NewsFlash fromEast Liberty Presbyterian Church
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
We come here as children of God, secure in God's love, urged to work for God's justice, bound in one family to care for one another.
October Reaching Out
Read the October Reaching Out newsletter on the web. The Rev. Bush's pastoral message is included in this Flash (see below.)
Spotlight
Second Anniversary Gala Organ Event
Join us for the second anniversary celebration of the return of our magnificent Aeolian-Skinner/Goulding and Wood Sanctuary pipe organ. Jason Overall, President of Goulding and Wood, is our featured organist. Joining him is world–renowned trumpet soloist Gary Malvern. With 8,000 pipes of organ, this duo offers an afternoon of sheer delight. Plan to attend this free anniversary celebration and stay for a dessert buffet. Reservations ($5 each) are required for the dessert buffet. RSVP to Norma Meyer, (412) 441.3800 x11. (Click image at right to enlarge.)
Sunday services and classes
October 4, World Communion Sunday (with celebration of the Lord's Supper)
- 8:00 am: Good Samaritan Worship; The Rev. James Snyder, Liberty Presbyterian Church preaching.
- 8:45 am: Journey Worship; the Rev. Heather T. Schoenewolf preaching.
- 11:00 am: Sanctuary Worship; the The Rev. Dr. Randall K. Bush preaching.
- Contemporaries: "Pulpit Momentum!" Insights and discussions on Rev Schoenewolf's sermon, "Where We Meet God." Second floor parlor. Read the sermon (pdf). Copies available in class.
- Journey with Scripture: Job 1:1; 2:1-10; Ps. 26; Heb.1:1-4; 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16.
- Parenting Circle: Our book this fall is the "pray" chapter of eat, pray, love; we're reading sections 48-51 (pages 148-160). All are welcome and books are available for $5.
- Seekers: Our book is Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism by (Episcopal) Bishop John Shelby Spong. Rev. Bush will be leading the discussion on the book, relating how literal interpretations of the Bible have been used in hurtful ways.
Additional worship, classes, and prayer opportunities during the week
- Taizé prayer service: Every Wednesday, 7:00 pm in the Chapel. Childcare available from 6:45 pm to 8:15 pm. September 30 Taizé service will be followed at 8:15 by a time celebrating birthdays, milestones, and anniversaries in September. Do you celebrate a birthday, milestone or anniversary in September? Write it down and put it in the collection plate! We’d like to celebrate with you!
- Labyrinth Prayer Walk: Mondays, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, and Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 9:00 pm.
- Centering Prayer: Tuesdays, 7:00 pm, room 250.
- Wednesday Connections for Adults: Join us Wednesdays from 5:00 - 5:45 for Bible study wth the Revs. Bush and Schoenewolf.
- Wednesday Connections: Our Wednesday Connection program starts at 3:30 and includes free Hope Academy classes, snacks from Whole Foods, homework help, a simple supper for families in the McKelvey Room, and more.
- Young Adults: Those in their 20's and 30's are invited to join our warm and dynamic group for faith and fellowship. Join us Sunday, October 4 at 5:00 pm for the first "First Sundays at ELPC"--a time for all of the young adults to gather. This month we'll enjoy game night!
ELPC weekly news highlights
World Communion Sunday
On World Communion Sunday, Communion will be served in the pews as an expression of our Reformed faith doctrine of "the priesthood of all believers." The worship service will highlight our congregation's commitment to mission ministry. We also have an opportunity to make the special "Peacemaking Offering," for which you may have received a letter and offering envelope. 25% are for local peacemaking ministries; 25% is used by presbyteries and synods, and 50% is used by the General Assembly ministries through the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
Spiritual Life SamplerJoin us in the Social Hall on Sunday October 4 following the 11:00 service for our annual Spiritual Life Sampler and fellowship time. This year's event will showcase a variety of opportunities, including: Structuring of the Holy: from Romanesque to Gothic; Ignatian Exercises, Toy Makers Group, There Is Something About the Brain, Happy Wanderers, and more.
Fall exercise classes!
A healthy body can help support a healthy spiritual life. Give yourself a gift that keeps on giving! Come to our low-cost / no-cost exercise classes: Yoga, every Thursday from 7:15 - 8:45 pm through November 19. Zumba, every Thursday 6:00 - 7:00 pm, through November 19. Tai-Chi, every Tuesday morning 10:00 - 11:00 am and 6:00 - 7:00 pm, through November 17. RSVP and questions to Amanda Nolan, (412) 441-3800 x34.
Handbell Choir rehearsals begin Oct 1
Do you have an interest in discovering handbells and the wonderful sounds they make? Join us on Thursday, October 1 at 6pm. The only requirement is a comitment to rehearsals and the other ringers. It also helps if you can read treble or bass clef music. For details, call The Rev. Dr. J. Richard Szeremany, (412) 441-3800 x24.
Presbyterian Women Horizons Bible Study, Tuesday Oct 6
Join us at 10 am. We will explore themes in Joshua such as leadership, the promise of land, the concept of holy war, and outsiders becoming insiders; we also learn to find rest in the mercy of God. A potluck lunch follows. Bring something to share and beverages are provided. Call Mary Alice Lightle, (412) 682-1504 for more information.
ELPC in the Community
East End Cooperative Ministries Men's Shelter
During the month of September, the Deacons are collecting razors and bar soap for the EECM'S Men's Shelter. Donations may be left in the hallway baskets. Thank you.
Pastoral Message, October 2009
by The Rev. Dr. Randall K. Bush
"You'll wait a long, long time for anything much
To happen in heaven beyond the floats of cloud
And the Northern Lights that run like tingling nerves."
(Taken from Robert Frost's
"On Looking Up By Chance at the Constellations")
No one denies that much of our life is spent focused on our own life. The entire universe swirls around us, and yet we exist each day as if we are the center of the universe. We do this because, to some extent, we are the center of the universe. All the information we receive about the world around us comes to us through our sensory organs and personal consciousness. We are like the prism through which the white light of the universe is refracted and then split into a rainbow of colors, which we name "nature," "family," "science," and "God."
This activity can be exhausting. We are constantly processing information about the world around us (Are we safe? Is that person a friend or foe? What will tomorrow bring?), even as we know that: 1) We are aware of only a fraction of the activity around us; 2) We can never predict what tomorrow holds. It can fill us with anxiety and a sense of hopelessness about our human condition.
"The sun and moon get crossed, but they never touch...
We may as well go patiently on with our life,
And look elsewhere than to stars and moon and sun
For the shocks and changes we need to keep us sane."
Faith is about perspective—both seeing things in perspective and keeping things in perspective. If we are the center of the universe, then our existential angst is justified, for we can never be equal to the task of understanding all that is and all that will be, given our limited human capabilities. But when we look at the heavens, when we consider the moon and the stars above (cf. Psalm 8), we are presented with a different perspective—of a wonder, order, and immensity that assures us there must be some other center of the universe than our meager body and soul. The fact that, as Frost says, nothing much happens up there, where planets travel along their heavenly parabolas and galaxies continue their steady race toward the outer boundaries of the universe, is actually a source of comfort for all of us wrapped up in our busy, earthbound existence.
Frost's contemplation of the constellations ends with this poignant line: "That calm seems certainly safe to last tonight." At the center of the universe is a calm, a calm that has been revealed to be consistent, patient, intentional, and loving. Even more miraculous, this calm is personal in that it has been personified in Jesus Christ, the eternal Wisdom and Heart made flesh. So while the Hubble telescope reminds us of quasars in the heavens, and the daily paper reminds us of upheavals here on Earth, there is a deeper calm that is neither disrupted or disturbed by the goings-on of the universe. "That calm seems certainly safe to last tonight." Thanks be to God.
Randy Bush