Joining Hands

Joining Hands by Chenoa Stock, Mission Co-Worker for the PC(USA)

Full disclosure: I was working the slide projector, so I did not take notes, but here is the gist of what Chenoa talked about.

Chenoa detailed her experience in Sri Lanka with the “Joining Hands” mission program. The approach to mission was to work with local groups on issues that they felt were important. The program looks to provide assistance on root causes of poverty and injustice, working with locals of many different faiths.

In Sri Lanka some of the issues that Chenoa’s group worked on were

- helping with long-term recovery from the 2004 tsunami

- dealing with elephant incursions into human-inhabited space. The elephants can be very destructive, destroying property and killing people. But many Sri Lankans also believe that elephants are holy and should not be harmed. Also elephants are valued because of their part in the tourist industry.

- property rights issues

Next year Chenoa will be going to Bolivia, again as part of the Joining Hands network.

You can read more about Joining Hands here:

Read about specifics on the Sri Lankan program

Read about specifics on the Bolivian program.

Trust

A lesson on Trust by Jon Draskovic

Proverbs 3:5-6 and 29:25

What does it mean to trust in God?

Ideas from the class:

- to give up control, rather than trying to manipulate events.

- turn my burden over to God. Peace is the result.

- Jesus is in me and I am in him.

- trust that there is a reason for there being “down” days

- no matter how bad things get in life, I believe God will handle it, and so I don’t worry about things

- being fully dependent on God.

Trust is quite personal. Everyone has different areas where trust is a challenge. Jon gave us two examples.

- living with limited financial resources

- one person needs to abstain from alcohol. Another person can go to the bar and evangelize there with no problems. Both are trusting in God in those two vastly different decisions.

The class suggested:

- raising children

- making decisions about a direction in life

- marriage

- airplane flights

- trusting strangers

- problems recognizing that I am trusting in God during the very moment that I am exercising trust.

From the Christian perspective, what makes it so hard to trust in God?

- we see so much evil in the world and ask God, “Why are you permitting this?”

- we (like children) like to push the envelope.

-the Christian life of discipleship is not easy. The Bible tells us about good people who have bad things happen to them, and bad people to whom good things happen.

Even in the face of difficult/bad events we are called, as Christians, to follow Jesus.

Matthew 15:21-28 The Canaanite woman, with a demon-possessed daughter.

What did it mean for the Canaanite woman to trust?

- she was persistent, desperate, had to acknowledge Jesus was the master, and had to humiliate herself.

John Calvin – Most of us think faith is an assent to the history written in the gospel. But faith is recognizing that God is the actor. God is more than a thing we worship. When we put our trust in God, we receive the Holy Spirit. And then we need to bear fruit.

A visual aid on trust, based on 1 Cor 2:14 and surrounding verses.

The “natural” person – is without the Spirit; Christ is outside the circle of his life.

This person is on his own throne.

The carnal/worldly person – has accepted Christ into his life circle, but the person is still on his own throne.

The spiritual person – has accepted Christ into his life, and Christ is on the throne. This person fully trusts in Christ.

In our lives, what does it look like to be that third, spiritual person?

- we are praising God

- we allow God to be in charge of our life

- God is our guide

- I believe that God is making me into the person God wants me to be

Lessons from Nehemiah, Parts 3 and 4

The conclusion of our series on Lessons from Nehemiah by Bob Jamison, Director of Family Guidance, Inc.

Review of last week’s class (10/31):

When the Israelites are half-done with the wall, they get discouraged. There is opposition. The builders need armed guards to protect against immanent attack. It is a lesson of perseverance.

Today (11/7) we read Chapter 8, in which.....

The people assembled before the Water Gate. Ezra the priest brought the Book of Moses and read it aloud. The people bowed down and worshipped God. The Levites explained the Book of Moses to the people. All the people had been weeping as it was read. But Nehemiah said, “Let’s party! Be joyful!” They built booths to celebrate the holy day of the 7th month, as the Book of Moses instructed them to do.

This generation of Israelites had never heard the Book of Moses. A modern equivalent – when the Soviet Union lost control over Eastern Europe – the Eastern Europeans were getting their identity back, but it had been several generations since the people had lived with that identity.

Another example - Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian pastor during the Soviet occupation of Romania. (see also Voice of the Martyrs) The Soviets suppressed Christianity but Wurmbrand shared the gospel with a soldier who became a Christian after hearing the gospel for the very first time.

How do the people respond to the word of God?

- they regard the word of God as holy.

- they weep when they hear it.

- they bow down and worship God.

- they do what the law says – instant obedience.

- they remember the time when they were lived in tents and were protected only by God (just at the moment when they have finished building their wall of protection)

Why are the people weeping?

- Maybe they are feeling the conviction of their own sin. This is the first step of turning back to God.

- Maybe they are feeling let down now that all the work is done.

- They recognize God’s faithfulness to them and see that God would have taken care of them, if only they had turned to God.

Why should they celebrate? Nehemiah says, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

The people of Israel realize that God is giving them himself – he is restoring the covenant, restoring their relationship with God. God gave the people so much more than just a wall.

Bob told us the story of Duncan Campbell, a man who went to the Hebrides Islands to revive the church there.

In conclusion, our pastor urges us to read Nehemiah Chapter 9, which summarizes the Old Testament in one chapter. It’s like “The Old Testament for Idiots.”

Lessons from Nehemiah, Part 2

Oct 24: Lessons from Nehemiah by Bob Jamison, Director of Family Guidance, Inc.

This past Sunday we looked at Nehemiah, Chapter 3.

The names are hard to pronounce and there are a lot of them. By listing them, Nehemiah is making several points:

a) He shows that they were a team – it’s like the movie credits at the end of a movie – everyone who participated in the project is listed as a participant.

b) Listing the details establishes the credibility of the document, and the event itself.

c) The names are there to remind others of the sacrifice the workers made, to inspire the same sense of participation and sacrifice.

Who responded to the call to build the wall? If you are tuned to a certain “frequency” or call to mission (for example, helping the homeless) then participate! But if your passion/call is something else (for instance, or teaching children to read) then follow that passion.

The people:

- The “daughters” (Neh 3:12). Usually women didn’t count for much, but here the women wanted to be part of the effort.

- the men of Tekoa, except not the nobles (Neh 3:5). Why did the nobles not participate? – too proud, too noble, too lazy?

- the people repaired “their” section – near their own homes. But there is still mutual accountability – all the holes in the wall had to be repaired for each family to be protected.

The Gates:

The Sheep Gate – sheep entered the city there.

The Fish Gate – fish were brought to market through this gate.

Dung Gate – the Waste Management division.

Every project has a dung gate – the job that nobody else wants. The “dung gate” job is just as important to God as the Sheep Gate and the Fish Gate jobs. A prime example is Jesus, who chose to be the servant and live among those who would mock, reject, and kill him.

Lessons from Nehemiah, part 1

Our teacher for the next few weeks is Bob Jamison, Director of Family Guidance, Inc. Click on this link for more info about Family Guidance.

We read Nehemiah, Chapters 1 and 2.

Why is Nehemiah in Persia?

- He was in exile. Many Jews had been captured and taken into exile by the Babylonians, who were in turn conquered by the Persians. The Babylonian policy toward conquered people was assimilation – making the people fully Babylonian. God has a problem with that, because God had promised an everlasting covenant with the people of Israel.

The Babylonians took into exile the upper class and educated Jews and left the rest of the people in Jerusalem. This caused economic disaster in Jerusalem. The symbol of being a conquered people – the broken wall.

The challenge for the people in exile: keeping hold of their heritage and their relationship with God (for example, keeping kosher would be difficult in Babylon). The situation for those left behind in Jerusalem: chaos, false leaders fighting with each other, lack of protection, hopelessness, shame. Can you relate to those who live in a world pressuring you to abandon your faith (like the people taken into exile)? Can you relate to those who are living with crushing defeat (like those left in Jerusalem)?

What happens to a person’s faith in the face of disaster?

- faith can strengthen

- gain compassion for others

- anger

- questioning God’s existence or God’s good will toward people

- emptiness

- confusion

- misplaced blame for the disaster

-depression

How does Nehemiah respond to the news of disaster back in Jerusalem?

1. He identifies with the broken people. As cupbearer to the King, he was in a position of great responsibility and benefit to himself. He didn’t have to care about the Jews in Jerusalem. But he did. He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed.

2. He turns to God and expresses contrition and repentance (“change of direction”)

3. He is devoted to the word of God; scripture tells of God’s promise. In his prayer, he reminds God of God’s original promise to the people, quoting God’s promises to Solomon.

4. He takes action.

Neh 2:2. Note that it was a capital offense to look sad in the presence of the Persian King! Look sad, and it’s “Off with Your Head.”

Next week – the work on the wall begins. We’ll take a look at some of the people working on this wall.

Our Response

The Stewardship of Creation: Christian Implications In Light of Earth's Ecological Crisis!

Today we asked, How can we, as Christians, be more faithful to God in our response to environmental problems? Class participants commented:

- recycle (some townships now recycle more items, including cardboard). “My husband recycles everything in the house. Except his wife.” One participant said, “Where are we going to put all this stuff if we don’t recycle?!” Someone else replied, “It’s in my closet.”

- use energy-efficient light bulbs. Issue - new bulbs are dangerous if they break, exposing mercury. Someone added that manufacturers have recently improved the new energy-efficient light bulbs.

- Eliminate/reduce use of paper towels.

- Reduce use of plastic grocery bags.

- Make good choices in house construction. Example: use bamboo flooring.

- Vote appropriately for candidates who consider environmental issues.

- Don’t feel you need to keep up with the Joneses. “Pecuniary emulation” is a great part of the problem.

- Make it convenient to recycle and to care for the environment.

- Realize that the issues are complex. Pittsburgh’s air pollution problem was solved by sending those dirty industries overseas to Eastern Europe and other places. We also reduced our employment here, and many Western PA towns have suffered economically. The answer is not easy.

- Change takes a cooperative a global effort.

- the Marcellus Shale issue is a dilemma.

- Encourage the government to subsidize new, greener technology. (see “Vote appropriately”)

A Measure of Our Faith

This week and next, we have a two-part series on

The Stewardship of Creation: Christian Implications In Light of Earth's Ecological Crisis!

Today, we considered Holy Scripture's teaching about the care of the earth.

Main conclusions:

• We as Christians should take seriously our relationship to the natural order.

• Everything belongs to God. God entrusts some of creation (body, money, land, etc) to us.

• What we do with what God has entrusted to us is probably the best measure of our faith.

• Salvation is not limited to humans; God is the redeemer of the whole universe.

Joan Chittister gives this quote: “The Judeo-Christian ethic justifies domination,” quoting a 1960 essay on the historical roots of the ecological crisis. Where does this idea come from? Probably from the first creation story in Genesis, which ostensibly gives humans the right to do whatever they want – “... fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over... every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

Biblical foundations for Eco-Justice:

1) The first creation story (Gen 1:1-2:3) Alternate interpretation than the above quotation: humans are to represent God on earth to the other creatures, for the sake of all creatures.

2) The second creation story (Gen 2:4-25). An interpretation of the command to name the animals: This means we humans are to enter into a relationship with God’s other creatures.

3) The land belongs to God. The principle of stewardship runs counter to cultural norms. Everything belongs to God. God entrusts it (body, money, land, etc) to us. What we do with what God has entrusted to us is probably the best measure of our faith.

Lev 25:23-24 Psalm 24:1-2 Psalm 65:9-11 Job 38:4-7

4) The connection between faithfulness and ecological prosperity.

Lev 26:3-5 Isaiah 1:2b-4, 7. Isaiah 55:12-13 Hosea 4:1-3

5) God’s care and respect for all creatures.

Psalm 104:10-18 Psalm 50:10-11 Job 12:7-10 Hosea 2:18

6) The universe reflects God’s glory and love

Psalm 19:1. Psalm 36: 5, 9.

7) Salvation includes the cosmos.

In John 3:16-17 “God so loved the world...” the word for “world” is “cosmos” meaning the whole universe.

Isaiah 35:1-2 John 3:16-17 Colossians 1:15-20 Romans 8:20-21 Revelation 7:2-3

Links for information on caring for God’s creation:

Environmental Justice Office, Presbyterian Church (USA) www.pcusa.org/environment

Presbyterians for Earth Care (formerly Presbyterians for Restoring Creation), a grassroots fellowship of people caring for God’s creation http://www.presbyearthcare.org/

Eco-Justice Working Group of the National Council of Churches of Christ, an ecumenical environmental ministry http://nccecojustice.org/

Ecumenical Eco-Justice Network www.ecojusticenetwork.org

National Religious Partnership for the Environment www.nrpe.org

North America Coalition for Christianity and Ecology (link seems broken) www.nacce.org

New Community Project www.newcommunityproject.org

Regional Organizations Also with Congregational Resources:

Earth Ministry, Seattle, WA www.earthministry.org

Web of Creation, Chicago, IL www.webofcreation.org

Eco-Justice Ministries, Denver, CO www.eco-justice.org

We Rejoice in the Lord

Today we studied Philippians 3:1-11. We responded to this prompt:

Write a letter back to Paul, detailing what gives the members of your group cause for joy. You can also include information on what gives our church cause for joy.

Here's what the three groups wrote.

Dear Paul,

Thank you for the reminders that we can rejoice in the Lord, that we don’t have to be perfect or always do the right things, to perform the perfect ritual to feel the grace of God. At our church we learn how to share with each other. There is strength in sharing. We are joyful about the offerings of this Sunday School class and our fellowship here. We recognize that life will bring us sadness, difficulties and disappointments, yet there are many people at our church who are willing to help shoulder our tough times and minister to our needs.

Sincerely,

Us

Dear Brother Paul,

We want to affirm the people who are doing tasks for the church, but more importantly for their joyful servant hearts, as they serve the Lord. Every day I rejoice that I “die”, as you wrote in Phil 3 verse 10 ("I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death"). I rejoice I can look forward to the resurrection. We rejoice for the people who step up when it’s not easy. We rejoice in scripture, and in music and hymns. We rejoice in how our music director picked out the anthems and hymns for today, which were based on the passage we studied today, and could have been sung by you yourself!

Love,

Us

Dear Paul,

We rejoice in the Lord. Jesus paid our debt and set us free. Paul, we are grateful for you bringing us the good news. Because you long to hear good news from the churches – here is the good news from our church. We have lots of new young families with children in our church. Our teens are actively engaged serving others in community and beyond. We love supporting each other spiritually and emotionally and with prayer. Our child care center, preschool, and food bank serve this community. We care for God’s people – here and far away. We continue to rejoice in the Lord and follow your example.

Human Resources Dept and Welcome Committee

On April 25, we discussed Philippians 2:19-30, which is about Timothy and Epaphroditus.

Group 1 decided to act as the Human Resources department, and write a list of leadership qualities that they saw in Timothy and Epaphroditus:

- obedience

- humility

- loyalty

- Christ-like nature

- selflessness

- loving nature

-willingness to serve

- courage

-knowledge of the faith.

Group 2 chose to invite Epaphroditus and to serve as the Welcome Committee.

When sending our invitation we would be sure to spell his name right, and learn how to pronounce it. We would welcome him to our church. We would ask him to please tell us about himself. How did you learn about Christ? We would ask him to preach. We also recognize that he is homesick, so we would let him stay in a home, give him pierogies, take him to a Steelers game. He could help us by sharing his vision for the future of the church with others.

Group 3 was also a Welcome Committee. Their welcome would look like this:

We would welcome Epaphroditus with a celebration. With food, of course. We would let him know that he is a valued and beloved member of our community. We thought he was dead and are delighted to see him alive. We sent E. to Paul and will be greatly interested in hearing much about being with Paul. E could help us by answering our questions about Paul’s teachings and telling us what other Christians in churches are doing and encountering. We could follow his example by serving as E. served Paul.

Don't Complain! Shine like Stars!

On April 18th, the lesson was on Philippians 2:12-18. “Do everything without complaining or arguing....Shine like stars in the universe.”

Two groups chose to rewrite the drama that we imagined took place at the Church at Philippi. The situation: after Christian worship services at the river bank, Lydia’s family members always finish the figs and baklava, leaving nothing for anyone else. Our groups kept in mind Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without murmuring and arguing” as they rewrote the scene.

Group 1’s rewrite went something like this:

Lydia: I apologize for my children’s behavior. (to her children) Kids! Come here. We need to have a little talk. (to the other adults) I apologize again.

Phoebe: I noticed that Joe stays up all night. Maybe we could give him some help. I also noticed that the figs and baklava go first. Why don’t we leave out the fish and seawood crunchies.

Lydia: Yes, I think we should do away with those, and get more figs and baklava. Everybody vote!

Group 2’s rewrite:

Joe: Lydia amazes me, with so many children to take care of, and so many needs. Man, I just know how hard it is to care for my family.

Rick: I’ve got two kids, and it’s hard; she must have 20 kids. I don’t know how she does it.

Joe: Hey, listen. I know we’ve got a lot of things going on, but why don’t we ask how we can help. You and your wife can take some kids, and I can take some, also.

Rick: Hey Lydia, we don’t have as much on our plate – can we give you a hand while your husband is away?

Lydia: Can you believe how nice Joe and Rick are – they have so much to do already, and here they are offering to help me out!

Phoebe: They are an inspiration to me. I realize that I need to help you out more.

Lydia: Maybe there’s some way I can also help others. There is a lot of food here. Maybe we can share it with some other families.

* * * * *

Two groups chose to make a list of how our church has worked to try to shine like a star in a dark place.

Group 3’s list:

- the day care center

- preschool

-youth ministry

- serving the meal at the men’s shelter

- Food Bank

- Bible studies

- evangelism and community outreach

- Vacation Bible School.

- Malawi partnership

- Habitat for Humanity

- Youth Ministry Counseling Center

- message board

- welcoming worship services

- contemporary worship service

- web site

- music ministry

- Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Group 4 listed most of the above and also listed:

- sent people to help with reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina

- sent money to help with rebuilding Haiti after earthquake

- Homestead, Florida- our youth helped to repair

- youth work camps

Power Tools

Youth Group Work Camp!

Recap of their presentation on April 11

The work camp in 2009 was centered in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area, where a levee broke and the Iowa River flooded the town. The water reached up to the floor of the second story – about 11 feet. The town was at 33% of normal population. Most of the houses were gutted. The high school had been closed.

Our youth group stayed with a youth group from Michigan. Accommodations for the leaders were interesting: one slept on the altar; another slept in the closet.

The work: installing drywall, removing old siding, putting on new siding, and inside work. Note that they did an excellent job putting up drywall around a circular window. Some overcame their fear of heights, working on scaffolding up above the second story. Yikes!

Audience asked questions –

Q. What makes you go to work camp summer after summer?

- the kids who go to work camp are my friends.

- my parents don’t let me use power tools at home

- the work makes me feel good about working

-cats

Q. What were you surprised at?

- the level of destruction caused by the flooding

Q. What interaction did you have with the homeowners?

- The homeowner worked alongside our crew all week.

- they gave us food all the time. Like brownies.

- Ralph was about 68-70 years old

Respect

Recap for March 28

Michael Glass, Executive Director of Northside Common Ministries

http://www.pghpresbytery.org/mission_agencies/miss_files/n.sideCommon.htm

Guiding Philosophy:

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing to serve others?” - Martin Luther King, Jr. and

“What are you here for? What is your purpose?”

Many children don’t have privileges and in fact don’t even know if they will eat today. For most, it’s because of where they live.

Do we have an obligation to change this disparity? Yes.

In a speech shortly after receiving the Nobel Prize: President Obama said that titles say little about how one has lived. There is always more to achieve.

NCM’s Core values

1. Stewardship – do the right thing with the stuff you have

2. Service – treat every human being with respect

NCM runs three programs

- Permanent housing– for disabled homeless. A disabled man living on the street has a 90% chance of being a victim of violence within 48 hours

- food pantry - like a grocery store- each client gets x # pounds of food per week. Largest community food bank in our area. 600-700 families served.

- Pleasant Valley Shelter – for homeless men

Goal is to take care of basic needs. Shelter sleeps 25 men. Out of 365 days per year, NCM itself only has to provide the meal about 5 to 7 days. This saves lots of money and resources for other things. Our church serves a meal there on the first Monday of every month.

At the shelter, intake is at 8:30 AM so that if there isn’t space, the man knows in the morning. (Not all shelters have intake in the morning.) The man can stay for 60 consecutive days – this provides safety and stability. Don’t have to take their belongings with them.

Every homeless man has an individual reason for becoming homeless. We have a responsibility to help those individuals. How does a person go from being somebody’s baby, to being homeless and sleeping on the street?

Martin Luther King, Jr: Anybody can serve – you only need a heart full of grace... a soul generated by love.”

The Lady is a Theologian

Summary for March 21

The prologue

Some Christians like to think that the gospels are just tape-recordings of what Jesus said. But there is a process of inspiration. For instance, Jesus spoke in Aramaic, but the gospels are written in Greek. Were the people who wrote it down in Greek inspired by God? Yes!

Jesus wants the message to go through the guts of the listeners. The message is enriched by this method. The disciples are part of the continuing incarnation. Don’t wait for learned scholars to tell you how to interpret the scriptures. Dive in yourself!

Luke 7:37-8:11 The Lady Is a Theologian

There was a ritual of welcome, but the Pharisee skipped these. Jesus has every right to be offended at the welcome ritual being skipped. But Jesus ignores the snub, and reclines at the banquet.

The woman is probably a prostitute. How did she come to be at the banquet? At a Jewish banquet the doors were opened, because the Rabbis said: don’t shut the doors at your banquet lest you shut out an angel or Elijah unawares. So the banquets usually had beggars present. The woman is a witness to Jesus’ public humiliation.

We can assume that the woman has heard Jesus’ message “God loves sinners” before this banquet takes place. All of the acceptable ways to wash away sins were out of reach for the woman. And yet, Jesus said that God loves sinners like her.

The host and other guests at the banquet are not pleased at the woman’s recognition of Jesus.

Rabbinic rules said a woman was not allowed to uncover her hair in public. Her hair is considered private. A pious woman always keeps her head covered. The woman in Luke 8 is very upset at how the Pharisee has humiliated Jesus. By uncovering her hair the woman is making a declaration of loyalty to Jesus. Jesus accepts the woman’s gesture of gratitude.

The Shechinah (the divine presence of God) has moved from the darkened room in the back of the Temple to the person of Jesus.

Spirituality During the Civil War

Summary for March 7 and 14: Spirituality during the Civil War

Two book recommendations:

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust

Faith in the Fight: Civil War Chaplains, Editors John W. Brinsfield, William C. Davis, Benedict Maryniak, and James I. Robertson, Jr.

During the Civil War, people volunteered to serve as chaplains in order to:

- go with members of their own churches

- protect their impressionable young men from being corrupted;

- prepare the soldiers for death;

- continue worship.

The Civil War was an ecumenical period. For instance, a Catholic priest would give absolution to all troops of all denominations, rather than just Catholics.

Chaplains had to be elected by the regiment. In one vote, 335 troops voted that they could find the way to hell without the assistance of clergy.

The period leading up to the Civil War was a time of unrest. Population boomed, through immigration and expansion of US territory. Experimental religious ideas spread. Would you find any of these at your church today?

- transcendentalism (Thoreau, Emerson)

- universalism

- spiritualism

- phrenology (interpreting personality based on bumps on the head)

- mesmerism, animal magnetism

- health food

- utopian communities (communes)

Official church action on the issue of slavery was difficult. Many denominations ended up split over Civil War issues.

Camp: not just for kids

On March 7 and 14, we'll be plunging ourselves into the topic of Spirituality during the Civil War.

On Feb 21 we heard from Becky, Program Director at Crestfield Camp and Conference Center. I direct you to the web site which lists details about all the offerings. http://www.crestfield.net/

Crestifeld offers many programs for adults, including:

Women’s Retreat

Quilter’s retreat

Fishing Retreat

Grandparents/GrandKids weekend

And many more. Plus there are lots of events for kids of all ages. There are many summer camps.

Some unique aspects of Crestfield:

Stargazing is excellent – Crestfield is well away from city light pollution.

Natural clay pits, mud.

Swamp ball – kickball in the mud, with the frogs.

Firewood deal – you cut and split, and you can keep half of the wood and leave half at Crestfield.

The Food Bank

The Food Bank operates from a building located at the back of the church property. During 2009, the Food Bank served (on average) 202 families per month, which is 438 individuals. 29% are under age 18, and 23% are aged 60+.

The Food Bank is run entirely by volunteers. All donations to the Food Bank stay at this food bank, which serves local people. There are some opportunities to volunteer to help with sorting food, when the Food Bank receives a shipment from food drives.

It all started when Wisconsin’s dairy cows produced a surplus of cheese, which was bought by the government. Food banks were set up in various areas, to facilitate distribution of the cheese to eligible families. This particular Food Bank started out on the upper floor of the Sanctuary building. This was not ideal, and eventually the current building was built, with almost all of the supplies and labor donated.

Anchorpoint

Next week, please join us for class with Pastor Larry!

This past Sunday, we learned more about Anchorpoint Counseling Ministry. Anchorpoint provides marriage counseling, counseling of kids, tutoring of kids, and parent education.

We also talked about spiritual integration – making spirituality a part of one’s life.

The speaker’s definition of spirituality: Our connectedness to God and all that is sacred to our creator. He said more about it, but I didn’t get it down. In any case, spirituality connotes a relationship with God.

If someone has spiritual integration, then spirituality is just as much a part of his life as mental, physical, and relational aspects of life. Some people suffer from spiritual cut-off, usually due to having a bad experience in a religious setting. Some people suffer from spiritual insulation, where spirituality is present, but is insulated from the other aspects of their life.

There was an interesting handout on “Tests for Mentally Healthy Religion” (Clineball, 1965) but you had to be there to read this, ‘cause I didn’t get a copy.

A metaphor:

Theology = bones, Religion = skin; and spirituality = breath

Luther, Calvin, and Presbuteros

On Jan 10th and 17th we are covering "Presbyterianism" or "What does it mean to be a Presybterian?"

Since I'm pressed for time, I'll just say that on the 10th we had a good overview of Wycliffe, Luther, and Calvin and the church reforms they sought. On the 17th we'll take a closer look at Calvin's thoughts on prayer.

The word "Presbyterian" comes from the Greek presbuteros, which means "elder". The Presbyterian church differs from other church governments in that it is governed by elders, rather than a priest or bishop.