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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
APRIL 2015
FPC Chatter
Holy Week Worship
Holy Week Activities
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday
Maundy Thursday,
April 2, 6:15 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. in Loudoun Hall:
Experiential Worship
Stations, self-directed, can
be completed as
individuals or with children
or other family members
or friends.
Good Friday, April 3,
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in
the Sanctuary:
Stations of the Cross.
Make worship a priority
for your holy week
observances.
Maundy Thursday,
April 2, 7:00 p.m.:
Worship with communion
in the sanctuary. Dan
McCoig preaching.
Good Friday, April 3,
12 noon to 1:00 p.m.:
Community worship
service in the sanctuary.
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
Maren Sonstegard-Spray
preaching.
Easter Sunday, April
5: Worship 7:30 a.m. in
Boyd Chapel, 8:30 a.m.
New Stone Gathering in
Fellowship Hall [Dan
McCoig preaching], and
8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. in
the Sanctuary [Rich
Reifsnyder preaching].
Holy Saturday, April 4,
10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in
Loudoun Hall:
“Rise Up with Jesus” a
Children’s Ministry Easter
Event for children and
their families.
PAGE 1
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
APRIL 2015
DEDICATION OF NEW HYMNAL: SUNDAY, APRIL 19
The new Presbyterian hymnal, “Glory to God,”
will be dedicated in worship on Sunday, April 19 in
the 8:30 a.m.
and 11:00 a.m.
sanctuary
services. The
service will
feature a
sampling of
hymns, both
older and
newer, from the
new hymnal.
The
featured hymns
will be arranged
according to
theological
themes: An
Attitude of
Worship, The Centrality of Christ, Our Identity As
Christians, and Our Missionary Journey.
A Session-appointed task force studied the
hymnal and recommended it to the Session. The
Session approved the
recommendation
unanimously. The
purchase of the hymnal
was funded by
subscription.
Members of the
congregation
purchased a hymnal or
hymnals in honor or
memory of family and/
or friends. The goal of
400 hymnals was fully
subscribed is less than
a month. Thank you
to everyone who made
the new hymnal
project possible.
LITERACY VOLUNTEERS 10TH ANNUAL SPELLING BEE: THURS, APR 16, 6PM TO 9PM
Fellowship Hall will “bee” buzzing
on the evening of April 16th as
Literacy Volunteers Winchester
Area (LVWA) hosts its 10th
Annual Adult Spelling Bee
fundraiser here at First Church.
LVWA invites First Church
members to join us for an evening
of fun, cheering on twelve 3person teams of eager spellers who
are helping us raise money and
awareness for literacy outreach in
the heart of Winchester and
beyond.
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
First Church will “bee”
represented with Bryan Corsnitz
serving as the Emcee, spelling
team veteran Dan McCoig will
again “bee” joining the Rector at
Christ Episcopal and the Rabbi at
Beth El Congregation on the
“Godspellas” team. New this year,
a “First PresBEE” team, with Patti
Keeton, Don Winstead and a draft
pick to be b named vying to claim
the top prize. Our own Shaun
Galang will “bee” on board helping
with the audio/visual input for the
evening.
For 30 years, adults in our
community have been able to turn
to LVWA for help in improving
their literacy skills. In 2014 alone,
202 adult learners received
instruction from 59 generous and
highly qualified volunteers in
reading, writing, math, English for
speakers of other languages,
computers, personal finance and
US civics and history. The needs of
low literacy adults in our
community are vast and we are
grateful for First Church’s support
of our mission.
We would “bee” delighted to have
you join us on April 16th as
Fellowship Hall is turned into a
busy hive of activity, with heavy
hors d’oeuvres catered by area
restaurants, a basket raffle and
silent auction, along with audience
participation games. Tickets are
$25 for adults and $10 for students.
For more information contact
Dawn Snow at 540.533.3226.
PAGE 2
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
APRIL 2015
Report from Mountain Valley Mission Community
Gulf Coast Disaster Response Work Team
February 21-28, 2015
Our Shenandoah Presbytery - Mountain Valley Mission
Community (MVMC) team of one woman and five men
left Winchester on February 21 for New Orleans and
returned February 28, 2015. This was the thirteenth trip
to the Gulf Coast from MVMC since Katrina in August
2005. The trip was moved several months earlier than
previous trips to slip in behind Mardi Gras and
accommodate the working schedules of participants. As
with other winter-time trips, we had to dodge a storm in
the Shenandoah Valley and endured some chilly, rainy days
in New Orleans.
This year’s work team was the same as last year and came
mostly from three Shenandoah Presbytery congregations:
Jimmy and Gerald from Berryville, Russell from Charles
Town, Dave and Christiane from Winchester First, and
Paul from the Methodist church in Damascus, MD.
Project Homecoming (PH) hosted us and provided work
site supervision. PH is an established 501(c)(3) mission
outreach organization of the Presbytery of South
Louisiana. We stayed at PH’s Village (formerly Olive Tree
Volunteer Village), originated by Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance (PDA). This was our fifth experience working
in the city of New Orleans. They now have a more
accurate estimate that there are 4,500-4,700 families who
still want to return to their homes that continue to be in
need of repair from Katrina damage. With volunteers still
coming PH is able to work on an average of ten homes
simultaneously. PH does a great job of managing the work
sites with full-time site managers at each house; and with
AmeriCorps young adults and Presbyterian Young Adult
Volunteers (YAVs) assisting. We have become one of the
longest standing volunteer groups serving PH and have
developed a special relationship with Christina, a superb,
dedicated construction manager.
crew on this project. Connie has been living in her house
for several years even though its walls are now filled with
mold and termites because an unqualified contractor did
not properly replace the roof and windows. After
removing the interior sheetrock in three rooms, we
watched in disbelief on a rainy day when water was flowing
like a water fall down the inside of the exterior sheathing
and under the new hardwood flooring. We constructed
temporary support walls for the next group to begin
replacing the exterior walls. We caulked around the
windows as best we could. PH will replace the roof and
windows. We spent a good deal of time reassuring Connie
that PH and other volunteers would repair her home
correctly this time. We also moved her belongings into a
storage POD in her driveway and replaced rotting porch
railings. She was very hopeful when we left. She treated
us to the best homemade jambalaya lunch any of us ever
had. The second house was mid-stream in its recovery. It
had been recently dry-walled and we began installing
bamboo flooring. The third house was almost ready and
we helped with the final punch list. We did not meet the
owners of these homes.
Our work team provided additional support to the
volunteer village by helping with food preparation, meal
clean up, and general cleaning. The village was crowded
this year with 52 volunteers – a good thing. We conducted
"ministry of presence" by providing emotional and
spiritual support to our homeowner, other volunteers, and
PH staff. A highlight of this year’s trip was visiting Cecily
in her home where we worked in 2013. It was a special
reunion. We invited Connie, this year’s homeowner, and
her mother to Neighbor Night at the Village and had more
good jambalaya. We ate one evening in the French
Quarter and treated our work-site manager to a great BBQ
dinner our last night. She made us promise to come back.
Our group worked on three homes in the Gentilly district.
On several days we split the team to cover two houses.
Our main focus was Connie’s home. We were the first
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
PAGE 3
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
APRIL 2015
PDA WORK TEAM REPORT, CONTINUED
The team was supported by a total of $1,810 in
list of recommendations for planning work trips that
contributions from several individuals, churches, and we can share with other potential trip leaders. This
the work team participants,
year’s trip was jokingly billed as our
as well as $250 from
“third annual last trip” to the Gulf
MVMC funds. Participants
Coast. The not so humorous
contributed $900 toward
situation is that 2015 marks the
the volunteer village fees
tenth anniversary of Katrina.
($25 per night). In addition
There is still a lot of hope to
participants paid their
deliver. We were again retravel expenses out-ofenergized by this year’s great
pocket. A total of $770 was
experience, sobered by the amount
donated to Project
of re-building still needed, and
Homecoming for building
impressed by the job being done by
materials for the primary
Project Homecoming. We are
home where we worked.
planning to return in 2016 – but
not in February. Stay tuned for
We have grown a small,
date announcements.
dedicated group of
experienced disaster
For the work team response workers in the Mountain Valley Mission
Dave Thalman, Coordinator
Community (and beyond). We also have collected a
[email protected]
WEEKDAY SCHOOL NEWS: “CELEBRATING OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS”
• Artsy Thursday
programs and services that meet
those needs.
• Family Friday
The Week of the Young Child™ is
a time to recognize that children's The Weekday will hold its annual
spaghetti dinner and auction on
opportunities are our
Wednesday, April 15. We cordially
responsibilities, and to recommit
extend an invitation to all families
ourselves to ensuring that each
to join us as we share a meal and
and every child experiences the
participate in a silent auction.
type of early environment—at
home, at child care, at school, and Spend an evening connecting with
other families while supporting
in the community—that will
our youngest learners.
April 12 – 18 is designated as “The promote their early learning.
Week of the Young Child™,” an
annual celebration sponsored by
the National Association for the
Education of Young Children
(NAEYC), the world's largest early
childhood education association.
The purpose of the Week of the
Young Child™ is to focus public
attention on the needs of young
children and their families and to
recognize the early childhood
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
As a proud NAEYC-accredited
school, we will celebrate each day
by participating in events
associated with the daily themes:
•
Music Monday
•
Taco Tuesday
•
Work Together
Wednesday
Be sure to check out our website:
www.fpwds.com for more
information and links to NAEYCrelated articles focusing on each
daily theme.
PAGE 4
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
APRIL 2015
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NEWS: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON EASTER EVENT
RISE UP WITH JESUS FAMILY EASTER they'll journey through captivating stations
complete with a live drama, games, crafts,
EVENT
giveaways, and treats that drive home one
Saturday, April
irresistible truth:
4th
Jesus is alive today!
10:00-11:45 a.m.
The event will
conclude with
separate egg hunts
for preschool and
elementary. This
event is free and
intended for all
children -- toddlers
through 5th grade -accompanied by an
adult. All are
welcome! At the Rise Up
With Jesus Easter
Event, children and
their parents will
explore surprising
details about Jesus'
resurrection on
that glorious
Sunday morning
2,000 years ago.
Hand-in-hand,
WATTS NEWS: A BIG THANK YOU TO FIRST CHURCH VOLUNTEERS
9-15 from 7:0o p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
each evening. Our WATTS
leadership team is Sarana
Donaldson and Lesley Covington.
More than 150 First Church
volunteers logged nearly 800
volunteer hours to provide
breakfast, dinner, and overnight
shelter to an average of 30 adult
‘Truly I te! you, just as you did it to men and women nightly.
The sixth WATTS season
one of the least of these who are
members of my family, you did it to began November 10, 2014 and
ended March 22, 2015. First
me.’ [Matthew 25:39]
Church was a founding
congregation of WATTS.
WATTS provided ten weeks of
First Church hosted the
shelter in its first season. The
Winchester Area Temporary
ministry has grown to nineteen
Thermal Shelter [WATTS] March
weeks to cover the coldest part of
the year.
WATTS provides trained,
professional staff and support
services. Host congregations
provide shelter space and
volunteers. Numerous
organizations and individuals
provide WATTS with additional
volunteers and the necessary funds
to support the ministry.
Dan McCoig is president of
the WATTS Board of Directors.
Shannon Brannon is vice-president
of the WATTS Board of Directors.
Thanks to everyone who made
our WATTS week possible. Peace.
AGELESS ADVENTURERS GHOST TOUR OF OLD TOWN WINCHESTER
Ageless Adventurers, formerly Deriters [retired spelled backwards], will meet
Tuesday, April 21 at 11:00 a.m. at the church for a tour of “haunted” locales in Old
Town Winchester. Following the tour the group will gather for lunch.
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
PAGE 5
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
PCUSA MARRIAGE
AMENDMENT PASSES
By Leslie Scanlon, The
Presbyterian Outlook
A s o f Ma r c h 1 7, a p r o p o s e d
amendment to change the
definition of Christian marriage in
the PC(USA)’s constitution has
won enough votes to pass. The
new language, which will take
effect June 21 (a year after the
close of the 2014 General
Assembly and after all the
presbyteries have voted), will
define Christian marriage in the
denomination’s Director y for
Worship as involving “two people,
traditionally a man and a woman”
– a departure from the current
language of Christian marriage
being between “a man and a
woman.”
The proposed constitutional
amendment 14F – which the
General Assembly approved in
June 2014 – also needed approval
from a majority of the PC(USA)’s
1 7 1 p r e s b y te r i e s , m e a n i n g i t
needed “yes” votes from at least 86
presbyteries to take effect.
The denomination crossed that
threshold on St. Patrick’s Day,
March 17. Donegal Presbytery
voted in favor in the morning,
becoming the 85th “yes” vote –
and in the evening Palisades
Presbytery became the 86th to
vote in favor. Immediately, Twitter
and Facebook lit up with reactions
– celebration from advocates of
same-sex marriage equality and
sadness or even condemnation
from those who disagree.
That constitutional change takes
the PC(USA) to a place where
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
many other mainline Christian
denominations have not yet gone,
i n c l u d i n g t h e Me t h o d i s t s ,
Lutherans and Episcopalians.
Other religious groups that have
taken similar action include the
United Church of Christ, which in
2005 affirmed “equal marriage
rights for couples regardless of
g e n d e r ” ; t h e Q u a ke r s ; t h e
Unitarian Universalist Association
of Congregations; and, in Judaism,
the Reform and Conser vative
movements.
APRIL 2015
d e p a r t u r e s l i ke l y m a d e t h e
marriage amendment easier to
pass in the PC(USA) – but also
have washed pain and sometimes
acrimony
across
the
denomination.
“I’m saddened by the passing of
t h e a m e n d m e n t , ” s a i d Pa u l
Detterman, an evangelical who has
chosen to stay in the PC(USA) and
is national director of The
Fellowship Community. “I think
we are listening to each other
rather than listening to Scripture
and the voice of God through
Scripture . . . We’ve eroded some
of our ability to stand on the
teachings of Scripture by this
vote.”
While passing the amendment
constitutes a distinct shift in
policy, the PC(USA) will not
require a minister who doesn’t
w a n t to p e r f o r m a s a m e - s e x
marriage to do so. Language was
specifically
included
i n Others are jubilant.
Amendment 14F to state that:
“It’s happened faster than anyone
Nothing herein sha! compel a teaching could have imagined or prayed
elder to perform nor compel a session to for,” said Alex McNeill, executive
authorize the use of church property d i r e c t o r o f Mo r e L i g h t
for a marriage service that the Pr e s b y t e r i a n s . Fo r l o v i n g ,
teaching elder or the session believes is committed same-sex couples, “it
contrary to the teaching elder’s or the really feels like an affirmation of
session’s discernment of the Holy Spirit their sacred covenant of marriage.”
and their understanding of the Word of
Authoritative interpretation.
God.
While many celebrate the new
direction – saying it’s the right
thing to do and is keeping with
the direction towards marriage
equality sweeping the country –
this change also has come for the
PC(USA) at a distinct price. Over
the last several years, anticipating
this move was coming, hundreds
of evangelical congregations have
left for more conser vative
denominations, helping to birth
ECO: A Covenant Order of
Evangelical Presbyterians, which
now has close to 200
congregations. Those evangelical
In one way, the passage of the
amendment doesn’t change a
thing. The 2014 General Assembly
also passed by a vote of 371-238 an
authoritative interpretation that
gives PC(USA) ministers
permission to perform same-sex
marriages in places where such
marriages are legal – although
again, pastors who object aren’t
required to do so. In practical
terms, that means Presbyterian
ministers have been performing
disciplinary proceedings – and
some gay and lesbian ministers
themselves have been wed.
PAGE 6
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
MARRIAGE AMENDMENT,
CONTINUED
there was a caveat . . . We are
affirming as a denomination that
we’ve talked about this, we’ve
prayed about it, we’ve listened to
Brian Ellison, executive director of the Spirit, and 51 percent of us at
t h e C o v e n a n t Ne t w o r k o f least are in a place where we need
Presbyterians, said there’s no way to update our standards.”
to tell how many same-sex
marriages PC(USA) ministers have Some also see the new language
performed since last summer. The speaking a powerful word to those
i m p a c t , h o w e v e r, “ h a s b e e n o u t s i d e t h e P C ( U S A ) –
incredible,” Ellison said. “It has particularly to young people.
been liberating. It has made
“We know that the Presbyterian
people proud to be Presbyterian
Church now welcomes all people
again. It has kept couples in the
regardless of sexual orientation,
church, it has brought couples
with no strings attached,” Ellison
back into the church. It has
said. “I think people do notice
allowed ministers to live out their
that. It will make a huge difference
vocation with integrity and pride.”
– not just to gay people, but to a
The amendment. In other ways, whole generation that says, ‘Unless
however, the amendment’s passing you are welcoming to everybody, I
don’t want anything to do with
does have deep significance.
you.’ . . . Now, there’s a place for
For one thing, it would be harder everyone in the PC(USA).”
to unearth or undo. A future
General Assembly could rescind McNeill put it this way: “Having
an authoritative interpretation or our denomination being able to be
public
about
its
pass a new one with different m o r e
c
o
m
m
i
t
m
e
n
t
t
o
a
l
l
l
o
v
i
ng
langua ge, rendering the 2014
committed
couples
will
attract
action moot. Changing the
constitutional language regarding folks who want to be part of a
t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f C h r i s t i a n church and a denomination that
marriage would take the approval doesn’t discriminate.”
both of an assembly and a majority
Work ahead. Whether they
vote by the presbyteries.
agree with the impending change
It ’s a l s o m a t t e r s t o m a n y or not, Presbyterians also say
Pr e s b y t e r i a n s t h a t t h e i r there’s more work to be done – to
denomination is willing to put help mid-councils live into the
l a n g u a g e af f i r m i n g m a r r i a g e new reality with a degree of grace
e q u a l i t y d i r e c t l y i n t h e and to help Presbyterians think
more deeply about a range of
denomination’s constitution.
issues related to marriage. Should
“ O u r B o o k o f O r d e r i s a Presbyterian ministers be involved
grounding of what our values are,” in performing civil marriages?
Mc Ne i l l s a i d . “ It ’s t h e What approaches to premarital
Presbyterian Church’s public counseling work best? What do
commitment of affirming those people struggle with in marriage?
who are called to marriage. Before,
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
APRIL 2015
Some evangelicals worry that the
rules will get even tighter in the
future – that the PC(USA) will, at
some point, require all its
ministers to perform same-sex
marriages. Or they fear what
Ellison calls a “casual” tightening
of the rules – “of a minister not
being able to get a cal l in a
particular presbytery because of
their views on marriage. That is
something I would oppose. I think
we’re stronger when we have a
diversity
of
viewpoints
represented in every presbytery.
The worry that the PC(USA) may
someday insist that all ministers
be willing to perform same-sex
marriage is “a massive concern”
among evangelicals, Detterman
said.
For those who disagree with the
amendment, “is it just that we are
trying to be obstinate, that the
Bible says no, so hell no! Or is it
that our sadness about this, our
continuing refusal to participate in
the direction the church is going
on in this particular issue, has to
do with a deep seated faith and
belief about what Scripture says
about
the
covenant
of
marriage? . . . I would really
welcome those conversations,”
said Detterman.
[Editors’ note: The Presbyterian
Outlook is a weekly independent
Presbyterian publication. For more
Outlook reporting, please visit:
http://pres-outlook.org/]
PAGE 7
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA!
APRIL 2015
Births
March 11
Taylor Lake Williams,
daughter of Gary and Whitney
Williams, granddaughter of
Sterling and Lynn Williams
Weddings
iDisciple
April 5-26
Dan McCoig, leader
How Christians Read the
Bible?
The class will explore the ways
Christians read the Bible as a
means of God’s grace.
March 21
Alicia Hillyard and Adrian
Bedard
In Memoriam
March 2
Iris Hinkle, sister of Juanita
Emswiler
March 18
Dick Law
Stay connected and up to date with what’s going on in the life
of the church through social media. We are on Facebook.
Visit our organization page at:
https://www.facebook.com/firstpresbyterianchurchwinchester
Visit our public group page at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FPCWinc
Lorton Mitchell, brother of
Ralph Mitchell
March 20
Lena Shuford, mother of
Mark Shuford
Editors
Sunday Worship
SUSAN
KAGEY
7:30 a.m. in Boyd Chapel
8:30 a.m. New Stone Gathering in Fellowship Hall
8:30 and 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
DAN
MCCOIG
WWW.FPCWINC.ORG!
PAGE 8