A publication of Shandon Presbyterian Church l Columbia, SC The Spire

April 2020

INSIDEMusic that

soothes your soulPages 4

Holy Week at Shandon

SEE PAGE 2

The votes are in and the congregation of Shandon Presby-terian Church has called Rev. Jenny McDevitt as senior pastor and head of staff. We look forward to her joining us on her first Sunday, May 17. Thanks be to God!

The Pastor Nominating Committee presented Jenny as its nominee in an online congregational meeting Sunday, March 29. Members of the congregation submitted their ballots by mail.

“We greatly appreciate our congregation’s willingness to work with us in this nontraditional manner,” said Audrey Shif-flett, PNC co-chair. “We are excited to now be able to share with everyone about Jenny.”

As PNC members worked through the process, they had to maintain confidentiality until the nominee was announced to the congregation.

“It’s been a while since we asked and Jenny said ‘yes,’” said David White. “It was a tough few weeks trying to hold my joy-ful noises close in my heart. I can’t wait for my Shandon family to embrace Jenny and her spiritual leadership.”

Jenna Cox, PNC co-chair agrees: “Even before meeting Jen-ny, her sermons helped me navigate the most trying times I’ve faced in life. Her sermons encourage me to examine my role within our community of faith and service to those around us.”

Although currently self-quarantined in her New York City apartment, Jenny remains happy and healthy, and she is pre-paring to move to Columbia. Even if we’re still practicing social distancing at that time, we’re all in for a treat as she begins her ministry with us.

“Jenny is an enthusiastic storyteller, a compassionate spir-itual leader, and an ideal match for Shandon,” said PNC mem-ber Kenny Phelps. “Her sermons spark reflection and push me to a deeper faith journey.”

Due to the unusual circumstances of a pandemic emergency coinciding with this call process, the PNC sought and received guidance from the pastoral staff and the Trinity Presbytery to determine an appropriate course of measures for conducting the congregational meeting and receiving votes. The Presby-tery’s Council on Ministry formally approved the process Shan-don’s PNC proposed. They also requested documentation of

the process to share in case other churches find themselves in similar circumstances.

Thank you all for your prayers for our PNC and your faith-fulness to God and Shandon Presbyterian Church,

Shandon Presbyterian Church Pastor Nominating Committee,

Jenna Foster Cox, Artie Hughes, Mike Hughes, Claire McDonald, Kenny Phelps, Patty Quattlebaum, Audrey Shifflett and David White

Shandon calls Rev. Jenny McDevitt as new pastor

COVID-19 precautions and care at ShandonShandon’s pastors and elders continue to monitor best practic-

es of congregations during this time of serious “social distancing” for mitigating the spread of coronavirus. As disciples of Christ, we are mindful of our responsibility to those in the church community and the general public who are vulnerable to COVID-19.

See PAGE 2 for details.

hour per month. Duties include handing out Sunday bulletins, assisting worshipers with seating and helping collect the Sunday offering. Sign up on line to volunteer: bit.ly/spcushers. Or contact Thom Mobley at thom1214@gmail.com, 803-479-6486.

Smiling faces wantedIf you can spare 15 minutes a week,

Shandon’s ambassador team needs you. Sign up online to volunteer: bit.ly/spcam-bassadors. Or contact Ken Connor at ken-connor@att.net, 803-553-5956.

2 April 2020The Spire

• During February and early March, the Shandon Presby-terian Session approved the following items: a statisti-cal report showing a membership of 662; the baptism of Quinn Louise Killen on March 8; the calling of a congre-gational meeting on March 8 to elect church officers; an invitation to Rev. Dr. Robert Walker to preach on March 15; and the calling of a congregational meeting on March 29 to hear a report from the Pastor Nominating Com-mittee and to elect the next Senior Pastor of Shandon Presbyterian Church.

• At a congregational meeting on March 8, Shandon mem-bers elected Debbie Alexander, Cheri Stakely, Sarah Ram-sey, David Roberts and Scott Winburn to serve as elders for the next three years; Fraser Bradford, Laura Coving-ton, Jim Gilchrist, Sandra Martin, and Kathleen McDan-iel to serve as deacons; Luke Godwin and Andy Smith to serve as trustees; and Jennifer Lutterbie, Craig Phinney, Bryant Roberts and Jennie Rush to serve on the Officer Nominating Committee for the coming year.

• At the stated meeting on Feb. 18, the session voted to adopt two policies developed by Robert Walker: a Church Credit Card Purchase Policy and a Reimbursement Policy.

• Elder Jenna Cox provided a report on the progress of the Pastor Nominating Committee.

• Frank Vail, chair of the Finance Ministry, announced that

Cheryl Holland has agreed to co-chair the Capital Cam-paign Committee. A second co-chair will be announced.

• MaryAnne Massey reported that Mary Rogers will chair the Outreach Ministry’s Health and Hunger Committee.

• The Session approved John Cook’s sabbatical leave re-quest for the summer of 2021.

• Jay Rogers announced that the church would honor the basketball players at the Youth Sunday service, which has been postponed.

• The Education and Outreach ministries are supporting activities for members such as summer Sunday School, which is planned the second Sunday of each month (June 14, July 12 and Aug. 9.

• The Health and Hunger Committee is asking for volun-teers to pack backpacks during May. Currently packers are including triple amounts of food to meet the need of students in neighboring schools.

• Church members who went on the mission trip to Fron-tera de Cristo have shared their experience at a Shandon on Wednesdays supper and are eager to share with other groups.

~ Sandra R. O’Neal, Clerk of Session

SESSION UPDATESESSION UPDATE

Our tentative schedule through the end of April is to continue operating virtually and avoiding in-person gatherings of any kind. If there is significant improvement, we may reconsider this decision.

For now, physical distancing is our best contribution to the health and well-being of our congregation and community. Worship ser-vices will be streamed online, and all other activities and programs are canceled.

Please check the weekly e-newsletter, our website, www.shan-donpresbyterian.org, and Facebook page for updates.

Holy Week services at ShandonWe will stream Holy Week worship services. Please see the week-

ly e-news and Shandon’s Facebook page and website for details:

• Palm Sunday’s recorded service is available on Facebook, You-Tube and Shandon’s website now.

• Maundy Thursday – 6:30 p.m. April 9• Easter – 10:30 a.m. April 12• You are also invited to place flowers on the cross outside the church

on Easter Sunday. Please practice appropriate social distancing.

Take precautions and stay healthyWe encourage you to follow guidelines from the Centers for

Disease Control, www.coronavirus.gov, to help prevent spread of the virus.

Music to soothe the soulIn a Facebook post, we asked what music, especially hymns, is soothing your soul these days. Here are your answers:

• Shanna Sheppard, “For the Beauty of the Earth.”• Wesley Hodgin, “God of Our Fathers.”• Elisabeth Hall, “Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts,” “Make All

Our Futures Calm and Bright,” “Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah,” “Lord of Sea and Sky,” “Christ, Be My Light,” “He Leadeth Me.”

• Betty Gurnell, “God of Grace, and God of Glory.”• Jennifer Webb, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”• Marcia Bacon, “Here I Am Lord.”• Nancy Parr, “ Danced In The Morning.”

• Micah McCall, “Come Thou Fount!”• Leah Gore, “Be Thou My Vision,” “All is Well.”• Lara Winburn, “They Will Know We Are Christians.”

uu Rev. Dr. Franklin Fant will assume the role of president and CEO of Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina on June 1. Fant is the current director of Foundation Services and Church Services for the organization.

"I have a long and rich connection with this ministry, and so the opportu-nity to lead it into the future is really, really exciting," Fant said.

uu Julia Folks has been named High School Teacher of the Year for the S.C.Virtual Charter School. She teaches in the business and technology department.

Joseph Edwards BrennanMarch 1, 2020

Son of Will and Lauren Brennan

Emma Rose HumphriesMarch 1, 2020

Daughter of Mac and Katy Humphries

Quinn Louise KillenMarch 8, 2020

Daughter of Rivers and Erin Killen

April 2020 3The Spire

THANK YOUTHANK YOUCafe Justo: Caffeine with a conscience

Our mission partner, Frontera de Cristo, supports Cafe Justo (Just Coffee), a fair trade cooperative in which the farmers own the entire line of production – from growing the beans to consumer sales. All the coffee is organic and shade-grown, and each pack-age states the name of the farmer who grew the coffee.

Coffee is available for purchase, and your order will help support families in Chi-apas, Mexico, with income that allows them to remain on their land.

Order online at bit.ly/cafejusto. One pound bag costs $10 – available in decaf, 100% Arabica, and a blend of 50% Arabi-ca and 50% Robusta. For more information, contact Rowena Nylund, 803-252-7752, rnylund@sc.rr.com.

T o the Presbyterian Women, we want to thank you all for the

beautiful meals you organized for us. We have felt so nourished and nurtured by the way you attended to us after Tim’s hospitalizations in January.

The back-to-back stays in the hospital really took a toll on both of us, and the gift of meals de-livered to our door is just what we needed to regain some sense of stability and strength. We have enjoyed beautifully home-cooked meals, wonderfully prepared en-trees from our favorite restau-rants, and generous restaurant gift cards.

You continue to reach out to us in these meaningful ways. We are so very grateful. It is truly a blessing to be recipients of the generous spirit of the SPC circles.

Warmest regards,Nancy & Tim

Many thanks to all members who shared men’s cotton

shirts with us. This is an ongoing project. We will continue to ac-cept men’s shirts to “debone” and sew into beautiful comfort quilts to share. Ask a quilt group mem-ber about “deboning.”

Joan Edwards, Shandon Quilt Group

BAPTISMSBAPTISMS

Memorials and HonorariumsGeneral Memorials:In Honor of Stacey and Jim Brennan, Lauren and Will Brennan (Thompson and Joseph) and Katy and Mac Humphries (Clark and Emma) – Beth Reames; In Memory of I. Lewis LangleyJr. – Guy and Kay White; In Memory of Mena Dexter – Rowena Nylund; In Memory of Gerald Royce Foster (Jenna Cox’s father) – Rowena Nylund

Lindler Music Fund:In Memory of I. Lewis LangleyJr. – John and Susan Steedman; Luke and Mary Fant

Pastors Fund:In Memory of I. Lewis LangleyJr. – Laura Murchison, Jim and Chae Thames, Sam Key; In Memory of Mena Dexter – Jim and Chae Thames, Katherine Zeigler; In Memory of Millie Saye (Susan Chappell’s mother) – Jim and Chae Thames; In Memory of Gerald Royce Foster (Jenna Cox’s father) – Jim and Chae Thames; John and Susan Steedman; In Memory of

Katherine Cole Rorison (Peggy Power’s mother) – Jim and Chae Thames

Riddle Education Building Renovation:In Memory of Mena Dexter – Steve and Bonnie Smith; In Memory of I. Lewis LangleyJr. – Jim and Jean Christian; In Memory of Gerald Royce Foster (Jenna Cox’s father) – Jim and Jean Christian

Witness to the resurrectionMembers and friends of Shandon Presbyterian communi-

cate their sorrow and the power of the resurrection faith to Peggy Powers and her family at the death of her mother Kather-ine Cole Rorison; to Susan Chappell and her family at the death of her mother, Millie Saye; to Margaret Yandell and her family at the death of her sister, Jane Froneberger; to Jenna Cox and her family at the death of her father, Gerald Royce Foster; to the friends and family of Mena Dexter; and to the friends and family of Ann Miller Wingate.

MEMBER NEWSMEMBER NEWS

NonprofitOrganization

U.S. Postage PaidColumbia, SCPermit #687

Shandon Presbyterian Church607 Woodrow StreetColumbia, SC 29205

Church Office (803) 771-4408 Church office hoursPresbyterian Student Center (803) 799-0212 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shandon Weekday School (803) 799-8533 Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday

www.shandonpresbyterian.org l www.facebook.com/ShandonPresbyterian

DESIGNATED ASSOCIATE PASTOR FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES Molly Spangler ext. 146mspangler@shandonpresbyterian.org

CHURCH ADMINISTRATORRobert Walker ext. 110rwalker@shandonpresbyterian.org

FINANCIAL MANAGERCatherine Teal ext. 124cteal@shandonpresbyterian.org

OFFICE MANAGERJessica Joyner ext. 111jjoyner@shandonpresbyterian.org

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATORCarol J.G. Ward cward@shandonpresbyterian.org

INTERIM PASTOR/HEAD OF STAFFBob Brearley ext. 113bbrearley@shandonpresbyterian.org

ASSOCIATE PASTORFOR DISCIPLESHIPJohn Cook ext. 125jcook@shandonpresbyterian.org

We welcome your news and events for The Spire. May deadline: April 15

Please send information to: cward@shandonpresbyterian.org