Sunday school, ,Maysville, KY, Aberdeen, Ohio,

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May 31, 2020 bulletin

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Mailing address: PO Box 490, Maysville, KY, 41056.

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Welcome to First Presbyterian Church

In the words of the psalmist:
“Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard” (Psalm 66:8).
Welcome to worship.

Feeling Our Emotions
by Pastor Jim Dougans

Do you feel like you have been on an emotional roller coaster the past several months? In March you may have felt fear. Will our hospitals be overrun? Is my life in danger? In April you may have felt bored or depressed. I certainly missed watching college basketball. This month you may be feeling restless and even

angry, chafing at the restrictions on outdoor activities. You may have felt all these

emotions in one day. Whew!

Hear this, none of what you have felt or are feeling is wrong. God created us with emotions. We use our emotions to connect with God and those around us. Jesus certainly felt emotions when he walked among us.

_ Jesus felt joy. (Luke 10:21)

_ Jesus felt frustration. (Matthew 17:17)

_ Jesus felt anger (Matthew 23:33)

As new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), our emotions no longer control us, tell us who we are or how to react. God designed our feelings to let us know what is going on in our hearts and give us clues as to what we believe. We tend to accept the positive emotions. However, sometimes we try to suppress or deny the negative ones because we think we should not feel that way. That is not true. God can use everything, even the way we feel, to bring us closer to Him.

Are you grieving? Are you grieving the loss of community, the in-person contact, church dinners, worship in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian, the loss of jobs, strain on the economy, illness and loss of life in Kentucky and the United States? If so, here are some resources you might find helpful to navigate your feelings of grief and loss.

_ https://bit.ly/GriefDiscomfort (article)

_ https://bit.ly/GriefMeaning (podcast)

_ https://whatsyourgrief.com (website)

Another grief resource comes from Pastor Ruth Moore at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. She recommends “Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations,” by Frederick Buechner. This book is available from many resources, including Amazon.

What if we allowed ourselves to feel our emotions, both positive and negative, and see them as opportunities for growth? Remember, God gave us emotions to bring us closer to Him. Thanks be to God.

Blessings,

Pastor Jim

Ask the Stated Clerk
by Rev. Jerry Utt

What’s happening with the General Assembly this year?

Like every other major event this spring, the 224th General Assembly has been shifted to a virtual assembly. It’s disappointing for our commissioners, who had planned to travel to Baltimore and experience the connectional church at its best. Now, commissioners and advisory delegates will gather from their homes and offices using technology. Transylvania commissioners are teaching elder Scott Cervas, ruling elder Bill Reed, and young adult advisory delegate Nathan Thacker.

The assembly will be abbreviated and only deal with critical business items (elections, financial and legal issues, those sorts of things). Many of the overtures will be held over for the 225th General Assembly, planned for June, 2022, in Columbus, OH. This year’s overall theme has been changed to “From Lament to Hope.” The dates of the assembly are June 19, 26-27. The assembly will be streamed online and anyone who has registered for PC-Biz will be able to follow the worship and business items in real time.

Here’s a link to an article from Presbyterian Outlook about planning an assembly in the midst of pandemic: https://pres-outlook.org/2020/05/planning-for-general-assembly-in-a-pandemic-reflections-fromthe- leaders-of-coga/

From Outreach Director Erik Wesley

Advocatus Domini

Pentecost is a joyous and underrated season, for it was on this day so long ago that doubts were extinguished, and Christ descended to us in the permanent yet ethereal form of the Holy Spirit. It was by no accident that this spirit was described as an ‘advocate’. The Latin for ‘advocate’ means ‘whom or that which calls to’ (ad = to, towards + vocare = to call). What a perfect word for that trembling in our hearts, for that which whispers into our ear and that which nudges us onto the correct path (if we allow it to).

Despite this linguistic root, advocate has come to be synonymous with ‘defender’, ‘proxy’ or ‘protector’ in English common usage. I welcome this definition as well, for it is through the Holy Spirit that the divine moves within us. This second meaning, likewise, connects with me personally as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer.

In this, there is an analogy to be found. Just as the machinations of court proceedings are a world over and above the head of a child, and thus creates a need for this defender and caller, so too is the nature of ultimate good and evil, divine will or moral perfection forever above ours as adults. Just as a child, with assistance from their advocate, is able to navigate the unknown, so too are we in Christ’s advocate of the Holy Spirit. May it forever be near your hearts this Pentecost, and may it prompt you to recognize things done and left undone.

Amen,

Erik Wesley

A Kindled Fire

“I can worship outside among nature just as well as I can inside a church building.” That claim is especially common during the summer, when church attendance tends to decline.

Certainly it’s possible to worship and talk to God among his creation. In fact, George Washington Carver called nature “an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” And Martin Luther said, “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”

Yet corporate, or church, worship is still vital. Luther also noted: “At home, in my own house, there is no

warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my

heart and it breaks its way through.” When we’re away from God’s house, we miss blessings and

opportunities including communion, fellowship and support. So this summer, spend time in nature but

don’t neglect “to meet together” (See Hebrews 10:25) hopefully soon.

Tech Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. via zoom.

Bible Study on Wednesdays at

6:00 p.m. via zoom.

Pentecost Offering is Sunday, May 31st. This offering is divided in

four ways: 40% stays with the congregation for CASA and Circle H

Ranch; 25% supports Young Adult Volunteers providing opportunities

for young adults to serve in communities around the world; 25% goes to

Ministries with Youth by helping to guide them in uniting them in Christ

and lifting them up as leaders and messengers of God’s word; and 10%

advocates for at-risk children by supporting vital ministries to improve

education and provide a safe haven for children across the globe. Please

write “Pentecost offering” on the memo line of your check. Thank you!

2020 GRADUATES

Liz Anne Zweigart

Liz Anne received her doctorate in audiology on May 9, 2020 from East Tennessee University. She will be practicing at Midwest Ear, Nose, and Throat in Evansville, Indiana. She thanks her church family for their support over the

years. Liz Anne is the daughter of Kate Zweigart and Steve Zweigart.

Walker Wood

Walker graduated from the Craft Academy for Excellence

in Science and Mathematics and also graduated from Mason County High School. Walker was a member of MCHS Academic Team, Mason County Concert Choir & Orchestra, Student Docent at KY Gateway Museum Center, MCHS Chapter of the Beta Club and National Honor Society. Walker will attend Penn State in the Fall, majoring in Rail Transportation Engineering, a Four Year Bachelor Degree.

Walker is the son of Andrew and Beth Wood.

Caden Tuel

Caden graduated from an early college program known as the Craft Academy of Excellence in Science & Mathematics and also from Mason County High School with a 4.5 GPA. Throughout his two years at Craft, he participated in a wide variety of activities. He participated in Exo-Medicine research under Dr. Fultz in collaboration with Magnitude in hopes of sending the experiment to the International Space Station. He accumulated over 200 volunteer hours through volunteering at the on-campus clinic and Alpha Phi Omega. His favorite thing about Craft was being an ambassador because he was able to advocate and encourage

future students to apply. Caden will be continuing his education at the

University of Kentucky and will be part of the Lewis Honors College for a degree in neuroscience. Caden is the son of Jameson and Jamie Tuel and the grandson of Gwen Tuel and Jim and Robin Bales.