. I began a newmembers class on Sept. 12, and it will conclude Oct. 5, afterfive meetings. The class has been well received by the atten-dees, Dick and Mary Kendall, Chris and Randy Olsen andJoAnn Boyer. I continue to lead worship at our two nursinghomes and attend Friday’s breakfast bunch and rehearsals andperformances with the Praise Band. I performed a CommittalService for the family of a man who committee suicide who didnot belong to this church. Other meetings attended: TheChurch Council, Mission/Evangelism, met with Mary Scheuer-man and Lori Brooks regarding Personnel Committee issues. Iwas also present for the local Ministers Breakfast in Crandonand the Presbytery Minister’s Cluster Group that met inCrivitz to plan leadership training for elders and deacons inJanuary. I participated in leading the Alpha Course Retreat onSunday, Sept. 28. Our Fall Evangelism Sunday was very specialand successful. Of significant note are the Ecumenical PuppetMinistry, the Forest Larger Parish Presbyterian Church PraiseBand and our special guest Bill “Birdsong” Miller who was apassionate and powerful witness to the Lord. On Sept. 20, I

joined Casey and Katie Collins Frederickson in Holy Matri-mony. • Motion to approve Pastor’s report. M/S/A

Personnel Committee:• Motion by Council to approve pastor’s compensation

package. M/S/A

• Motion to give Shirley Rohe and Curt Gipp $500 each.

M/S/A

Stewardship Committee:• Patty Earnest reported the Stewardship drive has concluded. Mission/Evangelism Committee:• Expenditures included: $1500 – Fall Concert, $71 – yarnfor prayer shawls, $75 parade candy, $100 Ryan Nelson ben-efit, $75 – Rainbow House, $200- Trinity Lutheran Church,$224 – NEWCAP school supplies and haircuts. Current andupcoming activities are Alpha courses, Christmas Child shoe-boxes, holiday hams, additions to visitor bags, and groomingsupplies for Rainbow House.• Motion to allow the Mission and Evangelism Committee

to administer the local portion of the Peacemaking Offer-

ing. M/S/A

New Business:• Pastor Lee advised that the Nominating Committee shouldbe currently meeting and should start much earlier in the yearto give members time to consider serving as elder or deacon.Pastor Lee also wishes to meet with the current deacons. LoriBrooks and Patty Earnest will coordinate this meeting. • Motion to send a letter of transfer for Jesse Peterson to

St. Joseph Holy Family Parish in Phlox, Wis. M/S/A

• Pastor Lee reported he will be attending monthly “ClergyColleagues” days, the next being Oct. 17.• Leadership Training day will be Jan. 25, 2014, and our An-nual Meeting will be Jan. 19, 2014.• Meeting ended with prayer.

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“KILLING JESUS” by Bill O'ReillyA book review by Suzanne Bell

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PO Box 129 • Wabeno, WI 54566