This Week: February 13, 2021

THIS WEEK (007-362) IS PUBLISHED BIWEEKLY EXCEPT ONCE IN DECEMBER BY PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 4124 OAK LAWN, DALLAS, TX 75219, PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT DALLAS, TEXAS, 75219. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THIS WEEK, 4124 OAK LAWN, DALLAS, TX 75219-3152

PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRICIA COTHRAN, EDITOR 4124 OAK LAWN AVENUE DALLAS, TX 75219-3152

SUNDAY WORSHIP

We are continuing to assess the safety of our worshipers on a week to week basis. We are still REQUIRING all attendees to wear masks or cloth face coverings over the nose and mouth while in the church building. If you are uncomfortable with this, we understand and ask that you attend worship online. To help ensure we hold our worship services safely, we ask that you reserve a seat for you and childcare online at pcpc.org/reserve-seat.

If you or anyone in your party have had COVID-like symptoms in the past 7 days, we ask that you please worship online with us at pcpc.org/live.

MTW VIRTUAL MISSIONS CONFERENCE February 19–20 | FREE

PCPC is joining with other churches in the PCA for a Virtual Missions Conference in February! Many of our missionaries will be highlighted or will be available for live chats!

Mark your calendars for Friday night, February 19, and Saturday, February 20, and register now for free at mtw.org /vmc.

WOMEN’S LENTEN PRAYER February 17 | 12-Noon

Come worship and pray with us as we prepare our hearts in anticipation of the cross and resurrection of our amazing Savior, Jesus! Led by Elizabeth Robinson. Find more information at pcpc.org /events.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1-2

ADKINS & NIELSON CONCERT February 28 | 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Join us for a beautiful evening with Dallas Symphony principal cellist, Christopher Adkins, and Steinway Artist and PCPC elder, Stephen Nielson, whose chamber concert is a perennial favorite.

SUNDAY WORSHIP: 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

24/7 PRAYER HOTLINE: 214-224-2680 or 24/7prayer@pcpc.org

No tickets required for this event, but masks and distancing will be required.

pcpc.org | 214-224-2500 follow parkcitiespca

THISWEEK@PCPC VOL. XXXII, NO. 3 | FEBRUARY 13, 2021

Park Cities Presbyterian Church exists to extend the transforming presence of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in Dallas and to the world.

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EVERYONE

FLORIDA TRIP June 5-11th

All incoming 9th-12th graders and graduating 12th graders are invited to join us in Panama City Beach, Florida, for an incredible week of fun, sun, worship, and teaching. Registration begins February 24 for members and March 1 for non-members.

Contact Darian Reichert darian.reichert@pcpc.org for more information.

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING March 7

THISWEEK@PCPC

VOL. XXXII, NO. 3 | FEBRUARY 13, 2021

There will be a congregational meeting for the purpose of electing elders and deacons. Details online at pcpc.org/events.

Contact Sally Rogers, sally.rogers@pcpc.org or 214-224-2775.

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OUR FAMILY

Be kind to one another,

BIRTHS

• Emma Caroline Jolesch, daughter of Drew & Anne-Kyle Jolesch (Lake Highlands Parish) on January 25, 2021

tenderhearted, forgiving

SYMPATHY

By Shawn Davis Director of Communications

one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. EPHESIANS 4:32-5:2

I’d

like to propose that we think of Valentine’s Day as Forgiveness Day. Hear me out. 20 years ago, I got on one knee and proposed to my now bride quoting God’s Word from Ephesians 5:25.

I told her that I wanted to love her “as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” That sounds really good and is pretty common to hear at weddings.

BUT, it is far from easy to live out.

Just 4 months after getting married, my dad found a small note on the kitchen table that informed him my mom had moved to Alabama and was filing for divorce after 31 years of marriage. My entire world collapsed. My parents are believers. My dad always made sure we were in church when the doors were opened, and I woke up almost every morning seeing my mom reading and praying God’s Word. So what happened?

Scripture refers to what happened in my family as a “hardening of one’s heart.” My dad never learned how to biblically love my mom, and my mom didn’t know how to biblically forgive my dad. Their hearts just grew more and more calloused each year.

God had them right where He wanted them. That sounds strange since Scripture acknowledges divorce as sin, but the Lord was using this circumstance to bring my parents to the proverbial rock bottom. Our heavenly Father immediately began working on my dad’s heart – teaching him how to love according to Scripture. And about

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3 years later, He started working on my mom’s heart.

For Her, he used a book called Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall to point her back to Scripture. In this book, Kendall quickly dives into what biblical forgiveness is, and what it is not. He shows us what it looks like through the lives of Joseph, David, and of course, our Savior, Jesus. He reminds us that forgiveness is commanded.

Ephesians 4:32-5:2 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Did you catch all of that? Tenderhearted is the opposite of hard-hearted. The Lord is commanding us to forgive as we have been forgiven, to imitate Him by walking in love, to be a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. He didn’t say it was going to be easy, but He did say, “as God in Christ forgave you.”

There’s no better place to be than right where God wants you. So, after 31 years of marriage and 7 years of divorce, God brought forgiveness and reconciliation to a broken marriage. My parents remarried on their original anniversary. All praise to God! Together, they learned what forgiveness is and what it is not. They don’t have a perfect marriage, but God has used their marriage to teach them, my family, and all those around my family, that forgiveness is God’s antidote to the hardening of our hearts.

So this Valentine’s Day, I don’t know if you’re single, married, dating, or divorced. I don’t know if you’re on a mountaintop or in a dark valley. What I do know is God’s Word is true. It’s active. It’s what you need right where you are. I pray that you’ll open it and study what God has to say about love, marriage, divorce, and yes, forgiveness.

Let’s use Valentine’s Day each year as a day to remember that all have been offered forgiveness by our Savior, and He is calling us to extend that forgiveness to all. Happy Forgiveness Day!

• Guy & Lori Josselyn (White Rock Parish) on the loss of his father, Claudya, Dani, & Georgia Josselyn (White Rock Parish) on the loss of their grandfather, Guy F. Josselynn, III, on November 22, 2020 • Kyle & Megan Manley (Northwest Dallas Parish) on the loss of his father, Baxter, Betsy Grace, John Daniel, & Susanna Manley (Northwest Dallas Parish) on the loss of their grandfather, David Manley, on January 24, 2021 • Robby & Ann Higginbottom (Park Cities Hyer Elementary Parish) on the loss of her mother, John & Will Higginbottom (Park Cities Hyer Elementary Parish) on the loss of their grandmother, Leslie Melson, on January 24, 2021 • Clay Russell (Park Cities UP Elementary Parish) on the loss of his father, Duane Russell, on January 30, 2021 • Laura Tinsley (Ex-member) on the loss of her husband Tim Tinsley (Former PCPC Pastor) on January 30, 2021

PCPC CARE & PRAYER The Pastoral Care Ministry exists to extend the transforming presence of Christ to all members of PCPC by providing spiritual comfort, intercessory prayer, and biblical counsel in seasons of crisis, distress, grief, institutionalization, and other needs.

For more information, please contact Wilma Morgan at wilma.morgan@pcpc.org.

Or take advantage of our 24/7 Prayer by calling 214-224-2680 or sending an e-mail to 24-7prayer@pcpc.org.

general fund

budget

2020/2021 operating budget July 1, 2020—January 31, 2021 budget July 1, 2020—January 31, 2021 giving Budget Variance

$13,500,000 $8,441,780 $7,801,741 –$640,039

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