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Outer Banks
Presbyterian Church
News & Notes
July 15, 2020
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In This Issue:
- July 19th Worship Service
- Devotional from Rev. Moore
- Outdoor Worship Service
- Prayer Requests
- Upper Room Publication
- Staycation Bible School
- Elder Class of 2023 Nominations
- OBPC Scholarship Recipient
- 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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July 19th Worship Service
Romans 5:1-11
. In Paul's most detailed theological book, he notes the way we can find peace in God even amidst hardships. Paul notes that suffering produces endurance, while endurance produces character, and character produces hope and hope will not disappoint us. What does it look like for us to have hope during this pandemic and beyond?
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The flowers in the sanctuary on Sunday are given by Jean Basnight and Rosalyn Pugh
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n memory and honor of their mother’s birthday, Mabel Lee Rawlings.
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Devotional From Rev. Dr. Jody Moore
Steven Charleston recently wrote the following about our current situation during this pandemic:
"I am not a psychologist but I think I would be close to right when I say most of us are experiencing a rapid cycle through three emotions as we see the daily news about Covid-19: fear, anger and worry. Those emotions become the psychological climate in which we try to make sense out of our lives these days. They are exhausting and repetitive. So what do we do? Here is one spiritual approach that may help. When you are afraid the best advice is to remain calm, so use that feeling as a trigger to practice meditation. When you are angry turn that negative energy into positive action by getting busy on a constructive project. When you are worried don't sink into anxiety but rise above it through intentional prayer for others. Respond to fear, anger and worry with your own sacred trinity: meditation, action and prayer. They are homespun spiritual remedies that are immediate and healing responses to what we face each day."
What I really liked about this quotation is that it helps us think about specific spiritual steps that we can take to address the fear, anger, and worry we are feeling. Throughout life, we continue to deal with stresses and uncertainties. Figuring out how to manage our hardships is a constant challenge, but it is magnified because of the pandemic that we are all muddling through.
As I said in my sermon last Sunday, July 12
th
, we need to give each other the benefit of the doubt and extend to each other some grace during these trying times. That also means that we need to not be too hard on ourselves when things don’t go as we hoped. The spiritual truth is that all of us depend on God’s grace and it is especially apparent now that we need God’s hope, joy, and healing power. In that sermon last Sunday, I preached on the parable of the sower from Matthew. A couple of years ago, I preached on Mark’s account of the same parable and I told the following story that speaks to the way that God can help our faith to blossom.
Rev. Robert Schuller for years taught the principle,
"Any fool can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count the apples in one seed."
A farmer named Ansley Mueller heard that message and sent Schuller one soybean seed with the following note. It was a really bad year: he lost half his crop, but there was one extraordinary soybean plant that year. Its size and good looks shocked the farmer. He carefully picked the plant and there were 202 pods with 503 soybeans. The farmer kept all those seeds throughout the winter and planted them in a little plot behind his house. At the following harvest, those seeds greatly multiplied and the farmer saved all of them again that winter. The next year, he had enough soybeans to plant an entire acre. After the fourth harvest, he had enough soybeans to plant them on 68 acres: all starting with that one resilient plant. The farmer believed that God had used that plant as a modern-day parable to teach him a lesson about what the Lord can do with us. Think what God can do with the seed of faith planted in your life: with the Holy Spirit, that seed can multiply and continue to bear good fruit.
Scripture:
Matthew 13:23.
As for the seed that was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the words and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
Prayer:
God, we praise your holy name and thank you that we can come before you in honesty and truth. We do not have to hide our emotions or struggles. You long for us to be real with you so that you can help us from where we stand. We bring to you a variety of emotions: while we continue to have joy and hope, we also struggle with anger, fear, and worry. Help us to turn to you when we are experiencing those feelings and may we respond out of our faith with meditation, action, and prayer. We thank you Lord that you do not leave us alone. You bless us with your presence and your love. We pray for our congregation, the Outer Banks community, our nation, and the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Peace in Christ,
Jody Moore
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Outdoor Worship Service July 26!
The Session of OBPC has approved an outdoor worship service planned for the last Sunday in July--July 26th. The service will be held at 6:00 pm on the east lawn of the church, near the playground. Attendance will be limited to 50 people, including the worship leaders.
Please pre-register if you plan to attend the service
. To pre-register, click on this link:
Register Now
. On the registration page, click on the line that says "Outdoor Evening Worship at 6:00 pm." A window will open with a form to add your name, how many people will be attending, and an email address. If you have trouble registering online, you may contact the office or your Elder Care person.
We will practice social distancing and face masks will be required. If you do not have a face mask, one will be provided. If you have a lawn chair and can bring it, that will be helpful. You will be instructed as to where to place your lawn chairs in order to maintain social distancing. The church building will be open for restroom use only through the door on the east side. Please
click here
for complete information about this service.
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Prayer Requests for Our Church Family
Please pray for Louise Roberts, who had a heart attack on Monday, June 29th. She spent 8 days in the hospital in Greenville and went home on Tuesday, July 7th. Please pray for Louise, for Winkey, and their entire family as she recovers.
Please pray for Oscar Northen and Glynn Powell. Oscar is moving to an assisted living facility near his daughter Becky in Gloucester, VA, on Friday. Glynn is staying in the Outer Banks.
We offer prayers of Christian sympathy to Carol Jackson and her family following the death of her husband, Jim, on July 14th.
We offer prayers of Christian sympathy to Bob Messinger and his family following the unexpected death of Bob's sister, Doris Richards, after a recent diagnosis of advanced cancer.
We offer prayers of Christian sympathy to Brenda Brown and her family following the death of Brenda's mother, Blanche Amanda Robinson, on June 30th.
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Upper Room
In order to support churches during this time when distribution of the devotional guide, Upper Room, can be more difficult, the publishers have made the July/August issue available online to subscribers. Please
click here
if you would like to read the July/August issue.
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OBPC Staycation Bible School 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have cancelled in-person VBS for summer 2020. However, we look forward to bringing you an online experience...STAYCATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2020!
Beginning July 1, materials will be available online and outside the church for grab 'n go pickup. These materials are designed to provide your family five days of Bible stories, crafts, songs, games, and fun activities. They can be completed at your leisure to accommodate your family's summer schedule.
Join us on Facebook for updates, live sessions, photo sharing and more!! Search Facebook group: OBX PRES STAYCATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2020. For more information, e-mail Hollie Writtenberry at
holliewrittenberry@gmail.com
. Please feel free to invite anyone with children to be a part of this exciting VBS adventure!!!
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Nominations for Elder Class of 2023
The Nominating Committee is beginning to work on selecting 3 persons to serve as Elders for the class of 2023. An elder should be a person who is committed to their faith in Jesus Christ, is a dedicated member of Outer Banks Presbyterian Church, and works well with a team as we seek to serve the Lord. The Nominating Committee would like the help of the congregation. Ordinarily, we have placed a ballot box in the gathering space for you to indicate your suggestions. This is not possible while the building is closed, so we encourage anyone with nominations to contact directly the two elder representatives on the Nominating Committee, Bobby Gentry and Bob Messinger. You may contact Bobby G. at 757-718-8353 or
bobbygentryobx@gmail.com
and Bob M. at 252-305-9388 or
bobnance55@gmail.com
. You may also contact any of the other members of the Nominating Committee, who are: Melanie Cahoon, Bev Jones, Winkey Roberts, and John Webb. Thank you for your thoughtful considerations!
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OBPC Scholarship Recipient Hopelyn Kovacs
Hopelyn Kovacs has been an active member of our Youth Group. She was graduated from First Flight High School in June and is attending East Carolina University this fall. Hopelyn was awarded one of OBPC's scholarships this year and has written the following thank you note:
Dear Pastor Jody and the rest of OBPC,
I would like to take a moment and thank you very much for the scholarship. It was very generous and meant a lot to me. I would also like to take this time to thank you for everything that you have done for me over the past 5 years. You all have taught me so much and you welcomed me into your OBPC family with open arms, and I will never be able to explain what that meant to me. I will always be extremely grateful for that, so thank you for everything. I hope to make you proud while I am at ECU. Love you all very much, and wish you all the best!!
Love, Hopelyn Kovacs
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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.
- 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
- Martin & Nonie Booth, July 19
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Birthdays this Week
- Bobby Gentry, July 16
- Lee Yoder, July 18
- Lee Baity, July 19
- Donna Frye, July 21
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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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