The Pastor s Page: He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.

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1 Loch Raven Press L o c h R av e n P r e s b y te r i an C h u r c h, P C A The Pastor s Page: He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. (Psalm 1:3 ESV) Keeping Christ Pre-eminent In All Things Inside this issue: Missions 3 Evangelism & Outreach 4 Flea Market Report 5 Deacons 6 Music 7 Christian Ed. 8 Harvest Party 9 Letters 9 Women s Ministries 10 Calendar 11 Schools have begun and so has football season. The baseball playoffs are here and the summer heat and humidity are gone. Autumn is a wonderful season with a crispness in the air and beautiful fall colors from the leaves. It s harvest time too, with apples and pumpkins at the forefront. We re looking forward to our annual Fall Festival and the wonderful time around the bonfire. We can think of seasons of life as well, of coming down the homestretch as it were. We do have a finite time here on this earth, and one of the consequences of the Fall is that our bodies are subject to the ravages of time. Steve Chapman, in his devotional, With God on a Deer Hunt, gives this humorous observation: I am 50 years old now. It feels like my autumn has arrived. There s a peculiar dryness about my joints that is troublesome. Other body parts are showing the effects of the years, especially my hairline. Bones that didn t ache before are speaking to me. As far as my eyes are concerned, forget the longer arms idea pass me my glasses! I feel like my friend who turned 50 a few weeks before me. When I asked him how it felt, he responded, Hey! I feel like a teenager He paused for a moment then added with a tired sigh, that s been in a wreck! (p. 12) He then wisely points us back to the beginning of Psalm 1 to understand that though our body may, as it were, like a leaf in its season, curl up around the edges and become a bit brittle, our soul may be sustained and our spiritual lives fruitful. The contrast to the wicked by the Psalmist couldn t be clearer. And that picture is used by the prophet too: We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away (Isaiah 64:6 ESV). Unless we are united to Jesus Christ by faith (see John 15) we will bear no fruit in our lives. But when we are Continued next page

2 2 abiding in Him we will bear much fruit! No matter what season of life you are currently in, how fruitful are you? The grace that is ours in Christ sustains us to the end of our days. This fall please make diligent use of all the means of grace that God has given us in the life of LRPC. C. H. Spurgeon, in his devotional Flowers from a Puritan s Garden has a delightful section entitled No Old Age in Grace. He expands on a quote from Thomas Manton: We have our infancy at our first conversion, when liable to childish ignorance and many infirmities; we have our youth and growing age, when making progress in the way of grace toward perfection; and lastly, we have our perfect manly age when we are come to our full pitch, when grace is fully perfected in glory. In Scripture there is nothing said of a fading and declining time of old age in grace. Spurgeon then goes on to say, The fact being that, unlike the natural life, the spiritual life does not conclude in declining strength and inevitable decrepitude, but continues its progress even beyond the grave. We go from strength to strength, not from strength to weakness. The old age of grace is maturity, not decay; advancement, not decline; perfection, not imbecility. In the advanced years of nature we lose many of our faculties, but in advanced grace our spiritual senses are more quick and discerning than ever. The aged man feels the grasshopper to be a burden, and the clouds return after the rain; but to the advanced believer the greatest loads are light and the rain is over and gone. Old age goes down to death, but ripe grace ascends to everlasting life. Lord, let me grow ripe but not rotten, maturing but not decaying, for thy glory s sake. Special Events Mark Your Calendars Saturday, October 29 Fall Harvest Party & Chili Cook-off Sunday, October 30 7PM Reformation Sunday PCA Timonium PCA And I say, Amen! Have a blessed October, Pastor David Spurgeon, C.H. Flowers from a Puritan s Garden. Harrisonburg, Virginia: Sprinkle Publications p.40. DEFIBRILLATOR TRAINING Training on how to use the Automatic External Defibrillator will be offered on Sunday, October 30, 2016, following the church service. The training will take place in the church library starting at 12:30, will last approximately 20 minutes and is offered to everyone in the church. Nancy Stagge will conduct the training. For any football fans the Ravens are on a bye that week so there is no need to rush home to catch the game!

3 3 MISSION POSSIBLE October 2016 GIVE LIFE TO YOUR STORY Dear Friends at Loch Raven Presbyterian Church, 20,000,000 This is the estimated number of young people between the ages of 11 and 19 in the United States that do not know Jesus! That is a lot of youth and it is what motivates us at YFC each and every day. We strive to engage more and more of these young people in authentic Christ sharing relationships. One of those students, Lisa, was in middle school when we first met her. She was invited to Campus Life by a friend. Campus Life provided a safe place for her to build friendships and to begin thinking about the reality that she could have a relationship with Jesus. In 8th grade she attended YFC Camp and was a part of a small group that allowed her to wrestle with the idea of faith. In high school, Lisa started attending a local church that YFC partners with. She went on a mission trip with the high school group and began to sense God s presence in her life. She approached the youth pastor and he talked to her about what it meant to follow Christ. As high school progressed, Lisa really began to grow in her faith and live it out. Last month, Lisa left to start college at a Christian school! This story is important because it shows that if we are going to reach 20 million lost students, it will require that we have strong partnerships with local churches that care strongly about seeing young people become life long followers of Jesus. We have worked with this church for over 6 years and it has been exciting to see stories like Lisa s come out of this partnership. Pray with us as the new school year starts and we endeavor to reach more and more lost students like Lisa becoming life long followers of Jesus. Thank you, Chip Pierce Have you seen your Missions Committee lately? (Hint: Narthex bulletin board) Would you like YOUR picture up there? We are considering a change in our meeting time to accommodate YOU!!!!

4 4 This Evangelism & Outreach article is dedicated to the bold souls who participated in the Parkville Towne Centre Fair on a very hot September 10 th to confront the attenders with LRPC literature, tracts, personal testimonies and LRPC ministries. Praise the Lord for: Sue Milligan and the Heavenly Hands ministry; David Milligan, Patti Palmisano, Jeff Oskamp, Karl Mangels, Carol and Chuck Holzman; Sebastian Kim (Hope Chapel); ESOL outreach literature; TOPS Ministry: Carol Bronakoski s posters, Dietz Robinson, Betty Gierhart, Suzanne Bunn; & Sandy Magsamen s canopy. What s Your Excuse? Clearly God could reach people without us, but instead He has chosen to work through us. In fact, He seems to go out of His way to find the most unlikely candidates to accomplish His divine purposes. Think of Moses, who, when called by God to speak for Him, essentially said, I can t. I have a speech impediment! (see Exodus 4:10). When called by God to speak, Jeremiah felt he was too young (see Jeremiah 1:6). Think of those who God used who had challenges and failures in life: Noah got drunk, Abraham was old, Jacob was a liar, and David had an affair. Peter denied Christ, the disciples fell asleep while praying, Timothy had an ulcer, and Lazarus was dead! Again I ask, what s your excuse? You might say, I m not qualified. I m not gifted or talented. Do you want to know a little secret? You are just the person God is looking for. He likes to use people that are not necessarily self - confident. Why? Because when God does something amazing through them, He is the one who gets the glory, as He should. Paul wrote, We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves (2 Cor. 4:7 NLT). No, you may not feel qualified, but God is not looking for ability as much as He is looking for availability. God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. There have been so many times that I have felt drained and exhausted both physically and mentally. I have even felt like my spiritual gas tank was close to empty. But then, when I started to share the gospel with someone, or stopped thinking about myself and focused on another s needs and shared some truth from God s Word, I was replenished in every way. I started on empty and ended on full. Proverbs 11:15 tells us that Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed (NLT). God has not blessed you with all the messages you have heard in church or have read in books over the years so that you can hoard it all to yourself. Like the TV programs that show the lifestyle of what they call hoarders, sometimes as Christians we can be the same way --- hoarding all that God has given to us, and not sharing it with others. So let s get this idea out of our heads that sharing our faith is something we cannot do and something that is miserable to engage in. Nothing could be further from the truth. Greg Laurie, Tell Someone You can Share The Good News, B & H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, pp Edited by Chuck Holzman, Evangelism and Outreach Committee, LRPC.

5 5 FLEA MARKET REPORT I want to first thank everyone who helped with the Flea Market on September 10th. Everyone I have talked with feels that we had a successful day----in spite of the severe heat and humidity (but then, that's Baltimore!). My grandkids and the Sweeneys helped with stacking all the chairs and setting up tables on Labor Day. Then throughout the week, folks helped put all the items on the tables - with a great emphasis on Friday night. We had the success we did because you all selflessly gave of your time to help. We cannot forget Kyle Breneman and Brian Sheets who both stood in the sun and held signs to draw more cars in! Thank you all! Danielle Brenneman, David Milligan and Bev Sheldon did a great job putting the sanctuary back as it should be for worship. Isn't it great to know that we should not need to disassemble the sanctuary again! Now for 2 stories about that day: First, we helped a lady try to find her lost change purse. After looking throughout the flea market and the parking lot, she and her husband headed home hoping that she had dropped it in their yard. We took her name and number in case WE found it, and she took mine in case she did find it at home. Well, 20 minutes later, she called to say she had found it on her lawn! Then later, she called me to come out to our parking lot: Because we had all been so kind and caring, she gave me a donation - without even buying anything! Second, a family visited us two Sundays later who had come to the sale on the 10th. The mom said that they were not even planning to come to the sale, but they made a wrong turn, so decided to check us out! I told her that it wasn't a 'wrong' turn, but a 'meant' turn. If you haven't heard yet, the sale brought in $1,800+ for the day. Purple Heart got the left over items, and they were very grateful. Editor s note: Once again: Jo Beck THANK YOU! And a big thank you from all of us to you, Jo, for being the driving force behind this very successful venture! OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD Happy Fall!! Hopefully by now you have purchased and organized your Operation Christmas Child items for your shoe boxes, but if you have not, you still have plenty of time - so keep shopping!! We will soon have the brochures on display and some shoe boxes available for you to fill, but you can always use your own boxes. We will collect your filled shoe boxes (remember to include $7.00 per box to help with the shipping costs) from Sunday, November 6, 2016 through Sunday, November 20, For more detailed information, you can visit

6 6 DEACONS - ACTC 2016 THANKSGIVING BASKET COLLECTION This Thanksgiving season, LRPC will participate in a Food Basket Project with the Assistance Center of Towson Churches (ACTC). Last year, 2200 county and city families were blessed by this project. There are 4 options for donations this year: 1. Make your own basket. You may use reusable grocery bags or double paper grocery bags inserted in double plastic bags. Please include only the following items in your basket (mark complete or incomplete-what s missing): 1 can sweet potatoes/yams (23-29 oz can) 2 cans meat/main dish (ex.: beef stew or chili) (15-24 oz cans) 1 large can fruit (20-30 oz can) 4 cans vegetables (ex.: green beans, corn, peas) (15 oz cans) 1 can cranberry sauce 2 pkg. macaroni and cheese 1 box instant mashed potatoes 1 cake or brownie mix 1 bag or box of stuffing mix 1 lb. bag or box of rice 2. Pick up a prepared basket price not yet determined. These 3 grocery stores will have baskets for you to pick up for the ACTC project. Giant 6340 York Rd (across from the Fairgrounds) Giant 2145 York Rd (across from Drumcastle) ShopRite 37 Aylesbury Rd Give a check to Sharon Mariani payable to Giant and she will pick up a basket for you. You can personally go to any of the above listed and pick them up yourselves. Call ahead. 4. Give a check of any amount to Sharon Mariani payable to ACTC, as your donation. **ALL DONATIONS ARE DUE BY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13** May the Lord richly bless you as you bless those in need this holiday season.

7 7 The Music Corner Dear LRPC, As we move forward with our music ministry at LRPC, I want to explore (as a congregation) what God tells us about music for/during worship. We will also examine why certain musical selections are used during the Sunday service. Some questions will include: Are we required to sing during worship? Does God command (or allow) the use of instruments? What s the deal with these contemporary arrangements anyway? Are our musical selections man-made traditions or founded upon scripture s development of the church? To begin our journey, let s look at our Book of Order. Praising God through the medium of music is a duty and a privilege. Therefore, the singing of hymns and psalms and the use of musical instruments should have an important part of public worship (51-1). During the next months, we will look at two topics per month. First, we will examine a specific musical element within the service (ex: introit, Doxology, etc.) and second, we will investigate God s commands surrounding singing, instruments, and attitude during the worship service. In the meantime, I wish to express my thanks to each of you for this opportunity to serve you and the musical needs of LRPC. This position has transformed my life. Before I took this job, I rarely opened my Bible and I was consumed with anger due to my inability to play my trumpet anymore. By studying the lyrics and musical selections for our services, God has brought me to his Scriptures. He has taught me who He is through each piece of music we have sung/performed. Although I had given up on ever playing music again, God opened a new door with my drumming. I always played my trumpet for myself and coveted the applause, but I play my drums for God. I would like to send out a special shout out to my fellow musicians in Remedy for taking me under their wing, mentoring me as a young Christian, and being great friends. I also want to thank Leland for helping me grow as a leader. Thanks to the tech team for being patient with me as we expand and change the use of our equipment. Thank you to the ladies in the office for keeping me straight. And lastly, thanks to Pastor David and Sue for helping me transition into adulthood (well almost, I did just purchase a 48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure!). I am also extremely grateful for everyone s patience the last nine months as I have finished up my coursework and residency requirements at BU. I look forward to learning about the role of music in our worship service as a unified Body of Christ. I am humbled that I have the continued opportunity to serve you and look forward to do so without so many homework assignments hanging over my head. Please contact me at: trumpetgetch@yahoo.com if you have any questions or concerns. In His service, Melissa

8 8 Octob er Lo c h R av e n P r e s s NEW Sunday School class for 4-7 year olds Brea is excited about a new curriculum God has shown her called "Teach Me to Worship." She came across it when she was looking at the website for the PCA women's conference and realized the PCA CDM (Committee on Discipleship Ministries) has a children's ministry area. "The Committee on Discipleship Ministries is charged by the Presbyterian Church in America with the task of equipping and disciplining the churches of the denomination." This new curriculum's purpose is "to equip another generation to bow down in worship of our King!" Feel free to check it out at teachmetoworship.com The class will be taught during Sunday School at 9:30, which is ideal since it teaches and explains all about worship and the meaning of what we do in our church service. Since the curriculum is specifically designed for 4 to 7 year olds, we will combine the current preschool and kindergarten class with the 1st and 2nd graders for a total of 6 kids. A huge thank you to Fran & onofrio for volunteering to lead the entire fall quarter! Please pray for them and the children as they started this new class on September 4th. Also, if it sounds as exciting to you as it does to me, please contact me to sign up to teach the next quarter! :) We need a team of dedicated teachers for December, January & February for this class as well as the infants & toddlers. They are all a fun group! Please contact Brea Duty if you can help. LRPC Fall Quarter 2016 Childcare Volunteer Schedule (October, November) Please contact Brea Duty to help fill in the gaps or make changes! or breajenny@gmail.com 9:30: Preschool through 2nd Grade (4-7 year olds) Infants & Toddlers 11:00: Preschool & Kindergarten (4 & 5 year olds)** (Birth through 3 years old) **Children participate in the worship service and are dismissed at the same time as Children s Church 9:30 9:30 11:00 11:00 9:30 9:30 11:00** 11:00** 10/2 Brea D Katie M 10/9 Ariel P Laura M 10/2 Sharon M Hilda L 10/16 Megan O Carol B 10/9 Elaine E Barbara E Pat K Nancy S 10/23 Marie G Matthew G 10/16 10/30 Carol S Joanne S 10/23 Magda W Kyle B 11/6 Brea D Katie M 10/30 Sharon M Hilda L 11/13 Ariel P Laura M 11/6 Elaine E Barbara E Carol B 11/13 Pat K Nancy S 11/20 Magda W Kyle B 11/27 Sharon M Hilda L 11/20 Megan O 11/27 Marie G

9 9 ANNOUNCING THE 3RD ANNUAL FALL HARVEST PARTY AND CHILI COOKOFF SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29TH Come and enjoy an evening of fun, games, singing, world famous chili and hot dogs & s'mores over a crackling bonfire on Saturday, October 29th, from 7:00 pm to whenever the last person leaves! Church members and families of all ages are welcome to come, and we hope you ll invite your neighbors and friends. Additional information will be coming over the next few weeks but here are some details that would help make the evening go much smoother: 1. Starting next Sunday, October 9th, we ll be collecting bags of candy for the children s Trick or Treat Bags. If you would like to make a donation of candy, please drop the bags in the decorated box in the narthex. 2. Also, there will be a Post-It Note Poster that will have items needed for the evening. These items might include a package of hot dogs, hot dog rolls or a gallon of apple cider, for example. Each Post-it Note will have one item.. if you could take one Post-It or more and bring those items for that evening, that would be a big help! 3. There will be a brief meeting of volunteers for the event on Monday, October 10th at 7:00 pm. We will need help to prepare for the event on Thursday, October 27th, set up on Saturday afternoon, and clean-up that evening. It is not difficult or time consuming, but any assistance would be appreciated!! If you have any questions or would be interested in helping, please contact Brian Sweeney at bsweeney0897@gmail.com or call Letters Dear Friends, Paul and I would like to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, and kind words after my brother passed away recently. We so appreciate being in such a caring congregation. Thelma Lee Dear LRPC, Thank you for the love and support you have shown us following Edie s passing. Words cannot begin to tell you our appreciation. Thank you also for the lovely luncheon in Edie s honor. With gratitude, Nancy, Cindy, Lindy, and Bonnie

10 10 October Circle Meetings Women in the Church All women of the church are encouraged to try out a Women s Bible Study group this month! Please choose a group that suits your schedule. You will be welcomed wherever you go. You will find warm fellowship and an uplifting Bible study. For more information about any group, please contact the group s Circle leader or the church office. Group Date & Time Circle Leaders Hostess/Location Book Elizabeth 10:00 a.m. October 28 Debbie Soukup TBA Joy Beyond Agony: Embracing the Cross of Christ Esther 1:00 PM October 17 Joanne Stevenson Church Library I & II Timothy and Titus Hannah 7:15 PM October 27 Magda Warsal & Eileen Royce Magda Warsal Joy Beyond Agony: Embracing the Cross of Christ Lydia 5:30 PM October 21 Kathy Fagan Kathy Fagan Jesus Outside the Lines Rebekah 10:30 AM October 13 Sharon Mariani Miriam Logan Faith Depending on God Young Women 7:00 PM October 4 & 24 Sue Milligan TBA Son of David: Seeing Jesus in the Historical Books

11 11 October 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 6PM (Oskamp) 9 4:15 PM Puppet Practice 3 7PM (Sweeney) 10 7PM Deacon & Trustee Mtgs. (Warsal) 4 1 PM 1:30 PM Missions Mtg. 6:15 PM TOPS 11 1 PM 2 PM 6:15 PM TOPS 5 with 8:15 PM Young Men s Bible Study 12 with 6 Praise Team 13 Praise Team AM Blanket Ministry PM (Oskamp) 23 4:15 PM Puppet Practice Pastor Milligan away on Study Leave PM (Sweeney) 24 7PM (Warsal) PM 6:15 PM TOPS 25 1 PM 2 PM 6:15 PM TOPS ESOL Registration 19 with 8:15 PM Young Men s Bible Study 26 with 20 Praise Team 27 Praise Team HARVEST PARTY & CHILI COOK- OFF COMMUNION 7:00 PM Reformation Timonium PCA

12 12 L o c h LOCH R araven v e n PPCA r e s s O c t o b e r Rev. W. David Milligan Pastor Melissa Goetchius Music Director Mr. Austin Kenly Church Treasurer Mrs. Lee Goon Asst. Treasurer lochravenpca@comcast.net Website: Office Phone: Fax: Church Office Hours Tuesday 9 to noon Wednesday, and Thursday 9 to 3 The Office is closed on Monday and Friday. Ms. Kathy Fagan, Mrs. Brea Duty Administrative Assistants SUNDAY WORSHIP 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship Service PRAYER MEETINGS Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Loch Raven Presbyterian Church exists to glorify God and make known His eternal and unchanging purpose, fulfilled through a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Loch Raven Presbyterian Church 9318 Old Harford Road Baltimore, MD 21234