| Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105 | The Lamplighter
December 2008
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Roxborough Presbyterian Church * 8230 Ridge Ave, Phila., Pa 19128 * 215-483-2762 * E-mail: roxpresby@rpcnet.org
A few words from Rev. Bronc Radak, Interim Pastor
The Lamplighter might be a bit late this month and it's my fault. I simply didn't get my article done in time. This is nothing new. I wrote this article when I was in my first church back in Indiana over 20 years ago. As I was pondering what to write about this month I remembered it. It's no less true for having been used before.
As I sat in my office a few years ago, wondering what to write about for our December newsletter, the St. John's Journal, the lilting voice of my secretary wafted through my doorway.
"Well Boss, that's it. I'm ready to run it."
"Run what?" I asked as innocently as possible. I knew exactly what she was going to say and didn't want to hear it.
"The newsletter, that's what!" Her voice seemed to be losing some of its lilt and waft.
"Oh! Is it THAT time already?" I tried to add some lilt and waft to my own voice, and failed miserably.
"Yes! it's THAT time." Lilt and waft levels reached zero.
She was imparting this information as gently as possible. What she was saying without saying was that once again, the newsletter was ready to be copied but my article was not.
"I guess I'll have to have it ready for you tomorrow, then." I said, as I have said so many times before. "It'll be ready. I promise...as soon as I figure out what to say."
"What's the problem?" she asked. "It's Thanksgiving. Advent is here. Christmas is coming. How hard can it be to say you're thankful, and it's time to get ready for Christmas? That should be easy."
And she's right. It should be easy. But it's not.
In case you haven't noticed, there's nothing simple about this time of year. In fact, it's rather complicated. It isn't enough that we've just gotten done with Halloween, now we've got two more major holidays to prepare for. We have to get the stuff ready for the Thanksgiving feast/pig-out. Or we have to get ready to go someplace else to celebrate it.
Then there is the shopping to do. Traditionally, this kicks into high gear right after Thanksgiving. And of course there's the decorating. And the getting ready for Christmas morning and another meal, probably with family again, either here or there. Cooking and cleaning and preparations and running around and making decisions and hiding things and trying to find them are going to fill our days for the next month or so.
(continued on page 2)
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But don't get me wrong. I enjoy it. Most of us do. It's a great time of year. It's a wonderful time of year! But it's far from simple, either practically, as I just mentioned, or theologically.
There is nothing simple about Thanksgiving. The cooking and cleaning up are the least of our worries. It's a time to be thankful, sure. It's a time to celebrate all that we've been given.
It's a time to remember the bounty with which God has blessed us. But what makes it so un-simple is that fact that so many people don't have much to be thankful for. There are still far too many people who don't have enough to eat, even as we sit down to consume and throw away more than many will see in a week. They don't have the homes and families and jobs and resources that once a year we are so thankful for.
Advent, leading up to Christmas, is simple only if all we see is a time to decorate and buy things and anticipate the beauty of Christmas Eve and the joy of Christmas morning. But as we do all this preparation for the coming of the Prince of Peace, I can't help but notice the lack of peace in the world. Whether it's the hatred and killing in the land of our Savior's birth, or the racism that still abounds, or the killings in a high school, there is no peace in the world. It makes it hard to prepare for something which I can't imagine happening.
And when we do finally celebrate our Savior's birth, when we do finally gaze with loving eyes on that tiny Christ child, my vision slips to the 'crack babies' in our world, or the unwanted children who are abused, or the starving ones with their bulging stomachs and vacant eyes.
My secretary is right, it would be easy to write about being thankful or getting ready or celebrating the gift of Jesus. But every time I think about it, I know that being a Christian just isn't that simple. Anytime I think more than superficially about all I have and all I've been given, I can't help but know that what we celebrate is far more complicated a matter than a turkey and some stuffing and what to get my family for Christmas.
We are to be thankful for what we have, but we should do more than eat a lot; we should give a lot. We should prepare a place for the child Jesus in our hearts and lives, but we should also prepare a place for those who have less than us. We should celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Life, but we should also work for peace and life in the world.
As we celebrate this most fun time of year, with all of it's glitter and lights and anticipation and fun, remember that it's more than giving to each other; it's giving to everyone. When the lights are turned off and the trees taken down, the baby will still be there; still hungry, still in need of a home, still in need of love and understanding.
God's Blessings,
Bronc
Church Family News
3 Stephen LaCrosse
5 Geri Morhard
5 Alyssa Bennett
6 Carol Bice
7 Lee Morhard Gordon
9 Jackie Cohen
10 Allison Matlack
14 Vernon Vercoe
15 Lisa Carpenter
17 Kimberly Karl
19 Marion Cooper
21 Kathy McLeer
23 Kevin McLeer
24 Eileen Bassi
29 Matthew Hillanbrand
31 Michael Karl
31 Debbie Scott
We extend our love &
sympathy to the family of
Marge Greet
who passed November 2nd.
îJanuary Lamplighter Deadline
The deadline for submitting information to be included in the January 2009 edition of "The Lamplighter" will be Sunday, December 21st.
Annual Reports
2009 is approaching fast! Now is a great time to begin thinking about your Annual Reports, while events are still fresh in your mind. Consider writing your reports now, and you won't worry at the last minute about remembering little details.
If you would like to be a part of our tradition, complete and return the order form below to the church office. Please include $7.50 for each poinsettia plant ordered. Make checks payable to Roxborough Presbyterian Church.
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Please Print
Given by:
____________________________________
Poinsettias presented in "Honor" and "Memory" will be listed in the Sunday bulletin on
December 21st
Community
Christmas
Caroling
Have you ever wanted to share the
joy of Christmas with others, but weren't sure how?
Join us Sunday, December 14th , 5:30 pm for a time of joy through singing carols and spreading holiday cheer.
Wednesday, December 24th
7:30 pm Candlelight Service
8:30 pm Fellowship Hour
Christmas at RPC
Dec. 6
2:00 pm Cantata Rehearsal
3:00 pm Church Decorating Party
Dec. 11
7:30 pm Cantata Rehearsal
Dec. 14
5:30 pm Christmas Caroling at
Roxborough Home for Women
Followed by Refreshments in
the Welcome Center
Dec. 20
2:00 pm Cantata Rehearsal
Dec. 21
10:30 am Christmas Cantata
Dec. 24
7:30 pm Christmas Eve Worship
8:30 pm Fellowship Hour
What does the word "missional" mean?
Being missional is more than just doing more social service activities or increasing the membership of a church. Being missional affects everything that a church does and is. Missional describes the character of the church.
In a missional church, mission is not one among many activities. It is instead an intention that rolls throughout the life of the church. A missional church looks for how God is in mission in the world today in light of how it knows God has worked in the past, especially through Jesus Christ. A missional church chooses to join God in that mission in the world, to let God call it and send it in that mission. A missional church knows that a part of its calling is to provide for the world a glimpse of God's future, to be a sign of God's reign. The illustration of four types of churches on the next pages shows one way of thinking about the difference between a missional church and other types of churches.
Questions and Answers on the Partnership for Missional Church
- Mike Karl, Elder
Isn't this just another form of the Congregation Mission Study or Self Study or Vision Study?
Some members of the congregation have stated that we have already gone through a self study or a mission study or some sort of discernment process and this is just another one of "those things". This is different from self or mission studies. The difference is this is a process that focuses on listening to each other, to the neighborhood and to God. This is also different in that the process is done with other congregations. When congregations work in clusters they are more likely to be successful and effective. It is built into the process that when we are finished this will not be another "plan" that gets put on the shelf.
Why does it take three years?
Missional church is not a PROGRAM. Instead, the training assists our congregation in discerning where God is calling us and becoming connected to God in mission. Part of the training is to help RPC live into a different way of being a church - becoming a missional congregation. This takes time.
Will we be clustered with churches in our in our region or by size or type?
The Cluster will be all congregations who join the cluster. There will be congregations from all over the Presbytery. We will not be grouped by regions or size or type of church.
What are the criteria for participating?
Because of the emphasis on team ministry, there are criteria for congregations to participate. Our Congregation should have:
· A willingness to take risks.
· An awareness of the changes in our neighborhood and the experience of having done something to engage in the changes, or knowing that we should do something but don't know what to do.
· Stable pastoral leadership, in a senior pastor or stable interim pastor commitment.
· A willingness by the session and leadership team to make a three-year commitment.
· A willingness to pay up to $3,000 per year for the training.
How much does it cost?
Each participating congregation is charged a fee of $3,000 per year. No church will be denied participation in the training because of cost. A sliding scale based on church membership is available. (RPC has received from Presbytery a Scholarship to reduce our cost to less than half this amount)
The Presbytery will pick up the much of the cost for smaller congregations, will provide staff, and will cover the consultants' expenses.
Any questions you may have, please contact Mike Karl or Pastor Bronc
A Journey Begun
A Report on RPC's Partnership for Missional Church
- Mike Karl, Elder
On November 7th and 8th, Roxborough Presbyterian began a journey. But we are not alone.
The first Cluster Meeting of churches, working with Presbytery, met on Friday night the 7th of November. In attendance from RPC were Pastor Bronc, Mrs. Rowland, and myself. The gathering was informal, with a tasty meal to enjoy as we met leaders from the other churches involved. The meeting began with a short service, and with being in the Word of God. The verse we will be turning to for this first year of discovery is Luke 10:1-12. Each meeting will start with this piece of scripture. We read and meditate on the scripture, then listen to another person in attendance -someone we did not know previously – listening to what struck them from the scripture. What message they gleaned from it. We then gathered and shared what we heard with the rest in the room. It was quite interesting to see how God spoke or comforted each of us. We were then introduced to the Presbytery and Consultant leaders. They shared a bit about themselves, and the information we would be going over.
On Saturday, the 8th, Both Our current Steering Leaders, Keith Hender, Theresa Gantz and Myself - and Our Listening Leaders, Barb DiCicco, Karen Vecchione, Shirley LaCrosse, Joan Fitzgerald, Martha Leidy, and Helen Rowland, were in attendance. We again started with a short service and in Luke 10:1-12.
We learned how the Christian church's methods of evangelism have changed, looking at the time line from the beginning of first church, comparing to the church of the 1950s and 1960s, and where we are - and need to be - today. We also discussed what type of church each missional group attended felt they had, both in the past, and currently. Some of the types described included
· A "Refuge Church" one which protects from the outside world;
· A "Spiritual Filling Station" meeting needs for the congregation, and those walking in the doors;
· A "Church with a Mission" focused on evangelism or outside societal support;
· A "Missional Church" one where the congregation and the outreach is focused on what God is doing through the church.
We discussed how our churches work with the world around us, how conforming and engaged we are with the community that surrounds or congregation. Through this process we hope to learn to be non-conforming to our world, yet still engaged with the world around us.
The speakers helped us understand some of the support in place for RPC throughout this process, and some of the phases we will be going through as we understand what God has in store for Roxborough Presbyterian.
Unfortunately, because of Mrs. Greet's memorial service, we needed to leave before we began our Steering and Listening Leader Training, in the second part of the day, but are making plans with Presbytery to have a second training session setup for us.
Overall, it was an enlightening day, and something I believe our leaders at RPC are excited about.
To the right is a group photo of our current leaders.
If you would like more information on the Partnership for Missional Church, please contact myself, or Pastor Bronc
215.482.1859
Youth Mission Trip 2009
- Geri Morhard, Elder
We have begun praying about our 2009 trip. As yet we do not know where we will be going.
We do, however, have some dates for meetings, projects, and fund raisers. Here are two:
1) WaWa Hoagie Certificates @ $3.50 each.
(We make $1.00 each.) They're Here!!!
2) Agape Feast & Entertainment
February 21st, 5:30 pm
Prayer Request for Trip 2009
Please begin to pray for the team to come together
as the group God wants to have participate this year.
Meetings
December 7th : 4:00 pm - Mission Trip Meeting in
the Walnut Room. Find out where and how much. Trippers will receive WaWa certificates to sell. Everyone gets to participate!!
December 14th : Agape Feast Meeting right after
church in the Sr. High Sunday School room. All
trippers necessary and everyone else who wants
to help.
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Missions Ministry
- Geri Morhard, Elder
For months, I've been intrigued with the mission I bring to you today.
Interserve has been working in Asia for over 150 years and is considered one of several "sensitive countries". Because of that, we are not permitted to use names or places or the words "Muslim", "Hindu", or "Buddhist". (You will remember, for several years this was true of Liz Loeffler also.)
Because of these stringent rules, I have decided to take a few entries from a missionary's diary. She
serves in South Asia.
This week I visited a women's prison with a dozen very excited sixth grade girls who were ready to transform the world. We bounced our way to Pune in Mukti's school van singing song after song.
As we came up to the endless white walls of the prison's outskirts the girls grew very quiet. A women peeped at us all through a crescent moon shaped window and then turned away. The girls filed in silently and gazed at the surroundings with wide eyes. A group of about 200 women were waiting for our performance. The girls' enthusiasm rose with the spotlight on them and they bubbled over with joyful songs. While they sang I watched the response of the sea of green saris with bright eyes peering out. In those eyes I saw a longing for purpose, for love, and for truth. I knew I had been given all they yearned for; but how to give it away? The words rung in my ears "Use every opportunity for My purpose." So I did. In my rudimentary Marathi, which had the women doubled over in laughter, I shared what filled my heart to over flowing with joy every day. I left the prison with such conviction of how this land is filled with searching people and what an opportunity it is to live here.
If you would like to pray for and write to the missionary we support, I'd be happy to give you
the information you need.
What 'r RPC YAs Up To?
Young Adults Group News
The end of October the RPC YAs enjoyed a trip with the combined RPC Family for the Annual HayRide and Bonfire. As we waited for the hayride to arrive, we had time to chat and toss a football for a bit. Then we hopped on the hayride of two packed wagons, over 40 people total! After the hayride, everyone enjoyed hotdogs, cider and S'mores, then gathered together to sing praise songs, led by Bob and Scott. Pastor Bronc also shared his telescope, letting everyone get a look at the wonders God put before us in the clear night sky. Fun was had by all!
In November, the Roxborough Presbyterian Church Young Adult Group had a few outings. Kim Bennett invited the RPC YA and Youth Groups for a fall bar-b-que on Sunday the 9th with plenty of good things to eat. Music was led by Bob DiCicco and Scott Granato, and Bob led a lesson for the combined groups.
On Friday November the 14th the RPC YAs met at the Karl homestead. If you were one of the ones that came out, thanks for sharing the evening with us! If you couldn't make it - you missed a nice night hanging out and discussing home finance and budgeting basics. Amy and I, as facilitators for the YA Group, put together a booklet of basic home finance terms, tips about saving and budgeting, and got input from YA members about their ways to save. We also discussed the meaning of tithing and stewardship. It was a wonderful time of just fun and getting to know each other. There were plenty of pizza, snacks and drinks to go around, and thanks to Kimmie Bennett for bringing some awesome cream puffs! Even a few of our "little ones" were able to have their own time to socialize with each other. Was kind of cool that we just sat so long and chatted, we never got to watch the movie we planned! Future topics for the discussion group may be "Getting Past Stress" and "Denominational Differences"
As of this writing, the RPC YAs are planning a trip to Lancaster on Saturday, November 22nd, including stops to Rockvale Outlets, the National Christmas Center, and Shady Maple Smorgasbord.
Future events for December are outings with the rest of the RPC Family, including caroling on Sunday, December 14th at the Roxborough Home for Women.
In January, we will be planning a Sunday afternoon hoagie lunch (in support of the RPC Mission Trip) and outing to a museum. Other outings are in the works.
If you want more information on the RPC Young Adults Group, or know someone who should be part of the group, please contact Amy or Mike Karl at ya.at.rpc@gmail.com, or call us at 215.482.1859
Mike & Amy Karl
For the RPC YA Group
215.482.1859
Opportunities for Fellowship
- Michael Granato, Elder
With the holiday season quickly approaching there are two different opportunities to enjoy the fellowship of the season.
On Sunday, December 14th the Youth and other church members will be enjoying an evening of Christmas Caroling. After their joyous time of singing everyone is invited to return to the church in the Welcome Center where refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited to both come and join in with the caroling or just come to the fellowship time afterwards. Everyone is asked to bring either an appetizer or dessert to share that will feed six people. You can drop off your goodies either before the caroling or bring them afterwards. Hot and cold beverages will be provided. If you have any questions please speak with Joan or Michael Granato about this event.
The second opportunity to enjoy Church fellowship is after the Christmas Eve Candlelight service on Wednesday, December 24th. Anyone who would be able to bring some holiday sweets or cookies is asked to bring them to the Welcome Center before the service. If you have any questions or are available to help this time of Fellowship is a coordinated effort of the Deacons headed by Kevin McLeer and the Fellowship Service area chaired by Michael Granato.
Youth & Music
Ministry
- Robert DiCicco, Jr.
Director of Youth & Music
Hello Church Family!
It is a pleasure to be able to serve as your youth leader and lead you in singing each week. I truly enjoy what you allow me to do. What I'm fortunate to do here is something I'm thankful for during this season of Thanksgiving and at all times of the year.
Our youth group recently had a mix night with the Leverington Presbyterian Church youth group. This is the second time that we have had such a night this year. Our youth group enjoys getting together to do something fun and different on a Sunday Evening. Working alongside the leadership of their youth group has been a pleasure. Some of their leaders are folks that I grew up with when attending youth groups and now we look at each other as leaders working together as we lead our groups. It's funny how things work out. God, in His Sovereignty, is working to bring about these exciting ironies in life.
During the evening at Leverington, our band kicked things off with a time of worship as the two groups sang together "corporately." Then we played one of our favorite ice breakers, trying to win as much play money as possible. After this, we really mixed it up as a youth leader at Leverington, Bryant, taught a lesson for the Senior High students, while I taught a lesson for the Junior High students of both youth groups. After lessons, Andrew Howard, from Leverington, led the kids in a rousing game of crab soccer. What a sight to see!
So pray for our youth group and pray for Leverington's youth group, and pray for the times that we gather together, that we might be able to unite in our common love for Christ.
With the junior high students that evening, we discussed the time when ten lepers called to Jesus to be healed, and Jesus healed them and told them to go to their priests to confirm that they were cleansed. Upon being made clean only one leper returned to Jesus and fell at His feet to give Him thanks and praise. Jesus asked about the other nine lepers who were also healed but failed to give thanks. Jesus told the man who gave thanks that his faith had made him well. God wants to hear 'Thank You' from us when he gives us blessings.
Another exciting change we've made is to put the youth in position to lead their group. As mentioned last
time, we have a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and junior vice president in place. We were able to meet for the first time recently, to kick around ideas. The meeting was literally "rapid fire" in terms of how many ideas were thrown out there to be discussed. I want this to be a group that is led by the students, it is their group, and we all have a similar goal which is to glorify God, to have a wonderful time together, and to grow our group. They are taking leadership, and saying that they want to see great things happen in their group. And I feel like this is a great strategy, along with prayer, to see our group moving in a positive direction! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Grace and Peace.
Youth Officer News
On Sunday, November 16, 2008 the youth officers met for the first time to brainstorm ideas on how to improve Roxborough Presbyterian Church's Youth Group. Many new ideas came up on how to involve the youth around the church and ideas on how to also expand our youth group. The idea of fundraising came up and we are going to put that into effect starting this month. In December, the youth will be baking cookies for the holidays and selling them to the cookie lovers on December 14th. These fundraisers will help reduce prices on youth events such as Youth Week, Breakaway, and other outing trips that the youth attended. These fundraisers may also help pay for the costs of any other products we may need to help fix up our youth room. We are really looking forward to this new idea of organizing events for youth and if you have any questions or ideas please feel free to let us know.
Love and Prayers -
Jackie Hillanbrand, (P), Kimberly Karl (VP), Mindy Danowski (S), Sabrina Hillanbrand (T),
Anthony Hillanbrand (JVP)
The Revolve "All Access" Experience
- Kimberly Karl
The Revolve Tour is a Christian event for teen girls and is a really fun way to fellowship with other believers in Christ and share the love of God to those who do not know him. It is a great yearly reminder of how much God loves you and that he loves you the way you are. This year the theme was "all access" to remind us that even though some groups of people won't open the door for us, God always does, He gives us all access into His heart.
The event was a Friday night, Saturday conference. We were very grateful to have Kevin McLeer and Bobby DiCicco drop us off and pick us up at the Wachovia Spectrum for both days. We are also all very thankful that Elgie Hender let us stay at her house for the night; even if we didn't get that much sleep we had lots of fun.
At the Spectrum, there were a lot of girls. Screaming girls, happy girls, jumpy girls, any kind of girl imaginable was there. I mean, with 10,000 girls there are bound to be differences. But many of those differences were mended because of two things: we love God and we love to shop. Yes, there were many shopping opportunities on the concourse, bags, sweatshirts, jewelry, books. Of course they all kept the same theme: God is in our lives and He loves us.
In the line-up were Natalie Grant, a great singer who always knows that God is there for her, and Chad Eastham, the author of Guys Like Girls Who… a very good book about how healthy guys like girls who are comfortable with themselves, are healthy, can spell "NO" (just like that with the boldness, underline and italics for extra emphasis), are fun to hangout with, and how important it is for the guy to have a love for Jesus as great as your own. Another group that was very popular, and got a lot of girls screaming, including me, was Hawk Nelson. They are a rock band from Canada who weren't afraid to pump up the volume for God.
Not only were there screaming and jumping girls, there were compassionate girls there too. So many in fact, that they made Philadelphia the talk of the tour. The Revolve Tour partners with World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization devoted to helping the less fortunate around the world. Every year there are booths on the concourse with pictures of children to sponsor. Of course, all those little faces pull at a girl's heartstrings and Philadelphia sponsored over 380 children, a Revolve Tour record.
When we got home, we were sad that it was over and the next day I, personally, was still in Revolve mode (I wanted to scream and holler any time I heard something awesome about God. It was very hard to contain). It was my third year going and this year was just as powerful and fun as last year. I am most definitely going back next year. We already have the tickets.
* * *
A Note on Music
- Scott Granato
Director of Music & Worship
The choir met once again in order to
practice for their performance on Sunday, November 23rd as the offertory selection for the morning worship. This week we sung a hymn entitled "In Thanksgiving Let us
Praise Him" to better get in the mood of Thanks-giving. I hope that seeing and hearing their musical selections was a blessing to you and the rest of the congregation.
In December the choir will sing in the Christmas Cantata! This year's Christmas Cantata will take place during the Sunday morning worship hour on Sunday, December 21st, the Sunday closest to Christmas. Begin now to invite your family and friends to this inspiring and worshipful experience. This year's cantata is entitled "The Christmas Present" and includes many upbeat and traditional Christmas hymns in combination with one another intertwined with dialogue to reinforce the message that Jesus Christ has come into the world as a gift to us to save us from our sins.
Any new members for the choir are always invited to join us. As for the Christmas Cantata rehearsals, there will be three:
Saturday, December 6th at 2 pm
Thursday, December 11th at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 20th at 2 pm
If you are interested in just joining the choir for Christmas you are more than welcome to show up at these practices. I will also need a few willing people to read a dialogue during the Cantata. These people will need to practice as well. Please come and talk to me if you are interested.
The coming month will be very busy between the Christmas Cantata and of course all of the other Christmas events, including Christmas Eve service. I hope to see many people out at these fun events and taking part in church life and fellowship. Just so you can plan ahead the choir will practice on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 2 p.m. Thank you for all your support and again any questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to talk with me.
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Roxborough Presbyterian Church - 8230 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128-2903 |
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Wednesday Evenings - 7:30 pm
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