THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

65 North Third Street

Newark, OH 43055-5522

740-345-1480

Pastor’s E-mail: firstnewark@gmail.com

Church E-mail: firstpresofc@gmail.com

Web Address: www.1stpresnewark.com

Rev. Steven Brand, Pastor

Vacant, Organist

Emily Hare, Treasurer

Gary Collins, Custodian

Sheri Bogardus, Secretary

Vacant, Choir Director

February 2019

The other day I was having one of those nights. I just couldn’t sleep

but I was so very tired. For some reason, right before I closed my eyes,

a terrible thought entered my mind. I could not shake it. Honestly, it

was a silly thing. I knew it could never happen, or at least the chances

of it happening were slim. That didn’t keep me from worrying about it.

Then my thoughts spiraled out of control. All of a sudden I was

thinking about every terrible thing that could ever possibly happen.

Hours later I am still awake, worried numb. I had worried about everything my mind could think of, so now I

was worried, sleepy, yet wide awake; with nothing in particular running through my mind. I think that is the

worst kind of worry. I was worried about nothing. At least at the beginning of the night I could have told

myself what I was thinking was silly.

Then something happened that changed my whole thought process. Katelynn started crying. Not Noah, not

Blake, but Katelynn. So I went into her room and asked her what was wrong. She said she was sad and needed

songs. So I sang songs. I sang every song I could think of; from ‘Hush Little Baby’ to ‘Gilligan’s Island’. Then

Katelynn told me to get a pillow and pointed at the ground. I got my pillow and lay on the ground next to her

bed and went right to sleep. I ask the question of all of you: why did that work? Why did that make me fall

asleep? My bed is more comfortable than the floor. Crying kids are not the most soothing sounds. I fell asleep

because I turned the focus off of me. Katelynn needed my help. She didn’t care that I don’t really know the

words to most of the songs I was singing. She didn’t care that I am not the best singer in the world. She didn’t

want me to explain anything to her; she didn’t even tell me why she was sad. In helping her, I helped myself.

That is an amazing truth that so many of us miss out on. When we help others, we help ourselves. When we

bless others, we receive blessings. When we use our skills and resources for other people, we receive so much

in return. Look at your past and I bet you will see times in which your help of others has blessed you in return.

That can and will happen again. If you want your life to radiate with the grace of Christ, then you have to work

for it. Without using a significant amount of time and resources in study, in prayer, in worship, in helping

others, and in building people up, you will not grow in your faith or in your understanding of the grace of

Christ. It won’t happen. But, it is just as true that if you do practice good stewardship and if you do use a

significant amount of your time and resources on the things of the Kingdom of God, you will abound in the

grace and blessings of our Lord and Savior. Your cup will truly overflow. The same is true for our church. If we

show faithfulness to what God has given us and if we provide a place for true worship, true discipleship, true

witness, outreach and aid, then we will be given more.

One more lesson from my night. Perfection is not required. I saw a quote the other day that said: ‘There is

nothing as disastrous as a man who does nothing because they know they can do so little.’ That night with

Katelynn could have gone a different way, if Diana got up with Katelynn. I could have thought to myself that I

needed my sleep, after all I hadn’t gotten any yet and Diana had been asleep for some time. I could have

waited for Diana to get up. I’m sure Katelynn would have gotten sung to and would have gone asleep. Diana is

a better singer anyway. Yet, Diana would have gotten less sleep and had a tired morning. I would have stayed

awake, stuck in the same spot. When we don’t give of our time, our abilities or resources to the Lord because

we see them as lacking; we miss out on blessings and we leave work unfinished. Your one hour a week, your

$5, your voice, your abilities are needed in this world. They are increased by the Holy Spirit and they really,

truly help. Your absence really, truly hurts.

In Christ,

Rev. Steven Brand

Session has moved to make Worship, Sunday School & Coffee Hour Peanut, and Tree Nut Free. This is because of several individuals who have intolerances and allergies to nuts. A nut allergy is very serious and can easily lead to extreme reactions that can kill. 1% of people have a nut allergy. The number of people with nut allergies doubled between 1997-2002. We need to keep allergies from being a barrier. We can go two hours without nuts, so that other people can feel safe worshiping the Lord. Read labels carefully. Packaged items will say on them if they contain nuts or are made in a factory that processes nuts. Let’s work to make sure that we aren’t bringing anything with us to worship, to Sunday School or to Coffee Hour that contains or may contain nuts.

Coffee Hour - Make sure to join us each Sunday at 10:15 a.m. for some refreshments and fellowship prior to worship. There is a sign-up sheet in the

Sanctuary, if you would like to bring the snacks. Please remember NO PEANUTS.

Annual Reports – All reports are due into the church office by February 24th. Full annual reports will be available March 3rd.

Annual Congregational Meeting – The annual meeting of the congregation will be held at noon in Fellowship Hall on March 10th. Lunch will be provided.

Worship

February Sermons

Feb 3– Paul’s First Try Feb 10 – Cornelius the Giver Feb 17 – What Did You do? Feb 24 – The Knudson’s

Anointing Service – Sunday,

February 10th, during Service. Lent

is a season of preparation. We get

ready to witness anew Christ on the

Cross, and Christ Alive again. Are you preparing for this wonderf ul time?

As Christians, we are often left

unprepared for Christ due to the

stresses of the day, physical ailments,

sin, or distraction. Biblically and

historically, the Church has used the anointing with

oil and the laying of hands as a way to bring us back

to wholeness and as a way to mark times of extreme

change. This is a powerful tool that we seldom use in

today’s Church. On February 10th , during worship,

we will have a service of anointing and laying on of

hands.

Church Life

IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR:

PIZZA & UNDECORATING - Thank you to those who

assisted as we packed away Christmas till next year. It

was a fitting way to celebrate Epiphany Sunday. The

church was truly lovely this year, and we shared

wonderful memories of the holiday.

ELDER TRAINING – The Hare’s braved the weather to

attend Elder Training at Hilliard Presbyterian Church

January 12. Lots of information was gleaned. The piece

of info most disconcerting was the minister is

responsible for Scripture, Sermon, Hymn, whether or

not to preside over a wedding and moderating session.

Session is responsible for everything else. While our

church historically operates a bit more dependent on

Gluten Free Communion Available

We now have gluten free

communion wafers available for

anyone who wants them. They will

be in the communion cup trays.

our pastor, rethinking just who is responsible for what

and what each individual member’s role might be in the

function and care of our church worship and family

going forward is/will continue to occur. 2019 Hopefully

a year of building each other up!

CARD PARTY -- Though scheduled on a very snowy

day, about 35 braved the weather for church Jan. 13

and 14 individuals stayed for hot soup. We did not stick

around to play cards as most were anxious about their

drive home. Another game day will be planned…we

promise!

CHURCH LIFE – Four church members braved the snow

once again and met at the Coffee Shack in Hebron.

Several ideas were tossed out for possible church

events as well as possible collaborative field trips.

Watch for events to be posted! Meanwhile, if you are

interested in playing a role in planning and pulling off

fellowship events, we will be meeting AFTER CHURCH

FEBRUARY 10 in the GOLD CIRCLE ROOM.

God’s purpose for First Presbyterian ISN’T having more

members to keep our congregation alive. God will take

care of His congregation in whatever form and place it

gathers.

God’s purpose for First Presbyterian ISN’T letting fear

distract us from our purpose. If God is for us, who can

stand against us? FEAR NOT!

God’s purpose for First Presbyterian IS to be full of His

Holy Spirit, to be ALIVE. The resurrection of the

congregation is in God’s Hands. Knowing this frees us up

to DO God’s work.

LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERENCE THE RACE WHICH IS

SET BEFORE US!

The Lunch Bunch will resume on

February 20, 2019 at Noon.

Meet at the Olive Garden in Heath

Souper-Bowl Contest was a Success!

Over 40 people gathered to fellowship and feast, and fine feasting it was! Seven challengers brought stiff competition in hopes of wrestling the coveted golden ladle from the “well deserved but have had their quality time already” grip of the Brand family. All

soup entries were delicious, and we thank Keith Hare, Diana Brand and Peggy Lieb for participating. Linda Smith and Valerie Whalen tied for third place. Pat Mattern claimed 2nd with a yummy Tortellini soup. First Place and the “First Presbyterian Golden Ladle Trophy” were claimed by Rose Novell with her crowd pleasing Chicken Gnocchi. Thirty-two dollars and multiple nonperishable food items were donated to the food pantry as part of the day. Thanks to each one of you for your help and for making the day special with lots of fellowship and laughter.

YOUTH

Camp Akita Winter Youth Retreat

Lift Every Voice

The retreat is February 22-24, 2019 and is open to

all youth from 6th-12th grade. Mark your calendars

now. Scholarships for the $90 registration fee are

available if needed, please see Pastor Steve for

details.

Christian Education

Good Morning Bible Study – The Good Morning Bible Study will resume in March. Watch for details starting in February.

The Adult Sunday

School is continuing

our study “The Rock,

the Road and the

Rabbi”, a 6-week

DVD-based study

filmed in the Holy

Land.

Each week we are

visiting a different city

and learning about the

Jewish roots of Jesus. This is helping us to better

understand Scriptures from the perspective of

ancient Jewish culture in which they were written.

We are discovering fascinating background details

that make the stories of the New Testament come

alive.

Please join us as we visit Capernaum, Galilee, the

Mount of Olives, and Jerusalem during the month

of February. It’s not too late to join us – each week

we cover a different city and topic. We meet in the

Journey Room at 9:15 Sunday mornings.

ALPHA begins

soon!

Alpha begins Thursday, February 21st in a new location … at the

Look Up Center (the former Hazelwood school) on O’Bannon Ave. We hope that by meeting in a community center, we can attract those that might not be comfortable coming to a church. We were invited to hold Alpha there and we are thrilled with the opportunities God has in store for us. The format is the same (meal, video, discussion), just the location will be different.

Please be praying for this ministry, maybe ask God to show you someone to invite to bring with you.

Even though we are meeting away from our church, we still want everyone to feel welcome. If you haven’t tried Alpha or want to bring someone, please do so!!! This is an excellent way to share and learn from each other in a relaxed, open, non-judgmental setting.

We are always looking for table hosts, helpers and prayer partners. If you would be interested in helping, please contact Peggy 740-323-2353 or Kim 740-877-0346 or 1stpresnewarkALPHA@gmail.com.

Y Healthy Kids- Backpack

The Y-Heathy Kids Network Back Pack Program

Involvement Opportunities

Food Delivery (We Really Could Use Some Help) – The Presbyterian Partnership is also tasked with taking these prepacked boxes to the Newark and Heath Schools every other Wednesday. We hope to be able to deliver to all 15 schools eventually, but want to start with a more manageable number. There are eight schools that we will be delivering to. 1st Pres is delivering to six schools, every other Thursday at 9:00am. You do not have to have a vehicle capable of delivery. To sign up for delivering or if you have any questions see Rev Steve.

Congregational Care

Prayer Chain Updates – Please send all requests to Tracee Barr at hippieluv12@yahoo.com. Please state whether requests are for Prayer Chain Only or should also be distributed to the church for the bulletin.

I just wanted to thank everyone so VERY MUCH for all of the prayers, assistance, food, errands, transportation, flowers and offers of help as I continue

to recover from knee replacement surgery. Living alone with the absence of family was my biggest concern during and after my operation. Words can’t begin to describe my overwhelming gratitude. Please know that I am so deeply appreciative of my church family. The LORD has provided in my time of need. I have felt the deep and genuine love from everyone – something rarely felt in my life in the past. My deepest and sincere THANK YOU to everyone! Carolyn Durr Worship Elder

Evangelism & Outreach

Worship and Brunch

with our Missionaries to

Bolivia Paul and Christy Knudson

Be sure to set aside Sunday, February 24 to

learn about what has been happening with our

missionaries to Bolivia, Paul and Christy Knudson.

Paul will bring the sermon that morning and

Christy will have the children’s story.

Following worship, come to Fellowship Hall to

enjoy a brunch provided by friends and members

of the Evangelism and Outreach Committee. Paul

and Christy will share about their work with SIM

serving in Bolivia.

Christy grew up in First Presbyterian when her

father Leonard Phelps was pastor. Don’t miss a

wonderful presentation, a friendly reunion and a

delicious brunch.

OCC Shoebox Ministry

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. Their mission is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. These simple gifts are shipped outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease; and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S. Each October at First Presbyterian, we have the Operation Christmas Child Packing Party. Several people buy items for the packing party throughout the year. If you’d like to help contribute items for the packing party, or collect items throughout the year for your own box, a list of possible items to purchase each month is included. Often you can get items on sale after holidays or at the end of the season. Wrapped shoeboxes and money for shipping are always welcome. We usually pack over 100 boxes and shipping is now $9.00 per box. Your $9 donation to Operation Christmas Child pays for processing and shipping and helps them train and equip local churches to use their Ministry Partner Guide. This resource shows churches how to share the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ in a child-friendly way. Your donation also provides The Greatest Gift Gospel Booklets, which are written in the children's language and distributed along with shoebox gifts. Monthly OCC Purchase Suggestions

January-Christmas toys on sale

February- Valentine stuffed animals or small toys

March-washcloths and soap

April- Easter stuffed animals or small toys

May-Nail clippers, combs and band aids

June-small summer toys

July-School Supplies, including scissors, notepads, pencils, erasers, pencil

sharpeners, pencil box or pouch, protractors, crayons, markers, pens

August-School Supplies as above

September- socks or footies

October- Bandanas and toothbrushes

November-Operation Christmas Child Shipping Money

Every month-shipping money, shoeboxes

wrapped, plastic shoeboxes

The Father Factor, a parenting skills, resource and

support group, has been meeting at the church for

the last few years. During their next session on

Thursdays from January 24 through March 14, the

Evangelism and Outreach Committee would like to

again bless this group with a treat each week. If

you’d like to help out, just sign up on the sheet at

the back of the church. You can provide cookies,

brownies, chips, fruit or whatever you’d like.

Please have the treat at the church in the Journey

Room by 5:45pm on your chosen night. Please be

sure to put out whatever paper products are

needed, too. Those can be found in the cupboard

behind the folding door just past the ladies

restroom. The leaders will be sure all is cleaned up.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim

Dershem at 740-877-0346 or

kdershem@windstream.net.

Thank you for taking on this opportunity to bless

men who seek to be better fathers.

Wilson Gift Cards: The Evangelism and Outreach

Committee will be

taking orders for

Wilson’s Garden

Center Gift Cards

between February 1

and March 24.

The cards will be sold

by prepaid order.

Orders received by

Sunday, February 24, will be delivered on Sunday,

March 3. Orders received by Sunday, March 24, will

be delivered on Sunday, March 31.

Order forms are available in the sanctuary on the

sign-up table. Make your check payable to First

Presbyterian Church with Wilson Gift Card in the

memo line. Orders can be given to Debbie Blamer or

dropped into the offering plate.

FYI

Kroger Rewards: Did you know you can link your Kroger Rewards card to 1st Presbyterian Church? Kroger Community Rewards donates money to your favorite charity every time

you use your Kroger card. All you must do is go online to Kroger.com. Go to the community section of the drop-down menu, and click on Kroger Community Rewards. Then you sign in with your Kroger Card ID and click on enroll. Search for First Presbyterian Church 84451 and enroll. Doing this does not affect your regular Kroger Rewards or Gas Points. The more folks we have registered the more money Kroger donates to our church.

SCRIP Gift card orders are taken on the first Sunday of

each month in the library before and after

Worship. Orders can be picked up the following

Sunday.

A list of retailers can be found at:

https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/ Click on either “Alphabetical List” or “Category

List”. Printed lists are also available in the Library.

Please see Peggy, Priscilla, Louise or Lois if you

have questions.

Coming

in March

is an

Organ

Concert

by Anne Robinson on 3/21 at First

Presbyterian Church. Fourth graders from

all over Newark will be here, and you are

also invited to attend. Kids start arriving at

9:15 and concert is from 9:30-10:30. We

could use your help, as in the past, so if

you are willing to help please call the

church office to let us know.

Personnel Committee

Choir Director Needed - The Church is in need of a

new Choir Director. A full job description is

available on the church’s website. Please share this

with anyone who might be interested.

Church Organist Needed - The Church is in need of

a new Organist. If you know of anyone that may

have an interest in filling this role please share this

with them and have them contact the church

office.

February Birthdays

Steven Brand Feb 1 Aimee Wahl Feb 1 Emily Messer Feb 3 Rose Gibson Feb 7 Peggy Lieb Feb 8

Diane Dodson Feb 11 Joyce Harris Feb 11 Chris Rainey Feb 13 John Denison Feb 14 Bruce Weekly Feb 16 Tracee Barr Feb 18 Michael Frick Feb 20 John Mattern Feb 20 Donna Kinney Feb 23 Darla Talbott Feb 23 Dan Gargus Feb 27

February Anniversaries

Robert and Phyllis Fish Feb3

Bob and Cindy Parkinson Feb11