Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:23

JJ White MemorialPresbyterian Church

July 2016 Newsletter

3 

The Reverend Bob Phelps

a word from our pastor...

Look Out, They’re Back!

It’s always interesting when church leaders go away for meetings or retreats. Some wonder what kinds of new ideas we’ll bring and how we’ll change things up when we get back. I remember a friend in another denomination years ago who said he always got nervous when his pastors went away. Seems they always came home wearing yellow ties and talking funny, he said. I was never sure what the yellow ties were all about, but I understand something about the talking funny part.

Many of you have heard of a place called Montreat for years . I t is a P r e s b y t e r i a n Conference Center in the Blue Ridge

Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. Carol Wood and Kathy Harbour worked there a summer or two when they were in college. Others of you may have been there, too. Montreat offers programs for people of all ages throughout the year: youth conferences in summer, college conferences in winter, leader development events throughout the year, and enrichment events at other times. Each summer, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians holds two weeks of Worship and Music Conferences at Montreat. Children, youth, and adults gather from all over the country during these two weeks to sing, play, worship, and learn together. Leadership comes from many places, too. Deanna and I have been privileged to attend this conference for the past several years. It has become an event we look forward to all year.

Spending the week with faithful and creative people is enriching and inspiring.

We do bring some new ideas home with us. But we’ll try not to bombard you with them all at once. Some of the things we do at Montreat with nine hundred people in worship and three or four hundred in the choir don’t translate very well back at home. But many things do. The theme of this year’s Worship and Music Conference was Grace and Gratitude. Every day as we worshiped, rehearsed, and learned, everything revolved about God’s grace and our gratitude. Those two things translate into any environment. Deanna brought back some pieces for our choir to sing about grace and gratitude. We both brought renewed thanksgiving for God’s grace that I’m sure will show up in preaching, teaching, and other ways we try to lead. We promise not to turn things upside down just because we’ve been away in a meeting, but we may ask you to sing a new song (There’s something in Scripture about that, isn’t there?) or we may ask you think about things in new ways. But it will all be in an effort to help us experience God’s grace and to express our gratitude together.

Montreat is one of those places we wish everyone could go. Sort of like our sanctuary, there is a spiritual quality about the place itself. Until we get you all there, we’ll try to bring some of the best things we found there with us. And we will all experience God’s grace and offer our gratitude together.

Grace and Peace,Bob

Reverend Bob Phelps

Many of you know how much I look forward to the Worship and Music Conference at Montreat every summer. The beauty of the mountains alone (not to mention the cooler temperatures) are worth the trip, but to get to worship and learn from some of God’s most creative people surrounded by such beauty is a special gift. This year’s choir director was from Milliken University, a Presbyterian school in Illinois. He was a wonderfully gifted choral director and taught us all not just music but joy to go with it. His wife was also on the faculty, and I enjoyed going to class with her every day learning more about singing and leading those who sing. Worship is the highlight of each day. This year’s preacher and liturgist helped us experience grace in many ways and provided us with opportunities to express gratitude. One of the best parts of the week was a choral reading session I attended with other choir directors and singers each day. This session and our daily choir rehearsals helped me find several new pieces for our choir here to try in the year ahead. I’ll try to remember to let you know when we sing pieces we found at Montreat.

Special thanks to Mary Ann and Bridget for singing here while we were there. It won’t be long before time to start up our singing schedule here again. In the meantime, join me in welcoming friends who come to add their gifts to our worship this summer.

Music Notes from Deanna Phelps, Music Director

Pictured are Reverend Bob Phelps,Bridget Regan (center), and longtime friend of Bob and Deanna - Becky Cantrall. They sang “Calling My Children Home” as a part of the special music lineup for the summer while the choir takes a well-deserved break.

Surf Shack is the theme for this year’s Vacation Bible School. Every evening from

Monday through Thursday, July 11-14, kids and

leaders will gather in the Fellowship Hall for all kinds of fun opportunities to learn about God’s love from stories about creation, Baby Moses in the Nile, the Baptism of Jesus, and Jesus’ Calming the Sea. Thanks to all who have

helped to make this event a special one for our kids and others who join us. Many of us have special memories of Vacation Bible

School from our own childhood. We’ve come

a long way from popsicle sticks and cigar boxes. We are glad to help our kids make

memories of their own.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) met in Portland, Oregon from June 18-25. Some significant things that happened there include:

✤Election, for the first time, of Co-Moderators: The Reverend Denise Anderson and the Reverend Jan Edmiston.

✤Election of a new Stated Clerk: The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, the first African-American to hold that post.✤ Added the Confession of Belhar, a faith document from the South African struggle for racial equality, to the Book of Confessions.

✤Decided not to redraw Synod Lines. We will continue to be part of the Synod of Living Waters along with Presbyterians across Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.✤Appointed groups to study and prepare for new organizational structures to guide the PCUSA into the future. We are currently a denomination of 1,572,660 members who worship, learn, and serve

in 9,642 congregations.

This is only a partial list of actions taken by the Assembly. More information will be coming soon. Please remember to pray for our church and for our denomination and its leaders.

Vacation Bible School

This summer, we have gathered several times to read stories with children. Bob and Deanna and Carol Rawlings have shared stories and fun time with our kids and their friends. Joanna Barr will lead the final event in this series on Wednesday, July 20. Ask the kids about some of the stories they’ve heard and some of the ones they’ve read from books they borrowed from our growing children’s library on the lower level of the sanctuary building. Special thanks to Tom and Carol Wood for some new chairs to brighten up the space and to all who have helped get this resource for our children started. We’ll talk about how you can help it grow soon.

StoryTime, music, and Fun at JJ White...

Type to enter text

14 survivors! Luxury accommodations

Time in the Pool

doggie mascot

JJ White MPC Youth CampSummer of 2016

tough challenges!

“Thank you to ALL who made youth camp possible - those who donated food, money, delivered tables, tents, ice chests, etc. Those who delivered pizza and donuts. To those who came out and checked on us, called, texted and prayed for us. We appreciate everything you did! Special thanks to Andrew Decoux who helped chaperone and camped out with the boys. Thank you to each and everyone of you.  Youth camp 2016 was amazing.” (Find us on Facebook for more pics and videos)

A note of thanks from JJ White MPC Youth...

The Session held its regular meeting for June on the 12th at 6:00 pm in the Ewell Martin Room. Elders Wayne Hutchison and Margy Wicker were excused. All other Session members were present. Actions taken at the meeting include:

❖ approval of minutes and financial statements.

❖ prayed for the meeting of the General Assembly of the PCUSA.-

❖ heard reports from the Christian Education committee about summer events.❖ thanked the Congregational Care and Fellowship Committee and to Lu Becker

for the annual Church Picnic❖ heard updates from the Property Committee on ongoing maintenance work.❖ approved a major expenditure for sealing the exterior of the sanctuary building

from moisture.❖ approved plans for pulpit supply while Bob is away this summer.

The Session meets monthly. The July meeting is scheduled for Sunday, July 10, at 6:00 pm

Please pray for the members of our Session as they guide the ministry of our congregation.

Session Report

PW of JJ White will not meet in the month of July, but will resume their

regularly scheduled monthly meetings on

Tuesday, August 9, at 11:30 in the Fellowship

Hall. The new PW Bible study books for

2016-2017 “Who Is Jesus?” by Judy Yates Siker

should be available at this meeting and will be introduced to the group. All women are invited and

encouraged to come. A light lunch will be served.

You are invited to join us in honoring the engaged couple -

Maranda Cranford and Kyle Phelps

Saturday, July 30

3-5 p.m.

188 Cedar Ridge RoadBeth and Noggin WildDebbie and Tommy BrockSuzi and John DrummondKathy and Bryan HarbourLinda and J.C. JohnsonBetty and Rick Penick

Pat RandallMary Ann and Tommy RatcliffCarol and Whitney RawlingsSue and Win SullivanSharon and Cliff White

Sue WhiteSusan and Randy White 

An invitation to our church family...

~Amanda and Kyle are registered at Belk, Target, and on Amazon.

3 Susan White10 Carol Rawlings17 Melisa DeCoux24 Joanna Barr, Brandy Dyess31 Sara Beth Williams, Alison Allred

Ushers/GreetersTommy Ratcliff, CaptainRobbie DeCouxJohn DrummondStacey MoakMark Statham

Johnny Nance

Elder of the Month

Bob Arnold

July Schedules3 Beverly and Ron Yates10 Donna andDarrell Smith17 JoAnna and Nicky Barr24 Rusty Whittington31 Beth and Noggin Wild

Children’s Church

July

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Men’s Interdenominational Wednesday Breakfast Group

6 Renan Richmond, Rick Penick13 Bob Phelps, Kit Stovall, Tommy Brock20 Jimmy Carroll Robertson, Whitney Rawlings27 Bill Mitchell, Jim Alford

3 Beth Wild 10 Mary Ann Ratcliff17 Bill Mitchell24 Sara BethWilliams, Ally Allred

Melisa DeCoux31 _________________

August

2 John Drummond

6 Laris Mitchell

6 Stacy White

7 Suzi Drummond

12 Carolyn Ray

13 Lydia Williams

17 Dottie Heiss

20 June Hart

25 Rachel Catchings

25 Kylee McGehee

26 Thaddeus Russell

28 Linda Miller

29 Conner Simmons

30 Nicole Faucett

Flowers

4 Keith Sanders

4 Winbourne Sullivan

6 Spike Simmons

8 Kelly Henley

13 Deanna Phelps

14 Jane Walman

16 Phil Terrell

17 Georgia Mendonides

17 Kyle Phelps

18 Beverly Yates

19 Ron Yates

21 Martha Simmons

22 Britt White

25 Drew Parker

Dave Alford

26 John Boyd

27 Gary Russell

28 Eileen Cato

29 Joseph Spurgeon

Happy Birthday

to ...

In summer, the song sings itself.

~William Carlos Williams

July 2016

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

JJ White MPC Vacation Bible School

1 2

3

9:00 light breakfast 9:30 Sunday School

10:30 Morning Worship

4 Independence

Day

5 6

7:15 am Men’s Breakfast

Children’s StoryTime

2:00 pm

7

Bible Study with Rev. Phelps 10:30 am

Knutty Knitters7:00 PM

8 9

10 9:00 light breakfast 9:30 Sunday School

10:30 Morning Worship;

Sacrament of Communion

6:00 pm Session Meets

11 12 13

7:15 am Men’s Breakfast

14Bible Study with

Rev. Phelps 10:30 am

7:00 pm- Knutty Knitters

15 16

17

9:00 light breakfast 9:30 Sunday School

10:30 Morning Worship -

18 19 20

7:15 am Men’s Breakfast

Children’s StoryTime

2:00 pm

21Bible Study with

Rev. Phelps 10:30 am

Knutty Knitters7:00 PM

22 23

24

9:00 light breakfast 9:30 Sunday School

10:30 Morning Worship

25 26 27

7:15 am Men’s Breakfast

28

Bible Study with Rev. Phelps 10:30 am

Knutty Knitters7:00 PM

29 30 Party for Kyle and Miranda at home of Beth and Noggin Wild

319:00 light breakfast 9:30 Sunday School

10:30 Morning Worship

Vacation Bible School “Catch the Wave of God’s Amazing Love”