First Presbyterian Church of Maumee
IN THIS ISSUE
Lent @ FPC
Upcoming Events
Announcements
Youth: A New Stage
Children/Youth Choirs
Scrip
UPCOMING EVENTS
3/14       Women's Bible Study, Panera
3/14       Wild Wednesdays
3/15       5Fs Fellowship Group
3/15       Discipleship on Draft
3/16-18 Weekend to Remember:
                Marriage Conference
3/17       Men's Breakfast 
3/19       Jump Start Prayer Gathering
3/23-25 Confirmation Retreat
3/25    Agape Dinner, Fellowship Hall  
 
For more events and more details,
Dear Friend of FPC, 

In the liturgical calendar we have two times specifically set apart for waiting: Advent and Lent. In Advent, we are waiting for Jesus to come into the world. In Lent, we are awaiting Christ's death and resurrection. We are preparing, not for the birthday party of Christmas, but for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter.
There are very different celebrations of life that happen surrounding a birth and a death. Even in what we wear, we know that one dresses very differently for a funeral than for a birthday party.
I know many of you over this past year did your own waiting and preparing around the deaths of loved ones. As a congregation, we lost many a beloved member this year. In my own family, I lost both my grandfather, Charlie, and my great aunt, Betty. Each death carries it's unique grief; some catch us with their suddenness, some overwhelm us by the drawn out pain of a loved one. Working with our GriefShare ministry over this past year I have seen how death can bring deep sorrow, reluctant respite, and even reunion among family members. And here we are again, awaiting a death, the death of Jesus Christ, who's birth we celebrated just a few months ago.
I remember a Good Friday service, about ten years ago, when Pastor James York was leading worship. He was reading from scripture and got to the part where it says that Pilate handed over Jesus to be crucified. His son, Spencer, who was then around 16 months old exclaimed loudly, "Uh, oh!"
Everyone chuckled, and we went back to worship. Spencer said "uh, oh," quite a lot around that time so the word choice wasn't entirely unusual, but the perfect timing of this struck me. We are so used to Easter rolling around on the liturgical calendar that we've stopped being surprised by it. The death of God incarnate, somehow no longer shocks us. We take it for granted that of course Jesus came to die for us, so let's go ahead and celebrate the joy of the resurrection and the promise of life eternal. While yes, we should rejoice that Christ now sits beside God in heaven and makes a way to everlasting life, let us not forget that to do all of that, Christ first had to die. Christ "descended into hell." And in Lent, we prepare for such a death, acknowledging that this death happened so that we might have life everlasting our God.
So how do you prepare for such an occasion? How do you honor Christ's death with your life? It is my prayer that this time may be a time for you to allow yourself to be at least a little surprised by the magnitude of such a sacrifice. May Jesus' life spur you towards enacting God's Kingdom of love and justice in the world.

Blessings,

Kathleen Sheets
Lent @ FPC
(See many ways to engage at: 
http://fpcmaumee.org/#/news-events/lent-fpc)

The Agape Meal, Sunday, March 25, 5:30 pm, Fellowship Hall 

Two thousand years ago, the first Christians gathered on Sunday evenings for worship. Although they were still devout Jews and had already worshiped in their synagogues on the Sabbath (Saturday), they wanted to worship as Christians too. To do this, they invented a new service, an Agape Service. The First Presbyterian Church still celebrates this custom, and the Worship Commission and Board of Deacons will serve the Agape Meal on Sunday evening, March 25th at 5:30 in Fellowship Hall. All we need is you and your platter. Any finger foods, such as appetizers, hors d'ouevres, sandwiches, cheese, crackers, fruits, vegetables, dips, chicken wings, cookies, etc. will do (utensils are not used). It will be fun, memorable, and moving. Why not join us!

One Great Hour of Sharing Fish Banks
One Great Hour of Sharing Fish Banks were assembled as part of the Lenten Intergenerational Event and have been available in the worship spaces throughout Lent. If you have been using one of these banks throughout Lent (or if you forgot about it until now and would still like to put some money in it and donate), please be sure to bring it back to church the week of April 1st (Holy Week). Thank you for participating in this wonderful mission of the Church. For more information on One Great Hour of Sharing, check out the page on the PC(USA) website at: http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/specialofferings/one-great-hour-sharing-offering/


Daily Devotions Available at D365.org
If you are desiring a daily devotion to take part in as part of your Lenten practices, check out the "Journey to the Cross" at D365.org. This site has daily devotions always available, but will be focusing on a "Journey to the Cross" during the season of Lent.
 
Upcoming Events (For full schedule of events, please see our website)
Many Voices, One Song, Sunday, March 18th in Worship Services
In preparation for a new Presbyterian Hymnal in coming out in Fall 2013, The Presbyterian Hymnal Project is coordinating "Many Voices, One Song" across the country. All Presbyterians are encouraged to sing the same song in worship on the same day. Congregations film themselves singing and submit their videos to the project. So, this Sunday, March 18th we will be joining other congregations across the country in singing, "Give Thanks to God Who Hears Our Cries," by Ruth Duck, based on Psalm 107.
Find out more about the "Many Voices, One Song," project here: http://www.presbyterianhymnal.org/manyvoices/

Save these Dates!

It may be hard to believe, but summer is on it's way! Mark your calendars for these exciting church events:

Announcements

Over the course of three days in late February/early March, waves of severe weather swept through several states, leaving an unimaginable amount of destruction in their wake. Now that the skies have cleared, many communities are faced with the daunting tasks of repairing and rebuilding not only physical structures but their very lives.

But, there is hope.

Responding to God's call in Isaiah 58 for us to step into the broken places of the world to be "the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in"-to make God's community livable again-we respond with prayers, support, and action. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has already sent One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) funds to help with the efforts. Members of the National Response Team have also been dispatched to several communities to assist presbyteries in areas affected by this tragedy. The strength of PDA's efforts depends greatly upon your financial support and your prayers for the restoration of lives and homes wrecked by this disaster.

What You Can Do:

GIVE: Your generous support of OGHS and gifts designated to DR000015 (U.S.A. Disasters and Emergencies) will help meet essential needs of affected communities. Donations can be made online, or you can give in increments of $10 by texting either "OGHS" or "PDA" to 20222. Each gift brings us one step closer to a successful recovery.

ACT: Use resources from the PC(USA) website to educate others about immediate and long-term needs.

PRAY for the people impacted by these disasters and for those providing aid.

Thank you for making a difference!

  

Share Your Faith With Our Confirmation and Commissioning Class

March and April are busy months for our confirmation class.  In addition to our regular classes, they have a retreat, a breakfast meeting with Session, and finally are confirmed and commissioned on Sunday, April 22nd.  If you would like to do something special for these six students, Michael Bennett, Ray Cintron, Michael Cole, Emily Overmyer, Andrew Smigelski, and Tayleigh Trumbull, read on!

In March, as they head up to Camp Storer for a final retreat, it has become a tradition that the parents, mentors, elders and deacons have been asked to write a letter with a prayer that they have for them, or to affirm some gift they see in them.  Sometimes they share a spiritual wish they want them to experience or pass on some gem of faith to them or share a special moment on their spiritual journey with them.  Some people have even included gifts such as a devotional book, bookmark or a copy of a poem.  When we are on retreat the students get to open them and read them out loud if they wish.  It is a moving experience for everyone, frequently with tears, as they realize how much their church family loves them.

 This year we would again like to extend the invitation to anyone in the congregation who feels called to share in the class's faith journey because you are an important part of their lives.  Many of you have witnessed their baptisms or nurtured them in the life of the church.  If you are interested, please have six copies (or Lynn can make the copies for you if she has them in advance) because letters will be given to each Confirmand.  If you could put them in Lynn Bova's mailbox by March 14th that will give her time to be prepare their packets.

 

Easter Food Basket Opportunity 

We now have just two tags left of items to purchase to support families in need this Easter season. Will you be one of the two to step up and make a difference? Thank you for all who have already picked up tags. Please have your items to the church by March 25th. We will be collecting them in the back pews of the sanctuary, organizing them March 26th, and families will pick up the baskets. Thank you for your generosity with this important mission in the life of our church. Jim Otis gave a great suggestion to buy and use SCRIP to purchase your donated food. ~ Twice the Blessing!

Youth: A New Stage
"Lady Pasta" Routine

The Youth Group Fundraiser, A New Stage, took place at the Union School Gymnasium on Saturday, March 10. It was a wonderful evening of food, fun, fellowship and fundraising. Over 140 people attended the event which raised between $4,000 - $5,000 for the Youth Group summer trips.
We will know the exact amount raised once all the expenses are processed. Thank you to all who attended for your generosity and commitment to the youth of the church. The funds raised will substantially reduce the cost per student on summer trips and the amount that each family will pay out of their pocket. Our hope is that this will allow more students to go on trips and strengthen their relationships with their youth group members, enjoy fellowship opportunities with other youth group students across the country and most importantly be able to worship and serve Jesus and grow their faith. Thank you also to all the youth and adults who planned, served, setup, practiced and performed to make the evening a success. The event could not have happened without all of your participation and enthusiasm.
"A Whale of a Tale" with our very own Pastor Clint as "Harpoon Hannah"
 
Children/Youth Choirs
Thank you to all who supported A New Stage this past Saturday!  Thank you to the supporters and to all of the performers. It was a very enjoyable evening for all!

The 6th -12th grade youth choir will now be preparing to sing at the 11:00 worship services on March 25th and April 29th.  

The pre-K through 5th grade children's choir participated in worship on March 4th, singing, "Your Eyes."  They will be singing in Palm Sunday worship at 11:00 on April 1st and will also sing on May 13th.  

Thank you to all of the parents for bringing your children and youth on Wednesday nights.  It has been such a wonderful and enjoyable time working with the children and youth of the church!  They are such a great group of energy and voices.  We truly have amazing kids here!
Scrip

Gas for the car, that fancy cup of coffee in the morning, lunch at the drive thru, food for the table, a stop at the drug store, dinner at a restaurant, a movie rental, or even a night at the movies; these items are, or probably can be, a typical weekly expense for you. Do you know that every one of them can be purchased with SCRIP gift cards through the church's SCRIP Program? Using the weekly example above, the youth of our church would net about $14.00. OK, so you don't go to the movies every week, and you drink your coffee from home....our youth would still make $10.00 from your basic weekly living expenses; EACH WEEK! Times 52 weeks! Over $500 a year!.....Without you spending a dime more out of your pocket!

It's like it's almost illegal. The crime though, is that we aren't using the program anywhere near its potential. If someone told you that they would pay you $10 a week to spend 5 minutes planning out your weekly purchases, or to take a ten dollar bill out of your purse or billfold each week and light it on fire, which would you do? Too many of us are choosing to see the $10 go up in smoke. The SCRIP program costs you nothing! It requires only a small amount of your time planning out your purchases.

SCRIP Order Forms can be found at church or online. They are located at the back of the Chapel, in Fellowship Hall near the stairs, and in the foyer near the front double doors. Orders turned into the church office by 4:00 on Tuesdays, will be hand delivered to you at church the following Sunday.

Jim Otis also has 17 SCRIP vendors in stock. These vendors are: Anderson's, Applebee's, Barry's Bagels, Biggby's, Bob Evans, Expresso Car Wash, Family Video, Giant Eagle, JCPenny, Kohl's, Kroger, Meijers, Monnette's, Panera Bread, Speedway Gas, Starbuck's, and Subway. See Jim before or after the Edge, or before or after most 11:00 services.

SCRIPture:

Deuteronomy 8:18 "Remember the LORD your God,  

for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth."

Joys and Concerns
Prayer ConcernsPrayer

June Baker                      Swan Creek Health Care  

Bill Bonser                      Otterbein Homes

 

Our collegiates of the week are Robbie Cole and Craig Blaiman. Members may send a card or note to Robbie at Miami University, 159 Morris Hall, 651 S. Maple Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056-3496. Robbie's e-mail address is. Colej3@muohio.edu. Members may send a card or note to Craig at 317 N. Enterprise Street, Bowling Green, OH 43402. Craig's e-mail address is cblasiman@bgsu.edu. Please keep them in your prayers.

 

Our home centered member of the weeis Joyce Yutzy. Members may send a card or note to her at Swan Creek Retirement Village, 5916 Cresthaven Lane, #A-211, Toledo, OH 43614. Please keep Joyce in your prayers.

 

Birthdays                                                                                           Anniversaries 

14th   Debbie Chapman, Aaron Cowdrey,                         Thomas & Jane McClain (42nd) 

           Joanne Noethen

15th   Robert Boyles, Carter Smith,  

            Owen Tolbert

17th   John Omler, Nancy Phlegar

18th   Christopher Bick                                                                       Mark & Megan Robson  

19th                                                                                                 James & Nancy Fish (36th) 

20th   Benjamin Clark, Mary Haid,  

            Bradyn Saneholtz, Taylor Stalder

In Worship this Week: Sunday, March 18th, 4th Sunday of Lent 

8:00 a.m. in our Chapel Service. Kathleen Sheets is preaching. Bob Engwert is Liturgist. Elder Bryce Harbaugh leads us in Spiritual Song.

9:00 a.m. at the Edge Service in Fellowship Hall. Kathleen Sheets is preaching.

11:00 a.m. in our Sanctuary Service. Kathleen Sheets is preaching. Elder John Hudson is Liturgist. The Chancel Choir sings.

Sunday Worship Schedule
8:00 am Chapel Service                                      9:00 am The Edge Service
10:20 am Children of God Bible Time           11:00 am Sanctuary Service
FPC on the Web: www.fpcmaumee.org, www.facebook.com/fpcmaumee
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Children of God Resources 
Find this week's Growth Group Questions here: Growth Group Questions