MARS MEMO

Activities du= ring Lent and Easter at Mars United Presbyterian Church:

WEDNESDAY NIG= HTS (6 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.)

THEME: Ra= ising G-Rated Kids in an X-Rated World

Feb. 21= &= nbsp; Soup Supper and Worship – 7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday Service with Communion <= /p>

Feb. 28 &nb= sp; Soup Supper and Worship

Mar. 7 = ; Soup Supper and Worship

Mar. 14 &nb= sp; Soup Supper and Worship

Mar. 21 &nb= sp; Soup Supper and Worship

Mar. 28 &nb= sp; Soup Supper and Worship

FRIDAY LENTEN LUNCHEONS (12 noon – 1 p.m.)

THEME: Th= e Means of Grace (Recommended source: Celeb= ration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Messages by:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Pastors of the Mars Ministerial Association

Feb. 23 Prayer Speaker: Rev. Peter de Vries

Mar. 2&= nbsp; Study Speaker: Rev. Bob Rigg&nb= sp;

Mar. 9&= nbsp; Simplicity Speaker: Rev. Austin Hornyak

Mar. 16 Service &= nbsp; Speaker: Rev. Beverly Gross

Mar. 23 Confession = Speaker: Rev. Gary Weston

Mar. 30 Worship Speaker: Rev. Jean Gomola

Good Friday Service:

Apr. 6&= nbsp; Preaching Pastor: Rev. Jean Gomola

MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE

April 5 - 7 p.m. Worship – Lord’s Supper served and a Drama called “= ;No Condemnation”. Worship = will follow a Lamb stew dinner that begins at 6:00 p.m.

EASTER

April 8 &= nbsp; 8:30 a.m. Worship

= &nb= sp; 9:30 a.m. Breakfast

= &nb= sp; 11:00 a.m. Worship=

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR

As we approach the Season o= f Lent I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to prepare your hearts and m= inds to experience the Risen Christ in a fresh new way by participating in the special activities and services of the Lenten Season..<= /span>

Lent\ ‘lent\n [ME lente springtime, Lent, fr. = OE lencten; = akin to OHG lenzin= spring] originally the period of pre-baptismal preparation for newly converted Christians. Later in the church’s histor= y it came to be a time of special public penance – a forty-day preparation period leading up to Easter. = The time period of Lent is based on Jesus’ wilderness fast and temptation (Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).= Lent is designated as the forty days (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday, which is Feb. 21 this year, and Easter, which is April 8.

This Lenten Season Mars UP will once again host the Community Lenten Luncheons.&nb= sp; Each Friday lunch will = be served at 12 noon, followed by a brief time of worship and teaching led by = an area pastor. The dates, topic= s and presenting pastors are as follows:

Feb. 23 Prayer Speaker: Rev. Peter de Vries

<= span class=3DGramE>Mar. 2 Study Speaker: Rev. Bob Rigg=

<= span class=3DGramE>Mar. 9 Simplicity Speaker:= Rev. Austin Hornyak

M= ar. 16 Service Speaker: Rev. Beverly Gross

M= ar. 23 Confession Speaker:= Rev. Gary Weston

M= ar. 30 Worship Speaker: Rev. Jean Gomola

<= span class=3DGramE>Apr. 6 Good Friday Service

<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:3'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Preaching: Rev. Jean Gomola

Each week we will conclude = by 1 p.m., except for Good Friday, which will involve a full-length worship service. Reservations appreci= ated by calling the church office at 724-625-1365.

On Wednesday evenings throughout Lent we will have a similar program for families of the church. It will be a time of food, fellowship and learning. A soup supper will be served at 6 = p.m. followed by a brief time of singing contemporary praise songs accompanied by guitar. Then the children wil= l go off for an activity and the adults will stay for short study. The topic will be Raising G Rated Kids in an X Rated World.

The first Wednesday evening of Lent, February 21, will be a bit different. Soup supper will be served at 6 p.m. followed by an Ash Wednesday Service in the sanctuary. This service will be a time of spec= ial music, singing, prayer and silent reflection. Lord’s Supper will be served= by coming forward, breaking off a piece of bread from a common loaf and dippin= g it into the common cup. This is = called communion by intinction. The emphasis of the service will b= e on seeking God’s grace and forgiveness through confession of our sins, corporately and privately.

On Maundy Thursday, April 5, you are invited to gather for a Lamb = Stew Dinner at 6 p.m. followed by Lord’s Supper and a drama titled, “No Condemnation.” = It is a moving tale of Christian being accused by the Prince of Darkness and Christian’s response proclaiming God’s grace and forgiveness. On Easter Sunday services will be held at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. with a breakfa= st served in the social hall at 8:45 a.m.&nbs= p;

May you be blessed by God t= his Lenten Season as you participate in these special times of worship and learning.

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Yours in Christ,

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Rev. Jean Gomola

VOLUNTEER = SCHEDULE for February 2007:

Tarry &= ; Talk Crew: Worship Committ= ee, Nancy Govan, Mary Ann Croop and Sue Morris.

Muffins: Feb. 4 – Chuck Moore, Keith Nichols<= /p>

&nbs= p; Feb. 11 – Chuck Moore, Keith Nichols

&nbs= p; Feb. 18 – Tom & Pam Kennedy, Linda Lees

&nbs= p; Feb. 25 - Tom<= /span> & Pam Kennedy, Linda Lees

Greeters:<= /u> Elder Sue Morris and Deacon Dave K= ennedy

MUP Driver= : February 4 & 11 – John Harrison

&nbs= p; February 18 & 25 – Mike Bocheff

&nbs= p;

Flowers: <= /u> Feb. 4- Open

&nbs= p; Feb. 11 – Sue Morris

&nbs= p; Feb. 18 – Pat Jackson

&nbs= p; Feb. 25 - Open

Crib Room:= Feb. 4-Debbie Williams

&nbs= p; Feb. 11 - Jenny Ivory

&nbs= p; Feb. 18 - Christie Augustine

&nbs= p; Feb. 25 - Chelsea Carpenter

Notes from= our Session:

Summary of our J= anuary 18, 2007 Meeting:

Nine new members joined M= ars Church
Approval of Sarah Gebhardt for Baptism
Approval of Ash Wednesday Communion Service at 7 p.m. preceded by a soup supper= at 6:00 p.m.
Grateful acknowledgement of receipt of $150,852 from the estate of Roland Engli= sh Louden.
Approval of change to our fiscal year to a calendar year, including election of officers.
Worship Committee was given approval to purchase new hymnal at the conclusion = of the selection process.

GROUNDHOG DAY DINNER AND HYMN SING will take place on Sunday, February 18 at 5:00 = p.m. here at church. Join us for wonderful fellowship as we eat beef stew (mac a= nd cheese for the kids) and then join our voices for some great music making.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Everyone is invited. Dinner is hosted by the Membership Committee.

= MISSION = TRIP UPDATE

The Session has approved a trip to Long Beach, Mississippi for hurricane relief efforts through the Presbytery of Mississippi. The trip is from February 10-17, 2= 007 and is open to all members of the Mars United Presbyterian Church and any family or friends. Plans are = to depart for the trip on Saturday morning, Feb. 10 and spend the night at the First Pres. Church of Chattanooga, TN.&nbs= p; We will arrive in Long = Beach, MS on Sunday afternoon and = begin work on Monday morning. The t= rip is approximately 22 hours of driving time.&nb= sp; We will travel in the church van and private vehicles.

Each morning we are sent out to a site with a specific work order. All tools and supplies are provided. There is a great ne= ed for people to roof, drywall, paint, do plumbing and electrical work, etc. A crew is also needed at the churc= h to prepare all meals and keep the place clean and cared for. Housing is at the Long Beach Pres. Ch= urch where they have converted the Sunday school rooms into bunk rooms complete = with twin bed air mattresses. Show= ers are available.

Estimated total cost = per person is $250. If you would like to go, please contact the church for more information. Tetanus/Diphther= ia and Hepatitis A vaccines are highly recommended before going. If you are unable to go and would = like to contribute to the trip to help someone else go, we would welcome your support. If you have any ques= tions concerning the trip please contact Rev. Gomola or Elder Darlene Harrison.

F= LEA MARKET 2007 Start saving yo= ur “STUFF” for this summer, the Flea Market is back. The success of this fund raising activity depends upon the merchandise that is donated. An early summer date is being sett= led and will be announced soon. <= o:p>

N= EW HYMNALS are being ordered t= his week. The Worship Committee would like to thank all who too= k the time to examine and vote for one of the two hymnals that were in the Tarry = and Talk area. The Celebration Hy= mnal will arrive in the next few weeks. There is still time to order hymnals in memory or in honor or someone special, or just a donation to help defray costs.

<= o:p>

P= ANCAKE BREAKFAST and BAKESALE is m= oved to Saturday, February 24 to accommodate our Mission Trip. Breakfast will be served from 7 a.= m. until noon. All you can eat p= rices are Adults: $6, Children 7-12: $2.50, Children 6 and under are free. Please be sure to save the date and bring all your friends. Tickets will be available soon! This fundraising event is hosted b= y the Stewardship Committee.

=

PROGRESSIVE DINNER - Saturday, March 10, 2007

A progressive dinner = is being planned to fight those winter doldrums. Let's all join in the fun. ADULT singles and couples are invited. We will keep couples together, but you will be eating the different courses with different people.

First course will sta= rt with hors d'hourvres at the church. Then we progress; in groups of 6, 8, 10 or 12 to different houses for the soup course. From that house you will progress to another h= ome for salad. The fun part is that you will be with completely different people. From salad you will progress to the house for your main entree'. Here you will again be with different people. Then everybody returns to the church for dessert.

What a great way to&n= bsp;get to know better some of those people you see all the time, but don't re= ally know well!

There will be a nomin= al charge, in addition to providing food for one of the courses. One or = more people are needed to host the hors d'hourvre co= urse and someone different to host the desserts. People who cannot host a course will be asked to bring an hors d'hourvre or dessert. Many people will be needed to host the salad, soup and entree courses. These courses will have 6, 8, 10, or 12 people at your house. You don't have to have a dining room. You can do it= in your kitchen or at card tables. Each host will prepare the soup or a salad of your choice. The entree' host will be provided with the meat (probably chicken), but will prepare it as y= ou wish. Entrée’ hosts will also provide the starch and vegetable.

This should be such g= ood fun. Won't you all join the rest of us? Our participation goal = is 60 to 100 people. The more the merrier!!!!

Sign-up will start Su= nday. February 18. A small committee is being formed. Anyone wishing to help, please call= Bea Moore at 724-935-3274

= Welcome New Members:

=

Joan Gebhardt Adams, 150 Eileen Driv= e, Pittsburgh, PA 15214 Phone: 412-931-1409. Joan was raised Presbyterian and i= s the sister of new member Liz Gebhardt. She is the office manager at Alexa= nder Pentcost & Assoc.

Ronald, Barbara and = Kristi Filipiak, 872 Deer Creek Drive. Gibsonia, PA 15044 Phone: 724-444-0310. Ron sells off-highway, constructio= n and mining equipment. He is the V= ice President at Rudd Equipment. = Barb is a life-long Presbyterian. = She works as a nurse at South= side Hospital. Kristi is a senior in high school = and plans to attend La Roche College in the fall where she will major in Elemen= tary Education. Kristi loves horse= s and is an avid rider. The filipiaks have relocated here from West Virginia.

Dona (Klicker) Gartrell, 213 Adams Point Drive, Suite 3, Mars, PA 16046, Phone: 724-766-7746

donajk@zoominternet.net Dona has a strong interest in mission. She has been an elem= entary school teacher for 30 years. = Dona is a former member from 1950-1960’s.

Elizabeth (Liz) = Gebhardt and Sarah, 992 Deer Cr= eek Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044= , Phone: 724-449-9674. Elizabeth is an attorney with Alexander Pentecost and Associates. She is the neighbor of the Filipiaks. Liz has adopted her 5 yr. old granddaughter, Sarah.

Joseph A. Liska, P.O. Box 334, Mars, PA 16046= . Phone: 724-625-1432. Joe is the brother of Amy Mellor a= nd has been worshipping with us for the past year. He relocated here from Georgia= . Joe is retired from the Air Force = after 28 years of service. He then = worked for AB Dick Co. in the information products division in the U.S.A., Alaska, Europe, Korea and then= back to U.S.A. Joe also worked in Counter Intelli= gence in the Office of Special Investigations which is similar to the F.B.I.

John and Betty Marke= y, 1151 Links Way, Gibsonia, PA&nbs= p; 15044. Phone: 724-265-2242. John is a retired surgeon where he practiced for 41 years in Char= leston, WV. John and Betty met at the West Vir= ginia University Library where Betty worked.&nbs= p; They are the parents of Barb Filipiak. John and Betty love golfing. They live on The Links at Deer Run= .

Mars United Presbyterian Church

Phone: 724-625-1365

Email: marsup@mars-up.org=

Website: www.mars-up.org

Office Hours:&n= bsp; Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Rev. Jean E. Gomola, Pastor

Email: Gomola@mars-up.org=

Cell Phone:&nbs= p; 724-699-9185

Home Phone:&nbs= p; 724-458-9292