THE FORWARD LOOK
July 2010 (mailout edition)
BEN’S BIN
It is so great to be back in America- the greatest
country in the world! In Israel an
Israeli wears a machine gun from teenage years.
We were surprised when three Israelis with M-16s boarded our bus looking
for terrorists. In Israel there is a
shrinking number of Christians (mostly Palestinian Christians), because
Christians are persecuted as non-Jews (lumped together as Palestinians) by the
Jews and persecuted by the Muslim majority as not being Muslim.
So Christian children have a hard time getting a great education, and
have a hard time getting a good job and decent housing.
Bethlehem used to be 90% Christian, and now it is about 40% (National
Geographic has a great article on this).
I am saying this, because, though people are growing in their criticism
of Christians in our country, it is still possible to be free to worship God
here.
Every time I come back to
America I appreciate that I do not have to worry about M-16s for our teens, or
the persecution of people because they are Christian.
Freedom of Religion should not be taken lightly.
One of the last things we did was tour the Holocaust
Museum (Yad Vashim) which commemorates the 6 million
Jews killed by the nazis and the persecution of many more.
I left their glad that they had made a museum there for them (there also
is one in Washington D.C. and Germany).
But I also felt sad that there have been 40 million Christians killed (26
million last century), and there is no place to remember them.
But precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Ps.
72:14). This July 4th let us celebrate the freedom we have to speak and to worship without
fear.
PART TIME SUMMER STAFF HIRED
The Personnel Committee voted to hire Lorrie Watkins to
help out our Christian Education program this summer.
Lorrie is a graduate of Presbyterian College (Christian Education), and
has served Purity Presbyterian in Chester as their Director of Christian
Education. We are glad to have her
aboard this summer as our Associate for Christian Education.
She will assist Jane and David in their work, and will head up the HUB
ministries.
MINISTRY AT THE HUB- Lake Murray Presbyterian is sponsoring “Wednesdays at
the HUB” in July. It is a way for
kids to get needed spiritual and physical nourishment.
Many of the kids who come are on free lunch, and do not have a way to get
lunch in the summer when school is out (and summerschool is not in session).
We bring our VBS materials over and teach the children about Christ, have
fun, and do crafts and play games.
We will meet 11:30- 1:00 each Wednesday in July.
GOoDWORKS BLITZ-
The GOoDWorks Blitz youth and adults to sign up.
We need “whosoever will” come to come and make this work.
But we also need a few electricians carpenters site leaders; we need
folks to donate snacks, to serve breakfast or lunch, donate water, pick up ice
and deliver coolers, pick up and deliver supplies.
Work to be done will include painting, yard clean up, general repairs,
roofing, sheet rocking, power washing (need some power washers), and need a few
trucks and trailers.
Below is a
picture or two of last year’s GOoDWorks Blitz:
July Nursery Volunteers
July 4- Anna
Good, Alina Cuttino, Kristen Lamkin
July 11-
Ginger Harris and Mary Ellen Lackey
July 18-
Debbie Berry and Ann McCrary
July 25-
Alyson and Carly Bouknight
July Children’s Church Volunteers
July 4- Lorrie
Watkins and Tyler Sims
July 11-
Elizabeth Teal and Belle Harrell
July 18- Anne
Summers and Shelby Harrell
July 25- Molly
and Emma Grace Sims
Galactic Blast “A Cosmic Adventure Praising God”
VBS 2010
July 19-22
(Monday-Thursday)
9 am- Noon
Ages 3 years
as of 9/2009 through those who have completed 5th grade
Registration
$5.00 per child or max of $10 per family
T-shirts are
an additional $5.00
Please
register by Wednesday, July 14th
Our VBS mission project is to fill the space ship with canned goods for
WE CARE.
We still are
in need of volunteers to shepherd groups from one station to another; volunteers
to help with the preschool group; volunteers to help Dr. Roberts with music.
Youth, please give me a call if you can help that week.
Parents of Young Children
We have had
our trip to Riverbanks Zoo in June.
We are planning a trip to Monkey Joe’s in Lexington in July.
Watch for further information. If you have any other ideas for a morning
or afternoon out, please see me or call at 345.1152.
Preschool Summer Mini-Camps
We have had
two very successful weeks of camp in June.
Our next camps are July 27-29 and August 3-5.
Camp is open to children 12 months through rising 1st graders.
Registration forms are on the counter
outside
fellowship hall or you can call me at 345.1152.
Mandy’s Movin and Groovin
The exercise classes will be up and running again starting August 2 on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 am and Tuesday nights at 7:00.
This will be the time to get back into the swing of things.
There will be a rafting trip on July 31st at the Nantahala Rive with Ryan
McCrary. Pick up a form outside the
Fellowship Hall if you’re interested and bring it by the church office.
We are having an all church retreat at Epworth by the sea on February
18-20, 2011. The prices for the
entire weekend including meals and tax are as follows:
Single $272.04, Double
$183.44, Triple $167.52,
Quad $151.62. Mark these dates on your calendar and let
me know if
you’re interested in going. We have
a reservation for fifty people but we need to know about how many people are
interested.
More details
will follow after I know how many people are interested.
To my wonderful Lake Murray Church Family,
How can I find
the right words to thank you during my recent hospital stay and recovery time.
Thank you from the bottom of my
heart for all
the cards, calls, food for my family, and especially for your prayers.
God is great and I am a living testimony that miracles can happen with
the power of prayer. God wasn't
through with me on this earth yet.
If I can ever do anything for any of you please don't hesitate to ask me.
I owe you all so much. Thank
you again for everything.
With all my
love, Mandy McCathern
Bo’s Bay
Coming to LMPC - Fall 2010 The Last
Days - The Passion & Resurrection!
[A Disciple
Bible Study]
A look at Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem.
This is a small group Bible study (5 different meeting times).
You may
register by purchasing a book in the church office.
“Have a Little Faith: A True Story”
by Mitch Albom
~
“Have
a little Faith is Albom’s first nonfiction book since his best seller, “Tuesdays
with Morrie”. The book is about his
experiences with an African-American church in the inner-city with a hole in its
roof, and
a suburban
synagogue led by an elderly Rabbi. Moving between their worlds, Christian and
Jewish, African-American and white,
impoverished
and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith
similarly in fighting for survival.
One of the many interesting questions raised is: “What if our beliefs were not
what divided us, but what pulled us together?”
A five week
study, Sundays, July 25 – August 22nd
~ Register by
purchasing the book for $ 13.
If
you have a pastoral emergency and
the
office is closed, please call
Ben Sloan at 727.3476, Bo Stalcup at 727.7451 or Pat Griffin at
586.9569. If you cannot reach the
minister, please contact the Elder-on-call.
Church Office Hours: Monday—Friday
8:00 am- 4:30 pm.
Elder-on-Call
Each week an active
Elder and Deacon are on call. In the
case of hospitalization or death, they will be in touch with
you and your
family. This is just one way that we
want to reach out and care for our members.
Elder on Call the week of:
Deacon on Call week of:
June 27
Lovic Brooks
345.1950 June 27
Clare McGill 422.4497
July 4
Lois Cathcart
345.2190 July 4
Mike Murrell 407.4007
July 11
Dede Elmore
345.4065
July 11
Lisa Cloyd 345.9714
July 18
Mary Lovelace
413.0669
July 18
Anne Cruz 932.4941
July 25
Smyth McCrady
920.4430
July 25
Melissa Hattaway 407.0346
Prayer Request
*Brenda
Shattuck; Howard Nickles, father of *Jean Atkins; *Darlene Dillard;
O.B. Ayers,
brother in law of *Glenna Rowland; *Gerald Meetze and family upon the loss of
his father Baker Meetze; Jerry Shealy; Ron Shive;
Janet Harris, cousin of
*Sally Harrell; Lisa & Lauren
Blanchette,: Luther Shealy Meetze;
*Jan Overstreet upon the loss of his sister Lee Overstreet; Carey Leverett,
*Jonathan Leverett’s Father;
Bob Greve, father of *Jane Jermac;
*Cynthia
Morrow; Carol Ann Norris, sister in-law
of *Deborah
Cox; Rosemary Wright, mother or *Mary Margaret Thomas;
Ann Wallace; *Travis Davidson; Arnold Stancil, brother in law of
*Kathleen Taylor; *Ann Webb; Cindy Johnson; *Bunny Williams upon the loss of her
mother Lennie Evett; David
Emerson,
father of Nancy Emerson; Peggy
Dewey, sister of Walt Rucker; Alice
Horein, *Eileen Rickman’s mother; Linda Wilson, friend of the *Runges and the
*Harrell
families;
*Buddy Harley; Mary Sue McElveen, mother of *Susan Powell; Judy Johnson,
*Bob Johnson’s sister in-law and Mark Johnson’s mother; Erma Grooms, mother of
*Ann Nichols; *Ruth Palassis; Lee Coker Riser; *Betty Algar; David Husband,
grandson of *Dan and *Charlene Morgan; Henrietta Heape; *Ruth Timmons; *Carl
Scott; *Daniel White; *Alyssa Mott; and friends and family members serving in
the military. (*members)
Finance Committee Report
Our church,
like all others, historically experiences a drop in weekly offerings during the
summer months because of travel, etc.
Knowing this trend, the Session and its committees have minimized
expenditures to the extent possible while doing their best to continue with
minimal needs. However, as the table
shows, we are experiencing major shortfalls in revenue to date (short by nearly
$82,000) and, despite expenditure cuts,
expenses to
date exceed actual receipts by nearly $35,000.
This shortfall is putting a severe strain on our operating cash balance.
Thus, with another two months of summer ahead of us, the committee urges
all members to strive to bring their general fund giving current so we can
emerge from the slow summer months in as strong a financial position as
possible. Remember that pledges and
other donations may be made online when you are away through the website at
lmpchurch.org.
Year To Date Church
financial Information
Year to Date Through June 29, 2010
2010 Budget
YTD Budget
YTD Actual
Income
$860,755
$430,378
$348,879
Expenses
Administrative
43,400 22,015
Property
263,162
127,172
Missions & Outreach
66,043
7,180
Worship
7,250
2,147
Personnel
453,000
211,724
Other Committees
27,900
13,553
Total Expenses to Date
$383,793
Revenue Less Expenditures
-$34,914
Loan Balances as of 6-29-10:
Sanctuary
Mortgage
$455,606
Columbarium/Celebration Garden Loan
$204,004