Horizon Highlights
Mission Statement: New Horizon Presbyterian Church Strives to know Christ and share God’s love.
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Pastor's Pulpit
Vacation. The mere word conjures up images of exotic locales, palm trees swaying over tropical beaches, and iced drinks with little umbrellas sticking out from on top of them. Wow, talk about a testament to advertising! Images like that are used to sell everything from candy bars to discount travel websites. While some of us may be journeying to some exotic destination, I suspect for most of us vacation means something much more close to home. Time away from work. Spending time with family and friends at the lake. Maybe pack up the kids and drive cross country to introduce them to Yellowstone and check in with Grandma & Grandpa. At least, that’s how vacation generally worked out for my family. Summer as vacation season seems as set and routine as football or baseball season in American culture.
It should come as no surprise that vacation has its roots in the Bible, going all the way back to Creation. We are all familiar with the cadence: God said, “Let there be… whatever He was creating that day”, and then there was evening and there was morning, the first day, second day and so on. What you probably didn’t know was those are also the names of the days of the week in Hebrew. Sunday is Yom (day) Rishon (first), literally Day First; Monday is Yom Sheni, Day Second. It goes on this way down the list, Day Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth. But the pattern changes for Saturday. Instead of day 7th, we get Yom Shabbat, Day Rest. Genesis say that on the seventh day God rested. Not because God was tuckered out. The sense here was that God took a couple of steps back, saw everything that He created all working together and just- enjoyed. We are commanded to take the Sabbath seriously; the idea being that we stop from our normal pursuits and enjoy all that God is doing and has done for us. Isaiah tells us that if we call the Sabbath a delight… not going your own ways, serving your own interests or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth (Isaiah 58:13-14) Since the heart of worship is thanksgiving, how can we be thankful if we don’t take the time and effort to notice what God has done and is doing for us?
So this year my 3 sons will be joining Lynne and I in celebrating my mother’s 94th birthday! The last time all 5 of us were together was long before COVID, at my niece’s wedding! Then Lynne, Lilly the dog and I will hitch up the trailer to see what northern Minnesota and Michigan look like. Commissioned Pastor Bob Sieck will be filling the pulpit and long time friend of the church, Rev. Tony Paff will be officiating at a baptism on July 16. Baptism is, at its heart, a celebration of all God does to bring us into relationship and call us His own. If that isn’t a reason to celebrate then I don’t know what is. I think the ancient Hebrews were on to something when they named their worship day Yom Shabbat, day of looking back and seeing the wonder of God’s creation and grace on our behalf.
Come to think of it, we think of vacation in terms of us going away, leaving our normal routine. But the Hebrews saw Shabbat as God coming toward us and bringing with him blessings of family and friends galore. After college, I had an opportunity to live and work in an Israeli kibbutz. Every Friday night (Shabbat starts on Friday night) family members who now live and work in distant cities would come home to spend time with Mom & Dad, brothers and sisters. In every residence, a family reunion was going on. The greeting “Shabbat shalom” (peace & happiness on your Sabbath) meant the same thing as when we wish Merry Christmas to each other. We get to say Merry Christmas only in one month out of the year, they get to say Shabbat shalom one day every week. We've got some catching up to do. May this vacation season truly be Shabbat for you and your family.
Shabbat Shalom!
Paul
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AVI Sound System Replacement Project
As of June 30th, we have contributions in the amount of $64,380 for the project (goal: $76,000). Thank you to everyone that has contributed to the sound system project. In recent conversations with the contractor (AVI), we learned that the equipment for the project has been received and they are ready to move forward with the installation process. However, due to a backlog of work on their end, AVI informed us that our installation process will not begin until after August 1st. With that in mind, we have decided to keep the contribution window open until August 1st. If you have not contributed to the sound system project, you still have time.
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Building & Grounds Committee
The church office will be closed July 3-4th for Independence Day.
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Each Sunday in July will be a single 9:30am service. Pastor Bob Seick will be honoring us with his sermons.
July 9th - we need a volunteer to cover the AV portion of our worship service
July 16th will be the Baptism of Barret Lyle Williams and Caroline Marie Williams.
FYI! The Nonpareil is discontinuing their weekly Faith Bulletin section. Moving forward, submissions will be treated like community events and may or may not be published. NHPC strongly encourages you to refer to the calendar linked at the end of the newsletter for service schedule and church meetings/activities. When you open the calendar, you can save it to your favorites bar in your Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari or other search engine.
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The Worship Committee is seeking volunteers to read the scripture selection at all services on Sunday mornings. The signup sheet is on the table in the Narthex.
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We hope everyone is enjoying having coffee available on Sunday mornings! We still need a person or persons to clean up the pots after the 11am service. There is a signup sheet in the small kitchen.
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Rummage sale week is only six weeks away! Be sure to get your clean, usable items ready. Set-up will be Sunday, August 13, after the 11:00 service (food provided); items may be brought Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10:00 to 6:00; and the sale runs Thursday and Friday from 10:00 to 6:00, and Saturday from 10:00-2:00. The sale requires many items and many hands to be successful. And in addition to being a great community outreach, it’s always lots of fun!
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Vacation Bible School
Another VBS is in the books! The children had a great time with the story of Daniel in Babylon, singing songs & dancing, and visiting the marketplace and making several crafts. Thank you to everyone that volunteered this year in making props and sets, manning the stations, cooking & serving dinner, and all the clean up! We couldn't do this without each and every one of you! You can see all of the photos from VBS on at our church Facebook page
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Mission: Thank you very much for your wonderful response to the VBS offering! Have you noticed the Links of Love around the church? There is one link for each dollar donated. As of this printing, you have generously donated $230 for Bibles through Operation Kid-to-Kid and chickens through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, and more funds are still being received!
We at New Horizon are so greatly blessed to be able to share the benefits of your offerings of time, talents (such as music, art, food) and more. Thanks to God for all we have to celebrate together here!
Bible Study: In July and August we will be having a 9 week Bible study, "Celebrating Sabbath", on Thursday afternoons at 2:00 in the Hearth Room. Men are welcome, also! See you on Thursday, July 6th!!
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June is one the most exciting time in a Cub Scout's life; the month when they get to go to summer camp! Camp Amikaro was held at Camp Cedars in Cedars Bluffs, NE June 23-25. We had 25 Cub Scouts and their parents running all over camp, playing games, riding horses, climbing walls, swimming, learning about nature habitats and making pollinator seed balls, doing STEM experiments, participating in flag ceremonies & skits, shooting BB's and trying archery, and of course, eating s'mores!
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Celebrate the Katie Geneva Cannon Digital Collection
The Presbyterian Historical Society is thrilled to announce that the entirety of the Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon’s personal papers has been digitized and made freely accessible through Pearl Digital Collections
Join us in Philadelphia on the evening of October 12, 2023, to explore the collection and honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, the first Black woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church and a founding voice in womanist theology.
Registration for this free event is required.
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To the family of Jackie & Robert McCoy, on the passing of Robert's father, Roger McCoy on May 19, 2023. | |
Congregation
Thank you so much for sending the prayer shawl for my mother-in-law, Evelyn Clark. Evelyn passed away. It truly was a blessing to have her wrapped in the shawl. It gave our family great comfort & peace.
Steve & Diane Clark
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Congregation,
Thank you for your gift of girls socks, briefs and bottles for Children's Square! We will put them to good use for our children. We appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness.
Phil Taylor, Chief Admin Officer
Children's Square
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New Office Hours
Monday June - August: 9am - 2pm
Monday Sept - May: 9am - 1:30pm
Tues - Thurs: 9am - 2pm
Fri - Sun: Closed
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The Prayer Shawl Ministry Team is a fellowship group who knit or crochet shawls. They meet on the second Monday of the month at 3pm, to crochet, knit & to pray for the people who receive the shawls.
Shawls are given for baptism, for confirmation, to people who are ill, or in a crisis situation, or to any person that wants one. If you feel God calling you to use your knitting or crocheting skills in this ministry, call Pauline Larsen, 402.740.9453 or the Church office 712.323.7129.
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Join Us on August 19, 2023
We invite YOU to enjoy one of the last weekends of summer the best way possible, spending quality time with the people you love. Calvin Crest’s Fun Day is perfect for families, friends, children, adults, community members and grandparents! The event offers activities for all ages including music, games, hikes, crafts, food and fellowship.
| Please update the office with your information for all adults & youth in your household using this form. We have a lot of old phone numbers, wrong email addresses & old home addresses, etc. Call or email Sarah Young at 712.323.7129. | Online Giving is available through our website or with a free mobile app. Make one-time or recurring donations using your debit/credit card or checking/savings account. Log in or donate as a guest. Visit the link above or download the free mobile app, Vanco Mobile in the App store or Google Play. | If Church Services are cancelled due to weather, check our Facebook page! The information will be provided to the local television stations for airing & posting on their web page/apps. | |
Most of us recognize the name Sally Ride (1951-2012). Her legacy precedes her: in 1983, as a member of the Challenger’s crew, Ride became the first American woman to go into space. But there are two other things about Sally that are both striking and memorable—she was raised in a Presbyterian family, and she was gay.
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The American Red Cross is looking for friendly, customer focused individuals to volunteer at blood drives right here in Council Bluffs. The need for blood is constant and volunteers are essential to ensuring drives continue to take place and blood continue to be provided for patients in need.
Blood Donor Ambassador volunteers engage donors by greeting, registering, answering questions, providing information, and supporting them through the recovery process at the refreshments table. The special attention volunteers give helps create a favorable impression that encourages ongoing donor support. The Red Cross provides training on all systems, and staff are available to lend a hand and answer questions.
Being a Red Cross Blood Donors Ambassador volunteer is a great way to meet new people from all walks of life. Volunteer opportunities are flexible. You can pick the days and times that work best for you.
Help patients in need by giving your time to serve as a Blood Donor Ambassador. To learn more, visit
redcross.org/volunteer.
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Story behind the Picture of praying hands
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen!!!!! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.
Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder’s children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact.
They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines. They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg.
Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works. When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming.
After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, “And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”
All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No …no …no …no.” Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look … look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother … for me it is too late.
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More than 450 years have passed.
By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.
One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.” The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one – no one – ever makes it alone!
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15: 13)
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| Terry Bailey | 02 | Ernie Gutha | 14 | | Parker Kafka | 02 | Sondra Dorsett | 16 | | Cheryl Haines | 03 | Mikki Sachs | 16 | | Chris McQuigg | 04 | Mark Abel | 17 | | Coleson Skokan | 05 | Mike Hoffman | 18 | | Todd Gawronski | 06 | Becky Syndergaard | 20 | | Margaret Lemen | 06 | Rosalie Warner | 21 | | Mindy Brewer | 08 | Bryan Dorr | 23 | | Cheryl Brezina | 08 | Khloe Larsen | 28 | | Tod Clapper | 09 | Dawn Gawronski | 31 | | |
*Ernie Gutha is celebrating his 91st birthday!! | |
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You can access the NHPC public calendar anytime by clicking the button below. Be sure to bookmark the calendar to your favorites bar! You can also download a hard copy of the July calendar. Have an event, like a wedding, graduation, Sweet 16, large group meeting, etc. you would like to reserve the church for? Simply click here to download, fill out electronically or by printing, and email to Sarah Young or drop off in the office.
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