OfferingS. Communion JUNE

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1 THE NEWSLETTER of St. Philip Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Volume 59, Number 13 Houston, Texas July 5, 2015 Rev. Dr. John W. Wurster Pastor, Head of Staff Rev. Keatan King Associate Pastor Omar Rouchon Ministry Associate Rev. Dr. Samuel Lanham III Pastor Emeritus Dr. Thomas Goetz Director of Music Dr. Matthew Dirst Organist Next concert in the 2015 Summer Recital Series will be a really special event Newlyweds Chris Holman, countertenor, and Cynthia Bauder Holman, mezzo-soprano, present Sospiri: Baroque Love Duets with Matthew Dirst, harpsichord, Jordan Witherspoon, viola da gamba, and Bruce Brogdon, lute, on Sunday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. Music by Purcell: Music for a While, If Music be the Food of Love II, and Oh, the Sweet Delights of Love, plus music by Tobias Hume, Bousset, Handel, and others. Be sure to put this on your calendar! It will be held in the sanctuary at St. Philip Presbyterian Church. Admission is free, an offering will be received. Laurie Fortenbery Office Manager Denise Ferrell Bookkeeper Micah Meyers Communications Assistant Wilbert Parada Facilities Supervisor Dimas Parada Custodian Peter Ramadan Custodian JUNE Communion OfferingS Congratulations! A total of $2, was collected for the Pentecost Offering received on Pentecost Sunday. Presbyterian Children s Homes and Services received 40% of this offering or $ for their work with at-risk children locally. The balance of $1, was sent to PCUSA which helps the church encourage, develop and support its work with young people with this offering. Thank you for your generous giving to this PCUSA Special Offering. Laurie Fortenbery Newsletter Editor philip-eye@saintphilip.net St. Philip s JULY The July communion offering will benefit Prayers Of the People, formerly known as Presbyterian Outreach to Patients (POP). Established in 1974 by Rev. Larry John son of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in response to requests for prayer and guidance for patients primarily out-of-town and Presbyterian arriving at the Texas Medical Center, Rev. Johnson trained a group of lay chaplains to visit five hospitals. Forty years later those five hospitals have multiplied to twenty-two, covering the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area, and POP has grown to meet the ever-increasing need. Today POP lay chaplains are trained to provide spiritual care for all faith traditions of patients and their caregivers coping with crisis, disease, and suffering. In 2014, over 12,000 patients were served throughout Houston and beyond! In addition to your financial support, if you would be interested in serving as a Prayers Of the People lay chaplain, please contact Jo Helland at jo.helland@sbcglobal.net. Contributions to this communion offering can be made throughout the month.

2 Philip-Eye Page 2 July 5, 2015 The recent Supreme Court decision regarding same sex marriage has prompted a variety of feelings and reflections. I have been especially mindful of the many couples I have known through the years whose relationships have exhibited a deep and faithful love, yet have had that love rejected by society and excluded from legal and religious acknowledgement. Now, following the Supreme Court s decision and the constitutional changes we Presbyterians enacted this past year, marriage is an opportunity available for all, and all couples may seek to have their weddings in a Presbyterian church, even in Texas. Shortly after Easter in 2013, I preached a sermon at St. Philip on John 21:1-17 called Love Without Limit, which included reflections on same sex marriage. Here s an excerpt:... In the most basic way, it is about love. For those who call Jesus Lord, it is rightly and especially about love. For wasn t it Jesus on the night before he died who gave his disciples a new commandment, to love one another as he has loved us? Remember? We heard that text on Maundy Thursday, just two weeks ago. Jesus, knowing his death is coming soon, gathers with those he loves for a final time and washes their feet and commands them to love one another (John 13:34-35). It is love that takes Jesus to the cross. Actually, Jesus is crucified for loving too much, for loving the outsider, the sinner, the tax collector, the leper, the prostitute, the cast out and the left behind. His is a daring love, welcoming all, including all, even the least and the last and the lost. It is a love that embraces the prodigal, love that seeks out the one lost sheep, love that goes into the ditch to rescue the man who is supposed to be the enemy. Loving too much cost Jesus his life. Love can be upsetting and destabilizing and powerful. Love is risky. Love is dangerous. Love is even offensive. Love is what gets Jesus killed. Jesus died, but love did not. Jesus was nailed to the cross, but love could not be defeated. Jesus was sealed in the tomb, but love could not be extinguished. If Easter means anything, if resurrection means anything, it means love cannot be stopped. Try as we might and oh how we have tried -- love cannot be stopped.... The debate continues and well-meaning people disagree about these things. I am well aware that people I love don t all agree with me about these matters. Yet I have come to believe all the more deeply that love is what God seeks, love is why Jesus came and why Jesus died and why Jesus was raised from the dead. Love is at the heart of the gospel, and love is the predominant theme of the Bible and it is through love that God is honored and glorified. God is love the First Letter of John puts it. And in every wedding I have conducted I have repeated it and the phrase that follows: God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them (I John 4:16). I can t believe this truth is limited only to heterosexuals. All those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them.... I am grateful that the right to marriage has been extended to same sex couples. I am grateful that the church has an opportunity to expand and participate in the conversation about love and commitment. I am grateful that the church can be a place for couples to gather to seek God s blessing upon their promises and to offer to God their hopes for a life together that is lasting and full. Faithfully yours, Sunday, June 14, was such a beautiful day and I am so grateful for such a warm welcome back to the St. Philip community. Your kind greetings and smiling faces that day were such a treat, and in many ways reminded me of the hospitable welcome I first received as a visitor back in And though I have been away for three years, it feels as if I never quite left. I am looking forward to engaging in ministry with all of you, and getting to know the wonderful additions to this congregation including the many delightful children that have arrived in recent years. Peace be with you all. With deep gratitude, Many Thanks Dear members of St. Philip, I am resuming participation in the Church and Society Class and the worship service with keen pleasure. Hearty thanks to sll of you who have called or written during my recovery from the installation of a pacemaker. I am doing well - with additional excuses for a poor memory and assorted flaws. Bill Camfield

3 Philip-Eye Page 3 July 5, 2015 Presbyterian Women Houston Area Horizons Bible Study for Presbyterian Women Presbyterian Women of New Covenant Presbytery invites you to an overview of the Horizon s Bible Study, Come to the Waters, during the month of August. You pick the date and location that is best for you. Pre-registration is requested one week prior to the event. Tuesday, August 11 9:30 a.m noon St. Stephen Presbyterian Church 2217 Theta Street, Houston Register with Candy in the church office at or via at officesspc@gmail.com Saturday, August 29 9:30 a.m noon Spring Branch Presbyterian Church 1215 Campbell Rd, Houston Register with Margaret Rouse in the church office at or via at secretary@springbranchpres.org. In the 9 lessons of the study, water plays a central role in the stories of scripture, from the chaotic waters of Creation to the River of Life in Revelation. The rich imagery of water throughout the Bible helps us understand and articulate our faith. Just as water nourishes our bodies, so these passages on water nourish our souls. The study was written by Judy Fletcher, former moderator of Synod of the Sun. The Horizon Bible Study Guides have arrived. They will be available after the first and second services in the Gathering Area. SUNDAY SCHOOL UPDATE Nursery and Preschool Infants and children through 3 years old 8:30 am to 12:30pm - Room 106 Staffed by professional childcare providers Preschool 4 through 12th grade These classes will not meet during the summer months. They will resume in the fall. Adult Classes CHURCH & SOCIETY - Room 201 These classes will not meet during the summer months. They will resume in the fall. SPa CLASS - Room 200 The SPa class will not meet during the summer months, but will resume in the fall. BIBLE STUDY - Room 204 The class will not meet during the summer months, but will resume studying the book of Judges in the fall. ARTS & CRAFT STUDIO This class will not meet during the summer months, but will resume in the fall. KIDS AGAINST HUNGER Kids Against Hunger will be packing meals on Saturday, July 18, from 10:00 a.m. until noon. Come help us in this valuable mission project. Seafarer Christmas Boxes St. Philip will be participating in the 2015 Christmas Shoebox Program. We are collecting the following items to fill the Christmas boxes: 100 medium sized shoe boxes, hotel samples (of shampoo, conditioner, hand cream), socks, wash cloths, bars of soap, toothpaste/brushes, handkerchiefs, pencils, pens, paper, cards, paper clips, sewing kits, stick, cotton balls, band aids, cups, gloves, ziplock bags, small calendar, packs of tissues, decks of cards, razors, comb, flashlights, chewing gum, hard candy, rubber bands, a holiday card. The boxes will be distributed to visiting seafarers by volunteers and Chaplains working with the Houston Int l Seafarer s Center. Place your donations in the wishing well in the Gathering Area. Thank you! CCSC News SHOP FOR A CAUSE It is easy to give to CCSC every time you shop online at Amazon Smile! Make sure you shop via and search for Christian Community Service Center to link you Amazon account to CCSC. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to CCSC. HYGIENE ITEMS STILL NEEDED CCSC is mostly in need of 15 ounce or larger bottles of shampoo, toothbrushes of any type, and 6 ounce or larger tubes of toothpaste. Feel free to bring them to the church office.

4 Philip-Eye Page 4 July 5, 2015 In Our Prayers Bedford Vestal - recuperating at home Rusty Howard - receiving treatments Chuck Johnson - recuperating at home Steve Carmichael - lyme disease Winston Crowder - recuperating at home Jo Jones - recuperating at home Al Atkinson - recuperating at home Larry Dean- Seven Acres Tom Mike Tomforde, Jr.- Hallmark HC Linda Joullian,Wayne Truxillo s sister - cancer Frances Kanakivis - cancer, former nursery worker Central Mission Endowment Fund Grants The St. Philip Central Mission Endowment Council recently made its second round of grant decision, funding six outstanding programs and projects. They are: Avondale House, $40,000: Purchase a safe transport van for a school for autistic children Communities in Schools, $28,000: Fund a social support staff member at Sherman Elementary in HISD to support children s wellbeing Haiti Education Foundation, $7500: Support teachers and materials for a school in rural Haiti, providing education to children in poverty Interfaith Ministries ilead Program, $20,000: Provide scholarships and programming for a youth leadership and religious understanding program Volunteer Interfaith Caregivers, $10,000: Expand transportation services for frail elderly to northwest Houston, in partnership with Northwest Assistance Ministries Wesley Community Center, $25,000: Establish a summer day program to combat learning loss in children in the neighborhood of Sherman Elementary School All of the grants will help these organizations to share God s love generously and help vulnerable people in our community and beyond. After a year of experience with our process, the Council decided to change our application cycle for the coming year, so that there will now be only one round of grants each calendar year. We will award the next group of grants in late October The CMEF Council continues to learn about the needs in our community and to look forward to where God is leading us. Council members are Bebe Burns, Dick Howard, Rusty Howard, Larraine Lyter-Reed, Cathy Patterson, Jeanette Wennenweser, and John Wurster. Equal Exchange summer Coffee Sale It s your chance to re-stock on fairly traded coffee (and other goodies) for the summer. On Sunday, July 26th, the Coffee project will have their stall set up in the Gathering Area during Sunday School and after 11 o clock worship. Products to be offered include a variety of coffees and teas, chocolate bars, almonds and olive oil, if the back order come in on the last item. And of course the traditional summer refreshments of iced tea and biscotti will be enjoyed. Each purchase helps to support the small farmers across the world who produce these goods, as well as the Presbyterian Hunger Program and our own church s mission. We will have a new product on offer, Guatemalan Honey from a co-operative of beekeepers in northwest Guatemala of more than 140 members selling honey gathered from over 5,000 hives. The area where the beekeepers live and work is beautiful, but remote, and there are few work opportunities. Beekeeping is a great option because it has low start-up costs and is good for the environment. Fair Trade sales have helped co-op members improve the quality of their honey and increase production, as well as learn about how to adapt to the changing climate. As beekeeper and co-op member Aurelio Cruz said, Our honey is good, but there are many areas we need to improve, such as having a better understanding of how to deal with bees illness or too much rain at the wrong time. Thanks to Fair Trade, we are getting a good price for the honey and other supports that are helping to address some of these areas of concern. Summer Lecture Series We are very excited to have Dr. Robert Dykstra, Professor of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, with us this year on August 8th and 9th. In an era characterized by endless war, fundamentalist religious fervor, the cacophony of politicians, and struggling churches, we long for relief from relentless exhaustion through grand solutions to intractable problems. But Jesus encourages us to find in small things in children, yeast, mustard seeds, five loaves and two fishes, a pearl of great price the little ways that encourage good fortune in the kingdom of God. The weekend will include two sessions on Saturday with lunch, a Saturday evening gathering for Young Adults (20 s and 30 s), a gathering at the Sunday School hour for the Youth (Jr. and Sr. High s), and Robert will preach at both worship services on Sunday.

5 a letter from bethesda clinic With great rejoicing, we are glad to present you a brief report of our variety of activities at the clinic. As you know, we continue serving our Mayan people in the surrounding area of Xocenpich which includes towns with more than people in Valladolid, Tizimin, Izamal, even Cancun. We have big opportunities to serve people because although these cities have hospitals, they only receive people from Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm. Most of the time they are lacking medicines and for emergency cases they don t have the equipment available and medical doctors are recently graduates with not much experience. At Benefactora Mision Clinica Bethesda, people are welcome 24 hours a day, 365 days at the year. And all people know this, so, they come even at midnight. But this is the story: they traveled a lot, pay tuition for consultation and haven t eaten in the last hours. They come with no money. There is a story of a man who came with a kidney-stone with a lot of pain, with his family traveling with him, three days journey. When they arrived at the clinic, it was midnight. It was a privilege to serve him. Dr Federico performed a surgery and at the end the family was happy. The family problem was that they didn t have money to pay the bill. It is in this case, when we have to use the money you send to be used at the clinic. In a yearly basis, we receive a gift for the clinic and many times we have to pay expenses for people whom aren t able to pay their bill. We also use the money to provide maintenance to the building. The income to the clinic is not enough to pay electricity bill, salaries, equipment and so on. At this time, a recently graduated dentist, asked about coming to serve in the clinic. He is a great Christian and very diligent. We are glad he is faithfully coming every week end. He is increasing the people he is helping. We thank God for this young dentist. With all this movement, the students at the Nurses Aid School are involved in so many activities. As you may know, at the beginning of the year we have a program sponsored by an Eye team from Fort Wayne IN. More than 300 people show up and the eye doctors perform more than 50 surgeries for two weeks at the clinic. The students are a great help in this program. For many years, the school accepted only girls. Now, boys are coming also. We have 6 girls and 3 boys at the present time. It is our privilege to inform you that we have provided paint maintenance to the clinic, change lumber windows with metal windows, renewed manual beds for electrical beds and set new tiles in the floor of almost all building. With great expectancy we are waiting for a container of equipment been shipped by Project C.U.R.E from Houston. Please pray that this will be made soon. We thank you for your faithful support and prayers for this medical and educational ministry. In HIS service Rev. Pablo Estrella PHILIP-EYE info. Articles should be sent to Laurie Fortenbery: philip-eye@saintphilip.net. Also, contact Laurie if you would like to receive the Philip-Eye online. You get the news faster, the church saves postage, and the impact on the environment is lightened just a bit. Please take note: The deadline for submitting articles for the next PhilipEYE is Thursday, July 16. Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Houston, TX Permit No Philip-Eye THE NEWSLETTER of St. Philip Presbyterian Church U.S.A.