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December 18, 2006 |
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December 18, 2006 |
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The Reason for this Season While they were there, the time came for Mary to deliver her
child. And she gave birth
to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. My
dear brothers and sisters, these simple words are the reason for this
season. All that we do and all
that we are springs from this familiar narrative. The pageants, special music, church
decorations, caroling, poinsettias, extra services at their core give witness
to a birth some 2010 years ago. Like
so much else in life, the meaning of this birth would not be clear for some time. Yes, Gabriel had informed Mary that
this was the Son of the Most High.
And yet, here he was, lying in a manager because there was no room in
the inn. Somehow this
doesn’t seem right. Each
moment in our life is filled with great promise while at the same time
confronted by unexpected realities.
Paul was right when he told us that “for now we see in a mirror,
dimly . . . Now I know only in
part.” And
yet, in the midst of life’s ambiguities, this birth story, so often
retold, reminds us of this one certainty: that “the Word became flesh
and lived among us.” And
still lives among us. And this
makes all the difference in our lives and in our world. In these coming days – as you
juggle work responsibilities with family responsibilities – as you
wonder how many folk will attend worship on Sunday morning and return in the
evening – as you endeavor to have the lights turned down in the
sanctuary at just the right moment – as you make your way home to crawl
into bed and finally rest among and with your family – remember
this: The story itself is what is
important. And all we must do is
find some room with-inn for it to
take hold and remind us that the promise will become as real for us as it
became for Mary. Blessings
and Merry Christmas, Peter |
Inside this issue Events of the week: Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Dec. 25 Christmas Day Take Note/Act Now § Free Bookcases! Act now! § Part-time Admin. Asst. § Part-time Organist § Assoc. Pastor of Ed. & Evang. § Alternative Christmas Gifts § Blue Christmas Worship Service § Christian Unity Gathering § Youth Guatemala Trip § Board of Pensions Request § Hopewell Cancer Support § Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality § Donations for Wounded Troops Prayer
Concerns Govans PC |
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People and Office P.C. “Buddy”
Enniss will start as the transitional pastor at
Woods PC in January. The next issue of Tidings
will be released on Wednesday, December 27th. Christmas Office Hours: the
Presbytery offices will be closed on Monday, December 25th and
Tuesday, December 26th. The offices will reopen on Wednesday,
December 27th. The
final day for receipt of remittances for 2006 will be January 10th, 2007 at noon. |
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Prayer Concerns Govans
PC asks for prayers: ·
For their church as they
begin their journey with their new minister (who arrived Dec. 4th) ·
For their new minister,
Tom Harris, and his family as they transition their lives from Mt. Pleasant,
South Carolina to Baltimore ·
For their search
committee as they work on finding a new organist and choir director Havenwood
PC asks for prayers: ·
of Thanksgiving for the
ministry and vitality of the church Contact Information For the Presbytery
Offices 800-511-0087 Fax: E-mail: To Unsubscribe: email Alice
McGee or call the office |
Take Note/Act Now Baltimore
Presbytery Items (non-dated items
first; dated items in date order) Due
to the redesign of the Resource Center, the Presbytery has two extra
two-sided brown metal bookcases in
good condition (6’ wide x 88” tall x 2’ deep). The
bookcases need to be disassembled and removed. If you are interested, please
call and claim them by tomorrow, Tuesday,
December 19th, or the contractor will dispose of them. Hamilton
PC is seeking a part-time Administrative
Assistant (more).
Catonsville
PC is seeking a part-time Organist
for worship and choir rehearsal (more). Glen
Burnie Korean PC is searching for a part-time Associate Pastor for Christian Education and Evangelism (more). Looking
for an alternative Christmas gift?
Members of the Guatemala Partnership suggest giving the gift of a scholarship
to an indigenous Guatemalan child or an Onil stove to a Guatemalan woman.
Learn more and print greeting cards to let your family and friends know about
the donation you’ve made in their name on our homepage. Christ Our Anchor will be holding a Blue Christmas Worship Service on
Thursday, December 21st at 7:30pm. This
service is a reflective and peaceful service for those who are in the midst
of grief over the loss of a loved one, struggling with emotional pain from a
broken relationship, or feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of the season (more).
The
celebration of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity will be on January 23rd at 7:00pm at Havenwood
PC. Youth
Leaders, mark your calendars! There will be a youth trip to Guatemala from August 6-13, 2007. Trip cost: $1400
per student. Contact Steve
Tisinger at 410.974.1713 for information. Synod and GA
items The
Board of Pensions has sent a reminder
about reporting member salaries (more). Other items The
Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center
in Bangor, PA will be offering a weekend seminar, “Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal
the Church” led by Jack Rogers, former moderator of the PC(USA) from March 16-18, 2007 (more). Stars and Stripes reports that donations are needed for wounded troops who are patients at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The hospital's Family Assistance Center is seeking a number of new items (more). Also on our website Don’t miss all the new Local Church Announcements at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/announcements.html Presbytery
Yearly Calendar Past Issues of Tidings are available at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/midweekmail.html. |
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Peter Nord, Executive Presbyter |
Bill Millen, Associate Executive |
Charles Forbes, Stated Clerk |
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Deb Milcarek Associate of |
Jane Johnson |
Rita Walters Director of Development rwalters@baltimorepresbytery.org |
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Julie Erickson Director of Public Policy |
Judi Forrester Coordinator of Financial Services |
Alice McGee Coordinator of Information Services |
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Coordinator of Resources |
Janice Kominski Coordinator of Communications |
Questions? Comments? |
