Pilgrims Progress May 2012

PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

Voice of the Pilgrim Presbyterian Church
Vinita, Oklahoma
May, 2012

A Pastoral Letter from the Sidelines

Dear friends,

There is a lot of gloom and doom talk regarding the future of our Presbyterian Church, but that is not going to trump the vision and enthusiasm evident in Pilgrim Presbyterian Church!


Well do I remember our first meeting. Toni Moore, then chairperson of the Worship Committee, invited me to preach at a Sunday service in April 2005 - 7 years ago! There were eleven people in the congregation that morning. After the service, Jim Ratcliff approached me, and in a persuasive way said “we need you.”


Session took a risk and invited me “an old man” to be your “temporary supply pastor”. I accepted and I’m glad I did.
Working together, faith in action has infused new life into our beloved Church. Session, Deacons and our Committee of Mission and Outreach, chaired by Joyce Dishman, deserve much credit for renewal. Through the efforts of the Rev. Judy Hendedrson we are participating in mission in far away Malawi, Africa.


Brian Dishman and Jewell Morgan get kudos for making possible an outreach ministry, “Off Site-On Line”, which connects Pilgrim Church with hundreds of people each week.


Our “Monday at Ten” fellowship at Burroughs Manor, and the Deacons monthly sponsored “Bingo” afternoon at the Manor, have both been well received by our good friends next door. And, what a joy to see how many of you have supported our ecumenical relations with St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Salvation Army.


The Christian life is one of “good tidings of great joy.” You’ve got it. Don’t lose it. There are many challenges ahead. I only wish I could be with you as you meet them in a positive, exciting way.


Bless you and thank you for your kindness and support, especially in this past year, which has been a tough one for me.


With fond regards, always,


Richard

ON THE PRAYER LIST

Please remember the following individuals in your daily prayers:

Richard Evans – Our minister

Dilys Evans – Richard's daughter

Mary Draper – Church member

Melba Shelton - Church member

Shirley Spaulding - Church member

John and Louise Gullett – Janie's parents 

Patricia Hemphill – Friend of the Church

Larry Skaggs – Friend of Todd Mariner

Bill Montgomery - Friend of Toni’s 

Men and women serving in the military forces, and their families

 CHURCH OFFICERS     

Session Members

(Class of ’12) Joyce Dishman, Wally Olson, Jim Shelton

(Class of '13) Keith Cresap, Sue Ratcliff, Fred York

(Class of ’14) Sarah Bruce, Kitty Brown, Irene Conine

Deacons

(Class of ’12) Jim Dishman, Dianne Rapp

(Class of '13) Jeanne Cowley, Jan Clark-Haney, Toni Moore

(Class of ’14) Liz Logan, Shirley Spaulding 

Church Trustees

Wally Olson 2012

Keith Cresap 2013

Kitty Brown 2014 

Church email: pilgrimpresby@sbcglobal.net 

17 Lawrence Noggle

20 Jan Clark-Haney

26 Jim Ratcliff

28 Mark Curnutte 

Birthday Sunday is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of the month.

Birthday Sunday Assignments:

May - Sarah Bruce

June - Shirley Rapp

July - Sue Ratcliff

August - Jan Clark

September - Janie York

October - Linda Burger

November - Toni Moore

December - Jeanne Cowley

(Bring cake & check on juice for children) 

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 Melba Shelton’s address is 821 N. Foreman #115

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Graduation Celebrations !

May 13 was the celebration of Vinita High School graduates Caitlyn Spurgeon and Madison Kroll. We are especially proud of these two young ladies.

Caitlyn was crowned Basketball queen and Madison was crowned Football queen this past year.

Caitlyn Spurgeon is the daughter of John and Cindy (Cresap) Spurgeon. Her activities and honors include: being named to the All-State basketball team, becoming Vinita’s all time leading scorer in basketball, track, cross country, NHS and Senior Rotarian. She was also Valedictorian of her class.

Madison Kroll is the daughter of Chris and Julie (York) Osborn. Madison is a model in addition to being a football and track trainer. She works for the Linda Layman Agency, where she models and teaches. Recently she was offered a contract from Cing Deux Un, a modeling agency in Tokyo, Japan. Her plans after high school aren’t completely set in stone but for the moment she is thinking about going to Japan, where she will probably model all the time and if she likes it will sign a contract. She is excited about seeing that part of the world. She stated that if she doesn’t like it she will come back home and go to college. 

Excerpt from a letter from General Presbyter, Greg Coulter:

“I am challenging each congregation in this presbytery to do something, anything, just one thing new between now and the end of the year which advances the gospel message in your community. It has to be something you haven’t done before and it has to reach out to someone who isn’t already attending your church.

Have some fun; experiment; trust in the Holy Spirit to bless and multiply your efforts. Then let me know what you did and how it worked out!”

Grace and Peace,

Greg 

Deacons:

• The Deacon's met on Sunday April 15th. Everyone was present but Jan. 
• We made plans to celebrate Mother's day and our graduates on May 13th. Madison Kroll and Caitlyn Spurgeon will be honored as well as all the Mother's. Cake and punch will be served after church.
• We also talked about our July Pot Luck dinner. More on that meal after our May meeting. 
• Bingo at Burroughs will play in May and June and then take a break until Sept. The residents really enjoy seeing some new faces and playing bingo is taken very serious. In April we had two bingo on blackout, first time that has happened. Jewell, Liz, Toni and Diane were the bingo helpers. Next bingo is May 19th.

Ministers for May/June

6 - Nancy Covington

13 - Craig Kilgour

20 - Greg Coulter

27 - Craig Kilgour

June 3 - Ken Bailey

Tearful Farewells:

Chris and Julie (York) Osborn have accepted teaching positions in Hennessey, Oklahoma. Chris will be the Athletic Director and Julie will teach elementary school. The family will be sorely missed. 

Our Journey Through Lent

To the pastors and congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, our journey through Lent has begun. Originally a time of instruction and preparation for baptism of those who were new to the Christian faith, we know it as a season for reflection and rededication of one’s faith in preparation for Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection on Easter morning. In commenting on the Lenten journey, Gradye Parsons writes, “The journey through Lent often involves a series of paths that require us to pass through a gate so that we can continue moving forward in faith” (Open to Me the Gates, Witherspoon Press, 2012). He continues by pointing out how the gate in an ancient city was a great “equalizer”—regardless of one’s position in life, it was necessary to pass through the gate to tend to daily tasks or business. It was also a place where people gathered for various reasons. The other journey we are on at present is the one leading to the 220th General Assembly in Pittsburgh this summer (June 29–July 7). In a way, the process that church councils are using to overture the assembly is a great equalizer—every ruling elder who comes to the session table, and every ruling and teaching elder who gathers as a commissioner for a presbytery meeting, are equal to one another in their discernment and decision-making as a council. The same will be true of the ruling and teaching elders that are elected by presbyteries to be commissioners at the General Assembly itself. As the apostle Paul wrote, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ ... Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor. 12:21, 27). It is easy to find divisions near home and far away on the other side of the globe. Unfortunately, when we focus on divisions, we miss those things we share in common with all of God’s children. The good news is that the church is God’s gift to us as a place where we can gather and be together, sharing our humanity, our joys and concerns, and our frailties and strengths. It is where we are offered and receive forgiveness. It is where we all are surprised by grace. Thanks be to God! May our common witness to our unity in Christ deepen throughout our Lenten journey and our journey toward Pittsburgh. Faithfully yours, Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly Linda Valentine, Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council

Presbyterian 101 - the Meaning Behind the Seal

The following is an article by Elizabeth Mark.  She has written a very informative article about the Presbyterian Church Seal in the form of our Cross.  It has been a long time since I have looked at this specific cross and I did not realize all the symbolism contained within it.  Perhaps everyone else does, but I thought I would share this article.  I talked with Richard and he thought it would be alright to share, so here it is.  Also if you have a chance, please click on the link provided to visit the Author's blog, A Spiritual Break and have a look at some of her other writings.

** This article has been reproduced with permission of the author, Elizabeth Mark.  If you have any questions regarding the origins of Presbyterian 101, please contact me at briandishman@gmail.com

              Presbyterian Seal

Presbyterian 101

Religious symbols are a part of human history. 

Let’s take a closer look at the seal of the Presbyterian Church (USA). 

This seal is a registered trademark designed by Malcolm Grear (Rhode Island School of Design) and a task force made up of various Presbyterians.  It is comprised of several basic components; the seal being:  cross, scripture, a descending dove at the upper part of the cross, and flames on either side of the lower part of the cross; and the name of the denomination encircling the symbol.  The seal is a symbolic statement of the church’s heritage, identity, and mission.

Now for a closer look at the symbol.

The Cross:  represents the incarnate love of God in Jesus Christ, his passion, his resurrection.  The Celtic cross was chosen as a model because of its association with Presbyterian history.

The Open Book:  The two center lines of the cross are the representation of an open book.  This highlights the emphasis which the Reformed tradition has placed on the role of Scripture as a means of knowing God’s word.

The Dove:  The slightly-flared shape of the top of the cross depicts a descending dove thus a symbol of the Holy Spirit and is intimately tied to the representation of the Bible.  The Spirit is both inspiring and interpreting Scripture in the life of the church.  The dove also symbolizes Christ’s baptism by John and the peace which is resurrection brings to a broken world.

The Lectern or Pulpit:  Beneath the image of the book is the suggestion of a lectern or pulpit, which captures the important role of preaching in the history of Presbyterian worship.

The Flames:  Found in the lower part of the design, they also form an implied triangle with the dove.  The flames have a double meaning.  As a symbol of revelations in the Old Testament when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush; and as a symbol of the beginning of the Christian church when Christ manifested himself to his apostles at Pentecost & charged them to be messengers of the good news of God’s love.

The Triangle:  A traditional symbol of the Trinity; also a symbol for Presbyterian government with its concern for balance and order.

Theological symbols:  Let’s see if you can find these.  The body of the dove becomes a fish, an early symbol for Christ.  The center line under the book may look like a baptismal font or a communion chalice (cup).

So, the next time you see this symbol take a moment to think about the Presbyterian heritage and what this special image means to you.