INSPIRE Discover the Joy! APRIL 2019

Palm Sunday, April 14 Services at 8:45 & 11:00 a.m. 

 

Holy Week Prayer Time Chapel Open Daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

 

Maundy Thursday, April 18 6:00 p.m. Church Family Supper 

7:00 p.m.  Maundy Thursday Service with Communion  

Good Friday, April 19 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Service in the Chapel 

 

Easter Sunday, April 21 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship Services 

9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Easter Brunch in Recep on Hall  10:00 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt in the Courtyard 

Holy Week Schedule

“Then Peter and the other disciple set out andwenttowardthetomb.Thetwowererunningtogether,buttheotherdiscipleoutranPeterandreached the tombirst. He bent down to look in and saw the linenwrappings lying there...butdidnotgo in.SimonPetercame, following him, andwent into the tomb…Thenthe other disciple, who reached the tomb irst, alsowentin,andhesawandbelieved;”‐John20:2‐10

Backinmycollegedays,inthesummertime,Iwasacounse‐loratMontreatConferenceCenternearAshville,NorthCaroli‐na.Iwasajunior’scounselorwhichmeantthatIwasworkingwith9and10yr.oldchildren.Oneofthethingsthekidslikedthebestwastogorollerskatinginthebottomofthegym.Forthe little ones, they had themetal skates that it over theirshoes. For the older ones, the four wheel lace‐up leatherskateswerethestandard.In‐lineskateshadnotyetcometopass.Oneparticularday,JulieAnna,oneofthekids,wastearingupthe loor.Shedartedthiswaythenthatway.Sheziggedandzaggedwithspeedandgrace.Asthelivelymusicplayed,shewasgrooving to thebeatas sheboth rockedand rolled. Onthenextgo ‘round,thefarthestthingfromhermindwastheexpectationofTommy falling inherpath. But that’s exactlywhathappened.Assheroundedthetopendoftheskatingoval,Tommy,whowasgoingatleastonethirdslowerthanJulieAnna,simplyfelldown,onhisside—rightinfrontofthenear lyingJulieAnna.Icouldseethepanicregisteronherfaceasshehadnooptionbut to jumpoverhim. Shedidso,but landedawkwardlyonone foot. Shewas out of control at top skating speed. Thewallwascoldandhardasshesmashedsidewaysintoitwithherleftarmhitting irst.Shescreamedandfelltothe loor.Itwasclearshehadbrokenherarm.Asthecounselorsweresplintingherarmtoatennisracquet,Iwastaskedwithrunningtothehousewhereshewasstayingtonotifyherparents(this ispre‐cellphoneandtheydidnothavea landline),alongwithhercousin,Robert,whowas10yrs.oldandknewwherethehousewas.Soweran.Wesprint‐ed across Montreat with the highest of purposes: love andconcernforaninjuredlittlegirl.Iwasamazedathowfastandhowfarwewerebothabletorun.Wewereabletodosobe‐causewewere runningwith a purpose that bothmotivatedandinspiredus.Simon Peter and “the other” disciple ranwith a purpose onthe irst Easter morning. As their legs raced, so too, musthavethequestionsthroughtheirminds:IsMarycrazy?Jesusdied,didn’the?Hassomeonetakenhim?Whereelsewouldhebe? Theywererunningwithapurpose. Theyweremostlikely not aware of the hard dusty ground, or of their own

breathing. They were consumed with running to the nowemptytomb.Theunnameddisciplearrived irst. Hewasshockedthatthestone had been moved. He bent down and saw the emptylinenwrappings.Hewasyettoactuallyenterthetomb.ThenPeterarrivedandwalkedintogetacloserlook.WhenPeterwentin,sodidtheotherdisciple,and“hesawandbelieved.”Theunnameddisciplestoppedattheopeningtothetombasconfusion, fear, and doubt paralyzed him. He entered onlyafterPeterwent irst.Oncehewentin,“hesawandbelieved.”It ishelpfulthat thisdisciple,whoransopassionatelytothetomb,isunnamed.Thisishelpfulbecausetheunnameddisci-ple is you...andme. This is the disciple “that Jesus loved.”Thatistrueforyouandme.Asdoubtandfearparalyzedhimfromfullyenteringthetomb,sotoo,doesdoubtandfearkeepusfromfullyrealizingthatChristhasbeenraised.Wecanbeso paralyzed thatwe never symbolically step into the tomb,and see for ourselves, and believe. This disciple that Jesusloved, lovedand followed Jesus, but stopped short of seeingandbelievingbecausehewouldnotenterthetomb.ThisEaster let’schallengeoneanothertodotwothings:oneis to run with a purpose to the tomb of Christ, not caringabouthowwegetthereorthechallengesitbrings,andtwo,tohave the courage to step inside the tomb, see for ourselvesand believe. We can step in individually, or like the gospelstory, take courage from one another. Let’s join hands andwalk in together. God’s love, wonder, and grace await us.Alleluia!InGratitudeforHisGrace,PastorDanny

IfyouareinterestedinjoiningFirstPresbyterianorwouldlikemore information about becoming amember, please contactour pastor, Danny Dieth, by calling the church of ice,706.322.4523oremailatddieth@columbusfpc.org.

Welcome toOurNewestMembersasofMarch31: left toright, Craig andLauraCromer, JohnandAlaynaMock (AnnieandJudah)andMattandAshleySimon(CharlieandMacey).

FirstPresbyterianWelcomesJenniferMcKinstry

We are very pleased to intro‐duce our newest staff member,Jennifer McKinstry. She startedon February 18 and she andKimberly Moseley will worktogetheruntilKimberly’sdepar‐ture on April 19. Jennifer is anative of Columbus and agraduate of Columbus HighSchool. It was there where shemet her husband, Gil, and they have three sons, Daviss(23),Autra(21),andPaxton(19).

She spent twenty years as a stay‐at‐home mom beforegoing to work for the Columbus Board of Realtors. Sheenjoysgoingtothebeachandspendingqualitytimewithherclosegroupofhighschoolfriends.

Ifyouhaven’tyetmetJennifer,pleasetaketheopportuni‐ty to call or come by the church and give her a warmwelcome.

TrumanCawthornewithConnieHappell,CampusMinister,serving at The Abbey Presbyterian Student Center. TheAbbeyserveslunchtostudentseachTuesdayat11:30a.m.duringthefallandspringsemesters.

I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. ~ John 11:25-26

April Youth Calendar EachWeekSundaySchool10a.m.

Sunday, April 7 5:30 p.m. Youth Choir 6 p.m. Youth Dinner 6:30 p.m. Youth Sunday Practice Youth will be transported home

Wednesday, April 10 6 p.m. Church Family Supper

Sunday, April 14 – Palm Sunday 5:30 p.m. Youth Choir 6 p.m. Youth Dinner 6:30 p.m. Youth Sunday Practice Youth will be transported home

Thursday, April 18 6 p.m.. Church Family Supper 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service

Sunday, April 21 – Easter Sunday No Sunday School – Easter Brunch No Youth Sunday Night

Wednesday, April 21 6 p.m. Church Family Supper

Sunday, April 28 5:30 p.m. Youth Choir 6 p.m. Youth Dinner 6:30 p.m. Youth Sunday Practice Youth will be transported home

GratefulfortheGift

“American Idol” had justpremiered on television. Otherpopular shows included “CSI,”“Friends,” and “Everybody LovesRaymond.” George W. Bush wasPresidentofUnitedStatesandgas‐oline averaged $1.61 a gallon. Theminimumwagewas$6.75/hr.Only9.1% of the world’s populationusedtheInternetand95%ofthosebrowsedusingInternetExplorer.It

took12.5minutestodownloadasongona56kmodemand16secondstoloadawebpage.

Theyearwas2002andonMay13thKimberlyMoseley,attheripe old age of 20, started her career at First PresbyterianChurch. Shewas newlymarried and three days earlier hadcompleted her Associates Degree at Chattahoochee ValleyCommunity College. Though her title was AdministrativeAssistant, she has wornmany hats throughout her 17 yeartenure.Tosaythatsheoften“runsthechurch”islikelyquiteanunderstatement.

When Kimberly was hired, Rev. Waller was the InterimPastor (he followed Dr. Bell and preceded Rev. Hasty). Shehas worked with four pastors, four children’s directors, sixyouth directors, and countless other staffmembers. In fact,the only two current staff members who have walked theentire journey with Kimberly are Tom George and CynthiaHollis‐Macon.

Many things have occurred during the last 17 years: dotmatrix printers have been discarded; there was only onevoicemailboxatthechurchthatKimberlycheckeddaily;andtheword“friend”wasstillusedonlyasanoun.Now,almosteveryroomhasthecapabilitytoaccesstheinternetprovidinginformation and communication that could once only bedreamedabout;thosepalm‐sizeddevicesweonceusedonlyformaking telephonecallsare ineveryone’spocketandcancontrolcountlesstasks; lifehasmovedtothecloud;“sel ies”arenowthenorm.Almosteverythingweoncedidwithpaperandpenhasbeenreplacedwithsomethingnamed “Google,”“Apple,”or“Microsoft.”Thisdoesn’tmentiontheimpactthatsocial media has had on the church. However, all of thismeans thatour linesof communicationhavevastly changedaswell.Whatoncetookdaystoannounceajoyorasorrowisnowaccomplishedinamatterofseconds–andthenewscantravelacrosstheglobe.

Other changes Kimberly’s tenure has witnessed was thechurch’sacquisitionofpropertydownthestreet,theexcitingdemolitionoftheoldYMCAbuilding,themoveofthecollegeministrytothelawof iceandthentoitscurrentlocation,andthe massive CalledBytheSpiritrenovation that took placebetween 2009 – 2011 when the sanctuary, the educationalspace, the gym and reception area were refurbished. Thischurchhasundergoneacompletefaceliftduringheryears!

On a personal note, Kimberly welcomed her most valuedtreasure into the world in 2005when her son, Daniel, was

born.During thepast 13 years,wehavewatchedhimgrowanddevelopintoanamazingyoungman.Thischurchralliedaround the Moseley family ten years ago when Daniel wasdiagnosedwithleukemia.Itwasduringthattimethatthey,asafamily,chosetomovetheirmembershiptoFirstPresbyteri‐anandunitewiththisgroupofChristians.Kimberlywantstoexpresshowmuchshelovesandappreciatesyouandthanksyou for being “the most loving and supportive people I’veevermetinallmylife.”

Recently, husband Danny was promoted to a new positionwithhiscompanyandthismovetoChattanooga,Tennessee,is bringing big changes in their lives. But, instead of beingsorrowful for her departure,we can listen to the council ofDr. John Claypool, noted theologian, pastor, author andspeaker, when he said: “only when it is seen as a gift andhandledwith theopenhandsofgratitude is life the joyGodmeant for it tobe.”Letusbegrateful for theyearswehavespent with Kimberly, Danny and Daniel, grateful for thelessonswe have learned from each other, and grateful thatwehavetheopportunitytoremainfriendsalongthejourneythatityettocome.

John Claypool, “Life Is a Gift,” from Tracks of a FellowStrugglerbyJohnClaypool,pp.67–83.

You are cordially invited to attend a reception in honor of Danny, Kimberly

and Daniel Moseley on Sunday, April 7, 2019

following the 11 a.m. worship service in the Reception Hall

of First Presbyterian Church

RECAPOFAPPROVEDACTIONSFEBRUARY26,2019STATEDMEETING

1. Received report of meeting of Presbytery,February9,2019,atFirstPresbyterianChurch,Tifton,GA.

2. Called annual meeting of congregation forSunday,March10,2019.

3. Authorized hiring armed security guard forSunday mornings, cost shared with TrinityEpiscopal.

4. Approved annual calendar of special offerings andfundraisingprojects.

5. Approvedchurchof icerstoserveonOf icerNominat‐ingCommittee.

6. Approveduseof2018incomefromMillerYouthFundfor2019youthactivities.

7. Approvedannualstatisticalreport.

JANUARY22,2019STATEDMEETING

1. Received new member: Henry Crowder bytransfer of letter from First Presbyterian Church ofTampa,FL.

2. InvitedRev.BenMathestopreachonSunday,Febru‐ary, 17, 2019 in conjunction with annual missionsconference.

3. ApprovedVacationBibleSchoolcurriculum, “The In‐credibleRace.”

4. Elected Kelley McElroy and Pete Pease as commis‐sionerstoPresbyterymeetingonFebruary9,2019atFirstPresbyterianChurch,Tifton,GA.

5. Approved expenditure of $8,119.08 fromPropertyandMaintenanceFund.

6. Con irmedthehousingallowanceofRev.DiethwhichwassetatPersonnelMinistrymeetingonNovember26,2018.

WhatWillOurGod‐Sized2019ShoeboxGoalBe?

This year, let us pray, as a church, forthe number of Operation ChristmasChild shoeboxes God would have uspack. Rather than asking ourselveswhatWEcando, let’saskGodwhatHEcandothroughus.Forinspiration,here

isastoryfromaverysmallchurchinTexas.

There is a small church (30‐40 members) in Wild Peach,Texas, that has packed Operation Christmas Child (OCC)shoeboxes formanyyears. In2013, theywere so excited topack43shoeboxes.Thatyear,thepastorandhiswife,MarkandCherryBrumbelow,visitedtheDallasProcessingCenterand saw themagnitudeof theministry andwhat an impactOCChasoneternity. Cherry said theyknew theyhad todomore.SheprayedaboutwhatGodwouldhavethempackthefollowingyear. MarksayshewasblindsidedbythenumberGodputonCherry’sheart–500!

Markwasworried thiswouldhurt theothermissioncausesin the church. The congregation prayed about this numberandcontinuallyaskedGodtoprovidethemeansforthese500shoeboxes. Grace Baptist Church packed 532 shoeboxes in2014,includingraisingallthemoneyforshipping!Contribu‐tions to all the other church mission activities doubled aswell.

TheBrumbelowsandtheirchurchhavecontinuedtopraytoGod – “How many shoeboxes would you like us to pack?”rather than asking themselves “How many can wepack?”(We’llsharetheir2019shoeboxgoalinthemonthstocome.)

A couple ofweeks ago Igot to hear this couplespeak in Americus andsharewhatGodisdoingthroughthemforOpera‐tion Christmas Child. Itis so exciting to hearhow faithful God hasbeen to them and howthe Lord has shownHimselfstrongontheirbehalf.WhatmighttheLordwanttodowithFPCandOCC?

Join the Missions Committee and take the BrumbelowChallenge. PrayabouthowmanyboxesGodwouldhaveuspack.WhenGodgivesyouanumber,pleaseemailittocdriv‐er125@aol.com.

Year‐RoundCollecting

Remember to shop clearance items! It’s never too early toshop for bargains forOperation Christmas Child shoeboxes.Placetheitemsinthebinnearthedeskinthereceptionhall.

April Items: Bar soap,washcloths, nylon or lexible foldingbags, socks, coloredT‐shirts.Watch for salesonstuffedani‐malstheweekafterEaster.

GlobalMissionClosingReport

Iwould like toprovideaclosingreportofthe GlobalMission campaign. This is easytodoandsuchapleasure, thanks toallofyou, for your response, your generosity,and your support of this church and thismission.

We reached and exceeded our goal inrecord time. Our silent auction generatedmuch interestandexcitementandprovid‐ed over $11K to kickstart our campaignthat ended with over $40K! The ChurchFamily Supper event was well‐attendedandthankstoFrankDimmock,welearnedexactlywhatareasofexpertiseanAfricanSpecialistprovides.BenMathes,ourguestpreacher, inspired and challenged us tomove from being spectators to beingparticipantsinGod’skingdom.

JeniferandCaryMcCoyweretherecipientsof the Mildred Frazer Kinnett Award,which they certainly deserved alongwithour sincere thanks for all they do in ourmissioneffort.

Ourallocation committeehasmetandwearesopleasedwiththesupportthisyear’sGlobal Mission season offering will makethroughouttheworld.

At Danny’s request, and unanimously ap‐proved by our committee, we agreed tomakeBenMathesandhis“Mission:Hope”organization our eighth partner. Dannytold me that the three highlights of theyearathisformerchurchwere:Christmas,EasterandBenMathes!Ithinkthere’salotmoretocome.

Once again, thanks to everyone whohelped make this year’s Global Missionseasonsosuccessful. It certainlybrings tolifeourthemeof“SharingGod’sLove.”

MargaretPage2019GlobalMissionChairperson

1100FirstAvenueColumbus,Georgia31901Phone:706.322.4523Fax: 706.596.8531Web:www.columbusfpc.org

Share God’s Love: First Presbyterian, a historic church located in uptownColumbus,Georgia,seekstoministertoallpeople inChrist’snamethroughaninclusive,caring,andfaithfulcommunitythatjoyfullysharesthegiftofsalvationfromalovingandforgivingGod.

 

PASTOR

Rev. Daniel E. Dieth

CHILDREN ’ S MINISTRY DIRECTOR

Mrs. Debbie Spear

YOUTH MIN ISTRY DIRECTOR

Mr. Christopher Munro

CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR

Ms. Suzanne McCary

ORGANIST AND CHOIRMASTER

Mr. Thomas H. George, Jr.