BEACON. April The Story of St. Patrick. to encourage...to inspire...to inform... S A F E H A R B O R P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H

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1 S A F E H A R B O R P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H April 2017 BEACON to encourage...to inspire...to inform... When it comes to Saint Patrick, the story of the man and his life is better than the legend and the myth. March 17 th belongs to St. Patrick and for most of us it s mostly about "kiss me I'm Irish" shirts, Irish food and drink specials at local watering holes, leprechauns, shamrocks, and green everywhere. Famously, the City of Chicago dumps forty pounds of its top-secret dye into the river, and countless breweries dump green dye into their beer. But long before there was St. Patrick day with its green beer and shenanigans, there was the Patrick of history. Patrick was born in 385 in Roman Britannia in the modern-day town of Dumbarton, Scotland. Most of what we know of Patrick comes from his autobiography, not surprisingly entitled, St. Patrick s Confessions. Patrick opens his autobiography with these words: My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest, who lived at Bannavem Taburniae. His home was near there, and that is where I was taken prisoner. I was about sixteen at the time. Patrick skips over much of his first sixteen years, because it was in his sixteenth year of his life, in the year 401 that Patrick was captured by barbarian Irish pirates and made a slave. When the pirates landed on the Irish coast, they took Patrick about 200 miles inland where he was forced to be a shepherd and farm laborer. Six years passed and Patrick had either a vivid dream or a vision in which he was shown an escape route. Emboldened, Patrick made his break form his captors, traveling back over the 200 miles to the shoreline. As he approached the docks, there in front of him was a British ship waiting to set sail. The sails unfurled just as Patrick climbed aboard and soon, Patrick was home. But he didn t stay long. Before he was a prisoner, Patrick s Catholicism meant little to him and was completely disconnected from his heart and faith. The Story of St. Patrick That changed during his captivity. His previously ambivalent association with Catholicism turned into a real faith that galvanized into strength of heart and mind and served to buoy him through those long, dark days. Once back in his homeland he committed to his faith in earnest, seeking the knowledge to increase his literacy and love for his faith. He became a priest and helped people to connect their hearts to their religion and challenged his people to connect to God and trust in His love. Patrick soon felt a tremendous burden not only for his own people in Scotland, but for the people that had kidnapped him. So he returned to Ireland with a mission. Patrick had no less of a goal than seeing the people of pagan Ireland leave behind their paganism, learn to read, write, and grow in an understanding of God and His love. He set out on this mission by modeling forgiveness and service to his once captors. Patrick was the first great missionary since the days of the Apostles. These efforts did not set well with Laoghaire, the Druid king of pagan Ireland. Patrick s bold attempts to share the message of Christianity and start churches resulted in Laoghaire placing a death order on Patrick. He took to carrying a dagger and improved his skills in hand to hand combat, ironically, so he could travel the countryside with the message of forgiveness and love. At the threat of his own life, Patrick persisted to preach and teach about a loving God. Eventually he was brought before the king and in his defense of his own faith he ended up converting the King to Christianity and was baptized by Patrick and during the grand celebration of his new found faith much of the people of Ireland followed suit. A famous legend of St. Patrick is that he rid all of Ireland of snakes. Snakes were not native to Ireland at the time. Most historians believe this was the quaint Irish honor given to the hero that drove the devil from

2 his roost in pagan Ireland. Just as the devil, the snake, was banished from the garden of Eden, so Patrick rid Ireland of pagan marauding ways and cultural and civil barbarianism by bringing not only Catholicism to Ireland, but by bringing a whole new ethic of love, mercy and forgiveness. Thomas Cahill, in his New York Times bestselling book argues that St. Patrick and his Ireland saved civilization, the snakes were definitely driven off. Patrick would come to be known as the Apostle of Ireland. He planted churches in every town he visited, the first one likely at a place called Saul, in Northern Ireland, a bit inland from the coast and just below Belfast. Patrick planted more and more churches as he crisscrossed Ireland with his message of love and forgiveness. Much of the St. Patrick legend flows from very common faithfulness. Take the shamrock for instance. Some biographers and historians claim that Patrick used the shamrock. as an object lesson to teach pagans about the Trinity, there is no written evidence to support this claim, but it sure has stuck. Regardless of the blurred lines between history and legend, Patrick changed the world by laying his life on the line to model and teach forgiveness and love. Patrick died in the first church he planted, in the town of Saul, Ireland, on March 17, 461, at the age of 76. All of Ireland mourned, and all the world still celebrates him on the day of his passing. Most of the world celebrates in ignorance, but now you know better. Instead of drinking green beer on St. Patrick s day, (it's usually cheap beer anyway) maybe we should show some love and forgiveness as a more suitable tribute, either way, I hope you'll remember and never forget the life and story of St. Patrick. Pastor Todd - Piano for sale! Old Wurlitzer free to good home you haul Contact Eva Cassidy at Cleats for El Salvador. Cleaning out your garage this Spring? Children starting soccer practices soon? If you have old cleats that you re getting rid of, Christian Graham would love them to take to El Salvador this summer. Bring them to the church and mark them for El Salvador or Christian. THANK YOU the kids will love them! VBS Helpers Needed! Dates: August 7-11th Theme Upward Bound Many hands needed contact Kelli Dutton or Jen Boehm if you can help. High school and middle school helpers welcome!! SAFE HARBOR WEBSITE: If you would like to have a church related ministry, activity, or announcement placed on the church website ( please sent the text and documents to: jackperdue@gmail.com. Begin the subject line with "Safe Harbor"

3 Our book for the 2017 Lent season is, The Gospel- Centered Community by Robert Thune & Will Walker. Easter Service information Friday, April 14th Good Friday service at 7pm Sunday, April 16th Sunrise service at Cloverfields Beach at 6am We don t want to be alone; we want to be loved and we know that genuine relationships make our lives rich. But somehow living in community always ends up being harder that we thought. This book helps us learn how the spirit shapes diverse people into a Christ-centered community that reflects Jesus to a watching world. This book is full of wisdom and is a biblically solid guide on how to do more than merely exist in community. The sermon series goes through to Easter and we still have books available for anyone who wants one. Call the church office. Worship services at church: 9:30 and 11am No Sunday school Annual Spring Blood Drive Meet-N-Eat Church Potluck to Welcome our Visitors Safe Harbor will be hosting our annual Spring blood drive on Sunday, April 23rd in the gym. It will run from 10:30am-4pm, and we are saving morning appointments for Safe Harbor! If you have given in the past, or would like to be a first-time donor, please call Karen in the church office, or go directly to the website and follow the prompts: Also looking for a couple of volunteers to help with the registration table from that day. If you can do this, contact the office it is just checking people in and giving them the literature to read. Sunday, April 30th at 11am Come and enjoy fellowship time, hear from some of our ministries, and have a delicious lunch, Italian style! Hosted by the Lombardo Life group We ask our members and regular attenders to please bring a side or dessert to share all visitors are our guests! Let s meet and eat!

4 APRIL UPDATE Thrift Store: Operations continue Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm. Clothing and household goods are sold at deeply reduced prices. Requests for essential items through organizations on behalf of individuals and families are regularly granted. Store is always in need of donations of collectables and children s toys. If you would like to volunteer in the store, contact Liz Bazzell. Next fundraising event will be the annual Tea Party on May 21st tickets are now available at Our Daily Thread or contact Sandi Wiscott. Resource Center: The Resource center is located at St. Paul s Episcopal Church in Centreville and open to the public. Days are Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm. Case Management services of connecting to area recourses are provided along with job training and educational programming. Food Pantry: Food distributions are the 3rd Friday of every month. An average of 76 people form our community receive food. Include all members of the household and 230 people are helped monthly. If you would like to volunteer once a month, please call Sandi. Street Outreach Program: This program responds to the housing crisis in the community by meeting with individuals wherever they are and connecting them to services. Approximately 24 people are helped monthly. Easter Ham Outreach: Praise God to all those who provided hams for the Christian Community Center in Baltimore. They will be picked up, along with cartons of oranges and apples that we purchase for them. An Easter feast and fun day is planned for the CCC on Saturday, April 8th, so if you would like to join the group and help with this outreach, contact Sandi Wiscott or the church office. Haven Ministries love our community and continues to serve in meaningful ways! We are an organization that provides HOPE through shelter, clothing, food, and support. Homeless Shelter: Since opening in December 2016, Haven Ministries has hosted 21 guests, 5 of whom have been children. Every guest is provided with the essentials of food, clothing and shelter, and love! Our experienced Case Management services are also available to connect every guest to area resources, and help them move onto safe and affordable housing. As of today, most of the guests are now employed and in permanent housing. In the winter of 2017, Haven Ministries moved it s existing quality program into a designated space within the same building at Kent Island United Methodist Church. the space is fully furnished and beautifully decorated. Transportation: An SUV was purchased and is being used to provide safe transport for all shelter guests. Future Plans: haven Ministries continues in our commitment to owning homes to expand our program, to include long-term housing assistance. Needs: Home donations to help clients with longerterm housing needs. We praise God for leading so many to volunteer to help again this season. We need each and everyone of you! Please pray for those still at the Shelter, that they may continue to improve, and to remember their goals can be achieved one step at a time....to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our Lord. Micah 6:8

5 18th Annual Choices Golf Tournament Tuesday, May 2nd At Queenstown Harbor Golf Course 8an Breakfast 9am Shotgun start Individual golfers and teams are encouraged, There will be great prizes in store for our Mother s Day basket raffle, lunch is provided and a chance to win a $10,000 hole-in-one! Registration Fee $100 per player Husband and wife special: $ All payments are to be made in advance this year so we know how many we will have playing. Fee includes all fees, breakfast, refreshments and lunch. Registration forms can be found on our bulletin board in the narthex. There are also sponsor opportunities, and that information can also be found on the bulletin board, Any questions, contact our chairperson Lorraine Let Life Shine Walk for Life! Join Choices on Saturday, April 29th, to let life shine through the streets of downtown Easton. This year s Walk for Life will be held at Idlewild Park and this is a family event to bring your strollers, church group, friends and peoplefriendly pups for the short 2 mile walk. Sponsorship needed raise $200 and you get a free t-shirt. Be the adult, teen or child to raise the most and receive a prize! For more info, contact Stacey at Stacey@cpcshore.org Registration: 8:30am Save the Date: Tea & Fashion show coming up on Saturday, May 20th. This will be a fun fund-raiser to watch for more info. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES We are always looking for volunteers, especially if you are a member of the local medical community. We also need help in other areas such as manning a booth at the several community fairs this summer. So if you are interested, please call the center for more details: There were four churches and a synagogue in a small town: a Presbyterian church, a Baptist church, a Methodist church, a Catholic church, and a synagogue. Each church and the synagogue had a problem with squirrels. The Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrels. After much prayer and consideration, they concluded the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will. At the Baptist church the squirrels had taken an interest in the baptistery. The deacons met and decided to put a water slide on the baptistery and let the squirrels drown themselves. The squirrels liked the slide and, unfortunately, knew instinctively how to swim so twice as many squirrels showed up the following week. The Methodist church decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creatures. So, they humanely trapped their squirrels and set them free near the Baptist Church. Two weeks later the squirrels were back when the Baptists took down the water slide. But the Catholic Church came up with a very creative strategy. They baptized all the squirrels and consecrated them as members of the church. Now they only see them at Christmas and Easter. Not much was heard from the Jewish synagogue; they took the first squirrel and circumcised him. They haven't seen a squirrel since!!

6 What is it? It's tougher than ever to be both a kid and a parent today! The world's culture is continually pushing an anything-goes sexuality on our children. This is a one-day seminar for parents of young children though teens. Gospel Sexuality: Raising Sexually Healthy Kids gives you gospel-centered principles and practical helps to disciple your kids' hearts and nurture their faith as they face the sexual chaos of their world. What will be discussed? Session 1: DISCOVERING: Looking Deeper than the Fruit Learn how to think through the complex issues of sexuality, how to conceptualize your children as sexual image bearers of God, and how Christ transforms our parenting. Session 2: TALKING: Having the Sex Talk(s) How do we talk with our children about sexuality? Learn how to share a Christ-centered vision for sexuality with your family, receive practical guidance for age-appropriate conversations, and find grace for the challenging road ahead. Session 3: PROTECTING: Navigating the Technological Terrain How can we know our children's world? The latest innovations in technology and social media are being used to indoctrinate a fallen sexual worldview. Learn the dangers of this terrain and what you can do about them in discipling your children. Session 4: WALKING: Helping a Struggling Child All of us are sexually broken, including our children. Learn how to engage and aid your children as they struggle with various sexual sins and how you can partner with God in being an agent of change in their lives. What are the event details? Date: April 29th, 2017 Location: Time: Severna Park Evangelical Presbyterian 110 Ritchie Hwy Pasadena, MD :30am - 3:30pm (Doors open at 8:45am) Cost: Single: $10 (Lunch is on your own in the surrounding area) Have questions? Please contact Brooke Delaney,brooke@harvestusa.org Information about the speakers can be found on the bulletin board in the narthex.

7 Date: Saturday, April 8th Time: 8am Location: Safe Harbor Church Speaker: Tom Bangs Friends, neighbors, and relatives are all welcome to come for fellowship and a great breakfast! Saturday, April 8th Church Spring Clean-Up Day 9:00am 12:00pm The Safe Harbor spring clean-up day is Saturday, April 8th and we need your help. We will be carrying out some general grounds clean up, plus weeding and mulching. If you can spare one, two or three hours on that day, your assistance would be appreciated. Open to everyone! Items to bring: work gloves, rakes, shovels, wheel barrows for moving the stone. Mark your stuff! And pray for no rain on that day!!

8 Youth Events VICTORY JAM! Join hundreds of middle school students for FIVE action packed days of connecting with the GOD OF THIS UNI- VERSE! Excellent Speaker, Break-out Seminars for practical take-aways for students, fantastic worship, magic show, bunk style accommodations, (linens provided) indoor pool, hot tub, the BEACH, excellent coffee, bumpin t-shirt, talent show, free-time options, x-games, hilarious skits, wacky team competitions, and more! Send your students to the next level, bring their friends to experience the Gospel for the first time, kickoff your middle school summer with a bang! (FOR CURRENT 6TH-8TH GRADERS) WHAT? KINGS FEST WHERE? KINGS DOMINION WHEN? JUNE 22ND - 23RD HOW MUCH? $145 Price includes: Transportation to and from Safe Harbor Hotel Accommodations (one night) All meals - except one dinner 2 days admission to Kings Dominion 2 day admission to Kings Fest concert to hear artists: Chris Tomlin For King & Country Crowder Ryan Stevenson Toby Mac Rend Collective Mac Powell Register at When - June 26-30, 2017 Cost ~ $340 Includes: 5 days 4 nights of jam packed fun! Throw in an excellent speaker - amazing worship and you ve got the best week of your summer!! Don t miss out! This will sell out! To register - please go to and click on the Victory Jam link! Call the church office if you have any questions! Or Laura Pyle at laura@safeharborpca.org Sign up early!