WHO IS THIS MAN?
In Mark 8 Jesus asks His disciples who people claim He is. His disciples tell Him that some think He is Elijah and others John the Baptist come back to life. Still others, they say, think that He is one of the prophets. It is clear that even though Jesus has spent a couple years in ministry, people still don't know who He is. Even when Jesus' disciples claim He is the Messiah, they still don't understand what that means or who He is. Even after His resurrection they still don't get it.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the disciples finally began to understand who this Jesus was and what the Messiah is. Though this is true, we still find that the church, through its history, has continued to have trouble understanding who Jesus is. It has led to council after council and creeds to help us understand. Still, as I look around today, I see Christians who would be hard pressed to give an answer if Jesus asked, Who do you say that I am?"
Now, I do not claim to be anywhere near as important as Jesus, but I do believe that it is important that you know who it is that is sharing the Gospel with you.
My faith journey is not unlike many others you have heard. I grew up in a Christian home and was raised to understand my need for a savior. I have always loved teaching and started to teach second grade Sunday school while I was in high school. I went off to Liberty University to get my BS in telecommunications even though I had a sense that God was calling me to ministry of some sort.
Upon my return, I got involved in adult Christian education, which has become a passion of mine. I also started working in Christian radio where I met my lovely wife, Kim. I still was not ready to answer my call and chose to follow my other talents. I returned to school to get an AST in Electronics Engineering Technologies. Sometimes God does funny things and He opened the door for me to teach there when I graduated.
It was during this time that my sense of call was becoming too strong to ignore, and my discerning wife talked with me about answering this call. In 2004 we took that leap. I left teaching and started working a job with more flexible scheduling and started classes in the seminary. We have never looked back. It is constantly evident that God opens doors where He wants us to be.
We are excited to be joining with you in ministry. Kim and I live nearby in Mt. Lebanon and have two daughters. Lauren is a senior at Slippery Rock University and will proudly complete her studies this coming December. Taylor is a senior at Mt. Lebanon high school and is very excited about heading off to Slippery Rock this fall.
Kim is one of my great joys. She has stood beside me the entire way. She comes with gifts of her own but is limited in her time. Kim continues to work two jobs while I finish school and is the webmaster for the Mt. Lebanon school district's cheerleading web-pages. I am so very proud of her and grateful for God's gift to me.
We have entered into the Lenten season and are preparing for Easter. While we get to know each other, let us spend this time also getting to know Jesus more fully. This season in the church is the time where we should be facing the reality of who we are in light of the Christ. May you find this Easter a joyous time of growth in your faith.
Blessings in Christ,
Scott
WELCOME, SCOTT AND KIM!
The Session is pleased to welcome Scott Shetter as our new 3/4 time temporary pastor effective March 14th. As the temporary supply, Scott will have office hours as well as preaching, visiting our members and participating in our church in all the ways a pastor would. He will be in the pulpit starting immediately. This contract came after much fasting, prayer, debate and interviews on behalf of the Session. Scott and his wife, Kim, have demonstrated a passion for Christ and for our mission in this community, matching what we felt led to in our discernment process, and we are excited to see what God has in store for these new members of our church family. Scott and Kim have two daughters, Lauren, a senior in college, and Taylor, a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School. Scott is in his last year of his Master of Divinity at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and will continue working with the seminary staff, committee on ministry and other pastors during this time. If you haven't heard Scott preach or met him and Kim, please be sure to come out and get to know them!
Jami Conn
Session Elder
PALM SUNDAY LUNCHEON
There will be a luncheon in the Fellowship Hall immediately following worship service on Sunday, March 28th to welcome our new Temporary Supply, Scott Shetter, and his wife, Kim. All are invited and encouraged to attend to show your support for our new leader and to get acquainted with him and his family.
SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
- There are only two kinds of people in the world: those you love and those you don't understand.
- Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
HAITI DISASTER RELIEF
First Presbyterian Church of Castle Shannon is receiving donations to the Haiti Disaster Relief Fund. If you would like to make a donation, please make your check payable to FPCCS and mark "Haiti" in the memo section of your check. All money received will be forwarded to the Presbyterian Disaster Relief Fund for distribution.
WILL YOU HELP OUR CHURCH FULFILL THE GREAT COMMISSION?
Philippians 2: 14-15 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."
Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they might see your good works and praise your Father in Heaven."
When the Blizzard of 2010 hit, my sons and I were at my parents' house, on the highest, steepest hill in Castle Shannon. We didn't see a plow for two days, and, while technology allowed us to contact the "outside world," we truly understood the meaning of being apart from society. By God's grace, we never lost power, heat, or phone service; even our cable and Internet remained on! But while we could hear about what was going on in our community, we were unable to participate or help in any way.
Almost a century ago, our church was on the same hill, high above the community. The members of this church purchased land at a more accessible location and then, working together with none of today's heavy equipment, literally picked up the building and rolled it down the hill into the heart of Castle Shannon where we are today.
We are again looking at moving deeper into our neighborhood, this time not physically but personally. Part of our discernment process includes asking the Lord to show us what we can do right here, as part of this community, and with our new temporary supply pastor's help, we believe that we are going to see that begin to happen. In this increasingly unchurched world, we can ill afford to sit back and wait for people to come looking for a church home; we need to take our God and our church to them - and not all the way across the globe to distant tribes and lands, but right here, where our Father placed this church. We cannot fulfill the Great Commission by stranding ourselves on a hill of "That won't work," "They're not interested" and all the other excuses we make. The time is now to be in this world, though not of it, and to regain our place as an integral part of the community in which we have been placed.
Please continue to pray with us that, as our church family did generations ago, we will unite to perform a seemingly impossible and crazy-sounding task, to move this church to a more accessible place, so that we can draw our neighbors into Christ's home.
Jami Conn
CHURCH HUMOR
Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, and they give him $50.00." The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $100.00. The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!"