CAMBRIDGE KANSAS PRESBYTERIAN

Persistence In Prayer

2010-10-11T12:15:00.001-07:00

When we read Luke 18:1-8, we are encouraged to be persistent in prayer. The widow kept on pestering the judge until he caved. She got her justice!
Jesus continues, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly."
This is a story not only about persistence in prayer, it is a story about justice and aobut God's plan for His world. In effect, Jesus is having God say, "Don't make me come down there! I will not ignore the cries of those who are being oppressed, those who are being exploited, those who are being abused. I hear their prayers and I will not forever abide the injustice that they are experiencing."
God hates injustice, and God's people ought to hate injustice as well. And we are the answer to injustice! Anywhere people are being mistreated, anywhere people have needs that aren't being met, we are God's hands reaching out with love.
Justice is what God wants, for all people, everywhere.

Pastor Kay

A Familiar Story

2010-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

I like this time of year when the lectionary (prescribed scriptures) brings us many of the old, familiar Sunday School stories. This Sunday will be the healing of the lepers. Do you remember? Jesus heals ten lepers and only one returns to thank him.
Why do you suppose Jesus showed disappointment when only one of the lepers returned to give thanks?
The great Lutheran preacher of the late 20th century Edmund Steimle, says: "Well, for one thing, a marvelous and miraculous cure had been given to them, not a calamity. Jesus was concerned that there be recognition of the giver behind the gift. One can rejoice in gifts, as did the other nine, no doubt, and as we frequently do when good things come our way. But Jesus was concerned that they recognize their dependence upon the giver for all the good they had experienced in life."
Too often, we forget our dependence upon God. May we take the time today to recognize that dependence and ..............Oh yes, thank Him.

Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

The Miners

2010-09-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

This article was e-mailed to me from our Synod Letter. It made me think. I thought perhaps you would want to read it as well.

It sounds like the latest prime-time reality show. Thirty-three miners trapped half a mile beneath the earth’s surface await rescue. How will they fare through several months of cramped exile in a hot, dark tunnel the size of a couple semi-trailers?
The entire group might sink into a deadly funk if they knew the likely length of their confinement. So, authorities have decided to keep as vague as possible all projections about the timing of their rescue. How long will it take for the men to realize they’re being kept in yet another kind of darkness?
I was grateful to learn that the miners have a separate tunnel to use as a latrine, and
that they quickly organized themselves. Administrative, medical, and spiritual leaders emerged, but as weeks and months in the darkness drag on, will the men turn on their leaders the way we do up here?
Can you think of 32 people, even if you could choose from among both genders and other walks of life, with whom you’d willingly spend six months in an unfurnished room with no win-dows? Can you name 32 others who could tolerate you?
The most dramatic story lines we’ll eventually hear may have to do with certain details of the rescue plan. Crews have begun boring a hole 26 inches wide through which they expect to raise the men, one at a time, in a three-hour elevator ride to
the surface. Currently, several men are too large for an opening that size. They have several months to shed some body mass, but how do you lose weight when you can’t take a walk, much less jog or work out at the Y?
We’ll learn plenty about these men over the next few months as they become the unwitting cast of an un-scripted reality show, or accidental lab specimens in an unplanned but all too genuine study of human nature.
Meanwhile, up here in breeze and sunlight, we too face a test. If our own humanity remains intact, we’ll find ourselves down there in the dark with those castaways, at least in our prayers.

Peace,
Pastor Kay

The Lost

2010-09-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, the 12th of September we will be studying Luke 15:1-10. Some good stuff there about the 'lost'.
I once knew a young woman (won't mention a name). Shortly after I met her, her boyfriend kicked her out of his house. She brought that problem to work, and it got her fired. She said, "Maybe I should go to chuch. Nothing else is working!' Instead, she went out drinking with her friends. The hour grew late and her friends called it a night, but not this young lady. Some people were buying the drinks and she stayed on. The bar closed. She was drunk and angry. She went to her ex-boyfriends house, broke in, and beat him up. Then she stole his truck. Before morning came, she was in jail.
We might say that Sue was a sinner. But I think Jesus would say, "She is lost." Jesus would figure out how to welcome her. Maybe he would post her bail. Maybe he would buy her lunch. Maybe he would not judge her by her sin, but measure her value in the eyes of God.
What is the young woman's value in God's eyes? He died for her!
Now, when she is found, we will all celebrate her rescue! There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one of us who repents.

Jesus looks at each one of us, and sees us as worthy of his death on the cross. And that's the Good News for us all!
Grace Abounds,
Pastor Kay

Discipleship Costs!

2010-09-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Luke 14:33......any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

What? Give up everything? When we read this scripture in church Sunday, will we respond, "This is the Word of the Lord, thanks be to God"?
What does it cost us to profess our faith in Jesus Christ and to announce ourselves as his disciples? What does it cost you to be a Christian? We're not just talking here about your financial commitment.
You know that if you're going to play golf well you're going to invest hours on the range working on your swing, you may pay a pro to give you instructions, you will frustrate yourself watching balls splash in the water and disappear into the rough. Playing golf well does not come cheap.

It's common sense, Jesus says. Count the cost of what you want to build. Can you afford it? Will you pay it? It's common sense.

What is the cost of discipleship? It's not cheap. To hear more-please join us in church this Labor Day Weekend. Sunday at 11 AM. Cambridge, Kansas Presbyterian Church, USA

I'll be looking for you!
Pastor Kay

What A Party!

2010-08-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

One day Jesus was at a dinner party and he taught something very different. "When you have a party," Jesus said, "or when you want to take someone to dinner, don't do this for someone who can afford to pay you back. Instead, invite someone who will never be able to pay back your favor. Then God will always be the one who will bless you." Luke 14: 7-14

Barbara Brown Taylor vividly imagines what the table fellowship of Jesus might look like today. She pictures an abortion doctor, an arms dealer, a garbage collector, a young man with AIDS, a Laotian chicken plucker, a teenage crack addict, and an unmarried woman on welfare with her five children by three different fathers in tow. Sitting at the head of the table, Jesus asks the young man to hand him a roll and then offers the doctor one more cup of coffee before she heads back to the clinic.
But the scene doesn't end there. In come some pastors from the local ministerial association. They plunk themselves down in a booth across from the sinners. These pastors all have good teeth and well-groomed fingernails. When their food comes, they hold hands to pray. They are all perfectly nice people. But they can hardly stomach their sandwiches at the sight of the strange crowd in the far booth.
The chicken plucker is still wearing her white hair net. The garbage collector smells like spoiled meat. The addict can barely bring spoon to mouth, "But the heartbreaker is Jesus, sitting there as if everything werre just dandy. Doesn't he know what kind of message he is sending?" (Christian Century, March 11, 1998, page 257).
The fact is that he did and does! The message he sends is about a forgiveness that can never be rescinded, an acceptance that can never be questioned, and a love that is unlimited and available to all!
May we ever be like Jesus,
Pastor Kay

Worship

2010-08-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

When we leave worship and go out through the doors of the church into the world, we should go as people who have been changed through an encounter with God. Worship should not be something that simply sustains us in what we are already doing. Worship needs to make us, somehow, into different people, into the people that God wants us to be. Worship needs to help us to cease to do evil, and it needs to encourage us to learn to do good. For if our worship truly does all this, we can be assured that God will smile upon our festivals and solemn assemblies. And we can be assured that God will delight in the worship that we offer. Thanks be to God!

Psalm 50: 23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.

Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

Homemade Ice Cream & Lord's Auction Sale!

2010-08-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Everyone looks forward to the annual ice cream social at our church. With this hot weather, the ice cream will really hit the spot! There will also be a big variety of homemade desserts. This happens Saturday at 5 PM, August 7!!!!!!!!
A free will offering will be accepted for general missions. The auction proceeds simply helps us keep the doors of the church open.
Hope to see you there!
Pastor Kay

The Lord's Prayer

2010-07-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

The disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray."
The model prayer, and every honest prayer, is about attitude more than words. "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come..."
When we pray, we are not hollering across the street to our neighbor working in their yard. We are talking to the One who set the stars in their courses, who knows the number of fish within the sea, and who holds the destinies of nations. We can be angry. We can be bold. We can even be silly, if our prayer is gladness and thanksgiving. But if prayer is to be prayer, we need to remember who God is and why we pray in the first place. God is God, and we are who we are. We are sinners in need of forgiveness, and we are weaklings in need of God's strength.
"Our Father, hallowed be thy name....."
Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

Martha and Mary

2010-07-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

As I study this familiar story from Luke 10; I find that I regret the controversy over Mary and Martha. These two sisters were Jesus' beloved friends. Many people take sides; which one is more admirable? the spiritual sister or the practical one? But they both have excellent qualities.
Since we just furnished a big funeral dinner this week; I thank God for the Marthas!
It seems to me that the story really deals with our goals in life. What has our attention most of the time? Martha is focused on her own goal (being a gracious hostess); she has no time to spend with the Lord.
We may say that all we have belong to the Lord; our time, life, money, but does He have our attention? We need to be careful that all the good things of life---family, jobs, community service, even good works---don't choke out God's life in us.
May we keep God and His presence in our lives our primary focus. He is the key to everything!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kay

The Good Samaritan/Luke 10:25-37

2010-07-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Who is my neighbor?" Ah, that's the rub, isn't it? Who is my neighbor?
We say, "Well, charity begins at home. Just taking care of my family, that's enough!"
"If we're just true to our spouses, that's enough!
"Don't bog down in foreign aid, don't give aid to foreigners. We've got people right here in the states who are hungry and homeless. Let's just take care of our own, the neighbor like us."
Can't you see? Can you see in the one who is broken, can you see in the one who is hungry, can you see in the one who is victim, can you see the face of your father, can you see the face of your mother, can you see the face of a brother, can you see the face of a sister?
Or do you see a black face, or a yellow face, or a red face? Do you see a different kind of nose or a different kind of eye? Whether you're giving or receiving aid, does it make any difference?
Jesus teaches us that God has given all of us life and that God loves us all and that we are more than neighbors. We're kin. We're brothers and sisters.

Grace & Peace for all,
Pastor Kay

4th of July

2010-06-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Freedom! Yes, we are celebrating freedom at our house. Last week we were enslaved to two three year olds who demanded our attention and dictated our sleep patterns. Now the children are back home with their parents and we are free to live our own lives once again. But.........we miss the hugs, cute sayings, and bright smiles!
What we learned last week is that the sacrifice is worth it! The week of giving of ourselves to the 3 year olds was a week of bonding in love with them.
Our VBS was a huge success with 24 children attending! I thank God for the wonderful helpers (6 faithful volunteers!). Now I am trying to gear up for the 4th of July which falls on a Sunday! Can it be the 4th of July already?
Thank God for our freedom! Thank God for the people who sacrificed (and continue to this day) their lives so that we can breathe the sweet air of freedom every morning. May we NEVER take our freedom for granted.
Thanks be to God,
Pastor Kay Hull

Psalm 98

2010-06-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday will be Father's Day. Perhaps we should honor not only our family Fathers, but also our church Fathers. I'm particularly thinking of Martin Luther. Did you know that Psalm 98 was his favorite Psalm?
Luther feared God, and this psalm gave him the words and the encouragement to speak frankly and fearlesly before God as well as the human authorities that threatened him. He said, "This is my psalm, my chosen psalm. I love them all; I love all holy Scripture, which is my consolation and my life. But this psalm is nearest my heart, and I have a familiar right to call it mine. It has saved me from many a pressing danger, from which neither emperor, nor kings, nor sages, nor saints could have saved me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all the honours and power of the earth."
Psalm 98: 7-9 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kay Hull

An Extravagant Act

2010-06-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday we will be looking at Luke 7:36-50. It is a familiar story. The 'loose' woman came up to Jesus and washed His feet with her tears, and dried His feet with her hair. She poured expensive ointment ove His feet. What follows is a conversation between Jesus and Simon. Simon cannot understand why Jesus would have anything to do with this "loose' woman!
This is a text of grace and love.
Bruce Larson says, "I can remember a similar experience of unconditioned love some years ago when our children were young. We bought a baby parakeet--a poor, bald thing with no feathers. However, Jeremiah (his name) grew into a very beautiful and talented bird. He could say "Give me a kiss, baby" and "I'm a Presbyterian." This bird had the run of the house, and on one sunny day I walked out into our back yard, only to discover Jeremiah on my shoulder. I turned immediately to go back in, but off he flew, never to be seen again> Jeremiah had been a member of the family for eight years, and I thought my kids would blame me for my carelessness. But they never once said, "How could you?" They loved me, and felt sorry for me. Those are rare moments--when we forgive much. I think this is the heart of the Christian program that God has in mind for us. We are to receive His unconditional love and transmit it to others, however undeserving or unworthy. That's the proof of our faith."

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kay

The Amen

2010-06-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

All the promises of God find their "yes" in Christ. That is why we utter the "amen"through Jesus, to the glory of God. It is God who has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, we have been forgiven and redeemed.
In Jesus name, AMEN!

Trinity Sunday

2010-05-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday is not only Memorial Weekend celebration, but also Trinity Sunday. Preachers around the world do their best to explain Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in 20 minutes or less. What a task set before us! And if that isn't hard enough; we must try to explain it to the children of our church! Oh My.
I think one of the best explanations I ever heard was a new seminary grad being questioned by a Presbytery committee. When she was asked to explain the trinity, she said, "It's like a three-note chord. Each note sounds good- in and of itself. But when played together, the three-in-one, then; there is beautiful music."
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I encourage you this week to think of Creator, Savior, and Sustainer.
Won't you join us in worship this Sunday at 11 AM? Sunday School at 10AM. (If you arrive a few minutes early we will even let you ring the church bell!)
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kay

Pentecost Sunday

2010-05-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Wear Red! Red balloons! Red paraments! Communion! Birthday cake! Sounds like Pentecost to me!
Yes it is! We are celebrating the birthday of the church, the coming of the Holy Spirit!
The church is not an institution that is driven by ideas. We are not a body of people that depends upon visionaries who will map out our ideals, and lay out our plans. The chuch is driven by the message given by God and by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Since the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God has continued to bless the preaching of the church. Anytime the Gospel is preached, the Spirit of God is at work blessing the message.
So, come and help us celebrate God at work! 11 AM Sunday, May 23rd.
You might even get to eat a piece of the birthday cake!

Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Mothers Day

2010-05-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Just to bring you some smiles! Perhaps a fond memory..........Happy Mothers Day!
My Mother Taught Me
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
2. My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
4. My mother taught me LOGIC. "Because I said so, that's why."
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
7. My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."
12 My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!" 15. My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."
16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."
17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when you get home!"
18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."
19. My mother taught me ESP. "Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"
20. My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
22. My mother taught me GENETICS. "You're just like your father."
23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
24. My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."
25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
ChristianGlobe Illustrations, Source Unknown, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc.
Pastor Kay

"Love One Another" John 13: 31-35

2010-04-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

According to Jesus' command to "love one another," love means all sorts of unsubtle, unpractical, irrational things: We are not allowed to kill or slander, betray, dishonor or covet. We are to love our enemies! Love means we are commanded by God to preserve and conserve the earth and its fruits: energy, water, air, soil, food. Love means paying my fair share of taxes for the sake of others--for the wealth we have been given to hold in common and for the common good. Love means really noticing the log in our own eye before we start getting huffy about somebody else's splinter.
"Whoa," we say, "I can't love my neighbor THAT much!" Let's admit it. We break the Lord's commandments over and over. We will not truly love each other.
But God loves us......and even loves them. That kind of acceptance and love promises us that even though we fail to love as we ought and fail to obey Jesus' commands, we can have hope. Love will prevail. Love does prevail. Love is the incarnate Word whose presence is revealed wherever and whenever any of us cries for help to get rid of our blindness, our inability to see others as God sees them. Love is what helps us get that log out of our own eyes before we work on digging splinters out of others' vision.
God makes a way (to love) when we say there is 'no way'. Thanks be to God!

Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

The Lord Is My Shepherd

2010-04-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

The person who wrote the 23rd Psalm knew that those who heard his words would understand what he meant when he said, "The Lord is my shepherd."
The Lord is the one who calls you and me by name, who knows you better than anyone else knows you, who cares for you needs. The Lord meets your physical needs, and also takes care of your soul.
Most importantly, the Lord leads you and me in right paths. Sheep depended upon their shepherd to lead them to a place where they would have all they needed. God is one who leads us. God leads us in right paths. God helps us to do the good and avoid the bad in life. God leads us to the place where we enjoy life because we are with the one who protects us and cares for us and leads us.
Thanks be to God!
Pastor Kay

Hide and Seek

2010-04-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to having our little granddaughter come and stay for a few days this weekend. She is 3 years old. She keeps us young. We learn from her. She likes to play hide-and seek. This is difficult for me to understand. I don't like the game of hide-and -seek I often play with myself. I get annoyed at every minute I spend looking for something in my car, on my desk, in my wallet, or on the Internet. I hate losing things.
So why do children love the simple game of hide-and -seek? Because it assures them of the simple truth that "if you seek, you will find." It doesn't matter if it takes a long time, and it is a better game if it is played with a good hider because it always ends with the delighted discovery and the shouts of "I found you!"
I imagine God, at the times in which God seems most hidden from us, hiding like an old uncle or your favorite aunt, just behind the sofa or under the cellar stairs, listening excitedly for the approach of our footsteps and our voices as we come closer and closer, all of us waiting for the reconciliation moment when we shout together, "I found you! I found you!"
May you find God today,
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kay

Bright Monday!

2010-04-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the Monday after Easter is called "Bright Monday" in some traditions? It is used as a time to exchange jokes or to spread good cheer with one another.
Perhaps you are experiencing a difficult time in your life; even though it is "Bright Monday". This is true in our family. A drunk driver caused the death of our nephew's wife and her 13 year old daughter. Our nephew and two other children are still hospitalized. This happened the day before Easter.
Through this tragedy, we are experiencing the peace of Christ. The peace that Christ gives and only Christ can give. "Not as the world gives" but the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.
This truly is "Bright Monday" with the Easter promise of the empty tomb; the assurance of eternal life; and the gift of peace in our soul.

Grace and much Peace to you,
Pastor Kay

Prayer's for the week of 3-28-10

2010-03-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Holy God, our hearts become heavy with the burdens of life. Then you break into our despair with a simple gift from nature or a word from Scripture, and we know that you are working in, around, and through us. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen

Loving God, walk with us in our times of pain and show us how we can be your hands and heart reaching out to those around us - to be the channel for your rivers of living water in our world. Amen

A Lenten Journey

2010-03-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks we have been finding things in our church that don't normally belong there. A feather, a rock, a bathrobe. We started finding these things at the back of the church and each week we get a little closer to the front of the church.
The front of the church represents Jerusalem. We are on a journey, with Jesus, to Jerusalem.
This week we will find a bottle of expensive perfume. If you know your Bible, you know the story of Mary and her extravagant gift to Jesus. She poured a bottle of perfume on his feet and then began to dry his feet with her hair.
Jesus said to his disciples, "She is preparing me for my burial."
Jesus was always taking care of other people, so to have that woman come to him and do a very special thing like that must have meant a lot to him.
This week in Lent, can we think of special things that we could do to let Jesus know how much we love him?

Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

The Prodigal Son

2010-03-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

We are getting closer to Jerusalem! The first Sunday of Lent; I took the children to the back of the church and told them we would journey to Jerusalem during Lent. We imagine that Jerusalem is the front of the church: where the cross and communion table are.
Next Sunday we will hear Jesus telling us the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Each step of our journey to Jerusalem, we have heard of the grace and mercy of God. God forgives us! God gives us second chances!
The father is at the heart and center of the Prodigal Son story. Although he has been rejected by his sons, he transcends. He embraces the one who is undeserving and calls for an extravagant celebration. Equally he goes out to the one who believes himself to be more deserving and offers him words of affectionate endearment (My dear son) and a sincere welcome. Neither son is reprimanded. The father offers a holy sort of understanding and love.
Here is the ultimate edge to this parable. We are called not just to reflect on how we might need and receive forgiveness like one or the other of these sons, but that we are also called to be transformed into the image of the father. We are called to be this parent, to manifest the reconciling grace of Jesus Christ.
Peace,
Pastor Kay

Prayer forMarch 7 / 13

2010-03-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself at your altars, holy God. As the sparrow flies to you with both wings outstretched, give your church the wisdom to do your work using both wings. Forgive us for those times we intentionally or unintentionally clip the wing of womens' gifts. In the name of Christ, the one in whose image both women and men have been created. Amen

This week-Figs?

2010-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about figs. I do, however, love Fig Newtons. So it makes me happy that the fig trees (wherever they are) are still producing figs.
In the 13th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree. A barren fig tree. I guess the landowner told the gardener to cut it down, because it was not producing figs. The gardener pleads for one more chance so that he might help it grow and produce fruit.
What grace! God is like the gardener: always wanting to give us one more chance.
Such grace is freely given to make us gracious and fruitful, to make our lives more Christ-like. To receive grace and do nothing--that is to live selfishly, to hoard it and not share such grace with others--is displeasing to God. It makes us like the barren fig tree: useless.
It makes a difference in how we live and use our gifts. God's desire for us is that we produce good fruit.
Now, excuse me while I go find that package of Fig Newtons. (I ate almost a whole package in one day when I was pregnant.)
Grace and peace to you,
Pastor Kay

Psalm 27

2010-02-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

"One thing I have asked of the Lord," sings the psalmist, "to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." Psalm 27:4
The psalmist wants to encounter God and be taught by God--meeting God in worship and learning from God in the scriptures--that is the one thing the psalmist prays for. That is the one thing that defines the house of the Lord wherever we may look for it.
John Calvin taught that this was the distinguishing mark of the church. If you're looking for a church, look for two things: look for a place where the sacraments are rightly administered and the word rightly preached. Word and sacrament: these define the house of the Lord in the Christian faith.
At Cambridge Presbyterian Church, we have two members who joined because they visited many churches in the area; but said, "We found God here."
May God be present in your church and worship wherever you worship this Sunday!
Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

Season of Lent

2010-02-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

The word "Lent," comes from an Old English word for spring. This word is related to the modern English words "length" and "lengthen," probably because in the spring the days grow longer. It was originally used for the whole season of spring, and later only for the period that immediately preceded Easter.
Shrove Tuesday takes its name from an old verb "shrive," meaning either to make confession or to hear confession. This verb "shrive" is like our modern verb "drive," so shrove is the past participle.
On the day before Lent began, all believers were supposed to go to confession, confess their sins to the priest, and be absolved. Lent, in turn, would prepare them for Easter, when they would receive Communion.
Words often have a fascinating history. When we know the history of some of the words we use, especially some of the words we use in the church, we can often remember what the words mean more readily.
This week: Ash Wednesday service 7 PM in sanctuary
Grace and Peace to you,
Pastor Kay

Transfiguration Sunday

2010-02-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Prepare yourself for a dazzling experience! On the mountaintop with Jesus: Peter, James, and John witness a dazzling brightness that shows forth the glory of Jesus. They had traveled many a dusty mile with Him. A great change occurs in Jesus. Even his clothes turn bleach white.
Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, indicating how even the law and prophets are testimonial references to Christ.
This Sunday, we will read Luke 9:38-36.
May the full expression of God's light and life be made visible to us; as it was to Peter, James and John, opening up for us a life of fullness and joy.

Communion Sunday, Feb 14, 11AM
See you at the table,
Pastor Kay

Fishing With Patience

2010-02-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

My grandparents loved to fish! In fact, my grandmother would rather be out fishing than any other activity in the world. She could sit for hours and wait for fish to bite!
Our scripture for this coming Sunday is from Luke 5:1-11. Some of the first disciples who followed Jesus were like my Grandma: they were fishermen. One day when Jesus saw them out in the lake, waiting for the fish to bite, he shouted to them, "Come with me and I will make you fish for people." In other words he was telling them to follow him and teach other people about God's love.
I have often wondered why Jesus started his ministry by calling fishermen. Sometimes I wonder if one of the reasons that Jesus chose fishermen as his first disciples was because they were used to waiting.
Sometimes for us to really understand what God wants of us and what God is trying to teach us, we have to wait. Patiently.
So Sunday when we come to church, let's wait patiently for God's message to come to us. Then when we receive the message, we can go out like the disciples and share it with the world.

Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Prayer for the week of January 24,2010

2010-01-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Holy Spirit, forgive our tendency toward fight and flight. Heal our divisions, we pray, so that we may be one, just as Jesus Christ and the Father are one. Bless the gatherings this summer and throughout this year that seek to unite your people around the world and in our communities, to the praise and glory of God. Amen

Jeremiah

2010-01-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah was a bull frog? I know that song pops in your mind when you think of Jeremiah!
Actually, he was a prophet. A weeping prophet.
Fred Craddock told the story of a dream he had one night. He was taken up to heaven, where he got a chance to meet God. God gave him the tour, they shared a meal together, and then God showed Craddock to his room for the evening. Craddock said that it was the most comfortable room he had ever stayed in--the pillow was just right, the temperature was ideal, the firmness of the bed was perfect. But he couldn't go to sleep, because he kept hearing someone weeping in the room next door. After Craddock stepped out of his room the next morning, God asked him how he slept. "The room was wonderful," Craddock said, "but someone next door to me was crying all night." God said, "I'm sorry. I was the one weeping." Craddock asked, "What was the matter?" God said, "I kept hearing the cries of my children." Craddock said, "Is there anything I can do?" and God said, "Yes. Yes, there is."
The "weeping prophet" reminds us of the weeping of God for the weeping of God's children in our world. Will you respond to God's call to bear witness to a world uprooted and torn down, devastated and defeated?

See you Sunday! worship 11 AM
Pastor Kay

Grace-gifts

2010-01-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Marva Dawn at a seminar. She has written many books. She tells this story in 'Truly the Community'.
Every Monday afternoon, Marva Dawn went to a nursing home with a 5-year-old boy. Marva sang, and so did the boy, but he didn't know many songs and he didn't sing very loud. But it was something they could do, so they did it. But the boy did something else, too. Somehow he knew what the residents needed, and he knew what to do. (Sometimes children are like that!)

Marva has written about this. She says the boy always knew which resident needed to hold somebody's hand. So he would walk over, stretch out his hand, and, Marva wites, "a grinning lady would take his little hand in her arthritic hand, and crush it with affection." It was a gift, that hand he offered and the heart that knew to offer it. And they received it cheerfully, eagerly, and joyously. Marva writes, "Grace-gifts are given. We cannot seize them from someone else. We cannot demand them, or expect them, or crank them up; but they are a fact. "

This Sunday we will be thinking about the many spiritual gifts that God has bestowed upon us.
These gifts are personal--each one given to an individual, but they serve the common good.

Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Prayer for the week of January 17,2010

2010-01-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

Gracious and mighty God, forgive us our lack of imagination and for underestimating what you can and will do in our lives and your church. Through your Holy Spirit, equip us with the power and passion to respond to you in love. Remind us yet again that your grace in Jesus Christ is more than sufficient. Thank you for your faithfulness and endless provision. May we daily lean on your everlasting arms. Amen

KPrayer

2010-01-17T07:27:00.011-08:00

KPrayer

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KPrayer

2010-01-17T07:27:00.007-08:00

KPrayer

2010-01-17T07:27:00.005-08:00

KPrayer

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KPrayer

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Baptism

2010-01-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

This Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. We also celebrate our own baptism. Baptism is a sacrament of belonging. God claims us. We belong to God. God bestows upon us the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reminds us that we belong to God; and equips us for that life of belonging to God.
At a woman's conference, the women were invited to come forward to touch the waters of baptism in the fount and recall their own baptism. The pastor spoke the words "Remember your baptism and be thankful." One by one they came; some touched their foreheads with a wet finger or splashed their faces with wet hands.
But one particular lady cautiously touched the water and then her forehead as she tearfully said, "But I don't remember my baptism."
"Ah," said the pastor, "perhaps not, but the amazing truth is that God does. God does remember, and to God we belong."

Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

Prayer for the week of 01-03-10

2010-01-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

God of all creation, give us open minds and humble hearts that we may learn of your surprising love and grace for all your peoples the world over. Use our voices, hands, and feet to do the hard work of making peace so that one day all will know the safety and security you intend. In the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen

Happy New Year!

2009-12-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Joyce Rupp shares the following prayer, titled "The New Year," in her book Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season.

Faithful companion,
in this new year I pray:
to live deeply, with purpose,
to live freely, with detachment,
to live wisely, with humility,
to live justly, with compassion,
to live lovingly, with fidelity,
to live mindfully, with awareness,
to live gratefully, with generosity,
to live fully, with enthusiasm.
Help me to hold this vison and to daily renew it in my heart,
becoming ever more one with you,
my truest Self.

Blessings,
Pastor Kay

PRAYER FOR WEEK OF 12-20-2009

2009-12-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

Holy and loving God, we thank you that you have created us to be in relationship with one another and that you give us companions on the journey. We ask that your Holy Spirit teach us to reach out to each other, to trust, and to share. Remind us that we are all connected in Jesus, our brother and savior. We thank you that you are with us in all the circumstances of life. May we all be nourished by your love. Amen

Advent 4

2009-12-17T06:13:00.000-08:00

The last Advent candle will be lit this Sunday. The countdown is nearly over. The baby Jesus will be born anew in our hearts this Christmas.
We know this is what Christmas is all about, don't we? We know it's not just about trees and parties. We know it's not just about trees and presents, Santa and cards, sweets and parties. We know that all the things we do to get ready for Chritmas(baking, cleaning, travelling, welcoming travelers, eating and dancing and decorating) are done because of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus who is "God-with-us," Immanuel.
The out-pouring of gifts is a mirrored vision of what we receive from our gracious God.
Advent is a time to ponder the Giver.
Christmas Blessings,
Pastor Kay

Advent 3

2009-12-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

What a great time we had at the soup supper! Not only the soup; but the singing! Don't you just love the Christmas Carols?
This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent. Our scripture comes from a little known prophet named Zephaniah. "Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart......."
Zephaniah even says (3: 17) that God takes such delight in us that God sings over us. I can visualize a mother hovering over a crib singing quietly to her baby. Can you imagine God singing over us?
Our pianist, Alberta McChesney, is providing us with some beautiful music this Advent. Won't you come and celebrate the music of Christmas this Sunday?
Worship at 11 AM. Sunday School at 10 AM.
See you there!
Pastor Kay

Advent 2

2009-11-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

Second Sunday of Advent is coming up! December 6 we will hear Isaiah 40. "Comfort, comfort my people." says God.
We could use a word of comfort these days, couldn't we? Or perhaps we just need some comfort food!
(Great transition!) Come to the soup supper and be comforted by hot soup and delicious desserts! There will be a craft sale table to complete your Christmas shopping!
I look forward to seeing you Sunday!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Advent Begins!

2009-11-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

I have to admit it. I am as excited as a little kid. I do love Christmas. I love the music. I love the gaudy decorations. I love the tension in the air of anticipated surprises.
This week is a bit confusing. Tuesday night we will decorate the church for Christmas. Wednesday I will spend cooking for my family; who are coming for Thanksgiving! Thursday, well of course, is the big day of over-stuffing ourselves(let us be honest). Friday is a day for many to over-spend at the stores(not me. I hate the crowd).
Then comes Saturday and I will be wondering about the sermon on Sunday and what I can possibly say to keep everyone awake after such a whirl-wind of a week.
When Sunday comes; may we just take a deep breath and rest in the grace and mercy of God. And if you happen to nod off during the 1st Advent sermon; I understand.
Blessings,
Pastor Kay

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK OF 12-13-2009

2009-11-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

Gracious and loving God, as you have transformed us, teach us to be transforming. As we faithfully envision the future delivered to us through the incarnate presence of your Son in our midst, help us to hear your call to renew our focus on that future. So refocused, encourage us and strengthen us that we might live your future in the midst of our present. Amen

Christ the King Sunday!

2009-11-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

Must make a trip to Burger King this week and try to get one of those crowns they hand out to children! It's a good illustration of how Jesus is King of our lives. Er........well, He should be.
Not only is Christ King of our lives, but He is King of the church. King of the nations. This yearly church celebration remeinds us that one day the rule of Christ will be recognized; every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is the great King of the whole cosmos. Then even the most reserved Presbyterian will leap to her feet and jump like a high school cheerleader for the sheer joy of the great coronation!
On this Christ the King Sunday, let us pray for a regime change of the highest order. Come Lord Jesus, King of Kings, make your Kingdom come, for the good of us all. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Kay

Our Rock-Solid God

2009-11-09T15:29:00.001-08:00

God is the rock who will never abandon us no matter what the future holds!

What a bold statement. You might ask, "Pastor Kay, how can you be so sure?"

Well, the truth is, sometimes I'm not so sure. Sometomes when the pillars of my life have crashed in around me, I've had my doubts to be sure, or when I've seen the pillars of your life crash in around you, or when I've seen the pillars crash in around brothers and sisters throughout the globe. But then the Holy Spirit works again the miracle of faith in my struggling soul, and I know again my place--our place, the world's place--in the rock-solid, passionate heart of God.
And, just how does the Holy Spirit work that miracle of faith? Through the words of the Bible. Through bread broken and blood poured, oh yes. But God also rebuilds faith through you, God's holy people. The Holy Spirit rebuilds faith through your listening, your caring, your forgiveness, your prayers, your songs, your tears, your laughter, your understanding, your love, your praises, your service, your passion for jsutice. We experience the rock-solid love of God for each other and for the world through each other.
So lets huddle closely together and lean into the promises of God. We will look to the Rock of our Salvation for hope: hope for our fragile lives, hope for our fragile world.

Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

The Widow's Mite

2009-11-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

The scripture for this coming Sunday (Nov 6) is always uncomfortable for us. Mark 12:38-44 recounts the attention that Jesus gave to the poor widow who gave all she had to the temple offering.
Her gift is unbelievably small, the smallest coin in circulatiion. The rich threw in large gifts and Jesus says nothing to condemn them or their gifts.
The rich gave out of excess cash they didn't know what to do with, a surplus at the end of the month, the leftovers. The widow made a sacrifice.
Reminds me of a story:
The preacher came to Mr. Jones and asked him, "If you had a million dollars would you give half of it to the Lord?" Mr. Jones replied, "Of course I would, preacher!" Then he asked, "If you had two cows would you give one of them to the Lord?" Mr Jones answered, "Now, preacher, that's not fair! You know I have two cows!"
Our gifts are not measured by hhow much we give but how much we keep for ourselves.
May we all be cheerful givers,
Pastor Kay

FACTS ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

2009-10-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Be cautious about giving out information to Census Workers !

With the US Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 US Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country..Eventually more than 140,000 US Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information abouut every person living at each address including name,age,gender,race,and other relevant data. The BIG question is ----how do you tell the difference between a US Census worker and a con artist?? BBB offers the following advice.
If a US Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering any questions. In addition, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.
Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, CREDIT CARD OR BANKING INFORMATION TO ANYONE, EVEN IF THEY CLAIM THEY NEED IT FOR THE CENSUS. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will NOT ask for social Security, Bank Account, or Credit card numbers, now will employees solicit donations.

Eventually,Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home..However, they will NOT contact you by email, so be on the lookout for email scams, impersonating the Census..NEVER click on a link or open any email attachments that are supposedly from the US Census Bureau.

Thanksgiving

2009-10-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies..Although it wasn't observed annually until 1863, the legacy of thanks ,particularly of the feast, has survived the centuries. Whether at Plymouth or in Cambridge , celebrations of thanks have held great meaning and importance..This year, as we gather with family and friends to share a Thanksgiving meal, there are those who don't know from where their next meal is coming.

Bartimaeus

2009-10-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Please take a moment to read Mark 10:46-52, our text for October 25.

Bartimaeus' first action was to cry out: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Hope begins when we cry out in our need and pain before God and neighbor. It begins when we knock on society's door and demand justice. It continues when we persist in crying out, even when those around us tell us to be quiet. To cry out is a demand to be seen and heard...to witness that as creatures created in the image of God, we are deserving of healing and wholeness.

There is hope in the naming of our needs. The blind man said to Jesus, "My teacher, let me see again." In this instance, the need was obvious, but it is not always so in our lives. When Jesus asks us, "What do you want me to do for you?" this is an invitation to search our hearts and souls in the light of his life. It is an opportunity to take an inventory of our hurts and dreams and begin to sort them out and prioritize them. It is asking, "What is really most important to you?" The healing of hope is that it allows us to see beyond where we are now.

Gracie Allen, wife of the comedian George Burns, once wrote in a letter to her husband, "Never put a period where God has placed a comma."

May the story of Bartimaeus help us see God's comma instead of the finality of the circumstance in which we find ourselves. For in Christ is hope beyond healing.

Blessings
Pastor Kay

Serving

2009-10-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Our Cowboy Church was a huge success! Even though the weather did not cooperate; we enjoyed our worship with guitar and cowboy theme.
There was just one mishap! Five minutes into the service-a man burst into the church seeking help for his father who had collapsed. The beepers started beeping and three 1st responders and one firefighter ran out the door. We continued our worship after an impromptu prayer for the man who collapsed, 1st responders, and EMTs.
Our volunteer firefighters returned about five minutes before worship ended.

We in the church are called to respond to other people's cries of help with cries of our own: cries of empathy. This is an exceedingly diffficult calling. When someone cries for help; most of the world runs in the other direction.

It's hard to care for people who are suffering emotionally, spiritually, physically, psychologically. It's hard to be near other people's pain and remain healthy ourselves. It's difficult to know when to push someone away and when to hold them. It's difficult to reach out to a person saturated by anguish because it's awkward and we feel helpless. It's difficult to set aside our own rights while we help someone else.

But we must follow the example of Jesus, and not the example of our society. We must cry with those who cry because that is the way of the cross. Serving those who are in pain is the way of the Son. For that is what Jesus has done for us.

"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10: 45

Volunteer firefighters: Thank You. Your act of serving was the best worship of all.

Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

Cowboy Church

2009-10-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

A genuine “Cowboy Church” will be held at the ranch home of Matt & Brandy Williams at Grand Summit (east of Cambridge). Matt & Brandy own a rodeo stock company.
We will gather at Cambridge Presbyterian Church at 10:30 AM Sunday, October 11. From this point, we will drive out to the ranch and have “Cowboy Church”!
Bob and Arlene Otto of rural Burden Ks will lead us in singing with guitar accompaniment. Brandy Williams is giving a short “What Is a Cowboy?” devotion; Mark Hull Sr will pray a “Cattleman’s Prayer”. Bart Schooley, Bowdy Williams, and John Conway will give us demonstrations of rope tricks and whip snapping.
Come worship and celebrate with us. The Flint Hills are so beautiful! We thank God for the beauty of the earth and the Cowboy Heritage entrusted to us.
Everyone is encouraged to wear warm, comfy clothes! Cowboy hats, jeans & boots if you like!
John and Becky Conway will cook our lunch on the chuckwagon and open fire pit-just like the old-timers did!
In case of inclement weather, “Cowboy Church” will be celebrated inside the 122 year old Cambridge Presbyterian Church.
Pastor Kay Hull encourages everyone to come experience this unique worship service. All are welcome, cowboy or not!

World-wide Communion Sunday

2009-09-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite Sundays. I love to think of all Christian congregations around the world celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
In the early hours of the morning, while all is quiet and dark here at Cambridge, the sun will be rising on the other side of the world. And with the dawn of the new day, God's people will begin gathering for worship amid the sounds of drums, or pipes, stringed instruments, or pianos and organs.
And so we, too, will join in this worldwide chorus of those who call upon the name of the Lord. On World Communion Sunday we remember especially that the Scriptures are fulfilled as "people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God."
I'll meet you at the table.
Peace,
Pastor Kay

Who Is Number One?

2009-09-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

Jesus is such a master teacher. He tells his disciples,"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."
Then he beckons a young child out of the shadows and embraces the youngster. This must have been a shock for the disciples! First of all because it is a role-reversal! Only mothers hugged children! Not men!
Secondly, because children, while valued as offspring, were not counted as having any status.
Sheltered within the family, children remained the least of the least.
Jesus then connects the dots. "Whoever receives one such little child receives me, and the one who sent me."
When we pay attention to caring for the smallest, the weakest and the innocent, then we are serving God.

Blessings,
Pastor Kay

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK OF 09-13-09

2009-09-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

Lord,Jesus Christ, as we seek to be faithful disciples in our little towns and big cities, keep us ever mindful of your call to love one another now and in the future. Amen

Fishing & Labor Day

2009-09-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, my husband liked to go fishing. This Labor Day weekend he went fishing with our oldest son.
Like many times when they fish; they don't bring any fish back home. You see, it's not the fish they are interested in. They are out on the lake to be together. The rod and reel are just an excuse. They go fishing to think. They go fishing to talk, but not too much.
Perhaps they think about the deep meaning of life, like time, eternity, and death. About what it all means, you know, the sort of questions that don't have answers. The mysteries.
Perhaps they just breathe in the beauty of God's creation.
For whatever reason they fish; I can see that their spirits are renewed when they return.
I pray that church is like that for you. In the quiet, can you be renewed? In the fellowship, can you be complete? In the music, do you commune with God?

Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together........................

Peace,
Pastor Kay

A 12 year old's answer

2009-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

This story comes from an interview with a 12 year old boy who grew up in an agnostic home but developed strong theistic convictions.
He was asked. "What difference do you suppose it would make in the world if the God you believe in did not exist? How would it be a different world if the God you believe in did not exist?"

The boy paused thoughtfully for a moment. Then he answered. "We can use the example of my fish tank, my aquarium. My aquarium is meant to be a perfectly balanced ecological system. The fish eat the plants and live on the oxygen the plants give off. The plants live on the waste from the fish and the carbon dioxide they put into the water. There are snails in the tank to keep the sides clean, and they live off the algae and fish waste. So it is supposed to be a self-contained cycle., not requiring me to do anything."
He continued, "But my aquarium is not perfect. Lots of times I have to do something to restore the balance. If I didn't, my fish would die. And we will never know how much God does every day to keep our world working as well as it does!"
("Perspectives on Adolescents, Personhood, and Faith." James W Fowler, in Family Ministry: Empowering Through Faith, Spring 1999, p. 30)
Peace,
Pastor Kay

August 30-Hymn Sing!

2009-08-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about our old-fashioned hymn sing next Sunday! I promise the sermon will be just a short message! We want lots of time to sing our favorite hymns! So be thinking about what you would like to sing and be ready to call out your selection!
Psalm 149: 1 Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
Pastor Kay

Worship 11 AM

Jesus Is the Bread Of Life

2009-08-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Our Bible readings for the month of August seem to repeat the message over and over. Jesus is the bread of life.
One hymn that is often associated with the "bread of life" is "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." The first stanza is as follows:
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.
This does not mean we are saying to Jesus, "thanks but no thanks; I've had enough bread." John 6: 34-35 says that the crowds who sought Jesus for a free lunch said, "Give us this bread always," or "feed me now and evermore." But Jesus promises more than non-stop bread. Those who believe in Him will never again know hunger, they are continually filled with Living Bread.
So singing "feed me till I want no more" is a prayer to grow closer to the one who satisfies all hungers and leads us from "this barren land" to the Promised Land.
Blessings,
Pastor Kay

Ice Cream Social Success!

2009-07-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post the results of our Ice Cream Social/Lord's Acre Sale. There were about four other social activities going on that night! Still, our crowd was able to eat a considerable amount of ice cream and raise a considerable amount of dollars! Here is the breakdown:
$1322.00..................Auction
$135.00....................Quilt raffle
$97.00......................Tablecloth raffle
$307.20...................General Mission
Thanks to all who gave, bought, and helped!
Thanks to God for blessing our efforts!
Blessings to all who read this,
Pastor Kay Hull

Truly, It Is Homemade Ice Cream!

2009-07-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

I grew up on the farm and I remember the hand-cranked vanilla ice cream we made. My Dad would put an old gunny sack on the top of the ice cream freezer. It was my job to sit on it; I suppose to keep it from moving. My older brothers took turns with the crank. With no air-conditioning; how we looked forward to the icy treat!
The ice cream social was one of our greatest summer happenings! It was there I learned that other people made FLAVORS! Peach, Banana, Chocolate, Strawberry, etc.
Later, when I moved to the big city; I saw an ad for an ice cream social. With my little boys in tow; I was one of the first in line! Imagine my disappointment when I saw servers dipping the ice cream out of commercial containers!
So.........It is with extreme pleasure that I announce to you: Cambridge Presbyterian Church has a truly authentic homemade Ice Cream Social!
SATURDAY, JULY 25 AT 5 P.M.
Should I mention the dessert table laden with homemade pies and cakes?
Or the fun auction that begins at 6 PM?
Come join us for some old-fashioned authentic homemade fun!
Oh, and yes there are lots of flavors of ice cream!

Blessings,
Pastor Kay Hull

Only God

2009-06-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Mark 10:23-27 "...........for a camel to go through the eye of a needle...."
When I was a girl, my mother used to do some sewing, and many times she would ask me, "Kay, your eyes are younger and stronger than mine. Will you thread this needle for me?"
I remember that I really wanted to help my mom, so I would try my best to do this. But it was not easy!
Well, I was remembering how difficult this job of threading a needle is as I read Jesus' teaching in Mark. He was talking about how difficult it will be for some people to go to heaven, and he said it will be even harder than it would be for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle!
Then the disciples began to say "Wait a minute. This is impossible. Does that mean no one can go to heaven?"
Then Jesus said what is most important of all. He said. "For people, this would be impossible. But for God, nothing is impossible."
The next time you hear people worrying about or arguing about who will get to go to heaven, remember what Jesus said. It is not up to us to decide.
God has sent Jesus to love us and to be our Savior. And that is the Good News!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

A Prayer

2009-06-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Seems like so many are hurting these days. Literally hurting. So many illnesses in ourselves and those we love. Here is a Prayer that appeals to the humanity of Jesus.
O Christ, may our prayer help You remember what it is to be a human being. May we feel in our hearts the sympathizing Jesus.
Jesus, you walked this earth and you have not forgotten what it is to be tired, what it is to know aching muscles. After all you worked long hours at the carpenter's bench.
Jesus, you have not forgotten what it is to feel the sharp stabs of pain, or hunger, or thirst.
And precious Jesus, you know what it is to be forgotten, to be lonely.
Jesus, you remember the feel of hot and scalding tears running down your cheeks.
We thank You that You were willing to come to earth and share with us the weakness of the flesh, for now we know that you understand all that we are ever called upon to bear.
We know that You, our God, are still able to do more than we ask or expect. So bless us, each one, not according to what we deserve; but according to the riches in glory of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen
May this prayer bring you the blessings of peace,
Pastor Kay

Prayer for the week of 06-21-2009

2009-06-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Father in Heaven, we ask for your guidance as we seek through our efforts with youth to bring about the kind of church and society that are faithful to Christ's teachings..Amen

VBS

2009-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ah! The first day of VBS! I was up early today-a little nervous about how today be. I didn't need to worry! There were 13 children and one little bitty baby attending. Seven adult helpers!
As of yesterday there were no cookies; but this morning 6 or 7 dozen had mysteriously appeared. Thank you, faithful people!
One little boy walked up to me and held up his badge and said "I am really the security person here." Uh.......OK.
One hour later he informed me that he was "Darth Vader".
I wonder how much of the Bible Story he will remember. It was a good Bible Story. The children walked 40 yrs across the desert to reach the Promised Land. We even had a sea that parted.
On Monday, I always wonder if the children will ever learn the new songs. By Thursday morning; they'll have them down pat. (Even if they don't; they look cute onstage)
VBS is just the greatest invention since sliced bread. I've done weddings in this church and people I've never seen before tell me, "I went to VBS here when I was a little kid."
They still feel a connection; this church is their church.
Praise God for VBS!
Pastor Kay

A Mustard Seed

2009-06-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

The text from Mark 4:30-32 tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It grows and becomes the largest of all plants in the garden.
Who could have imagined that something so small could become something so large? Jesus.
This is good news for people who want to believe that something extraordinary can happen with their lives. The same God who gives growth to a tiny seed can accomplish the seemingly impossible in our lives. It is only a matter of trusting our lives to the master gardener.
Next week we will be planting seeds in the hearts and minds of children during VBS. Please pray for a bountiful harvest!
VBS is June 15-19; 10:30 AM to 12 noon.
Hannah Williams is at Westminster Woods all this week. Please keep her in your prayers as well.
Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Trinity Sunday

2009-06-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of pastors dread Trinity Sunday! In fact I know several of them who schedule their vacation around it. I guess they think they have to explain the Trinity, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in 20 minutes or less.
Impossible!
St Augustine wrote 800 pages on the Trinity and he admitted he was still mystified by it!
The best explanation I ever heard was simply put.
The trinity is like a three-note chord. It is a beautiful sound when played or sung; but you can't hear one note without the other. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working in complete, beautiful harmony to do the work of the Kingdom of God.
Grace & Peace
Pastor kay

Happy Birthday, Church!

2009-05-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Of all the Holy Days, Pentecost is my favorite. Many people wear red to church; the pulpit is draped in red; a celebration is in order! We celebrate God's gift of the Holy Spirit!
Our celebration is not triumphalistic.
The presence of the Holy Spirit doesn't deliver us from all our troubles.
And yet, the Holy Spirit serves as the power to hope, the courage to wait for the day when as adopted children we experience God's presence in redeemed bodies. Pentecost reminds us that our hope is not in vain. Thanks be to God for the Spirit of hope!

When you see a need.......

2009-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you see a need? In my search for sermon material I found this story I would like to share.
In the last days of World War II, a member of the Salvation Army rounded a corner in London to see one of the thousands of street urchins with his nose pressed up against the window of a pastry shop. The air was damp and chill, and the steam inside the shop allowed him to see dimly the work of the pastry owner.
Donuts were pulled out of the hot grease and placed one by one under the glass showcase. As the Salvation Army officer stepped up quietly behind the boy, she heard a groan from deep inside his empty stomach. Her heart went out to the orphaned lad. She stepped around him into the shop, purchased a bag full of the donuts, then stepped behind the boy again.
She whispered in his ear, "Would you like some of the donuts?"
Startled, he wheeled and looked at the woman. "Y-y-yes, ma'am," he stammered, "I surely would." She pressed the bag into his hands and walked away. Before she could go far, she felt a tug at her sleeve.
"Lady," said the boy, "Lady, are you God?"
We are never more like God than when we give.

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.................

Have a blessed week,
Pastor Kay

"Let the rivers clap their hands" Psalm 98:8

2009-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Psalm 98 talks about all of God's creation singing and dancing and shouting with praise to God! Jesus once said to his disciples that we shouldn't worry about whether or not there will be people to praise God, because even if every single one of us--and everybody in every church and everybody in the whole world--forgot to give thanks to God and to sing God's praise, that God would make up a choir of stones!
What beautiful spring weather we have. Have you been giving thanks to God for it?
I hope so! It might be a bit frightening when those stones begin to sing!
Reminder: Covered dish lunch this coming Sunday! Plus a mini VBS meeting thrown in!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Mother's Day is coming!

2009-05-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

I just celebrated my birthday with my children, in-laws and grandchildren! What a blessing to gather around the table and enjoy the love we share.
Love is mentioned no fewer than 29 times in 14 verses of 1 John 4:7-21. I think love is a good subject for a Mother's Day sermon. If you love your child, you get a glimpse of what God is like. If you experienced a mother's love as a child, you get a glimpse of what God is like.
I don't usually receive any Mother's Day cards. My birthday is too close to Mother's Day! I guess my children have exhausted themselves with loving me by the time Mother's Day rolls around!
You know what? It's OK.
In loving my children, I really do get a glimpse of what God is like. (He is full of grace!)
See you in church Sunday!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Kay

The Shepherd's Voice

2009-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

John 10:14-16
I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Every year, the ecumenical Church celebrates this fourth Sunday of Easter as "Good Shepherd Sunday." because the shepherd is such an important image-both of God and of Christ-in the Bible and in our faith today.
As a church, it is our welcome, respect and love for others that make us a community of the Good Shepherd. In the same way that Jesus was a good shepherd, we as a church are to be a good shepherd to all the rushing, aimless people in the world who have lost their way. May they come to know the voice of Christ through us.
Peace,
Pastor Kay

Yard Sale

2009-04-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 25 we are having a church yard sale. Should be interesting to see what people have weeded out of their storage sheds and closets. I have a sneaking suspicion that we will all be buying each others stuff. If you want to join this madness, it begins at 8 AM. There will be coffee and goodies to share.
Even Jesus asked, "Have you anything here to eat?" Luke 24: 41
If you had any doubt whether Jesus was fully human, fully divine; this proves it. Just like us, he was ready for a snack.
"Have you anything here to eat?"
That is the main topic of my sermon Sunday. I hope to give you something to chew on! LOL
See you soon!
Pastor Kay

He Is Risen! Share the news!

2009-04-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

At a recent family gathering, someone told of a woman who received her grandmother's precious cookie recipes when she got a home of her own. For some years, she baked all the various cookies for events she attended. Every one loved the cookies! Everyone always requested the recipe; but the cookie baker was firm in her denial. These were her grandmother's recipes and they were given to her. She couldn't let anyone else have them.
Then it happened. Her house burned to the ground. Almost immediately, she thought of the cookie recipes. If only she could have saved the recipes. They were all lost. There the story ended.
If only the cookie baker had been willing to share them with even one person, she could have insured having those recipes forever.
Wherever we go, let's tell our story so everyone can know that Jesus is risen from the dead! Share the Good News!
John 20:29 "....................................Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Peace,
Pastor Kay

Holy Week

2009-04-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

So many opportunities for you this Holy Week! We celebrated Palm Sunday and what excitement for the children; to march around the sanctuary and wave the palms. I wish every Sunday could be so joyful; as we honor our King Jesus!
Don't forget the Seder Meal this Thursday at 6 PM! Many people have told me what a meaningful experience this is during their faith walk of Holy Week. Bring a covered dish and some friends!
Easter morning will find us lining up at the church for the worship at Redford Hill. We will meet at 6:45AM. After sunrise service we will enjoy a breakfast of biscuits and gravy back at Cambridge Presbyterian Church. No charge for the breakfast.
There will be no Sunday School Easter Sunday; Worship will convene at 11 AM. The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be observed.
Blessed Holy Week to all,
Pastor Kay

Power to the people of Cambridge!

2009-03-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

After four days, Cambridge is back in business. Basking in the comforting light of electricity! Once again we can hear the birds singing instead of generators humming.
My husband was gone during most of this ice storm ordeal. It was just me, the cat, and Father God in the dark. I searched out the candles, flashlights, and lit the woodstove. Among the candles, I found an old Christ candle from Advent. Ernie had brought it home to measure it; so he could order new candles of the correct size for next year.
After lighting several candles, I noticed the Christ candle burned the brightest! No matter what kind of candle I tried, the Christ candle gave out the brightest glow.
What a comforting reminder that I was not alone, Christ is truly always with us. His light shines thru, even in the midst of an ice storm and no electricity.
Blessings to you,
Pastor Kay
Matthew 28:20b "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Roosters

2009-03-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Are you fortunate enough to live where you can hear a rooster crow? Our little granddaughter, Alice, says that is one of the best things about Cambridge! She can hear roosters crowing all day long! She also loves the trains.
Roosters and trains can be comforting sounds unless,of course, you are trying to sleep. Unless, of course you happen to be Peter and you have just denied Christ three times.
What sovereignty Christ displays when he foretells the rooster crowing! What foreknowledge of our hearts Christ discloses when he predicts Peter's behavior. (Mark 14:66-72)
Where are you now in your Lenten journey? Is the rooster crowing? Come and experience worship. Acknowledge Jesus as your Savior and King. Cambridge Presbyterian Church, 10 AM Sunday School, 11 AM Worship. Every Sunday.

Signs

2009-03-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

We all seem to be looking for signs these days that our economy might be getting better! John, the gospel writer, is fascinated with signs. He talks about them all of the time. He says, for instance, the miracles of Jesus are signs. He says that the miracles of Jesus are signs of what Jesus means for us.
Signs are encouragement to believe, to keep on going, to have courage, to not give up hope.
We live by signs.
One sign that has captured the essence of our faith is the cross. In the cross is the sign of the deepest, holiest mystery of the world, that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that you and I should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.
We are always looking for signs of encouragement for our little church! If you scroll down, you will see such a sign! Thanks, Don, for posting the picture of our wonderful children in the church family!
See you Sunday! We will be celebrating Holy Communion!
Pastor Kay

CHILDREN'S TIME WITH PASTOR KAY

2009-03-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our children are growing both in numbers & size

Grace

2009-03-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

It is truly amazing where you can find grace! I found some Amazing Grace at Joseph's Storehouse(our local thrift shop) the other day. It is just a little box and when you lift the lid; you hear the song, "Amazing Grace".
Today I found grace when I read the Ten Commandments. What a set of standards to live by! Some are easy to keep; others? well, I break some of them on a daily basis. What a relief to be living on this side of Calvary! God's grace is sufficient for me and all my shortcomings.
We're going to read Exodus 20:1-17 this coming Sunday. We're going to find grace! Enough for me. Enough for you.
See you Sunday!
Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

March Newsletter

2009-03-07T08:38:00.001-08:00

CAMBRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN NEWS

KAY HULL, CLP CAMBRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
419 WEST MAIN P. O. BOX 37
CAMBRIDGE, KS 67023 CAMBRIDGE, KS 67023
620.4672723 (620-467-2310)
http://cambridgekansaspresbyterian.blogspot.com/
March 2009 Ernie Hull, EDITOR

From the Desk of Kay Hull
John Calvin has a birthday this year. A 500th birthday! That’s a lot of candles! Maybe we’ll just have another Dairy Queen cake to celebrate and skip the 500 candles.
Do you remember John Calvin from your Presbyterian Confirmation classes? He helped make Presbyterians what they are today. He dedicated his life to overhauling the church. He wanted Christians to know that God could speak to them through the Scriptures! This was a revolutionary idea 500 years ago.
John Calvin’s “Institutes” is one of the most important theological works ever written. It’s a huge book and requires much self-discipline to study. During my CLP training, I was encouraged to read an edited version of the “Institutes”. I still find this book helpful in clarifying theological questions that arise from time to time.
Here is a sample of John Calvin’s beautiful writing. Here he is writing about the sacraments (as Presbyterians we celebrate two sacraments-Baptism and Holy Communion).
“The sacraments can only fulfil their function when accompanied by the Spirit within, whose power alone can penetrate the heart and stir the emotions. If he (Spirit) is not active, the sacraments will be no more use than the sun shining on the eyes of the blind or sounds sent into the ears of the deaf. In distinguishing between the Spirit and the sacraments, his (Spirit) is the power and theirs (Sacraments) the ministry. Their ministry without the work of the Spirit is empty and futile, but when he (Spirit) is at work in the heart, exerting his power, it is fully effective….
We are not giving undue power to created things, but are saying that God uses those means that he sees fit to display his glory. As he feeds our bodies with food, lights us by the sun and warms us with fire, we know that these are only means of conveying his blessings. In the same way he feeds us spiritually by means of the sacraments. Their only work is to make his promises visible to us and to act as pledges of those promises. We do not put confidence in God’s gifts themselves-they are a sign of God’s blessing. Nor should our confidence be attached to the sacraments, but go beyond them, so that our faith can rise to the one who is the Author of the sacraments as well as everything else.”
We are thankful for John Calvin’s life. We are thankful for his revolutionary work that brought us Reformed Christianity. Happy 500th Birthday Calvin! Hope you like Dairy Queen cake!
Grace and Peace
Pastor Kay

POST CARD ENCLOSED
In this issue you will find a self addressed post card. Please review and respond.

In an effort to save money on paper, toner, and postage and go “Green” we are requesting your response to the questions on the card. If you have a computer at home and wish to receive the Newsletter electronically please place a “X” on the line and put your e-mail address on the card and mail it back to us. If you want to continue to receive the newsletter by U.S. Mail, put an “X” on that line and send the card back to us. If you no longer want to receive the newsletter at all, please put an “X” on that line and send it back to us. The card is postage paid, so just indicate your choice and send it back to us. Your choice will take effect with the April issue. Thanks for your cooperation and assistance.

Souper Bowl Sunday
Remember that my goal was 100 items or dollars for the food pantry on Souper Bowl Sunday?
Well, we far exceeded our goal! The total is: 80 dollars and 86 food items! Our food pantry is ready and waiting to fill hungry tummies! Don’t be shy! If you are having a difficult time meeting the bills this month-go! get a bag and fill it from the church pantry!
Thanks to everyone for their faithfulness in meeting the needs of the people. Who knows what is in store for the USA this year? One thing is sure: God will provide.
For God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50:10
Thank you Brandi & Matt Williams (and Bowdy!) for helping count the food items and put them away Sunday after worship!
Pastor Kay

Movie Night
Saturday, March 7th will be a movie night in the church annex. The movie is “Fireproof”. The movie will begin at 5 PM. Please bring snacks to share. For more information, see Mark E and Kendra Hull.
Their telephone number is 620.467.2004.

Covered Dish Lunch
Don’t forget the covered dish luncheon following worship every third Sunday of every month! What fun to eat someone else’s cooking! The next meal will be March 15th!

Lenten Bible Study
Come and join the bible study on Wednesday evenings. 7 PM all during Lent we will be exploring couples of the Old Testament. In the pages of the Old Testament we find couples who live with chronic disappointment and couples who overcome all obstacles to be together. There are arranged marriages, fiercely loving marriages, enduring marriages, an instant marriage, a coerced marriage and even a couple who had the perfect marriage---and blew it! In these strange but timeless stories, we learn much about marriage, God and ourselves.

Wacky Wednesday
Many, many thanks to Kelly Goad, Mark E and Kendra Hull for their help January 21! Also thanks to Koreen Bartel for the good monster cookies! We ate cookies and pizza! The weather was one of those rare, warm days in January. Consequently, I let the children spend most of the time outside playing games. They love to play ball in the big empty lot that will eventually become a parking lot for the church.
The 13 children attending were: David and Jolly Beamer, Cory and Baileigh Goad, Melissa Hull, Kenneth McCool, Hannah and Bowdy Williams, Dakota Creekmore, Bob Howland, Lucas McMichael, Brianna Williams, and Logan Braun.

VIEWS FROM THE HILLTOP
Ernie Hull

How long has it been since you were privileged enough to see the view from a hill top in the Flint Hills of Kansas? This area of Kansas has rolling hills that provide a view of sunshine flooding the hill tops, with shade in the valleys. The tall grass prairie is a wonderful contrast in colors and hues. In the spring when the grass begins to bloom from the ground after being dormant all winter, it is a sign of God’s renewal of the earth. It is even great in the fall when the Kansas Bluestem changes to its’ winter color. When the sun shines on the tall grass it takes on a purplish hue. An adjoining hill will have the same grass growing on it and it will be an entirely different hue.

In April of this year you can experience this wonderful sight from the Redford Hill, just south of Cambridge. If we are blessed this year at the Community Easter Sunrise Service it may be possible to see the sun come up in the east and the moon set in the west. That is a picturesque sight to behold. Listen to the voices of people singing on the hill; hear the song echo through the valleys. You may even hear turkeys come off their roosts below on Cedar Creek.

From the street in front of our house I can see the Cross that was erected by the Sunday School Classes of years ago. What a wonderful gift that keeps on giving to generations of believers. There is hardly a day that goes by when I go after the morning mail or the evening paper that I don’t look at the hill from the street and see the cross. I don’t know why I look that way, maybe it is a tugging that says, “Look at me! I am a symbol of your Lord and Savior dying for your sins and don’t forget it.”

Come join us for the Easter sunrise service and a breakfast served afterward at the Cambridge Presbyterian Church. You will take home a memory of being on the hill with the cross, and you will experience God’s blessing.

Presbytery Report January 31, 2009
Presbytery was held at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wichita on January 31, 2009. Pastor Kay, Ernie and I attended. Thank you Ernie for driving the Daisy Ladies to this. Many years ago we belonged to that church and I have kept in touch with some of the ladies through out the years. So it was kind of homecoming for me and good to be there.

We opened with worship which always gets us in prayer for the upcoming business that was on hand.

The report on the committee of ministry was: Debra Schmidt was moved from the inquirer to candidate. Mary Carol Perrott is the designated pastor at Lyons, Ks. She is coming from a church of 3,000 to one of 85 members and no Sunday School. Of course she was asked why Kansas. She said this was a God thing. As she would go on line to see about churches, it always came back to Kansas. She has had an interesting life and journey of faith.

We moved on tho the Budget and finance report which took awhile. The bottom line is the budget is stressed and there will be some challenges. We know a little about this so we just have an ice cream social, auction, or what ever it takes to keep us going. God will be with us.
We voted on the proposed amendments to the constitution by the 218th General Assembly.

During lunch Steve Marsh from Eastminster church sat with us. He asked how big Cambridge was and Ernie told him. He was shocked! I think mainly as we do so many things with small numbers and we even have a moderator elect from one of the 87 residents. Only in America!

After lunch the Children’s Bell Choir performed for us. There were some little ones too and I kept thinking why aren’t they in school? Well, it was Saturday for one thing and it had been awhile since we had Presbytery on a Saturday. They were cute and quite entertaining.

There were 185 people who went to the elder training at Wichita, Coffeville and one out west which I think was Dodge City.

We had a report from Westminster Woods. They are building a new Chapel and that is coming right along. This seems to be a favorite place for the campers and it does look like it form the pictures. Brian and Daine wheeler work so hard out there and do a wonderful job.

We then adjourned and had worship, and the installation of Angela Madden as moderator, she is from First Presbyterian Pratt. She grew up in the Trinity church in Wichita. Kay Hull was also installed as moderator elect.

The sermon in the morning was “Hope” and the scripture was Isaiah 51: 15-16. In the afternoon the sermon was “Ministry of Reconciliation”. The scripture was 2 Corinthians 5: 16-20 and John 13: 31-35. I found the sermons blended together. God established a foundation for His people and we were to take care of our earth. He also sent us his Son to love us. Jesus doesn’t just tell us to love one another he commands us. Love one another goes with hope. That goes with our foundation. Where would we be without it? A person can go many directions with love and foundation.

Love in the family sometimes can be hard and sometimes the closest ones to us is hard to love. My parents built a foundation and gave love but I didn’t always understand. Then when I had children I tried to build a foundation for them and love. I told them many times they would like me one of these days. That was debatable. When you have more than one child, you have sibling rivalry and I would tell them, you will like each other one of these days. That was another issue up for debate and it goes on. Jesus talked to the disciples right before his crucifixion, love each other when we are unlovable. When we have God as our foundation it makes it easier to love and have hope even among the chaos and destruction of our earth and among the people. With the time ahead of us we are going to need a lot of love, hope and most of all faith. Remember the hymn “The Church’s One foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord.” Our Christian witness go beyond the Church, we are ambassadors to God. So when we leave church we have work to do. Where there is love there is hope. Blessings on you Carolyn.

WESTMINSTER WOODS VISIT
Ernie Hull

On May 28, 2009 the staff of Westminster Woods will be in Cambridge. The reason for their visit is to do some community service work for our city and residents. They will mow yards, trim trees and shrubs, wash windows, paint and calk and other odd jobs. The church will provide a lunch and an evening meal for them. The lunch will be at the Church and the evening meal will be at the Senior citizens Pavilion. Every one is invited to attend the evening performance of their Praise Band. To be held at the Pavilion. Times will be announced as the time draws nearer.
If you have things that need to be done around your house please let some one at the church know by May 01, 2009. I will be forwarding a list to the staff prior to their arrival.

Christian Education Meeting
February 9, 2009

Members present were Mark and Kelly Hull, Ernie Hull, Koreen Bartel, Stacy McClure, Brandy & Bowdy Williams, Jackie Liebau and Pastor Kay Hull.
The meeting opened with devotion and prayer.
Pastor Kay requested help to teach the children’s Sunday School. Kelly Hull and Brandy Williams agreed to help. Brandy will teach the months of March and June. Kelly will teach April and July. Kay will finish the month February and teach again in May.
Brandy Williams showed the logos she designed for our church. She will continue to tweak them a bit and present them to Session in the near future.
The VBS material has been ordered and received. There will be a VBS meeting May 17th during the covered dish lunch (following worship).
VBS will be held June 15-19.
The quilt group has been busy making quilt tops for the Atlanta family who recently lost their home to fire.
Everyone seems to still be enjoying the choir. Bowdy expressed an interest in singing in the choir. Kelly is going to work with the children to create a children’s choir.
Wacky Wednesday is reporting an average of twelve children each month.
It is a popular after-school program!
The Ash Wednesday Service will be February 25 at 7 PM. There will be a series of six Bible Studies. The Bible Study will meet on Wednesday evening at 7 PM-after choir practice. This year we will study couples of the Old Testament.
We will plan on having the Seder Meal April 9 at 6 PM. Pastor Kay will ask the McGill’s if they will once again be in charge of this annual event.
Sunrise Service will be on the Redford Hill April 12. Ernie will ask Mutt Redford if that is OK. Breakfast is at our Church this year. Pastor Jimmy Taylor will be giving the Sunrise Meditation on Redford Hill.
Koreen will talk to her family and see if she can be in charge of the breakfast. Ernie and Mark Hull said they would help.
Koreen expressed a desire to get an estimate of people planning to attend Sunrise Breakfast from the Methodist Church.
The community wide yard sale will be April 25th. Stacy McClure has agreed to be in charge of our church yard sale. Thank You Stacy!
We were reminded that Westminster Woods counselors are coming to Cambridge the 17th (Saturday) of May to WORK. We need to have plenty of jobs for them to do. We need to feed them lunch and supper. They have a band and will perform at the community center Saturday night (FREE).

The One Great Hour of Sharing materials have good material for our Lenten reflections.
Here are the people chosen to present Lenten Reflections:

March 1-Brandy & Hannah
March 8- Matt & Bowdy
March 15-Ernie & Alice
March 22-Kelly & Cory Goad
March 29-Kendra & Kenneth
April 5-Lisa & Logan Braun
April 12-Mark & Belinda

Marilyn is going to order the Sanctuary for Lent booklets in time for the March newsletter.
Ernie and Kay will make sure we have the palm branches for Palm Sunday.

The meeting closed with prayer.

Clerk of Session Report
Koreen Bartel

The session held it’s regular monthly meeting February 16. Carolyn read Genesis 22 1-14 followed by reading together “The Lord Will Provide” We updated our prayer list and Kay opened with prayer.

The minutes of the January 19 regular meeting and the January 25 congregational meeting was approved with the correction of the Per Capita Tax, the amount we pay to Presbytery for every active member is $24.00 per member instead of $23.10.

The treasurer’s report was approved as follows:
January 1, 2009 beginning balance $5687.73
Total receipts 2333.04
Total expenses 3261.78
January 31, 2009 ending balance $4758.99
Souper Bowl offering was collected February 1. 166 total items were collected; our goal was set for 100. Our bills totaled $929.00 more than our receipts. Discussion was given to possibly needing to cash in a CD to help with the expenses. We are planning for a yard sale in April; it is hoped this will help.

Kay’s report was approved as follows: since last session meeting, January 19, 2009 I have participated in the following activities. Moderated Session meeting Jan 19. Preached Jan 25, Feb 1, 8, 15. Taught Sunday school Jan 25, Feb 1, 8. Attended executive Council meeting in Wichita Jan 20. Attended several quilting sessions. Moderated Congregational meeting Jan 25. Held Wacky Wednesday Jan 21. Wrote several articles for the newsletter. Informed Winfield Courier of Sermon Titles. Wrote on the church blogspot. Attended Presbytery Jan 31-was installed as moderator-elect. Read for 3rd & 4th graders Feb 3. Enjoyed Senior Citizens luncheon Feb 10. Helped give baby shower for Val Chambers Feb 8. Enjoyed covered dish lunch Feb 15. Moderated Christian Ed meeting Feb 9. Volunteered at Joseph Storehouse Feb 4 for 2 hours. Distributed On the Wind newsletter. Visited members in the hospital.

Christian Education Ed report was approved as given. Kay reported that Vacation Bible School would be June 15-19. It was approved to show the movie “Fire Proof” March 7th at 5:00 p.m. People are asked to bring finger foods and snacks. It was approved to have a Seder meal on Maundy Thursday April 9 at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday May 28 the camp counselors from Westminster Woods will come to Cambridge to work for the community, not just the church or members. Notices will be put in the water bill and notices in the newspaper. Verla will head up the noon meal for the workers.

I was approved to remove Marsha Pate and Tiera Baker’s names from the active membership roll by reason of transfer.

Koreen volunteered to head up the audit committee to audit the 2008 financial records of the church.

Members discussed the composition of the session; it consists of 3 men and 3 women, which represents the congregation as a whole.

The following offerings were approved
One Great Hour of Sharing April 12
Pentecost May 31
Joy Sept 13
Peacemaking Oct 4
Dime offering the whole month of May for Westminster Woods

Approved active or inactive Elders to assist Kay in serving Communion to any shut-ins. Approved serving Communion at the Seder meal.

The church insurance from Presbyterian Heffernan Insurance Brokers was reviewed. The contents are insured for $33,000.00, the building for $ 440,320.00, with the deductible of $1,000. The lot to the west of the church has been added. It was approved not to make any changes at this time.

The following dates were approved; Communion March 22 with Verla Whiteman and Joan Hawley serving. March 8 baptize Logan Braun, March 1 we are in charge of services at Dexter Care Center. Wacky Wednesday is March 18. Ash Wednesday service Feb 25 at 7:00. Bible study will be held each Wednesday evening at 7:00. Presbytery will be in Arkansas City March 31. Next meeting will be March 23 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting closed with prayer.

CALENDAR

EVERY SUNDAY
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.

March
1st Dexter Care Worship
4th 7:00 PM Bible Study in the Annex
7th 5:00 PM Free Movie “FireProof” Bring finger food and snacks
8th Baptism of James Branu
11th 7:00 PM Bible Study in the Annex
15th Pot-luck luncheon after morning worship
18th Wacky Wednesday after school program
18th 7:00 PM Bible Study in the Annex
22nd Communion – Verla Whiteman and Joan Hawley
23rd Session Meeting 7:00 PM
25th 7:00 PM Bible Study in the Annex
31st Presbytery Meeting – Arkansas City, Ks.
April

1st 7:00 PM Bible Study in the Annex

CONCERNS

Kathy Whiteman Pearl Holt Alan Rowe
Brenna Dwight Mutt & Bonnie Redford Carla Hardyway
June Bryne Bruce & Margory Bryan Betty Nehring
Carl Hawley Art Ankrom Marilyn Chilcott
Helen & Leroy Renz Sharon Rice Val Chambers
Sonny Lovewell Don Williams Kendra Hull
Betty &Ted Decker Don McGill Mary McGill
Don Mercer Jerry Norton Paulene Jones
Dwayne Travis Gaylen Meyers Rosalee Travis
Bayley Phillips Dorothy Cannon Hilda Colburn
David Potts Dean de Courdres Nita Brunton
Darlene Welborn Cory Goad Elma Hull
Verla & Russ Whiteman Lois Sherfick
Nelda Hawkins Roger Lyke Letha Fox
Steve Whiteman Dorothy & Mike Smith

Our Service Men and Women and Our Country

Mike Bennet Shayla Allison
Scott Metz Penny Bloedel
Roger Stone Herb Lemke
Christopher Paige Ken Lewis
Scott Neubecker David Carver
Brad Wonser

CELEBRATIONS
Amy and Isaac Ferguson are the proud parents of a new baby boy – Parker Clay born February 18, 7 lbs 2 oz congratulations to Grandparents Chuck and Jackie Liebau, and great Grand Parents Carl and Joan Hawley.

A baby girl Pepper LeAnn was born to Valerie Chambers on February 22, 8 lb 14 oz. Congratulations to Grandparents Mark and Kelly Hull.

Tyler Mc Michael won first place in the sub state wrestling meet and qualified for the state meet.

Lent-week 2

2009-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

"If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Mark 8: 34

How do we "deny ourselves?"
That is what our Lenten journey is all about. We are learning the art of denying ourselves. We don't know how to deny ourselves, but we follow Jesus in order to learn. We will learn much when we reach Jerusalem. Everything will be revealed at the foot of the cross; only there will we recognize the breadth and depth of the art of denying ourselves. What we do not know, what we cannot yet understand, we will learn as we follow Jesus the Christ of God.
We make our journey to Jerusalem following Jesus and in our prayers for each other. In the season of Lent, we are learning, we are learning.

Come and join our Bible Study Wednesday at 7 PM. Saturday evening at 5 PM we will view the movie "FireProof" in the annex! Bring finger food and join us!

Baptism of little James Lee Braun this coming Sunday-the 8th!
Don't forget to change your clock Saturday nite! Spring forward!

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Kay

Peace in the Wilderness

2009-02-24T07:19:00.000-08:00

Mark 1:9-15 is the scripture that points us to Jesus time in the wilderness. In verse 13 Jesus is said simply to be "with the wild animals." The picture there is not one of combat, is not one in which Jesus is threatened by the wild animals. Instead the image is of Jesus co-existing peacefully with these beasts. In other words, in the midst of the desert's dangerous chaos, Jesus constructs a haven of peace.
In many Old Testament prophecies one of the things that makes the wilderness so awful a place are the wild beasts that threaten human life. Those ferocious beasts who rip at skin and who snatch away life must be dealt with, must be tamed, before God's peaceable kingdom can come through the Messiah.
The little shalom that Jesus brings into the wilderness is but a small foretaste of the peace he was born to establish.
Is your life chaotic? Are you fighting beasts these days? Let Jesus come into society's harshest places and, as he did with the wild animals in the wilderness,he will bring peace in all circumstances.
The words of Jesus-John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
Shalom,
Pastor Kay Hull

The Hole In the Roof

2009-02-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

This coming Sunday, we study Mark 2: 1-12 and contemplate the relationship, if any, between sickness and sin, between forgiveness and healing.
You remember the Sunday School story, no doubt, of the paralyzed man and his four friends. His friends tore a hole in the roof of the house so they could lower him on a mat to Jesus.
The strange twist in this story is that Jesus looked at the man and said, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
I think the normal reaction would be, "You are healed, rise up and walk" or "Now that you are healed, how about fixing the roof before you leave?"
Jesus' words show that he has the authority to forgive and to heal.
Another aspect of this story is to consider the faith of the four friends. They are a good example for us. Will we be faithful enough, persistent enough, and creative enough to help bring our friends and loved ones to Jesus? Are we willing to break open the roof?
See you Sunday! We will be celebrating Holy Communion.
Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

NEW CARPET.

2009-02-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

Be Made Clean!

2009-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Jesus makes us whole! That's the Good News to proclaim! Jesus wants people to be whole. He wants us to be filled with the joy of our salvation. That is the ultimate healing process we will ever receive!
Come and study scripture Mark 1:40-45 with us Sunday morning! The man with leprosy asked Jesus to make him clean. Jesus responds with compassion and cleanses the man with his touch.
Don't forget! This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday and we will enjoy a covered dish dinner together!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Kay

Time Out

2009-02-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

I've just come back from a visit with the five grandkids! Their parents like to give them a time out when their behavior gets a little 'iffish". The parents say, "Go to your room. You need a time out!"
Sunday we will hear about a time when Jesus had to take a time out. Not because he had done something wrong, but because he was so busy and there were so many people around him asking things of him, he could hardly think. So he went to a quiet place and prayed.
Have you ever taken this kind of time out? Even adults need this kind of time out in their life. It would be good if each one of us would take a little time every day to go to a special place where we can be all alone and can think about our life, pray, and get prepared for the jobs we need to do.
Some time in this next week, won't you try taking time out to go to that special place and be quiet and talk to God for a few minutes?

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
See you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Kay

Just Giving You Thanks, Lord

2009-01-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday was such a great day at church! We dedicated our new carpeting in the sanctuary. It really looks nice. Perhaps someone smarter than I am can post a picture soon!
The covered dish lunch was so very good and plentiful! Our church can boast about its good cooks!
Congregational meetings always make me a little on edge; but there was no reason to fear! The reports from last year were good and everyone seems pleased. (Are you pleased, God?)
We are pressing onward and upward for 2009. The world may be fearful of recession, depression, etc. but God's children walk in faith, not fear.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7
Peace,
Pastor Kay

Congregational Meeting

2009-01-19T05:27:00.000-08:00

Don't forget! The 25th is the day of our yearly congregational meeting and pot luck lunch! I know, I know, it's business; but somehow it turns out to be fun!
During church, we'll be reading Mark 1:14-20. It's the story of Jesus calling the fishermen to become disciples. To me this seems like a miracle itself. My husband loves to fish! If he could make a living fishing; I have serious doubts that he would ever change his vocation for anyone!
Well, it is a miracle, isn't it?
Sunday School at 10 AM. Worship at 11 AM.
Hope to see you there!
Love In Christ,
Pastor Kay

Found!

2009-01-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

As I read the 1st chapter of John, I wonder........
Was Jesus' smile a bit like Mona Lisa's when he greeted Nathanael? Was he waiting to pull a surprise, waiting to enjoy the amazement on Nathanael's face when he gave him the news: "You were looking for me, but I found you already. I know when you sit down and when you rise up. I saw you, beneath the fig tree."
I saw you, on the way to the emergency room.
I saw you, before the word reached you about what happened to your daughter.
I saw you, the very first night you husband worked late and came home angry.
I say you, and I know how youu felt, and I was silent because I, too, was weeping.
I saw you, and I called to you, and the grief was too great and you could not hear.
So I called to you again, and again, and again.
And I found you.
Such Knowledge is too wonderful for us. But not for God. It is the everyday business of God. It is God, turning to us. And when we hear, our world changes. We see heaven upen up and angels ascend.
"Come and see"

Pastor Kay

Baptism of Our Lord

2009-01-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

Did you ever hear from your mother what my mother told me while I was growing up: "God gave you two ears, but God gave you only one mouth, so that you would listen twice as much as talk!"
Today it is easy to forget that truism, as we hear voices everywhere-greeting cards speaking their messages, elevators announcing the floor, answering machines telling us who's calling, cars giving us directions through navigation systems. The key is to quiet our minds and hearts, drown out the din that surrounds us, and listen for God's voice, making Jesus' baptism a very personal event with God.
Baptism is a powerful expression of how God not only relates to Jesus, but to all of us as we are baptized. For us, baptism demonstrates God's support of us. Our baptism quiets the world's many voices so we can clearly hear the calm and loving voice of God bidding us to follow Jesus.

Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

God Loves You

2008-12-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

In a children's home, as the children prepared to come back inside after playing, a teacher noticed a girl writing on a piece of paper and folding it numerous times. Just as the children headed back into the building, the child threw the piece of paper over the fence.
The teacher feared the girl was unhappy or angry, that throwing the note over the fence was a plea for rescue or a warning that she might run away.
The teacher waited for the playground to empty before she went beyond the fence to retrieve the note. Opening the note she read: "Whoever finds this, I love you."
I never know who reads this blogspot; or if anybody does. It is my sincere prayer for anyone who reads this to know-beyond a shadow of a doubt-that God loves you.
So begin the New Year with that knowledge (of God's love) and move forward with the confidence that God will be with you, loving you, showering you with mercy and grace all the days ahead.
"Whoever finds this, God loves you!"

Pastor Kay

BLessed Christmas!

2008-12-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a time when we give and get presents. We all like to get presents! Thursday is Christmas Day, the day that Jesus was born. Randy Travis, a country singer, has a song he recorded called "The Gift." In the song he says, "He (meaning Jesus) had the birthday, we got the gift."
God's gift of his son Jesus really makes all the other gifts we give and receive take second place.
Won't you take the time this Christmas season to thank God for the most wonderful gift of all. Thank God for Jesus!
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Kay
PS You can find the Christmas story in Luke, chapter 2.

4th Sunday of Advent

2008-12-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

A young mother and daughter were shopping in a toy store before Christmas. The daughter, about four years old, picked up a baby doll and said to her mother, "This baby makes me think of Christmas."
The mother made a mental note and replied, "Well, who knows, honey, maybe Santa will bring you one this Christmas."
"No, mom," the girl said. "God brings the baby Jesus, not Santa."
As Christmas draws nearer may we hold this truth in our hearts. The gift is truly the Christ, the Son of God: born to give us second birth! Alleluia!
Our Scripture lesson for Sunday December 21 is Luke 1:26:38. We will examine Mary's response to the angel Gabriel. Mary is an image of obedient faith. Generation call her blessed bec cause she is a witness to what God is able to do when we join our lives with the word and will of God.
See you Sunday!
Pastor Kay