What s Happening in December?

Transcription

1 MPC NEWS MAGAZINE December 2018 What s Happening in December? MPC 2018 Christmas Project We have an annual Christmas tradition at Maryland Presbyterian Church of supporting a special mission project. On 2017 we collected funds to help the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. This year we are turning to an often overlooked program in our sister parish in El Salvador. El Centro del Ancianos, or Center for the Elderly, is an essential component of the church of Maria Madre de los Pobres. Each weekday, elderly people, who are able walk to this center, enjoy time together, have a healthful meal, and create something beautiful to sell. The center attracts mostly women, and they engage in lovely embroidery and weaving as they sit together and chat. The women embroider miles and miles of bright flowers on pillow cases, tablecloths, aprons, blouses, napkins.there is always a pile of items to sell bearing their delicate handiwork. Others weave very pretty little coin purses. And all these lovely things come from the hands of people who have always worked very hard, and whose beautiful hands are often gnarled and arthritic. The Center for the Elderly is a lifeline to people who might otherwise spend time alone in a dark, cramped home. It is a place where they can depend on a wholesome midday meal, shared with friends. And the center also sends meals out to elderly community members who cannot make the trek to the parish building. The center attracts mostly women, and they engage in lovely embroidery and weaving as they sit together and chat. There are men who come to the center at times, but there is one who is a constant participant. His name is Rafa. He is physically disabled, has trouble with balance and with walking, and he makes the most marvelous pinatas, which are sold for celebrations in the community. Rafa comes early each day to help with setup and cleaning. His smile and loving ways are sunshine to everyone. A unique aspect of the center is that it regularly attracts several young people from difficult home situations. They come to sit at the tables during lunch time, to have what is Hanging of the Greens Sunday December 2nd at 11:00 AM Bring an ornament to decorate our Christmas tree, We will sing favorite Christmas carols, and transform our sanctuary. probably their main meal of the day, and to talk with their elders. Young and old share stories, perhaps wisdom, and enjoy one another s friendship. A vibrant woman names Milagro (miracle!) is head of the center. She is often known simply as the maestra, or the teacher. She is aided by a kind assistant named Maria Elena. Throughout December, the images of the wonderful people for whom the Center for the Elderly is a true lifeline will be with us in the narthex and in worship. The mission team asks that you prayerfully consider contributing to this life-giving ministry of kindness. Envelopes are in the pews. Mary Murray Christmas Eve Worship 7:30 PM Join us for a special service with a string trio and other musical guests, singing by candlelight. Experiences for children and adults of all ages. Christmas Party Bring a lunch dish to share on December 16 after worship. Enjoy some games and have your picture taken in from of the Christmas tree. All are invited. Bring a friend

2 Page 2 Cindy Tindall and Trish Dombrowski and family have become welcome additions to MPC and fixtures in the Prayground. Cindy is a math teacher at McDonogh School and Trish a PE teacher at Roland Park Country School. Sitting in the back, their daughter, Joss is three and loves to tease and be teased by Rocky. Son, Jagger is one year old and is fixed on Rick s moustache. Cindy was brought up Lutheran in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Her first job was at a general store where she did everything from making cheese steaks to selling lottery tickets and tagging deer! Her dad was a SE for IBM and she has been familiar with PC s since they came out in the 80 s. Trish was raised Catholic in Baltimore. She grew up in a funeral home which was the family business. Trish was also an O s ballgirl in 2008! Both love sports and spending time with the family. They are both beach bums. Cindy loves to cook and bake as well. We welcome you to MPC s church family! Andrea Madsen is originally from Oregon but grew up in Washington DC. She s lived in Baltimore for 30 years. The Pacific Ocean is still in her DNA and California s Monterey Peninsula is her happy place. She visits her dad, who lives there, regularly. Andrea is the granddaughter of a progressive Episcopal minister who was raised with strong Christian values but little formal church. She d been looking for a spiritual home that felt right to her and knew she d finally found it at MPC. Andrea and husband Mike adopted both of their kids from Korea. Youngest daughter, Emily, is 19 and a sophomore at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Their eldest, Claire, died in 2016 at age 19. Andrea is a former pediatric care nurse who is in the midst of figuring out what comes next in her life. She loves quilting, puzzles and reading, and has a love of senior rescue animals. She and Mike dote on their senior rescue dog, Miller. Andrea seems to have an eye for hawks as she notices them wherever she goes. It is so great to welcome you to MPC s family, Andrea! James Evans and Sean Dirige are also two of our newest members. James is the director of a vocational training center for youth and adults with disabilities in Baltimore. He grew up in Perry Hall, MD James was raised Baptist and graduated from Bible college in Chicago He is fluent in ASL and did short term mission trips to build a Deaf school in Jamaica over a 20 year period. James got a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from George Washington University. He is the father of three adult children, two daughters and a son. James enjoys sports and classic cars. Sean is graduating in May from Towson University with his degree in accounting. He grew up Catholic. Sean is the second of four children. He James Sean is originally from the Philippines and speaks Tagalog and 2 other languages as well as English. He migrated here with his family when he was 15 and graduated from Parkville High school. The two currently live in Parkville. They love to be active, specifically traveling, hiking and dancing. A hearty welcome to MPC to both of you!

3 Published for the members and friends of Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson, Maryland (410) Editors: Jo Sack, Rick Dezes Production and distribution Dale Salah, Alma Smith, Other Contributors to this Issue: David Norse, Mary Murray, Carol Mason, Justin Gallardo Page 3 Blue Christmas Luncheon: Who Is God when We Hurt? Saturday, December 15th, 11:00AM - 1:00 PM As we approach the shortest, and darkest days of the year, and holidays where the absence of loved-ones can feel the most heavy, we will gather with Pastor, Author, (and mentor of Pastor David) Rev. Beth Scibienski, Who will lead us in singing, worship, and storytelling, along with readings from her newly published book Who Is God when We Hurt?. Catered box lunches and beverages will be provided, and a free-will offering will be taken to cover the cost of this. Editorial Comment Lectio & Visio Divina 7:30-8:30 What if Jesus is born in the 21st Century? These contemplative spiritual practices will be lead by Lori Conway on Wednesday nights between Thanksgiving and Christmas (Dec 5, 12, 19). On the 19th, there will be also be an intergenerational evpent for children to create a piece of artwork that will be a part of our decorations for all of Christmastide. 1. Joseph takes Mary to the hospital in a car. No donkey necessary. 2. Mary learns it s a boy from the ultra sound. No need for Angel Gabriel. 3. Safe delivery is in a maternity ward, where they were not turned away. Not sent to a stable. And 2,000 years ago, many women died in childbirth 4. Baby Jesus diapered and gowned and placed in a basket or crib. No swaddling clothes in a manger. 5. Joseph gets the news out by Facebook and Twitter. No angels awakening the shepherds in the field. Pick up a New Member Directoray Insert! Come into the social hall during coffee hour, not only for a tasty treat, but also to see our Community News Bulletin Board, and our information table There you can pick up our New Member Directory Insert. We will be publishing our updated directory in January, but in the meantime, we want you to have the contact information for our newest MPC family members. Laugh of the Month 6. Friends come to visit, admiring the newborn, With no crooks or lambs. Cutesies 7. Of course Wise Men and Women are among the visitors. Bringing useful gifts none of that smelly stuff. Well, maybe some Johnson s baby powder. But alas, all the Joy, Peace and Love seem to be missing! Okay, but isn t it neither in the birth or death of Jesus that we learn how to be good Christians. It s all there Joy, Peace and Love in his life. Away in a nursery, a crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus lays down his sweet head. Jo Sack A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old Gentleman's' yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just Helped him cry.' I was adopted, said a little first grader. What does it mean to be adopted? asked another child. It means, said the girl, that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy. We're behind 14 to nothing, a boy on the bench told a visitor with a smile. I have to say you don't look very discouraged, said the visitor. Oh, no, why should I be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.

4 Page 4 The Mi kmaq of Nova Scotia The native Americans of Nova Scotia have lived there for an estimated 10,000 years. They made some of the earliest petroglyphs ever found. There are over 500 of these stone carvings at Kejimkujik National Park. When the white man appeared in their ships during the 1500s, these Indians were not afraid, for their oral stories taught that blue-eyed people would arrive from the east to disrupt their lives. The Micmac people also knew the story of a woman who had a vision of an island floating toward their lands; the island was decked out with tall trees on which were living beings. Being forewarned allowed the Mi kmaq to approach the strange white people with trade offers and the relationship proceeded favorably until the French and Indian Wars of the 1750s. The Indians made lasting peace with the British in Unfortunately, that did not save them from being moved to reservation areas, forced to use mission schools, and falling prey to the white man s diseases, poor management and greed. At least their reservations were on land similar to where they originally lived. Mi kmaq spirituality is influenced by and closely connected to the natural world. The Mi kmaq believe that living a good, balanced life means respecting and protecting the environment and living in harmony with the people and creatures that live on the earth. Analysis of the Mi kmaq language enhances the fundamental importance of this worldview. And we called them the barbarians? At the Milbrook Cultural and Heritage Center, I learned more about the Mi kmaq people, including some of their spiritual beliefs. They have four spirits to guide them; the Great Spirit of the Light, Great Spirit of Creation, Great Lifegiving Spirit, and the Great Spirit of Love. Each spirit corresponds to a directioneast, South, West, and North respectively. This is called the Four Directions Prayer. We give thanks to The Great Spirit and to the Grandfather Sky and to all our relations who have passed on to the Spirit World. We give thanks to the Grandmother Earth, who provided all of our nourishments to survive in this world. When the white people introduced them to Christianity, they were receptive and developed a mingled version of the old and new beliefs. Here is their version of the Lord s Prayer in Mi kmaq hieroglyphics. Carol Mason Presbytery Meeting On November 11 the Baltimore Presbytery met at Central Presbyterian in Towson. Items of business included; passing the 2019 budget, approving strategies to honor the indigenous peoples of the Mid-Atlantic area, amending the policy of placing pastors on administrative leave and passing an interim child protection policy. During the workshop time I attended a panel discussion on the Opioid Crisis. Information was included on using opioids safely and how to properly dispose of them. Churches can have a role in educating the public about the safe use of these drugs. We can also work to negate the stigma associated with drug addiction. The next Presbytery meeting will be on Thursday, Feb. 14th. Anyone may attend. Carol Mason

5 Mission Update Page 5 The 42 Thanksgiving bags were joyfully delivered to ACTC. But no other funds have been issued this month 42 Thanksgiving bags delivered to ACTC by Joe Wright, Joy Brown, Lauren Rohrs and Carol Mason on November 14th. Topped our goal of 40!! Habitat for Humanity Volunteers Sean Dirge and James Evans Purity Njagi They are working on a house on McCabe Avenue on November 10th. Mary Jo Zimbro With permission David Evans Helpushealamerica.com Notes on our Environment My name is Justin Gallardo. For the last two months I have been serving as the Chesapeake Conservation Corps Intern for Uptown Metro Ministry Group. Hopefully you have seen me at your congregation. If not, I will be traveling to more churches as the months go by. I am enjoying visiting your congregations and have been welcomed with a lot of kindness and engaging conversations. As I am visiting these congregations, I have been hearing a lot of concern about storm-water runoff and its effects on our ecosystem, including degrading water quality, causing erosion, and requiring property maintenance. At Maryland Presbyterian Church, I am working closely with the Environmental Stewardship Action Group (ESAG) and the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC) on ways to reduce storm-water runoff and protect our forest. The GVC recommends that our church installs rain barrels on each waterspout to capture water from roof and install two rain gardens in between the building and the parking lot to reduce water from reaching the parking lot. GVC provides a larger grant for 2020 and that will determine what additional work needs to be done parking lot to reduce stormwater runoff. Other churches have expressed similar interest. Through Blue Water Baltimore, they recommended Roland Park can make their own rain garden without their grant because there is no permitting involved. At Ashland, there is a suggestion to install rain barrels at their waterspouts and create a vegetable garden for the youth at the school. If you want to learn more about reducing storm-water runoff at your home, the GVC provides a lot of resources on how to install rain barrels and rain barrels at your house. Please reach out to me if you are interested in learning more or helping to organize an event at your church. God Bless! Justin Gallardo

6 Page 6 Those Were the Days Music has always played an important role in the life of MPC. We've been blessed with many wonderful voices to be sure. But we've also been blessed with many musicians who have used their talents to enhance events and services. Brent Matthews played his trumpet regularly at worship but also at Oktoberfest gatherings. Christmas Eve service was so special in part because of the guitar music of David Gorrie. Anne Culbertson lends her talents on the recorder and guitar as harmony to the choir. Our own choir director, Greg Metzler, whose talent knows no bounds, plays several instruments at various times. Should we count Pastor David on the bongo? Of course! The Choir Sunday in June 2004 entitled Jazz featured sterling music director Charles Hayes directing the choir with Brad Sack on Bass, Brent on trumpet and David Morgan on drums. Currently you can hear him play an electric fiddle during worship with Brittany Bowen on bass and Kevin Barrett on guitar as The Deep Rooted Folk. Also during worship you can hear Katrina Neyman play her French Horn. And remember when J Wright played his saxophone and Danell Gill her flute, showing off their talents? All put together that's quite an orchestra! Rick Dezes

7 Page 7 November Session Digest The Session met on Monday, November 12th at 6:30 PM. We have moved to meeting on Mondays, so that I can take Tuesday s as my day off and work on Fridays. I am thankful for the flexibility of our Elders for granting this request. We began our meeting with a round of question, sharing about a time we realized we needed to ask for help, and how we felt before and after we had asked for it. We spent a fair amount of time, checking in about the wide range of folks we are praying for, and visiting with in our community. We also discussed the best ways to make sure that everyone at MPC is aware of what is going on. We discussed our new community news announcement board, plans for a place to display information about our environmental engagement in the social hall, and creating a place for the to be available in hard copy for first-time visitors on our Welcome Board when folks first walk in. I also shared that, for this Christmas, we will have a number of invitations, and for the first time, Posters, that everyone is invited to take and share, display, and hang up for all of the exciting events happening in December. Technical business: We are in the process of creating our budget for 2019, and we will be purchasing a share in the 224 General Assembly of the PC(USA), which will be taking place in Baltimore in Per Capita for 2019 will be $35.73 per member of MPC. To ensure we pay the correct amount, we have updated our membership rolls, and are excited to report that we have 75 active members who we see on a regular basis! We also reviewed our Annual Clerks Report to the national Presbytery Office, and this process helped us to see a number of areas of growth and revitalization in the life of MPC, from the number of children in worship, to the presence of people of a variety of racial and ethnic identities being invited to preach from our pulpit. Mission Committee: The next meeting will be Monday, Dec. 3rd at my home. Personnel Committee: They continue to work on a child protection policy and will be conducting annual reviews of employees throughout the year. A tablet computer will be purchased for me, so that the incredibly powerful laptop that I inherited when I started at MPC can be used by Lauren. Her current desktop crashes often and runs very slowly. It is, however, running a large amount of security software and will be re-configured, placed in the kitchen area of the office and be used primarily for financial recordkeeping and a printing station for committees. The committee also requested that the session consider Lauren s proposal of adding additional hours (2-4 per week) to her schedule to work on the communication needs of the church. My Terms of Call were approved by the session (and by the congregation on Nov. 18th). My Total Effective Salary will remain the same. Approximately $1,500 of the additional insurance policies I pay for throughout the year will now be covered by MPC (thank you!). Stewardship: Traditionally at MPC, the financial giving records have not been available to the pastor. This was a decision made be a minister many years ago, which was continued by Rev. Gaut. Interestingly however, almost all Presbyterian ministers do have access to donation records, strictly for stewardship and pastoral care purposes. When someone s giving changes dramatically, it can signal a life-changing event, Having open and honest conversations about money can help us to grow spiritually, and also increase our sense of community. The Elders and I will continue to discuss this. We also discussed how we would like to utilize Community Organizing principles for our stewardship efforts going forward. Relational meetings, having personal conversations about what is important to people related to supporting the church, is a powerful way to make sure our values are represented by how we utilize the funds of our faith community. To that end, we will be creating a Stewardship Team, that will be chaired by Sam Erdman, who is willing to train people and be a public spokesperson for this effort. We will invite folks in 2019 to get involved in his effort. Hospitality: Donna Mistr is donating an artificial Xmas tree to the church, and you are invited to donate an ornament to represent you or your family, so that the Narthex can be full of Christmas cheer. Our Christmas Party will be Dec. 9, immediately after worship. A photo booth will be available by the tree in the sanctuary and there will be games and crafts for folks of all ages. A sign-up for the potluck is available online, and in the Narthex. We will also have a Blue Christmas Luncheon, on Dec. 15, from 11 AM-1 PM. We will have catered box lunches, and a free-will offering will be taken to defray the costs. The worship service, music, and discussion will be presented by Rev. Beth Scibienski, and co-sponsored by MPC, Towson Presbyterian and Ashland Presbyterian Churches. This event will be of particular interest to those who are facing grief this holiday season, and those who have been, or currently are, caretakers, or facing chronic illness. We ended our meeting early, celebrating, and giving thanks to God that we will be baptizing Joss and Jagger on Nov. 25th. Carol Mason closed us in prayer, and we enjoyed a hearty amount of laughter and joy at what God is doing among us all. David Norse

8 MPC News Magazine Maryland Presbyterian Church 1105 Providence Road Towson, Maryland stamp Mailing Label Mission: To be a welcoming, progressive faith community, nurturing inquisitive Christians for life and service in the twenty-first century. Thursday Choir rehearsal 7:30 PM Sunday Worship 11:00 AM Communion Sunday, to be announced December 2018 Church Staff Rev. David Norse, Minister Greg Metzler, Director of Music Anne E. Culbertson, Choir Section Leader Lauren Rohrs, Administrative Director Kathy Ramirez, Custodian Sun 2 Worship 11:00 AM Hanging of the Greens See p. 1 Mon 3 Mission Group 6:30 PM Wed 5 Spiritual Practices 7:30 PM See p. 3 Sun 9 Worship 11:00 AM Mon 10 Session 6:30 PM Wed 12 Spiritual Practices 7:30 PM Sat 15 Blue Christmas 11:00 See p. 2 Sun 16 Worship 11:00 AM; Christmas Party, after worship Wed 19 Spiritual Practices 7:30 PM Sun 23 Worship 11:00 AM Mon 24 Christmas Eve Worship 7:30 PM Tue 25 Christmas Day Sun 30 Theology and Coffee 9:30 AM Worship 11:00 AM Visit our Website at