Pastor Gordy’s Message By Pastor Gordy Pennertz

Verse for May: For great is the Lord, and

greatly to be praised; he is to be revered

above all gods. Psalm 96: 4 In a recent sermon, I made the point (or tried to at least) that the church is so much more than the hour we spend in the sanctuary on Sunday morning. It is filling bags for the Food for Kidz, it is making cards with or pancakes for the clients at WINGS. It is giving to or working with the Meeker Area Ministry board. It is sharing our joys and sorrows over coffee at McDonald’s. It is serving a meal at the funeral of one of our own.

I said this, “We perhaps are making a mistake about what it means to be a Christian if Sunday morning sitting in a pew quietly praying and singing is what we think church is. This...is about finding a venue to serve and to show love. This is about fellowship and hospitality. This is about worshiping our Lord and Savior and entering into a relationship with him.” We have expanded our ways of worshiping and serving the Lord. I do have a bone to pick though. Quarterly, there are a half dozen or so of us that gather to pray specifically for the people in our circle who are in need of prayer for whatever reason. We call it the Wellness Prayer service. It seems to me there should be many more of us gathering. James, in his epistle, is clear about our call to pray together for those in need. “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save

the

sick, and the Lord will raise them up.” (James 5: 13-15) We miss out on the power promised through prayer if we fail to come together in prayer for one another. I encourage you, when our next wellness prayer service comes around, join us in the sanctuary as we join in a spirit of prayer, trusting in God's goodness, power and grace to touch the bodies and souls of those for whom we pray.

We miss out on the power promised through prayer if we fail to come together in prayer for one another. I encourage you, when our next wellness prayer service comes around, join us in the sanctuary as we join in a spirit of prayer, trusting in God's goodness, power and grace to touch the bodies and souls of those for whom we pray. Grace and peace,

Pastor Gordy

First Presbyterian Church of Litchfield, MN

May 2016 NEWSLETTER

Upcoming events: Wednesday May 4 Home communions 3:30

PM

Saturday May 7 Pastor Gordy and Julie in

Walk for Life in St. Cloud

Sunday, May 8 Mother's Day, French Toast

breakfast sponsored by Confirmation class

8:30-9:30

Tuesday, May 10 Session meets at 7:00

Wednesday, May 11 The Story Bible Study

at 4:30 at church

Thursday, May 12 CCC meeting 4:30

Sunday May 15 Day of Pentecost-wear red

Wednesday, May 18 Lilac Luncheon

Sunday, May 22 last day of Sunday school.

Monday, May 23 Mary Martha 6:00

Tuesday, May 24 Newsletter Articles due.

Wednesday, May 25 The Story Bible study

4:30 at church

Monday May 30 Memorial Day

LITURGIST:

1-Julie Rae Pennertz

8-Stephanie Rech

15=Ruth Townsend

22-Shirley Brooks

29-Kay Hanson

USHERS:

1-Roger & Mary Crosbie & Family

8-Amy & Wade Viehauser

15-Arlyce Dedrickson

22-??

29-Don & Jayne Ackman

Money Counters:

1-Julie Rae Pennertz & Jayne Ackman

8-Beverly Driver & Judy Holmes

15-Michael Joldersma & Julie Rae Pennertz

22-Shirley Brooks and Susan Berg

29-Gary Graphenteen & Julie Rae Pennertz

Communion Servers:

Shirley, Ann, Dottie &

Coffee Hour:

1-Amy Viehauser

8-Ann Abramson

15-Julie Rae Pennertz

22-Harriet Koelln

29-May serving Unit

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES:

8-Joel Barrick

8-Lila Lundberg

13-Amy Viehauser

14-Cicily Savoy

18-Heidi Pennertz

24-Bruce Good

28-Mary Crosbie

“A dewdrop acts out the will of God as surely as the thunderstorm. God cares little about size; He cares immensely about service.”

SANCTUARY DUTY:

May: Amy L.

June: Shirley Brooks

July: Jayne

August: Julie Rae

Sept: David P.

Oct: Amy L

Nov: Rosie

Dec: Shirley

Jan: David P.

MAY Liturgy

1- Psalm 67 Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 John 5:1-9

8-Psalm 97 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-

17, 20-21 John 17:20-26

15-Psalm 104:24-34 Romans 8:14-17

John 14:8-17 (25-27)

22-Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5

John 16:12-15

29-Psalm 96 Galatians 1:1-12

Luke 7:1-10

THE STORY” Bible Study:

We will hold class on May 11 and 25 at 4:30 at church if there are no more changes and challenges causing us to change! The 11th will be on

“Jesus, the Son of God” where we will study some of the claims Jesus made about who and what he was. The 25th is “The Hour of Darkness” which you probably realize is the story of the crucifixion. Please consider joining us for these classes and learn a bit more about the place of Jesus in our lives!

Word of the month:

Creed — A statement of beliefs which include the fundamentals considered necessary to salvation. Our

most familiar creed is the Apostles' Creed. It is one of 11 creeds, or confessions or catechisms that are part of the Presbyterian Church's Constitution. The rest are found in “The Book of Confessions”. A creed is usually written to clear up misunderstandings in the doctrines of the church. We do well to study our creeds to help us understand our faith better.

We will once again be going to

WINGS and making

cards with the kids

there. Come and join us

on Friday, May 13, at 2

PM. Help make some good

memories and reach out to those in

need of people to care for them!

Deacons serving

schedule: If you are in

need of a deacon for

rides, for help, for

notifying someone is in the hospital

etc…Please contact the deacon of

the month.

May: Amy V. June: Harriet

July: Julie Rae August: Harriet

Sept: Julie Rae Oct: Amy V.

Nov: Savannah Dec: Barb Bremseth

Dec 24th: Amy V. /All

PRESBYTERIN WOMEN NEWS: SPRING HAS SPRUNG. The Lilac Luncheon

will be held on May 18th this year. It

will be similar to last year. Shirley

Good will display her quilts again and

have a quilt that will be available for

raffling. We are asking members of

the church to sell raffle tickets at $2

each or 3 for $5. See Julie Rae to get

yours! We will also need many to help

display the Quilts and to feed those

who come to eat. Because our numbers

of helpers is down every one will need

to make at least two salads and some

more. Salad assignments are as

follows:

Jan-April: Meat May-Aug: Fruit

Sept-Dec: Vegetable

Mary-Martha Circle NEWS: Come and join us!! It is the final meeting until fall on Monday, May 23rd at 6 PM at Julie Rae Pennertz’s house for our annual potluck. Bring something to share and come and join the fellowship!

ALL women of the church are invited.

Food for Kidz: Thanks to all who gave to

and who worked for the Food for Kidz

project! We were able to pack over 103,000

bags of food for needy kids around the

world!

It is Super Hero Time!

It is the end of year Sunday school party for youth (including Confirmation!) So come on Sunday, May

22nd at 9 AM for games, treats and prizes! Don’t forget, the greatest Super Hero of all time…Jesus Christ!

May 22nd is also teacher appreciation Sunday, during morning worship.

Won’t you come and join the

youth as they bring us a French

Toast breakfast on Sunday, May

8th (Mother’s Day) starting at

8:30 AM and running til about 9:30 am or so. A

free-will offering will be taken and given to

Meeker Area Ministries homeless project.

MAY Prayer list

1-Ann Abramson

2-Don & Jayne Ackman

3-Ryan Ackman

4-Joshua Anderson

5-Dwight Barrick

6-Joel Barrick

7-Mortie & Susan Berg

8-Carol Blunt

9-david Boll

10-Linda Karg (Boll)

11-Heath Bozonie

12-Barbara Bremseth

13-Shirley Brooks

14-Melva Burnette

15-CJ Crosbie

16-Roger & Mary Crosbie

17-Arlyce Dedrickson

18-Beverly Driver

19-Bruce & Shirley Good

20-Gary & Rosie Graphenteen

21-Kay Hanson & Tim Lane

22-Greg & Karen Heath

23-Judy Holmes

24-Doug & Laurie Johnson

25-Jared & Courtney Johnson/Maci

26-Michael & Rhonda Joldersma & Savannah

27-Sierra Joldersma

28-Ken & Harriet Koelln

29-Owen KRagenbring & Family

30-Roger & Roz Landers

31-Jim & Lila Lundberg

SCRIPTURE:

The Bible is a good book. It contains

exciting history, challenging prophecy, and

sound advice. We could read it just like any

other time-honored classic and walk away

inspired. But, the Bible offers us something

better—the chance to walk away changed.

That’s because the Bible is different from

other good books you may have on your

shelf. It is the actual word of God. As you

read, God’s Spirit whispers to our hearts

how this ancient text directly applies to our

lives today. Throughout the Old and New

Testament, God will guide us, challenge us,

and comfort us. The only loving response to

this love letter from our heavenly Father is

to act on what we hear.”

“God did not write a book and send it by a

messenger to be read ata distance by

unaided minds. He spoke a Book and lives in

His spoken words, constantly speaking His

words and causing the power of them to

persist across the years.” AW Tozer

“When you have read the Bible, you will know

it is the word of God, because you will have

found it the key to your own heart, your own

happiness and your duty.” Woodrow Wilson

“Using the scriptures, the person who serves

God will be ready and will have everything he

needs to do every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:17

Happy Mother’s Day to all

women of the church!

Session Minutes – April 2016

Session met on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. In attendance were: Sue Berg, Shirley Brooks, Arlyce Dedrickson, Gary Graphenteen, Judy Holmes, Michael Joldersma & Pastor Pennertz. Pastor Pennertz opened the meeting with prayer for our community.

1. Treasurer’s report: Decided we need

memo portion completed in order to

better review the reports.

2. Pastor’s report for March 2015: Pastor

Pennertz, Deacon David Pennertz and

Deacon Julie Pennertz served home

communion to three people.

Pastor Pennertz made 10 visits. Pastor Pennertz attended CRE Training.

3. Clerks report: Forty-two people were

served communion in April.

Communion servers for May are Ann

Abramson, Shirley Brooks, Judy Holmes

and Dottie Madsen.

4. Approved church use for a voice and

piano recital on Saturday, May 21, 2016

at 2:00 p.m. The teacher is Michelle

Seiffert. Savannah Joldersma will

perform. Michael Joldersma will have

the piano tuned before the recital.

5. Pastor Pennertz served dilly bars in

celebration of Sue Berg’s retirement.

6. Prayer mid-way through meeting:

Session members prayed the Our Father

prayer together.

7. Committee reports:

a. Worship/Christian Education:

Reviewed Holy Humor

Sunday. Considering a Hymn

Sunday soon. Summer church

hours begin on May 22, 2016.

Banner Committee will meet

after church soon.

b. Christian Community:

Reviewed Pancake Supper for

Wings. Prizes were given for

the pancake shuffleboard

tournament. Rosie and Gordy

Graphenteen delivered food

from the Pack the Pew

campaign to the Food Shelf.

Julie Pennertz deposited the

loose change from the Noisy

Can offering. A dozen people

signed-up to go to Branson on

the Road on June 21, 2016 in

St. Cloud. Dates for fishing on

the pontoons will be arranged.

Summer church hours will be

submitted to the newspaper.

c. Buildings & Grounds: The

Prayer Garden committee met

with Buildings & Grounds to

discuss replacing the steps

and door at the north

entrance and updates to the

prayer garden. The shrubs on

the west side will be replaced

with re-blooming lilacs. Greg

Heath will sandblast the two

urns in the prayer garden.

Greg Heath, Rhonda Joldersma, and David Pennertz will decide on flowers for the prayer garden and front yard. The pavers in the prayer garden will be removed and granite blocking will be installed. Rick Johnson is doing the prayer garden, steps and door remodel on the north side. Some of the pavers will be used at the back door to lessen difficulties when mowing. Eventually, the foundation of the whole church will be re-surfaced.

d. Stewardship & Personnel:

Peacemaking offering went to

our local Domestic Shelter.

Online banking is set-up.

Brochures about endowments

to the church will be available

soon.

The April meeting came to a close with session members giving our church’s blessing to one another. The next Session Meeting is on May 9, 2016.

Respectfully submitted by Judy Holmes

The annual Lilac

Luncheon will be

held on Wednesday,

May 18th

from 11-

1:30 PM. In

addition to our

delicious salads, Shirley Good

will be hosting a quilt show od

her latest quilts. In addition,

we will be raffling off one of her

quilts (Thank Shirley!) It is

beautifully hand quilted. The

cost of the raffle tickets is $2

each or 3 for $5. PLEASE help us

sell the tickets. You can get

your set of tickets from Julie

Rae. We need MANY people to

work the luncheon and ask

that you will sign-up to helo in

some way.

“If I Had My Life to Live Over

Again” By Erma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of

pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if

I weren’t there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a

rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the

carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living

room and worried much less about the dirt when

someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my

grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried

by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled

up on a summer day because my hair had just been

teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching

television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it

was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed

to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,

I’d have cherished every moment and realized that

the wonderment growing inside me was the only

chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never

have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more “I love yous” and more

“I’m sorrys.”

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize

every minute, look at it and really see it…live it and

never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL

STUFF!!!

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has

more, or who’s doing what. Instead, let’s cherish the

relationships we have with those who do love us.

“Mother always said, ‘You can never

judge a gift by its wrappings’.

Likewise, you will never know God’s

great gift until you open your heart

to Him.”

Shirley Pastor, David & Julie Rae

Rech Family Rosie Graphenteen

Savannah and Rhonda

Marshall & “The Grinch”

Katie’s Seuss Shoes!

SCENES FROM HOLY HUMOR SUNDAY!

Russell’s updated address:

Russ Joldersma

1335 N. University Drive #3

Fargo, ND 58102