Author: Janet Cole

Life Together

Crescent Hill Baptist Church

August 2017

Worship and Wednesdays in August
Worship
August 6 - Wrestling With God - Genesis 32:22-31 - Jason Crosby Preaching
August 13 - Andrea Woolley Preaching
August 20 - Dysfunction and Reconciliation - Genesis 45:1-15 - Jason Crosby Preaching
August 27 - A Leader Is Born - Exodus 1:8-2:10 - Jason Crosby Preaching
Wednesdays
Each Wednesday evening we serve dinner from 5:15-6:00 PM. Beginning at 6:00 PM, we offer programs and activities for children, youth, and adults. What follows is our plan for adults on Wednesdays in the month of August.
August 2 and 9 - Margaret McCollum will offer an introduction to American Sign Language these two Wednesday evenings.
August 16 - Ministry Forum
August 23 - Holocaust survivor and long-time Louisville resident Fred Gross will share his story.
August 30 - Tom Leuze will share about the connections between baseball and religion. Tom recently shared this presentation at the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Inside this issue
Social Justice Movie, Reading Group, Live Wires 2
August Birthdays & Calendar 3
We Are On Holy Ground 4-5
Angela Project Conference 5
Children, Family & Community Ministries 6
Youth News 7

1 Voice Prayer Gathering

On Friday evening, September 1, Crescent Hill Baptist will host the 1 Voice Prayer Gathering at 6:00 PM. The program will include several prayers as well as music led by Rev. Jeff Johnson and the Rivers of Living Water Band. 1 Voice Prayer Movement unites Christian Churches across racial, denominational and cultural lines to pray with 1 Voice for our city, state, nation & world that God’s justice will prevail on behalf of the poor & oppressed. We are many ethnicities, comprised of multiple Christian traditions but we remain 1 in focus, 1 in purpose and 1 in commitment. We meet the first Friday of each month at a different host church. It lasts only one hour. In 2009, 1 Voice Prayer Movement was birthed and sent forth from St. Stephen Church; Rev. Kevin W. Cosby, Pastor. Rev. Frank Smith, Jr. serves as the Shepherd of 1 Voice Prayer Movement.

Social Justice Movie

Woody Allen’s 2015 film Irrational Man is about a tormented philosophy professor who finds a will to live when he commits an existential act. Philosophy professor Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) is at rock bottom emotionally, unable to find any meaning or joy in life. Abe feels that everything he's tried to do, from political activism to teaching, hasn't made any difference. Soon after arriving to teach at a small town college, Abe gets involved with two women: Rita Richards (Parker Posey), a lonely professor who wants him to rescue her from her unhappy marriage; and Jill Pollard (Emma Stone), his best student, who becomes his closest friend. While Jill loves her boyfriend Roy (Jamie Blackley), she finds Abe's tortured, artistic personality and exotic past irresistible. Even as Abe displays signs of mental imbalance, Jill's fascination with him only grows. Still, when she tries to make their relationship a romantic one, he rebuffs her. Pure chance changes everything when Abe and Jill overhear a stranger's conversation and become drawn in. Once Abe makes a profound choice, he is able to embrace life to the fullest again. But his decision sets off a chain of events that will affect him, Jill and Rita forever.
It will be shown on Friday, August 18 at 7:00 PM in the Church Parlor. All are welcome.

Reading Group
The Reading Group will reconvene on Thursday, August 31 at 7:00 PM in the Parlor with our annual time of sharing books we have read and those that may be a good candidate for a group discussion next season. We had a good mix of fiction and non-fiction last year and hope to continue that trend. Remember that reading group selections should be no more than 300 pages and available in softback. Anyone who enjoys books is invited to join the group – there is always warm fellowship and thoughtful conversation.

#

Live Wires Fall Schedule

We are excited to announce the Fall plans for Live Wires. We have some excellent entertainment lined up. So mark your calendars and fasten your seatbelt Here we go!
First off we will enjoy the Silver Notes. This fabulous Louisville group will entertain us with their oldies but goodies. Their "Hollywood type” performance will be fun to watch while listening to their harmony. Beautiful music familiar songs, lots of fun and LUNCH! DATE: September 18, 11:00 AM with lunch to follow.
On October 16 at 11:00 AM Corinne Holt will present her Emily Dickinson-Poet project which is a visual arts presentation. You will remember that Corinne did some paintings of Muhammad Ali which hung in the Ali Center for a time. She has done many other works which are on Pinterest and other online venues.
In November Steve Wiser will take us down memory lane, as we recall Louisville on Saturday afternoons in the 40’s and 50’s. Won’t that be a blast! Again, the program will begin at 11 00 AM on. November 20. Lunch to follow.
You will be so happy to hear that Louie’s kids from the Highlands Latin School will enhance our Christmas celebrations with a program on December 18.
All programs are in Fellowship Hall. All begin at11:00 AM. Lunch prepared by our own Bobbe. The cost is $7.00.
I am marking my Calendar NOW!!

August Birthdays and Calendar

1 Ethan Ferry (15)
Stan Gentle
Bill Thomason
Hser Moo Moo Ku (19)
2 Mattie Diehl (11)
Ruth Revis
Moe Plo Soe (21)
4 Senier Moo (11)
Sue Sue Thaw (20)
5 Thla Uk Lian (21)
6 Maung Pyay
Poe Si Si (13)
7 Judy Hodge
Jeff Twyman
8 Dick Lyons
Marcy Van Hoose
9 David Arnett
Daniel Leidner (4)
10 Tim Sellers
Bobbie Thomason
10 Benjamin Wah (5)
11 David Graves
12 Mary Byar Mar Moo (6)
13 Marty Kent
Debbie Williams
14 Norma Ruble
Mitch Underhill
Moo Nay Chris
15 Erik Smith
Lee Whitlock
16 Sterling Baker
Jo Forest
Corinne Holt
Elgin Tupper
17 Jose Chipe
18 Adam Ison (8)
19 Ler Say Say (16)
20 Beh Wah Paw (9)
Paw Say Roe Po (11)
21 Pat Cole
22 Jake Armstrong (11)
23 Kay Barfield
Joan Skaggs
24 Hilary Jones
Ann Santora
25 Quinn Chipley
Lelia Gentle
Lah Htoo (17)
26 Eileen Bartlett
Berniece Thomas
Brian Williams
27 Sue Ellen Bird
28 Samuel Bates (19)
Al Rohrer
Lonna White
29 Stephen Collier
Pler Moo
Washit Min (16)
30 Kevin Corlett
31 Jordan Conley
Say Wah Moo (16)

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
30 / 12:15 PM Young-ish Adult Lunch	31 / 12:30 PM Game Day	1	2 / 5:15 PM Student Ministry Team / 6:00 PM Sowers of Justice	3	4	5 / 9:00 AM Nursery/Preschool Clean-out
6 / 12:15 PM Church Council	7	8	9	10	11	12 / ST. JOE'S PICNIC
13 / 12:15 PM Worship Team	14 / 10:30 AM Art Spirit	15	16 / MINISTRY FORUM / 7:15 PM Finance Team	17	18 / 7:00 PM Social Justice Movie	19
20 / 12:15 PM Personnel Team / 12:15 PM Youth Fellowship	21	22	23	24	25	26
27 / 12:15 PM Young-ish Adult Lunch	28 / 12:30 PM Game Day	29	30	31 / 7:00 PM Reading Group	1	2

#

We Are On Holy Ground

In my July 16 sermon, based on the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13, I attempted to remind us that we are always on holy ground. Even when it appears that we are in hopeless situations, God sees potential and possibility. The presence and involvement of people from Burma at Crescent Hill Baptist is perhaps the best proof of the way God sees potential where we see failure that I have personally witnessed. What follows is a portion of that sermon:
A little more than 200 years ago some people hit a road block. Or, more precisely in their case, a port-of-call block.
On February 19, 1812, two weeks to the day after their wedding, 23 year old Adoniram Judson and his wife Ann set sail on a ship named the Caravan from Salem, MA planning to go to India to serve as missionaries. When the Judsons arrived in Calcutta, tensions between the United States and Britain were running high. The British authorities who controlled Calcutta at the time refused to allow these American missionaries to enter India. With India out of the picture, the Judsons changed their plans and decided to sail across the Bay of Bengal to Burma and serve as missionaries there. They arrived in Burma on July 13, 1813. 204 years ago this month.
At first, the going was difficult for the Judsons in Burma. The first three years there, the couple cut themselves off from nearly all contact with English speakers and Americans and reports say they spent 12 hours a day learning the Burmese language. The Judsons didn’t conduct a public Christian meeting until 1819, six years after their arrival in Burma. In 1822, the Judsons reported 18 converts to Christianity. That’s only 18 new Christians in nine years. Then, in 1824 the first Anglo-Burmese War began. Adoniram was accused of being a British spy, was arrested, and remained in a Burmese prison for 17 months. Eventually, Adoniram was released, but only a couple months later his wife died.
Judson first encountered the Karen people in 1827. Judson befriended a Karen man, Ko Tha Byu , who later became the first Karen Christian. When Judson met Ko Tha Byu, Ko Tha Byu was a slave and a convicted thief and murderer. Yet, it was Ko Tha Byu, despite his checkered past and the fact that he was illiterate, that brought the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ he learned about via the Judsons to the Karen people.
A little more than 20 years ago another group of people hit a road block. Arguably, no local Baptist church was more greatly affected by the take over of the Southern Baptist Convention by fundamentalists than this one. Over the course of a few years in the early and mid-90s, hundreds of people affiliated with the church who were either employed at Southern Seminary or were dependent upon someone employed at Southern Seminary were forced to leave Louisville in order to seek gainful employment elsewhere. Additionally, one of the fundamental, if not the fundamental aspect of our church’s identity – its connection to the seminary — was eviscerated.
In an effort to keep moving forward after running into that road block in the mid-90s, a group of folks here decided to focus on serving others. At the time, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was encouraging churches to forms lasting partnerships with ethnic minority groups in countries around the world. We were matched with the Palaung, a group of folks in northern Thailand.
Beginning in the late 90s groups of people from Crescent Hill Baptist began making trips to Thailand. On one trip, a group made their way to largest city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai. They planned to go from Chiang Mai to the Palaung region. However, when they got to Chiang Mai they ran into a road block. Something happened. They would not be able to make it to the Palaung region. Instead they spent their week painting a hostel for high school students who came to Chiang Mai during the week from surrounding villages in order to receive their education. The hostel primarily housed young people who hailed from another ethnic minority group in Thailand known as the Karen.
The Karen people living in Burma, just across the border from Thailand, had faced some road blocks as well. To call what they encountered a road block is a vast understatement. Tens of thousands of Karen in Burma were forced to flee their land because the oppressive dictatorship was killing, raping, and stealing from people who descended from ethnic minority groups in Burma like the Karen. Karen in Burma fled to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand beginning in the late 90s and through the early 2000s. Beginning in 2006, the United States focused more intently on resettling refugees from Burma. Many made their way to Louisville. Many arrived here as Baptist descendants from the Judson/Ko Tha Byu line. When they began looking for a Baptist church home, somehow through the grapevine, they learned that Crescent Hill Baptist Church knew about Karen people. On the last Sunday of February, 2007, a little more than ten years ago now, Karen people worshipped God in this sanctuary.
Karen people from Burma did not just suddenly show up one day at Crescent Hill Baptist Church. They arrived here because people on this side of the globe, the other side of the globe, in recent history, in distant history remained faithful and hopeful that by God’s grace what looked like a road block in front of them was nothing more than a detour. The continued to believe that they were not in the midst of a time of failure, but by God's grace, they were in the midst of a moment fraught with great possibility.

#

Holy Ground cont’d.

#

#

Passport Report
Our youth had another wonderful experience at Passport this summer. 25 youth and 5 adults explored the theme of "Do, Love, Walk" from Micah 6:8, at Greensboro College in North Carolina, June 25-30. Youth engaged in mission projects, creative discipleship opportunities, Bible study, worship, fun and fellowship. We were volleyball champions again this year. We want to thank every member of CHBC for the financial support to make this trip happen and our amazing chaperones, Sterling Baker, Rachel Bunger, Millie Horn, and Kle Thu Po. All of our adults this year have been CHBC campers themselves!
Homework Helpers Needed
Our homework help and youth Wednesday afternoon program will resume August 16. We need adults to join us in the youth room, not just to assist with homework (especially math) but also to be present with our youth, to play air hockey, ping pong, basketball, volleyball, board games etc. We provide safe space for middle and high school students on Wednesdays from3:30-5:00 PM in the youth room and gym. We need your help to make this happen. Van Drivers Needed
Van drivers re needed on a monthly rotation to drive youth home after Wednesday's programs, 7:00-8:30 PM. Not a van driver yet? We'll train you! This ministry is vital to our youth and the more drivers we have, the less work for each of us! Please consider helping, schedules are flexible.
Back to School
Fellowship
Our youth will have our back to school outing on Sunday, August 20 after church. Destination TBA, but lunch will be served and fun will be had. Plan to join us!
St. Joe’s Picnic Parking
St. Joe's picnic is August 11-12. Assistance is needed to manage our church parking lots Friday August 11, from 4:00 - 10:00 PM and Saturday, August 12, from 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM in 3-hour shifts. Come direct traffic for a few hours! This is a fundraiser for youth camp. Please contact Brittani Bair to help at brittani@chbcky.org or 295-0274.

Youth News

#

Crescent Hill Baptist Church
2800 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206-2662
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

SUNDAY
9:00 Karen Announcements
(Chapel)
9:15 Karen Sunday School (Chapel)
9:30 Sunday School
10:45 Morning Worship (Sanctuary)
12:30 Imago Dei (3rd Sunday every
other month)
1:00 Chin Worship (Chapel)
5:00 Divorce Support Groups
(2nd floor)
MONDAY
10:30 Art Spirit Group (2nd
Monday) (104)
11:00 Live Wires (3rd Monday)
12:30 Game Day (last Monday)
(Parlor)
TUESDAY
1:15 Staff Meeting (Parlor) WEDNESDAY
3:30 Homework Help (Youth Room) during school year
5:15 Fellowship Meal (Fellowship
Hall)
6:00 Announcements/Prayer/
Program (Fellowship Hall)
Children’s & Youth Activities
Sowers of Justice (1st
Wednesday) (Parlor)
AA Group (Heritage Hall)
7:10 Chancel Choir (Choir Room)
7:30 Recovery Basketball (Gym)
THURSDAY
5:55 Change of Heart AA group
(Heritage Hall)
7:00 Reading Group (last Thursday)
(Parlor)
FRIDAY
7:00 Social Justice Movie (3rd
Friday) (Parlor)

Weekly Schedule

Crescent Hill Baptist Church
2800 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206-2662
Phone: 502.896.4425
FAX: 502.896.9855
MINISTERIAL AND OFFICE STAFF
Every member a minister
Louie L. Bailey, Minister of Music/Organist
louie@chbcky.org
Brittani M. Bair, Minister to Youth
brittani@chbcky.org
Jason W. Crosby, Minister of Preaching.
Pastoral Care and Administration
jasonwcrosby@chbcky.org
Andrea V. Woolley, Minister of Spiritual
Formation, Families and Community
andrea@chbcky.org
Janet Cole, Administrative Assistant
janet@chbcky.org
Bobbe Crouch, Financial Secretary
bobbe@chbcky.org
William M. Johnson, Facilities Manager
bill@chbcky.org
email: churchoffice@chbcky.org
Web Page: www.chbcky.org
Facebook: CHBC on Frankfort
Twitter: @crescenthillbapt