News in a Heart Beat!
We at MIPC find ourselves in the period of Lent, the forty days before Easter Sunday, commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A moving Taize Ash Wednesday service began the Lenten period on February 17th - thanks to our worship leaders for a moving and very special service. Lent is often considered a period of sacrifice, acknowledging the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But it also a period of reflection on God's gifts to us. On Sunday, March 28th, we welcome Palm Sunday celebrating Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem, riding a donkey and greeted by palm-waving people who would turn against Him in a few short days. (Did you know that in ancient Israel, if a ruler came in riding a horse, it meant war; if he rode a donkey, he would bring peace ?) On Maundy Thursday, April 1st, we will celebrate Communion as Jesus did with His disciples and friends before His betrayal and crucifixion. Easter Sunday, April 4th , celebrates Jesus' resurrection, triumphant over sin and death.
Merritt Island Presbyterian Church is having a BIG Yard Sale!
This event is to earn money to upgrade the Lighting and Sound system for the Fellowship Hall events. We have such outstanding performances by our kids club and other interesting events held in Fellowship Hall - it's time to improve our lighting and sound. The event will be on Saturday April 17th from 8 AM to 2 PM at the Fellowship Hall. It's time to clean out your house, storage shed, and garage! Items that sell well-sports equipment-fishing, skiing, boating, tools, pots, pans, baking containers. The things we don't want are: Furniture not in good shape; Clothes unless new; Shoes unless new; Things that you "should" throw away! We do have limited availability for storage prior to the sale, so if you get motivated to donate prior to the date, call Clair Quenzler at 431-7638 or Sue Lawrence at 431-7639. We also need workers on Friday April 16th for price marking and workers on the sale day, so please volunteer. It will be fun working together, getting to know each other better and earning money to make our church better. If you don't have anything you want to donate, bake some cookies to sell or for the workers. We look forward to this event!
Hands-on Mission Trip 2010
The MIPC Session has approved the 2010 mission trip to Mexico. The Mission Committee is currently organizing a hands-on mission trip to Merida, Mexico from June 6-12, 2010. Our plans are to leave Orlando on the 6th and return on the 12th flying to Cancun and driving to Merida. We will be hosted by the Peninsular Presbytery and working with the Rev. Antonio Reyes who recently visited our church as part of the BIRP Mission Conference. Other BIRP churches are also organizing trips so if our dates don’t suit, we are welcome to “piggy back” with one of their trips later in the summer and possibly in the fall. The initial deposit for participants will be approx.$400. We plan several fundraisers to offset additional expenses hoping to hold the cost per person to the original $400. An informational meeting is being planned and the persons interested should attend. Seats are limited. We hope to finalize the transportation costs by mid March. Watch the bulletin for further details or call Randy Eastep at 459-3615.
Please continue to support the Youth Recycling Project newspapers, magazines, junk mail….can all be put in the dumpster, in the parking lot by the playground.
Two Cents a Meal
Two Cents a Meal is a small first step in the battle against hunger and poverty. Congregations invite every member — of all ages — to contribute a few cents at every meal. This simple act is an expression of thanks for what we have received. It is also a commitment to share with others in response to Jesus' command "You give them something to eat." When members bring their offerings to church on the appointed Sunday, all of those coins "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" as they are received and dedicated.
These small acts of faithfulness can add up: One hundred persons in a congregation will contribute $180 a month at two cents a meal. That's $2,160 dollars a year. A 30,000-member presbytery (such as our Central Florida Presbytery) has the potential of raising over $1.6 million annually at a nickel a meal.
Two-Cents-A-Meal originated in 1976 as a project begun by Presbyterian Women to involve individuals and families in a corporate response to world hunger. MIPC has participated in this campaign for years.
Newly-Created MIPC Archives and a Request for the Entire Congregation
We had our first MIPC Archives Group meeting in late October and are planning our next meeting in February in the Session Room. Please join us if you have a little spare time and an interest in recording and safeguarding the history of MIPC. We are creating a new file in the Archives of every wedding and funeral that has taken place at MIPC starting now. We would love to get the wedding or funeral programs (and if you have them to spare, a photograph or two) from past weddings and funerals if you can find them. Questions? contact Cheryl Mahan, 452-5797 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Calendar of Events-List
March
March 9-Tremendous Tuesdays! Kids Klub 3:30-5:30 pm; Dinner 5:45 pm; Classes 6:30-7:30 pm
10:00 am Ruth Circle
March 10-Big Girls Only 9:30-11:30 am; Brown Bag Book Bunch 12:00 noon
Postponed-A Special Treasures Sale-look for new date soon....donate your special, gently used or new unneeded treasures to raise money for some much-needed updating to our A/V system, (which supports so many of our church activities). Then spread the word and come to the Saturday sale to find some special items at a treasure hunter's price.
March 14-Worship 8:45 am & 11:00 am; Christian Education-Sunday School 9:45 am
March 16-Tremendous Tuesdays! Kids Klub 3:30-5:30 pm; Dinner 5:45 pm; Classes 6:30-7:30 pm; Session Meeting, 7:30 pm
March 17-Big Girls Only 9:30-11:30 am; Brown Bag Book Bunch 12:00 noon
March 18-Hearts Alive!! Bad Girls of the Bible-7 pm Cheryl Mahan-Hostess
March 20- Saturday– All Church Work Day! Please join us at 8:30 am – 1:30 pm;
A delicious lunch will be provided by our Fellowship Committee after a morning of work and fun. Come join us – we promise the time will fly by and you will go home feeling great knowing you have helped make our church a better place for us all to live, love and learn about God.
Our list this March includes: Painting (no ladders required), Mounting signs on doors and soap dispensers in bathrooms, cleaning out interior storage closets, inventory of our scout hut, condensing our supplies into one location, sanding and minor carpentry (only a screwdriver is needed), planting a few plants and as always..good old-fashioned weeding. Please join us! We would love to see you.
also
March 20- Saturday- PRAISE FEST @ Riverside Park in downtown Cocoa, 11 AM-11 PM
March 21-Worship 8:45 am & 11:00 am; Christian Education-Sunday School 9:45 am
March 23-Tremendous Tuesdays! Kids Klub 3:30-5:30 pm; Dinner 5:45 pm; First Hand History
March 24-Big Girls Only 9:30-11:30 am; Brown Bag Book Bunch 12:00 noon
March 25-Game night 6:00 pm
March 27-Family Fun Fest-Saturday 1-3 pm
March 28 -Passion/Palm Sunday-Worship 8:45 am & 11:00 am; Christian Education-Sunday School 9:45 am
Every week:
Sunday 7 pm Worship Leadership Team Rehearsal-Sanctuary
Monday 5:30 pm Yoga-Activities Room of Ennis Building
Tuesday-Tremendous Tuesdays (January 19-April 2010)
Wednesday- 6:00 pm-Generation Ringers-Ennis Building 7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
9:30 am-Big Girls Only-Session Room
12 noon-Brown Bag Book Bunch-Ennis Building
Every Month:
Last Tuesday- First Hand History @ 7pm-Fellowship Hall
Third Thursday-Hearts Alive!!! 7 pm in various homes
For past events:
Read more...From the Pastor's Study
There is an excellent article on the PC(USA) website that explains Ash Wednesday for us Presbyterians. Like the member who ask me the question about Ash Wednesday, I too grew up in the South thinking that ashes on the forehead was something “that only the Catholics do”, until I did a little more looking into the question to better understand its significance for Christians. I would encourage you to visit the PC(USA) website and read an article entitled, Ash Wednesday—Is it Presbyterian?, by Martha Moore-Keish. This excellent and informative article can be found at:
http://www.pcusa.org/ideas/lent/ashwednesday.htmFor those who might have interest in scriptural references regarding the imposition of ashes as an expression of humility and recognition of our mortal dependence upon God’s mercy, I would offer these texts: Genesis 3:19; Joshua 7:6; Job 42:6; Jeremiah 6:26; Daniel 9:3; Matthew 11:21 and its parallel in Luke 10:13.
In the Lenten days that follow Ash Wednesday, it is my hope that our reflective time together will draw us all closer to God!


