SEPTEMBER 2001

FALL SCHEDULE RESUMES SEPTEMBER 9^TH

Sunday School – 9:00

Worship – 10:00

THANK YOU

Veggie town Bible School was a huge success!!! Thank you to everyone who donated supplies, time and prayers.

A special thank you to David & Nancy Stedman for the dilly bars!!

BIBLE SCHOOL

The 2001 bible school has just ended and what fun we had. There were 40+ kids on any given night and 40+ smiles at the end of each evening. There were skits, Aunt Ruth crafts, music, games, puppets, and videos and great lessons on family values. Veggie tales is designed as a two-year program so next summer we look forward to more fun at Veggie Town!

A big thank you to the teachers who taught, our great teens who did the skits, and helpers who pitched in wherever they were needed.

Respectfully submitted

Aunt Ruth

Painting

A little information about the painting of the walls downstairs. The murals have been divided into 4 stories, Noah, Moses, Jesus’ Miracles and The Tree. The tree concept came from Jn 15:5. I am the vine you are the branches. The roots of the tree represent Gods Word, the branches family values found in Col 3:12-14 and fruits of the spirit found in Gal. 5:22 and the leaves represent us, God’s family.

There have been MANY, MANY people contributing their time and talents to this exciting project. It was the teen group who wanted to see smiles on the preschooler who would be hanging their jackets and backpacks on the hooks. It appears that they accomplished their task with only the completion of the rainbow remaining. The last of the murals, the Miracles of Jesus, has been laid out on paper and the sketching on the wall will have been started by the time this newsletter is sent out. We expect to have everything completed, including the finishing touches of flowers and the writing needed to complete the tree sometime late September or October.

Respectfully submitted,

Greg, Carol and Kristina Sterup, Bonnie Thompson, Leah, Krista and Vicky Whitcomb, Melissa Gross and all others who have helped.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S NEWS

Circle

The afternoon circle will meet on Tuesday, September 11^th at 1:00 p.m. at Jiggs restaurant. All ladies of the church are invited to attend.

Fall Bazaar

October 13, 2001 is the date set for the annual bazaar, bake sale and white elephant sale. The hours will be 9:00 am to 2:00 pm with a noon lunch to be served.

Now is the time to be working on handcrafted items for the bazaar and to be packing up your white elephants (no clothes or shoes please). We need the help of all the members of our church to make this event successful.

Remember to circle the date on your calendar, Saturday, October 13!

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC

The music department here at Community Presbyterian Church is back in full swing and I am really excited to be back here again. We have a full schedule of two cantatas, small group performances and full choir performances throughout the year.

We are looking for any willing participants to take part in this moving, wonderful activity of praising God through music. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, so please contact me if you are interested or have questions.

Thank you and I hope to hear from many of you in the near future.

Paul Barta

Music Director

Youth News:

There will be a sign-up sheet for volunteers for the youth group WestFest fundraiser. We need volunteers to make this project work! There will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex for this project until Tuesday, September 11^th.

For WestFest we will be having a concession stand similar to that we had last year. Anyone who is willing to lend grills or ice chests, please let me know.

Again this year, the youth group will be selling calendars for $6 apiece. These calendars make wonderful Christmas gifts and are a wonderful fundraiser for our youth. Calendars will be going on sale within the month.

I’m looking forward to an exciting and eventful year! God bless.

Jessica Crane

Youth Director

Confirmation Classes to Begin September 19

Ninth grade students desiring full membership in our church should make plans to participate in Confirmation Classes beginning September 19th at 6:30 pm. The class will meet most Wednesday nights for an hour throughout the school year. A detailed class schedule and course agenda will be mailed out to prospective Confirmands and their parents the week of September 10th.

The class will explore the essential doctrines of the faith and be prepared to request full membership in the church. If you have any questions give Andrew Thostenson a call at: 701-492-0630 or send him
e-mail at: atgtet@qwest.net

THE BDECAN PROJECT

Kevin Pifer will be joining us on Sunday September 30th to tell us about the work that is being done at Fort Totten and how we can share in it.

Bdecan Project Background

The Bdecan Presbyterian Church is located in Tokio, North Dakota, on the Fort Totten Reservation. Bdecan is the Dakota Sioux word for Woodlake. The congregation has existed since 1881, and belongs to Dakota Presbytery.

Although the Bdecan congregation is small (36 names on the membership list), it is active and vital. Worship is held weekly, of course; with Church School offered twice-a-month. There are programs with women and youth, Vacation Bible School, and special projects. Bdecan is a center of hope and help, and a place where people can come together for fellowship and spiritual renewal.

The Bdecan congregation greatly needs a new facility. The 1881-building is wholly inadequate for existing use. It is small, severely run-down, and lacking plumbing. Although the church holds a special place in the hearts of the Fort Totten people, yet its inadequacies constrain Bdecan leaders from initiating new ministries, such as Day Care, programs for high-risk children and youth, and education in traditional culture and language.

The churches of Northern Plains Presbytery, and its predecessor presbyteries, have enjoyed partnership relationships with Bdecan from the earliest days. Sadly, many of these have diminished and disappeared in more recent years. Now the opportunity is before us to revive these partnerships! Bdecan is the only Native American Presbyterian congregation within the bounds of Northern Plains Presbytery. Let us join with them in ministry and witness!

Heon etanhan wowaste olyotanke kin en waditagya

Unkupi kie, hecen wowaonsida unkicupi kta, qa tohan

Uncinpi eca wowaste wawokihi kin iyeun yanpi ece

E kta.

Herbrews 4:16

A DESCRIPTION OF THE BDECAN PROJECT

First Presbyterian Church, Fargo, has committed to the project of helping turn the dream of a new building into a reality. A building Committee, comprised of leaders from the two churches, has been meeting. Architectural work has begun and extensive planning has taken place concerning construction details and timelines, legal matters, budgets, and other aspects of the project. Plans will be on display at Presbytery on Friday, April 27.

The projected cost of the project is about $200,000. The Fargo Church is funding $150,000 of this cost, and also providing in-kind donations of various professional services.

What’s needed, then to complete the project is $50,000.

The Mission Advocacy Committee of Northern Plains Presbytery has responded enthusiastically to this challenge, and resolved to assist in raising the needed funds!

The Offering received at the Opening Worship of Presbytery (Thursday) will be donated to the Bdecan project. On Friday morning a report will be presented to the Presbytery.

Please consider ways in which you and your congregation might support this worthy purpose!

Tatiyopa kin wen wopida eya u po.

Woyatan yuba iye tahocoka ohna u miya.

Wopida eeiya miye; lye caje kin yawaste po.

Psalm 100:4

For more information, contact

For more information, contact

First Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 327, Fargo, N.D. 58107-0327

Phone 701-293-6311

E-mails: rick raum@aol.com

kpifer@corpcomm.net

We will receive a special offering for the project on September 16^th and add the Bdecan Project to our mission support envelopes.

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