In This Issue 02 Birthdays • Church Announcements 03 Church Announcements Cont. • Missions 04 Pathways to Hope Event 05 Children’s Ministry • Habitat • Financial Report 06 Youth Ministry 07 August Calendar of Events 08 Officers • Pastoral Care • Crossroads S AN P EDRO P RESBYTERIAN C HURCH S HARING THE P ROMISE OF P EACE IN C HRIST Calvin’s Corner Dear Friends, “The Presbyterians have opened more mission fields than any other church in history,” so claims Marge Carpenter, former Moderator of our General Assembly, and mission spokesperson for our denomination. I was blessed once to hear her share the stories of countless Presbyterian missionaries throughout the centuries and throughout the world. Did you know that Margaret Landon, a Presbyterian missionary, wrote the book on which the play, “The King and I”, was based? She was serving in Thailand (the former Siam). Her story is based on information she uncovered in the library there. The Presbyterians were the first to enter Thailand in the 1850s. Marge had visited Bangkok in hopes of seeing some of the examples of our mission work. She did find much being done in the area of day care for the poor, care for the elderly, and some courageous work being done to end child prostitution, which is running rampant in that country. And yet, this work was nothing compared to what was being done in Chiang Mai. There lies the largest university in Thailand started by Presbyterians. There is a church, a hospital, a high school, a nursing school, and on a little island there is a leprosarium. The first two missionaries to Thailand started a leprosarium on this island because the King of Siam banned them to this island. They turned it into a hospital for people suffering with leprosy, they also were banned to this island. The church grew there. According to Marge wherever the church helped leprosy victims, the church grew. We helped leprosy victims in Miraj, India, and the church grew. We helped leprosy victims in Taiwan, and the church grew. We helped leprosy victims in South Korean, and the church grew there. Isn’t it interesting how God used these poor inflicted people as those upon whom he built his church? And this is only a microcosm of what God has done through Presbyterian missionaries. But so many of us do not know of these amazing and courageous people in our history and in our church today. We spend so much time and money combating sexual immorality and theological heresy that we are distracted from the good work being done for the Lord all over the world. Let us not forget these special people in our prayers, in our support and in our commissioning of more missionaries to spread God’s Word. Yes, it is important to confront what is facing our church, but we must not do it to the neglect of the Great Commission of Christ, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Let us still go and share the Word, 1 ATTEND Come out for a great breakfast SPPC and informational displays from many of the groups and organizations of the Church. It’s Celebration going to be a Rally-Day-Lite this year—which means displays Breakfast! may not be as elaborate as they have been in the past, but IN THE there still will be lots of things FELLOWSHIP HALL you can learn about and sign up SUNDAY, Shelly Smith, 8/01 for. If your group needs table Bob Gibson, 8/03 AUGUST 28 space, be sure to talk to Linda Ann Coleman, 8/04 Hutchins, Fellowship Deacon. 9:30-12:00 Billie Winniford, 8/05 Joette Patterson, 8/18 Kendyl Mapes, 8/06 Justin Baca, 8/19 Charlotte Randolph, 8/19 Tianli McCloud, 8/06 Paul Gaedke, 8/21 Sherry Closner, 8/08 Katie Krenz, 8/21 Jennifer Casey 8/09 Amy Gates, 8/22 Joel Deal, 8/09 Helen Saro, 8/23 Andrew Hodgkins, 8/09 Donna Stachowiak, 8/23 Louise Jennings, 8/09 Mason Workman, 8/23 Sabrina Rodriguez, 8/09 Melba Evans, 8/24 Daniel Simpson, 8/10 Betty Hayes, 8/24 Luke-Gregory Espinoza 8/11 Caitlin Conkling, 8/25 Grant Green, 8/11 Alicea Bonnema, 8/26 Richard Terwilliger, 8/11 Bob Kilgore, 8/27 Kay Westerfield, 8/11 Brendan Smith, 8/27 Lesley Sallee, 8/12 Laura Tapley, 8/27 Dottie Minor, 8/13 Caitlin Hengst, 8/28 Joyce Popelar, 8/13 Bill Johnston, 8/28 Saturday, September 10th at 10:00 a.m. Lauren Skloss, 8/13 Bill Barnes, 8/30 Nick Petergal, 8/14 Gwen Joyce, 8/30 Honoring our Office Manager, Jim Potyka, 8/14 Harvey Juarez, 8/31 Pamela Goble, 8/17 Mabrie and her husband Sean Casbeer who are expecting a baby girl! Stephen Ministry Reception to be held in the Fellowship Hall. Stephen Ministry: We hope to start another training class in January, 2017, for people interested in becoming Stephen Ministers. Stephen Ministers are caring individuals who go through 50+ hours of training which prepares them to be a listening presence to people who are experiencing a crisis of some kind. For more information, please contact Betty Hayes at 210.497.3433. If you are interested in being trained to be a Stephen Minister, please contact Pastor Faith for an application. Interviews for potential Stephen Ministers will be held in Fellowship Volunteer Needed! We are looking for early November with the class beginning on Thursday, 2 people to help in the kitchen starting in October. January 12, and running through the end of May, with They must be able to do set up and clean up and be commissioning on June 4th. willing to help cook. Please contact Linda Hutchins, Fellowship Deacon for more information. 2 SPPC is a church built on a solid foundation of faith. We are built on “the Solid Rock” of Christ. Our name “San Pedro” literally means “Holy Rock.” Our history as a congregation has been an affirmation of that bedrock beneath us, and we want to move into the future God has for us ATTEND from this strong groundwork. As Calvin said in the 2015 Annual Report, we are “on the edge of great potential…and there are questions that must be asked at this stage of the life of our SPPC church.” To help us ask and answer some of those questions as we think about our future, we plan to Celebration develop Focus Groups of 8-10 people that will reflect together on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we ought to go as a community of Rock Solid faith. Breakfast! For four weeks in October, these groups will meet to discuss four different facets of our life together. IN THE Starting on Rally Day, 8/28 and throughout September you will be asked to sign-up to be part of one of these groups. We hope most of you will be part of one of these Focus Groups—long-time members and newer mem- FELLOWSHIP HALL bers—because your ideas are important to us. They will be held at various times in the week—including Sunday SUNDAY, morning during the Sunday school hour—so that everyone who wants to participate will have the chance to do so. AUGUST 28 9:30-12:00 Calling all Boomers! Get this date on your calendars-- Saturday, August 27, 2016, starting at 6:00 PM! Come out for a night of fun, food, fellowship, and frivolity at the Jongewaards’ home. (1503 Nightshade, 78260) Boomers is a super-fun social group for people born between 1940 and 1960, or so—but we don’t ever check IDs! Watch for more information as the time gets nearer. GIRLFRIENDS Save the Dates: October 1st for the Girlfriends’ Fall Fling luncheon: "A Whimsical Party Platform Party." December 10th for the Annual Girlfriends’ Christmas Luncheon. SPPC is going to Schlitterbahn on Labor Day, Monday, September 5th! The park opens Monday morning at 10 a.m. so be sure to bring your sunscreen, picnic baskets, coolers and children to spend the day. We are doing things a little differently this year; everyone is responsible to purchase their own tickets. Hope you’ll join us! Our Missions & Charities Need You "Traveling this summer? Save those hotel toiletries for Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM). Let's help those folks give a "hand up, not a hand out"! CAM bin is located just outside the Fellowship Hall. School Supplies Needed—We are collecting school supplies for Coker Elementary for our Back to School Night at SPPC on August 10th. Donation bin is next to the Missions Desk. Many thanks to the ladies who so graciously baked, set up, served and cleaned up for the reception for Anna Belle Hawkins after the memorial service. *************************** We wish to thank our many friends for their kindness shown in our bereavement. We thank you for your prayers, telephone calls, cards, flowers, food, and your petition to God for our strength. - The Hawkins Family 3 4 I know we’re all enjoying our last few weeks of summer, but the start of school is fast approach- ing. I always feel equal parts excited and apprehensive when a new school year begins, how about you? I am happy to get back to the normal routine, yet I feel a sense of loss when my kids get on that bus. The school year propels time forward so much more quickly; gone is the pause of summer.