Christ With Us - The Adventures of Flat Jesus As Christians we are called to keep Christ at the center of our lives and to spread the gospel wherever we go. This summer in your travels and adventures take Jesus along...and tell us about it! You’ll love taking Flat Jesus out to dinner or the park, to Lake Michigan, to the zoo, to camp, or to exotic locations such as Europe wherever you and your family go. Then document the adventures with pictures you share with your Northminster family. This project is for EVERYONE, not just families with children. Take plenty of pictures of yourself in your adventures with Flat Jesus and post them on our Northminster Facebook page, bring them to the church office or email them to kbulloff@northminster-indy.org. We’ll put them on a bulletin board for everyone to see. Have fun!
What’s Your Hobby? Let us know what you enjoy doing in your free time. Demonstrate or display your hobby during the 10 o’clock hour on Sunday, August 14. All ages are encouraged to participate. Sign up at the coffee bar and indicate the amount of space, table, etc. you will need. Don’t be bashful – join the fun! Contact Betty Bowers: betbobbowers@att.net.
You can get a copy of Flat Jesus at church, or cut this one out and color him the way YOU see Jesus. (We recommend that you laminate Flat Jesus if you are able, to protect him from spills and dirt.)
July 2016
July Worship Sunday, July 3rd, we will celebrate the sacrament of communion at both services. There will also be anointing for healing and wholeness for who anyone who desires it.
Sunday, July 24th, our Gospel Lesson is from Luke 11:1-13 and includes the Lord’s Prayer. This will begin a five-week series on this prayer. We have been saying it for a long time but do we ever realSunday, July 10th, we will welcome the Reverend Jim Montgom- ly think about what we are saying? ery to worship. Jim is retired in our We begin the series this week with area and has been attending North- “Our Father.” minster. He will be preaching on Sunday, July 31st, is the second Luke 10:25-37. Please come and week of our series on the Lord’s give him a warm welcome. Prayer. We will look at the prayer as it comes to us in Matthew 6 and Sunday, July 17th, The scripture focus on “on earth as it is in lesson is Luke 10:38-42 and Ruth heaven.” Moore will be preaching.
Changes in Attitudes – by Josh Hill Join the men’s group for five Mondays in August for a book read and end of summer get away. Make an investment in your “peace of mind.” Why do this? To help you answer questions like “What’s next in my life? How do I find balance and meaning? What is my sweet spot? What is my real calling?” Why Now? You sense change is coming, or has arrived. The kids are gone or soon will be. You stare at your wife, contemplating your life, wondering “What’s next for us? Is there more to life? Can I retire with three kids in college?
Join us to read and discuss From Success to Significance, by Lloyd Rebe. Get the materials (two items) on Amazon. New/Used/Digital Audio formats are available. Pick your format. You’ll need the book and the study guide. Nick Ison, from Second Presbyterian Church, will lead us Mondays at 7 pm, on August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. Lunch and workshop will follow the book study at a time to be determined. RSVP to JoshHill@yahoo.com or call 317-695-8115.
Improved Wifi at Northminster – by Katie Bulloff We’re excited to share that Northminster now has improved wireless internet access throughout the building (including the choir and
Knox rooms). Also new, you no longer need a password to sign on to our wifi; just connect to NorthminsterGuest and start browsing. -2-
Meet Charles DeMaio of James D. Klote & Associates
Charlie comes to Northminster from James D. Klote & Associates, the premier church consulting firm in North America. They will be conducting a Focus Group Feasibility Study for our church. He will be on site full time (temporarily) to work with church leadership to explore the current and future needs and opportunities of Northminster. A very important element in the process will be the participation of the congregation in the Focus Group process. Our hope is that every member of Northminster will attend a Focus Group, becoming engaged in the process. Your opinion and thoughts matter to the future of Northminster! We look forward to seeing you at the Focus Group presentations.
Foundation Minute
– by Robert Rothrock
“There shall never come an end to the good that he has done” is the inscription on a bronze plaque in Zion National Park in honor of Stephen Mather. More to follow.
July 2016
Abundant Joy – by Mason King This has been a tough week, amid a string of tough weeks. Becky and I developed fevers and sweats on Wednesday, but kept plugging away like responsible adults. I crashed on Friday, just as Bear, our 7-month-old specimen of vitality, started showing signs of fatigue. Saturday morning was pretty miserable for our feverish threesome. Joy was not in abundance. Thankfully, Becky and I have a process for putting Bear to sleep for naps and at night that ends with a prayer. I’m not sure what Becky does with Bear, but I usually end up talking about our gratitude for the incredible gifts in our lives and nurturing the ability to keep that perspective. Bear doesn’t need the help; most everything is new to him, and he’s delighted by most of it. Few things are new to me, and I tend to grouse that they aren’t any better. The prayer really is for me.
So there’s the lesson about joy. Two people in the same circumstances. One is usually overjoyed. The other is usually anxious and wary. The challenge for the adult is rediscovering joy. Looking in the best places. Doing our best to create it, feed it and support it. We’re smart people. We know some of the answers. We can find joy in focusing on our relationship with God, and in particular on our relationships with other people. We can find joy in helping others. We can find joy in just about anything that turns our attention from ourselves to the needs of others.
in our relationship with God and with others. How can/does our giving back to God relate to our own joy? Is joy a fleeting experience dependent on others that we hope to occasionally savor, or is it the product of our own spiritual discipline? How do we dial-in our receptors for joy when there is so much static in our lives? Stay tuned!
But we’re not all great at it. Not all the time. And, in any event, it’s a lot more fun to address these questions with other seekers. Northminster’s stewardship theme this year is “Abundant Joy,” and we’ll all be asked to consider what gives us joy
VBS Arts Camp 2016: Who is my Neighbor? My thanks and praise to the many VBS Arts Camp Volunteers! Music Crew: Robbie Foote, Stephanie Kroeger, Will Sibley and Olivia Browne. Journalism Crew: Cheryl Plunkett, Hannah, Ben and Emily Plunkett, Chad and Tori Kincaid, and Katie Bulloff. Art Crew: Linda Furuness, Carol Frohlich and Anne Frangos. Yoga Crew: Tracey Hart (our Yogi). Preschool Crew: Becca Haag, Mike Engel, Sally Gray,
Haley Holdaway, Pete Ronco, and Melissa Hopkins. Drama Crew: Monica Brase and Christie Call. Special thanks to the Dinner Crew: Betty Bowers, Bob Bowers, Cheri Gudgel , Bob Gudgel, Mary Lee and Gary Ryan, Pennie Lumley and Norma Arend. Thanks to Mrs. Sherow, Mrs. Jarrell and Mrs. Bowers, who served our snacks each night. Thanks, also, to Mrs. Call and Mrs. Plunkett, who baked -3-
cookies. Thanks to all the families that came to VBS Arts Camp this week. Thanks, also, to Pastors Teri Thomas and Ruth Moore, for prayers and support! We all learned something special in the arts choices we made during VBS Arts Camp, and we learned to love God with all our hearts, our souls, our minds and our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Blessings to all! - Debbie Bulloff
July 2016
Denver Mission Trip Report From Julie Shannon Thirteen adults and teens traveled to Denver on June 2nd. We met up with Emma Moore, who is serving as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) in Denver for DOOR (Discovering Opportunity and Outreach for Reflection). DOOR is an opportunity to encounter the city through the eyes, ears, and heart of God and to See the face of God in the City. We slept, gathered, and ate most of our meals at the First Menonite Church of Denver, which was across from a nice city park. We served on Thursday and Friday. We toured the city on Saturday, looking at signs of gentrification, and we were treated to a stop at Youth on Record, an amazing non-profit, and were provided with impromptu rap performances!
From Melissa Hopkins Thank you, Northminster, for supporting Emma Moore as a YAV and for supporting our Mission group to have this amazing experience serving the people in need of Denver. I was moved by many things on our trip to Denver. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to serve the community dinner at His Love Fellowship. It was great to be able to see everyone helping each other. People who have overcome their struggles were supporting others through theirs. It was really interesting to see the effects, both good and bad, of gentrification in the Denver area. One of the things that struck me was the new brewery right next to His Love, where people were talking about their drug and alcohol addictions. It was also great to serve at MetroCaring,
Above: Denver Mission Trip volunteers -4-
learning about their mission to bring good, healthy, and fresh food to everyone. From Pastor Ruth Moore It was great to visit our YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) Emma Moore in Denver – of course I am one of her biggest fans – and to experience the DOOR organization of which she is a part. Emma is doing a lot of discovering; as did we. We helped serve dinner and prepare groceries for folks at His Love Fellowship Church. I got the job of washing the pots and pans. We worked in the warehouse of MetroCaring where Emma volunteers. We unloaded many pallets of donated food and I got to package up half used rolls of clean toilet paper. We participated in a gentrification tour of downtown Denver and we watched the movie Fruitvale Station. Since most of us live in the suburbs of Indianapolis, gentrification and its effects were new to us. We worshipped with Emma at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Denver – Emma sings in the church choir – and then we hiked in a state park Sunday afternoon. We had a great group of people on this trip. I was so impressed by how hard the teenagers and young adults worked at MetroCaring and how kind and caring they were with the people we served. And of course Julie Shannon rocked as our group leader!
July 2016
Christian Education / Family Ministries Happenings - by Debbie Bulloff All School age children (K-5th gr) will attend worship with their parents and celebrate communion with the congregation on the first Sunday of the month, July 3. Look for the Children’s Worship bulletin which will be available along with the regular Sunday Worship bulletin. After Time with Children, toddlers and preschoolers will pro-
ceed to their classrooms on the 1st floor of the C.E. wing for Church School and care. Children’s Church for K-5th graders will be offered at both services after the Time with Children on Sundays, July 10, July 17, July 24 and July 31. Nursery, Toddler and Preschool Church School and care will be offered every Sunday.
Church School in July - by Debbie Bulloff Consider the scripture and talk with your friends and family about the question in each lesson. Copies of all of the Bible stories from the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum are available in your child’s classroom. We are following Lectionary Year C, the Season of Pentecost. Sunday, July 3 - 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Preschoolers will talk about having “Helping Hands” as the servant girl who helped Naaman had. How can we look for those who are unexpected prophets, like children, who can help care for us all in small and simple ways? Sunday, July 10 - Luke 10: 25-37 The Church School will consider the question that Jesus is asked, “Who is my neighbor?” by listening to the story of the Good Samaritan. How are we, the people of Northminster, called to be good neighbors? Sun., July 17 - Luke 10:38-42 The story of Mary and Martha
calls us to balance word and work going, doing, sitting and listening. What is getting in the way of faithfully listening and responding to God’s word? How can our actions be formed by reflection on Christ and the ways of God? Sunday, July 24 Focus Scripture: Luke 11: 1-4 We spend a lot of time in Children’s Church learning the Lord’s Prayer. But what does it really mean to pray like Jesus? What might we pray for to help make the world more loving? Sunday, July 31 Focus Scripture: Luke 12: 13-21 The parable of the Rich Farmer who built bigger barns instead of sharing his abundant harvest with others will be our focus. We do not have the right to horde. When we share, everyone benefits. Is it easier to share or to notice someone else who isn’t sharing?
-5-
July 2016 Calendar Highlights Monday, July 04 Office and Building Closed Thursday, July 07 NorthStars trip 11:00am Sunday, July 10 News & Views articles due Focus Group 10:15am Focus Group 12:15pm Tuesday, July 12 Focus Group Wednesday, July 13 Focus Group Thursday, July 14 Presby Day
11:55am 7:00pm 10:00am
Sunday, July 17 Curious Conversations 10:00am Focus Group 10:15am Focus Group 12:15pm Tuesday, July 19 Youth Triennium trip begins Sunday, July 24 Foundation Board
10:00am
********** 3B is taking a break for the summer. We’ll resume after Labor Day! ********** Save the Date! All Church Lunch on August 28 - catered by MBP and special guest speaker, famed author Philip Gulley.
July 2016
Day Of Caring – Sunday, September 18th We will worship out in our community on September 18th as we partner with others in the neighborhood for a day of service. We will gather at 9 am for devotions (and donuts of course!) and then go out in groups to work with our mission partners. There will be opportunities for all ages to participate and we will have childcare for children under 6. The following is a list of places we will serve and the volunteer opportunities. Westminster Neighborhood Services – deep cleaning of their old building which is used for their preschool, so there will be lots of toys, books and furniture to clean. Children and youth can participate. Broad Ripple Village Association – work in Broad Ripple Park and with neighborhood cleanup, gardening and maybe some painting. Children and youth can participate. Damien Center – general building clean up, lot cleaning and office organizing. Julian Center – don’t know yet. Brooke’s Place – office work like putting together binders and creating postcards. Day Spring Center – don’t know yet. We will also have projects to do at the church such as:
Thrive 360 – package highly nutritious meals for hungry children and their families. Our packages will go to Gleaners. We can pack as many as meals as we have volunteers and funds. (We must pay for the food that is packaged, so contributions will be welcome.) Children as young as 6 can participate and you can sit down to do this project, so all ages can work together. The Big Thank You – write letters to active military service people so they will get a personal note on Thanksgiving Day. All ages can participate. Cut and tie baptismal blankets – all ages can participate. We can also plan to help neighbors/members in their homes with cleaning, painting, or gardening if you let us know of a need. We will start signups for projects in the Gathering Place in August. We will need team leaders for each project. If you have questions, suggestions, or want to volunteer contact Day of Caring co-chairs Nancy Flamme (nancyflamme21@ gmail.com) or Debbie Grush (debbiembr@netzero.net) This is a great opportunity to invite your friends, neighbors and family to volunteer with us! -6-
Hospitality 101 -
by Ruth Moore
Every Sunday I sit up in the Chancel and have the opportunity and privilege to watch all of you worshipping in the pews. I also try to worship and of course I pay close attention to the sermon! But I spend time during each service looking around the sanctuary for visitors and people I do not know. I specifically try to offer the peace of Christ to people I do not know each Sunday. You may also see me writing notes to myself during worship. Those notes are reminders to check the pew pads for names and information so we can follow up with visitors. We need your help in extending hospitality and welcome to visitors. My hope is that you will extend a warm welcome to everyone sitting around you, that you will exchange the peace of Christ, and that you will encourage people to sign the pew pads. You can then look at the pew pad as it is passed back to you and talk to people you do not know after worship. They could be a long time member or a visitor - it doesn’t matter. Everyone likes to be greeted and noticed, and your help is needed to make Northminster a welcome and friendly place of worship and community.
July 2016
July 2016 Birthdays Pete Kirles Marjorie Steinbarger Eric Mokube Tabitha Ellington Abby Auer Robert Berting Eileen Alsop Phillip Ball William Boulton Deb Ronco Andrew Schmahl Emma Skeels Julie Shannon Susan Crook Corinne Larew Judy Thorpe John Gaidoo Sara Till Diantha DeGraw Jack Dynes John Litel Lucy Hittle Hannah Hittle Sara Sarno Matthew Boris Jinny Bork Bill Ramey Jinnie Smith Michael Schmahl Gail Rothrock Jennifer Wareham
Youth Fellowship –
7/1 7/2 7/3 7/3 7/4 7/4 7/5 7/5 7/5 7/5
Calvin Noneman Carol Freeman William Bensi Jennifer Dzwonar Kathy Chellgren Emily Buchanan Megan Cornett Anne Purcell Nancy Jarrell Jacob Boris
7/15 7/16 7/16 7/16 7/16 7/16 7/16 7/17 7/18 7/18
7/6 7/7 7/8 7/8 7/8 7/8 7/8 7/10 7/10 7/11 7/11 7/11 7/11 7/12 7/12 7/12 7/13 7/13 7/14 7/15 7/15
Abigail Eberhard Jonathan Runge Emily Foga Hadley Moore Janet Decker Ed Hunter Pam Constable Anne Ricchiuto Truett Eberhard Avery Smith Pete Ronco John Call Mason King Keane Ricchiuto Joyce Mallette Sandi Gillaspy Nadya Spears Victoria Merida Norma Turner Cheri Gudgel Jason Boone
7/18 7/18 7/22 7/22 7/22 7/25 7/25 7/25 7/25 7/26 7/27 7/27 7/27 7/28 7/28 7/29 7/29 7/29 7/30 7/30 7/30
From Juanita Cox
Thank you to the staff and congregation of Northminster for helping me to get through this difficult time. I’d like to offer special thanks to Pastor Teri Thomas. -7-
by Julie Shannon
No Sunday Night Youth Fellowship gatherings in July. July 11th: Monday Funday! We will go –go-carting! Join us from 6-8:30pm for a fun evening. August –State Fair Trip!
Graduate Update
Emma Skeels graduated from Wake Forest.She's in the process of moving to Orlando, Florida to work as a reporter (writing) for the Orlando Business Journal. Please pray for her in her new home and adventure.
Youth & Family Cookout
August 28th. Location TBA.
Summer Fun
Check out the bulletin board across from the Chapel, showing various places that Northminster families have visited this summer on trips!
Parents with a Passion
This group resumes on August 17th, 2016.
July 2016
July 2016
NorthStars Summer Schedule We are in for a pleasant day on Thursday, July 7. The bus ($2 per person) will leave the church at 11 am for lunch at the Atheneum Rathskeller, 401 East Michigan Street. If the weather permits, we'll eat outside in the Biergarten. At 1:30 pm the group is due at the Benjamin Harrison Home, 1230 North Delaware Street, for an hour and fifteen minute tour of the 23rd president's home ($8 per person at the door). For reservations, please call Bob and Cheri Gudgel (8447139) by July 4.
September 20, day trip! The bus and cars will leave Northminster at 9:30 and travel east to Richmond, Indiana, where we’ll enjoy a guided tour of the Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church, known for having 62 Tiffany designed stained-glass windows (see image, right). The church, built between 1904 and 1906, also has a Tiffany designed interior. “This church is one of a few churches that can claim to be all Tiffany.” After the tour we will lunch in a location in Richmond, yet to be determined.
We’ll will gather for a summer supper pitch-in and annual programming meeting on Monday, August 22, at 6 pm in Calvin Hall. (Please note this is a change in date.) Bring your favorite salad or cookies to share; $3 per person will cover the cost of sandwich makings and beverages. There will be a collection of canned goods for the Westminster Neighborhood food pantry. Please make reservations with Allen and Mary Ann McCormick (549-3171) by August 20.
After lunch we will travel six miles north to Fountain City, home to the Levi Coffin State Historical Site. Quakers Levi and Catharine Coffin are known for working with the Underground Railroad, helping free about 2,000 slaves before the Civil War. The Coffin’s Fountain City home has been dubbed “the Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad.” We will have a guided tour of the eight-room brick house, seeing the hiding places and unique features that concealed numbers of people living there. We will also hear stories about how the Coffins “lived by God’s laws rather than the laws of humans.”
As for program planning, this is an ideal time to bring clippings, brochures, printouts and recollections of places you've been that fellow NorthStars might enjoy. We'll be laying plans for 2016 and 2017. Mark your calendar for a Tuesday,
We expect to return to Northminster by 5:00 pm. Details about lunch and costs will be available later in the summer.
Presby Day at Northminster
– by Denise Harrington Come out and join us on Thursday, July 14, from 10 am to 1 pm, as we welcome Jean Dodds as she shares “Parables of the Opossum Paul, a Stewardship Series.” Jean will share the magic of the simple concepts of stewardship through stories. We will learn about the Church of the Hollow Stump where the Opossum Paul is the pastor, the animals who live in Feather Hill who attend each Sunday to learn about God, and how God wants us to live our lives. Jean will bring these parables to life and give us insight into the powerful message of stewardship. You don’t want to miss the adventure! Lunch will be served at noon. Cost is $5.00. Call the church office (317-251-9489) to make reservations.
Northminster Presbyterian Church, 1660 Kessler Boulevard, East Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46220-2799 www.northminster-indy.org 317-251-9489
July 2016
Curious Conversations
Focus Groups We need YOU to sign up, or just show up! Sunday, July 10, 10:15 & 12:15 Tuesday, July 12, noon Wednesday, July 13, 7:00 pm Sunday, July 17, 10:15 & 12:15
All Focus Group meetings will be held at the church, in Calvin Hall, unless you are notified otherwise. Register by calling 317-251-9489, or on the Featured Events page of our website.
E Team Hosts Storytelling: August 13 & 14 Northminster’s E Team is excited to sponsor renowned storyteller Bob Sander at the upcoming Broad Ripple Indiana Bicentennial Festival. The Festival will be held at Broad Ripple Park August 11-14, 2016, and includes carnival rides, food and beer trucks, as well as a variety of music performances and entertainment. Storyteller Bob Sander will be on hand to tell Stories From The Heartland -- a selection of his favorite family stories and personal narratives about growing up a Hoosier; these will be topped off with a sprinkling of folktales that reflect
Indiana's pioneer past. His performance times are Saturday, August 13, at noon at the BR Community Center, and Sunday, August 14, at 2 pm at the Old Family Center (look for signs). We invite Northminster members to attend these storytelling sessions as well as enjoying the Festival, in support of the Broad Ripple Village Association. For more information go to: http:// www.bobsander.com/ or contact Dolly Craft (dollybike@aol.com or 317-848-5170).
Curious Conversations are for anyone who would like to know more about Northminster Church. We talk about our mission, theology, worship, community, and we explore ways you can be a part of this ministry. This is also the first step in becoming a member at NPC, but the main focus is information and getting to know each other. We will meet for two sessions on Sundays, July 10 and 17, from 10-11 am in the Conference Room. Please let Associate Pastor Ruth Moore know if you can attend (ruthcmoore@northminster-indy.org or 251-9489).
Annual Recycling Event
August 6, 10 am - 2 pm, August 7, 12:30 - 2:30 pm. Bring old phones, refrigerators, air conditioners, computers, TV’s ($10 fee), copiers, toner cartridges and more (www.recycleforce.org has a list of accepted items and fees, if applicable). Questions? Contact Susie Scott: shscott325@ gmail.com.
Church Picnic
Sunday, September 11th is the All Church Picnic with Jugs Catering. Start dreaming of fried chicken, biscuits with apple butter, etc.! Tickets will be available in August during coffee hour.