Connecting us with one another, our community, and the world...
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“We must be ready to allow ourselves
to be interrupted by God.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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In worship this week:
June 3, 2018
Pastor: Rev. Janie McElwee-Smith
Pianist: Bingyu Peng
Liturgist: Connie Buck
Ushers: Sherry Hutchinson and Mary Martin
Hospitality: Mike and Tillie Groves
Communion Servers: Bill and Barb Pfeifer
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Flowers this Sunday
are presented in celebration of
Amy Stewart’s birthday
by Mike and Tillie Groves.
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A Wall of Envelopes
This summer (July 6 – 15), our youth group will be attending their very first Montreat Youth Conference. Though our church has been before, the young women in our current youth group have yet to experience the life-changing wonder that can occur in those North Carolina Mountains. And now you can be part of their experience!
On one of our bulletin boards in the fellowship area, you will find a wall full of envelopes with a number on them. Each number represents a dollar amount, from $1 to $99. You are invited to take one, two, three, or however many envelopes you like and fill them with the amount on the front. If we are able to fill all 99 envelopes, we will raise just over $5,000 for our youth trip to Montreat this summer. However much you can give, there is an envelope for you.
Thank you in advance for your continued generosity to our youth as they grow their faith at Highland!
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This week in PCUSA Mission:
Most Americans
Attend a Small Church
Not too long ago our presbytery meeting was held at a cathedral-like church with thick stone, intricate stained glass and a grand, high pulpit. As I climbed the steps to the pulpit, I swear the air got thinner. When I got to the top and behind the mic, I felt like I was commanding a starship. There was a smooth wooden shelf encircling the area, like an expansive console surrounding me, but without flashing computer screens. I felt like I could pilot the church straight to heaven. As I looked down upon my colleagues something inside me felt strange. Then I realized what it was. I had pulpit envy.
Everything that pulpit represented flashed through my mind — a big church, with possibly a big endowment. In my momentary reverie, I thought about all the members who would surely fill boards and committees, do outreach and take on meaningful mission projects in the community and around the world.
Up there in my temporary command center, I remembered the small church I serve. The pulpit I use each Sunday is mostly packed with audio equipment. Every so often during worship I disappear to bend down and fiddle with the audio levels if we have a special singer or if the mic has suddenly stopped working. Instead of a calm and powerful commander standing at the helm of a big church, I’m more like the busy
conductor waving a stick at a small musical ensemble that is sometimes missing a few instruments.
Of course, the reality is that big churches and small churches each have their share of challenges to face. My pulpit envy is purely a function of my own mind. If I am honest, the problem is that too often I think of small churches as failures. I know I’m not alone in this. Many congregations
have corporate memories of bursting sanctuaries and expanded education centers as cultural Christianity thrived in the ’50s and ’60s.
We often think that if we were truly sharing the gospel, our small churches would turn into the big churches we covet. And while it seems like
big churches are everywhere, the reality is that on any given Sunday more than 60 percent of people worshiping in the United States are sitting in a church with fewer than 100 people. Most of those people are in churches with fewer than 50.
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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.
Extended Church Family*:
Brandon Behrmann (Carol’s nephew); Lettie Capers (friend of the Leonards); Austin Casey (Jack and Betty Bagent’s grandson); Woody and Susie Chew (friends of Deanna); Wayne Cline (Sherry Hutchinson’s brother); Steve Dull (hus-band of Lynn Nichols Dull);
Dan Durway (former Pastor of Highland); Eva Fuller (Inez Geoghegan’s niece); Julius Fuller (Inez Geoghegan’s brother); the Miller twins (friends of Brad Smith); Aleta Pickholtz; Earl Rabe (friend of Rick Gurtner); 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
May 27 – June 2:
Carol Behrmann (5/29), Bob Buck (5/31), Marian Kleinpeter (6/1), Audrie John (6/2)
Anniversaries
May 28
– John & Louise Dye
June 1 –
Joe and Sufna John
Jim and Mary Martin
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Sunday, June 3 - Saturday, June 9:
Camp Agape - Feliciana Retreat Center
Monday, June 4:
12:00 p.m. AA
Tuesday, June 5:
9:00 a.m. Presbytery Meeting, John Calvin
Presbyterian Church, Metairie, LA
10:30 a.m. Tuesday Morning Study
12:00 p.m. AA
7:30 p.m. AA
Wednesday, June 6:
12:00 p.m. AA
7:00 p.m. Ladies’ AA
Thursday, June 7:
12:00 p.m. AA
8:00 p.m. Men’s AA
Friday, June 8:
12:00 p.m. AA
Saturday, June 9:
Yard Crew – Mike Leonard & Brandon Lithgoe
Sunday, June 10:
9:30 a.m. Worship
7:00 p.m. AA
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Upcoming Opportunities at HPC
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Called Congregational Meeting, this Sunday
following worship for the purpose of acting on a report from the Ad Hoc Property committee concerning a proposed Sewer Treatment Plant for Highland Cove and Highland Presbyterian Church located on the church property.
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Tuesday Morning Study
continues to meet during the summer months. This Tuesday (June 5) we will learn about
“The Virgin Mary.”
All are encouraged to attend at any time.
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Lagniappe Ladies will meet Tuesday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m.
at Albasha’s (5454 Bluebonnet) for a Dutch-treat dinner.
·
June Third Sunday Lunch (June 17)
will honor
Father’s
(on Father’s Day). For an idea of what to bring, look for the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the fellowship area.
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Next Sunday’s (June 10) sermon: “Hallowed Be Your Name”
from Psalm 33:1-9, 20-22 and Luke 11:1-4.
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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 support 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
–
1:oo pm
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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