April 2017
Circle of Caring Replaces Deacons
On Sunday March 19, the Congregation voted to dissolve and replace
the office of ordained Deacon. The
rationale for this decision was to remove the cumbersome requirements of ordination and allow a wider number of members and friends
of the congregation to serve in the
area of congregational care.
During the past two years, the Deacons have developed a plan of action called the Circle of Caring in
order to involve others in the compassionate care ministry of the congregation. This experience led to
the discernment on behalf of the
Deacons to offer the following motion to the Session:
Believing the ministry of care and
compassion is a vital component to
the ministry of the church, having a
desire to involve others in that ministry, and recognizing that people
can serve in a variety of ways and
for different periods of time:
The Deacons move that the Diaconate be dissolved and replaced by
the Circle of Caring, and that the
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Our be
Side Chancel
status of ordination
removed
from this ministry in order that we
might involve a wider number of
people in the church. Circle of Caring would then operate like the other
committees/ministries of the session.
The Book of Order (part of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church)
states that maintaining the office of
Deacon is an option. As of June,
the office of Deacon will be dissolved and the Circle of Caring will
be constituted as a committee under
the direction of the Session.
Several members of the Diaconate
will continue to serve as we organize the Circle of Caring Committee.
The duties of the Circle of Caring
will continue the work of the Diaconate: identifying those in the congregation with particular needs, sending cards of compassion, organizing
meals for those who are sick or in
grief when needed, and coordinating the After Worship Fellowship. If
you have an interest in serving on
the Circle of Caring please contact
Blake.
For Blake’s Sake
As I write these words we remain in the season of Easter
working our way to the next
season of the church year,
Pentecost. Easter for Christians is not just one day, but
rather a 50-day period. The
season of Easter, or Eastertide, begins at sunset on the
eve of Easter and ends on
Pentecost,
the day
we celebrate
the gift of the Holy Spirit and
the birth of the Church (see
Acts 2).
the church are
invited to bring a
dish of food representing a ethnicity or culture of
their
choice.
There are no rules to this.
Foods can represent a region
of the United States or a different country.
Food is not the only way we
can experience the rich ethnicities and cultures within our
congregation. You are encouraged to bring show and tell
items, share an instrumental
A number of folks have been
sharing their time and talents.
Did you know that Karen
Lopez is busy designing a
new website? Others have
adopted areas of the lawn to
keep the weeds under control.
We have instrumentalists who
share their musical talents,
and several who help make
sure our facility is clean and
organized on a weekly basis.
The Membership Interest Survey will help you identify ways
you can support the congregation. Spend some time considering how you might
help our community
continue to thrive.
We are each gifted in a
unique and important way.
Pentecost Sunday will occur
on Sunday, June 4th. This
year we will be celebrating
Pentecost with an International Potluck lunch after
worship. The idea is to bring
alive the multi-cultural scene
of Pentecost day as depicted
in the Bible in the second
chapter of Acts. Members of
song, or teach us a dance!
Also, as part of our Pentecost
journey, the Session will be
distributing and collecting a
Membership Interest Survey. Thanks to the leadership
of Elder, Andrew Ehrhardt the
Session hopes to identify particular talents and gifts of our
members and to provide ways
for those talents and gifts to
be used for the betterment of
our congregation.
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“We are each gifted in
a unique and important way. It
is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.” - Mary Dunbar
“Hide not your talents, they for
use were made. What's a sundial in the shade.” - Benjamin
Franklin
.” . . talent is like electricity.
We don't understand electricity. We use it. “ - Maya Angelou
A Message from More Light Presbyterians
You might wonder why I remain hopeful during these troubling times. Presbyterian author and clergyman Frederick Beuchner
describes hope “as the driving power
and outermost edge of faith. Hope stands
up to its knees in the past and keeps its
eyes on the future.” At more Light, our
hope is bound up in our past. We are
guided by the memories of the faithful Presbyterians who refused to believe that the
challenges they faced were insurmountable,
who persisted in the fight for full inclusion
even when those sympathetic to our cause
saw marriage and ordination as beyond the
realm of possibility….
We are a member of More Light Presbyterians, an LGBTQ advocacy ministry of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Below is an
excerpt from the latest letter from Alex
Patchin McNeill, the Executive Director:
….We are seeing an increase in threats
against the LGBTQ community and other
marginalized groups including animus
against Muslims and ICE raids against immigrants. In late February, the Trump administration announced it would instruct school
districts to ignore the federal guidelines,
shared under the Obama administration,
calling upon schools to ensure transgender
students have the right to use the restrooms
that match their gender identity. This is a
significant setback from the progress of the
past few years and has the potential to harm
transgender youth across the country. We
anticipate this is just the first of many instances of political hostility aimed at undermining the rights of the LGBTQ community.
Today, our 217-strong network of congregations throughout the country continues to
provide us with this hope, pushing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and society at
large to a place of welcome and inclusion for
the LGBTQ community……Despite the difficult path ahead of us, I am strengthened by
the work we will accomplish together.
Welcome New Members
On Sunday March 5, the Session met to receive Lorene Gilman into the membership of
our congregation. Lorene (pronounced Loreen) expressed great joy in finding our congregation and stated she looked forward to
bringing her ideas to us.
On Sunday March 26, the Session gathered
to receive Olivia Layman as a full member
of the church. Olivia completed her confirmation this past winter.
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Hello to my Presbyterian friends,
Today Pastor Blake and the
children counted 22 days into
the season of Lent, and it appears that your church has
been extra busy with activities. If you peek into Pastor
Blake’s office, you will find
448 cascarones that are all
ready for your Easter celebration. There were many
busy hands that went into
their creation. Thank you to
the children who colored
them so beautifully, and to
the Front Porch gatherers
who filled them with confetti,
and sealed the tops. And, of
course, we cannot forget the
folks who ate the 448 eggs
and hollowed out the shells!
What a fun church event.
Did you know that the word
“cascaron” comes from the
Spanish word cascara that
means egg shell? From this
Mexican tradition, having one
broken over your head is said
to bring you “Good Luck.”
My family and I will be watching you frolicking around out
front (from a safe distance).
Then after all the eggs are
broken, we get to party with
all the left over confetti that
we use to decorate and make
cozy nests in our burrows.
Thank you!
This Sunday was very nostalgic and extra special for my
family to see Olivia Laymon
join the church. We remember when her father Jim Lay-
mon was baptized at the
Washington Avenue Presbyterian Church. The beautiful
stained glass window that is
illuminated in your sanctuary
commemorates that part of
your church history.
We
were excited to celebrate the
Laymon family’s remarkable
history. It was so meaningful
to read Olivia’s comments
about her church. She appreciates the peace and love in
her church community, and
the familiar songs you sing,
bring her a sense of peace.
How lovely.
On any of these mild days,
we have been snooping
around the church grounds
and Meditation Trail.
We
were surprised a few weeks
ago to observe Vicky and
Bob Helsabeck retrieve a
gnarled and unusually contoured tree from the woods.
This stark, bare branched
tree has been displayed at
the front of the sanctuary as
a symbol of Lent. However,
today Pastor Blake alerted us
to a surprise from nature.
The tree is blossoming!
On the church property, we
were delighted to see daffodils and tulips sprouting and
ready to bloom. Last fall, we
watched volunteers plant the
bulbs from the 2016 Easter
flowers, and now, their efforts
are adding color and variety
to the church grounds. I also
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recall with great joy (and humor) watching Pastor Blake
prune the crêpe myrtle trees
with a tiny clipper while balancing on a step stool. His
heroic effort has ensured prolific blooms. What a multi talented leader!
Last Sunday, during after
worship fellowship time, we
were surprised to hear some
Irish music “pop up” at the
end of the service.
How
wonderful to hear Roberta
Beckler on her flute, Val
Armstrong on the violin, and
Bob Helsabeck tapping the
bodhran. It surely was a toe
tapping and hand clapping
time. Our kids actually
danced a jig on the branches
of the ficus tree! Equally thrilling was the lilting Irish ballad,
“Danny Boy”, performed by
Andrew Ehrhardt and Sean
Ireland on their saxophones.
Kudos to our church musicians.
Looking forward to scampering around the front lawn and
anticipating the colorful dispersion of confetti. It will be
like a huge piñata party.
Your friend,
Malachi
A Taste of Justice
Through the Presbyterian
Coffee
Project,
our
church is linked with congregations and communities around the world. By
savoring a warm cup of
coffee (or tea), enjoying
delicious chocolate as
well as any of our products, our congregation has a
tangible connection with farmers around the world.
Buying fair trade ensures that more of the money
we spend on fair trade products reaches the hardworking farmers who actually grow them. Our E.E.
committee thanks you for your generous support.
The Congo Coffee Project, that we support every
time we buy a bag of Organic Congo Coffee, donates one dollar to the Panzi Hospitals that support
female victims of violence. We now have a colorful
brochure that describes the impact of the Panzi
Foundation on assisting women with medical care,
counseling, skill training, literacy education, and
daycare. This coffee is sold only in whole bean and
is a favorite of a few of our members. Congo coffee,
a coffee grinder, and the Congo brochure would
make a meaningful gift for a discerning
“giftee”………a gift with social value.
Rooibos tea is an herbal tea from the “Wupperthal”
co-operative in South Africa. These farmers have
endured a history of eviction from their fertile land in
the 1800’s and segregation imposed on them from
apartheid. Although it has been challenging to farm
their dry land, Rooibos tea (which is naturally decaffeinated) thrives in this area producing a crop that
excels in quality.
We will provide Rooibos and Vanilla Rooibos for
your sampling during after worship fellowship time.
We think you will enjoy its unique favor.
Our next sale will be April 23, and it is our pleasure
to sell our products any Sunday and/or during office
hours.
Grace, Joanne, Dar, Ed, and Rose
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who makes Decisions in the Church?
If you are new to the Presbyterian Church it is important to know about the leadership and decision
making of the church. This brief article will give you
a look into the governing model of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)
neva and spread by John Knox to Scotland. Scottish immigrants brought Presbyterian doctrine and
polity to America.
What is so unique about Presbyterian Polity is that
authority flows both from the Congregation up and
from the Denomination down. To prevent powerful
hierarchies governed by a single individual, presbyters are elected by congregation members to
serve on assemblies. Once elected assemblies are
responsible to exercise authority over congregations. Regional groups of congregations form a
Presbytery. Groups of Presbyteries are governed
by a Synod. Together, the Synods compose the
General Assembly.
We will elect three Elders in June to serve on the
Session. The Session is the governing counsel of
the congregation. We have nine Elders serving in
three year terms. As three Elders rotate off the
Session each year, three are elected, and ordained /installed to serve.
The Session oversees the Ministries and Committees of the church, and is responsible for the ongoing day to day ministry of the church. We have
three Ministry working groups at Ocean Heights
Presbyterian Church: The Ministry of Church Life,
The Ministry of Church Administration and The
Ministry of Outreach. A brief description of these
ministries are provided below.
Local Congregations govern themselves through
an elected board called the Session (from the Latin
word meaning “to sit”). Session members serve for
three years. Each year, one third of the Session
members retire from Session and are replaced by
members elected as elders by those previously
retired. This provides stability and continuity in
governing the congregation. A minister moderates
the Session which is headed by the Clerk of Session.
Presbyterian churches are governed by what is
known as Presbyterian Polity, a unique church
governance system that balances authority between the Denomination and the Congregation.
This system was developed by John Calvin in Ge5
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Garden trail behind the church building at
2116 Ocean Heights Ave. in Egg Harbor
Township.
This event is part of a world wide effort.
People in 24 different countries will be gathering to walk labyrinths. A labyrinth is a meandering path, often unicursal (singular) and
leading to a center. Labyrinths are an ancient archetype dating back 4,000 years or
more, used symbolically, as a walking meditation, choreographed dance, or site of rituals
and ceremony, among other things. Labyrinths
are tools for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation, also thought to enhance
right brain activity. Labyrinths evoke metaphor,
sacred geometry, spiritual pilgrimage, religious
practice, mindfulness, environmental art, and
community building. For information about labyrinths and how to locate one anywhere in the
world please see: https://labyrinthsociety.org .
Ocean Heights Presbyterian
Church Participates in World
Labyrinth Day.
Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church is participating in the World Labyrinth Day Walk. On
Saturday, May 6th beginning at 1:00 pm and
continuing through late afternoon the community is invited to come and walk on our labyrinth in the woods located on the Nature/
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April Birthdays
APRIL CALENDAR
23
25
26
27
30
10:00 am
11:00 am
5:00 pm
Worship
Equal Exchange Sale
Children’s Ministry
10:30 am
7:00 pm
12:00 pm
10:00 am
7:00 pm
Heart & Soul
Session
Men’s Luncheon
Front Porch
Choir
10:00 am
5:00 pm
Worship
Children’s Ministry
1
Charlie Seel
2
Jeffrey Rust
2
Dick Williams
19
Renae Purinton
27
Dee Algeo
30
Joanne Phillips
If you, or someone you know, is missing from this list,
please let the church office know.
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