Trinity Sunday 6-16-19

Legend has it that when Saint Patrick told the King of Ireland about the Trinity, the king could not believe three Persons in the Godhead could exist as one. Lifting up a sprig of shamrock, Saint Patrick said: “Here is a perfect leaf with three perfect parts.” The shamrock became a well-known symbol of the Holy Trinity.

This article originally appeared in the May 1994 edition of Presbyterian Survey (now Presbyterians Today).

Pentecost Sunday

June 9, 2019

This Sunday we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Everyone is encouraged to wear something red to church for this week. We will be taking a group picture after the service.

Denomination stands ready to help

by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service

Governors of Oklahoma and Arkansas have requested emergency declarations following heavy rainfall and flooding. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is in contact with affected presbyteries.

LOUISVILLE — Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is in contact this weekend with presbyteries in states in the lower Midwest, where flooding and tornadoes have impacted communities and forced evacuations.

Jim Kirk, PDA’s associate for disaster response in the United States, said Saturday that affected presbyteries were assessing flood damage brought on by heavy rainfall in the Missouri and Illinois River basins as well as the upper and middle portions of the Mississippi River basin.

Kirk says PDA anticipates receiving “multiple” assistance grant requests. It’s possible, he said, that PDA National Volunteers will be deployed, although as of Saturday no invitations for National Volunteers had been received.

The Saturday briefing issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency said that significant flooding continued to prompt evacuations and water rescues across central and eastern Oklahoma, where eight communities are under voluntary evacuations and one is under mandatory evacuation. In neighboring Arkansas, two communities are under evacuation.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt requested an emergency declaration Friday for each of the state’s 77 counties.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also declared a state of emergency for affected portions of that state.

An emergency declaration for previous flooding has been approved in eight Montana counties, FEMA said. Declaration requests have been made for five counties plus the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho and for 19 counties in North Dakota.

Donations to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s General Relief and undesignated support may be made here. For disaster response gifts regarding U.S. flooding, note the account DR000191.

Memorial Day

This week, Pastor Paul has been visited by an old friend with whom he was a classmate in Seminary. Rev. Walter Dinkins retired in 2012 after 30 years as a chaplain in the military. He served in 5 combat deployments in the Middle East and Africa. His last assignment was Seal Team Two in Afghanistan. He lives in Wilmington NC with his wife if 22 years and their three children. He is active in the Wounded Warrior project.

Walter is an avid marsh hunter and fisherman in the Cape Fear delta of NC. He was featured in an article in Field & Stream in Oct/Nov 2018. You can find this article at

www.fieldandstream.com/marsh-rail-bird-hunting-cape-fear-river-north-carolina.

With his many years of service in the military, it is very fitting that, on this Memorial Day Sunday, Pastor Paul has asked Rev. Dinkins to preach during our worship service. We welcome him to our Church and look forward to his Memorial Day message.