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The Centinel - July 99, Issue 7
by Corin Chubski
I came to Central with my family about six years ago but was hesitant
about joining because I was still involved in our previous church. I
became active in the youth group here, helped with the children's
ministries, and eventually decided to join Central. Around the same
time, I became involved with a non-denominational organization called
Chrysalis,
which has deepened my own faith and dependence on Jesus Christ.
Chrysalis is a renewal weekend offered throughout the year for high
school students and young adults. It was developed from a movement
called Emmaus.
You begin the weekend as a caterpillar, then you become a
chrysalis - signifying that we all must die to ourselves so that on the
last day we can rise with Christ and be beautiful butterflies. The theme
of the weekend is FLY WITH CHRIST! and the goal is for participants to
depart 'flying' and living with Jesus Christ.
Four years ago I went as a caterpillar who knew and claimed Christ as
my own, but when I came home I really knew Him, was ready to live my
entire life for Him, and trust Him with everything.
I wanted to go again. The only way I could do this was to be "on
Team", one of the 30-50 people who spend about two months before the
weekend planning for it. After several experiences on Team, I was asked
to serve on Cadre. This group spends six months preparing, seeking God
as to who should be on Team, and creating a weekend that is God-filled.
While serving on Team and Cadre I really learned what it means to have
trust and faith with everything - and I mean everything! - in Jesus. I
have also had the opportunity to practice leadership and organization.
Through Chrysalis, God has really given me a heart for high school
students. I graduated only recently from high school and know what they
are dealing with. I want to be able to protect them, but I know that
they need to learn to trust in God. Being able to help teach them where
to put their trust fills me with joy.
Let me share two stories to show what Chrysalis does for teens. One
is about a girl who went to church, knew Jesus and trusted in Him, but
had difficulty believing that she was loved and accepted. By the end of
the weekend she loved the Lord and knew what His love felt like. My role
was to show her that I loved her because God loved her. Another weekend,
there was a guy who really didn't know what it meant to be a Christian.
Sunday mornings he went to church, but the rest of the week he would be
acting in ways that were not glorifying to Christ. Chrysalis really
impacted him. He still goes to church on Sunday, but now he spends the
week at school witnessing and sharing the love of Jesus by being a
friend to those he would ridicule before.
Not only have I been able to serve, but I have also been served. I
have met many people who strongly impacted my life and have developed
relationships that will last forever.
Now I have the opportunity to take the things I have learned through
Chrysalis into a new environment. I have been accepted by the
Youth With A Mission (YWAM)
program in Texas from September 25th to February 20th.
It includes three months learning about discipleship and two months
somewhere on the missions field. I am still seeking God as to what I
should do after this training: another five months with YWAM at their
school of evangelism and mission or back to college - or God could lead
me to something else.
I could go on forever about Chrysalis or YWAM! If anyone would like
to know more, feel free to call. I am more than willing to talk about
it.
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by Robin Lawson
While riding along Rt. 140W in our mini van filled with all of our
"stuff", we tapped our feet to Steve Camp's "Abandoned To God". We did
not know what the Lord had in store for us on this "Retreat of the
Cabins". I had no doubt that we would experience fellowship, praise,
worship, and crowded lunch tables. I did have the assurance of a private
bathroom, thanks to my husband's insight at registration. But along with
the fun, paddling, and fish hooks, we had lots of celebrations,
including Nick Turner's big catch! Big Bubba measured 2 feet!! (No
exaggeration) We also celebrated a baptism, testimonies, and birthdays.
I watched a beeeaauuty contest. There were lots of memories that my
family will treasure from our first retreat.
Despite all the excitement that was going on, something changed me as
Master of Ceremonies Charles Bailey commanded us to rip to shreds all
our worries and distractions and confess them to the Lord. God was
preparing my heart and mind for a gift he had sent to Summit Lake. That
gift was none other than Stuart McAllister, truly a man of God, who has
the ability to exercise minds. Yes, this was a mind fitness weekend.
God renewed and strengthened our minds through Stuart, to take on
this postmodern culture as ambassadors of our risen Lord. He brought to
light the philosophy and mood of this world. Stuart removed us from
everyday reality for a moment so that we could look into our own lives.
He made visible the influences of our culture that have the potential to
saturate our hearts, minds and homes. In a culture that has no truth, no
absolutes, no rules, no standard, no Judge and no judgment, we
desperately need to cling tightly to the living Word of God. Due to
Stuart's powerful message, I'm sure no one left Summit Lake the same as
they arrived. He gave us many challenges and thoughts to ponder. Are we
finding the courage in Him for our dot-to-dot ministry? We have a
sovereign God who can weave all our dots together. Imagine that! A web
of connected dots covering and surrounding the extended community of
Central, with anchor points all over this postmodern world. All the dots
represent hearts turned to the Kingdom of God. It is encouraging to know
that God is the one that saves, but He calls each of us to be active
participants, filled with His love and compassion.
Sunday after lunch we all had to pack and leave the "Retreat of the
Cabins", only to go back to the "carnival". As Christians we are so
blessed to be holding tickets stamped "Kingdom of God". It's the only
ticket for the awesome ride, "Eternity". That boggles my finite mind!
We've been chosen by Almighty God Himself!! But God didn't give each of
us just one ticket, He gave each of us a whole roll! We must freely give
them out. For on the other side of the ticket is God's personal
invitation. It's the "Gospel" written with Christ's blood.
So there we were driving on Rt. 140E in our mini van filled with a
little less "stuff" (since Summit Lake has no gift shop), the aroma of
the carnival getting stronger as we drove. Once again we tapped our feet
to "Abandoned To God", but what's this? I'm listening with new ears. The
music has turned to lyrics. Stuart McAllister sings, too?! No, it's
Steve Camp putting to music the same postmodernism message. So, if you
couldn't find an adult sized Follow Jesus T-shirt and you're having the
void of a missing souvenir, buy a cassette or CD of "Abandoned To God".
Play it often to keep you on fire for the Lord in this postmodern world.
Just listen to the lyrics of "My America":
(we cannot reprint the lyrics until permission is obtained...)
The first night after our return home, I was convinced that this
All-Church Retreat was for all ages. Our 3-year-old's response to "It's
bed time" was, "Ahh, Mom, just follow Jesus." Yeah, we have an awesome
God. And He was at the lake as our honored guest! I thank God that He
placed my family among a blessed select group of believers. We call it
Central. God calls it "His chosen people, holy and dearly loved"
(Colossians 3:12).
Central's Y2K Task Force seeks a balanced approach to meeting the Y2K
challenges and opportunities that God has for us and our family,
friends, and neighbors. Our church library and web site
(www.centralpc.org) will soon have a document describing the latest in
how Central is preparing to help our missionaries, our church staff and
business contacts, and our members and the community around us, to be
well-prepared for a safe passage through the year 2000.
What an honor it has been this year to have directed the Chancel Choir!
Could there be a more loving, gracious, dedicated group of Christian
servants? I have been surrounded all year by hard-working, faithful
singers who joyfully give their time and talents week after week to
enhance worship. I was welcomed into this position with such warmth and
enthusiasm, and the choir, the staff and the entire congregation have
made me feel so appreciated all year long. I have been enveloped in
prayer as never before in my life - what a blessing! I have witnessed
God at work in our midst - what a privilege! My sincerest "Thank You!"
to all who have helped make this past year one of the most richly
rewarding of my life.
In His service,
Griz Gifford
Tom Brantigan has accepted the call to be Central's Chancel Choir
Director The Music Search Committee continues the
search for the Music Director.
Kingdom Vision: We are One Part of the Whole Body of Christ
A Diverse, Loving Community
by Nancy Nasrallah
Kingdom Vision, our sixth core value,
is our realization that as part
of the one body of Christ, we have spiritual unity with every believer
in the world at every time in history, with our common purpose to
glorify God and promote Christ's Kingdom. This spiritual unity extends
beyond good feelings to actions which demonstrate that unity. This
commitment to unity results in our becoming a Diverse, Loving Community,
which is our eighth core value.
Paul discusses the reconciliation Christ brings to men of diverse
backgrounds in Ephesians 2:11-22.
In verses 19-20 he says "you are no
longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and
members of God's household ... with Christ Jesus himself as the chief
cornerstone." One part of this quote refers to the unity of a community
made of diverse, even formerly hostile, members; the other part places
the community in one household, which requires a cooperative spirit and
a sharing of goods and chores. In
Acts 2:42-47
and 4:32-35, we see the
early Christian community joining together into one spiritual household
with all things in common. Today the believers are all over the world,
but the same needs still exist - food for the body and food for the
soul.
What are the outward results of the holding of these two core values?
One way is in our relationships with other Christians: we should not be
prejudiced or divisive. When we work with and for other churches or
ministries, we need to promote Christ, not a church or ministry. We also
need to share resources: people, finances, ideas, facilities, and
material goods. God has provided Central with many resources, especially
people and finances. Because all of us and all of our possessions are
His, we must be available to be used or given to other parts of the
body.
A community exhibits these two values when members are loving, not
only to each other, but to those who are 'different'. Jesus expresses it
perfectly when He says in John 13:35,
"By this everyone will know that
you are my disciples if you have love for one another." (NRSV) Love for
others without regard for physical differences, cultural or professional
backgrounds, age, or family status, will attract more of those who are
different. A diverse community will proclaim in actions its acceptance
of all types of people, and therefore draw in a greater diversity.
Showing the same warm hospitality to visitors and strangers as we do to
family and friends will keep them coming until they become friends. A
hunger for love, acceptance, and inclusion can be as strong as a hunger
for food, but the bonds of love last far longer, even unto heaven.
We are all part of the same body. As we love our sister, let us love
the woman in Kosovo or Appalachia. As we share with our brother, let us
share with the man in Indonesia or Baltimore. Let us act like we are one
in Christ.
- 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
Having just attended the latest meeting of Baltimore Presbytery, and
seen what is going on in some other congregations, I am reminded of how
precious - and how fragile - is the purity, peace and unity of a local
congregation. We are blessed in having a congregation here at Central
that continues to enjoy a unified vision that translates into dynamic
worship and effective ministries (and also makes it a fun place to be a
pastor!).
Central enjoys this blessing largely because, by God's grace, you are a
congregation:
- whose priority is following Christ, not a particular pastor
- that places the Word of God over your own personal preferences or desires
- driven by a supreme commitment to the Biblical/Apostolic faith
rather than by political ideologies
- who takes your own sin seriously enough to cut each other some
forgiving slack when you let each other down
- for whom people coming to Christ is a higher priority than comfort and convenience
- that loves a challenge ...... and loves each other.
All that adds up to purity, peace, and unity: God's gift to us, and our
gift to the watching world.
Ron Scates
by Sue & Pete Penno
Our thanks go out to you for your support of our team in Romania.
Smooth travel, good health, and peace among the team can only be
credited to God. Our mission was to visit nearly 1000 children, give
them Bibles, and present the gospel to them using various means. It was
a humbling experience to convey God's love to Romanian orphans and
street children.
The first orphanage was a low-rise complex behind a 10 foot fence. As
our bus approached, the orphans, ranging in age from 4-18, swarmed
toward us with excitement. Some scaled the fence while others threw
rocks to make them get down. We could clearly see that there were some
boys who dominated all of the others with force. This first program was
a huge hit. The children loved to sing and were crazy about the puppets.
Each of us formed a special bond with someone
We visited about 10 orphanages during the week. We handed out gum,
barrettes, Matchbox cars, pencils, bubbles, and shoelaces. It is amazing
to see how such a little thing could be so valuable to these kids. We
also had clothes and shoes for them. The kids who needed so much enjoyed
everything. Most important were the Bibles. The orphans attend local
schools and are able to read. Pray with us that they can find and
experience the love of God through His Word in their Bibles.
Our other mission involved street kids. The most difficult group was
our last in Timisoara, about 30 kids ranging in age from 1 to 18. They
were soiled and rough looking. The entire room reeked of glue; sniffing
it is their preferred pastime. All seemed to love to sing, but as the
program began several dropped into a deep sleep - this had not happened
before. They were very tired-looking, hard-hearted, and didn't seem to
trust each other or us. We presented them with Bibles and they were
treated to an Easter meal put on by a church. Nadine, an Australian
missionary, said that she saw no evidence of softening in her year
there. She and Iliana, a Romanian, need your prayers for encouragement
in their ministries.
A particular blessing were the youth on our team, Lee and Georgia
Penno and Christina Reichley. They were an immediate hit with the
Romanian children, and were able to minister in ways that adults could
not. Of course, all were amazed and blessed by the energy and enthusiasm
of Murray Smoot (at over 80), the patriarch of the team. Our other team
members were Nancy Reichley, Ben Walker, Cora Edwards and Ron Kone.
We now have an idea of why God sent us to Romania. He wanted us to
see the needs of others first hand. We have Romanian friends who are on
the "front lines" bringing the word of God to kids who have very little
hope. We have faced deprivation and poverty in a new way, and hope to
never look at our own lives in the same way. We have been privileged to
be God's instruments of blessing in that place for a time. We have been
changed. And now we are convicted to tell of the need and to do what He
has asked:
"Feed my sheep."
The FOLD: News about our Central Family
by Denise Simms
Dorothy Huss, please forgive us for mentioning this if you are
age-sensitive! Dorothy was part of Central's first membership class on
York Road back in April of 1949 and is the only one remaining on the
rolls of Central Presbyterian Church. What's amazing is that Dorothy
doesn't seem old enough to receive this designation!
Dorothy and her husband, Phil, were invited to the brand new Central
Church by a co-worker of Phil's from the Bendix Corporation. The
co-worker was an elder on loan from Arlington Church, assigned to help
Central get started.
Soon the Huss family expanded, with the birth of their first son,
Gary Philip, who was the first baby that Murray Smoot baptized at
Central. Dorothy marveled at Dottie Smoot's ability to manage with a
large family of her own, having to transform her home, every week, into
a worship center (bedrooms included).
Dorothy remembers that the Women's Association was particularly
active. She also recalls that in the early days, Murray would pick her
up in his car to get her to the meetings and that her husband's
grandfather would watch her two-year-old son while she was gone. Dorothy
notes that the monthly programs were well-attended and were quite
unique. She was the Treasurer for a number of years with the distinction
(made by Dottie Smoot) that she was the hardest one, ever, to get money
out of!
On a personal note, Dorothy speaks of the way Central's members
prayed for her family during a trying time. In a very short period, her
first son was stricken with polio while her second son, Tim, battled the
effects of being a 'blue baby', and her husband experienced a blood clot
in his lung. Murray said to her at the time: "God chastises those whom
He loves, so He must love you an awful lot!" Thankfully, her boys and
husband eventually recovered.
Dorothy currently resides at Oakcrest, a popular retirement community
in Perry Hall. She attends services at Central nearly every week.
by Jean Stuart
"I'm so weary - we've walked so far - home is destroyed ...
there is no food for the baby ... Our four-year-old is missing,...
My parents stayed behind ... I try not to think of the horrors we saw -
men and youths shot in the head and thrown in a ditch ... young women
raped... teenagers with no hope, no identity ... ahead is the unknown."
This is only one story of what has happened in Kosovo. The number of
people who have fled Yugoslavia since the conflict began in March is
more than 620,000. At one point, some 4,000 people were crossing the
borders into Albania each hour - endless lines of refugees fleeing the
terror of what was once their homeland. Another 135,000 people sought
refuge in Macedonia.
While it is estimated that 8,000 Christians attend 160 evangelical
churches this is only a tiny 1/4 of 1 percent of the Albanian
population. The ethnic cleansing of Slobodan Milosevic has taken the
lives of thousands and left thousands more defeated in spirit. The need
for the presence of Christ in both Kosovo and Christian-in-name
Yugoslavia is enormous.
Perhaps you, like those of us on the
Social Action Committee, heed
the words of Paul in I Corinthians 12:26
when he says, "All parts of the
body should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers,
every part suffers." But we ask what can we as part of the Body of
Christ actually do about suffering that is so far away?
First PRAY:
- for peace in the new Kosovo, in Serbia, and in Slobodan Milosevic's own heart
- for refuge, comfort and healing for the people of Kosovo
- for the church in Kosovo and Albania and the handful of believers
who desperately try to provide life-saving witness and assistance
- for the elderly who are especially vulnerable
- for organizations like the Bread of Life, an outreach of the
Serbian evangelical Church, and the World Relief ministries.
Second, send a gift through Central to send food, medicine and
practical goods to refugee camps. Third, go to Kosovo as a volunteer.
Help is needed in many areas. Fourth, imitate the heart of one Central
family who is reaching out in God's love to adopt a refugee family. They
have committed to involve themselves personally in this family's
adjustment to a new life in Baltimore so far from home.
You have given us so much Lord, Our hearts break for those in Kosovo
who have lost everything. Minister to them with your Holy Spirit to
bring them the true hope that comes through your Son, Jesus Christ, the
hope that burns brightest in times of adversity, the hope that no
dictator can destroy!
Be sure to check the bulletin each week for meetings and details.
| June 27: |
Adult Christian Ed summer potpourri begins |
| June 28 - July 27: |
Jerry Cooper on vacation and study leave |
| July 11: |
10th Anniversary of 8:30 Service
Ron Scates preaching at camp meeting at Emory Grove Tabernacle, Glyndon |
| July 12: |
Central Lights Picnic |
| July 12-16: |
Sandtown Habitat Blitz Week |
| July 14, 18, August 11: |
Preschool Wacky Wednesdays |
| July 25 - August 23 |
Ron Scates vacation |
| August 15: |
Deadline for September Centinel |
| Editorial Staff |
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Nancy Nasrallah
Phyllis DeSmit Olga Gerkens Susan Hula
Karen McCaffrey Denise Simms Carol Wilson
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If you did not get a copy of the Jubilee Centinel,
you may receive one by contacting the Church Office (410/823-6145 or
office@centralpc.org). Postage is $1, contributions welcomed.
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.
