Presbytery Elects Martin Transitional Presbyter

Transcription

1 Shenandoah Presbytery Volume 10, No. 5 September 2013 Presbytery Elects Martin Transitional Presbyter First Presbyterian Church As a Transitional of Lake City, FL., where he has been since Roy was born and raised in Fredericksburg, VA, where his father was Presbyter, Roy writes, I would bring thirty years of collective experience serving in a variety of capacities in three Highlights of this issue NEW PRESBYTER ELECTED SEMINARY FOR A DAY SET FREE FROM A CRIPPLING SPIRIT active in the Disciples of Christ church and his different presbyteries. In all of this work, I have OUR MISSION HERITAGE: FRANK W. PRICE mother was a sought to be thorough in Presbyterian. Roy joined honestly evaluating the the Presbyterian church at past and present and At the August 24, 2013 age 11. He has served open in listening to and meeting of Shenandoah churches in Harrisonburg, presenting new Presbytery held at the Charlotte, NC., Bayonet methodologies. First Presbyterian Church Point, FL, Wilmington, Roy will begin his of Waynesboro, the Rev. Delaware, and Lake City, ministry among us around Dr. Roy A. Martin was FL. He has served on October 15 and will be elected as Transitional Presbyter for Shenandoah nearly every committee of Presbytery and has examined and installed at the November 12 meeting Inside this issue: Presbytery. Dr. Martin is currently served as a YAAD and Commissioner in three of Presbytery at Mt. Horeb church. TOUCH OF HEAVEN: CAMP PADDY RUN 2 serving as pastor at the General Assemblies. BIG EVENT COMING 2 Presbytery Meets at Waynesboro Church SEMINARY FOR A DAY 2 The Presbytery of Shenandoah met in Stated Meeting at First Church of Waynesboro. The group of Waynesboro churches hosting the meeting included Glen Kirk, Second Waynesboro, Westminster, and First Churches. Prior the meeting opening David Witt, Stated Clerk, hosted an orientation for first time elders to enable them to participate fully in the meeting. Ruling Elder Erwin Berry from Waynesboro First welcomed the assembly and shared some of the church s history. In addition to electing the new Transitional Presbyter, the body approved 2013 budget reductions and received the first reading of the 2014 budget. LEGACY CHRISTMAS 3 COMING EVENTS 3 SET FREE FROM A CRIPPLING SPIRIT 4 HUNGER CONCERNS 5 OUR MISSION HERITAGE 7

2 A Touch of Heaven - Camp Paddy Run Style Day Camp at Camp Paddy Run is an ongoing ministry of the Parish of the Valleys for 20 years. Children from the Moorefield church in West Virginia have joined the Day Camp for the last 5 years. Our goal during camp, says David Duckworth, Day Camp Director, is to reach the children with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and share His love, and offering a touch of heaven to many who come from a dysfunctional home. Each day 6 or passenger vans arrive at Camp bringing children ages Pre-K- 12th grades. There were 95 registered campers with 20 counselors each day. They studied Acts 9 on the life of Apostle Paul s conversion and ministry. The older youth close each evening with a vespers service. An exchange student from Spain arrived his second day in the US and was welcomed by some campers who spoke a few words of Spanish. His week ended with new friends and a touch of heaven Camp Paddy Run style. What a great day to celebrate our unity and to enjoy so many experiences all in one place. Shenandoah s BIG EVENT - Saturday, Sept 14th Shenandoah s BIG EVENT is set for Saturday, September 14th beginning at 8:00am at Massanetta Springs Conference Center. The Big Event draws together congregations, Presbyterian Women, church officers, pastors, and other church members to celebrate our oneness in Christ. The day is designed for people of all ages and stages of life. It offers a time of worship, learning, sharing, and fun. It is an opportunity to renew your faith and feed your soul. This year s Glory to God theme points to the new Presbyterian hymnal coming out in September. In addition to worship and workshops, the annual Mission Fair tells stories of what God is doing through our churches. Come experience The Big Event. Seminary for a Day: Hosted by Union in Richmond Seminary for a Day began on the Richmond campus in 2012 to open the campus to the churches. There will be a full day of keynote addresses, workshops and connections with old friends. It s also a chance to see what seminary life is like. For some it s their first introduction to Union Seminary. They meet the faculty, see the facilities, and enjoy a day of educational experiences. The event is set for Saturday, September 28, 9:00am - 4:00pm. The cost is $25 for refreshments and a box lunch. Registration is due by September 17. Seminary for a Day is for church leaders and members, clergy, and anyone wanting to learn about seminary education. Page 2

3 Volume 10, No. 5 Legacy Christmas - PW and Living Waters Team Up Legacy Christmas is a collection of Celtic-inspired Christmas carols important to Presbyterians throughout the generations. Produced by Living Waters for the World, the carols are perfomed by some of Nashville s and Ireland s top musicians. Living Waters for the World, a ministry of the Synod of Living Waters, has received PW financial support throughout its 20 years of ministry through the annual Birthday Offering. As a way to give back, Living Waters us sharing the proceeds with the PW. While the sharing of the proceeds is a great collaboration of these two important groups, the real gift is that through their partnership, they improve the lives of women and children throughout the world. Churches can order individual cds or get a display to sell to the whole congregation. The CDs are available for a $15 donation each. Learn more or sign up for your church at Coming Events and Meetings Mission Community Meetings Eastern Panhandle - September 17-7:00 pm, Hedgesville Church Mountain Valley - September 12-7:00pm, Strasburg Church Maury River - October 27-2:30pm, Oxford Church Potomac Highlands - TBA Central Valley - October 3-8:00am - Massanetta Springs Conference Center Highland Augusta - October 15-6:00pm, Pines Chapel Church The Mission Community Calendar is posted online at: You may access the individual Mission Community pages from this page as well. Other Meetings Partnership - September 7-10:am - Presbytery Office Committee on Ministry - September 12-9:30am - Presbytery Office Big Event - September 14-8:00am - Massanetta Springs Leadership Team Called Meeting - September 17-10:00 am - Presbytery Office Committee on Preparation for Ministry - September 17-9:30am - Presbytery Office Baja Mission Reunion Dinner - September 22-5:00pm, Covenant Church, Staunton Nominations - September 24-10:00am, Presbytery Office Page 3

4 Set Free from a Crippling Spirit By Acting General Presbyter Randy Webb I felt drawn deeper into the encounter between Jesus and the leader of the synagogue. When I began as Acting General Presbyter, I said I wanted to address you at every presbytery meeting, and that the comments I shared would always be connected somehow with the scriptures and with our common mission. Dwelling in the Word together connects us with the source of our inspiration and energy, and strengthens us for the mission we have been given. The day after our August Presbytery meeting I had the privilege of preaching in one of our churches. The lectionary Gospel reading assigned for that day appears below: Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said Woman, you are set free from your ailment. When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath kept saying to the crowd, There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day. But the Lord answered him and said, You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day? When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. Luke 13:10-17 I was well prepared for the sermon I was to give but it was one of those times when in the course of preaching it I felt led to new insights that had not come during my hours of preparation. I have learned to trust those leadings. I think the congregation at Bethel really helped with this experience, as I could sense how intently they were listening to the Word when I read the scriptures. I want to share with you an excerpt from a later journal reflection on this experience. I felt drawn deeper into the encounter between Jesus and the leader of the synagogue. To give the benefit of the doubt, even though his attitude is indignant, the synagogue leader appears to be exercising his responsibility to see that the Sabbath law is kept. After all, the commandment to keep the Sabbath came from God, and the prohibition of working on that day is one of the prescribed ways to keep the Sabbath holy. But the encounter with Jesus reveals the hypocrisy of leaders who invoke the rules to maintain control over others, but live by a different set of rules themselves. In this case they are perfectly willing to do the work of caring for their own livestock on the Sabbath, but even though God is obviously working through Jesus, they vehemently object to his healing the crippled woman on the technicality that he is working on the Sabbath. The synagogue leader uses all the right religious language in calling people to strict observance of the Sabbath law. However, Jesus rebuke shows that while the Page 4

5 Set Free from a Crippling Spirit - continued synagogue leader s following the rules may be technically correct, he is spiritually wrong. Jealousy is never a good thing. When Jesus unmasks the truth behind the indignant objection, the synagogue leader is shown to be as crippled as the bent-over woman. The spirit that cripples him is his use of the law to serve his own purposes, and to exercise control over the community, rather than to serve the God who gave that law, and the community entrusted to his care. His hypocrisy blinds him (or cripples him) from being able to see what God is doing in Jesus right in front of his eyes. This can be a difficult scripture for us Presbyterians to hear, because we know and trust the reliable processes through which we have experienced God working in the past. But as Jesus shows, rigid adherence, even to a God-given law (or a Godinspired process), in the hands of sinful people like us, can distract our attention from what God is doing, and cripple us from participating in the new ways God is working in our midst. Focusing on the technical details of the Sabbath law kept the synagogue leader from seeing how God was at work, and from praising God for the miracle of the woman s healing. His indignant objection to Jesus actions sought to mislead the whole assembly to focus on the laws of Sabbathkeeping, and on the synagogue leader s key role in that process, rather than on what God was doing in Jesus. It was important for the mission of God and for the sake of God s people that this misleadership be confronted and exposed for what it really was. Jesus confronting the synagogue ruler and silencing him by unmasking the truth behind the appearance of his religious concerns, was an act of liberation for the whole community. Only after the distracting nay-sayers were silenced was the entire crowd able to begin rejoicing at all the wonderful things that God was doing for them in Jesus. God is truly present and acting in the churches of Shenandoah Presbytery. But we are often distracted by many crippling spirits that keep us bent over, looking down, preoccupied with lesser things, and unable to see what God is doing around us. As we continue on in ministry together, may God grant that we can be for each other the liberating word and touch of our Lord that sets us free from our crippling spirits and enables us to stand up straight and praise our God. Your partner in this great venture, Randy When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. Foreign Mission Right in Your Community In a recent letter from Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., he lifts up during this season our commitment to Christmas International House, a ministry of hospitality for international students during the Christmas holiday. From December 18 - January 2, families, churches and civic groups around the country host an international student, giving them a home and offering programs and activities. This Ministry of Hospitality is a way for those who cannot go to Korea or Africa or Peru to benefit from a relationship with an international student. Plan NOW for hosting in Call Lisa Majoros at (404) Page 5

6 One out of every six children in Virginia faces food insecurity - not knowing about their next meal. We read recently in the news that the SNAP (former Food Stamp Program) Benefits, are to expire in November. This change is expected to push many people and families already on the edge into seriously dangerous conditions. In 2009, SNAP benefits went up 13.6 percent because of federal stimulus money. The money is going away this year and the average family can expect benefits to drop 5.4 percent in western Virginia and other areas around the presbytery. This change has the potential to impact a wider part of the community as there becomes less expendable income. Food pantries are expected to see another large increase of people lining up for food to feed their families. Faith-based programs may be challenged to continue the current levels of service. But they will likely be one of the first areas to see these changes. Senior and childhood hunger continues to be a great concern. One out of every six children in Virginia faces food insecurity - not knowing about their next meal. In West Virginia, more than 21% of children under age 18 are food insecure. They are among the over 50 million people right here in the USA who are food insecure. Many congregations in our presbytery are helping by participating in backpack programs for children in their communities, providing food for the weekend when schools are in session. But their families may be hungry as well. HOW CAN WE HELP By educating ourselves, and then educating others about the extreme poverty in our communities, we can work together toward creative solutions to help feed our neighbors. Advocate for laws that help support the hungry as they work toward a secure lifestyle. A small yard garden can yield nutritious food to supplement meals. Always pick up extra food when shopping for your family to take to the local food pantry. Look into creative food support programs for the seniors in your community. Their dignity may prevent them for telling us they are hungry. So we need to build relationships with them that opens these doors. Harvest of Hope is Under Way! Harvest of Hope is a educational program that gives your group firsthand experiences on how to provide healthy food to those in need. By gleaning after the harvest, you can recover thousands of pounds of perfectly good food that would have gone to waste. Here are several Fall Events where your group can get involved. Shenandoah Valley - Intergenerational Event - Fincastle, VA - October 6-8 Eastern Shore of Virginia - Exmore, VA - Intergenerational Event - November 1-3 To learn more about other events, visit their website at: Page 6

7 Shenandoah Presbytery Shenandoah Presbytery is a covenant body where: 1111 N. Main St. Harrisonburg, VA (540) shenpres@shenpres.org -Congregations are empowered to be centers for mission -People of God are equipped to be Disciples of Christ in a challenging world -Church leaders and members are nurtured and strengthened for service -Open communication and information are used constructively and creatively to keep us connected. Next Presbytery meeting Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church Tuesday, November 12-9:30 am OUR MISSION HERITAGE They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength A Short Biography of Frank W. Price by Mary Price Coulling, his niece Frank W. (Francis Wilson) Price [ ], missionary, Sinologue, churchman, author, statesman, and moderator of the Southern Presbyterian Church ( ), was a member of Lexington (later Shenandoah) Presbytery throughout his active ministry. Over a period of more than 40 years he served as professor of religious education and rural church development at a seminary in Nanking and (during World War II) in Chengtu in west China, as pastor of the New Monmouth Church (Rockbridge County, Va.), as head of the missionary research library and professor of missions at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and finally as professor of Page 7 international studies at Mary Baldwin College (Staunton, Va.). With a keen mind and extraordinary linguistic abilities, Dr. Price received a BA and honorary DD from Davidson College, an MA in Christian Education from Columbia Teachers College, and a PhD from Yale University. He was the author of eight books (in Chinese and English), translated Dr. Sun Ya-tzen s Three Principles as well as a series of Chinese hymns and poems, and served an advisor to and translator for the Chinese government during World War II. After the Communists took control of China, he was condemned to death in a public trial and held under virtual house arrest in Shanghai for two years before his release in Throughout his ministry, Dr. Price believed in and participated in ecumenical endeavors, supporting the Christian Church in China and serving as a delegate to the International Missionary Council in Madras, India. His last exhausting project was a 14- month trip to assess Christian churches in indigenous countries in the near East and Far East. He was married to the former Essie McClure of Greenville, Virginia, and had two children and eight grandchildren. A man of extraordinary vitality and wide-ranging enthusiasms, he was once asked how he managed to maintain his energy. He replied, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Dr. Price s full story is available online at