From the Pastor’s Desk

T here is an old song sung by Karen Carpenter that went something like this as best I can recall, “Talking to

myself and feeling small, sometimes I’d like to quit, nothing ever seems to fit, hanging around, some kind

of lonely clown, rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” I love the song, even though the theology leaves

something to be desired, the words express real human feelings. As “luck” would have it, I am writing this month’s

article on a Monday and yes, it happens to be raining, and we need the rain!

Like the much needed rain and the cloudy days are much needed; so, are the “rainy days and Mondays” of our lives; but unlike

the writer of the above popular song, don’t talk to yourself or look to yourself or your circumstances look to God and His Word:

“…do not fret – it leads only to evil.” (Psalm 37:8b)

A distinction is made in Webster’s Dictionary between the difference in the words “fret” and “worry”, not entirely the same in

meaning. Worry, according to Webster is “great care and anxiety”; whereas the meaning of the verb, “to fret” is accompanied by

severe consequences to us, “to eat away, to gnaw, to wear away, roughen, agitate, disturb.” It is one thing to talk to yourself by say-

ing, “Don’t fret”; but yet another to have a nature that only God can give us to actually be unable or not capable of fretting.

Why does it have to come from a changed nature as a gift from God? Because, again, the cure found also in Psalm 37, the pre-

ceding verse can only be obeyed with God’s help:

“Be still (or rest) before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…”

Is it really possible to “be still”, to “rest”, to “wait patiently” for the Lord when the “rainy days and Mondays” of our lives may

turn our own world upside down if even for just a season? If God’s command in Psalm 37 does not work during these times, it will

not work anywhere! This “do not” must work during our difficult days of uncertainty as well as our days of peace or it will never

work. And if it will not work in your particular case as a Christian, it cannot work for anyone else (amen?).

We must keep God’s truth before us at all times and especially if “foggy and rainy” to trust His “instrument panel” called the

Bible. First, “Being still” or “resting” in the Lord is not dependent on our external circumstances at all; but, on our relationship with

God in Christ Jesus. Second, fretting always results in sin, leads to evil and remember, harms our body. We may think fretting is an

indication of concern; but it is a much better indication of how evil or wicked we are (I know this seems harsh; but look again at

Ps.37:8b). Thirdly, fretting rises from our temptation to have our own way. Our Lord never committed the sin of fretting or worry,

He was never anxious; because His plan was to do the work and accomplish the will of His Father in heaven only. Jesus’ purpose

was never to fulfill His own plans; but to fulfill God’s plans through Him.

Remember, fretting leads only to evil. Have you been talking to yourself and not God and feeling small? Do you have the idea

that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all of your own opinions aside and your own speculations and begin by

meditating on this verse from my “quiet time” this very morning from Psalm 91:1:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”

Deliberately tell God today, right now that you will not fret about what concerns you. All our fretting results in planning without

taking God into account:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will

do this…” (Psalm 37:4,5)

Your pastor, praying for each of you to be “fret-free” by grace only,

John

A Publication of New Hope Presbyterian Church (PCA), Abbeville, SC May 2013

The Rev. John R. Fastenau, Pastor

OUR MISSION IN WORSHIP To glorify God by exalting Christ while using Biblical elements as interpreted in the rich tradition of the Reformed Faith.

By Reformed, we mean that we are of the Calvinistic heritage and ever seeking to conform our beliefs and lives to the Word of God.

NOTE FROM THE SESSION

The Session and Deacons will meet May

15, 2013. Please let the officers know of spe-

cific prayer. request or any spiritual needs you may

have.

A Monthly Devotion by John Latham

SEND A GREAT REVIVAL! ...O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!...

Habakkuk 3:2

Perhaps the most notable revival of the twentieth century happened in 1904 and 1905 in the tiny land of Wales. This revival started with a few people fervently praying. The prayers of these people had powerful results. Churches that had been one-fourth full of apathetic Christians began to come alive. The Spirit of God fell on various towns, moving everywhere. Within five months, over a hun-dred thousand people in that small land converted to Christianity! The bars in many towns had to shut down completely, and the jails were emptied and closed! Another powerful revival happened years ago on the battleship North Carolina. While this battle-ship anchored in New York harbor, four young men asked for a room where they could meet and pray. They were assigned a little room way below the waterline, and day after day they faithfully met together to pray. They prayed that God would pour His blessings upon that ship. Finally one day the Spirit of God descended, the sailors’ hearts burned within them and they knew that God was present. They began to sing praises to God, and their hymns of praise wafted up through the ship. Hearing the singing, rough sailors came down to mock the four men, but when these rough men entered the room, the power of God’s Spirit gripped them. These men fell to their knees. Eventually, hundreds converted to Christianity, and a great revival swept the entire ship. In fact, the revival carried from that ship to others. The same God who changed these men, the same God who changed Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle, can change anyone. Begin now to pray that God will bring revival to our nation, especially to the people whom you’d least expect would give their lives to Christ, He can work through you as you faithfully pray.

It (revival) is a sovereign act of God, whereby He intervenes to lift the situation completely out of human hands and works in extraordinary power.

JEFFREY KING

Taken from: New Every Morning by Dr. D. James Kennedy

Pray without Ceasing

First and foremost, when we pray God says to “keep ask-ing the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, that He may give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, SO THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM BETTER.” Ephesians 1:17

Pray for our nation and its leaders; for true spiritual re-vival; for conviction of sin; and turning back to God.

Pray for our missionaries: Guillermo Salinas, Gary Al-ward, Rick Brawner, Stephen Speaks, Rob Hamby, Will Faires, Gary Watanabe, Paul Henry, Mo Montenegro, Kristen Trace, Ryan Culbertson, Brooks Cain, Mark Faires. Additional support to Calvary Home for Children.

Pray for those in the Nursing Home: Ruby Link and Elise Kroeze.

Pray for Irene Ellis, Joyce Cooper, and Terry Love in their various struggles.

Pray for New Hope : Session, Deaconate, and Committees.

Notes from the President…Rachel Fastenau

For Zion’s sake I will not rest and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep silent, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” Isaiah 62:1

Grace and peace to you Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,

May I challenge you with something Jesus has been teaching me? It is very applicable to us as women of the church as we seek to serve. I was reading in Matthew 10 about God promising us that we will not lose our reward for even doing the littlest acts of service we do for Him. 1 Peter 4:11, "Let him who serves, serve in the strength in which God supplies, so that in everything God will get the glory."

The point is to encourage us that when we serve and keep on serv-ing, even in the small and seemingly unnoticed ways, God will never forget. Every note you write, every call you make, every visit, every act of love and kindness, every act of service out of love for God's name and glory He sees and will not forget to all eternity.

So women of the church let us love God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength, and for the sake of His name serve each other.

He will not forget. His justice guarantees it. :) Chief of sinners, serving by His grace, Rachel Fastenau

Sharing Notes

Dear New Hope Church,

Greetings from Alaska! We hope this letter finds

you all doing well and enjoying warmer weather. Thank you all so much for your commitment to

partner with us in ministering to the native people of Alaska. God has richly surrounded us with people

who support and encourage us. We are so thankful. We have enjoyed spending time with George dur-

ing his travels to and from Alaska. It will be exciting

to see the plans God has in store for him this summer and in the coming years.

We hope to see you all again sometime soon!

Mark and Nicola Faires

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dear New Hope Congregation,

On behalf of the United Christian Ministries Food

Pantry, I would like to thank you for your generous

contribution. It is because of your caring that we are able to

provide help for the needs of our community. Thank you for your continued support. Please

remember us in your prayers and may God bless you.

Sincerely, Nancy Barlow ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear New Hope family,

I wanted to let you all know that you, my church

“family”, have shown Christ’s love to me after the death of my sister, Carolyn. Each card and phone call

has meant more than you know. I love you all.

Thelma Culbreth

O ur New Hope Church

family has a very

“Special Lady” celebrating a

birthday this month. Mrs.

Ruby Link, resident at the

Abbeville Nursing Home, will be 98 years old on

May 7th. Mrs. Link is the mother of Juanita Ponds

and Rose Graham, and grandmother of Kay Jones.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Ruby!

“I have been young, and now I am old; yet I

have not seen the righteous forsaken.”

Psalm 37:25a

O n April 15, 2013, it was a privilege to

host a supper meeting for the Abbe-

ville High School (AHS) girls’ varsity and

junior varsity softball teams. This took

place as part of the meeting of the Fellow-

ship of Christian Athletes “Pro” Team-

Parents Reaching Out.

Their guest speaker was Tony Temple, Pastor at Friendship

Worship Center. “Coach T”, as he is affectionately called, had a

dynamic message for these young girls. We were very touched

by their attentiveness as he spoke.

Also present was Krystal Price, Captain of the AHS Pro

Team, and Brad Cuttill, Captain of Wright Middle School Pro

Team. Other team members attending were Lori Glace, Laura

Whitmire, William Whitmire, along with JV Coach, Renee New-

ton. Tim Collins and Lee Collins, Varsity Coaches were unable

to attend because of a death in their family.

We want to thank all of the New Hope Church family who

prepared this meal, especially to Pat Hodge for the delicious spa-

ghetti sauce. We look forward to serving in this capacity in the

future.

The Reverend Gary Alward, his wife Robin and

their children Robert, Ellie, John and Becca have been home on furlough for several months from

their Campus Outreach Ministry in Thailand. Gary and Robin have worked with students at Khon

Kaen University for many years. Robin is the

daughter of John and Sally Cook, members of New Hope Church.

On May 12th, they plan to return to Thailand and along with a portion of their current staff, start

a new region of Campus Outreach in the city of Chiang Mai. They consider it a privilege to share

their lives and love for the Lord with the Thai peo-

ple. As members of New Hope Church, we need to

pray for this special family as they make this transi-tion. As we pray, let us remember their fami-

lies..especially John & Sally, as their children and

grandchildren leave. God be with you Gary and Robin

as you continue to serve our Lord and to you Robert, Ellie, John and

Becca, as you make adjustments in this new area.

Save the Date!

When: June 29, 2013

What: Prayer Partner Workshop

Presented by Sally Cook and Gayle Ricklefs,

prayer partners for 30 years!

Where: Advent Lutheran Church in Martinez, GA.

Details to follow.....in June!

1. Searcher of hearts, from mine erase all thoughts that should not be,

and in its deep recesses trace, my gratitude to thee.

2. Hearer of prayer, O guide aright each word and deed of mine;

life’s battle teach me how to fight, and be the vict’ry thine.

3. Giver of all—for ev’ry good in the Redeemer came-

For raiment, shelter, and for food, I thank thee in his name.

4. Father and Son and Holy Ghost, thou glorious Three in One,

Thou know-est best what I need most, and let thy will be done.

Searcher of Hearts, from Mine Erase Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Psalm 139:23

Dear Friends of New Hope,

Words cannot express

how much we thank you for

all the hard work that you did in preparing

for our Pro team event this past week. Not

only that, I do not think we have met a

more welcoming bunch of folks.

We are so excited to know that you are

interested in being a part of this ministry

in the future and possibly having us back.

]

Thank you again for all the hard work

and more than anything...the welcoming

spirit.

God bless,

Krystal Price—Fellowship of Christian

Athletes (FCA)

New Hope Presbyterian Church

Presbyterian Church in America

136 Highway 71

Abbeville, SC 29620

(864) 366-5684

Email: newhopepca@wctel.net

www.nhpres.org Opportunities for Worship & Service

Sunday 9:30 a.m. Prayer Meeting

9:45 a.m. Sunday School

10:30 a.m. Fellowship Time

11:00 a.m. Morning Worship

12:00 noon Church-Wide Lunch

1:30 p.m. Afternoon Worship

Wed. 6:30 p.m. Various Meetings & Ministries

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of

Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecu-

tion or famine or nakedness or danger or

sword? As it is written: “For your sake we

face death all day long; we are considered as

sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these

things we are more than conquerors through

him who loved us. For I am convinced that

neither...height nor depth, nor anything else

in all creation, will be able to separate us

from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

Officers

Session

John Cook

Pat Hodge Barry Jones

Wayne Sears

Deacon

Richard Culbreth Glenn Ellis

Owen Uldrick

PCA General Assembly in Greenville this June

I thought I’d take the opportunity for this month’s article to mention our General Assembly (GA) meeting in Greenville coming up June 17-

21. We usually send our pastor along with one of our ruling elders. We call them Commissioners. GA is normally held in a very large city

requiring us to drive some distance or even fly but this year it’s being held in nearby Greenville. This is your opportunity to see your de-

nomination at work and worship. Visitors are welcome to observe the Assembly proceedings from the visitors section, visit the Exhibit Hall,

and attend the Worship Services. For security purposes everyone is required to wear a name badge during Assembly hours 8 a.m. – 5:30

p.m. Visitors are asked to check-in at General Assembly Registration and obtain a visitor’s name badge.

The evening Worship Services are open to the public and don’t require a badge.

There is also a Women’s Event Schedule that the ladies and families can sign up and enjoy outings during the day while the meetings are

taking place. All of this can be found online at http://www.pcaac.org/general-assembly/ There will also be a large Exhibition Hall set up

where you can browse through book sales and information booths covering many different topics of interest. General Assembly is taking

place at the TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville, SC. Please remember in prayer all of the Commissioners, visitors and

the proceedings of this year’s General Assembly.

Worship Schedule:

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Worship Service Musical Prelude

7:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Worship Service and Communion

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Worship Service

Thursday, June 20, 2013 7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Worship Service Musical Prelude

7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Worship Service

All Worship Services are held at the TD Convention Center and are open to the public.

Submitted by RE Barry Jones