“You are the salt of the earth . . .

You are the light of the world.” — Jesus (Matthew 5:13-14)

The Salt ShakerThe Salt ShakerThe Salt Shaker

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9

OUR MISSION

Parkville Parkville Parkville

PresbyterianPresbyterianPresbyterian

ChurchChurchChurch

Where Everyone is Loved,

Where Everyone Belongs

I n t h i s I s s u e :

2. Opportunities for YOU!

3. Pastor’s Perspective

5. Extravagant

Generosity

7. Sparkle Day

8. Thanksgiving Dinner;

Parkville Symphonic

Band

9. Featured Folks

10. November Calendar

GGGODODOD‟‟‟SSS MMMISSIONISSIONISSION

FORFORFOR UUUSSS:::

To accept,

embrace, and

love all people,

through Christ

who loves us!

Were the whole realm

of nature mine,

That were an offering

far too small;

Love so amazing,

so divine,

Demands my soul,

my life, my all.

— Isaac Watts

Thanksgiving Sunday, November 17th

Join us Sunday morning Nov. 17 for a combined worship service at 10am (Sunday School at 9) when we dedicate our pledged giving for the coming year and enjoy our children as they present a 10-minute Thanks-

giving pageant: “Wake Up! The Harvest is Ready!”

Then join us in the evening for “Our Shared Heritage: A Commu-

nity Thanksgiving.” At 4pm in the sanctuary, Park University President

Greg Gunderson will discuss the history connecting Park’s religious heri-tage (founded by Presbyterians connected with PPC) and initiatives of the school — past and present. At 4:30pm, we will take a step back in time

with the New Harmony Handful, a classic group of barbershop-style singers who will remind us of days gone by. Thanksgiving dinner will

follow at 5pm in Whipple Hall. We are inviting 50 Park University students who won’t be able to go home for

the holidays, and any leftover

food will be donated to Syn-ergy. Cash donations are welcome, but all people are even more welcome.

See more information, p. 8

Sunday, Nov. 3 is Food Pantry

Sunday!

Special needs at this time

include:

Ramen noodles

Bar soap

Syrup

Pancake mix

Jelly

Peas

Corn

Toothpaste

Pork „n beans

Dish soap

November

Food Pantry

Needs

Northland Community Choir—Nov. 10 Please mark your calendar for the

Northland Community Choir Fall

Concert to be held Sunday, Nov. 10

at 3:00 pm in the Graham Tyler

Memorial Chapel at Park

University. Proceeds from the

concert will benefit the English

Landing Park cleanup fund that the

city of Parkville has been using to

restore the park after the floods this

past spring and summer. A $10

donation is suggested; students are

always welcome as guests.

New Liaison Announced

Mary Listrom has taken over the

duties of representing our church

with the Main Street Parkville As-

sociation (MSPA). They meet the

second Wednesday of every month

at 8:30am in the American Legion

Hall downtown and discuss events

of concern and impact to the

community. Please remember to

keep Mary informed about what

your PPC ministry group might be

doing so she can, in turn, keep

awareness of our activities high

with other community

businesses. Contact Mary at

marylistrom@aol.com, or call

816.853.9721.

11/2 Katie Jones

11/4 Carl Myers, Jack Schrimsher, Micah Staley

11/5 Rebecca Raines, Ginna Stanturf

11/6 Kelly Jones

11/8 Natalie Dixon, Bill Geary

11/10 Lula Bounds, Chloe Fey

11/11 Mary Dixon, Leslie Miller

11/13 Teresa Clark, Kay Jackson

11/14 Mary Lucas

11/21 Dave Rittman

11/24 Heather Abrahamson

11/28 Jake Jacobs

T h e S a l t S h a k e r

Faith and Families

“Faith and Families” is not your typical Sunday School class. This class

functions as a small group to provide spiritual and moral support to families

attending PPC. Keeping in mind that contemporary families come in “many

shapes and sizes,” this group discusses and contemplates issues affecting

married couples, single adults, parents (and child-rearing), dating, family

dynamics and caring for aging parents. Faith and Families meets every

Sunday during the Sunday School Hour in a relaxed and informal atmos-

phere. The first 20 minutes are usually spent in social conversation, check-

ing in with members, getting to know one another and discussing the week’s

“hot topics”. The rest of class is devoted to a wide variety of curriculum that

the group chooses on an approximately quarterly basis. The group fluctu-

ates between books studies, visiting experts who can speak to specific topics,

biblical history, contemporary videos or facilitator-led discussions about top-

ics that are on the minds of our members. Faith and Families also gets to-

gether socially throughout the year whenever the spirit moves us!

November Study

in Sojourners’ Class

Rev. John Brentlinger leads us in

a 4-week study of Jesus’ 2nd year of

ministry and considers how the

events of that time illuminate our

faith today. Each class will be

“standalone” so come for one or all!

P a g e 3

Pastor’s Perspective ~ Rev. Steve Andrews

H AVE YOU EVER HEARD OF “THE SCIENCE

OF GRATITUDE?” A growing body of re-

search indicates that people who cultivate

gratitude sleep better, worry less, experience

improved health, and report a greater degree

of love, hope, and empathy toward others.

This research stands as confirmation of

the ancient wisdom of Scripture, like Philip-

pians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I

will say it again: Re-

joice! Let your gentleness

be evident to all. The

Lord is near. Do not be

anxious about any-

thing, but in every situa-

tion, by prayer and peti-

tion, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to

God. And the peace of

God, which transcends

all understanding, will

guard your hearts and your minds in Christ

Jesus.”

We are an especially blessed people. Very

few of us have ever had to worry about hav-

ing enough food to eat, clean water to drink,

clothes to wear, or shelter to keep us warm.

A few weeks ago, I found myself feeling an-

noyed because I had to keep my daughter

with me all day; she had been sent home

from daycare the day before and they would

not let her back without a doctor’s note. I

felt annoyed about missing work, annoyed

having my day disrupted, and . . . I sud-

denly had to stop and give thanks.

Yes, we had to wait until the afternoon to

see a doctor, but how many people around

the world would long for same-day access

for a great physician for their kid? And how

many people in our country would rejoice to

take a day off work and spend it with their

child?

That day, realizing my good fortune

turned my whole day around.

This fall, as we ask our members and

friends to prayerfully consider how they

might financially support the church in

2020, we are focusing on God’s gifts. “God’s

Gifts” is the theme of

our bulletin inserts and

other stewardship mate-

rials. “Grateful to God,

Giving to Others,” is

the title of our worship

series. And all of this is

based on the simple idea

that gratitude is good for

us.

In our Reformed theo-

logical tradition, we have

a saying, “grace and gratitude.” The notion is

that God’s grace is a free gift to us, and in

response to that gift we offer lives of grateful

thanks. We do not set out to do good be-

cause we hope to win God’s favor. We know

God loves us—with an indescribable, im-

measurable, wondrous kind of love. We lead

lives of love, hope, and empathy not to earn

forgiveness, but because we already are for-

given.

Our worship series has been exploring

both sides of this “grace and gratitude” coin,

extolling gifts from God for which we are

thankful, and the kind of grateful response

each one calls forth. Because we are grateful

for communion with a worldwide body of

Christ, we seek reconciliation, forgiveness,

and true love in our relationships with one

another. Because we are grateful for a divine

Cont’d on next page

love that conquers every barrier and division,

we strive to bring down any walls that might

keep us from loving others.

Because we give thanks to a God who pro-

vides us, each and every day, with the emo-

tional, spiritual and physical necessities of life,

we give from those resources so others may

find provision.

At the end of the day,

that’s what it means to

be generous. We recog-

nize that our friends and

family are a gift from

God. We recognize that

our brothers and sisters

in Christ are a gift from

God. We recognize that

this church — as a place where community

groups meet and lives are transformed and

people encounter God — is a gift from God. We

recognize the gift of each other, because the

church is not really a place but a people. The

gifts we offer in return are simply that, gifts we

give (to others, to the church, to other worthy

causes) because we are grateful.

As an institution, Parkville Presbyterian

Church is especially grateful for your gifts.

Unlike with some other non-profits, there are

very few grants available to churches, and we

don’t qualify for most of the ones that are out

there. To keep being available for our commu-

nity, to keep supporting missions that feed peo-

ple and change lives, to

keep offering hope to

those despaired by the

world, we depend on

the gifts of our mem-

bers and friends. Your

gifts are by far our

main source of reve-

nue.

So this fall, I urge

you to cultivate

gratitude. Be mindful of what you have more

than what you do not. Be aware of the beauty,

love, and hope all around you. For the sake of

your health, your spirituality, and this church,

let us give thanks to God.

T h e S a l t S h a k e r

Pastoral Perspective — cont. from previous page

Little Dresses for

Africa Workday:

Friday, Nov. 1,

1-4 pm, Whipple Hall

T h e S a l t S h a k e r

P a g e 5

20/30 Vision Young 20/30 Vision Young 20/30 Vision Young

Adult Group meetsAdult Group meetsAdult Group meets

Tuesdays, 7pmTuesdays, 7pmTuesdays, 7pm

“A gathering of those navigating the joys and challenges of emerging adulthood”

As of October, we are ceasing to make CD copies of the weekly sermons since we are posting live stream videos on our church You Tube channel. You are invited to subscribe and then you’ll get an email no-

tice when a new sermon gets posted. That way, even if you must be out of town or get to a KC Chiefs

game, you can keep up with the messages!

When you get online, you’ll notice that past files were edited to remove everything but the sermon it-self. With the replacement of a faulty sound cable, we are now able to present full recordings with fewer issues from the sound blowing out. That being said, we are still working on refinements to the recordings and sound systems so appreciate your patience! Check us out at You Tube channel.

The church keeps its members informed by postings on our Facebook page or website including the web calendar. If you need refresher instructions on ac-cess (reminder that the member password is johncal-vin), contact our Web Administrators Marcus Flores or Johanna Strother through out-reach@parkvillepresby.org, or call Johanna at

816.678.5250.

We also communicate through email distributions

for our Salt Shaker and Constant Contact lists so if you are not receiving those communications from the church and want to, be sure to contact Jolene Shaw in the church office to ensure your name is on the proper master list. Call the office at 816.741.1641 or email church@parkvillepresby.org to ensure we

have your current information.

Finally, at irregular intervals (generally when we have new members added or someone moves or changes a phone number), we publish online a .pdf directory that contains information on currently par-

ticipating members and visitors. If you haven’t yet sent us a current picture or need to change your in-formation, please email the updates to Johanna at outreach@parkvillepresby.org or contact Jolene in the church office.

YouTube Sermons

P a g e 6

PPC Kids “make a joyful noise

unto the Lord!”

A Note from Your

Extravagant Generosity Team

If you are over seventy-and-a-half,

or will be within the next year,

you will be required to make re-

quired minimum distributions

(RMDs) from any individual re-

tirement accounts (IRAs) you may

have. However, if you would like

to avoid taxes on these RMDs,

consider making all of part of the

distribution a qualified charitable

donation (QCD) to Parkville Pres-

byterian. Ask your financial advi-

sor for more information on how

to reduce your tax burden and

support the causes you care about

the most, and consider this possi-

bility as one more way to give

with a grateful heart in 2020.

T h e S a l t S h a k e r

Thanks to all who helped with our October SPARKLE DAY!

P a g e 7

You are Invited!

The Parkville Symphonic Band’s fall concert will be Sunday, Nov. 3rd at 3:30 p.m. at Park

University’s Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel. Music will feature a space theme for the 50th

anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon and the 100th anniversary of the eclipse ex-

periment that provided the first evidence confirming Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

T h e S a l t S h a k e r

Some people dream and others do. Beverlee Roper is one of the latter. Life started in Bev-

erly, Massachusetts where her father determined that adding the “ee’s” rather than a “y” to

his daughter’s name would differentiate it from it from her birthplace. And then the family

moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Greensboro, North Carolina; before moving to

Ohio. Beverlee attended Grove City College before securing her own women’s talk TV show

”Here’s Beverlee” airing five days a week on the Youngstown, Ohio, ABC affiliate. Next was

a two-year stint as Special Events Coordinator for May Co. in Youngstown.

Deciding law was her ultimate goal she completed

her undergrad degree at Gordon College in Boston be-

fore graduating from Vermont Law School in 1981. She

became a public defender, then a city magistrate and in

1985 joined the U.S. Department of Justice. With the

Justice Department, Beverlee represented the Environ-

mental Protection Agency in civil cases in U.S. District

Courts in Regions 6, 7 and 10. And that was a very for-

tuitous as it brought her to Kansas City where she met

her late husband R.J. Roper.

The couple settled in Weatherby Lake and Beverlee

became a partner with Blackwell, Sanders, Matheny,

Weary and Lombardi. Now she is of counsel with Bruce

Campbell.

When asked her interests she replied, “I love politics,

free market economics, my house and Taggart (her

Cairn Terrier).” She was a Platte County Commissioner from 2012-2016,

An elder at PPC, Beverlee says Pastor Steve’s sermons drew her to join.

“I can always follow them.”

On Sunday she can be found at the 8:30 service on the west side of the church in the

next to back pew. Like her pew partner she is a creature of habit.

Featured Folks — Beverlee Roper

T h e S a l t S h a k e r

P a g e 9

Advent begins Sunday, December 1stAdvent begins Sunday, December 1stAdvent begins Sunday, December 1st

Parkville Presbyterian Church November 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

9-12:00p.m. All Together Now,

Music Together

1:00p.m. Little Dresses of Africa

2 9-12:00p.m. All Together Now,

Music Together

3 DST: “Fall Back” 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Sunday

School 11:00 a.m. Worship 1-6:00p.m. Girl Scout

Troop #3114 CPR 430p.m. Middle School & High School Youth Group

410-3:00p.m. SYNOD

7:00p.m. Evening Circle

@ Dorothy Cook’s home

6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 7:00p.m. Boy Scouts

5

6:00p.m. Cub Scouts

205/206/208 6:00p.m. Bible Study 7:00p.m. Worship Assistant Gathering

700p.m. 20/30 Vision Young Adult Group

6

7:00p.m. Choir

7 9-3:00p.m.

Northland Organization for Reaching &

Teaching Homeschoolers 5:30p.m. IFD 6:30p.m. Session

7:00 p.m. Right Side Of the Tracks

8 9-12:00p.m. All Together Now,

Music Together

9 9-12:00p.m. All Together Now,

Music Together

10 8:30 a.m. Worship

9:40 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship

11

6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 7:00p.m. Boy Scouts

12

12:00p.m. SPEAC Volunteer Luncheon

6::00p.m. Cub Scouts 205/206/208

6:00p.m. Bible Study 7:00p.m. 20/30 Vision Young Adult Group

13

7:00p.m. Choir

14

9-3:00p.m. Northland Organization

for Reaching & Teaching Homeschoolers 7:00p.m. Generosity,

Risk Taking, Mission,& B&G 7:00 p.m. Right Side

Of the Tracks

15 9-12:00p.m. All Together Now,

Music Together

16 9-12:00p.m. All Together Now,

9:00a.m. Worship Committee 8:45-11:00a.m. Girl Scouts #207 Troop

#1505 3:00p.m. Wedding 5-9:00p.m. Northland

Showcase

17 Thanksgiving

Sunday—One Worship

Service @ 10 am

9:00 a.m. Sunday

School 10:00 a.m. Worship 4-6:30p.m. Thanksgiving

Community Dinner 3-5:00p.m. Girl Scouts #3114

18

6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts Whipple Hall

19

6::00p.m. Cub Scouts 205/206/208 6:00p.m. Bible Study

7:00p.m. 20/30 Vision Young Adult Group

20

10-1:00p.m.

Days For Girls

21

7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks

22

23

24

8:30 a.m. Worship 9:40 a.m. Sunday

School 11:00 a.m. Worship Noon: News Deadline

for December Salt Shaker

25

6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts

7:00p.m. Boy Scouts

26

6::00p.m. Cub Scouts 205/206/208

6:00p.m. Bible Study 7:00p.m. 20/30 Vision Young Adult Group

27

28 OFFICE CLOSED

7:00 p.m. Right Side of the Tracks

29 OFFICE CLOSED

30

Reminder: Daylight Saving Time

ENDS this Sunday, Nov. 3

3:00 am

Clocks “Fall Back”

Sunday Worship 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Church School: 9:45 a.m. Church Office: 816-741-1641 E-Mail: church@parkvillepresby.org www.parkvillepresby.org

Parkville Presbyterian

Church 819 Main Street

Parkville, MO 64152-3630

Office: 816.741.1641

Fax: 816.741.1744

E-mail

church@parkvillepresby.org

www.parkvillepresby.org

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Salt Shaker published monthly by PARKVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The Rev. Steven Andrews, Pastor Paul Erickson, Director of Music and Arts & Organist Jolene Shaw, Office Manager News Deadline is NOON — Last Sunday of

Month