SPECIAL POINTS OF

INTEREST:

September 4 - Labor

Day

September 10 - Rally

Day

September 20 - Kids

Night Out!

September 24 - FISH

Food Pantry Collection

V OLUME 7 , ISSUE 8

SEPTEMBER 2017

Memos from Memorial

MEMORIAL UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

News for Young

The Spoken Word 2

Letter in response to

Charlottesville 3

Missions of Memorial 4

News and Events 5

Volunteers - Birthdays 6

Appreciations 7

Calendar 8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

The Ponderings

PC(USA) Belhar Confession

The newest confession added to the PC(USA) Book of Confessions is the Confession of Belhar. Originally published in September 1986, the Confession of Belhar was added to the Book of Confessions in 2016 by the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at its meeting in Portland, Oregon. The Confession of Belhar was birthed out of the suffering of Afrikaans in South Africa as racism and apartheid ruled and separated people by race from 1948 to 1994. “We Believe

-that Christ’s work of reconciliation is made manifest in the church as the community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another;

-that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus Christ; that through the working of God’s Spirit it is a binding force, yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought; one which the people of God must continually be built up to obtain;

-that this unity must become visible so that the world might believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted.”

May God grant us the courage to live in unity for the justice of all. Pastor Kelley

V OLUME 7 , ISSUE 8 P AGE 2

RALLY DAY

Walk/Bike-a-thon and Sing-a-long

With the Children back in school, we are looking forward to a new season in our church. Rally Day is the day the entire congregation celebrates the beginning of that new season. We celebrate the new Church calendar year, we celebrate as Pastor Kelley begins new sermons, we celebrate adult and children Sunday School with new curriculum and bible stories, and we celebrate new bible studies.

This year Rally Day is on Sunday September 10. We will have a carry in lunch with the Spiritual Growth Team supplying meat and cheese trays, buns, chips, drinks, and table service. We are asking the congregation to bring a salad, side dish or dessert. During lunch, we will have baskets on each table in the Fellowship Hall for donations to the

Children and Youth Camp and Conference Fund. This fund helps to send our children to such events as Kirkmont Camp and the Youth Triennium. This will be the only time the children will be collecting money so please consider helping.

After lunch is when the fun begins. The children and any adults that would like to join us will be heading outside for our Bike/Walk-a-thon. While we enjoy some outside fun, Jill-Ann will be engaging our indoor friends in a summer Sing-a-long.

What a wonderful day for our entire congregation to celebrate new beginnings.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND KNO

Children and Youth Christian Education begins the following Sunday, September 17 @ 9:15. Kid’s Night Out begins Wednesday, September 20 from 5:30-7. Come join us for faith, fun and friends! ~Nancy

News for the Younger Set

As we enter into a new church year,

Pastor Kelley will be preaching from

the stories of the Narrative Lectionary. For the month of

September, we will begin with the

beginning – Genesis.

September 3

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Guest Preacher, Rev. David Fleming “Affirming Our Work”

John 17:1-5 Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

The Spoken Word

September 10

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Guest Preacher, Rev. David Fleming

Rally Day & All Church Potluck

September 17

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost “In the Beginning”

Genesis 1:1-2:4a & John 1:1-5

September 24

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost “Binding of Isaac”

Genesis 21:1-3; 22:1-14 & John 1:29

V OLUME 7 , ISSUE 8 P AGE 3

In the aftermath of the events of August 11 and 12 in Charlottesville, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

reaffirms its condemnation of white supremacy and racism, names them as sin, and renews its

commitment to disrupting them and working for justice and equity.

We give thanks for the presence and faithful witness of church members who stand against white

supremacy and racism. Individually and collectively the church, including Presbyterians, stood against

hate in Charlottesville. Individually and collectively the church, including Presbyterians, works to

disrupt racism and to build racial equity in places across the country. We grieve for Heather Heyer,

who was killed while standing witness; we grieve for state police officers H. Jay Cullen and Berke

Bates, who died in a helicopter crash while monitoring events in Charlottesville; we pray for the

recovery of all who were injured.

We acknowledge that Scripture has been misused to justify white supremacy and racism. However, we

proclaim that the Bible’s message presents a far more consistent and insistent witness to God’s love

for diversity and justice. This may be observed in God’s delight in the varied creation; heard in the

words of prophets who reject oppression and commend justice as true worship; seen in the life and

ministry of Jesus Christ, who values all persons regardless of any aspect of their identity; and

experienced through the work of the Holy Spirit, who consistently blows through all the divisions we

create, to reveal God’s love for all humanity.

White supremacy and racism stand in stark, irreconcilable contradiction to God’s intention for

humanity. They reject part of the human family and are utterly contrary to God’s Word made incarnate

in Jesus. They are idolatries that elevate human-created hierarchies over God’s freely given grace and

love. They are lies about the human family, for they seek to say that some people are less than other

people. They are lies about God because they falsely claim that God favors some people over the

entirety of creation.

But as we give thanks, we acknowledge the church’s complicity in the creation of white supremacy

and racism. We confess the church’s failure in challenging and disrupting white supremacy and

racism. Too often we have accepted the status quo. Too often we have stood silent in the face of

injustice and oppression.

By God’s grace may we remember the events in Charlottesville; repent of our acquiescence and

failures; and renew our commitment to proclaim and live the good news of Jesus Christ. May that

commitment lead us to stand against, speak against and work against racism and white supremacy, this

day and every day.

May it be so. Amen.

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Tony De La Rosa Interim Executive Director - Presbyterian Mission Agency

PC(USA) leaders condemn white supremacy, racism

Charlottesville religious leaders praised

Rev. T. Denise Anderson & Rev. Dr. Jan Edmiston Co-Moderators of the 222nd General Assembly (2016)

MEMOS FROM MEMORIAL P AGE 4

Missions of Memorial

Second Sunday Café

The next Mission Ministry Team 2nd Sunday Café meal will be a Steak Fry on October 8. Make sure to put this on your calendar.

Changing Lives, One Pair at a Time—Now

Accepting hearing aids and cell phones!!

Donate glasses and change someone's life. Imagine if you could help a child read. An adult succeed in his job. A senior maintain her independence. And provide a community with more opportunities to grow and thrive. There is a donation box on the table by the office to place your old glasses, cell phones and

hearing aids.

FISH FOOD PANTRY

Don’t forget that we collect for the FISH

Food Pantry the 4th Sunday of each month, so plan ahead to bring in some non-

perishables. Please check to make sure

that the food isn’t expired before you

bring it in. If you forget, they will always

take monetary donations to defray the costs of buying fresh food. Please place your

donation in the specially marked envelope

and drop in the offering plate. Help if you

can!

Memorial will host IHN

September 17-23.

The needs have changed a bit and we are only providing dinners for the week. (No overnight stays) There will be a sign-up sheet in the Vestibule near the Welcome Center. Thank you to all who has been part of this ongoing ministry.

BAGS 4 BEDS

It is time to get out the scissors and crochet hooks to begin making our mats for the homeless. We will resume this mission project on Tuesday, Sept. 12, with another session on Tuesday, Sept. 26. We meet at 9:30, and wrap up around 2:00. Come prepared to cut, attach and/or crochet. It's an easy process to learn. Everyone is welcome! If you plan to stay during the lunch break, bring a sack lunch and beverage. Coffee and ice water are available. Questions can be directed to Elaine Anderson at 372-7139. A big "THANK YOU" to all those who brought bags this summer to fill up our barrel in the narthex! FYI: This project was started in September 2011 and by March 2017 the group has made approximately 80 mats. Early on, the mats were donated to the Christ Episcopal Church homeless shelter in Xenia. Recently the finished mats are being donated to St. Vincent DePaul shelters in Dayton, and locally to individuals in Xenia as needed. Using an average of 650 bags per mat, that figures out to 52,000 plastic bags that won't be sent into landfills.

Dorothy Rankin Fund Recipients

This year the Mission Team has chosen the

following organizations to benefit from the Dorothy

Rankin Fund: IHN, Jeremiah Tree, Michael Weller,

who is going on a Mexico Work Mission, and 4 Paws

for Ability.

Established in December 1995, the Dorothy L

Rankin Memorial Fund was started by Joseph E

Eavey of Xenia, Ohio, to continue such Christian

mission projects and other religious and charitable

programs his sister, Missionary Dorothy “Dot”

Rankin had been funding or was interested in prior

to her death. In January 2011, the Dorothy L.

Rankin Memorial Fund established a grant program

to continue this goal.

MEMOS FROM MEMORIAL P AGE 5

News and Events

Memorial Ladies Lunch

A group of ladies in our church who are single at this time of their lives are

getting together to eat out once a month. There are no responsibilities, no

organization, just spending time together, chatting and eating. On Monday,

September 18, we plan on eating at Studebakers in New Carlisle. We will

meet at noon at the restaurant. Call Linda Howey at 376-9686 if you are

interested in joining us or car-pooling.

“So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” —Ephesians 2:14-17

The letter to the Ephesians tells us that Jesus came to proclaim a peace that is uni-versal. While the earthly ministry of Jesus was in a specific age and place, the peace he shared is limited by neither time nor geography. As followers of Christ, our call to witness/work for peace begins in our own neighborhoods and extends to the ends of the earth. This Offering exists to support the holistic and wide-ranging witness of the whole church. For generations, and to the ends of the earth, Presbyterians have borne witness to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Our witness has been profound in our own communities and in places we ourselves have never been, around the cor-ner and around the world.

In this season of peace, and as we approach the Lord’s Table for World Communion Sunday, this message comes to a peak. We gather at the table where Christ’s body is broken and Christ’s peace is shared. We gather at the table, remembering the life and death of Christ that has reconciled us with God and with one another. We look forward to that day in eternity when all will be gathered—from North and South, from East and West—for that wonderful feast. We recall that all those who will be gathered, from far off and from nearby, are part of this family and are those to whom we must be reconciled. This table that we gather around is a symbol of the work we are doing so that we might proclaim peace and reconciliation with the members of the body of Christ—those who are nearby and those who are far off. As we gather at this table, we are reminded of that peace that we are to work toward, that peace that we will one day experience in the fullness of time and at the wholeness of that final day.

A gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering on October 1 enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of injustice across the world. Individual congregations are encouraged to utilize up to 25% of this Offering to connect with the global witness of Christ's peace. Mid councils retain an additional 25% for ministries of peace and reconciliation. The remaining 50% is used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of violence, including our own, through collaborative pro-jects of education and Christian witness.

World Communion

Sunday is October

1, 2017

V OLUME 7 , ISSUE P AGE 6

Thanks to our volunteers!

Morning Fellowship Coffee Schedule September 3 - Covenant Class/Deacons

September 10 - All Church Carry-in/Rally Day! September 17 - Spiritual Growth Team September 24 - Spiritual Growth Team

September Birthdays

If I have missed anyone’s birthday, please

let me know.

Dawn Enoch, 376-9461 Thank you!

Remember in Prayer: Norma King, Lynda Marquardt, Barbara Cooper, Barbara Jones, Don Humphrys, Betty Strickland, Kathleen Strickland, Mary Jo Black, Carolyn and John Sparks, Joan Anderson, Ben White, Jackie Nowak, our shut-ins and military personnel

and their families who wait for them to come home.

Lay Readers Children's Sermon Ushers

Birthdays/Volunteers

9/3 Evelyn Falk Millicent Townsley Terry Reiff

9/10 Mary Ann Van Horn Jill-Ann Bryant Neff Sandy Feix

9/17 Debbie Bickett Pastor Kelley

9/24 Ann Williams Luke Prindle

Janine Montgomery 1-Sep

Alec Poole 1-Sep

Janet McIlvaine 7-Sep

Bob Hurley 10-Sep

Carla Anderson 14-Sep

Beverly Harrison 14-Sep

Jase Jacobs 15-Sep

Don Robinson 17-Sep

Carolyn Robinson 18-Sep

Jerry Williamson 18-Sep

Jane Geyer 19-Sep

Leland Graham 19-Sep

Kelley Shin 19-Sep

Donald King 21-Sep

Jane Humphrys 22-Sep

Drew Montgomery 23-Sep

Mike Ungard 24-Sep

Kathy Barnett 25-Sep

Sandy Feix 26-Sep

Ron Freeman 26-Sep

Magazines Needed

We are collecting magazines that are in good condition for a

friend. Please consider helping us! Drop your magazines

off on the table outside of Nancy’s office. We will be col-

lecting them through the month of September. Thank you

for your support.

343 West Ankeney Mill Road, Xenia, OH 45385

Church Office – 376-9461

Memorial United Presbyterian Church

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-2:00 pm

E-mail: xmpc@xeniamemorial.org

Website: www.xeniamemorial.org

Memorial United Presbyterian Church

Rev. Kelley Wehmeyer Shin

Stated Supply Pastor kwshin@xeniamemorial.org

Nancy Beam, Director of Youth & Children’s

Ministries nbeam@xeniamemorial.org

Michael Weller, Music Director

Jill-Ann Bryant, Organist Dixie Szalejko, Memorial

Preschool Director

We’re on the Web:

xeniamemorial.org

Appreciations

Do you need help? If you are ever hospitalized or want to receive a pastoral visit, or know of someone who does, please call the church office at 376-9461. If it is after hours, you may contact Pastor Shin at home: 350-5007. Her normal office schedule is Tuesday through Friday.

Please sign the attendance sheets in the

pews each Sunday morning so we can get an

accurate count of attendance.

Bulletin information must be received in

the office by Thursday at nine a.m. to

guarantee inclusion in the next week’s

bulletin.

Newsletter information and articles must

be received in the office by the 20th of

each month to guarantee inclusion in the

next Memos from Memorial.

Thank you for the cards and words of encouragement over the long months of

my ordeal. It was good to know I was in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks to

Kelley for the early morning pre-op prayers and visits. Feeling much better on

the long road to recovery. Sincerely, Barbara Cooper

***

Thank you for the generous gift! I am going to use it to get a laptop for the

fall. Thank you for all your love and support! I couldn’t have asked for a

better church family. Madeline Prindle

***

Dear Memorial United Presbyterian Church: On behalf of the Dayton

Amateur Radio Association and Hamvention, I wish to express a sincere thank

you for the warm hospitality that you extended ot the Volunteer Examiners and

license applicants during the recent Hamvention. Your building provided us

with an exceptional location for giving exams, while your congregational

volunteers came through for us on numerous occasions. I would especially

like to recognize Jane Alkire and Dawn Enoch for their friendly and can do

attitude while arranging and setting up our testing. With your assistance we

administered tests to 218 prospective and current amateur radio enthusiasts.

Because of you the 2017 Hamvention will be one they won’t soon forget. I

look forward to working with your congregation again next year. Chris Jebens

***

Dear Friends, on behalf of the Xenia Area FISH Food Pantry, our many

volunteers and the hundreds of Greene County families we serve, thank you

for your generous monetary support of $230.50 on July 31, 2017. Sincerely

Gail Matson, Director FISH Pantry

***

Dear Memorial United Presbyterian Church, it is with much gratitude that I

thank you for your recent financial support of the work of Interfaith

Hospitality Network, Schneider House of Hope. Without friends like you, we

could not accomplish our mission to help those who are most in need in

Greene County. This is the mission of IHN and we simply could not continue

to provide these support services without donors and volunteers like you. As

always, on behalf of our board, our staff and most of all our guests, thank you

so much for making a difference. With warmest wishes, William Mallernee,

Executive Director Donations: $230.50 and $500

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2

3

Pastor Shin on Study

Leave

9:15 AM Christian Edu-

cation Classes - East

Wing & Parlor

10:30 AM Worship with

Communion - Sanctuary

11:45 AM Fellowship -

Narthex

4

Office closed for

holiday

Pastor Shin on

Study Leave

5

Pastor Shin on Study

Leave

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

6

Pastor Shin on

Study Leave

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

6:30 PM Bell Choir

Rehearsal - Parlor

7:30 PM Chancel

Choir Rehearsal -

Choir Room

7

Pastor Shin on

Study Leave

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

Pastor's Bible

Study - cancelled

8

Pastor Shin

on Study

Leave

8:00 AM

Lifeline

Health

Screening -

FH

9

Pastor Shin

on Study

Leave

10

Pastor Shin on Study

Leave

9:15 AM Christian Edu-

cation Classes - East

Wing & Parlor

10:30 AM Worship -

Sanctuary

11:45 AM All Church Car-

ry-in and Rally Day

11

Pastor Shin on

Study Leave

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

1:30 PM Ruth

Circle - Linda

Howey's home

12

7:30 AM Men's Fel-

lowship Breakfast -

Xenia Frisch's

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

9:30 AM Bags 4 Beds -

FH

5:00 PM Worship and

Music Team - Comput-

er Room

6:00 PM Stewardship

Team - Library

7:00 PM Mission Team

- Computer Room

13

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

6:30 PM Bell Choir

Rehearsal - Parlor

7:30 PM Chancel

Choir Rehearsal -

Choir Room

14

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

11:00 AM Pastor's

Bible Study - Li-

brary

15 16

1:00 PM Pri-

vate Event -

FH

17

9:15 AM Christian Edu-

cation Classes - East

Wing & Parlor

10:30 AM Worship -

Sanctuary

11:45 AM Fellowship -

Narthex

18

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

12:00 PM Me-

morial Ladies

Lunch - Stu-

debakers, New

Carlisle

19

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

20

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

5:30 PM Kids Night

Out! - Art Room

6:30 PM Bell Choir

Rehearsal - Parlor

7:30 PM Chancel

Choir Rehearsal -

Choir Room

21

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

11:00 AM Pastor's

Bible Study - Li-

brary

22

Deadline for

Memos

23

24

FISH Food Pantry Col-

lection Day

9:15 AM Christian Edu-

cation Classes - East

Wing & Parlor

10:30 AM Worship -

Sanctuary

11:45 AM Fellowship -

Narthex

25

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

26

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

9:30 AM Bags 4 Beds -

FH

6:00 PM Deacon Meet-

ing - Room 1

7:00 PM Session Meet-

ing - Library

7:00 PM Trustee Meet-

ing - Computer Room

27

9:00 AM Preschool -

West Wing

6:30 PM Bell Choir

Rehearsal - Parlor

7:30 PM Chancel

Choir Rehearsal -

Choir Room

28

9:00 AM Pre-

school - West

Wing

9:30 AM Morning

Friendship Circle

11:00 AM Pastor's

Bible Study - Li-

brary

29

9:30 PM Post Game Party for XHS Band - FH

30