Charles Town Presbyterian Church

Sunday marks my seventeenth anniversary at Charles Town Presbyterian Church. I’ve been reflecting on my ministry here in the past decade and a half, and I thought I’d spend some time sharing some of those reflections.

I remember the first week very clearly. We pulled in from Texas late in the day on a Wednesday, ahead of our possessions. Then we found out the moving van was delayed a day. Then another day. By Friday it was clear that our furniture, clothes, etc., would not arrive until the following week. My first Sunday at CTPC was two days away. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of storing my sermon in a suitcase on the moving van. I had to borrow pants, buy a shirt at Walmart, just so I could present myself as well-dressed that first Sunday. I also had to recraft my sermon from memory, which was extremely stressful with everything else that was happening. We got through that first weekend without a hitch, our things arrived the following Monday afternoon, and we got settled well by the end of that week.

Over the last seventeen years, we have seen some interesting ministry moments. We’ve welcomed approximately 80-90 new members in that time. We’ve also lost about 40-50 members, mostly from those who have passed away.

We’ve had significant staff changes since 2004. Eight years ago, our beloved music director of fifty-four years, Ceil Frazier, announced her retirement. She was succeeded by Jason Largent, and then by Penny Liston. Connie Adams was serving as church business administrator when I arrived. Five or six years ago, Connie retired, and we decided we could do that work among the session committees and trustees. We called an associate pastor, whose ministry focused on Christian Education. She was later succeeded by Molly Rogers Blue, who served on staff over five years before moving on just prior to the pandemic.

When I arrived at CTPC, the church was amid a small capital campaign to raise money for repairs to the brick pointing on the fellowship hall and the manse chimneys. Since that time, we’ve had two additional capital campaigns, both of which I would characterize as a success. The first one, we fell short of the goal by about ten percent, which those who are fundraising experts will say is a win for any organization. The second one, which was to do extensive repair on the steeple, hit the goal handily.

There are many, many more individual moments that stand out in my mind, far too involved to share here. It has been my honor to serve as pastor of Charles Town Presbyterian Church for so long, and I look forward to where we are heading.

Fondly,
Pastor John

Let me begin with a reminder in case it is not clear – this is a two-week edition of the newsletter. Our secretary, Rebecca, is taking well-deserved time off next week, so be sure to reread this newsletter next week for information related to the coming week.

For the past several months, I have had excruciating pain in my right shoulder, which is my dominant shoulder/arm/hand. I went to an orthopedist, which unsurprisingly led to physical therapy (PT). I have been in PT for almost a month now, and I am slowly making progress.

Last week, the most fascinating thing happened. I had PT on Thursday, and afterwards I was typically sore. On Friday, though, I had full range of motion and no pain. On Saturday, however, I sensed some of that pain creeping back into the injured area. On Sunday, it was little worse. On Monday, as I did my at-home exercises, it seemed worse than the day before. As disappointing as this is, it is also not a surprise. When our bodies live with an injury a long time, when we make healing progress, it is not long after that our bodies attempt to revert to the familiar, although the change brought on by the PT was healthy.

For the past couple of months, we have been slowly emerging from the pandemic. One of the impacts of the pandemic and the fact that we had to close in-person activities for so long, is that we have been slow to come back to worship and Sunday School. This is a concerning development. Prior to the pandemic, the session was looking forward, hoping that 2020 was going to be a year of setting long-term goals aimed at expanding our mission and ministries. The pandemic changed that for us. Emerging from lock-down mode has a created a sense of urgency – there are fewer people in the pews, and less young people and young families than we would like. And like a body dealing with an injury, we seem to be reverting to what we did ten and twenty years ago as an attempt to draw people (back) to our church.

Some of the ministries and activities we did as a church decades ago were very good, and we should attempt to, as it were, resurrect them. But if we want to reach the current generation of young people, we cannot hope to do so reverting solely to things we did in the past. That is not always the healthiest option. If we are serious about wanting to reach the current generation of young people, we must do so keeping what we deem as important, but we must also be willing to invest in the work and ideas needed to reach them. In other words, we must be willing to be flexible and even change some of what we do in order for CTPC to grow. To simply revert to the past will only continue to keep us protracted and stuck where we are.

I hope all who read this will join in praying with the session and I as we seek God’s guidance for how we move forward. After all, we do all of this for God’s glory.

Peace,
John

Since last year, I have been leading the congregation through Matthew – not exhaustively, but only focusing on what Jesus taught. The last few weeks and the weeks to come present some particularly challenging passages, all of which have to do with discipleship. In light of that, I thought I’d spend my newsletter space focusing on basic discipleship.

“Discipleship” is the word Christians use to describe the day-to-day habits that we use to become closer to Christ. The focus of discipleship is on spiritual disciplines: worship, scripture reading, prayer, study, service, giving, fasting, etc. There are more, of course, but these are the most common.

• Worship – is arguably the most important. I’ve heard worship described as both a “horizontal and vertical” experience. It is the only time we are with God and at the same time, with the people of God. Worship is level playing field. We connect with God and with one another. We were created for worship, and I would argue that of all the disciplines, this one is the most important. It is easy to skip, and hard to return to, so it’s best not to get in the habit of missing.
• Scripture Reading – The Bible is the place from which we get almost all our information about God and his gospel. As Paul reminds in 2 Timothy 3:13, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Scripture is also objective, providing guidance and correction when we need it, and encouragement and help when we seek it. Daily scripture reading can be a wonderful part of our faith journey.
• Prayer – Prayer is talking to God. We can’t be in a relationship with people we don’t talk to. In prayer we can ask God for all kinds of things – healing for the sick, prayers for our own spiritual growth, for world leaders and events; there is no limit. We also need to listen in prayer. Sometimes we hear God in prayer.
• Study – One of the primary reasons any church has a Christian Education program is to deepen our understanding of scripture and theology. Sunday School classes, therefore, are a great way to supplement other areas of spiritual growth.
• Service – This can happen formally, through a planned mission work of the church, or informally, like when a friend asks us to help them with moving or with a home project. Service puts us last and others first. It models the same kind of love that marked Jesus’ ministry.
• Giving – Giving is not only about what we put in the offering plate at worship, but also about examining the blessings God has given us and using those blessings to make a difference in people’s lives. Just as God is generous with his grace and mercy, so are we called to be generous.
• Fasting – This is when we forego food to spend more time in prayer while simultaneously depending on God. We can fast a meal, or for a one to three days. Fasting is prevalent in the scriptures, and we use fasting when we are desperately seeking God’s direction for something. Fasting is not something to be bragged about (“Oh, I can’t eat, I’m fasting…”). Fasting is not about us; it is about God. Anyone with a medical condition like diabetes should talk to their doctor about how to do this safely.

Doing any or all these disciplines will greatly add to personal discipleship. The irony is, that except for worship, none of these is required. One can believe, worship regularly, and that’s the extent of their discipleship. But if any Christian seeks to go deeper in their faith, spiritual disciplines are a must, and they are a source of great joy. My hope and prayer is that all of us would seek to incorporate spiritual disciplines into our faith journey and go deeper with Christ.

Humbly,
Pastor John

On Sunday, the United States celebrates our nation’s birthday. I was looking over what I wrote last year at this time. We were neck-deep in Coronavirus, and it seemed like every day the restrictions were changing and there were not many signs it was going to improve soon. And though there are still some concerns related to the pandemic, by and large, it seems like we are moving out of it.

I also mentioned the upcoming presidential election, and we had no idea last July that it would be as contentious as it was. Racial inequality issues were also at the forefront of our national consciousness, and that issue, though still critically important, has moved from a boil to a simmer.

Last year at this time, I wrote these words, “What unites us is far greater than what divides us. It is so easy to be divided, to be angry, to point fingers. It takes a great deal more work to pursue unity. To be united does not mean someone wins and someone loses. It means that we can learn from one another, we can listen to each other, and we can come up with beneficial solutions together. It also means that when we don’t agree, we should be able to disagree agreeably.”

I still stand by these words. Unity is hard, and we must work for it. It does not magically come to us because we are citizens in this country, or professing Christians in a congregation. Our democracy has often been described as “fragile,” and I believe that is an appropriate word. As we have all seen over the past year, it really does not take much to divide us.

For Christians, unity begins in our relationship with Christ. Christians believe that God loved people so much that he sent God the Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, and then to be raised to life. Across the theological spectrum, where the differences can be very profound, one thing we typically agree on is the salvation that comes to those who believe because of the death and resurrection of Christ.
As we make our way into the Fourth of July weekend, I want to encourage us to remember how blessed we are to live in this country, and how precious unity is. Even if for only a moment, let’s put aside the differences and focus on what unites us. We do that wonderfully as a congregation. We can surely carry that into the weekend and beyond.

Blessings,
Pastor John

Slowly but surely, we are getting back to normal at Charles Town Presbyterian Church. Here’s how I know:

First, tomorrow, the Missions Committee is hosting a yard sale. Technically, it’s a fundraiser for the congregation, but it actually seems like it is a great excuse to get together for some fellowship. I encourage everyone to come out to this event, even if you don’t plan to make a purchase. Just seeing people in person will be great!

Second, the session made an important decision along with a clarification. The clarification came as an answer to this question: Can we start having meals and get-togethers in the fellowship hall. The session’s answer was clear – open means open. So yes, we can start planning fellowship activities,
provided everything virus-related continues to track the way it has. The session also modified the opening guidelines. We will now allow for singing in worship. Although singing in close proximity without any kind of face covering is still officially discouraged, it’s obvious the congregation wants to sing, as the volume from the crowd each Sunday gets louder and louder. That, and the fact that we are still encouraging social distancing gave the session confidence to make this decision.

Finally, we are having a congregational meeting on Sunday to elect elders, deacons, one trustee, and nominating committee members, all who will start terms beginning in January. Congregational meetings were difficult during the pandemic, and to be able to have one in person this coming Sunday is such a great joy! I hope you will be able to come to worship and then stay for the meeting. (And a note to nominees: if you can come, please do, so the congregation can put names with faces.)

Slowly but surely, we are getting there. These activities speak to what we can look forward to as pandemic restrictions are loosened. Hopefully, it will stay that way. As much as long to return to “normal,” we must also keep in mind that Covid has changed the world, and that, in turn, will affect how all churches shape their ministries. To that end, must all remember to be flexible
and patient. Thanks to Covid, patience and flexibility are two things we know well.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday, to singing together in worship on Sunday, and yes, I’m even looking forward to our congregational meeting. God is good!

Blessings,
Pastor John