Look Inside Rev
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
April 2014 Vol. 3, No. 4 From the Pastor’s Desk Look Inside Rev. Kerri Hefner church's youth choir sang a portion of Director of Christian Ed 2 Faure's Requiem for Good Friday at Prayer can be a funny First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh, Director of Music 3 thing. It can be some- NC. We put on black robes and black thing we do without skullcaps, and sang for the congrega- thinking. We receive tion's worship service. Observing Church Calendar 8 good news and we Good Friday was somewhat new to blurt out, "Thank you, me. I remember the service being full Worship Volunteers 9 Lord!" Or we receive bad news and of prayer and song, and as I left I felt automatically say, "Dear God." (Yes, I as though I had spent the day in close Birthday / Anniversary 14 think those automatic reactions are communion with God. I felt as though prayers, albeit very short ones.) The I had listened to God much more than I Boy Scouts 15 writer Anne LaMott says that pretty had spoken or sung, even though I had much all prayers can be classified as rehearsed Pie Jesu and Agnus Dei Concerns / Celebrations 15 Help, Thanks, or Wow. seemingly non-stop for weeks. Sometimes, prayer can be something During our Lenten dinners, you can Mission 15 we perceive as difficult, something learn about particular types or methods you have to really study and learn to of prayer. During Maundy Thursday Photo Album 6-7, 10- 11 do. We may even get hung up on how and Good Friday services, you can some people seem "good" at praying, hear prayers written especially to ex- Historical Notes 12 and wonder if we can measure up. press our sorrow, loneliness, and sin- Youth Program 14 During Lent, the staff is offering a fulness (these are things we need to tell Wednesday series on prayer. Each God about, and not attempt to cover week we are teaching about a different them up.) And of course on Easter aspect of prayer: memory devices, Sunday, we say prayers of thanksgiv- postures, music, and a whole lot ing for new life in Christ. I hope each more. We hope that your prayer life of us will take the opportunity to par- will be enriched by attending one or ticipate in all these services and obser- more of these sessions. vances. I believe each of you will learn something about prayer if you I learned a lot about prayer when my participate. Upcoming Events Lenten Dinner & Devotional Wednesday April 2, 9 6:00 PM Spring Work Day Saturday April 5 8:00 AM NHCCC Auction Saturday April 12 5:00 PM Session Meeting Sunday April 13 7:00 PM Maundy Thursday Service Thursday April 17 7:00 PM Good Friday Service & Lunch Friday April 18 12 Noon Sunrise Service, Breakfast, Egg Hunt Sunday April 20 7:00 AM Camp Sunday Sunday April 27 11:00 AM Director of Christian Education minds that we are not young man who goes by the nick- loved by God. It is a name “Kid President”. His real Mary Todd Peters struggle for us to believe this— name is Robby and to find out At our Lenten dinner one hundred percent with our more about him google “kid presi- on Wednesday I was whole hearts. And when we do not dent”. His most recent message is reading one of our feel loved by God, this sin leads to titled “Letter to a Person on their children’s Bibles more sin—if I am not loved by First Day Here.” And part of his with the kids. We God then surely those people are message is this: “You are awe- were reading the sto- not loved by God. We want more, some! You are made from love, to ry about Eve and the snake. In do more, cover up more--when we be love, to spread love.” It is a this version of the story, the snake feel insecure about someone’s good message and one that I think says to Eve “ ‘Does God really love we tend to act defensively, our scriptures are clear on. Our love you? If God does love you, maybe act out against others—we challenge is to not only believe why won’t he let you eat the nice don’t act in love because we do that God loves us, but to live our juicy, delicious fruit? Poor you, not feel loved. lives as a testament to this love— perhaps God doesn’t want you to This Lent I hope you have been and to be love and spread love to be happy.’ Does God love me? working on developing a closer all we meet. Eve wondered. Suddenly she did- relationship with God—through We are still on this Lenten journey n’t know anymore.” The story daily prayer, reading your Bible, toward Easter. Soon we will re- goes on: “A terrible lie came into coming to Sunday school/worship, member the last week of Jesus’ the world. It would never leave. our Lenten programs, just being life, the sacrifice he made, all in It would live on in every human more aware of how you live your the name of Love—the One True heart, whispering to every one of life every day. One way to know Love. May this be what we re- God’s children: ‘God doesn’t that you are loved by God is to joice in together as we celebrate love me’.” work on building up your relation- the Risen Christ—and know for We still fight this sin as a dark ship with God. sure that God loves us. No matter thought lurking in the back of our There is a video on youtube by a what. Building and Grounds Committee has been Busy Thanks to members of the Building and Grounds Committee for recent improvements made around our campus. We have a new cabinet to enclose our modem and various electronics, new land- scaping around the manse, and improvements to the Old Fellow- ship Hall. The Old Fellowship Hall now has its own heating and air conditioning, and can be closed off via new doors and wall. It is a great place for larger groups to meet, and more energy effi- cient than before. You are invited to stay after worship on Palm Sunday (April 13) for lemonade provided by the Fellowship Committee, and a chance to look around the new landscaping. Join us on April 27th at Camp Worship Lenten Dinner and Devotions Our Worship Service will be at Fleming Hall in Camp New Hope. Join us for our contin- We will be recognizing Earth Day during this time, and ask that uing intergenerational you bring a bag lunches and re-usable Lenten series on pray- drink containers and join in fellowship er, each featuring a after the service. simple meal and a les- In addition to helping to plan the worship son on prayer that can service, our NHPC Youth Group will con- benefit anyone of any age. duct a bake sale, in order to raise money Each evening will begin at 6 pm and for the Newton Grove migrant farmwork- end at 7 pm. RSVP's will be placed in ers project. They say “Bring your bag the bulletin the Sunday before each lunches, but get your dessert from us! “ Wednesday. 2 Director of Music afraid of silence: if there's too often when we sing hymns the Mark Gorman much quiet, we get anxious and words, and even the music, pass look for someone to fill the space-- right by. Having even a short break At one of our with music, with a prayer, with can catch us up. Wednesday Lenten whatever can make us comfortable The next time you're in church, I evening dinners last again. Silence, though, can be help- encourage you to look for the si- month, I gave away ful. lences. Take advantage of them to the secret to great During most hymns, I insert a little listen to the hymn. Or even add music: the key to silence between each of the stan- some silence of your own during a great music is listening. The best zas. The silence (almost always 1 hymn--take a moment to ponder musicians are those who can listen or 2 short beats) gives us all a what you're singing. Then, lift it to to what's going on around them and chance to catch out breaths and get God in praise and thanksgiving. make adjustments at the same time. ready to sing the next line. But it The silence of a hymn, like a If listening is important to music, also gives us a chance to listen to hymn's words and music, is the si- that means silence is, too. Some- what we're singing, or to pay atten- lence of joy. times I think we Protestants are tion to what we're about to sing. So Thursday, April 17, 6:30 pm — Maundy Thursday Service & Communion Friday, April 18, 12 noon — Good Friday Service & Lunch Easter Sunday, April 20, 7 am — Sunrise Worship Service 8 am — Breakfast 9 am — Children’s Easter Egg Hunt 11 am — Worship Service & Communion Woodworking at New Hope candles to mark Our congregation is blessed with a variety of artistic our sorrow. and musical talents. Look for three recent creations Tenebrae will be made from wood by members of our church. In our observed on sanctuary on Maundy Thursday, we will have hand- Maundy Thurs- turned candleholders created from wood acquired day, April 17.