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July 2010
From Where I Sit

At the start of the Revolutionary War, Horace Walpole declared on the floor of the British Parliament, "Cousin America has eloped with a Presbyterian parson." That parson was John Witherspoon, Presbyterian pastor and President of the College of New Jersey in Princeton. King George III added, "If we close the gutter beds of sedition, we would put an end to the rebellion in the colonies." The gutter beds were the pulpits of the Reformed family of congregations, Anglicans, Congregationalists, Dutch and German Reformed, Baptist and Presbyterians.

These denominations contributed to the revolutionary cause and participated in the shaping of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Eleven members of the Continental Congress were Presbyterians. Physician Benjamin Rush, lawyer James Wilson, along with John Witherspoon helped shape Thomas Jefferson's Declarations of Independence. It was these Presbyterian elders and pastor who saw to it that the Declaration included such words and phrases as "God the Creator, Provider, Judge, the source of nature and nature's laws, that all are created equal and endowed by God with certain inalienable rights, among them, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that just governments derive their authority and powers from the consent of the governed." Presbyterians served in the army as officers, soldiers and chaplains. Presbyterian Churches served as ammo dumps for the Continental Army.

Those of us in the Reformed Faith have since the conception of our country been involved in politics, education, medicine, business, law, social services, the Armed Forces, and in countless other ways. We have a proud history and because of it, we too must continue the legacy.

What are some things we can do? We can learn more about our history and involvement in it. We can find ways we can be engaged in building up our community and nation. We can pray, honor and support those in public life. We can champion the cause, as the prophets declared, widows, orphans, the poor, the oppressed and the strangers among us. We can put our collective wisdom and passions together and discern what God's will is for New Covenant Presbyterian Church as it seeks to be a missional church serving our community. And, we can tone down the rancor that is tearing apart the fabric of our democracy. Hate, lies, cutting down elected officials, denouncing someone for holding a different point of view from any side of the political debate tarnishes our great heritage.

Have a great 4th, and give thanks for our great country.

Rev. Keith Koch

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One Great Hour of Sharing

Jesus said, "Feed my Sheep."

Our gifts through the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering and Fish Banks totaled $1,555.60 this year. Thank you for your generous support to help people throughout the world through the programs and projects of Self-Development of People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Church World Service... all ministries of hope!

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Cans (and more) for the Reno County Food Bank

Next Sunday ...or any Sunday, please bring cans (and more!) to the Food Bank Basket or Box in the hallway at Forest Park. The Food Bank currently needs:

canned meats...pasta...pasta sauce...cereal...canned fruits

During the month of April, 173 pounds of food items and 5 pounds of non-food items have been delivered to the Food Bank. Thank you! Let's fill the basket and box again and again!

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Welcome!
YMCA Child Care Kids

Noise, Noise, Noise... There is going to be lots of noise! The noise of a million kids! Okay, not quite a million, but close to 40! WE are going to have a bunch of kids in the building this summer!

Starting on Tuesday, June 1 the YMCA Child Care Program will be using our facilities as one of the summer program locations.

The "Y" kids will be in the building from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday until school starts again in August!

This is a great opportunity for us to reach out to kids and their families here in the Hutchinson community. But it will require something of each of us. It will require patience on our part. Kids are loud and messy and rambunctious. We patiently show them love anyway! Parents will be in and out of the building picking up and dropping off their little ones. They will be stressed, rushed, and worn out from very busy lives that demand that they leave their kids somewhere all day long. They need our reassurance that we love them and are glad they are in our building. "Y" workers will be at a breaking point almost constantly from nine hours a day dealing with loud kids and stressed parents. They need to experience our love and support while they share our space!

The men's and women's restrooms in the main hallway will be reserved for kids only when the "Y" kids are in the building. (This is State Red Tape -- Not the YMCA's idea.) All adults should use the new restroom located in the entryway to the nursery if you are in the building while the "Y" kids are using our facilities. We are sorry for this inconvenience and we appreciate your cooperation!

It's going to be a great summer!
What could be better than a church full of kids?!?
Let's make them feel welcome!