PASTOR’S REFLECTION

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
(Nehemiah 8:10)

Potluck Discussion
This word of encouragement and hope is good for all times and all places, for all circumstances and for all of us as we strive to faithfully follow Christ – as individuals and as a church. These were spoken in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah in an effort to rebuild faithfulness and restore a sense of community after the Hebrew people’s time in captivity.

But, as I said, they are good words for all times and places – and people! They came to mind for me recently as we experienced a potluck and “family discussion” around the table as a church family. We spoke together about two important challenges that are before us:

1) The summer bridge, street, and wall repairs; and

2) Church finances, and the potential gap in the 2008 operating budget, between anticipated expenses and pledged income (of about $20,000 for the year).

As I listened carefully and observed us as a family, I was very pleased to see and hear us operating with sincerity and respect, with a forward-looking, “can do” attitude, and with ideas and energy, and a readiness to do what it takes to survive and thrive in light of both challenges.

And, with…“joy of the Lord as our strength” we will persevere, and navigate the repair projects and support the church with our gifts – because of our Joy.

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Renewing the Pastor’s Study
Which reminds me – good progress is being made in the renewing of the pastor’s study project. New electrical work has been accomplished, new walls are up (insulated now), wiring for the phone and computer lines are in place – and week by week we get closer to completion. My thanks go out to all of the fellows who are offering the church their time and skills on the project!

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New Church Members
Which also reminds me that on May 11, during worship – we will be confirming the four members of this year’s Confirmation Class, and we will be receiving new adult members into the church.

Our church membership grows as:

1) we invite people we know or meet to join us on a Sunday morning; and

2) as we actively welcome them when they are here, helping all folks to feel at-home and comfortable.

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Summer Bible Studies in Homes?
Which also reminds me that with the summer repair projects on the streets around the church, it will be harder than usual to schedule activities at the church building on days other than Sunday.

Are there any of you who would like to host a short-term Bible study during the summer in your home (or homes, as it can be shared)? I would be very willing to lead, say, a four-week Bible study, on either side of the river! Let me know if you have a group (any size) that would have such an interest.

Remember: “The joy of the Lord is our strength!”

David Reiter

ANNUAL GARAGE AND BAKE SALE

Our annual Garage and Bake Sale will be held on May 2 and 3 as part of the City-wide sale. Items will be accepted until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 1. Many helpers and bakers are also needed. Further details can be found inside this newsletter.

SESSION SUMMARY

A stated meeting of the Session was held on April 1, 2008 in the Fellowship Hall.

The devotion was led by the Pastor. He shared findings from the Stewardship conference that he attended last month. God loves a cheerful giver. The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. The minute for Stewardship will be about sharing the joy of giving whether it is time or money. This was followed by the opening prayer.

Deacon Report: Lori Matz reported for the Deacons. Reports of recent visits were shared with the Session.

Treasurer’s Report: We are still running far behind. After three months, we are a sobering $9,700 in the red. It was decided to move $550 from “Building Fund” to Memorial Fund to avoid account charges from the bank.

Foundation Report: Kevin Hamilton reported for the Foundation. The account balance is about $278,000 at the end of March. The reduction in value is basically due to falling stock prices. They are investigating ways to improve yields.

Congregational Potluck and Informational Meeting on April 13: The status of the street and bridge repair projects will be updated frequently on the city website. Communication of the financial problem and developing ideas on how to close the funding gap are goals for the meeting

Fundraising Proposal for Youth Mission Trip: Jean Hume will lead the youth in selling handmade cards in May.

Other Business: A request was approved for the AAUW Garage Sale on September 20 with set up on September 18 & 19.

Linda Fish and Marcia Caneff conducted the audit of the church finances during 2007. The results of that audit will be shared with the congregation through a written report.

The Deacons are the group who are now sending cards to those who visit us.

Presbytery Meetings: There is another Interim Executive Presbyter. The main event of the meeting was the Bills and Overtures report. Brenda Tiefenbruck attended this meeting and reported. Next meeting is May 13 at Oak Grove PC.

Pastor’s Report: The Confirmation Class is in the middle of its six meetings. Sunday, May 11 will be Confirmation Sunday. The Pastor will be delivering furniture to his daughter in New York City at the end of April and beginning of May. The Pastor shared some insights on stewardship from his recent conference in Texas.

Committee Reports:

Building Committee: The electrician has worked on the Pastor’s office renovation. The exterior sign is now powered correctly. There will be a sheet rocking party very soon.

Meeting was closed with prayer.

The next regular Session meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Grant Tiefenbruck, Clerk

PER CHANCE, PER CAPITA

Thank you, congregation, for the wonderful ideas at the potluck on Sunday, April 13. Thanks to all of you for the wonderful feast of food items and your ideas to help this church continue in Hastings as the dynamic church we all love. One idea that is fast and easy to implement is that each member pay their Per Capita for 2008.

“Per Capita” is what fuels the denomination. Per capita funding is how Presbyterians mutually share the costs of coming together to discern the Spirit’s leading for the future. The Per Capita amount requested from a congregation is a combined total of requests from that congregation’s presbytery, the synod in which the presbytery is located and the General Assembly based on the membership total. For 2008, our Per Capita amount is approximately $29.00.

Please make a note in the memo portion of your check that this amount is for Per Capita. Per Capita is expected to be in addition to your regular giving. Thank you for helping us stay connected to the wider church.

You can learn more about Per Capita at the denomination website:

www.pcusa.org

Brenda Tiefenbruck
Finance Committee Chair

MISSION

March was a busy mission month at First Presbyterian. We were able to collect 35 pounds of food and $1874.35. March is a great month to collect food and money because Hastings Family Service gets a match during the month of March.

For One Great Hour of Sharing we collected $174.00.

Our next Presbyterian mission will be the Pentecost Offering. It will be received on Pentecost Sunday, which is Mother's Day! Our gifts support programs to meet the needs of children at risk, youth and young adults. The General Assembly's portion (60%) provides leadership development opportunities for Presbyterian youth and young adults and supports children at-risk programs at a national level. Our congregation will keep 40% of the offering to support ministry with children at-risk in our community, as designated by the Session. Keep reading your bulletin inserts to learn more about the Pentecost offering.

Sonia Christian
Mission Chair

MINNESOTA FOODSHARE MONTH A SUCCESS

19 businesses, 17 civic groups, 15 churches, 6 schools, and 100’s of individuals stepped forward during Minnesota FoodShare month by raising $159,791.00 and 12,964 pounds of food to benefit the food shelf of Hastings Family Service. All dollars and pounds raised in March will be proportionately matched by Minnesota FoodShare and the Alan Feinstein Foundation. This is a strong testament of how this community supports our mission: The people of Hastings reaching out in Family in support and Service to one another. The success of Minnesota FoodShare month has ensured that no one in Hastings will go hungry. Thank you to everyone for your generous support. You have provided us with the resources necessary to feed approximately 275 individuals each and every month.

Graciously,
Chris Koop, on behalf of the board and staff of Hastings Family Service.

GARAGE SALE

In order to help our struggling budget, we will again hold our spring Garage Sale during the City-wide Sale. The Sale will be held May 2, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and May 3, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Setup will be April 30 and May 1, 1-8 p.m. We need bakers for the bake sale, helpers for set up and for the sale, and a cleanup crew. Signup sheets are posted on the kiosk: many helpers are needed.

Sale items may be brought to the church any time beginning Sunday, April 6 and until 8 p.m. on April 30 and May 1. Only baked goods will be accepted after that time. Keep in mind our policy: anything larger than a breadbox (approx. 2 ft. x 2 ft. x 2 ft.) will be returned to its owner if not sold. There is a signup sheet for those donating items of this size so they can be contacted if the item does not sell.

Contact Linda Plant if you have questions or need help transporting your items. Remember: all proceeds from the sale go to the General Fund.

FELLOWSHIP

Greetings from the Fellowship Committee! On Sunday, May 18th, following the worship service, the Fellowship Committee will serve a picnic lunch at church in the Fellowship Hall followed by a Sunday drive to Como Park where we'll spend the afternoon. Rides will be provided for folks that need them. Please let anyone on the Fellowship Committee know if you are in need of a ride. There will be a sign up sheet posted on the kiosk and we would only ask for a free will offering to cover the cost of the picnic lunch. Consider joining us for a picnic lunch and leisurely drive to Como Park for the afternoon.

Ann Lewis
Fellowship Committee

SUMMER WORSHIP HOUR

The Summer Worship Hour will remain at 10:30 a.m. Sunday mornings this summer. The Session decided that with the many disruptions and changes that will be caused by the various summer repair projects, maintaining the 10:30 a.m. worship hour will help us all to feel more secure.

JUNE NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
MAY 15