A BLESSED HOLY WEEK VOLUME 16, NUMBER 4 APRIL 2015

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1 A BLESSED HOLY WEEK Northminster celebrated a joyous lead up to Easter Sunday. The Clerk of Session (Sandra Lewis), Northminster s first ordained female Elder (Virginia Cowsert) and Jarred Hammet joined Rabbi Larry Schlesinger and friends from Mercer and Tremont Baptist Church. Pictured are Doctor Fontenot, Theresa Robinson, and the Reverend Doctor James Bumpus. At the tables, they enjoyed the elements of the Seder. Also, every chair was hand inspected and repaired for the Get to Know Us Easter Brunch at Northminster. Special thanks to Denise Fritze and Boyd Ellison. VOLUME 16, NUMBER 4 APRIL 2015 Page 2, Music News, Women s Bible Study; Preparing for the Sunrise Service at Wesleyan, Choral Society of Central Georgia Page 3 Youth Spaghetti Lunch; Good Samaritan Fund, Lunch Bunch, Loaves and Fishes Yard Sale Page 4 Easter Saturday, OGHoS, VBS Inserts Pastor s Page, Financial Snapshot, Session Meeting Highlights, Graduation Sunday, Pastor s Continuing Education, A Letter from Deb, Yoga, Habitat for Humanity, Congregational Photo 1

2 WOMEN S CIRCLE BIBLE STUDY The Women s Circle Bible Study meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be April 14th at 10:00 AM They will be going over Lesson Eight: Power, Authority, and Honor Are Not Always What We Might Expect - 2 Corinthians 11:1-32 from the Reconciling Paul Workbook. MOTHERS DAY TRADITION This year we will continue what we began eleven years ago. On Mothers Day, we will have a special time to remember our mothers (or those who have been like a mother to us). Members and visitors may bring flowers to honor their mother. Vases and tags will be provided. MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD! In last month s newsletter, some tips from John Wesley were given to enhance congregational singing, or the unrehearsed choir, with God as our audience. We know Scripture exhorts us to do everything we do as unto Him. This month, as we focus on Easter, and rejoicing over the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, a couple more tips from the same source, are offered for your consideration: Sing Lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of satan. Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven. If we follow these tips when singing, we will more perfectly praise our Lord, and bless the other worshippers seated around us, encouraging them in their singing unto God. You might even find you want to join the rehearsed choir for a time! A big thank you to all the chancel choir members and brass ensemble for the glorious Easter music. Our Wonderful Wednesday schedule is quickly drawing to a close, but there are a few more weeks for you to come enjoy the mid-week fellowship and Word opportunity. This program has been greatly enjoyed by all who have participated in it. Bell and Chancel choirs will continue to rehearse through May, but the Children s choir has a different schedule. They will rehearse April 15th and 22nd, to be ready to sing for the last time this year on Sunday, April 26th. April 22nd will be their last rehearsal. We are looking forward to hearing them. -Sandy PREPARING FOR THE SUNRISE SERVICE AT WESLEYAN! Several gathered Saturday night before Easter to prepare the luminaries for the Easter Sunrise Service at Wesleyan College. (Emma Brown and Josh Denny lead the assembly line.) 2

3 YOUTH SPAGHETTI LUNCH On April 26th the Northminster Youth will be holding their annual Spaghetti Lunch Fundraiser in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited to come to the Fellowship Hall after the 11:00 AM worship service for lunch. Any and all funds raised at the Spaghetti Lunch will go to support the big trips the Northminster Youth take each summer. Lenten LENTEN BIBLE STUDY SOUP DU JOURNEY ney A note received from a visitor: Jarred, The food last Wednesday was wonderful! Thank you so much for inviting A great group gathered for the Wednesdays of Lent around fresh bread, warm soup, open Bibles, journals and pages with scriptures and notes.they shared their insights, questions, and reflections. They discussed where they had heard the previous Wednesday s discussions make their way into the liturgy, children s sermon or sermon. me to join the group. The chili-on-potato combination was especially good I didn t need supper that night! I continue to be grateful for our friendship. A blessed Easter to you and yours! - Glenn Gilstrap (Pastor, Westminster, Warner Robins) LOAVES AND FISHES YARD SALE The Outreach and Evangelism Committee will sponsor a yard sale at the church on Saturday, April 25th from 8:00 AM until 12:00 Noon. The committee will provide tables for your use in displaying your wares and will have someone pick up the remains when the sale is over. You are encouraged to sign up (on the blue sheet in the bulletin) to reserve a table, come sell your wares, and give at least half your proceeds to L&F. Now is a good time to look on your shelves and in drawers and closets for things you no longer need and come sell them at the yard sale. Not only will you be helping yourself by getting rid of some of that stuff you have lying around, but Loaves and Fishes will benefit as well. Those of you who have participated in our sales in the past know that this is a great time for fun and fellowship with your fellow sellers. If you have nothing to sell, come and buy! Either way, please plan to join the fun and help us make this our biggest and most successful yard sale ever! AN UPDATE ON THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE At the Congregational Meeting of April 12th, the congregation elected the balance of the Nominating Committee. They will serve with Sam Alderman and Lynn Southerland. They are: Grace Goodwin, Suzann Smith, and Joe Watwood. Youth Representative: Jose Maley. GOOD SAM OFFERING Thanks for your continued support for the Good Samaritan Offering. This money is used to help those in need, members and non-members alike. Your contributions to this fund made it possible for us to assist a single parent with one child pay her power bill. She moved into a house in October and there was a misunderstanding about what was due on her bill. Thank you for your generous support of the needy people in our community! MAY LUNCH BUNCH The Lunch Bunch is a Dutch treat group that gets together on the 1st Tuesday of the month. The group is open to anyone who likes to eat out and have fellowship time with members and friends of the church. The Lunch Bunch will meet Tuesday, May 5th at 12:30 PM at Bonefish Grill located at the Shoppes at River Crossing. There will be a State of the Church Meeting and Potluck dinner on May 3rd at 6:00 PM. 3

4 OGHOS On April 4th, many gathered here at the church for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year a new activity was added, the Journey to the Cross. Children walked with Jesus, portrayed by Tom Goodwin, around the church to learn more about His journey to the cross. They also enjoyed crafts, snacks, and of course the egg hunt! The adults gathered in the Sanctuary for a silent scripture reading and reflection time. Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make this a successful event. SUMMER WORSHIP This summer, there are a few things to note: There will be one worship time for the months of June and July at 10:00 AM. The Choir will take a break for the second half of June and all of July. You will see them return to the Choir loft on August 2nd. During the month of June we will have a guest preacher for 4 consecutive weeks as our Pastor continues his education. Bring a healthy snack item for the Fellowship time (9:30) before the Worship Service. Most Sunday school classes are taking a break for the summer, but we do not want to lose the wonderful time of connection. The Children's Chapel time will run through the Summer. We welcome all kids (or kids at heart) to be a part of the service. The OGHOS (One Great Hour of Sharing) Offering goes to aid in responding to natural disasters, installing new wells in places that had no clean water before, and aiding people who need a small amount of capital to start a business to employ folks who otherwise have idle hands. The total received for the OGHOS was.. $625.00! SAVE THE DATE! Vacation Bible School July 19 th 22 nd 4

5 The PasTor s Page Now Don t Go Confusing Me With the Facts... Whether it was Republican Representative Earl Landgrebe of Watergate fame (who stuck with Richard Nixon until the end) or Democratic Representative Corrine Brown (advocating for The Affordable Care Act), they both managed to say some form of Don t confuse me with the facts. After Landgrebe became the author of the unfortunate statement, he has been quoted to the point that his phrase is a cliché. Generally, when someone uses those words they are usually making light of his statement or using the words (disparagingly) to describe another person s entrenchment and unwillingness to hear or listen. Given how poorly the phrase worked for Landgrebe, it is one of those phrases best avoided by politicians. Avoid it not and you become like Representative Brown. Occasionally, someone will make a bold statement and express why they are against, or for, something without having first become overly familiar with the material or the issue. Part of that tendency is simply being human. We feel first, then we think. Or we speak before we think. One can be trained to think more. Or be more mindful of what is going on. (Probably why I like movies about well-trained Navy SEALS or Double 0 agents.) Back to my point, we can react to something without first having fully digested the content of it. I think the classic example from the past was someone who was against Karl Marx but had never read Das Kapital. I am thankful for my college for forcing us to read widely in many areas, but especially in areas that might have seemed un-american. It helped one argue from information. Recently, and this is a confession, I reacted negatively to the use of a book I had not read and with which, if I were familiar with it at all, I had forgotten its perspective. It had only 10 Amazon reviews, 8 of which were 2002 and older. The last two Amazon reviews were from people who were required to read it. I, judgmentally, wondered why anyone would be using this book as a resource a full years after its heyday. But the person who quoted the book extensively is important to me, so I found a cheap copy and started reading it. For three reasons. First, I didn t want to sound like one of the Don t Confuse Me With The Facts people. (DCMWTF, hereafter.) Second, my college raised me better than that. Third, and most importantly, if this book resonated with this person, and if this person and I were going to have to work together, it would be worth the effort to understand a little bit more about what makes this person tick. One reviewer had suggested chapter four as an essential chapter. After reading the Foreword and mutual admiration accolades found in the Introduction, I went to chapter four. (I ll say more about that next month.) Chapter four divided out, by the differ- S ometimes, we will need to share our own faith story. ent personality types found in the Myers-Briggs inventory, how people respond to loss/change, an interim time, and finally, entering into a new phase. People respond in a way that makes sense to them. Their response can be the polar opposite of another person. The reading of chapter four made me think about how various people might have responded to the resurrection, or its report, based on their four letter designation in Myers-Briggs. (Again, more about that next month. That is, unless I report to you how our Presbytery has responded to the national voting upon the proposed amendments to the Book of Order.) Back to the DCMWTF. As we come upon Easter, I can suspect at least two ways that DCMWTF s might have been used. You can imagine others. Imagine a follower of Jesus Christ who heard the message, had traveled with Jesus, had shared the message with others, possibly was one of the seventy sent out two -by-two, hears that Jesus has been crucified, and now is dead. Perhaps the teller of the news allows, I guess your movement is over, what without your leader. Perhaps our follower responds with, Absolutely not! What he established will live on forever! Great faith, even if perhaps a bit naïve, thinks the teller. Another person, who could be a follower, is more realistic and pessimistic. She hears a report that Jesus has been raised from the dead. She rejects such news as ridiculous. She was there when they crucified him. She heard him pronounced dead. It s over. We ll take what we can from him as a great teacher and leave it at that. Her teller is persistent in reporting, with each new development, that there is a growing body of evidence that Jesus is alive once more. And yet, she doesn t want to be confused. We all live our lives between the points of harsh reality and deep dreams. Increasingly, it seems as though people are becoming polarized and do not feel the need to engage in any conversation that might confuse them about the rightness of their position dreamer or realist. For example, The church is full of hypocrites. There s no way I would be part of any organized religion. It is up to us to invite the people around us, in the best possible we know how, to write a faith story. In some cases to begin such a story. And sometimes that requires us to share our own faith story. We might need to confuse the person in order for them to start, or resume, a faith journey. I picture Mary reporting to the Disciples that the tomb is empty. Scripture records that this information seemed like an idle tale, perhaps even dismissed as the way women think and grieve. But Mary was persistent and inviting, and I think you know how the rest of the story played out. Peter and John were now confused but confused with the truth. Jesus Christ is Risen Join us on a Sunday to reply: He is Risen, Indeed! Invite someone who is confused, or might profit from being confused. Peace, Insert 1

6 FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT FEBRUARY February 2015 Financial Summary Actual % Actual Budgeted Variance of Budget Revenues (Feb): Total Pledges & Loose Offerings $30,045 $31,930 -$1, % Regular Givers - No Pledge $3,740 $5,833 -$2, % Interest $66 $0 $66 N/A Special Offerings $5,749 $0 $5,749 N/A Total Revenue $39,600 $37,763 $1, % Revenues (YTD): Total Pledges & Loose Offerings $55,161 $63,859 -$8, % Regular Givers - No Pledge $7,410 $11,667 -$4, % Interest $133 $0 $133 N/A Special Offerings $6,568 $0 $6,568 N/A Total Revenue $69,272 $75,526 -$6, % Expenses (Feb): Budgeted Expenses $37,050 $38,032 -$ % Special Offerings $3,746 $0 $0 N/A Total Expenses $40,796 $38,032 -$ % Expenses (YTD): Budgeted Expenses $71,871 $76,064 -$4, % Special Offerings $4,351 $0 $4,351 N/A Total Expenses $76,222 $76,064 $ % YTD Net -$6,950 Organ Restoration: Beginning Bal: Paid to Date: Remaining Bal: Funds Available: $115, $31, $84, $23, Funds Needed: SESSION MEETING HIGHLIGHTS MARCH 2015 STATED MEETING $60, * Heard a devotional by Lynn Southerland about the Big C--Christ--and the Little C--cancer. * Received Annual Statistical Report information. * Elected Sam Alderman and Lynn Southerland as Session representatives to serve on the Nominating Committee. * Approved replacing two heating and air units at a cost of $19,000. * Approved moving monies from the Outreach and Evangelism Committee's Restricted Habitat Fund to assist in funding Habitat. * Approved lowering Outreach and Evangelism Committee's approved budget and transferring the variance to the Worship Committee. * Noted that children's Sunday School will not meet in June and July. * Approved hiring Heather Douglas as Nursery Coordinator. * Approved use of the building by the Girl Scouts. * Took the next step in forming the Youth Advisory Board. * Approved setting up a table to sell Loaves and Fishes raffle tickets. * Were asked to pray for First Presbyterian Church in Columbus as it struggles with serious issues. * Closed the meeting with the Doxology as was done in the March 1988 Session meeting.

7 LIKE THE OLD DAYS... If one reads old Session minutes, let s say from the 1920 s 1950 s, one would often find notes to this effect: The Church will not have services in the month of August on account of the minister s being away for the month. Other churches would compromise and have worship every other Sunday in August with an Elder preaching at those two services. One might also see that some arrangement had been made for the minister to be at Montreat two weeks in June so as to observe General Assembly and attend the World Missions Conference or the Worship Conference. Often times the minister had a modest cabin at Montreat. More modest still was the campground. A Minister and family at Montreat Things began to change. Synods built a home at Montreat hence, the South Carolina Home, Georgia Lodge, Florida Lodge. And Ministers were encouraged to break up the period of time that he (and it was a he back then) was away. The Worship Committee has advised the Pastor to inform the congregation of what appears to be an emerging reality. Since the reduction of ordained staff from two to one, the freedom to use continuing education time and vacation time has been compressed to after Easter and before VBS and after VBS until school starts. This summer will almost see something like the old August model of the days of yore, only earlier. The minister has not been out of the sanctuary since the first Sunday in December, and will until be until the end of May. When there were two ordained staff persons, there was greater flexibility. The minister will be using the full two weeks and two Sundays of Continuing Education at Yale Divinity School this summer. Following that time, he will be joined by his wife and they will celebrate their 30 th wedding anniversary. He will return and begin a special summer sermon series. The first of those sermons is June 28 th. FROM THE PRESBYTERY NEWSLETTER THE SPARKS Program Madness? Are people simply too busy to attend your marvelous programs? Perhaps we need to get smarter about the programs we offer, reducing the scope of our offerings and more clearly targeting the real needs of our constituents. What our people really need is help making life choices that align with their beliefs and values, not more options for how to spend their time. How do we reign in the program madness? We begin by more intentionally naming the conditions we seek to address with each program, clarifying desired program outcomes and evaluating whether each program is having a desired impact. Programs without mission impact should not appear on our church calendars. Are the programs and ministries of your congregation regularly reviewed and evaluated? Are programs retired when they no longer align with the missional priorities of the congregation? Are programs repurposed or retired when they are no longer impactful, or when they use resources out of proportion to their impact? GRADUATION SUNDAY AT NORTHMINSTER Graduating Seniors will be honored on Mother s Day, Sunday, May 10 th during the 11:00 a.m. service. Hamilton Hirsh will graduate from Stratford Academy and attend Georgia Tech in the Fall to pursue Mechanical Engineering. Jose Maley will graduate from Mt. de Sales Academy. Upon graduation he will spend 5 weeks in service to Flint River Presbytery at Montreat and Kolomoki. He will enter the Honors Program at Georgia Southern University studying Forensic Accounting. Also being honored are Hannah Christian and Brice Fincher. Brice is graduating from Howard High and will attend the University of Georgia. Hannah is still deciding between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. We are so proud of our graduates and wish them all the best in their pursuits.

8 This Easter the children participated in the making of the traditional flower cross. OPPORTUNITY TO HELP WITH VACUUMS FOR NEW HOMES Northminster has a long association with Habitat for Humanity. It was a young adult class here at Northminster that was responsible for the first Habitat house being built in Macon. For the past several years the Times Sunday School Class has been donating a vacuum cleaner for every new Habitat house dedication. Last year, when five houses were dedicated at the same time, the other adult classes joined the Times Class in furnishing a vacuum cleaner for each house. Habitat for Humanity has now decided to have only two dedication ceremonies a year. The Outreach and Evangelism Committee is not sure how many houses will be dedicated at each of these ceremonies, but we would like to give the entire church an opportunity to help furnish vacuum cleaners so that we will be sure to have a vacuum for each house. The vacuums that we furnish typically cost about $50. To this end we have establish a fund to which members of Northminster can contribute throughout the year. If you contribute by check, make the check out to Northminster and designate it for the Vacuum Fund. If you contribute cash through the Good Samaritan Offering, also mark the envelope for the Vacuum Fund. We urge you to contribute. The Outreach and Evangelism Committee Pentecost Sunday May 24th Wear Something Red! YOGA UPDATE FOR LATE SPRING & SUMMER There will be no yoga on April 26, May 3, May 17, May 31, June 21, June 28, July 19, and August 2. Members of Northminster gather outside the Sanctuary for the annual Congregational Photos.

9 (Over)

10 Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ March 17, 2015 A service of worship recognizing a civil marriage and confirming it in the community of faith may be appropriate when requested by the couple. The service will be similar to the marriage service except that the statements made shall reflect the fact that the couple is already married to one another according to the laws of the civil jurisdiction. Nothing herein shall compel a teaching elder to perform nor compel a session to authorize the use of church property for a marriage service that the teaching elder or the session believes is contrary to the teaching elder s or the session s discernment of the Holy Spirit and their understanding of the Word of God. (For a side-by-side comparison of the former content within the Directory for Worship and the new and amended version, go to or simply place the wording provided above beside the current wording in the Book of Order found in W ) As many of you know, our 221st General Assembly approved the proposed amendment in June 2014 to go to the presbyteries for vote. Our presbytery voted against this amendment during our February 2015 meeting; however, this amendment has passed with the requisite affirmative votes from a majority of presbyteries throughout our country. Because of these results, I write both to provide accurate information regarding the implications of this amendment as well as to encourage all of us to remain focused on the mission and ministry we share as Flint River Presbyterians. The apostle Paul once wrote to the church at Colossae: I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God s great mystery. (Colossians 2: 2 in The Message) When we are woven into a tapestry of love, we are able to confidently and graciously serve as witnesses to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We witness well when our message is unified and hope-filled. Therefore, may we bear with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2c-3) Our testimony in SW GA will be powerfully expressed and experienced when we are committed to civil dialogue and focused outreach. Furthermore, we witness well when our information is accurate. Although this amendment passed on a denominational level, there are crucial elements of our life together we uphold: ) victions. A LETTER FROM DEB BIBLER TO FLINT RIVER PRESBYTERY CONTINUED Because legislation regarding civil unions has not passed in Georgia, performing a same-sex marriage is not possible at this particular time. Should legislation change in the future to allow such unions in Georgia, both teaching elders and ruling elders will be guided by Scripture, our confessions, and their consciences and make decisions as they believe best reflects the will of God in their particular community. We are blessed to be part of a presbytery of genuine concern and mutual affection, and we have accomplished so much for the sake of the kingdom! Regardless of our individual sentiment about this amendment, may we continue to equip congregations, campus ministries, and our one coffee shop to tell God s incredible story of redemption and restoration. May we not grow weary in doing what is right and so honor the opinions of all with whom we serve so reconciliation may be accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility torn down. (F ) Grace and Peace be with all of you, Rev. Debra T. Bibler