March 29, 2019

T he H e ral d
Vol. XXXXXV, No. 4

Maundy Thursday Communion

and meal
Inside this issue:
April18 at 6:00 p.m.
Christian Educator/ 2
Egg hunt At Unity Presbyterian Church
Youth news/ 3
Scholarship/Easter
dinner
Good Friday service
Session notes 4
Birthdays/Pyoca 6
April 19 at noon
Retreat
Calendar 7
Easter Sunday
Spring Retreat/ 8
birthdays April 21, 2019
Mission news/Easter 9
flower order
Worship 10:30
Church Happenings 10 Special music by choir and orchestra

“You shall be called repairers of the

breach” found in Isaiah 58 is this year’s theme for
One Great Hour of Sharing. Sharing God’s love with
neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief
from natural disasters, food for the hungry, and sup-
port for the poor and oppressed.
Around the world, millions of people lack access to
sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity. Each gift to One
Great Hour of Sharing helps to improve the lives of people in these challenging situations and re-
flect the call of Isaiah to become repairs of the breach.
The church is happening right now, all around us — because we share Christ’s love.
The One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be received Sunday, April 21.
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Christian Educator Notes — Cheryl Moles

There will NOT be Sunday School classes on Easter, April 21.

Parents’ Night Out is on April 12. Childcare w ith supper is at the church
from 5:30 – 9:00 pm. Please notify the church office if your children are attending.
Tuesday Meeting Night is April 16. Supper for the whole family and childcare will
be available beginning at 5:15 pm.

The family prayer group meets on Mondays at 11:00 am at the church.

First Aid & CPR/AED training w ill be held on Saturday, April 13 at 9 am at

the church. This is open to anyone that would like to be trained and/or needs certifi-
cation. The cost for certification is $30. Training without certification is free. Please
notify the church office if you will be attending.
The Lenten Study Series continues each Sunday through April 7. Supper is served
from 5:15 – 6:00 followed by worship and classes. The adult class, “Christian Re-
sponses to the Tough Issues of Today,” will be led by Rev. Mike Riggins. The elemen-
tary children will do “40 Days in 40 Ways” with Cheryl Moles. The Middle School and
Elementary School youth will have Youth Group meetings with Connor Scanlon.
Childcare will be provided for children age 3 and younger.
The all-church PYOCA SPRING FAMILY RETREAT will be April 26-28. This fun
event is for all ages and abilities. It is held at beautiful Pyoca Camp, Conference and
Retreat Center in Brownstown, IN. The weekend activities include relaxed fellowship
and fun with church family, working to help the camp prepare for summer, and wor-
ship. The cost for two nights is $40 per person for adults and children 11 years and
older; $25 for children 5-10 years and free for younger children. For one night it is
$30 for adults and $18 for children. This covers lodging, snacks, Saturday breakfast
and lunch, and Sunday breakfast. The cost of a Saturday pizza supper is shared. You
may choose to come for the day on Saturday, but you might miss the
s'mores! Register now!

CL Easter Egg Hunt

Spring is quickly approaching as well as our annual Easter egg hunt.

The festivities will be on Saturday, April 20th at 10:30 a.m. The lo-
cation is the Ute Shelter at Deming Park. In case of rain, it will be
held at the church.

Children elementary age and younger and encouraged to attend.

Please bring your gathering baskets for an “eggs-citing” time!!

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EASTER DINNER
The Moles/Goltry family will host an Easter pitch-in dinner at church follow-
ing the fellowship time on Sunday, April 21. Anyone that would like to join
is welcome. Please bring a dish or two to share. Meat and drinks will be
provided. A sign-up sheet is in fellowship hall to help us know numbers of
people and what foods are being brought. Help with clean-up is requested.

Surrell Scholarship

Mary E. Surrell became a member of Central Presbyterian Church

in 1866. With a bequest from her, the church has established
the Surrell Scholarship Fund for the benefit of graduating high-
school seniors and current college students (including non-traditional) who are a part of
the CPC family, whether by membership or participation in church life.

Applications for 2019 are available in the church office or submit online at https://goo.gl/
forms/O7EIEbkOAurKdi132. Scholarships will be distributed on May 5.

Youth News — Connor Scanlon

We wrapped up our bible study series on stewardship for the year. Throughout the school year we
talked about doing what God wants us to do so we can become who God wants us to be. We looked
at how we can use our skills, talents, interests, time, and money to glorify God. It was a great year of
practical steps we can take as Christians to grow closer to God.
Thank you to all of the volunteers this year who have helped with bible studies. We were able for the
first time to split into small groups of 3-6 students to have more impactful and meaningful conversa-
tions. Thank you again to all who stepped up to help with that and with meals provided for the youth.
We had a great Souper Bowl of Caring. We collected 185 cans and $151.19. The past 4 years we have
collected over $900 and 900 food items. Thank you for all of your support!
Centenary hosted an auction for the youth to raise money for Triennium this summer. The total
amounts are not completely in yet but we are looking at around $500. Thank you to everyone who
supported that.

Youth Sunday is right around the corner. It will be May 5th at Central and May 12th at Centenary.
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Session Notes from March for the April Herald

During its March meeting, session reviewed reports from commissions and committees and transacted routine
business. Highlights from the meeting appear here.

Election of Corporate Officers

Officers for the 2019-2020 year were nominated and elected:
Chair: Robert Guell
Vice Chair: Luanne Tilstra
Secretary: Connie McLaren
Treasurer: Beth Christ
Assistant Treasurer: Bruce McLaren

Pastor’s Report:
Pastor Mike reiterated that he is very happy to be here. He brought two issues for session consideration.
Session had reviewed an email from Josh Powers that raised the possibility of providing financial support for
William Seo and his family as he pursues a degree at Gordon Conwell seminary. Session discussed pros
and cons of providing support and concluded that much more information is needed before a decision
can be made. Al Holder will work with the pastor to craft a series of questions that address William’s
long range plans and will report back to session.
The pastor has the opportunity to apply for a Healthy Pastors/Healthy Congregations grant that provides
financial planning consultation to pastors. One caveat is the degree of financial support required by the
church and he will pursue more information. A motion for Mike Riggins and Central Presbyterian to
apply for the grant was made and approved.

Treasurer’s Report
The report for the month of February was approved with thanks. Bruce McLaren noted that our cash flow
matches budget but we will continue to monitor revenue.

Operating Fund Sum-

Month of February Balance Sheet Summary 2/28/2019
mary
Beginning of Month $44,113.52 Current Assets $699,731
Income $26,994.36 Fixed Assets $2,980,000
Expenses $27,686.92 Short Term Liabilities $3403
End of Month $43,420.96 Long Term Liabilities $396,660
Net Worth (Fund Balance) $3,282,711
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Christian Educator’s Report: Parents’ Night Out was last Friday and other events are planned. A new nursery
worker is in the process of being hired.

Clerk’s Report: Communion was served during worship on Sunday, February 3. Home communion was served to
Bill Cook and Sally Moulton with assistance by deacon Kay Farmer and to Marcella Guthrie with assistance by dea-
con Jean Shutt. Member Jim Slutz died on February 24 and member Laura Redicks died on March 6.

Deacons: the board met earlier this evening and planned the reception for Jim Slutz and reviewed and reor-
ganized their flocks.

Reports and Action Items from Committees and Commissions:

Christian Nurture: A motion to donate the Sunday School offering from now through May to purchase items on
the Camp Pyoca wish list was approved. The fall offering was used to purchase food for Deming Elementary stu-
dents but no more is needed.
Facilities: the masonry company will be inspecting our bricks next week to provide a tuck pointing estimate.

Finance: Bob Guell and Fred Rubey will work with the pastor to determine the timing to send the funding re-
quest letter to the congregation and make an announcement from the pulpit. Session discussed the pros and cons
of establishing a method for online contributions. Would any increased contributions offset the transaction fees? If
we do this, how do we incorporate the sacrificial act of giving as part of the worship service? Session will take
this up after the worship commission reviews the possibility.

Mission: Kelly Moy has been hired as the volunteer mission coordinator, subject to the background check. She
should be a good fit and is expected to start on April 1.

Personnel: the committee has reviewed the pastor’s self-review. A sixteen-question annual evaluation will be dis-
tributed to the entire membership next fall. There will be a separate session review and staff review. Background
check results are seen only by the pastor. The committee will consider whether at some point after long service a
second background check needs to be done on employees.
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2019 CPC SPRING FAMILY RETREAT AT PYOCA

Come catch a breath of fresh air as you rest,

worship, play and work with your church family at Pyoca

Who: Members & friends of the Central Church family – of all ages

When: Friday, April 26, 7:00 pm to Sunday, April 28, 12:00 pm

Where: Pyoca Camp, Conference, & Retreat Center

Brownstown, IN (2 hour drive from Terre Haute)
All weather cabins with 4 rooms; each room has 3 bunks and a bathroom

What: Fellowship, Worship, Sabbath time, and service work for Pyoca
Special activities for children and childcare during work times

Cost: $40 per person for adults and children 11 years & older
$25 5–10 years; free for younger children
($30 and $18 for one night; $8 for day on Saturday)
This covers two nights lodging, snacks, Saturday breakfast & lunch,
and Sunday breakfast. The cost of a Sat. pizza supper will be shared.

April Birthdays —
3—Judy Duffy
9—Teddy Perry, Greg Simmons
10—Beth Whitaker
11 — Andrew Simmons
12 — Doug Shepherd
13 — Christopher Ennis, Bob McLaughlin, Nathan Paul-Bonham
16—Kendra Scanlon
17—John Ramer
18—Elinor Cleveland, Linda Harder, John Moulton
20—Stella VanDyke, Molly Wadsworth
23—Margaret Tamar
25 — Miller Bough, Mary Ann Clem, Mike Wadsworth
26 — Frank Bailey
27—Bill Green
28 — William Merrill
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SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 Family Prayer 2 3 4 5 6
Group 11:00

7 Choir 8:45 8 Family Prayer 9 10Deacons 5:00 11 12 Parents Night 13 CPR & AED
Sunday school 9:30 Group 11:00 Session 7:00 Out 5:30 training 9:00
Worship 10:30
Lenten Series 5:15

14 Choir 8:45 15Family Prayer 16 Supper & 17 Youth 18 19 20 Easter egg hunt
childcare 5:15
Sunday school 9:30 Group 11:00 Design Tem 6:15 at Deming—Ute
Commission/
Worship 10:30 Committee meet- shelter 10:30
Youth group 5:00 ings

21 EASTER 22Family Prayer 23 Seekers & 24Personnel 25 26 27

Choir 8:45 Group 11:00 Searchers 10:00 Committee 12:30 Pyoca Retreat
Worship 10:30

28 Choir 8:45 29Family Prayer 30

Sunday school 9:30 Group 11:00
Worship 10:30
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A Haphazard Supplication
Free Speech, Fragility, and Justice by Allen Holder

One of our most beloved and most defended rights is that of free speech, a privilege so essential to
our nation's nascency that it is codified in the First Amendment to the Constitution as a limiting
safeguard against the federal government's ascendancy to censor and suppress our opinions. Our
free speech appanage has since diffused and permeated our lives, with the Supreme Court endorsing
that free speech is "the matrix, the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom."
Wow, now that is power! Indeed, speech and words are almighty; after all, "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). This magnificent reality
casts the childhood apothegm, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt
me," to the realm of the absurd, and it further flings qualms on those who try to shamefully en-
sconce their garish and craven decrees about their own supremacy behind the guardianship of free
speech.

Nonetheless, our sinful tendencies coax and provoke us to exploit power, and we regularly miscar-
ry our responsibilities. A contemporary example is the current polemic that we must condone rep-
rehensible oratory as it castigates, denigrates, demeans, and intimidates our brothers and sisters, for
if we even whisper an admonishment, then we are said to be smearing our community with fragility
and are thus culpable of vituperation ourselves. This crooked argument reduces to the execrable
suggestion that we have the obligation to linger as the brazen punks among us trash whomever they
despise. The argument further suggests that the scorned should hear the misguided rhetoric and
false wisdom of their antagonizers because they employ nothing more than words - and everyone
can handle words, right? Can we not expect everyone to hold damning language at bay until its con-
tents are scrutinized, callously disregarding what is not appreciated without repercussion? Is this ex-
pectation not guaranteed by our own Constitution? I suspect that the Pharisees of Jesus' day might
argue against this expectation, as they certainly found substantial impact in the language they heard,
even as they tried mightily to dismiss it.

We are, as failed humans, vigorously able to distort what is good into the less than good, and our
ability to corrupt free speech is not spared. The gift of free speech, just like all gifts, is cast from the
perspective of love, and it must be tempered against this mandate. James 3:1-12 is clear on this
point, e.g. "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings,
who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My
brothers and sisters, this should not be" (James 3:9-10). The form of love that we ignore as we plac-
idly let the bully spew is that of justice. Only the downtrodden, the oppressed, the scared, and the
naked seem to be shouldering the burden of free speech, and the bully, well, he is exempt. He never
worries, he never frets, and he always gets his way. He simply continues to spew and to callous his
brothers and sisters. I so pray for the promised reckoning, for the courage to speak out, for the
embrace of diversity, and for the lack of insouciance.
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The Mission Committee continues to collect

food items to be given to local agencies each
month. The months of March and April have
been designated for the Light House Mission.
Below is a list of their food needs.

Corn Beans Green Beans

Baked beans Peas Tomatoes
Applesauce
(Regular or commercial sized cans of above items)
Pasta Pasta sauces
Corn bread mixes Sugar
Flour Salt
Oatmeal Assorted boxes of cereal

Flowers for Easter

It has been our custom to place plants in the chancel area in memory or in
honor of our loved ones to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Through a local
florist, we can obtain any of the following:

Lilies $8.75 per plant

Tulips $8.75 per plant
Daffodils $8.75 per plant

ORDER DEADLINE: Sunday, April 7th

Let’s make our church a blaze of color as we celebrate Easter.
Donors: _____________________________________________________

In Memory of:_________________________________________

In Honor of: __________________________________________

Flowers must be paid for when ordered. Please leave orders in the church office or place
in offering plate.
 Business Tagline or Motto
Central Presbyterian Church
125 N. 7th Street Sunday School for all ages 9:30 a.m.
Terre Haute, IN 47807 Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.

Phone: 812-232-5049 Rev. Mike Riggins, Pastor

Fax: 812-232-5040 Scott Paul-Bonham, Parish Associate
Email: cpcoffice@thcpc.org
Cheryl Moles, Christian Educator
Sarah Kelsheimer, Church Secretary

Church Happenings

Women’s Book Club

Please be
The Women’s Book Club will sure that
be meeting on April 4 at 7:00 the church
in the church lounge. The office has
book to be discussed is Dear the names of 2019 gradu-
Mrs. Bird by A. F. Pearce. All ates in your family. W e
who are interested are wel- will honor high school and
Next Herald college graduates on May
come.
Deadline — 5.

April 23, 2019 Women’s Bible Study

The Women’s Bible Study will
meet on April 23 at 10:00 a.m.
at the church. The study will
be on Short Stories by Jesus
by Amy-Jill Levine. Connie
McLaren will be the hostess
and Molly Wadsworth will
lead the discussion.