Charles Town Presbyterian Church

In most churches in the summer, congregations face the dreaded “summer slump.” This is usually a reference to giving – people go away, get busy and as a result, the offering tends to go into a slump. And while that is true for us this summer, there are still good things to be celebrated. In June, we changed the Sunday morning schedule for the summer. Any time leaders make a change to the schedule there is a risk that the change will be met with disagreement, usually shown in the form of absence. In reviewing our attendance records for the last three years, we’ve learned that in spite of making this change, the attendance has not dropped.

We also launched a refreshed website. If you have not been to www.ctpres.org, I urge you to do so. We have a new look, new content and a new feel to the site. This may not seem like a big deal, but some of our summer visitors have indicated that the website is the reason they visited.

Our youth group went on a mission trip at the end of June. Since Christmas, the youth have been planning a mission trip, and they partnered with YouthWorks to serve near Charleston. The youth plan to share more about their trip during worship on Sunday, September 11, which is also Rally Day.

In July, we had a great Vacation Bible School. So many people were helping and making the week great for kids. We were able to share the gospel in a fun and exciting way with a great curriculum and an awesome program. We even had a parenting class three out of the five nights. This weekend we are hosting one of the missionaries we support.  Drake Williams, who serves at Tyndale Seminary in the Netherlands will be joined by his family to preach at worship and lead a Sunday School class to explain how he is seeing God work.

Finally, why have one mission trip when you can have two? We are sending a small team to Webster Springs, WV, to help with the aftermath from the flooding earlier this summer. They will serve August 28-September 3. The deadline for signing up is Monday, July 25.

Summer slump? I don’t think so! God is at work in a variety of ways in and through our congregation!

Blessings,

Pastor John

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