EVERYONE WELCOME BACK
We’re excited to begin gathering for worship in person again! For the safety of our community and in accordance with CDC guidelines for places of worship, the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship services at PCPC will be limited in capacity. We ask that you arrive early to allow for time to be seated before the service begins. Again, in accordance with CDC guidelines, we strongly recommend wearing a cloth face covering or mask and maintain a 6-foot safe distance between parties. To help ensure we hold our worship services safely, we ask that you reserve a seat for you and your family online at pcpc.org/ reserve-seat/. If you or anyone in your party have had any of the following in the past 7 days, we ask that you please worship with us at pcpc.org/live. • Fever Over 100 • Cough or Sore Throat • Shortness of Breath • Contact with anyone confirmed to have COVID-19 (in the past 14 days) There is no rush to return. Our desire is to lead the Body in worship of our Lord and Savior whether in person or online. So, we will continue to live stream our services at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. for any and all who would prefer to worship online at pcpc.org/live.
We're continuing to roll out new episodes of our Deep Light series, weekly interviews hosted by our very own Mark Davis and Tommy Obenchain. You will hear fun, meaningful, and life-giving stories from members and friends of PCPC. Deep Light is available on YouTube at youtube.com/c/parkcitiespca. Don’t miss it and be sure to subscribe, like, and share with friends and neighbors. We have great interviews with Nancy Guthrie (Good Grief), Joe Januszewski (Baseball Joe), Tommy Obenchain (Pilot), Chad Scruggs (Chad Who?), Russ Whitfield (Faithfulness), Nathaniel Blackburn (Getting Real), and more to come!
VOL. XXXI, NO .11| JUNE 6, 2020 PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRICIA COTHRAN, EDITOR 4124 OAK LAWN AVENUE DALLAS, TX 75219-3152
VBS 2020: SCHOOL OF ROCK
Earlier this year, we announced that VBS would be “coming home” to PCPC’s campus after having been away the past two summers. In light of COVID-19, it has been decided that PCPC will not host Vacation Bible School on campus. Instead, we are excited to EXTEND the “School of Rock” to families through Virtual VBS! From June 9-12, a daily “School of Rock” video will be available at pcpc.org/ vbs and through PCPC’s YouTube channel. These daily videos will include a time of worship, a daily lesson with reinforcing skits and illustrations, messages from missionaries, and a corresponding craft project. vbs@pcpc.org or 214-224-2502
PRAYING & WRITING TO OUR MISSIONARIES 214-224-2500 pcpc.org facebook.com/parkcitiespca twitter.com/parkcitiespca
THISWEEK@PCPC
DEEP LIGHT
Would you like to pray specifically for one or more of our missionaries? Would you like to send an email or a card to encourage them? We long to encourage and support our missionaries during this pandemic. Email Cindy Rhea, and she can give you current prayer requests and addresses. cindy.rhea@pcpc.org
RUF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FURNITURE DRIVE
THISWEEK@PCPC
VOL. XXXI, NO. 11 | JUNE 6, 2020
Are you spring cleaning? Consider donating your used furniture (tables, chairs, couches, desks, etc) to incoming international students at SMU. Help their new apartments feel like home! Furniture will be given away at the Welcome Party in August. To donate, contact Heidi Hill to schedule pick up. heidi.hill@ruf.org or 615-310-2951
Navigating the Ups & Downs W e are so grateful for our Young Adult Ministry here at PCPC. So we wanted to check-in and see how many of them are doing during this season. How are they responding to the ups and downs? What has changed in their lives? What have they been able to do in order to maintain community? Check out these responses and continue to pray for our ministry to young adults throughout Dallas.
OUR FAMILY
deaths • Kay Durham (CC#10), wife of Herb Durham (CC#10) on April 23, 2020.
sympathies • Jerry Gibson (CC#22) on the loss of his father; Courtney & Carter Gibson (CC#22) on the loss of their grandfather, H. Alfred “Al” Gibson, on May 4, 2020. • Harry & Liz Joe (CC#05) on the loss of his father, Fay Ging Joe, on May 18, 2020. Care Clusters – pcpc.org/care/care-clusters/
What’s been the hardest part of this season of COVID-19? Rarely seeing friends and not being able to see my family in East Texas in person. —Edward Herrington I love to meet new people and network. I miss social gatherings, community group, sports teams, and volunteering opportunities. — Kristin Lutek
I was sitting outside the disaster relief warehouse where the Bulk Food Project is based, when a man named Scott walked up to me. He wore a car mechanic’s shirt and a pair of beat-up wranglers. He asked if we were “some of the ones helping poor people access food,” and my initial thought was that he was likely seeking food assistance. I explained to him that we were packing food for small churches and nonprofits to distribute in their communities. As I was speaking, I realized that he had been sitting in his semi-truck waiting for a shipment and had seen our team loading boxes for North Dallas High School and West Dallas Community School. Scott proceeded to tell me that he and his wife had been looking for places to contribute financially to relief efforts, blowing my initial thought about him seeking assistance out of the water. He told me that his wife works at a hospital in Waco and has helped with the COVID-19 testing effort there, but they wanted to find other ways to contribute. They had made several phone calls to organizations but had been told that small financial donations weren’t accepted. He was very encouraged to hear that our Bulk Food Project has been made possible entirely by God’s people individually following a call to be generous with their resources! He asked for information on how to give, and we had a great conversation about his five kids – most of them in successful careers, but one of whom works in the service industry and is navigating unemployment. I gave him the link to donate online and told him he could also send a check in the mail. I thanked him, and we parted ways.
That's tough, as there have been a few. I think the hardest part though has been not being able to physically be with people. I've missed that, and I'm glad we're slowly getting back to it. —Cullen Stephens It is difficult to pinpoint what the hardest part of this season has been. One thing that is near the top has been accepting how little control I actually have. I had ideas about what should have been done or how to proceed, but I had no control over any of it. My schedule and plans for the near future were almost entirely determined by things out of my control. Accepting that was difficult. It was also very difficult meeting new friends. I was one of the newer members of the young adults group and did not know everyone yet. I was very intent on getting to know more people in the group, but it became significantly more difficult to connect with individuals I had not met in person. —Elliott Farris
If you’d like to contribute to our ongoing projects through the COVID-19 & Disaster Relief fund, you can donate at pcpc.org/give/ or write a check to Park Cities Presbyterian Church with “COVID-19 & Disaster Relief” in the memo line. As always, if you or anyone you know has physical, material, or spiritual needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact us by emailing deaconhelp@pcpc.org or by filling out the form at pcpc. org/coronavirus/ and someone from our diaconate or women’s team will follow up with you. —Jenna Tenpenny, City Missions
2019/2020 operating budget
$13,500,000
July 1, 2019—May 24, 2020 budget
$12,356,672
July 1, 2019—May 24, 2020 giving
$12,040,486
Budget Variance
–$316,186
What’s been a blessed part of this season of COVID-19 (expected or unexpected)? I suddenly had much more discretionary time to spend and fewer options for how to spend it. I used this time to go for walks in my neighborhood, pray, read, spend time with my family, etc. I did many life-giving activities that would have been harder to fit into my normal schedule. While meeting new people became difficult, I was able to connect very closely through Zoom with a small group of guys that would meet for community group on Sunday and the Young Adults' Lunch & Learn on Thursdays. —Elliott Farris A major blessing in this has been being able to work from home. For one, without the travel I would normally do, I've been able to get far more connected and involved with the PCPC YA community. Also, the flexibility has allowed me to more easily make time to read and be with God. Being able to cook more has also been a major plus. —Cullen Stephens
Kristin Lutek
I spent a few minutes praising the Lord for Scott, and for turning my initial expectation for our conversation upside down. I realized I hadn’t given Scott my contact information and felt led to pass it along in case he needed anything. I walked over to his truck, he rolled down his window, and out flowed some loud worship music. He grinned and said he had already found our website and was in the process of giving. Moments like these are so unexpected, and often bring me to tears. The Lord has been so unbelievably faithful to provide the funds needed for all of PCPC’s COVID-19 Response projects up to this point, but it truly is amazing to watch Him move in surprising ways. I have been so humbled by all the financial contributions that have poured in from the PCPC family, but this was a reminder that no matter what, God WILL provide. Even if from the most unexpected of sources.
GENERAL FUND
budget
Elliott Farris Edward Herrington
This season has given me the space to learn a new system for meal planning and healthier eating, which has been transformative for how I feel day to day. I have spent more time writing, reading, cleaning, and slowing down from my usual pace of life. — Kristin Lutek Unexpectedly, I have realized the level to which I idolized some things in my life and that I am okay without them, as well as strengthening of some relationships despite quarantine. I've enjoyed time to unwind and take a needed breath because of the forced pause in life due to quarantine. —Edward Herrington
Cullen Stephens
To connect with the Young Adults Ministry, contact Kelsey Glover: kelsey.glover@pcpc.org or John Paul Schulze: johnpaul.schulze@pcpc.org