First Presbyterian Church, Mission

Where God’s love makes all the difference!

Newsletter* ...another RGV Connections publication
SEPTEMBER VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

INTRODUCING OUR NEW Newsletter!

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope you like our new Newsletter format!!! Pat and I were
“wow-ed” when we met with Mission native and newsletter
gal, Heather Marks. We loved the way she made our
newsletter come to life and captured our personality at
First Presbyterian Church-Mission.

It is my hope that this newsletter will be more than just a

vehicle to pass on information about the congregation, alert you to upcoming dates and
activities, and highlight what we have done in the past month. I want to capture the
“spirit and story” of First Presbyterian Church-Mission and to speak to the hearts of
people outside our worshipping community as well as to our Church family we see each
week.

Professor Ray Vander Laan- (our Adult Education video speaker) tells us that newsletters
actually originated in the Old Testament times and they were called “Massebah” which is
Hebrew for “standing stones”. He says- “Just as the people of ancient Israel erected
‘standing stones’ to commemorate God’s supernatural actions on their behalf, God
wants each of us to be a “massebah”- a living, standing stone that God is shaping and
cutting in order to build his kingdom. In the same way that people in ancient times were
reminded of what God had done for them when they saw standing stones, God calls us to
live godly lives so that the world will see our good deeds and want to know our God.”

My hope is that when people read our newsletter, see our Church and meet each of us, we
can share the great things God is doing in our lives!

… Pastor Dave+ *PS: I think the first thing we need

to do is to name this
First Presbyterian Church — WORSHIP HOURS: newsletter, so make sure
Current Schedule : to drop me an email to
9:30am Sunday School/Adult Ed dvdiercksen@gmail.com
10:30am Worship with your suggestions for
newsletter names (and
Starting 10/31/2010: why) and next month
8:30am Worship we’ll let the congregation
9:30am Sunday School/Adult Ed choose…
10:30 am Worship
First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 2

Connections SEPTEMBER 2010

ELDERS & COMMITTEES

Mike Hudsonpillar Lowell Hudsonpillar
Clerk Treasurer
mhud52@aol.com lowell@meldenandhunt.com
585-3265 / 330-7922 581-3990 / 279-1739

Tom Smith Nicole Cruz

Maintenance Christian Ed
tsmissiontx@sbcglobal.net ncruz@sharylandisd.org
580-0303 / 222-4183 584-1948 / 451-7171

Keith Dietrich John Cain

Church Growth Youth/Young Adult
kdietrich@rgv.rr.com j.cain@cain-customs.com
584-3433 / 844-8024 581-6861 / 342-0460

Judy Mayes Mike Manuel

Outreach Fellowship
judy@mayfairmin.com mmanuel@rgv.rr.com
585-1198 / 343-8716 583-1756 / 330-1608

Judy Alexander Carla Badgley

Congreg. Care Planning
judyale401@sbcglobal.net cjbadgley@hotmail.com
580-0712 / 778-3232 581-2558 / 458-1181

Bill Ellisor Dot Harrigan

Stewardship Worship
vaadabill@msn.com jinxdot2001@yahoo.com
424-7502/303-564-5803 581-8414 / 358-8357

DAVID dvdiercksen@gmail.com
585-4829 church
DIERCKSEN 585-1548 home
330-1043 mobile
PASTOR
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 3

Connections SEPTEMBER 2010

NEW FACES…
Future RN Joins Nursery Staff
Alyssa York will be joining our nursery crew in the blue t-shirts!
Alyssa is the stepdaughter of Kristin York, which makes her sister to Peyton
and Halle. She is a recent Bryan High School graduate and earned her CNA
(certified nurse assistant) degree while in high school. When you ask Alyssa
why she decided to pursue a career in nursing the answer is easy for her to
give—her stepmom served as her inspiration!
Alyssa said that stories Kristin would tell her about being a labor and delivery
nurse inspired her to follow in her stepmom's footsteps. She is currently
enrolled as a student at South Texas College to pursue this goal.
She laughed as she recounted that on the first day of class, her professor has already credited her as
being a "good student." She says this is a title she would rather not have received on the first day
of school. You can tell this modest young lady does not require the spotlight!
She is an avid country music fan and enjoys reading, connecting with
friends and family on Facebook, as well as scrapbooking.
But, the role of college student is not her only priority. Alyssa is the proud
parent of Pamela. Pamela is a happy 19 month old who is a great addition
to our nursery as well. If you want to know who Pamela is, look for the
cute blond with the engaging blue eyes and her favorite pink blankie.
When we asked Alyssa what she liked about First Presbyterian Church of
Mission she said, "The willingness of the people to help others."
When asked what she would change about FPC, she said: "Nothing!"

FPC SUPPORTS P.E.T. PROJECT

Mary Jane Meyers and Paul Card
contribute their ―Pennies from Heaven‖ So our efforts will help give SEVEN people
to help fund the P.E.T. Project
A big thank you to everyone who helped
contribute to the P.E.T. Project! Every penny
counts and your pennies helped us go over
the $1,850 dollar mark!!
These "Personal Energy Transports" are
hand cranked carts that cost $250 dollars
each and are made right here in Mission,
Texas by members of the Mission Lions Club.
the gift of mobility!!
Thank you to Paul, and everyone who
supported us... And especially to Mary Jane
and "Fred" for your discipleship and vision of
your Church in action...
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 4

Connections SEPTEMBER 2010

Mission Food Pantry: Christmas Food Baskets:

Appreciates your donations, time
Thank you to all who
have donated food or
money to the Mission
Food Pantry!
September is Hunger
Awareness Month. I
want to challenge you
to bring in more food this month than
has been donated in prior months. We
may not stop hunger, but we can give it
a swift kick in the knees!
Also, the Mission Food Pantry has a
general store and takes donations from
furniture, appliances to clothes, dishes,
books, etc. Give Judy a call, 585-1198
or call our manager, Nadine at 585-
3004, mornings only.
The Mission Food Pantry could also use them to be distributed at Christmas
your time. Volunteers are needed for
basic cleaning, straightening,
sorting. The pay is out of this world! ;) thank you for your generosity!
Thank you for all your help!
Gently Used Blankets Wanted
As we look and prepare
the Church calendar,
December is just around
the corner. It is time to
think of the Food baskets
we give out at
Christmas. This year in addition to the food,
I would like to give blankets again. We have
given blankets in the past, but purchased
them with the money donated for the food or
have been given by some
unnamed contributor.
Let’s do something different:
We all have blankets we are
not using, are too big or too
small for our beds now, are
tired of the color or don’t have the room. Go
through your linen closets and lets donate
time. One thing I would like to ask, is that
they are clean and not damaged. Again,
For more information, contact Judy Mayes—
Outreach Chairman.

Computer Classes Starting Soon at FPC

Did you know that FPC hosts some great computer classes?
Classes are scheduled for Thursdays @ 6:30 p.m. in the
computer lab (see schedule below). Our very own computer
guru– DeVaughn Resczenski—will be serving as the
instructor.
Class offerings will cover Word Processing, Email, Attachments, Photos, and Skype. We
will also survey the class to choose additional topics to explore.
Classes will begin October 21st and continue to the following dates: October 28,
November 4,11,18. A break will be observed during the month of December and classes
will resume in January and February as follows: January 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th — February
3th, 10th, 17th, 24th.
There will also be three Saturday classes held at 1:00pm on the following days: November
13th, January 15th, and February 12th.
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 5
SEPTEMBER 2010
Connections

Welcome back FPC Musicians!

The Music Department is humming (all puns intended) this month as our musicians
begin to gather after a much deserved vacation. If you are interested in participating
in one of these ensembles, here’s some information to get you started:
SONSHINE PLAYERS meet on Wednesday evening at 6:15. This
group is for students ages 4 and up although the young students need a
parent to participate with them. The SonShine Players sing, dance, &
act throughout the school year.
CHANCEL CHOIR meets on Wednesdays at 7:30 PM (no audition
is necessary – just a willingness to make a joyful noise unto the Lord!)
BELLS OF HOPE meet on Sunday afternoon at
5:30 PM. This group is open to anyone who would like to learn
how to play handbells – 4th grade through adults. We have lots
of fun & fellowship while learning.
BELLS OF FAITH meet on Sunday evening at 6:30 PM. This is
an advanced handbell choir and all positions are filled at the current time.

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC: KNIT FOR KIDS!

One of the smartest things that
I have ever done in my tenure
as the FPC Director of Music
was to hire Crystal Sparks
Wallace as an organist!
Crystal was only 13 when I
asked if she would be interested in playing
the organ for the early worship service (8:00
AM), which was being held in the Fellowship
Hall at the time. Since I was also her piano
teacher and had heard her play the organ on
a number of occasions, I knew
that the talent was there!
Crystal has certainly made us
all proud as she grew up,
graduated from Baylor
University with a degree in Piano Pedagogy,
and returned to the area to teach piano and
continue to bless us with her music. Crystal
resides in McAllen with her husband, John,
and their young son, Brandon.
If you haven’t yet had the chance to hear her
play, I urge you to do so!
Pat Hudsonpillar
We are STILL producing
sweaters for the KNIT FOR
KIDS project! Yet another
box of knitted sweaters is
ready to ship, bringing the
total contributed by the
Chancel Choir and the many ―knitters‖ in this
congregation to over 280! WOW! Give
yourself a pat on the back if you’ve been
contributing to this worldwide project!
If you would like to help, just talk to Mary
Jane Meyers. She has a pattern and simple
instructions for you – you can find her in the
choir room on Sunday mornings or at (956)
783-1732. Thanks for helping!
Did you know that the
FPC choir room has a
library? There are many
books (mostly fiction)
and a few audio books
that are just waiting to
be checked out!
Come on in!
First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 6

Connections SEPTEMBER 2010

Remembering our Loved Ones “Faith Lessons on the Promised Lands”

A Sunday Morning Bible Class
Fred Meyers —
A new Fall Adult
On Saturday, August
Education Class
21, the First
taught by Pastor Dave
Presbyterian Church
is now available on
family celebrated Fred
Sundays @ 9:30am in
Meyers Service of
the Fellowship Hall.
Witness to the
Resurrection in Jesus “Just as the time and place of our birth
Christ. and life shapes our journey, so the land
and culture of the Hebrew people shaped
We will continue to their story. In this first volume of Faith
keep Mary Jane, Don, Lessons, discover how God guided his
Dave, Paul, Gary and their families in people to a specific place- the Promised
our prayers. The women of the church Land- to impact the world both in ancient
certainly came out to provide some times and today.”
great food following the service for For anyone wanting a solid foundation for
family and friends to gather and let their understanding of scripture- both Old
God's healing continue… and New Testaments, this is a great way to
do it!
Lorraine Munson — On Saturday,
September 4, 2010 And….if you’re planning on going to Israel
family and friends with us in March 2011, this class will be a
gathered to celebrate great way to prepare yourself for the sights
Lorraine Munson's you’ll see in there…
Service of Witness
to the Resurrection
in Jesus Christ at the
First Presbyterian
Church in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

Our prayers go out to Merton for God's

peace as he grieves the loss of his wife
of 62 years. Merton and Lorraine have
worshipped with us as "Winter Texans"
for many years. We are especially
thankful to Bob Blankers, a close friend
of Merton and Lorraine for keeping us
informed...
First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 7

Connections SEPTEMBER 2010

All Church Clean-up Day…

Saturday, September 25th
8:30 a.m. to Noon
Who says ―Spring cleaning‖ has to be in the
Spring?! We will be having an All Church Clean-
up Day at First Presbyterian on Saturday,
September 25th and would love to have your help!
Please join us in the Fellowship Hall for our customary coffee and donuts
before we break into work groups to tackle several projects around the
church, indoors and outside.
Inside the church…
-wash down the walls in the bathrooms, vacuum &
polish furniture in the sanctuary, parlor and narthex.
-wash window sills in fellowship hall, clean the toys in
the nursery.
-clean and organize the kitchen cupboards and pantry.

Outside…
-Fertilize the lawn
-Pull some weeds
-Some light landscaping.
This may seem like a lot of work,
but—as usual with the Church—
getting our hands dirty together means some good fellowship and stories…
See you there!!

Have some info for the next newsletter??

Got a story about why you love FPC?
Want to share your favorite recipe??
Our goal for this newsletter is that it
reflects who we are and what we do at
First Presbyterian Church—Mission. The
most important part of this newsletter is
YOU! So, please send your suggestions
to editor, Heather Marks.
Send to: heatherbmarks@gmail.com
 (956)585-4829
Mission, TX 78572
1102 Ash Drive
First Presbyterian Church—Mission

First Presbyterian
Church, Mission
1102 Ash Drive Mission, Texas 78572
Phone: 956-585-4829
www.fpcmission.com