Montpelier Messenger

 

Montpelier Presbyterian Church   P.O. Box 407, Wagram, NC  28396    910-369-2259

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Patricia Ramsden                    269-362-1332

Editor: Barbara Holloway                        910-318-3757

           (email) hollowaybarbara064@gmail.com

No. 4  Vol. 55                            April 2025

Mission Statement:  We are a small church of caring people in the Presbyterian tradition who are seeking to be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ as God’s children by: worshipping God, loving one another, and welcoming others.  

 

Celebrating and Sharing God’s Love for 173 Years

 

Pastor’s Pen:    We all know the story of the world’s greatest parade when Christ entered Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna, but there is one man who is all but forgotten in the telling of the tale.  It is the man who owned the donkey that Christ rode upon that day.  

    In my mind’s eye I can imagine him now.  I see him as an ordinary man, small in stature, yet great in spirit.  I think he must have been a frequent member of the crowd, listening to Jesus teach.  I think he must have caught the vision of who Jesus was and what He taught about God’s love.  I believe he longed with all his heart to do something, anything, to help Jesus with His mission, and now his chance had come.  

    Listen to what Jesus says about this unknown disciple:  “If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs him.” And he will send the animal immediately.”  

    How I hope the Lord will say the same thing about you and me.  I pray that when the Lord calls upon us, we will respond immediately, without question, giving him, doing for him, whatever he asks.   

    See you in church        Pastor Pat

Pastor Pat is donating a copy of her book For Such A One As I as a Lenten devotional for each member of the church or for those who may be interested in having a copy.  It is available at the entrance to the church.  Please get your copy if you have not yet picked one up.  

 

Throughout Lent there is a community Lenten service at the First Methodist Church in Laurinburg at noon and ending before 1:00.  We begin with a brief devotion followed by lunch.  This allows those who work downtown to attend during their lunch hour. 

 

April 5 will be our next Family Fun Day from 1-4 in fellowship hall.  This day of fun and games is designed for families and singles of all ages.  (Please remember that children need to have an adult accompany them.)  We will have everything from bridge to rumikube to chutes and ladders and even corn hole available as well as so much more.  We are also planning a fun day on Wednesday April 23 during Spring Break. 

 

April 8 will be our spring cleaning of the church beginning at 10:00.  We will be getting the church ready for Holy Week, our Easter celebrations and Homecoming.  Please come help us.  Many hands make light work!

 

April 9 at 2:00 at Beth Ammons home, the Presbyterian Women will meet to finish our study of If You Want To Walk On Water You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat.

 

April 10 Session will meet at 10:00 in the church library.  

 

April 19 at 10:00 we will have an Easter Egg Hunt for all children ages 1 - 12.  Each child will receive a bag of religious activities telling the story of Easter as well as candy.  Children do need to be accompanied by an adult and bring their own basket or bag to collect eggs in.  There will be a raffle for an Easter basket.  There is no cost for the raffle.  The entry is a completed contact information card.  Please invite everyone you know to come join in the fun!

Holy Week 

 

April 13 is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.  This is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Holy Week is so named because of the paassion with which Jesus willingly went to the cross in order to pay for the sins of His people. The week  is described in Matthew chapters 21-27; Mark chapters 11-15; Luke chapters 19-23; and John chapters 12-19. Holy Week begins with the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday on the back of a colt as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9.  

 

April 17 at 6:00 we will celebrate The Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday.   This is the night when we commemorate Jesus’s last meal with his disciples and the institution of Holy Communion before his death on Good Friday.   

       But why Maundy and what does it mean?  Maundy is a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means "command."  It was on the Thursday of Christ's final week before being crucified and resurrected that He said this commandment to His disciples.  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34)       

 

Our Easter celebration will be April 20.  We will be celebratimg with Holy Communion.    If you wish to bring an Easter lily to the church in honor or in memory of a loved one, please let Barbara Holloway know so an acknowledgenment may be made in the bulletin that Sunday.  Her email is hollowaybarbara064@gmail.com.  We will also be decorating a resurrection cross at the front of the sanctuary that morning with flowers.  

 

 

On Easter Sunday we will receive the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.  32% of the funds go to support the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program; 36% goes to the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and 32% goes to the Self-Development of People.  Please give generously to help those who are in the most need in our world.  

 

Please invite others to join us for Homecoming worship and the potluck following on April 27!  Pastor Pat will be our preacher that morning.  

 

 

Our Montpelier Presbyterian Church polo shirts will be in this month.  Please don’t forget to pick yours up.  If you haven’t paid for your shirt yet, please do so when you get yours!  Adults are $21 or $24 if you ordered xxl or above.  

 

Each meeting, the Session begins with each member talking about what excites us about Montpelier.  This month we’ve put that list in the library on an easel.  We’d love to have you add the things that excite you about our church too.  This month’s list includes:  a new attitude and new energy in the church; the fact that we are not so much worried about numbers, but getting the message of God‘s love out and touching other people; our momentum and the fact that people are asking us about what we are doing and how alive our church is.  We are also excited about an openness to trying new things and getting people involved as well as not being so locked into the past that we don’t see the future and it’s opportunities.  What excites you?  Add to our list!

 

 

Where are we as a church? Your Session believes we have come a long way, but still have a way to growbut  we are growing and learning every day.  We believe we are at the beginning of our spiritual journey of reaching out and we are in the midst of a congregational rebirth.  We are here and are active not stagnant.  We also want to keep up with the times and be relevant in how we spread the word of God.  Join us in our conversations as we explore who we are as a church and who God is calling us to be.  Talk to your elders about what you think!  They are: Ben Ammons, Roger Ammons, Betsy Brown, Sissy Cooley, Jeff McKay, Debbie Neverve.  They want to hear your thoughts.  ALso please keep them and our church in your prayers as we move forward.  

 

The Building and Grounds committee is putting together a Long Range Plan for our building.  If you have ideas about projects that need to be added to the list, please talk to Roger Ammons, Ben Ammons, or Jeff McKay.  Some items are immediate and are already being worked on.  Others will take more time.  Stay tuned for more information and planned improvements.  

 

The adult Bible study is continuing its study in the gospel of John and will be moving on to the Book of Acts soon. In April, the children’s Sunday School class will be taught by Debbie Neverve and Betty Ammons.  Sunday School will NOT meet April 27, Homecoming Sunday.  

 

Check out our new church brochure available in the church entryway and fellowship hall.  

 

Pastor Pat has started to record a one to two minute meditation on Facebook each Monday morning called Grace Notes.  If you like it, please share it with your Facebook page.  It is on the Montpelier presbyterian church page and group.  

 

The Outreach and Mission team has started to distribute our welcome baskets to new neighbors.  They are getting grateful responses and include basic items like paper towels and snacks along with a church brochure.  Know someone new in your neighborhood?  Let Betsy Brown or Roger Ammons know and they will deliver a basket or give one to you to deliver if you like.  

 

Scholarship applications for the Johnsie Patterson McFadden/ Montpelier Presbyterian Church Scholarship are now available at the entryway to the church or from Debbie Neverve.  Please let us know if you know of a student who needs to apply.  Students must be a resident of Scotland County or be a relative of a member of the church.  Each year we use the interest from the endowment for the scholarship fund without touching the principle.  This year we have $52,000 available to divide among its reciepients.  

 

Wouldn’t It Be Great!  Over the past months we have been advertising our community outreach programs on the sign out front, but it is difficult to change and hard to read from the road.  The sign itself is deteriorating due to its age and the hinged brackets are broken.  Poor Roger Ammons has been hit in the head more than once as he’s changed the letters by hand.  Session would love to purchase an electronic sign.  We believe it would be a great addition to our outreach program.  But the cost is about $25,000 which is out of the reach of our normal budget.  We’d like to start a special fund to raise the money.  Anyone wanting to donate to the project, should write their check to the church and put “sign” on the memo line.  And thank you in advance!

 

Mark your calendars for our fall mission trip to western North Carolina!  We are planning a work trip to help our neighbors in western North Carolina recover from the devestation of Hurricane Helene.  Their recovery effort will take years to complete.  Our trip is tentatively planned for Sunday Sept. 28 through Sat. Oct. 4.  We are hoping to have a team of 10-12 adults.  We are currently working with the Presbytery of Western North Carolina and the General Assembly’s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program to plan our trip.  You’ll hear more about this later!  

 

Our weekly offering for Feb. was $7,427.00 with expenses of $5,429.  For the year to date, our weekly offering has been $9,736 with expenses at $10,717.

 

Thanks to everyone who worked at, contributed to, or bought things at our garage sale for Family Promise, a homeless shelter for faamilies with children in Scotland County.  It was a huge success and another way our church demonstrated the love of Christ for all people and gave hope and a fresh start to families who need it most.  

 

The Jewish Passover will be celebrated Saturday April 12.  Passover, or Pesach (PEH-sach) in Hebrew, commemorates the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt and their ultimate exodus to freedom. This story of redemption from slavery is the “master-story” of the Jewish People – a story that has shaped Jewish consciousness and values.  

    The central ritual of Pesach is the Seder (SAY-der), a carefully choreographed ritual meal that takes place on the eve of Passover at home with family and friends or with the community. It is both a sumptuous feast as well as an educational experience for children and adults alike. The Seder begins by reading the Haggadah (Ha-ga-DAH), a 2000-year-old book which retells the story of the Exodus from Egypt in detail. An essential part of the Seder is eating ritual foods symbolic of the journey from slavery to freedom:

•     Wine (four cups): symbols of joy

•     Bitter herbs: reminding us of the suffering of slavery

•     Green leafy vegetables: representing the growth of spring and the continuation of the Jewish people

•     Matzah {a thin, crisp unleavened bread): which is both the poor bread of slaves and the symbol of Jewish freedom.

• The Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a year-old, unblemished lamb on the night of the tenth plague. The Israelites marked their doorposts with the lamb's blood, which protected their homes from destruction. 

In Christianity, Jesus is considered the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb.  It was the night of the Passover feast that Christ was arrested and is often referred to as our Paschal Lamb as we are redeemed and set free by his blood.  

 

What’s Coming Up In May

 

Blessing Bags for the women in your life for Mother’s Day.  Just let Pastor Pat or Betsy Brown know how many bags you’d like.  You can pick up your bags at the church on Sunday mornings beginning April 27.  

 

May 3 is Family Fun Day at the church from 1-4.  Just drop in for fun and games for all ages!  Bridge to Candy Land.  Singles are welcome too!  Children must be accompanied by an adult.  

 

We will be making sweet thanks cookie bags for the teachers of Wagram Elementary School Wednesday May 14.  Bring your cookies to the church either Sunday May 11 or on the 14th at 2:00.