NEWSLETTER

Boyds Presbyterian Church 19901 White Ground Road

Boyds, MD 20841

301-540-2544

boydspc.org

boydspc@comcast.net

VOL. XXVIIII October 2019 # 10

From Pastor Carrie Greetings!

We are just finishing up our sermon series called God Sightings. We are asking ourselves every day, “Where have we seen God at work today?” and by being attuned to seeing God at work in the world, a more vibrant faith is springing forth. There is something to having the expectation that God is going to show up today that influences our ability to see what God is doing in our lives and in the world around us. It is so spiritually important to grasp the concept of God working ahead of us and being in the midst of shaping a desired future for us all and for our church. Sometimes we can’t quite see God in the midst, but when we do, when we practice opening our eyes in different ways than we have before and stand in the midst of situations of hopelessness or despair, nothing is impossible when our hearts are open to the powerful presence of the Almighty! Any many times when we feel the power and presence of God, God uses us to connect all to the love and grace of Christ, especially in the midst of struggles. I have seen this spiritual vitality working itself out at our last church forum when we were asked to dream about how we might use our spaces in ways that connect people to God’s love and grace. Things like the below came pouring forth:

• Fire Pit S’mores and Sing-Along;

• Biker Break Station (out back where the trail is)

• Offer Underserved Communities with A Place to Meet (injured/wounded warriors, PTSD/Veterans groups, Support Dog Groups)

• Bingo Nights!

• Book Clubs

• Band Concert with Food Trucks

• Corn Maze in the Fall

• TV in Veil Building with Scrolling Events Coming Up

• Mini Golf!

• Worship Outdoors

• ESOL Offerings

• Summer Day Camps

• MOPS Program

• First Fridays Community Events

• Solar Power Station

• Star Gazing Events on the Lawn

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a church that celebrates, prays, sings, connects, engages, nurtures, worships, and has fun together! God is on the move and we are feeling the excitement of renewing our spiritual energy as we engage in worship, service and fellowship. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and follow in the ways he is calling us to go!

On another note, we are gearing up for “First Fridays.” These are events that bring the surrounding community and our church together. On the first Friday in October, October 4th, a “Dinner and Movie” event will take place in Kerr Hall. The movie will be Secret Life of Pets 2 and we will play a round of bingo- Secret Life of Pets 2 style! Spread this news to your friends and come and get to know our surrounding neighbors. It starts at 5:30 PM with a light dinner and the movie will start at 6:00 PM.

First Friday in November, the 1st, we will have a Fall Festival- bring a canned good (or boxed food) or two with a Thanksgiving theme, as we are collecting food for Thanksgiving Baskets for WUMCO.

And of course, the annual Tree Lighting and Holiday Fair is the first Friday in December, December 6th- bring some hats, gloves and/or scarves to donate as we prepare for the Daly Elementary Coat Drive.

In October and November, you will be hearing more about our vision for 2020 and how you might engage your gifts for ministry- your time, talent and treasure. We invite everyone to participate in connecting all with God’s grace and love and to be a part of the movement of the Spirit that we are experiencing.

Blessings to all, Carrie

October 4th, First Friday-Dinner & Movie-Secret Life of Pets 2. Enjoy a light dinner, games, and the movie.

Lunch Bunch meets the second Tuesday of each month at various restaurants. The next gathering is October 8th at NOON at Applebee’s in Germantown. For reservations, contact Marilyn DeReggi at 240-486-3974 or theminimountain@gmail.com by Sunday, October 6th.

20 Somethings will meet October 17th at Millstone at Kingsview Clubhouse (behind the Giant off Clopper Mill Road). Casey Pleasants will facilitate this group, so if you’re interested, please contact Casey at caseypleasants95@gmail.com or Carrie.

Soul Sisters will meet October 24th at Outback in Germantown. Come join us anytime between 6:30-9:00 PM for fun, fellowship, and food with friends. For reservations, contact Anne Davies at 301-922-4332.

Ceoltoiri: Connie McKenna, Karen Ashbrook, and Paul Orts will be here on November 24th from 3-4 PM in the sanctuary for a lively hour of hammered dulcimer, harp, guitar, and Irish songs. All are welcome. Music info at https://www.maggiesmusic.com/maggies-music-artists/ceoltoiri/ .

Music Team meets most Wednesdays at 6 PM in the Sanctuary. Contact Jasper at 706-405-5262 if you’re interested, or you can just come join us.

M&Ms (Mission and Merriment group) meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month in P-W Hall, from 11 AM – 1 PM. At each meeting, we start with a devotion, have a brief business meeting and then make fleece blankets for local charities. Some members also knit and crochet prayer shawls and hats at their homes. Contact Marj Turbyfill at 301-972-0265 if you’re interested in receiving any of the items we provide or for more information.

Upcoming & Recurring Events

From the Session God’s blessings to everyone as we continue to have God Sightings all over the BPC footprint! Consider these:

➢ We received a gift of $5,000 towards buildings and grounds. One week later, a storm rips apart the tree in front of the manse (the home across from the church) and the fee to cut it up and remove it was $2,000. That’s a God sighting!

➢ Pastor Carrie received a call from a recent college graduate who was working with a group of about 700 high schoolers in an advance-placement program in North Carolina. She had been asked to lead a Bible study, so Pastor Carrie provided information and suggestions. First meeting had 35 young adults. Next meeting, 50. That’s a God sighting!

➢ The staff and parents at Daly Elementary School know when we are coming and are SO appreciative with the life-changing assistance we are providing. The back-to-school picnic offered us the chance to meet the Daly community face-to-face. (Thanks to all who helped!) A couple of months ago, we got gifts that totaled $2,500 to help the teachers and we are now working with the staff and faculty on prioritizing needs. Stools in the Art room have already been delivered! That’s a God sighting!

➢ A young adults ministry is being born in Germantown. The ministry is focused on food, fun, fellowship and Bible Study for 20-30-year-olds. Watch for more information and “like us” on Facebook for the promotional ad. That’s a God sighting!

God sightings are happening all around us. Where have you seen God? Let Carrie know! There’s No Mystery in Ministry Teams! Our Church is run by Session Ministry Teams. There are six, with a seventh in the wings.

1. Faith Formation (Dee Smith) – guides the faith formation for not only our members and friends but the entire community.

2. Christian Fellowship (Anne Davies, Brenda Reid Jones) – guides and manages the fellowship and special event times (next up is the Stewardship dinner on November 17 – looking for volunteers!).

3. Worship (Mark Stunder) – guides and manages the worship services and music program. 4. Mission (Glenn Karta) – guides and manages the local mission giving, hands/feets-on-the-ground mission

projects, looks for outreach opportunities, works with the Deacons. 5. Buildings and Grounds (Bob Hoyt) – coordinates priorities, repairs and maintains the property, grounds

and buildings. 6. Administration (Hammet Hough) – guides the finances and administration of the Church 7. Outreach (coming soon – we need a volunteer to lead!) – Coordinates how BPC can reach out into the

surrounding community to bring the Word of God to the larger community

Each Ministry Team works under the Church’s mission statement: Connecting all to God’s love and grace. Ministry Team leaders all have expectations on how to run his/her team. See the full list of Ministry Team Chair Roles and Responsibilities at Ministry Chair Roles & Responsibilities . As always, we invite your participation to the extent and degree you want. There are no long-term commitments. Consider volunteering for just one thing!

Generosity Abounds Just tipping our hand a bit here – we are entering the traditional “Stewardship Season.” In many churches, the months of October and November are key months to collect pledges for the next year. It should come as no surprise that we have been using reserve funds to sustain the financial health of the Church in recent months.

The generosity of our forebearers blessed this Church with significant donations to help the Church survive difficult financial times. Session is very mindful to avoid draining reserves, but this punctuates the importance of your prayerful pledge followed by your generous giving throughout the year.

The current state of reserve funds is (as of September 1):

10200 Investments-Market Value 10204 BPC Pollock-Williams and Boyds Trust Fund 8687 $ 480,526.94

10205 BPC Cemetery Fund 8765 $ 363,747.11

10206 BPC Capital Fund Operating Reserve Fund 7602 $ 120,114.60

10207 BPC Good Samaritan Fund 0493 $ 30,654.89

10208 Myrtle Lee Burdette Hough Fund $ 13,671.97

Our day-to-day operations funding is being withdrawn from the Pollock-Williams and Boyds Trust Fund. The cemetery fund is restricted to maintaining the cemetery. The capital fund is unrestricted, but we have been using it for some building and grounds upkeep. The Good Samaritan fund has been used to support various mission giving. The Myrtle Lee Burdette Hough fund is restricted to mission and ministry.

While Session has enough to run the Church from reserves for the next few years, we encourage you, again, to prayerfully consider your 2020 pledge. It will help Session plan the year much more accurately. Also consider giving an extra gift this year to help us get over the hump and avoid having to dip into reserves. First Friday Launches Session thanks Dee Smith and her team for organizing the new community outreach pilot program, First Fridays. The first, First Friday is Friday, October 4 from 5:30-8 PM (how many times can use the same word in a sentence, twice!?). We will host our community for a light dinner, Bingo and a movie in Kerr Hall. Please see Dee to volunteer to help meet our neighbors!

The idea behind First Fridays is to create an agenda of community programs open to all. Our mission statement, Connecting All to God’s Love and Grace, will be on full display each first Friday of every month. The hope is that families will begin to plan their lives around our programs because we offer them every month – on the First Friday. Upcoming events include:

➢ November 1: 6:00-8:00 PM, Harvest Festival with Thanksgiving Games and Turkey Bingo, Caramel apple and hot chocolate bar, Stuff the Turkey Game, Thanksgiving Bingo, Shake Your Tail feathers, Turkey Baster Relay, Arts and Crafts. Need volunteers to help!

➢ December 6: Christmas Tree Lighting at the Post Office followed by the annual Holiday Festival with a visit from Santa and Advent Calendar Making.

This would be an easy, fun entry point to get involved. See Dee Smith or call the Church Office for more information.

Next meeting: Monday, 10/7 at 7 PM in P-W Hall.

From the Deacons

The Deacons met on September 9th. They recently launched the Condolence Connection Container (CCC). When BPC is notified of a death within the church community, the deacons will deliver a container of household supplies (plates, plastic cutlery, napkins, etc.) to a family member of the deceased. It is meant to help the surviving family members spend more time with friends and loved ones during this difficult period. The first CCC was taken to Grace Turner, whose brother Walter Carter passed away in August. Thank you to Sharon for delivering the CCC this time.

Next meeting: Monday, 10/14 at 7 PM in P-W Hall.

From the Trustees / Buildings & Grounds Team The Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, September 24th. Repairs are being made to several headstones in our cemetery. The septic tank at the CE Building was cleaned – cost $245. The annual clean-up of our three buildings, including cleaning the carpet and the windows, has been completed – total cost $3,420, $1,215 of which was paid by the ELF School. The septic system at P-W Hall was serviced and cleaned and a riser installed at the tank – cost $640. The cost for a needed electrical line repair at the tank was $250. Timers for the lights at the rear door of P-W Hall were installed. The cost for the fixtures and related hardware was $144. There was no charge incurred for the actual installation. The air conditioner in the Sanctuary required service at the end of August. GAC assessed the problem and repaired the unit – total cost $1,370. The sump pump in the Church basement had to be replaced. The cost for the pump was $213. The large tree in front of the Manse suffered major damage in a recent storm and had to be removed – cost $2,000. All the electrical work done on Church property has been completed by Chris Schmidt at no cost to the Church. Trustees extend their sincere, heartfelt thanks to Chris for all he has done for us.

Next meeting: Tuesday, 11/19 at 7 PM in P-W Hall.

Faith Formation Team, By Dee Smith The Faith formation team met on Sept. 5, at 7 PM. The meeting was opened with prayer and a devotional.

The Wednesday Adult class will begin a new study on Oct. 2. The group will be using “Stories Jesus told: How to read a parable”.

The Sunday morning Adult Bible Fellowship members discuss classic texts relating to Christian behavior in our secular lives, with a focus on sharing how the author makes each of us re-examine our own behavior in words and deeds to be more effective.

The new Young Adult group led by Casey Pleasants will tentatively begin meeting on Sept. 26 at the clubhouse of Millstone at Kings View in Germantown. This group is made up of married and single adults in their 20’s and will focus on friendship and fellowship and growing together in God’s word.

Carrie has updated the youth calendar through Easter. The calendar includes youth worship at Brambleton Presbyterian church in Virginia, as well as volunteer opportunities with Daly Elementary school, the First Fridays outreach, and some leadership training.

Janice Edwing organized Rally Day this year utilizing Sign up genius for volunteer opportunities.

First Fridays will begin on Oct. 4th with a movie night from 6-8 PM

Next meeting: Thursday, 10/3 at 7 PM in P-W Hall.

Ministry Teams

Worship Team, By Mark Stunder

GOD USES IDEAS IN A MIGHTY WAY OCTOBER 6: WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY AND

OCTOBER 27: THE SING!

Push back your own thoughts and ideas and allow room for God's word and wisdom to fill you, so that you are able to be used in a mighty way. Dawna Hetzler, Walls of a Warrior

God uses people with ideas in many different ways. Witness all the stories in the Bible where people put aside their own ideas of how things should be and allowed God to focus their thoughts on great things. (Paul’s conversion and the Disciples dropping their nets and joining Jesus come to mind). This October we have two special worship services that were born from… ideas.

IDEA #1: WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY OCTOBER 6 -- 10:00 AM Worship

World Communion Sunday started from an idea in the Stewardship Committee at the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh back in the early 1930’s. Rev. Dr. Kerr (no… not BPC’s former Rev. Dr. Kerr!) thought that churches worldwide could unite around communion and show the interconnectivity of the worldwide church with Christ. The idea spread, albeit slowly, from there. World War II changed that, as reported by Kerr’s son:

“The concept spread very slowly at the start. People did not give it a whole lot of thought. It was during the Second World War that the spirit caught hold, because we were trying to hold the world together. Worldwide Communion symbolized the effort to hold things together, in a spiritual sense. It emphasized that we are one in the Spirit and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

World Communion Sunday took hold and spread worldwide. Christian denominations all celebrate communion on the first Sunday in October. Think about that: Boyds will be joining hundreds of millions around the world on October 6th in celebrating communion. This is one example of God using a simple idea in a mighty way. We plan to celebrate World Communion Sunday October 6th through communion, music, and a fellowship of breads and spreads from around the world!

IDEA #2: THE SING: OCTOBER 27 -- 10:00 AM Worship

Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves and making music to the Lord in your hearts. Ephesians 5:19-20.

It is not clear exactly where and how hymn sings started, but many rural churches in the United States seemed to have come up with the idea in the early-mid 1800’s. They held non-denominational events to bring people together to worship and praise God through song and living out Ephesians 5. The idea stuck- another example of God using a simple idea in a mighty way.

BPC has had hymn sings in the past (e.g. 2003). But, it was Ginger Gibson who came to the Worship Team in late 2018 with the idea of bringing back a hymn sing. Thus “The Sing” was born and was first held as the worship service on February 24, 2019. The Sing in February was structured with songs related to the church year and human life (birth to death). The Worship Team received an overwhelming positive response to The Sing. As a result, The Sing 2.0 will be held on Sunday October 27 as the 10:00am worship service. With October 27 being Reformation Sunday, the theme will be Semper Reformanda: Always Reforming.

You may say to yourself “I can’t sing!” Well, I can’t sing either, so sometimes I hum along. But many times, I think about the meaning of the words. Many old hymns and modern songs are based on scripture and have deep meaning to the words. Listen for the meaning. You may be surprised at the story they tell.

So, come and join us each Sunday as we worship God and keep particularly in mind October 6th and 27th for the special worship experiences. And if you have any ideas to enhance the ministry at Boyds please contact the worship team. One never knows how God will use an idea in a mighty way. We usually meet once a month in P-W Hall. Members of the team are Glenn Karta, Nancy Knott, Dee Smith, Mark Stunder and Marj Turbyfill. Staff members include Jasper Davis, and Rev. Carrie Yearick.

Next Meeting: Thursday, 10/10 at 7 PM in P-W Hall.

Mission Team, by Glenn Karta

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NKJV)

Every month, the Mission Team opens each meeting with a reflection on why we do mission work, and the consequences of our activities. At our meeting on September 23, we considered the following passage from Cultivating Fruitfulness by Robert Schnase:

Serving others in this way takes us to another level in our understanding of Christian discipleship, moves us beyond our comfort zone, and presses us to follow Christ into more adventurous encounters with people. Nobody returns from such service and looks at his or her own life in the same way. Intercultural experiences and genuine engagement with the poor have the effects of shining a light back on one’s own culture; and extravagance, consumerism, materialism and waste of abundance are seen in new ways. As we practice Risk-Taking Mission and Service, God's Spirit changes us, changes others, and changes our churches.

Against that backdrop, we have just had another extremely successful and satisfying mission event at Daly Elementary. A group from BPC participated in their annual back-to-school picnic on September 19, and the impact on all concerned was tremendous. We ran several games with prizes, and the students, siblings and parents had a wonderful time, as shown by all the positive feedback we received (not least of which were the smiles and laughter from the students and their families), enabling us to make deeper connections with the Daly community. Many thanks to the volunteers who were able to attend and lend a hand in person, as well as to those who could not attend, but yet participated beforehand in pulling prizes together, etc. The picnic came on the heels of the wonderful investments in the students that your generosity was able to achieve—we donated 28 much needed stools for the art classroom, as well as over 100 sets of headphones to several classrooms, all of which will greatly improve the learning experience for the students. It was truly heartwarming to review all the handwritten expressions of gratitude received from the students and staff.

If you missed the picnic but would like to be involved, don't worry, we will have a full schedule through year's end, and beyond. The next Daly event will be participation in a Bingo Night fundraiser at the school on Friday, November 22. The details of our participation are still being ironed out, but if you like bingo (and seriously, who doesn't?), mark your calendars and join us. We will also have our second annual winter clothing drive for Daly families. Participation last year was way beyond expectation (kudos to the Confirmation Class for the group project), and we

know that it will be even better this year. We will collect donated items between November 17 and December 15, and will bring them to the school sometime during the week of the 15th. And in an overlap with our outreach efforts, we will ask our friends and neighbors who participate in the tree lighting and Advent Festival on December 6 to bring a clothing item (hats, mittens, scarves, etc.) as a donation to the cause. Mark your calendars, tell all your friends, and participate to the fullest. You'll be glad you did.

Of course, our collection of diapers and wipes for the needy families at Daly Elementary is ongoing. Due to your generosity, to date we have collected many thousands of diapers and wipes. This month we will collect through October 20. If you can, please drop your donations off to the Church by then. Thanks for your continuing support! If you'd like to be involved in this ministry in a bigger way, please consider joining Pastor Carrie in bringing the month's collection of diapers to the school. You'll get to meet some of the wonderful school staff and get a better idea of why we do what we do.

We are also planning other mission opportunities with local ministries. We are on a call list for Manna Food in Gaithersburg; will put an event together next Spring with Red Wiggler Farm, and are looking for opportunities with WUMCO Help in Poolesville, all on the recommendation of the Deacons, our indispensable ministry partners at BPC.

Finally, in the next couple of weeks, we are planning to submit a mission grant application to the Presbytery. If approved, it could mean several thousand dollars in support of our mission activities. Please keep this process in your prayers.

If you have another event that is on your heart, let the Team hear about it--we're always looking for awesome suggestions for increasing our faith and mission work.

Next meeting: Monday, 10/28 at 7 PM in P-W Hall. All are welcome; bring your energy, ideas, and passion to serve and be transformed!

Fellowship Team, By Anne Davies

Sunday Fellowship: August and September have been potluck, with no Fellowship on September 8 because of the picnic. Thanks to Janice Edwing for organizing the pancake breakfast on Rally Day! We will go back to asking individuals or families to host in October, reminding people that the food can be very simple. It’s the fellowship that is important! If you or your family or you and a friend would like to host one Sunday, please let us know.

Picnic: The picnic on September 8 was a big success. We had about 30 attendees at the Fiedlers’ lovely home on a beautiful afternoon with an abundant array of foods. Thanks to the Fiedlers for not only hosting us, but also providing all the chicken, pork, rolls and condiments, and also several salads. The rest of us brought one or two items. No one went home hungry, that’s for sure. Kids swam and adults played corn hole. The day wrapped up with s’mores and toasted marshmallows. Fellowship filled the air.

Soul Sisters will be at Outback Steakhouse in Germantown on October 24 at 6:30 PM. Please let Anne Davies know if you can join us, 301-922-4332 or nannedavies@verizon.net.

Stewardship Dinner: The Stewardship Dinner will be November 17 in Kerr Hall at 11 AM, following the 10 AM worship service in the sanctuary. The church will provide the turkey, gravy, green beans and mashed potatoes. Attendees will bring side dishes and desserts. There will be sign-up sheets to tell us how many of you are coming and what you will bring.

Next Meeting: Monday, 10/29 at 7 PM in P-W Hall. We would LOVE to have you join us!

Appreciation and Gratitude to:

❖ All who contributed to the potlucks.

The 2019 Per Capita for each communicant member is $41.73. Per capita is what BPC pays to The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in order to cover the denomination’s general administrative expenses. If you choose to help offset this expense, you may use the first blue envelope in your offering box designated for “per capita apportionment.”

Pray for grieving: Family and friends of those who passed away during September:

• Brandon Hungerford

• Reba Harden

• Jennifer Shipe

• Russell Williams (Karla Schmidt’s father)

Pray for healing: Betty Allnutt, Dwayne Baldwin, Taylor Barnes, Karla Barron, Tom Blackman, Jenny Larner Brown, Leroy Byrd family, Aaron & Bill Cantler, Mark Cantwell, Gloria Delle Case, Jakie Clayton, Julia Clayton, Larry (Butch) Curtis, Jane Dassen, Nancy & Ben Daughtry, Meghan Davidson, Dean, Averi Donat, Larry Dorsey, Blair Gibson, Ginger & Steve Gibson, Gregory Glaude, Greg, Amy Gupta, Chuck Harner, Joe Healy, Gene & Rex Hoilman, Ruth Hoyt, Billy Huff, Pam Huff, Jason Johnson, Joe Katran, Keegan, Kreg Kephart, Larry King, Eddie Kiser, Irene Kiser, Renie Kiser, Nancy Knott, Ellen Landriau, Sterling Large, Jane Mote, Tina Norris, Tony Pirrone, Tracey Plummer, Dan Rock, Justin Rosner, Bobbie Lou Shipman and family, Mabel Sizemore, George Smith, Karen Springer, Mark Sutch, Valyn Toquinto, Evelyn Vail, Arthur & Mary Virts; those who have recently lost loved ones, active members of the armed services and their families, members of our church, those affected by natural disasters and tragedies. Pray for those recovering from their war wounds, for victims of violence and war throughout the world.

Mission & Merriment has prayer shawls to give to anyone, church member or friend. To request a prayer shawl, please contact Marj Turbyfill at 301-972-0265.

Bob and I would like to thank our BPC family for their prayers, hugs, calls, notes and texts during my mother's extended illness. We felt the love, care and concern in person and in the great distance between here and AL. Your sympathy cards have touched us greatly. Bless you all for showing God's love to us at this difficult time.

Bob and Brenda Hoyt

Our first, First Friday: October 4th, Dinner & Movie

Light dinner at 5:30 PM Bingo- Secret Life of Pets 2 style Movie starts at 6:00 PM

Contact Dee Smith at 301-318-4561 if you can help with this event!

October 3 – Faith Formation Team October 4 – First Friday - Dinner & Movie October 6 – World Communion Day October 7 – Session October 8 – Lunch Bunch October 10 – Worship Team October 14 – Columbus Day (Office Closed), Deacons October 16 – Outreach Team October 17 – BCA, 20 Somethings October 24 – Soul Sisters, Newsletter Deadline October 27 – The Sing October 28 – Mission Team October 29 – Fellowship Team