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First Congregational Church E-pistle - February 9, 2010
In this e-pistle...
1. IMPORTANT NEWS & UPDATES
- on happenings at First Congregational Church
2. SEVEN MYTHS OF DISASTER RELIEF
- and what's really needed, from Christianity Today
3. JESUS WAS A FEMINIST
- the perspective of Leonard Swidler, of Temple University
4. ON THE MISSION FIELD IN 1789
- the life and ministry of Nathan Perkins
Please feel free to forward this e-pistle on to others who may be interested!
1. IMPORTANT NEWS & UPDATES
- on happenings at First Congregational Church
- I had a few people ask about the video I described in my sermon on Sunday, about the cub and the cougar. You can watch the scene at this link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUkWsl6A2Yk - THANK YOU to everyone who contributed for Haitian earthquake relief. We collected $1,368 on Jan. 31st, with more still to come from the collection cans around the church.
- Hymn Survey: What are your favorite hymns? Feedback is being sought. Call the church office and let us know, or tell Pastor Andrew. Also, if you have borrowed a hymnal from the church, please return it. We've had a little shortage recently.
- Midweek Events for Kids begin now at 5:30 PM on Wednesdays! A free dinner will still be served at 6:00 PM.
- This Saturday (Feb. 13th) - 6:00 PM
Valentine Dinner in Fellowship Hall
You don't need a sweetheart to come, but we do need reservations. Call the church office at 342-6854 and let us know if you can come! - Sunday School options are growing!
Green Disciples - with Jen Groves & Liz Coffelt, in Fellowship Hall.
Revelation for Dummies - with Lynn Humphreys, in the Church Library.
Faithweavers Class - with Roger Hartsook, in Plymouth Hall.
All classes start at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays. - Ash Wednesday is next week! (Feb. 17th)
Worship will be at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary. Christine Chambers will be preaching. Ashes will be imposed to begin the Lenten season. Special music will be given by Sally Conard, Marilyn Gooszen, Lesley Draper, and Hillary McHenry. - End Times Series: Pastor Andrew will be preaching on Christian eschatology through the first five Sundays of Lent. Topics will
include...
Feb. 21 - What we know and what we don't know
Feb. 28 - The Tribulation
Mar. 7 - The Rapture
Mar. 14 - The Antichrist
Mar. 21 - The Millenium
- Sisters in Faith next meets on Saturday, Feb. 27th 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the church. This is a ministry open to all women in the church. For more information talk to Becki Goodman or Carol Patterson.
- Leo Pauls recently told me that Emporia Christian School has a new website! Check it out at http://www.emporiachristianschool.org/
2. SEVEN MYTHS OF DISASTER RELIEF
- and what's really needed, from Christianity Today
News of the December 26 tsunami was almost immediately followed by news of donation scams, inefficient relief efforts, and good intentions gone awry. Longtime World Vision relief director Rich Moseanko sent out a list, condensed here, to help donors understand what's really needed after a major catastrophe.
Read the list at...
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/february/8.37.html
3. JESUS WAS A FEMINIST
- the perspective of Leonard Swidler, of Temple University
I don't agree with everything in this piece, but he makes some excellent points about how Jesus challenged social/cultural assumptions of His time in His ministry. Every serious Christian should at least peruse this famous article.
4. ON THE MISSION FIELD IN 1789
- the life and ministry of Nathan Perkins
Nathan Perkins dreaded this mission. It would take him far from his comfortable home and into what he feared was a dangerous and untamed land. But as an evangelical minister, Perkins believed he had no choice. It was his duty to spread the faith in the wilderness, which in this case was Vermont.
On April 27, 1789, Perkins bid a tearful goodbye to his wife, Katherine, and their children and rode off on his horse, not sure when or whether he would see them again.
We know of Perkins' mission, and his feelings about it, thanks to the unusually frank journal he left behind. Perkins was a wealthy and well-regarded conservative Congregationalist minister, who was used to the comforts of the civilized world of Hartford, Conn. He was hardly prepared for the deprivations he would meet along the road.
Reading Perkins' journal, it's easy to get tired of his nearly constant complaining, but we are fortunate that he recorded his experiences and opinions.
Read the account at...
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100110/FEATURES07/1100303/1016/FEATURES07