Category: Announcements

This Friday night, Andover Baptist church in Linthicum will be hosting a lecture and discussion led by John Byl (Ph.D. in Astronomy and winner of a 1999 Templeton Science and Religion Course Award).  The lecture is entitled “Matter, Mind, Math,and Meaning: Did Science Kill God?” and will began at 7pm on October 12th at 1009 Andover Road, Linthicum, MD.  Here is more from Andover’s website:

We live in a world of relative comfort and historically unprecedented longevity, health, wealth, and ease. Standing behind all the technological glory of modernity—iPods, transcontinental flights, and cell phones—is science. Her reign is almost total and seems to be unstoppably progressive. Science rules.

But did science kill God? Did the cumulative effect of technological developments in scientific instruments, harnessing the power of nature, and medical advances necessitate the dwindling of the God concept?  Doesn’t a bit of education and a dose of common sense require that God be dead or at best a psychological comfort for the weak, the simple, and the uneducated?  And if science didn’t kill God, why not?

All are invited, but especially professional scientists and mathematicians and those interested in the intersection of science and faith. The event is hosted by Andover Baptist Church.

Come on out for the first Roller Skating session of the season! We are skating Saturday, November 3rd from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Roller Skating Center on Mountain Road. The cost is $5 a person, plus skate rental. You can bring your roller blades, and there is no charge if you are just coming to watch. We play family-friendly music, so come on out for a good time!

Pasadena will be hosting its 17th annual Thanksgiving parade on November 4.  The parade route passes right in front of the church.  This year we’ll have some free refreshments and games for the kids.  We’re also hoping to have an entry in the parade.  So come join us on Sunday November 4!  Worship is at 11 am at 7975 Tick Neck Road.  Immediately following worship we’ll have refreshments and games in the front yard of the church.  The parade starts at 2 pm.

Last summer, Pasadena EP Church hosted a conference on mercy ministry.  Dr. David Apple from Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia was our speaker.  He gave two talks: The ABCs of Mercy Ministry and How to deal with cold calls and walk-ins.  Unfortunately we didn’t save the recordings properly so we can’t post them here (though there are some related recordings from Dr. Apple here).

Next month, Tenth Presbyterian and MercyNet will be hosting two sessions on Mercy Ministry at Westminster Seminary (Van Til Hall, Church Road, Glenside, PA).  Here is some more information:

What is Mercy Ministry (Sat, Oct 6)?

• The essential work of the deacon
• The type and scope of ministry
• Word and Deed Together
• There is no mercy without evangelism

 

What is a Trauma Deacon (Sat, Oct 27)?

• We can figure this out, right?
• Managing ministry effectively
• Learning to work smarter
• What other churches are doing

 

According to the brochure, these sessions are for deacons, elders, future elders, Christian servants, those with the gifts of service and mercy, and those who have “retired to serve”.  For more information, contact David Apple (dapple at tenth dot org).

 

The PCA magazine byFaith recently launched an online version of their newsletter.  They’ve done a nice job on the site – plenty of good articles and news stories.  Yesterday they posted Brian Chapell’s presentation from General Assembly on sanctification.  Here is an excerpt, in which he answers the question “How do all the Scriptures bear witness to Christ?”

Christ-centered exposition of Scripture should not require us to reveal Jesus by some mysterious magic of allegory or typology. Rather, solid exposition should identify how every text furthers our understanding of who Christ is, what the Father sent Him to do, and why. The goal is not to make Jesus magically appear from every detail of Hebrew history or Greek house code, but rather to show where every text stands in relation to the ultimate revelation of Christ. To do this we must discern the message of grace as it unfolds throughout Scripture. Our goal is not to force every text to mention Jesus, but to show how every text furthers our understanding of God’s grace, which is ultimately revealed in Christ.

Click here to read the rest of the presentation.  Michael Ross also delivered a presentation on this topic which can be viewed here.

Pasadena EP Church will be hosting our first annual neighborhood yard sale tomorrow at 8 am.  We’ve invited the community to join us – selling their stuff, shopping, or just enjoying some of the free refreshments!  Come on out and get to know some of the neighbors.  The sale will start at 8 am and conclude at 12 pm.

If you are interested, here is a link to the Stated Clerks Report on the actions of the PCA General Assembly.  It is worth your time to read.  It is brief and to the point.

This is just a reminder that we will be having our first annual neighborhood yard sale on July 14 at 8 am.  We’ve invited the community to join us – selling their stuff, shopping, or just enjoying some of the free refreshments!  Come on out and get to know some of the neighbors.  The sale will start at 8 am and conclude at 12 pm.  Please contact us at 410-255-0003 or yardsale@pasadena-ep.org if you have any questions.

Each year, teaching and ruling elders from the Presbyterian Church in America gather for the General Assembly.  This year, Pastor Tom Wenger attended on behalf of Pasadena EP Church.  Jason Helopoulos from Providence Presbyterian Church in Michigan has posted a helpful summary of the actions of the 2012 PCA General Assembly.  He lists five major issues/actions of the Assembly:

1. Theistic Evolution: The General Assembly chose not to make an in thesi statement regarding theistic evolution. Both in the Overtures Committee and on the floor of the Assembly no one advocated for the theistic evolutionary view. However, there were many who argued that the Assembly needed no such statement because the Westminster Standards were sufficient in speaking to this matter.
2. Paedocommunion: The Assembly has in consecutive years spoken pretty strongly against paedocommunion. The Assembly voted down a motion to bring the Pacific Northwest Presbytery before the Standing Judicial Commission regarding its “persisting in the error of granting an exception which is out of accord, ‘that is hostile to the system or striking at the vitals of religion.’” However, the Assembly then proceeded to say that Pacific Northwest Presbytery’s response to the General Assembly regarding its ordination of men with such an exception was its self unacceptable. It appears that the Assembly was not comfortable charging a Presbytery, but was equally uncomfortable with the Pacific Northwest Presbytery ordaining men with such an exception and allowing the teaching of this practice.
3. Intinction: The closest vote of the week came during the debate regarding intinction. The Overtures Committee came forward with both a majority and minority report. The majority report proposed to answer in the negative an overture which would have forbidden intinction in the PCA. The minority report was substituted for the majority report and passed by only 14 votes (348-334). The minority report was then approved by the Assembly. It is the first step towards inserting language in our Book of Church Order which would exclude intinction in the distributing of the Lord’s Table. This must now be approved by 2/3 of the Presbyteries and next year’s Assembly.
4. National Association of Evangelicals: An overture was sent to the Assembly requesting that the PCA leave the NAE. The Assembly decided to stay in the NAE for the time being, but asked that there be a report next year regarding the activities of the NAE. As was stated on the floor, this will be a time of “patient observation.”
5. Insider Movement: The first half of the study committee regarding the Insider Movement was presented to the Assembly and was overwhelmingly adopted. The chairman of the committee rightly stated that Bible translation is “first and foremost a theological issue, not a contextual issue.”

The PCA has more information about the General Assembly on their website.

Pastor Tom will be out of town on July 8, so Steve Badorf will be preaching.  Steve Badorf is a minister with Reformed University Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.  Click here to listen to some of the sermons he has preached at Pasadena EP Church.