First Presbyterian Church of Bandon, Oregon

Pastors Ponderings

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:03:12 +0000

The Presbyterian Outlook is an independent bi-weekly news magazine on the life and happenings of the Presbyterian Church (USA). There are always several copies available for your reading pleasure on the table under the window in the parlor. It provides perhaps the most thorough and nonpartisan reporting about the workings of our denomination, as well as some wonderful thought-provoking articles submitted by readers. The following article was written by Matthew A. Rich, pastor of First PC, Lumberton, NC.

Click Here for Pastors Ponderings

It is hard to imagine that it’s only happened 20 times in the 135-year history of major league baseball. A perfect game. No hits, no walks, no hit batsmen, no errors. But it happened twice in May. On May 9, Dallas Braden of the Oakland A’s and on May 20, Ron Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies each pitched a perfect game. And it almost happened a third time on June 2.

Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers had been perfect. Twenty-six Cleveland Indians had come to the plate and twenty-six had returned to the dugout. Only one out remained. The batter came to the plate. The first pitch, strike. The next, a ball. The third, a groundball to the first baseman. Galarraga left the pitcher’s mound to cover first. His teammate threw him the ball, he caught with his glove, he stepped on first base, and he turned ready to celebrate. History, a perfect game. But the umpire called the batter safe. Replay after replay showed the runner was out. It was a bad call. But the umpire called him safe and Galarraga’s perfect game became a one-hitter.

The umpire, Jim Joyce, made a rare move and went to the Tigers’ locker room after the game to apologize to Galarraga. The young pitcher responded with class and grace. While Galarraga’s name has not been added to the list of those who have pitched a perfect game, I’m sure that I’ll be telling my grandchildren about that play.

Those of us who lead congregations need to know something else about that almost perfect game. If you look at each defensive play, you’ll see that all nine players for the Tigers recorded an out in that game. It takes nine players all working together, each using their own gifts and talents, to create a perfect game.

As congregational leaders we like to quote Paul’s words about spiritual gifts: But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. …The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. Then we say, “Christ has given me a gift and called me to this place of leadership, so no need for a committee, even if I am chairing one. No need to involve the rest of the congregation. I’m gifted and I’ll do it all myself.”

It’s as if Braden, Halladay, or Galarraga had said, “In order to pitch a perfect game, I need to strike out every batter. If someone hits the ball, I must field it myself and get the batter out. No need for teammates, I can do it all myself.”

It’s a crazy idea on a baseball field, and it’s a crazy idea in the church too.

God calls particular individuals to leadership in the church, but God doesn’t call leaders to do it all by themselves. If we keep reading Paul’s words we find that leaders are to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. So God both gifts and calls pastors, elders, and deacons in the church so they might help other Christians align their lives according to what God is doing in the world. And as we all do that, we build up the body of Christ.

Start by finding some good teammates. Trust them. God has trusted you.

I pray that those of you who are presently in leadership at FPCB will take these words to heart, making sure that your work is cooperative and collaborative in nature. And I also pray that those of you NOT currently serving in elected positions will recognize the continuing need for your input in ideas, energy, and commitment to the work of OUR ministry together. God is trusting US to do God’s work in our world!

Grace and peace,
Bobbi

We are Easter People

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:46:55 +0000

One Great Hour of Sharing

pastor — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:49:58 +0000

We have received the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering this Easter season. This annual offering supports the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Self-Development of People program–all important efforts of our denomination to serve those in need around the world and here in the US. We are thrilled to announce that you have generously given over $1,600 to this Special Offering!!

Kids4Kids

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:33:39 +0000

Kids4Kids is about helping kids identify what’s right – and whats’s not – and what to do about it. Click here to visit the site

AllWomen in the church

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:06:39 +0000

Click here to visit the site

Lectionary Readings

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:58:52 +0000

Daily Meditations with Calvin

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:52:05 +0000

Deacons’ Report

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:36:14 +0000

The Board of Deacons has taken a short “summer hiatus,” but will meet again on Sunday Sept. 12th after worship. The average church attendance for August was 80.

The Spiritual Discipline of Self-Examination

pastor — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:28:42 +0000

We have often spoken together of spiritual disciplines, such as various kinds of Bible reading, prayer, fasting, worship, grateful giving, small group study, journaling and Sabbath-keeping. While reading a recent article in Friends Journal (Oct 2009) entitled “Living Near the End of Life: Queries for the Elderly” by Brigitte Alexander, I realized that I have never mentioned another very productive spiritual discipline, that of structured self-examination.

Long ago, St. Ignatius required the monks of his order to practice the awareness examen each night before going to bed. The following outline of this spiritual exercise is provided by the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse, New York.

I express gratitude for the experiences and encounters of the day that have been good or pleasant, even trivial things. I also thank God for the larger gifts: life, health, relationships, faith, talents, etc.
I ask God for the grace to see my life this day as God sees it, without the illusions and self-deceptions, denials and rationalizations. Many of my true feelings and motivations are hidden from me. To truly know myself I need to ask the Holy Spirit for the light that will reveal me to myself.
With Jesus I look back over my actions, words, thoughts and feelings of the day to discern the source and direction of my life this day. Did they come from freedom and openness to God and others, or from my self-centered attachments, my “unfreedoms”?
If I have discovered grace and freedom operative in this day, I give thanks. Self-transcendence is always a gift. Insofar as I discover sinfulness and self-centeredness, I respond with remorse and contrition. I do not dwell on guilt and shame, but simply ask for God’s forgiveness, knowing that God is eager to forgive me.
I resolve to be open to God’s grace for tomorrow to effect changes in actions or attitudes that God has called to my attention today.

The Society of Friends (Quakers) practice self-examination in community in the communal use of “queries.” There is a fairly standard set of queries used by many Friends meetings, and each congregation is free to create some of their own. The following set of “Queries for the Elderly” were produced by a small group of worshippers at Crosslands, a Quaker retirement community in the Philadelphia area. While the first two relate specifically to living near the end of life, the third raises questions that are appropriate for all who live in faith communities of all kinds.

I.	*Do I accept death, like birth, as a normal part of life, even to be welcomed under certain circumstances?
	*Have I arranged the practical matters (regarding possessions, location of documents, burial, etc.) that will arise when I die so my family is not unduly burdened?
	*Am I comfortable with the relationships I will leave behind?
II.	*Do I look upon the period of old age as an opportunity for reflection on my life and a time for growth and new learning?
	*Am I willing to talk with family and others about my life journey, my evolving beliefs, and my values regarding dying?
III.	*Do my interactions with other residents and staff reflect that of God within each of us?
	*Do I acknolwedge the contributions others bring to the community?
	*Do I look for ways to make the lives of others pleasant or to be of service?
	*Am I able to keep a generous heart for those who may become more difficult as they age?
	*I accept help graciously when I and/or others feel in need?
	*When speaking about other people, do my words reflect respect?
	*In a troubling relationship, am I willing to talk with the other person, both to express myself and to listen, in the hope that the issues may be resolved?

As Ms. Alexander points out, “the process of writing (and responding to) queries on different topics can be used by any group, Quaker or not: a group of children…, a group of struggling parents, a group of people facing job loss. If you address the question, How do our basic (Presbyterian/Christian) values infuse the life in which we find ourselves? you may find it a consciousness-raising experience.

Shalom,

Bobbi

Noisy Offering

First Presbyterian Church of bandon's mission — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:56:04 +0000

The Noisy Offering is a coin offering received by our children in “noisy” metal buckets–a time for the children to make as much noise as they can during worship! This event, beloved by children of all ages, takes place every 2nd Sunday of the month, and the funds received are divided evenly between Good Neighbors, our local food pantry, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program. The total collected in August was $111.98. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and continues to help feed the hungry. Next collection will be on Sunday, Sept. 12th.