CPC and CSMC will be jointly hosting a Vacation Bible School on May 31st from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. More details are coming soon!
Ladies’ Hat Month
Ladies, let's have fun! Please wear your cute hats for any Sunday service in May in honor of Mother’s Day month.
Below is a list of the current needs ofneighbors together, a mission that CPC supports. We will be collecting the needed items over the next couple of months for the Missions Ministry to take to them. Please put your donations at the back of the church (where food is collected). Thank you for your help with this very important ministry.
***CPC DIRECTORY IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN APP***
If you need help downloading the CPC Church Directory APP, bring your smart phone, iPad or Tablet to church Sunday and someone will help you download the APP to your device.
***CPC WISH LIST***
Buff/Wax Family Life Center Floor ($942); and
Visiting Musician Fund.
If you wish to donate to a particular item on the wish list, please indicate that on your form of payment. You can donate any amount to any Wish List item.
ARE YOU FOLLOWING
CHARLESTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ON FACEBOOK?
BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE IMAGE AND "FOLLOW" US FACEBOOK
Charleston Presbyterian
is searching for:
***MORE CHOIR MEMBERS***
(especially men!)
WORSHIP the LORD
WITH SONGS OF PRAISE!
Has God given you a voice to sing? It is not yours, but God’s. Please return to God the beautiful voice He has given you. You will be richly blessed by being a part of the choir. Call Pat Gould at 843-364-9552 for more information. We look forward to having you join us!
Charleston Presbyterian Church
Worship Service for:
May 4, 2025
9:45 A.M.
First Scripture Lesson:
Psalm 31:9-16
Second Scripture Lesson:
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Sermon:
"Walmart Bags"
Preacher: Dr. Adrian Smith
COFFEE FELLOWSHIP
(immediately following service)
Committee In Charge for May
Administrative
Pastor’s Message
Contemplation
Dr. Adrian Smith
“We all, with unveiled faces, who contemplate the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his image …” So writes the Apostle Paul—about ordinary Christians—in his letter 2 Corinthians (3:18). The allusion to “unveiled faces” implies that ordinary Christians have the same—actually, greater!—privilege that Moses enjoyed in the presence of God (Exodus 34:29-25). The noun “Contemplation [Con-templ-ation]” derives from a Latin word, with a prefix and a suffix—and the word “Temple” in the middle! In this instance, the derivation is truly helpful: Contemplation is a state of being “in the Temple”, or, more literally, in the Divine Presence.
And, according to Paul, “contemplation” is not a state reserved for high-level mystics; it is the privilege of every ordinary Christian! Sadly, in the modern era, Christian contemplation is often a lost art. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians can help us recover this lost practice . . . In 2 Cor 4:6, Paul speaks about miraculous inward divine illumination—he compares it to the creation of light in Genesis!—whereby the ordinary Christian perceives “the glory of God in the face of Christ.” But this inward illumination doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Notice the context, where Paul mentions “the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the icon of God” (4:4); and the apostolic preaching of Christ as Lord (4:5). God doesn’t typically work in a vacuum—inward spiritual illumination happens as Christians encounter the apostolic witness to Christ in the gospel.
Realizing this, the ancient church developed spiritual disciplines to enable contemplation to happen. In the 16th century, in Spain, some of these practices were codified by Ignatius Loyola in his famous “Spiritual Exercises.” These exercises take seriously Paul’s concept of Christ as the “icon” of God (the literal Greek of Colossians 1:15 and 2 Cor 4:4). Christ—the Eternal Word made flesh—gives us a ‘sensory’ picture of what the invisible, transcendent God is like. Indeed, God made the world so that the physical can become a gateway to the spiritual; think of the deeper meaning of the Bread and Wine in Holy Communion. The Apostle John (1 John 1:1-4) spoke of what the Apostles saw, heard, and touched—the Word of Life, the Eternal Life who appeared to them in Jesus of Nazareth. John’s witness to their visible, audible, and tangible encounter with Christ was written to enable us to have communion with the Father (i.e., the physical becomes a gateway to the spiritual). With this concept, we may turn to the practices recommended by Ignatius Loyala in his “Spiritual Exercises.” These exercises invite us to dwell inside an episode from the life of Jesus, by paying special attention to the sensory imagery of the story—how the narrative activates our imagination via its visual language, its references to sounds, and its tactile language . . . and even its allusions to taste and smell. (Regarding smell, Paul describes the apostolic testimony as spreading the “fragrant aroma” of Christ—2 Cor 2:14-16.) When we read a Gospel episode slowly, with imagination, using all our physical senses, we are opening space for the Holy Spirit to work in us—the essence of contemplation. As an example, I invite you to read slowly, three times, the beginning of the Temptation episode (Matthew 4:1-4). Now, try to visualize the location. The desert. Nothing but rocks and sand. Nowhere to hide. Lonely. Scant vegetation, little water. Next, feel in your stomach intense hunger (you have probably never fasted forty days!)—the stabbing pain in your empty stomach. Now, imagine the round stones on the ground—don’t they begin to resemble loaves of bread? Can you smell the crust, the yeast? Think how much Jesus craved to eat some bread! Listen with your ears to the challenging tone of the Tempter—"If you really are the Son of God …” Finally, reflect on how much Jesus must love you, if he was willing to remain so extremely hungry in order to defeat your enemy, the Devil.
This Sunday, May 4, we will continue to explore our topic: Praying the Psalms, led by Dr. Smith. If you have not attended Discussions Class for a while, we encourage you to check it out!
The Better Together
Ladies' Bible Study
The Better Together Ladies’ Bible Study is finishing up a 7-week study on "Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted" by Priscilla Shirer. We will begin a new study on May 13. We meet every Tuesday in the Family Life Center at 10:00. For questions, you can reach Susan Daniel at bdaniel222@comcast.net or 843-696-6855. Please join us for fun, fellowship and the Word of God. Feel free to bring a friend.
Men's Bible Study
Wednesday's 7:30 AM (FLC)
(Coffee, Breakfast & Fellowship Included!)
The Men’s Bible Study is doing a study titled "Praying Grace." This is a 55-lesson study about prayer and meditation. The study is designed to make a Christian's prayer life and meditations deeper and more meaningful. The study book was written by David A. Holland. We invite all men to join us weekly for this study to enhance our study of God's Word. The Men's Bible Study meets each Wednesday at 7:30 AM for coffee, fellowship, and breakfast. Please call Elton Waldrop (843-460-0088) with any questions.
Reserve Funds– $2,500 (these funds are used in the event of a major disaster; often to Samaritan's Purse or Water Mission, who are typically onsite after a disaster)
Members of the Missions Committee at CPC (front row l. to r.) Charleen Hammond, Suzanne Young (former Director at neighbors together), (2nd Row) Carroll Deane, Phillip Shroyer, Bill Honeycutt, Pastor Adrian Smith, (back row) Ellen Deane
A non-denominational, non-profit providing food, clothing, medical care, counseling, job placement, shelter, financial assistance and vital services to the impoverished. We offer a safe, compassionate, and inviting place for all people in need.
Please bring your non-perishable goods to church each Sunday to be collected in the boxes on the back pew of the overflow section.
Each Monday evening in the Family Life Center @ 6:00
West Ashley YoungLife
Their Mission:
Introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.
Working with the local church is important to Young Life:
Although congregations can minister in ways we can’t, Young Life has inroads in communities with kids who are disinterested in church. However, as Young Life staff and leaders care for these kids, we try to help them become lifelong followers of Jesus Christ who will one day be active in the life of a local church.
CHARLESTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
STAFF
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 "We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness"
Dr. Adrian Smith
Pastor/Head of Staff
Pat Gould
Director of Music
Robin White
Lead Nursery Caretaker
Children's Sunday School
Sandy Floyd
Administrative Assistant
Have a questions for our staff? Want to hear a piece of music from the choir that just makes you feel closer to God? Do you have a special piece of Christian music you would like played during the pre-service worship time? By clicking on their name, you will be able to email them directly to make your request or ask your question.
We are here to serve a wonderful God and His people.
