WMPC WEEKLY. Volume LII May 9, 2018 No. 19. The Gift of Sabbath

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1 WMPC WEEKLY Volume LII May 9, 2018 No. 19 The Gift of Sabbath Sabbath both the idea of Sabbath and its practice are found all over the Bible. It is found most famously in the Ten Commandments of Moses. Sabbath means intentional rest. It can also mean removal. People take various forms of Sabbath: a day of rest; time away from work; vacations; and social media sabbaths just to name a few. One of the most generous benefits of employment and calling at White Memorial is the benefit of sabbatical. For us it is an intentional time away from the office and away from day-to-day pastoral responsibility. Its purpose is to recharge, regenerate and reinvigorate ministry. In the tradition of academic institutions and seminaries, we ask our staff taking sabbatical to use the time away not only to rest and recharge, but also to study a question, to explore a new avenue of ministry or to think about theological problems in deeper ways than a weekly schedule allows. This summer I will be on sabbatical. I want to thank the Session and the Personnel Committee of our church for supporting our sabbatical policy and for supporting me during this time. I will be exploring the role of the pastor as public leader and visiting a group of other large church pastors around the U.S. and a handful of pastors in Europe. I will go to Rome for the first time in my life and see the museums at the Vatican. I will make my way to Scotland to visit the Island of Iona and the cities and cathedrals of St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. During my time away, I am going to work on a book proposal as a means of exploring how writing as ministry can help a pastor extend public witness. I pray that it will be a fruitful time of rejuvenation and discovery. I am 19 or so years into my service in ordained ministry. This summer represents a halfway point of a kind for me and my service to Christ and his church. So this sabbatical comes at an important moment. While I am gone, the other pastors will cover my normal duties. I look forward to sharing my discoveries with all who are interested sometime this fall. I am truly grateful to God for the ministry I share with you all here in Raleigh. I pray this time of Sabbath helps me to be equipped for many more years of fruitful service with you. May grace abound, Christopher Edmonston P.S. 1) Please pay close attention to summer worship schedules in the coming weeks. May 27, Memorial Day, and July 1 will be our holiday schedule. June 3- August 26 will be a summer schedule. Labor Day, September 2, will be a holiday schedule. We hope you will consult church bulletins and the church website for summer schedules. 2) We are grateful for your patience as the under-road work on Oberlin Road right by our church continues (the road has been torn up in front of our neighborhood Hungry Howie s restaurant). Please allow extra time to come to church: especially on weekdays during morning, lunch and afternoon times. Ride the Shuttle! Avoid the traffic around the church and ride the shuttle from Carolina Place, 2626 Glenwood Avenue, on Sundays. Shuttle service begins at 8:45 a.m. and continues until the 11:00 a.m. worship service concludes and everyone is back to their cars. Hayes Barton United Methodist operates a shuttle from the same location, so look for the WMPC sign in the shuttle bus window.

2 Joys and Concerns Prayers and Christian Concerns to: Laura, Olin, Sara, Lillian, Olin and Lucy Brimberry on the death of Laura s father, James Robert Keever Jr., April 30; Stanford, Anna, Cameron, Griffin and Joshua Baird on the death of Stanford s and Anna s niece, Ash Baird, April 30; Lynn, Mark, Jonathan, Anna and Matthew Springfield on the death of Lynn s father, Newton Hardie, May 5; Twila and Bill Mitchell on the death of Twila s mother, Ethel Rogers House, May 2. Baptisms - May 6: James Radford Allen, child of Cortney and Clayton Allen, grandchild of Chris and Charles Wagner; Parker Earlene Brewer, child of Annie and Jim Brewer, grandchild of Bregetta Boney and David Boney, great-grandchild of Finley Boney; and Anne McKay Collins, child of Sally and Clayton Collins, grandchild of Kay and Ed Coleman, great-grandchild of Ann and Marvin Thompson. New Presbyterians: Macklyn Ann Dunn, born May 1, child of Kaitlyn and Bradley Dunn, grandchild of Susan and Andy Morison. Hospitals (*designates discharged): Duke Raleigh: *Sewell Turner; Rex: *Bob Coyner, *Nancy Vassey. Birth Announcements Sometimes, due to short hospital stays and weekend births, we miss finding out about our new Presbyterians. Call Rebecca Turner at , ext. 222, if you have a new baby. In the Church Triumphant Mahlon Galloway Tucker, Jr. April 29, 2018 WMPC family member: wife, Elsie Tucker; son, Tuck Tucker Your Attention Please Boy Scouts Enrollment Boys Scouts Troop 395 will hold its fall enrollment through May 31. Boys interested in joining the troop need to submit their completed application by the May 31 deadline to be considered for admittance in the troop next fall. For details or for a copy of the application, see the scouting page of our website at whitememorial.org/scouting. Would you like to be an organ assistant for a service this summer? Whether you are 7 or 107, have a musical background or don t know how to read a note, we invite you to sign-up to be an organ assistant. It s an opportunity to sit with Dr. H or Dr. Z at the organ console, set up registrations (sounds), chime the trinity and more. You must be available 10 minutes prior to the start of the service and until the last note of the postlude dims. It s easy to claim your spot. Log on to to select date and time between Sunday, June 3, and Sunday, September 2. Contact Dr. H at khomdrom@whitememorial.org for more information. Nametags If you have ordered a WMPC nametag, please check the rolling bulletin board in The Connector for it. To order a nametag, please print your name on the pad that resides on the shelf of the bulletin board. Nametags are ordered monthly on second Wednesdays. Generally you may pick them up by the fourth Monday of the month. You also may contact Elizabeth Viohl at eviohl@whitememorial.org with nametag requests. Are you looking for ways to become more involved in church? Do you enjoy and care about people? Do you possess a servant s heart? Then we want YOU to help as an Usher or a Greeter! Join fellow members as we welcome and greet one another at each Sunday service. No special skills are required. Call Amy Claprood in the church office at to sign up, or visit whitememorial.org/worship/volunteers/ May 30 newsletter & June 3 bulletin deadline: Tuesday noon, May 15 The WMPC Weekly, May 9, 2018 Page 2

3 Community Ministry and Missions Perspectives of a Palestinian-American Please join the Middle East Peace with Justice Committee on May 15 at 5:30 p.m. in C200 as Nahida Halaby Gordon, member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wooster, Ohio, presents her family s personal account, other Palestinian interviews and documented research material describing the indigenous Palestinian people s experience of dispossession, denial and exile in Palestine. Light refreshments will be served. May 20 Show Up & Serve: Our first Bumper Crops food collection will support Urban Ministries. To participate, pick up a bag at church on May 13 and fill it with any items on the attached list. Leave the bag next to your bumper on May 20. June 2 Show Up & Serve: Bag assembly for our second distribution will be June 2 from 10:00 a.m.-noon. All are invited to join. Please pick up a bag at church on Sunday, June 3, and fill it with any items from the attached list. Leave the bag next to the back bumper of your car on Sunday, June 10. All June collections will go to Wake Relief. Ramadan Iftar Meal at White Memorial Our good friends at the Divan Center have offered White Memorial members the opportunity to experience a break fast meal during the season of Ramadan. The meal will be at White Memorial on Friday, June 1, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. in Geneva Hall. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sun up to sun down. The dates vary from year to year, but it falls from May 16 to June 14 this year. This is a good opportunity to experience and learn about this religious tradition. Reservations are necessary by Friday, May 25. Reservations can be made at ahattaway41@gmail.com. Let s Feed the Animals Companion Animal Ministry is collecting dog and cat food for the SPCA of Wake County s AniMeals program. The SPCA will give your donations to Resources for Seniors to distribute to homebound seniors and disabled adults. Your participation will help local citizens in need from having to choose between feeding their pets or paying bills, buying medicine or buying enough food to feed themselves and their families. Donations of dog and cat food can be put in the CAM/SPCA collection tub in The Connector. The WMPC Weekly, May 9, 2018 Page 3

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5 Meet Our New Members: Presented Sunday, April 29 New member information is not available online. The WMPC Weekly, May 9, 2018 Page 5

6 Meet Our New Members (continued from page 5) New member information is not available online. The WMPC Weekly, May 9, 2018 Page 6

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9 Rising Sixth Grade Orientation This orientation for current fifth graders and their parents will be held May 20, 9:30 a.m. in K200. Summer Trip Commissioning Service May 20, 11:00 a.m. in OnPoint service; all students and trip leaders are invited to be commissioned. Asheville Mission Youth and Parent Information Meeting May 20, 1:30 p.m. in C200 Haiti Mission Trip Youth and Parent Meeting #2 May 20, 1:30 p.m. in W400 Graduation Sunday on June 3 8:30 a.m.: Graduate/Parent Breakfast in Geneva Hall; reservations required 10:00 a.m.: Graduate Recognition in the sanctuary ASP Participation Tool Sorting: May 19, 10:00 a.m. Tool Training: June 9, 10:00 a.m. Both will be held in C103. All participants must attend at least one of these two sessions. Weekly Youth Newsletter Do you want to receive the weekly youth newsletter that s full of great information? Contact Deb Smith at dsmith@whitememorial.org to be added to the contact list. Calendar for the Week Sunday, May 13 (Ps. 97; Acts 1:15-17; Acts 17:22-27) Worship (8:15, 9:30, 11:00 a.m. - Sanctuary; 11:00 a.m. - OnPoint@1704, Pickard) 9:30 a.m. - OnPoint House Band (Pickard) 10:00 a.m. - Bone Marrow Donor Drive (Connector) Monday, May 14 (Ps. 97; Josh. 1:1-9; Eph. 3:1-13; Matt. 8:5-17) Presbyterian Women Circles: See feature in April 25 newsletter. noon - Women s Monthly Fellowship Luncheon (Pickard) 5:30 p.m. - T ai Chi for Exercise (Pickard); Health Ministry (C303) 7:00 p.m. - Alcoholics Anonymous (C100); Handbell Choir (S300); APNC Meeting (C203); VBS Teacher Orientation (C200) 8:00 p.m. - Adult Basketball (Pickard) Tuesday, May 15 (Ps. 98; 1 Sam. 16:1-13a; Eph. 3:14-21; Matt. 8:18-27) 7:00 a.m. - Men s/women s Breakfast Bible Study (Geneva/K100) 8:30 a.m. - Yoga for Exercise (C100) 9:30 a.m. - Fit after Fifty (Pickard) 3:00 p.m. - Labyrinth Open for Walking (Chapel) 3:15 p.m. - Haiti VBS Planning Committee (C204) 5:30 p.m. - Middle East Committee (C200) 6:00 p.m. - StepUp Life Skills Program/Dinner (Geneva); Centering Prayer (W400) 6:30 p.m. - Boy Scout Troop 395 Patrol Leaders (K307) 7:00 p.m. - Chancel Choir (L304/S300) 7:30 p.m. - Boy Scout Troop 395 (Pickard) Wednesday, May 16 (Ps. 99; Isa. 4:2-6; Eph. 4:1-16; Matt. 8:28-34) 8:00 a.m. - Clothing Closet (W100) 9:30 a.m. - Bible Belles (Off Site) 10:00 a.m. - Chair Yoga (C200) 12:30 p.m. - APNC Meeting (C203) 5:00 p.m. - Wednesdays Together Dinner (Pickard) 5:30 p.m. - Widows of White Memorial (Geneva) 6:00 p.m. - Russia Committee Putin Country Book Read (K302) 6:30 p.m. - Disciple 1 (K307); Poland Committee (C204) 6:45 p.m. - OnPoint House Band (K100) 7:00 p.m. - Young Adult Bible Study (C102); Adult Faith Formation Committee (C302) 8:00 p.m. - Al-Anon (C100) Thursday, May 17 (Ps. 47; Zech. 4:1-14; Eph. 4:17-32; Matt. 9:1-8) 8:00 a.m. - Labyrinth Open for Walking (Chapel) 8:30 a.m. - Cancer Companion Leaders (K200) 9:30 a.m. - Thurs. A.M. Bible Study (W400); T ai Chi for Exercise (C200) 10:00 a.m. - Keenagers to Gregg Museum (Off Site) 6:00 p.m. - High School/College Director Search Committee (W400) 7:30 p.m. - Sanctuary Choir (S300); Webelo Scouts (K ) 8:15 p.m. - Webelo Court of Honor Reception (C100) Friday, May 18 (Ps. 96; Jer. 31:27-34; Eph. 5:1-32; Matt. 9:9-17) 9:30 a.m. - Fit After Fifty (Pickard) 8:00 p.m. - Alcoholics Anonymous (C100) Saturday, May 19 (Ps. 92; Exek. 36:22-27; Eph. 6:1-24; Matt. 9:9-17) 8:30 a.m. - Sunday School Setup (Classrooms) 9:00 a.m. - NAMI Basics (C301) 10:00 a.m. - ASP Tool Sorting (C103) The WMPC Weekly, May 9, 2018 Page 9

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