April 2021 During This Easter Season, Many Things Are Happening in Nature That (See Inside for Details) Remind Us of Jesus’ Victory Over Sin and Death
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The Supplement A publication of Supplee Presbyterian Church From the Pastor Metaphors April 2021 During this Easter season, many things are happening in nature that (see inside for details) remind us of Jesus’ victory over sin and death. Caterpillars are changing into butterflies. The swallows are returning to Capistrano. Robins are back Thursday, April 1 establishing a sign of spring. The paraments have become white signifying 7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Communion Service Eastertide has arrived. It is a season of change. Even the pandemic has been affected by the arrival of spring, as we can now again gather outside Friday, April 2 in the warmer weather. 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Tenebrae Service So here are my questions for you. Are you open to change? Are you open to God doing something new in your life? Sunday, April 4 Undoubtedly you recall that once the resurrection had taken place, the Easter Sunday 9:30 Easter Sunday Service disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, went about sharing the promise of eternal life. As a result, they would establish the church of Jesus Christ. Saturday, April 17 9:00 a.m. Blood Drive If you take the opportunity to read through the book of Acts, you cannot help but notice why their experiment in discipleship worked. Men like Peter Sunday, April 25 - Saturday, May 1 took the gospel to many areas of the world while at times he was Week of Service shipwrecked, put in prison and ultimately gave his life for the Lord. Perhaps God is not calling us to the depths of sacrifice that Peter experienced, but we are called on to risk being unpopular. Here is how Peter’s willingness to risk all for the sake of the gospel applies to us in our day and age. 1. Read the Bible regularly so that you will be in a position to share its message with others. 2. Learn to be effective at using the window of opportunity when it becomes available for sharing your faith. 3. When you share your faith with a neighbor, colleague or relative pray that God’s Holy Spirit will speak to them, using what you have shared about God’s love. Lent can be like money in the bank. No deposit. – No return. Celebrating the empty tomb with you, Pastor Don April 2021 | 1 Adult Education Opportunities Sunday Mornings Reflections Pastor Don continues with "Sermon Reflections" every Sunday immediately following worship (approximately 10:30 a.m.) until 11:00 a.m. This is a chance for you to ask questions or reflect on this week's sermon with Don. Those who attend in person will join Don in the parlor, and those at home can join virtually via zoom We will have the same link every week. (Meeting ID 723 6140 6706; Password: Supplee) Click here to join meeting. The Gospel of Mark: How Jesus Changes Everything Have you ever wondered what were probably the first accounts of the life of Jesus ever written? The answer is in the Gospel of Mark. Mark describes Jesus as a purposeful, powerful man who quickly moves from place to place, from person to person, teaching, healing, training disciples. You will find action in the book of Mark: amazing miracles, brilliant teaching and argument, plots to get Jesus killed, and the triumph of the empty grave. The Gospel of Mark was written as a means of presenting the message of salvation. It was also written as a “pamphlet for suffering” to encourage Christians in their faith in spite of persecution. Mark stresses the heroic qualities of the Christian life and emphasizes the pattern of discipleship. He addresses these questions: How should one respond to the call of Christ? What are the expectations of the Christian life? Why do people suffer? In this course you’ll discover for yourself who Jesus is and how he can speak directly to you through his Word. You don’t have to know a lot about the Bible, just a desire to know more about Jesus and how His life affects your life. This class will meet Sunday mornings at 11 AM on Zoom beginning April 11. Check the church website and emails for the link. It will be taught by Jay Eibner, Russ Hensel, and Chuck Wormington. Thursday Evenings Unafraid! We certainly are living in uncertain times! For over a year we have struggled with a pandemic, the real threat of serious illness to ourselves and those we love, economic pressures, racial tensions, isolation, separation, and the disruption of our normal lives. It is no wonder that we experience fear and anxiety. Beginning April 8, we will be offering a five-session DVD study: “Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times.” Adam Hamilton explores very common worries and fears such as crime, loneliness, change, finances, aging, and illness. In short video segments he presents an informed and inspiring message full of practical solutions on how our faith can support us during these challenging times. The class will focus on discussion rather than lecture regarding how these insights and solutions can be applied in our daily lives. Who? Everyone is invited. The sessions will be led by Chuck and Jan Wormington, and Russ Hensel Where? On Zoom, check the church website for the link. We will also send out the link before scheduled classes. When? Thursday nights from 7:30-8:30, April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6 Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of the 25,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area, cited as the most influential mainline church in America. He is a master at explaining questions of faith in a down-to-earth fashion. He is the author of many books including Faithful, Moses, Creed, Half Truths, The Journey, The Way, 24 Hours That Changed the World, Enough, When Christians Get It Wrong, Forgiveness, Love to Stay, and Making Sense of the Bible. We hope you will join us! April 2021 | 2 Maundy Thursday Communion Service Good Friday Service Thursday, April 1st at 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. In the Sanctuary and on YouTube Reservations required for On YouTube in-person worship He is Risen Easter Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. Easter Morning Sunday, April 4, 2021 Join us in the Sanctuary or on YouTube Note: Please go to our website (suppleepc.org) to sign up to attend in-person any of these services Reservations required for in-person worship April 2021 | 3 April Mission of the Month Dan and Rebecca Gregoire Kasárenská 1 Spišská Nová Ves 052 01 Slovakia [email protected] Organization: Mission to the World Dan and Rebecca Gregoire are serving in Slovakia with Mission to the World. (Dan was an active member of Supplee's youth group throughout high school.) Their ministry is twofold. They are working with a local church to revitalize it, help it to grow, and restore a gospel ministry to the community. Their other ministry is to the Roma people (formerly called Gypsies) in the community. The Roma are outcasts so the Gregoires are ministering to them, teaching them skills they need, showing them what Christians are like, and leading them to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Please continue to pray for them. Here is their latest update written in mid February: Slovakia has been in lockdown since December 22, 2020. Nationwide, ongoing testing reveals an increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 despite the lockdown. Many families in our Roma communities have tested positive and are subject to quarantine. I have helped Roma leaders purchase and deliver food, vitamins, cleaning supplies, and even firewood. Shut-in families have no support system to access these items while they are required to quarantine. In some cases, the families are quite sick. Our Roma leaders wanted to reach out to families in their community and extend to them the love of Christ. Two weeks ago, I picked up Roma leaders at the grocery store and made deliveries. We were all wearing masks. The next day several of the leaders tested positive. Our Roma leaders experienced typical symptoms for Covid-19, headaches, coughing, fever, etc. They were grateful for our pastor, who delivered food and supplies to them during their time of need. Under the current rules and because I was in close contact with a person who tested positive (even though I had no symptoms), I was required to quarantine myself for 14 days. I isolated myself in one bedroom in our house. On day 7, I took a PCR test which came back negative. I isolated in some of our daughters’ bedroom. They were excited to have a sleepover with mommy for two weeks. I am now out of quarantine. I look forward to once again being able to meet safely with neighbors, our church family, and Roma friends. Yesterday Rebecca dropped off medicines and supplies. Today I am meeting with our pastor to buy food and deliver it to our Roma leaders. What they were doing to bless those in their community we are now, in turn, doing for them. They are experiencing the benefit of being part of the body of Christ. They are growing in maturity and in their love of Christ and others. It has been two months of lockdown, and we are growing weary. We are concerned for the economy in Slovakia. At present, there is no talk of when older kids (5th grade and up) might return to in-person school. It is difficult for us to know how to make plans for both the near-term (when will we meet for in-person worship?) and the long-term (will we have an English camp this summer?).