Friends,

Join us!

Pastor Carl 

"We live in an exciting time in the life of the church.  In the past few decades, an emerging vision of Christianity has begun to take root among both clergy and laity in mainline denominations in North America.  It is a vision of Christianity that takes the Bible, God, and Jesus just as seriously as did the earlier vision of Christianity.Christianity is centered in the Bible. Of course, it is ultimately centered in God, but it is the God of whom the Bible speaks and to whom it points. God is also known in other ways and other religions, I am convinced, but to be Christian is to be centered in the God of the Bible. This is a mark not of Christian exclusion, but of Christian identity. The Bible is for us a Christians our sacred scripture, our sacred story. 

Yet the Bible has become a stumbling block for many. In the last half century, probably more Christians have left the church because of the Bible than for any other single reason. More precisely, they left because the earlier paradigm's way of seeing the Bible cease to make sense to them. Contemporary biblical literalism-with its emphasis on biblical infallibility, historical factuality, and moral and doctrinal absolutes -is an obstacle for millions of people.

The emerging paradigm provides an alternative to biblical literalism. To use the three adjectives with which I describe it: a historical, metaphorical and sacramental understanding of the Bible. With these words, I attempt to describe a view that is broadly shared by mainline biblical scholars who are involved in the life of the churah and by laity and clergy shaped by modern study of the Bible. And though I here emphasize and illustrate its approach to the Bible, I think it applies to the creeds and other normative Christian teachings as well.

 

A Team Building Retreat will take place on October 4-6 at Camp Johnsonburg. We will leave the church at 5:45 pm on Friday, Oct. 4th and will arrive back home around 6pm on Saturday, October 5th.

The letter "B" was the focus for both Point Beach Prep classes this week. Our projects included bubble painting, making a bracelet, a bumble bee, butterfly magnet, balloon painting, and a bear.

For snack time, both classes made butter, using heavy cream. Each student got to shake the container and it was ready to eat with our bread just in time! The nursery class learned the word "boy" in American Sign Language, while the Pre-K class walked a balance beam, buzzed like bees, floated like butterflies, crawled like bugs, and walked backwards. We were BUSY!

We have a lot of exciting things planned for Letter C next week! 

The only Monmouth Presbytery congregation to sustain significant damage from Sandy was First Presbyterian, Belmar. The entire area around the church flooded, and the church's basement Fellowship Hall and kitchen was filled completely with water - a total loss of everything that was in it. Also damaged beyond repair was the church's recently-installed elevator. The damages are in the neighborhood of half a million dollars, only a small portion of it covered by insurance. The church has recently taken out a $350,000 mortgage on their building so they can go ahead with repair and recovery work, while they are conducting a long-term special funds campaign.

Over the summer, our Session voted to make a gift of $5,000 to First Presbyterian, Belmar to help with their rebuilding. We received this note from the Rev. Bill Morris in response:

The Ocean County Long Term Recovery Group is hosting the commemorative event acknowledging the cooperative efforts of our communities since Super Storm Sandy. Residents, spiritual and emotional providers, responders and officials on various local, county, state and federal levels will share hope and healing for our Sandy survivors. Speakers and musical presentations, and community agencies will be available to provide information for residents. A  special program is planned for children attending as well. Refreshments will also follow.

The event is free, however those planning to attend are asked to email the OCLTRG, info@oceancountyltrg.org (subject: Tickets), of their intent and number of attendees by Monday, October 21, 2013.