Faith Presbyterian Church

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June 01, 2005

June Newsletter

Pastor’s Pen

Often at weddings the couple will want to hear the great love chapter of the New Testament, I Corinthians 13. Yet this chapter was not written for weddings. Its ideal surely is a good guide for people who get married but it was written for folk who are joined for purposes of worship, fellowship, and service. Not many married couples try to impress each other with “speaking with the tongues of men and of angels, understanding all mysteries, and having faith so as to move mountains.”

I Corinthians 13: 12 is, lamentably, true. “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.” The dim mirror Paul referred was made of burnished bronze. It was, not made of glass as our mirrors are.

The pastor’s job in preaching is to try to make clear the ways of God that we see dimly. It matters that we believe what is true. But I, who try to understand the ways of God, am encumbered with dimness of vision too in the ways of God. Knowing I am subject to misunderstanding the ways of God, I preach with a mix of confidence in God and modesty.

Also troublesome in day to day life are the ways of people that we see dimly. I sense that since September 11, 2001, the anxiety and polarization in our country has infected the church. What we feel strongly about our country and political matters is dividing Christians whose sins have been forgiven by the same Jesus. How bewildering it is to me, as a pastor, to know how to apply the balm of the Gospel to the strong differences honest people have on national issues that have seeped into and separated Christians who believe the same about the essentials of our faith.

We draw conclusions about other people on the basis of what we see dimly, assuming what we see is true, and that what the other person sees is not only wrong, but maybe even scandalous. We respond on the basis of our conclusions, forgetting that we too suffer from lack of complete sight. Whereas it troubles you and me when we’ve been misunderstood, we misunderstand, sometimes with painful consequences. We may not be willing to acknowledge that we have misunderstood. What we believe is the right understanding.

Look at the fallout from this. Broken friendships. Mistrust. Anger. Counter-accusations. Great unhappiness. If the mirror through which I see you had given a truer image of what you believe, or why you did or did not do this or that, I would have responded differently.

We also see ourselves dimly, sometimes overestimating what’s there, sometimes underestimating. I suspect some personality quirks that are offensive come as a result of trying to compensate for a dimly-seen self.

But the great Apostle predicts, “then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.” Or again, as the old translation put it, “Then I shall know as I am fully known.” This is a happy prospect.

I’m not sure that many of us want to be known fully now because we have a lot we feel we must hide—much of which is because we distrust that dim mirror through which we are seen. You can’t see my motives; all you see is seen through a burnished bronze mirror.

What I really look forward to in heaven is the trust that will preside in everyone’s hearts. We’ll really know. We’ll really be known. Of course, the Bible’s promise that when we see Jesus we’ll be like Him, suggests that there will be elements in our personality and character that will improve. But even Jesus was misunderstood way back when.

In heaven I suspect all of us will show our scars, as Jesus’ risen body still had the nail-prints in hands and feet, and the fresh scar in His side. Those scars were the effects of my sins that He bore there. But what we will recognize is how much we have been forgiven. Every scar represents a place and moment that grace overwhelmed. I will share with you the joy of your forgiveness and you will share with me the joy of what I have been forgiven. Our scars will be worn like medals handed out by the military. They reveal the triumphs of grace. “Where sin abounded grace did much more abound,” as Paul told us.

The secret of the Christian life well-lived is anticipating heaven. Knowing we see through a glass darkly, we are not to assume that what we see is a true image. We trust that what is really there is far better than what we see. And we make decisions and respond to each other in terms of this finer image. Quite often to respond to people this way is a fairer response to what is really going on than what little we think we see through our dim mirror.

And should we make a mistake and think better of a person than that person really deserved, is this not a finer kind of mistake than to think ill of someone and be wrong?
Pastor Stuart D. Robertson

Worship Information

June 12: “The Kingdom of God”
Deuteronomy 8: 11 - 20
Mark 1: 13 - 18

June 19: “We Believe in the Holy Spirit”
I Samuel 10: 1 - 12
Acts 19: 1 - 7

June 26: “The Lord, the Giver Of Life”
Isaiah 32: 9 - 20
Galatians 5: 13 - 23

Clerk’s Corner

The 2004 Annual Report to the Congregation is now available; copies have been placed in the Narthex.

Material has been received on a Workshop for Establishing Healthy Congregations, to be held at the Wabash Valley Presbytery in Rochester, IN. The workshop will be led by Rev. Susan Zencka and Rev. Greg Albert; six sessions are scheduled in the time frame August 12, 2005 to January 13, 2006, and a second series of six is to be held in the period February 10 to July 14, 2006. You may sign up for any or all workshops by requesting registration forms from the Church Office. There is a modest sliding scale fee for all registrants. A meeting entitled “New Wineskins Initiative, Following Christ into the 21st Century” will be held June 15-18, 2005, at Christ Presbyterian Church, Edina, MN. Two delegates from this Congregation, as well as the Pastor, are entitled to attend. For registration forms inquire at the Church Office or contact the Clerk of Session.

At the May 15, 2005 morning service three new members of the Congregation were recognized: Ann Freeman, Carol Graefnitz, and Jane Mallett. Cory Wettschurak was received into membership after Baptism and Profession of Faith on April10, 2005. These individuals are all warmly welcomed into the Fellowship of Faith Presbyterian Church. After the Sunday morning service on May 22, 2005 the following individuals were recognized at a reception in Memorial Fellowship Hall: Alexandra Dubikovsky, Elizabeth Goodrich, Kathryn Goodrich, Marcus Hess, Jessica Mason, John McKinnis, Dave Stith, Rob Stith, Missy Yacomeni.
J.M. Honig, Clerk of Session

The more completely the power of Jesus Christ takes hold of one, the more exciting life becomes. Norman Vincent Peale

Boy Scout Troop 338: Court of Honor

All of these young men were impressive—fine, hard-working young men of all ages who exhibit the qualities of leadership, initiative, diligence, perseverance, compassion, politeness, friendliness, courtesy, love of God and country, and the list goes on. Kevin Johnston, the Scoutmaster, noted this Troop is one of the largest in the area (with about 30 boys) and assists smaller Troops whenever possible. Kevin also reminded those gathered that night that many of our trustworthy and life-impacting leaders in churches, communities, the government and the nation once were Boy Scouts who lived and worked by the Boy Scout code of ethics, for God and country.

No sooner had we seated ourselves when one young Scout, Cory, sat down at our table and initiated conversation by thanking us for coming—and he was only in the 8th grade! He asked what he or the Scout Troop might do for this church. I was a bit embarrassed that this young man would seek us out and ask how he and the Scouts could help us. We should also be asking that question of the Scouts—what can Faith Church do for Troop 338? I would encourage you to find out more about this very special Troop. What we witnessed was active, alive, vibrant and forward-moving, right here at Faith. To say it was refreshing would be an understatement. Let’s encourage and support them!

Thank you, Kevin Johnston, for your outstanding leadership of this Troop. You have a wonderful group of dedicated young men and parents who will make a difference in this world. We are proud as your sponsoring organization to have Troop 338 represent us.
Myra Leap, Chair Building & Grounds

VBS is Coming!

Each day the children will have the opportunity to participate in the following activities:
• Singing and Worshiping together
• Learning Bible stories
• Playing together during recreation
• Enjoying snack time
• Memorizing scripture verses
• and Making VBS theme related crafts.

It should be a wonderful week of fun and spiritual growth!

Be sure to mark your calendars and have your child, grandchild, or friend pre-register for VBS by June 5. VBS is June 26-July 1, 9 a.m.-noon, this year. Extra registration forms are available on the narthex table, or call the church office to pre-register, 743-3683.

We are very excited about the quality of the staff who has volunteered to help with VBS, and we would like to thank each one for his/her willingness to disciple and mentor our VBS children.
We can still use volunteers, especially in the following areas:
Photographer, June 27 (Day 1)
Name Tag Prep (early June)
Registration on June 27, 8:30 a.m. (4 persons, Day 1)
Set-up tables in classrooms, Sunday, June 26
Coordinator for Staff Luncheon, Fri., July 1
Nursery Assistant, especially June 27, 29 & 30

Please continue to pray for VBS. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex if you would like to be a VBS Prayer Partner during the hours of VBS, Mon.-Fri., the week of June 27-July 1. Look for details in the June bulletins.

Thanks in advance for your support!
Alice Landolt (463-9897) & Deb Johnson (477-6569)

INTRODUCING OUR NEW YOUTH DIRECTOR: ARTHUR SEMOTAN

“This is something for you to get to know me better before I come back to West Lafayette in the fall. Currently I am a senior at Purdue University majoring in Religious Studies. This will be my last year at Purdue and I look forward to graduating. Three years before I started attending Purdue, I lived here in town. I attended Harrison High School from my sophomore to my senior year. Prior to living here, I lived in Korea, Japan, Guam, Nebraska, South Carolina, and South Dakota. My father was in the Air Force, so we moved around quite a bit. I also wanted to include my testimony, to let you know how I came to Christ. I grew up in a Christian home and later in life, my father became a pastor. Christ was a name that was very common within my house, but I did not have a relationship with Him. I knew about Christ, but I did not know Christ. This changed during my junior year in high school. A friend of mine, who was an ex-atheist, really explained to me the significance of being in a personal relationship with Christ. This changed everything and I started to live my life for Christ instead of for myself. This leads to me to where I am today, constantly trying to depend on God instead of myself and handing my life over to Him. My plan after college is to serve an internship with Campus Crusade for Christ. Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational movement on campuses worldwide. I am currently involved with Campus Crusade at Purdue. I help lead a bible study in my dorm and actively participate with the ministry here at Purdue. I pray for God’s guidance in what he wants me to do after college, and I believe he is leading me towards an internship. I am looking forward to joining your church family and working with the youth. I hope to create an open environment for the kids, where they feel welcome and loved. I have attended many youth groups in the past, and there were a few that really stuck out to me. It wasn’t the ones that had good programs or awesome games, but rather it was the sense of belonging and being wanted that made the difference. Sure, good programs and fun games are great to have, but they aren’t the number one priority. It’s coming together as God’s family and enjoying fellowship with one another, and I hope I can provide that. I look forward to meeting all of you in the fall!!!”

We’re sorry that he couldn’t be introduced in person before he left for the summer. The decision to have him as our youth director was made too late to arrange for that. But you’ll get to meet him early in August.

IF YOU’D LIKE TO HELP: As was noted above, Arthur will be traveling to Azerbaijan this summer, a country north of Iran and south of Russia on the Caspian Sea. He’ll be involved in ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ to university students in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan during June and July. He is still trying to raise money for the trip and hopes to have it all by June 10th. If you would like to support him financially on this endeavor, you can make a check out to Campus Crusade for Christ and place it in the offering or give it to the church office (indicating it’s for Arthur Semotan in Azerbaijan). Please keep him in your prayers while he’s there.

FROM LUM

The St. Tom’s 2nd Annual Golf outing to benefit LUM will be held August 5th at the Ravines Golf Course. Faith could have a team if you golfers out there get together and call (743-4652) or email (rebecca@sttoms-purdue.org) Rebecca Titus by July 22. Details are on the bulletin board at Church.

Emergency Aid

Each person may receive help only every four months and all checks are written to the landlord, utility companies, etc. – never to the requestor. Each request is noted on a permanent record which is kept on file for future requests. Personal photo I.D. may be requested. The Deacons’ Fund is also used by Pastor Robertson as he becomes aware of other such needs.

You may contribute to this much needed ministry (a) by using the green “Deacons’ Fund” envelopes in the pews or in the narthex, or (b) by mailing contributions directly to the church office. Checks should be made out to Faith Presbyterian Church. Checks mailed should have a note at the bottom stating “for Deacons’ Fund”.

Our effort is deeply appreciated by the recipients. This is an ongoing need, so donations on a regular basis would be helpful, but any help is welcomed.
Ken Wark (for Emergency Aid Staff)

ECHO & Nichols Update

This past January I had an opportunity to travel to North Ft. Myers, Florida to volunteer at ECHO’s demonstration farm for a few days. I enjoyed my stay very much and was impressed how I was treated, just like one of the family. Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization’s primary mandate is to strengthen the ministry of missionaries and national churches as they work with small rural farmers or urban gardeners in the Third World. Assistance is also offered to Peace Corps Volunteers and development organizations doing similar work. Some of the services they provide to fulfill that mandate are: publishing a quarterly periodical that provides its readers with ideas about food plants and production systems that could be of use to farmers in the tropics, providing seed of useful food, forage and agroforestry plants distributed in small sample packets for trial purposes, Agricultural Information Service provides answers to questions posed by missionaries and others working abroad by either post or e-mail, ECHO Publications prints books and a series of technical notes on subjects that are of interest to those working in tropical food production. The demonstration farm I worked on provides a way to do research, offers study and training opportunities in Tropical Agriculture and Public Relations.

Ali Nichols interned with ECHO before being hired by World Concern with her husband Jonathan. They are working in Burkina Faso (Western Africa), at the Niendouga Bible School located near Fada N’Gourma. Jonathan is taking on the accounting of the school as well as some administrative tasks such as policy development, long-term planning, and development of internal and external financial resources (projects, gifts, etc.). He will also be trying to find a suitable candidate for training in this position. Ali will be teaching twice a week at the school on various agricultural topics (composting, using cover crops). She will also be coordinating projects with Roy Keys, a colleague who does similar work for World Concern at Doulos Bible School in Piela two hours north of Fada N’Gourma, including a dairy, honey project, and a cereal bank.

In late August, Faith will hold our annual Missions Fair; I hope to have more information on both ECHO and Ali and Jonathan’s work in Burkina Faso. Doug Jones

JOIN US FOR TEA, PLEASE!

If you are familiar with the writings of Jan Karon, you will recognize the fictional town of Mitford with a cast of characters that has delighted millions of readers.

If you have not read these books, don't worry. We'll be presenting readings that will give you the flavor of the goings-on in a small town in North Carolina as experienced by town members and Father Tim, priest of the Episcopal Church.

If you'd like to wear your favorite hat and "tea dress," please do.
Plan to come and bring some friends for tea, refreshments, readings, music, fellowship and a guest speaker. Questions: Nancy Dunn 463-1696

Dialogue with God

Birth Announcement

Please keep in touch,
Mark Dollar
105 Brookwood Drive
Bristol, TN 37620

Thank you

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