the bellringer...the bellringer . govans presbyterian church newsletter page 3 (continued from page...

GOVANS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

5828 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212 Tel. 410-435-9188 www.govanspres.org

Dear Friends, The enthusiasm and support from the congregation about the Haiti trip and the or-phanage of Kay Papa Nou have been wonderful. As the Haiti travelers have said, we did not know what God had in store for us in Haiti. We certainly did not expect a need so specific as an orphanage faced with eviction to be placed in our laps. Yet, this is in fact how God’s call often works. If we go through life with open and compassionate hearts, God will call us to opportunities for service to those in need. Of course, if we are to live into God’s calling we must be willing to respond and take action. “Be doers of the word and not merely hearers.” (James 1:2). Govans Church has responded gen-erously by meeting the immediate need of rent and going further to provide mattresses for the children. Now we are called to continue forward in relationships with David and Danny and the children of Kay Papa Nou. We must proceed again with open and com-passionate hearts listening for what God is calling us to do next. Peace, Tom

Haiti Sermon - March 9, 2008 - Rev. Tom Harris

Today I would like to deliver a message to you from the entire group that traveled to Haiti. Every member of the group has listened to this message and made changes and suggestions and I am delivering it to you on their behalf. From the first planning stages our trip to Haiti has been about building relationships with Haitian people. We did not bring along any hammers or lumber or shovels. We just took ourselves and open hearts and minds. Partly as a result of that approach we believe an opportunity has arisen for this church to do something wonderful. So I want to begin by telling you about four people we have come to know during our time in Haiti. Michael is an American man who was serving as a monk in Mother Teresa’s monas-tic order, the Missionaries of Charity. He was serving in a ministry in Cambodia that provided night shelter for street children. While doing that work he received a call from God to do something more. After much prayer and discernment he left the order and began creating a home for street boys in Haiti. That community has grown over the years to include three communities and produced educated, productive, caring mem-bers of Haitian society. The next person to tell you about is one of the boys who grew up under Michael’s care. Bill was orphaned as a young boy and Roman Catholic sisters found a woman to take care of him. But, those sisters did not realize that the woman quickly made Bill into a restivick, a young child who serves in Haitian homes as a domestic slave. Bill was not made a member of the family. He was made a servant to the woman and the other members of the household and he was beaten and abused. When the Catholic sisters heard how Bill was being treated they took him away from this woman and brought him to St. Joseph’s to live with Michael and the boys of that family. At St. Jo-seph’s Bill

(Continued on page 3)

April 2008

Thank You and Kay Papa Nou

2

Tom’s Sermon March 9, 2008

3

Birthdays & Tales from the Crypts

4

Focus on Confir-mands

5

Upcoming 6

Calendar 7

Inside this issue:

From the Pastor’s Study

The Bellringer (Please read this issue)

Gabby

The Bellringer . Govans Presbyterian Church Newsletter

Opportunity

What if you were denied a home because you were a woman, because you had a child, or because your skin was dark? Such

treatment is both illegal and unfair, but it occurs every day. Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc. (BNI) is a 48-year-old civil

rights agency dedicated to fighting discrimination in housing. BNI serves all of Central Maryland and beyond. Willing vol-

unteers are needed to help in the fight for fair housing. If you are interested in this worthwhile effort, please contact BNI’s

fair housing office at 410-243-4400 or www.bni-maryland.org. Volunteer “testers” are carefully trained and are paid a small

Letters - Thanks: Giving and Receiving

********************

Dear Friends, I am grateful to everyone who has participated in

discussions around my decision not to sign marriage li-censes (see March Bellringer). Those who agree, those who disagree and those in the middle have expressed themselves thoughtfully and lovingly. There has been a strong desire expressed to process this decision and its im-plications as a community. We are a community and in an effort to honor that community I am postponing my decision so we can work through this together.

Peace, Tom

******************** Friends, “We praise Jesus our Lord for that good spirit and the wisdom He have given to you. Danny and I are thankful to you for that great job that you are doing for the advance-ment of the work we're holding for our God in Haiti. Your hard work in the States won’t be in vain, because you are building the kingdom of God in transforming the Haitian children's lives. Please keep praying and working, we ap-preciate your support. We still need your prayers and support. In Jesus’ name and service. Danny and David”

Sponsoring Kay Papa Nou Children T he Session and Mission Committee agreed to continue our support of Kay Papa Nou. The orphan children of Kay Papa Nou in Haiti face continuing needs for school fees (there are no free public schools in Haiti) and food. Your

support to sponsor a child for $300 per year will help pro-vide the children with these basic needs. Unlike some or-ganizations, there are no overhead or administrative costs with this project, so all the support goes directly to the chil-dren in Haiti. A poster and sign-up-to-sponsor form in the Gallery (to the left of the double doors to Sharp Hall) show pictures of orphan children needing sponsors. For more de-tails, contact the church office or Joyce Kruse of the Mis-sion Committee at 443-904-1149. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. Mission Committee

“In Haiti, it is not enough to heal wounds, for every day another wound opens up.

It is not enough to give the poor food for one day, to buy them antibiotics one day,

to teach them to read a few sentences or to write a few words.

Hypocrisy. The next day they will be starving again, feverish again,

and they will never be able to buy the books that hold the words that might deliver them.”

~The Uses of Haiti~

David and Danny


(Continued from page 1) thrived and over the years he has grown into a caring, in-telligent, responsible and gifted man with plans for college. He is a gifted African drummer and dancer and Michael has hired him as the director of St. Joseph’s. A third person to tell you about is Deb. Deb is an American woman from Charleston, SC who has taken al-most 20 groups of Presbyterians to visit St. Joseph’s and other ministries in Haiti. She believes it is her calling to get people to Haiti, introduce them to St. Joseph’s and let the spirit of the country work in the hearts and minds of the visitors. That is what happened when I went in 2006 with Deb, and that is what happened with our group from Govans. There is one more person to tell you about. His name is David. David and his wife Danny are Haitians who had been relatively well off. David was a business man in Port au Prince. He sold cars for a while and then owned a bou-tique in the city. But about four years ago, during the re-moval of President Aristide, armed men over ran and ran-sacked his store and he and Danny lost everything but their savings. As a result of this kind of civil unrest, many people were killed and many children were orphaned. David and Danny who were also faithful members of their church, felt called to do something to help these orphaned children. So they started taking in children. In a very short time they had 15 children as desperate families heard they were taking in children. Then they had 25 children and for the past four years David and Danny have sheltered and fed these children using their own savings and other gifts. Also in that time, David has started two free schools in two impoverished neighborhoods for families that could not af-ford any other school for their children. Yet, even though these schools and this orphanage are run entirely by David and Danny and volunteer care givers and teachers, David and Danny have no more savings to fund these min-istries. They are very faithful people who believe God will

provide even when they do not know from day to day how they will feed the children. But, now they face their greatest challenge. They have run out of money and the rent which is paid annually in

Haiti was due in December. That annual rent is $4000. David and Danny have $1000 and they need $3000 more to continue serving these children. On Monday night I sat down with David and with Bill to hear David’s story and plea. Bill has known David for years and has helped out when he could. I later learned from Mi-chael, the founder of the home, that “helping out” means that without Bill’s help David and Danny’s orphanage would not have survived. Bill gives generously of his own salary at St. Joe’s and provides extra food for orphans whenever it is available. Bill also works to mentor David with some of the principles of St. Joe’s success. After talk-ing with David, I called the Govans group together and ex-plained the situation. Everyone felt powerfully moved by the story and we decided that Joyce Kruse and I should change our plans and go see the orphanage for ourselves. So we did. The orphanage is called, “Kay Papa Nou” in Kreol or “Our Father’s House”. It is a good house by Haiti’s stan-dards. It is in a safe neighborhood. There is a back yard with banana and mango trees and a well. The children are loved and cared for, they are fed and sent to local schools. Joyce and I were deeply affected and impressed. So on Thursday our whole group from Govans used our free afternoon and went to David and Danny’s orphanage. We bought several pounds of rice and beans and oil and brought all the school supplies we had collected from this congregation. We sat with the children and colored for about an hour. We took pictures and wrote down the names of the children. We were all moved by the experi-ence. We all felt a call to help. So this is our opportunity; our calling. David and Danny and the children of Kay Papa Nou have received eviction notices. They have asked Govans Presbyterian Church to help. Our group feels this could be the beginning of a long term partnership. Perhaps even something that could grow into a place like St. Joseph’s family. Or perhaps we just have the opportunity to keep these children off the streets of Haiti for one more year. We don’t know. What we do know is that we all came to Haiti wonder-ing about the larger purpose for our trip. We thought the discernment of that purpose would be somewhat difficult and even take more than one trip to reveal and maybe it will. But, we do know we are being offered an opportunity to help in a place of desperate need. We know they are people we have come to trust and love. So we bring this message to you; this opportunity. We ask for your guid-ance and wisdom about how to respond to this immediate cry and whether there is an even greater call for us to help these orphans in Haiti far into the future.

Note: Since Tom’s sermon, donations in the amount of $3000 and money for mattresses for the children have been sent to David and Danny.

-front page photo of Gabby, David and Danny’s daughter-

Page 3


4/1 Barbara Stumf

4/3 Amanda Dalton

4/5 Dana Elliott

4/7 Meghan Hamilton

4/9 Jim Williams

4/11 Carol McAfee

4/12 Quincy Sugiuchi

4/13 Peter Conrad

4/13 Donna O’Laughlen

4/14 Rachel Morgan

4/16 Cory Frantz

4/17 Jack Branson

4/20 Ruth Draper

4/22 Brian Harris

4/24 Janet Corson

4/25 Susan Platt

4/28 Will Draper

4/29 Barry Bryant

If your name has not appeared on

the monthly ‘Happy Birthday’ list,

please call the church office and let

Wendy know your birthday so you

can be added.

TALES FROM THE CRYPTS - XVIII The Govanstown Cemetery of the

Govans Presbyterian Church. George Ries, the subject of this TALE, was an inhabitant of Baltimore County at the time of his death in 1901. The Baltimore County Public Library maintains a large number of Historic Photographs on their website, www.bcplonline.org. In these photographs are two relating to Mr. Ries: his picture is in photograph #12337B33. If you look it up, it’ll tell you that he was a black-smith and was Grand Master of the Mt. Moriah Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons. The home of his brother (?) and part-ner in the wheelwright business, Jacob Ries, is pictured in photograph #21813006. George Ries, his wife Catherina, and three of his sons are all buried in lot #40 in our ceme-tery. John George died in 1855 at age 4 years, 2 months. Son George William died of diphtheria in January 1864 at age 6 years, 6 months; son John died of diphtheria in June of 1864 at the age of 2 years, 4 months and 2 days. It’s all there, excepting the cause of death, engraved on their large tombstone. One other son, Theodore H. Ries, grew to adulthood, married Anna Elizabeth H., begat Theodore H., Jr. and died in 1932. Thus ends the story of the Ries family relative to the Govanstown Cemetery because I don’t know where Theodore Jr. and Sr. are buried. They’re not at Govanstown. This story is a reminder: Be sure to get your kids their Diphtheria shots! William A. Andersen, M.D. William A. Andersen, M.D. April 2008

April

Lectionary

6 Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Ps. 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35

13 Acts 2:42-47; Ps. 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

20 Acts 7:55-60; Ps. 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14

27 Acts 17:22-31; Ps. 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21

And so, Lord,

somewhere in the distance we meet walking hand in hand across the Sands of

time.

Heartfelt sympathy to

Shirley Michael & family

on the loss of Neil, dear

friend and beloved husband,

who died on March 27, 2008

Focus on the Confirmands My name is Becky Rawle. I am in the 7th grade at Waldorf School of Baltimore. My hobbies are soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and acting. I am a vegetarian. My parents are Lori and David and my brother is Patrick. My pet is Jewel, the dog. I think I would like to be a veterinarian in the future. The most memorable event in my life was when I clogged the bath-room sink with a magical potion! The two people I would most like to be like are my great grandpar-ents. Govans has guided me in the spiritual world. I wish there were more group activities at Govans.

My name is Nick Reed. I am a 5th grader at Roland Park Elementary School. At my school, I was asked to play trumpet in the middle school band and I am not in middle school! My parents are Deb and Mike. Emily is my younger sister. My dad is the person I would most like to be like. I like playing sports and video games. In the future, I want to become famous for whatever reason it may be. The most memorable event in my life was my first sleepover. I would like more people to come to Wednesday night food and fel-lowship. I have learned a lot spiritually at Govans.

Confirmation Class: The class will be going to Mar-Lu-Ridge in the Catoctin Mountains , April 18-19, for fellowship, fun and preparation for Confirmation. Sponsors will be joining the confirmants on Sat. for a day of hiking and learning.


Transportation is

A Two-Way Street (Oh ,Dear!)

It has come to our attention that some members and friends of Govans P C might like a ride to and from Sun-day 11 a.m. Worship. So we decided to try to form a “Govans Transportation Brigade.” The GTB would essen-tially be an on-call group of people who attend the 11 a.m. Worship and would be willing to pick up and deliver some-one who needs a ride. So, if you would like to join the GTB, call Dickens Warfield at 410-785-2090 or email [email protected]. Please note:

. . . drivers do not have to be in church every Sunday (but, of course we all intend to do just that). . . . riders will be asked to call AT LEAST 24 hours before the Sunday desired. . . . riders will have the GTB list and will call from the list until they get a driver. If a driver feels called too often, just say “no” the next time. . . . riders will use common sense in calling people living nearest them.

Last: Drivers are no use without riders, so we need riders, too. If you would like, at least occasionally, to have a ride, call or email Dickens W. I will set up lists and make sure each interested rider has a list, and that all drivers have a list. We will renew/revise both lists every three months, or so. Dickens Warfield

Govans Goes Green Fair

Come celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, April 20th be-tween services. We'll have a bike rally for the kids (bring your bike), you can order a tree, get information on renewable energy systems, buy a CFL, find energy con-servation tips, watch a video, and win a new car! Ok, we don't have a new car... but you can sign up to carpool to church with other members from your neighborhood. That's better for Mother Earth than a new car, anyway. Look for the sign-up board a few weeks before the fair, or try walking or biking to church for something different.

Doug Gaede


Communion offering for April ‘08

PLAY PUMPS INTERNATIONAL

www.knowh2o.org In many areas of sub-Saharan Africa women and girls often walk an average of five miles to the nearest water source every day. Women carry 44 lbs on their heads. Some families’ needs require two trips a day for water. Imagine if you had to walk 5 miles every time you wanted a glass of water! ∗ 1.1 billion people (18% of the world's population)

lack access to safe drinking water. ∗ Almost 2 million children die each year due to a lack

of clean water and inadequate sanitation. ∗ Access to clean water and sanitation can reduce the

risk of a child dying by as much as 50%. Here’s how a play pump works:

KIDS PLAY. WATER PUMPS!

T he PlayPump water system is a children's merry-go-round attached to a water pump, a raised storage tank, an easy-to-use faucet, and four billboards surrounding the tank. While children have fun spinning on the merry-go-round, clean water is drawn from underground into a 660 gallon tank, easily accessible by a simple tap. The life-changing invention can provide easy access to clean drinking water, lead to improvements in health, education, gender equality, and economic development, and bring joy to children. PlayPumps International raises money to donate these merry-go-rounds to rural communities in need in Africa. $6 – Provides one child with access to clean water for up to ten years. $36 - Helps a family get the water it needs for good health and hygiene. $60 - Provides ten people with access to clean water for up to ten years. $300 – Gives a classroom of children playground

equipment and clean water for drinking and hand washing. $14,000 – Sponsors an entire PlayPump system – bringing clean drinking water to 2,500 people for 10 years.

Senior Network of North Baltimore Information on SNNB is available in their newsletter, “The Silver Scoop.” You may pick it up in the gallery, or have it delivered to your home. Contact the SNNB office at 410-323-7131.

New Member Class

If you are interested in joining the church or just interested in learning more about Govans, please join us on Monday, April 7, from 6-8 p.m. Child care will be provided.

Seventh Annual Scrabble® Fundraiser for Literacy

Play one of America’s most popular games for a good cause at the Seventh Annual Scrabble® Fundraiser for Literacy on Saturday, April 5, at Calvert School (4300 N. Charles Street) at 5:30 p.m. Entry is $30 ($20 for students with ID and seniors aged 62 and over). Proceeds will benefit adult literacy and

ESOL classes at the Greater Homewood Community Corpo-ration (GHCC). Games will be offered at both “competitive” and “social” levels. Winners will receive prizes from local re-tailers and restaurants. Food, refreshments, and free parking are available for all participants. To register or for more infor-mation, please call 410-261-3520.

Friends of the Govans Library—5714 Bellona Ave. Scotland: The Bonnie and Brave

Ernest R.D. Smart leads a light-hearted “Armchair Tour” of Scotland on Saturday, April 5, at 2 p.m. A complimentary

Scottish Tea will follow. Admission is free.

Harford Hospice Upper Chesapeake St. Joseph Homecare

Harford Hospice is in need of volunteers to provide emotional and respite support to the patients and families in their homes in Harford, Baltimore, and Cecil counties. Please call 410-931-0990, ext. 1118, for more information.

Yoga

A new round of Wednesday evening yoga is starting. If you are interested, please contact Julie McDill at 410-372-0028.

The Verb

A new youth group that meets on Wed. from 7-8 p.m. in the Multipurpose room. Upcoming activities include cooking, Ori-oles game, duckpin bowling, service project, singing with Randy, outdoor game night and much more. All kids in grades 1-6 are welcome!

Page 6

Mid-Week Madness Wednesday night dinners continue to bless the Govans community with fellowship and fun. Whitney Conneally is a wonderful cook and her big smile behind the counter is a welcome beacon to diners. Children's choir now meets before dinner from 5:30 to 6:00. Bell choir is back right after dinner at 7:00. Continuing programs include yoga before and Bible study with Tom after dinner. Here is an idea: Schedule your event or meeting on Wednesday night and meet beforehand for casual conversation over dinner. We are in need of a volunteer to organize kids soccer or adult volley ball on Wednesdays as soon as spring is really here. Upcoming April menus include: 4/2 Pepperoni Calzone, Broccoli Calzone, Antipasti Plat-ter 4/9 Black Bean Soup, Chicken Tortillas, Taco Salad - with or without meat 4/16 Turkey Dinner: Stuffing, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Peas and Carrots (no salad this meal) Please join the joyful Govans group that meets to dine every Wednesday at 6:00! Thanks, Julie

What's Cooking with Adult Options? Although the schedule is not firmed up, and there may be some changes in topics, the following sessions are tentatively planned for the Spring: ∗ Dr. Seuss: Theology and Ethics of Whos, Pale Green

Pants, and Stars Upon Thars (Carol McAfee & Stu Ray)

∗ Encounter Point: Movie and Discussion about Recon-ciling Israelis & Palestinians (Jane Page) Season Health & Chinese Medicine (Mary Welliver)

∗ The Worship Experience at Govans: A Chat with the Pastor (Tom Harris)

∗ Get With It! How to Have Fun with Social Networking on the Web and MyGovans (Stephen Gaede)

Civil Rights Movement Veteran James Williams to Deliver Address Marking the

40th Anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death

BALTIMORE –In the turbulent 1960s, Georgia school-teacher James Williams became the National Education Association’s first regional director for the Southeast. Originally charged with helping to mediate collective bar-gaining issues in the region, Williams soon became the NEA’s key liaison with the champions of the Civil Rights Movement, including its foremost leader, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now, on the eve of the 40th an-niversary of Dr. King’s death, Williams will appear at Loyola College in Maryland on Thursday, April 3, to

discuss his relationship with Dr. King and his own involve-ment in the Civil Rights Movement. The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the 4th Floor Program Room of the College’s Andrew White Stu-dent Center.

Govans April Schedule

Tuesday, April 1 7 p.m. Hau Kola Meeting in the Library Monday, April 7 6-8 p.m. New Member Class (child care provided) Tuesday, April 8 6 p.m. Fundraising Committee Meeting - Workroom Tuesday, April 15 7 p.m. Ministry Areas Meeting in Sharp Hall Wednesday, April 16 7 p.m. Finance Ministry Meeting in the library Saturday, April 19 11 a.m. Scrapbooking in the Multipurpose Room 6:30 p.m. Mariners at the home of Mary Beth and Wayne White. Call the Whites for details - 410-319-6267 Monday, April 21 7 p.m. Worship Ministry Meeting - Workroom Tuesday, April 22 7:15 p.m. Session Meeting in Sharp Hall Wednesday, April 23 8 p.m. Adult Ministries in the Waverly Room Sunday, April 27 4 p.m. Girl Scouts in the Multipurpose


Sunday Services 9:15 Family Service 10:10 Christian Ed. 11:00 Traditional Service Wed. Night Food &Fellowship 5:30 Yoga 5:30-6 Children’s Choir 6-7 Dinner ($6 adults, $3 children) 7-8 Youth Group (THE VERB) ages 6-12 7:15-8 Adult Bible Study 7:30 Band Practice Tuesdays 10-11:30 a.m. Knitting in the library. Contact Joyce Kruse for details. Thursdays 7:30-9 p.m. Choir Rehearsal Sundays 1:30 Confirmation Class in the Waverly Room

~Upcoming Events ~~Upcoming Events ~~Upcoming Events ~~Upcoming Events ~

GOVANS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

5828 York Rd. , Bal t imore, MD 21212

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

9:15 A.M.

CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICE

Contemporary Music with Randy Austin, Jr.

10:10 A.M.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

ADULT EDUCATION

11 A.M.

TRADITIONAL WORSHIP

With Organ and Chancel Choir

Organist & Choir Director: Clinton Adams

BARRIER-FREE

CHILDCARE IS PROVIDED FOR BOTH SERVICES

ALL ARE WELCOME

The Ellen Morriss Memorial Labyrinth

is open from dawn to dusk daily

GOVANS SUNDAY SCHEDULE

W E ’ RE O N T HE W E B WWW . G O V ANS P RE S . O RG

Bellringer Staff: Joyce Kruse Donna North Wendy Smith Betsy Toland Ted Kruse

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