Dublin Presbyterian Church
Sunday, May 19, 2013
We are a growing family of faith that welcomes you into our midst!
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Current Events  ~New educational programs at Dublin Presbyterian Church~
These programs are in rsponse to your surveys completed prior to summer.
Thank you for your suggestions and comments on how we as a church can best meet your needs and the needs of your family.
Hope you enjoy the additions and are able to take part in them!
Nursery care: 9:30-11:30AM -infants -2 years old
Preschool Classes: 10:30-11:30AM -children ages 3-5years
Theo-logical Class: 9:30-10:15AM -current Adult Bible Study
Sunday Sermon Stories: Kindergarten – 5th grade may leave worship after the
children’s message for story time
Special Workshops: 9:30-10:30AM -Class for children K-5th designed
specifically around a topic, such as the Bible, Communion,
Baptism, Parables, etc and offered periodically throughout the year
The Wired Word: 9:30-10:30AM -Adult & Youth conversation class offered at
same time as the children’s Special Workshops thoughout the year~
 A few years ago I was invited to do a wedding at a lake resort in Rheinlander, Wisconsin. The rehearsal was planned for 6pm.
My plan was to get to Rheinlander at about 5pm so that I could check things out at the church. At 3:30pm I realized I was lost. I
had written instructions for the journey but must have missed a turn somewhere. I drove around for about 40 minutes and finally
stopped to ask directions at a service station. Behind the counter was a very strong looking woman with sleeves rolled up on her oil
spattered work shirt. I explained my predicament and then she said, “Isn’t that just like a man, driving all over the place before you
ask for help.” “Reverend’” she asked, “Let me just ask you something,” “Do you think Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness because
he was too proud to stop and ask for directions?” I replied that I hadn’t thought about it, but that she might just be on to something.
Well, she sold me a three dollar map with the proper route marked out and I arrived at the rehearsal in the nick of time.
Since that encounter at the service station, I have thought about her question a number of times. Recently, I read a book called,
Leading Change in the Congregation, by G R Rendle. In his book he talks about the reason why it took Moses 40 years to cross the
wilderness when he could have made it in less than 4o months had he taken a straighter path. He says it took 40 years because people
needed the time to reorganize at a higher level. Has the trip been shorter, the people would have arrived in the promised land unchanged.
Those who went into the wilderness as a group of slaves came out as a nation of people who had been transformed by the hand of God.
The interim pastor's role is to help people confront their pain, disappointments and anxieties without being overwhelmed by them.
It is to help the congregation dream new dreams and consider alternative possibilities for the future, without discarding the great foundations
of the past.
When a pastor leaves a church certain questions almost always surface, “Why do we have to have an interim pastor?”
“Why do we have to do an extensive mission study?” “Why can’t we just get a committee together and call a new pastor and get
on with things?” Moses is a wonderful example for interim ministry. He trusted God enough to hold the people in the wilderness long
enough for God to make the changes necessary for them to become the people God wanted them to be.
Dear friends, I pray that as we journey together in to the future, all of us will have the patience, steadfastness and endurance to move
strongly in the direction God would have us go. Remember, we are not alone on this journey. God walks with us and God will show the way.
Finally, I want to thank you for welcoming Betty and me into your church and into your lives. We look forward to getting to know you better
in the coming months.
Peace and Grace,
Tom Martin
Interim Pastor
 NEWS FROM THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE
CHANGE…IT’S REALLY NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD
Most people dislike change. Some people even fear change. Yet change is a natural and constant part of life.
You can even say change is necessary, for without it how would we learn, grow or evolve. Without change,
life stagnates. We all know this.
Yet, knowing it to be true really doesn’t make accepting change any easier. Change is your kids going
off to college, getting married or moving away for a new job. Change is the loss of a parent or loved one.
Change is even the loss of your reverend, in church…the one place you might expect things to remain
constant and unchanging. Yet God obviously loves change, so we know there is a purpose to change.
Having had the privilege of working with Reverend Janice for many years on the DPC Worship Committee,
I know she tried to promote change. She did this by trying to find ways to help us grow in our faith and by
trying to help us stretch past our comfort zones and experience new aspects of our faith. So many times in her
sermons, Janice would hit a topic that had such personal meaning and relevance to me. It was almost like she
could read my mind and knew what I needed to hear or learn right then. So when Janice retired, I was
struggling to find the positive aspects in this change.
Yet God sent us Phil (he doesn’t like to be called Reverend Phil). To me, Phil had a very different style
to his ministry. There were times in his sermons I thought he wandered a bit too far off the path and I
wondered where he could possibly be going. Then all of a sudden he would drive the sermon home in a way
that truly made me think about things at a personal level. He had his own, different style. Not better or
worse that Janice’s style, just a change. Yet in that change and style, God still reached out and made me
think about my faith, about what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to be.
During one of his first Worship Committee meetings, Phil told us it was his job to prepare us for
change. To get us to think about what we do as a church and why we do it. To get us to think about what
kind of church we are…and what kind of church we want to be. Now we are on to the next stage of
change. Phil has moved on, but I think he did a great job of helping us with our first stage of change.
He helped prepare us for the idea that God wants us to think about and accept change. That God wants
us to find ways to be even better as Christians and as a Church. That God wants us to grow. Grow
more in our personal faith, in our faith with each other; and to find new ways to share our faith and
our church with others in our community.
One thing is for sure, more change is coming and it’s up to us to make that change positive and
help inspire new growth.
Peace and Blessings
Rick Gerace on behalf of the Worship Committee
 Thank you to all who participated in April's three open congregational meetings.
The Mission Self Study Committee has completed its final Mission Self Study Report.
Copies are on the Connections Desk.
This complied information outlines who we are as a church and where we would like to be in the future.
Topics discussed were:
What does Dublin Presbyterian Church offer the community?
What Opportunities are available to Dublin Presbyterian?
What does Dublin Presbyterian Church look like in 2017?
Mission Self-Study Committee:
Carolyn Buchanan, Brent Davis, Rich Ferguson, Joanne Goze, Ralph LeVan, Jennifer McCann, Doug Spalding and Phil Hazelton
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