Bill’s Bestowals:
“The Celebration Is Coming!”
“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever …
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise …
One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts …
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness …”
(Psalm 145:1-7)
Folks, we are just a month away from our 125th Anniversary Celebration, and I am so pleased with the hard work of the planning team: Mary Dixon, Annette and Bill Hays, Karen Mosier, Linda Spurgin, Pastor Bill, and team chair, Judy Thompson! I have been asked to remind you of many hopes and dreams that you might help us achieve:
© Do you have any church photos, documents or mementos that would have historical significance?
© Would you be willing to submit up to three favorite recipes for a congregational cookbook?
© Do you have a heart for 1) the church and 2) poetry (or even prose)? Please consider putting what is in your heart on paper!
© How about a heart for music? Would you be willing to put anniversary feelings about the church in the form of a song or hymn? I would like to share an example with you. The following is to the tune of the beautiful “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas. (If you need a reminder of the tune, you’ll find the original at this link https://youtu.be/tH2w6Oxx0kQ. Click on it, and then again on “BROWSE YOUTUBE.”)
WORSHIP YOU
Written by Linda Murphy, in honor of the 125th Anniversary Celebration
of First Presbyterian Church of Mena, Arkansas
(Tune of “Dust in the Wind,” by Kansas)
- Long ago
People longed to gather and to worship You.
They made a plan:
Build a church in Mena where to worship You!
Worship You;
They’d build a church in Me-na to worship You!
- In that day
Bricks and mortar gathered and they built a home.
The people came
Every Sunday morning just to worship You.
Worship You;
People came each Sun-day to worship You!
- Thru the years
People came and went, but still today
We gather here
Ev’ry Sunday morning just to worship You.
Worship You;
We gather to-d-ay to worship you!
- And today
We share our love with everyone we find in need
With helping hands
School supplies and comfort bears, lunches of love!
We worship You;
We go out in service to worship You!
Worship You;
We go out in service to worship You!
Well done, Linda! I especially love that fourth verse!
If you are able to assist the committee with any of the above, please bring your offerings to the church office, or, better yet, if you have them in e-form, please e-mail them to the office via mena1pres@sbcglobal.net. Submissions for hymns and poems must be made by October 15!
A quick rundown of what November will hold:
† Sunday, Nov. 6: Worship, music and old-fashioned dinner on the ground with fried chicken and all the fixins … at Janssen Park!
† Sunday, Nov. 13: Old friends return! General Presbyter Stewart Smith will preach, and words will be shared by Lance Jones and Marci Ward!
† Sunday, Nov. 20: A look back – reasons to give thanks for our history!
† Sunday, Nov. 27: A look forward – reasons to give thanks as we move on into the future!
I look forward to celebrating with you!!! Pastor Bill
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October 2022 Calendar:
Sunday: Inquirers’ Class 9:30, October 2 & 9
Sunday: Worship at 11 a.m.
Thursday: Grief Share at 10 a.m. in the parlor.
October 1: PW Meeting in Fellowship Hall 10 a.m.
October 4: Mission Committee Meeting 5 p.m.
October 5: Worship Committee Meeting 1 p.m.
October 6: Fellowship Committee Meeting 8 a.m.
October 6: Christian Ed. Committee Meeting 12:30 p.m.
October 11: Membership & Evangelism Committee Meeting 6 p.m.
October 13-16: The Presbyterian Pilgrimage at Ferncliff
October 17: Stewardship & Finance Committee Meeting 1 p.m.
October 19: Session Meeting 5:30 p.m.
October 22: Fall Game Day at noon in Fellowship Hall
October 23: PW Souper Sunday after Worship in Fellowship Hall
October 25: Building & Grounds Committee Meeting 10 a.m.
October 30: Helping Hands Sunday
October 31: Halloween Trick or Treating 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the church
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES:
6 – Cindi Hernandez 18 – Janise Ross
8 – Pete Chambers 21 – Paula Dearing
10 – Dorothy Venable 22 – Nicole Edwards
17 – Raleigh Dardar 28 – Tims Edwards
17 – Emily Hearn
SERVING THIS MONTH:
Ushers: Earl Harrell & Robby Burt
Communion Preparers: Susan Seitz, Paula Dearing & Linda Spurgin
Communion Servers: Leon Myers, Mike Landry, David Spurgin,
William Edwards, Chuck Schroyer
SPECIAL COLLECTION SUNDAYS:
October 2: Personal Care Collection
October 23: Goodland Academy
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Meet the Members of First Presbyterian Church, MEna
Hello from Delta Reed! I have lived in or near Mena most of my life. I enjoy reading, watching TV, collecting recipes, quilting and sewing. Every Wednesday I go out to lunch with “the girls”, women I worked with at First National Bank before I retired. I have a son and daughter-in-law, three grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. I have been a widow since 2005. I attended the Presbyterian Church in old Potter until my son was a toddler. I transferred to the Mena Presbyterian Church about 48 years ago for the children’s program. I knew from the first moment that this was my church. Helen Barham greeted me with a hug in the parking lot and said, “I’m so glad you’re here!” I had never met her before that day. I am a member of Presbyterian Women and am on the SFA Committee. I served on the session/elder nominating committee in 2018 and helped prepare communion on Sunday mornings for many years. I help in the kitchen during VBS and help host the PCDC dances. I have counted the offering every week for the last thirty years and I help fill in the office when the secretary is gone. My hope for the future is to hear the beautiful organ played again.
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Hello from Judy Weir! I moved to Mena with my sweetheart Larry 15 years ago. We found Mena while traveling and fell in love with the cute town. Previously I have lived in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Illinois. I was very close to my grandparents while growing up in Louisiana. When my mother remarried we moved around a lot as my step father served in the military. I attended six different schools during high school. I met my best friend on the first day of first grade and we have stayed in touch ever since. Music is the most important thing to me after my children. I learned to play the xylophone in the second grade thanks to a special teacher. I continued to play xylophone until sixth grade when I was invited to play with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. I even got my picture in the newspaper and two little girls at the concert asked for my autograph. I was in the choir and glee club in high school. I joined the Mena Community Chorus and sang in our church choir. I worked as a secretary for a real estate office and was named the best out of all five of their offices for my attention to detail. I also edited the reports from investigators in loss prevention and fraud at a video surveillance company. While in Illinois we lived only an hour from Chicago and I was able to meet several famous people. I have two sons and a daughter, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. My hobbies are house plants, reading, watching TV, writing poetry, staying in touch with friends, time with my grand-girls, and sitting outside listening to the birds. We visited the Mena Presbyterian Church twice before we moved here. With the big, old building and all the stained-glass windows, it felt like home. I am an elder and have served on both fellowship and membership committees. I sang in the choir and am a member of Presbyterian Women. I am a shepherd and enjoy taking meals to people. My hope for the future is that Pastor Bill would include a charge to serve as part of the benediction, a way for members to take the sermon into the community throughout the week.
