Horizon Highlights
Mission Statement: New Horizon Presbyterian Church Strives to know Christ and share God’s love.
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Pastor's Pulpit
There are times when I almost feel sorry for May. Of all the months in the year, May kind of get lost in the shuffle. The big holidays in the church calendar are Christmas and Easter right? Christmas has a 4 week lead up to it called Advent. Easter has a six week lead up called Lent. So between the 2 of them, 5 months of the year are covered. Summer covers June, July and August. September, at least in my head, is back to school. That leaves January, October and May. Sure, January has New Years, but it also the dead of winter, a great time for chilli cook offs. That leaves October and May, the shift points in the calendar from Summer to Fall and Spring to Summer. What separates May from October is the most overlooked holiday of them all: Pentecost. Which is too bad, since Pentecost is vitally important.
Of course, from our perspective, Pentecost didn’t start off that way. In the Old Testament it is variously called the “Feast of Weeks” or the “Feast of the Harvest” or the “Day of First Fruits.” No matter what you call it, it was a harvest festival to be celebrated on the 50th day after Passover. Like all harvest festivals, it’s purpose was to acknowledge God as the source of all life and to pray for a bountiful harvest. We get our word Pentecost from the Greek word for 50th, penthkosth, pentecoste.
Normally we associate Pentecost with the arrival of the Holy Spirit upon gathered disciples and Peter’s impassioned sermon which drew 3000 coverts to Christianity. It is for good reason we consider we consider this the birthday of the church. That’s all well and good, but we often overlook Pentecost as the shift point in the entire New Testament. Prior to Pentecost, the main characters of the New Testament are Jesus or the disciples. After the events of Pentecost the focus shifts to the ministry of the church and to our role being led by the Holy Spirit to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven into our world.
The events happen fast, so it is no surprise that we miss it. The disciples gather in one place, leaderless, listless. Then the room is filled with wind, the age-old word describing the Holy Spirit. Each one experiences the indwelling of the Spirit signified by flames. Each one, finds themselves with the ability to be understood no matter what language is employed, finally reversing the separation that humanity had had to deal with since the Tower of Babel. Simon Peter preaches to the gathered crowd and 3000 join the church.
There, did you catch it? We are so used thinking in terms of the 12 Apostles that we miss that every disciple is baptized by the Holy Spirit in the way that John the Baptist promised. Every disciple, that includes you and me. Luke plays on the harvest theme of Pentecost by noting the exponential growth of the church. We say that Pentecost is the birthdate of the Church, but we miss the fact that it is now the church that will be the principal character of the Gospel story as each of us takes our place in bringing forth the Kingdom of God.
Poor Pentecost, it can’t catch a break. Even though Pentecost is celebrated in May. It’s crowed out by Mother’s Day (May 14) and our Morning of Music the very next Sunday (May 21.) Our high schools have graduation in late May. To top it off, Pentecost falls on Memorial Day Weekend (May 29) this year. (I wonder if I can stretch flipping burgers and brats on backyard grills to tongues of fire alighting on gathered disciples….. Nah, that’s probably stretching it too far.) The promise implicit in both the Old and New Testaments is that we would live together with God by the gifts of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. Jesus told is disciples just before He ascended into heaven that he would be with them, “even to the End of the Age” (Matt 28:20). As the anointing by the Holy Spirit so aptly demonstrated, the dawning of that New Age is now.
On the other hand, celebrating Pentecost in May, when we shift from the events of Easter to the activities of Summer, makes all the sense in the world. The New Life promised by Easter is not lived in the pages of a church calendar, it is lived out in the activities and relationships we share with the people we hold most dear. So give Mom a hug; enjoy the gifts of gifted musicians in our midst; shake the hand of a graduate and save a brat for me. All of these activities, in one way shape or form, are empowered by the Holy Spirit. They point to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling all of God’s promises. Since gratitude is the heart of worship- each of these brings us ever closer to God.
See you in church!
Paul
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AVI Sound System
Replacement Project
Several NHPC members and visitors have noted that the sound quality in the sanctuary is not good, and they have a difficult time hearing Pastor Paul. Something needs to be done to resolve this issue.
Over the past several months, the Session in cooperation with the Administration Committee and Building & Grounds Committee have been diligently working on a solution. AVI Systems of Omaha is the company that installed the original sound system equipped over sixteen years ago. One of the biggest changes noted is moving from an analog system to digital systems.
AVI Systems has proposed a complete replacement of the current system, with a state-of-the-art digital system. This new system will include new speakers, a new sound board, and new assisted hearing devices, among other improvements.
The total cost of the project is $75,908. The Session approved moving forward with this solution. They also approved of doing a capital campaign through the end of May to raise funds from the membership to offset some or all the cost of this project.
UPDATE: As of 4/30/23, we have received $44,635 in contributions..
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Worship Committee
Each Sunday, in your worship bulletin or on the desk in the narthex, there is an attendance registration slip. We ask that everyone fills one out each week. Members need only to fill out your first and last names, checkmark which service, and check “member”. If you attend regularly but have not joined the church, check “attend regularly”. For the other categories, please fill in your contact information as well. Fill out one slip per household, listing each name in the household who is attending. Why is this important, you may ask. The ushers count heads, don’t they? True, but who we are is so much more important than a number. Information from the attendance slips is entered into our records each week, and helps us to keep accurate information for our directories and our rolls; helping to identify family units, which service is attended, makeup of each service, and much more. In addition to our own records, we give an accounting to the Presbytery each year (no personal information), and having accurate records is a huge help! With a new office administrator on staff, this is especially important as she becomes familiar with the congregation. Your help is very much appreciated. Thank you!
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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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Vacation Bible School
Babylon VBS 2023 is open for registration! VBS will run June 26-29; 5:30pm (Dinner) until 8pm. Participants may register using the button below. Volunteers are needed to help in a variety of ways. Volunteers help make this a memorable time for the youth of our church and community. A sign-up sheet will be placed in the Narthex or through the button below to see a list of volunteer opportunities. Questions may be directed to Sharon Poindexter at 402-291-4285.
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Children's Square has also requested our help with their After Care Program for young people aging out of foster care. It would be great if we could donate to each young person a $30 Wal-Mart gift card to buy basic supplies to set up housekeeping, such as laundry & dish detergent, scrubbing pads, washcloths, dish towels, etc. There are currently 75 young people who could use our assistance. There is a box in the Narthex to donate money for this purpose. Be sure to put your name on the envelope in order to receive the credit for your donation to the church.
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Fellowship Fun
Join the fun in May for the riders in the Birds and Bees bike ride. May 18th, riders from all over the US will meet at New Horizon to camp out before they leave early on the 19th for the first leg of their ride. We'll be serving breakfast burritos on the 19th before they hit the road. If nothing else, stop by the church and see their unbelievable set up. Very impressive. We wish them all good weather and a safe ride before returning to the church on the 22nd.
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Life Celebration Committee
We are looking for volunteers who would like to provide 24 dessert bars for funeral luncheons when the need arises. If you have signed up on the clipboard list that has been on the desk just inside the front doors, THANK YOU!, and you don't need to respond to me. If you've missed signing up and would like to do so, we'd LOVE to add you to our list. The more names we have to draw from lets us spread out the amount of times that we call upon our volunteers. The more, the merrier! If you would like your name added to our Celebration of Life dessert providers, please contact Marilyn Brown at 712.322.0980 or 402.250.1970. Thank you!
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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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Youth of all ages are welcome to join our 10am Sunday School class! Have fun with lessons from the Bible; teachings that are both interactive and thought provoking in a youth appropriate setting. Can't wait to see you on Sunday! Our last class of the school year is May 28.
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April is Scouting for Food for many towns throughout the 52 counties the Mid-America Council serves. Pack 15 & Troop 537 participate every year, and this past month was no exception. In fact, our Scouts collected a total of 1,045 non-perishable food items & toiletries, working a combined total of 162 hours over two Saturdays. On April 24, we delivered those items to Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, the food pantry New Horizon PC supports.
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Our very own Sarah Young was presented the District Award of Merit, which is the highest level award adult volunteers can receive at the district level at this year’s District Volunteer Awards! Sarah was nominated for all of her hard work and dedication to making sure all Scouts and families have a memorable experience as part of Pack 15! She has had such an impact on the success of our Pack and is a true example of servant leadership to ensure all Scouts succeed!
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To Barb Fleege and family on the loss of her husband, Bob, on April 8, 2023.
To Ellen Jaco and Austin Gillan and family on the loss of Austin's nephew, Gabe Applegate, on April 9, 2023.
To Craig and Theresa Dreismeier and family on the loss of their son, Adam, on April 12, 2023.
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Thank you for the beautiful plant from the Easter service brought to me by Idella Spann. It brightened my day. Blessing to all!
-Elaine Cenovich
Thanks to the following persons who helped deliver Meals on Wheels during April:
- Janet Christensen
- Linda Vander Wal
- Dave & Alice Gurney
- Linda Wagner
- Howard Shipley
- Dennis Wallace
- Darryl Antworth
- Margaret Lemen (Chairman)
| 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. | |
PC(USA)
We are seeking to understand more about you as a Presbyterian, in order to learn about the people who make up this Church, as well as how we can meet you or your family's needs.
This survey covers marriage and romantic relationships, family structures, and expressions of gender identity. For each of these sections, we ask about your statuses and identities, your thoughts and opinions on certain topics within these categories, and what you may need from the Church in terms of these topics.
This is followed with some general questions about your relationship with and involvement in PC(USA), and some basic demographics.
| 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. | |
The American Red Cross will be in the Fellowship Hall on:
- May 1; 11-5pm
- May 8; 12-5pm
- May 31-June 2; 8-2pm
If you need assistance making an appointment, contact Terry Bailey.
| 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. | |
Dear New Horizon Presbyterian Church,
You can do a world of good with a few simple clicks. On Tuesday, May 9, we are participating in the Fremont Area Big Give, which is a 24-hour Day of Giving.
We are raising funds to support the faith development of campers this summer. By providing generously, you are helping children and youth grow in their faith, spend time with others in Christian Community and having outdoor fun at the same time.
Your gift of $10 or more will go to support the ministry of Calvin Crest. In addition, your gift makes Calvin Crest eligible to receive prizes and matched funds throughout the day sponsored by local businesses who believe in the vital work of local non-profits.
With our thanks,
Craig Huffman
Executive Director
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| *Elma Lynn | 01 | Dennis Wallace | 19 | | Daphne Bridges | 02 | Cathy Born | 20 | | Marcia Winchester | 02 | Joslyn Larsen | 20 | | Norah Burbridge | 04 | Terri Dreismeier | 23 | | Logan Montgomery | 05 | Dave Gurney | 25 | | Reed VanNordstrand | 07 | Jenna Ettleman | 27 | | Lane Clevenger | 10 | Pauline Larsen | 28 | | Travis Walker | 10 | Alexandra Lammert | 29 | | Glenda Doupe | 12 | Jane Lea | 29 | | Mary Alice Fehr | 12 | Michele Martin | 29 | | Jeff Montgomery | 13 | Tim Christensen | 30 | | Alexia Antworth | 14 | Kori Russell | 30 | | Alexa Pursell | 14 | Nathan Petersen | 31 | | Stan Allen | 18 | Aiden Peterson | 31 | | |
*Elma Lynn is celebrating her 90th birthday today!! | |
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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 May 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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