June/July 2006 - Edgewood Presbyterian Church

PR ESBY
URCH
Epistle
RIAN C
H
The Edgewo od
TE
( U S A)
The monthly newsletter of
Edgewood Presbyterian Church
June/July 2006
‘So great a cloud
of witnesses’
217th General Assembly will draw thousands
to decide issues facing the Presbyterian Church.
Edgewood
Presbyterian
Church
850 Oxmoor Road
Homewood
871-4302
www.edgewoodpc.org
Sunday worship 9:30 a.m.
Sunday school 10:45 a.m.
Wednesday supper 5:45 p.m.
Staff
Rev. Sid Burgess
Pastor
942-5907
[email protected]
Janice Philpot
Secretary
Christian nurture
322-6258
[email protected]
Editor
Rick Frennea
942-7150
[email protected]
S
ome 5,000 Presbyterians will gather in Birmingham June
15–22 for the 217th General Assembly. It will be the firstever concurrent meeting of the Presbyterian Church USA and
Cumberland Presbyterian churches.
The General Assembly is an open meeting of the PCUSA, where visitors are welcome. For the safety and security of all participants and visitors, access to the business sessions of the GA in the plenary hall at the
Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is limited to registered participants, and
an official badge is required for entrance to
the sessions. Visitors who are not volunteering may register on-site and pay a $10 fee.
Those who volunteer through the Committee on Local Arrangements receive an official COLA volunteer badge, which must be
worn at all times while volunteering; it will
also admit volunteers to the plenary hall.
On Sunday, June 18, the General Assembly
will gather for a public worship service at 6
p.m. in the BJCC Arena. Led by the General Assembly moderator, this
worship service will include the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
Among the issues GA will face are: peace, unity and purity of the
church; justice and peace in the Middle East; economic justice; constitutional revision; women in ministry; and confirmation of a new
executive director of the General Assembly Council. In addition to the
business meetings, there will be many optional events (tours, speakers,
planned meals, etc.). Tickets for these events may be purchased at the
BJCC while the General Assembly is in session.
INSIDE
◗ Pastor’s Peace,
Page 2
◗ Guide to GA,
Pages 4–5
◗ Volunteer
opportunities,
Pages 4
The
Session
The Pastor’s Peace
Clerk of Session
Lynn Bailey
979-9115
The Rev. Sid Burgess
Worship
Debra McLafferty
945-0545
Don’t quit your day job, but …
Christian
Nurture
Alice Morgan
871-6805
Clair McLafferty
youth elder
945-0545
ur ancestors in faith saw clouds as manifestations of divine presence.
By a “pillar of cloud” God led our ancestors through the Wilderness
(Ex. 13.21). The prophet Isaiah sees “the Lord riding on a swift cloud” (19.1).
In the Gospels a voice speaks from a cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the
Beloved” (Matt. 17.5, Mark 9.7, Luke 9.34).
Ministry of
Discipleship
Tom Coan
823-4652
Pat Wittig
422-5817
Ministry to
One Another
John Philpot
322-6258
Jessica Hatch
326-2401
Ministry to
Community
Bill Woodruff
942-3993
Roberta Emerick
290-2197
Foundation
of Ministry
Fred Halstead
425-2340
O
Now, in our own time, we are about to be “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses,”
just as Hebrew 12 describes. And if we look carefully, listen closely, pray earnestly, we,
too, may experience God’s presence. Mind you, this is not an everyday occurrence. The
claims of popular religion notwithstanding, the experience of the sacred is rare indeed.
These epiphanies happen only a couple of dozen times in the 1,200 years covered by the
biblical record.
So, what’s a person, what’s church to do when given ample warning of the impending arrival of “so great a cloud?” Hebrews 12 says, for heavens sake, stop what you are
doing! “Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely!” Stop what you are
doing, and “run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”
For us, for now, the “race” is the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
in the USA – some 5,000 fellow Presbyterians coming to Birmingham from all over
the world, beginning Thursday, June 15. See God’s people at worship and work as you
have never before witnessed! See the youth and vitality of the PCUSA, feel the spiritual
depth, hear the biblical and theological insights, join the happy chorus in song! This is
the race, the extraordinary opportunity set before us. Don’t miss it! The house cleaning,
the yard work, the shopping will wait, and your favorite TV shows are already in reruns.
Work? Well, don’t quit your day job, but for once, stick to the 40 hours and take the time
to witness something remarkable, perhaps even sacred!
Shalom!
Miles Jackson
treasurer
945-1769
Youth Ministry
Sharon Terry
879-6205
The Epistle ‹ 2 › June / July 2006
Worship
Highlights for June-early July
Communion
at Edgewood
The Lord’s Supper is
observed each Sunday
and at special services
upon approval of Session.
We take communion by
“intinction.” That is, we
tear a piece of bread from
a common loaf and dip it
in either the cup of wine or
the cup of grape juice.
Lay leaders
Communion servers
◗ June 4: Pat Wittig.
◗ June 11: Pat Wittig.
◗ June 18: Pat Wittig.
◗ June 25: Pat Wittig.
◗ July 2: Roberta
Emerick, John Philpot, Amy
Duckworth.
◗ July 9: Roberta Emerick,
David Silvie, Joanne
Fendley.
◗ July 16: Roberta
Emerick, Jeff Terry, Ellen
Gillespie.
Reader
◗ June: Julie Cottingham
and Stephen Steward
◗ July: Melissa Tate
Children’s message
◗ June 4: John Philpot
◗ June 11: Rick Allred
◗ June 18: Kathy Silvie
◗ June 25: Fran Woodruff
◗ July 2: Alice Morgan
◗ July 9: Sharon Terry
◗ July 16: John Philpot
‹ June 4 ›
Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21: The story of the birth of the church. Psalm 104:24-34, 35b: “Yonder is the
sea, great and wide.” Romans 8:22-27: “We hope for what we do not see.” John 15:2627, 16:4b-15: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
‹ June 11 ›
Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” Psalm 29: May the Lord bless his
people with peace! Romans 8:12-17: “You have received a spirit of adoption.” John 3:117: “For God so loved the world …”
‹ June 18 ›
General Assembly Sunday / Fathers’ Day
Frances Taylor Gench, guest preacher and forum leader
Gench is a professor of New Testament at Union Theological
Seminary in Richmond, VA, where she was a classmate of friend
of Edgewood, Joe Slane. She served as a member of the PCUSA
General Assembly’s Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and
Purity of the Church, which will be one of the hotly-debated issues
of this GA. Recent publications include Back to the Well: Women’s
Encounters with Jesus in the Gospels.
‹ June 25 ›
Seminary intern Debbie Feagin, preaching
1 Samuel 17: 1a,4-11, 19-23, 32-49: David vs. Goliath. Psalm 9:9-20: “The Lord is the
stronghold of the oppressed.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-13: “Open wide your hearts also.” Mark
4:35-41: Jesus quiets the storm.
‹ July 2 ›
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27: David mourns the deaths of Saul and Jonathon. Psalm 130: “Out of
the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” 2 Corinthians 8:7-15: “It is a question of a fair balance
between your present abundance and their need.” Mark 5 :21-43: Jesus restores a girl to
life and a woman to health.
‹ July 9 ›
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10: David installed as king. Psalm 48: “God will be our guide forever.” 2 Corinthians 12:2-10: Paul concedes a “thorn in the flesh.” Mark 6:1-13: Jesus is
rejected in his own home town.
‹ July 16 ›
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19: David restores the Ark of Covenant to Jerusalem. Psalm 24:
“Lift up your heads, O gates!” Ephesians 1:3-14: “In Christ we have also obtained an
inheritance.” Mark 6:14-29: John the Baptist is beheaded.
The Epistle ‹ 3 › June / July 2006
URCH
PR ESBY
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GA2006
( U S A)
Volunteer
update
So far, 86 percent of
volunteer positions for
General Assembly have
been filled of the 1,000
to 1,500 volunteers
needed for the week of
June 15–22.
Volunteers are needed
to pray for GA,
assemble packets, set
up the exhibit hall, give
information, greet at the
airport and hotels, staff
the volunteer check-in
desk, show hospitality,
usher at worship and
open doors. You can
volunteer for different
days, or just a single shift.
How to
register
◗ Online: Go to www.
presbycola.org, click on
the Volunteer button and
follow the instructions.
Online registration ends
Sunday, June 4, at 7
p.m..
◗ At church: Fill out the
volunteer registration
form.
◗ Questions? Ask local
church contact Rick
Frennea.
Guide to the PCUSA 217th General Assembly
Here are selected highlights of the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
USA, meeting June 15–22 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Some
5,000 Presbyterians, in the first-ever concurrent meeting of the PCUSA and the Cumberland Presbyterian churches, will gather in Birmingham from all over the country. In
addition, there will be ecumenical representation from the Vatican, Orthodox churches,
and a host of other Christian communions. All of the events listed are free and open to
the public, though some require a convention name tag, which is free to volunteers, but a
one-time $10 fee otherwise.
‹ Thursday, June 15 ›
1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
217th General Assembly convenes (Convention Center)
◗ Opening business meeting, commissioning service, Stated Clerk’s orientation, report
from the Moderator, and presentation by the host, Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. (Multi-media presentation prepared by work group which included Sid Burgess and
Brian Hagan, Janine and Don’s son.) Requires name badge.
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Business meeting (Convention Center)
◗ Election of the moderator of the 217th General Assembly. Requires name badge.
‹ Friday, June 16 ›
6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Evening worship (Concert Hall)
◗ Preacher: Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the 216th General Assembly. Commission-
ing of mission co-workers. Open meeting.
‹ Saturday, June 17 ›
9 a.m. – noon; 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Assembly committee meetings (Convention Center). See GA commissioners at work on
the big issues. Open admission.
The Epistle ‹ 4 › June / July 2006
GA2006
‹ Sunday, June 18 ›
9:30 a.m.
General Assembly Sunday at Edgewood, with Frances Taylor Gench, guest preacher
and forum leader.
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Worship celebration and Holy Communion (BJCC Arena)
◗ Preacher: The Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the World Alliance of Re-
Edgewood
Volunteers,
participants
in GA
(As of May 31)
Sid Burgess
Robert Emerick
Lynn English
Rick Frennea
Janine Hagan
Fred Halstead
Mary Hopkins
Marilyn Jackson
Inez Jesse
Charles McLafferty
Clair McLafferty
Debra McLafferty
Robin Oliver
Kevin Patton
Janet Perkins
Mike Perotta
Sharon Terry
Nancy Turpen
Victor E. Warren
Fran Woodruff
formed Churches, member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. This service
is planned jointly by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Open admission.
‹ Monday, June 19 ›
7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Evening worship (Concert Hall)
◗ Worship service planned by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and held jointly with
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America.
◗ The Celebration of the Ordination of Women, featuring Edgewood members Julie Cot-
tingham, Marilyn Jackson and Sid Burgess in a “readers’ theater” presentation directed
by Stephen Stewart. That event follows immediately upon conclusion of the worship
service. Plan to come to worship and stay for the celebration. Both events will be in the
BJCC Concert Hall.
‹ Wednesday, June 21 ›
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Business meeting (Concert Hall)
◗ Joint session with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, celebrating Presbyterian history
and the ministries of all three denominations.
‹ Thursday, June 22 ›
9:30 a.m. – noon
Business meeting (Convention Center)
◗ Reports from assembly committees. Requires name badge to enter plenary hall.
The Epistle ‹ 5 › June / July 2006
News & Notes
Seminary intern to work with Christian Nurture
Operating fund
2006 thru April
Annual budget
$237,884
Pledges
Budget YTD
Actual YTD
Difference
▼
$69,791
$64,684
$5,107▼
Budget YTD
Actual YTD
Difference
▼
$79,294
$71,640
$7,654 ▼
Budget YTD
Actual YTD
Difference
$79,294
$70,082
$9,212 ▼
Total income
Total expenses
Income vs. expenses
Income YTD $71,640
Expenses YTD $70,082
Difference
$1,558 ▲
Seminary intern Debbie Feagin begins her summer of work at Edgewood on June 11,
and will conclude on Aug. 20. She will be working in each of the adult classes and with
Christian Nurture on a parenting workshop.
◗ Mayme McCorison is off to seminary. She has been awarded a three-year, full-tuition
scholarship to the Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., affiliated with the General Baptist
Conference. Mayme will be working toward a Master of Divinity degree with an emphasis in children and family studies. Mayme, in Birmingham for the past year working with
a youth mission program, is from Coon Rapids, Minn., where she is a member of the
Presbyterian Church of the Master.
Session news
At its Sunday, May 7, meeting the Session:
◗ Set the Pentecost offering for Sunday, June 4, and participation in the “Can-Paign” drive
to collect canned food from May 15-June 26.
◗ Received the resignation of Nancy Cope from Session.
◗ Accepted Janice Philpot’s recommendation to purchase an updated telephone system
for $359.85 plus tax.
◗ Received a letter from Ellen Potts, campaign chairman for the Presbytery Living River
Camp project, acknowledging Edgewood’s $10,000 pledge over a three-year period.
◗ The next Session meeting is Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m.
Deacon news: Tannehill restaurant trip
The deacons are planning an outing for our older members with limited mobility. The
deacons plan to provide door-to-door service to assemble a group of the Edgewood faithful on Saturday, June 3, for lunch at the recently re-opened restaurant at Tannehill State
Park.
July/August
newsletter
Deadline for the July/
August edition of The
Epistle is Sunday, July 9.
You can leave material in
the newsletter mailbox.
Or you can contact Rick
Frennea at 942-7150, or
send items by e-mail to
[email protected].
Summer Sunday School to focus on New Testament
The EPC children’s Summer Sunday School program will look at “Beloved Bible Stories
Everyone Should Know, Part 2 – The New Testament.” All children kindergarten through
5th grade will meet together for stories and activities. Dates and stories are as follows:
June 4: The Pentecost
June 11: The Trinity
June 18: Special Sunday – General Assemply
June 25: Paul meets Jesus
July 2: God Bless America
July 9: Mary & Joseph Can’t find Jesus!
The Epistle ‹ 6 › June / July 2006
July 16: Parable of the Good Samaritan
July 23: Fishes & Loaves, Jesus feeds 5000
July 30: Parable of the Lost Sheep
Aug. 6: Parable of the Runaway Son
Aug. 13: Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Aug. 27: Jesus Turns Water into Wine
Church Life
PW to tour Southern Progress, dine at Lloyd’s
Elder of
the month
Pat Wittig
422-5817
Deacon of
the month
Herman Hatch
326-2401
The board
of deacons
Sam Bell
945-8461
Lynn Frennea
942-7150
Herman Hatch
326-2401
Marilyn Jackson
945-1769
Robin Oliver
612-0551
Rain Ruggerio
664-1915
2 Cents a Meal
This offering is collected
the last Sunday of each
month (June 25) to support
hunger relief efforts. The
idea is to put aside 2 cents
per meal for each day of
the month. That comes to
about $1.80 per person.
EPC’s Presbyterian Women will tour the environmentally conscious and architecturally
creative Southern Progress headquarters building on Thursday, July 13, then head down
busy U.S. 280 for lunch at Lloyd’s Restaurant, accompanied by seminary intern Debbie
Feagin. Southern Progress’ three-building complex on Lakeshore Drive embodies the
company’s dedication to preservation of the environment. Southern Progress has a rich
heritage in the publishing industry, beginning with The Progressive Farmer in 1886 and
continuing with Southern Living, Cooking Light, Health, Coastal Living, Southern Accents, Cottage Living and Sunset magazines. Lloyd’s is a “family restaurant” famous for
fried fare and sweat tea, but it offers a delicious and healthy smoked turkey sandwich.
People › News about members & friends
◗ Jeff Terry recently won the national master’s division championship of the United
States Amateur Triathlon Association (USAT). That event consists of a 10K run, a 40K
bicycle ride, followed by a 5K run. Jeff will go on to international “short course” competition in Newfoundland, Canada, in July. Then our local variation on the Lance Armstrong theme is off to the world “long course” championships in Denmark, where the
events are a 15K run, a 90K bike ride, followed by a 7.5K run. (FYI: a kilometer equals
5/8 of a mile.)
◗ Marissa Rouque and Suzanne Wallace have made their college choices. Marrissa is
headed to Swarthmore College in Philadelphia. Suzanne is going to New York University
(NYU), in the heart of the Big Apple, where she plans to study music.
◗ Stan Dodd, Phil and Pam’s son, Nell Barron’s grandson, has a new job with Comer
Automotive on the Southside, selling second-hand Mercedes, BMW’s, and “higher-end”
SUVs.
◗ Melissa Tate recently received the Donald G. Hileman Award as the Outstanding
Advertising Educator for 2006. It was awarded by the 7th (Deep South) District of the
American Advertising Federation. Melissa is an assistant professor in the Journalism/
Mass Communication Department at Samford.
◗ Rachel Wood, a rising fifth grader at Deer Valley Elementary, just finished a busy
spring. In March, she participated in a weekend long dance workshop and competition
in Florence. Rachel is a member of her studio’s Junior Jazz Company, which received a
Gold award at the competition for their jazz dance, “Rich Girl.” In April, the company
competed again at the Applause Talent Competition, held at the Alabama Theatre, where
they received another Gold award. Also in April, Rachel traveled with the Birmingham
Children’s Choir to Atlanta to compete in the Southern Star Festival. The choir was the
only elementary-age choir to receive all Gold awards from the judges. This summer, Rachel will be attending camps at McWane Center and Aldridge Gardens, as well as dance
workshops and rehearsals for next year’s production number, based on “The Lion King.”
Also scheduled for July is a performance by the Children’s Choir on NBC 13’s morning
show.
◗ Rehema Mwangi has graduated from Maryville College in Tennessee and is working
this summer as coordinator of counselors for the Presbytery’s summer camp program.
She writes to the congregation, “Thank you for all of the support that you have provided
for my family and me, financially and, most of all, spiritually.”
The Epistle ‹ 7 › June / July 2006
RIAN C
URCH
217th General Assembly
will draw thousands to
Birmingham to decide issues
facing the Presbyterian
Church USA.
TE
H
‘So great a cloud
of witnesses’
PR ESBY
Inside this issue
( U S A)
Also inside
2
3
4
6
7
Pastor’s Peace
Worship
GA2006
News & Notes
Church Life
Insert
Calendar
TE
RIAN C
H
URCH
PR ESBY
On the cover
( U S A)
Edgewood Presbyterian Church
850 Oxmoor Road
Birmingham, AL 35209
Phone: (205) 871-4302
Address service requested
“Open hearted,
open minded”
On the Web: www.edgewoodpc.org
Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 1859
Birmingham, AL