Koinonia Times
Volume 24,
Issue 4
July/August
Is God Calling
You?
David wrote in the Psalms more than 2500
years ago, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the
Lord!’” What he felt then, we can feel today—the joy of worship and fellowship
with God’s people! In prayer, song, and scripture, we receive guidance,
encouragement and support from God and one another. We feel the burdens of life
lightened, we feel refreshed and renewed, ready to re-enter our world.
We are called to participate in worship. It
is not something that happens to us...something performed by others. Worship
only happens for us when we ourselves are a part of worship. Thus, we are all
called to pray, all called to sing, all called to read and contemplate the
scriptures, we are all called to extend our hands in greeting to one another.
What a joy to think God wants each one of us to worship together with heart and
soul as well as words and actions.
Certain people, of course, need to lead in
worship. We just can’t “do our own thing.” We worship together and that takes
guidance. The pastor leads in worship, but he does not lead alone. The pastor
is a part of a team that includes the musical accompanists, the choir, the
worship assistant, ushers, greeters, communion servers, and others. Some of you
who read this have been a part of leading in worship, some of you will in the
future. Each of you has real value to the church and to our worship!
Enclosed in this newsletter is a calendar
and guide for worship assistants, ushers and communion servers. If you would
like to be a part of our worship leadership, let me know. It’s an exciting
opportunity to be part of the worship of God!
Pastor L. S. Emery
Devil’s beatitudes
From
If the devil were to write his beatitudes, they would probably go
something like this:
1. Blessed are those who are
too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their
fellow Christians—they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are the trouble
makers—they shall be called my children.
3. Blessed are those who are
bored with the minister’s mannerisms and mistakes—for they get nothing out of
his sermons.
4. Blessed are those who
gossip—for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.
5. Blessed are those who are
easily offended—for they will soon get angry and quit.
6. Blessed are those who do not
give their offering to carry on God’s work—for they are my helpers.
7. Blessed is he who professes
to love God but hates his brother and sister—for he shall be with me forever!
8. Blessed are those Christians
who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked—I can use them.
Blessed
are you who, when you read this think it is about other people and not
yourself—I’ve got you too!
David Jamieson
is elected to Session.
The
congregation welcomed David Jamieson to Session on Sunday, June 6. He joins
seven other elders on the governing board of the church. David and his wife
Margaret are originally from
If you
would like to be on our prayer chain, please email the church at
wgcpc@hotmail.com
Please
pray for:
·
Victims of the recent levee break
·
Successful Pancake Breakfast
·
2005 Delta Home Tour
·
Al bert Buerer - healing
·
Those in the community that are hurting
·
Our military personnel
·
The church to follow God’s lead
May we pray for you? Call
us!
Scholarship Sunday Honors
Four
Graduates
Every year
in June, the church celebrates the lives of graduates who are part of the
church family by granting them a scholarship award to help continue their
education. This year on June 6 during the worship service, awards went to Ben Adams, Ashley Garamendi,
Bryan Ortega, and Kari Tibbedeaux.
Ben will attend the
The Scholarship Award was established in 1981 and
named the Carel van Loben Sels Living Memorial Scholarship in his memory. This year,
the name was changed to the Walnut Grove Community Church Scholarship Award, so
anyone may feel free to contribute to the education of our youth. To date, the
award has been granted to 50 young people from the church family, and will
continue to honor graduating young people in many years to come.
Former award recipient Chris Hudson said during the
award presentation that every little bit helps when you’re trying to pay for
school expenses. His scholarship paid for his books for one semester, and it
was a big help.
Congratulations to all those who have worked
hard and continue their studies.
The
Walnut Grove Christian
Playgroup
of 2004
Back Row from Left:
Three and four-year-old youngsters enrolled in the Walnut Grove
Christian Playgroup enjoyed a year of
fun, activities, field trips, and play time this past season. The typical
schedule from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
included circle time, art, snack, outside play time, music, story time,
sharing, and lunch. Playgroup leader, Miss Lily, designed a new theme every month
and incorporated it into all activities over the past season.
The children took six field trips to the local dentist office, coffee
shop, library, book fair, and to a pumpkin patch in
The group will be back in session in the
fall, so the church yard will again be filled with the happy voices of
children. Only three children out of 12 from the group will move on to
Kindergarten, leaving room for only three more from a waiting list of 17.
Tuesday
Morning Blessings
We've had a wonderfully successful year with the Youth Breakfast. We've averaged 20-24 kids every Tuesday morning, bright and early at 7am.That's quite an accomplishment for every student that attended. It shows how blessed they were to come. They've learned how loving our God is, and how each one of them is important to God, and how each of them has a purpose in this life. They also learned how to talk to God, how to pray for one another, how to be kind to each other, and how to play scores of ridiculously fun games that only Pastor Larry would know.
Special
thanks go to the parents, people of our church who are grandparents, and those
in the community who so graciously got up at those early hours to come cook,
serve, and happily clean up after the rush was over and the kids ran to catch
the school bus. The variety of menus was exciting enough for anyone to get up
and come. Scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage & biscuits, pancakes &
sausage, french toast, gg casseroles, cereals, bagels, donuts were just some of
the menu items. the cooks, this breakfast ministry
would not have happened. Thank you all so much.
Thanks
also go to the kids who make it a point to get up early and come so faithfully
every Tuesday. May special blessings be upon all of you.
Now, come back in September, and please bring your friends. We'd love to have
them. The more the merrier!!
Youth raises
funds for fun
By Lucy Van Andel
The spaghetti dinner held on May 23 was a successful
event. Edna Williams was our head cook, and many families came to enjoy the
meal and fellowship. We were able to raise more than $500 to help offset camper
fees for Westminster Woods. Each participating camper received $42 toward their
registration. Thanks go out to all who purchased tickets and made donations!
Samantha Birch, Chelsea Schauer, Gretchen Schauer and wait for customers to arrive. A total of 16 kids will spend a week at Westminster Woods summer camp in the beautiful redwood forest near Occidental, Ca.
Virginia LaBahn and Judy Castro
tackle the clean up tasks after the dinner. Kudos to you and
all those who helped out. Great
job!
From the Worship Committee….
By Maria Robinson
The worship committee has prepared the July through
December schedule for Sunday Services. If you haven’t received yours yet,
please feel free to pick one up at the office or in the narthex. You can check
the list to find your assignment for usher/greeter, reader, communion server,
or fellowship.
We are counting on your faithfulness in keeping your
assignment. When it is your turn to serve, please follow the instructions in
the handout, What to do When You Serve as Usher/Greeter,
Worship Assistant, or Communion Server that is enclosed in this newsletter.
If your name is not included in any of the assignments for this period and you
would like to be included, please call Maria Robinson at 776-4166. You are needed as a substitute.
Note from the office…
The schedule is always being updated, so be sure to
look for changes on the list in the narthex. We’ll keep the list updated as
changes are made. Many thanks to Maria Robinson for taking on
the task of keeping this list current, and thanks for all your help. YOU
are appreciated!
FELLOWSHIP
NOTES
We’ll be holding our annual Fourth of July Pancake
Breakfast on Sunday, July 4 at 7:30 a.m. As always, it will be complete with
all the trimmings, and, of course, our famous “secret recipe” pancakes. Worship service will take place at 9:30 a.m.,
and the parade starts at 11 a.m. this year to allow time for everyone to attend
the breakfast, the worship service and the parade. Please feel free to come in your festive Fourth
of July wear and be a part of all the day’s events. This is a GREAT opportunity
for you to bring friends and relatives to breakfast, worship, and then watch
the parade following the service. What a wonderful way to spend the day!
The Parade is
open to all entries of horses, floats, bikes, tractors and strange things on
wheels. There will be popcorn and popsicles, balloon toss, and prizes for best
entries. Come on out and join the fun!
The Fellowship Committee will also be
planning the annual summer barbecue and picnic as August approaches. We’ll
announce it in plenty of time to make arrangements to bring friends and family.
Last year it was held on Saturday afternoon, and lots of people came by when
they could to have a bite to eat, say hello, and join in a game of volleyball
or other activities going on. We hope you’ll be able to join us this year if
you missed it last year.
Don’t Forget The Church This Summer
During the summer, people leave for
vacation, get involved in agricultural work, and spend extra time out on the
water fishing and boating. Yet the ministry of the church continues! Attendance
may be less, but lights still need to be turned on, salaries paid, and Sunday School operated. So, even if you are not with us this
summer, please remember to send in your offerings. Expenses are a little above budget, and income is slightly below, but without your
continued support, that could change this summer.
“For He delivers the needy when they call, the
poor and those who have no helper.”
Psalms 72: 12
RSV
Summer Sermon
Series
“Old Stories For a New Day”
Rev.
Emery’s summer sermon series will be looking at events in the lives of various
Old Testament men and women, and the message that their experiences with God
have for us today.
Bible Study
“He was seen by many faithful witnesses…” I Corinthians: 15
We will continue for the month of July with a study
of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as told in all four Gospels. We will look
at the experiences of Mary Magdalene, Peter, Thomas, James and others.
After a damaged order delayed installation of our
new inscribed bricks for the anniversary patio this spring, we will have the
new bricks installed in time for our July 4th Pancake Breakfast. Another reason
to come to the breakfast!
Check out the church website at www.wgcpc.org that has been updated and upgraded! It is designed
exclusively for the church by Chris Hudson who is continuing as Webmaster. Thanks, Chris. Great
job!
Many
thanks to Mary Lou Hudson, who will be teaching Sunday School
in the summer, and a big hand for Virginia LaBahn,
Lucy Van Andel, Melanie Schauer,
Edna Williams, and Margaret Jamieson who’ve taught over the last season!
The
Director’s Stand
by Debbie Phulps
“Summer
Escapes”
School's
Out ! ! ! Ahhhh summer break. Although, to be fair, one could assert that
the level of enthusiasm in that statement is directly related to whether you
are the one in school or you are the parent of one
being released. At any rate, it's here. For your choirs, the summer hiatus is
an opportunity to escape its routine and recharge.
Among my childhood recollections, the first thing scheduled for summer vacation
was swimming lessons. It meant heading over to the pool behind the church
between 7:30 a.m. or noon (depending on age and level)
with your towel and Esther Williams - style cap. It meant being greeted by Mrs.
Lewallen complete in her cover-up with the Red Cross
patch and whistle. And, it meant kicks and laps (and goose bumps and gasps).Olympic
material I'd never be; but as each kick became stronger and each lap smoother,
I came to enjoy the pool.... [ segue to the Appeal ]
For those of you with musical gifts who are not hitting the road during the
summer, WE NEED YOU! We need musicians to relieve Robert, Audrey, Debbie and
Lynn for presentation of the service music, and it would be wonderful to have
special music. The Worship and Music Committee encourages you to share your
talents."...but I couldn't possibly. I haven't played (or sung) in
years!"
Hey it's summer. What better time to jump in and get your feet wet. You can't
get better unless you are in there paddling, and your friends won't let you
drown. Worship services at Walnut Grove Presbyterian during the summer months
take on a more casual approach. Swim caps aren't even required. Warm up those
vocal chords, re-string that guitar in the closet, run those fingers through a
few arpeggios, polish up that flute, and pucker up on that mouthpiece. Come on!
Jump in our pool and get refreshed. You'll see that God didn't take away your
gifts.....you've just let them dry out.
Don't
be the servant who squanders God's gifts. Tithing isn't exclusive to monetary
riches. Say "YES, use Me". Please contact
Audrey Mondeel or the church office to reserve your
time in the pool. Splish....splash....making music is
a blast.