Horizon Highlights

Mission Statement: New Horizon Presbyterian Church Strives to know Christ and share God’s love.

March | Vol. 18: #3

The Buena Vista bar is a San Francisco landmark, just around the corner from Ghirardelli Square. Its claim to fame is that it introduced Irish coffee to America. I don’t know about that, but they claim to serve 2000 Irish coffees a day and it’s always busy, standing room only. On Saint Patrick's day, there always seems to be a story of some guy who is informed of a family emergency and the place is so packed that he can’t get out - so the patrons lift him up and pass him hand over hand over their heads to the exit. Concerns about the Fire Marshall aside, I often wonder how Saint Patrick would feel about his name being associated with this sort of thing.

Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the waning days of the Roman presence in England. He grew up in an upper class household. His father Calpurnius was a local official and deacon and his mother Conchessa managed the estate where he grew up. On a trip to the coast, they were in the wrong place at that wrong time. Viking raiders from Ireland attacked. Calpurnius and Conchessa escaped, but 16 year old Patrick was kidnapped. Patrick was sold into slavery and found himself on a herding ship on the windswept heights of northeast Ireland. Like the Prodigal Son, stripped of all status and position, he turned to God. 6 years passed before he escaped back to Britain and was reunited with his parents.

Yet Patrick felt a call to ministry. He never saw the Irish Celts as his oppressors or as his enemies. Just the opposite, he saw the Irish people as oppressed by their own religious leaders the Druids who offered no hope for either the present or the future. Patrick trained as a priest and was consecrated as a bishop to the Celts by the Pope. Patrick was not the first missionary to Ireland, but with experience as the lowest of the low and his upbringing as part of the social elite he was incredibly successful. He founded churches, he trained priests; it’s not for nothing that he is considered “the Apostle to the Irish” and is revered by both Catholics and Protestants.

Patrick wrote 2 books. There is his Confessio, his account of his motivations and ministry written towards the end of his life. It reflects a genuine, humble and hospitable man. In his second book, Epistle to the Soldiers of Coroticus, he scolds the Scottish king Coroticus over his men’s raid on Ireland, killing many of his converts and kidnapping others into slavery. His rhetoric is fiery, to say the least. Clearly, Patrick was not the kind of guy to take injustice lying down. What I find fascinating about Patrick is not his accomplishments, but how his combination of humility, hospitality and indignation over injustice have been adopted by the Irish community as part of their national character.

Humility, hospitality, and indignation over injustice strikes me as admirable qualities of any community, especially the community of the church. Paul, writing to the Romans would agree: Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly;do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:9-18

They say that on St. Patrick’s Day, everybody is Irish. Well, I don’t know about that, part of me hopes that is true. On the other hand, I have no doubt that it is within all of our reach to reflect that values of humility, hospitality, and indignation over injustice that Paul talks about each of the other 364 days of the year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! See you in church!

Paul

Lenten Service Schedule

March 5: 8am, 9am, 11am Communion Services. Soup Lunch at 12:30pm at New Horizon sign-up to bring soup/bars in the Narthex on the desk

March 12: 8am, 9am, 11am Services

March 19: 8am, 9am, 11am services with Soup Lunch at 12:30pm at Bethany Presbyterian 1900 S 7th St.

March 26: 8am, 9am, 11am Services

April 2: 8am, 9am, 11am Communion Services - Palm Sunday

April 7: 7pm Good Friday Service

April 9: 7:15am Sunrise Service & with continental breakfast followed by 9:30am service

Season of Lent Sharing Calendar

Lenten Devotional Booklet

PC(USA) Lenten Devotional Booklet

Aesthetic Dimensions of Worship (originally published last year by the Worship Committee)

Mission Moment

During Lent we will participate in the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, which enables us to share God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world. Our donations help with:

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 32%

Presbyterian Hunger Program: 36%

Self-Development of People: 32%

Thank you for your participation in the Special Offerings of the Presbyterian churches. Our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing will be dedicated on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023.

We will also be making 20 Easter baskets for children and youth at Children's Square. Please see the Easter basket display in the narthex to select the item(s) you would like to donate.

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 each young person a $30 Wal-Mart gift card to buy basic supplies to set up housekeeping, such as laundry and dish detergent, scrubbing pads, wash cloths, 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.

Easter Flowers

Easter is Sunday, April 9, 2023

If you wish to order Easter Flowers for the sanctuary, please use the order form below & include it with your check, payable to:

New Horizon Presbyterian Church

Memo: Easter Flowers

Place form in the offering box, mail to the church or leave in the church office no later than Tuesday, March 27, 2023

No orders will be placed unless accompanied by a check.

Flowers not picked up after the Easter service will be distributed by the Deacons.

Please fill out the entire form. Any questions, call the Church Office 712.323.7129 or send an email.

Order Form

Fellowship Fun

The after party at the Brewers following February's Henry's Diner Fellowship Fun.

Mark your calendar's for March's Fellowship Fun:

New Horizon Family Game afternoon on March 19th, 2-4pm in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your favorite board game and join in the fun. Snacks will be provided.

Lenten Fellowship Hour

First Sunday Donuts

Cub Scout Corner

In February, Pack 15's calendar was very full with many activities and events:

Scout Sunday was February 5th. We honored Scouting during all 3 services, with Pack 15 handled the Offering at the early services & Troop 537 handled the Usher responsibilities at the11am service. Troop 537 served a delicious soup and sandwich lunch following service and was well attended by the congregation.

Our Blue and Gold Banquet was on February 25. Cub Scouts worked hard to complete all of their requirements to earn their rank!

1 Cub (Kindergarten) earned the Rank of Lion

11 Cubs (1st Grade) earned the Rank of Tiger

8 Cubs (2nd Grade) earned the Rank of Wolf

6 Cubs (3rd Grade) earned the Rank of Bear

5 Cubs (4th Grade) earned the Rank of Webelos

7 AOL Cubs (Arrow of Light - 5th Grade) Crossed Over to Troop 537

Do you have a youth in K-4th grade (Cub Scouts Pack 15 age range) or in 5th-12th grade (Scouts BSA Troop 537 age range) this school year? Contact Sarah Young, Pack 15 New Member Coordinator, or Roxanne Gomez, Troop 537 Scoutmaster, for more information to join today! Pack 15 will be holding a spring recruitment day here at the church on March 4, 1-3pm.

Congregation,

Thank you once again for your support, dedication, & partnership in furthering God's mission around the world. You are a valued partner.

Rene Myer

Ministry Engagement Advisor

PC(USA)

______________________

Beverly Melchor-Young,

I have enjoyed first two and realizing it’s (Lenten Booklet) written by fellow members is making it special!

Thanks for the effort!

Judy Anderson

Wilma Clemson,

Thank you for the lovely get well card and prayers!

Sarah Young

To the family of Sherry Swanger on the passing of her mother, Helen Rothe on Feb. 13, 2023.

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, 712.323.6544 or the Church office 712.323.7129.

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!

Is your pledge card returned? If you need a pledge card or envelopes, please contact Cindy Spetman.

2023 Per Capita is $41 per Member, paid via envelopes or through Vanco.

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 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.

The American Red Cross will be in the Fellowship Hall on:

March 13; 12-5pm

March 21; 11-5pm

If you need assistance making an appointment, contact Terry Bailey.

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.

The 2022 Annual Report for Camp Calvin Crest is now available. The 2023 camp information is on the bulletin board in the Narthex.

Annual Report

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.

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.

If you are a Cox Communications email user (ie. yourmail@cox.net), you will need to create a new email with a different provider. Cox is phasing out their customer email service by the end of the year. They have already shut down their email support services. Some customers have already lost access to their cox.net email.

You can create a new email address at Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or another provider of your choice. Gmail is the most popular, user-friendly, and is the easiest for importing your Cox emails & address book. It's my personal favorite and the one I'm most familiar with, but If you need further assistance with a different provider creation, please feel free to contact Sarah Young at 712.323.7129.

Gmail Account Creation & Migration Instructions

Jan Pellant	01	Marcia Montgomery	20
Norah Etemal	04	Sara Guida	21
Janet Christensen	06	Aidan Martin	22
Doug Riggs	07	Lois Chandler	23
Nolan Burbridge	08	Jordan Lammert	24
Mark Alkire	09	Linda Wagner	24
Joyce Sawyer	10	Miriam Miller	26
Sarah Burbridge	12	Layton Clevenger	27
Noramae Gibson	12	Becky King	27
Casie Dorr	17	Sydney Skokan	29

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1. Praise Band 5:45pm Bell Choir 6:30pm Chancel Choir 7:30pm	2. Deacons 6pm	3.	4.
5. Communion Services 8am, 9am, 11am Soup Luncheon 12:30pm Sunday School 10am	6.	7.	8. Building & Ground 4:30pm Admin 5:30pm	9. Stephens 10:15am Grief Group 1pm Worship 6:30pm	10.	11.
12. Worship Services 8am, 9am, 11am Sunday School 10am	13. Blood Drive 12-5pm Prayer Shawl 3-5pm	14.	15.	16. Sessions 7pm	17.	18.
19. Worship Services 8am, 9am 11am Soup Luncheon at Bethany 12:30pm Family Game Fellowship 2-4pm	20. Pack 15 Cake Bake Auction Fundraiser 6pm	21. Blood Drive 11am-5pm	22.	23. Grief Group 1pm	24.	25.
26. Worship Services 8am, 9am, 11am Cheryl Haines Piano Recital	27.	28.	29.	30.	31.