The Providence Press
Providence Presbyterian Church
Volume 21: Issue 3 Greenville, SC 29611
March 2015
Dear God,
Thank you for calling us to be your disciples. Help us answer your
call joyfully and with acceptance so that we can perform the tasks you
ask of us. Show us how to minister to others and give of our talents. As
we take our Lenten journey this year, help us deepen our relationship
with you and remind us of what is important and what is not. Amen.
(adapted from On the Road Again: a Faith Journey
By James W. Moore)
Christian Education News –
Nurturing the Seeds of Faith
Sunday School classes continue their
studies each Sunday morning at 9:45. Adult One
is continuing their study of the Daily Word. Adult
II – The Grateful Outcasts - have been studying
The Wired Word which deals with weekly news
items and how they affect our lives as Christians.
The children are having fun with Mrs.
Becky, Mrs. Robin, Mr. Shane, or Mr. Brad
learning about God’s love and growing in their
faith. The youth are fortunate to have Mr. Todd
guiding them in their faith journeys every
Sunday morning.
In Christ, Suzanne Goodman, Elder
Finance
Starting the week with a prayer for
Providence
Monday mornings at church find several
members of the Finance Committee counting and
recording Sunday’s tithes.
Yes, counting the
tithes is about financial records and being able to
pay the bills, but actually, it’s more than that.
During that time, the current needs of the
church, the church family, and community are
heavy on our hearts. Each tithe envelope is
opened with the spirit of thanksgiving,
understanding that each tithe is a practice of
faith.
On many occasions, I’ve touted the
possibilities Providence holds to be a strong
witness in the community. We’ve been traveling
this same road now for a while. Are we like the
Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40
years on what should have been an 11 day
journey?
Are we seeking God’s will for
Providence?
Matthew 18:20 says “For where two or
three are gathered in my name, I am there
among them.” Will you be a part of this spirit of
prayer with us on Monday mornings? You may
be in your car, just finishing your breakfast, or
starting the day at work, but a moment together
lifting the church in prayer will be a great
blessing to Providence.
Pray in the Spirit in every situation. Use
every kind of prayer and request there is. For
the same reason be alert. Use every kind of
effort and make every kind of request for all of
God’s people. ~ Ephesians 6:18
God’s love and peace,
Cyndi Everette, Treasurer
Mission Possible
Food of the month for March & April – Canned
fruits.
A Time for Thanks!
We collected $115 and 25 cans of soup
during our Souper Bowl of Caring! In February,
we also delivered 2 large boxes of clothing,
several board games, books and small toys to the
Dream Center which provides services for
Pickens County families. PERC received 60
pounds of food from our congregation! And we
especially want to thank everyone for their help
with Family Promise during the shelter week in
February.
If you have gently used clothing, family
suitable books or kids’ board games, we will
gladly help find new homes for them. Bring
these items to the church and our committee will
deliver them to the various agencies serving our
community.
Mission Project Coordinator Needed
Providence needs a volunteer to take
charge of the collections of used eye glasses and
cell phones. We collect these items year round
and would like for someone to take
responsibility for gathering and delivering these
items to agencies in Pickens, Anderson or
Greenville Counties. Please get in touch with
Sherrie or Jennifer if you would like to
coordinate this ministry opportunity. (Hint,
hint….you don’t even have to be a grownup to do
this!)
have something that you treasure, you spend
time with it. You care for it—dusting, polishing,
maintaining, protecting. You know its every
detail and what makes it unique from others. A
treasured possession is valuable and special and
is worth protecting and caring for.
How wonderful it is to know that God
sees each of us as special—His treasured
possession to care for, to protect and to love.
Thank God that He can see into our hearts, see
past our faults and failures and see what a
wonderful creation we are! He knows us down to
the very last strand of hair on our heads. He does
not judge us on our actions or merits, but by
what is in our hearts. He knows you because He
made you and He loves you because you are His.
We are His special possession and He will
care for us, protect us and allow us to flourish.
He doesn’t do this because of the things we have
done, or not done, but rather simply because we
are His.
My confidence, my pride is not based on
the foundation of my own works and
accomplishments. If this were true, it would be
only a matter of time before the loose sands of
my foundation give way, resulting in the utter
destruction of self. No, true confidence and pride
is built upon the sound, boundless and
unshakable love of God. With that confidence, I
have the courage to go out into the world and
live a life that is in response to God’s love and to
spread that love to others.
Blessings, Cathy Redd
Upcoming Special Offerings
On Easter Sunday, April 5th, we will collect
the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.
Remember that no gift is ever too small. Just $2
from each member can make a difference in our
world. The OGHS offering is distributed to the
Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian
Disaster Assistance and Self-Development of
People.
Next committee meeting time - Monday,
March 2nd, at 7 pm. We invite you to come and
share your ideas for outreach!
Blessings,
Sherrie Tootill & Jennifer McCalla, Elders
Nurture
“For you are a people holy to the LORD
your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out
of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his
people, his treasured possession.”
Holy Chosen Treasured Possession… God
declared the Israelites to be special, Holy, set
apart from all other people of the world, His
treasured possession. Why? The Israelites were a
large tribe of lowly slaves. When given the
opportunity to leave and make a new life for
themselves, they complained, they rebelled and
even abandoned God for false idols. They were
not the largest nation and were certainly not the
most powerful.
They didn’t even have a home for 40
years, aimlessly wandering the desert. Certainly
God could have chosen a more fitting, more
deserving people to be His treasured possession.
How is it that these people were able to
attain such special status? The Israelites
certainly didn’t earn God’s favor based on their
great works as they wandered about the desert. I
don’t recall reading about any great mission
work they performed, or for that matter doing
anything for the betterment of the world or their
neighbors.
Quite the contrary, they were selfish,
conceited and ambitious people bent on
attaining what is rightfully theirs. When you
ParishNurse~MarchisNational
NutritionMonth
What Are Carbohydrates?
Your body uses carbohydrates (carbs) to
make glucose which is the fuel that gives you
energy and helps keep everything going. Your
body can use glucose immediately or store it in
your liver and muscles for when it is needed.
You can find carbohydrates in the
following:
•
•
•
•
Fruits
Vegetables
Breads, cereals, and other grains
Milk and milk products sugar-sweetened
•
Foods containing added sugars (e.g., cakes, cookies,
and beverages).
Healthier foods higher in carbohydrates
include ones that provide dietary fiber and
whole grains as well as those without added
sugars.
What
about
foods
higher
in
carbohydrates such as sodas and candies that
also contain added sugars? Those are the ones
that add extra calories but not many nutrients to
your diet.
There are two main types of
carbohydrates:
complex
and
simple
carbohydrates.
Complex Carbohydrates
Starch and dietary fiber are the two types
of complex carbohydrates. Quite a few foods
contain starch and dietary fiber such as breads,
cereals, and vegetables:
•
•
•
Starch is in certain vegetables (i.e., potatoes, dry
beans, peas, and corn).
Starch is also found in breads, cereals, and grains.
Dietary fiber is in vegetables, fruits, and whole grain
foods.
Dietary Fiber
You may have seen dietary on the label
listed as soluble fiber or insoluble fiber. These
can be found in the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oatmeal
Nuts and seeds
Most fruits (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, pears, and
apples)
Dry beans and peas
Whole wheat bread
Brown rice
Seeds
Most vegetables
How much dietary fiber do I need each day?
Most Americans greatly under consume
dietary fiber. Breads, rolls, buns and pizza crust
made with refined flour are not among the best
sources of dietary fiber, but currently contribute
to a large portion our diets. To meet the
recommendations for fiber, most people need to
increase the consumption of beans, peas, other
vegetable, fruit and whole grains, and other
foods with naturally occurring fiber.
To find out how many calories you need
each day, visit: Food Plans at MyPlate.gov and
enter your age, sex, height, weight, and your
activity lever in the Daily Food plan. It’s
recommended that you get 14 grams of dietary
fiber for every 1,000 calories that you consume
each day.
Stay healthy, Julia Palmer
Youth and Kids Konnection
The Youth group met on Feb 22nd and
began a divided study time, with the younger
youth studying with Mrs. Cyndi and Mr. Shane
while the older ones studied with Mr. Brad and
Mrs. Suzanne. This new format seems to be
much better for the youth and teachers.
The young people are learning priceless
lessons about how to handle bullying and the
three “R”s of growing up!
In March, the lessons will focus on selfesteem. Leaders will focus on helping the youth
develop ways to increase their own self esteem
as well as how to increase the self-esteem of
their peers. In today’s society where the media
constantly forces their ideas of perfection upon
young people, building self-esteem is vital to the
positive growth of our youth. We invite any
interested adults who would like to share their
own struggles with self-esteem to join us for
these two very important life lessons.
Blessings, Suzanne, Shane, Cyndi & Brad
The Annual Youth Yard Sale will be
Saturday, May 16, 2015. So when you start
spring cleaning, don’t throw out your “gently
used” items. And we know some of you have
things that probably still have tags on them!
Items can be left in the Youth room in
Ellenburg but please clearly mark them for yard
sale. If you have larger items that need
assistance getting to church let one of the
adults that work with Youth know and they will
arrange the transport. Let’s make this the
best one yet!
the Evening Circle will meet on March 8th at 5:00
in Ellenburg Hall. Come and join us as we study
and fellowship together.
The YAH Group
Well, due to the weather in February we
missed our YAH outing to Carson Steak Warehouse
but we will plan on a big time outing during the
month of March.
Plans are to go to Carson Steak Warehouse in
Anderson on March 24, 2015 at 5:00. Mark your
calendar and come on out for good food, fellowship,
and laughter.
Thank You!
Let’s go visit the zoo and see all the
wonderful creatures of God’s creation!
April 11, the Youth and Kids
Konnection will be traveling to
Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia for a day
of fun, fellowship, and frolicking with
the animals. Please let Mr. Brad, Mrs.
Cyndi or Mr. Shane know if you are
planning to go.
Worship
Have you taken a look at the Flower
Calendar? It needs some help in providing flowers
for Worship. These are symbolic that we worship a
risen Lord, and to give thanks for his unconditional
love and care of us each day. Take a look at the
calendar in the church hallway and honor or
remember a loved one….and enhance our Worship.
There will be an insert in the upcoming
bulletins to order hydrangeas again this year for
Easter. Watch for these and honor or remember a
loved one with these beautiful flowers.
We are in the Season of Lent and it is our
hope that you will be blessed by the Worship and
music each Sunday as you take your own journey
through Lent.
Blessings, Leah Bagwell
Presbyterian Women News
The Morning Circle will meet on March 5th
at 10:00 at Foothills Retirement Community and
Randy Parker, newly elected Elder, said how
blessed he felt to be asked to serve on Session.
He accepted this responsibility to serve
Providence, to serve with guidance from God and
to serve each person in our congregation. We
are truly blessed to have dedicated people who
want Providence’s future growth and outreach of
Providence enhanced greatly. Randy, you will be
in our prayers for guidance.
What Word Defines Your Lenten
Journey?
Serving the Church in March
Liturgists
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
Carl Spence
Jennifer McCalla
Donna Robertson
Jill Campion
Beverly Merry
Acolytes
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
No Acolyte – Communion Sunday
Erika Clark
Mary Lorraine Metcalf
Michael Duke
Lillie Goodman
Flowers
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
Nancy Lewis
Shane & Amy Metcalf
Greeters
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
Suzanne Goodman & Marian Graham
Jan Tanner & Amy Metcalf
Jennifer McCalla & Vicki Ford
Sherrie Tootill & Todd Bagwell
Stephen Cromer & Debbie Clapp
*First name greets at front; second name greets at side
Ushers
Joey Ford, Will Ford,
Sam Ricker & Mark Warner
Nursery
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
Jennifer McCalla
Vicki Ford
Angie Rochester & Wanda Witmer
Chris & Shannon Duke
Amy Metcalf
Children’s Church
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
Amy Metcalf
Alora Holloway
Laura Jackson
Stephanie Hemingway
Brad Rochester
The fast pace of your life may seem to leave
little time and energy for the traditional Lenten
practices. But you can weave moments of spiritual
awareness and service into even the busiest of
schedules. The trick is to see Lenten practice as part
of, rather than in addition to, each activity of your
ordinary hectic day.
The three foundational practices of Lent are
prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Here’s how to think
about them in a new way:
Praying Daily
If you make a habit of saying a little prayer
whenever someone irritates you, cuts you off in
traffic, or makes life difficult; when someone does
you a favor, you experience great and friendly
service, or when something joyful happens to you—
you will soon find yourself praying your way through
the day. Try this simple practice and you will be
observing the church’s call for greater prayer during
the Lenten season. You will also find that this habit
makes your life flow smoother, yourself more
centered, and your Spirit more aware of God’s
presence.
A Different Type of Fasting
There are many ways to fast. Why not fast
from criticism, gossip, judging others, or passing on
rumors? Why not abstain from unwarranted fear and
anxiety? You can also tell that inner voice inside your
head that criticizes you to abstain from eroding your
ability to be the confident, blessed person God calls
you to be. These are beautiful ways to observe the
Lenten call to fasting and abstinence. In the
book, Praying Lent, the authors offer suggestions on
different ways to fast during Lent.
Give of Yourself
Daily life also offers countless opportunities
to give of yourself to others (alms), and most don’t
involve dipping into your wallet. Give encouragement
to the doubting, give a word of praise to the insecure,
show kindness to someone who could use a friend,
and offer a word of thanks to those whose service of
others often goes unappreciated. Give the gift of your
attention to someone who simply wants to be
noticed. Tell your children stories about people
whose values you admire when you gather at
mealtime. Don’t be stingy with your smiles—give
them freely to everyone you meet. And most
important, give your love to those close to you. Hug
them, hold them, and tell them what they mean to
you. In this way you open your heart to God and
others.
So no matter how busy your are in life, with
some greater awareness and new perspectives you
can consciously pray, fast, and give of yourself this
Lent—and you will be ready to celebrate when a
joyful dawn breaks upon you Easter morning.
Reflections from the Church Windows During Lent
Hebrews 2:18 “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being
tempted.”
I’ve read that “great leaders share the burdens of those they command.” I’ve personally not been in the
military or government, but have been in the business world, and I tried to follow that advice anytime I
was in a leadership position. A leader shouldn’t ask others to do something the leader wouldn’t do, even if
the “something” involves hardship or suffering. The military leaders we remember and honor today are
leaders who led the charge, leaders who put themselves on the front line.
As disciples of Jesus, we can be comforted and encouraged in our own suffering because we know
that Jesus suffered. Even though Jesus Christ was divine, he was also human. Surely he was tempted just
as we are tempted. Jesus’ humanity means he faced everything we face. To say his grace is sufficient
means more because we know he has walked in our shoes. He understands temptation, and he certainly
endured suffering beyond compare. It is assuring to know that we do not face temptation or suffering
alone, our Savior is always with us.
Prayer: Lord, when I am tempted, when I face challenges in life, help me to turn to you for guidance and
strength. Amen.
Message from Your Moderator
Dear friends,
Looks like the groundhog was right about our six more weeks of winter weather. I am so sorry it
prevented us from worshiping together on Ash Wednesday – truly one of my favorite services. I hope you
will all find time for a Lenten discipline of some kind. Although Presbyterians do not “give up” anything, I
usually try to add something that makes me more intentional about my relationship with God. This year,
I have a Lenten prayer bag with 40 people’s names in it. Each morning I draw one out and pray for that
person all day long. I find that taking the time to really observe Lent, makes us more joyous when we get
to the empty tomb of Easter.
Weather kept the Session from meeting as well but be assured that we are still in the Kingdom
business and need everyone one of you to help.
Blessings,
Julie Schaaf
Note Concerning Pastor on Call During Providence’s Transition:
The Rev. Julie Schaaf has agreed to be the Pastor on Call for emergencies or conditions that
require a minister to be with one of our families while we are in transition. She can be reached at
on her cell (864-421-4750). Prayer requests go to the church office, and since Becky Kay is a
part-time employee, please copy her at her e-mail at home, which is [email protected].
If you have a concern that does not need a minister, you may call Becky Kay at 864-616-9413 or
Julia Palmer at 864-630-5030. We will get in touch with the proper person to be of assistance, to
help or to pray.
Serving You at Providence
Presbyterian Church
Dawn Sheriff, Preschool Director
Sherrie Tootill, Sexton
Cyndi Everett, Treasurer
Church Office Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Telephone Number: 864.605.1011
Becky’s E-Mail: [email protected]
Donna’s E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.providence-church.com
On Call Pastor, Rev. Julie Schaaf
Jennifer McCalla, Acting Clerk of Session
Director of Music, Tim Gossett
Becky Kay, Church Administrator
Donna Robertson, Financial Administrator
Session Members:
Class of 2015 – Lewis Clapp, Suzanne Goodman, Jennifer McCalla, Sherrie Tootill, Richard Witmer
Class of 2016 – Leah Bagwell, Stephen Cromer, Cathy Redd
Class of 2017 – Jill Campion, Brad Rochester, Erick Nicholson, Randy Parker
“Lent”
"As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus' thirst...'Repent and believe' Jesus tells us. What are we to repent? Our
indifference, our hardness of heart. What are we to believe? Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor – He knows your
weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you." ~ Teresa of Calcutta
The Providence Press
Providence Presbyterian Church
4000 Highway 153
Greenville, South Carolina 29611-7404
Address Correction Requested