Mission Partnership: Calvin Presbyterian

We are still collecting any used clothing or shoes to bring down to Calvin Presbyterian. We can pick that up from you directly or you can bring it to church or the garden night. This need like food never stops, especially for children.

We have also found out that Calvin Presbyterian will be starting a daycare/preschool in the fall. We will be collecting items that would be useful for that as well. This could be new or gently used toys, games, puzzles, books,etc. Anything we could supply them with is something they don't have to buy. We can also pick up items like this from your home or you can bring them to church or the garden night. I am in the process of finding out more specifics about this new program. This might be a fun way we could bless Calvin church itself which is doing much for many with little.

Our own church as well as Calvin Presbyterian operates a food pantry for area people who are hungry. Please bring any food donations and now they will get to a place where they can be used.

THANK YOU!!

Charge to the Deacons - Sunday, January 8, 2012

Barry Jefferies gave this as a charge to the incoming class of deacons in 2012.  It is a great summary of who are the deacons and what they do.

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It is the duty of Deacons, first of all, to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless and to any who may be in distress both within and beyond the community of faith.” (Book of Order). All Christians are called to love their neighbor and be compassionate, but the Deacons are the church’s organized way to provide care and compassion for the congregation.

HISTORY 

The office of deacon has its roots in the early New Testament Church when the Apostles appointed the first deacons as the early church was undergoing growing pains. (ACTs 6; 1-7) As the church grew there was a need for people, “Full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” to care for the needs of the people.

DEACONS' TWO-FOLD MINISTRY

The mission of the deacons’ ministry of caring is two-fold. First God calls us and the Church ordains us to lead by serving others. To minister to those in need, to the sick, the friendless, the believer and the un-believer both within and beyond these walls. Second God calls us and the Church ordains us to lead by equipping members of the congregation to serve in the Ministry of Caring for others.

DEACONS QUALIFICATIONS

Qualities of deacons chosen for the office include: they should be persons of spiritual character, live honest exemplary lives, and be of brotherly and sisterly love. They should exercise humility, patience, and a willingness to listen.

DETAILS OF MINISTRY


The Deacon’s mission of caring is accomplished through a variety of ministries – transportation for those unable to drive to worship, emergency meals for young families, and visitation. Deacons visit members who are hospitalized, or homebound and unable to attend Sunday worship. Often included are the delivery the altar flowers, usually the visit results in lots of sharing of stories and prayer. The visits remind them of the Love of Jesus Christ and that the prayers of the congregation are with them. This shows our care and concern and helps maintain connections with members who might otherwise be isolated from the church family.

CONTINUING EDUCATION/STUDY 

We meet regularly for prayer, study and examine ways that we can better serve the Lord and honor his name at APC. “Deepening our faith” through prayer and study of scripture is central to the meeting the challenges of a Deacon’s journey.

This is a challenging calling which we might not consider ourselves worthy of or prepared to answer. It can be intimidating and sometimes God’s call may not make sense. Remember that God calls all of his people to greatness and we could never accomplish these tasks without the love of God.

REFLECTIONS 

Although there are many moving experiences when serving, my most memorable times are the opportunities to build relationships with people I may have otherwise never met. The experience has sometimes been sad with the loss of friends but the experience these past few years has been challenging, exciting and rewarding.

ENDING 

We are grateful for answering this call and our prayer is that is that as you fulfill your calling as a deacon you will also grow in your faith with God.

May we keep these new deacons in our hearts and prayers as they prepare to go out and participate in their ministry

Morgan Schreiner 1945-2010

From the Philadelphia Inquirer...

Morgan Reese Schreiner of Wynnewood, PA, died on Thurs., May 6, 2010 at the age of 64. Beloved husband of Sarah M. Schreiner and devoted father of Benjamin M. and Catherine M. Schreiner. He is also survived by his sister, Marybeth Bynon.

His Memorial Service will be held on Mon., May 10, 1:00 P.M. in the Sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Ardmore, Corner of Montgomery Ave. and Millcreek Rd., Ardmore, PA.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests that contributions be made in his memory to Presbyterian Children's Village, 452 S. Roberts Rd., Rosemont, PA 19010 www.pcv.org

From "A Declaration of Faith of the Presbyterian Church USA" (1977)...

Death will be destroyed. In the death of Jesus Christ God’s way in the world seemed finally defeated. But death was no match for God. The resurrection of Jesus was God’s victory over death. Death often seems to prove that life is not worth living, that our best efforts and deepest affections go for nothing. We do not yet see the end of death. But Christ has been raised from the dead, transformed and yet the same person. In his resurrection is the promise of ours. We are convinced the life God wills for each of us is stronger than the death that destroys us. The glory of that life exceeds our imagination but we know we shall be with Christ. So we treat death as a broken power. Its ultimate defeat is certain. In the face of death we grieve. Yet in hope we celebrate life. No life ends so tragically that its meaning and value are destroyed. Nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Service of Healing & Wholeness May 16th

Each Sunday we include in our worship service the Prayers of the People. As believers, we know that the world is not as God created it to be, that it is broken because of the effect of sin. We too experience that brokenness in our lives and in our relationships. However, we believe that in Jesus, God has begun the work of restoring all creation, of bringing healing and wholeness.

On May 16, at 3:00 pm, we will have a service of healing and wholeness. This will be a worship service that will focus on prayer for healing and wholeness in every part of our lives through the laying on of hands and anointing with oil. In so doing, we will join a long line of Christians throughout history who have responded to God’s Word in this way.

Thomas Brookshier Memorial Service

A memorial service will be held on Monday, February 8 at 2 pm at the Ardmore Presbyterian Church at 5 W. Montgomery Ave in Ardmore, PA. The family will receive guests from 12:30 pm until the time of the memorial service. Out of respect for the family and our desire not to distract from the worship, please do not take flash photography or video.

TRAVEL
We are encouraging everyone to use the R5 train. The church is only a short walk from the Ardmore Station.

For those traveling by car, the church is located at 5 W. Montgomery Ave, Ardmore, PA. For a map and directions, please follow this link.

PARKING
Suburban Square will be providing parking across from the church. There will also be parking from 12 pm to 3:30pm at the Ardmore YMCA at 100 Saint Georges Road, Ardmore, PA. There will also be some spaces available at the Bridal Bijou on 102 E. Montgomery Ave, Ardmore, PA. We would like to thank each of these folks for their gracious generosity.

Finally, Ardmore has various metered parking areas near the church. Please note the map.

WEATHER
If the weather forces a change in the memorial service, we will be in contact with radio station AM 610 WIP.

OUR HOPE AND COMFORT
The Ardmore Presbyterian Church is praying for you as we mourn and remember our loved one and friend, Tom Brookshier. In this difficult time, please remember that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God In Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37-39). God bless you.

Moment for Ministry: Associate Pastor Nominating Committee Update

(Given in worship Sunday, September 13 by Elaine Giese)

I am speaking to you this morning on behalf of the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee. First I would like to reintroduce the members of the committee: Jim Dormond and Christian Terwiesch are co-moderators, Carol Shih is our clerk, and the other members are Will Wolverton, Curt Wilson, Barbara Simons and myself.

We have been meeting regularly this summer beginning in July and, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, we have been able to keep in touch even when some of us were on vacation. Our goal was to rewrite the Church Study and then to prepare information for the Church Information Form that is used to advertise the position of Associate Pastor for our church. The fact that a church study had been done very recently was of invaluable assistance and we
owe a debt of thanks to the PNC which called James Hodsden. Our work on that form included updating information and evaluating programs in light of the desires and talents of our new senior pastor. One of our meetings was devoted to having James share with us his interests and dreams for the church.

Both of these documents were presented to the Session at the August meeting. Their corrections and revisions have been included and the documents were approved as edited. The next step was to ask the Committee on Ministry of the Philadelphia Presbytery to approve both forms. That was accomplished in early September. We are now posting the Church Information Form on the national Presbyterian website, our website and have placed ads in Presbyterian Outlook and Presbyterians Today. The committee has devised a system for evaluating the resumes we will receive. If you would like to check out the documents, you can look at the church website or ask one of us for a copy.

We appreciate your prayers. We are also praying that we will feel God guiding us through this process to find the right person to call as our Associate Pastor.