The Bell-Tower NEWS Florissant Presbyterian Church

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1 The Bell-Tower NEWS Florissant Presbyterian Church Beauty in the Ruins On our present trip to Greece, in the ruins of ancient Corinth (the location of the Christians of Paul s 1 st and 2 nd letter); I learned a lesson about seeing the beauty in the different experiences of our faith journeys. Some of the stones were easily recognized for what they were as they were upright smooth, vibrantly white, with no crack or chips. On the other hand, many stones were horizontal, cracked, broken, weathered with gray and brown patinas. Yet they both point to a common artistic beauty in all of life. Our finite, worn, frayed lives are far from perfect and pristine, yet there is a beauty that shines through God s Grace in our world. As followers of Jesus, it s worth considering what we consider beautiful. I don t have any expertise in aesthetics, and no one has ever called me an artist. Yet still I wonder where Christian faith might intersect with an awareness that all things come from nothing and eventually return to nothing. God creates ex nihilo, yet our Creator does so for the purposes of love and with the goal of redemption. Christian beauty is thus balanced with a hope in the redemption and renewal of all that is presently fading away from dust to dust. Don t we recognize beauty in some of the common images and stories we share that are filled with the modest and the rough edged images of God s Grace. From a rustic manger and an old rugged cross to broken bread beside a clay chalice filled with the fruit of the vine, we are gathered around the beautiful stories of Jesus. The same Jesus who hugged the sick, accepted the diseased and dined with the sinners and outcast. The message in all these stories is that these worn, frayed lives so far from perfect and pristine share a beauty that catches God s eye. God is drawn to people that are flawed and imperfect just as I am drawn to the fallen, cracked, broken, and weathered stones of Corinth s ruins.

2 I have come to believe that one of our most important tasks is to see God s blessing and beauty in both our flaws and perfections, and in our failures and successes. We are called by God to be humble in our brokenness, imperfections, and finitude. We can celebrate our Iconic Summer craft, not in spite of its uneven shapes and blurred colors; rather it is our beautiful imperfections which reveal our wobbly steps as children of faith learning to walk closer with the incarnation of the human and divine in Jesus Christ. In the ruins of ancient Corinth, I see a lesson about recognizing the beauty in the many different experiences of our faith journeys. Some of the stones were upright, smooth, and with no crack or chips while other stones were fractured, broken, tumbled, and discolored. Yet they both point to a common Graceful beauty in all of us. Our finite, worn, frayed lives are far from perfect and pristine, yet God s Grace has claimed us just as we are. Along life s journey, may we discern God s Grace shown in the humble beauty of our human imperfection. Missing You in Christ Pastor Sean

3 CLERK S CORNER Candy Shelton, Clerk of Session The regular stated meeting of the Session of Florissant Presbyterian Church was held on Sunday, June 10, 2018 in the FPC Conference Room. At 12 noon Pastor Sean Butler officially opened the meeting with prayer and scripture from Mark 3. COMMISION REPORTS: CHRISTIAN EDUCATION An Iconic Summer will be held three Wednesdays in June (6, 13, 20). P Sean and Jon will lead the project on Icons and Greek food will be featured. Cradle Cross was given to the Gierer family. Amanda Denno received a graduation book. CHURCH LIFE Rolla Smith, chair, reminded everyone June 14 th is Cooking Up Kindness. There will be a salad luncheon on Father s Day June 17 for FPC members and GA guests. It was suggested the per capita amount be added to the Offering Envelope box. CHURCH OPERATION the Harmon Hall east AC is broken and too old to repair. One fourth of the sanctuary AC does not work. CONGREGATIONAL CARE reported 27 cards, 18 calls and 4 visits in the month of May. EVANGELISM included a written report in the packet. A kid s table has been added in the parlor for use during Sunday service. WORSHIP reported Choir will be on vacation after June 17 th. New Business: Updating the church directory was discussed. Please see that the office has your current , Pastor Sean closed the meeting at 1:30 p.m. with prayer. Next meeting Sunday, July 15, 2018.

4 3 Jon Murray 3 Andrew Taylor 3 Anne Wade* 4 Karen Collins 6 Brooklyn Buddeke 7 Kay Bass 10 Rich Meanor 16 Katherine Collins 17 Betty Brumback 21 Kathy Myers 21 Louise Scudder* 22 Mark Salfen 29 Anna Butler 29 Helen Butler 29 Caitlin Gierer 30 Alan Arseneau 30 Larry Hensley Anne Wade & Louise Scudder* If you would like to send birthday wishes, Anne s address is Westview Assisted Living, 27 Reinke Road, Room 117, Ellisville, MO Louise s address is Bellefontaine Garden Nursing Home, 9500 Bellefontaine Road, St. Louis, MO Richard & Joy Lee, married 62 years July 14 Sam & Carole Tumminia, married 29 years on July 15 Jon & Esther Murray, married 62 years on July 21 Leonard Jaeger Fred Branstetter Bill Spurgeon (Bill s memorial will be Saturday, August 11 at 4:00 pm FPC)

5 By Betty Walters Today Another Angel Went Home A Tribute to Our Church Family Please God help us to cope with the loss of our friends. We tried to lend a helping hand, But all that we did still wasn t enough. We wanted to hold onto our friends but the going got rough. Our friends were like angels to you and to me, But now they re in Heaven where we knew they would be. We called them our friends, and we called them our buddies They made our days together bright and sunny. They never complained about anything. Our friends loved God so much, and they earned their wings. They never said anything bad about anyone And always found good in everyone. We miss their laughs and their precious smiles, With everyone they always went the extra mile. At times we think that maybe we didn t do enough. Our Heavenly Father took them home when the going got tough.

6 Church News Mariner Log Saturday, June 9 th was a wonderful morning for the breakfast in the pavilion. No hot sun, a nice breeze and the rain did not come until we were finished, cleaned up and cleared out! Twenty people enjoyed a great selection of casseroles, fresh fruit, sweet rolles. Juice, milk and coffee. We had a great time of fellowship while we put together 30 goody bags for the USO. Thanks to everyone who brought the food and to Wayne for taking our bags to the USO. July - August - We continue to help with the Cooking up Kindness dinners. No plans at this time for our annual birthday celebration We will collect school supplies the month of August for the KidSmart Push for Pencils drive. Remember our one rummage sale for the year will be Saturday, August 4th from 7-11 am. Set up will start Monday, July 30 th and will continue through Friday 3 rd. times will vary. Summer Iconic Program Hope you didn't miss it! The Summer Iconic Program, that is. There were three chances and Pastor Sean presented informative and entertaining programs all about icons. We saw the bible through icons, how to videos and much more. Jon Murray outdid himself to prepare everything to create your own icon. Some guests were surprised at their unknown talent. Others wanted to stay all day working on their icon. Hope you got a chance to see their finished projects. Lunch was a mix of authentic Greek food (think Pastor Sean and his girls) and attempted Greek food (think Tom and Candy Shelton). It was great and the homemade baklava had rave reviews! Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make it a success!

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