For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

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Good morning! For those that do not know me, I am Rebecca Darwin, also known as the preacher’s wife. I am the mother of two teenage girls who are away at boarding school, a Deacon here at church, and serve on the Boards of Spoleto Festival USA and the Institute for the Arts & Humanities at UNC. I sit in the back pew – have been for 15 years ever since we came here – and in my spare time, I run Garden & Gun magazine. I travel a lot, but I treasure this place and miss all of you when I am not here.

Rebecca Darwin

Rebecca Darwin

LISTEN BELOW

That is why when Cress asked David Savard and me if we would chair Stewardship this year, I said yes. And thankfully, David did too!

A couple of months ago during the summer, Sarah Craven gave a sermon based on the scripture, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I was not in town that Sunday, but David was and quickly emailed me that I should take a listen to it on our website. I did and David and I decided that that would be the message on which we would focus.

So our question for each of you this Stewardship season is, “What is your treasure?”

Erin Kerr and family

Erin Kerr and family

Of course, ultimately our goal is to encourage all of you to give cheerfully and generously so that we can meet the financial goals and needs of Second Presbyterian. But beyond that, we want to take this time to all get to know each other better and to learn through other people’s experiences here at Second Presbyterian Church – what they treasure and how each of us might become more involved in the life of this church.

So that is why I told you a little about myself in the beginning. Every Sunday we will have a “Meet a Member” moment where a longtime member will introduce us to another member or family, who will share what their treasure is. Also, during the week, we will be sending short emails with reflections from a variety of our members. 

I hope that you will use this season to reflect and to get to know each other. 

With that, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Sue Henderson.


This is a transcript of Rebecca’s introduction to the 2019 stewardship season during the service on Sunday, September 29, 2019. You can listen to this segment and Sue’s introduction and Erin Kerr’s remarks from that Sunday below. You can also listen to Sarah Craven’s sermon that Rebecca references. Pertinent sermons are embedded below; all sermon podcasts can be found here.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Find out about the treasure of other members of Second Presbyterian here.

MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDIES

Midweek Bible Studies

Wednesdays * Thursdays * Fridays

Women's Bible Study – This group meets on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. upstairs in the conference room. You are welcome to join these ladies as they go through the Beth Moore study Entrusted. Please contact Sue Henderson for more info.

Moms' Bible Study – Join a group of moms for a weekly bible study on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. upstairs in the conference room. Together they will discuss passages from Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. The group will watch a clip for discussion at the beginning of each meeting, you can be just as involved if you don’t have the time to commit outside of the class to read the book. Contact Mary Driver for more information.

Men's Bible Study – A group of men will be meeting early Friday mornings at 6:00 a.m. to study Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. Please contact Aled Pritchard if you are interested.

Young Professionals Group soon!

Please contact Sarah or Cress if you are interested in a joining or leading a bible study group!

Bicentennial hymn

“Wragg Square” Hymn

A Hymn by Mary Edna Fraser and Julia Harlow
This special composition was commissioned for the Bicentennial Finale service held on Sunday, April 26, 2009. It was premiered during that service - the congregation sang the melody, accompanied by organ and brass choir. The words for the first three verses were written by Mary Edna Fraser. The melody, harmonization and words for the fourth verse were composed by Dr. Julia Harlow. The name of the hymn tune is "Wragg Square," after the city park located directly in front of the church. Several other famous hymns are named after places, e.g., Regent Square (Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation), Duke Street (I Know That My Redeemer Lives) and Bunessan (Morning Has Broken).

1.  All power given in heaven and earth, in name of Father and Son, and Holy Ghost observing all things, to ends of all the earth as one.

2.  Black holes above, mysterious, dark, Earth's bluest sky offering light, with fragile faith at best we oft embark, led forth to knowledge and sight.

3.  Through earthquake fire and hurricane, enduring wages of war, through many hardships which the Church sustained, our peace and hope we secure.

4.  With gifts of love and healing prayer, we live our faith in charity, and going out into the world we share, Commitment and Community.

Source: /music

Kick Off Sunday

Meeting people at their point of need on Sunday mornings with renewed Sunday School opportunities for everyone

Meeting people at their point of need on Sunday mornings with renewed Sunday School opportunities for everyone

Please join us early on Sunday, September 15th for Kick Off Sunday as we kick off the academic year with new discipleship and fellowship opportunities- at new times!

BEGINNING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th

Breakfast at 9:00 a.m. - Everyone is welcome for a light breakfast in the Fellowship Hall

Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. - Classes for all ages in the Education Building

Worship at 10:30 a.m. - Join us for worship in the Sanctuary

Please contact Sarah with any Sunday School questions.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION!

WE WELCOME SARAH CRAVEN AS OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION – Sarah was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is an avid Steelers fan!  After attending Eastern University in Philadelphia where she earned a BA is Youth Ministry/ Communications, she moved to Charleston to begin working in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.  She met her husband, Chris, while at her first position at St. Thomas, North Charleston and they have been married for 16 years. Together they have three children, Jonathan (11) and Abigail and Shiloh (9). You can usually find the family either at the soccer fields or in the dance studio. Sarah and her family are very excited about their new adventure in the Presbyterian Church. Sarah enjoys gardening, reading and generally being outside whether it be camping or at the beach.

2019 Tea Room

The "Seconds, Please" Tea Room is an annual lunch and dessert open to the public in conjunction with the Spoleto Festival Craft Fair in Wragg Square. The menu includes tomato pie, quiche, she-crab soup, and the pastor's sour cream apple pie and many other delicious homemade sandwich, soup, and dessert offerings.  The Tea Room benefits the Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston missions program.

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Join us May 24th, 25th & 26th for lunch, dessert & tea.

Friday & Saturday from 11:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Sunday from 12:30 - 3:00 p.m.


WE NEED YOU to make it a success, as you have since 2006! It takes 25-30 people per day to staff Tea Room. On Prep Days 12-14 people are working to get things ready. We need people for staff, for prep and we need our wonderful bakers to prepare our homemade desserts. Please consider your contribution to our Tea Room by volunteering your time in some way.


We would love to see you there! Please spread the word and invite family & friends to come join us for FUN, FOOD & FELLOWSHIP!

Sign up to volunteer!

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Source: tearoom

Howard Thurman film screening may 9

Backs Against the Wall free screening and discussion at Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston

Backs Against the Wall free screening and discussion at Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston

Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story

FREE Screening & Discussion

Thursday, May 9th, 6:30 p.m.

Second Presbyterian Church

ALL ARE WELCOME



More about the film:

Backs Against The Wall explores the extraordinary life and legacy of one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century. Born the grandson of slaves, Thurman became a “spiritual foundation” for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring many of its leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr, Jesse Jackson and Congressman John Lewis.

In the mid-1930s, Thurman was the first Black American invited to meet Mohandas Gandhi who shared his strategy of non-violent resistance. Gandhi suggested it would be through the African-American experience that the non-violence resistance movement could take on global significance. When Thurman returned to America, his writings and speeches planted the early seeds for the non-violent Civil Rights Movement.

Thurman is also remembered for helping launch The Fellowship Church for All People in San Francisco, a pioneering venture to create the nation’s first interracial, intercultural church community. Thurman was a gifted and prolific writer who authored more than 20 books and celebrated as one of the great preachers of his era.

Backs Against The Wall is produced and directed by Martin Doblmeier, who will introduce the film. The screening at Second Presbyterian Church will conclude with a panel discussion.

Film interviews include: John Lewis, Barbara Brown Taylor, Vernon Jordan, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Gregory Ellison, Walter Earl Fluker.

A free community screening of Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story will be shown in the sanctuary at Second Presbyterian Church, immediately followed by a panel discussion moderated by filmmaker Martin Doblmeier.

ALL ARE WELCOME


More information:

LOCATION: Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston Sanctuary

342 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403  Directions

CONTACT: (843)723-9237

PARKING: The Second Presbyterian Church parking lot is available for the event at the corner of John and Elizabeth Streets. There is also street parking (both metered and residential) on John, Elizabeth, and Charlotte Streets.

PANEL: The panel discussion at the conclusion of the screening is moderated by filmmaker Martin Doblemeier, and includes:

Martin Doblmeier, moderator- Martin holds degrees in Religious Studies, Broadcast Journalism and honorary degrees in Fine Arts and Humane Letters. Since 1984 he has produced and directed more than 30 films focused on religion, faith and spirituality. Martin combines a lifelong interest in religion with a passion for storytelling. Over the years he has traveled on location to more than forty countries to profile numerous religious leaders, spiritual communities, heads of state and Nobel Laureates. His films explore how belief can lead individuals to extraordinary acts, how spirituality creates and sustains communities and how faith is lived in extraordinary ways.

Rev. Joe Darby served four congregations in the Midlands and Charleston’s Morris Brown AME Church. He was presiding elder of the Beaufort District of the AME Church and now pastors Charleston’s Nichols Chapel AME Church. Darby was also a founding co-chairperson of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry and was president of the S.C. Christian Action Council and the S.C. Civil Liberties Union. He is also a life member of the NAACP and has served as first vice-president of the S.C. NAACP. He is a board member for the S.C. Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, first vice-president of the Charleston Branch NAACP, and is a member of The Citadel’s Diversity Advisory Committee. His honors and awards include the S.C. Christian Action Council’s Howard G. McClain Christian Action in Public Policy Award and the NAACP Southeast Region Medgar W. Evers Leadership Award. He is recognized in the S.C. Black Hall of Fame, was featured in the AT&T African-American History Calendar, is a member of the Richland County School District One Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Charleston YMCA’s Harvey Gantt Freedom Award. He also received the Conference of National Black Churches’ John Hurst Adams Advocacy Award.

Dr. Felice Knight currently teaches African American History as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Citadel and is also a member of the Universities Studying Slavery Committee. She completed undergraduate studies in History at Furman University (B.A.) and graduate studies in History at The College of Charleston and The Citadel (M.A.) and at The Ohio State University (Ph.D.). Her research, which has been supported by the Institute for Southern Studies at USC and several university grants, focuses on institutional slavery, or the ownership and hire of slaves by universities, schools, and government institutions. Her current project explores the ownership and hire of slaves by the City of Charleston during the early national and antebellum periods. Work pertaining to her Master’s Thesis, a study of the black freedom struggle in Charleston during the mid- to late-twentieth century, has been published by the University of South Carolina Press.

Rep. J.A. Moore is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Moore graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in culinary arts. His professional experience includes working as a chef, restaurant general manager, cafe manager, food and beverage manager, and catering director.The catalyst that lead to the decision to run for office was personal tragedies and crisis in his life. Those events taught him the value of how fragile life is and if you have a purpose in life, do it now. 

Dr. J. Goosby Smith- A native of Gary, IN and an alumna of Spelman College and Case Western Reserve University, Dr. J. Goosby Smith currently serves as Associate Professor of Management and Leadership at The Citadel’s Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business. She also serves as The Citadel’s Assistant Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Co-Director of the campus’s Truth Racial Healing and Transformation Center. The TRHT Center facilitates local CitListen and Healing Circle sessions to promote cross-racial and interfaith connection through storytelling. Dr. J’s research and consulting focus on workplace inclusion in military and higher education workspaces, interfaith unity, and building human resiliency. She has written numerous scholarly articles and is the co-author of Beyond Inclusion: Workplace Inter-connectedness Energy and Resilience in Organizations. She is the editor of the soon to be published book Blessed Are Those Who Ask the Questions.

Rose Stump was born in Tallahassee and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Literature and Women’s Studies. While in Central Florida, she worked to improve farm workers' conditions. Rose recently graduated with an MPA from UNC Chapel Hill where she continued organizing with farm workers as well as with her peers to bring the Racial Equity Institute to her master’s program. She also helped contribute to the first ever data collection effort on the diversity of local government leaders. She believes relationship-building is a vital part of addressing oppression and achieving collective liberation and she is committed to organizing in the south among the people and traditions who made her who she is.  

SPONSORS: This community screening presented at Second Presbyterian Church is sponsored by:

and supported by:

Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston is a visionary participant in the downtown cultural and spiritual renewal taking place in Charleston and across the country. We are seizing God's call to be a part of it and seeking to partner with the community in meaningful and encouraging ways. Second Presbyterian is committed to being an active part of engaging the community in meaningful ways to inspire growth and action in the love of Jesus Christ. We are always looking for visionaries, revolutionaries, and humble dissenters - who relish the thought of taking "old" church and making all things new in Christ.

Second Presbyterian Church is a progressive, Christ-centered congregation where everybody feels welcomed.

Source: /thurman

First Advent Devotional

SCRIPTURE

Luke 21:25-36

25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 

29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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DEVOTIONAL

The day was dark, heavy grey clouds cloaked Charleston, the rain came down in steady streams. The wedding was meant to be outside on the lawn of a beautiful wedding venue overlooking the marsh; complete with the perfect sunset coloring the sky with colors of pink and orange. Instead, there was a greyish darkness and the plans had to change. So, we gathered together on the porch, sitting shoulder to shoulder, with the rain steadily falling down and we watched and celebrated two people joining their lives together. As I looked out over the water and watched as the rain drops made ripples, I listened to two people vow to love one another all the days of their life. I thought to myself, “This is holy, this is sacred, the light is pouring in and this is love.”

If we are not careful we will miss it, we will miss the mischievousness of the divine dancing around us here and now. Sitting on that porch, with the music of the rain, and the warmth of love filling the space I realized that Rev. Darwin was completely right when he said, “Advent is an invitation to living in time differently.” We were all invited to live into time differently at that wedding; we were invited to pay attention, to keep our hearts open to the movings of God, to look and to see that even in the darkness of a rainstorm God is present and doing incredible things.

Advent is a season of anticipation, a waiting period for the baby Savior to be born. Here we are at the beginning of that season of waiting and I hope and pray that you will live into time differently. That you will pay attention to the world all around you and you will look and see that God is present even as we wait.

Grace and Peace,

Margaret Fleming

Margaret is a seminary student at Columbia Theological Seminary and an inquirer for Ordained Ministry under the care of the Session of Second Presbyterian Church.

Flat Jesus

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Spring and summer are busy times of the year! Spring brings a lot of time spent outside with family and friends and a whole new schedule of sports. Families begin to wrap up the school year with final projects, testing and a whole long to-do list full of things. There’s spring break trips and plans, Easter egg hunts, end of the year cookouts and the travels begin. As your family begins to make travel plans this spring and summer, would you consider taking a special guest with you on your adventures? Whether they are local, near or far, consider taking this someone special with you. Let “Flat Jesus” be a part of all your fun!

What is “Flat Jesus?”

 FLAT JESUS was created as a way to keep our church connected as we approach the travel seasons of spring and summer.

Here’s how “Flat Jesus” works: 

Print out Flat Jesus, color him in, and take of picture of him wherever you go. You’ll love taking FLAT JESUS out to dinner with you, on Spring Break, to the beach, to hang with your grandchildren, and when you meet new friends all over town! It’s an amazing adventure. Take FLAT JESUS with you and see what happens.   

How to create your very own Flat Jesus: 

1. Print out the template - on heavy cardstock paper if possible. 

2. Be creative! Decorate Flat Jesus. Think about what, if anything, his robe should say.  What color and type of hair does your Flat Jesus have? Any accessories? 

3. Make one for yourself and one for a friend!

4. Place a reminder on the back of your Flat Jesus on how and where to send pictures of your Flat Jesus’ adventures. Send pictures to Miss Liv (olivia.cappelmann@2ndpc.org)

 5. If you have access to a laminating machine, laminate your Flat Jesus. This way if he attempts to walk on water he’ll be protected! 

6. Take your Flat Jesus everywhere with you and take lots of pictures and then share them with us.

7. Talk with family and friends about what you and Flat Jesus experienced.

There are lots of things happening here at Second that Flat Jesus would love to be a part of, too. Wednesday night suppers and studies wrap up on April 25th with the “Second Annual Talent Show.” We hope that you will join us for a night of fun, food and fellowship with your church family. Three of our high school youth will be traveling to Montreat Youth Conference the week of June 10th-16th. We will also take a group of middle school youth to the Montreat Middle School Conference at Maryville College July 18th-22nd.

Have you marked your calendars for Vacation Bible School yet? It is June 24th-28th from 5:30-8:00 every night and we need you! There are lots of ways to be involved in VBS and we cannot do it without you. If you have any questions about how to get involved or register your child for VBS please give Liv a call or send her an email.