Tuesday, August 20th:
10 am Bible Study: Book of Isaiah ch. 42
Wednesday, August 21st:
7 pm New Members Class
Sunday, August 25th:
10 am Worship: Pastor Todd Stavrakos preaching
Tuesday, August 27th:
10 am Bible Study: ch 43
August 20th:
Palmer Loux
Since Easter, worship at GPC has contained a creed or confession within the liturgy. Creeds and confessions form the foundation of the Reformed tradition.
These statements have been used by the church from its very beginning as followers of Jesus Christ seek to define what they believe. The word “creed” comes from the Latin word credo (I believe); a creed is a statement of faith.
For centuries the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed formed the basis of Christian orthodoxy. They are considered to be ecumenical statements, used by all denominations of Christians. The Apostles’ Creed is believed to be a very early hymn that taught early followers what the church believed as they prepared for baptism into the body of Christ. The Nicene Creed was the earliest statement of the church that sought to clarify the orthodox beliefs of the Christian community. The Apostles’ Creed focused on the humanity of Christ whereas the Nicene Creed focused on the questions arising about Christ’s divinity.
The Nicene Creed, in particular, was the topic of discussion of several church councils in the 4th through 6th centuries of the common era as they sought to address heresies that developed in the early church. While it was hoped that by clarifying its beliefs the church would be more united, the Nicene Creed did not, in fact, unite the early church but instead gave rise to discussions that would eventually divide the church.
A thousand years later, the confessional movement, of the western church in particular, began with the Reformation. As new Christian communities were created, they sought to create new statements, or confessions, of what the community believed. These confessions, or statements of faith, became the founding documents of these church movements.
The Presbyterian Church USA has a Book of Confessions as part of its constitution. The contents of the Book of Confessions include the Apostles’ and Nicene Creed as well as other confessions including:
Unlike the church’s canon of scripture, which is considered closed, which means no additions can be made, the Book of Confessions of PCUSA is open. As our understandings about humanity and God evolve, so do our words and ideas. As our words and ideas and contexts change, so must our confessions and our statements of faith.
In our challenging day, I find inspiration from our confessions, particularly the 2nd Helvetic Confession, the Barmen Declaration, and the Belhar Confession, because they challenge social understandings in a way that only faith can. Although some of the language is dated, I truly enjoy the struggle of those who wrote these statements to ensure that the Gospel witness would remain true to Christ.
We have chosen to include these confessions, creeds, and statements of faith in our worship to recognize the faith that has been handed down to us, for it is upon the shoulders of our faithful ancestors that we stand. So we join our voices to theirs and recite the words that they offered recognizing that our faith continues to grow. It is our hope that as we share these confessions and statements in worship, we can claim our heritage but also find our own voices in this day and age.
Our next group of families will be arriving at Beth David on Sunday, August 25 for the week.
Our last week of hosting fell when many were away on the Iona retreat and other trips, and we were not able to fill any of the volunteer slots. As we are getting ready for the start of the new year at church and at school, perhaps we can come together to offer meals and hospitality to our neighbors who are in transition with housing.
Please check out this sign-up and see if you can cover some of the many spots available.
Opportunities to help include setting up the bedding before the families come, making a meal and eating with the families, staying overnight and seeing the families off early in the morning (6 am), or taking the beds down at the end of the week and doing the laundry at your own home.
You will find that the experience is about building relationship with our neighbors – our neighbors at Beth David and our neighbors who do not currently have housing. This is what we are called by Christ to do, not because we are more blessed or fortunate than any others, but because we are all children of God, called to be in relationship with one another.
Prayers of healing for Heather who is recovering from surgery.
Prayers for the Khurana family, who lost three members in a tragic plane crash.
Prayers for Greg and Palmer, as they mourn the passing of the Khurana family.
Prayers for Sandra who underwent surgery on Monday.
Prayers for the victims of gun violence.
It is hard to believe that we are coming to the “end” of another summer! As we get ready for September, there are a couple of dates we wanted to highlight:
Tuesday, August 13th:
10 am Bible Study: Book of Isaiah
Thursday, August 15th:
6:30 pm Women’s Book Club at Hunan Restaurant
Sunday, August 18th:
10 am Worship: Rev. Bruce MacCullough preaching
Tuesday, August 20th:
10 am Bible Study: Book of Isaiah Chapter 42
August 15th:
Mark Brogan
August 16th:
Libby Fifer
August 20th:
Palmer Loux
Texts:
Isaiah 1:1, 10–20 Wash yourselves clean; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice.
Luke 12:32–40 Where your treasure is, there is your heart also; be alert and ready.
Texts:
Hosea 1:2–10 The Lord commands Hosea to take a wife and bear children.
Luke 11:1–13 Jesus teaches the disciples to pray, and teaches them about prayer.
Prayers for those who are suffering from opioid addiction, who have lost loved ones and whose lives have been changed forever.
Prayers for those living in pain.
Prayers of comfort for those living with anxiety, young and old.
Prayers of support for the Fuller family whose father has been diagnosed with cancer.
Prayers of celebration for Chris’s birthday.
Prayers of joy for the presence of Conor and Larry in worship.
Prayers of community for those who attend the dinner at the All Saints Community Church.
Tuesday, July 23rd:
10 am Bible Study: Book of Isaiah
Thursday, July 25th:
7 pm Knit or Knot
Sunday, July 28th:
10 am Worship: Pastor Todd Stavrakos preaching
Tuesday, July 30th:
10 am Bible Study
July 25th:
Ashton Gardner
July 28th:
Chris Hall
