Bible verse of the day:
Charlie’s Blog
this is the first blog
May 2012
Apr 30th
Adult Christian Education News
Sunday Morning Adult Study Class—On May 6, 13, 20, 27, and June 3 we will be viewing the Visual Bible International production of The Gospel of John narrated by Christopher Plummer (Movie-2005) followed by discussion.
An epic in the spirit of The Passion of the Christ, this widely acclaimed motion picture is a meticulous recreation of the turbulent era of Jesus and the events that changed the course of history! Narrated by Golden Globe nominee Christopher Plummer (Best Supporting Actor, American Tragedy, 2000), it’s the bold and powerful story of Jesus as told by his disciple John. The best-loved but least understood of the gospels, John presents a uniquely human portrait of courage and passion encompassing Jesus' entire three-year ministry, the final years of his life. Intimate and reflective, The Gospel of John offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the incomparable life and times of Jesus Christ.
If you would like to recommend particular studies to the Adult Christian Education committee for consideration for our 2012-2013 Adult Study year, please contact Anne Spohnhauer.
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Adult Study—Sunday mornings at 8:30 AM in the library
Adult Study Classes 2011-2012
May 6-June 3
The Gospel of John—Movie and discussion
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If you are not currently participating in a small group, you might be interested in one of our ongoing small groups listed below!
Ongoing small groups:
- Men's Book Group—1st/3rd Monday 7-8 PM (Saved Without a Doubt, John MacArthur) at the church…see Walter Winfield
- Women's Group—Thursday 10:00-11:30 AM (Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster) in the church library…see Robin Scott
- Men's Group—Thursday at 6:30 AM at the Lebens' home…see Mick Lebens
- Monday Women’s Book Study…evening study and dinner at The Odyssey Café—Monday at 5:30 PM (The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller)…see Joanne Breffle or Anne Spohnhauer
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ACE Committee meetings are the second Sunday of the month. The next ACE meeting is on Friday, June 15 at noon at Odyssey Cafe for our yearly planning meeting. If you are interested in the spiritual development of the adults in our congregation and would like to become a member of this committee, please contact Anne Spohnhauer.
May article
Apr 30th
Thank you for your willingness to participate in events unique to our regular worship pattern last Sunday. First of all, the Congregational Picture was delightful, semi-controlled chaos. I was unrealistically optimistic that we could do it in 12 minutes, but it still seemed to go about as smoothly as possible, given all the variables involved. Great to see the wide range of ages, family, and well…of just people arrayed in front of our Chapel, which is one year younger than the church itself. Of course, I couldn’t help but realize there were faces missing – people not in worship, for whatever reason, that “should” be in a picture of this sort. No picture will ever provide a perfect “snapshot in time” and include everyone, so we’ll just have to mentally ‘photoshop’ in their faces when we look at who we were on April 22, 2012.
Our Lectio Divina approach to the scripture was the other different piece of worship I asked you to experience, and again, I was grateful for your willingness to enter into the exercise. In just the sampling of responses, I could tell there was an honest and varied engagement with the text. The time available, as well as the nature of the setting, prohibited me from reading them all, but I plan to compile the responses in some fashion for us to get an overall sense of the thoughts, feelings, convictions, questions and doubts represented by our community of disciples.
Our Anniversary Weekend is rapidly approaching. Hopefully you aren’t feeling inundated with information and invitations, but it’s hard not to over-promote it, as milestones are few and far between. 125 isn’t the most significant of anniversaries, but it does fall on the quarter-century mark, and if nothing else, gives us an excuse to commemorate what God has done over the years, celebrate who we are at this point in time, and look forward to where God will take us in the future. For me, it is especially meaningful because this is the longest pastoral relationship I’ve had with any church (and, God-willing, it will be my last), so it feels particularly special to be a part of something that recognizes the longevity of God’s faithfulness and the faithfulness of God’s people.
It has been a fun experience to plan and prepare with the committee, whose members are Walt Winfield, Cri Cri Eastin, Jean Schweitzer, Alice White, Carol Bowery, Ron Clark and Debby Price. Each brings their unique gifts, perspective and relationship to the church over the years, and we’ve worked together well in crafting just the right amount and blend of activity to the weekend. Cri Cri did an awesome job on publicity, and landed for us the cover and cover story in the May issue of Paso Robles Magazine. Be sure to look for that and get a copy. Ron, with his experience and expertise in Historical Societies and Museums, has overseen (with lots of help from Jean) the historical record-keeping of the church and presentation of the church’s history in the chapel. Walter, with his gift for planning events, has been organizing the Chapel Open House on Saturday. Carol has spearheaded our commemorative gift item, Debby has led the charge on the Picnic and BBQ, and Alice and I have been working on the Worship Service, encouraging former leaders and members to attend and participate. Oh, and the congregational photo we took last Sunday? That was Jean’s idea. J Others not on the committee have also been helpful – Dean Dawson has built the display cabinets for the Chapel; Chet and Jayme Finley are planning and preparing the bulk of the cooking for the picnic, along with the Fellowship Committee members who are taking care of dessert, drinks, etc.; Robert and Nancy are overseeing games and activities for the picnic; Vern, Iris and the Worship Committee are working on various elements of the worship service; Evan and other B&G personnel are working on sprucing up the entrance to the Chapel (including dealing with an underground varmint who appears to have feasted on the roots of the Italian Cypress by the steps); Mike and Sue Tindell made the beautiful banners publicizing the event for the community; and of course, the office staff, as usual, has been performing their behind-the-scenes efforts to support all the work involved in a project such as this.
My hope is that this will be the best-attended and most-celebrated all-church event we’ve had in my almost fourteen years as your pastor. I urge you to make plans to attend everything you can that weekend; let’s affirm who we are to ourselves…and declare who we are to the community in which we have lived and served for 125 years. THANKS BE TO GOD!
Faithfully,
Charlie
March
Mar 5th
Thanks to all who turned out for the Meeting of the Congregation on February 19. I appreciated your patience with the presentation of quite a bit of information, as I feel it is important that we be as fully informed of the unfolding events taking place in the denomination to which we belong. The follow-up small groups were intended to be a forum for the congregation to communicate their thoughts and feelings to leadership (session), and we were grateful to those who took advantage of that opportunity. Please know that I, along with your elders, are available for questions and conversation about these matters at any time. We will do our best to keep us all informed with developments happening at the national (General Assembly) and local (Presbytery) levels, as well as decisions being made and direction being considered by the Session. So far, Session action includes:
- Discussion concerning joining The Fellowship of Presbyterians. We will make a decision on that question at the upcoming Session meeting (February 28).
- Electing to divert GA per capita payments to The Fellowship of Presbyterians. (see article on per capita payments in this issue). This giving decision reflects the sentiments of many in our congregation, as well as the elders, indicating the likelihood of what the session will decide regarding affiliation with The Fellowship.
- Monitoring the action and decisions of the upcoming General Assembly.
- Researching the particulars of the new Reformed body, Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), and following the events related to its formation and development.
- Participating in Presbytery conversations and being in dialogue with other congregations in the Presbytery that share our concerns, with the purpose to work together and avoid unilateral action on the part of any individual church.
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Next Wednesday, March 7, I head to Turkey, along with my two other team members, Ron and Peggy Gougher. Ron and Peggy are a retired couple from El Monteceito Presbyterian Church. We will be team-teaching six different classes on three consecutive week-ends – three classes on parenting young children, and three on parenting teen agers. Two of the classes will be for church members, at different times to accommodate people’s schedules, and one for members of the community. I can teach theses classes in English almost without preparation, as I have taught and lived these principles for the past 23 years. But in Turkish…wow, that has been a challenge.
We are working hard to get all the materials translated and how to work together in a live setting where the give-and-take between me and the class involves all the words being translated: my English words being heard by a translator…then the translator understanding what he heard and then deciding what Turkish words to use to communicate to the class…then the class hearing and understanding what he said in Turkish…the class then asking or saying something in response…then the translator hearing and understanding what they said in Turkish and deciding what the best English words to use to communicate to me what they were saying. Needless to say, by the time what was in my head gets inside of their head…and then what’s in their head gets back inside of my head – communication will be a challenge! The ability to hear and respond to the nuances of people’s concerns and problems will be very different in this context. But we believe God has called us to this endeavor, and our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will bless our intentions, our preparations and our time there to encourage and equip parents, and plants seeds of an ongoing family ministry in Antalya.
I will be blogging about our experience there, and if you would like to keep abreast of what’s happening, go to http://impactturkey.blogspot.com. I’ll be talking a bit more about my trip this Sunday during worship.
Faithfully,
Charlie
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SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, May 6
125th ANNIVERSARY WORSHIP SERVICE AND PICNIC
February
Feb 2nd
My time in Orlando recently attending the Covenanting Conference of The Fellowship of Presbyterians was well spent. I learned a lot, spent quality time with some of my friends in ministry, and felt quite “at home” in the climate of worship and reflection and affirmation there. It was encouraging and inspiring to be challenged with fulfilling the mission of Christ in the world. The Session spent considerable time at its last meeting hearing my report of the conference and discussing many of the issues involved. We have scheduled a “Meeting of the Congregation” for Sunday, February 19 after the worship service, and I hope as many as are able will plan to attend. We also plan to schedule a number of small group gatherings led by elders as a “follow up” in order to provide an opportunity for people to share with the session their thoughts, concerns and questions. As we discern our direction we want to do this together.
Just a word to say “thank you” for the catching up on pledges at the end of the year. We were getting behind to a point that we were starting to get concerned…but at the end of the year, pledge giving was at virtually 100%! In a time when income is less predictable, I am grateful for your commitment and generosity. And that is especially so when some other areas of income are less than anticipated.
Nominating Committee is underway. We have a terrific committee and look forward to bringing on a new group of Elders and Deacons. You can help by suggesting names of people you think would be potential candidates for serving in leadership (Elders) or in our parish caring ministry (Deacons). Use the form in this issue of the Templetones and place it in the box in the Narthex or send it to the church, attention Evan Mason, who is the moderator of the Nominating Committee.
As many of you know, especially if you were in worship on January 22, Joda Harrington died and went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 17. Had she lived until August 26 she would have celebrated her 50th year as an active member of this congregation. We look forward to celebrating her life as a witness to the resurrection of Christ, and of all those in Christ, on Saturday, February 11 at 11am. Joda’s membership spanned almost 40% of the total number of years this church has been in existence – 125 years come this May 8. As I indicated in this column last month, we will celebrate that history, as well as this moment in that history as we seek to be faithful to the vision of Rev. Francis Robinson and the 14 charter members who signed the membership roll on that day. Please reserve the weekend of May 5-6 for some special times of commemoration and celebration.
Faithfully,
January page
Jan 4th
As I write this I’m still enjoying memories of our Advent and Christmas season together.
I think our church was one of the big “hits” at Templeton’s first A Main Street Christmas, with cake pops and popcorn on the corner of 6th and Main for all who passed by (and plenty did), as well as a community-participation handbell and chime choir songfest. It was a delight to see people get up out of the pews and make music in a way they never had before. Especially touching was what appeared to be a mother and her adult child with apparent development disability issues ringing together and having a marvelous time.
I don’t think anyone left the sanctuary on December 11 who wasn’t blessed by the Faith Factory presentation of Miracle on Main Street. It was obvious that the children and adults had worked hard to prepare a musical for the worship experience of the whole church, which is a blessing in itself, but the experience was magnified by the message itself. It was a moment in which we were presented with the truth of the gospel through the singing and acting and speaking of those whom Jesus commanded that we give full access to Him – the children.
Our Living Nativity enjoyed what I believe was our most successful year to date, both in terms of attendance (over 700), in terms of animals (2 sheep, a donkey Mary could ride, and…drumroll please…a camel!), and in terms of congregation and community involvement. I’ve already reserved the camel for next year. J
Our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services were well-attended and allowed options for people to choose both the time and type of service that would best facilitate their celebration of the birth of Christ. I was glad that people took “come as you are” seriously, and children were free to come in their pajamas, and adults in their furry slippers. A personal thank-you to those who were brave enough to recite portions of Luke 2:1-20 for our scripture reading on Christmas Day.
These events were beautifully surrounded by Sunday morning worship services, Advent at Night, numerous fellowship gatherings (i.e. parties) of various ministry groups, and probably most important of all – the love within each and every family of the church as we lived this season together in our homes, sharing in the traditions, rituals and everyday life that makes Advent and Christmas the special time it is.
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The year 2012 is a special year. Not just because it is the last year on the Mayan Calendar (get ready for a slew of doomsday scenarios), but because 125 years ago our church was founded. In our official church records, we read these words,
“…on May 8th, 1887, the First Presbyterian Church was organized by Rev. Francis J. Robinson
with fourteen (14) members whose names appear upon the roll.”
One Hundred and Twenty-Five years is worth celebrating, so we plan to do that. We have set aside the weekend of May 5-6 (Sat-Sun) to celebrate 125 years God’s faithfulness…125 years of persevering stewardship of the Presbyterian portion of the body of Christ in Templeton…AND this particular moment in time in which God has entrusted the current and future mission of this congregation into our hands – those whom God has called together at this time to be church on 6th and Main. I hope you will all set aside Saturday and Sunday (Sunday especially) to be a part of what will take place on those days. More details will be forthcoming soon. We are forming a Task Force to help plan the May events, and would welcome anyone who would like to participate. Please speak to me or Walt Winfield if you are interested.
As we enjoyed a long and rich past … may this year be full of new signs of the kingdom of God among us – signs of love and power and grace and growth…signs of the presence of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Spirit – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen!
Faithfully,
Charlie
December page
Dec 1st
I want to thank you for taking seriously the responsibility to consider the issues at hand for us as a congregation in the Presbyterian Church USA. I’ve appreciated the feedback and dialogue I’ve had with many of you, and your willingness to hear what I have to say, which to best of my ability to understand, is what I believe God has to say to us through his Word. I feel encouraged by the spirit in which we have been willing to listen, ask questions, disagree, love and seek to live faithfully under the Word of God and in obedience to His Word.
I think it is important that we are all on the same page, so to speak. I want us all to understand what I believe and the decisions the Session makes so that there are no unnecessary misunderstandings about what is being said and done. So please – know that your thoughts and concerns and suggestions are always welcome and encouraged. I’ve had several requests for copies of the sermons, so Michele is making up extra sets of the four sermons preached from October 23 through November 20. If we need more, we can duplicate more. Another option is to listen to them on your computer by going to the website, www.templetonpres.org. Dates and titles are:
Christ, Culture and the Church – Oct. 23
Sola Scriptura – November 6
And God said, “YES” … and “No” – November 13
And God said, “YES” … and “No”, Part 2 (The Practice of Homosexuality) – November 20
Also, I encourage you to pick up the article, “Homosexuality and the Church – Moving through and Beyond the Debate”, published in Theology Matters. Both the CDs and article are available in the Narthex and Butler Hall.
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One action the Session has taken in response to denominational decisions is to review its policy with regard to per capita payments to the General Assembly. Per Capita is the annual assessment to each congregation that pays for the administrative costs necessary to run the Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly. It is not money that goes to mission, at least not directly, but to administration and overhead. Each year we publish what that amount is and invite members to pay it separately (over and above) from their annual pledge. Because we have made a commitment in the past to pay the entire amount regardless of how much we receive from individuals, we include about 50% of the total in the budget. That means if anyone does not pay it, for whatever reason, we pay for it out of the General Mission budget. Based on conversations with members and the conviction of the elders, Session voted to change that policy with regard to the General Assembly portion ($6.63 for 2012).
It became clear that many people were uncomfortable contributing to the General Assembly given the current departure by the denomination from scriptural authority. They were also concerned that if they chose to pay only the per capita for Presbytery and Synod, the church would go ahead and pay it anyway, using General Mission budget money. The Session was very sympathetic to that concern, and after much discussion, voted to no longer pay the GA per capita portion for all who, for whatever reason, do not pay it themselves. We will explain how this will work in more detail once we actually get into 2012, as well as publicize all the per capita amounts for Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly.
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Some exciting IMPACT news – Miriam Lomelino will be going to Haiti in January as the doctor in residence. In September the IMPACT Council was concerned we would not have an M.D. as part of the team, so the Council was charged with finding a doctor. I spoke with Miriam at the Church Picnic, and after much prayer and conversation with her family, she felt God was leading her to go. More details about Miriam’s trip are in the Missions article on page 7, including information on how to support her financially if you so desire.
Faithfully,
Charlie
November thoughts
Nov 2nd
As I sat down to write this, I found myself full of various thoughts and sentiments regarding our life together as Christ’s body – both for the sake of our fellowship and our witness to the world. Some examples…
…Great time together at the All-Church Retreat this past weekend! It was good for me to get to spend the whole weekend out at the camp this year. Wish I could be in two places at once, though! Congrats to Ric Gahm and Trago Wallace as our Horseshoe Tournament champions, edging out the team of Dean Woodruff and Charlie Little, 6-5, in a time-shortened finale. We had some pretty awesome hoe-downers dancing up a storm to the Texas Star and Virginia Reel, though in some cases it did resemble a bit of orchestrated chaos! Still, a good time was had by all… even for little Dexter Wallace who spent the entire time suspended in mom Leslie’s baby sling. The Jellyfish grabbed a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco Dodgers (don’t ask!), 19-18. It would have ended in a tie were it not for a critical Easton Weir RBI in the top of the last inning. The play of the game, however, was a charging shoe-string catch of a Robert White screaming line drive by Elizabeth Magie, worthy of one of those ESPN defensive gem replays. We had a wonderful turnout and mix of all ages, and hope to see even more out next year!
…I appreciated the conversations we had on Sunday the 23rd following my first sermon dealing with the current changes in our constitution with the passage of Amendment 10-A. Most of the questions and concerns related to what our future relationship to the PCUSA might be. There were some concerns regarding contributing financially in good conscience to something that does not align with one’s beliefs. Session is currently discussing our current per capita contribution policy as part of our response as a congregation. Session also approved funding to pay for my attendance at the Fellowship of Presbyterians’ conference in Orlando in January. If you did not attend worship on October 23rd, I encourage you to get a copy of the sermon CD, as that sets the foundation for what this means and does not mean for us as a congregation.
…Thank you for all the responses to the Outreach Feedback form. We received 63 responses. Assuming that they represented families and not just individuals, we estimated that it represents a majority of those active in the congregation. The results were interesting and illuminating. For example, we learned that:
+ Only one sheet marked “Wouldn’t be here” if they hadn’t received the card, 3 said it was important, and 14 said it helped influence their decision to attend here.
+ Only one sheet marked Living Nativity as the time of their first visit, 3 marked Christmas Eve and 3 marked Easter. So, after 3 years of Christmas/Easter mailings, only 7 are here after a visit during those times.
+ 53 marked “Regular Sunday” as their first visit, by far the highest category.
+ In the “PRIMARY MOTIVE” section, the highest category marked was “Presbyterian” (29), with “Templeton” next (18), “People I knew” (14), and “Heard about ministry” (10). “Cute building” actually got 7 – so kudos to the building committee that “built” the new sanctuary and CE building!
SO…what does all that mean? Though we’ve had some positive results from the mailings, it is questionable if our money is best allocated there. With “Regular Sunday” as the highest response at 53 and the Christmas and Easter seasons combined only at 7, our advertising dollars may best be spent locally throughout the year. This Christmas instead of mailing 15,000 cards, we are purchasing 2,500 cards for selective mailing, handouts during Christmas on Main St., distributing to businesses in Templeton, and making available to the congregation to personally give to friends as part of an invitation to attend something at our church during Advent and Christmas. We’re also purchasing banners that match the postcard design for displaying on the front lawn, all of which, in the end, will save us over $2,000.
…Heads up on our participation in the Templeton Chamber of Commerce “Christmas on Main Street” this year. This is a new community celebration they are trying, which will take place on Friday night, December 2nd. Our Adult and Handbell Choirs will be a part of the festivities as we open up our church as one of the ‘stops’ for people strolling up and down Main St. More information will be forthcoming as the event takes shape, but mark the calendar for an early Christmas mini-concert in support of our church’s participation in this community Christmas activity.
Faithfully,
GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP
Oct 18th
This is a group for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. This is open to all who have suffered a loss, whether recently or in the past. The group will have its first meeting on February 22. in the chapel at 6 p.m. The group is being initiated by Stephen Ministry but does not reguire one to have a Stephen Ministry relationship. Call Jonesie (434-3145) or Kathy Loeschner (237-2938) if you are interested or have questions.
On Prayer
Oct 6th
“God, give me a heart for prayer…”
Recently I read a blog entry on my daughter Shannon’s blog on her upcoming mission trip to South Africa for the year 2012. http://shansouthafricastint.wordpress.com It was about prayer. The bulk of the blog was actually copied from a Mars Hill Church blog she had read that spoke powerfully to her. It did to me as well; so much so that I copied it as an ongoing word from God to me. In hopes that it may speak to you, I have copied the portion of her entry below that quotes from the Mars Hill Church Blog:
“Prayer is a declaration of war on self-sufficiency, as we become more and more dependent on God.”
- “It’s war on independence because you have to admit that you can’t do it alone.
- It’s war on self-importance as you praise something greater.
- It’s a declaration of war on anxiety as you trust that God will provide.
- It’s a war on the temporary pleasures that the world has to offer around us, as we praise the Giver of all gifts above his gifts as an end in themselves.
- It’s a declaration of war on the frantic pace of life that all of us fall into as we take time to be still and to think and to listen and to try to hear from God and what he has for us.
- It’s a declaration of war on justification by results as you have to acknowledge that it’s God who works in you.
- It’s a declaration of war on cynicism and unbelief as we step out in faith that he hears and answers.
Prayer, as I’ve been convicted, is a declaration of war on this self-centered, short-term, whatever’s-in-front-of-my-face kind of living. Living for my own kingdom.
Apart from prayer, I am convinced—I know at least it’s true in my life—I’m convinced that apart from prayer, we live life as if whatever seems most urgent and whatever is right in front of our face is the best and most important thing in all eternity and in all the universe. In prayer, when we take minutes to withdraw and to be still and to listen, we become remade in the image of Jesus. In prayer, our priorities get bent to his, our mission gets realigned to his and we get convicted about where we’re building our own kingdom and we get changed to be part of his.”
In the hope that we are ever-growing to become a congregation and a people of prayer.
As your Pastor,
Charlie
Plan B
Sep 29th
I “love” it when Plan B turns out (seemingly) far better when Plan A falls through. (See Proverbs 16:9) Case in point is our Mission Sunday last week. Plan A was for Nita Hansen to come and speak, along with the entire Ukraine Team, and for our worship to highlight God’s Hidden Treasures. And as terrific as that would have been (we still hope to get Nita sometime early in 2012), it felt far better to highlight our own “hidden” treasures at Templeton Pres. How exciting it is to see how God works specifically, independently, patiently, creatively and persistently with us to call us and lead us into his purposes. What we saw on Sunday was not one mission enterprise, but five! We saw how God is speaking and working in the lives of various people from our congregation in bold, challenging ways, in which they are stepping out in faith – knowing by faith that they are supposed to do something…but not entirely sure how it will all work out. I can’t even begin to explain how that blesses and excites me as your pastor. And I see it in other ways as well…
… a family opening their home to children who desperately need security and love, believing they are called to do so (so much you can’t predict and control in this one).
… people embracing a call to serve in ministry capacities, ranging from a Stephen Minister to a Deacon to an Elder to whatever the new and never tried may be, and believing that what they don’t know and have never done will become that which they know and do with faithfulness and fruit.
… couples and families facing crisis and trauma – financial, medical, professional – in which they walk with faith and trust and hope through job loss, money woes, relationship worries, lifestyle changes, sickness and death.
We pretty much live our lives with a Plan B God. Not that God ever has to scramble around and come up with Plan B; it’s just Plan B from our vantage point. God is a Plan A God. Nothing ever surprises God; it only surprises us. But just knowing that God is not surprised, ever, means that I don’t have to be afraid or despairing of what the future holds, no matter what the present looks like…ever.
Wasn’t that an terrific picnic two Sundays ago? Kudos to Fellowship and Children’s Ministry in particular! Great to see so many of us all come out. And my burger meat was cooked to perfection. Hopefully we all had a chance to meet someone new or get better acquainted with someone we already knew or had recently met. And next year, someone needs to dethrone the reigning champs (two years running now) of the egg toss (that would be Mick and Ryan Lebens). J
It was great to see a nice turnout for the Ukraine Mission Trip presentation Sunday night. We all left with a profound sense of the power of the Ministry of God’s Hidden Treasures, of Nita’s faithfulness and impact for the kingdom of God, of the blessing Bill's and Rose’s leadership provided the people and children there, and how their hearts were transformed in just a week. Check out the picture of the quilt map of Ukraine we now have as a reminder and testimony of their trip (a small picture is on page 5).
On October 7-8 the session will be devoting their annual retreat this year to addressing the recent constitutional change regarding ordination standards. We have been studying the question of homosexuality from a Biblical perspective and will be considering how to respond as a congregation – articulating what we believe and how God has called us to be faithful, both in obedience to his Word and purposes, as well as in love for one another. In the near future we will schedule a time for some congregational conversation to discuss this as a body and share the Session’s work on this matter.
Last, please take note of the question regarding our Post Card outreach we’ve done the last three years at Christmas and Easter (see page 6). We need input to make a good decision about cost vs. benefit – is this good stewardship of our financial resources as we seek to reach out to the community in which God has placed us?
Faithfully,,