FROM THE PASTOR: Rev. Larry Hoffmann

Dear Friends,

The liturgical season of Lent has quickly come upon us. The Sacred Art of Listening, by Kay Lindahl, is a series of 40 reflections for cultivating a spiritual practice. I want to share one of the readings with you.

“This is the information age” is a common mantra these days. It leads us to want to know everything and know it right now. We are inundated with data. The world has moved from typewriters and one carbon copy, to electric typewriters and multiple carbon copies, to copy machines and word processors, to fax machines, to e-mail, laptops, Palm Pilots and broadband – all in a relatively short period of time. Add pagers, voice mail and mobile phones to the input from television, radio and newspapers and suddenly we find ourselves on the receiving end of massive amounts of data twenty-four hours a day.

Interestingly, much of this occurs without any personal interpretation. Sometimes I do most of my communicating without talking directly to another human being. Then there are days of back-to-back meetings and appointments when all I do is talk to other people. I share information and exchange data at a rapid pace. There’s hardly a moment to take a breath. All this can leave me with a yearning, a feeling that something is missing in all this communication from our heads. What’s missing is connection – communicating with our hearts.

Heart communication happens when we slow down, when we quiet down, look and listen. Stop to take a breath. Become fully present with the person we’re with. Listen with all our being. At this point, communication can occur without words. Being present is a gift that fills our hearts and spirits. We are in communion. Imagine a world where we all communicate from our hearts every day. Heart communication could be as simple as a smile or giving undivided attention to another. What a gift!

Grace and peace to you,

Larry

FROM THE CLERK EMERITUS: D. Dee Mowry

Presbyterian ministers HAVE to be a special type person. For years, I spent time serving on the presbytery Committee on the Preparation for the Ministry. When a person discerns the call to become a clergy person , it is not a matter of picking up a Bible and saying, “two weeks ago I couldn't even spell preacher and now I are one!!!!” The route to become an ordained Presbyterian Minister is a difficult route which involves the local session, presbytery and the seminary. The presbytery Committee on Preparation for the Ministry involves the student plus two members of the committee. I was VERY fortunate to work primarily with Revs. Bill Campbell and Jane Mykrantz for about 10years (over the time limit according to the Book of Order!!!). We met with our candidates often, sometimes at the bar in Port Columbus while they were on their way back to seminary.

The student starts as an 'inquirer', eventually a candidate and student. Final confirmation (I called it an inquisition) was done on the floor of presbytery...an experience I would NEVER want to go through (especially with my temper!!!!). Ordination is by the local presbytery, in our case the Presbytery of Scioto Valley.

Ministers have to pass the ordination exams to be confirmed, however, a lay person may be moderator of presbytery, synod or general assembly. The only place where an ordained Presbyterian minister must be is the moderator of the local session. This is a WISE decision as the Book of Order MUST be followed. Church polity is an exam item. Following the B of O is also a responsibility of the clerk of session.

FROM THE TREASURER: Kathy Mowry

There are currently 14 households participating in our Kroger Community Rewards. For the quarter of November through January, we received $29.23. The session has designated the income to the Breakfast to Go program.

FROM THE MISSION COMMITTEE CHAIR: Judy Turner

The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering for 2026 will be collected during the Lenten Season.

Envelopes for donations will be on the table in the back of the sanctuary. You may also use your weekly donation envelope. Simply designate the amount of your donation on the outside of the envelope. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Turner.

Calendar of Events

Mar 8^th - ZETA ALPHA will meet at 9:30 am in the church basement. Lesson 5 called "The Gift of the Woman Who Was Poor" will be discussed in the Bible study Finding Resilience, Joy, and Our Identity in Jesus Christ. All women are welcome to attend.
Mar 22^nd – Session Meeting after worship

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Mar 12^th – Brian and Kerry Boyd
Mar 21^st – David and Julia Mowry
Mar 23^rd – Gene and Carri McCandlish
Mar 24^th – James David Mowry
Mar 25^th – Sharon Ankrom
Mar 26^th – Carri McCandlish
Mar 27^th – Peyton McCandlish

Anyone wanting to add a birthday or anniversary to the list, please send an email or call the church office.

Lay Readers, Communion Servers and Ushers

Mar 1^st – Ron Cullumber: Lay Reader, Communion Server & Usher
Cindy Cullumber: Communion Server & Usher
Mar 8^th – Brenda Winegardner: Lay Reader
Kerry Boyd & Savannah Collis: Ushers
Mar 15^th – Cinda Keller: Lay Reader
Mark & Tracy Embrey: Ushers
Mar 22^nd – Karen Bergreen: Lay Reader & Usher
Scott Bergreen: Usher
Mar 29^th – David Mowry: Lay Reader & Usher
Kathy Mowry: Usher

Kids’ Section

This section of the printed newsletter is a page of children’s pictures and puzzles. It is available in the original PDF.

Newsletter March 2026