What happened to Judas? We read in scrip-

ture that he was one of Jesus’ twelve

apostles. Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:11 that

he gives his apostles the secrets of the King-

dom,

“He replied, “Because the

knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of

heaven has been given to you, but not to

them.”

Judas was also sent out with the

twelve when Jesus imbued them with the

Holy Spirit to preach, teach and perform

miracles, Luke 9:1-2

“When Jesus had called the Twelve

together, he gave them power and authority

to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,

and he sent them out to proclaim the

kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “

Luke 22:1-6 tells the story of how Judas

approached the religious leaders who were

desperately trying to find a way to arrest

Jesus in secret far from the crowds, lest there

be a riot. Judas promised he would work

with them to find a time and place Jesus

could be arrested in secret. Judas did just that

in the garden of Gethsemane betraying him

with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-49). So how did

it come to be that Judas one of the twelve

betrayed him? Where did Judas go wrong?

Some have suggested the motive was money;

he was paid 30 silver pieces for betraying

Jesus. The money represents about 5 weeks

of wages for the average worker of the day.

If you’re going to sell someone out and help

the religious leaders who had money get rid

of a problem that is not very much money.

Judas could have easily asked for much,

much more and the religious leaders would

have gladly paid it. Not to mention from a

cold calculating perspective, which would

have been Judas’ thinking if he was only in it

for the money, Jesus was probably worth far

more money to Judas alive.

Others suggest some sort of ideological split

happened between Judas and Jesus. In this

scenario, Judas would have become

convinced like the religious leaders that

Jesus was dangerous and action needed to be

taken. There is no evidence in scripture of

Judas being angry or upset with Jesus. Why

would Judas hail him as Master and kiss him

when betraying him if he was angry or upset

with him? And why the crushing remorse of

Judas as he saw what happened to Jesus if he

wanted him gone?

The best explanation I have heard is Judas

suffered from the same delusions as his

fellow apostles. They all thought when Jesus

went to Jerusalem he would use the power of

God to not only free Israel from Roman rule,

but establish Jerusalem as the center of the

world under God’s reign that would cover

the earth with peace and prosperity. The

(Continued on page 8)

The Soo Chimes

First United Presbyterian Church

Prayer Requests 2

Anniversaries 3

Birthdays 4

Bible Study 7

Kid’s Page 8

Regular Features:

Inside this Issue:

Deacon’s Bench

COVID-19 Notes

"Memorial Day”

by Don Myers

Volume 51 Issue 5

Newsletters are

sent by email

unless you have

made other

arrangements.

May 2020

The Purpose of the First United Presbyterian Church is to:

Invite people to know and glorify God

Grow together as followers of Christ

Serve others through the power of the Holy Spirit

The Soo Chimes Page 2

Family of Damaris Jewell, Family of Inez Bennett,

Annie Andrews (Abbott), Sharon Steinbach,

Gina Gough, Dave & Leslie Henderson, William Boyne,

Sandy Shaw, Matilynn Strange, Shelby Myers,

Della Porter, Jennifer Veum, Grace Gravelle, Jon Burgess, Andrea Klier,

Tom Woodgate, Jim Schmidt, Donna LaPLaunt, Joyce Cross,

William Kellan, Lillian Donelson, Geraldine Carnahan, Patricia Farnhill,

Aaron Corbiere, Carol Carpenter, Tara Jean Brody, Wendy (Menard)

James, Margaret Vonderwerth & her family, and all members of

missionaries and the U.S. Armed Forces.

Please keep us up to date on your prayer requests.

McKinley Manor 2023 West 4th Avenue

Jane Kellan

Vera Steffens

Peg Zenda

Freighter View Assisted Living 605 West Portage Avenue

Audrey Bush

Elva Hutzler

Medi-Lodge– Sault Ste Marie

1011 Meridian Jim Schmidt

At Home

Mary Jane Bernier

Bev Ward

Out of Town Della Porter

Cross Roads Village

6600 Constitution Blvd Room 605

Portage, MI 49024

Food Pantry Shopping: Doris Boogerd

Bagging: Doris Boogerd

Food Distribution:

5/12 - TBD

5//26 - TBD

May

15th!!!

If you or someone you know are

in need of supplies please call

the church office at 632-7771.

If you need groceries or

supplies picked up please also

call the church office.

If there is no answer we will try

to get back to you as soon as

possible.

We will do our best to help

during this time of need.

PLEASE NOTE:

The office hours may change dramatically

in the upcoming weeks and day to day.

The hours will be based on the decisions

by the Trustees, Pastor and the

Federal & State Governments

Office Closed Memorial Day

Damaris Jewell

04/20/2020

Inez Bennett

04/24/2020

Monday,

May 25, 2020

Volume 51, Issue 5 Page 3

Gordon and Carol Rohweder 05/07

Fred and Sue Michels 05/23

Jeanne and John Shibley 05/24

Temperatures are steadily climbing and the days are longer. Hard to believe, but it must

be spring. A huge thank you to those who braved the cold temperatures to continue

providing services for our parishioners and community. The deacons continue to

provide food pantry distribution on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month

beginning at 4 pm. A big shout-out to Doris for her shopping and bagging efforts on

behalf of the Food Pantry. We also appreciate the information we receive on the health

and welfare of our church family members.

The Deacons continue to ask for your prayer requests. Prayer is something we can all do for each other

regardless of time or circumstance. Reach out to each other be it by phone, letter, e-mail, Skype, FaceTime or

other digital format, and reach out to God. He is always listening for us to open our hearts and minds to Him.

His love for us is unending and always faithful.

He has risen indeed!

Your Deacons

Kri

stee

n M

aso

n

Page 4 The Soo Chimes

Jaimee Gerrie 05/02

Janet Sarnowski 05/02

Phyllis McKechnie 05/03

Colton Schmidt 05/04

Elizabeth Martin 05/06

Olivia Martin 05/06

Meta Geyer 05/13

Tammy Rutledge 05/14

Carla Grenier 05/15

Kristeen Mason 05/16

Mary Stanaway 05/17

Glenn Trumble 05/21

Renee Lawrence 05/25

Charles Zane 05/25

David Bernier 05/26

Darla Krueger 05/29

Ronald Cross 05/30

Emma Folkersma 05/31

03/18/2020 Coronavirus Update

To: All Members and Friends of our Congregation

Things have been changing fast with respect to the guidelines for groups meeting in the midst of the Coronavirus out-

break. On Friday the 13th we received word that groups of 250 were banned and the recommended gathering size was

no more than 100. By Monday the 16th the size of gatherings had gone down to 10. This made the decision by Session

and Trustees about future worship services easy.

We are suspending our services until such time as the recommendations change. We will, however, be offering a

Sunday morning worship service through the internet. Unless there is a technical difficulty, we usually post the Sunday

morning worship services by 1 pm on Sunday. We will continue to do this. There are two ways of finding the services.

First is to go to our church’s web page at “www.soopresbyterian.org” or simply type “soopresbyterian.org” in the search

box. Once on our website there is a button “Home” in the upper right corner of the page. Hover your mouse over the

“Home” button and one of the options that will appear is “Services”. Simply click on “services” and you will be taken to

our YouTube page. If you are familiar with YouTube simple go to YouTube and put soopresbyterian in the search box

and it will take you to our YouTube page. Our plan and hope is to include not just the sermon but also music. A familiar

hymn will be played and hopefully some special music from choir participants. It won’t be the same, but it will be an

offering for those who want to watch.

During these times we ask for your vigilance in prayer for our members, congregation, health workers, our nation and

president. We hope this is only for a few weeks, but we don’t really know at this point how long this restriction will be

in place. The church office will be open during the week and groups of 10 or less who wish to meet are encouraged to

do so if that is their desire. John 14:1-6 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My

Father’s house are many [a]mansions; if it were not so, [b]I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I

go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4

And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going,

and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father

except through Me.”

Rev. Mark Gabbard

While 70 Israelite men were commissioned as prophets at the tent of meeting, two oth-ers, Eldad and Medad, were reported to have prophesied in the camp — not following “proper” protocols. Who

defended them?

A. Moses B. Joshua C. Jethro

D. The Lord

What do you think of Memorial Day? The beginning of summer, back yard barbecues, family gatherings? In m o s t c h u r c h e s Memorial Day is ignored because it is

not one of the holy days on the church calendar.

This special day began near the end of the Civil War, and within a few years the practice of placing flowers on military graves had spread throughout both the north and south and was being called by almost everyone, “Decoration Day.”

After World War 1, it became a national holiday

dedicated to remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we now have and enjoy. And it is also a day upon which we remember our loved ones who have gone on before.

People tend to be forgetful and we appear to need help to jog our memories. In the bible we find that God has given us many such reminders.

Some of our memories are sad but many are happy and these are what we must focus on.

Have a meaningful holiday.

Don Myers

(posthumously)

Page 5 The Soo Chimes

03/27/2020 Coronavirus Update Dear church members and friends,

Since the last communication with everyone things have certainly taken a more serious turn. Now that Governor Whitmer has issued the “Shelter in Place” Executive Order it is making things more “interesting” for everyone.

Per the EO, the church is locked down and all events, whether church sponsored or community based, have been suspended. Denise and Pastor Mark are still available to assist you during this time but we ask that you not come to the church but that you call or email to reach us. If you are in need of food, or know someone who is, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us so we can help.

Rev Gabbard is continuing to record services for our YouTube channel. We have lost the services of those in the choir that were helping supply music, but there will still be a message online each Sunday.

During these turbulent times we know that everyone is watching their bottom line very closely. Your church leaders do ask though that you remember the church and continue your giving. The regular expenses of the church have not altered by much and your continued support is needed now as much as ever.

There are many ways you can still continue to give:

Mail your donation

Give online through the website

Call the office and Denise can set you up for e-giving. You can even set it up for a regular recurring amount. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly…what works best for you?

Place your offering in the new drop box next to the Bingham Ave. door

We hope you are able to stay home and that you are keeping safe if you do have to venture out. From the Trustees

Answer: A (See Numbers 11:24-29.)

Page 6 The Soo Chimes

04/03/2020 Coronavirus Update

We have all probably heard about the new government guidelines for continuing our social distancing for another 30

days in response to the COVID-19 virus. We have also been told that it is going to get worse before it is going to get

better. If we do not continue to follow these guidelines, we have been warned things could get much, much worse. It

sounds very grim. As Christians we must always call to mind that Jesus when he first appeared to his apostles after he

rose from the dead emphasized one message by telling them twice “Peace be with you”. John 20-19-21:

“...Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands

and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! ...”

Imagine it, Jesus conquers death and the first message he wants to share with his followers is “Don’t be afraid, accept

my peace”. Jesus went through a lot to win us that peace; a peace that comes with a spiritual life centered on him. That

is the key, we can only receive the peace Jesus wants us to have if we are living a spiritual life centered on him. If we

are running after material things or being vexed by the worries in our minds or of what we see in the world, we rob

ourselves of that peace he came to give us.

During our time of social distancing, we have been encouraged by man with a number of good ideas about how to spend

this time. There are many good suggestions; reading, learning a skill, spending more time engaged in activities with

those at home, exercising at home, try to maintain as much as possible our normal schedule, etc. One we need to not

only add to the list, but make a priority is to work on our spiritual lives. While all the other suggestions are good and

can lead to personal improvement only by exercising our spiritual muscles will we find the peace Jesus wants for us.

One of the resources this congregation provides for its members is access to RightNow Media. Some have already taken

advantage of this on-line service www.rightnowmedia.org It is kind of like a Netflix for Christian study. Just as Netflix

has a lot of wonderful content but also some content that is either not relevant or desired by an individual, RightNow

Media represents a wide array of Christian studies and perspectives. Not all are endorsed by our denomination, but that

is the great thing about being Presbyterians we can agree to disagree on many theological topics.

RightNow Media www.rightnowmedia.org does have some great studies and if you create an account, which you have

to be able to use the service, they will send suggested studies for individuals, families and suggestions for kids to watch.

If you don’t have an account, just e-mail Denise office@soopresbyterian.org and she will be able to send you an e-mail

invite from their site to create an account. RightNow Media is, of course, a tool for the greater purpose of working on

our spiritual lives during this period of social distancing.

Remember our First Responders, Police officers, Doctors, Nurses in our daily prayers. For some this will be a time not

unlike working in a war zone. Some who are currently serving in these hot spots, have said their military deployments

were easier than what that they are enduring for us now. Another bit of advice, a lot of our media is engaging in “scare

media” which makes an already difficult situation worse. If your are part of the latest poll that has 60% of the country

approving of the President’s handling of the current emergency situation, then fine listen to the President. If you are part

of the 40% who don’t approve get to know Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx. Google them and read about their

lives and experience. It will make you feel better.

Fauci and Birx have decades of experience with epidemics, medical resource management, development of vaccines,

etc. over three administrations. I personally believe God has prepared them for this moment. Make no mistake, they are

driving the medical response to this emergency and they are well aware of resource allocation for items such as

respirators and the spread of diseases.

Rev. Mark Gabbard

May 31st

Page 5 The Soo Chimes

04/22/2020 Current Church Status

Dear Church Family,

Your Board of Trustees continues to work to keep the church properties and its finances steadfast during this unique

time. We continue to monitor the financial situation closely and are sending this update to keep you informed.

The Board immediately made the decision to keep all church staff on payroll as long as possible. Rev. Gabbard and

Denise are still working but Kay and Jeremy are at home. Our custodian is an American citizen living in Canada and is

not allowed to cross the border for at least another 30 days.

The Board applied for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through Old Mission Bank. Unfortunately, the funds ran

out before our application was approved, but the bank is processing it anyway so that when additional PPP funds

become available our application will be ready to go. Should our application be approved, which we expect, the PPP

funds will help immensely as payroll is our biggest expense.

We are implementing as many cost saving measures as possible, but there are expenses that continue to accrue.

During this time of concern for our families, loved ones, and nation, it is easy to let our thoughts of our church slip to

the back burner. This is totally understandable, but we ask that you keep up on your regular giving if at all possible so

we can keep things at the church running and make sure everything is in good shape when we are all able to come back

together again.

A locked drop box has been placed next to the Bingham St. door so you can drop off your offering envelopes. You can

also mail your contributions in or participate in e-giving.

E-giving allows you to make your offering digitally. Not only is this a good way to give during this time of

self-isolating, but it is an excellent way to give regularly. Once established, e-giving can be set up as a recurring

payment in the amount and timing you select. It eliminates the need for making a payment manually. You can set this

up by going to the church’s website: soopresbyterian.org. There is a link in the upper right hand corner. If you prefer,

contact Denise at the office and she can set it up for you.

We hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy and we look forward to the time, hopefully in the not

too distant future, when we can all safely come together again and REJOICE!

“May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.”

Galatians 31:49 (NAS)

In God’s Service,

The FUPC Board of Trustees

We remember, O Lord, all those people throughout the years who have made the supreme sacrifice for our country, for liberty, for us. Whenever we breathe the air of freedom or claim the right to justice or enjoy the privilege of worship, fill us with gratitude for those who selflessly gave the last full measure of devotion — their very lives — for our benefit. May these brave men and women now know the joy of eternity and your presence. And may the families of the fallen receive comfort and peace amid their grief. Help us as we

minister to their needs. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Page 8 The Soo Chimes

apostles believed as the close disciples of

Jesus they would have special places of

power and prestige in this new world and

this why they argued so much about who

was the greatest. What they were really argu-

ing over was who would have the highest

place of honor in this kingdom Jesus would

bring.

All the apostles believed Jesus was

being very slow in bringing this kingdom

into being, but there was one among them

who thought he could force Jesus’ hand.

Judas decided he would put Jesus in a

position where he could no longer delay

using his power to reign as King in the earth.

Judas’s sorrow was a result of realizing you

can’t force God’s hand. Jesus declared this to

the tempter in the wilderness

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the

test” or “Don’t try to force God’s

hand” (Matthew 4:7).

Jesus said something similar to his

disciples in Matthew 24:13. “But the one

who endures to the end will be saved”. Judas

didn’t listen. Will we? Our job as Christians

is not to drive the bus or the narrative or his-

tory, but to patiently wait for the fulfillment

of God’s plan in God’s way and in God’s

time. Many spiritual people have wrecked

themselves on the rocks of their own plans

and timing in life. Let us instead be patient

and wait.

Peace in Christ,

Mark

Volume 51, Issue 5 Page 9

1 Acts 14 Joshua 22 Job 31

2 Acts 15:1-21 Joshua 23-24 Job 32

3 Acts 15:22-41 Judges 1 Job 33

4 Acts 16:1-15 Judges 2-3 Job 34

5 Acts 16:16-40 Judges 4-5 Job 35

6 Acts 17:1-15 Judges 6 Job 36

7 Acts 17:16-34 Judges 7-8 Job 37

8 Acts 18 Judges 9 Job 38

9 Acts 19:1-20 Judges 10:1-11:33 Job 39

10 Acts 19:21-41 Judges 11:34-12:15 Job 40

11 Acts 20:1-16 Judges 13 Job 41

12 Acts 20:17-38 Judges 14-15 Job 42

13 Acts 21:1-36 Judges 16 Psalm 42

14 Acts 21:37-22:29 Judges 17-18 Psalm 43

15 Acts 22:30-23:22 Judges 19 Psalm 44

16 Acts 23:23-24:9 Judges 20 Psalm 45

17 Acts 24:10-27 Judges 21 Psalm 46

18 Acts 25 Ruth 1-2 Psalm 47

19 Acts 26:1-18 Ruth 3-4 Psalm 48

20 Acts 26:19-32 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10 Psalm 49

21 Acts 27:1-12 1 Samuel 2:11-36 Psalm 50

22 Acts 27:13-44 1 Samuel 3 Psalm 51

23 Acts 28:1-16 1 Samuel 4-5 Psalm 52

24 Acts 28:17-31 1 Samuel 6-7 Psalm 53

25 Romans 1:1-15 1 Samuel 8 Psalm 54

26 Romans 1:16-32 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16 Psalm 55

27 Romans 2:1-3:8 1 Samuel 10:17-11:15 Psalm 56

28 Romans 3:9-31 1 Samuel 12 Psalm 57

29 Romans 4 1 Samuel 13 Psalm 58

30 Romans 5 1 Samuel 14 Psalm 59

31 Romans 6 1 Samuel 15 Psalm 60

First United Presbyterian

Church

Deadline for June issue:

May 15th

Sunday Worship Schedule

Worship Service 10:00 a.m.

Sunday School (all grades) 10:00 a.m.

Church Staff

Rev. Mark Gabbard, Minister

Brenda Ransom, CRE

Kay Boyne, Music Director

Denise Goldade, Financial/Administrative Assistant

Jeremy Witte, Sexton

906-632-7771

Fax: 906-632-4666

office@soopresbyterian.org

soopresbyterian.org

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday

555 Bingham Avenue

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

Everyone