# 27, January 30, 2003

Pastor Jim Completes the Call As Our Pastor

The Reverend Doctor James H. Slatton preached his last sermon as pastor of River Road Church, Baptist on last Sunday. He is now the first Pastor Emeritus of RRCB. Poor Henry's Second Lotto could be entitled "How long will it take Pastor Jim to remove all the books from his office?" Will it take days, weeks, months or even a year? PH is very optimistic that Emeritus Pastor Jim (EPJ) will again preach from the seven-step pulpit of RRCB during the next year. What can one say after such a successful pastorate? PH looks to Paul's words in 2 Timothy beginning in chapter 4.

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and because he is coming to rule as King, I solemnly urge you to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience. The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. They will run away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends. But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances; endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and perform your whole duty as a servant of God."

PH is confident that all members of the SSBSC affirm that EPJ has lived up to this challenge to Timothy and that Jim has performed his whole duty as a servant of God.

Bill and Charlotte Report Duffel Bag Success

56 EMERGENCY DUFFEL BAGS FOR ISH? SURE LOOKS LIKE IT!

If everything promised is actually delivered, River Road Church will contribute 56 emergency duffel bags to ISH during the January campaign.

50 of the 56 bags are already in our hands.

41 of the bags will be in the hands of ISH by this afternoon (January 29).

Thanks everyone for this major local missions victory.

Principal Ed Reports on Religious Herald Endowment Drive

Ed Pruden sent PH the following reminder for all Shepsons:

REMINDER: On Sunday, January 12, the SSBSC voted unanimously and by acclimation to raise $1,000 in honor of class member Julian Pentecost in the form of a contribution to the endowment of the Religious Herald on the occasion of its 175th Anniversary. Twenty gifts of $50 would achieve the goal. Several contributions have already been received, but our goal is not yet reached.

Thank you,

Ed Pruden

PH Suggestion: For those who would like to contribute, checks may be made payable to 'The Religious Herald' and marked for 'Herald175,' and given to Charlotte and Bill Simpson, who will deposit them directly into the Simpson Caribbean Cruise Fund. Oops, sorry, the checks will be deposited with the Herald business office. For those who may not know, our own Shepson Julian Pentecost is the Editor Emeritus of the Religious Herald.

Shepson Reverend Doctor Rob James Authors a New Book on Tillich

Do you Shepsons realize that the quiet professor who reads the German Bible has written another book? Well, Rob James has a new book, which is to be available in March. The information in the Mercer University Press Catalog is below.

Tillich and World Religions
Encountering Other Faiths Today
Tillich as an effective pedagogue for these postmodern times…
by Robison B. James

The importance of Paul Tillich for understanding not only Christian faith but all religious systems is still being realized. Tillich is widely recognized as the theologian of the modern age-or, as many would have it, the postmodern age. For a new age of preoccupation with interreligious encounters-wherein tolerance may be the watchword but the quest for truth and faith maintains-Robison James reintroduces Tillich as an effective pedagogue for dealing with such encounters and for discovering, in the clamor of so many noisy, insistent religious systems, a voice of truth.

James has reread Tillich with the specific purpose of discovering how we may deal with the many kinds of interreligious encounters that have been growing in frequency and importance. Such encounters, James points out, range from reading about "another religion" to "visiting" the other's observances, to dialogue with its members, to simply puzzling over how "my" faith (or nonfaith) relates to this or that "religion." Tillich's lifelong existential encounter with religious systems and his perceptive appraisal of those systems, James concludes, can lead us to the best attitude for our own quest for a way of faith and life among so many "ways" clamoring for our attention.

Tillich's theology, James suggests, may best be understood as a synthesis of dialectics and paradox. Further-James contends-the attitude most characteristic of Tillich's thought, "reciprocal inclusivism," is to be recommended as the best attitude for our own quest for the word of truth among so many noisy voices.

Robison B. James, Solon B. Cousins Professor of Religion and George and Sallie Cutchin Camp Professor of Bible, emeritus, the University of Richmond (2000-), is research professor of Theology at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond.
Call us (not PH) toll free at 800-637-2378, ext. 2880 or 800-342-0841, ext. 2880 (in GA) For help on orders email us at mupressorders@mercer.edu

PH Advice: If this book is ordered on line, the list price is $24.00; otherwise it is $30. Since all Shepsons will no doubt purchase and promote this book, PH is confident that Professor Rob will autograph every copy and provide some sort of saintly kickback for this timely promotion. Book reviews by any brave Shepsons are welcome and if positive, Professor Rob may enlarge the kickback witness.

Teacher Bob Will Begin at John 5:31

Since mid October and after Teacher Bob led us through the Prologue of John we have essentially covered four chapters of John in about three months. At this rate we will complete John in another twelve teaching months. If we subtract the months of July and August for the Catacombs lectures, the best estimate would be the completion of John by March 2004. How long would the SSBSC take to thoroughly study Haggai? PH remembers the study of Philemon and that study probably took longer than the study of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Read the rest of John chapter 5. Maybe John the Baptizer will be back.

SSBSC Medical Missionaries Have Returned with Their Heads

Doctors Donna and Rob have returned from their medical missionary work. Did they see Hugh Grant this year? Did Dr. Donna restore sight and did Dr. Rob circumcise? Live reports of their adventures hopefully will be forthcoming. The SSBSC mission commitment is all about doing good works for the least among us. The Brown's and their medical team are good examples for us all.

Prayer Rounds

Bill and Charlotte's daughter and grandchildren have successfully moved back to Richmond. Hopefully Catherine, Marian, and Henry Nase will be at church this Sunday. Remember in your prayers the Nase's, Chester's father, the Manor Bible Study Class, Rick and Linda Mears, the pulpit committee, Jim and Lee Slatton and those known only to you.

There are no Shepson birthdays next week, but everyone can just feel good being TWENTY-NINE

RRCB Annual Reports

The annual business meeting of RRCB was held last Wednesday night. The Doom and Gloom of December had been totally erased by this Body of Christ. Twenty-two per cent of the 2002 budget was collected in December. As a result the entire church budget for 2002 was met, including all of the mission commitments. In addition the 2003 budget was approved as recommended by the Board of Administration and Finance Committee. Admittedly these meetings are often affectively constrained, but as Pastor Jim related, "the folks that come to church business meetings are the folks who run the church." PH is pleased to say that Teacher Bob functioned superbly as our Moderator and that many Shepsons were present for this important meeting.

PH read the printed Annual Report. The shortest reports were from the Columbarium Memorial Garden Committee and the Recreation Committee. Does anyone dare to offer a symbolic interpretation of this reality?

Preaching Schedule for February

February 2 (Groundhog Day) Rev. Chester
February 9 Rev. Dr. Bob
February 16 Rev. Barbara
February 23 Jerry Falwell (not really, just wanted to see if your were still reading)

Anthems Commissioned for Pastor Jim

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of Pastor Jim's service to RRCB, two anthems were commissioned and sung at that time. These anthems were sung again by the Chancel Choir this past Sunday. PH was particularly moved by "Niebuhr's Testament" composed by William Bradley Roberts. Michelle Harman-Gulick performed the soprano solo portion. The words are:

"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime;
Therefore, we must be saved by Faith.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense
In any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we must be saved by Hope.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone;
Therefore we must be saved by Love"

The above words by Reinhold Niebuhr are from a commencement address delivered to the graduating class of Dartmouth College in 1949, later included in his book, The Irony of American History (1952)

A Pastor Jim addition to this marvelous benediction is:

"Because it is impossible to live in this world without injury to others, you must be saved by forgiveness."

Poor Henry's Archives

January 23, 2003
January 16, 2003
January 9, 2003
January 2, 2003
December 26, 2002
December 19, 2002
December 12, 2002
December 5, 2002