The Messenger

Presbyterian United Church of Christ

www.facebook.com/PresbyterianUCC

www.pucclemars.com

858 7th Avenue SE

P.O. Box 729

Le Mars, IA 51031

712-546-6624

puccoffice@frontier.com

OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday– Friday

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Closed Mondays

Sunday Worship

10:00 a.m.

Nursery available for children under six years during worship

service.

Weather-related

cancellations will be aired on KLEM 1410 AM

2016 IMPORTANT DATES IN

AUGUST

August 2 ~ Pastor Jan is back in

the office

August 11 ~ Commission/Deacon

Meetings

August 21 ~ Backpack Blessing

August 23 ~ Session

August 25 ~ School Starts!

IMPORTANT DATES IN

SEPTEMBER

September 8 ~ Commission/

Deacon Meetings

September 11 ~ Rally Day

September 27 ~ Session

From: The Red Brick Church on the Hill

Hero Headquarters: Where Kids Join Forces With God!

We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this year’s Vacation bible School a great success! Our Bible verse for the week came from 1st Timothy 4:12… “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and purity.” Our VBS Planning Committee saw Jesus in all the volunteers who gave their time, energy and heart to the students in making “Hero Headquarters” a fun-filled event. Those volunteers were:

Water Woman: Rachel Cunningham

Maintenance Dan: Dan Thompson

Pizza Girl: Sophie Bixenman

Hero meals each evening: Karen & Harold Peters with hero help from: Scott Goeken, Arlo Swalve and Tom Jeneary

Power Crafts: Christine Wacker & Heidi Nemmers

Amazing Bible Heroes Story Teller: Alissa Gellhaus

Action Games: Alyce Kass, with hero help from Gabby Kuenen & Sophie Bixenman

Mighty Mission Project: Pam Jeneary

Team Leaders: Beth Kehrberg, Eva Mouw, Pat Penning, Pam Kellen and Connie Marcotte

Hero Music Leaders: Deb Thompson & Rachel Cunningham

Hero Headquarters Office Managers: Dacia Bolton-Bates, Evelyn Kendall & Audrey Scholten

We thank the Lord, who brought 40 children to our church to learn about unnamed heroes in the Bible that were used by God to do wonderful things.

We also are asking that you join the VBS kids in donating to Support Siouxland Soldiers as they did. The children brought in over 1000 items that will be distributed to many men and women from the Siouxland area that are actively serving at this time. We will be accepting donations un-til Sunday, August 7th.

Blessings to all, The VBS Planning Committee: Alissa Gellhaus, Chair of VBS, Deb Thompson, Pam Kellen, Arlo Swalve and Pam Jeneary.

Welcome Back Pastor Jan!

After a 3-month sabbatical, Pastor Jan will be

returning on August 2nd to the office, and she

will return to the pulpit on

August 7th. Welcome back

Pastor Jan, we hope your

time away was a blessed

one!

Come to the Sanctuary The session is encouraging members and friends of this congregation to come to our beautiful sanctuary for a time of solace and prayer. Recognizing the need in our lives for stillness and communion with God, you are invited to come whenever the building is open and spend time with God. This is a great way to center on God, listen for God, and to lift up your concerns for yourself, others, and for the ministry of this congregation.

Backpack Blessing

School will begin in Le Mars on August 25th! We would like

for all our students to bring their backpacks to church on

Sunday, August 21st during morning worship. At that time

there will be a backpack blessing.

Save the Date!

Rally Day will be held on September 11, 2016!

We will also be switching back to regular worship hours this

Sunday.

It’s hard to believe we are quickly approaching the beginning of another exciting year at Noah’s Ark Preschool! We currently have 43 children registered for the 2016-2017 school year. Thanks to donations from the congregation, four families will receive need-based

scholarships to assist with paying for their tuition. Thank you for helping these families send their children to preschool!

In order to ensure another great year, we are in need of a few supplies. If you are interested in donating any of the following items to Noah’s Ark Preschool, we would greatly appreciate it!

Glue Sticks

Paper Towels

Index Cards

Crayola Markers

Crayola Crayons

White Cardstock Paper

5 oz. disposable cups

3 oz. disposable cups

Kleenex

Napkins

If you are ever interested in donating throughout the school year, we can ALWAYS use paper towels and glue sticks!

Thank you for your continued support for Noah’s Ark Preschool! We are looking forward to another great year. Classes begin Tuesday September 6!

Children’s Chapel - Worship Ministry

Sunday School and Children’s Chapel will

begin the middle of September! Look for more

information to come in the September issue of

the Newsletter!

If you are interested volunteering to be a

teacher, storyteller, greeter or helper for

Sunday School or Children’s Chapel please

contact Pam Jeneary or Deb Thompson.

Enjoy the rest of the Summer!

Session Highlights

June 28, 2016

Treasurer’s Report Rob reported that we are within our budget through the first five months of 2016. He stated that so far in 2016 expenses are up by about $13,000 and income is down by about $11,000 when compared to the first five months of 2015. Rob explained that the increase in expenses is attributed to the purchase and installation of a new furnace as well as use of the Human Development Fund for members’ trip to Israel. He mentioned that a memorial gift that was received in 2015 but not in 2016 accounts for the difference in income. Rob also briefly addressed Noah’s Ark budget by explaining that Noah’s Ark’s financial position has made steady improvement over the last several years and suggested this trend would continue as classes for the 2016-2017 school year are full.

Personnel Team Report Jeff reported that the personnel team is in favor of the Noah’s Ark Preschool Board’s sala-ry recommendation for both Noah’s Ark employees. MSC to approve Noah’s Ark Preschool Board’s salary rec-ommendation.

Commission Reports

Reports were received from the Christian Education and Property & Maintenance Commissions.

Beth reported that the Noah’s Ark Preschool Board will meet in July to discuss scholarships available to the students.

Linda reported that the Christian Education Commission is still preparing for Vacation Bible School.

Pat reported for Property & Maintenance. She said that painting and carpeting is moving along in Pastor Jan’s office.

Rob reported that the Finance Commission met but did not discuss the Fellowship Hall ceiling remodeling project. He stated that the Commission would find the funds to cover the project and that the project should move forward since it’s already been approved by the Session.

MSC to approve all above reports as stated.

Old Business

Linda gave a recap of the Ice Cream Days float. She stated many individuals came together to help make it a success: Dan Thompson, Kevin Bates, Sue Schneider, Rod Scholten, Jim Bolton, Karen Peters, Eva Mouw, Lacey Goddard, and the Cunningham family. She said she and Denny received many compliments on how nice the float looked.

Thank you: To Lorna Peters for serving as the moderator for Session meetings during Pastor Jan’s sabbatical.

Next Meeting: Will be held Tuesday, August 23rd. Any member or friend of the congregation is welcome to

attend.

Month Income Expenses Difference

January $ 20, 991.77 $ 20,287.64 $ 704.13

February $ 15,625.78 $ 21,034.25 $ (5,408.47)

March $ 17,200.95 $ 29,172.53 $ (11,971.58)

April $ 23,330.03 $ 18,907.00 $ 4,423.03

May $ 16,689.23 $ 18,059.84 $ ( 1,370.61)

June $ 9,894.04 $ 17,627.39 $ ( 7,733.35)

Total $ 103,731.80 $ 125,088.65 $ ( 21,356.85)

WE KEEP THE FOLLOWING FAMILIES IN PRAYER AS THEY MOURN THE DEATH OF LOVED ONES

Sympathy ~ We extend our prayers and sympathy to Cheryl Risty and family at the passing of Cheryl’s sister Sharon L. Henry. Sharon died Wednesday July, 20 and services were held in Hawarden, IA on July 22.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Romans

8: 39

PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

Pat Hawkins Betty Swalve Mikalla Ericson

Tyler Finley Marlyce Christensen

Walker Raymond Mavis Kuper Jim Farley

Chris Jackson Dennis Smith

Tyler Schweisow Pat Walker

Lucille Swalve Barb Steeg

Evelyn Kendall Rod & Colleen Scholten

Virgil Brockel The Albers Family

The Marcotte Family Those grieving the death of loved

ones

Gifts in Memory ~

Through the years, this church has been the grateful recipient of many wonderful gifts in memory of loved ones who have entered the Church Triumphant. These gifts have been put to use in a variety of ways to bless the ministry of this congregation. For those who are looking to give a memorial gift, there are two ways of giving. First, a monetary gift can be given to be used at the discretion of the church. These are called non-designated gifts. The session draws upon these gifts when a new project is in the works and needs fund-ing. Second, gifts can be given for a certain purpose or project that is underway within the church. Donors are welcome to talk with the pastor regarding current projects to choose from.

Near to Our Hearts!

Please remember our shut ins and others residing in care facilities.

Home Bound: Bob Becker, Sally Plueger and Glenn Waite.

Plymouth Manor: Mildred Morton, Pat Hawkins

Good Samaritan Society: Mavis Kuper

Park Place Estates: Kay Pfannkuch and Evelyn Weber.

Bickford Cottage in Sioux City: Marlyce Christensen

Individuals Out of Town: Jean Koenig, Betty Lou Larson, Maxine Pitts, Gordon Thompson, Ruth Rann and Jane Truesdell.

AUGUST

BIRTHDAYS

August 3 Laurey Zwart

August 5 Jimmie Heeren

August 7 Caleb Heilman

August 8 Sydney Mahlke

August 10 Kelsi Macek

August 11 Marcella Plueger

August 12 Jacki Albers

August 13 Hester Caswell

August 15 Robert Becker

August 16 Marlyce Christensen

August 16 Rachel Cunningham

August 17 Tyson Alcorn

August 18 Chad Marcotte

August 19 Tiranee Ruchti

August 21 Sophie Bixenman

August 22 Pam Schwiesow

August 23 John Zwart

August 24 Lucille Swalve

August 24 Jerry Lake

August 25 Kenneth Wilson

August 25 Barbara Marcotte

August 26 Dan Holz

August 29 Rev. Jan Christensen

August 29 Chad Lake

August 31 Marlys Pelz

August 9

Daryl & Elaine Doorenbos

August 11

Randy & Roxie Kroese

August 16

John & Laurey Zwart

THANK YOU ~ Thank you to all that helped set up, ride and take down the float for the Ice Cream Days Parade that was held yesterday, A special thanks to Dennis and Linda Smith for organizing it!

THANK YOU ~ I want to thank the members of PUCC for the beautiful float you had in the Ice Cream Days Parade last Saturday. It was so nice to see it. Thanks, Mary F. citizen in Le Mars

VBS THANK YOU ~ A Big Thank You to all those that helped with VBS this year! Thank you to Alissa Gellhaus, Deb Thompson and Pam Jeneary for planning this year’s program! Also a big thank you to the kids who participat-ed in VBS this year. The kids collected 1320 items to be help Support Siouxland Soldiers.

New Baby!

Rylund Brantly Brock was born on July 7th, 2016 to proud

parents, Robert and Sharlene Brock. He weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. and

was 18.9" long. He was 5

weeks early so after a 10 day

stay in the NICU he was

welcomed home by his 1 1/2

year old big sister, Tinsley.

Proud grandparents are

Bruce and Teri Brock of Le

Mars and Richard and Cheryl

Rachal of Salt Lake City,

Nevada.

Upcoming Events @ Lakeshore Center!

There are many opportunities coming up in the months of September and October at Lakeshore Center!

There is more information about the following events at their website or on the information wall across

from our church office.

Sept 22-25 ~ Hobby & Craft Retreat! Join us for a weekend of creating and leave the cooking & cleaning up to us! Choose from two registrations options, regular or extended, and spend the weekend enjoying the lakes area, good food, time to relax, meeting new friends, beautiful scenery and comfy accommodations!

Phone: 712-337-3313

Check out their website for more information!

www.lakeshorecenteratokoboji.org

PW Purpose

Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves:

To nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study

To support the mission of the church worldwide

To work for justice and peace, and

To build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (USA) and witnesses

to the promise of God’s kingdom.

If you are a female member of PUCC, you are apart of PW! If you would like to get more involved with PW

contact the office!