On Saturday, July 3, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will convene in Minneapolis. I’ll be feeling a bit left out this year. It has been my privilege to serve as a commissioner to GA twice and also to be involved in advocacy work with the Israel- Palestine Mission Network at the 2008 GA. If I had the time and resources, I could become what’s known as a “GA junkie.” Instead, I’ll be following the work of the GA from home, using my computer. Unless their approach changes significantly, the media will cover what they see as the most controversial and polarizing issues, while ignoring the amazing services of worship. We will hear little about how the various committees worship and pray together as they gather information, deliberate, and make their recommendations to the Assembly.

If you check out the GA web site at http://www.pcusa.org/ga219/ you will get an idea of the variety of issues the Assembly will consider. The Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee will consider several papers, including “Christians and Jews: People of God” and “Toward an Understanding of Christian- Muslim Relations.” The Social Justice Issues Committees will consider environmental matters, the death penalty, gun violence, and other concerns. In addition to the International Peacemaking Committee, there is a separate committee this year to deal with Middle East Peacemaking Issues. This committee will be considering, among other matters, a major report from the Middle East Study Committee, entitled “Breaking Down the Walls.” Abortion, civil union and marriage issues, ordination of gays and lesbians will all be on the docket, as well as a recommendation to include the Belhar Confession from the South African church during apartheid.

These are not “political” or “secular” issues brought by “special interest groups.” Rather, this is about the church coming together to worship and pray and talk and discern together, seeking God’s direction and power, as we try to figure out what kind of a church we are called to be in this time and what God is calling us to do.

I hope that you will join me in praying daily for the commissioners from the Presbytery of Detroit, as they prepare by doing their background reading, and as they travel to Minneapolis. This is challenging and exhausting work. Let us keep the Assembly in our prayers as it meets, that the commissioners may faithfully discern God’s will for the Church in this time. There will be disagreements during the course of the Assembly, and we can be sure that we will disagree with some of the actions taken by the Assembly. So I hope that we will pray without ceasing that all our disagreements will be faithful and that we will all witness to God’s gracious love in the midst of conflict. Let us trust in God’s steadfast grace as we live more fully into God’s promises and become more fully the church that God longs for us to be.

Peace…salaam…shalom.

INTERFAITH RELATIONS - William G. Gepford, American-Arab Relations
“Borders and Discipleship”

All of us live within some kind of borders; language, ethnicity, culture, political, religious, racial, and tribal, to name a few. These borders help define who we are. They give us identity, strength and, yes, even challenges. At times when life gets stressful we become absolutists about those things we think we do know: about gender issues, about racial issues, about Middle East issues, about origin of life issues, and are likely to return to one of those borders for survival.

Our absolutisms have become so precious to us, so necessary for our sense of security, that we keep each other at a distance rather than risk them. We live, of course, in a polarized and un-loving period of history. It is not uncommon for the church to reflect that same brokenness. If we lived in a perfect world, crossing borders, of ethnicity, religion or politics would not create stress. But, a perfect world is not ours to know. Jesus would not have been executed in a perfect world. The Apostle Paul’s many letters admonishing Thessalonians, Galatians and Corinthians to remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus would not have been necessary in a perfect world.

In his last hours Jesus prayed for his disciples. He prayed for the unity of the disciples. Through Jesus, God willed the redemption of the whole world. The end is the unity of humankind. Jesus sees the unity of the church as necessary if the world is to take the gospel seriously. One of “the Great ends of the Church” of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is “the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.” So, the church’s credibility depends on its ability to exhibit the power of love to overcome human divisions. It can do this only by crossing borders.

In First Thessalonians, Paul gives thanks for their faith, their love for God and neighbor (crossing borders!) and their hope in Christ in their daily life together in community.

To love God is to become a disciple, to live “in the light” rather than walk in darkness. It means to love God rather than worldly enticements or fleshly temptations that threaten to take God’s rightful place at the center of one’s existence.

True discipleship is the ability to cross borders, in a show of love for one’s neighbor. When you and I withdraw from one another, when we lose the capacity to trust one another, we contribute to the subversion of the church’s vocation…”so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Borders are natural to all humankind. We had little to say about the borders we inherited. But that need not prevent us from expressing love for one another across those borders.

The Gospel of Matthew reminds us (Chapter 28) that as we cross borders and boundaries God’s presence through Jesus is always with us.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

July 4
Old Testament Lesson-2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
Epistle Lesson-Galatians 6:1-16
Gospel Lesson-Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

July 11
Old Testament Lesson-Amos 7:7-17
Psalm 82
Epistle Lesson-Colossians 1:1-14
Gospel Lesson-Luke 10:25-37

July 18
Old Testament Lesson-Amos 8:1-12
Psalm 52
Epistle Lesson-Colossians 1:15-28
Gospel Lesson-Luke 10:38-42

July 25
Old Testament Lesson-Hosea 1:2-10
Psalm 85
Epistle Lesson-Colossians 2:6-19
Gospel Lesson-Luke 11:1-13

August 1
Old Testament Lesson-Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 107:1-9, 43
Epistle Lesson-Colossians 3:1-11
Gospel Lesson-Luke 12:13-21

August 8
Old Testament Lesson-Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Epistle Lesson-Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Gospel Lesson-Luke 12:32-40

August 15
Old Testament Lesson-Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19
Epistle Lesson-Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Gospel Lesson-Luke 12:49-56

August 22
Old Testament Lesson-Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
Epistle Lesson-Hebrews 12:18-29
Gospel Lesson-Luke 13:10-17

August 29
Old Testament Lesson-Jeremiah 2:4-13
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Epistle Lesson-Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Gospel Lesson-Luke 14:1, 7-14

PRAYER MINISTRY

ANNUAL PEACE CAMP 2010 - JULY 20, 21, 22

Peace camp is right around the corner, and for the 11th year! On July 20, 21 and 22 our Fellowship Hall will be transformed into a creative space for children 6–12 years to make a neighborhood of peace. They will sing songs, share meals, play games and learn the tools for living peacefully in community.

If you are able to help out with food preparation, registration, set-up, clean-up or assisting, please don’t hesitate to place your name on the Peace Camp Volunteer Sheet you will find in the Library. If you are not able to be there to help, you can still participate by sharing registration forms with youngsters you know, or by bringing in some of the following items that we can use: 16 oz. plastic dairy containers, cardboard tubes from paper towels or bathroom tissue, fabric, lace trim, fringe, wallpaper scraps, wrapping paper, ribbon, stickers, beads and yarn. Just bring these to church and place in the collection boxes in the Littlefield foyer or the narthex.

Registration forms in both English and Arabic are available from the office or the Library table.

Please join us in the intergenerational, community experience!

CHURCH PICNIC - AUGUST 8

Wear your picnic clothes to worship on August 8!! Following our worship service that day we will head to Ford Woods for a picnic. We’ve reserved the same picnic area as last year and Pete Caldwell has agreed to be our Grill Master for the afternoon. Hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages will be provided. We’re counting on you to help round out the menu by bringing a dish to pass. Please sign up in the library to help us plan how much food to purchase. Plan to join us and bring a friend.

WORSHIP INFORMATION

Remember that summer vacations are a wonderful time to bring friends to Sunday Worship in a more casual setting at 10:00 a.m. We will resume our normal worship schedule on September 12 at 10:30 a.m.

In addition, we are happy to announce that the Adult Bible Study will resume on September 12 at 9:15 a.m. Watch your bulletins for more info on that.

Have a safe and spiritually refreshing summer!

WORSHIP & CHRISTIAN EDUCATION



The sixth banner of our reformed, Protestant heritage for July is The Westminster Confession and the Shorter Catechism (England, 1646).

The Three Long Panels and the Maroon Triangle: The Trinity.

The Eye: God’s providence and control of all life and history – a dominant theme of Westminster.

The Crown: God’s rule.

The Open Bible: The authority of the written Word, basic to this Confession’s teachings.

The Alpha and the Omega: The A and Z of the Greek alphabet, the first and last – referring to Christ and his death for us as central to our faith.




The seventh banner of our reformed, Protestant heritage for August is The Theological Declaration of Barmen (Germany, 1934)

The Swastika Crossed Out and the Cross Rising: A protest and witness against Nazi tyranny and any effort to take the role of God and control of the church.

The Fire: The suffering and death which follows from defense of the faith against tyranny, as for some of the Barmen signers. But the cross survives such persecution and the crisis of war, rising out of the flames.

A NOTE OF THANKS

Dear members and friends of Littlefield,

The Hunger Ministries Support Teams of Detroit Presbytery wish to thank you for the recent donation of collected food items. Thanks to donations such as yours (and those from other churches); we have been blessed to meet the many needs of hungry families in our metro Detroit communities.

Thank you for your support,
Artheillia Thompson and the Hunger Ministries Support Teams