the
Valley Vine
November 2019
Volume sixty-four, Number ten
Valley Presbyterian Church
Give Thanks IN THIS ISSUE:
Making a Difference By Chris Woodard
A Celebration of Music By Jennifer Hamm
Those Who Go Before Us By Charlee Turner
Senior Pastor
DAVID JOYNT Friends, On Sunday, October 20, we approved a new cohort of leaders for our community, electing Elders, Deacons, and Trustees. One phrase summarizes the distinctive task we call on them to do: shared servant leadership. At VPC, power and leadership is shared in distinct ways. It is shared between men and women, so it is egalitarian. It is shared between lay and ordained folks, or in the classic terminology, ruling and teaching elders. It is shared between officers and congregants; those we elect represent and consult us, ultimately leading according to their consciences. It is shared through time with those elected serving limited terms, offering their gifts for a season and rotating out of their positions after three years. This sharing reflects our belief that all of us are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and that we all have a stake in the life and future of our community. The leadership we encourage is servant leadership. Their purpose realized only when the members of our community are cared for, equipped to exercise their gifts, and inspired in their faith. Such leaders measure their success only in terms of the way others flourish and mission grows. In this way, our leaders model the mature Christian life. Our community is wide open. Our membership allows anyone who wants to follow Jesus to join. In this way we are imitating our Lord’s willingness to share his love, wisdom, and grace with everyone, without theological or moral testing. The church is a gathering of the broken. But we also are a factory for saints, seeking growth in character and holiness. This growth is visible when we become like Jesus, more capable of his unique kind of sacrifice and service. Our leaders are called to embody this. Finally, we expect our leaders to lead! On the Session our Elders govern our common life, making decisions in every area of our work. Each also serves with a partner to direct one of nine ministry areas. Our Deacons take primary responsibility for our ministries of care and compassion. The Trustees are principal stewards of the Valley Presbyterian Foundation, augmenting and distributing legacy gifts.
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Our tradition of shared servant leadership has influenced many forms of democratic governments, including our own here in the United States. But a tradition is only as good as its bearers. Please thank them for serving and engage with them when you have ideas or concerns or needs. Please respond to their decisions and actions with candor and understanding. Please pray that your pastors and key officers will succeed in the great task of shared servant leadership. Blessings,
Highlighte d
EVENTS
Commitment Sunday Sunday, November 17
NEW SERIES STARTS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
All Worship Services *feel free to bring your pledge cards
Wise Giving Panel Sunday, November 17 10AM, Fireside Room Grow your generosity
Advent.ure Wednesday, December 4
ADVENT.ure A great way to start the Christmas season
6-7:30PM, Landes Center Begin the Advent season with an event for the whole family
Wednesday, December 4 6-7:30PM, Free Landes Center
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
By Chris Woodard Mission Director
Chris: chrisw@vpc.church
VPC has been collaborating with MentorKidsUSA for over 10 years! MKUSA strives to work with children, families, and communities in their Promise Neighborhoods to connect disconnected children and teens (those with limited educational resources and support); empowering them to live into their God-given potential. In Maricopa County, there are 75,000 children and youth considered disconnected, accounting for approximately $1.1 billion dollars in penal, governmental, and social service costs. That is why this has been an incredible ministry partnership; God continues to change the lives of those involved. This is how one of VPC’s Community Groups is getting involved and making a difference: PADRES CONECTAR The people of VPC’s community group, Kaleidoscope, have been working with MKUSA in their North Phoenix Promise neighborhood at Palomino Primary School for the past few years. Through the partnership with MKUSA and Palomino, they have created and implemented a program called Padres Conectar— which serves over 40 families and 150 children, teens, and adults. The program is designed to help parents understand the educational system and how to best support their children so they can be successful through their High School graduation. Community involvement is crucial. Financial support, supplies, meals, and volunteer support come from VPC. Paradise Valley High School provides programming, event coordination, and adult and student volunteers. Programming focuses on topics brought to us by parents as well as those we see daily in our work with students and families. Padres Conectar discussions include homework strategies, communicating with schools, effective parent-teacher conferences, communication within families, and preparation for post-secondary educational opportunities. We meet quarterly in the evening and provide dinner and childcare during the program. The programs are entirely in Spanish and involve a presentation and small group discussions. The hope is that participants will gain an understanding of the expectations and components needed to be successful in the educational system. It is also the hope that as community is formed among the participants, they support each other and feel empowered to reach out to each other, the schools, MKUSA and the church. -Beth Glady, VPC Member
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VPC volunteers at Padres Conectar
The strategy at MKUSA is working. At their Annual Breakfast they reported over 90% of the children involved in MKUSA have shown an increase in their reading ability. Reading competency is one of the key indicators for educational success. Moreover, 95% of the children involved reported they feel closer to God as a result of being enrolled in the MKUSA afterschool programs. God is good and is doing a mighty work through MKUSA! Hear how God is continuing to expand and bless MKUSA: PAIUTE BLESSINGS The City of Scottsdale, Arizona boasts an upscale community with lush golf courses, luxury resorts, art galleries, highend restaurants, and pleasant living in the arid Southwest. Nonetheless, Scottsdale has relied on immigrant labor to support the service, hospitality, and sports & entertainment industries. Urban renewal has dispersed immigrant laborers to areas almost invisible to the rest of the community. The Paiute neighborhood is one of those enclaves. Situated between 62nd Street to the west, Osborn to the north, 68th Street to the east, and Thomas to the south, the Paiute neighborhood is a Mexican community, with Mexican flags on windows and front license plates of cars and trucks, bumper stickers naming Mexican states, and emblems of la Virgen de Guadalupe. Walk through the neighborhoods and you will see children playing, women chatting, and men drinking beer, playing dominoes, working on cars, or sitting in groups, particularly on weekends. The neighborhood is filled with the sounds of Spanish language radio announcers, along with norteĂąo and mariachi music. In early 2017, a group of Christians and public servants chose Paiute to be the third MKUSA's Promise Neighborhood. In that group were representatives from Scottsdale Police Department, Hirsch Academy, The City of Scottsdale, First Baptist Church of Scottsdale, Cornerstone Old Town Scottsdale Church, Pinnacle Church, and VPC. The prayerful selection of Paiute was due to the extremely high poverty rate (60%), high proportion of Spanish-speaking population, high population density, and the high rental rate (95%). By January 2019, the Paiute Promise Neighborhood after-school program was ready to open its doors to the first middle
school cohort. A neighborhood manager and a group of volunteers, mainly from VPC, provide tutoring for five-six students from 6th to 8th grade, for two hours, every Thursday at FBC Scottsdale. Maintaining staffing levels started to be an issue, and the need to hire a full-time employee became apparent. In May 2019, MKUSA was able to hire a full time Promise Neighborhood Manager. The program continued to grow. In June, a group of 30 children, ages five to 14 participated in a four-day soccer camp. Families came to watch the kids practice as 15 volunteers coached, kicked the ball with the kids, and prepared a meal for everyone. On August 5, 2019, a MKUSA after-school program for elementary school students, along with 18 volunteer tutors, began to serve 30 students K through 5th grades. This new program has had ups and downs. Some students and families had to leave the program. Students’ needs are many and diverse, and more volunteers are needed to serve as tutors and small-group leaders. The part-time teacher resigned in early October and staff has not been able to replace that position. Nonetheless, thanks to the commitment of the wonderful tutors, the 20 students whose families saw the benefits of the program, and the prayers and tremendous support from VPC, FBCS, and many others, the program is running and the ripple to raise up the families and community has begun. -Rodrigo Siva, Paiute Neighborhood Director, MKUSA God is on the move in our neighborhoods and across our city. Thank you, VPC, for your continued support of this amazing ministry. Thank you to all our volunteers who have stepped out of their comfort zone and into unconventional relationships orchestrated by our God! It is truly amazing to see the lives of people being transformed by the grace of God and through the faith of people in their work. If you would like to hear more about MentorKids USA, or to get involved, please contact me. I would love to tell you about how you can be a part of this wonderful adventure. Peace, Chris Woodard
MentorKids Paiute Promised Neighborhood 5
A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC
By Jennifer Hamm Minister of Music
Jennifer: jenniferh@vpc.church
Singing in a church choir is unlike any other experience. Members put in hours and hours of rehearsal time, diligently working towards the same goal – to perfect the music to the best of their ability, so that it is pleasing to our Lord. To then be able to present it to you is an extraordinary privilege. One that we hope will uplift and inspire worship through song. One of the most exciting parts of our ministry, and a great tradition at VPC, is the Chancel Choir's Christmas concert. We have been blessed over the years by the generosity of VPC’s Foundation (VPF), who provides funding for our concert programs, to hire talented musicians to accompany our choir. We're also blessed to have space in the Sanctuary to host our events where we can accommodate a full orchestra, a choir, and an audience of 500 or more. The challenge in previous years was the acoustics in the Sanctuary. That is why I am so excited that as a part of the Sanctuary remodel these sound issues will be solved at last; producing concerts will be so much easier and the sound even more magnificent! Unfortunately, renovations in our Sanctuary will not be completed in time for this year's Christmas concert. Thankfully, VPF continues to support us by covering 100% of the costs involved with hosting the event at the beautiful Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. If you have been in this venue before, you know how grand it is. If you have not, you are in for a treat! This is a wonderful opportunity for the Chancel Choir to sing in an amazing concert hall. It is a wonderful opportunity for outreach. And lastly, it is a wonderful opportunity for you to experience our magnificent choir and orchestra in such a beautiful facility. Make an evening out of it with dinner and a night on the town! This concert will feature a 55 voice choir, soloists, and a full orchestra with select Phoenix Symphony members performing both sacred and secular Christmas music. The first half of the concert will feature Robert Shaw’s The Many Moods of Christmas. This work is a setting of eighteen Christmas carols grouped into four suites. We chose three of those suites to perform, which include, Good Christian Men, Rejoice, Silent Night, Patapan, O Come, All Ye Faithful, O Sanctissima, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Fum Fum Fum, March of the Kings, What Child is This, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, and Angels We Have Heard on High. Solos from our Valley Singers range from Comfort Ye/Every Valley from Handel’s Messiah to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. All played by talented instrumentalists whom we are so fortunate to have. The second half will open with the beloved song, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and continue with a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas with songs interspersed throughout. There will be a clever arrangement of Jingle Bells that explores different styles and variations. The concert will conclude with a most unique composition called A Musicological Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas, a hilarious parody on the famous song where each day is set to a different style of music. Composer Craig Courtney takes a traditional, very well-known song and makes a music history lesson out of it! The first day starts at the very beginning of western classical music tradition with Gregorian chant. Each day moves up through the ages; you will hear just about every style of western music represented. You'll chuckle a little bit at first and laugh out loud by the end.
Tickets: vpc.church/music 6
Narration throughout the concert will take you on a journey that celebrates the importance of music in our lives as it enriches the holiday season. The orchestrations of every piece we sing will dazzle you! I asked some of our choir and orchestra members to share their excitement for the upcoming concert. Here are some of their responses: It is an amazing opportunity for our choir to have the chance to sing praises to God in one of the Valley’s premiere concert spaces. It will be a truly special concert to celebrate the season and with a vibrant area, there will be lots of opportunities to have a pre-concert dinner and make it a night out! -Tiffany Pondelik, VPC Chancel Choir Member The VPC choir is a wonderful place to build your musical skills and be with other musicians! The Christmas Concert will be enjoyable for everyone because of the vast variety of Christmas melodies. You WILL leave with a smile on your face and a warm heart! -Larry Linkin, VPC Chancel Choir Member Singing in the VPC Chancel Choir is one of the great joys of my life. Due to some health issues I may or may not be able to join the choir in this upcoming Christmas concert, however having the concert at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts would be a great thrill for me. Approximately 40 years ago I served on the board of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts along with Karen Meyer, Kay Herberger, and other distinguished Scottsdale citizens. So the Scottsdale Center for the Arts has always been a special place and I think that the choir will increase its visibility in stature as a result of the concert. –Bob Turpin, VPC Chancel Choir Member
We look forward to playing the Christmas Concert each year at Valley! We really enjoy working with Jennifer Hamm, an awesome conductor, talented musician and dedicated Minister of Music! We were amazed to see her choir's huge growth each year and hear its spirit-filled singing. It's absolutely amazing! We also love her variety in her choice of music. We’ve played everything from Handel to Vivaldi to Rutter to more modern composers. – Lan Qiu, violinist, Phoenix Symphony The Chancel Choir is excited to have worked extremely hard for several months to learn new, challenging music— we consider it a privilege. We now get to move onto a professional stage with a professional orchestra and soloists, dressed in our very finest to present an evening that you will not forget! We want you to be as excited and proud of our choir as we are. You are a big part of this evening! It is such an honor to share this music with you, to have this experience together. We hope you will come and take advantage of the outreach opportunity! Invite friends, family, and neighbors. Old Town Scottsdale awaits for a nice dinner prior to the concert; make an evening of it! We look forward to seeing each and every one of you at A Celebration of Music. As you enter this beautiful performance space, let our choir fill your heart with Christmas and be proud of every single one of them. They have worked so hard to help you feel God’s presence in this season.
I have been a part of VPC Chancel Choir for six years, and what a blessing it has been. Singing is a great expression of joy for the Lord and his wonderful works for us. Our singing is a very special form of worship and praise to God, and one we are happy to share. I am definitely not the best singer in the choir, but honestly, it really doesn't matter. Because when we sing, I am filled with the joy of his spirit, and my heart is full. You can hear it in my voice and see it on my face. That joy is a gift that our choir brings to the congregation and all who hear us. With our hearts and voices we share our faith with our church and community. Come join us, feel his presence and share in our joy. -Maggie Sciacca, VPC Chancel Choir Member I am amazed and proud to be a part of the VPC Chancel Choir. I have enjoyed getting to know the lovely folks who are extremely dedicated to the music ministry of this church. Of course, the biggest thrill for Charlie and me, is singing under the direction of our daughter, Jennifer Hamm! Jennifer has sung under my direction for many years, traveling all over the world and singing in many magnificent cathedrals and churches. It was a huge thrill to have Mountain View Choir perform at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts a few years ago. I'm looking forward to singing with the VPC Chancel Choir at SCPA. –Kay Randolph, VPC Chancel Choir Member
2018 Christmas Concert
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THOSE WHO GO BEFORE US
By Charlee Turner Foundation Administrator
Charlee: charleet@vpc.chuirch
As my eyes graze across the congregation from my seat in the back of Landes during worship, I see the span of the generations represented in our church members. As my neighbor passes the offering plate to me, I feel their small young hands, barely able to hold the weight of the dish as I pass the plate to a set of hands weathered by a lifetime of work and adventure. Those over the age of 70 account for nearly 44% of VPC's population. Our seniors tend to be the core of volunteers for many of the events and mission causes on our campus. In their service and wisdom I see love, peace, joy, compassion, security, and support. Through those, I find Jesus. My world has always revolved around seniors in some capacity. When I was younger, my father owned a small business in our hometown of Anderson, Indiana. His claim to success was that he surrounded himself with those older than him to learn from their successes and failures. They've been an important foundation throughout his life, and it's a sentiment I share, as well. As a teen and college student, I worked at an Assisted Living facility, and my first “real job” post-college was for the Mayor of the City of Anderson, Indiana, where I learned and was mentored by some amazing seniors. And now, as the Administrator for the Valley Presbyterian Foundation, I'm able to work with some incredibly accomplished seniors. I'm lucky to have them in my life. And here's the thing— we're all lucky to have them. The hands and hard work of those who have known the world much longer than you and I are the foundation of our church and our world. Many at VPC are surprised to learn our church has a Foundation – and not just the kind that our campus is built upon—an actual Foundation with its own Board of Trustees and strategic goals for our financial future. Surprise! VPF has existed for over 40 years! It was established in 1976 by the hearts and minds of those who were inspired and touched by the work of God and Valley Presbyterian Church. They wanted it to be a place where their children, their children’s children, their neighbors, and those they would never know, could be inspired, too! I know I am inspired when the last living original VPF Trustee, Don Swanson, is able to attend our events. Through his foresight and the foresight of others in 1976, we have made strides over the decades and continue to execute plans to continue to serve our congregation and community. So far this year, VPF distributed more than $275,000 in funds to directly support VPC's many ministries.
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VPF Trustees, Pastor Joynt, & Kris Bahr
At the end of every year, the Foundation gives an annual five percent distribution to Valley Presbyterian Church to cover operating costs as needed. For 2019 the portion allocated to the VPC Operating Budget was $134,000. While we worship in Landes during the Sanctuary remodel, we learned that our A/C Units were in desperate need of repair to accommodate our congregation. We raised $70,000 toward those repairs as a part of the Annual Dinner's Fund the Need project. Proceeds raised during the Annual Foundation Dinner not only covered the cost of our A/C Units in Landes, $45,000 was directed to our General Fund for use as VPC sees fit. Annually, VPF awards scholarships to VPC students in college. This year, the Foundation awarded $11,300 in scholarships to six students. As a mission partner with MentorKidsUSA, the Foundation awarded a $3,500 grant towards their student gardening program.
In support of Stephen Ministry, $1,702 was given for Leadership Training. Approximately $10,000 has been distributed to VPC's Music Ministry to underwrite the costs of two concerts this year; the Spring concert, America, and the upcoming Music of Christmas concert on December 16. In 2018 VPF provided $1,593,000 toward A The New Heart for the Valley Capital Campaign specifically towards the refurbishment of our Sanctuary’s organ and for the renovation of the Sanctuary Choir Room as well as for the HVAC system. This is all possible because our Foundation members believe in our mission of VPC. They believe in you and me. They believe in the work God has laid on our hearts to give as they have given to us. Would we all aspire to this for our faith family. So here is to our seniors! The current 103 members of Valley Presbyterian Foundation's Legacy Society and to those who remembered VPC past their lifetimes. Here is to your invitation to be a part of this giving group.
To nurture the spirit of God in our VPC students, the Foundation granted $5,474 towards student trips to Forest Home Summer Camp and the 2019 Middle and High School Mission Trips to New York and Tucson.
2019 VPF Scholarship Receipients
Tyler Beauchamp
Emily Martin
Adam Gilbreath
Nate Kerber
Jackson Martin
Karley Wilke-Nadler
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YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU Sometimes insight can come from the strangest of places.
What happens when you have everything the world says is important—fame, wealth, influence—only to have it all rendered meaningless in a heartbeat? Tragedy appears in many forms: an accident, a divorce, a child in trouble with the law, a sudden illness- the forms may be different but the question to each is the same, "What would you do?" How do you make sense of a sudden turn in your life? What good are all your possessions in light of life-altering crisis? Interestingly enough, this very situation happened to author Stephen King. Yes, that Stephen King, who has sold over 350 million books, made movies and TV series, whose work has influenced writers for a generation. He is without a doubt someone with fame, wealth, and influence. You may object to some of his work, and that's fine, but this isn't about his books, this is about his experience with life-altering tragedy. On June 19, 1999, King was walking near his Maine home when a distracted driver plowed a minivan into him. He sustained multiple serious injuries: a wide gash on his forehead, broken ribs, broken bones in his right hip and leg, and a punctured lung. He was in the hospital nearly a month, enduring five separate operations. While King pulled through, he was left with severe pain that, at one point, led him to announce a retirement from writing. Recently King described the aftermath and the effect it had on him: “As I lay unconscious in the hospital, the docs debated amputating my right leg and decided it could stay, on a trial basis. I got better. Every day of the 20 years since has been a gift.” King continues in one of the most remarkable articles on stewardship we’ve seen. “I found out what ‘you can’t take it with you’ means. I found out while I was lying in a ditch at the side of a country road, covered with mud and blood... I had a MasterCard in my wallet, but when you’re lying in a ditch with broken glass in your hair, no one accepts MasterCard.” His view of giving continues: We come in naked and broke. We may be dressed when we go out, but we’re just as broke. Warren Buffet? Going to go out broke. Bill Gates? Going out broke. Tom Hanks? Going out broke. Steve King? Broke. Not a crying dime. All the money you earn, all the stocks you buy, all the mutual funds you trade—all of that is mostly smoke and mirrors... So I want you to consider making your life one long gift to others. And why not? All you have is on loan, anyway. All that lasts is what you pass on. Now imagine a nice little backyard, surrounded by a board fence. Dad—a pleasant fellow, a little plump—is tending the barbecue. Mom and the kids are setting the picnic table: fried chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, a chocolate cake for dessert. And standing around the fence, looking in, are emaciated men and women, starving children. They are silent. They only watch. That family at the picnic is us; that backyard is America, and those hungry people on the other side of the fence, watching us sit down to eat, include far too much of the rest of the world.... It’s not a pretty picture, but we have the power to help, the power to change. And why should we refuse? Because we’re going to take it with us? Please. A life of giving—not just money, but time and spirit—repays. It helps us remember that we may be going out broke, but right now we’re doing O.K. Right now we have the power to do great good for others and for ourselves. So I ask you to begin giving, and to continue as you begin. I think you’ll find in the end that you got far more than you ever had, and did more good than you ever dreamed. Stephen King makes a passionate and perceptive argument for giving. He recognizes not only is giving right, but that it’s smart. He recognizes giving packs a transcendent purpose and pleasure here and now. -2019 VPC Stewardship Committee
God gives each of us a story. What's yours? vpc.church/stories How is God calling you to use your gifts? Learn more: vpc.church/give
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News from
SESSION
At the Congregational Meeting meeting held on October 20, 2019, the following motions were voted on and passed:
Karen Meyer Clerk of Session 480-368-6567
The All Church Nominating Committee moved to elect for a three year term the Elders, Deacons and Trustees of the Foundation for the class of 2022. Elders Trustees Deacons Sean Rollinson Marilyn Cage Sue Chappell Gus Armendariz Gary Stuckey Boots Dunlap Scott Freeman Ginny Carter Maris Thomas Bryan Gottfredson Doug Peterson (Elder) Kelly Eaton Beverly Tozer Christy Miller John Voris Todd Gilbreath Nancy Vessell Jim Schaller Allen Hall Laura Vreeland Tony Will Kay Randolph Amending the Valley Presbyterian Church Articles of Incorporation, Article VIII, to read “The highest amount of indebtedness of liability direct or contingent to which this corporation shall at any time subject itself shall be Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000), unless otherwise fixed by the by-laws and by and with the consent of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns at 480-368-6567. Blessings, Karen Gill Meyer, Clerk of Session
Finances &
OPERATIONS THANK YOU, TIM!
Tim Walker’s last day on our custodial team was Friday, October 25. He has been a dedicated member of our staff for the past 1½ years, faithfully serving our congregation with setups and hospitality, and keeping our facilities clean. We wish Tim the best of luck and Godspeed in his new position at the Leman Academy of Excellence in Mesa.
Kris Bahr
Finance & Operations Director 480-991-6424 ext. 112 krisb@vpc.church
VPC finances year-to-date as of September 30, 2019 Income
Actual $
Budget $
Variance $
Faith Giving Other Income Total Income
1,291,274 235,716 1,526,990
1,372,900 230,700 1,603,600
-81,626 5,016 -76,610
Pastoral Ministry Admin & Facility Mission, Outreach, Cong. Care Christian Education Worship & Music Total Expense
338,464 811,764 119,299 251,573 148,014 1,669,114
369,195 839,407 108,440 259,562 149,430 1,726,034
30,731 27,643 -10,859 7,989 1,416 56,920
Net Income less Expense
-142,124
-122,434
-19,690
Expense
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David Joynt, David Turner, Travis Kingma
PASTORS
*Sunday School for kids three years-5th grade Nursery for kids 0-2
8AM- Chapel 9AM* & 10:45AM*- Landes Center
Valley Presbyterian Church
The VALLEY VINE USPS 621-060, is published monthly by VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Periodical Postage paid at Scottsdale, AZ. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Valley Presbyterian Church, 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253-5342
WORSHIP TIMES
@vpc
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