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News
First Presby Inside This Issue:
“In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God”
November 2013 ● Volume 44, Number 11 Pastor Letter
Congregational Care
Birthday List
Parish Nurse News
Children’s Ministry
Youth Activities
Adult Gatherings
EDR Display
Events Coming Soon
Congregation Spotlight
Calendar
Session Notes
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Mission Statement In response to the love and grace of
God, First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, Kansas, is a
fellowship of believers bound together to glorify
God and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ through
worship, spiritual nurturing, education and
mission to all people.
525 N. Broadway Wichita, KS 67214 (316) 263-0248
[email protected] www.firstpresbywichita.org
Sunday Worship Worship 8:30 a.m. (Chapel) Coffee Hour 9:30 a.m.
(Reception Room) Sunday School 9:30 a.m. (Various Locations) Coffee
Hour 10:30 a.m. (East Dining Room) Worship 11:00 a.m.
(Sanctuary)
FPC Information:
First Presbyterian Church is a Stephen Ministry Congregation
From the Pastor’s Desk
Indeed, October was a busy month in the life of the Church with
opportunities galore to connect more deeply with God and one
another through the events offered each day of the week. But if we
are not careful we can get burned out by trying to do many things
rather than the one thing necessary as com-mended by Jesus in the
Martha and Mary story (Luke 10:38–42). Moreover, just as Jesus
needed to get away from the demands placed upon him by the crowds
as he carried out his teaching and healing ministry, so will we.
For example, Jesus, in the fourth chapter of Luke, withdraws from
everyone to a deserted place to recharge his batteries through
prayer and meditation. Likewise, so must
we… or we run the risk of “Running on Empty”—which by the way is
a song made famous by Jackson Browne.
As you may or may not know, explosive outbursts of temper (like
the one Martha had) can be a sign of running on empty. If this ever
happens to us then Jesus’ words to Mar-tha become instructive when
we feel stressed out by a situa-tion. Listen to what Jesus tells
Martha: “Martha, you are dis-tracted by many things; there is need
of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not
be taken away from her.”
“And what is the better part?” you might be asking. I believe it
is to connect deeply
(Continued on page 3)
“The Story of Martha and Mary Revisited”
Family Fall Festival
The Fall Festival was lots of fun with good food, interesting
costumes, face painting, and entertaining games!
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2 · First Presby News Volume 44, Number 11
FPC Staff
Ministry Staff
The Rev. Dr. Brent O. Johnston Pastor/Head of Staff
[email protected]
The Rev. Amy J. Baumgartner Associate Pastor
[email protected]
Geri Doll Director of Youth Ministry
[email protected]
Christine Rude Children’s Resource Coordinator
[email protected]
Joan Aldrich Parish Nurse
[email protected]
Steve Bixler Director of Music
[email protected]
David Josefiak Senior Organist
[email protected]
Gary Huffman Archivist & Organist
[email protected]
Administrative Staff
Nancy Bishop Bookkeeper
[email protected]
Georgia Kaba Receptionist
[email protected]
Anna Willis Publications/Webmaster
[email protected]
Roy Yarbrough Facilities Manager
[email protected]
Mary Burgett Economy Corner Manager
Dolores Granger
Economy Corner Assistant Manager
Dave Duncan FPC Family Camp Manager
[email protected]
Dolores Johnson Clerk of the Session [email protected]
Congregational Care
Photo © Jennifer Yin
Nursery Help Needed
News from a Member Member Jim Gross, a professional painter, was
given a rare invi-
tation to participate in the memorial service of third director
of the Solomon Guggenheim Museum, Thomas M. Messer, on September
16. He left on September 14 and returned on September 18 via
Amtrak. Thomas was a personal friend who helped Jim in the past
with his career. He was director for over a quarter of a century,
dur-ing which he established the museum as one of the world’s great
museums of modern art.
A Heartfelt Thank You It is with sincere appreciation that I
send a heartfelt thank you
for the wonderful generosity, support, cards, prayers, and love
that I have received following my neuro/spine surgery.
My daily prayer is that God will send healing to my arms, hands
and fingers and restore them so that I can, once again, enjoy the
true privilege of serving as one of your organists.
Please know I miss you all, our fellowship, and most of all –
making glorious music together. May the love, joy, and peace of
Christ be with each member of this wonderful, caring
congregation.
—David Josefiak
Need a “baby fix”? We need volunteers to be in the nursery with
our paid volun-teer each Sunday morning. If you would be willing to
be on the schedule (or be a substi-tute), please contact the
Chil-dren’s Resource Coordinator, C h r i s t i n e R u d e a t
[email protected].
Let Us Focus Our Prayers on These Members: Karen Fleming,
Charles & Carroll Hoke, Cor Jongedyk, John &
Judy Weber, Doug & Joan Aldrich, Jeannetta Miner, Gary &
Sharon Gates, Paul Crittenden, Charissa Crittenden, John &
Eleanor Gin-gerich, Clint & Beth Schutte & family, Clifford
& Peggy Wathne, Sig-mond Jacob, Louise Mierau, Stacey Rucker,
Mayme Pearl Ward, Eric & Jill Coldwater & family, Vivian
Fleming, Kenneth Long, and Donna Hughes & family.
Sympathy: Please pray for Marc Jones the death of his aunt, and
Peggy
Wathne on the death of her sister, Ruth Hughes, September 19 at
her daughter’s house in San Antonio.
Please also pray for Karen Brisendine on the death of her mother
on October 15 in Dayton, Ohio.
Also keep in your prayers the family of Charles Spalding, who
recently passed away, especially Marjorie Tillery, his sister.
Marjorie Renard, a member of the first class of Stephen
Minis-ters in 1987 and an active member of the church until she and
her husband moved away, died recently in Colorado. Please pray for
her husband, Dick, as he grieves her loss.
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November 2013 First Presby News · 3
Birthdays in November
1 Shirley Botz Kenneth Long Teresa Lang Heidi Iwig 2 Janet
Shurtz Wendy Bowles 3 Brad Bowles 4 Dolores Granger 5 Lydia Iwig 6
Penna Moler Gerry Winters Randy Cunningham
Jace Fournier 8 Bob Brown Meryt Ediger 9 Betty Brodersen 10
Karen Bove 11 Candi Lewis Saylor Mattke 13 Brent Duncan Zach
Blessant 15 Kenneth Gabrielson Jens Mattke 17 Nada Canfield Marsha
Veesart 18 John Weber Jennifer Lewis 20 Jo Dunlap 21 Alice
Robertson
Merl Hollis Marilyn Heffner Ann Eastwood 22 Verla Hansen Michael
Inman 23 Janet Craghead Ezra Baumgartner 24 Albert Graham Jan
Siefkes Robert Bell 25 Katie Muck 26 Tracy Dranselka 27 Patricia
Schulte 29 Forrest Weirick Sharon Gates Karen Graves 30 Roberta
Fiebach Marcus Ballenger
The youth group will be selling God’s Creation 2014 wall
calendars again this year for $10 each to raise money for youth
programming. These beautiful and useful calendars are 9” x 12” and
have a wire spiral binding. They are made with high-quality
materials and each month features a professional photograph along
with a Scripture. The pages are made of heavy-weight card stock for
easy writing with no smudging or indentation. The youth will have a
table at Coffee Hour and there will be some in the office, too.
Please support our youth by purchasing a calen-dar for yourself and
more for your family and friends. They make thoughtful and useful
gifts!
Youth Group 2014 Calendar Sale
Overflow Shelter Meal FPC has again signed up to
help provide meals for the Overflow Winter Shelter. If your
group or you as an individual are interested in helping, please
contact Amy Baumgartner.
Dates/times available for sign up are breakfasts for February
25–28 or dinner on February 26.
with Jesus… that we might recharge our batteries so that we can
live with single-mindedness of purpose like he did to accomplish
the will of God. So, it matters not whether you have what the
spiritual fathers and mothers call an active nature like Martha or
a contemplative nature like Mary, to be whole and to avoid burn-
out one must complete the circle of being and doing. For exam-ple,
Mary must complete the circle of being and doing by getting up from
the feet of Jesus to serve. And, likewise, Martha must get out of
the kitchen so she can do nothing but sit at the feet of Jesus and
listen. In other words, the contemplative completes the circle by
“doing” and the active completes the circle by “being.” This way
each does the one thing necessary at any given moment to accomplish
the will of God.
As your pastor I would like to inspire you to go where you have
not gone before, but the last thing I want as your pastor is for
you to feel burned out and perhaps under-appreciated like Martha.
Choosing the path of Mary means sometimes saying, "Maybe next
time," or, "After I have had a break," or, "Let me pray about it."
It will require discernment on our part, which is a good thing… for
it makes us dependent upon God to seek and discern his will at any
given moment during the day.
Let me close with a prayer from the Celtic tradition which
reflects the importance of closing each day in the Presence of God:
“Lord our God, you called us to begin this day. Now at its ending
our tasks lie incomplete, our hopes not achieved. Grant that we may
be with you where our weakness will be overcome and all our longing
be fulfilled, in Jesus, your Son, our Lord. Amen.”
(Continued from page 1)
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4 · First Presby News Volume 44, Number 11
From the Parish Nurse
The holiday season is upon us and we will be sharing delicious
food, good cheer, and proba-bly lots of germs. We all know the
importance of getting your vaccination shot, frequent hand washing,
and coughing into your sleeve to pre-vent the spread of bacteria
and viruses. Another way to prevent getting sick is to keep your
im-mune system strong. It’s important to under-stand that the
reason we catch a cold or flu is because your immune system is
impaired. So let’s explore how we can boost the immune sys-tem
naturally:
Cut back on sugar (especially fructose) and grains. Sugar acts
as a “fertilizer” for pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungi and can
set up your im-mune system for an assault by a respiratory virus.
Did you know that 80 percent of your immune system actually lies in
your gastro-intestinal tract? Controlling your sugar is crucial for
optimizing your im-mune system. Clean up your diet. Incorporate
more fresh fruits and vegetables which are loaded with
antioxidants, to help lessen the toxic load for the immune system.
Note that dairy prod-ucts can be offending foods because they tend
to cause sinus stuffiness, making you more susceptible to catching
and harboring a virus. Eat chicken soup. It can help reduce cold
and flu symptoms. Chicken contains a natu-ral amino acid called
cysteine, which can thin mucus in your lungs so you can expel it
more easily. Make your chicken soup with plenty of pungent spices
(garlic, pepper, thyme, onion, rosemary, and cilantro). These
spices help to unplug nasal passages and can help liq-uefy
secretions in the throat and lungs, too. Drink plenty of water.
Immune system cells can’t optimally work without sufficient
hydra-tion. Get regular exercise. Exercise boosts circula-
tion and gets your lymph system moving. Optimize your vitamin D
level. Ask your doctor to check your baseline vitamin D level
(blood draw) and advise you on the proper dosage. Research shows
that the higher your vitamin D level is, the lower your risk of
con-tracting colds and flu. Take supplements that help protect your
im-mune system. Consider Oregano Oil and Olive Leaf Extract
(antimicrobial agents), Pro-polis (a bee resin that also acts as a
broad spectrum antimicrobial compound), Green
Tea (contains antiviral com-ponents), Vitamin C (a pow-erful
antioxidant), and Zinc (a mineral that bolsters im-munity).
Get good sleep. A lack of sleep compromises the immune
system.
Laugh a little! During the stressful holiday times, find
creative ways to ex-pose yourself to comical situations—it’s good
for
your immune system and mental health.
Joan Aldrich
Naturally Boost Your Immune System This Flu Season
Comic’s Corner
Photo © Marianne Perdomo
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November 2013 First Presby News · 5
Let’s Play at the Alternative Gift Market
Looking for a creative way to help your kiddos move past the “I
wants” of holiday time? Or do you continually struggle with finding
a present for someone who has enough already? Join other families
of the church at Grace Presbyterian Church on Saturday, November 9,
for the Alternative Gift Market.
Growing Together: Wednesday (and Sunday) Fun
We hope to see you Wednesdays from 6:00–7:30 p.m. for Wednesday
Fun; there are activities for children from birth to 5th grade!
There will be no Wednesday Fun on November 27.
Sunday school continues each Sun-day morning from 9:30–10:30
a.m. in C204. Both are excellent ways for your children to grow in
the faith.
Contact: Amy Baumgartner, Associate Pastor at 263-0248 or
[email protected]
Children’s Ministry News
Contact: Geri Doll, Director of Youth Ministries at 737-8855
(texts are ok) or [email protected]
Youth Activities
Being thankful is what we’re reminded of dur-ing the month of
November. We are thankful to have an active youth group here at
FPC. Through-out November, the youth will have mission
oppor-tunities in addition to Bible studies and a trip to
Westminster Woods!
November 2 (Saturday) - We will be meeting at our church to
prepare and serve the Community Breakfast. We are asking you to
help serve break-fast and clean up, and also be there to fellowship
with others from our community. For youth only (adult volunteers
will have a different arrival time) please plan to arrive by 7:45
a.m.; we will be fin-ished around 10:30 a.m.
November 3 (Sunday) – Daylight savings time ends; turn your
clocks back 1 hour. (Fall back!)
November 5 (Tuesday) – Youth Committee meeting; 6–7 p.m. in the
Youth Lounge.
November 6 (Wednesday) – All-church dinner and True Blue; meal
starts at 5:15 p.m.
November 13 (Wednesday) – All-church dinner and True Blue; meal
starts at 5:15 p.m.
November 17 (Sunday) – Baked potato lunch (following the 11:00
a.m. worship service) spon-sored by the youth group; making care
packages from 1:30–2:30 p.m.
November 20 (Wednesday) – All-church dinner and True Blue; meal
starts at 5:15 p.m.
November 22–24 (Friday 6:00 p.m.–Sunday 1:30 p.m.) – Westminster
Woods Work Weekend (W4)—A Youth Council event; get registration
forms from Geri.
November 27 – No All-church dinner or True Blue.
November 28 – Thanksgiving Day As you can see, in November there
are lots of
ways each and every youth can participate and come together to
show our love and Christian faith.
Questions? Email Geri Doll [email protected], call or
text 316-737-8855.
We are happy to give you a ride if needed.
It was a beautiful day Saturday, October 12, when a group of
youth and adult sponsors traveled to Buhler to enjoy the Kansas
Maze. There were many other activities for the youth to do
including a giant jumping pillow, a corn cannon, pumpkin slingers,
pumpkin checkers, a giant tunnel slide and more. The food was good,
too: hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, pumpkin pie, and fresh apple
slices with homemade caramel!
Pumpkin Patch
A youth group member aims the corn cannon while at the Buhler
Kansas Corn Maze.
mailto:[email protected]
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6 · First Presby News Volume 44, Number 11
Katherine Barcus Katherine is a retired LPN, and
met her husband, Steve, at Maple Gardens, where they both
reside. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Liberal,
and joined by Reaffirmation of Faith. Her two daughters live in the
area, prompting her move to Wichita. She and Steve are newlyweds,
and recently enjoyed an Alaskan cruise.
New Member Spotlight
Catherine, Andrew, & Emma Johnston Pastor Brent Johnston's
wife and children
are new members of First Presbyterian, joining by Letter of
Transfer from First Presbyterian in Lincoln, NE. They have become
involved in many activities at FPC, including the Wednesday evening
activities, with Catherine leading a class for the 9–11 yr. old
children. Andrew is a sophomore in the I.B. program at East High,
and Emma is in Pre-I.B. at Robinson Middle School. In her spare
time, Catherine enjoys reading and gardening.
Jill Nelson Jill is employed by Kroger
Account Services in Hutchinson in Contract Administration and
Payroll. She has three "nearly grown" children—Emily is 15, Taylor
is 16, and Bryce is 19. She and her new husband, member Gary
Tanner, met online about four years ago. She enjoys hiking and also
running 4–6 miles a day, as well as spending time attending the
school events of her children.
Adult Gatherings
Our church-wide small group study, The Journey: Walking the Road
to Beth lehem, cont inues th rough November 16.
Camp Changes The First Presbyterian Church Family Camp has
been
an integral part of our history since the 1950’s. Its natural
beauty and amenities have provided recreational fun for groups of
all ages and a quiet retreat for individuals and families alike.
The camp, however, has suffered in the past few years from a lack
of revenue-generating bookings. The Camp Committee has been
investigating this change for several months, and the most notable
reason is that the Wichita community members see the name, “FPC
Family Camp,” and believe that it is solely for the use of church
members. It is the Camp Committee’s recommendation to change the
name of the camp to: Whispering Winds Camp and Retreat Center
(affiliated with First Presbyterian Church) for this very reason.
It is our hope that the name change will be the first step to the
resurgence of our beloved camp in order to appeal to a variety of
different groups while helping to increase the camp’s usage and
revenue over the next few years. We would like to hear from you
regarding this upcoming change. Questions or comments may be sent
to Al Staab at [email protected] or 729-8009, or Bob Marley at
[email protected] or 722-3683, no later than November 8.
Thank you for your continued support of the camp!
(Top Left) Jill Nelson; (Top Right) The
Johnstons; (Below) Katherine Barcus
by Carol Orr
Join the Big Read On November 3
at 9:30 a.m. in the DeVore Room, there will be a discussion on
the Theological Themes of True Grit as part of Wichita Public
Library’s Big Read Event. For more info, see
bigreadwichita.org/events.
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November 2013 First Presby News · 7
East Dining Room Display
November EDR Display: An Old Member Renewed Karen never
ex-pected to find her-self back in Wichita, Kansas, especially
after being away for decades. But life is funny sometimes. G-d has
His plan, and she is simply guided by it. In many ways, return-ing
to First Presbyte-
rian Church is like coming home. It is, after all, the church
she grew up in, was married in, and her son, Jeremy, was baptized
here.
Upon graduation from high school, Karen Bove entered the St.
Joseph School of Radiologic Technology. At the time, she had no
idea that a career in medical imaging would take her to far-away
places and would be a long and rewarding career. It's not what she
intended to do but once again, G-d had His plan.
Eventually, Karen landed in California and was hired as a
Neuro-technologist at the Univer-sity of California at San
Francisco (UCSF). What an exciting time it was in the medical
imaging field. Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) was still in its
infancy with Magnetic Resonance Imag-ing (MRI) and Magnetic
Resonance Spectroscopy Imaging (MRSI) nipping at its heels. She was
sur-rounded by multi-national nerds and could not have been
happier. Some might say that she was simply in the right place at
the right time, which she was. But Karen prefers to think that G-d
was guiding her steps and her career.
The end of her career found Karen at the Na-tional Institutes of
Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, the largest research facility in the
world. She made a name for herself in Cardiac MRI, getting to teach
as well as present research and tech-niques on many continents. The
last lab Karen worked in at the NIH was the Functional Magnetic
Resonance Imaging Facility (FMRIF), where she was able to put all
her accumulated skills to use. Karen’s lab fully backed her when
she was named President of the Section for Magnetic Resonance
Technologists (SMRT) of the Interna-tional Society for Magnetic
Resonance in Medi-cine (ISMRM). Sadly, an auto accident and a
cou-
ple of disastrous falls ended her ability to per-form at the
highest level. Therefore, Karen had to accept early retirement on
disability. That was a dark time, for she loved her job and after
37 years, finally scored the best bosses for which one could hope.
When Karen retired, her lab took up a collection and surprised her
with a large denomination gift certificate to the B&H Camera
Store in New York so that she could buy a digital camera (Nikon
D200) and continue im-aging.
Karen’s avocation, photography, fits nicely with her love for
travel and taking pictures, par-ticularly of landscapes and
flowers. One could describe her techniques along the lines of
Im-pressionism…Monet-ish; certainly along the lines of the renowned
photographers, Tony Sweet and Freeman Patterson. Not wanting to
spend hours at a computer per image, Karen prefers the “One and
Done” method and in-camera techniques. Though her disabilities have
increased and lim-ited her, Karen still feels she has more to
accom-plish through photography, knowing that G-d is still working
with her on His plan.
Karen currently resides in Derby with her three adopted cats:
Shoshi (4.5 yrs), Soni (7 mos) and Dr. Tesla (7 mos).
By Karen Bove
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8 · First Presby News Volume 44, Number 11
Thanksgiving meal of turkey, dressing, Irish potatoes, sweet
potatoes, green beans, cranberry salad and dessert will be prepared
by Truffles Catering, lady chefs who formerly ran the restaurant at
the Wichita Art Museum. A final count of dinner guests is needed by
noon Sunday, November 17. Tickets will be sold during Coffee Hour
on November 10 and 17 and will be available in the church office
during the week. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
After-dinner entertainment will be provided by husband and wife
duo, folk singers Aaron Fowler and Laura Dungan. Aaron is a native
Kansan, graduated from Friends University with a degree in Music
Education followed by a master’s in choral conducting from Wichita
State University. He is the Artists’ Coordinator for Arts Partners
and their most popular teaching artist, working in classrooms K–12,
helping reinforce the core curriculum using music.
Laura works in the field of community organizing and for
twenty-three years has been focused on developing leadership for
social change. Her newest effort is in the co-founding of a social
change organization, The Seed House ~ Casa de la Semilla, located
at 1407 North Topeka.
This musical couple has performed at The Artichoke, Wichita
River Festival, Kansas State Fair and the Quaker Peace Roundtable.
They have toured the state under a grant from the Kansas Arts
Commission. Peter Blood, creator of Rise Up Singing: The Group
Singing Songbook says, “Laura & Aaron bring infectious energy
and professional integrity to their performances. They are making a
unique contribution to the folk music scene today and are not to be
missed!”
Thanksgiving Dinner To Be Served on Friday, November 22
Presbyterian Women have scheduled our annual Thanksgiving dinner
for Friday, November 22, 6:30 p.m., in the East Dining Room.
Tickets, which include the cost of the meal and entertainment, are
$14.00 and must be purchased in advance. The traditional
Aaron Fowler and Laura Dungan. Photo used with permission.
Be a Part of the Wichita Alternative Gift Market
Join other socially conscious shoppers for a fun, international
market experience—learn about ways you can use your gift-giving to
have a positive impact on the world—giving gifts to those you love
in ways that sustain the earth, promote peace and justice, and
address the needs of our hurting planet.
When: Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m.–4 pm at Grace Presbyterian
Church: 5002 E Douglas
For more info, call 269-0635 or see
alternativegiftmarketwichita.wordpress.com.
Stewardship Celebration The Stewardship Committee wishes to
express their sincere "THANKS" for the return of pledges. The
drive, even though it ended on October 20th, will still accept all
yet outstanding pledges. However, the good news is that we will
have a Celebration Luncheon and we hope everyone will be able to
participate. So mark your calendars for Sunday, November 24, after
the 11:00 a.m. service, and come to have a meal with your church
family.
El Salvador Fundraiser On Sunday, November 17, after church,
plan
to attend a fundraising lunch in the EDR to welcome Carmen from
El Salvador and raise funds for scholarships to help our youth
travel to El Salvador next summer. The youth are preparing a baked
potato and salad lunch and the children will also be doing a bake
sale to benefit our friends in Rio de los Bueyes. The suggested
donation for the dinner is $5. There will also be a PowerPoint
presentation by Kayeli Rekoske discussing her travels to El
Salvador.
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November 2013 First Presby News · 9
Economy Corner Helps with
Community Breakfast Vouchers to the Econ-
omy Corner will be handed out during the Community Breakfast the
first Saturday of each month. To meet the needs of those in need,
the Economy Corner is in dire need of men’s clothing. Please bring
items for dona-tion to the Economy Corner. We are also in need of
coats and warm clothes for all ages.
Put in Your Poinsettia Orders Poinsettia trees will once
again
adorn the Sanctuary for the Advent season. If you would like to
purchase a poinsettia in memory of or in honor of
a loved one, the sug-gested donation is $12 and envelopes are
available in the church office. Please place your order by Friday,
December 13.
Income Expenses
Contributions $ 477,074.28 Camp Program $ 3,656.14
Investments $ 1,701.88 Deacons $ 807.15
Foundation $ 117,977.34 Worship/Music $ 3,032.92
Economy Corner $ 51,515.22 Membership $ 406.16
Other $ 61,240.04 Education/Fellowship $ 21,558.17
Mission/EC $ 67,379.55
Total $ 709,508.76 Finance/Admin $ 56,360.02
Facilities/Utilities $ 146,613.36
Personnel $ 404,757.40
Total $ 704,570.87
Committees and staff of the church have demonstrated fiscal
discipline through the first three quarters of the year. We have
been able to keep our expenses in check as we enter the final
quarter with a $4,900 surplus through our first nine months.
Con-tributions received during the first nine months was 78.8% of
the annual budget while total expenses were 68.3%. Program
ex-penses are cyclical, and many may occurr late in the year. The
approved budget projeted a deficit of $74,633. Our undesignated
reserves stand at $205,210.64. Thank you for your continued
support.
FPC 4th Quarter Finance Results
Save the Date Mark your calendars: the annual
Carol Banquet will be Wednesday, December 11 at 6 p.m. in the
EDR.
The choir sings at last year’s banquet. Photo by Don Setser.
It was a beautiful day for the ALS walk, and several members of
FPC walked along with Carol Sandlin and her daughters, sister, and
grandchildren. We thank you all for your tremendous support.
Carol’s team Awesome Legwork for Sandlin raised over $2,000 for ALS
research and outreach services in the community.
Be watching for the newly formed Youth Band in December. The
group was formed at the request of several youth who wanted to
share their love of instrumental music with their church family.
The band is being directed by Austin McFarland, a music instruction
student at Friends University.
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10 · First Presby News Volume 44, Number 11
John and Jane met in the Student Union at Southwestern College
in Winfield, where, accord-ing to John, he spent a great deal of
time play-ing Bridge when he should have been study-ing. Jane was
so at-tracted to him that she learned to play the game in order
that they could become ac-quainted. They married before their
senior year
but stayed in school until they received their degrees. John
says he was “pre-ministerial” from the time he was 16 years old,
and after graduation they moved to Evanston, IL, where he went to
Seminary. Jane loved theatre, and had been a part of the Campus
Players at Southwestern, but since she had received her degree in
Elementary Education and History, she obtained a position teach-ing
6th grade to help John get through Seminary, after which they
returned to Kansas.
Because of John’s ministry, the young couple moved often. His
first ministry was in El Dorado, where he was Associate Pastor and
Youth Director at First United Methodist Church. During this time,
Jane moved up from teaching 6th grade to college level at Butler
County Juco, and found joy in teaching classes having to do with
college success, helping new stu-dents become acclimated to college
life. Their daughter Jennifer was born during this period. After
three years they moved to Oxford’s Methodist Church, and then came
to St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Wichita where John was Associate
Pastor for the next four years. During this period, their son
Jamison was born.
John retired from the Ministry and enrolled at WSU, receiving a
Master’s in Education. He taught mostly for USD 259 in junior and
senior high schools. Jane is now in her 41st year of teaching at
WSU, going to half-time only a year ago. They agree that sum-mers
for teachers can be great, with adequate time for family trips. The
family loved the ease and com-fort of train trips, and went several
times to Chicago and a couple of times to New York City by train.
On their second trip to Europe, when the children were old enough
to enjoy it, the whole family went.
John and Jane have lived in and loved their Victo-rian house in
the Mid-Town Historic District since the early ‘70s. When John was
at St. Paul’s he and Jane were going for a walk one evening and
noticed a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. Neighbors who were
out-side saw them looking at the house and suggested
they buy it, so they did! The house was built in 1909 by a
railroader who was a conductor, and the Rhoad-ses are only the
fourth family to live in the house. It is almost entirely unchanged
since being built, and retains its original woodwork and stained
glass win-dows. Their favorite room is basically unused, as it is
their “antiques” room with dozens of old family por-traits adorning
the walls. Several items belonged to Jane’s great-grandfather. Jane
and a friend were the originators of the now yearly event in
October when several of the homes are open for tours.
John retired in 2004, allowing him time for his favorite
hobbies—photography and woodworking— and his talents are
exceptional in each. A beautiful baby’s cradle has a prominent
place in their “antique room.” He is very busy in his retirement,
active with the Scottish Rite and FPC’s Men’s Bible Study Class. He
and Jane were also presidents of the Luccock Class at one time. He
is currently president of the Wichita Sunflower Woodworkers Guild.
Jane laugh-ingly says that for every project, he needs a new tool,
and his basement workshop is extensive. He calls himself an
“advanced hobbyist!”
Jane is equally busy, playing the viola in the Friends
University Orchestra and making “T-shirt quilts” for her three
grandchildren. But most of her “spare” time over the past few years
has been spent in researching old opera houses in Kansas. Her
inter-est stems from the fact that her great-grandfather built one
in Eldon, Iowa, which is still standing. She did her research in
the wintertime and in the sum-mers traveled, eventually, to every
county in Kansas. She was “on the road” 12 summers before writing
her self-published book, Kansas Opera Houses, Ac-tors and Community
Events 1855–1925, which won the award for the Kansas Notable Book
for 2009.
Jane loves researching and has written many arti-cles, but now
focuses on giving presentations on vari-ous people in the history
of the area, such as “Women who Worked at Aircraft Factories.” At
pre-sent she is working on “Cowboy Entertainers of NE Oklahoma.”
These presentations are given on request at various forums, such as
libraries, senior centers and other non-profit organizations. She
said small town libraries are always looking for speakers. Most
often Jane does the speaking and John and Jamison do accompanying
PowerPoint presentations.
The Rhoadses live full and satisfying lives. Jenni-fer and her
husband and three children live less than a mile away and Jamison
is in Arkansas City. Family gatherings are frequent, the last being
to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in August.
Carol Orr
Congregation Spotlight—John & Jane Rhoads
Photo © Lifetouch
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November 2013 First Presby News · 11 First Presbyterian
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12 · First Presby News
First Presbyterian Church 525 N. Broadway Wichita, KS
67214-3503
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid
Permit 719 Wichita, KS
12 · First Presby News
First Presbyterian Church 525 N. Broadway Wichita, KS
67214-3503
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid
Permit 719 Wichita, KS
The December Presby News Deadline
is Sun, November 17, at MIDNIGHT.
The editor reserves the right to edit submitted information for
content and space availability. Questions? Contact Anna Willis at
263-0248,
ext. 128 or [email protected]
Session Notes Items from the October 15,
2013, Session meeting: The Book of Order requires a
periodic review by the Session of the Membership rolls of the
church. The Session examined the list and made recommenda-tions to
contact some members to update our membership records.
The upgrade/repair of the children’s wading pool at the camp was
approved.
What’s in a name? The Camp Committee is seeking to change the
name of FPC church camp. The name—First Presbyte-rian Church Family
Camp—has been mistakenly thought that the camp is available only
for members of FPC. The camp is rented to many other groups. The
committee asks the congre-gation to suggest names and to contact
the Moderators, Al Staab
or Bob Marley. The new cards for the Sanc-
tuary pew racks, which have in-formation about First
Presbyte-rian Church, were approved.
The Session recommended Jared Kite to be a Young Adult Advisory
Delegate (YAAD) from the Presbytery of Southern Kan-sas to General
Assembly in June, 2014. His name is sub-mitted to the Presbytery
Nomi-nating Committee. Other churches will also submit their
recommendations.
The Clerk reports no deaths, seven new members, five trans-fers
or requests to remove their names (out-of-town) and one marriage of
members. The Ac-tive Membership roll as of Octo-ber 15, 2013 is
589.
Dolores Johnson Clerk of Session
Stephen Ministers are the After People.
Stephen Ministers are there:
after the divorce,
after the funeral,
after the doctor says “I’m sorry,”
after the baby arrives
If you have questions or need to talk,
please contact Lynn Buchanan or Louise
Farmer at 263-0248 or
[email protected].
