MPC NEWS MAGAZINE April 2016

Saturday Night at the Movies! April 23 7PM Ladies in Lavender is a story about two aging spinster sisters who have their Cornwall existence disrupted in 1936. After a violent storm, Ursula and Janet Widington, played by Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, awake to find a young man Andrea half-drowned and badly injured on the beach. They slowly nurse him back to health and discover he is Polish with a gift for mu-sic as an accomplished violinist. Eventually the two must make a choice between trying to keep their charge for themselves or set him free in the world. A discussion will follow. David Rebstock

Next in April

Butoke Mission Emphasis for April

Many readers are aware that each year at Christ-mastime, MPC selects a mission to receive gifts from our congregation. Last year, this resulted in financial support for the schooling of 50 orphans living at the orphanage at Butoke, the mission in Congo which we have long supported. The Democratic Repub-lic of Congo is probably the poorest country in the

world. Butoke is also one of six missions with which we maintain a long-standing relationship. Founded by MPC member, Dr. Cecile DeSweemer, Butoke has grown and now operates (in addition to the orphanage) a school with 18 primary school teachers. Additionally Butoke pro-vides for the health of residents via an emergency medi-cal clinic and a nutrition clinic. New challenges arise daily at Butoke. The new school which was constructed in 2014 serves orphans and chil-dren from the villages near Butoke. When the school opened, many children from Tshibundu, a village located 15 miles from Butoke, wanted to attend but were unable to travel the distance. Butoke’s answer was to construct a tent extension school at Tshibundu. Approximately 500 of these children now attend the tent school at least one day per week. Please consult the brochures in the Narthex for more information. Please consider making a donation to Butoke during the month of April. Our April donations to Butoke will be used to support emerging needs there this Spring and Summer. Envelopes for this purpose are located in the pew racks. Tom Koch

Locked in a Box Sojourner’s Sunday, April 10 at 9:30 AM Susan Krehbiel, Catalyst for Refu-gees & Asylum Seekers (PC-USA), will join us to show a documentary style video called Locked in a Box and then lead a discussion. Locked in a Box is an award win-ning short documentary that follows the stories of individuals held in the U.S. Immigra-tion detention system and those who visit them. The film traces the lives of individuals who fled their homelands in search of safety and freedom only to end up in U.S. prisons under a mandatory bed quota system run by Immigration Customs & Enforcement. Since the 1990’s there has been a massive expansion of the immigration detention system up to 34,000 immigrants in detention on any given day in approxi-mately 200 different facilities, many of which are for-profit prisons. In partnership with Lutheran Immigration & Refu-gee Service, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance sup-ports the development of visitation ministries, legal orientation programs and community-based services to those who are released. “Locked in a Box” helps strip away the political rhetoric to see the human cost of detention. This film is the result of the collabora-tion between PDA and LIRS with local partners in the hope of inspiring its viewers toward action. It won the Morris Film Award at the Tryon Internation-al Festival. Bill Sitterley

Muela and Mujinga The mother came in late Novem-

ber 2006 to the clinic in Tshi-kaji. She had these children with her: One, 5 years old, carrying his little sister of 10-12 months.

Sunday Brew Theology and Coffee Sunday April 3 and 17 at 9:30 AM Led by Jocelyn McKeon and Darrell Wheeler Subject for Discussion: Abraham Sojourner Sunday

Sunday April 10 at 9:30 AM See Article Above

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Jack-or-Not-in the Pulpit Without the ability to move around and find mates, earth-bound plants have different strategies to help with the busi-ness of reproducing their own kind. One of the most successful includes enlisting the help of pollinators by producing extrav-agant flower types. Many plants use showy petals with lines of nectar guides that are only visible in the ultraviolet fre-quencies seen by insect eyes. At the center of the flowers, the promised nectar and pollen treats act as “feeding sta-tions” for insects and hummingbirds. Although the energy expended to produce these enticements is high compared to that in plants that have flowers with no petals or nectar (grasses and many trees that rely upon the wind for dispers-ing pollen), the precision of the insect and bird delivered pollen to other flowers of the same species is very high be-cause many of these pollinators tend to glean from plants of the same flower species before going on to another. This “flower fidelity,” especially in bumblebees, is a major ad-vance in the successful reproduction of flowering plants. I wonder why, then, one of our native wildflowers uses an entirely different system! Our Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a perennial in the Arum family of plants that has about 1,500 species in tropical regions around the world, but only a handful in North America. It doesn’t have petals or nectar guides. Instead, it uses a tube-like structure (spathe) with an inside spike (spadix) of minute flowers (male or female) that produce a smell similar to that of a rotting fungus. It tricks flies, gnats, and beetles to believe that they have found a suitable habitat for laying their eggs. Pollination is only successful when the insects first enter a male flower and carry the pollen out by means of a small hole in the base of the spathe. But, if the first flower entered is a female, there is no pollen, no hole, and no escape; only death. This is definitely a “hit or miss” pollination strategy. But, another very unusual strategy in this species may compensate for this. An individual plant can switch genders from year to year, depending upon the amount of carbohy-drate that was stored in its corm (rootlike structure) in the previous growing season. Because females use the greatest energy to produce fruits, the same plant can change from a male to a female if environmental conditions in the previous year were excellent. Of course, if they were not, a female can change to a male, which needs a lesser amount of ener-gy to produce pollen. And, if last year was really bad, a plant of either sex can come up as a neuter. This strategy increases the chances for the species to survive and breed again when environmental conditions stabilize. This is just one example of the Wisdom of Nature that we cannot explain, but should move heaven and earth to pro-tect! Pat Cornman

ECO-Info Newest Member

Danell Gill, MPC’s newest member, is a life-long Presbyterian. Born in Baltimore City but raised on the Eastern Shore, Danell is the old-est of three siblings and attended the Universi-ty of Vermont. She works in the accounting and finance department of the Lesmills Com-pany which creates and distributes exercise programs for health clubs. Apart from singing and participating in our choir, Danell loves to read, watch movies, play the flute, and play tennis. Welcome to MPC, Danell!

Waving Palms March 20th But everyone who lined the streets had a different reason for waving those palms. Some were political activists; they’d heard Jesus had supernatural power, and they wanted him to use it to free Israel from Ro-man rule. Others had loved ones who were sick or dying. They waved branches, hoping for physical healing. Some were onlookers merely looking for something to do, while others were genuine followers who wished Jesus would establish himself as an earthly king. . . . He had a mission, while everyone else had an agenda. Bill Hybels

Providence Press Published for

the members and friends of Maryland Presbyterian Church,

1105 Providence Road, Towson, Maryland 21286.

(410) 825-0719 Editors: Jo Sack, Rick Dezes

Production and distribution Dale Salah, Alma Smith, Other Contributors to this Issue: Carol Mason, Pat Cornman, J. Wright Witcher, Mary Jo Zimbro, Vicky TSjolander, Tom Koch, Bill Sitterley, Darrell Wheeler, David Rebstock

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Laugh of the Month

Editorial Comment STATEments

Does anyone wonder where Ore has gone? I heard she went to Okla’s home at night but I’m not sure. Maybe she went where Michi’s gone. Yet Missi sipped…I think… a Minni sota with a very New Yorkshire pudding. Louisi Anna called recently to tell me that Tenne sees what Arkan saw. I keep getting these calls from our friends giving me this important information. Like yesterday Cali foned to tell me that she was talking to Georgia and learned what Dela wears. I said, of course, everyone knows that she wears a New Jersey, quite Florid. A man wrote then in Pennsyl, vainly, Do you know that Conneti cut a New Ham? Sure, I said. I called Tex as he was Montan a horse and asked him if he knows what a Washing ton is. He said his understanding is that it is Mainely an exaggeration. Nobody’s laundry is that heavy. Ken Tucky told me that Ida hoes Mary’s land. Mary was pleased because she could now plant her Rhode dendrons on an Island. Carolina (the one in the North) told me that Wiscon sinned. I asked what he did and she said she wasn’t sure but his lover was no longer Virginia. Yet I still wonder…What did Colora do? Okay, Al ask a friend! And he said she saw Ala bam a Dakota Indian. Aha, in the North. Dear me, Oh, I owe Miss Ouri 2 Kans a sauce. Virginia, who lives in the West, told me that Caroli-na, who lives in the South needs a New bra for skat-ing. She was recently Ill in need of ointment. I heard U tah a putty tat. Did U? Jo Sack

2016 Directory Directory pictures will be taken by Rick Dezes during the months of April and May. Are you new to MPC and we don’t have your image? Or do you need a new portrayal of your-self? See Rick after church, or even before, and stand in the light!

There will be a brief Congregational Meeting after the service on April 3rd to vote on the Nominating Committee's recommendation to ordain and install Donna Mistr as an incoming ruling elder.

Providence Press Page 4

Series of Prayers Published in the Oregon Journal, December 22, 1971 Jo Sack

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2015 Shepherd’s Clinic Report Do You Feel It? Your generosity reached out to the Shepherd’s Clinic as one of the top twenty-five donors of the year. Do You Know It? This past year the clinic served over 1000 patients who cannot afford commercial health insurance, yet do not qualify for government assistance. On a budget of $650, 000 it is estimated they provided over a million dollars in services. Do You Believe It? We are indeed sending forth our love and serving the less fortunate in our community. Thank you for helping to provide medical care to Baltimore’s needy. Should you be looking for a volunteer opportunity, give the clinic a call at 410 467-7146. Thank you Carol Mason

Incarcerated? One Sunday several years ago the MPC congregation was asked during a moment for mission, "How many of you have had a family member or loved one incarcer-ated?" I was surprised at how many hands went up be-sides my own. Even though my loved one, my brother, has provided descriptions of what it's like to be in jail...bad food, strict routine, constant noise, profound boredom...it's been hard to compre-hend. So when Linda Koch presented the opportuni-ty for us to tour the Baltimore County Detention Center, a long time mission partner of MPC's, I was interested, curious and a little nervous to see what it's like "inside." Late in the afternoon of March 4th about a dozen people from our congregation were signed in, name tagged and escorted to a conference room where we heard about the imprisoned population of adults and children, efforts to keep already fragile relationships with family from being lost altogether, some of the effects of the increasing privatization of the corrections system, the proliferation and types of contra-

Mission Update Generous folks at MPC contributed $1,173 to Shep-herd’s Clinic in January. That with the budgeted amount of $1500 equaling a total of $2,623 was sent to the Clinic in Baltimore. Thank you!

band entering the facility, as well as gang ac-tivity. We were provided ample time for many of our questions and comments. The tour of the building showed a mixture of separation and lack of privacy. Sections of the

hallways are separated by doors. Meals are delivered to each area rather than the inmates going to a cafeteria. The prison holding areas are inaccessible and invisi-ble to each other, yet inside these areas, there is no privacy.

Bill Sitterly, Jane Pennington, Linda and Tom Koch, Rosemary Plummer, Meredith Memmer, Peggy Castle, Anne Culbertson, Da-vid Rebstock, Mary Murray, Carol Mason, Kathy Burgess (ACTC), and I participated in the tour of this complex and somewhat con-founding environment. I'd go again. Each of us has our own impressions and would be happy to share them, so please ask. Vicki Sjolander

Habitat for Humanity Project Mary Jo Zimbro (left) represented MPC on March 5th as members of the Woodbourne-McCabe Community Project took a walking tour of our mission investment.

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Book Review In Carrie’s Footprints The Long Walk of Warren Dorsey by Jack McBride White with Warren Dorsey In Carrie’s Footprints is a self-published book

about the life of Warren Dorsey, an African-American who grew up in Sykesville, Maryland. Warren, born in 1920 and the grandson of a slave, is the ninth of twelve children born to Carrie and Ed Dorsey, who against all odds obtained a college ed-ucation allowing him to escape Sykesville and as his mother put it “do good things.” I had the pleasure

of meeting Warren in January when he came to discuss his book with the Hunting Ridge Presby-terian Book Club and I can tell you, he is one amazing man. Thanks to Warren’s resource-ful father, the Dorsey’s owned and managed a 43-acre farm outside of Sykesville. The farm was a lifesaver during the de-pression, allowing them to grow their own food and raise money selling eggs. In addition, War-ren’s mother did wash for the white women. Ed and Carrie had minimal reading and writing skills as black children did not go to school until 1896, when the United States Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson was decided. Carrie wanted her children to have a better chance at life than she had, and she knew education was the key. So when the one-room schoolhouse for black children in Sykesville opened in 1904 she made sure her children attended. The school had no running wa-ter or electricity and very little heat, but it allowed the Dorsey children to obtain a rudimentary educa-tion. Warren’s real education began in fifth grade when he started attending a larger school for black children a four-mile walk away. After completing seventh grade, he expected his formal education to stop. But thanks to his older sister, Thelma, who was working in Baltimore, Warren and his younger sister, Mae, were able to afford the bus fare from Eldersburg to the all-black high school in West-

minster. Warren graduated from high school at the top of his class and was awarded a $50 dollar schol-arship to the black state college of his choice. However, it was 1937 and Warren’s world was about to fall apart. But Warren wasn’t about to let any obstacles keep him from fulfilling his mother’s dream of getting a college education and becoming a teacher. And after being told by one of his employers “Boy, you know a nigger ain’t got sense enough to teach,” Warren became even more determined. Warren joined Thelma in Baltimore and began attending Morgan College. When World War II broke out, he enlisted because the army allowed him to complete his degree, graduating with a bachelor’s in biology in 1943. He then became a drill sergeant at Camp Lee in Virginia. The army was good to Warren. He received his first pair of real underwear (previously his mother made their underwear from sack cloth) and good clothes, medical care, training and pay. Having sung in Morgan’s chorus, he was asked to join the all-black 9th Regiment glee club which eventually led him to his future wife, also a singer.

Although Warren had dreams of be-coming the next George Washington Carver, after leaving the army he be-came a microbiologist and worked at Fort Detrick for 25 years. At the age of 50, he returned to school and two years later received a master’s in ele-mentary education from Goucher Col-

lege. He held several teaching positions for the next 10 years. He and his wife, Carolyn, also a teacher, raised three children in Frederick, Mary-land. It was an honor to meet Warren in person and to hear about his remarkable life. We even had the opportunity to hear his beautiful voice as he sang How Great is They Faithfulness for us. He and his sister, Rosie, continue to give talks about growing up during the 1920s at the Historic Sykesville Col-ored Schoolhouse. In fact, that is where the writer, Jack McBride, met Warren and the idea for a book was born. That was in August 2013 and since War-ren was 93 at the time, Jack figured he better write fast. Don’t miss this delightful and heart-warming book about Warren, his family and life in Sykesville, Maryland during the twentieth century. The book is available from Amazon.com. Mary Jo Zimbro

I had the pleasure of meeting Warren in January when he came to discuss his book with the Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Book Club and I can tell you, he is one amazing man.

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No Session Minutes this month

Web Site: mpchurch.org When was the last time you looked at the church's website? Don't need to? Well, it does serve a twofold purpose. It provides a door into the church for those looking for a place to worship. And, it gives weekly and monthly information for those who need to know when something will happen. Go to mpchurch.org. Here's what you'll find: Home Page: Current information regarding events for the week and month including our monthly mission focus. Click on any and you'll be taken to a page which gives more detail. There's also the quote of the month, and at the top and bottom, some navigators to specific infor-mation. Click on Who We Are and you'll see the drop down for all the Providence Presses. Click on the Ser-mons and you'll find each and every sermon dating back for over a year, most of which have audio accom-paniment. Click on Events and you'll find, well, coming events! The navigation boxes at the bottom will take you to pages with neat little rotating circles which are links to further explanations. Any time you wish to add something to the site just let Rick Dezes know. He's always looking for ways to improve it and make it more engaging and eye appealing. Happy Surfing!

Sack

Bearly Asleep

Providence Press Page 7

Finance and Administration Summary January/February 2016

• Accounting adjustments for end of 2015, including updating endowment account balances and with-drawal schedule, correcting Quickbooks end-of-year automatic entries, payroll liabilities and employee setup for 2016, as well as other miscellaneous “clean up” operations, were completed with our Accountant in January. • Preparations for a scheduled financial review by CEA Scholtes and Associates LLC were completed in February. The review will begin in March and should be completed in April, with a report to Session to follow. Scholtes and Associates are the official CPA firm of the Presbytery of Baltimore and have extensive experience working with and auditing church finances. • The 2016 Budget was set up according to the final Session approved Budget as presented to the Con-gregation in January. This allows us to track our income and spending based on the agreed upon assumptions. Members will recall that we used 2015 actual income, with only a few adjustments, as the basis for the 2016 income estimate. Similarly, expenses were developed based on budget submissions by key groups, and were reviewed, adjusted and approved by Session. It is important to remember that our 2016 Budget anticipates a fairly significant end-of-year deficit, and we will be looking for every way possible to narrow or eliminate that deficit. • MPC started the first two months of 2016 with solid congregational giving that nonetheless was only slightly under the 2015 level (about $1,500 below). Closure of church for one Sunday in January may be partially responsible. Timing of Bridges lease payments and budget assumptions for other rentals resulted in a total income shortfall of around $4,500 for the first two months, most of which will be re-couped as expected rent payments come in. • Expenses for the first two months were mostly expected...staff, office, worship and property related. The single exception was snow removal expense of $2,225!

YTD 02/29/16 Income and Expense, Balance Sheet and Fund Highli (Statements Available on Request)

Operating Income: $ 24,866 Operating Expenses: $ 34,215 02/29 Operating Funds Available: $ 14,797* February 29 Reconciled PNC Balance: $ 77,999 *Operating Funds Available (OFA) is our reconciled bank balance, minus both payroll liabilities and the sum of restricted fund balances. **This balance reflects an end-of-year update to actual market value on December 31, 2015, less Endowment withdrawals as the year progresses. J Wright Witcher

02/29/16 Restricted Fund Balances: Mission: $ 7,733 General: $ 8,738 Memorials: $ 44,323 Total Endowment: $ 382,278**

Tuesday Vespers: Meditation 5:00 PM; Sharing of prayer concerns 5:15; Prayer and communion 5:30-5:45 Thursday Choir rehearsal 7:30 PM Sunday Worship 11:00 AM Communion First Sunday of each month

April 2016 Sun 3 Theology and Coffee 9:30 AM; Worship 11:00 AM; Tue 5 Mission Action Group 6:30 PM Sun 10 Sojourner Sunday 9:30 AM Locked in a Box See p. 1 Worship 11:00 AM; Faith Journey Group and ESAG 4:00 PM Mon 11 Finance and Administration 6:00 PM Tue 12 Session 6:30 PM Sun 17 Theology and Coffee 9:30 AM; Worship 11:00 AM Sat 23 Saturday Night Movie 7:00 PM See p. 1 Sun 24 Earth Sunday Worship 11:00 AM

Visit our website at www.mpchurch.org

Mission: To be a welcoming, progressive faith community, nurturing inquisitive Christians for life and service in the twenty-first century.

Church Staff Rev. Bill Sitterley, Interim Minister Greg Metzler, Director of Music Dale Salah, Administrative Director Anne E. Culbertson, Choir Section Leader Kathy Ramirez, Custodian

MPC News Magazine Maryland Presbyterian Church 1105 Providence Road Towson, Maryland 21286 mpc@mpc.org

March Activities Right: Easter Sunday décor Below: The Choir on Palm Sunday Below Right: MPC volunteers helping build, March 19, at the McCabe Habi-tat for Humanity site. Up the ladder: Joe Wright, David Rebstock, Mary Jo Zimbro, and Charlene Reinke.