The Messenger January / February 2024

the

Messenger

VOLUME 30 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 17, 2024

January / February 2024

CONTENTS

www.rpcjax.org

Star Words ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Psalms and Singing ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Choristers + Transportation ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Montreat College Conference Reflection ...................................................................................................................... 7 Rest in Preparedness ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Upcoming Dates ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Thank You to Meals on Wheels Volunteers and Bell Ringers! ...................................................................................... 9 Merchants of the Month ............................................................................................................................................... 10 February and March Birthday List ................................................................................................................................ 11

Scenes from Christmas Eve

Page 2,10

From Your Pastor Brian Lays

Dear Riversiders: During the first week of February, I will be traveling to Malawi on an exploratory mission trip with a group of pastors and doctors. We will visit the Nkhoma Hospital near Lilongwe, which was founded in 1914

by Presbyterian Missionaries. It is one of the oldest hospitals in Africa, and has been selected as a teaching hospital to train local students who aspire to become doctors and nurses to serve the people of Malawi.

Work on the Nkhoma hospital is ongoing, and when completed, it will include a surgical wing, maternity wing, ICU, resident/faculty housing and an oxygen plant. Our group will travel to meet the local staff, and see the hospital operations and renovation plans.

Malawi is one of the most impoverished countries in Africa, and most Malawians (about 70%, by some estimates) are members of Protestant Churches. The Presbyterian Church especially has a strong presence in Malawi, and since Malawi is a safe, English-speaking country, it is a great place to form a global ministry partnership. I look forward to exploring the possibilities!

The trip is organized through Medical Missions Inc. and led by Dr. Salvador de la Torre, who I’ve known for many years. MMI and Salvador, along with his wife, Irma, will also coordinate and lead our church’s upcoming mission trip to Chiapas, Mexico, this March. Salvador and Irma served as Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers for over 30 years in Haiti, Zambia, and Kenya doing faith-based medical development work. The de la Torres are strong advocates for access to quality health care for poor, vulnerable, and marginalized populations, and have accumulated over 40 years of service in faith-based hospitals in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Though they have “retired” to Irma’s childhood region of Chiapas, Mexico, half an hour’s drive from Palenque, the nearest big city, Salvador continues to spend months of the year in Malawi, and Salvador and Irma host groups from Presbyterian churches on their lovely property, facilitating partnerships with local pastors from the Presbyterian Church of Mexico.

Global ministry is my favorite area of church work, and I’m excited to rekindle this joy for the first time since moving to Jacksonville! I would be grateful for your prayers and I look forward to sharing more about global Presbyterian connections in the months ahead!

Grace and peace, Brian

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Star Words

How families are using the Star Words they received in worship Our family enjoyed the Epiphany service on January 7th celebrating the Magi following the Star of Bethlehem and giving their precious gifts to Jesus but then learning that the true gift is Jesus to all of us. As a reflection of this theme, we were each gifted a “star word” during the offertory meant to guide us in a purposeful direction throughout this new year.

McGregor’s word is “receptive” and he is planning to be more open minded, welcoming and open to change. Mary Elizabeth’s word is “determination” and she will work hard in body and mind to complete what is needed of her and to recover and continue despite adversity during inevitable challenges. Both receptive and determination are ideal guiding words as our family begins living through planned changes to our house in 2024. Candler received the word “splendor”.

She is inspired to recognize how magnificent and brilliant something is in her life. For example, she is so busy with school and activities but she intends to pause and recognize splendor in others, in our world and in herself. Lastly, Harris chose the word “affirming” and he is driven to be encouraging like being kind to his friends, telling them that it’ll be fine even in the toughest of circumstances and maybe even to his parents during construction! - The Lott Family Lily’s word is Examination. She’s planning to use it to inspire her to study hard in school.

Sherry’s word is adventure. She is hoping it inspires her to get outside of her comfort zone and be more adventurous. Noah received a word in the mail from Lauren (she sent them to youth who requested). His word is discernment- which seems very fitting for this time in his life when he’s trying to decide on the next chapter in his life. He’s hoping it will help him make the right choice on where to continue his education. - The McDonald Family If you would like a Star Word you may pick one up in the Church Office.

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Psalms and Singing Matt Bickett

Psalms have provided musical inspiration to Christians for thousands of years. We sing and say psalms in each of our services and composers in our sacred music canon have centered psalms in many of their compositions. Psalm texts serve as the basis of many of our offertory anthems and hymns during services here at Riverside.

Although the repetition of psalms this often may be a point of concern for some, the central reason that we sing and say psalms every week is that they cover the full expression of human experience. The 150 psalms in our scriptures range from the highest peaks of joy to the lowest depths of despair; from the most unabashed faith and praise of God to the most skeptical rejection of certainty in God’s presence; from complete confidence in oneself as a redeemed Christian to the self-loathing scrupulosity at one’s own sinful state.

Music finds its strongest footing through bringing to life such a broad range of emotions and praise. Two of my favorite musical settings of psalms recently served our worship here at Riverside. The choir led worship through Herbert Howell’s setting of Psalm 42, titled “Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks”, and through John Rutter’s setting of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd”, in the fall. Howells’s poignant setting of Psalm 42 emphasizes the longing for God that despair incites and a painful resignation at this longing remaining unfulfilled. In the other direction, Rutter’s peaceful setting of Psalm 23 expresses the comfort of one under the care of the Lord as a shepherd.

In both of these anthems, the psalm texts took on a new intensity of meaning through the composers’ careful crafting of the text in music and the Riverside Choir’s dedicated preparation and presentation of the music. Well-constructed musical composition from composers in the musical tradition—paired with well-rehearsed performance by musicians in our own Riverside church family—all came together around these psalm texts to enrich our worship and move us to deeper faith.

I’d say that’s worth singing a psalm of praise itself!

Open Chancel Flower Dedications for 2024 If you would like to dedicate chancel flowers ($100) in 2024, please sign up online or by calling the church office (904) 355-4585 Chancel Flower Dedications are a meaningful way to honor loved ones, beautify the sanctuary, and support the church. www.bit.ly/chancelflowersrpc

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Chorister Transportation Needed!

We have reached a pivotal moment for our children’s music program (Choristers).

For the past year and a half, we have been in partnership with the Children’s Enrichment Workshop (CEW) program to bring children from our neighborhood elementary schools to Riverside for choristers as an after-school program.

Their parents pick them up after rehearsal. However, the CEW bus no longer works, and without transportation, the children cannot get to the church for rehearsals.

The only feasible solution for the chorister program to continue as an outreach program to our local schools is for Riverside to provide transportation. Two volunteers are needed each Tuesday and Thursday to drive Choristers to rehearsal from Central and West Riverside Elementary Schools. Only an hour of time is required: you arrive at RPC at 2:30 to pick up the keys and begin the route. The van is usually back at the church by 3:25. The church provides child protection training for you to be cleared to drive, and no musical knowledge or experience is required. One volunteer drives while the other chaperones. We know this time frame doesn’t work for everyone’s schedule. If it doesn’t work for you, please consider who you could forward this email to!

Here is a link to sign up for a time slot. Please sign up for one or as many as you’re able to! https://bit.ly/choristervan Both music ministry, outreach ministry, and ministry to children are integral parts of the mission of our church, and all converge in our chorister program. Without a strong response to this urgent need, we may not be able to continue with our children’s music program in our current form. Please consider if you’re able to help us with this important task, and please contact me or Matt Bickett (matt.bickett@rpcjax.org) if you have any questions.

Thank you so much!

Grace and peace, Brian

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Montreat College Conference

January 2-5, 2024 At the Montreat College Conference, we gifted our two seniors, Emily and Sam, with a mini mug with an image of the Montreat gate. as As they were gifted mug, the group read this "Mini Mug Liturgy" written by Pastor Lauren and Windy Taylor as a way to celebrate and bless these two seniors! Congratulations Emily and Sam! Mini Mug Liturgy This mini mug is a gift to you.

As you hold it in your hands, remember the ways that your Riverside family has lived out its baptismal promises to you by holding you in love along your journey.

As you fill it - with M&Ms or whatever strikes your fancy - remember the ways that Montreat has filled you with joy, restored you with sacred rest, opened your mind, and nourished your soul. As you go from this place, we pray you continue to seek communities and experiences that fill, restore, expand, and nourish you.

As this mini mug moves with you from home to home, remember that Riverside and Montreat will always be places you can call home, even as you experience new destinations on the path ahead.

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Montreat is such a special place in my heart.

It’s one of those places that’s hard to describe in words because what makes it beautiful are the community and conversations which take place there. I never feel more connected to others than when I’m at Montreat.

- Emily Coll

I love how uniquely different College Conference is from Youth Conference! Being at Montreat is always so special and it is a place I have grown to love more and more each year. This year a question was presented to Cole Arthur Riley, one of the keynoters, it was “how do you think that God views our emotions?” This question is something that I found myself thinking about a lot throughout the day. I believe that He views our emotions with such a deep understanding and acceptance, because Jesus walked the earth as a human and felt so many different emotions, just as we do.

- Julia Swiercek

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Thank you from Clifford Parrish I was overwhelmed with the generous gift the people of Riverside Presbyterian gave me. I enjoyed my time with everyone, especially the choir members. It was good to get to know so many wonderful folks and I will treasure the memories.

Thank you for everything, including the support for my work. - Clifford Parrish

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Rest in Preparedness Workshop Join us on February 17, 20243

Quick: What's your father's favorite flower? What's your spouse's favorite hymn? What's your mother's proudest accomplishment?

Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one will tell you that the greatest gift you can leave behind is a roadmap to make end-of-life and after-life decisions when you are inconveniently unavailable.

R.I.P. (Rest in Preparedness) is a threehour workshop to help you create that roadmap for your family or friends. After a tasty breakfast, we will go over advanced directives, wills, and other legal niceties with an estate planning attorney. We'll practice writing our own obituary with Windy Taylor.

And Brian Lays and Matt Bickett will walk us through the liturgy of a memorial service.

We'll look through hymns and scripture, as well as poetry and artwork, to help you articulate your wishes for the immediate aftermath of your death.

Each participant will create their own "Exit Folder" of these wishes, an act of love that will alleviate the anxiety of those you leave behind.

The cost of this workshop is $10, and includes breakfast and all materials. If you need assistance, please contact windy.taylor@ rpcjax.org

Upcoming Dates RPC Women’s Retreat February 3-4 at Marywood Retreat Center.

Email emily.heeg@rpcjax.org Dinner Church February 7, 5:30 - 6:30 pm Please RSVP so we can prepare a meal for you: www.rpcjax.org/worship Flagler Youth Ministry Forum February 9-10 For those who work with children and youth.

Email lauren.scott@rpcjax.org

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Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner February 13, 6:00 pm in Bittinger Hall Dinner and live music.

Suggested donation $10/person Ash Wednesday February 14 7:30 - 9:00 am Ashes to Go: upper parking lot 12:00 pm Service, in-person 7:00 pm Service, in-person and at www.rpcjax.org/live Rest in Preparedness Workshop February 17, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm in Bittinger Hall

Meals on Wheels Thanks You!

Nancy Carlton To say ‘Thank You” somehow doesn’t seem to be enough to express our deep appreciation of our volunteers’ time and support of Meals on Wheels program. Our program helps needy seniors that might go without a meal if it wasn’t for the MOW program. Many might go without seeing or speaking to anyone without our volunteers.

So, thank you all for you help, your donations and time.

I am very happy to share our annual numbers with you all for 2023: 18,819 meals were served out of RPC, 2,221 volunteer hours, and 900 volunteers. Thank you again!

You may say how can I help… it costs $7 for a meal, drivers are always needed and a substitute list is used for ones that can drive now and then, and grocery (plastic) bags are always needed to pack the individual meals.

Please reach out if you want to know more about our program. Call (904) 355-4585 or email nancy.carlton@rpcjax.org.

Thank You, Bell Ringers!

Nancy Carlton

A BIG THANK YOU to the following volunteers who kept the Red Kettle Salvation Army bell ringing from 10am-7pm December 4-9 for a total of 54 hours: Joe Eberly Dorothy Marsh Dave Tuttle Mattox Hair Bud Para Kathy Para Suzanne Perritt Jon Tompson Laura Silva Maggie Means The Morgans-Catie, Caroline and Carlisle Ellie Grace Copham Eliza Skinner Jean Grant-Dooley Katie, Will and Teddy Fackler Pat Mason Barbara Bath John and Susan Humes

Dan and Nancy Warner Cassie Buckner Tim Davis Dan and Blanche Coffman Elizabeth Niebrugge Elaine and Tim Akin Deborah Pierson Fran Aenchbacher Gary Bowers Bill and Susan Schilling Carol Platt Penny, Matt and Cecilia Cunningham playing her violin for an hour Phil Price Molly, Keith, Benjamin and Hannah Davidson Arden Brugger

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Merchants of the Month RPC highlights and supports three Five Points neighborhood merchants each month. This is a great way to get to know our neighbors and to spread hospitality by shopping with them.

January: APB Sneaker + Apparel Boutique, Homespun Kitchen, and Midnight Sun Imports February: Odessa Slava Ukrainian Cafe, Taqueria Cinco, and Davalt Optical Caroling on the Corner, December 6, 2023

All photos from Christmas Eve Services except top left.

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February Birthdays 1 Mitchell Blanks Jennifer Simmons 2 John Meux Susan Smathers Frances Wickes 3 Kamlyn Ammons Charles Blank Charlie Brumback Marshall Faircloth Tucker Farrar Tripp Means III Dayna Perkins Emma Reddaway 4 Ashton Body Cassie Buckner Frances Howey Becky Romig Kathy Shuke 5 Caroline Stratton Kristin Swiercek 6 Allen Todd 7 Alison Bok 8 Noah McDonald Debbie Pierson Sarah Sifton 9 Syndey Brammer Stephanie Ibach Ben Philips III Finley Williams Jr. 10 Malcolm Ballentine Woody Woodall

John Stiefel III Jonathan Wallace 13 Dan Coffman Jr. Mason Doherty Debbie Early 14 Curtis DuChanois Lemise Hill Alan Wilson 15 Evan Raynor Cheryl Neder Sapora Dan Schwalbe Julia Swiercek 16 Minor Chamblin Margo Fitch 17 Judy Ratcliffe 18 Richard Harbison John Howard 19 Mary Lobello 20 Ashley Adams Elisabeth Day Katelyn Johnston Elizabeth Niebrugge 21 Glenda Collier Hank Coxe III Christian Matson Bill McLaurine 22 Leighton Edwards 23 Dekle Day

24 Mark Harbison Janie Jones 11 Thaddeus Scherer Lila Cummings Carolyn Smith Christopher Pratt-Dannals Jay Smith Jr.

25 Natalie Rosenberg Hadley Wallace 26 Ellen Jackson Charles Trinder 27 Chase Fallucco Steve Matson 28 Neena Corbin BeBe Rosenbloom 29 Knox Kerr III March Birthdays 1 Henry Wilson 2 Annie Bryan Michael Rattigan 3 Burt Cook Jr William Cook Joe Lopez Claudia Lovett Teddy Powell Nora Tran

9 Jacque Loomis 10 Duncan Baker Heather Campbell Bois Farrar Leann Fox Laura Gordon Kathy Stark 11 Paige Miller 12 Will Newton Sr. Jeremy Raynor 13 Judy Robertson Jane Ruffin 14 Elizabeth Coffman Melissa Coll Alice Creed Trish Ivie Jack Raynor 15 Clay Boone Megan Halkovitch Cheri Parsons Missy Pedrick Catherine Baker

4 Kate Campen

16 Raleigh Diebenow

5 Letha Mann

17 Marshall Brittle Scott Meyer

6 Teddy Fackler Matthew Garman 7 Elizabeth Davis Jim Hardwick Tommy Platt Mia Saenz 8 Julia Davis Henry Duncan

18 Angela Cummings Kathy Stanley 19 Katie Eberly Isabelle Milne Clarke Story

21 Seth Bergey Nancy Chamblin Bruce Fitch Christy Gillam 22 Jan Andrews Ben Campen Ashley Coxe Lindsay Eyrick 23 Robert Flynn Wiley Gillam Eric Schallen `24 Sherry McDonald Tony Morrow Lois Ward 25 Pat Mason Jan Nicholas Margot Pedrick 26 Sarah Bayley Mitchell Nuland 27 Charlie Conway 29 John Howard Avery Jenkins Kellie Parks Perkins 30 Scott Crawley Debbie Cusick Holly Davis Julia Sandlin 31 Chris Bergey Laura Crooks Holly King Ed Pratt-Dannals Caroline Taylor

20 Elsa Evert Sue Haehnel If we are missing your birthday, please call the Church Office (904) 355-4585 or email communication@rpcjax.org

849 Park Street Jacksonville, FL 32204-3394

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Join us for live music at the

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner Tuesday, February 13 at 6:00 pm in Bittinger Hall

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, February 14 7:30 - 9:00 am Ashes to Go: upper parking lot 12:00 pm Service, in the sanctuary 7:00 pm Service, in the sanctuary and at www.rpcjax.org/live