Women

Dory, Optical Illusions, and the 2010 WIC Love Gift

October 6, 2010 by Editor

By Step Hubach

Over the years, our family has established a funny pattern of associating different people we know with characters in movies that we watch. This all started with my youngest son Tim, who has Down syndrome. When he was little, as a movie progressed, we’d all wait for him to identity the “who’s who” of that particular film. For example, if the movie was Sleeping Beauty (and it had been a tough parenting week) I pretty much cringed, expecting to be assigned the role of “Maleficent, the wicked fairy.” A better week might earn me a slot as “Princess Aurora, gifted with grace and beauty.” No one was exempt from a potential role. Family members, friends, and even church elders received assignments from time to time. (A balding elder at our church was once named “Yoda” from Star Wars. Sadly for him the name has stuck!) When the movie Finding Nemo came out a number of years ago, both my boys decided that I was definitely “Dory, the friendly but forgetful regal blue tang fish.” As a character that is both optimistic and somewhat easily distracted, I have to admit…oh, I forgot, what was I going to say? Anyway, Dory has a hard time staying focused.

Steph In our Christian life, we all have struggle with focus. And it often stems from focusing on the wrong things. You’ve probably seen the image before. It is a black and white optical illusion that reveals two totally different pictures depending on where you focus. If your eyes focus one way, you will see a vase. If they focus another way, you will see the silhouettes of two faces pointed towards each other. It all depends on your perspective. Both images are real-but only one can be the focus of the viewer.

In a similar way, our perspective on others in the body of Christ will impact what we see in them. When you focus on another individual, do you tend to see their deficits or do you tend to focus on their competencies? More often than not, we tend to view people-especially people with disabilities-from the orientation of what they cannot do. This view comes, in part, from an unbiblical worldview of disability-and therefore an inaccurate view of not only others, but also of us. The Bible teaches us that disability is a normal part of life in an abnormal world. Brokenness occurs across a spectrum-in differences of degree for each of us-in every area of life. None of us exists in a state of complete and utter brokenness on every level. None of us exists in a state of complete and utter blessing or “wholeness” on any level. Disability is a normal part of living in a world where there is a complicated mix of the blessedness of creation and the brokenness of the fall. All of us need encouragement and supports to deal with our limitations and to build on our strengths.

Now, think about the grace of God for a moment. When the Father looks at us, does he focus on our inadequacies, or does His gaze focus only on the ultimate, beautiful competency of Christ alone on our behalf? God knows what our deficits are more fully than we do-but instead of condemning us for our inabilities He supplied the supports we needed to be successful in a relationship with Him-the perfect sacrifice of His Son, and His perfect life lived on our behalf. Can we do any less? How can we be any less than intentional about sacrificially making the Gospel-the good news of the coming of the Kingdom-accessible to all, in word and deed?

In addition, not only do we all struggle with perspective when we look at the disabilities and abilities of ourselves and of others-we also all struggle, at times, with having a sense of perspective on God’s purposes in our lives too. That struggle can manifest itself in a variety of ways for different people. Parents who have children with special needs often have difficulty letting go of the life they anticipated and embracing the life that God has called them to, in His Providence. This can be a normal part of the grieving process. But if a family gets “stuck” in that place, it is easy for frustration to set in. By fixating on “what might have been” the optical illusion can become stuck in the mind of the viewer, making it very difficult to switch focus and see “the great opportunities that God has provided.” When we interviewed families for the 2010 WIC Love Gift DVD, we heard countless stories of God at work changing the focus of lives from their agenda to His. Recently, I received an email from a mother of an adult child with disabilities. Here is an excerpt of it…

Henry Blackaby once wrote that “God is always at work and He invites you to join Him.” Great is Thy Faithfulness is my favorite hymn and I’ve asked my family to make sure that it’s sung at my funeral. But more than a hymn, it’s been a “sacred echo” or theme in my life the last 3 years as God brought Briarwood’s Special Needs Ministry, Missions and Multiplication, Flower Guild and ESL ministries together in my life.

My name is Donna Evans. My husband Bruce and I have been married for 35 years. We have four adult children ages 22-31. Our 26 year old son, James Bruce, is autistic and mentally challenged. Bruce and I have been members at Briarwood for almost 23 years. I work as a pharmacist at UAB Hospital, teach women’s Sunday School classes and weekly Bible studies, and speak at women’s conferences/retreats across the Southeast.I say all of that only to give you a little background for the story below which I hope will encourage you.

About 3 years ago, I really started praying about taking a short term mission trip anywhere. We have participated in Faith Promise at Briarwood for over 20 years, but I’ve never been able to go to another part of the world due to child care arrangements for James Bruce. Still I prayed. God, however, didn’t answer my prayer as I planned. (He seldom does!) What He did was send three internationals to me: one a Hungarian, special needs mom who “happened” to be a pharmacist; a Japanese non-believer who joined our flower guild as a way to “pay back” the church for ESL lessons; and a Vietnamese atheist co-worker, also a special needs mom who is willing to come to our parent support groups. Each has a different story but God has given me a different perspective on “segregating” ministries. And the one thing that I thought was “holding me back” (ie: James Bruce and special needs) really became the vehicle for ministry.

Perspective. Godly focus. We all need it. We all lack it. That’s what this year’s 2010 WIC Love Gift for MNA Special Needs Ministries is all about.

Learning to see people with disabilities through a biblical lens, and thereby seeing ourselves more accurately as a result.
Learning to view our life’s circumstances through God’s eyes, and thereby fully embracing the life that was always in His plan for us-even if it was never in ours.
Learning to make the Gospel-the good news of the coming of the Kingdom-accessible to all of us-in word and deed.

Won’t you help your church focus on these things this year? And give generously?

Oh, look…there goes a bird! Gotta go… :>)

Steph “Dory” Hubach

MNA Special Needs Ministries Director

For more information on the 2010 WIC Love Gift:

Mission to North America or

Christian Education and Publications

2010 WIC Love Gift FAQs

October 6, 2010 by Editor

FAQs

2010 WIC Love Gift FAQs

Q: Who is the recipient of the 2010 WIC Love Gift?

A: MNA (Mission to North America) Special Needs Ministries. This outreach ministry of MNA was launched in 2007. Stephanie Hubach serves as MNA Special Needs Ministries Director.

Q: Is there anywhere I can watch the DVD online?

A: Of course! It IS the 21^st century! It is posted on YouTube here.

Q: Where can I order my FREE copy of the DVD and FREE bulletin inserts?

A: You can order your DVD and bulletin inserts on the CEP Bookstore site here. Please try to coordinate with others in your congregation so that there is only one DVD ordered per church.

Q: Is there an information page on the 2010 WIC Love Gift that I can print off?

A: Yes! It is a two-sided paper called Love Gift Program Information. It provides great background on why Women in the Church sponsors the Love Gift each year, how to promote it, and what it will be used for in 2010.

Q: Is there a website I can go to where I can find everything I need to know in one place?

A: Better than that, there are TWO! CEP has a devoted webpage here. And MNA has a different webpage here.

Q: How can I find out what vehicles other churches are using to promote the WIC Love Gift? It seems silly to reinvent the wheel if other people already have great ideas.

A: Ah, so glad you asked. We just started an MNA Special Needs Ministries Facebook page. We’ve started a “Discussion” thread on this topic. Please feel free to contribute! (You can also “like us” while you’re there!)

Q: What if my church is interested in receiving one of the Gospel and Disability Educational Gift Packs that the 2010 WIC Love Gift funds will be underwriting? How do we get one?

A: We’re glad you’re planning ahead! Information will be going out in the Summer of 2011. There will be an online signup link on the MNA Special Needs Ministries website at that time. (www.pca-mna.org/specialneeds)

Q: When will Trainers from the “Train the Trainers” aspect of the Love Gift be available to visit and work with PCA churches?

A: You can get some support from MNA Special Needs Ministries right now…(see the Resources section of this newsletter). However, the 2010 WIC Love Gift will allow MNA Special Needs Ministries to greatly expand its services to provide a group of trainers who have 1) subject area expertise, and 2) have geographic proximity to where you live-making it easier to do face-to-face meetings. Most church consultations currently are done by email, phone and/or Skype with Steph Hubach. Trainers should become increasingly available to the denomination throughout 2011.

Q: What if our church is interested in acquiring a Luke 14 matching grant, once the Love Gift funds have been collected and are available? How would we go about doing that?

A: Starting in January 2012, there will be a simple grant proposal process in place. All the information you’ll need to apply for a Luke 14 Matching Grant will be available on the MNA Special Needs Ministries website. (www.pca-mna.org/specialneeds) The size of the Love Gift offering will affect how much grant money will be available. The Love Gift will first pay for Gospel and Disability Educational Gift Packs, then for “Train the Trainers” and any residual monies will be available for grants. Hopefully, that will be a significant amount!

Q: I’d like to learn more about the families and the churches featured on the 2010 WIC Love Gift DVD. How can I do that?

A: We thought you might ask us that… That’s why we’ve been posting “The Rest of the Story” on our website. So far, you can read Behind the Scenes: How the WIC Love Gift Video Was Made, meet The Smith Family, and meet Nada Ghattas. By early October, you will be able to read about Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church’s Sonbeams Ministry and Reformed Presbyterian Church’s Special Needs Ministry. More will follow each month.

Q: How much time do we have to give to the 2010 WIC Love Gift for MNA Special Needs Ministries?

A: The 2010 WIC Love Gift for MNA Special Needs Ministries can be collected through May 2011. May 2011 is the last month that donations can be accepted. Please note that there is always an overlap in the spring months between the end of one WIC Love Gift and the launching of another.

Q: How do I donate? Can I donate online?

A: Well, remember how I said this IS the 21^st century? Well, we’re not that far into the 21^st century yet, so online donations to the WIC Love Gift cannot be processed that way. All donations need to be made out/mailed to:

2010 WIC Love Gift

Women in the Church

Christian Education and Publications

1700 N. Brown Road, Suite 102

Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Where’s Steph?

October 6, 2010 by Editor

Delta Asking “Where can I find Steph Hubach” is kind of like asking “Where’s Waldo?” While Steph usually has a pretty busy speaking schedule in the fall, this year, she’s busy filming a 13-week DVD series on her book Same Lake, Different Boat for inclusion in the Gospel and Disability Educational Gift Packs. Grant funding from the Harris-Harper Family Foundation, matched by MNA, is providing the money for the creation of the video series itself. Replication and distribution will occur with Love Gift funds next year.

Here are a few places that Steph will be in the next few months. Her travel/speaking schedule is usually booked about a year in advance. So, if you’d like Steph to come speak to your congregation, PresWIC, presbytery, retreat, or at a larger event, please plan ahead and contact her at shubach@pcanet.org. (BTW, she is conversant on subjects besides disability!) One of the best ways to get on the schedule is to “piggy-back” off another already scheduled event. If you live in the same region as one of the events listed below, feel free to contact Steph to see if she could add your church or group to her plans while she’s in your area.

October 17^th, St. Mark’s Church, Wheaton, IL
October 20^th, Chicago Metro Presbytery, Naperville, IL
November TBD, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Abingdon, MD (tentative)
December 4^th-5^th, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Sebring, FL
January 26^th-28^th, Joni and Friends Int’l Disability Center (meetings), Agoura Hills, CA (tentative)
February 12^th 2011, Southwest Florida Presbytery, Location TBD (tentative)
February 24^th-26^th2011, WIC Leadership Training, Atlanta, GA
February 26^th2011, Old Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Duluth, GA
April 1^st 2011, College Church, Wheaton, IL
April 2^nd 2011, Voice of Care, Chicago, IL
April 3^rd 2011, All Souls Anglican Church, Wheaton, IL (tentative)
July TBD 2011, YXL Northeast, Stevens, PA (tentative)

Unfortunately, Steph will not be at General Assembly in 2011 as Tim (her younger son with Down syndrome) is graduating from high school that week! (Go Tim!) Instead, Martie Kwasny-who serves on Steph’s MNA Special Needs Advisory Team-will be working at the MNA Special Needs Ministries booth that week. So please stop in and meet Martie!

Hubach

Picture of Steph and Timmy 10 years ago…

Tim

Picture of Tim Hubach now…

Kwasney

Picture of Martie Kwasny

PCA Women’s Ministry pillar–Georgia Settle–goes to be with the Lord

September 21, 2010 by Editor

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to
Women In The Church Ministry of The Presbyterian Church in America,
c/o Second Presbyterian Church, 105 River Street,
Greenville, SC 29601.

‘Georgia’s eyes twinkled, and she could not stifle her grin. Her whole face betrayed her excitement. She was leading a devotion for the women on our committee.”Girls,” she announced with glee, “we are frapping cables!*”‘

Paul Settle announced the passing of his loving wife and companion of 54 years in an email he sent to family and friends this morning (Monday, 9/20):

“Georgia was received by Jesus Christ into His immediate presence, on the Lord’s Dayevening, September 19, at 8:30 o’clock. I was with her, and the children and grandchildren andother family membershad been with her off and on for several days. Please keep praying for us.’To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. AMEN!

As close friends had known, Georgia had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for the past eight years.Paul kept stepping back from church-related duties as things progressed, and they finally moved back from Dallas to their adopted home town of Greenville, SC (where he had served as Senior Pastor at Second Presbyterian (PCA) for fourteen years).

Paul wrote another email just a short 16 days ago in which he described the pain of having to finally put her into a care center – one of those crushing decisions that faces far too many people in families that struggle with this disease.One can sense the love and emotion behind these words:

It was the most difficult decision I have ever made, but Georgia and I and our children, David and Jo Lynne, and some close friends who have made the same decision for one or more of their loved ones, agreed that it was necessary. I took Georgia yesterday, September 3, to the Hawthorne Inn, a fine nursing home offering special care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients within a warm, friendly, Christian atmosphere. She did well-we broke down only a time or two-and enjoyed some very special times in the Word and prayer andas deep discussion as is possible with her very limited ability to speak.

Georgia‘s condition was serious, but now is grave. She deteriorated alarmingly fast about sixweeks ago and is now only a shadow of her former self. She is unable to see clearly, speak coherently, hear accurately or remember anything or anyone more than a few seconds (though sometimes she seems clearly aware of conversations or events that have occurred in the past few days).She knows me most of the time, and welcomes me with tears and kisses. Today, after she had fallen (but thankfullywas unhurt),I lay beside her on her bed, holding her hands and stroking her hair while she “came and went.” From time to time she stirred, took one of my hands and placed a soft kiss on each finger. Needless to say my visits are a blessingthough emotionally difficult.

Your prayers have lifted us repeatedly for years and especially in the past few months. We cannot thank you enough for your faithfulness. Please keep it up!

A Memorial Service will be held this coming Saturday, September 25, in the Sanctuary of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville at 11:00AM

___________________________________

Georgia Brown, born on March 6, 1935, was from Betsy Lane, Kentucky. She met Paul Settle from Charleston, WV while they were students at Bob Jones University in the mid-50’s.Shortly after their shared graduation, they were married back in Betsy Lane on August 22, 1956.To understand Georgia’s story, you have to understand Paul’s story, as they are so closely intertwined.

Together they went to seminary at Columbia in Decatur, GA and Paul received his MDiv three years later.He immediately returned to West Virginia where he took a call and was ordained as Pastor of the Pliny Presbyterian Church about 35 miles northwest of downtown Charlestown.That church, although very small these days, is still open and is in New River Presbytery of the PCA.(I drive past it all time going to and from Dayton, Ohio to see grandkids. DKC)

Following Pliny, Paul followed his love for Christian Education and spent four years as Minister of Education at Trinity PC in Montgomery, AL followed by three years in the same position at Coral Ridge PC in Fort Lauderdale, FL.During this time they were raising a family, a boy – Paul David (now living in Greenville) and a girl – Jo Lynn Sprouse (now living in Waynesville, NC).

Paul’s love for education was shared by Georgia, as she taught speech education in public schools in Winfield, WV, Smyrna, GA, and Montgomery, AL and served Library Assistant at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA during these years.

In 1969, Paul took a call to become pastor of the Northside Presbyterian Church in Burlington, NC and dropped right into the middle of the struggle of conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (known as the Southern Presbyterian Church) against a denomination that was slowly moving away from its Biblical and Confessional roots.

By 1971, things were moving swiftly towards the formation of a new denomination (now the Presbyterian Church in America). Paul and Georgia moved to Montgomery, AL where Paul became the Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Churchmen United, one of four groups that provided the facilitation for churches who wanted to leave the PCUS to form a new denomination.Georgia, not surprisingly, became the office manager!When the denomination was about to be formed in 1973, the job title became Executive Director of the Continuing Presbyterian Church.Then, at the formation of the denomination, Paul became the Coordinator of the Committee for Christian Education and Publications (CE/P). They changed the office title to the new name and stayed in Montgomery.

Georgia shifted from her role as an administrator and began to help Paul in the ministry, especially in establishing a Women’s Ministry in the PCA.She became the initial Christian Education Consultant to the Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee of the Presbyterian Church in America, a position now known as Director of Women’s Ministry.

1978 Resource Quarterly.jpg

In 1976, after 7 years of organizational work, Paul was called to be Senior Pastor of the historic Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville and he served there for over 14 years.During that period, Georgia turned her attention to the needful work of Historian of the PCA, as well as writing her first book, called ‘Women In The Bible’.It was published by the CE/P Committee as a Women’s Bible study in 1978, but sadly, it is out of print (I just bought the only used copy available at Amazon! DKC)

In the role as Historian she personally completed oral histories with some of the preeminent leaders of the continuing church movement and the early PCA including (alphabetically): Jim Baird, John Clark, Bill Hill, Ken Keyes, Harold S. Laird, Arthur Matthews, Will McIlwaine, Don Patterson, Robert Rayburn, John and Kitty Richards (the Settle’s co-workers with PCU), Paul Settle (that one was easy to schedule), Kennedy Smartt, Morton Smith, Aiken Taylor, Steve White, Ben Wilkinson, and Jack Williamson.

As Wayne Sparkman, current Director of the PCA Historical Center noted in putting this list together for The Aquila Report: “she did a BUNCH of interviews. The entire PCA will always be in her debt.”

Besides just doing these oral histories, Georgia wrote the small handbook that is still in use for those who want to do some of this very interesting and very crucial work of creating history for the future.You can download that handbook at:http://www.pcahistory.org/local/oralhistory.html

(Contact Mr. Sparkman by email:
// archivist@pcahistory.org
//
for more information about all of the oral history interviews and their transcriptions.)
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
//

In 1988, still while Paul was at Greenville, Georgia published a second book, entitled Seasons of Change, Seasons of Grace, also published as a study by the CE/P in Atlanta.

In 1991, the founder and primary gift-giver to establish Ridge Haven Conference Center, a PCA ministry in the mountains of southwestern North Carolina, Kenneth Keyes, Sr. asked Paul to put his combination of administrative and education skills together and so he left the pastorate and took the job as Executive Director of Ridge Haven for two years.

But as soon as things were organized there, Paul and Georgia moved on to Paul’s next and final call, on the staff of the Park Cities PC (PCPC) in Dallas. The Senior Pastor was Skip Ryan, who with Paul was a Board Member of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.By that time PCPC had grown to mega-church status (2,000+ people) and Paul came on as Associate Pastor with his primary work of discipleship (which is to say, Christian Education in its basic form).

Among those who were part of the discipleship work were many college and seminary students.It wasn’t long before a Reformed University Fellowship chapter was started at Southern Methodist University, and Georgia again pitched in to serve as the Executive Director to the Campus Pastor.

In 2003, when Georgia began the ‘Long Goodbye’ as many Alzheimer’s caregivers call it, Paul stepped down from the staff at Park Cities and spent most of his time caring for Georgia.A few years ago, they moved back to Brevard, NC to be closer to their children.Then, this September, the ‘Long Goodbye’ became a final farewell to family and friends on earth and a joyous arrival in heaven to be with Jesus and all the saints who have gone before us.

Surviving Georgia, in addition to her husband, are a son, Paul David Settle and wife, Shirley, of Greenville; a daughter, Jo Lynne Sprouse and husband, Ken, of Waynesville, NC; two granddaughters, Shelby and Carly Sprouse; a step granddaughter, Alyssa and a brother, Billy Brown and wife, Faye, of Belleville, MI.
____________________________________

Two of the ladies who came after Georgia in the work of the PCA Women’s Ministry, Susan Hunt (the first official Director) and Barbara Thompson, a long time Advisory Committee Member and recent staff member in Atlanta, wrote a book entitled:The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood (click on hyperlink to order from PCA bookstore)

The two authors dedicated the book to Georgia, just as she began her battle with Alzheimer’s.Here is their dedication, which will tell you way more than all the facts in the story to this point put together about who Georgia Brown Settle really was!

Georgia Settle is not a settler. We dedicate this book to her because she is a pilgrim whose progress has encouraged and inspired countless daughters of the covenant. She embodies the helper design. She is a life-giver. She represents the scores of women who have given the legacy to us.

From Susan Hunt:Georgia’s influence in my life is deep and wide. Her sweet love for Jesus has reached the perimeters of my life. As a young pastor’s wife, I watched her from a distance and saw her love for her husband. I once heard her describe herself as the happy wife of a happy pastor. This joyful statement lodged in my heart and often kept me from falling into the “poor me” trap.

Her constant passion for God’s glory and love for His church often steadied me, though she was unaware that I was watching. And then I became Director of the Women in the Church ministry for our denomination. Georgia had served in this position sev

38th General Assembly – A Woman’s Perspective!

September 9, 2010 by Jane

The location was Nashville, a city filled with history and music, rebounding from a disastrous flood. The hosts were the nineteen churches of Nashville Presbytery who prepared for the PCA family with a concert of prayer and planning.

1, 311 commissioners filled the Convention Hall to deliberate and do the business of the church. To learn more of the discussion and actions of this Assembly, go to www.pcaac.org to find pictorial remembrances and the wide ranging issues that were before the commissioners.

Dr. Harry Reeder, pastor of the Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama, was elected without opposition as Moderator. His superb and charitable leadership was noted by all.

Read this entire issue of Equip to Disciple in PDF (Acrobat Reader required)

The activities for wives of ruling and teaching elders were many:

Specific times to gather for fellowship and prayer for the commissioners

Selection from fifty-eight seminars ranging from godly grandparenting, how to understand and incorporate social networking into your ministry, the role of women as counselors, to looking at the minister and wife as they work in tandem in kingdom building.

Bookstore time – meeting and greeting PCA women authors/seminar speakers

Two days filled with programs designed to strengthen and encourage ministry marriages

Relational opportunities to take tours ranging from an emphasis on mercy ministry to seeing sights of the Athens of the South; and time for being creative.

A well planned and executed schedule for our children – one father wrote saying his children thought they were attending a great summer camp!

Time to join other wives in the gallery to follow the discussion and debate on the Strategic Plan (see website listed above)

The joy of family worship and the Indelible Grace hymn sing in the Ryman Auditorium added to our corporate fellowship.

Over 400 women attended Christian Education and Publications’ planned events. On Wednesday, they were given a beneficial glimpse filled with sweet transparency, into the challenges and opportunities of ministry and marriage. Darlene and Scotty Smith, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN, along with Teresa Sugar, Director of Women’s Ministries, Christ Presbyterian Church, led us in testimony, strong teaching, and song. This was followed by a lovely luncheon planned by our Nashville hosts.

On Thursday morning, many of us enjoyed a time of refreshment, singing God’s praises and receiving outstanding teaching. Buddy Green, well known entertainer, and ruling PCA elder, brought his love for Jesus and the hymns of the church to encourage us in our Christian walk; Nancy Guthrie, noted author and Bible teacher, spoke to us on the hope and grace of being eternally yoked to the Solid Rock.

Many men, women, and children left Nashville and the 38^th General Assembly of the PCA with a renewed appreciation for this city and for the servant hearts of so many who worked against great physical distractions to make us feel welcomed and cared for.

Now it is time to pray for and anticipate the 39^th General Assembly, June 7- 10, 2011, in Virginia Beach, VA.