Faith Presbyterian Church

« 1/29 bulletin | Main | 2/5 bulletin »

February 01, 2006

February Newsletter

Pastor's Pen

Them they would be witnesses to Him beginning right where they were in Jerusalem, then in the region around Jerusalem, then in Samaria—heart-land of a quasi-Jewish people hardly beloved by the Jews, and finally to the uttermost parts of the earth.

By "witnesses" I think Jesus meant they would first live their lives winsomely by the Gospel in their towns and villages and then be witnesses by what they would say of the Good News of Jesus.

In Luke 19: 13, in the beautiful old King James Version we read that Jesus told a parable where a landlord gives money to his servants and says, "Occupy till I come." The word "occupy" means something different to us than it did in the 17th century, but the present meaning of that word works very well when we think of our call to be Jesus' followers locally. Occupy suggests being occupied with the winsome life Jesus calls us to live where we are.

So, let us each one occupy till Jesus comes again, living together winsomely..

But we really need to address the first circle of our calling—right here in our neighborhood. We are beginning by launching an emphasis on reaching out to children and their families. We plan to build a very appealing playground and with this tangible expression of our interest in our neighborhood we will offer winsome music and teaching programs. And should any of these who come to us arrive on a Sunday morning, let them find a winsome welcome.

No doubt this sounds exciting to many of you, and perhaps a bit scary to others. Any time we deliberately try to do something new we feel the path is not absolutely clear ahead. We wonder what the response will be. Who likes to give a party and nobody shows up?

Key to the success of this undertaking is for us first to be winsomely what we are, to build up each other, to do the things together that are on our agenda with a full heart. From Sunday morning worship to small group fellowships to Wednesday morning prayers, to the music ministry to the mowing of lawns—whatever we do, doing it with devotion to God and to one another.

When folk come to us and detect this fullness of life, it is very attractive. I think the question for each of us to ponder and then act upon is, "How can I most fully be a member of this local body of Jesus' disciples?" I am guided by St. Paul's counsel, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please all people in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved" (I Corinthians 10: 31-32).

The answer we give to the question I pose in the paragraph above will be the measure of our health as a congregation. And this answer will have much to say about how we take on this new care and outreach to our community.

Pastor Stuart D. Robertson

Worship Information

February 12th – Sermon: “How Can I Love a Sinner like Me?”
OT: Leviticus 18: 17 - 18
NT: Luke 10: 25 - 28

February 19th – Sermon: “The Importance of Believing Right”
OT: II Kings 10: 18 - 27
NT: II John 4 - 11

February 26th – Sermon: “The Marks of a Christian?”
OT: Exodus 32: 1 - 10
NT: Titus 2: 1 - 8

Clerk's Corner

Ron Smith was ordained and installed as a Deacon for the Class of 2008 during morning services on January 15, 2006. The other Deacons appointed to the Board for the Class of 2008 were Dorothy Bethel, Mark Johnson, and Jim Milligan.

The Annual Report to the Congregation for the year 2005 is now available. Copies have been placed in the Narthex for your use.

Committee assignments for Session members are as follows:

Michael Bergmann- Christian Education 497-2930
Janet Hem- Congregational Life Glenn Sparks- Christian Education 589-3653
Dennis Dunn- Finance/Communications 463-1696
Don Gentry- Finance /Personnel David Stith- Evangelism
Lou Ann Johnston- Worship & Music David McKinnis- Building & Grounds
Lonni Kucik- Evangelism

Pastor Robertson was granted by action of Session a personal leave of absence on February1 – 4, 2006.

An Inquirer’s Class is scheduled for February 19 and 26, 2006. All individuals interested in learning about the activities, outreach, and membership of Faith Presbyterian Church are invited to attend. Further details are provided elsewhere in the newsletter.

Jurgen Honig, Clerk of Session

Inquirer's Class

Loss of Memory

When Jesus appointed the seventy-two to preach the gospel. he indicated that they were not merely authorized to preach the gospel. to speak about Jesus, but that in the proclamation of those appointed to preach the gospel. Jesus himself speaks. Jesus' own voice is heard in the human voice of proclamation. The proclaimed is also the proclaimer. Because of this. the one who rejects the proclaimer rejects also him who is proclaimed, and the one who rejects the proclaimed rejects also the God who sent Jesus. God has spoken his Word in Jesus Christ. In his earthly life Christ proclaimed-and today he continues to proclaim-his Word through human proclamation. That the proclaimed is also the proclaimer reflects the peculiar function of the Old Testament prophet. Appointed and authorized. the prophet did not merely speak about God’s Word. God himself spoke through the prophet; hence. the prophet said "Thus saith the Lord," and what the Lord said was heard in and through what the prophet said. This view of preaching does not rest on a single proof text but is reflected in many affirmations of Scripture. When Jesus commissioned the twelve. He told them that even in adverse circumstances they should "not be anx1ous how you are to speak or what you are to say." Why not? "It is not you who speak. but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Matthew 10:19). Paul told the Thessalonian church. "When you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is. the word of God" (I Thessalonians 2:13). Paul describes the gospel and its proclamation as a "ministry of reconciliation," in which God is "making his appeal through us." Herein lies the great mystery of preaching. The preaching of the Word is quite unlike any other form of human communication. And one would expect evangelical preachers to take seriously Jesus' assertion that "he who hears you hears me." But how many do? Many evangelical ministers do not even like to' be called "preachers." They consider themselves "coaches" or "enablers," people who help Christians to become what they as preachers do not believe can be accomplished through preaching. Many of these reluctant ministers designate what they do in the pulpit as "sharing." not as preaching. They seem unaware that they can only share what their own faith and religious experience and understanding of the Word has appropriated-which in all of us is very limited indeed. They seem unaware that through their preaching Christ himself is speaking his Word. The notion of preaching as merely sharing is reflected in the common view that the church will be revitalized and its membership nourished in the faith far more effectively by small groups meeting together than by the preaching of the Word from the pulpit. Many evangelicals consider the sharing of personal religious failures and achievements far more effective in promoting a vibrant personal and congregational spirituality than the proclamation of God’s redemptive words and deeds in the history of revelation recorded in the Old and New Testaments. For all their high view of the Bible was inspired, many evangelicals have lost that understanding of preaching that goes with such a view of the Bible and that lay at the heart of the Reformation’s emphasis on preaching.
The loss of the mystery of preaching in the evangelical world today is, it would seem, a far more serious threat than some other winds of change that attract greater public attention.

James Daane (1914-19831 was one of the founding editors of The Reformed Journal. He also served as an editor for Christianity Today and was a professor at Fuller Theological Semi11aJy from 1966 until his retirement in 1979. This essay is adapl.edfromTl1e Reformed Journal. May 1980.

Thank You

Many Thanks

Calling All Cookie Bakers

You may sign up in the Narthex to bake and/or help with the assembly line. We will put the boxes together on Saturday, February 11, at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. Please have your cookies at the church by that time. Thank you for making this a sweet outreach to our students. Grieke Toebes

Birthdays

Anniversaries

Community Worship Services

Schedule Information

Worship With Us

Faith Presbyterian Church
Phone: 765-743-3683
E-Mail: office@faithpresbyterian.org

Pastor: Stuart D. Robertson
Parish Associate: Ralph Smith
Admin. Asst.: Stephanie Cardwell

Posted by faithpres at February 1, 2006 11:32 AM

© Faith Presbyterian Church. Web Development by Creative Arc, Minneapolis Web Design