October 2020 SpiritPresbyterian Church of Palatine Sightings “He“He himselfhimself borebore ourour sinssins inin hishis bodybody onon thethe cross,cross, soso that,that, freefree fromfrom sins,sins, wewe mightmight livelive forfor righteousness;righteousness; byby hishis woundswounds youyou havehave beenbeen healed.”healed.” 11 PeterPeter 2:242:24 (NRSV)(NRSV) The protestant symbol of faith is the cross, not a crucifix. WEARING THE CROSS… It is not to say one is right over the other, but rather what Lately, many “Karen” videos have caught my attention on is practiced over what is recognized. The empty cross YouTube. These are recordings of public rants against enhances the representation of the incarnate love of God in wearing masks at stores, and racist behaviors. What I Jesus Christ, and his passion and resurrection. The empty have especially noticed is that many were wearing the cross reminds us to live in God’s love. However, we also cross necklace. Though I understand that cross has recognize the suffering death of Christ of body and blood become simply an accessory to many, to Christians, our in our sacrament of The Lord’s Supper as Christ’s atoning accessory of the cross needs to be worn with intention and sacrifice that made the forgiveness of our sins possible. understanding. Though the symbol of the cross was a cruel instrument of To be clear, wearing the cross as an accessory is not wrong. death in ancient times, for Christians, it is a symbol of God’s The Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, records: “From blessing of unconditional love shown and given in Jesus its simplicity of form, the cross has been used both as a Christ. It is not a symbol of pride and self-righteousness, religious symbol and as an ornament from the dawn of but a symbol of our imperfections redeemed through faith, man’s civilization. Various objects, dating from periods long reminding us of humility and God’s mercy and grace. anterior [preceding] to the Christian era, have been found, In the Old Testament, God instructed the people to wear marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every the symbols of the covenant as a reminder of their faith part of the old world” (Vol. 7, p. 506). George Willard Benson, (Deuteronomy 11:18). But Jesus instructs us further to show in his book The Cross: Its History and Symbolism, writes: our spirit of faith through action. “In the same way, let your “Centuries before the Christian era ancient crosses were in light shine before others, so that they may see your good use as pagan emblems. They have been found carved in works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” stone dating back to remote ages” (p. 16). (Matthew 5:16) 1 STEWARDSHIP REPORT We may be in the midst of a pandemic but stewardship is alive and well at PCOP! Since March 22 we have been worshiping together virtually. On June 21, we added in- person worship for those that felt comfortable worshiping in our sanctuary. Through the tireless efforts of RJ, Jack Kang, Bill Bedsole and sound and facilities teams, the quality of the broadcast service improves each week. We are blessed that Crystalyn and Ingrid are comfortable sharing their musical talents with us weekly. Each week, RJ does a children’s moment via Zoom and the children then have Sunday School with Miss Wendy, also by Zoom. Whether you attend the in-person service or the virtual service it is wonderful that we are able to worship together as a church family. We have continued working on the New Beginnings Program (that began before the pandemic) and one exciting outcome from this program is the transformation of the old “Deacon’s Kitchen” into a PCOP Food Pantry. Working with the social worker from Winston Campus, we will initially provide food to some of the families in need. Fall is here and so are we. Project Apple Tree is a Pentecost mission project and although the campaign looked somewhat different this year, mainly virtual, we were able to donate a good amount of school supplies and $75 in donations to the Township. The 2020 Palatine Township Apple Tree Campaign provided 783 underprivileged children a pre-packed backpack filled with class specific school supplies. Sharon Langlotz-Johnson, President of the Needy Family Fund and Palatine Township Supervisor, added this hand written note to the thank you letter that we received. “Thank you all! We could not do it without your help!” Personally, I find it rewarding to help the children of our community through programs like Apple Tree. Judging by the amount school supplies donated by us this year, I’m certain that we all feel rewarded by our gifts to the Township Apple Tree Campaign. The Pentecost team also collected books for the Winston Campus. Sixty-nine books were collected for grades K through 6. These books were delivered to the principal to be used at her discretion. Thank you for giving so generously to both Project Apple Tree and the Winston Campus Book Drive. Our giving is such a blessing for so many underprivileged children in our community. The Garden Ministry Team has also helped the less fortunate by delivering fresh vegetables to the Township Food Pantry every week. In this year of extremes, too wet in the spring, too dry in July and August, our gardeners have continued to nurture the plots and offer a continuous supply of fresh vegetables to the food pantry. Thanks to everyone who gives their time and talents to this very important ministry. In the midst of a pandemic we are an active church, reaching out to help our community, and are able to provide a meaningful worship experience for all. God has provided us with the opportunity to share our time, talent and resources to benefit our congregation and our community. Praise God, Amen. Bruce Churchill – elder 2 SPIRITUAL FITNESS I have been taking physical therapy sessions due to issues with TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder, causing pain in my jaw. Unsurprisingly, this is due to being in front of a computer screen for a prolonged period of time in a poor position. My therapist instructed me to do four movements throughout the day and you also might find them helpful to release tension after too much screen time: 1. Sit or stand upright with relaxed shoulders and move the arms in a circular motion in both forward and back directions. (10x each direction) 2. Bring the arms to 90-degree position and move the hands in and out like opening a door, but keeping the elbows to the side of the body. (10x) 3. Move the shoulders: back, down, forward while keeping the shoulders relaxed. Each movement is specific. (10x) 4. Chin Tuck. During the season, everyone will be encouraged to Write it on your hearts….. HARVEST 2 return their pledge card between October 18th and Beginning Oct 18 November 15th either by dropping it off at PCOP and placing it in the basket that will be set up for Write it on your hearts… GOD is GOD collection or mailing it to the office. We hope most Love! is will drop it off and use the opportunity to sign up Love for a 2021 Season Team. The sign-up station will be Team: Nancy Briggs, Lyn located in the Narthex. Nawrot, Mary Kenter, & Tom Kenter The team selected the following mission activities for support during the season: The theme for this season was inspired by Jeremiah 31:33. As the team • Collection of donations to the Food Pantry that contemplated the readings, this theme sprung PCOP is establishing to serve local families in need. forth as we discussed the myriad of issues we face Stay tuned for a list of items that are needed. today: a pandemic, social injustice, civil unrest, and an upcoming election that seems to be dividing • Making a contribution using the PCUSA Giving the country rather than bringing us together. The Catalog. The printed catalog will be available in the team took comfort in the words found in the season Narthex and the on-line version can be found at: readings as they reminded us of God’s promise to https://presbyteriangifts.pcusa.org/gifts/ make a covenant with his people and to write it on Know that your weekly physical presence has been their hearts. A covenant of mercy, a covenant that missed during last few months – we miss seeing lifts the lowly, a covenant that fills the hungry, a you in person! Therefore the team is working covenant that looks with favor upon his people, a to plan a “Sunday Tailgate Party” to provide covenant born out of his love for us. an opportunity for folks to gather and spend The H2 Season contains Commitment Sunday – set some time in fellowship with appropriate social for Sunday, November 15th. Commitment Sunday distancing. Details will be forthcoming. is a time for us to make a formal commitment of We hope that you enjoy the season and find the our financial support to PCOP for 2021 so that theme a message of inspiration and comfort. our Christ-centered community has the resources needed to provide spiritual growth and fulfillment to each of us as well as support the mission activities we undertake in order to serve the wider community around us in the year ahead. 3 THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF U.S.A. CROSS SYMBOL The Presbyterian cross represents the incarnate love of God in Jesus Christ, and his passion and resurrection. Because of its association with Presbyterian history, the Celtic cross was chosen.