Peacemaking Offering, October 3

Next Sunday, October 3, Ardmore Presbyterian Church will receive donations for the Peacemaking Offering. The Presbyterian Peacemaking Offering supports the efforts of Presbyterians through their congregations, presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly to work for peace by tearing down walls that divide. Congregations receive the Peacemaking Offering as part of World Communion Sunday, when Christians around the world celebrate our unity in Christ. As we receive bread and cup, we celebrate our unity in Christ, our peace, and are renewed to pass Christ’s peace to those around us and across the world.

The Bible witnesses to the centrality of peacemaking for Christian discipleship in three ways: first, the word “peace”—shalom in Hebrew and eirene in Greek—is widely used in the bible and has a wealth of meaning. It is through exploring the uses of the word “peace” in the Bible that we come to an understanding of the meaning of peace and peacemaking. Second, the visions and stories of the Bible offer models for the transformation of individuals and communities into peacemakers. It is through wrestling with these stories and making them our own that we grow as disciples of the Prince of Peace. Third, the entire biblical story shapes our calling to be peacemakers. It is through reflecting on the themes of the biblical witness as a whole that one is confronted by the significance of peace and peacemaking for thinking about God, God’s work in the world, and God’s intention for human persons, communities, and creation.

The Peacemaking Offering supports a variety of peacemaking efforts at all levels of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Twenty-five percent (25%) of the offering will be retained by our congregation and the Mission Awareness Committee has elected to have these funds go to St. Luke’s Hospital. Ardmore Presbyterian Church has supported St. Luke’s Hospital for a number of years. It is located in the West Bank of Palestine and provides vital health services without discriminating against patients’ nationality, religion or ability to pay. As a Christian organization, St. Luke’s is a very visible testament to Christ’s love and care for us.

Some examples of what the Peacemaking Offering provides at the General Assembly level are the following:

• Sponsors the Peacemaking seminar “Peacemaking: Still the Believers’ Calling”
• Helps lead workshops on living together in the diversity God creates
• Offers opportunities to work to end the use of children as soldiers
• Organizes and implements the International Peacemakers Program, which brings church leaders from other nations to the United States to share peacemaking concerns
• Creates worship resources on addressing gun violence, working for a nuclear-free world, stopping torture, and other issues of peace and justice.

In 2009, more than $2 million was received through the Peacemaking Offering. Promotional expenses amounted to $261,621 so over 98% of the offering was used for Peacemaking efforts.

I hope you will consider a donation to this important mission on World Communion Sunday, October 3.

Ardmore Presbyterian Church in Center City

The Ardmore Presbyterian Church is not a building, but a community belonging to God. Wherever you are, there's the church. As a result, for many during the week, APC is at work in Center City. Come join us as we take APC on the road.

James Hodsden, Nan Clarke, and Jen Herbst will be hosting a luncheon for APC's Center City commuters (and any other interested folks) at Arch Street Presbyterian Church at Noon on September 23rd.

We will be joined by the Arch Street pastors -- Rev. Carmen Goetschius, Rev. Bill Golderer (also of Broad Street Ministries), and Rev. Becky White Newgren. Lunch (sandwiches, salad, beverage, dessert) will be provided by Arch Street ($5 donation requested).

We are only asking for one hour (12pm - 1pm). A rough schedule is as follows:

• Meet in the Arch Street Presbyterian Church sanctuary at 12pm.
• Greetings by Rev. Bill Golderer (10 minutes)
• An elder of the Arch Street Church shares the history of the congregation (10 minutes)
• We retire to the Social Hall for lunch.
• Conversation led by James and Nan about APC's presence downtown.
• Closing Prayer at 12:55pm.

We see this partnership with Arch Street Presbyterian Church as the perfect opportunity to have a conversation about vocation. How does our faith impact what we do from day to day? Does Jesus have anything to do with our careers?

In case you're not familiar with the church downtown, Arch Street is one of Philadelphia's most majestic worship spaces ‐‐ a 1850's‐era massive, domed sanctuary next to the new Comcast Building at 18th and Arch. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, Arch Street was one of the most prestigious pulpits in the country ‐‐ and it played a big role in the fundamentalist‐modernist controversy that rocked American Protestantism in the 1920s. You might recall that Prince Charles visited the place on the royal visit to Philadelphia several years ago, in homage to the church's Welsh tradition.

You have probably passed Arch Street Presbyterian Church countless times while driving or walking around Center City and may have assumed it was a shuttered church. Actually, it never closed, but in recent decades, the congregation had dwindled to a "faithful remnant" of a few dozen. In 2009, the Philadelphia Presbytery made a major commitment to resurrect this church, with new staff, a new administrative body that replaced the former session (of which Jen is a member), and a midweek ministry to the thousands of souls in the surrounding office buildings. In the past year alone, Arch Street has welcomed over thirty new members and Sunday worship attendance has grown in leaps and bounds. The church has a midweek lunch/Bible study (12:10 to 12:40 pm on Wednesdays), midweek services during Advent and Lent, and has sponsored the "Why Series" ‐‐ a breakfast series providing conversations with inspiring artists, activists, and business leaders. Check out the church's website.

Join us for lunch at noon on September 23rd. Please feel free to forward this to any members or other friends who may be interested. Let me know by e-mail by Friday (9/17) if you are coming.

(Philly Skyline by Massimo Catarinella)

SAVE THE DATES!!

The new school year has begun, and we find our calendars filling quickly. The Fellowship and Outreach Committee wants all of our young adults and families to know about the great things being planned this year at APC. Save the dates! Place them in your calendar!

Also, check out the APC website at http://ardmorepres.org/calendar.html . You can look ahead and see what the church is planning.

10/16 - Hayride w/ Pumpkin decorating (Families)
11/6 - Adult Social (Adults)
11/21 - Community Outreach (Families)
12/5 - Advent Night (Families)
1/9/2011 - Churchwide Birthday Party & Games (Families)
Feb 2011 (TBD) - Couples Workshop (Adults)
3/5 - Dinner for 10 w/ dessert at church (Adults)
3/18 - Family Movie Night (Families)
4/16 - Easter Egg Hunt (Families)
May (TBD) - Minor League baseball game outing - i.e. Reading Phillies, Camden Riversharks or Wilmington Blue Rocks (Families)
May (TBD) - Prepare dinner at Ronald McDonald House (Adults)
June (TBD) - Pool Party (Families)
July (TBD) - Canoeing on Brandywine River (Families)

Pastor's Pen: Homecoming 2010

As the calendar turns from August to September, there is often a bit of sadness. Summer vacations are over. The nights get longer. The weather turns colder. Labor Day comes and goes, and we offer a sigh in honor of those great days at the shore. Thankfully, the melancholy doesn’t last. Suddenly, we are in the middle of the excitement and bustle again. We see new opportunities and look at old ones with new eyes.

With all respect to Dick Clark, I always thought that the New Year started in September. Maybe, it’s all those years of schooling. For some reason, brand new spiral notebooks and unsharpened yellow pencils have always inspired optimism in me. Maybe I’m weird, but new pencil boxes, new scissors and a new bottle of glue suggested that life had limitless possibilities. The slate was wiped clean, and life began anew.

We are poised at the start of a new program year at the Ardmore Presbyterian Church. There is a spirit of anticipation, as we prepare for a new year of worship, study, service and stewardship together. Already I’ve seen many of the committees working hard to get ready. The leadership and staff of the church are excited to get things started.

On September 12, we celebrate Homecoming. It’s an annual event which culminates in a picnic at South Ardmore Park, but homecoming begins much earlier in the day with worship. We come before God and acknowledge that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm127:1). All of our enthusiasm and excitement rests on God’s love and grace for us.

Ardmore Presbyterian Church desires that everyone be a part of the excitement. Following worship, we will gather on the lawn to learn about the various ministries of the church. Peruse the tables and think about your own time and talents. Choose a ministry or find inspiration to develop another. With your participation, APC can continue to be a faithful and vibrant community.

Join us on Sunday, September 12 beginning at 10:30 am. God has some wonderful things planned our church.

Grace & Peace,
James Hodsden

Pastor's Pen: Ordinary Time

Presbyterians don't talk much about the liturgical calendar. That's not a bad thing. Our Puritan forefathers thought special days or seasons could easily lead to distraction. Our focus would be on rituals instead of God. In fact, many Puritans jettisoned Christmas and Easter along with the rest of the calendar in the name of faithfulness.

We don't go so far. Instead, we seek compromise. We keep the seasons and the holidays (holy‐days), but we remain completely unaware of the overall drama told by the calendar. Every year the Church rehearses the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, continual presence, and the eventual return of Jesus Christ.

Even with this outline, there remain times in the calendar which are unclaimed. The Church
has traditionally named these misfit days and seasons, "Ordinary Time." Here in August between Pentecost and Advent, we are in the middle of Ordinary Time.

Personally, I like Ordinary Time. It may not have the bustle of Holy Week or Christmas Eve. Still, I like to know that God is at work even in the ordinary. Cutting the lawn, commuting to work, or enjoying a quiet lunch with my wife are times that Jesus has redeemed. When nothing is written on the day‐planner, a Sunday is always the Lord's Day, and the Church will always be gathering for worship.

Ordinarily we must deal with the stuff of life, and our salvation means that God is with us even there.

Pastor's Pen: Freedom in Christ

“…proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.”
Leviticus 25:10

One of the exciting things about living in Philadelphia is the history. Growing up as an Ameri-can in the 1970s, my understanding of civics was less inspired by my schoolwork and more by Saturday morning cartoons like Schoolhouse Rock. Philadelphia was a magical place where Franklin, Washington and Jefferson once walked. In the movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washing-ton, Jimmy Stewart’s character will stop mid-sentence pointing and declaring, “The Capitol Dome!” Sometimes, I feel like doing the same and announcing, “Independence Hall!” to the unfortunate Philadelphians around me.

Freedom, liberty and independence are words that every American knows. They form our outlook, demeanor, and attitudes. We long to be free from all constraints, and we desire to make our own choices. Embracing Thomas Jefferson, we make the pursuit of happiness our greatest end. Even if we're unsure exactly what that looks like. Even if we don't yet know precisely how to get there.

As Christians, we also speak about freedom. As Jesus himself says, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Jesus Christ declares our own independence. How-ever, this freedom looks a little different. The Apostle Paul writes, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another” (Galatians 5:13). Are Jesus and Jefferson talking about the same thing?

This summer, Nan Clarke, Sturge Poorman, and I will be preaching through the book of Gala-tians exploring what it means for the Christian to be free. What does the temptation of slav-ery look like for us? How does freedom affect our relationships with God and each other? Join us this July 4 and throughout the summer as we proclaim our liberty in Christ.

Grace & Peace,
James Hodsden

Pastor's Pen: Wild About Harry

"Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."
--1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Plans are well underway for the Ardmore Presbyterian Church’s 2010 Vacation Bible School. The games, the crafts, the stories and the music have been a wonderful tradition at our congregation. Both volunteers and the children have great fun. For a few hours each day, the participants escape into the world of imagination. They might step into a wild West town, a space station, or a medieval castle, but the setting never detracts from the important lessons about the good news of Jesus Christ.

If you haven’t heard by now, this year we will be exploring our faith using the stories of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Recreating a school for wizards in our Fellowship Hall might seem a strange way for the church to teach about the faith. When the books first arrived on the scene, some Christian groups condemned the stories as invitations to the real world of the occult and witchcraft. Since then, positive reviews of the books and movies have shown up in Christianity Today. Other authors such as John Granger have explored the Christian themes and symbolism found in the tales of Harry. Rowling, herself, has acknowledged that her own Christian faith has influenced the writing of the books.

We do need to acknowledge that magic is condemned in the Scriptures, and it is true that the occult seduces many into a spiritual bondage. However, the magic of Harry Potter is instrumental, not supernatural. Harry Potter does not call down spiritual forces. Instead, his magic is a tool or an ability that works in his world like technology does in our own. In that way, the magic of Harry Potter is similar to the force of Star Wars, the x-ray vision of Superman, or the magic of Cinderella’s fairy godmother.

Rowling has created a world where choices have consequences. The courage to stand with the right is honorable, and wickedness is condemned. Love and friendship are celebrated, and the theme of resurrection echoes throughout the books. G.K. Chesterton once praised fairy tales because they give children the idea that evil can be defeated. He writes, ”The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.” Soon we realize that the fairy tale is reflecting the light rather than generating it, and we open ourselves to the true source of light.

Join us June 28 through July 2 for this year’s “A Journey in Faith with Harry Potter”. More information and registration is available on our website at ardmorepres.org.