The Good News of
First Presbyterian Church
Marshalltown ,
Iowa
641-753-5929 June 27, 2008
The Good News ofFirst Presbyterian Church
641-753-5929 June 27, 2008
The Purpose Statement for the
First Presbyterian Church of
G Growing in Christ through worship.
R Reaching out in fellowship.
A Affirming faith through discipleship.
C Caring for the lost through evangelism.
E Embracing others in mission and ministry.
VBS 2008
“I will praise You, O Lord, with
all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders” (Psalm 9:1).
This year, from July 13 to July
17, Vacation Bible School (VBS) will be unlike any we have done before.
We will show the kids the wonders of the Lord by taking them on a space
journey!
Space voyagers from preschool
through fifth grade will love joining the crew of C. C. Tours on an
intergalactic journey through
Pre-registration will start
Sunday, June 29, or at the start of VBS on July 13.
If you are an adult who is
willing and interested in helping this year with VBS, please call me at (515)
979-9074. I will find a place to use your talents! If you don’t
call me, I’ll call you!
There will also be classes for
the adults.
Christian Education Director
Church Family Campout
The 6th
Annual Church Family Campout is set for August 15-17, 2008. We will be
camping at the Mayweed location of Prairie Flower Recreation Area at
Saylorville Reservoir. This is a very nice private loop complete with our
own shelter house. Everyone is welcome, so sign up now as space is
limited. See the sign up sheet in the narthex. The $224 cost will
be divided up between the families who camp, so the more that go, the cheaper it
gets and the more fun we’ll have.
Meals are on your own but as part of
our tradition, we will have a pot luck
shish-ka-bob dinner on Saturday evening. This will be followed by
evening vespers around the campfire. Everyone is welcome to join us for
this meal even if you don’t want to camp. Just bring your favorite ka-bob
items to share, skewers and a small side dish.
The church bus will make a run down and back for the Saturday evening
activities. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex if you want to
ride on the bus. Meet at the church in the south parking lot by 5 p.m. to ride
on the bus.
You won’t want to miss the
fun. Maps are available.
If you have any questions, please contact
The July Session meeting has been moved from the regular
date to Sunday, July 13, following the Sunday school hour due to VBS.
Session has called a Congregational Meeting
for Sunday, June 20, at 10 a.m. following the worship service for the purpose
of electing members At Large to the Nominating Committee and for possible
revisions to the by-laws.
Congratulations to
Dear members of First
Presbyterian Church
The House of Compassion
Supply Closet Team is beginning to plan for the 2008 Back To School
program. Every church that participates in this program is asked to
furnish items from a compilation of the school lists. Last year we
were able to assist approximately 750 students through this program. Your
congregation can give support by collecting the supplies listed below and
delivering them to the
Large boxes of Facial Tissue
(more boxes are always needed)
Pocket Folders
Erasers (both pencil tip & regular)
Spiral Notebooks
Scissors
Black & Blue Erasable Pens
Colored
Pencils
3 Ring Notebooks
Washable Wide Line Markers
Wide Line loose-leaf Notebook Paper
For those who would like
to help but don’t like to shop, donations of cash would also be accepted.
If you have any questions feel free to call and talk with Jean Bergen at the
House of Compassion (641-752-5999). Thanks so much for participating in
this project that benefits so many of our children and youth in
Serving Christ with you,
The Supply Closet Team
SERVICE
MEALS ON WHEELS
Drivers are currently needed for the Meals on Wheels
Association of Marshalltown.
At this time, 10 of
the 105 monthly route assignments need staffing on the following days: 1st
Mondays, 4th Tuesdays, 1st Wednesdays, 3rd & 4th Thursdays, 1st &
3rd Fridays and 1st Saturdays.
This is a once-a-month
commitment over the noon hour (11 a.m. till 12:30 p.m.) to deliver meals
at 10 to 15 stops. Routes are within the
Please consider
serving in this meaningful way! Ideal for couples!!
Contact Gladys Winter,
752-2249 or
Fran Hermanson,
752-8584, 751-6374
Celebration Iowa singers and Jazz Band (formerly known as the State Fair Singers and Jazz Band), an elite
ensemble of Iowa High School musicians, is pleased to announce their upcoming
performance in Marshalltown on Saturday, July 12, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at the
Marshalltown High School/Community Auditorium.
This year’s cast includes two MHS
students, Josh Atcher and Joel Conrad.
Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased in advance at the following
locations: Marshalltown High School Main office, Lowe’s Flowers and Renner’s
Flowers. Tickets will also be available
at the door and all seats are general admission.
PWC News
A donation will be
taken to help cover the $45 fee for the shelter house.
PWC will not meet until September 4.
PWC-CT will not meet during the months of June or July, but will
resume in August.
Luke’s Ministry Message
Gallbladder-Gallstones
The gallbladder is one of the organs
in the digestive system as well as the liver and pancreas. All three of these organs assist in the
process of digestion by exerting specific enzymes essential for digestion. The gallbladder itself is a pear-shaped sac
that sits under the liver. The function of the gallbladder is to store and
concentrate bile and release it into the small intestine during the process of
digestion.
Gallstone symptoms are said to be as
painful as childbirth.
Gallstones form when liquid stored
in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The liquid called bile is used to help the
body digest fats. Bile is made in the
liver, then stored in the gallbladder until the body needs to digest fats. At that time, the gallbladder contracts and
pushes the bile into a tube called the common bile duct that carries it to the
small intestine where it helps with digestion.
Bile contains water, cholesterol,
fats, bile salts, proteins and bilirubin.
Bile salts break up fat and bilirubin gives bile and stool a yellowish
color. If the liquid bile contains too
much cholesterol, bile salts or bilirubin, under certain circumstances, can
harden into stones.
The two types of gallstones are
cholesterol stones and pigment stones.
Cholesterol stones are usually yellow-green and are made primarily of
hardened cholesterol. They account for
80 percent of gallstones. Pigment stones
are small, dark stones from bilirubin.
Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf
ball. The gallbladder can develop just
one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones or almost any combination.
The gallbladder and the ducts that
carry bile and other digestive enzymes from the liver, the gallbladder and the
pancreas to the small intestines are called the biliary system.
Gallstones can block the normal flow
of bile if they lodge in any of the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the
small intestines. Bile trapped in these
ducts can cause inflammation in the gallbladder, the ducts or rarely, the liver
and pancreas. If any of these ducts remain blocked for a significant period of
time, severe damage or infections can occur. Warning signs of a serious problem are fever,
jaundice and persistent pain.
Factors that may cause gallstones are:
1.
Obesity
2.
Excess
Estrogen
3.
Ethnicity
- Native Americans have a genetic factor
4.
Gender
- Women 20-60 years of age are twice as likely to develop gallstones as men
5.
Age
- People over 60 years of age are more likely than younger people
6.
Cholesterol
lowering drugs
7.
Diabetes
8.
Rapid
weight loss
Symptoms of gallstones are:
1.
A
rapid attack of illness
2.
Steady
pain in the upper abdomen that increases rapidly and lasts more than 30 minutes
to several hours
3.
Pain
in the back between the shoulder blades
4.
Nausea
or vomiting
5.
Attack
after fatty meal
6.
Abdominal
bloating
7.
Recurring
intolerance of fatty foods
8.
The
more presence of gallstones may cause more to develop
9.
Belching
10. Gas
11. Indigestion
Many people with gallstones have no symptoms. These stones are called ‘silent stones.’
The physician can diagnose
gallstones with the symptoms presented by the patient as well as CT scan, MRI,
ultrasound and blood work.
Surgery to remove the gallbladder is
the most common treatment. Each year,
more than 500,000 Americans have gallbladder surgery.
What Attracts People
To Church?
Why do people select a particular
church? A convenient location? Yes. A good speaker in the pulpit? Yes. Inspiring
music? Yes. An attractive building? Yes.
But a more essential element in
attracting visitors, newcomers and prospective members is friendliness — both
in the pew and throughout the community. Where there is a warm, dynamic
congregation with an enthusiasm that’s contagious, visitors will usually be
found, and will return.
A church can buy many advantages
with money, such as nice buildings, trained leadership, effective advertising
and an abundance of supplies for spiritual and social use. But old-fashioned
friendliness, of which the world is sorely in need, can’t be purchased with
money. It comes only from the hearts of dedicated people who love God and enjoy
helping others feel at home in their church.
The Emergency Food Box
It is only with your help that the Emergency Food Box is able to provide
emergency assistance to those persons referred to us. Please bring food
offerings (nothing out-dated) or cash donations.
Currently the items that we need the most are dry
cereal, tuna fish, instant mashed potatoes and plain macaroni. In
addition, canned tomatoes, pork and beans, and macaroni &
cheese are not currently available from the Food Bank in
If you prefer to write a check; make it payable to
Emergency Food Box and put it in the offering plate or mail to EFB,
During the summer and fall months,
we would be happy to receive any of your extra fresh produce, but please
nothing that is over ripe.
Remember, we can't do it without
you!
Sorry we can’t get to church, but do thank you for the cards and
prayers. Thank you for the visits made
by Pastor Rich and the Deacons.
---Gordon & Betty Brant
Thank you to all those at First Presbyterian Church for your prayers and
the many cards sent while I was in the hospital and nursing home. I really
appreciated it. It is so nice to know I
have a second church family
---Leona King
Thank you so much for the many cards, prayers and kind expressions of
sympathy upon the loss of our mother, Carolyn Harsha. Also, a special
thank you to the Deacons for their visits in the past months and the beautiful
plant. This journey of loss is eased by such a caring church
family. ---Barb and Marv Hawkins
As Jean Evans so succinctly wrote to us, "the church is
full of grateful people", so we are among the many. First, we are
grateful that
In Christ's love, ---
To First Presbyterian Church,
Thank you for the Bedside
Blessings book. I thought that was such a cool idea! Thank you for everything you all have done
for me all these years. I really appreciate you all for teaching me about
God. Thanks for the support and love!
Thanks again. ---Emily Severson
We would like to thank all of our church family for their thoughts,
prayers and cards that we received in memory of our grandson - Robert Joel
Harrison.
Tony and Kelley and the
rest of the family also wanted to thank you all.
---Ken & Fran (Harrison) Smith
& Families
---our
faithful workers at the House of Compassion during the month of June; Denny & Jean Abbas, Marylou Beckmann, Jan Faber, Dave Freel, Ed
Jackson, Claire, Margaret and Darrell & Julie Meyer, Louise Runner, Yasuyo Smith, and Carolyn Wilkinson.
---our
faithful HOC Shelter monitors for June, Jim
Grimmius and Pat & Nancy Kremer.
Summer is in full swing and for me that means one thing: mission
trip. Once again, we have planned a
great opportunity for our students to go out into the world, leave behind the
distractions of everyday life, and serve God with our whole hearts… at least
for a week.
This year, our travels will take us nearly 1500 miles to the Glacier
Presbytery Camp on the banks of the beautiful
Our trip takes place from July 25 to August 3. Four of these days will be devoted to
travel. On our journey we will be
staying in four different Presbyterian churches. They are (in chronological order):
While we are at the camp we will be doing a variety of maintenance and
service projects at the camp. This may
include: painting, trail clearing, mowing, painting, cabin repair, dishes,
cleaning, etc. The “to do” list is ever
changing at the camp as there new things to do each day, as well as old things
being done. We will be flexible in this
regard and will be willing to help out as needed so that we can help facilitate
the ministry of the camp.
Our other responsibility will be to help lead worship and evening devotions. The theme for this summer at the Glacier Camp is “God’s Promises.”
