July SteepleTalk 2016 1

July SteepleTalk newsletter of

Davidson College Presbyterian Church

In this issue…

Session Recap/Blood Drive Update 3 Children’s Ministry/Faith & Families 4

Youth Ministry 5 Young Adults/Disciple Classes 6

Music Ministry/Who Is Jesus? 7 Community Missions 8

Global Missions 9 Presbytery Women/BEST 10

Stewardship/Women’s Retreat 11 DCPC Information 12

LOOK! LISTEN! COMMENT! This summer, Gathering Around the Word, our weekly discussion of the texts and sermons is (mostly) virtual! Each week of the Revelation series, an introduction to the text for the following Sunday’s ser-mon can be found by clicking here. You are invited to view and listen to the remarks by Lib McGregor Simmons and Jesse Jones and to offer your own insights in the “comments” section. On Wednesday, July 27, we will gather in the parlor at 7 p.m. for a real-time discussion.

July SteepleTalk 2016 2

Adult Faith Formation Schedule

The Pines (Marshall Room)

See Maloney Class

Maloney (10:00 Parlor)

July 3: Ignoring God’s Truth Within Us: Romans 2:17-29 July 10: We’re All under Sin’s Power: Romans 3:9-20 July 17: God Set Things Right: Romans 3:21-31 July 24: Not without Hope: Romans 5:1-11 July 31: Death Becomes Life: Romans 6:1-4, 12-14, 20-23

July 3 7th Sunday after Pentecost

Revelation 4-5 The Heavenly Journey Begins

Lib McGregor Simmons preaching The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper will be cele-brated. At the 9 a.m. service, the cup will be of-fered for intinction and also from trays. Com-

munion will be by intinction at the 10:30 service.

July 10 8th Sunday after Pentecost

Revelation 6 Diagnosing the Illness

Lib McGregor Simmons preaching

July 17 9th Sunday after Pentecost

Revelation 7-8.5 Singing Hymns of Hope

Lib McGregor Simmons preaching

July 24 10th Sunday after Pentecost

Revelation 12 Life and Death Struggle

Lib McGregor Simmons preaching

July 31 11th Sunday after Pentecost

Job 2:11-13 Companions in Christ

Robert Alexander preaching

Men’s Ministry

Our Brindisi Men’s Bible Study has completed its study for the 2015-2016 school year. They will resume in the fall with a Kerygma study of The Acts of the Apostles. Look for more information about gathering with this committed group of men for Bible study and fellowship on Tuesday mornings during the school year.

Our Friday morning group meets from 7-8 a.m. in the Village Inn Conference Room (117 Depot Street, Da-vidson). Join us for coffee, prayer, study and stimulating conversation.

Are you interested in a men’s group but neither of these times works for you? Please contact Robert at ralex-ander@dcpc.org.

The 222nd General Assembly of the PCUSA

We have invited Ruling Elder David Parker and the Rev. Steve Scott, both from First Presbyterian Church, Statesville, to offer their reflections on General Ass-sembly. David and Steve served as commissioners from Salem Presbytery. David stood for co-moderator along with Adan Mairena. Steve served as a member of the Gen-eral Assembly committee on Immigration and Envi-ronmental Issues which dealt with some of the most controversial issues before the Assembly, including divestment from fossil fuel firms. Watch for the time and date to be announced.

Worship Schedule Up Close and Personal

Coffee at the Chapel

Stop by the northwest corner of Lingle Chapel between worship services at 10:00 a.m. on Sun-days for a cup of coffee and fellowship.

July SteepleTalk 2016 3

Session Recap

The Session of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church met Wednesday, June 15. The Pastor, Lib McGregor Simmons opened the meeting with prayer; Jennie Clifton gave the devotional.

During the meeting the Session:

Approved the marriage of Rebecca Rainey to Jason Ridenhour on October 22, 2016 in the Sanctu-ary, the Reverend Robert Alexander officiating;

Discussed the fifth chapter of SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP FOR CHURCH OFFICERS. The events in Or-lando have once again demonstrated the need for the church to provide a place of safety, civility and caring for all people;

Discussed a recommendation from the Resolution Team that motions pertaining to items that are not routine, such as weddings, baptisms, member transfers etc., receive readings at two successive meetings with the vote occurring at the second meeting. Concerns were expressed making this a set procedure could cause delay and make rapid response to urgent issues difficult. It was pointed out that Robert’s Rules of Order allow tabling a motion for further study and discussion and that this procedure is always available to the Session should it wish to employ it;

Unanimously approved a motion from the Finance Committee authorizing the establishment of an Operating Line of Credit and authorizing the Chair of the Finance Committee and the Church Ad-ministrator to draw on the line of credit as needed. Finance Committee Chair John Woods reported that the current finances of the church are good and that pledges are being paid on schedule;

Heard a report from the Stewardship Committee which is providing devotionals focusing on stew-ardship to each committee of the Session and Diaconate for use as we move into Stewardship Sea-son. Church staff members are praying for thirty minutes on assigned days, asking God to show the church the way to have the financial resources we need to meet our needs in the coming year. El-ders were offered the opportunity to participate and to choose a day during the summer to spend thirty minutes praying for God’s guidance;

Unanimously approved a motion from the A and P Committee that Mary Margaret Porter and Claire George-Drumheller’s titles be changed to Parish Associate;

Heard a report from the Planning Committee informing the Session that the Committee will be hav-ing conversations with the college and town about options for alterations to the church building and for the use of land near the church and Congregation House. The Committee is also exploring the possibility of funding an Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry through an endowment.

Lib reported on the pastoral concerns of the church. There being no further business, the Pastor closed the meeting with prayer. The Session will not meet in July.

~ Van Lear Logan

Thank you to all the donors and volunteers who helped make our last blood drive on June 6th so successful. Together with the Red Cross, we were able to implement some new changes which improved communication and helped to decrease waiting times for our donors. We collected 45 units of blood which can ultimately save the lives of 135 people. Community missions takes a group of dedicated people working together to serve others in need. We are so blessed at DCPC to have such a group of caring individuals who give of their time and talent in so many ways.

Blood Drive Update

July SteepleTalk 2016 4

Children’s Ministry News

It’s Summer- Let’s Play!

All Preschool and Elementary Kids (and their adults) are invited:

July 6: Story Time & Singing 10 am in the church children’s library July 11-14: Vacation Bible School 9 am to Noon

Catch the Wave of God’s Love! July 28: Ice Cream Social 2 pm Carolina Cones

Send in your picture with a church you have visited to the church office info@dcpc.org. We are the body of Christ, wherever we roam this summer. We will display the pictures on the bulletin board next to the chapel interior entrance.

Sunday School for 2016-2017 School Year Please pray for God to raise up teachers and talk to Jenny Alexander if you are so inspired! We are seeking teams of 3-4 teachers for each class. The classes are: Preschool, K-1st grade, 2-3rd grade, 4-5th grade. Consistency will foster strong relationships and there is still room for travel and "days off." Whom shall we send into the lives of our children?

Members of DCPC's Faith and Families group recently gathered at Davidson's Swimming Hole for an evening of fun and fellowship. Look for more opportunities to get together for fellowship, education, and service.

Faith & Families

July SteepleTalk 2016 5

Youth

On June 16th eighteen DCPC youth traveled to Massanetta Springs Conference Center for the annual Middle School Conference. Massanetta Springs has been a Presbyterian conference center since 1922 and they have been hosting the Middle School Conference since 1993. The Middle School Conference is four high-energy days filled with keynotes, worship, workshops, energizers, food, games, and Christ-centered community.

The theme for 2016 is "Gone Fishin'" and every day we explored Luke 5:1-11 where Jesus invites the fishless and soon-to-be disciples to take their boats out to deeper waters and throw in their nets. To their amazement their nets are filled beyond overflowing and they're calling in backup to bring in their haul. Peter's life is never the same after this encounter with Christ as he and the other disciples receive a call to live an abundant life and share that life with others.

In addition to the eighteen middle schoolers, five of our high schoolers were also in Massanet-ta Springs as "enablers." Enablers lead different aspects of the conference including recreation, encounter groups (made up of youth and adults from different churches), and the skits, music, and energizers during keynote.

All in all, it was a great week for middlers, ena-blers, and adults! We built relationships, laughed, ate, worshipped, and learned a bit more about following Christ together.

July SteepleTalk 2016 6

Fall Disciple Classes Forming…Experience Disciple with a Friend!

A strong community of faith is not built on people only attending worship services on Sunday or holidays, but on people connecting with other people. This can be done at worship, but also needs to be done through fellowship activities, volunteer events, prayer groups and Bible studies depending on the needs of the individual. All of these are an important part of one’s faith journey.

We are in the process of forming the popular Disciple Classes, which will begin in September and end in May. For those that have been through Disciple, you know they are a unique experience of safely exploring your faith ques-tions in a small group environment.

During the 32 weeks, you will read the Bible, listen to experts (on DVD) as they give their interpretation, discuss the interpretation and your questions with the group, all with the purpose of beginning to understand your faith, and how that faith can be applied to your everyday life.

Through this process, you will also build a strong connection with others in the group as they wrestle with the same questions. Will Disciple provide you with all the answers to your questions? No, but you will begin to think about ideas that will build on your faith, and as a result, probably have an entirely new set of questions that need to be answered. The important thing with Disciple is that you don’t do this yourself, and no one has THE AN-SWER, but a lot of people have AN ANSWER. Your job is to find the RIGHT ANSWERS for you.

So if you are asking questions like: Is there a God? If the Bible is inspired by God, should I believe all of it? Why do bad things happen to good people? If I believe in God, do I need to go to Church? Do I have free will or does God pre-ordain everything? Can I be saved by just being a good person? What is the Trinity, and is it important?

If you have an interest, or just have questions, contact Susan Manning (susanbmanning@hotmail.com) or Marty Metzker (martinmetzker@live.com). Disciple is open to both DCPC members and the community-at-large at no cost. So experience Disciple with a friend!

There are 4 curricula that can be offered, with the first being an over-view of the entire Bible (only 24 weeks), and the other three focusing more in-depth on different aspects. Interest will determine which ones are offered, and when. Previously, we have offered one during the day and another in the evening. Watch the bulletin for updates on the offer-ings as we get closer to September. If you decide to participate, you will not only grow your in understanding of your faith, but you will build lasting relationships with others.

Young Adults

Our next gathering will take place on Sunday July 24th at 8 p.m. at the Alexan-der home at 20906 Windshore Avenue in Cornelius. We will bid Marshall Erb farewell as he prepares to leave town. We will be joined by members of Sun-day Union for some fun music. Bring an appetizer to share and an instrument or voice or ears to listen. Look forward to seeing you there. If you know of someone who might be interested in joining the Young Adult group please forward this information on to them or simply invite them to join us.

Disciple Classes

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Music Ministry

OLD FASHIONED HYMN SING and ICE CREAM SOCIAL On Wednesday, July 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Lingle Chapel, John Kuykendall and Jane Cain will team up to lead us all in sharing and singing our favorite hymns. Hymns old and new, simple choruses or four-verse poetic theology, what is meaningful to you and why? Be sure to bring children, youth, and anyone you know to share the joy of singing. Following the hymn sing there will be a time for further fellowship over homemade ice cream, a true sum-

mertime treat. PLEASE BRING a gallon of your own homemade ice cream to share with others. The Fel-lowship Ministry will provide some tasty toppings to accompany your ice cream masterpieces! Please RSVP to Stephanie Rollans (srollans@dcpc.org). DCPC MEN'S CHORUS TO MAKE ITS DEBUT This month we are introducing the new, ad hoc men's chorus to our summertime anthem lineup. For the 9:00 service on July 24, ALL MEN are invited to come and lift their voices in song. We will have two Thursday night rehearsals of one hour each, on July 14 and 21 from 7:00-8:00 in the choir room in order to learn our two songs, "The Chariot Spiritual" and "We Shall Walk through the Valley in Peace." Let's emphasize that you do not have to be a member of a choir for this occasion; in fact, it is perfect for people who can't make the regular year-long commitment. It is also a perfect activity to share with your teenage son. Questions? Call Jane Cain. HANDBELL PETTING ZOO Sometimes symphony orchestras hold an open house for people to get a close look at and perhaps try out all the different instruments, and they call it a petting zoo. So we're going to have a Handbell Petting Zoo here at DCPC to give everyone a chance to hold and ring different sizes of handbells. Look for some handbell tables on July 17 at Coffee at the Chapel between the services. PIANOS AVAILABLE There are two families in the church who have pianos they would like to give away or sell very cheaply. If you need a piano, contact Jane Cain and she will put you in touch.

July SteepleTalk 2016 8

Community Missions

The Community Missions committee is delighted to announce the completion of another Habitat for Humanity house. The dedication ceremony will be July 10th at 3:00 p.m. The latest Habitat for Hu-manity house has been built for Billy Ray and Patsy Archie. The grateful homeowners will live at 841 Blackwelder in Davidson. The Community Missions committee would like to thank the congrega-tion for contributing $25,000 above DCPC’s allocated budget to make this possible. In addition to generous financial contributions, 30 fami-lies in our church volunteered and helped with the construction of the home. This was a special build for our church because we partnered with stu-dents from Davidson College. John Bosak spearheaded the efforts for our committee and noted, “The relationship with the college students was fun, because of their energy, and enthusiasm. It was inspiring to see these young students get out of bed very early on a Saturday to volunteer their time to help the community. It was also fun to get to know them, where they were from, what they were majoring in and what plans they had after college.” Our thanks to Jane Campbell for supplying these wonderful pictures.

July SteepleTalk 2016 9

Global Missions

Our team of 16 has returned safe-ly from our Nicaragua trip. We left bright and early on June 10th…well…dark and early actual-ly. Our flights went smoothly and we arrived in Managua without incident. Our first day was spent getting settled and then visiting our mission partners at Jubilee House. We had the opportunity to deliver 6 laptop computers to them that had been supplied by another mission partner, E2D. We also took medicine to add to their pharmacy in their medical clinic. We were inspired by their work and their dedication to the people of Nicaragua.

On Sunday we travelled 8+ hours by bus to Kilambe and stayed the night in Maleconcito. Because of heavy rains we were not able to take the bus all the way to La Naranja, the community where we would stay. We walked there the next morning and spent several days getting to know community members, play-ing and singing songs with children and youth, hiking through their beautiful hills and mountains, making friendship bracelets, marmalade, and tortillas, and learning their way of life. We engaged in theological reflection each evening and shared our observations and experiences. We demolished an old preschool shel-ter and helped prepare for the building of a new preschool. We helped to teach recorder lessons and art lessons. We delivered school supplies to the nine schools throughout Kilambe. We worshipped, prayed, learned new Spanish phrases, drank lots of coffee, and shared with them about our life in the states. It was a wonderful experience. We were grateful to have time with our friend Gerardo, the Nicaraguan

artist, and his wife Maria. They accompanied us throughout the week and brought their own fresh per-spectives and creativity to each encounter. We ended our trip with a lovely lunch on the Pacific coast, walks on the beach, horseback riding, and good conversation. If you see one of our travel-ers around town or at church, please take time to ask them about the trip.

This year’s group included Connors An-derson, Catherine Castoral, Julia DesRoches, Ryan Emerson, Rebecca Fesperman, Sara Kate Harris, Maggie O’Brien, Caroline Piephoff, Jon Regen, Halynna Snyder, Jack Ahearn, Robert Al-exander, Leslie Cosentine, Jay Harris, Rosemary Klein, and David Pressly.

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Presbyterian Women is excited that that Dorothy Sloan has agreed to serve as moderator for the 2016-17 year. PW continues looking at new ways to reach out to members of the congregation to provide experiences for worship and Bible study, service and fellowship. Circles will begin in September. There is discussion of having one or two “Sunday morn-ing circles” in addition to the eight current circles. If this idea appeals to you and you would like to be part of the planning process please email Dorothy Sloan dot.sloan@att.net or Jane Holland jwh6769@aol.com .

Mark your calendars for an overview and study session on the Horizons study for this year entitled Who is Jesus? What a difference a Lens Makes. led by George Ramsey on August 27. For additional information or to register, please click here. PW collected $1132 for the Birthday offering this spring, sending half to the denominational offering and half to the DCPC Habitat Build. PW also sent to $1152 to Healthy Women Healthy Families to sup-port projects with women’s and children’s health. We appreciate the congregation’s support of this group through Mothers Day cards and the Alternative Gift Fair.

Follow these simple steps: 1. Choose one or more of the following Fridays that you can provide a bag of food: July 1st, July 8th, July

15th, July 22nd, July 29th, August 5th, August 12th, August 19th, and August 26th.

2. Email Catherine Bragg at catherinebragg@bellsouth.net or Rosemary Klein at klein924@earthlink.net to sign up for your specific dates. A reminder will be sent the Monday of the week that you are providing a bag.

3. Use the following list to fill your bag. Remember to use a brown paper bag. Helpful tips: Store brands are fine ½ gallon of milk and cheese sticks will be added before delivery

Small variations from this list are acceptable

4. Pack all food in brown paper grocery bag

5. Bring your full bag to the Student Center by 9:30 AM on your particular Friday.

If you'd prefer for someone to shop for you, write a

check to DCPC and write “Blythe Food” in the memo line.

Let's give it our BEST and feed all 25 chil-dren on the summer weekends! Questions- contact Catherine at

the above address.

~ Catherine Bragg

1 loaf of bread, basic wheat or white

1 small jar of Peanut Butter

1 small jar of strawberry or grape jelly

1 box of Macaroni and Cheese (Ex. Velveeta Shells- does not need butter or milk added)

1 box of any cereal that would appeal to kids

1 4 pack of individual fruit containers (must have easy peel off top)

3 cans of ravioli (must be easy pop top)

1 8 pack of peanut butter or cheese crackers

Help feed the children—Blythe Partnership

Presbytery Women

July SteepleTalk 2016 11

Stewardship: Managing the Resources God has Entrusted to You One of the greatest challenges to our spiritual formation is posed by our money and possessions. Jesus warned us in Luke 12:15, “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And yet, who of us hasn’t felt the pull and the lure to get all we can? To counter the lure of the “more monster,” God calls us to develop ourselves as stewards in His economy.

Stewardship reflects the simple truth that God is the owner of all we have, and we are the managers of all He has given us. As such, our job is to manage His resources in accordance with His financial plan-a plan which includes everything from earning money, to spending money, to saving money, to giving money. When we realize that we am simply managers of God’s resources, every expenditure becomes a spiritual decision. What we allocate to one area cannot be used in another. So, the question for each of us is, “Does my stewardship of God’s resources reflect God’s priorities or my own?” The easiest way to answer that is to take a look at your checkbook. What evidence exists that you are in touch with His kingdom priorities?

Someone has said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” One of the greatest signs that God’s heart is being formed within us is evidenced by our giving. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” We can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving. And so, as you use your compass this month, ask God to fashion within you the heart of a wise, loving, and generous steward.

courtesy of Northwoods Community Church Peoria, Illinois

Stewardship

Women’s Retreat

Generations September 16-18, 2016

William Black Lodge • Montreat, NC

Generations…We hear about them all the time. The Greatest Generation. Baby Boomers. Generation X. Millennials. And now, people are begin-ning to talk about Generation Z, “the Boomlets.” With help from Biblical stories about people of different generations, we will listen to God and one another as we wrestle with how we relate to, care for, understand, teach, learn from, and support each other in light of our generational similarities and differences. Debbie Dodson Parsons is a native Texan who left San Antonio 8 years ago to become pastor and head of staff of Leesburg (VA) Presbyterian Church. Debbie, who likes to say that she is “a Texas missionary to Northern Virginia,” is a graduate of Austin Col-lege (a Presbyterian-related liberal arts college in Sherman, TX) and Vanderbilt Divinity School. Her or-dination and installation as chaplain of Mary Baldwin College in l976 made her the first woman to be ordained in Shenandoah Presbytery. Her ministry career has included Presbytery staff, associate pastor, director of campus ministry and service learning at a community college, and interim pastor at 9 churches. Deb-bie and her husband David are parents of two grown daughters, Molly and Lib-by. Among Debbie’s favorite pastimes are walks, books, flowers, happy hours with friends and family, and the Sunday afternoon respite of reading the wedding section of the New York Times. You are encouraged to invite your mother, daughter, sister, or other family member to join you for this very special weekend!

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Davidson College Presbyterian Church Directory dcpc.org † 100 North Main Street, P.O. Box 337, Davidson North Carolina 28036

Office | Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Phone: 704-892-5641; Fax: 704-892-5956

Pastor

Lib McGregor Simmons, x20

Associate Pastor

Robert Alexander, Discipleship & Mission, x25

Parish Associates

Mary Margaret Porter, Sr. Adult Ministry,x34

Claire George Drumheller, Campus Ministry

x15

Administrative Assistants

Rhonda Boggs, x29

Julie Nardella, x10

Church Administrator

Harriett Rosebrough, x19

Bookkeeper

Trish Jones, x30

Director of Music

Jane Cain, x 14

Associate Director of Music

David Brinson, x 17

Director of Congregational Life

Stephanie Rollans, x12

Staff Associate for Youth Ministry

Matt Wiggins x16

Staff Associate for Children’s Ministry

Jenny Alexander x13

Custodian

Sid Wishon, x 28

Kitchen Manager/Chef

Betsy Verhey, 704-906-5191

Director of Preschool

Kristin Clark, x26 or 704-655-1271

Clerk of Session

Van Lear Logan, 704-892-8716

Administration & Personnel Chair

Chris Ahearn, 704-892-3408 Greg Krystalowych, 704-892-9192

Faith Formation Planning Chair

Sarah Henry, 704-575-6390

Community Missions Chair

John Bosak, 704-894-0439

Finance Chair

John Woods, 704-892-6458

Global Mission Chair

Rosemary Klein, 704-8952-8306

Membership Chair

Lovenia Summerville, 704-987-8574

Property Chair

J.D. Densmore, 704-892-3315

Planning Chair

Alice Sudduth, 704-892-3687

Stewardship Chair

Jennie Clifton, 704-892-3216

Worship Chair

Mark Newbold, 704-655-8040

Youth Chair

Becky Montgomery, 704-892-5430

Campus Ministry Chair

Charles Houck, 704-987-9232

Congregational Care Chair

Holly Moton, 704-896-0037 Jim Shaw, 704-402-7641 Susan Krebs, 704-795-0539

Fellowship Chair

Kim Beard, 704-892-4406

SAGES

Sharon Sells, 704-895-4865

Endowment Chair

Jim Brueggemann, 704-895-4469

Hospitalization

If you or your loved one are in

an area hospital, call the Church

Office to notify one of the Pas-

tors.

Baptisms & Weddings

The use of the Church for Bap-

tisms, Wedding, and other

events are available to active

members. Contact the Church

Office.

Career Transition July 6th meeting cancelled

Davidson Career Transition Group meets the first and third Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. in room 216 at Davidson United Methodist Church. The group is free and open to those seeking new jobs. Contact DCPC mem-ber Jay Neal with questions (704-894-9797)

As we pray for peace in God’s world, we also remember in prayer those serving our country:

Jonathan Burris • Carter Chandler • Bert Concepcion • David Coon • James Cowan • Matthew

Cowan • Justin Davis • Bradley Granville • Clark

Mabry • Jen Larson Miller •Robert Morgan • Robert Proffit • Andrew Scott • Brion Stroud •Henry White

Intercessory Prayer

Prayer Cards are available in the pew racks and at the church information center. Please place your request for prayer in the offering plate. You may also submit requests online by clicking the link on the website (www.dcpc.org). Requests are made known to those gathered for silent intercessory prayer on Wednesday mornings at 11:30 in the Parlor. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join in prayer at that hour in the parlor or wherever you are.

Worship Service Schedule

Sundays (through 8/14) 9:00 a.m. Sanctuary 10:30 a.m. Lingle Chapel

Sunday School 10:00 Malone y- Parlor

Coffee & Fellowship 10:00 a.m.-10:30a.m. northwest corner of Lingle Chapel

Child care provided

8:45 to 11:30 Nursery (birth- age 2) is downstairs, room 14. Pre-school (ages 3-5) is by the ramp door, room 118.