LISTENING TO THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD–
FROM PASTOR LAWRENCE
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The book is priceless.
From beginning to end, so much grace filled the entire 2019 Mission in Russia Journey. Even still, I’m able to name the precise moment in which God’s amazing grace overflowed.
In the midst of worship, our mission team stood and presented to Pastor Slava and our sister church in Zlatoust the quilt so magnificently made by many women of Oxford Presbyterian Church. Smiles, expressions of delight and words of appreciation followed. Beautiful to behold, the quilt is truly a unique work of art.
Just as our mission team sat back down, Pastor Slava stepped forward. He opened a small box from a shelf at the front of the small sanctuary. From that box, he removed a small black book. He gently turned to the first page of the book to reveal very precise handwriting in Russian.
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FROM PASTOR MARC'S DESK
Last month, Candace Crist and I had the distinct pleasure of joining three youth delegates from our church (Jens Bartel, Zeke Groom, and Eli Walter) at the 2019 Presbyterian Youth Triennium at Purdue University.
For those of you who have never experienced Triennium before, we joined over 4,000 Presbyterian Youth and another 1,000 adult advisors from churches all over the country for a week of dynamic worship, engaging speakers, great recreational activities, and small group discussions with youth and adult leaders from across the country!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
August 4: Worship with our friends at the Methodist Church
August 11: MEF Family Canoe Adventure (more info coming soon)
August 18: Nominating Committee Election Vote
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
A
dult Christian Education kicked off the summer with its popular series, "Ripped from the Headlines." These group discussions address hot button, even controversial topics in our faith, our community, and our day-to-day life in an open and respectful format. The series began on Sunday, July 14
th
, in the Seminary Building with a discussion on the topic of abortion.
Adult Christian Ed co-chair Jenny Bailer said, "The purpose of these discussions is not to try to come to a consensus or try to change anybody else's mind. It is rather to listen to one another and try to better understand each other in a respectful manner." These group discussions will continue throughout the summer and fall months. Watch for details coming soon!
Pastor Marc for CE
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MEF, FX3, WBP, SSS
Got you guessing?
MEF
sounds familiar…Oxford Presbyterian’s own Membership, Fellowship and Evangelism Committee…the folks who help you connect with others at fellowship gatherings after church and special events. Wasn’t it fun to have an Ice Cream Social with our friends from Oxford United Methodist Church? We are the team that co-sponsored Seminary Cinema and made sure you had popcorn and other delectables to support conversation and fellowship after the movies. Getting notes and calls letting you know that you are in our prayers for the month? That is part of our “praying through the congregation” effort each month to let members and friends of the congregation know that we are thinking about them.
FX3
is our Fellowship x 3 project this summer! We hope you are enjoying the inter-generational events MEF is hosting each month. An afternoon at
our new Oxford Aquatic Center in June, a family movie,
Coco
, at Seminary Cinema in July, and our upcoming family canoe adventure on Aug. 11 (watch for details in the bulletin and Voice).
Hmmm,
WBP?
Hold the date, September 8, for the
Welcome Back Picnic!
It is an annual tradition to welcome back students, faculty, members on summer vacation…everyone… to thank the Lord for rest and joy of the summer, to kick off a new school year, and continue opportunities for members and friends of OPC to
Seek, Serve, and Share!
Pat Gifford for MEF
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CALLED TO LIFE!
Participation in the Myrtle Project this year has prompted us to ask ourselves, “What is the meaning of my life and my work?” Do you feel pulled in multiple directions—work, family, church, and other commitments? Are you wondering where God might be leading you next?
Explore these questions in
Called to Life
, a new opportunity this fall for small groups to gather for conversations about our callings:
- How to listen for God
- Why we are called to serve others
- How challenges and struggles shape our sense of calling
Overview of Called to Life:
- Join us for conversation and prayer about God’s call in each of our lives
- Small groups will meet at various times convenient to your schedule beginning the week of September 15ththrough the week of October 20th. More details will follow in the Voice and bulletin
- Receive a free Participant Guide for reflection and prayer
Why participate?
- Deepen connections between your faith and everyday life
- Build relationships with others from our church community
- Explore scripture and learn a new prayer practice
- Listen to others’ stories and gain perspective on your own questions
- Discern where your calling meets the needs of the congregation, the community, the world
- Consider the calling of OPC, and where our individual callings find a common focus
Looking forward to continuing our Journey Inward, Journey Outward, and Journey Together
Pat Gifford for the Myrtle Team
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OXFORD PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
Tuesday Afternoon Circle
Does not meet in August.
Tuesday Evening Circle
Does not meet in August but the next meeting will be September 3 in the home of Karen Simpson, 1325 Dana Dr., Oxford. Connie Everhart is the co-hostess. Ginny Layton will do the program and Debbie Davidson will lead the devotion. The 2019-2020 PW/Horizons Bible Study is LOVE CARVED IN STONE by Eugenia Anne Gamble With Suggestions for Leaders by Joy MacKichan Walker. Anyone needing a study book should contact Karen Simpson. The price is $10.
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DEACONS
Do you know someone who needs a Prayer Shawl? Shawls are given for comfort in times of illness or grief, as well as for celebration in times of joy. If you have a friend or relative to whom you would like to give a Prayer Shawl, please contact Cornelia Browne,
513-524-7716.
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CARES, CONCERNS, JOYS AND THANK YOUs
IN OUR PRAYERS
:
Keep these friends in your prayers
:
Betty Barnhart, Jean Butterfield, John Curry, Mel & Jean Derickson, Bob Douglass, Nancy Gates, Genee Hesse, Breanna Kinneman, Ruth Miller, Jan Reinhart, Becky Rudolph, Sarah Soika, Joan Teckman, Dave Wilson, Stacey Winn, John & Jean Woodruff
Lord in Your Mercy, Hear Our Prayers
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JOY
It was a joy to be with our friends and Pastor Arun Paul, from the OUMC, for worship on July 21. We look forward to our visit in their home on August 4.
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JUNE SESSION MEETING
(Session does not meet in July)
The meeting was opened with reading, from the Book of Order, the Mission of the Church. Elders shared how their gifts fit into God’s mission and how we find joy in God in our daily lives.
Greg Hughes reported on an improvement that would help this church serve at the highest level. That would be to increase the commitment of families to the youth program
Action items included the approval of the following motions:
1)to accept the revised Director of Youth position description,
2)to accept the revised Sexton position description,
3)replied to liquor permit requests from Books and Brews and Oxford Hookah Lounge,
4)accepted $13,700 in special gifts,
5)set dates for congregational meetings to,
a)
elect a nominating committee (August 18)
b)
elect church officers (November 10).
Oxford Presbyterian Church has received a Certificate of Recognition as a Hunger Action Congregation. Rebecca Barnes, daughter of Mark and Barbara Barnes, signed this certificate. Small world!
Judy Fisher, Clerk
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HAVE A BRIGHT IDEA THAT’S GONE DIM
?
A kind anonymous soul has researched your answer. Once we were told not to put compact fluorescent bulbs in the trash. So what do you do? Call Ace, they no longer accept these. Lowes in Hamilton does. But gee that’s a lot of gas to get there. Talk to your neighbor...I think it’s okay to put them in the trash, but call Rumpke, THEY would surely know.
And it is indeed okay to put compact bulbs in your trash.
Thank you anonymous detective. (Oh I want to tell you who
did all this research but this person is modest. —ed)
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ARE WE FLUSHING OUR FORESTS DOWN THE TOILET??
I am a person who has always enjoyed the natural world. I am held in wonder of God’s creation when I walk in the Big Woods at Hueston Woods Park or sit by a pond and watch the birds flitting in and out or walk by the ocean and hear the rhythm of the waves crashing. I am interested in conservation of our natural resources and I have been an avid recycler my entire adult life. I recently received a newsletter from the Natural Resources Defense Council that made me think differently about a very mundane topic—toilet paper! This is something we all use every day and I never thought about the source.
The report tells us that no major brand of toilet paper, tissue paper, or paper towels contains any recycled content. The companies that produce these throwaway products are logging virgin trees in an unsustainable fashion. Canada’s Great Boreal Forest is being wiped out affecting its Indigenous communities and wildlife as well.
The next time I went to the store, I purchased a brand that was made from 100% recycled paper. If every household in the U.S. replaced one 12-pack of 240 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissue with this product, we could save over 2,400,000 trees. My hope is that if others, like me, didn’t give any thought to this mundane topic, you might want to switch your brand to recycled and responsibly sourced products in the future.
Sue Wilson
The newsletter welcomes articles from any and all of YOU…please share your thoughts and ideas. Thank you Sue! Who’s next?
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Good fun helping at the Food Pantry
Answer to the question of the Month: a hole
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NEWS FROM OUR SISTER CHURCH IN COLOMBIA
The Oxford Presbyterian Church has had a relationship with our sister church in Barranquilla, Colombia since the mid-1990’s when the Miami Valley Presbytery formed a covenant relationship with the Presbytery of the North Coast in Colombia. When members of our church visited the Seventh Presbyterian Church in Barranquilla in 2013 they witnessed the Goel mission which served the displaced women and children in the El Por Fin barrio. Seeing the dilapidated structure being used for this ministry inspired the women in our OPW group to apply for a Birthday Offering Grant through the national PW organization. Our proposal was accepted and donations from across our nation were collected to fund the proposal to build a new building. Our church sent $20,000 and the PW birthday offering sent $100,000 to build the new Bethesda Christian Community Center. In August 2017, another group from Oxford Presbyterian Church traveled to Barranquilla to witness the dedication of the new building. We were welcomed and loved with much appreciation for our Sister Church relationship and our partnership in the Goel mission.
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Oxford Presbyterian Church Staff
Office Hours: 8:30-4:30, M-F
Telephone: 513-523-6364
Fax: 513-523-8215
Seminary Building: 513-523-7411Pastor: Lawrence Bartel
Associate Pastor: Marc van Bulck
Music Director: Kent Peterson
Organist: Lynn Jacobs
Pastor Emeritus: Dr. Joseph R. Hookey
Parish Associate: Rev. Diane Ziegler
Clerk: Julia R. Fisher
Administrative Assistant:
Financial Secretary: Mary Martin
youth@oxfordpresbychurch.org
Director/Teacher C.C.N.S.:
Sarah Lake: ccnsoxfordpreschool@gmail .com
Newsletter Editor:
Custodian: Priscilla Parks
Sexton: Robert Simpson
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AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
2 Tom Crist
3 John Bailer
3 Amanda Bommer
4 Gene Krebs
4 Mary Niehoff
4 Sydney Rollins
5 Julie Childers
6 Mary Bachman
7 Carol Schaber
8 Cornelia Browne
8 Mel Derickson
9 Scott Parkinson
12 Amy McGoldrick
13 Bryce James
13 Janet Ziegler
14 Peggy Harrington
14 Diane Young
15 Matt Lykins
16 Robert Smith
18 Lauren James
18 Robert Simpson
18 Eli Walter
19 Cameron Shriver
19 Marjorie Smith
22 Norah Green
23 Arly Allen
24 Lydia Bartel
25 Peggy Hughes
26 Sarah Barr
26 Buzz Green
28 Isabel Lykins
29 Katie Curry
29 Sandy Douglass
29 Jennifer Harvey
29 Bob Rollins
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August Awesomenesses
August 1, 1774 Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen (the gas) in the laboratory at Bowood House, Wiltshire, England…and we can all breathe easier knowing this.
There’s a basketball court on the top floor of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. It’s nickname? You guessed it: “the highest court in the land.”
August 20, 1938 - Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam, a record that stood until 2013 when it was broken by Alex Rodriguez.
August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King made his famous “I have a dream speech.
Question of the Month
A man has a barrel filled with oil thatweighs 100 pounds, and then he putssomething into it. Now the barrel weighsless than 100 pounds. What did he put inthe barrel?
Read the entire newsletter. The answer is hidden somewhere.
Thanks to 3D printing, NASA can “email” tools to astronauts Getting new equipment to the Space Station used to take months or years, but the new technology means the tools are ready within hours
The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000. (if you don’t believe me, prove me wrong.)
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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We welcome your feedback on the newsletter. We CRAVE your feedback like vanilla ice cream craves hot fudge. What is missing from the newsletter that you would like to see? Is there
anything
you like about it
?
Let me know. Thanks, nancy. moeckenj@miamioh.edu .Now here is your bonus for reading this section.
Why should you avoiding ironing your four leaf clover? It might press your lu
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