FPCH Tower Light

Worship Service

& Sunday School

10:00 a.m.

June Newsletter Deadline:

May 27nd

Join us for worship online live Sunday morning (or later) on our Facebook Page.

Or find up close versions of our sermons later on our Website.

From the Pastor's Desk

It's finally spring (or at least we can pray the weather will hold... again). A season of rebirth, we can enjoy the wonders of the sunshine and the great outdoors at long last.

At church it is Eastertide - those fifty days between Easter morning and Pentecost when we celebrate Christ's resurrection and ascension. It is the season of rebirth, as it were. Of renewal. Of new beginnings.

Even as our school year draws to a close, we know that students completing one stage will move on to the next in the Fall. Or, for our graduates, we know that they are entering a completely new stage of life.

As our song on Easter morning sang, In our end is our beginning...

Entering into spring, and the summer that will come swiftly after, we have the opportunity to look for the ways that God's new life is emerging all around us. Not only in nature, but also in one another. In ourselves.

Where is God bringing something new? Are you ready to welcome it with open arms?

New life is all around us. It's there to revel in if you are ready.

Blessings, Pastor Janie

Together In Worship

Holy Communion

This month we will celebrate the Lord's Supper on Sunday, May 1.

Did you know?

Confession.

A type of prayer with which we have more and often less comfort.

On some level, we all realize we need it. Yet, we frequently would prefer to do so privately. And then we would probably really rather just forget it altogether.

The reality is, however, that a Prayer of Confession is a necessary part of worship. Of connecting with God. Really, of who we are.

An essential part of the Reformed tradition is the belief that all of us have fallen short. We are unable to do even the slightest bit of good without God's help. We sin basically nonstop, even when we do not realize it. In the old days, we called this "total depravity." And for those of you playing Reformation Jeopardy at home, that's the "T" in TULIP (if you're not sure what I'm talking about, don't worry, I'll explain another time).

The point is that whether you believe we are quite that sinful or even that we are even largely sinful, we still mess up. A LOT. And part of the healing process, the forgiveness process, the reconciliation process with God requires that we admit that reality.

In the earliest church, the people would take time in worship to list off every single sin they had committed in front of the entire community. Which may make you rethink how you feel about individual confession, since it did actually start as a pastoral response to the downright brood of vipers the people of the church can be to one another when confessing individual offenses in public.

What the Reformers and the modern church have brought back by doing a corporate Prayer of Confession every week is acknowledging that sin is more than merely an individual enterprise. It is also communal. Ingrained. Part of the bodies, systems, organizations, and relationships we build. Often in ways we may not even realize.

But Jesus did. And he stood and fought against that sin, too.

Confessing is merely one piece of a much larger puzzle and process. Nevertheless, it is essential and important. For us as individuals. But just as importantly, if not more so, for the Body of Christ into which we have been called.

May Mini-Sermon Series

This May during the Season of Eastertide, we will be engaging the final Sermon of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Here is how we will explore the sections over the next five weeks:

May 1 - John 14:1-14: In the Doing

May 8 - John 14:15-31: More Is Coming

May 15 - John 15:1-17: Real Friends

May 22 - John 15:18-16:4a: Best of Intentions

May 29 - John 16:4b-33: Not Just Yet

Artwork: "In the Beginning" by Makoto Fujimura

Together in Fellowship

Sunday, May 8 @ 5:00 p.m. : Legion Park

Sunday, May 22 @ 5:00 p.m. :

Highland Park

First Nights @ the Park

Beginning Sunday, May 8, FPCH will be at our parks on the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings of the month with dinner, music, games, energizers, and much more fun! Bring your friends and join us as we have some fellowship on the first night of the week with our whole First Pres family!

Learning Together

Vacation Bible School

Mark your calendars now for VBS 2022: Passport to Peace - June 13-17! Our children will explore, listen, play, dance, sing, and learn as we find what it means to see the whole world as God's family and how we are meant to follow Jesus in the way of peace.

Youth Group: May 2022

Sunday, May 1: The Secrets of Dumbledore

AMC Altoona

Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Cost: $15 (Age 13+)

$13 (Age 11-12)

Sunday, May 15: Bowling!!!

Holiday Bowl (Altoona)

1:00-3:00 p.m.

No Cost

Caring Together

Trying to find Pastor Janie?

Pastor's lives are always complicated. And being a widow and sole caregiver to twin five-year-old boys only multiplies that complexity. Nevertheless, Pastor Janie is here to be there for you and your family!

In order to better accommodate visit scheduling and pick-up times, her new "Drop-In Office Hours" are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., beginning May 2. However, her usual work hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Depending on visits, committee meetings, ecumenical and collegial meetings, and other various obligations, she will be in the office whenever she is available during the school day (9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.). You can always reach her by dialing the office or by calling or texting her directly on her cell. Thank you for your compassion and understanding as she continues to be there for her family and our church!

Please hold in prayer members of our church family and friends who are in special need: Reggie Arford, Roy Bailey, Ann & Laird Benton, Barb Beveridge, Joseph & Rebecca Bledsoe, Joni Brown, Craig Brumbaugh, Nancy Buchanan, Eleanor Carson, Chris Clarke, Fred Crawford, Theresa DeGenaro, Kathy Draskoczy, Anne Forsht, Joyce Gingrich, James Hammonds, Jenny Harkins, Paula Heim, Ticky Hendricks, Jere Hess, Lanse Hyde, Jen Imming, Kantak & Day Families, Leo Kawtoski, Ron Kennedy & Family, Dee Kissell, The Family of Nancy Kraybill, Barb Macek, Karrie McCall, Tom McLaughlin, Norma McPhee, Betty Meyer, Vicki Nyland, Sarah Ocker, Janet Orcholski, Ray Overdorff, Pat Parnell, Ed Pratt, Jill Reigh, The Family of Peg Rumbaugh, David & Judi Rhodes, Lilliandil Robledo, Kate Sillman, Mike Sims, Phyllis Sipes & Family, Charlie Smith, Christie Socie, The Family of Jackie Socie, Doug Soisson, Carol Stultz, John & Diane Stultz, Marlene Wagner, Reed & Marilyn Walker, Bill & Deb Wandersee, Michael Weisbrod, Shirley Weyandt, Zach, Casey & Avery Marie Wineland, Norma Wyerman.

Please also hold our troops in your prayers, including Trent Sipes, Kyle Gardner, Andrew Rosamilia, Cameron Sellers, and Harrison Heim, who are directly related to our congregation. Pray for our leaders and the leaders around the world as they are making decisions in the coming days. And please pray for all those who find themselves in harm's way that they may know God's presence and that they will have what they need.

Leading Together