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MESSAGE FROM PASTOR JON
Dear Family and Friends of Ark and Dove,
When I first arrived at Ark and Dove, I told the Associate Pastor Nominating Team (now the Assimilating Team) that I noticed a high level of activity and investment from so many different people in the congregation. So many of you commit and invest deeply in the life of
Ark and Dove!
In seminary and during my ordination process, I was constantly warned about how Presbyterian churches (among other denominations) are dying -- mostly because people are not really invested in the life of their congregations. You have no idea how encouraging it is for a newly ordained minister to be part of a congregation that is so active and dedicated.
And with LOGOS, Sunday School, Bible Study, fellowship groups, Movie Night, Winter Relief, Habitat builds, Sarah's House, Campfire Worship, Equipping the Saints, Stephen Ministry, Companions in Christ, and more on the horizon, we sure do need all that activity and dedication! This church dreams big, and so, we need as many teachers, leaders, volunteers, meal providers, and caregivers as we can get.
So at the beginning of this year, I want to say thank you. Thank you for teaching, leading, organizing, cooking, helping, building, caring, singing, playing, and supporting. Thanks for dreaming so big for this place. And thank you, especially, for being an exception to the sad stories that are often told about congregations. The Spirit blows where it may, but the Spirit is upon us.
Let us continue to commit to the vitality of our community, Ark and Dove Church.
Peace,
Jon
Pastor Jon
jgnelson1985@gmail.com
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PRAYERS FOR HOME USE
MORNING PRAYER: (from Psalm 143)
Hear my prayer, O LORD;
give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
EVENING PRAYER: (from Psalm 4)
Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.
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N
TES FOR YOU
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This week begins our new Children's Choir! We rehearse from 6:00-6:45 on Thursdays in the sanctuary. If you missed the first rehearsal and would still like to join, please email me to schedule an audition.
This week also marks the start of the Adult Choir. We rehearse from 7-8:30 every Thursday in the sanctuary. There is no audition required. Please email me at RebeccaEBell@gmail.com if you have any questions, or feel free to show up on Thursday!
Love,
Rebecca
RebeccaEBell@gmail.com
Welcome back for another school year! As every school year brings new opportunities and changing schedules, it would be great to see some new faces mixed with familiar ones! There are so many ways that you can get hooked into the church family, but here are a few with the band small group:
1. Setup helper (time commitment on Sundays from 10:30 - 11:00 am)
2. Band rehearsal tech (time commitment on Tuesdays from 7:00 - 9:00 pm)
3. Sound Ministry team (time commitment on Sundays from 9:15-10:30 am and/or 10:45-12:00 pm)
4. Joining the band! (time commitment on Tuesdays from 7:00 - 9:00 pm and Sundays from 9:30 - 12:00)
There are plenty of ways to join us, and I hope you jump in!
God bless,
Mark
mark.edwards.guitarist@hotmail.com
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I
NTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER We will be celebrating The International Day of Prayer and Action for Human Habitat, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity
Sunday, on September 6. This event "engages the entire faith community in a dedicated time of prayer and reflection for those in need of shelter." A special offering will be collected. Please visit
Habitat for more information.
WINTER RELIEF The exciting mission opportunity of Winter Relief quickly approaches! From Monday, October 12 to Monday October 19, each night Ark and Dove will be hosting 25 men who are experiencing homelessness. This effort is part of a larger, county-wide operation that has been going for over 20 years. During Winter Relief, churches host clients of Arundel House of Hope for the winter. Each week, between October and April, up to three churches across the county open their doors and host folks who are experiencing homelessness. If you would like to learn more about this effort or discover ways to help directly, or behind the scenes, please join us on September 14th at 7:00 PM in the Ark and Dove room. All are welcome! Please contact Christian Noll at Christian.noll@live.com or 443-758-8708 for more information.
COSTA RICA MISSION Karla Koll is one of the mission coworkers that we support here at Ark and Dove. Karla is an educator at
Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica. Click this
LINK to read her latest letter, where she discusses the latest happenings at UBL and the political changes occurring in Guatemala, which was the location of her previous mission work.
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SARAH'S HOUSE MONTHLY MEALS As part of our ongoing mission activity, Ark and Dove provides dinner at Sarah's House once a month-the third Wednesday. This is a great short-term (a few hours) mission activity to do with kids, scout troops or a few friends.
There are mission opportunities still available for September 16th. If you would like to be part of this project, please contact
Maddie Beaudry, madeline.beaudry@gmail.com.
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QUARTERLY GIVING statements will be in the lobby for convenient pick up this Sunday! Questions? Please contact Alta Paronto, ALParonto@gmail.com. Also, have you checked out our new Online Donation page on the website? Would love to hear your feedback!
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STEPHEN MINISTRY In case you missed Pastor Tim's, Pastor Jon's and Deacon Kelly Burnett's letter in the
Arkive, with invaluable information on the Stephen Ministry, you can now read it
HERE.
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ADOPTION/FOSTER GROUP I have had some great responses from the first advertisement of the Adoption/Foster small group! There is still room, so please contact me if you are interested! Details are listed below: Beginning on
Friday evening, September 18th at 6:30, I will be starting a small group that is open to anyone in our church, who is connected to adoption or foster care in some way. Adoptees, adoptive parents, hopeful adoptive parents, birth parents, foster parents, foster children, hopeful foster parents, former foster children and parents, and any others that may be connected to adoption or foster care in some way are welcome.
The group will meet the
1st and 3rd Friday of every month, beginning on September 18th and ending on November 20th. My hope is that this will become a support group as we discuss the many complex emotions associated with adoption and foster care from all perspectives. This will be a safe place to learn from all members of the adoption/foster triad.
Because of the complex nature of adoption and foster care, I would ask that you please email me to let me know if you would like to be a part of this group, and I will then send details on the location of our first meeting. All emails will be sent privately, and the details of meetings will be kept confidential. Please email me at RebeccaBellEchols@gmail.com and include your connection to adoption or foster care. I look forward to supporting each other and learning from each other throughout the next few months.
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LOGOS AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
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LOGOS, our youth program for kids grades K-12, is starting up
Tuesday, September 8th. Families may pre-register this Sunday in the lobby before and after services. This is also your opportunity to sign up to become a LOGOS leader!
Amy Tardiff, LOGOS Director, will be available to provide information and answer any questions you may have.
WHAT IS LOGOS? Have you heard about LOGOS? We are an after school, midweek program, for youth in grades K-12. LOGOS meets at Ark & Dove, beginning
September 8th, on Tuesday evenings, from 5:00 pm - 7:40 pm, during the school year. Weekly programming breaks the kids into groups according to grade and these groups rotate through four activities: Worship Skills, Bible Time, Family Time (family style meal) and Recreation. LOGOS is not meant to replace Sunday School, but rather, it is an opportunity for our youth to further build their faith. If you're interested please contact
Amy Tardiff, itsmemim@gmail.com or
Abbey Boudreau, mrsaboudreau@yahoo.com.
SUNDAY SCHOOL Want to invest in the faith of our children and youth? Want to strengthen your faith at the same time? We are looking for Sunday School teachers for this fall. To get started, please see
Kim Champagne (kim.champagne@gmail.com) or
Pastor Jon (jgnelson1985@gmail.com).
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FACILITIES AND STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
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FACILITIES MINISTRY - STORM WATER MANAGEMENT POND FENCE CARE
Looking for a one-time project supporting our presence in the Odenton community? The safety fence around the Ark & Dove owned and maintained Storm Water Management Pond next to the bottom of our Piney Orchard Parkway driveway needs repair. At least two wood 3-rail posts and five 10-foot cedar rails need replacement now. We have one spare post on hand. About 40 feet of fence is so overgrown we can't see if repairs are needed. If you feel called to investigate and perhaps either schedule a volunteer work-day or obtain cost estimates from a local contractor to do some of the needed fixes, please contact Mike Davie 443-370-8147 davie1020m@aol.com for a key to the fence gate and local contractor contact information.
FREE TO GOOD HOME
Our
"Step 2" snap-together play unit is ready for a new home! Interested?
Please contact Ryan Stavely,
Facilities Elder, ryan@stavely.org.
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ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
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ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL We are organizing a Sunday School class for Adults, who attend the 11:00 am service. Please see
Lindsey Walker (lindseyraewalker@gmail.com) or
Pastor Jon (jgnelson1985@gmail.com) for more information or sign up in the Lobby.
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY Are you interested in delving a bit deeper into the Bible? Are you looking for some companions on your journey of faith? We are hosting a few weekly Bible Studies, Monday at 7 pm, Wednesday at 10 am, and Thursday at 7 pm. These Bible Studies will follow the weekly Bible texts used in our Sunday worship. All are invited! Contact Pastor Jon (jgnelson1985@gmail.com) with any questions.
THE OPEN VIEW CLASS will begin its fall study
THIS Sunday, September 6. We meet in the Marshall room on Sundays, 11:00 a.m. Our study book until Advent will be
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott. Sign-up sheet is posted in the lobby. If you have questions you may contact
Betsy Baer (bbaer1216@aol.com) who will be team teaching this year with Pastor Jon.
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OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION
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NEW MEMBERS/INQUIRERS CLASS Saturday, September 19th, 8:30am thru 12:30pm. Please join us for a New Members/Inquirers Class where you can meet other people who have been visiting Ark and Dove and enjoy breakfast and fellowship. This "no obligation" class is just for you if you want to learn more about Ark and Dove and what it means to be a member. We'll provide breakfast and childcare. Hope to see you there! Sign up on the sign-up sheet in the lobby, or email
Donna Anderson, Outreach and Connection Elder, donna.anderson30@aol.com.
CHURCH PICNIC Mark your calendar
Sunday, September 27 after 11 am worship. Food, fun and games for the entire church. All are welcome. More details to follow. If you would like to help organize and plan the picnic, please contact
Amy Stavely.
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 Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Ann Hirschy; Tammy Wright; Jan Hof's mother; Briah's friend, John ; Bob Berg; Robert Schultz; Kathy Miller's sister Diane; Dot Bruno; Florence Myers; Jason DeVono; Henry Duncan; and Lester Dabbs
PRAYERS OF SUPPORT AND LOVE for people struggling with addiction and for a daughter and grandchild.
If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Julie Devers at jbdevers@gmail.com, and she will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.
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You are invited to celebrate The 
