Category: Uncategorized

I want you to mark a date on your calendar: Sunday, July 24. That morning, we are hosting one of the missionaries we support, Dr. Drake Williams. Drake is a professor at Tyndale Seminary in the Netherlands. Drake is part of the administrative team for the seminary, and a professor of New Testament. Drake and his colleagues train students from all over Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe. Upon graduation, most of these students return to their home countries to continue spreading the gospel. Because most of the student population of the seminary is from relatively poor countries, the seminary chooses to shift as much of the financial burden away from the students as possible. Each professor must raise half of his salary in support from other churches and individuals in order to keep serving at Tyndale.

On Sunday, July 24, Drake and his family will host a Sunday School class for adults and older children in the fellowship hall, where Drake will share in greater detail about what is happening at the seminary. Drake will also be preaching at the morning service. I do hope you are able to join us for what will be an encouraging time, hearing about what God is doing in other parts of the world!

Blessings,

Pastor John

A couple weeks ago, the south central part of our great state endured unprecedented flooding due to a freak rain storm. As things have settled down, relief agencies have stepped in to assess, and restoration efforts are beginning to take shape.

Two of our members, George and Jeanette Tabb, have family in some of the worst-hit areas, and would like to take a team in late summer to Webster or Nichols County. They have tentatively scheduled the trip for August 26 through the Labor Day weekend. Each participant will be expected to cover all their own expenses. If there is enough interest, we will invite the congregation to provide some financial support.

An informational meeting is scheduled immediately following worship on Sunday, July 17, and will meet in the Sydnor-Lewis Reading Room/Library. Anyone interested in going or supporting this trip is invited to participate.

As we head into the middle of July, we are also gearing up for participation in the annual book bag ministry, where local congregations provide school supplies for kids in need. Obviously, the need this year extends beyond Jefferson County. We are encouraging people who are able to provide either extra school supplies or even two whole book bags as listed below. We will give half of these book bags to the team heading south at the end of the summer to give to schools hit hard by the floods.

I am so pleased to pastor a congregation with such large hearts!

Blessings,

Pastor John

It’s officially July!

By the time you read this online, our youth mission team will be on their way home! They have spent the week helping people affected by the floods, and doing some tutoring and working with children. Later this summer we will hear about their experience, and when those details are firmed up, we will let the congregation know.

Our next big event is Vacation Bible School. July 10-14 we will be hosting our annual outreach to children. This year there will be a special track for parents who want to learn more about what their children are learning, and some hands on parenting tools will be discussed. This year there seems to be more buzz than usual about Vacation Bible School. There is more detailed information in the newsletter about VBS.

Our final big moment for July will be Sunday, July 24. One of our missionaries, Drake Williams, will be with us, along with his family. There will be a combined Sunday School class in the fellowship hall that morning, with Drake leading a class beginning at 9:15. Drake will also be preaching during worship that morning. Drake is a professor at Tyndale Seminary in the Netherlands, and he helps prepare men and women for ministry in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

July is a busy month for Charles Town Presbyterian Church. I invite you to join me in prayer as we work together in our continued mission to Know Christ, Grow in God’s love, and serve as the Holy Spirit leads.

Blessings,

Pastor John

I recently heard someone say that it seems like everyone is just meaner these days. I think I know what this person meant. We live in anxious times. The 2016 presidential race has a good many people wound up. There has been another act of gun violence and terrorism in Orlando. This weekend, our denomination’s General Assembly finished another biennial meeting. Close to home, there has been unexpected tumult among leaders in Jefferson County. Even in our own church, various issues have created anxiety among many of us.

One of my favorite verses about anxiety is in Philippians:

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In this verse, to combat those nervous moments in life, Paul gives us an attitude and two actions. The attitude is to rejoice. Rejoicing in the Lord means to look at the good things God is doing instead of focusing only on the negative. Sometimes that is really, really hard. It might seem like everything that can go wrong is going wrong, but I am certain that in those moments there is something for which to rejoice in the Lord.

The two actions are to be reasonable and to pray. To be reasonable is to choose to be calm even when you feel like standing on a high point and screaming! It’s very hard to be reasonable when you want to everything else but. However, our reasonableness is only possible by relying on God. He gives us the strength and we are able to point people in God’s direction.

Prayer is something that should not be foreign to us. When we pray, we move the focus from what we are unable to control to the One who is able to control all things. And the result of seeking God in prayer is that God will bestow upon us his unfathomable and ever-comforting peace.

I know things get crazy sometimes, and we don’t know what to do. That is when we must rejoice, be reasonable, and pray.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Tomorrow, June 18, we have a big day in the life of our congregation. Downtown Charles Town will be celebrating its WV heritage with a day of activities and street vendors. Our VBS team will be present at this event, handing out information about Vacation Bible School, the church, the Yokefellows barbecue, and the bell concert.

Throughout the day, the Yokefellows will be making available a barbecue dinner. If you’ve been to other Yokefellow events, you know that the food is spectacular, and the fellowship is incredible. In the evening, at 7pm, the Geneva Ringers Bell Choir will be putting on a bell concert for the community.

Friends, this is how we grow the church!

For some time, many of the church leaders, myself included, have been concerned about growing the church. Tomorrow is a day filled with opportunities for us. All any of us needs to do is to invite people. The people working downtown will need help handing out literature and telling people about the church. If you can help out, even for a little bit, let Molly Rogers know. Her email is mrogers@ctpres.org. Bring a friend to lunch (and may-
be even pay for them!) or dinner sponsored by the Yokefellows. What a wonderful way to introduce people to our congregation. Bring a friend or two to hear the Geneva ringers in what will be, I am sure, an excellent musical event!

Church growth does not happen by accident. The days of opening the doors and expecting people to come in are long gone. We have to invite people and make them feel welcome.

Tomorrow is a great opportunity for every one of us to do something for the gospel and for our congregation. Extend an invitation, and pray for God to work!

Blessings,

Pastor John