It's just . . . it's really so sad.
The training has to change in the police force. ... My dad was a cop. I believe in good cops.
We're not trying to defund the police and take all their money away.
We're trying to get them to protect us, just like they protect everybody else."
We've got to do better. ... we've got to demand better."
Doc Rivers, Coach of the LA Clippers, Aug 25, 2020.
"If you watch that video, you don't need to be Black to be outraged.
You need to be American."
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN, Aug 26, 2020
When Colin Kapernick began his protests,
it wasn't to fix a system that is broken.
It was to try to change a system that works
perfectly for the people it was built to work for.
Ryan Clark, "Get Up," ESPN, Aug 26, 2020
"I had to make a choice on what side I was going to stand on.
People need to understand--that side is not white, that side is not black,
that side is right, that side is human."
Ryan Clark, "Get Up," ESPN, Aug 26, 2020
“You don't get to disrespect Black bodies in the street
and then watch Black bodies for entertainment.”
Jemele Juanita Hill, sports journalist,
The Atlantic, Aug 27, 2020.
"We decided that it is time to take a stand today,
And we feel that with this moment, right here, today,
with my brother Ryan standing next to me,
and all my brothers standing behind me,
we wanted to show solidarity and be unified."
Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans safety, with Ryan Tannehill, QB
“We’re tired of dealing with excessive force.
We’re tired of seeing Black men and women
die in situations where they should be walking home
and spending the night with their families.”
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans
Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,
I again invite you to join us this coming Sunday for our service on Zoom. Pastor Ralph will be leading the service. Please see his weekly letter to the congregation, which is attached and below. Pastor Ralph and Jason Neal with be leading the September 6, 2020 Sunday Service.
Pastor Glorya Johnson will start on Sunday, September 13, 2020. I hope that you have marked your calendars for the Meet and Greet with Pastor Glorya, which will be on Monday, August 31st, at 4:00 P. M. (Raindate: September 3rd.).
I was asked to remind everyone that the church has been open on Sunday afternoons. This coming Sunday, it will be open from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
God Bless,
Linda
Topic: Sunday Church Service
Time: Aug 30, 2020 09:45 AM Eastern Time (Service starts 10 am)
Join Zoom Meeting (use following address)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2425544200?pwd=M3JpbUVPMWplL3FHWjlGR1pmK0c2dz09
Meeting ID: 242 554 4200
Passcode: 092003
One tap mobile
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**********
A letter from Pastor Ralph Wright
August 27, 2020
Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,
For more than forty of my fifty plus years of being an ordained Presbyterian minister I have been bi-professional. Some would use a different term, namely a Tentmaker, others would say I am a Worker-Priest. On the one hand I have secular employment, while on the other hand my religious faith and training gives me high standards to live by, as well as many challenges that are outside the bounds of my secular position. In recent years, that has ranged from working in management for charities and non-profits or working for corporations as an accountant.
How do you provide financial advice, as well show emotional or spiritual support, to a 70 year old grandmother who by herself is raising her 8 year old granddaughter? Together they live off of grandma's monthly Social Security check and a smaller pension check. Encouraging them to live a more Scriptural based life is really not sufficient, they need good financial advice and support.
Or, how do you help a young person who has lost his job due to the Corona Virus pandemic and can't seem to get unemployment benefits because his previous employer paid him as a self- employed contractor and not as an employee? How to navigate the complexities of the Department of Labor is part of the answer. Or, how do you help a drug dependent adult who feels there is not much to life since she can't handle the pressures of the college classroom and the social life of the school? This takes the help of one trained in psychology.
There are no easy answers. But the support I receive from fellow Christians, as well as social workers and financial planners, helps me address these issues and hopefully provide good advice and referrals to those in need.
The Bible is clear that tentmaking and bi-vocational ministry is a strategic plan God uses for certain individuals. Paul spent several seasons of his life as a tentmaker. Paul provided for himself at certain times by making tents, but this was not his first priority. His calling and focus was always as a missionary first. As we look at Scripture, we see that Paul actually viewed tent making as a way to further the Gospel.
In the same way, today's tentmakers missionaries have the same focus on mission work. But they also see their second job as a way to expand God's Kingdom. There is excitement watching Jesus commission some of His people as tentmakers. We recognize that, in the end, it is all about sharing the good news of the Gospel and helping people to discover themselves, and enjoy the support and the love of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
One doesn't have to be an ordained pastor to be a tentmaker. I know a number of lay people that are fantastic tentmakers. I really would like to encourage you to consider being a tentmaker as well. I can assure you it is not easy….but the emotional and spiritual rewards are great.
Peace and stay safe,
Pastor Ralph
631-475-3322–office; 631-289-5761–home: Others may answer but they will put you through.
**********
Please join us to welcome The Rev Glorya Johnson, our new pastor
Monday, August 31, 4 PM
Old South Haven Church lawn
(rain date: Thursday, Sept 3)
There will be simple refreshments and, of course, masks, distancing, and, sadly, no hugs.
We'll have a chance to introduce ourselves individually, but we'd like to also tell Glorya a little about ourselves collectively, and we need your help. Please finish this sentence:
Old South Haven Church is a place where ____________________. We'll share your collective wisdom with Glorya and each other on the 31st.
Please email your sentence to Darcy: or
Deb: deborah.mayo@stonybrook.edu or call Darcy: 631-398-0875 by Thursday. A second or third sentence is more than welcome!
Thank you and we hope to see you on Monday the 31st at 4.
**********
Again, this Saturday, August 29, we will be joining with the community's "Let's Come Together - BLM/Justice ride" through Bellport & East Patchogue, leaving from Boys & Girls Club at 4 pm.
View attachments for additional commentary.
**********
During last Sunday's sermon Pastor Wright referred to a part of Richard Thomas' weekly email " To the Choir," and suggested that it be share with "Reporter" crowd. It is extracted below. Richard weekly commentary on the Sunday service has come to be distributed to quite a few more than the formal "choir" crowd. If you would like to included on his distribution list, write him at RichardAThomas@optonline.net.
[Last Sunday was] "Public Education Sunday" and "Young Adult Volunteer Commissioning Sunday."
I don't recall any "young adult volunteers" being commissioned at an Old South Haven Church service. There may have been a service for commissioning the new Sunday School teachers on Rally Day, and some of the teachers were sometimes fairly young. Jason Neal was a Sunday School teacher in 1991 (and he preached on Youth Sunday on 03 May 1992—his sermon was on the "parable of the sower," after which we sang, "We Plow the Fields and Scatter."
In 1956, there were 136 pupils in the Sunday School, which required a staff of 19 teachers and officers. Although there were 136 registered pupils, attendance of many students was sporadic, and the record attendance on a Sunday in 1956 was 94.
There were so many kids, the church decided to pay for bus transportation to get them all to Sunday School. (The first article below is from the scrapbook of Mrs. Dorothy Jones.)
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