Midweek Musings Newsletter
November 4, 2009
Midweek Musings by Reid Beveridge, Stated Clerk
Why is it that God decided that trees don’t grow above 7,000 feet?
We don’t think much about the “tree line” in coastal Delaware, where the highest point is a few dozen feet, and those of us who live on the coast reside in homes at elevations like 9 feet.
My wife and I can see the tree line on the not-very-distant mountains from our hotel room. We saw it up close and personal as we drove across the Julierpass to get to our present location. When beach-livers go on vacation, we go to the mountains. The mountains in this case are the Swiss Alps. My next question is:
“What hath God wrought?” Why did God raise up the Alps from northern Italy to southern Germany to such heights that they, literally, take your breath away? So, my next question:
“Who is man that God is mindful of him?” As we drove over Julierpass at an elevation of 2,300 meters, woman and man seem truly insignificant.
What is ever more insignificant are the various human concerns that bedevil our daily life. While on this two-week visit to Germany and points south, we are still tied to our “other” life. The Internet makes sure of that. Just as there are roads to Switzerland, there also are electrons.
The church did not always have electrons, at least the modern sense of the Internet, satellite telephones, blackberries and cell phones, but the Apostle Paul clearly worried about his followers in places like Thessoliniki (the current city in Macedonia) and Corinth. Our daily concerns are of far less moment than those of the early church. Far less.
Our concerns in New Castle Presbytery, a tiny corner of God’s kingdom, are more mundane, but no less apparent given the e-mail traffic. Presbyters are concerned about our stated meetings and how they work. We are concerned about church order and discipline. We are concerned about record-keeping and the accuracy thereof. We are concerned about the “rules,” and doing things “decently and in order.” These things can be important to some. As for me, as I tap this out, somehow the Book of Order doesn’t seem quite so important.
God raised the mountains and created the seas decently and in order. But what God hath wrought is truly a mystery. As Georg Friedrich Handel wrote so eloquently, it is all a mystery. Why did God raise the Alps to be the personification of beauty almost beyond description. And at the same time, why does God leave our brothers and sisters in places like the Congo and Guatemala to live in the situations in which they find themselves because they are born there? It is all such a mystery.
So this week, let us revel and ponder. Let us revel in the beauty of the mountains and the sea. I am not a poet, so I offer no further words about the mountains. Instead, I turn to our colleague in ministry, Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, and the first verse of her hymn to the sea:
“On the beach the waves and waters, crash upon the sparkling sand;
Parents with their sons and daughters stroll and chatter hand in hand;
Several people, watching gazing, spot some dolphins swimming free;
God, your world is so amazing. Thank you for the wondrous sea!”
It is all such a mystery. God, your world is truly so amazing.
- Reid Beveridge
Ordination Service
Georgetown Presbyterian Church
Cordially invite you to celebrate the
Service of worship and ordination of
Amy Lawrence
Ministry of Word and Sacrament
Saturday, November 7, 2009
3:00 pm
Georgetown Presbyterian Church
203 North Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947
Reception immediately following
Recognize the Work of Caregivers
Recent statistics indicate that as many as 50 million people in the United States are providing some amount of care for a family member who is chronically ill, has a disability or is experiencing frailty associated with age.
Celebrate Caregiver Sunday on November 15 and recognize the important work of caregivers. Learn how your congregation can provide needed support and respite through starting a congregational care team. Get suggestions for starting a care team and resources including a Caregiver Sunday liturgy, litany, blessings and prayers and tips for caring for those who give care to others.
APCE Annual Conference
The Leadership Development Unit has funds to send two volunteer Christian educators to the APCE annual conference in January 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. The scholarship will cover the cost of registration for a non-professional educator, plus $300 towards travel costs. To apply, please fill out an Adult Scholarship Form, available in the Brochures, Forms and Other Downloads section of the Presbytery website: http://ncpresby.pbworks.com/Brochures,+Forms,+Other+Downloads. Forms must be filled out completely and will be reviewed by the Unit members. Grants will be made based on merit. Completed applications may be emailed as an attachment to Jeanette Zipf, (jpzipf@aol.com) or by regular mail to Jeanette at 102 Delview Drive, Wilmington, DE19810. Grants will be announced before the end of November 2009 in order to receive early registration discounts.
Youth Mission Associate Wanted
Trinity Presbyterian Church is seeking a youth mission associate to work with middle-school youth to develop their passion for service and missions. This is a part-time position (about 25 hours a month). Inquiries can be sent to Brad Martin by December 4 at bradmartin@trinitypresby.org. Thank you.
Hymnals Available
Harundale Presbyterian Church in Glen Burnie, MD, has 250 regular hymnals and 9 large print hymnals available for any interested church. This is the Presbyterian Hymnal from 1990. The church would really love to be able to give these hymnals to a church that can use them rather than simply recycle them. If you’re interested please contact Harundale Presbyterian Church at 410-766-4338 ext. 15. You may also email the church at music@harundalepresbyterian.org for more information.
Shiela Ruth
Music Assistant
Harundale Presbyterian Church
Turkey Supper at West Nottingham PC
West Nottingham Presbyterian Church will be holding their annual Turkey Supper on Saturday, November 7, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Turkey with all the trimmings and featuring our famous "creamed mushrooms". Cost is $12.00 for carryout, $10.00 for adults dining in, $4.00 for children 10 and under. For more information, please call the church at 410-658-6366, x21.
Unity Day at Church of our Savior
Unity Day
November 8, 2009 - 11:00 am
Speaker
The Reverend Bernice Warren
Chester Eastside Ministries
Chester, PA
Download flyer for more information: Unity Day flyer 2009.pdf
Trinity PC Winter Bazaar
Advent Christmas Bazaar
Ho-Ho-Ho!! West Nottingham Presbyterian Church is holding an Advent/Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, November 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ten-Thousand Villages crafts, vendors, food, shopping and pictures with Santa Claus and a Nativity. Bring your family and friends and join us. For more information, please call the church at 410-658-6366, x21.
To commemorate National Caregivers’ Month,
Delaware Region Health Ministries Network presents…
Called to Care Delaware:
Integrating Faith in Caregiving
Saturday, November 14th~ 10am-3 pm
Eastpoint Community Church Newark, DE
featuring:
Verna Benner Carson, R.N., PhD., author of
Spiritual Caregiving,
&
Rev. Michael Barry, MDiv, DMin, author of
The Art of Caregiving.
This conference is for professionals in both medicine and ministry
who see the value of the integration of faith and health
in their practices in order to promote
wholistic wellbeing in their communities of influence.
Click here for more information: http://calledtocaredelaware.eventbrite.com/
Ulster Project
Please put this invitation in your Worship Bulletins and email to your church families with teenagers. Thank you!
ULSTER PROJECT INFORMATION SESSION FOR PROSPECTIVE
HOST TEENS & PARENTS ON NOVEMBER 15
Ulster Project Delaware (UPD), reconciliation project that brings Catholic and Protestant Northern Irish teenagers to Wilmington for the month of July, is holding an Information Session about the project and the application process for UPD 2010 on Sunday, November 15, from 2 – 4 pm in Grace Hall, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1506 W. 13th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806.
Catholic and Protestant teens between the ages of 14 – 16 and their parents should attend if they are interested in learning more about the project and in applying to be one of the eighteen Host Teens needed for the UPD 2010 next summer. Because the number of teens applying consistently exceeds the number of slots available, UPD has redesigned its host recruitment process in ensure that the selection is as comprehensive, thorough, and equitable as possible. At the session the new steps that have been introduced into the selection process will be fully explained and application forms will be distributed.. For more information, call Ann Zappaterrrini, Chair of Host Recruitment, at 302-559-7906, or Sally Milbury-Steen at Pacem in Terris, at 302-656-2721, or go to www.updonline.org
Hope in the Face of Loss
A SERVICE OF WITNESS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2009
AT 3:00 PM
For many people, the loss of loved ones, a home, a job or other crises become more poignant during the holidays. Along with the winter season comes a winter of the heart.
The Stephen Ministers of First Presbyterian Church invite you to come to Hope in the Face of Loss, a Service of Witness on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 3:00 PM. in our sanctuary. You will have the opportunity to light a candle of hope. Even in the darkness of pain and grief, the light of candles can shine through. There will be a time of meditation in Remembrance Garden at 2:30 PM. Stephen Ministers will be there to greet you. Plan to stay for a reception immediately following the service.
First Presbyterian Church is located at 292 West Main Street, Newark, ½ mile west of the University of Delaware on state route 273. Parking is available, and the church is handicapped accessible. If you have any questions, please call (302) 731-5644.
New CastleCounty Community Band Concert
Calvary Presbyterian Church
Sunday, November 15 – 7:00 pm
Download flyer for more information: Calvary Concert flyer.pdf
Long-term Evening Bible Study
Westminster Adult Ed provides Thursday evening study twice a month. Due to holiday activities, meeting will be as follows: November 19, December 3 & 17. Beginning in January 2010 we will meet on the second and fourth Thursdays from 7:00 – 8:00 pm in the main floor conference room for Journey Together Through Isaiah I, II, and III until June 2010. All interested persons are welcome. Come engage the Old and New Testaments. Explore ancient prophesy as an informal group examining what lay between the lectionary selections of the most referenced book in the New Testament. Classes convened by Babs Harris.
Newark Tintinnabulation
A NEWARK HANDBELL FESTIVAL
Handbell Choirs from Newark, DE will participate in a first-time Newark Handbell Festival to bring together musicians of this instrument in Christian fellowship and fun, while promoting our art among the Newark community via tintinnabulations (a joyous sound)! The Festival will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2009, at 4:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 292 West Main Street, Newark, 1/2 mile west of the University of Delaware on state route 273. Parking is available, and the church is handicapped accessible.
Download flyer for more information: Newark HandBell Festival.pdf
Presbyterian Women of Community PC
The Presbyterian Women
of
Community Presbyterian Church
presents
DelawareStateUniversity Concert Choir
Directed by
Dr. Curtis E. Powell
Sunday, November 22, 2009
4:00 pm
Community Presbyterian Church
519 Rogers Road / New Castle, Delaware
Cost: Adults $18.00 / Students $10.00
Contact: Theresa Perry-Wilson, Ticket Chairperson
(302) 738-6328
Featured Resources at the Interfaith Resource Center
(www.interfaithresourcecenter.com)
One of the most reliable producers of video teaching programs at the Interfaith Resource Center is The Teaching Company. These excellent quality programs provide 30-minute college lectures over a series of typically 12 to 24 sessions. Authors such as Luke Timothy Johnson, Bart Ehrman, and Amy Jill Levine number some of the finest professors in the country, carefully chosen to provide the best quality programs in each discipline. Several churches that we serve have used entire series as important parts of their studies; however, there is another way to take advantage of these impressive programs. Some churches have found that they can use a portion of a lecture series. For example, specific lectures about the prophets might be used from the Old Testament series by Amy Jill Levine or an individual lecture on the Infancy Gospels from Bart Ehrman's Lost Christianities could provide foundational material for a program on the Marian tradition in the pre-Reformation church. And our audio CD's from the Teaching Company will provide wonder listening in long hours on the road. Consult with IRC staff to explore these enhanced possibilities.
--
Paula W Hartzell
Interfaith Resource Center
913 Wilson Road / Wilmington, DE 19803
302.477.0910 or 800.336.6152
www.interfaithresourcecenter.com / resource.ctr1@gmail.com or resource.ctr@dol.net
Social Security Corner
Keep up-to-date on Social Security with the Midweek Musings Newsletter
Social Security Column
SOCIAL SECURITY IMPROVES DISABILITY PROGRAM WITH
COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCES
By Joe Donnelly
Social Security Manager in Cambridge, MD
Social Security is making the disability process much faster for people with rare diseases and cancers.
That’s because Social Security has begun the first phase of its Compassionate Allowances initiative -- a way to expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants whose medical conditions are so severe that their conditions obviously meet Social Security’s standards.
The improvements to the disability determination process are the result of a series of public hearings where Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, received information from leading experts on cancers and rare diseases. Social Security also has been receiving technical assistance from the National Institutes of Health to ensure that the compassionate allowance initiative is based on sound, up-to-date medical science.
“Getting benefits quickly to people with the most severe medical conditions is both the right and the compassionate thing to do,” Commissioner Astrue said. “This initiative will allow us to make decisions on these cases in a matter of days, rather than months or years.”
Social Security is launching this expedited decision process with a total of 50 conditions. Over time, more diseases and conditions will be added. A list of the first 50 impairments -- 25 rare diseases and 25 cancers – as well as more information about Compassionate Allowances can be found at www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
DON’T LET A NATURAL DISASTER DELAY YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENT – GET DIRECT DEPOSIT: Natural Disaster.pdf
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