Maysville Presbyterian

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

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From Outreach Director Erik Wesley

From January of 1918 until December of 1920, the Spanish Flu infected close to ¼

of the world’s population. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from

17 million to 50 million, with some estimates as high as 100 million. Not only were

people not able to safely quarantine, but this public health disaster did nothing to

interrupt the Battle of the Somme, where 1,370,000 young men lost their lives needlessly.  That June, 10,000 US Marines laid down their lives in defense of Paris at the Battle of Belleau Wood, four times as many in a month as we’ve seen in the twenty years of the Global War on Terror.

As a former teacher, I can assure you that all of these events are completely forgotten. The cynic would chalk this irrevocable fact up to ignorance, the laziness or ingratitude of subsequent generations and the general death of reading in our culture. Though these are doubtless social problems, it seems to me that these events have been washed away, not by carelessness, but by tsunamis of triumph and success the likes of which the “Lost Generation” couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams. We are in the grip of a global pandemic the likes of which the world only sees once a century, and the vast majority of us will thrive in comfort. What a difference a century makes, what a magnificent race we are. This too shall pass.

Remembering Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Christian church commemorates Dietrich Bonhoeffer — pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi spy — on April 9, the anniversary of his 1945 martyrdom. Among his much-loved writings are nuggets of wisdom such as these: “Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” (The Cost of Discipleship)

“In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give,

and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate

the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the

help of others.” (Letters and Papers from Prison)

“The table fellowship of Christian implies obligation. It is our daily bread

that we eat, not my own. We share our bread. Thus we are firmly bound to

one another not only in the Spirit but in our whole physical being. The one

bread that is given to our fellowship links us together in a firm covenant.” (Life Together)

Easter Sunday, April 12th is the day First Presbyterian Church collects for the One Great Hour of Sharing. Since 1949, Presbyterians have joined with millions of other Christians through One Great Hour of Sharing to share God’s love with people experiencing need. Our gifts support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and

resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives and work together to strengthen their families communities. The money collected is used by the Presbyterian Church in this way: The Presbyterian Hunger Program receives 36% of undesignated One Great Hour of Sharing gifts, while the Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each receive 32%. Please mail your checks to First Presbyterian Church,                                                                                                    PO Box 490, Maysville, KY 41056. Put “One Great Hour” on                                                                                                    memo line of your check. Thanks!

Over 200 families are served by the Mason County

Food Bank each month. Please keep bringing nonperishable

food donations each week to our basket in

Fellowship Hall. Please also consider a financial

contribution to Limestone Ministries, Inc. and/or the

Mason County Food Bank, because despite regular food donations

from area churches, food still needs to be purchased each month.

Mason County Food Bank is the only one available since the Calvary

Baptist Food Bank closed. Any non-perishable item will be accepted,

but the most needed items are: spaghetti sauce, boxed spaghetti,

macaroni & cheese dinners, dried beans, saltine crackers, cornbread

mix, peanut butter, oats, cereal, canned soup, canned vegetables, and

canned fruit. Cash donations are welcome also! If you write a check,

please make it payable to the First Presbyterian Church and put

‘FOOD BANK’ on the memo line. Or you can send funds directly to the Mason County Food Bank,                                                                  located at 1679 Forest Avenue, Maysville, KY 41056.