From the Pastor’s Desk
“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV “Pray continually.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV
Irenaeus, one of the ‘fathers’ of the early church, captured in a poignant sentence a dimension of prayer: “The glory of God is man fully alive. “ (The Workbook of Living Prayer) He goes on to say that prayer is not a person on their knees or in the sanctuary on Sunday morning or even when we are giving a cup of water to someone, but rather the continuous lifting up of our life through our conversations with him.
It is so easy to say the Lord’s Prayer; most of us have memorized that since we were little children. We may have a favorite prayer for our meals or for bedtime that slips easily from our tongue toward the Lord. Those prayers are surely important and help us to keep aware that we are God’s children.
But, how long has it been since you bowed your head and really thought about what you were talking to God about? Or, how long has it been that in the middle of the day as you go about your daily tasks, you are a prayer to God? The glory of God is man fully alive!
What is most important in our prayer life is that we are aware! Aware of our selves – what has God called us to do and be. What is going on inside of me?
I do not live alone in this world, so I must be aware of others. I need to be alive in them and their lives connected to mine. The glory of God is man fully alive!
We need to be aware of the world. The world is the house in which we who have been made flesh are to live. God made it all and “saw that it was good. “ The glory of God is man fully alive!
Most importantly, we must be aware of God. The mystery of our creation is directly related to God’s love for us. You are God’s prayer! The glory of God is man fully alive!
Take the little test below, to determine your awareness: (Circle a number)
Awareness of self 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Awareness of others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Awareness of the world 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Awareness of God 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Now, Pray without ceasing!
Pastor Marilyn
The Church Owl
The Book of Confession contains many comforting theological insights.
GOD HAS ELECTED US OUT OF GRACE. From eternity God has freely and of his mere grace,without any respect to men, predestinated or elected the saints whom he wills to save in Christ, according to the saying of the apostle, “God chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4)
The Second Helvetic Confession (BC, 5.052)
-The Presbyterian Handbook
Announcements
Sunday School – 8:30 AM in the Community Building
Choir Practice Every Wednesday at 4:00pm
Pastor Marilyn : You can reach her at 607-222-8261. If anyone needs to meet, or need a visit or counseling, be sure to call. Winter Address: Rev. Marilyn and Ray Barnard, 5201 W. Camelback Rd. Lot B 31, Phoenix, AZ 85031
Thursday, May 2nd – National Day of Prayer
Tuesday, May 7th – Annual Meeting of the Franklin Hill Cemetery Association will meet at 7:30pm
in the Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church Community Building
Thursday, May 9th - Ascension of the Lord
Sunday, May 12th - Happy Mother’s Day!
Monday, May 13th – Mother & Daughter Dinner, 6pm in the Community Building. Please sign up to
let us know who will be coming and how many guests. Please bring a dish to share. Also sign
up for our Talent Contest that evening. i.e. Sing, dance, read a poem, whatever your talent.
Sunday, May 19th – Pentecost
Sunday, May 19th – Support night for Faith Mountain Christian Academy in the Community Building
4pm to 7pm. See article on next page.
Monday, May 27th – Happy Memorial Day!
Tuesday, May 28th – Newsletter Deadline
Pastor Marilyn & Ray will be here on May 26th. Thank you for the cards, letters, phone calls and prayers that you have remembered us.
The Baby Bottle Campaign for Care Net is now in progress. Baby Bottles are available in the foyer or in a pew and should be brought back to the church by Mother’s Day, May 12th. For more information see Joyce Printz.
T-Shirt Orders – there is a sign up sheet in the foyer. The t-shirts are dark green with white lettering, with a picture of our church and 200 years. They are $10.00 each. Please sign up or see Carolyn Pratt.
Support night for Faith Mountain Christian Academy – Sunday, May 19th - written by Alex Creamer… I`ve been going to Faith Mountain Christian Academy for five years, in those five years I`ve watched the number of students get lower and lower, I`ve seen the teachers go without pay for months at a time so they could afford curriculum. Yet despite numerous hardships and setbacks, tiny miracles occur each year, and they somehow manage to struggle through another semester. The people there are caring and have devoted their lives to their students. They offer personalized, one-on-one education based on applicable Biblical principles. I haven`t just learned how to factor algebraic polynomials, I`ve learned how to talk and listen to God and understand His plan for my life. If it`s true that children are the future, I can`t think of a better investment than a brighter future.
Thank You to Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church for hosting this Support Night for FMCA and I encourage all of our church families to attend. A home cooked southern style dinner will be served from 4pm to 7pm hosted at the Franklin Hill Presbyterian Community Building. Menu will include pulled pork, cheesy grits, collard greens, homemade pie and much more! Suggested donation $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Reservations strongly recommended. Call 570-396-3822.
Please join us as we celebrate the beginning of our lives together – Dave Clemens invites you to the Clemens Family Farm in Hallstead, PA to celebrate the union of his daughter, Karen Dennis, with Kevin Gates. June 1st, 2013 – one to six – open house barbecue (arrive and leave when you wish). Children are welcome. Dress casual (bring a bathing suit if you want to swim in the pond and hiking shoes if you want to hike on one of the trails). No gifts necessary: your presence is gift enough!
R.S.V.P. by May 15th – kcdennis@frontier.com or (570)879-4687. Directions will be provided.
Please consider carpooling, as parking is limited.
Jim Perkins is requesting that you call him if you see a swarm of honey bees in May or June.
He lost his bees this spring and wants to start over again. It was too late to order bees when he discovered that his did not make it through the cold spring. Of course Marcia’s hive is doing extremely well with lots of young bees looking for spring flowers.
Thank you to all that helped or donated to the Rummage Sale and Bake Sale. We raised a total of $1511.00.
Thank you to all that contributed to One Great Hour of Sharing – we raised a total of $419.00.
On September 8, 2013 the Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church will be celebrating it’s 200th Anniversary. The day will be full of events to celebrate this momentous occasion. We will begin with the normal morning church service. A period of time to reminisce is planned before lunch. A Chicken Bar B Cue is planned for lunch with more time for sharing. The Celebration Service will be at 2:00 which will include previous pastors taking part and lots of special music. Desert following that service will be an old fashion ice cream social with home made ice cream and cake. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for the day or any portion of it.
The Float Committee has been working hard on ideas and now construction has begun for the 4th of July Parade in Montrose, in celebration of our 200th Anniversary. We will be having two floats in the parade. One float will have a replica building of of church, which is now built and being painted. A bell will also be on this float and will be rung as we go through the parade. The second float will be a simulation of the inside of our church with music and singing. We will be handing out bottled water and candy. We need volunteers to sing on the music float. There is a sign up sheet, deadline May 20th. Also older children to help pass out the water and candy. We would like all participants to wear one of our new T-shirts, so please order one. Any questions, see Ken Post, Joyce Coons or Carolyn White.