MESSAGE FROM THE CLERK OF SESSION (Nov. 20)
Dear YPPC Family,
Well, here we are.
Thanksgiving is next week and I am genuinely stunned and unprepared.
The question on many of our minds is how do we have a traditional Thanksgiving in the middle of a pandemic.
I am afraid that the answer is simply, we don’t.
Normally, Thanksgiving is busy and chaotic, with family and endless hours of cleaning and cooking.
As the host of these events, it is easy to forget to be truly
thankful for everything we have been given, because we simply are too
busy trying to create the feast and make sure everything is as it should
be.
Maybe having a more intimate Thanksgiving celebration will allow us to focus on being truly thankful for
all God has given us. In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul wrote,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
In Person Worship:
Rev. Marc Coker will be filling our pulpit again this Sunday as we continue to search for an interim pastor.
In compliance with the new CDC guidelines for houses of
faith released on October 28, 2020, the Session has updated our Safety
Plan to allow for congregational speaking (Call to Worship, Lord’s
Prayer, Affirmation of Faith….) and bulletins.
The bulletins will be placed in the pews and will continue to be
available online for those who wish to print and bring their own.
All other regulations remain in place as we make every effort to assure a safe worship experience.
Thank you to everyone for your cooperation, understanding, and attention to safety as worship together.
Online Worship:
We will continue to record our services for those in our family who feel safer worshipping at home.
The recordings will be available around 1:00 on Sunday afternoons on FaceBook and
yppc.org.
Stewardship:
Please remember to return your pledge cards to the church, either via mail or in the offering on Sunday.
So far, we have only received about half of the pledges we
usually get and they are critical in the planning for the upcoming year.
If you have misplaced or did not receive your
pledge card in the mail, please contact the church office (843-744-2268)
and one will be sent to you.
Halloween Candy:
This year, YPPC will not be participating in the Hanahan Parade due to the pandemic.
However, we still need your leftover Halloween candy for our Angel Tree gifts.
What is Christmas without chocolate?
We would like to include a small bag of sweet treats in the gift for each child.
If you still have any candy, please bring it to the church office.
The Angel Tree:
Covid-19 has changed how we do just about everything in our lives and our annual Angel Tree is no exception.
This year, we will only be providing a small gift package to each child who is being served by our food pantry.
The gift will consist of a new pair of pajamas, an age-appropriate game or book and some Christmas goodies.
We will also be including some underwear and socks from our Hands
of Christ inventory since these children didn’t get to participate in
Hands of Christ this year.
The total cost to provide a gift will be $25.00 per child - and we will be doing all the shopping for you.
If you would like to adopt one of these “angels” please mark your
donation “ANGEL TREE” and either place it in the offering plate or mail
it to the church office.
As always, I long for the day when
we all can be together again.
Until then, please continue to stay in touch with each other, love each other, and pray.
Happy Thanksgiving!
In Christ,
In-Person Worship Guidelines
The Session voted to resume in-person worship beginning Sunday, October 11. We understand
that many of you are uncomfortable gathering, so the service will be recorded and available
on-line thru Facebook and YPPC.org. For those of you who choose to attend the worship
service, safety will be a major concern and things will be a bit different than when we were last
together on March 15th. Our Safety Taskforce created a plan to allow for a safe worship
experience. Some of the changes are:
• Everyone over the age of 3 must wear a mask
• We will have an abbreviated service, much like we have been offering online
• The Hymnbooks and bibles have been removed from the pews and we will have no
congregational singing. You are welcome to bring your own bible.
• No bulletins. Martha will create an order of worship, just as she has been doing and
email it to you on Saturday. This will also be available on YPPC.org. You are welcome to
print out your own copy or go to YPPC.org on your phones and follow the service there.
• No nursery will be offered. Children are welcome in the worship service and activity
packets will be provided to entertain them during the sermon. Meghan will also be in
attendance to assist parents/grandparents in any way she can. We all need to be
prepared that our worship service may be a bit livelier than usual and embrace this “new
normal”
• Seating will be done on a first come, first serve basis and Ushers will seat you from the
front to the back of the sanctuary, so you may not be in your usual seat. We will make
every effort to eliminate close contact and to follow the CDC guidelines on social
distancing. At the end of the service, Ushers will release you in reverse order. If you love
sitting in the front, then get to church early. Families will be seated together, but all
others will be socially distanced.
• Ushers will greet you before entering the Sanctuary for a temperature check and to
provide masks if you do not have one.
• Our Passing of the Peace, if we include it, must be done by waving, smiles, and winks
from our seated positions. I know this is a huge sacrifice for us, but it must be done to
assure the safety of all.
• The Fellowship Building will be closed, only the Sanctuary will be open.
• The offering plate will not be passed, rather a box will be placed in the vestibule where
you can place your gifts to the church.
• No Fellowship – this may be the hardest part of all, because we enjoyed this time so
much. However, under the current pandemic, this cannot be done safely.
To make this work and to minimize risk to everyone, we need your cooperation. The last thing
anyone wants is for YPPC to be the next “hot spot”.
• Please maintain social distancing outside and inside the building.
• Please refrain from hugs, handshakes, and clustering.
• Please worship online if you are not feeling well. Most of us have had some contact with
the outside world and we need to err on the side of caution.
• Please use hand sanitizer before entering the sanctuary.
• Please be patient and understand that all new procedures are in place for the safety of
all in our congregation.
Thank you for your cooperation and dedication to a safe return to worship.
EVENTS are on hold because of theCoVid-19 virus
STAYING CONNECTED WHILE WE ARE APART
The longer we are apart, the more important it becomes for us to stay in contact with one another. We all miss worshipping together and our time of fellowship after worship, as well other times we were together. Dr. Chip reminded us every Sunday of the importance of fellowship and even though we are physically apart, we can stay connected in many ways. We can call, text, email, send notes/cards, drive by and wave, etc. Think about those who sit around you in worship, at committee meetings, at Sunday school classes, at choir or handbells, Monday morning men, the quilters, Bible study, and any other small groups. Have you been in contact lately? Also, think of our members who live at the Village, including Lynne’ mother, Bruce, and Chip’s mother, Nan, and those who had not been able to attend worship. We are a family and we need to stay connected until we can be together again.
“Spirit open my heart, to the joy and pain of living. As you love, may I love, in receiving and in giving. Spirit open my heart.”·
Letter from Rev. Dr. Donnie R. Woods Follows:
Dear Session and Members: On behalf of Charleston Atlantic Presbytery, I write to offer our
sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for the service and ministry
of your pastor, Rev. Dr. Chip Summers, who entered the Church
Triumphant on May 10, 2020. It was a great joy to know Chip and
Lynne and their love for YPPC. I join with all the churches of CAP in
offering our sympathy and condolences to Lynne and family. You
will be in our thoughts and prayers during the days and months
ahead.
The Commission on Ministry has assigned Dr. Al Eads to serve as
your temporary moderator of session. One of my primary
responsibilities as you General Presbyter is to be with you during
these times of change, and help the session develop a plan for
moving forward into a new future. I will also need to get on the
schedule to preach and talk with the congregation about next steps
for short- and long-term leadership. I will be in communication with
your Clerk of Session and Moderator in this regard. We will walk
through this valley together seeking to strengthen the ties that bind
us in Christian love.
Chip often reminded me and COM that his primary goal was to
lead the session and congregation through the process of preparing
to call your next installed pastor. All indications suggest that he
prepared you to do just that. It was his hope that you would be
prepared to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) to begin
the search in May or June of this year. COM will assign me to lead
you through the process when the session is ready to begin.
I am grateful for the session’s leadership through the CoVid-19
Pandemic and for guiding the congregation in worship, while
practicing social distancing; in addition to developing a plan for the
congregation to safely re-enter the buildings when the way is clear
to do so. The stated clerk and I will continue to share helpful
information as it become available.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in I Cor. 4 that we are engaged in
this ministry together, and therefore, let us not lose heart. We are
a connectional church and presbytery and YPPC will never walk
alone. God walks with us at all times: to bless, strengthen, and guide
us in this ministry, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.
Rev. Dr. Donnie R. Woods
General Presbyter/Pastor to Pastors
Charleston Atlantic Presbytery
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THORNWELL HOME FOR CHILDREN
Building
Tomorrows Families
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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
You are doing the hard work of
leading during this season of uncertainty! Thank you for your commitment
to your church and organizations like Thornwell.
Thanks to support from congregations
like yours, we are making a difference in the lives of children and
families across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. We hope you are inspired
and uplifted by the difference you are making for so many.
Your continued support is critical—both as an act of faithful stewardship
and a loving commitment to helping the children and families who need it
the most.
We would be honored to partner with you in ministry to children and
families. Your support, whether it’s financial contributions or in-kind
donations, will provide safe and loving homes, supportive therapy and
counseling, educational resources, and access to daily meals for the most
vulnerable children and families in our communities.
Together, we can bring hope, healing,
and wholeness to children and families in the name of Jesus Christ. We
are praying daily with and for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact
me to learn more about Thornwell and how you can partner with
us to serve children and families in your community.
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LETTER FROM THE PASTOR MARCH 20, 2020
Dear YPPC,
Last year, the session began looking into ways to modernize our church financial
system. We now have members who prefer to give by bank draft or credit
card instead of mailing their gift or putting it in the plate. The
budget and finance committee have finished their work and are ready to
offer these options to the church. Please see below for the details.
The committee’s work now seems providential in light of the current
pandemic. It may be several months before we are able to again worship
together the way we always have. In the meantime, it is vital that we
continue to support the church financially. I know there are some of our
members who are going to struggle economically to get through this hard
time. That makes it all the more important for those of us less
affected to keep our pledges up to date. These new gift-giving options
will help in that regard.
Sometimes God
calls us to live up to the faith we proclaim. I believe this is one of
those times. When the normal comforts and protections are removed, then
we must act on those beliefs that are most firmly held. These are the
days when we are called to live bravely in the midst of trouble,
confident that God will not desert us. The One who has always been our
shield and defender will see us through.
May the Lord bless you and keep you...
Dr. Chip
FROM YOUR PASTOR
HERE WE GO!
At
its meeting on Sunday, February 16, the Session passed the following
motion, “That the Session instruct the Nomination Committee to recruit
five people to act as a Pulpit Nominating Committee for the purpose
of seeking an installed pastor.”
After much prayer and deliberation, the Session believes it is
time to step out in faith and return our church to the position of
having its own installed pastor. There are several steps involved in the
process OF which you will want to be aware.
· When the
Nominating Committee has recruited a slate of five people, a
congregational meeting will be called to elect a Pulpit Nominating
Committee. Those five names will be placed in nomination and the floor
will be opened for further nominations. When the nominations cease, five
will be elected.
· Before starting their search, the PNC
will hold several congregational gatherings to ask the congregation what
talents and abilities they want in a pastor. Presbytery will send
representatives to help with this process. With the congregation’s
advice and consent, the PNC will create a profile of the person they are
seeking.
· Once the PNC is elected, the Session has no
further input into their activities. A PNC is a congregational committee
and reports only to the congregation at a formally called
congregational meeting. Their activities and deliberations are to remain
secret during their search.
· When the search is complete
and they are ready to present a name, a congregational meeting will be
called and the PNC will present a name to be voted on.
The decision
to seek an installed pastor now is an act of faith. It shows our
confidence that God has a future for this church in the days and years
ahead. We are stepping out into the unknown believing that God will
guide our journey.
Dr. Chip
SCOUT NEWS
CUB SCOUT PACK 409 for boys ages 7 -10 years old. Meets each Sunday at 4:00pm in Memorial Hall. Meetings at the Church are temporarily cancelled.
BOY SCOUT TROOP 409 for young men 11 years through 17 years old. Meets each Tuesday at 6:30 pm upstairs in the
Ministry Center.
Meetings at the Church are temporarily cancelled.
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