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

APC Food Pantry

Don’t forget to put the APC Food Pantry on your shopping list. It needs tuna, cereal, canned fruit or write a check indicating it is for the food pantry and we will do the shopping for you. Thank you.

 

YOUTH MISSION TRIP FUNDRAISER!

YOUTH MISSION TRIP FUNDRAISER!

Several  years ago some folks at APC made Christmas Cards to sell. On the front is a beautiful picture of our sanctuary at Christmas time. Inside the card says, “May the Spirit of Christmas with its Peace and Joy abide with you through the year.”.Since there are still many cards, we have decided to offer them again for sale. The cost is $3 for a packet of 20 cards and envelopes. Proceeds will go to support APC’s youth mission trip to Puerto Rico next summer. You can purchase the cards in the office during the week.

 

Boots for children in Jordanian Refugee Camp

Help is needed to provide rubber boots for 3500 children at the Za'atari Refugee Camp, in Northern Jordan.  The camp is a very large enclave recently set up in Jordan to receive refugees who have fled their native Syria during the continued violence there.  The children in the camp are between the ages of 6 and 15 and do not have appropriate footwear for the cold, damp and rainy winter season which has just started.  The cost of a pair of boots is $13.50 each. Contributions may be made with a check payable to Ardmore Presbyterian Church and "children's boots" in the memo line of the check. The APC Mission Committee is also sending money to support this project.

 

 

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16TH.

PLAN TO STAY FOR THE ALL-CHURCH LUNCHEON AFTER SERVICES IN FELLOWSHIP HALL WHICH IS THE SAME DATE OF THE NATIVITY TABLEAU.
Every generation is important for fellowship and sharing a meal.

Hurricaine Sandy Relief

HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF

THANK YOU!  We asked for your assistance with canned goods and supplies, and you responded.  We appreciate your generosity for all those affected by Hurricane Sandy.  However, the need is not over. 

The road to recovery has just begun.  Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is committed to walk with our partners through the immediate-relief and long-term-recovery phases of the response. Already denominational funds have been sent, and members of the National Response Team have already been deployed to help in response efforts.

If you would you like offer your financial support, please consider giving to PDA.  Make out your check to Ardmore Presbyterian Church with “HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF” in the memo line.

Please pray for the victims and those working to help others in the wake of this disaster.

Cherub Choir and Advent Family Night

Advent and Christmas Greetings to our Cherub Families!

Here are some details about our Cherubs' participation in our Advent Family Night festivities --

Cherubs should arrive by 4:40 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 2, in the chapel. We will be there with their robes so they can get those on and then briefly rehearse their four carols.

They are third and fifth on the program.

What that means is that the Handbell Choir will ring first.

Second, the Children's Choir sings.

Third, the Cherubs sing their three carols -- Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, Away in a Manger and I Saw Three Ships.

Fourth, the Children's Choir sings again.

Fifth, the Cherubs sing their fourth and last carol with the Children.

There are a few more carols after that, including from the Youth Choir, and then, when the program's over, we will help the Cherubs take their robes off near the Walker Chapel side of the sanctuary and head downstairs to the Fellowship Hall for crafts followed by dinner.

Thank you, parents, who have asked for words so they can go over the music at home!  The Cherubs were happily singing forth all of these songs last evening, knowing both words and music, but keeping it all fresh in the mind and heart is always a good thing. So, here are the words ---

"Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" (no. 37 in our hymnal)

Infant Holy, Infant lowly,

For His bed a cattle stall,

Oxen lowing, little knowing

Christ the babe is Lord of all.

Swift are winging angels singing,

Noels ringing, tidings bringing.

Christ the babe is Lord of all.

"Away in a Manger" (no. 24 in our hymnal, the Kirkpatrick version)

Away in a manger, no crib for His bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.

The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,

The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes,

But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky,

And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

 

"I Saw Three Ships"

I saw three ships come sailing in

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,

I saw three ships come sailing in

On Christmas Day in the morning.

And what was in those ships, all three,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day?

And what was in those ships, all three,

On Christmas Day in the morning?

Our Savior Christ and His Lady

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,

Our Savior Christ and His Lady

On Christmas Day in the morning.

 

The words to the refrain of "The Glowing Star" that the Cherubs will sing with the Children's Choir -- 

See the glowing star,

It fills our hearts with gladness.

What a wondrous light,

It takes away all sadness.

Gloria, Hosanna, lead us to the Christ Child.

Gloria, Hosanna, lead us to God's Son.

Thank you all for your help and we can't wait to see you Sunday to help us usher in the Christmas season. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail or call Mrs. Garletts.

Miss Carol, Mrs. Garletts, Miss Emily and Miss Anna

Christmas Cantata on Sunday, December 23rd at 10:30 a.m.

 

Christmas Cantata

Sunday, December 23rd

10:30 a.m.

"Carols and Lullabies"

by Conrad Susa
 

Chancel Choir and guests
 

Janet Witman, harp

Michael Simmons, guitar

William Wozniak, marimba

 

 

Gary Garletts, conductor

KEENAGERS CHRISTMAS CONCERT & LUNCHEON ON DECEMBER 19TH

KEENAGERS

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

&

LUNCHEON

DECEMBER 19th

 

Members of the

Chester County Choral Society

conducted by Gary Garletts

will offer a seasonal selection of music in the Sanctuary at noon. Cost is $15.00.

R.S.V.P. by December 16th to church

office, 610-642-6650.

 

APC Spiritual Enrichment Retreat 2013 - Christianity in Crisis

CHRISTIANITY IN CRISIS:

The church was tearing itself apart.  Leadership was timid.  Cliques had formed. Arrogance replaced morality.  Worship became selfish. Jealousy was rampant.  Strongly-held beliefs disappeared.

What can church at its worst teach us about living the spiritual life?

Join the Ardmore Presbyterian Church on January 25-27, 2013 as we explore

God’s response to crisis.

The Corinthians and Today’s Spirituality

 

Meet Dr. Soards, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and professor of New Testament at the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary.  He is a frequent lecturer at conferences and schools for pastors throughout the United States and a much sought after guest preacher and teacher. He has published more than 60 articles, reviews, and sermons in leading theological dictionaries and professional journals worldwide and is the author of over twenty books, including The Apostle Paul: An Introduction to His Writings and Teaching (Paulist Press, 1987), The Speeches in Acts: Their Context, Content, and Concerns (Westminster John Knox, 1994); and I Corinthians (Hendrickson Publishers, 1999).

There is also a program for the kids. Using song, stories and crafts, our children will learn about a spirituality based on God's grace in Jesus Christ.  Sherina Poorman, Anne Foote and friends are preparing a fun time for our children.

Please register by January 21st on our website or by mail. A cost of $10 per person or $25 per family helps provide the food and materials for all attending.  Scholarships are available.

What: Spiritual Enrichment Retreat

When:  Friday, January 25th from 6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 26th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Where:  Ardmore Presbyterian Church

Questions: Call the Church Office at (610) 642-6650 or E-mail admin@ardmorepres.org

Registration:  Register on-line by January 21^st at http://tinyurl.com/apcser2013