THE PRESBYTERIAN
The Presbyterian Church of Garden City Newsletter 275-9141
February 28, 2007
As
faithful members of the Presbyterian Church of Garden City,
Come join us for the
community
Lenten services each
Thursday noon hour during Lent.
Sermons begin at noon
followed by lunch at
12:30 pm.
Congregational Dinner
The Fellowship Committee will be
hosting the annual
Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner on Sunday, March 11. “One of Dave’s favorite
dinners.”
Please bring a
side-dish (vegetable, salad) or dessert and join us in this time of fellowship.
Pastor’s Prose
I want to talk about a
phenomena that has impacted the church over the last twenty (20) years. I call it the feminization of the church.
For instance in our church there are 42 more women in membership than there are
men. And as I stand up front on Sunday, I can attest to that statistic. I am
not saying that it’s good or bad, I am just saying that that’s the way it
is. I was sharing all this with a
colleague of mine and he cautioned me that if I am going to talk about this
phenomena it’s important that I not disregard the men that are in church.
And that’s true. It’s so important that I not belittle the
commitment of the men in our church that are working so hard to make it work
and they are. But the truth is that
there is a diminishing number this is true in all facets of the church. When I
began in ministry twenty-seven (27) years ago, there were an inordinate number
of males serving on the Session and the Trustees boards of the church. Women
were relegated to the Deacons, the Memorial Committee and the Presbyterian
Women’s Board. Of course they have for many years taken the lion’s portion of
Sunday school teachers. I am not sure there was an attitude of superiority but
many felt that Session was a place for men to serve.
I can remember when I was a kid that my mother felt this way.
She was an executive secretary for a multi-millionaire and handled a lot of his
business. Her position was very demanding and required a great deal of
knowledge. I don’t know how many times she was asked to be nominated for the
Session. She refused time after time after time saying that’s something that
Dick can and should do. It wasn’t until I had been in ministry for twelve (12)
years that she finally agreed to go on the Session.
I don’t know if this is true but it’s what I have been told.
It seems that the church of the thirties and early forties was a very similar
church as today. Female was the
prevalent gender of those years and then came WWII. Men returned from the war. Many of those men experienced what we
call fox-hole conversion. Many had near death experiences, lost dear friends,
saw atrocious things, and prayed as hard as they ever had in their lives. They
were concerned about others in a way that they had never been concerned. Both
loved ones and people they had never met before.
These men and some women returned home committed in a way
that people hadn’t been committed before. The ones that served and the ones
that were left at home returned to the church in mass. And for the first time
in many years the church was alive, flourishing. The late forties, the fifties
and the early sixties the Christian church was the institution of choice. Men
and women with they’re families were in worship. Mission was king. Stewardship,
Christian Education, Outreach, Evangelism flourished.
I’m concerned because I love the church. I don’t believe its
an issue of my ego. The secular world knows this and is trying to capitalize on
it. I heard a commercial the other day that suggested that all across
~
~ ~ Dave ~ ~ ~
Sleep “Less” in
Sterling 2007
The Presbytery of
Southern Kansas Youth Council will be sponsoring the annual Sleep ‘Less’ in
March 23 - March 25.
The cost of the event
is $30.00 per person. Submit registration and fee to Mary no later than March
7.
We have an exciting
HEY GUESS WHAT WE ARE
DOING SUNDAY
Our High
School Youth Group will be leading worship which will focus on the Sacraments
and as a hands on experience we will be baptizing Annalise York and receiving
Communion. So come and support our Youth Group and the Yorks.
A note from Mary:
Thank you for sending Dave and
me to the APCE (Assn. of Presbyterian Church Educators) conference. I
attended 5 great seminars, worshiped, prowled the resource/bookstore area
and met other people who are involved in Christian Education. I have already
used some of the activities I learned and some of the resources I brought home.
If you are interested in knowing more about what I did and about the resources,
I’ll be happy to send you the report I presented to the C.E. Committee, or just
tell you. Thank you for providing me with this rewarding experience.
Pray healing for Anna McVey, Freida Greathouse, Yvonne Allman,
Pat LeClerc, Susan Brookover, Bob Whippo, Dale Meadors, Marge Williams, Linda
Friesner, Ruth Powell, Jim Hamlett, John
Lechliter, Nancy Stegman,
(Please
call the church with your personal prayer request). God Bless All Of You.
The following
families have recently lost loved ones.
Please pray for Carty York on the death of
her father, Les DePew on the death of Helen.
This
week’s prayer families are Joan Davis and Donna Jameson.
Please pray for the First Presbyterian Church in
WORSHIP ASSISTANTS
FOR SUNDAY
March 4, 2007
Greeters - Joan Davis and Mary
Guy
Lay Leader - High School Youth
Ushers - N/A at time of printing
Fellowship - Carol Hodgkinson
and Donna Jameson
Birthdays
Chase
John R Ford 3/11
Ruth Richards 3/11
Donna Gigot 3/13
Rhonda Hutton 3/13
Marilyn Peterson-Rundell 3/13
Bruce Middleton 3/14
Donald Ochampaugh 3/16
Anniversaries
Daryl & Ann Hamlett 3/8/1975
This Week’s Activities
Sunday, March 4
Bell Choir @
8:30 am, Sunday school @ 9:30 am, Worship w/Communion @ 10:45 am
Tuesday, March 6
Celebration Team
@ 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 7
BBBS @ noon,
Celebrate Kids! @ 5:00 pm, Youth Groups @ 6:00 pm,
Choir @ 7:30 pm,
Worship @ 8:30 pm
Thursday, March 8
Circle I @ 9:30 am, Sermons A La Carte @
noon, Circle II @ 2:00 pm,
Ladies Bible
Study @ 7:00 pm, Circle III @ 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 11 Daylight Savings Time
begins
Bell Choir @
8:30 am, Sunday school @ 9:30 am, Worship @ 10:45 am
Tuesday, March 13
Celebration Team
@ 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 14
BBBS @ noon,
Celebrate Kids! @ 5:00 pm, Youth Groups @ 6:00, Choir @ 7:30 pm
Thursday, March 15
Sermons A La
Carte @ noon, Ladies Bible Study @ 7:00 pm