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From the Pastor’s Desk

By Rev. Freddy Fritz

June 2020 Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church, PCA Volume 15 Issue 6

Resuming In-Person Corporate Worship These past 10 weeks has seen our church family unable to worship together in person due to the

worldwide coronavirus pandemic. We have had to use Zoom to stay connected for Virtual Fellowship services, Prayer meetings, Bible studies, and Committee meetings. However, that is all going to change soon.

The church officers met recently and have approved resuming in-person corporate worship services, beginning on Sunday, May 31 at its usual time of 10:45 a.m. Since Adult Bible Fellowships, Youth, and Children’s Sunday school do not meet in the summer, these meetings will resume meeting on September 6, 2020, Lord willing.

Here is what the church officers are recommending when we resume in-person corporate worship services on Sunday, May 31, 2020.

General Guidelines: • Individuals in at-risk health groups (including the elderly and sick) are encouraged to watch the

worship service on livestream and not attend in person. • Individuals with a cough or a fever in the past 72 hours are encouraged to watch the worship service

on livestream and not attend in person. • Individuals are encouraged to wear a facemask. • Parents are encouraged to use good judgment in bringing young children. • There will be no nursery at this time. • There will be no Children’s Church at this time. • There will be no Adult Bible Fellowships or Sunday School classes for youth or children, as they do

not meet during the summer season.

Entering and Leaving: • Arrive early to allow time for seating. • Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving the building. • Leave the building following the worship service. • If you wish to converse with others, please do so outside the building (while maintaining 6-feet

distance between one another). • There will be no Meet & Greet (coffee fellowship after the service). • Do not touch, shake hands, or hug each other.

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While in the Sanctuary: • Worship bulletins will be available. • Ushers will escort you to a seat. • A fewer number of seats are available in the sanctuary so as to provide appropriate physical

distancing. • Sit with members of your family. • The songs, Scripture readings, and responsive readings will be on the screens. • Additional seating will be available in the double classroom overflow. • Offering plates will not be passed out during the worship service. • Offering plates will be on a table in the narthex. • Bibles, Hymnals, and Psalters will be removed from the seats. Please bring your own Bible to the

worship service. • Communion will be suspended for the present time.

I pray that the Lord will glorify himself greatly when we resume in-person worship services and meetings.

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TBPC Ministries

Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church Staff

Rev. Freddy Fritz, Pastor

Melissa Bayley, Office Administrator

LeeAnn DeStefano, Office Assistant

Joanne Campbell, Bookkeeper

Ashleigh Kemp, NTCA Director

Marianne Cali, Nursery

Millie Myers, Music Director and Pianist

Chris Christopher,

Custodian

Adult Bible Fellowship Ed Jordan

Children Vacant

EmptyNesters Alisa Carrier

Greeters & Welcome Table Brian Carrier

Hospitality Lesley Schmidt

Men’s Bible Study Jeff Beams

Men’s Ministry Brian Carrier

Missions Karen Guest

Music Millie Myers

NTCA Ashleigh Kemp

Nursery

Marianne Cali

Outreach Vacant

Pastoral Care Rev. Freddy Fritz

Ushers Lenny Chew

Women’s Bible Study Eileen Fritz & Debbie Jordan

Women’s Ministry Suzanne Swenson

Youth Bert Barber

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By Suzanne Swenson

On April 2, 2020, Women’s Ministry held a Sister-to-Sister gathering on Zoom. Our hostess, Kelly Rogers, introduced us to a very timely and interesting book entitled, “Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose.” Rebekah Lyons, the author, encouraged us to trade our anxiety for the vibrant lives that we were meant to live through the four rhythms: rest, restore, connect, and create. Rest and restore are input rhythms while connect and create are output rhythms. By taking a tag team approach to the topic, Suzanne Swenson and Kelly each took two of the words to report on. The following is a synopsis of the devotional presentation.

REST “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:1-2). Oh, what a beautiful image. Restful and peaceful, God’s beautiful world. Whether we call ourselves extroverts, introverts, or ambiverts; we all need quiet times when we can pause, reflect and assess our lives. After many of his miracle-making moments, God retreated into the mountains for solitude and prayer. Quiet was a part of his routine. We would do well to understand that we are able to be our best selves when we gain new energy to face challenges. Quiet helps us to become more emotionally resilient and empathetic to others. Studies show that the ability to tolerate alone time has been linked to increased happiness, better life satisfaction, and improved stress management. In this time of isolation, we find ourselves worried, concerned, overstimulated, and overextended. We were not created for a nonstop pace. We are created in God’s image and even he rested on the 7th day. Rest allows the peace of Jesus to fill us. Here are a few tips that the author has given us: Carve out 15 minutes for quiet reflection. Where are your thoughts when you are all alone? A quiet time of prayer before bed releases the troubles and burdens of the day. “A world without a Sabbath would be like a man without a smile, like a summer without flowers, and like a homestead without a garden. It is the most joyous day of the week” (Henry Ward Beecher).

RESTORE

“The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes” (Isaiah 58:11-12). Restoration replenishes us physically, fortifies our mental health and enables us to engage emotionally. Restore is defined as bringing back to a state of health, soundness or vigor, and go back to a former place or to a position. Synonyms of restore include: restart, refresh, repair, and rejuvenation.

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This season of our lives, the quarantine, gives us an opportunity to replenish, restore and renew. Our culture is one of hustle and bustle; a life keeping us in motion thus causing wear and tear on our bodies, minds and souls. When we hit burnout, we need to restore the gifts God gave us. The restore rhythm teaches us new rhythms that bring freedom, adventure, strength, and mental energy! Ms. Lyons suggests ways that we can restore our selves by playing, eating, walking, and adventure.

Playing, Eating, Walking, and Adventure

Research shows that the benefits of play are important in reducing stress and contributing to overall well-being. It is important to make time for play. Doing something different and letting go can bring energy, refresh your soul, and restore your mind! Eating is another area where we can restore ourselves! Learn what foods bring us restoration and vitality! Eating can directly affect our mood and our emotions. We cannot ignore the warning signs that tell us to stop and change our eating patterns. Walking and getting our bodies moving is essential! It raises serotonin levels, the feel-good hormone, in our bodies. Movement and diet connect to our overall health and feed our emotions! Other benefits to walking include warding off pain or grief during a hard season; it allows us to be creative, and it releases the endorphins. It is a quiet time to pray, see others along the way, enjoy God’s creation, and bring clarity to our minds. What is adventure? Every day God invites us on some type of adventure. There is not a rigid itinerary. He simply invites us. He asks us what we love, what captures our attention, and what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world he made. And then he whispers, “Let’s do that together!”

CONNECT Rest and Restore are rhythms of input because they fill us up. We begin to experience renewal; we will be overflowing with energy that leads us out of isolation and into a healing connection. There are new perspectives that awakens God’s purposes in our lives. With newfound confidence from a place of strength, we will find deeper meaning, and, more importantly, purpose in our everyday life. The connect and create rhythms are output rhythms which help us reach out to bless and help others. Being filled up is not just for our individual benefit, but for the benefit of those around us. Spiritual community and cultural renewal can only happen when we look outside ourselves and engage with others from a full heart. The author focuses on friendship and shares Aristotle’s three types of friends. He states: “Perfect friendship is the friendship of those who are alike in virtue, for these individuals wish well to each other in all circumstances and thus these friendships are good in themselves” (Aristotle). Friendships are based on utility, pleasure, and on virtue—the ideal. Those friendships based on utility or pleasure do not necessarily last because when the reason for the friendship is over, the friendship is dissolved. Ms. Lyons noted that life’s seasons bring people together, but shared passions and commitments were not always in the mix. Be the friend you wish to have. With a hue of golden rule about it, Ms. Lyons knew that remarkable friends would alleviate the stress of superficial friendships and the anxiety that so often comes with loneliness, but to make these kinds of friends, I would need to be a consistent friend myself. If I wanted a trusted circle, I need to be trustworthy myself. If I wanted an authentic friend, I would need to be authentic myself. Friendship is one of our greatest gifts. A trusted companion is one who knows us and loves us for who we are. Friendship can be challenging and messy, but our friends are people who get us through rough times—the people who very often come to us with compassion. If we take these relationships for granted, we need look to the Bible. In fact, we should also take a moment and send a note to a friend with a Bible verse that captures how much we need them in our lives. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13).

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CREATE God didn’t design us to create on our own. He made us to create with him, to tend to his creation. In Ephesians we are told that we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus’ image to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are partners with God in continuing creation of kingdom works! When we are doing this with him we do not produce anxiety, instead these endeavors should bring peace, life, and rest. The freedom we’ve been given by our Creator has been coupled with the responsibility to serve humanity. Our author, Rebekah Lyons, is talking more about using our specific talents, skills, and callings to go deeper into our God-given purpose, to create something that blesses him and the world around us. The world’s method of creation demands production, striving and hustle. It is rooted in self-expression and crowd satisfaction which are characteristically opposed to the holy rhythms of creation that God designed. Interestingly enough its boredom and affluence that push away our dreams of meaning and purpose. We get bored with what we have so we want to be entertained and when that wears off, we are bored again. Neil Postman wrote a book titled Amusing Ourselves to Death which captured the thought that people will come to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. So how do you escape the trap of boredom? Instead of watching a Netflix series for several hours, grab a piece of paper and start writing what you imagine your life will be like in 5 to 10 years. What gifts and talents that God has given you could be used? What future do you want for you, your spouse and children? Who am I meant to be? What am I meant to do? Create a space for dreaming that works with the unique obstacles of your current life. You can find a path through them with the help of your family or friends. Knowing God’s meaning for our lives frees us from stress and anxiety. Knowing that we are here to glorify his name. Mark Twain said: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why!” Sometimes weeds of life choke out our God-given passions. What things do you need to pull from your life so you have the energy to partner with God in creative purpose for you? Identify those things and get rid of them. Is it activities that do not bring back life, distracting obligations, or social media? Pull the weeds. Get them at the root so they don’t grow back. Then with renewed passion use your passion to create something beautiful with God. Wasting time on useless things can steal away your passion for years!

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TBPC’s Summer Women’s Bible Study

Feeling a bit disconnected being safer-at-home, or overwhelmed being on the COVID front line?

The Book of Ephesians is all about being secured, connected,

hinged to Christ and his Church.

Features of TBPC’s Summer Women’s Bible Study:

• Watch the video lesson at home when convenient for you.

• A single TBPC meeting for all who usually meet in separate Monday and Tuesday groups.

• Shorter Zoom time of less than two hours will be Monday evenings.

• Optional short Wednesday evening PCA denomination-wide Zoom feature.

• Check out the video blurb from the PCA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_DboVEP2yQ&feature=youtu.be .

Your invitation: What: We will study the Book of Ephesians through the 12-week series distributed by the PCA denomination’s discipleship ministries titled “Hinged: Vitally Connected to Christ and his Church.” When: WBS will meet via Zoom on Monday evenings from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (fellowship available at 6:30 p.m.), June 8 through August 24, 2020. Where: Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89369284593

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How: We will have a study guide and a video lesson. The video will be available the week preceding our discussion. You will watch the video and work through the study guide prior to our Monday meeting, at which we will have discussion and prayer. You are welcome to the meeting even if you do not complete the homework. Optional: There will be a Facebook live event with the authors each Wednesday prior to our Monday discussion. You may access this additional presentation or its recording if you so choose. To participate, please contact Debbie Jordan for registration and book ordering details. Debbiejordan1@gmail.com or 813-368-7513

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May 22, 2020 Dear TBPC family, It is with sadness that I announce the resignation of Morgan Uhl as director of NTCA. Morgan has such a huge heart for children and especially ministry to children, and we were so blessed to have her with us this past year. She enhanced many aspects of NTCA, while always holding up everything she did for God’s glory. We wish her the best in her next endeavor. I have been reappointed Director of NTCA by the school Board and approved by the TBPC Session. I am excited to be returning and feel strengthened by the time I’ve had with the family this past year. We are truly in “unprecedented times.” The current pandemic has impacted many businesses around the globe, and even more so many non-profit organizations like our preschool ministry. However, apart from the global situation, the past couple of years have been tough for NTCA. Enrollment has steadily become more difficult with each year that passed, and especially during this past year where enrollment was notably below the levels the Board had planned for. This has had a significant effect on the school’s financial position and therefore on May 21, 2020, the Session of TBPC approved a decision by the NTCA Board to restructure and downsize the school. It is our hope that a smaller ministry with reduced overheads and a lighter administrative burden will be a more sustainable model and enable us to continue to serve the children of our church and our community. Going forward NTCA will now only operate 3 days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All class programs will be a 3-day program. The school hours for students will change to 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., (4 hours per day). This new model will also provide several other benefits. As the preschool will be closed on Tuesday and Thursday, this enables other ministries to operate on the church premises on those days. Secondly, as the number of classes we will offer will be reduced, we will now be able to fit all classes into the old wing of our building. It is also my hope to find new ways to connect with the families of our students. Having less students will enable us to hold some fun family events which will be more manageable. I hope that as a church body, we will embrace these opportunities to connect with these families. The mission field is right on our doorstep and I welcome anyone who is interested to get involved with this ministry. However, these changes also have a huge impact on the staff of the school which have served NTCA over the years. Music will now be incorporated into lessons by our classroom teachers and as a result we are saying goodbye to our long-time music teacher, Laurie Kaczmarek. Laurie has been with the school since its inception 25 years ago. Words cannot sufficiently relay our heartfelt gratitude for everything Laurie has done for the school over that time. The office function is also going to be consolidated into the Director role and as a result we will also be saying goodbye to Edie Rosko, our Office Manager for the past 7 years. Her support and assistance in the office will be greatly missed.

19911 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33647 www.ntcafamily.org

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However, the impact won’t stop there. Going forward we will have fewer classes. This decreases the number of teaching roles and therefore we will also be saying goodbye to some of our teaching staff. We are equally grateful for their dedication and commitment to the students at NTCA over the years. The Board and I ask that you please hold up all of the staff in prayer. This will be an unsettling time for them and we pray that where one door closes, God will open new doors for them and continue to lift them up and encourage them with his promises. Please also pray for both myself and the Board. Pray that God will guide us in everything we do so that his name will be glorified. Yours sincerely Ashleigh Kemp Director

19911 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33647 www.ntcafamily.org

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MISSIONS NEWS

By Karen Guest

Connecting TBPC to the mission field, both locally and globally,

through prayer, sending, and support

Missions Committee Meetings: For our May 5 meeting, the Missions Committee met via Zoom, which meant that our motions need to be ratified at a later “in person” meeting. Here are some highlights of the meeting.

Missions Committee Treasurer: Several months ago Bob Morrison joined the Committee and now has accepted the position of Treasurer. We are very grateful for his financial expertise as we develop plans for financially supporting our missionaries, and submitting our budget once our proposal is approved by the Session.

Missions on the Church Website: I want to thank LeeAnn DeStefano for her work updating the Missions portion on our church website. It features the missionary profiles as of February 2020 and facts about the Missions Program: Priorities, Goals, Financial Procedures, Missions Fund, Missions Opportunities, Publications Available in the Narthex, “Adopt a Missionary for Prayer,” Principles of Intercessory Prayer, and Praying for Missionaries. This information is all contained in the brochure “Adversity in Missions” that you received during our Missions Conference. Paper copies are available in the Narthex.

Rev. Andrew Newman, MTW-RUF at USF: Significant financial support he was receiving from two local churches has been withdrawn rather abruptly. The Missions Committee has recommended a one-time gift, subject to Session approval, to help him while he seeks replacement funds from churches. Please keep Andrew and Meghan in your prayers during this difficult time. If you would like to encourage him with a monetary gift, you may send it to his attention at church.

Missions Operating Procedures: The Committee is continuing its review of the manual and concurrently reviewing the criteria and levels of monthly support we are giving to our current missionaries in accordance with priorities being set.

Prayer for Missionaries: Christine Probes, Prayer Coordinator, is continuing to encourage the congregation to pray for our missionaries. You are also encouraged to communicate with them, especially during this time when everyone is dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video Presentations from Missionaries: We are receiving short personal videos from our missionaries and these will be shown on Sundays preceding the worship time. On Mother’s Day the video from Peter and Lauren Dishman was shown. The following Sunday, the video from Esaie Etienne was shown. As we receive them, and as the worship schedule permits, more videos will be shown. These will help inform your prayers in the near term. We are also proposing to use this technology at next year’s Missions Conference and throughout the year to keep you engaged in our missionaries’ activities and prayer needs.

We are looking forward to our June 2 meeting “in person.” Zoom is OK up to a point but somewhat awkward during long working meetings that generate proposals that must await ratification at later dates. I am very thankful for the work every person on the Missions Committee does as we manage to accomplish a few things, Lord willing.

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PONDERING THE BIBLICAL WARRANT FOR WORLD MISSIONS

What exactly are the Great Commission(s)?

By Karen Guest Excerpted from the book The Church is Bigger Than You Think, by Patrick Johnstone

Here’s a thought: The Great Commission is actually far more comprehensive in scope than that expressed in our Lord’s words in Matthew 28. Indeed, there is overlap among the several commissions; none is exclusive unto itself. We can see clearly the multi-dimensional nature of the responsibility laid by God upon his Church in its witness to a fallen world.

Let’s look at the multiple challenges involved in the work of world missions.

The Evangelistic Commission of Mark 16:15-18: Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Johnstone notes that the ministry implicit here is that of the pioneer evangelist, those driven by the passion that all men might have the opportunity for the new life that comes from the salvation offered in Jesus Christ.

The Church Planting Commission of Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Jesus stresses here the making of disciples. An ongoing ministry is indicated, with baptism and teaching as parts of the whole process of discipling.

The Teaching Commission of Luke 24:25-27: O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. [See also Luke 24:44-47]. On the road to Emmaus with two disciples, our Lord shows us the need for people to be taught the content of the gospel message from the many Old Testament prophecies on the Messiah, fulfilled in him.

The Sending Commission of John 20:21: Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me even so I am sending you.” Jesus gave himself in his life and his death as an example to his followers. Verse 22 shows his bequeathing to them the power of the Holy Spirit so that they might be able to follow his example.

The Global Commission of Acts 1:8: “… You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” Christ lays the strategic, global task before the apostles in the first generation of the Church, a task still unfinished today. His words make clear that the scope of the task spans the local (Jerusalem), the national (Judea), the cross-cultural within a nation (Samaria), and the far corners of the globe.

Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church’s missions program strives to focus on strategically targeted ministries in specific geological areas. This is the primary reason for having the Missions Fund. We have made a faith promise to financially support selected missionaries based on specific goals. We support “sent ones” in church planting and theological education, which impact all five of the biblical challenges in world missions. Locally, you can be involved personally in fulfilling the evangelistic commission. Some examples: participating in the English as a Second Language program lead by Karen Cross; the Christmas Brunch headed up by Suzanne Swenson and Stephanie Smoot; Vacation Bible School headed up by Christy Almonte; or volunteering at New Tampa Christian Academy. Over the years, our collective prayers as a congregation have been answered for members of our own flock to receive the Lord’s call to work on the wider national or international missions field. Some examples: Rene Palacio, Lauren Dishman, Bert and Cheryl Barber, and Julie Beck.

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June Birthdays

Drew Jeffries June 01

Sandra Neal June 11

Kim Sesia June 13

Joanne Carter June 14

Patty Lugo June 16

Ed Jordan June 19

William Neal June 19

Ted Jeffries June 20

Rodney Proctor June 20

Javier Lugo June 27

Carey Springer June 27

Fred Cunningham June 29

Martine Extermann June 29

Clydia Craig June 30

June Anniversaries

McNulty, John & Melissa June 02, 2012 8 Years Cunningham, Fred & Diane June 03, 1978 42 Years Nies, Steve & Sheri June 05, 1981 39 Years Isaac, Eric & Jennifer June 10, 1995 25 Years Adawonu, Nathaniel & Cherita June 13 Barber, Bert & Cheryl June 14, 1980 40 Years Beck, Norman & Julie June 14, 2014 6 Years Morrison, Bob & Nancy June 14, 1980 40 Years Cross, David & Karen June 15, 1985 35 Years Barber, James & Jena June 16, 2007 13 Years Becker, Richard & Ginny June 16, 2001 19 Years Highfill, Ryan & Laura June 16, 2012 8 Years Weir, Jim & Judy June 23, 1979 41 Years Jordan, Ed & Debbie June 24, 1984 36 Years Finch, Greg & Judy June 28, 2003 17 Years

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Trumpet Staff

Rev. Freddy Fritz, Editor-in-Chief

Andrea L. Proctor, Co-editor

It is the goal of the Trumpet staff to provide articles for learning and growing, news for

connecting with our church family, and information on opportunities for service and participation.

The views and opinions expressed in the Trumpet have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Session.

Please forward articles, pictures, ministry reports, and calendar items for the next edition of the

Trumpet to andreaproctor@tcforce.com by the 20th of the month preceding publication.