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Chapel by the Sea

 

 

Staff

Rev. Dr. W. Maynard Pittendreigh, Pastor

Sheila Morales, Parish Nurse; Ext 23, sheila@chapelbts.org

Linda Baldwin, Administrator; Ext 16, linda@chapelbts.org

Melody Frazier, Director of Christian Education, Ext 15, melody@chapelbts.org

Michael Melnikov, Director of Music, Ext 25, michael@chapelbts.org

Larry Elliott, Maintenance Director.

 

 

(Pastor Emeritus, The Reverend Don Jafvert)

 

August 2008  Glad Tidings

 

"Confident Kids", is the name misleading?  Only in that it leads you to believe it will only benefit children!  Adults can receive great benefit from this information as well.  This wonderful program began July 8th and I would like to share with you some of the information that has been covered so far.

The first 8 sessions cover feelings, which are a very important part of our wholeness.  Feelings should not be labeled either good or bad.  Although we may not like to feel certain feelings, it is important that we stay in touch with the whole range of emotions God has placed within us.  Many of us learned which feelings were 'bad" in our childhood.  We grew up with messages that it wasn't okay to feel or react to the "bad" feelings.  We heard such things as "crying is for babies".  We learned only to feel or react to the "good" feelings.  It is dangerous to "stuff" or avoid our feelings.  This causes us to develop feeling defenses which are behaviors we develop to cover our true feelings in order to hid them from others and so we do not allow ourselves to feel pain, grief, loneliness, anger, etc.  We layer these feeling like an onion and the covering is the feeling defense, which is the behavior used to cover all of these layers.

It is very important to feel the whole range of feelings God has placed within us.  When properly understood, the capacity to experience feelings is an incredible gift from God.  Feelings enrich our lives, help us connect with others and God, and warn us when we are in danger or need help.  It is also important to know you are not alone.  We all have the same feelings; we just express them in different ways.

We will be talking in august about:  What are my feeling defenses:  How to express our feeling in a healthy way, how to deal with difficult feelings, and how to know when to ask for help.

Joshua 1:19 'have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Think of this verse as God's promise to help you face all your feelings openly and honestly.  Remember, since God created all your feelings, He is not threatened by any feelings you have.  You can bring all your feelings to God in prayer and ask Him to help you face them and the circumstances behind them.                                                           Melody

 

 

Message from Maynard

It is that time of year again that Chapel by the Sea searches for new elders.  A slate of names will soon be presented to the congregation for your vote.  As I watch this process at work, I am reminded of how important our elders are to the church.  Presbyterian churches are not governed by the pastor or by the "Head of Staff" to use one of my titles.  We governed by the pastor AND elders who work together on the Session.

The Session is not like any other governing body.  We are not a board of directors of a college or community club.  We are a gathering of spiritual leaders.  When we vote, we don't consider if something will make the people happy, or whether we might lose members, or if something will make life easier for us - our only consideration is whether or not it is God's will for us to do what is being considered.

Put simply the Session has only two simple jobs.  First, we are to find out what God's will is.  Second, we are to do it.

But we know these are not easy tasks.  They can, in fact, be very challenging.

Elders need your support as they seek to serve God and this congregation, and you can be helpful to them by keeping them in prayer, encouraging the, working with the, and offering to volunteer in support of the programs they lead.  As always, a word of appreciation to them from time to time is so helpful in their ministry.  I'm personally grateful to the elders for the energy, intelligence, imagination and love that they bring to Chapel by the Sea.

I encourage you also to keep the Nomination Committee in prayer as it continues its annual process of looking for a new slate of elders.                                                                              Maynard

 

The E-Tidings

We will soon start sending event notices by email to our members and friends.  the E-Tidings won't replace our paper newsletter, the Good Tidings, but it will serve to supplement it.  We will use it to remind you of events for the coming week and announce unexpected news - funerals, births, hurricane information, etc.  We hope that all members, youth and adults, will subscribe now to our E-Tidings by giving us your email address.  Please email us at ETidings@chapelbts.org and we'll pick up your email address that way.

 

Why do people select a particular church? A convenient location? Yes. A good speaker in the pulpit? Yes. Inspiring music? Yes. An attractive building/ Yes.

But a more essential element in attracting visitors, newcomers and prospective members is friendliness-both in the pew and throughout the community.  Where there is a warm dynamic congregation with an enthusiasm that's contagious, visitor will usually be found, and will return.

A church can buy many advantages with money, such as nice buildings, trained leadership, effective advertising and an abundance of supplies for spiritual and social use.  But old-fashioned friendliness, of which the world is sorely in need can't be purchased with money.  It comes only from the hearts of dedicated people who love God and enjoy helping others feel at home in their church.

 
 
 

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