September 29, 2017

the H e ral d
Volume XXXXXIV,
No 9

So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far

off and peace to those who were near ...

Ephesians 2:14-17

Inside this issue: Proclaim Christs Peace

Every day, we are witnesses to conflict. We read news stories of violence and
CE Director/Youth 2 supposedly irreparable divides. Angry rhetoric fills our airwaves, inboxes, and
News
social media feeds. We see conflict tear apart communities, families, even peo-
Kids Hope/ Carry 3 ple we know. Surrounded by this strife, its easy to see the world through a dark
in Dinner lens of discord. We may even come to share the doubt expressed in Psalm
78:19: Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
Bazaar News 4
Yet our faith tells us despite our doubts, sins, distrust, or even anger, God not
Calendar 5 only sets a table, but invites us to join it and partake in an abundance of peace.

Church Happenings 6
The Peace & Global Witness Offering challenges us to look at the world not as a
place where conflict is inevitable, but where Christs peace is possible. The pro-
grams supported by the Peace & Global Witness Offering to help bring people
tables of peace, justice, and reconciliation even in the wilderness of war, vio-
lence, and division. And everywhere, this Offering supports witness, because by
sharing the abiding love and mercy of Christ, more people can find their way to
a seat at Gods table.
Your support of the Peace & Global Witness Offering acknowledges that a wil-
derness of conflict may surround us, but we are not abandoned there. If we
open our eyes to the possibilities of peace, we see God has set a table for any-
one willing to take a seat.

Peace and Global Witness offering will be received during the worship service on
Sunday, October 1.
Page 2
t h e He ra l d

Christian Education Cheryl Moles

Sunday School 2017-2018

Classes meet each week from 9:30 10:20 am.
Preschool (3-5 year olds) Room 108
Kindergarten 1st grade Room 202
2nd 5th grades Room 103
Middle School Room 201
High School Room FH classroom B
Adults Reading the Prophets Room 200
Marriage & Family Room FH classroom C
All classes will be recognizing the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Refor-
mation on October 29, Reformation Sunday.

Parents Night Out is on October 13. Childcare with supper is at the church from
5:30 9:00 pm. Please notify the church office if your children are attending.

T3EM will be October 17. Supper and childcare from 5:15 8pm.

The family prayer group meets on Mondays at 11:00 am at the church.

FOCUS ON CPC NURSERY CARE: The church nursery provides nurturing childcare
in a safe environment with these two purposes:
1. to make it possible for the pastor and church staff to fulfill their ministry by
allowing parents to focus on worship and not worry about their young children
2. to begin the first stage of faith development for the child

Childcare is provided on Sunday morning from 9:15 11:45, for T3EM, Parents
Night Out, Family Prayer Group and during other church events. All of our child-
care staff have had CPR and first aid training, child protection training, a back-
ground check, have read and signed the CPC Sexual Misconduct Policy and have
been approved by the CPC Personnel Committee. A Nursery Guideline Booklet is
available to all parents and anyone interested. Please see Cheryl Moles or Sarah
Rose if you have questions or comments.

Parents: Please follow our guidelines that childcare is provided for infants through
3 year olds. For safety, older children should not be in the nursery rooms during
childcare times. Also, it is necessary for you to sign your child(ren) in. Please ini-
tial the check-in form every week so that we have an accurate attendance record
in case of an emergency. Inform the attendants of any new or updated needs
that they should know to provide the best care for your child.

Stop in and say hi to Maggie, Zoe, Tiffany and Mike when you get the chance!
Page 3
t h e He ra l d

Josh Powers successfully summited Kili-

manjaro! His blog describes the experience
and provides numerous pictures: https://
kiliclimbjosh.wordpress.com/. He will be work-
ing to arrange a presentation about the experi-
ence and his interest in first generation college
students, likely sometime later in October and
probably during the 9:30-10:30am time frame
prior to church.

Panel Discussion on Refugees/

Immigrants Sunday, Oct. 1; 3-4:30pm,
CPC. Representatives from the Immigrant
Welcome Center in Indianapolis, a Syrian
Stuff the Bus with donated items to with asylum status, and a Bosnian family that
help refugees/immigrants Donated CPC sponsored in the 1990s who still live in
personal hygiene items and household Terre Haute will be participants. This pro-
goods are sought for a giveaway event
gram will be an excellent one for under-
on Saturday, Oct. 7 in Indianapo-
lis. Toiletries in quantity (but individually standing the issues/needs of refugees and im-
wrapped) are especially desired (e.g., tooth- migrants. This event is sponsored by
paste, toothbrushes, hair brushes, combs, the Coalition of Terre Haute Neighbors, a new
shampoo or shampoo/conditioner combo,
community group for which many persons
shaving cream, disposable razors, stick deo-
dorant, bars of soap, TP). General cleaning and organization across the city are partici-
supplies, mens/womens underwear and pants, including members from CPC.
socks, gently used footwear, and dish tow-
els/bath towels also welcome. Contribu-
tions can be brought to the panel discus-
sion event, to the church on Oct. 4-6 prior
to 3:30pm, or on Saturday, Oct. 7to the
church prior to our departure for the give-
away event in Indy (exact time TBD and
anyone is welcome; it is an excellent way to
meet refugees/immigrants and see first-
hand their needs and circumstances).
V o lu me X XX XX I V, Page 4

October 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 Sunday school 2 Family Prayer 3 4 Deacons 5 6 7
9:30 Group 11:00 5:00
Worship 10:30 Sophia
Spencer, Jack
Panel Discussion James
Fred Rubey Turman Jr.
3:00
Turman

8 Sunday school 9Columbus Day 10 11 Session 12 13 Parents 14

- office closed meeting 7:00 Night Out 5:30
9:30
Family Prayer
Worship 10:30 Group 11:00
Paul Foree,
Emma Pen-
Lucille Merrill, Aidan Taken
Lance Katherine nington
Maxine Bough
Weatherwax Whitaker

15Sunday 16Family Prayer 17 T3EM sup- 18 Communi- 19 20 21

school 9:30 per & childcare cations 7:00
Worship 10:30 Group 11:00 5:15 ***
Commission/
Susan Guell, Committee meet- Zachariah
Ezrina Seo ings Sinwon Spencer
Racop, Ricka
Woodruff

22Sunday 23Family Pray- 24 Seekers & 25 Personnel 26 27 28

school 9:30 Searchers Bible Comm. 12:30
er Group 11:00 study 10:00
Worship 10:30
Mason Gilt-
Andrea ner, Brenda
Andrea Paul- Clinkenbeard, Green, Jessica
Bonham Violet Taken Chris Johnson Shepherd

*** Matt
29Sunday 30Family Pray- 31 Clinkenbeard,
Theo Conner,
school 9:30 Beth Chiron- Charlie Con-
Worship 10:30 er Group 11:00 na, ner, Nancy
Alan Harder, Edgerton, Ste-
Jacob Thacker phen Payne,
Rachael Spen-
cer
A Haphazard Supplication: Unity Through Division
by Allen Holder

I read Donald McKim's "Reformation Questions, Reformations Answers, 95 Key Events, People & Is-
sues" in preparation for our celebration of five centuries of Protestantism. The reason for 95 items is,
of course, to match Luther's 95 theses, which he tacked to his door to spark debate - mostly about in-
dulgences. McKim's succinct review annotates how many of our modern denominations splintered
from the Roman Catholic Church due to the late medieval redress confirming the supremacy of scrip-
ture. The pioneering and efficacious credence of scriptural authority and the erosion of the Roman
Catholic Church's dominion proliferated and burgeoned even as they abutted against the squelching
and thwartful acts of those who held power. The ensuing religious strife cost many lives, with the most
influential being torched to broadcast fear. However, the reformation wouldn't abate, and Europe be-
came awash with numerous Christian movements. There were the Gnesio-Lutherans, the crypto-
Calvinists, the Calvantists, the Huguenots, the Anabaptists, the Puritans, the Covenanters, the Congre-
gationalists, etc..., etc..., etc.... Christ's body was strewn everywhere, torn to bits by those who loved
him. Didn't we learn anything about our brutality at the cross? Was "Peace be with you" a hollow, feel
-good slogan? Was this what Christ meant when he said, "For I have come to turn a man against his
father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -- a man's enemies
will be the members of his own household." (Matthew 10:35-36) Jesus certainly seemed to know that
our selfish ambitions would lead to false claims of authority, even to painful disputes about his authori-
ty.

Many factions pursued reconciliation as they matured, although their earnestness could easily be doubt-
ed in hindsight. The reality is that the numerous councils, diets, and colloquia simply honed our argu-
ments for division and negotiated boundaries. Reconciliation was welcome as long as the other side
would acquiesce, after all, there can only be one life in Christ, no? The sacraments provided the most
ingrained disputes. Indeed, we can't even agree on their number. In any event, let us not inherit the
misconception that these meetings were filled with fervent contemplation about loving one's
(Christian) neighbor. For instance, the reformers opened the Colloquy of Poissy by stating that the
Lord's supper was "as far removed from the bread and wine as is heaven from earth." The colloquy dis-
solved with claims of blasphemy from the Catholics, and the French religious wars followed.

The abhorrent oddity that God's recalcitrant people have so mangled the selfless act of Christ's obedi-
ent agape into our most divisive of feuds is, well, cosmically ironic. We are to be one with Christ as
we celebrate the table, not identical, not ashamed, not enslaved, and not indoctrinated. We are also to
be free at the table, free to love, free to commune, and free to worship. I struggle with the juxtaposi-
tion of God's expectation against our reality; I mean, if we can't share a meal, then what can we share?
I trust that God will use our failings to his good, and that one day Christ's reconciling resolve will inter-
twine our divisions. I pray for a great catch that day, a catch made from the net formed by the reckless
and ill-gotten strands that we have so arduously fabricated.
 Central Presbyterian Church
Central Presbyterian Church
125 North Seventh Street
Terre Haute, IN 47807 Sunday School for all ages 9:30 a.m.

Phone: 812-232-5049 Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.

Fax: 812-232-5040 Rev. Kevin Buchanan, Interim Pastor
E-mail: CPCOffice@thcpc.org
Scott Paul-Bonham, Parish Associate
Website: www.thcpc.org
Cheryl Moles, Christian Educator
Sarah Kelsheimer, Church Secretary
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Church Happenings

Womens Book Club Womens Bible Study There will be a Celebra-

The Womens Book Club
will be meeting on Oct. 9
at 6:30 at the Edgerton
Next Herald
home. The book to be dis-
Deadline
cussed is News of the
World by Paulett Jiles.
October 23, 2017 At this meeting, spouses
are invited to attend for
supper and discussion on
the book. All women of
the church are invited to
attend.
The 2017 study for the re-
mainder of the year is The
First Christmas by Marcus J.
Borg & John D. Crossan .
The group will meet in the
church lounge from 10:00 to
11:30 am on Tuesday, Octo-
ber 24. All women are wel-
come. Diane Giltner will be
hostess.
tion Dinner on Fri., Nov.
3rd to celebrate our
newly renovated Sanctu-
ary. Doors will open
at 6:00 pm. and dinner
served at 6:30 pm.
This is in place of our
Bazaar dinner evening.
It will include our game/
prize night and the des-
sert auction fundraiser
by our youth.