Decatur Presbyterian Church

By Ellen McClure, Director

F or the first day of school at DPCC, the teachers met for de-votion and prayer, as is our cus-

tom, before the children began arriving. Carpool produced a few tears which were dried quickly as the children be-came engaged in the activities in their classrooms. The teachers gave each child a “first day of school” sticker and Pete the Cat was there to say “hello.”

Our Parents’ Morning Out (PMO) and 2-year olds went home at 11 a.m., tired but happy. The 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds went home at noon, ready for lunch and maybe a nap.

We are welcom-ing 215 children this year from 9 months old through 5-year old kindergarten. We have a staff of 37 in-cluding classroom teachers, music and Spanish language teachers, bookkeeper, office assistant, custodian, and director.

The DPCC Council and Board have already met and plans are underway for our special events throughout the year including the Halloween Potluck Din-ners, Wreath Sales, Christmas Nativity, Mayfest, and our biggest event — the Auction! We appreciate the church’s support of all these endeavors.

The beds around the playground are spruced up, sand has been replenished, and mulch delivered. We will correct a

Sept. 1- 15, 2011

T E A R S T U R N T O S M I L E S F O R DPCC S T U D E N T S A S S C H O O L STA RT S

Decatur , Georgia

DECPRESS

Youth Mission Trip 2

Indian Untouchables 3

Scholarship Winner 4

Sept. PW Meetings 5

Discover DPC Class 6

Recent Baptisms 7

Agnes Scott Sunday 8

(404) 378-1777 | decatur-presbyterian-church.atlpcusa.org

drain on the playground and put a fence at the back to provide egress in an emer-gency. Our wonderful custodian Sylvester Poole has stripped and waxed the floors, cleaned the rugs, and built bookshelves.

We will begin our Curriculum Coffees in September, offering a time for the par-ents in each class to meet with their teacher and with me to talk about kids and school – our favorite subjects! These are extremely valuable times together.

We welcome the new PW “Mom’s Group” on Tuesday mornings under the direction of Jackie Ashley and Kate Buck-ley. We are hopeful that many moms from DPCC also will join this group.

We ask for your prayers and support as we welcome and nurture these chil-dren in His name.

Ellen McClure (R) and teachers guide students from the carpool lane to their classes.

From Chalkdust by Elspeth

Campbell Murphy

The DPCC Council recently contributed

a gift of $25,000 to the church’s

general operating budget.

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Y O U T H L E A R N L E S S O N S O F “T H Y W I L L B E D O N E ” O N H O N D U R A S M I S S I O N T R I P

Sept. 1 -15 , 2011

Dr. Speed took inspiration from his experience in Honduras this summer with our youth and adult leaders. He shared these thoughts in his sermon the morning after returning from the trip. By Dr. Todd Speed, Senior Pastor

O ur youth were wonderful mission partners. They worked hard and played hard; were thoughtful and reverent when they were supposed to be. They were good to the people of Honduras and kind to one another. Spending

time in the villages is a bit like stepping back in time. Guapinol is a small barrio of less than 40 families. Most of the homes are constructed with mud, bamboo, and hard-wood sticks, with classic red clay tile roofs. Guapinol received electricity just three years ago and running water only five years ago.

Our primary work projects consisted of pouring concrete floors in small two- to three- room homes, assisting with installing tin roofs or small clay chimneys, or assist-ing with the installation of latrines to help decrease illness and disease.

Decatur Presbyterian Church gained many new friends this week. From the elder, grizzled Domingo and a grandmother named Echeverria and Pastor Caho to the bright 12-year old Jonathan, the precious, little, undersized Wilma, and the five-year-old Reuben, these faces and their loving personalities will be with us for a long time. They

each have a story worthy of being told and I’m sure the youth would be glad to tell you about their new friends. As a part of our experience, each morning our youth would lead a de-votion and in the evening, they would lead a time of reflection on the day. I asked them if they were to pray “thy will be done” for the people of Guap-inol, what might that mean. Jennifer Filpi, director of youth ministry, said God’s will being done for Guapinol may mean that every child would know the love of God through others. Through games, smiles and hugs, they experienced — at least in some small way — that they are precious and worthy of God’s love. Connery, Larry Fossett’s granddaughter, said that God’s will for Guapinol could be discovered in the building of relationships and sharing love despite the tremendous differences between us. When we pray, “Thy will be done,” certainly that prayer includes God building a bridge of transformative interaction between these two vastly different cultures. Sally Vaughan said that God’s will for Guapinol could be that people like us who have are willing to share with those who do not have. We take for granted clean water in our faucets, paved roads through our communi-ties, available health care minutes away, sewer systems that work. Jay Lyle, one of our adult leaders, says that praying “Thy will be done” for Guapinol reminds him that God’s will is so often different than our own will. Praying “thy will, O God, be done” is a prayer of surrender, a prayer of letting go. To surrender our own plans and desires, our own wills and wants, and

submit ourselves to what God wants is no simple task. It is a daily discipline, lived out

in every small decision, every purchase, every friendship, and every journey we make.

During their summer mission trip, DPC youth formed friendships as they im-proved the living conditions for Hondu-ras families.

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By Ron Johnson

F or a dozen years this church has supported a Presbyterian denomination that serves the

“untouchables” in a state in northern India. In the last 25 years the denomi-nation has grown from zero to more than one million members. One thrust of that church is to in-crease educational opportunities so that children will be able to escape the filthy jobs that would otherwise be their fate. Although legally the chil-dren should be able to attend public schools, in many places they face dis-crimination if they try to do so. Church schools have been built to serve them, and initially many of their students lived away from home to at-tend them. In recent years the church has been buying minibuses so that most children could live at home and still attend the schools. The current fleet of 12 daily transports 2,400 chil-dren to ministry schools. Since this is less expensive, more students are able to attend. This also daily brings educa-tion into their homes.

DecPress Page 3

I N D I A ’ S “ U N T O U C H A B L E ” C H L D R E N G A I N I D E N T I T Y T H R O U G H E D U C A T I O N

Whose September

Birthday Is It?

1. Boland Brookes, Braylen Dixon, Christopher Fleischman, Alan Kenton, Iris Pollock

2. Leonard Boswell, Hayden Breitling, Tony Dowd, Madge McDaniel, Lindsey Phillips, Sam Weitnauer

3. Kimberly Deleware

4. Margaret Barnett, Ken Hughes

5. Ron Johnson, Robyn Tibbetts

6. Kieran Bailey, Daimon Carter, James Mahoney, Evie Moss

7. Jackson Nye

8. Bo Broom, Venice Carryl, Rachel Ellis, Joe Grimes, Mary Moore, Cliff Orth

9. Erin Dawkins, Dana Young

10. John Guess, Dan Shelles

11. Tamara Gehle, John Gwynn, Evelyn Newsome

12. Leisa McDonald, Patrick Rayburn, Mayme Stiyer

13. Ed Lovings, Alek Nabulsi

14. Duane Brown, Nicholas Justice, Kim Newsome, Jeff Pafford

15. Daphne Anderson,

Connie Bryans, Elise Mahoney

C A R E E R S U P P O R T G R O U P R E V I V E D

L ooking for a job, or changing careers? Need work to help with expenses while you are in high school or college? Still choosing a career? The Congregational

Care Council is reviving its Career Support Group, and will hold an organizational meeting on Sept. 18 following the worship service to share information. We will provide spiritual support and resources to any one, in any situation. Keep in mind that we will provide ongoing assis-tance. If you don’t need us now, the Career Support Group will be available to support you if your circumstances change in the future. We also welcome volunteers to serve as resources or mentors for members of the Career Support Group. For more information or to volunteer, contact Beth

Magee at graciemagee@bellsouth.net, or (404) 457-6990.

The brutally oppressed untouchable families, who hear the Word, recognize that Jesus Christ alone can change their "outcaste, destitute, unclean, not-created-by-God" identity and can free them to live lives as sacred human beings created by a loving God. Faith in Jesus bestows upon them a new "Christian" identity. Education and new skills mitigate their economic desti-tution. The ministry's fleet of buses and construction of schools are in support of the powerful evangelism effort that teaches people to move away from the brutality of the caste system and assume the new identity of being Christian.

Programs DPC supports are helping children with education so they can move from the caste system to live lives free of discrimination.

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O P E R A ST U D E N T AWA R D E D T H E 2011 HE L E N DA R N E L L S C H O L A R S H I P

Sept. 1 -15 , 2011

BIBLE AND ARTS

Room: M201

Sept. 4: Will join other classes

Sept. 11: Dr. Joe Looper, “Presbyterian Manifesto —

Historic Churches”

COFFEE & CONVERSATION

Room: S209

CORNERSTONE

Room: M109

Sept. 4, 11, 18: Dave Wil-liams on Deadly Sins and

Corresponding Virtues (Pride and Humility, Sloth and Car-

ing, Wrath and Patience)

CRUSADERS

Room: M212

Sept. 4, 11 and 18:

Rev. Ken Hughes on “A Ran-dom Alphabet of Faith” Ex-

ploring “Charity” and “Postmodernism”

FELLOWSHIP

Room: M309

FRIENDSHIP

Room: M202

NEWTON MORRIS

Room: M205

FAMILIES IN FAITH

Room: M103

D uring the worship service on Sunday Aug. 21, the 2011 Helen Butler Darnell Scholar-

ship was awarded to Jessica Lane. Jes-sica just completed her freshman year at Georgia State University in the Voice Performance Program and her goal is to sing opera professionally.

In presenting the award, Charles Darnell said, “Music is a way to cele-brate the capacity of the human spirit to do good. I hope you use the scholarship to advance your career in the study of music so that others can see God and feel God through your music.”

Jessica previously was awarded the William G. Densmore and Peter Har-rower scholarships. Earlier this year she won the NATS Opera Workshop compe-tition for freshman women.

Jessica is a five-year veteran of At-lanta Young Singers, where she received the award for “Most Valuable Soprano” and participated in Allstate Chorus for four years. She is a graduate of Aca-deme of the Oaks, a Waldorf school.

The Helen Darnell scholarship was

endowed in 2002 by Charles Darnell

with the help and support of family and

friends in the memory of his wife, Helen,

who had been killed. Both Helen and

Charles were music lovers and long-time

members of the Chancel Choir. Scholar-

ships awarded from the fund are to go to

young people studying music beyond the

high school level as college or university

music or music education majors.

Scholarship winner Jessica Lane sang “O Had I Jubal’s Lyre” from the oratorio, Joshua, for the congregation. Photo by Les Cook.

O n Sunday, Sept. 11, there will be an interfaith gathering on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Open to all and free of charge,

the event will be held in the ballroom of the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center at 130 Clairemont Road. You can park at the hotel for a charge or free at Decatur First Baptist Church.

The Interfaith Gathering planning committee includes Atlan-tans from a variety of faith expressions, including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims. The event will remember those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, while seek-ing to shift our combined energies toward the building of relationships between faith communities and across lines that have divided us in the past. Our hope to help heal the wounds of 9/11/01, and to move our community forward with hope and peace.

I N T E R FA I T H G A T H E R I N G I N D E C A T U R W I L L C O M M E M M O R A T E 9 / 1 1 T R A G E D Y

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DecPress Page 5

SYMPATHY Ken Hughes on the sudden death of his friend, Bruce Hart Friends and family of Patsy Guess Thomas, who died 7/22 Ted and Madge McDaniel on the 7/26 death of their daughter, Carol “Misty” Mayo Judd Owens and family on the 8/10 death of his mother Donna McDaniel and family on the 8/13 death of her sister, Kathy Kurbel

PRAISE AND JOY Doug and Jessica Pearce on the 8/7 birth of Emily Rose Pearce, 8 lbs., 6 oz., 21 inches long

By Elinor Cook, Moderator

J oin us Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m. in the Crusader’s Classroom (M212) as we begin a new year for

Presbyterian Women. Associate Pastor Ken Hughes will lead our Bible study as we delve into The Beatitudes for 2011-2012.

We have listened to the ideas and input from our survey, and are making changes in response to your suggestions. Please remember to come to the Bible lesson first at 10:30 a.m., then we will have individual circle meetings from 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon in the classrooms of the McGeachy Building. We will move to Slack Fellowship Hall at noon for lunch. The cost is $7 per person.

Reservations should be made by Fri-day, Sept. 9, by calling the church office at (404) 378-1777 or sending a message to RSVP@dpchurch.org.

Our Mom’s Group got underway Aug. 30 and will continue their meetings every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in M306 for the mothers (McGeachy Building) and B306 (Bradley Building) for their children.

PW P R O G R A M Y E A R B E G I N S W I T H R E V . K E N H U G H E S A S S P E A K E R

They will join the other day circles for each monthly meeting.

The Night Circle will meet on Thurs-day, Sept. 15 at the home of LeAnn Hall-ford. The group will convene at 6:30 p.m. and enjoy a light supper together, fol-lowed by a Bible lesson by Cheryl Sullivan.

Please know that PW is an opportunity for all women in the church to develop lasting friendships while we study the Bi-ble, strengthen our faith, and serve God. Everyone is welcome!

T hank you all very much for your contribution of $500 for the ministries at Oak-hurst Presbyterian Church for this coming year. We deeply appreciate your par-

ticipation with us as partners in the Decatur area to have continuing services available that make a difference in the lives of families in our community. | Caroline Leach

T hanks for the flowers, cards and all expressions of sympathy of the death of our daughter Carol “Misty” Mayo. | Madge and Ted McDaniel

T hank you for your recent gift of $3,515 to Decatur Cooperative Ministry. It is al-ready being put to providing emergency financial assistance, shelter, transitional

housing, and food for local families. | Beth Vann, Executive Director

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D I S C OV E R DPC C L A S S D E S I G N E D F O R N E W A N D P R O S P E C T I V E M E M B E R S

Sept. 1 -15 , 2011

H O S P I T A L & H E A L T H C O N C E R N S

T he Evangelism Council is offering a four-part “Discover DPC” class for new and prospective members of the church on Sep. 18 and 25, Oct. 2 and 9. The class is held in Keith Parlor during the Sunday School hour from 9 – 10 a.m. Enter

through the awning doors facing Church Street and the parlor will be on your right.

T he Evangelism Council is looking for members of DPC that would like

join the Shepherds Guild. What does a shepherd do? A shepherd is a friend to an individual or family that is new to DPC.

It’s very simple: You will be matched up with a new member and help them assimilate into the life of the church. How? Ask them to sit with you on Sunday mornings or join your Sunday School class. Invite them to Wednesday night supper, or just check in with them via email occasionally.

We will especially need volunteers in early October when we complete the next Discover DPC class.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Heather Beaubien at (404) 245-9286 or Dene Dixon at (404) 772-7266. Thank you!

June Dollar, ovarian cancer Melinda Cribb, mother of Wes Cribb, bone cancer Bob Kessler, knee surgery Cheryl Parlato, former DPC member, recovering from encephalitis John Hamilton, brother of Dorothy Hamilton, hospitalized in Seattle, WA, prostate cancer Donna Gensler, sister of Connie Bryans, outpatient at Pathways fol-lowing brain surgery

Mary Moore, recovering at home Kaitlin Brady from Spring City, TN, teenage grand-niece of Daryle Ma-roney, recovering at home from burns Pete Dawkin’s mother, Bobbie Dawkins, blocked arteries, stent 7/31, another stent to come in the next few weeks Leslie Miller’s father, Herb Miller, bro-ken hip, pneumonia, stroke Jo Ann Hutton, hiatal hernia surgery 8/15

Class members will meet our pastors and other church members who will tell them about DPC’s history and mission. Participants will also take a tour of the church campus, and have an opportunity to get to know each other in a small group setting. Additionally, they will learn about Sun-day School classes, service opportunities and stewardship, and the many ways we enjoy fellowship here at DPC. Those who wish to join this church will attend the session meeting before the Oct. 9 worship service and be welcomed by the congregation.

Visitors: Please reserve your place by

using the bulletin insert on upcoming

Sunday mornings, or just show up at

the Keith Parlor on Sep. 18.

Members: This is a great opportunity

for you to spread the word about what

DPC is doing! Please encourage your

family members, friends and

neighbors who are looking for a

church home to attend the class.

S H E P H E R D S S E R V E A S D P C W E L C O M E W A G O N

7

Chicken pot pie with puff pastry, rice, broiled to-mato parmesan, broccoli with lemon butter, salad bar, red velvet cake

Children’s Menu:

Chicken pot pie with rice, lemon bars

Chopped barbecue pork and chicken with buns, French fries, corn on the cob, salad bar, peach cobbler

Children’s Menu: Barbe-que chicken sliders, French fries, corn on the cob, chocolate chip cook-

DecPress

O ur Bible study series on the book of Ephesians led by Dr. Todd Speed on Wednesday nights continues through Sept. 7. The classes will be held in the Crusader’s Classroom (M212). Attend the supper in Slack Fellowship Hall

ahead of time, or join us for the class at 6:30 p.m.

Ephesians 1-6 is our Scriptural Focus/Sermon Series for the

unifying concept for our congregation’s life. A suggested resource is N.T. Wright

for Everyone Bible Study Guides: Ephesians that is available online or in the church of-fice.

Sept. 14: Decatur Education Foundation will talk about its history of helping Deca-tur youth realize their full potential and its goals for the future.

Sept. 21: We’ll learn about the summer mission trips and conferences for the youth.

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B I B L E S T U DY S E R I E S O N E P H E S I A N S B Y D R . S P E E D C O N T I N U E S I N S E P T E M B E R

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DETAILS YOU NEED

The dinner line opens at 5:15 p.m. in Slack Fellowship Hall, and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.

No reservation is required, and the cost is $7 for adults, $4 for children, and $22 family maximum.

Childcare is provided for infants through 5th graders from 5-7:30 p.m.

Scott and Lindsey Drake celebrated the baptism of Emma Green Drake Aug. 21. She was born Feb. 5. Emma enjoys having her older sister McLaine (nearly 5) read to her. Her favorite toy is a green seahorse and her favorite food is pears. Her grand-parents include DPC members Walt and Beverly Drake and Sandy Baeder and Russ and Mary Lou Oldfield of Hendersonville, TN.

Amelia Lexie King, daughter of Bo and Catherine King, was born May 4 and baptized Aug. 21. Her older sis-ter, Madeleine, 2, said, “Daddy, I want to wash my hands” when she saw the water! Grandparents from Tennessee and South Carolina visited for Amelia’s big day. She wore a dress that was made by Catherine’s

grandmother and mother and that Catherine and her sisters wore for

their own baptism. Madeleine, Ame-lia, and five of their cousins have worn the dress for their baptisms.

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C E L E B R A T I N G C O M M U N I T Y & C O N N E C T I O N : D P C & A G N E S S C O T T C O L L E G E

NONPROFIT ORG POSTAGE

PAID DECATUR, GA

30030 PERMIT NO. 557

Return Service Requested

(404) 378-1777

Decatur-Presbyterian-church.atlpcusa.org

● 9 a.m. Sunday School

for all ages

● 10:15 a.m. Sunday

worship service

● Office open from 8:30

a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday through Fri-

day

By Chris Depree, Professor of Physics and Astronomy

A gnes Scott College was founded by members of DPC in 1889. Our annual service to commemorate

and foster this relationship will be held Sept. 25. Highlights include a panel dis-cussion at 9 a.m., then Rev. Joanna Adams preaching for the worship service.

Rev. Adams has been a member of the Board of Trustees for Agnes Scott Col-lege. Now retired, she served as pastor of Morning-side, Trinity and North Deca-tur Presbyterian churches as well as Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago.

A graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary, Rev. Adams was named Georgia Woman of the Year in 2007 and was featured in Atlanta magazine as one of the 45 most loved

one of the 45 most loved Atlantans. She has been especially in involved in initia-tives to combat homelessness and to build interfaith relations.

At 9 a.m., the church will host a panel discussion featuring President Elizabeth Kiss joined by a member of the

ASC board of trustees, stu-dents, faculty, and the chap-lain exploring church-related colleges in the 21st century.

ASC alumnae, students, faculty and staff will partici-pate in the worship service and join the congregation for Punch on the Lawn after-ward.

If you would like to make a contribution to the service, please contact the church office.

Mark you calendar for this very special event and encourage your friends at

DPC and Agnes Scott College to attend.

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011

9 a.m. |Panel Discussion including Dr. Elizabeth Kiss

10:15 a.m. | Rev. JoAnna Adams preaching

Sanctuary

11:30 a.m. | Punch on the Lawn

Rev. Joanna Adams will preach Sept. 25.