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Outer Banks
Presbyterian Church
News & Notes
May 27, 2020
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In This Issue:
- May 31 Worship Service
- Weekly Devotional
- Fifth Covid-19 Directive
- Dare Co. Covid-19 Testing
- Pentecost Special Offering
- Beach Food Pantry
- A Special Thank You
- Honoring Our Graduates
- Assistance from Church
- OBPC on Facebook
- Online Giving
- Anniversaries & Birthdays
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- Click the button above to watch worship services live streamed on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. or watch any past services on demand.
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May 31st Worship Service
On this Pentecost Sunday, we will hear the story of the first Pentecost when the disciples were gathered together and wondering what was next for them. God sends the Holy Spirit to equip them to spread the Gospel. We will discuss how God’s gift of the Holy Spirit blesses us today as Christ’s followers.
The Adult Sunday School is studying a 40-day Devotional on the Holy Spirit. The flowers on Pentecost are placed in thanks to Jesus, the Son of God, for sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in human hearts and begin His church on earth.
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Devotional From Rev. Dr. Jody Moore
I have always appreciated hearing about the stories and experiences of our older members. This Monday was Memorial Day when we remembered all those who have given their life in service to our nation. We have a number of Veterans in this church whose stories were honored in a book that our congregation published in November 2016. Several of the people who shared stories for the book are no longer with us and I’m grateful that their witness has been memorialized.
In college, I was a history major. I have always appreciated history, which is more than just looking back at dusty old pages. As historians say, those who don’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Our history gives us the perspective to understand who we are. That is why I liked the following illustration that I found from Jeff Zausch, written on May 13, 2020. Zausch writes:
"For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were an American born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday with 22 million people killed. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.
When you're 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.
When you're 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million. At 52, the Korean War starts and five million perish.
Approaching your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening.
At 64 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict. As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. Yet those grandparents (and now great grandparents) survived through everything listed above.
Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this. In the history of the world, there has never been a storm that lasted. This too, shall pass."
Throughout the Bible, there are many examples of biblical authors telling us that we can have faith in the present and hope for the future because of what God has done in the past. In the Psalms, we are reminded of how God freed the Hebrew people from slavery and bondage in Exodus. In the New Testament, Paul and the other epistle writers remind us of what God has done through Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Psalm 99:6 and 8
:
Moses and Aaron were among God’s priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the Lord and he answered them. O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them.
By the psalmist remembering God’s goodness to Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, the text points to our present hope in God to be forgiving with us as well. Often life does not seem to make sense in the midst of our struggles. We wonder what God is doing. But many times after the years pass, we are able to see the hand of God guiding us to places we never would have expected
,
but where we needed to be. Looking at our past helps us to see beyond the real anxieties and worries of today. When life is out of our control, thank goodness that we worship and serve a God who is in the business of bringing hope from despair and new life from death.
Prayer:
God of our past, present, and future, you are the God of all of our days. We thank you for leading us through past storms. You indeed are faithful; we can depend on you. During this pandemic, may we as individuals and collectively turn to you as our reliable foundation. We continue to pray for all those impacted in a variety of ways by the COVID-19 virus. We pray for healing for those who have been infected. We ask for your grace and peace for all of us who are troubled, weary, or anxious. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Jody Moore
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Fifth Covid-19 Directive
On May 14, the Session approved the Fifth Covid-19 Directive based on recommendations from the Covid-19 Task Force. The Session extended its existing directives for church facility usage, office practices, electronic communications with the Congregation, and live-streamed, recorded Worship Services through June 7, 2020. To read the the complete text of the Fifth Directive,
click here
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Dare County Announces 2nd COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing Event
Dare County has partnered with Mako Medical Laboratories out of Raleigh, NC to host a second drive-thru COVID-19 testing event in Dare County. The event will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 starting at 10:00 am at Soundside Event Site located at 6800 S. Croatan Hwy in Nags Head, NC.
Appointments are required
. The event will be set up to provide a total of 500 tests. Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, will receive test results from Mako Medical Laboratories and call individuals to provide them with their results within 72 hours of the event.
To schedule an appointment, call 252.475.5008. To read more about this event, please
click here
.
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Pentecost Special Offering
May 31 is Pentecost Sunday. This day commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his ascension from earth to heaven. In honor of Pentecost Sunday, there is a special offering.
A gift to the Pentecost Offering helps the church encourage, develop, and support its young people, and also address the needs of at-risk children.
40% of the Pentecost offering is retained locally to make an impact in the lives of young people within our own community. Our church donates this money to Dare County Friends of Youth. This is a county mentoring program that places at-risk youth between 6-17 with caring adult volunteers who serve as role models and friends. The remaining 60% is used to support children-at-risk, youth, and young adults through ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Please consider making a donation for Pentecost, whether or not we are having in-person services. This has been a particularly difficult time for our youth. You can send your donation to the church office -- PO Box 2199, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 -- and mark on the check or envelope "Pentecost." Thank you!
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Beach Food Pantry Volunteers Needed
The next week for OBPC to provide volunteers for the Beach Food Pantry is the week of June 8th. We still need a few more people to help. Please call or email Dot Landis at 919-645-8064 or
landisdorothy2@gmail.com
with any questions or to sign up. Thanks!
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A Special Thank You
Dear Friends of Outer Banks Church,
We, family of Marjorie and Morris Bennett, have no words to express our sincere appreciation and thank you for all your love, care and concern you have given to our parents over the years. They have been devoted to you for many years. We can't thank you enough for all you have done.
God bless you all,
Bennett Family
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Honoring Our Graduates
Do you have a high school or college student who has or will graduate this year? If so, we would like to hear about him or her so we can recognize them in a future edition of our E-news, News & Notes. We know that this year has been particularly difficult for students who have had to forego traditional end-of-year celebrations and we would like to recognize their achievements. If you would like us to highlight a graduate in your life, please send an email with a brief description of his or her accomplishments and plans for the future to
office@outerbankspresbyterian.org
. Thanks!
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Assistance from Your Church Family
Two important resources to remember during this time are our Prayer Team and our Assistance Coordinator.
- If you have any request that you would like the prayer team to lift up, please share it with the prayer coordinators. Our prayer coordinators are: Jean Basnight and Rosalyn Pugh and you may share a request with them by phone at 252-480-1028 (Home) or 252-619- 7661 (Cell).
- Elder Barbara Nock is coordinating services and requests by members and friends who need any type of assistance. Twenty-four people have volunteered to help. If you or someone you know needs assistance with groceries, pharmacy pick-up, or anything else, please contact Barbara at 252-255-5979 or nocktwice@embarqmail.com.
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Do you have a Facebook account? If so, we invite you to join OBPC on Facebook. Just Click on the button at the left, log on to your Facebook account, and select "join" on the OBPC group page. Some things you will find there include:
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- Announcements about the Adult Sunday School Class, which is currently studying The Apostles' Code: Unlocking the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life, a devotional for Pentecost. Click here for a YouTube link to the Sunday School Class from May 17, 2020.
- Children's Church with Hollie.
- Posts from Pastor Jody and comments from members of the congregation.
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Online Giving
There are two ways to give to the church during this temporary closure. You may mail pledges and donations to the office at PO Box 2199, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948. Or, you may give online. Just click on the Give Now button to go to our website, then click the button on the home page and follow the directions for online donations.
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Anniversaries this Week
- Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Hale, May 27
- Mr. & Mrs. Ben Cahoon, June 1
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Birthdays this Week
- Ike McRee, May 29
- Grace Folds, May 30
- Caroline Hastings, May 31
- Caroline Lowcher, May 31
- Don Bierwerth, June 1
- Steven Lynn, June 3
- Jeanne Martie, June 3
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Outer Banks Presbyterian Church
907 S. Croatan Highway, Milepost 8.5
PO Box 2199
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
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During this time of irregular office hours,
you may reach Pastor Jody or administrative staff
by calling the office at 252-441-5897 and leaving a message or by sending an email to
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