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The Centinel - April 1999, Issue 6
Our Unreached People Group
by Nancy Nasrallah
We recently prayed for the (deleted) people as part of the Global Day
of Prayer for Burma. Even with all of the ethnic violence reported in the
news, we only hear about a few countries, a few situations.
Burma/Myammar is one country without a lot of press coverage, yet the
tragedies and violence continue. Ethnic minorities are executed,
tortured, raped, displaced from destroyed villages, and moved into
forced labor camps. The governing dictatorship and the drug lords
terrorize and dominate them. For the (deleted) and other ethnic groups,
animistic beliefs and its constant appeasement of the evil spirits
enslave the mind. A passion for gambling sometimes enslaves the body, as
when the stakes include the lives of children, spouse, and the gambler
himself. Add to that a reputation for violence, and the (deleted) become feared
by other ethnic groups.
The obstacles to bringing the good news to the (deleted) are obvious. There
are believers, although most have little understanding of the gospel.
Partial freedom to worship exists in Burma, although Bibles are not
available and printing them is illegal. The (deleted) also live in China and
some live in Thailand, from which several ministries to the (deleted) are
based.
What can we do that is more effective than prayer? Nothing! So please
pray especially for:
- missionaries and believers to bring the gospel message to them;
- a new Bible translation (only an archaic NT exists) and the freedom
to have it printed;
- spiritual awakening with understanding and commitment to the Lord;
- peace and freedom from the bondage of drugs, government, animism,
gambling.
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by Richard Ames-Ledbetter
By the time you read this, we will have completed preliminary interviews
with several candidates and will be in the midst of the next stage of the
process, bringing the candidates to Central to test-direct the choir,
participate in a practice with the worship team, and meet with Ron and the
rest of the church staff. Please continue to embrace this process with your prayers.
by Scott Corey
The dedication of our 5th house, 1427 North Fulton, was held on
Saturday, March 20th. Thanks to those who came to celebrate God's
blessing with Deborah Cousins. We know that Deborah will be a blessing
to this house and the community.
Central will start house number six (address unknown) during the
Sandtown Building Blitz week June 21-25. This is a time of demolition
and reconstruction of the main house structures (walls, floor, roof, and
stairs). Central will again have a second short-term mission week at
Sandtown Habitat for Humanity during July 12-16. That week, demolition
and reconstruction will continue, and framing of the interior may begin.
Like Blitz Week, volunteers are needed with and without skills. A
willing spirit and a desire to serve Him in our city are essential. Come
join in for an entire week or whatever days are available. If you are
interested in working in June or July, call me (Scott Corey) now, so I
can confirm the plans for those two weeks.
The full cost of sponsoring a house does not come from Central's
Social Action budget. In the past, this gap has been reduced by the
availability of some one-time sources such as the
Beyond These Walls
campaign as well as volunteer contributions.
Eight new volunteers joined our number in February. We welcome
Mark Vaselkiv, Jesse Gardner, Steve Simms, John Shano, Rick Barnes, Neil
Pohlhaus, and Chuck Wetherington. They have shown that an adventurous
spirit gets us into things we never thought we would do. They have to
their credit the first fuel tank dissection (talk to them about sludge
-- they have seen the blackest of slime). In spite of everything they
are coming back!
As I reflect back on how we started and how we have progressed, I
praise God for our volunteers. The house we just finished is our best
effort. We did it better, faster, and with a minimum of rework. God has
provided us with volunteers with significant skills, as well as can-do
spirits. We did a number of new things for the first time. Some, such as
the interior trim, required skills. Others, such as the removal of the
fuel tank, required that can-do spirit that has been prevalent from day
one. That combination of skill and spirit makes my job a pleasure.
Thanks for your faithfulness.
What's next? Sandtown HFH/New Song's priorities are to open a daycare
center at Presstman and Stricker, build a school/community center on the
lot at Gilmor and Presstman, and redo all vacant houses in their area.
The city owns the houses behind 1427 N. Fulton, but does not appear to
have any plans for this area.
The Session adopted the following hiring policy at the February meeting:
In keeping with one of Central's Core Values, to be "a
DIVERSE, loving community," diversity should be an intentional consideration
in the recruitment of all new church staff. In addition to conventional
employment channels, candidates for all positions should be solicited
from non-traditional pools likely to yield a sampling of qualified
applicants diverse in nature (e.g., ethnically, socio-economically).
Non-traditional pools could include the networks of Project Justice
Pastors, members of our congregation, executives in ministries that
we support, and other sources likely to have contacts
by Denise Simms
Over the years, there have been so many hopes, dreams, and plans for
Central to reach out to our community. Many of these dreams quickly came
to fruition, but one has been a long time coming. As a response to God's
faithfulness to our Church, it is with great praise and thanksgiving that the
Central Presbyterian Church Preschool
has finally opened its doors!
The Pilot program is in full swing, with 11 students in the
two-year-old class. The class meets two mornings a week, and is staffed
by teacher Christina Jenkins and assistant
teacher Kay Smoes. Christina
has a Masters of Early Childhood Education and is a former Baltimore
County Kindergarten teacher. For the past 3 1/2 years, she has provided
in-home daycare. Christina has children of her own and lives in
Baltimore City. Kay is in the current new member class and, with her
husband Chris Smoes, teaches Central's second grade Sunday School. Kay
possesses a BA in Christian Education and all of her positions since
college have been within churches.
The preschool curriculum is a Christian program entitled "We
Learn" by Lifeway Publishers. The program accomplishes educational
goals through God-centered creative play. There are a wide variety of
hands-on activities that encourage children to experiment with science,
math, language, music, and art. Different size group activities develop
social and listening skills, the ability to follow directions, and
self-expression. Bible stories are included.
The Preschool Board consists of Kris Bailey, Vera Case, Amy Davidson,
Debbie DeSmit, and Rhonda Herman. They invite your questions concerning
the school. Their plans for next fall include expanding the current
program to include classes for three- and four-year-olds, in addition to
the two-year-old class already in place. Another goal for the fall is to
fill the directorship position.
NOW is the time to plan to register for the fall. Registration begins
on April 1. Please spread the exciting news of our long-awaited dream!
by Ruth Williams
"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and
they that dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1) Christians should be the
most ecological of all religious believers if its basic premises were
followed. From the first chapter of Genesis through the last book of
Revelation, humans are called to care for creation. God holds them responsible
for the state of the earth and will judge them for the quality of their
stewardship. (Rev. 11:18) As we approach Earth Day on April 22, think of what
you can do to be a better steward of God's earth. Recycling is just one of
the many duties we have. At Central, Niles Ellingson, Bob Gerkens,
Jane Salter, Werner Schock, Ray Sipe, and Dick Williams have been
faithful about carrying away the recyclables from the church. If you are
interested, we could use one more person to help. Maybe we think recycling
doesn't make a difference.
Did you know?
- The energy conserved because of recycling in the US is enough to
power more than 9,000,000 households annually.
- US paper mills recycle enough paper every day to fill a 15-mile long boxcar train.
- For every ton of steel recycled, 2500 pounds of raw ore, 1400 pounds
of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved.
* From Tons of Difference: Recycling and Waste Prevention in Baltimore County,
Fall 1998
by Nancy Nasrallah
What is a worldview? What makes it Biblical and how does that happen?
How can it speak to anyone else, much less society? And -- why is this
important? These are the questions that arise when we consider our fifth
core value at Central.
Our worldview is set by the time we learn what it is. Essentially it
is the way we look at, react to, and think about the world around us -
what is right, wrong, good, sin, and appropriate conduct; how family and
society operate; and our place in the world and the place of others. It
comes from our parents, teachers, culture, and anyone else who
participates in our upbringing. We are seemingly stuck with what was
imposed on us.
A Biblical worldview is really God's view of the world - His standard
of how to think, believe, and behave. The gap between our original
worldview and a Biblical worldview is much larger than most of us would
like to acknowledge. We bridge that gap by learning more about God's
view through reading the Bible, learning to think and see as God does,
and praying for His Holy Spirit to transform us.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
This gradual process may seem invisible, yet we must believe that the
process is under our Lord's complete control. Changes will be apparent
when we make decisions or react in ways foreign to our nature -- our
former nature! And while we may not be surprised by the difference, our
family, colleagues, or friends may be surprised and remark on it. Why
did you do that? "You never did that before!" Lo and behold,
we have made a mark on someone else, particularly if we are able to
explain why we have changed.
With a Biblical worldview, we interpret thoughts, attitudes, actions,
beliefs in the light of Scripture, not in the light of our original
worldview. This enables us to get down to basics in communicating the
gospel truths to others. It can help us overcome our natural tendencies
to treat others, who are "different" from us, judgmentally. We
can, with God's help and His eyes see them with a loving, not
judgmental, attitude. We can see an aspect of others' lives, as well as
our own, and determine which are appropriate to a believer and which
perhaps should be discarded.
As we seek to become more godly, we are increasingly aware that we
are totally dependent on God for progress. Our only contributions are
willingness and obedience, both of which come from Him!
Be imitators of God, therefore,
as dearly loved children (Eph. 5:1)
... and the worldview will follow.
(You can find more info about Central's Core Values
here)
- A Personal Relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord, and God
- Commitment to the Truth of God's Revealed Word
- Worship as the Center of Church Life
- The Great Commission - Near and Far in Word and Deed
- A Biblical World View that Speaks to Our Culture
- Kingdom Vision - We are One Part of the Whole Body of Christ
- Growing Mature, Ministering Disciples
- A Diverse, Loving Community
- The Nurture of Children and Youth
- Servanthood & Stewardship Inside and Outside of Central
- Prayer
This edited email arrived as an urgent prayer request in early March
from Karen Duncan, a missionary nurse in Ecuador. Although the situation
has eased somewhat - on March 19, the Baltimore Sun reported that
Ecuador annulled the gasoline price increase and announced economic
austerity measures - we still think this is important information to
share. Similar situations exist in Brazil, Indonesia, and other
countries where we support missionaries. Please use your own economic
"crises" as reminders to pray for our overseas missionaries.
Ecuador has had economic problems for years, but the government has
taken just some drastic economic measures to deal with them. The country
has been in a "state of crisis" since last week. They closed
all banks - people were opposing the government and taxi cab drivers
united to block and paralyze Ecuador. On Friday, March 12 the gasoline
prices tripled. The people are calling for another aggressive strike
for tomorrow. We are still blocked although the military forces are out
and some main streets are open. Yesterday the banks were open, but no
dollar transactions. The hospital is holding its own and will be OK for
a short time. We are unable (as with the rest of the country) to get
supplies. Some laboratories where we purchase supplies have closed for
an indefinite time frame so we are waiting and praying. I am doing OK. I
live close to the hospital and can walk. We are working different shifts
and different areas, but the hospital is able to meet the needs of
patients at present. So I just wanted to let you know and ask for your
prayers.
Quick ... what rhymes with Lent? How about "bent"? Although
you and I are called to daily repentance and weekly confession in
worship, we've just been through that season of the Christian year when
we especially remember that what God created straight, we have bent. As
a result, you and I approach life at a slightly (or "muchly")
different angle than God had originally prescribed. So ... you and I
have a bent toward mutiny (we want to captain the ship) ... a bent
toward self-absorption ... and a bent toward a whole assortment of
feel-good-but-really-self-destructive behaviors that will be the death
of us, except for God's gracious mercy displayed in:
... Incarnation - God drops the plumb line into His bent-out-of-shape
world
... Crucifixion - Christ is bent to the literal breaking point on our
behalf
... Resurrection - out from the tomb comes the very real possibility of
realignment for all who fall down before the tomb's emptiness.
Lent means shooting straight, admitting you're bent ... but realizing
that God will not leave you that way. There's great hope ... in Christ
... for around the bend we have been met by an empty tomb. Happy
Easter!
Stay strong in the Lord,
Ron Scates
The FOLD: News about our Central Family
by Denise Simms
John Hankins, M.D., has dedicated his life to the above three
"M's." Dr. Hankins is a thoracic surgeon who has practiced in
the United States, Iran and Central Asia, where he performed and taught
surgery while sharing Christ with his students and patients alike.
Dr. Hankins' commitment to MEDICINE began at the University of Virginia,
1941-1944, where he completed pre-med training. The rest of his training
was received at the University of Maryland Medical School and Hospital,
part of it in the Navy College Training Program during during World War
II. Dr. Hankins completed his residency in general surgery in 1954,
served as a Captain in the Army Medical Corp from 1954-1956, and
completed his residency in Thoracic (chest) surgery in 1962-64.
Dr. Hankins came to know the Lord at age 18 through the witness of
fellow students at the University of Virginia. The Lord first planted
the seeds of MISSION work in Dr. Hankins at the age of 23 when, at a
Christian conference, he signed a decision card saying he would pray
about being a medical missionary. The Lord honored that decision, and
after completion of his internship and general surgical residency, he
was assigned to Iran to serve out a two-year Army commitment. This
experience opened Dr. Hankins' eyes to the great need of the Muslim
world and he returned to Iran in 1957 as a "tent-making"
(self-supporting) missionary and remained there until 1962. Dr. Hankins'
next missions experience was in Central Asia, which lasted for five
years, until 1969. In need of spiritual renewal, he returned to the U.S.
and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He joined the
faculty, practicing surgery for the next 20 years and eventually retired
in 1990. But, retirement for Dr. Hankins meant the opportunity to return
to Central Asia! He was sponsored by InterServe/USA and stayed for six
years until retirement from full-time service. He currently holds the
position of Mid-Atlantic Area Representative for InterServe.
MINISTRY has been the constant in Dr. Hankins' work and personal life.
Whether in school, the armed forces, another country, or at the
University of Maryland, and whether teaching young doctors, working with
colleagues, or treating patients, Dr. Hankins has always witnessed for
the Lord and sought fellowship. This is John Hankins, M.D.: a man of
quiet spirit and gracious manner, engaged in lifelong active service for
his personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
by Mike Henderson
We - some members of the Social Action Committee
- were not quite sure what to expect when we traveled to Park Heights
one Sunday morning last January to research a ministry called
Just a Sister Away. This ministry, a spin-off of the
Agape Fellowship Church, was a candidate for
a SAC welfare-to-work program grant. The grant money is a result of the
Beyond These Walls... funds, 10% of which was
designated for missions, including Social Action.
We arrived early for the 11 o'clock service at the Agape Fellowship
Church and sat in the relatively anonymous confines of the back of the
room. It wasn't long before the recreation center began to buzz with
excitement as it quickly filled with a mix of men and women, young and
old. The call to worship was followed by some spirited singing, a
raucous keyboard and drums, a creative dance troupe, and to top it off,
some drama.
The results can be fairly predictable when you pick some relatively
uptight, suburban whites and deposit them in a decidedly not uptight
city church. It is certainly understandable to feel somewhat
out-of-place and a little uncomfortable. And that is exactly what we
felt for the first 15 to 20 minutes or so. But thankfully, God allowed
us to relax so we could enjoy what was obviously a powerful movement of
God's spirit. A moving message completed the service.
A few weeks later we met with Dr. Eleanor Bryant, the pastor of Agape
Fellowship and architect of Just a Sister Away. Dr. Bryant, who holds a
Master in Social Work and a Ph.D. in Divinity, is a woman of matchless
faith and energy, and is well respected in the Christian community. She
and her staff discussed their vision for the community that is unfolding
in the Park Heights area. Just a Sister Away addresses the most pressing
need imaginable in an area where single women head a majority of the
families. The ministry provides discipling, job counseling, and a strong
dose of accountability to women who are struggling to provide their
children with a stable and enriching home life. We toured the row house
that serves as the home for Just a Sister Away and the cavernous
warehouse which will be the headquarters for the vast array of
ministries that this godly, vibrant woman envisions for Agape.
Members of the Agape Community warmly greeted us during our tour.
Some were tidying up outside the property and providing general
maintenance while others worked one-on-one with Just a Sister Away
residents. Some of the members had given their entire livelihood over to
the work of Agape and this work was their full-time job.
You will be hearing more about Dr. Bryant, Agape, and Just a Sister
Away in the weeks and months to come, since they did receive our grant.
It is the sincere hope of the SAC that Central's relationship with Agape
will become that of a sister church where we will have the opportunity
to minister in their community.
And there are certainly no shortage of opportunities to minister:
there's everything from baby-sitting, so that women could attend the
Church's weekly bible study and discussion group, to work days to get
the physical facilities in shape. This summer, we are hoping we can
arrange a Saturday night worship service between our two congregations.
In other words, be prepared. Be prepared to be challenged-as we
were-and to be blessed with a richness that can only come when we ask
God for the courage to heed his voice and leave that which is
comfortable and familiar.
Be sure to check the bulletin each week for meetings and details.
| April 2-13: |
Romanian Missions Trip |
| April 12: |
Central Lights Cherry Blossom Time Trip
8:45a Departure SOLD OUT |
| April 16-18: |
Middle School Retreat |
| May 1/2: |
Jubilee Celebration |
| May 10: |
Central Lights: Esther, dinner in Fellowship Hall, 6p |
| May 15: |
June Centinel Deadline |
| May 28/29/30: |
All-Church Retreat at Summit Lake |
| June 6: |
New Members Received at both services |
JUBILEE CELEBRATION
Come celebrate 50 years on York Road! |
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| Saturday, May 1: |
8a: Barnraising |
| Sunday, May 2: |
8:30a: worship with Communion & special music
9:40a: fellowship with panoramic displays
11a: worship with Communion & special music |
| Editorial Staff |
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Nancy Nasrallah
Mary Burkey Olga Gerkens Bob Hale
Susan Hula Karen McCaffrey Denise Simms
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Submissions: Please submit articles by email, diskette or
typed copy to the newsletter mailbox. It would help greatly if articles were
submitted by e-mail or on diskette.
Note that the Our Church Family section won't be
included in the web issue of this newsletter since the information doesn't meet our
privacy policy.
