N ORTHMINSTER P RESBYTERIAN C HURCH
T HE
FEBRUARY
NORTHERN LIGHT
2017
I SSUE 2
A word from the pastor . . .
Henri J. M. Nouwen: An Ash Wednesday prayer
How often have I lived through these weeks without paying
much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have
I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being
aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without
observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection
when I have avoided participating in your death?
Yes, Lord, I have to die--with you, through you, and in you-and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to
me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to
die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and
stinginess.... I see clearly now how little I have died with you,
really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this
Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you
again. Amen. (A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee,
Orbis) Nouwen (1932--96) was a Dutch priest, writer, lecturer,
spiritual guide, and leader at the L'Arche Daybreak Community
for people with mental and physical disabilities.
Nouwen’s prayer is a good reminder as we are about to begin
the Lenten season. On Ash Wednesday (March 1) you and I as
followers of Jesus Christ are invited to begin the 40 days of
Lent by entering into a time of reflection in which we engage in
what Father Nouwen describes above. Turning from our sinful
behaviors, fasting, and daily prayer is all practices that we are
called to observe leading up to Easter. Nouwen suggests this
will help us more fully experience the joy of the Resurrection
and the joy of our salvation. I agree. If we focus on the “free”
nature of grace, then we miss out on the cost of it. Jesus gave
his life freely for us so that we might know the extent to which
He loved us. He conquered death by rising from the dead after
three days to demonstrate the power of God’s love. This was
not a simple task. It was painful.
Continued on following page….
S UNDAY
WORSHIP
10:00 A.M.
400 Villa Road
Springfield, Ohio 45503
PHONE: (937) 399-0838
[email protected]
www.northminsterspringfield.org
_____________________________PASTORS
Dwight McCormick II, Pastor
W. Franklin Sparks, Pastor Emeritus
_______________________CHURCH STAFF
Tammy Hickman
Bill Harrison
Adam Veith
Debbie Husted
Joan Generous
June Hughes
Ruth George
Office Manager
Financial Secretary
Treasurer
Custodial Staff
Presbyterian Women
Librarian
The Northern Light is published
monthly September thru May
with one summer issue.
If there is an omission or an error,
please contact the editor so a
correction can be made.
Thank You
Tammy Hickman, Newsletter Editor
T HE NORTHERN LIGHT
If we are not careful we may treat God’s forgiveness as a get out of jail free card rather than a radical
universe-altering event that took place through The Resurrection. We can’t earn God’s forgiveness, we
can’t buy it, we can’t lose it-God gives us our salvation. It is helpful to remember that Christians are
called to live our lives transformed by the salvation we have been given. A response of a gratitude filled
life is required, not optional.
In response to our salvation our relationships and our entire way of being in the world is supposed to
show evidence that an inward change has happened through God’s action. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states:
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life
has begun!” Our new life in Christ calls us practice our faith, not merely speak about it. As a community
of faith, I pray we will enter into Lent intentionally seeking ways to repent (turn away) from sin, lay aside
something during Lent (or add a spiritual practice) so that we are mindful of God’s sacrifice. I invite us to
pray daily from the depths of our hearts and minds throughout the forty days of Lent.
We will start this Lenten journey with a shared worship service at Covenant Presbyterian Church on
March 1 at 7PM. We will be having communion together and the imposition of ashes. I will be preaching
the service and sharing leadership of it with Rev. Ray Stewart. If you don’t make it to the service, please
observe the 40 days of Lent.
In Christ,
Dwight
Session Highlights
The Session met in stated meeting January 17, 2017. Rev. Dwight McCormick opened the meeting with prayer and
Bob Triebelhorn then offered a short devotion.
Pastor’s Report: Rev. McCormick reported that he will be attending a writers’ conference, as a part of his
continuing education leave, June 5th through 12th at Princeton. There will be a guest preacher (yet to be named) on
June 11th.
Finance Committee: the finalized budget for 2017 was presented for session’s approval. This budget will be
presented to the congregation at the January 29th annual meeting.
Session unanimously approved a motion from the Mission Committee that Northminster participate in the 4
national denominational special offerings for 2017 (One Great Hour of Sharing; Pentecost; Peace and Global
Witness; and Christmas Joy).
Session set Saturday, February 25th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM for training for all active ruling elders. On motion/
second, session approved celebrating communion during this event.
The Annual Congregational Meeting is set for January 29, 2017 immediately after worship.
The next stated meeting of Session is February 21, 2017 at 7:00 PM.
Please continue to pray for the Pastor and Session as we serve this congregation and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Submitted by:
Lois Shroyer
Clerk of Session
T HE NORTHERN LIGHT
Adult Forum Lenten Study
February Narrative Texts
Feb. 5, 2017 Luke 7:1-17 Raising the Widow’s Son
Feb. 12, 2017 Luke 7:18-35 Are you the one?
Feb. 19, 2017 Luke 7:36-50 Forgiven at Jesus’ feet
Feb. 26, 2017 Luke 9:28-45 Transfiguration
A six session Lenten study begins on Sunday,
March 5th, and continues on March 12th, 19th,
and 26th, and on April 2nd and 9th.
Sing (or read!) your way through this Lenten
season with "Will You Come and Follow Me? An
Adult Lenten Study on Hymns." Written by Mary
Louise (Mel) Bringle and Beverly Howard, this
six-session study takes a look at the text of various Lenten hymns. The following hymns are examined, one in each session: "Lord, Who
throughout These Forty Days," "Will You Come
and Follow Me (The Summons)," "I Danced in the
Morning (Lord of the Dance)," "To God Be the
Glory," "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,"
and "All Glory, Laud, and Honor." Each session
will challenge adults to work through the
meaning of the text and learn more about the
hymn writers. They will also discover how the
text relates to them today. Come join in this time
of preparing our hearts for the resurrection of
our Lord.
February 26th
March 26th
April 13th—Maundy Thursday-Intinction
April 16—Easter
May 7th
June 4th
August 6th—Intinction
Westminster Presbyterian Church,
located at 125 N. Wilkinson Street in
Dayton will hold a Presbytery Meeting on
Saturday, February 11th, from 8:00 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m. Please call 937-223-7285 if
you have any questions.
September 3rd
October 1st- World Communion Sunday
October 29th
November 26th - Intinction
December 24th
T HE NORTHERN LIGHT
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH at 11:30 .m.—
All chili chefs bring your chili (in a crock pot)
to church for lunch and voting for the First
Annual Chili Cook-Off Competition. Yes,
there will be a prize! The deacons will
provide cornbread, salad, drinks, and a crock
pot of chicken and noodles for non-chili
people. For those bringing chili, please call
Cathy or Sue. If you aren’t bringing chili,
please bring a dessert if you are able. Invite
a friend to this event!
SUPER BOWL PARTY
Come watch the Super Bowl with us!
Northminster will host a party on
Sunday, February 5th at 5:30 p.m.
Please bring a snack to share with others,
and enjoy the game.
There will be an Elder
Training Meeting at the
church on Saturday, February
25th, from 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m.
NOTE TO COMMITTEE
CHAIRS:
Please make sure you tell the office when you
will be having meetings. This is to ensure the
building will be heated, the walkways will be
shoveled, and the building will be free of other
events.
In addition, please make note of all Newsletter
Deadlines!! It is important to inform the
congregation of news from your committee,
and there is plenty of room to include it in the
monthly newsletter! The deadlines are always
included in the calendar in the announcements
each Sunday, or you can also call the office. The
March newsletter deadline is MARCH
20th! If you need an extension past that
deadline, please let Tammy know, as something
can usually be worked out. Thank you.
Remember to Bring Your Soup!
Sunday, February 5th, is Souper Bowl Sunday,
when we are collecting cans of soup for the Clifton Avenue Church of God Food Pantry. We'd like
to collect more than 200 cans. Last year, 272 cans
of soup were donated!
Thanks for your generosity!
The Mission Committee
Upcoming in April
Easter Egg Hunt - Northminster, in conjunction
with Villa Springfield, will host a community-wide
Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8th.
More details will be forthcoming.
T HE NORTHERN LIGHT
Ash Wednesday Services
An Ash Wednesday service will be
held at Covenant Presbyterian
Church at 7:00 p.m. on March 1st.
Rev. Dwight McCormick will be
preaching and communion will be
served. A joint choir between Northminster and
Covenant will be singing as well.
SAVE THE DATE: A Maundy Thursday service
will be held at Northminster on April 13th at 7:00
p.m. More information will be forthcoming.
Presbyterian Women
Faith, Fellowship and Fun
with a Circle of Friends.
All are welcome to participate.
Co-Moderators……Joan Generous & June Hughes
Secretary…….….……....………….Terry Rigio
Treasurer…….…………...………...Judy Heaton
ESTHER CIRCLE
Leader: Cindy Chesnut
Meets 2nd Monday
Meeting Date: Monday, February 13th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hostess: Ruth George.
RUTH CIRCLE
Leader: Joyce Carpenter
Meets 2nd Thursday
Meeting Date: Thursday, February 9th
Time: 11:30 a.m. at Northminster
Hostess: June Hughes
Happy
day to:
Birth-
Jim Arnott
February 2
Lilly Adams
February 3
Paula Feldner
February 4
Maggie Roberts
February 5
Karen Veith
February 17
Judith Heaton
February 20
Ashley Foster
February 22
Nancy Jean Graves
February 26
Ruth Martin
February 28
Looking Ahead to March
Mark you calendars
crafty ladies!
The Bazaar Workshop
is scheduled to begin meeting
(weather permitting)
the first Tuesday of March (March 7th)
at 9:30AM in the lower level Community
Room.
Questions: Joan Generous 969-8130
New ideas and new helpers
are welcome!
N EXT
P. W.
B OARD M EETING
session
Session meetings are held the third Tuesday of
the month. The next stated meeting of Session
will be February 21st at 7:00 P.M.
M ONDAY , F EBRUARY 6 TH
10:00
P ER
AM
CAPITA AMOUNT FOR
$40.00
PER MEMBER
2017
T HE NORTHERN LIGHT
PW met the first week of January to make plans for the coming year and finish up old
business from 2016. Again we would like to thank all members who helped with the
events sponsored by the Presbyterian Women. Thanks to the women's circles for hosting
the dinners. And thanks to Gretchen and Helen for heading up the bazaar. Also thank you to
all the ladies and gentlemen who worked on the yard sale. All of our events were well
attended and a huge success.
We were able to support several local missions with donations of $500 each. They were:
Oesterlin Services for Youth, Project Woman, The Springfield Soup Kitchen, The Promise
Neighborhood, Interfaith Hospitality Network, and the Salvation Army. We were pleased to
be able to help so many local missions.
We will also be donating $100 a month to support the Clifton Avenue Food Bank again this
year. We are certainly blessed to have a church that is as supportive as ours.
In looking ahead to next year, the PW would love to have some new members join us. We
meet the first Monday of each month at 10:00 am to organize our events. If you are still
working and would like to become a member of our group, the meeting time could be
adjusted to accommodate. We then make decisions as to how we can serve our community
with our financial support. Please consider joining our group. If you are interested please
let any member know or just come to our next meeting in February or March. Our current
members are June Hughes, Joan Generous, Debbie Dodds, Judy Heaton, Nancy Baker, and
Terry Rigio.
Hope to see you at our next meeting!!
February 2017
Northminster Presbyterian Church
Springfield, OH
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
1
2
5:30 Music/Worship 6:00 Dulcimer
Committee
Club
6:00 Bells
7: 15 Choir
5
11:30 Chili Cook-Off
Fri
3
Sat
4
6
9:30 Young Women’s
Mission
Souper Bowl of Caring
10:00 P.W. Board
5:30 p.m. Super Bowl Par- Meeting
ty @ the church
7
8
10:30 Bible Study
6:00 Bells
5:30 Girl Scouts
7:15 Choir
6:30 Mission Comm.
6:30 Bible Study
9
10
11:30 Ruth Circle
(Hostess: June
Hughes)
11
8:00 a.m. to 2:00
Presbytery Mtg. at
Westminster Presb.
Church in Dayton
12
13
6:30 Esther Circle
(Hostess: Ruth
George)
14
15
10:30 Bible Study
6:00 Bells
6:00 Finance Comm. 7:15 Choir
6:30Bible Study
7:00 Property Comm
16
17
18
Clifton Avenue
Breakfast
20
21
10:30 Bible Study
5:30 Girl Scouts
6:30 Bible Study
7:00 Session
23
24
25
10:00 am—2:00
Elder Training
27
6:30 Quilt Guild
28
10:30 Bible Study
6:30 Bible Study
12-4 p.m. Terra Cela HOA
Meeting in Basement
19
Newsletter deadline
26
Transfiguration of the
Lord
Communion
22
6:00 Bells
7:15 Choir
N ORTHMINSTER
P RESBYTERIAN C HURCH
400 Villa Road
Springfield, Ohio 45503
THE NORTHERN LIGHT
Issue 2
February 2016
February 1
Music/Worship Comm.—5:30 p.m.
February 2
Dulcimer Club—6:00 p.m.
February 5
Chili Cook-Off—11:30 a.m.
Souper Bowl—5:30 p.m.
February 6
Young Woman’s—9:30 p.m.; PW Board—10:00 a.m.
February 7
Mission Committee—6:30 p.m .
February 9
February 11
February 13
February 14
February 18
February 19
February 21
February 25
February 26
February 27
Ruth Circle—11:30 a.m.
Presbytery Meeting at Westminster Church in Dayton 8:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.
Esther Circle– 6:30 p.m.
Finance Comm.—6:00 p.m.; Property Comm.—7:00 p.m.
Church of God Breakfast
Newsletter Deadline
Session meeting—7:00 p.m.
Elder Training—10 a.m. — 2 p.m.
Communion—Transfiguration of the Lord
Quilt Guild—6:30 p.m.
Northminster Presbyterian Church will develop disciples of Jesus Christ
and learn how to follow the way of Jesus.