McCarter Presbyterian Church is an inclusive community of faith, gathered and empowered by the Spirit of God. We declare that our mission is to proclaim and exhibit, by word and deed, the grace, mercy and love of God as revealed and made known by our Lord Jesus Christ.

7/10/16 McCarter Presbyterian Church, Lectionary Year C, Luke 10:25-37, “The One Who Showed Mercy”

by Rachel Matthews

The following excerpt from my sermon was a lengthy quote but a good reminder for us to go and do likewise:

Pope Francis named this past year The Year of Mercy for the Catholic Church.

In response to the Popes call to the church to be merciful, Vinita Hampton Wright, a senior editor at Loyola Press and writer, asks herself, “As I move through this day, how will I live mercifully? What words and actions will

express to others around me the mercy Francis is talking about?”

McCarter Messenger

“In a given day, I do ordinary things, and I traverse a fairly unexciting landscape. My mercy will not show up in grand gestures, and most of the time mercy reveals itself in fleeting moments.” Her blog gives numerous examples that are small and simple, much more accessible to you and me. “

“For example, mercy gives you his seat on the bus, acting as if he was about to get up anyway rather than making you feel that he is doing you a favor. Mercy does not let out that sigh -- you know the one -- the wordless disapproval toward the person in the check-out line ahead of you whose card didn't swipe, or who can't find her coupons, or whose toddler is having a meltdown. Mercy offers quiet sympathy and does not convey with her body language that this holdup is ruining her day. Sometimes mercy chooses not to send back the food that isn't just right, simply because the waitress looks overwhelmed.”

“When mercy has been wronged, the offended one does not make it difficult for the offender to apologize or ask forgiveness. In fact, mercy does not wait for the other's action but forgives so quickly that the person needing forgiveness is freer to ask for it. Likewise,

at work, at home or in the classroom, mercy creates an atmosphere in which a person feels safe enough to admit his mistake or ask a question. And if mercy must correct someone, it pains her to do it, and she does so gently, without vindictive relish.”

“Mercy makes a habit of giving others the benefit of the doubt. Mercy is not in the habit of sending deadly glares at people who are annoying. Mercy gives charitably, knowing that eventually someone will take advantage of his generosity. Mercy welcomes you, fully aware that this act may disrupt her own plans.”

“Mercy relinquishes control when doing so allows another person to grow and learn. Mercy makes it his business to help others succeed. Mercy clears the way for others, so that they can walk on an even path, no matter how halting their steps or injured their souls.”

“In all these situations, mercy treats power as a sacred trust. I can be merciful because I have some sort of power, the means to affect another's life, if only for a moment. I act mercifully when I use my power to do kindness in this world.” (Vinita Hampton Wright, “What does everyday mercy look like?” National Catholic Reporter, Aug. 26, 2014, https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/soul-seeing/what-does-everyday-mercy-look)

Tempie Perry

The Ladies Lunch will be on August 4th following Bible Study. This month we will be going to "Dish Out” on Wade Hampton

Blvd.  Come join us! We hope to see you there!

And…don’t forget to bring in your items for the Bazaar. September 24th will be here before you know it! Mark your calendars and tell your friends to come early for coffee and doughnuts and to stick around for our hot dog lunch.If you would like to start cleaning out closets and garages, you can bring in your donated items and place them in the choir room. Remember to price your items as you bring them in. We need jewelry, gently used clothing, home decorations, books, furniture, lamps, kitchen items, tools, etc. and anything else you think we could sell.

Did you know United Ministries is now accepting produce?  Thanks to a donation of three refrigerators and a freezer from Pendleton Street Baptist Church, you can now bring produce from your garden to share with our neighbors in need.  Please call Rosaline before bringing your produce: 864-335-2609.The next opportunity to provide a meal for the Ronald McDonald House will be August 14th. If you would like to participate in this worthwhile ministry, please sign up at the Witness and Mission table. If you are interested in helping out with the delivery, please see Carter Berry.

“Always be a little kinder than necessary.”

Watch out for children and school buses. School starts back for Greenville County students on August 16th.

Page 2

Darrell Privatte

We enjoyed a wonderful pot luck meal with our guest speakers in July. Gail Stokes, Editor of All About Seniors Magazine brought along Steven Luck who talked to us about the Silver Haired Legislature. If you missed out on this informative program, you can go to www.silverhairedleg.org and find out more. We will continue our program of Aging with Our Eyes Open this month when our guest speaker for August will be Andrea Smith from Greenville’s Senior Action program. If you are not familiar with Senior Action, you are going to be amazed and excited about all of the events, facilities, and programs that are available for you to take advantage of. The programs and services offered at Senior Action are comprehensive in nature with the goal of meeting or assisting seniors with a wide array of needs.  Seniors Action activities range from health promotion and prevention programs, fitness programs, daily meals, transportation (to and from our centers, medical appointments, as well as basic errand assistance), home care, care management, social opportunities, lifelong learning, and volunteerism. Because we value the seniors of today

and tomorrow, we are dedicated to strengthening Greenville County’s maturing population and their families by providing access to resources they need for physical, emotional and social well-being.Mark your calendar for August 28th following worship service. We’ll enjoy another covered dish meal and warm fellowship as we broaden our awareness of these special programs for seniors.

The Ten Commandments in Getting Along with People

Contributed by Tempie Perry

1. Speak to People. There’s nothing as cheerful as a word of greeting.

2. Smile at People. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.

3. Call People by Name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his own name.

4. Be Friendly and Helpful. If you want to have friends, be friendly.

5. Be Cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do were a genuine pleasure.

6. Be Genuinely Interested in People. You can like everyone if you try.

7. Be Generous with Praise. Be cautious with criticism.

8. Be Thoughtful of the Opinion of Others. There are three sides of controversy; yours, the other fellow’s and the right

9. Be Considerate of the Feelings of Others. It will be appreciated.

10. Be Alert. Give Service. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

8/1 Tempie Perry8/3 Carolyn Greene8/16 Don Fowler8/19 Judy Pew8/30 Beth Nelson

Page 3

Welcome to Kerry and Dixon Caldwell!

I would like to introduce to you our newest members, Kerry and Dixon Caldwell. Their arrival to our church family is a beautiful story of how God’s Spirit works for good. One day Kerry was in a doctor’s waiting room when she met Rev. Don Fowler, who worshipped with McCarter for many years.  Don shared with her that his favorite scripture verse was Romans 8:1. He told her about McCarter Presbyterian Church. Kerry went home and pondered their encounter. She called the church the first week that I arrived looking for his phone number and left a voicemail. I returned her call to give her his phone number and invited her to our Thursday morning Bible study. I shared with her that Don had taught the Bible study many times when it was on Wednesday but that I had had to move it to Thursday because of my schedule. Kerry showed up! She was having a spiritual awakening, I believe,

because the topics we talked about, the verses we shared and the people she met were filling her with real joy. She brought enthusiasm to our study with her curiosity and engagement with the text. She told her husband about us. She started worshipping with McCarter.  He began to see a change in her. He started worshipping with her. He says, he found a very comfortable and open home. By June, they had decided to join by reaffirmation of faith.

Kerry grew up worshipping at First Baptist Church in Greenville and had been a member of other churches during her adult years. Dixon (nickname for Donald) has a background in the Episcopal and Methodist Churches. As many people find themselves after tragedies and life’s overwhelming moments, they had been away from a worshipping community for a period of years. They have found their way to us and we rejoice! On July 3, they met with the session and joined McCarter Presbyterian Church. They have recently settled into a new apartment off of Rutherford Rd. Kerry’s plants flourish on their balcony as she carefully nurtures them through their transition. We keep Dixon in our prayers as he recovers from the removal of a carcinoma on his tongue. I know he hopes to get back to eating real food soon! We are overjoyed that they have joined us.

In Christ,

                Rachel Matthews

Dixon Caldwell

Montie BurgerRachel Burt Julie PowellEddie Sue WareBettie LandrethMartha Taylor Gina FooshangFrances KuykendallRene ChambersJade ChambersDanny FranksVonda Smith McAlisterTiffany Greer Lori BishopDeryl McKinneyShannon HighJohn and Judy PewNew Freedom Group

Page 4

Why Go To Church?

Contributed by Dan Rigby

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this…If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it…If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.  'I've gone for 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons, but for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the priests are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.'

This started a real controversy in the

'Letters to the Editor' column.   Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:  'I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!'  When you are DOWN to nothing, God is UP to something!   Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!  Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment!

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake – Beth McCullough (Rachel Matthew's mother)

2 C flour2 C sugar1 tsp cinnamon1 C water1 stick margarine (or salted butter)½ tsp salt½ C shortening4 T cocoa½ C buttermilk1 tsp baking soda1 tsp vanilla (or 1 T Kahlua)

Frosting:

1 stick margarine (or salted butter)6 T milk4 T cocoa1 box powdered sugar1 C chopped pecans1 tsp vanilla (or 1 T Kahlua)

Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Boil together water, margarine, shortening, and cocoa until

melted. Pour over flour mixture. Mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, vanilla, mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 13 ½ x 12 1/2-inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until done when tested. 

Frosting: Bring margarine, milk and cocoa to a boil and remove from stove and add 1 box of powdered sugar, 1 C chopped pecans and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix and pour over cake while still hot. Leave cake in pan. Serves 25 to 30 people. 

Substitute about 1 Tablespoon Kahlua for the teaspoon vanilla in both cake and frosting.  

It is a thicker, heavier cake if you use a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. You have to double the cooking time. Cook until the toothpick comes out clean.

Page 5

Contributed by Tempie Perry

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding...

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home

destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all overthe terminal floor.

He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride .... and he wondered. He gently went back and said, "No, I am nothing like Jesus – He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place.”

The girl gently nodded: "I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him - only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister."

Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning

and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

“The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair …”

Page 6

Luke comes home from his first day of school, and his mother asks, “What did you learn today?”

“Not enough,” Luke replies. “They said I have to go back tomorrow.”

“The Best Subject in School” by Jim Class.

“High School Math” by Cal Q. Luss.

“When Does School Start?” by Wendy Belrings.

Teacher: Class, we will have only half a day of school this morning.Class: Hooray!Teacher: We will have the other half this afternoon.

Teacher: Daniel, I’ve had to send you to the principal every day this week. What do you have to say for yourself?Daniel: I’m glad it’s Friday!

Math teacher: A man from Los Angeles drove toward New York at 250 miles per hour and a man from New York drove toward Los Angeles at 150 m.p.h. Where did they meet?Johnny: In jail!

Peter: What’s the difference between a teacher and a train?Ted: What?Peter: A teacher says, “Spit out that gum!” and a train says, “Chew! Chew!”

Teacher: Why did you eat your homework, Joe?Joe: Because I don’t have a dog.

Teacher: James, where is your homework?Pupil: I ate it.Teacher: Why?Pupil: You said it was a piece of cake!

Teacher: Why is your homework in your father’s handwriting?Pupil: I used his pen!

“God warned a man named Lot to take his wife and flee out of the city,” said the Sunday school teacher, “but Lot’s wife looked back and was turned to salt.”

A curious boy then asked, “What happened to the flea?”

Page 7