January 2010 Gleaner

Pastor’s Notes
We are for sure in the Christmas season. Before we know it the Easter season will be here.
The birth of the Messiah, Jesus, has just been celebrated and soon we’ll be remembering his death and resurrection. It seems to me that we move too quickly to Golgotha.

The truth is we need to go there so we can understand the reason God sent his Son here as a little baby. Without Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from Joseph’s tomb the birth we just celebrated with parties and gift exchanges would have no meaning.
It’s not until Jesus suffered this humiliating death on the cross that we get a glimpse of what God through his love for his children has done for us. It’s through his death on the cross, Jesus dying for our sins, that we are forgiven. It’s through his resurrection that we are given the assurance of eternal life in heaven.

But friends, we will not go straight from the birth of Jesus to his death and resurrection. We will be hearing the gospel lessons from John & Luke this month. John begins by telling us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. This is John’s gospel story of the Messiah’s birth. Of course the story continues and wouldn’t be complete without the Voice from the Wilderness, Jesus’ cousin John.
We hear again the story of Jesus’ first miraculous sign, changing the water into wine at the wedding party in Cana in Galilee. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River, driven into the desert where he is tempted and tried by the devil. He comes out of the wilderness filled with the power of the Spirit. The news about him spread all over the region. He goes into the synagogues as was his custom. He was asked to read in his hometown and there begins his problems with the religious leaders. Jesus teaches with authority and they aren’t ready to receive him or accept him as the Messiah.

It’s all part of God’s plan to redeem the world but it’s hard for us to understand love like that. It’s extremely difficult for us to commit our whole lives to God. What makes it so hard is the fact that we can’t love everyone unconditionally as God does us. We have a problem forgiving and forgetting wrongs done to us and therefore we can’t believe that God could forgive us for the wrongs we have done.

And so we need to come and hear the stories and be reminded of Jesus’ teachings of God, love, forgiveness, and service.

I struggle with giving my all to God because somewhere deep within my soul I think or feel that I need to do something to earn God’s favor. Friends, we don’t have to do anything other than believe and ask God for his forgiveness. Along with you I battle my humanness in committing my heart, mind, and soul to God. I will pray for you and I know you’ll pray for me and together we can win the battle against the sin in our lives. One day we too will join the saints in heaven glorifying the Lamb on the throne in the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem.

My friends, God loves you and wants you to accept your place as one of his children. Thanks be to God for his forgiving grace.

Pastor David


Sunday School Christmas Program
Again I say WOW! WOW! WOW! What a wonderful program the children put on for us.
Highlights this year for me were the “tipped halos”, Valerie smacking one of the burglars and the beautiful baby Jesus (Jacey Sievers). How Robin Tooley and Teresa Griffith put
it all together is truly a gift to us all.


Seen in Church Bulletins (Not Ours)
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be
seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend
him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast
next Sunday.


GOOD GUYS FOOD BASKETS
Pastor David and Linda Krueger helped box up food for the needy on December 19th.
Several of the boxes were then picked up at our church and Pastor David delivered the rest to people without cars or for some reason were unable to pick them up.


Presbyterian Women
On December 16th P.W. President Charlotte Shepherd, Larry Shepherd, Margo Matthies and Linda Krueger went to Clarinda and helped fill app. twelve hundred Christmas stockings with crackers and candy for men and women in the prison system in SW Iowa.
They appreciate and we thank Edna Kutnink for all the stockings she has made for this
ministry over the years.


Thank-you
1. Big, big thank-you to Robin Tooley, Teresa Griffith and Connie Jensen for all their work with the Sunday School Christmas program.
2. Thank-you to Darlene Stuart, Jim McDermott, Pastor David and Linda Krueger for putting up and decorating the Christmas tree and bagging all the fruit and candy for the children and our shut-ins. David has delivered all the bags to shut-ins.
3. Thank-you to Denny and Connie Jensen for putting up the outside Nativity Scene.
4. Thank-you to all the families that helped light the advent wreath this year.
5. Thank-you to Brinda Shirley for all she does for our church as our janitor. We have had quite a few funerals this year and that always means extra work for her.
6. Pastor David and Linda Krueger would like to thank everyone for the Christmas cards and gifts they received. We have much to be thankful for.


Walnut’s Angel Tree
Pastor David put sixty one angels on the Angel Tree at the library. Forty one of those angels were taken by people in the community that bought the presents requested. There were several cash donations given to Pastor David. He and Linda used that money to buy presents for the remaining twenty angels. Linda got them all wrapped, David got the names put on and then David delivered them. All the parents seemed very, very appreciative.

Per Capita
Every Presbyterian church is required to send a per capita payment to the Missouri
River Valley Presbytery. This is based on the membership of the church. Our per capita apportionment for this year is $28.75 per member. We are asking each member to pay their own per capita beyond what you have pledged if you are able. Whatever you give helps our church stay within the budget.

February Ushers and Communion Servers
Ushers: Charles & Gloria Walter, Greg & Michelle Mertz Communion Servers: Jim McDermott-chm, Greg Mertz, Michelle Mertz, Charles Walter

Flowers for January
January 10---------JoJane Walter
January 17-------Margo Matthies

January 24-------Willa Petersen
January 31------Linda Krueger

Church Humor
A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew.
She would occasionally walk around to see each child’s artwork. As she got to one
little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.”
The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the little girl replied,
“They will in a minute.”


Gifts for the Church
Annual Meeting
The annual Congregational Church Meeting will be January 24th. Sunday
School will be at 9:15, Church at 10:30, lunch and then the meeting. As in past
years this is the time for us to bring gifts to the church; gifts like paper items
(paper towels, etc), office supplies, janitorial supplies and there has even been a
request for an electric knife. These gifts can be brought to the church anytime.
Meat will be provided at our lunch, please bring a covered dish or dessert.
PLEASE HAVE YOUR ANNUAL REPORTS IN BY JAN 10th. FOR PRINTING.


Session Minutes
December 8, 2009

Due to inclement weather, the session meeting was conducted via email.
Pastor David reported that he will be doing the funeral service for Donald Griffith (Bill’s brother), at Roland Funeral Home on Saturday December 12th at 10 a.m.
All MRV Presbytery annual reports are due. Per capita apportionment for 2010 was approved at the November Presbytery meeting. The per capita amount for 2010 is $28.75 for a total of $4,111.25. This is due February 15th unless a notice of intent is sent to the Finance Section prior to their January meeting.

Stewardship and Mission
The Angel Tree had 61 angels. The gifts will be wrapped on Monday, Dec. 14 in the church basement with the help of the Walnut Optimist. A donation was received from the St. Patrick’s church council for $365 and $100 from Judy Brehmer, Harold & Mary Hansen’s daughter. This will be used to purchase gifts for the 20 angels that were still on the tree last Monday.
It was approved to receive the Joy offering. Fifty percent of the offering goes to the Board of Pensions for assistance programs that provide support to retired and active church workers and their spouses and families and 50 percent to the Presbyterian racial ethnic schools and colleges.

Christian Education
Linda and David will get the fruit and candy for the bags for the Sunday School children. They will bag it on Friday morning. The Sunday School Christmas program will be on December 13th during worship.

Worship
Communion was served to Judy Ferguson on November 3rd and to 6 residents at Peace Haven on December 6th with Jim McDermott serving as elder. Christmas Eve worship service will be at 10 p.m. Joint Lenten worship service dates with Walnut and Avoca churches have been set, 5 p.m. worship followed by a meal. They are as follows:
a. 2/21, 1st Sunday in Lent-United Church of Avoca; David is giving the message
b. 2/28, 2nd Sunday in Lent- Peace UCC; John is giving the message
c. 3/7, 3rd Sunday in Lent- St. Mary’s; Nancy is giving the message
d. 3/14, 4th Sunday in Lent- First Presbyterian Walnut; Dennis giving the message
e. 3/21, 5th Sunday in Lent- Trinity; Gail is giving the message
Joint Wednesday evening services with Peace UCC will begin on Ash Wednesday at 6:00 at First Presbyterian Church.

Finance & Property
Christmas gifts for church personnel are $25 to Teachers, custodian, financial secretary, treasurer, clerk, and church secretary, $50 to choir director, and $250 to the pastor. Christmas gift baskets for our senior members will be delivered. David and Linda will get the fruit. David asked for elders to help deliver the baskets.

Personnel
The nominating committee should be meeting to fill the soon-to-be- vacant active elder positions. The committee is Gloria Myers, Larry Shepherd, and Linda Krueger.

New Business
The date for the annual meeting has been set for January 24th.

Next meeting will be January 12th at 7:00

Linda Ploen
Clerk of Session


Birthday Wishes
Our good friend and church member Avis Mortensen will be celebrating her 80th birthday on January 2. Her family is hosting a card shower in her honor. Cards can be sent to her at 800 Chestnut, Apt 402, Atlantic, IA 50022