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Newsletter 2 / 2008
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In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Samuel
Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem, the killing of an albatross results in a curse
that finds the mariner becalmed. In the midst of “a wide, wide sea,” with “water,
water everywhere,” he is unable to quench his thirst – “nor any drop to drink.”
What an apt portrayal
of the spiritual condition of our world! In life’s vast ocean of choices,
people cannot find a single thing to quench their spiritual thirst. In the
words of the writer of Ecclesiastes, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” No matter
what they do, apart from Christ, they will not be satisfied.
From
the Fall of Adam and Eve, Scripture recounts both God’s gracious willingness to
quench the deep thirst of his creatures, and their rebellious insistence on finding
satisfaction on their own. Jesus saw the failed results of those pursuits, but
nevertheless, had compassion on the crowds,
“because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt.
9:36). He
knew that until people came to him, the Way, the Truth and the Life, they would
never be satisfied.
We who know joy in Jesus are to be his
ambassadors to the world which is “dying for a drink.” God has put us in
families, in neighborhoods, in communities, in workplaces and in relationships
with people who have no idea how to quench the thirst that has dried up their
souls. They are looking for life in all the wrong places, and will continue to
do so until they know the truth that will set them free.
In response to the call of Jesus to his
disciples in Acts 1:8 to be his disciples “in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of
the earth,” Great
Valley has initiated Direction 1:8. Through it, we want to
enable the members and the ministries of GVPC to be effective in sharing the
soul-refreshing reality of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
As we enter the summer season, when we often
live at a different pace and in different places, let me encourage you to
reflect on a couple questions: Have you thought about how God wants to use you
to “give a cup of cold water” to those around you? Are you praying for those in
your relational networks, asking God to give them a thirst and then to enable
you to meet it?
May God give you the compassion of Jesus for
those who are unable to find “any drop to drink” in the world around them.
Pastor Dan
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Save the Date!
Sunday, June 1 from 5-7pm for our annual Church Picnic.
This year it will be held at Wilson Farm Park in Chesterbrook. There
will be food, games, music and FUN, so plan to come! Look for details
below and sign ups on the clipboards in the weeks ahead.
Location: Wilson Farm Park
Address: Lee Road, Chesterbrook
Directions:
From Great Valley Presbyterian Church, turn LEFT out of the parking lot onto SWEDESFORD ROAD
Go 1 MILE and turn LEFT onto DUPORTAIL ROAD (this is the first traffic light you come to)
Go 1 MILE and turn LEFT onto CHESTERBROOK BLVD
Go 0.1 MILE (or less, it’s an almost immediate turn) and turn RIGHT onto LEE ROAD
Go 0.3 MILE and turn RIGHT at the entrance to WILSON FARM PARK
Go 0.4 MILE and turn LEFT into the parking lot for the PICNIC SHELTER next to the basketball courts
--> Or Click here
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June 2007 opened a new chapter in the story of God’s
faithfulness at Great Valley as our congregation spoke with one voice to affirm
our primary allegiance to the God of Scripture. As you probably know, we
embraced a new denomination last June in the hope of mutually affirming our
calling in Christ. In response, Worship Committee recommended, and session
approved, a single worship service last summer in which to celebrate this unity
and encourage one another. The congregation overwhelmingly endorsed this change
as Worship Committee’s mid-summer poll affirmed.
We recognize that many find comfort and inspiration in
traditional music and the familiarity of Pastor Stewart’s voice in prayer and
in preaching and throughout the worship service. Others found that the variety
in format and in voice in the contemporary 8:30 AM service stirred their hearts
to adoration and their will to obedience. Whichever style was preferred, most
agreed that the joy of being together last summer for a single corporate
worship service made any sacrifice of personal preference a small concern.
For these reasons Session has again decided to offer a
single, blended-format worship service at 10AM, from June 29 and running
through July and August. Sunday School will begin at 9AM and a fellowship time
in the chapel, beginning about 11:15AM, will follow the service.
May we at Great Valley call out to one another, as did the
Psalmist, who said “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”
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Breaking news! It is
with great joy we report that a wonderful sound system has been purchased for
our Sister Church
in Cance, Haiti. Mark Montgomery offered his expertise in
selecting a suitable mixer, 2 speakers and all the accompanying mikes, cables,
etc. The system has been shipped to Miami and is awaiting a ride to Haiti on Agape Airlines, a service
the RMI personnel use regularly. We are
anticipating it will arrive before we do!
We are planning to provide a film or films –in French, most
likely as Creole is very difficult to find – so that we can have a “movie
night” with our brothers and sisters in Cance.
Laine is bound and determined to find Veggie Tales in French! This event will bring lots of members of the
community out so we have been asked to share our testimonies. Amazing what you learn about yourself and
others as you prepare and share your faith story! (You should try it sometime.)
People have asked us how they can help with this trip.
- First
and foremost, we ask you to pray.
We must be ready, spiritually as well as physically, in order to be
able to give (as well as get) the most out of this trip. Please pray for those in Haiti who
are struggling to provide food for their families and keep them safe from
the violence that periodically erupts there.
- If you
sponsor a child in the Christian school in Cance, you may send that child
a card with a personal note and picture of your family. Speak to Gwen McDonald for details. Cards are due on June 1st.
- We are
collecting contributions towards Bibles for our Sister church. The cost of one Bible is $ 10 – to
donate, please make your checks out to Great Valley Presbyterian Church
with “Haiti
–Bibles” on the memo line.
- We
will be collecting school supplies for the children –chalk, pens, pencils,
colored pencils, crayons, and markers (no paper) through mid-June. There will be a box in Dickerson Hall for
those gifts.
Thank you for taking the time to become informed about our
summer mission trip. We appreciate all
the support we receive from our Great
Valley brothers and
sisters in Christ.
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A picnic with Fran Schrader (SIM USA) and Terrie Mpala is scheduled at the Werts for Saturday, June 14 at 6 PM. Please RSVP to Jonathan Schuck if you have not already done so.
A trip is scheduled for Cance for June 27 to July 4, 2008. The team members include Pastor Dan Stewart, Cathy and Brian Gilbert, Gwen and Dave McDonald, Laine Gordon, and Ruth Hill.
Plans are in process to renovate Dickerson Hall. The renovations will include removing old displays along with patching and painting.
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Why is Myanmar Refusing International Aid? |
At
a Trustee Appreciation dinner at church Tuesday evening, Jim Shackleton asked
me to give my perspective on the situation in Myanmar. As the world knows
by now, a powerful cyclone, which is equivalent to a hurricane in the western
hemisphere, pulverized the southwest region of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Cyclone Nargis made landfall on Friday, May 2 and almost 2 weeks later;
disaster relief aid is just trickling in. With mega-tons of relief
supplies stacked up at the Myanmar-Thai border and dozens of naval vessels
off-shore in the Indian Ocean, the
international community is asking why. Why would Myanmar, or any
country for that matter, delay the movement of aid into the devastated regions
where thousands are left injured, homeless and hungry? Add to that the
inevitable threat of disease and bacterial infection from the rotting
corpses of humans and farm animals which are largely left as they lay, along
with the lack of clean, potable water, and the world is looking at a human
catastrophe of Biblical proportions.
To
begin to understand the situation, one must look at the origins of the current
rulers of Myanmar.
First and foremost, the predominant religion in Myanmar is Buddhism.
Secondly, the regions in the country are identified by ethnic peoples, the
Shan, Kachin, Chin, Karen, Naga and the ruling ethnic group, the Burmese.
The Burmese have always been in some war or another with the ethnic groups,
mostly focusing on the Karen. This is my ethnic group and one that Bennet
Dickerson and many missionaries have spent most of their lives on the
Myanmar-Thai border helping and ministering to. For reasons that are
being explored today, of all the ethnic groups, the Karen are most open to the
concept of mono-theism and specifically a Christian God. Some
anthropologists are investigating a link between the migrating Karen people,
all the way from the India-Myanmar border to their current location in
southeast Myanmar
bordering Thailand.
It is theorized that the early Karen migrants were influenced by gospel
teaching that had spanned the middle and near east during the time of the
disciples. Compared with other ethnics, the acceptance of mono-theism and
ultimately, Christianity by the Karen is unprecedented. My
great-grandfather was a pastor.
Getting
back to the calamity at hand, Buddhism and other religions that require a
high priest, spirits or lesser gods to get to the highest of gods, leave
the believer with no form of daily connection to their most high
god. Buddhism is defined by good works. One can perform great works
one day but commit a sin and you start from square one. Buddhism also
requires the believer to do all the work by himself. As Christians, we know that we cannot
persevere but for the strength and power of Jesus in our lives. Thus, Buddhists are constantly struggling
with their faith and those who are not disciplined enough to constantly strive
for that nirvana, fall into the traps of humanity like greed, lust, jealousy,
hatred, vengefulness and stay in that mode. The military rulers,
especially the top general, Than Shwe, fall into that category. They
are paranoid, jealous, hateful, greedy and most likely
schizophrenic. This is almost like the ruthless and feared Roman emperors
of Paul's day. Everyone kowtows to the generals in fear of
retribution by their volatile personalities. The military regime has
been in power since the bloody coup in 1962, each ruthless generation
replaced by another ruthless general. Not being sure of or even
understanding what salvation is, one can manifest all the characters that
identify man with the mark of the beast. Therefore, having the mark of
the beast, the generals of Myanmar
are terrified of losing power and authority and thus suspicious of anyone,
especially those who may offer kindness and goodness.
As Christians,
especially of the reformed Presbyterian faith, we understand our fallen self
and recognize that our power is through Jesus Christ through whom we are
sanctified before God. It is not through the build up of military power,
storehouses of food, or overflowing financial portfolios that save us and
guarantee eternal life. On the contrary, it is the confession of our
personal weakness and our desire to grow in our walk with Christ that
saves us. With all the natural disasters, mass killings and moral decay
occurring over the last few decades, one can read the Book of Revelation in a
truly prophetic way. Many passages in Revelation encourage us to remain
strong and steadfast in our faith though we may face difficult times and
even death. But alas, death was defeated long ago on the
cross on Calvary. Pray for the
people of Myanmar,
that through this human tragedy unfolding before our eyes, the world will come
to know the true nature of the military regime and can begin demanding and
encouraging change. Pray also, despite the unimaginable human
suffering, that God's sovereign work is done and seen by those who
struggle to understand their circumstance.
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Vacation Bible School 2008 |
 No
mission could be more exciting or vital than drawing young space
voyagers closer to the Lord! The Great Valley VBS team is planning
intensely to take children from Kindergarten to 5th grade on an
out-of-this- world adventure that brings the wonder of God to life.
Vacation Bible School will take place daily
from 6pm – 8:30pm, August 11-15.
The Space Voyagers will start each day together at Alpha Base. From
there we will take small groups to explore God’s creation, provision,
and sacrifice as well as our belief and trust in Him.
The children will experience God’s awesome power with hands-on Bible
dramas at the Theater of the Galaxies, rocket beyond our atmosphere
with games at Asteroid Alley, create memorable crafts at the SuperNova
SuperMart, touch and feel the wonder of God at Wonder U, worship the
Creator of the Universe at Deeper Space, and fuel up with tasty snacks
at the Shooting Star Drive-in.
The VBS team is planning to end the week with a special presentation
and cosmic icy treats on Friday night. Watch out for details – everyone
is invited to join in celebrating.
Your kids, grandkids, friends and neighbor kids won’t want to miss a minute of the action! Secure their spots to tour Cosmic City today! Sign ups have already started.
There are still openings to help out with VBS. Every hand and happy helper is needed.
Let us know if we can count on you!
Please contact the VBS team with questions or to offer your help:
Sally Farrell, Kerstin Lang, Rhonda Schuck, Lisa Sybrandt, Heidi Watson
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 As we complete our fourth year here at the Preschool in the Valley, we look back with gratitude to God for all His blessings, and forward with anticipation to what He will do in the future. On Thursday, May 15, twenty six children graduated from our Pre-K classes. We invited all the parents to attend a little ceremony, at which Pastor Jim was the “commencement speaker”. He challenged the children to “keep Jesus in their hearts”, as they leave this place.
The graduation ceremony was followed by an “all-school picnic” at a nearby park. We were blessed with a beautifully sunny day, and everyone had a fun time visiting and playing.
One of the highlights of the last few weeks was the Spring Sing, held on Sunday, May 4th, at the 11am worship service. There were about forty five families in attendance. The children did a marvelous job of singing under the able leadership of Carol Jones, our music teacher.
After the service, a reception was held in Fellowship Hall, also very well attended. This was a wonderful opportunity for church and preschool families to get to know each other.
Another event in May was “Muffins with Mom”. The children baked muffins for their moms, and then invited them to school to share with them. When the Moms arrived in the classroom, the children served muffins, iced tea or lemonade, and presented them with a special hand-made gift. Needless to say, every mother was thrilled!
 Our culminating activity for the school year will be African Safari Nature Camp. We have sixty children signed up for this program, which lasts for two weeks. The campers will be learning about all the exciting animals who roam the African plains. They are divided by age into four “herds” or “prides”, according to age: Tigers, Leopards, Zebras, and Giraffes. Besides a craft each day, activities will include: outdoor “safari games”, songs in Swahili, Jesus time (learning about Bible animals), and stories of Africa. Also, we will have guest speakers with first hand experience of living in Africa: Karen Erickson(the Director) from Tanzania, Terri Mpala from Zambia, Patricia Michuki (the mom of one of our students) from Kenya, and Gwen or Carol Jones from Uganda. On the final day of camp, everyone will gather in Fellowship Hall for a special slide presentation about Uganda, and the singing of our African Rain Song.
When Nature Camp is over, all the teachers will be taking a well-deserved summer break, before we begin planning to re-open in the Fall. Something new we are offering this Fall will be afternoon classes for three and four year olds. As of now, these classes still have openings. We are also introducing a new class called “Mommy and Me.” This class meets for just one hour a week, and is designed for children ages 18 to 29 months, who are just beginning to make the transition from home to school. This small group experience will give the parent and child positive social interaction through a variety of activities, including songs, games, stories, and crafts.
We are excited about all that the Lord has in store for us in the year to come!
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Games Night at the Valley! |
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In the evening of May 10th, 2008, hearty souls descended on the Chapel of Great Valley Church. Was it profound teaching that brought them? No. Was it significant exposition from the book of Obadiah? No. Was it a youth group presentation on their summer missions trip? No. Although all these things are worthwhile, this was a night for another worthwhile endeavor …
Games Night at the Valley! Talk about games! In our own unique round robin format, two teams played each other in Flashmatch, Uno, Parcheesi, Scattergories, and Password … all in the span of two hours. Specific highlights were many … Chris White experiencing the agony of defeat, Owen Howson and Dayne McAfee having the sharpest memories, Millie Montgomery and Gwen McDonald having trouble concentrating, etc. Truly, a fun time
Your Church Life and Outreach committee asks that you please come join us (and bring a friend … this is a great way for newcomers to meet our family!) for our next games night in the Fall of 2008!
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YOUTH GROUP
The high school group “Voice” was started to allow high school students to choose events the Youth Group might be interested in doing, the topics they study, and various other endeavors. “Voice” is highly regarded and has had a significant impact on our youth ministry.
The middle school recently participated in an event called “Battle of the Rock Bands” in which the group dressed up like rock stars and challenged each other in the video game Rock Band. Congratulations are in order to the winners – Chris, Tom, and Josh!
The next day our high school students went on a paintball excursion at Thornton Paint Ball. Many returned with paint on their clothes but smiles on their faces.
Of special note, the Youth Group purchased a sound system to meet their needs for Sunday nights.
Additionally, the youth website ( www.gvyouth.org) received a facelift. Special thanks are in order for Martin Lang and James Palmer for their efforts!
The Youth Group has finished its study of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. The group had several special speakers come to share their insights. The speakers included Ron Hoch (teacher from Delaware County Christian School), Pastor Dan Stewart, Chris Hanley (youth pastor from Bethel – the Church at Franklin Mills), and Greg Porter (founder of the Daniel’s Foundation).
This summer a few of our high school students and Evan will be heading to New Orleans to assist in the ongoing restoration.
Many other events are planned for this summer: (1) a high school seniors camping trip to discuss life-to-come in college, (2) a trip to the beach, (3) more of the popular paintballing, (4) the musical festival Revelation Generation, (5) a high school breakfast and Bible study on Tuesday mornings, (6) a Good Works work camp, (7) mini-golf, and more.
In addition, on June 22, a “Sick Nasty Move-Up Party” is planned in which the group wiil be receiving all students going into 6th and 9th grade as well as recognizing our high school graduates.
Our Youth Program is providing a significant opportunity for fellowship and meaningful relationships for anybody from 6th to 12th grade. Evan is still searching for anyone with an interest in bonding with our middle and high school students on Sunday evenings.
ADULTS
We will have one combined adult Sunday School at 9 AM beginning on June 29 and ending August 31. Class will be held in the chapel and taught by several members on a rotating basis. The material will be Scripture Press – Galatians, Ephesians.
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The new kitchen has been a busy place lately with a couple breakfasts, teas, a fellowship luncheon and several small group dinners. We are pleased to see it being used and are very thankful to have the new space to work in. In March it passed the second annual Health inspection without any problems. Thank you for your cooperation in helping to keep the kitchen clean and in order.
We presently have four Serve Teams, several dishwashers and two ‘table teams’ and are looking for more volunteers, age thirteen and up. If you have any interest in cooking, running the dishwasher, serving or helping in the kitchen, we can use you. This is a fun way to serve together and have fellowship at the same time! There will be more ‘kitchen orientations’ held in June and July for new and interested volunteers. Specific dates and times will be posted soon in the bulletin and on a new notice board in the Cafe. The sessions last an hour, will orient you to the kitchen layout and equipment, and review the county’s current food-safety regulations. (You may contact Gwen McDonald at
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for more information.) This is a great way for you to get involved in the life of Great Valley. Please consider it!
-----The Kitchen Committee
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submit articles, pictures, dates, information and ideas
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no later than August 18th.
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Fellowship 
