News From the Steeple
October, 2009
The Newsletter of Hermon Church
Dear
Family:
Our
beloved interim pastor, Dr. Ed Bauman, continues his sermon
series on The Parables of Jesus - those simple stories
through which Jesus distilled his teachings on the great
mysteries of life. Stories about the lost and found (The
Lost Sheep), nature (The Seed Growing Secretly), work and
wages (The Laborers in the Vineyard), and weddings and
feasts (The Ten Maidens) have lit the path for followers of
Jesus Christ through the centuries and remain profoundly
relevant. Dr. Bauman will continue his series through the
month of October. Come, listen, and keep a pen or pencil
handy! You will surely find much within his sermons that
you will want to remember through the coming weeks.
October
18 "The Dishonest Steward" Hebrews 5:1-10
Psalm 104:1-9
Luke 16:1-13
October
25 "The Rich Fool" Hebrews 7:23-28
Psalm
34:1-8
Luke
12:13-21
Spiritual
Journal
Recently,
Dr. Bauman preached about the inward and outward journey to
be with Jesus Christ, suggesting that for the inward,
spiritual journey, we try keeping a Spiritual Journal as a
way of being with Christ every day by writing what is on our
mind and in our heart. This, he explained, is not a diary
or a list of requests, but a centering presence with God.
The inward journey can be coupled with an outward journey
whose ultimate goal is a life with Jesus Christ oriented
toward giving to others, much as Jesus emptied himself. The
ministry to others is for, with and to Jesus Christ.
Letting go of the Ego into a life with others is what living
with Jesus Christ is all about. Dr. Bauman referred to the
Trappist Monk Thomas Merton’s “point vierge” as that place
where the spirit of God is welling up within us. Going to
that place every day is what brings us to Jesus. As we
reflected on Dr. Bauman’s sermon and references to Thomas
Merton, we sang a favorite hymn of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.: Precious Lord, Take My Hand. Did you know that prior
to his assassination, plans were in the works for Dr King to
make a retreat with Thomas Merton? One of the enriching
aspects of our worship service is the careful selection of
hymns integrated with the sermon topic and readings.
Hermon Operatic Concert: Saturday, October 24, 4:00 p.m.
The
Hermon Presbyterian Church will present an Operatic Concert
on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 4:00 PM featuring
excerpts from Verdi's LA TRAVIATA. Soloists will be Jessica
Stecklein, Soprano, and Yingxi Zhang, Tenor. Mr. Zhang is
also performing the leading role of Fenton in Verdi's
FALSTAFF with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy
Center Opera House in the month of October. He has been
performing with the Washington National Opera for the last
four years in leading roles. Donations will be greatly
appreciated to defray expenses.
It is our
great fortune to have Muriel Hom as our Music Director and,
through her efforts at Opera International, to have the
opportunity to hear these exceptionally talented
performers. The Concert Series is Hermon Church’s outreach
offering to the community. This type of musical talent
experienced in the small group setting of Hermon is rare in
the Washington area and we hope that you will plan to attend
and bring one or more friends to enjoy this special
afternoon interlude and refreshments.
Pastor Search Update
The
Session continues its search for a part-time stated supply,
such as Dr. Bardsley occupied. As warranted, certain
applicants may be invited to preach and the preaching
schedule may be adjusted.
Book Nook
From time
to time, we seek to share titles of books that have proved
helpful to our spiritual lives and that have been brought to
our attention. If you have suggestions for readings to add
to our list, please contact Deborah Davenport.
Thomas
Merton. The Seven Storey Mountain. The spiritual
autobiography of the prolific Trappist Monk. Available
through the Montgomery County libraries and new from
www.amazon.com.
Thomas
Merton. Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, personal
reflections and meditations on contemporary issues by one of
the world’s most celebrated religious thinkers. Available
used through
www.Amazon.com
Thomas
Merton. Zen and the Birds of Appetite, the dialogue
between Merton and his friend, the late D.T. Suzuki (“Wisdom
in Emptiness”) explores the many congruencies of Christian
mysticism and Zen. Available at
www.amazon.com.
Francois
Mauriac. A Mauriac Reader. A good introduction to
the best works of Mauriac, 1952 Nobel Laureate in Literature
“for the deep spiritual insight and the artistic intensity
with which he has in his novels penetrated the drama of
human life. Available at
www.amazon.com.
Martin
Luther King, Jr. A Knock at Midnight, Inspiration
from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
An excellent audio CD to make your work commute much more
enjoyable! This is a collection of 11 historic sermons with
brief introductions from spiritual leaders and friends
including Billy Graham, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others.
Available from
www.amazon.com and through the Montgomery County
libraries.
Children’s Corner:
“Righteous
people know the kind thing to say.” Proverbs 10:32
Your
habits tell other people what sort of person you are. Just
for fun, go around the family circle and mention one good
and one annoying habit each one has. Include mom and dad.
Do not get side-tracked into arguments. Be fair. Listen to
what the others say about you without talking back (argue
later!).
If we
persist in habits that are annoying to other people, we are
being discourteous. On the other hand, habitual acts of
consideration and kindness make life happier for everyone.
Read the list of habits below. Mark an O in front of
habits you think are good, and an X in front of
habits that often cause trouble:
____ looking directly at someone who is speaking to
you, showing interest
____ leaving a dirty ring in the bathroom
____ leaving the dishes for mom or dad to do
____ asking other family members how their day went
____ throwing your dirty clothes on the floor
____ putting away the milk and peanut butter after you
have a snack
____ always being late
____ addressing an adult politely by his name
____ leaving the table before everyone is finished,
without being excused
____ turning down the stereo or TV when you notice
someone is on the phone
____ (add your
own)___________________________________________
____
_______________________________________________________
____
_______________________________________________________
Make a
habit chart: each one think about one habit you would like
to break (or should break) and one habit you want to
cultivate. Write down these habits on a chart. Post it in
a prominent place. Keep track for one week.
Bible
Checkup:
The
people written about in the Bible had habits, too, some good
ones and some bad ones.
The
Israelites, on their way from Egypt to Palestine, had a
habit. What was it? See Exodus 16:1-3 and Numbers 14:1-4.
Does anybody know what happened to them because of this
habit?
The
Israelites’ habit
_______________________________________________________
If you
read between the lines, you can see that Mary and Martha,
the sisters of Lazarus, each had certain habits. Can you
tell what they were? (Notice that Jesus loved both of
them.) Read Luke 10:38ff.
Mary and
Martha’s habits
_________________________________________________
Source:
Family Night at Home, A Manual for Growing Families.
Kindred Press, Winnipeg, Manitobe, Canada; Hillsboro,
Kansas, USA, 1985. I’ve made a few modifications in their
material.
Healing Ministry/Prayer Concerns
The
session requests that members kindly contact Jeanne Edwards
to provide her with the names of individuals needing to be
added to the list of prayer concerns. Jeanne may be reached
at 301 229-6155 or
psjeanne@verizon.net.
Urgent Pastoral Care
Until the
selection of Dr. Graham Bardsley’s replacement, The Rev. Ms.
Sandra Shaw is available to the congregation for urgent
pastoral needs. She can be reached on her cell phone at
(301) 580-4815. Ms. Shaw has longstanding ties to Hermon
Church and has preached to us on many occasions. She is the
minister at Crusader Lutheran Church in Rockville.
Hermon Website
Our
website continues to be built and will prove more and more
useful to you in providing current information about Hermon
activities. Please check it out as its construction
continues at
www.thehermonchurch.com. The website is managed by
Captain David Stone,
capndave@verizon.net.
Finances
Year to
Date (as of September 30, 2009):
Receipts
Expenses Budget
$59,236 $43,891 71,433
Newsletter
The
Hermon newsletter is published monthly, except for one
combined summer edition for the months of July and August.
Inquiries, suggestions and input for the newsletter may be
sent to Deborah Davenport.
Church Contacts:
Clergy:
Preaching
and Worship: Dr. Ed Bauman,
galatians220amen@aol.com
Urgent
Pastoral Care: The Rev. Ms. Sandra Shaw (301) 580-4815
