March Informer Informer

March Informer

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The Community Presbyterian Church

Informer March 2019

Vol. 69, No. 3

PUBLISHED BY COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA) 4301 MONROE AVENUE, WATERFORD, MI 48329 PHONE: 248 673-7805

Did you ever wonder how the date for Easter is set? Easter, unlike Christmas, has a moving calendar

date that is based on the lunar cycle. Long ago, it was decided that Easter would be celebrated on

the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the spring equinox. For simplicity’s sake,

the Church has set a fixed date for the equinox of March 21. Which means Easter will always fall

between March 22 and April 25. That is, of course, if you follow the Roman way of calculating the

date. For Orthodox churches, they follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. So

their observance of Easter can occur between April 4 and May 8.

Seems like a confusing algorithm just to celebrate Easter Sunday – the Resurrection of our Lord. No

matter what calendar day we celebrate Easter, it is a foundational event in our life of faith and our

belief in the power of God.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he

has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and

unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected by the power of

God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

The time period before Easter is called Lent and it is a period set aside to prepare for the coming of

Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection, and traditionally included the disciplines of

fasting, prayer and almsgiving. In the early church, Lent was also a time to prepare new converts for

baptism.

This Lenten Season at Community Presbyterian Church we have a variety of ways to engage with

others in order to deepen your faith and assist you in seeing where the Journey to the Cross leads

you. You will find the explanation of the offerings on the next page.

I look forward to journeying in this Lenten season with you!

Pastor Beth

Index

Pastor’s Page .................. 1 Worship and Music ........ 2 Deacons .......................... 2 Christian Education ........ 3

Mission ........................... 4 PWPD ............................. 4 Membership .................... 5

Community Activities ..... 5 Celebration Garden ......... 6 Calendar .......................... 7

Pastor’s Ponderings

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Worship and Music

March Worship Calendar

Sunday, March 3

Transfiguration

Worship led by Pastor Tom K.

Wednesday, March 6

Ash Wednesday

Sunday, March 10

First Sunday in Lent

Adult Sunday School

Communion

Sunday, March 17

Second Sunday in Lent

Adult Sunday School

Youth Breakfast

Nursery Open

Sunday, March 24

Third Sunday in Lent

Adult Sunday School

Sunday, March 31

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Adult Sunday School

Deacons

Dave & I would like to thank each and everyone who sent cards, thoughts & prayers to us, during the recent loss of Willy’s brother, Duane Bailey. We appreciate all of you, and all of your kindness during this difficult time. Our church family is amazing. God’s many Blessings to you all, Dave & Willy Froling & the Bailey family

A Lenten Invitation – Journey to the Cross

We begin the season with an Ash Wednesday Service,

Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. This can be a very

meaningful service as we are marked with the ashes of

last year’s palms. This service helps prepare us to

thoughtfully walk during the Lenten Season that leads us

to Holy Week and Christ’s journey to the cross.

Roundtable Discussion Forum – during Fellowship time after

Service on Sunday, March 10 – A Witness to the Resurrection. It

is important to talk with family about making your end of life

wishes know. On March 10, we will specifically talk about funeral

planning.

On Wednesday, March 13, CPC is hosting the Waterford

Ministerial Association Lenten Devotion and Lunch at noon.

Since we are hosting, there are many ways in which you can help

out, or simply come to the service. There is a volunteer sign-up

sheet in the narthex.

Each Wednesday in Lent, beginning on March 13,

join us at 5:15 p.m. for a 15-30 minute prayer walk

around the church and the neighborhood as we

lift up prayers to God, for our church and for the

community.

Thursdays in Lent – we will begin on March 14

at 6:30 p.m. with the movie “The Way”. It is a

movie about the Camino de Santiago (“The Way

of St. James”), a pilgrim trek that leads to the

cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The 3 following weeks (3/21, 3/28, 4/4) we will

be discussing themes inspired by the movie

with additional insight from the documentary

“I’ll Push You”. “I’ll Push You” is the journey of

two friends who travel the pilgrim route with

one friend pushing the other in a wheelchair.

On April 7, we will have an

Intergenerational Lenten

experience. This will follow

worship and be held in the dining

room area. It will be an opportunity for all ages to engage in

activities as well as prayerful reflection on the journey of Holy

Week.

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Christian Education

Special Delivery!

On December 30, 2018, during and after

church, our preschool through 5th

graders: Luci

Sands, Abigail Bonk, Payton and Spencer

Erkfritz, Nola O’Dea, William and Raquel

Twyman, and Ben Williams, worked together to

make 16 custom-made Blessings in a Jar.

Our Blessings in a Jar consisted of 8-10

uplifting Bible verses printed on labels and

placed on beautiful card stock, an angel

ornament, starlight mints and fruit hard candy,

Hershey kisses and Andes Mints all placed into

a Ball Jar a with a ribbon holding a custom cut-

out tag with the name of one of the children

who participated in this exciting event.

Under the guidance of Tara Twyman and Tina

Erkfritz and volunteers: Jan Smith, Ben

Kaldahl, Andrea Williams, Kathleen

Dougherty, and Pastor Beth, they made the jars

to take to members of our congregation who are

not able to come to church.

Once they completed the project, Tina, Tara and

Andrea drove the youth with the finished

product and delivered one to each person on our

Special Delivery list. All the recipients were

thrilled, some, over the moon, to receive their

Blessings in a Jar and a face-to-face visit with

the youth who worked so hard to make them.

This Special Delivery has meant so much to

everyone involved. We’ve had a member return

to coming quite regularly, and received a couple

of cards of gratitude and thanks. Almost

everyone that received a visit was also offered a

ride to church, just a phone call away. Every

student that participated said they would love to

do it again!!

We plan to have another Intergenerational

“Special Delivery” event Sunday, March 31st,

to share the Christian work of our youth with

others. If you have any suggestions of who we

may want to visit, please let Tina Erkfritz know.

In His Service,

Christian Education Committee 2019

~ MarchMarchMarchMarch

The Nursery will be staffed by a CE volunteer in

December on the date(s) listed below.

March 17

Parents can bring babies and toddlers after the

Children’s message to the nursery, which is in the

basement at the end of the west hall across from

the Fireplace Room. The Nursery is available

during service for parents to use. It is a good place

for children to play, but it is not regularly staffed by

volunteers.

Parents are welcome to stay. Thanks to Lynn

Sands for her time to allow parents to attend the

worship services.

~Christian Education Committee

Adult Education

The Adult Christian Education offerings will be: Starts Ends Teacher Subject 03/10 04/14 K Bishop Hallelujah - Lent

05/05 06/09 M Pike Crash Test Dummies - Judges

All classes are in the Parlor. They start at 8:45AM and end at 9:45AM.

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Volunteers Needed

Christian Education always

welcomes volunteers to assist with the variety of activities involving youth at Community Presbyterian Church. The recent implementation of the Ministry with Minors and Vulnerable Adults Policy now

requires that all volunteers undergo background checks to ensure that youth are under the care of members who have been vetted by law enforcement. Background check applications are simple. All information is confidential and secure. All CPC staff, Sunday School teachers, and Session Elders have background checks completed. In order for Christian Education to provide programs and services to youth, more volunteers are needed. If you would like to help with education programs and projects, please consider volunteering. As CPC moves to establish best practices and comply with insurance requirements along with policies from the Presbytery, we need more people to volunteer and complete background screenings. If you are interested, please contact Kim Bishop or Kathleen Dougherty, Christian Education Co-chairs. Thank you for your dedication to support Christian Education. In his service, CE Committee

Mission

THANK YOU to all the people in our church who participated in

making Christmas better for two families and one senior. You also

made Christmas more meaningful for the teen boys at AIM Cottage

at Children’s Village. Thank you notes and letters, from the people

we helped, are on the mission bulletin board in the narthex. Read

them and know that you are blessed enough to share with others.

Your generosity from the Christmas Joy Offering was $548.00.

Sharing your blessings is a privilege and an answer to prayers for

those who benefit from your gifts.

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING will occur on Sunday,

March 24. It is one of the four offerings that are received in

Presbyterian congregations. “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 reflect the call of Isaiah to become repairers of the

breach.” Isaiah: YOU shall be called repairers of the breach. (vs

58:12)

If you feel called to work with mission, please share your ideas with

Alice Sias, chairperson (248 505 7839) or come to our first Monday

of the month meetings.

PWPD

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Membership March Birthdays

Hartley Anglin

Stan Barker

Craig Dwire

Gary Edwards

Karyn Erkfritz-Gay

Emilia Gill

Ben Gregory

Addison Hartley

Lindsay Hartley

Tom McAllister

Julie Pankey

Evan Polaski

Julie Polaski

Joanne Prudhomme

Cory Ronk

Rose Sanders

Tim Stinson

Jessica Sutherland

Sean Twyman

Please notify the office of any mistakes or

omissions in the birthday list.

Community

Activities Saturday, March 2nd

***Meadow Brook has “Pete the Cat” for children. When Pete the cat gets caught rocking out after bedtime, the cat-catcher sends

him to live with the Biddle family to learn his manners and boy are they square!!! But for the groovy blue cat, life is an adventure no matter where you wind up, so

Pete gets the whole family rocking. $12.00 per ticket.

Showtime is 1 p.m.

Monday, March 4th Line Dancing, 10 a.m.-noon, cost $3

Meet at the Big Boy restaurant on Dixie at 5:15 for games. 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Cost $0 for games.

Tuesday, March 5th Line Dancing, 10 a.m.-noon, cost $3

Thursday, March 7th Line Dancing, 5:30 -7:30 p.m., cost $3


Meet at the Big Boy restaurant on Dixie for games. 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.



Saturday, March 16th Lunch and movie!!! Meet at the Village Place on Dixie at 11:30 a.m.

Movie at MJR to follow.




Bring your ideas and snack to pass at 7:00 p.m. for the Community Activities planning

Thursday, March 21st Line Dancing, 5:30 -7:30 p.m., cost $3

Grief Counseling 7:00pm – 8:30pm. Cost $0





Saturday, March 30th Party at Jenny’s at 5:30 p.m. Pot Luck – bring a dish to pass.

Monday, April 1st Line Dancing, 10 a.m.-noon, cost $3


Tuesday, April 2nd Line Dancing, 10 a.m.-noon, cost $3

Thursday, April 4th Line Dancing, 5:30 -7:30 p.m., cost $3

Saturday, April 6th Detroit Gem Show in Livonia. Leave from Community Presbyterian

Church at 10 a.m.

Everyone is welcome to join in. For questions Call Jenny at 931-334-0513

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Notes from the Celebration Garden

~ The Journey Begins Again

As March begins, the struggle between the seasons plays out in the extreme

weather conditions seen this month. While February reluctantly gives away to

milder March weather, the monarchs that we bid farewell to in the fall are

reawakening to begin their journey north.

Eastern monarchs, seen east of the Rocky Mountains, have overwintered in

Mexico since late October last year. In late summer, the generation of monarchs suspend breeding and

begin an epic journey south to find a place that they have never been before. They travel to central

Mexico and congregate in a small area about 73 miles wide that has only 12 places suitable for Monarchs

to survive the winter. These sites are at high elevations of 10,000 feet in the oyamel forests. This habitat

offers a microclimate that monarchs need. Monarchs cling in masses to the oyamel trees. In March, the

monarchs that have survived begin migrating north. These monarchs are ancient by the standards of

most monarchs seen during the summer. They are nearly nine months old. These aged butterflies migrate

to Texas and other southern states to lay eggs on newly emerging Milkweeds and then die. The butterflies

that mature from the eggs keep traveling north as spring progresses into summer.

The Celebration Garden offers milkweed plants for monarchs once

they reach Michigan. Monarchs are milkweed dependent insects and

cannot reproduce without milkweed plants. Eastern monarchs have

been declining for the past twenty years to the point where the species

is now closely monitored. Many groups help by planting habitat for

monarchs, reducing the use of pesticides, and studying the changing

climate’s impact on monarchs. The good news is that monarchs have

responded favorably to the efforts toward positive change.

The latest numbers for eastern monarch populations in Mexico this

winter showed a 144 percent increase over last year. This increase is

the highest it has been in a decade. The results are the combined efforts of many individuals and

community gardens that have decided to stop the decline of monarch butterflies. Although this is good

news for eastern monarch, western monarch populations are trending in a different direction.

The Celebration Garden is a place where small creatures like the monarch are renewed and

conserved. The Celebration Garden is part of a network of other gardens that honors God’s creation and

the miracle of a butterfly’s journey. The small contributions of many can show great results. Take time to

think about the different journeys during Lent; the ancestral journey of monarch butterflies and Jesus’

journey to the Cross. Spend time to reflect in prayer.

Romans: 12:12 -Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

In His Service

Growing with God

Created by Kathleen Dougherty

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March 10: 11 a.m. Coffee Fellowship, 11:15 a.m. Roundtable Discussion - A Witness to the Resurrection, 11:30 a.m. Finance meeting

March Informer

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Community Presbyterian Church (USA)

of Drayton Plains

4301 Monroe Avenue at Sashabaw

Waterford, Michigan 48329

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March Informer Informer