September Buglevolume 16 Issue 9
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September BugleVolume 16 Issue 9 On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. Upcoming Sermons September 2, 2018 September 9, 2018 September 16, 2018 September 23, 2018 September 30, 2018 Captivated Confession Rest Mature Anchor Hebrews Chapter 2 Hebrews Chapter 3 Hebrews Chapter 4 Hebrews Chapter 5 Hebrews Chapter 6 Scott Stuart Dr. Robert Shettler Dr. Robert Shettler Dr. Robert Shettler Dr. Robert Shettler First Presbyterian Church 4 Ways to Join Us on Sunday Mornings! Rev. Dr. Robert Shettler, Pastor 8:30 a.m. in 10:55 a.m. in 10:00 a.m. on 11:00 a.m. 1 Iona Chapel 2 the Sanctuary 3 Cox Channel 11 4 on 1stpc.org 1 Partnership in the Gospel from Dr. Bob Dear Friends, in North America and Eastern and Western Europe In October, we will resume ministry with two of our on mathematics, the philosophy of science, and local mission partners. They are our rotation with the intellectual defense of Christianity. He has also Family Promise, on October 21st through November debated a number of prominent atheists, including 4th, and a campus and community outreach with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Peter Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Singer. (From www.johnlennox.org) It is an honor and privilege to welcome back to His hobbies include languages, amateur astronomy, Gainesville and First Presbyterian Dr. John Lennox. bird-watching, and some walking. John is married John will be speaking at the Phillips Center Thursday to Sally and they live near Oxford. They have three night, October 4th. He will be speaking at a faculty children and seven grandchildren. lunch at noon on October 5th. Here at First, he will The time for the October 4th lecture at the Phillips lead a joint Christian Education hour at 9:30 a.m. Center will be announced later. It is a non-ticketed and preach at 10:55 a.m. on Sunday, October 7th. free event. The topics of the presentation by John There will be one worship service on the 7th at 10:55 will be announced soon. a.m. We will also celebrate together the Sacrament of Our rotation for Family Promise will be October Holy Communion. October 7th is World Communion 21st through November 4th. Family Promise provides Sunday. shelter and services to homeless children and John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics (emeritus) their families in Alachua County. Their shelter is a at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow in network of local faith communities and civic groups. Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science. He is Our educational rooms become bedrooms for each also an adjunct Lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and family during the week. at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, as Each night, guests return from work and school to well as being a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum. First for the evening. Volunteers are coordinated to In addition, he is an Associate Fellow of the Said provide meals, toiletries, and offer support for the Business School, Oxford University, and teaches for families from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme. Volunteers are the life blood of the Family Promise Prof. Lennox studied at the Royal School Armagh, program and the reason it is the most cost-effective Northern Ireland and was Exhibitioner and Senior shelter in Gainesville. Scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University from which he took his MA, MMath and PhD. He In 2017, Family Promise had eleven congregations worked for many years in the Mathematics Institute and twenty-four organizations as local partners. at the University of Wales in Cardiff, which awarded There were over 600 volunteers, 414 bed nights him a DSc for his research. He also holds a DPhil provided, 1,258 meals served, and volunteer time from Oxford University and an MA in Bioethics from equaling $49,000 in value. the University of Surrey. Prof. Lennox was a Senior Our coordinators are Andreas and Allison Alexander Von Humboldt Fellow at the Universities VanDenend; emial to [email protected]. of Wuerzburg and Freiburg in Germany. Please talk with them and see where you can be part In addition to over seventy published mathematical of this great ministry. papers, he is the co-author of two research level texts Please pray with me for these two local ministries as in algebra in the Oxford Mathematical Monographs we begin a new church year. series. He is interested in the interface between With gratitude for the past and hope for the future, science, philosophy, and theology and his books on those topics include God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, God and Stephen Hawking, and Gunning for God. His most recent title is Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism. Prof. Lennox has lectured extensively 2 BE-ing the Church . from Fred Lundy One of our yearly family traditions is to head to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains the end of each summer and enjoy time together as a family – tubing down rivers, enjoying hiking, catching a drive-in movie, savoring meals on the porch, watching sunsets over the ridge, and making memories – lots, and lots, and lots of memories. We usually take this trip at the end of the summer, as our preference is to end the summer with this time away, as it gives us something to look forward to and gives us some time to connect before the school year begins. This summer’s trip started with some time in Atlanta visiting family and our first trip to the Georgia Aquarium and ended with our oldest child, Kate, being admitted to Shands PICU with Diabetic Ketoacidosis and the resulting determination that she has Type 1 Diabetes. This requires her to monitor her blood glucose throughout the day and administer Insulin shots before meals and at other times. Memories - lots, and lots, and lots of memories… While this has been a big adjustment to our family/extended family and has caused us to re-evaluate and adjust our lives, I decided to dedicate this Bugle Article to it because of the love, care, support, kindness, gifts, the abundance of prayers showered upon us and offered on behalf of us, and the continual intercession for our family that our church family – YOU – have poured out before our Lord since the end of July. As you know from the last article, our family has only been back in Gainesville for just over three years, and in that time we have been able to see a church family that cares, we have been able to join in with a church family who serves, and we have been able to link hands and bow with y’all in prayer before our Father. Yet it has been in the past few weeks that we have been the recipients of being part of this family of faith. Through visits the couple of days we were in the hospital, contacting us, asking how she, her brother Parker, Lisa and I are doing, and knowing that you are living out 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and praying“ without ceasing” – FOR US – we feel like we can identify with Job in Chapter 42 verse 5, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” While Job meant this regarding God, we feel like it accurately sums up what it means to be part of an active, maturing, God centered, and Gospel focused body of Christ – our First Pres Family. So thanks to each of you for your continual care for us. Thanks for those with Type 1 who have reached out to us with your own stories or those of your family. And thanks most of all for BE-ing the church! “But God has put the body together… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:24-26 For those of you in our Young Adult Ministry, we appreciate your understanding (even if you did not know why) for a slower August. Our hope is to get back into the swing of things in September – Sunday morning Discipleship Time in Sunday School / Christian Education at 9:45 a.m. in Room 201, Thursday evening Grace Groups in family’s homes, Men’s Breakfasts on Thursday mornings around 9:00 a.m. at Metro Diner, and Ladies Time Together – yet now, more than ever, we need help with this. So if you are interested in leading or helping us in any of these areas, please let me know by emailing me at [email protected]. Alongside, Reaching singles and marrieds who are navigating careers and/or families Fred is the Director of Young Adult Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Gainesville – if you are or know of someone who is Adulting (in their 20’s, 30’s or 40’s with careers and / or families) please contact him at [email protected], so he can make sure you know when they are getting together in hope that you can join them for what you can, when you can. 3 Past and Future from Scott Stuart In many ways I cannot help but share the same sentiment that Paul had as he wrote his letter to the Church of Philippi when he said, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” As I sit here at my desk, tomorrow marks my six-year anniversary at FPCG.