THE WINDOW - Hendersonville FPC

1 THE WINDOW A publication of First Presbyterian Church Hendersonville , TN February 2015 Dear Friends, Once upon a time the church got very protective of its life. The priests believed God had entrusted them with the Holy Bible and the sacred sacraments. They elevated themselves above the people, saying God has made us more special than those in the pews. The role of priest and clergy was the most important part of the church. People came to worship but only listened to scripture read in a different language (Latin) and were excluded from tasting the bread and juice of Communion. The ministry of the church was entrusted only to those with the honored titles and positions of priest and clergy. The community of faith became the community of spectators! Reformation leaders challenged this two-class system of the medieval church.

2 They refused to accept the dis-tinction between the priests/clergy and the people of God. They endorsed the doctrine, Priesthood of all be-lievers, that proclaimed all Christians living stones in God s temple and a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus Christ is the last high priest who offered Himself as a sacrifice. Scripture also tells us that Jesus Christ is our high priest who intercedes for us (Hebrews 4:14-16). Therefore every person can approach the throne of grace with boldness. We don t need an earthly priest with Jesus Christ interceding on our behalf. We receive the mercy and grace through the Cross and Resurrection. Luther and Calvin proclaimed the calling of the priest/clergy is not superior to the calling of the farmer in the field. Wherever we work in the world, we are doing sacred work.

3 We reflect the call of God on our lives in the quality of our work, attitude towards colleagues, and words we use in conversations. God calls our work place the mission field, wherever it is. We not only have access to God but also are called into full time Christian service. In his book, In Search of Faithfulness, William Diehl identified the marks of a faithful Christian executive in the world. He got respons-es from 174 top executives. There were seven marks identified personal growth through Bible study, active prayer life, commitment to a church, stewardship of one s wallet and world, commitment to justice, commit-ment to a simple lifestyle, and a sense of call. Those executives who felt called to their present occupation scored visibly higher on all of the other marks of discipleship.

4 For example of all the executives, 26% said they read the Bible regularly. Among those who felt a strong sense of call, 73% read the Bible regularly. Those executives who felt a sense of call in their lives and in their professions were more committed to devel-oping their relationship with Jesus Christ. The belief that God had a purpose for them and the Holy Spirit was actively working through them in their workplaces, ignited their commitment to discipleship. Peggy L. and Donald W. Shriver wrote an article in the magazine, Presbyterians Today. As a called people, we continue to fulfill our vocation in service and witness wherever we carry out our work. Whenever the work of the church is assumed by laity to be the job of the paid clergy, we slip back into medieval thinking.

5 As one priest to another, may we all see our daily work as ministry for the Kingdom of God. Love and Prayers, Responding to God s love and grace, our vision is to serve Christ through service to others. Mission Project Participation February Spotlight Apostles Build Let s Build A House Can you help?!?!? Habitat For Humanity has asked us to be one of 12 churches to help build their up-coming Apostles Build. In an Apostles Build project, 12 churches or coalitions of churches, come together to build a Habitat for Humanity house. They raise the money and provide the labor and prayer support to build a house in partnership with a local Sumner County family. With an Apostles Build, churches can share God s love by building houses in the way that Jesus apostles served. Sumner County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1994 and will have completed 44 houses by the end of 2014.

6 The Apostle Build house will be #45! This is not a hand out. Before receiving the title to the home, the partner family must provide 200 sweat equity hours and will receive a zero % interest mortgage with pay-ments to fit their budget. Habitat builds homes for families that could not otherwise afford a safe, decent and affordable place to live. Joshua is the Partner Family for this Apostle Build. Joshua is a severely disabled adult and lives with his grandmother and a caregiver in a rental home. Even though he receives government assistance, his monthly income does not support his monthly rent. His grandmother, who adopted him as a child, has the beginning stages of dementia. Joshua s new Habitat home will be fully handicap accessible, allowing more freedom for him and his caregivers.

7 So we need your help and ANYBODY and EVERYBODY can help. We don t have the exact details right now of when our week will be or what we will be doing, so right now we just want to know if you can help with this great project. We need bodies to do all types of skill level jobs and we will also need to provide lunch that day as well. Please call or e-mail Linda at the church office and let her know she can put you on the list! In Christ Vision, Scott Ball ** The Sudanese After School Program is in need of substitute tutors to fill in when a regular tutor has to miss a meeting. This would be on a Mon-day or a Wednesday from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm. If you are interested in this service opportunity, you are welcome to visit and see if volunteering as a substitute is something you would enjoy doing.

8 The program can always use children s books, pre-K through 7th grade, and educational games or puzzles. Perhaps there are some who might wish to donate books or other learning materials to help the children. These items may be left at the collection table on the second floor landing. As always, your contributions are most appreciated. SEW MANY BLESSINGS If you are handy with a needle and thread, we need you. Sew Many Blessings is a group of women that like to sew and serve our church and community. Our projects vary depending on a need or request. One of our ongoing pro-jects are making personal care kits which are distributed to organizations for the Homeless, the American Red Cross, and the Hope Lodge. Since 2008 we have been involved with Alive Hospice in their Memories of Love project.

9 Bears and Pillows are made from clothing provided by the families. These bears and pillows help bring comfort and healing to the families that have lost a loved one. The feedback from the families are heartwarming. We continue to make prayer quilts for our church family. The quilts are kept in room 211 and are available for any-one that would like to take a quilt to someone. If you take a quilt, just let Linda know who you took it to. We keep track of who has received one. For more information you can contact Sandi Martin 826-5403 or Cari Lou Westendorf 824-5219. MISSIONS BUDGET FOR 2015 The Missions Unit voted once again to send all our mission money to the agencies during the month of January. $18,700 has been sent to 16 agencies and 4 global missionaries and agen-cies.

10 They have followed a Biblical guideline of giving to God first and not waiting til the end, giving Him leftovers. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of your labor (Proverbs 3:9). This is a good practice for all of us, when con-sidering how much and when to give to God. Local Missions: Monroe Harding $ Martha O Bryan $ Eastminster $ HomeSafe $ 1, Salvus $ Homebound Meals $ 1, Hend. Samaritan Center $ 1, Presbyterian Day School $ 1, Community Child Care Ctr. $ 1, Sudanese Program Support $ 1, $ Shalom Zone $ Sumner Co. Literacy Council $ Children Are People, Inc. $ 1, Glencliff Hispanic Ministry $ Habitat for Humanity $ 1, Global Missions: Missionary-Leisa Wagstaff $ 1, Heifer International $ 1, Trinity Hope $ 2, Missionary-Beisswenger $ 1, Saturday, March 14th at 6:30 pm please join John & Cari Lou Westendorf at their home at 127 Shorecrest, Hendersonville , TN for a potluck dinner.