First Presbyterian Church

Redwood Falls, MN

Redwood Falls, MN
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Mark you calendars!

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Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and Rev. Cindy Kohlmann, co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly of the PC(USA), at the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, June 16, 2018. (Photo by Michael Whitman)

We are being blessed with the visit of another General Assembly Co-Moderator on February 16, during morning worship.

This time it is Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri of Miami, Florida. Her husband, the Rev. José Manuel Capella-Pratts will be accompanying her. Our Synod Executive Elona-Street Stewart and our Presbytery Executive, the Rev. SanDawna Ashley will also be joining us.

We will have a potluck following the worship service. If you would be willing to work at the potluck dinner please let me know. Please bring a dish to pass. Plates, Silverware, glasses, napkins and beverages will be provided.

~ Pastor Scott Prouty

Mission Service Team (MST) – Costa Rica Trip

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The Redwood Falls mission service team is busy preparing for a return trip to Roblealto Bible Home near San Jose, Costa Rica, March 29- April 6, 2020! The team includes, Lee & Diane Davis, Shawn Corder & LeAnn Heimer, Sue Jones, Dawn Kraus, Terri Maguire, Ann & Bruce Tiffany and Annette Zimmerman.

Our team will be spending a week doing service projects at the Bible Home which may include painting, simple construction, landscaping, repairs, refinishing, cement work, etc. In the evenings, we will spend time interacting and building relationships with the children in their foster homes. Coming up are two opportunities for the community to help support our mission work. We are raising money to provide the materials needed to do our service projects and to pay for a portion of our mission related transportation costs while in Costa Rica. We’ll also host a pizza party for the children and families at Roblealto.

Monday, January 13

5-8 pm, at Pizza Ranch

Team members will be greeting guests and bussing tables during this time.

Pizza Ranch will donate 10% of the evening’s sales, plus tips to our team!

Sunday, February 23

5:30 pm, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

Join us for “An Evening in Italy”, an evening of special music, appetizers, dinner, and dessert!

God-Centered Resolutions for the New Year

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Christmas is Coming!!!

Did you know a full 40% of the nation’s population makes New Year’s resolutions each year?

Of course, the size and scale of these goals often differs from person to person. Many set out to change their budgets, bodies, homes, or education levels. Others want to focus on emotional well-being or the building of meaningful interpersonal connections with others. But regardless of the specific area of interest, there exists a couple of common denominators between these resolutions worth acknowledging.

First and foremost, everyone seems to want more of something specific in their lives. We are never satisfied. A study was performed on individuals’ New Year’s resolutions across the country. When asked, 53% of respondents wanted to save more money, 24% of respondents wanted to travel more, 23% wanted to read more books. Others wanted to increase their own personal health by losing weight, getting in shape, or quitting smoking.

More is a common focus, and that is not always bad. Many of us could benefit from books, travel, or a little weight loss. What’s most impressionable here is the theme of discontentment; we are a society full of perpetually unsatisfied people, hungry for more of whatever we can get our hands on.

Second, New Year’s resolutions are mostly about trying harder. When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, it seems that the method we use for going about getting to the ‘more’ we’ve set our sights on is the same across the board. When in doubt, most of us assume that trying harder is the solution to almost all our problems. Are you struggling with your weight? Try hustling better at the gym. Finding it difficult to reconfigure that budget? Work more diligently. Not getting that promotion at work you’ve always wanted? Maybe you’re not putting enough effort in.

New Year’s is, without a doubt, every try-hard’s favorite holiday. But the thing is, this whole ‘do more, work harder’ mentality hasn’t just become evident in our celebration of a once-a-year goal-setting tradition. In fact, many of us now live in a culture that is more achievement focused than any other in recent history.

Not surprisingly, our try-hard culture has spilled over into matters of spirituality. Many Christians this New Year’s Day plan to make resolutions about Bible reading, prayer time, and ministry work. We want to be better followers of Christ who take the call to obedience seriously in our daily practices.

We may have Godly ambitions. These ambitions, much like the weight loss, reading, and travel goals are good things when entered into rightly. Certainly, setting goals for the new year about going to church, praying, or reading Scripture with greater frequency isn’t a bad idea. We also need to set aside time for personal devotions, alone time with God. But matters like these often fall astray not in the planning, but in the application stage. You see, the lie we so often believe about faith is that it is something we alone have the power to nurture. It’s our job to draw closer to God. It’s our job to spend more time reading God’s Word. It’s our job to pray so that we won’t forget about God’s presence or fall astray.

But, what we must remember amidst the try-hard and obsessive goal-setting mentalities in the world we live in is that our God is the source of all life changes. As Paul write in Philippians, God who began a good work in each of our lives is faithful to complete it in good time. The growth of our trust and cultivation of our love for God isn’t something we can nurture all on our own. God is sovereign over and constantly providing every step of the way.

That just does not just include things like booking your quiet time. It includes booking your exercise. It includes all of life, and our desire to submit our lives to God. Actually, even if we want to do these things, it is God who gives us the desire. The New Living Translation of Philippians  2:13 says: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases God.” Work as we might to love God more and follow God better, we never want to lose the fact that it is God working in us. For me, I’m going to set goals and make resolutions with that mentality—one centered around God’s power in us instead of my trying harder.

I hope you will as well, because you can be satisfied, in Christ, and you can have more, in Christ. God-centered resolutions are not all about you, your strength, or your plans. That’s what makes such resolutions worth making.

Have a blessed New Year! May all your God-centered resolutions come true! ~ In Christ’s love, Pastor Scott Prouty

Introducing Jurgen!

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Introducing Jurgen!

Jurgen Morales is a, fun-loving, 9 year old boy who enjoys playing baseball and soccer and who lives at the Roblealto Bible Home in Costa Rica. This is the mission site that we have visited several times, as did the 2018 Redwood Falls Mission Team.

Jurgen’s family has been greatly affected by domestic violence which in turn has affected him emotionally. He has experienced neglect and exposure to drug abuse by his parents, which has caused many negative behaviors. Jurgen’s mother has acknowledged that she is not capable to care for Jurgen and his two siblings and is ready to receive the help she needs to rebuild a healthy relationship with her children. She is committed to turning her life around so she can properly provide and care for them. The Roblealto disciplinary team will work with her to receive job training, parenting classes, and the skills she needs to restore her family unit. Jurgen will continue to live at Roblealto with a foster family during this time, which could take 1-3 years.

Our church has chosen to sponsor Jurgen for a year which means we have sent a financial donation to help offset his educational and personal expenses while he is living at the Bible Home and attending the specialized school there. In addition, Jurgen is learning about God’s unconditional love for him in his foster home and in the school setting, as well. Along with our financial contribution, we intend to support him by keeping him and his family in our prayers.

We are looking forward to establishing a relationship with Jurgen by having our church family communicate through letters and pictures. We will begin by having the youth write to him and tell him about themselves, our church and our community. We have seen the incredible transformations in children at Roblealto and are thankful that our church can help Jurgen in this way.

Ann & Bruce Tiffany 

Celebrate The Piecemakers

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It is a Celebration!

2018 marks 15 years for The Piecemakers!

We had our first meeting on May 21, 2003, and have spent the last 15 years cutting, pinning, tying and sewing. We have shared coffee/treats and stories while putting together quilts for many different occasions. We have had the privilege to make quits many of you have purchased for yourselves or loved ones. We are also humbled to have made many quilts for those sick, hospitalized or just in need of something warm to snuggle.

In honor of 15 wonderful years we are going to raffle a quilt! Chances ($1) will be available to purchase starting March 25. You can purchase them from Char, Marlys or Tina in the office. The quilt will be on display in the Narthex until May 20!

Thank you to all those who have helped us along the way both in your talents! We wouldn’t have had so much fun over the past years without each of you!


Photography by Miller Photography

First Presbyterian Church

235 East 4th Street, PO Box 444
Redwood Falls, MN 56283
507-627-8751