Wissinoming Presbyterian Church

Hello Hallelujah Singers!!! and just like that we are up to "Singers Day Two" This Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 we will gather at WPC from 2 - 4. Light refreshments, Christian fellowship and Psalm 100:1-2.... Hope to see many of you there. Masks and social distancing will be observed!

Part 1 of 2 sermons by Pastor Porter "Give Me a Drink" Scripture: John 4:3-7... When a surrender or total commitment is made, you follow orders. Such was the case with the transformed Word going by the name of Jesus of Nazareth. In today's case in point Jesus and His disciples finished a long walk to a spot that was a "stone's throw" from the village of Samaria. The spot was a well at Sychar. Jesus, tired and footsore, sits by the well for rest while the disciples go into the village to shop for food and other items. Approaching high noon a woman of Samaria shows up at the well with an empty water jar. Recognizing this stranger as a Jew, she follows the rules of separation. For all intents and purposes this Jew becomes invisible as she in silence goes about her business. Once water is drawn from the well, she hears this stranger make a request. "Could I please have a drink of water?" Before I take this sermon message further, I highly suspect, especially those of you who are familiar with the story, are wondering how it would fit in at this season of the year. It is October in Philadelphia and not a summer month when a nice cold drink of water is a plus. The paramount thought behind today's sermon is not a talk about water but our thirst that gets out of control and imprisons us. Briefly put, I am going to talk about "habits. Some go so bad they pose a serious danger to our health and welfare along with the toxic atmosphere around others we live with and deal with. The ugly word is "addiction. We rationalize and soften the blow with habituations, obsessions and fighting our demons. From childhood on up we dream of the perfect relationship wherein the knight in shining armor arrives or prince charming. Then the bad taste of reality intrudes and Mr. Right sometimes is not so right and the worst case scenario, "all hell breaks loose." As a result over half adults end up in separation or divorce, and this only covers the legal side of things. This woman of Samaria did not have an alcohol or drug problem. She was a victim of bad choices. A middle aged man showed up at a citrus grove as an applicant for a job separating fruit from the vine. The employer asked him, for example, "Are you good at picking lemons?" He answered, "Let me put it this way. I've been married five times." From pulpit throughout the pew and beyond there will always be "trash to get rid of or find ways to live with. Since none of us are actually perfect, we must try and change some things or find a way to live with our differences. One senior lady who was holding on to her dream said to another senior friend, "When I die, I want to be buried next to Brad Pitt." Her senior friend reminded her that Brad Pitt was not dead, and she quickly responded, "Neither am I." Speaking of Brad Pitt, the latest gossip has him returning to an old flame. In reading a good fairy tale, it concludes with "and they lived happy ever after." Today's sermon is a rare "two part" sermon. The conclusion is scheduled for Sunday, October 18th in honor of my younger brother's birthday. He, like myself, and all others is not a mistake free life, but for the life of me, I could not dream of or wish for a better brother. Countless people have been blessed by his life and work on planet earth. I hear and will continue to hear about the so many times he went the second mile helping others. When I grow up I want to be just like him. God bless you brother in celebrating your 88th birthday. And by the way you are blessed with a wonderful life partner. Amen. Anderson E. Porter October 11th 2020

Meet Maeve Erica. Such a sweetie

"Keep Your Mouth Shut" Scripture: Mark 1:42-45 (Sermon by Pastor Porter)... A man full of leprosy was healed by the compassionate touch of Jesus. In today's expectation, he might have raced to the nearest local bar and exclaimed "Drinks are on the house." As a believer in God or good luck he might be expected to thank Jesus. Mark's terse account tells this man to go straight to the priest and secure confirmation of being healed so he can rejoin "clean" society. Jesus also mandates "a code of silence. Under no circumstances is he free to tell anyone how he was healed. While on the way I am sure he runs into persons who know about him and his condition. When they observe marks of a healed person they want to know what happened. I imagine he told the first inquisitive one to mind your business." The second person he ran into was told, "I can't tell you. Then he runs into a cut-buddy who insists he divulge the secret. Finally, he cannot hold back the secret any longer. He tells his cut-buddy the healer was Jesus. Then he makes his cut-buddy promise not to tell anyone else. I suspect it may be easier to climb to the top of Mt. Everest than hold fast to a secret. Sooner or later, within an hour or two, the dam breaks and diarrhea of the mouth takes control. Like a song says, I promised myself I wouldn't tell nobody, but I couldn't keep it to myself. Unfortunately, this cut-buddy had another cut-buddy he tells, and the secret spread like wildfire. Before sunset there was a long list of folk who wanted to be healed by Jesus. Jesus had to "slip away" for a bit of R&R since His fame as a healer was not the priority. Jesus came to provide abundant life for those who follow, and this abundant life begins with "repentance." Repentance" by churches and various denominations have popularized repentance into a trip to the mourners bench, confession booth and other means of showing remorse or regret. Bottom line says, repent means a change in thinking and behavior that produces a closer walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Miss out on this and we have many joining the church and failing to join Jesus. As a result the joiner of the church may receive a good grade and fail in the classroom of Jesus. A proper change of thinking and behavior teaches one that all of us are children of God and therefore needs equal treatment, fairness and equality of opportunity. This manner of teaching can be easily missed when the new Christian is a member of a majority tribe and the other tribe or tribes represent the minority. The result may produce ethnocentrism" is a teaching that strongly suggests you are privileged and therefore deserve the perks. During my civil rights battle in the sixties, the majority tribe would often ask, What is it you want? The answer is always "We want what you have." For the Jewish nation, the other tribe was "out of bounds." You are either Gentile or Samaritan if you were not a Jew. Jesus killed off the separation concept. The love Jesus revealed was "all compassion for everyone without distinction. The battle was not about who is on first, who is the majority and who has the better weapons of war. It was all about loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and exhibiting that love to others. That's what being a follower of Jesus is all about. I hope you will agree. Sunday, July 19th - 2020 Anderson E. Porter

"How Often?" Scripture: Matthew 18:17-19 I believe Simon Peter had already gained a reputation for "jumping the gun," being impulsive and possessing a short fus...e. Despite these weaknesses and some others, he wanted to imitate the character of his Master, Jesus. So on one occasion he wanted Jesus' take on the subject of forgiveness. Simon Peter asked Jesus, "How often should one forgive?" Before Jesus could respond, Simon Peter made the suggestion of seven times as if to await a compliment connected to patience and grace. Jesus surprised Peter with the answer, Not seven times but seventy times seven. Peter could quickly put two and two together and know Jesus is saying, Forgive as often as it will take for one to be released from his or her self imposed prison. The unwillingness to forgive regardless of whether it involves an unpaid debt or any other action hurtful to the recipient only imprisons the recipient. Therefore it is obligatory for the hurt party to forgive, otherwise it becomes a continuous hazard to a healthy spiritual lifestyle. In some very unfortunate cases the hurt party passes the hurt onto someone else who is undeserving of the punishment. In my sixty plus years in the ministry I have witness this in my efforts to be helpful to someone with such a unforgiving spirit toward someone who needs to pay for such a immoral deed. The answer is to leave it into the hands of God and simultaneously ask for the strength to forgive the ungodly deed inflicted, especially when the long arm of the law is not involved and justice is not meted out. Once your prayers are answered and you forgive you will experience the self imposed prison disappear, the prison door unlocked and you will be able to climb the wall of fee at last, thank God in Christ, I'm free at last!" In my life and in every life we will continue to run into situations and circumstances that are very unfair to us. Life is often very unfair. The sooner we acknowledge this, the greater the chance we have of finding and experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to provide. Only by the power Jesus gives are we able to let hurtful actions or words from others be forgiven. I am thinking that Jesus is reminding each of us that we have said and done hurtful and sinful things and forgiven ourselves. So let us continue to prayerfully forgive those who trespass against us. I am a witness it is difficult to forgive but it is always possible. Sunday, March 22nd - 2020 Rev. Anderson E. Porter Wissinoming Presbyterian church, 5825 Torresdale Avenue, Phila., Pa. 19135

Pastor's sermon last Sunday,

The Pastor's Message During this Pandemic, I continue to periodically hear my late father's instruction, "use your head for more than a hat rack." I take it to ...mean "keep the faith but in the meantime place your bets on science. Do not bother God with requests for "silly miracles" that have nothing to do with the makeup and workings of Nature. Climate Changes have arrived and we are obliged to "use our heads for more than a hat rack." So in the case of an airborne attacker we cannot see without the use of a microscope, good old common horse sense is calling for the use of a face mask, social distancing, sanitizing, frequent hand washing, etc. Finally, do not succumb to flattery. Some days ago a teller in a bank told me I had the prettiest eyes she had ever seen. I smiled until I realized she noticed the amount of my savings account as I was drawing very close to age 90. Always wishing others the best in Jesus' name, I am Anderson E. Porter

Unfit" Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:1-9 Regardless of our wish, we do not live in a "one size fits all world. We are condemned to different sizes, even other sizes t...han the small, medium and large. However, it is difficult to imagine anyone satisfied stuck with the wrong size. The only exception I can think of is the perfect gift of a sweater to the young female. If the sweater is too large she will be flattered. If the sweater is too small, she will proudly wear it. As we depart from my sense of humor but half truth, let's take a serious look at our sermon topic and our person of interest. The Jewish nation became "sick and tired" of Judges and now Samuel, speaking in God's behalf, telling them how they should live. They, in a majority vote, wanted to have a king rule over them just like other nations. God tells Samuel to let them have their way, but be careful in the process. Unfortunately, they decided to "tell a book by its cover. Saul was a war hero besides being tall, dark and handsome. So they fell for appearance and cut short a thorough investigation that would reveal the absence of the necessities for good leadership. Briefly put, Saul lacked good character and allowed several weaknesses to take control of his thinking and behavior. One such character flaw was his insane jealousy of David who was hired to sooth his melancholy moods. When David became a soldier in Saul's army, he was the big hero. The crowd, when the soldiers returned from victories, they cried, "Saul has slain a thousand but David has slain thousands." It was David's garment they dreamed of touching. It was David's autograph they cherished. David was their hero, their superstar. Saul was "unfit" for service. Israel had placed their bet on the wrong horse. Saul on several occasions tried to finish David off. In the end, Saul sought the services of a witch in Endor. In a battle she warned against, Saul suffered heavy losses. As sure defeat looked him in the eye, Saul could not stand it. So he took his own life. There is a song that says, "Baby, you got what it takes." Throughout my sixty plus years of ministry, I try hard to fight for justice in this alleged land of the free and home of the brave. Sometimes this land is not so free or brave. And sometimes we suffer from making wrong choices despite the warnings of not allowing history to repeat itself. The result has been some "unfit behavior on the behavior of too many who wore the name "Christian" on their sleeve. This is the major reason I urge those who have joined the church, make sure they join Jesus. There is no way under the sun, genuine Christians, both Catholic and Protestant should have tolerated Adolph Hitler's murder of six million Jews and millions of more deemed "unfit" to serve his dream of a perfect world under his rule. He personified evil at its worst. Let us not doze off, fall asleep or wink at wrongdoings. Lets demand our actions speak louder than our words. God has shown us what is "good. We are to love justice, exhibit mercy and walk humbly before God. I'm trying to do that. "How about you?" Amen. Anderson E. Porter September 13, 2020

We are going to continue posting sermons from Pastor Porter. Let us know what you think? "Towers Without Tops" Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9... Permit me to borrow your mind and have you go back in time around 3,000 years ago. Then the popular belief in and main location of God was "up." Today we believe God is everywhere, including the bowels of the earth. The Psalmist declares, even in "hell" God is there. Still, today however we have that upward thought of God's main residence and zip code. Thoughts of God above the skies of blue, some alleged mastermind decides to construct a tower that would reach above the clouds in a non stop journey leading to the knocking on heaven's door. The idea fitted well the "frame of man's intelligence then and therefore made pretty good sense. The only problem was this leader's ulterior motive. The aim was more than "glad to meet God for better understanding and appreciation. The goal was not about understanding God but the opportunity to "over stand" God, in a takeover attempt. While the construction was in progress God's "Intelligence Committee" got wind of what was going on and made a report to God. The solution involved the "confusion of language" and because conversation became mission impossible the project failed. Today we are dealing with "towers without tops" but absent of bricks and mortar. Briefly put, in the words of my father, "we have become too big for our britches." So much so, the wrong does seem too often so strong, just as the hymn "This is My Father's World" states. We have to deal with misguided persons, in positions of power, in charge of guided missiles capable of mass destruction. "Evil" has convinced such persons that if there is a God who is now dead, God is ambivalent or asleep. Their "bottom line" strongly suggests God is incapable of stopping the show. So far God continues to subdue the forces of evil, and no matter how dark the clouds seem or are, joy will arrive when God's morning comes. So as Sheep following the Lamb, Jesus, let us hold on to our faith and hope. Le us continue to grab hold and hold on to the greatest, which is love. Finally, we are challenged to continue believing in the power of unconditional love without distinction, shown so perfectly in the life and supreme sacrifice of Jesus. I remain on board, "how about you?" Anderson E. Porter Sunday, July 30th - 2020

Hi to all my friends in the Hallelujah Singers. I have been watching the weather all week and from what I can judge whatever Bud and I decide will probably be wrong. If we go as planned, Saturday will be a rain out and if we move the event to the raindate of Aug. 29 we all know that this Saturday will be a beautiful, sunny day. So........we are going to have "Singer's Saturday" this Saturday as originally planned. The only change is that I would recommend you arrive closer to... noon than one as the weather calls for "late-day" thunder storms. I have cut and pasted the portion of the letter that dealt with this event. Thanks to all who RSVP'ed. If you have not yet let us know if you will be attending please do so ASAP. See you Saturday! Bring bathing suits! Singer’s Day One Saturday, August 22, 2020 noon. - ? - Pool and barbecue at Jane and Bud’s house in Bayville, NJ. Please RSVP your intentions to Jane as soon as possible so plans for food etc. can be made. As we will be outside, social distancing should be observed whenever possible and masks should be available for when we are unable to distance. Jane 732-341-8956 See more

"When Silence is not Golden" Scripture: Psalms 107:1-2 "While watching the breaking news following the untimely death of George Floyd, I ran across a sign that ...said, "Silence is Violence." I immediately brought back to mind the huge difficulty of securing word from white sympathizers and liberals who sat with blacks at meetings "open to the public" during the early sixties in the fight for civil rights. I was also reminded of one of the best sermons I ever heard. It carried the topic, "Somebody Say Something!" All of us are guilty of intentional silence when open the mouth might interfere with our vested interests. It was an infinitesimal few who willingly walked the second mile with their voices and participation. I talked on the phone some days ago to one such volunteer who was grieving the passing of her husband. In the sixties in West Chester, Pa. it was a very courageous thing for a white person to join the civil rights movement. And for "blacks you were literally placing life and limb on the line. A few good friends of mine have continued to encourage me to write a book about my experiences during that time. As one "redeemed of the Lord" I do say so some times. Many other times, like you and countless others, I keep my mouth shut. History, however, continues to reveal that genuine needed changes only come to fruition when the silence turns loud enough for needed changes for all who desire justice for all to flow like an endless stream. I like to tell the story of a black American who paid a visit to an all white congregation. He passed by the starring eyes and took a seat in the back row. To his surprise he was not escorted out or heard some unkind words. The church usher politely came to him and asked him if he was comfortable. He answered, "yes." Ten minutes later the same usher returned to him and asked the same question. His answer was the same, "Yes, I am comfortable." About twenty minutes later the usher returned and asked the same question for a third time. He replied with the same answer, "Yes, I am comfortable." This time the usher replied, "You are comfortable but no one else is." The untimely death of George Floyd was such an evil act, it created world wide attention and reaction. Countless millions shooed away "the elephant in the room" put on shoes and whatever and marched in protests for weeks. Then death knocked on the door bringing along a pandemic that knocked us to the canvas. Again we are challenged to get up and fight before the count of ten. "Evil" always refuses to sign a "peace treaty." Even Jesus declared, "In this world you will have tribulations." Let us continue to look for the day unneeded silence takes a hike and there will be a uniting of wills that will build bridges of unity instead of erecting wall encouraging hate and prejudice toward other tribes. As we find ourselves "marching to Zion" we will make a few missteps and be out of step, but let's continue to pray for that day we come across someone else regardless of who that someone else might be, and allow the "soul" to say, "there is, like myself, a child of God." Amen. Reverend Anderson E. Porter August 17th - 2020

Several weeks ago our son, Jasen López, wrote a poem that brought him an honor. Please read, enjoy, and if you'd like, share a thought.

"Neighbor" Scripture: Luke 10:25-29 A neighbor is someone who lives next to you, across the street, a few doors down who you get along with. This may mean just ...a hello and have a good day or nod that suggest I see you, I really don't know you. I plan to attend to my business and you can attend to yours. This is the popular social definition of "neighbor," even though there are exceptions to the rule. For the Christian, a neighbor, regardless of who that person is or where that person lives, should you be faced with an opportunity to help that person in need, that person is your neighbor and you are challenged to be a neighbor to that person or situation. Therefore, without distinction, everyone else is your potential neighbor. If you prove to become and be a neighbor to those that need, it means the empathetic mind immediately presses feet into duty and you go into action. A "know it all" expert in the Jewish law decided to put Jesus to the test. He approaches Jesus with the question, "Master, what must I do to gain eternal life?" Jesus, reading him like a book, reminds him of the requirement to love God unconditionally and pass on that level of love to your neighbor. In our up to date language, "do unto others as you should have them do unto you in any and all circumstances and situations. The lawyer, mentally pats himself on the back, and says I know all that. I am asking now, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus provides an illustration: "A Jewish man leaves Jerusalem, headed for Jericho. He was robbed and beaten to a pulp. Left half dead, a Priest runs into this unconscious victim and passes him up by walking to the other side of the street. Later on a Levite does the same thing. Finally a Samaritan sees this unconscious victim, hurries over and attends to his need. He continues his help until he is assured this victim will be taken care of until he is back on his feet. When the lawyer is asked "Who proved to be a good neighbor?" The obvious answer was the Samaritan. Should I interpret what Jesus was trying to get across, it could go something like this: A member of a tribe that comprises around 80 per cent of the population and enjoy the perks and privileges of being in control, gets in his vehicle of transportation, fully safe and secure, and finds himself on his way from point A to point B. However, Murphy's Law, on duty 24/7, something goes wrong and he is forced to pull off to the shoulder of the road. While trying to figure out what went wrong, he calls 911 for help. While waiting, he is attacked and robbed. A preacher, on his way to a revival, spots this victim while driving toward the scene of the crime. He quickly decides to let someone else deal with the victim's problem to avoid being late or hung up. Later on a church Deacon makes a similar decision and does not deal with the victim's problem. Then a member of a minority tribe of around 10 per cent of the population, comes across this victim and immediately hits his brakes in an effort to see what he can do to help. This victim's life and limb are saved by the love, without distinction revealed by this Christian minority. Years ago I watched the episodes "The Jefferson's." On one show a white person was choking to death and George Jefferson saved his life by employing mouth to mouth resuscitation. When this white person was told that he was saved by mouth to mouth resuscitation by this black man, George Jefferson, he replied, "I wish I had died." Hopefully and prayerfully, you and I and enough others will work a bit harder to erect bridges of unity rather than build a wall of separation, for "all" of us are God's children, blessed by God to learn to live and love each other or die together, in the words of Dr. King, die together as fools." Sunday, August 9th - 2020 Anderson E. Porter Our Theme song Hymn Take thou our hearts O Christ, they are Thine own Come Thou within our souls and claim Thy throne. Help us to shed abroad Thy deathless love. Use us to make the earth like heaven above. Take Thou our wills most high Hold Thou full sway Have in our inmost souls Thy perfect way Guard Thou each sacred hour from selfish ease Guide Thou our ordered lives as Thou dost please.