Murray Presbyterian Church

Murray Presbyterian Messenger

March 2008

Message from Pastor Jeff……….

Dear Church Family,

During this season of Lent our congregation needs to think seriously about what the cross of Christ and the resurrection means for our lives. For Paul the “word of the cross” is the heart of the gospel and the preaching of the cross is the soul of the church’s mission. Christ’s crucifixion by Roman authorities in 1^st century Palestine is the central event in human history. But why is the cross so important to the teaching of the church and to world history? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?

God created each one of us and we are special to him. God loves you so much! Yet each one of us is a sinner and our sins separate us from God. But on the cross Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for your sins and mine. That is why he died on the cross and rose again. When we put our trust in him alone we receive eternal life and when we ask forgiveness for our sins God will forgive them.

Eternal life means being with Jesus forever and forgiveness means that God has pardoned us for our faults and offenses. The blood of Jesus’ atonement gives believers eternal forgiveness of sins (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 10:11-12). Because we as Christians have been redeemed by Christ’s work on the cross we who are forgiven are now obligated to forgive (Col. 3:13). The cross has tremendous meaning for our lives!

To learn more about the Christ’s death on the cross and to prepare ourselves for Easter our church has a special Lenten event and two Holy Week services that you should know about. On March 2, our church will be holding a special Lenten dinner. After the dinner Dr. Garland Bare, longtime physician at the University of Nebraska Health Center will give a talk on Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection from a medical perspective. Dr. Bare has expertise in both biblical studies and medicine and has served as a missionary to Asia. Make sure to attend this event and bring friends!

Our Palm Sunday service is March 16 at 10 a.m. It is during this service that Holy Week begins and it will also be Confirmation Sunday. We will be holding both our Maundy Thursday (3/20) and Good Friday services (3/21) at 7 p.m. Please try to attend these services as we prepare for Easter. Our church will be celebrating the resurrection of our Lord at our Easter service on March 23 at 10 a.m.

In Christ,

Jeff

Prayer Concerns

Charlene Gochenour: Prayers for strength.

(414 N. Elm Street – Weeping Water, NE 68463)

Karen Waters: Prayers for strength.

(909 Beaver Lake Blvd. – Plattsmouth, NE 68048)

Don Loftin: Prayers for healing & strength. (9500 Milford Rd.-Beaver Lake, NE 68048)

Cindy Rueth: (Julie Nickels cousin) Prayers for healing & strength & no more cancer.

(14051 Gertrude Circle – Omaha, NE 68138)

Kris Johnson: (Joyce’s daughter) Prayers for strength and healing.

Note from Joyce included in your newsletter!

Julie Nickels: Prayers for strength & healing after neck surgery.

5312 12^th Avenue – Murray, NE 68409

Shawn Kliegl: Prayers for healing

(917 Oak Court – Plattsmouth NE 68048)

Additional Prayer Concerns:

The Parents of Steve Burg.

Jean & Stan Poore: Healing & strength.

(108 Bonham Circle-Council Bluffs, IA 51503)

Thoughts & Prayers for our shut ins:

Lottie Johnson: continual prayers.

(1750 S. 20^th Street-Lincoln, NE 68502)

Mildred Moritz: Prayers for adjustment.

(1300 Avenue D-Plattsmouth, NE 68048)

*Remember the members of our Armed Forces, who are serving overseas and stateside. We especially pray for those stationed in the Middle East.

*Philmore Williams

Continued Prayers of Comfort for:

The Family of Charles Spangler

The Family of Ivan Craft

The Family of Haley Eldred

The Family of Barbara Wohlfarth

The Family of Rick Riekemann

The “WOMEN of FAITH Infinite Conference 2008” is March 28^th & 29^th at the Qwest Center in Omaha. (Yes, that is the weekend of Pastor’s wedding) – the conference is only until 5:00 pm and I don’t think anybody would mind if you left early to attend Pastor & Krista’s special event.

Saturday - March 8^th @ 10:00 am – There will be a Wedding Shower and Brunch for Krista & Pastor Jeff. Everyone is invited but Sherrill needs R.S.V.P. by March 2^ndto plan the food.

There is a Sign Up sheet at the back of the church –Any questions call Sherrill Konfrst at 235-2844

In case you are interested – Virginia Spangler has posted a poster containing a series of concerts that are presented at the Presbyterian Church of the Cross – Omaha. They have wonderful music and are FREE (unless you care to donate).

The PYF will be hosting the 2^nd Annual Mardi Gras dinner on Sunday March 9, 2008. We will begin serving right after church up until 2:00pm. Tina Kidd has agreed to cook for us again and the menu will include: Jambalaya, Gumbo, green beans and cole slaw and ice cream for dessert.

This is a fund raiser for the PYF so we will ask for a free will donation. We hope you will join us for some wonderful food and fellowship!

Kris has just finished her chemo and in the next two weeks will be having a bone marrow biopsy and CT scan, etc.

After a blood transfusion yesterday and fluids by I. V. today she is feeling pretty good. Of course tires easily. I came home for a few days and will be going up now and then to help her out.

We are so grateful for all the prayers of healing and support and ask for continued prayers that her tests show the cancer is gone.

Bible School will be here before you know it! We will be having an organizational meeting on March 3^rd – 7 pm at the Murray Christian Church. Anyone who is interested in invited to attend. Thank you!

This is an exciting six session study that the Adult Sunday School class is studying now and find that the material is too good not to share or do again.

Please see Marci Wordekemper or Pastor Jeff if you are interested in attending this study that is planned for a day that will soon be decided. Watch your Congregational Life for days and time. Thank you!

If you are interested in Membership Class - Pastor Jeff McDonald will be having one in April. Please talk to him for details. Thank you!

The PYF took 12 kids and 3 adults to the Dare 2 Share conference held in Lincoln at the Pershing Auditorium on February 22-23, 2008. There were many speakers who told their stories of how they came to accept Jesus Christ and taught lessons from the Bible in an inspirational way. It was all interspersed with movie clips, skits, Christian Rap music, rock music and heavy metal. In the afternoon on Saturday, all the kids went out into different neighborhoods in Lincoln to ask for donations of canned goods for the Peoples City Mission as well as share their faith if they felt comfortable doing so. It didn’t seem like we collected that much but later that night before the close, a representative from the mission came on stage and said that 23 tons of food had been collected in just a couple of hours! It was quite impressive and I think it was a great lesson for the kids to see that together they can accomplish so much more than what they could by themselves. It was a great time and all the kids said they would like to go back next year.

FOOD PANTRY for MARCH

Special Note to all: The invitation for Pastor Jeff & Krista’s wedding will be in the Congregational Life on 3/2/08 and is hanging on the bulletin board in the back of the church. We are all invited to share in Jeff & Krista’s special celebration.

If you have information that needs to be put in the Bulletin or Newsletter, please contact Karen Savage by calling her at 402-227-2031 or emailing her at tksavage@alltel.net. You can also leave a note in her mailbox in the storage room or send an email to the church address Thank you!

“Hours pass into days and time slips away, but the words we speak and the things we do touch the lives of others and live on forever.