Vol. 2, # 29, Feb. 27, 2004

Easter Food Baskets Project Begins Monday

Every one should now know about the SSBSC Easter Food Baskets Project. This mission project will run until April 4 or Palm Sunday. The details of what to include in a basket follows:

Suggestions for Easter food baskets for a family of four:

For a family of four or more - nine cans of vegetables, six cans of fruit, one box of crackers, one box of cereal, one box of rice, three packages of spaghetti sauce, one box of pancake mix, one package of dry beans, one bag of potatoes, one box of macaroni and cheese, two large boxes of jello, one bottle of syrup, one jar of jelly, three cans of tuna, one box of oatmeal, one bag of apples, two pounds of pasta, one box of bisquick, and one can of ham. NOTE: let's try to include a $10 gift card. Always try to avoid glass containers.

You might want to consider teaming up with a friend to shop for food. If you need help getting your food out of your car and/or to church, call Charlotte and Bill Simpson at 285-3185 and they will unpack it for you. If you want to participate in this local missions project, but are unable to shop yourself, call Charlotte and Bill and they will shop for you. If you have trouble getting out to WalMart, call Charlotte and Bill and they will purchase your gift certificate for you.

Rod Gordon Is the New ISH Community Resources Developer, Charlotte and Bill Report

Dear Everyone, Henrico County Social Services has employed a permanent, full-time person to become its new Community Resource Developer. His name is Rod Gordon and his first day on the job will be Thursday, February 26. His telephone number will be 501-4091. Charlotte and I will be able to meet Mr. Gordon on Thursday (yesterday) at 2 o'clock. If any of you are also free at that time, we can all ride over together.

Charlotte and Bill

The SBC Accuses the BWA of Being Anti-American

Lotz Disputes SBC Charges in Letter to BWA Leadership
[the full letter is posted at www.mainstreambaptists.org]

Bob Allen [EthicsDaily.com managing editor]
02-23-04

Southern Baptist Convention leaders accuse the Baptist World Alliance of being anti-American because of views of Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu, BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz charged in a letter to members of the BWA general council, committees and commissions members dated Monday. In a lengthy letter countering what he called "misunderstanding," "generalization" and "actually false accusations" in a report approved last week calling for the Southern Baptist Convention to sever ties with the global Baptist fellowship, Lotz gave details not previously reported of what Southern Baptist leaders have described as "a decided anti-American tone" emerging in the BWA in recent years.

Lotz said the BWA is accused of anti-Americanism because of statements by Tutu, made not at any BWA meeting, but elsewhere. He said the Anglican bishop of South Africa, who won the Nobel Prize in 1984, was invited to address the BWA General Council only because of his work with Nelson Mandela against apartheid.

The BWA also was accused of liberalism for hearing Tutu, Lotz said. But Tutu's views on human sexuality came after the meeting and were not part of any BWA discussion. "It is a stretch to accuse the BWA of liberalism because we hear an outstanding world figure report on reconciliation and the end of racism," Lotz said in the letter.

PH thanks Kathy Wade for sending portions of this letter.

This Sunday Is Leap Sunday

It is unusual for February to have five Sundays. This Sunday will be the fifth Sunday and is leap day. This does not mean that stallions are any more frisky than on any other day. It does mean that the church has five Sundays in which to collect offerings this month. The last time February 29 was on a Sunday was in 1976 when all of us were one year old. You may remember your parents telling you that Gerald Ford was President. Was he elected or not? It is difficult to recall when one was in a high chair.

Prayer Rounds

Emily King's Aunt Velma Brice died on Wednesday, February 18. Emily will be handling her aunt's affairs in New Jersey. Reports indicate that Hilton Almond is doing well post coronary by-pass surgery and recovering at home. The late Barbara Thomson's mother, Hollie Bailey Enroughty Shelton, died this past Tuesday. We will remember the various generations of the Thomson Family in our prayers.

Remember in your prayers the Thomson Family, Hilton Almond, Emily King, the family of Gail Pollard, Linda Mears and her family, Matt Brooks, Kay and Bob Culpepper, John and Margaret Oliver, Mary and Julian Pentecost, Donald Deer, Dot and Cecil Sherman, the Church staff, the Pastor's Search Committee, the Denominational Affairs Committee, our military in harm's way, the least among us (especially those fellow citizens who are homeless) and those only known to you.

Shepson Judy Morris Reports on the Ashir Family,
Her E-mail to Norma Hays Reads:

"I am writing to update you on Aziza Ashir's family so that you can inform the Journey Class.

I and the Ashir family are very appreciative of the gift of the Journey Class to this family which has so much need. It has helped greatly, as you will see they have had so many challenges. This, of course, is not the first time you have reached out to them, personally and as a part of the Journey class A year ago, the Journey Class quickly stepped up in a very generous way also.

With Aziza's continued health problems and her needing her daughter's help, her son-in -law came from Maine and took her and the fourteen year old there a week and a half ago. Aziza is still having health problems and really needs her daughter's help. In three days after going there she was given Medicaid and able to be seen by doctors who believe she needs to be seen by some specialists. She was told she could have a free apartment in two weeks with all utilities paid, and food stamps provided the first of March. In the meantime I'm still picking up utility bills and helping with essentials.

Aziza realizes she must accept this community, Lewiston/Auburn, ME, which can help her live with much more easily acquired public assistance, while she tries to get well and then, hopefully, get the education she needs to become a certified nurse (her profession in her country) who can earn a living wage. It became clear that she was not going to be able to make a living wage or get public assistance here.

Since mid December when Aziza got sick, I have needed to cover $2,100, with living expenses here and the cost of a U-Haul truck which left Sunday. Journey class gave $600 at the end of February and another individual gave me $100. The Robert Smart class has promised to give $500 the first of March.

I expect expenses of about $850 more, part of which is to cover the rent of the Richmond apartment until we can get a sublease on March 15, which the rental agency is trying very hard to help obtain. If the latter goes through, I should get some of the rent back. Daughter's husband is out of work since the end of December, so money is not great for any of them. But Aziza is hopeful that her health will improve and she can go to work again.

Today, Aziza said to me on the phone, "You know I will never just sit down and do nothing." I know she has been very determined to work and has been a very caring personal care assistant who lovingly took care of elderly people. I believe she will do this again, when her health improves.

Again, I wish to say thank you to you, the Robert Smart Class, and others for your compassion in reaching out to this family. The Ashirs will never forget that when public assistance here could do nothing for them, "church-people," as she calls us, helped her again and again. In the three years that they were here, Aziza gained many skills that make her more able to negotiate for herself. She speaks English much more fluently than her daughter in Maine, and is also coming along with her writing and reading of English. This is largely attributed to the work of the ESL school at Second Baptist which River Road partners in sponsoring".

Judy Morris

Teacher Gene Taught from John

Last Sunday Teacher Gene taught from the Gospel of John and reached John 17:18. Teacher Bob will probably begin at this point on this Sunday. Maybe we will learn if we are a part of the collective One. As most of you would probably know, the Jesus Seminar colors the entire seventh chapter in black ink, not one hint of gray. They believe that these words reflect the beliefs of the Johannine community more than any actual words of Jesus. Speaking of the Jesus Seminar PH has been greatly inspired by Cecil Sherman's last two sermons from the Sermon on the Plain in Luke, chapter six. The Jesus Seminar cited the following words from the beginning of the Sermon on the Plain as being worthy of red print.

"Congratulations, you poor!
God's domain belongs to you.
Congratulations, you hungry!
You will have a feast.
Congratulations, you who weep now!
You will laugh.

Love your enemies."

In Cecil's sermon on February 15, he ended his sermon in regard to the poor with these words and suggestions:

"Having warned you, let me give you my application of these teachings. Number one, don't stereotype the poor as deadbeats. Most aren't and if God looks on those people with favor, maybe we'd better begin to think that way. Second suggestion, keep a constant guard against what L.R. Scarborough called the "money heart." Don't set your goal to make, gather, and accumulate money. If you do, it harms your soul.

Drinking from the culture, a freshman business student at SMU was asked, "Why did you come to the business school at SMU?" The student said, "To make as much money as fast as I can." Now if you buy into that as a target, the kingdom of God, which Jesus put great store by, will be way down your hit list.

Third suggestion, encourage your children to go into service professions—teaching, medicine, with a point of view to service, church, missions. These professions tend to help the hurting, rather than enlarge the helper. That's why they're called service professions. There are people from the law who work from that motivation. Turning your work to help those people Jesus seems to favor.

Fourth suggestion—support public policy that helps the poor. Let this inform your vote, the politicians you support; public policy can be God's work. Now some of you have a rather cynical opinion about that. I'd like you to soften that opinion. Abraham Lincoln did public policy that powerfully assisted people who were called slaves. Woodrow Wilson worked from motivations that were formed in part listening to his Presbyterian father preach. William Wilberforce stayed in the English Parliament in the late 18th century, early 19th century, until public policy came to reflect his values, which were deeply, powerfully Christian.

Fifth suggestion—use your influence to drive the budget of this church toward the care of the poor. The best mission dollar this church ever spends is when the board of missions or some other group in this church takes some of our money, gives their time and labor, magnifies that dollar. That's the best dollar we spend. There was a period of time when I worked for an organization trying to ask churches like this to give money to that organization. I think they did some good and there are other organizations that do good things too. But, the best dollar is stretched. When Chester takes a bunch of kids and they go on mission, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. Drive the budget of this church in that direction.

Sixth suggestion—have a tender heart to appeals for the poor. I suspect you're saying, well, you just don't know how many you'll get. Well, I'll tell you what; I'll bring my stack of appeals and you bring yours and we'll count them. I get them too. I sort them, just like you do. Some of them I don't respond to. Some of them I do. This text pushes me to have a tender heart to appeals for the poor. Now, I'm going to evaluate, I'm going to use what sense I've got. Some appeals are not very good. An awful lot of money goes in directions that don't do as advertised, but others do. Those organizations are like churches. Some churches are wonderful and some churches, not much. Now, sort these appeals. Aim them in a direction that responds directly to Jesus' Sermon on the Plain.

That's the end of my suggestions. Now what do you think? First, what do you think of the teaching and then what do you think of the ways to make it happen if you believe the teaching? That's where church is supposed to go. My job is not to tell you what to do. It's to tell you what Jesus said, believing that it will take root in your heart and you will do the right thing, but we're back at the introduction now. The words of Jesus are supposed to have power over the people who have said Jesus Christ is Lord. Find ways to make this happen."

(This entire sermon is found on the church's webpage under Publications, sermon for February 15, 2004)

PH believes that the SSBSC attempts to follow Cecil's suggestions mentioned in his sermon.

Birthdays, etc.

There are no Shepson birthdays or anniversaries until PHA comes your way again on March 5, but on March 6, Dr. Donna and Dr. Rob will celebrate twenty-two years of united bliss. Also remember that our Spring Hymn Sing will be at the Brown's home on March 20.

Will You See "The Passion of the Christ?"

PH has talked to one person who has actually seen Mel Gibson's movie of "The Passion of the Christ." Is this film just another Hollywood successful marketing project or does it offer any religious value? It would seem that "evangelicals" find some message in the film, but others find the film to be more of a sado masochistic endurance experience. How can an execution by crucifixion be anything but stark and violent? How can we ever estimate or know the thousands of Christians who have met painful and cruel deaths because of their faith? PH will wait until the film is available on DVD and for now, will watch "Finding Nemo" again.

The Tuesday Night Club Still Meets

The Tuesday Night Club is still meeting at the Shoney's at Glenside Drive and Staples Mill Road at 6 PM. Julia Tyler has been a recent participant. Last week she enlightened us in regard to disciplining high school students. She gives offenders a writing assignment which is all about RESPECT. Attached to this PHA is a photo taken last Tuesday during the discussion time at the Tuesday Night Club. New members are always welcome.

PH

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