ST.

PAULS REFORMED
CHURCH
1070 PARK AVENUE
MEADVILLE, PA 16335

August 2016

A Publication of
St. Pauls Reformed Church
1070 Park Avenue, Meadville PA 16335

What Can the Righteous Do?

Prayerfully prepared for:

Perfect Peace
Peace is Christs distinctive gift
not money, not worldly ease, not
temporal prosperity. These are at best
very questionable possessions. They
often do more harm than good to the
soul. They act as clogs and weights to
our spiritual life.
Inward peace of conscience,
arising from a sense of pardoned sin
and reconciliation with God, is a far
greater blessing. This peace is the
property of all believers, whether
high or low, rich or poor.
J.C. Ryle

A Publication of
St. Pauls Reformed Church
1070 Park Avenue, Meadville, PA 16335
Church Phone: 814-336-5188
e-mail: sprc@zoominternet.net
Website: www.stpaulsmeadville.org
Facebook: St. Pauls Reformed Church Meadville
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00-1:00 p.m.
CHURCH STAFF & OFFICERS
Pastor: Brian Hasenkopf336-5188/573-1576
Consistory President: James Henry336-5188
Consistory Vice-President: Joe Kerr333-2658
Consistory Secretary: Linda Hild382--2059
General Fund Treasurer: Shirley Reeger333-1383
Admin. Assistant: Valerie McCracken336-5188
Music Director: Betsy McClellan724-2844

Last month I postponed my intended topic of

an apologetic to the LGBTQ community in order
to write about the tragic terroristic event in Orlando. Since then, as you may well know, there have
been 3 more such events police officers killed in
Dallas, an Islamic Jihadist attack in Nice, France,
and police killed in Baton Rouge. The
disheartening part of it all is that there is
no sign of it stopping. Our western society seems to be coming apart at the
seams. It is as if God is bringing the
collective western culture to a house of
mourning in order that the living takes it
to heart. Questions abound Where is justice?
Where is leadership? Where is God? How do we
respond?
In Psalm 11, David, the leader of Gods people, reflects on the words of those who would
seek to shake his trust in God, If the foundations
are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The
image here is of a house crumbling when the
earth beneath begins to quake. Such an image
represents the foundations of society and moral
order being swept away by lawlessness. It is the
straightforward principle of cause and effect, that
when a society abandons God the moral Lawgiver, it abandons His objective moral order as
well. Without the objective moral Lawgiver, all
matters of right and wrong become simply preference, in which no man is right and no man is
wrong. Surely, we feel the weightiness of such a
question today. Therefore, let us also consider
the response of David.

Despite what David sees and hears around

him, his trust in God remains. Davids faith is not
based upon a blind ideology, but rather grounded
in his experiences in life. Davids life experiences overcoming lions and bears in the wilderness,
overcoming Goliath in the valley of Elah, reinforce his trust that God is where He always is even at such times as these; on
His throne! At the literary center of the
Psalm, David writes, The LORD is in
His holy temple; the LORDs throne is
in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids
test the sons of men. David knows his
trust is not in vain and will be rewarded. The
Psalm concludes, For the LORD is righteous, He
loves righteousness; The upright will behold His
face.
This Psalm, like many others, finds its greatest expression not in the life of King David, but in
the life of the Son of David Jesus of Nazareth.
The Son of God leaves the glorious presence of
His Father to enter humanity in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He came into a world that rejected Him so that He might rescue it. He came as
Light, and was surrounded by lovers of darkness.
He proclaimed the Kingdom of God only to be
arrested, tried, and falsely convicted by a kangaroo court cloaked as the House of God. Despite
all of the temptations, accusations, denials, and
even death on the cross, He remained faithful to
His Father. And His Father rewarded Him. Unlike David, who points us to the LORD on His
throne, Jesus, as Messiah, is the LORD seated on
(contd)

the throne! Jesus not only faced the rejection and

injustice of a fallen world, but He is the only one
who can and is restoring it. His resurrection from
the dead is the proof that He is making all things
new again and will judge the world with justice!
As we see and reflect upon the evil and injustice taking place today, let us renew the words and
hope of David for our own day The LORD
Jesus Christ is in His holy temple; the LORDs
throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids
test the sons of men. Because we have placed
our trust in Him, we too, like David, may have the
confidence to know that we are numbered among
the upright who one day will behold His face.
What, then, shall we say in response to these
things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Pastor Brian Hasenkopf

Recipe for Communion Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
2-2 1/2 tablespoons of milk
1. Sift together flour, sugar, & salt
2. Cut in shortening
3. Add a little bit of milk at a time, and only
enough to form into dough
4. Roll dough on cookie sheet with floured
rolling pin to 1/4 thick
5. Cut into 1/2 to 1 inch squares using a
pizza cutter
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes
or until done
Make two batches: one of the small pieces
and another to make large bread for Pastor
to break plus extra small pieces.

Update from the Consistory President

Vacation Bible School is over and a special
thanks goes to the congregation for all their
support and prayers. We averaged 17 students
each day and raised $200.00 for the Soup
Kitchen. But more importantly, we got to
work with our brothers and sisters from First
Baptist Church to spread the Word of God. It
was a great week.
Save the date:
August 12Youth Game Night at 6:30 pm
August 21Fellowship Luncheon
More information will follow in the bulletin
or you may call the church office.
August Birthdays & Anniversaries
5 Betty Reichel
5 Mary Royer
9 Alexander Valesky
11 Ted & Janet Walczak
12 Abigail Valesky
13 Ruth Garnavish
20 Jonathan Denison
25 Millie Lindsley
31 Stacy Carrara
If you would like your birthday or anniversary included, please contact the church office at
336-5188.

Altar Flowers: The following dates are

available for altar flowers: August 21;
September 4; October 9; October 30;
November 6; December 11. Please call the
church office at 336-5188
if you would like to order altar flowers
for any of these dates.

Consistory continues to meet monthly

on Wednesday at 6:00 pm. All three committees meet prior to the monthly meeting to address immediate and relevant issues. Much
thanks to Committee members and the Consistory for their work, patience and dedication on behalf of St. Pauls Reformed
Church. Committees have been very busy.
Spiritual Committee has defined some
of its priorities for the year. Their emphasis
will be on outreach activities, youth activity
night in follow up to VBS, monthly fellowship luncheons/dinners and movie nights.
Finance Committee has begun to prepare for budget time. They met with
Ameriprise regarding the church trust funds.
Consideration is being given to developing a
new fund to address long term future capital
improvement,(i.e. stained glass windows).
Property Committee has been addressing numerous property related concerns.
These include computer software updates,
purchase of a new copier, new water softener
system, removal of old electronic equipment,
securing estimates for a video security system, resealing of the parking lot, repairs of
restrooms, contracts for 2017 and traffic control through the parking lot.

It has been exciting to see new faces and

several returning facing at Sunday Services.
As a congregation, we have longed to see our
church thrive and grow again. We can never
know how God will answer our prayers but
He will. With patience and belief, our prayers will be answered. Continuing the theme
of outreach initiated by our pastor we have
renewed hope.
Have we learned from our past. Growth
comes from applying what we have learned
from our past and blend it with our goals and
visions for our future. We, like so many other
congregations, are not getting younger.
Around us though are so many vibrant young
people that need and would welcome Gods
grace and His presences in their lives. They
need only to have the opportunity to be welcomed into Gods house with warmth, acceptance, and support. We should take our
legacy, redefine it with enthusiasm and depart from our tendency to continue with the
mind set We have always done it that way.
And yes, change or progress can be difficult
and stressful, but so is growth and maturity.
It evolves through prayer, hard work, patience and belief in the grace of God.

AUGUST ALTAR FLOWERS

Flowers are $30 per set and may be purchased by contacting
the church office at 336-5188
7
14
21
28

In loving memory of Mary Kerr from Joe & Linda Kerr and Family
In loving memory of Jack Shilling and Ruth & Hugh Shilling from the Shilling Family
Available
In loving memory of Frank M. Shorts from Charlotte Shorts