First Presbyterian Church, Mission
Where God’s love makes all the difference!
NOVEMBER
GIVE THANKS!
Grace, Mercy & Peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Church Breakfast Series
to Begin November 9th
The Fellowship Committee is
excited to begin our Church
Breakfast series, beginning on
November 9th.
We will begin
breakfast from
7-8AM, have a
little time for
talk or a short
presentation,
clean-up and then—for
everyone who is able—we‘ll
head over to the P.E.T. Project
to work on the scooters.
There will be plenty of work for
everyone from painting, and
assembling, to calling and
confirming orders, and the ever-
popular role of ―test driving!‖
We‘re calling this a morning of
―Body and Soul…‖ the breakfast 3. God is a rewarder-
will feed your body and the work
at P.E.T. will nourish your soul!
Please plan on joining us!
FPC — WORSHIP SCHEDULE:
* NEW SCHEDULE:
8:30am Worship
9:30am Sunday School
Adult Education
10:30 am Worship
...another RGV Connections publication
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
November is the time in the Church Year
that First Presbyterian-Mission plans for
the Staffing, Programs and Building for the
coming year- 2011. We are asking for your
pledge support. Pledge forms will be
passed out each Sunday in Church. Your
commitment will assist us in our planning.
Financial Stewardship is a key aspect of
discipleship. As followers of our Lord Jesus
Christ we experience Grace, say Thank
You to our Lord. Then we want to share
God’s Love, we
WHY GIVE?
1. Give thanks to the want to see lives
Lord for the blessings change. We trust
we’ve received. God to help us
2. You are called to be work diligently,
in the family of God.
plan carefully,
save widely and
you cannot out give
God. budget prudently.
HOW ARE TITHES USED?
1. To provide for the support to lead
worship services and building
maintenance.
2. Support the Ministries of the Church.
DEDICATION SUNDAY WILL BE
NOVEMBER 28TH—THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SUPPORT!
First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 2

Who’s Who at FPC NOVEMBER 2010

ELDERS & COMMITTEES

Mike Hudsonpillar Lowell Hudsonpillar
Clerk Treasurer
mhud52@aol.com lowell@meldenandhunt.com
585-3265 / 330-7922 581-3990 / 279-1739

Tom Smith Nicole Cruz

Maintenance Christian Ed
tsmissiontx@sbcglobal.net ncruz@sharylandisd.org
580-0303 / 222-4183 584-1948 / 451-7171

Keith Dietrich John Cain

Church Growth Youth/Young Adult
kdietrich@rgv.rr.com j.cain@cain-customs.com
584-3433 / 844-8024 581-6861 / 342-0460

Judy Mayes Mike Manuel

Outreach Fellowship
judy@mayfairmin.com mmanuel@rgv.rr.com
585-1198 / 343-8716 583-1756 / 330-1608

Judy Alexander Carla Badgley

Congreg. Care Planning
judyale401@sbcglobal.net cjbadgley@hotmail.com
580-0712 / 778-3232 581-2558 / 458-1181

Bill Ellisor Dot Harrigan

Stewardship Worship
vaadabill@msn.com jinxdot2001@yahoo.com
424-7502/303-564-5803 581-8414 / 358-8357

DAVID dvdiercksen@gmail.com
585-4829 church
DIERCKSEN 585-1548 home
330-1043 mobile
PASTOR
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 3

Church Fellowship, Fun NOVEMBER 2010

FPC Church Picnic: Family fun, food, fellowship!

La Brisa Ranch was the setting for a
churchwide picnic on October 2. The
weather was perfect and attendance (51) was
great! We even
had a visit from a
friendly tarantula.
Eeek!

Special thanks to Mike

Hudsonpillar for the use of the
facilities and for the wildlife
viewing tour, to Jenny
Hudsonpillar for setting up the tables and coordinating the kitchen, to
Barbara Gray for the kids‘ games, to Bill Freeman for grilling the meat, to
Libby Freeman for the cobbler,
to Pat Hudsonpillar for the
chips and salsa, to Geneva
Elbers for the brownies, and to
Judy Alexander for the cookies.

Our next outing will be a

hockey game/tailgate party on
November 20. Don‘t miss it!

Everyone, come on over for

BREAKFAST
It’s time for our monthly Church Breakfasts to begin again.

FOOD – FELLOWSHIP - INSPIRATION

And, for those who are able and inclined – Help with WORK at the PET Project

TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 9th , 7 AM
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 4

Pastor’s Message NOVEMBER 2010

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Stewardship is a time in the Church year that always
frustrates me… Whenever we start getting serious about
stewardship, it seems that the talk is always about “Money
and Budgets” instead of ―God and Vision.‖ And isn’t
stewardship more than a “once-a-year” topic? Isn’t it a life
-style, a life-choice?
I think it is wise to start with what God says about giving:
-Give First-
Deuteronomy 26:1-2 tells us: “When you have come into the land that the Lord
your God is giving you…you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the
ground…and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your
God will choose as a dwelling for his name.” Those participating in our Adult
Education classes at First have a special understanding of ―First Fruits,‖ having
just studied about them. Whenever you receive income, gifts, wealth of any kind,
you give God the “First” of it before doing anything else. This is an act of trust
that God will also provide the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fruits…
-Give Intentionally-
2 Corinthians 9:7 says: “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind,
not reluctantly nor under compulsion.” How have you ―Made Up Your Mind‖
to give? Based on income or profit, surplus or scarcity? Or based upon God’s
faithfulness and generosity? Stewardship does not run “Hot or Cold”, it is an “In
Season and Out of Season”
JOB OPENING: Church Secretary lifestyle.
First Presbyterian Church - Mission is now -Give Cheerfully-
accepting applications for the position of 2 Corinthians 9:7 says: “…for
CHURCH SECRETARY. This is a full-time God loves a cheerful giver.”
position and we are I’m not sure an explanation is
hopeful that this search required here…
will find a suitable
match for our church God’s blessings to you and your
and its duties. Due to church policy, however, families and looking forward to
applications will not be considered from FPC another faithful year at First
Mission members or their relatives. For more
information, please call Pastor Dave at the Presbyterian Church- Mission…
church office: 585-4829.
We welcome your referrals! Pastor Dave +
First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 5

Music Ministry, Ushers NOVEMBER 2010

Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord with Music!

YOUNG BUT MIGHTY!
The SonShine Players may be a young bunch
this year, but they are ready to perform!
On December 5, these students will present
“AARON, THE ALLERGIC SHEPHERD!”
They (along with some willing parents) are
learning some wonderful songs and will soon
be auditioning for individual character parts.
Get ready for some fun in this innovative
account of the birth of Jesus.

From our music director: HELP WANTED:

―AGAIN, I’LL SAY: IT’S NEVER "Able Bodied Ushers"
TOO LATE TO JOIN
THE CHOIR!‖
Work Sundays, with
Have you sung in a weekdays free for golf!
choir before? If you Work just about 2 hours
have, you know that per week unless the
the experience is wonderful – beautiful preacher goes looong).
music & fabulous fellowship. What Retirement benefits are out of this
could be better? world and must be able to carry a full
If you have not sung in a choir before, offering plate...
you really should give it a try! The Love of God and God's people a must.
Chancel Choir at FPC Mission is filled Apply in person to Bob or Pam
with people who participate for the Sherwood- very easily located on
love of music and Jesus Christ. There Sunday mornings or call 585-6377
is no audition. If you don’t believe
ME, why don’t you talk to one of the
choir members? I’m sure that they will
be happy to fill you in on all of the joys
of being a part of this music ministry.
The choir meets on Wednesday evening
at 7:30 PM for rehearsal – see YOU
there!
Pat Hudsonpillar - Music Director
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 7

Music, Etc... NOVEMBER 2010

CELEBRATION SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES

November 21st is the date of the next installment in
the 13th Annual CELEBRATION SUNDAY CONCERT
SERIES at FPC-Mission!
These concerts are sponsored by the church as a
community service – free of charge and open to the
public.
Our November Celebration Sunday Concert features a
local guitarist, Brooks Ausborn. Brooks is from
McAllen and you are likely to run into him at any
number of the hot-spots in the
area. In his words, he is a CELEBRATION SUNDAY
―classical and eclectic guitarist CONCERT SERIES:
from South Texas.‖ November 21: Brooks Ausborn, guitarist
December 19: The Sweet Adelines
This concert is on Sunday, January 16: Julie McClaren, pianist
November 21 and begins at 6:30 February 20: Alta Uhrmacher, organ
PM. Please join us for this very March 13: Salomon Lopez, tenor
entertaining evening of music!

You just never know where you are going to find our
energetic Pastor Dave! Why, one recent Wednesday
morning he could be found at COVENANT
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY. Every October, the
students at this wonderful school invite their pastors to
a special CHAPEL service for PASTOR
APPRECIATION DAY. Every grade from PK3 through
Junior High presented a special song, dance,
recitation or skit to honor the visiting pastors. Pat
Hudsonpillar & Pastor Dave certainly enjoyed
every class’s offering, but of course, they were a
little partial to the PK3, PK4, and Kinder. Why?
Because that’s where you will find Pat’s
granddaughters Peyton & Halle York and Cora
Resczenski! . . . You just never know where you
will find Pastor Dave!
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 6

Music Profile NOVEMBER 2010

Welcome Home, Alta!

When Alta Uhmacher started coming to FPC
Mission, we knew that good fortune had truly arrived!
At that time we had two wonderful organists – both of
whom wanted to slow down a little, travel more, and
basically not be tied to the organ quite so much! Alta
was willing to substitute . . . what more could we
want!
As time went on, we knew that we needed Alta to
be a more permanent addition to the staff. But, when Music Minister Pat
Hudsonpillar asked her to join us, she told her that we needed a better organ
before she would consider it! And how true that was – the old pipe organ
that had served the church so well for so many years was on its last leg . . .
or pipe, we should say. And as they say, ―The rest is history.‖
We got a new organ and Alta did, indeed, join the
staff. When asked recently if we could recount that
story she said, ―Yes, you can use that story, the old
organ was sick!!! Life's too short to play on an
instrument like that. I started to play at FPC in the
fall of 1997 when we moved here from Rapid City. I
offered to do substitute work, and all of a sudden in
the December news letter I was listed as staff. From
there it all went uphill.‖
Alta had been the primary organist at Westminster Presbyterian Church in
Rapid City, SD, where she played for 32 years. She also was a personal
banking officer at Norwest Bank but retired from both jobs at the end of
1993. Alta and her husband, Dick, have three children, five grandchildren,
and one great-grandchild. And of course we can't forget their pride and joy,
an energetic poodle named Barney. Alta & Dick are avid campers and
boaters, and spend their summers in northwestern Montana on Lake
Koocanusa.
Alta sums up her feelings for FPC this way: ―I feel so fortunate to have
FPC as my church home. I knew the minute I walked into that old sanctuary
that this was going to be home. Everyone is so friendly, and most of all, we
have a lot of fun. I also appreciate being able to play on this fine organ,
definitely the finest I have ever had to play on.‖
Welcome back, Alta!
First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 8

Children’s Ministries NOVEMBER 2010

A Chair for All at Christ's Table

Now even our FPC toddlers have a place at the table—

We have three new chairs in the Fellowship Hall!
These chairs are much like Goldilocks said about Baby
Bear's chair in the story of Goldilocks and the Three
Bears: "This chair is too small for me!"
Yes, the new chairs are for our smallest FPC members!
It was brought to the attention of the elders that at last
year's Easter Egg Dying Party no chair was toddler-
sized. The session agreed that here at First Presbyterian
Church we believe that everyone from old to young has a place a Christ's
table.
Nicole Cruz, Elder for Christian Education, located the chairs at the United
Restaurant Supply Company and with the help of Treasurer Lowell
Hudsonpillar delivered them to the fellowship hall on Saturday just in time
for the Welcome Back Potluck for our Winter Texan friends.
CHILD ACTIVITY BOXES ARE SUPER FUN!!
As Pastor Dave always says, "Youth are not the
church of tomorrow; they are the church of today." At
First Presbyterian Church, we have a welcoming
nursery and a great nursery staff for babies and
toddlers.
But, what about our young children who are too old
for the nursery? We want them to attend worship and
learn along with our adult congregation, but the
language of worship is often above the minds of
these youngsters and the time it consumes may be
more than their attention span is geared for.
Crystal Wallace, mother of Brandon age 2, came up
with a solution for youngsters who at times are
challenged with sitting still for an hour during worship. She ordered Christian
themed activity books, pencils, and crayons and organized them into pint-
sized storage containers. These cool child activity boxes are located in the
Narthex near the communion table where the bulletins and worship plates
are stored. Ask any elder on the way into church and your child may borrow
an activity box for worship.
Thanks to Crystal for coming up with a great way to engage our youth
during worship!
 First Presbyterian Church, Mission PAGE 9

Study, Mission Work NOVEMBER 2010

Travel to the Holy Land this Spring

Join Pastor Dave, as well as members
and friends of First Pres-Mission who will
travel to tour the Holy Land… We will be
leaving on March 14th from New York and
returning March 24th… We will be
journeying to Jerusalem- the Garden of
Gethsemane and view the Kidron Valley,
Galilee- sailing on the sea of Galilee,
Bethlehem- Shepherd‗s field, Nazareth…
We will be traveling with Educational Opportunities Tours, who have been
leading trips for 37 years. We are anticipating the cost to be $2,945.00 plus
air fare to NYC, lunch/beverages and a love offering for our tour guides.
We will be having a planning meeting on November 1st @ 6:30PM, in the
Garden Room. If you think you‘d like to share in this great adventure, please
come to the meeting.
If you have any questions, please call Pastor Dave @ 956-330-1043…

Mission Hosting at FPC-Mission

An AmeriCorps work group of 14 from Colorado will be staying with us at First
Pres beginning November 15 through the 24th or 25th.
The group will be working with Faith Community Disaster Recovery—a regional
ecumenical group that assists in Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy Counties.
The group will be sleeping in our
fellowship hall, cooking their meals in
the kitchen and working during the day
to rehab homes destroyed by Hurricane
Alex. Watch your announcements
because we will be doing a dinner for
them while they are with us (and you
don’t want to miss a Cain cookout!).
Our hope is that we can do whatever we can to make their work trip as
meaningful and productive for them as possible—they’d also surely enjoy a visit
from our members one of the evenings
they are here; for just a chat and for us
Share your snapshots of FPC
Fellowship, Service, & FUN to thank them for the work they are
for future newsletter editions! doing.
email to heatherbmarks@gmail.com
 (956)585-4829
Mission, TX 78572
1102 Ash Drive
First Presbyterian Church—Mission

First Presbyterian
Church, Mission
1102 Ash Drive Mission, Texas 78572
Phone: 956-585-4829
www.fpcmission.com