WITNESS: February 1, 2016

VOL. XXVI, NO. 1

Park C ities P r es byt e r i a n C h u rc h

FEBRUARY 2016

( Pre s by te r i a n C h u rc h i n A m e r i c a)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Psalm 23:6

Mary Kate Henson follows a devotional guide at Unplugged, the Middle School fall retreat.

See page 3.

I N S I D E Children celebrate Emmanuel................. 2

Fellows consider life at work...................7

Women trek to Granada for fun,

Middle schoolers come unplugged........ 3

One Sunday focuses on our

fellowship, and feeding on Word ���� 10

Youth get a taste for ministry...............4

mission of extension....................................... 8

Good Samaritan ministry is

Celebrating the Great Mystery

A Christmas tradition of sharing

caring for those in need................................11

through music.........................................................6

for PCPC families and friends .............. 9

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Families celebrate advent

he Season of Advent is always a special time for children. Their wonder, curiosity, and high expectancy can be an example for many adults on how to approach the time of Christ’s birth. Yet, the struggle during the Christmas season can be that hearts, minds, and time are consumed by Christmas parties, hunting down last-minute gifts, and trying to figure out which side of the family to visit! The busyness can sometimes leave children without the opportunity or time to explore the greatest Miracle.

for families and kids to share a meal with friends, think about the themes of Christmas—hope, joy, faith, peace, and love—and have time for crafts, hot chocolate, and fellowship. This year’s Advent Service on December 8 was a special and enriching time with friends from ESL and Exodus Ministries joining us and the service and hospitality shown by almost a dozen elders and their wives.

the king has come

With that in mind, the Children’s Ministry staff wanted to create a time

The Family Advent Service is now an annual program at PCPC, and yet again a wonderful time was had by all.

—Children’s Ministry staff

Right, elder John Hawkins greets PCPC kids with open arms!

Below, children in the worship time have answers for leader Austin Ariail’s questions.

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Middle schoolers retreat to encounter Christ

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very October the Youth staff takes van loads of middle school students and tubs of shaving cream to Sky Ranch for Fall Retreat. We plan a weekend full of wacky games, goofy skits, times of worship and solitary devotion. For Fall Retreat 2015, the theme was Unplugged.

The lessons were on unplugging from the world and plugging into God and His Word. The word “retreat” already implies stepping out of the normal routine. We take the kids out of their everyday surroundings and schedule and hope they encounter something new and refreshing in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that they take all the new things from the weekend and add them back into their everyday routine.

A bonus to the weekend is new friends and fun memories.

We asked the students what some of their favorite parts of the retreat were and they said the Cheerio game, the shaving cream fight, and the devotion time on Saturday night. If you have never had the opportunity to be a part of a shaving cream fight, protect your eyes, and know that we take volunteers with us for the weekend! The Cheerio Game, has a Capture the Flag vibe and involves stealth and teamwork.

Saturday night we prayed for the Holy Spirit to move, and Danny Stimson’s talk ended with a time that students could talk and pray with leaders and their friends. As a leader, this was my third Fall Retreat, and I love seeing the students have a ton of fun, but nothing beats hearing a student talk about how they want to know and love Jesus more.

—Kaelee Abbey

Top, the boys always love the classic shaving cream war.

Above, Virginia Turner, Margaret Golik, Carley White (intern), Mary Neuhoff, and Olivia Iles.

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Youth on a mission

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t is the hope and prayer of the PCPC Youth staff that we would see a generation of students fall madly in love with Jesus. When,

by His grace, our students enter into that intimate relationship with Him, we long to see it lead them into a life of following, serving, and worship-

ing our Lord and Savior. This is at the heart of what we call youth missions.

Our desire is for the students to realize that serving the Lord flows out of a humble heart that truly understands the leveling factor of the Gospel. We are no better or no worse than those we are serving, but we all have a common need. We pray that the Lord will mold hearts of service from the outflow of our realization of our greatest need, Jesus. The following events and ministries are just a small taste, and certainly not exhaustive, of what our high school and middle school students have been able to participate in this past fall semester.

Snacks of Blessing

Snacks of Blessing is exactly that, a snack, both literally and figuratively.

In the literal sense, our students build and distribute boxes of snacks to our local ministry partners to help them in further extending the name of Jesus.

Figuratively, this snack is just a taste of the need in our community and an easy way for students to get plugged in and also to begin to realize the need that surrounds them and the faithfulness of the Lord to provide for His 4

people. This ministry not only blesses the recipients, but it also blesses our students. It is a tangible way for them to understand what it means to be the hands and feet of the Gospel. We believe that by fulfilling someone’s physical hunger, local ministries are given a chance to share about our

soul’s hunger for the Gospel. This event ushers every participant into a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord’s provision.

ACT: Prayer Walks, holiday parties

a blend of families and drug homes. As they walk and pray, they also get to meet different families that live on the street and ask how they can be praying for them, but also get to watch as the ACT employees begin to establish a relationship with these communities.

ACT closes out these walks with a good old-fashioned barbeque and block party where they are all able to build relationships and love on people.

ACT goes into the community to build relationships, set people free from being prisoners in their own homes due to crime, and uses all these means to share the love of Christ and His greater desire for justice. Many clients then begin to attend weekly Bible studies.

Later in the year these families come to both the ACT Thanksgiving party and Christmas party. Here our students youth and energy serve again as they love on the kids who come and give their mothers a much needed break.

At Christmas, each youth Bible study sponsors a family and gives it presents.

The party is full of great food, games, crafts, carols, and the gift exchange.

Our students, staff, and families are able to love on these families while having a blast, but are also loved on by the kids, families, and ACT staff.

Boxes of Blessing: pre-assembly

Throughout the past few years our students have become more and more If you have been around PCPC long enough, you know that once you begin involved with ACT ministries. As we to hear Christtake students to mas carols on south or west PCPC youth the radio, Boxes Dallas, we realof Blessing ize the ways in are a perpetual power source is not too far which the Lord is for our events here at ACT. away. (See working in those page 9.) Similar communities. On Whether they’re helping with Block Parties to Snacks of Saturday mornBlessing, but on ings a group of and Prayer Walks, serving meals a much largPCPC youth join at our Thursday night Bible study, er scale, this with people from ministry exists other churches or providing entertainment and laughs to support our and commulocal partnership nities in Dallas (and lot of presents) during the holiday season, and allows them to participate these youth are an embodiment of the love to build relationin prayer walks ships and prowhere they have and service of our Savior. claim the name the privilege of of Jesus. This is praying over —Wes Keyes: ACTS where the bestreets that are FEBRUARY 2016 • PCPC WITNESS

hind the scenes pre-build comes in. At the risk of stating the obvious, before these boxes are able to be filled with food, they have to be built. Volunteer Pete Flowers and PCPC’s wonderful Urban Mission staff were in charge of getting a team together to build them so that the actual event could succeed in packing the desired amount. Pete had this to say about the experience: It was amazing to watch the PCPC youth as they teamed up with the youth from North Dallas High School, Pinkston High School, and other of our ministry partners. Their work ethic and attitude was amazing. Not only were they clearly there to be the hands and feet of Christ through their service, but they also completed all 8,000 boxes in less than three hours! It was a joy to watch them serve and work to God’s glory.

The Lord is constantly showing us that we are not other people’s saviors. He constantly reminds us that they do not need us, but that we all need Him. As the students participate more and more in this ministry, they are able to see the face of God in His creation, and that is what breaks down social walls and unites us all as children of the Lord.

—Phillip and Mary Love Koons

“Going to South Dallas has had such a huge impact on my life.

I’ve grown so much in my faith because of it and I’ve gained a whole new perspective on how God is completely in control and how beautiful and amazing He is.”

–Maddie Davis

Far left, Snacks of Blessing assembly line Below, Human Impact prayer group Bottom, (l to r) Barrett Bock, Maddie Davis, Emma Lunceford, Scout Hodges, Kara Davis, Jillian Fitzpatrick, Sarah Caffey, Ammanda Hodak, Caroline Pease, Elizabeth Jordan serving with Human Impact

This event is just one more way for the youth of PCPC and their families to get involved in what God is doing all over the city of Dallas.

The Human Impact: homeless ministry

Our students have the blessing of participating in a homeless ministry called The Human Impact less than two miles from the church. They spend the morning with the Human Impact Team bringing coffee or water to the homeless as well as spending time with them and hearing their stories. Often times the Lord has a mutual blessing in store. He is teaching our students just as much as He is using them to teach others. The necessity of this ministry goes without question, but the blessing of this ministry could not be said better than in the words of Elisabeth Jordan, the leader of this ministry: It is impossible to do life there (the streets) and not have a deep awareness of the need. The funny thing is, it isn’t their need that hits me most; it’s mine. And my need hits me through the filling of it. The Lord God meets me on the streets.

He loves me, He binds up my wounds, and He fills me with joy.

(l to r) Barrett Bock, Maddie Davis, Emma Lunceford, Scout Hodges, Kara Davis, Jillian Fitzpatrick, Sarah Caffey, Ammanda Hodak, Caroline Pease, Elizabeth Jordan serving with Human Impact

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ur annual Christmas concert on December 13 featured the adult, youth, and children’s choirs with orchestra alongside soloists Will Hughes, Jenni Rasberry and Bryan Varenkamp. Ralph McLeod hosted the evening as narrator.

For the first time, there were two performances—4:30 and 7:30 pm. Even though all the free tickets were taken, in the end, all who came were able to get a seat.

As is our tradition, the entire offering from the evening benefits PCPC’s Urban Ministry partners. Due to the generosity of those in attendance, we will be able to give them nearly $24,000.

Emmanuel means “God with us.” J.I. Packer notes the incomprehensibility of the Incarnation:

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It is no wonder that thoughtful people find the Gospel of Jesus Christ hard to believe, for the realities with which it deals pass our understanding... The supreme mystery with which the Gospel confronts us… lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation.

The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man—that the second person of the Godhead became the “second man,” determining human

destiny... He took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as He was human...

It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie, “The Word became flesh”…The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation.

And so we sang and recalled the Story once more: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 14) —J. Marty Cope Photos by Larry and Terri Sengbush

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Reflections from a

Fellow Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches.

Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

—John 15:4-5

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ohn talks a lot about abiding in Christ. We are children of God, and we who are children of God demonstrate it by our actions. No area of our lives is exempt from His calling, and every area of our lives should—must—demonstrate our true nature as children of God. John is clear about the real and practical quality of our faith. It is not just an idea, a statement, or a story. Our faith is also a state of being and a relationship that transforms us to act like our Savior because of who we are.

But we have to make a living! And it is hard to abide in Christ each day in our work and with our coworkers.

Many of us have to squint to see a connection between Sunday morning and what we do during the rest of the week. We wonder if our work has value, why unbelieving colleagues do better work than Christians we know, how work relationships should reflect the Gospel, and how to redeem aspects of our company, industry, and city that are evidently broken.

PCPC piloted the Gotham (now Pegasus) Fellows last September through May with the objective of empowering us to reflect God in our work by understanding its value, identifying its brokenness, and actively redeeming it across the many workplaces to which we are called each week.

Nathan Murray (l) and Cameron Buescher

SOVEREIGN OVER ALL Abraham Kuyper famously said that “[t]here is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” His sovereignty includes my work in technology. For others in the class it included their work in music and fine arts, finance, real estate, entrepreneurship, retail, law, and other pursuits.

He is sovereign over our various personalities, the way we read His Word and apply it, how we deal with success and failure, over the abilities and limitations of our coworkers, and over what we do. He is sovereign over everything that happens in a day.

It is key that we remember that nothing is accidental, and that we, our work, and our relationships are from His hand and for His glory. Abiding in Him is not just on Sunday morning, but every hour of the week. Through success and failure, strength and limitation, we are His children going about His work, called to seek the good of our city and the redemption of what has been deformed by the fall.

That call is high. It demands immense wisdom and creativity. It is a call to the front lines.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITY All of us need help learning to abide in Christ. We should never underes-

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timate the greatness of His calling to each of us in our work, or the impossibility of meeting that call in our own strength; but we should believe it is possible because Christ has called us to it, given us His Spirit, and is coming again to make all things new. As you go, therefore, make disciples.

—Cameron Buescher Class of 2015

PEGASUS FELLOWS The application period is open for the fall class.

Go to http://pc2.li/fellows The program Includes: • Daily devotionals • Weekly two-hour meetings • Monthly Saturday gatherings • Three projects to translate theology into real-life practice.

Tuition ($800): This fee helps offset program expenses and includes all reading materials and a retreat.

Financial aid is available.

Application process: An admissions committee selects Fellows who best demonstrate: • Commitment to the city of Dallas • Spiritual maturity • Ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the program.

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WORLD MISSIONS SUNDAY

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EXTENDING OUR KING’S REIGN

pening the morning sermon on November 8, Dr. Lloyd Kim, Coordinator for Mission to the World, asked a hard question: “Do you realize that we have a King? His name is Jesus. What do you think people say about us who follow this King? Do they say that we respect our King? That His people, at His word, at His command, will drop everything and follow in obedience?”

Park Cities Presbyterian Church exists to EXTEND the transforming presence of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in Dallas and to the world. Extend is a verb that has three possible meanings: 1) to cause to cover a larger area; to make something longer and/or wider; 2) to hold something out to someone; or 3) to exert oneself to the utmost. PCPC exists to EXTEND, and World Missions Sunday existed to remind us that we exist to exert ourselves, holding out the transforming presence of the 2 Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ to others, causing it to grow longer and wider until it covers God’s entire world.

and Sunday morning hosts, speakers, greeters, and volunteers for the Children’s Underground Church, International Dinner, and dozens of other individuals who helped make EXTEND possible.

—Jerry Gibson Far left: Mary Flo Ridley carries the Cambodia flag into Sunday worship. Fourteen international flags were carried representing 14 PCPC short-term trips.

1 Rev. Paul Taylor (long-time MTW missionary) and Dr. Lloyd Kim smile at the close of a wonderful day.

2 Two guys take notes in their passports during the children’s Underground Church.

3 PCPC Home Church missionaries, Bryan and Lois Varenkamp, teach a Sunday School class about 1 their work in Nepal.

4 The PCPC Fellowship Hall is packed during the International Dinner.

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We were very thankful for the seminar 4

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ith the sun shining brightly on a crisp Saturday morning in early December, volunteers poured into the BCW warehouse to assemble boxes at the ninth annual Boxes of Blessing event. Christmas music flowed throughout the warehouse as old friends and new faces from all walks of life compiled about 10,000 boxes of food items and provided Gospel encouragement for families in need.

The event has become so well attended that people pitch in to help wherever they see a need: putting food in boxes, taking out trash, encouraging the weary, and putting band aids on paper cuts. Children work alongside their parents, Sunday school teachers, and community members to put their faith into action. One member described the day like this, “It’s like family coming together to get ready for a big Thanksgiving meal. You walk in the kitchen and mom hands you the cutting board and has you on onion “This is remarkable. duty while your Many times in other situations, cousin is people are waiting in line to BE served, stirring but today at Boxes of Blessing you see lines of people waiting TO serve.”

BLESSING

SERVE

Many thousands of the Boxes of Blessing were distributed to PCPC’s partner ministries, including ACT, Voice of Hope, Exodus, Dallas Leadership Foundation, and many more. Many of these ministries brought people to help out as well, to give them the blessing of working alongside others and serving. Where they may not have the resources or money to give, they are able to give of their time and energy.

Boxes of Blessing is a substantial ministry that enables PCPC members to serve alongside our ministry partners and other organizations for the purpose of meeting the needs of our community.

It is one way to serve as the hands and feet of Christ, worshiping God in the form of packing provisions and loving neighbors.

—Tracy DeBoer

—A ministry partner

the gravy. At the end of the day, we are family working together to make something wonderful happen, only this time, the meal is for someone else!” Each box was filled with 35+ different food items, enough to feed a family of four for several days. The boxes also included freshly decorated nativity pictures, Gospel candy cane cards from the children’s craft tables, and access to the Jesus film in any language.

Over 1,300 volunteers from PCPC, Urban Ministry partners, area churches, and businesses arrived to serve. The morning progressed as assembly line volunteers were called to rotate on and off the lines to give rest to those who had been on their feet and let the newly energized engage.

Left, Stella Kate Greenwell packs a box.

Middle, line leaders Linda and Mike McMahon Right, Julian Russell prays.

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FEBRUARY 2016 • PCPC WITNESS

A process of mercy GOOD SAMARITAN MINISTRY SHOWS DISCERNING COMPASSION

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he parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37 provides an example of how we are to treat our neighbors, even those who are different from us. In Luke 10:37, Jesus says, “You go and do likewise.” Herein lies the basis for the work being done by the Good Samaritan ministry at PCPC. The man in the parable was stripped of his clothes, beaten up, and left for dead. In today’s version of this parable, the “man” is someone who has lost a job and is one paycheck away from financial disaster. Or he might be suffering from a catastrophic injury or illness or caring for a family member who has. She may be a single parent striving to support a family on a minimum wage. To mitigate these circumstances, the Good Samaritan Com-

mittee strives to “go and do likewise” as it bridges these types of financial difficulties.

THE PROCESS BEGINS

To that end, on the second Monday of each month, as many as two dozen non-members enter PCPC’s doors seeking financial assistance with their rent and/or utilities. They complete applications and supply requisite documents which are then provided to the Good Samaritan Committee. Each committee member interviews one to three applicants and provides more detailed information and a recommendation to the entire committee. Using mercy, compassion, and discernment as the foundation for decisions, the committee votes to approve or deny each application. The process takes approximately seven to ten business days.

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It is worth noting that most of these people are desperate and needy with problems that far exceed the scope of this committee. The committee does not underwrite a large level of support or a mortgage and it does not expect to be paid back. Assistance is limited to a one-time gift per family. The gift (and it is a gift) is exclusively for the purpose of sharing the love of Christ—both financially and through the Gospel.

A FEW STORIES

The following stories were related by Good Sam Committee members who interviewed the applicants:

Nevelyn, a worker at a Dallas-area

medical center since August 2014, underwent hip surgery, causing her to be off work for about two and half months. Her medical bills, although discounted,

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Periodical Postage Paid at Dallas, Texas

continued from page 11 required a large deposit prior to surgery.

She paid the deposit but fell behind on her electric and water bills, and mortgage.

She has lived in her home for 15 years but was at risk of falling three months behind on the mortgage. Although her bank has worked with her, she could not be three months delinquent. Her plan is to get caught up on the past-due water and electric bills and then start paying the back mortgage. She is a believer—although she stated that she “visits” churches but does not have a church home specifically. In response to Nevelyn’s needs, the committee approved payment of her September mortgage.

Cecily, a 32-year-old, divorced,

church-going believer, is the mother a four-year-old child who experienced complications at birth. Cecily was abandoned by her husband but does receive some child support. She was released from her job and received unemployment for a while. With help from her family, she has been able to manage. She recently finished her MBA and has received a solid job offer; she will start the job in the near future. Her initial monthly income should allow her to pay off her debt and balance her budget, and by God’s grace, her landlord is willing to work with her. The committee responded to her need through God’s grace, approving payment of her October rent.

Michelle is a 33-year-old single mother

of Shannon, age 14, and Michael, age 5, and she is not receiving child support. She is a professed believer and member of a local Dallas church, but her church does not have the ability to financially assist her. She is a generous person who tithes regularly. Her son’s after-school care provider told her about the Good Sam Ministry. Michelle has worked at a Dallas-area hospital continuously for the past nine months as a PRN working 50-60 hours, but her hours were reduced to 32-35 hours weekly. Last month, take home pay includ-

Vol. XXVI, No. 1 • FEBRUARY 2016 PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 4124 OAK LAWN AVENUE, DALLAS, TX 75219 WWW.PCPC.ORG

ing food stamps exceeded expenses. Michelle knows how to stretch a dollar and picks up extra shifts at the hospital regularly. Encouraged to continue her nursing education, she was on track to become a certified phlebotomist, but a health issue caused her to postpone school. She plans to resume schooling and graduate with a B.S. in nursing, but stress and anxiety have resulted in two heart attacks.

She also lost her father recently.

Out of compassion, the Committee approved payment of her November rent.

daughter, Kiana, achieve more academically and athletically. His Section 8 housing rent increased about 50%, but he needs to stay in Duncanville so his daughter can finish her senior year. Ricky does not attend church much. Based on his sincerity, his balanced budget, and being a single father, the committee approved payment of his November rent and phone bill.

LoveYOUR

Serving on the committee are Chris Axley (moderator), Alan Garrison, Josh Amundson, Chris Bonfield, Michael Denton, Tracey Frattaroli, Richard Hinton, Cassie Humphreys, Pete Matter, Tom McWhorter, Jeff Peterson, and Keith Waggoner.

NEIGHBOR

ASyourself

Rarely has Good Sam received a single-father applicant, but his story is compelling:

Ricky was shot six times shortly after

graduation from South Oak Cliff High School. He is truly disabled, requiring dialysis three times per week and dependent on a motorized wheelchair. Although he has some mobility, he is not employable at this time. He lives on a tight budget but somehow manages to balance expenses.

Ricky hopes to be approved for food stamps due to a recent rent increase. Two years ago, he moved to Duncanville to help his

With much prayer and wise discussion, the Good Samaritan Committee is meeting these and many other various mercy needs on behalf of PCPC. They faithfully seek to be good stewards of the tithes and offerings given to PCPC and directed by the session to this mercy ministry.

—Julia Lawrence