Pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.

“From dust you came, and to dust you shall return.”

The above words come from Genesis 3:19, and they are what is uttered by the officiant when we have ashes imposed on our foreheads in the shape of a cross the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. These words, uttered from God to Adam after his disobedience of God in the Garden of Eden by eating of the forbidden fruit, are a stark reminder of our human finitude. Our earthly constitution is no match for the power that is death.

A little over a week ago I was in a coffee shop doing some Lenten reading, a book entitled Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler. I found myself laughing out loud one minute and having tears roll down my cheeks the next. As a grown man I am not accustomed to such behavior from myself, especially publicly, but I couldn’t help myself. The plain, hard, grim truth of the words “From dust you came, and to dust you shall return” are so very evident to the author, a young professor, wife and mother who has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

In her book, Kate Bowler relates the struggle of family, friends, and faith community to empathize with her plight. Her condition is one that is a reminder to all who know her that this life has an allotted time, and the acknowledgement of such a limit is one we so often glide over or ignore or simply run away from when confronted by it. As she describes her experience of Lent, Kate writes of well-meaning people trying to desensitize her plight by continually speaking of the hope of Easter. But the effect is that the reality of her life as one with a sinister cancer diagnosis ends up being ignored and consequently she experiences loneliness.

Oh, what to do? We people of faith are indeed a people of hope. We are the people who believe that indeed death has lost its sting in the light of resurrection—God has triumphed (1 Corinthians 15). But our hope is not something that should prevent us from empathizing with people’s real lives and the struggles they endure. Rather, hope is the very thing that enables us to see human existence and its finitude for exactly what it is. Kate writes: “I am facing death and the church has demanded that, for the forty days of Lent, everyone stare it down with me. We are solid flesh, and we are ashes.” Hope is the very thing that lets you and me be vulnerable with people whose lives are vulnerable.

To have the gift of faith is to be able to stare life in the face, not as those who are stoic and without feeling but rather as those who are fully alive. This is the tremendous power that the church has at all times—the ability to not run away into platitudes or politics or denial when life gets tough but instead to love and embrace and empathize with a lost world. This is precisely what Jesus is doing when, at the death of Lazarus and the sorrow of Mary and Martha and the rest, he weeps (John 11:35). Because he can cry with the hurting, so can we.

Oxford Presbyterian Church exists because of hope, a hope that gifts us to be present with one another, our neighbor, even our enemy, through their sufferings. This Lent and on into Easter, may our hope be embodied in word and deed to a world in need of empathy.

All blessings in Christ,

News from the Session

January—

• Approval given for using the same budget for 2018 as the one for 2017.
• Judy Miller named as disbursing treasure and Ellen Gould as Clerk for 2018.
• Paul Hesse given approval for use of Fellowship Hall on Tuesday evenings for a Flight Ground School class
• Ellen Gould given approval for use of Fellowship Hall to host an Autism Support Group once per quarter.
• Poll vote later in the month gave approval for Alan to purchase a new laptop computer with funds from the Memorial Committee.
• Another poll gave approval for use of the Fellowship Hall on February 10 for the purpose of hosting pre-Lenten activities with children under the leadership of Ellen Gould and Lee Anne Lequick.

February—

Approvals—

• Lindsay Miller, Elder, to preach at both services on March 4 in Alan’s absence.
• Mission projects scheduled for 2018 as shown by Missions chair.
• From Christian Education—St. Patrick’s Day activities event for children on March 17; Bible study lessons each Wednesday evening during Lent;Vacation Bible School and a culminating choral concert the first week in August.
• From Stewardship—contract with Vanco to facilitate online giving via credit card, debit card or bank draft; stewardship time in worship during Lent to learn about online giving.
• Curriculum for children to be used at Sunday School and/or be mailed to the non-attendees, with Alan and Ellen as teachers.

Worship

Communion was served on February 4 at both services and also to the shut-ins by Alan. Next communion will be on March 11 and April 1.

Until the flu season is over, the communion at the 8:08 service will not be served by intinction, but in the same order as the 11:00 o’clock service.

Lindsay Miller will preach on March 4 while Alan is away, as approved by the Session.

by Judy Miller, chair 

Property

Because of more needs for handicap parking in back of the church, only cars with handicap needs will be permitted to park on the concrete pad. New handicap signs will be added.

In the front, cones will be placed on each side of the walkway that leads from the street to the sidewalk in order for worshipers to be able to stay on the pavement rather than walking in the grass.

by Jim Ingram, committee chair

Missions

The total contributions to the CWS Blankets Fund was $2,984.00

Thanks to all who gave so generously to this mission! We exceeded our goal of $2,802.00!

The March mission will be the receiving of offerings to One Great Hour of Sharing on Palm and Easter Sundays.

The April mission will be our support for Children’s Hope Alliance and we will have a Chili Cook-off as our traditional fundraiser for Relay for Life.  Watch for date of cook-off.

by Delores Johnson, committee chair

Music Notes

Our choir will be part of a mass choir that will perform a Lenten cantata on Saturday, March 10, at the Butner Presbyterian Church (behind the Post Office) at 6:30 p.m.

Pepper Choplin, well-known contemporary composer, will conduct the choir and orchestra singing his work, “Come to the Cross and Remember”.   Admission is free.

Come and join your brothers and sisters in Christ in Granville County for this Lenten worship experience.

by Kathy Webb

Presbyterian Women

Our annual PW Day will be on March 18 when the ladies will lead the worship hour and it will be a time of interest as we will incorporate a time to reflect on our 200th anniversary of OPC.

The PW Circle continues to meet as scheduled on the second Monday of each month in the Fellowship Hall of the church at 10 a.m.

In January, the circle gave a donation to the Children’s Hope Alliance and in February, a donation  was given to the CWS Blankets Fund. Our mission for March is to give toilet tissue to ACIM and paper towels to the church. If you care to participate in this mission with us, we truly appreciate your generosity.

If you would like to have an enjoyable time of fellowship and Bible study for an hour on a Monday morning, please consider joining the group on the 2nd Mondays of each month.

by Delores Johnson, moderator

Please Remember In Your Prayers

Sue Huggins, Angie Arnold, Dottie Price, Ann Currrin, Pete Strother, John Newell, Mike & Linda Diamond, Fred & Diane Heath, Julie Gaydon, Isabella Baird, Hannah Hobgood and others you may know.

Congratulations to:

• Markus Koeneke, who has moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he is busy setting up a soil sciences lab for a colleague and mentor.

Adult Class

Lindsay Miller
Delores Johnson
Cathy Yancey
Walter Gould

Youth Class

Walter Gould

Young Marrieds

Alan Koeneke

Elementary Class

Ellen Gould

Flower Schedule

March

4—Retta Powell

11—Communion

18— Frances Tarry

25—Vivian Oney

April

1—Communion

8—Cynthia Yancey

15—Louise S. & Delores J.

22—Sharyl Shelton

29—Cathy Yancey

If you wish to make a donation to the church or a special mission in lieu of flowers, you may do so by contacting Carol Barnes or the church office and the Pulpit Bible will be displayed on the Communion Table. You may do this in honor or memory of a loved one or in making a donation to a mission.

To Remember

Men’s Group suppers and meetings will be held on March 7 and April 3.

Buffet Breakfast served every Sunday morning following the 8:08 contemporary service as prepared by Terry Hobgood. Everyone is invited and the time of fellowship and the delicious foods around the tables are enjoyed by all.