Connecting us with one another, our community, and the world...
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“Attention is the rarest and
purest form of generosity.”
Anonymous
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In worship this week:
March 22, 2018
Pastor: Rev. Janie McElwee-Smith
Music Director: Aubrey Nelson
Pianist: Bingyu Peng
Liturgist: Todd Stewart
Youth Liturgist: Kate Stewart
Ushers: Mary Martin & Rosemary John
Hospitality: Mary Martin
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Flowers this Sunday are presented
to the glory of God and in honor of
our Daddy's and our Nannies' birthdays
by Lucien & Arthur Smith, and
Janie McElwee-Smith
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Music
Music is the universal language gifted to us by our Creator who strung together the stars in the sky. Though we have often heard music interpret scripture, as we do every year in our service of Lessons and Carols, rarely do we take the oppor-tunity to have music
be
our worship.
On
Sunday, April 29,
we are going to do just that. Nearly all the elements of worship will be performed by musical means, by small groups and by the entire body. In those pieces that will be spoken, we hope you will hear the poetry flowing from the scriptures that comes from the very heart of God. It will be a worship experience like few others and will embrace our congregation’s many gifts and talents as we embrace God’s gift of music.
The theme of our service will be
Love Unbound.
Together we will consider what it means to live as God’s beautiful and wondrous creations, beloved and called, so that the entire world will find that same love in its midst. Come and enjoy God’s presence on this special day of exaltation.
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This week in PCUSA Mission:
Practicing Resurrection
(Paul Seebeck, Presbyterian Mission Agency)
The questions come in the darkness, usually around 3 a.m. “What will my children’s lives be like without me?” wonders Farm Church co-founder Ben Johnston-Krase. Three years ago, at about the same time of night, he received a dream that he was going to start a church in a place where there was nothing but a farm. His main concern at the time was where Farm Church would be. “Where will my three daughters (then ages 6, 8 and 11) go to school?” he wondered.
But now Johnston-Krase is facing a new reality. Four months ago he was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. In Durham, North Carolina, where Farm Church is located, the prestigious Duke Cancer Center is treating him with targeted chemotherapy. He is on a drug that has shrunk multiple tumors in his lungs, lymph nodes, neck and abdomen down to nothing. Eventually, the cancer will return, . . .
Johnston-Krase is grateful to have access to such incredible health care — he feels better now than when he was diagnosed — but the cancer is taking its toll emotionally. “I’m in this thick soup of grief, which includes despair and gratitude,” he said. “Both are full force. They don’t cancel each other out.”
In less than two years, Farm Church has wildly exceeded Johnston-Krase’s expectations. The church has already given away thousands of pounds of food, and 80 Farm Church participants are starting a fourth garden space this spring. On Sunday morning, as part of their worship, approximately 40 to 50 people work the land together. Sometimes when he thinks about getting to start Farm Church, the family he has, or even walking his dog, Johnston-Krase is overwhelmed by it all. “My life has been good and amazing, terrible and terrifying,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful.” His diagnosis is teaching him the truth of what Frederick Buechner once wrote
in Whistling in the Dark. “If you were aware of how precious [life] is, you could hardly live through it. Unless you are aware of how precious it is, you can hardly be said to be living at all.”
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Immediate Church Family*:
Betty Bagent; Carol Behrmann;
Doris Baugh; Inez Geoghegan; Betty Lancaster; Preston Lancaster;
Mary Perry; Deanna Lewis Sklar; Brad Smith; Caitlin Thompson.
Extended Church Family*:
Brandon Behrmann (Carol’s nephew); family of Mary Etta Brown; Lettie Capers (friend of the Leonards); Austin Casey (Jack and Betty Bagent’s grandson); Wayne Cline (Sherry Hutchinson’s brother); Susan Corona (friend of the Bucks); Steve Dull (husband of Lynn Nichols Dull);Dan Durway (former Pastor of Highland); Eva Fuller (Inez Geoghegan’s niece); Donald Leake; the Miller twins (friends of Brad Smith); Aleta Pickholtz; Earl Rabe (friend of Rick Gurtner); Family of Betty Rich (Jack Bagent’s sister); Joy Walker (niece of the Pfeifers);Larry Wilcoxson (friend of the Leonards); Barbara Zeagler (friend of the Dyes.)
*
New names or concerns added to the prayer list this week are in italics.
Birthdays
April 22 - 28:
Robert Stewart (23)
Anniversaries
April 27 –
Rick and Debbie Gurtner
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Monday, April 23:
12:00 p.m. AA
12:00 p.m. CPM Rev. Janie
Tuesday, April 24:
9:30 a.m. WW Quilters
10:30 a.m. Tuesday Morning Study
12:00 p.m. AA
7:30 p.m. AA
Wednesday, April 25:
12:00 p.m. AA
5:30 p.m. HPC choir practice
7:00 p.m. Ladies’ AA
Thursday, April 267:
12:00 p.m. AA
8:00 p.m. Men’s AA
Friday, April 27:
12:00 p.m. AA
Saturday, April 28:
Yard Crew – Mike Leonard & Brandon Lithgoe
Sunday, April 29:
9:30 a.m. Worship -
Love Unbound
11:00 a.m. Sunday Study
7:00 p.m. AA
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Upcoming Opportunities at HPC
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- Tuesday Study Class (April 24) – continues its study, The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Henri Nouwen. Coffee will be ready at 10:30 followed by the lesson, “Part 1 - The Younger Brother” (pages 25 – 58). For more information or to obtain a copy of the book, contact Louise Dye.
- Sunday Study – resumes next Sunday, April 29. A Clash of Kingdoms (how Paul communicated the Good News of Christ to Philippi) continues with Lesson 4 – “The Philippian Jailer.” Contact John Dye for more information.
- Feliciana Work Days - April 27-28. All hands are welcomed for either or both days. Meals and accommodations for those spending the night are provided. Contact Jack Bagent for more information.
- Gifts of Literacy - End of the Year. As the school year ends, “Gifts of Literacy” provides a book for each first grader at Magnolia Woods Elementary. If you would like to participate, please contact Connie Buck.
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Highland Presbyterian Church
is a vibrant tree in God's grace-filled orchard. Deeply rooted in God's life-giving presence here on earth, this tree extends its branches to sup-port one another in faith and reach into the world around it to produce fruit. Whether you are seeking God's presence through questions or service, discussion or fellowship, there is a home for you at Highland.
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Connecting with Our Pastor
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Rev. Janie McElwee-Smith
office hours for Rev. Janie are Mon. 10:30 am – 11:30 am
and Thurs. 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
by appointment Mon. – Thurs. 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
cell (call or text): 314.283.7596
office: 766-5775 (please leave a message)
blog: http://evenbefore.blog
blog: http://highlandtree.blog
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Highland Presbyterian Church (USA)
10024 Highland Road • Baton Rouge, LA 70810 • 225.766.5775 • www.highlandpresbyterian.org
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