Teach us to pray...

In Luke 11, the disciples say, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” Jesus responds with the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew includes this prayer (Matthew 5) in the Sermon on the Mount along with the Beatitudes. In the season leading up to Easter, we will be asking God to teach us to pray.

SERMON SERIES: Teach Us to Pray

In the Lord’s Prayer, there are six request made of God. We will spend one week exploring each prayer request. We will also have two very thoughtful, faithful guest preachers.

March 1: Holy be your name… Guest preacher Mark Ramsey is the Executive Director of the Ministry Collaborative based in Atlanta, Ga. He is an associate editor of Journal for Preaching, and his preaching has been featured on Day1.org.

March 8: Your kingdom come… Matthew 4:12-17

March 15: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 7:21-28

March 22: Give us this day our daily bread…. Guest preacher, the Rev. Terry Kukuk, is the Executive Presbytery of in the Presbytery of the Miami Valley.

March 29: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Matthew 4:1-11

April 5, Palm Sunday: For thine is the glory and the power forever. Matthew 21:1-11

April 12, Easter: Matthew 28:1-10

BIBLE STUDY: Great Prayers of the Old Testament by Walter Brueggemann

Bible Study will loosely follow Walter Brueggemann’s book Great Prayers of the Old Testament. We will study two prayers found in our Hebrew scripture each week.

March 3: Abraham (Gen. 18:22-33) & Moses (Numbers 14:13-23)

March 10: David (2 Sam. 7:18-39) & Solomon (1 Kings 3:5-15)

March 17 : Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1-10)  & Jonah (Jonah 2:2-9)

March 24: Jeremiah (Jeremiah 32:16-5) & Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:15-19)

March 31: Ezra (Ezra 9:6-15) & Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4-11)

April 7: Daniel (Daniel 9:3-19) and Job (Job 42:1-6)

LENTEN LUNCHES: "What I’ve learned from prayer.”

We have asked local faith leaders to respond to the question: What have you learned from prayer? Join us on the following dates at noon.

March 4: Rabbi Haviva Horvitz, Temple Beth Sholom

March 11: Chaplain Vaughn Lewis, Hospice Care of Middletown

March 18: Rev. John Wagner, First United Methodist Church

March 25: Rev. Willie Barnes-Jackson, First Christian Church

April 1: Rev. Jen Rue, Zion Lutheran Church

#BLESSED

This January and February our sermon series is title #BLESSED. We will spend one week on each of the eight beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12.

January 5: Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven | Matthew 19:16-24

January 12: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. | Isaiah 61:1-4 and Matthew 3:13-17

January 19: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. | Matthew 8:1-5

January 26: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. | Isaiah 58:1-8

February 2:  Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy | Matthew 18:21-34

February 9: Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. | TBD

February 16: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. | Matthew 5:38-48

February 23: Blessed are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of God. | Romans 5:1-11

 

Advent and Christmas Schedule

Advent Workshop | Sunday, December 1, following worship

The Christian Education will provide lunch, a daily Advent devotional, and activities for all ages.

Mount Pleasant Christmas Tea | Tuesday, December 10, 2:00 p.m.

They will be tea, cookies, hymns, stories and communion in the Community Room at Mt. Pleasant for our many residents and friends at Mt. Pleasant.

The Longest Night | Thursday, December 19, 6:30 p.m.

The Deacons invite you to a special holiday service designed for those for whom the holidays might be difficult. If you, or someone you love, have undergone a difficult loss, transition, or life change, this time worship might be for you. It will include prayers of healing and wholeness.

Christmas Cantata | Sunday, December 15 during worship

The cantata this year is titled “Sing Christmas” and will be led by the Sanctuary Choir, soloists, chamber orchestra, and sacred dancers from The Academy of Dance Arts. 

 Family Christmas Service | Sunday, December 22, 4:00 p.m.

 Join the voices of Joyful Noize and Joyful Noize Jr. as they share “Time Travelers of Christmas Past.”  These young space travelers experiment with a time machine and find themselves travelling across early America where each group of travelers experiences Christmas being celebrated in different ways. 

 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service |Tuesday, December 24, 6:30 p.m. Special Music, 7:00 p.m. Service

 Advent Bible Study | Tuesdays, December 3, 10, 17, 10:00 a.m.

Angels make frequent visits in the Christmas stories. What do the Bible, the confessions, Reformed theologians say about angels? We will study angelology throughout scripture.

Festival of Organ Music

Featuring our “mighty Moeller pipe organ”

Join us on Friday, November 8, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for appetizers and mocktails and at 7:00 p.m. for a Pipe Organ Concert. Proceeds will benefit the First Presbyterian Pipe Organ Support Fund and Choralfest (sponsored by SW Ohio Choristers Guild to promote Choral singing for young children.)

Tickets will be available from members of the Music and Worship
Ministry Team, Joyce Zigler, or the church office.

Tickets for Appetizers and Mocktails:
$10.00 for adults
$5.00 for children from 6-12 years old
Children 5 and under eat free

The concert is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be taken.

Featuring: Joyce Zigler, organ
Janet Scott, organ/piano
Chris Baird, organ
Phil Thornbery, organ
Joyful Noize Choir
Renaissance Ringers
Lara Moon, alto
Brian Shepard, tenor
Audrey Schmid, trumpet

August Happenings

Blessing of the Animals: Bring your pets to the front lawn of the church on Wednesday, August 7, at 6:00 p.m. We will give thanks to God for our companion animals!

 Dessert with missionaries! The Mission Committee invites you to join Bob and Kristi Rice on Tuesday, August 6, at 6:30 for coffee and cookies in the Youth Room. The Rice’s serve as PCUSA mission co-workers in South Sudan. This is our first year supporting them.

 The Phil DeGreg Jazz Trio will join us for worship on August 11 at 10:00 a.m. Invite a friend!

 We support students at Highview Sixth Grade Center by providing required school supplies for those who cannot afford them. This year we were asked to provide supplies for 100 students, a significant increase over past years. Supplies typically cost around $25 a student. If you would like to contribute financially to this mission, please do so soon by writing Highview on your check.

 Mark your calendar for the Fall Kick-off. Stay after church on September 8 for a church picnic. We’ll eat hot dogs, ice cream, and hang out on the front yard.