Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 5C
^Reporter
November 2, 2016
Pastor’s Corner
Election 2016: We get leaders we deserve
BY REV.
THEOPHAN BUCK
here is an old
saying, I’m not
sure where it
comes from
but I heard it
a lot at seminary: ‘You
get the priest
(pastor) you
deserve.”
The idea is
that God puts
leaders over
people who
reflect the
problems the
people have.
It is easy to
point the fin
ger and label
the problem.
What’s hard
is seeing our
own part in it. Do you
want a better pastor?
Work to become a bet
ter Christian, personally
and as a community.
Like attracts like.
This week many of us
will cast our vote in the
presidential election. I
haven’t heard too many
people who are whole
heartedly happy with the
main two candidates this
season.
The other day I was
thinking about our cul
ture and the
current election
when the quote
above occurred
to me slightly
changed, “We
will get the
President that
we deserve,
whether we like
it or not.”
I do not do
much cultural
commentary, but
it seems clear to
me that we are
living in a post-Christian
culture. The candidates
will all pay homage to
Judeo-Christian values,
but it rings hallow in
their policies and the
way they have lived their
lives.
There may be pockets
of Christian culture in
various places, but for
the most part most of
society has moved on.
“Culture” is defined by
the Merriam-Webster
dictionary as: “the cus
tomary beliefs, social
forms, and material
traits of a racial, reli
gious, or social group;
the characteristic fea
tures of everyday exis
tence... the set of shared
attitudes, values, goals,
and practices that char
acterizes an institution
or organization.”
If we are not a specifi
cally Christian culture
than what kind of cul
ture do we have?
First of all we have
a secular culture.
Secularism is a world
view that compartmen
talizes and separates the
spiritual from the day-to-
day realm. In a secular
society it is okay for you
to be religious, but reli
gion/faith is something
that you do on your own
time. Secularism allows
us to vote for people who
do not believe the way
we do because, after all,
their private faith is not
supposed to affect their
public policy.
Secularism also means
that one is not expected
to be truly devout in
anything but ideas.
Secularism is not a
Christian virtue.
Secondly, our culture
is all about money. On
the whole, we like the
idea that if you work
hard you can live the
“American Dream.” We
expect that our GDP
should grow every year
ad infinity.
Everyone is supposed
to have good-paying jobs
and everyone should be
able to rise from “rags to
riches.” Money is power,
influence, proof of value,
and success. In our cul
ture poverty is often
seen as a moral failure
and a sin. Wealth has
never been considered a
Christian virtue.
We have a culture that
exults individual rights.
This leads us to have
culture of resentment.
We want “our liberty”
and “our rights” and if
anyone asks us to bend
or change our rights, we
resent it even if it may
be for the greater good.
We have race, gender,
sexuality, economic sta
tus, and a host of other
categories that are used
to pit us against one
another. Every new day
there is a new “offense”
to be offended at. Our
Lord laid down His life
and did not claim His
own rights. Individual
rights and resentments
are not Christian virtues.
There are many other
cultural markers that
could be written out
but not in such a short
column. When I look at
the current presidential
lineup, I may not like
it, but all I have to do is
turn my gaze towards
myself and our surround
ing culture and see that
these candidates, wheth
er they know it or not,
are somehow the ones we
currently deserve.
If our Lord Jesus him
self came back tomor
row and ran to be our
president I don’t think
he would get many votes
from inside or outside
His church. May God
have mercy on us.
Fr. Theophan Buck is
rector of St. Innocent
Orthodox Christian
Church, 7301 Bivoli Bd,
Bolingbroke. The Pastor’s
Corner is sponsored
by the Monroe County
Ministerial Association,
which meets on the sec
ond Thursday of each
month at Ann’s Deli at 8
a.m.
Rev. Theophan
Buck
Forsyth First
iTff
BY DR. JIM B
After the Old
Testament model of
Hannah dedicating
Samuel and the example
of Mary and Joseph
dedicating Jesus, First
Baptist, Forsyth held a
Children Dedication on
Sunday, Oct. 23. The
service began with a
special anthem, “See the
Children Here Before
Us”, presented by the
Adult Choir. The choir
was accompanied by
Barbara Altman on
the cello. During the
anthem the parents
brought their children
to the front of the sanc
tuary. Eight children
were brought by their
parents.
When the children and
parents were assembled,
Carla Niblett Director
of Children Ministries
led the church in a
Liturgy of Dedication. In
the liturgy the parents
pledged to raise their
children in the Christian
faith and by example
and prayer bring them
up in the discipline of
the Lord. She also led
the church to pledge
to support and to pray
for the parents and
children. The church
accepted the responsibil
Baptist dedicates children
ity of working with the
parents so that in time
they would be led to
trust Christ. After the
Liturgy Dr. John Wyatt,
interim pastor, blessed
each child individually.
Dr. Wyatt closed the
Dedication Service with
a prayer for the chil
dren.
Participating in
the dedication were:
Rayleigh Elizabeth
Estes, 7 weeks old.
Parents are Aaron
and Natalie Estes.
Maternal grandparents,
J. Ray and Leigh Grant.
Paternal grandparents
Jim and Dale Sayler,
Parents at First Baptist, Forsyth present their children in a special service on Oct. 23.
First Baptist Forsyth pastor Dr. John Wyatt blesses Maddie McKinnon at a special
dedication service on Oct. 23
Michael Estes.
Cole Mathew Griffin, 5
years old and Alexander
Paul Griffin, 3 years old.
Parent, Matt Griffin.
Maternal grandparents,
Randy and Yvonne
Willard, Debi Florez.
Paternal Grandparents
Mike and Emily Griffin,
Candice Griffin.
Taylor Paige
McKinnon, 7 years
old and Logan Cole
McKinnon, 6 months
old. Parents Kevin and
Lori McKinnon, sister
Maddie Maternal grand
parents Eloise Black
and the late Gary Black.
Paternal grandparents
Jean Mull and the late
Gene McKinnon.
Johnnie Eileen Mizell,
4 months old. Parents
Will and Ashley Mizell
and brother Hoit.
Maternal grandparents
Sterling and Diane
Sumner and the late
Chuck Annis. Paternal
grandparents, Ray and
Tammy Thomas.
After the dedica
tion the Children’s
Committee sponsored
a luncheon for those
who participated in the
dedication. For more
information about activi
ties and events of First
Baptist, Forsyth call
478-994-5240.
Church Calendar cont.from 5B
Nov. 8
Mt. Zion UMC
has Election Call
to Prayer
Mt. Zion United
Methodist Church,
40 Rumble Road in
Smarr, will hold “A
Call to Prayer” on
Tuesday, Nov. 8 from 7
a.m.-7 p.m. The public
is invited to drop in
and pray for our nation
as Americans go to the
polls to vote. There
will be a special prayer
service at 12 noon.
Nov. 13
Parker Chapel
A.M.E. has 50
Women & 50 Men
in Black pro
gram
Parker Chapel
A.M.E., Highway 83
South, invites every
one to its Annual 50
Women & 50 Men in
Black with a Touch
of Red program on
Sunday, Nov. 13 at 11
a.m. The guest speak
er will be Minister
Tyrone Harris of
The House of Prayer
Pentecostal Church.
Nov. 14-21
Dayspring
Presbyterian col
lects Operation
Christmas Child
boxes
Once again
Dayspring
Presbyterian Church
will serve the Monroe
County community
as a Relay Center for
shoeboxes sent through
Operation Christmas
Child. These boxes go
throughout the world
to children ages 2-14
who are suffering
under poverty, disas
ter, or war. They bring
hope and joy and an
opportunity to know
the Lord Jesus Christ.
National Collection
Week will be Nov.
14-21. Dayspring
Relay Center will be
open each day from 4-6
p.m. Nov. 14-20 and
9-11 a.m. on Monday,
Nov. 21. For more
information, call Mary
Ellen Strickland at
478-394-0443 or visit
dayspringpca.com.
Nov. 19
Tabernacle
Baptist holds
Holiday Market
Tabernacle Baptist
Church, 6611 Zebulon
Rd, Macon invites
everyone to its Holiday
Market on Saturday,
Nov. 19 from 9 a.m.-
4 p.m. The Holiday
Market will feature
local artists and crafts,
holiday decor items,
gift baskets, home
made pies, cakes, jel
lies and jams, BBQ
sandwiches, boiled
peanuts, fun and
games for kids and
more. For more infor
mation, call 478-476-
3507.
Workshop on new
annulment
process
Deacon John
McManus will conduct
a workshop about the
new process of annul
ment in the Catholic
Church on Saturday,
Nov. 19 from 9 a.m.-
1 p.m. at St. Mary
Mother of God Catholic
Church, 359 Old
Griffin Road, Jackson.
All are welcome to
attend. For more infor
mation, call 770-775-
4162 .
Carolann Evans, center, receives a $446 grant from Southern Rivers Energy’s Bright
Ideas for teaching tools for her 6th grade class at Rock Springs Academy
Southern Rivers Bright
Ideas awards RSCA $2,785
Six of Rock Springs Christian
Academy’s teachers were awarded
Southern Rivers Energy’s Bright Ideas
grants. RSCA teachers in Pre-K, ele
mentary, middle, and the high school
levels received $2,785 for tools to make
creative and innovative lesson plans for
their students.
Pre-K4 teachers Ingrid Dingier and
Nicole Shepherd for ‘Exploring the
Night Sky’ $851.65. Students will be
immersed in literature and meaningful
activities about space using telescope
kits, earth and moon models, space pro
jectors, and motorized solar systems.
4th and 5th Grade teachers Sarah
Glover and Cheryl Colwell ‘Breaking
Out of Boring Classwork!’ $595.
BreakoutEDU is an experimental
learning tool that breaks students out
of normal classroom work and routines,
forcing them to use team work and crit
ical thinking to solve riddles in order to
increase learning, recall, and applica
tion of regular classroom text material.
Middle School teacher Carolann
Evans ‘Middle School Squawks with
Great Book Talks!’ $446.40. Students
will use various novels to help incor
porate language arts, writing, art,
and technology into their lessons by
enabling the students to refine their
listening, speaking, reading, writing,
problem solving, and presentation
skills.
High School teacher Tori Joyce
‘Tower Garden’ $891.95. A Tower
Garden system will be purchased to
allow students to grow various plants
indoors, including healthy fruits and
vegetables. The system is based on
aerophonics and hydroponics and will
not require soil and provides year-
round gardening.