The
OAHE MESSENGER
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Dear Friends,
On May 27 we celebrate Pentecost. It truly is the birthday of the church. But more than that it is the unification God's church through the power of the Holy Spirit. I say that because on Pentecost (a Jewish feast of the first fruits) Jewish Christians from all over gathered in Jerusalem ostensibly to celebrate as well. Many of them spoke different languages.
Suddenly they all experienced something quite unworldly and transcendent. They felt on fire, and experienced a driving wind. We might suppose they felt the warmth of fellowship and the winds of change.
Indeed, is this not the experience of the Spirit? When we gather in worship and community there is something special that happens. The spiritual depths of us feel warmed and enlightened. I find it hard to explain, but I have felt it. Pentecost would remind us that it is the Spirit of God that is present.
And who then can not be changed? That’s where the wind comes in. The winds of the Spirit blow and we are shaped by them and maybe even pushed into new ways of thinking and believing.
So this is a special day to be reminded of the gift of God's Spirit. By the way the liturgical color for Pentecost is red to symbolize the flames that touched each person on that day long ago. I hope you all wear something red to remind yourself of the Spirit that has brought together God's church.
Peace,
John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Click on photos to view enlargements~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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On the Wednesday before Easter, the OPC choir chose to go Easter caroling in lieu of their regularly scheduled choir rehearsal. The choir visited Lloyd and Leona Kannegieter, Charlotte Hyde and Helen Hill singing three of their favorite Easter anthems. Though not all of the choir could be in attendance the group performed in the true Easter spirit. The choir is shown with Charlotte Hyde.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FROM OPC to AFRICA with LOVE
On Sunday, April 15th, the knitted and crocheted baby caps that the ladies of the church have been producing for the last three months were formally dedicated prior to mailing to the Presbyterian Distribution Center.
As the caps ordained the sanctuary the dedication consisted of a 3 minute power point presentation followed by a litany.
Malawi is a small, narrow country, wedged between Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, and bordered on it's eastern flank by Lake Malawi.
From the beginning of 2006, a grave food security crisis faced the people of Malawi.
The failure of the seasonal rains in mid 2005 left an estimated five million people facing the threat of famine prior to the arrival of the March/April maize harvest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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ANNUAL RUMMAGE SALE HELD APRIL 14th
PROCEEDS TO NEW
ORLEANS EXCURSION
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The pastor nominating committee has completed and received the approval of Session and the Committee on Ministry of the Church Information Form (CIF).
It is being submitted on-line to the appropriate office in Louisville, KY. Shortly we will begin receiving Pastor Information Forms (PIF) which the committee will screen and begin the process of initial contact, phone and on site interviews, reference checks, listening to audio tapes or viewing video tapes of sermons, and whatever else we feel necessary so that we can determine who appears to be the candidate that is being Called by God, to serve here at Oahe.
It is a different process than just going out and hiring the first person who appears can do the job. We would ask for the congregation’s continued prayers as we continue our search process. It is important to remember, God’s will and time frame, and not our own. Duane Jenner, Chair Pastor Nominating Committee
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ROBERTA CAHIL IN THE NEWS
For information on the meetings, e-mail Frerichs at epifrerichs@aatchb.org or call (605) 721-1922, ext. 110. For cancer information, visit the American Cancer Society Web site at www.cancer.org or call (800) ACS-2345. |
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“One Great Big Family” by Will Butler
Even before I moved to the South for school, I saw how hospitable people from Virginia were. Once at a national conference I met some other kids from Virginia who happily introduced themselves and informed me that “in Virginia, we’re all one great big family.” On a windy spring day, that philosophy of “one great big family” took a new life. The news slowly spread across the country that a deadly shooting had occurred at one of Virginia’s finest schools: Virginia Tech. I avoided the news at first, hopeful that nobody had died and that life would go back to normal. After seeing a headline telling of over thirty people dead, I knew that this was beyond anybody’s worst nightmare. Like many people, I grappled with the details wondering why anybody would commit such a sin. Contrary to my first optimistic thoughts, people close to me were directly affected by this senseless tragedy. An Ethiopian friend had declined an invitation to attend an International Festival up at VA Tech just a day before the shooting occurred. A classmate from outside DC Virginia spoke with a friend at Virginia Tech who entered the Residence Hall where the gunman first opened fire. Also, in the morning her family had been unable to contact another important Tech student: her cousin. Thankfully, eventually the family received word of his safety. Many others weren’t so lucky due to communication difficulties. I felt terrible for the families who were waiting on something, any word on the safety of their student at Virginia Tech. As Hilary recalled these details with tears in her eyes, I could only shake my head and say that there’s no way I can begin to comprehend the depth of this situation. I felt deeply obligated, though, to mention that I’m here to listen if needed. A nice and upbeat girl from Richmond, Virginia spoke at a prayer vigil on the night of the shooting about her connection to this large school. Not only had many friends of hers gone to Virginia Tech, but her father went there as well. She loved her fellow Virginians so much that she literally felt their pain on this sad day. In seeing the spirit of my classmates from Virginia, I knew that hope would prevail despite the deadly news. That Monday night many of us dropped everything and attended a candlelight prayer vigil. I called up my family and my good friend Steve that night just to check in and hear their voices. As I watched the outpouring of support I knew that as a nation we wouldn’t forget to honor the victims of this evil act. A friend from Arizona captured the spirit in his online away message, reminding us that “this could happen anywhere and anytime.” As Christians we have an obligation to stand up and bring hope to the hopeless. Thankfully Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (funded in large part by recently-collected offerings) has already contacted local pastors and sent volunteers to the campus. We serve an awesome God who loves us and claims us as his own, and through faith we as a nation will be stronger as a result of the excellent response to this time of despair. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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This month our Personal Profile features IONE MANNING. Ione has come and gone from Pierre since 1969, but she moved here permanently with her husband Roy in 1978. Roy and Ione transferred their membership to Oahe Presbyterian Church shortly after arriving. Roy, who worked for the State Board of Pardons and Parole, died in 1980. Since arriving in Pierre, Ione has kept busy making a difference in this community. Ione received the Presidential Volunteer Service award in 2006, in recognition of her lifetime of volunteering! This award is presented only to those who have given 4,000 hours or more of service. Wow! What an accomplishment! Ione donated 281 hours of volunteer service in 2006 alone! Ione began her service career with Value Village when the program was just getting started. After serving as a volunteer there for two years, she was hired on to run the program for the next 10 years. She served on the Board of Directors for Oahe Inc. for 6 years and is still a member of ARC. Ione volunteered at the Pierre Food Pantry for 5 years until she was convinced by her friend Ruby Jorgensen to move on to another volunteer venture in the gift shop at Saint Mary’s Hospital. She took on the job of running the gift shop there for 2 ½ years. While working there, Ione began a project in which each child 6 years of age or younger who enters Saint Mary’s hospital receives a stuffed animal. She continues that program to this day. Mary House retirement home is another of Ione’s places to make a difference. Each new resident receives a silk flower in a vase from Ione. At the time of our visit, she was busy organizing a bake sale for the Hospital Auxiliary. The proceeds of that bake sale will be donated toward the purchase of an electric handicapped access door out of the dining room at Mary House. When you are saying your prayers, remember to say thank-you for people like Ione Manning who reach out in their community and make a difference.
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May 2007 edition
Pastor Cliff Nunn will assign the two
(or three) workgroups the homes to be repaired/rebuilt/painted once
we arrive at the church.
For over 20 months I’ve attended
school in Charlotte, North Carolina, getting to know many great
people from this region. Many of the people I’ve met hail from
Virginia and I’ve had some excellent conversations with the
Virginians on campus about everything from politics to sports to
traveling home.
