• Worship - Sunday at 9:00 am
• Christian Formation classes - Sunday after worship from Fall to Spring
• Coffee Fellowship - the second Sunday of every month
• Caring and Sharing - meetings are held on the third Monday of each month with locations rotating among member congregations

A Word from Our Pastor - An Invitation

We Are In Deep Shift.
A time of transition
rethinking
re-imagining
and re-envisioning

A time for asking new questions
and seeking answers
that are both new and old
fresh and seasoned
surprising and familiar

What does it mean, in today's world, to be a follower of God in the way of Jesus?

What does it mean to be a faith community engaged in the holistic, integral mission of God in our world today?

How do we, as individuals and organizations, respond faithfully to the crises facing our world?

What is our duty to God, ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our enemies, and our planet in light of Jesus' radical message of the kingdom of God?

How can we engage in personal formation and theological reformulation for global transformation?

Living in deep shift can be exhilarating and energizing, but it can also be disorienting and frightening.

Deep Shift was created to provide spiritual guidance for organizations. For roughly the last year, Taneytown Presbyterian Church has been working with the Deep Shift consultants and working to discover where the gifts of their people and God's purposes in the world meet. They have supported our congregation and leaders as we make our own personal deep shift and have guided us through the transition and transformation necessary to ignite the loving energy of people to work for the good of the world.

The last few years have certainly been a transitional period for the church, in the wake of former pastor Ben Jones' retirement. But with the help of the Deep Shift team - and with God's generous gift of grace - the congregation has worked together to move forward as we seek to follow the movement of the Holy Spirit, to be the people that God is calling us to be.

As Bob Dylan once sang, 'the times they are a-changin.' The world changes rapidly and it's become increasingly difficult to keep up. Many feel as though something's missing in their lives, but aren't quite sure what it is. Many have gone to the churches of their youth, or to the local church of the denomination in which they grew up - but aren't finding what they're looking for. Have you ever felt like this?

• I've never felt like I fit in the traditional church.
• I love Jesus, but I'm not too excited about Christianity in its current form or the church in its dominant expression.
• It feels like we've kind of missed the point of what Jesus was about.
• I'm not religious, and I'm not that sure what "spiritual  means - but I'm looking for something, some way of life or pattern that makes sense of things.
• I used to be active church-goer, but something stopped working. I dropped out and thought I had lost my faith.
• The world's in deep trouble. Sincere people of faith need to find some way to make a constructive, creative difference.

We're working to create a place where people can worship, feel welcome and safe, encouraged and empowered to face life's challenges. That's why we're taking part in the Deep Shift process. Our church is all about 'sharing God's love, and furthering God's kingdom.' are promising and exciting times. We hope you'll consider being part of this movement. Please consider this an invitation to join us!

Christian Formation

The Christian Formation program will resume in the Fall and some exciting things are planned. Following the successful completion of the "Deeper Connection: The Prayers of Jesus  series, we will begin a new series called "The Domino Effect,  which rips the bandage off of the issue of evil. This aggressively theological and intensely personal initiative prompts life-changing discussion and discovery. It gives us a behind the scenes look at God's thoughts toward good and evil, and it introduces God's solution to the problem of evil-redemption. It helps us enter into the story of good and evil that we find not just in history, but all around us. What will we do with the evil that invades our lives and our world? Were we set up to be messed up? Is our world a problem of evil or an opportunity for goodness?

We will also be taking a look at the NOOMA Video series. NOOMA are a series of short films featuring storyteller Rob Bell. The name NOOMA comes from a phonetic spelling of the Greek word pneuma meaning 'wind,' 'spirit,' or 'breath.' Each film is about 10 to 14 minutes of teaching related to real-life situations. Each short story covers a specific topic, usually by relating various experiences from a Christian perspective.

Prayers

As the Body of Christ, we are committed to praying for others. Persons in need of prayer may be added to the prayer list by request, either by contacting Jeff (contact info below) or via the collection plate during the Offertory on Sunday.

Please keep the following people in your prayers:

• The Rev. and Mrs. Ben Jones
• Jane Zimmerman
• Ray Harvey
• Desi Phucas family (Carol's daughter-in-law)
• Lauren Wagner (Faye's daughter), who is in Iraq
• Sandy Burkhart & family
• The Ferrence family
• Booby and Earl Anderson
• Alan Gowan
• Marvin and Doris Leedy
• Doris Zimmerman

Moments for Meditation

On the Bible…

"The Bible is the only living book in the history of the world. It lives not because it is relevant and full of powerful truth (although it is both of those), but because it is the active voice of our living God, communicating Himself to us. His Person, His character, His ways of dealing with people, His purposes - all remain eternally unchanged and unchanging, revealed in His Word. Not only has God spoken, He speaks.

He speaks to you and to me today about Himself, about His truth, and about us, His creation. And what He says is indispensable to our lives.  - Martha Thatcher

On Forgiveness…

"Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time.

"You can't undo anything you've already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness. And then let God do the rest  - Sara Paddison

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.  - Mahatma Gandhi

"Forgiveness cannot change the past, but it can enlarge the future.  - Paul Boese

On the Church…

"Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed, in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in His great campaign of sabotage  - C.S. Lewis

"Therefore there is a unity of God's covenant working between the time of Ethic Israel and after Pentecost. So the old covenant has never been replaced by the new, but rather, expanded upon. First God revealed Himself to mostly Jews but now He includes both Jew and Gentile. This perspective views Salvation as being just as gracious in the Old Covenant as the New, both which we receive through faith in Christ. 

On God…

"He who said, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,' loved Jacob of His undeserved grace, and hated Esau of His deserved judgment.  - St. Augustine

"Only God's word can provide us with a balanced, healthy comprehension of God's personal attributes. Only the Bible can bestow upon us the appropriate interplay between the love and mercy of God and the wrath and anger of God. One can never emphasize God's love enough but one can be guilty of misrepresenting the true nature of that love. One can so present the love of God, that the equally Biblical doctrine of God's wrath makes no sense and fades into irrelevance. 

Kids' Korner

I want to tell you a story about a girl named Anna. Now Anna wanted a bicycle. She wanted a bicycle more than anything else in the world. When she went to Wal-Mart with her parents, she would spend all her time with the bicycles looking for the one she wanted. They would have to come get her when they were ready to leave. Anna wasn't a whiner. She didn't pull on her father's arm and say, "Can I have an bicycle. Can I. Can I. Please, I'll never ask for another thing. You never get me anything. You don't really love me.   She wasn't like that. You aren't like that, are you? No, she wasn't a whiner, but she did want a bicycle just the same. Instead of whining and begging she asked God for a bicycle. She asked God every night. She asked God when no one else could hear. She would say, "Please, God, I want a bicycle, a new one.  That is how she learned not to whine and jerk on someone's arm because you can't jerk on God's arm, can you? She learned to just ask and wait. But she had waited a long time, long enough, she thought. So one night when she and her parents were getting ready to say prayers, Anna said, "I don't think I am good enough."

"What?  said her mother, "not good enough? What do you mean? 

"Well, I have been asking God for a bicycle for a long, long time, and nothing happens,  Anna said, "I must not be good enough. 

"Do you think God doesn't care about you, Anna,  asked her father.

"I know God loves me, but why don't I get a bicycle when I ask God for it,  said Anna. "My friend Sarah memorizes lots of Bible verses, and she got a bicycle."

"Do you want to memorize Bible verses?  asked her mother.

"No, I want a bicycle,  said Anna. "I know Jesus gives people stuff, like when he fed all those people by Lake Generous. 

"Did you have supper tonight?  asked her mother.

"Yes,  said Anna.

"Well, maybe Jesus likes to feed you instead,  said her mother. "After he fed the five thousand people, did he give them all a bicycle? 

"No,  said Anna.

"It's OK to ask God for a bicycle, Anna,  said her father, "but always tell God, thank you, for what God has already done. 

And they prayed a prayer like this: "Dear God, first we want to thank you for feeding us every day, and when you are through feeding people, could Anna have

a bicycle? Amen."

(Based on a sermon by Roland McGregor, UMC Pastor, Albuquerque, NM)

Just for Fun…

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER

100%. How about ACHIEVING 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these

questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If: H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K is 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And: K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E is 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But: A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E is 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D is 12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Mark Your Calendar

8/20 Session Meeting - 6pm-8pm at the church

9/26-9/27 Deep Shift On-Site Meeting

• Friday 9/26 - 5:30pm-9pm in Fellowship Hall. Dinner at 5:30pm, Meeting begins at 6pm
• Saturday 9/27 - 9am-3pm in Fellowship Hall. A light breakfast and lunch will be served.

Words of Thanks to…

• Marvin Leedy and Dave Zimmerman for their on-going and exceptional lawn care. Each and every week spring through the fall of the year, they gear up the mowers and keep our lawn beautifully landscaped.
• Doris Leedy for providing the inspiring messages on our church sign.
• Bonnie Fuss for her dedication and talent in leading the church's music each week.
• The Members of the Choir for sharing their talent with us each Sunday.
• The Rev. Dr. Walt Peters for your leadership and ability to work so closely with the Session of our church.
• Bob Samuelson, our new treasurer, for agreeing to take the job.
• To out-going Session members EmRoy Gehlsen and Jane, for their years of service to the congregation.
• To in-coming Session members Ruth Ferrence and Faye McAdams, for accepting God's call to leadership in the church
• To all those who have participated in the 'Deep Shift' process. Your hard work, dedication and willingness to listen for the leading of the Spirit has been a blessing.

Contact Information

If you have any submissions for the newsletter, announcements for the bulletin, prayer requests, or need to contact us for any reason; please contact the church at 410-756-2233 and leave a message, or Pastor Jeff directly at his home number, 410-549-8979, his cell phone, 443-463-1288, or by e-mail at jlcolarossi@comcast.net.