BPC NEWS BRIEF
Wednesday,
April 20, 2022
mailing address:  Balmoral Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 17309, Memphis, TN 38187
NEWS THIS WEEK

  • WORSHIP SUNDAY, APRIL 24

  • SUNDAY STUDIES for SPRING

  • SOUP KITCHEN VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED for May 29

  • EARTH DAY 2022 is FRIDAY, APRIL 22
  • HUMANITY’S ROLE AS BOTH STEWARDS AND CREATURES IN GOD’S CREATION
  • Ecumenical Earth Day Service on ZOOM 11-noon CDT Friday
  • SHELBY FARMS EARTH DAY WEEKEND EVENTS

  • BPC Photos
  • Worship Easter Sunday April 17
  • Palm Crosses
WEEKLY INFORMATION
  • Birthdays
  • Calendar of Events
  • CONTACT INFORMATION
  • WORSHIP & BUILDING POLICIES & PROCEDURES

OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
  • BRING FOOD for the FOOD CART
  • Give out Hospitality bags
  • SIGN UP to be a WORSHIP LITURGIST!

REMINDERS:
  • PW Synod Gathering: Fueled to Serve
  • IS MUSIC CALLING YOU to MONTREAT THIS SUMMER?



BPC WORSHIP

Sunday, April 24, 2022
11:00am IN BPC's SANCTUARY

Scripture: Psalm 118:14-29 & John 20:19-31
Sermon: A Doubting Faith

We will still send an email on FRIDAY
with the LiveStream YouTube link & Sunday Worship Guide. 
Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are still available on the 
CIRCLE of FAITH WORSHIP at 8:30am
IN BPC's Fellowship Hall

Everyone is invited to join Circle of Faith's worship service!
To enter the building, use Office door to the Fellowship Hall.

SPRING 2022,
April 24 to May 22
9:30am
The Book of Forgiveness
by Desmond and Mpho Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, along with his daughter, the Reverend Mpho Tutu, offer a manual on the art of forgiveness—helping us to realize that we are all capable of healing and transformation.

Leaders: Glenda Ellis & Beverly Hooker
Interrupting Silence
Silence is a complex matter. It can refer to awe before unutterable holiness, but it can also refer to the coercion where some voices are silenced in the interest of control by the dominant voices. It is the latter silence that Walter Brueggemann explores, urging us to speak up in situations of injustice.
    
Leaders: Frank Carney & Sherry Wilkins
On Earth Day, People of Faith Need To Take Action on Climate Change
In our current ecological crisis, we must emphasize humanity’s role as both stewards and creatures in God’s creation.
by Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim
Presbyterian minister & professor at Earlham College
Earth Day is April 22, and people around the world will be spending the day promoting environmental awareness and sustainability. In some ways, the success of Earth Day -- created in the U.S. in 1970 -- is heartening; nearing its 50th anniversary, the event is now celebrated in some 200 countries.
 
Yet I also have to wonder: How did we come to the point where we have to set aside a day to remember the earth?
 
Human beings, called to be stewards of the earth, have in fact become a danger to it. Today, we are witnesses to the profound effects of heedless human activity; our actions have resulted in climate change, arguably the most significant environmental change the earth has endured in hundreds of thousands of years.As Christians, we need to recognize that this ecological crisis is also a theological crisis.
 
Scripture talks about the goodness of creation, and the creation story in Genesis offers us an idea of our role in it. Genesis 1:31 says: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (NLT). And in Genesis 2:15, we find that God put Adam in the garden of Eden to take care of it.
As we consider our role as stewards, we need to examine the relationship between the doctrine of creation and the doctrine of humanity. Sallie McFague, an ecofeminist theologian, argues that we need to reimagine God’s creation as part of God’s body.
McFague points out that we are animals, bodies dependent on other bodies, incarnational beings at the mercy of the many sources of power on our planet -- among them, climate change. From this perspective, we are not just the agents of climate change; we, as God’s creatures, are also its victims.
 
Perhaps this reimagining can help us change our course and shift it away from ecological disaster. As we reimagine the cosmos as God’s body, what does that imply for our theology?
 
Until now, we have set humanity over the entirety of creation, reasoning from a sense of species entitlement. Because human beings are created in the image of God, the logic goes, humans are more valuable than any other life form on the planet. Yet we see that elevating humanity as more-than has been detrimental to the planet and to ourselves.
 
There is no special day in the Bible for the creation of human beings; we were created on the same day as the animals. We all share the biosphere. In the current ecological crisis, it is necessary to emphasize humanity’s role as creature, not creator. Human beings, bearers of God’s image, have been given a special role as caretakers. But being fashioned and commissioned in the image of God is not the same thing as being God.
 
Creation itself is the body of God, and we ought to take care of the earth as we would care for God’s body. We are partners in creation, and we need to consider its well-being as a whole.
 
Further, environmental well-being is intimately related to economic well-being. It is a matter of justice, because the people affected most by ecological disaster are those who live in poverty.
 
I am part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) working group on climate change. The group’s 27 members from around the world reflect theologically on climate change, speak out on environmental issues and advocate for sustainable living.
 
To emphasize the link between environmental and economic justice, the WCC has adopted the term “eco-justice” for its approach, implemented across several projects and initiatives. The Ecumenical Water Network of the WCC, for example, emphasizes that access to clean water is a human right.
 
This is an issue that young people are embracing. On March 15, youth around the globe went on strike to protest government and corporate inaction on climate change. The movement began last summer with Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who called for action from her peers. This year, youth from more than 100 countries participated in the protest, and in the U.S., events were planned in almost every state.
 
The youth are making a clear statement: We need to act now before it is too late. They are the ones who will have to live with the actions or inactions of their predecessors, and they are fighting for the attention of those who will listen.
I see this in my own children as they try to live sustainably. My teenage daughter Elisabeth has become especially active on environmental issues. She and other students at her school learned that tangles of fishing line were hurting wildlife in the streams near the school.
 
She helped establish an initiative to generate awareness and create convenient monofilament receptacles for fishers’ discarded lines. After receiving approval from the city parks department, she and a group of students applied for grants to install these receptacles this spring.
 
As youth around the globe protest the devastating effects of climate change, we need to reflect and challenge what people of faith are doing -- or not doing.
 
Earth’s biosphere needs all of us to join together to work toward environmental justice. We need to advocate for our planet and be at peace with it. We need to bring Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, individuals, communities, governments, churches and corporations together and challenge each other to lives of stewardship rather than greedy destruction.
 
We need to seek ways of reducing carbon emissions in our homes as well as our places of work, recreation and worship. What happens in our backyard is not contained: China’s pollution-choked air is carried by the wind to other lands; America’s toxic chemical runoff finds its way to distant shores.
 
We must be vigilant in our actions and think of those who will inevitably have to face a perilous earth in the near future. We must act now, because tomorrow will be too late.
As stewards of the earth, humans are called by God to live sustainably and work toward creation care. We all have a part to play. This Earth Day, how will you live out God’s call?
Ecumenical Earth Day Service:
Weathering the Storm
Friday, April 22
11am-noon Central Time
 
Each year, over a billion people around the world celebrate earth day through acts of service and worship. 

This year, Creation Justice Ministries is hosting an ecumenical service that you can join from anywhere. Join Christian siblings from across theological traditions to celebrate Earth Day and worship the Creator. 
We hope that you are able to join us for this short service of prayer and worship to celebrate the Creator and all of creation!

  • Greetings by Karyn Bigelow and Avery Davis Lamb
  • Homily by Rev. Dr. Betty Holley
  • Prayers and scripture read by Tammy Alexander
  • Music by Christian McIvor

THIS EVENT IS FREE. PLEASE REGISTER BELOW
FOR a LINK to the ZOOM "TICKET"
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH SHELBY FARMS PARK CONSERVANCY
April 22 & 23, 2022
Earth Day is officially celebrated every year on April 22, but Shelby Farms Park treats every day like Earth Day! Sustainability is at the heart of all we do ⏤ from providing electric vehicle charging stations with solar panels, to landscaping with native plants and removing invasive species from Park forests, to heating and cooling indoor spaces with a geothermal system ⏤ and we hope you'll celebrate sustainability with us this April! Join us April 22 + 23 as we celebrate Earth Day and Invest In Our Planet by volunteering, learning and experiencing at the Park!
Earth Day Celebrations are presented by International Paper
SOUP KITCHEN
Sunday, May 29
The Soup Kitchen at First Presbyterian is back in business and Balmoral will be participating again! Our turn to serve as hosts is Sunday, May 29, and we need volunteers!

We'll leave a little early from Worship, leaving the parking lot at 11:50am and carpool downtown for lunch together at Westy's on Main Street. We will be working at 1st Pres from 1:30 until about 3:00, then return to BPC.

If you are interested in signing up, send a signed text to Scott Dawson 901.849.1685.

BOOK CLUB
for MAY:

Author Phyllis Blackstone will lead the discussion of her new book,

"My Storied Life"
Tuesday, May 10
1:30pm in Classroom A

Don't miss it!
OPPORTUNITIES for OUTREACH
FILL UP
the
FOOD CART!
DONATIONS! DONATIONS! LET'S FILL IT UP!
Now that we can donate food again to the
St. Luke Methodist Food Pantry, let's fill it up!

HOSPITALITY BAGS
ARE AVAILABLE NEXT to the FOOD CART -
PICK SOME UP!
You can also pick up Hospitality Bags to donate to those you pass along the road who are in need.
(And bring donations for more bags - bring bottles of water,
And bring donations for more bags - bring bottles of water, boxes of raisins or other dried fruit, granola bars, cheese crackers (NO PEANUT BUTTER!!), clean socks - when you see someone asking for a handout, hand them a Hospitality bag!

URGENT NEED: WE ARE OUT of BOTTLED WATER and SOCKS for the HOSPITALITY BAGS! Please bring what you can!
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
LITURGIST SIGNUPS
We have LOTS of open slots for Worship Liturgist volunteers. Use the button here to sign-up!
Choose the Sunday(s) you are available to serve. All materials you need will be sent to you for that week!

(Contact Rev. Mary Gale if you have questions or need help signing up.)
Worship & Music 2022
at Montreat
Is Music Calling You to Montreat This Summer?


Conference Dates:
Week 1 | June 19-25, 2022
Week 2 | June 26-July 2, 2022
Virtual | June 26-July 2, 2022




To learn more about this conference, please visit the Presbyterian Association of Musicians website. There you will find conference rates, registration information, class descriptions, and the daily schedule.  

BIRTHDAYS for
Doreen Lutey (20); Sean Orians (27)

BIRTHDAYS
Lee Waltz (5); Fran Shannon (6); Dee McGuire (7); Jessica Orians (12); Clinton Bailey (23);
Casey Gurlen (26); Janet Smith (26);
Shirley Vosburg (29); Phil Shannon (30);
Noah Mercer (31)
 
Every Monday
2:00pm Writer's Group CLASSROOM A and/or on Zoom

EVERY TUESDAY & THURSDAY
12:30pm CHAIR YOGA in CLASSROOM B

1st Wednesday of the Month
BIBLE STUDY 10:30am in Classroom A

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

2nd Tuesday of the Month
1:30pm BOOK CLUB in Classroom A

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
Sunday, April 24, 2022
8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall
9:30 AM SUNDAY STUDIES for Spring Begin:
  • "The Book of Forgiveness" by Desmond Tutu and Mpho
  • "Interrupting Silence" by Walter Brueggeman
11:00 AM BPC Worship in the Sanctuary
& on LiveStream

Sunday, May 1, 2022
8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall
9:30 AM SUNDAY STUDIES for Spring Begin:
  • "The Book of Forgiveness" by Desmond Tutu and Mpho
  • "Interrupting Silence" by Walter Brueggeman
11:00 AM BPC Worship & Communion in the Sanctuary
& on LiveStream


BPC PHOTOS
Worship from Easter Sunday
April 17, 2022
Easter Morning
Introit “Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia“
Bells of Balmoral
Liturgist Phil Shannon and
Transitional Pastor The Rev. Mary Newberg Gale
Choir with Leiza Collins on piano and Linda Warren on Organ


What better way to celebrate Easter than dancing in the aisle for the Hallelujah Chorus!
NEW PALM CROSSES!
After 2 years of having no Palm Sunday service and therefore no palm branches, we finally can update our Palm Crosses in the hallway outside the Church Office!
CLOTHES DRIVE
for
JOHNSON AUXILIARY
Men’s Clothing:
  • Men’s Casual Shoes (athletic-type shoes) /Slippers (with backs) (All sizes needed)
  • Men’s Jackets and Hoodies (all sizes) & gloves
  • Men’s Casual Pants—Waist Sizes (All sizes needed, but particularly need sizes 30-36 waist and sizes 44 and up waist)
  • Men’s Casual Pants—Sweatpants (All sizes)
  • Men’s Casual Shirts—long sleeve (All sizes needed, but particularly need sizes XL and up particularly big and tall sizes); button down the front and pullover
  • Men’s underwear and socks (Must be new)—(All sizes)

Women’s Clothing:
  • Women’s sweatpants—all sizes needed
  • Women’s underwear and socks (must be new); all sizes needed
  • Women’s hoodies/casual outerwear (all sizes needed, particularly plus sizes); gloves
  • Women’s casual shoes (athletic-type) /slippers (with backs)—Sizes 9 and up

Other Clothing Related Needs:
  • Umbrellas
  • Rainwear such as ponchos (unisex, preferred)

If items have been previously worn, they must be clean, odor-free, stain-free and not in need of repair.
Your contributions really help and are greatly appreciated! 
(Place items near the Food Cart in the narthex hallway.)
VOLUNTEERS are also needed!
Contact Beverley Hooker for more information!

CONTACT INFORMATION
Pastoral Care is supplied by Pastoral Care Intern Rev. Elizabeth Dick 314.330.0506
       or email elizabethdick2@gmail.com
and our Transitional Pastor
Rev. Mary Newberg Gale 913.481.7427
       or email mngale@balmoralpc.com
    
Session members are your primary contact for ongoing communication. Here's the current contact list:
Lori Blackwelder .... (901) 262-8282 ............... LORIEB1165@yahoo.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
Janice Hill ............... (901) 826-9747 ................... janicehill81@gmail.com
Beverly Hooker.........(901) 496-1241 ......................... bev.h@earthlink.net
Ted Pearson home: (901) 754-9796 ...................  pearsonteda@aol.com 
...........................cell: (901) 486-6117
Erich Shultz .............(901) 268-4951 ...................emshultz@bellsouth.net
John Van Nortwick (901) 605-2907 ............ jvnortwick@cornerstone-
systems.com

(NOTE: Many of these Session members work 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. 
NEW POLICIES for WORSHIP & BUILDING USE
effective March 6, 2022
Now that the latest surge has passed, Balmoral is REMOVING many of the restrictions:
 
  • Wearing a mask in the church building is optional.
  • Social distancing is still encouraged.
  • Individuals exhibiting symptoms of illness are asked to not enter the building.
  • Unvaccinated individuals are asked to wear a mask, including members of community organizations that use the building.
  • Should a surge in Covid-19 infections prompt the Shelby County Health Department to recommend indoor mask-wearing and social distancing, the task force will convene to decide how to react.
  • Members who test positive for Covid-19 are asked to notify Rev. Elizabeth Dick, who will notify the congregation so members can decide how to respond.
  • To keep the SEED children as safe as possible, the procedures controlling the old end of the building will remain unchanged, except when there is a need for someone to pass through the SEED area.
  • Individuals may bring only water into the sanctuary; food and drink is permitted elsewhere.
  • Passing plates to collect the offering is permitted.
  • The SEED children and staff are allowed to use the new hallway to access the playground and the main bathrooms.
  • The drinking fountains are no longer off limits.
  • The kitchen is no longer off limits.
  • Collections for the Food Cart may resume.
NOTE: Since the church office is NOT currently manned and the outside doors remain locked, those needing access to the church office will need a key or be with someone who has a key. Please continue to stay vigilant about keeping the SEED children safe by avoiding going into their area. Thank you!
Small Group Meetings in Classrooms A & B must be scheduled with Barry Dotson, barry.dotson@yahoo.com or signed text/cell: 901. 277.1596
THIS ISN'T ENTIRELY OVER YET, HOWEVER!
PLEASE, FOR THE SAFETY OF YOURSELF and ALL THOSE YOU LOVE AND CARE FOR:
Anyone who is experiencing symptoms of illness (EG: sinus infection; flu like symptoms; sore throat; fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea) should consider contacting your Healthcare Provider and let them know you may have been exposed to a breakthrough case of COVID-19 to a fully vaccinated person.
PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE CHURCH
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS

Thank you for continuing to observe the ever-changing policies as we navigate the pandemic together.
To contact the Chair of the BPC COVID-19 Task Force:
Scott Hill - signed text: 901.277.9794
email: sphill1946@gmail.com (NOTE his new email!)
IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO OR HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH COVID    
Contact: The Reverend Elizabeth Dick 314.330.0506 or elizabethdick2@gmail.com
Let Elizabeth know when you were last in church; Give permission for notification to the congregation; Get Tested, if you have not already been; Contact any person or persons you have been with and follow with your doctor's advice.
  • 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. Mary Gale, 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 be submitted via email to Rev. Mary Gale (mngale@balmoralpc.com) and/or Rev. Elizabeth Dick (elizabethdick2@gmail.com) with a copy to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net.
APRIL 2022
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 2021-2022 calendar is available to you.