Notes and News – 05/25/22

I Give Thanks to God for You

Upon graduating from Seminary, I was appointed to the Caledonia Memorial UMC in Caledonia, Ohio. For my first sermon, I chose 1 Corinthians 1:4 as my text. It reads as follows, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus”. My sermon title was, “I Give Thanks to God for You”.

And now as I am on the verge of retirement that text and sermon title seem once again, incredibly timely and appropriate. Over the years I have been blessed to serve a variety of churches in various settings. I have enjoyed every one of them. But there is something about our church here in Palmetto that stands out in a unique way in my mind and heart.

You are an incredible congregation! The things you have made possible, the lives you have touched, the spirit with which you have taken on challenges is clear evidence that God is working through you in many ways. Our numbers may not be “large” but the size of your hearts is off the charts. The Pandemic took a toll on our worship attendance, but your generosity and faithfulness remained stronger than ever. You have met and exceeded challenges to reach out. You have come through again and again to support special projects. You know how to laugh and play and are genuinely welcoming. Over and over, you have met challenges and stood tall above them.

The opportunity to serve as your pastor has been the most fun and greatest joy of my ministry.

It will soon be time to begin a new chapter. In a few days I will no longer be your pastor. I will cherish you in my heart and be a friend but not your pastor. We can remain friends socially but any talk about the church is off limits. Just as I have grieved leaving other churches, I will grieve leaving you. This simply goes with the calling. We only grieve those we love.

For your benefit, your new pastor’s, and mine as well, I ask the following of you:

1.    Please do not compare any new pastor to me. I’ve been on the other end of this before and I can tell you it is painful, stressful and keeps a church stuck in the past – which is a terrible place to be. We’ll never find God by trying to go back in the past, because God is always out in front of us creating a new future.

2.    Appreciate the gifts and strengths all your new pastor(s) will bring.

3.    Love the pastors who follow me as you have loved me.

4.    Do not ask or expect me to break my covenantal responsibility as a Teaching Elder in the Peace River Presbytery by asking me to perform pastoral tasks. The only way I would even consider the possibility of such a request is by the direct invitation of the pastor and with written approval of the Session. These are Presbytery rules and I have every intention of abiding by them. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this.

Lastly, I will continue, what has been my practice throughout my ministry, to give my full support and affirmation to whomever follows me. I know and respect the pastor who is coming as your Stated Supply Pastor. I am thrilled you will be in such good pastoral hands. He will be a blessing to you and you will be a blessing to him.

I am excited about the next chapter of our church here in Palmetto. I firmly believe God has very special things in store for you.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 05/21/22

A Brief History of Our Church

I was asked by our Session to do this for another project being undertaken. I thought you might enjoy this as did our Session.

Palmetto Presbyterian Church: A Brief History

The Palmetto Presbyterian Church was founded in 1898. The present church structure was begun in the late 1940’s and completed in the early 1950’s. It includes a sanctuary, annex that serves as a place for overflow seating, fellowship events, and as a community outreach home to 12-step and service groups. This annex structure also includes office, meeting rooms, and storage. In addition there is a modest kitchen which gets used for a wide variety of things such as preparing meals for our homeless neighbors, meals for fellowship events, regular Sunday morning fellowship, and serving families when Memorial services are held in the Sanctuary. 

A separate building, the “Fellowship Hall” building, was built in the mid 1950’s and presently houses an outreach ministry known as The 10th Avenue Thrift Store.  Both buildings have been debt free for many decades, probably since the late 50’s or early 60’s.

Over the past 12 years, the church has undergone several capital improvement projects including a major refurbishing of the Sanctuary, Annex and office spaces along with replacing lighting in both church and thrift store buildings with efficient LED bulbs.  Also, the church upgraded and replaced all 5 air-conditioning units with new, more efficient ones; replaced the shingle roofs on both buildings, and upgraded the sound system in the Sanctuary.  Outside, sidewalks and entrances to the church were replaced, to make them handicap-accessible and improve general safety.  The 10th Avenue Thrift Store was renovated and re-imagined and it is now considered by many to be the finest in Palmetto as well as one of the best in Manatee County.

During this time, the congregation has also developed a vibrant and significant outreach ministry, seeking to intentionally be the hands and feet of God in the community and beyond. As a result, our congregation has:

• Given over 3600 sweatshirts between 2 local Title I Elementary schools and provided for 250 uniforms in the last ten years.

• Provided, over the same 10-year period, approximately $1000 worth of school supplies each summer.

• Helped kids with reading.

• Given 40-50 home-made Prayer Shawls each year to individuals, mobile home communities and the local Hospice Houses.

• Supported the local East Coast Migrant Center/Head Start Program with food, clothing, toiletries, and books as well as Angel Tree Christmas gifts (65 kids/families reached in 2021 alone).

• Supported the North River Care Pregnancy Center with special offerings, fundraisers and other support.

• Raised and forwarded over $4000 in the last two months for our Ukraine Appeal.

All these activities and more are in keeping with Community Outreach as one of our core congregational values.

Pastoral leadership has been stable. Since the mid 1950’s there have been 4 pastors called to serve our congregation. Our present pastor is retiring soon after serving for over 12 years. A respected, well qualified, retired pastor will be leading our congregation in the transition toward a new called pastor.

Like many churches, our congregation of retired folks and senior citizens has been hard hit by the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have used the adversity to create a new streaming of our worship service on Zoom. In addition, we have developed a webpage, www.ppcfl.org which gives a more complete picture of our church. 

Because of the pandemic we had to close our all-volunteer Thrift Store for a year. But, since late March of 2021, we have reopened, first on a 2-day a week basis and now a 3-day a week basis. The thrift store's all-volunteer staff was hit hard by the pandemic, and we have been forced to cut back our one-time 6 hour/day, 5 day a week operation to a 3 hour/day, 3 day a week operation as noted above. This appears to be the schedule for the foreseeable future.

Although the official church membership roll stands at 43, there are another 40-45 people who are active in the life of the congregation as “Friends of the Congregation” (many keep their membership in churches up north because they will often go back there to be near family if health issues arise as they get older). There are 76 individuals and families who have offering envelope numbers. As one person in our congregation noted, “We think of ourselves in terms of the size of our heart – not the number of people.”  The faithfulness and generosity of the congregation bears out the truth of that statement.

It has been my privilege to serve churches in different settings and in a variety of positions from Seminary Intern to staff member to Senior Pastor and Pastor. There are some churches that jump out in my memory with a special sense of joy and gratitude for the chance to serve them. Palmetto is at the top of that list. You are a tremendous congregation which I will always cherish and remember with great fondness and joy.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 05/14/22

A Very Significant Little Word

This week’s petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” as well as next week’s petition, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” both begin with the word, “And”. This is not by accident. This little 3 letter word is very significant and important.

The word “kai” in Greek which is translated “and” in English is used to begin a new thought and signify that new thought is connected in meaning and importance to the thought preceding it. In other words, to understand what follows you need to link it to what precedes it. When it comes to forgiveness, we need to understand it is as essential to our daily lives as is bread. The word “and” does not mean forgiveness is not just another thought added to the Lord’s Prayer as if it were going through a checklist of what to ask God for. Instead, it is like a flashing light signaling, pay attention – just like we can’t live without bread, we can’t live without forgiveness. And as the petition indicates, that means both being forgiven and forgiving. We all need to be forgiven and we all need to be forgiving people. It is like breathing in and breathing out – both are necessary for life.

I’ll have more to say about this and other parts of this petition in tomorrow’s sermon.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 05/07/22

More Reflections on The Lord’s Prayer

In preparing for this Sunday’s sermon, I was reminded of this old joke as well as a time in the first year of my ministry as a pastor on my own, that has shaped and continues to shape my understanding and praying of the Lord's prayer.

First, the old joke. A republican candidate and a democratic candidate are waiting in the green room to be called to go out on stage and in front of the TV cameras for their debate. (You know it’s an old joke because they’re in the same room and talking to each other!). The Republican pulls out a bill and says to the Democrat, “I'll bet you $20 you don’t even know the words to the Lord’s Prayer.” The Democrat says, “You’re on” and begins to say, “Now I lay me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul to keep.” In exasperation, the Republican says, “Stop! Stop! I’ve heard enough! Here’s your $20.

The simple truth is many people know the words to The Lord’s Prayer. It is, perhaps, the most widely known and recited prayer in churches today. I would contend it is also the most misunderstood and least prayed prayer in churches across all denominations. We often say the words but how often do we pray the words. And how often do we take the time to really understand what Jesus was teaching his disciples?

Second, a nearly 45-year-old memory, that is as vivid to me as if it just happened. I was concluding a visit to a shut in, having just served her Communion. I thought an easy way to bring this visit to a close was with The Lord's Prayer. I started to say the words that were so familiar to me, however, I could only get as far as the opening phrase, “Our Father who art in heaven” before I drew a blank and could not remember any words that followed. Embarrassed I faked a cough saying, “I must have choked a little bit, let me start again”. The same result! Only this time I heard a very distinct message (to this day I'm not sure if I actually heard the message spoken, but I do know with certainty, the message was clearly received. The message was this, “Lena does not need to hear you recite the Lord's prayer she needs you to pray with her”. I stopped trying to say the Lord's prayer and instead took the time to really pray with her.

I learned two very important lessons that day, long ago. First, never use the saying of the words of the Lord's prayer as a substitute for actually praying with someone. The second, never simply say The Lord's Prayer - always pray The Lord’s Prayer.

At the very least, to pray The Lord’s Prayer means to ponder the words of each of the petitions. There is so much packed into this brief prayer. In and through The Lord’s Prayer we can discover the very heart of what it means to pray. 

I look forward to examining the petition, Give us this day our daily bread” tomorrow. It is also intentional that we will be sharing in the Lord’s Supper the same day we examine this petition.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 04/30/22

Why Do We Pray

The following is the recent article I wrote for the North River News. 

The two verses that immediately precede The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel are: “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Emphasis mine) Matthew 6:7,8 NRSV.

One might ask if God already knows my need, why do I need to pray? This is a legitimate question deserving an answer. The shortest answer is we don’t pray to inform God but for God to form us. The fact The Lord’s Prayer immediately follows these two verses certainly points in this direction.

We pray because we trust God is listening. Over the years I’ve had many opportunities to pray with people: in hospital rooms, funeral homes, homes, restaurants, churches and elsewhere. I’ve prayed in person, over the phone, via letters, notes, cards, email and more. Never once did I think I was giving God a heads up about the situation or person(s) I was praying for. But in every moment of prayer, I, and the people I was praying with or for, at some level, trusted God was listening. This act of trusting helps form us and develops our capacity for faith.

We also pray because God answers our prayers. Sometimes the answer is “yes”, sometimes “no”, and sometimes “not yet”. I have come to understand there is also a fourth way God answers our prayers – and that is: “not in the way you’re expecting.” Prayer helps form us as we learn to listen for God’s answer to our prayer. In this process of learning to listen, we often begin to see things from a different perspective or have our eyes (and hearts and minds) opened to new possibilities.

We also pray because it is essential in discovering, integrating, and implementing in our daily lives what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Many people can recite The Lord’s Prayer. There is, however, a big difference between reciting or saying it and praying it. An early church document used to teach would be converts, instructs them to pray this prayer three times a day. Of course, this has to do with developing the discipline of prayer, but it also helps us understand what following Jesus Christ means. In fact, the two cannot really be separated – they must be together – prayer and following.

For example, the pronouns are our and us, not my and me. They are inclusive not possessive. They lift us beyond ourselves. Also, the end of the first petition, “hallowed by Thy name” is not so much a request for God to do something for God, but a challenge for us, as those praying, to live our lives – our actions, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and priorities in ways that glorify and honor God. We quickly realize we cannot meet this challenge on our own, must have God’s help.

Why do we pray – to ultimately become who God intends us to be.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 04/23/22

The Lord’s Prayer

My final sermon series as your pastor will be on the Lord’s Prayer.  Both Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:2-4) include this prayer in their gospels. I will be using Matthew 6:7-13 for this sermon series. The Didache, (“The Teaching”) which was used in the early church to help teach people about following Jesus Christ, includes the doxology, “for thine is the power and the glory forever.” In addition, it offers these words of wisdom (also in bold in the early text): Pray thus three times a day.

Working on this sermon series over the past several weeks I have come to realize The Lord’s Prayer teaches us not only how to pray but also how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a great deal for all of us to learn on both counts.

Does Matthew 6:7-8 help us better understand the Lord’s Prayer or lead us to ask the question, why pray if God knows before we ask? The word Father is for some a painful word. Would it be better to just substitute another word like Parent? Or one might ask, is it sins, trespasses, or debts Jesus is referring to Matthew 6:12? Could it be it’s all 3? And what about the doxology that we protestants include in the Lord’s Prayer. Should we or shouldn’t we pray this? The list could go on.

Anyone who has been part of a church or raised in a Sunday school class can no doubt recite the Lord’s Prayer. But there is a big difference between saying or reciting the Lord’s Prayer and praying it. And hearing it as a prayer that calls us to a deeper understanding of who we are as disciples and what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ, opens new horizons. I look forward to exploring these with you.

April 24      Our Father…Hallowed Be Thy Name”                  Mathew 6:9

May 1         Your Will Be Done                                             Matthew 6:10

May 8         Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread                       Matthew 6:11

May 15       Forgive Us Our Debts                                         Matthew 6:12

May 22       And Lead Us Not Into Temptation                        Matthew 6:13

May 29       For Thine Is The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory Forever

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 04/16/22

Easter Sunday 2022

Do you remember your first Easter? Quite honestly, I do not. However, I vividly remember the first time the reality and power of Easter burst into my heart and life. Cinda and I were living in Downingtown Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. We were actively involved in the church where I had experienced my call into the ministry.

After a powerful Tenebrae service of darkness and shadows where we all left in solemn silence, we went home to reflect on the crucifixion in preparation for Easter. That Saturday was cold and dreary. I found myself longing for the sunrise and the joy of Easter. And it came, bursting into my heart like never before.

I have many other wonderful Easter memories since that Easter in 1975. I will always remember sitting with Cinda on the front porch of our seminary apartment waiting for the sunrise before our boys were up and the need to get off to the church where I was serving as a seminary intern.  There are many, many Easter memories I have enjoyed over years.

This year will also be a special memory. I look forward to the great Easter Hymns and music, the flowering of the Cross and more.

My friends and colleagues, Jerry Voye and Arthur Harvey would greet me every Easter Sunday with the traditional Easter greeting:

He Is Risen!

And I would respond with the traditional Easter response:  

He Is Risen Indeed!

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 04/09/22

Palm Sunday and Holy Week 2022

I am looking forward to our Palm Sunday worship celebration as we enter Holy Week. In addition to the great music of the morning, we will welcome our General Presbyter, Melana Scruggs during the worship service tomorrow. She will be sharing about the transition process and what is involved in finding a new pastor during the announcement time. Melana will also lead us in the morning prayer and Lord’s Prayer during the service. She will also join us for the fellowship meal and be available to answer questions. I look forward to welcoming Melana to our church.

As we enter Holy Week 2022, I invite you to prepare for Easter by reading each of the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus’ Passion. Allow yourself about 45 minutes to read and reflect. As you begin each day’s reading ask this question as a prayer, “Lord, what would you have me hear today?” This is not an assignment to get done but rather an opportunity to open your heart and spirit to God in an intentional way. Here is the way I would suggest:

         Monday        Read the Passion Story in Matthew 26 & 27.

         Tuesday         Read the Passion Story in Mark 14 & 15

         Wednesday  Read the Passion Story in Luke 22 & 23

         Thursday       Read the Passion Story in John 18 & 19

         Friday            Pick one of the above and re-read it asking the same question.

         Saturday        Find a time and place to sit quietly and prayerfully reflect.

Many find writing in a journal a very meaningful part of this Holy Week experience.

My prayer is you will find this experience makes your Easter 2022 deeply meaningful and joyful.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 04/02/22

General Presbyter, Melana Scruggs Joins US April 10th

Our General Presbyter, Melana Scruggs will be with us during the worship service on Sunday April 10th. She will be sharing about the transition process and what is involved in finding a new pastor. I look forward to welcoming Melana to our church. She has spoken with our Session on 2 prior occasions and both Melana and our Session thought coming to speak to the congregation would be helpful.

The details at this time of my retirement are as follows:

         Sunday May 29th will be my final Sunday preaching and leading worship

         I will be on vacation from that point until the end of June

         I will be officially retired and receiving a pension as of July 1st.

After we finish the Lenten sermon series on the characteristics of a vital congregation on Easter Sunday, I will begin my final sermon series as your pastor exploring The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). I have already begun my study and preparation for these sermons and am very much looking forward to sharing them with you.

Some people have asked me why I am retiring. The best answer is it is time – the right time. I do not say this lightly or casually. I have prayed and reflected on this for quite some time.

It has never been an easy thing for me to leave a church – it is difficult and painful to say goodbye to people you know and have come to love in so many ways. Having said that, I also have learned that is important to do so. I have shared my gifts with you, and it will be time for a new person to share his or her gifts with you.

Before that can happen there is typically a time of grieving and reflection. In spite of our typical normal desire to avoid this, it is worthwhile, helpful and necessary. It is one of the two things I know to free you from the harmful process of comparing someone else to me. Simply put what will be best for the church is not another John but a new pastor – the right new pastor.

The other things that will be of tremendous value for finding the right pastor to lead you into the next chapter of the life of the church is the study and reflection the Vital Congregations Initiative will bring. This process can help you discover, affirm, and build upon your gifts as a congregation. God has brought together an extraordinary group of people here. I am excited about your future – in fact I feel some real sadness about not being a part of it. That is part of my grieving process.

In the meantime, I look forward to being your pastor between now and my last Sunday, May 29th. I will be working with our Session to help prepare us, as best I can for the future. Even more importantly, I trust God is already at work creating that future.

Grace and Peace, John

Notes and News – 03/26/22

Dealing With the Heartache of Ukraine

The following is a copy of the article I wrote for the March 24th edition of the North River News entitled, Dealing With the Heartache of Ukraine.

Perhaps you have also found yourself limiting the amount of the news you watch. The coverage of the war in Ukraine and the human suffering and senseless destruction is so overwhelming. Folks have shared with me their intense feelings of outrage, pain and helplessness. I easily identify with them.  Although we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, the news is so awful it seems unreal and unbelievable. At the same time, the saying that “War is hell” has become all too real. Must we be trapped in this quagmire of painful feelings and contradictions? The answer is no! There are things we can do!

Denying this evil war and the suffering and destruction it is causing is not even a remotely realistic option. Anyway, denial, inevitably only hides the pain and other feelings for a while. And when they come back, as they always do, they return with a vengeance.

There are three important things we can do. The first is to acknowledge this war is traumatizing us as well, even though we are seemingly safe, thousands of miles from the heart of the conflict and human suffering. If you have found yourself saying something like, “I can’t imagine what it would be like to… (be bombed, say goodbye to your husband, wife, children, not have heat or water etc.) then you know something of the trauma of this evil war. Granted it is not at the same level of the people of Ukraine, but it is traumatizing none the less. Admitting this to ourselves is empowering and healing.

The second thing we can do is to make sure we take care of ourselves. Remember flight attendants always tell parents to put their masks on first before helping their children. If we do not take care of ourselves, we are not going to be able to help others. No exceptions. For me this involves four things: regular exercise, eating healthy foods, prayer, and meditation. I make sure there is time in every day for these. I have found my daily walk renews both body and mind. The same can be said for eating healthy foods. My prayer time gives me the opportunity to share my outrage, helplessness, anger and more with God. It also gives me the chance to listen for God’s wisdom and guidance. Lastly, meditation helps me quiet my spirit and allows stress to be released instead of doing its damage within.

The third thing is to give money to help alleviate the tragic and immense suffering. Personally, I have found the church to be the best channel but there are other ways like the Red Cross and UNICEF. There are likely good ways that are available on social media, but I would avoid them since this is also the arena for the scammers and con artists. To receive the biggest “heart and spirit” benefit, make your gift significant, maybe even sacrificial. You’ll be glad you did.

Acknowledging our trauma, Self-Care, and Giving are important ways we can make a difference.

Grace and Peace, John