First Reports First Presbyterian Church Evansville, Indiana

www.firstpresevansville.com

MAY 2017

You would think I’d be over it by now. After 20 springs in Evansville, you’d think that the sight of dogwood, azaleas, rhododendrons, and all the flowering trees and bushes would have lost their luster. I mean, they’re just trees and bushes and that’s what they do in the spring. Then the flowers fade and drop off and the leaves take over, until they fall off in the fall, making it through winter with bare branches or curled leaves. And then, next spring, they’re back. Of course, the spring brings a hastening pace to life. We get busy and then busier. We get distracted and preoccupied. We lose focus on what’s right in front of us. Like the beauty of the trees and bushes. And if you can miss the beauty of the trees and bushes, it’s a pretty sure thing that you’ll miss the presence of God and the wonder it brings. Stay focused. Now is the moment. Beauty is all around. See you in church, Kevin Scott Fleming, pastor

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Worship in May

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The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Sunday, May 7

8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

The Season of Easter continues throughout the month of May as we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life it brings to all. Here are the central texts and sermon titles for the month:

May 7 Acts 2:42-47 “The Power of Authenticity” May 14 The Reverend Kathleen Fox May 21 Acts 17:22-31 “The Search for Reality” May 28 Acts 1:1-11 “What Are You Looking At?” Ascension Sunday In addition, on Sunday May 7, we celebrate and recognize the work of our church musicians and teachers. Their commitment of their time and talents makes our ministry vital and exciting. Join us for worship throughout the month of May, at 8:30 or 10:30 a.m.

First Friday Concert – May 5

Our series of First Friday organ concerts continues in May with Diana Chou of the Jacobs School of Music at IU playing Vierne, Bach, Mozart, and more. Bring a friend downtown for an hour of wonderful music at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 5 and stay in the neighborhood for a bite to eat before or after!

Brahms Requiem in Concert – May 21

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On Sunday, May 21 at 4:00 p.m., The Choir School presents Johannes Brahms’ Requiem in concert. The choir has sung movements of this great choral masterpiece in Worship over the last few months, and will now present them in a single performance. Officially Ein Deutches Requiem, or A German Requiem, our performance is a beautiful translation by Dr. Leonard Van Camp (1934-2003) who dedicated his professional life to excellent choral music, scholarship, and providing modern English translations to German masterpieces. Brahms himself said, ”I will admit that I could happily omit ‘German’ and simply say ‘Human.’”

The thrust of the texts chosen by Brahms was to comfort the living – those who had lost loved ones – rather than commemorating the lives or praying for the souls of those who had died.

The Choir will be accompanied by the unusual combination of two pianos and organ, played by students from the IU Jacobs School of Music. The Choir will be augmented to sing this very challenging piece with members of our local community. Brahms himself said it was “rather difficult,” and acknowledging his observation, we will not sing the sixth movement. Be sure to invite a friend to hear this nineteenth century masterpiece sung in our beautiful space.

“For All the Saints”

In the month of May, we will give thanks to God for and remember the lives of two very important people in the life of First Presbyterian Church. A memorial service and concert will be held on Saturday, May 20, for Helen Reed, who died on March 19, as the result of a fall. Helen’s contributions to our congregation were so many that we cannot begin to measure her loss. The memorial service will being at 4:00 p.m. and the concert will begin at 4:30 p.m.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, May 28, for B.C. (Bung-Chung) Lee, who died at age 89, on March 29. B.C. was a long-time member of First Pres, a retired professor of engineering at the University of Evansville, and a dear friend and mentor to so very many. B.C.’s family will host the Fellowship Hour following worship. The memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m..

We Presbyterians are bold to make the claim, “In life and in death, we belong to God.” These two faithful people now know that to be absolutely true. We give thanks for their witness, their faithfulness, and their example. May their memories continue to bless and inspire us.

12 FRIDAY 13 SATURDAY 10:00 a.m. Little Lambs Store Open 14 SUNDAY Mother’s Day 8:30 a.m. Wide Awake Worship 9:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Worship 11:45 a.m. Fellowship Hour 15 MONDAY 10:00 a.m. Mission Committee at Patchwork 10:30 a.m. Staff Meeting 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:00 p.m. NA Group 7:00 p.m. British Heritage Meeting 16 TUESDAY 12:00 p.m. Power Hour Yoga – all levels 4:00 p.m. Choir School 17 WEDNESDAY 2:00 p.m. Little Lambs Store Open 18 THURSDAY 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 19 FRIDAY 20 SATURDAY 9:00 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 10:00 a.m. Little Lambs Store Open 4:00 p.m. Helen S. Reed Memorial

1 MONDAY 10:30 a.m. Staff Meeting 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:00 p.m. NA Group 2 TUESDAY 12:00 p.m. Power Hour Yoga – all levels 4:00 p.m. Choir School 3 WEDNESDAY 12:30 p.m. Presbyterian Women Circle 1:30 p.m. PW Coordinating Team 2:00 p.m. Little Lambs Store Open 4 THURSDAY 3:30 p.m. PYE 6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 5 FRIDAY 6:30 p.m. First Light 7:00 p.m. First Friday Organ Recital: Diana Chou 6 SATURDAY 10:00 a.m. Little Lambs Store Open 12:00 p.m. Music Recognition Party 7 SUNDAY 8:30 a.m. Wide Awake Worship 9:30 a.m. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Worship 11:45 a.m. Fellowship Hour 6:30 p.m. One God, One Community at the Islamic Center of Evansville 8 MONDAY 10:30 a.m. Staff Meeting 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:00 p.m. NA Group 6:30 p.m. Book Group: All the Light We Cannot See 9 TUESDAY 12:00 p.m. Power Hour Yoga – all levels 4:00 p.m. Choir School 10 WEDNESDAY 2:00 p.m. Little Lambs Store Open 6:00 p.m. Justice/Peacemaking Team 11 THURSDAY 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal

The Book Group meets every 2nd Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in Kerr Chapel. Copies of the book to be discussed, discussion questions, and a complete schedule are available in the church office. For more information on the Book Group, contact Helen Templeton (476-5851; h.templeton@twc.com). On Monday, May 8, the group will discuss All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

28 SUNDAY 8:30 a.m. Wide Awake Worship 9:30 a.m. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Worship 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Hour 1:30 p.m. B.C. Lee Memorial Service 29 MONDAY Memorial Day Church Office Closed 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:00 p.m. NA Group 30 TUESDAY 12:00 p.m. Power Hour Yoga – all levels 6:30 p.m. Old Evansville Historic Association 31 WEDNESDAY 2:00 p.m. Little Lambs Store Open 6:00 p.m. Session Meeting

We serve at The Diner at The Potters’ Wheel on the 4th Saturday each month between 8:45 and 11:30 a.m.

Please contact Ronda Hurt at 425-5991 or rondah01@wowway.com to volunteer.

21 SUNDAY 8:30 a.m. Wide Awake Worship 9:30 a.m. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Worship 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Hour 4:00 p.m. Brahms Requiem 22 MONDAY 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 6:00 p.m. NA Group 23 TUESDAY 12:00 p.m. Power Hour Yoga – all levels 24 WEDNESDAY 10:30 a.m. Staff Meeting 2:00 p.m. Little Lambs Store Open 25 THURSDAY 12:00 p.m. Lunch Power Yoga – all levels 4:45 p.m. Little Lambs Board 26 FRIDAY 27 SATURDAY 8:45 a.m. First Pres serves at the Diner 10:00 a.m. Little Lambs Store Open

An adult pilgrimage to sites in Great Britain, connected to our Presbyterian and Christian traditions, is being planned for August 1-13, 2018. The pilgrimage will include stops in Coventry, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Oban, Iona, Edinburgh, York, and London. An evening to share information is scheduled for Monday, May 15, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel. All those who are interested - whether they are members of First Pres or not - are invited to join us. Kevin will have brochures and details available. Seeing the places where our faith began can help bring our faith to life in new ways. We hope to see you on the evening of May 15, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.

The Presbyterian Bible Study Series will have its concluding session on Wednesday, May 5. The theme will be Who Is Jesus...According to Contemporary Cultural Interpretations? The class will meet from 12:30 to about 1:30 p.m. in Kerr Chapel and consider what we might learn about Jesus from points of view like Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, and Womanist Theology. No preparation is required (but you could re-read the stories in Matthew 15:21-28 and Luke 10:38-42 if you like), and you’re welcome to come even if you’re new to the group or haven’t come in a while.

Information Evening for British Pilgrimage

First Pres has a long history of being involved with issues of Justice and Peacemaking. The First Pres Justice and Peacemaking Committee is committed to supporting all marginalized groups. This year, the focus will be on racial justice, and the group is looking for new members. All are welcome to attend the monthly meetings, held on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at First Pres. For more information, contact Katie Ruthenburg at k.ruthenburg@gmail.com or 812-589-9129.

Justice and Peacemaking

Presbyterian Women Circle

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s The Caring Connection

Happy May Birthday!

Labhart, Tamara 01 Mosley, Mae 02 Sparks-Thissen, Becky 02 Wagemann, Dan 03 Nicholls, Robert 05 Wylie, Scott 05 McKinney, Alice 07 Sponseller, Helen 09 Long, Anita 10 Cross, Cameron 11 Adams, Long 12 Meyer, Debbie 12 Carver, Erin 15 Whitler, Landon 16 Kim, Clara 18 Ku, Rachel 18 Stafford, Alixandria 18 McKinney, Kate 19 McReynolds, Ashley 21 Becker, Dorothy 22 Whitler, Melissa 22 Hardin, Will 23 Bassemier, Ryan 24 McDaniel, Avery 24 Hight, Eleanor 26 Korb, Don 26 Paynter, Wally 26 Shelton, Cindy 26 Groves, Sarah 27 Qualls, Matt 28 Langerak, Julie 30 Jones, Carolyn 31 Uhde, Karla 31

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In the Life of Our Congregation . . .

We support:

Jesse Franz, as she recovers from spinal surgery;

David Stafford, as he recovers from knee surgery;

Barb Witte, following the death of her father;

We remember in prayer:

Bill Asbury, Dorothy Becker, Margaret Spore;

Don’t forget to keep the office updated with

all your current contact information, including college addresses!

NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID

EVANSVILLE IN PERMIT NO. 909

First Presbyterian Church 609 South East Second Street Evansville, IN 47713-1107

“The trees are coming into leaf Like something almost being said; The recent buds relax and spread, Their greenness is a kind of grief. Is it that they are born again And we grow old? No, they die too, Their yearly trick of looking new Is written down in rings of grain. Yet still the unresting castles thresh In fullgrown thickness every May. Last year is dead, they seem to say, Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.”

- Philip Larkin, The Trees