May 2013 Issue- Mother's Day Special
Message from the Pastor- To the Elect Lady
Written By: Pastor Jim Henigin, SR
“To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth.” 2 John 1
Women played a very prominent role in the early church and its ministry. Even though there were no female apostles, women were very involved in the church. The Greek word translated lady in the above verse (Kyria) is used only here in 2nd John. Apparently she was a mother since her children are mentioned. She was well known for her work in the church. John addresses her personally in his greeting.
I appreciate the word lady because to me, it denotes respect and great worth. Just as every man is not a gentleman, every woman is not a lady in my definition of the word. A lady earns respect not because of position or wealth, but because of who she is as a person and the example she lives to those around her. Her appearance, her attitude, her words, her expressions, and her demeanor are all a reflection of who she is. Also, her children reflect what her values are.
As the writer of Proverbs 31 said: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.”
Wishing you a joyous and happy Mother’s Day, in Christ’s Love, Pastor Jim
“To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth.” 2 John 1
Women played a very prominent role in the early church and its ministry. Even though there were no female apostles, women were very involved in the church. The Greek word translated lady in the above verse (Kyria) is used only here in 2nd John. Apparently she was a mother since her children are mentioned. She was well known for her work in the church. John addresses her personally in his greeting.
I appreciate the word lady because to me, it denotes respect and great worth. Just as every man is not a gentleman, every woman is not a lady in my definition of the word. A lady earns respect not because of position or wealth, but because of who she is as a person and the example she lives to those around her. Her appearance, her attitude, her words, her expressions, and her demeanor are all a reflection of who she is. Also, her children reflect what her values are.
As the writer of Proverbs 31 said: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.”
Wishing you a joyous and happy Mother’s Day, in Christ’s Love, Pastor Jim
Sunday School Students Mother's Day Project
Students in Sundays School (ages 1-6) taught by Gilbert and Holly Woodley made Mother's Day cards for their mother and/or grandmother. Here are pictures of students cards:
I Love You Mother
Provided By: Ruthie Henigin
Written By: Unknown
I love you mother, said little John
Then forgetting his work, his cap went on;
And he was off to the garden swing
Leaving his mother, the wood to bring.
I love you mother, said little Nell
I love you more than tongue can tell.
Then she teased and pouted full-half the day
‘Til her mother rejoiced when she went to play.
I love you mother, said little Fran,
Today I’ll help you all I can.
Stepping softly, she took the broom
And swept the floor and dusted the room.
Then to the cradle she did softly creep,
And rocked the baby ‘til he fell asleep.
I love you, Mother, again they said –
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think this mother guessed,
Which one of them really loved her best?
Written By: Unknown
I love you mother, said little John
Then forgetting his work, his cap went on;
And he was off to the garden swing
Leaving his mother, the wood to bring.
I love you mother, said little Nell
I love you more than tongue can tell.
Then she teased and pouted full-half the day
‘Til her mother rejoiced when she went to play.
I love you mother, said little Fran,
Today I’ll help you all I can.
Stepping softly, she took the broom
And swept the floor and dusted the room.
Then to the cradle she did softly creep,
And rocked the baby ‘til he fell asleep.
I love you, Mother, again they said –
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think this mother guessed,
Which one of them really loved her best?
The Responsibility of a Mother
Written By: Zachary Murphy
To care for a child
To give birth to a child
To give it a name
To give a good example.
To take care of it when sickness arrives
To give advice
To be there during good times
To be there during bad times.
To comfort
To be there the day you find out why your child was born
To be there when they marry
To be there for the grandchildren.
She may not live to see their full life
But there are year to plant seeds
To make your child the best.
- For my Poetry class I am taking this semester, we we're given a ongoing project throughout the first half of the fourth nine weeks. Which was to pick your favorite poet and find a book with a collection of their poetry and study it and come up with six common themes the poet used in his/her poetry. After that we we're to write 5 (five) poems following one or more of those themes. I choose Sylvia Plath. I noticed that alot of her poems where about motherhood. So I decided to do one of my five poems on motherhood.
To care for a child
To give birth to a child
To give it a name
To give a good example.
To take care of it when sickness arrives
To give advice
To be there during good times
To be there during bad times.
To comfort
To be there the day you find out why your child was born
To be there when they marry
To be there for the grandchildren.
She may not live to see their full life
But there are year to plant seeds
To make your child the best.
Memorial Day
Pulled From: The History Channels Website
Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.
Early Observances of Memorial DayThe Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.
It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
Decoration DayOn May 5, 1862, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfieldmade a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Many Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I.
Evolution of Memorial DayMemorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United Statesfound itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Memorial Day Traditions
Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. On a less somber note, many people throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because it unofficially marks the beginning of summer.
Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.
Early Observances of Memorial DayThe Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.
It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
Decoration DayOn May 5, 1862, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfieldmade a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Many Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I.
Evolution of Memorial DayMemorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United Statesfound itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Memorial Day Traditions
Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. On a less somber note, many people throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because it unofficially marks the beginning of summer.
From a Daughter to Mother
Written By: Becky Jones
Written For: Ruthie Henigin, Becky's Mother
Dearest Momma,
It is me, your first born wild and woolly girl. And I am writing with a heart full to overflowing to the woman who carried me under her heart for 9 months and then has spent every day since loving me and praying for me. I put you through so much stress and anxiety. I caused oh too many tears and sleepless nights…but through it all you never said- “Go, I am done with you”..but rather, you always said, “Becky, you are loved-I love you and you cannot make me love you any less- you are my baby girl”…what comfort to know that no matter who came and went in my life my Momma was my Momma was my Momma! How very blessed I am that you are mine. I do not recall a lot from childhood…but the blurred memories stir joy, happiness and peace in my heart and mind. There was never a happier place than home- you were there..those dearest to my heart were there-and I belonged and it was glorious..yes, glorious! I do recall being held in your arms, laying my head in your neck and you rocking, rocking, rocking me. I recall my swingset full of happy pumping legs and face uplifted to the skies..my heart had plenty of room to soar..you made sure I had room to dream and dream I did as I dangled from the apple tree branches and climbed high into the playful land of make-believe. Oh, how I loved my playhouse…thank you for the chalkboard, the curtains, the paneling…it was a refuge. Thank you that I could play in the mud, share your food with hungry waifs and always climb safely into my own bed even with a baggie of fish heads. Thank you for loving me when I wasn’t loving…that would sum up my teen years. Thank you for filling your torn shoes with cardboard so I could vainly prance about in my cool ones. Forgive me that I never even looked to see that you had shoes…I am so, so sorry. Thank you for showing me how to be a faithful wife and mother and friend..you were and are my mentor and I could not ask for anything more than you…because you are my mother, I am so rich…for ever and for always…you are my Momma and I am your baby girl…xoxoxo, Bec
Written For: Ruthie Henigin, Becky's Mother
Dearest Momma,
It is me, your first born wild and woolly girl. And I am writing with a heart full to overflowing to the woman who carried me under her heart for 9 months and then has spent every day since loving me and praying for me. I put you through so much stress and anxiety. I caused oh too many tears and sleepless nights…but through it all you never said- “Go, I am done with you”..but rather, you always said, “Becky, you are loved-I love you and you cannot make me love you any less- you are my baby girl”…what comfort to know that no matter who came and went in my life my Momma was my Momma was my Momma! How very blessed I am that you are mine. I do not recall a lot from childhood…but the blurred memories stir joy, happiness and peace in my heart and mind. There was never a happier place than home- you were there..those dearest to my heart were there-and I belonged and it was glorious..yes, glorious! I do recall being held in your arms, laying my head in your neck and you rocking, rocking, rocking me. I recall my swingset full of happy pumping legs and face uplifted to the skies..my heart had plenty of room to soar..you made sure I had room to dream and dream I did as I dangled from the apple tree branches and climbed high into the playful land of make-believe. Oh, how I loved my playhouse…thank you for the chalkboard, the curtains, the paneling…it was a refuge. Thank you that I could play in the mud, share your food with hungry waifs and always climb safely into my own bed even with a baggie of fish heads. Thank you for loving me when I wasn’t loving…that would sum up my teen years. Thank you for filling your torn shoes with cardboard so I could vainly prance about in my cool ones. Forgive me that I never even looked to see that you had shoes…I am so, so sorry. Thank you for showing me how to be a faithful wife and mother and friend..you were and are my mentor and I could not ask for anything more than you…because you are my mother, I am so rich…for ever and for always…you are my Momma and I am your baby girl…xoxoxo, Bec
From the Messy Middle
Written By: Amy from the Messy Middle
Submitted By: Becky Jones
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
Submitted By: Becky Jones
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
The Editors Message
Written By: Zachary Murphy
I would first like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's out there. This a very special edition of the church newsletter as it is designated for Mother's Day. I would also like all the men and women who have served in the war and who are serving in the war. No words can describe how much you mean to our great country. I would like to encourage everyone to take a minute or two, to say a prayer for the men and women serving our country right now.
I would like to thank everyone who helped out with this issue of the newsletter. The next due date for submissions will be June 8th 2013 by email to [email protected].
As always I am open to any suggestions to make the website or newsletter better.
God Bless,
Zachary Murphy
Website Manager
Newsletter Editor
I would first like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's out there. This a very special edition of the church newsletter as it is designated for Mother's Day. I would also like all the men and women who have served in the war and who are serving in the war. No words can describe how much you mean to our great country. I would like to encourage everyone to take a minute or two, to say a prayer for the men and women serving our country right now.
I would like to thank everyone who helped out with this issue of the newsletter. The next due date for submissions will be June 8th 2013 by email to [email protected].
As always I am open to any suggestions to make the website or newsletter better.
God Bless,
Zachary Murphy
Website Manager
Newsletter Editor