THANK YOU for your prayers, cards, and concern as I continue to recover. - Jean Eckert

EASTER SUNDAY FLOWERS

In celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday, the Deacons invite you to play a role in the beautification of the sanctuary with spring flowers. 

Please visit this link to access the order form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UW7Cn7xYvWNcgxAHCSx0CuUXo4SnKl2KVUC1KvsFBbM/edit?usp=sharing

Deadline to receive orders is Sunday, April 6th.

Forms will also be available at Sunday services.

As we continue to celebrate Northmont’s 100th,

the Anniversary Committee is asking for your help.

We are gathering information from all our congregation members on what group(s) or committee(s) you have participated in over the years and are currently in (for example, Deacons, Session, handbell or vocal choir, Presbyterian Women, Sunday school teacher, and the like). We know for many of you, there are quite a few!

Please email Kathy Dobson at mkdobson4@gmail.com and include all committees and groups you’ve been a part of  and include a short description of what you did or what your responsibilities were in each position.

If you prefer, you can fill out a form that will be included in the Sunday bulletin, or pick up a copy in the library.

Please return the completed forms by May 1.

Thank you, in advance, for helping with this portion of the celebration!

PARKING LOT FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

This is the next update on our fundraising campaign progress. We’re still waiting for a specific date commitment for the milling and repaving of our deteriorating parking lot, but we’re still expecting completion to be sometime in April. In the meantime, our fundraising continues.As you know, our target is to raise $95,000 by August 31^st of this year, and now, three weeks into our campaign, we’re almost at $34,000 having been committed and $8,710 of that having been received.



We extend our grateful thanks to those who have made commitments and contributions so far. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

To those who have not yet made a contribution (in addition to your annual giving), we hope that you will give it further prayerful consideration. Protecting this investment in our facilities is so very important and we hope you will agree with us that it is worth putting this effort into its current repair. Please indicate “Parking Lot Campaign” with your donations so your gifts can be properly accounted.

Thank You!

On Sunday, April 6, we welcome

the Reverend Alick Kennedy, who will kick off our 100th year anniversary Guest Preacher Series.

Alick served as the pastor of neighboring Heritage Presbyterian for many years, and has worshipped here with us in his retirement. He has served Northmont as Pastor Emeritus, in Stephen Ministry,

on the Memorial Committee, and as a teacher. 

We are honored to have him begin this special series. Please plan on joining us!

NEXT YOUTH GROUP:

NHCO Community Garden

Wednesday April 9, 5-7pm

STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!

Clef Notes

Music Director, Stephen Schall

stephen@northmontchurch.org

On Sunday we hear the parable of the Prodigal Son: the son who convinces his generous father to give him his inheritance, which the son squanders, and who is subsequently welcomed home with loving arms by his father. Many have commented that the story is misnamed because it is the father who is prodigal in his love for his foolish child. Be that as it may, the message is clear, God wants us to be involved in a loving relationship with him and is always ready to welcome us home.

To begin the service, the choir will sing an opulent setting of the old gospel hymn, “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling,” which ends with the lines, “O sinner, come home.” The choir’s Offertory is the equally opulent motet, “Beati quorum via” of Charles Villiers Stanford. May both pieces be a blessing to you.

On a sad note, I regret to announce that our tenor section-leader and bell-choir director, Rob Frankenberry, has had to resign these positions for health reasons. Rob has been with us from the beginning of our staff singers, and has amazed us on many occasions with his beautiful singing and piano playing. Who can forget “O Holy Night,” “Ain’t Got Time to Die,” or his powerful Evangelist in the Schuetz, St. John Passion? Our friend, Huck Beard, has graciously agreed to fill the position for the rest of the season. Please keep Rob in your prayers as he seeks a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. We certainly thank him for sharing his talents with us these last three years, and wish him all the best, as we hope that he will return to us in the future. 

HYMN OF THE MONTH: Throughout Lent we’ll be singing a more-recent setting of the hymn “In the Cross of Christ I Glory” to the lyric tune TOMTER,  composed by living American church musician, Bruce Neswick. Bruce has been a high-profile musician for his entire career, having this tune included in the Episcopal Church’s Hymnal 1982, at a young age, winning first prizes in various competitions in organ improvisation, holding posts at prestigious churches such as The National Cathedral and St. John the Divine in NYC, and being music director at the Episcopal cathedrals in Buffalo, Lexington, and Atlanta. Bruce is a concert organist and had choral and organ compositions published by several houses.

It can be exciting to note how new life can be breathed into an old and beloved text simply by singing it to a new tune. I hope you find this to be the case with this pairing.

HOLY WEEK POTLUCK

ON GOOD FRIDAY, April 18 at 6:30pm,

Northmont will be hosting a potluck before the 3-19 worship service. That service, which will begin at 7:30, will be Tenebrae — a service of shadows.

Main dishes will be provided;

we are asking those attending to bring

the following to share:

Last names A-K,

 bring a side dish.

Last names L-Z, 

bring a dessert.

Any questions - please contact Pastor Ben.

Save The Date - Mission Trip Opportunity!

St Paul's United Methodist Church (Ferguson Rd. in Allison Park) invites anyone interested to join their 2025 workcamp (Sunday, May 11 to Saturday, May 17), which will travel to help the folks in western North Carolina & eastern Tennessee, working with a group called Appalachia Service Project (ASP) on housing damaged by hurricane Helene (somewhere TBD along the border).

Volunteers would drive themselves (some like to go early, some return late), and cover their own food and gas, but everything else is expected to be covered. More details to be forthcoming.

Questions can be directed to Cheryl English or Ted Mills.

The Northmont Dining Out Group will gather Monday, April 21 at 6:30 at Monte Cello's in Wexford. All are invited to join!

Specialized Ministry

Click the picture to learn more about each ministry.