Grace Presbyterian Church
Winona Minnesota
FEBRUARY 2005 NEWSLETTER
Lent-A Tithe of Days
Many of us feel that our lives are out of control. Hurried
and hectic, frantic and frenzied, this is the way
we describe the craziness of our daily lives.
Sometimes we look to modem technology to provide our
salvation. But often the very technology we
depend on to simplify life does just the opposite - it
complicates life. Examples; Ihe cellphone ties us to
where we work or others all others_all the time, the
lap top computer often means we work wherever we are, and email,
some think it's rude or inept of you don't answer your
mail in thirty minutes.
But at other times, the chaos of life is of our own making,
as we have no one to blame but ourselves. We
take on so much and are afraid to say no. There are only
so many hours in a day, and our time is no longer
our own.
The Christian faith offers us a remedy for the craziness
of life, and the season of Lent lies at the heart of it.
Lent is the forty-day season of the church year, which
extends from Ash Wednesday to lhe Saturday just
before Easter (not counting Sundays). Lent is patterned
after the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness at
the start of his public ministry, as well as the forty
years the people of Israel wandered through the wilderness
until they arrived at the Promised Land. As such. Lent
is a time to ponder the profound issues of life and
faith, to look into the very depth of our own soul, to
examine our priorities and coinmitments, to corns lo
terms with our own mortality, to get in touch with the
chaotic wilderness of our own life, and then resolve to
begin to do things differently.
The word Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word which refers
to the lengthening of the days as Spring
appears.
. In one of his books, the noted Presbyterian minister
and writer, Frederick Buechner, points out that the
forty days of Lent correspond to approximately one-tenth
of each years' days. In others words. Lent is some-
thing like the tithe of days. Just as people of faith
set aside a tithe, one-tenth of their income, for some holy
use, so Lent invites us to set aside on-tenth of the
days of the year to .spend them on Gods and God's work in
the world.
Lent, a tithe of days. What a fascinating way to think
about this forty-day season of the church year, and
what a marvelous investment opportunity. How then will
we spend it? For a suggestion, see the article in
this newsletter about the Lenten Bible study and sermon
series that Pastor Al and I will be facilitating on a
lively look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Lively
alternatives.
See you in church.
Doug
Saturday Night at the Movies Review
Lots of popcorn, comfortable
chairs, good movies and friends all made a fun night on January 15.
Seven youth and 3 daults (plus a few adults who stoppped briefly) watched
either Star Wars or Princess Diaries 2. We may want to repeat this
one!!
Aquire the Fire
Six youth and three adults have
committed to attending the Acquire the Fire event to be held at the Target
Center in Minneaolis on February 11 and 12. The people going are:
Dan Mrvicka, Jessica Arndt, Ben Weiner, David Rosendahl, Mercedes Martin,
Rachel Nustad, Heather Boesch, Doug Rosendahl, and Al Kleinsasser.
They plan to leave from Grace Church parking lot by 2:00 p.m. on Friday,
February 11 and return by 11:00 p.m. Saturday, February 12. Registration
has been paid by the youth education fund. The group will be staying
overnight at Pastor Al's house in Minneapolis.
The theme of the event is Keep
it Real to make the Bible real so that it can be applied to situations
teens face every day. It includes impact speakers, bands, singers,
and live drama.
February Frolic
On Sunday, February 20 from
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. the whole church family is invited to attend the annual
February Frolic! There will be outdoor fun with sledding and indoor
fun with cards and board games. At about 2:30 we will enjoy soup
and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Please bring a can of a non-cream
soup with you to this event and also bring your friends!!
Celebration of Discipline
The continuing Wednesday night
(5:45-6:45 p.m.) Bible study will focus on the outward disciplines of:
Simplicity(Jan. 12), Solitude (Jan. 19), Submission (Jan. 26), and Service
(Feb. 2). Please join us at Grace Church for any session you can
attend.
Making the Most of Marriage
Seven classes on building a
marriage to last a lifetime have already started, but you are still invited
to attend any class. You will be inspired, encouraged and entertained!!
Dr. Kevin Leman, a world-class authority, couselor and author, speaks on
the video followed by discussion time. It is for individuals who
are considering marriage or remarriage, or are already married.
It is held at the First Baptist Church's chapel room on Sunday evenings
from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday sessions left are: January 23, January
30, February 6, February 13, and February 20. If you have questions, please
contact Pastor Al.
Lenten Bible Study
The Lenten Bible Study series
will begin on Wednesday, February 16 and continue through March 23.
For details on the topic, meeting time and place, please listen for Sunday
morning announcements and check in the Sunday bulletins, or call the church
office at 452-4608 and talk with Doug.
Upcoming Events
Please mark this on your calendar!!!!
Vacation Bible School for ages
4-grade 5 will be held Sunday June 5-Thursday, June 9, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
This year's theme will be Serengeti Trek where kids are wild about God.
Invite friends!! More details will be added each month before June.
Also a sign-up list will be available in early May.
M&S
SPECIAL OFFERINGS
Thanks to your generosity we received $328 for the
Christmas Joy Offering and $219 on Christmas Eve
for the offering that went to New Focus.
PROPOSED CALENDAR OF
SPECIAL OFFERINGS 2005
Feb. 6 - Souper Bowl of Caring
Mar. 27 - One Great Hour of Sharing - 32% to
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, 36% to Presbyterian
Hunger Program and 32% to Self Development of People
May 15 - Pentecost - for children at risk, youth and
young adults. We use 40% for local children at risk program.
Oct. 2 - Peacemaking Offering - we keep 1/4 forlocal peace making program
Dec. 18 - Christmas Joy Offering- 1/2 goes is used by
the Board of Pensions to help current and retired
church workers and their families who have unexpected
expenses or emergencies and 1/2 helps with
basic operating costs and scholarships at 7 racial ethnic
schools and colleges supported by PC(USA)
Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve Offering - recipient for the offering is chosen in Dec.
PW
has 2 special offerings: Birthday in the spring and Thank
0ffering(including Health Ministries) in
the fall. Those dates will be set soon.The Deacons may
also ask for a special offering.
As needs arise or special causes are brought to our
attention, other offerings may be added.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
The annual World Day of Prayer service will be held Friday
March 4 at St. John's Roman Catholic Church.
The service, written by Christian women of Poland, will
begin at noon. Apolish lunch, prepared by women
from St. John's and St. Stan's will follow. Polish artifacts
and other items of interest will be on display.
This is a world wide ecumenical worship service sponsored
by Church Women. Join women around
the world as we celebrate a time of prayer.
Clerk's Corner
Jennifer MacAskill, Clerk of Session Happy Winter! The
session met on January 25,2005.
Here are some highlights of what was approved and discussed:
the team members have been busy; the
annual statistical report for 2004 was approved, the
budget for 2005 was approved, we have at least 3
people who will be attending Presbytery on February 19th
at Gunderson Lutheran, the audit committee for
2005 has been selected, and the annual report was approved
as written. It will be distributed at the
congregational meeting on February 6th.
Circles
I Gayle Amdt and Mary
Rennells will co-host the meeting Thursday, February 17th,
7 p.m. in the church Fellowship Hall.
II will not meet until April, 2005.
III will meet at the church on
Thursday, Feb. 10 -9:00 AM. Carlis Anderson will serve as hostess and also
present Lesson #l from the Horizon .Bible study, The
Face is Familiar.
Leona Thiele will have devotions.
FELLOWSHIP & EVANGELISM
For FBC and GPC
Lenten soup and bread supper on Wednesday, February 9
at 5:30 p.m. at Grace Presbyterian
Church with an Ash Wednesday service of worshipat 6:15
p.m.
This is sponsored by the Fellowship and Evangelism Committee
and the Worship Committee.
See you there
JOYS
Carol Rennells Bell had successful knee surgery
recently. She'll be back playing volleyball in
about a year.
CONCERNS
June Connelly is at St Anne
Hospice
Betty Hensel is at home recovering
from the Flu
The Seven Deadly Sins and
the Seven Lively Alternatives
A Sunday Sermon Series and Wednesday study group will
begin on February 6. The plans are listed
below and we invite you to join us on the dates for the
topics listed.
Sunday, February 6 - What is the Problem with Sin
?
Ash Wednesday, February 9 - Soup and bread supper
at 5:30 and worship at 6:15 at Grace PresbyterianChurch.
Topic - Pride.
February 13 - Envy - study Feb. 16
February 20 - Anger - study Feb. 23
February 27 - Sloth - study March 2
March 6 - Gread and Gluttony - study March 9
March 13 - Lust - study March 16
See Al or Doug if you have questions. A list of Bible
readings will be available before the study groups on
Wednesday and as sermon outlines on the Sundays thetopic
is presented and discussed in the worship service
Celebration of Discipline
The continuing Wednesday night (5:45-6:45 p.m.) Bible
study will focus on the outward disciplines
of: Simplicity(Jan. 12), Solitude (Jan. 19), Submission
(Jan. 26), and Service (Feb. 2). Please join us al
Grace Church for any session you can attend.
SOUPERBOWL
The SouperBowl of Caring will be taken as we leave the
worship service on Sunday Feb. 6. Members
of our Youth group will be at the sanctuary exits with
soup pots asking worshippers for one
dollar donations. All the money collected will go to
Winona Volunteer Services Food Shelf. The Souper Bowl
of Caring began with a prayer
("Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game,
help us be mindful of those who are without
a bowl of soup to eat.") and a single South Carolina
Presbyteryan Youth group
That year, 22 Columbia, South Carolina churches raised
$5,700. Last year, more than 12,700 groups
in all fifty states and some other countries participated.
Not only churches but other religious groups,
many schools, service clubs and businesses take part.
This youth-led effort has generated over $4.25
million in 2004 for a grand total of over $24 million
since beginning,
This offering will not end hunger in the world but maybe
it is a chance for all of us, for at least one
day. to join hands and together offer the world aglimpse
of God's amazing grace.
Remember The Souper Bowl of Caring.
Stewardship Update
The Figures for the stewardship drive continue to trickle
in to the office. As of January
14, 2005 there has been $62,899 pledged and there were
54 pledging units. Thank you for
your financial support. As a followup to the stewardship
drive, the committees are still
looking at the report from the small groups and will
be implementing as many suggestions as
possible. Session indicated that they will report back
to the congregation after their February
meeting on how they are dealing with the suggested changes.
Obviously not all requests will
be implemented, but all ideas will be considered and
weighed. Thanks again for all of your input
Gary Hayes,
Stewardship Committee
PRESBYTERIANS TODAY
It's that time again. Subscription renewals are needed.
The cost is $11.25 for a one year
subscription. Anyone who is not subscribing at this time
is encouraged to start. Contact Dorothy Gilbertson.
Articles and items from the magazine will be posted on
the bulletin board
BOO (Book of Order)
Every month a topic of concern to our church will be
addressed in this column. The topics will come from questions you may
have about the church, the session, or what goes on in
church. The question/topic this month is:
Form of Government
Preliminary Principles
G-l .0200
2. The Great Ends of the Church
The great ends of the church are the proclamation of
the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the
shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children
of God: the maintenance of divine wor-
ship: the preservation of the truth; the promotion of
social righteousness; and the exhibition of the
Kingdome of Heaven to the world
Per Capita
As most of you already know,the per capita amount is
a very important part of how the Presbyterian Church can keep operat-
ing. Most of the per capita money goes directly to John
Knox Presbytery. GeneralAssemby and the Synod use the
remainder. What many of youmight not know, is that last
year, our members left about $1,000 in unpaid per capita expense. This
means that much was taken outof our budget to pay the per capita expense.
The per capita amount in 2005 is$21.79 per member. You
can help by marking your check or envelope with "per capita".
Your help in meeting this expense will make a huge Difference
in our budget projections.