MARS MEMO

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April 1, 2005 Volume 30 &nbs= p; Number 8

AMEN CORNER

For about forty-five years, about all of my working life, there has been a debate rag= ing about our society, our moral code, and the tie between faith and values. Many pastors of tall steeple cathe= drals have joined ranks with the so called intelligential of our society and trumpeted the divestment of religion from our national observance and value system. For someone like me, = the call was to become politically correct, inclusive, and forget the times when Christians and Americans were regarded as synonymous for most folk.

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Since 196= 0 there has been a host of happenings that orchestrated this divestment. The ‘pill’, Vietnam, T= he Supreme Court’s decisions on prayer and public displays of religious items on government property, Roe vs. Wade, and recent immigration have pus= hed and “I’m ok, you’re ok” agenda to the point that th= ere is no present core to being an American.

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You can i= magine my glee when in the last year of my ministry a Harvard professor responded = to all this with a book entitled “Who Are We?” that holds forth we= are straying from the base that has served and guided America; because it was founded and run on the faith and values brought to these shores by the earliest Protestant settlers of the 17^t=
h and 18^th centuries. Christianity, Protestant individualism, and yes, a common English language, was the standard accepted as normal for each successive wave of immigrants, no matter where they traced their ethnic roots. Everyone wanted to be Americans in= a generation.

My point = in the preaching series “A City on a Hill” was that a case could be ma= de that this is the new Israel. We are never going to get it total= ly right in this world. But disc= iples of Jesus Christ have come closer to pulling it off here than any place else= to date, and the gut-wrenching fear is that the happenings of the last half of= the twentieth century might doom the “noble experiment.”

I conclud= ed the series on Palm Sunday with the affirmation that God is in charge. The text hinged on the Master̵= 7;s words in John when he answers the Pharisee’s call to shush his Palm Sunday supporters by declaring that if he died, the very stones would cry o= ut. The point being, God will do what = He will do. I don’t know i= f our society can patch the damage done to our value code. I don’t know what the future= will bring for my grandchildren and succeeding generations. But I do know we need to stand for= our faith and trust the God who not only created a challenging world, but gave a Savior to save the day.

R.B.’s Preaching= Schedlue

As we mov= e to the end of my tenure in your pulpit, you will find that much of what I’m preaching is tied to what I believe to be the epic and essential truths abo= ut discipleship and understanding of God’s way. I’ve been preaching for a lo= ng time and done a lot of thinking through it all, so I believe there to be so= me gems that I’m going to bring out over these Sundays. The Sunday aft= er Easter is the Daylight Savings Time change (April 3^rd), but I’m still going to tackle the questions about the end of life, heroic medicine, and God’s will.&nbs= p; This is an area where our society is divided and we need to consider= the challenges.

3D"Text CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS

The Session has called a = Congregational Meeting for MotherR= 17;s day, May 8, 2005 at 10:45 AM in the sanctuary of the Mars U P Church for the purpose of concurring with the action of R B’s retirement and requesting the granting of Pastor Emeritus to Reverend McCrumb upon his retirement.

Several people have asked= about the Emeritus title. The book = of order says this: “When any pastor retire, and the congregation is moved by affection and gratitude= to continue an association in an honorary relationship, it may, at a regularly called congregational meeting, elect him as pastor emeritus with or without honorarium, but with no pastoral authority or duty.”

Your session is recommend= ing the congregation request the conferring of the title Pastor Emeritus without honorarium to the Presbytery who must take action in order to confer the honorary title. If you have a= ny concerns about this action, please contact an elder or Pastor John, since y= ou will notice that we have scheduled an expectantly brief meeting.

The Session has scheduled= the Annual Congregational Meeting for the= election of officers and committees required in our bylaws. The meeting is scheduled for June 12, 2005 a= t 9:30 AM in the sanctuar= y between worship services. If you have= any recommendations for the nominating committee, you may contact any of its me= mbers: Bill Cook, Lisa Foster, Jennifer Ivory, Mary Ann Gillam, Dorothy Meeder, Is= abel Boynton, Mary Jane Aiken, Steve Carpenter and Kathy Hood.

Please also note that the June Session meeting has been moved to the fourth Thursday of June, the 23^rd at 7 PM.

CHURCH CAMP! =

The Session took action a= t its March meeting to raise the amount the church will pay for first time camper= s to $275.00. This is our way of t= elling families how important Christian camping has been in the lives of many of t= he members of this church. In ad= dition to making it possible for most first time campers to attend with little expense, after registration we will also continue to offer to cover half of= the cost of camping for those who are repeat campers. Both Westminster Highlan= ds and Lambec continue to offer excellent camping programs for people of all ages. Information is available in the rear of the church in the narthex an= d at the church office. There are discounts if you register b= efore April 30^th!

Please also note there is= a $75.00 non-refundable deposit required towards registration, which must be made through the church office..

ANNUAL= BLOOD DRIVE=

The Mars UP Church Blood Drive is being held in the Soc= ial Hall on Sunday, April 3, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Please sign up for a time in the t= arry and talk area. For more information, you can contact Murray Charles at 724-625-1019.

EASTER OFFERING

The Easter season offering will be goin= g to the Brothers Brother Foundation. This organization has been active for years, but became a high profi= le group when people were looking for an effective way to respond to the Tsunami. You should be please= d to know that the support from the Mars United Presbyterian Church has been channeled through a very efficient and effective relief agency.<= /span>

= VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Mark your calendars! VBS is scheduled for July 18 – 22 at 6:00 p.m. Look for more information in the c= oming months.

ANNUAL RIVERBOAT CRUISE

All children in grades 7-= 12 are invited to come out and join the other Beaver-Butler Presbytery youth in th= is annual event to be held Sunday, Ap= ril 24, 2005. We will again be traveling with the Gateway Clipper Fleet in Pittsburgh, with boarding beginning at = 5:30 and the ship leaving at 6:00 p.m. We will be returning to the docks around 9:00 p.m. Please come and enjoy a fellowship dinner at the church at 3:00 p.m. provided by the Christian Education Commi= ttee before we travel together to P= ittsburgh. The event should be lots of fun, w= ith music provided by Charlie Apple= . The cost per person is $10.00, and checks can be made payable to “Beaver-Butler Presbytery.”&nb= sp; If you desire, you can bring additional money for snacks on board the ship. If you have any questio= ns, please call the presbytery office at 724-452-7515.

FLEA MARKET

Spring is here. The flea market can’t be ver= y far away. Look for an announcemen= t and publicity soon, but now is when we begin to collect hundreds of items that = others may see as treasures. Please = call the church office before delivering any large items. If you need help, we may be able t= o send a pick-up truck or our trailer to assist you.

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PANCAKE BREAKFAST &= amp; BAKE SALE

SATURDAY APRIL 2, 2005

7:00 AM UNTIL 12:00 NOON

= ALL YOU CAN EAT

ADULTS        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; &n= bsp;         $6.00=

Children 7-12       =                 $2.50=

Children 6 & Under              = Free

        =    *Don’t forget youR= 17;re baked goods donations!