First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM June 2002

The series of sermons I will begin in June is one that I approach with a great deal of excitement. Excitement for a number of reasons. First, I find so many of the Biblical characters to be extremely exciting personalities, enabling me to discover so much about life as I attempt to understand their lives.

But most of all, I suppose, because getting to know these persons God used in such marvelous ways, gives me hope. There wasn’t a plaster saint among them.

But there is a deeper reason to share these sermons with you. There is a crucial need today to transmit our religious heritage from one generation to another. We must keep the memory of these stories alive.

Remember the old hymn “Tell Me The Old, Old, Story?” Well, those old, old stories are also very up-to-date. To lose them is to lose our identity as a people. To forget them is to forget who we are. To fail to pass them on to our children is to fail ourselves — and them. I am indebted to the late Rev. Dr. Kenneth Phifer, a good friend, for the idea for this series.

Yes, summer is upon us. Worship here each week as we hear these old, old stories.

George Bernard Shaw used to say that Bible stories are more up-to-date than the morning newspaper. So they are. We are going to hear some of those stories this summer. Those for June will be:

June 2

Soren Kierkegaard confessed, “How man fell, I admit I do not know. Why man fell, I now know within my own self.” This is the meaning of the story of Adam and Eve. Read Genesis 2:15-22 & 3:20 and let’s find out.

June 9

At times each of us needs an ark, a window on the world, a freshly plucked olive leaf. And each of us needs a rainbow, a sign, to let us know that God remembers. Read Genesis 6, 7 & 8. (Noah).

June 16

In reference to Lot’s wife, Dorothy Leiser puts her thoughts into a little verse. “It wasn’t the fire or falling stone, I turned back to see. It was a vision of children playing on the roof; the morning sun on a muddy street, the way it used to be.” Read Genesis 19.

June 23

Aaron said, “I said to them, ‘let any who have gold to give, give it to me’, so they gave it to me and I threw it into the fire, and out came the calf!” Isn’t that great? It just happened. It wasn’t Aaron’s fault. Read Exodus 24:15-18, 32:1-6, 15-24.

June 30

Who of us likes to be confronted with something which contradicts what we have already decided, whether it be about ourselves, or about some situation we face? Read I Kings 22.

Bring someone to worship with you in June to hear these sermons about Adam and Eve, Noah, Lot’s Wife, Aaron, and Micaiah.

Following ten years of faithful dedicated service here as Superintendent, Joyce Gemoets resigned. Whom is God calling to replace her? It won’t be easy to replace her, but we know the Spirit is moving among us and is moving within the heart of someone to assume this responsibility.

A full job description can be gotten from Judith Ames, Chairperson of the Christian Education Committee. The position really is an administrative one, especially during the period we are searching for a Director of Christian Education.

Briefly, the person filling this position would be sure teachers are present, order supplies and curriculum materials, and take class rolls. Please contact Judith if you are interested.

When you read this, our young people and their leaders will have returned from their mission trip to Juarez. Part of their Christian mission was to build a house for a family there. They will be making a report of their experiences there during worship on Sunday, June 9^th. Let’s all be present to hear their testimonies.

We were happy to welcome ten new members into our Christian fellowship during the month of May: Seven persons united upon profession of their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They are: Tiffany Daniels, Danielle Gurnea, Courtney Prahl, Michael Petersen, Michael Salazar, Jessica Suggs and Stephanie Suggs.

Uniting with us by reaffirmation of their faith were Jasey Loman and Steve and Anna Suggs. We welcome them and look forward to our ministry with each other in Christ’s Name.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will convene in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, June 15^th and will continue through Saturday, June 22^nd. Let us be in prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide the Commissioners as they deal with the many important issues coming before our denomination.

Aside from the obvious benefits of writing a will (proper distribution of assets, making sure the grandkids are taken care of, security for your spouse) there is another opportunity that writing a will provides. Writing a will affords the mature Christian adult an opportunity to profess his or her faith in writing

A statement of Christian belief; what Jesus Christ and His Church has meant to you, could be the most important legacy you leave to your loved ones. This statement of faith should acknowledge your gratitude to God for all of life’s blessings. Couple this with returning some portion of God’s gifts through a bequest to your church. You will be providing a living memorial to your Christian faith. Pray about it.

This support group for adults provides information about the grief process and a safe place to examine the many feelings of grief. The group offers support, compassion, understanding and reassurance, as well as the hope of learning to live with the experience of loss.

Dates

Six consecutive Thursdays from June 27 through August 1

Time

Early afternoon (Please call for specific time.)

Place

Mesilla Valley Hospice, 299 E. Montana

Facilitator

Phyllis Jackson, LMSW

There is no charge (donations accepted) For more information call 523-4700.

We are looking for teachers for our summer Sunday School program. Many of you have expressed a desire that our church have Sunday School throughout all the summer, and we would like to be able to fill this need. So here is your opportunity to help us have summer Sunday School. Volunteer as a teacher. Would you be willing to teach one Sunday in June, July, or August?

For grades one through five we have a curriculum which is specifically designed with combined age groups in mind. The lessons are entitled Pride, Prejudice and Fudge. They follow the hilarious misadventures of a pack of lovable prairie dogs and others as they learn important lessons about pride, prejudice, and the harm of holding a grudge. These are fun and well designed lessons. Each lesson uses a Bible Background and scripture to teach a point. We also have a beautiful library for the elementary children, so if one Sunday you would just like to come in and read with the kids, this could be the curriculum for that Sunday. We need to hear from you about what you would most enjoy doing.

Here is your opportunity to help our children grow in the knowledge and love of God. Please call either Judith Ames, Joyce Gemoets, or Margie Rankin and let us sign you up for teaching a Sunday this summer.

Our adult classes have chosen to suspend during the summer. The
Bible study class will have its last session on June 23 and the video class will end on June 2. Both plan to resume on August 11.

Beginning in the fall we will be using the book, What Happens When Women Pray? The books are here and can be picked up in the office. Kathy has already paid for them out of the PW account, so please reimburse her. They are $9.00 each. Ten of the books have a study guide included, the remaining fourteen do not. When you pick up your book, choose the one you want.

The pastor Nominating Committee sent a questionnaire to all members and friends of our congregation. On May 5 they gave a report on their findings to the congregation. A summary of these findings appears on the next two pages. The full results of their effort are much too long to publish here, but are available on the church’s web site at www.zianet.com/fpc/pncpoll.htm.

The communion service, held in our church on the first Sunday of the month, can be a solemn occasion for remembering our Lord’s sacrifice. Our reaction to this sacrament depends on ourselves. All the church can do is present the opportunity for us to truly participate.

A lot of work must be done by a number of people to present that opportunity in a meaningful fashion.

Much of that work falls to the Worship Committee of the Session. The communion vessels must be prepared, the elements provided, and everything positioned in the appropriate places, not to mention cleaning up afterwards. Recently some of our young people were enlisted to help prepare the service. I overheard a comment to the effect that the serving plates were shining as never before.

A big responsibility of the Worship Committee chairperson is to organize the members of the session who do the actual serving. Anybody who has tried to organize session members knows that the task is akin to herding cats. Usually a diagram is provided to each server detailing the paths to be followed. The chairperson just has to hope that the servers show up on time.

Much else has to be done. Where do you think those little communion wafers come from? They do not, like manna, come from heaven.

Ever since a local bakery stopped providing them, a church member has prepared the dough, cut out the wafers with a carefully selected tool, baked them, and delivered them fresh to the church. That person did not want to be featured here but did allow a picture of her hands to represent all the work necessary to provide the opportunity for a truly significant communion service.

This title is not written in some kind of code, but instead stands for the First Presbyterian Church on the World Wide Web. Many segments of our society from the government, to businesses, to the lowest levels of our culture are finding that it is useful to have a presence on the internet. Our church is no exception.

First Presbyterian Church has an extensive web site which provides current and much background information about our organization. People, and not just our members, use it to

The last use is particularly important for our congregation at this time when we are looking for a new pastor and a director of Christian education. Our web site is also a place to post items of interest which are too long or specialized for The Lantern.

One example is a very interesting article about the information available in our hymn book written by Howard Smolleck. He points out that the hymn book is more than a collection of printed musical notes. In an article which is too long to go in this issue, he describes how to get the most out of your hymnal by making full use of the preface and the various indices. This article can be found at www.zianet.com/fpc/hymnal.htm

Another example is much of the information about our congregation which was gathered by the Pastor Nominating Committee. A presentation was made to the congregation on May 5 and a summary appears in this issue of The Lantern. Much more information is available at www.zianet.com/fpc/pncpoll.htm.

The Camp Chimney Spring Retreat will be July 25-27. We want those of you who have not been to the retreat before to know what you have been missing. The camp facilities are run by the Presbytery and have several different housing options from RV spaces, with and without hook-ups, to rooms in the mini-lodge, down to tent sites and "hogans" with bunks. We have several group activities planned, and you will also have plenty of opportunity to hike, socialize, or simply enjoy the restful mountain atmosphere on your own during the weekend. Reservations will have to be made, and money paid by June 23^rd, due to the camp's policy of requiring payment 30 days in advance. Payment can be made at the church office, where registration forms will be available. Please call Martha Mitchell (521-4757) for reservations or Mel Parish (522-0125) if you have questions.

Helen Barron

2975 Terrace Dr. #7

Las Cruces, NM 88011-5021

Bob and Judy Yaryan

24902 S. Mooncrest Dr.

Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248-9009

Janet Loman has been elected to the Executive Board of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM), the national organization of our denomination for leadership in the areas of worship, music, the arts, and professional concerns. During her three-year term, Janet will serve as an advisor during the bi-annual board meetings in Louisville, KY and as a representative to the music and worship conferences which are held each summer in Montreat, NC, New Wilmington, PA, and Albuquerque, NM.

Worship and Music Committee would like to thank Robert Watkins for his willingness to be in charge of finding the liturgist for Sundays worship services. If Robert gives you a call to participate in this area your help will be greatly appreciated. If this is something you would like to do, give Robert a call and he will put you on the schedule.

Presbyterian and Disciples

Campus Ministry at NMSU

2511 Chaparral St. 522-6404

David Sallee, Campus Minister

Sunday, 9:00am Bible Study at Milagro Coffee Shop

Wednesday, 7:30pm College Student Fellowship and Study at the Bridge

Friday, 7:00pm Movies and Fun Night at the Bridge

Monday, 8pm Habitat for Humanity-Student Chapter at Corbett Center

Tuesday, 4:00pm Christians in Social Work Student Chapter at social work building

Communion will be served on June 2 and July 7.

April 28 258

May 5 252

May 12 260

May 19 255

The Lantern deadline for the month of June will be Monday the 24th. Please get your articles into the office by this date.

The 2002 Albuquerque Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) conference will take place July 14-19 at Immanuel Presbyterian Church. The conference includes seminars on worship, theology, preaching, liturgy, and all aspects of music and the arts in worship. Faculty members come from all areas of the U.S. The theme for the 2002 Albuquerque conference is: The Community in Worship: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."--Acts 2:42 The conference is designed for all; pastors, musicians, educators, worship committees, children, youth, and adults.

Janet Loman has an active part in planning this national conference. More information can be obtained from her (523-6751) or by visiting the conference web site at pam.pcusa.org.

Would you take on more responsible tasks in the church if you felt more at ease speaking in public? The answer for many folks is Toastmasters International. There are several Toastmasters clubs in town meeting at different times and different days. You can learn to get rid of the butterflies that go with public speaking and become a better listener too. All this is accomplished in a pleasant and non-threatening environment. Call Bob Paul (524-1515) for more information.