This Month
- May 2008
A Note of Thanks
I would like to extend a note of sincere appreciation for all
the prayers, cards, food, telephone calls, and well wishes I have received
while I am recovering from knee surgery. My immoveable knee brace greatly
inhibits my normal routine. I have learned from this experience to appreciate
driving an automobile, taking a hot shower, and tying my shoes. I am hoping
to be free of this brace before the end of spring turkey, trout fishing,
and gardening seasons. Thanks for all of your acts of kindness, increased
ministry to me, to others, and hospital visitation to the ill.
Pastor Larry
Boy Scout Spaghetti Dinner
Kinsman Boy Scout Troop 93 will be serving a Spaghetti Dinner
on Saturday, May 17 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kinsman Fire Hall to
help fund their seven-day, 50-mile canoe trip in Canada this July! The
cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. Raffle baskets
and homemade desserts will also be available.
Thank You
Thanks to all of you who sent cards and packages to Todd. He
was grateful to receive them. He left for Kuwait on March 28 and will
be there until the end of his tour. Thanks also to all who have been supportive
to the kids and I.
Sincerely,
Angela Shaffer
Thank You
Dear Presbyterian friends—
We want to thank Pastor Larry for the message that helped celebrate and
honor Howard’s life, and a special appreciation to everyone who
prepared and served the luncheon and for the use of the church so the
family could spend time together.
Dorothy Jewell and family
Work Days at Joseph Badger Meadows
Joseph Badger Meadows will hold work days on May 3 and May
10 from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided if you let them know
ahead of time. Call 330-772-3931 to make a reservation.
An extra bonus will be a 3:00 p.m. wildflowers and bird watching walk
led by the new Property Manager, Gary Hoskins, who was a Wildlife Area
Supervisor/Land Manager. Bring your binoculars.
If you’re not available on May 3 or 10, you can join in on workdays
every Thursday and Saturday to do projects around camp. Just call Gary
Hoskins at 330-883-3124 to make arrangements.
Invitation to Open House Wedding Reception
Dave and Gayle Beil would like to announce the upcoming wedding
of their son, Nathan, to Jennifer Harsch of Gig Harbor, WA. The couple
will be united in marriage on May 10, 2008 on Fox Island, WA. An open
house reception in honor of the newlyweds will take place on June 14 from
4:00-7:00 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. We invite our church family
to come and share in the celebration of Nathan and Jen’s marriage.
Eastminster Evangel
The Eastminster Evangel’s summer issue will have a theme
of “Leadership.”
Consider sharing your thoughts on the following questions:
What forms of “Leadership are happening, have happened or are planned
in your congregation? What “Leadership Resources” have been
successful in your congregation? What types of “Leadership Events”
could Eastminster sponsor? What does “Leadership” mean to
you?
Share with other Eastminster Presbytery congregations (200 words or less)
by June 10, 2008, and send to: Trella Johnson at email: johnsontjp@aol.com
or call 330-792-5318.
Babysitting Classes
Humility of Mary Health Partners will hold two-day babysitting
classes this summer. At St. Joseph Health Center they will be held June
24 & 25 or August 7 & 8. At St. Elizabeth Health Center they will
be held July 15 & 16 or July 30 & 31. The class teaches boys and
girls ages 11 to 13 how to safely care for children, first aid, rescue
breathing, what to do if a child chokes, accident prevention, childcare
tips, and how/when to call for help. Students must attend both classes.
The cost is $25. Scholarships are available to those unable to pay. For
more information, call toll free 1-877-700-4647 or 330-480-3151.
Carillon Dedication
On Sunday afternoon May 18, 2008 we will dedicate the Schulmerich
carillon, our wonderful gift given by Sarah May Thompson.
Renowned carilloneur W. Robert Morrison will be our guest recitalist.
Dr. Morrison will begin at 3:30 p.m. with an outdoor concert. At 4:00
p.m. we will begin our dedication in the sanctuary which will include
a recital demonstrating the full capabilities of the new bells.
A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. Please save the date and
be sure to invite friends (no offering).
General Assembly Restricted Funds
Application forms for General Assembly Restricted Funds are
available in the church office. The deadline for submitting to the presbytery
office is May 1.
News From the Wellers
Dear Friends,
This time I’m writing to ask you to pray for me. As you read you
will see that others need prayer, too, but somehow, I feel like I’m
the one who needs God’s strength and wisdom most to manage the next
couple of weeks.
A few weeks ago I returned home from Gambella to get ready for our daughter,
Lydia’s, return from Rift Valley Academy in Kenya for 2nd term break.
I had planned to work in Addis and not be busy with meetings or conferences
during April so that I could enjoy her for a month before she returned
for the last term of the year. It was also going to be a last time of
togetherness for our three youngest kids before Thomas and Amira go off
to the States for school or work in the Fall.
The day I returned from Gambella I had an email from the school suggesting
that Lydia finish the year using an online school, since she was going
to have to leave quite a bit early to attend her brother’s wedding
in June. We took a few days to work that out – and it looks like
it will work. Shortly after that, we discovered an issue that needs to
be worked out with a professional counselor. And so we got on the phone
and email again to sort that out. Now Lydia and I will be returning to
the States next week. Thomas and Amira will be alone again for another
week before Michael returns. I will miss Thom’s 12th grade graduation
the end of May.
Michael will be returning in mid-April from Southern Sudan. He’s
on an adventure. He told me he’s on church business. I think it’s
a way to get the church to foot the bill for a mid-life crisis!
We spent about a week at home together after I returned from Gambella
before he flew down there. He made arrangements for one of the Nuer church
leaders to go with him across the border to Southern Sudan. They went
by car to the border. Now, I haven’t gotten the order right, but
after the car ride there was a boat ride across a river, a 3 hour walk,
a several hour ride in a dugout canoe, and a 14 hour bus ride that took
him only 140 kms (less than 100 miles). Somewhere in there he got to Nasir
(the town where my mom was born) and eventually arrived at Malakal, his
intended destination. The Presbyterian Church of Sudan is meeting there
now in an historic re-union of the two offices that have been in Khartoum
and Nairobi during the years of the civil war in Sudan. They chose to
reunite the two offices in Malakal, which is the place where the church
was first formed as a result of the teaching of United Presbyterian and
Reformed Church of America missionaries. Michael has been involved in
meetings to write a constitution and was asked to present the document
to those who are gathered there this week.
The meeting was to have started last Thurs, but because of transportation
problems, most of the delegates didn’t arrive until Sat evening,
so the opening worship was held Sunday morning. The agenda showed that
the meetings would be finished by Tues (today) but Michael’s not
sure they will finish everything before tomorrow evening. After the meetings
are done he will be going to Akobo – he’s hoping to go by
air – where he’ll meet a group of doctors who are working
at the hospital there, which has recently been re-opened. Then he’ll
make his way back to Gambella somehow and fly back to Addis.
Michael is certainly on “high adventure” – an expression
used by a beloved member of our family who sees every opportunity of life
as an adventure to be embarked on. The PCOS church leaders welcomed him
warmly as a representative of PCUSA, (that is: many of you receiving this
letter) which has been one of their supporting partners during the past
decades. The weather has also welcomed him warmly – nearly 100 degrees.
He is always glad to get to the end of the day to rest from his adventure
in the cool air-conditioned room in the only hotel in town.
I hope Michael will have a chance to write a more detailed account when
he gets back to Addis.
Several of you have asked me about Amira. She took her “life-threatening”
exams (as she called them) and finished high school in November and has
been home with us since then. I still don’t understand the South
African system fully. She got an overall pass, with the option to go back
and repeat the math exam, which she failed by one point. The final exam,
in the South African system, is the most important grade, but I think
we might be able to convince schools in the States that she actually passed
each term and so has enough credits to get into college. Anyway it was
trigonometry and calculus that she failed – is that a big deal?
Your letters, thoughts and prayers are very encouraging and provide us
the strength to manage our life in the way God wants us to. Thanks, Rachel
Response from Daniel Kidney
Pastor Larry:
I would like to thank you again for your generosity. I'm glad that you
found my travels interesting. My friend in South America was actually
my brother; well, there were a few people I traveled with. I started the
trip with my brother, he flew home from Colombia because he already had
other plans, being out of college already. I also traveled with a friend
from high school who came down to Ecuador during his summer vacation after
his first year in college, he and my brother both flew out of Colombia
together.
Forgive me for being brief, but I actually happen to be preparing to leave
again tomorrow for a much briefer journey (by bicycle also); just down
to Central Pennsylvania to visit Juniata College where I am thinking about
studying this fall.
The brief answers to your questions are that I was inspired by a love
of cycling and honest lack of other direction in my life, and a desire
to see what life was like outside the US. On setting out goals were almost
non-existent, the only one I had was to make it home, and let what happened
on the way happen. This worked out very well for me and I'm glad I didn't
go into it with particular expectations. What I really found was a great
faith in human kind. When I started I had only faith in nature; I planned
to camp throughout the entire trip and generally keep to myself. Within
the first week of riding in Argentina my brother and I were taken in by
towns, individuals, firefighters, and later on: churches, schools, police,
the Red Cross, and again, many homes. In this country we have a lot of
trouble because of worries about liability, there is also a lot of fear
fostered by news of crimes and accidents; but after seeing the open kindness,
hospitality, and generosity of the Latin American people and returning
to the US I found that here too the people have the same hearts, although
often they are more guarded. Of course, I also learned Spanish along the
way, a lot of new foods, and to be more patient.
Excuse me as I prepare Matilda (my bicycle) to take to the road again,
if only for a few days.
My most sincere wishes of a quick recovery to you and peace in Christ
to you and your congregation.
Take care, and thank you for writing,
Daniel
Friends In Mission
A friend of mine from seminary, Rev. Carry Jo Johnson, works
for Literacy & Evangelism International and is leading a ministry
team on a three week adventure to Ica, Peru on April 23, 2008. She is
asking prayers for safe travel, good health, good communication with the
trainees. Please also pray for all the trainees to learn well, to stay
healthy, for good relationships with each other. Also right now, a short-term
mission team is in Ica working with local churches to proclaim the gospel
and to help with some rebuilding from the 2007 earthquakes.
She serves with her husband, Paul, in a Presbyterian church in Bobcaygeon,
Ontario. They have a teenage son named, Drew.
Thanks for your prayers.
Pastor Larry
Mother-Daughter-Friend Banquet
A Mother-Daughter-Friend Banquet will be held Wednesday, May
14 at 6:00 p.m. Please bring a covered dish to share. Rolls and beverages
will be provided. Please also bring your dolls. Emily Varner will speak
on “Women of Trumbull County.”
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