You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world. Jesus (Matthew 5:13-14) Sunday, August 27 10:30 am

Transcription

1 OUR MISSION The Salt Shaker You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world. Jesus (Matthew 5:13-14) A U G U S T OUR MISSION Parkville Presbyterian Church is a community of believers Parkville following Presbyterian Jesus Christ by sharing God s Word, Church is serving a community and of welcoming all. believers following Jesus Christ by sharing God s Word, serving and welcoming all. I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : 2. Coming up in Worship; Back to School Fair 3. Pastor s Perspective 5. Worship in the Park 6. Intentional Faith Development 7. Risk-Taking Mission VBS 2017: Thanks to all who participated, contributed or helped in any way. It was a great experience with a wonderful group of PPC kids! Coming up in August... On Sunday, August 6th, join us for a special and final edition of The Way. We'll meet at 5 pm rather than 6, and have a special showing of Jonah: A Veggietales Movie, along with food and games for the kids! Kids and adults are always welcome at The Way. 8. Summer Softball 9. Final Gathering of The Way for now 10. Extravagant Generosity Parkville Days Aug Save the Date! Sunday, August 13th is KICK-OFF Sunday, and our worship services will each feature a special Ask Me Anything sermon, where you submit your questions in writing and our pastor responds to as many as he can. Start thinking now about how you can stump the pastor, or send your questions ahead of that Sunday to Pastor Steve at stevenandrews@parkvillepresby.org. Worship in the Park Sunday, August 27 10:30 am One service with picnic following. Meat, drinks and paperware provided. Back-to-School Fair August 3 See p. 2

2 August Food Pantry Needs Special needs at this time include: Rice Dry beans Hamburger Helper Cereal Pork and beans Toothpaste Ramen Noodles Canned pineapple Feminine hygiene products CA$H DONATIONS are also welcome; make checks to SPEAC Food Pantry Remember, please do not drop off Food Pantry items in Narthex; bring into sanctuary for dedication DURING worship on first Sunday of month. Our Deleted Scenes sermon series ends next Sunday, August 6 th with a book that came very close to being in the New Testament, 1 Clement. Join us on August 13 th for Ask Me Anything, where you submit a question in writing during the worship service, and our pastor responds to as many as he can. All questions not read on Sunday morning will get a response in writing in the next Salt Shaker issue. On August 20 th, we begin a new sermon series, Unbound, exploring stories in the book of Acts and their wisdom about evangelism. How can these ancient stories help us share our faith in the modern world? Find this answer and more in August and September! As we continue to worship this year, we ll also continue our new rhythm around Communion, fasting on the first Sunday of the month and bringing our offerings to the SPEAC food pantry to the Lord s Table, while feasting on every other Sunday. Since we have started this movement, your generous pantry donations have tripled and sometimes quadrupled. Thank you! In joy, let us continue to connect these acts of fasting, feeding, and feasting as we meet Jesus Christ at his table. And one last note: mark your calendars for combined 10:30 am worship services and church meals. We ll have one service and a meal August 27 th for Worship in the Park, October 1 st for World Communion Sunday, and November 12 th for Dedication Sunday and Thanksgiving Dinner. Let us continue to worship God together! Thank you for your generosity in donating earbuds, or the funds to purchase them, for the 2017 Platte County Back to School Fair! The Risk Taking Mission Team has purchased 250 earbuds through budgeted funds, and your donations brought in another 99, for an impressive total of 349 sets of earbuds. These are vital for students using electronic technology with their school work. Approximately 700 to 800 Platte County students will benefit from this year s event. Besides our earbuds, the students will receive a wide variety of school supplies as well as personal hygiene items. The Back to School Fair is Thursday, August 3. Once again, thank you for your generous support of this important community outreach ministry! Investing in the education of young people in our community through their school work is one of the most tangible ways we can help bring positive change to the future of our community and the world! T H E S A L T S H A K E R

3 Pastor s Perspective ~ Rev. Steven Andrews Is there any single common denominator that you can find in every growing church? Rick Warren, the megachurch pastor made famous by The Purpose- Driven Life, is often asked this question, and he says: I have studied churches for many years, read about them, and visited them. I ve discovered that God uses all kinds of churches, in all kinds of different ways, with all different methods and styles. But there is one common denominator that you can find in every growing church leadership that is not afraid to believe God. Warren adds, Nothing starts happening until somebody starts dreaming. Every accomplishment started off first as an idea in somebody s mind. It started off as a dream. It started off as a vision, a goal. If you don t have a goal for your church, your default goal is to remain the same. If you aim at nothing, you re definitely going to hit it. With these words ringing in our ears, the session of PPC has embarked on a visioning process. We started by searching the Scripture, looking for passages that speak to our sense of who God is calling PPC to be. We continued by exploring what we were doing well and what we could do better. And we went further, crafting and sharing succinct descriptions both of who we are now and where God is calling us. All of this was shared at our July session meeting. The process will continue with guided, small-group conversations that begin this month, the development of a brand or external identity by the end of 2017, and the development of a vision statement, with input from each and every one of you, by the end of This is an ambitious process, but a needed one, and we ll look forward to sharing more details soon. In the meantime, I d like to tell you about the beginning of the conversation, and I hope you ll be as inspired as I am by the future God is shaping for us. P A G E 3 The list of things we re doing well is a long one. In the past year, we ve had moments of great fellowship, facilitated by our Radical Hospitality team, and moments of powerful service, facilitated by our Risk- Taking Mission Team. We ve served families through Hillcrest and Family Promise, built homes alongside the Fuller Center, delivered food through the SPEAC pantry and Meals on Wheels and served each other in significant ways, in our many moments of grief and need. Over the past year, session members noted, we ve opened our doors to the community. We ve become even more inviting and welcoming to new friends. And through small groups, we ve been able to know each other more intimately, become a stronger community, and grow in the faith. In worship, we ve seen powerful moments of sharing, including the courage of those who shared their stories during Advent and the Stories of Strong Women, the deep and resonant offerings of our choir, the growth of our high school kids in music and faith, and the powerful dramatic offerings that our members crafted during Lent. And let s not forget the strong and creative voices of our Middle School youth group, who led us in worship for Easter Sunrise and Youth Sunday. These are all wonderful things worth celebrating but still, the questions linger. What s the unifying idea that holds us together? What does the world see when they look at us, and what do we wish they could see? And most importantly, perhaps, where are we going? Toward what kind of vision is all this holy activity leading? The beginnings of the answers are suggested by the activities. We have always been a service-oriented church, and we have always been a community church, rooted in the heart of Parkville. Of course, these days, many of our members and friends live outside of Parkville, and our sense of our community is expanding, even as the connections remain. The members of our session, when asked to describe who God is calling us to be, said that we are called to serve God as a beacon of hope for the community, Cont d on next page

4 Pastor s Perspective, cont. from previous page to intentionally love one another within and beyond our church, to be a place to find what s missing in my life, and to be a place where all are welcome as we work together to address the anxiety in the world. One elder said, We are learning to eat, love, laugh, play, pray and serve like Jesus in our communities. As the work continues, I ll leave you with a brief recitation of the Scripture passages that spoke to us most clearly. 1 Peter 2:9: For you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Many agreed that our current mission statement is both a great description of who we are and what God is calling us to be: We are a community of believers, following Jesus Christ by sharing God s Word, serving and welcoming all. Those are all powerful responses, and a church, by necessity, attempts to do all of these things and more besides as we live into God s vision for the Kingdom. But for us, as a unique body within that wider Kingdom, how do we find the animating Vision that brings these individual visions together? How do we tell others what this church can mean for them? How do we understand what the church means for us? This is the purpose of a visioning process, and that s what we re embarking upon as a session. As the process continues, we hope to become a better organized, more clearly directed congregation, with better communication, stronger outreach, and even more evident love for God, for each other, and for the world. Micah 6:8: He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Matthew 25:40, where Jesus says, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. And we all agreed on the imperative of Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. As the process continues, as God helps you to have visions and dream dreams, please share them with our elders: Doug Ballou, Dorothy Cook, Teri Frazier, Paul Gault, Marcy Gaston, Bill Geary, Alan Grimes, Raffael Lichdi, Jeni Schrimsher, Johanna Strother, Marcia Tighe, and Paul Wickens. July s Final Friday featured a fabulous program of our talented choral apprentices Selena Bryant, Dylan Klann and Deanna Eberhart. Coming up for our August Final Friday, August 25 at 7pm Immigrant - Jewish Refugee - Giver of Beauty, An Evening with the Music of Ernest Bloch This next in our series of evenings with over-looked and under-heard composers features an exploration of the mystical, rapturous, and ingratiatingly holy musical designs of Ernest Bloch ( ) including his music of piano, organ, flute and cello. T H E S A L T S H A K E R

5 Getting to Know PPC Saturday, August 12 9am to 11:30 am It s a One-Session introduction to PPC. It s for New Members, Prospective Members, Interested Visitors, Longtime Members and everyone else who just want to come! Learn all about YOUR CHURCH! Let Pastor Steve know if you ll need child care! Little Dresses Workday, Friday Aug 4, 1pm P A G E 5 Sundays with One Worship Service Only! Mark your calendars for combined 10:30 am worship services followed by church meals: August 27 th for Worship in the Park, October 1 st for World Communion Sunday, and November 12 th for Dedication Sunday and Thanksgiving Dinner. Sunday, Aug :30 am; One service, picnic following Church will furnish meat, drinks and paper goods WORSHIP IN THE PARK English Landing T H E S A L T S H A K E R

6 Intentional Faith Development The gifts God gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. Paul s words in Ephesians remind us that we are being built up in the faith that faith formation is a process and that moving toward maturity in Christ involves both the formation we receive while serving others, and the intentional formation we undergo in small groups, Sunday School classes, and Bible studies. Your Intentional Faith Development ministry team provides opportunities to help with this process. In fact, here s what s coming up this fall, beginning with Kick-Off Sunday on August 13 th : A new Sunday morning small group is forming, led by Pastor Steve. From August 13 th through September 17 th, at 9:40 am, Steve will lead the Sojourners class in a group study of This Invitational Life, by Steve Carter. This small group experience on the joy of invitational evangelism will correspond with our sermon series, and will be a great way to know each other more fully and grow in the faith. The Story reconvenes on August 13 th with a study of the book of Acts. Facilitated by Mike Vaughn, this Sunday School class is dedicated to reading whole books of the Bible and studying them in depth. Earlier this summer, they completed their study of Luke, and are now preparing to take on the sequel! On August 13 th, the Faith and Families class begins a new study of the book of James. Faith T H E S A L T S H A K E R and Families is a gathering to provide support and community to those who are navigating the joys and challenges of dating, marriage and/or parenting. Conversations are casual, and often center around a group study. On Kick-Off Sunday, they ll begin Life Lessons: The Book of James, by Max Lucado. Each Monday evening at 6 pm, join us for the pastor s Bible study! At these gatherings, we read the passages that will be preached two or three months in advance, and begin forming the seeds of plans for crafting worship around the message. Learn more about the Bible, and contribute to the ministry of worship, each Monday at 6 pm! On Wednesday evenings at 6 pm, beginning August 16 th, Rev. John Brentlinger leads a special study, The First Year, exploring the first year of Jesus ministry. If you re a kids Sunday School teacher, can t make it on Sunday morning, or just want a little more faith formation, try this new weekday-evening class! Each lesson will focus on the when, where, and why of one key episode in the life of Jesus. Series will last at least three Wednesdays. Women's Circles reconvene on Thursday, September 5 th at 10 am and Monday, September 11 th at 7 pm. These groups meet once a month, either on the first Thursday morning or the first Monday evening (holidays excepted). This year, they are studying Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews, as they gather in fellowship, prayer, service, and love. If you have questions about any of these gatherings or would simply like more information, contact Pastor Steve through the church office, or at stevenandrews@parkvillepresby.org

7 P AGE 7 Upcoming with Risk-Taking Mission Pentecost Special Offering: Our donations to benefit children, youth and young adults totaled $1,593 with 40% or $609 going to La Paz, an after-school and summer program for children, at Grandview Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Kansas. Family Promise: Our next hosting week is Aug. 20 through Aug. 26. As summer starts to wind down we are excited for this opportunity to host families transitioning out of homelessness and provide a pleasant and comfortable environment as they work toward financial stability. Overnight hosting at PPC, Provide food items, Launder bed and bath linens, Set up rooms Sunday Aug. 20, Reset rooms before Sunday School Aug 27. Trained volunteers may sign up. For more information contact : Marla Zaragoza mzaragoza588@gmail.com Debbie Walker dougdebbiewalker@gmail.com Marcia Tighe tighedm@kc.rr.com Volunteer Opportunities for Family Promise Hosting: Dinner hosting (meal is provided by Pine Ridge), Coming up in the Fall - Community Dinner Sept. 15 Vacation Bible School 2017

8 PPC co-ed softball In early 2017 PPC joined the North Metro Christian Softball League. This spring, a couple dozen players from PPC dusted off their baseball gloves, signed waivers and joined our newly formed co-ed softball team, 'PPC at the Plate.' Twenty players may seem like a lot for a softball team. However, with everyone's busy schedules, many games were played with barely enough to field a team. We kept up by with who would make the next week's game. Our season started slowly but by midseason, we were in fine form. We truly enjoyed the fellowship and friendly competition with 11 other church co-ed softball teams. Old friendships were renewed and new ones made. Next year we hope to have more players on our roster. This will help ensure there are at least 10 'PPC at the Plate' players for each game. Watch for sign up information in the Salt Shaker beginning in Special thanks to our coaches Steve and Graham for their leadership. The team photo Front L to R: Wayne Frazier, Lily Dixon, Christina Madrigal, Anya Lichdi. Back row: Greg Smith, Lisa Macha, coach Steve Walker, Mary Dixon, Teri Frazier, coach Graham Houston. Back row; Mike Katz. Other invaluable players not present at the time of photo; Chris Davis, Nathan & Melissa Staley, Hannah Smith, Jim Lehman, Jakob Lichdi, Marcus Flores, Jeni Schrimsher, Rayni & Emi Taylor. T HE SA LT SHAK ER

9 P AGE 9 THE WAY This is a thank-you note. Thank you to everyone who attended The Way, who made food, set tables, asked questions, sang songs, helped others participate, and generally helped to create something new. Thank you to the Elders who attended, especially back in March when you were supporting the launch of something new. Thank you to the kids who didn t hesitate to raise their voices, even in a room full of adults. Thank you to the chefs who gave their time and energy to create a food-making experience for others. Thank you to the folks who kept coming this summer, as attendance waned. For those who may not know, The Way has been our evening worship service. It was a new kind of offering in a different time and place. We met on Sunday nights from 6 pm to 7:30, when we prayed, sang simple songs, read Scripture, shared good conversations, and made food together. I have loved being a part of The Way, and I truly believe that services like this one where we gather around an interactive experience that participants of all ages help create is the future of the church in the U.S. However, I have come to believe that the future, for PPC, may need to wait a little while longer. There will be a special iteration of The Way on Sunday, August 6th, when we gather at 5 pm and instead of 6, and conclude our study of the Book of Jonah with a special showing of Jonah: A Veggietales Movie. This will be our last service for the time being, and I hope you ll come! In the meantime, I d like to say a rousing thank you to everyone who helped this offering came together. If you attended even once, you helped make that night s service a great success. In the future, look for other offerings, especially small group gatherings, designed to bring people together across generations, to be formed in faith over food. Thank you again. Faces of VBS

10 A Note from the Extravagant Generosity Ministry Team We re halfway through the year and the Extravagant Generosity Ministry Team would like to share a few observations about the money received by Parkville Presbyterian Church from its members and friends. You may recall that last year we reduced our spending plan because of a reduction in pledges and anticipated gifts. That decision has proven wise as our General Fund giving is not matching even our reduced budget. But the Ministry Team also wants to thank you for the generosity you ve shown to the capital campaign. Over $90,000 beyond our General Fund budget has been given specifically to reduce our building debt! This table summarizes our financial condition for the first 6-months of the year. A few comments may help in understanding this information. First, we receive from some members their pledge either totally, or partially, prepaid before January 1. Those gifts, $43, for 2017, are divided by 12 and attributed to each month for budget purposes. That is part of the reason we can spend more than we have been given for the first six months of the year. Second, we have some expenses that are paid early in the year and will not recur. For example, we pay per capita to Heartland Presbytery of $10, for the entire year, but that is paid one time in February. The special per capita offering provided $3, toward that amount, the remainder came from the General Fund. Third, the 2016 Session authorized a transfer of $8,000 from reserve funds to the General Fund. That transfer has not yet been made. The Extravagant Generosity Ministry Team hopes this information helps you understand our current financial situation. We are a generous people dedicating significant resources to our work and missions while still making extraordinary progress on reducing our building loan. If you would like more specific information please don t hesitate to contact Bill Geary, the Session member working with the Extravagant Generosity Ministry Team. His is wgeary2@gmail.com. Celebrating Birthdays in August Please wish a happy birthday to your fellow members that are celebrating in August: 8/2: E.J. Walter 8/4: Pete Myers, Joanne Jenkins 8/5: Susan Hines 8/7: Lienna Sherry 8/9: Ronald Riffle 8/12: Susan Rose 8/13: Megan Bogener 8/14: Andy Chapple, Liz Miller 8/15: Marcy Gaston, Debbie Walker 8/17: Erica Welch 8/19: Laura Sickman 8/23: Scott Allen 8/24: Audrey Ritsch 8/27: Tim Abrahamson T H E S A L T S H A K E R 8/28: Mark Henderson 8/29: Molly Jackson 8/31: Griffin Smith If we missed your birthday, please Nancy njstifter@gmail.com, or call the church office. Extending Christ s Care Beyond Church Walls If you know of a church member or church friend who would enjoy receiving mail during the school year, please send address information to the church office or Nancy Stifter njstifter@gmail.com. This may include friends or family serving in the military or other engagements that have sent them away from home.

11 Parkville Presbyterian Church Au gust 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 2 3 9am-12pm Pastor :00 pm Pastor 4 1:00 p.m. Little Dresses for Africa 3:00 p.m. Charles Askew Piano Recital, Sanctuary 6:30 p.m. Cubs/rooms 205/206/208/215 Back to School Rock of Ages Church 6 Food Pantry Sunday 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 5:00 p.m. Middle School Youth group 5:00 p.m. The Way Evening Worship 7 6:00 p.m Bible Study 6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 205/206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts Whipple Hall 8 1-4:00 pm Pastor 2:00 p.m. SPEAC, Room 307 6:30 p.m. Cubs/rooms 205/206/208/ :00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 10 9am-12pm Pastor 7:00 p.m. Generosity Ministry Team Meeting 7:00 p.m. Mission Team Meeting, Rm 311 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room s :00 a.m. Getting to Know Parkville Presby Class 5:00-7:00 p.m Homeschooler Carnival, South Main parking lot. 13 Kick-off Sunday Ask Me Anything 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 5:00 p.m. Middle School Youth group 14 6:00 p.m. Bible Study 6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 205/206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts Whipple Hall :00 pm Pastor Steve s Office Hours 6:30 p.m. Cubs/rooms 205/206/208/215 7:00 p.m. Board of 16 7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 17 9am-12pm Pastor 7:00 p.m. Generosity Ministry Team Meeting 7:00 p.m. Mission Team Meeting, Rm 211 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room 18 5:30 p.m. Parent s Night Out 19 9:00 a.m. Worship Ministry Meeting 20 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Worship 3:00-5:30 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks Area Meeting, Rooms 205/208 5:00 p.m. Middle School Youth group 21 Family Promise 8/20-8/26 6:00 p.m. Bible Study 6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 205/206/208 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts Whipple Hall 22 6:30 p.m. Cubs/rooms 205/206/208/ :00 p.m. Presbytery Meeting, Room 311 7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 24 9am-12pm Pastor 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room 205/ :00 p.m. Final Friday Community Concert noon Newsletter Deadline :00 pm Pastor am-12pm Pastor 9:00 a.m. HomeSchool Orientation 10:30 a.m. Worship in the Park & Cookout 5:00 p.m. Middle School Youth group 6:00 p.m. Cub Pack Meeting, Whipple Hall 7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks/Room 205/208

12 Parkville Presbyterian Church 819 Main Street Parkville, MO Office: Fax: Like us on Facebook! Forward the Salt Shaker to a Friend Sunday Worship 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Church School: 9:45 a.m. Church Office: Church Fax: church@parkvillepresby.org Salt Shaker published monthly by Parkville Presbyterian Church The Rev. Steven Andrews, Pastor Paul Erickson, Director of Music and Arts & Organist Peggy Pape, Office Manager News Deadline is NOON Last Sunday of Month