Shelby Presbyterian Church
226 East Graham Street
Shelby, North Carolina 28150
704-487-8503
AUGUST 2008
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Shelby Presbyterian Church 226 East Graham Street |
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AUGUST 2008 |
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T H E S H E L B Y P R E S (S)
August 2008 Dear Members and Friends, Luke
If safe drinking water is a topic dear to your heart or if you just want to hear what Mr. Reed has to say, please join us on August 4. A BBQ lunch will be provided, so we need to know if you plan to attend. Call the church office by 10am Monday to make your reservation.
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
will be served Sunday, August 3, at the 8:45 and 11:00 services and on Sunday, August 17, at the 8:30 service.
For additional details, pick up a registration brochure for this Presbytery Leadership Training Event on the ledge outside Jane’s office window. Interested in attending, call Bonnie.
On Sunday the 21st, we are having a luncheon in the fellowship hall following the service. Please let us know how many plan to attend the luncheon by filling out the form below by September 12 and placing in offering plate or turning it into the church office. Help us remember to include members that have moved away, college students, as well as sons and daughters living out of town. Thank you and be sure to mark your calendars. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Name_____________________________________ Number attending Sunday lunch:________________ Please respond by Sept. 12th.
The College of Elders does not take away any of the responsibilities of the Session. It has no authority, it does not decide, it does not implement. The College of Elders does support the Session, carry out assignments, and act as a sounding board. Membership is granted to all PCUSA Ordained Elders and retired Pastors attending Shelby Presbyterian Church. The College of Elders will be chaired by an Elder on rotation who will be known as Dean and will serve a one-year term. The Dean will be nominated by the College and appointed by the Session. There also will be an Assistant Dean. Details are being worked out and it is hoped to have this program implemented in the early fall. The Session is excited about this opportunity to continue to include all Elders in the life of our church. We are sure that the experience, wisdom and knowledge of all Elders can be utilized as we all work together to strengthen Shelby Presbyterian’s commitment to doing God’s work.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as a commissioner to the 218th General Assembly from the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. Let me share some of my impressions of General Assembly and describe some of our work as commissioners.
As a commissioner, I was very aware of a large number of people across the church praying for us. I received numerous letters such as this one: “It is our joy and privilege to pray for you as a commissioner. May you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as you go about your meetings and worship.” I want to thank all those who were praying for us. I encourage you to continue to pray for our denomination, even as you prayed for us as commissioners. I was impressed by the dedication of other commissioners I met at General Assembly. My roommate Andy, for example, had just begun a new assignment as a research chemist. With no vacation available, he arranged to take a leave from work without pay so that he could attend General Assembly. Over the first three days at General Assembly we spent most of our time in committee. I served on Committee 11: “Peacemaking and International Relations”. Our sessions were intense and long with few breaks. I calculated that we spent over 23 hours in committee. Some of those who spoke to the committee about human rights in countries such as Columbia, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe, did so at great personal risk. These church leaders face arrest, even death, because of their witness to Jesus Christ and the persecution facing Christians in their homelands. Bruce Reyes-Chow, a new church development pastor from California, was elected Moderator of the 218th General Assembly. In speaking with him before his election, it was clear that his energy, his charisma, and his self-deprecating sense of humor, as well as his passion for Jesus Christ and for the church, would have broad appeal. Before each vote on contested overtures, the moderator would repeat these words: “Brothers and sisters, sharing our common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and walking humbly with our God, let us proceed to vote on the question before us." On Thursday morning we faced our first major debate. The Assembly voted on whether to recommend to the presbyteries a change to the Book of Confessions. The recommendation from the committee was to return to the "original wording" of the Heidelberg Confession. The Assembly was divided, some saying this recommendation does not sow seeds of peace, and others arguing that this is a more faithful historically-correct translation. The debate was vigorous. The change was recommended to the presbyteries by a vote of 64% to 39% with 2% abstaining. The GA also approved, with little discussion, the study of a South African Reformed confession, “The Confession of Belhar”, for possible inclusion in the Book of Confessions. After lunch we debated action on the proposed FOG (Form of Government) revision. The overture from our presbytery -- that FOG be sent back to the task force and to the presbyteries for at least two years "for study, discernment, and consideration of the advisability of further action" -- was approved. On Friday we elected the new Stated Clerk. During the week I spent time with each of the four candidates, and was able to assess different gifts that each would bring to the office. For one hour the candidates responded to questions from the floor. I was deeply impressed that such capable and dedicated people are willing to offer their services to the church in a role that has often been surrounded by controversy in recent years. The election took place by electronic ballot. Gradye Parsons, who has been serving as an Associate Stated Clerk in the Office of the General Assembly, was elected on the first ballot. Later in the morning, the assembly voted by a majority (54%-46%), to approve an overture that will send the fidelity-chastity ordination standard back to the presbyteries for another round of debates and votes. In the same motion, the assembly approved authoritative interpretation that seems to reopen the possibility of local option as presbyteries and sessions decide who to ordain. Although no constitutional change can happen without a vote by the presbyteries, the implications of this authoritative interpretation remain unclear subject to review by the Permanent Judicial Commission of our denomination. After lunch we addressed overtures presented by the Peacemaking Committee. The assembly approved emergency food aid to North Korea with funding from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and One Great Hour of Sharing. The assembly approved a recommendation from the Peacemaking Committee not to divest in companies doing business with Israel. The assembly also voted not to allow the General Assembly Council, now renamed the General Assembly Mission Council, to pursue divestment without explicit approval from General Assembly. The MRTI (Mission Responsibility Through Investment) committee of the PC(USA) reported on slow, but encouraging communications with Caterpillar and Motorola as both corporations are adopting human rights policies for the first time. The assembly voted to endorse the Amman Call, an ecumenical paper that is critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in occupied territories. The assembly also called for our government to cooperate with the international community in working for a lasting peace and responsible return of our troops. The assembly adopted motions in support of our troops including increased veteran’s benefits, and in support of victims of violence. After dinner the assembly rejected a call to rethink the traditional definition of marriage. There were many other issues before the assembly, but these are some of the actions that stand out in my mind. I would like to conclude with the words of the closing prayer Friday evening by the Rev. Robert Austell, a commissioner from Charlotte Presbytery who is the former pastor of Lenoir First. He began: “Would you please stand and hold the hand of those on either side of you, stretching across the aisles as well. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we are divided on much. Chances are that the person beside us voted differently on significant issues, passionately held. It is so easy to see one another as ‘the enemy’ and yet you declare those who hope in the Lord Jesus Christ as family. You declare it – in Christ, we are one family! Yet, we struggle so to experience it! Some of us believe truth is at stake; some of us believe justice is at stake; some of us distrust each other, and we struggle with other issues that would drive us apart. Some leave rejoicing; some leave in sorrow; some are not sure what they feel. What hope do we have apart from your grace through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? What hope? Grace seems a fragile flower in a room full of elephants. Give us a vision for your grace-unconditional, true, winsome, and strong. Help us to see the person on our left and on our right, not as the enemy, but like us, a broken son or daughter for whom Christ has died. Help us cling to your Word and live in your Spirit. We ask in Jesus’ name, Amen!” Luke Harkey Minister Commissioner
We will try a new form of transportation, a bus from South Mountain Tours. Details will follow in a card from the church office to those on the Getabouts mailing list (age 55 & over). If you have not been receiving these cards and would like to be on the mailing list, please get in touch with the church office. Details (when available) will also be in the Sunday bulletin. --Ace Richards, Jo Ann Putnam Beattie, Allen Huff
Articles for the September 2008 Shelby Pres(s) are due in the church office by August 25.
Your family/your home, any home/any family, no matter how many persons that represents, is where the Good News of Jesus is first lived, communicated, felt, and celebrated. It is at home that we first find (or do not find), a sense of God----not just words about God, but a real sense of being loved just as we are. This is the Good News that we share with others. Family prayer and celebration are not about making family life holy or bringing God into your home, but about realizing the holiness that is already there. As we rediscover the holiness of our families and homes, our spirituality can begin to focus on God’s presence in our daily lives. God’s divine graciousness is his steadfast love and promise to be present at all times and in all places. As we emphasize the holy places, experiences, and times in our midst, prayers of thanksgiving become the cornerstone of our lives, even the lives of very young preschool children. Prayer becomes a habit, one which can help teach our children and ourselves much as we teach them habits of good hygiene and manners. Of course, this does not guarantee that they (or us) will continue these habits once they have left our homes, but we will have planted the seeds for lifelong prayer. Begin early to pray with your children. Pray not just at mealtime and bedtime, pray any time you are mindful of the Good News of Jesus in your daily life. In my experience, prayer happens within the events and occurrences of ordinary----and extraordinary----life, and is usually rather informal. I am convinced that the most “teachable moment” for both family and individual prayer is when children are between the ages of two and ten. It is difficult in the teen or preteen years to initiate family customs that were not begun earlier; just ask a parent of adolescents. In the business of life, and summer trips and camps and relaxed schedules make prayer a daily priority for yourself and your family. If we listen, our children can teach us much about God. In the book Chicken Soup for the Soul, Dan Millman tells of four-year-old Sacha asking to be left alone with her newborn baby brother. Through a crack in the door her parents could see her go over quietly and put her face close to his, saying, “Baby, tell me what God feels like. I’m starting to forget.” May you be blessed by prayers from the ! hearts ! of children throughout the remaining pages of this newsletter. Thank you for expanding your prayer list to include specific children/youth each month. During August, pray for our rising Sixth and Seventh grade classes. Our rising Sixth Graders are Hannah Appling, Kruesi Barker, Sheridan Blakey, Matthew Campbell, Parker Campbell, Tyler Hendrix, Sydney Lampley, Alyssa McNeary, Jake Taylor. Our rising Seventh Graders are Morgan Beam, Meg Binion, Grant Byers, Olivia Gebel-Cook, Ann Huston, Kaitlyn Kennedy, Chelsea Lee, Brennan Teddy, Chandler Young. --Jo Ann Richards & Bonnie Sanford
Registration Deadline: August 1 ~~Non-denominational~~ All ages Welcome~~~ The mission of Community Bible Study is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all. Registration: $25/adult; $10/child Teaching Director: Cindy Nunnery For children’s registration, call: Children’s Director: Marywinn Amaya 704-482-0489 For adult registration call: Coordinator: Bobbie Luckadoo, 704-482-6140 www.communitybiblestudy.org
........The Presbytery of Western NC is excited that we will be sending a new PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer onto the mission field for the 2008-2009 year. Rachel Brown, who graduated this spring from UNC Greensboro, is a member at Mills River PC. She will be going to Kenya some time in late August or early September. Her specific mission will become more fully defined during her orientation, but she is a gifted young woman who is eager to share Christ’s presence in the world.
Rachel will be with us on Sunday, August 17, to do a minute for mission at each of the services and to meet with anyone who would like to learn more about her and about the work she hopes to do in Kenya. The mission committee has committed $500 to help support her. If you would like to contribute to her mission support, please make checks out to Shelby Presbyterian Church and designate them for Rachel Brown - YAV. And come and meet her on Aug. 17!
Shelby is most fortunate to have the Imagination Library. Our SPC children, as well as all the other children in Shelby from birth to age 5, receive an age appropriate book each month. The Partnership for Children depends on financial donations to provide these books. Consider celebrating a special event with a gift to this program that benefits everyone of us. Also make sure all the preschool children you know are registered to receive these books! Thank you!
Leaders in January. The Stephen Ministry will give Shelby Presbyterian Church an effective way to train and organize members to provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals with specific issues. All Christians are called to care for and love one another – it’s not just our pastors’ job. By equipping lay people we can help them fulfill their calling as Christians and also expand the amount of caring ministry available through SPC. You will be seeing more information about this ministry in future months.
As was Gretchen's example of doing for others in the strong name of Jesus, the first $500 bought a heifer for a family through the Heifer Project International. Monies have also enabled folks to go for training in Stephen Ministry, and they will soon be teaching others to be Stephen Ministers to provide the caring ministry among us that reflects the compassion of Jesus Christ. “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant gift and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2.
(Reprinted from The Charlotte Observer, July 7, 2008, written by national columnist, Nicholas D. Kristof)
This year's college graduates owe their success to many factors. But one of the most remarkable of the new graduates, Beatrice Biira, credits something utterly improbable: a goat. “I am one of the luckiest girls in the world,” Beatrice declared after earning her bachelor's degree from Connecticut College. Beatrice's story helps address two of the most commonly asked questions about foreign assistance: “Does aid work?” and “What can I do?” The tale begins in the rolling hills of western Uganda, where Beatrice was born. As a girl, she desperately yearned for an education, but it seemed hopeless: Her parents couldn't afford to send her to school. Beatrice was on track to become one more illiterate African woman, another of the continent's squandered human resources. Children send opportunity In the meantime, in Niantic, Conn., the children of Niantic Community Church decided to buy goats for African villagers through Heifer International, a venerable aid group based in Arkansas that helps impoverished farming families. A dairy goat in Heifer's online gift catalog costs $120; a flock of chicks or ducklings just $20. One of the goats bought by the church went to Beatrice's parents and soon produced twins. When the kid goats were weaned, the children drank the goat's milk and sold the surplus for extra money. The cash accumulated, and Beatrice's parents decided they could afford to send their daughter to school. She was much older than the other first-graders but was so overjoyed that she studied diligently and rose to be the best student in the school. An American visiting the school was impressed and wrote a children's book, “Beatrice's Goat,” about how the gift of a goat had enabled a bright girl to go to school. The book was published in 2000 and became a children's best seller — but there is now room for a more remarkable sequel. Beatrice was such an outstanding student that she won a scholarship, not only to Uganda's best girls' high school, but also to a prep school in Massachusetts and then to Connecticut College. A group of 20 donors to Heifer International financed her living expenses. Granted, foreign assistance doesn't always work and is much harder than it looks. “I won't lie to you. Corruption is high in Uganda,” Beatrice acknowledges. A crooked local official might have distributed the goats by demanding that girls sleep with him in exchange. Beatrice's goat might have died or been stolen. Millions of things could go wrong. But when there's a good model in place, they often go right. That's why villagers in western Uganda recently held a special Mass and a feast to celebrate the first local person to earn a college degree in America. New dream: Changing the culture Moreover, Africa will soon have a new asset: a well-trained professional to improve governance. Beatrice plans to earn a master's degree at the Clinton School of Public Service in Arkansas and then return to Africa to work for an aid group. Beatrice dreams of working on projects to help women earn and manage money more effectively. Changing that culture won't be easy, Beatrice says, but it can be done. When people ask how they can help in the fight against poverty, there are a thousand good answers, from sponsoring a child to supporting a grass-roots organization through globalgiving.com. The challenges of global poverty are vast and complex, and buying a farm animal for a poor family won't solve them. But Beatrice's giddy happiness these days is a reminder that each of us does have the power to make a difference – to transform a girl's life with something as simple and cheap as a little goat.
. . . to the family and friends of Emma Robbs who died on July 5, 2008. Emma was one of our nursery care givers on Sundays and Wednesdays in the 1970's and 1980's. . . . to Lillian Collins and family on the death of her brother, Kenneth M. Brinkley, on July 26, 2008. (He was the father of former member, Roy Brinkley.)
Dear SPC Friends,
Many thanks to all the SPC members who donate their flowers from Sunday services to the Life Enrichment Center. Sometimes we place them at the front door for all to admire. We get so many positive comments from all our visitors. Other times we break the arrangement down and the participants make smaller bouquets for the dining tables. Either way– your kindness certainly brightens the lives of many people. Again–thank you! Fondly, LEC
Also, in the past, several families have decided to go up on Friday; however, the Lodge will not be open Friday night unless we have at least 10 people. So far, we have 2; therefore, if you are planning to go up on Friday, call the church office ASAP.
From the Kings Mountain Presbytery Minutes, 1954:
Dreams too often have a way of fading into nothingness. Not so with the dream of a new church with the Shelby Presbyterians of yesteryear. It became very dim many times but always lingered until April 11, 1954 gave to the congregation a new Sanctuary – elegant in simplicity, warmth for fellowship, and an atmosphere conducive for prayer and worship. A great day long to be remembered. Encouragement for hope and definite planning came when the Trustees reported that the money from the Ellis Estate had grown through the years. From time to time other gifts were added to the Building Fund. Sufficient funds from campaigns completed the building of the Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary which is only a part of the entire church plant. So a dream full of prayer, genuine sacrifice, and faithful labors of the committees, the architects, and contractors had come true. At that first service R. T. LeGrand Jr., chairman of the Building Committee, with words of thanks and appreciation for all associated committees, turned over the keys of the Sanctuary to Athos Rostan, chairman of Board of Deacons, who in acceptance pledged to keep the building beautiful always for the glory of God. Dr. John S. Brown, Pastor, in his sermon urged the making of a new Sanctuary “a house of prayer, a house of thanksgiving, a house of preaching which would always hold up the face and gospel of Jesus Christ.”
+Myra Carpenter has moved to 218 T. R. Harris Drive, Apt. B4, Shelby, NC 28150.
+Pam Coalson has moved to 91-5 Edgemont Avenue, Shelby, NC 28150. +Colin and Marta Holden have moved to 4623 Stanford Avenue, Dallas, TX 75209. +Watt & Libby Jackson have moved to 131 Spring Forest Drive, Shelby, NC 28152 ---704-434-4939. +Tom Viall has moved to Gardner-Webb University, PO Box 6129, Boiling Springs, NC 28017.
Please call or e-mail the church office the addresses of college students so they may receive the newsletter, 704-487-8503 or jane@shelbypres.org. We will publish them in the September edition of The Shelby Pres(s) so the church family can keep in touch.
. . . to Al and Norma Mancinelli who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 26, 2008.
. . . to Sarah Winstead and Josh Brown who were married June 28, 2008 in Boone, NC. . . . to Tommy Greene for winning 3rd place in a photography contest sponsored by Our State .. . .magazine. (See photo on page 61 in August edition.) . . . to Beth Ramsey who will celebrate her 90th birthday on August 7, 2008. Cards may be sent to Beth at ..... 513 Gold Street, Shelby, NC 28150. . . . to Ben Hibschman who will celebrate his 90th birthday on August 8, 2008. Cards may be sent to Ben ..... at 218 T. R. Harris Dr., Apt. E-1, Shelby, NC 28150
JULY STEWARDSHIP REPORT
2008 Basic Budget $687,790.00................................. Needed Weekly $ 13,226.73 Received to Date $351,973.54 ............................... Required to Date $396,801.90
The Session did not meet in July; ARE YOU ON DUTY IN AUGUST?
Over the years, the Presbyterian Women have had a SERRV Sale featuring gift items for Christmas and other occasions that have been made by women in third world countries. Many of these items are part of the Ten Thousand Villages products that we can also purchase while at Montreat. Our PW will have a sale on Wednesday, November 19th. So, mark your calendar and come do your Christmas shopping for uniquely beautiful gifts that empower women artisans to make a living for their families.
................. Watch for details; speak to Becca Schweppe, Alison Moore, Ann Anderson.
For more information on mentoring a young person in our area, please contact Chavis Gash or Laura Mitchell at Communities In Schools Hands Need Hands Program at 704-480-5569. This is outreach, the kids need you
Our Fifth Sunday gathering with John Knox, Ryburn Memorial and Shiloh Presbyterian Churches will be held Sunday, August 31, here at Shelby Presbyterian Church. Covered dish supper begins in the fellowship hall at 6:00 pm followed by worship service.
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