Newsletter 1 / 2010
 
Newsletter 1 / 2010 |
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The 2010 Kick-Off Celebration Dinner and program on Saturday, January 23rd, was an all-around success! A very special thanks goes to Janet Harvey and her crew for all the hard work in preparing a wonderful meal, and to Carol Jones as well, for her leadership in pulling together the entertainment. If you’ll forgive me for saying, while chicken may have been on the dinner menu, there was an awful lot of ham in the program!
It was good to see a number of former Great Valley folks who came back to celebrate the evening with us. It was also good (and poignant) to see the pictures of a number of Great Valley folks, now gone to be with the Lord, who were an important part of the ministry and fellowship of the congregation in days gone by. Such memories are precious elements in the experience of being a part of the family of God in this place.
Speaking of the family of God, I can't help but consider that we who were there that evening, whether in person or in pictures, are but a small part of the congregation who have made up Great Valley over its 300 years. Our tercentennial celebration is a time to remember that we in this day are but stewards of a ministry that both stretches back farther than any of us can see, and, by God’s grace, will continue into a future beyond the farthest range of our vision as well.
Yes, 300 years is a long time, and Great Valley’s history precedes even the founding of our nation. But, the focus of our celebration is not upon a historical place or people; in fact, our focus is not finally historical at all (if by “historical” we mean something that took place in and is thereby limited to the past). Rather, our focus is upon the God who transcends history and upon his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. We celebrate the faithfulness of that timeless God whose love extends to all generations –our own, that of our Great Valley forebears, and that of our children and our children’s children and beyond.
It is this unchanging God and his unchanging Word which have been the reason for Great Valley’s existence from its foundation. Those early Welsh “dissenters of Presbyterian conviction” knew and worshiped the living God whom we also have been blessed to know and worship. And the historic message we proclaim is the same which issued forth from them – that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV).
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Tercentennial Celebration Events |
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Psalm 28:8-9
“The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed ones. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, 5 PM
Kick-off Dinner and Program
Our celebration begins with a family-style dinner featuring recipes from the GVPC cookbook, followed by a program of skits, songs and historical commemorations. Our special guest is noted watercolorist Richard Bollinger, who will be signing prints of his painting of Great Valley Church.
Sunday, March 14, 2010, 3 PM
Organ Concert
GVPC organists from past and present will perform an organ concert in the sanctuary. Following performances by Beverly Moore, Roger Wischmeier, Doug Wimer and Sharon Smoker, you are invited to a tea in the Chapel, featuring delicious treats made according to historic recipes.
Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, 11 AM
Commemorative Anthem
In addition to the traditional “Son Rise” service in the cemetery and the congregational breakfast, our worship will include the Sanctuary Choir’s performance of a commemorative anthem, commissioned to celebrate our Tercentennial and composed for the occasion by Joseph Martin.
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 7:00 PM
An Evening with the Artist
Rick Bollinger’s craft and life are testaments to God’s grace. In “an evening with the artist” he reveals both how he develops his art and how he came to experience grace through a relationship with Jesus. This presentation features the painting of GVPC as its subject, so it is a great opportunity to invite un-churched friends to hear the Gospel. A dessert will follow the program, and Rick will be available to sign prints for those who attend.
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 4:30 PM
Strawberry Festival and Sunday School Picnic
In days gone by, a highlight of the summer was GVPC’s annual Strawberry Festival. In more recent times, young and old have enjoyed the annual Sunday School picnic. We will combine those two traditions in a special celebration this year at Wilson Farm Park. In addition to the picnic and favorite games, the day will feature sumptuous desserts of shortbread, fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Thursday, June 17, 2010, 6 PM
Walking Tour of GVPC Cemetery
Chester County Community Walks will feature our historic cemetery in its summer schedule. The tour will highlight interesting features and the final resting places of famous and colorful local history-makers in GVPC’s ancient burial grounds. The tour concludes with a talk by Mike Bertram of the T/E Historical Society on what was happening in our community in the year 1740.
Sunday, Sept.19, 2010, 10:30 AM
Culminating Worship Celebration
The conclusion of GVPC’s tercentennial celebration will be a service of worship to give thanks for 300 years of God’s faithfulness. Before the worship service, representatives from various government and civic organizations, other churches, and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church will bring greetings and commendations in recognition of this historic milestone.
 Our preacher for the worship service will be the Rev. Dr. David F. Wells, Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA.
Dr. Wells’ scholarly, articulate and passionate defense of biblical truth makes him an ideal person to address GVPC, “an historic church exalting the historic message,” on the occasion of our tercentennial. His 1993 book, No Place for Truth or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?, was highly critical of the Evangelical church in America for abandoning its historical and theological roots, and embracing instead the philosophies and pragmatism of the world.
Dr. Wells’ most recent books — Above All Earthly Pow'rs: Christ In A Postmodern World (Eerdmans, 2006) and The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World (Eerdmans, 2008) — continue to address significant issues for the church today.
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Great Valley Sunday School Electives-February, 2010 |
AGE OF OPPORTUNITY A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens - Lynn Shackleton, Teacher
based on the book by Paul David Tripp
Every parent wants to raise “good kids.” Many today find parenting to be a frightening challenge particularly throughout the teenage years. During this elective we will examine Biblical wisdom and practical steps for understanding and shepherding the heart of teens as put forth by Paul Tripp in his book AGE OF OPPORTUNITY. Tripp’s guidelines are helpful not only for teen but also pre-teen parents. The class will study the nature of teenagers and the struggles they face, God’s intent for the family, and goals, strategies and practical steps for being pastoral parents.
The class will meet in the right side of Fellowship Hall.
Spiritual Warfare In Today’s World - Bob Scott, Teacher
There is a great war being waged in the world today. It is not a conflict between nations, tribes or government leaders. It is the invisible battle taking place in the spirit world behind what we see in the natural world. It’s notable that military terminology is used throughout the New Testament. The early Church obviously viewed their spiritual experience in terms of warfare. They knew they were engaged in an intense spiritual struggle. The same is true today and believers can easily be defeated if, for example, they lack understanding of their authority in Christ. This elective will be an introduction to the vital topic of spiritual
warfare.
The class will meet in the chapel.
Nooma - Phil Jones, Teacher
The thoughtful Nooma series now includes twenty four titles. The well produced videos feature Rob Bell, pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The films explore questions that might arise as a person explores the Christian faith. The series title, "NOOMA", is an English variation of the Greek word pneuma which means wind or spirit. More details on Nooma can be found at www.nooma.com, including video clips.
Each class will include one of the more recent videos and include a period of review and discussion. We will also explore the controversy related to Rob Bell and the related emerging church movement.
The class will meet in the left side of Fellowship Hall.
Darwin, Doubt and the ‘Daniel Factor’ – Dan Stewart, teacher
Evolutionists assert “man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind,” and “if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked…).” What is the evidence for and against such statements? What do they say about our Christian faith? Can you give a clear and convincing reason for “the hope that you have” in the face of such comments? Join Pastor Stewart for a study of this important topic during the February electives.
The class will meet in the All Purpose Room..
Sign up sheets are on the table in Dickerson Hall or you may sign up via your current Sunday School class.
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Earn a $100 scholarship for Christian camp this summer |
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I am delighted to share that the Missions Team and Christian Education Committee are once again co-sponsoring the Camp Work Program (CWP) in 2010. This Program is just one of many wonderful youth ministries that Great Valley Church has supported for decades. Based on the testimonies of past CWP participants, summer Christian camp has had a powerful impact on spiritual growth – something that all of us desire for the children and youth of our community.
This year’s CWP will be led by Rhonda and Jonathan Schuck and is open to all children/ youth in 1st through 12th grades. As in past years, there are two primary components to the CWP:
• Scripture memorization
• Service
Each participant who completes the program requirements timely will receive a scholarship of $100. Last year, more than 20 young people participated and subsequently attended camps including Deerfoot Lodge, FCA, Haycock, Sankanac, Tapawingo, Teekna and Word of Life.
If you would like to learn more about this fun and character-building program, parent letters and registration forms are available in Dickerson Hall. The registration deadline is March 14, 2010 and all CWP requirements must be completed by May 20, 2010.
Do not hesitate to contact the Schucks if you have any additional questions regarding the 2010 Camp Work Program. |
 GVPC is responsible for the repair of the Comfort home in West Chester. We are doing this with Goodworks, a local faith based ministry that helps makes homes warmer safer and drier. The work and Ministry are relational in that we want to engage the homeowner and their family. We have had to rebuild all the kitchen and bathroom floors and have installed new tub and new walls in both rooms. We insulated above the kitchen and put in new plumbing pipes and water lines to both rooms. We put in new ground fault outlets and new lights in both rooms and outside the back door. New windows have been installed upstairs and downstairs. Mark turner has supervised the installation of new counters and cabinets. The work has been done by 6- 8 men who have volunteered to help and work one Saturday a month. Jim Shackleton brought the Youth group and they help fill up a 20 foot roll away dumpster with debris, trash and yard materials from the back yard. They made it possible for us to have a workspace outside of the home. We generally work on the second Saturday of the month. Some of the men who have helped include Alan Papson, Al Raws, Mike Cartularo, Nigel Jenkins, Ted Wray, Mark Turner, Darrel Earhart, Carlo Pittounicos, Betty and Russ Orr (who have graciously provided lunches for the men). If I missed acknowledging you, it is unintentional and we would love to have you (Men and women) join us for a day. Good works will provide the tools and we have many men within our church who are willing to help share their knowledge. Contact Brian Gilbert
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or 610-644-7510. The Goodworks website is www.goodworksinc.org .
The picture is of Al Papson working with a Comfort relative on the plumbing and floor for new toilet. The new toilet, sink and stove are in backyard waiting to be installed before we leave.
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 January has been all about snowmen, as you will see when you walk down the hall in the preschool wing. Each class made their own snowmen in different media. They have all been learning songs and poems about snowmen also. Our afternoon fours class took a field trip to a nearby adult day care center, Sarah Care, to share their songs, and make edible snowmen together! The event was enjoyed by seniors and children alike.
Though the cold weather hasn't always allowed us to get outside this month, we are so thankful for a large run-around space - the Gym. The children are there on a regular basis, as Teacher Tina (Riggs) teaches them to play "reindeer games" and many other fun activities.
Chapel time with Pastors Dan and Jim finds us focusing on the ministry of Christ, with many creative implementations of those Bible lessons. Teacher Carol (Jones) reinforces those lessons with many fun songs in Music class, including "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it". Children can be heard belting out this song as they travel the halls, play in their classrooms, or jump into their vans to go home. They are learning God's Word as they sit, stand, walk, or run (according to the teachings of Deuteronomy)
The last week of January has been taken up with parent/teacher conferences, as everyone takes advantage of this valuable opportunity, mid-year, to assess their students' progress.
At this point, I am happy to say that our enrollment for the Fall of 2010 is almost full, with 84 children already signed up, and some classes waitlisted.
God is good!
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Erickson
Director, Preschool in the Valley |
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Update from Alec and Tammy Millen |
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Dear Praying Friends,
I have just been thinking how amazing it is to be here doing what we do. Just yesterday Tammy and I were in a conversation with a new friend, Ishmael, who is of the majority religion of Tanzania, and we were confronted with a worldview and faith questions that we NEVER got while talking about Jesus in the States. Wow! I am reminded again that we are in desperate need of God’s wisdom in confronting the strongholds in people’s minds, as well as the effectual calling of grace by the Holy Spirit in people’s hearts, if we are to see God’s Kingdom spread through our efforts here. We also are in need of your prayers for us and our work.
Since we wrote to you two weeks ago, we have some updates on recent prayer requests, and we want you to praise God with us.
(1) We have finally moved into our house, and are getting settled in! Praise God the wait is over, and though we still are in need of some furnishings, we are glad to know that our 10 months of transition is over. What a huge blessing it has been.
(2) Dodoma has received its first good rains last week, which actually is close to a month early. The desert is abloom, and the dust has begun to settle. Please praise God for sending the rain, and ask Him that there would be enough rain for the Tanzanians to plant and harvest a good crop this year.
(3) I (Alec) had an amazing trip up to the Rangi homeland two weeks ago. After so many months of just learning culture and language and making ministry connections, it seems that God is bringing shape and form to what the future of our ministry will be here in Tanzania. Let me give some highlights:
- Our first stop after driving a brutal 5 ½ hours, was the village of Haubi, which is the primary location of the Christians among the Rangi people. In this village, I met with a number of village leaders, some Catholic priests, and a teacher at the local school. I travelled with a man who is from that village, and who is translating the Bible into his people’s language (Kirangi). My hope was to stir interest in putting the Bible narrative (i.e. major story line of the Scriptures) into their language, not in written form, but orally so that it can be told over and over again by those who are not able to read (a large percentage of the Rangi people). I also spoke to them about what form should we put it in to “feel” Rangi – meaning would it be more culturally appropriate to put it into song, into a call-response format, or what. My ultimate hope is that the message of the Scriptures will sink deep into the hearts of the Rangi people, and thus transform their culture. Praise God with us that these meetings went well, and please ask God to raise up a team that will want to translate these Bible stories into their language.
- The remainder of our time, we spent travelling to 7 villages, meeting with local leaders and talking to them about what are the major health issues that they face as a community. Because we had done some research before making this trip, I knew that there was a tremendous need for clean water. And as God would have it, we had made contact with another ministry that has developed a filtration system that is small, relatively inexpensive ($15 per household), and extremely effective at removing the things in the water that make people sick (i.e typhoid, cholera, Ecoli, etc). So, in each of these villages, we did a demonstration of the filter and how it could quickly and easily clean any water without having to boil it. Now, you may know that in many developing countries, women spend a significant portion of their days collecting fire wood for cooking and for boiling water for drinking. So, perhaps one of the greatest moments of the demonstrations was when an older woman (in her 60s, though she looked 80) realized that, if her husband got one, she wouldn’t have to cut and haul fire wood any more. Though I couldn’t speak her language, the way she was speaking and the look on her face said, “Where have you been all my life!!” What a joy it was to give this family a filter as a gift.
- It is no exaggeration to say that the response to the water filtration system was OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE. Understand that most of these villages are100% Muslim, and have resisted Christian work and witness among them. But it seemed that God had given us a point of contact where we could show God’s love for their physical needs, in preparation to share God’s love for their spiritual needs. Well, it got to the point that I realized that if this water project was going to happen, God was going to have to show up, because I came to these villages with a commitment from one supporting church to raise money and they would pay for half of each filter, so that they could be affordable to any family (most families could get the equivalent of $7.50 to ensure they would have safe drinking water for the next 1-2 years). However, as each village responded, it became clear that I could easily sell 1,000 of these filters. So, please pray for us to have wisdom to know the way forward on this, and that God would provide the additional financial resources to purchase more filters.
- As God so often does, He brought us to the very END of our trip to show us where I believe He wants us to start. We were told about one village that we hadn’t planned on going to, and where we did not have a contact to start with. However, we learned that they had a very bad situation with their water, so we made the hour long drive to this village. The water they were drinking was filthy, and even after filtering it, it still looked brown(ish). I was a little skeptical, but since I had 100 people watching my presentation, it was “bottoms up” and down went the “clean” water. After the demonstration, they took me to where they got their water, and it was absolutely no wonder there were problems. There had been hundreds of wells dug over the years, some nearly 30 feet deep. Their animals were walking around the wells, which weren’t protected so surely urine and fecal matter gets into the water. Last year, 5 people died by FALLING INTO THE WELLS! As we drove away, we knew that this was a place that needed some hope. Please pray that as we prepare to return there in 2010, that God would guide us. Our hope is to have a few of the Old Testament stories translated into their language, so that as we are giving them clean drinking water, we can also share with them about God who is a “fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 2:13).
(4) Lastly, we wanted to let you know that we have started an English speaking fellowship (church) in our home on Sunday mornings. We did not come to Tanzania with the intent of ministry to the expatriate community, but it became clear that something was needed. Actually, it started as a conviction that our children needed a good “church experience.” We want them to love the church and look forward to Sunday mornings. However, worship in KiSwahili was extremely difficult, and the only English speaking service really wasn’t meeting our spiritual needs. So, we began discussing with a few families about starting something new, and it has really started to grow. Our vision is to be “An English Speaking, God-exalting, Bible-teaching, Gospel-centered, Spirit-led, family-friendly meeting in Dodoma, Tanzania.” Tammy has taught the children and Alec is preaching through the Sermon on the Mount. We look forward to seeing what God does, but so far it seems that there is an interest. In the three weeks that we have met together, people from the countries of England, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Holland, Germany and the United States have come to worship together. Please pray that we would sense the presence of the Lord weekly, and that we would truly minister to each other, using the gifts that God has given to us. Praise God that the house He provided for us is large enough to be able to handle a sizeable group.
Thank you for taking the time to read through these praise and prayer items. As I said at the beginning, we really couldn’t do what we are doing without you. We love you .
Alec and Tammy
Alec & Tammy Millen
Missionary Ventures - East Africa
078-818-6155 (Alec) / 078-818-6156 (Tammy)
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/ www.millensmilestones.blogspot.com
Skype - alec.tammy.millen / alec.millen1
Pictures:
Answering Questions about Filter:
Children:
Clean & Safe:
Crowded Presentation:
Pulling water from wells by bucket:
Simple, but effective:
Village Elders:
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Search Committee formed for a new Director of Music Ministry |
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Herb Balian, our long-time friend and Director of Music Ministry, recently announced his retirement to be effective at the end of May 2010 when choir recesses for summer. Herb has served Great Valley for 10 years and we will miss his leadership and contributions to our worship of Almighty God. Herb will be joining his wife Amy in her retirement.
In response to Herb’s announcement Session has formed a “Search Committee” made up of Mark Montgomery as Chair of Worship Committee, his wife Millie, Kerstin Lang, Carol Jones, Linda Pittounicous and Pastor Dan Stewart. The Search Committee’s goal will be to identify a new Director of Music Ministry to begin his/her ministry in time to enable planning for the Fall of 2010 when Choir will return from Summer recess.
Search Committee members will meet with Senior Choir, Youth Choir and the contemporary Worship Team to seek their prayers and receive their input on what qualifications would best serve our music ministries. An open meeting with the congregation will also be announced for some time in April in order to review qualifications and to provide everyone in the congregation with an opportunity for input.
As announced last year, Ministry Initiatives were recommended by Worship Committee and adopted by Session in 2009 to “glorify God in a seamless blended Sunday worship experience that better reaches youth and younger families in our community with the biblical truth of Christ-centered living.” With this initiative in mind, some of the questions Search Committee is seeking God’s guidance to understand:
1. Can a new Director of Music be found to lead both the contemporary Worship Team as well as the Senior and Youth choirs, or should Great Valley continue to have paid staff supporting only the Choirs?
2. How will God move us toward a music ministry that uses contemporary worship elements while ensuring that we continue to cherish the rich scriptural truth in many of our much-loved hymns?
3. How can we best ensure that traditional as well as contemporary choirs continue to be encouraged, nurtured and developed?
Search Committee’s first task will be to prayerfully develop a job description. Once done, that job description will be distributed and applicants sought. Choir, Worship Team, Worship Committee, Session members and the congregation will be updated regularly. Questions or comments? Please email Mark Montgomery at
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Please pray for us! |
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Whether you are in the 'Great Grace of God' Youth Group (combination of Great Valley and Grace Valley YG's, 6th through 12th grades) … or just looking to stay in touch with this active bunch, this article will give you a feel for what we're up to in the Spring of 2010.
A typical Sunday evening looks something like this:
- 6 to 6:35 PM Games (usually in the gym, but we'll push the brain every once in awhile as well)
- 6:35 to 7:05 PM Small groups by age and gender (MS boys, MS girls, HS boys, HS girls)
- 7:05 to 7:30 PM Large group singing/prayer time
We have selected the biblical book of James as our primary material for study on Sunday evenings this semester (see total Spring Schedule below). James challenges us not to simply be 'hearers' of God's Word, but to be 'doers' of His Word. In other words, we are to listen and apply God's Word with all of our minds and our hearts and our actions. A high school bible study will be starting in February that will provide a greater doctrinal emphasis for the more mature in our midst.
Games include Thunderball, Human Size Foosball, Capture the Flag, Blind Polygon, Tennis Baseball, Log Roll, Bunko, Dodge Ball (all varieties), Chariot Riding, the Newspaper Game, just to name a few! That should tell you all you need to know about our games!
We strongly support Philadelphia Homeless Run Sandwich Making on the Thursday before the 3rd Saturday of each month, and will take on other service activities this summer.
Special activities this semester include Special Nights for Middle School and High School students separately, our annual ski retreat, Gals/Guys Nights Out, Cookouts, and a variety of spontaneous events.
We are also in the process of gathering our team for a summer missions trip to Champfleuri, France. Please pray us to be aware of God's direction in all decision making. If you'd like to support this trip financially, please place a check in the offering plate with 'French Missions Trip' or 'Champfleuri' in the memo line. Thank you for considering!
Our leaders are Sally Farrell, Kim Lownes, and Kathy Powell (MS girls), Rhonda Schuck, Lynne Shack, Wendy DiRico, and Bonnie Cruice (HS girls), Jon Shuck and Ken Chiarello (MS boys) Jim Shack and Tucker Lownes (HS boys), and Beth and Bill Nields (logistics and studio support). A great group … and a group for which Mr. Shack is very grateful.
Please keep us in your prayers … for safety, spiritual growth, kindness, peace, patience … and that we would know more of Christ (not just intellectually, but relationally as well).
Are you interested in helping as a leader? We could use you in a variety of ways! Give Jim Shack a call during the week (610-644-1995) or just catch him on a Sunday morning. The current group of leaders would love to welcome you into our crazed club!
For more information on Youth Group Activities check our schedules:
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• Palm Sunday at 11:00 AM; Cantata "Out of the Shadows"
• Maundy Thursday Communion Service at 7:30 PM - Childcare provided
• Easter "Sonrise" Service at 7:30 AM - service behind the church on the hill
• Easter Breakfast at 8:30 AM in Fellowship Hall
• Easter Service at 11:00 AM
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Find previous newsletters:
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 Please contribute to the next GVPC Newsletter:
submit articles, pictures, dates, information and ideas to
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no later than May 2nd.
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