Charles Town Presbyterian Church

It’s almost here.

In about three weeks, the children will return to school. That means several things.

• First, summer will be unofficially over as we settle back into the routine of school, homework, and activities. Vacations will be over, travelling will be reduced to a minimum, and the fun of summer will be over (except for the upcoming long Labor Day weekend in September).
• Second, the stress is about to go up. Anytime we change, good or bad, our stress levels increase. The first few weeks of school is no exception. Teachers are getting organized and learning about their students. Students are learning about their classes and what is expected of them. Parents are changing the routine. Commuters are effected by the increased traffic. All of us, in one way or another, get a little more stressed when the kids head back to class.
• Third, many people are about to get busier. This is connected to the stress, but it is also more than stress. There will now be extra rehearsals and practices. We will attend games and performances. Non-scholastic activities will kick it up a notch, too. Our calendars will fill up quickly.

So how should we respond? We hate stress, and being busy is not always helpful. I offer three suggestions for maintaining sanity as we transition into the school year in a few weeks.

• First, feel free to say, “No.” Consider the activity you’re about to put on your calendar – is it necessary? What happens if you miss it? Is there something else you should be doing instead?
• Second, don’t forget to take care of yourself. When we get busiest is when we get careless with things like our own health. We get fast food because it’s easy. We skip the gym or the workout because we don’t have time. Make self-care a priority so that when the noise and stress increase, you can handle it well.
• Finally, and most importantly, stay focused on Christ. It is during times of change that we tend to lose focus on God. The transition of the coming school year easily puts our focus on anything but God. Keep that Bible close and the prayer lines open!

I hope and pray that the school year ahead is fantastic for all of us, for our congregation, and for the community!

Blessings,

Pastor John

Today, I offer giant thank you!

Thank you to everyone who helped make “Barnyard Roundup” the success that it was! The 2017 Vacation Bible is now “in the books” as they say, and it was great fun. What a great blessing to have so many people help out! By my count, there were almost two dozen (and probably more!) people helping to staff VBS. I dare not thank people by name because I know I would forget
someone!

These events remind us of two things. First, outreach matters. We saw many new faces this year. In fact, the new faces outnumbered the children already knew, and that is very exciting. Not too long ago, churches needed only plan their events, and success was pretty much guaranteed. Those days are long gone. Now, with everything from Netflix to sports and numerous other activities, the Church must fight to be heard. We are one of many voices attempting to get people’s attention. That means we advertise more, use tools like social media, and keep looking for creative ways to get the word out.

The second thing our Vacation Bible School reminded me of is that church family matters. We have a great church family. Throughout the week, I watched as church members got to know each other better, joked around, laughed together and even got serious and listened to each other’s stories. Charles Town Presbyterian Church is a great church family, and I am so
proud to be part of this congregation.

I often remind the congregation that the reason we engage in ministry like Vacation Bible School is so we can help build a foundation of faith into the lives of our children. When that is done well, the result is a congregation of people who come together to do great ministry. Over the course of this week, it was obvious to me that we are building on a strong foundation!

So well done, everyone! Keep up the good work, and stay focused on Christ!

Warmly in Christ,

Pastor John

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. —Galatians 6:9,10

This coming week I am wrapping up my Summer Study, which has been meeting on Wednesday mornings in the parlor. Our focus has been on how to study the different genre of scripture, using the book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth as a guide. It has been a very rewarding study.

What has been absolutely clear to all who attend the study is that we never stop having questions about the scriptures. There is always something to learn, some way to grow, some mystery of faith we need explained. It’s obvious none of us ever really masters the totality of biblical knowledge.

This coming week also marks our annual Vacation Bible School. VBS is an annual outreach focused on teaching children the good news that God loves them. Using scripture as the foundation, children learn, play, create and sing in a loving environment. Sometimes people question the value of VBS – the church does not usually show significant growth following this outreach, and it requires a mammoth effort to accomplish. This year’s program requires two dozen volunteers!

Both the close of Summer Study and the advent of VBS remind me that God’s Word is central to everything we do. We must take care to always learn what we can about it, and to never ignore it, and we must find time to study it. We must always – ALWAYS, look for ways to share the message of God’s Word. And this is why we study, and why dozens of us will gather for five nights this week and do all kinds of crazy activities. This may be the only time these young people hear the good news and are surrounded by people who love them.

I am reminded of the words from Hebrews 12:1-2, for it applies both to our yearning for greater intimacy with God, and to our desire to share the good news:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Dear Friends,

This week, I want to use my newsletter article to enlist your help. As you know, our Sunday summer schedule was changed again this year, with Sunday school at 9am, worship at 10:15am, followed by a time of fellowship. Both last year and this year, the church leadership has received feedback, and most of it has been positive. What has been very interesting for the worship and music committee is a comment they keep hearing over and over again, “Why can’t we do this schedule all year long?” The worship committee was intrigued by this feedback, and decided that it might be helpful to get a greater sense of how the congregation feels about this specific issue.

The worship and music committee decided to conduct a short survey that will be included in the worship bulletin on Sunday, July 9. There will be an insert with a brief explanation (much like the above paragraphs), and a chance for each attendee to check off one of two options: stay with the single service schedule all year long, or return to the two service schedule after Labor Day. We trust that those in attendance will vote only one time and not skew the information the committee is trying to glean from this process.

This survey is an attempt to “listen” to the congregation and find out what people want and like. It is nothing more than this. Of course, if there is overwhelming evidence of a particular preference, the session may decide to act on that information, but neither the session nor the worship committee is ready to do that yet. If you are unable to attend worship on July 9 but you wish to give your feedback, contact one of our worship elders, Patsy White or Jane Ishman.

Worship changes always yield an emotional response, whether we change the schedule, the music, the order, the carpet – people always react more strongly to anything connected to worship than they do anything else in church. This is precisely why the worship committee is seeking your input – so that if a decision is to be made, it is done so with as much information as possible.

Thank you for helping the worship and music committee with your input.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Does your committee, ministry, or group have an event or program coming up in the near future? Be sure to get that information in the newsletter and bulletin. Contact the church office for more information on how to make use of these effective communication tools!

Have you ever wondered why the pulpit at Charles Town Presbyterian Church is so prominent? Do you know the reason why there is a large, fancy Bible on that prominent pulpit? Do you notice the nice Bible that is displayed on the communion table?

These are far more than decorations in a sanctuary. Rather, they are a statement, and that statement is this: The scriptures are central to our faith.

This summer, I decided to engage in a different kind of study. Instead of studying an actual book or section of the scriptures, I am leading a study on how to study each of the different genre we find in the Bible. It has been an interesting, and at times, challenging approach.

The scriptures are important for the simple reason that they teach us about God, outside of our own subjective experience. This is why all persons ordained in the denomination are asked this question, “Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you?” Scripture is our rule of faith and practice.

Most Christians don’t study the scriptures as much as they should. This is for a variety of reasons – we’re busy with other things, we’re intimidated by the Bible, or it may not be important to us. Whatever the reason, we are now two generations into a Church (and this is across denominations), that has very sparse understanding of God’s Word.

What is keeping you from studying? If it is your schedule, I know that can be tough. But even if you can only carve out ten minutes each day, use that time to read God’s Word. Don’t know where to start? I suggest the Psalms or the gospel of John. And if you run into questions or something you don’t understand, jot it down, and call me, email me, or stop by my office and we can talk about it. I’m happy to help!

The worst thing you can do is not study or read the Bible at all. That will do you no good. I am reminded of David’s words:

-Pastor John

This coming Sunday, we are celebrating Compassion Sunday.

The purpose of this mission endeavor is to educate the congregation about the needs of children in the two-thirds world, and how we can help meet those needs and share the gospel with these children.

Compassion International has been changing the lives of children for decades. Over the years, they have used television, print media, Christian concerts, and direct appeals to inform people about the needs these children face. I have fond memories from my youth when I attended Christian concerts. There was often a point where the music stopped and we watched a video about Compassion’s work. If we wanted, we could take a packet home that evening and begin sponsorship right away.

Compassion International is a Christian organization with an impeccable record. Last year, almost 83% of the funds they received went directly to releasing children from poverty. That is a fantastic statistic. You can read more about Compassion by clicking this link.

On Sunday, Allen Rogers, elder chair of the Communications and Outreach committee, will have information available. He will be showing videos and have packets with information on children available for sponsorship. If you feel so led, you can begin the process of sponsorship right away!

Over the last year, there has been frequent talk of “privilege.” When you look at the conditions these children live in – the threat of AIDS, human trafficking, civil rights abuses – you’ll realize that indeed we do live in privilege, and we should be sharing that blessing with others.

In the days ahead, please pray about supporting a child, and then join us Sunday as we help spread the word about this ministry that is changing lives all over the world!

Blessings,

Pastor John