First Presbyterian Church of Glidden

May 2017

On the 29th day of this month, I will lead a prayer at the Merle Hay Cemetery as part of our annual Memorial Day

Service. And, on that day, a young woman from the community will read the old poem, In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

John McCrae wrote this poem shortly after he officiated the burial of a close friend. The poem begins peacefully;

reflecting on blowing poppies, ordered headstones, and birdsong. But the scene is interrupted by the sound of

gunfire. As McCrae reflects upon the field, the battle rages just over the hill. And then, a chorus speaks from the

tombs:

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

In Flanders fields, the dead do not speak of their regrets or promise us peace. Instead, they demand, “Take up our

quarrel with the foe.” They demand that we should fight, finish the battle, carry the torch. They even threaten us,

warning that they will not sleep if we “break faith.” The apparently peacefully poppies are a ruse. The clean rows

of crosses mark the location of restless warriors, not sleeping friends.

And this fact raises new questions for us, “What do the dead say, now that the war is over? What demands do the

dead of our wars make upon our lives in the present?” These are the questions that fill my mind every Memorial

Day. But there is another thread in the poem.

Between the crosses, grow poppies. In one of the bleakest settings imaginable – a World War I battlefield – God

creates new life. Even among the restless dead, the poison gas, trenches, and gunfire; God is still at work in the

world. And so every Memorial Day, after I reflect upon the sacrifices of others, I turn my eyes to the sky and say,

“Thank you that you cause poppies to grow, even in Flanders Fields.”

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian’s Contact Info:

Email:Pastor@GliddenPresbyterianChurch.org or Cell phone: 818-388-9779

Meet the Congregation

Our journey today is a rather long road trip three

miles north of Scranton on N65 to the home of Sara

Stevens and her three children. Sara is the daughter of Ken

and Shelia Stevens of Scranton. She has two siblings, Philip

28 years old and Melissa 26 years old.

Sara attended school at Jefferson-Scranton

spending time at each location during her thirteen years in

this school. She participated in some extra circular

activities such as freshman volleyball,

Spanish club and a volunteer

organization called Interact Club. Her

main focus during these years were

her education and working at the

Pizza Ranch in Jefferson. After school

and during the summer months, she

worked at the Pizza Ranch for seven

years.

Following graduation at

Jefferson in 2003 she was off to

Buena Vista University in Storm Lake,

Iowa. She studied elementary

education, graduating in December of

2007. At Buena Vista, Sara joined the

Teachers Club and Student Activities

Board, where she was in charge of

homecoming activities for one year.

She also worked at a day care center

and participated in a work study program. She enjoyed her

days at Buena Vista but her off hours were filled with study

and working. She began employment as a teacher in

January of 2008.

Sara began teaching at Southern-Cal in Lohrville

and taught there until Southern Cal merged with Rockwell

City – Lytton, which is currently known as South Central

Calhoun. She now travels to teach in the middle school at

Rockwell City. Most school teachers experience some

unusual happenings and Sara has had her share of

experiences. One year a sixth grade boy sat on a trash can

and became stuck. Sara told him he got himself into this

problem and he was responsible for getting himself out.

The boy wiggled around and finally freed himself, but not

before being late for the next class.

Sara has always been a caring person with a big

heart and she has demonstrated this in her life. She would

help children in her class who didn’t have shoes or wasn’t

able to purchase valentines or other treats, so she

volunteered to help. At some point in her young life, she

decided to be trained by the Department of Human

Services to become a Licensed Foster Parent. She can

receive a call at any hour, twenty four hours a day, and ask

if she could take a placement. She has children of all ages

from infants to 18 years. Some children come only for

respite (short term) while others may come and stay long

term.

Sara has three children – Jamison five years old,

Zoey three years old, and Grayson eleven months old.

Jamison and Zoey came to Sara in

2014 as foster children. Sara is

proud to admit that the best year of

her life was when she adopted

Jamison and Zoey on November 4,

2016 and Grayson was born in May

of that same year. She can still

receive foster children, but only one

at a time now, because her home

only has room for 4 kids.

The three children attend day care

at the Early Learning Center in

Churdan, Iowa, which is part of the

Paton-Churdan school. Jamison

attends pre-school four days each

week in the mornings and Zoey

attends pre-school two days per

week in the afternoons at the

Churdan School.

We all remember our favorite teacher and Sara

was fond of Mrs. Whitver who was a long term teacher in

the Jefferson School District. Sara’s father is also special as

he instilled confidence in her to go out into the world and

try new things.

Sara’s hobbies include riding a motorcycle,

camping, reading and cooking. She sky dived once and

loved it.

Sara’s future includes raising her three children,

continue teaching and being a part of the Foster Care

Program. She is a very busy lady but makes time for

children.

She has been impressed with the First Presbyterian

Church in Glidden with its traditional, yet modern service.

She appreciates the welcoming people in Glidden and the

children love the children’s time with Pastor Brian.

It is a great pleasure to welcome this young family

into the worship service, learn about their busy lives and

watch the development of these children.

Kudos Korner:

To Wesley Reever upon his induction into the Iowa State

University Cardinal Key Honor Society. Consideration is

given to Leadership, Character, Service and Scholarship are

all factors that make up this prestigious award.

To the young students of the church who helped lead the

Palm’s Sunday Church service.

To the 2016-2017 Sunday School teachers who served

willingly to inform and educate people of all ages on the

meaning and beliefs of Christianity.

To the organizers and workers who led a wonderful Maundy-

Thursday service. Members representing four churches

participated in this event.

To Jamison, Zoey & Grayson Stevens who were baptized on

April 30, 2016

To the Presbyterian Women for providing Easter Lilies for the

sanctuary.

To all who donated to replacing the storm glass windows on

the North side of the church. Thank you for your generosity!

Summer Camp

This summer, our church is sponsoring 5 campers to attend the Presbyterian Camp at Okoboji. Treynor Cose,

Blace Nelson, Alex Daniel, and Carson Muggenberg are all going together to the Sports and Aquatics Camp in

July. Sports and Aquatics Camp is designed for 3rd through 5th grade students and is for those campers with

more energy than they know what to do with. By the Lakeshore, our campers will sleep three nights in one of

the camp cabins. And, during their four days at camp, they will sing camp songs, swim at the beach, play

sports, learn about Jesus, and have as much fun as is humanly possible.

Braylee Cose also gets to go to camp this summer. She will be going to the Fun Camp which is just one day in

June. This will introduce her to camp so hopefully she will want to go to longer camps in the years to come.

If you know of anyone else who might be interested in attending camp this summer, please let Pastor Brian

know as soon as possible. It is our joy to sponsor these four kids in their trip to camp, and we hope to see more

kids join them in years to come.

Where are they now?

This month we feature Marty Moorhouse

Remsburg and her husband Ed Remsburg. The

Moorhouse family has a long and wonderful history in

the Presbyterian Church and especially the church in

Glidden.

Marty Moorhouse Remsburg’s parents were

the late Bill and Mary Moorhouse who were members

of this church for many years. Her grandparents were

Mr. & Mrs. O. B. Moorhouse who were organizers

and contributors to the church and its buildings.

Great grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Abraham Moorhouse

were participants of this church in the late 1800’s and

served on the building committee of the church

erected in 1907.

With this long history, Marty and her two

siblings, Steve and Linda, spent their childhood in the

church with many cherished memories. One

outstanding memory was the leadership, values, and

faith taught to them by their parents, Bill and Mary.

Public education began with kindergarten at Glidden

and she spent thirteen years in this school system.

She can recall many good memories of her school

days but fourth grade is very memorable. The fourth

grade teacher, Miss. Pagles, taught the regular

courses but put special emphasis on Iowa history and

locations. The following summer Marty’s parents

decided their vacation would be to travel across Iowa

visiting many of the places the fourth grade class had

studied during the school year. Marty claims, “It

probably wasn’t the most enjoyable vacation but the

memories have lasted a lifetime”. Marty also recalls

the caring of the community for young people and the

security a young person would feel living in this small

town.

Junior High and High School followed for Marty

as activities became a large part of her education and

maturity. She became involved in vocal music, band,

speech, and school plays. If a student had a conflict

with a schedule the teachers were willing to work

around the student’s schedule and make adjustments

without issuing a demerit or suspension. Marty claims

this is one benefit of a small school atmosphere.

Sunday school, church, youth group and

regular attendance were part of the Moorhouse

family tradition. Another memory involved her

confirmation class who were required to appear

before the session prior to confirmation. The young

people were quite apprehensive about questions the

session members might ask them. They passed with

ease. On confirmation Sunday the students sat in the

front row of the church with session members directly

behind them. A session member, Bert Haupert,

leaned forward and gave each confirmation member

one dollar to put in the collection plate. Their parents

who were involved with the Mariners group and

occasionally they took the children to potlucks, fun

events and other activities. Marty recalls with joy the

support families received from fellow Mariners as

they worshiped and supported each other.

We mentioned earlier about the importance of

fourth grade for Marty but another major event

happened in fourth grade. Ed Remsburg, son of the

late Warren and Alice Remsburg from Lanesboro,

joined the fourth grade class in Glidden. Like Marty,

Ed was involved in many school activities including

sports activities.

School day marched on and days became years

as Ed and Marty moved from junior high into high

school. During their sophomore year in high school

the couple began to date each other. This dating

continued through their high school years and college.

Marty enrolled at the University of Nebraska

once her high school career ended and Ed enrolled at

the University of Iowa. After the first year, Marty

switched to the University of Iowa where she received

her degree in elementary education. Ed received his

B.S. degree and enrolled in Law School at Iowa. He

graduated three years later with his law degree. Upon

Marty’s graduation she began her career in teaching,

education and in various forms of working in this field

for the next 25 years. Ed spent a year as a law clerk,

three years in the United States Navy and spent the

rest of his career as a litigator for a large law firm in

Des Moines by the name of Ahlers-Cooney Law Firm.

Ed retired from law practice in 2016.

We now return to 1969 when Marty

Moorhouse and Ed Remsburg decided to get married.

The couple were married at the First Presbyterian

Church in Glidden with Pastor Andy Bosman

performing the ceremony. Marty and Ed have three

children Brad, Scott and Carrie. All three of these

children, with their families, live in the West Des

Moines/Urbandale area and have presented Marty

and Ed with seven grandchildren.

When asked about memories of Glidden,

Marty can recall her days working at the Moorhouse

Lumber Yard. During the summer months, she and

Linda worked in the office and occasionally were

called upon to help outside. Brother Steve claims he

was required to deliver concrete in the oldest beat-up

truck in the fleet. Marty said “We complained but we

learned how to work”. One summer Marty worked

for Jess Wilson at the Lanesboro Bank. Another

important memory was the building and opening of

the Glidden swimming pool. This happened when

Marty was in elementary school and it brought the

young people together. A place to hang out and pass

the time with friends during the summer months.

Marty also recalls the 100 year centennial for Glidden

and the celebration that surrounded the event.

Church is still very important to the Remsburg

family as nearly each Sunday you can find them, their

children and grandchildren in church at Lutheran

Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

Marty and Ed are now both retired and they

own a home at Lake Panorama, built by Mary and Bill

Moorhouse in 1980. Steve, Linda and the entire

family continue to enjoy summer gatherings there. Ed

and Marty own their home in West Des Moines. They

enjoy traveling and staying in touch with their friends

and being involved with their grandchildren. They

profess that Faith, Family and Friends are the main

stay of their lives and these keep them busy.

Marty proudly recalls the Moorhouse heritage

in Glidden. There are so many ways the family

invested their time in the community – all serving in

various leadership roles including the city council,

school board, booster clubs, and even Bill singing in

the church choir and Mary as president of UPW.

Marty’s brother, sister and cousins (David, Jeff, Tom

and Jack) remain close and share great memories of

the family’s history.

It was a joy visiting with Marty and reliving

some of the long history of the Moorhouse family.

We wish the Remsburg’s well on their journey of faith

as they enjoy their retirement years.

Quotes of the Month

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and

steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations

********************

You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because

you are. ~Max Lucado

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-for-encouragement-20-great-scripture-quotes/#ixzz4fqsO8rhI

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-for-encouragement-20-great-scripture-

quotes/#ixzz4fqsCoTiH

May Birthdays and Anniversaries

-4th-Jeremy Douglas

-9th-Roy Middaugh

-9th-Jeremy & Sarah Douglas

Anniversary

-11th-Wesley Reever

-14th-Rick Burdine

-16th-Marlys Conner

-20th-Tim Reever

-21st-Ron Burdine

-25th-Kathe Schutte

-28th-Ty & Lindsey Cose Anniversary

Announcements:

*PW meets on Wednesday, May 10th, at 11:30am at Napoli’s in Carroll

*On Sunday, May 14th, we will recognize our high school graduates

-Sunday May 14th is Mother’s Day

*Session meets on Wednesday, May 17th, at 5:30pm

*Church times are changing for the summer!

From June 4th to August 27th Sunday morning worship will begin at 9:00am

If you have any pictures of old homes in Glidden, please bring them to the church so that we

can make copies, in order to decorate for the Tour of Homes.

The Mission Emphasis for the months of May and June is Heifer International.

Heifer International seeks to bring sustainable agriculture to the poorest parts of the

world. They begin by donating to a community or a family the gift of an animal, like a

heifer or goat or a small flock of chickens. Those animals provide families with both a

source of food and a reliable income. This small addition of food and income can

transform the lives of a needy family. They then pay the gift forward by passing on the

first female offspring to another family in need. Heifer International has received

numerous awards, including a World Food Prize and the Presidential End Hunger

Award. They have partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and are

regularly audited by charity watchdog groups. We believe that this will be a wonderful

ministry for us to support this summer.