First Presbyterian Church of Newark

We're back in southwest Iowa after receiving the sad news that Faith's father, Bob Reece passed away on Sunday, December 28th.

Bob's passing, we're told, was peaceful. After Faith's mother checked on him at 2:30 AM, she couldn't rouse him in the morning. A nurse was called who came right over and Bob passed away shortly after that.

After a very healthy and active life as a farmer and athlete (Bob played softball, basketball, horsehoes and ran marathons), Bob was paralyzed in a farming accident in 2001. He remained basically bedridden from that time on and did remarkably well, all things considered. Life changed, for sure. But, Bob kept a cheerful disposition throughout.

In some quiet moments (which are few and far between on an almost 900 mile drive) I've tried to imagine that moment when Bob fell asleep only to open his eyes to Jesus in Heaven. I imagine the bewilderment which Bob must have experienced before he realized what had happened and that now he was with Jesus. And, I imagine the child-like joy that must have been his when Jesus took him by the hand and told him to get up and walk (just as the Lord did so many times in the Bible) and Bob could suddenly walk again!!! I'm glad for him. I miss him and I grieve for Faith and his family, but I am glad now that he is whole. Before his accident one of the things Bob enjoyed best was just visiting with folks. If you've ever thought my son Johnny talked a lot, he got it from his grandfather! But, now Bob's got an eternity to visit with the saints proclaiming God's glory.

Thank you all so much for your prayers now and during the past seven years. Thank you for those who actually visited Bob and Phyllis here in their home and sent them letters and gifts. You have been the face of God to them and to us as well! Words cannot express our love and appreciation to all of you.

Whenever someone passes I try to send a card and include the words: "May the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus be your hope and strength today and in the days to come." He is our strength now, and our hope on that day when He calls us home too!

We'll see you soon.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor John
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Sunday, November 2, 12:08 AM

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity." Psalm 133:1

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I blogged in. But, I was just thinking about the youth group bonfire/weenie roast we enjoyed this evening at Lee and Phyllis Walkers.

Besides the spirited kick-ball game, which the parents won, thus preserving their undefeated status, it was just a great time being together in Christian Community. That's one of the parts I like best about the church -- the sense of "community" we share in Christ. In this fractured world in which we live, it's often hard to "connect" with one another. It takes time and effort. But, tonight was a great example of a wide range of folks (from little ones to older ones) getting together to share some fellowship. I am so glad to be a part of the fellowship of First Presbyterian!

Hopefully it won't be 5 months before I drop another note again!

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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Hello From Iowa!

Just a quick note to say "HI" from southwest Iowa where we've been dodging tornados and watching Faith's parent's backyard turn into a small lake! We've had a lot of rain and unstable weather, but it has been good to see family. We look forward to being back with our church family next week!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor John

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STATISTICALLY SPEAKING (JUNE MUSINGS)

As a baseball fan, statistics always fascinated me. The difference between a .250 hitter (average) and a .333 hitter (All-Star), is just one hit approximately every ten at bats. It doesn't sound like much, but in reality, over a full 500-at-bat season, that adds up to about 50 more hits a year! And, those 50 hits make a big difference!

The dynamics of worship attendance are very similar!

A .250 hitter in worship (which is actually very poor for worship) attends once every four weeks...

A .500 hitter (very average) makes it twice a month...

A .750 worshiper (3 out of 4 Sundays) is considered pretty good...

And, a 1.000 worshiper (every Sunday) is almost unheard of!

So, what would a church batting .250 in worship loook like? Pretty dull and lifeless, is my guess!

A church batting .500 in worship shows some signs of life, but there is definate room for improvement.

And, a .750 average in worship, or better, (which is tremendous) is a church that is growing and making an impact for Jesus Christ!

What's your "batting average" for worship? I believe the single best measuring stick for church health is a church's worship. Are you simply a .250 hitter? Or, are you part of making things go with a .750 average or better?

The following is a summary of our average worship attendance from January through May over the past 8 years.

2008 -- 151.65
2007 -- 148.65
2006 -- 155.79
2005 -- 160.45
2004 -- 163.87
2003 -- 132.66
2002 -- 134.31
2001 -- 134.39

What are the "stats" telling us?

What are they telling you?

See You In Worship!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor John

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MAY 2008 NEWSLETTER ARTICLE

You may have noticed that my newsletter article for May was somewhat lacking. This was intentional. With our new web site now up and running, I decided that the best way to get everybody (or as many people as possible) on board and familiar with the new site would be by actually using it. So, if you're reading this now, congratulations and thanks for making the technological leap with us.

Leaps like this take getting used to. I should know. I'm coming to the party a little late myself.

Let me explain...

Recently my two older children, Johnny and Hannah took a soccer refereeing course and became certified referees. Now, they each have a part-time job doing something they enjoy. And, both were thrilled last week (April 20th) to referee their first games AND get paid for it (it sure beats getting up at 5:00 AM to deliver newspapers)!

But, before they could do any of this, we first had to invest in some referee equipment such as an official shirt, shorts, socks, flags, yellow and red cards (for disciplining players), etc. And, so, for days after they passed their course, I was trying to figure out when I had time to run over to Columbus and find a store that would carry these things. Trust me, I don't have a lot of spare time and our local J.C. Penney and Sears definitely do not carry these items. About the best I could figure was that I'd have some time on a Monday (my day off), but every day we didn't have that equipment was another day before the kids could start refereeing.

Then I had an idea!

Why don't I see if I can order all this stuff online?

So, I checked out a few web sites and found exactly what I was looking for and, with a few clicks of the mouse, our order was on it's way!

The whole thing couldn't have been more convenient and, with the price of fuel nowadays, it was actually cheaper than if I would have driven to Columbus myself.

Well, I'll admit that even though it's 2008, sometimes I'm still thinking like it's 1978. I have to remind myself constantly that there are newer, better, cheaper and more efficient ways of doing things.

With our church web site we also have to opportunity now to be more efficient, more timely and better stewards of the resources God has placed in our hands. But, like me, it's going to take some practice and some time to get accustomed to a different way of doing things. The benefits, however, far outweigh the very small amount of time and effort needed to make that technological leap. In a few years we'll be amazed that we ever did it (communicated) any other way. But, it'll only work, if we consecrate it to the Lord and make it's use a priority in the church.

So, please check out the church web site and let's make it an integral part of our communications here at First Presbyterian. Please also let me, or Elder Don Lacy know if you have any questions.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor John

PS-- if you know of anyone in the church who does not have access to the web please let us know and they will ALWAYS receive church information via the postal system.