Right next to Morrell Park on Major Avenue
May 2008


Sunday, May 4, 2008 Communion

Communion and Preacher Doyel to preach about Hope in Your Life. Read and meditate on Mark 6:45-52. Make sure if you’re up the creek without a paddle that you are not alone in that boat!

Sunday, May 11, 2008 Mother's Day

This is both Pentecost—the birthday of the Church—and Mother’s Day. This is a day of celebration. Wear something red to symbolize the Holy Spirit and hear about how the spirit can work in people’s lives and hearts. Elder Jim LaVeck preaches a sermon entitled The Anchor. Do YOU have an anchor in your life? Not the kind that keeps your boat from drifting away, but the kind that keeps you grounded in your faith. Come and see if you can recognize your anchor.

This is also the Sunday for our Pentecost offering.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Preacher Doyel will continue the theme of love and last week’s Mother’s Day with a sermon about young love that happened right here at the church. The title of the sermon is Notre Dame and Jerusalem.

Sunday, May 25, 2008 Memorial Sunday

Our church has the honor of having as our guest pastor, Carl Swenberg. Besides all of Pastor Carl’s other accomplishments, he is an Air Force veteran. Wherever you are this weekend, be sure to take a few moments to remember those who served our country.

~Parson Doyel


May 2008

1

7:00 PM

Choir Practice

4

8:30 AM

Worship Service

 

9:30 AM

Sunday School

 

10:30 AM

Worship Service

5

7:00 PM

Cub Scouts

6

10:00 AM

DEACONS’ MEETING

7

4:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Cadets & Seniors

 

5:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Brownies

 

5:30 PM

Girl Scouts—Juniors

 

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

8

7:00 PM

Choir Practice

11

Pentecost and Mother’s Day

11

8:30 AM

Worship Service

 

9:30 AM

Sunday School

 

10:30 AM

Worship Service

12

7:00 PM

Cub Scouts

13

10:00 AM

Women’s Bible Study

14

4:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Cadets & Seniors

 

5:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Brownies

 

5:30 PM

Girl Scouts—Juniors

 

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

15

7:00 PM

Choir Practice

18

8:30 AM

Worship Service

 

9:30 AM

Sunday School

 

10:30 AM

Worship Service

19

7:00 PM

Cub Scouts

20

7:00 PM

SESSION MEETING

21

11:30 AM

Daytimers’ Meeting/Potluck

21

4:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Cadets & Seniors

 

5:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Brownies

 

5:30 PM

Girl Scouts—Juniors

 

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

22

7:00 PM

Choir Practice

25

8:30 AM

Worship Service

 

9:30 AM

Sunday School

 

10:30 AM

Worship Service

26

Memorial day

27

10:00 AM

Women’s Bible Study

28

4:00 PM

Girl Scouts—Cadets & Seniors

 

5:00 PM

Girl Scouts--Brownies

 

5:30 PM

Girl Scouts—Juniors

 

7:00 PM

Boy Scouts

29

7:00 PM

Choir Practice

 

Happy May Birthdays

1

Candace Bush

6

Cristi Jo Bush

6

Ellen Walsh

9

Virginia Jones

14

Jim Moore

16

Carole Null

16

Michael Dobiez

18

Jane Wagner

18

Carla Miller

22

Ray Currier

23

Susie Hanson

25

Jayne Parcel

30

Floyd Coons

If you don’t see your name listed for a birthday or an anniversary, please call the office (565-9684) or

Sue Lednicky (566-0755)!

 


SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

The Session is calling a Special Congregational Meeting for Sunday, May 4, 2008, to discuss and vote on a change to Pastor Doyel's salary package. The meeting will be held at 10:00 am between the two worship services on that Sunday. Please plan on attending so that we can meet our church's bylaw requirement for a quorum, otherwise we'll have to meet again the following Sunday.

 

 

Christian Education News

Confirmation Classes will begin May 4th. Please see Mrs. Jan Pratt or Pastor Ross if you have children interested in attending these classes. Participants must be finishing the 6th grade or older and adults are welcome to attend with their children.

Vacation Bible School is right around the corner. It will be held July 21 through July 25, 2008. Your help is needed, so please plan on volunteering and sharing your talents with our church youth this year!

Sunday school Please save your empty toilet paper tubes for Carolyn LaVeck. She will be teaching the Sunday school children how to make bird feeders out of these cardboard cylinders. Just place the tubes in the Sunday school room when you bring them in.

 

 

SCOUTS NEED LEADERS!

Girl Scout Leaders are needed for both Juniors (4th and 5th grades: ages 9-10) and Cadettes (6th, 7th, and 8th grades: ages 11-13). Phone Carrie Fava (558-5704) or Becky Sell (558-1355) if you can help!

 

Some people requested the recipe for the dish Karen Chandler brought to the Presbyterian 101 class, so here it is:

Cheesy Egg Casserole - from the kitchen of Marcia Boyce (my mother-in-law)

  • 1/4 Cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 Cup butter, melted
  • 4 Eggs, beaten
  • 1 Cup cottage cheese
  • 1 4oz. can of chopped green chiles (mild)
  • 1 4oz. jar of pimentos
  • 2 Cups shredded cheese (cheddar/Monterey Jack or any that you prefer)


Combine flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl.
Add eggs, cottage cheese, green chiles, pimentos, and cheese. Mix well.
Pour mixture into a lightly greased 10x6x2" baking dish. Bake uncovered @ 375º for 30 minutes.
Yields 6-8 servings.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a Bird!

It’s a Plane! No!!

It’s a beautiful kite!

Sunday, April 13, HPC’s Church Family Life committee hosted a kite flying event at Mission Hills Park. About 25 folks showed up to eat, talk, and of course, fly kites. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful park and both the people and the dogs that came along had a great time! The only thing that could have made it better was if more of us had shown up!


A Letter from Church Mouse

Well, here I am again,

Hope all is going well with you at Henderson Presbyterian Church. I just had the best time ever. I heard there was a kite flying party at the park and I thought I would hitch a ride to check it out. (Of course I didn’t find any cheese in the car or lunch bag, but the ride was fun!) I jumped out of the car and was so happy to see so many adults, children, and pets! (Did I say pets? I meant dogs.) It seemed that everyone brought their dogs for a good time also. In fact, I think there were more dogs than children, but then I don’t think dogs can fly kites, or can they? I thought that maybe we would have a barbeque—you know, hot "dogs" and hamburgers. I looked around and didn’t see any Hebrew Nationals, but did see one Oscar Mayer, but it was too little and cute, so of course no barbeque. The wind was just right and a good time was had by all. I look forward to it again next year and a really big THANK YOU to Harvey and Marian Rolf for their time and love in the fun activity.

I am really looking forward to the Church Outing the last of June on Mt. Charleston, as I do know there will be a lot of food and I am sure I will find some. I just have to keep away from the squirrels!

Here are some thoughts to ponder and I hope you like them:

Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us!

The heart is like a treasure chest that’s filled with souvenirs; it’s where we keep the memories we’ve gathered through the years.

A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable.

Until next time,

I remain Your Church Mouse

 

HPC is going to the mountains! Yes, after a break of a few years, we are going to have camping and a church service on Mount Charleston again!

Bring your tents and campers on June 27 to McWilliams Campground and enjoy a weekend of fellowship with your friends in the church. Then, on Sunday, June 29, move to Foxtail Picnic Area for an open-air church service. If you can’t come and camp, at least come up for the Sunday service. After the service on Sunday, there will be a potluck luncheon, so bring chairs, drinks and food to share, and some games for the adults and kids!

 

 

Our church has two special funds. One is the Church Renovation Fund. This fund has been established by the Session to offset the cost of needed interior and exterior repairs and replacements. If you have questions concerning this fund, contact Building and Operations Chairman Dennis Wagner; and if you can help, please write "FUND" on your check and place it in the offering plate.

The second fund is the Sign Fund. This fund has been established to pay for new signage on all corners of the grounds of our church property. Approximately $10,000 will be needed for this project. If you are able to help, please put "SIGN" on your check and place it in the offering plate.


M—Is For Mother’s Day

"Happy Mother’s Day." Now that you’ve said it and mean it of course, do you completely understand the implications and ramifications of your greeting to a loved one? Let us explore this phrase for a moment or two to see just what we find.

In 1914, then President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day as a National holiday. What however, were the events leading up to this day of recognition of our mothers?

In the United States, this day was originally suggested in 1870 by the poet, Julia Ward Howe after witnessing the carnage of the American Civil War. She wrote a proclamation in which she sought the assistance of mothers everywhere in helping to eliminate wars and national conflicts. Following this, in 1872 she wrote the classic song with which we are all familiar, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." By 1911, Mother’s Day was being celebrated in almost every state in America, but did not become a resolution until May 8, 1914, when President Wilson signed it into law designating the second Sunday in May as the day to honor our mothers. It is now celebrated in 46 countries by millions of people around the world, but this is not the end of the story.

Let us now take a look at what our Bibles have to say. There are numerous references to mothers within the pages of our Bibles, with two of the more notable ones listed as follows: In Genesis 3:20, the first book of the Bible, we read," Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all living." In Exodus 20:12, God felt so strongly about parenting and family that He included in His 5th commandment, "Honor your father and mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

How can we possibly speak of mothers unless we recall Gabriel’s visit to a young peasant girl named Mary announcing that she would give birth to a boy child? Thus, Mary became the most honored mother who ever lived when she brought forth the most perfect and honored man who ever trod the earth’s surface, Jesus.

So you see, there is a wonderful heritage to the day we honor all women who ever were, are, or are yet to be Mothers.

Happy Mother’s Day, and may God bless you abundantly.

Daniel Schears

 

Joke of the Day

A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn’t want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence, but yet know that he was safe.

So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor woman if she would please follow her son to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn’t notice her.

She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor boy he knew. She did this for a whole week.

As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy’s little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally, he said to Timmy, "Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?"

Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who she is." The friend said, "Well who is she?" "That’s just Shirley Goodnest and her daughter Marcy."

"Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?" the friend asked.

"Well," Timmy explained, "every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers ‘cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm it says,’Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life,’ so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it."

Submitted by Carolyn


 

Henderson Presbyterian Church

Session Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Session met in quorum in the Fireside Room at Henderson Presbyterian Church. The meeting was opened with prayer at 7:04 p.m. by the Moderator, Rev. Ross Doyel.

Active Elders present: Diane Holman, Jim LaVeck, Anne Mack, Craig Sell, Dennis Wagner, Rita Yeager Absent: Karen Fallon, Carole Null, Janice Pratt, Clinton Brown

Others: Daniele Dreitzer, HACA, Rochelle Nguyen, HACA, Denis Pecoraro, HPC

Presentation by Representatives from HACA

Rev. Doyel introduced Rochelle Nguyen, President of the Board of Directors for HACA (Henderson Allied Community Advocates). Ms. Nguyen is a criminal defense attorney, practicing in Henderson. She explained that HACA is changing its name to HOPELINK, as focus group studies determined that the acronym HACA did not really spell out what the agency is all about. HACA/HOPELINK operates on land leased to them by HPC, and is located to the northwest of HPC’s sanctuary. It is a community relief agency, which provides family support assistance, with particular emphasis on aid to children.

Following a very thorough explanation of HOPELINK’s programs and staff, given by Ms. Nguyen and Daniele Dreitzer, Executive Director of HOPELINK, the meeting was opened to questions from the members of Session. Ms. Nguyen was asked why the metal storage shed that houses HOPELINK’s clothing closet was placed in the middle of their/our parking lot, instead of to the side or rear of their building. Ms. Dreitzer replied that there had been an issue of uneven ground to contend with, and stated that HOPELINK is now in negotiation with Tuff Shed to construct a storage facility that will definitely be placed behind their building, replacing the present storage unit. Ms. Dreitzer was then asked why HOPELINK had recently donated over a hundred pounds of canned goods to the HPC Food Pantry, many of which had expired "use by" dates. Ms. Dreitzer replied that all of HOPELINK’s food is donated and that they do not have a staff person available to check the dates on the cans. While they are still handing out food when they can, HOPELINK has discovered that a need for food usually masks a much greater need of some kind, and they would rather deal with the larger problem and also provide counseling. Thus, they have divested themselves recently of canned goods that have been in their facility for some time. Ms. Dreitzer did say that a date on a can very often represents a "sell by" date, not a "use by" date. Their hope is to assist most of their clients in real need to obtain food stamps. They are most appreciative of the help with food that HPC has provided over the past few years. Ms. Dreitzer closed by stating that HOPELINK welcomes assistance from volunteers, if any HPC members should be interested.

Deacon’s Report

Rev. Doyel restated a report previously given on the Stephen Ministry program, which he investigated on his study leave in 2007. This program involves a two year commitment on the part of its participants, and costs $997 per person for training. It is not fiscally possible for the Deacons or HPC’s membership in general to undertake this training at this time.

The minutes of the Deacon’s meeting of April 1, 2008, were approved as presented. Session noted that the Board of Deacons meets the first Tuesday of every month, except for June, July and August. They do retain the right to call special meetings as needed.

Clerk’s Report

The Clerk reported that a letter of transfer has been received for Jennifer Rios. The minutes of the Congregational meeting of March 31, 2008, were approved without exception. The minutes of the March Session meeting had previously been approved by email, in order to meet the deadline for publication in the church newsletter.

Treasurer’s Report

Denis Pecoraro, a member of the Stewardship and Finance committee, gave the monthly financial report in the absence of Karen Fallon, committee chair. He presented the members of Session with copies of the new report forms now being used at HPC: Actual vs. Budgeted Income and Expenses; a Chart of Accounts; and a Profit and Loss sheet (Income vs. Expenses). Denis provided a thorough description of how well the new financial system is currently working. He did state that there are still some communication issues that need to be worked out between himself and Karen and Rob Bumann, Church Treasurer (he pays the bills) with regard to the weekly deposits and the amount of funds being kept in the checking and savings accounts.

Pastor’s Report

Rev. Doyel reported on those members or friends of the church whom he has visited since the last meeting of Session. He initiated a discussion on the need for a window in his office door, in order to have HPC’s building up to code per the sexual misconduct guidelines of the Presbytery of Nevada and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was suggested by members of Session that every door that houses a potential meeting place should have a window. Dennis Wagner will contact the manufacturer of the heavy fire doors installed within the past few years at HPC, in order to determine how efficiently windows could be installed.

Pastor Doyel requested that Session call a congregational meeting in order to approve his new terms of call. The congregation voted in January 2008 to combine the salaries of Rev. Doyel and his wife, Johnnie, who served until that time as the church secretary. The combination of salaries resulted in an increase in the amount of money set aside for Rev. Doyel’s pension and medical benefits, and actually resulted in a decrease in his take-home pay for 2008 of $2,147. Session voted unanimously to recommend to the congregation that Rev. Doyel be compensated for this loss, at the bare minimum, at a congregational meeting to be held on Sunday, May 4th, at 10:00 a.m. Once action has been taken, Session will meet to amend the budget accordingly.

Rev. Doyel reported on a meeting that he and Rita Yeager, Mission Committee chairperson, had attended with the new owners of the sliding scale affordable day care center that sits directly west of the sanctuary on church land. This facility will now be operated by Acelero Learning. Rev. Doyel stated that he and Mrs. Yeager had made particular mention at this meeting of Acelero’s need to upgrade the landscaping around their facility, in order to be in compliance with their lease with HPC.

Rev. Doyel will be on vacation from April 20-28th. The office assistants will take calls on Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and Jim LaVeck, Worship chairperson, will retrieve and return calls as possible at all other times.

Church Group Reports

Daytimers will meet April 16th. Dr. John Leppi will give a presentation on human anatomy.

Diane Holman reported that Boy Scout Troop #37, which is sponsored by HPC, has several events upcoming: a Court of Honor; Fish Camp; Canoe Camp; and Summer Camp. She announced that Don Stice is retiring as Scoutmaster and asked for prayers as the troop searches for a replacement.

The Girl Scout troops that meet at HPC recently sent six cases of Girl Scout cookies to troops in Iraq, including the unit to which Jared Bushell, son of Craig and Becky Sell, is assigned. These girls recently cleaned the parking lot at Brown Middle School, delivered food to Giving Life Ministries, cleaned their Scout House and helped in distributing some of the food recently donated to HPC by HACA/HOPELINK.

Committee Reports

Stewardship and Finance: Denis Pecoraro asked Session to approve a switch from Earthlink and Embarq to Cox for telephone and Internet service. HPC is currently paying Earthlink $25 per month for Internet and Embarq approximately $125 per month for telephone service. Cox could bundle telephone, Internet and a wireless router for $120 per month, with two lines, a separate fax number and free installation, if the church agrees to sign up with them for a two year period. Long distance would run 5 cents a minute, where it costs 30 cents per minute with Embarq. Session voted unanimously to switch the telephone and Internet services to Cox.

Christian Education: In Jan Pratt’s absence, Rev. Doyel stated that a Confirmation Class will start the first Sunday in May. Members of this class will meet with Session on June 15th in order to be received into membership.

Building and Operations: Dennis Wagner, committee chair, stated that once Adrienne Garcia-Mondeau brings in the lavaliere microphone that Session approved for purchase several months ago, there will be an issue of where to safely store it. Several suggestions were made by members of Session and the matter will be resolved by Mr. Wagner. Dennis reported that Jim and Cathy Daniels have sold their landscaping business and thus their free maintenance of the church property will soon end. He is looking into a replacement and the cost for such services. A discussion was held with regards to cleaning deposits and which groups using the church facilities will be asked to provide one. It was felt that a check list needs to be provided to groups, showing them exactly what needs to be done following an event. A question was then raised with regard to who would collect the cleaning fees and then return them if all was in order at the conclusion of an event. A decision on this matter was tabled until the next meeting.

Worship: Jim LaVeck, committee chair, stated that a class for those ordained elders and deacons interested in serving home communion would be offered in the fall. Jim will be asking each serving elder and deacon to serve communion at least once a year. He would also like to "showcase" the elders currently serving on Session as lay leaders in upcoming worship services. Each elder would give a brief description of their duties. Diane Holman mentioned that very often the Boy Scout troop that meets at HPC is asked to put the chairs back in order in the sanctuary and she requested that a chart be made available to them, showing the correct placement of the chairs, number per row, etc. Jim stated that he would have such a chart prepared for them and would post it in the church kitchen. In a discussion of the upcoming preaching schedule, Session re-affirmed that Rev. Doyel should always have first choice of the dates on which he wishes to give the sermon.

Membership: In Carole Null’s absence, Rev. Doyel reported that Jennifer Rios and Karen Miller have asked to join the church and will meet with the Session at a previously called special meeting on April 20th. Both will come to HPC by letter of transfer. He thanked Rev. Hilda Pecoraro for the tremendous class that she gave on what it means to be a Presbyterian on April 5th. There were forty-two people in attendance.

Mission: Rita Yeager, Chairperson, stated that the Pentecost offering will be collected on Sunday, May 11th. She remarked on the tour that she and Rev. Doyel took of the Head Start building next door to the church, saying that while the facility appeared to be under-utilized, it did provide a very spacious and well-run learning environment for the children in attendance. The new owner, Acelero Learning, oversees one hundred such facilities and their representative has stated that this day care facility in Henderson is the finest of that group. Rita affirmed that she and Rev. Doyel requested quite firmly that the outdoor landscaping be improved upon, in compliance with their lease with the church of the land on which the facility is built.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned with prayer by Diane Holman at 9:30 p.m.

The next regular Session meeting will be on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.

A Congregational meeting will take place on Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

A special Session meeting will take place on Sunday, June 15, 2009 at 10 a.m.

 

Anne Mack

Clerk