Monday, April 1, 2024

Office Closed - Easter Monday

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Holy Humor Sunday

Monday, April 8, 2024

No Session Meeting

Monday, April 22, 2024

Earth Day

Looking Ahead:

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Gardening Goodness & Taco Bar Pot Luck

A New Season, Claim It

April brings a new season to our worship and our world. Natalie Sheeth captures the wonder of this season so well in her Hymn of Promise, prompting us to sing:

There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me …

unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. _{(Glory to God #250)}

In the glory of the Easter season, beginning Easter Sunday and stretching all the way to Pentecost on May 19, we witness that hope unfolding in worship. Our hymns are happier. Our Scripture readings reveal Christ risen from the silent darkness of death, giving all of us new life. We are empowered to go into the world with courage and to face broiling hate, corruption, confusion, and darkness head on like the disciples did all those years ago, because “surely, Jesus is with us always, even to the end of the age.” _{(Matthew 28:20)}

Now is not the time to turn away from Christ, resting idly on the knowledge that our salvation is secure in resurrection, our forgiveness attained in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Now is the busy season. With the coming of Spring, we see daffodils sprouting, farmers preparing fields for planting, and a little more sunshine each day, brightening the world and lightening each heart. We look ahead to graduations and family celebrations, to the end of school and summer sports, camps, and camping. We lay plays for Vacation Bible School, local mission work, and fellowship. We rally around each other with tax season at a fever pitch and another election season making everyone ill at ease. We claim the hope of this season instead of the despair that keeps whirling around us in the news. We act on the promise of Christ revealed right now instead of sitting passively befuddled as systems and institutions flounder. We embody new life in Jesus Christ.

It is easy to forget that hope and light and revelation aren’t clichés. They aren’t simply greeting card sentiments to be uttered one Sunday a year and put away again until next Spring. Easter is our way of life. We are Easter people who live every bit of every day with unbelievable joy (who could believe Jesus would really rise from the dead?), unbelievable strength (how on earth could a few ordinary people change the world?), and unbelievable hope (but only for a few weeks, right?).

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Scripture tells us that a handful of men and women, hunted by the Roman authorities for following Jesus, came out of hiding, made their voices heard, and changed everything not only in Jerusalem, not only as far as Galilee, but throughout the entire world. Revelations within our own hearts remind us that miracles happen well beyond Easter Sunday, and God calls us once more to be of good courage and trust our Savior not just this season but all year long.

There is no way to know exactly what this new season will bring. That’s something “God alone can see.” _{(Hymn of Promise)} But I am hopeful, energized, and excited to see what Jesus’ disciples at EPC can do in the name of the Christ who gives us new life.

A version of this article first appeared in the April 2016 Presby News. Updated for 2024, the hope, light, and resurrection of our Lord never expire or become outdated.

The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) consists of two parts—the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. From G-3.0101 of the Book of Order:

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is governed by councils composed of presbyters elected by the people _(F-3.0202). These councils are called the session, the presbytery, the synod, and the General Assembly. All councils of the church are united by the nature of the church and share with one another responsibilities, rights, and powers as provided in this Constitution. The councils are distinct, but have such mutual relations that the act of one of them is the act of the whole church.

Each council’s distinct responsibilities require them to have their own budget. The funding for the presbytery, synod, and General Assembly budgets comes from the congregations. The Emporia Presbyterian Church financially supports the Presbytery of Northern Kansas, the Synod of Mid-America, and the General Assembly based on an assessment each church pays annually according to its number of members.  For 2024, “per capita” assessment for all the churches in the Presbytery of Northern Kansas is as follows:

Presbytery of Northern Kansas:  $24.00/member  

Synod of Mid-America:  $3.15/member  

General Assembly:  $9.80/member   

TOTAL PER CAPITA:  $36.95/member

For Emporia Presbyterian Church with its 139 members, the total per capita assessment for 2024 is $5136.05 (139 members x $36.95/member). 

If you are willing and able to pay your per capita, the result is more resources for Emporia Presbyterian Church to Glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (the answer to Question 1 in the Westminster Shorter Catechism).

You can put your per capita in the collection plate or mail or drop off at the church office.

Thank you so much for your consideration!

The Stewardship and Finance Committee

Stewarding Connections from the Stewardship and Finance Committee Part II

In the March newsletter, the Stewardship and Finance Committee requested your suggestions for shows/movies/documentaries/series you have watched on television networks or streaming services that uplift souls, nourish spiritually, or inform the sacred. The purpose of this request is to strengthen and create connections among the members of Emporia Presbyterian Church in order to prepare for and experience the presence of the living God.

This month the committee is requesting that you to email Taylor in the church office (officeassistant.epc@gmail.com) or put a slip of paper in the collection plate with your favorite books/magazines/newsletters/articles that you find inspirational, their authors and, for articles, the name of the magazine/journal, the year, issue, and page numbers.  

The complete list will appear in the newsletter later this year.   

THANK YOU!

Presbytery Staff is "On the Road!"

Throughout the year, presbytery staff will be packing up the office and working in different churches across Northern Kansas. The goal is to visit with PNK churches, members, and friends who can't always make their way to Salina. Resource Center Director Amanda Littell will bring print resources for folks to look through, and, if you bring your tablet or laptop, will help you get set-up to use the PNK digital library and other presbytery website resources. Stated Clerk Bob Frasier will be available in case someone wants to visit about "clerk-y" kinds of things or something in the Book of Order. While General Presbyter Melanie Hancock and Administrator Gail Frazier will be around to visit with you about whatever else you want to talk about!

The next "On the Road" Day will be in Beloit, April 17th. Watch for other opportunities and locations throughout the year and across the presbytery.

As some of you know, Taylor Wilson has been working through a temp agency to help around the office for the past few months. Given the great job she has been doing in the office and with Diana Hizar’s impending retirement, Personnel Committee with Session’s blessing has offered Taylor the Administrative Assistant’s job permanently (and she accepted). Let’s all welcome Taylor with open arms. If you haven’t popped by to meet her yet, Taylor is currently in the office Tuesday-Friday, 9:00am-3:00pm.

Diana Hizar, who has served as EPC’s Financial Administrator for over a decade, had her last full day in this position on Friday, March 29. However, full financial transition is tricky, particularly during tax season. So, you may still see Diana around the church office a couple days a week as she has graciously agreed to help us work through the transition. We cannot thank Diana enough for all her years dedicated and the hard work she has put into serving Emporia Presbyterian Church. If you would like to send a card or leave a token of appreciation for Diana at the church office, we will be sure she receives it. We will certainly miss her and wish her Godspeed in this new season.

Downtown:

• The paper and cleaning supplies have been moved to the second floor. I thought this would be good in case the custodian room might be difficult to access during the remodel of the basement.

• Susan Severin cleaned up the dead winter debris around the downtown building in preparation for Easter and Spring. She also trimmed the hedges.

• Amanda Gutierrez and friends moved items from the dungeon to second floor and moved the final items out of the basement area into the dungeon.

West Campus & Lighting:

• The West Campus Sanctuary drop lights are fully lit with LED blubs. Tammy and Michael Cheeseman brought in scaffolding and replaced 95 per cent of bulbs. There were 5 of the big spots needing an electrician. Mike from Schumann Electric finished up the project.  

• Mike Schumann also replaced the Downtown large hanging drop lights in the sanctuary with LED's. We had one burn out and if we were going to replace one, we should do all four at the same time due to the cost of labor of setting up scaffolding for just one and also how long would it be until another would burn out. The bulbs that were in the downtown lights were there for 12 years. The Downtown sanctuary was remodeled in 2012 and new blubs were installed at that time. 

• Tammy Cheeseman has agreed to continue to mow West Campus.  

Renovation Update:

Friday March 15, Peter Hauff, our architect, the Emporia Fire Marshall, and the Emporia building inspector met in the Downtown basement to discuss what materials will be needed to pass regulation codes. The kitchen must be 1 hour “fire proof.” That means the ceiling, walls, and door must contain a kitchen fire for one hour without spreading to the rest of the building.

Jennifer and Brad Stewart were the inaugural winners of the Stewart Family Award in recognition of their service and dedication to the Emporia basketball community. Congrats and good game Team Stewart!

The Christian Education committee will honor our high school and college graduates during worship, Sunday, May 19. If you have a graduate to celebrate this year, please send in their full name, schools, degree program and/or plans for the future, and a photo to share in worship and the newsletter. Information is needed by April 22nd and can be left with, mailed, or emailed to Taylor in the church office (802 Commercial / officeassistant.epc@gmail.com).