ARP Magazine - Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
ARP Magazine - Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
ARP Magazine - Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
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NOVEMBER 2011<br />
We are also Pilgrims<br />
in this land...<br />
Plus:<br />
A Letter to Our Readers pg 3<br />
The First Pilgrims pg 5<br />
WM Prayer Emphasis Program pg 9
Contents November 2011<br />
FEATURES<br />
3 A Letter to Our Readers<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> Board Chairman Oran Smith updates readers on<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> operations and challenges you to participate in a<br />
promotion to support the denomination’s publication. —Oran Smith<br />
5 The First Pilgrims<br />
This Thanksgiving, we remember their hardships. —Rev. Ray Cameron<br />
6 Moderator’s Focus<br />
Do you want your church to grow?<br />
MINISTRIES<br />
—Rev. Andrew Putnam<br />
7 Synod Emphasis: The Offer of the Free Gospel<br />
Prayers were prayed, the Bible was taught and preached, and people<br />
loved each other...but our church was dying. —Rev. Scott Robar<br />
8 A Pastor’s Perspective<br />
Practical steps toward obedient churchmanship. —Rev. Dean Turbeville<br />
9 2012 Prayer Emphasis Program<br />
Prayer is a developed lifestyle, a cultivated habit binding us to God.<br />
—WM Spiritual Life Chairman Kathy Folks<br />
COVER<br />
PHOTO<br />
Blessed are those whose strength is in<br />
you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage<br />
(Psalm 84:5).<br />
ISSN 0362—0816<br />
THE ASSOCIATE<br />
REFORMED<br />
PRESBYTERIAN<br />
VOL. XXXVI NO. 9<br />
Delores P. McDonald, Editor<br />
Susan L. Tanner, Assistant Editor<br />
Advertising rates on request; ask<br />
for current rate card. Advertising<br />
competitive with any agency or institution<br />
of the <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong><br />
<strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong> is not accepted.<br />
Publication of advertisements<br />
does not necessarily constitute an<br />
endorsement by this magazine.<br />
BOARD OF THE ASSSOCIATE<br />
REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN<br />
Dr. Oran Smith (2013), Chairman; Walter F. Payne<br />
Jr. (2012), Vice Chairman; Rev. Charles Hammond<br />
(2014); Leslie Milling (2013); Joel Reed (2015); Rev.<br />
Sam Roper (2017); Charles Walden (2015); Gail<br />
Fowler (2017); John Wingate (2017); Martha Waldrop<br />
(<strong>ARP</strong> Women’s Ministries representative).<br />
21 Bonclarken<br />
22 Christian Ed Ministries<br />
23 Erskine<br />
EVERY MONTH…<br />
24 Outreach North America<br />
25 World Witness<br />
26 <strong>ARP</strong> Women’s Ministries<br />
The <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Presbyterian</strong> (Publication No.<br />
USPS 414770) is published monthly by the Board of<br />
The <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Presbyterian</strong>, One Cleveland<br />
St., Ste. 110, Greenville, SC 29601-3696. Telephone<br />
(864) 232-8297, Ext. 236. Subscription rates: $20 one<br />
year, $38 two years, $54 three years. For churches in<br />
the <strong>Church</strong> Club Plan: $16.50 a year (90% participation)<br />
or $17.50 a year (75% participation). Periodicals<br />
Postage paid at Greenville, SC 29601, and additional<br />
mailing offices.<br />
POSTMASTER: Send address correction notices to<br />
The <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Presbyterian</strong>, One Cleveland<br />
St., Ste. 110, Greenville, SC 29601-3696.<br />
16 News in Brief<br />
19 Prayer Calendar<br />
28 All in Our Family<br />
30 Classified Ads<br />
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible<br />
Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.<br />
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway<br />
Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.<br />
LOOKING FOR A RESOURCE FOR<br />
CURRENT <strong>ARP</strong> INFORMATION?<br />
Sign up for our weekly e-mail newsletter, <strong>ARP</strong><br />
News Update or check the <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
web page:<br />
www.arpmagazine.org<br />
To sign up for the newsletter or contact the<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, e-mail:<br />
arpeditor@arpsynod.org<br />
2 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
A Letter to Our Readers<br />
Dear Subscriber,<br />
Because of our strong renewal rates, chances are, you have been with <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> for some time. During that time,<br />
you have seen lots of changes. As for me, it’s amazing to see the improvement in our denominational magazine since I<br />
first subscribed in 1994. I hope you agree the contrast is like night and day – better design, better organization, more<br />
family life, more reformed theology, and more news than ever from our <strong>Church</strong> make The <strong>ARP</strong> a must for everyone.<br />
But as you may have also noticed, printed publications have really taken a hit lately. This is especially true for newspapers,<br />
but magazines like The <strong>ARP</strong> haven’t escaped unharmed. Folks don’t read as much as they used to. And, some readers<br />
have switched to electronic versions of their favorite publications, or enjoy online content that is not subscription based<br />
(paid), but ad based (free).<br />
At the same time, magazines with over 1,000,000 subscribers do quite well because of the scores of ads they contain.<br />
Unfortunately, another favorite magazine I subscribe to has become mostly advertising.<br />
But here at <strong>ARP</strong> magazine, we don’t publish for advertisers, we publish for you. That’s why I’m taking this unique opportunity<br />
to appeal to you to help us expand our tent.<br />
One of the biggest challenges for any ministry (or business) is finding new customers. The <strong>ARP</strong> is no exception. Producing<br />
a great, inspirational product is only half the job. To be effective, the content must be read. And except for printing,<br />
the cost is the same, whether we have 3,000 subscribers or 10,000.<br />
To help us expand, I have included a handy “Renew Me and Give Three” form on the back of this page.<br />
The deal is simple. If you will renew (or extend) your subscription at the regular rate of $20, we will send the magazine<br />
as a gift from you to three friends for the special rate of $16.50 each. You receive a Christmas present for those who are<br />
so difficult to buy for, and we are introduced to new friends! A good bargain for everyone. We will even send a “Do Not<br />
Open ‘til December 25” card to your friends announcing your gifts.<br />
Of course, you don’t have to give three – you can give two or one...or one each to every member of your Sunday school<br />
class or circle. (If the number reaches 8 or 10, we will make you an even better deal.)<br />
Will you help us reach out...and honor a friend or three...and share the ministry of the <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>?<br />
Your magazine is working harder than ever to inform and inspire you, but we are only partially funded by Synod,<br />
therefore we have taken this unique opportunity in this November issue to ask for you help. We hope you will answer the<br />
call and take this opportunity to share the gift of The <strong>ARP</strong> with you family and friends.<br />
Thank you for your help.<br />
Grace and peace,<br />
Oran P. Smith<br />
Chairman<br />
Board of The <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
P.S. You will notice fewer magazines in your mailbox in 2012. This is a cost<br />
saving measure we regret. But, based on our staff’s research, our annual subscription<br />
rate for the minimal advertising we carry is still a real bargain, and our new<br />
schedule is more common to magazines. To close the gap, please be sure to provide<br />
us with your email address so we can send you news in between issues of the<br />
printed edition. There is no charge for <strong>ARP</strong> News Update to subscribers.<br />
One more thing: you may have never heard this before, but please know that we<br />
sincerely thank you for your subscription.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 3
The <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
Gift Subscription<br />
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following people at the special low rate<br />
of $16.50 (for six issues).<br />
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<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> • 1 Cleveland Street • Greenville, SC 29601-3696<br />
4 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
The First Pilgrims<br />
By Rev. Ray Cameron<br />
I<br />
imagine many know the names<br />
William Bradford and Squanto.<br />
But you may not know their personal<br />
stories, which are both sobering<br />
and encouraging.<br />
William Bradford was the first governor<br />
of Plymouth Plantation, and<br />
was deeply committed to Christ. He<br />
boarded the Mayflower in 1620 with<br />
his wife, Dorothy, and sailed to America<br />
to seek refuge with other likeminded<br />
believers – to worship freely.<br />
Yet Bradford knew what it was to be<br />
a pilgrim without a home at an early<br />
age. His father died when he was oneyear-old.<br />
His grandfather died when<br />
he was six. And his mother died when<br />
he was seven. Under religious persecution<br />
at age 18, he fled his homeland<br />
of England to live in Holland. A few<br />
years later, he married Dorothy, and<br />
they had a son.<br />
When it was time to sail to America,<br />
many agonized over the perilous<br />
journey before them – and their family’s<br />
fate. The Bradfords chose to to<br />
leave their only child, 4-year-old John,<br />
behind – for fear of losing him. After<br />
finally arriving in America, the Mayflower<br />
anchored off Cape Cod. While<br />
Bradford and many of the Pilgrim<br />
men were were off exploring places<br />
to settle, Mrs. Bradford fell overboard<br />
and drowned.<br />
Mr. Bradford remarried two years<br />
later, and had three children. Meanwhile,<br />
his son, John, made a safe journey<br />
to Plymouth to join his father.<br />
Of course, years before Bradford<br />
and the Pilgrims settled in America,<br />
tribes of Native Americans were living<br />
on this land. But in 1608, English<br />
traders kidnapped many of them,<br />
including a 12-year-old boy named<br />
Squanto, sailed to Spain, and sold<br />
them into slavery. A monk took pity<br />
on Squanto and brought him into his<br />
home, where he was taught the Bible<br />
and English. When the monk learned<br />
English ships were sailing to America,<br />
he sent Squanto to live with a family<br />
in England, so he would one day be<br />
able to sail home.<br />
Ten years after he was kidnapped,<br />
Squanto finally arrived home. But he<br />
soon found an epidemic carried by<br />
white men had wiped out his entire<br />
village. Squanto lived nearby with a<br />
neighboring tribe, until he discovered<br />
a group of English families had settled<br />
in the village that was once his home.<br />
But it had been a difficult first winter<br />
and spring for the Pilgrims there, and<br />
many had died.<br />
One can only imagine William<br />
Bradford’s amazement and gratitude<br />
when he heard the kind Indian stranger<br />
say, “Good morning, my name is<br />
Squanto.” Squanto soon taught the<br />
starving Pilgrims how to fish and<br />
plant corn. In his journal, Bradford<br />
would later call Squanto “a special<br />
instrument sent of God for their good<br />
beyond their expectation.”<br />
Children’s author Eric Metaxas<br />
draws a biblical analogy from<br />
Squanto’s life and imagines Bradford’s<br />
conversation with Squanto:<br />
“It is like the story of Joseph, from<br />
our sacred Scriptures... Like you, Joseph<br />
was also taken from his home<br />
and sold as a slave. But God had a<br />
plan for him. Through Joseph, God<br />
was able to save many people from<br />
starving. What man intended for<br />
evil, God intended for good.”<br />
Then Bradford smiled at Squanto<br />
and said, “Perhaps God has sent you<br />
to be our Joseph.”<br />
And you know the rest of the<br />
story: Months later, Bradford, Squanto,<br />
the Pilgrims, and many Indians<br />
would celebrate the first Thanksgiving<br />
together.<br />
This Thanksgiving, as we remember<br />
their hardships, and perhaps bear<br />
our own, might we also draw strength<br />
from their hopeful perseverance, gratitude<br />
to God, and joyful celebration.<br />
For the psalmist reminds us that we<br />
are also pilgrims in this land, and<br />
how blessed are those whose strength is<br />
in you (God), whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.<br />
As they pass through the Valley<br />
of Baka (literally, ‘weeping’), they make it<br />
a place of springs; the autumn rains also<br />
cover it with pools. They go from strength<br />
to strength, till each appears before God<br />
in Zion (Psalm 84: 5-7).?<br />
Ray Cameron is pastor of Lake<br />
Placid (FL) <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 5
Moderator of Synod<br />
REV. ANDREW K. PUTNAM<br />
Moderator<br />
Do You Want Your<br />
<strong>Church</strong> to Grow?<br />
In considering the challenges before<br />
the <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, the need for new<br />
mission work and ministry, I have<br />
one important question I want you to seriously<br />
consider: Do you want your church<br />
to grow?<br />
Don’t be too quick to answer. Most<br />
folks would say “yes,” but in truth they<br />
don’t want the church to grow – they just<br />
don’t want it to die. There is a huge difference<br />
between wanting the church to grow<br />
and just not wanting it to die.<br />
If you want the church to grow, you<br />
are willing to see the kind of revival and<br />
growth that we find in the book of Acts,<br />
where thousands were added daily. You<br />
want new folks, that are different than<br />
you, to become involved and active in the<br />
congregation. You are willing to let the<br />
Holy Spirit take over and do some amazing<br />
and radical things in the church.<br />
Growth: Outside Comfort Zone<br />
If you want the church to truly grow,<br />
you are going to be concerned with reaching<br />
the lost, the unchurched, those that are<br />
completely different than you. It will involve<br />
stepping outside your comfort zone,<br />
changing the way you “do” church in many<br />
cases and intentionally being welcoming<br />
and friendly to folks you don’t know.<br />
It may require you to give up a long<br />
held position in the church, so that new<br />
people can get involved (maybe an official<br />
position or just something you’ve always<br />
done). If you want the church to grow, then<br />
the ministry of the church is not about you,<br />
but about others. This does not require giving<br />
up on our theology or watering down<br />
the Scriptures – far from it. We should<br />
preach and live the Word with boldness.<br />
But there is a world of difference between<br />
a book of the Bible like 2nd Timothy,<br />
and the unwritten “book of 2nd opinions.”<br />
The old adage is that there are seven<br />
words you should never say in church:<br />
“We’ve never done it that way before.”<br />
If you want the church to grow, then you<br />
need to turn that phrase into a challenge<br />
to do things new, rather than use it as an<br />
excuse to keep doing the same old thing.<br />
Dying: No Change Necessary<br />
If all you are really concerned about<br />
is whether or not the church is going to<br />
die, all you need to do is figure out how<br />
many folks your church is going to lose in<br />
the coming year, and aim to replace them.<br />
Preferably with folks just like them (who<br />
perhaps tithe more money). If your concern<br />
is that the church doesn’t die, then<br />
the programs and activities at the church<br />
should be designed around your comfort,<br />
your concerns, and your needs only.<br />
Outreach, if any, needs to make you<br />
feel comfortable and good, without causing<br />
you to have to work too hard. The<br />
preaching, while perhaps biblically solid,<br />
shouldn’t cause you any real concern, nor<br />
should it “step on your toes.” Instead, it<br />
should educate and edify, while justifying<br />
your preconceived notions.<br />
<strong>Church</strong>es that don’t really want to grow,<br />
should be more concerned with the comfort<br />
and compatibility of the church members.<br />
They need to make sure that everyone is<br />
getting along and in agreement. There is a<br />
desire to make sure that any new members<br />
(or visitors) fit a certain mold, appear a certain<br />
way, make a certain amount of money,<br />
or hold to a certain theology (before<br />
they become members or involved in the<br />
church). Many times, this pursuit of purity<br />
can occupy the longing for outreach. If you<br />
don’t want the church to die, it will usually<br />
survive for a while, at least for one more<br />
generation. While folks in these churches<br />
may say they want to grow or revive, they<br />
may be the first to complain about funds<br />
going to establish new mission works.<br />
The concepts of revitalization are hard for<br />
them to accept. They don’t want to make<br />
the necessary changes.<br />
Unfortunately, when you look at the<br />
statistics and history of the <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
it’s easy to see we have a large number of<br />
churches (new and old) that really don’t<br />
want to grow – they just don’t want to die.<br />
If today’s <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong> is going to be<br />
obedient to God’s Word, and if it’s going<br />
to survive, we must change our hearts<br />
about growing the church. We must become<br />
open to the work that the Holy Spirit<br />
can do in our congregations, regardless of<br />
the church’s age or location and we must<br />
pray that the Lord will continue to use the<br />
<strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong><br />
for his glory and honor.?<br />
6 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
Our church was dying...<br />
Synod Emphasis<br />
By Rev. Scott Robar<br />
Only 20 people attended Sunday<br />
morning worship, when<br />
I first came to New Covenant<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong> in Charlotte, NC, in late<br />
2010. We seem to be recovering now;<br />
but we still have a long way to go.<br />
Of those 20 people, three have died,<br />
six have moved away, and one is too<br />
weak to attend. That leaves 10 from<br />
the original group – all white, all except<br />
two are retired, and no children.<br />
New Covenant sits within a neighborhood,<br />
which, according to statistical<br />
information, is 50% black, 35%<br />
white, and 15% “other.” Clearly the<br />
demographics have changed since<br />
the church’s formation in 1967. Some<br />
might think the change in the neighborhood<br />
was brought about by the<br />
decline of the church. Yet, as far as<br />
I can tell, the real problem was that<br />
two dying churches merged in 1967<br />
and continued dying, because meaningful<br />
evangelism and outreach had<br />
never been, nor did it become, part of<br />
the church’s ministry.<br />
Please understand that prayers<br />
were prayed, the Bible was taught<br />
and preached, and people loved<br />
each other. It’s just that all of that<br />
was mainly confined within the<br />
church building on Sunday mornings.<br />
Please also understand that as I<br />
describe what we have done, it is very<br />
clear to us that the Lord is at work in<br />
our midst – apart from Him we can<br />
do nothing.<br />
You will be relieved to know that<br />
there is nothing here that is hard to<br />
grasp – no expensive seminar, no<br />
lengthy study, and no need for a<br />
praise band. Our small church only<br />
has one musician. Our worship<br />
services are unashamedly <strong>Reformed</strong><br />
and traditional.<br />
We’ve more than doubled in size<br />
in 20 months, although we’ve lost 10<br />
of the original group. Now we average<br />
between 35 and 40 in attendance.<br />
Thirteen people are newcomers from<br />
the neighborhood, six more are from<br />
beyond the neighborhood, and 12<br />
more are there because the man of<br />
the house is on staff (which includes<br />
my family). That’s 41 people. Fifteen<br />
of those are children. There had not<br />
been children in the church for many<br />
years. Of the 41 people, 15 are black,<br />
one is Asian, two are Hispanic, and<br />
23 are white. We’re looking like the<br />
neighborhood and we are looking<br />
like heaven (Revelation 5:9).<br />
Cause for Growth<br />
Our turn-around has been aided<br />
greatly by two things – hiring interns<br />
from a nearby seminary and providing<br />
lunches after worship. We pay<br />
$3,000 per year for two interns (<strong>Reformed</strong><br />
Theological Seminary doubles<br />
that money for their tuition), and<br />
we let another intern use the manse<br />
rent-free. Two more seminary-trained<br />
men have also joined us.<br />
Sunday is our big day for “work”<br />
as it is described in Isaiah 58:6-14.<br />
We not only attempt to do the things<br />
listed there; we also hope to receive<br />
those blessings, in the form of personal,<br />
church, and community revival.<br />
The interns teach Sunday school in<br />
rotation. They preach once every two<br />
months. My call is part-time, so this<br />
works out well.<br />
Our lunch provides a perfect opportunity<br />
to get to know people’s<br />
needs – there are plenty! We’re just<br />
loving people – it’s that simple. All<br />
newcomers attend the lunches. After<br />
lunch, the interns and I have a<br />
meeting. We talk about all sorts of<br />
things and pray. Then we listen to<br />
and critique the sermon for the coming<br />
Sunday. Then, some of us go into<br />
the neighborhood knocking on doors,<br />
and others go to a local nursing home<br />
to provide a worship service at 3:30<br />
p.m. Other members join us there.<br />
When a church is dying, some hard<br />
decisions need to be made. We had<br />
to sell our Bonclarken house. We no<br />
longer have a music director or secretary.<br />
However, the New Covenant<br />
congregation has given me what I<br />
asked for – several interns – energetic<br />
young men with servants’ hearts who<br />
are also evangelists.<br />
Most of you reading this are terrified<br />
by the idea of witnessing to<br />
strangers; yet that is no big deal to<br />
most seminarians. If your church is<br />
within an hour of a good seminary,<br />
you really should avail yourselves of<br />
the blessings these interns can bring<br />
to your church. You’ll also be a blessing<br />
to these future pastors, their families,<br />
and the congregations they will<br />
later serve.?<br />
We are looking like the neighborhood<br />
and we are looking like Heaven.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 7
A Pastor’s Perspective...<br />
<strong>Church</strong>manship is<br />
not penmanship<br />
By Pastor Dean Turbeville, All Saints’<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, Charlotte, NC<br />
Many in our churches think<br />
of churchmanship as a<br />
modest and antiquated<br />
virtue, rather like good penmanship<br />
or knowing how to tie a bow tie:<br />
nice enough, but not really important<br />
in life. Others have drunk the<br />
post-modern Kool-Aid and believe<br />
that any concern for the organizational<br />
and procedural life of the<br />
institutional church is not sufficiently<br />
“spiritual” and/or “relational.”<br />
But if our understanding of churchmanship<br />
is taken from the New<br />
Testament, we get a very different<br />
picture. Paul labored heroically to<br />
both establish congregations and<br />
to see that they were organizationally<br />
healthy. The appointment of<br />
qualified leaders, the maintenance of<br />
sound doctrine, and the discipline of<br />
unrepentant sinners in the churches<br />
fill the pages of his epistles.<br />
The unity and doctrinal cohesion<br />
of the early church was secured in a<br />
general assembly of the church’s leadership<br />
in Jerusalem. All of this was<br />
more than just ensuring that things<br />
were done “decently and in order,”<br />
though that was no small concern (1<br />
Corinthians 14:40).<br />
<strong>Church</strong>manship is also a crucible<br />
of the soul and battlefield for the kingdom.<br />
Paul’s language to the Galatians<br />
is almost war-like. And nobody’s<br />
light burned brighter for the maintenance<br />
of the visible church in faithfulness<br />
like Jesus Christ, of whom it was<br />
said, “zeal for the Lord’s House consumes<br />
him (John 2:17).” His clearing<br />
the temple of moneychangers<br />
and his establishing the <strong>Church</strong> as a<br />
confessional institution at the time of<br />
Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ messiahship<br />
are examples of churchmanship<br />
par excellence. His affirmations and<br />
rebukes to the seven churches in the<br />
Revelation are the epitome of lovedriven<br />
churchmanship. And he gives<br />
we who serve him the ministry of the<br />
keys of the kingdom, that we might<br />
continue in his train (Matthew 16:19).<br />
Decades of Neglect<br />
The evangelical Protestant<br />
church’s current low ecclesiology<br />
and contempt for churchmanship are<br />
not only evidence of our superficial<br />
reading of Scripture, but they also<br />
constitute an abandonment of our<br />
reformational heritage. Moreover,<br />
the near-apocalyptic decline in the<br />
corporate life of American denominations<br />
of the <strong>Church</strong> can substantially<br />
be traced to decades of negligent and<br />
gutless churchmanship. When I was<br />
a minister in the PCUSA, I saw constant<br />
evangelical isolationism: “I’ll<br />
just pastor my own church and leave<br />
church politics to those who are interested<br />
in it” (i.e., inevitably liberal<br />
clerics who had little interest in the<br />
ministry of the Word).<br />
And, indeed, I know that I have<br />
often been a lazy churchman myself;<br />
I must repent and embrace the high,<br />
holy and often hard calling of serving<br />
the Head of the <strong>Church</strong> through such<br />
a labor.<br />
So, in good hope, and preaching to<br />
myself first of all, I would urge the following<br />
seven practical steps towards<br />
an obedient churchmanship:<br />
• Show up to your session, presbytery<br />
or General Synod meeting, and<br />
be prepared: read everything sent to<br />
you in advance. We should no more<br />
fail to do this than we would fail<br />
to show up to preach on Sunday or<br />
to be prepared to lead worship. Do<br />
not leave the meeting early for any<br />
light reason.<br />
• Pray as elders for the work of<br />
the courts of the church. And it is an<br />
especially good sign when congregations<br />
actively pray for these meetings<br />
as well. The era of keeping congregations<br />
in the dark about the large<br />
issues in church affairs should end.<br />
• Speak up when you are convicted<br />
about some matter before the<br />
court. Relying on more outspoken<br />
men to speak is a dereliction of duty;<br />
in all likelihood they are only speaking<br />
because they know you will not.<br />
• Both large church officers and<br />
small church officers are presbyters<br />
and should contribute in this way. No<br />
false modesty or unbiblical inferiority<br />
complex should thwart the vows we<br />
all made at our ordination. And the<br />
same can be said for ordained seminary<br />
professors: it is your church too!<br />
• Combine passion for truth with<br />
dignity and respect for the court. Remember<br />
that it is the visible church<br />
which is “the Kingdom of our Lord<br />
Jesus Christ, the house and family of<br />
God, out of which there is no ordinary<br />
possibility of salvation” (Westminster<br />
Confession, Chapter XXV, II).<br />
• Love your fellow presbyters as<br />
brothers, but be willing at any point<br />
to do the right thing for Christ and<br />
the church, even if your best friend<br />
thinks differently.<br />
• Take a multi-generational view of<br />
the church, accepting our role as spiritual<br />
fathers to others. In this way, we<br />
leave a more faithful institution to our<br />
sons who will lead it in the future. It is<br />
hard to think of a better gift we could<br />
give them and others who will make<br />
up the church of the future.<br />
In sum, churchmanship is far more<br />
than a modest virtue. It is for brave<br />
hearts, sanctified minds and loving<br />
spirits. In all of this, may Christ be<br />
glorified, and his church reclaimed<br />
as the “church of the living God, the<br />
pillar and foundation of the truth!”<br />
(1 Timothy 3:15)?<br />
8 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
Prayer Emphasis 2012<br />
Praise, Privilege, Posture, Penitence, Passion, Power,<br />
Priority, Plan, Petition, Perseverance, Promise<br />
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it, with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).<br />
Day 1 – Privilege, Posture, Praise<br />
Verse – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be<br />
made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).<br />
Shorter Catechism Q.98 “What is prayer? A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to<br />
his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.”<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> Psalter with Bible Songs – “O LORD, I Will Exalt You” #30<br />
”Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah” #205<br />
Hymnbook – “Be Thou My Vision” #303<br />
“At the Name of Jesus” #143<br />
Trinity Hymnal – “Holy God We Praise Your Name” #103<br />
“Soldiers of Christ, Arise” #575<br />
This Prayer Emphasis, including scripture references and questions,<br />
is intended to bless, encourage and strengthen our prayer<br />
lives. Prayer is a developed lifestyle, a cultivated habit binding<br />
us to God. Jesus’ fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace is faith’s<br />
foundation, the springboard of our call to prayer.<br />
What is prayer? Prayer is privileged communication with God,<br />
priority responsibility for Christians deepening our relationship<br />
with our Heavenly Father. It is coming to Christ and laying<br />
our requests before Him, seeking Jesus’ face, kneeling to His<br />
Lordship, submitting to God’s will. Jesus is the only way to the<br />
Father (John 14:6) and the sacrifice of the cross the source of<br />
forgiveness to penitent, repentant hearts.<br />
Prayer is hard work that encounters supernatural conflict.<br />
Spiritual warfare causes us to struggle to pray. Satan discourages<br />
at every opportunity. We must be prepared and recognize<br />
the warfare. We should be prayer warriors wearing Ephesians 6<br />
Christian armor with prayer part of our sure defense.<br />
Some of our best lessons on prayer may be a<br />
parent’s example.<br />
Why should I pray? Pray because you are weak and He is strong, our Lord, our Eternal Father, our source for all of life.<br />
Pray because you love God, want to glorify Him and because Jesus told us to pray (Luke 18). James 4:2b says we don’t<br />
have because we don’t ask. Satan uses struggles and trials to discourage us from praying – depression, stress, grief,<br />
exhaustion, inadequacy, lack of eloquence, ill health, or spiritually dryness. Persevere, focusing on the Godhead – eyes<br />
on Jesus (Hebrews 12). Trusting God strengthens faith and fades anxieties.<br />
How do I pray? Reverently approach God, devout in your pleading, coming into God’s holy presence with humility<br />
and thanksgiving – earnestly, fervently, genuinely worshipful. Pray “in Christ” (Ephesians 1; 1 John 5:20), remembering<br />
praise is key in prayer. The process starts within you to rejuvenate and enrich your prayer life, for you must come<br />
confessing your own sinfulness, forgiving others. Heart humility is the right attitude, this “heart posture” is more<br />
important than physical posture.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 9
The truth of the Gospel should shape our praying. Bible prayers, especially the Psalms, are models for us, reflecting<br />
every aspect of human experience – from utter despair to hopeful elation; fear to rage; doubt to faith; discouragement<br />
and loneliness to love, unity and strength.<br />
What do I pray? Some of our best lessons on prayer may be a parent’s example. Pray for what God lays on your heart,<br />
possibly as The Lord’s Prayer guides – praising God; for His kingdom; that His will be done; for daily provision; for<br />
forgiveness of sins and your forgiveness of others; for protection from sinning and evil, and for His honor and glory.<br />
When? Ephesians 6:18 says “at all times.” Prayer should be a natural part of our lives as is God’s Word (Colossians<br />
3:16-17). Some prayer times are short, others lengthy.<br />
Where do I start? The Puritans said something like, “Pray until you pray.” As you pray more, it becomes more natural.<br />
Jesus begins and ends The Lord’s Prayer with worship, honoring and respecting God who is holy and worthy of<br />
worship. Coming pridefully takes His name in vain. We are sinners so we can only come into God’s presence through<br />
Christ.<br />
Awesome, merciful, loving Father in heaven, hallowed be your holy name. We praise you for who you are, thankful for<br />
our blessings and your easy, strong yoke of help, rest and peace. Renew, refresh, delight and inspire us in your service.<br />
In Christ we pray, Amen.<br />
Quote: “If we never know what it is to commune with God as our Father, we fail to grasp the meaning of what Jesus Christ accomplished<br />
for us” – Derek Thomas.<br />
Pray for: <strong>ARP</strong> pastors, officers and church staffs; The <strong>ARP</strong> Center; Synod, <strong>ARP</strong>WM, government and family leaders.<br />
Verse – “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).<br />
Day 2 – Passion, Power, Pattern, Priority<br />
Catechism Q.99 “What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer? A. The whole word of God is of use to direct<br />
us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called<br />
The Lord’s prayer.”<br />
Psalter – “How Blessed the Man” #166<br />
“Listen to My Words, O LORD” #5<br />
Hymnbook – “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” #399<br />
“Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine!” #139<br />
Hymnal – “Come, Ye Disconsolate, Where’er Ye Languish” #615<br />
“Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit” #331<br />
Anchored in Christ we won’t drift. Jesus is our lifeline. God is holding us in His loving arms. Prayer draws us close<br />
to God (James 4:8), helps us focus on Him (Philippians 3:10), and is the route to forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Pray with the<br />
saints of the Bible, or use The Lord’s Prayer Jesus gave us, a great prayer and a wonderful model. Make each petition<br />
your own, praying it from your heart in your words or from different translations.<br />
What should I ask? Ask in Jesus’ name (John 16:24) and receive that your joy would be made full. Prayer clarifies our<br />
needs (Colossians 1:9, Philippians 4:6). It allows us to lift up others (Psalm 55:1, Ephesians 6:18). When you feel prayerless,<br />
remember that Jesus the Priest intercedes for you. God always answers rightly, even when He says “wait,” which<br />
can lead to renewed strength as in Isaiah 40:31.<br />
What if I don’t feel like praying? Commit your prayer life to God, cultivating healthy prayer habits. Praying encourages<br />
(Luke 18:1) and comforts (Psalm 4:1). It pleases God (Proverbs 15:8). Jesus made prayer a priority, so passionate in<br />
Gethsemane that He sweated blood. Prioritizing prayer means blessing – and time, sacrifice and discipline.<br />
What if my prayers sound stupid and seem pointless? God knows our hearts and hears the prayers of His children.<br />
10 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
Confess, giving it all to Him, for He cares and wants to hear you ask. Prayer should not be a me-centered list, but<br />
should lift up needs and burdens as you seek God’s will for your life. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but<br />
in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”<br />
In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses the contrast between lengthy, hypocritical, manpleasing<br />
babbling and genuine heartfelt prayers. He says to “...go into your inner<br />
room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret...”<br />
and ”...when you are praying do not use meaningless repetition...”<br />
What help can I get? There is no perfect formula, timing, or technique. Consciously<br />
plan to pray, setting goals. What helps you focus – lists, a specific time, a certain<br />
structure or order? For accountability, consider a prayer partner, prayer group,<br />
or being mentored or discipled. Try a prayer journal for writing out your prayers<br />
– and God’s answers.<br />
How can my prayers make a difference? Starting and concluding with worship,<br />
The Lord’s Prayer also emphasizes the priority of God’s kingdom. We should pray<br />
for the lost to come to Christ and the church to grow with the blessing of God’s<br />
truth in its rightful place. That is kingdom praying. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us<br />
not to be anxious “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” Pursuing<br />
the things of God challenges and blesses.<br />
Prayer helps us through all hazards and hurdles to the finish line. God is at the beginning<br />
and end, helping you at every footfall, each uphill and downhill encountered.<br />
The Balm of Gilead will heal all wounds and the crown of righteousness<br />
awaits you.<br />
Jesus is our lifeline.<br />
We believers are not alone. Jesus says (John 8:3), “If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you<br />
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Hebrews 7:25 reminds us “...he is able to save forever those<br />
who draw near to God through Him since he always lives to make intercession for them.” The Holy Spirit interprets<br />
your prayers into elegant missives to heaven.<br />
Philippians 4:3 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Praise God! We can even pray.<br />
Gracious Triune God, make us Prayer Warriors, passionate about prayer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.<br />
Quotes: “Prayerlessness is often an index to our ignorance of God“ –D. A. Carson.<br />
Pray for: Christian Education Ministries; Erskine College & Seminary; <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>; Bonclarken.<br />
Day 3 – Plan, Petition, Perseverance, Promise<br />
Verse – “Evening, morning and noon I will pray” (Psalm 55:17).<br />
Catechism Q. 100 “What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us? A. The preface of the Lord’s prayer (which is,<br />
Our Father, which art in heaven) teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to<br />
a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.”<br />
Psalter – “But as for Me, I’ll Call on God” #55C<br />
“Answer When I Call” #4<br />
Hymnbook – “Sweet Hour of Prayer” #398<br />
“The <strong>Church</strong>’s One Foundation” #437<br />
Hymnal – “May the Mind of Christ My Savior” #644<br />
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face” #378<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 11
Prayer eloquence is the language of the heart, not the<br />
vocabulary level or melodic quality of your voice. Abraham’s<br />
devotion, Hannah’s earnestness, Daniel’s love for<br />
God, Paul’s diligence, David’s heart, Jacob’s wrestling<br />
with God, Moses’ reliance on God and Elijah’s courage<br />
and passion are examples of genuineness in prayer, but<br />
so is a child’s simple plea to God.<br />
How does prayer communicate? As we learn to listen<br />
to God speak through His Word, guiding us through<br />
the Holy Spirit, we hear truth. Amazingly, in prayer the<br />
sovereign God of creation, timeless ruler of all existence,<br />
is listening to and communicating with us personally<br />
because He loves us. Psalm 62:8 tells us to pour out our<br />
hearts to Him, bringing our joys and sorrows to Him.<br />
Pray to God’s glory and according to God’s will.<br />
How do my prayers relate to God’s will? Prayer leads us initially to the forgiveness Christ offers in salvation and<br />
evolves as we genuinely seek His will in our lives. We should want God’s will and learn about it through preaching and<br />
teaching, earnestly praying for it to be fulfilled, seeking to be obedient to it. God is listening to us and we need to listen<br />
to Him through His Word, His servants, His creation. In Colossians 1:18 Paul prays for the filling “...of the knowledge of<br />
His will in all wisdom and understanding.”<br />
God made the universe from nothing. Mankind also made a contribution – sin. That is all we have to offer God. Be<br />
thankful that Jesus took our sin on Himself. Acknowledge your unworthiness of anything other than hell, telling God<br />
how thankful you are for the gift of eternal life with Him (John 5:24; 6:44, 47; 3:16, 36; 14:6).<br />
What does this mean in my life? God requires obedience. Trusting God is our confidence. We need not be anxious, but<br />
this does not preclude having an orderly plan (1 Corinthians 14:40) and setting biblical goals. The gift of salvation was<br />
costly, but it is also priceless. Praise God He has given it to us through Christ because He is our only hope as this is a<br />
debt we cannot pay. John 3:16-17 engraves it in our memories and hearts.<br />
How do I pray for others? Pray to God’s glory and according to God’s will and as Ephesians 6:18 tells us “With all<br />
prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition<br />
for all the saints.”<br />
Can I really do this? Habits can be weights or they can be wings. Seek God’s glory letting His agenda dictate yours,<br />
making His desire your own, His will your purpose and His honor your goal. Make time with God a habit in your life,<br />
and make prayer a priority and a passion of praise. Aim to be like the healthy church in Acts 2:42 “... continually devoting<br />
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” It can start with us.<br />
Be sober-minded, obedient, alert and discerning insofar as you are able. Motives can become selfish and words are inadequate,<br />
but when we humble ourselves before God seeking His will and glory, He is blessed and hears the cry of our<br />
hearts as we kneel at the foot of the cross.<br />
May the Amen of our prayers be a coda of agreement with you, our loving Father in heaven, the ruler of the universe and<br />
gracious King who answers our prayers. Make us people of prayer. In Christ we pray, Amen.<br />
Quotes: “Our prayers must be fervent, of course, and they ought to be frequent, but they do not need to be fancy.” Philip Ryken<br />
Pray for: Missionaries, church planters, youth, children, elderly, & the military.?<br />
12 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
A Devotion From Serenity Acres<br />
By Barbara Thayer<br />
I<br />
never thought tombstones and<br />
memorials could tell a story, until<br />
our recent trip to Europe. We went<br />
to many cathedrals and visited an old<br />
graveyard beside a church. Instead of<br />
listing only a name and the dates of<br />
birth and death, these folks from long<br />
ago wrote about the person who was<br />
buried at the site.<br />
The cemetery at the <strong>Church</strong> of the<br />
Holy Rood Stirling, Scotland<br />
The impressive memorials told of<br />
those who gave their lives for their<br />
beliefs.<br />
In the Cathedral of St. Giles in Edinburgh,<br />
Scotland, there was a tomb<br />
of a man who had served the king,<br />
but was ultimately beheaded for his<br />
<strong>Reformed</strong> faith. Other cathedrals<br />
had memorials to women who were<br />
listed not only as beloved wives but<br />
also as god-fearing women who died<br />
in the faith and touched other lives.<br />
What a beautiful tribute to a life, and<br />
I thought to myself how much I want<br />
that to be said of my life as well.<br />
When we finish this race, what will<br />
be our legacy? Obviously, the graves<br />
of those I observed had made it their<br />
When We Finish Our Race...<br />
life’s ambition to live for Christ, and<br />
to this end we are all called. In his<br />
letter to the Corinthian church, the<br />
Apostle Paul uses an athletic metaphor<br />
to describe how we are to run<br />
with perseverance in our Christian<br />
life: “Do you not know that in a race<br />
all the runners compete, but only one<br />
receives the prize? So run that you<br />
may obtain it. Every athlete exercises<br />
self-control in all things. They do it to<br />
receive a perishable wreath, but we<br />
an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly;<br />
I do not box as one beating the<br />
air. But I discipline my body and keep<br />
it under control, lest after preaching<br />
to others, I myself should be disqualified”<br />
(I Corinthians 9:24-27).<br />
Paul’s use of this metaphor is effective<br />
in that an athlete has to discipline<br />
himself/herself in order to reach their<br />
goal. It requires perseverance, singlemindedness<br />
and determination. Our<br />
mindset, if we are to make an impact<br />
on our world, is to look only at the<br />
goal of our high calling in Christ.<br />
With every activity we do, we need<br />
to remember our purpose is to glorify<br />
God in word and deed. The people<br />
whose graves I visited lived their<br />
lives in this manner. They made a difference<br />
in their sphere of influence,<br />
and the testimony is written in stone<br />
– literally.<br />
In his letter to Timothy, Paul further<br />
expands on this idea of focusing<br />
on the goal: “I have fought the good<br />
fight, I have finished the race, I have<br />
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid<br />
up for me the crown of righteousness<br />
which the Lord, the righteous judge,<br />
will award to me on that Day, and not<br />
only to me but also to all who have<br />
loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-<br />
8). This is the testimony we need to<br />
strive for in our own lives. It’s not<br />
how we built our business, made the<br />
most money, had the biggest house on<br />
the block, or became a famous person.<br />
Instead, we are to reflect the character<br />
of Jesus Christ in our lives so that others<br />
might be drawn to Him.<br />
Key Elements<br />
We run our race well when we do<br />
not neglect three disciplines: fellowship,<br />
Bible study and prayer. These<br />
are the key training elements which<br />
we must embrace in order to face the<br />
challenges that come our way in life.<br />
Training for a race is not easy. No one<br />
said it would be. In fact, Jesus said<br />
we would face tribulations in this<br />
life, but He also told us to be of good<br />
cheer, because He has overcome this<br />
world. With the Holy Spirit as our<br />
trainer, we do have what it takes to<br />
live a legacy before our family, community<br />
and church.<br />
As we lift up our Lord before<br />
others, He will one day lift us up<br />
as well.?<br />
The tombs of a husband and wife in a<br />
chapel wing of the <strong>Church</strong> in Stratford<br />
on Avon<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 13
Give Thanks!<br />
30 days of Gratitude for the Thanksgiving<br />
month of November!<br />
By Jennifer Jordan and family<br />
Materials:<br />
Wood board (although you can use just about any flat surface you want)<br />
Canvas (any color)<br />
Staple gun<br />
Mod Podge<br />
Glue gun<br />
Glue stick<br />
Variety of coordinating scrapbook paper<br />
Different colored thin ribbons (I used brown, green, yellow and orange)<br />
Light-colored Cardstock for writing your “thankful message” on.<br />
30 Coin Envelopes. Mine were 3 3/8” x 6”.<br />
Hole punch<br />
Directions:<br />
• Get a wood board. Mine is a piece of plywood measuring 24” x 28”. Using a staple<br />
gun, attach the canvas to the piece of plywood.<br />
• Take your 30 coin envelopes and cut them down to 3 3/4” tall. Make sure you cut off<br />
the top part that is already open so you still have the pocket to insert your cards in later.<br />
• Use a glue stick to adhere the scrapbook paper to the front of the envelope. I used a<br />
variety of coordinating papers.<br />
• Lay out your cards on your board. I was able to do five rows of six cards each. I<br />
wanted to arrange them first so I could make sure no two matching papers were right<br />
next to each other.<br />
• I then used my Silhouette to cut out the numbers 1-30, but you could use stickers,<br />
stencils, create a Word Document or go online to find some printable numbers to cut out.<br />
• Use Mod Podge to glue on the numbers to the cards and then Mod Podge over the<br />
entire front of the card to cover your scrapbook paper. It makes the card sturdier and<br />
helps it to last for years to come. Be careful not to glue your envelope shut!<br />
• After your Mod Podge is dry, hole punch two small holes in the top of your envelope.<br />
Just hole punch the scrapbook paper side. Take your ribbon and put it through both<br />
holes and tie a knot.<br />
• Use your glue gun to adhere your envelopes to your board. This is where I tried a<br />
few different glues.....learn from my mistakes....the glue gun worked the best by far!!! I<br />
also recommend that you place the hot glue a little bit away from the edges of the envelope.<br />
This allows your cards to go in and out more easily in a later step.<br />
• Use Mod Podge to adhere your “Give Thanks” (or the phrase of your choosing) to<br />
the top of your board. I used my embroidery machine to create the words. Then, Mod<br />
Podge over the whole phrase.<br />
• Cut out light-colored cardstock to slide into your envelopes. Mine ended up being<br />
two light shades that I cut to 3” by 4 1/2”. Place them inside your envelopes.<br />
Each night in November at dinner time, I am going to pull the cardstock out on the<br />
appropriate day and have each person write or say what they are thankful for that day.<br />
When next year rolls around, I’m going to use the same cardstock and have them write<br />
on the back. For the following years, I’m just going to add some more cardstock in the<br />
envelopes.<br />
Stephen and Jennifer Jordan live in Muscle Shoals, AL. Stephen is currently seeking a call.<br />
Their children are Noah, 12, Elijah, 8, Elizabeth, 6 and Phoebe, 2.<br />
14 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
As the leaves fall outside, take advantage of the many opportunities to involve<br />
your kids in ministry and outreach. Here are a few ideas:<br />
Pumpkin Carving Party<br />
Coordinate with other parents in your church to<br />
provide supplies, then invite families in your neighborhood<br />
to a pumpkin carving party at your house. Have<br />
a cookout, a carving contest and maybe a marshmallow<br />
roast. Pass out party favors for kids and parents and<br />
include some church information, a nice handwritten<br />
note of thanks and a candle for their jack-o-lantern.<br />
Leaves of Thanksgiving<br />
This fall, instead of bagging all the leaves covering the<br />
yard, save pretty ones and start a family project. Have each<br />
family member take three leaves and write something they<br />
are thankful for on each one. Collect them in a basket. In the<br />
days leading up to and during Thanksgiving and Christmas,<br />
have a family member read a leaf and lead in prayer. You<br />
might keep this basket year-round as a reminder of God’s<br />
goodness and a conversation piece for guests.<br />
(Ideas from onmission.com)<br />
Leaf Rake Party<br />
Adopt a family - for example, a single mother, elderly couple,<br />
couple with a newborn - in your neighborhood who need<br />
some yard work done and arrange a work day. Involve the<br />
kids. Break out the rakes and blowers and give the kids their<br />
own responsibilities, explaining why you’re doing this work.<br />
“We want to share the love of Christ with this family.” Show<br />
them by example how to share the gospel.<br />
Candy Corn Drop<br />
All you need are some small paper cups<br />
and a few bags of candy corn. First, give<br />
each player a paper cup filled with candy<br />
corns. Have players stand in a line with an<br />
empty paper cup between their feet. Holding<br />
a candy corn to their chin, they have to<br />
try to drop it into the cup by their feet. The<br />
person who drops the most corns into his<br />
or her cup in one minute wins!<br />
(Ideas from www.thebanner.org)<br />
Thanksgiving games<br />
I’m Thankful<br />
Start with the youngest person in your group. That person<br />
says something they are thankful for, like “I’m thankful for<br />
mashed potatoes.” The next person repeats what the first person<br />
says, and add something of their own: I am thankful for mashed<br />
potatoes and a warm bed.” The next person repeats those two<br />
things and adds another: “I’m thankful for mashed potatoes, a<br />
warm bed and my cat.” Keep going until everyone has had a<br />
chance to add something or until someone messes up.<br />
Thankful<br />
Words<br />
Answers from October puzzle:<br />
Down Across<br />
1. God 2. The Lords Prayer<br />
3. Three 4. Everywhere<br />
5. Pray 6. Ten<br />
7. Everything 8. Bible<br />
9. Christ<br />
10. Heaven<br />
Give everybody at your table a pencil and a<br />
piece of paper. Challenge them to see how many<br />
words they can make out of the letters in the words<br />
“Thanksgiving Day.” Words have to be longer than<br />
two letters, and no people names are allowed. Don’t<br />
forget that plurals count as separate words.<br />
Family Memory Verse<br />
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever<br />
(Psalm 107:1).<br />
If you or someone in your church<br />
has an idea for The Family Page<br />
please send your ideas to Susan<br />
Tanner at stanner@arpsynod.org<br />
or call 864-232-8297.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 15
News in Brief<br />
David Sides, French Camp <strong>Church</strong>, Receive Laity Awards<br />
By Delores McDonald<br />
During the Laity in Action Conference Sept. 15 & 16 at Bonclarken, families gathered to hear Dr. John W. P. Oliver speak on the theme,<br />
“Valiant in Battle: Less Heralded Men of God.” Ann Marie Tribble from the Ora <strong>Church</strong> served as music leader with Harriet Linderman<br />
as pianist.<br />
Following Dr. Earl Linderman’s Friday night Psalm Sing, special music was provided<br />
by the Pinecrest <strong>Church</strong> Choir and Veronica Unda. A ladies trio from Reformation <strong>Church</strong><br />
also sang. In special duet by Anne Marie & Kathryn Tribble. Kathryn signed the words.<br />
Missionary Updates<br />
Missionaries Rob & Rachel Turner from Turkey brought an update of their work. Missionary<br />
candidates Mark & Natasha Witte shared their testimony and spoke on their<br />
upcoming work in Mexico. Short-term Mission Coordinator Sheila Osborne provided instruction<br />
for the children in attendance. Following the Friday evening session, the ladies<br />
of the Sandy Plains <strong>Church</strong> hosted a reception in Founders Hall.<br />
John Lutz from the Pisgah <strong>Church</strong> was in his usual place as the sound tech guy. George<br />
and Alita Moser served as conference registrars.<br />
David Sides and wife Betty.<br />
Onesimus Award<br />
David Sides from the New Sterling <strong>Church</strong>, Stony Point, NC, was the recipient of this year’s Onesimus<br />
Award (Slave to Christ). Mr. Sides has been married to his wife Betty for over 55 years. He is an<br />
elder in the New Sterling <strong>Church</strong>. He has taught Sunday school and served as a lay preacher. He has<br />
served First Presbytery as moderator on three occasions and currently serves as reading clerk.<br />
Sides is also a former Moderator of the General Synod. For seven years, he worked for North<br />
Carolina Soil and Water Conservation and lived in Raleigh. A farmer and avid gardener, he is known<br />
throughout the region for his generosity in providing delicious produce to friends and neighbors.<br />
Barnabas Award<br />
The 2011 Barnabas Award was presented to the French Camp (MS) <strong>Church</strong>. Many know of French<br />
Camp and associate it with the boarding school on its campus. However, there is an active <strong>ARP</strong> congregation<br />
there too. Many from the congregation are greatly involved in ministering to the students<br />
at the school. They provide encouragement and mentoring and develop strong personal relationships<br />
with the student body. In the past three years, there has been significant growth in the church. Attendance<br />
of local folks averages 120. When the school is in session,<br />
the students swell the congregation’s attendance with over a 100 more. Located in a rural setting, the<br />
congregation is making a great impact on the community around it.<br />
As the group from French Camp accepted the award, each told of the parts they play in the life of<br />
the church, elder Larry Littlejohn had this to say:<br />
“Each person here today has presented something of the diversity of opportunities which the Lord<br />
gives us there. Our anchor though is neither our rich heritage nor our bright future, which we anticipate.<br />
Our anchor is in the truth of the Word and the person of Jesus.<br />
“Since joining the <strong>ARP</strong>, we have been so blessed to find others of like heart and mind. We have<br />
been encouraged by your testimony and fellowship. Members of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery<br />
joined us in prayer and supported us with their presence when we requested a gracious release with<br />
our property from the PCUSA.<br />
“Now four years later, the French Camp <strong>Church</strong> continues to receive confirmation that we made<br />
the right decision in joining the <strong>ARP</strong>. We have experienced many blessing as a result of our union. One<br />
of the main ones is the emphasis on missions. Teams from our church went to Wales, Austria, Mexico,<br />
Dallas/Fort Worth, and New York this last year.<br />
“Thank you for recognizing what the Lord is doing in our church with this Barnabas Award. We<br />
invite you to come and see firsthand what He is doing to display His glory in French Camp.”<br />
French Camp Pastor Alex Coblentz adds: “We are still astounded and humbled to have received<br />
any recognition at all... It’s not about us! God has been so good to us, and it is we who have been<br />
tremendously encouraged by our new-found brothers and sisters in the <strong>ARP</strong>.?<br />
From left, Turner family, Witte family and<br />
Sheila Osbourne and daughter.<br />
Pastor Alex Coblentz, far left,<br />
and group from French Camp.<br />
16 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
News in Brief<br />
Betty Sides<br />
Receives<br />
Survivor Medal<br />
Betty and David Sides on their recent<br />
trip to Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston,<br />
where Mrs. Sides received the 75-year<br />
survivor medal. Since the program began<br />
in 1970, only 41 medals had been awarded<br />
to individuals who have survived 75<br />
years or more with type 1 diabetes. Mrs.<br />
Sides was the 42nd recipient, and traveled<br />
from Stony Point, NC to receive the<br />
award. During her trip to Joslin, she also<br />
participated in the “50-Year Medalist<br />
Study,” which began in 2005. The study<br />
is looking at how individuals with 50 or<br />
more years of type 1 diabetes may be protected<br />
from developing diabetic complications<br />
including eye, kidney, nerve and<br />
heart diseases.?<br />
Mississippi Valley Presbytery<br />
Fall Stated Meeting, October 3-4, 2011<br />
Providence <strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Church</strong><br />
Bartlett, TN<br />
• Heard from Rev. Frank van Dalen, about<br />
the work of <strong>ARP</strong> missions throughout<br />
the world.<br />
• Heard from Dr. David Norman about the<br />
work of Erskine College and Seminary<br />
• Elected Mr. Larry Littlejohn, an elder<br />
at the French Camp <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, as the incoming Moderator<br />
of MVP.<br />
• Heard a sermon by Rev. Matthew Heathman<br />
on 2 Samuel 7:18-20. Rev. Heathman<br />
was also examined by the presbytery<br />
and received a call to the Covington <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong> (Covington, TN).<br />
• Heard a report from the Minister and<br />
His Work Committee concerning the<br />
formation of a church in the home of a<br />
minister of the presbytery without the<br />
permission of the presbytery. The minister<br />
repented of his error and asked<br />
the forgiveness of the presbytery, which<br />
was granted.<br />
• Received Rev. Mike Yarman, a retired<br />
U.S. Army chaplain, as a member of the<br />
presbytery.<br />
• Dissolved the pastoral relationship between<br />
Rev. T.J. Gentry and the Covenant<br />
<strong>Reformed</strong> <strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong>.<br />
• Revised the procedure for churches requesting<br />
loans for purchase of property<br />
from the presbytery.?<br />
Peachtree Corners Helps Stop Hunger<br />
On Sept. 17, members of the<br />
Peachtree Corners <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong> joined<br />
the fight to “Stop Hunger Now” by<br />
packaging over 10,000 meals which<br />
will be distributed through school<br />
feeding programs and orphanages<br />
in impoverished areas around<br />
the world.<br />
Each highly nutritious, dehydrated meal package serves six<br />
people and is easily transported, stored for up to five years<br />
and distributed to those in greatest need.<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> minister, Jeff Lewis, helps distribute these and other<br />
types of necessities to the people of Haiti.?<br />
Tennessee-Alabama Presbytery<br />
Fall Stated Meeting, Sept. 17-18, 2011<br />
Hanmaum <strong>ARP</strong> Mission<br />
Madison, AL<br />
• Held a workshop for members conducted by<br />
Steve Brown of the PCA.<br />
• Heard a report from the Muscle Shoals Property<br />
Commission regarding progress in negotiation<br />
for the potential sale of the property in<br />
Muscle Shoals, AL.<br />
• Approved a motion to reserve funds from the<br />
sale of the Muscle Shoals property for use in<br />
new church development.<br />
• Approved a Memorial to the 2012 General<br />
Synod to refer the “Revised Form of Government<br />
Draft 2011” back to the committee of<br />
Synod for further work and to extend the time<br />
for consideration before sending to Presbytery<br />
for ratification.<br />
• Allowed C. F. Edgar to resign from Presbytery’s<br />
Christian Education Committee.<br />
• Named J. Gregory Duke Presbytery’s representative<br />
to the Synod Board of Christian Education<br />
Ministries until 2016, and to chair the<br />
corresponding committee of Presbytery.<br />
• Named Charles W. Bradley as Presbytery’s<br />
representative to the Executive Board of Synod<br />
until 2016.<br />
• Approved a motion that Presbytery continue<br />
supporting the Hanmaum and Riverside Missions<br />
at current levels for one year.<br />
• Directed the Outreach Tennessee Alabama<br />
Committee to identify two locations for potential<br />
church planting efforts and to report the<br />
same at the Spring Stated Meeting 2012.<br />
• Directed the Christian Education Meeting to<br />
plan another workshop to be held in conjunctionwith<br />
a stated meeting of Presbytery.<br />
• Accepted the invitation from the Riverside<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> Mission to host Spring Stated Meeting<br />
for 2013.?<br />
Charles Bradley, Stated Clerk<br />
Tennessee-Alabama Presbytery<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 17
News in Brief<br />
New ministers and new employees attended a 2-day <strong>ARP</strong> Synod orientation<br />
program Sept. 26 & 27 at the <strong>ARP</strong> Center in Greenville, SC.<br />
Front row (left to right): Soon Jeong Hwang, John Lim, Young Bong Choe,<br />
Suk Ho Jin, Jen Rolison, Joseph Rolison; Second row (left to right): Shadrach<br />
Chung, Sam Hoi Jung, Man Soon Park, Melissa Livingston, Cliff Smith, Tobe<br />
Frierson, Myeong-Jin Hwang, Stephen Frey; Back Row (Left to right): Mario<br />
Russo, Derek Thomas, David Earle, Jason Allen, Trey McCurry, David Park,<br />
Judi Hodges; Not pictured: Barney & Tricia Heyward, Brandon Barrett, Scott<br />
Robar, Paul & Mary Robelot, Derek Thomas.<br />
Prosperity Celebrates 189 Years<br />
On September 11, Prosperity, the oldest <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong><br />
<strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong> in Alabama, celebrated its 189th anniversary.<br />
Neighbors from the other churches in the Marion Junction community,<br />
and <strong>ARP</strong>s from Camden and Bethel <strong>ARP</strong> congregations, came<br />
together for worship and a bountiful meal.<br />
Coinciding with the national observance of 9/11, Rev. Rabun<br />
Williams’ sermon emphasized that as Christians, we look back on<br />
what God has done and build on it as we look forward with hope<br />
to the Second Coming. Between the final Psalm (Prosperity sings<br />
exclusively the Bible Songs) and benediction, a moment of silence<br />
for those lost in the war on terrorism was observed.<br />
Founded in 1822, just three years after Alabama became a state,<br />
Prosperity is in a yoked pastorate with Camden and Bethel, and has<br />
services on the 2nd Sunday of each month.?<br />
Providence Celebrates<br />
175th Anniversary<br />
Providence <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong> in Clinton, SC, began its 175th<br />
Anniversary celebration on Sept. 11, 2011, to the sweet sound<br />
of bagpipes playing Amazing Grace. Bagpiper David McLeod<br />
is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Daryl McLeod of Greenwood,<br />
and great grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lowry Wilson<br />
– longtime members of Providence.<br />
Special music was also presented by seventh generation<br />
members Joseph Stewart and Anna Wages. Former Erskine<br />
President Dr. Randy Ruble was guest minister. Jamey Dagenhart<br />
has served as student supply for the past year.<br />
Following the worship service, more than 100 members, former<br />
members, and guests enjoyed a catered lunch and fellowship.<br />
Guests were invited to participate in a Psalm sing and go<br />
to the historic Providence Cemetery, the site of the first church<br />
building erected in 1836 and located just outside of Clinton.<br />
In commemoration of this historic day, former member and<br />
family historian Jane Todd Presseau compiled and edited a first<br />
supplement to the 1977 History of Providence <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong> by<br />
James P. Sloan. The history includes pastors in ministry since<br />
1977, church officers, baptisms, marriages, deaths, new members<br />
and loss of members. A pictorial directory and tributes to<br />
several deceased members are also included.<br />
Also for this special year, Bob Wages of Atlanta designed a<br />
commemorative logo, displayed on an outside banner and used<br />
on bulletin covers.?<br />
Oldest & Youngest Retired Col. Walter B. Todd,<br />
Sr. 95, and Allie Wages, 14 months, held by Ruth<br />
Todd Shealy.<br />
Rev. Rabun Williams (center) is our<br />
interim pastor. Prosperity’s elders<br />
are Bernard Sanderson (left) and<br />
Tom Moore (right).<br />
Dr. Nolon Carter is greeted by Dr. Randy Ruble<br />
after the service.<br />
18 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
November Prayer Calendar<br />
Synod’s Committee on Worship has authorized this calendar for use in private devotions and family altars throughout the denomination.<br />
Scripture readings, memory verses and Westminster Shorter Catechism questions correspond with those used in the Adult Quarterly<br />
Sunday School curriculum published by Christian Education Ministries. In support of the <strong>ARP</strong> denomination, we ask that you include<br />
the churches and individuals listed below in your daily prayers.<br />
MEMORY VERSE<br />
Do not think that I have come to abolish<br />
the Law or the Prophets; I have not come<br />
to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew<br />
5:17).<br />
SHORTER CATECHISM<br />
Q.56. What is the reason annexed to the<br />
third commandment?<br />
A. The reason annexed to the third commandment<br />
is, That however the breakers<br />
of this commandment may escape punishment<br />
from men, yet the Lord our God will<br />
not suffer them to escape his righteous<br />
judgment.<br />
1<br />
Psalm<br />
2<br />
James<br />
3<br />
Luke<br />
4<br />
Matthew<br />
5<br />
Luke<br />
6<br />
Matthew<br />
WEEK ONE<br />
32:1-5. Sherwood Forest<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, Columbia, SC: Mark<br />
Hering, student supply. Chaplain<br />
Lawrence Hamrick, Jr., Fort Campbell,<br />
KY, army.<br />
5:13-18. Statesville Korean<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, Statesville, NC: Rev.<br />
Song Choi, pastor.<br />
6:37-42. Wellspring <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Daleville, VA: Rev. David<br />
Blugerman, pastor.<br />
18:21-35. SonLife <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
Jacksonville, FL: Rev. Robert Hovey,<br />
mission developer.<br />
7:40-47. Sandy Plains <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Tryon, NC: Rev. James<br />
Mitchell, pastor.<br />
5:17-26. Retired missionaries:<br />
Imogene Covone, Gold Gate, FL;<br />
Kathy Warner, Flat Rock, NC, on their<br />
birthdays.<br />
WEEK TWO<br />
MEMORY VERSE<br />
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly<br />
Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).<br />
SHORTER CATECHISM<br />
Q.57. Which is the fourth commandment?<br />
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember<br />
the sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six<br />
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:<br />
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the<br />
Lord they God: in it thou shalt not do any<br />
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,<br />
thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant nor<br />
thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within<br />
thy gates: for in six days the Lord made<br />
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that<br />
in them is, and rested the seventh day:<br />
wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbathday<br />
and hallowed it.<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
11<br />
12<br />
13<br />
Matthew 22:34-40. Shepherd Road<br />
<strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, Lakeland, FL:<br />
Rev. Kent Adrian, pastor.<br />
Deuteronomy 6:1-9. First <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Statesville, NC: Charles<br />
Rickert, clerk of session.<br />
Leviticus 19:13-18. Messiah Christian<br />
Fellowship, Asheville, NC: Rev. John<br />
Spence, pastor.<br />
Leviticus 19:33-37. First <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Tucker, GA: Rev. Anthony<br />
Locke, pastor.<br />
Ephesians 5:25-33.Travelers Rest <strong>ARP</strong><br />
Mission, Travelers Rest, SC: Rev. William<br />
L. Barron, mission developer.<br />
Titus 2:1-5. Progressive <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Princeton, NC: Rev.<br />
Percy Coleman, pastor.<br />
Matthew 5:43-48. Shiloh <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Lancaster, SC: Rev. Mark<br />
J. Miller, pastor.<br />
WEEK THREE<br />
MEMORY VERSE<br />
But when you pray, do not be like the<br />
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing<br />
in the synagogues and on the street<br />
corners to be seen by men. I tell you<br />
the truth, they have received their reward<br />
in full (Matthew 6:5).<br />
SHORTER CATECHISM<br />
Q.58. What is required in the fourth commandment?<br />
A. The fourth commandment requireth the<br />
keeping holy to God such set times as he<br />
hath appointed in his word; expressly one<br />
whole day in seven, to be a holy sabbath<br />
to himself.<br />
14<br />
15<br />
16<br />
Genesis 32:6-12. Troy <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
Troy, SC: Rev. John Paul Marr, pastor.<br />
Numbers 14:13-19. Prosperity <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Marion Junction, AL: Rev.<br />
Rabun Williams, supply.<br />
2 Samuel 7:18-29. Retired minister’s<br />
widow: Martha Morris, Pottsville, AR;<br />
Retired minister: Dr. C.M. Coffey, Davidson,<br />
NC, on their birthdays.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 19<br />
17<br />
18<br />
19<br />
20<br />
1 Kings 17:17-23. Pressly Memorial<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, Statesville, NC: Rev.<br />
Stephen Myers, pastor.<br />
Isaiah 12. Providence <strong>Reformed</strong><br />
<strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, Memphis, TN:<br />
Rev. Joseph Donahue, pastor.<br />
Jeremiah 29:10-14. Retired minister:<br />
Dr. L.M. Allison, Due West, SC, on<br />
his birthday.<br />
Matthew 6:5-15. Reformation <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Hendersonville, NC:<br />
Rev. Matthew G. Lucas, pastor. New<br />
Windsor <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, New Windsor,<br />
MD: Rev. Paul Matthews, pastor.<br />
MEMORY VERSE<br />
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness<br />
and all these things will be<br />
given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).<br />
SHORTER CATECHISM<br />
Q.59. Which day of the seven hath God<br />
appointed to be the weekly sabbath?<br />
A. From the beginning of the world to the<br />
resurrection of Christ, God appointed the<br />
seventh day of the week to be the weekly<br />
sabbath; and the first day of the week ever<br />
since, to continue to the end of the world,<br />
which is the Christian sabbath.<br />
21<br />
22<br />
23<br />
24<br />
25<br />
26<br />
27<br />
WEEK FOUR<br />
Psalm 37:1-8. Grace Hill <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Hillsborough, NC: Rev.<br />
Ross H. Durham, mission developer;<br />
Rev. Stephen Crotts, associate<br />
pastor.<br />
Matthew 13:18-23. Providence <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Gastonia, NC: Rev. Gilbert<br />
Rowell, pastor.<br />
Luke 21:29-36. Retired ministers: Dr.<br />
Douglas O. Jones, Flat Rock, NC,<br />
pulpit supply Pinecrest <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
Hendersonville, NC; Rev. R. Lionel<br />
Morgan, Huntersville, NC, on their<br />
birthdays.<br />
Matthew 10:24-31. Unity <strong>ARP</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Piedmont, SC: Rev. Mark<br />
Wright, pastor.<br />
Matthew 10:16-20. Retired minister:<br />
Rev. Bob E. Murdock, Sr., Rock Hill,<br />
SC, on his birthday.<br />
1 Peter 5:6-11. Smyrna <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
Smyrna, SC: Ken VanVoorhis, clerk<br />
of session.<br />
Matthew 6:25-34. Thomson <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Thomson, GA:<br />
Rev. John D. Cook, pastor.
WEEK FIVE<br />
MEMORY VERSE<br />
Before him all the nations are as nothing;<br />
they are regarded by him as worthless<br />
and less than nothing (Isaiah 40:17).<br />
SHORTER CATECHISM<br />
Q.60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?<br />
A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a<br />
holy resting all that day, even from such<br />
worldly employments and recreations as<br />
are lawful on other days; and spending<br />
the whole time in the public and private<br />
exercises of God’s worship, except so<br />
much as is to be taken up in the works<br />
of necessity and mercy.<br />
28<br />
29<br />
30<br />
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16, 23-24. Retired<br />
missionary: Dr. E. Reynolds Young,<br />
Due West, SC, on his birthday.<br />
Deuteronomy 5:22-27.Lifeline Community<br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Gibsonia, PA: Richard<br />
Doorley, clerk of session.<br />
1 Chronicles 16:28-34. Hanha <strong>Presbyterian</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong>, Gardena, CA: Rev.<br />
Sung Ku Kim, pastor; Rev. Kye Jong<br />
Chung, associate pastor.<br />
* denotes mission church.<br />
Lessons and/or Readings based on International<br />
Sunday School Lessons. The International Bible<br />
Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2001<br />
by the Committee on the Uniform Series.<br />
November Events<br />
1 New <strong>Church</strong> Community (NCC) Meeting (ONA)<br />
2-3 Minister & His Work Meeting, 6 p.m., Bonclarken<br />
3-4 Board of Benefits Meeting, 2 p.m. Orientation, 3 p.m.<br />
meeting, Bonclarken<br />
4-6 Catawba Presbytery Middle School<br />
Retreat, Bonclarken<br />
6 Daylight Savings Time Ends<br />
8 Investment Committee, Conference Call, 2 p.m.<br />
9-10 Dunlap Board, 3 p.m., Bonclarken<br />
11 Remembrance Day (Canada); Veterans Day (US)<br />
11-13 First and Second Presbyteries Middle<br />
School Retreat, Bonclarken<br />
14-15 ONA Board Meeting<br />
19 Erskine Homecoming<br />
21-25 Thanksgiving Break, Erskine Seminary<br />
23-27 Thanksgiving Break, Erskine College<br />
24 Thanksgiving Day (US)<br />
24-25 <strong>ARP</strong> Center Offices closed, Thanksgiving Holidays<br />
27 First Sunday of Advent<br />
110 Calvary Home Circle, Anderson, SC 29621<br />
864-296-5437<br />
www.calvaryhome.org<br />
“Providing help and hope to children in need<br />
through the power of Christ”<br />
20 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
A Venture in Faith<br />
By Chip Sherer<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
“Faith Apartments<br />
were so named because<br />
they were just<br />
that – a venture in<br />
faith.” - Jim Brice<br />
I<br />
always appreciate the feedback<br />
from my monthly articles and am<br />
so encouraged by the comments,<br />
letters, and emails that we receive.<br />
The articles which seem to generate<br />
the most response are the articles<br />
that focus on the history of a particular<br />
building or facility. This month I<br />
focus on a very popular housing<br />
facility here at Bonclarken – Faith<br />
Apartments.<br />
Jim Brice served as Bonclarken’s<br />
executive director from 1988 to 2006.<br />
Jim has told me bits of the story of<br />
how Faith Apartments came into being,<br />
but I recently asked him to give<br />
me the whole story. If you have ever<br />
spent a night, weekend, or week in<br />
Faith Apartments, you know them<br />
to be very efficient and comfortable.<br />
How these apartments came into<br />
Bonclarken’s possession is another<br />
example of God’s providence.<br />
In late February 1991, Founders<br />
Hall was almost complete. The goal<br />
of having Founders open for Synod<br />
in June 1991 was on schedule and this<br />
new housing facility was clearly going<br />
to be a fine addition to Bonclarken.<br />
“We were so focused on finishing<br />
Founders that the idea of adding<br />
another housing facility was the last<br />
thing on our minds,” Brice said. “But<br />
God had other plans for us. Ed Cox,<br />
a member of the Peachtree Corners<br />
<strong>Church</strong> and a retired engineer, was<br />
serving as Bonclarken’s representative<br />
with Sherman Construction in the<br />
building of Founders. Ed had just recently<br />
completed his own Bonclarken<br />
house on Dirk Lane.<br />
“Ed received a call from the contractor<br />
who had built his Bonclarken<br />
house. The contractor had a contact<br />
with American Standard Buildings<br />
(ASB), who had just finished a modular<br />
set of six apartment buildings for a<br />
client in Myrtle Beach. The client had<br />
gone out of business and now ASB<br />
was stuck with these apartments...<br />
and they were willing to sell for half<br />
the original price. Would Bonclarken<br />
be interested?”<br />
(A story has circulated that these<br />
apartments were already on their<br />
way to Myrtle Beach when ASB found<br />
out their client was out of business,<br />
but Jim could not verify this interesting<br />
twist.)<br />
“On March 4, 1991, I proposed to<br />
the Bonclarken Board’s Executive<br />
Committee that we buy these apartments.<br />
We anticipated the total cost<br />
Bonclarken’s Faith Apartments<br />
(including furnishings and site preparation)<br />
to be around $300,000, all of<br />
which would have to be borrowed.<br />
The Executive Committee was confident<br />
we could handle the debt and<br />
agreed to recommend it to the full<br />
Board. During a conference call on<br />
March 7, the full Board approved.<br />
“To say this decision was a venture<br />
in faith was an understatement.<br />
I so appreciated the Board’s willingness<br />
to step out in faith so that Faith<br />
Apartments could become a reality.<br />
And not only did we have Founders<br />
Hall ready by Synod, we had Faith<br />
Apartments ready as well.”<br />
I appreciate Jim’s recollection of<br />
this fine story. Was this rapid action<br />
taken by the Bonclarken Board<br />
justified? Twenty years later, Faith<br />
Apartments continue to be one of<br />
our most popular housing facilities.<br />
The Board’s venture in faith in<br />
1991 continues to be a blessing to<br />
Bonclarken today.?<br />
Bonclarken<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 21
Christian Education Ministries<br />
Christian Education Ministries would like to recommend the following book as an invaluable tool to help in studying our<br />
basic resource, the Bible. We feel it would benefit every church to have this resource available and to encourage groups to<br />
study it. The review is written by Jane Patete, Christian Education Publication’s Women’s Ministry Consultant.<br />
BIBLE STUDY<br />
FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF THE WORD<br />
by Kathleen Buswell Nielson<br />
Available from CEM - $11.00.<br />
“Bible study...everybody’s doing it! In the most inventive contexts around the globe, this vital activity is<br />
taking place. Yet “Bible study” means different things to different people.<br />
Kathleen Nielson, known to many through her conference speaking and as author of The Living Word Bible<br />
Study series, has brought her extensive expertise and literary gifts to present us with a clear perspective on<br />
the Bible and what it means to study it.<br />
Dr. Nielson asks the penetrating question, “Just what is Bible study?” Is it possible to pinpoint a flexible<br />
cluster of characteristics that must be present for Bible study to be identifiable and effective? The <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
Authority, and Word are identified as three perceptions we follow throughout the book.<br />
“It is God’s Word that teaches us how the church, the body of Christ, must be fully equipped for the mission<br />
of making disciples in these last days. That equipping happens through the Word. It is God’s Word that<br />
teaches his authoritative and loving rule, through his commands that must be obeyed. It is God’s Word that<br />
is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).<br />
With this right starting point, Kathleen Nielson guides us in<br />
the next nine chapters, through a series of five truths about<br />
God and His Word that have huge implications for how we<br />
personally study, teach, and train others in faithful and true<br />
Bible study. As we follow the ways of the Word, the reader<br />
is shown that the Bible is God speaking. It’s powerful; understandable;<br />
a literary work; and one story.<br />
Attention:<br />
All laypeople and church leaders who delight in the truth<br />
and power of God’s Word! This is a resource that has multiple<br />
applications within the church of Jesus Christ. Solid biblical<br />
truths that offer great challenges and promises of the place of<br />
Bible study in individual lives and in the corporate ministry of<br />
the church are fleshed out with clarity and passion.<br />
This equipping tool should be in the hands of men and<br />
women who hunger and thirst for the Word of God in their<br />
own lives and who desire to faithfully pass on its truths to<br />
succeeding generations. This book offers the reader a clear<br />
approach for understanding and valuing what true Bible<br />
study is.?<br />
22 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
Erskine community marks new<br />
academic year<br />
DUE WEST, S.C. — “Each one of us is<br />
a tangled web of life experiences, hopes,<br />
dreams, fears, and passions,” Erskine<br />
College and Seminary President Dr. David<br />
Norman told assembled students,<br />
professors, staff members and guests at<br />
the school’s Formal Opening Convocation<br />
Sept. 8. “But God has called us to be<br />
here, right now, together.”<br />
Norman spoke during the worship<br />
service in the Due West <strong>Associate</strong> <strong>Reformed</strong><br />
<strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong>. Alluding<br />
to Erskine’s mission “to equip students<br />
to flourish,” Norman said rhetoric about<br />
human flourishing is usually “happy and<br />
optimistic” but “can sound a bit fluffy,”<br />
so he took as his topic “The Other Side of<br />
Human Flourishing.”<br />
The president said he believes he did<br />
get one thing right in his first formal<br />
opening address last year—“If we try to<br />
be a community that exists for its own<br />
sake, we are wasting our time.”<br />
Last year Norman laid out his vision<br />
for Erskine, focusing on academic integrity,<br />
financial sustainability, and service<br />
to the poor. This year, spotlighting the<br />
element of service, he said academic communities<br />
“try to offset their elitist tendencies”<br />
by using a system of service to run<br />
alongside the academic program.<br />
But even in such well-intentioned<br />
efforts, real service to the poor is often<br />
replaced by “a self-righteous system of<br />
résumé building” or “some shallow form<br />
of charity that dehumanizes the poor by<br />
putting a thin whitewash over the tomb<br />
of injustice,” the president said.<br />
address some of the bad things we see<br />
around us.”<br />
Norman recounted the story of a<br />
wealthy friend who began to understand<br />
service to the poor in light of Jesus’ call to<br />
“take up your cross.” His comfortable life<br />
was no longer enough. “He began to see<br />
a whole new dimension of Christ’s deep,<br />
authentic, and crazy kind of love.”<br />
Considering how his friend’s lesson<br />
might be applied to Erskine as an “authentically<br />
Christian liberal arts community,”<br />
Norman said his three-word response<br />
would be “I don’t know,” summarizing<br />
about 90 percent of the answer.<br />
“I’m not giving up on an answer,” he<br />
explained. “I really think that ‘I don’t<br />
know’ is the answer. If we can’t admit<br />
that we don’t know, we can never learn<br />
anything. And if we think we have it all<br />
figured out, we are stuck up in our irrelevant<br />
ivory tower again. This is an intellectual<br />
aspect of service to the poor.”<br />
Identify With Poor<br />
Then Norman homed in on his message.<br />
“Here is the really, really beautiful<br />
thing about the other side of human flourishing:<br />
when we identify ourselves with<br />
the poor, we join the community that most<br />
urgently seeks God’s blessing,” he said.<br />
“And whether that community of<br />
seekers is defined in spiritual, physical or<br />
intellectual terms, we recognize our utter<br />
dependence on God and on each other,”<br />
he continued.<br />
Such a community is blessed by<br />
a whole new dimension of love—“that<br />
crazy kind” that Norman’s wealthy<br />
friend discovered.<br />
Taking up the pulpit Bible, Norman<br />
read the account in Luke 18 of “the rich<br />
young ruler” who is seeking eternal life<br />
and says he has kept all the commandments<br />
since his youth. Jesus tells him, “...<br />
sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto<br />
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in<br />
heaven: and come, follow me.”<br />
Jesus’ response to the man’s unwillingness<br />
to give up his possessions is his famous<br />
description of how difficult it is for<br />
a rich man to enter heaven—“it is easier<br />
for a camel to go through a needle’s eye.”<br />
Norman said the passage that immediately<br />
precedes the story of the rich young<br />
man—“Whosoever shall not receive the<br />
kingdom of God as a little child shall in<br />
no wise enter therein”— represents the<br />
overall principle the story illustrates.<br />
“That is the message I really want to<br />
leave you with today,” Norman said,<br />
speaking especially to students. “Don’t<br />
get too uptight! Have faith. Don’t worry.<br />
Don’t try to prove yourself. Have fun.<br />
Enjoy God. Enjoy each other.”<br />
He added, “Take advantage of the<br />
good things God is doing in, around and<br />
through Erskine. And don’t worry about<br />
the bad stuff. That’s my job!”<br />
Moving toward the conclusion of his<br />
address, the president said there is a line<br />
from the epic poem Idylls of the King by<br />
Alfred, Lord Tennyson that “goes along<br />
with this theme of the joy that comes<br />
through childlike humility.”<br />
The line, etched on one of the walls of<br />
Erskine’s McCain Library, is: “Live pure,<br />
speak true, right wrong, follow the King.<br />
Else, wherefore born?”?<br />
Erskine<br />
Task Force Commissioned<br />
“And that is why, although I talk<br />
about service to the poor a lot, I haven’t<br />
rushed off to start some new program or<br />
system of quick fixes to long-term problems,”<br />
he said.<br />
Instead, a task force commissioned by<br />
the president will offer proposals based<br />
on “their year of listening and learning,”<br />
he said. “I believe that together, if we<br />
are smart about it, we can authentically<br />
Norman speaks during Formal Opening Convocation at Due West <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong>.<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 23
Outreach North America<br />
Is God Calling You to Grow and Change?<br />
DR. ALAN J. AVERA<br />
Executive Director<br />
In our From the Field article this<br />
month, Brandon Barrett tells us<br />
about how a phone call from an<br />
old friend became the conduit for a<br />
new call from God.<br />
These kinds of calls do not neces-<br />
sarily come just when we are looking<br />
for a change. Sometimes God knows<br />
we need to grow and stretch in<br />
precisely the ways we had not been<br />
seeking to grow and stretch. Sometimes<br />
God has been preparing us<br />
for exactly the kind of challenge that<br />
only He knew we soon would be<br />
called to face.<br />
From my own experience as a<br />
church planter over 20 years ago, I can<br />
tell my readers that church planting is<br />
not easy. In fact, it is the most difficult<br />
thing I have ever done. Though difficult,<br />
church planting also has been<br />
the most rewarding thing I have ever<br />
done. I grew through the challenges<br />
of church planting in ways I could<br />
never have anticipated.<br />
How is God calling you to grow<br />
and change? If you are a pastor or<br />
seminary student, is God calling<br />
you to the challenging task of multiplying<br />
disciples through planting<br />
new churches? If you are comfortable<br />
in your pew each Sunday, is<br />
there some way God is calling you to<br />
be more active in serving your church<br />
or your community? Perhaps God is<br />
even calling you to help in one of our<br />
new congregations.?<br />
Grace <strong>Presbyterian</strong>–<br />
By Rev. Brandon Barrett<br />
A year ago I answered the phone and<br />
heard the voice of an old friend. Ten years<br />
earlier we had been together, along with our<br />
wives, in a church small group in Chapel Hill,<br />
NC. They were calling to see if I might be interested<br />
in moving to Columbia, SC, where<br />
they now lived, to plant a new church.<br />
I almost laughed. My wife Liz grew up in<br />
Charlotte, NC, where they refer to Columbia<br />
as “the armpit of the South.” We had<br />
never seriously considered church planting.<br />
I was serving as the senior pastor of a PCA<br />
church in Williamsburg, VA – a beautiful<br />
town that had never been called the armpit<br />
of anything. As my friend and I talked, Liz<br />
The Barrett family<br />
looked at me from across the kitchen and reminded me to at least talk and pray about it before<br />
saying no.<br />
That night we had a call from a friend – and the beginning of a new call from God. Over<br />
the next year, we walked through the process of thinking, praying, and interviewing to be<br />
the mission developer for Grace <strong>Presbyterian</strong> <strong>Church</strong> in Northeast Columbia. Through these<br />
months, we often thought of closing the door and staying put in Virginia, but at each point we<br />
simply felt that God had us in the process for a reason and that whatever the outcome would<br />
be, we were to trust Him and His timing. With each visit to Columbia, we found something<br />
strange happening to us – we were feeling that Columbia was our home.<br />
Called to Serve<br />
Through the process, God made it clear that He was calling us to Columbia to help start<br />
this church. Since moving to Columbia in June, we have been at First <strong>Presbyterian</strong> Columbia,<br />
the sponsoring church of this Catawba Presbytery plant. I have been teaching a Sunday School<br />
class, getting to know people, and sharing the vision for this new church that God is creating.<br />
God is faithful. Just as He called us here, He is calling others to be a part of this church.<br />
Recently, we started meeting as a Launch Team: 28 adults and 22 children. We will be<br />
working together to get to know people in Northeast Columbia, learning how to be a church<br />
together, and growing as a team in the mission and vision to which we have been called.<br />
We have a lot to learn about how to reach this part of our city, but there are a few things<br />
we do know: God has called us to be a church committed to reaching the lost and unchurched<br />
and de-churched. We want to be, in the words of another pastor, “sinner-safe” – a church that<br />
welcomes sinners and graciously offers them the words of life.<br />
We want God’s grace toward us to make us gracious towards others.<br />
And we want to live daily in the reality that Christians are people<br />
who have been called into a mission by God – a mission to be his witnesses<br />
wherever we are, making disciples of all nations, to the glory<br />
of God.<br />
We hope to begin public services on Palm Sunday, but we know<br />
that we have to take our time, get to know our city, and love our neighbors.<br />
We will not open our doors until we actually know the people<br />
we hope to reach and are ready to invite them into this community of<br />
God’s people.<br />
Liz and I are finding Columbia to be beautiful in ways we had not<br />
expected. We have been warmly and graciously received here. We are<br />
making good friends, seeing God’s provision at every step, and growing<br />
in our heart to see God’s mission go forward here, in Columbia,<br />
our new home.?<br />
24 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
A NEW FIELD OF SERVICE . . .<br />
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU VOLUNTEER OTHERS FOR MISSIONS<br />
By Alex and Jamie Pettett<br />
United States – As you may know, we served<br />
in Israel with World Witness from 2006-2009. In<br />
2009, Israel refused to renew our visas. For the<br />
last several years, the government branch in<br />
charge of the long-term visas has been intentionally<br />
weeding out missionaries and Christian<br />
workers in Israel. The Israeli government told<br />
us we had to take a leave for six months from<br />
Israel in order to renew our long-term visa.<br />
While stateside, I was honored to represent<br />
World Witness at the Third International<br />
Congress on World Evangelism in Cape Town,<br />
South Africa. The Congress challenged us to<br />
volunteer our respective agencies and churches<br />
to reach the 600 or so yet unengaged people<br />
groups in the world. An unengaged people<br />
group is one that is unreached (i.e. less than 2%<br />
of the group are evangelical) and has no missionaries<br />
trying to reach it.<br />
In southeastern Turkey, I noticed a group<br />
of Arabs speaking a dialect of Arabic called<br />
“Northern Mesopotamian.” I remembered that Eric and Laurie Meberg were living in that area and may<br />
have encountered this group. So, like a good American, I volunteered the Mebergs to “go get ‘em.”<br />
A few months after returning from Cape Town, the Israeli government issued us a final notice<br />
stating they would not allow us to obtain a long-term visa. We felt the Lord gently and yet with great<br />
finality, telling us to move on. We grieved at the closing of this door and occasionally still feel pangs<br />
of loss. Regardless, the Lord has given us new joy and direction.<br />
He has called us to face our convictions of reaching the unreached and unengaged. And it is by<br />
God’s good grace that He is sending us to the very area I volunteered World Witness to reach almost<br />
one year ago, southeastern<br />
Turkey. Where non-believers<br />
may see ironic justice, we see<br />
perfect providence.<br />
In October, we joined<br />
the Mebergs in Mardin to<br />
spread seed among the unreached<br />
and unengaged of<br />
southeastern Turkey.?<br />
World Witness<br />
<br />
Just be<br />
<br />
on Sunday<br />
<br />
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NOVEMBER 2011 25
<strong>ARP</strong> Women’s Ministries<br />
ELAINE REED<br />
President<br />
TEACHABLE MOMENTS<br />
Love the LORD your God with all<br />
your heart and with all your soul and<br />
with all your strength. These commandments<br />
that I give you today are to be on<br />
your hearts. Impress them on your children.<br />
Talk about them when you sit at<br />
home and when you walk along the road,<br />
when you lie down and when you get up.<br />
Tie them as symbols on your hands and<br />
bind them on your foreheads. Write them<br />
on the door frames of your houses and on<br />
your gates (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).<br />
In Deuteronomy Chapter 5, Moses<br />
gathers the children of Israel<br />
and restates the Ten Commandments<br />
for all to hear. As the text continues<br />
into Chapter 6, the Israelites<br />
are challenged to incorporate God’s<br />
laws and precepts daily into their<br />
lives. Parents are to teach their children<br />
the knowledge of God’s will;<br />
demonstrating these instructions are<br />
for all generations. Even today, parents<br />
should take advantage of opportunities<br />
to teach their children about<br />
God and His desire for their lives.<br />
Recently, I was reminded of these<br />
verses as a friend shared a story about<br />
her son. The boy had been playing<br />
with a toy he had made with the help<br />
of his dad. When she entered the<br />
room, she found her son surrounded<br />
by Styrofoam pieces scattered across<br />
the carpet. Imagine the look of disappointment<br />
that must have been<br />
on her face. Immediately, the young<br />
boy realized his actions were wrong<br />
and he sought the forgiveness of<br />
his mother.<br />
As part of his discipline, the boy<br />
vacuumed up the Styrofoam. Once<br />
the living room was restored to its<br />
original condition, the boy picked<br />
up his toy to resume playing. As he<br />
looked at his toy, he realized it was<br />
now disfigured and had been damaged<br />
forever. He was consumed with<br />
guilt and remorse. Repeatedly the<br />
mother attempted to console him.<br />
She gently brushed away his tears<br />
and provided reassuring hugs, but<br />
nothing could change what had happened,<br />
nor could it remove this overwhelming<br />
feeling of remorse.<br />
Lessons Learned<br />
I wonder how God will use this<br />
teachable moment as he grows up.<br />
Will he find himself using this experience<br />
to help a fellow Christian<br />
through a difficult time? After hearing<br />
this story, I recalled several situations<br />
God used to teach me greater lessons.<br />
Some took place when I was a child,<br />
like the time I dropped my baton on<br />
my kitten’s head—literally knocking<br />
it senseless. Others occurred as an<br />
adult, such as hurting someone’s feelings<br />
without realizing it.<br />
As Christians, the Holy Spirit lives<br />
within us. Like a parent, the Spirit<br />
comforts us in our hour of need. When<br />
we are grieved so deeply we can not<br />
find the words to utter, the Spirit intercedes<br />
on our behalf (Romans 8:26-<br />
27). He stirs our conscience when we<br />
sin. He is our Advocate, teaching us<br />
all things and reminding us what has<br />
been revealed in scripture (John 14).<br />
At the point of our effectual calling,<br />
the Spirit united us to Christ by faith<br />
(Westminster Shorter Catechism 30).<br />
It is the same Spirit who raised Jesus<br />
from the dead, who now lives within<br />
those that profess Christ as their Savior<br />
(Romans 8:11). Think of the power<br />
available to us to resist sin if we<br />
would only submit to God’s will.<br />
Is Christianity simply a lifestyle<br />
for Sunday or is it deeper and more<br />
meaningful to our lives? Question<br />
one of the Westminster Shorter Catechism<br />
states it is the chief end of<br />
man “to glorify God, and to enjoy<br />
him forever.”<br />
The Merriam-Webster dictionary<br />
defines forever as a limitless amount<br />
of time. Paul provides a snapshot of<br />
this concept in 1 Corinthians 10:31—<br />
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever<br />
you do, do it all for the glory<br />
of God.” When I fail to glorify God<br />
by my actions, is my heart pricked<br />
with guilt and remorse like the boy<br />
felt when he realized his toy was<br />
damaged forever? I am afraid not often<br />
enough.<br />
As we celebrate Thanksgiving,<br />
may we remember to praise God for<br />
the teachable moments He has used<br />
to mold our lives.?<br />
Volunteers Needed<br />
The 100th Annual Meeting of<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> Women’s Ministries will be<br />
held in 2014. Volunteers are needed<br />
to plan this special event. If<br />
you are interested in sharing your<br />
gifts in support of planning this<br />
event please contact Elaine Reed<br />
<strong>ARP</strong>WM.President@gmail.com or<br />
843-572-6427.<br />
26 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
TIE ONE ON FOR THE GOSPEL!<br />
ELIZABETH M. BURNS<br />
Coordinator<br />
Give me a moment to explain!<br />
Recently I was introduced<br />
to a great idea for reaching<br />
out to neighbors: “Tie One On Day.”<br />
This is the brainchild of EllynAnne<br />
Geisel, whose website (www.apronmemories.com)<br />
has loads of fun facts<br />
and history about aprons.<br />
Geisel’s love of aprons and joy of<br />
Thanksgiving led her to the idea of<br />
reaching out to a neighbor in need.<br />
From her website she says, “Four<br />
years ago I noticed that Thanksgiving<br />
was talked about in terms<br />
more commonly associated with<br />
stress than joy. I remembered my<br />
mother’s absolute love of Thanksgiving<br />
as a day more than anything<br />
else of sharing and gratefulness.<br />
So I created National Tie One On<br />
Day as an annual opportunity to<br />
“give” to Thanksgiving by sharing<br />
our good fortune with someone in<br />
need of a kind gesture.”<br />
The basic idea is simple and requires<br />
only two aprons, a loaf of<br />
bread (or other baked good), and<br />
a note card. You put on one apron,<br />
lay the other apron on a table and<br />
place the loaf of bread in the center.<br />
Write a short note of encouragement<br />
or Scripture; place it in<br />
the pocket of the apron, wrap the<br />
apron up neatly and tie it, if possible.<br />
Then, with your apron on,<br />
walk out your front door to the<br />
front door of the neighbor you<br />
have chosen to receive the apron.<br />
Knock on the door, give them<br />
the gift, say a prayer with them, if<br />
appropriate, and off you go. The<br />
idea from the website is to do this<br />
on the day before Thanksgiving,<br />
which this year would be Wednesday,<br />
Nov. 23. I don’t know how to<br />
make breaking the ice with someone<br />
any easier than this! The opportunities<br />
to use this, I believe,<br />
are endless and don’t have to be<br />
confined just to the day before<br />
Thanksgiving.<br />
I thought of so many other<br />
times you could use this idea: any<br />
holiday of choice; birthdays; anniversaries;<br />
illness; death; new<br />
baby; new neighbor; or, just because.<br />
Now that you’ve met your<br />
neighbor(s), it makes it a bit easier<br />
to speak to them on the street and<br />
to approach them again to invite<br />
them in for tea or a cool drink.<br />
I particularly appreciate the<br />
idea of putting on your own apron<br />
as you do this. Now before you<br />
think aprons are too old fashioned,<br />
let me assure you they are not.<br />
In fact, aprons are very much in<br />
vogue right now. Just go on your<br />
computer and search the word<br />
“apron,” and you will pull up an<br />
avalanche of websites devoted to<br />
aprons – showing them to be very<br />
much in demand.<br />
God’s Servant<br />
But the main reason I appreciate<br />
the apron is because it reminds<br />
me that I am a servant – God’s servant;<br />
a servant to the King. As a<br />
servant, I’m to do the King’s bidding<br />
for His sake, not mine, thus<br />
relieving my “fear” of approaching<br />
the unknown and of being rejected<br />
or ridiculed. I’m sure many of<br />
you have been challenged by our<br />
Moderator, Andy Putnam, through<br />
our focus this year, “The Free Offer<br />
of the Gospel.”<br />
Like me, maybe you’ve been<br />
wondering just how you might<br />
take up this challenge for the sake<br />
of Christ and His Gospel. I believe<br />
God has provided a wonderful<br />
way for women to go boldly forth<br />
with Scripture notes and prayers<br />
of blessing to serve and share<br />
the Bread of Life with those<br />
around us who are lost and hurting<br />
and hopeless.<br />
If you are interested in this for<br />
your women’s ministries, just go<br />
to the website listed above and you<br />
will find everything you need to<br />
get started. Although this is a secular<br />
website, this idea can be fully<br />
wrapped and infused with Christ<br />
and the Gospel. One of the churches<br />
in my area which is involved<br />
in this ministry has set aside two<br />
Saturdays before Thanksgiving to<br />
present ideas on different types of<br />
aprons to use; how to sew your own<br />
apron; how to tailor the apron’s<br />
contents for specific needs, which<br />
could be used any time during the<br />
year; suggested Scriptures; recipes<br />
for different kinds of breads and<br />
appropriate baked goods – along<br />
with tips and coaching for those<br />
not quite sure what to say when<br />
they first knock on someone’s front<br />
door; and even some ideas on how<br />
to follow up with that neighbor.<br />
I thank God for this timely idea<br />
and for the opportunity to serve<br />
others on behalf of our King Jesus.<br />
So join me, won’t you? Together,<br />
let’s Tie One On for the Gospel!?<br />
PLEASE MAKE A NOTE: NEW EMAIL<br />
ADDRESS FOR THE COORDINATOR:<br />
arpwmcoord@arpsynod.org.<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> Women’s Ministries<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 27
All In Our Family<br />
By Sharon Griffin<br />
Personal Mention<br />
BETHANY (SC): Louise Biggers turned 90<br />
on Sept. 10.<br />
CRAIG AVE. TABERNACLE (NC): Bob &<br />
Norma Owens celebrated their 60th wedding<br />
anniversary Sept. 2.<br />
EBENEZER (SC): Rev. & Mrs. Charles<br />
(Mary Alice) Mitchell celebrated their 62nd<br />
wedding anniversary Aug. 25.<br />
FAYETTEVILLE (TN): Drennan Horsley<br />
celebrated her 80th birthday Aug. 25, Alise<br />
Austin, her 90th on Sept. 13, and Martha<br />
Henry, her 80th on Sept. 14.<br />
GASTONIA FIRST (NC): Mary Rose &<br />
Tom Campbell celebrated 54 years of marriage<br />
Sept. 14.<br />
GREENWOOD (SC): Phillips & Elsie Tinkler<br />
marked 64 years of marriage on Aug. 30.<br />
PISGAH (NC): Ed Carson recently completed<br />
50 years of perfect attendance at<br />
Sunday School. Bill Whitesides recently<br />
celebrated his 80th birthday. Matt Faulkner<br />
was selected Most Valuable Player for JV<br />
Baseball at Hunter Huss High School.<br />
RICHLAND (TN): Pat & Ruth Billingsley<br />
celebrated 52 years of marriage Sept. 5.<br />
SEBRING (FL): Seniors who recently<br />
marked special birthdays were: John Denning<br />
(94 years Aug. 23) and Edie Trotter<br />
(93 years on Aug. 31). George & Kathryn<br />
Thompson were married 55 years as of<br />
Aug. 24.<br />
THOMSON (GA): Bill & Lorena Johnson<br />
recently celebrated 54 years of marriage.<br />
WILDHURST (VA): James & Rosalee<br />
Hedrick were married 54 years in Aug.<br />
Marriages<br />
BACK CREEK (NC): Lauren Baucom &<br />
Jeremy Brown, Aug. 20.<br />
BURLINGTON (NC): Bob Hilton & Gwen<br />
Andrews, Sept. 3.<br />
CROWDERS CREEK (NC): Lauren Elizabeth<br />
Elliotte & Daniel David Beech, Aug.<br />
20. Kelly Marie Brooks & Ricky Lee<br />
Hogue, Aug. 20.<br />
FRENCH CAMP (MS): Jenn Barlow & Jason<br />
Geiser, Sept. 2.<br />
UNITY (Lancaster, SC): Noelle Marie Marsh<br />
& Brenner Jackson Hartley, Sept. 10.<br />
Births<br />
AVON PARK (FL): Matt & Dena Soto, a<br />
daughter Alma Gloria, July 19.<br />
BACK CREEK (NC): Erin & Josh Smith, a<br />
son Harrison, July 30.<br />
BETHEL (SC): Doug & Christa Herrera, a<br />
daughter Ana Lynn, Aug. 23.<br />
CENTENNIAL (SC): Jake & Cristina Ramos<br />
Deputy, a son Jacob Dallas, Aug. 15.<br />
CHESTER (SC): Rev. & Mrs. Clint (Patti)<br />
Davis, a daughter Sarah Grace, Aug. 30.<br />
COLUMBIA FIRST (SC): Legare & Tap<br />
Gresham, a son Charles Richard, Aug. 16.<br />
Anna Claire & Jon Dando, a son Charles<br />
Bridges, Aug. 25. Tracy & Rick Folks, a<br />
daughter Sydney Michaela, Aug. 26.<br />
COVINGTON (TN): Mr. & Mrs. Kent Zent,<br />
a daughter Katherine Elizabeth, July 6.<br />
EBENEZER (SC): Garret & Julia Brink, a<br />
daughter Frances Adelaide “Addie,” Sept. 1.<br />
GREENVILLE (SC): Rev. & Mrs. Matt<br />
(Lindsay) Miller, a daughter Elise Noelle,<br />
Aug. 25.<br />
GUM TREE (MS): Mr. & Mrs. Adam Potts,<br />
a son Zane. Mr. & Mrs. Clay Coggins, a<br />
son Todd Kellum. Mr. & Mrs. Raul Cruz, a<br />
daughter Angelina Isabella.<br />
NEELY’S CREEK (SC): Eric & Jennifer<br />
Matthews, a daughter Hollins Gray, July 27.<br />
RIVERSIDE (AL): Nate and Molly Jaeger,<br />
twin boys Tim and Mark on June 21,2011.<br />
Deaths<br />
BARTOW (FL): Francine Barfield Mercer,<br />
91, died Aug. 10.<br />
CRAIG AVE. TABERNACLE (NC):<br />
Armstrong, 85, died July 28.<br />
28 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN<br />
Ruth<br />
FROSTPROOF (FL): George Jackson, 66,<br />
deacon, died Aug. 14. Frances “Sweetmama”<br />
Griffin Mulcay, 96, Sunday school<br />
teacher, died Aug. 20.<br />
GREENWOOD (SC): Virginia Dale Puckett<br />
Cheatham, 89, died Aug. 31.<br />
LAKE WALES (FL): Francis “Frank” M.<br />
Coyne, 83, deacon, elder, Elder of Visitation<br />
for 13 years, died Aug. 29.<br />
LAUDERDALE (VA): Vanita Hostetter<br />
Craft, 89, died Aug. 15. William Edward<br />
Johnson, 91, died Sept. 3.<br />
NEW AMITY (NC): Mildred Jenkins Miller,<br />
79, died Aug. 20.<br />
OLD PROVIDENCE (VA): Dennis Woodrow<br />
Conner, 82, died Aug. 7.<br />
ROCK HILL FIRST (SC): Nancy Collins<br />
Orr, 83, died Aug. 8.<br />
SEBRING (FL): John C. Freeland, 91, died<br />
Aug. 12. Dorothy Fisher, 87, died Aug. 26.<br />
STATESVILLE FIRST (NC): Jean Moore<br />
Bradford, Camp Joy attendee for 31 years,<br />
died Aug. 4. Faye West White, 89, died<br />
Aug. 19.<br />
New Communicant<br />
Members<br />
BURLINGTON (NC): Caroline & Reighanna<br />
Bailey, Bennett, Janice, & Kathryn<br />
Richardson, Shauneen Roy, Hannah<br />
Baird, David & Nicole Newton.<br />
CENTENNIAL (SC):<br />
Osborne.<br />
EFFINGHAM (SC): Ernie Davis.<br />
Jason & Ginger<br />
FAITH (Merritt Island, FL): Josiah Soule.<br />
FAYETTEVILLE (TN): Paisley Cowley,<br />
Anna Claire Dickey, Hugh & Beth Dickey,<br />
Caroline Mills, Meg O’Connor, Ashton<br />
Towry.
FROSTPROOF (FL): Danny & Julie Darby.<br />
GOOD NEWS (MD): Tommy Antrim.<br />
GUM TREE (MS): Scotty & Tanya Rudy<br />
and daughter Savannah.<br />
LAKE PLACID (FL): Carmen Bonilla,<br />
Chase Leblanc.<br />
NEELY’S CREEK (SC): Maggie Bowyer,<br />
Beth Dickerson, Chandler Fowler, Grace<br />
Gallagher, David & Courtney Kimball,<br />
Ryan Williams.<br />
NEW AMITY (NC): Kim Morrison.<br />
PISGAH (NC): Haven Jenkins.<br />
REFORMATION (NC): Callie Oldham.<br />
SHERWOOD FOREST (SC): Andrew<br />
MacLeod.<br />
STATESVILLE FIRST (NC): Grace Overcash.<br />
Special Services<br />
COVENANT (Statesville, NC): Homecoming<br />
was held Sept. 18 with Rev. Charles Evans<br />
preaching. The church was 46 years<br />
old on Sept. 12.<br />
FIRST MONROE & REHOBETH (NC): The<br />
churches held a joint picnic on Sunday afternoon,<br />
Sept. 18, at Cane Creek Park. About<br />
70-75 were in attendance for the meal and<br />
recreation. The two churches are about 20<br />
minutes apart from each other in southern<br />
Union County, NC.<br />
PROSPERITY (AL): The church celebrated<br />
its 189th year on Sept. 11 with a special service<br />
and a dinner. Prosperity is the oldest<br />
<strong>ARP</strong> church in Alabama.<br />
SHERWOOD FOREST (SC): Homecoming<br />
was celebrated Sept. 11. Festivities included<br />
lunch and a hymn sing.<br />
UNITY (Lancaster, SC): Homecoming Day<br />
was held Aug. 28 with guest minister Rev.<br />
Bob Elliott. The day included a psalm sing<br />
and a picnic lunch.<br />
Graduations<br />
CENTENNIAL (SC): Whitney Fox, Master’s<br />
degree, Clemson University.<br />
PINECREST (NC): Karla Reese, Master’s<br />
degree, West Carolina University.?<br />
FALL 2011 ARTS CALENDAR<br />
Please join us for the arts at Erskine this season.<br />
Theater Productions<br />
Erskine Players present Shakespeare's The Tempest<br />
November 3 & 4, 7:30 pm<br />
November 5, 2:30 pm<br />
Visual Arts<br />
Art Department Faculty Show<br />
Through December 8<br />
Music<br />
Talich String Quartet<br />
Tuesday, November 15, 7:30 pm<br />
Dr. Craig Cramer, Organist<br />
Thursday, November 17<br />
Masterclass – Choral Hall, 3:30 pm<br />
Recital – First <strong>Presbyterian</strong>, Greenwood, 7:30 pm<br />
Erskine Student Chamber Music Ensembles<br />
Friday, November 18, 8 pm<br />
An Erskine Christmas<br />
Friday, December 2, 8 pm<br />
Saturday, December 3, 6 pm<br />
(Ticketing information: choirs@erskine.edu or 864.379.8728)<br />
Women's Chorale Christmas Program<br />
Tuesday, December 6, 11 am<br />
Music Department Honors Recital<br />
Tuesday, December 6, 7:30 pm<br />
Opera Workshop<br />
Friday-Saturday, January 6 & 7<br />
For more information on arts events, call 864.379.8858<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 29
CLASSIFIED ADS<br />
Bible Chronology – Bible history without chronology is myth. http://paulhansen.mysite.com<br />
ANNOUNCEMENTS<br />
Erskine Director of Alumni Affairs Buddy Ferguson announces he will provide<br />
an Erskine representative to speak at your church. “We can come on<br />
a Wednesday or Sunday night, or speak at any other program that fits your<br />
schedule. We are excited to have a chance to meet with <strong>ARP</strong> churches and<br />
share with them about Erskine. Contact Buddy Ferguson, PO Box 608, Due<br />
West, SC 29639. Or call his office: (864) 379-8727. Cell: (864) 378-5836.<br />
Email: ferguson@erskine.edu. See Erskine’s website: www.erskine.edu.<br />
FOR RENT<br />
BONCLARKEN HOME Weekend or weekly rental at 200 Pine Drive: full<br />
kitchen; complete with washer/dryer and dishwasher. Cozily sleeps 10.<br />
Available year-round. Call 828-674-8277 for reservations.<br />
FOR SALE<br />
ROBAR CHRISTIAN BOOKSELLERS. We buy, sell and trade new and<br />
used Christian books. Contact us at Robarbooks.com.<br />
BONCLARKEN – Kit and Mary Grier’s home at 103 Sycamore Dr. Approximately<br />
1800 sq. ft. w/ central heat and air. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, great<br />
room with vaulted ceiling. Family room with hardwood floor and stone<br />
fireplace. Two wooden decks and screened-in porch. Laundry room with<br />
W/D hook-ups. Great mountain view! Call Effie Jordan 864-379-2888 or<br />
Bill Grier 828-808-1492.<br />
REAL ESTATE<br />
BONCLARKEN - For Sale: Betty Stewart’s home on Bonclarken Lane,<br />
Flat Rock, NC. Two apartments: 1 with 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths; other<br />
has 3 bedrooms 2.5 baths. Deck, garage, laundry room. 2 lots. Asking<br />
$250,000. Call Roxanne Spencer, 704-860-3384.<br />
SERVICES<br />
SABO GRAPHICS®<br />
WEB & GRAPHIC SERVICES: Providing great finished graphics from<br />
design stage to finished printed product, or website. Large format print<br />
capabilities. Mention <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> and receive a 10% discount.<br />
864.268.4266 or www.sabo.ws.<br />
SERVICES NEEDED<br />
MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY - Established congregation located in a growing<br />
population area in Catawba Presbytery is searching for a pastor with a heart for<br />
evangelism and church growth who is interested in a challenging bi-vocational<br />
call. If you feel God is leading you in this direction, contact Stephanie Bishop<br />
at Central Services, The <strong>ARP</strong> Center, by calling 864-232-8297, ext 222 or email<br />
sbishop@arpsynod.org to obtain a Ministerial Data Form.<br />
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES - Looking for adults or teenagers who can provide insight<br />
in using technologies such as: YouTube, Facebook, webcast, etc. Contact Elaine<br />
Reed at <strong>ARP</strong>WM.President@gmail.com if you are willing to provide information.<br />
Come see why our residents live longer,<br />
happier, healthier lives.<br />
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Call Today to:<br />
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Schedule an<br />
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RETIREMENT COMMUNITY<br />
Call 888.485.0930<br />
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Structural Fiberglass<br />
STEEPLES<br />
All Sizes and Designs<br />
Call about free proposals<br />
and scaled line drawings<br />
for your church<br />
Box 388, Troutman, N.C. 28166<br />
Phone 704-528-5321<br />
For over 50 years.<br />
CHURCH PEW CUSHIONS<br />
Padded seats or reversible cushions<br />
DON GREEN UPHOLSTERY<br />
Call collect (864) 277-3795<br />
Write: 1401 Piedmont Hwy., Piedmont, SC 29673<br />
30 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
Indelible Grace<br />
A portable stage was pieced together and set up over the small hardwood platform that usually holds a pulpit, a few chairs and a baptismal font.<br />
In their places sat a full drum set, guitar amplifiers, and microphone stands. A large screen was mounted in front of the organ pipes. As the band<br />
members settled behind their instruments, more than 300 people filled the pews of First <strong>ARP</strong> <strong>Church</strong> in Rock Hill, SC, and waited in anticipation for<br />
Matthew Smith to strum the first chord of “I Need Thee Today.”<br />
Synod’s Committee on Worship sponsored the Matthew Smith & Indelible Grace concert and hymns seminar to expose <strong>ARP</strong> and other area<br />
churches to new resources that might enrich their worship. “This was a significant step for our denomination,” said Committee member, church<br />
planting resident, and emcee of the Rock Hill event Rev. Andy Stager.<br />
“Just months after the Committee proudly sponsored the 50th Annual Bonclarken Music Conference,<br />
we honored our musical heritage in a brand new way by exploring ways to bring hymnody<br />
into modern musical genres.”<br />
Before the opening song began, Stager welcomed those who came in droves through the back<br />
doors of the sanctuary to hear this collection of “new-old hymns.”<br />
During the pre-concert seminar, Matthew Smith told of his personal spiritual renewal as he<br />
encountered the gospel through hymns for the first time in college. He testified to a major impact<br />
that the resurgence of hymnody is having on a new generation looking for a robust expression of<br />
Christian faith.<br />
“A typical Nashville love song, as well as much current church music, goes straight for the emotions,”<br />
the Nashville songwriter explained. “But hymns engage your intellect, your imagination,<br />
your emotions, and your will – all at once. They put the full beauty of Christ on display.”<br />
The marriage of old hymn texts and new music is proving to be a happy one. In it, believers in<br />
their twenties and thirties find faith challenged, their intellect stoked, their articulation of the faith<br />
made more winsome, and their hearts enlarged with Jesus and his gospel.<br />
Full of word-pictures, hymns like George Mathison’s “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” invite<br />
The band Indelible Grace draws a large<br />
audience at First <strong>ARP</strong>, Rock Hill (SC).<br />
the church on an ancient journey in which hope thrives in the midst of suffering. “When you sing ‘I trace the rainbow through the rain,’” Smith pointed<br />
out, “you’re singing covenantal truth. You’re preaching the gospel to one another much better than simply saying ‘well, this too shall pass.’”<br />
Area youth groups heard electric guitars and hymns together. Winthrop University students from <strong>Reformed</strong> University Fellowship and Campus<br />
Crusade, area pastors, elders, and church musicians sang old hymns to new melodies. Young and old sang the gospel to one another as the word of<br />
Christ dwelt richly in the air of the sanctuary.<br />
“Judging by the turnout, we seem to have struck a chord,” Stager said of the event. “It delights me to know that our great-grandmothers’ hymnbooks<br />
are in good use.”?<br />
Correction:<br />
At the end of the October magazine feature, A Debtor Nation, on page 7, the concluding line should have been a footnote<br />
appended to an earlier paragraph in the article, and the fourth of five footnotes in all. The article should have concluded with<br />
the previous line: “This is a time for repentance, and let us first of all demand repentance of ourselves. We should not expect<br />
divine blessings to course into the culture until the way is opened by repentance in the church.”<br />
Kerry Jacobs<br />
A Southern Author<br />
Former <strong>ARP</strong> Missionary<br />
Living in Greenville, Mr. Jacobs has been writing<br />
for over ten years. Recently published works<br />
include Honorable Intentions and The Factory.<br />
Honorable Intentions: A saga about a man who<br />
inherits a Charleston plantation only to find<br />
himself a target of those wanting to possess<br />
it. His only route of escape? A time machine.<br />
That’s where the real adventure begins.<br />
The Factory: The economy of the world has<br />
collapsed. Jack, retired former Lt. Colonel<br />
finds a new job at a factory in Atlanta. Little<br />
does he know the world of hurt he’s about to<br />
enter. No rights, little respect. Something’s got<br />
to change.<br />
Published 2010 Published 2011<br />
Available from Amazon.com or kerryjacobs.com<br />
NOVEMBER 2011 31