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First Presbyterian Church
300 South Main Street, P. O. Box 1038
Greensburg, Pennsylvania 15601-5038
Phone: 724.832.0150 fax: 724.832.0152
Email: fpcgreensburg@comcast.net
Website: www.fpcgreensburg.com
NON-PROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE
PAID
GREENSBURG, PA
PERMIT NO. 428
May 2015
SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE
FIRST NEWS:
Sunday School at 9:00 a.m.
Worship 10:00 a.m.
Nursery Care provided
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
A Responsive Life
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
DEADLINE FOR JUNE ISSUE: MONDAY, MAY 18, 2015
Email submissions to fpcgreensburg@comcast.net or mail to church office.
The Coulter Society asks that you please consider
remembering our church in your will!
CHURCH STAFF
Rev. Martin R. Ankrum, Pastor / Head of Staff
Rev. Nicole C. Brodeur, Associate Pastor for Youth and Educational Ministries
Rev. Bobbie Hineline, Minister of Visitation
Edgar B. Highberger, Minister of Music and Organist
Taylor R. Barner, Seminary Assistant for Campus Ministry
Lu Ann Peters, Financial Secretary
Kimberly A. Stoner, Executive Secretary
Keith L. Huey, Sexton
Stacy A. Somers, FPC Preschool Supervisor
Wendy H. Matchett, FPC Preschool Teacher
Joan L. McGinley, FPC Preschool Teacher
Anita M. Garr, Director of Elementary Music
Michelle Stefl Harbaugh, Assistant to the Minister of Music
Carol A. Scherff, Housekeeper
Richard P. Fabery and Charles L. Diorio, Assistant Sextons
Katie Morella, Nursery Care
Ask anyone what the meaning of life is and be prepared to receive as many variant
answers to the query as the number of folks asked. It is a perennial question. John Lennon, of
the Beatles is reported to have said that his mother taught him that being happy is the meaning of
life. When asked as a student in school to write down an answer to that same question, he
answered as his mother taught him. The teacher read his answer and told him that she didn’t
think he understood the question. He responded: “I don’t think you know the meaning of life!”
More seriously, Joseph Campbell, late mythologist of NPR fame, wrote: Life has no
meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the
question when you are the answer.
As attractive as that statement may be to our highly-individualized way of thinking and
honoring of our prized rights to self-determination, this is not the Christian point of view. In
fact, such self-constructed purposes and answers to the meaning of life can only lead us to grave
disappointment in life. Such heresy can cause us harm.
An answer more reflective of our Christian faith comes from Shirley Guthrie, late
professor at Columbia Theological Seminary: Christians are not just people who passively
trust God to accept them as they are, solve their problems, meet their personal and family
needs, comfort and save them. They are people who respond to God’s love, forgiveness,
and acceptance with thankful obedience in every area of their lives. To be a Christian is not
only to believe and receive but to live and serve as a Christian.
Guthrie has it right: the meaning and purpose for life for the Christian is to live in
response to the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. We are called to pursue a life of
thanksgiving and gratitude, living the life with which we have been graciously bestowed by God
and offering our lives as testimony and witness to God’s goodness.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian executed by the Nazis during World War II
said it best: Seek God, not happiness … If you seek God alone, you will gain happiness: that
is it’s promise.
Grace and peace,
-Martin
OUR CHURCH FAMILY NEWS
PRAYER LIST: Virginia Abraham, Linda Anderson, Nelda Ashbaugh, Ann
(Gillingham) Beard, Sue Brown, Gail Bupp, Dorothy Casteel, Edna Mary Cox,
Michelle King Cushey, Elaine Davis, Greg Dolan, Richard Enterline, Albert
Essey, Shelley Fazi, Elizabeth Fedele, Robert Folino, Janet Glover, Tammy
Gray, Shirley Hawk, Francis Helen, Ruth Hershey, Cheryl Highberger, Grace
Howard, Charlotte Jinkner, Bob Kemerer, Ray and Reta Kuyat, Cheryl Lipko
and family, George Maser, Lila May, David McNair, Alex Noel, Bill and Trish
Noel, Leslie Pelzer, Victoria Piekut, Kay Powers, Bonnie Rosenthal, Ron Russell, Pat Salathe,
John Sember, Liz Sember, Ellen Sheehan, Liam Sherman, Janet Sutherland, Lance Tacik,
Monika Tart, Tom Taylor, Lynda Turin, Elsie Vanetta, Anh Vu, Cheryl Woods and Marilyn
Zielinski.
BIRTHDAYS: Each month we observe the VIP and fourscore or more birthdays: If you are 80 or
older, and would like to be listed in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church. May
birthdays are:
Al Essey, 127 Mt. Odin Drive, Gbg (05)
Ed Bunting, 219 Washington Street, Locust Grove, VA 22508 (17)
Dave McNair, 58 Barry Court, Gbg (25)
Lois Ann Watson, 421 Slate Run Road, Gbg (30)
Doris Weinert, 1115 Brookside Drive, Gbg (31)
MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS since March 26: Becky Anderson, Victoria Dowling, Denise
Eagleson, Amy Kerr, Amy McLaughlin, Alice Needham, Lynne “Cricket” Rizzo, Stacey Snyder,
Jean Allison, Ray and Mary Spoonhoward, John Javor, Mitchell and Patti Persin, Nancy
Santomo, JoAnn McKnight, Gary and Lorraine Hoffman, Gladys Peltier, David and Barb Fath,
Edward Huszar, Dan and Cheryl Nichols and Family, Elaine Gazze, Annita Frescura and Kathie
Grevemeyer, Frances Wallace, Edgar and Joanne Highberger
Stewardship Report
Total Disbursements through 3/31/15
Total Receipts through 3/31/15
Total Income over/under Expense
$182,276.43
$160,498.11
($21,778.32)
If you would rather receive an electronic version of the First News, please let us know at
fpcgreensburg@comcast.net and we’ll add you to our email list and remove you from
the paper copy list. Then you will receive the First News through your computer rather
than the mail box, but you’ll have to let us know!! A copy of the latest First News can
also be found at our website: www.fpcgreensburg.com
CANCER CARE LIBRARY NOW AVAILABLE ----- The Deacons have added a new Care Note
assortment which addresses many of the questions and challenges that individuals and families
face in dealing with cancer. The new library, which consists of nine cancer-related topics, is
located in the dining room next to our current Care Notes Library.
A NEW ARRIVAL in the family is amazing, exciting and can be overwhelming. The Deacons are
offering a meal for the family on a busy day with appointments, etc. The new mother, or a
family member, can contact Peggy Taylor (724-547-6851), Marjorie Pershing (724-837-3614) or
the church office. We do not have a formal network to know of births at the regional hospitals;
however, the church office will forward information as received. Anyone wishing to provide a
meal may also contact Peggy or Marjorie. Thank you for your help with this ministry.
VIP (VERY IMPORTANT PRESBYTERIANS) The Pastoral Care Committee of the Board of
Deacons are asking church members with family or friends who are hospitalized, have health
conditions that have changed, and/or have other concerns to please inform Kim Stoner at the
church office at 724-832-0150.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SPONSORING A COFFEE HOUR? Provide your own cookies, muffins
or pastries or underwrite the refreshments for $35. Use the sign-up sheet on the Dining Room
bulletin board. Your contributions and participation are greatly appreciated.
From the Stewardship Committee
THE E-GIVING SWITCH IS ON The switch to regular, scheduled e-Giving is gaining momentum
at FPC. You’ve probably noticed the growing number of green “I Give Electronically” cards in
the offering plates each Sunday. Two suggestions that will assure that your e-Donations have the
most impact on the church: 1) Credit card companies charge the church a 2-3/4% fee for each
transaction. Consider direct transfer from your checking account. 2) Consolidate your weekly
giving into one “Monthly” contribution to keep FPC’s transaction costs down and to simplify
your records. Come in to the church office if you need help getting started. It’s easy!
AN OPEN INVITATION to members and friends of First Presbyterian Church to join the Monday
Morning Sewing Circle that meets at 9:00 a.m. Monday mornings in the Fletcher Room. You
don’t have to be an expert tailor to hem the cotton flannelette baby receiving blankets or to sew
the “little dresses for Africa”. If you are interested, please contact Sylvia Carlson at
724-755-2288 for information. Membership at this church is not a requirement. Everyone is
welcome.
Continuing our education as Christians is vital to an active and informed faith! Here at
First Presbyterian, there are many groups and classes that you can join in order to increase
your understanding of our faith ….
THE FAITH & FAMILY GROUP meets in the Fletcher Room at 9 a.m. every Sunday to discuss
topics related to our faith and family relationships.
ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE is a class that discusses the influence of theologians and leaders of the
Christian church on the faith. This year we are discussing the life and work of the great German
theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The class meets in the PW Lounge every Sunday morning at
9:00 and is led by Rev. Ankrum.
THE MEN’S BREAKFAST & BIBLE STUDY meets at Eat’n Park on Rt. 30 E. each Wednesday
morning at 7:45 a.m. for a time of fellowship, study and, of course, breakfast. We are now
studying the Book of Genesis under the leadership of Rev. Ankrum.
THE BIBLICAL BOOK OF THE MONTH CLASS gathers on the final Monday evening of each
month at 7 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the church. Rev. Ankrum teaches the class and covers
a single book of the Bible each month. There will NOT be a class in May, class will resume in
September.
THE LAST TUESDAY BOOK CLUB gathers on the final Tuesday of every month to discuss a
particular novel. For April, we will meet on Tuesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. in the PW Lounge on the
first floor of the CE Wing. We are reading novellas this year and our book for this month is: The
Third Man by Graham Greene. Please join us!
THE FLOWER GARDEN ….. We will begin meeting again on May 11, 2015. Please meet at the
church at 11:00 a.m. We will meet on the second Monday of every month until October. We
gather in various gardens to appreciate God’s gifts to us. Call Bobbie Hineline at 724-850-9342
with any questions.
CORNERSTONE….will meet on Saturday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Edo Hibachi, behind
Westmoreland Mall. Cornerstone is a gathering of folks from FPC on a monthly basis for dinner
and conversation on the second Saturday evening. Please join us if you’re available! Contact
Sandy Beauregard or the church office to reserve your spot.
HIGHLANDERS will meet on Friday, May 1. This will be our final meeting of the year. Sue
Trafford will present this month’s program. For 30 years, Sue was a handwriting consultant with
many school districts and is currently an owner of Peterson Directed Handwriting. Learn how
lucky you were to be taught how to print and to learn CURSIVE writing. Everyone is welcome
to attend Highlanders. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. and the cost is $13.00. Reservations for dinner are
required and can be made by contacting the church office at 724-832-0150, no later than April
29. You do not have to be a member of Highlanders to come to the programs. If you have any
questions, please contact Carolyn Falcon at 724-837-4338.
TEA & PAINT…Are you looking for something new and fun to try? Join
Carolyn Taylor as she guides us in painting a beautiful masterpiece together!
Tea and cookies will be served. Cost will be $15 and includes all supplies
(canvas, paint, snacks, instruction, etc.) We will gather on Saturday, May 9th at
2:00 p.m. in the Dining Room. Sign up with Heather Crowe
(thecrownest@msn.com) or Niki Brodeur (ncbrodeur@gmail.com).
Mission Committee News
SECOND SUNDAY SUPPER - April finally arrived and so did 50 hungry guests. They enjoyed a
basket of bread and butter, mashed potatoes topped with a chicken, tomato and herb mixture and
mixed vegetables. Home-made cake, donated by church members, finished the meal. Many
guests complimented the meal. The five volunteers, and one called up mid-meal, struggled to
serve them. This is a team effort and a wonderful outreach to the community. The cook is the
coach. The team helps prepare, as needed, then serve the meal and at least four more distribute
the meals, dessert and clear the tables. Louis then completes the day by washing and putting the
dishes away. We need some team members to join us! We want this outreach to continue!
SUPPORT OUR YOUTH IN MISSION! Our team of 11 will be journeying to Harrisonburg, VA on
June 21st. But we still need some help getting there! We’ll have a bake sale during coffee hour on
May 10th (Mother’s Day.) You’ll be able to buy homemade cookies, pies, cakes, and other
yummy goodies! Every penny you spend will help our youth do mission!
HOMETOWN NAZARETH VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL…is
coming soon! Plan ahead for the week of June 8th-12th. Each day
from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., kids will be immersed in the story of
Jesus, told by his mom, Mary. There will be some great snacks, a
marketplace where kids can make crafts from clay, wood, and
stone, and learning some fun music to sing! Registration is open!
Print a form from our website or get one at church. Cost is only
$5 per child…contact Niki if you’re interested in helping out!
PRESCHOOL HAPPENINGS The new preschool website is live!!! Check us out at
www.fpcgpreschool.weebly.com The website contains lots of information about our preschool.
We are excited to spread the word about our school. Be sure to check us out! Registration for
2015/2016 opened on January 5, 2015. Space fills up quickly so please register early. You can
print a form directly from the website.
Confirmation Sunday – May 17, 2015
10:00 a.m. Worship Service
Please join with us on May 17th during the worship service
to receive them into full membership! The confirmation
class will be leading in worship.
Y-Fi* Connections in May
*Youth of First Pres.
When is Y-Fi?
May 3rd & May 17th
5:30-6:30pm – Dinner
6:30pm-8:00pm – Growing Together!
(Middle School &
Senior High)
*May 17th is our final Y-Fi and is held
at the home of a church family.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Y-FI SERVES! Save Saturday, May 9th on your calendar for
Pine Springs Camp’s annual Redd-Up Day! Come dressed to help with clean up, minor fix-it projects,
yardwork, painting, and other general projects to help Pine Springs look its best for summer camp! We’ll
meet at church at 7:15am to drive up together and return by 1:30pm (if you’d like to stay longer, you must
arrange for a ride home.) Sign up with Niki by May 6th!
Y-FI PLAYS! Don’t forget! Our Y-Fi Fun Bash will happen on Sunday, May 17th from 5pm-8pm at the
home of Julia Schaming. It will be a pot-luck with games, s’mores, and water balloons! Keep an eye out
for sign ups at Y-Fi on 4/26 and via email.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FLOWER GARDEN TRIP TO LONGWOOD GARDENS Women of the church are invited on a trip to
Longwood Gardens and other eastern PA gardens. We will leave on Thursday, June 11 at 9:30
a.m. from the church, taking the church van. After eating lunch along the turnpike, we will visit
Chanticleer Gardens. Then we will drive to Swarthmore for dinner in town and then visit the
gardens of Swarthmore College. A drive to Chadds Ford will take us to our hotel, the
Brandywine River Hotel. In the morning, we will go to Longwood Gardens for the day, leaving
around 4:00 p.m. to come home. Reserve your spot by sending payment of $95.00, payable to
First Presbyterian Church (on “memo” line, please mark “Longwood Gardens”) to the church by
May 15. This pays for your room (shared), gas and a ticket to Longwood Gardens. You will be
responsible for all meals and entrance to Chanticleer Gardens ($10.00). Please contact Rev.
Bobbie Hineline or Jan McNerny with any questions.
Y-FI SERVES! Want to help out at VBS this year? Get in touch with Niki to
find out how YOU can make an impact as a role model for the kids who come
to VBS!
WORRIED YOU’LL BE BORED THIS SUMMER WITHOUT YOUTH GROUP? DON’T
YOU FRET! We’ve got some great things planned, such as trips to Kennywood,
Sandcastle, Children’s Museum, Movie Days, and our Epic Ice Cream Challenge!
Check the website for more details and keep an eye on your mailboxes for fun
postcards!
Circle Meetings for Presbyterian Women
Please join us!
ABIGAIL CIRCLE MEETS WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 @ 10:30 A.M. This year
our Bible study is: “Reconciling Paul”, a contemporary study of 2
Corinthians. Our study will be presented by our own Alice Ann Morgan
who will make the study come alive! We meet in the Refectory (the small
dining room just off the Dining Room). If you have any questions, please
see Peg Carpenter, Circle Chairperson.
LOIS CIRCLE TO MEET THURSDAY, MAY 14 @ 9:30 A.M. … We’ll gather in the Dining Room at
9:30 a.m. If you are available, please join our fellowship. We make use of the Horizons Bible
Study and take active part in discussions of topics of interest. And of course, we enjoy each
other’s company and the treats that are brought! If you have any questions, please contact
Eleanor McCamant at 724-853-8165.
REDSTONE PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN SPRING RETREAT: Tuesday, May 26, 2015 from 9:00 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m. at Pine Springs Camp, Jennerstown, PA. Cost is $16.00 per person. We are all
hungry for something: Women, Jesus and Appetites. From the first bite of forbidden fruit to the
feeding of 5000, the Bible has a lot to say about hunger and feeding. Is God’s great banquet
table a sit-down meal at a five star restaurant or a potluck where everyone brings a little
something? Is it a community dinner or a soup kitchen? Come explore the meals of the Bible
and what they say about our spiritual lives today. With Rev. Sue Washburn, pastor of the
Reunion Presbyterian Church, Mt. Pleasant and Rev. Jenn Frayer-Griggs, pastor of the
Greenfield Presbyterian Church and the Table Minister at the Hot Metal Bridge Faith
Community. The mission project for the retreat will be ingredients for S’mores: graham
crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars. The campers will love to know that Presbyterian
Women have supplied these treats for them! Registration deadline: May 15; registration forms
available in our church office.
Blanket Sunday will be May 10!!
BLANKETS + Mother’s Day is here and what better way to honor or
remember our Mothers than purchasing one blanket or more for
$5.00 each to be used for those in great need. Blankets are one of the
oldest, most useful fashion items ever made. When worn as a coat,
the blanket has many interesting features which, the most surprising
of all, is that “one size fits all”. A blanket is portable, you can fold it
up, or bunch it up and take it anywhere you need to go. Church
World Services provide blankets, shelter items and tools when disaster strikes or needs arise in
foreign countries or our own United States. Who knows, sometime, it could be one of us!
THE COULTER SOCIETY
The purpose of the Coulter Society is to encourage and recognize planned gifts to the church
through wills and bequests, as a way of investing in the future of FPC Gbg.
Why is this being called the Coulter Society? The name is in honor of a family that goes back to
the founding of this congregation in 1788. To put that date in perspective, the following year on
April 30 in NYC, GW was sworn in as the first President of our country. From the beginning,
the Coulters were a family intent on leaving a legacy. The family played a very active role in the
life of this church for almost 150 years, as well as in the community, county, and state.
The first church building was constructed in what is now St. Clair Park. In 1847, this plot of
ground, on the corner of Third and Main, was purchased by Mss. Margaret and Rebecca Coulter
and three other women and the title was turned over to the church trustees. In 1848 a church was
built on this site. The congregation continued to grow and in 1882 it was decided that a new
building was needed. General Richard Coulter made the lead pledge to fund that building. The
congregation continued its growth and in 1913 it was decided again to replace that building with
a new structure, which is this church. General Coulter’s widow, Emma Coulter, stepped forward
and donated almost 1/2 of the cost of this building. The building was completed in 1917. In
1921 the first stained glass window, the War Memorial Window, was installed and dedicated.
This was a gift of Col. Henry Coulter and is the window over the balcony. This window is in
honor of the 98 men from this congregation that served in WW 1, five of whom did not make it
home.
In 1928, Emma Coulter, the General’s widow, donated the Passion Windows, over the choir loft.
The family continued to make benevolent gifts to the church, including the Richard Coulter Trust
in 1937 which has continued to provide some income for the operating budget every year for the
last 75 years. They were not the only family or individuals to generously support this church
over the years but they certainly set a good example. The Coulter legacy is with us today 224
years after our founding. We have this beautiful place of worship today because of their
generosity and the generosity of others like them.
I doubt that any of us can do things on the scale that the Coulters did but we can do small things,
and many small things add up. Let us leave a legacy as well so that this congregation can
continue its ministry in the future in this place. We ask that you consider naming the church in
your will, any amount, small, medium, or large. Over the coming months you will hear more
about what others have already done and what opportunities are available to us. If you have
already made arrangements through estate planning to leave something to the church or if you
have questions or are considering doing this please let us know. You can do this through the
church office and either Martin or I will respond, or you can contact us directly. Let’s all
become members of the Coulter Society.
-Art Caramella
2015 Pentecost Offering – Young Adult Volunteers
A New Perspective: Presbyterians Serving alongside Underresourced Communities
Graduation Sunday
Congratulations!
Join us on Sunday, June 14 at 10 a.m.
to recognize & celebrate the
achievements of our graduates.
Please complete below & return to church
office by Tuesday, June 9 !!!
Name of Graduate___________________________________________
School or Institution _________________________________________
Name of Graduate___________________________________________
School or Institution _________________________________________
COMMUNION AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is celebrated monthly at First Presbyterian Church,
ordinarily on the first Sunday of the month. Some of asked recently about the age at which it is
appropriate for a child to begin receiving communion. The following is an excerpt from our
denominations Book of Order
Baptized Children
Baptized children who are being nurtured and instructed in the significance of the invitation to the Table
and the meaning of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s Supper, recognizing that their
understanding of participation will vary according to their maturity.
In other words, this determination is left to the parents who are called upon to join with the church in
instructing their children as to the meaning and significance of this sacrament. If you have questions,
please contact either Rev. Ankrum or Rev. Brodeur.
Teresa Larson is a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) serving as a teaching assistant at the West Side
Christian School in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her teaching certificate in Michigan but felt called to
live out her faith through the Presbyterian YAV program.
“These students don’t care about my qualifications,” she says. “They want to know I care about them and
I’m invested in them as a person.”
Larson is taking part in the YAV program in Chicago, a yearlong commitment, something that Andrea
Kirksey, YAV’s Chicago site coordinator, says sets the program apart from others.
“The kids start to open up because they see someone who is returning day after day. It’s not just a shallow
connection,” Kirksey says. “And for those taking part, they begin to see the real issues and tackle them in
a holistic way.”
Larson fills multiple roles at West Side—working with preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders in
their classrooms; tutoring children in math and reading; taking part in parent-teacher conferences; and
assisting with after school programs for students in first through eighth grades.
“I’ve been humbled and learned that there is no act of kindness that is too small,” Larson says. “If the
only thing I do is let kids know that they are loved then I’ve done what I need to do.”
The YAV program provides young adults with housing, utilities, health insurance, and more, thanks
partly to your gifts to the Pentecost Offering. Every Friday, they engage directly with those in the
neighborhood where they live through the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and other programs.
“We go to the local elementary school,” Larson says. “We talk with parents about the rights they
and their children have if they’re considered homeless. It’s not just living on the street; it can also be that
they just don’t have their own home.”
“The volunteers also work with La Casa Norte,” Kirksey adds. “In Chicago, at some family shelters, once
a boy turns 13 years old, he can no longer live in a shelter because he’s sometimes considered a threat to
younger kids. La Casa Norte provides that stopgap for those 13 to 22 years old. La Casa Norte staff helps
them enroll in school, get jobs, and more.” The volunteers help cook meals for the young men living at La
Casa Norte.
“Someone will say, ‘this neighborhood looks dangerous,’” Kirksey says. “These young adults can then
educate them on the spot, saying, ‘No, I live here. It’s my home.’ This also provides reflection.”
“Being a YAV and working with DOOR has opened my eyes. There is something about hearing people’s
stories,” Larson added. “It just reaches into your soul. Working and living here, I’ve uncovered this
passion to continue to work in underserved communities.”
Please give generously to the Pentecost Offering.