This week at Clarendon
Check out what is happening at our church. We invite you to join us as we Become Better Together and discover a life of purpose and passion through Christ.
The Art of Neighboring Book Study
| Join us for this six-week study that will equip and empower us to be better neighbors. We will read and discuss this powerful and instructive book together while considering all that Jesus means in the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. You don’t want to miss this exciting time of study and fellowship. Groups forming now. Complete the registration form today and grab your book on Sunday or Wednesday! |
Birthdays & Anniversaries
We would like to wish Happy Birthday to all those celebrating birthdays this week! May God continue to bless and prosper you. And, Happy Anniversary, to all couples celebrating this week! We pray God's grace, strength, and peace be upon your union!
June prYER BLITZ
In an effort to draw us closer to God and build togetherness within our church and community, we will have a Prayer Blitz throughout the month of June. Thank you for committing yourself to pray with our church and community this month. Click here to download thePrayer Blitz Calendar.
Join our Prayer Call each Wednesday from 7-7:15am
Dial: 605.313.4162
Access Code: 701912#
Also, let us know your prayer requests and praise reports.
Join our Prayer Call each Wednesday from 7-7:15am
Dial: 605.313.4162
Access Code: 701912#
Also, let us know your prayer requests and praise reports.
“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” – June Hymn of the Month
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" is the result of an epiphany based on the text of Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (KJV). Showalter was a musician who conducted singing schools. He studied music in England, France, and Germany and served as an elder of First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, Georgia. Showalter was inspired by this Scripture after hearing the news that the wives of two of his former pupils had died and were buried the same day. In a letter of sympathy, he created the refrain out of a verse from Deuteronomy and asked Hoffman to write the stanzas. According to hymnologist Carl P. Daw, Jr., it appears that the Baptist Hymnal (1956) appropriately assigned SHOWALTER as the tune name for this song (Daw, 2016, 799-800).
After serving as a soldier for the Union Army, Elisha Hoffman attended Union Bible Seminary in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, and was ordained by the Evangelical Association in 1868. A pastor in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, he also worked with the publishing arm of the Evangelical Association in Cleveland, Ohio, and was the first music editor of Hope Publishing Company (1894-1912), a leading publisher of gospel songs.
The first stanza addresses the joy of God's presence. The hymn writer suggests that even in times of death, peace can be found. The second stanza compares the Christian faith to a pleasant pilgrimage. With the use of the first-person singular pronoun "I" in the third stanza, there is no confusion about who the speaker is.
This hymn can become a personal testimony because of the use of "I" in the third stanza. While the stanzas do not specifically reference Christ, the refrain does when the lower voices sing, "leaning on Jesus."
The original reference from Deuteronomy takes on a Christian character in the refrain and implies an intimate relationship with Jesus — the friend on whom one can lean. Even though the word “Lord” in the stanzas is ambiguous, the hymn is inherently Christological in its message.
The African American tradition of syncopation, handclapping, and heavy use of percussive instruments enlivens this hymn and gives hymn lovers the freedom to embellish and improvise in worship.
Hymn of the Month:
“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”
Suggested Artist: Mahalia Jackson
Opening Song:
“Let the People Praise”
Suggested Artist: William Johnson and Echoes of Worship
Musical Offering:
“Be With You”
Suggested Artist: BJ Putnam
Song of Praise and Invitation:
“I Need You to Survive”
Suggested Artist: Hezekiah Walker
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" is the result of an epiphany based on the text of Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (KJV). Showalter was a musician who conducted singing schools. He studied music in England, France, and Germany and served as an elder of First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, Georgia. Showalter was inspired by this Scripture after hearing the news that the wives of two of his former pupils had died and were buried the same day. In a letter of sympathy, he created the refrain out of a verse from Deuteronomy and asked Hoffman to write the stanzas. According to hymnologist Carl P. Daw, Jr., it appears that the Baptist Hymnal (1956) appropriately assigned SHOWALTER as the tune name for this song (Daw, 2016, 799-800).
After serving as a soldier for the Union Army, Elisha Hoffman attended Union Bible Seminary in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, and was ordained by the Evangelical Association in 1868. A pastor in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, he also worked with the publishing arm of the Evangelical Association in Cleveland, Ohio, and was the first music editor of Hope Publishing Company (1894-1912), a leading publisher of gospel songs.
The first stanza addresses the joy of God's presence. The hymn writer suggests that even in times of death, peace can be found. The second stanza compares the Christian faith to a pleasant pilgrimage. With the use of the first-person singular pronoun "I" in the third stanza, there is no confusion about who the speaker is.
This hymn can become a personal testimony because of the use of "I" in the third stanza. While the stanzas do not specifically reference Christ, the refrain does when the lower voices sing, "leaning on Jesus."
The original reference from Deuteronomy takes on a Christian character in the refrain and implies an intimate relationship with Jesus — the friend on whom one can lean. Even though the word “Lord” in the stanzas is ambiguous, the hymn is inherently Christological in its message.
The African American tradition of syncopation, handclapping, and heavy use of percussive instruments enlivens this hymn and gives hymn lovers the freedom to embellish and improvise in worship.
Hymn of the Month:
“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”
Suggested Artist: Mahalia Jackson
Opening Song:
“Let the People Praise”
Suggested Artist: William Johnson and Echoes of Worship
Musical Offering:
“Be With You”
Suggested Artist: BJ Putnam
Song of Praise and Invitation:
“I Need You to Survive”
Suggested Artist: Hezekiah Walker