mailing address:  Balmoral Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 17309, Memphis, TN 38187
NEWS THIS WEEK

  • WORSHIP for SUNDAY April 11

  • PASTOR on CALL thru APRIL 19

  • SPRING SUNDAY STUDIES BEGIN THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 11

  • FIFTY DAYS of EASTER: aaaaaaaaaaa A Time for Joy

  • EASTER PHOTOS: How people spent their time during Easter this year

  • BOOK CLUB will NEXT MEET in MAY - (no APRIL MEETING)

  • PCUSA THOUGHTS: The World id Changing (3-min video)

  • THANK YOU!

  • AROUND MEMPHIS
  • CURRENT NUMBERS
  • VACCINATION UPDATE

  • BPC COVID-19 TASK FORCE UPDATE
WEEKLY INFORMATION
  • Birthdays
  • Calendar of Events
  • OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
  • CONTACT INFORMATION

  • BPC Photos
  • Worship last Sunday

LINKS to DOCUMENTS:
ONLINE on YouTube at 11:00 am 
 The BUILDING is CLOSED
BUT  
BALMORAL is OPEN !
Worship with us on our YouTube Channel Sunday morning at 11:00am
 and check our website at www.balmoralpc.com/ 
Our Session is committed to providing worship during the pandemic that reaches everyone. Those of you who do not have computer access or SmartPhone access, Idlewild will continue to broadcast  all of the worship services on the radio 96.1 FM.
Stay at home! Stay Safe!
REMINDER: Everyone who comes onto the BPC property MUST WEAR A MASK, including those who are only in the parking lot. NO ONE is allowed in the building without authorization.
We must help to keep our Worship team and the SEED children safe!

Requests for use of the property (including the parking lot) MUST prepare a proposal to the BPC COVID-19 Task Force (Scott Hill and Mary Schmitz, co-chairs) for review; the task force will review the proposal, then make a recommendation to the Session for consideration.

SUNDAY
WORSHIP

Balmoral Presbyterian Church
Sunday, April 11, 2021

                                  
BALMORAL WORSHIP at 11:00am on YouTube

Scriptures: Acts 2:43-47 & John 20:19-31

Sermon: "Post-Resurrection Blues"

SUNDAY STUDIES at 10:00am on Zoom
Join with members & friends of BPC and Circle of Faith
for either one of our two classes available:
> On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity & Getting Old by Parker Palmer
> Almost Everything: Notes on Hope
by Anne LaMott
(see more information about these classes below)
CIRCLE of FAITH WORSHIP at 9:00am
on YouTube

Everyone is also invited to join the Circle of Faith service led by Rev. Cliff Stockton. The link will be listed each week in the ONLINE EVENTS calendar in this Newsletter!


You will receive emails on FRIDAY & again on SUNDAY with a link to the YouTube site for Worship & a downloadable Sunday Worship Guide. 

The Idlewild service will also still be available at 11:00 am on the radio at 96.1 FM or you can go online to the Idlewild Livestream broadcast at

Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are still available on the 
REV. CARLA MEISTERMAN
will be taking time off through Monday, April 19, for Worship Planning & a couple of vacation days.
Rev. Anne Hagler will be filling the pulpit April 11 and April 18 and will be the Pastor on Call while Carla is out. You can reach Anne by phone or text at (901) 628-2104 or by email anneh6616@gmail.com

SUNDAY STUDIES
for SPRING
Spring Studies begin Sunday,
April 11, 10:00am.
The classes will run through May 23.
Two classes will be offered:
On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old
by Parker Palmer

A beautiful book of reflections on what we can learn as we move closer to "the brink of everything." Drawing on eight decades of life -- and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist --
Parker Palmer explores the questions
age raises and the promises it holds.
Leaders: Jan Kaplan and Ted Pearson
Almost Everything:
Notes on Hope
by Anne LaMott

When life is at its bleakest--when we are, as she puts it, "doomed, stunned, exhausted, and over-caffeinated"--the seeds of rejuvenation are at hand. "All truth is paradox," Anne Lamott writes, "and this turns out to be a reason for hope."
Leaders: Beverly Hooker and Mary Schmitz
Both books are available from Amazon and Thriftbooks.com
There are also multiple copies at several branches of the Memphis Public Library
FIFTY DAYS of EASTER
We spend forty days preparing for Easter, and then celebrate Easter as if it’s a single day.
But Easter isn’t just a day, it’s a season.
It’s not only a celebration, but an invitation to joy.
Doing Easter Right — 50 Days of Joy



EXCERPTS from
Joy of Salvation
We spend forty days preparing for Easter, and then celebrate Easter as if it’s a single day. But Easter isn’t just a day. In the Christian Calendar it is a season that lasts 50 days! In other words: the next 50 days should be celebrated as a single joyful feast. The celebration shouldn’t temper down, rather it’s only just begun.

We are heading into Eastertide, a period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. It’s a time to remember that Jesus wasn’t in a rush to ascend, but that he spent time appearing to his disciples and preparing them for Pentecost. This is an extended time, then, to joyfully celebrate the resurrection. After all, the resurrection changes everything. St. Paul even writes, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Easter is a big deal. Consider what Pope John Paul II said,

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair.
We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

Eastertide is about joy. Not any type of joy, but a particular joy: joy in the resurrection. Over Eastertide, consider what practices you can implement into your life to cultivate more joy. Our cities and the world needs to see our joy as much as they need to see our fasting and sacrifice of Lent. In a world abundant with hopelessness and purposelessness, the surprising, unexpected joy of the resurrection is the antidote.

Here’s a few suggestions for cultivating joy:
Abide with Jesus
Make John 15:1-17 your meditation for the next 50 days. Jesus wants us to abide in him—he wants us to abide in his love. It’s simpler than it sounds. We keep his commandments. The first command is to believe in him (John 6:29, 1 John 3:23), and the second is to love each other (John 15:12). Believe in him, love others with his love. Jesus taught us to abide in his love so that “my joy may be in you, and your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Take 15 minutes every morning to abide with Jesus, to pray, to seek him, to ask him how to love those around you—and his promise is joy … plentiful joy.

Rejoice and focus on what is good
Time and time again Scripture instructs us to rejoice. Every day, take time to tell God about how awesome He is. He is faithful, good, wise, our provider, merciful, just, and on and on you can go. Focus on what is good. As Paul writes, “whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, if there is any excellence, worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Cultivate Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Just as Paul writes “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing” he always says “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for your life” (1 Thess 5:16-18). If you want to be in the smack-dab in the centre of God’s will for your life, start with thanksgiving.
Start a routine of thanking God for what he gave you in the day. You can jot it down in a journal. Or you can share moments of joy or thankfulness with your friends or on social media.

Encourage someone
Every day, or every other day, or a few times a week: go out of your way to encourage someone. Share how they’ve made a positive impact on you, express your gratitude for them, call out what is good in them and where you see God moving in their lives. You might do this in person, or through a text, or a phone call—but the gift of encouraging others results not just in your own joy but theirs too.

Take the pressure off, simply ask for joy
If you’re more like me, where you see the cup as half empty and joy doesn’t come ‘naturally,’ you can ask for God to grant you joy. David prayed “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). Perhaps this can be your anchoring prayer during this festive season.

It’s not about how well we can perform, it’s not about creating a fake facade of joy, it’s about rejoicing in the joy of the resurrection and asking Jesus to fill us with his Spirit of joy.

May we become a people known for our joy during Eastertide.
HOW DID YOU SPEND EASTER THIS YEAR?
PHOTOS from Circle of Faith's
RESURRECTION MORNING WORSHIP
COFCC held their Worship outside,
while also sharing the Worship service on Zoom!
BECKY DeLOACH TOOK a WALK...





....and found artwork in her Germantown Station neighborhood
LIKE OLD TIMES at the VOSBURGS
Dick took Shirley to the dentist for a checkup.
"Afterward we went to the Dixon Gardens to enjoy the flowers, almost like the old days."
EASTER NOT EXACTLY as HOPED FOR ....
With the family (except Charlotte) all vaccinated, there were high hopes for an Easter Dinner for the Singletons....
Charlotte got her Easter goodies, while Grandma got her first hug in over a year on Maundy Thursday...
....but the kids had booked a cabin at Petit Jean months ago, before knowing we'd all be vaccinated by Easter ...


So Kathy Singleton spent Easter keeping the kids' dogs Bonnie & Zoe at her house while Mike, Noelle and Charlotte's went hiking for Easter!
BOOK CLUB
The Balmoral Book Club will not meet in April, but will resume our regular meeting schedule of the second Tuesday of each month, starting in May.
We hope you will join us on
Tuesday, May 11, 1:30 p.m.
for a discussion of 
The Last Castle
by Denise Kiernan
A New York Times bestseller, The Last Castle tells the untold, true story behind the Biltmore Estate—the largest, grandest private residence in North America, which has seen more than 120 years of history pass by its front door. The story of Biltmore spans World Wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and generations of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features a captivating cast of real-life characters including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. 
Kathrine Getske will lead the discussion. 

Please join us on zoom by clicking here:
Consider adding these books to your summer reading list and join us:

June 8: All Over But the Shouting by Ricky Bragg,
led by Cathy Bailey
July 13: The Overstory by Richard Powers, 
led by Bob Kaiser
August 10: Home  by Bill Bryson, led by Janice Hill
The World is Changing and Ministry Needs to Change, Too
Pray for what you need, but don’t be surprised when the answer comes. These are words of advice from the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.
A 3-minute video for thoughtful consideration as we anticipate re-opening our churches.
THANK YOU
from
ONE GREAT HOUR of SHARING


IN THE NEWS AROUND MEMPHIS

UK Variant Spreading
& 5 Cases of P.1 (Brazilian) Variant Found in Shelby County
The Shelby County Health Department reported only 55 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, April 6.
Those 55 cases come from 853 tests, which gives the day a positivity rate of 6.4%, the same as the day before, when 76 new cases were reported. The current seven-day moving average for local cases is 102. And there were no reported new deaths.

A fifth case of the highly contagious P.1 variant of COVID-19 was identified in Shelby County on Thursday.

The case, in the 38125 ZIP code, is associated with recent travel to Brazil.
But health authorities are scrambling to track down the source of another case, one of the four P.1 cases identified in the county last week. This person has no travel history or connection to any of the other cases and lives in ZIP code 38127.

The U.K. variant, identified in Shelby County in early February, is quickly growing, a sign that it is 50% more contagious than the original SARS CoV-2 virus. By mid-April, it is expected to be the dominant local strain.

But officials are equally as worried about the Brazilian P.1 strain, 200% more contagious than SARS CoV-2 and resistant to the antibodies people develop from having the disease, and to a lesser extent, the antibodies the vaccine creates.

The vaccine is effective against serious disease with the U.K. strain and likely the P.1 strain, but less is known about the latter.

“It (the Brazilian variant) creates havoc very quickly as it has done in many cities in Brazil,” said Dr. Manoj Jain said Tuesday, March 30. “It can evade the vaccine and can cause re-infection. That concerns us because people who have previous infection and those with vaccines could get disease.
“The efficacy (to the vaccine) is reduced, possibly by 50% by some calculations done theoretically, but we haven’t seen it on the ground yet,” said Jain, an infectious disease expert who is advising the city on pandemic issues.



Scientists say the new spike is being driven by the emergence of variants of the coronavirus, most notably a more readily transmissible and virulent strain known as B.1.1.7, first identified in the United Kingdom. CDC data shows that strain is responsible for an estimated 13 percent of new cases in Florida and 9 percent of cases in New Jersey.

But the number of cases is also being spurred by behavior changes as weary Americans increasingly participate in nonessential activities. States have loosened restrictions, in some cases altogether, and several states have dropped or are planning to scrap mask mandates.

STAY VIGILANT,
even if you are fully vaccinated!

FEMA VACCINATION FACILITY
OPENS TODAY
at Pipkin Site, Expanding Availability
FEMA, partnering with the State of Tennessee, City of Memphis and surrounding communities, is opening a Community Vaccination Center (CVC) site in midtown Memphis at the Pipkin Building of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

This site at 940 Early Maxwell Blvd, expands Memphis’ current operations to deliver up to 21,000 doses of vaccine per week. Military personnel from the 2d Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will support the administration of these additional vaccines.

Vaccines for CVCs are provided to the state in addition to the regular vaccine allocations they are receiving. These additional vaccine doses are made possible through an increase in production and availability.
“We are committed to equitably distributing the vaccine and our top priority is to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine, gets one,” said Gracia Szczech, regional administrator for FEMA Region IV.

FEMA will continue to support outreach to underserved communities in the Memphis area to inform and build trust about the benefits of getting vaccinated.
“It is going to take all of us working together—federal, state, and local government—to win in the fight against COVID-19,” Mayor Jim Strickland said. “We’ve administered over 315,000 vaccinations and this joint effort will allow us to dramatically increase the number of those vaccinated.”
The Pipkin Building CVC site will follow Tennessee’s vaccination eligibility requirements. The COVID-19 vaccine is currently available to all adults age 16 and older in Tennessee.

To schedule a vaccine appointment, individuals can visit covid19.memphistn.gov. Those without internet access can call 901-222-7468 (SHOT) or 615-552-1998 between the hours of 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. seven days a week.

Those with vaccine appointments will enter the Pipkin Building vaccination site from Early Maxwell Boulevard. After validation, appointment holders will remain in their vehicles and enter either the on-site vaccination tent or the Pipkin Building. Both the Pipkin Building and the vaccination tent will have two vehicle lanes which can accommodate a minimum of 20 vehicles at once.

After receiving their vaccination, appointment holders will proceed to a post-vaccine waiting area to be monitored for at least 15 minutes, per CDC guidelines, to ensure they do not have any adverse reactions to the vaccine.

Those who arrive at the Memphis CVC via public transit, on foot, or by rideshare will enter the northside of the Pipkin Building to receive their vaccinations and to be monitored afterward at the patient check-in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTE: The Daily Memphian provides all COVID-19 related information free of charge at these links as a service to the community.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For COVID-19 testing information, go to this link:
NOTE: Several CVS and Walgreen's locations are now currently on the updated list at the link above.
Family & friends visiting? Going to visit a gathering? How safe will you be? Click the link here: https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/
BPC COVID-19 TASK FORCE
UPDATE to the SESSION
March 21, 2021
The BPC COVID-19 Task Force met March 18 to start talking about when and how we can get back in the building and worship in the sanctuary. We arrived at some general conclusions, but adjourned with more questions than answers.

We can hope we are at the beginning of the end, but given that we do not know what we do not know about where the virus and its variants is going to take us, our default position is an abundance of caution. We have no idea when Dr. Fauci will say y’all can go back to church now.

We learned Friday that Tennessee is opening vaccinations to all adults as long as people in priority categories get the shots they need. Encouraged by the prospect that anyone who wants it can be vaccinated by the end of June, we want to get back into the building in September in some manner, limited by the unpredictability of the pandemic.

One well-received idea proposed that daily reported new cases could drop to a point that we could start gathering in limited ways and/or in low-risk settings. We are talking about small groups of vaccinated AND unvaccinated people to meet at members’ homes or outdoors, and eventually for vaccinated members to return to the building in small groups, including Sunday studies—still observing Covid-19 protocols. Some could be strictly social events to get us back together after more than a year of missing face to face contact with each other.

The task force agreed that another survey of the congregation is in order. The percentage of vaccinated Balmoral members and how they feel about returning will guide the task force’s recommendations to the Session. Our continuing relationship with Rev. Stockton and Circle of Faith will be top of mind as we work through our processes.

Assuming at some point we do return to full worship, there’s a question about whether it is practical to continue the very popular recorded worship. The task force will investigate whether it is feasible, given the effort and expense.

If you’re a glass-is-half-full person, you might see it as a good problem to have. On average we have had a larger audience for the recorded worship than we have members—91. On average, 104 computers are tuned to the service on Sunday alone. Some watch it later in the week, but we don’t have those stats. Our biggest number was 213 on Dec. 13.

Our members are watching (we don’t know the percentage) but so are others, and the total number of viewers is unknown. What might be the unintended consequences of no longer offering the recording? Who among our members would rather watch at home, and who if any, would stop coming to church if we stopped the recording, especially if we were returning wearing masks and social distancing.

So that is the framework of what we are dealing with. Deep in the weeds are issues of known and unknown, such as our relationships with the SEED Program, Circle of Faith, the groups that meet in the building, maintenance and cleaning, the workload of our B&G team and the worship recording team.

Some current statistics on Shelby County Covid-19. Ten percent of our 900,000+ population have been infected, and 1.7 percent of those individuals, more than 1,500, have died. We are averaging 11.7 new cases per day for every 100,000 people. That’s 110 cases a day. In last two weeks, hospitalizations are down 30 percent, and positive tests are at 3 percent. 


In the interim, virtual worship and small groups will continue over the summer and the Newsletter will keep you updated!

BIRTHDAYS
Doreen Lutey (20), Sean Orians (27)
ONLINE 
 
SUNDAY WORSHIP LINKS


Every Monday
2:00pm Writer's Group via Zoom

1st Wednesday of the Month
Bible Study with Presbyterian Women 10:30 am

1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month
Ellis Small Group 10:15 am

2nd Tuesday of the Month
(but will NOT meet in April)
BOOK CLUB meets via Zoom

2nd Thursday Evening of the Month
7:00 pm Trouble I've Seen Small Group

1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month
COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE
Monday, April 5, thru Monday, April 19, 2021
Rev. Carla Meisterman will be taking time off
for worship planning and vacation days.
Rev. Anne Hagler will provide Pastoral Care during this time.
Anne can be reached by phone/text at (901) 628-2104
or by email anneh@6616@gmail.com

Wednesday, April 7, 2021
10:30am Bible Study with Presbyterian Women on Zoom

Sunday, April 11, 2021
9:00 AM Circle of Faith Worship on Zoom
10:00 - 11:00 AM Sunday Study on Zoom - Spring Classes Begin
11:00 AM BPC Worship Service via YouTube

Sunday, April 18, 2021
9:00 AM Circle of Faith Worship on Zoom
10:00 - 11:00 AM Spring Sunday Studies on Zoom
11:00 AM BPC Worship Service via YouTube


COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE
IF ANYONE IS CALLED TO SERVE....
We work every 1st and 3rd Thursday. 
Colonial Park UMC
5330 Park Ave
CONTACT SCOTT DAWSON for more INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

Pastoral Care will be supplied by Rev. Carla Meisterman
       and by Rev. Anne Hagler as a backup.
Rev. Carla Meisterman 901.235.1014 
       or email carlam@balmoralpc.com
Rev. Anne Hagler 901.628.2104 or anneh6616@gmail.com
    
The current Session members have been re-aligned to be your primary contact for ongoing communication. Here's the new contact list:
Lori Blackwelder .... (901) 262-8282 ............... LORIEB1165@yahoo.com
Cathy Bailey ........... (901) 481-6395 .............. catbailey2017@gmail.com
Frank Carney ...........(901) 337-4917 ............. fcarney@evanspetree.com
Leiza Collins ........... (901) 246-5031 ..................... leiza1016@gmail.com 
Becky DeLoach ...... (901) 489-3369 ............. BeckyMD2905@gmail.com
Barry Dotson .......... (901) 277-1596 ............... barry.dotson@yahoo.com
Don Lamb ............... (901) 754-5530 ............................ fbslamb@aol.com
Ted Pearson home: (901) 754-9796 ...................  pearsonteda@aol.com 
...........................cell: (901) 486-6117
John Van Nortwick (901) 605-2907 ............ jvnortwick@cornerstone-
systems.com

(NOTE: Many of these Session members are working during the day, so you may want to text them or email them.)

Keep in mind that ANY Balmoral member who is healthy will most likely be happy to help you in case of need as well!

To contact other members, the most-current contact information is available by requesting a copy of the BPC PHONE DIRECTORY from Kathy Singleton by email ksingle2@bellsouth.net or by phone or text to (901) 734-7193. 
BPC PHOTOS
BPC Worship 
Sunday, April 4, 2021
Easter Sunday
Introit "Now the Green Blade Riseth"
BELLS of BALMORAL: Kristen Gurlen, Frank Carney, Janice Hill, Beverly Hooker
Prelude from "Let All the World Rejoice"
Leiza Collins, piano
Hymn 232 "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" and the
Postlude "Hallelujah Chorus" were pre-recorded from our past 2019 Easter with bells, organ, brass, choir & congregation
Musical Offering "Day of Delight and Beauty Unbounded"
A virtual choir of Frank Carney, Pete Addicott, John Gilmer,
Ted Pearson, Erich Shultz, William Warren, Clinton Bailey,
Rev. Carla Meisterman, Linda Warren, Becky DeLoach,
Fran Addicott, Lynn Ward, Robin Ashworth
"Behold! The King!"
Bells of Balmoral: Janice Hill, Janice Carney, Frank Carney,
Lorie Blackwelder, Beverly Hooker, Lisa Koffman, Linda Warren, John Gilmer, Kristen Gurlen
Hymn 248 "Christ Is Risen! Shout Hosanna!"



Charge and Blessing
Rev. Carla Meisterman
LINKS to DOCUMENTS
We have been keeping reference articles in the Newsletter each week throughout the summer. It's time to take them out, BUT some of these may still be helpful, so we will store them and give you links to them, but eliminate them from the body of the newsletter itself.
circledoc
  • Newsletter Articles & Photos should be emailed to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net no later than Monday at noon for the week you want the article in the news.
  • Bulletin Information should be emailed to Rev. Carla Meisterman, with a copy to Kathy Singleton, no later than Monday noon the week before the Sunday you want the information to appear.
  • Prayer Concerns should continue to be submitted via email to Rev. Carla Meisterman (carlam@balmoralpc.com)
 APRIL 2021
online church calendar
The calendar will take a few seconds to load and, once it opens, you will see the month that we are currently in. To see the next month's calendar, click on the arrow pointing down - it is just to the right of the name of the month. Once you click on that arrow, an icon will appear with all the months of the year listed. Click on the month that you want to see. To see a specific date, click on the number of the day you would like to see. The entire 2021 calendar is available to you.