THE RENEWAL
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HAVRE DE GRACE
551 Franklin Street, Havre de Grace, MD 21078
Church (410) 939-3611 - Fax (410) 939-3581
April, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I thought it would be good to explore just what Easter is for Presbyterians. I found these two articles on the PC(USA) website that I thought were worthy of sharing with you. Please take a moment to read these and ponder their implications on our faith and worship and lives.
Season of Easter
Easter isn’t just a Sunday — it’s aseason. One day out of 365 is hardly sufficient to celebrate the great mystery of our faith — that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Accordingly, the season of Easter lasts seven weeks (a “week of weeks”), spanning the 50 days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday and encompassing the festival of the Ascension of the Lord. The season of Easter is intended to be a joyful time for celebrating the presence of the risen Christ in the church. Of course, Easter really isn't just aseasoneither. In the fullest sense, Easter is a new way of life— in which we are"dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11), called to"walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4).Every year, for fifty days, the church celebrates and rehearses this new way of life in the Season of Easter — as we await itscompletion in the fullness of Christ's reign.
A WEEK OF SUNDAYS
An excerpt from theCompanion to the Book of Common Worship(Geneva Press, 2003, 117)
For seven weeks, a week of Sundays, we acclaim the resurrection of Christ by the power of God. The period of seven weeks of jubilation can be traced back to its Jewish roots of the fifty days celebrated from the day after Passover to Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, Exodus 23:16). For Jews, the Feast of Weeks closed the season of harvest, which had been initiated by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In a similar manner, early Christians observed a fifty-day period of celebration from Easter to the Day of Pentecost. To underscore the uninterrupted rejoicing of these fifty days, fasting and kneeling in prayer were forbidden at least as early as the end of the second century. On thepentecoste(“fiftieth”) day, not only was the fifty-day period concluded, but a festival with its own proper content was celebrated. The Jews observed a feast of covenant renewal and eventually commemorated the giving of the Law. Christians celebrated the gift of the Spirit as preparing the way for the day of the Lord. What Moses and the Law did for the Jewish community, the Holy Spirit now does for the community of Christ.
Prayer:
We praise you, O God, and give you thanks that you have given us such joy, such grace, and such hope, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let our lives be proof of that good news. Let all our words and actions, our love and service bear witness to your resurrection power; for the sake of our living Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Blessings to you and your families,
Pastor Susie
APRIL2013Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
1 / 2
Grace Place / 3 / 4
Choir Practice
6:15 p.m. / 5 / 6
2nd Sunday of Easter 7
Sunday School -9:45 a.m.
Worship-11:00 a.m. / 8
Trustees
and
Committee meetings
6:30 p.m.
Veterans Day observed / 9 / 10
Session packet
info due / 11
Deacon’s meeting
5:30 p.m.
Choir Practice
6:15 p.m. / 12 / 13
3rd Sunday of Easter 14
Sunday School -9:45 a.m.
Worship - 11:00 a.m. / 15
May
Newsletter
deadline
Joint
Session Meeting
with DCHC
7:00 p.m.
. / 16 / 17 / 18
Choir Practice
6:15 p.m. / 19 / 20
4th Sunday of Easter 21
Sunday School -9:45 a.m.
Worship - 11:00 a.m. / 22
Earth Day / 23 / 24
Armenian Genocide / 25
Choir Practice
6:15 p.m. / 26 / 27
‘The Vine’
food pantry
10–11:30 a.m.
5th Sunday of Easter 28
Sunday School -9:45 a.m.
Worship - 11:00 a.m. / 29 / 30
CHURCH FAMILY NEWS
04/04 – Jill Hartsfield 04/16 – George Deibel III
04/11 - Ryan Weitzel 04/20 – Paul Stratton
04/11 – Nathan Willoughby 04/25 – Shaun Smith
04/14 – Ethan Michael Mathias 04/30 – John Margan
04/14 – Genevieve Datesman
04/08 – Steiner & Lovie Jane Pierce
04/28 – Jim & Irene Rudolph
DUTY ROSTER
Liturgist Deacons Trustees Usher-Tellers
04/07 Dawn Hebding Kimberly Andreen Ells Shank Team #3, Ells Shank (capt.)
04/14 Jeremiah Seepersad Sandy Matthews Greg Smith Team #4, Greg Smith (capt.)
04/21 Ed Matthews Tara Werkheiser Pam Mason Team #5George Deibel (capt.)
04/28 TBA Carol Gatto Ryan Weitzel Team #2,Bill Kietzman (capt.)
Communion Schedule Childcare Schedule
04/07 – Bud Webb 04/07– Stephanie
- Lew Mason 04/14- Stephanie
04/21 - Katelynn
04/28– Stephanie
THE VINE FOOD PANTRY
FYI – 13families visited the Vine Food Pantry on Saturday, March 23. Special thanks to those whose came and helped with the distribution.
EVERY 4TH SATURDAY FROM 10 - 11:30 AM
YOURMONETARY OR FOOD DONATION IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. WHAT YOU GIVE WILL MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE TO REAL PEOPLE. THANK YOU!
Schedule for 2013
April 27
May 25
June 22
July 27
August 24
September 28
October 26
*November 16
*December 21
*In November and December, our food giveaway is on the Saturday
prior to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mile of Pennies
Donations for February and March: $21.00
Our total to date is $282.06 for our fifth Mile of Pennies which started in August 2009. It took us 23 years to complete four miles. A Mile of Pennies consists of $844.80 or 84,480 pennies. The Mile of Pennies originated in 1986.
The basket for your contributions (any loose change) is located on your left as you enter the Narthex and ‘thank-you’ for your participation in this mission of our church. The money is used by the Deacons to purchase cards and stamps for mailings to members and friends of the congregation.
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift”. ~2 Corinthians 9:15
George Deibel
Miles of Pennies Chairman
CHURCH PROGRAM
Hallelujah! HE HAS RISEN!!! We have celebrated Easter and new life in Christ!
The joint Palm Sunday service at Deer Creek Harmony was joyous. The choirs sang together. The children sang. Palms were waved, and I loved the singing of ‘The Palms’. Deer Creek Harmony served a lovely lunch and the children enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt.
On Maundy Thursday the service was more solemn as we celebrated the Lord’s Supper and a drama of that event. Delicious soup and bread was enjoyed.
Easter Sunday began with a light breakfast and sunrise service by the water at the Lock House. What a beautiful morning as we heard the wonderful story of the resurrection of our Lord and sang praises! At eleven o’clock, the congregations of Havre de Grace Presbyterian and Deer Creek Harmony Presbyterian gathered at our church for the traditional Easter service, receiving inspiration from Pastor Susie’s sermon and the music of the choir.
The Sunday school is growing. We have classes for pre-school children during the church hour and classes for Primary, Teens and Adults at 9:45 AM each Sunday. If you or your children are not attending, please come. We welcome you!
Plans are underway for Pentecost and for Summer Vacation Church School. Please feel free to volunteer to help in any way.
In His service. CarolynMathias,Program Chairman
Palm Sunday – March 24, 2013
Children’s Easter Egg Huntat Deer Creek Harmony
Maundy Thursday Service
March 28, 2013
Baptism of Zaara Hermione Batchoo
Granddaughter of Jeremiah Seepersad
Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013
Children in Church
(Submitted by Rev. Dick Neff)
A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle, hewould take two steps,stop, and turn to the crowd.... While facing the crowd,he would put his handsup like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step,step, ROAR, all theway down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was neartears from laughingso hardby the time he reached the pulpit. When asked whathe was doing, the childsniffed and said,"I was being the Ring Bear."
One Sunday in a small West Texas town, a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour.
The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew butwere losing the battle.Finally, the father picked the little fellow up andwalked sternly up the aisle on his way out.Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudlyto the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"
One particular four-year old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets." A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy,don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."
A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the wayto church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping!"
The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached,he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went.Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly trippingbefore jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in thethird pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
Six-year old Angie, and her four-year old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud.Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."
My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, “No, how is we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.
A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then, one day, she floored her grandmother by asking,"Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus; The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"
A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments.They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted,"Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife."
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HAVRE DE GRACE
Pastor – Rev. Susie Atkinson
Church phone -410-939-3611
April Newsletter
1