The Christian Letter
First Christian Church Disciples of Christ, Winchester, VA
May 2017
Our Mission
Love God, Love others and make disciples for Christ
Sunday Worship Schedule
8:30 Worship Service
9:30 Sunday School
10:50 Worship Service
Associate/Youth Pastor: Aaron Tinsman
Interim Pastor: Mike Moulden
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M-TH 7am-1pm
Office Hours: M,T,TH,F 9am-2pm
Pastor Mike’s Message
Last month the United States experienced a significant event that may set the course of
our legal system for many years to come. Judge Neil Gorsuch went through the difficult and
partisan confirmation process that ultimately led to his confirmation as Unites States
Supreme Court Justice. The proceedings in the Senate were strongly divided along political
party lines but what stood out to me most was a particular word that seemed to be a great
point of contention. That word was “originalist”. In the context of interpreting the U. S.
Constitution, originalism is a way to “interpret the Constitution’s meaning as stable from the
time of enactment.” Webster defines originalism as “the principle or belief that the original
intent of an author should be adhered to in later interpretations of a work”. The counter
approach to this is the “living Constitution” idea in which the text is interpreted in light of
current times, culture, and society. All of this led me to wonder “How are we, as Christians, to
interpret our constitution which is the Bible?”
In his book “Godquest”, Christian apologist Sean McDowell writes “If you believe the Bible is
true, then you have an inspired, flawless, incredibly wise guidebook that will keep you on the
right path in life. If you don’t believe the Bible is true, then you need to decide on your own
rules and your own map for life.” The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture
is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
It seems to me that God, who is eternal past and future, would give man words to write that
transcend time, culture, and society. In other words, the same message from the Bible that
was relevant in the first century and since the beginning of time would be just as relevant in
the 21st century. Some use the letters of the Bible as an acronym: Basic Instructions Before
Leaving Earth. God’s Word is for us to use as a guide for our lives and for God to show us how
to be forgiven of our sins, offer us the plan of salvation, and to share the Gospel with those
around us.
The problem is we try to adapt the words of scripture into our lives in such a way that it is
convenient to us and pleases us. Instead, we should be trying to adapt our lives in such a way
that we are obedient to the words of scripture and we please God. The Bible is not about us.
The Bible is about God. It was written by God for us. It was written so that we may
understand who God is, that we may believe that He wants to have a relationship with us,
and that we trust Him with our life. “For everything that was written in the past was written
to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement
they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) The Bible should be interpreted today just
as the original author, God, intended it from the beginning. When we don’t agree with what
the Bible says it is not for us to manipulate the words to fit our lives at the moment. It is time
to conform our lives to its teaching.
Because He Lives!
Words from Pastor Aaron
I’ve been thinking a lot about the events leading up to
the crucifixion lately. A pastor recently said, “Too
many churches are content giving children’s church
answers to grown-up questions.”
Why did Jesus want the cup to pass from Him? (Luke
22:42) Why did Jesus sweat great drops of blood in
the Garden of Gethsemane? (Luke 22:44)
For those of us who have asked these questions, the
standard church answer, for the most part, has been
that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God; so,
Jesus felt fear, and Jesus didn’t want to go to the
cross.
I disagree.
Jesus, being both man and God, certainly was capable
of fear, and nobody – nobody – looks forward to a
torturous death by crucifixion; but there are so many
martyrs throughout the history of Christianity, many of
whom boldly faced their executioners with a fearless
assurance of what they believed and Who they
believed in. Were these martyrs more courageous
than the Lord Jesus? Certainly not.
Paul Washer, a missionary, said it this way, “Did you
know that some years after Jesus was crucified, some
of His followers were persecuted, tortured and
crucified? Many of these followers went to their death
singing hymns and praising God in the process. Do
you for a moment think the captain of your salvation,
Jesus, would be scared of a Roman whip?! He laughs
at Roman legions!”
In Isaiah 59:2, Isaiah writes, “But your iniquities have
separated you from your God; your sins have hidden
his face from you, so that he will not hear.” So often,
we use iniquities and sins interchangeably, but there is
a slight difference; sin means “missing the mark,” it is a
failure to achieve God’s standard. It is what people
mean when they say “I’m not perfect” or “nobody’s
perfect.” Iniquity comes from a different Hebrew word
meaning “twisted” or “bent,” and it describes our
inherent moral perversity. Our iniquity is our flawed
and “twisted” character from our sin nature that
entered the world when Adam and Eve first sinned.
Both our iniquity and our sin separates us from God.
We are so separated from a holy God that Habakkuk
1:13 tells us that God can’t even look at sin.
There is a famous hymn from the mid-1990s called
“How Deep the Father’s Love for us.” In it is the line,
“How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.”
Jesus felt the weight of our sins from the time He was
there in the garden until He died. That’s the reason
that, in agony, He cried out on the cross saying “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God the
Father turned His back on God the Son, because the
Father is holy and literally could not stand the sight of
sin, your sin and my sin, on His Son.
Jesus felt abandoned, but that’s not even the worst
part of it. The “let this cup pass from me” thing isn’t
just a fancy King James Version old-timey English
phrasing. Jesus is talking about the Cup of God’s
Wrath. You can read all about it in Isaiah 51 and
Jeremiah 25 and later in Revelation 14:10 and 16:19,
but to quickly summarize, it isn’t a good thing. It
symbolizes God’s wrath and judgment, and
immediately precedes punishment for God’s enemies
every time it appears in scripture.
In short, it wasn’t the Romans and their crucifixion that
Jesus feared, it was the wrath of Almighty God. That
cup that Jesus prayed would pass from Him was God’s
judgment for the sins of the whole world. In paying the
price for your sins and for my sins, Jesus became an
enemy of God.
You and I are the reason that in the Garden of
Gethsemane, Jesus’ “…soul is overwhelmed with
sorrow to the point of death…” (Matthew 26:38)
Yet Jesus prayed “…yet not my will, but yours be
done." And we know that “it was the Lord’s will to
crush him and cause him to suffer, and though
the Lord makes his life an offering for sin…my
righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear
their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:10a,11b
My Savior felt the weight of God’s wrath for my sins.
What a privilege it is to call Him Lord.
Let me hear from you.
A Message from the Chairman of the Board:
According to Genesis, life on earth started in a garden. The Bible is filled with references to gardens and
gardening or farming. Psalm 1 begins with a tree planted by the water, which yields its fruit in
season. Solomon talks about the seasons of life. Most of the parables of Jesus refer to growing
things. Jesus prayed before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then in John 19:41 we are told the
place of crucifixion on the cross, where Jesus was nailed to “a tree”, was near a garden. On Easter
morning the two women mistook the resurrected Savior for the gardener.
In Mark 4:26-28, Jesus compares spreading the gospel to planting a garden. He says, “This is what the
kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up,
the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the
stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”
Here is my suggestion for planting your spring garden:
Plant Three Rows of Peas
Peace of Mind
Peace of Heart
Peace of Soul
Plant Four Rows of Squash
Squash
Squash
Squash
Squash
Gossip
Indifference
Grumbling
Selfishness
Plant Four Rows of Lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce
Be Faithful
Be Kind
Be Patient
Really Love One Another
No Garden is Complete Without Turnips
Turnip For Meetings
Turnip For Service
Turnip To Help One Another
To Conclude Our Garden We Must Have Thyme
Thyme For Each Other
Thyme For Family
Thyme of Friends
Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much fruit in your garden because you
reap what you sow. Pass it on!
Because He Lives!
Kathy Mitchell
A Note From the Church Historian
Hello to all. The church history website continues to get new info put on it just about every week. Right
now most of the material being added continues to be more recent events and pictures. I am thinking more
people will be interested in more current events than the older material that will be added in future weeks
and months. There is already some pictures from this year’s Easter Egg Hunt and the Sunrise Service as
well as the youth Spaghetti Dinner. But you will also find some pictures and documents from various
events back through 2014. The easiest way to access this view-only folder for the next month or two is to go
to the church website at: http://www.firstchristianwinchester.org/
Then click on the Newsletter tab at the top and come down the newsletter to the Historian article and click
on the View-Only link (or better copy and paste on your computer for future use).
View Only Link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByxsJcuuWEEVUF9nb0dpQ2xaUEU?usp=sharing
Because there is a limited amount of free storage space on the website I am not recommending videos be
uploaded and kept there. Videos tend to be considerably bigger files than simple documents and pictures.
So many more documents and pictures can be available to everyone there if we keep the videos off (at least
for now).
With that said, I am planning to have a laptop available at church that anyone can access during office
hours that will have all documents, pictures, and videos stored on it. That too will take a little time to get
put together and files continued to be copied to it. But it will serve as a convenient place for folks to copy
any pictures and videos of interest with a simple flash drive.
In the long run I am anticipating converting all old documents and directories over to digital
format. The older printed material takes up a fair amount of space, weight, and tends to
deteriorate over time. Digital storage can hold much more material in a fraction of the space and
is readily accessible. And more can be done with it for review and presentations or merely for
keepsake. I know not everyone has a computer or is computer savvy. But EVERYONE in our
church is surrounded by friends, family, and other church members that do use computers and will
readily help find any digital material to copy, view, or print.
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NEEDED: GRADUATES' NAMES
The worship committee needs to know who will be graduating from high school
or higher education institutes this year. Graduate Sunday has been scheduled
for Sunday, June 25th. Please call in to the
church office with any names of students
we need to recognize or let Kathy Sutphin
know (323-2445).
May Events
Youth Night
Movie Night
May 7, 21
May 19th at 8 PM
4:00 -5:30 Prek-2nd grade
4:30-6:15 3rd grade and up
May 28th at 4 PM (at the Sutphins’ creek)
Church-wide event, everyone is invited
If you want to be baptized that day, see either
Pastor Mike or Pastor Aaron
Sermon Titles for May 2017
May 7th
Advantage Becomes Disadvantage
Philippians 3:1-11
Pastor Mike
May 14th
A Woman of Great Faith
Matthew 15:21-28
Pastor Mike
May 21st
Enemies of the Cross
Philippians 3:15-21
Pastor Aaron
May 28th
Words of Encouragement
Philippians 4:2-9
Pastor Mike
Full Name: Robert Eugene Seward
Robert
Date of Birth: October 24, 1927
Seward
Place of Birth: Galesburg, Illinois
Schools Attended: Decatur High School (Decatur, IL)
Note of interest: Robert enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 before finishing high school. His naval service ended just before
he turned 19. Upon his return to Decatur High School, Robert was given credit for his service in the Navy and completed required courses in six months to obtain his high school degree.
Size of family grew up with: parents, self
Places you’ve lived: Decatur, IL; Winchester, VA; Galesburg, IL
Occupations: Robert started working at the age of 12
when his father told him he had to get a job (plus schooling
of course). He had an early morning paper route. At the
age of 15, he worked for Wabash Railroad for $0.55 an
hour. Then he worked for Pennsylvania Railroad for
$0.64 an hour. These railroad jobs were after school hours.
In the summer months he worked for Caterpillar to sweep
the floors of a 27 acre facility and then learned to be a drill
press operator. Robert enlisted in the Navy March 1945
and served until September 1946. He mostly served on a
destroyer escort. Then Robert worked for the government
a total of 37 years. After retiring, he built houses with his
oldest son for four and a half years. Then he became a
farmer for the first time in his life. Robert split his time between living in Winchester and farming in Galesburg, IL for
15 years.
Hobbies: designs and builds furniture; also loves to read
Something you’ve done that might be a surprise to people: “I sailed around the world before I turned 19. I baked bread,
pies, cakes, and cinnamon rolls in large quantities because I was a baker on the ship I served on. I survived five days in a typhoon with 40 foot waves.” A special note of interest that might surprise some people is that Robert is one of our faithful mowers who helps keep our church lawn looking nice!
What’s one thing on your “bucket list”? to travel the New England states
How long have you attended First Christian? since 1984
Who has influenced your faith the most? “My wife, Helen.”
What is your favorite scripture or story in the Bible? “The story of the creation found in Genesis.”
What is your heartfelt prayer and desire for our church? “I would like to see us move forward and get the politicking going
on out of the church.”
A REVIVAL has been scheduled for June 1st, 2nd, 3rd and
4th here at First Christian.
Our speaker will be Mike Staubs, pastor of Mountain View
Church of the Brethren in Inwood, WV. Times for revival
are 6:30 - 8:30 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday
will include the revival during our normal worship times. A
light meal will be available from 5:00 - 6:30 on Thursday and
Friday evenings. Watch for more details in future bulletin
announcements.
The Audio committee will be hosting the Hospitality Table for the month of May. There is a donation
basket for those who would like to help with the cost. A special Thank You to Cheryl Gray who prepares
the table and the coffee every Sunday.
The committee continues to support our various organizations around the area such as the Laurel
Center, ABBA Care and Showers For Souls. As always your help with donations is greatly appreciated.
The C-CAP box is located in room beside the Blosser
classroom, but all donations can be left in the church
office. Thank you to all who helped provide hams for
families at Easter. You provided 7 hams and 1
turkey. GOD bless you and thank you from the
families and the Outreach committee.
The Editor’s Mic
What are your plans for the remainder of the year? Most
people would respond with something like, take a vacation, do some
traveling or perhaps completing a project around the house. Those
are all wonderful things, but does your list include meeting the lord in
the air? In John 14:3, Jesus tells his disciples that he would return
for them one day.
“I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also
may be where I am.”
So what would you do different if you knew Jesus would return
in six months? In Matthew 25, Jesus gives us a warning about being
ready.
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the
bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five of them were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not
take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long
time in coming, and they all became drowsy and feel asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones
said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.” “No” they replied. “There may not be enough
for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves”. But while they were on their
way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.
And the door was shut.”
Notice in this parable that all the virgins expected the bridegroom to return at some point. None of the
foolish virgins said, “it’s a hoax so I’m not taking extra oil”, or “I don’t believe he’ll come, so who needs oil”. ALL
of the virgins fully expected the bridegroom would return, but sadly not all of them made it to the banquet. The
foolish virgins misjudged the time frame the bridegroom would return and therefore were caught unprepared.
So when you make plans for this summer, this fall and beyond, be sure to leave extra time in there to
keep your lamp filled with oil…….. because Jesus has sent all of mankind an invitation to the wedding banquet,
and when the bridegroom arrives on that glorious day you want your lamp shinning bright.
Our First Christian Family'
Thank you to everyone for the meals,
cards, calls, and especially for the
prayers.
We want to thank everyone for the prayers,
support and cards we received for the recent
death of my Dad, Thomas Clark, Sr. Loosing a loved
one is difficult but his pain is over and we take
comfort in knowing he was ready to "meet his
maker".
Thanks to Pastor Mike and Pastor
Aaron who prayed with me before my
surgery.
It is wonderful to have such a loving
and caring church family.
Thank you again,
Joyce Elsea
Thomas & Beverley Clark, Jr, and family
Financial Report
2017 General Operational Budget….$226,449.00
Needed each week….$4,354.79
From April 1 – 15, 2017 - Amount Received …… $13,601.81
Expenditures ……$18,024.74
Emergency Information
Requested
Reporting of Church Affiliation
at Hospitalization
We are requesting that any church member who has not done so
would complete an
Emergency Contact Information Form
for the church office. It would be very helpful to the church to
be able to contact family members in the event of an emergency
quickly and effectively. These forms are available on the table
outside of the Marian’s office in the Narthex. Please be sure to
complete this form and leave it in Marian’s office as soon as
possible.
Winchester Medical Center has requested that church
and family members advise the hospital at
anticipated or unexpected admission of their church
affiliation.
If this information is not provided, the hospital
cannot contact the church to advise of a member’s
hospitalization.
It is also a good idea to contact the church office in the
event of a hospitalization so that the Pastor and Elders
have the information they need to provide ministry for the
individual who is hospitalized.
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – Winchester, VA
540-662-1334
www.firstchristianwinchester.org
*Interim Minister: Mike Moulden
Office Hours: M,T,TH, F 9am-2pm
Email: [email protected]
*Associate/Youth Pastor: Aaron Tinsman
Office Hours: M-TH 7am-1pm
Email: [email protected]
*Chairman of the Board: Kathy Mitchell
Email: [email protected]
*Vice Chairman of the Board: Rick Edwards
Email: [email protected]
*Church office: Melissa Bucher
Email: [email protected]
*Newsletter: Mike Davis
Email: [email protected]
Church Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/firstchristianwinchester
First Christian Church
Non Profit Org.
Disciples of Christ
U.S. Postage
75 Merrimans Lane
Winchester, VA 22601-6203
PAID
Permit 20
Return Service Requested
Winchester, VA
22601
www.firstchristianwinchester.org
May 1
Frances Moore
May 26
Abby & Chris Zugelder
May 5
Mary June & Dennis Williams
May 27
Cheryl Gray
May 9
Doug Ball
May 30
Mike Davis
May 12
Cody Honour
May 15
Sara Mundell
May 22
Charles Drummonds
R.V. Kave
Allison Lizer
Kelsey Seward
Special Days
in May
May 2017
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
10
11
12
13
Executive
Committee
Meeting
7

Women’s
bible study
7pm

Men’s bible
study 7pm
8
9

14
15
Women’s
bible study
7pm
16
Elders meeting 

FEED
17
18
Women’s
bible study
10am
19
20
Men’s bible
study 7pm
Preschool Silent Auction
21
22
23
24
25
Preschool
Graduation
28
29
30

Men’s bible
study 7pm
31
FEED
26
27