Safe in Burundi

"We are 1.5 hours from the capital and about 2 hours from Kibuye Hospital, here in a little village called Banga.  It is deep in the Burundian highland hills, where the end of the dry season is only weeks away. . ."
So begins the latest post in the McCropder blog which gives weekly glimpses of our partners, John and Jessica's team. Having served a stint in Kenya and spent a year learning French in France, they are finally in Burundi and ready to learn Kirundi--all in preparation for taking up posts at the medical school of Hope Africa University.

Their blog is fantastic and gives the most intimate picture of a team committed to following Christ. Subscribe! Follow their story as they settle in to Burundi.

Schneider Obituary

Here is the obituary for Jerry Schneider, whose memorial service is at 11:00 this morning. The details are in the obituary.

Friend and Brother

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity

How good it is to be a friend and to have a friend, a true friend. A friend always loves; i.e. he always desires the good of his friend. To love “at all times” is to seek the best for one’s friend at all times. That means sticking by him when others desert him. It means being “there” for him. And it means being truthful with him, telling him at times what he does not want to hear. Sometimes it even means not sticking by him when he chooses evil, i.e. not entering into the evil with him or enabling him to do what is wrong. But then, always, being there for him when he suffers the consequences.
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Join our playgroup team

Every other Wednesday morning our neighbors and their young children stream in for Playgroup. Delancey 1 West looks like a stroller parking lot and upstairs in Fellowship Hall there's lots of smiles and chatter. Children race between toys and learning stations while adults settle down with a cup of coffee to meet their neighbors. We're creating community in the heart of the city.

A small team from Tenth sets up the toys, preps the crafts, sees to the food, and greets our neighbors. It's a wonderful way to spend a morning. Liam is always telling us to love and serve our neighbors; this is a great opportunity to do just that. There's lots of ways to help and some don't even require your being there for Playgroup. If you'd like to help us extend hospitality, please drop a line to playdate@tenth.org. 

TCF Prayer Request

Please pray for students as they begin to prepare to come back to Philadelphia and as they finish summer jobs and internships. Pray for incoming freshmen who will be new to the area and possibly feeling nervous or worried for the upcoming semester. Pray for the Maranatha graduated seniors who are headed out to school in the next few weeks.  

Buying Wisdom

Proverbs 17:16

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?

Even if wisdom could be bought, it still would do the fool no good. But isn’t wisdom exactly what a fool needs? True, but the fool’s problem is that he does not know what to do with wisdom even when given to him.

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Female Housemate

Three Christian women seek a female housemate to complete their lovely West Philadelphia home (45th & Larchwood). Monthly rent and utilities average $550. Inquirers should be willing to live with a corgi and a frequently-used piano. For more information, email Bethany. 

After School Positions

New Life Philadelphia has an after-school day program and is looking for a director and for a teacher. Job descriptions are below. If interested, contact Jean Ashman by email or call 215.421.3287.
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Goligher on Baptism

Liam explains how he came to cross the water (not the Atlantic Ocean) on the issue of infant baptism in this article posted by The Gospel Coalition.

Abominable Sin

Proverbs 17:15

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the L

God is not a moral relativist. There are the wicked who do bad, who break his moral law; and there are the righteous who do good, who follow his moral law. To flip them around – to justify the wicked and condemn the righteous is an abomination to him.
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Sunday Services 8/11/2013

Join us this Sunday for our services.
AM (9 & 11): Dr. Jeffrey Jue preaching, “The Promise to You and Your Children” (Acts 2:22–41). Hymns: Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim; Now I Make My Good Confession; O God beyond All Praising.
PM (Soli Deo Gloria 6:15): Hannah Horine, piano
(6:30): Rev. Deryck Barson preaching, “The Deity of Christ” (Hebrews 1:1–4). Hymns: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; Join All the Glorious Names.

Viewing and Memorial Service for Jerry Schneider

This week there will be both a viewing and memorial service for our brother Jerry Schneider. The viewing will be on Friday evening from 7-9pm at the William R. May Funeral Home (354 North Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038).
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Strife Like Water

Proverbs 17:14

The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.


When a container of water cracks, when it is opened only by a hair, water seeps out and cannot be retrieved. Cover it with your hands, put a cloth tightly around it, the water continues to seep. It cannot be contained. And even if you do seal the crack, you cannot reclaim the water. It flows into every crevice nearby. Such is the problem when a pipe leaks. You may find water damage in one place – a wall, a ceiling, the floor – only to discover that the leak is elsewhere because the water flows to wherever there is least resistance.
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Norwood Service Video

The funeral service for Betty Norwood was recorded and is posted at this link.

ESL Volunteers Needed

A ministry to Arabic speakers in King of Prussia needs volunteers for their ESL program and home visits. For more information, email Eid.

Special Dinner!

If you are faculty, staff, or a grad student at any area colleges or universities you are invited to a dinner hosted by Tenth College Fellowship on September 6 at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall at Tenth. Please register you and your spouse as well as other Christian coworkers on your campus for a great dinner and a charge from Dr. Liam Goligher by emailing John Canavan at jcanavan@tenth.org. Registration closes on August 28! Hope to see you there!

Scheduling Baptisms

The next Sunday for covenant baptisms is September 1. Parents wishing to have their children baptized can send send an email to Marion Clark to schedule and to arrange for contact by their elders.

John Felser wrote this tribute to Jerry Schneider.

Jerry was an exemplary husband, father, and friend. He had a great influence on Chris and me from our dating period to present. We thankfully were able to stay in touch with him throughout the years, and count it a great blessing to have been his friends. Back when Chris and I got engaged, Jerry shared how he and Anne had read through the Psalms backwards, Psalm 60 to Psalm 1 as a countdown to their wedding. Chris and I did the same as a countdown to our wedding, and have continued to cycle through the Psalms as our bedtime reading to each other in the 20 years since then. Jerry had great wisdom to share with us about parenting, through both his words and his example, when we adopted Zakiyyah. He gave me invaluable support when we needed to make some tough decisions as a family.
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Marriage Lessons from Experience

Yesterday, August 4, Ginger and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary by posting in Tenth Press some of the lessons we have learned. Here is the article.

On top of a hill overlooking a bay on Cape Cod in a small stone church, the idyllic setting for a wedding, my bride approaches the aisle for her procession, her train blowing in the wind…blowing in the wind? The cameraman stumbles forward to hold it down;
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I Am Still with You

Below is my homily for Betty Norwood's funeral.

The last time I was with Betty in the hospital, I read to her Psalm 139. It is a comforting psalm for anyone facing a dark trial.

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Evil for Good

Proverbs 17:13

If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.

Wickedness is troubling in any form. Even so, there are degrees even for evil to climb. It is condemning to do mischief. It is wrong to take advantage of the innocent. But to return evil for good; to harm someone who has done you good – is it possible to sink lower?
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Dominican Republic Team

Our Dominican Republic team has arrived safely, and happily with no traveling complications! We are all sleeping in Santiago;at the Cohen's house tonight after a nice meal and some pool time, and we'll be waking up early to depart up the mountain. Here is a taste of our schedule this week. After today until next Sunday, the team and I will not have internet access.
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