This Week: March 16, 2019

EVERYONE ALL-CHURCH PRAYER FOR HEALING Come join us Sunday, March 31, 5:00 p.m., Sanctuary, for a prayer service in which our elders will be praying over all who might have needs for spiritual, physical, emotional, or relational healing. Prayer requests will be shared with and prayed for privately with two or three elders and held in confidence. cassie. rawson@pcpc.org or 214-224-2737

DIGNITY SERVES INTENSIVE WEEKEND Dignity Serves is a paradigm-shifting, deeply impactful experience that teaches participants how to both serve and be served with dignity in every aspect of life.

Using interactive exercises and real-world examples, this class prepares people to serve others more effectively. It helps participants apply key principles of humility, listening, and mutual respect to their personal lives and to the programs that they take part in. Join us Friday, April 5 from 6:00—9:00 p.m. & Saturday, April 6 from 8:30 a.m.—2:00 p.m., Room 302/304. Dinner will be provided on Friday, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Registration is required and there is a $15 fee for class materials. jenna.tenpenny@pcpc.org or 214-224-2501 Join the deacons to extend helping hands to our single moms, widows/ers, senior adults, and those with chronic illness who have asked for assistance around their homes on Saturday, April 6, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Room 263. To request help, contact Wilma Morgan. wilma.morgan@pcpc.org or 214-224-2742

VOL. XXX, NO .05 | MARCH 16, 2019 PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRICIA COTHRAN, EDITOR 4124 OAK LAWN AVENUE DALLAS, TX 75219-3152

LIGON DUNCAN, GUEST PREACHER Ligon Duncan is the Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary and the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. He has authored, co-authored, edited or contributed to more than 35 books including most recently, The Underestimated Gospel (B&H, 2014) and The Unadjusted Gospel (Crossway, 2014). Join us Sunday, April 7, at the 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. worship services as he brings a powerful message on God’s Covenant with David.

WORSHIP & THE PERFORMING ARTS ELIJAH: SPRING CHORAL CONCERT Come experience Felix Mendelssohn’s vivid musical depiction of the life of the prophet Elijah, from his dramatic confrontation of the prophets of Baal to his being taken to heaven in a whirlwind with chariots of fire. This staged presentation features PCPC’s children’s, youth, and adult choirs with symphony orchestra on Sunday, March 24, 6:00 p.m., Sanctuary. Free admission; doors open 30 minutes prior to the concert. performingarts@pcpc.org or 214-224-2631

214-224-2500 pcpc.org facebook.com/parkcitiespca twitter.com/parkcitiespca

THISWEEK@PCPC

HELPING HANDS

ADULTS GRANDPARENTING MATTERS PART 2

THISWEEK@PCPC

VOL. XXX, NO. 05 | MARCH 16, 2019

Join us Friday, March 29, 6:30–8:30 p.m. & Saturday, March 30, 9:00 a.m.– Noon, Oak Lawn West, as we explore the challenges we face and practical strategies for drawing close to and discipling your grandchildren. Surveys show that "intentional grandparents” have influence on the faith of the next two generations. Speakers are Bill and Ann Parkinson, Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock; $25 for individuals, $40 for couples. Please register at pcpc.org/events/. elizabeth.chandler@pcpc.org or 214-224-2739

The “Most Boring City” in Japan

J

apan is a hard place to do Christian ministry. This is a sentiment shared by Japanese and foreign workers alike.

Often it is coined the “graveyard of missionaries.” So why does PCPC keep sending a team of young adults year after year?

Meet our Home Church Missionaries, Brett & Taylor Rayl.

The Rayl family is currently back in the states preparing to leave for their second term in Japan after having served in Nagoya for over six years. Brett is team leader of Christ Bible Institute (CBI) and vision-caster for its partner seminary. His wife, Taylor, runs an English VBS-type program as an outreach to local mothers and their children. They just welcomed their third child in March. The PCPC Young Adults team has been working with the Rayls for over five years, encouraging them as they steadfastly work where fruit grows very slowly.

Nagoya has a very distinct reputation in Japan. One journalist declared it “the most boring city in Japan,” in a John Oliveresque take-down that expresses real appreciation deep within the snark. For the Rayl family, this is funny and frustrating at the same time; it captures pretty well what they have learned over and over again about their city. It is wealthy, industrious, illiberal, and lost. It also often seems less significant than other cities in Japan. Those who serve there can be tempted to ask if it is worth it.

So why not divert their missions focus and resources to the larger and perhaps more enjoyable cities of Osaka and Tokyo? It is an attractive idea in many ways. From their angle, the Osaka region is known for being most open to hearing the gospel. People are friendlier and more outgoing. There is more interest in outside perspectives. Osaka is kind of the anti-Nagoya in many ways.

There are great churches and ministries there, and they are seeing fruit. And then there is Tokyo, which is to Japan what Jerusalem was for Israel³—³the center of the world. It is a global city that delivers global impact.

And we see the beginnings of a wonderful church planting movement taking place.

Don’t misunderstand, these are still lost and unreached cities, but on the surface, these cities can seem more strategic than Nagoya.

For those inside or outside of Japan considering church planting, it can be easy to overlook Nagoya and its poor sports teams and lack of tourist sites. But Nagoya is Japan’s gospel barometer³—³if this city has a movement of church planting and renewal, you can bet there are movements in Osaka and Tokyo as well. There is a need for new churches there as much and more than anywhere else in Japan.

As Nagoya geographically sits between Tokyo and Osaka, they want to be a hub to connect work going on in all three cities and unite efforts and collaborate for greater effectiveness.

To reach Nagoya is to help reach Japan.

COMMUNICANTS

Georgia Anderson

Hudson Clark

Mary Lawrence Cordon

Sarah Dawson

Porter DeLuca

Madeleine Denton

Ava Engstrom

Scarlett George

Jade Gibson

Benjamin Golik

Luke Harper

Anderson Jackson

Rhodes Jackson

John Myers

Megan Myers

Campbell Peterson

Matthew Peterson

Hunter Pierce

Colin Pletcher

Katelyn Porter

Madeline Shaw

Jane Vandercook

Sarah Vandercook

Blake Wills

GENERAL FUND

budget

2018/2019 operating budget July 1—March 3, 2019 budget July 1—March 3, 2019 giving Budget deficit

$13,500,000 $9,566,791 $8,951,359 -$615,432

OUR FAMILY

births • Micah Jene Cunningham, son of Micah & Elizabeth Cunningham (CC#04), on February 22, 2019.

• Jacqueline Frances Magnuson, daughter of Joseph & Emily Magnuson (CC#12), on February 27, 2019.

• Ry Barnabas Rayl, son of Brett & Taylor Rayl (out-of-town members & PCPC Missionaries), on March 5, 2019.

deaths

The PCPC trip on July 19–28 serves many purposes but a huge priority while there is simply to pray. There are many cultural barriers as well as spiritual warfare in Japan.

With such a small Christian population, the team of 12 people showing up to pray over a train station or a park increases the amount of prayer in that area exponentially. This trip also lays a foundation of discipleship and vision casting for young adults here at PCPC. To love Japan is to be committed for the long haul. Nagoya may be “the most boring city” in Japan, but Rayls’ heart for the culture and people makes it an utterly fascinating place.

If you’re interested in learning more, please join the Rayl family on Sunday, March 24, 12:15 p.m., Fellowship Hall, for a send-off luncheon.

March 3, 2019

• Gloria M. Hewlett (CC#04) on February 22, 2019.

sympathies • Brett & Taylor Rayl (out-of-town members) on the loss of her grandfather; Paton & Lily Rayl (out-of-town members) on the loss of their great-grandfather, Walter Saner, on February 28, 2019.

• Dave & Linda Mutchler (CC#17) on the loss of her father, Ralph Case, on March 2, 2019.

N a g o y a is Japan’s

Gospel

Barometer

• Jay & Nancy Turner (CC#08) on the loss of her mother; Chase & Keni Fondren (out-of-town members) on the loss of her grandmother; Ella Fondren (out-of-town member) on the loss of her great-grandmother; Ben & Megan Douglass (CC#15) on the loss of her grandmother; Sam, Hope, & Luke Douglass (CC#15) on the loss of their great-grandmother; David N. Turner (CC#08) on the loss of his grandmother, Lenore Waldrop, on March 3, 2019.

Care Clusters – pcpc.org/care/care-clusters/