Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
THE
Weathervane 101 Bridgeboro Road, Moorestown, New Jersey (856) 235-1688
Rick Richardson writes about a pastor named Dan, who realized he was getting stale. So with the approval of his pastoral
team, he took a part-time job at a Starbucks coffee shop (like our friend Neal Stephens!). To his surprise, “all 21 people he
worked with believed in God. Not one was an atheist. They were all very positive toward God and spirituality. And then
Richardson said this:
A second surprise was that all were interested in spiritual things, but not in Christians, Christianity, or the church. No one
wanted to hear Dan’s proofs for God or invitations to come to church or ideas he may have had about salvation. Almost eve-
ryone thought they knew what Christianity was all about and had decided they wanted nothing to do with it. They were what
many today call post Christian. At some point along the way, each of them had experienced a breach in trust related to
Christianity. Maybe a Christian friend had been hypocritical or pushy. Maybe there was a death or some sexual misconduct
that had occurred. May somebody didn’t say “hello” when they came to church.
Dan wasn’t starting at ground zero, but rather at minus three or four. The biggest thing Dan learned at Starbucks is that
people in his generation have a prior question of trust that must be addressed before we can have a meaningful spiritual
conversation with them. I am very glad that our New Creation worship director works at Starbucks part-time. Why? Because
if you meet Neal you meet an authentic Christ-follower who meets people where they are and welcomes them just as they
are. But … the post-Christendom people need to watch out … if you get to close to Neal you get splashed with the love
and presence of Jesus.
What is it like where you go to school or where you work or at the parties you attend? Does any of this sound familiar?
If it does I encourage you to stay near the fountain that looks like Jesus. I hope as people meet us they get “splashed”
by the love, grace and truth of Jesus. People are dying of thirst for the only thing that really can quench a thirst.
Have a great May – if you are married I hope you can join us on the couples’ retreat May 13-15 ~ it’s the best thing we do
for married couples.
ps ~ All 7 weeks of the radiation are completed and most of the 2nd degree burns are healed. I go in 3 months for the next
battery of tests. I feel great and believe more than ever in the resurrection. You think about things like that – when you get
sick! Thanks for your prayers.
The Weathervane Page 2
MAY 1 MAY 1
GOD’S PURPOSE ~ SALVATION WRESTLING WITH GOD
John 12:44-50 Genesis 32:22-32
Kelly Hernandez Martha Jordan
MAY 8 MAY 8
LOVED ~ TO THE END SARAI LAUGHED
John 13:1-11 Genesis 18:1-15
Jonathan Miller Richard Herman
MAY 15 MAY 15
BETRAYAL FILLED WITH RAGE
John 13:21-30 Luke 4:16-30
Martha Jordan Wes Allen
MAY 22 MAY 22
READY FOR A NEW COMMANDMENT? LOOKED WITH FAVOR
John 13:31-38 Luke 7:11-17
Jonathan Miller Richard Herman
MAY 29 MAY 29
GREATER WORKS ~ ANOTHER ADVOCATE GET UP AND GO
John 14:8-17 Acts 22:6-16
Richard Herman Jonathan Miller
Not that long ago, Pastor Jonathan and I were talking about the past couple of months and noting how many funerals we’ve conducted
and/or attended. Lots!
Then, during my own devotional reading in the Scriptures, I came across these familiar words.
By this gospel you’re saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. … For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day ac-
cording to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. …
[Finally] I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable
inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed… . When the perishable has
been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that’s written will come true: “Death has been
swallowed up in victory. “
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then, Paul concludes this great declaration with a charge:
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, be-
cause you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
In this season of resurrection, we’re reminded death does not have the last word. … However, death always precedes resurrection. The
one does not mean we can ignore the reality of the other.
So, in the light of both our death and resurrection – what shall we do? The psalmist and Arends, too, remind us that we pay attention to
how we live in the light of our mortality. “Remember you will die” – and do not forget to live appropriately. “Teach us to number our days
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Then, in the light of resurrection – stand firm! Live and work in the Lord, assured that what you are doing really makes a difference.
Caroilyn Arends concludes: “When we remember the mortality of those around us, they become more valuable to us. … and remember-
ing our own mortality helps reorder our priorities.”
Trusting Christ’s love and grace,
The Weathervane Page 4
At the beginning of April, Rev. Katie Douglass came to our church to speak. I had been looking forward to hearing her since
we made the arrangements in November. If you weren’t there, you missed an eye opening evening.
Katie spoke about the book Almost Christian written by Kenda Creasy Dean. She came to speak about the faith of young
people in America and her words were a warning for parents and for the church. The faith you hope they have may not be the faith
they have. In the book, Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism."
“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” believes that:
A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and most world religions.
The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
God does not need to be involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem.
Good people go to Heaven when they die.
There is a trend for young people leaving the church and maybe parents and the church are part of the reason for that trend.
Dean interviewed teens and their parents about their faith for a study called the National Study of Youth and Religion. The
study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American
teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.
The study included Christians of all denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian,
fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can't talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.
The book argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity. So think
about your faith. What are you sharing of your faith to our young people? Are you talking about what you believe? Do you ever let
them know how you practice your faith? You don’t need to sit down and tell them, but let them know by example…..have they ever
seen you read the Bible outside of opening it in worship?
Is your faith one that challenges you, or does God just give you a boost to your self-esteem. Does God want you to simply
be good and feel good or does God want something more from you?
I know first hand as a parent and a pastor the struggles we can face when trying to make decisions. They aren’t always
easy choices, but if we keep trying and rely on God, we can get there. A few years ago, I insisted that every night when it was time to
read bed-time stories that one would be an one-page devotion from a children’s Bible. The other was a story of their choosing. At
first there was some push back because it wasn’t what they wanted to do, but I have to say that I am glad I did it. Two years ago, KD
spent the summer creating her own children’s Bible. She retold the stories and drew pictures to match. Spending a little bit of time
each night reading the stories made an impact on her that she learned the stories on a child’s level. One mother told me that her 4th
grade daughter is learning scripture for her Sunday School class. She has it taped to the canopy of her bed so that every night she
can read it to learn the passages. What a wonderful gift that is to her daughter that the scripture is there for her while she relaxes and
goes to sleep.
If you would like to read the book Almost Christian Wes Allen has several copies available for sale. It is worth the price,
when it helps you see what an impact you have on the faith journey of our young people.
Blessings -
The Weathervane Page 5
Spring Gathering
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Messiah: and He will reign forever and ever.
Great and amazing are your deeds, the Lord God, the Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways, King of the nations! June 13th at 6pm
Lord, who will not fear and glorify Your name? For You alone are Holy.
All nations will come and worship before You, Fellowship Hall
for Your judgments have been revealed.
Praise our God, all you, His servants, Women of the Bible,
and all who fear Him, small and great.
Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.
Alive!
Let us rejoice, exalt, and give Him the glory.
$15/person
Deborah Heller, Moderator
Includes catered dinner
The Weathervane Page 6
Stephen Ministry
Sunday Afternoon May 1st In 1975 a Lutheran pastor, who was also a clinical
Please join in this years’ CROP Walk psychologist, recognized that his congregation had many
(Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty). different kinds of needs that he could not possibly fulfill.
He remembered the passage in the book of Acts that
We walk to demonstrate our concern for the hungry and offered a clear solution. It said:
thirsty people around the world and seek contributions that
will be given to them. Again this year we register at 1pm And the twelve called together the whole community
and start at 1:30pm in the First Methodist Church of of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should
Moorestown parking lot. neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. There-
fore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of
good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we
You can select a one, three or five mile walk.
may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote
ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they
You can register to walk, receive pledges, said pleased the whole community, and they chose
and make contributions over the internet. Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit…
Acts 6:2-5a
Just visit www.cropwalk.org
And so that pastor, Dr. Kenneth Hauck, developed a
ministry that would train called-out members of the con-
Moorestown CROP walk forms are available gregation to become compassionate, trustworthy, full of
in the church office. faith and skilled lay ministers for the purpose of serving
Please open your heart to the less fortunate, get some of those with expressed needs. This became Stephen Min-
your friends and family to sponsor you. Let’s demonstrate to istry which our church adopted several years ago and it
our global brothers and sisters that we care about them. has been a blessing to both our Stephen Ministers and
their care receivers.
Questions? Call Tom Hottenstein (866-0827) For more information you may contact either Pastor
Kathie Stone (273-8082) or Joe Scheideler (461-5475) Dick Herman or Jan Amos.
Missions
Kourtney Burris the dream occupations of the children at VBS and wanted to be a
part of making those dreams a reality by equipping them with tools
Missionary to and resources to overcome discouraging circumstances with
Copan Ruinas, Honduras positive messages built on faith in Christ.”
Kourtney Burris credits the begin- Kourtney entered The College of New Jersey the following fall to
ning of her faith journey to Joel study Spanish and Elementary Education. While her academic
Krott’s invitation to join Choristers track trained her as a Spanish teacher in the New Jersey public
when she was in 8th grade. school system, Kourtney kept God’s vision in her heart and on her
Through the invitation came in- mind: to serve to equip children and youth through education and
volvement in youth group and the mentoring relations in Latin America. Kourtney graduated from
saving knowledge and grace of TCNJ in May, 2008 with a BA in Spanish and Elementary
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Education.
During high school, Kourtney Following graduation, Kourtney served for a year as a Missionary
remained active in FPC choirs Apprentice with Christian & Missionary Alliance in Ensenada,
and youth groups and she also participated in local Young Life Mexico. She was supported in prayer and with resources by FPC,
activities. In 2002, Kourtney joined an FPC short-term mission friends and family. While in Ensenada, Kourtney served as sup-
to Proyecto Amistad to Acuña, Mexico. She shares that the port staff in a struggling community Church, mentoring women,
journey to Mexico was her first experience outside the US and assisting to develop the children’s program and participating in the
that God used the experience to open her eyes and heart to the life of the Church in general. An additional part of her responsibil-
community of faith in Acuña. While physical poverty was very ity in Ensenada was to coordinate short-term mission trips, much
apparent, Christian fellowship and commitment to the church like her experiences in high school.
was abundant. This had a significant impact on Kourtney. Fol-
lowing the journey to Acuña, Kourtney continued to participate in
short-term missions to Mexico every year until graduation from After the year in Ensenada, Kourtney returned home to prepare
high school. During these journeys, God continued to grow her for a second experience, however this time to Honduras, Central
passion and desire to serve the Latino community. America. Kourtney committed to a 2-month short-term internship
with a newly founded ministry in Copan, Honduras with UrbanPro-
Throughout high school, Kourtney demonstrated her emerging mise International. Without much previous experience with the
leadership abilities and natural aptitude for working with children UrbanPromise model, she states she was anxious to serve while
as a Senior High leader at First Presbyterian Church. Com- learning about holistic ministry to under-resourced communities.
bined with her mission experiences in Mexico, God continued to The time in Honduras was brief but proved to be a powerful way
make it clear that He was equipping Kourtney to work in mis- for God to draw Kourtney closer to a vision for ministry.
sions, specifically with children in Latin America in the area of
education. Kourtney shares that she maintained close ties to mission part-
ners in Mexico and Honduras, while spending a season at home.
Kourtney recalls a specific journey to Piedres Negras, Mexico in For the past year and a half Kourtney has worked in Philadelphia
her senior year of high school when a vision for ministry became with the Center City Crime Victim Services to serve and facilitate
focused: outreach to the Latino community.
“The team was wrapping up for the day and playing with the On May 10, Kourtney will return to Copan Ruinas, Honduras in a
children that lingered after Vacation Bible School. I posed a full-time missionary position as the Director of a new After School
usual question to the children - ‘what do you want to be when Program. The vision that God began to reveal to her 10 years ago
is being realized in this opportunity to serve in Honduras. In her
you grow up?’ Answers came back in shouts of ...‘a teacher!’ ...
words Kourtney shares her gratitude:
‘a police officer!...’ ‘a doctor!’ Later that day, our team visited a
maquilladora (factory) where the majority of the people from the
“Thank you First Presbyterian Church Moorestown, the congre-
area worked --- primarily because it was the only place to work. gation and staff, for all your support from the very beginning up
While inside the maquilladora, it became very clear to me how until now. God has used you to play a major role in my life and
privileged I was to have been born in the USA, with resources, you have continued to show your love and encouragement in each
opportunity, and many doors open for my future. I reflected on season of life. Thank You!”
The Weathervane Page 9
Employment Assistance
For the past two years, our ROCK Ministry has supported over 50 people who were in need
of career support.
Some have found new positions and many in our congregation have been very helpful in counseling and providing
placement help. Others are still searching and utilizing ROCK for support in resume writing, interview skills,
networking and prayer.
There are other programs in South Jersey; many, like ours are faith based. One such program is through the Haddonfield
United Methodist Church (HUMC), which is circulating the following announcement through churches in the area. If you know
of firms with openings, who are looking for candidates with these skills, please contact our church office with appropriate
contact information.
Those seeking employment opportunities may be FPCM members, as well as those involved in other faith-based programs. In
addition, if you are in need of Career-Employment support, please contact our office to make an appointment with a member
of the ROCK Ministry. Thank you for your interest.
A support group for people seeking work meets at HUMC Project Architect/Manager
on Thursday mornings. The members all have a strong work Consumer Product Sales Management
ethic and desirable skills. They have all been told they are Bank Loan and Lease Documentation Analyst
overqualified, made too much money in the past, are not Customer Relations Professional
quite the exact fit, or have been passed over for internal
Financial/Marketing Professional
candidates. Their skills are:
Program and Project Leader
Accounting Contact Center Business Management Operations
Administration Sales/Marketing
Architecture Consulting
Senior Project Coordinator/Customer Service Rep Warehouse and Distribution
Law Practice Professional Operations Management
Marketing and Advertising Professional Paralegal
Human Resources Professional IT Project Manager
Customer Service Management Construction Project Manager/Property Development
Document Specialist for Commercial, Industrial and Retail Projects
Independent International Trade
and Development Professional
In Loving Memory
of Ned Gillece
Ten years of gratefulness for all prayers,
kind gestures and scholarship donations
Richard, Susan and Marly
The Weathervane Page 10