Thanks to All who Helped with the Matt 25:35 Project Dinner

MATT 25:35 PROJECT UPDATE:

Many thanks to all who participated in the Matt 25:35 Project dinner and fundraiser on June 7.  That event netted a total of almost $2000 -- enough to supply a Thursday lunch at Calvin Presbyterian to  fifty people for ten weeks. We had guests from at least three other churches besides APC, including a representative from the PC (USA) national staff. Project chef James Mitchell and his co-workers provided a fine summer meal that was enjoyed by all. 

We are grateful for the many local businesses that donated merchandise and gift certificates for the fundraiser auction.  We are also happy to report that two raised garden beds (similar to those at APC) have been constructed and planted at Calvin Presbyterian this spring, thus potentially doubling the amount of fresh garden produce that can be used to support the nutrition project during the summer months each year.

We welcome people of all ages to join us Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Parish House for food, fellowship, and garden harvesting and upkeep.  As the summer proceeds, we will need lots of volunteers to harvest salad greens, herbs, green beans,  zucchini, tomatoes and peppers.  This is a great opportunity for families and friends to enjoy food, fellowship, and service to God in an outdoor summer setting!

Princeton Theological Seminary Needs Your Books!

Every year, PTS has a book sale to benefit various seminaries throughout the world and ministerial students in need.  This year the sale is on April 11-13 on the campus of the seminary. 

Rev. Sturge Poorman will be taking any donations of books (any kind, not just theological) after Palm Sunday, March 24.  Donations can be placed in the Heritage Room.  Contact Joanne Poorman for details. 

Do some spring cleaning and help mission!

CHRISTIAN IDENTITY AND SEXUAL IDENTITY

CHRISTIAN IDENTITY AND SEXUAL IDENTITY

Adult Education Series, Ardmore Presbyterian Church, Winter 2013

Sunday February 3 – Sunday March 24

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.,  A.P.C. Parish House

 

In 2011 the PC(USA) voted to remove from its constitution the requirement that church leaders live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.  In wake of that decision, as well as the more recent endorsement of gay marriage in several states, this adult education mini-course is designed to be a safe forum in which to learn some of the science and social science of sexuality and sexual orientation, and to discuss this in the context of the Biblical drama of creation, fall, redemption, and future hope.

Our primary text will be Messiah College anthropologist Jenell W. Paris’s book, The End of Sexual Identity: Why Sex is Too Important to Define Who We Are (InterVarsity Press, 2011).  In addition, there will be a password-protected website for the class, where supplementary materials will be posted.  This class is open both to A.P.C. members and interested college students and other members of the community, with the understanding that all who attend will interact with charity, confidentiality, and mutual respect, and will commit, as far as possible, to reading the assigned book portions before each meeting.

The leader for the series will be Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Ph.D., social psychologist and recent chair of the psychology department at Eastern University.  She is the author or co-author of seven books on gender, family, and practical theology, and was for ten years prior to 2000 a member of the Religion, Culture and Family Project at the University of Chicago Divinity School.  She has been teaching the Psychology of Gender to students at public and Christian universities for over thirty years.

Boots Needed for Children

Help is needed to provide rubber boots for

3500 children at the Za'atari

"Winter Storm Batters Middle East"

 

The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years brought a rare foot of snow to Jordan on Wednesday, caused fatal accidents in Lebanon and the West Bank, and disrupted traffic on the Suez Canal in Egypt. At least eight people have died across the region.

 

The unusual weather over the past few days hit vulnerable Syrian refugees living in tent camps very hard, particularly some 50,000 sheltering in the Zaatari camp in Jordan's northern desert. Torrential rains over four days have flooded some 200 tents and forced women and infants to evacuate in temperatures that dipped below freezing at night, whipping wind and lashing rain.

 

"It's been freezing cold and constant rain for the past four days," lamented Ahmad Tobara, 44, who evacuated his tent when its shafts submerged in flood water in Zaatari. A camp spokesman said that by Wednesday, some 1,500 refugees had been displaced within the camp and were now living in mobile homes normally used for schools. Weather officials said wind speeds exceeded 45 mph and the rain left two feet of water on the streets."

And APC has been making a difference, even before we knew the need!  As of Tuesday members and friends of APC have contributed $1,229.50 to buy rubber boots for children in the Zaatari camp.  These children are Syrian refugees who left their own country with such short notice that they did not have time to bring much more than what they were wearing.  We will be sending a check to help buy boots within the week but if you want to contribute toward this, please do so with a check marked children's boots and we'll send a second check within another 2 weeks.  Many thanks to all who have helped with this. All contributions are due by January 31st.

 

Christian Education Small Groups at APC

Sunday Morning Adult Small Group January 13^th and 20^th,

9:00 -10:00 a.m. in the Mill Creek Room. We will spend these two weeks in anticipation of this year’s SER. The theme of the SER is “Christianity in Crisis” and the speaker, Dr. Marty Soards, will draw from Paul’s letters to the believers in Corinth. The church at Corinth was marked by internal divisions, immorality, misunderstanding of the nature of Christian spirituality, and selfishness in their worship and participation in the Lord’s Supper. They considered themselves “wise” and “spiritual,” but Paul shows them the nature of true wisdom and gospel spirituality so that they will grow to maturity in Christ. We’ll take time to look at the large themes in Paul’s letters with a view to preparing ourselves to engage with the teaching at the SER.

Sunday Night Live! – resumes January 6^th at 7 pm. We will continue our study in Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Join us as we discover a new way to relate to God, to each other, and to the world around us.  We will wrestle together with God’s word and how it relates to our current context.  Good conversation, laughter, and your questions are always encouraged.  Meets in the Parish House.

Wednesday Women’s Small Group – resumes January 2^nd at noon.  Bring your lunch and join us as we enjoy fellowship and study a Biblical book. Meets in the Library.

Wednesday Men’s Small Group – resumes January 9^th at noon.  We begin with lunch and fellowship and then continue our study of Moses. Films like “The Ten Commandments” and, more recently, “The Prince of Egypt,”  present Moses as a star of the biblical story. In contrast,  we will be studying Moses as a supporting actor in God’s great story of redemption. We will look at Moses through the writings of the Old and New Testaments  and  with an eye to increasing our understanding of God as the star of the story and how God uses broken people to accomplish his purposes.  Meets in the Mill Creek Room.

 

Confirmation 2013

 

CONFIRMATION IS COMING:

On Friday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m., there will be dinner and an initial meeting for all confrmands at the Pastor Hodsden’s home, 1638 Surrey Lane in Havertown.

On Sundays, starting February 3, the confirmation class will be meeting in the church’s library at 9:00 a.m. At this first meeting, all parents are invited to review the requirements for this year.

Confirmation is for anyone in eighth grade or older who is interested in the faith or membership in the Ardmore Presbyterian Church. The purpose of confirmation class is to live the faith in a safe environment.  It is clear that we will be unable to learn every fact or to address every concern in the short time we are together.  Instead, we hope that each youth will continue praying, reading scripture, worshipping, serving, and asking questions long after the classes are over. We ask youth to bring their best, and questions are always welcomed.

 

Confirmation is scheduled this year for Sunday, May 26.  Contact Pastor James at pastor@ardmorepres.org for more information.

 

Pastor's Pen: Yes, Virginia. There is a St. Nicholas

Last December, Thomas and I caught the end of a Christmas animation special on television. When I think of animation and Christmas, I usually think of islands of misfit toys and boys with blankets quoting the gospel of Luke. However, this cartoon was different. Santa Claus rode a rocket sleigh propelled at dizzying speed by eight robot reindeer. Although there was no discernible plot, there were plenty of explosions and battle scenes. It’s as if the Power Rangers were given the opportunity to rewrite "A Visit from St. Nick." What a long strange trip it has been.

Long before being a pop culture icon, before being a huckster for rampant commercialism, before being "a jolly old elf," Santa Claus was simply Nicholas. The boy grew up in the third century in Patara, a small village in what is now modern Turkey. Born and baptized into the Church, his parents raised him to be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. While still young, his parents died during an epidemic, and left him a small fortune. Moved by his faith, Nicholas used his entire inheritance in a ministry of compassion. In the name of Jesus Christ, he helped the needy, the sick, and the suffering. While still young, he became a leader in the church and was made Bishop of Myra. He was a leader of steady convictions which drew him into conflict with Roman authorities. Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Nicholas was exiled and imprisoned for his faith. In better times, Nicholas attended the Council at Nicaea in 325. There he and the other bishops hammered out a statement of faith accepted universally by the Church that Jesus Christ is fully human, fully divine.

Over the years, Nicholas’ story has become encrusted with fantasy, hype and cultural baggage. Much of it is harmless fun, like stories of giants and beanstalks. In the process, however, we lost a great man of compassion, faith and conviction. Nicholas belongs to the Church, he belongs to us, and his example is a witness to Jesus Christ. Tell Nicholas’ story. Share it with your children and grandchildren. Receive this Christmas season a visit from old St. Nick.

Grace & Peace,

James