Pastor’s Page

As we head toward the latter part of the summer there are two things I would like to bring to your attention. First, if you have not done so already, I encourage you to finalize your plans to join the church for our retreat weekend August 11 – 13 at Bonclarken. You can expect great food, fellowship, and fun. We will fellowship some with our neighbor - Bethany ARP Church - as they are having their retreat then as well. If you have not attended or not attended in some time I encourage you to join us. If you can only come for Saturday or Sunday come to the part(s) your schedule allows. If you need transportation Sunday morning to attend the worship service/lunch (at Bonclarken) please notify Melissa at the church office. Also, you may have noticed that we have been singing some Psalms lately in our worship service. ARP’s often refer to them as “Bible Songs” since the older ARP song book of Psalms is so named. If you did not grow up singing Psalms (I did not) you may find some of them challenging to sing as I have. So, why do we sing Psalms? There are several reasons but here are a few that Rev. Daniel Hyde gives in a helpful article: First, because it is literally God’s Word and God’s Songbook we are singing. The Psalms, like all of the Bible, are God’s Word. There is a richness in the Bible that is unique since it is literally God’s Word. You may have heard godly people pray and use lots of Scripture in their prayers. Their prayers are extra rich, deep, meaningful, and moving because you are hearing God’s Word as they pray. The same is true of singing the Psalms. Our hearts are moved deeply as we really pay attention to the words and worship the Lord as we sing them. John Calvin (1509–1564) wrote of the Psalms: I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, “An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul;” for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated…. Here the prophets them selves, seeing they are exhibited to us as speaking to God, and laying open all their inmost thoughts and affections, call, or rather draw, each of us to the examination of himself in particulars in order that none of the many infirmities to which we are subject, and of the many vices with which we abound, may remain concealed. Further, the Church has been singing Psalms for centuries. Paul exhorts the Ephesian Christians, “Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Eph. 5:19; also Col. 3:16). Jesus Himself likely sang the Psalms in His regular attendance of synagogue services (Luke 4:16-21). Most likely, Jesus and the Disciples sang Psalms at the Last Supper the night before the Cross. The historic Church has sung them. Christian historian Eusebius (263–339) wrote, “The command to sing Psalms in the name of the Lord was obeyed by everyone in every place: for the command to sing is in force in all churches which exist among nations…” I love singing the historic hymns of the church very much but, in the last 8 years, I have come to love singing the Psalms very much also. It can be a process if you are like me and did not grow up singing the Psalms. I encourage you to hang in there and you will be blessed. John Calvin wrote almost 500 years ago, “…we shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose, than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit spoke and made through him . . . when we sing them, we are certain that God puts in our mouths these, as if He Himself were singing in us exalt His glory.”

Lovingly in Christ,

Pastor Fowler

Crowders Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church AUGUST 2017 NEWSLETTER

Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. Matt. 19:4–5, Gen. 2:24, Luke 24:27, 44, 1 Cor. 2:13, 1 Cor. 14:37, 2 Pet. 1:20–21, 2 Pet. 3:2,15–16, Deut. 4:2, Ps. 19:7–11, Isa. 8:20, John 15:11, John 20:30–31, Acts 17:11, 2 Tim. 3:15–17

"Why do we do that in Church?"

What does it mean in the Apostle’s Creed that Jesus “descended into hell?” – by R.C. Sproul

There are varying answers to this question in Reformed scholarship. What is most important for us as those professing Jesus as Savior is that Jesus endured “hell” for us on the cross. That is, on the cross, Jesus endured God’s righteous punishment for our sins and, for a time, Jesus felt

separated from His Father. Hell itself is to experience eternal separation and condemnation from God. Thus, on the cross, “…Jesus cried out in a loud voice, … My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?’” (Matt. 27:46) as He felt this separation from God. On the cross, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us…” (Gal. 3:13) as He took our due punishment from God for our sins. Jesus endured hell on the cross for us in our place so we would not have to ourselves.

On Sunday, August 20th at 6:00 p.m. we will have our 2nd family movie night sponsored by the Missions Committee. We will watch the 2nd movie segment “A Bold Advance” (running time - 1 hour) from "Dispatches From the Front," "a thoughtful, moving, understated, and ultimately convicting series of videos depicting the work of the gospel in some of the most challenging corners of the world" (D. A. Carson). Come and be inspired by seeing first-hand what God is doing in distant corners of His Kingdom. Snacks and drinks provided.

Sunday Morning Attendance

July 2 70

July 9 66

July 16 82

July 23 68

July 30 83

2017 Budget Calls For:

$208,000.00

Need through week 31

$124,000.00

Actual through week 31

$117,422.36

Barker Bequest $4,808.06

Bonclarken Fund $7,746.60

Bonclarken Weekend $1,027.02

Building Fund $5,675.00

Cemetery Fund $6,672.26

Choir Support $275.20

Choir Chimes $403.29

Emergency Fund $11,685.00

Faith Promise $3,849.64

Henry Bequest $50,000.00

Hymnal Fund $227.97

Memorial Fund $4,931.15

Outreach Fund $704.02

Playground Fund $402.41

Van Replacement $12,314.12

Youth Activities $2,553.10

Children’s Ministry for August

Nursery Children’s Church

8/6 Tommy & Mona Davidson Felix & Michelle Alpizar

8/13 BONCLARKEN

WEEKEND BONCLARKEN

WEEKEND

8/20 Carolyn Champion & Barbara Jackson

Dana Fowler & James Murphy

8/27 Matt & Erin Grigg Andy & Phayvanh Welborn

8/6 Jonathan Alpizar

8/13 Bonclarken Weekend

8/20 Adrianna Cooper

8/27 Nathan Davidson

Acolyte Schedule

The Missions Committee will

be holding a fundraiser event

on Saturday, September 23rd.

The goal of this fundraiser is

not only to raise necessary

funds for the trip to Belize but

also to reach people in our

local community that may not

have a church home. This is a

great way for all of us to get

involved and contribute in some way. How you can help:

Donations for both the Yard & Bake Sale– Please see the sign-up

sheet in the vestibule or contact the office. Yard Sale items may be

dropped off during normal office hours.

Volunteers to help at the event

Invite friends & family

Register your truck or tractor

Pray for the teams from the 3 churches that will go and the people that

they will come into contact with.

August 10 Ron & Julie Millar

August 11 Brad &Taylor Wheeler

August 16 Philip & Amanda Roach

August 17 James & Amanda Moses

August 20 Ricky & Kelly Hogue

August 22 Cavan & Angela Hoose

August 30 Barry & Kristy Best

August 2nd Adrianna Cooper

August 7th Mandy Moses

August 7th Miles Tscheiller

August 9th Sarah Boyd

August 11th Margaret Grier

August 12th Elizabeth Stephens

August 14th Adrian Mistry

August 16th Carolanne Fowler

August 16th Erin Grigg

August 17th Elijah Roof

August 19th Barbara Jackson

August 20th Steven Fowler

August 23rd Nancy Roach

August 23rd Jane McAllister

August 24th Mike Ferguson

August 24th Wanda Cooper

August 25th Mike Moses

August 29th Jo Wiker

August 30th Catlin Cox

August 30th Brad Wheeler

August 30th Matthew Moses

Can You Find Jesus?

We all seek Jesus each and every day, in prayer, in the scripture, in the spoken word. Now we present you with an exercise to keep your mind sharp and draw your attention to each and every article brought to you in this newsletter. Find the hidden image of Jesus on these pages and let the church office know. We will list those who have in our next issue. These folks found Jesus in the July issue of our newsletter: Nancy Roach, Ethel Mauney & Rhett Clarke.

Women’s Ministry Meeting August 6

Salvation Army Breakfast August 7

Deacon’s Meeting August 9

Bonclarken Weekend August 11-13

Session Meeting August 17

Family Movie Night August 20

Communion/Lord’s Supper August 27

Rally Day August 27

Ice Cream Supper/Psalm Sing August 27

Missions Committee Meeting August 28

Sunshine Sisters Meeting September 5

HARPS will meet for lunch on Wednesday,

August 16th at 11:30 a.m. at the Longhorn

Restaurant in Gastonia. Anyone that is

interested is welcome to join us for this

meeting and time of fellowship.

EVERY WORD IN THE BIBLE

Every Word in the Bible Track 3 takes you completely through the

Bible, reading every word. Other Bible-reading plans allot only a year for this project, requiring that at least 3 chapters be read each day. But many readers find such a pace to be unrealistic and

discouraging. For this reason, Track 3 assigns only one chapter a day. (Some short chapters have been combined, so occasionally you will read two brief chapters in a day.) In all, the reading plan works out evenly to a three-year total. The Track 3 plan alternates be-tween the Old Testament and New Testament. This mixing provides variety and reduces the fatigue

that may set in from reading long sections of the Old Testament. Time Commitment: Three years Goal: To read all the way through the Bible with understanding

Aug 1 Aug 2 Aug 3 Aug 4

Aug 5 Aug 6 Aug 7 Aug 8 Aug 9 Aug 12

Aug 13 Aug 14 Aug 15 Aug 16 Aug 18 Aug 19

Aug 20 Aug 21 Aug 22 Aug 24 Aug 25

Aug 26 Aug 27 Aug 28 Aug 29 Aug 30 Aug 31

Sept 1 Sept 2 Sept 3 Sept 4 Sept 5 Sept 6 Sept 7

Sept 8 Sept 9 Sept 10 Sept 11 Sept 12 Sept 13 Sept 14 Sept 15

Sept 16 Sept 17 Sept 18 Sept 19 Sept 20 Sept 21 Sept 22

Sept 23 Sept 24

Sept 25 Sept 26 Sept 27 Sept 28 Sept 29 Sept 30

All men are invited and encouraged to attend this

time of great food & fellowship.

Please sign up with the office or on the sign-up

sheet in the vestibule no later than March 20 if you

plan to attend.

2017 MUSIC CON-

FERENCE

H.A.R.P.S.

We wanted to let our CCARP family know of a

member of H.A.R.P.S that recently passed.

Nellie “Nell” Turner, 94 passed away Wednesday,

July 26, 2017 at Brookdale New Hope.

Mr. & Mrs. Turner enjoyed many trips and events

with our HARPS group before their health prevented

them from doing so.

Our prayers go out to her friends and family

members.

SEPTEMBER 16TH is ARP STUDENTS DAY at Erskine

September 16, 2017 is ARP Students Day for all high

school students! Seniors, get priority access to ARP

scholarships in addition to other financial aid when you

visit campus.

For over 175 years, Erskine College has served the

young people of the ARP Church with academic quali-

ty, spiritual formation, and preparation for meaningful

lives of service.

Learn more and register at know.erskine.edu/ARP

BONCLARKEN MUSIC CONFERENCE 2017

CCARP was represented at the

Music Conference this year by a total of 12 participants. We had Nancy Roach, Tommy Davidson, Gene

Jones and Marilyn Brooks in the Adult Choir, Haylee Berry, Nathan Davidson and Addie Key in the Middle

School Choir, Jonathan Alpizar in the Junior Choir, Melody Mauney and Ethan Mistry in the Primary Choir

and Liliana Alpizar and Avalin Mauney in the Cherub Choir.

Many thanks to all our chaperones and helpers, Nancy Roach, Ava Mauney, Mona Davidson, Cathy Best,

Greta Berry, Amy Mistry, Michelle & Felix Alpizar, Heather Owenby and Carolyn Champion. You are

appreciated!

Crowders Creek ARP Church Activities & Events

On Wednesday, July 19th, eleven

members of HARPS enjoyed lunch and

free pie at O’Charley’s

Photo & Story Courtesy of Sarah Boyd

The Historical Committee needs your help!

The committee is preparing for our 125th

Anniversary Celebration coming up in October of

this year. The Session has approved holding this

event along with the Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan service.

As usual, there will be a meal after the morning

Worship Service.

We would like to invite as many as possible of our former members and the past friends of Crowders Creek Church

to celebrate this event with us.

Do you know of someone we need to invite? We need addresses as well as names but if you don’t have the address,

we will do the best we can to find them. Just let Melissa know who needs to be invited.

We also need your help in documenting the last 25 years of church history.

Do you have any items of interest about our church or congregation from the last 25 years or so? How about any

home movies showing events in our church life? Recordings of significant sermons? Pictures of past events? If so,

please let Melissa know and we will make arrangements to document it and return it to you if you wish.

Maybe you have a relative with “stories of a general interest” to tell about our church, or maybe you have the “stories

to tell”? We could document those stories for the future. Just let us know who you suggest.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, October 29th, 2017 and let all your friends and relatives know to do the same.

The Sunshine Sisters will meet on Tuesday,

September 5th at 11:30 a.m. at the Wendy’s on

Union Road. We will enjoy lunch together before

visiting some of our shut-in members.

Deacon Schedule

Aug Cavan Hoose, Matt Grigg,

Barbara Moses, & Sarah Boyd

The Women’s Ministry will meet Sunday, August 6th following the Worship Service. A light lunch will be provided. All ladies are invited and encouraged to attend.

Join us on Sunday,

August 27th at

6:00 p.m.

On August 27th at 6:00 p.m. we will have

an Ice Cream Supper & Psalm Sing. This is

a special time to recognize our teachers as

well as our kick off for our Sunday Evening

Activities.

Volunteers are needed to make homemade

ice cream and cookies. Please sign up in

the vestibule or by emailing or calling the

office. Let us know what flavor of ice cream

and what type of cookie.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

9:30 a.m. Elders meet for prayer 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship Service

1 7:55 a.m. Men’s Breakfast Fellowship Dixie Diner

2

3 4

5

6

Women’s Ministry Meeting

7 5:30 a.m. Salvation Army Breakfast

8

9 7:00 p.m. Deacon’s Meeting

10

11

Bonclarken

12 Weekend

13 Bonclarken Weekend

No Services @CCARP

14

15

16 11:30 HARPS

Meeting @ The

Longhorn

17 7:00 p.m. Session Meeting

18

19

20 6:00 p.m.

Family Movie Night @ CCARP

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

Communion Rally Day

6:00 p.m. Ice Cream Supper & Psalm Sing

28 6:45 p.m. Missions Committee Meeting

29

30 31

Crowders Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church AUGUST 2017