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

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Sunday, May 6, 2007
Jody Welker, Preacher

Scripture
Revelation 21:1-6
John 13:31-35

Sermon
"They Will Know We are Disciples by..."

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Attendance Sunday, April 29:
9:00 a.m.: 229
11:00 a.m.: 308

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Jody's Journal

Dear Family and Friends of the Kirk,

As I write this letter, it is Mayday (May 1st). Mayday for me means that this month will mark very important events in the lives of the members of the Kirk. Families will celebrate college graduations and for others high school graduation is close behind. We have 32 youth who will confirm their faith on May 20 after nearly a year of study and reflection. Many people will celebrate Mother’s day on May 13. For some it will be a special day where children honor their mother with gifts and meals. For others of us, we will remember mothers who are no longer with us, except in our memories. May is a month when we mark important transitions. It is a good time to recall the faithfulness of God who is with us and cares for us every step of the way. Psalm 23 speaks of it: “The Lord is my shepherd… he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul…. Even though I walk through the darkest valleys… you are with me…" I’m thinking one of the reasons we love this Psalm is that it reminds us that amidst all of the transitions, we can count on this: our God will be with us to guide us and help us no matter where the journey leads. May is a good month to give thanks to God for that presence.

We also celebrate Pentecost on May 27—the gift of the Spirit that gave birth to the church. I’ve been thinking about how the Spirit of God is present at the Kirk. Almost 29 years ago the Spirit spoke to people in this community and gave birth to this Christian congregation. Since then we’ve grown spiritually and numerically. The Spirit has led us to be a congregation where people love and care for one another, and who desire to share that love with the world. One thing that is clear in the Long Range Planning Process is that you want us to be a church that reaches out to others with the love of Christ. We do this in many ways. Sometimes it is welcoming visitors and new members. Other times it is reaching out to those who may never join our fellowship, but are hurting or hungry and need to know God has not forgotten them. We want to be strong in our mission.

This Sunday we will welcome the newest members to our church family. I sat in with them last Sunday during the Explorer’s Class. We are very blessed to have them. I hope we will be a blessing to them. I anticipate the Spirit will use them to be a blessing among and through us. Please remember to speak to them and to wear your name tags as a way of welcoming them. Remember how nice it was when you were a new member and someone spoke to you? It’s a gift of grace.

As our Long Range Planning Taskforce continues meeting and we listen to the dreams people have for the Kirk, I am excited about the future. It is clear to me that “Christ’s mission has a church” (see last’s Sunday’s sermon if you wonder what that means). Our work now is to discern what that particular mission is for us at the Kirk. Be in prayer as the taskforce shares the goal options in the weeks to come.

In faith, hope and love,

Jody

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Circles

Joy Circle - meets Tuesday, May 8, 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

Lydia Circle - meets Tuesday, May 8, 7:00 p.m. at the home of Jill Kaufman. For directions, please contact Jill (744-7344).

Glenaire Circle - meets Wednesday, May 9, 10:30 a.m. at Glenaire.

Ruth Semi Circle - meets Thursday, May 10, 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

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Presbyterian Women Birthday Offering
On Sunday, May 13, Presbyterian Women will ask the congregation to support our Birthday Offering. This offering is collected each year to celebrate the blessings in the lives of Presbyterian Women. The offering funds projects that are not included in ongoing General Assembly mission support.

This year the grant recipients are:

This offering began in 1922, and over the years the Birthday Offering has given more than $29 million in support of mission projects throughout the world.

How can you make sure your donation goes to this offering? Please write "PW Birthday" on the memo line of your check or write it on the envelope.

Thank you for your support of this worthwhile mission.

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The Pastor's Summer Book Club

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

This summer, Jody Welker invites you to read this biography about Dr. Paul Farmer, the Harvard teacher and doctor whose life leads him to Haiti. He is a specialist in treating infectious diseases and applies that training to caring for people in the most desperate situations in Haiti. To find a complete description, go to amazon.com. At the end of the summer, those who sign up will gather for a discussion of the book. We will let you know the exact times for the discussion at a later date.

SIGN UP FOR SUMMER BOOK CLUB

___ Yes, sign me up for the Summer book club

Name(s) : ________________________________________

Email: _____________________________________

____ Enclosed is $12.00 for the church to order a copy for me (deadline is May 15)

____ I will purchase my own copy (Amazon price for paperback is $9.42)

RETURN SIGN UP BY MAY 31 (UNLESS ORDERING A BOOK THROUGH THE OFFICE).

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OWLS (Older, Wiser, Loving Seniors) The OWLS will meet at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 7 at the Kirk for a special musical treat featuring world renowned pianist, Maestro Roger Lehman, who will delight us with special

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Churchwide Potluck Supper
Come and join other Kirk members for fellowship and a Potluck Supper on Wednesday, May 9, 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Pattie Stephenson will provide information on the Kirk Wedding Guild, and contributors to the recently pusblished KirkJournal will be doing readings of some of their works. Please bring enough of your dish to feed 10 - 12 persons using the following schedule:

A - B and E - H side dish
C - D dessert
L - Z main dish

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Carying Place Annual Benefit Auction
Please make plans to attend the Sixth Annual Benefit Auction benefiting The Carying Place. It will be held on May 11 at The Matthews House in Cary. If you would like to attend you may contact The Carying Place at 462-1800. You may also contact the church liaison Liz Hynson.

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Change Of Location For Scotch Bonnet
We will meet at "The Loop" restaurant (Kildaire Plaza) for lunch and Christian fellowship on Monday, May 21, 11:30 a.m. This will be our last fellowship lunch until fall. Hope all can join in the fun. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Eakes.

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Columbarium and Memorial Garden Taskforce Begins Meeting

A taskforce has begun meeting to plan for a Memorial Garden and Columbarium for the Kirk. They will propose the location, scope, and design of this project. A columbarium is a permanent structure made up of spaces where family members can place urns containing the ashes (or cremains) of cremated loved ones. The word 'columbarium' is derived from the Latin term columba, meaning "dwelling place of a dove." The dove, of course, has long symbolized in Christian tradition the embodiment of the Holy Spirit. A Memorial Garden is a designated area where the cremains may be scattered, often under bushes or trees. The taskforce looks forward to planning a space where families can memorialize loved ones. If you have questions or ideas, please contact one of the members of the taskforce: Wendy Segreti (chair), Liz Hynson, Sara Saunders, Sharron Scroggin, and Victoria Vojnovich.

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Vacation Bible School 2007

VBS Sign Up
All children are invited to Vacation Bible School! It is a wonderful week of learning about Jesus! This year, we will join Jesus on the sea of Galilee as he teaches his followers, walks on water and does other miracles. As in the past few years, we will step into the story by recreating life in the time when Jesus was alive-- complete with costumes, Roman soldiers, a marketplace with many activities, a synagogue and rabbi and a playground with fun games. In their tribe, the children will have lots of fun meeting new friends and learning Jewish customs.

VBS is June 17 to 21 (Thursday to Sunday) from 6-8 p.m. It is free and open to all children ages 4 to finished 5th grade. Invite your friends!
Registration is easy-- go to www.kirkofkildaire.org . You will see a link to the registration page.

VBS Volunteers
-- We need a handful of people on the leadership team that does all of the behind-the-scenes preparation organizational work-- specifically organizing supplies, organizing people and organizing registration.These volunteers are asked to come to four one-hour meetings and a few hours of other work. These are great positions for people who cannot come the week of VBS. The first meeting is this Tuesday, May 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the Session Room.

-- During the week of VBS, we need as many youth and adult volunteers as possible. Each year, the adults who volunteer find this to be extremely rewarding. All supplies and training are provided for you. Adults and youth can volunteer to be tribe leaders (who accompany children to the various locations) and shopkeepers (who help children complete specific tasks).

If you are interested in being a volunteer, go to the homepage of the Kirk website (www.kirkofkildaire.org) where there is a link for volunteers.

Questions? Ask Patty Snow.

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Coming This Fall... Get ready to join in on the food, fun and fellowship of our exciting new mid-week program starting in September! You can look forward to catered meals, time with friends and family, and activities for all ages. Look for more information coming soon!

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Looking For Input From Members Who Joined From 1979-1982

In preparing for Pentecost Sunday, Jody is asking some of the first members of the Kirk to share some reflections with him. He would be grateful if you would email your response to these questions by May 8 to Jody Welker.

1) What were the dreams, visions or hopes you had for this new church (the Kirk) when you joined it or helped to charter it?

2) Over the past 27-29 years, in what ways have some of those dreams been fulfilled or exceeded?

3) Are there some things that have happened at the Kirk that you could not have planned for, dreamed of or expected? What are they?

4) If someone were to ask you, “How has the Spirit of God been active or evident in the life of the Kirk over these years?”, what would you say?

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September Katrina Trip
There are still a few openings for the September 23-29 mission trip to New Orleans. To sign up, contact Chris Mazzara. For more information on RHINO, the program in which the Kirk is taking part, visit www.scapc.org/Pages/rhino.html (note the "Click here for more info" link at the left of that page).

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KirkJournal
KirkJournal, the church's literary annual, is still on sale. Pick up a copy for $5 in the narthex on Sunday morning, in the office during the week, or at the potluck on May 9, when selected contributors will be reading from it. The proceeds will benefit the Literacy Council of Wake County (www.wakeliteracy.org).

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KOALA Staff Search Update Our search for a new van driver continues. This person will be responsible for transporting students from Briarcliff Elementary School to the Kirk once a week, on either Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Your Money in Missions
One of the Mission Committee's responsibilities is to pay out benevolences (charitable donations) from the Kirk budget. Since this money comes from your pledges, we want you to know where it goes.

In May, the Mission Committee is paying out benevolences to Habitat for Humanity ($2,000), Urban Ministries ($1,200), and the Food Bank ($600). Habitat for Humanity "develops partnerships to build healthy, affordable homes with and for God's people in need, promotes self-reliance through homeownership, affirms the dignity of the family, and creates sustainable communities" (www.habitatwake.org). The Kirk's participation in Habitat is coordinated on a monthly basis and publicized in the Krier by Jim Farthing. Urban Ministries' mission is "to alleviate the effects of poverty in Wake County by meeting people's basic needs for food, shelter and healthcare" through the Crisis Intervention Program, the Open Door Clinic, the Helen Wright Center for Women (formerly the Ark Shelter), and other venues (www.urbanmin.org/index.php). The Food Bank is the Raleigh branch of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, "a non-profit organization that provides food to people at risk of hunger in 34 counties" (www.foodbanknc.org).

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Thank You To Those People Who Helped With The Kirk's April 21 Workday.

We did a tremendous amount of work including tree trimming, weed pulling, electrical and mechanical work, gutter cleaning, and more. If you missed the work day and would like to help, we always have things on our "to do" list. Please contact Building & Grounds Elders Rusty Parks or Lynnie Sullivan or other B&G members (such as Rich Woynicz.

Thank you to : Joel & Amy Huenemann, Lynnie & Theo Sullivan, Joe Keller, James Crawford, Sharron, Warren, Joe & Sam Scroggin, Allison & Griffin Connors, Page Ott, Karen Stancil, Stan Fleischauer, Indy Kidanewold, Maneli, Getachew, Dawjet, Litalem, two Scouts from the Kirk's Boy Scout Troop, Alex & Aron, Rich, Amy, Sarah, & Emily Woynicz.

And a special thank you to the over 40 Kirk youth (and friends) who worked on Sunday , 4/22- re-painting the parking lot lines.

Kirk Building and Grounds

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Habitat For Humanity
Thanks to the following for volunteering their time this past Saturday for Habitat for Humanity: Brenda and Jeff Armstrong, Sue and Julie Buning, Carol and Max Christenbury, Janice and Mike Coats, Adrienne Coats, Steve Davis, Lisa and Paul Eberhart, Angela and Jim Farthing, Leslie Gordon, Amy and Joel Huenemann, and Bob Milks. This hard working group of volunteers installed sub-flooring and moved a mountain of stone (actually it was only what some may refer to as a pile, however, do not say that to those who moved the stone). Our next work date is May 19. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Jim Farthing.

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New Refugee Arrival The Kirk is happy to welcome Temesgen Kebede Yilma from Ethiopia. He arrived in early April and is living with friends in North Raleigh. He has a job at the

He hopes to find a job better utilizing his skills. His wife, Alemitu Fite Tesgera, and twin sons, Abdisa and Abdi, 13 will be arriving in about 3 months.

Temesgen knows how to drive and would greatly appreciate the donation of a car. We will be furnishing an apartment for the family and can use all household donations. Please contact Wendy Segreti if you would like to help.

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Our congratulations to Ted and Shirley Lutz on their 50th wedding anniversary on May 5.

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Our Condolences to Mary Marceau on the death of her brother and also her sister-in-law.

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Prayers: We pray for Joe Lugiano (prostate surgery, 5/9 Rex), Helen Floyd (broken hip), Janice Coats (lumpectomy, 4/30), Willem van Eck, Jeff Slack, 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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Listening to Our Dreams and Discerning Christ’s Mission for Us

The task force has been reading, processing, and listening to your voices and dreams. We have also been talking to community leaders and looking at area demographics as they relate to the Kirk. We now ask that you join us in the discerning process by reading the Goal Options.

This coming week, the Goal Options will be posted on the Kirk’s web page. The goals are broken into several areas, Worship, Mission, Aspirations, etc., for ease of reading. Please go to the Kirk’s homepage and click on the Long Range Planning Information link, or go to http://www.kirkofkildaire.org/com/lrp.html. Here you will find the links to the goal option areas. Should you have comments or questions, there is an option on the site to email the task force. You may also contact any of us personally. Additionally, copies will be placed on the table in the Narthex for those who do not have internet access.

Lastly, as you discern, please pray. Pray for the Kirk, each other, the task force, discernment, wisdom, patience, and that we hear God’s voice that will so readily guide us through this process with love and grace. We are a church rich with love for each other and our community. Pray that we remain strong in determining Christ’s mission and that we all become disciples of that mission.

Grace and Peace,

Amy Woynicz, Craig Nygard, Larry Nielsen, Lisa Miller,
Don Stephenson, and Jody Welker

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What is Stephen Ministry for? Loneliness, loss of a loved one, retirement changes, unemployment, childbirth, being home-bound, separation and divorce, hospitalization, any life situation that can be eased by sharing with another Christian. Stephen Ministry provides someone who cares, someone who supports, someone who listens, someone who shares, someone who maintains a confidential relationship.

Everyone in the church can be open to the possibility of asking for, or suggesting to another person, a Stephen Minister. The Kirk offers this ministry to members and to people in the community. Referrals can be requested by asking a pastor or our Stephen Leader Referrals Coordinator, Kathy White.

Meet 2 of our 20 active Stephen Ministers:

Martie Smith has been a member of the Kirk for 20+ years and a Stephen Minister for two years. "For me, Stephen Ministry is a real opportunity to share God's love with someone in need."

Nayda Colomb has been a member of the Kirk for 15 years and a Stephen Minister for seven years. "Stephen Ministry has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling activities of my life. The opportunity to build a trusting and sustaining relationship with another person, for as long as it is needed, is truly satisfying sacred space. The Stephen Ministry training is basically training for life.

The lesson I learned most clearly throughout training and serving is the need to rely on God. My own relationship with God has been greatly enhanced as I work with a care receiver."

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