March 23, 2018
(Image: “Olive Trees” by Vincent Van Gogh)
Join Us for Worship at 10:00 a.m. Sunday!
Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday
Scripture: Mark 14:12-15:47
Including the dedication our gifts and coin banks for One Great Hour of Sharing
AND special music from the church choir.
Celebrate the Passion and Resurrection 
Palm Sunday, March 25 – A donkey outside the church at 9:30 a.m., procession of palms at 10:00 a.m. and dramatic reading of the Passion according to the Gospel of Mark. Children and youth, please meet in the Narthex at 9:45 a.m on Sunday to prepare for the processional of palms . 

Hungry Wednesday, March 28 , 5:30 p.m. at the Seminary Church – Serving the Lord and others at the Community Meal

Maundy Thursday, March 29 , 5:30 p.m. at the Knolls – Dinner and Worship including the Lord’s Summer

Good Friday, March 30 , 12:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity – Walk of Witness from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church to Oxford Presbyterian Church

Easter Day Service, April 1 , 10:00 a.m. – Celebrate the Resurrection with us on Easter Day!

(more details on these opportunities for worship and mission during Holy Week follow)
Upcoming Events
Easter Flowers & Special Music Gifts
This year Spring flowers will be placed at the front of the church on Easter Sunday. Cost is $16.00. The number of flowers will be limited to the first 36. Contact the church office, 513-523-6364 or office@oxfordpresbychurch.org, if you would like to purchase a flower in celebration, honor or memory of a loved one. Monetary donations can be made to the Special Music Fund. Flower orders are due by Tuesday, March 29.

Order forms are available outside the church office, and can be placed in the offering plate or the Administrative Assistant mailbox.
Eco-Palms

“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord”
(Mark 11:9). To celebrate Palm Sunday, our congregation partnered with Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM) to use Eco-Palms. The harvest of palm products is an important income source for many tropical families and communities. If you would like to learn more, brochures are available in the Narthex and outside the church office.
Congregational Concerns
Philip Lindsey, passed away suddenly following a short illness. Our condolences and prayerful support are extended to all of Philip’s family and friends. A visitation will take place at the Ogle & Paul R. Young Funeral Home on Saturday, March 24, 2018 from 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm and the funeral service will follow at 3:00 pm.
The Deacon's Lenten Food Drive
Please leave the donated items for the Oxford Choice Pantry in the Narthex, (the front entrance to the Sanctuary) until March 24. Monetary donations can be made during offering by writing a check with "Deacon's Food Drive" in the note field or placing cash in a pew envelope with the "Deacon's Food Drive" on the front.
 
Items needed: "Big Three": Spaghetti, Tuna & Peanut Butter

Other Items: Canned meals (Spaghetti O's, Ravioli, Chef Boyardee). Varieties of cereal, canned fruit and vegetables.

Personal Care Items: Toilet paper, body wash, deodorant, shampoo and hair conditioner

Through your continual generosity in support of this ongoing effort, 106 lbs. of food has already been delivered to the Oxford Choice Pantry.
Special Mission Offering: One Great Hour of Sharing - March 25
Received on Palm Sunday, One Great Hour of Sharing is a special offering of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The offering enables the church to share God’s love with our neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, providing food to the hungry, and helping to empower the poor and oppressed. We invite you to give generously on March 25.
Youth Ministry
Parents and Youth (6-12 grade) ~ on Sunday, March 25 at 5:00 p.m. in the Molyneaux Lounge, there will be a meeting for parents and youth involved in the Youth Ministry at OPC. We will be discussing upcoming plans and events for Youth Group, Kirkmont Spring Retreat, Kirkmont Summer Camp, and the Mission Trip to Charleston, SC. Please contact Mitch Hardy, Youth Director, if you have any questions. (513) 907-5641 or mitchelljameshardy@gmail.com
Church Services at The Knolls
If you are unable to attend some of our church services on Sunday mornings, we have another option for you. Becky Quay shows recent church services on DVD in the Country Kitchen at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, March 27. If you would like to join us, but need a ride, just give Becky a call at 523-5747.
Deacons Community Blood Drive
Tuesday, March 27 ~ 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
(The Seminary Building)

Appointments Recommended
To Donate Blood:
You are encouraged to sign up online at www.Donortime.com / use Sponsor Code 321 . Choose “ Donor Login ”, you will be given instructions on what to do. Our goal is 24, currently there are 21 donors signed up. Please help!

Available Time-slots: 2:10, 2:40, 2:50, 3:30, 3:40, 3:50, 4:10, 4:30. 4:40, 5:00, 5:10, 5:20, 5:40, 5:50.

If you would like us to sign you up, please contact the church office at 513.523.6364, give your name, date of birth, phone number, and preferred appointment time.

Questions about donor eligibility contact:
CBC at: 1-800-388-4483 or 777-4428.
OPC Community Meal
Serving at the Community Meal during Holy Week is a great way to live for the Lord and others During Lent.

Wednesday, March 28
Seminary Building
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

We need:
4 pans of Lasagna
5 more bowls of Salads
Bread
Lots of Desserts

Please call or e-mail Bill Fisher at 524-4504, fisherwf@miamioh.edu or the church office at 523-6364 if you can help. Volunteers needed for setup and clean up.
Maundy Thursday
Thursday, March 29
5:30 - Simple Meal ~ 6:15 - Worship Service
(The Knolls)

On this night called Maundy Thursday , we remember and celebrate the final supper Jesus shared with his disciples in the context of Passover. This event, which reveals the holiness of all subsequent meals eaten in Christ’s name, institutes the mystery of his abiding presence in the church’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. The name Maundy is taken from the first words of Jesus as he washed the disciple’s feet, “I give you a new commandment.” (John 13:34). In Latin the word is mandatum .
 
In order to plan for this service of worship, the Worship & Music Committee asks that you indicate your plans for attending the Maundy Thursday worship service at The Knolls. You may attend both the simple meal and worship service, or only the Maundy Thursday worship service. Both the meal and worship service take place in the Great Room just off the lobby of the Main Entrance. Contact the church office, 513-523-6364 or office@oxfordpresbychurch.org, to make your reservations.

Meal reservations at a cost of $6.00 per person (due by March 25).

No reservations required to attend the worship service only. Reservation forms are available outside the church office, and can be placed in the offering plate or the Administrative Assistant mailbox.
Good Friday – Walk of Witness
On Good Friday, March 30 invite friends and neighbors to join your OPC family and our brothers and sister in faith from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for a Walk of Witness. We will gather at Holy Trinity around 11:50 a.m. At noon, we’ll begin a time of prayer and scripture readings in which we depart HT on foot taking turns carrying a homemade, life-size wooden cross. Through a series of readings along Poplar and High, we’ll arrive at the uptown Memorial Park for a reading of the Passion. The walk will conclude at OPC.

Come and be a part of this reflective service in which we walk with Jesus and prayerfully consider how our Lord stretched out his arms to save the world and continues to transform us today.
Sunday School


There will be no Sunday School on Easter, April 1, for K-2,
3-5 and middle school. Preschool and Nursery care will be available.
Tuesday Evening Circle

The Evening Circle will meet April 3. Our hostess is Debbie Davidson. Janet Holmes will give the devotion. Janet Ziegler will present the program. Anyone needing a ride should contact Karen Simpson, 523-8363.
OPW Spring Brunch
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Molyneaux Lounge
10:00 a.m. ~ Noon

Program: Our featured event is Dr. Scott Parkinson presenting a program on the Seminary Church and OPC Pastors of the past. This should be a wonderful opportunity for all the women, children, grandparents, and friends of OPW. Please make your reservation by Thursday, April 12.  The reservation sheet may be placed in the Administrative Assistant mailbox or contact the church office, 513.523.6364, office@oxfordpresbychurch.org to make your reservation.

Reservation forms are available outside the church office, and can be placed in the offering plate or the Administrative Assistant mailbox.

Don't miss out on this exciting time! Faith, Fellowship, Food, Fun!! 
Altar Flowers


Altar flowers are needed for April 2 2 and 29 and for all of May. You may sign up on the calendar which is located next to the water fountain or call Marge Smith at 523-2895.
Faith in Action - Habitat for Humanity
Members and friends of the Faith Build effort, we are happy to announce that the Oxford Build on Carter Court will be restarted Saturday, March 24! The churches will be involved on a new schedule. One of the houses is structurally standing. With your help, it will be roofed and finished in June. 

Volunteers are asked to commit a day beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding with cleanup at 3. Saturday's work will be done on the inside. Each of the 8 churches is committing 5 volunteers and lunch for 20. Please contact Prue Dana to sign up. Non-members that would like to help on Saturday are welcome as well.

The Oxford Chapter of Habitat for Humanity builds housing for low income families in Oxford that otherwise would not be able to afford a home. The Mission and Outreach Committee of OPC is requesting the congregation’s help in meeting the Oxford Presbyterian Church’s pledge to fund the two homes that the Oxford Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is building in 2018. If you are unable to work on the Habitat project and would like to make a monetary donation in support of this ongoing effort, please write your check out to Oxford Presbyterian Church, put Habitat in the note-field , and place in the offering plate. If you prefer to donate cash, place the cash in a Pew Envelope, write Habitat on the Pew Envelope, and place in the offering plate. Thank you for your generosity.
Creating a Healthy Oxford Community
Opioid crisis here? Yes, here!
 
We have been hearing about the opioid crisis in Butler County – Middletown, Hamilton, Fairfield, and yes, Oxford, too.
 
What do we know about opioids in our own backyard?
In 2017 there were 190 people in Butler County who died due to opioids!!!
 
Please join us for a program and panel on Opioids in Butler County:
Wednesday, March 28
Oxford United Methodist Church
 
Co-sponsored by Oxford United Methodist Women and the League of Women Voters of Oxford , all interested persons in the community are welcome and encouraged to attend this timely and informative program. Bring a brown bag lunch. Social time begins at 11:30 a.m. The program will begin at approximately 12:00 noon.
 
Oxford United Methodist Church is located at 14 N. Poplar. Enter through the double green doors or the handicapped ramp to the glass doors. McCullough-Hyde Hospital has approved parking for this program in the lot across from the hospital on the east side of Poplar.
Living into Hope
From the perspective of the Bible, hope is not simply a feeling or a mood or a rhetorical flourish. Hope is the very dynamic of history. Hope is the engine of change. Hope is the energy to transformation. Hope is the door from one reality to another… Hope is believing in spite of the evidence and watching the evidence change.
-      Jim Wallis
Oxford Presbyterian Church | 101 N. Main Street, Oxford OH 45056