Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

June 24, 2009

Greetings to all!

Recent events in Iran, especially demonstrations in that nation's capital, remind us of times in our own history when people have taken to the streets in an effort to bring change.  Consider these thoughts from Martin Luther King, Jr., who certainly spent his share of days in the streets.

I've decided that I'm going to do battle for my philosophy.   You ought to believe something in life, believe that thing so fervently that you will stand up with it till the end of your days.  I can't make myself believe that God wants me to hate.  I'm tired of violence.  And I'm not going to let my oppressor dictate to me what method I must use.  We have a power, power that can't be found in Molotov cocktails, but we do have a power.  Power that cannot be found in bullets and guns, but we have a power.  It is a power as old as the insights of Jesus of Nazareth and as modern as the techniques of Mahatma Gandhi.

(from The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Summer Questions: We continue our summer preaching as prompted by your questions.  This week's question - "How does one support the church without becoming dependent on the way things are and stultifying the church itself?"  Your questions continue to be welcome.  Use the "question envelope" in the Sanctuary foyer to submit your question.

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, June 28:

Isaiah 43:14-21

Revelation 21:1-8

Matthew 13:51-54

Sunday Conversations continue this Sunday, June 28, in Trinity Hall as we view and discuss the video series, Eclipsing Empire, featuring New Testament scholars John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg. This week's video segment focuses on "The Ethics of Paul." Feel free to join the conversation, enjoy a cup of coffee, or just listen in.

Jarrett's Joy Cart will be the first recipient of special funds designated for local outreach in 2009. Jarrett's Joy Cart provides encouragement and support to seriously ill children and their families. For more information regarding the Joy Cart, see their website at www.thejoycart.com. Mrs. Jennifer Mynear (Jarrett's Mother) will be our guest on Sunday, June 28, to receive Walnut Hill's gift and offer brief remarks regarding the ongoing work of Jarrett's Joy Cart.

The Vestry will meet on Sunday, June 28, 10am, in Trinity Hall.

Men's Dinner, July 23 - Walnut Hill men should mark the date, Thursday, July 23, on their calendars, for the next Walnut Hill Men's Dinner. Our guest for the evening will be Mr. Al Smith, longtime Kentucky political commentator. Time and place for the dinner to be announced.

Women's Dinner, September 23 - The next Walnut Hill Women's Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at 6:30 pm, at Buddy's Bar and Grill.  Our speaker will be Maureen A. Flannery, who will speak about alternative healing methods.  

News of the Congregation:

*Hilary J. Boone, Jr., a member of Walnut Hill Church, departed this life on Thursday, June 18. A graveside service was held on Saturday morning, June 20, in the Walnut Hill Cemetery.

*Sarah Kathryn Barbour and Brian Matthew McMahan were married at Walnut Hill Church on Saturday afternoon, June 20. Sarah is the daughter of Walnut Hill member Mary Lee Snyder. Rev. Michael Ward officiated the ceremony.

*Logan Paul Ragland, son of Erika and Steven Ragland, received the Sacrament of Christian Baptism at Walnut Hill Church on Tuesday, June 23. Paternal grandparents are Irene and John Ragland. Rev. John Cavendish officiated the ceremony.

*Walnut Hill Worshipbook - The final edition of the Walnut Hill Church Worship Book is now in the pews. Thanks go out to Phil Bloomfield for his work with the book's layout and other technical issues, to Helen "Penny" Chenery for her financial support, and to all those involved with this project from start to finish.

*An annual review conversation will be conducted next week with Lauren Fouts, Walnut Hill's Coordinator of Children and Youth Ministry. Your comments are welcome regarding Lauren's work in particular or Walnut Hill's children/youth ministry in general. Please submit your comments to Mike Ward.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

June 17, 2009

Greetings to all!

Summer officially begins this weekend.  For many people, summer is a season for travel, vacationing, or just relaxing on long summer evenings, a change of pace, if not a full rest, compared to other seasons of the year.  It echoes the religious notion of "Sabbath," a day each week to cease activity in favor of worship and appreciation of God and life.  Dorothy Bass offers some reflections on the notion of keeping Sabbath.

The practice of keeping Sabbath bears much wisdom for people seeking ways through the crises of these times and the stresses of contemporary life.  "The solution to mankind's most vexing problems will not be found in renouncing technical civilization, but in attaining some degree of independence from it," writes Abraham Heschel.  Sabbath keeping teaches that independence.  Refraining from work on a regular basis is a way of setting limits on behavior that is perilous for both human welfare and the welfare of the earth itself.  Overworked Americans need rest, and they need to be reminded that they do not cause the grain to grow and that their greatest fulfillment does not come through the acquisition of material things.  Moreover, the planet needs a rest from human plucking and burning and buying and selling.  Perhaps, as Sabbath keepers, we will come to live and know these truths more fully, and thus to bring their wisdom to the common solution of humanity's problems...

Rest and worship.  One day a week - not much, in a sense, but a good beginning.  One day to resist the tyranny of too much or too little work and to celebrate with God and others, remembering thereby who we really are and what is really important.  One day that, week after week, anchors a way of life that makes a difference every day.

(from Practicing Our Faith)

A Summer of Questions: We continue our preaching this summer as prompted by your questions.  This week's question:  "Why do I believe in God?"

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, June 21:

Psalm 14

Acts 17:16-34

Mark 9:14-29

Men's Coffee -  Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for coffee this Saturday, June 20, 8:00am, at Paneras on Richmond Road.  Feel free to stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule allows.  No rsvp required.

Sunday Conversations resume this Sunday, June 21, 10am, in Trinity Hall.  We return to our discussion of the video series, "Eclipsing Empire," featuring Jesus scholars John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg.  The series focuses on how first century Christianity offered a way of living and being as an alternative to the dominant culture of the Roman Empire, and how Christianity might still offer an alternative to the dominant culture of our day.  Feel free to join the conversation, enjoy a cup of coffee, or just listen in.

Hospitality Opportunity -A host is needed for our after worship refreshments this Sunday, June 21.  Remember that after worship refreshments need not be elaborate, just something simple to gather around as we fellowship.  Use reply email to volunteer for this Sunday, or check the sign up sheet for a Sunday later in the summer.  Thanks to all our refreshment hosts for maintaining this wonderful Walnut Hill tradition.  

Assistance Designations -  At an open meeting on Sunday, June 14, designations were made for the special assistance fund set aside by the Vestry to use for outreach to our local community.  The final designations included:  $4,000 to God's Pantry Food Bank; $4,000 to respond to individual assistance needs (rent, utilities, etc) in coordination with the Resource Office for Social Ministry; $2,000 to Jarrett's Joy Cart providing encouragement and support to seriously ill children and their families.  We will be receiving visits from these agencies in the weeks ahead as funds are distributed.  Thanks to all who have participated in this process of discerning opportunities for Walnut Hill's outreach to our community.

Thanks, news, etc...

*Thanks to...Martha and Jane Lee Moore for providing our refreshments this past Sunday.

*Harper Jamieson Morris received the sacrament of Christian Baptism during morning worship on Sunday, June 14.  Harper's parents are Kim and Stuart Morris.  Harper is the great-granddaughter of the late David and Jeanie Blythe.

*The Junior High Youth Group of the John Knox Presbyterian Church, North Olmstead, Ohio, spent the night of June 14 in Trinity Hall in route from their home to a youth event in Tennessee.  We were pleased to provide simple hospitality to this group of twelve young people and three chaperones.  Check the bulletin board in Trinity Hall for a "thank you card" left for the church. 

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

June 10, 2009

Greetings to all!

This Sunday, June 14, we commence a summer of Sundays with preaching prompted by your questions.  There is no particular length to this series; we will simply continue until we run out of questions or until Labor Day arrives, whichever comes first.  Your questions are still welcome and can be communicated via note, email, or the "question envelope" in the Sanctuary foyer.  As you consider your questions, consider this:

We are much involved, all of us, with questions about things that matter a good deal today but will be forgotten by this time tomorrow - the immediate wheres and whens and hows that face us daily at home and at work - but at the same time we tend to lose track of the questions about things that matter always, life-and-death questions about meaning, purpose, and value.  To lose track of such deep questions as these is to risk losing track of who we really are in our own depths and where we are really going. There is perhaps no stronger reason for reading the Bible than that somewhere among all those India-paper pages there awaits each man and woman, whoever they are, the one question which (though for years they may have been pretending not to hear it) is the central question of his or her own life...When you hear the question that is your question, then you have already begun to hear much.  Whether you can accept the Bible's answer or not, you have reached the point where at least you can begin to hear that too.

(from Wishful Thinking by Frederick Buechner)

The Question for Sunday, June 14: "What part does sin, bad behavior, play in distancing us from God?"

Psalm 32

Romans 8:31-39

Luke 15:11-32

Women's Dinner: Walnut Hill women are invited to gather for dinner on Wednesday, June 10, 6:30pm, at Buddy's Restaurant (corner of Euclid Ave. and High St.). Our special guest for the evening will be Ms. Linda Gorton, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council Person At-Large, who will share with us regarding her experience on the Urban-County Council as well as issues affecting our community. Contact Natalie Watt or Dorothy Brockopp for more information.

Local Assistance: Walnut Hill members and friends are invited to an open meeting on Sunday, June 14, 10am, in Trinity Hall to make final decisions regarding the disbursement of $10,000 designated by the Vestry to be used for local outreach during the current economic crisis. For your advance preparation, the organizations/agencies under consideration include: Jarrett's Joy Cart (www.thejoycart.com), Step by Step (www.sbslex.org), Feeding America, formerly America's Second Harvest (www.feedingamerica.org), God's Pantry (www.godspantry.org), the Resource Office for Social Ministry (www.rosmky.org).

The Vestry will meet on Sunday, June 14, 9:30am, in Trinity Hall.

Thanks, news, etc....

*Thanks to...Lauren Fouts and JoAnne Hilliard for their leadership with children and adults during our "Weekend Together 2009;" the choir, David and Ruth Sharrard, Nell Horman, Emett and Joyce Barfield for their leadership and assistance during worship on Sunday; Phil Bloomfield for preparing the elements for the Sacrament on Sunday.

*It's not too late to register your child for a week at Camp Burnamwood or Cathedral Domain this summer. Camp brochures are available in the Sanctuary. Remember, Walnut Hill underwrite one half the cost for any Walnut Hill child who attends a summer camp at Burnamwood or the Domain. That is a bargain!

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Weekend Together

Saturday, June 6

Dear Friends:

We are in the midst of our Weekend Together 2009, "The Fruitful Life."  Thanks to all who participated in our dinner and program on Friday evening, especially JoAnne Hilliard who led the conversation for adults and Lauren Fouts who led activities for children.

The Weekend continues on Saturday, June 6, with activities for children at 9:30am.

On Sunday, June 7, 10am, we will continue our activities for children (led by Lauren) and conversation for adults (led by JoAnne).  At 11am will be Morning Worship and the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

See you there.

Peace,

Mike Ward

(Please note:  The activity times printed in Saturday's Herald Leader are incorrect.) 

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

June 3, 2009

Greetings to all!

This weekend, June 5 -7, is our "Weekend Together - 2009," several days of conversation and activities around the theme The Fruitful Life.  You are invited to join us as we reflect on ways to enhance our own lives and the lives of others.  Our text for the weekend comes from Paul's letter to the Galatians.

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against such things."

*A Weekend Together

Friday, June 5, 6pm - Dinner - Menu from the Good Foods Market and Cafe. (You may rsvp for dinner using reply email or by calling the church office at 263-5304)

   7pm - Program - Activities for children led by Lauren Fouts.  Activities for adults led by JoAnne Hilliard.

Saturday, June 6, 9:30am - Activities for Children - led by Lauren Fouts

Sunday, June 7, 10am - Activities for children and adults led by Lauren and JoAnne.

     11am - Morning Worship and Holy Communion

*Men's Coffee - Men are invited to gather for coffee this Saturday, January 6, 8am, at Paneras on Richmond Road.  Feel free to stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule allows.  No rsvp required.

*Host Needed - We are seeking a host (s) to provide our after worship refreshments for this Sunday, June 7.  Remember that refreshments need not be elaborate, just something simple to gather around as we fellowship after worship.  Use reply email to volunteer for this Sunday, or check the sign up sheet for a Sunday later in the summer.

*Women's Dinner - The next Walnut Hill Women's Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 6:30pm, at Buddy's Restaurant.  Use the sign up sheet in the sanctuary foyer or call the church office (263-5304) to rsvp.  Contact Natalie Watt or Dorothy Brockopp for more information.

Questions Please - Mike Ward is inviting your questions (biblical, theological, or otherwise) to serve as a basis for preaching over these upcoming summer Sundays.  You may email your questions to Mike or write them on paper and place them in the envelope posted on the sanctuary bulletin board.

Exchange Students - The Aspect Foundation is seeking two families in Lexington to host two students (one in each home) for the 2009-2010 school year.  The students are 14 - 15 year old boys, one from Jordan, one from Oman.  Contact Mike Ward if you would like more information.

Thanks, news, etc...

*Thanks to ... Mr. Scott Wells for his service at the organ this past Sunday.

*The Presbytery of Transylvania meets this Saturday, June 6, in Somerset.  Mike Ward will be attending on behalf of Walnut Hill Church and presenting the sermon for the meeting's worship service.

*A nice collection of eye glasses is being gathered from those left in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings.  Check the sanctuary bulletin board if you have had trouble seeing lately.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Greetings to all!

Sunday, May 31, is the Day of Pentecost, the traditional observance of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the Church.  Madeleine L'Engle reflects on the person of the Holy Spirit from her perspective as an artist, particularly a writer.

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the easiest of this not-at-all-easy concept for me to understand.  Any artist, great or small, knows moments when something more than he takes over, and he moves into a kind of 'overdrive,' where he works as ordinarily he cannot work.  When he is through, there is a sense of exhilaration, exhaustion, and joy.  All our best work comes in this fashion, and it is humbling and exciting.

I am convinced that each work of art, be it a great work of genius or something very small, has its own life, and it will come to the artist, the composer or the writer or the painter, and say, "Here I am; compose me; or write me; or paint me"; and the job of the artist is to serve the work.  I have never served a work as I would like to, but I do try, with each book, to serve to the best of my ability, and this attempt at serving is the greatest privilege and the greatest joy that I know.

As I understand the gift of the spirit in art, so I understand prayer, and there is very little difference for me between praying and writing.  At their best, both become completely unselfconscious activities; the self-conscious, fragmented person is totally thrown away and integrated in work, and for the moments of such work, be it prayer or writing, I know wholeness, and sunside and nightside are no longer divided.

(from The Irrational Season)

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, May 31, the Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21

Romans 8:22-27

John 15:26-27; 16:4-15

Sunday Conversations continue this Sunday, May 31, 10am, in Trinity Hall. We will view and discuss a final segment of the video series, "Eclipsing Empire." Feel free to join the conversation, enjoy a cup of coffee, or just listen in.

A Refreshment Host(s) is needed for our after-worship refreshments this Sunday, May 31. Please use reply email or call the church office (263-5304) to volunteer.

The Fruitful Life is the theme of the Weekend Together 2009 scheduled for June 5 -7. The weekend will begin with a dinner and activities for all ages on Friday evening, June 5, 6:00pm. Leading the activities for children will be Lauren Fouts. Leading the activities for adults will be JoAnne Hilliard. Activities around the theme will continue for children on Saturday morning, beginning at 9:30am, and for all ages on Sunday morning, beginning at 10am. Please rsvo for Friday evening via reply email or by calling the church office (263-5304).

Women's Dinner - The next Walnut Hill Women's Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 6:30pm. All Walnut Hill women are invited to gather for this fellowship opportunity. Use the sign up sheet in the sanctuary foyer to rsvp.

Thanks to...David Sharrard for leading our Sunday Conversation last Sunday; John Cavendish for supplying the pulpit in Mike Ward's absence; Vestry members for providing refreshments; Lisa Smith for editing the June edition of the Walnut Hill Newsletter.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

May 20, 2009

Greetings to all!

The Memorial Day holiday is before us and with it the opportunity to recall and honor the sacrifice of men and women who have lost their lives in our nation's wars.  Regarding those wars, either at the time or later, the question often arises of whether or not "the cause was just."  Reinhold Niebuhr, one of the great theologians and social ethicists of the 20th century, reflects on how difficult the question of the "just war" can be.

Not all wars are equally just and not all contestants are equally right.  Distinctions must be made.  But the judgments with which we make them are influenced by passions and interests, so that even the most obvious case of aggression can be made to appear a necessity of defence; and even a war which is judged by neutral opinion to be wholly defensive cannot be waged with completely good conscience because the situations out of which wars arise are charged with memories of previous acts of aggression on the part of those now in defence.  This does not mean that the moralists who would refrain from all war, because the issues of any particular war are always filled with ambiguities, are right.  The very same war which fails to yield an absolutely clear case of "justice" may yet concern itself with the very life and death of civilizations and cultures.  [People] do have to make important decisions in history on the basis of certain norms, even though they must recognize that all historic norms are touched  with both finiteness and sin; and that their sinfulness consists precisely in the bogus claim of finality which is made for them.

(from The Nature and  Destiny of Man, Vol 1)

Men's Coffee - Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for coffee and conversation this Saturday, May 23, 8am, at Paneras on Richmond Road.  Feel free to stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule allows.  No rsvp required.

The Rev. Dr. John Cavendish, Pastor-Emeritus of Walnut Hill Church, will be in the pulpit this Sunday, May 24.  Rev. Cavendish served as Pastor of Walnut Hill Church from its re-organization in 1976 until his retirement in 2000.  

Sunday Conversations continue this Sunday, May 24, 10am, in Trinity Hall, with discussion of the next episode of the video series, "God and Empire."  David Sharrard will moderate this Sunday's conversation.

A Host (s) is needed for our after worship refreshments this Sunday, May 24.  Use reply email or call the church office (263-5304) to volunteer for this Sunday, May 24.  Check the sign up sheet in the foyer of the Sanctuary to volunteer for a Sunday later in the spring or summer.  Our thanks to all those who provide our after worship hospitality from Sunday to Sunday.

The Fruitful Life is the theme of our upcoming "Weekend Together 2009," June 5 - 7.  The weekend will begin at 6pm on Friday with a meal and activities.  Activities for children will continue on Saturday morning.  Sunday will include 10am activities for children and adults followed by worship at 11am.  Leading activities for children will be Lauren Fouts, Walnut Hill's Coordinator of Children and Youth Ministry.  Leading activities for adults will be JoAnne Hilliard, Personal Success Coach.  The menu for Friday's dinner is from the Good Foods Market and Cafe.  Please rsvp for Friday's meal using reply email or the sign up sheet in the Sanctuary foyer.

Women's Dinner -The next Walnut Hill Women's Dinner will be held on Wednesday, June 10, 6:30pm at Buddy's Restaurant.  Use the sign up sheet in the Sanctuary foyer to rsvp.  Contact Natalie Watt or Dorothy Brockopp for more information.

Eastern Kentucky Storms - Walnut Hill is currently receiving donations to assist individuals, families, and communities affected by the recent flooding in eastern Kentucky.  Our donations will be sent via the Kentucky Interchurch Disaster Recovery Program.  Donations of cash or checks may be placed in the baskets in the Sanctuary foyer.  Checks should be payable to Walnut Hill Church, designated "eastern Kentucky floods."

Thanks, news, etc...

*Thanks to ... Glenna Fay for recent plantings around the Sanctuary and Trinity Hall; Norman and Carol Drury and Mary Lee Snyder for providing the "chicken" for last Sunday's potluck and to all those who provided delicious dishes for our enjoyment; Gene  Brockopp for leading our Sunday Conversation.

*High School graduates Elise DeCamp, Dougie Hilliard, Carolyn Johnston, and Stanley Sievers were acknowledged during morning worship last Sunday. Our best wishes go with these graduates.

*Brochures describing the summer camp programs at Cathedral Domain and Camp Burnamwood are available in the foyer of the Sanctuary.  Walnut Hill Church will sponsor any Walnut Hill child or youth attending a Domain or Burnamwood summer program for one-half of the total cost.

*Planning is underway for improvements to the lighting and acoustics in Trinity Hall.  Talk with Kim Bloomfield or David Sharrard regarding the ideas being discussed.

*We will soon be conducting a regular annual review with Lauren Fouts regarding her work at Walnut Hill.  Persons with comments regarding Lauren's work are invited to contact Mike Ward at the church office (263-5304).

Peace to all.

Mike Ward