...news and tidbits from the church office
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Puentes de Cristo is part of the Presbyterian Border Ministry and ministers to those in need on both sides of the border in the Rio Grande Valley and the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. On the Mexican side, Puentes supports two mission churches, operates two community health clinics, runs a nutrition program for children at risk of malnutrition, and operates two Girl's Club sites which give tutoring, scholarships and health education to young women. Puentes also hosts mission teams from all over the US and facilitates their mission experiences on the border and beyond. For more information on Puentes, see our website www.binationalministry.org/puentesdecristo.htm, email the US Coordinator at puentes.usc@gmail.com or call at 956-843-7277. We're always looking for your time, talents and treasures so please contact us if you'd like to get involved. Peace, Andrew Berg --- US Coordinator Puentes de Cristo P.O. Box 1499 Hidalgo, TX 78557 Phone (956) 843-7277 Fax (956) 843-7279 (posted April 27, 2006)
Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! What a busy week it was at First Presbyterian Church McAllen between April 17-21. Church members came clad in their picture clothes and sporting big smiles for photos in the new Church Pictorial Directory that is scheduled for delivery in August. It could not have happened if it weren’t for your interest. There are some who were unable to schedule an appointment because of other obligations. If you were unable to get your picture taken during that week, you still have an opportunity to do so. Please call Creative Imaging at 782-2413 and ask for Kathy or Rodney Graham to schedule your individual appointment. Also, when you see them, please thank the following members for being host/hostesses that week: Vera & James Barnes, Bill Bohart, Carol Crosby, Dave & Rosemary Tucker, Carolyn Patterson, Vi & Forrest Sparks, Nadine Force, Gladys Law, and Jan & Spud Brown. And a special thank you to Vi Sparks for her endless energy making phone calls to set up appointments. They have all been a very important part of making the Directory happen. A goal of the Directory Taskforce is to make sure that we have all of your personal information correctly listed when the Directory is published. A form is available in the church office. Please take the time to fill out the form and place it in the drop-off box labeled DIRECTORY. This is especially important for those scheduling your own appointments and those who did not have their pictures taken at the church. Finally, Shirley Pippin is coordinating the design and layout of additional pages of church activities, staff, committees, members serving on boards and agencies of the church and more. If you have suggestions or would like to help with this very important part of the Directory, Shirley’s phone number is 686-5250. This part of the Directory needs to be completed by no later than June 15th. As the DIRECTORY progresses, the Taskforce will keep you informed. Meanwhile, keep on smiling! Anna Bohart, Directory Taskforce chairperson (posted April 25, 2006)
Host Parents - with or without children at home - are needed to SHARE! their hearts and homes with international exchange students for this coming fall semester or school year. The students will arrive in AUGUST and are in need of caring persons to provide a home and share with them this unique experience. The host family will provide a bed, meals, as well as friendship, understanding, and a genuine desire to share the American way of life with a youngster from overseas. The students speak English, are covered by medical insurance and have spending money for their personal expenses. For more information, please call Yvette Coffman, SHARE! Southwest Regional Administrator at 1-800-941-3738. (posted April 25, 2006)
Elderhostel: Folk Songs, Folk Tales and Folk Life will be held at Mo-Ranch from May 21-26, 2006. Explore the importance of story on our cultural heritage with Donna Ingham, spotlighted in the fall 2005 Elderhostel Catalog as part of the "Year of the Instructor" series. Donna will advise on how to collect and tell folk tales. Experience the power of song as award-winning folk singer, David LaMotte, shares his gifts through a songwriting workshop, a look at the folk scene today and a live concert. Be introduced to many classic folk and contemporary line dances by a professional instructor. A field trip to the opening night of the Kerrville Folk Festival, the longest continuously running music festival of its kind in North America, will cap off the week. Total cost: $556 includes double-occupancy housing, tuition and meals from Sunday dinner through Friday lunch. To enroll please call Elderhostel at 877-426-8056 or by website: www.elderhostel.org. For more details and information contact the Mo-Ranch Program Office at 800-460-4401. (posted April 25, 2006)
VBS painting day On May 6th at 10:00 a.m. we will be painting backdrops for our June Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year is “Adventures of the Treasure Seekers” (kind of an Indiana Jones idea) and should be a lot of fun. If you’re handy with a paintbrush, or even if you’re not, we would love to have your help! Summer Sunday School The Christian Education Calling will offer the following for Sunday School starting June 4th: An Adult Class will be held in the Session room upstairs. A Children’s Class will be offered for children 4-years-and-older in the WoRM classroom upstairs. The content of both classes will be announced in May. Adult Sunday School We are looking for 3-4 people to lead one of our Adult Sunday School classes in the fall. If you’re interested in biblical study and would be willing to play a part in this ministry, please let Rebecca Villarreal know. Welcome our newest members Jeffrey & Donna Schmatz, along with their son Jeremy, were received by the Session into church membership this past Tuesday, April 11th. Please offer our newest members a warm FPC welcome. Celebration of Baptism Victoria Gyapong’s son and daughter, Eugene and Crystal Appiah, received Christian baptism on Easter Sunday, April 16th. Welcome, children of God! Camp Information available Summer is just around the corner and registration forms for John Knox Ranch and Mo-Ranch are available on the upstairs bulletin board at the south end of the building. We want your kids to experience a Presbyterian camp and have scholarships available to all church members to help defray the costs. Check it out!! Your children will be glad you did. (posted April 25, 2006)
It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks another year of school will be over. This year has flown by. I’m not sure if that just means we are getting older or if we are just having so much fun with these kids that our days are over before we know it. Sometimes I may sound like a broken record, but I feel that I cannot say enough times how very grateful I am to work in an environment where God’s love is so evident and where I can be a minister for Him each day. I only wish everyone were as fortunate as I am. The other day at our teachers’ meeting, we were saying that we are truly blessed to have each other for support and friendship and to have the daily joy that little minds and attitudes brings forth. Again, at this time of year, it is easy to look back on a great year, full of wonderful smiles and memories and be amazed at how good our God really is. Thank you all for keeping Lynn’s loving spirit and enthusiasm alive by allowing this wonderful school to continue to shine Christ’s love to Valley families. God bless you all this summer. Love, Pat Simpson, Lynn Flowers Preschool Director (posted April 25, 2006)
GODLY PLAY: AN INSIDE LOOK As you will remember, plans have begun to bring the Godly Play program to our preschoolers. We’re very excited about this new venture because of the stories of kids responses to this approach. To help you understand the difference between this and other learning environments let me describe some key elements of Godly Play: First, there are two helpers in the Godly Play classroom: a door person and the storyteller. The door person smiles as you approach to welcome you. Their job is to acknowledge each child, speak to them by name in a kind voice but also to get them ready to enter the room with reverence, to enter into kairos time, a time that is both orderly and leisurely. When the child enters he/she finds their space in the circle where the storyteller is already waiting. In a Godly Play session there are four parts: The Opening occurs as children enter the room and build the circle. The storyteller helps each child prepare for the story to be told. Hearing the Word of God happens as the children hear some tale from the Bible; it could be a parable or a story from the Old Testament. After the story is presented the storyteller and the children wonder about specific parts of the story. Then each child chooses the work (painting, writing, playing with the materials from the story, etc.) he/she will do in response to the story. Sharing the Feast allows the children the opportunity to assist in serving as well as sharing in the feast (this feast aligns with the other partaking of food that is part of our Christian tradition). It also encourages them to offer a prayer before they eat. When they’re finished eating they clean up their area and return to the circle. Dismissal is a time for the storyteller to reflect on each child’s presence in the circle that day and also a time for each to say goodbye. Next time I’ll tell you some of the stories I’ve heard of the children touched by Godly Play as well as some of the content of the program. I hope you’ll begin to feel the excitement of this new undertaking! Rebecca Villarreal, Director of Christian Education (posted April 25, 2006)
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