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ST.

PAULS REFORMED
CHURCH
1070 PARK AVENUE
MEADVILLE, PA 16335

June 2016

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

Christian Perspective on LGBTQ Activism

Prayerfully prepared for:

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
Youth Director: Linda Webb336-5188
Music Director: Betsy McClellan724-2844

Driving to my father-in-laws house the


other day, my wife said, Wow! That man is
enjoying the day! In my usual manner, I
responded, What man? With disbelief, she
countered, What man? Dont tell me you
didnt see that large man in fluorescent
clothing sitting in the middle of his driveway! Sheepishly, I whispered, No. She
concluded, Oh boy, how could you miss
that? Now, Im afraid to be riding with
you! I must admit there are times that I do
miss the obvious. There are, however, subjects in the news today that I havent missed,
and I suspect neither have you. One of them
is the ever-intensifying discussion regarding
the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Queer) activism. Recently,
the discussion has manifested itself in wedding cakes and bathrooms. Nevertheless, the
heart of the matter resides in worldview
and is quickly becoming a public international conversation. Over the next several
months, I intend to build an apologetic a
Christian response that both honors Christ
and loves our neighbor, whilst striving to
avoid the usual pitfalls that range from remaining silent altogether to treating it as the
unforgivable sin. Ill say more about that in
the coming months, but want to start with the
words of someone who has firsthand
knowledge of the topic. Rosaria Butterfield

was a lesbian leftist liberal professor a


former tenured professor of English at Syracuse University. Converted to Christ, she
now speaks internationally of her change in
life from a lesbian professor to becoming a
wife and mother in a Christian home. The
following is a sample of Rosarias words and
witness
I just returned from a well-known (and
well-heeled) Christian college, where roughly 100 demonstrators gathered on the chapel
steps to protest my address on the grounds
that my testimony was dangerous. Later that
day, I sat down with these beloved students,
to listen, to learn, and to grieve. Homosexuality is a sin, but so is homophobia; the
snarled composition of our own sin and the
sin of others weighs heavily on us all. I came
away from that meeting realizingagain
how decisively our reading practices shape
our worldview. This may seem a quirky observation, but I know too well the world
these students inhabit. I recall its contours
and crevices, risks and perils, reading lists
and hermeneutical allegiances. You see, I'm
culpable. The blood is on my hands. The
world of LGBTQ activism on college campuses is the world that I helped create. I was
unfaltering in fidelity: the umbrella of equality stretching to embrace my lesbian identity,
and the world that emerged from it held

salvific potential. I bet my life on it, and I lost.


I'd believed gender and sexuality were socially constructed and that I was the mistress of
my own destiny and desire. Through the lens
of experience, this was self-evident. I'd built
my whole house on the foundation of gender
trouble (the title of Judith Butler's book), and
then stood by, helpless, as it burned to the
ground. But the Bible was getting under my
skin. Hours each day I poured over this text,
arguing at first, then contemplating, and eventually surrendering. Three principles became
insurmountable on my own terms: the trinitarian God's goodness, the trinitarian God's holiness, and the authority of Scripture. And then,
Romans 1 nailed me to the cross: claiming to
be wise, they became fools, and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man. . . . Therefore God gave
them up in the lusts of their hearts . . . because
they exchanged the truth about God for a lie. .
. . For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions (Rom. 1:22-26).
Homosexuality, then, is not the unpardonable sin, I noticed. It is not the worst of all
sins, not for God. It's listed here in the middle
of the passage, as one of many parts of this
journey that departs from recognizing God as
our author. Homosexuality isn't causal, it's
consequential. From God's point of view, homosexuality is an identity-rooted ethical outworking of a worldview transgression inherited by all through original sin. It's so original
to the identity of she who bears it that it feels
like it precedes you; and as a vestige of original sin, it does. We are born this way. But the
bottom line hit me between the eyes: homosexuality, whether it feels natural or not, is a
sin. God's challenge was clear: do I accept his
verdict of my sin at the cross of Christ, or do I

argue with him? Do I repent, even of a sin that


doesn't feel like a sin but normal, notbothering-another-soul kind of life, or do I
take up Satan's question to Eve (Did God
really say?) and hurl it back in the face of
God?
I had taught, studied, read, and lived a
different notion of homosexuality, and for the
first time in my life, I wondered if I was
wrong. ~ (Rosaria Butterfield)

Pastor Brian Hasenkopf

Annual Mens Breakfast: Mark your calendars for the Harmonsburg United Methodist
Church Annual Steak and Egg Breakfast on
June 18 at 7 am. The location is Gibson Park.
Bring your fathers, sons, grandfathers, grandsons--all men of the church. Guest speaker will
be Larry Miller from Mumford Chapel and Geneva Faith UM Church. Reservations are requested by June 13. Call Mark Evans at 3820612 or email: mevans55@windstream.net.
Bring your own table service. A free will offering will be received.

Our deepest Christian


sympathy to Art Theuret
and Family following the
death of his sister,
Dorothy Ann Prenatt.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School will soon be here!
There will be a Carnival in the church parking
lot from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday,
June 25th. The theme this year is
Submergedfinding truth below the surface. Dates are Monday thru Friday, June
27July 1 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (with
Friday afternoon activities at Roche Park). If
youre willing to help in any way, please contact Linda Webb at 573-3097.

June Birthdays & Anniversaries


4
5
9
14
22
26
27
27

If you would like your birthday or anniversary


included, please contact the church office at

Many Thanks
Many thanks to everyone who helped out with
the Mother/Daughter Banquet. Special thanks
to Shirley Reeger, Charlotte Shorts, Janet
Walczak, Jim Henry, Joe Kerr and Pastor Brian. Thank you also to the Valeskys for the
delicious meal and all the help. We couldnt
have done it without you!

Helen Shay
Iris Cole
Colin McCauley
Thelma Hanaway
Nneka Granda
Edith Joel
Marvin & Marilyn Yetman
Micah Valesky

5
12
19
19
26

Altar Flowers: The following dates are available


for altar flowers: June 26, July 3, July 17, August
21 and August 28. Please call the church office at
336-5188 if you would like to order altar flowers
for any of these dates.

Blessings bestowed
When author Gary Smalley asked 100 people to share how they knew theyd received their
parents blessing, they offered these memories of
fatherly love:
My father put his arm around me at church and let
me lay my head on his shoulder.
When my father faced a transfer at work, he purposely took another job so I could finish my senior
year in high school.
When I wrecked my parents car, my fathers first
reaction was to hug me and let me cry instead of
yelling at me.
My father went with me to the store when I had to
return a purchase I regretted.
My father let me practice pitching to him for a
long time after work.
My father cried during my wedding because he
was going to miss me being at home.

JUNE ALTAR FLOWERS


Flowers are $30 per set and may be purchased by contacting
the church office at 336-5188
In loving memory of Ellen Brucker & Bertha Thomas from Bobbi Thomas
In loving memory of Olive and John Wyant, our grandparents; Jean, Jane and Jerry Wyant,
our aunts and uncle from Susanne Wyant Heibel and Marty Wyant Jr.
In loving memory of father Harold Johnson from Ruth McMaster and Helen Sindelar Wilson
In loving memory of our father Joseph H. Kerr from Louise, Joe, Diana and David
Availablecall the church office to schedule

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