Gatherings

Issue 1 – February 2021

Click the link below to download our newsletter.

In-person worship canceled today.

Due to weather conditions in the Pottstown/Limerick area, we are canceling in-person worship today. You may join us on Zoom for an online service.

You may also view the service on our Youtube channel.

Ladies’ Study & Conference

Don’t miss these opportunities for fellowship and study!

Opportunity 1
Join us beginning Tuesday, September 29 for a weekly study in Ephesians
Location: Home of Lorrie Walsh
1288 Woodmere Drive
Pottstown, PA 19464

If you can’t join us in person, join via Zoom, you can even turn off the video and mute yourself so you can tend to the kids and listen in!

Opportunity 2
SAVE THE DATE: November 14 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.)
PCA Women’s Hinged Conference

Join us for the 2020 HINGED Conference where we will feast and fellowship as a community. We will focus on the idea of HOME, the place where we live and worship, where we belong, and our eternal
destination. Let us join as sisters to dig deeper into how these truths are HINGED together with our daily lives. Cost:$20.

Please register at www.pcacdm.org/hinged (coupon code: GRACEPA15)

The conference will take place at various homes. We will keep you posted as we see how many sign up to attend in person. You can attend in person, via Zoom or watch another time through the link until Dec. 16, 2020.

Please contact Sarah Walsh with any questions.

Our women are looking forward to the fellowship and growing deeper relationships with one another!

Men’s BBQ Cookout Fellowship

The men of G&PPC will gather for a time of fellowship and food.

Date: Saturday, October 10, 2020
Time: Noon to 3 p.m.
Rain date: Saturday, October 17, 2020
Location: Albrechts’ home
117 Ridgewood Circle
Downingtown, PA 19335

There is room for gathering outdoors. All men are welcome. Check here to sign up.

Pastor Mayk’s Sabbatical

Greetings G&P Family,

As a follow up to the announcement that I will be taking a sabbatical beginning in September, I wanted to send out this very short video clip from Pastor Ligon Duncan regarding the importance and purpose of a pastoral sabbatical. Since G&P has not made use of pastoral sabbaticals before, some folks might have questions as to the reason and value of them.

In this video, Ligon offers a concise and helpful insight into the spiritual benefit for the pastor, as well as the congregation through the implementation of a sabbatical. For that purpose, I would also like to ask the congregation to pray in the following manner during my time away…

  • That I would be refreshed in my walk with the Lord, drawing close and growing in my relationship with Him (This cannont be understated.)
  • That Renee and I would both be refreshed and recharged to carry on the ministries to which God has called us as a couple
  • That my adult children would also grow in the Lord during this time
  • That the Ruling Elders of G&P would be given a measure of grace to minister during this time
  • That the visiting preachers would faithfully bring God’s word to the hearts of our congregation, enabling God’s people to continue to grow in his word
  • That the Lord Jesus would shepherd the pastor and the congregation in a Psalm 23 manner during this time

Ligon Duncan on Sabbaticals for Pastors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tguq1xWtof0

May the Lord bless you today as his joy is fulfilled in you.

Bill Mayk

[Ed. note: Pastor Mayk will be away from mid-September through mid-January.  Please contact one of the elders or deacons if you have pastoral or physical needs during this time.]

Gentle and Lowly

by Dane C. Ortlund

Pastor’s Monthly Book Suggestion – September, 2020

If there has ever been a book I am thoroughly excited about suggesting to the congregation it is Gentle and Lowly, by Dane Ortlund. Gathering insights from various Puritans, Reformers, and preachers Ortland digs deeply into Scripture to uncover the heart of God in the heart of Christ for God’s people. This magnificent treatment of God’s kindness and compassion toward us refreshes the soul. Once I began reading this book, I didn’t want to put it down.

If you have struggled with truly believing that Christ is for you, even when you have committed that sin again, then read this book. If you intellectually believe that God loves you, but find it difficult to understand what that means, then read this book. If you have ever worried that maybe Jesus is simply fed up with your many failures, read this book. If you simply want to take a fresh look at your Savior that will make you smile, then read this book.

While the entire work presents the marvelous love of God toward us, I especially appreciated the way the author uncovers the heart of Jesus in His works of compassion throughout the four Gospels. I wholeheartedly recommend this east-to-read, but deeply satisfying volume to every person in our church family.

Ladies’ Summer Book Club

The Ladies’ Summer Book Club is looking forward to having you join us! We will discuss:

7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

Three women we will discuss: Hannah More, Corrie ten Boom, and Rosa Parks.

Date: Thurs., September 3
Time: 6-8 pm
Location:
Jo-Lynne Shane’s outdoor deck
This allows for an outdoor setting with social distancing, masks, and the optional use of one’s own chair.

Twila Paris offers this comment about 7 Women:

“Some authors give us words that are delicious to read. Others provide content that is good and necessary. Eric Metaxas consistently brings us the rare gift of both at the same time. If we are pulled toward complacency or discouragement, Eric gives an irresistible push toward hope and inspiration. ‘If they could do that then, we can do it now! Here I am, send me!’ We need to be inspired- breathed into. We need the wind of God in our sails for our time. In Seven Women, the familiar breeze is stirring again.”
– Twila Paris, singer-songwriter and author

We will look forward to having you join us on Thurs., Sept. 3.

Questions? Contact Renee Mayk [email protected]

Coronavirus And Christ

by John Piper

Pastor’s Monthly Book Suggestion – August, 2020

Early on in the advance of the Coronavirus, John Piper wrote a very short book that basically answers the question, “Where is God in this pandemic?” Although there is nothing new or earth shaking (IMO) in the way Piper responds to that inquiry, this work is a helpful reminder of who God is and how He uses tragedy in the lives of His people. While Piper’s specific intent was to speak into the situation surrounding COVID-19, his biblical insights are helpful when facing any catastrophic event. Therefore, I would recommend this brief volume as an encouragement, not only in the difficulties regarding the Coronavirus, but in light of the many trials we often face.

Ladies’ and Teen Girls’ Loving Luther Book Discussion

Join us at the Labyrinth Thursday 7/30 to travel through the historical fiction Loving Luther by Allison Pittman. 

Location: Outdoor Labyrinth Pavilion   
GPP meeting at St. James UCC Church,  321 S Limerick Rd, Royersford, PA 19468 (with outdoor social distancing)

Optionally choose to bring: folding chair, individually wrapped/packaged snack, dessert, or drink to share

Bring:  Loving Luther book, a friend or relative

Many of us know Katharina as the nun who married Martin Luther. So who is this fascinating woman?  As a young child she was left unceremoniously with the nuns. Before dawn in 1523 she abruptly departed from this cloistered world to discover life outside of the convent walls.  From Katie’s secret readings of Luther’s writings in the convent to how she navigates life in the outside world to how she embarks on life as Luther’s wife, it makes a fascinating story. 

We hope to talk about these discussion questions on pp. 415-417: #2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12.

Haven’t finished or read the book yet? Join us anyway for a good discussion.

Questions or need more information?
Contact Renee at [email protected]

Church History in Plain Language

By: Bruce L. Shelley

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – July, 2020

The history of the Church is nothing less than the continuing story of God’s work of redemption in the world. It is filled with interesting characters, powerful movements of the Holy Spirit, and events that can stir the soul. In this one-volume work, Bruce Shelley tells the history of Christianity in a manner that is captivating and enjoyable.

It is my firm belief that the lack of theological understanding by many Christians today can be somewhat attributed to an insufficient knowledge of Church history. Beyond knowing something about the Apostles’ Creed and hearing a few quotes by Augustine, most Protestants know nothing of the Church before Luther. In fact, it might even be fair to say that most know little about Luther and less of Calvin as well. In other words, we suffer from a spiritual malnutrition regarding God’s work in the Church. Consequently, we have little appreciation for the theology of the Bible even though we claim to believe its teaching.

Therefore, I am recommending this easy-to-read volume for anyone who wishes to understand that our Faith is much more than just “me and my Bible.” As Christians, we belong to a people called out of the world by Jesus Christ. We are part of His kingdom as it presses forward into this world. And we would do well to know of our spiritual ancestry so that we might learn from it, and appreciate the work of Christ in this age.

On a final note, please don’t let the fact that this is a history book scare you. Shelley writes so that his work reads like a story and captures your imagination. May you read and appreciate the activity of God through His Church. As Christians, this is a work of which you are all a part.

WPE