Never Too Far Gone WE ARE NEVER TOO FAR GONE.

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1 Volume 51, No 8 August 2016 I n C h r i s t L o v i n g P e o p l e i n E a s t C h a r l o t t e 6740 Albemarle Road P. O. Box Charlotte, NC Telephone newsletter@arpres.org Never Too Far Gone God didn t, and doesn t, wait for us to get ready. God presented God s self for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready....but God put God s love on the line for us by offering His son (God s very self) in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to God. Romans 5:8 (The Message) WE ARE NEVER TOO FAR GONE. Christian music (all varieties) ministers to my soul. I came across this music video. If you are reading online, give this song a listen before reading on: v=tg6s8dxqj5w The chorus goes: There is no distance too far That I can t reach you There s no place so dark That I can t find you Anywhere that you are If you need proof Take a look at these scars And know I love you Doesn t matter, doesn t matter Doesn t matter what you ve done You are never, you are never Never too far gone There are numerous things about this song and video that speak to one. How astounding the truth of the lyrics YOU WILL NEVER OUTRUN MY LOVE while watching the guy on the video connect all the continents of earth with string. How widespread is God s love for us? Also, it is a reminder that our sinfulness is a global problem. There is nowhere we can run on the planet where sin does not exist. And, yet, there is nowhere on earth we can run where God cannot reach us with grace and love....neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 4:39) Astounding truth transforming truth for every person for the entire creation. There is nothing so dark that God cannot forgive when we come to God and say I m sorry Nothing too shameful. Nothing too disgraceful. God will always forgive those who ask. God is good! God is love! Always! All around us are people who feel far away from God. But not one is too far gone. God is here with open arms God is waiting for all to run into them. Let s Go! Let s go and take others with us! Jesus, thank You for rescuing us, even those of us who feel they are too far gone. Amen. Grace and Peace, Pastor Ron

2 FOCUS Page 2 Dear ARPC Family, How blessed we are to be part of such a loving caring church family. Thank you for the cards, calls, food, kind words, but most of all for your prayers during the past few weeks. My mother passed away peacefully with family at her side. She is home with our Lord and for that we rejoice. Love, Ted and Rayona Black Dear friends at ARPC, Thank you so much for your financial gift last month! We are so grateful for all the ways you ve supported the Urban Eagles and our family over the years. It s been a joy serving alongside you all in bringing the kingdom to the east side of Charlotte. We look forward to the rest of the year and all the ways the Lord will continue to use ARPC and the Urban Eagles to bring families to the Lord. Many Blessings, Travis, Jess, Anna, Theo Jones S e r v i n g i n A u g u s t NURSERY SCHEDULE FIRST LIGHT 9:00 August 7 Kim & Mike Hall, Tammy Williams August 14 Lee & Dan Shearer, Ellen Roubaud August 21 Brandy & Marty Margeson, Barbara Garrison August 28 Cindy & Gary Eccleston, Martie White SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 August 7 Susan Culbreth, Robin Silipigni August 14 Diann & Bill McGuirt August 21 Katy Leischner, Kevin McLemore August 28 Kim & Mike Hall WORSHIP 11:00 August 7 Nancy McLemore, Marilyn Michue August 14 Taylor Hagadorn, Eddie Massey August 21 Stephanie & John Fleming August 28 Sarah Tate, Jennifer Yelton HEAD USHERS August 7 Mike Moore August 14 Mike Brinkley August 21 Kevin McLemore August 28 Sandy Blackwelder Elder of the Month: Marilyn Michue O u r F a i t h f u l n e s s J u l y July /03/16 07/10/16 07/17/16 07/24/ Budget to date $249, , , , Received toward Budget to date $240, , , , Received on Budget per Sunday $13, , , , Needed per Sunday $9, , , , Church School Attendance Worship Attendance Building Maintenance Fund: ($36, pledged) Received toward pledge to date $21, , , , Received per Sunday $1, , SHINE! Capital Campaign ($799, pledged) Received toward pledge to date $128, , , , Received per Sunday $3, , , July cents-a-meal Offerings (through July 24) total $ August cents-a-meal Offerings will be collected Sunday, August 7, 2016

3 FOCUS Page 3 J u s t B o r n Emry Sky Lasiter Collin Hamilton Parker Daughter of Kayla Carder & Michael Lasiter, born at 3:05 p.m. Monday, July 11, in Charlotte. Emry weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and is 19 long. Her grandparents are Jeni & Randy Carder and proud great grandparents are Bobbie Carder and Dan & Nancy McLemore. Son of Jennifer & Brett Parker, born at 6:50 p.m. Monday, July 11, in Fredericksburg, VA. Collin weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and is 20.5 long. His big sister is Emery, big brother is Lucas, and proud grandparents are Nancy & Art Parker. U p d a t e o n R e n o v a t i o n s a n d M o d i f i c a t i o n s The Session has appointed Beth Cameron, Katy Leischner, and Don Blackmon to serve as a guiding team for the renovations and modifications work to be done on our campus. The SHINE Campaign Steering Team and this guiding team are working to complete some rework of the priorities based on the comments and feedback from the Cottage Meetings and the amount of money raised. That work will ultimately lead to recommendations to the Session for timing of construction work and the amount of money to be borrowed. Ultimately those recommendations will have to tie in with the Long Range Plan being developed. The guiding team met with Kevin Ranze and John Watson from the ADW Architects firm to discuss priorities, planning, and budget estimates. Their scope has increased to look at ADA accessibility for all campus buildings and restrooms. We will consider their recommendations shortly. They are also providing contact information for many smaller projects that we can contract directly. Their "best guess" is that it will take until the first of the year to have needed drawings, permits, and a contractor on-board to begin any work in the Sanctuary. Other work dealing with water-proofing the Calvin Hall basement, Sanctuary HVAC replacement, Family Life Center storage needs can proceed as we can complete plans and hire contractors. We currently have three proposals for the basement and are waiting for the third proposal for the HVAC. Work to implement the renovations and modifications should become more visible over the next several months. We plan to provide a monthly status report in the newsletter. And, of course, you are always encouraged to ask questions.

4 FOCUS Page 4 W e e k d a y S c h o o l Albemarle Road Presbyterian Weekday School will begin its 39th year this September. Open House is on Friday, September 2. Classes begin on Tuesday, September 6. Please recommend ARPC Weekday School to your friends and neighbors. For more information, call Nancy Parker Link Up to Help Out Please re-link your Harris Teeter VIC card with ARPC Weekday School at the cash register beginning August 1. The school s VIC card number is T u t o r s N e e d e d We Are Family Retreat Montreat, NC Can you believe it's already time to start signing up for our Fall We Are Family Retreat!?! Important things to remember: Weekend of OCT If you'd like to arrive on Friday to get an early start at the fun, that's an option! Bill Gaut has already been collecting wood for his infamous bonfire Jan Myers will be leading another 14 mile hike - reserve your spot NOW! :-) ARPC will partner with the Charlotte Urban Eagles to offer Tuesday evening tutoring beginning September 6, Volunteers are needed. No teaching experience necessary. Contact Bill McGuirt or Brenley Ogden for more information. Items for the Focus are due on the 20th of each month. Please mark this on your calendar for every month. Monthly Eat Togethers will be starting up again soon! This is a great activity to participate in to get to know your fellow Covenant Partners. Keep a look out for sign ups in the next few weeks and information about the Annual Kick Off Dinner coming in September.

5 FOCUS Page 5 Dear ARPC Family, What a great week in the mountains! We so enjoyed being with our high schoolers, three of whom are heading off to college in a few short weeks. We had a nice cabin, even better conversation, fun games, and yummy meals together around the table. Sweet fellowship with these young people. You'll probably get a brief answer if you ask them how their trip was. So, try asking Matt about Pokemon Go. Get Alex to tell you how much she loves the dump truck song. Daniel will wax on and on about his love for energizers. And Payton may admit her obsession with caramel fraps at the Huckleberry. Joyfully, Natalie Seilaff Thank you for your continued support of the senior high youth group. You have given us the opportunity to continue The Montreat Conference. I really enjoyed the fellowship with the youth group and getting to know the other youth groups from all over the country. Your contributions have allowed us to fully enjoy our time at Montreat. This was my last year at Montreat and I will miss it; but because of the church family you ve allowed me to have one last great experience with my youth group before I head off to College. Thank you again. Sincerely, Matt Silipigni Montreat was an amazing experience that helped me learn more about Scripture & Fellowship in the beautiful mountains with my youth group. I had a great time and met a lot of great people & made a few friends in my small group, Group 12. Our youth group did lots of fun activities including tubing, hiking, visiting a flea market, going to The Huckleberry (a local ice cream shop), and going out for pizza on Wednesday. I think Montreat definitely had a lasting impact on me because it inspired me to see so many other young people that were so kind and inspired to make a real difference in the world. I want to thank the church for all of their contributions and prayers that really helped send us on such an amazing experience. Have a nice day! Alex Disser Chick-fil-A Spirit Night August 15th 3:00 8:00

6 FOCUS What a fantastic week at VBS! All week we learned about Joseph s journey to Egypt from the prison to the palace. The themes we saw this week were that God gives us hope; God gives us special abilities, God gives us wisdom, God gives us forgiveness, and God gives us a family. Each theme corresponded to a story from Joseph s life. When Joseph was thrown into the pit by his brothers or into prison by Potipher, we see his resilience and strength based upon the hope he had in the one true God. We also saw Joseph s special ability of interpreting dreams. We all have Page 6 abilities and gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. Are we using them for God s glory? Praise God for all the volunteers who used their gifts at helping the children this week! God gave Joseph wisdom in how to handle the looming 7 years of famine that were preceded by 7 years of bounty. God granted Joseph the ability to forgive his brothers even though they were utterly wicked toward him as a boy. We all need not only to receive the forgiveness God offers to us in Christ, but to let that same forgiveness flow through us to others as we are offended and hurt. In this we are healed. Lastly, Joseph realized that God had let him experience all that he had in order to preserve his family. What his brothers meant for evil, God meant for good. Of course, the story doesn t end there, and neither does ours. God has plans for us dear brothers and sisters; plans for our church and plans for our community. We are greatly enriched by the reminders of Joseph s life and experience that God is always faithful no matter what may come.

7 Albemarle Road Presbyterian Church P. O. Box Charlotte, NC Address Service Requested Vacation Bible School 2016