|
|
Outer Banks
Presbyterian Church
News & Notes
May 13, 2020
|
|
In This Issue:
- May 17 Worship Service
- Weekly Devotional
- Newsletter
- Fourth Covid-19 Directive
- One Great Hour of Sharing
- OBPC Helps at Beach Food Pantry
- Assistance from Church
- OBPC on Facebook
- Online Giving
- Anniversaries & Birthdays
|
|
- Click the button above to watch worship services live streamed on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. or watch any past services on demand.
|
|
May 17th Worship Service
1
st
Peter 3:8-22
. First Peter teaches us how to live a moral life as Christ’s disciples by its instructions to have “unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing.” How can we be guided by those principles in our interactions with others?
|
|
Devotional From Rev. Dr. Jody Moore
A couple of quotations that I read recently from Pope Francis really spoke to me and I wanted to share them with you. They both deal with how, during this period of social isolation, we are not really alone. There certainly have been days recently when we have felt separated, lonely, depressed, or anxious, but we also need to remember that God’s loving care for us is constant. Pope Francis has said, “Loneliness is not overcome by closing in on ourselves, but by crying out to the Lord, for the Lord hears the cry of those who find themselves alone.” When we are lost, Scripture tells us that Jesus goes out to find us. In Luke 15, Jesus teaches us that, as the good shepherd, when we are lost, he leaves the other ninety-nine sheep to go and find us. And when Christ has found us, there is great rejoicing in heaven. May we continue to turn to our Lord, who is the source of light, life, and hope.
God does not only care for us as isolated individuals. We are adopted through Christ as members of God’s family, the body of Christ. When we recognize our connection with one another, we find our true calling and strength. Pope Francis also has said, “Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is . . . Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.” God created us for a bigger purpose than just thinking of ourselves. While some of our routines have been disrupted and we aren’t able to connect in some of the ways that we are used to doing, there are still many ways that we can serve, care for others, and make a difference. I have been inspired by the many stories of resilience and creativity that we have heard. Some examples include teachers who have driven by the homes of every graduating senior to have a parade recognizing the graduates, people who have called restaurants to pay for meals for medical personnel and other frontline workers that shows appreciation to those workers and also helps keep the restaurant staff employed, and families that have placed stuffed animals in their windows so that children can go on scavenger hunts as they walk around their neighborhood and find the stuffed animals.
I hope all of us will continue to seek creative ways to show God’s love to each other. I would like to invite you to participate in one specific way that we can uplift each other during this pandemic. If you have a story of kindness or a story where you have seen God at work, please share it with me. The stories you share can be your own personal experiences or it may be a story that happened to someone else that touched you. I hope to include some of those inspirational stories in our weekly emailed News and Notes or in future monthly newsletters. Please email me or mail to the church office any stories where you have seen God’s goodness on display.
Prayer
:
Gracious God, we thank you for the beauty of your creation. We pray for those who are sick in body, mind, or spirit, particularly for those who have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. We lift up all those who feel lonely or isolated. We thank you that you are the good shepherd who leaves behind the other ninety-nine sheep to find and save us when we are lost. You are the God who continues to knit us together as your precious children. We thank you for the many signs of restoration, hope, and love that you are continuing to bring to our weary world. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Jody Moore
|
|
Newsletter
Have you been missing the monthly newsletter from OBPC? Pastor Jody's devotional, printed above, is also in the May newsletter, which was mailed this week. If you haven't already received your newsletter, it should arrive in the next couple of days. You can read the May newsletter by
clicking here
, or wait for it to show up in your mailbox!
|
|
Fourth Covid-19 Directive
On April 29, the Session approved the Fourth Covid-19 Directive based on recommendations from the Covid-19 Task Force. The Session extended its existing directives for church facility usage, office practices, electronic communications with the Congregation, and live-streamed, recorded Worship Services through May 22, 2020. To read the the complete text of the Fourth Directive,
click here
.
|
|
One Great Hour of Sharing
PCUSA had a special offering collection that was supposed to be on Palm Sunday, titled “One Great Hour of Sharing” (OGHS). Unfortunately, we were not able to be in church to collect the offering. We encourage you to still donate, as this offering is very appropriate for what we are going through now. This collection is for natural disasters, alleviating hunger, and support towards the development of poor and oppressed communities. If you'd like to contribute, please send your offering to the church office -- PO Box 2199, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 -- and write OGHS on the memo line or use the specially designated envelope in your box of offering envelopes so that we can credit the donation to OGHS. Thank you!
|
|
OBPC Helps at the Beach Food Pantry
Challenging times call for thinking outside of the box! This past week, 16 volunteers from our church delivered hand-picked groceries to people in distress at the Beach Food Pantry. Allowing for social distancing and personal protection, we worked in pairs to shop for folks waiting in their vehicles in the parking lot. Via cell phone we informed the clients of groceries and hygiene items available and then bagged their selections and delivered them to their vehicles! Thanks to Nonie Booth, Deborah Telthorster, Jeanne Martie, Gayle Waldmann, Barb Nowland, Kathy Gunther, Robert Gunther, Susan Furlough, Karen Lurie, Helen Gauvreau, Ron Campbell, Maggie Snyder, Bob Snyder, Ellen Carrico, Tom Carrico and Dot Landis.
As you can imagine, the need for food in these times is enormous, much more than usual. 890 families have been helped since March 16! The cost of procuring foods for distribution has skyrocketed as well. Any and all financial contributions, as well as contributions of food, to the Beach Food Pantry are very much appreciated!
You may make a monetary donation by credit card online by
clicking here
. Or, you may mail a check to: Beach Food Pantry, PO Box 468, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949.
|
|
Assistance from Your Church Family
Two important resources to remember during this time are our Prayer Team and our Assistance Coordinator.
- If you have any request that you would like the prayer team to lift up, please share it with the prayer coordinators. Our prayer coordinators are: Jean Basnight and Rosalyn Pugh and you may share a request with them by phone at 252-480-1028 (Home) or 252-619- 7661 (Cell).
- Elder Barbara Nock is coordinating services and requests by members and friends who need any type of assistance. Twenty-four people have volunteered to help. If you or someone you know needs assistance with groceries, pharmacy pick-up, or anything else, please contact Barbara at 252-255-5979 or nocktwice@embarqmail.com.
|
|
Do you have a Facebook account? If so, we invite you to join OBPC on Facebook. Just Click on the button at the left, log on to your Facebook account, and select "join" on the OBPC group page. Some things you will find there include:
|
|
- Information from Tom Carrico about the Adult Sunday School Class. Click here to view the May 10 video discussing Reza Aslan's book Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization.
- For Sundays May 17, 24 and 31 the Adult Sunday School Class will study and discuss The Apostles' Code: Unlocking the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life, a devotional for Pentecost. A Zoom link will be posted on Facebook on Friday, May 15. If you are interested, please obtain a copy of the devotional through an online vendor. It is available as a paper back and an e-book.
- Children's Church with Hollie
- Posts from Pastor Jody and comments from members of the congregation.
|
|
Online Giving
There are two ways to give to the church during this temporary closure. You may mail pledges and donations to the office at PO Box 2199, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948. Or, you may give online. Just click on the Give Now button to go to our website, then click the button on the home page and follow the directions for online donations.
|
|
Anniversaries this Week
- Mr. & Mrs. Fred Bear, May 14
- Mr. & Mrs. Matt George, May 15
|
|
Birthdays this Week
- Robert Snyder, May 14
- Jane Smith, May 16
- Don Younkin, May 17
- Amanda Martin, May 19
|
|
Outer Banks Presbyterian Church
907 S. Croatan Highway, Milepost 8.5
PO Box 2199
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
|
|
During this time of irregular office hours,
you may reach Pastor Jody or administrative staff
by calling the office at 252-441-5897 and leaving a message or by sending an email to
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
