Sewickley Presbyterian Church Newsletter | February 2018
Traditionally, Christians choose to give something up for the 40 days of Lent such as social media, alcohol, cookies, chocolate, etc. What if this year we focused on surrendering the things God most longs for us to let go of?
Lenten Sermon Series | Beginning Sunday, February 18Lenten Sermon Series | Beginning Sunday, February 18
If you or a member of your family are in the hospital and would like a visit, please call the church office to let us know.
Hours Monday - Friday 9 AM - 5 PM
Phone Fax412.741.4550 412.741.1210
Address414 Grant StreetSewickley, PA 15143
Web Addresswww.sewickleypresby.org
SHARON BARBERAssistant to the [email protected]
DAVE BREITMedia [email protected]
MIKE CREAMERDirector of Youth [email protected]
R. CRAIG DOBBINS, CCMDirector of Music [email protected]
JEREMY FISHERWorship [email protected]
JENNY HAYDirector of FriendShip [email protected]
JENNIFER JOHNSONDirector of [email protected]
BRIAN MACKDirector of Children’s [email protected]
LAURA MIKUSH, CCABusiness [email protected]
BETH ROMVolunteer [email protected]
STEPHANIE SMITHAdministrative [email protected]
ELIZABETH SZUBAYouth Program [email protected]
CHARLIE BARNHARTWILL BETTS JOEY TOMALESCustodial Staff
REV. KEVIN J. LONG Pastorhome: [email protected]
REV. SARAH BIRDAssociate [email protected]
REV. STEWART LAWRENCEVolunteer Parish [email protected]
The SPC newsletter, Interpreta-tion, is published six times a year. Please make submissions to, or if you have any questions contact, Jennifer Johnson at [email protected].
As I write this, I am preparing to head off on our church’s mission trip to the Domin-ican Republic. This will be my fourth time at MGM (Meeting God in Missions). Each time it has been a different experience, but the one thing I have found each time I go is that I always experience the presence of Jesus in a profound way and receive a much-needed kick-start to my own devotional life. I think part of the reason is that we are there with other members of our church family as well as other Christians from around the country. There is no status or hierarchy among us. It is simply the body of Christ gathered together, and we work with and get to know one another throughout the week, almost becoming, well, family.
But another reason I always experience Jesus there is the strong focus on discipleship and spiritual growth. Every morn-ing we are up at 6 AM doing personal devotions for 30 or 40 minutes. Then we all gather together for worship until 8 AM when we sing “I Love You, Lord” and head down for breakfast. The messages each morning have always challenged us in our walk with Christ and urged us to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Then in the evenings, we often go to local churches and get to worship with our Dominican brothers and sisters. It is really a week of spiritual retreat, something most of us desperately need. I know I do.
But finally, I think the reason I always experience Jesus at MGM is that we spend our days out in the sugar cane villages among the poorest of the poor, out of our comfort zones, as we share the gospel, plant gardens, build houses, put on roofs, provide medical and vision care, play baseball, love children, and simply be present with people whom Jesus ab-solutely loves to hang out with. Jesus has a particular predilection for the least of these, and if we want to be with Jesus, then we need to go where he is. For as Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also” (John 12:26). And let me assure you, there is nothing so powerful as being in the presence of the Savior.
I do not know what is going to happen on this trip. As I said, each time it is a different experience. The only thing I do know is that I am going to encounter Jesus there, and he will change me. I hope at some point, if you have not already done so, that you will risk following Jesus to a place where you are out of your comfort zone, experiencing things you have never experienced before, serving the least of these in the name of Jesus. You may just find, as many of us have, that you can’t wait to go back. After all, Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. Once you have experienced that, you just want more. And, as the old song says, you want to pass it on. It is my great hope that SPC will always be a place where the love and presence of Jesus are so palpable that we cannot help but want to pass it on to more people as we faithfully proclaim and faithfully live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in grateful response to God’s love.
In Christ -- Rev. Kevin Long
MEETING JESUS IN MISSIONS
WHAT’S INSIDE?SPC Information...........................Our Vision....................................Meeting Jesus in Missions...........Children’s Choirs..........................Valentines & Peace......................Bass Spectacular.........................
Choir Lite.....................................Dollars & Sense...........................Mardi Gras...................................The Faith House Samaritans.......Lenten Soup Suppers & Studies..SPC Youth....................................
2 3 3 4 4 4
Mission Matters............................John Watters Request..................A Look At Our Windows...............SPC Kids.....................................Bible Bash Invitation....................
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The Children’s Choir, for children (Kindergarten – Grade 5) will resume rehearsals this month and will participate in the 9 AM and 11 AM wor-ship services on Sundays, March 18 and May 13.
Through participation in choir, children not only encounter new musi-cal experiences, but they also learn about Bible stories and become a team which serves in a leadership capacity in worship. We hope to see your kids take part in the choir!
To participate, please follow the practice schedule below. The choir will be led by Carrie Beynon ([email protected]) and Jeremy Fisher ([email protected]).
Kids will sing in worship on:Sunday, March 18
9 & 11 AM Worship Services
Practice ScheduleSundays, February 4, 11, 18, 25 & March 4, 11
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM | Choir Room
Kids will sing in worship on:Sunday, May 13
9 & 11 AM Worship Services
Practice ScheduleSundays, April 8, 15, 22, 29 & May 6
Choir Room
On Sunday, March 4, some of Pittsburgh’s fin-est brass players will provide musical leader-ship in all three worship services and will per-form a concert that afternoon at 3 PM. While all the music performed in worship will be sacred, the concert will include a wide variety of music and musical styles.
Mark the date on your calendars and plan to invite your neighbors and friends to join you.
PEACE is the February Fruit of the Spirit in the FriendShip Preschool. We are quite busy this month preparing for Valentine’s Day and creat-ing special hearts and cards for those we love. The lesson the children hear is that in order to maintain love and friendship we have to treat others the way we want to be treated or things won’t be happy and peaceful. This is known as the Golden Rule. Jesus taught that the two most important things to do are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself: “Love God with all your heart….And love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
Registration is taking place within FriendShip. We offer classes for chil-dren 22 months old - 5 years of age. For more information please contact Jenny Hay, FriendShip Director: [email protected]. Word of mouth remains the most important way families find their way to Sewickley Presbyterian Church and FriendShip Preschool. Please help to spread the word about FriendShip and our fun preschool!
Did you ever wonder where the Christmas tree in the Robinson Room comes from? It comes from Jim Edson and his workers at Bartlett Tree Services, who go and pick out a tree, deliver it to us, set it into the stand, hoist it into place and secure it. This is a wonderful service we get each year from Jim, so please make sure to thank him if you see him.
CHILDREN’S CHOIR REHEARSALS
VALENTINES & PEACE IN FRIENDSHIP
BRASS SPECTACULAR
CHOIR LITEThis year the Chancel Choir will offer its annual Choir Lite concert on Sunday, March 18 at 3 PM in the Robinson Room. Expect a fun perfor-mance of music selected from the world of mu-sical theatre, pop music, and occasionally op-era. The audience is asked to make a donation of $10.00 per person. The proceeds are given each year to an area non-profit organization. Plan to attend and invite friends and neighbors to accompany you.
DOLLARS & SENSE
EAT MORE PANCAKES & SAUSAGE!February 13 | 6 PM | Dining Room
Welcome our newest members at our Annual Mardi Gras Dinner!
Adults $8 - Kids under 12 $5 - Max Family $25New Members Free (& their families too!)
RSVP on our website by February 11
MARDIGRAS
December 5, 2017 was a very important day for Samaritan Counseling. It was Moving Day! Thanks to Sewickley Presbyterian Church, Samaritan’s administrative and clinical teams now occupy the newly renovated third floor of the Faith House. As tenants, Samaritan now has a space that has been custom designed to accommodate their needs. Not only is the space beautifully configured, but there are enough offices to house the adminis-tration that previously worked out of the lower level of the church building .
“With both therapists and administration under one roof, Samaritan has gained more cohesiveness as a team. Our Samaritan family has literally become closer,” said Beth Healey, Director of Development and Marketing. “We are able to provide our clients a comfortable, private waiting area in a brand new space.”
Some of the amenities of the third floor include a room with wheelchair access, a kitchenette, built-in storage, conveniently located restrooms and water fountains, the elevator, and a security system. Last but not least, Samaritan staff members enjoy offices with windows! Samaritan’s Clinical Director, Susan Young commented, “The benefits of being able to collabo-rate in a really timely way helps us resolve problems, remove barriers and work together as a more unified group on behalf of Samaritan’s clients and interests.”
Samaritan will continue to use their former administrative offices in the church for larger group sessions as well as for storage. Samaritan is very grateful to everyone at Sewickley Presbyterian Church for this amazing op-portunity.
THE FAITH HOUSE SAMARITANS
LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS & STUDIESOur Lenten Soup Suppers & Studies are starting in a few weeks. For five Wednesdays, we’ll meet in the Dining Room for a soup supper, and then adults and teens will remain in the Dining Room for their study and kids will go with Brian Mack to the Children’s Studios for their study.
A variety of people from Urban Impact will be leading our Lenten Study this year. You can expect to hear a testimony of a student who has been directly affected by U.I.’s ministry, a guest speaker, and special music, too.
The main focus of the study will be the Ancient Gospel and how it applies to our lives today. Find out how Christ’s mission and your mission are sim-ilar, how Christ Jesus is redeeming your life today, and how the mission in Pittsburgh is a mirror of Jesus redeeming Israel. Pastor Ed Glover, Seth Reichart, and Nate Glover will be the speakers.
Brian Mack will lead our kids Lenten study. Kids will learn about Jesus, the Living Water, and grow in their relationships with Him by telling Bible stories together through activities, crafts, prayer and fellowship.
Please make sure to RSVP for each week you will be attending. Also, if you would like to donate your favorite soup, you can sign-up for that as well. Sign-ups are available on the church website. If you have any questions regarding soup and/or food donations, the sign-up sheet has instructions at the top, or you may contact the church office.
Wednesday Evenings
6 - 7:30 PM
February 21February 28
March 7March 14March 21
Since I was a little kid, I always remember one important rule in the sum-mer: Wait at least 30 minutes to go swimming after eating food. I thought this was written in the Bible or something since adults seemed to hold to it so rigorously, but as I got older I realized that rule was used to keep kids from, well, you know, making a mess in the pool. Well, now I have to use that rule to my advantage. As we went to the “no running” Laser tag arena in Robinson Township, I needed an edge on the students to make sure I had a chance at holding my own. Being the strategic mastermind that I am, I planned that our students would eat their pizza and drink their soda before our round of Laser tag, giving me the edge I needed to teach them a thing or two. Well, I still didn’t teach them much. Our students are relentless. No amount of food in their bellies was going to slow them down. They pressed on, and as I reflect on the night now I don’t think who won is important, but rather who had the most heart, and that was the Green Team. It was definitely hilarious watching 21 students speed walking around a dark room trying their hardest not to break every sin-gle rule of the game in the same two minutes. In the end, I think we all concluded that Laser Tag is a special talent, and that not all of us have it -- but, we definitely all had fun!
-- Mike Creamer, Director of Youth Ministries
This January we were excited to be invited to join over 300 other stu-dents from around the Pittsburgh Presbytery for a youth night at Beulah Presbyterian Church. The night consisted of Minute-to-Win-It games, worship music, and hearing a message about fear and growth in our faith by Mark Oestreicher, an internationally known youth speaker. Our group had a great time, and we were proud to see our own Ellie Bates repre-senting our church on stage by winning her Minute-to-Win-It challenge! We are always looking for ways to engage in collaborative ministry with our students, so we were grateful to have this opportunity this year. We look forward for the next “Event” to come!
“THE EVENT” IN REVIEW
LASER TAG! Middle School Movie Night February 25 | 4 - 6 PM
The Bates’ House (Meet at Faith House at 3:45)
Middle School Lock-In March 9 - 105 PM - 8 AMFaith House
Surf City Summer TripSign-ups are open
Trip Dates: August 5 - 10Cost: $420
Fundraising & Scholarships available!
COMING UP...
Ham & Scalloped Potatoes17 Volunteers On-Hand69 Dinners Served32 Seconds Served45 Take-Home Dinners47 Volunteers Shopped/Prepped Meal
Many thanks to those who volunteered on January 20 for the North Side distribution of Produce to People. We had great weather, plenty of help, and served 384 households. The food was all fresh and weighed over 44lbs! A BIG thank you goes to those who lifted watermelons, bags of potatoes, and pushed carts filled with produce to client cars!
For those of you that are new to the distribution, clients must register household information such as ages and numbers in their households. The food distributed will help feed 903 household members! It’s excit-ing to impact so many people on just one Saturday morning. Please share this with others who might be intersted in this great ministry!
Our next distribution date is June 9. We’ll be in touch in May with a call for volunteers.
In Appreciation,Bill & Diane GlasP2P Coordinators for SPC
Neighbors in Need is a mission project launched several years ago to collect full-sized toiletries and personal care products for those in need. There are many families in our community that are surviving on very little income, which means oftentimes the non-essential items such as deodorant, toothpaste etc. are crossed off grocery lists.
We will be collecting these items from now until the end of February at which time we will deliver the products to the Sewickley Community Center, the Center for Hope and the Ladle. From there they will be passed on to the families they serve as needed.
Brown woven collection baskets marked “Neighbors in Need” are lo-cated at all church entrances and copies of lists of requested items are located in the Robinson Room. Please help us help our Neighbors in Need!
REQUESTED ITEMS
Shampoo Conditioner ToothpasteToothbrushes Feminine Products Mouthwash Bar Soap (women’s & men’s)
Financial contributions are welcome, and checks made out to SPC will allow us to supplement the donated items. The SPC Neighbors in Need committee thanks you in advance for your support!
-- Suzanne Watters Neill Simakas Marne Busatto Celine O’Neill
CENTER FOR HOPE DINNER STATS
December, 2017
Sloppy Joes & Mac-n-Cheese33 Volunteers On-Hand83 Dinners Served65 Seconds Served
On the fourth Thursday of each month, SPC provides dinner to the Center for Hope clients. The dinner feeds those who are in need of a warm meal. We ask for people to shop for ingredients, pre-pare main and side dishes, and attend the dinner to help serve and clean-up.
If you’ve never volunteered at the CFH, this is a perfect opportunity to see God’s work in action. There is always a sign-up list on our website where you can volun-teer in whatever capacity you feel most led.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact one of the Center for Hope Dinner Committee members listed below:
Gretchen [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
January, 2018
NEIGHBORS IN NEED NEEDS YOU!
Disposable RazorsDish Soap Hand Cream Shaving Cream Deodorant (women’s & men’s) DetergentAdult & infant diapers
PRODUCE TO PEOPLE RECAP
Every other year, World Mission Initiative (WMI) hosts a mission con-ference focusing on how individuals and congregations can be more ef-fectively involved in God’s global mission. WMI’s 2018 conference will bring together local, national, and international mission leaders to talk about the integral role of justice in God’s mission. Topics will include U.S.-Mexico border ministry, human trafficking, contextual ministry in local communities, ministry to the homeless, and more!
If you would like to attend, please contact Sharon Barber in the church office by March 10 so that we can take advantage of the Early Bird pricing: [email protected]/412.741.4550.
UNION AID SCHOLARSHIP Do you know someone who would benefit from a scholarship to help with school-related expenses? Union Aid has a “Step-Up” Scholarship Program that offers grants for those who want to obtain a degree, learn a new skill, or a trade. Applicants should be 25 years of age or older, and reside in the Quaker Valley School District. Additional information and an application can be found to the right:
PITTSBURGH WMI SPRING CONFERENCEAll God’s Children: Justice In God’s MissionFriday, April 13 - Saturday, April 14
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary616 N. Highland Ave.Pittsburgh, PA 15206
MEET OUR NEWEST MISSIONARYDr. Martha Sommers
In a joint effort with the Malawi College of Medicine, Dr. Sommers is work-ing with the Nkhoma CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) Mission Hospital in their new family medicine residency program which began in 2016. Previously, Martha worked as a doctor for 14 years at Embangwe-ni and Ekwendeni hospitals. In 2009, members of SPC met and worked with Dr. Sommers at the Embangweni Hospital. During that time, she served on Malawi’s Family Medicine Task Force, of which the new family medicine training program is a fruit.
Compassion welled up inside Martha the day she saw ailing people who needed shelter and care getting drenched by a downpour in Mexico City. “During that high school trip, I decided I wanted to be a doctor because that was the way I could help people like those I saw outside our hotel,” she says.
For Martha, the scene was a poignant illustration of the world’s injustice, and it pricked her resolve to help people in need. Her aptitude for and love of science pointed her toward a career in medicine. As a college student at Notre Dame, Martha began to see her commitment to help less fortunate people from a theological perspective. While majoring in microbiology to prepare for medical school, she minored in theology and embraced the Catholic social teaching of “God’s preferential option for the poor.”
Her experience in Presbyterian Mission has refined her understanding of service. “In college, I understood service as charity and the need to empower,” she says. “Through my work with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and our partners, I have come to understand that service is best done in partnership as mutual givers and receivers. We fill the gaps that our partners ask us to fill for a time.”
THE LADLE IN AMBRIDGEThe Ladle provides a hot meal and warm hospitality to its guests, usually numbering between 70 and 100, at the First United Pres-byterian Church of Ambridge. The Ladle also maintains a food pantry and provides emer-gency transportation and lodging assistance for those with special circumstances.
Sewickley Presbyterian Church has been a supporter of The Ladle since its inception. We are responsible for dinner on four Mondays each year and also provide financial support to The Ladle through our Mission Committee and the Hunger Offering.
If you’d like to help out or would like to learn more, please contact Carol Weir at [email protected] or 412.741.1542.
www.unionaidsociety.org/[email protected]
Written by: Toby Graham with excerts from https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/missionconnections/dr-martha-sommers/
HELPING OUR LOCAL YOUTH
Hello Everyone! My name is John Watters, and I am a member of SPC and in 10th grade at Quaker Valley High School. As a student, we are responsible for completing a Person-al Project. For mine, I am encouraging the community to donate items to Puerto Rico. I have connected with families in Vieques and Rincon who have been affected greatly by Hurricane Maria in the fall of 2017. Many families still do not have power and are lacking basic necessities. Here are things that they have requested:
Wipes Lotion Sunscreen Lip Balm Hand Sanitizer Vitamins
Flashlights Batteries Monetary GiftsAnd notes with messages of hope!
There will be multiple boxes at the entrances of the church throughout the month of Feb-ruary. I am asking that you please consider leaving some of these items in the boxes. At the end of February, I will send them to families in Puerto Rico. Thank you for your help!
-- John Watters
A LOOK AT OUR WINDOWS
Dedicated on October 30, 1955, this window is located at the rear of the sanctuary and depicts the history of Chris-tianity by showing not only saints and apostles, but also church fathers and reformers, pioneers and pilgrims from history and modern day believers. All are progressing to-ward the chalice of the Holy Grail at the top of the center panels.
In the lower row of figures in the center two panels (from left to right) are the early apostles: Mark, Peter, Barna-bas, Silas, Paul and Timothy. To their immediate left are the Greek and Latin fathers: Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome. To their immediate right are Chrysostom, Atha-nasius and Cyril. In the extreme left panel are the British Saints: Patrick, Columba and Alfred; and to the far right are the Saints of the Continent: Francis of Assisi, Bernard and Thomas Aquinas.
In the middle row of figures stand the great reformers: John Knox, Thomas Cranmer, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Huss and Philip Melanchthon.
In the upper portions of the lancets, one finds the more re-cent saints: pioneers, pilgrims, eighteenth and nineteenth century believers and modern-day church members. Me-dallions represent the log church and small brick church, our congregation’s early places of worship.
The window was produced by Connick Associates of Boston. It was given in memory of William and Eleanore George, who joined our church in 1912, by W.D. George Jr. and his sister, Rebecca Willard George, in memory of their parents.
“GREAT NORTH WINDOW”(Connick Associates)
ASH WEDNESDAY ON VALENTINE’S DAY?Can you can think of someone who has their birthday on Christmas? I’ll bet most of you can think of at least one person. It seems a bit unfair, or at the very least, causes a bit of a conflict of interests. Do you celebrate your birthday or Christmas? Do you try to do them both on the same day? Are friends and family expected to give you a gift for Christmas and also one for your birth-day? As we look ahead to Lent and Easter, you’ll see we’re about to encounter a similar problem. Ash Wednesday is on February 14, which is also Valentine’s Day. This becomes even more of a big deal when you realize what this means for Easter -- that’s right, April Fools! So how do we address this conflict of holidays on our calendar?
Ash Wednesday tends to be a somber day, where we start the fasting season of Lent, and re-member that “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” On the other hand, Valentine’s Day is, literally, all about love. This causes a bit of a problem in the tone of the day. Approaching the day from a purely Christian outlook doesn’t make things any easier either, as our God is a God of love, so celebrating love is in a way celebrating Him. But how then do we come to Ash Wednesday, jubilant and full of love, or somber and contemplative? I suppose the answer is both. As Christians we seek to follow the example of Christ and to obey his teachings. Following in His footsteps, we are called into the desert, fasting, resisting temptation, and approaching God through trying times. Following His teachings, we are called to love our neighbor, to show kind-ness to the downtrodden, and to approach our fellow man with love.
At our first week back with Club 345, we discussed our highs and lows of 2017, looking back not only at the ways we’ve been blessed, but also at what has challenged us. In addressing this, we looked ahead to the rest of 2018, hoping our highs will be higher, and our lows made less low. We should look at February 14 the same way -- appreciating the blessings and love we are given freely and our ability to share them with others. At the same time we can acknowledge where our struggles lie, knowing that are sins have already been washed away. In this life we may suffer and be challenged as Jesus was, but we will also experience love, care, and grace beyond anything we could ever deserve.
-- Brian Mack, Director of Children’s Ministries
414 Grant Street | Sewickley, PA | 15143www.sewickleypresby.org
This newsletter is published bySewickley Presbyterian Church
JOIN US FOR A BIBLE BASH!February 26
6:30-8 PM | Faith HouseDinner & Fun Included!
Are you one of the more than 75 indivduals who are reading through the Bible this year in our church? Or did you just start? Or are you interested and just haven’t quite commited? If so, we want you to join us for a get-together where we will enjoy dinner, discuss any questions we might have and enjoy some fun prizes too! Join the fun and see who else is on this journey with you!
RSVP by February 19 to Sharon Barber in the church office or on our website. We hope to see everyone in a few weeks!
