Piping Along News of Interest

JUNE 2020

THE PIPER

Thank you from Ethiopia Recently, your church sent funds to the Jimma congregation to support people affected by COVID-19. Our elders discussed the wise and fair utilization of the funds. We organized a purchasing and distribution committee. We have also given responsibility to the full-time ministers to oversee and control closely. Accordingly, the committee members accomplished perfectly the responsibility given to them by elders. The following items were purchased and distributed according to the report of the committee: rice, flour, oil, soap (solid), and liquid soap mixed with sanitizer.

Thank you so much for the support you have made for this people. In this crisis time, it is not easy to get such support. During the distribution, brief explanation made by Kes Sime that the support is from our sister church in Harrisonburg. Prayer was made on the day, and the people were encouraged by the word of God. A prayer has been made for you all and your church services too. If you did not intervene at this time, the consequence of this pandemic would not be easy. On behalf of the elders and all members of the Jimma congregation, I would like to thank you all who serve in FPC. Personally, I also lack words to thank and appreciate you all. Continue to pray for us and our country. The number of people with the coronavirus is increasing everyday. As I have said before, we are at a time when the prob-lem is getting worse in Africa including Ethiopia. Keep us in your prayers. In particular, our country is in a precarious situation. In addition to the coronavirus, the country is in a great disagreement with Egypt on the Nile Dam. There is concern that war in the two countries could be provoked. It is also feared that the discontent of political parties could lead to bloodshed in the country. On the other hand, the invasion of desert locust results in higher crop damage in different parts of the country. This could lead to the worst famine. Thankfully, God is above all, and He is in control of these matters. Please share these issues with sisters and brothers as they will remember Ethiopia in their prayers. Your prayer and being with us is very valuable. I will update you about what is going on around us.

The photos show the support you gave to our widows, orphans and other poor people.

Please pass my warmest greetings to brothers and sisters in FPC.

Abundant blessings in Christ, Solomon

Dear Covenant Partners, As you may know, Session has graciously provided for me to have a coach and thus I’ve been talking regularly with Rev. Dr. Jim Singleton. Jim recently asked me to read a book titled Disappearing Church by Mark Sayers. The book is blowing me away and I do recommend it to all of you. Among many other points, one of the things that has stood out to me are the unintended consequences of “the pursuit of relevance.” These consequences include feeding a consumerist mindset where worship is all about us rather than about the Lord and our neighbor. It causes us to lose sight of the great commandment of loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The book does a great job of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Relevance is not bad, and nothing is more relevant than the gospel, but we have to question ourselves once in a while, and all the more when we are worshipping at home with a plethora of options, and without the accountability of the gathered church. So ask yourself, what are God and your neighbor getting out of your worship this week?

Pastor Jon

While We Are Apart By Martha Graham One of my favorite authors is Catherine Marshall. Her husband, Peter Marshall, was chaplain of the U.S. Senate from 1947-1949. In her first book, A Man Called Peter, she notes her husband would lead the couple in morning de-votions. But he never wanted the time with God to become routine or to be taken for granted. To that end, he would occasionally skip it. When their devotion time resumed, Catherine wrote, it was with a new hunger for God and a renewed appreciation of the time they had missed. Sound familiar? As we have all been sequestered in our homes during the COVID outbreak, we are missing that joyous corporate gathering we call "church." Instead of meeting every Sunday, we are experiencing a period of loss. Even I—who could be a very happy hermit—miss being side by side with my brothers and sisters in worshiping the Lord and lis-tening to His word through our pastors. In the meantime, we have all found ways to stay together. Technology is a blessing these days, but it is still not the same. Perhaps when the restrictions are finally lifted and we can pass through the church doors once again to greet our brothers and sisters face to face, we will do so with a longing as never before. Perhaps during this period of depri-vation we are learning the value of "church." I'm encouraged by Ecclesiastes 3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man's mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." God has a purpose for every second of eternity. And while we feel like this is a "pause" in time—at least, a pause in our lives—God is diligently at work for us, within us and around us. When we do gather again, I am excited to see how God has changed, grown, challenged, supported, lifted, healed, comforted and taught us. Just imagine what we will share—joyously and with abandon—the lessons of this time apart. Just imagine how much that first service back together will feel like a celebration!

Trinity and a Dream of Consequence By Bill Cale Our Thursday men’s group recently read in James Bryant Smith's, The Good and Beautiful God, about the importance of sleep. Sleep is enfolded into our ability to be receptive, for the rested mind is the receptive mind. Unlike other religions, we as Christians do not claw our way to God, like Dante climbing Purgatory Mountain, scrambling over boulders to find no definite reassurance of redemption in that effort. Instead, we should have rested minds, receptive to the one in whom we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He will come to us. During this Covid-19 epoch, schedules have emptied, prompting anxiety, not only for danger, but also an emptiness that leaves us hanging. For me, this time has provided large opportunities to reflect on sleep and dreaming: Joseph and his prescient dreams, foolishly revealed to his brothers; dreams of brothers and sisters in the Islamic world seeing and hearing Jesus speak; my experience as a sleep physician, on the value of dreaming sleep to our well-being, to creativity, how we put things together, and problem solving. Mindful of Thomas Edison, who claims to have slept only in naps in his chair, I recount his self-report. Nodding off while holding ball-bearings in his hand, he phased into dreaming sleep when all voluntary muscles become flaccid. The ball-bearings would then fall out of his hand clattering into a metal pan placed beside his chair intentionally and he would awake. He would then rush to his desk and record these dreams, which creatively solved scientific and engineering projects. Many examples exist of dreams producing scientific break-throughs. Dreaming cements disparate bits and bytes of information into clarity. Let me give you a personal example. It was July of 2017. I had just retired and decided this was the time to turn over a new leaf. Great angst approached as I looked squarely at the final stages of mortal existence with all the aches, pains, and routine anxiety that

What I’ve been doing… Merely chillin' on the balcony with Mere Christianity. – Matt Staley

aging brings. Pastor Jon had discussed the Trinity, and presented a lovely Trinity symbol—a dancing figure of three hand-holding humanoids. As was my habit, I retreated to my easy chair to meditate. I fell asleep and the hand-holding dancing figure appeared to me. It starting spinning furiously (like my life seemed to be). Suddenly the three-person figure stopped. Two in the figure broke the circle and opened up, facing me. I felt a sudden urge to go into the circle. The two figures then closed the circle with me inside. I felt a warm sensation coming over me. I felt a great reassur-ance that all would be “well with my soul.” What a great comfort! Then I woke up. It had been the Son and the Holy Spirit who broke the circle for me. The Father was the one tethering the two. In dreaming, I put together things which brought me comfort about a world in chaos, spinning wildly. Our Maker comes to us, first bodily as Jesus and then spiritually in the Holy Spirit. Resting—and sleeping—in the Lord means we are enfolded in love and reassurance by Trinity forever. Amen.

A Letter from South Africa We are grateful beyond measure for the gift you sent for food boxes for our grannies and orphans. Your gift helped us provide 24 boxes of food for our precious families in desperate need. How we wish you could have seen the expressions on their faces and the tears in their eyes as our Kerus team handed them provisions that will last for two weeks. It was so beautiful to see Jesus in action! We will be delivering another 100+ boxes of food next week. It has been so touching to watch our grannies share their food with their starving neighbors as soon as they receive it. We are so proud of our Kerus team! It’s been so wonderful to watch them lead like Jesus. The many years of love, discipleship and creating a community of trust in God is now being displayed in and through them! That’s what true mission is all about. We absolutely love our community in Soshanguve and are so grateful for the years of love, prayers, and partnership you have poured into them. What a blessing to be in ministry together. With love and grateful hearts, Jennie and Marcia The situation in South Africa entails unimaginable details: Travel, by permit only, is limited to a five kilometer

radius from home. In order to purchase food, a permit is required. Three hours a day are designated for purchasing,

but public transportation is unavailable. Military personnel have been deployed to enforce the

restrictive lockdown. Desperate mothers are rushing to vehicles begging

the occupants to take their babies because they can’t take care of them.

Grannies are praying for answers as they use their last bit of food to try to provide for their families.

“This is not a food program, It is a life-giving Jesus program!” Jennie Cerullo

June 3—Aaron and Ruth Lorson celebrate 14 years June 6—John and Jackie Buchanan celebrate 61 years June 8—David and Lisa Grayson celebrate 23 years June 8—Jason and Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley celebrate 18 years June 9—Bradley and Jessica Long celebrate 13 years June 10—Joe and Sallie Funkhouser celebrate 53 years June 11—Fred and Carole Bates celebrate 55 years June 12—Tiny and Lo Palmer celebrate 74 years June 12—Reccy and Wilma Thomas celebrate 44 years June 13—Taylor and Laura Pence celebrate 5 years June 14—Richard and Donna Williams celebrate 62 years June 15—Kale and Norma Barb celebrate 57 years June 15—Steve and Anne Zumbro celebrate 29 years June 16—Rob and Carolyn Frank celebrate 40 years June 16—Jeff and Val Stapel celebrate 30 years June 18—Bob and Cindy Hill celebrate 32 years June 19—John and Gwen Sloop celebrate 50 years June 19—Mac and Debby Hutson celebrate 44 years June 19—Ed and Debbie Price celebrate 44 years June 20—Wilson and Evelyn White celebrate 57 years June 20—Joe and Kay Grandstaff celebrate 21 years June 21—Jack and Mary Broaddus celebrate 51 years June 21—Chris and Jenn Bryant celebrate 23 years June 22—Patrick and Amy Werner celebrate 12 years June 23—John and Kappy Barnes celebrate 41 years June 23—Tom and Bethany Kuster celebrate 8 years June 24—Roger and Judy von Seldeneck celebrate 53 years June 24—Dan and Katie Hylton celebrate 14 years June 25—Don and Janet Thompson celebrate 60 years June 25—Mal and Maureen Lane celebrate 54 years June 25—Lee and Paula Corder celebrate 44 years June 25—Frank and Annette Sprinkel celebrate 43 years June 25—Dale and Wendy Lam celebrate 32 years June 26—Bill and Janice Callender celebrate 32 years June 26—Tom and Becky Templeton celebrate 27 years June 27—Myron and June Hosaflook celebrate 50 years June 28—Bob and Mary Sease celebrate 45 years June 28—Michael and Loretta Clark celebrate 23 years June 28—Thomas and Lisa Moomaw celebrate 23 years June 28—Mike and Amanda Houston celebrate 17 years June 29—Walt and Judie Wine celebrate 57 years June 29—Pat and Glenda Rooney celebrate 52 years June 29—Adam and Tonia Campillo celebrate 24 years July 1—Gary and Kaye Crowther celebrate 53 years July 2—Vic and Cheri Smith celebrate 49 years July 3—Al and Mary DeCicco celebrate 68 years July 3—Dick and Mona Johnson celebrate 60 years July 5—Mike and Melissa Stoltzfus celebrate 17 years

June 1 – Barbara Harkins June 3 – Jonathan Krauss June 4 – Joshua Briggman June 5 – Dot Spicer, Camden Langridge, Sawyer Lemn June 6 – Richard Haxton, Mary DeCicco, Margie Robison June 7 – Jack Darrah June 8 – Nancy Fletcher, Gene White June 10 – Jody Pugh, Stephanie Pence June 11 – Rich Ours, Deborah Roberts, Mark Obenshain, Avery Craig June 12 – Bee Heitz June 15 – Phyllis Branner, Meredith Hendricksen, Ava Rosson June 16 – Brianna Zumbro, Benjamin Larson, Ryan Larson June 17 – Lorna Morris, Marshall Price, Karen Whetzel, John Siciliano June 18 – Don Voas June 19 – Will Thompson June 20 – Val Kaylor, Emily DePoy, Bryan Rosson June 21 – Mark Whetzel, Jason Bales June 22 – Laura Lee Conklin, Margaret Hart June 23 – Janet Thompson, Amanda Knestrick June 24 – June Hosaflook, Jackson Fendley June 25 – Matthew Ford June 27 – Jo Ann Raines, Jenya Long June 28 – Craig Smith, Joe Grandstaff, Joshua Craig June 29 – Betsy Jarvis, Sandy Shomo, Jean Hylton, Mitch DePoy, Andrew Krauss June 30 – Doris Joecks, Steve Joseph, Dan Logan, Jennie Cerullo, Emily Larson July 1 – Mac Hutson, Dan Clements, Lisa Moomaw, Eli Knestrick July 2 – Mary Neff, Wilson White, Vic Smith, Jeanie Dunham, Kitty Cline July 3 – James Henderson July 4 – Sam Pyles, Clarissa McIntyre, Levi Berkey July 5 – Scott Dove, Kimberly Garcia, Ben Craig, Vivian Grayson July 6 – Colleen Long, Jane Parker, Bea Ammons, Kate Campbell, Mary Callender

We Express our Sympathy to: Gary Beatty in the loss of his brother, Don Ray Beatty, on April 26th.

Wayne and Mel Hannah, in the loss of his uncle, Ron Hannah, on May 10th.

David and Dona Hinkle, in the loss of David's mother, Nancylee Hinkle, on May 11th.