Join us in Celebrating the
50th Anniversary of
Independent Presbyterian Church
Members and friends are encouraged to attend one or more of the following 50th Anniversary events.
From One Generation to Another Celebrating 50 years of Independent Presbyterian Church
MAR/APR 2015 indows©, (U.S.P.S.) #018597 is published bi-monthly by THE INDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 4738 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, Tennessee, 38117. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to indows©, 4738 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis, TN, 38117. PERIODICAL POSTAGE paid at Memphis, TN POSTMASTER.
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Saturday, March 21
Palmer Home Hernando Campus Work – Play Day 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Serving our oldest Mercy Ministry
Saturday, April 4
Free Dinner served for College Students & Young 20s at the Easter Eve Concert, Levitt Shell 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 19
Dinner at the Hunt & Polo Club | Hosted by 60s Community 6:00 p.m. Adults Only, Cost: $40.00 per person
Wednesday, April 22
Dinner at the IPC Fellowship Hall 5:00 p.m. | Program at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 23
IPC Trivia Dinner 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. | Hosted by the Young Adults Wiseacre | 2738 Broad Avenue
Saturday, April 25
Crawfish Boil at Avon Park (families welcome) | Hosted by 20s, 30s & 40s Communities
Saturday, April 25
Dinner at the home of Lynn & Dudley Schaefer | Hosted by the 40s & 50s Communities
Sunday, April 26
8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship Services | Congregational picnic after services, IPC Gym
Follow us @IPCmemphis @IPCmemphis
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ndependent Presbyterian Church is rich in the tradition of deeply rooted relationships. A once small body of people grew into a rare covenant community, now families of three and even four generations. Catherine Wilfong, Dan McEwan, and Lucy Green, long time members, volunteered to share their memories and insights of IPC over the years. “I was baptized here as a baby forty-five years ago,” Dan McEwan said. Dan currently serves as an elder in the church. Catherine Wilfong began attending Independent in high school, 10th grade. Lucy Green came to IPC in 1979 as a freshman in high school and began working as a youth intern under The Reverend John Sartelle Sr. in 1988. Catherine and Dan were members of the IPC youth group while Lucy worked as an intern under youth leader, Lisa Turner. “They were a huge part of our growth, strategy, and planning. God used them both tremendously. All of us who went to church in that era look back and see Sartelle and Lisa as a considerable impact on us and the church family,” Lucy said. Lucy, Dan, and Catherine had many significant life moments at IPC. “All of us grew up, married, and baptized our children here,” Lucy said. Independent has served as the home for marriage covenants and baptisms alike.
“I think one of the unique qualities of IPC is the number of people who were baptized and married here. I think that is part of the 50–year look back of what IPC is,” Dan McEwan said.
Wednesday Evenings@IPC Fellowship Dinner @ 5:30 til 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall | $6/Adult -and- $4/Child age 4 – 10 (3 & under FREE). Church Offices | open Monday –Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday 901.685.8206 K-Church or Junior Church | 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. for K through 2nd Grade Children’s Sunday School for Kindergarten through 5th Grade | 9:45 a.m. Sunday School Communities | 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.
www.indepres.org Feb r u a r y / Ma rc h 2015 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Sunday Mornings@IPC | Worship Services, 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. A fully staffed nursery and preschool ministry is available for all services.
A few things to know about IPC
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Independent Presbyterian Church
March/April 2015
An example of Covenant Family. Each student pictured here is a third generation member of IPC. “There may have been eight different families with a child in that photo. We had all taken that ski trip together at one time or another. Some of our kids were actual cousins. But generally many of the friendships that they share are what I call extended family,” Catherine said. IPC members consistently encouraged Lucy and her family to feel welcome and worked to foster relationships with them. “The night my family decided to join Independent, Mrs. Wanda Fee came over to me and said, ‘we have been praying for you to join for two years,’ ”
Sermons are available online: www.indepres.org/resources/sermons IPC podcast is available: www.indepres.org/resources/podcasts
Bi-Monthly Issue #2 Lucy said. Generations have been interconnected at Independent. “The real covenant relationship is in families speaking to one another’s lives. Wanda Fee told my mother it would be okay for me to have a date with my husband. That is an example of how things have been woven here,” Catherine said. Catherine, Dan, and Lucy reflected on different aspects of God’s providence and blessing at Independent throughout all seasons.
“50 years of commitment to the Gospel. A really neat aspect of IPC is the consistent message we have heard no matter who has been our preacher. Families have benefitted from that message and that has been the foundation of IPC, our church,” Dan said. Independent has consistently nurtured an environment for closeknit relationships. “Over the years we have had Covenant Groups, Fellowship Groups, and Grace Groups. We have named them lots of different things,” Catherine said. There is something positive to be said about tradition. It builds foundations, creates stability, and generates relationships. “These are my safe friends. They’re richer and they’re deeper,” Catherine said. IPC actively supports Palmer Home for Children, an organization that provides a Christian home for children in need. Each year IPC students and adults travel to Mentone, Alabama, for Camp Palmer. The camp is held to provide a Christ-centered camp experience for children living at Palmer Home and allow house parents to have a break. “All the adults would take off from work -the Crews, the Francis, etc. I loved that because I got to know the adults,” Lucy said. Students and adults were able to grow closer through shared camp experiences. “We rolled Sartelle’s cabin and when they came in to find us, we were all back in our beds sweating,” Lucy said while laughing. Approaching young adulthood, Catherine, Dan, and Lucy all became members of a weekly Bible study and community group at IPC called College and Career. College and Career began in 1983 at Lisa Turner’s family home and was led by John Sartelle. “Good teaching combined with good marketing took off,” Dan said. Summertime brought a crowd of Memphis students and young adults together. “It was really a sweet spot. It was a great place to get charged and be with like-minded people. It was fellowship, music, and good teaching,” Catherine said. It was typical to have attendance of 400-500 people on a summer night and 200-300 on a school night. “It was very relevant to where a college student was,” Dan said. College and Career had lifelong effects on those who were involved. “Each one of us went to College and Career and met our spouses there,” Catherine said. Catherine, Dan, and Lucy were not the only people to meet their future spouses at College and Career. “At least seventy-five to one hundred people met their spouses in that ministry,” Dan said. Students and adults touched each other’s lives. “The people that you mature through during that stage really mold you and the roots are deep, and you grow through that,” Catherine said. College and Career, in ten years’ time, grew to become several generations of people. A people rooted in their faith, their theology, and the Gospel. Members who had a fruitful youth at Independent desire to cultivate an environment with the same opportunities they (continued pg. 2)
www.indepres.org
IPC ANNOUNCEMENTS Congratulations: To Christie and John Summers on the birth of their daughter, Allie Grace, on December 10, 2014; to Michelle and Jeremy Raby, on the birth of their son, Joel, on January 10, 2015. Our Church in Bereavement: Our sympathy to the friends and family of George Toney, who died on November 26, 2014; to Wayne Herring, on the death of his wife, Joyce, on December 20, 2014; to Bo and Rob Mitchum on the death of their mother, Mary Mitchum, on December 28, 2014; to Lynn Albano and Frank Hitchings and their families on the death of their mother, Mary Catherine Hitchings, on December 29, 2014; to Martha Laster, Lynne Knox and their family on the death of Martha’s husband and Lynne’s father, Jack Laster, on December 29, 2014; to Toni and Greg Parker, on the death of her father, James W. Campbell Jr. (Jim), on January 5, 2015; to Joyce and Tim Folse, on the death of his mother, Lorraine Davis Folse, on January 12, 2015; to Marjorie Jones, on the death of her mother, Margaret Giles, on January 25, 2015. Welcome: (Joined from December 2014 – January 2015) Angela and Dan Applegate, Christina Brent, Andrew Van Hersh, Don Johnson, Elisabeth Sullivan, Kristy and Paul Bell, Morgan Mayo, Amelia and Mike Bailey, Taylor Lackie, Catherine Talbot, John Prentis Sartelle III, Nicole and Andrew Kinzler, John Carter Hawkins, and Molly McEwan.
From One Generation to Another… Cont. experienced. “Our kids feel rooted at Independent for many reasons. They appreciate the relationships and feel the connectedness,” Catherine said. Many children of long time IPC members, and those who were involved in the beginnings of College and Career, now serve in the youth group or other ministry areas. “We loved our youth group growing up here. We are involved here because we still have a heart for it to grow and blossom. My daughters were counselors at Camp Palmer this year. When my own children have opportunities to give back, I love how that comes back around,” Lucy said. IPC provides the opportunity for youth and children to experience true community and fellowship. “Our kids feel ties and that encourages participation,” Catherine said. Parents know that Independent is a comfortable, secure home for their children. “I like that this is a safety zone for our kids. If the world gets bad, school goes sour, this is a safe place,” Lucy said. The Reverend John Newton wrote, “A Christian is not of hasty growth, like a mushroom, but rather like the oak, the progress of which is hardly perceptible, but which in time becomes a great deeprooted tree.” Independent was once a small seed, planted in rich soil, which has now grown into the great deep-rooted oak tree. “Where will God take the next generation of the church? Where will He take IPC in the next 50 years?” Dan McEwan said.
Check the back cover for the full 50-Year Anniversary Schedule.
Journey to the Highlands of Inverness, Scotland
Music Ministry@IPC 2015
IPC Sanctuary Flowers
Excellent opportunities for musical training and worship leadership are available to everyone from 18 months of age through adults. Contact the music office for more details at musicoffice@indepres.org.
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t is often the assumption of those involved in a particular ministry that everyone else knows and cares about it. I have had that conceit about the sanctuary flowers for years, but several recent conversations have made me realize that many of you have no idea who does flowers at IPC, and why. For 20 years, Kaki Crews and Freddie McEwan were in charge of sanctuary flowers and Christmas decorations. Harriet Goshorn, Kristi McCann and myself have now taken over the job after years of being their ‘Vannas.’ We now have a group of faithful ‘Vannas’ helping us arrange. Let me say that for all three of us it is an amazing blessing to be able to arrange in the sanctuary each week. We hope the arrangements bless you too. After the services, these blooms go on to bless others, as a group of women under the leadership of Leslie Murphy come in every Monday morning and take apart the large arrangement to create small ones that are then delivered by still another group of women to our members that are ill or have new babies. We are able to do all of this in a large part because in years past, so many of you have donated the flowers in honor or in memory of someone you love. Our budget does not come close to covering all the costs of flowers, supplies and Christmas decorations, but we have been fine due to constant memorials and honorariums. Recently, however, flower donations have declined. Our hope is that after reading this article, many of you will be moved to start giving the flowers again once or twice a year. Caroline Bartusch, another invaluable part of this ministry, schedules the flowers and puts an acknowledgement of any gifts in the bulletin. Please call her at 901-747-0229, or me, Laura Martin, 901-482-6091 if we can answer any questions you may have. Our big goal this year is to be able to buy some new Christmas decorations for the renovated sanctuary. For those who have never participated, we have such fun decorating the church and having lunch together in early December each year. That was how I first got to know many of the women of IPC around 30 years ago. Someone invited me and I came, not really knowing what was happening. I made wreaths for hours, talking the whole time. I still count as friends women I met that day. So here is your invitation! Put it on your calendar to join us in 2015. We would love to have you! The Flower Ladies, Laura Martin, Harriet Goshorn and Kristi McCann
March/April 2015 Choir Schedule Wednesday Rehearsals 5:30 p.m. Jr. High Choir 6:30 p.m. Preschool, Kindergarten and Elementary Choirs 7:30 p.m. Adult Choir Sunday Rehearsals 5:00 p.m. Senior High Choir
Upcoming Music Events
Get ready to blast off on a Space Trek adventure! IPC VBS • June 8 -12, 2015
Please go to indepres.org/vbs for more information about volunteer opportunities.
Monthly Fellowship Activities March 20– Ice Skating @ Mid-South Ice House April 25– Paintball (Guys) and Pottery (Girls)
Streets Nights
Jr. High Choir Homecoming Concert April 22, 6:00 p.m. Children’s Choirs Spring Program Preschool, Kindergarten and Elementary Choirs April 29, 6:30 p.m. Senior High Choir Northeastern Tour May 28-June 5 Senior High Choir Homecoming Concert June 5, 6:30 p.m., Sanctuary March/April 2015 Choir Schedule
Thursday, March 26 @ Vance (Downtown) Wednesday, April 22 @ IPC
Easter Eve Concert
Summer Activities Camp Palmer– May 22-27 (Memorial Day Weekend) The Edge Summer Conference– June 20-24 Streets Week– July 2015
Save-the-Date
6:00–8:00 p.m. Levitt Shell Saturday, April 4, 2015
The concert will feature students from Visible Music College. Singer/songwriter Lance Cook and student band The Passport will be performing.
Friday, May 22– Wednesday, May 27 (1st – 12th Graders) Contact Lisa Turner at lturner@indepres.org for more information.
Short Term Missions Projects
Tuesday, April 21 | 11:30 a.m.
• RYM July 6 –11, cost $450 • Honduras Mission Trip
Uganda
20-30 Adults VBS, Construction, Empowerment Skills, and Pastoral Training May 29 - June 7, 2015 | $1,800–2,000 per person Leader - Diane Clowers
Rwanda
20-30 Adults Medical and Empowerment Skills June 5 – 14, 2015 Leader - Holli Payne
July 19–25, cost $1,250
“Is Your God Big Enough, An Invitation to Find Out”
Members of Independent Presbyterian are cordially invited to visit members of Smithton Free Church in Inverness, Scotland and experience the Highlands in a most personable and memorable way! For more information contact Elizabeth Fowlkes at efowlkes@indepres.org.
Jr. High Choir Spring Trip, April 17-19
U P CO M I N G E V E N T S
Speaker: Susan Yates
JULY 10 – 18, 2015
Palm Sunday Program, March 29, 6:00 p.m. The Adult Choir with Orchestra
Glasgow, Scotland
$7 per person or reserve a table, invite friends. R.S.V.P. to Barbara Collins, 901-685-8206 or email bcollins@indepres.org.
Cuba BOOKSTORE HOURS: Monday, Tuesday, Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Wednesday 9:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m. Thursday 9:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m. | Closed Saturday | Sunday 9:30–10:50 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. after worship www.indepres.org/resources/ipc-bookstore | 901.763.3932 | covenant@indepres.org
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6-8 People Children/Youth Holiday Club and Community Outreach Late July/Early August 2015 | $2,500 per person Leader - Emily Dafferner 6-8 Men Door-to-Door Evangelism November 2015 | $3,400 Leader - Ed Norton
For information regarding any of these short-term mission projects, please contact Wendy Fortner at wfortner@indepres.org or call the church office at 901-685-8206.