November 2020
In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love.
Augustine wrote “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love.” For 1500 years the Church of Jesus Christ has quarreled over this phrase. Augustine was not rewriting scripture; he was affirming the hardest part of scripture: how to live in Christ when we differ.
I love saying the Apostle's Creed as an affirmation of what unites Christians: I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth . . . Jesus Christ . . . our Lord, and the Holy Spirit . . . the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting - and everything in between.
St. Augustine, writing in the 5th century, was striving to gather the commonality of the Church in his time. That was not an easy task for a relatively new Church. Nor has the task ever been easy, but our common beliefs in the Sovereignty of God, Jesus' cup of the new covenant sealed by his blood for the forgiveness of sins, and the Spirits work among us remains our essential unity.
How various faith communities administer the sacraments (juice or wine), demonstrate prayer (dancing or silence), preach the word (20 minutes or 2 hours), dress for worship (jeans or dresses) comes under the liberty 'non-essentials' - following our conscious on how to worship the One who can do exceedingly more than we can possibly imagine, Ephesians 3:20. Add worshiping with safe physical distancing, face masks, and via live-streaming the Church of Jesus is yet again adapting and changing except for one little thing: Augustine's little but powerful quote ending with Jesus' greatest commandment: love.
Our country has the gift of expressing our opinions through voting. It is a gift our founders gave to us, knowing full well that the various groups of immigrants crossing the pond, as it were, to a new land came with differing opinions on faith and values. As we approach our seasonal time of national elections, I want us to remember Jesus' prayer in John 17 over zealots, competing bands of brothers, rule followers and rule breakers, better known as his disciples, when Jesus prayed “that they may be one.” Their oneness in Christ did not make them uniform, it made them the Body of Christ.
I recently read an article from a Moravian church – that worships differently than I do – but provided a loving statement for a time such as this.
“Regardless of how the election turns out, I will not hold hate, disdain, or ridicule for those who voted differently from me. Whether I am pleased or upset about the outcome, I will seek to understand the concerns and aspirations of those who voted differently and will look for opportunities to work with people with whom I disagree.” [Source: Braver Angels, https://braverangels.org/]
Promise and fulfillment, it is not always easy to live into both. With Jesus as your essential, his love as the ultimate mission, we can all do well to look for opportunities to work with those with whom we disagree. The saints at Plum Creek have done this before, continue to do it, and I believe people will come to you for wisdom and advice.
To God be the Glory, Jane
Safe Center for Online Learning (SCOL) Updates
As we near the end of our second month with our students, we are once again overwhelmed with gratitude for your continued support of SCOL. Our staff and students have settled well into the rhythm of the new school year. We are grateful for your donations of snacks and materials, for our volunteers who helped get us started and still step in from time to time, and your prayers as we embarked on this new adventure.
We still have openings for students in first through sixth grade and are looking to hire more staff to work with us. Please feel free to share our information with anyone who may be interested. SCOL is open Monday through Friday from 7:30am-4pm and costs $30/child/day. More information is available on our website at plumcreekpc.com/scol or by emailing Faith: faith.plumcreek@gmail.com
Christian Formation’s Gift to the church!
Pondering the needs and joys of our children your Christian Formation Committee purchased a playset with monkey bars, swings, a fort, picnic table, and climbing wall for all children of the church, VBS, SCOL, and Day Camp. The SCOL kids initiated the set on Monday before the rains began and loved it.
Please know the set has not yet been sealed so please be careful running your hand along the wood for another week or so. You will find the playset on the grass behind the pavilion chimney.
In addition to the playset Christian Formation also purchased a small geo dome for climbing, crawling, and exploring. Thank you CF!
MISSION COMMITTEE - Christmas in a Bag for Plum Food Pantry
A Season Set Apart
This is a season set apart for giving our gifts that warm the heart,
as we celebrate Christ’s birth in a season set apart.
A season set apart for showing how much we truly care,
for those we share our lives with and miss when they’re not there.
A season set apart for going that “extra mile”,
to help a needy stranger and leave him with a smile.
A season set apart for loving all creatures great and small,
in honor of the Christ Child who loved them one and all.
It’s a season of thanksgiving for all we have received,
for once upon a Christmas day, he came and we believed!
Clay Harrison
Help us provide Christmas Dinner to a needy family in Plum!
Your mission committee, in partnership with the Plum Food Pantry, is going to collect
“Christmas dinner” bags. We will provide you with a bag, and a grocery list. We have chosen
all the ingredients to prepare a delicious holiday meal. The food pantry will supply gift cards for the meat. You can get your bag and shopping list in Church on Sunday, November 15th. If you are worshiping with us virtually, you can provide your own brown paper bag, and use the list we have provided for you below. We will collect the bags on Sunday, December 6th. We ask that you stick to the list, but if you want to add something extra you are welcome to do so. If you cannot provide all of the items, just choose a few from the list and return your bag.
Box of instant mashed potatoes
2 envelopes of dry gravy mix
Box of Stove Top stuffing mix
Can of sweet potatoes
Can of cranberry sauce
Jar of apple sauce
2 cans of vegetables
One bread, biscuit, or corn bread mix
Can of pie filling
Dry pie crust mix
We hope that you will join us and go that “extra mile”,
to help our needy neighbors and give them reason to smile.
Your mission committee.