Greencastle Presbyterian Church
Pastor Anna Straight
Many of our churches, of course, have many gifted teenagers active and contributing in their life. Many of these teenagers regularly offer leadership in many different ways in our worship services. Also, many of our congregations often have "Moments of Mission" on any variety of topics, and at this time of year the topic is often stewardship. But my visit to the Greencastle Presbyterian Church was the first time I have ever witnessed a teenager doing a "Moment for Stewardship." When it was announced who was doing this Moment for Stewardship, a quiet hush settled over the congregation. Preachers know this quiet hush when everyone begins to pay a little more attention, everyone snaps out of their daydreaming, and focuses in. Actually, pastors often do not get this extra special attention since we are the ones who are supposed to do all the talking. But when someone special and different is introduced, everyone listens up.
So it was that the youth liaison to session did the moment for mission for stewardship. And it was brilliant! His moment was very organized, clear, personal and effective. So the Greencastle church gets huge points in my book for this little piece of creativity. First, to begin with they have a youth liaison to session. This is an excellent innovation that is too rare in our churches. It may be true that high school youth cannot serve a full, three year term on session and thus it may not be prudent to ordain them as elders. Although our churches should be open to this. But the idea of a youth liaison to session, not a full term, but as sort of a Youth Advisory Delegate is a great idea. Secondly, allowing the Youth the opportunity to reflect personally on money, finances and stewardship in the church from their perspective is very effective and a wonderful expression of worship in support of the church.
How does your church think and talk about stewardship? I admire Anna for doing in her sermon what we absolutely must do as Americans but, for a whole list of reasons, are afraid to do. We need a call to a more simple life. I applaud Anna for the courage and directness with which she called us to authentic stewardship. Thank you Anna for being bold, forthright and direct. She called us to take a serious look at our own lives and ask about needs and wants, and whether it is possible to downsize and simplify. She preached about the empty, dark void in each of us that can only be filled with God but which we so often try to fill with more stuff and things. Stewardship is a spiritual issue about our life convictions and lifestyle choices. Stewardship is about the God we choose to worship and serve or the gods to whom we sell our souls. Money is a god in America. How do we talk about that god in the light of the God we worship in Christ? These sermons will always be difficult and edgy. But they should not be avoided. How does your church think and talk about stewardship?
After worship, I had the wonderful opportunity to have lunch with a group of Greencastle’s Junior and Senior High Youth. We had a delightful conversation over lunch. Like my own sons, it always amazes me the sense of opportunity and choice that our church kids feel today. They have the whole world before them. I am convinced that our churches have done very effective ministry planting into the hearts and souls of many church kids this abiding sense of hope and future. All but one the seven kids at lunch with me were baptized as infants, and that one expectation was baptized at her Confirmation. These are kids, having grown up in the church, who have a balanced, healthy and very positive worldview and who walk into the future with a very genuine and close relationship with Jesus Christ. My wife, Kris, as a school social worker, works with a very different population of youth. Kris spends time with youth who are seldom in church, and often the police need to be included with her conversations. I spend time with church kids. Kris and I are convinced that one of the most important things kids need today is an active church life. What a difference it makes! Indeed, Greencastle Church is gifted with a wonderful, bright and committed group of young people. Care for your youth and include them in every way in your congregation. Greencastle is a wonderful example. Thanks be to God.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Gettysburg
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Pastors Dan Hans, Lou Nyiri, Candace Veon-Nyiri, D.C.E. Phyllis Dowd
Gettysburg is one happening church. I was blessed by the opportunity to preach there on a Summer Sunday. The congregation, even in the dog days of August when all the pastors were away, bristled with energy and excitement. Now I know, first hand, why the congregation is exploring the creation of a third Sunday morning worship service. Even in August the 11:00 service was filled well beyond the comfort zone of most Presbyterians.
After my visit to Gettysburg, my reflections got all caught up in the aura of the American Presidency. Gettysburg is our church of the Presidents, with its connection with the Eisenhower family and, as many tourists to Gettysburg learn, its Lincoln pew. Visiting Gettysburg sent me thinking about a fascinating, historical detail I had discovered long ago but could not fully recollect. When I got home I was off on a search through my American history books, wikepedia and google. I found it; another gem of American history. . .
What do the Presbyterian Church, President Eisenhower and President Lincoln have in common? In 1863, when Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States, he commonly walked the several blocks from the White House to worship at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Although he never joined the church, he did rent a pew. After his assassination all things associated with Lincoln including the pew where he sat in the Gettysburg Church and the pew where he sat in the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church became something like national shrines. Given its proximity to the White House, the Lincoln pew in the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church has taken on a special significance with American Presidents. It has become an unofficial tradition that the President worships at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Chruch and sits in the Lincoln pew every year on the Sunday closest to Lincoln’s birthday, February 12.
Following the stellar career of Peter Marshal, in 1954, a Scotsman named George MacPherson Docherty was the pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. In preparation for Lincoln Sunday, when he knew President and Mrs. Eisenhower would be in attendance, he wrote a sermon reflecting on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Rev. Docherty preached that the essence of the American way of life and spirit was the sense that the nation was, in Lincoln’s phrase, “under God.” His sermon was built on Lincoln’s famous phrase from the Gettysburg Address, “. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom . . .” Docherty developed this idea into a discussion of the American Pledge of Allegiance. As a Scotsman he was very aware and deeply troubled that the American Pledge of Allegiance included no reference to God. President Eisenhower was paying attention.
The very next day Eisenhower started some political wheels to turn which was quickly expressed in the Oakman – Ferguson joint resolution to Congress adding the phrase, “under God” to the American Pledge of Allegiance. President Eisenhower, in a nice symbolic touch, signed the bill into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954. Eisenhower’s reflection on that new legislation picked from Rev. Docherty’s sermon:
“These words ‘Under God” will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.” May it be so today.
Pastors Dan Hans, Lou Nyiri, Candace Veon-Nyiri, D.C.E. Phyllis Dowd
Gettysburg is one happening church. I was blessed by the opportunity to preach there on a Summer Sunday. The congregation, even in the dog days of August when all the pastors were away, bristled with energy and excitement. Now I know, first hand, why the congregation is exploring the creation of a third Sunday morning worship service. Even in August the 11:00 service was filled well beyond the comfort zone of most Presbyterians.
After my visit to Gettysburg, my reflections got all caught up in the aura of the American Presidency. Gettysburg is our church of the Presidents, with its connection with the Eisenhower family and, as many tourists to Gettysburg learn, its Lincoln pew. Visiting Gettysburg sent me thinking about a fascinating, historical detail I had discovered long ago but could not fully recollect. When I got home I was off on a search through my American history books, wikepedia and google. I found it; another gem of American history. . .
What do the Presbyterian Church, President Eisenhower and President Lincoln have in common? In 1863, when Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States, he commonly walked the several blocks from the White House to worship at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Although he never joined the church, he did rent a pew. After his assassination all things associated with Lincoln including the pew where he sat in the Gettysburg Church and the pew where he sat in the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church became something like national shrines. Given its proximity to the White House, the Lincoln pew in the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church has taken on a special significance with American Presidents. It has become an unofficial tradition that the President worships at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Chruch and sits in the Lincoln pew every year on the Sunday closest to Lincoln’s birthday, February 12.
Following the stellar career of Peter Marshal, in 1954, a Scotsman named George MacPherson Docherty was the pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. In preparation for Lincoln Sunday, when he knew President and Mrs. Eisenhower would be in attendance, he wrote a sermon reflecting on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Rev. Docherty preached that the essence of the American way of life and spirit was the sense that the nation was, in Lincoln’s phrase, “under God.” His sermon was built on Lincoln’s famous phrase from the Gettysburg Address, “. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom . . .” Docherty developed this idea into a discussion of the American Pledge of Allegiance. As a Scotsman he was very aware and deeply troubled that the American Pledge of Allegiance included no reference to God. President Eisenhower was paying attention.
The very next day Eisenhower started some political wheels to turn which was quickly expressed in the Oakman – Ferguson joint resolution to Congress adding the phrase, “under God” to the American Pledge of Allegiance. President Eisenhower, in a nice symbolic touch, signed the bill into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954. Eisenhower’s reflection on that new legislation picked from Rev. Docherty’s sermon:
“These words ‘Under God” will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.” May it be so today.
First Newville
First Presbyterian Church, Newville
Pastor Vern Gauthier
Since starting my position with the Presbytery of Carlisle, I have been astonished by the architectural genius that has gone into major renovation projects in some of our church buildings, and I have not been to all of our churches yet. Silver Spring, Waynesboro, Derry, Market Square, Falling Spring, Greencastle have all done brilliant and beautiful renovation projects. Now I also add First Newville to this list of Presbyterian architectural masterpieces. Their gorgeous, new entry and greeting area with its warm and welcoming windows, and prominent accessibility ramp inside is a wonderful addition and renovation. I am especially delighted that the congregation had the insight to keep those beautiful oak trees in the middle of the parking lot! (There is another image we may ponder. How many huge, box stores – Walmart, Home Depot, Target – cut down huge trees to make room for their parking lots, only to plant tiny, new saplings in proper, unobtrusive places when their construction is done. At these big stores the trees are made to fit around the parking places; at First Newville the parking places are made to fit around the trees. I think the church has a better idea!)
I was delighted to be with First Newville for a Sunday morning. I was impressed with the fact that the adult Sunday School class I was asked to lead was more than twice as large as any other congregation I have visited. There is a strong, noble heritage of Sunday School at First Newville.
My reflections from my morning with First Newville really took off from Vern’s sermon. I do not remember his title, but I would like to rename his excellent sermon as “Practice, Practice, Practice.” Vern used a baseball image as a guiding metaphor and lifted the importance of practicing our Christian faith. This message was ideal for the season of Lent with our tradition of spiritual disciplines. But in my mind his sermon touched on one of the great reformations happening in our Church today. We have renewed and reclaimed an emphasis on practicing our Christian faith. In so many ways there is a new emphasis on Christian practice. In worship we are practicing our faith more by greater attention to the sacraments, the increasing use of laypeople in worship leadership, and many creative expressions of worship like rededication of baptism and anointing with oil. We are practicing our faith more by a renewed commitment to active mission service, not simply giving money. Mission service projects locally and mission trips are now common Christian practices in our churches. Spiritually we have renewed the practice of our Christian faith with greater attention to Bible reading, personal devotional practices and very intentional ministries of prayer. Our Christian faith will blossom and grow when we put it into practice. Vital Christians today want to do it; not simply talk about it.
Vern’s sermon on practice, practice, practice brought to mind a great new book from the Alban Institute which I recommend to all our church leaders: Diana Butler Bass, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church, (Alban, 2004). Bass pushes out a thesis that I have been working on from a number of different directions: I believe the best days of our old, mainline denominations are yet to come. Bass’ thesis is the same: “Thirty years removed from the initial studies of mainline ennui, the most precipitous drops seem now to be ending and these denominations may be entering, however tentatively, into a new period of their history. In some cases, numerical decreases have slowed or stopped, mainline church attendance appears to be rising, mainline theology is demonstrating new sophistication, and higher levels of commitment and giving are beginning to register among the laity. Quietly, without much attention from either an uninterested public or skeptical scholars, reports of emerging vitality are being heard across the old mainline” (page 10).
For Bass the key to this new mainline vitality is practicing the faith. These paragraphs capture her thesis:
“Christian practices are both individual and corporate. Christian practices embody belief, and, conversely, beliefs form practices. Christian practices are the constituent parts of a larger Christian way of life, as revealed, modeled and taught by Jesus Christ. Christian practices necessarily involve reflection, imagination, tension, attention, and intentionality. Practices imply practice, repetition, craft, habit and art. Christians engage these actions for their own sake – because they are good and worthy and beautiful- not because they are instruments to some other end (like increasing membership or marketing the congregation). Practices possess standards of maturity and excellence to which practioners can aspire.
Practices fall roughly into three definitional categories: moral, ascetical, and anthropological. Moral practices – activities like hospitality, healing, dying well, stewardship, doing justice, and caring- stress communal formation in virtue. Ascetical practices, including contemplation, silence, and union with God – things that may be achieved by a variety of means in the form of spiritual exercises – emphasize deep connection with God and personal Christian maturity. An anthropological approach to practice resists fixing such actions. Rather, Christian practices are just the things Christian people do – eating, meeting and greeting – as they negotiate their faith in relation to the larger culture; theological reflection arises within the ordinary workings of Christian lives. Whatever the difference between these approaches, they all integrate faith and life, define practices as social and historical, understand that practices are part of living tradition, and articulate a kind of theological wisdom embodied in the life of all God’s people.
When Christians understand that what they do comprises a way of life that is corporate, ancient and wise, the theological imagination opens up.” (pages 65,66)
May it be so in all our churches!
Pastor Vern Gauthier
Since starting my position with the Presbytery of Carlisle, I have been astonished by the architectural genius that has gone into major renovation projects in some of our church buildings, and I have not been to all of our churches yet. Silver Spring, Waynesboro, Derry, Market Square, Falling Spring, Greencastle have all done brilliant and beautiful renovation projects. Now I also add First Newville to this list of Presbyterian architectural masterpieces. Their gorgeous, new entry and greeting area with its warm and welcoming windows, and prominent accessibility ramp inside is a wonderful addition and renovation. I am especially delighted that the congregation had the insight to keep those beautiful oak trees in the middle of the parking lot! (There is another image we may ponder. How many huge, box stores – Walmart, Home Depot, Target – cut down huge trees to make room for their parking lots, only to plant tiny, new saplings in proper, unobtrusive places when their construction is done. At these big stores the trees are made to fit around the parking places; at First Newville the parking places are made to fit around the trees. I think the church has a better idea!)
I was delighted to be with First Newville for a Sunday morning. I was impressed with the fact that the adult Sunday School class I was asked to lead was more than twice as large as any other congregation I have visited. There is a strong, noble heritage of Sunday School at First Newville.
My reflections from my morning with First Newville really took off from Vern’s sermon. I do not remember his title, but I would like to rename his excellent sermon as “Practice, Practice, Practice.” Vern used a baseball image as a guiding metaphor and lifted the importance of practicing our Christian faith. This message was ideal for the season of Lent with our tradition of spiritual disciplines. But in my mind his sermon touched on one of the great reformations happening in our Church today. We have renewed and reclaimed an emphasis on practicing our Christian faith. In so many ways there is a new emphasis on Christian practice. In worship we are practicing our faith more by greater attention to the sacraments, the increasing use of laypeople in worship leadership, and many creative expressions of worship like rededication of baptism and anointing with oil. We are practicing our faith more by a renewed commitment to active mission service, not simply giving money. Mission service projects locally and mission trips are now common Christian practices in our churches. Spiritually we have renewed the practice of our Christian faith with greater attention to Bible reading, personal devotional practices and very intentional ministries of prayer. Our Christian faith will blossom and grow when we put it into practice. Vital Christians today want to do it; not simply talk about it.
Vern’s sermon on practice, practice, practice brought to mind a great new book from the Alban Institute which I recommend to all our church leaders: Diana Butler Bass, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church, (Alban, 2004). Bass pushes out a thesis that I have been working on from a number of different directions: I believe the best days of our old, mainline denominations are yet to come. Bass’ thesis is the same: “Thirty years removed from the initial studies of mainline ennui, the most precipitous drops seem now to be ending and these denominations may be entering, however tentatively, into a new period of their history. In some cases, numerical decreases have slowed or stopped, mainline church attendance appears to be rising, mainline theology is demonstrating new sophistication, and higher levels of commitment and giving are beginning to register among the laity. Quietly, without much attention from either an uninterested public or skeptical scholars, reports of emerging vitality are being heard across the old mainline” (page 10).
For Bass the key to this new mainline vitality is practicing the faith. These paragraphs capture her thesis:
“Christian practices are both individual and corporate. Christian practices embody belief, and, conversely, beliefs form practices. Christian practices are the constituent parts of a larger Christian way of life, as revealed, modeled and taught by Jesus Christ. Christian practices necessarily involve reflection, imagination, tension, attention, and intentionality. Practices imply practice, repetition, craft, habit and art. Christians engage these actions for their own sake – because they are good and worthy and beautiful- not because they are instruments to some other end (like increasing membership or marketing the congregation). Practices possess standards of maturity and excellence to which practioners can aspire.
Practices fall roughly into three definitional categories: moral, ascetical, and anthropological. Moral practices – activities like hospitality, healing, dying well, stewardship, doing justice, and caring- stress communal formation in virtue. Ascetical practices, including contemplation, silence, and union with God – things that may be achieved by a variety of means in the form of spiritual exercises – emphasize deep connection with God and personal Christian maturity. An anthropological approach to practice resists fixing such actions. Rather, Christian practices are just the things Christian people do – eating, meeting and greeting – as they negotiate their faith in relation to the larger culture; theological reflection arises within the ordinary workings of Christian lives. Whatever the difference between these approaches, they all integrate faith and life, define practices as social and historical, understand that practices are part of living tradition, and articulate a kind of theological wisdom embodied in the life of all God’s people.
When Christians understand that what they do comprises a way of life that is corporate, ancient and wise, the theological imagination opens up.” (pages 65,66)
May it be so in all our churches!
East Waterford
East Waterford Presbyterian Church
On a gorgeous Sunday morning all the farm fields and barns along Route 75 sparked my memory of the years we spend serving the First Presbyterian Church in Morris, Illinois, Blackhawk Presbytery. It was there in Grundy County, Illinois that I learned a lot about the American agricultural industry. An old time farmer in our church always joked, "I am not a farmer anymore; I work in the agricultural industry." Grundy County, Illinois is truly one of the most fertile places in the world. It is tabletop flat and the topsoil is black, black, black and many places three feet deep. Because of amazing scientific research with seeds productivity in those fields increases almost every year while the number of farmers is quickly decreasing. Grundy County, Illinois has the flatlands and miles of corn and soybean fields. Juanita County, Pennsylvania has the rolling hills and many dairy farms. The economic and cultural issues are the same.
Massive social transformations have changed everything in farm country. I learned from wise Presbyterians in Illinois that these changes are parallel to what is happening in our churches. The most difficult result of these changes both in farming and in our churches is that "the small guy is being forced out of business." The family farm is obsolete economically; it seems like the family-style congregation is going the same way.
I sat with the three students in the Junior High Sunday school class. We had a delightful conversation. These are bright and gifted young people with good family support and strong church connections. I found out from Derek that his family runs a dairy farm. He was tired because he had to help in the barn earlier since his older brother was away for the weekend. Derek’s family is rare these days. They live by farming and the kids in the family are helping with the work. Few farming families actively encourage their children to take up farming as a career. Kids today can go to college and most often will find jobs in a completely different sector and place. So what happens in towns like East Waterford, PA and Morris, IL? The children grow up and move out, and a whole generation is not sitting in those pews. The economic and social life of small town, family farm America has changed forever. In the Presbyterian Church where two thirds of our congregations are family-style, less than 200 members, and located in rural communities this change has been devastating. The decline in these churches has nothing to do with theological position, the policies of the General Assembly, or the style of the worship service. The churches are having the life blood sucked out of them by these massive social transformations.
There is a wonderful spirit and deep sense of prayer and reverence in the East Waterford congregation. I am very grateful for their warm welcome and appreciation for my visit. The deep sense of care and concern they have for one another and our world inspires me. Bob Rhoades is doing wonderful work as their Stated Supply while they search, discern and ponder the future. Despite it all churches like East Waterford are faithful, resilient and boldly innovative. But they face enormous, challenging realities. They all know that things do not look good for a congregation in their small town. With a visceral sense of concern their Pulpit Nominating Committee gathered with me between Sunday School and worship to simply ask, "What more can we do?" There has been very little response to their Church Information Form which is advertising their part-time position.
The East Waterford congregation provides a vital and necessary ministry in a community that has been wracked by social change. What is God doing there now and how do we enable and support the call of God on these strong, faithful Christians? How do we gather our similar congregations together for mutual support and ministry? Is God encouraging different patterns of ministry and service like our Commissioned Lay Pastor program? I was blessed by my visit to East Waterford and Bob’s thoughtful and engaging worship leadership and preaching. But I drove home with my head full of questions and not very many answers.
On a gorgeous Sunday morning all the farm fields and barns along Route 75 sparked my memory of the years we spend serving the First Presbyterian Church in Morris, Illinois, Blackhawk Presbytery. It was there in Grundy County, Illinois that I learned a lot about the American agricultural industry. An old time farmer in our church always joked, "I am not a farmer anymore; I work in the agricultural industry." Grundy County, Illinois is truly one of the most fertile places in the world. It is tabletop flat and the topsoil is black, black, black and many places three feet deep. Because of amazing scientific research with seeds productivity in those fields increases almost every year while the number of farmers is quickly decreasing. Grundy County, Illinois has the flatlands and miles of corn and soybean fields. Juanita County, Pennsylvania has the rolling hills and many dairy farms. The economic and cultural issues are the same.
Massive social transformations have changed everything in farm country. I learned from wise Presbyterians in Illinois that these changes are parallel to what is happening in our churches. The most difficult result of these changes both in farming and in our churches is that "the small guy is being forced out of business." The family farm is obsolete economically; it seems like the family-style congregation is going the same way.
I sat with the three students in the Junior High Sunday school class. We had a delightful conversation. These are bright and gifted young people with good family support and strong church connections. I found out from Derek that his family runs a dairy farm. He was tired because he had to help in the barn earlier since his older brother was away for the weekend. Derek’s family is rare these days. They live by farming and the kids in the family are helping with the work. Few farming families actively encourage their children to take up farming as a career. Kids today can go to college and most often will find jobs in a completely different sector and place. So what happens in towns like East Waterford, PA and Morris, IL? The children grow up and move out, and a whole generation is not sitting in those pews. The economic and social life of small town, family farm America has changed forever. In the Presbyterian Church where two thirds of our congregations are family-style, less than 200 members, and located in rural communities this change has been devastating. The decline in these churches has nothing to do with theological position, the policies of the General Assembly, or the style of the worship service. The churches are having the life blood sucked out of them by these massive social transformations.
There is a wonderful spirit and deep sense of prayer and reverence in the East Waterford congregation. I am very grateful for their warm welcome and appreciation for my visit. The deep sense of care and concern they have for one another and our world inspires me. Bob Rhoades is doing wonderful work as their Stated Supply while they search, discern and ponder the future. Despite it all churches like East Waterford are faithful, resilient and boldly innovative. But they face enormous, challenging realities. They all know that things do not look good for a congregation in their small town. With a visceral sense of concern their Pulpit Nominating Committee gathered with me between Sunday School and worship to simply ask, "What more can we do?" There has been very little response to their Church Information Form which is advertising their part-time position.
The East Waterford congregation provides a vital and necessary ministry in a community that has been wracked by social change. What is God doing there now and how do we enable and support the call of God on these strong, faithful Christians? How do we gather our similar congregations together for mutual support and ministry? Is God encouraging different patterns of ministry and service like our Commissioned Lay Pastor program? I was blessed by my visit to East Waterford and Bob’s thoughtful and engaging worship leadership and preaching. But I drove home with my head full of questions and not very many answers.
Derry
Derry Presbyterian Church
Pastors Dick Houtz, Marie Buffaloe, D.C.E. Debbie Hough, Youth Pastor Eli McCulloch
I am deeply moved by the story of America and the profound genius of this nation. I am inspired by American Presbyterian history. In this part of our nation, American history and Presbyterian history are the same thing.
In the parking lot of the Derry Church, I stood quietly for a long moment next to their old and sacred cemetery and next to their preserved Session house. These artifacts of history pull prayers right out of my heart. The Session house is carefully preserved under a full glass enclosure and stands now as it did in the first half of the 1700s. Pondering it, my mind raced: who were the people that built it, what kind of discussions and meetings did they have here, what were their issues, what were their joys and concerns, what did they see when they looked around more than 250 years ago from this same spot where I am now standing? What was the culture into which they brought the Gospel and planted a new church?
For the most part, that sacred history is left behind as you enter the Derry Church. This is an ultra-modern, thriving congregation that is so busy and so active and so energetic that my morning there made my head spin. The architecture of their new, modern facility is fabulous. They have a hospitality desk in the greeting area. As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted and welcomed. I was impressed instantly by the feeling of hospitality. Derry has built invitation, hospitality and belonging into the very culture of their congregation. Hospitality is in the air. It is an outstanding example of an inviting church.
For example:
The worship bulletin is a work of art. It clearly and precisely outlines the worship service. In my opinion, a person who never in his or her life participated in a Presbyterian worship service could walk into Derry and easily participate in worship. This hospitable presence is very difficult to achieve. Derry does it beautifully. (I know they have a communications/ public relations person on staff. I expect the bulletin had her touch on it.)
At the beginning of worship, Dick Houtz generously welcomed everyone, introduced himself and everyone leading worship by name. A very nice touch which I have never heard before.
Their friendship pads are custom made with cardboard covers that change every month. Thus the friendship pads included a schedule for all the activities and events in October and directions on how to get involved. This is a brilliant communication tool which I never saw before.
The educational reinforcement in the worship service was subtle and powerful. There was a memory verse in worship, Matthew 28: 19-21, printed in the bulletin and read in unison. This same memory verse was the foundation of Marie’s excellent children’s sermon and repeated again with the children. How many of our worship services include Bible memory verses? This was very effective.
Dick gave a three or four sentence introduction for the use of the Nicene Creed as an Affirmation of Faith, which was a concise and brilliant explanation of why we read this together. Everyone immediately understood the importance of the Affirmation of Faith. It was read in unison with gusto.
Dick’s preaching was outstanding. He was able to balance on the thin line between speaking to the biblically and theologically sophisticated people, of which I expect there are many in Derry, as well as being simple and clear enough to speak to a first time visitor. It was a positive, upbeat message, emphasizing theology, and our understanding of God as extravagantly generous. His sermon flowed naturally and smoothly into the Lord’s Supper.
Different from either the opening welcome or the sermon was an extended presentation of several church programs including an aggressive evangelism and outreach campaign, opportunities for mission trips, and peacemaking. Anyone attending worship was clearly presented with multiple ways to get involved and serve the Lord. This recruitment was an intentional expression of the worship service. There was a subtle and powerful message that just ‘coming to church’ is not good enough.
The flashes of novelty and freshness in worship were evident in many ways: a teenager reading scripture; lots of different kinds and styles of music including singing the classic, children’s song, "This Little Light of Mine" and a sign language choir. But pulling all those pieces of novelty together was the structure and flow of very traditional Presbyterian worship. In its totality, the worship service was carefully constructed and beautifully expressed.
One thing I found very interesting: The worship service was almost 90 minutes long including the Lord’s Supper. When I asked Dick about this he fluffed it off by saying, "Oh, I have been here so long that they quit fighting me about it." I think a better answer is that authentic, fresh and energized worship does not need a clock. And I am a clock watcher!
There are now and again, here and there congregations that by grace and mystery move into a growth mode that explodes with an energy and enthusiasm beyond all expectations. With a wonderful, competent staff, a marvelous building, some incredible leadership in the congregation, blessings and gifts all around, and most of all by the extravagant abundance of God’s grace Derry has entered that unique mode. It is a very special congregation. Thanks be to God!
Pastors Dick Houtz, Marie Buffaloe, D.C.E. Debbie Hough, Youth Pastor Eli McCulloch
I am deeply moved by the story of America and the profound genius of this nation. I am inspired by American Presbyterian history. In this part of our nation, American history and Presbyterian history are the same thing.
In the parking lot of the Derry Church, I stood quietly for a long moment next to their old and sacred cemetery and next to their preserved Session house. These artifacts of history pull prayers right out of my heart. The Session house is carefully preserved under a full glass enclosure and stands now as it did in the first half of the 1700s. Pondering it, my mind raced: who were the people that built it, what kind of discussions and meetings did they have here, what were their issues, what were their joys and concerns, what did they see when they looked around more than 250 years ago from this same spot where I am now standing? What was the culture into which they brought the Gospel and planted a new church?
For the most part, that sacred history is left behind as you enter the Derry Church. This is an ultra-modern, thriving congregation that is so busy and so active and so energetic that my morning there made my head spin. The architecture of their new, modern facility is fabulous. They have a hospitality desk in the greeting area. As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted and welcomed. I was impressed instantly by the feeling of hospitality. Derry has built invitation, hospitality and belonging into the very culture of their congregation. Hospitality is in the air. It is an outstanding example of an inviting church.
For example:
The worship bulletin is a work of art. It clearly and precisely outlines the worship service. In my opinion, a person who never in his or her life participated in a Presbyterian worship service could walk into Derry and easily participate in worship. This hospitable presence is very difficult to achieve. Derry does it beautifully. (I know they have a communications/ public relations person on staff. I expect the bulletin had her touch on it.)
At the beginning of worship, Dick Houtz generously welcomed everyone, introduced himself and everyone leading worship by name. A very nice touch which I have never heard before.
Their friendship pads are custom made with cardboard covers that change every month. Thus the friendship pads included a schedule for all the activities and events in October and directions on how to get involved. This is a brilliant communication tool which I never saw before.
The educational reinforcement in the worship service was subtle and powerful. There was a memory verse in worship, Matthew 28: 19-21, printed in the bulletin and read in unison. This same memory verse was the foundation of Marie’s excellent children’s sermon and repeated again with the children. How many of our worship services include Bible memory verses? This was very effective.
Dick gave a three or four sentence introduction for the use of the Nicene Creed as an Affirmation of Faith, which was a concise and brilliant explanation of why we read this together. Everyone immediately understood the importance of the Affirmation of Faith. It was read in unison with gusto.
Dick’s preaching was outstanding. He was able to balance on the thin line between speaking to the biblically and theologically sophisticated people, of which I expect there are many in Derry, as well as being simple and clear enough to speak to a first time visitor. It was a positive, upbeat message, emphasizing theology, and our understanding of God as extravagantly generous. His sermon flowed naturally and smoothly into the Lord’s Supper.
Different from either the opening welcome or the sermon was an extended presentation of several church programs including an aggressive evangelism and outreach campaign, opportunities for mission trips, and peacemaking. Anyone attending worship was clearly presented with multiple ways to get involved and serve the Lord. This recruitment was an intentional expression of the worship service. There was a subtle and powerful message that just ‘coming to church’ is not good enough.
The flashes of novelty and freshness in worship were evident in many ways: a teenager reading scripture; lots of different kinds and styles of music including singing the classic, children’s song, "This Little Light of Mine" and a sign language choir. But pulling all those pieces of novelty together was the structure and flow of very traditional Presbyterian worship. In its totality, the worship service was carefully constructed and beautifully expressed.
One thing I found very interesting: The worship service was almost 90 minutes long including the Lord’s Supper. When I asked Dick about this he fluffed it off by saying, "Oh, I have been here so long that they quit fighting me about it." I think a better answer is that authentic, fresh and energized worship does not need a clock. And I am a clock watcher!
There are now and again, here and there congregations that by grace and mystery move into a growth mode that explodes with an energy and enthusiasm beyond all expectations. With a wonderful, competent staff, a marvelous building, some incredible leadership in the congregation, blessings and gifts all around, and most of all by the extravagant abundance of God’s grace Derry has entered that unique mode. It is a very special congregation. Thanks be to God!
Christ Church Camp Hill
Christ Presbyterian Church, Camp Hill
Pastor: Tim Roach, D.C.E. Bonnie Kilgore
What is the difference between a circle and a line? Which do you prefer: circles or lines? Circles and lines may be considered symbols or metaphors for very different ways of thinking.
In our culture, controlled as we are by science, almost all of our thinking is linear. Linear thinking is task- oriented. Linear thinking needs to accomplish, succeed, finish and complete. Linear thinking solves problems, makes decisions, and moves us forward from one place to another. Linear thinking is for scientists.
Circular thinking is very different. Circular thinking is reflective. Circular thinking is holistic and relational. Circular thinking does not solve problems but simply enjoys the moment. Circular thinking is conversational and pondering. Circular thinking is for dancers.
The sanctuary of Christ Presbyterian Church in Camp Hill is a circle. The communion table is circular, the pulpit is circular, and the pews are arranged in a circle, and the narthex outside the sanctuary is also a circular. I did not know that when I first arrived at Christ Church, and walking into the sanctuary immediately disoriented me. "Wow! This is different." I needed a moment to change my perspective on space and worship. After settling into the symbol of the circle, I realized that I really enjoyed this worship space. It is soothing and inviting in a circular kind of way.
I was first introduced to the theological difference between circles and lines when I visited the new chapel in our Presbyterian Center in Louisville. There the difference between circles and lines is blatant. Half of the chapel is all architecture done with straight lines. The other half of the chapel is all architecture done with curves. The combination and mixture of the two in the same space is brilliant. The space is comfortable and inviting but creates a kind of spiritual disorientation that moved me into prayer, the proper purpose of all worship space.
For almost all of Christian history, the Church created linear places of worship, often extremely linear with very long center aisles. But there was an American architectural novelty in the late 1960s and 1970s when many worship spaces were created in a circular style. Christ Church is a beautiful example of this unique architecture. Churches should be circular, in my opinion. But church architecture could never overcome our powerful cultural inclination toward linear thinking. Captured as we are by our culture, even the church is often stuck in linear thinking. Thus we are often afraid of the more relationship-building and prayer-inspiring circular reflection. So all linear Presbyterians should pause a moment, visit Christ Presbyterian Church, and ponder the circular words of the one seated on the throne, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21: 6).
Our Christ Presbyterian Church is a solid congregation that has settled into a competent and effective life together. It is devoutly Presbyterian. It is neither flashy nor audacious. But it has a good theological identity, an inviting spirit, a generous commitment to mission outside of themselves, and a spiritually enriching worship life. Christ Church also understands that in our world today being solid and effective is not the recipe for longevity that it was a generation ago. Boldly, with Tim’s good leadership, they are beginning to dream about, envision and plan for the transformation of their church into the new church that God is creating.
I was most impressed with Tim’s preaching. Tim did something with his sermon that I was typically afraid to do when I was preaching every week. This formula for preaching is often very fruitful, but requires a lot of hard preparation. Working with the lectionary, the text for the day was Matthew 22: 1-14. As one of the parables of Jesus this passage can go many, many different directions in preaching. What Tim did was highlight what seems to be the most inappropriate and difficult little detail of the parable and make that the key to the whole sermon. Verses 11-14 are the end of the parable:
But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.
It would be very easy to skip these last verses of the parable since they are strident and confrontational. But Tim made these verses the heart of his whole sermon. Indeed it is a message about the power of grace in our lives. When we are invited and blessed and called to the banquet as the chosen ones we have the opportunity to rise to the occasion and act like it. And so we should. This is the power of grace. Thanks be to God!
Pastor: Tim Roach, D.C.E. Bonnie Kilgore
What is the difference between a circle and a line? Which do you prefer: circles or lines? Circles and lines may be considered symbols or metaphors for very different ways of thinking.
In our culture, controlled as we are by science, almost all of our thinking is linear. Linear thinking is task- oriented. Linear thinking needs to accomplish, succeed, finish and complete. Linear thinking solves problems, makes decisions, and moves us forward from one place to another. Linear thinking is for scientists.
Circular thinking is very different. Circular thinking is reflective. Circular thinking is holistic and relational. Circular thinking does not solve problems but simply enjoys the moment. Circular thinking is conversational and pondering. Circular thinking is for dancers.
The sanctuary of Christ Presbyterian Church in Camp Hill is a circle. The communion table is circular, the pulpit is circular, and the pews are arranged in a circle, and the narthex outside the sanctuary is also a circular. I did not know that when I first arrived at Christ Church, and walking into the sanctuary immediately disoriented me. "Wow! This is different." I needed a moment to change my perspective on space and worship. After settling into the symbol of the circle, I realized that I really enjoyed this worship space. It is soothing and inviting in a circular kind of way.
I was first introduced to the theological difference between circles and lines when I visited the new chapel in our Presbyterian Center in Louisville. There the difference between circles and lines is blatant. Half of the chapel is all architecture done with straight lines. The other half of the chapel is all architecture done with curves. The combination and mixture of the two in the same space is brilliant. The space is comfortable and inviting but creates a kind of spiritual disorientation that moved me into prayer, the proper purpose of all worship space.
For almost all of Christian history, the Church created linear places of worship, often extremely linear with very long center aisles. But there was an American architectural novelty in the late 1960s and 1970s when many worship spaces were created in a circular style. Christ Church is a beautiful example of this unique architecture. Churches should be circular, in my opinion. But church architecture could never overcome our powerful cultural inclination toward linear thinking. Captured as we are by our culture, even the church is often stuck in linear thinking. Thus we are often afraid of the more relationship-building and prayer-inspiring circular reflection. So all linear Presbyterians should pause a moment, visit Christ Presbyterian Church, and ponder the circular words of the one seated on the throne, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21: 6).
Our Christ Presbyterian Church is a solid congregation that has settled into a competent and effective life together. It is devoutly Presbyterian. It is neither flashy nor audacious. But it has a good theological identity, an inviting spirit, a generous commitment to mission outside of themselves, and a spiritually enriching worship life. Christ Church also understands that in our world today being solid and effective is not the recipe for longevity that it was a generation ago. Boldly, with Tim’s good leadership, they are beginning to dream about, envision and plan for the transformation of their church into the new church that God is creating.
I was most impressed with Tim’s preaching. Tim did something with his sermon that I was typically afraid to do when I was preaching every week. This formula for preaching is often very fruitful, but requires a lot of hard preparation. Working with the lectionary, the text for the day was Matthew 22: 1-14. As one of the parables of Jesus this passage can go many, many different directions in preaching. What Tim did was highlight what seems to be the most inappropriate and difficult little detail of the parable and make that the key to the whole sermon. Verses 11-14 are the end of the parable:
But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.
It would be very easy to skip these last verses of the parable since they are strident and confrontational. But Tim made these verses the heart of his whole sermon. Indeed it is a message about the power of grace in our lives. When we are invited and blessed and called to the banquet as the chosen ones we have the opportunity to rise to the occasion and act like it. And so we should. This is the power of grace. Thanks be to God!
Camp Hill
Camp Hill Presbyterian Church
Pastor David Roquemore
Fifty years is a long time. The Camp Hill Presbyterian Church received a special commendation, the Sarah Hill Brown Award for Early Childhood Education, from Union Theological Seminary/ Presbyterian School of Christian Education for their commitment to children’s ministry and the fiftieth anniversary of their preschool/ children’s program. (That means, of course, that Camp Hill started their preschool/ children’s program before I was born!) This is a remarkable commitment to children’s ministry. Congratulations Camp Hill! and Kathy Kuhn the current Director of Christian Education.
Camp Hill Presbyterian Church is another very energetic church in our Presbytery. The word that came to mind for me after my morning with Camp Hill is “aggressive.” I mean “aggressive” in the very positive sense of forward-thinking, bold, and courageous.
For example, in our Sunday school class that morning I was asked directly what the presbytery was doing about new church development. Typically when this topic comes up in congregations, I find myself needing to slow down, be cautious, and try to bring people up speed on the importance of trying to create new ministry and new churches in today’s culture. When this topic came up at Camp Hill, the tone was very different. The people in my Sunday school class wanted to know why this effort seemed to be lagging slowly behind in our presbytery. It seemed to them that this whole effort in new church development needed more commitment and more energy. They needed no convincing at all about the essential requirement that we have to create new ministry today. They want us to do more and faster. Wow, that was refreshing and encouraging to me!
For example, during worship an Elder gave one of the most passionate, knowledgeable and, yes, I say again, aggressive calls to support the denomination’s special offering for One Great Hour of Sharing that I have ever heard. This was a strong, direct call to give that could only authentically come from an Elder. Few pastors would dare such an aggressive call for giving.
For example, a beautiful, young family also gave a moment for mission in worship that day. The whole family, husband, wife and two young boys, stood before the congregation and explained very, yes, I say again, aggressively, why they were committed to Camp Hill Presbyterian and why they have decided to double their pledge to the capital campaign. Wow! That was a powerful message that flies in the face of the perception that only the older generation is seriously committed to church life.
For example, my morning with the Camp Hill church was the first time in my life that I have heard a professional fundraiser preach. What kind of message is it that the pastors and session would give the pulpit to their fundraising consultant? I say again, aggressive. It seems that the folks at Camp Hill do not believe in the old myth that we are not supposed to talk about money in worship. Not only did this sermon talk about money, it named what I think is one of the most neglected theological issues in the church today. Simply and aggressively stated, the way we use our money is a theological statement that proclaims loud and clear what we believe about God. That is good preaching. That is a message we need to hear in our culture today. I admire the Camp Hill church for giving permission for that word to be preached in their pulpit.
What is the result of this aggressive tone? The very next Sunday, on Palm Sunday, the congregation gathered pledges in support of their, yes, I say again, aggressive capital campaign, which intends a beautiful and bold remodeling of their building. Their goal for their capital campaign was $1.5 million. On the first day that the campaign went into its public phase, the congregation oversubscribed the goal with pledges of $1.62 million. Currently, they have pledges in hand of $1,938,220. Congratulations Camp Hill! I appreciate and admire your tone!
Pastor David Roquemore
Fifty years is a long time. The Camp Hill Presbyterian Church received a special commendation, the Sarah Hill Brown Award for Early Childhood Education, from Union Theological Seminary/ Presbyterian School of Christian Education for their commitment to children’s ministry and the fiftieth anniversary of their preschool/ children’s program. (That means, of course, that Camp Hill started their preschool/ children’s program before I was born!) This is a remarkable commitment to children’s ministry. Congratulations Camp Hill! and Kathy Kuhn the current Director of Christian Education.
Camp Hill Presbyterian Church is another very energetic church in our Presbytery. The word that came to mind for me after my morning with Camp Hill is “aggressive.” I mean “aggressive” in the very positive sense of forward-thinking, bold, and courageous.
For example, in our Sunday school class that morning I was asked directly what the presbytery was doing about new church development. Typically when this topic comes up in congregations, I find myself needing to slow down, be cautious, and try to bring people up speed on the importance of trying to create new ministry and new churches in today’s culture. When this topic came up at Camp Hill, the tone was very different. The people in my Sunday school class wanted to know why this effort seemed to be lagging slowly behind in our presbytery. It seemed to them that this whole effort in new church development needed more commitment and more energy. They needed no convincing at all about the essential requirement that we have to create new ministry today. They want us to do more and faster. Wow, that was refreshing and encouraging to me!
For example, during worship an Elder gave one of the most passionate, knowledgeable and, yes, I say again, aggressive calls to support the denomination’s special offering for One Great Hour of Sharing that I have ever heard. This was a strong, direct call to give that could only authentically come from an Elder. Few pastors would dare such an aggressive call for giving.
For example, a beautiful, young family also gave a moment for mission in worship that day. The whole family, husband, wife and two young boys, stood before the congregation and explained very, yes, I say again, aggressively, why they were committed to Camp Hill Presbyterian and why they have decided to double their pledge to the capital campaign. Wow! That was a powerful message that flies in the face of the perception that only the older generation is seriously committed to church life.
For example, my morning with the Camp Hill church was the first time in my life that I have heard a professional fundraiser preach. What kind of message is it that the pastors and session would give the pulpit to their fundraising consultant? I say again, aggressive. It seems that the folks at Camp Hill do not believe in the old myth that we are not supposed to talk about money in worship. Not only did this sermon talk about money, it named what I think is one of the most neglected theological issues in the church today. Simply and aggressively stated, the way we use our money is a theological statement that proclaims loud and clear what we believe about God. That is good preaching. That is a message we need to hear in our culture today. I admire the Camp Hill church for giving permission for that word to be preached in their pulpit.
What is the result of this aggressive tone? The very next Sunday, on Palm Sunday, the congregation gathered pledges in support of their, yes, I say again, aggressive capital campaign, which intends a beautiful and bold remodeling of their building. Their goal for their capital campaign was $1.5 million. On the first day that the campaign went into its public phase, the congregation oversubscribed the goal with pledges of $1.62 million. Currently, they have pledges in hand of $1,938,220. Congratulations Camp Hill! I appreciate and admire your tone!
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