NEWS & EVENTS:

Make a difference on Mothers’ Day, just add water!!!!
Save the date to: celebrate, honor, and make a difference. On Saturday, May 3, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Northern Michigan Mothers Acting Up will host their annual Mothers’ Day market and tea, focusing this year on bringing clean water to the world’s children, as well as recognizing women in our area who have stood up for our greatest natural resource. The event—Just Add Water—will have a market featuring potted plants from Polly’s Planting & Plucking, jewelry by Alison DeCamp, as well as bath salts and tea to give all the special moms in your life, with 100% of the proceeds going toward the purchase of a PlayPump for a village in South Africa. A PlayPump is an innovative system that takes the power of children playing (on a merry-go round style piece of equipment), turning it into energy to bring clean water up from a well into a reservoir that serves an entire village. The cost of a PlayPump system is $14,000—which is our fundraising goal for the event. The tea portion of the day will serve as an opportunity of the women of our community to be uplifted, inspired, supported and rejuvenated. We’re workingon some exciting additions to this time together—so stay tuned formoreinformation! If you can’t attend Just Add Water but would like to make a donation, stop by the church office or call Copland Rudolph (231) 838 1001.

Join the Church Hammers
you don’t even have to actually use a hammer
Mark your calendars!! First Presbyterian Church/Church Hammers will be breaking ground on their 5th house Saturday, April 12. Groundbreaking will take place at 9:00 a.m. in SpringBrook subdivision. Directions to the home will be posted in the narthex. By the time you read this a partner family will be identified whom you will meet at the groundbreaking. Already so many of you have volunteered your gifts, time and skills to the building of our fifth home. Scott Cavell, once again, volunteered to provide material and labor to shingle the roof. Bill Thompson will again create for the family a beautiful photo album of their journey through the construction process. Jeremiah Radke and his employer have volunteered to put in all of the flooring; Jeremiah also contacted Builders’ Flooring who agreed to donate all of the flooring. Jim Frang is a part of the construction crew and Steve Webster will be doing finish carpentry work on the home. Carolyn Whittle is providing some of her delicious desserts for the work crew. What are your gifts? How can you help? Posted in the narthex will be list of committees that need workers. These committees vary from publicity to being a member of the “Green Team” (removing and or recycling building materials). Please look at the committees and determine how you can contribute to this build. This summer our churchhas identified two Sundays as fundraisers for the SpringBrook build. On June 22 there will be a special “Pass the Hard Hat”offering. July 27 you will have an opportunity to “Buy a Square Foot” of the Spring Brook home.($20.00 buys a square foot of the Habitat home.) As I write this article I am reminded of what Ember Hartley, a five-year-old whose family moved into the home the Church Hammers built in 2007, was most excited about moving into her new home. She said what she was most looking forward to was “turning on the light and having it come on and being warm all the time.” We again have an opportunity to make dreams come true for a family. Building a home for a family is so exciting, but the rewards come in the relationships that are built during the process. Come join us as we build a house and build relationships with our Christian partners.

Minute for Mission:
Parking lot sale coming this summer Great News! The proposal for a parking lot sale this summer to bolster Mission funding was approved by a unanimous vote of the Session at their February meeting. Much more will be mentioned about this event in the coming months as we seek the involvement of the entire church community in this endeavor!!