Pastor on Call
For an emergency over the weekend, please contact our Associate Pastor, Cathy Church Norman.

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Sunday, February 18, 2007
Warren Bock, preacher

Scripture:
ll Corinthians 3:17,4:5-7
Luke 9:28-36

Sermon:
"Clay Pots; Vessels of Glory"

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Attendance Sunday, February 11:
9:00 a.m.: 164
11:00 a.m.: 299

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Fellowship Time
Please plan to stay for fellowship with refreshments provided by the Fellowship Committee following the 11:00 a.m. worship.

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Church Chat

Getting our Minds Set on Christ

If you're like many people, you heard of Lent growing up because of Mardi Gras in New Orleans or because you had Catholic friends who gave up something during Lent.

But what is Lent anyway? Lent is the time of preparation for Holy Week (the week of Easter). It's a forty day period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) but doesn't include Sundays. The forty days symbolize the time of the Israelites and Elijah in the wilderness and Noah on the arc in the Old Testament, and Jesus being tempted in the New Testament.

At my home church our youth program is called GYMSOX, which means Get Your Mind Set On Christ. Lent is a time to get our minds set on Christ-on his love for us, his self-emptying humility, his suffering, and his death to bring us to God. Lent is a time of sorrowful reflection, in which we take stock of what Jesus did for us and of who we are in relation to God's great mercy.

There are three traditional practices of Lent: 1) prayer which is looking toward God, 2) fasting which is looking toward self, and 3) almsgiving which is looking toward others.

We invite you to use Lent as a time to center your mind and your heart on Christ, to identify with his suffering and to share his great love with the world.

Some thoughts on fasting: fasting historically meant doing without food or drink to identify with the suffering of Jesus. One could fast by not having meals during the day or by having just bread or just drink. Another way to fast is to give up something that is important to you or that takes up a lot of your time and energy, for example, giving up television during Lent, or reading the paper. You could fast from channel surfing or playing video games. The hope is to make a sacrifice to better understand the sacrifice of Christ.

We will begin our practice of Lent here at the Kirk on Ash Wednesday, February 21, with a potluck dinner at 6:00 p.m. and a special worship service at 7:00 p.m. You will find devotional materials in the narthex beginning next week.

Yours in Christ,

Cathy Church Norman
Associate Pastor for Congregational Life

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Mary Kay's Cary Days

Dear Friends at the Kirk,

There is an additional opportunity for reflection this Lenten Season. On Wednesday’s during the lunch hour the pastoral staff and I will be offering a time of music and readings in our sanctuary. One of the K groups will provide a soup lunch following this time. Please join us from 12:10 until 12:50 for “Sounds of the Spirit” beginning on March 28. Reservations are not necessary, but if you desire childcare, please let Stephanie know on the previous Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Our choirs are busy! This Sunday the Grace Ringers will open the early service with an arrangement of the hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” At 11:00 the Chancel Choir will honor our Stephen Ministers with a new setting of “Here Am I, Lord.” David Lutz and David Wells are the featured tenor soloists.

On Ash Wednesday, Chancel Ringers will rehearse from 6:00 p.m. until 6:40. Chancel Choir will sing “Sunday’s Palms are Wednesday’s Ashes” during the service. Please be in the choir room to warmup at 6:45 p.m.

A special thank you to all the parents that support our children’s music ministry. Attendance at rehearsals has become more regular and to that end, our children are giving their best!

Thank you all for supporting our fine and growing music ministry!

Peace,
Mary Kay

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50+ Group
The 50+ Group will hold a Potluck Dinner/Game Night tonight Thursday, February 15, at 6:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Anyone who enjoys good food, fun and fellowship is welcome even if not quite 50. Various games (Mexican Train, dominoes, Bingo, checkers, etc.) will be available.
Call Kae and Dick Meyer for questions and reservations.

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Book Group The monthly meeting of the Book Group will be Friday, February 16, 7:30 p.m. at the home of Janet McGettrick. We will be discussing the book "Saving Fish from Drowning" by Amy Tan. All are welcome to come join in the group.

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Stephen Ministry Commissionings
Our Stephen Ministry program here at the Kirk currently has five active Stephen Leaders and sixteen active Stephen Ministers. Care has been provided to 71 care receivers since March of 2001, which equals 1936 hours of care. We are so pleased to have two new Stephen Ministers and one new Stephen Leader to help us continue to offer this quality and quantity of Christian caregiving to people experiencing difficulties in their lives.

This Sunday we will commission our new Stephen Leader and Stephen Ministers.

Kathy White has completed an intense seven-day Stephen Leader’s Training Course and is now prepared to help lead the Stephen Ministry program here at the Kirk. She brings many gifts to be used in selecting, equipping, and supervising those involved in our program. We are grateful for her willingness to share her gifts with Stephen Ministry.

Mai Wickelgren and Page Ott have completed extensive training and preparation for Stephen Ministry. They have studied and practiced skills such as dealing with feelings, crisis intervention, asserting oneself with gentleness and firmness, and many other topics to prepare them to deal with people experiencing problems or difficulties in their lives. We thank God for their gifts of caring and listening.

Please keep Kathy, Mai and Page in your prayers as they carry the love of Christ to others.

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Say Cheese! New Kirk Photo Directory Coming
It is time for a new Kirk photo directory, and we need your help to make it complete! We have grown so much that this is a great resource to help us connect the many names and faces we see each week. There is no obligation to buy portraits, (though they offer several poses and finishes, and a photo CD option) and you will receive a complimentary 8x10 photo just for participating!

The photographer will be here March 20-24 and March 27-31. Sign-up sheets will be in the narthex on Sundays or stop by the table outside the office during the week. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Sherk.

If you are interested in getting involved with the coordination/distribution of this directory and/or with greeting the families at the sessions, contact, Julie Sherk.

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Habitat For Humanity
The next scheduled Kirk work date is February 24. If you would like to volunteer, you must contact Jim Farthing no later than February 18.

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Scotch Bonnet
All Kirk ladies are cordially invited for lunch and Christian fellowship on Monday, February 19, 11:30 a.m. at "The Cary Cafe" (904 NE Maynard Road, Reedy Creek Plaza). If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Eakes.

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"Windows" Articles Deadline
The deadline for articles to be included in the next "Windows" issue is Monday, February 19, at 9:00 a.m. This issue will highlight events for March. There will be no emailed Krier next week due to this issue.

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Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network
WIHN provides shelter, meals, case management and educational services to homeless families in addition to promoting action and awareness in the community regarding homelessness. The Kirk provides temporary housing to homeless families three or four weeks out of the year.

Our next host week is April 15– 22. Please consider volunteering to setup, transport the families, cook meals, greet our guests, spend the night, clean up, or provide food.

“Signup” and “Information” sheets will be in the narthex starting March 18.

(Note: Mark your calendars for the other two weeks in 2007 … July 15-22, and December 30–January 6, 2008.)

Sandra Clark, Kirk WIHN Director

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Ash Wednesday Potluck Supper and Worship
Please join other Kirk members for a Potluck Supper on Wednesday, February 21, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, followed by our Ash Wednesday Service at 7:00 p.m. Please bring enough of your dish to serve 10 - 12 persons using the following alphabetical listing by last name:

A - L: main dish
M - S: side dish
T - Z: dessert

Our Ash Wednesday service will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. This is a 30-minute service that starts off the season of Lent. We remember our need for a Savior. At the end of the service, ashes are put on each person's forehead. This is age-appropriate for most elementary-aged children. Childcare is available.

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Summer Gathering 2007 (Presbyterian Women – Synod of the Mid-Atlantic)
If you are interested in attending this gathering, either come by the church office or contact Sandra Clark for a registration form.

• Dates: June 14 thru 17 (register by March 1)

• Location: Massanetta Springs Conference Center; Harrisonburg, Virginia

• Cost: ranges from $120 to $390 (depending on # of nights, etc.)

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Spiritual Retreat (Presbyterian Women of New Hope)
If you are interested in attending this retreat, either come by the Kirk of Kildaire office or contact Sandra Clark for a registration form.

• Dates: March 24 & 25

• Location: Camp Albemarle

• Cost: $40.00 (includes overnight accommodations, lunch & dinner on Sat., and breakfast on Sun.)

• Leader: Rev. Lori Pistor

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Faith Foundations Adult Class
The Faith Foundations adult Sunday school class that meets in Room S16 of the Classroom Building will meet this Sunday, February 18, at Caribou Coffee. On February 25, Rich Woynicz will tell the class about the mission trip to New Orleans, and then on March 4 the class will begin studying what the Bible says about how to get along with other believers. No preparation is necessary and the class is very informal so come and enjoy it.

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Ushers for 11:00 a.m. Worship Service Needed
We are in need of volunteers on a rotating basis to usher at the 11:00 a.m. worship service. It is an easy job passing out bulletins, checking for open seats, and receiving the offering. If you feel you would want to help out in this way, please contact Jerry Bowser.

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Do You Want To Put Flowers In The Church?
The flower chart to sign up to place flowers in the sanctuary and/or narthex is located on the wall near the elevator. There are many dates still available. Flowers in the sanctuary cost $65 and arrangements in the narthex alcoves cost $45 each. Simply add your name to an open date on the chart. You will be contacted by a member of the flower committee prior to your date.

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2007 Presbyterian Women Scholarship
If you are interested in applying, either come by the Kirk of Kildaire office or contact Sandra Clark for an application. The requirements are:

- must live in the Presbytery of New Hope and be a member of a church in the Presbytery

- may attend the college of your choice, but preference will be given to those applicants who are attending a Presbyterian-related school

- an information form is required

- a short essay entitled “My Plans for the Future, Shaped by My Faith” is required

- a copy of official secondary school transcript

- 3 letters of recommendation: 1 from your pastor, 1 from the moderator of Presbyterian Women, and 1 from your school guidance counselor or teacher/advisor

- application must be received by March 1, 2007.

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Year End Contribution Statements
The year end contribution statements were sent out a couple of weeks ago. Please contact David Nail if you have questions.

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Mission Matters

New KOALA Liaison Needed
The Kirk Outreach Afterschool Learning Academy (KOALA), which provides one-on-one tutoring to children in grades K-2 who live in the Wrenn Drive area and attend Briarcliff Elementary School, is seeking a new liaison for the 2007-2008 academic year. The position requires a time commitment of two to five hours per week during the academic year. For more information please contact Stephanie Horman. Thanks!

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Refugee Needs
Our new family has moved into their apartment and are getting settled in. They are still in need of a few items: washer/dryer, coffee table, and gift certificates to Target are always appreciated. A car is needed too. Wendy Segreti or Endy Kidanewold for donating items. All are tax- deductible.

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New Orleans Report
In January ten Kirk members traveled to New Orleans to help with the recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina. We spent one day driving to New Orleans and experienced vehicle failure along the way. We spent four days working at a Habitat for Humanity site as part of a crew doing the early stages of construction of a home. We spent one morning on a guided tour of the city to see the effects of the flooding caused by breaks in the man-made levees. And we spent one day driving home, including exchanging the rented vehicle for the repaired vehicle we had started with. All in all, it was a fabulous trip, especially because the men on the trip got to enjoy the somewhat melodic and always boisterous snoring of one of our group each night in the guys' large sleeping room.

So, what really happened on this trip? We

All of these things are worthwhile reasons to encourage others to go on a mission trip. But none of these things was the biggest joy of our trip. The biggest impact from this trip was not on the city of New Orleans, on the life of the owner of the house being built, or on the faith of the hosting church.

What I brought home from this trip was a group of friends, some of whom I knew well before the trip and some of whom I did not know at all. And the memory of the trip that will live on for me is the growth of these friendships. Joyce loved using the chop saw to cut boards to exact measurements. Amy, Karen and Carol were excellent at cutting pieces of sheathing to fit the various sections of the frame of the house. Leslie and Amy were the two best sand spreaders I have ever worked with on such a project. Linda was the backbone of our group, staying calm even during the crisis of the vehicle breakdown and encouraging us to keep active. She was also good at helping guide the roof trusses into place. Duane and Rich were great at taking any Habitat chore and working to get it done with minimal direction. And Jim was our best nailer - and our most acrobatic one. As for me, our Habitat site leader said that I was the most enthusiastic toter of things she had ever seen. I can flat out carry things from one spot to another. I now consider all these folks to be my brothers and sisters, and I see them in much different ways than I did before the trip. And this is the best reason to go on any mission trip. You will come back with Christian relatives. And it's always nice to have a bigger family, don'tcha think?

Joel Huenemann

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Your Money In Missions
You've heard a lot lately about the mission trips to New Orleans and Guatemala. But the Mission Committee, which supported those trips, has other areas that you may know less about. One of Mission's responsibilities is to pay out benevolences (charitable donations) that the Kirk has budgeted for specific causes. Because this money comes from your pledges, you should know where that money goes.

This month we are paying a benevolence to the Carying Place, a transitional housing program that helps working, homeless families with children attain permanent, self-sustaining housing. The Carying Place leases apartments in Cary where the families live while they participate in the program. A team of volunteers works with the families every week to help them learn budgeting, goal setting, time management, job improvement, and improving their credit. The Carying Place will receive $2,500 from your pledges.

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Letter to the Clerk

Dear Clerk,

On behalf of the congregation of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, I wish to express our deepest gratitude for the group that Kirk of Kildaire, Presbyterian sent in late January to participate in our RHINO rebuilding initiative.

We are humbled and deeply moved by the countless sacrifices your group members made to travel to New Orleans and play a role in the rebirth of our great city.

As our city and our church continue to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Katrinoa, our faith, and assurance of God's presence, has never been stronger. Thank you for the loving way that your group has helped minister to our city in its time of greatest need.

Sincerely,
Emily C. Fleshman

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Dear Kirk Family,
Our family would like to thank the Kirk for all you have done to help us during the time of mourning for Margaret Snow (our mother and mother-in-law). We appreciated all of your prayers, cards, phone calls, flowers and caring messages. The caregivers team was great in coordinating meals while our extended families were here for the memorial service. A special thanks to Julie and Carolee for coordinating meals and the dinner after the service. To all of those who brought food for the dinner, it was to feed 40 people but there was enough for 100! Everything was delicious and we got to visit and celebrate our mother's life with friends and family. Also thanks to Wendy, Liz, Janet, Trac, and Julie for the meals and desserts at our house. Many thanks to our pastors Warren, Jody and Stephanie -you did a wonderful job with the memorial service, it was just as Margaret would have wanted it. Also, to Mary Kay for the music and for accompanying Katherine on the piano, to the ushers
John Atwell and Charlie Seay.

Our mother loved the Kirk and she truly enjoyed participating in OWLS and the Tuesday morning circle. She also enjoyed the support and friendship shown by the Stephen Ministers during her years of battling cancer. We appreciate you being there for her and for us during this difficult time.

The Snow family

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Andy and Janet Barclay would like to thank Kirk members for their expressions of sympathy upon the death of Janet's sister, Rachel.

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Our Congratulations to Wendy Eberhart and Chris Cook who were married at the Kirk on Saturday, February, 10.

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Prayer Request of the Week: Please include in your prayers this week our new Ethiopian family that recently relocated to Cary.

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Prayers: We pray for Helen Caldwell (Rex, knee replacement surgery), Sue Armistead, Tom Eskew (Rex), Mai Wickelgren, Joe Long, Jerry Palmer, Pat Fennell, T. J. Guyton, Rebecca Slack, Sara Saunders, Alan MacIlroy, Colleen Calwell

If you would like more information regarding any of our concerns, please contact the church office.

Glenaire Healthcare Unit: Ruth Wagnon, Nedra Chesnutt, Martha Haake, Louise Harter, Mary Frances Webb, Lillian Soo-Hoo.

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The Conversations are Starting!!! (1) What does God have in store for us? (2) What role do you play in creating the Kirk's Long Range Plan? Number (1) is hard. We need your help.

Number (2) is easy --Please sign up for one of the small group, facilitated conversations about the future of the Kirk. These conversations begin February 22 and continue almost daily through February 28th. The sign up sheets will be in this week's bulletin or you download the form from http://www.kirkofkildaire.org/com/lrp.html.

Become part of the vision.

Long Range Planning Taskforce

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SIGN UP FOR

A MIDWEEK CLASS ON DISCERNING GOD’S WILL
TUESDAYS, 11AM AND 7PM STARTING FEBRUARY 27TH

As Christians we believe God loves each of us, knows us by name and calls out to us to share in his divine work in our lives as we live in God’s world. How can we hear that call? What could hearing it mean if we were as we live day by day? This class will explore the spiritual practice of discernment that invites us to be aware of, and responsive to God as we listen with our hearts. We will use the book, "Listening Hearts." The class will be led by Jody Welker and offered Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sign up for the class by February 20 in order to get the book we will use as our text. The cost is $12.00 for the book. You can sign up by calling the church office or emailing Bonnie Pendleton.

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