KEMPTON NEW CHURCH NOTE HOME – July 21, 2015 page 3
Saturday, July 25 11:00 A.M. Memorial Service for Rachel Odhner, to be followed by a potluck lunch.
Sunday, July 26 10:00 A.M Woods Family Service. Usher:
7:00 P.M. Adult Holy Supper Service. Usher: Sal Tuccio
Tuesday, July 28 10:00 A.M. Doctrinal Class at Heinrichses’
AUGUST – Save the dates:
Sunday, August 16 Ice Cream Social at the Autumn Weekends Booth. Benefits the School Expansion Fund. Stay tuned for details.
Saturday, August 22 8:30-11:30 A.M. Work Party at the church and school. Come one, come all!
Condolences: On Thursday night, July 16, Rachel Odhner, the wife of Oliver, passed away in her sleep. There will be a resurrection service for her this coming Saturday, July 25, at 11:00 A.M., followed by a potluck lunch. It was only six months ago that Oliver preceded Rachel to the spiritual world. May the Lord bless their joyous reunion. Our warmest good wishes are naturally with their family. You can view an online obituary and leave messages at www.nesterfuneralhome.com.
Warmest Congratulations! Our best wishes are with Anders and Juliet Smith, who were married in Kempton this past Saturday, July 18. May there be many blessings on their union, now and evermore! We are so happy the Smiths will be living in Kempton, at least for now, and that Desireé will be entering our third grade in the fall. Welcome!
New 5th and 6th Grades Teacher: I am so happy to report that Vivienne Riley of Bryn Athyn has agreed to step into our 5th and 6th classroom opening for the fall. She brings with her 14 years of working in New Church Schools in various capacities, and she is excited to join us here. She will be living with Anna Volden. She has a degree in Education from Bryn Athyn College and is the youngest of a family of five girls. She has taught in B.A., Pittsburgh, and South Africa. Please welcome her aboard. She can be reached at . I am so grateful a talented person was gifted to our school by the Lord. – Mark Wyncoll
Going Away—and Welcome—Gift Boxes: Two recent ASPIRE graduates, Maia Wyncoll and Matthew King, will be leaving home in late August to attend Bryn Athyn College of the New Church. Let’s give them a traditional, warm, society send-off by gathering together some Going Away Items for them. At the same time, let’s gather Welcome-to-Kempton Items – some for the newly married Anders and Juliet Smith, and (8 year-old) Desireé, who are newly settling into a house in this area, and some for Vivienne Riley, our new 5th/6th teacher, who will be living with Anna Volden. Needless to say, we are happy these people are setting up housekeeping around here. There are four containers waiting in the church kitchen for your contributions; feel free to drop things off at any time. Sunday, August 9 is the deadline (that’s three weeks and three Sundays from now).
The Regular Things Keep Happening! 1.) KNC Men and Boys Baseball on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. at the Kempton Community Center. 2.) Family Soccer on Sunday afternoons at 3:45 p.m. on the church grounds. 3.) Weeding at the church and school on Monday mornings from 9:00-10:00 a.m.
4.) Summer (Recorded) Doctrinal Class on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the library. All are welcome. Contact Roy Odhner with questions. 610-756-4143)
Madeline and the Gypsies (a musical!): This weekend you can see Becky and Jordan Cooper and Phoenix Fritch in the T4Y Playmakers' production of Madeline and the Gypsies at the Mitchell Performing Arts Center in Bryn Athyn. Three shows: Saturday at 11:00 and 2:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets: $10 adults, $8 children, cash or check at the door. Please come see this goofy show!
From Keith and Jo Pendleton in Wisconsin: [Our son] Seth wants to move back to [your] area this coming September to finish his 12 grade year at Kutztown High School. We are wondering if there may be anyone or any family in the society that may be willing to rent him a room or possibly knows of someone who could rent him a room. He is a very mature young man now and actually will be completing basic training for the Army National Guard down in Fort Benning, Georgia on August 20. We are very proud of him! It is difficult to let him go, but this is something he really wants to do and we feel he has the maturity to do this. He (as have all of us) has really missed the Kempton area. We really appreciate any help you could give on this matter! Thanks! – Jo (715-245-9736 or ) and Keith (715-245-9735 or )
Freshening Up the KNC Telephone Directory: I am currently updating the society phone list and would appreciate hearing from anyone (asap) who would like to have their contact information changed—or expanded. Thanks, Carla (756-6140).
Assistance Needed in Brazil: A long time member of the New Church in Fatima, Rio de Janeiro—Carlos Custodio—has taken ill, both with diabetes and prostate cancer.Unfortunately, the medicine he needs is not provided by the government health plan, so if anyone would like to make a donation to help him out, it would be much appreciated.Donations can be made through me. You can leave cash—or checks made out to me—in an envelope with Carla in the church office or in my box there. Checks can also be mailed to my attention at the church: P.O. Box 140, Kempton, PA 19529. Thank you for what help you can give. – Andy Heilman
Islam and the Heavenly Doctrines: Are the Statements in the Writings on Islam Divinely Inspired?
Questions have been raised by some in the church concerning the accuracy of the Writings' statements on Islam. I am preparing a presentation on this subject (date and time for it will be announced shortly). The basic questions are the following:
1) What could Swedenborg, the 18th century Scandinavian, have known about Islam?
2) Could Swedenborg have had access to the Quran?
3) Does the Quran really indicate that Jesus was the Greatest Prophet, as stated by the Heavenly Doctrines?
4) Why do the Writings say that Muslims believe that Jesus was the Son of God, when the Quran clearly and most emphatically states that He was not?
5) Is the Allah of the Quran a legitimate God based on Divine Revelation, as indicated by the Writings, or is He some kind of illegitimate, idolatrous, man-concocted entity?
6) Do the Commandments of the Decalogue exist in the Quran, as the Heavenly Doctrines say they do?
The Heavenly Doctrines tell us that "...religion occupies the highest levels of the mind, and the highest levels give life and light to the levels below" (TCR 829). It's understandable that there might be
interest in the day to day events happening around us in the world, but this particular class will be focusing solely on what the Writings and the Islamic scriptures have to say. In my opinion, what they have to say is in fact extremely relevant and worthy of serious investigation. On-subject questions and comments would be welcomed during and after the presentation. If you'd like to prepare for the presentation, please read the article Swedenborg and Islam, page 70 of the Jan./Feb. 2012 New Church Life, http://www.newchurch.org/materials/publications/nc-life/pdf/NCL201201.pdf and, of course, don't forget to take a look at the Mohammed/Mohammedan section of your Concordance.
– Ben Pendleton
Computers Available: We are cleaning house at the manse in anticipation of welcoming our new high school there this coming year. Among the many things we do not have room for are some computers. They are in good working order, have a copy of XP and other software on them, such as the Kempton Project, and come with keyboards, mice, and if you want – old CRT monitors.They are on the porch of the manse, so feel free to come by and get one or more if you wish.A good New Church home is always preferable to the e-mountains in some foreign land.If you have any questions, please contact Andy Heilman or Oliver Fritch. Into the dumpster this Friday, July 24th!
For the taking from Dale Glenn’s: One (1) heavy duty, 4-drawer, lateral file cabinet, 36 in. wide x 62-5/8 in. high x 18 in. deep, creamy color. Safety feature: only one drawer can be opened at a time. One (1) 4-drawer metal file cabinet 14-7/8 in. wide x 52 in. high, x 26 in. deep, beige, one rough drawer, not pristine but great mouse-proof attic storage. Lock mechanism has been removed but accompanies file…can re-install? One (1) pile of lamp shades for creative projects. Pick up any of these things anytime from the front porch. Drive right up. Call 756-6062 with any questions.
A woman’s gold and silver watch was left in the KNC kitchen over the weekend. Might it be yours? It’s presently in the church office.