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Recently I was asked what the word Lent meant. I was stumped. I could give the answer of what it meant theologically. It is the forty days before Maundy Thursday when faithful Christians prepare themselves for Easter through prayer, repentance, penance, and self-denial or fasting. It is the time when we take a serious look at our personal faith. I did some research on the actual meaning of the word Lent. It is derived from the Old English word lencten, meaning 'spring', the lengthening of days after winter is over. This was a period of spring fasting known in Old English as Lencten-Fasten, or in its abbreviated form, as Lencten or Lent. The ecclesiastical name for this once mandatory period of fasting is the Quadragesimal Fast (Latin), or the fast of the Forty Days, in imitation of the forty days of fasting performed by Jesus in the wilderness. As we travel though these forty days, I have to ask, How are you doing at reflecting on your personal faith what are you doing to focus on God and the life and ministry of Jesus? A couple of things I hope you have done and will do are: I hope you were able to attend the incredible Watoto concert and were inspired by their music and their stories of faith; I hope you will be able to attend the Lenten Wednesday meals and study of the 24 Hours That Changed the World; and I hope you will attend Holy Week services. As the spring days stretch a little longer this Lenten season, try stretching your faith and commitment to Christ. Your never know. You may learn to experience Easter every day. Happy Easter,
Pastor ........................................ Andy Gans Visitation Pastor (Ret.) ............ Tom McNeil Music Director........................... Rick Roberts Executive Assistant ................... Chris Muramatsu Nursery Attendant .................... Tammy Keeslar Proofreaders.............................. Susan M. Jensen and John Stewart Contributors ...............................Members of Ft. King Assembling .................................Phyllis Altonn, Kay Dahlen, Dorothy Decker, Joyce Gauntt, Eleanor Hayesmore, Pat Merrill, Carol Primm, Roselle Pringle, Judith Simonin, Aileen Zimmerman Bulk Mail Handling...................John Stewart
www.fortking.org fortking@earthlink.net
Income Estimate of Giving Mortgage Reduction Other Income Total Income Total Expense Net Surplus/ Deficit Endowment 24,639 0 0 24,639 26,365 (1,727) 23,993 0 500 24,493 22,933 1,560 (646) 0 500 (146) (3,433) 3,287 24,639 0 0 24,639 26,365 (1,727) 23,993 0 500 24,493 22,933 1,560 (646) 0 500 (146) (3,433) 3,287 39,807 200 11,677 51,684 23,060 28,624 (15,814) (200) (11,177) (27,191) (127) (27,064)
CONGREGATIONAL CARE
Thank You
I want to express my thanks to the congregation for the many well wishes and expressions of kindness during my recovery from surgery. I feel truly blessed to be a part of such a loving church family. Keay Forman.
Thank You
Iona Keister wishes to thank the Ft. King family for prayers, visits and cards. She is getting better.
If you have a job for a Tool Guy, a request form can be obtained from the church office. A Tool Guy will be called with the information and then the person requesting the service will be contacted to set up a time convenient to both parties. No electrical work will be done. There is no charge for the job but we request a donation be made to the church. Check next months Link when another component of Congregational Care will be highlighted.
Address ___________________________________________________________________________________ Work Needed ______________________________________________________________________________ Hot to get to your house ______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ * Tool Time is a volunteer service by members of Ft. King Presbyterian Church. It is meant for light repairs only. No electrical work will be done. Consent and Release Form. I authorize members of Ft. King Presbyterian Church to come to my home to do light repairs or limb removal. I also release Ft. King Presbyterian Church from all claims of liability related to any work done by Tool Time volunteers on my property, outside my home or inside my home or apartment. Signed _____________________________________________
The Nurse Is In
The Nurse Is In office hours will be 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21st. Remember to call the Church Office to make an appointment and call Bonnie at 352-624-1364 to share the topic you wish to discuss with her. Remember that if no one calls for an appointment, hours will be cancelled. Use this opportunity to have your blood pressure checked, discuss new medications, or have questions answered about a new health condition.
DISCIPLESHIP
High Tide
High Tide will take place only on Sunday, March 10th this month. Our focus will be on the Passover Seder meal. Our special guest, Bernice Henry, will help us remember the importance of this Jewish tradition. We will imagine what the meal was like when Jesus was a child. Of course we always take time to play on the playground and fellowship with dinner. If you are in kindergarten through 5th grade we would enjoy spending time with you from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Amy, Niki and Cheryl
DISCIPLESHIP (continued)
FELLOWSHIP
Hyacinths and Roses
The Hyacinths and Roses program was a great success! I hope everyone enjoyed hearing those great stories from some great people in our church family. Thank you Lena Lewin for your great idea and help making it all happen! Keep an eye out for similar, future events (hopefully some of our founding members will tell us some stories about how our church got started!)
FELLOWSHIP (continued)
CATS
CATS (Christians Assembled To Socialize) will be meeting at 10:00 a.m. on March 14th for a stroll around the beautiful Sholom Park (6840 SW 80th Ave, Ocala FL 34481). After enjoying the park we will go to lunch at Mimis Cafe (4414 SW College Rd 34474). For more information on the park visit www.sholompark.com. No sign up needed. Hope to see lots of you there!
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Sassy Seniors
All widows and single ladies are welcome to join Sassy Seniors on Wednesday, March 13th at 1:00 p.m. This months luncheon will be at Bob Evans on Silver Springs Blvd.
Crafts Group
Please join the Crafts Group on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We work on individual projects and joint projects.
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Mens Night Out
Mens Night Out in March will take place at Rhea Formans home on March 11th at 6:30 p.m. Please call Rhea at 624-3160 to RSVP.
Domestic Violence
Dont forget items for the Domestic Violence basket. Check the basket in the Narthex for a list of items needed.
MISSION
From Annette in Thailand January 17, 2013
Dear loyal sponsoring churches, This is an overdue letter, because there has been much uncertainty in my life recently. Now, many questions have been answered, and I want to let you know my plans. Last year in May, there was a gathering for the Presbyterian missionaries who were serving in Asia. Many representatives from the General Assembly Council and the mission board were there to share with us their visions for the future and current budgeting problems. The new emphasis in PC(USA) missions is to be threefold: peacekeeping and reconciliation in places where violence is rife (including our own nation); working toward eliminating the causes of poverty, especially for women and children; and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. My assignment does not address these objectives very directly, so I suspected that my job would not be continued unless the General Assembly (last June) assigned a very large budget for overseas mission work for the next several years. That did not happen, so I was told in August that my assignment with PC(USA) missions would terminate at the end of Payap University's school year. By March, 2013, I will have worked overseas for 22 years, so I will be listed in the PC(USA) documents and the mission yearbook as "retired mission personnel." Feeling not quite old enough in years or finances to really retire, I applied to Payap University for employment. I am very happy to tell you that I will be continuing my work here in the College of Music in ChiangMai. It is possible that I may even be able to remain in this wonderful house that is right on the campus where I work (it is missionary housing). That employment will begin with the new school year in June. In negotiating with my supervisors, however, my employment with PC(USA) has been extended another two months (beyond the end of the school year here) so that I can spend some time in the States and speak with my sponsoring churches. Mostly, I want to say "thank you." If you would like me to come in person to do that, I would be most happy to do so. I would need your invitation as well as your provision for travel, room and board. ( I do not have a car, but my driver's license is still valid, so could rent for trips of reasonable distance). As in the past, I could speak to your congregation or to smaller groups or show a video and/or to play my flute with your choir or keyboardist. Length of presentation would be completely up to you. I will be in Louisville, KY between March 19 - 21st. After that, home base will be Ocala, Florida for about two months. I will be in the USA until Tuesday, May 21st. I realize that your Spring schedules for Sundays will be very full during the time that I am home, so I certainly understand if you cannot have me come speak to you in person, but this letter is just to let you know that my time as PC(USA) mission personnel is ending. I am sad about that but very grateful for the 22 years in Thailand. You have faithfully supported me for so many years. Your prayers and moneys sent to the mission board have been tremendous encouragement and inspiration for me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I do hope that you continue in your interest and support of PC(USA) mission work at home and abroad. I would be happy to help you link up with other Presbyterians who are serving in ChiangMai or Thailand. Truly, Annette George
SESSION
Session Notes February 21, 2013
Celebrations Thank you, Jesus! Successful surgeries for Jim Hill and Bob Henry. Reports of healing attributed to the prayer shawls. Successful fundraisers for the Youth. Good representation of Ft. King at the MLK observances. Lenten Wednesdays started with 25 participants. Mary Beth Neely has a beautiful new daughter-in-law. Motions: Motion to approve the proposed date, theme, curriculum, and directors for the 2013 Vacation Bible School. Motion to approve Kathy Kuhns addition to the Worship Ministry. Motion to approve the opening of a Brokerage Account to handle any stock certificates given as gifts to the church. Motion to allow David MacKay, as treasurer, and Steve Layendecker to have access, thru a Corporate Resolution, to this account. Motion in regard to the Trust Account of Dorothy Ellis, dated 11/6/80, thru a resolution of the Session of FKPC, Inc., that David MacKay, as the duly elected Treasurer, be authorized to obtain all relevant information regarding this Trust Agreement from SunTrust Bank, North Central Florida. Motion to approve John Moxley and Robert Schlegel as teachers for an adult education class.
WORSHIP
_________ (qty) lilies at $10.00/ea = $_______________ (total $s) (Please circle one) In honor of or in memory of ________________________________________________________________ (Please Print) From ____________________________________________________________________________________ (Please Print) Please make check out to Ft. King Presbyterian Church and write Lilies in the memo section. Please drop your order form and your check at the Church Office or in the offering plate. Please pick-up your lilies after the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Easter, March 31, 2013.
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WORSHIP (continued)
Flower Calendar
Please note: I am trying to work ahead on the flowers, so if you would like to provide flowers to commemorate a special event/occasion/memory etc. for a specific date, please call Nancy Hall at 694-3221 as soon as possible. Please also note: It is never too early to call to select your chosen date. I am receiving many requests now for dates in the fall. As of this mailing, the following people will be providing flowers in March, April, May, and June 2013. If you can provide flowers for a date in 2013, please call Nancy Hall. Thank you. Thank you to these people as they share in donating the flowers for the following worship services. March 3, 2013---From Anne and Buddy MacKay March 10, 2013---In celebration of all family anniversaries from the Butlers March 17, 2013---In memory of Helen Stevenson from her family March 24, 2013---From Jean Brown, Hal, Douglas, Bruce, and Lynn in loving memory of husband and father, Halowell E. Brown March 31, 2013---Easter (Easter lilies will be placed in the Sanctuary) April 7, 2013---In celebration of our 18th wedding anniversary and Emilys 16th birthday from Kimber and Lauren Merriam April 14, 2013---OPEN April 21, 2013---In celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary on April 21st from Cyndi and Tim Thompson April 28, 2013---In loving memory of Ray (April 2007) from Sue and the girls May 5, 2013---In loving memory of my mother, Christine SutherlandHappy Birthday, Mom, from Colleen May 12, 2013---OPEN (Mothers Day) May 19, 2013---From John and Jean Stewart in celebration of their 58th wedding anniversary May 26, 2013---From Nancy Stephenson in loving memory of her parents, Ted and Violet Wikary June 2, 2013-In memory of our parents, Aleta, Max, and Robert, from the Repp family June 9, 2013-OPEN June 16, 2013-OPEN (Fathers Day) June 23, 2013-OPEN June 30, 2013-OPEN
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WORSHIP (continued)
Something to Think About The Gift of Life
Then the Lord Eternal formed man (adam in Hebrew) of dust from the ground (adamah in Hebrew) and breathed into his nostrils the breath (ruach in Hebrew) of life, and man/adam became a living being (Genesis 2:7). Man/adam from the Hebrew/Israelite perspective is not a body/flesh and a soul somehow connected this is a Greek philosophical idea related to the idea of immorality of soul, which is completely foreign to the Hebrew/ Israelite way of understanding life. Mans soul is not immortal as God is immortal: to say it is, is idolatry. Rather, man/adam originates in the dust of the earth (You are dust and to dust you shall return, Genesis 3:16c), animated by Gods ruach: Gods breath, wind, spirit. It is this that makes the human being a whole living being or a psycho-physical self (rather than soul; see Psalm 104: 29-30; Job 34:14-15). Shakespeare, Sonnet 73, helps us begin to understand the meaning of the gradual loss of vitality in the human body: That time of year thou mayest in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruind choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Deaths second self, that seals up all the rest. In me thou seest the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consumd with that which it was nourished by. This thou perceivst, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well, which thou must leave ere long. Notes: -
yellow leaves, i.e. the autumn of ones life. bare ruind choirs, i.e. ones extremities formerly full of vigor, now shivering and weakening. ones time is running out, of this I am fully aware; care and caution are the order of the day as I face the coming end of my life. Is this Self-centered love or reality?
There is an additional perspective Id like to share with you: in my relationships over the years with senior citizens, many from FKPC, Ive heard recurrent themes, which I will personalize here, because now I understand where they were coming from. All my life Ive been saying goodbye, auf wiedersehen, adios to:
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WORSHIP (continued)
places Ive called home; people Ive called my family and friends, and places (the Sierras, the Klamath, the Cascades) where Ive been touched by the living and by life.
And now I must say goodbye to my own life, what I have done with this body and mind through my life, to the kind of person I was and am no longer, and have become and now am. Oh yes! I have many regrets and sorrows and losses; from each of them I learned what it means to be human. And, indeed, many happinesses as well. What I have learned is that as long as I have breath (the ruach of God), I can address the world in which I live and those with whom I live with who I am as a person. As one of billions of people now inhabiting this planet and undoubtedly leaving some sort of carbon footprint, I am not a prime mover, important, a VIP either to others or even to myself. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his own life? (Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25 adds: and loses or forfeits). I have lived this gift of life, did accomplish some things. My high school history teacher told me several years ago: You have done far better than most of your classmates. Well, thank you. However, as Jesus of Nazareth said: Let the dead bury their own dead (Matt. 8:22//Lk. 9:60). Accomplishments are all in the past, something like Gods acts of creation (Genesis 1-2:3); the question life puts to me is this: my life is toward the future, beginning now. What meaning will I both give to my life and will my life bear witness to? This, even at the end of my days, is the very task with which I began my lifes journey: Knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58). I am profoundly grateful to God the Eternal, the author of all life, for the gift of life Ive enjoyed, for the tests Ive undergone, for the pruning of my limbs, the fine-tuning of my mind, for the flaws removed and/or at least perhaps smoothed down to make the facets of my person tolerable to others. The gift of life is utterly incomparable and irreplaceable, for which I thank God in ways beyond words (see Romans 8:22ff.). Would you like to discover a profound spirituality? Say goodbye to someone you love, face-to-face, now. In memory of all the FKPC Members with whom Ive sat as they contemplated their own death, as they revealed their persons to me. Thank you, theyve given me so much to think about. I hope to you as well. Shalom, Tom
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WORSHIP (continued)
Lent Continues!
This year our Lenten theme during worship is The Roads We Travel as we journey to the cross of Easter. Each Sunday we will discuss the paths we take in life and faith, as well as the obstacles we may encounter. You are also invited to join us at 5:30pm each Wednesday during Lent for our annual Lenten Dinners and Study. We will be discussing the 24 hours that changed the world. No single event in human history has received more attention than the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. We will discuss the last twenty-four hours of Jesus' life. Our discussion will help us experience and understand the significance of Jesus' suffering and death in a way we may have never done before. Whether you are a long-time Christian or simply curious about the story of Christ's crucifixion, you are invited to join us in retracing the last 24 hours of Jesus' life. Our dinners this year will be catered by outside organizations so we will need to get an accurate count on how many will attend dinner. To make this possible the Missions Ministry will take reservations following worship each week. Remember, dinner begins at 5:30 and our study begins at 6:00. We hope you will join us for these challenging Wednesday evenings and Sunday services during Lent as we travel down the roads of faith. If you have questions or want to reserve dinner tickets please call Carole DeLucian or the church office.
7:00 p.m.
6:30 a.m.
Easter Worship
10:30 a.m.
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4 9:00 - 11:45 Library 9:15 Adult Ed. 7:30 Mens Bible 10:00 Choir Practice Study 10:30 Worship 11:30 Discipleship Youth Ministry 12:00 Faith Leaders 4:00 Congregational Care Ministry 5:00 PYC 5:00 Property Ministry 5:15 TOPS (FH) 5:30 Mission Ministry 7:00 Small Group Study (off-site) 11 10 7:30 Mens Bible Study 9:00 - 11:45 Library 9:30 Small Group 9:15 Adult Ed. Study 10:00 Choir Practice 5:15 TOPS (FH) 10:30 Worship 12:00 Faith Leaders 6:30 Mens Night Out (off site) 5:00 PYC 7:00 Esther Circle 5:00 High Tide (off site) 18 17 7:30 Mens Bible Study 9:00 - 11:45 Library 9:15 Adult Ed. 10:00 Choir Practice 10:30 Worship 12:00 Faith Leaders 5:15 TOPS (FH) 7:00 Small Group 5:00 PYC Study (off-site) 24 25 2 Cents A Meal and 7:30 Mens Bible Food4Kids Study 9:30 Small Group 9:00 - 11:45 Library Study 9:15 Adult Ed. 10:00 Choir Practice 5:15 TOPS (FH) 10:30 Worship 12:00 Faith Leaders 5:00 PYC 31 9:00 - 11:45 Library 6:30 Sunrise Service at McPherson Government Complex 10:00 Choir Practice 10:30 Worship
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7 8 9 11:00 Adult Discipleship 10:00 Card Making Ministry Ministry 10:00 PW Council 11:00 Crafts (off-site) Noon - 1:00 Community Growth (SR) 5:00 Silver 4:00 Fellowship Ministry Springs Forum (S) 6:00 Worship 5:30 Lenten Ministry Wednesday 6:00 - 8:00 Marions United 7:00 Choir Practice (FH) 7:00 AA (CE) 15 14 16 13 10:00 CATS (off-site) 1:00 Sassy Seniors 11:00 Crafts (off-site) 6 5:30 Lenten Wednesday 7:00 AA (CE) 7:00 Choir Practice 21 20 3:00 Pastoral Care Team 5:30 Lenten Wednesday 7:00 Choir Practice 11:00 Crafts 1:00 The Nurse Is In 6:00 Session 7:00 AA (CE) 28 11:00 Crafts 7:00 Maundy Thursday 7:00 Good Friday Service at Service First Christian 8:00 Great 7:00 Choir Practice Church Vigil 7:00 AA (CE)
6:00 Finance Ministry 7:00 Discipleship Ministry Children 19 10:00 Deborah Circle
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FORT KING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 13 N.E. 36th Avenue Ocala, Florida 34470
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