Author: Admin Aide

Venice View
A monthly newsletter of Venice Presbyterian Church February 2026

Established 1828

Established 1828

“Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples of Jesus”

Venice Presbyterian Church
4244 Layhigh Road
PO Box 41
Ross, Ohio 45061
Phone: (513) 738-1317
email: churchoffice@thevenicechurch.com
www.thevenicechurch.com
www.thevenicechurch.com
Adult Sunday School - 9:00a
Worship Service - 10:30a
Junior Church - during worship

Adult Sunday School - 9:00 am
LOFT - 9:30 am
Worship Service- 10:30 am
Junior Church - during worship

The Sacrament of Holy Communion
will be celebrated on:
February 1

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venicepresbyterianchurch

Venice Presbyterian Church
4244 Layhigh Road
P.O. Box 41
Ross, OH 45061
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
9:00a-12:00p
Phone
(513) 738-1317
Fax
(513) 738-0456
Email
churchoffice@thevenicechurch.com
Website
www.thevenicechurch.com
STAFF
Pastor
Rev. Owen Derrick
Administrative Assistant
Carol Gilmore
Youth Director
Beth Ziepfel
Choir Director
Theresa Bailey
Music Director
Ben Tweedt
Audio/Visual
Owen Ziepfel
Custodian
Larry Hayes
Venice View is published monthly. All items should be submitted by the third Tuesday of each month.

Pastor’s Musings

This year, Easter falls quite early, meaning that Lent will be starting in the middle of February with the Ash Wednesday service on February 18th.
Even though we’ll be leaving the season of Epiphany, we should carry the light of Epiphany into our Lenten journey. While many see Lent as a solemn – maybe even dull – season, we should never lose sight of the fact that we are light for the world (Matthew 5:14) and we carry the Light of the world (John 8:12) with us wherever we go – even into the recesses of self-examination during Lent.
I’m doing something a little bit different this Lenten season. We will be holding Wednesday lunchtime services throughout Lent. We’ll meet at 12:15 in the fellowship hall (after the preschool leaves) and we’ll have a short, informal gathering during which, we will look at the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s gospel, and specifically about how it informs our lives today, in the world we find ourselves.
Wednesday, February 18, Ash Wednesday – 7 pm (supper at 6 pm)
Sunday, February 22, Lent I – 10:30 am
Wednesday, February 25, Lunchtime service – 12:15 pm
(fellowship hall)
Sunday, March 1, Lent II – 10:30 am
Wednesday, March 4, Lunchtime service – 12:15 pm (fellowship hall)
Sunday, March 8, Lent III – 10:30 am
Wednesday, March 11, Lunchtime service – 12:15 pm
(fellowship hall)
Sunday, March 15, Lent IV – 10:30 am
Wednesday, March 18, Lunchtime service – 12:15 pm
(fellowship hall)
Sunday, March 22, Lent V – 10:30 am
Wednesday, March 25, Lunchtime service – 12:15 pm
(fellowship hall)
Sunday, March 29, Palm Sunday – 10:30 am
Wednesday, April 1, Lunchtime service – 12:15 pm (fellowship hall)
Thursday, April 2, Maundy Thursday – 7 pm (supper at 6 pm)
Friday, April 3, Good Friday – 7 pm
Sunday, April 5, Easter Sunday – 10:30 am

I invite you to make these services a part of your Lenten journey, if you are able. Let us each explore this teaching of Jesus with open hearts and minds, and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate for us the way in which we should shape our lives to make us effective in our ministry together.
Join us on this voyage of reflection and let us approach Easter’s joy with a renewed sense of vision and purpose.
Pastor Owen Derrick

Ushers
1st Sunday Youth Group Lee Steenken will call on usher
2nd Sunday Deacons volunteers according to this
3rd Sunday Men of the Church General Usher Schedule.
4th Sunday Women of the Church
Worship Assistants
February March
01 Tami Adams 01 Lee Steenken
08 Gayla Young 08 Kim Young
15 Judy Bohne 15 Emily Eberwine
22 Dan Young 22 Beth Ziepfel
29 Youth Group
Communion Preparers
February 01 Jerry Rohrer
March 01 Kim Young
Trustee of the Month
February Clarence Bohne
March Becky Berling
__________________________________
Attendance
December January
07…………...83 04…………...70
14…………...Cancelled 11…………...110 (Confirmation)
21…………...96 18…………...76
24…………..104( Christmas Eve) 25…………..Cancelled
28…………...62
30………….. 86

Thankful for You!

Please look below and on the following pages for opportunities to participate, serve, and have fun!
Announcements
RAMM - No RAMM Meeting
Deacons Meeting - Monday, February 2nd, 6pm, Annex
Pancake Breakfast - Boy Scout Troop 923 will be holding their Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, February 8th after the church service.
Trustees - Tuesday, February 10th, 5:30pm, Annex
New Members Class - Wednesday, February 11th, 7pm, Annex
VPP Board Meeting - Thursday, February 12th, 12:15 pm, Annex
Dorcas Meeting - Monday, February 16th, 1:00 pm, Sharon Thomas
Session Meeting - Tuesday, January 13th, 7pm, Annex
Ash Wednesday - January 18th, 7pm
Choir Practice - Every Wednesday, 5:30pm
Coffee Conversation - Every Thursday, 9:30 am, Annex
NOTE: Handbell Practice will start back up February 25th
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Parish Life
Please bring cans of soup on Sunday, February 8th for the RAMM and VPC pantries. Let's beat last year's total of 107 cans collected. Thank you very much to everyone who supported the Bob Evans fundraiser. We are still waiting on the amount raised.

MISSIONS
VPC is truly blessed to have such a wonderful congregation! On Sunday, January 18th, MANY willing hands helped pack 400 Winter Emergency Kits for Community Outreach! Many, many thanks to everyone who stayed after church and took a few extra minutes to help accomplish this task.
These kits will be available and distributed throughout Butler County at these locations:
VPC Pantry
RAMM Pantry
New Life Mission-Hamilton
Oxford Winter House Shelter- Oxford
Community Meal Center-Zion Lutheran Church/Hamilton
Faith Mission Outreach-New Miami
Feed the Hungry/Dream Center-Middletown
West Chester Police Dept.
Other locations as needed
With the frigid winter weather this year, community outreach appreciates
donations of gently used blankets/afghans/throws, socks, gloves, sturdy shoes/boots, and “outdoor” winter jackets. In addition, sorted and flattened plastic bags to make mats continue to be collected.
As usual, donations of beverage tabs for Shriners, non-perishable food for VPC Pantry, cleaning supplies/paper goods for Haven House, and personal care items (toilet paper, deodorant, etc.), canned spaghetti meals, canned meats, cereal, oatmeal, etc. for RAMM are much appreciated.
If a special someone has a February birthday, a small donation to Birthday Blessings is a way to honor that special person on their special day.

The Venice Presbyterian Church pantry has had many visits throughout the year. We could not help this many families without your generosity and kindness. If you can bring just one item per week from our list of needed items, or would like to make a financial donation for “Venice pantry” to purchase needed items, it would be a great help.
Jelly & Peanut Butter
Cereal
Canned Meat (tuna, chicken)
Canned Pasta Meals and Soup
Spaghetti Sauce & Pasta
Ramen Noodles
Any questions, please see Dave Wheat or Rick Weppler.

RAMM
www.rammbutler.org
The next RAMM meeting should be Thursday, March 5 pm at the VPC Church Annex.
The RAMM monthly pantry is held the third Saturday of each month, from 10am to 11:30am at the Ross Intermediate School. If you would like to volunteer your time or have donations of perishable or non-perishable food items, personal care items, or cleaning supplies, please contact Greg Young at 513-212-7950.
Financial donations are greatly appreciated by cash, check or Venmo to
@ RAMM-Ross and Morgan Ministries. Thank you for your continued generosity and support!
Sharing Closet
If anyone would like to help sort and hang clothing, we meet every Wednesday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Please check with Carole Wheat for
additional information.

FEBRUARY

LUNCHTIME GATHERING
Starting on Wednesday, February 25th, we will be holding lunchtime gatherings services throughout Lent. We’ll meet at 12:15 in the fellowship hall (after the preschool leaves) and we’ll have a short, informal get-together during which, we will look at the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s gospel, and specifically about how it informs our lives today, in the world we find ourselves. We should be finished by 1 pm. Feel free to bring your lunch. Pastor will brew some coffee, if there's demand.
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COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL
SUNDAYS
AT 9:00 A.M. SHARP!
The Adult Sunday School class will meet at 9:00 am in the Annex on Sundays. We will be doing Ray Vander Laan's The Early Church. Everyone is welcome.
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COFFEE CONVERSATION
(Thursday mornings @ 9:30 a.m. in the Annex)
Coffee Conversation will meet at 9:30 am on Thursdays in the annex. The New Testament believers carried the Spirit
of God as they walked along the shores of Thessalonica,
just as you carry that light today. Shine brightly as you study 1 and 2 Thessaloans in Children of the Day by Beth Moore. This will be a 9 week study. If you are interested in joining us for this study, please let Judy Bohne know so that there will be a study guide for you. The get togethers run from 9:30 am to about 11:30 am. Coffee is
always available and plentiful!
NOTE: On the third Thursday of each month we will meet at 9:00 am instead of 9:30 am.
14
10

February Preschool News
2026-2027 Registration
If you are interested in registering your child for the
2026-2027 school year, please contact us at 738-0158 or preschool@thevenicechurch.com. Registration will open to the public on February 1.
What are we Learning this Month?
We will continue working on letters, numbers, shapes
and counting. The Bible story this month is The Good
Samaritan. We are practicing songs and making lots of
artwork for our Grandparent’s Day, which will be at the
beginning of March. Towards the end of February, we will begin working on the paper mâché for our Easter egg
piñatas.
We will be having our Valentine’s Day parties at the
preschool on
February 12 and 13!
15
11

The Venice Church Library is open for business! First of all, thank you to everyone whose generosity has made the library possible. Over the past few months, donations of books, shelves, and money through the noisy offering have meant that our shelves are well stocked. There are some wonderful books available to be checked out. Feel free to come into the library and look around - and if you are not in a hurry, have a seat and read a book. We have a beautiful carpet for the wee ones.
Checking out books - there is a link to the library catalog on the Venice Presbyterian Church website www.thevenicechurch.com. Feel free to peruse the collection. To keep check out simple, there will be a 3-ring binder on the white table. Please write the title of the book, your name, and the date of checkout. When finished, please place the book in the basket below the table and enter the check-in date in the binder.
If you have questions, suggestions for books or other library related matters, please feel free to contact me - Dianne Derrick (dkhderrick@gmail.com).

THANKS YOU: A special note of thanks goes to our Venice friends for the cards, prayers, love and support during Dale's illness and his recent passing. His spirit lives on in our hearts, and he would be deeply grateful for your kindness.
Blessings to all of you, From Melanie Hanson

THANK YOU: It is not enough to just say “Thank You” for all the thoughts and prayers given to me since my fall. It has been a tough journey, but all of the concern has made it better. I thank you all very much for the help to recover. With God’s Love, Jan Krier

JOY (Just Older Youth) Group
The JOY group had a great time at Cooper’s Hawk at our
January outing. It was cold
outside, but the food was tasty and the company was even
better! Our next outing will be on Thursday, February 19th. We are planning to eat in Hamilton at Agave and Rye. We will meet at the church and carpool for an 11:30 a.m. luncheon. Please let me know if you will be going by signing the paper in the narthex. I will call the restaurant to let them know an approximate number attending. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call Gayla. Hope you will plan to join us for food, fellowship, and fun!

Prayers
** Prayers for Denny Butterfield, Wilma Butterfield, Kenley Commins, David Garrett, Ruth Guenther, Pat Jackson, Ron Mienheartt, Kylee
Phillips, Nancy Renner, Carolyn Richardson, Debbie Schwab, J.T.
Swartzel, Elizabeth Vereker, Rick Weppler, Bill Wickert, Jane Wickert, and Joan Wright.
**Ongoing Love offering for Debbie Schwab and her family. If you would like to give, please write “Debbie” or “Schwabs” on your giving envelope. Prayers and cards are especially needed currently.
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Anyone wishing to explore any of the following should let pastor know they are interested:
New members - if you aren't a member at VPC but would like to
find out what membership entails.
Confirmation - anyone who hasn't been confirmed yet, or who
wants to know what that means.
First Communion - normally for children who haven't been taking communion. (Here at VPC, I work on the "open table" principle where anyone can take Communion, including children who have not received instruction yet. Nevertheless, even if a child has been taking Communion, learning about it and why we do it is still important.)
Classes will be arranged once we know who will be involved.
*********************.
REMINDER: Anytime there are changes or cancellations to our church calendar, please remember to call or email the church office so that the changes can be made to the office hard copy and the website calendar. Thanks so much!
Office Number: 513-738-1317
Email: churchoffice@thevenicechurch.com

FEBRUARY

BIRTHDAYS
04 Alex Schwab
07 Drake Miller
11 Amy Brandenburg
11 Lee Steenken
12 Ron Mienheartt
Dave Wheat
18 Lois Beddard
19 Nancy Renner
Greg Young
Zoey Guenther
Bettie Carmack
23 Trish Lutterbie
Jennifer Rauen
Jane Wickert
27 Lisa Brandenburg
27 Deloris Eby
28 Saralee Young
ANNIVERSARIES
12 Denny and Sharon Thompson
25 Mike and Sharon Tragesser

ANNIVERSARIES
12 Denny and Sharon Thompson
25 Mike and Sharon Tragesser

If we have missed your birthday or anniversary, please
contact the church office at 513-738-1317. Thank you.

SEPTEMBER

Please give thought and consider volunteering to head up this annual tradition. Fellowship, good food as well as a wonderful mission fundraiser can all be found in this December event.

New Members' Class: there will be an opportunity for anyone wishing to
explore becoming a member at Venice Presbyterian this coming Wednesday, February 11th at 7 pm in the Annex.

PO

Thanks

New Members' Class: There will be an opportunity for anyone wishing to explore becoming a member at Venice Presbyterian this coming Wednesday, February 11th at 7 pm in the Annex.

Thank you, Shirley Hamilton

PO

Thanks

I was happy to volunteer for 2025 as the Chairperson, but not able to again this year. Please give thought and consider volunteering to head up this annual tradition. Fellowship,
good food, as well as a wonderful mission fundraiser
can be found in this December event.
Thank you, Shirley Hamilton
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