PASTOR’S NOTES - Kempton New Church



FEAR NOT

And [Elisha] said, Fear not; for they who are with us are more than they who are with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Jehovah, open [my servant’s] eyes, I pray, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the lad and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (II Kings 6:16-17)

Scarcely anyone in this world can know what is the nature of the power that is in truth from good; but it is known to those who are in the other life, thus by revelation thence. They who are in truth from good, that is, in faith from charity, are in power through truth from good. In this power are all the angels, and from this the angels are called in the Word "powers;" for they are in the power of restraining evil spirits, one angel being able to restrain a thousand all at once. They exercise their power chiefly when with man, in defending him at times against many hells, and this in a thousand and a thousand ways. (Arcana Coelestia 6344.4)

PASTOR’S NOTES

The power of the Lord and His angels is always there to help us. But we need to pray that we may see it (II Kings 6:17). No matter what the evil, no matter what the situation, the Lord will give us the strength from Him and His angels to do the right thing if we sincerely ask for it. If we feel pressured by people around us to do something we shouldn’t, we can pray to see the help from the Lord. If we are surrounded by thoughts pressing us to do something we shouldn’t, we can pray to see the help from the Lord. When we are in spiritual trouble, we can rely on this wonderful story in the Second Book of Kings and pray that we can see the protection the Lord provides for us. And the Lord will protect us, just like He protected Elisha and his servant.

* * *

September 17th Board Meeting: We discussed a proposal to develop an on-line giving option, maintenance for the church and school electrical system, an upgrade to the electrical system serving the barn and Autumn Weekends, the status of the current budget, a report from the nominating committee chair, and possible future uses for the manse. We learned that the building costs for the school addition have been fully funded and that less will be needed from the reserve fund than was originally planned.

September 24th Pastor’s Council Meeting: We discussed the role of Pastor’s Council, ways to do more with music in church services, future topics for Feasts of Charity, the KNCS admissions process, the nominating process for the Board of Trustees and School Council, and possible future uses for the manse.

An Open-Books Meeting regarding school-addition costs and how they were paid for is planned for Tuesday, October 8. Please see “Meetings,” below, for more details.

* * * * * *

WORSHIP

Sunday, October 6, 10:00 A.M. Combined Service Usher/Set-up: Brandon Jungé

Sunday School Teachers and Helpers: Nursery / Tabitha & Pearse; 4 years-K / Sarah & Clara; 1st-3rd grades / Shayne & Charlie; 4th-6th grades / Heather; 7th-8th grades / Mark Wyncoll

Sunday, October 13, 9:00 A.M. Young Child’s Service. Setup: Jordan and Becky Cooper

10:00 A.M. Family Service.

Usher/Setup: Ted LaMastra

Sunday, October 20, 10:00 A.M. Combined Service Usher/Setup: Steve King

Sunday School Teachers and Helpers: Nursery / Tovah & Cecily; 4 years-K / Daelen & Aven; 1st-3rd grades / Jen & Brahm; 4th-6th grades / Char

Sunday, October 27, 10:00 A.M. Family Service Usher/Setup: Jesse Fritch

CLASSESH

Tuesday, October 1, 7:30 P.M. Arcana Class. At Heilmans’. Reading: AC 9051-9111. This will finish up the explanation of Chapter 21 of Exodus, as well as the section on the spirits and inhabitants of Saturn.  Some teachings of special interest are the first two teachings about the eye and the tooth, and then the section on the ox goring someone, and when there is guilt and when there is not (AC 9069, 9075, 9077) and what should happen if the ox of one man strikes the ox of another (9090, 9093, 9094). AC 9349 describes the various laws at the end of Exodus 21 as follows: The laws in verses 22-25 and 33-37 are listed as laws that can serve a use if one so chooses; this included the laws about "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."  The laws in verses 26-29, 31, and 32 are listed as laws which are abrogated as to use at this day where the Church is.  None of these laws in the second half of Exodus 21 are described as laws altogether to be observed and done, such as the Ten Commandments in Chapter 20.

Thursday, October 10, 9:30 A.M. The Uses of Old Age, continued. Home of Gloria Smith

Friday, October 11, 6:30 P.M. Feast of Charity; 7:45 P.M. Presentation by Dr. Ian Thompson: New Church Science: What do we learn from the Heavenly Doctrine that’s useful for science? Dr. Thompson is a member of the New Church who lives in California and works as a nuclear physicist at the Berkley Particle Accelerator.  He has written numerous articles on theistic science and recently published the book "Starting Science with God."

Tuesday, October 15, 7:15 P.M. Youth Group Conjugial Love class. Judsons’

Tuesday, October 22, 10:00 A.M. Moms’ Morning class. Buicks’

Wednesday, October 23, 7:30 A.M. The angels and spirits with man, continued from September class. AC 5976-5993. Location TBD

Thursday, October 24, 9:30 A.M. The Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 8-10. Religion Room

Tuesday, October 29, 7:30 P.M. Arcana class.

Reading: AC 9112—9180. This begins with the Doctrine of Charity about conscience.  It then treats of the internal sense of the first half of Exodus 22, which contains laws about theft, and about borrowing and loans.  Besides the opening section on conscience, other key teachings include 9125, 9128, 9144, 9152, 9154, 9174, 9176, and 9180. AC 9349 describes these laws in the first half of Exodus 22 as follows: the first 14 verses are listed as laws that can serve a use if one so chooses; verse 15 (in the Hebrew and the Arcana Coelestia, but verse 16 in the English translations) is listed as abrogated as to use at this day where the Church is.  No doubt this abrogation is because a man is treated as property in this verse. AC 9349, more than any other teaching in the Heavenly Doctrine, shows that the Lord "abrogated" slavery. At Steve and Janis King’s

MEETINGS

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 7:30 P.M. Open-Books Meeting.

Peter Genzlinger will present a detailed report on the costs associated with the school addition project and how they were paid for. Please come with your questions. Peter will give us a summary of this information at the upcoming society meeting, but we want to make the finer details available on the 8th for anyone who would like to see them.

Thursday, October 17, 7:30 P.M.

Annual Meeting of the Kempton New Church. Our main business will be to elect trustees and members of the school council, to discuss the financial results of the fiscal year that ended in June, and to adopt a budget for the present year.

From the NOMINATING COMMITTEE

As reported in last week’s Note Home, the Nominating Committee hereby nominates the following candidates for the School Council:

Kaemmerle Glenn and Daelen Saltzer, both for a three-year term

Jen McQueen to fill the remaining two years of a vacant seat

The nominees for the Board of Trustees are

Mark Hendricks and Kenan Smith, both for a three-year term.

Committee members recused themselves from the discussion of any nomination that presented a conflict of interest.

From the Bylaws:

Any member of the Kempton New Church may make additional nominations provided the following criteria are met:

a) The nomination is submitted in writing within the ten days following the Nominating Committee’s announcement of the candidates,

b) The nomination includes the signatures of endorsement of two members of the Kempton New Church,

c) The candidate accepts the nomination.

– Bradley King (chair), Roger Schrock, and Kenan Smith

From the

CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE

You may enjoy coming to your Annual Society Meeting to hear about the uses that your ongoing contributions to the church and school support.

We will also hear about the money saved by your volunteer efforts on the addition and at work parties, and all the ways folks serve the church here in Kempton. So many uses supported in so many ways by so many people. Thank you!

Your Contributions Committee

P.S. We will also hear how your contributions are doing after the first quarter of our current fiscal year.

ANNOUNCEMENTS / NOTICES / EVENTS

Autumn Weekends all through October: 10:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M. on Saturdays, 11:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. on Sundays.

Reminder: KNCS parent/teacher conferences will be happening during the week of November 4.

Beasts, Saints, and Spires, an informal talk on the Gothic cathedral and regeneration. Given by Joe Vandermeer, director of the Swedenborg Centre in Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Saturday, October 12, at 7:30 P.M.

3585 Route 737, Kempton, PA 19529 (Gray Glenn’s).

Please let me know by October 3rd if it looks like you might be there. – Gray

The Fun-Events Groups says, “Save the Date!” On Friday, November 8, from 6:00 to 8:30 P.M., they will be hosting an evening of fun for the whole society – all ages: pizza, glow dance party, and minute-to-win-it games. Stay tuned.

BREAKING THE SHELL (Sat., Oct. 12, 2019):

Connecting the Spiritual Cascade to the Physical with New Church Science

A Theistic Science Symposium hosted by the Swedenborg Scientific Association and the Theistic Science Group

9 AM – 5 PM; Pendleton Hall at Bryn Athyn College

Free registration is requested. Go to: swedenborg-

The Swedenborg Scientific Association would like to introduce the Theistic Science Group; a collaboration of New Church scientists and theologians working on a model of scientific principles based on the axiom of spiritual-natural causation. If natural things and processes are derived from spiritual causes, how can these be described in scientific terms? Using doctrines from Swedenborg’s scientific and theological works, the Theistic Science Group asks, “How does spirit descend into nature, creating as it comes?” Questions of the origin of matter, divine order, in nature, and the emergence of organic forms are being addressed by the group. Their process will be reported at this first Theistic Science Symposium.

Contact: SwedenborgScientific@ with any questions. Talks will be live-streamed and later available on YouTube.

Agenda

Reuben Bell, president, Swedenborg Scientific Association — Welcome

Ron Horvath, chairman, Theistic Science Group — Introduction to who and what is the Theistic Science Group, and what are we doing here?

Reuben Bell – The Emergence of Organic Forms, with Q & A

Andy Heilman – Introduction to discrete degrees in New Church Science

Ian Thompson – Enneads of Spiritual and Physical Sub-degrees

Andy Heilman and Ian Thompson – Q & A

Lunch – Lunches available for purchase at the college cafeteria. Book exhibit for review and purchase, including new releases.

Steve Smith – Puzzles and Fine-Tuning in Physics and Biology, with Q&A

Ian Thompson – A Mechanism for Spiritual Influx into the Physical (the Nexus), with Q & A

Panel Discussion moderated by Dan Synnestvedt

Ron Horvath – Summary remarks: Where are we going from here? Not just an intellectual experience; a call to action in research and observations of spirit acting into nature according to the principles discussed today.

New SSA Books for 2019 (all available early fall 2019 at and swedenborg-.):

Intelligent Default: Swedenborg’s Theistic Science and the Problem of Organic Form, Reuben P. Bell ISBN: 978-0-915221-54-7

Daedalus Hyperboreus, Emanuel Swedenborg ISBN: 978-0-915221-55-4

On Common Salt, Emanuel Swedenborg ISBN: 978-0-915221-72-1

Employment Opportunity: Our family-run hog farm is looking for dependable part-time help with AM and/or PM chores in our farrowing and nursery barns.  Responsibilities include caring for sows and cute piglets. – Matt and Carrie Olmstead

ANNIVERSARIES

No other married partners can be received into heaven and remain there except those who are inwardly united or can be united as into a one. For there, two partners are not called two but one angel. This is meant by the Lord’s words, “They are no more two but one flesh.”

This is the reason why, for those who after preparation are introduced into heaven, a marriage is provided with a consort whose soul so inclines to union with that of the other that they do not wish to be two lives but one. Conjugial Love 50

Congratulations and Best Wishes to:

Tom and Carla Kerr

on the 2nd

Jake and Shannon Heiter

on the 8th

Kerry and Sabrina Wenrich

on the 11th

Kenan and Kathleen Smith

on the 13th

Toby and Anni Powell

on the 19th

Thos and Laurel Powell

on the 23rd

Luke and Sarah Heiter

on the 25th

Tim and Arian Hungaski

on the 25th

Dandridge and Tamar Cole

on the 27th

* * *

ANNOUNCEMENTS / NOTICES / EVENTS cont.

Some Fun! (Surely?): Old School Village is ramping up the demolition process as we get ready for construction.  We have half a spackle bucket (about 50 pounds) of six or seven kinds of screws that need to be separated for re-use.  Perhaps this is a project for one or two people whose mission in life is to order the universe.  Is that you or someone you know? – Tom Kerr

Two Events at the Kempton Community Center

On Saturday, October 19:

6th Annual Antique Show and Sale

Presented by Antique Dealers Assoc of Berks County

9:00 A.M.- 4:00 P.M.

$7 admission

4th Annual Trunk or Treat

Free admission

Food and drink available for purchase

Bring a carved pumpkin to enter for a prize.

• 4:30-6:00 P.M. Set up your trunk (for trick-or-treaters)

Costume parade starts at 6:00 P.M.

A BIT MORE

… Lord, I do fear

Thou’st made the world too beautiful this year;

My soul is all but out of me, —let fall

No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

– Edna St. Vincent Millay

from “God’s World”

Second Harvest

The sun’s turned down,

The farmer’s turned in,

The tractor’s returned to the barn:

off season on the farm.

The fields have yielded,

The corn is in storage,

The cows apportioned their silage:

good reasons to be in the barn.

But some (not farmers)

Begin their harvest at the end.

A contingent of drifters

approaches a dead corn field

with pleading caws:

Vagrant blots on the landscape,

A clean-up crew of crows

Seeking grain from ear to ear.

The field continues to yield:

The harvest grows.

– Yorvar Synnestvedt

But when fall comes, kicking summer out… as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.

– Stephen King

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