The Radiant September,

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Rhonda Ricci Editor The Radiant September, Geneva Presbyterian Church 11931 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, MD 20854 301-424- 4346 Office www.genevapotomac.org Rev.

1 Rhonda Ricci Editor The Radiant September, Geneva Presbyterian Church Seven Locks Road, Potomac, MD Office Rev. Mary Pullen, Interim Pastor 2017 ISSUE 13 From the Pastor Dear Friends at Geneva, There s an old gospel song titled Dust on the Bible. The refrain goes like this: Dust on the Bible, dust on the Holy Word The words of all the prophets and the sayings of our Lord Of all the other books you'll find, there's none salvation holds Get the dust off the Bible and redeem your poor soul. 1 The song tells the story of how a man went to the home of a friend one day to visit. While there, he saw stacks of books and magazines that had been read. The Bible, however was unopened and covered with dust. Sadly, I suspect that in many 21st century Christian homes the Bible gathers dust and is very seldom opened. It seems we are too busy with other demands upon our time. Family, job, church activities and daily life, itself, make it very easy to put aside time with the scripture. In our Presbyterian Book of Order, the Directory for Worship, says: Scripture is the record of God s self- revelation through which the Holy Spirit speaks to bear witness to Jesus Christ and to give authoritative direction for the life of faith. Personal worship centers upon Scripture as one reads and listens for God s spirit to speak. (W ), under W p. 134, BOO As we begin our new church year in September, let us remember to take time to open our bibles, to pray and reflect on the message God has for each of us in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Peace, Pastor Mary 1 1

Music Notes By Ben Shaver, Music Director Hello Geneva! It s that time of year again!

I m thrilled to be back and getting geared up for a beautiful season of music in worship. I wanted to thank everyone who came to help organize the music room.

I m very impressed with how much work we accomplished together and extremely grateful for the love, dedication, and support from the Geneva community.

If you ve never played handbells before and would like to try your hand, I will have a small table with some handbells on it, so that you may try it out!

2 Music Notes By Ben Shaver, Music Director Hello Geneva! It s that time of year again! This month the choir will be returning to worship, the VBS group will be singing some of the songs they ve learned, and I ll be back tickling the ivories! I m thrilled to be back and getting geared up for a beautiful season of music in worship. I wanted to thank everyone who came to help organize the music room. There was a lot, and I mean A LOT, of music that was sorted and filed away! I m very impressed with how much work we accomplished together and extremely grateful for the love, dedication, and support from the Geneva community. During the rest of September, I will be cleaning out the bell closet, tidying up the bookshelves, and finding homes for our various instruments and supplies. If you ve never played handbells before and would like to try your hand, I will have a small table with some handbells on it, so that you may try it out! We are always looking for new members to join our awesome bell choir! We meet Wednesday evenings from 8:15 pm - 9:30 pm. You don t need to read music, we mark our music with note names or some color code which bells are which colors. We will review our rhythms as well! So, don t be shy and come ring- a- ding- ding with us! As many of you know, I had surgery on August 1 and I m happy to say that the doctor was pleased with my recovery. There s still a bit of recovery left to do. I ll be going to speech therapy to ensure I don t misuse my speaking voice or singing voice and rebuild my endurance. I m hopeful that by Thanksgiving, if not sooner, I ll be fully recovered! Thank you all for your prayers and the out- pouring of love. With sincere gratitude, Ben Shaver Fellowship By Rhonda Ricci, Chair Please join us on Homecoming Sunday, September 10th for a Welcome Back Pizza Party Potluck. Geneva will provide the pizza and the drinks. Please bring a salad/side/dessert to share with your Geneva friends. The Geneva Fellowship Committee will be meeting in September to plan activities through the end of If you have an idea for an event that we can do as a church, please let Rhonda know. A museum, a movie, a concert, a dinner idea, an idea for a class - all ideas are appreciated. New members are always welcome! Church Kitchen China Needs a New Home Geneva owns china that has been stored in the closet in the kitchen. The china has not been used for several years and is occupying storage space we could use for other things. We would like to donate it to a worthy cause. If you can see any reason why we should keep it, if you would like it, or if you know someone who could use it, please let me know. 2

Christian Education A word from Dr. C.. Beatitudes #6 (September Radiant) Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. This verse begs several questions: What is pure?

- Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Pope Francis? Pope Francis seems to embody purity and heart.

3 Christian Education A word from Dr. C.. Beatitudes #6 (September Radiant) Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. This verse begs several questions: What is pure? - (in the Greek translation) clean, blameless, unstained by guilt What is heart? - physical, but also spiritual heart, center of human soul Who in history can we think of who has a pure heart? - Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Pope Francis? Pope Francis seems to embody purity and heart. In an annual message to youth, Pope Francis writes about the Beatitudes as Jesus helping us to "Have the courage to be happy". The list of pure heart heroes is daunting. Who would you add? We might think we can never be that good or pure! Instead of wishing we were more pure of heart, we can think of those who are with awe and wonder! How do you see God?- through prayer, scripture, seeking community or in reading devotions like this: Activity, Wonder, Prayer (steps below). Activity - Memorize this verse - Mark 12:30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. OR Luke 10:27: He answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. I wonder What will God s face look like? Will it reflect the loved ones who have gone before us? Will it look down on our earthly lives? Prayer Dear God, help us to pray the prayer that never fails Thy Will be Done. Amen Sources - Biblegateway.com Definitions in- heart.html Quote from Pope Francis in au/article/blessed- are- the- pure- in- heart/ Adult Bible Study in September - Sunday, September 10, 9:30 AM CE Office Horizons Chapter 8 Abrahmic Faiths View of Jesus Horizon s will continue 2 nd Sundays Parables with Carl Perthel will begin October 22nd Sunday School - September 3, Sing VBS songs during Young Disciples Time September 10 Second Sunday Service Project Environmental Activity 3

4 Geneva Day School By Suzanne Funk, Director GDS Radiant September 2017 Geneva Day School has been very busy during the summer! It held an amazing and developmentally appropriate summer camp for 100+ young campers and many counselors over the course of 11 weeks. There were exciting themes of transportation, dinosaurs, fairy tales, stars & stripes, pirates, superheroes, under the sea, under the BIG top, and fun & fitness. Each theme included arts and crafts, stories, songs, cooking, science, and a special visitor to enhance the learning and fun. Many youngsters enjoyed themselves so much that they convinced their parents to return for more! Thanks to Camp Director, Daisy Lizama, everything ran very smoothly. She is already considering themes for next summer! In addition to operating a very busy part and full- time camp, the school was very much involved with responding to new family inquiries, conducting school tours, and registering new students. Many classes are now full, but there is still availability for some 2s, 3s, and 4s. Be sure to invite your friends and family to explore the school, your school, for a possible fit. Assistant Director, Amanda White, is happy to work with families to craft the best program for their children. Quite a bit of work was completed over the summer to address various maintenance and enhancement projects. The school added a lovely storm water management garden down the hill from the minister s office that has already positively impacted the playground. The erosion and mulch disturbance is reduced, and will be even better when the plants have grown a bit more in 3-5 years. Counselors were helpful in keeping everything watered during the summer hot spells. The school constructed four tee pees in the Children s Garden to provide small group locations for classes and youngsters who want to work or play in them. They have open slats so that adults can supervise properly them from any direction. The school enhanced and replaced the lighting throughout the school. It installed LED lights of a lower wattage to reduce electricity costs, brighter up classes, and reduce labor to change light bulbs or clean the covers. No more bugs! PEPCO worked with the school and provided a large rebate incentive to complete this project. One nice feature that we hope you will notice is that the lights in the downstairs hallways are always on at a 50% reduced wattage. When sensors detect movement, lights change to 100%. So, the halls are always illuminated. The teaching staff has been working very hard and long to be prepared for the new school year. After painting, floor buffing, and carpet cleaning, they have totally cleaned their rooms, reorganized new educational materials, prepared nametags, visual schedules and signs, and planned for the beginning of the year. They conducted the traditional Parent- Child Visitations and Mini- Classes during the last week in August, and will be ready to return to a full- day schedule on September 5, the day after Labor Day. The school will hold its Welcome Back Social on Friday, September 8, from 5:30 7:00 p.m. Feel free to join the school community of current and past families and staff as we welcome in another school year, the 52! 4

5 The Back- To- School Night is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13 from 6:00 8:30 or so. This is a wonderful night for staff to explain the curricula goals and materials, schedules, routines, and traditions of each class. It is always a great introduction to the school year for new and returning families! Many of our staff members were able to schedule some exciting summer plans with family and excursions to exotic places. While they enjoyed themselves and hopeful got some rest, they all seem excited to be back to start all over again in teaching and learning with a new group of students. Happy September and Fall to all! Please feel free to visit and see all the amazing activities that occur every day at your school! Warm regards, Suzanne Funk Director Resident Visitors to GPC this Summer By Kim Miller Dietrich Office Manager We had a bird nest outside the church office door this summer, between the open top screen and glass window to the upstairs men s restroom. Occasionally when I d open the door to outside, an adult wren bird would startle and fly off. From then I was cognizant each time I opened the door knowing she could be outside. I found myself tapping on the door before I opened it hoping to warn her I was about to open the door. When I came to work on Monday, August 7 th, I was welcomed with a cacophony of loud chirping coming from the nest area. I could see little heads poking out of the entrance of the nest, located at the bottom side, instead of the top. It was pleasant to hear their music over the next few days while working from my desk an enjoyable, familiar sound. Coming into work on Thursday morning while cautiously approaching the front door stoop, I glanced up to the window to five well- developed little birds climbing with wobbly legs, up the screen, retreating from their nest! It looked liked they may be attempting to take flight! They perched for sometime while I watched them closely from inside the hallway foyer, taking photographs. I noticed how each one of them would rub their head down onto the metal top of the screen window frame, as if they were marking their scent to return someday. All of sudden, one at a time with a few seconds of interval, they took flight! Mama bird was close at hand to monitor the event. It was exciting for me to witness these steps to freedom flight. 5

I retreated back to my desk chair to exhale and ponder what I d just seen. Glancing out the window next to my desk, a few of the birds were frolicking outside along the cinderblock wall.

6 I retreated back to my desk chair to exhale and ponder what I d just seen. Glancing out the window next to my desk, a few of the birds were frolicking outside along the cinderblock wall. All of a sudden, one flew onto my window screen, and clung to it for several seconds, as if saying, goodbye! We re on our way! As I write this, a few days have passed and they haven t come back. I miss their music but I ll be on the lookout for the new generation next season! The Lord s Table By Emma Wheatley After a summer of rest, the Lord s Table returns on September 18th and Geneva will starting cooking again on October 14th. Once a month we will again take 2 hours out of our lives to cook for people who need a square meal and, in doing so, feed our own spirituality. Two hours of cooking is usually enough for me but if anyone wants to stay and serve they are always welcome to help our teammates, Poolesville, who come after us and serve and clean up. Here are some of the dishes we cooked before the summer break: Butternut squash soup with a little bit of chili for extra warmth; leek and potato soup to fill people up on a cold day; orange and spinach salad for that Vitamin C because most of the Lord s Table supplies in the early months are canned. Lasagne (we now use this recipe for ours at home because it s easier); chicken and special rice (real meat is a rarity at the Lords Table); pork chops Apple crumble in March when it was cold; chocolate brownies in February for Valentines Day. Cooking for that many people is a lot more than a one- person job even when that one person comes with a spouse and a toddler (we haven t got Laura cooking yet). We need a team and that team last year included some awesome folk with big hearts who were willing to rope in their family members, roll up their sleeves and pitch in Scott Brown, Helene, Curtis and Stella Chimba, Linda Devine, Amy He, Rosie Perthel, the Ricci s, Sheri Sankey, Ken Sprinkle, Janelle Thibau and Ludivine Kom- Liapoe. Many had impressive culinary skills, 6

others freely said they did not those hungry folk need each of you, we couldn t do it without you thank you! Oh and if you are a teenager who needs service credits we can sign your form for that too.

(Top tip if cooking pasta for 60, put the water in the saucepan when you get there and start it heating, it can take a while!

7 others freely said they did not those hungry folk need each of you, we couldn t do it without you thank you! Oh and if you are a teenager who needs service credits we can sign your form for that too. We had some fun along the way last year, getting to know each other, learning new recipes and skills and getting used to saucepans and stove a lot bigger than we have at home. (Top tip if cooking pasta for 60, put the water in the saucepan when you get there and start it heating, it can take a while!) As for that one occasion when I bit off a little more than was comfortable to chew, well I learnt from it and they asked for seconds so it was worth it! And then there s front of house as I think they call it in the trade Rosie and her team putting out flowers and condiments, making coffee, iced tea and lemonade to create a homely atmosphere. It makes a big difference. So whether you are a budding Top Chef or not, if you want to help feed others or just need those service credits for school mark your calendars for the 2 nd Saturday of every month from October through May and look out for the signup genius coming out soon. The funs is about to start again come join us! 7

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Presbytery Thursday Mail: Dear Friends at Geneva, Included in this month's Radiant are articles written about the recent racism and violence in Charlottesville.

9 Presbytery Thursday Mail: Dear Friends at Geneva, Included in this month's Radiant are articles written about the recent racism and violence in Charlottesville. There is a letter from Ruling Elder Bill Plitt, currently the Moderator of National Capital Presbytery, and a letter from Warren J. Lesane, Jr., Executive and Stated Clerk for the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic. There is a flyer about the Concert Across America to End Gun Violence, and a page with Additional Suggestions for continuing to build an "antidote." All of these articles were taken from the August 24, 2017, sent out by National Capital Presbytery. You can read the complete at: or on the Presbytery website at: and find them there. I strongly recommend that everyone read these articles. It takes all of us standing together to end racial hatred, bigotry, violence, neo-nazism, and white supremacy. This is especially important when the highest power in the land does not denounce it. Jesus calls us to live with justice, equality, and especially love for one another. Peace, Pastor Mary 9

August 15, 2017 My dear friends, I write to each of you to express my outrage at the horrible events in Charlottesville, Va. this past week- end. I know many of you must feel that pain also.

The Washington Post columnist, Petula Dvorak, wrote in Monday morning s column in the Metro section, The torches of Charlottesville are a dangerous sideshow in America s cultural war.

10 August 15, 2017 My dear friends, I write to each of you to express my outrage at the horrible events in Charlottesville, Va. this past week- end. I know many of you must feel that pain also. Early Monday morning, I wondered what our response should be - first as Christians, then as Presbyterians, and, more personally, in my service as your Moderator. The Washington Post columnist, Petula Dvorak, wrote in Monday morning s column in the Metro section, The torches of Charlottesville are a dangerous sideshow in America s cultural war. She goes on later to say, Racism, bigotry and terrorism in the name of white nationalism isn t a side. It s a poison. This march was pure unadulterated hatred, led by white supremacists, hate groups and neo- Nazi groups; there seems to be no disagreement of that fact. Such a display of hatred was not new; it was just out in full view of the media, perhaps in such numbers for the first time since the Detroit riots of the 60 s. The Southern Poverty Law Center declares that there are over 950 hate groups in America. So, what s the antidote? What should our Church be doing in times like this to address the deeper is- sue? How do we follow Jesus s call to love our enemies? (Math. 5:43-45)? It seems counterproductive; however, I have come to believe more and more in this approach to loving your enemy as I observe the response of a Christian family living on their hillside farm in Palestine, determined to maintain Jesus s call to us. I firmly believe that the road to hatred only brings more hatred. If you wish to know more about the reasoning of such a stand, I urge you to read a short essay by Martin Luther King, Loving Your Enemies, especially now. Loving our enemies doesn t mean taking a passive approach to what evil we see. I am pleased that our Presbytery staff called all of us to speak out against racism in our churches, in our pews and in our com- munities. I also feel strongly that we ought to speak out against our democratically elected leaders who foster such behavior as seen in the streets of Charlottesville and describe the event initially as many sides being equally guilty. We must truly speak truth to power. Our denomination has had a long history of being involved with this issue of racism, and more recently, through the focus on white privilege. Those of you who attended the 10

11 Ecumenical Advocacy Day Conference last spring here in D.C. witnessed workshops for participants following the theme of Confronting Chaos, Forging Community focused on the challenges of, and solutions to, racism, materialism and militarism. Perhaps you have participated with others in your community on a local level in discussions of these related topics, offering an antidote to the poisons of our current reality. As Presbyterians, at last year s General Assembly meeting, we adopted the Belhar Confession which calls for Unity within the Church, and for us to be the salt and light of the world. The Church of Jesus Christ, in this most urgent moment, is on the edge of...becoming the headlights, not the brake lights, and the voice, not the echo (MLK). In our Presbytery, the Co- Moderator of General Assembly (PCUSA), our own Rev. Denise Anderson, has been raising her voice in creating a mindfulness in our leadership meetings and in open space activities at Presbytery. Our Presbytery staff, in their regular activities and work with churches, have continued to raise our consciousness in the pews. More specifically, through the leadership of our previous Moderator, Therese Stinson- Taylor, and in public forums on racism like those at St. Mark, initiated by Rev. Roy Howard this last spring, have given birth to a conference and a series on the topic of racism and white privilege. Our Worship and Theology Committee has planned our Presbytery meetings a year in advance with the idea of helping us regularly consider, through our worshipful business agenda, ways of understanding who we are as neighbors and what our responsibilities are towards one another. May a hope for peace, and a hunger for justice, continue to stir in our hearts together. Bill Plitt Moderator, National Capital Presbytery 11

12 Additional suggestions for continuing to build an antidote : 1. On October 21, 2017, from 10 am to 5pm, there will be a festival held at Westminster Church with the theme Racial Awareness and Mindfulness It intends to help people of goodwill reflect on the reality of racism in our society through media and rhythm while providing practical suggestions through workshops in African American and white caucuses and multiracial groups, regarding awareness of privilege and supremacy. When: October 21, 2017: 10am- 5pm Where: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street SW, Washington, DC 2. Here is what our Office of Public Witness (PCUSA) prescribes: 1 We continue to pray for justice, comfort, forgiveness, repentance, unity and faith which produces endurance, patience and grace. 2 We continue to stand boldly in the face of hate and white supremacy and condemn the white nationalist, KKK, alt- right, Nazi, and any racist groups or individuals who are responsible for the spread of racial hatred in this country. 3 We mourn with those who have lost children, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, daughters and son to violence. 4 We continue to work to create a country where our history of racial inequality is replaced by equal opportunity and fairness for all Americans. 5 We stand tall as witnesses to our faith in a God who overcomes division and promotes unity, healing and peace. 6 We continue to promote an understanding of our common humanity and the value of all human beings. 7 We continue the long, slow journey towards justice for all. 12

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16 Refreshments - Geneva Presbyterian Church Seven Locks Road Potomac, MD

The Radiant Nov/Dec,

Rhonda Ricci Editor The Radiant Nov/Dec, Geneva Presbyterian Church 11931 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, MD 20854 301-424- 4346 Office www.genevapotomac.org Rev. Mary Pullen, Interim Pastor 2017 ISSUE 15 From