The Messenger

Presbyterian United Church of Christ

www.facebook.com/PresbyterianUCC

www.pucclemars.com

858 7th Avenue SE

P.O. Box 729

Le Mars, IA 51031

712-546-6624

puccoffice@frontier.com

OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday– Friday

9:00 am - Noon

1:00 pm- 3:30 p.m.

Closed Mondays

Sunday Worship

10:30 a.m.

Nursery available for children under six years during worship

service.

Weather-related

cancellations will be aired on KLEM 1410 AM

2016 IMPORTANT DATES IN

APRIL

April 3: Holy Humor Sunday

April 6: Confirmation Class

April 14: Commission/Deacon

Meetings

April 17: Blue Bag Sunday

April 20: Confirmation Class

April 26: Session

From: The Red Brick Church on the Hill

Palm Sunday

Our Holy Week observance will begin on March 20th, with Palm and Passion Sunday worship. This day we will have a special procession involving the waving of palm branches to commemorate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem that Passover week years ago. Our worship that Sunday will end with us moving toward the cross and Jesus’ suffering.

Come early for a special Palm Sunday brunch on March 20th. The Presbyterian Women will be serving between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex if you would like to help out in providing for the brunch. Table service will be provided. Baskets will be placed on the tables for donations toward the various mission projects of Presbyteri-an Women. Hope to see you there!

Maundy Thursday

On Thursday, March 24, we will gather at 7:00 p.m. to observe Maundy Thurs-

day. During this time of worship, we will come to the table to receive commun-

ion. The service will end with a solemn recognition of Christ’s death on the

cross. We will leave in silence that evening.

Growing with Grace and Gratitude Through the Easter Season

In gratitude to God, the Sunday School classes are going to support the work of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance by collecting hygiene

kits that will be used by the people who are coping with natural disasters, violence, or extreme poverty. These kits can mean the difference

between sickness and health for them. We will be collecting the kits until Easter Sunday, March 27th! Find the list of items to put in your kit

below!

Hand towel (approximately 16” x 28” , no fingertip or bath towels)

Washcloth

Wide-tooth comb (remove from package)

Nail clipper (no metal files or emery boards; remove from package)

Bar of soap (bath size in wrapper)

Toothbrush (in original packaging)

6 Adhesive bandages

Place all items in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure.

*Please do not add toothpaste to the hygiene kit. Toothpaste with an extended expiration date will be added to international hygiene kit

shipments.

Good Friday

We are invited to worship on Good Friday with our friends at Faith United Presbyterian Church (formerly Morningside Presbyterian) at 4327 Morningside Ave in Sioux City. The service will begin at 6:30 p.m.

One of the blessings I receive as a Pastor comes

when leading worship at our care centers in town.

Recently, while sharing with a small “congregation” at the Pride

Group, one woman spoke of Pope Francis. While watching some

clips of him and his ministry on television, she thought of the amount

of suffering he witnesses in the world. I was touched by her words.

No stranger to suffering herself, this woman was well aware of the

presence of suffering in the lives of people.

While the ministry of Pope Francis takes him all over the world, our ministry here

in Le Mars is not immune to being touched by the struggles of life. We may not see

suffering on the same scale that we would if we were in a different part of the world,

yet, if we took the time to really look, we would find people all around us who are carrying

heavy burdens. Of course, suffering even makes its way into the church. While we might

clean up well on Sunday and look pretty good, it doesn’t mean everything is fine. On any

given Sunday, we have people among us who are worried about overwhelming health issues,

grieving the death of special people in their lives, carrying burdens of broken relationships,

weighed down with fear and uncertainty, struggling with finances, anxious about work or family, or

deeply concerned for a loved one, to name just a few of the ways we suffer.

Regarding suffering within our faith community, the church needs to ever be aware of one another.

We are called to bear one another’s burdens, to weep with those who weep, to pray for those who

are weak, and to genuinely care for one another. This care grows as we get to know one another.

I’m so pleased we have 3 small groups going this Lenten season. This is a great way to get to know

people better, to share life together, and to grow as a community of faith. Beyond small groups, I

encourage you to make it a practice to intentionally work to get to know one another better. Sit

down with someone you aren’t as well acquainted with at coffee time, make a point of introducing

yourself to people in church you don’t know, invite someone at church over for dessert, or call some

one just to let them know you are thinking of them. Be attentive to one another. Who is God putting

on your heart? Pray for them (we have a wonderful prayer corner now in the sanctuary for you to try

out!). Look for ways to reach out to them.

Sometimes we may forget this, but the very message of the gospel reaches us in the midst of our

suffering. The church is a safe place to come when one is struggling because God loves us and is

ever reaching out to us. As we move further through the season of Lent, we will once again be re

minded of the way Christ came and lived among us, and shared our sufferings. On Easter we will

celebrate victory over evil, won for us by Christ. Friends, in the midst of your suffering, let God

reach you with God’s love. Being a part of a faith community can provide strength, peace, comfort

and hope as we hear the great promises of God’s love that is steadfast even in the storms of

life.

With love and hope,

In February, the 4 & 5 year olds had a visit

from a police officer who taught them about

safety. The Plymouth County Naturalist

returned for her final visit this year and

taught the kids about birds. All the classes

also learned about and celebrated

Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day. The

4 & 5 year olds ended the month by learning about the letter S

with Silly Socks Day and Sunglasses Day! The 3 year olds

completed their unit on colors and begin learning about shapes.

The 3 year olds also started using scissors!

In March, the classes will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday, St.

Patrick’s Day, and Easter. They will also have visits from Lisa

from the Le Mars Public Library, Pastor Jan, and Tammy from

Poison Control.

Registration for the 2016-2017 school year began January 4!

To register, please call 546-6626 or email

puccnoahsark@frontier.com.

March 19 is the first day of Spring! Have a wonderful March!

Children’s Chapel - Worship Ministry

Easter is the joyful celebration of the death, resurrection

and ascension of Jesus. During Children’s Chapel this

month we will tell the story of Jesus’ triumphant arrival

in Jerusalem as it begins Holy Week! The Storyteller

leads each story in such a way that the children have

the possibility of feeling like the are there with Jesus.

March Schedule

3-6 Communion Sunday ~ No Children’s Chapel

3-13 Jesus and Zacchaeus

3-20 Jesus The King

3-27 Easter Sunday - No Children’s Chapel

Confirmation Class Update

Our confirmands are busy learning the books of the Bible.

They have been reading through the gospel of Mark as well.

We are now delving into some of the primary stories of the

Bible. Each evening we begin with a story and discussion,

before we move into the rest of the lesson. The first two

stories we have talked about are Creation and Disruption (the

fall). The goal of going through these stories is to provide a

general picture of the overall message of the Bible as God’s

revelation to us.

We were only able to meet once as a class in February due to

weather. During that class we focused on Question 23 of the

Study Catechism:

What comfort do you receive by trusting in God’s

providence? The eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

watches over me each day of my life, blessing and guiding me

wherever I may be. God strengthens me when I am faithful,

comforts me when I am discouraged or sorrowful, raises me

up if I fall, and brings me at last to eternal life.

The class was introduced to the story of Joseph as marvelous

demonstration of providence. Even when things go wrong in

our lives, God can take everything and shape us into some-

thing new and good, much as a potter reshapes clay that has

collapsed on the potter’s wheel. ~ from Professing Our Faith /

A Confirmation Curriculum.

Special Sunday School Dates

March 20th: Palm Sunday, Sunday School

Singers will perform during the church service.

Meet in the Chapel at 10:15 a.m.

No Sunday School Classes: March 20th and

March 27th

May 15th: Youth Sunday

This will be the last day of Sunday School until fall.

Students, Sunday School Teachers and Children’s

Chapel Teachers will be recognized and honored.

Installation Service

Installation of Rev. David Koehler as pastor of Faith United Presbyterian Church

Morningside Ave, Sioux City

March 13, 2016

3:00 PM

Session Highlights

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

1. MembershipVicky Mulder was a guest at the meeting. Session approved her membership by letter of transfer from West Prairie Lutheran Church in Lennox, SD. Session also approved Twilla Doornink’s request for her membership to be transferred to the United Church of the Plains in Dalton, NE. Session also approved the request of Brian and Janet Woltman to be removed from the membership rolls.

2. Moderator’s Report Pastor Jan highlighted activities in the areas of worship, education, pastoral care, ad-ministrative and leadership, presbytery and community. Jan participated in an installation in Hawarden, offi-ciated at the funeral of Jean Rowe on February 19th, was a part of the leadership of the Grief and Growth group this month, was pleased with the Ash Wednesday service, Lenten small groups and is excited about the prayer corner that has been developed in the sanctuary.

3. Clerk’s Report Communion was served to 74 on February 7th. Session approved the baptism of Aiden John Jackson on March 13th.

4. Treasurer’s Report Rob reported that we have started 2016 close to budget but cautioned that we are only a month in to the new year. He also commented on a few corrections to a few of the items in the budg-et.

5. Sabbatical Plan Session approved the pastor’s sabbatical plan which will include a Spiritual Retreat at St. Martin’s Monastery in Rapid City, SD, Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders at Calvin Crest Conference & Retreat Center in Fremont, NE, Pastor’s School at Hastings College in Hastings, NE and Church on Two Wheels: Exploring Natural & Spiritual Landscapes by Bicycle at Prairiewoods Spirituality Center in Hiawatha, IA. The session continued work on preparing for the sabbatical and are currently in the process of securing worship leadership for Sundays. Several Sundays are already confirmed with leadership from within the congregation!

6. Nominating Committee Pat Penning has agreed to serve as a session representative on the nominating committee. Mike Cunningham will be chairing this committee.

7. Commissioner to Presbytery Mike Cunningham was approved to serve as commission to the March 12th

Presbytery meeting in Carroll. Month Income Expenses Difference

January $ 20, 991.77 $ 20,287.64 $ 704.13

Time:

Sundays @ 4:30pm

Sundays at 6:00pm

Fridays @ 3:00pm

Hosts:

Dennis & Linda Smith

Dan & Deb Thompson

Lowell & Pat Penning

Jeff & Teresa Peters

Pastor Jan

Lenten Small Groups

March 6:

Thompson’s Home 4:30pm

Penning’s Home 6:00pm

March 13:

Thompson’s Home 4:30pm

Peter’s Home 6:00pm

March 20:

To be determined 4:30pm group

Penning’s Home 6:00pm

March 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th

The 3:00pm group meets at Park

Place Estates.

Lenten Small Groups Location Calendar

Returning from Jamaica

Dan and Deb Thompson returned from their mission trip to Jamaica at the end of February. They accomplished many different tasks while

they were there with WeServe. One of those jobs included painting a home that the WeServe organization built for a single mom and her

two kids back in November, Another job was working on a school. The team worked hard everyday to serve the Jamaican people. Thank

you Dan and Deb for your participation in this mission trip! A grant from our Human Development Fund helped support Dan and Deb on this

trip, as did individual gifts from within the congregation. Dan and Deb will be sharing their trip with the congregation later this spring.

MARCH

BIRTHDAYS March 3 Betty Athens March 13 Debra Thompson March 14 Mary Bomgaars March 17 Robert Bendlin March 20 Owen Wacker March 23 Allyson Keunen March 25 Jim Farley March 27 Seth Albers March 29 Kay Koch March 30 Linda Smith March 30 Jackson Oswald March 31 Dr. Tom Jeneary

Jerry & Chris Lake

March 13, 1970

THANK YOU ~ Thank you, thank you, Family of God at PUCC for all the ways you’ve encouraged and supported John and me during the last few months. From the Christmas goodie basket and Le Mars chamber certificates (Blue Bunny watch out for us when our grandsons come to visit this summer!) to the prayers and cards for John’s recovery from his heart attack, we have been very blessed by your love. In Christ, Laurey & John Zwart

Near to Our Hearts! Please remember our shut ins and others residing in care facilities. Home Bound: Bob Becker, Sally Plueger and Glenn Waite. Plymouth Manor: Mildred Morton. Good Samaritan Society: Mavis Kuper Park Place Estates: Pat Hawkins, Kay Pfannkuch and Evelyn Weber. The Abbey: Dr. Ron Batz Bickford Cottage in Sioux City: Marlyce Christensen Individuals Out of Town: Jean Koenig, Betty Lou Larson, Maxine Pitts, Gordon Thompson, Ruth Rann and Jane Truesdell.

WE KEEP THE FOLLOWING FAMILIES IN PRAYER AS THEY MOURN THE DEATH OF

LOVED ONES SYMPATHY & PRAYERS ~ We extend our sympathy to Shirley Timmons upon the death of her sister-in-law, and to Sharon Rowe and Steve & Colleen Rowe upon the death of their moth-er. Jean Rowe died on Thursday, February 11th, at the Akron Care Center. Funeral services were here at the church on February 19th. SYMPATHY & PRAYERS ~ We extend our sympathy to Donna Lucken and her family upon the death of her husband Arlen. Arlen Lucken dies Thursday, February 24th at their home. Funeral services were here at the church on February 29th. SYMPATHY & PRAYER ~ We extend our sympathy to Rod & Colleen Scholten and to Jerry & Audrey Scholten upon the death of Rod and Jerry’s sister, Beverly Waitt on Monday, February 29th, in California. Bev is survived by her hus-band M.G. Waitt of Newbury Park, California.

Nothing can separate us from the love of

God. Romans 8: 39

PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR THOUGHTS

AND PRAYERS Barb Steeg Pat Hawkins Betty Swalve

Mikalla Ericson Tyler Finley

Marlyce Christensen Walker Raymond

Mavis Kuper Jim Farley

Chris Jackson Dennis Smith

Tyler Schweisow Pat Walker

Lucille Swalve Evelyn Kendall

Brad Athens Rod & Colleen Scholten

Virgil Brockel Herb & Hester Caswell

The Family of Arlene Kratochvil The Family of Dr. Ron Batz The Family of Jean Rowe

The Family of Arlen Lucken Those grieving the death of loved ones

Gifts in Memory ~

Through the years, this church has been the grateful recipient of many wonderful gifts in memory of loved ones who have entered the Church Triumphant. These gifts have been put to use in a variety of ways to bless the ministry of this congregation. For those who are looking to give a memorial gift, there are two ways of giving. First, a monetary gift can be given to be used at the discretion of the church. These are called non-designated gifts. The session draws upon these gifts when a new project is in the works and needs funding. Second, gifts can be given for a certain purpose or project that is underway within the church. Donors are welcome to talk with the pastor regarding current projects to choose from.

General Assembly

The General Assembly will be coming in June in Portland, OR. Please keep Elaine Doorenbos in prayer as she prepares to serve as a commissioner from our presbytery. Elaine will be serving on

the Church Polity and Ordered Ministry Committee. Thanks for serving Elaine!

Soles 4 Souls

Time to clean out those closets for another year! The Le Mars Area Ministerial Association

(LAMA) is organizing the shoe drive once again this

year. Bring your shoes, boots, sandals in any condi-

tion to the church now through March 27th. The foot-

wear will be taken to Village Northwest in Sheldon

for processing and will be distributed throughout our

country and world to people in need! Thanks for

your support of this important ministry!

We welcome two new babies!

Hunter Charles Walsh arrived on January 13, born to Robbie and Cayla Walsh. Hunter is

welcomed by big sister Ava, and proud grandparents Charlie & Michelle Nelson, Mike Walsh and

Theresa Walsh. We look forward to Hunter’s baptism on April 24th.

Aiden John Jackson was born on January 21, 2016, to Jennifer Jackson and Kyle Keleher. Proud

grandparents are Bob and Barb Jackson. We look forward to Aiden’s baptism on March 13th.

World Day of Prayer

Please plan to join in the World Day of Prayer, Friday, March 4th @ 1:30

PM at the United Methodist Church in Le Mars.

The speaker this year is Dick Seivert with the Just Feed One program.

He is going to talk on some of the water issues they deal with in

Honduras. Within his talk he will discuss the water project the Gehlen

student completed in El Picacho a small very poor mountain village 3

hours north of Tegucigalpa.

Upcoming Events @ Lakeshore Center!

March 13-17 ~ Annual Quilt Retreat, a retreat filled

with inspiration, fun, and creativity! You work on

your quilts and leave the cooking to us!

April 30th ~ Spring Work Day, all are welcome to

come and help with the Spring Work Day! Activities

to except include: cleaning and preparing cabins for

summer camp, chopping wood, removing fallen

trees & branches, stocking supplies, etc. Lodging is available

cost, 6 hours of work. Breakfast and lunch will be served on

Saturday.

Phone: 712-337-3313

Check out their website for more information!

http://www.lakeshorecenteratokoboji.org

Come to the Sanctuary The session is encouraging members and friends of this congregation to come to our beautiful sanctuary for a time of solace and prayer. Recognizing the need in our lives for stillness and communion with God, you are invited to come whenever the building is open and spend time with God. This is a great way to center on God, listen for God, and to lift up your concerns for yourself, others, and for the ministry of this congregation.

The next meeting of the Presbytery is on March 12th at 9:30 AM at the First Presbyterian Church in Carroll, IA. At this meeting people are asked bring items to support the Family Crisis Cen-ters & CAASA of Carroll/Calhoun County Needs. Find he list of items below: Disposable Diapers size 4 needed, all sizes will work Laundry Soap Paper Towels/ Bathroom Tissues Facial Tissues Baby Wipes Personal items - shampoo tooth paste regular size items Non Perishable Food Products Toys and Clothes Girls ages 1-13 Boys ages 4-13 Gas Cards Grocery/ Wal-Mart/Kmart Gift Cards Any other items that could be used by a family starting over in a new home, or transitioning into shelter.

Please join us at an OPEN HOUSE to Celebrate

the Rev Don Gibson

on his re-retirement and 60 years of ministry

Sunday March 6, 2016

2:00-4:00pm

(there will be a short program at 2:30pm)

Wall Lake Community Building

Wall Lake, IA

If you are unable to attend and would like to share in

the celebration please mail your greetings to:

Rev. Don Gibson

PO BOX 579

Wall Lake, IA 51466

Tree Selection, Planting and Pruning Seminar

ISU Extension State Forester Jesse Randall will present a seminar about

Tree Selection, Planting and Pruning. Dr. Randall will be educating

landowners on the current state of the Emerald Ash Borer in Iowa during

this seminar along with how to select healthy trees, plant, maintain, and

prune trees.

The Meeting is free and open to the public. For more information and to

pre-register, contact ISU Extension

and Outreach Plymouth County at

712-546-7835 or email Janelle

Johnson at Janelle@iastate.edu.