Check us out on the Web at www.pinestreet .org

By Russell Sullivan

Summer adult forums always promise growth and insight for those who attend. An interesting line-up of teachers and diverse subjects awaits us this summer. All classes are in the Fellowship Hall at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Make note of these offerings:

On June 6 and 13 Dr. David True, the Associate Professor of Relig-ion at Wilson College, will be our teacher. Dr. True hails from Ken-tucky and holds a Ph.D. in theol-ogy and ethics from Union-PSCE in Richmond, Va. His subject will be “Faith and Politics.” On June 6 he will focus on “The Problem with Politics” and will use the life and work of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr to explore the limits and possibilities of politics for the Christian. He continues on June 13 by examining Niebuhr and will look at ways people of faith can appropriate his legacy to address the challenges our politics faces.

On June 20 and 27 we are joined by our missionaries to Lithuania, Eric and Becky Hinderliter. They will explore how the church can be both faithful and effective in its practices. The way we engage in mission in the 21st century is very different from the past. Mis-sion today is decentralized and emphasizes partnerships and the idea of “global discipleship.”

On July 4 and 11, I will teach on

“Christianity and the Religions” and raise some important topics we face daily: How do we affirm the uniqueness of Christ within a religiously diverse world? Is there only one way to God? How will God deal with followers of other faiths? And why is interfaith dia-logue so important?

On July 18 our youth will tell us (Continued on page 3)

Volume 30, Issue 5

ADULT FORUMS PROMISE INSIGHT ON DIVERSE SUBJECTS

May 1 , 2010

PSL deadline

• Articles for the June issue of Pine Street Life are due by May 15. They can be emailed to:

sstallsmith@pinestreet.org

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Vacation Bible School 2

MAPS: Evensong 3

Session Notes 3

May scripture 4-5

Pine Street Youth Groups 5

DDB 6

May calendar 7

PINE STREET LIFE

F A I T H J O U R N E Y T A K E S U - T U R N A T OX F O R D

On March 21, I debuted my cassock for the first time in worship. During that service I gave an explanation as to why I was wearing the cassock and its significance to my walk as a Chris-tian. I wore the cassock again when I preached on Good Friday where I found myself having to explain to many people who were absent March 21 why I was wearing the cassock.

A parishioner then suggested I take some time to explain the meaning and

significance of the cassock in a PSL article and, upon reflection, I decided to follow her advice.

When I was growing up, I attended a Presbyterian church in my hometown of Fredericksburg, Va. I was extremely involved in the life of the church until I was confirmed as a member in sev-enth grade. I knew almost nothing about Christianity at the time, but what

(Continued on page 2)

Looking ahead to June

• MAPS: Closing concert (works of Bob Chilcotte), June 4

• Men’s breakfast, Kitchen Maintenance cleaning, Shawl Ministry, June 12

• Trustees meeting, Deacons meeting, June 15

• Presbytery meeting (Great Conewago Church), June 22

• Youth leave on mission trip to Chicago, June 27

• New members picnic, June 27

• Central Pa. Forum for Relig-ion and Science, June 28

Rev. Alex Lang

Page 2

COME TO GOD’S “BIG BACK

YARD”

for Vacation Bible

School from 6 to 8:30

p.m. on June 14-18 at

Faith United Church of

Christ in New

Cumberland. Our theme

is “God’s Big Back

Yard” and we will be

learning about service.

There is no cost, but

volunteers are welcome!

You may sign up in the

gathering place at the

Welcome Center or

contact Cheryl Goode at

cgoode@pinestreet.org.

Directions to the church

will be available at the

Welcome Center.

Volume 30, Issue 5

PINE STREET LIFE (USPS 574-510) is published monthly by Pine Street Presbyterian Church, 310 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

PERIODICALS Postage paid at Harrisburg, PA 17105

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pine Street Life, Pine Street Presbyterian Church, 310 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101

was made very clear to me was that, upon being confirmed, I would be able to make a choice concerning my involvement in the church. Like many of my peers, I abandoned church for the rest of my high school years. When I arrived at Rice University, I checked on my housing form that I did not wish to live with anyone who drank alcohol. Unfor-tunately, I did not realize that this meant I would be grouped to-gether with the fundamentalist Christians on campus, the only other people who did not drink alcohol.

Being that I enjoyed religious discussions, I found myself im-mediately debating my room-mates about the validity of the Christian faith. At the time, my religious understanding of the world revolved around pluralism (which is a fancy way of saying I felt all religions were equally valid, all providing important truths about life). The problem was I had no way of proving this point of view because I knew virtually nothing about any of the world religions, especially Christi-anity.

Nonetheless, I felt I was right and if they would just see things my way then everything would be so much better. Therefore, I re-solved that I would dedicate my life to proving this point. I changed my major from com-puter engineering to religious studies and began my journey to disprove the perception that Christianity had a monopoly on absolute truth.

Then the problems began.

I started studying all of these various religions and I found that my presupposition concerning the universality of all religions was undeniably false. All religions were not equally valid. Once you

began delving into the belief structures and theological sys-tems of the various world relig-ions, one finds very quickly that there is not the cohesion so many people assume is present. Thus, I was forced to reverse my stance and promote an agnostic view of religion. I essentially held that religion could never fully represent God and, thus, all relig-ions were simply man-made in-ventions used to understand God.

During my sophomore year , I made a decision that I needed a change. I applied to Oxford Uni-versity in England to study abroad for a year. The great thing about Oxford is you can study virtually whatever your heart desires and you will have some of the best scholars in the world to guide you in your quest for knowledge. I wrote down that I wanted to study theology, so my counselor sent me to the people in Oxford who knew the most about theology — monks. There was one monk in particular who was very influential in transform-ing my faith: Henry Wansbrough, a Benedictine monk and transla-tor of the “New Jerusalem Bible.”

Father Wansbrough brought the scriptures to life for me in a way that no one ever had before. He helped me to understand the Christian faith is not simply an intellectual pursuit you either believe or don’t believe, but something that transforms your entire person. One is not made Christian so much by the dogma

and doctrine to which one sub-scribes, but by the lived experi-ence of being Christian and as-suming the identity of Jesus in every aspect of one’s life. Father Wansbrough, through his very life, showed me that the core of Christianity is the transformation of people through God’s Spirit. Apart from this transformation, Christianity becomes nothing more than a series of intellectual talking points about God.

Eventually, I let down my guard enough to experience this trans-formation for myself and came to believe in Father Wansbrough’s teachings. I found God working through my life, slowly helping me to become more like Jesus. God changed me in ways I never thought possible and I soon real-ized I wanted to dedicate my life to helping others experience this same transformation. Therefore, I changed my career path for the final time and decided to set my sights on attending seminary to become a pastor. Almost nine years later I have achieved that goal and am serving God’s peo-ple as the associate pastor of Pine Street Presbyterian Church.

The cassock I wear is designed in the style of the cassock worn by Father Wansbrough. Although I have stripped the cassock of Catholic symbolism, it is my way of paying homage to the man who is responsible for bringing me to the Christian faith. For me, the cassock is a visible reminder of where I was and how far I have come in my own faith journey. However, you will not see me wearing the cassock every Sun-day, but rather, only on the Sun-days when I preach. The reason for this is that Father Wans-brough transformed my life through his teachings. In the same way, my hope and my prayer each time I have the privi-lege to proclaim God’s Word to you in the pulpit is that you will be moved to experience the transformation of Christ in your own lives.

(Continued from page 1)

PA R S O N

HENRY WANSBROUGH

Pine Street Li fe

By Thomas Clark-Jones

Ten singers from the choir are preparing a wonderful service of Choral Evensong for the Feast of the Ascension. We will ob-serve this important festival of the church year a day late … at 7:30 p.m. on May 14.

This beautiful service dates back to earliest Christianity and includes some of the most beautiful prayers ever written. In addition, it allows for a won-derful variety of music to adorn the liturgy for the particular day of the year.

In this service we will sing the Canticles of Herbert Murrill, the Psalms will be sung in Anglican Chant and the Preces and Re-sponses are by Thomas Clark-Jones. The group will also pre-sent Gerald Finzi’s thrilling an-them, “God Is Gone Up.”

The service will be followed by the performance of the “Ascension Suite” by the 20th Century French composer, Oliv-ier Messaien. The magnificent musical language of Messaien suspends time and takes one into a mystical world of sound

where emotion and Christian fervor intertwine to frame some of the most sublime musical utterances of the century.

Dr. Shirley King, organist at Dickinson College in Carlisle will be the recitalist. She has spe-cialized in this music for many years and plays with distinction and authority. Receiving her degrees from the University of Kansas, she taught in several Midwestern institutions before coming East to work at Dickin-son. Beyond her duties at the College, she is organist of First

Presbyterian Church, Carlisle and is the general chair of the Region III Convention of the American Guild of Organists, which will be held in Harrisburg (partly at Pine Street) during late June 2011. She has also been the national secretary of the American Guild of Organists for two terms.

Come and enjoy this superb music presented by our own choristers and Dr. King. Free parking will be available at the South Street Garage. There will be no charge for this event.

Page 3

C E L E B R A T E F E A S T O F T H E A S C E N S I O N T H R O U G H C H O R A L E V E N S O N G B Y MAPS

all about their mission trip to Chicago. Come out and hear about their experiences in the inner city, their work with the homeless and underprivileged children, and the literacy project that will bring great benefits to the children they will serve.

And then on July 25, all-time favorite, Lee Barrett, professor of Theology at Lancaster Theo-logical Seminary, will examine with us the popular novel “The Shack.” If you haven’t read it yet, get a copy. “The Shack” is about a man who has suffered a tragic and cruel loss and his

encounter with God. You’ll come away with questions about the Trinity and suffering that Lee will try to answer. Don’t miss this interesting class!

Mark Englund-Krieger, the ex-ecutive presbyter of the Presby-tery of Carlisle, will join us on Aug. 1 and 8 and will present a new book he has written “The Presbyterian Pendulum: Seeing Providence in the Wild Diversity of the Church.” His book is a study of the significant social and political issues to which the church responded throughout the twentieth century. Englund-Krieger believes the Presbyte-rian Church “is at its best when the wild diversity of worldviews, theological perspectives and convictions are encouraged.”

Hats off to him for writing a compelling study!

We wrap up the summer with reports on our congregation’s dedicated mission work of this year. On Aug. 15 our Eco-Team will be in the spotlight. On Aug. 22, we’ll hear from our Arizona missioners, and then on Aug. 29, join the Mission Committee as it explores a Presbytery spon-sored mission trip to Latvia and Lithuania.

Sept. 5 will feature an intergen-erational educational event for the whole church.

Place these dates on your calen-dar. It’s going to be an interest-ing and engaging journey into learning this summer!

(Continued from page 1)

Approved a motion from the Mission

Committee that Pine Street

participate in the Haiti Relief

Recovery Reconstruction as

developed by the Presbytery of

Carlisle, by making hygiene

kits and school kits. Members

of Pine Street will be asked to

bring supplies into the church.

The kits will then be assembled

and taken to the UMCOR

site in Mechanicsburg for

distribution in Haiti.

The Worship Committee will begin holding Healing Services as

part of the regular worship

service. Communion will be

serve by intinction at both

services, and elders will be

available for prayers and

anointing for those who desire

it. This will occur six times a

year.

Approved a motion to invite Messiah

College’s Central Pa. Forum

for Religion and Science on

June 28 and July 12, 19 and

26 to present Dr. Ted Davis

in a community-wide forum on

“Science and the Bible.”

The Lenten Study “Angels Point the

Way to Easter” was very well

received with approximately 50

people attending in six groups

at various locations.

The communications subcommittee of

the Evangelism committee

continues to work on upgrading

and redesigning the church

Web site.

F O R U M S

Page 4 Volume 30, Issue 5

M A Y S C R I P TU R E

Saturday, May 1 Exodus 40:18-38 Psalm 92 Matthew 5:38-48

Sunday, May 2 Acts 11:1-18 Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 Sermon: The Rev. Russell Sulli-van preaching

Monday, May 3 Leviticus 16:1-19 Psalm 97 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Tuesday, May 4 Leviticus 16:20-34 Psalm 98 Matthew 6:7-15

Wednesday, May 5 Leviticus 19:1-18 Psalm 99 Matthew 6:19-24

Thursday, May 6 Leviticus 19:26-37 Psalm 47 Matthew 6:25-34

Friday, May 7 Leviticus 23:1-22 Psalm 96 Matthew 7:1-12

Saturday, May 8 Leviticus 23:23-44 Psalm 92 Matthew 7:13-21

Sunday, May 9 Acts 16:9-15 Psalm 67 Revelation 21:10, 21:22-22:5 John 14:23-29 Sermon: The Rev. Alexander Lang, preaching

Monday, May 10 Leviticus 25:35-55 Psalm 97 Matthew 13:1-16

Tuesday, May 11 Leviticus 26:1-20 Psalm 98 Matthew 13:18-23

Wednesday, May 12 Leviticus 26:27-42 Psalm 99 Matthew 22:41-46

Thursday, May 13 Daniel 7:9-14 Psalm 47 Matthew 28:16-20

Friday, May 14 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Psalm 96 Matthew 7:22-27

Saturday, May 15 Numbers 11:16-17, 24-29 Psalm 92 Matthew 7:28-8:4

Sunday, May 16 Acts 16:16-34 Psalm 97 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17

The crew from the Sportsman Channel, Comcast and Sportsmen Against Hunger came to Downtown Daily Bread for the Hunt.Fish.Feed.Harrisburg initiative in March. They brought elk meat, prepared chili and served it to more than 150 Downtown Daily Bread clients. The initiative is a “unique public affairs program that taps a new food source of game meat and fish donated by sportsmen to help in the fight against hunger.” The group travels to a different city each month with donated meat and the ingredients to create a dish to serve. Harrisburg is by far the smallest city on this year’s tour. The group also visited Las Vegas and St. Paul, Minn. It will travel to Houston, Chicago, Portland, Milwaukee, San Diego, Tampa and Pensacola.

Pine Street Li fe

By Alexander Lang

Our first school year of youth group is rapidly coming to a close and I can’t tell you how pleased I’ve been with the re-sponse of the youth to our new programs. As the summer ap-proaches, we are shifting gears and moving into a different phase of the program. The sum-mer provides the youth group with a number of special oppor-tunities that are not available during the school year.

Unlike many youth groups that break for the summer, I prefer to continue my programming throughout the year. One as-pect about youth group that is different during the summer is that I can hire interns to help me work with the Junior Youth Fellowship.

These interns are high school students who have an interest and desire to deepen their faith and learn about youth ministry. They will be tasked with the oversight of the JYF — writing lesson plans, running weekly youth groups, overseeing the summer retreat. Most impor-tantly, they will become an inte-gral part of the lives of our jun-ior high youth, forming relation-ships that will lay the founda-tion for their faith journey.

Another aspect to the summer season is that we have a lot more time for mission. Every-one is aware that the senior high youth group will be taking a mission trip to Chicago to work with the inner city poor. However, when we return from Chicago, the senior high will be working closely with the Hansel and Gretel Early Learning Cen-ter to help the inner city pre-schoolers of Harrisburg improve their transition to kindergarten by helping them become more

literate.

Beyond this, we will continue to have our weekly youth groups and, of course, there will be myriad fun activities — movie nights, pool parties, trips to amusement parks and the list goes on.

The summer is a special time for youth group and I encourage you to ask our youth about all our activities so you too can get a taste for the excitement.

Page 5

SU M M E R B R I N G S N E W AC T I V I T I E S FO R P I N E S T R E E T YO U T H G RO U P S

M A Y S C R I P TU R E

John 17:20-26 Sermon: The Rev. Russell Sullivan preaching

Monday, May 17 Joshua 1:1-9 Psalm 97 Matthew 8:5-17

Tuesday, May 18 1 Samuel 16:1-13a Psalm 98 Matthew 8:18-27

Wednesday, May 19 Isaiah 4:2-6 Psalm 99 Matthew 8:28-34

Thursday, May 20 Zechariah 4:1-14 Psalm 47 Matthew 9:1-8

Friday, May 21 Jeremiah 31:27-34 Psalm 96 Matthew 9:9-17

Saturday, May 22 Ezekiel 36:22-27 Psalm 92 Matthew 9:18-26

Sunday, May 23 Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b Romans 8:14-17 John 14:8-17 Sermon: The Rev. Russell Sullivan preaching

Monday, May 24 Proverbs 3:11-20 Psalm 5 Matthew 11:1-6

Tuesday, May 25 Proverbs 4:1-27 Psalm 42 Matthew 11:7-15

Wednesday, May 26 Proverbs 6:1-19 Psalm 89:1-18 Matthew 11:16-24

Thursday, May 27 Proverbs 7:1-27 Psalm 97 Matthew 11:25-30

Friday, May 28 Proverbs 8:1-21 Psalm 51 Matthew 12:1-14

Saturday, May 29 Proverbs 8:22-36 Psalm 104 Matthew 12:15-21

Sunday, May 30 Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 Sermon: The Rev. Russell Sullivan preaching

Monday, May 31 Memorial Day

Church/Boyd Offices Closed Ecclesiastes 2:1-15 Psalm 57 Matthew 13:44-52

By Elaine Strokoff

The Doctors Kienle chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Soci-ety (GHHS) was initiated at Penn State College of Medicine in 2003. Each year, a select num-

ber of graduating medical stu-dents are nominated by fellow students for induction into the Society. Nominations are based on a com-bination of clinical skills and compas-sion in medicine. Each year, members of the GHHS partici-pate in a community service project.

This year, we expressed interest in bringing a life skills session to the clients of Downtown Daily Bread. We have organized an hour-long presentation designed

to help prepare individuals for job interviews. Our emphasis is placed on basic communication

skills necessary to impress employers and secure jobs.

We also wish to dis-cuss some basic aspects of job inter-viewing, such as the

resume and what consists of appropriate attire. Our hope is to aid those in search of occupa-tion, providing them with basic skills that will prove helpful when applying for a job.

Page 6

PA I R P ROVE T H AT S O M E T I M E S H E L P ON LY N E E D E D O N S E A S O N A L BA S I S

Volume 30, Issue 5

Downtown Daily

Financial picture for

March

Year to date pledges

received

$110,646.97

Year to date budgeted

pledges

$141.640.74

Pledges in arrears

-$30,993.77

By David An DDB client counselor

Several clients were here tempo-rarily due to the season and their line of work.

For instance, I had one guy who worked for a circus and one who worked for a fair. Obviously in the winter they do not work. They're getting ready to head back on the road to tour across the coun-try to run those fairs and cir-cuses. Their hours are long and the work is hard, but they get paid well and can always rely on going back to work in March.

For them this agency provided them with warm meals, hot showers, clothing and other per-sonal care items (deodorant, razors, etc.). Although they were on unemployment, it was not enough to pay for a place to stay. They utilized the shelters and other social services to get by.

I spoke to both clients personally to learn about their situation and why they were here. In general they had "business" to take care of in Harrisburg. This can involve visiting family or friends. Fre-quently people are bound to come back to Harrisburg to take care of legal issues, which is

sometimes described as "business."

Either way neither client had saved enough to have a place to live during the off-season. One of the clients were reassured they would be able to stay with their family only to come here and be put out on the street. We pro-vided them with their sustenance during one of the harsher winters we've seen in years. I had greatly encouraged them to think about this past winter as they were working and traveling.

I advised them to save some money and perhaps stay some-where warmer next year. Al-though they were very polite, cooperative and sometimes help-ful (giving back by cleaning out the showers when everyone was finished, keeping an eye on the clothing room while it was open, or organizing the clothing room) I had to give them positive advice

in terms of their future and the next winter / off-season.

I would love to see them again and have positive attitudes around our agency, but I would like it even more if those gentle-men have a place to stay during the winter or spend their winter somewhere warm.

I guess the point is, we run into many people seeking assistance; including low income, fixed in-come and transients Although these men were homeless, it was a temporary situation rather than ongoing and cyclical. They were no stranger to the streets so I assume this has happened to them in the past. Hopefully I will receive some postcards soon with their reassurance of taking care of themselves this winter.

Also something interesting to note. A few of the "regulars" who have been around for years have gone to Carlisle and Lebanon to seek services due to the pro-grams available to them. I be-lieve they have a little more in terms of shelters, and shelter programs. Although many people have told me that guys go over there and find women that will take them in, which is also inter-esting. It’s just something to think about.

“I would like it even more if those gentle-men have a place to

stay during the winter or spend their

winter somewhere warm.”

Pine Street Li fe Page 7

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 Spaghetti dinner and silent auction, 4:30

2 Kirkin’ of the Tar-tan, 11 a.m.; Teach-ers picnic, 1:30; Officers training, 4; SYF, 5

3 Interfaith Service for the Common-wealth, 5:30

4 Staff Worship, 8:45 a.m.; Staff meeting, 9:10 a.m.; Session meeting, 7:30

5 JYF, 6; Adult Handbell Choir, 7:30

6 Chamber Singers rehearsal, 6:30; Chancel Choir rehearsal, 7:30

7 8 Men’s breakfast, 8 a.m.; Stephen Ministry training retreat, 9 a.m.; Kitchen maintenance cleaning, 9:30 a.m.; Shawl Ministry 10 a.m.

9 Children’s Choir practice, 9:30 a.m.; SYF, 5

10 Adult Education Task Force meet-ing, 6

11 Staff Worship, 8:45 a.m.; Staff meeting, 9:10 a.m.; Program Committee meeting, 7

12 JYF, 6; Stephen Ministry training, 6:30; Adult Hand-bell Choir, 7:30

13 Chamber Singers rehearsal, 6:30; Chancel Choir rehearsal, 7:30

14 Evensong for Ascension, 7:30

15

16 Children’s Choir practice, 9:30 a.m.; SYF, 5; Taize Service, 7

17 18 Staff Worship, 8:45 a.m.; Staff meeting, 9:10 a.m.; Trustees meeting, Noon

19 JYF, 6; Stephen Ministry training, 6:30; Adult Hand-bell Choir, 7:30

20 Chamber Singers rehearsal, 6:30; Chancel Choir rehearsal, 7:30

21 22 Deacons retreat, 9 a.m.

23 Children’s Choir practice, 9:30 a.m.; Every Member birthday, 12:30 SYF, 5; Recital, 7:30

24 25 Staff Worship, 8:45 a.m.; Staff meeting, 9:10 a.m.; Admin. & Finance committee, 7

26 JYF, 6; Adult Handbell Choir, 7:30

27 Chamber Singers rehearsal, 6:30; Chan-cel Choir rehearsal, 7:30; Personnel Com-mittee meeting, 7:30

28 29

30 Children’s Choir practice, 9:30 a.m.

31 Memorial Day

Church and Boyd Offices Closed

May 2010

The Congrega-tional Life com-mittee is hosting the second an-nual “Every Mem-ber Birthday Party.”

Regardless of when your birth-day is, or how young or old you are, we encour-age you to attend. Each table will be

decorated for one of the 12 months of the year, and you may sit at the month of your choice. We

will be serv-

ing lunch right after the 11 a.m. service and enjoying fellow-ship on this Pen-

tecost Sunday. The garage will be open until 3 p.m. to accommodate parking for the event.

The cost is $5 per adult and $3 for children 12 and under. Please make sure to sign up at the Wel-come Center to-day!

IT’S EVERYBODY’S BIRTHDAY

Check us out at pinestreet.org

Pine Street Presbyterian Church 310 North Third Street Harrisburg, PA 17101