Northkirk Presbyterian Church

April 2014

The Grapevine
From Pastor Martin;
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni! John 20:15b-16a Which of us has ever seen another that has died stand before us speaking again? Can you imagine the disorientation and joy and then more disorientation that Mary must have experienced in those first few moments with the risen Lord? As we celebrate again the resurrection of our Lord Jesus we can again step into Marys grief, her shock and joy, as well as the shock and joy of the other disciples. All of them must have pinched each other to assure themselves they were not imagining this miracle. In our time and place we have invested much to stave off death. Given our cultural fear of death, we rarely even discuss the topic. For the first disciples death was much closer and regularly claimed lives of all ages. The grief of losing a loved one focused them and focuses us sharply on the tragedy of losing one made in the very image of God. Jesus resurrection suddenly recasts reality for every person that has ever lived! The power and love of our God has added a final eternal chapter for every soul that trusts in the gracious cross of our Lord! We have been called to be a people that trust confidently in Jesus promise to call each of us to resurrected, eternal life. And more than trust, to rejoice in this promise! We will never lose the marvel of the Lords creation of each other. And, we are gifted in this temporary and all time with his awesome Holy Spirit to enjoy our eternal life even today. May the Lord overflow our resurrection joy and confidence to everyone in Rancho so that others are intrigued and want to know more about the love of the Lords cross. Amen! Pastor Martin

Welcome The Rev. Martin A. Smith Our New Pastor

As most of you know, the congregation called Martin Smith on Sunday, March 2, as our new Pastor. His first Sunday will be April 6. Please plan to attend and welcome him and his wife, Lorraine. A reception with special cake is planned following worship. You will recall that Pastor Martin has been an associate pastor for the past several years at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Redondo Beach. A graduate of UCLA in Engineering with additional degrees from UCI and Fuller Theological Seminary, he is currently pursuing a D.Min. at Fuller focusing on the New Testament church and church growth. Very interested in reaching out to folks, Pastor Martin hopes to be able to identify specific areas of need within Rancho Cucamonga which a smaller church like us can reach out and meet. He is also very interested in cross-cultural hospitality. Pastor Martin and Lorraine plan to move to Rancho Cucamonga as soon as the Lord opens those doors for them. In the meantime Martin expects to spend most of his time here, learning to know us and this community.

Lent and Easter Schedule

PALM SUNDAY SERVICE April 13 at 9:30 AM MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE April 17 at 7:30 PM GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE April 18th at 7:30 PM

Easter Worship Service

Sunday, April 20 at 9:30 AM

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April Worship Schedule

6 April - John 11:32-45 The Joy Before Him: Jesus Calls Lazarus The apostle John recounts the raising of Lazarus just before Jesus comes into Jerusalem for the Passover. Mary and Martha and others are fueled with a new level of trust and joy. What is the significance of this resurrection before Jesus own? 13 April - John 12:12-21 (Palm Sunday) The Joy Before Him: Jesus Enters Jerusalem Jesus boldly enters Jerusalem amidst the praises of a people long-starving for the Lords deliverance. Who could ever challenge the power of Rome and the puppet Sanhedrin Council? How did this Passover celebration inform Jesus that his cross was now at the door? 20 April (Easter Sunday) - John 20:1-18 The Joy Before Him: Jesus Thrills There can be nothing richer than the presence of the Lord in our lives. The first disciples grief and confusion is met with simple, profound questions that challenge their reality. Jesus resurrection will thrill us forever! 27 April - John 20:19-23 The Joy Before Him: Jesus Dispels Fear Imagine the disciples yet hidden for fear in Jerusalem after Passover and after the first report of Jesus resurrection. What are the first things that Jesus will say to these disciples? What did they need to be faithful to the now-risen Lord Jesus?

HELP ! WE NEED EGGS

Filled Easter eggs, that is. Northkirks annual Easter egg hunt is coming up quick (Saturday, April 19) and we need many plastic Easter eggs filled with your choice of goodies (usually candy, but you can include anything you think appropriate). This is one of our great outreach programs into the local neighborhood for our church. Please drop off your filled eggs in the plastic basket in the back of the church when you get a chance. Thanks!

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be received on April 13 (Palm Sunday). This Offering is divided as follows: 36% to the Presbyterian Hunger Program 32% each, to Disaster Relief and Self Development of People The following is from the PCUSA web page: "One Great Hour of Sharing Offering" Presbyterians have joined with millions of other Christians through One Great Hour of Sharing to share God's love with people experiencing need. Our gifts support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives and work together to strengthen their families and communities. The Presbyterian Hunger Program receives 36 percent of undesignated gifts, while Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each receives 32 percent. Detailed below is one of the many programs supported by this offering. Disaster Relief--2012 Superstorm (Sandy) This designated account supplements funds already distributed from the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering to enable a significant response from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and its related storm systems. Funds received into this account will provide for immediate assistance and long-term recovery in the United States and in the Caribbean nations affected by this storm."

ATTENTION KIDS OF ALL AGES!!!

Please join us for the Northkirks Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19 at 10 AM. This is a great event for the kids and a great outreach to the community. Please come and bring the kids, the grandkids, the neighbors kids and any other kids you can find for this fun event. If you have any questions, please contact Dan Beauvais at 899-1986.

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March Session Highlights

1. Pastor Tina briefly reviewed the accomplishments during her interim time, some of which included: celebrating our past and our congregational identity as well as new leaders and a vision for the future; growing in membership, new outreach events, building improvements, adding Karens garden, celebrating the lives of those weve lost. She encouraged us to be to Pastor Martin what you have been to me: a support in prayer and action; respectful and considerate, but honest; willing to share thoughts and feelings; and to trust in the Lord our God who is creating, always, a new thing through his Son, Christ Jesus. 2. YONKS had a good experience at Winter Retreat; Unstoppable event was deemed a success with next movie night likely to be in May with Soul Surfer. 3. Upcoming childrens events include: the annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19; and the VBS music camp (The Joy Train) June 9-13 for which volunteers are neededcontact Emily Scholz. 4. The roofing project (Fellowship Hall and counting room) is currently projected to begin May 5 with construction anticipated to last into July. 5. Proceeds from the e-waste event will be shared among Missions, Facilities & Grounds, and the General Fund, with the majority going to Media Equipment. 6. Sunday worship attendance reported for February averaged 79 adults, 5 youth, and 8 children. 7. Pastor Tina has been elected by Riverside Presbytery to serve a three-year sequence as Vice Moderator, Moderator, and Vision Coordinating Team Chair. 8. The Session has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, May 18, to review the 2014 budget and to receive the report of the Church Nominating Committee for new church officers.

A Spring Womens Retreat!

Caf Chocolat, the spring Womens Retreat, is planned for May 30-31 at the church. Seating is limited to 48 women on a first-come, first-served basis for this Friday evening and all-day Saturday event, and approximately one-third of the seats have already been taken. So mark your calendars now and register as soon as possible. The deadline is May 11 (Mothers Day) or when full (48), whichever comes first. Cost is $40 to include a light supper on Friday, continental breakfast and light lunch on Saturday, as well as an individual journal. This local at home retreat should be especially attractive to those women who need to return home at night and those unable to travel to higher altitudes. The regular fall retreat to Thousand Pines (September 26-28) is also in the planning stages. Retreat planners include: Bernadette Allbaugh, Thelma Campbell, Dawn Collins, Carol Entler, Priscilla Flores, Nancy Michalski (Chair), and Cyndee Paulus.

February Financial Summary

We are most appreciative of all the donations given to our church. If anyone has questions or concerns please contact a member of the Stewardship/Finance Team. Team members are Priscilla Flores, Margaret Merhoff and Emily Scholz. February Total Income Expenses Net Operating Profit/Loss Trust Withdrawal* Net Change $ 15,631.89 $ 28,087.90 ($ 12,456.01) $20,000.00 $ 7,543.99 Year to Date Total $ 29,569.29 $ 52,767.15 ($ 23,197.86) $20,000.00 ($ 3,197.86)

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Fellowship Focus April 2014

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (I Corinthians 12:27) Faithful God, you work in us and for us even when we do not know it.We thank you for calling [us] to the fellowship of your people.By the power of your Spirit, strengthen [us] in faith and love, that [we] may serve you with joy, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. (from membership prayer, Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, 1993) demonstrating a new quality of life within and through the church ( Book of Order, G-1.0304 The Ministry of Members) As you may recall, this year this monthly column has been working through the list of involvements outlined in the Book of Order for responsible participation in Christs church. We are drawing toward the end of the list and should complete this focus in the June newsletter. This particular item in the list is difficult to wrap my head around, but Im going to trust youll read patiently to my effort. For those of us who have spent most of our lives within the church, it can be difficult for us to envision how we demonstrate this new quality of life as part of our ministry. After all, weve been participating in worship, and even some of the church programs, for many years. And for those of us who may be new to the church, what does this even mean? We all understand what participation means, which is a lot of what previous columns have addressed worshipping and praying and studying and supporting are activities that we can do. A quality of life, however, is not an activity. To paraphrase from the dictionary, quality is more of an essential characteristic or a degree of excellence. Yet quality of life is a conclusion others can draw about us based upon our activities. So one question becomes how do we demonstrate our Northkirk quality of life when were not doing Northkirk things? For instance, we are known to ourselves and to some others as a very loving congregation. We greet one another, pray for one another, hug one another, provide for one another in times of need; how do we do these things away from Northkirk? Are we loving when were behind the wheel? Are we loving when we receive solicitation phone calls? Are we loving when have to approach a difficult topic or situation with everyone? Are we loving in our politics? If we are to seek peaceful solutions and honor God in politics, we Christians of all people must avoidhateful talk.Whether talking with friends or campaigning for our favorite candidate or cause, we should engage our political opponents and their ideas with respect, welcome the opportunity to learn from other perspectives, and find ways to disagree charitably. 1 And the same charity could apply to conversations regarding contentious issues at work, at home, across denominations and religions, and much more. Thank God that his Spirit will strengthen us, guide us, and teach useven put words in our mouthsas we seek to grow in faith and love and seek to serve Him. Carol Entler Membership/Fellowship Team
1

Black, Amy E., The Cure for Election Madness, Christianity Today, January 2012.

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VBS and Music Camp

Get Onboard The Joy Train
June 9 14, 2014
This years Vacation Bible School will be a music camp to be held from June 9 through June 13. The students will entertain us on Friday night, June 13 to show us what they learned during the week. You can volunteer to be apart of this exciting event by talking to Emily Scholz or Saw Shein.

HEY YOUTH AND FAMILIES;

YONKS (Youth Of Northkirk) has planned out to the end of the school year. We would like to invite all youth in grades 7 thru 12 to attend. Our current plans:
April 2 Norman Balders April 7 Margaret Merhoff April 8 Thomas Stahl April 11 Joshua Beauvais Grace Gonzales April 12 John Gonzales April 18 Bernadette Allbaugh Trudy Milne April 19 Donald Peart April 25 David Milne April 30 Sarah Emick

April 6 - Go to the Ontario Reign Game (Free tickets, too). Just contact Steven or Dan and they will save you a ticket. Game is at 3. April 13 Palm Sunday. No Meeting. April 17 Maundy Thursday Service at church. April 18 Good Friday Service at church April 19 Help with the Easter egg hunt. Be at the church about 9:30 to help hide eggs. Well have a snack (pizza or DQ) afterwards. April 20 Easter Sunday No Meeting April 27 - Meet at the church at 4:30PM to go to Riverside to feed the homeless May 4 Regular meeting of Yonks at 7PM.

We need to rededicate our efforts on feeding the homeless the last Sunday of the month. We have a great core group that goes each month, but we need the entire group to show up and help. This is a mission project and a great opportunity to give back to the community. Come on out and have fun. Please contact Dan Beauvais (899-1986) with questions.

YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

The Young Adults group will meet the second Friday of every month at 8 PM at the Alvarez home. Next meeting is April 11.

ALL WOMEN OF THE CONGREGATION

The Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Riverside and the Presbytery invite you to an evening with Joining Hands Against Hunger/El Salvador. The representative will be Kristi Van Nostran. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 23 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. This event will be held at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 4495 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501. Please RSVP by email to PWP Moderator Reba Woller by April 16. Email: rebawoller@yahoo.com

April 2, 2014 Dr. Don and Susan Zabriskie April 4, 2014 Eric and Nancy Michalski April 6, 2014 Don and Kathy Verburg

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SUN

MON
FOOD OF THE MONTH Peanut Butter

TUE
1
7:00 pm Ministry Teams

WED
2
10:30 am Staff Meeting 7:00 PM Small Groups Vaughn's Group Campbell's Group

THU
3
Choirs 6:30 pm - Bells 7:30 pm - Vocal

FRI
4

SAT
5
9:00 AM Work Party

6
9:30 am Worship Nametag Sunday Communion 7:00 PM YONKS

8
7:00 pm Deacons Meeting

9
10:30 am Staff Meeting 2:30 pm Rancho Writers Group Small Groups 7:00 pm Campbell 7:00 pm Vaughns

10
Choirs 6:30 pm - Bells 7:30 pm - Vocal

11

12

8:00 am 9:00 am Young Adults Northkirk & College Writers Group Age Group YONKS Winter Camp

13
9:30 am Worship 7:00 PM YONKS

14

15
7:00 pm Session Meeting

16
10:30 am Staff Meeting Small Groups
7:00 pm Campbell 7:00 pm Vaughns

17
7:30 pm Maundy Thursday Service

18
7:30 pm Good Friday Service

19
10:00 AM Easter Egg Hunt

20
9:30 am Worship EASTER SUNDAY!

21

22

23
10:30 am Staff Meeting

24
Choirs 6:30 pm - Bells 7:30 pm - Vocal

25
April Grapevine Articles Due

26
9:00 am

Small Groups 7:00 pm Campbell 7:00 pm Vaughns

Northkirk Writers Group

27
9:30 am Worship 4:30 pm YONKS Feed the Hungry

28

29

30
Staff Meeting Small Groups 7:00 pm Vaughns
10:30 am

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PRAYER CALENDAR - APRIL

SUN MON TUE
1 Priscilla Flores

WED
2 The Gonzales Family

THU
3 Ed and Flo Hambly

FRI
4 Everett Hambly III

SAT
5 Jamie & Marley Hambly

6 Pastor Martin Smith

7 The Harlow Family

8 Maud Hart

9 Sharon Hayden

10 Patricia Huntsman

11 Tom Huntsman

12 The Lee Family

13 Harold Willome

14 Ruth Lee

15 Susie Leivas

16 Les and Chris Maitlen

17 Matt Matthews

18 Debra McCartin

19 Paul and Margaret McGough

20 The Personnel Committee

21 Margaret Merhoff

22 Eric and Nancy Michalski

23 The Mildon Family

24 Trudy Miline

25 Stan and Maureen Mock

26 Cathy Moody

27 The Christian Education Committee

28 Ellie Pate

29 Jeff and Cyndee Paulus

30 Donald and Sharon Peart

9101 19th Street Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701 909-989-4919 Northkirk@verizon.net www.northkirkchurch.com

VISITORS are WELCOME

Sunday Morning Worship Service at 9:30 AM Sunday School for Preschool through Junior High School, and nursery care is available during the Sunday worship service. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STAFF: The Rev. Martin Smith, Pastor, Church Office; 909-989-4919 Saw Shein, Worship and Art Director, sawmoonlight@yahoo.com Dan Beauvais, Youth Director Steven Rash, Youth Leader Patricia Quam, Church Secretary, Northkirk@verizon.net Harold Willome, Pianist, HJW1244@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Publication of Northkirk Presbyterian Church (909) 989-4919 www.northkirkchurch.com E-mail address: northkirk@verizon.net