Pastor’s Notes
I was catching up on some reading today. In “Presbyterians Today” for May 2011 there is an article entitled “The Discipline of Discipleship” by John P. Burgess.
The title alone kind of makes one a little nervous. I mean, who really, honestly enjoys or likes discipline? But when I think about it aren’t our lives full of discipline. It takes discipline just to get out of bed in the morning. Especially if we hope to accomplish any of the tasks we have on the calendar.
And as I’ve grown older it’s become apparent to me that there has to be discipline in my life. Don’t we all need some order in our lives if we truly want to become more like Jesus? Friends, it takes discipline for me to be in God’s Word, to study, to pray, and to take time to sit quietly with God. Without it I would more likely listen to that voice in my head that’s always telling me, “You don’t have time for this. There are more important things you should be doing.”
What is it about discipleship that important for us? I believe it’s the fact that we are never done learning. A disciple is a pupil or a follower. Someone who is a pupil is one who is learning from the Master and a follower would be one who accepts the doctrine of the Teacher.
The article from Presbyterians Today begins with the question, “Who am I in Jesus Christ?” What do we do differently when we believe and trust in him? What do I have to do if I’m a disciple of Jesus?
Being a disciple of Jesus is certainly challenging and does indeed require discipline. There are days when I just don’t feel like reading and praying. It’s like getting ready for a marathon or RAGBRAI. Both require some preparatory work, disciplined training. Without the work we fail.
I hope I haven’t scared anyone away from being a disciple of Jesus. It is work but the reward is worth it. Without the work, and God’s grace, the reward wouldn’t mean much.
And I’m not sure it’s the reward that has as much importance to me as the fact that through the disciplined reading, study, and prayer I come into a more intimate relationship with God. I come to understand God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit more each day.
So, you may be asking, “How should I begin?” Friends, I think it begins in worship. That’s the safe place where we can come and start to grow in our faith and learn to watch and wait and prepare. Through the liturgy, doing the same things, singing the songs, praying the same prayers, breaking the Bread and drinking the Cup, remembering our Baptism, we become prepared to follow Jesus.
John Burgess ends the article by reminding us that its about preparing and waiting for God’s good gifts. And we also learn that God is always waiting and preparing to come to us.
Good friends, I pray that you will commit to being a disciple of Jesus the Christ. Join us on Sunday and we will grow and learn together.
God’s grace and peace be with you all,
Pastor David
In Memory
Betty Maassen
August 3, 1927 – April 21, 2011
Betty Jane Maassen was born in Minden, Iowa to Wallace L Boll and Dorothy (Nicolai) Boll on August 3, 1927. She attended country school and graduated from Minden High School with the class of 1945.
On August 20, 1948, Betty Jane was united in marriage to Ralph A. Maassen. One son was born to this union: Jimmy Lynn Maassen. The couple farmed all their married lives -buying farm land near Walnut.
Ralph's hobby was feeding cattle. Betty Jane was a housewife and helped Ralph on the farm. She had many flowers in her yard but she also enjoyed her house plants, especially the African Violets.
Betty Jane died on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at her residence at Peace Haven Retirement Home in Walnut, Iowa having attained the age of eighty-three years, eight months and eighteen days.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ralph,and her brother Eugene Boll.
She is survived by her son Jim Maassen and his wife Marcy of Omaha, Nebraska; granddaughters: Jennifer Horner and her husband Ben of Omaha and Kathy Scheiwe and her husband Brent of Long Beach, California; great-grandson Finn Scheiwe of Long Beach; sister Vicky Brodale and her husband Frank of Cherokee, Iowa; nephew Matthew Brodale of Coralville, Iowa; other family members and many friends.
Pastor David Krueger officiated the private Graveside Service on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the Shelby Cemetery in Shelby, Iowa.
Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Avoca was in charge of arrangements.
In Memory
Robert “Pete” Sievers
September 9, 1915 – May 17, 2011
Robert “Pete” Sievers, the son of Walter and Trace (Feldman) Sievers, was born September 9, 1915, at home. Pete was the 7th of 10 children born to this union. He attended country school, graduating in 1929, then attended Walnut High School, and was in the graduating class of 1933.
Upon graduating from high school, he worked at the family farm and spent a few summers thrashing in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. Pete then moved to California and worked at Forest Lawn Cemetery until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, when he returned home to run the family farm while his brothers were away at war.
On August 28, 1946, Pete was united in marriage to LeEtta “Letty” Arentsen in Seneca, Kansas. Two children were born to this union, Wayne and Allan. After their marriage, the couple resided for a short time with Letty’s mother, then moved to a farm south of Walnut. In 1948, Pete and Letty moved to the farm where they remained throughout their lives. Pete spent his days working on the farm, raising hogs, cattle and row crops. Pete and Letty loved to square dance and travel, and they especially enjoyed their annual fishing trips to Minnesota or Canada.
Pete did a lot of hunting and fishing in his spare time. When he retired from farming, he enjoyed doing woodworking, and made many beautiful pieces of furniture. He also loved spending time with his family and friends, especially during the holidays and birthdays.
Until the age of 89, Pete ran the combine to help his son, Wayne, and grandson Cole, with harvest every fall. He spent a great deal of time with his grandchildren, taking them out to eat, reading to them, and teaching them how to play pool. Pete was always willing to lend a helping hand whenever he was able.
Pete died on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan, Iowa, having attained the age of 95 years, 8 months, and 8 days. He was preceded in death by his wife, Letty, his parents, brothers: Harold, Ralph, Raymond, Leonard, Clifford, Lester and Dale; and sisters Cora and Alberta.
He is survived by his children Wayne Sievers and Allan Sievers, both of Walnut; seven grandchildren; Cole, Sarah, and Connor Sievers, Valerie, Lauren, Tori, and Trista Sievers; and sisters-in-law Arlene Sievers of Avoca, Iowa and Joy Sievers of Walnut; other relatives and many friends.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Brian and Nellie (McDermott) Popp on the birth of their daughter Evalyn Marie. Evalyn was born May 22nd weighing 7 lb. 14 oz. and was 21 in. long. Proud grandparents are Jim and Bobbie McDermott. Evalyn was named after Nellie’s grandmother, Marjorie Evalyn McDermott, and her middle name, Marie, was after Brian’s grandmother.
Presbyterian Women
The Neola Presbyterian Women are hosting their Annual Spring Brunch on Wed., June 8 at 9:30 am. There will be a presentation by Cathy Killpack entitled “A Walk Through
Jordan”. Please RSVP to Barb Dalton at 402-659-1741 or 712-328-4769.
The Presbyterian Women have made “Pew Cards” to give our visitors information
about our church. Thank-you to Shannon Wood for making them for the church.
Golden Oldies
The next Golden Oldies will be in the fall, September 20th at United Church in Avoca.
Food Pantry
The Food Pantry’s needs for June are: pork & beans, catsup (small), mustard (small),
Kool-Aid (not envelopes), cookies, paper plates and napkins.
Roberta is planning to hand out summer food boxes again this year. Sign-up for the boxes will be May 23-June 20 at the Food Pantry. They will be handed out there on July 1st.
The WindowThrough Which We Look
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband :
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
July Ushers and Communion Servers
Ushers: Jack & Judy Ploen, Gloria Myers & Barb Eslick Communion Servers: Linda Krueger -chm, Val Sievers, Mary Ellen Woltmann, Jack Ploen. June ushers and communion servers are at bottom of calendar.
The Great Escape
I was catching up on some reading today. In “Presbyterians Today” for May 2011 there is an article entitled “The Discipline of Discipleship” by John P. Burgess.
The title alone kind of makes one a little nervous. I mean, who really, honestly enjoys or likes discipline? But when I think about it aren’t our lives full of discipline. It takes discipline just to get out of bed in the morning. Especially if we hope to accomplish any of the tasks we have on the calendar.
And as I’ve grown older it’s become apparent to me that there has to be discipline in my life. Don’t we all need some order in our lives if we truly want to become more like Jesus? Friends, it takes discipline for me to be in God’s Word, to study, to pray, and to take time to sit quietly with God. Without it I would more likely listen to that voice in my head that’s always telling me, “You don’t have time for this. There are more important things you should be doing.”
What is it about discipleship that important for us? I believe it’s the fact that we are never done learning. A disciple is a pupil or a follower. Someone who is a pupil is one who is learning from the Master and a follower would be one who accepts the doctrine of the Teacher.
The article from Presbyterians Today begins with the question, “Who am I in Jesus Christ?” What do we do differently when we believe and trust in him? What do I have to do if I’m a disciple of Jesus?
Being a disciple of Jesus is certainly challenging and does indeed require discipline. There are days when I just don’t feel like reading and praying. It’s like getting ready for a marathon or RAGBRAI. Both require some preparatory work, disciplined training. Without the work we fail.
I hope I haven’t scared anyone away from being a disciple of Jesus. It is work but the reward is worth it. Without the work, and God’s grace, the reward wouldn’t mean much.
And I’m not sure it’s the reward that has as much importance to me as the fact that through the disciplined reading, study, and prayer I come into a more intimate relationship with God. I come to understand God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit more each day.
So, you may be asking, “How should I begin?” Friends, I think it begins in worship. That’s the safe place where we can come and start to grow in our faith and learn to watch and wait and prepare. Through the liturgy, doing the same things, singing the songs, praying the same prayers, breaking the Bread and drinking the Cup, remembering our Baptism, we become prepared to follow Jesus.
John Burgess ends the article by reminding us that its about preparing and waiting for God’s good gifts. And we also learn that God is always waiting and preparing to come to us.
Good friends, I pray that you will commit to being a disciple of Jesus the Christ. Join us on Sunday and we will grow and learn together.
God’s grace and peace be with you all,
Pastor David
In Memory
Betty Maassen
August 3, 1927 – April 21, 2011
Betty Jane Maassen was born in Minden, Iowa to Wallace L Boll and Dorothy (Nicolai) Boll on August 3, 1927. She attended country school and graduated from Minden High School with the class of 1945.
On August 20, 1948, Betty Jane was united in marriage to Ralph A. Maassen. One son was born to this union: Jimmy Lynn Maassen. The couple farmed all their married lives -buying farm land near Walnut.
Ralph's hobby was feeding cattle. Betty Jane was a housewife and helped Ralph on the farm. She had many flowers in her yard but she also enjoyed her house plants, especially the African Violets.
Betty Jane died on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at her residence at Peace Haven Retirement Home in Walnut, Iowa having attained the age of eighty-three years, eight months and eighteen days.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ralph,and her brother Eugene Boll.
She is survived by her son Jim Maassen and his wife Marcy of Omaha, Nebraska; granddaughters: Jennifer Horner and her husband Ben of Omaha and Kathy Scheiwe and her husband Brent of Long Beach, California; great-grandson Finn Scheiwe of Long Beach; sister Vicky Brodale and her husband Frank of Cherokee, Iowa; nephew Matthew Brodale of Coralville, Iowa; other family members and many friends.
Pastor David Krueger officiated the private Graveside Service on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the Shelby Cemetery in Shelby, Iowa.
Pauley Jones Funeral Home in Avoca was in charge of arrangements.
In Memory
Robert “Pete” Sievers
September 9, 1915 – May 17, 2011
Robert “Pete” Sievers, the son of Walter and Trace (Feldman) Sievers, was born September 9, 1915, at home. Pete was the 7th of 10 children born to this union. He attended country school, graduating in 1929, then attended Walnut High School, and was in the graduating class of 1933.
Upon graduating from high school, he worked at the family farm and spent a few summers thrashing in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. Pete then moved to California and worked at Forest Lawn Cemetery until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, when he returned home to run the family farm while his brothers were away at war.
On August 28, 1946, Pete was united in marriage to LeEtta “Letty” Arentsen in Seneca, Kansas. Two children were born to this union, Wayne and Allan. After their marriage, the couple resided for a short time with Letty’s mother, then moved to a farm south of Walnut. In 1948, Pete and Letty moved to the farm where they remained throughout their lives. Pete spent his days working on the farm, raising hogs, cattle and row crops. Pete and Letty loved to square dance and travel, and they especially enjoyed their annual fishing trips to Minnesota or Canada.
Pete did a lot of hunting and fishing in his spare time. When he retired from farming, he enjoyed doing woodworking, and made many beautiful pieces of furniture. He also loved spending time with his family and friends, especially during the holidays and birthdays.
Until the age of 89, Pete ran the combine to help his son, Wayne, and grandson Cole, with harvest every fall. He spent a great deal of time with his grandchildren, taking them out to eat, reading to them, and teaching them how to play pool. Pete was always willing to lend a helping hand whenever he was able.
Pete died on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan, Iowa, having attained the age of 95 years, 8 months, and 8 days. He was preceded in death by his wife, Letty, his parents, brothers: Harold, Ralph, Raymond, Leonard, Clifford, Lester and Dale; and sisters Cora and Alberta.
He is survived by his children Wayne Sievers and Allan Sievers, both of Walnut; seven grandchildren; Cole, Sarah, and Connor Sievers, Valerie, Lauren, Tori, and Trista Sievers; and sisters-in-law Arlene Sievers of Avoca, Iowa and Joy Sievers of Walnut; other relatives and many friends.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Brian and Nellie (McDermott) Popp on the birth of their daughter Evalyn Marie. Evalyn was born May 22nd weighing 7 lb. 14 oz. and was 21 in. long. Proud grandparents are Jim and Bobbie McDermott. Evalyn was named after Nellie’s grandmother, Marjorie Evalyn McDermott, and her middle name, Marie, was after Brian’s grandmother.
Presbyterian Women
The Neola Presbyterian Women are hosting their Annual Spring Brunch on Wed., June 8 at 9:30 am. There will be a presentation by Cathy Killpack entitled “A Walk Through
Jordan”. Please RSVP to Barb Dalton at 402-659-1741 or 712-328-4769.
The Presbyterian Women have made “Pew Cards” to give our visitors information
about our church. Thank-you to Shannon Wood for making them for the church.
Golden Oldies
The next Golden Oldies will be in the fall, September 20th at United Church in Avoca.
Food Pantry
The Food Pantry’s needs for June are: pork & beans, catsup (small), mustard (small),
Kool-Aid (not envelopes), cookies, paper plates and napkins.
Roberta is planning to hand out summer food boxes again this year. Sign-up for the boxes will be May 23-June 20 at the Food Pantry. They will be handed out there on July 1st.
The WindowThrough Which We Look
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband :
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
July Ushers and Communion Servers
Ushers: Jack & Judy Ploen, Gloria Myers & Barb Eslick Communion Servers: Linda Krueger -chm, Val Sievers, Mary Ellen Woltmann, Jack Ploen. June ushers and communion servers are at bottom of calendar.
The Great Escape
William trying to make his escape! Elizabeth trying to keep William corralled!
Sunday School
Sunday School
May 8th the Sunday School sang for the congregation. What a nice addition to our Mother's Day Service
Back row: Kaitlyn Tooley; Front row: Hana Holtz, Tori Sievers, Tristan Heiny
Reading from the messages they made for their mothers. Front: Ben Ehlers; Middle: Tristan and Tori Sievers, Hana Holtz, Bella and Brady Canada; Back: Kaitlyn and Preston Tooley
Greetings From Camp Calvin Crest
“Summer is just around the corner. Now is the time to make plans to send your child to summer camp. With camps and activities for all ages, Calvin Crest is an ideal place for your child to experience a Christ-centered residential camp experience filled with fun games, meaningful interaction with campers and caring staff, and unique opportunities to try new things. For more information, please check out our website at www.calvincrest.org or contact the camp office at (402) 628-6455. We look forward to sharing the joys of Calvin Crest with you and your child.”
Blessings,
Craig Huffman
Executive Director
Flowers for Pulpit
June 5 -------Barb Eslick
June 12------Barb Eslick
June 19------Antique Walk
June 26------Robin Tooley
Upcoming Events
Bible School---Peace UCC/First Presbyterian Vacation Bible School will be July 5 – 8, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM at Peace Church. The program will be held on Sunday, July 10th at 9:30 at Peace Church. We will NOT have services at our church that day. If you would like to help contact Robyn Tooley or Bonnie Holtz.
Antique Walk—The Food Stand work schedule is included in this Gleaner (for all you people involved). If you can’t work your time please check the schedule and call someone to trade with. Most people have been contacted but I was not able to get a hold of everyone. Mary Ellen Woltmann reported that she has peach pies ordered, along with ice, pop, ice cream mix and 8 hogs. The cost of the meat will
be higher this year so we must manage the amount of meat put on buns as we are losing money on the sandwiches. Contributions to help pay for the meat will be much appreciated. We also need help slicing buns Thursday afternoon at 1:00.
The church has several knives but you may want to bring your own. The first workers of the day need to come a little early to set up and the last workers need to get everything into the church.
Greetings From Camp Calvin Crest
“Summer is just around the corner. Now is the time to make plans to send your child to summer camp. With camps and activities for all ages, Calvin Crest is an ideal place for your child to experience a Christ-centered residential camp experience filled with fun games, meaningful interaction with campers and caring staff, and unique opportunities to try new things. For more information, please check out our website at www.calvincrest.org or contact the camp office at (402) 628-6455. We look forward to sharing the joys of Calvin Crest with you and your child.”
Blessings,
Craig Huffman
Executive Director
Flowers for Pulpit
June 5 -------Barb Eslick
June 12------Barb Eslick
June 19------Antique Walk
June 26------Robin Tooley
Upcoming Events
Bible School---Peace UCC/First Presbyterian Vacation Bible School will be July 5 – 8, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM at Peace Church. The program will be held on Sunday, July 10th at 9:30 at Peace Church. We will NOT have services at our church that day. If you would like to help contact Robyn Tooley or Bonnie Holtz.
Antique Walk—The Food Stand work schedule is included in this Gleaner (for all you people involved). If you can’t work your time please check the schedule and call someone to trade with. Most people have been contacted but I was not able to get a hold of everyone. Mary Ellen Woltmann reported that she has peach pies ordered, along with ice, pop, ice cream mix and 8 hogs. The cost of the meat will
be higher this year so we must manage the amount of meat put on buns as we are losing money on the sandwiches. Contributions to help pay for the meat will be much appreciated. We also need help slicing buns Thursday afternoon at 1:00.
The church has several knives but you may want to bring your own. The first workers of the day need to come a little early to set up and the last workers need to get everything into the church.
Session Minutes
May 10, 2011
The session of Walnut First Presbyterian Church met in regular session on May 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunday School south annex. Those in attendance were: Robin Tooley, Bonnie Holtz, Linda Krueger, Jim Tooley and Linda Ploen. Absent were: Dennis Jensen, Margo Matthies, Jim McDermott, Jack Ploen, and Ty Johnk.
Moderator David Krueger opened the meeting with prayer and a reflection from “The Only Necessary Thing” entitled Spiritual Dryness.
The minutes of the April meeting were read and approved.
The treasurer’s report was approved as given.
Pastor David’s report was approved as given. He traveled 173 miles this month.
Linda Ploen gave the clerk’s report. She read thank-you’s from Calvin Crest, Kaitlyn Tooley, Robert Keefer and Theological Seminaries. A note was also read from Dick Brown reporting that he would be having a short ceremony at our church on May 22nd recognizing Pastor David for his good work. Her final correspondence was read concerning- defining Quorum for our congregation. We need to act on this immediately since the new Form of Government, if approved, will go into effect on July 10, 2011. A motion was made by Robin and 2nd by Jim Tooley that a quorum of a meeting of the congregation shall be not less than one tenth of the members. Motion carried. Linda Krueger moved and Jim T. 2nd the motion that a quorum of the session shall be the pastor or other presiding officer and one third of the elders but not fewer than two. Motion carried.
There was one death, that of Betty Jane Maassen on April 21, 2011. David had her committal service on April 29th at the Shelby, Iowa cemetery.
Kim Hoffman has asked for a membership transfer. It was moved and 2nd to accept this when we receive her letter of transfer.
Stewardship and Mission
Linda K. received notice that our donations to One Great Hour of Sharing went to help with the southern spring storms. They are also asking for donations to go for clean-up buckets for this area. She also reported that the Pentecost offering will go out this Sunday.
Christian Education
Robin reported that the Sunday School sleepover went well and that 23 children attended. She also asked for permission to have a BBQ/picnic for the Sunday School kids and their parents, and also to hold a teacher’s camp this summer to prepare teachers for fall Sunday School. It was approved by the session. Bonnie stated that she had attended a Bible School meeting with Peace Church. The dates have been set for Tuesday, July 5th-8th from 6-8 p.m. at the Peace Church. The program will be on Sunday July 10th during the Peace Church service. Session approved this.
Worship
Communion was served to 5 residents at Peace Haven on May 1st. Linda Ploen was the serving elder. Maundy Thursday service, a joint service with United Church of Avoca, was held at Peace Haven. Communion was served to a full chapel. We also need to check with Midwest Lighting and Sound to see what the problem is with the worship slides.
Finance and Property
There was no report on the progress of our worship control center cabinet. We discussed getting a plaque with the names of those who donated money for the sound system. We received a bill from Siever’s Electric for sound and light installation. Also discussed was our organ and piano. Our organ needs some costly repairs. Perhaps we could sell it and get an electric piano/organ keyboard for around $5,000. We need to get a committee together to check on this. Jim T. will be in charge of putting this together. David also reported that J.Franken had contacted him about doing some community service work. It was approved by the session. She will be washing the church siding.
New business
We received an email from Mary Ellen W. concerning the Antique Walk. We will be opening the stand at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 5:00 p.m. We will lower the number of hogs from 9 to 8. Linda K. presented the work schedule for the Walk.
The meeting was closed with the Lord’s Prayer.
Our next meeting will be June 14, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Clerk of Session
Linda Ploen
May 10, 2011
The session of Walnut First Presbyterian Church met in regular session on May 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunday School south annex. Those in attendance were: Robin Tooley, Bonnie Holtz, Linda Krueger, Jim Tooley and Linda Ploen. Absent were: Dennis Jensen, Margo Matthies, Jim McDermott, Jack Ploen, and Ty Johnk.
Moderator David Krueger opened the meeting with prayer and a reflection from “The Only Necessary Thing” entitled Spiritual Dryness.
The minutes of the April meeting were read and approved.
The treasurer’s report was approved as given.
Pastor David’s report was approved as given. He traveled 173 miles this month.
Linda Ploen gave the clerk’s report. She read thank-you’s from Calvin Crest, Kaitlyn Tooley, Robert Keefer and Theological Seminaries. A note was also read from Dick Brown reporting that he would be having a short ceremony at our church on May 22nd recognizing Pastor David for his good work. Her final correspondence was read concerning- defining Quorum for our congregation. We need to act on this immediately since the new Form of Government, if approved, will go into effect on July 10, 2011. A motion was made by Robin and 2nd by Jim Tooley that a quorum of a meeting of the congregation shall be not less than one tenth of the members. Motion carried. Linda Krueger moved and Jim T. 2nd the motion that a quorum of the session shall be the pastor or other presiding officer and one third of the elders but not fewer than two. Motion carried.
There was one death, that of Betty Jane Maassen on April 21, 2011. David had her committal service on April 29th at the Shelby, Iowa cemetery.
Kim Hoffman has asked for a membership transfer. It was moved and 2nd to accept this when we receive her letter of transfer.
Stewardship and Mission
Linda K. received notice that our donations to One Great Hour of Sharing went to help with the southern spring storms. They are also asking for donations to go for clean-up buckets for this area. She also reported that the Pentecost offering will go out this Sunday.
Christian Education
Robin reported that the Sunday School sleepover went well and that 23 children attended. She also asked for permission to have a BBQ/picnic for the Sunday School kids and their parents, and also to hold a teacher’s camp this summer to prepare teachers for fall Sunday School. It was approved by the session. Bonnie stated that she had attended a Bible School meeting with Peace Church. The dates have been set for Tuesday, July 5th-8th from 6-8 p.m. at the Peace Church. The program will be on Sunday July 10th during the Peace Church service. Session approved this.
Worship
Communion was served to 5 residents at Peace Haven on May 1st. Linda Ploen was the serving elder. Maundy Thursday service, a joint service with United Church of Avoca, was held at Peace Haven. Communion was served to a full chapel. We also need to check with Midwest Lighting and Sound to see what the problem is with the worship slides.
Finance and Property
There was no report on the progress of our worship control center cabinet. We discussed getting a plaque with the names of those who donated money for the sound system. We received a bill from Siever’s Electric for sound and light installation. Also discussed was our organ and piano. Our organ needs some costly repairs. Perhaps we could sell it and get an electric piano/organ keyboard for around $5,000. We need to get a committee together to check on this. Jim T. will be in charge of putting this together. David also reported that J.Franken had contacted him about doing some community service work. It was approved by the session. She will be washing the church siding.
New business
We received an email from Mary Ellen W. concerning the Antique Walk. We will be opening the stand at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 5:00 p.m. We will lower the number of hogs from 9 to 8. Linda K. presented the work schedule for the Walk.
The meeting was closed with the Lord’s Prayer.
Our next meeting will be June 14, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Clerk of Session
Linda Ploen
