The Falling Waters

MessengerIssue Nine September 2018 Volume XXXIV

Ephesians 4:1-7I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walkin a manner worthy of the calling to which you havebeen called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, withpatience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager tomaintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you werecalled to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God andFather of all, who is over all and through all and in all.7 But grace was given to each one of us according tothe measure of Christ's gift.

Resolving Church ConflictsBY JASON JACKSON

The Lord’s plan for his church is flawless. Asindividual members of his body, however, we are inthe process of growth; we have not reached a state ofperfection. There is no such thing as a flawless familyor perfect work environment.Nor is there a perfectcongregation.

Problems will arise within a church for anumber of reasons. For instance, individuals will havedifferent opinions. We must “speak the same thing” inmatters of doctrine (1 Cor. 1:10; cf. 2 Jn. 9-10), butthere must be latitude in other areas. Different stagesof spiritual development, personality differences,misunderstandings — all of these things cancontribute to tension. While we recognize thatpersonal friction is inevitable, the New Testamentcommands us to work towards the resolution of allconflicts.

In Philippians 4:2-3, Paul exhorted the churchat Philippi. He wrote: “I exhort Euodia, and I exhortSyntyche, to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yea, Ibeseech thee also, my true yokefellow, help thesewomen, for they labored with me in the gospel, withClement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers,

whose names are in the book of life.”The cause of the problem between these

women is unknown; however, Paul’s admonition tounity contains some key aspects for conflict resolution.Consider the following points.1. The situation was urgent. The word translated“exhort” is parakaleo, literally “to call near, beside, intothe proximity of.” It is rendered “appeal to, urge,exhort, encourage” (Arndt and Gingrich, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 617).Paul entreated them to resolve their difficulties. Onemust not “let the sun go down” upon his wrath (Eph.4:26).2. Paul exhorts both individuals. “I exhort Euodia, andI exhort Syntyche, to be of the same mind” (v. 2).Problems can be resolved when both sides are willingto sit down and work towards reconciliation. Mostsignificantly, this calls for both sides to desireresolution. Offended parties may never agree on thenature of the blame, or the offense. But their desireshould be to move forward with sincerity, humility,and love. Attitude plays a major role in solvingproblems (cf. Eph. 4:1-3).3. The principles for dealing with personal grievancesare set out by the Lord in Matthew 5:23ff and 18:15-17. When a brother is aware that a spiritual sibling hassomething against him (i.e., a genuine concern), thenthat brother is obligated to initiate contact to resolvethe problem (Mt. 5:23).4. On the other hand, the person who has an actualcomplaint (i.e., not a petty grievance) against abrother, is obligated to remedy the conflict as well.The standoffish gripe, “he didn’t come to me,” isneither biblical nor practical. Both the offender andthe offended are required to seek out the other so thatthese types of situations do not remain unaddressed.5. Paul looks for intervention. “Yea, I beseech theealso, true yokefellow, help these women” (v. 3). Paul

encouraged this faithful member of the church inPhilippi to give assistance. He did not recommendthat either member fire a shot of accusation, followedby a membership move to another church. Althoughthis tactic is faddish, it resolves nothing.6. Noteworthy is the fact that Paul addressed thismediator as a “true yokefellow” (i.e., an authentic co-worker in the Lord). Similarly, in Galatians 6:1-2,Paul advised the spiritually minded to restore thoseovertaken in a trespass. Some people are more capablein dealing with volatile crises. Others may get caughtup in a “feeding frenzy” of excitement andcontroversy, assuming the worst of the elders, thepreacher, or other members. A qualified person canassist in problem solving by focusing on resolution. Hewill not become part of the problem. As the apostlePaul indicated, a capable intermediary may be able tomake a positive contribution in settling a conflict.7. Paul notes that the souls of people are at stake.“Yea, I beseech thee also, true yokefellow, help thesewomen, for they labored with me in the gospel, withClement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers,whose names are in the book of life” (v. 3). The workof the church suffers as problems go unresolved.Attitudes of hostility and resentment have no place inthe Lord’s church. We all are trying to live for Christ.Can we not maintain that perspective?

Christian unity is the product of Christianityin practice. Through prayer, and the application oftexts like Philippians 4:2-3, God’s people can all workand worship in unity; the bond that holds us togetheris love (Col. 3:14). We will have a perfectenvironment in heaven. Until then, the Lord expectsus to work out our problems — staying focused onheaven.

Pastor Debra

September Birthdays

3 Larry Brown 1 3 J o h n B r o w n3 Skip Lantz 1 7 A l e x F l e a g l e4 Phil Noll 19 Mary Hodges5 Jack Fleagle 21 Lucas Shipper13 Kelsey Blaine 22 Renee Campbell

Sept. 2 Deborah ChambersSept. 9 Tina and Ellie Sloan Sept. 16 Katie and Michael Campbell Sept. 23 Tammy and Nat HyltonSept. 30 Anna and Adam Collis

Pray Without Ceasing

Bill and Billy BergGladys BurckerKenny CushwaMary HodgesIrvin HorstRuth LintonPete and Scott MekkelsonThe Family of Richard McKinleyHobert MullenaxVirginia SnyderBill Zombro

Greeters for SeptemberRuth Berg- Head Elder

Sept. 2 Ruth Berg, Carolyn Linton, Bettie Jane Porterfield

Sept. 9 Ruth Berg, Brenda Carper, Susie CushwaSept. 16 Ruth Berg, Brenda and Robert CloudSept. 23 Ruth Berg, Diana McKinley, Shelly McFillanSept. 30 Ruth Berg, Deborah and Kirk Chambers

Flock Notes

Congratulations to Tyler Henry who won thefirst State Proficiency award from Spring Mills HighFFA. He then went on to receive the NATIONALSILVER EMBLEM for SAE in Agricultural MechanicsDesign and Fabrication. Only 15-20 students a year inthat receive silver, with approximately 1-10 gettinggold. Hard work pays off.

At the Hedgesville High School AlumniAssociation dinner in July Avalon Blizzard, Class of1938, was honored for her 80th reunion, Dr. EricHurst, Class of 1991, was named the 2018Outstanding Alumni and Joann Huffman (IrvinHorst’s daughter) Class of 1969, was given theDistinguished Service Award.

The Ruble Family have two recent joys tocelebrate: Andrew Ruble received his white coatfrom the WVU School of Dentistry on Saturday,August 25, which marks the beginning of hisinternship into caring for patients.

Lauren Ruble will wed Ricky Kerns onSaturday, September 15.

A new Coffee Hour sign-up sheet forthe fall quarter is posted on thebulletin board in Fellowship Hall. Ifyou haven’t hosted a coffee hour inawhile, please consider it for the fall. You may also call Kathy Goodell at754-3607.

Join us on September 15 at 5:00 pmfor dinner at Kitzies followed at 7:00by the movie “Songcatcher” starringJanet McTeer and Aidan Quinn.

The summer is quicklycoming to an end and with itthe beginning of anotherwonderful year of choir. I

hope everyone had a very relaxing and restful summer(with some fun mixed in, of course!) Our first choirpractice this year on September 5, will start with acovered dish picnic at 6:00 at the pavilion, followed bya full rehearsal at 7:00. There will be a sign-up sheeton the bulletin board in the fellowship hall to sign upfor what you will bring.

Gary and I are looking forward to anothersuccessful year of choir with all of our members, andhopefully some new ones as well. If you would like tojoin the fun and make a joyful noise, please come joinus. Everyone is welcome, no sight-reading abilityrequired.

Radonna Mullenax

PAULA’S COMMUNITY DAY

The big day is quickly approaching -- Saturday,September 22, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.Mark your Calendars.

TIME TO SIGN UP!! We have a FUN jobfor everyone, and sign-up sheets are located in theFellowship Hall. Please review and volunteer whereyou can help – whether you prefer to be behind thelines in the concession stand or helping with setup/clean up, playing games with the children or theadults . . . even if you are unable to come that day,you can make cookies or cakes ahead of time for thegreeter bags or the Cake Walk. We also need ourprayer warriors.

This is a time for EVERYONE at FWPC tomeet with the community and just have a great day.Please, please, PLEASE sign up and join the fun. Youwon’t regret it.

Concerts in the Community

Our Next Concert!

Steel Pan Jam

Come and enjoy the uniquely beautiful sound of

the steel drum.

Ronald Emrit is a native Trinidadian who has been

playing authentic Caribbean music on the steel pan all

over the island since he was 15 years old. He

performed in concert on the same program with

calypsonians Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener and

currently play some of their favorites, as well as those

sung by Harry Belafonte. Ronald also performed for

Senior White House personnel, Presidential Inaugural

parade, and US Attorney General. He is available for

lectures to schools, history clubs, music societies, and

other similar organizations on the history and

development of steel pan music from its origins in the

1930s to the 21st century. Genres of live music played

include calypso, soca, reggae, R&B, smooth jazz,

oldies, and pop.

In addition to playing the steel pan, Ronald willexplain about the drum and its history.

Sunday, September 16, 2018, 3:00 p.m.

COMING SOON!

The first Sunday in October (October7th) is

World Communion Sunday. In consultation with

Pastor Debra, I would again like to decorate the

sanctuary windows in that theme. Last year we were

able to do two windows; this year I’m hoping that,

with your help, we can add to that number. We do

now have 7 globes and we do still have objects,

fabrics, artifacts, flags, etc. for two country/regional

areas (Africa and Asia), but we desperately need your

help to celebrate other countries/regions. Asia and

Africa, of course, can be broken down into more

specific countries, but I have nothing to represent

South or Central America, specific countries in Africa

OR anything European, or No. America (Canada,

USA, Mexico). May I ask you to explore your own

treasures to see if you might be able to contribute to

this effort. With everyone’s contributions, I’m sure we

can create a tribute to a number of areas that will be

celebrating World Communion with us on October

7th.

One complication is that Steve and I will be at

a family function in North Carolina that weekend.

Therefore I would need to accomplish this the week of

October 1st – 4th. With that in mind, I would need

to have everything available by Sunday, Sept. 30 at

the latest. Please don’t think you need to “do it all”.

Each contribution helps to create a whole. This is one

of those announcements that is easy to put off because

it is somewhat in the future, but as we’ve all

experienced, the future often comes more quickly

than we realize.

Thank you so much for being willing to help!

It DOES take a village, and YOU are our village, here

at FWPC!

Sara Tamplin

304 -754-5131…stamplin@frontier.com

Looking Back with Ron Hansen

and Bettie Jane Porterfield

The following is by Betsy Hottel Craig, daughter

of Margaret McMurray Hottel, at request of Bettie

Jane Porterfield and Ron Hansen

When Margaret Virginia McMurray Hottel

was born on July 25, 1922, her parents Joseph and

Madge McMurray had been serving Falling Waters

Presbyterian Church for 1 year. Because her brother,

Armistead and sister Charlotte were already in

college, Margaret grew up as an only child, although

there were plenty of neighborhood children to play

with. Margaret’s education began in the one room

school house at Spring Mills. Later, she attended

Beddington School before graduating from

Martinsburg High School in 1939. Later that year she

left Falling Waters to attend Mary Baldwin College.

Two years later, Dr. and Mrs. McMurray left Falling

Waters as well, to serve in their next ministry as

Secretary of the Winchester Presbytery.

1943 brought graduation from Mary Baldwin,

and a teaching career in the Winchester area . It also

brought church life and choir practice, and John

Hottel. On June 18, 1948, Margaret and John were

married with Dr J A McMurray officiating, music by

the choir of Winchester First Presbyterian Church,

and a wedding party that included Charlotte

McMurray, Elizabeth Janney Miles, and Ed Janney.

Margaret and John then moved to Elkins, WVA

where he attended Davis and Elkins College. While

there, their family began – Nancy Greene Hottel was

born in 1950. After graduating, and seminary, the

Hottels began their ministry on a multi church charge

which included Capon Bridge, WVA. In 1952, Betsy

Virginia Hottel was born. John and Margaret then

made a bold move, leaving all family ties in Virginia

,and accepted the minister’s position at the Menlo

Presbyterian Church, Menlo, Georgia. While there, in

1954, Martha Ellen Hottel was born. For the next

30+ years, John and Margaret served in Fort Payne,

AL, Courtland, Al, Somerville, Tn, Belfast, Tn,

Hazard, Ky, and Churchville, VA. Upon retiring, they

moved to Harrisonburg, VA, where Margaret became

an integral part of Trinity Presbyterian Church,

serving as church treasurer for many years. Although

retired, John was a supply minister to several

churches in the Rockingham, Augusta County area

until his death in 1988.

Sunnyside Communities has been Margaret’s

home for the past 20+ years. Her 96th birthday was

recently celebrated with friends and family. When

remembering her years at Falling Waters, Margaret

said, “ For my Mother, being at Falling Waters for 20

years was really a highlight of her life.”

By Bettie Jane

The one room schoolhouse mentioned was up

the hill from church, turn left 2nd house. Friends

mentioned at her wedding party Elisabeth and Ed

Yanny, brother and sister, were long time members at

Falling Waters Church. Bettie Jane says she was 10yrs

old when Margaret’s parents left Falling Waters for

work in Presbytery. I remember them well returning

for visits

Last summer Betsy brought her mother,

Margaret, to our Church for a visit. Bettie Jane and

Ron met them and visited the graves of her parents,

just up the hill from vestibule. Margaret and Bettie

Jane greeted each other with big hug, each remarked

“you look like your mother”

A tour of our old church followed with much

reminiscing, events at community center, Christmas

plays, the old church bus. Margaret also told us how

in the 4th pew there is a hole where the old

chandelier was lowered to light the oil lamps.

Margaret also remembered as a child running in

church and fell on a hot furnace grid on floor in front

of pulpit, her mother and Mrs Yanny comforted her.

As mentioned above Margaret was born 1922

when the Manse was just built. The McMurray family

lived the while her father was our pastor until 1940.

Thank you Betsy for helping us with this

research and thank you Margaret for the memories

and may God bless you as he has blessed us with your

fathers service here. Your family, the McMurrays, will

never be forgotten.

Margaret and Daddy on the Manse Porch

Bettie Jane PorterfieldBetsy Hottel Craig

Margaret McMurrayHottel

Armistad, Joseph and Margaret

The CAT and OurCongregation’s Future

Since 68 Falling Waters members and friends

participated in our “selfie”—our CongregationAssessment Tool (the CAT)—on May 29, many stepshave been taken to develop an understanding of ourstrengths, challenges, and culture.

The Vital Signs Report, the final analysis ofthe assessment, was interpreted for the Session onJune 10. A copy is available in the Church Secretary’sOffice for members to review.

The Session’s CAT Team, which had overseenpreparations and carrying out of the assessment forthree weeks in May, met almost weekly throughoutJune and July to prepare an in-depth analysis that wassupplied to the congregation in printed form and by e-mail. The Team then developed questions for thecongregation’s small-group discussions. Teammembers are John Brown, Lyn Hansen, Carl Howard,Bill Lawrenson and Judith Lawrenson.

With that planning, some 40 members andfriends participated in five small-group discussions onJuly 29. All comments were carefully recorded andreproduced in a report e-mailed to the congregationand also available at the back of the sanctuary inprinted format. A copy of this report also is availablein the Church Office. All of us are ministers—remember our belief in the‘priesthood of all believers’?—and are encouraged touse the CAT results as we share in follow-up actionsto the assessment. Importantly, though, the Session istasked with carrying out an in-depth study of lessonslearned through the CAT and then with developingresponses through the church’s committees and thecongregation at large. Finally, after key up-frontactions have been initiated, the session will develop aprocess for visioning the congregation’s future. So we are not “done” with the CAT. Far from it.Let us prayerfully discern the next steps for Christ’schurch at Falling Waters Presbyterian.

--Pastor Carl Howard

Shared ThoughtsBy

Judith Lawrenson

If you have ever been to our home, you know thatthere at least five very serious speed bumps as you come upthe hill to our street. Whoever put those bumps in theroad actually meant for people to slow down or face theconsequences. Bill and I have seen people with brokenaxels and terrified expressions and I don’t know what elseas they try to pass over these bumps at a high rate of speed.It ain’t gonna happen!

Just as with any bump in the road, I think atFalling Waters are now facing a large obstacle that we as achurch need to pass over in a way that will not result indamage. We have already slowed way down for this bumpin the road, and we now need to see how we will pass overit. As part of what we have called the CAT(Congregational Assessment Team) I have seen so manypieces of paper and emails that I am a little bit confusedand very much undecided as to our next step and I am notashamed to admit it. I do think though that some of thishas been necessary for the sake of letting everyone knowexactly what is going on and letting everybody participatein the process.

In the group that I moderated in our CATmeetings in July so many good ideas came forward that Ithink we actually surprised each other. What enthusiasmand what caring for the success of this church. I haveheard the same about other groups and I have also heardfrom nearly everyone that I speak to that we need to solveour problems before we can move on to making all of thesegreat ideas a reality. I am no more than a person sitting ina pew. I go to church to worship and to serve. Our timehere is relatively short compared to others, but that doesnot mean we are any the less caring or that our faith is anythe less strong. We have made friends and have been madeto feel we belong and are valued. This is what Christiansare meant to do for one another. In times of trouble,Christians have stayed the course. Christians are meant todo that too.

We have slowed down, shared thoughts andopinions and are now ready to go over the bump in theroad. Let’s do it together, heal the wounds, and go forwardwith God’s work!