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MEMORIAL PRESS 731 Walnut Street - P .O. Box 70 - Dayton, Indiana - 47941 (765) 296-3199)
Web: www.daytonpres.orgPastor Justin: [email protected]
Darlene : [email protected] August 2014
Pastor’s Epistle
While on vacation this summer, I was struck by just how different worship is, and should be, from the theatrics of theme parks. Our family spent several days at Universal Studios riding the rides, watching the shows, and in general soaking up the experience of entertainment which was all around us. Whether it was feeling like we were walking the same pathways as Harry Potter, or meandering through the strange and colorful world of Dr. Seuss, all the time we were within the confines of this never, never land, there was nary a moment we weren’t bombarded with the sparkle of spectacle!
I thought of this experiential overload while sitting in the back pew of Faith Presbyterian Church in El Paso, Texas. Faith Church has been co-pastored by my in-laws for over twenty years. Their worship service is traditional, but more importantly, it isn’t a performance. Sitting in the back pew with Elizabeth and her mother, what I felt, what I always feel when I am there, was a sense of being at home. And I say this not just because this is the church my in-laws co-pastor, but rather because both they and the congregation gather not to be entertained, but to be family. Worship isn’t about the music or the message, although both are good, instead worship is about coming together to a place where they embrace one another with the love of God in the name of Jesus Christ. Worship is when and where they, and any who darken their doorway, are warmly welcomed as members of the family of faith, whether it is for one Sunday every few years or every Sunday for many years.
A few years ago when I was reading up about church redevelopment/transformation, I learned that one of the signs of a healthy church was that visitors, newly attending “regulars” and recently transferred in members felt a part of, included in, and as valued as someone who had been a member all their lives. There wasn’t some sense of “you have to earn your place” or “pay your dues” before attaining some invisible stamp of approval. It is more so that the church fostered a sentiment, as a verse from the song “Signs” declares, “Everybody welcome, come in, kneel down and pray.”
What I realized when I returned to my pastoral duties after vacation is that this worship as a kind of homecoming was one of the reasons my heart feels so at peace with Memorial Presbyterian Church. When we gather on Sunday morning and I look across the sanctuary, what I see is a loving, caring congregation; what I see is a family of faith that perceives all people as children of God, and treats equally those across the pew, in our community and anywhere in any country, with the same loving care that flows through us from God.
There’s an old saying which goes, “Home is where the heart is.” While sentimentally this is true, scripturally speaking home can be understood as the place where the Lord resides with the children of God, for as Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23)Therefore, if the Lord is at home with us, we can open the doors to this home to those around us by loving them as Jesus taught us. And the most visible, but not only, place we do this is when we gather to worship on Sunday mornings, as well as anytime we come together to do ministry in the name of Jesus Christ!
Blessings, Pastor Justin
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* * * SESSION NOTES * * *
Your Session met on Tuesday evening, July 15, 2014, in a joint meeting with the Board of Deacons, and during the meeting the Elders:
Approved the work of the Deacons and thanked them for their good works Heard a report from Vacation Bible School indicating smooth operation with lower than usual attendance Approved placement of a Bauer Family Resources “Head Start” sign in the Churchyard Learned that the Trustees are nearing completion of the east gable shingling project on the Church Building Heard that the Golden Girls are planning more events for the summer Approved a cookout and fundraising event on August 9, on our west lot (the village green) benefiting
Kennedy Alkire, a child who has undergone a great deal of surgery this summer
Michael E. Grimes, Clerk of Session
Dear Church Family,
Thank you so much for your prayers, love, cards, thoughts and remembrances of our Dad, Jim Whitlock. Your loving support in these and other ways have carried us through his unexpected passing. Memorial Presbyterian Church, You were blessed to be a blessing and throughout our lives you have been. Again, thank you for nurturing us when we were little and loving and supporting us now.
The Girls,Susan Gibson, Deb Watkins, Sally Maroska, Sharon Wills and our families
Congratulations to Sarah CampbellSarah Campbell celebrated her 10 years of 4-H with some wonderful
achievements. In her last year of woodworking she made a rocker of maple and walnut. It won a blue and Champion in the Grade 12 division. It was then selected as the State Fair Entry for grades 10-12. On Ten Year Recognition Night, Sarah was one of three 4-Hers who received the Bea Robertson Memorial Award. It is presented to three outstanding Home Economics project members and is based on the 4-H Achievement Records. Congratulations, Sarah.
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August Sunday MorningBreakfast Hostess August Deacons August Elders
Jane Coleman Nancy Grimes, Captain Jon PetrieCommunion Communion
Julie Rosa Cathy HancookDevotions
August
3 Brian Sprague4 Jane Reichart4 Wyatt Edwards5 Bruce Gibson8 Clara Boles8 Rick Ryan8 Susan Yost9 Ray Hicks10 Michael DeGolyer11 Amanda Lane13 Gabby Basden15 Barry Bretz16 Paul Houser18 Jane Holladay22 Jon Grimes23 Scott Dexter25 Kay Reichart28 Jon Petrie28 Melissa Brand
31 Nancy Brand
August9 Tracy & Julie Rosa9 Ray & Patty Hicks (50 years!)17 Mike & Jill Edwards19 Dick & Beth Barger19 Jeff & Jessica Bush23 Robert & Susan Yost25 Dana & Cheryl Richard30 Wes & Kathy Shaw
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Our Church Family
IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS Our military, our nation & its leaders; persecuted Christians; people locally & nationally in need; victims of domestic violence; Carolyn Finkenbinder; Russell Lucas; Marjora Odenkirk; Jackie Ginther (Niece/J.Schwartz); Richard Triplet; William Baker, Dawn Morgan; Cindy DeGolyer; Randy Smith, Monica Bretz; Andy Vasiento (father of Nicole Rosen); Kevin Konrad; Amy McGuire; Ellen Hiday (friend of T. Lineback); Betty Pfeiffer; Jack Ferry (friend of D. & J. Schwartz); Richie Holmberg (nephew of Lynn & Judy Ryan); John & Jean Downham; Ann Jarboe (daughter of C. Gribble); Lucas Bush; Margaret Stonecipher (friend of C.
Stanford); Miriam Woodrow; Kathleen Smith (co-worker, K. Summers); Carol Bolander (daughter of L. Guenther); Ron Carter (son-in-law of B. Pfeiffer); Rick McCullom (nephew of J. Schwartz); Matthew Montgomery (friend of E. Mundell); Jon Grimes; Mary Terry; Mintonye Elementary/Southwestern Middle School Students and Staffs; Jill Plantenga (Vyse’s family friend); Lois Sherrill (mother of C. Zdravich); Terry Lynn Pfeiffer; Max Biery; Jane Yost; Terry McKillip (friend of C. Bull), ; Ron Miller; Bob & Susie Yost; Riley Crye (friend of the Boles family); Brent McKinney (friend of the Boles family); Steve Hancook; Kennedy Alkire; the family of Beth Cotsonis (niece of M. Yoder), Bruce Biery; Mike Grimes; Shirley Schwartz (sister-in-law of D. Schwartz).
If you or someone in your family has good news or an accomplishment you would like to share with our Church Family, please consider sending the info to [email protected]. We would love to include it in our monthly Newsletter.
Mark Your Calendar for This Fall’s Annual Smorgasbord and Bazaar on Saturday, November 8! This is the perfect time for starting those craft projects for the Bazaar, and to set aside an hour or two to volunteer on that day between 3:00 and 8:00 PM, or for preparation in the days before. More information and volunteer opportunities will be coming soon. Thank you for your prayers and continued support for this important event!
Phyllis Hill, Smorgasbord Chair
Five gifts from God●Love makes our friends a little dearer.●Joy makes our hearts a little lighter.●Faith makes our paths a little clearer.●Hope makes our lives a little brighter.●Peace brings us all a little nearer.
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(author unknown)
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NEWS FROM THE SEED PLANTING/EVANGELISM COMMITTEE:
GOLDEN GALS:
Had a great time at the Sportsman Inn in Monticello – right on the lake and it was beautiful. Some of us went on to Norway Gardens and saw lots of ideas for the house and garden. Looks like our next one will be September 12. More information to follow. Hope you can join us next time!
ZUMBA: We are still going strong even in the summer – so we just sweat a lot more! Open for all ages – you just know your own limit. Our instructor has some new things for us to try as she just attended a workshop on Zumba -- Wednesday nights at 6:45 p.m. Come and bring a friend!
DINE WITH NINE: Off for summer months, but don’t forget about joining next fall.
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Mission Committee
A huge “thank you” to all of our volunteers during the month of July. We continue to accept new or gently used donations of children’s clothing, sizes newborn through teen sizes and maternity wear.
The August Kid’s Closet Micro Mission Event will be held Sunday, August 17th. Come and enjoy coffee and donuts at 8:30 am and then help sort items for distribution.
Since the last Saturday in August is the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, the next distribution/sort will be August. 23, 2014, from 9:00 am until Noon. If you are interested in taking part in this exciting mission, please contact Julie Boles.
Food Pantry Thank you to all who helped in any way, with time and/or donations, for our Food Pantry. We were very busy during April, May and June with 91 families encompassing 410 people.
As always, we are in need of toilet tissue, laundry detergent and brown paper bags.
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Presbyterian House 2015
In the summer of 2015 local Presbyterian churches again plan to build a Habitat for Humanity house for a deserving, needy family. The 2015 project will be the ninth completed since 1999 when local churches formed a coalition to help families in need – much thanks to Memorial Presbyterian Church. Since its inception in 1984 the Lafayette HFH chapter has built over 260 houses in our community – in many cases enhancing the community by replacing old houses with new, modern structures.
New HFH houses built by the Lafayette chapter meet new “Energy Star” standards which include high efficiency
appliances, premium windows and doors, special insulation and sealing around windows and doors. These high construction standards ensure that partner families will experience minimal cost of ownership. Because of the quality of their construction, the “Energy Star” features, and appearance and neighborhood appeal, the city of Lafayette has partnered with Habitat to help find locations and develop infrastructure where HFH homes can be built.
While most of today’s assistance for the needy is federal government sponsored, that impersonal action places no expectations or requirements on welfare recipients making these programs very inefficient, non-motivational, and susceptible to fraud. Habitat for Humanity worldwide has a successful record in changing lives because it is not impersonal and develops a relationship with each partner family. A significant part of HFH activities is virtually unseen by the public. Partner families are screened thoroughly. They must show the ability to make mortgage payments and be self-motivated enough to invest a minimum of 250 sweat equity hours before becoming eligible. Each family is assigned an advocate who assists the family in transitioning to home ownership with information including house maintenance (basic plumbing, electric, heating, etc.), insurance, tax and other miscellaneous home ownership information. Each family is informed that HFH is a Christian based program, and the advocate/client personal relationship is retained even after house closing. As a result, the Habitat community “knows” that Habitat partner families are deserving and reliable, and the families know Habitat. While many government supported projects have failed with recipients virtually destroying their government provided housing leaving taxpayers with the bill, HFH has had a tremendous success record. Locally less than 2% of partner families have defaulted on their HFH mortgage loans.
The 2015 Presbyterian house will cost over $55,000 including the standard 10% tithe for building in other countries. Over $8,500 has been donated to date, but the first step is to accumulate the necessary funding. A partner family and construction site have been identified. Provided that funding is in place, plans call for starting construction in late summer. DMPC has been a strong supporter of these projects, and it is hoped that support will continue. We need your help with financing now and with construction next year. Please keep the Presbyterian Habitat House for 2015 in mind in your charitable giving, and don’t forget to note that direct donations to HFH must be identified for the “Presbyterian House”.
Stepping Down:I have represented DMPC on the Habitat Steering Committee for 15 years and served HFH on other committees
over that time. I now plan to retire as representative. Brian Sprague has volunteered to be the DMPC representative for 2015.
Steve Hancook
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Staying in the Word Together – August 2014Join Christians throughout North America as they read together – each Sunday – the scriptures for the week. Known as the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), the collections of readings is organized so that after a three year cycle, members of churches will have read through the majority of the Bible. In our church, our Sunday school curriculum follows the RCL.
As a church and denomination, we use the RCL and provide these to the pastors for direction on the order of worship and for guidance in Christian Education. A guest pastor may choose not to use the scriptures, but we are providing them to the congregation as a means of Staying in the Word Together. Traditionally, there will be an Old Testament, Psalm New Testament and Gospel reading. For additional readings go to http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/.
Season after PentecostYear A
First* reading and Psalm
Alternate* First reading and Psalm
Second reading Gospel
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
August 3, 2014
Genesis 32:22-31
Psalm 17:1-7, 15
Isaiah 55:1-5
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21
Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:13-21
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
August 10, 2014
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b
1 Kings 19:9-18
Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15 Matthew 14:22-33
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 17, 2014
Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
Psalm 67
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 24, 2014
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Isaiah 51:1-6
Psalm 138
Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
August 31, 2014
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b
Jeremiah 15:15-21
Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16:21-28
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2014Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2
39:45 am Con. Breakfast
10:30 am Worship
4 5
Trustees, 7:15 pm
6
Lectionary Bible Study, Noon
Zumba, 6:45 pm
7 8
Food Pantry,9:00-11:00 am
9Kennedy Alkire
Benefit
109:45 am Con. Breakfast
10:30 am Worship
11 12
C. E. Committee Meets, 7:00 pm
13Lectionary Bible
Study, Noon
Zumba, 6:45 pm
14 15
Food Pantry,9:00-11:00 am
16
178:30 am Micro Mission
Con. Breakfast10:30 am Worship
18 19
Session, 7:00 pm
20Lectionary Bible
Study, Noon
Zumba, 6:45 pm
21 22
Food Pantry,9:00-11:00 am
23
Kid’s Closet Distribution/Sort9:00 am - Noon
249:45 am Con. Breakfast
10:30 am Worship
25 26 27
Zumba, 6:45 pm
28 29
Food Pantry,9:00-11:00 am
30
319:45 am Con. Breakfast
10:30 am Worship
September 1Labor Day
Office Closed
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Memorial Presbyterian Church731 Walnut St. (State Road 38 E)P. O. Box 70Dayton, IN 47941-0070
9:45 am Continental Breakfast10:30 am Worship
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