maundy thursday, april 2 good friday, april 3 resurrection...

The mission of Mount Olympus

Presbyterian Church is to invite

people to experience Jesus

Christ and become his passion-

ate followers.

Volume XLX, Issue 4 April 2015

Maundy Thursday, April 2 Pot-Blessed Dinner at 6:00 / Worship Service at 7:00 p.m.

* * * * * Good Friday, April 3 Stations of the Cross at 7:00 p.m.

* * * * *

Resurrection Sunday, April 5 Worship Services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m / Brunch at 9:45 a.m.

Please bring flowers for “Flowering of the Cross”

April 2015

Dear MOPC,

Several weeks ago, after attending the memorial service for my brother-in-law, I said at one of our worship services that “no one does death like the people of Jesus.” My sense is that my words caught many by surprise, and so this is what I meant:

Our faith is a resurrection faith. We worship the Lord who sent death to its own grave and frees all who belong to him from death’s ultimate power.

Because of that Christians have confi-dence and hope in the face of death. As Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 4:13, we grieve like all other people, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

I would say that our culture is deeply fearful and uncomfortable with death. It is popular today for people to call a funeral or memorial service a “celebration of life.” Many times that is just a cheap way of trying to avoid the pain and grief of loss. Since our culture lives in denial of death, we just try to put on a big smile and call it all good. This often only adds to our depression, sadness, and lostness.

Now, death is an enemy and causes pain. In that way it is not something for which to be comfortable. But people of Jesus Christ know that death is not the final word. Resurrection is!

Christians have true celebrations of life because: 1) we celebrate the life of our Risen Lord, 2) when someone dies

in the Lord, we know they live with Christ. No smiles have to be forced. Celebration is natu-ral. Even in our grief there is hope and blessing.

I have sung and prayed around the beds of the dying with other Christians as we sent off a saint

to the Lord. And I have been privileged to take part in some deeply uplifting fu-nerals, full of victory and strength.

And no one does this better than those who know, worship and belong to Jesus, who says he has the keys of Death and Hell (Revelation 1:18).

The memorial service for my brother-in-law was one of many that I have been part of where Christians have ab-solutely shined in their ability to love and encourage, weep and embrace, speak of faith and worship in hope.

When death comes the people of the risen Lord know how to do it.

He is risen, indeed!

In His Grace,

Phil Pastor Phil

Pastor Phil’s blog is at utahgrace.tumblr.com

Congratulations to Dave White! Dave, who is our Youth Ministry Director along with his wife, Jamie, and drummer in our Praise Band just passed his exam to become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor.

Sundays at 9:45 a.m. April 5 & 12: No classes will be held on Resurrec-tion Sunday and Sabbath Sunday. April 19: “Ezra & Nehemiah: The Architect and Builder of Israel’s New Identity” In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah form one book because they tell one story—the return of “the remnant” from exile to Jerusalem, and the rebuilding of

the city, the temple and the walls. April 26: “Job: A Name Synonymous with Suffering” This is definitely a modern message. We tend to struggle with the mystery of unde-served suffering. The theme of this class is perhaps how do believers endure it when it happens. COMING NEXT MONTH May 3: “Psalms: The Songbook of Ancient Israel” Psalms has been called “an anatomy of all the parts of the soul.” They help us wor-ship, sing to, and cry out to God. The Psalms express our joy and pain, our conviction

POP QUIZ! If you started reading “God’s Big Story” in January, have been listening closely to sermons, and/or attending Sun-day School classes, you should be finished with the first few chapters of the Old Testament. So, take this quiz to see how well you’ve retained some key details: 1. The first five books of the Bible are sometimes called:

a. The Torah b. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy c. The Pentateuch d. All of the above

2. What is the order of the OT patriarchs (oldest to youngest)? a. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob b. Abraham, Moses, Israel c. Moses, Abraham, Jacob

3. Which of the following was NOT a plague that God sent when Pharoah refused to free the Israelites?

a. Locusts b. Blindness c. Turning water to blood d. Frogs

4. Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? a. Mt. Sinai b. Mt. Hermon c. The Red Sea

5. Which tribe did the Lord appoint to serve as priests? a. Canaanites b. Levites c. Moabites d. Presbyterian-ites

6. God promised that the “Promised Land” would be flowing with what? a. Manna from heaven b. Clean water c. Blood of the Canaanites d. Milk and honey

Answers: 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-a, 5-b, 6-d

Celebrating Resurrection Day at MOPC this Month!! Hello Ladies!

At our “First Ladies” program in March, we learned many interesting and new facts (for most of us). Just a few: Abigail Powers was a school teacher and when she married Millard Fillmore and she had a library installed in the White House. Fillmore, Utah was named after President Fillmore, and that’s where the first Utah State House was located. El-

len Lewis Herndon, wife of Chester Arthur, was called Lemonade Lilly and began the Easter egg roll at the White House. Frances Folsom, wife of Grover Cleveland, was the youngest first lady (21); she was married in the White House and had a daughter, “Baby Ruth.” The candy bar, Baby Ruth, was named after her!!

Regarding our Annual Christmas Bazaar and Cookie Bake, all the proceeds this year will stay locally and be donated to Family Promise. Mardi showed us “soup bowl co-zies” that will be made and sold at the 2015 bazaar. If you have a pet project that you would like to make or donate for the bazaar, we will welcome it. Sew-ers will be busy this summer working on new and popular articles for sale at the bazaar. Won’t you join them??

Wasatch Pres, 1626S 1700E will have a boutique on Saturday, March 21st from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be available at 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., costing $10.00. Proceeds for mission projects: Crossroads Urban Center, YWCA Women in Jeopardy, 4th Street Homeless Pharmacy, St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen, Family Promise, Road Home Shelter, and Utah Youth Mentor Project. There will be many booths; con-tact Janet Wortley 801-733-4490 with inquiries.

Presbyterian Women of Utah Spring Gathering will be Cottonwood Presbyterian Church on April 24-25, 2015. The theme “One Heart, One Love, One Community” Vi-sons of Hope in the Islands of the Sea, a Global Exchange presentation. Registration is $15.00 for three meals and workshops. Register either with Mardi Lessey or Pauline Forster.

Our MOPC monthly April meeting will be April 7 at 9:30 a.m. (social time) with program and meeting beginning promptly at 10:00 a.m. Elaine Davis, Adult Ministries Director, will present “A Look at Myanmar and Other Muses.” Hostesses: Jann Moreshead and Dee Thompson. Bible Study by Carol Ogden. Come renew your “doership!”

Senior Adult Fellowship: 12:00 noon on April 9th This month’s Senior Adult Fellowship luncheon will be Thurs-day, April 9, 2015 at 12:00 Noon in Fellowship Hall. Our pro-gram will be led by Mike Rose, a Utah historian and graphic artist. Mike has graciously visited us each year for several years, and his programs are always fascinating. You won’t want to miss this meeting! Come along, bring a friend, and a favorite dish to share for fun, food and fellowship. Our meals have been so delicious lately (following the MOPC Cookbook??) and desserts melting in mouths. See you April 9, 2015 at 12:00 noon in Fellowship Hall—don’t be late!!

What is the St. George Express?

Is it a shuttle service from the St. George airport? A stylish clothing line? A fast food joint on St. George Blvd.? Nope! It’s a group of guys from MOPC, their relatives, and buddies who get together every March for a three-day golf tournament in St. George (18 holes each day at 3 championship courses). For the past 20+ years, Jim Ewers (with technical assistance from his wife, Ruthie) has been in charge of registration and accommodations. Bob Knox has assisted with tee-times, coordinating foursomes, and scoring. This year Jim and Bob are passing the baton to Bob Piper, who will begin co-ordinating the tournament in 2016.

Highlights from this year’s tournament included a shanked shot that broke a window on a golf course home, followed by a hole-in-one, both by Joel Vanderhoof, grandson of our own Clark “Vandy” Vanderhoof. If you like to golf and would enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of this motley crew from MOPC, plan to join them next March.

This was in a recent reflection from Rich Dilworth. We will be in the book of Esther on April 19 in our “God’s Big Story” series. We recently read through the book of Esther with our kids who are at home (Whittaker and Vivian). They loved it! Part of the reason is that it reads (probably more than any other book) like a good movie – protag-onists you want to relate to, antagonists you despise, conflicts at different levels, extreme ironies, evil’s suc-cess, and good’s “unlikely” triumph in a come-from-behind win. What’s not to like?! One of the striking features of the story of Esther (which, by the way, is in many ways more about Mordecai) is that although God is never mentioned, His “fingerprints" are all over the book. One obvious way His “fingerprints” appear is in His impeccable tim-ing – His ability to control the unfolding of events down to the millisecond. Take, for ex-ample, the episode in chapter 6 where the evil Haman walks into the king’s court with the purpose of asking to hang Mordecai (whom he loathes). Little does he know that the for some reason (“fingerprints”), the king, unable to sleep the night before, just hap-pened (“fingerprints”) to ask to have some historical records read to him. The records that just happened (…!) to be selected had to do with Mordecai uncovering a murder-ous plot on the king’s life and thereby saving him… So, in walks Haman and before he can get a word out of his mouth, the king asks him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Thinking the honor is to fall on him, Haman answers with details he’s clearly dreamed about beforehand. The king then says, “… Quickly… do so for Mordecai…” Again, the irony… but also the timing. The king spoke first, and thus, Haman never got to… and Mordecai never knew he was milliseconds from the gallows! God’s impeccable timing surfaces again in Romans 5:6. Paul states, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” In Galatians, Paul says, “ When the fullness of time came, God sent His son…” God, who made time and exists apart from time, controls time, enters time, and inter-venes in time at the right time to fulfill His purposes. He’s never early; He’s never late! This is a comforting reminder to us as we witness, work, and pray here… trusting, wait-ing… for God to break into what will one day be the wonderful history of His glory dis-played among the Somali people. His promise is sure; we wait for His impeccable tim-ing.

Prayer Concerns Pray for MOPC members, friends and family who have health concerns including Tracine Smoot, Mel Reynolds and Dee-Ann Jorgenson. Pray for people in our congregation who have recently lost loved ones. Pray for people affected by depression or dementia and for their loved ones and caregivers. Pray for a good turnout and enjoyable evening for participants at the Love Kenya Benefit dinner. Pray for our missionaries around the world, especially those in dangerous re-gions where Christians are persecuted. Pray for individuals struggling with sub-stance abuse and for their families. Pray for healthy pregnancies for several women in our church.

Prayer Requests?

Call the church office at 801-277-2674 e-mail [email protected] with your requests for prayer. If you would like to join the prayer chain, call 801-277-2674.

Prayers of Praise Praise for the MOPC members who are faithfully reading and studying “God’s Big Story.”

Praise for our Sunday School teachers who are teaching classes that comple-ment our sermons.

Praise for everyone who followed a special spiritual discipline in ob-servance of Lent.

Praise for Dave White who recently passed his exam to become a Li-censed Clinical Mental Health Coun-selor.

Praise for our new members and those who will be baptized on April 5th.

Praise for our families and friends.

Birthdays & Events

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

7 pm Youth Stephen Ministry

Choir

2

9:30 Wmn’s Bible 6 pm Maundy

Thursday Dinner

3

7 pm Good Friday Service

7 pm Rescue Mission

4

5

Resurrection Sunday 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.

Worship 9:45 Brunch

6 p.m. The Mount

6

12:30 p.m. Staff 6:30 pm Local

Missions Team

7

6:30 Men’s Bible 9:30 am PW

7 pm Children’s Ministry Team Office & Tech.

8

7 pm Youth Choir

9

7 am Order of Thursday Men

9:30 Women’s Bible Study

12 pm Senior Adult Fellowship

10

9:00 Sandwich’s for 4:45 pm

Salvation Army

11

10:00 Utah Food Bank

12

Sabbath Sunday 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.

Worship 9:45 Sunday School Youth Tracks 2 & 3

6 p.m. The Mount

13

12:30 p.m. Staff

14

6:30 Men’s Bible

7 pm Finance Deacons

15

7 pm Youth Choir

16

9:30 Women’s

Bible

17

6 pm Love Kenya

Benefit Dinner

18

19

8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 Sunday School Youth Tracks 2 & 3

6 p.m. The Mount

20

12:30 p.m. Staff

21

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Session

22

7 pm Youth Stephen Ministry

Choir

23

7 am Order of Thursday Men 9:30 Women’s

Bible

24

Children’s Min. Family Retreat

25

Children’s Min. Family Retreat

26

Children’s Ministry Family Retreat

8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship

9:45 Sunday School Youth Tracks 2 & 3

12:30 pm FISH 6 p.m. The Mount

27

12:30 p.m. Staff 7:30 Personnel

Team

28

6:30 am Men’s Bible

7 pm Facilities Team

29

7 pm Youth Choir

30

7 am Order of Thursday Men 9:30 Women’s

Bible

This year has already been busy at The Mount! We started the year with our “Sundance Series,” which focused on ways aesthetics, beauty, and art are integrated into our faith and the ways they shape us. This series allowed us to explore creative ways to mix up our services, including:

Feb 1st: We watched “Alive Inside,” a short film that won Sun-dance awards in 2014.

Feb 8th: “Narrative Night.” Seven members of The Mount shared their own stories about the integration of art and spirituality.

Feb 15th: “Art and Worship.” This week we closed the series by having local artists at The Mount display their art in the sanctuary (much like an art gallery).

In addition to our services, we also participated in Sundance activities throughout the month. In early January, we hosted ‘Theology and Film’ discussion nights during which we viewed a film together and talked about the spiritual implications it had for our lives. We had also had activities scheduled for an entire week of Sundance, with multiple screenings (both full-length films and short films), Q&A with filmmakers, discussions and panels, and dinners.

The Mount retreat was the weekend of March 27-29th in Snowbasin. Matt Cain co-taught. Shawn Soward, Chandra Tvedtnes, and Maggie Frazier helped plan logistics and meals.

We are hosting a weekly Thursday evening Bible study that coincides with our Jesus series and allows us to go in-depth with some of the topics we are exploring on Sunday nights at The Mount.

Finally, The Mount started a women’s group that meets every other Thursday night. Once a month is a community-building activity (such as dinner together, movie night, bowling, etc.) and the other weeks we are reading through the book “Love Does” and discussing how to apply the principles to our daily life/faith walk.

In the midst of all of these great opportunities, we continue to plan for the year ahead (service projects, outreach opportunities, mid-week community gatherings, and possibly another retreat). I personally have spent a great deal of time planning for the upcoming spring when I go on maternity leave and adjust to my new life as a mom—my husband and I are thrilled! During this time, we will have guest speakers at The Mount and activities will continue as normal.

We are excited to see what God will continue to do through the ministry of The Mount and the ways he will stretch us in the year ahead. Pray for us in this season of growth!

—Melissa Dolloff, Director of The Mount

Bethany Jones

Bethany was born and raised in Wheaton, Illinois, the youngest of three sisters. Bethany recalls that every Saturday the girls would go to her grandparents’ house to clean, grocery shop, and make meals for the week. Her grandpa eventually came to live with Bethany’s family when her grandma moved to a nearby nursing home. When they wanted a snack, Bethany and her sisters would bring a bag of cookies to their grandpa and ask him to open them so that they wouldn’t get in trouble for opening a new bag.

Bethany attended Sunday School weekly and started teaching catechism at the family’s Catholic Church when she was in high school. Her dad was very active in the church and often volunteered the family to share all of their talents in front of the huge congre-gation. She remembers playing Pachabel Cannon in D on bells, which had been ar-ranged for the five members of her family, when she was just 6 years old.

Bethany attended Augustana College (a private liberal arts school) and the University of Illinois. As an undergrad, she completed a double major in elementary education and Spanish and Master’s in International Labor Relations. Bethany met Josh at Au-gustana where they both ran cross country. After dating in college, Josh and Bethany split up so that she could take advantage of an opportunity to teach in Japan (while Josh took the opportunity to temporarily be a ski bum). Upon her return, they headed to Central America on a two-month backpacking trip with a few friends. The rest was history!

Josh and Bethany have lived an adventurous life. In the first six years of their marriage, they moved 5 times. Prior to Salt Lake City, they never planted themselves anywhere for more than two years.

Bethany is an HR professional specializing in Talent Management. She loves working for a predominantly Muslim company because she’s learned so much about the religion of Islam and has made deep friendships with co-workers of this faith. Bethany claims that balancing her passion for work with her passion for family, is only achieved through the abundant strength that God provides. She says, “I’m truly in awe! We are so blessed with amazing people in our lives who support us as parents and give our chil-dren so much love!”

When asked about her faith, Bethany explained, “I’m still on my faith journey… trying to grow deeper and closer to God in all that I do.” She considers her special spiritual gifts to be teaching and giving. Bethany’s favorite scripture is Philippians 2:1-3…she strives to live up to this scripture on a daily basis.

Continued on page 15

Utah Food Bank: The MOPC Team will volunteer at the Utah Food Bank, 3150 S 900 W on Saturday, April 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Come, make a differ-ence in someone’s life and have a fun time, too! Remem-ber, no open-toed shoes and you need to be 12+ years old. Hope to see you all there again, Satur-day, April 11, 2015. Y’all come now!! (This includes you Betsy) Need a ride, contact Pauline Forster. See you there.

Crossroads Urban Center: Indi-vidual-sized juice is the item most needed this month, but all non-perishable food and beverages are appreciated, especially food in snack-size containers.

Plastic water bottles are always needed in addition to food and bev-erage items.

Please leave your donations in the Cross-roads box in the gathering area.

Report from Myanmar David Biakkung, the Director of the Myanmar Mission College, reports that they celebrated the second class of graduates in March. Eight students graduated, and will now go back to unreached people groups in Myan-mar to share the gospel of Christ. The graduates are from four different ethnic groups within Myanmar. Pastor Phil helped begin this college in one of his visits.

Ladies, mark your calendars for Oc-tober 9-11. The annual women’s re-treat will be at Snowbird. More infor-mation will be coming soon!

April 2015 at Inverted

All Wednesdays 7:00-8:30 p.m. JH and HS Youth Group 1 Wednesday *NO Wed Night Youth, due to Holy Week 4 Saturday 9:30-1:30 Serving the homeless at Pioneer Park 7 Tuesday 7:00-9:30 p.m. Skate Church at WeAreOne Skatepark 12 Sunday 12:30 p.m. Kenya Team Mtg after 11am service 12, 19, 26 Sundays 9:45 a.m. Track Two and Three Learning Labs 17 Friday 6:00-10:00 p.m. Love Kenya Benefit Dinner 22 Wednesday 6:30-9:00 p.m. HS Small Group serving dinner to homeless

Holy Week (No Youth Group) We will NOT have regular Wed Night Youth Group on April 1st, due to the all-church ser-vices on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Jump into the Holy Week services and pre-pare your hearts to celebrate the resurrection!

Learning Labs are back! Beginning Sunday, April 12th at 9:45 a.m. and running for three weeks, we’ll be offering two learning labs:

Track 2: Heaven and Hell? What happens when we die?

Track 3: If God is good, then why is there so much pain in the world? A study on suffering, grief and forgiveness. Think about which lab you’d like to attend and come ready to dig into these important ques-tions of faith.

Inverted Youth to Serve the Homeless! Calling all students: We need a group of 50 folks to join us in serving the homeless on Saturday, April 4th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We’ll meet at the church at 9:30 a.m. and return shortly after 1:00 p.m. What a great service project to perform the day before celebrating the Resurrection! You can bring friends and family. Please sign up with Ja-mie White.

On Wednesday, April 22nd, the HS small group will serve dinner at a homeless shelter instead of regular youth group. We’ll meet at the church at 6:30 p.m. and return around 9:00 p.m.

Art Show Preparation: April 19th 12:30-2:30 p.m. We are creeping up close to the art show in May! We have only a few more weeks to finish preparations. This prep time is for grades Kindergarten to 5th grade. The younger children will do their projects dur-ing Children’s Church.

Family Retreat is Back! Date: April 24-26th Location: Park City This will be a time to play, grow, and just be together! The registration deadline has passed, but you can contact Ruth Rudy at [email protected] to see if there is still space. We look forward to a great weekend! Festival of Life: Thank you to everyone who helped with the Festival of Life this year! Your efforts are so appreciated.

Vacation Bible School and SR 45 Service Camp June 22-26 9:00 a.m.-12:00 (VBS) 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Service Camp) The theme this year is "Conquering Challenges with God's Mighty Power"

Meet Bethany Jones (continued from page 11)

The Joneses get together every Friday with six other families for a discussion group of “God’s Big Story.” They are all reading the same passages each week and then join-ing together for food, fellowship, and Bible study. It’s really been a great time for both the adults and children to ask questions and learn from each other.

How did Josh and Bethany come to MOPC? Oddly enough, they were late one week for the service they wanted to attend and MOPC had a service at just the right time. Since walking in the door, Bethany says there was no question but that this is the body of believers that they feel closest to God among.

Church Staf f & Ministry Team Leaders

Pastor Phil Hughes Pastor Emeritus Jeff Silliman Executive Administrator Sheila Barnish Administrative Assistant Emily Piper Youth Ministry Directors Jamie White and Dave White Asst. of Youth Ministry Jared McClure Children’s Ministry Director Ruth Rudy Director of The Mount Melissa Dolloff Treasurer Jeanne Mehlhoff Child Development Director Julie Hessheimer Caretakers John Mehlhoff and Lauren Mehlhoff Adult Ministries Director Elaine Davis

Office Hours: Mon—Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ph: (801) 277-2674 Fax: (801) 277-2059 Pastoral Email: [email protected] Exec Administrator: [email protected] Newsletter Email: [email protected] Website: www.mountolympuschurch.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mountolympuspresbyterian Address: 3280 East 3900 South Salt Lake City, UT 84124

Elders Serving on Session

Class of 2015 Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Bill Gartner Matt Cain Maggie Loring Donaree Neville Mason Harvey Mark Jackson Steve Mascaro Shauna Huston Armand van Hien Debbie Penney Fred Larsen Lauri Winge

Adult Ministry Pauline Forster Children’s Ministry Katie Peterson Congregational Life Linda Duffy Facilities Management Gary Peterson Finance Bill Gartner Financial Secretary Mitch Spackman Global Missions Debbie Penney Local Missions Gwen Mitchell Office and Info Tech Jim Wight Outreach Directors Marina Collins/Julie Davidson Pastoral Care Assistant Kathy Terrion Prayer Ministry Karen Jackson Worship Kathy Wight Youth Cathy Dupont

Our Ministry of Care BOARD OF DEACONS

Class of 2015: Debbie Harvey, Janet Hutchinson, Deanne Jorgensen, Marilyn Marshall, Carol Smedley, Kathy Vincent Class of 2016: Mike Bicker, Pauline Forster, Betsy Hamilton, Shirley Knox, Melissa Reynolds, Julie Shaheen Class of 2017: Barbara Lincoln, Chris Chytraus, Mindy deHoll, Karen Jackson, Mary Templeman, Karen Duzy

STEPHEN MINISTERS Kathy Terrion*, Candy Vila*, Bruce Bemis*, Barbara Alexander, Don Alexander, Paul Owen, and Sheridan Metcalf.

* Stephen Ministry Leadership Team

maundy thursday, april 2 good friday, april 3 resurrection...

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