IPC Messenger 2017 October 2017

october Birthdays 1 Mac Barrett 8 Lakelyn Ward 2 Tim Miller Wallace Milling 10 Mical Garrison Sarah Blake Rodgers John Heritage 3 Brantley Laffitte Sarah Miles 4 Howie Pavlo 5 Daniel Sharpless 6 Lindsey Van Puffelen Leighann Rosenfeld Per Johnson Hailey Williams Paul Rodgers 7 Dot Richardson Connie Hartridge Frank Brunson 16 Lucy Biemiller Rachel McKee 24 17 Doug Winks 19 Anna Gross 11 Lillie Black Allie Nolen Betty McLaurin 20 Tripp Jackson Maribeth Nix Anna Liebing 12 Nancy Beam Ruthie Mullininx Louis Oswald Anne McCune 21 Charlie Morrison 13 Conrad Martin 14 David Pierce 15 Inger Prescott Will Immel Mark Stall Diane Sayler Abigail Shaw Jessica Wiggins 25 Margaret Knoche Thomas Smith 26 Dede Roberts 27 Tricia Barrett Heyward Berry 22 Sarah Crowe Mark Dusek Adelaide Murns 28 Doris Cope Cindy Sutlive 23 Bob Dykema Hunter Lanier Mary Van Puffelen 29 Melvis Edenfield Gretchen Reese Tim Barrett COLLEGE AND CAREER Do you have to be Presbyterian to attend Independent Presbyterian Church here in Savannah? The answer is of course “no,” but among the students at SCAD they are not so sure. Everything here seems so foreign and, well, whatever Presbyterianism is—they think to themselves—this must be it. They see a crowd of well-dressed folks who will probably ignore them. Can unbelievers come here and worship? Can they come and sit defiantly without a care to participate? Again, the answer is yes. I am reminded of the story of Rosaria Butterfield who sat with her newspaper and Starbucks © coffee scornfully observing the worship of God’s people. That is until her scorn was turned into curiosity, and curiosity to faith. I think the average SCAD student would expect to be ridiculed and judged where she was warmly welcomed. So I told the students in my first opportunity to speak to them en masse. I told them that here in a historic, confessional Presbyterian church the non-Presbyterian, the skeptic and the unbeliever were welcome. I told them that they would be welcomed because as they are, so were we at one time. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:3-5) I told them that here, too, are people who have doubted and still do, here are people —although they may look different—that are just like them. They are afraid of what we will think of them, and I said that some of us are fearful of what they may think of us. I encouraged them to be friendly and not run away because I know that what they will encounter is not what their eyes tell them but what our faith tells us. The goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior has appeared, loving the unlovable and reconciling the irreconcilable. May God grant that their doubts and fear be transformed, as ours, to faith and trust so that they, too, might glorify God for his lovingkindness in Christ. Amen. To this end, we will continue to have lunch prepared (somewhere) for all college students after the morning service and, beginning Saturday, September 30, Jaimie and I will begin to open our house from 9:00 to 12:30 for craft coffee and conversation. For more info see – https://www.facebook. com/littlehousebythesteeple. —Evan Gear CAREER MINISTRY Last month we had BBQ at the Rosenfelds and served dinner to Urban Hope. We met on Thursday nights for Bible Study, and in various other smaller groups for book studies and fellowship. This coming month we have similar opportunities. We will continue to study the gospel of John on Thursday nights (7 p.m., 4 th Floor Whitaker) and Exodus in Sunday School, as well as meet in smaller groups as well. On October 28, we are planning to participate in the church- wide clean up day at Point Pleasant, at 9:00 a.m. But please be praying for our fellowship, that the Lord would be pleased to be adding to it daily! MESSENGER OCTOBER 2017 —Tim Shaw PAGE 11

IPC Messenger 2017 October 2017 | Page 11