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I hope you've all had opportunity to hear the first two sermons of the Summer Series themed Eradicating Systemic Poverty and Homelessness (https://www.youtube.com/@WakeForestPresbyterianChurch). I want to admit that I was nervous tuning into the June 2 service (after finishing the blood drive). I remember well the spring and summer worship services of 2020 and the focus on Social Justice. While the topic sure needed and needs to be discussed, it came on like a storm and it was uncomfortable to feel we were being told we needed to go solve the problems of inequality – Local? State? National? International? On an unfamiliar controversial topic, I am one who would usually speak up with an attempt to have conversation and learn. But in retrospect, we were heading directly into the COVID era, and it was the beginning of the divisiveness still being felt today. Most often, then and now, it feels safest to be silent.
Many months ago, our church recreated its stated mission, “To follow Christ by welcoming all as we seek to listen, understand, and learn how to serve our church and community with love and hope.” Adding a comment to the “learn” part — numerous sources and resources will help us learn if we will only make an effort to hear/listen and absorb with love and hope. An available resource includes our summer sermon series which our pastor has so far managed to deliver in a safe, non-offensive, and palatable way.
Right now, I am wishing I could come up with some clever suggestions as to how we can work on the learning piece. It seems so very critical to our church's success that we are able to actively learn into our future rather than relying on our past, on history, and on our own (often) misunderstandings.
At this point, I want to give credit where credit is due. I am a follower of Derek Maul's daily blogs (www.derekmaul.blog). Derek is a thinker and usually reflects a bigger picture. This is great for me because I'm often focused on the trees rather than the forest. It's unlikely that I will come up with great stories, analogies or even perspectives to encourage others or to support my thoughts. But Derek is quite good at it. Having obtained Derek's permission, the following comments are based on his presentations in some of his recent writings. Derek has made some interesting suggestions as to how our personal learning might be made more efficient and effective.
On May 14, Derek wrote about a morning walk and photos he had taken of views he had never seen before. However, he and his dog, Max, had walked and photographed the same views many times in previous weeks. His point being that he (and we) subconsciously limit ourselves by eliminating the possible in favor of the probable. (The italicized words are Derek's.)
Rather than simply saying, let’s open our eyes, or look through a different lens, maybe we should think about looking at the world from a place we had not stood before.
Standing in someone else's shoes. Standing on their side of the street. Standing on their side of the tracks.
Standing in the church nursery instead of the sanctuary. Standing in the soup line. Standing in front of a school classroom. Standing with the child who cannot read well. Standing with the people you disagree with. Standing so that others can sit.
Look – from the other side! Where have we not stood before? Most of those places offer a unique view of the world and of our place in it. 'Standing somewhere unexpected can lead to unexpected discoveries.' - Lisa Mangum
From the blog on June 3, every story has color, light, and beauty — even short stories, even opinions! Learning is uncovering what you didn't already know. When we don't listen, don't pay attention, don't ask the right questions, we miss the opportunity to see and hear the color, light, and beauty that is there to benefit our learning — whether we agree or not.
Life is good. Life is beautiful. But sometimes we have to take the trouble to discover and uncover — especially when the negative voices are so loud, so insistent, so strident and so intrusive as they are today. - Derek Maul
God, give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to absorb what you would have us learn.
Carol Winans-Geiser
Elder, Mission and Outreach
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Worship at WFPC
10:00 in the Sanctuary
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Our Scripture for this Sunday comes from Deuteronomy 5:1-10 and John 9:1-3. Marguerite will continue her sermon series on the Matthew 25 Initiative with her sermon, "Confessional Faith."
Our service is livestreamed on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/wakeforestpresbyterianchurch
Print an at-home bulletin here
Elder on Call: Mindy Hidenfelter
Deacon of the Day: Eric Earle
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This is the final class of the resilience series that was started several months ago and is rescheduled from May. The goal of the resilience series is to help caregivers gain the skills needed to successfully adapt to, and ultimately recover from, the challenges of caregiving. Pat Snyder will lead a discussion on ways to seek help, develop personally and build a legacy while caring for a loved one with dementia.
In-person class is Wednesday, June 19, 2024 from 10 a.m.-noon in Room B017 of the Christian Life Center at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church. No registration is required. Just follow the yellow arrows when you come onto campus to find the location. The Zoom class will also meet on Wednesday, June 19 from 2:00 until 3:30 p.m. Please notify Pat Snyder at patsnyder137@gmail.com if you are not already on our mailing list and would like a link to this class.
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Resources for Sermon Series
If you want to learn more about the roots of structural racism through the lens of North Carolina authors who wrote as formerly enslaved Americans, Rev. Marguerite recommends Wilmington native David Walker's landmark work, David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, and very expressly to those of the United States of America; and a recently discovered manuscript by Edenton native John Swason Jacobs who escaped and published abroad: A True Story of Slavery: The United States Governed by 600,000 Despots. The book Rev. Marguerite referenced in her June 2 sermon is What Kind of Christianity: A History of Slavery and Anti-Black Racism in the Presbyterian Church by William Yoo. These authors will likely challenge your ideas of the PCUSA and the USA — so read only if you like a challenge!
Rev. Marguerite will tie in one sermon per month to a book that links to the series theme of Matthew 25 (www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/matthew-25/). If you want to get a jump start on reading the books, these are the titles (two novels, one non-fiction):
June 16 — The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
July 21 — Lila by Marilynne Robinson
August 4 — Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose by Stephen Lewis, Matthew Wesley Williams, Dori Grinenko Baker.
All these titles are available for less than $20 each from the usual online book retailers. Discussion of the sermon and book will be held in the sanctuary after each service featuring a book. All are welcome. — Your Worship Team
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The Officer Nominating Team (ONT) Wants to Hear from You!
The ONT of WFPC has begun the process of seeking those who are called to serve WFPC as Deacons and Elders for this time in the life of our church, for a two-year term beginning in January 2025. The ONT is seeking names from the congregation for those with the passion, skills, and experience for building up the community and helping to lead our ministries. All recommendations are appreciated and will be considered, but recommending a name to the Nominating Team does not mean they will be selected to serve at this particular time in the life of the church. Deadline for nominations will be June 30th. Names can be submitted online clicking here and entering your nominations.
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Premise Keepers June 15
The next Premise Keepers gathering will take place on Saturday, June 15. We will work on mostly outdoor projects around the church property. Join us at 8:00 a.m. in the CLC for breakfast and fellowship before we get started. No experience is necessary, and all are welcome. Please note: Premise Keepers will be taking a break during the month of July. Please contact Mindy Hidenfelter and Mike Chapman at wfpcfacilities@gmail.com with any questions.
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Massanetta Prayers
Please pray for Benson Blalock, James Cebrick, Tyler Cebrick, Tyler Drew, Brian Drew, and Michael Smith as they head to the Middle School Conference at Massanetta Springs in Harrisonburg, VA. They will travel on June 20 and return on June 23. We are grateful for the support of our WFPC family so this life-changing trip can be a reality for our youth!
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Mission and Outreach
GIVING GARDEN
Harvests: We harvested the last of the cabbages & onions this week, and started harvesting tomatoes, & cucumbers.
Planting: We planted sweet potatoes, beets, and dill along with our Ukrainian friends and a volunteer from St. John’s Episcopal Church last Saturday. We also planted pole beans this week. We’ll plant more squash, cucumbers, and zucchini tomorrow.
Join us in the garden to plant, water, and mulch on our regularly scheduled work days! If you sign up via SignUpGenius, we will notify you of any changes in plans due to weather, etc.
Regular Garden Workdays: Tuesdays & Saturdays, 8 -11 am. Please register on
SignUpGenius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4EABA62FAB9-2022.
For More Information, contact Pam Schulze at (919)-522-3146 or wfpcgivinggarden@gmail.com.
Website: wfpcgivinggarden.org
BACKPACK BUDDIES
Thanks to everyone who came out to help last Saturday. We had a successful packing event due to our wonderful volunteers! Our next packing event will be on August 3rd to pack bags needed for the rest of the summer. Please mark your calendars!
Any questions can be directed to Heather Wheeler at heathersb73@yahoo.com.
TURNBERRY
Saturday, June 15, we will gather at Turnberry for our monthly lunch and Bingo! The earlier time was popular, so we will gather at about 11:10 and have lunch at 11:30!
For more information about Turnberry visits and events, contact Loretta Highfield on 985-640-1583 or loretta.highfield@gmail.com
Want to know more about Mission and Outreach at WFPC?
Please contact Kathy Tharrington at kathleenekirschner@gmail.com or Carol Winans-Geiser at carol@winans.com.
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Children's Ministries
VBS REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS SUNDAY!!
VBS is closer than you think, so register for your children to participate, and for volunteer opportunities NOW. Our theme this year is Compassion Camp: What Every Living Thing Needs. A quick overview: participants will explore what all living things need to live —shelter, food, water, air, and community — and how they can have compassion for the living earth! Psalm 104 is the grounding scripture for the week, and each night other scripture will be woven into the nightly theme. It will be an AWESOME week together, and we can’t wait to see all of you!! June 23-26, 6-8 p.m. Family Dinner and Celebration on June 27! Must be 4 years old by June 23. www.wakeforestpres.org/vbs
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Youth Ministries
COMMISSIONINGS
This summer we will have two Sundays where we will commission the youth and adults that are participating in faith formation retreats. Join us to help pray for our Massanetta team on June 16th at worship, and join us to pray for the Montreat team on July 14th at worship. Closer to the trip dates, we will share names of those participating in each trip so that you can pray specifically for those individuals.
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Please join us in offering love and sympathy to:
Lynette Wilson and family on the passing of her father, Archie Yates, on June 8
Kevin Herman and family on the passing of his father, Steve Herman, on June 10
Please keep the following members of our church family in your prayers:
Jody Alston
Don McCorkle
Dan Root
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Saturday, June 15
8:00 am Iron Sharpens Irons
8:00 am Premise Keepers
Sunday, June 16
10:00 am Worship Service
11:30 am Pickleball and Ping Pong
Monday, June 17
7:00 pm Boy Scouts
7:00 pm Session Meeting
Tuesday, June 18
5:30 pm Glory Tones
6:30 pm Praise Team
7:00 pm VBS Leader Meeting
7:00 pm Stephen Ministry
Wednesday, June 19
10:00 am Dementia Caregivers Class
5:45 pm Grace Notes
7:00 pm Chancel Choir
7:00 pm Congregational Life Team
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WFPC Finance and Attendance | |
Offerings/Tithes vs Expenses -- May 2024 | |
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** Offering includes several members giving total year 2024 pledge in January & February $43,000
***YTD 2024 Expenses are lower than in 2023 because personnel expenses do not include Associate Pastor and Financial Administrator salaries
****May expenses include a $10,000 HVAC replacement cost (unbudgeted)
June 9, 2024 Attendance: 180
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WFPC Deacons
Class of 2024
Karla Frye, Welcome
Bonnie Habicht, Fellowship
Mike Honkomp, Fellowship
Traci Marchand, Compassion
Class of 2025
Joy Blanton, Compassion
Eric Earle, Welcome
Class of 2026
Elizabeth Esguerra, Fellowship
Robin Hendricks, Branch
Eunice Shankland, Fellowship
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WFPC Session
Class of 2024
Joni Amerson, Worship
Harold Panel, Personnel
Kathy Tharrington, Outreach
Keith Thomas, Finance
Marty Wakefield, Generosity
Class of 2025
Mike Chapman, Facilities
Kathy Drake, Worship
Melinda Keen, Finance
Lisa Solomon, Generosity
Karen Sperati, Personnel
Jacky Wilson, Congregational Life
Carol Winans-Geiser, Outreach
Class of 2026
Andy Dunlap, Congregational Life
Mindy Hidenfelter, Facilities
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