“No matter who you are, no matter where you are, you are welcome here!”

March 29, 2024

Dear Pali Pres,

Today, Good Friday, is the darkest of days for us as Christians—the day Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world. That is why we dare to call this day “good”—because of what the death of Jesus means for us and all the world. As Paul writes, “Through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). It is because of today that we have all been reconciled to God, and can live forgiven and peace-filled lives.

I do hope you will join us this evening at 7:00pm, in person or via live-stream, as we gather and reflect together on the meaning of this day. It is such a blessing to be partnering with our friends at Brentwood Presbyterian Church for this service; Pastor Dave and Pastor Lora will help lead tonight’s service and their congregation has been invited to join ours on this most holy day.

Whether you can join us for worship or not, I do encourage you to spend this day in prayer and reflection as we honor the loving sacrifice of our Lord. I share the following prayer with you as one that speaks to my heart this day:

Holy God, your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought humanity the gift of reconciliation by the death he endured. Teach those who bear his name to follow the example he gave us. May your life-giving power at work in us turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, and sorrow into joy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[adapted from a prayer by the PCUSA Office of Theology and Worship]

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matt

Marion Belt (1): With love for all.

Sylvia & Jon Boyd (2): For parents Neva & Charles Arslan.

Vidda & Bruce Brough (1): In honor of loved ones past and present.

Sharon & George Browning (3): Happy Easter to all!

Cynthia & Lyla Corrales (2): To Richard Corrales, husband and father, who loved with all his heart!

Ruth Curran (2): For David Curran; For Kenneth Weber.

Kirsten & James Ellis (3): In gratitude for Pali Pres; For our many years of faith; For friendship and community.

Erika Frazier (1): Dedicated to my grandmother, Valeria McCray. There are no words sufficient to express how grateful I am to have known her and to have been loved by her. I miss her every day.

Jan Gong (1): Happy Easter to our church family!

Allegra Gorchynski (2): In honor of Betty; In memory of Myrna.

Linda Grant (1): Gratitude & blessings to my church family.

Pastor Matt Hardin (1): With Easter love for my wife, Mary, and sons, Joshua & Luke!

Pastor Matt, Mary, Joshua & Luke (1): With Easter love for our church family!

The Harvey Family (2): In memory of our beloved parents and grandparents, Claude & Flora Harvey and Lynn & Glyn Surber.

Tove Hoch (3): In loving memory of Tove’s brother, Richard; In loving memory of our parents, Harry & Geraldine.

Laura Iannaccone (1): For Alek & Max - my blossoming flowers.

Joan Kaczorowski (2): In memory of Russell & Winnie Buller; In memory of Kenny McGhee.

Nina & David Kidd (2): In memory of Alfred & Emily Menzies; In memory of Milton & Dorothy Kidd.

Lynn Mack-Costello (1): In loving memory of Marilyn Mack.

Lore Meline (1): In loving memory of my husband, Ray, and my son, Tom.

Pat & Bill Moran (2): In loving memory of John & Laura Moran; In loving memory of Sam & Boneva Whitney.

Evelyn & Geoff Moyer (4): In Thanksgiving for our grandchildren Sullivan, Olivia, Clara & Jake.

Michelle Oliver (10): In celebration of the life of my wonderful grandmother, Priscilla Shulman, and the beautiful family she created.

Dewey & Whaja Park (3): In loving memory of Dewey & Whaja’s parents; In loving memory of Dewey’s brother, Doo Hyuk Park; In loving memory of Dewey’s brother, Doo Chan Park.

Cameron Pfizenmaier (2): In honor of Richard Pfizenmaier; In honor of Tony Harbott.

Laurie & Peter Rasmussen (2): In memory of our sister, Diane and in memory of our nephew, Niels.

Stacy Sadowski-Glenn (2): In loving memory of Tom & Sandy Sadowski.

Mary Ellen Shlegel (2): With peace and love for all mankind; With love for our church.

Shelley Wagner & Clayton Wagner-Mednick (1): In memory of Harvey Mednick.

Thank You Enrique & Dennis!

Enrique and Dennis did a fabulous job sprucing up our sanctuary for Holy Week!

Change for Change

A friendly reminder to bring your Change for Change boxes this Sunday!

March Session Notes from Your Clerk of Session

The Session held its March meeting on the 19th. Here are some of the highlights of that meeting!

·  The Finance Committee reported that our spending is on track for the first two months of the year (though giving is slightly down) and our investments are doing well.

·  The Buildings & Grounds Committee is reviewing carpet samples for replacing the carpet in the sanctuary. They are also working on replacing some doors and windows in Janes Hall. Watch for more on these two projects!

·  The Preschool Committee announced that the school will extend their day until 5pm in the fall and is finalizing its application to open an Infant Room.

·  The Nominating Committee is having its next meeting on April 10.

·  Pastor Grace will be on Study Leave in late April and Pastor Matt will, if all goes according to plan, resume his Doctor of Ministries (DMin.) studies through Columbia Theological Seminary later this year.

·  An “Inquirers Class” will be held on May 19 with prospective new members joining the church on June 2.

·  The Session continued a conversation from the Congregational Meeting on March 10 about the future of certain programs and ministries, including the Youth Program.

·  The Deacon Retreat on March 3rd was a great success, with changes to the way Deacons minister to the congregation discussed and adopted. These changes will be shared with the congregation as part of Deacon Sunday on April 14.

·  $5,000 in scholarship funds were recently distributed from the church to the preschool as part of our church’s mission allocation for 2024.

·  Members of the Finance and Personnel Committees for 2024 were approved.

The next Session meeting will be April 16.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Block, Clerk of Session

Easter Basket Decoration & Dinner

The Children and Family Ministries and Pali Pres Preschool teamed up this past March 20th to host the Easter Basket Decorating & Pasta Dinner. This intergenerational event was a wonderful success as everyone who attended was greatly encouraged by the evening’s festivities, crafts, and food. A special thank you goes to our volunteers and those who helped sponsor the dinner… you know who you are! As always, we appreciate your love and support! Let’s continue building beautiful memories at church and inviting our friends along the way.

Click HERE to see some great photos from this fun event!

Pali Pres Prodigals Game Two

Monday, April 1, 8:30pm, Field One

Pali Pres Prodigals vs Westwood Presbyterian

Join us for our Livestream Worship!

Join at 9:50am on Sunday Morning to enjoy the prelude, with worship beginning at 10am.

Sunday Refreshments

Bringing refreshments on Sunday mornings to share with our church is a loving and very important ministry. Thank you to all of you who have been doing this so faithfully. Please contact Refreshment Coordinator Jan Gong to sign up to serve.

Thank you to The Park Family for last week's refreshments! This week's goodies are brought to us by Joan & Jerry Kaczorowski, Pastor Matt, Jan Gong and Sylvia Boyd!

Sunday Sanctuary Flowers

A BIG thank you to our Deacons for providing last week’s sanctuary flowers! We have two flower donations this week! The first is from Joan & Jerry Kaczorowski, with love for all on Easter. The second is from Bevery Keese, in memory of Paul.

We invite all of our church members and friends to provide donations for flowers to adorn our sanctuary, along with a special dedication of your choosing. The cost is $75 per week.

Please contact Will Saunders and the church will order flowers from a local florist to be placed in the chancel on Sunday morning.

Our Deacons will distribute the flowers to one of our members/friends after the service.

Thank you for helping make our sanctuary even more beautiful!

Sunday Sermon Teaser

This coming Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord, and the hope and new life it brings each of us!  Please join us for this great Sunday of joy and peace!

Give to Pali Pres

Don't forget, you can easily give your tithes and offerings through our website!

Save the Dates

Friday, March 29th: Good Friday Service at Pali Pres

Sunday, March 31st: Easter Sunday

Monday, April 1st: Church Office Closed

Monday, April 1st: Pali Pres Prodigals Softball, Game 2

Sunday, April 7th: Sunday Funday

Sunday, April 14th: Deacon Sunday

Sunday, April 21st: Kids sing-along in church

Sunday, May 5th: Ladies’ Tea

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

- John 12: 4-8