Connect Keys to Keynote Volume 1, Issue 10 May 2012 Protestant Women of the Chapel PWOC Fit: Meets M/W/F at 9 a.m. at the SHAPE gym parking lot for support, encouragement and group exercise like walking and running. June 1 will be the last meeting. Contact Dana at [email protected] to join the mailing list. Prayer: Meets Tuesdays 12 - 12:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. in the West Chapel. The last meeting is May 10. Con- tact Shirley Houin at shirley- [email protected]. Craft Club: Meets May 25, 2 p.m. at Trisha Raynoha’s for “Scribble Art.” For supply list or other information, contact her at [email protected]. Book Club: Meets May 16, 7-9 p.m. at Lynda Horne’s house. Read War Horse by Michael Mor- purgo. The next meeting will be June 20. Read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells. For more in- formation, contact Christine at [email protected]. Play Group: Summer play dates are May 17 (Chievres Lodge playground or Chievres gym; weather-dependent), May 31, June 14 and 28, July 12 and 26, Aug. 9 and 23. Locations TBD. Contact Melanie at melanietay- [email protected]. Chaplain’s Corner: Perpetuate Easter There is something extremely exciting to me about Easter Sunday! Maybe it’s the Easter eggs, jelly beans and choco- late? Or how about all of the beautiful flowers - tulips, lilies and daffodils? Don’t forget all the very cute Easter outfits that the children wear or all the wonderful food for Easter dinner! Of course, the real reason for our cele- bration of Easter is the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I write this, Easter Sunday was over two weeks ago; my Easter ham is gone, the kids’ Easter baskets have been put away until next year and the black jelly beans, which nobody in my family likes, sit in a bowl on the kitchen counter. So is that it until next year? Next Easter? The By Ronald Beltz black jelly beans will probably still be in a bowl somewhere in my house! Maybe we should celebrate Easter every day … but how? Philippians 3:1 says we ought to rejoice in the Lord always. Why? Because we have a Savior that delivers us from our sins and promises us eternal life. That’s a Savior worth talking about and sharing to the world! It is through prayer, Bible study and the Lord’s Supper that we as Christians are empowered to go into our world and share the Gospel Good News of Jesus Christ. So go forth and do great things in the name of Christ and you will be celebrating Easter every day! Focus on Ministry: Revelation in Brugge By Mitzi Roberts The PWOC Revelation class took advantage of the opportunity to visit one of the most impressive and re- nowned paintings in the world depicting the events of the book of Revelation. Several of the women from the class, plus a few other guests, met Friday, April 27, to carpool to Brugge to visit the Sint-Janshospitaal Mem- ling Museum. After our museum visit, we had fun shop- ping, lunching and strolling the cobblestone streets. St. John’s Hospital is one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe. The museum gives a glimpse into medieval medicine, displaying surgical instruments, documents and paintings as you work your way through to the Hans Memling masterpieces. Memling’s art exemplifies the Brugge Flemish Primitive style. Some 500 years ago, part of the church was lined with sick and dying patients. Nuns cared for them so they could die with dignity. The bedridden patients could gaze upon the colorful, peaceful St. Johns Altar- piece and be reminded of their heavenly hope — the focal point of our trip. As we studied John’s vision of the apocalypse, we identified many parts of the book we have been studying. Memling portrays John as peacefully transfixed though he sees wars, fires and plagues. The Four Horsemen bring (Continued on page 2) St. John's Altarpiece by Hans Memling
Updated issue: Summer study flyer has been updated with Monday evening information.
Welcome message from author
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God called me through scripture: 1 John 4:4, "You, dear children,
are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is
in you is greater than the one who is in the world." He also called
me through the affirmation of my husband and my fellow PWOC
ladies. I am here to serve God - to let him be great in me because he has called
me to serve Him.
Dana Maksimowicz - Financial Liaison Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas
Church: Shape Protestant Chapel
I held the position of financial liaison this past year and felt God's
call on me to continue in the same roll. I truly am blessed by all the
women in PWOC and consider it a privilege to be on the board.
I am honored to be serving as your
incoming president. While I am trying
to fill some amazing shoes after Kar-
lena and Sarah's lead, I know God
will equip me and give me grace and
direction over the next year. My goal
for PWOC is for us to provide a place
of encouragement for women in our
community; a place they can come to
find genuine, supportive friendships
and be lifted up when dealing with the
challenges of being wives, mothers,
service members and friends - all
while living in a foreign country. As
Christians, our love of Christ can and
should be manifested into a love for
one another and PWOC has definitely
done that for me here at SHAPE. I
hope to help cultivate that even more
and I am excited for all God has in
store for us here.
By Melanie Taylor
Looking Ahead
Brugge (Continued from page 1)
calamity, while the fearful earth dwell-
ers hide in the rocks. The dragon
(Satan) at the top of the painting is
thrown down. Although the judgment
of the world has come, John is confi-
dently mesmerized by the vision of
God upon His throne surrounded by a
rainbow above, elders below and the
Lamb beside. We were all impressed
by the incredible details Memling cap-
tured. Memling reminds us that we,
like John the Revelator, can face the
trials and tribulations all around us
with confident peace when we keep
our focus on our Sovereign God and
the Lamb.
Sint-Janshospitaal, or St. John’s Hospital, in Brugge was
originally built to house pilgrims, passers-by and travel-
ing salesmen. It also housed the sick, so long as they
were not contagious. It was an active hospital until 1978.
It is now a museum and Congress center.
3
Point of order By Sarah Becking
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God
"Lord, you have been our dwelling
place throughout all generations."
This verse means so much to me
because I don’t like to move. Since my
wedding 15 years ago, I have lived in 8
different places. It will be 9 by our 16th anniversary. I
yearn for the comfort and stability of staying in the same
place, as when I was growing up. I long for a permanent
home. I believe many of us feel the same way.
But Psalm 90 reminds me that God’s people have al-
ways longed for a home in which we cannot now live.
God’s call to Abraham, father of the Jewish people, was
to leave his people, his country, and his father and go
where God would show him. (Gen 12:1) Moses was born
outside of his homeland, his life’s work was to lead his
people to the Promised Land, but he himself never made
it over the border. Moses claimed God Himself as his
dwelling place, his home. And not just for himself, but for
his community: the Lord is “our dwelling place.” The Isra-
elites wandered for 40 years before entering the Prom-
ised Land. Israel experienced exile to Babylon before a
return to the Promised Land. Decades after Jesus’ death
and resurrection, most Jews and Christians were forced
out of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the Christians
shared the gospel wherever they found a place to live.
This is us, isn’t it, sisters? But God is our dwelling
place. He has been for all the generations of believers
who’ve gone before us, and will be for those yet to come.
It has been a blessing for me to dwell with you here in
Belgium for these 2 years. May you and yours continue to
make God your dwelling place until “Your Kingdom
Come.”
Much love,
Devotion: Keep Trying In Discipleship Journal Paul Thigpen writes: “I remember
coming home one afternoon to discover that the kitchen I
had worked so hard to clean only a few hours before, was
now a terrible wreck. My young daughter had obviously
been busy ‘cooking’ and the ingredients were scattered,
along with dirty bowls and utensils, across the counters and
floor. I was not happy with the situation.
Then, as I looked a little more closely at the mess I spied
a tiny note on the table, clumsily written and smeared with
chocolaty fingerprints. The message was short — ‘I’m
makin somethin 4 you, dad’ — and it was signed, ‘your an-
gel.’ In the midst of that disarray, and despite my irritation,
joy suddenly sprang up in my heart, sweet and pure. My
attention had been redirected from the problem to the little
girl I loved. As I encountered her in that brief note, I de-
lighted in her. With her simple goodness in focus, I could
take pleasure in seeing her hand at work in the situation
that seemed otherwise
disastrous.”
In the parable of the tal-
ents, Jesus pointed out
that the two servants who
invested and multiplied
what had been entrusted to them received the Master’s
highest commendation: “Well done, good and faithful ser-
vant.” On the other hand, the servant who buried his gifts
rather than risk and lose, received the Master’s harshest
condemnation: “You wicked and lazy servant” (v. 26 NKJV).
Commendation or condemnation: which will you receive?
God doesn’t say, “If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all.”
No, He’s pleased when you try, make mistakes, learn from
them and grow. So keep trying!
Editor’s Note: This devotion was found at http://www.tct.tv/daily.php and was shared with the PWOC Board during our last meeting. We thought it would be a great devotion to share with our sisters. Finally, from the editor to the board: Well done, good and faithful servants of Christ!
For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever, Amen.