Author: ctpressADMIN

Friends,

I have some updates for the congregation about upcoming events in the life of the church.

Yokefellows BBQ Postponed
Due to the threat of nasty weather from Hurricane Florence, the Yokefellows decided earlier this week to postpone the BBQ scheduled for Saturday, September 15.

Congregational Meeting
The session has called for a congregational meeting following the 11am service on Sunday, September 23. The trustees are recommending that we modify the agreement made at a congregational meeting held earlier, and that the church sell to Edge Hill Cemetery the four acres the church owns within the cemetery itself, and property located at Congress and West
streets, for $50,000.

Steeple Rededication
The scaffolding is down, (updated photo in newsletter) and the project is near completion! The steeple will be rededicated on Sunday, October 7 at the close of both worship services. Following the 11am service there will be a light reception on the lawn (weather permitting), something we were not able to do all summer.

Fall Festival
This isn’t new event, just a reminder. The annual fall festival will be held on Sunday, October 14 following worship. There will be one worship service that morning at 11am.

Scarf Night (well, afternoon) and bake sale
This event is being coordinated by the Mission and Outreach Committee. On Saturday, November 3, we will have a unique event. From 2pm-5pm you are invited to come and design a scarf (typically, these are for women). We will also have a bake sale/cake auction with this event. Scarves are $45 each, and the church will receive $10 per scarf for the steeple fund. These
make great gifts! Come on out for a great time of fellowship and fun and help Save the Steeple. (The Missions and Outreach committee is also seeking donated baked goods for this event)

Blessings,

Pastor John

To our friends and family of the community: we RESCHEDULED the Yokefellows BBQ to Saturday, October 27, from 4:30-7:00pm.  Proceeds go to CTPC programs. 

** Green tickets purchased for the September 15th (which was rescheduled due to weather), will be honored. **

BBQ pork and chicken, sides and drink!
Adults -$15.00, Children under 12- $7.00, Children under 3-Free. Eat-in or carry out available.

See any Yokefellow for tickets or get them at the door.

What happened?

Remember when we were able to have discussions with people and those discussions included divergent viewpoints? Not long ago, we were able to engage in dialogue, and if it turned out we didn’t agree, we had the ability to go our separate ways amicably. That’s no longer how people talk about anything anymore. We have a “take no prisoners” approach to any disagreement. We win, or we disengage. And if we have to, it seems, we will destroy those who disagree with us.

When did that become okay?

Obviously, I find this to be problematic. I also find it to be dishonoring to Christ.

In Philippians 4:4-7, the Apostle Paul writes these words:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This passage is rightly used to encourage prayer, but don’t miss the context – this is in response to being anxious. “Do not be anxious…” the apostle says. Before he writes that, though, he says, these words, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” That means that when someone makes us angry on social media, in dialogue, and in disagreement, the appropriate response is to be nice. Always.

I know this is easier said than done these days. We are polarized over a great many issues, but we will not come together by proving how right we are and how wrong someone else is. We will come together when we are able to be reasonable, even when we disagree. Especially when we disagree.

The world is desperate for this kind of reasoned approach. We who belong to Christ, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, ought to lead the way in being reasonable. Let us make it our ambition, our goal, to the kind of people Paul describes in Philippians 4.

Maybe we can bring some calm to the storm.

Blessings,

Pastor John

With Labor Day upon us and the kids back in school, we have reached the unofficial end of summer. That means some upcoming changes and seasonal activities:

Sunday Morning Schedule. Next Sunday, September 9, we will return to our regular schedule, with worship at 8:30am and 11:00am, and the education hour at 9:45am.

Pledge Cards. The Stewardship and Vision committee will collect 2019 stewardship cards as part of worship on Sunday, September 9. If you cannot turn your card in that day, you are welcome to drop it off to the church office at your convenience.

Yokefellows Barbecue (POSTPONED). On Saturday September 15, the Yokefellows Sunday School class will host a pork and chicken barbecue dinner (additional information is located on the next page). The Yokefellows always do a great job, and this will be a wonderful opportunity to invite friends to CTPC!

Wednesday Bible Study. Earlier this year I suggested switching the night for Bible study to better accommodate those in the music ministry who wished to be part of the Bible study. Since we are still in flux with the music ministry personnel search, I am holding off on that decision. Wednesday Bible study will resume on September 26, and we will study the book of Acts, which covers the formation of the early Church, and this will give us the chance to study in-depth the Holy Spirit, church polity, the
trinity, and other important doctrines. Bible Study meets at 7:15pm in the parlor.

Fall Festival. On Sunday, October 14, the Fellowship committee will host the annual Fall Festival following worship. This annual event features fall-themed activities, the annual cake walk, and of course, food!

Fall into Prayer. This past July, w e held an evening prayer meeting, and the response was so enthusiastic that we are going to engage in quarterly prayer meetings. The fall prayer meeting (which we’re calling, “Fall into Prayer,” will be held Sunday, October 7 at 7pm.

Save the Steeple. In just a couple of weeks, the scaffolding will begin to come down and the actual project will be finished. The worship committee and I will be planning a dedication service to mark completion of the project. We will, however, continue fundraising and collecting pledges through the end of 2019.

Blessings,   Pastor John

Charles Town Presbyterian Church is currently seeking music ministry staff to lead and develop the music ministry of the congregation. Responsibilities include:

• Accompanying worship services on the Schantz pipe organ and studio grand piano
• Leading vocal and bell choirs, and
• Developing music ministry opportunities for children and youth.
  (These responsibilities may be fulfilled by more than one person.)

Interested persons are invited to inquire about a complete job description, and submit their resume, CV, and references to jobs@ctpres.org.

Every morning there is an essential part of my routine I never leave out. If I skip it, I don’t function as well, I lack focus, and I’m “off” all day. It has been part of my morning routine since I was sixteen years old. Without it, I am grouchy, moody, and less productive.

I wish I was talking about prayer. I’m actually talking about coffee (I’m sure some of you reading this figured that out from the first sentence). Isn’t it funny, though, that we think of certain things as so important that cannot live without them.

There is an aspect of our relationship with Christ that is absolutely critical and easily forgotten or dropped. I am speaking, of course, of prayer. Martin Luther, the great reformer who changed the course of both Church history and human history, is reputed to have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

Three hours! Have you ever spent three hours in prayer before beginning your day? I have not. Granted, Luther was a minister, and prayer is one of the major responsibilities of the minister, but most people I know struggle to string together fifteen to twenty minutes a day to do regular devotions. Perhaps that is why so many Christians and so many churches find themselves with tepid, half-hearted faith experience.

Next Sunday evening, we are doing something that has not been done in the fourteen years I have served as your pastor – we are holding a prayer meeting. Our purpose is simple – to humbly approach God in prayer. We will engage in confession, intercession, and seeking God’s direction for the church.

I don’t expect anything magical or immediate to happen. I am thinking of this more as a beginning of a stronger prayer life for our congregation. If I may be honest, we are very good at worrying about the church, but we lack in spiritual matters. If we want things to be different at Charles Town Presbyterian Church, we need to be different, and that begins with God
working through us in prayer.

Prayer is the thing most needed in our lives, and skipping it only makes us less focused, less hopeful, and less productive for the kingdom of God. Please plan on joining us next Sunday evening for mid-year prayer in the sanctuary at 7pm.

Blessings,

Pastor John