Pastor’s Letters

 
 

February 28, 2024

 

Dear Paw Creek,

My plan for this newsletter was to write something about the season of Lent. But as I sat down to type, my eye landed on an object that is sending me another direction.

 

Last week I was visiting my sister Amy at her home in Columbia. After I arrived Amy called my attention to a frame on the wall and asked “do you remember that?”

 

Boy do I remember it! It’s an abstract painting in the style of a mid-twentieth century Dutch artist, all lines and colors and shapes. It’s signed by our father with the year 1952, when he was an art student in Kansas City and it hung in our living room during most of my childhood. In my very earliest years, I remember staring at it, fixating on every shape and color. And now, seeing it again for the first time in decades, the details rushed back, as familiar as ever.

 

I had thought of that painting off and on for years, sadly assuming that it had been discarded during one move or another, and that I would never see it again. But it seems that Amy had found it during her own most recent move, stuffed in a box, and she’d pulled it out and put it on wall so she wouldn’t lose track of it again. Once I acknowledged that I recognized it, her next words were amazing to me: “I don’t really have room for it, but I held on to it because I thought you might want it.” Wow! Of course! After confirming that she really meant it, I brought it home as a treasure..

 

There’s a sense of awe at losing something and regaining it – dusty, cracked and worse for the wear, but still with the power to make old realities new again. Perhaps there are some Lenten thoughts here after all. Everything that is dear is continually wasting away. And yet those things are never lost forever. They will come back, in memory or in reality – resurrected if you will – with the power to move us to tears and gratitude.

 

May this Lenten season be a blessing to us all,

 

Elliott

 

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January 24, 2024
 
Dear Paw Creek,
Over the past week I have been keeping tabs on a fountain that stands in front of an
old Victorian house on Poplar Street. It is an ornate iron fountain that rises about six feet tall. Water spews in a gusher straight into the air and then cascades down three levels before it gathers in a pool at the bottom. The sound of the falling water can be heard from half-way down the block.
 
On the first really cold morning last week I was surprised to hear the familiar rush of water and I thought surely the fountain could not have been left running as the
thermometer plunged well below freezing. But as I got closer I could see that it
indeed was running freely, even as the basins at each level had begun to ice over.
The next day, with the temperature by then down to the mid-teens, the entire
fountain was like an ice sculpture, the water having frozen in mid-air as it tumbled
down to each level. And yet at the top, the gusher continued to flow, strong and
loud as ever.
 
By the middle of the week the overnight temperature is back well into the 40s and
the fountain rushes on. The only sign that remains of its freezing weekend display is
ice gathered around the edges of the pool at the bottom.
 
Lessons to be learned? The perseverance of the fountain in the face of adversity? Or maybe the stubborn decision of the homeowner to leave the fountain running? Or perhaps best, the simple joy of unexpected beauty when the world of nature and the world the we have manufactured for ourselves collide into something of wonder.
 
On each day, may we find simple pleasures with each other and in God’s world.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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December 20, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,
Even the streetlights and brightly glowing skyscrapers of downtown Charlotte cannot obscure the stars of the night sky.
 
In these short days of winter, the first dog walking of the morning takes place in the dark. As I walk out the door I see the pyramid-top of some bank building on Tryon Street pointing like an arrow at a single bright star. And if I stand on that spot and crane my neck straight up, there’s the Big Dipper, faint but clearly discernible.
 
If I’m in a reflective mood of a morning, I sometimes think about how those stars
were here long before the skyscrapers, or the Scotch-Irish settlers, or even the native peoples whose stewardship of this land extended over millennia. They were also here, along with the star of the Magi, shining on the stable in rural Judea where Jesus lay in a manger so long ago.
 
Such reflection can lead us in two directions. One would be to cower at the
insignificance of our few brief years of life. What value can we hope to have when
measured against the vastness of the stars? What, especially, can we point to when
so much of the record of humanity is written in written in wars and strife, and now
the destructiveness brought on by our technologies?
 
But the baby in the manger grew to become a teacher and healer who beckons us to
turn in a different direction. For him, no life is insignificant. No act of strife or
destruction is beyond redemption. None of us need cower when we look at the
stars. Instead, they lift us into their brightness, for each of us is more valuable to God than even a sky full of stars. When we forget, God sends Jesus, year after year, and he teaches us again.
 
In this world of strife, may the arrival of the child renew us in joy and hope – Merry
Christmas!
Elliott
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November 29, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
I had more things I wanted to write in this December newsletter, but Covid finally
caught up with me (first time ever). Nell and I are home, feeling rotten (and
enormously tired) but nothing serious, so I’ll stay home the prescribed number of
days and be back next week. I’m delighted to tell you that our good friend Joseph
Jumper has stepped into the breach for Sunday. He will preach for the first Sunday of Advent, and also lead the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Please check the rest of the newsletter for scheduled Advent and Christmas events and plan to share the
season with the Paw Creek family.
 
See you next week,
Elliott
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September 27, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,
We celebrate Homecoming every year at Paw Creek (world-wide pandemics
excepting!) for many reasons. It’s a great time to welcome back friends from years
gone by, and for those friends to have the chance to join us again. It’s a great time
for food and fellowship and music. It’s a great time for new friends to learn a little bit
about our history and our heritage.
 
But beyond all those things, it’s also a time for the past and future to meet:
The past is a rich treasure that we can continue to learn from: How did those before
us understand God’s plans for this church? What did it mean to love God’s world so
much that they gave of their hours and their dollars to insure that the Gospel would
be heard? How did their dreams shape the world that we now share?
 
The future is the place where we can honor the past: How is the world that is
unfolding in front of us different from what we know? What does the rock-solid faith
of our forebears look like when it meets these new realities? How can we strive to
make our faith and our witness as strong as it was long ago?
 
Homecoming gladdens our hearts with the presence of those we have missed – but
as we listen to their stories and share our collective memories, Homecoming also
jars us awake to see the world around us. We recognize things from the past that we
had forgotten; we see visions of things in the future that will bring glory to God.
Homecoming is October 15 this year. Look for the announcement with the details,
and share them with everyone you know. Come to be together again, and come
prepared to be astounded by what will happen next!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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August 23, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,
     Welcome to the end of summer newsletter! These pages serve as a record, reminder
and invitation to a slew of things that will be happening over the coming weeks: the
music of the choir on Sunday mornings; the regathering of Sunday school classes,
Bible studies and circles; the return of neighborhood children to our hallways on
Tuesdays and Wednesdays with the Reading Program and Children Connecting with
Christ.
     Those last two are really the centerpiece. That’s where we are most making a
difference in our world. And that is where we are pouring our energy and our
resources – they represent the all-out efforts of our church to spread the hope and
love of the Gospel. Many thanks to everyone who has worked to build those
programs in the past, and who will step up again this year to lead them forward.
As we turn the corner into the fall, may the blessings of good work to do and a great
church to do it encourage all of us to serve the Gospel with our prayers and our
hearts.
Blessings, Elliott
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July 26, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,
Even amidst the sultry days of August, summertime brings some distinct pleasures.
One of those is the gathering of families. Because of looser schedules and more free
time, this is traditionally the time of year for family reunions. Some are large annual
gatherings with hordes of third, fourth, fifth cousins, and beyond – those have their
own charm, and often involve meeting people for the first time and discovering the
magic of shared kinship.
 
But perhaps even more special are the events that reconvene closer kin. There’s
something special that comes of spending a few hours or even days with the people
who have known us the longest, of comparing notes (and gray hairs), meeting new
spouses and children and welcoming them into the shared circle of stories and
memories. Many gatherings this year will be for the first time since the pandemic,
with more years of catching up than usual.
 
In our household, we have two such post-COVID gatherings planned for August. One
will be the visit from Nell’s sister and her family, coming from Massachusetts to
reunite with the North Carolina branch of the family. In the years apart young adults
have become grown-ups with careers and independent lives for us all to marvel at –
and parents have adjusted to the infirmities of the creeping years. It will be a blast to
be together.
 
Our second gathering will be the cousins of my mother’s family, the Barnhardts.
When we were young the entire extended family spread all the way from
Huntersville to Charlotte. Now they will come from Minnesota, Texas, Maryland,
Virginia and the two Carolinas – and Nell and I are the only ones that live in
Mecklenburg County. But here we can share memories that no one in Minneapolis
or San Antonio would never understand.
 
In all our families, we eventually reach the point when we look at each and say “now
you and I are the oldest generation”, and then we become responsible for keeping
the lore and organizing the reunions. It’s a sacred trust, and a joyful task. I hope your
summer includes some reunion time, and that it is full of delight.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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June 28, 2023

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

The headline in the New York Times caught my eye: “Religion Creates Community. We’re Losing That.” It was the conclusion of a five-part series, and the upshot is this: there are lots of changes going on in American religious life, and many people no longer participating. But the polls and the author’s research all agree that even those who have left, for the most part, state that they miss being part of a community.

 

My first reaction was: “well, of course.” But then I started thinking about what we do at Paw Creek that would fit that broad category of “community.” In the next few days alone we will have the first “Fifth Friday Supper” offered by the Fellowship Committee, just to gather for the purpose of gathering. And then on Tuesday we will join the greater Coulwood community for the annual July 4th parade (our float is going to be awesome this year – come see it!)

 

On a more on-going basis we have meals together and refreshments after church. And throughout the year we have the reading program, CCC, the knitting group and other projects that build our community and help the larger community. And we gather food and 10 cent donations to feed the community. And we gather weekly for Sunday School, Bible study and choir rehearsal. And we reach out to help when there is illness and bereavement, both inside and outside our congregation.

 

And, of course, we simply show up every Sunday at 11:00 am – the security of knowing that a group of people whom we treasure and who treasure us will materialize every week like clockwork is priceless.

 

The article makes the point that many groups these days can offer one or two of these functions, but no group outside of church, synagogue, mosque or temple can offer all of them and more. Our reaction may be “of course”, but beyond that we can only stand in awe as we cherish this gift we have and strive to preserve it. And of course the true measure of community is our constant commitment to share it with everyone we meet.

 

Blessings – see you at the parade!

 

Elliott

 

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May 24, 2023

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

Looking at our church calendar for the month of May, I am reminded of how many things are going on around here!

 

A quick (and surely not exhaustive) list includes: the wrap-up of the CCC program for the year, and their wonderful field trip last weekend; the final meetings of the Woodland Paw Creek reading program for the year, and their gala closing dinner Wednesday evening; the final weeks of the Back Pack Buddies program before summer vacation; Presbyterian Women’s Sunday and their end of the year Circle meeting; the Annual Fish Fry and Bake Sale; and the 15th annual joint Pentecost service with Woodland church, including music, food and celebration.

 

And of course the list doesn’t even mention Bible studies and Sunday school classes every week; glorious music every time we meet to worship; hours of work to care for the spaces where these events happen; and all the time spent planning and preparing for meals, arranging chairs, and locking and unlocking doors!

 

What’s the common thread that runs through all this activity? I see two things. First, everything on these lists represents the work of many, many hands and many, many hours. Truly, none of these things would be happening without deep dedication from our members and friends.

 

Second, and I think even more important: everything listed directly supports the Mission of Christ’s church. In what we do we care for God’s children and embody God’s love to the world.

 

When we ordain our elders and ministers, they promise to serve the Lord with “energy, intelligence, imagination and love”. But here at Paw Creek those words describe the dedication of every single person, ordained or not. Take a minute to think about it – and please join me in giving thanks for it all!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

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April 26, 2023
Pastoral Vacation
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March 22, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
As time spins faster in this (no longer brand new) twenty-first century, it seems like
the season of Lent goes by more quickly each year. We are already coming the end,
and the beginning of April will also coincide this year with the beginning of Holy
Week. The detailed listing of our services from Palm Sunday through Easter is found
here in the newsletter, and I hope that each of us will be able to share in many of
those opportunities for gathering and worshipping during that week.
 
The story of Holy Week is like a great swing of emotions, from the very highest to the
very lowest. As we experience everything that Jesus knew, we are reminded of the
arc of the experiences of our own lives.
 
The apostle Paul tells us that “if we have been united with [Jesus] in a death like his,
we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” This reminds us that
the gifts of resurrection and life do not come easily. In life we do not have the choice
to skip over the rough places and only experience the times of great joy. In the same
way, we cheat ourselves if we only show up for the celebration of Easter without
participating in at least some of the darkness and sorrow of the Passion story on
Palm Sunday, the bittersweetness of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, or the
agony of the crucifixion on Good Friday. The unbelievable joy of the empty tomb is
only fully real for us when it is the last step of the weeklong journey.
 
The reality of our lives is that they are full of things to do, and evening-time travel is
not always a good choice for everyone. But, if at all possible, I do hope you can be
with us for at least part of the Holy Week journey. And when the week is over, we
will gather again in the bright morning light to sing with hearts full of joy: “Jesus
Christ is Risen Today.”
 
Blessings, Elliott
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February 22, 2023
 
Dear Paw Creek,

 

One of the things for which I am grateful here at Paw Creek Church is music in all its forms. None of us will ever be able to adequately say how much we cherish Mark, Andy and our talented, enthusiastic choir! Though scripture may be the brains of our worship, music is its very soul.

 

But I wonder if you have noticed how music is taking on an increasing importance for us in the congregation as well? Through our willingness to sing joyfully, we now have a weekly worship service in which we continually weave back and forth between music and spoken word. Even as the instrumental and choral music shine out, it’s also true that a large portion of our music is provided by all of us in the form of hymns and “responses” (which are short excerpts from the hymnbook that help us transition from place to place in the service.) You’ve probably also noticed that these “responses” stay the same for a few weeks at a time, and helps us to learn new songs and feel the continuity of worship from week to week.

 

Have you ever wondered where some of these songs come from, or why we have chosen them? If so, I encourage you to take a look at the short description that is included beneath every hymn in our hymnal “Glory to God”. These were provided by the hymnbook editors to help us be more aware of our music, both familiar and brand new.

 

For example, beginning this Sunday, February 26, we will sing new responses after the Prayer of the Day and the Benediction. These songs, “Stay With Me” (#204) and “Jesus, Remember Me” (#227) are both taken from the Taizé monastic community in France. The descriptions explain that in both cases the words come from the biblical story of Holy Week, and the music is intended to be slow and repetitious, like chanting. And for that reason, both songs are quite appropriate to the mood of the Lenten season that begins this week.

 

Please have a look at the bottom of the page next time you open a hymnbook, and see what’s there to be learned. And notice how music and words together provide so much of the spiritual magic that makes worship come alive!

 

Blessings,

Elliott

 

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January 25, 2023

 

Dear Friends,

 

Recently I ran across a compelling image to help us think about how God works in our lives. It suggests that we imagine experiencing God’s presence as if were a wind constantly blowing towards the direction of everything that is good and loving and kind. And it further suggests we imagine that each of us has a sail. Our sails come in different shapes and sizes and are made from different materials. But each of us, if we choose, can trim our sails in such a way that we catch the wind of God and move closer to become as he wants us to be.

 

Although this is just an image, I think it works. Each of us, through the different stages of our lives, can tell by instinct whether we are closer or further from God. It’s not a question of having perfect lives filled with good fortune. Rather, it has to do with knowing that we are headed in God’s direction, no matter how hard or easy the way may be. And it has to do with trimming our sails, getting a feel for the direction of the wind and leaning into the places where God seems to be most at our side.

 

We might want to ask ourselves: how do I experience the wind of God at this time in my life? Is it at my back, pushing me along – or am I trying to walk into it with difficulty and unease? Are there ways that I can trim my sail so that the way becomes easier? Again, the question is not whether life is perfect, but whether it seems filled with God’s purpose and support.

 

Why not try this image on for size – see if it helps make the way a bit more clear. I hope it does!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

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December 22, 2022
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
This newsletter will come to you with Christmas just days away, and the beginning of
a new year not far behind. There’s not much to say but a very hearty “Merry
Christmas” and “Happy New Year”!
 
Our work for 2022 is now done. There are of course so many opportunities that
await us in 2023. But for now, may we all feel the warm embrace of God’s love, the
assurance of family close by, the healing of our hurts, and the hope of all that lies
ahead. May this holy time be abundant with blessings for each of us.
 
With the joy of Christ’s coming,
Elliott
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November 30, 2022
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
As we wind our way through this season of Advent, the theme is Preparation.   
 
Of course, preparation for holiday celebrations is the first thing that comes to mind:
decorating, shopping, traveling or hosting, planning feasts and gatherings. It is
indeed a glorious time, and I wish us all the best possible cheer AND the least
possible work and worry!
 
But we also, every year, have to struggle a bit to make sure our Preparation goes
beyond just getting ready for fun and family. We are getting ready as well for
something more holy than we will ever understand; for something more lifechanging than anything else that will ever happen. Is it any surprise that we default
to wrapping presents and leave the arrival of the Lord of Life for some other
occasion?
 
Fortunately, God has been dealing with people like us for a long, long time. God is
more persistent – and far more forgiving – than we deserve. And it’s not that hard to
carve out time and attention for holy-ness as well as busy-ness. Re-read the Bible
stories for just a few minutes each day. Spend a bit of time to contemplate the
amazing gift of a Savior. Make an effort to join your church family as we worship,
sing and praise – and if the schedule overlaps with holiday cheer, just invite the
whole family to come along. A small amount of God-time can go a long, long way.
 
However you choose to honor the season, may this be a holy, holy time for you and
everyone you love!
 
Christmas peace and joy,
Elliot
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October 27, 2022
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
Early November is a solemn and holy time, as we approach again the celebration of
All Saints Day (this year on Sunday, November 6).
We are the people of Jesus Christ, and we proclaim boldly the miracle of
resurrection. Yet when our lives and the life of our community are torn apart by the
death of family and friends, the pain of loss always speaks louder than the
proclamation of hope.
 
Our task in faith is to proclaim hope until its reality becomes strong. At any given
time, those who are closest to the their loss may find that the words of hope are
impossible to speak. That’s when the rest of us speak those words for them – not to
move them more quickly than they are able, but to keep the flame of hope alive until
they are ready.
 
We do this for one another year in and year out, and each year our task culminates
on All Saints Day when we surround the most recently bereaved with the gentle
love of the Savior. Following long practice here at Paw Creek we will say aloud the
names of those who have been lost, and invite loved ones to light a candle to keep
their memory strong. And this year, for the first time post-pandemic, we will also
have a time for everyone in worship to come forward and light candles to remember
saints from earlier years and more distant places.
 
All Saints worship will also be graced with a musical Requiem (the Latin word for
“rest”) composed by our own Andy Cumbow. Andy has forged together music and
words with the aim of comforting our sorrow, transporting us from sorrow to faith,
and finally into God’s presence at his table. This is the journey to which we are
invited. The psalmist tells us that “the sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit”.
That’s all that we need bring. I hope that you are able to join us.
 
With God’s blessings, Elliot
 
 
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September 22, 2022
 
From the Choir Director….
 
Dear Paw Creek,
It’s hard to believe how quickly these first couple of months have gone by. It seems
like only last week when I conducted my first choir rehearsal, or sang my first solo for
the congregation back in the summer. It has been a joy to worship with you, and I
suppose time flies when you are having fun!
As we are quickly approaching my first Advent and Christmas with you, I’d like to
take this opportunity to tell you about all of the special musical offerings coming up
through the end of the year.
On October 6th, we will be celebrating World Communion together. The choir and I
are going to take this opportunity to introduce a plethora of hymns from around the
world on that Sunday. The intention is to recognize and celebrate the cultures
around the world that share the eucharist with us on that special day.
On November 6th, we will be celebrating All Saint’s Sunday together. This is a time to
reflect on all the saints in our lives who have gone before us, grieve, and celebrate
their lives. As part of the service, we will be singing a small requiem mass. This piece
of music uses the liturgy and prayers for Christian funerals, and has been a tradition
of the Church for over one thousand years. The hope is that these ancient words will
allow us to experience the peace of Christ as we participate in this reverent
celebration of our loved ones.
Finally, we will be celebrating a special Lessons and Carols service for Christmas on
December 18th. For this special occasion, I’d like to personally invite you to come
sing with us! I call this the “seasonal choir”.
Starting on Thursday, November 3rd, we will exclusively be preparing our Christmas
music from 7:00-7:45 during our choir rehearsals. I will have extra folders prepared
that only have the Christmas music in it. Whether you sang in choir when you were
in school and miss it, used to sing in the choir but can’t handle the long-term
commitment, or have never sung in a choir before, but love what we do and wish
you could to, please consider joining us for only 45 minutes for six Sundays, and
enjoy our Lessons and Carols service from the choir loft with us on December 18th.
If you have any questions before showing up, please feel free to flag me down
before or after church one morning. It has been truly amazing being with you all for
the past couple of months, and I’m really looking forward to these worshipful
musical experiences with you all coming up in the near future!
Make a joyful noise,
Andy

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August 25, 2022

 
Dear Paw Creek,

 

In the sixteenth century, a devout Spanish Christian named Teresa of Avila wrote these words: 

 

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

Her insights have been a guide and an inspiration ever since. They challenge us to look at our own hands and feet and eyes and to wonder in awe at how much Jesus is doing in the circumstances of our world through us.

 

During the coming weeks, as summer turns to fall, here at Paw Creek we are going to be examining the hands, feet and eyes of our church. Each Sunday in worship, beginning on September 11, we will take a few minutes to hear about every aspect of the work we do here, from Sunday School to Church Property, from Outreach to Administration, and everything in between. Each week the leader of one of our committees will help us to understand what Jesus is doing with the hands that we give him to use.

 

The reports will be offered as “Minutes for Stewardship”, and indeed they will lead to a Stewardship response Sunday in November. But they will invite us to understand “stewardship” in the broadest possible way. Everything that we have – hands, feet, talents, time, and money too – is Christ’s to use, to do good, to look with compassion, and to bless. I think we will be astonished to see how he uses us, and we will be inspired to do even more.

 

With thanks to the Christ who uses us, and blessings for a season of abundance,

 

Elliott

 

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July 28, 2022

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

    I must admit that as we come to the end of July, I’m feeling a tad worn down. Looking towards August, I would offer some prayers that the heat be a bit less oppressive and the rain just as plentiful but the storms not so angry; that the current and latest Covid surge might begin its downward trend; that we not meet the burden of saying goodbye and planning another funeral. And on the positive side, that there be plenty of fresh produce, lots of family times together, and a truly exciting first ever summer reading camp to send our rising third graders back to Paw Creek school by the end of the month.

 

     More than anything, I wish us all some rest and relaxation, because things will be busy come fall. To name a few: the second year of the Reading Program with a new crop of second graders, the return of Children Connecting With Christ to weekly in-person and on-site meetings, our first post-pandemic Homecoming, plus an ever-more “normal” feel to Sunday school, Bible Study and Worship. Andy and I met this week to hash our way through planning some wonderful worship experiences going all the way through the end of the year. I am in awe of Andy’s knowledge of music and liturgy. And of course we all know how much Mark brings to our worship – together with those two, plus our wonderful choir and dedicated Worship team, I am looking forward to some truly inspiring Sunday morning worship. Be sure to be there, in person or on-line.

 

     Nell and I will be out for a couple of weeks in August for our second visit to Amanda’s new home on the west coast. I’ll be gone on Sundays August 14 and 21, and there will be a couple of familiar faces in the pulpit those days – Dr. James Thomas and the Rev. Betsy Williamson. I know you will give them a hearty welcome. Blessings to all of us in the month ahead as we continue to Christ and his gospel wherever we may be.

 

Godspeed, Elliott

 

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June 23, 2022
 
Dear Paw Creek,
   Even in the quieter days of summertime, our church community continues to do
what we do best – bearing one another’s burdens and carrying them to God’s
listening ears and waiting arms. But in the midst of that, there are indeed fewer
meetings and classes, and a little more time to take the longer view.
 
   Over the last couple of weeks I’ve found my way back to two places I missed during
the hard days of pandemic closures – the libraries at Davidson College and Union
Seminary. Between the two of them there are enough books to last many lifetimes,
and it feels good to be able to browse through those familiar stacks again.
 
   One book I’ve found, and have just finished reading, is a short volume by a favorite
Presbyterian theologian named William Placher. It’s an older book that I hadn’t read
before, called “Unapologetic Theology”. I won’t go into the details, which include
visits with a host of philosophers, ancient, modern and in between. But it was worth
the slog to get to the heart of his argument, which is, in a word, that the best way for
us to get along together is to get along together.
 
   The question Placher presents is this: how can we get along with people of other
faiths, or of other nationalities, or of other political persuasions (especially important
these days). So often we do not even try because we assume that the differences are
so vast that there can be no common ground. More than that, we are afraid that if
we find common ground at all, it will only be because we have had to give up the
beliefs that are most important to us. The answer is to do the unexpected. When I
talk to other people, Placher says, I should honestly and calmly explain exactly what
is important to me without leaving anything out for fear of offending. And then I in
turn should listen respectfully to their views.
 
   The result, when this is done right, will not be to decide that we are all exactly the
same, but at best to decide that as different as we are, we can see the reasons
behind the things that others want to say and do. And from there we can learn not
to think alike or even act alike, but simply to get along. The best way for us to get
along together is to get along together. Since that sounds like an outcome that Jesus
would approve of, perhaps we should give it a try.
 
Enjoy the summer!
Elliot
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
May 26, 2022
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
   There’s a burst of final activity going on as we rush toward the end of spring!
Here at church, our regular Sunday school classes and Wednesday Bible Study are
wrapping up for the season. So is the marvelously successful Woodland-Paw Creek
Reading Program, which just ended its inaugural school year with a celebration for
more than 70 people on Wednesday night. Pandemic restrictions are going by the
wayside with Happy Hearts back on the road (the railroad, in this case!) and a fullscale Woodland-Paw Creek Pentecost celebration including music, dance and lots of
eating.
 
   But after all that, the summer will bring a welcome slowing down. That’s something
else we lost in the past couple of years – the ebb and flow of life and seasons. “To
everything there is a season” says the old preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes. The
way God has crafted us, we thrive not in sameness but in variety. Won’t you join me
to welcome a new season and that it has to offer?
 
Blessings, Elliott
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
April 28, 2022
 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

Don’t the warmth and the green and the longer daylight hours of spring feel good? (Notice, however, that the pollen is not on that list!) As we peak our weary heads out from under the long two years of lockdown, there is a growing sense that we can actually make plans and do things and not have to worry about last-minute cancellations.

 

As evidence of our new freedom, I encourage you to spend some time on the report of the Mission Team and it’s committees in this newsletter. That’s where the story is this month, and it’s really quite breathtaking to realize how much has been going on this spring, and how much is in the works for summer and fall. It is encouraging and inspiring – and the many folks who make it all happy deserve a big round of thanks.

 

As we move into the summer, I hope that each of us finds some ways to get back to normal in everything that we do. Let’s enjoy it – we are ready to be here!

 

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
March 24, 2022

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

Every Sunday when we gather in the sanctuary, we find ourselves surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows: windows that create a holy space. Blending with music and prayer they bring us closer to God every single week.

 

Have you ever taken time to really look at the windows? Did you know that they tell the story of the life of Jesus? Starting in front near the East Wing and moving around the room, they take us from Nativity to Resurrection. (And there are two more on the wall by the front porch, harder to see from indoors because of the Sound room and the balcony stairs.)

 

Every year on Easter Sunday, we celebrate the final chapter of that story from Nativity to Resurrection. Not just the final chapter of the Passion Story in Holy Week – but the culmination of everything in the life of Jesus. His whole life leads us to salvation – the way he was born, the people he met, the things that he taught.

 

This year on Palm Sunday, after we have welcomed Jesus with our palm branches and songs, we will use the story that surrounds us in glass to remember again the “Story of Salvation”. The story will come alive for us in scripture and music as the entryway to all the observances of Holy Week and Easter. I hope that you can join us on Palm Sunday and throughout the week. There’s a list of services and times here in the newsletter. What better way to immerse ourselves in God’s holy gift of Salvation?

 

Blessings of these holy seasons,

 

Elliott

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
February 24, 2022
 
Dear Paw Creek,
It’s a measure of what we’ve been through and where we stand now that I’m almost
reluctant to write these words. For two years we have hoped that an end to
pandemic restrictions was just around the corner, and each time we have had to
retrench and wait still longer. But here we stand again, with the power of medical
science and our loving support of each other on our side, ready to stride back into
the “regular world”. Heaven help us, and bring us safely there!
 
As I write this, we know that leaders both local and state have announced that it is
time to end the requirement for face masks in public places. Our local hospital and
health officials have concurred (news is breaking fast – there may be more
information by the time you read this.) The mask mandate in Mecklenburg County is
set to end on Saturday, February 26.
 
To be sure, the guidance from leaders and the medical community emphasizes the
continued importance of masking in many cases, such as in large crowds and for the
most vulnerable people. And they encourage us to be respectful of each others’
choices going forward as we in the church community will certainly do.
 
With those things in mind, the Paw Creek session has voted to end our
recommendation of masking during worship and other meetings in church buildings.
The change follows the county action and will take effect on February 26. After that
time, we are free to choose our own levels of comfort for all situations, including
congregational and choir singing. In all cases, and especially here in the community
of the church, please let us all remember that some of our friends will still prefer to
wear masks, and that we need to value their choices as well. As we each do what is
right for us, we will find joy in doing it together.
 
See you in church on Sunday – may this be the new beginning we’ve all been waiting
for!
 
Elliott
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
January 27, 2022
 
January Report from Session …
The Session gathered for its first stated meeting of the new year on January 20. New
elders of the class of 2024 were in attendance: Gene Hall, Jim Pinkston and David
Turner. We offer thanks to the elders in the class of 2022 who have finished their
term: Grady Cathey, Dickie Chapman, Eddie McArver and Debbie Taylor.
The January meeting focused on organizing the session for 2022, electing of officers,
and setting dates for celebration of the Lord’s Supper and special offerings
throughout the year. Church committees continue with their work. Some recent
highlights include Outreach projects (Room in the Inn and the Woodland/Paw Creek
Reading Program); Education programs (Sunday School, Bible Study and Children
Connecting With Christ); visiting teams from the Congregational Care committee; and
of course weekly Worship, both in person and live stream. Two commissioners were
chosen to represent Paw Creek at the next meeting of Charlotte Presbytery on
February 12: Peggy Harrington and Mary Ellen Edwards.
Here’s the chart of Session and Committee assignments for 2022:
 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
January 13, 2022
 

Dear Paw Creek,

     As I write on Wednesday afternoon, there is a threat of winter weather in the air. You will know more by the time you read this, and we will all know for sure over the weekend. Whatever happens, may everyone be warm and safe for the next few days. Rest assured, if we need any changes to the schedule on Sunday, there will be plenty of notice by email and phone chain, and on the TV stations as well.

     Having lived in southwest Virginia, New York, and Boston, I’ve seen my share of snow over the years, and I’ve shoveled a ton of it. When we moved back to Charlotte, I made a point of giving the snow shovels away because I didn’t want to even admit the possibility that I would ever need them again! It’s funny how something that was so magical and long-hoped-for when we were young is has become such a drudgery.

     But even with all that, the sign of the first flakes in the air still has a magic to it. It’s the hint of a promise that routines will be broken for a day or two, and the brown earth of winter will be given a shiny new coat of white. Who knows – if it really happens over the next few days, it may even come as a welcome change from the storm of Covid that continues to break routines and leave a far more harsh hardship in its wake. Perhaps, just perhaps, it will give us the strength to hope again that a normal springtime is just around the corner. If we can dig deep and find one last simple prayer, let that be it: “come Lord, for we are ready to be made whole.”

 

In a hopeful and melancholy way,

Elliott

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

December 22, 2021

 
Dear Friends,

 

If you were able to join us in the CFC last Sunday for our Christmas lunch, what a great event we had! Like so many things we do now, we had that familiarly odd sensation of “just like always” yet “different than what we’ve gotten used to for the past two years.” Many thanks to the Fellowship Committee for pushing forward to get us back to the sharing of food and friendship around the table. May the new year bring us more and more often to reclaim lost traditions in safe and wise ways.

 

And I also want to thank our emcee, Sam McCord, for nudging us to share and enjoy Christmas memories. I love the way that each of our family traditions is unique to our own families, yet can bring a smile and tug of nostalgia to everyone.

 

Although it’s hard for most of us to choose just one favorite memory, I think I would probably have to say that Christmas Eve was the part of my childhood tradition that stands out the most. Christmas Eve was always the time for a holiday celebration with my mother’s family. All of the Barnhardts, other than my immediate family, lived in the farming country northeast of Huntersville. Their houses all stood within a mile or so of the original family farm, which in my childhood was still an active farm run by Great Uncle Ed, with cows, pigs, chickens and an old mule named Sal. Every three or four years the party would be at our house in Charlotte, but the rest of the time, we city cousins got to go to the country for Christmas.

 

As the darkness settled on Christmas Eve, we would pile the car with the presents we were taking to aunts, uncles and cousins, and set out for the country. In those days before interstates, we wound our way downtown, then headed north on Statesville Avenue. On that route you could feel the city gradually fall away as the rural landscape of woods and open fields took over. I always thought of it as our own version of “over the river and through the woods”. When we arrived there was a roaring fire in fireplace of whichever house we were gathered at and it felt like Christmas had finally arrived.

 

But the best part came as we packed up to head home. The car pulled away from front porch lights onto the deserted rural road, and sitting in the quiet back seat I would look out the window and marvel at the darkness of the sky, so much deeper than the sky we could see in town. And slowly my eyes would focus on the stars, twinkling brighter than I remembered from any other night of the year. And when I saw the stars, I thought about the shepherds with their sheep in the night, and about the wise men following the brightest star. And I thought to myself, this is what it looked like when Jesus was born. Even as I got older and had moved from the back seat to the driver’s seat, for as many years as I made that Christmas Eve trip, I would still take my eyes off the road for a second to seek out the stars and savor that childhood memory.

 

Jesus was born so that ordinary things could become windows for us to look through to see the wonder of God. A starry sky, a family gathered, the sound and smell of cows and pigs on a farm, the cry of a newborn babe. They are all windows to God. May each of us find open windows again this Christmas, for God’s light to shine.

 

Merry Christmas, Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________
December 9, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,

 

I had a wonderful experience last Wednesday, December 1st. That was the first day of our long-planned, Covid-delayed and much-anticipated Woodland-Paw Creek Reading Program. Arriving early for the evening Bible Study class I saw that all of our dreams had come true.

 

The children’s room in the East Wing has been transformed into a colorful and cheerful classroom that simply begs for children to come in and learn. And that’s exactly what they had done – around the tables, on the rug, in the corners, were 12 second graders from Paw Creek Elementary, all happily absorbing books. Among the quiet chatter of children and volunteers there was a feeling of purpose and achievement. Every child was happy and engaged – and this after being delivered to us by school bus at the end of a long school day! All of the hard planning had worked, and the reading program was off to a beautiful start.

 

As it got close to 5:00, there was some worry that parents arriving to pick up their children on the first day wouldn’t know which church door to enter, so I offered to go stand in the parking lot and give them directions. And that was my next treat. I got to speak to each of the parents as they arrived, and they were so appreciative of the opportunity we have given their children to really move ahead and excel in school. We chose to target second graders on the advice of the Paw Creek principal, Ms. Belton – she explained that because high-stakes testing begins in 3rd grade, this is the last chance for the children to learn to read and move ahead. What happens in 2nd grade will affect them throughout high school and beyond. And we hope to help them not only learn to read, but learn to love to read for the rest of their lives. No wonder the parents are so appreciative.

 

Of course, all I did last Wednesday was observe. The miracle workers were our own team from the Woodland and Paw Creek churches who have made this happen through hours of dreaming, planning and hard work. Special thanks to Elder Madge Hopkins from Woodland, who first challenged us to dream big. And much grateful appreciation to Sarah Taylor, the program facilitator, who has taken the plans and made them become real in a few weeks’ time. To everyone who was part of this – bravo! (bravae! to sticklers for Latin). This is a great Christmas-time story of children, new beginnings and hope. Hallelujah!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

November 24, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,
Last Thursday the Session of Paw Creek accepted a gift to the church that comes as a
bequest in the will of life-long church member Flora Mae Love. Miss Flora Mae’s
generous gift to her church is $54,083.50.
In this season of Thanksgiving, it is tempting to give thanks for this sum of money –
and indeed we are very grateful to receive these resources and to imagine the work
that they will allow us to do. But I think even more, my feelings of gratitude are for
God’s gift of people like Flora Mae. The sum of money that she left, as large as it is, is
nothing compared to her 97 years of love and devotion.
Flora Mae was often heard to say “I luuuve my church!” And love us she did – she
loved the children she taught for so many years; she loved the youngsters who sat
with her on the church steps to recite their catechism; she loved the friends with
whom she served through the years in Sunday school and Women of the Church; she
loved every single person who received a birthday call from her (with her spirited
rendition of the birthday song) every single year. And in her church, she loved her
God and led us all in the ways of faith and goodness.
Those are the things that I am grateful for, and the things that I hope we can all
remember in our Thanksgiving prayers – a Christian life (in the best sense of the
word) well lived, a shining example to us all.
With Flora Mae’s legacy in mind, the Session has begun to envision creative
opportunities to spend her gift in ways that honor her legacy, further the mission
outreach of our church, and are faithful to God’s call to build his kingdom. We will
take the time we need to make the best decisions, and we will keep everyone
informed as we go along. In the meantime, if you have an idea of something we can
do that has “Flora Mae” written all over it, please don’t hesitate to share it with me
or with any of our elders.
And to everyone in our church family, Thanksgiving greetings: may you have a holy
and scrumptious holiday on Thursday!
Blessings, Elliot
 

____________________________________________________________________________________

November 10, 2021

 

Dear Friends,

 

Thank you to everyone who has asked about our trip to the Seattle area – Nell and I had a great time, and were especially pleased to find Amanda happy and settled into her new home. Although it was primarily a visiting trip and not a sight-seeing trip, we did get a feel for a place that we had never been before. Neither of us had ever made it all the way to the Pacific Coast before, so it felt like we had come a long way.

 

Since Amanda is now an outdoor educator, she particularly pointed out the natural world around us, whether in the animal kingdom (banana slugs), the plant kingdom (big leaf maples – the leaves really are BIG), the terrain (heavily wooded ravines and mountains as tall as the Smokies within steps of the coastline) or climate (the famous Pacific Northwest rainy season).

 

One thing that made a particular impression on me was a sign that we saw many times during the week. In the Gospels, towards the end of his life, Jesus teaches the disciples to pay attention to the signs of the times. Well, I certainly paid attention to this one. Any time you come to the water’s edge along the Puget Sound, you can see small signs, like a politician’s yard sign, that say “Tsunami Danger Zone – in case of Earthquake, evacuate immediately to higher ground.”

 

Wow! I’ve never seen one of those in Mecklenburg County! But isn’t it wonderful that the people of Washington State have paid enough attention to the their world to know what might happen, and to adapt themselves to their surroundings. That really is what Jesus was talking about to the disciples. Don’t just live in a bubble, cut off from your world and your neighbors. Open your eyes, see what’s happening around you, see what God is doing, and live right here in the moment. That’s a warning about dangers, but also an encouragement about opportunities. What can we do in this very place, for work, for recreation, and even for ministry, that people in other places cannot do?

 

Good thoughts for this new landscape we are moving into post-pandemic. There are still dangers to be wisely navigated, but great possibilities that are open only to us. Let’s heed the signs of the times and see what is in store.

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

October 28, 2021

 

Pastoral Vacation

 

Elliott is on vacation as he and Nell visit with Amanda in Seattle. If pastoral needs arise during this time, please contact any member of the Session.   

 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 14, 2021
 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

Greetings and good wishes to everyone in these beautiful fall days! It’s a blessedly quiet interlude right now, with not much to report. As you see from the note below, I’m grateful to be able to step back for a couple of weeks as Nell and I go explore Amanda’s new home territory near Seattle.

 

I hope it’s a good time for each of you as well, recognizing of course that for many the shadow of the Covid crises continues to hang over your extended families and networks of friends in the community. May all our prayers continue as we see the end of this current surge and aim for better days ahead.

 

As soon as November rolls around, things will begin to crank up. We expect soon to be welcoming a new musician to our staff, and a leader for the Woodland-Paw Creek Reading Program. The holiday season will be fast approaching, and we will be planning for as many of our traditional Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas celebrations as possible, while continuing to keep everyone safe. This is the time of year when the generosity of the congregation overflows to help families and children in our community. And once December comes along, we will see the return of our neighbors at Room in the Inn.

 

Look for much more information in coming newsletters about all these happenings. It’s good to feel life and vitality coming back into our world.

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

Pastoral Vacation

 

Elliott will be on vacation beginning Monday, October 18 for two weeks as he and Nell head to Seattle for a visit with Amanda. If pastoral needs arise during this time, please contact any member of the Session.   Guest preachers for the following two Sundays will be the Rev. Valerie Hicks on October 24 and the Rev. Betsy Williamson on October 31.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 23, 2021

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

There are a lot of quiet meetings going on around church these days. Three groups are listening hard for God’s direction as they make decisions: new elders to serve the church for the next three years, a new musician to support our choir and worship, and a leader for our brand new Reading Program with Woodland Church. For two of those groups, notices are going out, resumes are coming in, and interviews are being scheduled. For all three groups, there is much prayerful consideration going on, listening for God’s voice to lead us towards good decisions, so that the right people are paired with the right jobs.

 

In our Presbyterian heritage, we listen seriously to John Calvin’s teachings about “vocation”. That word comes from the Latin word that simply means “calling” – at every juncture of our lives, God calls us by name. Just like Abraham, the prophets, and the disciples, we hear our name along with a job to be done and the message: “this one’s for you – go do it, and do it well.” Calvin’s great insight was to teach us that God calls us not just to churchy jobs, like being a prophet or a disciple, but to every task and identity of our lives. To be a shopkeeper or an engineer; to make music or art, tend a garden or care for animals; to be a spouse; to be a parent. In all these ways, so many times throughout our lives, the message comes: “this one’s for you – go do it, and do it well.”

 

Please join me in praying with and for our committee members and the people they are talking to. Help everyone be still and be quiet long enough to truly listen. “Who is God leading us to reach out to? What is God’s plan for the next chapter of my life? Does my answer of ‘yes’ or ’no’ come from my own desires, or from God’s heart?” To work for God here in the church is no more holy than our work in the world of families and careers – but it is no less holy either. For these jobs and positions that we are filling, God has a plan. It’s exciting to wait with anticipation as we see who will arrive to follow God’s plan.

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 9, 2021

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

With Rally Day this coming Sunday, we are easing a little more back to normal. That’s a good feeling, and I know we’re all grateful for everyone’s willingness to be careful, to use our masks in worship, and to make this a safe transition.

 

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve heard several questions about our plans for a school reading program, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to give everyone an update. Bottom line: it’s going to happen later this fall!

 

You may remember that this program was coming along nicely before the pandemic began. This is a joint project with our partners at Woodland Presbyterian Church. We formed a “ministry team” under the Presbytery of Charlotte, and we were awarded a Presbytery mission grant of $5,000 for the project. The plan is to invite children from Paw Creek Elementary School to come to our church once a week for reading enrichment, to help them practice their reading and give them a life-long love of reading and learning. Volunteers from both our church and Woodland will help run the program along with a facilitator who will be paid a stipend using the funds from Presbytery.

 

Over the summer the planning team from Paw Creek and Woodland has been hard at work, picking up the pieces where we had to leave them in March 2020, and getting back on track. The multipurpose Library at the end of the hall in the East Wing is being transformed into a reading room, the team has met with the principal and teachers at the school, and feelers are out to hire the facilitator. The program is scheduled to begin in November (after the end of the first marking period) with 10-12 second graders. It will meet Thursday afternoons – the children will be transported by school bus and then picked up by their parents.

 

Once the facilitator is on board, the team will be coming to both congregations to ask for volunteers and for contributions to support snacks and reading books for the children to take home. Be on the lookout for those communications. And in the meantime, please keep the planning team, along with the students and staff at Paw Creek School, in your prayers. This is an exciting project, and we can be grateful that this, too, is another sign of things getting back to normal!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 26, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,

 

It’s the end of August and everyone is heading back to school. And we are too, here at Paw Creek!

 

Our regular Sunday School routine returns on September 12, the Sunday after Labor Day. That’s the first time since March of 2020 and it’s something to celebrate. Using our masks and all of the other safety measures we have learned over these many months, it will be a joyful return. There is a notice in this newsletter with details about offerings, rooms and curriculum. And please make a note of our Sunday morning timeline:

9:30 am Prayer Gathering in the Sanctuary

9:45 am Classes begin in assigned rooms

10:30 am Bell rings for end of classes

11:00 am Morning Worship in the Sanctuary

 

The fall will also bring a return to in-person Bible Study on Wednesdays. We will resume our pre-Covid schedule with identical classes offered at 10:00 am and 5:30 pm in the Parlor. The evening class will also be offered live on Zoom (we will use the same Meeting ID as we had for Bible Study last year – please let me know if you need it). The first classes will be September 15, the Wednesday after Sunday School begins.

 

As we start back in September, our Bible Study classes will begin a new book, The Original Jesus by Tom Wright. The author (who is also known as “N.T. Wright”) is a professor and retired bishop from England. He has produced scores of books and videos about the Bible, church history, and the intersection of faith with the modern world. This book focuses on the “life of Jesus, and key elements of his teaching, revealing a vivid reconstruction of what Jesus himself was aiming to achieve” (from the cover).

 

This is an older book, but good used copies are readily available for under $5. I am going to order a number of copies through Amazon, and you are welcome to search out copies as well (Eerdmans Publishing, 1996). Although there is no need to “register” for Bible Study, feel free to let me know if you are interested and we can make sure everyone has a book. The books, both in paperback and hardcover, are beautifully illustrated, and you will enjoy having your own copy for class.

Finally, please don’t forget our other on-going educational offerings. Men’s Bible Study continues Thursday mornings at 6:30 in the CFC. They will begin a new video series on Bible history and archaeology on Thursday, September 2, so this is a great time to join the group. And Presbyterian Women will begin fall Circle meetings on Tuesday, September 7 with a new study of the “grandmothers” of the Bible.

 

All in all, there’s a lot going on – I hope you will find the place(s) that are good for you. See you in September!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 12, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,
I would have thought by now that the need to spend yet more words on Covid-19
would be behind us. Wouldn’t you?!?
 
However, we are not there yet. Everyone knows how the storyline has changed in
just the last few weeks. We know about the new surge of illness, and the new list of
precautions, and the notice from our Session last week that we are all encouraged to
bring our masks to church for indoor events in the next few weeks. These things are
both frustrating and frightening at the same time.
 
But please don’t forget that we are indeed in a different place. We know a lot more
know now. In particular, we know that masking works and that some other
precautions aren’t really necessary. And of course we know that the children among
us at home, in our neighborhoods and at church, are now especially at risk. That
means that our willingness to keep and use our masks for a while longer is an act of
love that we can offer, not so much for ourselves, but mainly to keep other people
safe. That’s the upshot of the request that the Session has carefully crafted, with the
help of our Task Force. We can continue to meet for worship, study and other
activities, as we had longed to do for so many months, but we are also freely offering
our masked faces to protect one another and everyone whom each of us will meet
during the course of the week.
 
That approach to a very real and present danger is the attitude that once drew the
attention of the Gentile world to the earliest followers of Jesus. The thing that people
noticed most about the young church was that their actions focused on what they
could do for other people. To quote the familiar song: “they will know we are
Christians by our love.” Let’s show the world once again what that means, even as we
pray for the sick and dying, and as we ask for God’s final deliverance from this
wretched disease. Surely the end cannot be far off, can it?
 
God’s peace to us all, Elliott
 

Welcome Tomasz Robak!

 

The Administration and Worship committees are pleased to introduce Tomasz Robak, who will serve as our Interim Church Musician beginning August 15 and continuing through the fall. Tom is a pianist and organist, with degrees in Piano Performance from Peabody Conservatory and Rice University. He is currently on the music faculty of Davidson College, and has served as a substitute organist at several local Presbyterian churches. He and his family live in Davidson.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
July 22, 2021
 

Pastoral Vacation

 

Elliott and Nell will be on vacation July 19 – August 1. If pastoral needs arise during this time, please notify any of the elders on our Church Session.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
July 8, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,

 

When I wrote to you in our newsletter two weeks ago, we had just learned the news that our long-time church musician Mark Burleson will be leaving Paw Creek to become the new musician at Soapstone United Methodist Church in Raleigh. This is a great move for Mark and we share his excitement as he looks forward to new challenges, even as we are so sorry to say goodbye.

 

Now, Mark’s last day on July 18 is almost upon us. Our Session committees have come up with several ways to honor Mark and celebrate his ministry. Please have a look at these and plan to join us on the 18th, in person or via live stream. And feel free to share this information with friends and family who may have know Mark over the years – it would be great for them to join us as well!

 

On July 18th, we will:

Have lots of music from Mark and the choir

 

Sing hymns together during worship – MASKS ARE REQUIRED during the hymns (not during the rest of the service); please bring a mask, or get one from the ushers

 

Present Mark with gifts of gratitude – if you wish to participate in a LOVE OFFERING, checks can be made out to the church, and need to arrive in the church office by next Monday, July 12

 

Present Mark with an offering of cards – there will be a basket in church on the 18th, or you can mail them to the church office with “Mark Burleson” in the corner of the envelope

 

Share in a wonderful reception after worship in the church parlor

 

Please come and join the festivities – this will be a day of joy and a day of tears, and all together a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for the gifts of music, of friendship, and of Mark!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
June 24, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
To quote the “Old Preacher” who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, “To everything
there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
 
I learned early this week that the time has come for a season and a purpose that we
had hoped would not come nearly so soon. Our friend, colleague and church
musician Mark Burleson will be leaving Paw Creek in a few weeks, and it will be hard
to say goodbye. The good news is that God has provided Mark with a wonderful new
opportunity to bring his considerable talents to the extensive music program of a
large congregation in Raleigh. As we know so well, this is a work for which Mark is
eminently suited, and we of all people know that he will grace his new role not only
with heavenly music, but also with the friendship and love he has sown with all of us
for so many years.
 
But of course the good news comes with the sad task of saying goodbye. And, truth
be told, we wonder what will become of us and our worship experience? How will
Sunday mornings ever be the same? The short answer is that they will not be the
same. The somewhat longer answer is that we still have a choir director and a choir
(as they transition back to the choir loft) who will always fill our hearts with the joy of
heavenly music that lifts us into the everlasting arms. And the final answer is that
God’s plans for us are as excellent as they are unknown. The person who sits at the
piano a few months from now will not be Mark, but he or she will have been placed
there not by us, but by God. And whatever is different when that time comes, it will
be a difference that God will use to lead us to serve his kingdom and his suffering
world in exactly the way that he has chosen. Through tears of parting, may our eyes
see a glimpse of the new season and the new purpose that God has for us and for
Mark, our friend and brother in Christ.
 
Now, a few words of practical matters. Mark’s final day will be Sunday, July 18.
However, due to previously scheduled vacation, he will be gone July 4 and 11, so our
last opportunities to worship together will be this coming Sunday, June 27, and July
18. The Session and our committees are beginning to plan a celebration for the 18th
that will allow us to send Mark off with thanks and joy. With the leadership of the
Administration and Worship Committees, Session will also plan for the transition
after the 18th, looking first to temporarily supply our music needs, and then
authorizing a search committee to find a permanent replacement. We will keep
everyone posted through each step of the process, and the search committee will
ensure the chance for lots of input from the congregation, and especially from our
choir.
 
May God grace us all in amazing ways in the weeks and months ahead,
Elliot
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 10, 2021

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

It has been such a joy for so many of us to be together in worship these past two weeks! As we reclaim the familiar patterns, as we relish the hugs and handshakes, as we  enjoy the surprises of each new week (so good to welcome back the choir last Sunday!) – through it all there is an enormous sense of gratitude for all the essential workers and medical professionals who brought us to this point. And above all, gratitude to God for care and protection. Let us remember in our prayers those families for whom these are bittersweet days, especially those who lost loved ones during the months of pandemic, whether from Covid or any other illness. And let hold close those in our circle of family, church and friends, who are not yet ready to venture out fully. We are grateful that as a church community we are now able to worship with them virtually each week, and will continue to do that into the years ahead.

 

I know that vacation time is beginning for many of our families – yet another sign of return to familiar patterns. Whether here or away, please be safe, enjoy your family time, and come back rested for new adventures in the months ahead.

 

And if you are around, remember that on the second Sunday of each summer month (starting this Sunday, June 13), we have a light breakfast and summer devotional Sunday school lesson beginning at 9:15 in the CFC. Regular Sunday school classes resume for all ages in September.

 

May the familiarity of summer blessing resound for all of us in these weeks ahead.

 

Blessings, Elliott

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________
May 27, 2021

Dear Paw Creek,

 

What a wonderful Pentecost celebration we had on Sunday! It was a great reunion with our Woodland Church sisters and brothers, a moving visit to our shared memorial at the back of our cemetery, and a lovely, sunny and breezy morning (the 90 degree heat held off until after lunch!) There was also a wonderful feeling of freedom as we sang, prayed, listened to the music of the choirs, and generally enjoyed the things that we have missed for so long. Many, many thanks to the Property, Fellowship and Worship committees, and everyone involved in making this day a holy success.

 

And now, with that lead-in, on to the big news of the week:

 

Last Thursday, May 20, the Session approved many changes to relax the safety precautions that we have been living with for so long. These changes begin immediately, with our worship this Sunday. Here are the highlights:

 

Precautions that are still in effect (or partially in effect):

Masks are optional indoors (please continue to be considerate of the comfort level of others)

Socially distanced seating is available for the pews nearest the West Wing

We will not pass collection plates (baskets available by the doors)

We will continue to refrain from singing the hymns, pending further advice from the medical community

 

And these precautions are now removed:

The tape markings on the remainder of the pews are removed, and attendance is back to full capacity

Everyone is invited to join in unison and responsive readings and prayers (please speak softly as a precaution)

No more temperature checks at the door

Feel free to enter and leave by any of the doors

 

In addition, we can look forward to the return of our church choir later in the summer – they are awaiting delivery of specially designed singing masks that will allow them to begin rehearsals in the next couple of weeks.

 

With all these changes, please also remember that live-stream worship is now a permanent feature at Paw Creek. The live feed will always be available if you are shut in, sick, out of town, not quite ready to venture out into crowds, or otherwise find that this is the best option for you.

 

For church groups, there are also changes for your meetings in church buildings. Masks are optional, just like in the worship service. No need to reserve a room in the East Wing, but the regular reservation forms for use of the CFC are still in place. If you know of a non-church group that may wish to use space, please ask them to inquire through the church office, as was done in the past.

 

Other regular meetings continue as well: (1)  the prayer gathering Sunday morning at 10:30 in the sanctuary (no Zoom connection; if you are not present in the sanctuary, feel free to text prayer requests to me or to Debbie Taylor before worship), and (2) Bible Study via Zoom Wednesdays at 5:30 (we will continue into June until we finish our current study of the book of Nehemiah, then take a summer recess until Labor Day).

 

So – suddenly a lot of changes all at once. If you want to check on any the details, please feel free to give me a call. Otherwise, if you are ready to come back to church, we are ready to see you. If you feel better waiting awhile, that’s good too. Either way, I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!

 

Blessings, Elliott

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
May 13, 2021
 
Dear Paw Creek,
 
“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it
filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared
among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” –
Acts 2
 
Nothing will ever compare to the sights and sounds of that first Pentecost – but join
us this year on May 23, and together we’ll see and hear things that we’ve almost
forgotten:
• people worshipping together in large numbers!
• an entire congregation praying and reading aloud!
• singing and music from congregation and choir!
• the fellowship of a shared meal with people from different households!
 
It’s all because this year, our shared annual Pentecost Service with the saints of
Woodland Presbyterian Church will be OUTDOORS. Although we will remain safe,
and use our masks to help protect one another, we will take advantage of the
outdoors to worship in ways that we’ve been longing for all year.
 
Plan to gather at Paw Creek about 10:30, Sunday, May 23, on the lawn near the
entrance to the cemetery. Bring lawn chairs, if you have them. We will have canopies
for shade, and extra chairs available, and assistance for those who need help
navigating on the grass. Please wear a mask. During the worship service we will
participate in unison and responsive prayers, and we will sing our hymns together.
We will welcome small choir ensembles from both churches. Just to be sure everyone
is included, the service will also be available on live-stream with our usual Facebook
and YouTube links.
 
After worship, pull up your chairs and stay for a box lunch (everything provided by
the churches, so don’t worry about bringing food – just come!)
 
And after lunch, everyone is invited to return to the cemetery and visit again the
Woodland-Paw Creek monument that our churches placed together on Pentecost
Sunday 2009 to honor the graves of enslaved members of Paw Creek church who
died and were buried prior to 1865. We will pray there, and place a wreath as a
pledge of our continued commitment to serving God side by side in the years to
come. There will be transportation and assistance available to help everyone reach
the monument in the back of the cemetery.
 
It’s going to be a busy, wonderful day – please come and join us!
 
Blessings, Elliot
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
April 22, 2021

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

As I wrote two weeks ago, we are transitioning to a twice-a-month newsletter. Our world is slowly returning to a more normal flow, and for that we are grateful. You will again find two worship bulletins in this newsletter (April 25 and May 2). After today, the bulletins will not be included with the newsletters, but will continue to be available on our church website (we will also gladly mail a bulletin to those who specifically ask – just give Kim a call in the office to get on the mailing list). On Wednesday, Governor Cooper announced potential relaxation of most pandemic indoor restrictions by June 1. As soon as we know the specifics, the Task Force and Session will have a look and figure out what changes we will make at that time. Things are happening, and it’s a good feeling.

 

As our world continues to open up, I am very concerned to ensure that we make the best use of the most important permanent change that has happened in the past year. In the fall of 2019, Paw Creek began an experiment to offer a simple live-stream feed of our worship services each Sunday (thank you Larry Ramsey!) Because that experiment was in place, we were able to switch immediately to live stream worship last March, and we have never missed a Sunday service throughout the pandemic. During the first months, that simple experiment has grown with new knowledge and upgraded equipment, so that we are now able to worship with folks literally around the world every Sunday (thank you Clint Shaw! and likewise thanks to Larry and to Ron Matthews who have learned the system and can sub in when Clint is away.)

 

On-line worship is now a reality for us, and that is not going to change. We have a way to connect with church members who are at home or out of town. We also have already made connections with people whom we’ve never met in person, but who have become part of our community. Those are the people that I want to find! The one missing element in a live-stream worship service is that the signal only goes one way. We have only limited knowledge of who is watching each Sunday, and no way at all to know who watches during the week. Even when we can see a list of those who are tuned in, all we get is a user name, which may not provide any real identification. Our challenge in the months ahead is to turn virtual worship into a two-way street, and that means finding out who is out there and making contact with them. I’m not really concerned about getting our on-line congregation to become formal members, or to join a group, or even to send in money – unless they want to. But I do want them to know that we cherish being able to worship together, I want for us to be able to pray for them and with them, and I want for us to learn from them how we can serve them, and serve with them.

 

On our church website, there is now an on-line “visitor card”. If you are a church member and worship on-line, please fill out the card and let us know (once is enough – you don’t need to do it every week). If you are not a formal member but are reading this on the website, we would appreciate your response as well. And if you know people who are watching, or if you recognize some of those user names, or connect with them on Facebook, please encourage them to respond too. Assure them we will not bombard them with emails, but let them know we care about them and want to connect with them. Some will choose to remain unknown, and that’s ok – God is doing a good thing in their lives and we are grateful. But for others, we hope this can be a beginning, for us and for them, of a new way to follow Christ together, long after the pandemic is over.

 

                                                            Blessings, Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – April 8, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed – alleluia! Holy Week and Easter were times of great depth, and finally great joy. Whether we celebrated in-person or on-line, we were caught up in the full sweep of God’s story of redemption and glory. Many folks worked throughout the week to make our worship possible, and I know we are all grateful for the time, energy and dedication of everyone involved!

Of course one of the real joys of the week was a sense of slowly returning normalcy. We found this especially for those who were able to come to the Easter Sunrise Service. Behind our masks we were able to speak aloud, to pray, to sing and to reclaim worship as participants and not just observers. We are not quite there yet for indoor worship, but the time is coming closer and closer. Live stream worship is now an established part of our outreach, and for many of us, that will remain a permanent or occasional option – we rejoice that we can be together in that way and we are glad you are with us! For others, the sanctuary is becoming familiar again. With distance and masks, we are finding room, and will continue to monitor health recommendations to know when to further relax our guidelines.

Our committees are also planning for fellowship and study offerings outdoors over the summer, and the Christian Education committee has set a tentative target of Labor Day for our regular Sunday school schedule to resume. At its March meeting, Session approved guidelines for church groups to begin using facilities for occasional meetings and church-sponsored activities. Distancing and masking are still vital, so it is important to choose a space based on the size of your group. Small groups (5-6 people) can use the Session Room or Parlor; medium-sized groups (15-16 people) can use the CFC dining room; and larger groups can use the CFC gym. Please reserve through the church office to be sure we don’t overlap and to receive specific information. For now, this change is for church groups only; requests from community groups will still go through our in-person task force.

One final change to note is that Session is committed to getting us back on track with our gathering of donations for the needs of our community. Please see the information in this newsletter about the 10¢ A Meal Hunger Offering and the gathering of food for Loaves and Fishes. The Outreach Committee is also exploring other safe ways that we can be good neighbors, including a blood drive later this month.

These weekly letters began over a year ago as a life-line for all of us when we had no other way to stay connected or to know what was going on. I think they’ve worked well, and I’m grateful we have had this tool when we needed it most. Now that we are seeing positive change, we have decided to pull back on the newsletter schedule. Beginning today, newsletters will go out twice a month, on the second and fourth Thursdays. This will allow us to be good stewards of our resources, with savings in postage, paper and time. In April you will find two worship bulletins in each newsletter. Beginning in May the bulletins will not be part of the newsletter, but will continue to be available for download on the church webpage. If you would like to be on a separate list to receive the bulletins each week by mail, we’ll be happy to include you – please just call the office and let Kim know.

With thanksgiving for all God’s providential care in the past and in the future, let us now offer our prayers to God, including these brothers and sisters in and around our church family:

  • Miriam Childress and her family on the death of her sister Jeanette Hamilton. Services are private – Jeanette’s obituary is available at woodlawnfuneral.org
  • Margie Caudill, who has been hospitalized in Pineville after a fall on Sunday; she should be released to return to residential care soon.
  • Vernie Smith and her family, with special concern for Vernie’s granddaughter Sarah, who is undergoing testing at Duke Hospital.
  • Anne Miller, with praise for her successful surgery last Thursday, and prayers for speedy recovery.
  • Carol McNeal and family – her brother David Troutman has stopped chemotherapy and is now under hospice care.
  • Velda Bell, a friend of Larry Ramsey, who is experiencing serious aftereffects of Covid-19.

May God’s blessings be abundant for these saints, and for us all,

 

 

                                                                                                   Elliott

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – April 1, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Holy Week is upon us. It was good to be together on Palm Sunday, both in person and virtually and we will have more occasions to worship through the rest of this week. Here’s the line-up:

 

 

Maundy Thursday – April 1 – Service at 7:00 pm, in person and on live-stream

        We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper, so if you are at home, plan to have bread and juice available.
 

Good Friday – April 2 – Service at 7:00 pm, in person and on live-stream

        The Service of Shadows, with readings, silence, prayer, and the extinguishing of the light
 

Easter Sunrise – April 4 – Service at 8:00 am outdoors by the church cemetery. No live-stream.

        Dress for the weather, bring a lawn chair, and stay afterwards for a light breakfast
 

Easter Sunday Service – April 4 – Service at 11:00 am, in person and on live-stream

        Celebrate the resurrection in music, prayer, proclamation and the sharing of the Lord’s Supper.
 

Please join me, throughout this week, in thanking the many folks who have made our worship and fellowship possible, including the Worship, Property, Fellowship and Congregational Care committees, and our dedicated church staff (Kim, Mark and Patrick). Special shout-out to Amy McGee and Sam McCord for spearheading the project to transform palm branches into door decorations – giving us something to share in common as we worship both at home and in the sanctuary!

As Easter dawns on Sunday morning, may the hope of new beginnings and new horizons beckon all of us forward into the months of renewal and transformation ahead.

I just have a few prayer concerns this week – because of Holy Week, we did not have our regular Bible Study on Wednesday night. And, because of the sunrise service, there will be no prayer gathering on Sunday morning. So, if there are other concerns to share, please let me know in the next few days, or write out a note and hand it to the ushers on the way into worship on Sunday. For now, please remember:

  • Vernie Smith and her family, with special concern for Vernie’s granddaughter Sarah.
  • Anne Miller, who will have surgery for a mastectomy on Thursday morning.
  • Ann Furr, whose house was severely damaged by a falling tree in the storm last Saturday afternoon.
  • The family of Carson Watts, an Oakdale resident, who died last week, his funeral will be Friday at Pleasant Grove Methodist.

May God bless us and keep us as we follow Jesus through the rest of Holy Week and set our sights towards Easter.

                                                                                                   Elliott

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – March 25, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I’m going to need to be succinct in this week’s letter – we have a lot of other information to include with the newsletter, and we need to save paper and postage for the copies that go out through the postal mail!

As we enter Holy Week on Sunday, we have a wide range of opportunities for worship, both on-line and in person:

Palm Sunday – March 28 – Service at 11:00 am, in person and on live-stream

        Please arrive by 10:45 for the palm procession, and plan to stay afterwards for palm decorating

Maundy Thursday – April 1 – Service at 7:00 pm, in person and on live-stream

        We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper, so if you are at home, plan to have bread and juice available.

Good Friday – April 2 – Service at 7:00 pm, in person and on live-stream

        The Service of Shadows, with readings, silence, prayer, and the extinguishing of the light

Easter Sunrise – April 4 – Service at 8:00 am outdoors by the church cemetery. No live-stream.

        Dress for the weather, bring a lawn chair, and stay afterwards for a light breakfast

Easter Sunday Service – April 4 – Service at 11:00 am, in person and on live-stream

        Celebrate the resurrection in music, prayer, proclamation and the sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

We still have space to welcome you for in-person worship – please just contact the church office to let the Worship Committee know. And don’t forget that gifts for the Easter flowers to honor and remember loved ones are due next Tuesday.

Our prayer list this week includes:

  • Jeannette Hamilton, sister of Miriam Childress, who remains hospitalized and seriously ill.
  • Eddie McArver, recovering from a bout with shingles
  • Cyndy Taylor, sister-in-law of George Taylor who is now recovering at home after being in the hospital
  • Barry McNaughton, Linda Riggins’s cousin, recovering from Legionnaire’s disease
  • George Taylor, Marlon Foust’s nephew, who is in ICU care with pneumonia
  • Greylan Counts, who suffered a facial injury from a falling tree branch; he was released from the hospital and will return later for more surgery
  • Please keep Vernie Smith and her family in your prayers, especially her granddaughter Sarah.

May God bless us and keep us as we follow Jesus through this Holy Week and set our sights towards Easter.

                                                                                    Elliott

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – March 18, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Our sense of time becomes distorted in these days. I don’t know about you, but I am taken aback to look at the calendar and know that Easter is just two weeks away!

Many of us are drifting back into in-person worship each Sunday. Please come when you are ready, but also please call ahead by phone or email to Kim in the church office. We will shift and arrange to get as many into the sanctuary as we safely can. If you are not ready, we understand – live-stream worship will continue so that you can join us as well.

With Holy Week and Easter right around the corner, here’s a rundown of the events and service that are planned. Our committees have been (and continue to be) busy making these offerings possible. Please plan to join us, live or live-stream, throughout the week beginning next Sunday.

Palm Sunday – March 28 – Service at 11:00 am, in person and on live-stream

        Please arrive by 10:45. We will have palms for everyone as we begin the service outdoors and process into the sanctuary. Those on live-stream will be able to participate as well, so be sure to log in right on time

        After worship, plan to stay around outdoors, where the Fellowship committee will offer materials and instructions for transforming palm branches into a display for your front door during Holy Week.

        The Fellowship and Congregational Care committees will also have palms to bring to those who worship with us on live-stream.

Maundy Thursday – April 1 – Service at 7:00 pm, in person and on live-stream

        We will worship in the sanctuary this year, looking forward to being able to return to our traditional service at tables by 2022. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper, so if you are at home, plan to have bread and juice available.

Good Friday – April 2 – Service at 7:00 pm, in person and on live-stream

        The Service of Shadows, with readings, silence, prayer, and the extinguishing of the light

Easter Sunrise – April 4 – Service at 8:00 am outdoors by the church cemetery. No live-stream.

        Come early for a simple service to welcome the dawn and rejoice in the Good News of resurrection. Everyone is welcome, no need to call ahead. Please check the weather and dress warmly enough for the early air and damp grass, and bring a lawn chair if you have it. The Fellowship Committee will offer a simple breakfast in front of the CFC afterwards.

Easter Sunday Service – April 4 – Service at 11:00 am, in person and on live-stream

        Celebrate the resurrection in music, prayer, proclamation and the sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

Finally, please see the information in this newsletter about memorial and honorarium gifts for Easter flowers in the sanctuary. We all look forward to celebrating this holy time and way or another!

In our prayers this week, please remember:

  • Jeannette Hamilton, sister of Miriam Childress, who is seriously ill in the hospital in Myrtle Beach. Pray also for Miriam and for Jeannette’s daughter Elaine, who is an only child and is bearing all the responsibility of her mother’s care.
  • Gail Carinelli, a member of our on-line congregation, who will have major eye surgery on Thursday.
  • Eddie McArver, who is feeling much better as he recovers from shingles on his face and near one of his eyes.
  • Colt Klutz, grandson of Thelma Thomlinson, who is recovering well from a head injury after a serious go-kart accident.
  • Cyndy Taylor, sister-in-law of George Taylor who is now recovering at home after being hospitalized for pancreatitis.
  • Razz Holman, a friend of Karen Cathey, who will undergo a steroid treatment for a lung condition – these treatments have caused serious side-effects for him in the past.
  • Kevin Cashion, who has surgery scheduled for Thursday morning.
  • Roy Joyner, as we rejoice with him at the success of his cancer treatments last summer.
  • Barry McNaughton, husband of Linda Riggins’s cousin, who is hospitalized in Pineville with sepsis, pneumonia and high fever.
  • Carol Venable, moderator of Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Charlotte, who is recovering from surgery. Carol is a member of Marks Creek Presbyterian Church in Hamlet, NC.

 

In all these things, may God be our blessing, our strength and our stay.

 

              

                                                                                    Elliott

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – March 11, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

 

Dear Paw Creek,

A year ago on this Thursday was the last time that I entered a hospital. After my visit there, I remember sitting in the car making phone calls and checking news reports to try to understand the onrush of information and conflicting advice about what would and would not be safe for us as a church. Then I returned to the church office to begin sending emails to seek the wisdom of our church Session. By the next day, Friday, we had reached a decision to limit worship the following Sunday to a live-stream broadcast using the rudimentary equipment that we then had available. We anticipated being limited to live-stream worship for perhaps two or three weeks. We had never heard of Zoom.

It will take a long time to digest and begin to understand what the experiences of the ensuing year have meant to us, our families, our communities and our church. In time, our perspective will begin to lengthen and these 365 days will no longer seem like such a huge expanse of time. Our perspective will begin to give us some small understanding of the view that God has of our world and our lives. In God’s eyes, this year has been but a moment. In God’s eyes each moment of fear, grief and hardship has been wrapped in the tender embrace of his everlasting arms. In God’s eyes we are now at this moment, on this day, when the birds are singing, the tiny buds are beginning to open, the vaccines are flowing, and hope is on our horizon.

This is not the time to relax our commitment to the protections that come to us from the knowledge of science that God has graciously given us. But it is perhaps a time to indulge in that hope, to lift our gaze to that horizon. It is surely a time to see with God’s eyes that he is with us this day, and to give thanks for his abiding presence.

As we welcome God’s presence in our lives, we are invited to include in our prayers these members of our larger community and their loved ones:

  • Howie Wall, brother-in-law of Karen Sisk and Debbie Taylor, was released from the hospital late Wednesday and will continue to rest at home as doctors seek proper treatment for his cardiac disease – please pray for Howie and his wife Pam.
  • Eight-year old Colt Klutz, grandson of Thelma Tomlinson and son of Beverly and Mike, continues to recover at home with serious head injuries after a go-kart accident and surgery over the weekend. He will be at home with bed rest for several weeks – please pray for his complete healing and give courage to his family.
  • Jeannette Hamilton, sister of Miriam Childress, is very ill and hospitalized near her home in Myrtle Beach – please pray for Jeannette and her family.
  • Gail Carinelli, a friend of Barbara Ullem’s who has worshipped with us regularly this past year via live-stream, is scheduled for major eye surgery on March 18 – please pray for her comfort and recovery.

 

In all these things, may God be our blessing, our strength and our stay.

 

              

                                                                                    Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – March 4, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

 

Dear Paw Creek,

It was good to see some folks in the sanctuary last Sunday, and good to have many folks worshipping together on the live-stream feed. The weeks ahead are going to be a time of wider choices and more variety. Please, please make the decisions that are right for you and your family, and let us all give thanks for the times we are able to be together, no matter what form that takes.

For worship on Sunday, the Third Sunday in Lent, we will celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. As always, if you will be worshipping at home, please remember to have some bread and juice available when we come to sharing the elements of the sacrament.

Other than that, I don’t really have any new information to share this week. There are a few prayer concerns that are new since last week:

  • Oscar Sisk has asked prayers for Brenda Cagle, a close family friend who was hospitalized last Friday – she is now home from the hospital and recovering well.
  • Karen Cathey passed on a request for prayers from her sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Jason Duncan in Kernersville – please remember police officer Sean Houle and his young family – he is in critical condition after being shot in the line of duty. His wife is a former student of Gail and Jason’s.
  • Vickie Joy has a lot of changes going on at home and at work – please pray God’s protective love over her in the weeks ahead.
  • Shelby Alexander reports that Stephanie has been allowed to visit Shelby’s sister Patty in hospice care finds she is doing well – we give thanks for the visit and the good report.
  • Please remember the family of Catherine Hoover, who died recently at the Presbyterian Home in High Point – she was the widow of Thomas Hoover, a member of Paw Creek who entered the gospel ministry in the 1940’s and served the church as a pastor and a professor. Thomas Hoover died in 1998 and was buried at Paw Creek along with his family, who were prominent members of the community earlier in the last century. Mrs. Hoover will be buried here on Saturday in a private family service.
  • And, let us pray with Charlie Mack Killian, a former church member and resident of our community, whose mother Amelia died last week. Her funeral will take place on Saturday at Castenea Community Church.

May God’s grace keep us safe and healthy, and watch over everyone whom we hold dear.

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – February 25, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

In-person worship resumes this Sunday, February 28

 

Dear Paw Creek,
 
I’m happy to report that the worst of the winter virus surge is receding, and on Wednesday Governor Cooper announced an easing of restrictions across the state. With those signs of recovery, our task force on in-person worship met Wednesday afternoon and has decided that we can safely resume our return to sanctuary worship.
 

This Sunday, February 28, we will welcome friends and members of Paw Creek to worship under the same guidelines that were in place when we reached a pause back in January:

  1. All of those who had previously asked to be included for in-person worship are still on the list. If you want to be added to the list, please call Kim in the church office (if you want to be added in time for this coming Sunday, you can call Debbie Taylor, Sam McCord or me over the weekend). We still have room, and everyone is welcome, but we need to keep a handle on our numbers so that we can maintain safe distances.
  2. We will continue to take temperatures, to mask, and to sit in distanced household units. Please come early so we can get everyone seated, and we will continue to avoid singing and unison prayers.
  3. And of course, live-stream worship will always be an option for those who are not yet ready to venture out.
 
As we all know, the virus is far from over – but every day I hear of more folks who are getting their vaccinations. That is great and encouraging news! But we also know that vaccinated or not, we still need to play it safe. Please, everyone, let’s take care of ourselves so that we can get to the end of this thing and be together again in every way as quickly as possible. I can’t wait, and I know you can’t either.
 
I’ve got one other important piece of information to highlight this week. One of the significant ways that we have always stayed connected as a church, and especially during the pandemic, is our Prayer Chain. E-mails and phone calls that go out throughout the week as soon as a need is known allow us to participate together in the power of prayer as we bear one another’s burdens and rejoice in each other’s blessings.
 
For several years now, the telephone portion of the Prayer Chain has been under the able stewardship of Judy Smith. Judy has recently decided that it’s time for her to step back, and Joy Tyler has taken up that role. Therefore, when you have a prayer concern to share with the church community, please get permission from the person or family involved, and then call the concern in to Joy (704-399-8040) and email to Ann Cashion (acatlake@gmail.com), and they will take it from there. Also, if you don’t yet receive the prayer chain messages, you can contact Joy or Ann to be added to the list.
 

And now, speaking of prayer, here are some of the things that are on our hearts this week:

  • Continued prayers for Howie Wall, brother in law of Karen Sisk and Debbie Taylor – Howie was hospitalized over the weekend with internal bleeding; it has been controlled and he is back home, improving every day.
  • Carol Weant, who was also in the hospital over the weekend, has returned home, but is still very weak.
  • Carol McNeill asks us to pray for her brother, David Troutman, who is ill and will be undergoing a biopsy and other testing in the coming days.
  • Please remember the family of Darryl Gaston, pastor of Smallwood Presbyterian Church, who died very unexpectedly last Saturday. His funeral service will be on Friday.
  • And also be thinking of Jo Small and her family – they will hold a private family service on Saturday to inter Johnny’s ashes at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
  • And, Tim Gray asks us to join in celebration for his cousin Steve – Steve has been in our prayers off and on for some time, but it’s good news to hear that his lymphoma is now in remission.
 

May God’s grace keep us safe and healthy, and watch over everyone whom we hold dear.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – February 18, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

 

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Lenten Devotions: pawcreekreflections.blogspot.com

 

Dear Paw Creek,

And now we wait. Wait for Easter; wait for vaccines; wait for recovery; wait for reopenings; wait for jobs to return; wait for the weather to warm up and the rain to stop; wait (in some places) for the power to come back on. Wait for normal. We’re not very good at waiting.
 
“O Lord,” we pray, “I don’t mind repenting, but I wish it would make a difference right away.” And yet the old me hasn’t disappeared and I keep making the same mistakes and falling into the same traps.
 
Most of the time waiting is just a quietness – or perhaps a thundering silence. In the silence we have to decide. Do I trust with all my heart that what comes after the waiting is going to be good and God-given and holy? Or do I fear that things will only get worse? That’s where the waiting takes us – what will it be? Trust or fear? Faith or no faith? God or the darkness? The gospel tugs us towards trust, faith and God. We have to decide.
 
I don’t have much else to add this week. Lent has begun, and now it yawns in front of us. It will be a quiet Lent this year. We just have to decide how to wait. In it may be find God, find that he waits with us, find that we are not alone.
 

Please pray for all who are suffering, especially those alone in the cold and the dark. Pray for the sick and the grieving. And the lonely. Pray for our communities and our churches, as we follow the Christ into the wilderness to sojourn these forty days.

 

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – February 11, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I guess it’s fitting that the season of Lent (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) begins in the midst of winter. The days are still short, the sun hangs low in the sky, and temperatures remain on the chilly side. Our whole experience works to instill the longing for something different, something yet to come that will fell like a new beginning. When Lent begins next Wednesday, and we symbolically mark our foreheads with the dust and ashes of death, we will do so out of longing for life. We do this in solidarity with all people and with the groaning creation itself. But we also do it specifically as followers of Christ, who already know that new life is precisely what waits for us in so many ways – at the end of Lent, but also in God’s blessings at the end every season of struggle, and supremely in the coming kingdom of heaven. This year of all years, we enter into Lent with the urgent desire for a new dawning. Let us go boldly with hope as well, hope born of the gospel truth that resurrection awaits.

February 17 – Wednesday of next week – will be Ash Wednesday. On that day we will usher in Lent in two ways:

  • Ash Wednesday worship will take place as a Zoom meeting only (no live stream on Facebook or YouTube). The service begins at 6:30 – we will start the Zoom meeting at 6:15 so that everyone can get logged in. The order of worship is included with this week’s letter, and can be downloaded on our church website. Since we will each be in our own homes, we will be free of masks and distancing guidelines, and that will allow us to pray, read, shout and sing together on Zoom.

The ID for the Ash Wednesday Zoom service is 811 2469 1045.

If you are not familiar with Zoom, there are two ways to join.

(1)    Go to zoom.us on the internet ahead of time and download the Zoom app; on Wednesday, open the app and enter the ID 811 2469 1045. You can use a computer, tablet or smartphone.

(2)    To connect by telephone only (you can hear and speak, but will not be able to see the others), dial 646-558-8656, and when prompted enter the ID 811 2469 1045. You can use any phone (cell or land-line), but be sure you have unlimited callings since this is a long-distance number.

  • Lenten Devotions will begin. In the next few days, every household in the church will receive a mailing with a booklet of daily devotions for Lent. The booklet has been provided by our denominational magazine Presbyterians Today and focuses on the journey to peace and wholeness during Lent. I hope you and your family will consider using these devotions on a daily basis during the season, and also take time to share thoughts and reactions with the rest of the church family, so that we can learn from each other. To make that interaction possible during this time of social distancing, we have a new blog that we can access to leave comments and read what others have written each day. It is called “Reflections from Paw Creek” and is found at blogspot.com. Please have a look at the letter that you will find in your mailing for more details about how it will work.

In the words of the ancient liturgy of Ash Wednesday, “we are invited, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent”. May that be possible for all of us, as we set our sights on the resurrection freedom that lies ahead.

In prayers this week, please remember especially the family of Don Joy. As you know by now, Don was found on Sunday evening after being lost for several days. It’s been a hard road for his family, and for our community. May God give them comfort in these days. Don’s funeral will be a graveside service on Monday, 2:00 pm at Forest Lawn – friends are invited to attend, due to health restrictions there will be no formal visitation scheduled.

And also, we pray for:

  • Barbara and Willie O’Connor, cousins of Eddie and Dickie Chapman; Willie is very ill with a brain tumor.
  • Jimmy Puckett and his family, a member of the community who suffered a serious stroke last week.
  • Skip Todd, who is scheduled for gall bladder surgery on Friday.
  • Paul McCarthy, Patrick’s father, who is hospitalized in Maine.
  • Doris Edwards, Kim Whittington’s Aunt who had a massive stroke yesterday.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                          

                                                                           Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – February 4, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Sunday Worship via Livestream only in February

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I’m sure you know that Covid cases are slowly going down in Mecklenburg County and throughout the state, and also that the County has asked that we all continue to limit gatherings and activities until the end of February. Recognizing that these two facts go together and that we need both to give thanks for the downward trend and to support the efforts that have made it possible, the Session has accepted the recommendation from its Task Force to continue with remote-only worship in February. More specifically, the decision was to follow County guidelines – that means if the numbers get better and the County relaxes the directive sooner, we will automatically return to in-person worship as well.

Remaining closed is disappointing for all of us – it’s so hard to believe that this pandemic has been going on for almost a year. But working together as a community and giving the vaccinations time to work is the right thing to do. I appreciate Session’s leadership and everyone’s support, even though it’s hard. As we continue to stick together, we will get to the end of this. I know you can’t wait, and neither can I!

Even as we remain physically separated, our church committees have been busy planning some great offerings for the next few months, especially in connection with the seasons of Lent and Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17 and continues through Easter Sunday on April 4. Here’s a preview of some of the things to look forward to:

  • Ash Wednesday – the service at 6:30 pm on February 17 will be via Zoom only – that means we will be able to hear and see one another, to pray and sing aloud at home, and participate in worship in ways that have not been possible for almost a year. I’ll have details and Zoom information in next week’s letter.
  • During Lent, the Congregational Care Committee will offer a daily devotional guide that will be mailed to each household, along with opportunities for us to share our thoughts and reflections on each daily reading. That also will be coming out next week to be ready to begin on Ash Wednesday.
  • Holy Week services have been planned by the Worship Committee for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday – they will be designed to offer meaningful experiences for both in-person and remote worship. More information coming towards the end of March.
  • On Easter Sunday, we will start the day with a sunrise service in the Paw Creek cemetery that will be open to the entire congregation, to take advantage of the spring weather and allow us all to be together outdoors. And of course our main service will take place in-person and remotely in the sanctuary at 11:00.
  • Speaking of spring weather, the Fellowship Committee is also getting busy to plan some events we can enjoy together outdoors as soon as the temperatures rise.

So – many thanks to all of these committees that are getting creative and thinking outside the box, and outside the buildings! If you have an idea to share, please be sure to let them know. Committee chairs are: Congregational Care – Karen Cathey; Fellowship – Sam McCord; Worship – Debbie Taylor.

And now, as I close this letter and prepare to send it off on Thursday morning, I need to ask all of us for some strong prayers for Don Joy and his family. Although there will probably be more news by the time you read this, as of now Don has been missing since midday on Wednesday, when he went out and failed to come home. The police are helping his family to locate him, and we all pray with and for him, to bring him safely home, and also with Vickie, Libby and Susan as they wait.

Additional prayer concerns this week include a request from Dina Salvo to pray for the family of her friend Carolyn Hatley, who died of Covid-19 this week, leaving two sons. Also, we have good reports on the recovery progress of both Judy Hinson (Frances’s sister) and Mollie Baker, and we continue to join Dickie and Carol Chapman in prayers for their daughter-in-law’s father, Mr. Tom Calello, in hospice care.

May God protect us all, and all those whom we hold dear,

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliot

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – January 28, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Sunday Worship via Livestream only on January 31

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Our period of pulling back from in-person worship continues this Sunday with the livestream service at 11:00 am. We hope and pray on so many levels that this reversal will be short-lived: as an indication that virus spread and hospitalizations have been slowed down in Mecklenburg; as an indication that vaccinations are reaching more and more people; and of course so that we can resume our limited in-person worship for those who chose to participate. The County’s directive ends next Tuesday and our task force and Session will evaluate the information provided at that time as we make decisions for February and beyond. We will have the word out to everyone as quickly as possible.
 

Even while we are on this lockdown, your Session met last Thursday via Zoom to hold its first stated meeting of the new year. In that meeting, Session elected its officers and committee leaders for 2021:

Clerk of Session………………………………………………………. Debbie Taylor

Church Treasurer……………………………………………………. Danny McClure

MAC Team Chair……………………………………………………… Grady Cathey

Christian Education Chair……………………………………….. Barbara Ullem

Congregational Care Chair……………………………………… Karen Cathey

Fellowship Chair…………………………………………………….. Sam McCord

Outreach Chair………………………………………………………. Grady Cathey

Worship Chair………………………………………………………… Debbie Taylor

Administration Co-chair………………………………………… Eddie McArver 

Administration Co-chair……………………………………………………… Peggy Harrington
Finance Chair……………………………………………………………………….. Mary Ellen Edwards

Property Chair……………………………………………………….. Dickie Chapman

Cemetery Committee Chair……………………………………………….. Phillip McCord
Cemetery Committee Treasurer………………………………………….Brian Gross
Endowment Committee Chair & Treasurer………………………. Peggy Harrington
 

Although much of our church programming has been curtailed, there is still much work to be done in each of these committee areas, and our elders will be busy with their committees throughout the coming months. Here’s a quick run-down of some of the work that is going on:

  • MAC Team (Mission and Coordination) will meet every-other month beginning in February to help committee leaders work together as we look ahead to reopening activities later in the year
  • Christian Education oversees the very active and currently remote “Children Connecting with Christ” program
  • Congregational Care is staying in touch with shut-ins and overseeing care of families in times of illness and bereavement
  • Fellowship will be offering more outdoor gatherings for the congregation as warmer weather returns
  • Outreach helps all of us identify ways to support neighbors deeply affected by the financial crisis of the pandemic
  • Worship has kept our Sunday morning services going throughout the months of lockdown, and will be meeting later this week to plan for meaningful ways to observe the seasons of Lent and Easter
  • Administration is preparing for annual consultations and evaluations of church staff
  • Finance will be working on budget planning for 2021
  • Property has continued very actively throughout the pandemic, keeping our buildings and grounds in good shape for our return in the months ahead
 
One other important action at last week’s Session meeting was the decision to defer the Annual Congregational Meeting until the spring. Once the weather warms up, we will schedule an outdoor meeting like the one we held in October, and will coordinate with the Fellowship Committee for a fun event that will allow us time to catch up with church friends in a safe setting. Look for more details in the weeks ahead.
 

Our prayer list is blessedly light this week, so let’s use our prayer time to remember those whose needs are known to God, and to offer thanks and seek safekeeping for the heroes who tend to our health and well-being. And let us pray God’s support for the spread of vaccination and the protection of us all in the weeks ahead.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – January 21, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

 

Sunday Worship via Livestream only, January 24 and January 31

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

As I announced in last week’s letter, we are now beginning a two-week period in which our Sunday worship will be available only via livestream. This decision was made by the Session in support of directives from Mecklenburg County and is intended to keep us all safe and slow the spread of Covid-19 during this dangerous phase of the pandemic. Yesterday we also received communication from the Presbytery of Charlotte (our two general presbyters along with the Presbytery Council) strongly urging all our churches to support the county directive. These are still hard times for all of us, made more difficult as we again pull back into our on-line forms of communication. But as we hear more and more names of family, friends and neighbors who are fighting the virus, these are wise and temporary changes we can make. At the end of two weeks we will see where things stand and chart a course going forward. The growing number of people who are now being able to receive the vaccine is certainly a hopeful sign for all of us.

This evening, Thursday, our Session will meet for the first time with new elders who were ordained and installed last Sunday. Before moving forward, I do want to take a minute to again thank the outgoing elders of the class of 2020 – Tim Gray, Donna Hall, Toni Torrence and Joy Tyler. These wonderful folks were elected to the Session just as I was arriving at Paw Creek in the fall of 2017, and they were some of the first church members I got to know well as we met together that fall for officer training to prepare them for ordination and installation. They have been tireless members of the session, contributing to the life and work of our church in so many ways, and I have enjoyed working with them throughout their term. Of course, each of them remains an ordained elder in our church and will continue to be vital parts of our congregation. But they now have some well-earned time off from meetings and committee responsibilities, and we are grateful for all they have done.

In our prayers this week, we remember all who are being affected by this surge of Covid-19, praying for God’s hand to guide and protect us all, and to grant a swift roll-out of the vaccinations that have come about through his gifts of scientific knowledge and ingenuity. And of course we have prayers of gratitude that the threat of violence in Washington and in state capitols around the country has passed, giving thanks for the courage and dedication of those sworn to protect us in the ranks of law enforcement and the National Guard. We also have a few prayer updates gathered since last week’s letter:

  • Frances Lyerly reports that her sister Judy Hinson continues to show slow improvement after difficulties from her ankle surgery. Judy has been approved for transfer to rehab care in the next couple of days.
  • We pray with the family of Mr. A.G. Brown, a former church member who died last week.
  • Dickie and Eddie Chapman ask our prayers for several friends and their families: for the family of a friend and former coworker Tracy Starr, who died of Covid-19 last week; for another former coworker Dick Armstrong, who was hospitalized last week with Covid-19; for a childhood friend Glenn Fowler, who has been seriously ill and is awaiting further diagnosis to find out what is wrong.

 

In all places and in all ways, let us turn our hearts to God,

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                          

                                                                           Elliott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opportunities for Virtual Learning and Fellowship

 

 

Starting on Tuesday, January 26, Ashley Kenley will begin leading the Fresh Start Sunday school class in studying a book of devotions called 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs. The Fresh Start class meets each Tuesday evening from 7:30 – 8:00 pm via telephone conference call. The class would like to extend an invitation to others in the congregation who would like to join our class in studying these devotions. If interested, please email Ashley Kenley at akenley70@gmail.com to learn more about this study and to receive the telephone conference call information for the class.

 

 

Wednesday Bible Study continues to learn about the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah, asking how the story of God’s renewal and revival of faith at the end of the Babylonian exile can offer us lessons for faith in our time. The class meets on Zoom at 5:30 each week. Check with Elliott for log-on information.

Text for Wednesday, January 27: Ezra, chapter 3.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – January 14, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

It is yet another tumultuous week. We continue to hear news of our national government unlike anything we have seen before, and I know that whatever our thoughts on those developments, we all pray for peace and calm to prevail between now and the beginning of the new presidential administration in six days. May God be with us all!

Closer to home, the anticipated post-holiday surge of Covid-19 cases seems to have set in, with daily records of infections, hospitalizations and – sadly – deaths. We learn the names of increasing numbers of the sick in our weekly gathering of prayers and in our conversations in church and in the community. And with each new name, we pray again in sorrow and in concern. Mecklenburg County on Tuesday issued a “directive” (not mandatory but strongly urged) that throughout the community we should endeavor to operate in “full virtual” mode as much as possible for the next three weeks. In response to this directive, Session’s Task Force on in-person worship met on Wednesday and, with Session approval last night, has the following report:

  1. The Task Force and Session still feel that our precautions for in-person worship are strong and that we are able to gather in a safe environment. At the same time, given the rapid spread of disease, we must all be extra-vigilant during the next few weeks. We also feel that it is important for us as good citizens of the community, and as a church that sets an example for the community, to honor the well-reasoned directives of our public officials and especially the heroic efforts of medical personnel. With those considerations in mind, there will be a few changes to our worship plans.
  2. The worship service for this coming Sunday, January 17, will be both in-person and live stream. This will allow us to move forward with the service of ordination and installation for our new elders, to welcome some wonderful music that Mark has planned with guest oboist Evan Thee, and to accommodate as much as possible our members who do not have access that allows them to participate in live stream worship from home. Although the service will be open to everyone who is currently signed up to be in the sanctuary, if you are not in one of the those special categories, we ask that you strongly consider staying home on the 17th to minimize the number of people in the sanctuary and allow more room to spread out for those who need to be there.
  3. The worship services for January 24 and January 31 will be live stream only. This change will allow us to follow the County’s directive for the bulk of the three-week “full virtual” period. We all hope and pray that with all of us working together throughout the community, the post-holiday surge will be broken. As we get closer to February the Task Force and Session will monitor the situation and make decisions about when we can return to in-person worship, and will communicate that information as quickly as we have it.

With those arrangements in place, I’d like to take a minute to reflect on our plans for worship on the 17th. The Service of Ordination and Installation of elders is something that is unique to our Reformed/Presbyterian tradition. I’ve always thought that it is truly one of the glories of our church, and I look forward to this worship service every year. As we call forward women and men from among the congregation, chosen by the work of the the Holy Spirit moving in the vote of the people, to set them apart for service, we are acting out our conviction that God uses all of us to spread the Gospel. There is no voice of an elite that determines our work, but only the voice of God speaking in the deliberations of our leaders. When our elders stand to take their vows of service, they answer the same “Constitutional Questions” that are used by Ministers of Word and Sacrament, indicating that our ministries are equal, and all are dedicated to God. I’ve reprinted the Questions at the end of today’s letter – why not take a moment to read through them again and be reminded of the promises that our new elders will undertake on Sunday.

For me, the highlight of the ordination service is always the moment when ordained elders and ministers leave their pews and come forward to lay their hands on the newly ordained, signifying the Holy Spirit’s presence in their ministry. The laying of hands is attested in the stories of Moses and the Book of the Acts as an ancient symbol of God’s claim on our lives. The powerful image of so many women and men coming forward, each one an elder already ordained to this ministry, reminds us of how widely God has spread the task of leadership in the church.

Unfortunately, this year there will be no streaming forward of elders, as we practice the now-familiar safety of social distancing. But there will be a laying on of hands. The elders to be ordained will each have  an ordained family member present to stand with them and represent the hands of all who cannot safely be there this year. And all the rest of our elders, whether in the sanctuary or at home, will be invited to raise their hands to join in the blessing, for it is tradition that God’s blessing may be symbolized for one person near-by through the laying of hands, or for many people at a distance through the raising of hands, as in the benediction at the end of a worship service. It will surely be the most odd ordination service we have ever seen, but not less powerful for that. It will be a sign to us all that God’s plans for us, as a church and as a human family, will never be stopped.

Turning now to our prayers this week, let us all join the apostle Paul to “pray without ceasing” for the peace and safety of our country, for the health and recovery of those who are ill, and the comfort of God’s everlasting arms for those who mourn. And we add these special prayers raised in our community this week:

  • We are grateful for the news that Mrs. Sue Matthews, Ron’s mother, has been released from the hospital after her struggle with Covid-19, and we pray for her continued and swift recovery.
  • We join Austin Edwards and his family in prayers for his friend Jasmine Ruff, a lung-transplant recipient with cystic fibrosis who has contracted Covid-19 and is in ICU care with a ventilator.
  • There is an update on Lillian Joy and her roommate in nursing care, both positive with Covid-19 but now showing no symptoms of the illness. Prayers for their swift and complete recovery.
  • Frances Lyerly asks our prayers for the complete recovery of her sister Judy Hinson after successful surgery yesterday to repair a broken ankle.
  • Amy McGee asks our strong prayers for her friend Steve Ryle and his family – his wife Dede and children Brittany and Steven – he suffered a serious heart attack and is intubated in hospital care.

In these and so many other ways, may God’s goodness descend upon us today and always,

                                                                          

                                                                                                   Elliott
 
 

The Constitutional Questions for the Ordination and Installation of Elders

 

To the elders-elect:

Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Sprit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you?

Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God?

Will you fulfill your office in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture, and continually guided by our confessions?

Will you be governed by our church’s polity, and will you abide by its discipline? Will you be a friend among your colleagues in ministry, working with them, subject to the ordering of God’s Word and Spirit?

Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world?

Do you promise to further the peace, unity and purity of the church?

Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?

Will you be a faithful ruling elder, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture, and service? Will you share in government and discipline, serving in councils of the church, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ?

 

To the congregation:

Do we, the members of the church, accept these disciples as ruling elders, chosen by God through the voice of this congregation to lead us in the way of Jesus Christ?  We do.

Do we agree to encourage them, to respect their decisions, and to follow as they guide, serving Jesus Christ who alone is Head of the Church?           We do.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – January 7, 2021

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

IN PERSON WORSHIP RESUMES JANUARY 10 – see details below

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

New Years greetings to one and all. I hope that the holiday weeks were good ones for all of the members and families of our Paw Creek church community, and above all that we and all of our loved ones have managed to stay healthy and safe. As I write on Thursday morning, we are all concerned about the uncertainty created by the events in Washington on Wednesday, although the first news of the morning suggests that today will be a quieter day. For that we hope and pray. As was the case with all of the events of 2020, we continue in 2021 to find ourselves living in unprecedented times. To use two phrases from the Apostle Paul, God’s people in all ages have lived suspended between the terrors of “this present age” and the “sure and certain hope” that God is the Lord of history, in whose providence we will find peace and redemption. In this in-between time, when we have heard the promise of the Gospel and still wait for its final consummation, we serve the Lord by bearing witness to that same Gospel in word and in deed. That is our noble calling, and there is no better way to lean into a new year than with renewed commitment to do exactly that.

Of course the most visible way that we bear witness to the Gospel is in weekly worship. As you know, for the past two weeks our Sunday worship services were live-stream only. Beginning this Sunday, January 10, we return to the hybrid live-stream and in-person worship we have enjoyed since October. Session’s task force met on Monday and reviewed our procedures along with community health information. Covid-19 remains a real danger to all of us. Please, please, please – for your sake and the sake of your loved ones – let us not let down our guard over the coming weeks. However, despite the local and nation surge of cases, we feel that the procedures we have in place on Sunday morning are wise and cautious, and we will return to them beginning on Sunday. Everything remains as it was, with masking and distancing. Also, now that it is winter, we also need to be extra-vigilant to any symptoms of flu or other illness. When we are not feeling well, we need to stay away until we are better.

We will also continue to use the current list of those who have indicated interest in attending in-person worship. Everyone on the list is welcome to come each Sunday (you do not need to wait for a phone call). There is still some room in the sanctuary, and we are always happy to add your name to the list. Please call me or the Worship Committee team (Debbie Taylor or Sam McCord) if you are ready to attend in-person. Of course, worship participation is always available by live-stream on Facebook and YouTube, and we are grateful that we can continue to be together in that way as well.

For this Sunday, January 10, we will bring the Christmas season to a close with the celebration of the Epiphany and the arrival of the Magi. During worship we will share in the Lord’s Supper, and so if you will be worshipping at home, please be sure to have bread and juice available during the service.

In addition to worship, another way that we bear witness to the Gospel and prepare ourselves for God’s work in the world is the study of scripture. Our Bible Study classes continue each Wednesday evening at 5:30 on Zoom (if you need the Zoom information, just let me know.) For the new year we have changed our format a bit. Instead of studying the preaching texts for each week, we are going to spend some time with a close study of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament.

These books are probably not familiar to most of us. They come from the period when the people of Judah returned to Israel after their time of exile in Babylon. There are two great concerns for the former exiles as they rebuild and reestablish themselves: reconstruction of the temple and reacquaintance with the Torah. For our purposes, we might say that this is a story of how to get back on track after things have gone wrong. Of course, we too feel in these days as if things have gone wrong in our world, and perhaps in these books we can find some wisdom for how to be faithful Gospel witnesses today. We would be delighted to have you join us to see what we can learn.

And finally, another important way that we witness to the Gospel is in our care for one another and for God’s world, beginning with our ministry of prayer. This week we begin with a prayer for our country and for the peaceful transfer of governmental responsibility that is now less than two weeks away. We pray for all of our leaders as they find wisdom and strength to make the best decisions for all of us. Within our own community, we also share these prayer concerns:

  • Some updates from recent weeks: Don Joy is doing much better after his hospitalization in December. Likewise, we are delighted to hear that Miriam Childress is progressing well after her back injury, and is able to be at home on her own. Please continue to keep Dickie Chapman in prayer; he is still having significant back pain and is looking for medical solutions.
  • We pray for Jo Small and her family – Johnny died quietly on Christmas morning, and the family service was held last week. Jo is settling well into her new home near family in Gastonia – she can be reached at 3500 Bryantcole Way, Gastonia 28056, phone, 704-215-6454.
  • We also learned last night that long-time church member Bob Love died in Laurinburg on Tuesday. I expect to hear from his family later today and will share additional information as I get it. In the meantime, let us remember Marie and her daughters.
  • Tim and Celia Gray welcomed a new grandson on Christmas Eve. In the meantime, Celia was called to travel to Denver, CO to be with her sister Cindy. Cindy will be leaving Denver on Friday to be with family under hospice care in Ohio. Lots going on for Celia and Tim – let’s keep them in prayers as things begin to settle down again and Celia is able to come home on Friday.
  • Finally, I would like to ask for your prayers for my good friend Darryl Gaston, pastor of Smallwood Presbyterian Church. In the course of a few days, he lost his Aunt Sudie, the matriarch of their family at 102 years old, to Covid, and then a couple of days later Darryl went to check on his brother Bernard and found that he had died in his sleep. This is a hard and sad time for them, and I appreciate your joining me in asking God’s comfort for them.

 

And above all, prayers for God’s abundant goodness in this new year,

                                                                          

                                                                           Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – December 23, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Happy Birthday to those celebrating in January!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – December 17, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Now that Christmas is almost upon us, I write on behalf of the Session, our church staff, and all of the Paw Creek family to wish each of you the blessings of this season – blessings that will continue and abound despite all that is unusual, frightening and maddening about this year. Our prayers for one another seek healing for the sick, comfort for the bereft, strength for those who struggle, and for all of us the miracle that we might catch a glimpse of the assurance of God’s love through the fog that surrounds us.

In short: Merry Christmas!

There are many practical matters to share with everyone as our church schedules change over the next few weeks. I know it’s a lot to digest. Please have a look, and don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions. Here goes:

  • Today’s mailing contains Orders of Worship for Sunday, December 20 and for Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24. There will be a special mailing early next week with Orders of Worship for the two Sundays after Christmas: December 27 and January 3. After today, the next regular Thursday morning “Weekly Letter” will come out on January 7.
  • December 20 – worship continues as usual with in-person worship for those who have asked to be included, and live streaming at 11 am or throughout the week.
  • Christmas Eve – worship is at 7:30 in the sanctuary and is open in-person to everyone who wishes to come (no need to be on the current list). We have also confirmed that the service will be live-streamed and available throughout the week. During the service we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper, so if you are worshipping at home, be sure to have bread and juice available. After the service we plan to gather in front of the sanctuary to light electric candles (they don’t blow out in the breeze!) and sing Christmas Carols (it’s been ten months – raising our voices in song will be wonderful!)
  • December 27 and January 3 – Session has accepted the recommendation of our worship task force that we cancel in-person worship for these two Sundays. This is a gesture of appreciation to our two guest preachers for those services. The Revs. George Slaton and Betsy Williamson agreed several weeks ago to worship with us in person, but as the winter spread of the coronavirus is worsening, we want to make them feel safe and comfortable. In addition, this will be safer for all of us until we see if there is any additional worsening of the virus due to holiday activities. The task force will meet right after New Years to assess the situation in our community and if it seems safe, we expect to resume in-person worship on January 10.
  • The church office will be closed for the holiday December 22 until January 4. Also, I will also be on vacation from Christmas Day until January 4. If you have any pastoral or church concerns that come up during those days, please don’t hesitate to call one our session members for help.
  • There will be no Wednesday night Bible Study during the holiday – the next class is Wednesday, January 6 at 5:30 pm on Zoom. The Sunday morning prayer gatherings will continue on Zoom at 9:30 am each week.
  • Finally, please don’t forget that we are gathering pledge cards for our financial support of Paw Creek in 2021. Cards can be dropped in the offering baskets in the sanctuary, or mailed to the church office.
 

Of course, more important than anything else, we continue to uphold in prayer all in our community and beyond who stand in need of God’s loving care. During the coming weeks, additional concerns will be shared through the prayer chain and announced in worship each Sunday. For this week, please remember:

  • Don Joy, who is home recovering after a hospitalization – prayers for Don’s recovery, and for Vickie as she cares from him at home.
  • Shelby Alexander’s sister Patty, who is in hospice care; we are grateful to hear that she is having some better days this week, and that Stephanie is able to visit her regularly.
  • Jean Todd, hospitalized at CMC Main with a non-covid infection.
  • Jackie Stogner, Jim’s daughter-in-law, whose family has been devastated by Covid-19 – her father died suddenly last week, her mother is in critical care, and Jackie herself is ill as well; may God hold them tightly in his everlasting arms during these days of grief and fear.
  • Betty Bradley, Paul’s mother, who continues to need our prayers as she moves forward in her rehab from recent surgery.
  • George Lux, Barbara Ullem’s cousin, who is experiencing a second bout of Covid and is quarantined alone in his retirement facility in St. Louis, MO.
  • Miriam Childress, who continues her recovery from recent hospitalization and rehab, grateful to be at home, and to be showing signs of improvement.
  • Cindy Monical, Celia Gray’s sister in Denver, CO, who continues to struggle.

 

May God’s love surround us all.

                                                                           With blessings of the season,

 

                                                                           Elliott

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – December 10, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Advent greetings, one and all, as the days rush through December! This week I’d like to highlight some ways that we can all support activities that honor the spirit of the season and still keep ourselves and our community safe and distanced.
 
First, community giving has always been a bright spot for holiday celebrations at Paw Creek, especially through the annual Angel Tree. Each year we have been able to gather hundreds of presents for children in our local schools and for their families and give them a brighter Christmas. For safety reasons, the schools are not able to hold this program this year. However, there are many other programs that focus on children and families. For 2020, the Session recommends that we consider the work of the Salvation Army – they are well equipped to accept donations by internet or phone and are a fine alternative. Through their programs we can donate financially to the Empty Stocking Fund (in collaboration with the Charlotte Observer) or choose specific gifts and donate directly to their Angel Tree. I’ve listed all the contact information at the bottom of this letter.
 
Of course, there are many other options as well. For example, in our neighborhood the True Holiness Pentecostal Church across the street from our house is collecting gifts for the children of their own congregation, whose families are struggling this year. Many of the neighbors on our street are supporting their work. Perhaps you know of a similar project right in your own backyard – that would be a fine place to give as well, and truly in the spirit of the season!
 
Here at Paw Creek, I’m happy to report that our Congregational Care committee has been busy in recent weeks delivering baskets of Christmas cheer to our shut-ins. They come on behalf of the entire congregation, and I know you join me in giving thanks to the committee for maintaining our connections with one another during difficult times. Another tradition that continues this year is the donation of poinsettias to decorate the sanctuary at Christmas. Donations can be given to remember or honor those who are dear to us, and are a fine way to spread holiday cheer this year, whether we are worshipping in the sanctuary or through live-stream. Details on how to donate are included with this week’s letter.
 
May God’s blessings be with all of us as we navigate these bewildering times, finding in our families, our church and our community the best ways to celebrate Christmas even when old traditions can no longer serve. And of course, we join in thanksgiving for the news of medical breakthroughs that will lead us on towards Christmas 2021 with real hope for a more familiar celebration next year.
 

In our prayers this week, along with the countless families and individuals struggling with virus infection around our country and the world, please remember:

  • Don Joy, who is hospitalized at Huntersville Presbyterian after a fall at home. He will most likely be released for rehab care in the next day or so.
  • Miriam Childress, who is happy to be home from rehab – she is resting a lot and continuing her physical therapy. She’s still tired and is not ready for phone calls.
  • Frances Lyerly’s grandson Justin and his wife, who both have Covid-19 and are home caring for their 13 month old daughter who is not ill.
  • Carol McNeill, with thanksgiving for a positive post-op report after recent surgery to receive a pacemaker/defibrillator.
  • Alita Gaines, a friend of Celia Gray’s who is struggling with complications of cancer treatments.

 

 

                                                                           With blessings of the season,

 

                                                                           Elliott

 

Contacts for giving through the Salvation Army:

 

On-line giving:

  •             Empty Stocking Fund

                        https://www.salvationarmycarolinas.org/charlotte/make-a-contribution/empty-stocking/

  •             Angel Tree

                        https://www.salvationarmycarolinas.org/charlotte/make-a-contribution/angel-tree/

Donations by phone:

            1-800-725-2769

Donations by mail:

            The Salvation Army North and South Carolina Divisional Headquarters

            ATTN: Resource Development

            P.O. Box 241808

            Charlotte, NC 28224

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – December 3, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I’ve just glanced over the calendar to check up on upcoming events during the normally busy month of December. The calendar is empty. What an odd feeling!
 
Our news at the beginning of Advent is quiet, and that thankfully mirrors the news of the world around us, at least here in Mecklenburg County. Although the virus rages in so many parts of the country, our numbers are relatively light. Let us pray that we and those around us understand that this is the time to be especially cautious, to use and respect God’s gifts of science and medicine, and to remain vigilant. We pray also with and for those friends, neighbors and relatives who are indeed infected and ill. And we offer prays of grateful thanks for the medical miracle of a highly effective vaccine on the horizon.
 
The dominant theme of Advent is hope – a very special and specific kind of hope. Paul’s prayer in his letter to the Romans puts it nicely: “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This is not a weak, wishful hope, but a hope that is grounded in something far more powerful than itself, and therefore a hope that is robust and encouraging. Our hope is grounded in God, who is himself the “God of hope,” and it is therefore so powerful that in it we can “abound” – we can live vigorously in the knowledge that our future is secure. With this Advent hope, both in these weeks and in the months yet to come, we can face the struggles of loneliness, disappointment and loss as we see our way to the end of this time of trial.
 

Our formal activities in these weeks are minimal, but even now we are called to an active life of anticipation as we move towards the future that God has prepared. May that be the basis for the way that we spend our days of Advent this year. My wish for you and for us all is for our days to be filled with faithful anticipation.

 

                                                                           With blessings – and hope,

                                                                           Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – November 19, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Thanksgiving is now a week away, and I know we are all finalizing plans for smaller celebrations this year. I hope you and yours find the right way to creatively blend traditions, family, and safety and that your holiday is a good one.
 
Perhaps one question that will come to all of us this year is: what does it mean to be thankful in a year that has seen so much upheaval and distress? Perhaps it helps to remember the history of the Hebrews. Through exile, war and hardship, they had many years in which their faith was tested and their hearts were heavy. In the Psalms they often turned to God not with thanksgiving but with complaint – “Why have you abandoned us, O Lord?” It is okay for us to bring to God our fears and disappointment. But also notice that in the psalms, the cry of despair helps clear the air and redirect our thoughts. Soon the psalmists turn to remembrance of the good gifts from the past, and signs of God’s care even in the midst of sorrows. And from there they are able to look forward with a prayer for renewed blessing in the days and years to come. Following the psalms, maybe we can do something similar, as we focus our thoughts on the little ways that life has been good and blessings have continued throughout this year. And from there will rise a word of hope that will allow us to look forward and beyond. With God’s grace, may a time of thanksgiving bring new blessings to us all!
 
This is one of the years when the calendar gives us a rapid shift from Thanksgiving to Advent. Our worship on November 29th will be the first Sunday of Advent, so you can be on the lookout for a shift of tone and mood that perhaps will help carry us forward on the strength of Thanksgiving blessings. The expectation of the coming of the Messiah will take on deeper meaning this year, with the mood of longing fitting the mood of our world. As we set our sights beyond today’s struggles, Advent hope will carry us towards God’s future when the troubles of this present age will melt away into God’s future glory. Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
 

You will notice that there are three worship bulletins included with today’s letter. There will be no letter next week, so you we are preparing for Sunday the 22nd, the Thanksgiving service next Thursday at 8:00 am, and Sunday the 29th. Everyone who is signed up for in-person worship is welcome at the Sunday services, and everyone, signed up or not, is welcome for the Thanksgiving service. Of course, all service will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube as always. One way or another, I look forward to being together with you on those days.

 

Our prayers this week include:

  • Betty Bradley (Paul’s mother) who will be having heart valve replacement surgery today (Thursday).
  • Gail Caudill Duncan, who is scheduled for breast cancer surgery tomorrow (Friday)
  • Miriam Childress, who continues rehab therapy at Huntersville Health and Rehab
  • Carol McNeal, who is recovering from receiving a pacemaker on Tuesday

Please remember each of these folks, with prayers for God’s grace, comfort and healing. And let us also pray constantly for our world, for the sick and lonely, for overworked but valiant healthcare workers, and for peace amongst all our discord and disappointment. Amen, Come Lord Jesus!

 

                                                                           Godspeed,

                                                                           Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – November 12, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

In this most extraordinary of times – virus raging, political turmoil – there is nevertheless a repetitiveness to our days that belies the fact that we are rapidly approaching what we always hope will be the busiest and most joyful time of the year. How do we envision a Thanksgiving table with fewer family members gathered around? Or an Advent and Christmas season when we can’t sing the carols (and neither can our choir), when we avoid going to the malls, and we have to say “Merry Christmas” by text and not in person? Jan Edmiston, our General Presbyter in the Presbytery of Charlotte, has a wise blog entry this week in which she encourages us, as we look at the holidays ahead, to ask “what’s the one non-negotiable thing I want from this celebration this year?” I suspect for most of us, if we can focus on the best answer to that question, we will choose what is meaningful over the things that are just nice. It makes sense to start thinking about it now, as Jan suggests, so that we don’t get taken by surprise as the calendar rolls around. I recommend having a look at Jan’s entire post, which you can find here: https://achurchforstarvingartists.blog/2020/11/12/holiday-priorities/.
 
Here at Paw Creek, I’m grateful to report that our plans for in-person worship are working out well. Currently we can welcome into the sanctuary on Sundays all of those who have asked to be included. You do not need to wait for a phone call. This includes our Veterans Day observance on this coming Sunday, November 15 (that’s a change from the earlier plans). At the same time, we encourage everyone who has not signed up to do so when you feel that it is safe to come. As we add more people, we will continue to monitor and numbers and attendance, and make any changes to the plans if needed. You can sign up at pawcreekpc.org, or by simply putting in a call to me or leaving a message at the church office.
 

In terms of our holiday plans (already following Jan’s advice), the Worship Committee has been working on helping us claim the essentials. Our annual Thanksgiving morning service will take place as usual at 8:00 am in the sanctuary. Everyone who wishes to come is invited, whether you are on the list for Sundays or not. The service will be live-streamed as usual on Facebook and YouTube. We will not have a full breakfast in the CFC, but there will be doughnuts and coffee on the front porch after worship. We will also hold our traditional Christmas Eve service at 7:30 pm, open to all, concluding with carol-singing outdoors. Raising our voices in song for the first time in months will truly feel like “Joy to the World!”

 

Look for more information on all this as the weeks go on. In the meantime, do please continue to pray for God’s intervention in our hurting world, to heal our divisions, comfort us in our losses, and care for us when illness rises. We have particular prayers this week for Miriam Childress, who is undergoing therapy for a thoracic fracture (injury to her upper spine). After several days in the hospital she was transferred to Huntersville Rehab on Tuesday. For Miriam and all those whom we hold dear, and for ourselves as well, may God’s grace be abundant and sufficient.

 

                                                                           Godspeed,

                                                                           Elliott

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – November 5, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

There’s a chill in the air, the leaves have started to fall, and Thanksgiving is just three weeks away. I think we all continue to be kept off balance by the way that the normal turn of the seasons is proceeding along-side the limitations and frustrations of this most unusual year. I guess the first thing to remember right now is that the Covid virus is raging out of control again, especially in many other parts of the country and the world, but somewhat in our area as well. We must continue to protect ourselves and our families. But at the same time, we can be grateful that we are learning how to be smart and reclaim some of what we miss so much.
 
In our worship services, right now we have enough space to allow everyone who wants to attend on Sundays to do so. That means for this Sunday, November 8, everyone who has asked to attend is welcome to come. (Phone calls and emails went out last week, so you will not get an extra contact this week.) As others become comfortable, please add your name to the list by signing up at pawcreekpc.org, or just calling Kim or me in the office. As we add folks, we’ll adjust the availability as needed.
 
As you know, we are also adapting the schedule to allow special access for important celebrations. Last Sunday it was a privilege to observe All Saints’ Day with the families who have lost loved ones in the past year. Next Sunday, November 15, will be our annual observance of Veterans’ Day. The Congregational Care committee is taking care of calling and inviting all of our active, resident members who are Veterans, to welcome them in worship. Unfortunately, we will not be able to host them at a luncheon this year, but that is a new tradition that worked well in 2019 and that we expect to reclaim in 2021.
 
Looking ahead to Thanksgiving, our annual Thursday morning worship service will take place at 8:00 am on November 26. This service will be open to everyone who wants to come, and we are working on offering it by live stream as well – stay tuned for details. Again, we will not be able to have breakfast together as usual in the CFC, but there will be some light refreshments after worship on the church porch.
 
Another big part of this season, as the weather turns colder and the needs of our brothers and sisters in the community become greater, are the special efforts we make to share God’s love. Many of you have been working on preparing Thanksgiving gift boxes to allow neighbors in the community to have a hearty Thanksgiving meal. They are being collected tomorrow (Friday) for distribution at the Rescue Mission in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Anne Miller for spearheading this project again this year!
 
This is also the time of year when we look forward to welcoming neighbors into our church on Tuesday nights for a warm place to sleep through Room In The Inn. Having those neighbors join us as usual is another tradition that cannot take place as usual this year. However, the umbrella organization Roof Above has plans to offer housing in a larger facility where safe distancing will be possible. There are still many ways that we can keep up our commitment to this important program. Session has approved a motion from the Outreach Committee to donate the funds that we would normally spend for the season directly to Roof Above to help them with the cost of their alternative program. Church and community groups who are always so generous in providing meals for the neighbors can continue to help by signing up for dates to bring bag lunches and/or cookies. And for individuals and groups, there is a wish list of warm clothing and toiletries that we can donate. The links for more information are printed below – please have a look and consider a donation.
 

Our prayers this week are mainly focused on these things that affect us as a community, remembering that Jesus calls us to offer a hand to those most in need. Let us join in prayers for the growing numbers of people and families whose lives are being upended by Covid-19; for the homeless and needy during the cold winter ahead; and of course for us all across the country as we wait for the final results of Tuesday’s voting. These are things that seem insurmountably hard, but we live with the sure knowledge that in God, nothing is impossible, and no problem is beyond his grace.

 

                                                                           Godspeed,

                                                                           Elliott

 

 

Here are the links to learn more about supporting Room In the Inn this year:

            Winter Shelter Bag Lunches:

                        https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/43070DA07A1CBEEC24-winter

          Winter Shelter Cookies:

                        https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/43070DA07A1CBEEC24-winter1

            Amazon Wish List to donate items for neighbors:

                        https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3TGAR7H8GVVFF?ref_=wl_share

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – October 29, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Reminder: Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday

Turn clock back one hour

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

This coming Sunday, November 1, will be our annual celebration of All Saints Day. During worship we will remember twelve saints of Paw Creek who have died over the past year, lighting candles as we call their names and bless their memory. It will be our honor to welcome in worship the families of many of those saints, and to invite them forward to light each candle.

In order to accommodate those family members safely in the sanctuary, the in-person congregation for Sunday will be limited to them. The rest of the congregation is invited, as always, to worship via our live-stream connections on Facebook and YouTube. We will not be able to invite you forward to light candles remembering saints from years past, as we usually do. But we will pause so that each of us can remember those sacred names. If you like, you may wish to have a candle ready to light at home. And we will also celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, giving thanks for the communion of God’s saints that binds us always with those who have gone before us – you will also want to have bread and juice ready at home when the time comes to share the elements.

As life goes forward in these extraordinary times, I am delighted to report that our church Session held a called meeting last week to meet with Jordan Loud and receive him under our care as he prepares for the Gospel ministry. Before voting, we had a long and wonderful talk with Jordan. We remembered his years growing up at Paw Creek and joined him in giving thanks for the teachers and mentors that raised him in the faith – with a special thanks for youth pastor Chris Lee and for his influence. And we also learned about Jordan’s growing study of theology, philosophy, scripture and Biblical languages – begun during his college years and continuing now in his first semester of study at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia (although classes for this fall are proceeding on-line.)

Session’s action is the first step in the process (defined in the Book of Order) that will proceed in parallel to Jordan’s academic training and lead to his ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). That process is primarily under the direction of the Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) of the Presbytery of Charlotte. With Session’s endorsement, CPM will now have the chance to meet Jordan and bring him to the whole Presbytery to enroll him as an “Inquirer”. Later, he will be examined by the Presbytery to become a “Candidate”. Still later, after classes, examinations, internships and mountains of prayer (by Jordan, by CPM, by Session and by our congregation), he will be presented to be examined for ordination. It’s a long and thorough process, and our Session is excited by Jordan’s obvious enthusiasm and qualifications for the journey.

I’m sure you know that among our historical materials in the hallways of the East Wing there is a plaque that lists members of Paw Creek who have entered the Gospel Ministry – our church has a long history going well back into the 19th century of preparing and supporting those called by God. We are grateful for their history of service to the church. Please join with the Session in encouraging Jordan, sharing your excitement about his plans, and most of all including him in your prayers.

Among other prayers this week, we pray God’s comfort for Hoyt Johnston and his family at the death of his wife Jean last Friday evening. Jean’s funeral service was held outdoors at the Paw Creek cemetery on Tuesday.

At Wednesday Bible Study we also had a request to pray for Rob Simmons and his family. His sister Sarah Kiser died on Sunday – there will be a graveside service tomorrow (Friday), 1:30 at Forest Lawn.

God’s blessings on you and on us, and on our country as we cherish the great gift of democratic decision making in these days ahead.

 

                                                                           Godspeed,

 

                                                                           Elliott

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – October 20, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

For two Sundays now, we have rejoiced in being together, especially this past Sunday both in worship and at our picnic afterwards. It was a great time and a beautiful day! Although the dangers from Covid-19 are far from over, we are grateful to have learned so much about being together safely, and to have these opportunities for renewing the “ties that bind”.
 
For those who are not ready to venture to a group gathering: we understand and honor your decision; we miss having you here; we look forward to staying bound through live-streaming and telephone; and we join with you praying for the swift return of a safe environment for us all.
 
During the next few weeks, the Worship Committee will continue to monitor attendance in worship, and to let you know each week who is able to attend worship in person. By keeping close watch for now, we will be able to ensure that space is available for our bereaved families on All Saints Day (November 1) and for our veterans on Veterans’ Day (November 15). Thank you for understanding and joining us by live stream on those days. The Worship Committee is also beginning to gather creative ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas – more news on that as plans fall into place.
 
As you know, we held a Congregational Meeting on Sunday before the picnic. Following the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, four church members were elected to serve as elders on Session in the Class of 2023: Celia Gray, Sam McCord, Peggy Harrington and Barbara Ullem. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin officer training classes in preparation for beginning their terms in early January with the service of Ordination and Installation.
 

Also in our prayers, please remember our church administrator, Kim Whittington, who will be out of the office on Wednesday and Thursday for a scheduled medical procedure. With Kim’s absence this letter is coming to you a bit early this week. We continue to raise prayers for those mentioned in church on Sunday; additional concerns that come in during the week will be announced next Sunday in worship. For now:

  • Jean Johnston is being treated for Covid-19 at her nursing facility in Stanly; please pray for her care, and for Hoyt and the family, who are unable to be with her due to safety restrictions.
  • Also in the Johnston family, Hoyt, Emily and Angie’s cousin Bobby Ford died Sunday morning after a number of weeks in hospice care; please pray for peace for his family.
  • Several folks for whom we have been praying have had good reports in recent days: Jake Ross (Angie and Sonny’s grandson) is home from the hospital; Brandon Venable (Frances Lyerly’s grandson) is recovering from foot surgery at home in Colorado; George Lux (Barbara Ullem’s cousin) is out of isolation with asymptomatic Covid-19; Dan Jacobs (friend of Dickie Chapman) is having good tolerance of his new chemo treatment and appreciates our prayers.
  •  

Those are our prayers for now – don’t forget that prayer meeting on Sunday mornings via Zoom now starts at 9:30 am. Please enjoy a good week, stay in touch, and see you Sunday – live or on the screen!

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – October 15, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Such a joy to begin gathering again in God’s house! Everything went smoothly on Sunday, even in the midst of sometimes heavy rain. Thanks to those who came and worked with the plan, and special thanks to Session’s Task Force that made the plan and made it work.
 
Because the plan worked, this coming Sunday the 18th we have been able to plan for a larger congregation in the Sanctuary, and we will continue to monitor our progress and adapt as time goes on. Please remember: (1) when you decide you are ready to be on the list to come to worship, the sign-up sheet is still available on our  church website – or you can call me or any of our elders to be included; and, (2) if you are still staying home for safety, we support your decision, and look forward to worshipping with you each week via live-stream.
 
Besides having more people in worship on Sunday, we are all looking forward to the big outdoor meeting and picnic after church. That event is open to everyone, no reservations needed. The weather report is very favorable, and we hope the outdoor setting, with masks and distancing, will be a safe place for us to gather as a family after so long apart.
 
The event begins at 12:30 and you are welcome to gather in front of the CFC as soon as worship concludes. All are invited, members, non-members and friends. Stay in your car or bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Everyone needs a mask – everything thing else is provided. After the short meeting there will be box lunches compliments of the Congregational Care and Fellowship committees, and after that there’s an ice cream truck. Stay for visiting and catching up as long as you want.
 
While we are together, please consider a generous donation to the Presbytery of Charlotte Ten Cents a Meal hunger offering. Their coffers have run low as churches have been unable to meet, yet the work of feeding the hungry goes on with even more urgency this year. Thank you!
 
The Congregational Meeting will take place before lunch, called by the Session with two items on the agenda. First is a recommendation to adopt the following amendment to the Manual of Operations:
 

Under Section III, Meetings of the Congregation, add paragraph F:

Electronic meetings – A congregational meeting may proceed with some or all members participating via electronic connection whenever Session determines that civic restrictions are in place to limit the size of non-worship gatherings. The method of electronic connection shall ensure full simultaneous participation by all members.

 

 

Second will be report of the Nominating Committee, which will place the names of the following members in nomination for election as elders in the class of 2023:

                                                            Celia Gray

                                                            Sam McCord

                                                            Peggy Harrington

                                                                      Barbara Ullem
 
After hearing the committee’s report, the floor will be open for additional nominations – if you plan to make a nomination, please speak to your nominee in advance to ask if he or she is willing to serve. The entire meeting will be available for participation on a Zoom connection for those who are not present. I’ve printed the log-in information at the end of this letter.
 
Just as planning for in-person worship to resume was a big task, there has also been a lot of work that has gone into planning our picnic – please be sure to thank the Fellowship and Congregational Care committee members for all they have done to make this possible!
 
One more quick update – we found last Sunday that we need a bit more time to transition from our Zoom prayer meeting to worship. So beginning this week the Prayer Meeting will start at 9:30 – same Zoom information as always.
 

In our prayers this week, please include:

  • Jake Ross, grandson of Sonny and Angie Ross, who is hospitalized with complications of diabetes.
  • Brandon Venable, grandson of Frances Lyerly, who is having surgery today in Colorado to repair damage to his foot from an earlier accident.
  • George Lux, cousin of Barbara Ullem in St. Louis, who continues to be asymptomatic with Covid-19. He is happy to have been released from isolation and appreciative of all our prayers.
  •  

Looking forward to seeing so many of you on Sunday! Enjoy the rest of your week.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                          Elliott

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – October 8, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Filled with longing, armed with hard-earned knowledge about safety, and buoyed by the Holy Spirit, our Paw Creek family begins to gather. This Sunday, October 11, we will worship – for the first time since March 8 – with members of the congregation in the pews.
 
For those of us who have decided that it is too soon, please know that our hearts are still bound as one. The church truly is the people and not the building – we pray for your safety and well-being, and know that we continue to be one congregation, no matter where we are. Live stream worship will be presented on YouTube and Facebook as always.
 
For those who are ready to come together, here are a few things to know. Approximately thirty of you were contacted earlier in the week to come on October 11 (in addition to worship leaders, ushers, greeters and live-stream staff). All the rest of you who asked to be included will be contacted for the following Sunday, October 18, along with our “priority” list (those who have not had access to on-line worship), who will come both Sundays. On the day(s) that you come, please remember to arrive between 10:15 and 10:30, and bring a mask and copy of this week’s bulletin. There are baskets by the entrance and exits for offerings – in accordance with health guidelines, we will not pass the plates during worship. Please be sure to mark any special offerings, such as Ten Cents a Meal. After the 18th, Session’s Task Force will review how well our procedures have worked and make plans for the subsequent weeks. November 1 will be All Saints Day and we will focus on inviting families who have lost loved ones in the past year. November 15 we will recognize Veterans Day and focus on inviting our veterans.
 
One additional change beginning on the 11th is that the weekly morning prayer gathering will continue on Zoom with the time moved to 9:45. These meetings last 10-15 minutes and are open to everyone – if you would like to join us, just let me know and I’ll send the Zoom information.
 
Besides our move into the sanctuary, we have another big regathering event to look forward to after worship on October 18. Everyone is invited to a picnic! Since we will be outdoors (or in the large space of the CFC if there’s rain), there are no limits – those who worship in person and those who worship on-line, new faces of those who have begun to worship with us on-line and familiar faces we haven’t seen in a long time. Everyone! We will begin with a brief Congregational Meeting and then move to the main event. The Fellowship and Congregational Care committees will provide box lunches and an ice cream truck. This is a gift from the committees to the congregation so just come, no cost, no reservation needed. Details: come to the CFC parking lot after worship time. You can stay in your car, or bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets. The Congregational Meeting will begin at 12:30 with lunch afterwards (non-church members are welcome to be with us during the meeting). If we do get rain, please bring chairs and blankets anyway to use in the CFC.
 
While we are together on the 18th, we will also take time to gather the Ten Cents a Meal Hunger Offering. As you know, this offering provides hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to fight hunger here within the bounds of Charlotte Presbytery. We normally receive the offering during worship each month, and so we have fallen behind in the months that we could not gather. This has happened throughout the Presbytery and funds have run low at a time when it is needed most. I hope that we can all give generously on October 18th to help replenish the fund and continue the work of feeding our most vulnerable neighbors.
 
I also want to explain a bit more about the Congregational Meeting on the 18th. The Session has called the meeting to take place both in person and via Zoom for any who are not comfortable gathering in person (I’ll have the Zoom information in next week’s letter). The first item of business will be to act on a recommendation from Session to adopt the following amendment to the Manual of Operations:
 

Under Section III, Meetings of the Congregation, add paragraph F:

Electronic meetings – A congregational meeting may proceed with some or all members participating via electronic connection whenever Session determines that civic restrictions are in place to limit the size of non-worship gatherings. The method of electronic connection shall ensure full simultaneous participation by all members.
 
This provision has been recommended to us by the Staled Clerk of the Presbytery to ensure smooth operations of the church during emergencies such as the current circumstances. The Stated Clerk has also advised that under current conditions it is acceptable to call the meeting to order via Zoom and adopt this motion as the first order of business. After considering the motion, we will proceed to our other business item, which is the election of elders for the class of 2023. The Nominating Committee is finalizing its report and I will have that for you in next week’s letter. As always, after hearing the committee report, the floor will be open for additional nominations from the floor. If there are additional nominations, we will proceed to a written ballot, with ballots collected from those present in person, and time allowed for those present on Zoom to return their ballots to the church office – the ballots will not be opened or counted until all have been received. To prepare for a written ballot, please bring paper and pencil with you to the meeting, so that we can avoid having to pass those out. If you any questions about how this will all work, please don’t hesitate to give me call in the next few days.
 
In our prayers this week, we continue as we have for so long to think of those affected in any way by Covid-19, especially knowing that it’s spread has reaching the highest levels of our government. May God’s safety rest with all who are ill, guard those who are in danger, and wrap arms of comforting love around those who mourn. Among those who have been taken ill, Barbara Ullem asks us to pray for her cousin George Lux, who has contracted the virus in his assisted living facility in St. Louis.
 

So much to talk about this week, and so much of it details, details, details! But we are making our way through it and will reap the benefits as many of us meet face to face in the next couple of weeks. With thanks to all who are working to bring it about, let us seek God’s care to for a smooth transition to this new phase, and for strong protection moving forward.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – October 1, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I’ve just typed “October 1” at the top of this letter – and it comes as a shock! Can it be fall already? Do we really begin the seventh calendar month in which all is not right? The evidence is around us, anxiety for our health, anxiety for the body politic. And yet signs of our resilience are here as well. We have learned how to be safe as we go about life, and with that we venture to reclaim what we safely can. We must not make the mistake of assuming that the virus is gone until with God’s help it is truly conquered by science and by our efforts to protect one another. But we know enough now to dare a hope and a prayer that God’s help indeed is with us, and that we can venture back.
 
And so it is that the month of October will bring us together as a church family more so than has been possible since the early spring.
 
First, you know that a week from Sunday, October 11, we will begin to be together worshipping in our sanctuary. Please remember that we will need to start with limited numbers each week, but will raise those numbers as quickly as we can safely do so. Later today the Worship Committee will begin to work through the list of those who are ready to come into worship. Notifications will go out next Tuesday, October 6, and will continue each week on Tuesdays. If you’ve asked to be contacted by email, those will come by the end of the morning; phone calls may take a bit longer into the afternoon or evening.
 
Although yesterday was the date to receive the first responses to the sign-up form on the church website, there really is no cut-off or deadline. The form remains available. If you didn’t get to sign up yet, you can still do so at any time. Likewise, if you decide in a few weeks that you are ready to give it a try, it will still be there. If you need any help to sign up, please just give me or any of our elders a call.
 
Second, Sunday, October 18 will be a wonderful opportunity for reunion for everyone who is ready to venture out. That will be the date of our fall Congregational Meeting. There will be two items on the agenda: the report of the Nominating Committee and election of elders for the class of 2023, and voting on a proposed amendment to the Manual of Operations to recognize the use of electronic meetings when necessary to conduct congregational business. We will share the Nominating Committee’s report when it is complete, along with the text of the proposed amendment.
 
Here’s how the meeting will work on the 18th. Everyone (again, those who are ready to venture out) will gather in the CFC parking lot by 12:30. Please bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets, and wear your mask. The meeting will take place at 12:30 – those who are not present in person will be able to join on Zoom. After the meeting, the Congregational Care and Fellowship Committees will provide a box lunch for everyone. And after lunch, the Ice Cream truck will arrive! It should be a fun time to see one another and check in together with safe distancing. If the weather does not cooperate, the meeting will be inside the CFC. Those who are comfortable can stay for lunch, or you can take lunch home with you. There’s no need to RSVP for this event – there will be room and food for everyone!
 

Finally, turning our attention to this coming Sunday, October 4. It’s the first Sunday of the month, and we look forward to celebrating the Lord’s Supper. As always, please plan to have available at home some bread and juice so that we can partake together.

In addition to those who have been in our prayers in recent weeks, we add a request from Patrick and Courtney McCarthy for their friends the Rev. Steven Concannon and his wife Judith. Steven is a retired pastor in Maine, with whom Patrick worked in his first position as director of music. The Concannons were in a serious roll-over auto accident last weeks and sustained serious injuries, especially Judith who has spinal injuries and impairment in her legs. May God watch with them, give them strength, and grant them healing.
 

We are always grateful to have one another, and our prayers, and God’s good care to watch over us. May we feel God’s presence drawing us together throughout this week ahead. And, for the first time in months, we can truly say: “see you soon!”

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – September 24, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I’m sure by now you have had a chance to see the communication from Session about plans to begin opening our worship on Sunday morning so that more of us can be together. I hope you are having good conversations with Session members as they call to check in, and that you are finding it easy to register your interest in being ready to return to the sanctuary. I also want to be part of that conversation, and I hope you will give me a call or email if you want to talk further.

In addition to the decision on reopening worship, Session had a full docket of business for its stated meeting last Thursday night. Here’s a quick run-down of additional actions:

  1. In the report of the clerk of session, approved the minutes of the July 9 stated meeting, and voted to transfer three church members from our active roll to the Church Triumphant: James Allen Wingate, Kenneth LaMoine Smith and Frank David Dale, Sr.
  2. Received treasurers reports for July and August. Session is still grateful to report that financial gifts have covered expenses throughout this unusual year; as of August 31 there was a slight surplus for the year of just over $3,000. We can all give thanks that God has blessed with resources to give, and for the faithful generosity of our congregation.
  3. Session has called a Congregational Meeting for the afternoon of Sunday, October 18 for the purpose of hearing the report of the Nominating Committee and electing four elders to serve on the Session in the class of 2023. At Session’s request the Congregational Care Committee is working on plans for an outdoor social event where we can all gather, share some refreshments and hold this meeting. We will also offer the option to participate in the meeting via Zoom teleconference, as well a distanced indoor alternative if the weather does not cooperate. We will be back in touch with an exact time and more details as soon as those are ironed out, along with the advance report of the Nominating Committee.
  4. In committee reports:
    • Congregational Care received approval to fund a plan to offer a catered meal to church families in their homes at the death of a loved one; this interim plan will allow us to minister to our families until we are again able to serve home-cooked meals. Also, the committee has developed the “Phone Buddies” program to help church members keep in touch while we are isolating – there was a descriptive flyer in the mailing earlier this week.
    • Outreach received approval to make an additional donation of $1,000 from the Mission Fund to support the neighborhood food pantry at Mission City Church on Valleydale Road. The committee reported that Thrift United Methodist Church, which also received food pantry support from the Mission Fund in the spring, is set for resources for now; the committee will stay in touch and recommend additional support when needed.
    • Christian Education reported special outreach to college students and the children in the CCC weeknight program with gift bags, cards and other goodies.
    • Property reported a continuing list of projects to keep our buildings in good repair until we are able to be fully using them again.
  5. There was a report on the August meeting of the Presbytery of Charlotte from Karen Cathey and Debbie Taylor. Session elected Donna Hall and Debbie Taylor as commissioners to the next meeting in October.

We all look forward to reconnecting, as we are able, in the weeks ahead, but even now we are grateful to remain in communion with one another, and for the gift of prayer that allows us to bear burdens and celebrate joys as one church family. Please remember in prayers:

  • The family of Ernest Moore, died early Monday at age 98; a funeral service is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 at Raymer-Kepler Funeral Home in Huntersville with visitation the night before.
  • We pray with Sarah Mullis and her family after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; Sarah is in Presbyterian Hospital for consultation and treatment with a team of medical experts in the field.
  • Dina Salvo was in a wreck on Wednesday, badly shaken up but not injured.
  • Dina also called to report that her friend Bob Brooks, for whom she had earlier requested our prayers as he struggled with cancer, has completed treatments and is now cancer-free – a time to rejoice!
  • Don Joy is at home recovering from an infection.
  • Dickie Chapman will have cataract surgery on Thursday.
  • Jo and Johnny Small are happy to report that they have finalized a decision to move to a patio home in Gastonia near their son Jon, removing many physical barriers and giving them much more mobility.

We are always grateful to have one another, and our prayers, and God’s good care to watch over us. May we feel God’s presence drawing us together throughout this week ahead.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – September 17, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

As the rain falls on this Thursday morning, we are reminded of the power of nature. These same clouds have upended lives along the Gulf coast, even as our neighbors far to the west struggle with fire and heat. Truly, we as God’s beloved children are all brothers and sisters, bound together in our concern for one another and in our unceasing prayers for all of creation. I pray for you this day that you and your loved ones are safe and well, and I invite you to join in prayers for those whom we do not know. God surely weeps tender tears for us all and showers us with blessings.
 
As I mentioned last week, our church Session will hold its stated meeting for September this evening. Depending on their discussions and actions, there will most likely be news to share as we all grope our way forward into new realities for the fall and winter. We will have that news out to everyone as quickly as possible, early next week.
 

For now, let us remember these members of our church family in the struggles and joys of this day:

  • As you know, Frank Dale died last Thursday with family present in the hospice facility at Presbyterian Hospital. Frank had graciously made a donation of his body for medical research, and his family will hold a private burial service at a future date when that becomes possible.
  • Ernest Moore continues at home in hospice care with family and wonderful care givers in attendance. Please remember them all this week as he comes to the close of his 98 year journey in God’s service.
  • We have a number of friends who are making their way forward into healing after successful surgery: Debbie McCord had a knee replacement last Thursday; Gene Pegram had a procedure for a back injury the same day; Tonya Gross had ankle surgery on Monday. All are at home, sore but healing, and we pray with them for speedy recoveries.
  • Susan McDonald is likewise doing well after her cardiac procedure; she has been cleared to drive and return to work this week.
  • After a doctor’s consultation on Monday, Johnny Small has chosen to forego hip surgery, and will continue with care and support at home.
 

We are always grateful to have one another, and our prayers, and God’s good care to watch over us. May we feel God’s presence drawing us together throughout this week ahead.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – September 10, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

It’s a bit of a slow week, as we move back into our new normal after the Labor Day weekend. I hope we all had a chance – safely! – to enjoy family and friends in recent days. Let’s all continue to remember students, teachers and families as they struggle back into full learning mode.
 
On the church front, the September stated meeting of the Session will take place next Thursday. Several of our committees and ad hoc groups are busy preparing reports and recommendations for Session to consider, and we will be looking forward sharing news as soon as possible about our plans for the fall months.
 
As you read through these mailings each week, be sure to check out all of the attachments and additional listings that Kim gathers for us to keep us posted and informed. Today, for example, there is an important letter from Karen Turner and Amy McGee on behalf of the Presbyterian Women’s scholarship program – this needs to be seen by all our families with members in higher education, so please have a look and help pass the word around.
 

As always, we also keep in touch with one another through the Holy Spirit in the power of prayer. This week, please remember these people and families in our church community:

  • Frank Dale and his family have now accepted hospice care; he has been moved to the hospice wing at Presbyterian Hospital. Let us pray for them all in the days ahead.
  • Debbie McCord will have surgery today for knee replacement. Also today, Gene Pegram will have a procedure to help heal a broken vertebra. Let us keep both Debbie and Gene in our prayers for safe surgery and quick recovery.
  • Susan McDonald’s cardiac procedure on Tuesday was successful; she’s in some pain but beginning to heal nicely at home.
  • Tanya Gross will be consulting with her surgeon on Friday to schedule surgery for her broken ankle; Johnny Small is seeing the doctor on Monday to clear the way for his needed hip surgery. Let us pray God’s guiding hand on those who will lead both and Tanya and Johnny back to good health.
  • Dickie and Carol Chapman ask us to remember in prayer Mr. Tom Callelo, father of their daughter-in-law Amy. Tom has been quite ill for several years, and as his condition deteriorates, the entire family is working to find ways to support him and provide some relief and rest for his wife Jeanie.
 

We are always grateful to have one another, and our prayers, and God’s good care to watch over us. May we feel God’s presence drawing us together throughout this week ahead.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – September 3, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

**Note – recording will be posted on Tuesday this week due to Labor Day Holiday**

 

“The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

 

Dear Paw Creek,

     You’ve probably heard the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He’s remembered for his death as a martyr in Nazi Germany – but long before he was imprisoned he was recognized as one of the most distinguished theologians of the twentieth century. Among his best known books was Life Together, which was a very practical (for a theologian!) meditation on what it means to be followers of Jesus. In particular, he points us to the fact that we cannot be followers alone. The Holy Spirit works among us together, hence the title of his book.

     The quote above sums up the good and the bad of his situation, and of ours. The words “physical presence” are as clear as can be, and there’s nothing offered for those who cannot gather in physical presence. In particular, there is no leeway for Zoom meetings, live-stream worship, or even telephone calls. That’s true for us as a church, but really it’s true for all people. Think about it – how many university campuses have had to close down over the past three weeks because of the deep need of young adults to be together. Even among the generations of those who are “natives” of the virtual world, virtual isn’t enough (although admittedly, they had something other than Bible study in mind when they were jam-packed together on and off campus!)

     I’m writing these thoughts to call our attention to the heart of our problem. We had such high hopes in March that our lockdown would be short-lived. And I for one am still certain that we will find our way out of the maze, slowly at first and then all at once. But we also need to be honest enough to face the question: how do we live out our “life together” when the end of our isolation is not yet at hand? And, facing the question, we need to search for good answers – faithful answers – that may not be silver-bullet solutions.

     For the next three weeks, our lectionary readings from the Gospel of Matthew offer us some rigorous thinking about how to be the church – they represent Jesus’s desire to begin preparing his followers for the time when he was no longer with them. And they therefore represent his teachings for us. On Sunday mornings I’m going to try to look for connections between those readings under the general heading of “Life Together”, and ask, with fear and trembling, what insights they might have to offer us in these unusual times. I would love to hear your thoughts and insights as we turn to God’s word “together”.

     (Important note: I want to be very clear that the reflections above were NOT intended to pave the way for an announcement that we must abandon the effort to find some kind of hybrid form of in-person worship this fall. Session’s Task Force is doing very good and creative work, and is preparing to be able to bring a report to Session very soon. I cannot jump the gun on their process, but please rest assured that the pieces are falling into place and we will communicate just as soon as possible. These reflections are not a substitute for their work, but a complement to it, since no matter what the Task Force and Session are able to come up with, we will continue to struggle with the limitations of our pandemic world.)

     One of the ways that we already have to remain “together” is to allow the Holy Spirit to bind us in the communion of the saints with the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Now that we are now back schedule to celebrate communion on the first Sunday of each month, our next celebration will be this coming Sunday. Please don’t forget to have bread and beverage available when you share in the worship service.

     And of course, another important way that we continue to be “together” is through our community prayers. Please continue to remember these folks, about whom we have updates and new prayer requests:

  • Celia Gray’s sister Cindy is beginning immunotherapy after a diagnoses of extensive cancer spread.
  • Lexi Torrence’s gall bladder surgery last week was successful and she is at home recuperating with her family.
  • Tanya Gross has a surgical consultation at the end of this week to schedule surgery for her broken ankle. She is still fairly immobile and having pain.
  • Johnny Small’s hip surgery, originally scheduled for Monday, has been postponed.
  • Howie Wall has received new treatment for his infection, and will be released from the hospital soon.
  • Continue to pray with Emily Adkins for her cousin Bobby Ford, who is in hospice care.
  • Susan McDonald will have a procedure next Tuesday to receive a defibrillator/pacemaker.
  • Andrea Timberman is receiving an infusion today for treatment of osteoporosis.
  • Gene Pegram suffered a broken vertebra last month and will have a procedure on Friday to inject a cement to heal the break.
  • Jeremiah Krebs will be having testing today to diagnose recent digestive problems.
  • Please continue to pray for Bob & Marie Love.
  • And finally, best of blessings to Frances Lyerly, who is preparing for a move to Plantation Estates in Matthews later in the fall!     

     We are grateful to have one another and to be “together” in Christ in this week and always. May God watch over us!

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                           Elliott

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Weekly Letter – August 27, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,
In these waning days of summer, the church news is light, but there are still so many needs for our prayers throughout God’s world. As I write on Thursday morning, the dawn is barely beginning to reveal the destruction from Hurricane Laura, but as we learn more, this will surely become a major catastrophe. Let us join in prayers for those still in the path of the storm, and those left behind. And of course we continue to remember as well those in danger from the massive fires in California, and the places of civic unrest around the country. So much to lift in supplication to God – such strong arms he has to embrace our aching world.
 
Closer to home, these prayer concerns have been brought to us from our congregation and community:
 
• We continue to remember Nathan Tomlinson, whose cardiac surgery last week was unable to be completed; he will be treated with medications going forward.
 
• We pray with the family of community member Jason Miller after his death last weekend in a wreck.
 
• Vernie Smith asks our prayers for her family on death of her brother-in-law, Mr. Lloyd Yelland in Pennsylvania.
 
• Please remember the loved ones of Mr. Freddy Leger, well known in our community as the former principal at both Coulwood Middle School and West Mecklenburg High School, who died last week.
 
• Celia Gray is in Denver, CO with her sister Cindy – Cindy’s cancer has spread extensively. Let us pray that her medical team can offer helpful therapies.
 
• Lexi Torrence will have gall bladder surgery today in Savannah; Toni is with her and will bring her back home for recovery. Prayer for successful surgery and safe travels for them both.
 
• Please remember Lacey Pruitt, a niece of Beth Joy’s, who is in ICU after complications from giving birth. May her recovery be swift, and may God bring strength to her family in this difficult time.
 
• Sam McCord asks us to celebrate with Charlie and his family. Charlie is the grandson of Jeff and Kathy McDowell (former church members who now live in Louisiana) – he has spinal muscular atrophy and we rejoice that he recently celebrated his second birthday.
 
• There is a good report from Frances Lyerly that her son Tommy is over his bout with Covid-19 and has returned to work. Prayers of praise!
 
• Please continue to pray for Bob & Marie Love.
 
For all these, and so many other places of need, let us offer our prayers without ceasing. May the Lord keep us all safe in the week ahead.
 
Blessings,
Elliott
 
Please note that Christmas in Paw Creek has been cancelled for 2020

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Weekly Letter – August 20, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I hope some of you had a chance this week to try “Sermon by Phone”, to access an audio recording of the Sunday service for those who do not have the equipment for watching the live-stream service. Please let me or any member of the Worship Committee know how it works for you. Don’t forget, the number is printed at the top of this letter, and there are no other passwords or special instructions – just dial and listen.

This week three members of our congregation have passed on important community information to bring before our church family. These days the world around us has more and more impact on our lives, and I thank Celia Gray, Karen Cathey and Debbie Taylor for taking the initiative to share some of the things that have caught their attention. If you have similar notices to put forward in future letters, please let me know!

From Celia:

Now is the time to request a Mail-In Ballot for the November election, for those who wish to avoid voting in-person. It’s a two step process: (1) send in a request for a ballot, and (2) receive the ballot in September, vote, and mail it back in. City and County authorities are urging us to take step one NOW. Celia has copies of the request form; she will be happy to send you one and has offered to help answer any questions about how to fill them out. Just give her a call. Or, anyone can download the form at https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/north-carolina/. Then simply print the form, complete, and return by mail or email.

From Karen:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is sponsoring Presbyterian Week of Action for Black Lives Matter August 24-30.  The Presbyterian Church has a vision to eliminate white supremacy and institutionalized racism.  In that effort this Week of Action is being offered to provide “witness that facilitates education, visibility and action that reinforces our PC(USA) statements and policy around the support of eradicating racism.”  Some confuse the BLM movement with being exclusive only to our black brothers and sisters (BLACK lives matter), but the movement is about being included and not left out (Black Lives MATTER).  If interested, you can visit the link at https://www.pcusa.org/weekofaction/

From Debbie:

The latest Presbytery of Charlotte budget report shows that contributions to the Ten Cents a Meal Hunger Offering are down significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. As you know, we normally collect this offering on the first Sunday of each month, and we have missed having that collection for five months and counting. Across the Presbytery every year collections equal over $200,000. This is money that helps countless families and is needed now more than ever throughout the seven counties covered by our Presbytery. Please consider making a “catch-up” donation, either by mail to the church office or through on-line giving (just put a note in the comment section to designate for “10¢ Offering”).

 

At Wednesday night Bible Study last night, we received these new prayer concerns; please remember these folks this week:

  • Frances Lyerly reports that her son Tommy Lyerly has contracted Covid-19 and is quarantined at home with minimal symptoms. We pray for quick and uneventful recovery.
  • Nathan Thomlinson was in surgery late yesterday afternoon for a cardiac ablation procedure. We pray for his healing.
  • Lauren Tench Winchester has suffered a recurrence of hemophilic migraine, which has left her with some paralysis – it’s possible that she will be admitted to a rehab facility for recovery. We pray for that recovery and for her to receive the care she needs.
  • Please continue to pray for Bob & Marie Love.

And of course we pray for our world and a path forward for all of us on the return road to safety, health, prosperity, and new opportunities to witness to God’s love every day.

 

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – August 13, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“Sermon by Phone” – available Mondays by 11:00 am – 704-312-1343

 

Dear Paw Creek,
 
Let’s start with something new that I am excited to be able to tell everyone about. In our caption just above you’ll see a new line for “Sermon by Phone”. This is a service that the Worship Committee is now offering, designed to reach church members and friends who have found it difficult or impossible to connect to our live-stream worship services. It’s designed to be as user-friendly as possible. If you cannot or prefer not to worship with us by video each week, now you can simply dial a local phone number from any phone (mobile or land line) and you will immediately begin hearing a recording of excerpts from the most recent worship service. No passwords or user names are needed, and multiple people can listen at the same time. Each week we will include the sermon, a musical selection and other portions of the service – a total of about 20-25 minutes. The recording will be ready by 11:00 am each Monday, which gives Kim time to access the video, extract the audio from it, and get it uploaded. It will remain available throughout the week.
 
As we look forward to health conditions improving, “Sermon by Phone” will help bring all of us together. The number will be printed each week in the caption, for easy reference. Please take a minute to think of church friends who may want to use this option, and consider checking in with them to be sure they know about it and understand how it works. Any questions, feel free to call Kim or me.
 
In other news, please remember that this week in worship we will honor and offer blessings for all our students, teachers and school staff as they start the new school year next week. Please keep these folks in your prayers, both for health and safety, and for successful teaching and learning under extraordinary circumstances.
 
Also, a reminder that the Nominating Committee has begun to meet to consider nominees for the new class of elders to serve on the Session beginning in January. Please don’t forget to share any ideas you have about people to consider by contacting any member of the Committee: Tim Gray (chair), Eddie McArver, Celia Gray, Sam McCord and Linda Riggins. And, Worship Committee is looking for folks to take a turn as liturgist during Sunday morning worship – contact Debbie Taylor if you are interested. The Men’s Bible Study has begun meeting again on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 in the CFC – they welcome any men of the church to join them; they follow all safety precautions, including masks.
 
The Presbytery of Charlotte will hold its quarterly meeting on Saturday morning via Zoom. Our commissioners are elders Karen Cathey and Debbie Taylor.
 

There are many folks in our church and greater community who need our prayers this week. Please remember before God:

  • Larry and Joanne Pierce and their family, who are friends and neighbors of so many of our Paw Creek community. Their son Brandon died yesterday after a fall; the family was together on Oak Island when this happened and have not yet returned. We will share more information about arrangements and ways to reach out to them when they become available.
  • David Turner’s brother Gerald is at Duke Hospital and underwent surgical procedures both Monday and Tuesday for cardiac problems; the latest report is that the procedures went well and Gerald is “on the road to recovery”.
  • Stephanie Alexander had a fall at home yesterday and broke both ankles and one knee. If doctors determine she needs surgery that will happen today, and then she will go to Shelby’s house afterwards for recovery.
  • Susan McDonald had medical consultations this week and has been scheduled to receive a defibrillator/pacemaker on September 8. Please keep her and Karen in prayers.
  • Libby Joy was in the hospital this week for kidney stones; at home now recovering.
  • Lovelee Steele fell over the weekend and had surgery for a half hip replacement – she’s in the hospital in Huntersville.
  • Last Sunday Patrick and Courtney McCarthy asked us to pray with them for their friend Stephen Kinzler who was on a ventilator with Covid-19. We were saddened to learn that Stephen died on Monday – please keep his family in prayer, and also remember his wife who is still ill with the virus.
  • Please continue to pray for Howie Wall, husband of Pam and brother-in-law of the Sisk family; he has been very ill and is still waiting for doctor consultations to learn what treatments they can offer.
  • Celia Gray is in Denver, CO this week to accompany her sister Cindy to medical consultations about a recurrence of cancer; the appointments are scheduled for today (Thursday) – please keep them in prayers.
  • Please remember Bob and Marie Love – word comes this week that both have been experiencing serious health problems; Marie with possible arthritis in her legs and Bob with gall stones and a heart condition.
 

So many good people who need our prayers, and many of them in times of waiting for tests, consultations and signs of recovery. Please remember all, and may God’s blessings be with each of us as – have a good week and stay safe!

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – August 6, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,
 
Even in this topsy-turvy time, August offers a slower pace, and the hint of things to come as the fall approaches. Schools will be “open” soon, as families and teachers navigate another semester of distance learning. Please keep all of our church and neighborhood families in your prayers – especially the families and children at River Oaks Academy. We cannot wait for the day soon when our Backpack Buddies program will be able to again work with them. On Sunday, August 16 during worship (the day before school begins) the Christian Education committee will sponsor a time of prayer and recognition in lieu of our traditional “Blessing of the Backpacks”.
 
In other worship news, this coming Sunday, August 9, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper during the live worship stream. As always, please have some bread and juice ready when you join the live stream so that you can participate with us. Beginning in September, the Worship Committee will have us back on a regular schedule for celebrating communion on the first Sunday of every month.
 
Also from the Worship Committee, they are looking to involve more folks in worship by inviting anyone interested to participate as liturgist, leading the Prayer of the Day and reading the scripture lesson. If you sign up to help in this way, members of your immediate household are welcome to worship in the sanctuary that day as well.  Please contact Debbie Taylor to schedule a Sunday. As I mentioned last week, Session’s task force is hard at work looking at safe protocols for more opportunities to be present in worship. Session will keep everyone informed as that work moves ahead.
 
Another important committee has begun its work this week. The Nominating Committee met by Zoom on Wednesday to seek God’s calling for four new elders to join the Session in January. Committee members are Tim Gray (chair), Eddie McArver, Celia Gray, Sam McCord and Linda Riggins. Please keep them in your prayers, and feel free to share with any of them thoughts you have about elder nominees for their consideration.
 
Also in prayers this week, let us especially remember the Small/Griffin and Smith families. On Tuesday Jo Small and her family held a private graveside service for her son Jimmy Griffin, who died last Saturday. And on Friday Vernie Smith and family will hold a private service at the Paw Creek cemetery for Ken, with full military honors. During this time when we cannot be together, prayers and cards are very meaningful.
 
Please also remember Johnny Small, who had a fall on Tuesday and was not able to attend the service for Jimmy.
 

In other concerns:

  • Celia Gray will travel next week to Denver, CO. to be with her sister Cindy as Cindy receives medical reports and treatment options for her reoccurrence of cancer.
  • Remember Frank and Victoria Krebs – Frank’s mother Sharon Krebs is now in hospice care in New York State.
  • Vickie Joy has had two falls in recent days – we pray for some medical answers and treatments so that she can remain safe.
  • Reid Wingate, son of Burr and Mary Wingate, died on July 29th. Reid, a lifelong Presbyterian, lived in Douglasville, Georgia and his funeral was August 5th. Please keep Reid’s family in your prayers.

 

Blessings to everyone – have a good week and stay safe!

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – July 30, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,
 
Mid-summer greetings to you all! Thank you for all the well-wishings during the time Nell and I were away. Vacation was both relaxing and productive. We had a week in the mountains near Hendersonville (it’s almost as hot there as it is here!) and a week getting daughter Amanda settled in her new apartment in Indian Land, where she’ll be teaching fifth grade in Lancaster County during the coming school year.
 
As you saw from the Session notes that went out a couple of weeks ago, Session has revisited the question of “what next?” during this time of disruption by asking a task force to explore our options and advise Session on   how we as a church can creatively and safely find options for spending more time together in person. Given the mountains of information that will need to be gathered, and the detailed planning that will be required, along with the reality that Mecklenburg County continues to be a serious “hot spot” for Covid-19, we can expect that this will be a deliberate process. However, I’m happy to report that the task force held its first meeting this week and is already hard at work. There are representatives from the Property, Worship and Christian Education committees (bringing our adult and children’s classes back will be an important second stage of coming back together.) The group has defined the questions, divvied up the research, is seeking help from some other knowledgable people in the congregation, and will continue to Zoom-meet regularly. Session will continue to report regularly and keep all of us in the loop.
 
In the meantime, of course, worship and Bible Study continue on-line, and the informal ways that we stay in touch together are the very essence of what it means to be a church. Let’s keep up the good work, and pray God’s protection for this day and the days ahead.
 
In our prayers this week, please continue to keep Vernie Smith and her family surrounded by God’s love. As you know, Ken Smith died last week. His obituary was not in the Observer, but can be read on-line at: www.woodlawnfuneral.org/obituary/Kenneth-Smith.   I encourage you to have a look and learn more about his remarkable career as a fighter pilot and Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force. Ken will be buried in our church cemetery next week in a private family service with full military honors.
 
Additional prayer concerns that were gathered last Sunday and updated during Bible Study on Wednesday:
  • Ginny Haas was hospitalized last week with heart issues, and is now recovering at home.
  • Steve Hord was in ICU after surgery – latest report on Wednesday is that he is being to improve.
  • The Cashions ask us to remember their friends Bobbie and Bill Helms – Bill suffered a broken back in a fall and his condition continues to be critical.
  • Emily Adkins asks prayers for her cousin Bobby Ford, who has been paralyzed and is currently in the hospital but in good spirits.
  • Barbara Ullem asks us to prayer for her next door neighbor and family – her grandson and his girl friend have tested positive for Covid-19.
  • Eddie McArver continues to recover from the virus and pneumonia and is thankful for having showed very few symptoms of illness.
  • Karen Cathey has passed along a prayer request from her sister Gail Duncan. Please remember Ivy Berrier and her family – Ivy is the 4 month old daughter of Gail’s pastor. She was born with Down’s Syndrome and will have surgery this week to repair a severe heart defect.
  • Please remember our church administrator, Kim Whittington, who has been suffering with back pain in recent weeks. She is consulting with doctors and therapists and hopes to begin seeing some relief soon.
 

Blessings to everyone – please stay in touch!

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – July 23, 2020
 
Contact Information
Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)
Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)
pawcreekpc.org
Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube
 

Happy Birthday to Those Celebrating in August!

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Weekly Letter – July 16, 2020
 
Contact Information
Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)
Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)
pawcreekpc.org
Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube
 
Report from the Stated Session Meeting on July 9, 2020:
 
The session has formed a Task Force for Covid-19. The Task Force was charged with developing a phased in plan of the process and timing to open our buildings and property. The Task Force will then present their findings and plan to the session for approval. We realize that there are many complex issues to cover and think about during these increasingly dangerous times and we want to make sure we find the best way forward to safely get everyone back together as quickly as feasible. The session will keep the congregation informed as we progress through this process.
 
Because of the recent spike in cases of Covid-19 and out of respect for those that need to be in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, going forward, we will not be able to allow any visitors in the sanctuary other than those actually working to facilitate the live stream. We realize that there is a great longing by everyone to be back in the sanctuary, so beginning the first Sunday in August we will again be scheduling a liturgist to assist each Sunday. If you wish to sign up and be part of the team, please let Debbie Taylor know so she can get you on the schedule.
 
The Property Committee reported that they have used this time to complete many maintenance projects on their list while the buildings have been closed. We are very thankful that we had the funds given by you to the building fund to do these projects.
 
The Christian Education Committee reported that the Children Connecting with Christ program has started back up using Zoom Video Conferencing. The children are excited about being back together in this way. The added benefit of being together by video conferencing is that Victoria Krebs and her family can participate from Virginia and Tim and Celia’s son’s children have been able to join, as well. Thanks to all the CCC teachers for making this happen.
 
The Worship Committee reports that our number of views on the live streaming has been somewhere around 250 – 300 each week! Some Sundays we have even had more than 600! We also want to make sure that you know that you can watch the services at any time that is convenient to you and you do not even need a Facebook account to go back and watch it. So even though this “new way” of worshipping together while apart is not as great as being there in person we are reaching a whole lot of people! The church is not CLOSED, only the buildings are closed. We are again blessed to have people among us who understand how to make this happen and are working hard to make it better and better each week.
 
The Finance Committee reported that our giving has kept up with our expenses with a little in reserve as of the end of June. We are thankful for a giving congregation even in these hard times.
Debbie Taylor
Clerk of Session
 
 
Special Note: A Memorial Service for John Litaker will be held outdoors on Saturday, July 25 at 11 am.  More details will be sent out next week.

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Weekly Letter – July 9, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Not much to report in the quiet of this unusual summer. As always, continued prayers for our church community and our many friends and family for health and safety as reports of growing illness and hospitalizations swirl around us. And likewise Godspeed to the medical community as they research and perfect treatments and vaccines.
 
Please remember that this coming Sunday we will celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during worship. To participate with us, just have some simple communion elements available – bread or crackers, juice or other beverage.
 
Beginning Monday I will be on vacation for a couple of weeks, grateful for the chance to have a bit of time away. If pastoral needs arise, please be sure to contact any of our elders on the Session, and of course continue to report prayer concerns through the prayer chain. The worship committee has arranged for guest preachers to share the live-streamed worship services with us: on July 19 the Rev. George Slaton and on July 26 the Rev. Betsy Williamson. George is a retired pastoral counsellor who now lives in Cornelius; Betsy is the retired pastor of Amity Presbyterian Church. Next week there will be a weekly letter from the Session updating us on its stated meeting scheduled for tonight, July 9. The following week there will not be a weekly meeting unless anything urgent comes up in the meantime.
 

Here are a few updated prayer concerns that we gathered during Bible Study last night.

  • Frances Lyerly is home and doing well as she recovers from back surgery last week.
  • Vickie Joy is grateful to report that her co-worker who had contracted Covid-19 has recovered and returned to work after being ill for three months.
  • Vernie Smith continues to be pleased with the nursing care that Ken is receiving; their son Steve was in town last week and was able to see Ken for a “window visit”
  • Debbie Taylor asks prayers for her aunt, Una Beam, who is now in hospice care, and for Mrs. Beam’s children who are hoping for the chance to visit her again in person during her final days.
  • Vickie Joy reminds us that this is a stressful time for staff, teachers, parents and children of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as decisions are being made about the way forward for the new school year. Please pray for them as they make the best decisions possible for the education and safety of everyone.
 

Blessings to everyone – see you again soon!

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – July 2, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

 

Independence Day greetings, as we prepare for a holiday weekend that (like so many other things this year) will be vastly different from what we are accustomed to. As you know, there are fresh concerns and fears about the spread of Covid-19. Let us continue our prayers for the safety of our community and country, and for wisdom and guidance to those who bear the burden of leading the way forward. Best wishes for a quiet and peaceful holiday on Saturday, a time to remember the past, but also to know that God holds the future and that better days are surely yet to come.

 

As I mentioned in last week’s letter, the collection of gifts to support food distribution in the North End of Charlotte has closed out with a wonderful offering of $6,925. Karen Cathey, representing the Session and Outreach Committee, joined me last Thursday to visit one of the weekly distribution sites at First Mayfield Baptist Church on Oaklawn Avenue, and to present our gift to Darryl and Melissa Gaston on behalf of the North End Community Coalition and their partners in the Bulb organization. We got to lend a hand as the  volunteers gave out large bags full of fresh summer produce to neighborhood residents. This is a great      program, extended now through the fall with your generous gifts – thank you for making this possible.
 

Karen presents our donation to Darryl Gaston, who is joined by neighborhood volunteer Jeff, Bulb executive director India, Melissa Gaston, and Bulb coordinator Lexi.

 

Looking ahead into July, next Sunday, July 12, we will again celebrate the Lord’s Supper during the morning live-stream worship service. Please plan to have some simple supplies ready – crackers or bread, juice, wine or other beverage – so that we can all participate together/apart.

 

Here are a few updated prayer concerns that we gathered during Bible Study last night. As always, at any time during the week if you know of concerns, please feel free to send them to Ann Cashion or to me so that we can include them on our prayer chain.

 

  • Frances Lyerly was scheduled for spinal fusion surgery Thursday morning. Just as this letter goes to press I’ve had a text from her daughter Jill that the surgery is complete and the doctor is pleased with the results. Frances will remain in the hospital at CMC Main for 1-2 days before going home. Prayers of thanks for a quick and complete recovery.

 

  • Laura Wingate reports that Allen was able to be released from nursing care after a short stay – the family is glad to be able to care for him at home with the help of some caregivers.

 

  • Barbara Ullem was able to speak with her cousin George Lux in St. Louis – he is in good spirits recovering in a rehab facility after his recent hospitalization.

 

  • Debbie Taylor asks us to pray for her neighbor Lisa Duncan and her family. Lisa’s mother, Mrs. Charlotte Moore, died Wednesday morning after unsuccessful surgery the night before. May God’s peace be with Lisa and her siblings during this difficult time.

 

Blessings to everyone, for sunshine and laughter as we continue to await the time when we can again be together as God’s family, in person as well as in spirit!

Elliott

 

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Weekly Letter – June 25, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,
 
This week I’d like to bring everyone up to date on our church efforts to reach out and offer care to some of  our neighbors who are suffering from the economic stress of this year. Several weeks ago the Session decided to focus our efforts on food security, and we invited the congregation to contribute towards a project focused on families in Charlotte’s North End. That special offering is now finished and we have received total donations of $6,925 – what a fantastic and generous outpouring of love and concern! In the hands of our partners The Bulb and the North End Community Coalition, that money will ensure that two weekly food distribution sites will continue their work well into the latter months of this year. On Thursday of this week I will join Karen Cathey, representing the Outreach Committee, to deliver the check and meet some of the volunteers who make this project happen.
 
In addition to the special offering for the Bulb’s work in the North End, the Session also authorized the Outreach Committee to use $3,600 from the Mission Fund to support work in our local Westside community. That money was distributed earlier in the spring to two congregations, Thrift United Methodist Church and Mission City Church, that maintain food pantries. Both churches report large increases in requests for assistance – the Outreach Committee is staying in touch with them and will continue to offer support throughout the year as the needs become clear.
 

There are so many ways that we can live out Christ’s call to care for our neighbors, and we are always looking for new projects. For now, let us be grateful that God has given us the resources to share over $10,000, all of which will be used to provide food for families that would otherwise go without.

 

As we come to the end of this week, we gather the concerns and joys that are amongst us in the congregation and community, and offer them to God in our prayers:

  • Please continue to pray with Angie and Sonny Ross and their family for their grandson-in-law, Nick Robinson, who is ill with Covid-19. His illness is part of an outbreak of disease among family and friends in the farming community of Ducasville, SC near Easley. Among the sick is Nick’s grandmother who is hospitalized in serious condition.
  • Please pray with Sarah Kendrick and her family at the loss of her brother-in-law, Mr. Mike Parrot. Mike, husband of Sarah’s sister Pam, died unexpectedly earlier this week.
  • During the coming week, please remember Frances Lyerly – she is scheduled for surgery next Wednesday for a spinal fusion, which will allow her to be more active in the years to come.
  • Please remember Sheila Davis and her husband Roderick Montgomery. Sheila cleans our church buildings and is caring for Roderick, who has serious kidney and pancreatic disease and is facing further surgeries in the months ahead.
  • We give praise for good reports from Lilly Timberman (Andrea and Donna’s stepmother, who is still hospitalized but showing much improvement) and George Lux (Barbara Ullem’s cousin in St. Louis, who is set for release from the hospital into a care facility for continued recovery).
  • Ken Smith continues to do quite well in nursing care – he and his family were able to have a window visit last weekend for Father’s Day.
  • There’s good news from our Wednesday night children’s program – Children Connecting with Christ. They are resuming meeting this week via Zoom and are looking forward to reconnecting with the children and families after being apart for several months. Because of Zoom, their founding teacher Victoria Krebs will be able to participate from her new home in Virginia.

 

Blessings to everyone, for sunshine and laughter as we continue to await the time when we can again be together as God’s family, in person as well as in spirit!

                                                      Elliott

 

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Weekly Letter – June 18, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (will forward to home if needed)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,

After a week off, I hope this finds everyone well, perhaps getting some opportunities to enjoy summer activities and vacations. As we all know, the world remains unsettled in so many ways. We are grateful to have one another and God’s glorious and gracious care to see us through!
 
In worship on Sunday we will honor our congregation’s graduates, from high school, college and graduate school. Like all graduates, they have worked hard and achieved wonders. Unlike any graduates before, they have pushed through the disruptions of their final semester with flying colors. We are so proud of them, and ours will be a special celebration this year for us to recognize what they had to give up, and what they have accomplished. Even more importantly, this will be a time to reflect on what they will do next, to send them with God’s blessings and ours for much fulfillment in the months and years to come. Let us keep them in our prayers, along with all the educators and students who are still wondering what their world will look like come fall.
 
Because we had no letter last week, I want to be sure and recap the prayers that have been on our hearts during this time, and be sure that everyone has news about the needs within our congregation and community.
 
As I hope you all know, in recent days we have mourned the loss of Virginia McGranahan, who died at home on June 8. There was a graveside service in the Paw Creek cemetery on June 12. There have also been private backyard services for Susan Kenley on June 7 and Raymond Field on June 16. Please keep the McGranahan, Kenley and Field families in your prayers during these times of loss.
 

Last Sunday we raised these prayers:

  • Lilly Timberman is improving, but still hospitalized and very much in need of our prayers.
  • Olivia Costin, 18 year old daughter of friends of the Scott family is in the ICU at Duke Hospital in very serious condition. Please pray for her and her family.
  • Ann Cashion asks us to pray for a friend of hers, 87 year old Fibbie McGahee.
  • Dickie Chapman reports that his friend Dan Jacobs continues to be in good spirits through intensive cancer treatment – Dickie and Dan had a good phone visit on Monday.
  • We rejoice with John Riggins and his family at the very good medical report received by his brother Tom after recent testing.
 

And on Wednesday night at Bible Study, these addition concerns were added:

  • Frank Dale continues in good spirits at home. He now has in-home care givers to support the care that his family has been giving since he was released from rehab a few weeks ago.
  • Laura Wingate reports several serious concerns in her family and asks for our prayers: Allen Wingate was hospitalized for a collapsed lung, and anticipates being released to rehab care in the next day or so; Laura’s brother Bob Evans in Orlando has been diagnosed with cancer of the tongue and will begin radiation and chemo treatments immediately; Debbie Wingate is beginning a new medication this week. Please pray for the entire family in this difficult time.
  • Continue to remember Ernest Moore as he is cared for at home.
  • Barbara Ullem asks our prayers for her cousin George Lux, who lives alone in St. Louis, Mo. and is now hospitalized with serious illness.
  • Please pray with Angie and Sonny Ross and their family for healing for their grandson-in-law, Nick Robinson in Easley, SC, who is ill with Covid-19.
  • Debbie Taylor asks us to pray for Rachel Pelone, a family friend from Greensboro who has worshipped at Paw Creek many times in the past – Rachel has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will be undergoing scans this week to determine treatment options.
  • And, we celebrate with Vernie and Ken Smith, who marked their 66th wedding anniversary this week – Vernie and the family were able to have a “window visit” with Ken in nursing care, and report that he is doing very well.

 

Blessings to everyone, for sunshine and laughter as we continue to await the time when we can again be together as God’s family, in person as well as in spirit!

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – June 4, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Dear Paw Creek,
At a time when we should be settling into summer routines, leaving some of the busy-ness of life behind, planning trips to the beach or the mountains, instead we are unsure and unsettled. The one thing that seems constant in the weeks since we were last physically together in one place is the reality of upheaval. What was true when I wrote last week (the overwhelming concern for health and economic security amid the uncertainty of a slowly reopening world) is now unexpectedly overshadowed. At our house now, every evening’s quiet is punctuated by the sounds of helicopters hovering over downtown Charlotte, so that worries about illness and hunger are pushed out by more immediate terror for the safety of those who raise their voices for justice on our streets, and those who patrol the streets to keep them safe. Lord help us all.
 
Now that the celebration of Pentecost is past and the Easter season is done, in our study and in our worship we will turn throughout the summer weeks to the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5-7). We will follow as Jesus covers many topics (how to pray, how to live with enemies, how to live with worry, to name a few). But with each new topic Jesus further explains and expands his opening words, which we will ready this Sunday: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Known as the Beatitudes, these words point to the truth that shines throughout the sermon – God’s kingdom is wholly in God’s control. It is a place where our human expectations are worthless and a place where the things we fear most as humans (mourning, hunger, persecution) turn out to be merely pathways to God’s greatest blessings.
 

Can we find the strength of faith to believe that the weeks and months ahead will be a time of Beatitude? A time when the things we fear most, like disease, economic uncertainty and violence, can be the pathway to the bright future of blessedness that God has in store? Perhaps we can, though not very easily. At best, perhaps we can simply find the courage to face each new day and its own upheavals, and cling to our God who remains our rock and our stay. Look for God in all things – for surely he is there.

 

Because of our joint worship with the Woodland Church last Sunday, we limited the listing of prayer concerns that were raised last week, so I want to be sure and give us a complete listing in today’s letter.
 
We begin with sad news that came just yesterday of the death of our dear friend Susan Kenley. Susan was our Pastor’s Aide for many years, remembering birthdays and special events with cards and prayers. Just a few weeks ago we were grateful to be able to present her with the 2020 Legacy Award from the Presbytery of Charlotte for all of her service to the church. May our prayers be with Amy, Jon and Jason and their strong and devoted family in the days ahead.
 

Prayers also continue for these friends and their families:

  • Roy and Donna Joyner, as they travel this week to Houston to seek additional treatment options for Roy’s recent cancer diagnosis.
  • Carol McNeill who was hospitalized in Florida with cardiac concerns – she is home with new medication and in good spirits.
  • Virginia McGranahan, still struggling at home after gall bladder surgery.
  • Nathan Tomlinson, who had heart surgery this week.
  • Margie Caudill, who was briefly hospitalized last week. She is back in nursing care as she continues to decline due to complications of her dementia.
  • Frank Dale, continuing at home with the care of his children and care-givers.
  • Allen Wingate, at home with family care, continues to decline.
  • The Winchester family – young Rhett is now home from the hospital and doing well, but his mother Laura will need to undergo gall bladder surgery.
  • Chris Timberman asks our prayers for his grandmother Lilly Timberman, who is being treated for cancer and lung problems, and also for his cousin Jan Timberman, who is waiting test results for Covid-19.
  • Donna Timberman was in a wreck this week and thankfully was not hurt.
  • John Riggins reports that his brother Tom is waiting for results of a biopsy yesterday, but is encouraged that his doctor thinks the report will be good.
  • Community member Jimmy Puckett is recovering from surgery last week.
  • Dickie Chapman’s friend Dan continues in his aggressive cancer treatments, and is now using a feeding tube.
  • Celia Gray asks us to pray for the family of a friend who died of Covid-19 last week.
  •  

We also join in celebrating many graduations over the past week, including Tucker Torrence from high school; Ann and Tommy Cashion’s granddaughter from high school; and Anne and Tommy Miller’s granddaughter from college.

 

Finally, even as we continue to keep in touch during the days ahead, there will not be a weekly letter next week, June 11. Kim Whittington will be on vacation and not able to send a letter out. Orders of Worship for the next two Sundays are attached with today’s letter and will be on the website. Please stay in touch, join us for prayers on Sunday and Bible Study on Wednesday, and of course worship each week at 11. And above all, please be safe in whatever the next weeks bring.

 

                                      Blessings,

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – May 28, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place.”

– Acts 2

 

Dear Paw Creek,

The Day of Pentecost is upon us. For the past eleven years, Pentecost Sunday has been one of the high points on our church calendar, as we renew each year the ties that bind us to our sisters and brothers at Woodland Presbyterian Church. This year, of course, things are different. But our shared worship will go on. Please be sure to join us on Facebook or YouTube. This is the year for Woodland to prepare the worship plan, and we look forward to the inspired preaching of the Rev. Gloria Bolden and the musical leadership of a quartet from the Woodland choir. There will be no fried chicken and no big hugs this year, but the Holy Spirit will be present, both in the sanctuary and in our homes.
 
For Pentecost we return as always to the familiar story in the second chapter of Acts: voices raised in many languages, tongues of fire in the air, and the rush of a mighty wind. Throughout the Easter season, in Bible Study and on Sunday mornings, we have been exploring the book of Acts to learn about the events that followed directly from the Holy Spirit’s arrival. These included an enthusiastic outpouring of new Christians, and then resistance when others realized that the Christians were not going away, and finally God’s inspiring of a missionary movement that went throughout the known world.
 
Now, at last, we return to the day that it all began. As we read the story again, we will now have some idea of all that was unleashed on that day. More to the point, we will see better how it is that our own work to live and spread the gospel is the direct outgrowth of what Peter and the disciples experienced. I hope that we have a renewed sense of calling to know that bold action for us as a church is possible . . . is consistent with the Gospel . . . and is required! In the next weeks and months we will have many decisions to make and changes to accept. May we be Spirit-filled each and every day!
 

I just have one announcement this week – it’s an invitation to everyone. Last week we talked about offering Zoom meetings to Sunday school classes who wish to explore that option. The Fresh Start class has been meeting in this way for several weeks now. They very graciously have extended an invitation to others in the congregation to join them. They meet Sunday mornings 10:20 – 11:50 (between the prayer meeting and morning worship). Their class focuses on a series of assigned scripture readings each week. Please contact Ashley Kenley for the reading assignments and to receive the Zoom invitation. Thank you Fresh Start! (If other classes are considering starting your own Zoom, that’s great too – just let me know and we’ll set it up.)

 

I hope that everyone had a good and safe Memorial Day weekend. May God’s blessings be with each of us and with the memory of loved ones and those of earlier generations who gave their all. Please continue to pray with one voice for the brave folks who are even now standing up on our behalf to keep us safe from the medical dangers of this moment.
 

In other prayers, please remember:

  • Roy and Donna Joyner – Roy has received a cancer diagnosis and will travel next week to Houston, Texas for further diagnosis and treatment options.
  • Carol McNeill – she was released from the hospital on Sunday under new medication for cardiac issues.
  • Virginia McGranahan – came home from the hospital on Tuesday after gall bladder surgery with 24-hour caregivers, still experiencing a great deal of pain.
  • Nathan Tomlinson (Thelma’s son), who is scheduled for heart surgery next week.
  • Chris Normand and his family, on the death of his mother in Maine, just 19 days after the loss of his father.
 

And also please remember these friends and family of church members who have asked for our prayers:

  • Tom Riggins, John’s brother, is still being monitored and waiting for further testing.
  • Steve Bowers, friend of Gene Hall, is home after surgery – still weak but beginning to recover
  • Jimmy Puckett will have surgery on Friday of this week as a follow-up from a recent open-heart operation.

 

With thanks for all that we are doing together, and all that God is doing for us, may his blessings be on us all.

 

 

                                                      Elliott

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Weekly Letter – May 21, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube
 

“What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God?”

 

Dear Paw Creek,

May God’s blessings be and remain with all of us during this rainy spring week!
 
I want to start this week with a report from the Session, which held a called meeting via Zoom on Monday night to hear reports from the Worship and Property Committees on the research they have been doing to understand the medical and logistical issues that will be involved with a decision to allow us to return to worshipping together in the sanctuary. Those issues are complex, and it is clear that when the time comes, we will need to make many adjustments to keep everyone safe. Just a short list of those would include: deep-cleaning the sanctuary each week between services; maintaining a distance of six feet between household groups for seating; masks for everyone and no handshaking or hugs; no shared touching of equipment (books, collection plates, communion plates); no singing (singing requires so much lung power that the virus can spread well over six feet.) Even if we could implement all those precautions, medical experts still tell us that church services are particularly dangerous activities (we are indoors; we spend more than ten minutes together; many of our members are in high-risk categories; and it’s almost irresistible to reach out and touch or hug folks whom we love so much!)
 
With all this information in mind, and with deep concern for the well-being of the congregation we have been called to lead and protect, the Session agreed unanimously that it is too soon to resume in-person worship at this time. Therefore we will continue with live-stream worship for now, and the Session plans to revisit the decision in early July to weigh guidance from governmental and medical leaders about where things stand at that time. We all miss each other! But we also want to have everyone back safe and sound when this is over. We appreciate everyone’s understanding.
 
As worship continues via live-stream, we know that some families have chosen to not attempt to learn how to master the technology needed to watch the services. For those folks, the Session reminds everyone that our sister congregation, First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, has been broadcasting its worship services for over 50 years. Why not take the opportunity to worship with them at 11:00 on Sundays on TV channel WAXN-Action 64 (check cable listings for the channel number on your network.)
 
We also know that the loss of Sunday morning activities is hard on our very active adult classes. If any of the classes would like to try to schedule a meeting via Zoom, please let me know. I can use the church’s Zoom account to set up the class – either a one-time get together, or for regular class meetings. And of course we continue to hold prayer meetings on Sunday at 10:00 and Bible Study Wednesday at 5:30 (notwithstanding the worldwide Zoom outage that knocked us out last Sunday morning!)
 
Even as we remain sheltered and safe (by God’s grace), please don’t forget that there is still much good going on in our congregation and throughout God’s church. Jan Edmiston, our General Presbyter in the Presbytery of Charlotte, takes every opportunity to remind us that even when our buildings are shuttered, the church is not closed! Here at Paw Creek, we have much evidence of this truth.
 
Last weekend, the Bloodmobile had a good turnout for donations of blood and plasma. Thanks to all who participated!
 

We are also reaching out in the most basic way to help provide food for those who need it in our community. Contributions to support the Bulb for weekly food distribution in North Charlotte continue to come in, so we will wait another week or two to tally the gifts and send them on to the North End Coalition. I had a chance to help with the weekly distribution last Thursday. What an inspiration to see the staff and volunteers at work and to meet some of the food recipients! Many who received food are able and eager to make a small donation for their weekly supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, and that will help the program reach even more people. Here’s a picture of a volunteer passing bags of food to a family – workers all have masks and gloves, and guests stay in their cars to enhance distancing.

As I mentioned last week, the Outreach Committee is also partnering to assist food pantries here on the westside. They began with Thrift United Methodist Church, and have now added Mission City Church on Valleydale Road. With Session approval, combined support for both projects will total $3,500 from the Mission Fund. Here’s a shot of the food staging area at Mission City.

 

Because of the Zoom outage we didn’t get a lot of prayer updates on Sunday. At Wednesday Bible Study, these requests were raised:

  1. Virginia McGranahan was admitted to the hospital Tuesday night with an infection in her leg and gall stones – she will have a procedure on Thursday for the gall stones. Let us remember Virginia in prayer, along with her family, especially daughter Ginny who is having a recurrence of shingles.
  2. Prayers for Mark Burleson and his family on the death of his uncle, Mr. Don Burleson, who was the last remaining sibling of Mark’s father.
  3. John Riggins asks us to remember his brother, Tom Riggins, who is awaiting some test results.
  4. Young Rhett Winchester, grandson of Debbie Wingate and great-grandson of Allen and Laura, is in the hospital with a high fever and is undergoing a battery of tests. Please remember Rhett and his family.
  5. Ken Smith remains in care at Courtland Terrace – on Monday he was able to have a FaceTime call with his brother, which was a joy for both of them.
  6. Tim Gray reports that his sister lives in Michigan in the vicinity of the severe flooding. She has not been directly affected, but Tim asks us to remember the many families who are struggling with weather-related troubles in the midst of the pandemic.
 
And finally, we continue to pray for those who have been on our list in recent weeks: Susan Kenley, Ernest Moore, Laura and Allen Wingate, families and residents in long-term care facilities – and two friends of church members, Dan Jacobs and Steve Bowers.
 

With thanks for all that we are doing together, and all that God is doing for us, may his blessings be on us all.

                                                      Elliott
 

Late News From Zoom – if you have installed the Zoom app on your computer, iPad or phone, you should have received a notice from Zoom about updated software. We have to install the new version 5.0 before May 31. After that, the old version will not work. I just did it and it took about one minute. Everyone who is using Zoom, please go on and do this now so we don’t have any problems connecting with each other in June. If you need help on finding the update, give me a call.

 

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Weekly Letter – May 14, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

“What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God?”

 

Dear Paw Creek,

Good wishes to everyone this week! The days push forward, and it feels as if time is moving both slowly and very quickly at the same time. Let us all please continue to stay in touch with one another and reach out beyond the isolation that is so important for everyone’s health and safety. In particular, as our session members and I are trying to keep contact with all our church friends, please don’t hesitate to reach out with special needs we can address – or just to have a nice chat and stay connected.

Although we are all looking forward to the time when we can return to normal schedules, it is very important to do so on a schedule and in ways that will keep everyone in the congregation safe. The Session is monitoring information that we are getting from the Presbytery of Charlotte, including research that shows indoor gatherings of larger groups that last more than 10 minutes are still dangerous. This obviously suggests that a worship service may be more concerning than a quick shopping trip. The Worship Committee met this week, and we will be gathering the Session in the next few days to chart a path forward – we will keep everyone posted as we know more. The Presbytery will also hold its quarterly stated meeting next Tuesday – for the first time ever via Zoom. Clerk of Session Debbie Taylor will be joining me as commissioner to this meeting.

Our collection of financial support for the Bulb – to provide weekly food assistance through the summer in the neighborhoods of Charlotte’s North End – will be winding up as this week comes to a close. The proceeds will be tallied and sent off to be put to work. I know the response has been generous, and we will make a report once the final numbers are known.

In the meantime, the Outreach Committee has made a separate donation from the restricted Mission Fund to support the food pantry program at Thrift United Methodist Church. Our Back Pack Buddies have donated all of the food in their pantry (which would have begun to expire before next school year) to Thrift as well. The folks at Thrift are serving more and more families each week, and are doing a fantastic ministry right in our own neighborhood. The Outreach Committee will stay in touch with them and other food programs in the greater Paw Creek area and will continue to offer assistance throughout the summer.

Please don’t forget that this Saturday, the 16th, is the next Bloodmobile visit to Paw Creek. The Property Committee has arranged to have the CFC sanitized so that it will be safe area as a waiting room and access to restrooms. As a precaution, the Bloodmobile folks are asking that donors pre-register for an appointment time. The link for doing this is available on our church home page.

I know that we are all grateful for these signs of real ministry and Christian compassion that are going on even while we are apart. We dearly miss our times together, but we are also learning anew the truth that “church” refers to the strength of our fellowship and the acts of love that we do. What a wonderful church God has called us to be!

As always, let us remember those we have learned about who need our special prayers for support this week:

  1. On Sunday Gloria Caldwell reported that her mother, Mrs. Sue Whitlow, age 91, had fallen and broken her wrist. An orthopedist’s appointment this week determined that the break will not require surgery, and Mrs. Whitlow is now resting comfortably with a cast. Let us pray for her quick recovery.
  2. Virginia McGranhan is still struggling to regain strength after her illness earlier this year. Our prayers are with her and her family.
  3. Vernie Smith reported to Bible Study on Wednesday that she continues to be able to speak with Ken via Face Time each day. He remains comfortable at Courtland Terrace and is well cared for. Please pray for Vernie and Ken, and all other families who are kept apart by the safety restrictions of nursing care in these days.
  4. Gene Hall asks our prayers for Steve Bowers, a golfing buddy of his, who will have surgery next week to remove a kidney.

 

For eyes to see the bounty of God’s goodness this week and always, let us pray with thanksgiving to the Lord.

                                                Blessings on us all,

                                                Elliott

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Weekly Letter – May 7, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

 

 

“What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God?”

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

As we make our way firmly into May, we remain settled in our now-familiar routines, at church and at home. I hope everyone is finding some chance to get out and enjoy nice spring weather (when it’s not blowing up a storm), and able to stay in touch with family and friends in safe ways. Even as we enter Phase 1 of Governor Cooper’s reopening plan on Friday, we don’t know yet when it will be safe to venture further out into the normal world, or what precautions we will need to be taking. But do let us keep in our prayers those who will be in greater circulation next week, along with all the essential workers who have been keeping us going, and especially our medical workers on the front line. And let us pray that the spread of the virus remains low, both to ease the burden on those who are sick and to allow more reopening as the weeks go on.

Last week we had a number of important announcements, and I want to recap some of them so that we don’t forget:

  • Special offering to support The Bulb, providing food weekly to fragile communities in Charlotte’s North End. Contributions continue for another week, via mail to the church, marked “Food Support”. As an update, the Outreach Committee is also looking at additional ways to help those who are food insecure here on the Westside – more information next week.
  • Blood Drive – a week from Saturday, on May 16. Use the link on the church homepage to schedule an appointment.
  • Graduation Sunday – will be in early June. Families of graduates (high school, college, grad school) please email information to Jan Chapman for the Christian Ed Committee.
  • Worship Update – updating the update, the new switching equipment worked perfectly last week. I hope you noticed a smoother experience and better sound quality for Sunday’s live stream worship.
  • Online Giving – is now available. Please use the link on our church homepage.

 

As always, let us remember those with special needs for prayer and support from within our congregation.

 

  1. Our condolences go out to Betty Field and her family on the death of her husband Raymond on Tuesday, May 5. We will forward information about arrangements for Raymond when they are complete.
  2. Ken Smith is now in continuing care at Coutland Terrace in Gastonia after several days in the hospital. Vernie and the family were able to have several good visits with Ken over the weekend while he was in the hospital. He is now comfortable and being well cared for at Courtland.
  3. Earnest Moore is in good spirits at home, being well cared for by his care-giver and his extended family.
  4. Continued prayers are requested for Susan Kenley and her family. Amy reports Susan is having some great and busy days AND . . .
  5. Prayers of rejoicing for Sarah and Colton Hansley at the birth of their son, Jax on Sunday afternoon. Jax is the grandson of Jon and Ashley Kenley and great-grandson of Susan Kenley.
  6. Let us continue prayers for Virginia McGranahan and her family as they care for her at home.
  7. On Sunday Debbie Taylor asked us to remember her neighbor Lisa Duncan, and Lisa’s mother Charlotte Moore. Charlotte was hospitalized after a fall last week – as of Wednesday she is hospitalized and is not doing well.

 

For eyes to see the bounty of God’s goodness this week and always, let us pray with thanksgiving to the Lord.

                                                      Blessings on us all,

                                                      Elliott

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – April 30, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

 

 

“What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with our God?”

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

We’ve got some new things to talk about this week! And that alone makes it feel like we are entering a new phase. We continue to pray for one another, support one another in essential errands, and connect across the distancing. We especially reach with encouragement and compassion to support those for whom the safety guidelines make it impossible for families to be together in hospitals and care facilities at times when we want so much to feel the comfort of touch and presence. But we are also starting to think about new ways of living the Gospel in these unusual times.

On Monday night the Session had a called meeting by Zoom. We heard brief reports from our committees and approved some new projects. Here’s a recap of the meeting:

  1. The Bulb (thebulbgallery.org) is an organization that works to bring fresh, healthy food to underserved neighborhoods. Since the pandemic began, they have shifted to providing weekly food boxes to families who are food insecure. They have several distribution sites around town, including two that are run by Darryl Gaston (commissioned pastor of Smallwood Presbyterian Church) and his wife Melissa in the North End/Statesville Avenue corridor of Charlotte. Session voted to support their work at those two sites by helping to extend and augment the services they provide.

      To do this, Session has accepted a gift of $2,400 from a church family – they are grateful that they did not need their government stimulus check and want to use it to help those whose needs are greater. During the next two weeks we will accept gifts from others who are able and wish to contribute, either from stimulus funds or otherwise. All funds received will then be given to the North End food project. The Mission Fund will be used to ensure a minimum donation of $3,600, which is needed for the basic goal of extending the project to the end of the summer, but we hope to be able to have a larger total gift, with the generosity of the congregation, to reach more people with even better food options. Gifts may be mailed to the church (PO Box 64, Paw Creek, NC, 28130) and marked for “Food Support”.

      Even as we organize to share with our neighbors, we are also very aware that the current crisis has affected our church households in many different ways, and that some are in a time of real financial struggle. Please do not forget that Paw Creek also has a Social Service Fund which is available to help church and community members in times of pressing need. If you need help, simply contact Karen and Grady Cathey in confidence. This fund is here for you now, and your church family wants you to access it.

  1. Blood Drive – during this time of medical crisis, the need continues for blood donations. The Congregational Care Committee has again arranged for the Bloodmobile to visit Paw Creek, on Saturday, May 16. The Bloodmobile will be set up to ensure proper social distancing, and appointments will be scheduled in advance to limit the time that donors are on site. Please visit:  https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/917500

 

  1. Graduation Sunday – Although many things are postponed and cancelled, our graduates will still be graduating this spring, and we want to honor and recognize them. Of course, we don’t know yet if this will happen live, or live stream, but the Christian Education committee is beginning to make plans. To be sure we include all graduates (high school, college or graduate school, including graduations from December 2019), please send information about church members to the committee by contacting Jan Chapman – include date, school, degree and any information about future plans.
  2. Worship Update – You may have noticed there was a glitch in the YouTube transmission during the first few minutes of worship on Sunday. The good news is that we have finally received a new piece of switching equipment (so many churches are going on-line these products were backordered) that will allow for a much smoother transmission. Hopefully that will work well for all of us. As always, we are so appreciative of the efforts of Clint Shaw, who understands the technology and makes it work!
  3. Property Committee Update – The Property Committee has taken advantage of the downtime in our facilities to work on several needed projects, including the upgrading of restrooms in some of our buildings. We are glad to be able to get these projects done, and also to be able to support local businesses during this time. The committee is also exploring having all buildings sanitized prior to reopening, when that time comes.
  4. Finance Committee Update – The Session is grateful to report that financial support for the church continued at a level that matched on-going expenses during March and April. Please don’t forget that we now have the convenience of receiving contributions electronically through the on-line giving portal at our website. Also, look for a special email this week that will further explain how the on-line giving system works. Thanks to all of our faithful congregation as we live out the commitment to serve God in every time and circumstance.

Thanks to all our committees for keeping things going so well. Please continue to take advantage of our opportunities to connect each week, including Sunday worship at 11; Sunday prayer gathering at 10 on Zoom; and Wednesday Bible Study at 5:30 on Zoom.

And, during this week, please remember these prayers that were collected in recent days:

  1. Continued prayers for Susan Kenley and her family.
  2. Ernest Moore was hospitalized last week and is now at home. He is still seriously ill, and he and his family appreciate our on-going prayers and concerns.
  3. Ken Smith was hospitalized on Tuesday. Vernie is working with his doctors to choose on-going care options. Please pray for them and their sons is this difficult time.
  4. Susan McDonald is feeling much better and was released from the hospital on Tuesday after a heart catheterization that was negative for coronary disease. She and Karen are grateful that she is home – please pray with them as her doctors determine any needed additional treatment.
  5. In worship on Sunday and again at Bible Study on Wednesday we had these prayer requests:
    • Dickie Chapman asks our prayers for his friends and former co-worker Dan Jacobs, who received a serious cancer diagnosis last week and is beginning immediate chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
    • Please remember Virginia McGranahan; she is in bed a lot with weakness and an infection in her ankle but has shown some improvement this week.
    • Continue to pray with Betty and Raymond Field as Raymond receives hospice care at home; and also remember Betty’s family on the death of her brother’s wife in England this week.
    • Please remember the Margie Caudill and her family, and all families who are unable to visit loved ones in nursing care.
    • And let us join Sarah and Colton Hansley in prayers of anticipation for the birth of their son, who is due this week.

For eyes to see the bounty of God’s goodness this week and always, let us pray with thanksgiving to the Lord.

                                                Blessings on us all,

                                                Elliott

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Letter – April 23, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

Dear Paw Creek,

As I mentioned on Sunday, we have now worshipped via live stream six times. Although we keep hearing the phrase “new normal”, I’m not sure any of this feels “normal”, and I suspect that all of us are having a hard time imagining what kind of “normal” we hope to find, or when we hope to find it.

Although it is difficult to do, I suspect we would find blessing by focusing on some of the most familiar words that Jesus taught. How often he asked his followers and listeners to look around them and realize that “the kingdom of God is at hand”. It’s right here, it’s right now, so close that we can reach out and touch it. We don’t need to step into it, for it already surrounds us. Jesus was inviting those who heard, as he invites us, to let the kingdom be our “normal”. When that happens then we have enormous wells of courage and resilience to withstand the changes that the world throws at us.

Of course, there are indeed enormous changes being thrown at us in these days. For some those changes are acute – those who have experienced the virus first hand as patient, caregiver or medical worker, and those who suffer financial losses that threaten the most basic needs of shelter and food. For others there is isolation, loss of routines, boredom. To everyone, Jesus offers the kingdom as a constant place of refuge, a “normal” that never changes, a shelter in the storm. From the refuge of the kingdom, we can find the wherewithal that we did not know we had to persevere, to help one another, to grieve, and to move forward towards a future that we can not yet see with any clarity, other than the clarity that more change is still to come.

Jesus preached about the kingdom every day, because we need constant reminder to focus on the kingdom rather than the troubles of the world. Therefore, I offer you his sermon on this day: “the kingdom of God is at hand”. Please offer the same sermon to everyone you talk to this week. Let us remind one another daily that our most important “normal” has never changed.

Moving into the news of the week, I guess there’s not very much to share. Worship and Bible Study continue week in and week out, and those are our best ways to stay together as a community. I also know that many of you are keeping phone contact with one another and sending reports of what you find. That is a blessed and much needed ministry, and I am grateful that it is happening.

If by chance you did not see the worship service last Sunday, I do want to make sure that everyone knows we had the great pleasure of recognizing Susan Kenley as the recipient of the 2020 Legacy Award from the Presbytery of Charlotte. As with past award recipients, the Congregational Care has placed to a brick in the Memorial Garden to honor Susan. Our thanks go out to Susan and her family for all of the care and love that they shower on Paw Creek every single day.

 

During this week, please remember these prayers that were collected in recent days:

  1. Continued prayers for Susan Kenley and her family.
  2. Let us continue to raise Betty and Raymond Field in our prayers. Betty has now accepted hospice support as she cares for Raymond at home.
  3. These are the prayer requests we had in worship on Sunday:
    • We join Kim Whittington and her family and giving thanks for the life of her uncle Wayne Edwards. His immediate family, including his sister – Kim’s mother – will hold a graveside service on Friday.
    • Frank Dale continues to be cared for at home, with Jane and David taking turns staying with him.
    • Martha Gordon, a member of the community, died last week. Please pray for her family.
    • Hoyt Johnson is being treated for cellulitis at home – he misses being able to spend time with Jean in nursing care.
    • Please pray for a safe journey for Lexi Torrence who is finishing her senior coursework and making a move to Savannah.
    • We had reports from both Rennie Auten and Marlon Foust that they healthy and well – please remember them and all of our friends and family who are sheltering in institutional settings.
  4. At Bible Study on Wednesday night we had these reports:
    • Prayerful thanks that Ken Smith is being so well cared for at Courtland Terrace in Gastonia. His rehab phase will end April 29th and he will be able to continue in nursing care without changing rooms.
    • Prayers for Ann Moore, a member of the community, who is at Carmel Hills for memory care.
    • As we were meeting, Victoria Krebs reported that Frank was at the hospital with his brother for surgery to repair a broken ankle – let us pray for them and all who need to seek hospital care during this dangerous time.

For eyes to see the bounty of God’s goodness this week and always, let us pray with thanksgiving to the Lord.

                                                Blessings on us all,

                                                Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 
Weekly Letter – April 16, 2020
 
Contact Information
Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)
Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)
pawcreekpc.org
Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
 
Dear Paw Creek,
Good Easter greetings to you one and all! I hope and trust that the truth of Easter is shining brightly in all our lives this week; and that we all found ways to safely share the day with family and friends; and that we all made it through the storms of Easter evening with not many scratches.
Please join me in thanking our Worship Committee and everyone who made the worship services of last week possible. I am especially grateful that we were able to bring the beauty of the season into the sanctuary with the Easter flowers for all to see.
Those same lovely flowers have now been planted in the Gary Bryant memorial garden and other areas around the sanctuary. If you find yourself out on an “essential” errand, why not drive by the church to see – the glory of God’s creation is truly on display.
Now that the holiday is behind us, we are at the beginning of what may be a long slog, all the more so since we can’t know exactly how long it will last. Let us continue to draw sustenance from our ability to connect, to pray and to worship. This coming Sunday, April 19, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper for the first time as a disbursed community. This is extra-ordinary (= “beyond the expected”) because the heart of the sacrament that Jesus gave us is the togetherness we share when we celebrate. Unlike some other branches of Christians, as Presbyterians we find the power of Christ’s presence not in the piece of bread, but in the fact
of being together. Nevertheless, in our hearts we want to follow the Lord’s commands: “do THIS in remembrance of me”, and so the normal limitations cannot apply. Since we cannot find our togetherness in physical proximity, we will find it in knowing that we each take the same actions in our places of shelter.
Celebration of Communion on April 19 – As I noted last week, we have prepackaged communion sets available with wafer and juice. Kim and Dennis Whittington have generously offered to deliver these to anyone who requests them, within a five mile
radius of the church in Mecklenburg County. IF YOU WOULD LIKE DELIVERY, PLEASE CONTACT KIM AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER (phone and email information above). On Sunday morning, or at whatever time you will be watching our service, be sure to have your communion elements available – either those delivered by Kim and Dennis, or other simple supplies: a bit of bread or crackers and some kind of juice or beverage will do nicely. Then, as we give thanks to God in the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving and remember the words that Jesus spoke in the upper room, in each of our households we will take what we have, eating and drinking together as Jesus commanded. It will not be the same, but it will not be entirely different either, for the Holy Spirit will make it real.
On behalf of the Finance Committee, I am pleased to to tell you that we have finalized arrangements with the Presbyterian Foundation to receive on-line financial gifts. For those whose financial situation during these troubled times allows us to continue our pledge support, such acts of faithfulness and generosity enable the church to remain strong and fully prepared to resume our activities as soon as it is prudent to do so. Checks sent through the mail will of course always continue to be appreciated. However, many of us may find that on-line giving is helpful convenience for now. Simply go to our church website at www.pawcreekpc.org
and click the link for On-line Giving on the homepage. The process is simple, and gifts can be charged to either a checking account or debit/credit card. Please note that in using this service, email receipts and bank account records will reflect that gifts have been made to the Presbyterian Foundation; they will be remitted from the Foundation to the Church, and are fully tax deducible as pledge gifts to Paw Creek Presbyterian Church.
Finally, as always, please don’t forget our weekly meetings on Zoom – prayer meeting Sundays at 10:00 am and Bible Study Wednesdays at 5:30. The Bible Study passages for the next several weeks are listed at the end of this letter. Please let me know if you want to join either of these meetings so that I can give you the correct log-in information.
In this Easter season, please remember these prayers that were collected in recent days:
Continued prayers for Susan Kenley and her family.
Please remember Mary Ellen Edwards and her family in the loss of her mother, Mrs. Amy Eberhardt, over the weekend.
There will be a private burial service in the Fayetteville area, and a public worship service at a later date.
Mike Johnson is at home recovering from out-patient surgery for kidney stones.
Lovelee Steele was released from the hospital after surgery last week – she is now recovering at the home of her daughter
Jeannie in Charlotte.
We rejoice to hear that Courtney and Patrick McCarthy are now fully recovered after being ill with Covid-19.
Please remember Betty Fields as she cares for her husband Raymond at home
These are the prayer requests we had in worship on Sunday:
Our prayers are with Wendy Kemp and her family on the death last week of her father, Mr. John Slater.
Gail Bryant’s sister Vade is making progress at home in Kentucky after her hospitalization – please pray for her to gain strength and be able to eat more.
Frank Dale is home from the hospital in the care of his family.
Prayers for the family of Bill Durham, who died last week, especially his wife Sue and their children; the Durhams were long-time neighbors of Patty and Eric Burns.
Susan Roscoe asks us to remember her friend Pearl Lemieux, a paramedic who contracted Covid-19 and was in ICU care last week.
Chris Timberman reported an update on his friend Nicole Stewart, who was ill with Covid-19 but was beginning to improve.
Frances Lyerly asks us to remember her granddaughter and all others who have been furloughed and laid off during this economic crisis.
For eyes to see the bounty of God’s goodness this week and always, let us pray with thanksgiving to the Lord.
Blessings on us all,
Elliot

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – April 9, 2020

 

Contact Information

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 (forwarded to home)

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

 

From deepest darkness to the most brilliant light –

the journey of Holy Week and Easter

 

 

Dear Paw Creek,

I am writing to you on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Tonight will also be the first night of Passover, when our brothers and sisters in the Jewish community will gather to celebrate the seder meal. Every year at the seder it is traditional for the youngest child in the gathered family to ask four questions, which prompt the telling of the story of the Exodus. The first question is: “How is this night different from all other nights?” (The answer describes the unleavened bread and other foods, and explains what they represent.) But surely tonight, even as the traditional answers are recited, the question will also remind everyone of the innumerable changes that have come in all of our lives over the last four weeks. Tonight’s seder will indeed be different from all other seders, with families gathering by phone or videoconference, or perhaps not able to gather at all.

And by the same token as this week goes on, for those of us who have been accustomed to the rhythms of Holy Week and Easter, our days will be different as well.

How is this Maundy Thursday different from all other Maundy Thursdays? At Paw Creek we will not attempt to recreate our traditional table fellowship. This service for many years has been a moving way to be together and share the intimacy of the meal that Jesus had with his disciples. We will not share the meal this year, but will look forward to next year, when we can again be together, shoulder to shoulder in one place.

How is this Good Friday different from all other Good Fridays? Our tenebrae  service will proceed at 7:00 pm via Facebook and YouTube. Although not together in one place, from each of our homes we will hear again the story of Jesus’s last hours and pause in quietness to reflect on all the meaning that his sacrifice has for us as we serve him in these days.

How is this Easter Sunday different from all other Easter Sundays? It will follow the pattern of the last few weeks, with worship at 11:00 am, again via Facebook and YouTube. We will not raise our voices together to shout “Alleluia”, but we will raise them in our homes and in our hearts. We will not sing together “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”, but we will remember those words and hear that music. We will miss terribly the singing of our choir, but will joyfully await to hear their voices again when the time is right. We will share in the beauty of the Easter flowers as they bedeck our sanctuary. And most of all, we will proclaim the Gospel of Resurrection and cling to its promises as the strength of our risen Savior holds us fast in these days.

This will not be the year when Easter failed to happen. It will be the year when Easter happens with more hope and promise than ever before.

 

I hope this Holy Week letter finds our church family bearing up in these days with God’s help and good blessings. Please don’t forget that, in addition to the worship services listed above (check the church website at pawcreekpc.org for the appropriate links) we have Bible Study on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm and Prayer Group on Sundays at 10:00 am, both via Zoom. If you need the invitation and log-in information, please contact Debbie Taylor or me.

Also, remember that the flowers which we will see in the sanctuary on Sunday are provided through your generous memorial and honorarium gifts – the list of those being honored is attached to today’s letter. The flowers will be planted in the church garden in the coming weeks. If you requested an Easter lily to take home, arrangements for picking it up will be announced on Sunday.

Thanks to all who posted pictures of your Palm Sunday greenery last week. There is a sampling of those pictures attached to today’s letter.

Looking ahead to after Easter, on Sunday, April 19 our worship service will include celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Although we generally find that the sacrament is most meaningful when we are able to be together in person, in this time of distancing we will cross the lines of what is traditional to have an on-line celebration (this kind of celebration has been endorsed by the Office of Worship and Theology of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to accommodate our needs in this extraordinary time.)

During worship on the 19th, after the words of the communion liturgy, everyone will be invited to partake of bread and juice at home. To make this easier, we have prepackaged communion kits available, each with a wafer and a small cup of juice. Kim and Dennis Whittington have very generously volunteered to deliver these kits to anyone who lives in Mecklenburg County within approximately a five-mile radius of the church. If you are not in that area, you can simply have a bit of bread and juice (or any beverage) ready for your household before you watch the service.

If you wish to have communion elements delivered during the week after Easter, please reply to Kim at the church email address or church telephone number (at the top of this letter) by Monday evening, April 13. Specify how many kits you need and include your address. Kim and Dennis will leave an envelope at your front door some day later in the week (probably Thursday, if the weather is good, but at any rate prior to Sunday). Again, many thanks to Kim and Dennis for offering to serve our congregation in this way!

One final word of scheduling: with so much else being disrupted, the Men of the Church have decided to cancel the annual Church Fish Fry, originally planned for Saturday, May 2. It will not be rescheduled for this year, but we look forward to reclaiming this tradition in 2021.

For this holy week, please remember these prayers that were collected in recent days:

  1. We continue to have encouraging news from Patrick and Courtney McCarthy. Both have been released from quarantine and will continue sheltering at home with all the rest of us. Prayers of thanksgiving and continued strength.
  2. Susan Kenley has been experiencing pain and discomfort this week; she was seen for tests on Wednesday and is waiting for results via teleconference with her oncologist. Let us pray for good treatment and quick relief.
  3. Mike Johnson had surgery on Wednesday for kidney stones. As we await word from him, we pray a speedy and full recovery
  4. Lovee Steele was hospitalized on Sunday and had additional surgery for on-going intestinal issues. We pray for her early release from the hospital and full recovery.
  5. Mary Ellen Edwards’s mother, Amy Eberhardt, again is having a week of ups and downs, but generally far better than the prognosis of not so long ago. Let us uphold them all in the days ahead.
  6. We rejoice in the safe birth of two new babies to families in our church, both on Friday, April 3:
    • Kenley Anne McGee, daughter of Nick and Kelly – granddaughter of Amy McGee, great-granddaughter of Susan Kenley.
    • Rhett Allen Winchester, son of Lauren and Troy – grandson of Debbie Wingate – great-grandson of Allen and Laura Wingate.
  7. These are the prayer requests we had in worship on Sunday
    • Gail Bryant’s sister Vade was in the hospital in Kentucky last week, and is now being cared for at home.
    • Vicky Joy is having medical tests this week.
    • Ken Smith continues in care at Courtland Terrace in Gastonia; has now been moved to from rehab to skilled care.
    • John Slater, father of Wendy Kemp, is hospitalized after a fall.
    • Neighborhood resident Bryan Park died last week after contracting Covid-19. Let us remember his wife and children in prayer.
    • Continued prayers for medical workers, and all those who have been affected, both medically and financially, in these days.
  8. These updates were shared during our Bible Study gathering on Wednesday evening:
    • As Frank Dale’s condition has improved, he was released from nursing care to continue PT and OT at home.
    • Gail Bryant reports that her sister Vade’s recovery from hospitalization in Kentucky is going better than expected.
    • Vicky Joy asks us to remember her co-worker Donna Stallings, who has been home for two weeks with the coronavirus.

 

For eyes to see the bounty of God’s goodness this week and always, let us pray with thanksgiving to the Lord.

                                                Blessings on us all,

                                                Elliott

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
Weekly Letter – April 2, 2020
 
Contact Information:
Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 
Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)
pawcreekpc.org
Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube
 
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
– Psalm 118
 
Dear Paw Creek,
Greetings and blessings to us all. Each week brings new challenges, but also new and surprising ways in which we are able to rise and meet these unprecedented times.

In our life as a church family we have begun to settle into these new patterns, but there are more changes ahead as we enter into the familiar rhythms of Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter in unfamiliar ways. And of course Easter week also brings memories of the family celebrations that will be different this year when we cannot gather in traditional ways. Our live-streaming schedule will include Palm Sunday worship, April 5 at 11:00, Good Friday evening worship, April 10 at 7:00, and the Easter celebration on April 12 at 11:00. Continued thanks to the Worship Committee and our worship team for creative ideas.

For Palm Sunday this week, we will have branches in the sanctuary, but we cannot distribute the palms for everyone to take home as we normally do. So here’s an idea that was passed on today from our Presbytery office:

What if everyone on Sunday April 5th in the morning, put a branch on the door
of their house or on the window, to celebrate Palm Sunday?
It could be any green branch you can get. This would help, despite the social
distancing, to be connected as we enter into the Holiest of Weeks.
 
What a great idea and a great witness! As our neighbors get out for exercise and dog-walking, they can see that our homes are places where the Palm Sunday story is being told and celebrated. If you can get hold of any kind of greenery, you can participate. And be sure to take a picture so we can document what we have done.

Don’t forget that we continue with good strong turnout for Sunday prayers each week at 10:00 am and Bible Study on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm. If you still need to be added to the invitation for Zoom, contact Debbie Taylor or me.

For this week, please remember these prayers that were collected in recent days:

1. The news on Patrick and Courtney brings thanksgiving for prayers answered! Courtney continues to improve as she recovers at home after being released from the hospital earlier in the week, and Patrick is “on the mend” as well. Let us continue our prayers of thanks as they move quickly towards full recovery.

2. Mary Ellen Edwards’s mother, Amy Eberhardt, is showing signs of improvement – far beyond the prognosis of a week ago. She is negative for the virus and remains in care as she regains strength.

3. Kelly McGee will be induced into labor on Thursday morning, as she and Nick await the arrival of their daughter Kenley (Amy’s first grandchild AND Susan’s first great-grandchild!). Updates will follow.

4. These are the prayer requests we had in worship on Sunday:

• Allen Wingate is being cared for at home; daughter Debbie has moved in to help with his care.

• Susan Kenley tested negative for Covid-19 and is therefore able to continue her treatment routine with her oncologist.

• Chester Brooks was in Huntersville Hospital with kidney stone issues.

• And a celebration: Celia Gray’s brother just celebrated the first anniversary of his kidney transplant and is doing great!

5. This update was shared during our Bible Study gathering on Wednesday evening:

• Let us continue prayers for Frank Dale and his children, Jane and David, as they make decisions about a move from rehab to nursing care – especially hard in these days when they will not be able to visit facilities or see Frank before or after his move.

6. And a personal thanks from Nell and me for your prayers as our daughter Amanda made the four day drive from Idaho. She arrived safely on Tuesday and will continue her classes on-line at home through the end of the semester.

God brings new blessings each day – let us open our eyes to see them. Don’t forget to find a branch for the front door, if you are able to get out. See you on Palm Sunday.

Blessings on us all,
Elliott

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 
Weekly Letter – March 25, 2020

 

Contact Information:

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329 

Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

Do not fear, for I am with you,

            do not be afraid, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you.

            I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

                                                – Isaiah 41

Dear Paw Creek,

In these days it is hard to get our minds accustomed to how much our lives change from one week to the next. All of us in Mecklenburg County are now under the “stay at home” order as we navigate yet another set of limitations and new routines. A reasonable reaction – reasonable in human terms – is to feel a closing in of fear. Fear for health and safety. Fear for economic repercussions. Fear for ourselves and those we hold most dear.

Isaiah reminds us that an even more appropriate reaction – reasonable and appropriate in God’s terms – is to reject the fear and replace it with the assurance of the knowledge of God’s greater strength against all that assails us. Turning to God is not easy in these times. But it is so much more possible when we lean on each other. Telephones, internet, and other tools make that possible even as we lose physical time together. Let’s redouble our efforts to reach across the divide and encourage one another to remember and rely on the strength of God. Do not be afraid!

There is little breaking news to report, but I do want to let everyone know that the Presbytery has sent out an official ruling from the county that live-streaming church services are “essential” and that we can continue to provide our Sunday worship to everyone from the sanctuary. Mark’s music will grace our worship, and we are all grateful to  him, to Clint, our tech guy, and to the Worship Committee for making it all happen.

We are also keeping up with each other through virtual Sunday morning prayer time (10:00 am) and Wednesday evening Bible Study (5:30). If you want to add your name to either list, to request a CD of the Sunday service, or have any other requests, please let me know. And of course send your requests for prayer or other kinds of assistance to me or the assigned elder who will be checking in on each family in the weeks ahead.

Here are some prayer concerns as of Wednesday afternoon.

  1. Please pray for the family of John Litaker, especially Donna and Elaine, as they mourn his death on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 96. His family gathered was with him at home. There will be a private graveside service on Friday in our church cemetery, and a memorial service later in the year.
  2. Let us pray with special urgency for our choir director, Patrick McCarthy, and his family. Patrick’s wife Courtney is ill, presumably with Covid-19, although test results have not come back yet. She was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday with double pneumonia. Patrick is also showing milder symptoms, and remains home with the children, who have no signs of illness. He is not allowed to visit Courtney in the hospital. Patrick does not need phone calls or messages just now, but cards can be mailed to 9662 Estridge Lane, Concord, NC 28027.
  3. Continue to remember Mary Ellen Edwards and her family with the illness of her mother, Amy Eberhardt in Fayetteville. She is now receiving comfort care and can not have visitors. Mary Ellen was able to be with her for about six hours on Tuesday, but will not be allowed to see her again. Please pray for them both in this difficult separation.
  4. We continue to hold the family of Erskine Foard in prayer. His graveside service was Tuesday for immediate family. We have had requests for contact information for his daughters: Sharon Lamb, 7543 Forest Oak Drive, Denver, NC 28037 and Becki Friend, 106 Teton Place, Mt. Holly, NC 28120.
  5. These are the prayer requests we had in worship on Sunday
    • Frank Dale is progressing in rehab care at Presbyterian Hospital and hopes to be released in the coming days
    • Remembering the families of two community friends who died last week: Millie Hord and Bobby Helms.
    • Health care workers who are on the front lines protecting all of us.
  6. These requests were reported by our elders as they made calls to the congregation this week:
    • Chris Normand’s mother is in nursing care in Maine, family members live near-by but are unable to visit
    • Ken Smith is in nursing care in Gastonia after his fall last week; Vernie is able to contact him by phone but is finding that he is very confused and does not understand why she cannot visit.
    • Lovee Steele is doing well at home and has begun PT after her recent hospitalization
    • Hoyt Johnson reports that he and Jean are doing well and appreciates the outreach
    • Toni Torrence is on the front lines in her work in the office of an ENT practice, and appreciates our prayers for her and her family
  7. And these needs have been lifted up on our prayer chain during the last few days
    • Coleen Vance, close friend of Dina Salvo is at Johns Hopkins hospital to receive treatment for multiple myeloma.
    • Leonora Kaufmann, dear friend of Susan McDonald is waiting for test results on Covid-19; she is a pancreatic cancer survivor and has asthma.

 

May this week bring new signs of God’s strong care to all of us. May we be supported by the glory of new life as spring reclaims the earth. May we stay in close contact and be God’s gifts to one another.

                                                Blessings on us all,

                                                Elliott

 

 

Happy Birthday to Those Celebrating in April!

April 2                                                                     April 3

Ernest Moore                                                             Jack Watson

Sam Shannon

 

April 5                                                                    April 6

Virginia McGranahan                                                 Price Kenley

Sonny Ross

Kay Simmons

 

April 7                                                                    April 10

Shelby Alexander                                                      Victoria Krebs

Emily Cathey

Shannon Drolet

Jo Small

 

April 12                                                             April 13

Abby Glover                                                              Matt Turner

Alex Glover

 

April 14                                                             April 15

Zoey Bryant                                                              Mark Burleson

Bob Rudisill

 

April 16                                                             April 18

Robin Wodarski                                                         Morgan McGee Miller

Joan Wilson

 

April 19                                                             April 21

James Summerlin                                                      Austin Edwards

 

April 22                                                                  April 24

Garrett Joy                                                               Kevin Joy

 

April 25                                                                  April 26

Patty Burns                                                              Sean Glover

Emily Normand

 

April 27                                                                  April 28

Jerry Mullis                                                              Karen Cathey

Lexi Torrence

 

April 30

Doug Edwards

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Weekly Letter – March 19, 2020

 

Contact Information:

Kim Whittington – office@pawcreekpc.org • 704-392-0329
Elliott Hipp – deh46@columbia.edu • 704-502-2143 (calls and text messages)

pawcreekpc.org

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook and YouTube

God is our refuge and strength,

            a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

            though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.

though its waters rage and foam,

            and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

            the God of Jacob is our refuge.

                                                – Psalm 46

Dear Paw Creek,

In these unprecedented times, we cling fiercely to images of the unchangeable strength of God against all tumult and fear. And we cling to one another for we know that together, as those who share the knowledge of the Good News of Christ, we will find his kingdom.

On Tuesday of this week, already a lifetime ago, I was at the aquatic center for a swim. It turned about to be the last swim for the foreseeable future. Afterwards in the locker room I met Mr. Richard Metz and in conversation learned that he is the pastor of Glorious Full Gospel Tabernacle, which is located behind the Excelsior Club off of Beatties Ford Road. We talked about the stresses and strains on our respective congregations in these days, and agreed to pray for each other’s churches (please join me in adding them to your prayer list). As we parted (with an elbow rub) we thought about the coming of Easter in just a few weeks, and about the Easter truth that is still ours even in the midst of Lent: death has been swallowed up in victory, the powers of evil that challenge us have already been defeated, God’s victory is assured. Everything we do in these days has the potential to become a way to live out and display our deep faith that these things are true. To have that faith is to live in the certainty of hope that these trials will pass. And from that hope comes the strength to pour ourselves out in caring for one another. Please join Brother Richard and me in claiming this truth and this power of the Gospel.

Last night the Session of Paw Creek met for the first time via electronic video conferencing. All of our elders were able to participate, and we had a very productive meeting as we reviewed the things we are doing to witness to God’s love, and some new things that we want to implement. This letter is a report to all of the church on those conversations.

  1. Beginning today, I will send out a weekly letter like this to everyone who normally receives our monthly newsletter. It will go out by email and postal mail, and will be available on the church website. I will share news about virtual church activities, about members of our church community, and about our prayer concerns to keep us all a bit more connected.
  2. Sunday morning worship will continue to stream live each week at 11:00 am. It is available on Facebook and now also on YouTube. You can reach either platform by clicking the links on our website homepage. Previous services are available on those sites throughout the week. You may be interested to know that last week’s service was accessed over 900 separate times as of last evening!
  3. We will also begin making audio CD’s of the service to mail out to all who request them. If you have not previously used this service, you can request to be added at any time. This is especially helpful if you are not able to watch the live stream.
  4. The worship experience itself will be evolving as we experiment. Mark and Patrick will both begin participating so that we have the gift of music each week. Also, a member of the session will join me in leadership each week to give you some fresh faces to look at. I would guess that with these additions (and without the need for a long list of opening announcements as we had last Sunday) the services will be running around 45 minutes. There will be a simple order of service on the website each week for you to access or print out.
  5. During the worship service, everyone who is watching in real time will be able to text prayer concerns for sharing with the congregation later in the service.
  6. As I mentioned above, the Session experimented with video conferencing last night. It went pretty well, as each of us pushed past our comfort zones. Although it is new for all of us, we want to give it a try for other church activities as well. If you cannot connect by computer or smart phone, you can still call in from a regular phone (cell or land line) and participate in the audio portion only. Specific instructions are listed later in this letter.
  7. On Sundays at 10:00 am there will be a prayer meeting, as we are used to having each week, conducted on Zoom. You are invited to participate and help share concerns for inclusion in the worship service.
  8. On Wednesdays at 5:30 there will be a Bible Study on Zoom. This will include folks from both the morning and evening classes, and anyone else who wants to join us.
  9. The Congregational Care committee is preparing a list of families in the congregation to be divided up among all our session members. As soon as this is ready, elders will begin calling each family on a regular basis to check in, share news, learn of needs, and help keep us all better connected. Your assigned elder can also be a good additional point of contact when you need to get in touch with your church family.
  10. As I mentioned in my note last week, in person pastoral visits to home or hospital are discouraged except in exceptional circumstances. As we get organized, I will look forward to staying it touch by phone. But please, if you want to chat, even just to hear a familiar voice, don’t hesitate to give me a call.
  11. If you have needs of any kind (errands to be run, chores to be done, information or advice), please be sure to let the church know. If you are on Facebook, you can post it on our page, or you can call me, your assigned elder, or the chairs of the Congregational Care Committee – Joy Tyler and Karen Cathey.
  12. If you are willing to be available to help with errands and such, please call Karen Cathey, who will develop a list that we can turn to.
  13. If you or anyone you know has a financial hardship, the Social Service fund is designed for assistance in times like this. Please call Karen or Grady Cathey.
  14. Session members are keeping watch for news of ways that we can be actively helpful to the larger community. At this point, most programs (such as food assistance at our Back Pack Buddy partner school, River Oaks Academy) are not seeking volunteers because of social distancing. As this changes, we will let everyone know.

 

With all of these things going on, here is some practical information about how to access it all:
  1. Kim is now working from home. She has the capability to do everything there that she can do in the office. Please call or email to make sure we have correct contact information, to add yourself or a family member to the postal mailing list, to receive audio CDs of worship, or any other questions you have.
  2. If you want to participate in Zoom for prayer meetings or Bible Study classes, you can do the following:
    1. On your phone or computer go to us and click “Sign up, it’s free” in the upper righthand corner. Follow the prompts to create a new account (it’s free!). User name is your email, and you create your own password.
    2. As part of the sign up process, allow the website to download the zoom app – you will use the same name and password as on the website.
    3. Let us know that you want to participate: contact me for Bible Study, or contact Debbie Taylor for Sunday prayer meeting.
    4. We will send you an Invitation via email once the meeting is scheduled (it will be a different invitation each week)
    5. At the time of the meeting, open your invitation and click “Join Zoom Meeting”. That will open the app and take you to the meeting. Click to allow use of video.
    6. During the meeting, keep your microphone on “Mute” and only turn it off of Mute when you want to speak. Without this there is so much background noise that it’s hard to hear.
  3. If you want to call in for audio only, please just let Debbie or me know. Each week we will contact you with a phone number to call and ID number to enter to be connected. The phone numbers are long distance so be sure you call from a phone that has unlimited long distance.
  4. Starting next week, the order of worship for Sunday morning will be attached to this weekly newsletter for those that receive it by mail. Starting tomorrow, there will be a link on the website homepage so that you can download it, and print if you wish.

 

In all of this, I want to say a special word of thanks to our Session members for their great ideas, creativity and support last night and always. And an extra special word to our wonderful staff. Mark and Patrick are going the extra mile to bring beauty and Spirit to our new worship reality. Kim, quite simply, is holding it us all together – she knows how to do everything! Thank you all.

 

Each week, I will close with the prayer concerns that I know of at the time this goes out. Please continue to send requests to Ann Cashion or me; to call in to our 10:00 am prayer time; or to text concerns to me during the service. For today, Thursday, March 19:

  1. As I have worked on this letter today, I received word that Erskine Foard died this morning in hospice care at Presbyterian Hospital. Erskine was God’s faithful servant for decades at Glenwood ARP Church, and has been a cherished member here at Paw Creek in recent years. Please remember his daughters, Becki and Sharon. They will have a private burial service soon and a memorial service later when we can all gather again.
  2. Please pray for John and Elaine Litaker and their family. John is comfortable at home, and earlier this week accepted in-home hospice support to assist in his on-going care.
  3. Lovelee Steele is at home recovering after a hospitalization and emergency surgery.
  4. Frank Dale was hospitalized with complications from surgery to remove a skin cancer, and is now in the Rehab wing at Presbyterian Hospital.
  5. Please pray for all of those in nursing and rehab care who are now on lockdown and unable to visit with their families. Pray for the staff who are caring for them, and for all medical staff. Pray for our country and our world, for leaders with strength, and medical researchers with brilliant knowledge to understand and lead us forward.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read all this – it will get more simple as time goes on! Let us close with this prayer, offered in the Book of Common Worship for a time of National Crisis:

God of the ages, in your sight nations rise and fall, and pass through times of peril. Now when our land is troubled, be near to judge and save. May leaders be led by your wisdom; may they search your will and see it clearly. If we have turned from your way, help us to reverse our ways and repent. Give us your light and your truth to guide us; through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of this world, and our Savior. Amen.

 

                                                Blessings on us all,

                                                Elliott

Question of the Week – (Each week I plan to pose a question, gather your responses, and share them with everyone the following week – a simple way to keep in touch):
 
How are your millennials? Children or grand-children, college students, graduate students, young marrieds, 20-somethings, the next generation. Have they come home? Are they sheltering where they are? What changes and challenges are they facing?
 

Email, text or call and I’ll compile the information next week.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
February 26, 2020
 

Dear Friends,

 

How did Jesus change YOUR life?

 

As the years go by, I become more and more convinced that Jesus HAS changed our lives, each one of us. And in order to change our lives,  Jesus has sought us out. He has been real to each one. He has shown us his face, whether in the face of a loved one, in the raging of life’s storms, in the surge of life’s wildest joys, or even (for some) in a vision or a dream.

 

We are not accustomed to talking about the times that Jesus became present to us, and so we may miss his presence altogether. What     better time than the season of Lent for us to search the scriptures and learn from them how to recognize Jesus when he comes? This Lenten season at Paw Creek, the Worship Committee invites us to do just that. Each Sunday we will read a story about a time when Jesus came face to face with someone, and we will dive deeply into those stories to seek clues: what is it like to see Jesus’s face? How did he change the lives of those people?

 

On Palm Sunday, when Jesus came face to face with a great milling crowd, we will turn the spotlight on ourselves. WE are the crowd. WE have seen his face. WE will never be the same. Each of us (if and as we are led) will have the chance to tell our story: “How did Jesus change MY life?”. Let us plan to be together on Sunday mornings throughout Lent as the Worship Committee invites us to prepare our stories and record them to share. What a great adventure!

 

See you in church,

 

Elliott

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________
January 29, 2020
 
Dear Friends,

 

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

 

It’s beginning to look like we are making our way through a pretty mild winter. But even so, as February bears down on us it feels like that quiet time of year. Stay in, keep close to home, recover from the holidays and rest up for the busy-ness of spring. As Ecclesiastes tell us, God has plans to give us everything we need, including rest and rejuvenation at the appointed time. Every need has its season and our job is to embrace what God gives us – on his schedule and in his time.

 

So if your life is giving you the gift of a little bit of quietness right now, I hope you can take advantage. That’s the way it feels on our church calendar as well. A quiet February will be over before we know it, and soon Lent, Easter, Pentecost and all manner of activities rush to the forefront. As February begins, let’s embrace its gifts, as they prepare us for new joys to come.

 

Blessings, Elliott

______________________________________________________________________________________________________
December 18, 2019
 
Dear Friends,

 

We stand at the turning point this week, as the anticipation of the Advent Season gives way to the glory of Christmas and the arrival of the Christ Child. The multitude of presents under the Giving Tree is now on its way to neighborhood kids. Same with the final Backpack Buddy shipment of 2019, off to River Oaks Academy along with extra Christmas-time support for the children and their families. Room In the Inn is ready to receive neighbors on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Truly, the preparations are all in place.

 

And here at Paw Creek as well, all has been made ready to welcome the Messiah. On Sunday the Jesse Tree will receive its final ornaments as the gift of poinsettias fills the sanctuary. And the Christmas story will be told again in word and in song, both on Sunday in our service of Lessons and Carols, and on Tuesday night with candlelight and the sharing of communion. All that is needed now is you and me. I hope that each of us can make it a priority to come. Not just to show appreciation for all the wonderful music that we will hear, and all the beauty that we will see. But even more, let us come with open hearts, knowing that we are the ones who will receive the gifts that the Messiah brings. Truly, all the preparations are God’s preparations for us, and we will be blessed in being together as God’s family.

 

Best Christmas blessings to us all,

 

Elliott

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________
November 27, 2019

 

Dear Friends,

 

The jam-packed holiday season gets into full swing this week. Best wishes to all of us for a restful Thanksgiving week full of good food, family and friends!

 

Almost as soon as the left-overs are packed away, the calendar will shift again. By next Sunday we will be on our way in the season of Advent. Advent is the time when we reenact the way that God’s people waited for a Messiah throughout the centuries prior to the birth of Jesus. And of course we also share in their experience of waiting as we remember our own longing for the return of Jesus to reign as our Christ and Redeemer.

 

There are many ways for us to experience the count-down to Christmas, including Advent calendars, the Advent wreath, and our tradition of placing figures in the creche week by week. This year we add a new tradition, which comes as the joint creative effort of the Worship Committee, the Congregational Care Committee and the Presbyterian Women. It’s called the “Jesse Tree” and it remembers the words of the Prophet Isaiah, who foretold the birth of a king as a new branch on the family tree of Jesse – the father of King David.

 

The branches of the Jesse Tree are made up of the stories of people in the Old and New Testaments who pointed towards the promise of the Messiah in their deeds and words. On Sunday, December 1, we will receive a devotional booklet with 25 Bible stories – one for each day until Christmas. Please consider making these stories a part of your devotions for the month of December. To help us keep them in mind, each Sunday there will be ornaments added to the tree in the sanctuary that represent the stories that we are reading. As the tree fills up, the Messiah comes nearer and nearer.

 

Please have a look at the rest of this newsletter for all our Advent and Christmas activities – may the coming light of Christ brighten the lives of you and your family during this holy season!

 

Blessings, Elliott

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 30, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
This coming Sunday, November 3, will be our annual celebration of All Saints Day. As we give thanks for God’s gift of the Communion of Saints, we will especially remember those saints of our congregation who have died during the past 12 months.  There will also be time for each of us to come forward and give thanks for the special saints that have played an important role in our own lives through the years.
 
As Christians, we live with the promise and the knowledge that our lives cannot be contained within the bounds of the world that we can see, touch and feel with our senses. Throughout our lives we are gladdened by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives. The Spirit gives us guidance, courage and assurance when times are hard – and likewise fills us with joy and thanksgiving as we are become aware of the countless ways that God showers us with blessings.
 
Often we come to understand that trials and blessings occur at the same time and for the same reasons. It is one of those experiences (perhaps the most powerful example) that overtakes us on All Saints Day. To remember the loved ones who are no longer a tangible part of our lives is an experience of sadness and loss. And yet to celebrate the promise and sure knowledge that those same loved ones live on in God’s resurrection and (most comforting for us) remain in communion with us as daily companions in our lives is an experience of untold joy. On All Saints Day our
tears and our laughter mingle together in ways that we cannot understand, but ways
that point our hearts and our gratitude to God.
 
I hope you can join us on Sunday. God will be there. Members and extended family of our congregation will be there. All of our Saints, yours and mine, will be there as well. What a day of joy it will be!
 
Blessings, Elliott
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 25, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
Glory to God!
That’s the name of our new hymnal, which we will begin using on October 6, Homecoming Sunday. Actually, we started using the new hymnal in September, since many of our worship songs this month were taken from there: our opening song “When the Lord Redeems the Very Least” to the tune of “I’ll Fly Away”; our prayer response “Rain Down”; and our doxology “Glory to God, Whose Goodness Shines on Me” (which lends its name to the entire hymnal.) Starting October 6 the purple “Glory to God” books will replace the blue “Presbyterian Hymnal” in the pews and will provide all of our hymns and worship songs. “Glory to God” was published by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2013 and was chosen this summer by our Session and Worship Committee to bring more choices to our Sunday singing. The purple book has 853 songs, compared to 605 in the blue book, so there’s lots of room for variety. All of the familiar hymns are still there, along with new songs written since 1990, and international songs. Plus (and this to me is the best thing about the new book), the editors added back many of our favorite “oldies” that had been lost during the 1960s and 70s. So we will truly have a wealth of riches to choose from AND sing from. In the coming weeks and months, Patrick, Mark and I will be working to introduce the treasures in “Glory to God”. I hope all of us will take time to explore the book – when you find something you want to try, please let one of us know and we’ll start adding those choices to the order of worship. And, inevitably, we will try a few things that just don’t work – so don’t hesitate to say so if you didn’t like something and we’ll take that into account too.
 
Besides the excitement of opening a new hymnal, we are grateful that these books come to us as a gift from the estate of Mrs. Sue Ballard Love (who was our oldest church member when she died in February 2018), and will be placed in the sanctuary as a memorial to Sue and her husband Brooks. We are also grateful to receive a new pulpit Bible in the New Revised Standard Version from Sue’s estate. Sue’s daughter and granddaughter, Barbara and Susan, will join us for homecoming along with their families, for the formal dedication of these gifts.
 
To complete the update of our worship resources, we are also grateful to receive a new set of pew Bibles in the New Revised Standard Version to match our new pulpit Bible. These pew Bibles were originally given by Mr. and Mrs. John and Phyllis Clark to Steele Creek Church as a memorial to John’s parents and brother. With Steele Creek’s move and merger with the Pleasant Hill Church, they became available; at John’s instigation the Steele Creek/Pleasant Hill Session has donated them for our use. Homecoming Sunday will be a wonderful time to reconnect with our extended church family as we celebrate these generous gifts and begin to enjoy their riches. Please invite your own family and friends to join us. See you on October 6!
 
Blessings, Elliott
 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 28, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
You can tell from this Newsletter and from the buzz of activity around Paw Creek that the busyness of the fall season is upon us. As we move our worship time back to 11:00 this Sunday, we also see new beginnings for our Sunday School classes, CCC (our Wednesday night children’s program), Backpack Buddies at River Oaks Academy, weekly Bible Study, and Presbyterian Women’s circles, to name a few. We will be collecting gifts to honor the memory of Kay Scearce, doing craft projects to prepare for the upcoming Advent season, and making the CFC ready to welcome neighbors to Room in the Inn. There will be more opportunities for fellowship and food as we celebrate Homecoming in October, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving in November, and enjoy a family Christmas celebration in December.
 
All of this activity – the working out of God’s love in church and in the world – is possible because of the time, talent and financial commitment of each of us who make up this community. It can be easy to loose sight of all that we do together, as we focus on each individual event. To help us keep an eye on the big picture, during the fall season the Finance Committee has arranged for 10 of our committees and programs to make presentations about the work that they do on our behalf. Beginning in September, a short time during worship each week will be devoted to hearing their reports and celebrating the many forms of ministry that we do together. Please listen to what they have to say, make a point to thank those who are working hard for the kingdom, and maybe even consider joining in some of the projects that are close to your own heart. These are the places where our commitment to the kingdom becomes real. Thanks be to God for all that we do!
 
Blessings, Elliott
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
July 24, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
By the time you read this, I will be away for a couple of weeks of summer vacation. I appreciate the time to relax a bit and recharge for the busy fall season ahead. I know that many of you have been getting away and I hope your time has been enjoyable as well. Many of you seem to be flocking to the beach, but given the heat wave, I must say I am thankful that we chose to head to the hills!
 
The Psalmist speaks of the hills in Psalm 121 – “I will lift mine eyes until the hills ,” and we are lifted to visions of strength, security and refuge. But the mountains are not really the subject of the Psalm. Immediately the focus changes to the one who made the mountains. “From where will my help come – My help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” The visions of refuge and rest are real, but the focus is on the maker, not on the gifts that maker has provided. What a great lesson! Even our times of relaxing point us back to God.
 
Give thanks for all of God’s abundant care – and then sit back and let his love and compassion make us new again. Now that’s a receipt for summer vacation.
 
Blessings to us all,
Elliott
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June 19, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
By now, I hope that many of us have had the chance to try out the summer combined Sunday School classes. Our lessons this year are being taken from an excellent video series called “That the World May Know”. Each lesson was filmed on-site in Israel at the location of important Bible events.
 
The stories that make up the Old and New Testaments are intricately related to the geography, climate and customs of the world in which those stories took place. Jesus, for example, filled his parables with many details that reflect his world and his human experience. The Bible’s meaning for us becomes much more life-changing as we know and understand its world. Our summer video series does an excellent job of making that world come to life, especially for those of us who have spent our lives in very different surroundings.
 
We are grateful to the Men’s Tuesday Bible Study class, which has purchased these videos and is making them available to the whole church this summer. If you have not yet joined the class, please plan to do so. I know you will really enjoy it.
 
Class starts at 9:45 on June 23. On June 30 it will take place as part of the Fifth Sunday breakfast at 9:00 in the CFC. And then starting July 7 we will move to 9:00 am through August 25, to go along with the early summer worship schedule.
 
See you there! Elliott
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June 5, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
Happy 210! In 2019 Paw Creek marks the 210th anniversary of its founding – and that means that it has been 10 years since the church Bicentennial in 2009 and 10 years since the beginning of our renewed partnership with Woodland Presbyterian Church. This coming Sunday – the Day of Pentecost – is the time to celebrate and remember all of those anniversaries.
 
If you are new to Paw Creek in the last 10 years, or if your memory is getting rusty(!) let’s remember what this partnership with Woodland Church is all about. Prior to the Civil War, the membership of Paw Creek included a large number of African-Americans who were slaves working on the farms of this community. After emancipation came, those members followed the example of other black Presbyterians throughout Mecklenburg County to pull away and form their own churches. The freed slaves of Paw Creek became the charter members of Woodland. Although our two churches have supported one another in many ways over the years, our relationship became stronger in 2009. To mark the Bicentennial of Paw Creek, we shared a joint project to mark the forgotten slave graves in the Paw Creek cemetery and to dedicate a shared monument to their memory on Pentecost Sunday. We have done many things together since then, but the most enduring and most cherished has been the annual Pentecost service.
 
So now we are ready for our 11th Annual combined celebration of Pentecost on Sunday, June 9 beginning at 10:45 on the front lawn at Paw Creek. Please come for spirited music, rousing worship, and a bodacious pot-luck luncheon in the CFC. But even more, come to renew the connections and honor the memories of everything that has happened in the past years of both our churches. The Holy Spirit will be there, and I hope you will too!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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May 22, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
What a great time we had last Saturday at the first ever Paw Creek Community Breakfast! The food was delicious and the CFC was humming with conversation and good cheer. It was exactly what the Outreach Committee had envisioned – and our thanks go to the committee and everyone involved for their dedication and hard work. That includes the chefs, first of all, along with the servers, those who set up and cleaned up, and everyone who passed the word and invited friends, neighbors and family to join us.
 
The Community Breakfast (may there be many more in the months and years to come!) is a perfect example of what the Bible calls the practice of hospitality. The Old Testament speaks of the sacred duty to welcome strangers with food and shelter. The New Testament speaks of the many meals that Jesus shared with people regardless of their class, position or reputation. And in the middle ages, the monasteries and convents of Europe were places of refuge. Hospitality has no ulterior motive – we don’t open the doors to make money or gain converts. But, as the book of Hebrews notes, when we open the doors wide, we often find that we have “entertained angels unawares”. We simply follow the commandment to receive all who come, and God decides what to make of our efforts.
 
Of all the things we can do to practice the Gospel, the most powerful is simply to open the doors. What a great start we have made. Let’s keep up the good work!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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May 8, 2019
 
Dear Friends,

 

This week I’d like to share some thoughts that came to mind as we were preparing for the MAC Team meeting last week. The MAC Team, you may remember, is the quarterly meeting of our committee chairs, partly to coordinate work and help each other, but most importantly to listen well to the plans that the Holy Spirit has for Paw Creek.  
 
As I told the MAC Team on Thursday night, I find myself thinking about the next chapter(s) of our church’s life as a riddle like the ones posed in the game of Jeopardy (where they give us the answer and we come up with the question).  
 
The answer is everything that the Holy Spirit has done in, to, with and for Paw Creek up through today. This would include our many strengths (great, committed people who are generous, talented and friendly; wonderful music and worship; lots of life-changing mission efforts; great facilities – to name a few.) It would also include things that may feel like weaknesses but may be the Spirit’s way of preparing us for a special task (an industrial neighborhood; the distance to areas where people live; older congregation and not many new, younger members; etc.)  
 
The question we are looking for is in the form of a fill-in-the-blank – “If the Holy Spirit wanted Paw Creek to do _________________, what conditions would the Spirit give us to work with?” In other words: we’ve got everything we need to do something amazing. Now let’s work backwards and find out what we can do with what we’ve got. And while we’re at it, let’s quit wishing that we had a different set of strengths!  
 
The first step that the MAC Team identified last week is lots and lots of prayer. We will have an invitation for that soon, but it’s never to early to start. And in the meantime, I would love to have all of us put on our thinking caps and see what comes to mind. How would YOU fill in the blank? How would YOU pose the question? Think about it, talk about it, and let’s all start sharing our ideas. I can’t wait to find out the question – can you?  
 
Blessings, Elliott 
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April 24, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
Christ the Lord is Risen – He is risen indeed!
 
It was glorious to celebrate the Easter miracle on Sunday with all our gathered friends, family and visitors. In fact, all of our worship times throughout Holy Week, from Palm Sunday all the way to Easter were times of contemplation, renewal and ultimately joyful celebration of all God’s goodness.
 
Our gatherings last week represented the dedication of so many members of our church community. Looking back on the week I want to recognize and thank you each one for all that you did. Let’s start with the Worship Committee, which begin to make preparations way back in the cold of winter. Their creativity and dedication yielded an abundant harvest! Decorations for the various services were headed up by Vickie Joy, who gathered a team to prepare the Scout Hut for Maundy Thursday and then create the Easter garden, cold and lifeless on Good Friday and bursting with color and life on Sunday morning (special thanks to the Boy Scouts for setting the furniture in the Scout Hut!) Our various dramatic readers were under the direction of Miriam Childress and Tanya Gross. They master-minded the Passion reading on Palm Sunday and the Service of Shadows on Good Friday – bravo to them and all the readers. Music was the emotional power that held all our services together and made them come alive. Mark Burleson, Patrick McCarthy and the whole choir have been preparing for weeks, from the power of the music of Jesus Christ, Superstar, to the intimacy of Maundy Thursday and the desolation of Good Friday, to the glory of Easter. Thanks to all of them – and especially soloist Larry Ramsey and flutist Susan Bandel. And of course, from beginning to end Kim Whittington was juggling it all from the church office, with her accustomed grace and great competence!
 
But at the end, don’t forget that we all had an important part to play by choosing to come, sing, pray and listen. We chose to make it a special week, to take time out of our schedules, to invite friends and family. Easter happens just once a year, but may its blessings follow us throughout the year, animating our faith and sending us forward to serve our risen Lord.
 
Alleluia! Elliott
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April 10, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
Why do we go to church? Or, another way to put it – what does the church offer that we can’t get anywhere else? For me, one clear answer is that the experience of worship is something which is vital to our lives and which we can find in no other place. God can certainly reach us at any time and in any place. But our human makeup is such that we can best perceive God, connect with God, and learn from God when we set aside a holy time and a holy place.
 
One author a few years ago subtitled her book about worship “A Royal Waste of Time”, and that about sums it up. If you observe it from the outside looking in, it appears to be so much “wasted” or “unproductive” time. But those of us who experience it from the midst of it know that God is working there to calm our fears, gladden our hearts, and fit us for the other 167 hours of the week.
 
With those thoughts in mind, I invite all of us to attend to the opportunities for worship that await us in the coming week. The Easter celebration and the days that lead up to it are the crowning jewel of our annual cycle of worship: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day. Each of these services of worship will have it’s own special flavor and spirit. The mood, as we move from one to the next, will bring us into God’s presence with the whole range of human emotions and experiences. Each one picks up where the other leaves off. Throughout the history of the church, this one week has been the prism through which the rest of the year – and the rest of life – have been passed.
 
It only happens once a year. I look forward to seeing you in church, where we can waste some time together!
 
Godspeed,
Elliott
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March 27, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
Are YOU part of the “Sandwich Generation”? You may be . . . IF one or more of these statements is true about you and the members of your family:
_____ You have teenagers at home headed for adulthood
_____ Your twenty-somethings are out there navigating the real world – jobs, schooling,                           apartments, relationships, marriages
_____ Your parents need and deserve your time, attention, assistance and care
_____ And/or the loss of your parent(s) in the last few years is still fresh and difficult
_____ You find yourself navigating the rocky waters between giving them (kids AND parents)                  their independence when they want it and your undivided attention when they need it
_____ You find more and more there’s “no time for us” – “no time for me”
_____ And above all else, you look around and realize that shocking feeling: “Now I’m the adult                taking care of EVERYONE. How did that happen!?”
 
How many statements can you check? If any of this is familiar, chances are you too are part of the Sandwich Generation.
 
The Congregational Care committee invites everyone in the Sandwich Generation to get together, share support and stories, and look for ways to help each other through this next, hardest phase of being the ADULT.
 
We will start with a supper meeting after Easter to mingle and enjoy being together, and informally explore what this group could look like and what it could become.
 
Who:The Sandwich Generation
When: Saturday, April 27 at 6:00 pm
Where:Nell and I look forward to welcoming you at our house – 310 Mill Road in Biddleville                       (directions will be provided)
What: Supper and good cheer
 
Please let us know if you can come by speaking to me (deh46@columbia.edu) or one of the committee chairs: Joy (ttyler@bellsouth.net); or Amy (amyskmcgee@gmail.com)
 
Blessings, Elliott
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March 13, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
The “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is among the most well-known and often-discussed of all the parables that Jesus told. As recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15: 11-32), the parable is a masterpiece of storytelling, with vivid characters, dramatic action and gripping dialogue. Even after all these centuries of being discussed and dissected, the story continues to have great power to grab our attention and lead us to struggle over its meaning. Every time we read it and grapple with it, it has new wisdom to offer. I think Jesus would be pleased that we still take his parable so seriously!
 
Much of the discussion over the years has centered on the question: whose story is this anyway? We generally call it the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”, but other names have been suggested, including the “Parable of the Running Father” and the “Parable of the Angry Brother”. Each of the three main characters has much to teach us, and often we run out of time to really do the story justice.
 
With this in mind, I have planned during Lent this year to spend three weeks on the “Parable of the Father and his Sons” during the sermon time in worship. That will give us time to hear the story from the point of view of each member of the family. Plus, since our sermons in Lent this year are using the “conversational” format, everyone has a chance to have a say and join the discussion (or just listen and learn – remember, we are not going to force anyone to talk.) So I hope you can join us in worship starting this Sunday, March 17, and continuing on March 24 and March 31 as we add our perspectives to this centuries-old conversation. And if you want to dig even deeper, don’t forget that we discuss the sermon texts every week in Bible Study prior to the Sundays when they are assigned – Wednesdays at 10 am and Thursdays at 5:30 pm. Please join us!
 
See you in Church, Elliott
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February 27, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
Next week marks the beginning of the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, March 6. Our Worship Committee has been busy in recent weeks making plans for this season, including some creative ways of preparing the sanctuary to visually mark the transformation from Lent to Easter, some familiar worship experiences (the Passion reading on Passion/Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday worship at table in the Scout Hut, and Good Friday tenebrae) and something new (a simple Ash Wednesday service in the sanctuary – see details in this newsletter). And of course Patrick, Mark and the choir are already busy preparing for the music of Lent and especially for Palm Sunday and Easter. Please join us on Ash Wednesday at 6:00, and look for all the details of dates and times of other services as they come nearer.
 
Beyond the details of the plans we have, I would also like to invite us to remember why the Lenten season is part of our church year. Although many of us have heard the popular idea that Lent is about “giving up” something valuable for a period of time, really a better understanding is to focus on the idea of “preparation”. In the very early days of the church, new Christians were traditionally baptized after midnight in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. The weeks leading up to Easter therefore became a time of preparing the converts by teaching them the faith and helping them deepen their relationship to Christ. More recently – when most of us are baptized as infants – the tradition has taking the same idea of preparation and has encouraged all followers of Jesus to spend these weeks in learning and in spiritual renewal. In that way all of us can also participate in Easter, not as the beginning of our Christian journeys, but as a yearly recommitment to our Christian life. Seen in this way, Lent has something to offer all of us, especially in these hectic times when it is so easy to be pulled away from Jesus and his message. Who doesn’t need to make that kind of recommitment every single year?
 
Next Wednesday we will say these ancient words just before we make the sign of the ashes: “We are invited, therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.” Until then, please take a moment to reflect on this invitation – I hope that all of us will be able to find ways to participate throughout this holy season.
 
Godspeed,
Elliott
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February 13, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
I am sure that every single one of us has had the good fortune of knowing people who have been guides or mentors or examples to us as we have made our way through life. Often we remember especially those who have helped us in our younger years, but God gives us these helpers at every stage of our lives. The word “saint” is a good word for describing these people.
 
Today I would like to offer thanksgiving for one of the most important saints of my younger years. Her name back then was Carolyn Darr. Officially she was the organist and choir director at Trinity Presbyterian Church, and she was a highly accomplished musician. But since I was a children’s choir member of uncertain ability, my dealings with her went well beyond the choir room. Luckily for so many of us, she gave generously of her time, friendship and deep Christian faith to children and teenagers in and beyond the choir. In fact, she continued to offer her time and wisdom to me throughout my years in college and graduate school, and was a treasured sounding board as I made the vocational decisions that shaped my life.
 
About the time I graduated from high school, Mrs. Darr began a journey back to her roots in the Episcopalian church. First she left Trinity to become choir director at Christ Church in Charlotte. And then a few years later, having been left a youngish widow with no children, she entered holy orders as a nun in the Episcopalian Society of St. Margaret and became known as Sister Carolyn. She eventually served for a time as the mother superior of her order at their convent near Boston.
 
Last week, Sister Carolyn died full of years – well loved by those who surrounded her in Boston, and fondly remembered by those of us who knew her during her years in Charlotte. Please join me to pay tribute to the life and ministry of Sister Carolyn by taking a moment to remember some of your own saints, and to raise thanksgiving to God for their lives and ministries as well.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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January 30, 2019
 
Dear Friends, This is a good time of year to remember that one way for us to serve God’s church is through the committees and programs here at Paw Creek. Have a look at the Session report for January and notice the list of committees and new committee chairs. Every single one of those committees needs more members with ideas, time and energy to get their work done (the chairs and vice chairs can’t do it all alone!)
 
Some time very soon, one of these committees may approach you and ask you to join their work, or to take on a particular assignment. I hope you will consider the invitation seriously. Or – why wait? If you have a special interest in the work of one of these areas, then by all means speak up! Just look at the list and feel free to contact the chair directly. (If you prefer, you can always just grab me sometime and I will happily bring the news of your interest to the right people.) As I mentioned in church yesterday, many of those same committee chairs were at the NEXT Church Symposium on Saturday and they came back all fired up with ideas and enthusiasm. This is an exciting time in which God has plan for us. Perhaps YOU are just the fresh breath that one of our committees needs.
 
And of course don’t forget our many other on-going projects and groups – Room in the Inn, Presbyterian Women and Presbyterian Men, to name a few. Please – find the place that God has prepared for you, and go sign up.
 
Thank you! and God’s blessing on us and our church,
Elliott
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January 16, 2019
 
Dear Friends,
 
This is the first newsletter of 2019, so it looks like the new year has started and is well on its way. I certainly hope and pray that the year brings peace and joy to all of us, and to our church as a family. Even though nothing much changed at midnight on January 1, we still have a sense of new opportunities. This is traditionally a time of making plans and promises (sometimes we call them “resolutions”). Maybe better than specific resolutions – for God’s plans are always mightier than our own – we can simply seek an attitude of joyful expectation. We say that we trust God with our lives, but do we really expect him to come through? God has more than enough goodness and blessings to go around – enough that we can share with everyone we know and still have plenty left over. Maybe it is as simple as that, just coming to expect what is already coming our way. May 2019 be for all of us a new opportunity to be astounded what God will do.
 
With New Years blessings,
Elliott
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December 19, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
Our recent, and highly unusual December snow storm has gotten me to remembering an incident from a long time ago – December 1980 to be exact! I was a first year graduate student living in New York City in a dorm room the size of a thimble. John Lennon had just been killed thirty blocks away, and first semester exams were looming. The later it got in December, the closer the exams, the greater the pressure, the greater the cares of the world. Truly, the coming of the Messiah seemed like a long shot that year.
 
I kept my shoulder to the grindstone, but a small notice in the New York Times caught my eye – the Sunday afternoon before Christmas there would be a service of Evening Prayer with Advent music in the magnificent sanctuary of St. Thomas church on Fifth Avenue, a few doors down from Rockefeller Center. The choir of St. Thomas is world famous, and their concerts could be pricey, but this was a worship service so it would be free. I decided to study hard all weekend and give myself this one holiday treat.
 
When Sunday afternoon came I bundled up and headed to the subway. Two transfers and fortyfive minutes later I got off the train and headed up the stairs. The subway station for the D train lies deep underground below St. Thomas church, and the entrance is practically at its front door. As I emerged onto Fifth Avenue, my senses were bombarded one after another. First the crowds – Fifth Avenue on the Sunday before Christmas just like the song says: “city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style”. Then, sure enough, the bells. Deep and resonant, they were pealing from the church tower to announce the afternoon service. But most of all, while I had been underground it had started to snow (a very big deal for a kid fresh in from Mecklenburg County!) Hard to believe at first, but there they were, soft, gentle flakes almost suspended in the gathering dusk.
 
The Christmas spirit snuck up on me that year, all for the price of a subway token. But it does come every year, and my chilly, snowy reminder is a good lesson for all of us: the merriest part of Christmas – the first Christmas and every subsequent one – is the part that comes as a gift, unexpected, unannounced, and full of grace and truth.
 
A very Merry Christmas to us all,
Elliott
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December 5, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
This coming Sunday will usher in something just a little bit different in our worship service. At the recommendation of the Congregational Care committee, Session voted a few weeks ago to retire the familiar “Fellowship Pads” that sit on the end of each pew. In their place you will find a new kind of visitor and prayer card – we hope these will allow us to do a better job of communicating for all of us.
 
First, the Fellowship Pads: we are finding that they capture a lot of information that we don’t often use, but at the same time they are not really suited to letting us gather the information we need. So, after many years, we will bid them a fond farewell.
 
And now, the new pew cards: these are designed to get the two kinds of information that we really want to have. That is (1) a good snapshot of our visitors and (2) a good way for all of us to share news and request prayers. So here’s what to expect:
 
• When we welcome visitors each week, we will invite them to write down their contact information and place the card in the offering. Everyone can help with this. If you see visitors sitting near you, please take time to welcome them, and be sure to hand them a card and ask them to fill it out. That kind of personal invitation is the very best way to make our visitors feel welcome.
 
• When we gather prayer concerns, you can use back of the cards to write down names and information about the people you are praying for. I will collect them out of the offering and read them at our prayer time. We hope this will help us be sure that everyone can hear your concern and that we get all the names and facts correctly. If you would rather keep the information private, feel free to just hand me the card after worship.
 
The new cards will be available in the pew racks. For the next few weeks they will also be included as inserts in the bulletin, to help get us used to using them. (Please leave unused cards in the pews each week so we can collect and recycle.)
 
The Session and Congregational Care committee are looking forward to making this small transition, and seeing big returns. Please let any of us know if you have any ideas or suggestions.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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November 21, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
Thanksgiving greetings! The Bible has an awful lot to say about food: where to find it, how to prepare it, when to eat it. But above all: how to be thankful for it. We need to be fed every day, and because of that our meals are never far from our minds. So the Bible grabs our attention by talking about our food, and then turns our thoughts to God. When we eat each day, we are to think about God. When we harvest each year, we are to think about God. When we recognize the gifts of strength and health throughout our lives, we are to think about God.
 
And how do we think about God? With thanksgiving. To give thanks is to remember that all that we have is a gift of things we cannot make for ourselves, and it is to remember that without those gifts, we would perish. Although we rely on God for everything, there is nothing at all which God needs from us. And yet we fill him with joy when we give our thanks. His joy then warms our hearts and lifts up our lives. Of course food is only the beginning of the things we receive from God. But that is where God’s generosity first catches our imagination. That’s why a day of thanksgiving is focused on the feast. As we share the glory of God’s good creation, how can our hearts help but overflow with appreciation?
 
For Thanksgiving this year, may our tables be full, may our loved ones be close, and may our lists of God’s blessings grow until be can hardly believe our eyes. That is what the Bible envisions, and that is what I wish for all of us.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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November 7, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
In our Presbyterian Church, the idea of being a church member is the cornerstone of a congregation. Church members have the sacred responsibility to support God’s work with gifts of time and money, to elect church leaders, to study and learn God’s word, and to be Christian brothers and sisters to one another through all life’s ups and down. But even more importantly than all that, church members take a stand and proclaim to all the world that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of our lives and that we will follow him in everything we do. In some times and places is has been dangerous to make those statements – but even when it is not dangerous, it is still necessary because the world needs our example (sometimes called “testimony” or “witness”) to see which way to go.
 
Here at Paw Creek, we want all people to feel welcome, and we will never pressure anyone to move from being a “regular visitor” to a “confirmed member”. But we also want everyone to know that we would value your membership. If this is something you have considered, now is a great time to find out more. On Sunday, November 18, the session will be meeting with at least two folks who have decided to join the congregation. Although we can arrange to have new members at any time, I would love to see more people join us on that day. If you are interested, or just want to ask some questions, please get in touch with me soon so that we can help you make the best decision. Don’t forget, you can reach me at 704-502-2143 or deh46@columbia.edu. I hope we can have a chance to talk!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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October 24, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
Every year on the first Sunday of November, Christians around the world celebrate All Saints Day. This is a time to remember the saints who have been meaningful in our lives and who are now at rest with God, celebrating them by giving thanks for all the ways that God has blessed us through their lives, their memories and their examples. At Paw Creek each year, we make a special effort to recognize the names and lives of those members of our church who have died during the past year, and to invite their families to join us in worship on that day. Those invitations are going out this week, and I hope everyone will help encourage those family members to join us. We also allow time for all of us to name and remember our own saints, including those who have died in years past, and those who were not specifically members of our church – so the invitation is really for all of us to make a special effort to join in worship.
 
All Saints Day will be special significance for Paw Creek this year. As you all know, we have said good-bye to an unusually large number of Christian brothers and sisters – 15 in the past 12 months. At times during the year, the persistent announcement of deaths and funerals has felt overwhelming, as if it is something that is too hard for the community to bear. Yet, with Paul, we must be ready to proclaim that “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (II Corinthians 4: 8-9). Following Paul, we have the courage to believe that our sorrow and pain are not the final word, because the sorrow that we see is temporary, but the resurrection that we cannot yet see is eternal.
 
All Saints Day is our chance to stand with Jesus and claim the resurrection as our own. Please, please join us on Sunday, November 4. We need to be together with our hope and our tears.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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October 10, 2018
Dear Friends,
Homecoming Sunday is just around the corner. On October 14 we will gather with friends and family from near and far to share memories, renew acquaintances and rejoice in the joy of being people who have journeyed side by side in God’s service over the years. There will be an “alumni” choir and a great feast afterwards. EVERYONE ought to be there!
As a congregation of God’s people – the body of Christ in the world – we have good reason to pause and look to the past. Every Bible story we read is an example of examining the evidence of God’s blessings long ago, so that we can recognize and anticipate God’s new blessings in our time. If we can learn from stories 1000s of years old, then think how much we can learn from the stories in our own lives and from recent generations! Every time we share our memories, it is as if God is reaching out to nudge us forward: “Look what I did before – just imagine what I will do for you!”
After 209 years, Paw Creek church has a wonderful story to tell. More important, we have a wonderful new story to look forward to. I hope everyone who reads this today will plan to join us on Sunday. And why not make a few phone calls and put out some invitations to those we haven’t seen in a while? We need their stories too. And of course we are always adding new stories to the great narrative, so new friends are part of the celebration as well. Let’s make this a great party, and see where God will take us next.

See you Sunday, Elliott

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September 26, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
It is hard, sitting here in Charlotte with the rain and wind of last weekend almost forgotten, to imagine the disruption, devastation and heartache that is still taking place not many miles away from here. But those scenes from eastern North Carolina are real, and I know that many of us have close family and dear friends who have faced and will continue to face the worst of Hurricane Florence – in some cases the flood waters are only now reaching their peak.
 
As God’s family in this world, we constantly confront problems that we cannot explain. Although it makes no sense in worldly terms, our response has been the same throughout the years: prayers to God for protection, and practical help to those who are suffering, whether in a hospital room, in a homeless shelter or in the flood plane of a hurricane. These actions, seemingly so meager, have been proven time and time again to have been transformed by God’s grace into real and lasting hope that makes all the difference to a hurting world.
 
There are countless ways for us to reach a helping hand to the victims of Hurricane Florence. But as Presbyterians we can take great satisfaction in knowing that our own Presbyterian Disaster Assistance organization has a national reputation for doing excellent work. Our crews have years of experience, and they arrive immediately, often working with local congregations to identify needs quickly and thoroughly. And PDA also has a reputation for wise use of volunteers so that the largest portion of the gifts they receive goes directly to aiding the victims. Our own Presbytery of Charlotte has a long history of partnering with PDA to provide volunteers and support.
As you will see in this week’s newsletter, the Session has authorized a special offering for next Sunday, September 30, to support the work of PDA. Let us all prayerfully consider how we can help, so that the work of spreading God’s love continues once again.
 
Blessings, Elliott
 
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September 12, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
On behalf of the Session, I am delighted to announce that Elder Jerry Smith has been selected to receive a 2018 Legacy Award from the Presbytery of Charlotte. The Legacy Award (known in previous years as the Outstanding Older Adult Award) is presented each year to church members from around the Presbytery who exemplify a life-long commitment to Christian service, and who continue in their later years to serve as examples and mentors to people of all ages.  
 
Jerry’s leadership at Paw Creek has been evident to our congregation for many years, and the Session is honored to be able to recognize his contributions in this way. As the Session wrote in its letter of nomination to the Presbytery: “the core of Jerry’s faith has been lived in his relationships, his encouragement of others, and the quiet deeds of kindness that he constantly performs. In these ways, he is as active today as he has been throughout his life and throughout the years of his ministry as a member of Paw Creek Church.” These words are clear and true, and we send our sincere congratulations to Jerry, along with his wife Judy, daughter Gerri Ann, and their whole family.
 
The award ceremony this year will take place at Cooks Memorial Church on Thursday, September 27 (there are some space limitations for the ceremony; we have reached out to Presbytery to determine how many people will be able to attend that day, and will share that information as soon as it is available.) In addition, the Congregational Care Committee plans to honor Jerry in worship on Sunday, September 30. I hope you can join us that day as we honor Jerry for all that he does for us and for Christ’s church.
 
Blessings, Elliott

 
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August 29, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
As we come to the end of summer and see the busy year spreading out ahead of us, I want to highlight two new additions to our Sunday morning routine, both courtesy of the Congregational Care Committee (they, at least, have not been lazy over the summer months!)
 
First – Sunday Morning Prayer Time. You may know that a group of church members meets regularly at the beginning of the day on Sundays to share reports of prayer needs from within our church and beyond. At about the same time, for many years, the Session has met to gather prayer concerns, which are then reported to the congregation doing worship. Beginning this coming Sunday, September 2, these two efforts will combine. (At one time, the Session had used these meetings to take care of short business items, but that is no longer the case, so it really makes sense to have all of our praying folks together in the same group).
 
Here’s how it will work. Anyone and Everyone is invited to meet in the sanctuary each Sunday at 9:30, for 15 minutes prior to the beginning of Sunday School. We will share all of the concerns and celebrations we know of throughout the congregation and community, including updates on folks who have been on the prayer chain requests during the week. As we close, we will pray for all the needs and joys – and those will also be recorded and shared with the congregation prior to the pastoral prayer. Some prayer team members also choose to stay in the sanctuary for a few minutes afterwards to pray quietly for God’s blessings on the sanctuary and on all who will gather to worship later in the morning.
 
Prayer time is quiet, powerful, and a source of strength to bind us together and to God. Please consider coming a few minutes early for Sunday School each week so you can join us.
 
Second – Monthly Celebration of Birthdays and Anniversaries. Starting in September, we will take time during worship on the second Sunday of each month to invite forward everyone who will celebrate a birthday or anniversary during that calendar month (or, if you prefer, to be recognized as you remain seated). Once recognized, we will share prayers of thanksgiving for these milestones, and prayers of blessing for God’s continued grace in the years to come. The passing of the years turns our thoughts to God’s role in our lives – please allow the church family to celebrate with you as we give thanks to God for the gifts of life and holy companionship.
 
The first Celebration will be Sunday, September 9 for everyone during the month of September. Look for a reminder each month in the Birthday listings of the newsletter.
 
See you in September! Elliott
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August 15, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
I can’t believe that we are facing the end of summer! But the calendar does not lie. School starts, days get shorter, temperatures fall (we hope!). I am especially looking forward to the events of August 26. Rally Day is a time to honor our Sunday School students and teachers, but also a time to show our strong support for students and teachers in the community. Please remember that we will be offering school supplies to area families, and let’s all be generous in donating to this project. Many thanks to the Fellowship Committee for pulling this together, as always. 
 
After that, Fall is here. There’s lots coming up, with special times this year to celebrate with Woodland Church on their 150th Anniversary, and the beginning of our joint mission outreach with them (there’s a planning meeting on that next week, and more information as details get pinned down.)
 
Please check the Newsletter and Bulletin in the coming weeks, and look for ways to participate and contribute, as you are able. The lifeblood of every church is the things we do together, and the people that we serve. I’m grateful to be planted here with you, and all the things we do!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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August 1, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
Thunderstorms are a mainstay of summer weather, especially the unexpected kind that and come barreling through in the middle of the night. And firecrackers are a mainstay of the first half of July. Put those two together, and add our dog Hartley, who panics when he hears loud noises, and you have a recipe for many weeks of interrupted sleep. (The little dog Walter is fearless and oblivious, but that’s another story!) As soon as the distant thunder begins, or the first firecracker pops, Hartley begins to shake and pant, and then he comes and curls up as close to us as he can get. We can’t stop the noises, but he needs to know that we are holding him tight, and after awhile the shaking slows down. He never settles until its over, but he gains assurance from having us near.
 
How often it seems like our lives are full of thunder, lightning and loud frightening noises. The peace and quiet that we crave is constantly being disturbed by the unexpected events that happen every day, every week, every year. And when they do, we want to become like scared puppies, to shake and whimper, and find strong arms to hold us tight until the fears go away. That’s when we turn to God, and God never fails us, never gets grumpy over lost sleep, never lets us go until the loud noises go away. But, unfortunately, even then we are like puppies, because we scamper away, forgetting that God was all we needed, destined to have to relearn that lesson the next time, never able to calm ourselves with the assurance that God will protect us in days to come just as he has done before. Maybe that’s the secret to growing in faith, when we finally learn once and for all that God is enough and there’s no need to be frightened again. May God bless us with that gift as well – the rock solid assurance the he is always there!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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July 18, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
As I write this, we have just wrapped up a very successful week of Vacation Bible School here at Paw Creek. Thank you! to the Christian Education Committee and their many volunteers who made the program work. For five nights we filled the CFC and West Wing with food, laughter, song, crafts, stories and most of all good learning about the very Biblical and very current topic of “Peace”. The turnout was great, for both children and adults, and the enthusiasm was contagious.  And my special thanks to all the adult participants for sharing memories and personal perspectives that led us all to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the way that Jesus has called us to live.
 
So now, we head into the quieter part of summer, when God’s plan for us is relaxation and renewal. Like many of you, my family and I are looking forward to getting away. In our case we are headed to the mountains, where we are counting on some cooler temperatures and a slower pace. I’ll be back at church on Monday, July 30. Until then, I leave you in the good hands of our ruling elders. Please be sure to call on them if any needs arise, and of course they will be able to stay in touch with me if needed. But more than anything else, whether you are traveling or staying put, I wish us all a quiet and restful second half of the summer. We’ll have plenty to keep us busy when we all get back!
 
Blessings, Elliott
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July 4, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
You will receive this newsletter on July 4th, so let’s start with a rousing “Happy Independence Day” to us all! I’m looking forward to my very first Coulwood community Fourth of July parade, and send many thanks to those who have worked this week to prepare our church float. The parade will be starting by the time you read this, but I hope to see many of you there!
 
As we celebrate the holiday, it seems a good idea to reflect for a minute on the role of our Presbyterian ancestors in the cause of Independence 242 years ago. Of course, we are all familiar with our own Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which was a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian document through and through. But the longer Declaration written in Philadelphia the following year had strong Presbyterian connections as well. In fact, King George himself was so aware of the work of our forebears that he was often heard to refer to the War of Revolution as “that Presbyterian insurrection”.
 
The primary Presbyterian voice in Philadelphia came from John Witherspoon, a minister, president of the College of New Jersey (later renamed Princeton University) and the only member of the clergy to serve in the Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing the Declaration, but Witherspoon provided much of the intellectual framework. He was drawn into the fray as a champion for freedom of religious observance against the tyranny of the established Church of England. But from that starting point he helped make the case for freedom and self- determination in all areas of public life. He continued to be active in the Continental Congress and was also instrumental in establishing our republican form of representative government (it’s no coincidence that our government today is structured so much like the government of the Presbyterian Church!)
 
Of course, the work of self-government did not stop 242 years ago, and John Calvin himself insisted that it is our Christian duty to be active and informed citizens in every time and place. As we celebrate the work of John Witherspoon and his colleagues, we must continue to do our part by following their example by staying informed and making our voices heard. That is the Presbyterian way – and we have a long, honorable heritage to uphold.
 
Happy Fourth of July! Elliott
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June 20, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
When I lived in New England, I learned that many churches there (none of them Presbyterian, to my knowledge) had a long-standing custom of closing down for the summer. That’s right – closing the church completely, and don’t come back until September! It was apparently a left-over habit from the early 20th century when so many people left town to flee to the mountains or the shore for the season, there weren’t enough folks left to make it worth holding church services in town. (In their defense, I will note that each of those picturesque seaside towns had a pretty chapel on the village green and 100 years ago those chapels were full on Sunday mornings throughout the summer.)
Well, we don’t do things like that around here, but with the temperature rising, we can feel a difference the last few Sundays. Every week in church some familiar faces are missing as vacations roll around, and the rest of us enjoy a slower pace with fewer of those after-church meetings to rush off to! Rest and relaxation are good things (God said so – see the creation story in the book of Genesis) and I wish for all of us, at home or far away, some time to slow down and the leisure to read a book, play a game, or simply take a nap.
Of course we don’t come to a complete stop. Some of our best work is done in the summer, including the Youth Mission Week in June (join the youth group for supper on their last day, Wednesday, June 27) and Vacation Bible School in July (classes for everyone and supper every night). So if you are in town, please plan to support and participate in those events.
Here’s wishing everyone a good summer. If you go away, bring back great stories and if not, we’ll see you in church. Wherever you are, give thanks for the marvelous blessings of God!
Elliott
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June 6, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
I want to remind everybody one more time that we will have a Congregational Meeting this coming Sunday, June 10, after worship. At that time we will have the chance to consider and vote on changes to the Manual of Operations for the church. I described those changes and the process that got us here in the last newsletter – I hope in the meantime everyone has had a chance to review the proposed document (you can download a copy on our website) and I still encourage you to call me or any session member with questions and comments.
This week I would like to focus on a change that has already taken place through session’s adoption of its own Manual of Operations. We now have a new group called the “Ministry and Coordination Team” (“MAC Team”) that is up and running and will have its first meeting later in June. Session has elected elder Amy McGee to chair the MAC Team, and its members will be the chairs of our other program committees along with representatives of the Presbyterian Women and Men.
I am hopeful that the MAC Team will be instrumental in helping Paw Creek respond to God’s plans for us with energy and enthusiasm. Some of the Team’s work will be very practical (synchronizing calendars for all our activities, encouraging committees to support each others’ projects, etc.). But beyond that, this will be a group that has the job of dreaming big, of praying hard, and of listening intently. As I’ve told you before, I am convinced that God has already seen the future for our church and its vital place in the kingdom. It is not up to us to come up with creative new programs. Rather, we need to respond to where God will lead us. Perhaps more importantly, we need to get out of the way and make sure we do not throw up resistance because we are afraid or unfamiliar with where God is taking us. The MAC Team will be leading session and all of us on this journey.
As the team prepares to start its work, I ask everyone to raise some prayers for them and for our church. And be all means, share ideas, thoughts and brainstorms with Amy or with me. You can be sure that we will keep everyone posted on the work they do. I think we will see some exciting things on the horizon very soon!
Blessings, Elliott
 
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May 23, 2018
 
Dear Friends, I want to mention two things in today’s Newsletter. First, a major “thank you” to everyone involved in our Pentecost celebration to bring us music, decorations, food, logistics and so much more. As you know, this was my first time to experience an authentic Woodland-Paw Creek Pentecost, and it far exceeded what I was hoping for. Cheers to everyone! Plus, with our special guests, our partnership is now visible to the Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly as well, and we are in a position to really be leaders for all Presbyterians on how to follow the Spirit’s leading.
 
Now, on a more mundane but still very important note, you will find the official notice in this newsletter that the Session has called a Congregational Meeting for Sunday, June 10 after worship. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss and act upon a revision (a major revision) of our church’s Manual of Operations. The current Manual directs the session each year to review the Manual and determine if any changes are needed to keep it up to date. In January Session appointed a task force of three elders – Beth Joy, Amy McGee and Melissa Mullis – to take on this task. That group called in Debbie Taylor and Peggy Harrington from the congregation to help as well. Their recommendations were approved by the Session, and copies will be available during the next two Sundays (or from the Church Office) for you to take and carefully examine prior to the meeting.
 
As the task force began to meet in the early spring, we all agreed that the time had come to rethink the format of our Manual, which had become over-heavy with much detailed information that needs to be remembered but doesn’t need to be set in stone. In particular, the descriptions of each committee had become the place for detailed descriptions of every project the committee had ever done. Our committees need that information for reference, but they also need the freedom to act in new and creative ways without having to amend the Manual of Operations every time!
 
As you begin to review the draft Manual, you will notice immediately that it is much shorter than before. The document is divided into three parts: Part I is the Manual of Operations for the Congregation; Part II is the By-laws for the legal corporation that owns our property. These two parts were endorsed by the Session and they will be up for a vote of the congregation on June 10. Any changes to these parts down the road will come back to the congregation for further voting. Part III is the Manual of Operations for the Session, which describes our committees and their work. The Session also voted to adopt this section (certain portions that need congregational approval will not go into effect until after the Congregational vote). Future changes to Part III can be made by the Session as needed, and will be communicated to the Congregation as they occur.
 
I hope you will have time to read the entire Manual before the meeting, but here are some highlights of changes you will find:

 

  1. The size of the Session is now set at 12 members (this was adopted by the  Congregation previously but the Manual was never rewritten to reflect the change); there is also a provision to automatically phase in any changes that take place in the future;
  2. The Nominating committee is directed to bring a slate of names the number of which is “at least equal” to the number of empty slots;
  3. The Endowment and Cemetery committees are changed from Congregational committees (elected by the Congregation) to Session sub-committees (chair and one member selected by session and chair recruits other members) that will report to Finance and Property committees, respectively; current elected members of these committees will be allowed and encouraged to continue their service in these areas for as long as they are interested; the current committee chairs and members have had a chance to become familiar with these changes;
  4. The title of Treasurer is changed to “General Treasurer” and Session will elect an Endowment Treasurer and a Cemetery Treasurer to work in parallel with the General Treasurer and under the direction of the new Endowment and Cemetery sub-committees, respectively;
  5. Session has created a MAC Team (“Ministry and Coordination”) to integrate all church programs for coordination of calendar, elimination of overlapping responsibilities, and to develop a master plan for the church’s mission and outreach; the team will consist of the the chairs of the program committees along with representatives of Presbyterian Women and Presbyterian Men, plus a team chair elected by Session; after adopting Part III of the Manual, Session elected elder Amy McGee as the first chair of the MAC Team;
  6. Detailed records of committee duties and organization will now be gathered in a folder or file of “Best Practices” that can be updated regularly by the committees without formal amendment of the Manual of Operations, and made available to session and committee members and others as they do their work throughout the year.
 
We will have plenty of time for questions and discussion at the meeting on June 10, but in the meantime, please do not hesitate to raise questions with me or any member of the Session, especially those who served on the Task Force. We all appreciate your time and attention.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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May 2, 2018
 
Dear Friends, Last fall, many of you heard the saga of the palm tree. How my wife Nell, when we moved to Charlotte, announced that since she now lived in the south she wanted a palm tree(!) How no amount of reasoning would convince her that palm trees are not native to the Piedmont. How every winter she would fret about her palm. How the previous winter, with a sleet storm approaching, she sent me on a wild trip to fetch bales of straw in the back seat of my two-door convertible to pack around the palm tree’s roots.
Well, the saga is over. This year, we didn’t have any dramatic storms, and the palm seemed to have been healthy through the bouts of cold weather that did come along. But then with the warm days of early March we noticed a few branches turning brown, and then some more, until soon the entire tree was dry and brittle. This weekend we sawed it down and went to the nursery to buy a replacement, not a palm tree this time, but a corkscrew weeping willow – still different and interesting, but more suited to Mecklenburg County. According to Google, this is a tree that is even known for looking good when covered in snow!
I suppose it is tempting to see all kinds of parables in this tale. How fragile life is. The folly of not paying attention to prevailing conditions. The wisdom of cutting our losses and moving on. The further wisdom of learning from our mistakes rather than repeating them. But you know, sometimes a tale is just a tale, a story with ups and downs and no ending in sight. It’s just a good story and we will be telling it for years. We will tell it when the willow towers over the back yard, and our children will tell it after us. We could do a lot worse in life than just making stories and sharing them. What stories to you have to share?
Blessings, Elliott
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April 18, 2018
 
Dear Friends, I’ve been on the move a lot the last couple of weeks, with a piece of bread, a bottle of juice, and two or three church members in tow. For each trip, our destination is the home of one of our “stay-at-home” families, and our purpose is to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. 
 
And celebrate we do, in the fullest meaning of Christ’s sacrament. As we follow his instructions (“every time you do this . . .”) our eyes are open to his presence in our midst. But perhaps more startlingly, our eyes are open to our presence with each other. The church exists by being together. Even if we all believed the Gospel message perfectly, we would not be Christians if we stayed alone and never met one another. The power of the church is our togetherness, for that is where Jesus joins us. 
 
Because of that, it is so important for us to go out and be together with brothers and sisters who can no longer travel and be with us. When we gather we renew the ties that bind, catching up and sharing the news. And soon the four or five or six of us have created a little church family right then and there. From that point it’s a short and easy step to break out the bread and juice, to pray and say the words, and to share the meal. We always remind each other that those at home have never been far from our thoughts or far from our community, so that even when we celebrate without their physical presence, the Spirit makes them part of us anyway. But the opposite is true also – when a little group celebrates in a home, each of you who are part of the church is present in that home too. The Spirit brings you there and we feel your presence. 
 
That’s the power of Jesus. Across time and the intervening miles, we can never lose him, and never lose one another. Jesus is real, and so is the joy.
Blessings, Elliott
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April 4, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The busy preparations of recent weeks are behind us – Easter has been celebrated, the quiet of Lent is over, and the joy of Resurrection has been proclaimed. Many, many thanks to all who labored long to bring us the experiences of Holy Week, especially the choir, along with Mark and Sherry, and our Youth Group readers. And don’t forget the behind-the-scenes efforts of the Worship Committee, and all the extra bulletins for Kim!
It feels right to breathe a sigh and perhaps take a few weeks of rest. But that is not Jesus’s plan, or the plan of the Gospel. Our church calendar has it high points. But the real meat of Christian life comes in between, when we have the opportunity and obligation to live out the truth that we have proclaimed. As we discovered on Easter, Jesus has already gone ahead of us and expects us to meet him in “Galilee”, ready to show off all the work we have done on the way. And this coming Sunday, with the story of doubting Thomas, the resurrected Jesus has a challenge meant directly for you and me.
As Easter recedes behind us, what lies ahead is nothing but the privilege of serving Jesus day in and day out. May we reach out and embrace his Good News every step of the way!
Blessings, Elliott
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March 21, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
 
We are fast approaching the solemn drama of Holy Week, which is the most sacred time of our entire Christian year. In the ancient church it was Easter, the day of Jesus’s resurrection, that was the center around which all worship and piety revolved. It has been that way ever since, and it is still that way today.
I hope everyone in our church family will be able to join us for many or all of our special services in the coming days. As we retell the stories about Jesus in that final week, we have a chance to share in the full range of emotions that he and his followers experienced – the premature excitement of Palm Sunday; the sense of gathering calamity as the authorities circled their nets; the bewilderment of the disciples at the last supper and in the garden; Jesus’s own apprehension of what was to come; the whirlwind of fabricated charges; the growing anger of the crowds; the agony of crucifixion leading to Jesus’s cry of abandonment.
Of course, at the end there is the glory of resurrection – indescribable joy, slack-jawed wonder, shouts of praise – which becomes all the more real in contrast to the despair of the previous week. Only as we have walked with Jesus up to Friday can we fully celebrate the emotions of Sunday. That is why I pray that each of us (as we are able) will be with the church family from beginning to end. This is what it means to be Christians, and it is the joy of Easter that gives us the inspiration for everything else we do throughout the year as we care for God’s world and cherish God’s word.
For all of us, may God bless us with a holy Easter, and blessings throughout the year.
 
Godspeed, Elliott
 
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March 7, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
The ties that bind us together as God’s family and the Body of Christ are strong. We share each other’s burdens and rejoice in our blessings. That is why we feel so strongly when we are not together week in and week out. If a familiar face is missing from the pews or we hear about illness and trouble, our instinct is to reach out and bridge the gap, to let our friends know that our worship feels empty when they are not with us.
 
One way we can reach out, besides personal cards, calls and visits, is to literally take the church to our sick and homebound friends. We can go to the places where they live or receive care and celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper together with them, to include them in the worship and praise of the church even when they cannot be present in the sanctuary. This can be especially meaningful for us as Presbyterians, since the Book of Order directs that we go out together – at least a pastor and an elder, but even better if other members of the church can go as well. That way, those who have to miss church can see that the whole community misses them and wishes them well.
 
I want to begin scheduling times to bring the communion service to our shut-ins during the coming spring months. I would appreciate your help in a couple of ways. If you would like to schedule a communion visit, for yourself or a special friend, please share that information with me so that we can plan a day and time. And, if you are able to join me on one or more of these visits, please let me know that as well. Elders (whether currently active or inactive on the Session) and all church members are welcome to be a part of this ministry.
 
I look forward to seeing many of you in the weeks ahead as we focus on this important part of the church’s life that will continue to bind us all in the Body of Christ.
Blessings, Elliott
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February 21, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The season of Lent snuck in through the back door last Wednesday. Most of us cradle Presbyterians have had to learn about Lent as something “new”. While growing up we didn’t “give up” anything for Lent and we didn’t see much difference even in church during those early spring weeks before Easter. In recent decades we have learned that Lent is not “new” but is very old, going back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. And we have come to appreciate some new traditions during Lent and Holy Week.
 
But all the same, Lent sneaks in through the back door. It makes hardly a peep in a world where politics, social media and violence scream for our attention – not to mention more personal concerns like family, work and health. Lent whispers with the Word of God. The same way that Jesus, who is the Word of God, whispered his message of peace and love and forgiveness. We have to make a conscious decision to attend to Jesus, not just to scooch over and make room for him, but to tune eyes, ears and hearts to him alone. Jesus will not raise his voice or coerce us in any way. But he is endlessly patient. The quietness of Lent can help teach us to attend to Jesus. In the ancient words of the Ash Wednesday service, “We are invited, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.” In others words, to be quiet, quiet enough for the soft voice of Jesus to speak and be heard.
 
Blessings on us all for holy Lent. Elliott
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February 7, 2018
 
Dear Friends, This coming Saturday, February 10, the Presbytery of Charlotte will hold its regular quarterly meeting here at Paw Creek. If you have been around the Presbyterian Church for awhile, I am sure you have seen many of these Presbytery meetings. You probably know that the Presbytery is made up of all the churches and ministers in a specific geographic area – in our case that is over 100 churches in Mecklenburg County and six other counties to our east. Historically Presbyterians didn’t want to have just a few people making all the decisions, so everything important must be decided by the whole Presbytery. Voting members of the meeting are elders (commissioned to represent their churches) and ministers. At the Presbytery meeting we approve new ministers, supervise seminary students, set up and supervise mission projects, elect Presbytery officers, and approve a budget for each year, among many other things. For every meeting, our Session here at Paw Creek elects two elders to be commissioners and attend the meeting. On February 10 we have commissioned Vickie Joy and Victoria Krebs. This week’s meeting will be special and important in several ways. First, we will be co-hosts of the meeting with our sisters and brothers from Woodland Presbyterian Church, recognizing that this is the beginning of the 150th anniversary year for their church. Second, the worship service will focus on celebrating a group of eleven churches that are all celebrating 150th anniversaries between 2016 and 2020. These churches were all founded by newly freed slaves in the years immediately after the end of the Civil War. Because of these churches and their example, even today Charlotte Presbytery has more African-American members than any other Presbytery in the country. And then finally, at this meeting we will elect a new General Presbyter to be the leader and head of the Presbytery, setting our direction and tone for years to come. It is an honor for our church to be a part of these significant events. Thanks to everyone who has already volunteered to help on Presbytery day. If you want to help, or just stop by and sit in on the meeting to learn how we do things, please join us on Saturday. The meeting begins at 9:30; volunteers can sign up with Amy McGee or Beth Joy. Blessings, Elliott __________________________________________________________________________________
January 24, 2018
 
Dear Friends, Many thanks to everyone who took part in the candlelight vigil in Coulwood last Sunday evening.  As most of you know, we were there to remember the lives of a mother and her two young children who had died the previous week under tragic circumstances. Although the family did not have direct ties to our church, they were our neighbors, and we came out in force to show our love and respect for their family and friends. This happened spontaneously through word of mouth (and social media) and a great ministry took place that evening.
It is tempting to try to draw some lessons from this experience, but I would caution that we not try too hard to analyze it. When the lawyer asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?”, Jesus gently but firmly taught him what a horrible question that is. If we have to ask, then we have already failed the test. In the same way, it’s best not to think too hard about the prayer vigil. There were neighbors who needed love and we tried to give it in a quiet, bumbling way. Our efforts were small, but God multiplied them greatly.
The most important word for would-be neighbors to remember is “yes”. After that, everything else becomes obvious.
Blessings, Elliott
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January 10, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The holidays are behind us and winter weather will still be around for a while. But there are still many great things going on here at Paw Creek.
 
This coming Sunday, January 14, we will have a special service after worship to dedicate the new Gary Bryant Memorial Prayer Garden at the front entrance to the sanctuary. This is such a wonderful project in so many ways. The engraved bricks offer a permanent record of people and groups that have been important in our lives and the life of our church. The garden itself provides a beautiful welcoming vista to those arriving for worship in every season. And of course the donations to the project have helped us fund the new children’s playground.
 
But perhaps more than anything else, the garden gives Paw Creek a chance to make a permanent monument to the life and ministry of Gary Bryant. Gary’s years of service at this church will always stand out as a milestone period in the history of the congregation, a time of love and service that shaped so many lives for the better. Gary was truly a dedicated servant of the Lord. Although I never had the privilege of knowing him, I follow in his footsteps and am grateful for his witness every day.
Please be sure to join us on Sunday as we give thanks for Gary, surround his family with love, and rejoice together in all that God has done and continues to do in this place.
Blessings, Elliott
 
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December 20, 2017
 
Dear Friends, I heard the comment from many of you this past weekend that 2017 has been a year that seems to have been marked by loss for our church family. For many of you, it has been your own dear loved ones whose lives we have remembered with appreciation, and whose passing we have marked with sadness. We can remind ourselves of Paul’s words: “death has been swallowed up in victory,” but even the Gospel rings hollow in the emptiness that we feel.
 
For those who mourn, this Christmas season can seem to be the final insult that a cruel year has to offer; an expectation to be “merry” no matter the cost. But of course there is nothing “merry” about the Christmas stories. If we can read from Matthew and Luke with unclouded eyes, what we see instead is so many other emotions. The anxiety of Mary and Joseph as they travel long distances towards the birth of a child whose future is unclear. The befuddlement of the shepherds over the meaning of the message they are given. The determination of the Magi to make their trip, no matter the cost, only to be met on arrival by the sheer evil they see on the face of King Herod. For them, there is are no reasons to be jolly, and yet as the stories end, each one is gripped by the awe of God’s glory that overpowers their fear and confusion.
 
The truth that runs through these stories has nothing to do with a jollity that we conjure up by the force of our own determination. Rather, that truth that runs through these stories points to God, for he is the one who transforms fear into courage, and confusion into strength. 
If this has been a year of mourning for you, or if past losses seem to return in this season, then I urge you to embrace the story of Christmas. The God who becomes flesh with us does so for the very purpose of transformation. That is his plan for our sorrow, and surely it will come to pass.
Bless you throughout these days, Elliott
 
 
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December 6, 2017
 
Dear Friends, Next time you find yourself near the intersection of Providence and Queens Roads, keep an eye out for a shiny statue of a winsome little man with one arm in the air and a violin case under the other. It’s a tribute to the memory of a true neighborhood eccentric, a man named Hugh McMannaway. That’s near my childhood home, and I met Hugh many times. An only child, he lived alone in the large, rambling house left him by his parents, a prosperous doctor and his wife. Hugh was known for standing at that very intersection to direct traffic (whether it needed directing or not), using his arms, his loud voice, and his violin case as a baton – hence the statue. When we kids would meet him, he would often ask one of us to state his or her name, and then make up a poem using the name, right on the spot. 
 
One summer day when we ran into Hugh near his house, about block from the intersection, he pointed to the front window. In it there burned a single red light bulb. He told us that the light bulb was his Christmas decoration, and explained his theory that any decorations that were put up for Christmas needed to remain in place for the entire year. At the time, it seemed that whatever else you might want to say about Hugh, his theory of Christmas was surely incorrect. I’ve thought about it many times, and after awhile began to figure out what was wrong.
 
If Christmas is symbolically present throughout the year, then the miracle of incarnation becomes a part of the background noise – one of the facts that is always present and never needs to be thought about. But of course that is exactly what the miracle of the incarnation is not! Everything else is the background noise and the arrival of the Christ child is the one extraordinary fact that doesn’t fit, the fact that redefines everything else. It is good to put the decorations up and take them away, to make them gaudy and loud and bright – not just something that is so small and dim that having it around all year is no inconvenience at all. It’s all symbolic, but symbols are important. In this case, the point of incarnation is to shake up and inconvenience the world. Oddly enough, that is exactly what Hugh McMannaway did. His theology of decorating was wanting, but his exuberance of life was real. It was to such as him that Jesus came first, the fools, the cripples and the outcast. Maybe Hugh knew something the rest of us missed. Maybe Jesus did too.
Blessings, Elliott
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November 22, 2017
 
Dear Friends, If you were able to join us for the Installation service earlier this month, I’m sure you cannot forget our guests from Smallwood Presbyterian Church. The choir sang with gospel fervor, Pastor Darryl Gaston kept posing people for group photos, and many other friends were in attendance. As I said that day, Smallwood is the “home church” in our neighborhood that allowed Nell and me to be part of the family when I was an itinerant interim pastor, and we know that they will always welcome us with open arms. As part of the Smallwood family, we have come to cherish one of their best annual traditions. On Thanksgiving Day they gather early in the morning to begin laying out the biggest meal you can imagine – turkey AND ham, beau coups of vegetables, and more pies than you can count. Then around 11:00 they open the doors and people start streaming in. Church members, certainly, and friends of the congregation who come every year. But also neighbors who otherwise would not have a Thanksgiving dinner to go to. They bring their families, and some go home and send more folks back. Our friend Joe is the master chef, and his feast is never-to-be-forgotten. Since Joe and the ladies have the food under control, my job the last couple of years has been to stand out on the corner in front of the church, calling out to everyone who comes along West Trade Street – by foot, car, bike or anything else. “Free Thanksgiving meal! Everyone welcome!” People stop, do a double take, then begin to smile – and most of them come in to serve a plate. As I stood there the first year, I noticed a couple of guys coming up the hill from the little store a few blocks away. They both carried paper bags with what had to be beer bottles sticking out of the top. I hesitated for a second, and turned to one of the elders standing near by. “Is it ok to invite them?” I whispered. She answered “Of course! That’s what we’re here for.” Well, that just made my day. What better example of the spirit of Thanksgiving can you get? Thanking God by serving his children, whoever they are. This is the day when everyone deserves turkey and all the fixings. Everyone. Thanks be to God!
 
Thanksgiving blessings, Elliott
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November 8 ,2017
 
Dear Friends, Believe it or not, it is already November! And that means the next eight weeks are going to be BUSY. As I write this, Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, and of course the Advent and Christmas seasons are not far behind. During this time of year, it can seem that Sunday worship is just a time to come to church and find another special cause or event. But of course what is most important in worship is that we focus on God and Christ. Our special events, even at holiday time, should be seen through the eyes of the Gospel. And we should ask ourselves – how is God glorified in the things we do this day? I want to pledge to you that I, along with the choir, music staff, and worship committee, are working hard to be sure that the plans we make for the coming weeks will live up to the standards of the Gospel. In return, I hope that you will make it a point to be part of our worship each week. We look forward to seeing you!
 
Our schedule for the next few weeks includes: Veterans’ Recognition – Sunday, November 12 Stewardship and Thanksgiving – Sunday, November 19 Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 23 at 8:00 am Christ the King Sunday – Sunday, November 26.
 
Blessings, Elliott
 
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October 25, 2017
Dear Friends, Just two weeks ago, we put out an invitation to Adult weekday Bible Study. One week later, the response was fantastic. We had a class of 8 on Wednesday at 10:00 am, and a class of 13 on Thursday at 5:30. I am THRILLED and I can’t wait to see what happens this week! Remembering that Jesus challenged us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind, we must always be asking ourselves how well we are living up to his challenge. Each part (heart, soul and mind) is difficult yet vital. But to love God with our minds is especially important to those of us in the historic Presbyterian tradition. We are the one who have kept the study of scripture alive from generation to generation. We must never give up. At our Bible Studies, the format is simple. We focus on the scripture reading that will be sermon text for the following Sunday. By pooling our knowledge and sharing our personal experiences, we come closer to understanding the message that God wants us to hear, in both the Old and New Testaments. And we are able to come to worship each Sunday better prepared to receive what scripture has to offer. I hope that many more of our congregation will want to come join us in study. We need you – and you need God’s word! A list of upcoming readings will be published in the newsletter, or you can ask me for a list. See you in the parlor, Elliott
 
 
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October 11, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek,

  I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time! And now that time is here. It will be exciting for me to begin to learn your names and faces, and especially your stories. I appreciate your enthusiasm, the basket of goodies, the visits I have already had this week, and the work of the Property Committee as they paint and prepare the study for me to move in.   During these first few weeks, I will also appreciate your help in a number of ways. Most importantly, tell me what I need to know. Is there someone in the church family who needs a special visit? Do you have a cherished memory of the church that you want to share with me? Is there a church program or activity that needs some attention? I need to know all those things, so please don’t be shy. Beyond that, please help me get to know you: if you suggest a time for me to stop by, or schedule a visit over coffee or lunch, that’s the best way to help me reach the most people quickly as I can. Or simply stop by the church..  I plan to be in the office or out among the church family every day except Tuesday.  Any time I’m there, the door will be open, so please come on by.   Our first time to worship together will be this Sunday, October 15. I’m looking forward to it, and we will have some light refreshments on the porch so that we can stay and visit. It’s a great time for everyone to be together in worship and fellowship. But I want to put out a special invitation to those who may not have been in church so much in recent years. If you are still on the list to receive this newsletter, then we need you at Paw Creek (AND you need your church family!) I hope our new beginning this week will be a good time for you to come and have a look. We are starting a new and exciting chapter in our service to the Lord. Come join us!   Blessings, Elliott   deh46@columbia.edu 704-502-2143 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

September 13, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family, Well, these are exciting times for both of us. You have called your next pastor in Elliott Hipp, who I have found to be very kind and thoughtful and will be good for the church. I have also been asked to serve as Transitional pastor in this next phase of ministry for Avondale Presbyterian Church. I am excited to begin my ministry with them and from all indications, they are excited too. I will miss you, but you will be in great hands. I will miss you, but God has planned out paths for both us to follow. I will be with you for just a while longer. My final day at Paw Creek will be October 8, 2017. Elliott will be on board October 9, 2017. I will begin at Avondale October 16, 2017. God is great and greatly to be praised! God is blessing all around. I will remember you fondly and pray your strength in the Lord as God moves mightily in your lives. May our final weeks together be filled with joy and peace!
 
In Christ, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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August 30, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family,
We celebrate the movement of the Holy Spirit in this church. You have voted in your next minister, The Reverend Elliott Hipp. This is a time of great joy for our church. This has been a long journey, I know. But God has been with us every step of the way, guiding our every footstep throughout this process. And now we are ready to welcome your next pastor. You have been faithful and you have remained steadfast. You stood together and remained united in your efforts to find Rev. Elliott and he comes with many gifts and talents and a love for God’s people that will soon find its way into your hearts. My prayer is that you will have a long and lasting relationship with him that bears much fruit. If all goes well and as planned, he should be in place sometime around mid October. Begin praying for him now; his transition, his goodbyes to the church he currently pastors, his family, his strength and well-being. Pray for Paw Creek as you continue your readiness to receive him. Pray for unity in the body, the willingness to serve, an uplifted spirit, and pray for encouragement to step out on faith. Trust and believe that Paw Creek is truly in God’s hands and know you are blessed. I am excited with you. Your partnership with Rev. Elliott is bound to be a good one…a great one. God brought you together. All praise, honor and glory to God for what God has done is doing and will continue to do in you.
 
With Jesus joy, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
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August 16, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family, What an exciting time in the life of our church! By now, most of you, if not all of you are aware that on the 27th of August, there is a congregational meeting for the stated purpose of calling your next pastor. This has been the awaited time and it is now upon us. I want to encourage you to come to the meeting so that you can be introduced to your next pastor and have the opportunity to vote on his/her coming. No, he or she will not be present that Sunday, but there will be a video or a flyer containing information about him/her. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and then VOTE!
 
I, for one am very excited. This is the moment for which we have all been waiting. God is great and greatly to be praised! So, we give God glory for the things God has done, is doing, and will continue to do through you, the members of Paw Creek Presbyterian Church.
 
This is a time of celebration, expectation and soon…a big WELCOME!
 
Even as we wait for the month’s end to approach, remember to keep the Pastor Nominating Committee in your prayers and thank them for the hard work they have accomplished. They have done wondrous work for the Lord and for you!
 
In Christ, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
 
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August 2, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church family,
This past week we bid farewell to a man beloved by God and by us. The Reverend Gary Lee Bryant. He was a man of God who loved his family, his friends and his church. In tribute to a life well lived in service to God for forty four years, of which thirty four were spent at Paw Creek, I want to honor Gary’s name through Scripture.
 
God’s grace is sufficient Acknowledge Jesus before men and Jesus will acknowledge you before His Father Righteousness guards the man of integrity Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams
 
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom Run in such a way as to get the prize You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High Accept the word planted in you, which can save you Nothing is too hard for you Taste and see that the Lord is good
 
Isaiah 40:31 (NRSV) 31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
 
Rest well friend. You have run the race of the Lord and you have finished it. All praise be to God.
 
In Christ, Veronica Cannon
 
 
 
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July 19, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family,
Summer is now well into full swing. Many of you have been on vacation. Others of you can’t wait to get on your way. Still others of you may have no desire to travel this summer. Whatever your circumstance, know that Paw Creek Presbyterian Church is still here, still praying for you, still worshipping with you and still seeking, still serving, still praising and still loving Christ, our neighbors, our community and you. As you take your leave this summer and forget about the worries of home, job, and stress, as you remember to get your much needed rest, please remember your church in its need of your support financially. We still have ministries to support, lights to keep on, and people to help. Please consider giving to Paw Creek, even in your absence. The work of the church is never done and we need your continued support. Make the most of what is giving to you and enjoy your summer!
In Christ, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
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July 5, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,
A friend was in front of me as we were walking out of the church one Sunday. The preacher was shaking hands as usual. When my friend reached him, he grabbed my friend by the arm and pulled him aside. The pastor said, “You need to join the Army of the Lord.” The friend replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord Pastor.” The pastor said, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.” This week we celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day. It is a when America celebrates its independence from Britain. There was an army during the American Revolution that fought long and hard for freedom. But there is an army that exists that is still fighting for freedom, freedom from sin, freedom from evil, freedom for all people to live eternally for God…that’s right the Army of the Lord. If you have not joined this army, it is never too late to do so. Come on board, you are welcomed.
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
 
 
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June 21, 2017
 
Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NRSV) 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family, Jeremiah the prophet delivered a message to the people of Israel when they were exiled into Babylon. Because of their sinfulness the Lord told them they were to be subjugated under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar and they would be so for seventy years. It was the beginning of the rule Babylon would have over those who were exiled. Things looked really bleak for them. They were subjected to mistreatment, pagan gods, a foreign land, and new rule. But God loved the Israelites even though they were sinful and God prophesied to them through Jeremiah. Yes, the people were to endure tough times ahead. Seventy years of separation from their homes, friends, family, familiar surroundings. Yes, they would have to live out their punishment, but God promised them that when the time was over, and if the people sought Him out with all of their hearts, open and true, God would bring them back. God had a plan for them, but they had to have a change of heart and a change of behavior, and God would hear them. This is good news for us. When we find ourselves in the bleakest moment, days, weeks or even years in our lives, if we have led sinful lives or done sinful things, God is never far from us. All God asks is for us to repent, turn to Him, ask forgiveness truly, and God will answer us and deliver us from all that holds us captive. Change your heart and change your character. Then seek God’s favor and God will deliver you, free you up from all unrighteousness. God has a plan for you! Trust and believe.
 
Love in Christ, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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June 7, 2017
Dear Paw Creek Church Family, Pentecost is upon us. We celebrate and commemorate the Jewish feast wherein the disciples of Christ received the Holy Spirit. It is time of great joy. Jesus was now seated at the right hand of God and now the promised Holy Spirit , the third person of the Trinity would reign in the hearts and minds of human-kind. We who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, are recipients of the power and with joy and boldness are called forth to do great works. May the spirit of the season bring you into new and exciting spaces, open you up to bright futures in Christ and fill you anew with joy and great love. In Christ,
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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May 24, 2017
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. This past week has been a doozy. In the world, a bomb exploded in Manchester England at the end of a concert and around twenty teenagers were killed and many more injured. In our country, there is much discussion on the interference of another country’s engagement in our election and the possible collusion of some of our government officials being involved with them. There is way too much partisan political unrest. There is much violence happening in our state, in our city. There is unrest in our citizenry because of racism and sexism. We cannot turn on the television without being confronted by disturbing or sad news. In our church, we have had loved ones hospitalized or still recovering at home. Even I personally feel despair at times deep within. I wonder will there be no end to this needless noise of pain and discontent. Our people, O God are suffering. Is there joy anywhere? Sometimes it feels like there is none. That is until I am reminded of Jesus. How he suffered, not just physically on the cross at the end of His earthly life, but the suffering he had because of us. God’s creation. How we squander the gifts of God and use them for evil or to hurt others. God incarnate witnessed the absolute worst in us. How He must have despaired seeing us wasting our potential on bickering and backstabbing and fighting and positioning ourselves against one another. That is not what God intends for us. God intends joy for us. But where do we find it? Begin by looking in the playroom of your souls.
 
Rev. Tony Evans tells this story: Someone came up with a great concept—putting playrooms in doctors’ offices. Many parents bring their kids to the doctor because they are sick and they need the doctor to see them. The playrooms are designed to distract the children from the pain of their problem until their problem gets fixed. The playroom gives them joy in a bad situation. That’s the way God works. Even though things may not be going the way we want them to be on the outside, God has designed a “playroom” in our soul. In the midst of our circumstances, His joy can distract us from our pain or discomfort, until He makes provision for our change or healing.
 
Isn’t that good news? Look inward, to your soul’s playground. Commune with God for a time. Let your cares melt away for a time in God’s playroom. Find your joy, find your peace. And may God bless you as you serve in His name.
 
I live for the cross,
Rev. Veronica Cannon
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May 10, 2017
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am taking a week of vacation this week.  I am not doing anything special, not going anywhere in particular.  I am really going to take this week to rest some.  As I reflect upon this week and upon the message I wish to share with you, it revolves around the theme and importance of rest.  One of the Ten Commandments speaks of keeping Sabbath.  This is the type of rest I plan to have this week.  A Sabbath week.  It is not a time to sit and do nothing, to lay in bed or sit and watch TV.  No, it is a time of communing with God, being with family and friends and doing what one enjoys.  It is a time of singing and dancing, a time of praying, a time of listening and for me, discerning.  It is as active rest.  I encourage all of you to find Sabbath moments, to enjoy family and friends and time with God.  To break bread together and sing together and to find those moments alone to reflect and discern God’s leading. May God walk with you and carry you when needed.  May you find joy and much laughter for your souls.  May you seek and find the peace that God provides and enjoy one another.  May you find rest in your weariness.  May the love of God surround you. I live for the cross, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon

 
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April 26, 2017
 
Psalm 84:1-12 (NRSV) 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah 5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed. 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church family, I love Psalms. They are prayers that always bring comfort or joy or peace. This Psalm is one that brings joy. It gives to God what is due: praise and honor. In God’s presence is where we find joy. In God we gain strength. In God, the upright, the faithful find favor and honor. The Lord gives good things (not material things) to those who trust in God. God is great and greatly to be praised. May you find comfort in this Psalm, joy in your heart and peace in your faithfulness to the Creator. Amen and Amen.
 
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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April 12, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church,
I read the following poem on a friend’s Facebook page this past week: “later that night i held an atlas in my lap ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered where does it hurt? it answered everywhere everywhere everywhere.” I could not help thinking how appropriate this poem by Warsan Shire is for Holy Week. We live in a world that is hurting and broken. War is breaking in many parts of the universe. Men are dying, children are starving, women are being abused, parents are unable to support families, jobs are being lost, houses are being foreclosed, our enemies are gaining strength, fear is at an all-time high. If I could borrow from her poem and add to it, this is what my spirit hears: God whispers, “where does it hurt?” Creation cries, “Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.” Then God says “Remember” Creation cries “Remember what?” God says “Not what but who. Remember my Son, Jesus the Christ.” Creation says, “What has he done?” God says “He died to save.” Creation shouts, “Who did he save?” God cries, “Everyone, everyone, everyone.” This week we remember Jesus Christ and His saving grace. By His stripes we are healed. By His blood we are redeemed. By His power over sin and death, we are made free. By His sacrifice, we have life eternal. Praise be to God, Son and Holy Spirit.
I live for the cross, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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March 29, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church,
 
I was reading the Lectionary for today, and one of the readings came from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. It was the story where an angel of the Lord brought Ezekiel to the Temple of God and showed him a trickle of water that flowed from the temple east toward the Arabah Sea. The angel took Ezekiel on a walk along the bank of the river to the Arabah. As they walked the water went from ankle deep to waist high depth to the point where Ezekiel would have to swim to cross. The angel pulled his attention to all of the growth and life that teemed all around them. Water of life flowed from the temple and became a great well spring of life. It is all due to the source of the water; God. God is the source of our lives. From our God source flows the river of life that runs through each of us. When we are open, receptive to the source of this water, we too teem with life and growth abounds, surrounding us with we need to survive and thrive. And when we walk along the banks of life, we will admire the new landscape that God carves out and gives to us for our enjoyment. All praise be to God for God’s life giving source of water and power. Amen.
 
I live for the cross,
 
Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
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March 15, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,

Blessing.  It is a word that means happy or helped by God.  It could also mean approval or that which is said over food.  I have often used this word of blessing myself, usually as it pertains to being helped by God or even as that which is said over food before eating.   I have also understood a blessing to be something you never keep to yourself, but that you share with others around you and beyond you.  If God has helped me, that it is important for me to use that help to help others.  Interestingly enough, I recently read an article on line from a man who teaches leadership skills to corporations and make a decent living doing so.  The article is entitled “The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying: Let’s retire this phrase immediately, and say what we really mean to say instead.”  He is referring to the use of the word blessing in relationship to material belongings.  He said people should not say “I just bought a house, I am blessed.  I just got a new car, I am blessed.”  We should rather say “I am grateful.”  He believes that when people say I am blessed because I have this job or some material thing, we reduce God to heavenly fairy who grants our every wish.  It is also plain wrong.  God does not prosper people because they have done some great or wonderful thing.  That would be prosperity theology: God blesses you because of something you have done and if others would just do likewise they would receive these blessings. I also do not believe in prosperity theology.  God does not bless us more because we give to the church or we treat others with kindness or sow seed into a particular ministry.  But I do believe that God blesses us to be blessings to others.  God helps us to help others.  So, God may bless us with a house or a car or a job.  But we are to use them to glorify God and help someone else.  Use your car to take someone to the doctor, or shopping for groceries.  Use your house to hold Bible studies or mission stations.  Use the income from your job to help those less fortunate or use your job to help others get work.  Material blessings should not be used for personal consumption or personal good alone.  Be a blessing to someone else.  Use the blessing of your body to help others who may need you.  Your eyes to help a blind person get around, your hands to reach out to someone who needs comfort, your feet to take you to places to carry out ministry, your ears to listen to the concerns of your fellow people.  But if you really want to know who Jesus considers the blessed among us, read Matthew 5: 3-12. Jesus, in Matthew 5, also gives us some instruction on who the blessed are.  God helps, blesses us, when we are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted.  In this life we may be torn asunder, but we will receive the blessings of God in the life everlasting.  Our reward will come, so in the meantime just rejoice and be glad. Matthew 5:3-12 (MSG) 3  “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4  “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5  “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6  “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. 7  “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘careful,’ you find yourselves cared for. 8  “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9  “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. 10  “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. 11  “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 12  You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. Daily we receive blessings from God.  Accept them and use them to God’s glory. I live for the cross! Rev. Veronica E. Cannon

 
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February 15, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Isaiah 43:18-19 (NRSV) 18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Being held captive is never a good thing. Being unable to leave a situation or a place can be devastating. We think of captivity as being imprisoned behind bars or captivity as being captured by an enemy of war and held in a prison camp. In the passage of Scripture from Isaiah, the chil-dren of Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians, and God, through the prophet Isaiah, told the people to hold on. God was about to do a new thing. God was going to move and re-deem the people from captivity and free them to go out. The people had suffered long enough due to their sin and God was going to deliver on God’s promise to them. It is no different with us today. We may not be under the heavy hand of oppression by another nation, but many of us held captive. Some of us are held captive in unproductive jobs, in un-loving relationships or marriages, in life circumstances, in bad health, in our minds, to drugs or alcohol. To you, God is saying, hold on. God is about to do a new thing. God is going to free you from whatever holds you captive. Only turn to God. Stop turning to others who have no power to free you; moving to stop turning to idols that do nothing. Give your attention to God. God is doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it? God is leading us into a bright and joyous future. God is opening pathways of communication and pathways of hope and pathways of ser-vice. Do you not perceive it? The river of God’s life flowing stream is running through the veins of our church. Through God’s life we are given life. Do you not perceive it? In our church, the children are singing and getting active. The youth are growing deeper in faith and remain active in the community. The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) is working hard in ward your next called pastor, the mission committee is seeking and providing more op-portunities for you to serve, the Fellowship committee is gearing up for opportunities for you to spend time together, the Congregational Care Committee is developing more precise ways to engage with and communicate with you. The session and staff will be having a retreat, focused upon church growth. The music program in our church continues to provide uplifting and meaningful music. God is breathing new life in Paw Creek, the church on the hill, a light to the community, a spiritual haven for lost souls. God is moving in your life, in your homes, and in your church. God never stopped moving. Do you not perceive it? No more captivity. You are being freed indeed. I live for the cross! Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
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February 1, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Over the past few weeks, our country and indeed the world has undergone and or been affected by a great deal of change. Some of us are jubilant over the changes that have come upon us, and others of us are absolutely afraid. This is not the time to gloat nor is it the time to fear. Listen, we are all brothers and sisters, creat-ed by God. We are one in the same, part of the human family, yet we are different based on where we live, how we are raised, what we believe or don’t believe and the list goes on. It is easy to fear what we do not understand or refuse to try to understand. This has caused a great ripple in the world. But fear is not of God. Scripture offers many examples and states many times to FEAR NOT. Fear is an instrument of the evil one and Satan will use fear to turn brother against brother and sister against sister. We fear what we do not understand or what we do not agree with. But we cannot let fear rule our lives. From Isaiah 35:4 (NRSV) “4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” From the Gospel of John, Jesus says “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” From Joshua 1:9 (NRSV) “9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” And from Psalm 23:4 (NRSV) “4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.” There are many other Scriptures that speak to the notion of having no fear. We should all heed these words. Fear causes people to turn on other people, to turn their backs on people and to hate people. You can look at our political climate and see fear coming out of this administration, fear coming out of our country, fear coming out of the people protesting in the streets and it is tearing us apart. Families are divided over fear, friendships are stressed over fear, actions are taken out of fear. But our God whom we serve says FEAR NOT. For I AM with you. God is with us. Rejoice if you feel the desire to rejoice, it is your choice. Fight for what you think is right, that is also your choice, but do not fear. God is with us. So, no matter what, NO MATTER WHAT, the circum-stance, your feelings or misgivings or jubilance, GOD IS WITH US. Believe that! God will be the One who rights the wrongs, who makes the everlasting change that really counts. So trust that if nothing else. Peace be with you all! I live for the cross! Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
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January 18, 2017
 
In times of uncertainty, anxiety builds and people can become dismayed. This can be exasperated even more when we take our eyes off of God and spend more time focused on problems and issues. We see this in our world, where war rages and families are torn asunder because of it. We see this in our nation, where the political climate is distressed and people are uncertain about the future. We at Paw Creek see it here as the search for your next pastor is underway.
 
We live in uncertain times and many are filled with apprehension. But thanks be to God, because the One who created the world and formed it and gave us life, God has never forgotten us. God is still in control calls us to a sense of calm and reassurance.
 
From the Book of Isaiah 51:3 (NRSV) Scripture reads: 3 For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. The children of Israel were in captivity. They were full of despair, uncertain about the future. The Jews had withstood great hardship and crushing suffering. But through the prophet Isaiah, God sent them a message of hope. God told them to remain steadfast in their faith and to continue to follow. God wanted them to know that their captivity would be turned to freedom, that their suffering would end and they would be comforted.
 
Whatever stress, anxiety you are experience today, listen to the Lord and follow God’s guidance. Whatever holds you captive, be it circumstance or sin or life lessons, turn it over to God and God will be your comfort during times of distress, your anchor in the storm. Joy and gladness will be found in you and thanksgiving in your voice as you sing your song. Thanks be to God. And may it be so.
 
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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January 4, 2017
Dear Paw Creek, Here’s to you and wishing you the happiest in this new year! Wow, it is 2017 and what an exciting year this will be. On January 11, 2017 we will begin Bible study again. Please come. It is a time to learn more about Christ and understand who God is an what God plans for those who follow and love Him. The youth and children have excited things planned for the Wednesday evening programming to teach them the Bible and to learn more of what it means to be a Christian, how to serve the people of God and how to do it with joy. Please know that the youth pro-gram and the children program are growing and getting stronger. If you have an opportunity to come out and volunteer your services to God to these ministries, you can always contact Evie Landrau the youth director and Victoria Krebs, the children’s director. There are a few changes this year as well. We have added to the session a new committee, the Fellowship committee. It will be chaired by Beth Joy and you will hear more about it and the work her committee will do in the coming weeks. You will also have ample opportunity to step up and help out as well, both individually and collectively. Opportunities abound to use your God given talents throughout the church. If you love Christian Education, consider becoming part of the Christian Ed committee. If you love planning for worship, consider your gifts and join the Worship Committee. If you love dealing with finance, consider joining the finance committee. If you have a passion for mission ( the heart of the church) then please join up with the Mission Committee. There are so many opportunities for YOU to live into the talents that God has given you. Your church needs you and God is calling you as you are part of this body to step up and step into God’s Work here at Paw Creek. Paw Creek Presbyterian Church is the church you love, the church you want to see grow and prosper. Well, YOU are Paw Creek and its sustainability lies within each and everyone of you. So, as you make your New Year Resolutions, resolve to support your church, Paw Creek, with time, your talent, and your money. Your church needs you to survive and prosper. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NRSV) 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. Let us pray that God will open God’s eyes and ears and be attentive to our prayers. Happy New Year. This promises to be a good one. Rev. Veronica Cannon
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December 21, 2016
 
Merry Christmas to you. The birth of Christ is highly celebrated throughout the Christian community at this time of year. It should be. The birth of Christ, God becoming flesh is a really big deal. We have all heard the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to be counted in the consensus. When they arrive there is no room in the inn. Mary goes into labor and the only place to give birth is in a stable with smelly animals and the only clothing, swaddling or binding cloths. The bed for our Savior, a trough. But I want us to appreciate how special and difficult this was for the mother of the Christ child. Again, you know the story, but do you appreciate how special this story really is? In the year of our Lord 1990, I traveled from Maryland to Los Angeles, California with my husband and two young sons to attend my youngest sister’s wedding. We traveled by air. I had a comfortable seat, food services, a bathroom, if needed and the ability to lay back and rest if I desired. When we arrived, we were picked up in a car and taken to my oldest sisters house where other family had also gathered. We were going to be there for only a few days. I was Vera’s ma-tron of honor. Did I mention I was also pregnant? Yep…nearly eight months. My doctor would not let me stay for even a week because this was my third child, and they had a tendency to come early by about a week and they came quickly. He did not want me to be away from home for too long. But we traveled there and back safely and my daughter Rosalynn was born six weeks later. So why did I tell you that story? To really appreciate what Mary endured to give birth to Jesus.
From Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 70 miles. Over mountainous terrain you could add another twenty miles. Mary traveled by donkey back, not an airline. She was nine months pregnant with her first child. Her husband led the donkey by foot over some pretty rough and ragged terrain. That journey took about a week to make. Think about the toll this had on Mary. With constant bathroom breaks and needs to rest, to get off that donkey to walk a bit only to climb back upon its back to continue the journey. She is ready to give birth at any time and then they finally arrive in Bethlehem. I am certain she looked forward to a bed to rest upon, an opportunity to have a hot meal perhaps, to be away from that animal. Then they find there are no rooms available and Mary goes into labor. The only place available? A stable? More animals? No comfortable bed? Exactly. A very tired Mary and Joseph arrive to register for the consensus, and the only place to rest was a stable among cows and lambs and sheep and maybe a camel or two. And it is there that she lays on straw and gives birth to a King, the Savior of the world, the Messiah, anointed by God to be our salvation. Christ was born after a long strenuous journey, under very humble conditions, and became the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a gift to Mary. What a gift to us all. If never there was a reason to celebrate, this one was and is. What a metaphor for life right? We may have a tough journey, and the road to salvation may not always be smooth flying, but the gift of salvation is well worth it all.
Merry Christmas to you all. Rev. Veronica Cannon
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December 7, 2016
 
Merry Christmas! This is a greeting that you will hear and deliver to many people you meet both stranger and friend alike. And for most people, it is a merry time of year when we remember the Christ Child’s birth. There will be worship services and sing-a-longs. There will be dinner parties and the joy of breaking bread together. There will be baking and shopping and visiting with fam-ily and friends far and near. There will be traveling and staying put. All sorts of wonderment will accompany this most wonderful time of the year. I say rejoice and be glad in it. Remember those also for whom this time of year is most difficult, who do not get enjoyment or pleasure from this season. Remember those for whom this season is wrought with stress and worry and concern. Remember those families for whom Christmas will not mean gifts under a tree or a nice turkey dinner at the table. Remember to pray for all of God’s children for whom this day means sadness and if you are able spread a little joy in their direction. Let them know of the joy of the Christ child and that his birth brings unspeakable joy because of Emmanuel, God with us!
 
Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
 
My all your days be merry and filled with the light of Christ. Merry Christmas!
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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November 23, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving! This week people all around the United States will be gathering together to break bread and share time. Men and women, boys and girls will say that for which they are thankful. Some will have turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese, beans, sweet potatoes, pies, cakes, hot buttered rolls, tea or lemonade. Some will watch football, others will play family tag football. Some will play games, others will tell stories, share memories and spend laughter. These are indeed things for which to be grateful. I will spend time with my husband and chil-dren. We will share a less traditional meal (it’s what they want), play games, and I am sure laugh a lot. I will worship at Paw Creek giving praise to God and thanking God along with many of you for God’s great bounty. It is all good. But there will be many for whom Thanksgiving will not be a time of thankfulness. Some will spend the day alone and treat it like every other day; nothing special. Some will be in a restaurant eating alone. Some will just be lonely. There will be no laughter, no games, no fun, no good memories to share. So, I am asking, if you know someone who may not have family or friends, who may spend the day alone, think of inviting them to your home, give them space to be a part of your life and make memories with you. Share your meal, share your laughter, share your fun. Give someone the opportunity to be thankful for you and your kindness. It may not mean a lot to you, but may make the world of difference to someone. My desire for you is to be grateful all your days and to share your love and life with as many other people as you can. Happy Thanksgiving! I live for the cross. Rev. Veronica Cannon
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November 9, 2016
 
Be happy people. God has enriched our lives and gives us meaning. He has provided us
with the best families, the best friends, the best that life has to offer. Do you see it? Be happy
people. God has stretched out God’s hand and covers us with love and grace and peace.
When we have been unlovable, God loved, when we have been unkind, God’s grace
abounds, when we were in turmoil, God granted us peace. Do you feel it? Be happy people.
God has moved hearts and minds to bend to His Will and allows us to discover the best in
ourselves. When we direct our thoughts and actions to doing our own thing to benefit ourselves,
God moves in mighty ways through us. Do you conceive it? Be happy people.
Life is way too short to be otherwise.
Peace in Christ,
Veronica
 
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October 26, 2016
Don’t focus on what was. Look forward to what can be, and then do all you can to make it a reality. Life is what you make of it, and the challenges that come your way are just opportunities to right what is wrong. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up. You have it all inside yourself, and you can overcome anything if you put your mind to it. – Paula Michele Adams
I read this reading from the book entitled A Daybook of Gratitude. How to Live Each Day with a Thankful Heart. Living each day with a thankful heart is a beautiful thing to do. It helps us to recognize that which is in our circle, our space, and to see how God is blessing and continues to bless us. It helps us to see the people around us and value them for the gifts of God they share with us. It helps us to appreciate all that God is. But I will admit, that there are days when this seems an impossibility. When ugliness in someone’s attitude darkens your lighted path, it is hard to see the light for the shadow. But seek the light anyway. Hard, but keep trying. When people disappoint you because they claim a love of God and yet spew hate toward you, it is hard to hold on to love. But love anyway. When people gossip about you behind your back, spreading un- truths, it is hard to stand in the midst of them. Stand anyway. Nothing worth having is ever easy. And when you can live thankfully for the ugliness, the disappointments, the gossip and untruths, your character is built and your resolve is strengthened. Turn a challenge into a possibility. And when things still do not pan out, pray for God to show you new opportunities for which to be thankful. Ask God to bring people into your life whom you can appreciate and who appreciate you. Find the joy and keep it in your life. If it’s not your circus, don’t take their monkeys. Learn the lessons that life is teaching you and move on. Put God in the center of your life, and God will lead your path. Just be thankful for the path. Everywhere that God leads you and brings you is a place in which to be thankful. In Christ, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
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October 12, 2016
 
As I reflect upon this life of ours as members of the body of Christ, and I think upon all of the ill will that plagues our world, our country, our community, our church, I can easily despair. But I choose a different path. I ask you to join me as we each, individually find ways to widen our circle of influence in positive and decisive ways. Each of us has an opportunity to influence good, to influence well-being, to influence love and joy. It is done by our words and actions. IN moments when we are unable to find the strength to do change our words and actions to reflect the grace of God, I encourage you to pray. I recently came upon a familiar prayer that reminds me again of the power of prayer and how that which we ask of God can be made manifest in our lives. It is a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I share this prayer with you now. May it be so.
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is dark- ness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be under- stood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. In Christ, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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September 28, 2016
 
I would like to give you another update on things that are happening in the church.
First, congratulations to the newly elected Elders of Paw Creek Presbyterian Church for the class of
2019. Please extend your words of affirmation to Jon Kenley, Victoria Krebs, Amy McGee, Melissa
Mullis, David Padgett, Joy Tyler, and Barbara Ullem. We will begin our twelve hours of training
beginning in October and finishing in November. After a written examination at the end of the
training, the newly elected officers will be ordained (if not previously ordained) and installed to of-
fice. The newly elected officers will be ready to hit the ground running in January.
 
Please remember to thank the Nominating Committee (Eddie McArver, Donna Hall, Peggy Harring-
ton, Grady Cathey, Ken Scott – Chair, and Robin Wodarski for all of their hard work in getting this
important work done. But they are not quite done yet.
 
Second, the Nominating Committee is still hard at work for you Paw Creek. They are beginning the
second charge of their work in getting a slate of names together of individuals to sit on the Pastor
Nominating Committee. During the month of September, they have been receiving names from the
congregation of those individuals who would like to sit on the Pastor Nominating Committee. The
Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) will need to consist of a cross section of the congregation as
to be representative of the congregation. There will be a committee of five. The same process will
be followed as it was for the class of Elder. The committee will confirm with individuals their desire
to serve on the PNC, perform interviews with each agreed participant, develop a slate of names and
will present the congregation with that slate of names on which to vote.
 
We have sent letters out to all members who have not been active here in the last year to confirm
their membership as to meet that requirement from Presbytery. This information needs to be as
accurate as possible as this will go on the Mission Information Form (MIF) that the PNC will fill out
about the church.
 
You will hear more in the coming future as we move further in this process. You may be called up-
on to help out with the mission study that needs to be completed; I hope you will consider volun-
teering to do this work. Some has already been done.
 
We are moving ever forward in finding the next man or woman of God to lead this congregation.
Stay in prayer through this process. We are getting there.
 
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Veronica Cannon
 
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September 14, 2016
 
2 Corinthians 5:6-9 (NRSV)
6
So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are
away from the Lord
7
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8
Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the
Lord.
9
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
 
Live the Christian life. Okay. So what exactly is living the Christian life? If we look at this passage
of Scripture from 2nd Corinthians verse 7, it gives us the prescription for doing so. Walk by faith and
not by sight. In so doing we please the Lord. Our aim in life should be pleasing the Lord. Walking
in faith is the way to accomplish this aim. But what does that mean? It means different things to
different people, because walking in faith is individual. However, walking in faith does require us to
move with confidence in this world, relying upon God for guidance and leadership. It means not
relying upon what we see before us as an absolute for right living. We are human and therefore falli-
ble. And what we see can always be changed or moved by the power of God. You see a brick wall
before you and think there is no way I can get through that wall. It is brick, it is high, it is impenetra-
ble. That is what you see. But God says approach the wall anyway. Move toward it, you will get
through. We see a brick wall, God sees a way through. So you approach the wall and realize there is
a spot that is crumbling, weak. You push on the weak spot and it crumbles to the ground. You walk
through to the other side. That is walking by faith and not by sight. Put your trust in God first and
God will remove obstacles from your path. That includes doubts, fears, people, strongholds, and
even sin. Walk with the confidence of God and watch God remove earthly strongholds and make a
way for you.
 
Blessings,
Veronica Cannon
 
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August 31, 2016
In my daily devotional reading, I came across one that really speaks to me. It deals with having time of solitude. Slices of solitude allow us to renew and reflect and transform as we enter into ourselves and do the necessary work of gunk removal so that God can fill us with internal peace and joy. Slic-es of solitude allow us to enter into prayer without distraction. We can focus our attention upon God. Spend time listening as God reveals to us The Almighty’s plan. From Charles Swindoll’s book
Wisdom for the Way, one of the readings from Intimacy with the Almighty
says solitude is “an oasis of the soul where we see ourselves, others, and especially our God in new ways. It is where much of the clutter of life is identified and exterminated, thanks to the merciless heat of the furnace. Soul surgery transpires as serenity replaces anxiety”. This speaks to my soul and I hope to yours as well. You know, even Jesus took times of solitude and prayer to spend with God. We all need our tanks refu-eled. I encourage you to find your solitude. If you cannot get away for a time of quiet solitude, look for a time in your day or night to spend with God alone. Just you and our Creator talking things over and seeking direction for you. May you be blessed in that journey.
 
In Christ,
Veronica Cannon
 
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August 17, 2016
 

In my efforts to be forthcoming and transparent with you, I am giving you an update today on where we

currently stand in the process of calling your next pastor. We have held four town hall meetings held by

me and then I requested the Presbytery of Charlotte to come for a fifth town hall meeting to answer

questions and hear concerns that some of you still have. I have completed the report from the four town

hall meetings I conducted and that information is now available to give to the PNC when it is formed. I

would want to express my thanks to all who participated in the town hall meetings. Your voice was heard

and is included in the report. As far as a timeline for where we stand in the process, it is recorded below.

The timeline is also part of my report from the town hall meetings. You will note that in September, the

Nominating Committee will begin taking names of members who desire to serve on the Pastor Nominating

Committee. (With go ahead from Presbytery. I do not anticipate a problem with this) If you desire

to serve on the committee or someone gives your name to serve, the nominating committee will contact

you to confirm your desire to serve in that capacity. The nominating committee will come up with a slate

of names representative of the entire congregation. When that slate of names is complete, the session

will call a meeting of the congregation to vote on said slate. The Presbytery of Charlotte will send someone

in to train the PNC on its scope of work and the newly formed PNC will begin its work. I would

ask that you begin praying now that God will act in the hearts and minds of those who will serve on the

PNC to be discerning and faithful in this work as it is serious business in considering who will next lead

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church. The work is a time commitment and will require full participation from

all involved. So begin praying now. As I have said before, and believe in my heart, God has already chosen

your next pastor. He or she does not yet know it. But in God’s timing they will know and so will

you and you will together form a long and lasting relationship. I pray you God speed.

Peace in Christ,

Veronica Cannon
 
Tentative Timeline:
 

May 21st

Nominating Committee training – complete
 

June – July

Begin taking names for candidate for nomination for office of elder – in process
 

August

Begin interviews of candidates.

Consider needs of the session.

Period of prayer and discernment of candidates.
 

September

Present slate of names to Session.

Session calls a congregational meeting

Congregation votes on slate of names

Nominating Committee begins taking names for members interested in serving on Pastor Nominating

Committee (upon approval of Committee on Ministry – COM)
 

October

Officer Training for newly elected Elders – 6 weeks

Examination of newly elected Elders

If the nominating committee has completed taking names of members to serve on the Pastor Nominating

Committee, Session will call a congregational meeting.
 

November or December

Ordination and Installation of newly elected Elders

Congregation votes on slate of names for Pastor Nominating Committee

Pastor Nominating Committee receives training from Committee on Ministry and begins their work

as outlined above.
 
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August 3, 2016
 

Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,

Last week as I was taking my morning walk/run, I looked up at the sky and saw the sun’s rays coming through the clouds. I then began to take in the beauty that was all around me. The flowering trees, the flowers, the green grass, the stillness that was this morning. People were not yet up and about, and things were quiet and still. I wanted to cry. I began to think about God and how awesome are God’s great wonders. And this passage of Scripture came to mind,

“Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

Be still. Be silent. Be quiet. Be stationary. And know that I am God. God, Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, Our Defense. Know God, the Great I Am.

I thought of God and great and wonderful God is. To know God is to know stillness, peace, silence. And if God is to be exalted among the nations and in the earth, then there is much work to be done. But, I don’t need to rush ahead of God, I need to wait on God to speak and move and be ready always to lift the name of God through Jesus Christ His Son. God is to be exalted above the nations and in the earth. God has this. God has me. God has you. God has this nation. God has this world.

In the ever shifting sands of this world, our nation, our communities, our churches and our homes, it becomes really easy to get caught up in the winds that blow to and fro and the ground that shakes back and forth. We so easily lose sight of what is most important. God.

In our world, we are asked and called to remember that we are at war with a force of evil by the name of ISIS. And we are afraid and running wild. In our nation, we are asked and called to remember that there is a divide between races of people and creeds and ethnic groups. In our communities, we are asked and called to look upon the divide between blue/black/white. In our church, we are asked and called to remember that we STILL do not have a called pastor in place, and time is ever fleeting. In our homes, we are asked and called to remember that for some of us we are lonely or sad or unhealthy or divorced or troubled by family members or circumstance. Such doom and gloom; fear and unease.

When I got home from my walk/run, I looked at the Psalm 46 in its entirety. And I read these wonderful words.

Psalm 46:1-11 (NRSV) 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. 6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Yes, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear. I will not worry. God is in control. I will be still and know God. There is room here for you to join me. Be still. No fear, no worries. Know God.

In Christ,

Veronica

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July 20, 2016
 

Psalm 67:1-7 (NRSV)

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon

earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.

7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.
 

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the Psalms. They are so poetic and beautiful and have always been

a source of comfort for me. Whether I am distressed or confident, in need of deliverance or in need to

praise God, the Psalms always have something upon which to lean. In the past weeks, there has been much

distress in our country and indeed the world. Today, I needed to hear a Word from the Lord that could be

my offering of praise to God. So, I share Psalm 67 with you that you may also offer praise and ask God’s

blessings to reign and rain upon you.
 

As one commentator puts it:

Whatever the circumstances of our lives, God is God and He is worthy of our praise. He loves us and has

made a covenant with us through the blood of His only Son, whom He gave to die for our sins. May we

learn to praise Him at all times, in trials and triumphs, in burdens and blessings, in gains and losses, in good

and bad!
 

Praise be to our God who reigns forever!

In Christ,

Veronica Cannon

 
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July 6, 2016
 
I received an e-mail today, Tuesday July 5, from a book publisher. One of the books being promoted is a book by William H. Willimon entitled
Fear of the Other: No Fear In Love
.
 
In this no non-sense book, reliable spiritual guide, Will Willimon, invites readers to consider the gospel command to love (and not merely tolerate) those considered to be Other or outside mainstream Christian culture. Rooted in the faith of Israel and the Christian story and vision, Willimon brings a Wesleyan perspective to bear on what may be the hardest thing for people of faith to do: keeping and loving the “Other” as they are – without any need for them to become like us.
 

Emphasizing biblical teaching to receive Others for who they are and their differences as gifts and mysteries bearing the grace of God, Willimon also offers a strong critique of the privileged who all too often rush to speak of reconciliation and evade the injustice of huge inequalities faced by foreigners and strangers – as well as the antagonism the stranger experiences. He identifies concrete, everyday ways persons are formed in welcoming others without annihilating their differences.

This is of course a book that I am likely to read. But that is not the point of this article from me.

I am intrigued by this thought of “other”. Who is “other” among us, and how do we treat “other” in our context. The more I thought about this, the more I began to realize that WE are “other”. Look, here is the definition of other. 1)used to refer to a person or thing that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known about. 2) view or treat (a person or group of people) as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself. The second definite is “other” as a verb…interesting.

We often think of “other” as someone of a different race, different socio-economic background, different culture, different accent, different theology, different country, different “whatever” (Thanks Karen Cathey). We look at others who are different from us in whatever way we see them and for some reason, those differences bring about fear in many of us. So often in our context, we look at difference as deficient instead of difference as just that…difference. For this, and a myriad other reasons, we are instilled with fear. But God does not give us a spirit of fear. So where does this come from? And more importantly, how do we begin to overcome it?

When I worked for Bank of America some years ago, the bank recognized that there were some pretty big divides among many people who worked in the bank. They began an initiative where bank employees were strongly encouraged to have lunch with someone “other” than themselves. The results for many were staggering. People actually began to communicate and got to know each other in new and exciting ways and for some, lasting friendships were born.

Is it possible that getting over the FEAR of knowing “other” might be as simple as conversation, spending time together, listening, sharing the common bond of humanity? Is it possible that our differences might actually be sufficient, abounding in abundance? Is it possible that we might learn from others as they learn from us? Is it possible to love others as God loves us? After all we are “other” to someone too.

In Christ,

Veronica Cannon

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June 22, 2016
 
In her devotional book Jesus Calling, Sarah Young for June 21 wrote:
 
Wait patiently with me while I bless you.  Don’t rush into My Presence with time-consciousness gnawing at your mind.  I dwell in timelessness: I Am, I was and I will always be.  For you, time is a protection; you’re a frail creature who can handle only twenty four hour segments of life.  Time can also be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly in your mind.  Learn to master time, or it will be your master.  Though you are a time bound creature, seek to meet Me in timelessness.  As you focus on My Presence, the demands of time and tasks will diminish.  I will bless you and keep you, making My Face shine upon you graciously, giving you peace.  Micah 7:7; Revelation 1:8; Numbers 6:24-26 
 
In a day and age amid much going and coming, amid much running around, take some of your busy time and spend it with God.  We fill our lives with doing THINGS, and forget to just BE.  Be present with God, be present friends, be present with family.  Master that time and you will be master over your life with God’s help.  We live this life we have one time.  We can spend it on a hamster’s wheel going nowhere, being with no one; or we can jump off, take time to take in the beauty that is God’s and share it with others.  Take time to observe your surroundings, talk with God and just see what the Lord will show you.  You will find more time, more time in peace and joy!  What a gift that is from our Lord.  Take time with God and God will bless you in His timelessness.  Now is the time.
 
Rev. Veronica Cannon
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May 2, 2018
 
Dear Friends,
Last fall, many of you heard the saga of the palm tree. How my wife Nell, when we moved to Charlotte, announced that since she now lived in the south she wanted a palm tree(!) How no amount of reasoning would convince her that palm trees are not native to the Piedmont. How every winter she would fret about her palm. How the previous winter, with a sleet storm approaching, she sent me on a wild trip to fetch bales of straw in the back seat of my two-door convertible to pack around the palm tree’s roots.
 
Well, the saga is over. This year, we didn’t have any dramatic storms, and the palm seemed to have been healthy through the bouts of cold weather that did come along. But then with the warm days of early March we noticed a few branches turning brown, and then some more, until soon the entire tree was dry and brittle. This weekend we sawed it down and went to the nursery to buy a replacement, not a palm tree this time, but a corkscrew weeping willow – still different and interesting, but more suited to Mecklenburg County. According to Google, this is a tree that is even known for looking good when covered in snow!
 
I suppose it is tempting to see all kinds of parables in this tale. How fragile life is. The folly of not paying attention to prevailing conditions. The wisdom of cutting our losses and moving on. The further wisdom of learning from our mistakes rather than repeating them. But you know, sometimes a tale is just a tale, a story with ups and downs and no ending in sight. It’s just a good story and we will be telling it for years. We will tell it when the willow towers over the back yard, and our children will tell it after us. We could do a lot worse in life than just making stories and sharing them. What stories to you have to share?
 
Blessings, Elliott
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April 18, 2018
 
Dear Friends, I’ve been on the move a lot the last couple of weeks, with a piece of bread, a bottle of juice, and two or three church members in tow. For each trip, our destination is the home of one of our “stay-at-home” families, and our purpose is to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. 
 
And celebrate we do, in the fullest meaning of Christ’s sacrament. As we follow his instructions (“every time you do this . . .”) our eyes are open to his presence in our midst. But perhaps more startlingly, our eyes are open to our presence with each other. The church exists by being together. Even if we all believed the Gospel message perfectly, we would not be Christians if we stayed alone and never met one another. The power of the church is our togetherness, for that is where Jesus joins us. 
 
Because of that, it is so important for us to go out and be together with brothers and sisters who can no longer travel and be with us. When we gather we renew the ties that bind, catching up and sharing the news. And soon the four or five or six of us have created a little church family right then and there. From that point it’s a short and easy step to break out the bread and juice, to pray and say the words, and to share the meal. We always remind each other that those at home have never been far from our thoughts or far from our community, so that even when we celebrate without their physical presence, the Spirit makes them part of us anyway. But the opposite is true also – when a little group celebrates in a home, each of you who are part of the church is present in that home too. The Spirit brings you there and we feel your presence. 
 
That’s the power of Jesus. Across time and the intervening miles, we can never lose him, and never lose one another. Jesus is real, and so is the joy.
 
Blessings, Elliott
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April 4, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The busy preparations of recent weeks are behind us – Easter has been celebrated, the quiet of Lent is over, and the joy of Resurrection has been proclaimed. Many, many thanks to all who labored long to bring us the experiences of Holy Week, especially the choir, along with Mark and Sherry, and our Youth Group readers. And don’t forget the behind-the-scenes efforts of the Worship Committee, and all the extra bulletins for Kim!
 
It feels right to breathe a sigh and perhaps take a few weeks of rest. But that is not Jesus’s plan, or the plan of the Gospel. Our church calendar has it high points. But the real meat of Christian life comes in between, when we have the opportunity and obligation to live out the truth that we have proclaimed. As we discovered on Easter, Jesus has already gone ahead of us and expects us to meet him in “Galilee”, ready to show off all the work we have done on the way. And this coming Sunday, with the story of doubting Thomas, the resurrected Jesus has a challenge meant directly for you and me.
 
As Easter recedes behind us, what lies ahead is nothing but the privilege of serving Jesus day in and day out. May we reach out and embrace his Good News every step of the way!
 
Blessings, Elliott
 
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March 21, 2018
Dear Friends,
 
We are fast approaching the solemn drama of Holy Week, which is the most sacred time of our entire Christian year. In the ancient church it was Easter, the day of Jesus’s resurrection, that was the center around which all worship and piety revolved. It has been that way ever since, and it is still that way today.
I hope everyone in our church family will be able to join us for many or all of our special services in the coming days. As we retell the stories about Jesus in that final week, we have a chance to share in the full range of emotions that he and his followers experienced – the premature excitement of Palm Sunday; the sense of gathering calamity as the authorities circled their nets; the bewilderment of the disciples at the last supper and in the garden; Jesus’s own apprehension of what was to come; the whirlwind of fabricated charges; the growing anger of the crowds; the agony of crucifixion leading to Jesus’s cry of abandonment.
Of course, at the end there is the glory of resurrection – indescribable joy, slack-jawed wonder, shouts of praise – which becomes all the more real in contrast to the despair of the previous week. Only as we have walked with Jesus up to Friday can we fully celebrate the emotions of Sunday. That is why I pray that each of us (as we are able) will be with the church family from beginning to end. This is what it means to be Christians, and it is the joy of Easter that gives us the inspiration for everything else we do throughout the year as we care for God’s world and cherish God’s word.
For all of us, may God bless us with a holy Easter, and blessings throughout the year.
 
Godspeed, Elliott
 
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March 7, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The ties that bind us together as God’s family and the Body of Christ are strong. We share each other’s burdens and rejoice in our blessings. That is why we feel so strongly when we are not together week in and week out. If a familiar face is missing from the pews or we hear about illness and trouble, our instinct is to reach out and bridge the gap, to let our friends know that our worship feels empty when they are not with us.
 
One way we can reach out, besides personal cards, calls and visits, is to literally take the church to our sick and homebound friends. We can go to the places where they live or receive care and celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper together with them, to include them in the worship and praise of the church even when they cannot be present in the sanctuary. This can be especially meaningful for us as Presbyterians, since the Book of Order directs that we go out together – at least a pastor and an elder, but even better if other members of the church can go as well. That way, those who have to miss church can see that the whole community misses them and wishes them well.
I want to begin scheduling times to bring the communion service to our shut-ins during the coming spring months. I would appreciate your help in a couple of ways. If you would like to schedule a communion visit, for yourself or a special friend, please share that information with me so that we can plan a day and time. And, if you are able to join me on one or more of these visits, please let me know that as well. Elders (whether currently active or inactive on the Session) and all church members are welcome to be a part of this ministry.
I look forward to seeing many of you in the weeks ahead as we focus on this important part of the church’s life that will continue to bind us all in the Body of Christ.  
 
Blessings, Elliott
 
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February 21, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The season of Lent snuck in through the back door last Wednesday. Most of us cradle Presbyterians have had to learn about Lent as something “new”. While growing up we didn’t “give up” anything for Lent and we didn’t see much difference even in church during those early spring weeks before Easter. In recent decades we have learned that Lent is not “new” but is very old, going back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. And we have come to appreciate some new traditions during Lent and Holy Week.
 
But all the same, Lent sneaks in through the back door. It makes hardly a peep in a world where politics, social media and violence scream for our attention – not to mention more personal concerns like family, work and health. Lent whispers with the Word of God. The same way that Jesus, who is the Word of God, whispered his message of peace and love and forgiveness. We have to make a conscious decision to attend to Jesus, not just to scooch over and make room for him, but to tune eyes, ears and hearts to him alone. Jesus will not raise his voice or coerce us in any way. But he is endlessly patient. The quietness of Lent can help teach us to attend to Jesus. In the ancient words of the Ash Wednesday service, “We are invited, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.” In others words, to be quiet, quiet enough for the soft voice of Jesus to speak and be heard.
 
Blessings on us all for holy Lent. Elliott
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February 7, 2018
 
Dear Friends, This coming Saturday, February 10, the Presbytery of Charlotte will hold its regular quarterly meeting here at Paw Creek. If you have been around the Presbyterian Church for awhile, I am sure you have seen many of these Presbytery meetings. You probably know that the Presbytery is made up of all the churches and ministers in a specific geographic area – in our case that is over 100 churches in Mecklenburg County and six other counties to our east. Historically Presbyterians didn’t want to have just a few people making all the decisions, so everything important must be decided by the whole Presbytery. Voting members of the meeting are elders (commissioned to represent their churches) and ministers. At the Presbytery meeting we approve new ministers, supervise seminary students, set up and supervise mission projects, elect Presbytery officers, and approve a budget for each year, among many other things. For every meeting, our Session here at Paw Creek elects two elders to be commissioners and attend the meeting. On February 10 we have commissioned Vickie Joy and Victoria Krebs. This week’s meeting will be special and important in several ways. First, we will be co-hosts of the meeting with our sisters and brothers from Woodland Presbyterian Church, recognizing that this is the beginning of the 150th anniversary year for their church. Second, the worship service will focus on celebrating a group of eleven churches that are all celebrating 150th anniversaries between 2016 and 2020. These churches were all founded by newly freed slaves in the years immediately after the end of the Civil War. Because of these churches and their example, even today Charlotte Presbytery has more African-American members than any other Presbytery in the country. And then finally, at this meeting we will elect a new General Presbyter to be the leader and head of the Presbytery, setting our direction and tone for years to come. It is an honor for our church to be a part of these significant events. Thanks to everyone who has already volunteered to help on Presbytery day. If you want to help, or just stop by and sit in on the meeting to learn how we do things, please join us on Saturday. The meeting begins at 9:30; volunteers can sign up with Amy McGee or Beth Joy. Blessings, Elliott
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January 24, 2018
 
Dear Friends, Many thanks to everyone who took part in the candlelight vigil in Coulwood last Sunday evening.  As most of you know, we were there to remember the lives of a mother and her two young children who had died the previous week under tragic circumstances. Although the family did not have direct ties to our church, they were our neighbors, and we came out in force to show our love and respect for their family and friends. This happened spontaneously through word of mouth (and social media) and a great ministry took place that evening.
 
It is tempting to try to draw some lessons from this experience, but I would caution that we not try too hard to analyze it. When the lawyer asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?”, Jesus gently but firmly taught him what a horrible question that is. If we have to ask, then we have already failed the test. In the same way, it’s best not to think too hard about the prayer vigil. There were neighbors who needed love and we tried to give it in a quiet, bumbling way. Our efforts were small, but God multiplied them greatly.
 
The most important word for would-be neighbors to remember is “yes”. After that, everything else becomes obvious.
Blessings, Elliott
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January 10, 2018
 
Dear Friends, The holidays are behind us and winter weather will still be around for a while. But there are still many great things going on here at Paw Creek.
 
This coming Sunday, January 14, we will have a special service after worship to dedicate the new Gary Bryant Memorial Prayer Garden at the front entrance to the sanctuary. This is such a wonderful project in so many ways. The engraved bricks offer a permanent record of people and groups that have been important in our lives and the life of our church. The garden itself provides a beautiful welcoming vista to those arriving for worship in every season. And of course the donations to the project have helped us fund the new children’s playground.
 
But perhaps more than anything else, the garden gives Paw Creek a chance to make a permanent monument to the life and ministry of Gary Bryant. Gary’s years of service at this church will always stand out as a milestone period in the history of the congregation, a time of love and service that shaped so many lives for the better. Gary was truly a dedicated servant of the Lord. Although I never had the privilege of knowing him, I follow in his footsteps and am grateful for his witness every day.
Please be sure to join us on Sunday as we give thanks for Gary, surround his family with love, and rejoice together in all that God has done and continues to do in this place.
Blessings, Elliott
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December 20, 2017
 
Dear Friends, I heard the comment from many of you this past weekend that 2017 has been a year that seems to have been marked by loss for our church family. For many of you, it has been your own dear loved ones whose lives we have remembered with appreciation, and whose passing we have marked with sadness. We can remind ourselves of Paul’s words: “death has been swallowed up in victory,” but even the Gospel rings hollow in the emptiness that we feel. 
 
For those who mourn, this Christmas season can seem to be the final insult that a cruel year has to offer; an expectation to be “merry” no matter the cost. But of course there is nothing “merry” about the Christmas stories. If we can read from Matthew and Luke with unclouded eyes, what we see instead is so many other emotions. The anxiety of Mary and Joseph as they travel long distances towards the birth of a child whose future is unclear. The befuddlement of the shepherds over the meaning of the message they are given. The determination of the Magi to make their trip, no matter the cost, only to be met on arrival by the sheer evil they see on the face of King Herod. For them, there is are no reasons to be jolly, and yet as the stories end, each one is gripped by the awe of God’s glory that overpowers their fear and confusion. 
 
The truth that runs through these stories has nothing to do with a jollity that we conjure up by the force of our own determination. Rather, that truth that runs through these stories points to God, for he is the one who transforms fear into courage, and confusion into strength. 
 
If this has been a year of mourning for you, or if past losses seem to return in this season, then I urge you to embrace the story of Christmas. The God who becomes flesh with us does so for the very purpose of transformation. That is his plan for our sorrow, and surely it will come to pass.
Bless you throughout these days, Elliott
 
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December 6, 2017
Dear Friends, Next time you find yourself near the intersection of Providence and Queens Roads, keep an eye out for a shiny statue of a winsome little man with one arm in the air and a violin case under the other. It’s a tribute to the memory of a true neighborhood eccentric, a man named Hugh McMannaway. That’s near my childhood home, and I met Hugh many times. An only child, he lived alone in the large, rambling house left him by his parents, a prosperous doctor and his wife. Hugh was known for standing at that very intersection to direct traffic (whether it needed directing or not), using his arms, his loud voice, and his violin case as a baton – hence the statue. When we kids would meet him, he would often ask one of us to state his or her name, and then make up a poem using the name, right on the spot.
 
One summer day when we ran into Hugh near his house, about block from the intersection, he pointed to the front window. In it there burned a single red light bulb. He told us that the light bulb was his Christmas decoration, and explained his theory that any decorations that were put up for Christmas needed to remain in place for the entire year. At the time, it seemed that whatever else you might want to say about Hugh, his theory of Christmas was surely incorrect. I’ve thought about it many times, and after awhile began to figure out what was wrong.
 
If Christmas is symbolically present throughout the year, then the miracle of incarnation becomes a part of the background noise – one of the facts that is always present and never needs to be thought about. But of course that is exactly what the miracle of the incarnation is not! Everything else is the background noise and the arrival of the Christ child is the one extraordinary fact that doesn’t fit, the fact that redefines everything else. It is good to put the decorations up and take them away, to make them gaudy and loud and bright – not just something that is so small and dim that having it around all year is no inconvenience at all. It’s all symbolic, but symbols are important. In this case, the point of incarnation is to shake up and inconvenience the world. Oddly enough, that is exactly what Hugh McMannaway did. His theology of decorating was wanting, but his exuberance of life was real. It was to such as him that Jesus came first, the fools, the cripples and the outcast. Maybe Hugh knew something the rest of us missed.  Maybe Jesus did too.
Blessings, Elliott
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November 22, 2017
 
Dear Friends, If you were able to join us for the Installation service earlier this month, I’m sure you cannot forget our guests from Smallwood Presbyterian Church. The choir sang with gospel fervor, Pastor Darryl Gaston kept posing people for group photos, and many other friends were in attendance. As I said that day, Smallwood is the “home church” in our neighborhood that allowed Nell and me to be part of the family when I was an itinerant interim pastor, and we know that they will always welcome us with open arms. As part of the Smallwood family, we have come to cherish one of their best annual traditions. On Thanksgiving Day they gather early in the morning to begin laying out the biggest meal you can imagine – turkey AND ham, beau coups of vegetables, and more pies than you can count. Then around 11:00 they open the doors and people start streaming in. Church members, ertainly, and friends of the congregation who come every year. But also neighbors who otherwise would not have a Thanksgiving dinner to go to. They bring their families, and some go home and send more folks back. Our friend Joe is the master chef, and his feast is never-to-be-forgotten. Since Joe and the ladies have the food under control, my job the last couple of years has been to stand out on the corner in front of the church, calling out to everyone who comes along West Trade Street – by foot, car, bike or anything else. “Free Thanksgiving meal! Everyone welcome!”  People stop, do a double take, then begin to smile – and most of them come in to serve a plate. As I stood there the first year, I noticed a couple of guys coming up the hill from the little store a few blocks away. They both carried paper bags with what had to be beer bottles sticking out of the top. I hesitated for a second, and turned to one of the elders standing near by. “Is it ok to invite them?” I whispered. She answered “Of course! That’s what we’re here for.” Well, that just made my day. What better example of the spirit of Thanksgiving can you get? Thanking God by serving his children, whoever they are. This is the day when everyone deserves turkey and all the fixings. Everyone. Thanks be to God!
Thanksgiving blessings, Elliott
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November 8 ,2017
 
Dear Friends, Believe it or not, it is already November! And that means the next eight weeks are going to be BUSY. As I write this, Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, and of course the Advent and Christmas seasons are not far behind. During this time of year, it can seem that Sunday worship is just a time to come to church and find another special cause or event. But of course what is most important in worship is that we focus on God and Christ. Our special events, even at holiday time, should be seen through the eyes of the Gospel. And we should ask ourselves – how is God glorified in the things we do this day? I want to pledge to you that I, along with the choir, music staff, and worship committee, are working hard to be sure that the plans we make for the coming weeks will live up to the standards of the Gospel. In return, I hope that you will make it a point to be part of our worship each week. We look forward to seeing you!
 
Our schedule for the next few weeks includes: Veterans’ Recognition – Sunday, November 12 Stewardship and Thanksgiving – Sunday, November 19 Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 23 at 8:00 am Christ the King Sunday – Sunday, November 26.
 
Blessings, Elliott
 
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October 25, 2017
Dear Friends, Just two weeks ago, we put out an invitation to Adult weekday Bible Study. One week later, the response was fantastic. We had a class of 8 on Wednesday at 10:00 am, and a class of 13 on Thursday at 5:30. I am THRILLED and I can’t wait to see what happens this week! Remembering that Jesus challenged us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind, we must always be asking ourselves how well we are living up to his challenge. Each part (heart, soul and mind) is difficult yet vital. But to love God with our minds is especially important to those of us in the historic Presbyterian tradition. We are the one who have kept the study of scripture alive from generation to generation. We must never give up. At our Bible Studies, the format is simple. We focus on the scripture reading that will be sermon text for the following Sunday. By pooling our knowledge and sharing our personal experiences, we come closer to understanding the message that God wants us to hear, in both the Old and New Testaments. And we are able to come to worship each Sunday better prepared to receive what scripture has to offer. I hope that many more of our congregation will want to come join us in study. We need you – and you need God’s word! A list of upcoming readings will be published in the newsletter, or you can ask me for a list. See you in the parlor, Elliott
 
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October 11, 2017
 
 
Dear Paw Creek,   I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time! And now that time is here. It will be exciting for me to begin to learn your names and faces, and especially your stories. I appreciate your enthusiasm, the basket of goodies, the visits I have already had this week, and the work of the Property Committee as they paint and prepare the study for me to move in.   During these first few weeks, I will also appreciate your help in a number of ways. Most importantly, tell me what I need to know. Is there someone in the church family who needs a special visit? Do you have a cherished memory of the church that you want to share with me? Is there a church program or activity that needs some attention? I need to know all those things, so please don’t be shy. Beyond that, please help me get to know you: if you suggest a time for me to stop by, or schedule a visit over coffee or lunch, that’s the best way to help me reach the most people quickly as I can. Or simply stop by the church..  I plan to be in the office or out among the church family every day except Tuesday.  Any time I’m there, the door will be open, so please come on by.   Our first time to worship together will be this Sunday, October 15. I’m looking forward to it, and we will have some light refreshments on the porch so that we can stay and visit. It’s a great time for everyone to be together in worship and fellowship. But I want to put out a special invitation to those who may not have been in church so much in recent years. If you are still on the list to receive this newsletter, then we need you at Paw Creek (AND you need your church family!) I hope our new beginning this week will be a good time for you to come and have a look. We are starting a new and exciting chapter in our service to the Lord. Come join us!   Blessings, Elliott   deh46@columbia.edu 704-502-2143  
 
 
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September 13, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family, Well, these are exciting times for both of us. You have called your next pastor in Elliott Hipp, who I have found to be very kind and thoughtful and will be good for the church. I have also been asked to serve as Transitional pastor in this next phase of ministry for Avondale Presbyterian Church. I am excited to begin my ministry with them and from all indications, they are excited too. I will miss you, but you will be in great hands. I will miss you, but God has planned out paths for both us to follow. I will be with you for just a while longer. My final day at Paw Creek will be October 8, 2017. Elliott will be on board October 9, 2017. I will begin at Avondale October 16, 2017. God is great and greatly to be praised! God is blessing all around. I will remember you fondly and pray your strength in the Lord as God moves mightily in your lives. May our final weeks together be filled with joy and peace!
 
In Christ, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
 
 
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August 30, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family,
We celebrate the movement of the Holy Spirit in this church. You have voted in your next minister, The Reverend Elliott Hipp. This is a time of great joy for our church. This has been a long journey, I know. But God has been with us every step of the way, guiding our every footstep throughout this process. And now we are ready to welcome your next pastor. You have been faithful and you have remained steadfast. You stood together and remained united in your efforts to find Rev. Elliott and he comes with many gifts and talents and a love for God’s people that will soon find its way into your hearts. My prayer is that you will have a long and lasting relationship with him that bears much fruit. If all goes well and as planned, he should be in place sometime around mid October. Begin praying for him now; his transition, his goodbyes to the church he currently pastors, his family, his strength and well-being. Pray for Paw Creek as you continue your readiness to receive him. Pray for unity in the body, the willingness to serve, an uplifted spirit, and pray for encouragement to step out on faith. Trust and believe that Paw Creek is truly in God’s hands and know you are blessed. I am excited with you. Your partnership with Rev. Elliott is bound to be a good one…a great one. God brought you together. All praise, honor and glory to God for what God has done is doing and will continue to do in you.
With Jesus joy, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
 
 
 
 
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August 16, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family,
 
What an exciting time in the life of our church! By now, most of you, if not all of you are aware that on the 27th of August, there is a congregational meeting for the stated purpose of calling your next pastor. This has been the awaited time and it is now upon us. I want to encourage you to come to the meeting so that you can be introduced to your next pastor and have the opportunity to vote on his/her coming. No, he or she will not be present that Sunday, but there will be a video or a flyer containing information about him/her. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and then VOTE!
 
I, for one am very excited. This is the moment for which we have all been waiting. God is great and greatly to be praised! So, we give God glory for the things God has done, is doing, and will continue to do through you, the members of Paw Creek Presbyterian Church.
 
This is a time of celebration, expectation and soon…a big WELCOME!
 
Even as we wait for the month’s end to approach, remember to keep the Pastor Nominating Committee in your prayers and thank them for the hard work they have accomplished. They have done wondrous work for the Lord and for you!
 
In Christ, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
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August 2, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church family,
 
This past week we bid farewell to a man beloved by God and by us. The Reverend Gary Lee Bryant. He was a man of God who loved his family, his friends and his church. In tribute to a life well lived in service to God for forty four years, of which thirty four were spent at Paw Creek, I want to honor Gary’s name through Scripture.
 
God’s grace is sufficient Acknowledge Jesus before men and Jesus will acknowledge you before His Father Righteousness guards the man of integrity Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams
 
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom Run in such a way as to get the prize You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High Accept the word planted in you, which can save you Nothing is too hard for you Taste and see that the Lord is good
 
Isaiah 40:31 (NRSV) 31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
 
Rest well friend. You have run the race of the Lord and you have finished it. All praise be to God.
 
In Christ, Veronica Cannon
 
 
 
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July 19, 2017
 
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family,
Summer is now well into full swing. Many of you have been on vacation. Others of you can’t wait to get on your way. Still others of you may have no desire to travel this summer. Whatever your circumstance, know that Paw Creek Presbyterian Church is still here, still praying for you, still worshiping with you and still seeking, still serving, still praising and still loving Christ, our neighbors, our community and you. As you take your leave this summer and forget about the worries of home, job, and stress, as you remember to get your much needed rest, please remember your church in its need of your support financially. We still have ministries to support, lights to keep on, and people to help. Please consider giving to Paw Creek, even in your absence. The work of the church is never done and we need your continued support. Make the most of what is giving to you and enjoy your summer!
In Christ, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
 
 
 
 
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July 5, 2017
 
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,
A friend was in front of me as we were walking out of the church one Sunday. The preacher was shaking hands as usual. When my friend reached him, he grabbed my friend by the arm and pulled him aside. The pastor said, “You need to join the Army of the Lord.” The friend replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord Pastor.” The pastor said, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.” 
This week we celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day. It is a when America celebrates its independence from Britain. There was an army during the American Revolution that fought long and hard for freedom. But there is an army that exists that is still fighting for freedom, freedom from sin, freedom from evil, freedom for all people to live eternally for God…that’s right the Army of the Lord. If you have not joined this army, it is never too late to do so. Come on board, you are welcomed.
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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June 21, 2017
 
Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NRSV) 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,
 
Jeremiah the prophet delivered a message to the people of Israel when they were exiled into Babylon.  Because of their sinfulness the Lord told them they were to be subjugated under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar and they would be so for seventy years. It was the beginning of the rule Babylon would have over those who were exiled. Things looked really bleak for them. They were subjected to mistreatment, pagan gods, a foreign land, and new rule. But God loved the Israelites even though they were sinful and God prophesied to them through Jeremiah.  Yes, the people were to endure tough times ahead. Seventy years of separation from their homes, friends, family, familiar surroundings. Yes, they would have to live out their punishment, but God promised them that when the time was over, and if the people sought Him out with all of their hearts, open and true, God would bring them back. God had a plan for them, but they had to have a change of heart and a change of behavior, and God would hear them.  This is good news for us. When we find ourselves in the bleakest moment, days, weeks or even years in our lives, if we have led sinful lives or done sinful things, God is never far from us. All God asks is for us to repent, turn to Him, ask forgiveness truly, and God will answer us and deliver us from all that holds us captive. Change your heart and change your character. Then seek God’s favor and God will deliver you, free you up from all unrighteousness. God has a plan for you! Trust and believe.
 
Love in Christ, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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June 7, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Church Family, Pentecost is upon us. We celebrate and commemorate the Jewish feast wherein the disciples of Christ received the Holy Spirit. It is time of great joy. Jesus was now seated at the right hand of God and now the promised Holy Spirit , the third person of the Trinity would reign in the hearts and minds of human-kind. We who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, are recipients of the power and with joy and boldness are called forth to do great works. May the spirit of the season bring you into new and exciting spaces, open you up to bright futures in Christ and fill you anew with joy and great love.
In Christ,
Rev. Veronica Cannon
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May 24, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family, Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. This past week has been a doozy. In the world, a bomb exploded in Manchester England at the end of a concert and around twenty teenagers were killed and many more injured. In our country, there is much discussion on the interference of another country’s engagement in our election and the possible collusion of some of our government officials being involved with them. There is way too much partisan political unrest. There is much violence happening in our state, in our city. There is unrest in our citizenry because of racism and sexism. We cannot turn on the television without being confronted by disturbing or sad news. In our church, we have had loved ones hospitalized or still recovering at home. Even I personally feel despair at times deep within. I wonder will there be no end to this needless noise of pain and discontent. Our people, O God are suffering. Is there joy anywhere? Sometimes it feels like there is none. That is until I am reminded of Jesus. How he suffered, not just physically on the cross at the end of His earthly life, but the suffering he had because of us. God’s creation. How we squander the gifts of God and use them for evil or to hurt others. God incarnate witnessed the absolute worst in us. How He must have despaired seeing us wasting our potential on bickering and backstabbing and fighting and positioning ourselves against one another. That is not what God intends for us. God intends joy for us. But where do we find it? Begin by looking in the playroom of your souls.
 
Rev. Tony Evans tells this story: Someone came up with a great concept—putting playrooms in doctors’ offices. Many parents bring their kids to the doctor because they are sick and they need the doctor to see them. The playrooms are designed to distract the children from the pain of their problem until their problem gets fixed. The playroom gives them joy in a bad situation. That’s the way God works. Even though things may not be going the way we want them to be on the outside, God has designed a “playroom” in our soul. In the midst of our circumstances, His joy can distract us from our pain or discomfort, until He makes provision for our change or healing.
 
Isn’t that good news? Look inward, to your soul’s playground. Commune with God for a time. Let your cares melt away for a time in God’s playroom. Find your joy, find your peace. And may God bless you as you serve in His name.
 
I live for the cross,
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
 
 
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May 10, 2017

Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family, Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am taking a week of vacation this week.  I am not doing anything special, not going anywhere in particular.  I am really going to take this week to rest some.  As I reflect upon this week and upon the message I wish to share with you, it revolves around the theme and importance of rest.  One of the Ten Commandments speaks of keeping Sabbath.  This is the type of rest I plan to have this week.  A Sabbath week.  It is not a time to sit and do nothing, to lay in bed or sit and watch TV.  No, it is a time of communing with God, being with family and friends and doing what one enjoys.  It is a time of singing and dancing, a time of praying, a time of listening and for me, discerning.  It is as active rest.  I encourage all of you to find Sabbath moments, to enjoy family and friends and time with God.  To break bread together and sing together and to find those moments alone to reflect and discern God’s leading. May God walk with you and carry you when needed.  May you find joy and much laughter for your souls.  May you seek and find the peace that God provides and enjoy one another.  May you find rest in your weariness.  May the love of God surround you. I live for the cross, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon

 
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April 26, 2017
Psalm 84:1-12 (NRSV) 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah 5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed. 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church family, I love Psalms. They are prayers that always bring comfort or joy or peace. This Psalm is one that brings joy. It gives to God what is due: praise and honor. In God’s presence is where we find joy. In God we gain strength. In God, the upright, the faithful find favor and honor. The Lord gives good things (not material things) to those who trust in God. God is great and greatly to be praised. May you find comfort in this Psalm, joy in your heart and peace in your faithfulness to the Creator. Amen and Amen.
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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April 12, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church,
I read the following poem on a friend’s Facebook page this past week: “later that night i held an atlas in my lap ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered where does it hurt? it answered everywhere everywhere everywhere.” I could not help thinking how appropriate this poem by Warsan Shire is for Holy Week. We live in a world that is hurting and broken. War is breaking in many parts of the universe. Men are dying, children are starving, women are being abused, parents are unable to support families, jobs are being lost, houses are being foreclosed, our enemies are gaining strength, fear is at an all-time high. If I could borrow from her poem and add to it, this is what my spirit hears: God whispers, “where does it hurt?” Creation cries, “Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.” Then God says “Remember” Creation cries “Remember what?” God says “Not what but who. Remember my Son, Jesus the Christ.” Creation says, “What has he done?” God says “He died to save.” Creation shouts, “Who did he save?” God cries, “Everyone, everyone, everyone.” This week we remember Jesus Christ and His saving grace. By His stripes we are healed. By His blood we are redeemed. By His power over sin and death, we are made free. By His sacrifice, we have life eternal. Praise be to God, Son and Holy Spirit.
 
I live for the cross, Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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March 29, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church,
 
I was reading the Lectionary for today, and one of the readings came from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. It was the story where an angel of the Lord brought Ezekiel to the Temple of God and showed him a trickle of water that flowed from the temple east toward the Arabah Sea. The angel took Ezekiel on a walk along the bank of the river to the Arabah. As they walked the water went from ankle deep to waist high depth to the point where Ezekiel would have to swim to cross. The angel pulled his attention to all of the growth and life that teemed all around them. Water of life flowed from the temple and became a great well spring of life. It is all due to the source of the water; God. God is the source of our lives. From our God source flows the river of life that runs through each of us. When we are open, receptive to the source of this water, we too teem with life and growth abounds, surrounding us with we need to survive and thrive. And when we walk along the banks of life, we will admire the new landscape that God carves out and gives to us for our enjoyment. All praise be to God for God’s life giving source of water and power. Amen.
 
I live for the cross,
 
Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
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March 15, 2017

 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,

Blessing.  It is a word that means happy or helped by God.  It could also mean approval or that which is said over food.  I have often used this word of blessing myself, usually as it pertains to being helped by God or even as that which is said over food before eating.   I have also understood a blessing to be something you never keep to yourself, but that you share with others around you and beyond you.  If God has helped me, that it is important for me to use that help to help others.  Interestingly enough, I recently read an article on line from a man who teaches leadership skills to corporations and make a decent living doing so.  The article is entitled “The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying: Let’s retire this phrase immediately, and say what we really mean to say instead.”  He is referring to the use of the word blessing in relationship to material belongings.  He said people should not say “I just bought a house, I am blessed.  I just got a new car, I am blessed.”  We should rather say “I am grateful.”  He believes that when people say I am blessed because I have this job or some material thing, we reduce God to heavenly fairy who grants our every wish.  It is also plain wrong.  God does not prosper people because they have done some great or wonderful thing.  That would be prosperity theology: God blesses you because of something you have done and if others would just do likewise they would receive these blessings. I also do not believe in prosperity theology.  God does not bless us more because we give to the church or we treat others with kindness or sow seed into a particular ministry.  But I do believe that God blesses us to be blessings to others.  God helps us to help others.  So, God may bless us with a house or a car or a job.  But we are to use them to glorify God and help someone else.  Use your car to take someone to the doctor, or shopping for groceries.  Use your house to hold Bible studies or mission stations.  Use the income from your job to help those less fortunate or use your job to help others get work.  Material blessings should not be used for personal consumption or personal good alone.  Be a blessing to someone else.  Use the blessing of your body to help others who may need you.  Your eyes to help a blind person get around, your hands to reach out to someone who needs comfort, your feet to take you to places to carry out ministry, your ears to listen to the concerns of your fellow people.  But if you really want to know who Jesus considers the blessed among us, read Matthew 5: 3-12. Jesus, in Matthew 5, also gives us some instruction on who the blessed are.  God helps, blesses us, when we are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted.  In this life we may be torn asunder, but we will receive the blessings of God in the life everlasting.  Our reward will come, so in the meantime just rejoice and be glad. Matthew 5:3-12 (MSG) 3  “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4  “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5  “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6  “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. 7  “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘careful,’ you find yourselves cared for. 8  “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9  “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. 10  “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. 11  “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 12  You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. Daily we receive blessings from God.  Accept them and use them to God’s glory. I live for the cross! Rev. Veronica E. Cannon

 
 
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February 15, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Isaiah 43:18-19 (NRSV) 18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Being held captive is never a good thing. Being unable to leave a situation or a place can be devastating. We think of captivity as being imprisoned behind bars or captivity as being captured by an enemy of war and held in a prison camp. In the passage of Scripture from Isaiah, the chil-dren of Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians, and God, through the prophet Isaiah, told the people to hold on. God was about to do a new thing. God was going to move and re-deem the people from captivity and free them to go out. The people had suffered long enough due to their sin and God was going to deliver on God’s promise to them. It is no different with us today. We may not be under the heavy hand of oppression by another nation, but many of us held captive. Some of us are held captive in unproductive jobs, in un-loving relationships or marriages, in life circumstances, in bad health, in our minds, to drugs or alcohol. To you, God is saying, hold on. God is about to do a new thing. God is going to free you from whatever holds you captive. Only turn to God. Stop turning to others who have no power to free you; moving to stop turning to idols that do nothing. Give your attention to God. God is doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it? God is leading us into a bright and joyous future. God is opening pathways of communication and pathways of hope and pathways of ser-vice. Do you not perceive it? The river of God’s life flowing stream is running through the veins of our church. Through God’s life we are given life. Do you not perceive it? In our church, the children are singing and getting active. The youth are growing deeper in faith and remain active in the community. The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) is working hard in ward your next called pastor, the mission committee is seeking and providing more op-portunities for you to serve, the Fellowship committee is gearing up for opportunities for you to spend time together, the Congregational Care Committee is developing more precise ways to engage with and communicate with you. The session and staff will be having a retreat, focused upon church growth. The music program in our church continues to provide uplifting and meaningful music. God is breathing new life in Paw Creek, the church on the hill, a light to the community, a spiritual haven for lost souls. God is moving in your life, in your homes, and in your church. God never stopped moving. Do you not perceive it? No more captivity. You are being freed indeed. I live for the cross! Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
 
 
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February 1, 2017
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Over the past few weeks, our country and indeed the world has undergone and or been affected by a great deal of change. Some of us are jubilant over the changes that have come upon us, and others of us are absolutely afraid. This is not the time to gloat nor is it the time to fear. Listen, we are all brothers and sisters, creat-ed by God. We are one in the same, part of the human family, yet we are different based on where we live, how we are raised, what we believe or don’t believe and the list goes on. It is easy to fear what we do not understand or refuse to try to understand. This has caused a great ripple in the world. But fear is not of God. Scripture offers many examples and states many times to FEAR NOT. Fear is an instrument of the evil one and Satan will use fear to turn brother against brother and sister against sister. We fear what we do not understand or what we do not agree with. But we cannot let fear rule our lives. From Isaiah 35:4 (NRSV) “4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” From the Gospel of John, Jesus says “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” From Joshua 1:9 (NRSV) “9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” And from Psalm 23:4 (NRSV) “4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.” There are many other Scriptures that speak to the notion of having no fear. We should all heed these words. Fear causes people to turn on other people, to turn their backs on people and to hate people. You can look at our political climate and see fear coming out of this administration, fear coming out of our country, fear coming out of the people protesting in the streets and it is tearing us apart. Families are divided over fear, friendships are stressed over fear, actions are taken out of fear. But our God whom we serve says FEAR NOT. For I AM with you. God is with us. Rejoice if you feel the desire to rejoice, it is your choice. Fight for what you think is right, that is also your choice, but do not fear. God is with us. So, no matter what, NO MATTER WHAT, the circum-stance, your feelings or misgivings or jubilance, GOD IS WITH US. Believe that! God will be the One who rights the wrongs, who makes the everlasting change that really counts. So trust that if nothing else. Peace be with you all! I live for the cross! Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
 
 
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January 18, 2017
 
In times of uncertainty, anxiety builds and people can become dismayed. This can be exasperated even more when we take our eyes off of God and spend more time focused on problems and issues. We see this in our world, where war rages and families are torn asunder because of it. We see this in our nation, where the political climate is distressed and people are uncertain about the future. We at Paw Creek see it here as the search for your next pastor is underway.
We live in uncertain times and many are filled with apprehension. But thanks be to God, because the One who created the world and formed it and gave us life, God has never forgotten us. God is still in control calls us to a sense of calm and reassurance.
From the Book of Isaiah 51:3 (NRSV) Scripture reads: 3 For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. The children of Israel were in captivity. They were full of despair, uncertain about the future. The Jews had withstood great hardship and crushing suffering. But through the prophet Isaiah, God sent them a message of hope. God told them to remain steadfast in their faith and to continue to follow. God wanted them to know that their captivity would be turned to freedom, that their suffering would end and they would be comforted.
Whatever stress, anxiety you are experience today, listen to the Lord and follow God’s guidance. Whatever holds you captive, be it circumstance or sin or life lessons, turn it over to God and God will be your comfort during times of distress, your anchor in the storm. Joy and gladness will be found in you and thanksgiving in your voice as you sing your song. Thanks be to God. And may it be so.
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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January 4, 2017
Dear Paw Creek, Here’s to you and wishing you the happiest in this new year! Wow, it is 2017 and what an exciting year this will be. On January 11, 2017 we will begin Bible study again. Please come. It is a time to learn more about Christ and understand who God is an what God plans for those who follow and love Him. The youth and children have excited things planned for the Wednesday evening programming to teach them the Bible and to learn more of what it means to be a Christian, how to serve the people of God and how to do it with joy. Please know that the youth pro-gram and the children program are growing and getting stronger. If you have an opportunity to come out and volunteer your services to God to these ministries, you can always contact Evie Landrau the youth director and Victoria Krebs, the children’s director. There are a few changes this year as well. We have added to the session a new committee, the Fellowship committee. It will be chaired by Beth Joy and you will hear more about it and the work her committee will do in the coming weeks. You will also have ample opportunity to step up and help out as well, both individually and collectively. Opportunities abound to use your God given talents throughout the church. If you love Christian Education, consider becoming part of the Christian Ed committee. If you love planning for worship, consider your gifts and join the Worship Committee. If you love dealing with finance, consider joining the finance committee. If you have a passion for mission ( the heart of the church) then please join up with the Mission Committee. There are so many opportunities for YOU to live into the talents that God has given you. Your church needs you and God is calling you as you are part of this body to step up and step into God’s Work here at Paw Creek. Paw Creek Presbyterian Church is the church you love, the church you want to see grow and prosper. Well, YOU are Paw Creek and its sustainability lies within each and everyone of you. So, as you make your New Year Resolutions, resolve to support your church, Paw Creek, with time, your talent, and your money. Your church needs you to survive and prosper. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NRSV) 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. Let us pray that God will open God’s eyes and ears and be attentive to our prayers. Happy New Year. This promises to be a good one. Rev. Veronica Cannon
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December 21, 2016
 
Merry Christmas to you. The birth of Christ is highly celebrated throughout the Christian community at this time of year. It should be. The birth of Christ, God becoming flesh is a really big deal. We have all heard the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to be counted in the consensus. When they arrive there is no room in the inn. Mary goes into labor and the only place to give birth is in a stable with smelly animals and the only clothing, swaddling or binding cloths. The bed for our Savior, a trough. But I want us to appreciate how special and difficult this was for the mother of the Christ child. Again, you know the story, but do you appreciate how special this story really is? In the year of our Lord 1990, I traveled from Maryland to Los Angeles, California with my husband and two young sons to attend my youngest sister’s wedding. We traveled by air. I had a comfortable seat, food services, a bathroom, if needed and the ability to lay back and rest if I desired. When we arrived, we were picked up in a car and taken to my oldest sisters house where other family had also gathered. We were going to be there for only a few days. I was Vera’s ma-tron of honor. Did I mention I was also pregnant? Yep…nearly eight months. My doctor would not let me stay for even a week because this was my third child, and they had a tendency to come early by about a week and they came quickly. He did not want me to be away from home for too long. But we traveled there and back safely and my daughter Rosalynn was born six weeks later. So why did I tell you that story? To really appreciate what Mary endured to give birth to Jesus.
From Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 70 miles. Over mountainous terrain you could add another twenty miles. Mary traveled by donkey back, not an airline. She was nine months pregnant with her first child. Her husband led the donkey by foot over some pretty rough and ragged terrain. That journey took about a week to make. Think about the toll this had on Mary. With constant bathroom breaks and needs to rest, to get off that donkey to walk a bit only to climb back upon its back to continue the journey. She is ready to give birth at any time and then they finally arrive in Bethlehem. I am certain she looked forward to a bed to rest upon, an opportunity to have a hot meal perhaps, to be away from that animal. Then they find there are no rooms available and Mary goes into labor. The only place available? A stable? More animals? No comfortable bed? Exactly. A very tired Mary and Joseph arrive to register for the consensus, and the only place to rest was a stable among cows and lambs and sheep and maybe a camel or two. And it is there that she lays on straw and gives birth to a King, the Savior of the world, the Messiah, anointed by God to be our salvation. Christ was born after a long strenuous journey, under very humble conditions, and became the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a gift to Mary. What a gift to us all. If never there was a reason to celebrate, this one was and is. What a metaphor for life right? We may have a tough journey, and the road to salvation may not always be smooth flying, but the gift of salvation is well worth it all.
Merry Christmas to you all. Rev. Veronica Cannon
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December 7, 2016
 
Merry Christmas! This is a greeting that you will hear and deliver to many people you meet both stranger and friend alike. And for most people, it is a merry time of year when we remember the Christ Child’s birth. There will be worship services and sing-a-longs. There will be dinner parties and the joy of breaking bread together. There will be baking and shopping and visiting with fam-ily and friends far and near. There will be traveling and staying put. All sorts of wonderment will accompany this most wonderful time of the year. I say rejoice and be glad in it. Remember those also for whom this time of year is most difficult, who do not get enjoyment or pleasure from this season. Remember those for whom this season is wrought with stress and worry and concern. Remember those families for whom Christmas will not mean gifts under a tree or a nice turkey dinner at the table. Remember to pray for all of God’s children for whom this day means sadness and if you are able spread a little joy in their direction. Let them know of the joy of the Christ child and that his birth brings unspeakable joy because of Emmanuel, God with us!
 
Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
 
My all your days be merry and filled with the light of Christ. Merry Christmas. Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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November 23, 2016
 
Happy Thanksgiving! This week people all around the United States will be gathering together to break bread and share time. Men and women, boys and girls will say that for which they are thankful. Some will have turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese, beans, sweet potatoes, pies, cakes, hot buttered rolls, tea or lemonade. Some will watch football, others will play family tag football. Some will play games, others will tell stories, share memories and spend laughter. These are indeed things for which to be grateful. I will spend time with my husband and chil-dren. We will share a less traditional meal (it’s what they want), play games, and I am sure laugh a lot. I will worship at Paw Creek giving praise to God and thanking God along with many of you for God’s great bounty. It is all good.

But there will be many for whom Thanksgiving will not be a time of thankfulness. Some will spend the day alone and treat it like every other day; nothing special. Some will be in a restaurant eating alone. Some will just be lonely. There will be no laughter, no games, no fun, no good memories to share. So, I am asking, if you know someone who may not have family or friends, who may spend the day alone, think of inviting them to your home, give them space to be a part of your life and make memories with you. Share your meal, share your laughter, share your fun. Give someone the opportunity to be thankful for you and your kindness. It may not mean a lot to you, but may make the world of difference to someone. My desire for you is to be grateful all your days and to share your love and life with as many other people as you can. Happy Thanksgiving! I live for the cross. Rev. Veronica Cannon

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November 9, 2016
 
Be happy people. God has enriched our lives and gives us meaning. He has provided us with the best families, the best friends, the best that life has to offer. Do you see it? Be happy people. God has stretched out God’s hand and covers us with love and grace and peace. When we have been unlovable, God loved, when we have been unkind, God’s grace abounds, when we were in turmoil, God granted us peace. Do you feel it? Be happy people. God has moved hearts and minds to bend to His Will and allows us to discover the best in ourselves. When we direct our thoughts and actions to doing our own thing to benefit ourselves, God moves in mighty ways through us. Do you conceive it? Be happy people.
 
Life is way too short to be otherwise.
 
Peace in Christ, Veronica
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October 26, 2016
 
Don’t focus on what was. Look forward to what can be, and then do all you can to make it a reality. Life is what you make of it, and the challenges that come your way are just opportunities to right what is wrong. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up. You have it all inside yourself, and you can overcome anything if you put your mind to it. – Paula Michele Adams
 

I read this reading from the book entitled A Daybook of Gratitude. How to Live Each Day with a Thankful Heart. Living each day with a thankful heart is a beautiful thing to do. It helps us to recognize that which is in our circle, our space, and to see how God is blessing and continues to bless us. It helps us to see the people around us and value them for the gifts of God they share with us. It helps us to appreciate all that God is. But I will admit, that there are days when this seems an impossibility. When ugliness in someone’s attitude darkens your lighted path, it is hard to see the light for the shadow. But seek the light anyway. Hard, but keep trying. When people disappoint you because they claim a love of God and yet spew hate toward you, it is hard to hold on to love. But love anyway. When people gossip about you behind your back, spreading un- truths, it is hard to stand in the midst of them. Stand anyway. Nothing worth having is ever easy. And when you can live thankfully for the ugliness, the disappointments, the gossip and untruths, your character is built and your resolve is strengthened. Turn a challenge into a possibility. And when things still do not pan out, pray for God to show you new opportunities for which to be thankful. Ask God to bring people into your life whom you can appreciate and who appreciate you. Find the joy and keep it in your life. If it’s not your circus, don’t take their monkeys. Learn the lessons that life is teaching you and move on. Put God in the center of your life, and God will lead your path. Just be thankful for the path. Everywhere that God leads you and brings you is a place in which to be thankful.

In Christ, Rev. Veronica E. Cannon
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October 12, 2016
 
As I reflect upon this life of ours as members of the body of Christ, and I think upon all of the ill will that plagues our world, our country, our community, our church, I can easily despair. But I choose a different path. I ask you to join me as we each, individually find ways to widen our circle of influence in positive and decisive ways. Each of us has an opportunity to influence good, to influence well-being, to influence love and joy. It is done by our words and actions. IN moments when we are unable to find the strength to do change our words and actions to reflect the grace of God, I encourage you to pray. I recently came upon a familiar prayer that reminds me again of the power of prayer and how that which we ask of God can be made manifest in our lives. It is a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I share this prayer with you now. May it be so.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is dark- ness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be under- stood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. In Christ, Rev. Veronica Cannon

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September 28, 2016
 
Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church,
 
I would like to give you another update on things that are happening in the church.
First, congratulations to the newly elected Elders of Paw Creek Presbyterian Church for the class of
2019. Please extend your words of affirmation to Jon Kenley, Victoria Krebs, Amy McGee, Melissa
Mullis, David Padgett, Joy Tyler, and Barbara Ullem. We will begin our twelve hours of training
beginning in October and finishing in November. After a written examination at the end of the
training, the newly elected officers will be ordained (if not previously ordained) and installed to of-
fice. The newly elected officers will be ready to hit the ground running in January.
Please remember to thank the Nominating Committee (Eddie McArver, Donna Hall, Peggy Harring-
ton, Grady Cathey, Ken Scott – Chair, and Robin Wodarski for all of their hard work in getting this
important work done. But they are not quite done yet.
 
Second, the Nominating Committee is still hard at work for you Paw Creek. They are beginning the
second charge of their work in getting a slate of names together of individuals to sit on the Pastor
Nominating Committee. During the month of September, they have been receiving names from the
congregation of those individuals who would like to sit on the Pastor Nominating Committee. The
Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) will need to consist of a cross section of the congregation as
to be representative of the congregation. There will be a committee of five. The same process will
be followed as it was for the class of Elder. The committee will confirm with individuals their desire
to serve on the PNC, perform interviews with each agreed participant, develop a slate of names and
will present the congregation with that slate of names on which to vote.
 
We have sent letters out to all members who have not been active here in the last year to confirm
their membership as to meet that requirement from Presbytery. This information needs to be as
accurate as possible as this will go on the Mission Information Form (MIF) that the PNC will fill out
about the church.
 
You will hear more in the coming future as we move further in this process. You may be called up-
on to help out with the mission study that needs to be completed; I hope you will consider volun-
teering to do this work. Some has already been done.
 
We are moving ever forward in finding the next man or woman of God to lead this congregation.
Stay in prayer through this process. We are getting there.
 
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Veronica Cannon
 
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September 14, 2016
 
2 Corinthians 5:6-9 (NRSV)
6
So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are
away from the Lord
7
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8
Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the
Lord.
9
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
 
Live the Christian life. Okay. So what exactly is living the Christian life? If we look at this passage
of Scripture from 2nd Corinthians verse 7, it gives us the prescription for doing so. Walk by faith and
not by sight. In so doing we please the Lord. Our aim in life should be pleasing the Lord. Walking
in faith is the way to accomplish this aim. But what does that mean? It means different things to
different people, because walking in faith is individual. However, walking in faith does require us to
move with confidence in this world, relying upon God for guidance and leadership. It means not
relying upon what we see before us as an absolute for right living. We are human and therefore falli-
ble. And what we see can always be changed or moved by the power of God. You see a brick wall
before you and think there is no way I can get through that wall. It is brick, it is high, it is impenetra-
ble. That is what you see. But God says approach the wall anyway. Move toward it, you will get
through. We see a brick wall, God sees a way through. So you approach the wall and realize there is
a spot that is crumbling, weak. You push on the weak spot and it crumbles to the ground. You walk
through to the other side. That is walking by faith and not by sight. Put your trust in God first and
God will remove obstacles from your path. That includes doubts, fears, people, strongholds, and
even sin. Walk with the confidence of God and watch God remove earthly strongholds and make a
way for you.
 
Blessings,
Veronica Cannon
 
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August 31, 2016
 
In my daily devotional reading, I came across one that really speaks to me. It deals with having time of solitude. Slices of solitude allow us to renew and reflect and transform as we enter into ourselves and do the necessary work of gunk removal so that God can fill us with internal peace and joy. Slic-es of solitude allow us to enter into prayer without distraction. We can focus our attention upon God. Spend time listening as God reveals to us The Almighty’s plan. From Charles Swindoll’s book
Wisdom for the Way, one of the readings from Intimacy with the Almighty
says solitude is “an oasis of the soul where we see ourselves, others, and especially our God in new ways. It is where much of the clutter of life is identified and exterminated, thanks to the merciless heat of the furnace. Soul surgery transpires as serenity replaces anxiety”. This speaks to my soul and I hope to yours as well. You know, even Jesus took times of solitude and prayer to spend with God. We all need our tanks refu-eled. I encourage you to find your solitude. If you cannot get away for a time of quiet solitude, look for a time in your day or night to spend with God alone. Just you and our Creator talking things over and seeking direction for you. May you be blessed in that journey.
 
In Christ,
Veronica Cannon
 
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August 17, 2016
 

In my efforts to be forthcoming and transparent with you, I am giving you an update today on where we

currently stand in the process of calling your next pastor. We have held four town hall meetings held by

me and then I requested the Presbytery of Charlotte to come for a fifth town hall meeting to answer

questions and hear concerns that some of you still have. I have completed the report from the four town

hall meetings I conducted and that information is now available to give to the PNC when it is formed. I

would want to express my thanks to all who participated in the town hall meetings. Your voice was heard

and is included in the report. As far as a timeline for where we stand in the process, it is recorded below.

The timeline is also part of my report from the town hall meetings. You will note that in September, the

Nominating Committee will begin taking names of members who desire to serve on the Pastor Nominating

Committee. (With go ahead from Presbytery. I do not anticipate a problem with this) If you desire

to serve on the committee or someone gives your name to serve, the nominating committee will contact

you to confirm your desire to serve in that capacity. The nominating committee will come up with a slate

of names representative of the entire congregation. When that slate of names is complete, the session

will call a meeting of the congregation to vote on said slate. The Presbytery of Charlotte will send someone

in to train the PNC on its scope of work and the newly formed PNC will begin its work. I would

ask that you begin praying now that God will act in the hearts and minds of those who will serve on the

PNC to be discerning and faithful in this work as it is serious business in considering who will next lead

Paw Creek Presbyterian Church. The work is a time commitment and will require full participation from

all involved. So begin praying now. As I have said before, and believe in my heart, God has already chosen

your next pastor. He or she does not yet know it. But in God’s timing they will know and so will

you and you will together form a long and lasting relationship. I pray you God speed.

Peace in Christ,

Veronica Cannon
 
Tentative Timeline:
 

May 21st

Nominating Committee training – complete
 

June – July

Begin taking names for candidate for nomination for office of elder – in process
 

August

Begin interviews of candidates.

Consider needs of the session.

Period of prayer and discernment of candidates.
 

September

Present slate of names to Session.

Session calls a congregational meeting

Congregation votes on slate of names

Nominating Committee begins taking names for members interested in serving on Pastor Nominating

Committee (upon approval of Committee on Ministry – COM)
 

October

Officer Training for newly elected Elders – 6 weeks

Examination of newly elected Elders

If the nominating committee has completed taking names of members to serve on the Pastor Nominating

Committee, Session will call a congregational meeting.
 

November or December

Ordination and Installation of newly elected Elders

Congregation votes on slate of names for Pastor Nominating Committee

Pastor Nominating Committee receives training from Committee on Ministry and begins their work

as outlined above.
 
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August 3, 2016
 

Dear Paw Creek Presbyterian Church Family,

Last week as I was taking my morning walk/run, I looked up at the sky and saw the sun’s rays coming through the clouds. I then began to take in the beauty that was all around me. The flowering trees, the flowers, the green grass, the stillness that was this morning. People were not yet up and about, and things were quiet and still. I wanted to cry. I began to think about God and how awesome are God’s great wonders. And this passage of Scripture came to mind,

“Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

Be still. Be silent. Be quiet. Be stationary. And know that I am God. God, Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, Our Defense. Know God, the Great I Am.

I thought of God and great and wonderful God is. To know God is to know stillness, peace, silence. And if God is to be exalted among the nations and in the earth, then there is much work to be done. But, I don’t need to rush ahead of God, I need to wait on God to speak and move and be ready always to lift the name of God through Jesus Christ His Son. God is to be exalted above the nations and in the earth. God has this. God has me. God has you. God has this nation. God has this world.

In the ever shifting sands of this world, our nation, our communities, our churches and our homes, it becomes really easy to get caught up in the winds that blow to and fro and the ground that shakes back and forth. We so easily lose sight of what is most important. God.

In our world, we are asked and called to remember that we are at war with a force of evil by the name of ISIS. And we are afraid and running wild. In our nation, we are asked and called to remember that there is a divide between races of people and creeds and ethnic groups. In our communities, we are asked and called to look upon the divide between blue/black/white. In our church, we are asked and called to remember that we STILL do not have a called pastor in place, and time is ever fleeting. In our homes, we are asked and called to remember that for some of us we are lonely or sad or unhealthy or divorced or troubled by family members or circumstance. Such doom and gloom; fear and unease.

When I got home from my walk/run, I looked at the Psalm 46 in its entirety. And I read these wonderful words.

Psalm 46:1-11 (NRSV) 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. 6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Yes, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear. I will not worry. God is in control. I will be still and know God. There is room here for you to join me. Be still. No fear, no worries. Know God.

In Christ,

Veronica

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July 20, 2016
 

Psalm 67:1-7 (NRSV)

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon

earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.

7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.
 

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the Psalms. They are so poetic and beautiful and have always been

a source of comfort for me. Whether I am distressed or confident, in need of deliverance or in need to

praise God, the Psalms always have something upon which to lean. In the past weeks, there has been much

distress in our country and indeed the world. Today, I needed to hear a Word from the Lord that could be

my offering of praise to God. So, I share Psalm 67 with you that you may also offer praise and ask God’s

blessings to reign and rain upon you.
 

As one commentator puts it:

Whatever the circumstances of our lives, God is God and He is worthy of our praise. He loves us and has

made a covenant with us through the blood of His only Son, whom He gave to die for our sins. May we

learn to praise Him at all times, in trials and triumphs, in burdens and blessings, in gains and losses, in good

and bad!
 

Praise be to our God who reigns forever!

In Christ,

Veronica Cannon

 
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July 6, 2016
I received an e-mail today, Tuesday July 5, from a book publisher. One of the books being promoted is a book by William H. Willimon entitled
Fear of the Other: No Fear In Love
.
In this no non-sense book, reliable spiritual guide, Will Willimon, invites readers to consider the gospel command to love (and not merely tolerate) those considered to be Other or outside mainstream Christian culture. Rooted in the faith of Israel and the Christian story and vision, Willimon brings a Wesleyan perspective to bear on what may be the hardest thing for people of faith to do: keeping and loving the “Other” as they are – without any need for them to become like us.

Emphasizing biblical teaching to receive Others for who they are and their differences as gifts and mysteries bearing the grace of God, Willimon also offers a strong critique of the privileged who all too often rush to speak of reconciliation and evade the injustice of huge inequalities faced by foreigners and strangers – as well as the antagonism the stranger experiences. He identifies concrete, everyday ways persons are formed in welcoming others without annihilating their differences.

This is of course a book that I am likely to read. But that is not the point of this article from me.

I am intrigued by this thought of “other”. Who is “other” among us, and how do we treat “other” in our context. The more I thought about this, the more I began to realize that WE are “other”. Look, here is the definition of other. 1)used to refer to a person or thing that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known about. 2) view or treat (a person or group of people) as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself. The second definite is “other” as a verb…interesting.

We often think of “other” as someone of a different race, different socio-economic background, different culture, different accent, different theology, different country, different “whatever” (Thanks Karen Cathey). We look at others who are different from us in whatever way we see them and for some reason, those differences bring about fear in many of us. So often in our context, we look at difference as deficient instead of difference as just that…difference. For this, and a myriad other reasons, we are instilled with fear. But God does not give us a spirit of fear. So where does this come from? And more importantly, how do we begin to overcome it?

When I worked for Bank of America some years ago, the bank recognized that there were some pretty big divides among many people who worked in the bank. They began an initiative where bank employees were strongly encouraged to have lunch with someone “other” than themselves. The results for many were staggering. People actually began to communicate and got to know each other in new and exciting ways and for some, lasting friendships were born.

Is it possible that getting over the FEAR of knowing “other” might be as simple as conversation, spending time together, listening, sharing the common bond of humanity? Is it possible that our differences might actually be sufficient, abounding in abundance? Is it possible that we might learn from others as they learn from us? Is it possible to love others as God loves us? After all we are “other” to someone too.

In Christ,

Veronica Cannon

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June 22, 2016
 
In her devotional book Jesus Calling, Sarah Young for June 21 wrote:
 
Wait patiently with me while I bless you.  Don’t rush into My Presence with time-consciousness gnawing at your mind.  I dwell in timelessness: I Am, I was and I will always be.  For you, time is a protection; you’re a frail creature who can handle only twenty four hour segments of life.  Time can also be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly in your mind.  Learn to master time, or it will be your master.  Though you are a time bound creature, seek to meet Me in timelessness.  As you focus on My Presence, the demands of time and tasks will diminish.  I will bless you and keep you, making My Face shine upon you graciously, giving you peace.  Micah 7:7; Revelation 1:8; Numbers 6:24-26 
 
In a day and age amid much going and coming, amid much running around, take some of your busy time and spend it with God.  We fill our lives with doing THINGS, and forget to just BE.  Be present with God, be present friends, be present with family.  Master that time and you will be master over your life with God’s help.  We live this life we have one time.  We can spend it on a hamster’s wheel going nowhere, being with no one; or we can jump off, take time to take in the beauty that is God’s and share it with others.  Take time to observe your surroundings, talk with God and just see what the Lord will show you.  You will find more time, more time in peace and joy!  What a gift that is from our Lord.  Take time with God and God will bless you in His timelessness.  Now is the time.
 
Rev. Veronica Cannon
December 7, 2016
 
Merry Christmas! This is a greeting that you will hear and deliver to many people you meet both stranger and friend alike. And for most people, it is a merry time of year when we remember the Christ Child’s birth. There will be worship services and sing-a-longs. There will be dinner parties and the joy of breaking bread together. There will be baking and shopping and visiting with fam-ily and friends far and near. There will be traveling and staying put. All sorts of wonderment will accompany this most wonderful time of the year. I say rejoice and be glad in it. Remember those also for whom this time of year is most difficult, who do not get enjoyment or pleasure from this season. Remember those for whom this season is wrought with stress and worry and concern. Remember those families for whom Christmas will not mean gifts under a tree or a nice turkey dinner at the table. Remember to pray for all of God’s children for whom this day means sadness and if you are able spread a little joy in their direction. Let them know of the joy of the Christ child and that his birth brings unspeakable joy because of Emmanuel, God with us!
 
Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
 
My all your days be merry and filled with the light of Christ. Merry Christmas!
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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December 7, 2016
 
Merry Christmas! This is a greeting that you will hear and deliver to many people you meet both stranger and friend alike. And for most people, it is a merry time of year when we remember the Christ Child’s birth. There will be worship services and sing-a-longs. There will be dinner parties and the joy of breaking bread together. There will be baking and shopping and visiting with fam-ily and friends far and near. There will be traveling and staying put. All sorts of wonderment will accompany this most wonderful time of the year. I say rejoice and be glad in it. Remember those also for whom this time of year is most difficult, who do not get enjoyment or pleasure from this season. Remember those for whom this season is wrought with stress and worry and concern. Remember those families for whom Christmas will not mean gifts under a tree or a nice turkey dinner at the table. Remember to pray for all of God’s children for whom this day means sadness and if you are able spread a little joy in their direction. Let them know of the joy of the Christ child and that his birth brings unspeakable joy because of Emmanuel, God with us!
 
Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
 
My all your days be merry and filled with the light of Christ. Merry Christmas!
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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December 7, 2016
 
Merry Christmas! This is a greeting that you will hear and deliver to many people you meet both stranger and friend alike. And for most people, it is a merry time of year when we remember the Christ Child’s birth. There will be worship services and sing-a-longs. There will be dinner parties and the joy of breaking bread together. There will be baking and shopping and visiting with fam-ily and friends far and near. There will be traveling and staying put. All sorts of wonderment will accompany this most wonderful time of the year. I say rejoice and be glad in it. Remember those also for whom this time of year is most difficult, who do not get enjoyment or pleasure from this season. Remember those for whom this season is wrought with stress and worry and concern. Remember those families for whom Christmas will not mean gifts under a tree or a nice turkey dinner at the table. Remember to pray for all of God’s children for whom this day means sadness and if you are able spread a little joy in their direction. Let them know of the joy of the Christ child and that his birth brings unspeakable joy because of Emmanuel, God with us!
 
Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
 
My all your days be merry and filled with the light of Christ. Merry Christmas!
Rev. Veronica Cannon
 
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October 12, 2016
 
As I reflect upon this life of ours as members of the body of Christ, and I think upon all of the ill will that plagues our world, our country, our community, our church, I can easily despair. But I choose a different path. I ask you to join me as we each, individually find ways to widen our circle of influence in positive and decisive ways. Each of us has an opportunity to influence good, to influence well-being, to influence love and joy. It is done by our words and actions. IN moments when we are unable to find the strength to do change our words and actions to reflect the grace of God, I encourage you to pray. I recently came upon a familiar prayer that reminds me again of the power of prayer and how that which we ask of God can be made manifest in our lives. It is a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I share this prayer with you now. May it be so.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is dark- ness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be under- stood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

In Christ,
Rev. Veronica Cannon

 
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October 12, 2016
 
As I reflect upon this life of ours as members of the body of Christ, and I think upon all of the ill will that plagues our world, our country, our community, our church, I can easily despair. But I choose a different path. I ask you to join me as we each, individually find ways to widen our circle of influence in positive and decisive ways. Each of us has an opportunity to influence good, to influence well-being, to influence love and joy. It is done by our words and actions. IN moments when we are unable to find the strength to do change our words and actions to reflect the grace of God, I encourage you to pray. I recently came upon a familiar prayer that reminds me again of the power of prayer and how that which we ask of God can be made manifest in our lives. It is a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I share this prayer with you now. May it be so.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is dark- ness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be under- stood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

In Christ,
Rev. Veronica Cannon

 
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October 12, 2016
 
As I reflect upon this life of ours as members of the body of Christ, and I think upon all of the ill will that plagues our world, our country, our community, our church, I can easily despair. But I choose a different path. I ask you to join me as we each, individually find ways to widen our circle of influence in positive and decisive ways. Each of us has an opportunity to influence good, to influence well-being, to influence love and joy. It is done by our words and actions. IN moments when we are unable to find the strength to do change our words and actions to reflect the grace of God, I encourage you to pray. I recently came upon a familiar prayer that reminds me again of the power of prayer and how that which we ask of God can be made manifest in our lives. It is a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I share this prayer with you now. May it be so.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is dark- ness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be under- stood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

In Christ,
Rev. Veronica Cannon

 
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