CHRISTIAN HERALD WASHINGTON

Vol. 6, 2012 Num. 462 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Rev. Laddie l. Benton Pastor

JUNE NEWSLETTER

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From the Pastor's Desk Rev. Laddie J. Benton

WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

Why are you cast down, 0 my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

(Psalm 42: 11-New Revised Standard Version

AX lalls on 110 city teachers Some retirees to lose health coverage

More furloughs coming for other district workers)

The above front page head lines are from the Reading Eagle, June 6, 2012 edition. Perhaps no one in Reading was surprised by the actions taken by the Reading School district to "fill a $40 million shortfall in its 2012-13 budget." After all, the "handwriting on the wall" appeared several months earlier. Nevertheless, the City of Reading has been cited as being the "poorest city in the nation." Massive layoffs and terminations in any area of the city's already bleak economy can only lead to an even greater degree of poverty than what presently exists.

The cuts that have taken place (and there are more to come) not only affects the school district's employees, but also delivers a devastating blow to the children (students) and their families of this city. The Reading Eagle article quote from a statement prepared by the teacher's union states in part ... "The elimination of programs and people that have benefited our community of learners will short-change our students and disenfranchise their families." Please be aware that this writer is not pointing fingers or blaming the school district for its decisions. This certainly must have been an intense, agonizing, and painful process. Making difficult decisions is never an easy task.

As pastor of WPC, I am asking that you pray and not give up hope for a change to come for the better. In your prayers, please remember all who are mentioned in this letter and the article written by the Reading Eagle. Encourage them and one another with these words ... 8e strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD (Psalm 31: 24).

Your ~!-in Christ,

Re~Lifclie J. Benton

STAND UP FOR JESUS/ STAND UP FOR WPC

SICK, SHUT-INS AND BEREAVED FAMILIES

Harold and Pauline Jackson, Margie Walker, Joan Marshall, Alex Auston, Jordan Johnson, Donald Lewis, Faith Morrison, Nathan and Marquise Phelps, Jean Rudolph, Alfreda Overton, John Fletcher, Feleicha Davis, LaKeshia Green, and family, Demerik Weglinski-Benton, Teondre' Morrison-Cooper, Aaron Randall, Stephen Randall, Janet Arms, Ruth Jenkins, (Barbara Davis' mother), Sylvia Winfrey, Ann Conboy, Joseph Cooper, Claudette Carter (Alberta's daughter), Katrina Boykin (Joan Reppert's niece), John Haynes, Viola Jefferson, Freida Carter, Vivian Key, Barbara Davis, Loretta and Ronald Settle (NC), Amber Carter, "Miss Brenda" (Robert Nelson's friend), Jeff and Jean and their family, Sylvia Finn, Lillian Riveera, Justin Johnson, Kevin Herring, Larry Riden, Melba Stamm (Keith's mother), Bobby Scott (Oliver's Brother), Lyndoll Walker (yvonne's friend), and Annie Fisher (an Amish friend).

PRAY FORTDE BEREAVED

SCRIPTURES:

June 3 June 10 June 17 June 24

Psalm 121: 1-8 Psalm 24:1~1O Psalm 119:33-40

Psalm 103:1-5,19-22

STANDING COMMITIEES

Christian Concerns-Sharon Davis Cbristian Education-Alexis Green Evangelism-Yvonne Lewis Finance-Toni Brooks Property-Stephen Greer Stewardship-Sharon DavisNvonne Lewis Worship Committee-Pauline Johnson/Alexis Green

SESSION Pastor-Rev. Laddie J. Benton Clerk of Session -Oliver Carter Church Treasurer-Toni Brooks Benevolence Treasure -Oliver Carter Club Fund Treasurer-Winnie J Burden

CHOIR REHEARSAL

.' -, .. ,..-...... .,:-Isaiah 6: 1-8 1 Samuel 8:4-11 Ephesians 5:21-6:10 1 Samuel 18:5,10-16

Romans 8: 12-17 1 Samuel 8:12-22 1 Corinthians 5:6-10 2 Corinthians 6:1-11

BmLE STUDY Wednesday 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM

LECTIONARY READINGS Romans 8:12-17 2 Corinthians4: 13-5: 1 Psalm 20: 1-9 Psalm 133:1-3

ORGANIZATION Men's Fellowship-Oliver Carter Pastor's Aid-Toni Brooks/Winnie Burden Personnel-Stephen Greer Presbyterian Women-AlexisGreen/LaKeshia Green Sunday School-Sharon Davis

Senior Choir Thursday 6:00 P M-Director-Mrs Janet Anns Children Choir Sunday (after Church Service}-Director-Willian Kinkaid

REBA TEMPLETON ENRICHMENT CENTER Activities include: Reading, Comprehension, Computer Skills, Problem Solving, Journalism, Fun, Crafts and Games. WILL RESUME IN SEPTEMBER

June 2012 * Denotes Birthdays ENRICHMENT CENTER RESUMES IN SEPTEMBER

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

June 1 2

JuHus Benton it . -

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Trinity Sunday Lyric Phelps .. Jaylin Key"

Communion Bible Study 9:30 AM 1 0:00 AM Sunday .

Service Bible Study - 6:30 PM

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Marjorie Walker" I Winnie Burden ..

I

) 0:00 AM Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM ! Berks Heim-Farnily

Service Bible Study - 6:30 PM Flag Day Get Together

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Fatber's Day

First Day of Summer Paulette Amprey .. Jaylcl Porcher .. Linda Benton ..

I Bible Study - 9:30 AM , Bible Study - 6:30 PM

10:00 AM Sunday I

Joash Chest 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Pauline Johnson .. Sherry L. Brooks ..

Bible Study - 9:30 AM General Assembly 10:00 AM Sunday Bible Study - 6:30 PM Convenes. Pittsburgh

Service -- ---------

A DIABETIC RECIPE

savory bean and spinach soup .

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' ...

162 slow-cook~d ctinn~r-

SERVINGS 6(lY2cupseach) PREP 15 minutes COOK 5to7hours(low)or2Y2to3Y2hours(hjgh)

3Yz cups water 1 1S-ounce can tomato puree 1 1S-ounce can small white beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and

drained 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth 2 small onions, finely chopped C% cup)

Yz cup converted rice 1 Yz teaspoons dried basil, crushed

1f.I teaspoon black pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach 2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. In a 3Y2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine water, tomato puree, drained beans, broth, onion, rice, basil, pepper, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 2Y2 to 3Y2 hours.

3. Before serving, stir in spinach. Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

~ NUTRITION FACTS PER SERVING: 148 cal., 1 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 1 mg chol., 451 mg sodium, 31 g carb., 5 g fiber, 8 g pro. Exchanges: 1.5 starch, 1.5 vegetable. Carb choices: 2.

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satan called a conference. His cronies filled the cave. he passed around some folders then began to rant and rave.:

"What's happening, you slackers? . You're .sleeping on the job'

Those Christians have been fighting like an ugly, angry mob! Here, study on these profiles,

get to know your enemies! Set a secret dragnet!

Put out some A.P.B.'sJ Hang up these mugshot posters!

1"" offer quite the ,sum to payoff any demon who can bring down even oner

_ __ Tt)Qse \tVarrt9_rs aJ:"e._prayJngJ _. _ _. _ They're down on bended knee!

They're mopping .floors up with you guys and bringing shame to mel"

satan paused,shook his head, . cleared his throat and then

said, "Boys, it's time we rounded up HELL'S MOST WANTED MEN!"

The demons left inspired and pumped with motivation, ready to destroy and steal and kill with vindication!

Church, it's time to rallyl The gauntlet has been thrown.

Will you accept the challenge or be silent and unknown? Will you fight till demons fear

and satan shakes his fist? Will they have to add your name to HELL'S MOST WANTED list?

--4'~ £M~~,o

THE INFINITE AND THE FINITE

Thou Great I AM, Fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at the thou a Being

with whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,

A mighty God who, amidst the lapse of worlds, and the revolutions of empires, feels no variableness, but is glorious in immortality.

May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives; that, while all creatures are broken reeds,

empty cisterns, fading flowers, withering grass,

Tum my heart from vanity, from dissatisfactions, from uncertainties of the present state, to an eternal interest in Christ.

Let me remember that life is short and unforeseen, and is only an opportunity for usefulness;

Give me a holy avarice to redeem the time, to awake at every call to charity and piety, so that I may feed the hungry,

clothe the naked, instruct the ignorant, reclaim the vicious, forgive the offender, diffuse the gospel,

Let me live a life of self-distrust, dependence on thyself, mortification, crucifixion, prayer.

GOD IS

God is the joy and the strength of my life. He moves all pain, misery and strife. He promised to keep me, never to leave me, He's never, never comes short of His word. I've got to fast and pray, stay in the narrow way. I'll keep my life clean ev'ry day. I want to go with Him when He comes back. I've come too far and I'll never turn back. God is, God is, God is, God is. God is my all and all.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER Verse ofthe Mooth

Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. Luke 24: 15 Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own; Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Luke 6:37-42 Jesus Teaches About CritieiziD& Others ~ Do ootjudge, and you will not be judged. Do not cond~ and you win not be condemned. Forgive,. and you will be forgiven. 38.Give and it will be given to you. A good measure,. pressed do~ shaken together and running over~ will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God's forgiveness. Jesus uses the picture of measurin~ ~rain in a basket to ensure the full amount. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive crrtlcism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to us in fuJI measure. We are to love others. not iudl!e them." NIVLASB J9 He (Jesus) also told them this para6le: "'Can a blind man lead a blind men? Will they not both fall into a pit? ";1\ student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. Make sure you' C ,1I,owing the right teachers and leaders, because you will go no farther than they do. Look f -I,...ders w~ ,ft. " Y"1'1 n are aba lt fajth and whose guidance you can trust. NIVLASB 41 Why do you look at [the speck of,sawdust in your brother~s eye and 00 00 attention to the plimk myom- own g e?

esus aoeiID'~ me04n we should ipore wrongdoing, but we should not be so worried about others' sins that we overlook our OWD. We often ratIOnalize our sins by pointing out the same mistakes in others. Remember your own "nlanks" when vou feel like criticizint!'. andvou mav find that vou have less to sav. NIVLASB .cHow -canyou say to your brother,. "Brother,. Ie.me take the sPeck oUt of your eye/when you yourself fail ·to see the plank in your own eye~ You h~te .. first take the plank out of your eye,. and then you will see clearly to remove the SJ)eCk ftom your brother~ s eye. We should not be so afraid of the label hypocrite that we stand still in our Christian life, hiding our faith and making no attempts to grow. A person who tries to do right but often fails is not a hypocrite. A hypocrite is a person who puts on religious behavior in order to gain attention, approval, acceptances, or admiration from otbYs. _NIVLASB LBteog and Doioi James 1 :t9--n 19.M! dear hrotbers.. take note of this: Everyone should be qyia to listen., slow to SJ)e3k and slow to become 3OW .. When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt. But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or when we feel offended or neglected. Selfish anger never helps anyone. NIVLASB :rofoJ" mao"s anger does oot bring a8i)ut[ the rigJllteous: lite 1Ihat GOO desires.. 21 T&erefore ... get rid of aU moral filth amdl the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accqz,t the word planted in )'OIL which can save you. James advises us to get rid of all that is wrong in our lives and "humbly accept" the salvation message we have received ("the word nlanted in vou"). because it alone can save us. NIVLASB ~ Do not merely listen-to the word.. 8nd So deceive yourselves. DOwbat it says. ~Anyone whO listens-to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror !<!land after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 2.5 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives fieedom~ and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heant but doing it- he win be blessed in what he does. It is important to listen to what God's Word says, but it is much more important to obey it, to do what it says. We can measure the effectiveness of our Bible Study time by the effect it has on our behavior and attitudes. Do you put into action what you have studied? As Christians, we are saved by God's grace, and salvation frees us from sin's control. As believers, we are free to Ii\'e as God created us to live. Of course, this does not mean that we are free to do as we pleas (see J Pcter 2: (6). We are now free to obey God. NIVLASB ~ U" anyone considers himself religious 'and yet doeSoot keep a tighf reiD on his tongue~ he deceives 'himself and his religion is worthless. No matter how spiritual we may think we are, we all could control our speach more effectively. NJVLASB

17 Religion that GOd our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polfuted by the world. By caring for these powerless people, the church put God's Word into practice. When we give with no hope of rcceiving in return, we show what it means to serve others. To keep ourselves from being polluted by the world, we need to commit ourselves to Christ's ethical and moral system, not the world's. We are not to adopt to the world's value system, which is based on money, power, and

sure. True faith means norhin!! if we are contaminnted with such values. NIVLAS 4:1-21 God"s Love and OUrs

7 Deari'liCDdS: Jet us IOn: one another .. for love oomes. from God. E\'et)'one who lo\'es bas. been bern of God and knows. God"

Everyone belie\Cs that love is important, but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In reality, love is a choice and an action, as 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 shows. God is the source of our love: he loved us enough to sacrifice his Son for us. Jesus is our example of what it means to love, everything he did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; he lives in our hearts and makes us more and more like Christ. God's love always involves a choice and an action, and our love should be like his. How well do you disolav vour love for God in the choices VQU mak~and~he a~tionsYQu take? NIVLASB ~ ft~ver does nOt love doeSootkliOw God. beCauSe GotHs: jove. John says, "God is love," not "Love is God." Our world, with its shallow and selfiSh view of love, has turned these words around and contaminated our understanding of love. The world thinks that love is what makes a person feel good and that it is all right to sacrifice moral principles and others' rights in order to obtain such "love." But that isn't real love; it is the exact opposite--selfishness. And God is not that kind of "love." Real love is like God. who is holy, just. and perfect. If we trulv know God, we will love as he does. NIVLAS .. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. Jesus is God's ollly SOli. While all believers are sons and daughters of God, only Jesus lives in this special unique relationship (see John 1:18: 3:16). 10 This is lov~: not that we loxed God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Love explains (1) why God creates-because he loves, he creates people to love; (2) why G res--because he loves them, he cares for sinful people; (3) why we are free to choose--God watlts ' toV.ilCr.~Jd~ fro why Christ died-his love for us caused him to seek a solution to the problem of ~hl~ aDd I \ ' ..... f\., I 1 ~ : Jo.eive e er llife--God's love ex resses itself to us for ver. NIVLASB .1 t ~ I,. , .. ' ,(,.,.) I. It Dear friends. since God so oved ~ we also ought to love one another. ~No one has~ever seen God;tbut if we love one other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. If no one has ever seen God, how can we ever know him? John in his Gospel said, "God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known? (John 1:18). Jesus is the complete expression of God in human form and he has revealed God to us. When we love one another, the invisible God reveals himself to others throu~h us, and his love is made complete. NIVLASB 13; We mow that we live in him and he in us. because he has: giyen us: of his Spirit. When we become Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit. God's presence in our lives is proof that we really belong to him. He also gives us the power to love (Romans 5:5; 8:9; 2 Corinthians 1:22). Rely on that power as von reach out to others. As you do so, you will 2ain confidence. See also Romans 8:16. NIVLASB I.;And we have seen and testifY that the Father bas sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ,~If anyone acImowledges that Jesus is the Son ofGod~ God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love Whoever lives in love lives in God~ and God in him. dn this way~ love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. The day of judgment is that time when all people will appear before Christ and be held accountable for their actions. With God living in us through Christ, we have no reason to fear this day, because we have been saved from punishment. Instead, we can look forward to the day of judgment, because it will mean the end of sin and the bef!inninf! of a face-ta-face relationshio with Jesus Christ. IS Thereisoo fear iDlove. But perfecflovedilves out fear~ because feaihas to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made ng[ect in love.

li9 We love IieeaUse be-first loved m... God's love is the source of all human love, and it spreads like fire. In loving his children, God kindles a flame in their hearts. In turn , they love others. who are warmed by God's love throu2h them. NIVLASB ::II If anyone say~ ""] love Godt yet hates his brother~ he is a liar. -For anyone who does not love his brother~ whom be has seen.,. cannot love God~ whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us the command: whoever loves God must also love his brother. It is easy to say we love God when that love doesn't cost us anything more than weekly attendance at religious services. But the real test of love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us-our family members and fellow believers. We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in his image. NIVLASB

TRUST and OBEY

When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word, What a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. Not a burden we bear, Not a sorrow we share, But our toil he doth richly repay'; Not a t¢ef not a loss, Not a frown nor a cross, But is blest if we trust and obey. Then in fellowship sweet We WIll sit at hIS feet, Or we'll walk by his side in the way; What he says we will do, Where he sends we will go Never fear, only trust and obey. Trust and obey- For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus But to trust and obey.