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The
Cumberland Connection
A Newsletter of the Warrensburg Cumberland Presbyterian Church
201 Grover, Warrensburg,
MO 64093
660-747-3021
www.warrensburgcpc.org
January/February 2007
Reverend Randy
Crawshaw, Pastor
The
Quiet Season
When I was a child, I didn’t like
winter very much. I enjoyed playing in the snow and sliding around
on frozen ponds, but winter seemed very bleak and dreary. I just
didn’t like this drab season very much at all, and summer break
seemed too far away. Now that I’m older, though, I seem to
appreciate winter a bit more. There’s a quietness—a silence—a
stillness—that seems to permeate the atmosphere. Everything seems
to slow down, and it’s easier to relax and take life a little
slower.
I’m reminded of Psalm
46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” During the winter, it’s
easier to be still—not just outwardly but also inwardly. When we
can be still on the outside, it’s easier to be still on the inside.
And when we are inwardly calm, we can more easily sense the presence
of God in our lives. As Christians, the Holy Spirit of the Living
God lives within us; therefore, if we can calm down our internal
dialog, our worries, and our fretting thoughts, then we can
naturally tune in to the Spirit of God within us. When that
happens, we know He is there. We don’t have to wonder or guess or
hope He’s there. When we are truly still, we can feel His presence
in a palpable way. We can be still and know that He is God.
That’s an important
spiritual principle to remember because many times Christians
experience times when God seems very far away. We sometimes have a
very difficult time feeling His divine presence. If we take the
teaching of Psalm 46 seriously, perhaps the reason we cannot feel
God’s presence is because we are too busy. Maybe we have too many
activities in our outer lives, or maybe we have too many
distractions and worries in our inner lives. Maybe if we took time
to be still, we would once again experience the refreshing presence
of the Spirit of God in our lives.
We are in the midst of
winter, but try not to get discouraged. God has created every
season with its own beauty, and I believe that the beauty of winter
is the quietness, the silence, the stillness. During this season,
spend some time meditating on the words of Psalm 46:10: “Be still
and know that I am God.”
God’s blessings,
Pastor Randy
Potluck Dinner THIS Sunday
January 28,
2007
Catch up on
what’s been happening with your church family over the holidays as
we dine together immediately after worship. Those that are
interested in joining one of our Committees (Christian Ed., Missions
& Outreach, Music & Worship; Buildings & Grounds) are invited to
join with one (or more) of the committees at that time.
Missouri
Presbytery Women’s Retreat
March 23-25, 2007
Heart to heart: Women of the Word
ALL ladies of the congregation are
invited to attend the retreat held at the beautiful Keeter Center at
College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS DUE IN THE MAIL
BY THURSDAY, FEB. 1ST, in order to avoid the $10 late
registration fee.
In addition to group worship, bible
study classes and free time, there will be a SILENT AUCTION of
items that all ladies are invited to bring (i.e. items donated as a
church or as individuals, baskets your women’s group has created,
craft items or items you think someone else will bid on. Items may
be brought Friday evening, silent bidding will end at 6:45 p.m. on
Saturday. The neat thing about this new activity is that half of
the proceeds will benefit the new clinic in Guatemala (our own WCP
Missions Committee is working on projects to help this group, too),
the other half going into MO Presbytery Women’s Retreat Fund to help
offset the cost of future retreats.
Guest speaker will be Rev. Fran Vickers of
Alabama, an ordained C.P. Minister and lifelong member of the C.P.
Women’s Ministry. Fran has also provided leadership at numerous
denominational Christian Education events including CPYC, CE
Conference and Youth Triennium prior to becoming an ordained
minister.
So ladies, see the brochures on the
table in the front vestibule to see how you can get registered to
spend a fun and refreshing weekend of worship, bible study, prayer
and renewing ties with friends and extended church family in the
beautiful and peaceful atmosphere of the Keeter Center and Branson.
If you would like to have a
“devilish” time helping Karen Kupersmith with the Friday night
devotion, contact Karen Kupersmith at 747-3325 or karenkupersmith@hotmail.com
Contact
Norma Ditty at 660-653-4552 if you need a ride or want to know who
is going to share a room with!
Lenten Study: Doers of the Word
Beginning
Wednesday, February 28th at 6:00 through Lent, Pastor
Randy and Donna Meeker will be leading a study about growing in the
word of God, to learn and DO the word. It is based on James 1:25.
And please bring your bible with you!
With young children busy with “Jammin’ For
Jesus” plus teens involved in bible study at 6:00 p.m., the whole
family can grow in Christ on Wednesday nights in Lent
News about
our people… Kevin
Shafer will be
receiving his Eagle Scout award this coming Sunday afternoon, Jan
28; Dyna Dorssom
is assisting with plans for her daughter, Jill’s wedding Feb. 10th
(a small family/friends ceremony) to be held in our sanctuary;
Mel and his bride of
60 years, Francis,
celebrated their anniversary during the fall;
Betty Crawshaw
was inducted into the Warrensburg
Bowling Association’s Hall of Fame;
Clinton Davolt
lettered in soccer as a sophomore at
WHS; The 2006 Chili Supper yielded proceeds were $693.71 to
be used towards missions projects.
Youth Retreat Feb. 17-18
Hopewell C.P. Church, Lamar, MO
Bible Study theme is RUGGED PRAYER,
with Amy Ditty and Karen Kupersmith providing part of the
leadership, this is a weekend of fellowship, bible study and worship
with other youth of MO Presbytery (C.P. youth of Missouri).
The event is for youth currently in
grades 7 through 12. Arrival time is 12:00 Noon on Saturday,
departing Sunday after lunch. Bring bibles, pillow, toiletries,
sleeping bag/pillow, snacks, change of clothing for Sunday morning.
Registration fee is $15.00 per youth.
Amy Ditty (660-653-4552) (amy_rehab@earthlink.net)
or Karen Kupersmith (747-3325 karenkupersmith@hotmail.com) for
more information, as they will be driving youth down to the event.
Johnson County Hospice Care
429 Burkharth Rd., Warrensburg,
MO 660-747-6121
In hospice care, their goal is to provide
compassion, support for families, and expert care and pain control.
They provide emotional and spiritual care to patients and families
in addition to that provided by their faith community, their
friends, and their family. Most importantly, in hospice the patient
is the boss.
If you would like more information, contact
the phone number above. Rev. Melissa Bowers, assoc. pastor of First
Presbyterian Church of Warrensburg serves as the chaplain, Theresa
Bell, RN, is the Director of Johnson Co. Hospice Care.
SOUPER BOWL
2007
Sunday, Feb. 4th
Our youth are putting together a Soup and
Sandwich Dinner on Super Bowl Sunday, with some folks of the
congregation providing crockpots of a variety of soups for you to
enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich.
THE CONGREGATION is asked to bring can(s) of
soup to help support the local Food Chest and/or make a donation to
the designated empty Soup Pot that our youth will be carrying after
worship and at the dinner with all cash donations going to the Food
Chest.
The congregations in Warrensburg have been
challenged to friendly competition to see who can supply the largest
amount of soup by Souper Bowl Sunday to help our Food Chest…
Our Christian Sympathy is extended to:
…Gail Hutto & family in the loss of her dad, Ladson Couch, last fall
in North Carolina.
…former WCP pastor Rev. Jim Smith
and daughter, Savannah, in the loss of wife/mother Marti and
son/brother Jordan, who were killed in an auto accident Thanksgiving
weekend.
…Chester and Donna Meeker and
family in the recent loss of their son-in-law, John.
Ash Wednesday Service
Feb. 21st
Rev. Crawshaw
will lead our Ash Wednesday Service at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 21st.
“In 325 C.E., the
council of Nicea first referred to Lent as “forty days” and that it
comes immediately before Easter. The forty days do not include
Sundays because even during Lent, Sundays are always “little
Easters”.
Lent is a time of
penance. Lent is a time of self-examination, repentance, and
turning toward God. The church has historically observed Lent
through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Through
this season we open ourselves to examine our abilities as well as
the limitations of our lives. We remember that “you are dust, and
to dust you will return” (Genesis 2:7). In our dying, we are
preparing to be raised up with Jesus on Easter morning.”
Our Ash Wednesday
service will include the imposition of ashes on foreheads, being
marked with the sign of the cross. “For Ash Wednesday, the
liturgical color is black, purple or violet is the liturgical color
for Lent. “ --Sacred Seasons
Webb-Mitchell & Archer
Warrensburg
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
201 Grover
Warrensburg, MO 64093-2341
660-747-3021 www.warrensburgcpc.org
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