Website October 2014 Newsletter

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Escalon Pres October 2014

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SEEK: to bring others to Faith in Jesus Christ ! ! SUPPORT: personal Growth through God’s Word ! !

There is a somewhat silly website from the UK entitled the Keep-Calm-O-Matic. It allows individuals to make their own personalized posters based upon the original British Keep Calm and Carry On posters from the WWII era, which were intended to “boost the morale of the British people.” Certainly, a very simple yet deeply important message in the midst of difficulties in life. These five words have the making for future sermon series. At this point however, they were an opportunity for the production of a silly, satirical photo to put on the front of this newsletter. Leslie, Andrew, David and I will be on sabbatical in Aberdeen, Scotland (still UK!) from October 6 through November 7. During that time the leadership of your congregation is set to handle any needs that may arise. Please continue, as you already should, to contact any elders related to their ministry team’s leadership. You can contact your deacons for any care needs, and particularly Tom Love (President of the Deacons) for any urgent care or visitation needs. Pastor Brian Ralston will be keeping October 2014 Newsletter

SERVE: in Mission locally and globally SUSTAIN: a Christ-Centered Fellowship

weekly office hours (Wednesdays from 1 to 5 pm), being available for you to visit with him on any pastoral need you might have. Simply call the church office to schedule an appointment. The ministers sabbatical is needed primarily for personal growth and renewal. In terms of personal growth, you can read in this newsletter the reprint of the sabbatical story and how it came about. The renewal piece, though, in a sabbatical comes mainly in the need for a brief reprieve from pastoral care. I love being a pastor - leading a nonprofit, Christian organization like the church with volunteers and a weekly schedule is the vocation I love, am called to and thrive in. Yet, the sacred privilege of entering into your pain, your loss, your heartbreak does take a toll a toll I cannot take home with me. It is an experience shared with you, in hope, and for that, renewal away is important. As an optimistic person, my intent is to return to the job I love, refreshed, ready to keep calm and carry on - in Christ.

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Sermons

October & November

• Oct 5 – DISCIPLESHIP PRESENCE:  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. • Oct 12, 19 and 26 - Brian Ralston Preaching • Nov 2 - Steve Hanna Preaching (Retired from Trinity United Presbyterian in Modesto) • Nov 9 - Julia Leeth (Interim Pastor - Central Presbyterian Merced)

Nominating Committee

October & November

Please be in prayer for the nominating team of our church: Sherry Branscombe (chair), Jeff Hood (elder), Dicksie Woodward (deacon), Randy Schmidt, Tom Walls, Joel Adams, Janet Barton, Jayne Fahey. They will be meeting to discuss elder and deacon nominations for 2015. There will be three 3-year deacon openings available as well as three 4-year elder openings (Adult Ministries, Youth Ministries and Church Life. If you would like to nominate someone - fill out a nomination form available in the church foyer.

Escalon Ambulance Membership

Ongoing

The Escalon Ambulance is encouraging a membership drive to help support its local services in the midst of a funding dip. The Session has supported this drive and encourages citizens of Escalon to consider supporting this essential medical service to a population of approximately 15,000 people and service an area encompassing 100 square miles. For more information see: http://ecaems.com or call 838-3267.

Deacon Yard SAle

October 4

It’s that time of year again...time to find items to donate to the Annual Deacon’s Yard Sale. The yard sale will be held on Saturday, October 4th, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the BIG fundraiser for the Deacons and monies earned from this sale go to support congregation and community mission work done throughout the year by the Deacons for those in need. Donations can be dropped off starting September 30 thru October 3 (9:00am - 7:00PM) in the Faith Center.

First Fruits Sunday

November 16

Our Annual First Fruits stewardship Sunday celebration is coming Sunday, November 16. A week prior to First Fruits, our good friend Julia Leeth will be preaching in preparation for this Sunday, and pastor Troy will be back preaching on First Fruits Sunday the following week. Please watch for information related to this Sunday as you (or your family) consider your stewardship giving in response to the question: what is God calling me/us to give to His work? !

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October 2014 Newsletter

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EPC Youth Group

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Wednesdays / JR High / SR High

EPC Junior High group meet from 5:30 to 7:00 and the Senior High Youth from 7:00 to 8:45. For further information contact our Youth Director Mike Fahey. Come join us and have some great fellowship, teaching and fun!

NEW - Third Wednesdays

October 15

Hosted by your Youth Ministries Team, there will be a light meal provided from 5:30PM-6:30PM followed by activities for children 5th grade and under. There will also be a time for fellowship for adults. Following the meal the Youth Group will gather (6th-High School) and at 7:00PM the choir will begin. Youth Group parents are invited to stop by and meet the Youth volunteers and join in the study for the night if they are so inclined. We will be decorating pumpkins after the dinner on October 15th!

Studies for Adults • • •







Various

Adult Sunday School - Sundays (9:15 -10:15 Fireside Room) Women’s Circle - 2nd Monday of Each Month (1:30 pm Fireside Room) Men’s Study - Saturday Weekly (7:00 am Escalon Golf Course)

Ladies Night Out

October 10

Women! Join us October 10th (Second Friday of every month) to ‘get away from it all’ and go out to dinner. Come have great fellowship with us while enjoying a cooked meal out at various restaurants. Please R.S.V.P. to Joyce Noble.  

Women’s Circle! !

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October 13

The circle is a small group meeting of very special women where: * Faith is nurtured and growth takes place through study, friendship & outreach * We are challenged to stretch beyond our limits * We move beyond the safe places of life and reach out to others. Our Women’s Circle will meet the second Monday of each month (September – May) from 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM in the Fireside Conference Room. All women of the church are welcome to attend as we plan to expand our perceptions, deepen our understanding and reflect on our lives as Christian women.

October 2013 Newsletter

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2014 Master Plan

Print-Outs, View on-line

Have you seen the 2014 Master Plan? Revealed to the congregation in August, you can find printed copies of the master plan in the foyer of the Sanctuary or in the church office. Also, on the homepage of the website, you can see all the proposed architectural drawings or view a pdf version of the Master Plan. Go to: escalonpres.org. Continued feedback welcomed contact Bob McCune or Jerry Hougland.

Adult Ministries Next Steps

Print-Outs, View on-line

The Adult Ministries Next Steps help booklet for Bible Reading was passed out to the congregation the last two weeks of September. If you have not received a copy, please pick one up in the foyer of the church or the church office. Also, on the homepage of the website, you can enter into the Next Steps portion of our website and view all of the resources printed the booklet. Go to: escalonpres.org. Continued feedback welcomed - contact Margy Sawyer or Dan Adams.

Sunday School Information !

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Sandy Thompson

Sunday School grades pre-K - 8th meet in the Choir Room at 9:15am. High School students gather at 9:30am in the Youth Room. Our teachers and helpers are excited to get started, join us as we begin a new year! Classes are:

• Pre K-K - Nursery is provided also for those staying on campus or attending a class - (Jayne Fahey, Dawn Machado, Janice Martin) • 1, 2 grades - (Ellen Nelson, Corinne Thompson, Lorie Macsenti) • 3, 4, 5 grades - (April Adams, Lisa McCune) • 6, 7, 8 grades - (Sandy Thompson, Don & Janet Nickerson, Jason Jericoff) • Sabbath Cafe - High School - (Mike Fahey, Jen Schmidt)

EPC Pictorial Directory

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Church Office

The EPC Church office is going to being publishing our own church pictorial directory at least annually, if not more often. We will be publishing a directory with individual photographs (rather than groups - so each face can be clearly seen) to be distributed to active persons/families in our church. Please also submit pictures of each of your children ages 18 and under. It will not be available via our website. Options: 1) Individual photos of all in your family, 2) A family photo you like - we can crop individual faces here in the office. 3) Have your photo taken here at the church - just let the office know. Please e-mail us your best photos to [email protected]. 4

October 2014 Newsletter

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Session Notes

Deacon Minutes

By Jeff Hood

by Marsha Love

The Session of Escalon Presbyterian Church met on Monday, September 16th, 2014 at Escalon Presbyterian Church.    Troy opened with information regarding health updates for congregants.   Session Meeting Minutes for August 25th, 2014, adjusted minutes were M/S/A (Motioned, Seconded, and Approved) after review.   Finance Team reported on current status, being within $5,000.00 of plan year to date.  A review of budget for this time last year, indicated we had a higher balance and that our financial position was not that much different than current status.   Mission Outreach spoke in regards to plans and inquired about General Mission Giving to ECO. Mission requested that $4,000.00 of our previous Mission Giving be directed to ECO Projects, M/S/A.   Trustees completed electrical panel replacement.  There is a scheduled work day on Nov. 8th, 2014.   Adult Ministry presented an upcoming opportunity “Step into the Word of God” self-assessment and selfpaced study program providing opportunity to grow deeper in in each of our respective walks. The guides will be presented and made available to the Congregation Sunday, September 21st.   A “Meet the Church” type of new member course had been considered earlier in the year.   Some interesting ideas were shared. Brian Ralston will be speaking the first 3 Sundays.  Troy and Brian are working out being our Pastoral support once weekly, while Troy is away.  Nominating Committee – Sherry Branscombe, Jeff Hood, Dicksie Woodward, Randy Schmidt, Tom Walls, Joel Adams, Janet Barton and Jayne Fahey will comprise the upcoming committee.   October 21st - Session Meeting has been cancelled (Next Mtg November 18th, 2014) November 8th – Trustee Work Day   October 2014 Newsletter

You have probably noticed several Deacons with clip boards in hand seeking sign-ups for our events. We always appreciate your participation! You step forward each Sunday as enthusiastic greeters, supply beautiful flowers and are willing lay leaders. Thank you! Many have chosen to participate in our popular “Dinnerfor-Eight.” Invitations have been distributed and hostesses will be calling their dinner guests for a date and food to share. This has always been a fun event! Another opportunity will be available in the spring if you were not able to participate now. These dinners are not limited to an evening in someone’s home. These events could be in a restaurant with participants paying for their own dinner, a picnic following soccer games, or a young family-night-out with other EPC members willing to baby sit. Creative dinners are encouraged. We wish to involve all ages. We welcome your “treasurers” at our annual Deacon yard sale, Sat., Oct. 4 in conjunction with the Escalon city-wide yard sale. This event attracts buyers from as far away as Redding, Bakersfield and the bay area. With your donations, we supply much needed items for the larger community. We appreciate your help during the week to sort and price, and your offer to help the day of the sale. Four dates have been secured for EPC’s participation in the Modesto Salvation Army’s Homeless Shelter during the winter months. This year the Deacons and Session’s Mission Outreach will be working together to prepare and serve meals to approximately 165 participants. Plans are also being made for our annual ChristmasGiving-Tree which you have so generously supported. Local schools are being contacted to supply information for the gifts needed. Please always feel free to contact us, as we wish to be of service to you.

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October 2014 Newsletter

Pastor Troy

Aberdeen, Scotland Sabbatical The Rest of the Story

I thought that I would write a few more words about my upcoming sabbatical and answer a few frequently asked questions. What’s A Sabbatical? A Sabbatical is a specified time away from ordinary church activities after a continued period of service to a congregation.  Moreover, according to Presbyterian polity, it is not a reward for longevity but “recognition of the increasing need, over time, to pay attention to personal refreshment and development.”  Our tradition has tried to pay attention to the painful statistics related to the pastoral profession and its effect on family life, professional burnout, and the startling numbers of ministers leaving the profession altogether.   A sabbatical allows for personal focus on something else away (for a time) from weekly pastoral work - to rest, to rejuvinate, to learn and grow.  Typically, a sabbatical ranges from three to six months every six to ten years, depending on Presbytery and congregational policies. I am now in the twelfth year of service at Escalon Presbyterian.  Per my own terms of call I was allowed a three month sabbatical after seven years. I have postponed the sabbatical a few times due to necessary congregational attention (particularly due to denominational issues) as well as uncertainty as to how I would like to utilize the sabbatical.  

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ESCALONPRESBYTERIAN Continuing Education

How did this Sabbatical come about? In thinking and praying about how to utilize a sabbatical, particularly after the exhausting process of denominational transition, I had in the back of my mind the desire to pursue a PhD in the British Isles.  Why there?  Well, a PhD stateside is normally a five year residential program, which meant leaving this church to pursue it.  And, they are typically very expensive.  Both of these factors were not appealing to Leslie and me.  A PhD overseas is typically a three year residential program with reasonable tuition costs, yet I had met a few people who were able to pursue it parttime.  I had investigated this possibility six years ago only to find that these doors were closed due to changes in visa requirements.  Therefore, I changed course and was able to get an English professor to allow me to study with him for three months, though with no thought of a degree.   Right after he agreed, we entered the denominational process and I never pursued it any further.  In the end, it just didn’t feel right.  What I was going to study with him began to lose interest for me as well. Yet, as Leslie and I talked about a sabbatical, she encouraged me to try all the options once more - and, to my surprise, an option emerged from a door that I thought was closed years ago. How did the University of Aberdeen emerge? Well, for one, Aberdeen was deep in the heart of Scottish Presbyterian land, and, at the time I restarted my search process, it had, on faculty, a favorite professor of mine from Oxford, John Webster.  I sent a note to the admissions department at Aberdeen after doing research on their website which seemed to indicate that they were now, once again, willing to consider part-time study programs for ministers still serving their churches/institutions.  I would need, though, the willingness of a supervisor to take me on in this unique format.  Then, I read that Webster was lured away from Aberdeen to St. Andrews.   Just great.   So, I did some research on the Theology faculty there and found a name, Tom Greggs.  He was an advocate of the distance research program, and was desiring to take on students in the area of ecclesiology (the study of the church) as he was engaged in a publication project specifically related to that.  I did some research on his study interests, read endorsements of his work from professors of mine from my time in Oxford, and felt compelled to give him a go.  We set up a call, talked about the course of study, and through it all now believe that I have been provided a supervisor who is a solid, Christian man, wellsuited to guide me in my course of study.   Why study Ecclesiology? As I had mentioned earlier, I’ve known for some time that I wanted to pursue postgraduate study, but I couldn’t ever land on something that excited me.  Then, during the denominational transition process, I read a number of works both for my own discernment process, as well as the desire to keep in line with Presbyterian confessional integrity.  I came across a book on what true Church unity looks like; a small book written by Karl Barth called The Church and the Churches.   If you remember, Barth was the principal author of the Barmen Confession of Faith, one of

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Escalon Presbyterian | 209-838-2798 | escalonpres.org

ESCALONPRESBYTERIAN Continuing Education

our confessions, written at the time to oppose the theology of the German Christian church that was supporting Hitler.  It was a work I read over and over.  It was a Godsend to me and I found no other books quite like it.  All the books about the church that I was familiar with were largely geared towards how to grow one, run one, teach one, make one relevant.  Hardly any were about what the church was and what it ought to believe if it is to be one, as Jesus Christ desired. Therefore, I wanted to study this and hopefully, God-willing, write about it.  I wrote a proposal for Tom and for the admissions department at Aberdeen and it was accepted.  To be specific, I will be studying the way in which our confessions (what we believe) are essential for the unity of the church.  I will be looking at the writings of Barth, Calvin and our Confessions in this process.    I am hoping that my study will be of service to the Presbyterian church, both on a congregational and denominational levels with respect to its confessional integrity. I am also hoping that my study could lead to writing on the unity of the global church from shared confessional truths, regardless of differing organizational structures.   These are merely initial goals that may or may not come to fruition. What does the program look like? The program is unique in that it takes what would normally be a three year, fulltime, residency program and pushes it out to a five year, part-time, non-residency PhD program. The modified requirements would be a day per week of study devoted to the program stateside plus a month residency in Aberdeen annually.  The Session graciously granted a sabbatical to my family on these unique terms.  Rather than spend three consecutive months on a sabbatical, I have worked with our Session to push this out to one month sabbaticals for (initially) the next three years, with the option to implement a second sabbatical after 15 years of service to EPC, if this is still in the best interests of the church and my family.   Since February, I have been devoting Wednesdays to my study, though that can float to another day depending on pastoral necessities to our congregation.  In terms of the month of study abroad, I am required to be there in terms and when my supervisor is there.  For the first year, we will be spending October in Aberdeen, and (hopefully) subsequent years the month of May. So far my study, though focused by my supervisor, has been broad enough to provide insights into my sermon preparation as well as my understanding of the church and my pastoral role in it. " " " " " " How does your family factor into this? Having spent a life-changing year abroad following seminary for post-graduate study at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford, I have been wanting to return overseas now that I have been blessed with a family. Leslie is particularly adept to adventure (which is why I married her!) and our boys, Andrew and David, are at an age where they are both portable and able to appreciate the experience in an important, developmental way.  My family is the most important part of my life and I wouldn’t want to pursue anything without their support and presence.

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Escalon Presbyterian | 209-838-2798 | escalonpres.org

ESCALONPRESBYTERIAN Continuing Education

Why are you not publicly fundraising? This is not a mission.  This is continuing education.  To be sure, continuing education is part of a pastor’s terms of call and intended to be a benefit to the minister and the congregation jointly.   I have received needed additional support by wonderful friends and family in the process who have graciously given to this continuing education.  The upcoming golf tournament was a fun and very thoughtful surprise from Church Life, building upon the show of support that we have received from the congregation on this journey - yet do not expect fundraisers in the future. Our church’s on going general fund, our church’s support of mission projects and missionaries, our church’s support of additional needs (for example the growth of our youth group and planned facility expansion) will continue to be our top focus.  To be clear, as has always been the case with continuing education, when my wife and my boys join me for a conference (like Mount Hermon), or, in this case, abroad, no continuing education funds from the church are used for them at all.  That is our responsibility alone, not yours. Is failure an option? Well, no.  But, how you define failure in this instance is tremendously important.  We’ve committed ourselves to go full-in for the first year.  Yet, there is always the possibility that I won’t enjoy the program.   I also will need to constantly pay attention to the pastoral needs of the congregation.   My ego is not attached to finishing this program at all costs.  If it doesn’t work out, then it will be clear that God is leading me and my family in a different direction - and that direction will be good.  To me, that would not be failure.  I would rather, though, give 100% effort to the pursuit and fall short than try half-heartedly, looking back with regret or looking ahead with anxiety.  I’ve wanted to pursue this for close to twelve years now so I’m going to leave it all on the field.  Please pray for me in this regard.    Tell us more about Aberdeen? Aberdeen is almost to the Northeast tip of Scotland (in terms of location, slightly North of Copenhagen, Sweden, and just South of Oslo, Norway). It is not a place, therefore, to get a tan! Perfect for a Scandinavian like me. Average temperatures for October and May are 54 (high) to 41 (low) with 22 to 24 inches of rain. It is the third-most populous city of Scotland with just over 220,000 people. The Presbyterian Church of Scotland is the largest represented denomination in the city. The University was founded as King’s College in 1495, and King’s College today houses the theological faculty of the University (see picture on the front).

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Escalon Presbyterian | 209-838-2798 | escalonpres.org