Annual Christmas Party. The Beloved Community Listening January Mission Focus

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1 MPC NEWS MAGAZINE What s Happening in January? The Beloved Community Listening January Mission Focus January 2019 What Happened in December Annual Christmas Party We will highlight our work with The Center, and the practices of Community Organizing, giving an opportunity to share with the wider congregation what it is, and how it can better equip our church to engage. David Norse A Faith of Your Own: Naming What You Really Believe by Ronald J. Allen Wednesday Evenings from 7:00 PM8:30 PM, January 2nd-February 27th What does it mean for you to be a progressive Christian? What is it that you believe, at this point in your life? Join us as we write our own statements of faith, exploring a wide range of theological worldviews. We will be using A Faith of Your Own by Ronald J. Allen for our discussions. This is an intergenerational event for those in middle school and older. Books are available for purchase at MPC for $15, which can be paid by cash, check or by making a donation on line by Paypal.. Please contact me with any questions. David Norse Our Annual Christmas Party/Dinner/ Luncheon was held on Dec. 9th. It was held after worship, the second time that s ever been done. Nevertheless, there were lots of people who stayed (almost everyone), delicious food (as always), games (Bingo was lots of fun), and mimosas (a highlight in themselves). A big thank you to Joy Brown and her tireless group of volunteers, who set up the fellowship room and narthex to look festive, kept the food coming and cleaned up afterwards. Christmas presents ($) were presented to the staff by Carol Mason right before Pastor David played game show host showing us how little we know about Christmas Trivia. A Rick Rick Dezes

2 Page 2 Christmas Season at MPC Another large gathering (it s becoming commonplace) was on hand for the worship service on December 2nd. Preparations took place the week before as Rocky Gaut replaced burned out bulbs, Joe Wright hung banners and hung up new lights on the wall and both helped moved pews around to prepare the chancel area. As people arrived and gathered in the Narthex they were handed out an assignment, for you see, this was truly an interactive experience. They took lanterns out and placed them all along the sidewalks. Worship began with readings from Isaiah, John, Luke, and Mary Oliver that were scattered throughout the service, as were the singing of a couple well known and beloved Christmas songs. Thanks to Lori Conway for providing two of the poems that were read. All the while, Mary (Leigh Erdman) and Joseph (James Evans), the shepherd (Sean Dirige), a sheep (Joss TindallDabrowski), and an angel (Macy Erdman) stood ready and waiting to bring in the season leading up to the birth of Jesus. They were dressed in costumes provided by, you guessed it, Jo Sack. While one of the songs was being sung, people performed the task which corresponded with a num- ber they found on their pew when they sat down. Some turned on the window candles, others plugged in the twinkling lights in the chancel area and the greens (poinsettias and amaryllis) were brought in and placed in various places in the sanctuary. A reflection on the word by St. John of the Cross was read followed by another reading a modern Magnificat by Mary (Leigh). A large star was placed on the chancel wall and the Chrismon tree was lit. And suddenly there was an angel (Macy) and the shepherd (Sean) and his flock (Joss). They went to Bethlehem (the chancel) to see this thing that had taken place which the Lord had made known to them. The choir s anthem, Mary Murray s moment for mission, the offertory, and the singing of Joy to the World brought a close to this memorable service. So many folks shared their gifts to make it a beautiful experience. It was truly a service like none other. What a wonderful way to begin the season which we all need right now. Rick Dezes

3 Page 3 Published for the members and friends of Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson, Maryland (410) Editors: Jo Sack, Rick Dezes Production and distribution Lauren Rohrs, Alma Smith, Other Contributors to this Issue: David Norse, Carol Mason, Leslie Erickson, Mary Murray Editorial Comment Unintelligible Vignettes with U and V Does an Umbrella protect you from Viruses? Oh, no. Very strange! When Up, it protects from rain and sun. Viruses are everywhere, most Uninfectious, but, If you re ill, Take a pill. Does a Violin s music help flex the Ulna? Oh, no! The Violinist holds the instrument Under his chin. The Ulna lies in the Upper arm next to the humerus. Find that humorous? Okay, laugh, don t cuss. Does your Umbilicus relate to Varicose Veins? Oh, no! It was once a Vine-like cord that Used to feed you. Malfunction of Valves in the legs, Ultimately swelling. Just have to confess, Belly button useless. Does a Virgin ever saddle and mount a Unicorn? Oh, no! A Virtuous girl is an Unskilled rider. A Unicorn is a legendary beast, not Virtual. Just one horn, Forehead worn. Does your Vacuum cleaner reach to Uganda? Oh, no! It Voids debris only where you Use it. Uganda is in Africa, has cities and Villages. So far away, S il vous plait? Does your Van know the Orioles Umpires? Oh, no! It s an Uber taking riders to Various places. Umpires call balls and strikes with Vigor. To first base on a balk, 4 balls means a walk. Does your Uncle grow Vinegar in his garden? Oh, no! My Uncle lives in Virginia and has no garden. Vinegar is alcoholic dressing for Vegetable salads. Mix with oil. It won t spoil. Ugh! Let s abandon these nonsensical Verses. Jo Sack Laugh of the Month Laughter the best Medicine From The Readers Digest of Olden Days There was a fellow who applied for a press agent for a Congressman. Not long after, he received word from the official s office: Your resume is full of exaggerations, distortions, half -truths, and lies. Can you start tomorrow? Two men were talking at the office water cooler. One was telling the other about a fight he s had with his wife. In the end, he said, I had her begging on her knees. What did she say? asked the co-worker. She told me to come out from under the bed. An elderly couple, admitted by St. Peter through the Pearly Gates, found conditions there just heavenly. Said the man to his wife, I could have been here two years ago if you hadn't fed me all that oat bran. An American couple visiting in a German village stepped into a small shop to look for souvenirs. The woman sneezed. Gesundheit. said the clerk. Charles, said the woman to her husband, we re in luck. There s somebody here who speaks English.

4 Page 4 Those Were the Days The Woods and Woodland Trail You wouldn t expect to find an area so close to the Beltway like one of our sacred spaces the woods and woodland trail. But there are 4-5 acres in back of the church that are a sanctuary in our area of urban noise and growth that is Towson and the neighboring Beltway. Largely left alone at the beginning of MPC s history, it has been improved in different ways over time. Almost 20 years ago the woods were thinned out as the trees were becoming overcrowded. Foresters removed trees and sold the timber. Some of the profit from the sale was returned to MPC. At some point Paulownia trees were planted as income to the church to use when they became mature as Paulownia trees were considered an exotic wood. The profit from these trees became almost negligible and so they have grown becoming an invasive plant. Baltimore County did extensive work with sewer lines at the same time and this resulted in trails leading down the hill from the lower parking lot. The late Rocky Price improved the trails that went into the woods, planting a variety of hollies and viburnums to bloom in the spring shade. He also planted a large drift of naturalized daffodils, visible from the Memorial Garden to mourners. A bench was given in his honor in thanks and placed beside the trail. Later, Rocky supervised Mike Wright who improved a connecting trail for his Eagle Scout project. In the spring, Bruce Layton and the late Earl Tingstrom groomed the trail and laid logs on the edges to mark them. Meandering through the woods, this nature trail is open to all who would like to walk it. In 2011 Rick Dezes developed it into a Meditation Trail becoming one of MPC s sacred spaces. At intervals there were stations providing you with a type of meditation for that particular area. At the entrance to the path there were orientation instructions and at each station there was a small interactive exhibit and suggestions for prayer and Bible verses. The stations were designed with the theme of the senses. The whole system was modified for use at the Phillip Newell event in He was quite impressed with the whole area. As the church s emphasis on environmental stewardship became better defined, the trail became a focus for efforts to improve the health of the woods, particularly by removal of nonnative invasive plant species like pachysandra and mustard-garlic, and the planting of native species. We have Bill Breakey, Alan Bricker and others to thank for that. Since then, bee hives, placed and maintained there by Selwyn Gray and J Wright Witcher have provided the church with Welcome Honey which we give to first time visitors. The woods and trails have also become a sort of classroom for the busloads of children who come from the McKim Center every July to spend the day. Walk to the bottom and then up again on the circuitous route just to soak in nature in all its glory. Obviously, fall is a particularly beautiful time to hike this trail, but all seasons are beautiful in their own way. Rick Dezes

5 Page 5 Mission Update $50 has been sent to Butoke. The Child Health Foundation received $2703 ($1500 from operating budget, $1203 from pew envelopes). ACTC/Thanksgiving was sent $265 as well as the many bags of food donated. ACTC/Detention Center got $2807 ($1500 from operating budget, $1307 pew envelopes). Many Thanks to all of you for your generosity Dear Friends, I cannot possibly thank you enough for all you did to come together for the best Thanksgiving Basket Project this year. We received and distributed the nearly 2,400 bags of food we received from all, and we received financial donations and actual turkeys to cover everyone's meal. We also had one donation of a ham, and guess what, only one person asked for one! Such attention to detail increases my faith! I want to share that the project made the cover of the Towson Times, and a nice story inside. On the cover, was our wonderful chair, Pat Shaw in action. Lots of volunteers appeared in the pictures both in the article and on the series of pictures the Sun published. With Thanksgiving! Linda Linda S. Lotz Executive Director Assistance Center of Towson Churches Dear Friends of Butoke, We received a message from Dr. Jean on November 22nd that Dr. Cecile had passed in the night in Kinshasa. She was 82 years old and born in Belgium. Her heart and life, however, were with the suffering of and caring for the others and doing the will of God. Dr. Cecile s health had been failing for some time but the news of her death is still difficult. We hold those whose lives she touched with her love and dedication, especially Dr. Jean, in our hearts. The world has lost a saint and her life embodied the works of Christ. May her life and work continue through Dr. Jean, Cecile s adopted son, partner and Executive Director of Butoke, bringing light to the world. Friends of Butoke, USA. Dr, Cecile DeSweemer, a real saint, was a member of MPC and many here were very close to her. Concepcion Mary Murray promoted the MPC Christmas gift with this beautiful poster designed by Rosemary Plummer, that is, the Elder Day Care Center in our sister parish in El Salvador. El Centro del Ancianos, or Center for the Elderly, is an essential component of the church of Maria Madre de los Pobres. Each weekday, elderly people, who are able, walk to this center, enjoy time together, have a healthful meal, and create something beautiful to sell.

6 Page 6 Manuel Mendez Muraoka Good News! Manuel is a 25 year old man from Mexico City. His father is Mexican, his mother Japanese. He traveled from Texas to the Midwest, where he was arrested and claimed asylum. He was in three jails during the next year, being released from the detention center in York, Pennsylvania on November 30, 2018, when asylum was granted. Upon release, an immigrant needs a host in America. His lawyer, Alexa Siegel, who works for the Pennsylvania Resource Center, but lives in Baltimore, mentioned this need to Donna Mistr. Donna contacted Rev. Norse Thomas, who sent out an seeking a place for temporary housing. The plan was that Manuel would go to San Diego to live with a half-uncle after a few days. Carol Mason agreed to take in Manuel and went to York, PA, to pick him up. Within a few days it became apparent that the San Diego plan would not work. The uncle who had never had any contact with Manuel decided he would not accept him. Carol decided to continue providing Manuel with a place to live. The members of MPC have provided many offers of support. Manuel now has an adequate winter wardrobe and several people have said they are willing to take him on outings. It will take a couple of months for Manuel to receive a work permit. He is anxious to be employed and would like to do odd jobs for cash, until he can seek a regular job. His lawyer said this is acceptable. He has had engineering courses in Mexico and worked for a software developer down there, so he could help you with your computer problems. He is willing to do any type of job. Carol can verify he is an excellent cleaner. He doesn t mind the weather, so he could take down your Christmas tree, lights etc. If you spend some time with Manuel, you will find that he is an intelligent, funny, caring, humble individual, who is eager to help with any task. Carol Mason For Such a Time as This Remember when last May, we joined thousands of Bread for the World members in prayer and letter writing? We asked our Congressional people not to forget the hungry and needy of this country and the world. Bread for the World writes: Thanks to your prayers and advocacy, we have yet to see any substantial cuts to low-income domestic programs. Congress provided an extra $1 billion to help countries that are on the verge of famine. Congress passed, and the president signed, the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act to eradicate hunger worldwide. And just before the end ot the year, Congress approved a farm bill that protects SNAP and improves international food aid programs. Also, Congress approved the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill addressing mass incarceration, a major cause of hunger in the U.S. Joe Wright finished up his letters before taking part in a pasta lunch in May 2018

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8 MPC News Magazine December Happenings Maryland Presbyterian Church 1105 Providence Road Towson, Maryland MPC Choir sings on December 16th The narthex tree decorated with members trimmings Mission: To be a welcoming, progressive faith community, nurturing inquisitive Christians for life and service in the twenty-first century. Thursday Choir rehearsal 7:30 PM Sunday Worship 11:00 AM Communion Sunday, to be announced January 2019 Church Staff Rev. David Norse, Minister Greg Metzler, Director of Music Anne E. Culbertson, Choir Section Leader Lauren Rohrs, Administrative Director Kathy Ramirez, Custodian Tues 1 Happy New Year Wed 2 Faith Discussion 7:30 PM See p. 1 Sun 6 Worship 11:00 AM Mon 7 Session 6:30 PM Wed 9 Faith Discussion 7:30 PM Sun 13 Worship 11:00 AM Wed 12 Faith Discussion 7:30 PM Sun 20 Worship 11:00 AM; Wed 23 Faith Discussion 7:30 PM Sun 27 Worship 11:00 AM Mon 21 Mission Group 6:30 PM Wed 30 Faith Discussion 7:30 PM Visit our Website at