First Presbyterian Church                      April 2025

    There are No Skeletons in the Church Basement

If you like fictional murder mysteries, I have a book to recommend to you, Ashes to Ashes by M.M. Lindvall.  The authors are a retired pastor from my home church and his daughter, and this book is the first in a series of three cold case files.  In a nutshell, a very old skeleton is found in the basement of a Presbyterian Church manse in New York City.  The minister and longtime church secretary try to figure out what happened decades ago amongst the church’s inner circle.

I liked it because it is not an over the top, graphic crime novel, but more of a personal history of the “usual crowd” that attends a church. While there may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, most of the sheep had some youthful indiscretions, family issues, etc. that make one wonder about their possible involvement.  Even more intriguing to me is how the element of decades of history plays into this game of “Clue”.  What if the perpetrator(s) are deceased or in a nursing home?  What if the wolf has reformed, and become a good dog over the years?  What does justice and/or restoration look like for those kind of prodigals? 

One of the reasons that the story of the prodigal son is so powerful to me is that I can relate to each of the family members.  I am the carefree, youngest child in my family, but I am also a serious, “good kid” for going into the ministry.  I am the literal father of Caleb and Elyse, and I can relate to being a spiritual parental figure for a church, too. Only God has that ultimate responsibility, of course, but as Christians we are supposed to strive for that kind of unconditional love, too.

I just finished a Lenten luncheon Bible study where I read that last paragraph to the group.  This led to quite a discussion about prodigal children and grandchildren of all sorts.  Suffice it to say that grandmothers tended to be the best models of divine love for the lost sheep and/or wolfish sheep of a family.  Sometimes this was because they had done similar things when they were younger, and they knew all the tricks that errant kids do.  The only other statement I would add to that is I have it on good authority that we have no skeletons in the basement.  I am not going digging around, though, to be on the safe side . . .

Rev. Walter Stuber 

First Presbyterian Church 

11988 W. Main St., Wolcott, NY   14590

585-217-6030  stuberman1@yahoo.com

www.wolcottpresbyterian.com   

    Wolcott  Council of Churches – Events

Soup and Bread Lenten luncheons at FUMC, 11:30 a.m. message and eat at noon on 4/2 and 4/9 

April 13:  Palm Sunday Cantata, 4 p.m. at the Wolcott FUMC, 7 p.m. at the North Rose       UMC 

April 17:  Seder Meal, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church

April 18:  Good Friday Service, 7 p.m., Huron Presbyterian Church

April 20:  Usual Easter Sunday services plus a joint Council of Churches service                        in Northup Park at 7 a.m.

        May 1:  National Day of Prayer in Northup Park at Noon

               Memorial Flowers for Easter Sunday      

If you wish to have memorial flowers for Easter Sunday,  we will need  the information for the bulletin and also the money if you desire the church to purchase  BY PALM SUNDAY,  April 13.  Enclosed  is the form.  Thank you.

          Spring Rummage Sale  

The Spring Rummage Sale is going to be Thursday, May 1 through Saturday, May 3.

  We are accepting donations now.  Donations can be left off at church whenever it is open.  You can also contact Dolores Gingerich for information or to arrange other times.

  Much help is needed for both setup and during the sale and will be greatly appreciated.  Please, sign up even if it is for an hour or two.  This includes women and men.  Announcements will be made in church for setup times, and there will be a signup sheet for workers for the sale.

          April Anniversaries

Don and Pat Bierer          4/5/97

                      Richard and Karen Blum   4/4/70        

    April Birthdays

Will Cahoon4/2

Kayla DeMay4/15

Chris Gateley4/1

Noah Gingerich4/14

Dan Hall4/12

Dan Kilmer4/10

Evie LaDue4/17

Chantel Lockwood4/28

Sue Mitchell4/24

Daryl Rothaug4/22

Dan Smith4/15

Jolee Stubbe4/10

Kaylee Stubbe4/10

Jackie VanDeusen4/13

Madison VanFleet4/14

Oliver VanFleet4/7

Richard Younglove4/21

Allen Youngman4/9