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This Sunday is the Third Sunday in Lent, where we will be exploring our third Lenten theme -- "Resist."
We will also be welcoming the following members this Sunday at both services:
Bruce and Debbie Arey by Letter of Transfer (Grafton Congregational Church, Grafton, MA); Christa Kronser by Reaffirmation of Faith; Ben Rollins by Reaffirmation of Faith; Lori Kronser by Letter of Transfer (Christian Community Presbyterian, Bowie, MD); Laura and Jeremy Rockwell, Reaffirmation of Faith; Bruce and Karen Sanders by Letter of Transfer (Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church, Livonia, MI); Cheryl Schafer, Reaffirmation of Faith; and Jerri Webb by Letter of Transfer (Central Baptist Church, Warner Robins, GA)
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MESSAGE FROM PASTOR TIM AND PASTOR JON
Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
In 2017, the Session (our team of leaders) has been taking a close look at Scripture. At our first meeting of the year, we looked at how the Bible uses the word "justice." We read together, in our February meeting, over 20 biblical texts commanding us to care for the orphan, widow, and foreigner. Steeped in Scripture, we were disheartened to hear of two executive orders issued this year to ban people from six Muslim-majority countries, temporarily stop refugee resettlement, and dramatically reduce the number of refugees welcomed by the U.S. Given our Bible study and our increasing awareness of the dire plight of people fleeing home for safety, these orders are strikingly unjust and contradict the call of our sacred texts.
In response we have endorsed a statement, written by a leader of our congregation, that opposes the executive orders based on our call "to welcome and love the stranger in the name of Jesus." You can read the statement below. It will be sent to Maryland representatives. We are ready to endorse such a statement because we are backing it with action by partnering up with other churches to care for refugees in Anne Arundel County. We join a cloud of witnesses opposing these orders. The PC(USA)
Office of Public Witness has issued a similar statement yesterday. In addition, a group of Presbyterian ministers have written a faith statement that reads: "We commit to welcome and protect refugees and immigrants." You can read that
here.
We are grateful to be a part of a congregation that responds to Scripture with action. We look forward to where Christ will lead us, however hard it may be. Come this Sunday to see just how welcoming we are as we celebrate 10 new members joining the church!
Peace,
Pastor Tim and
Pastor Jon
timsstern@gmail.com and jgnelson1985@gmail.com
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VERSES AND PRAYERS
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:2
Holy One: Give us the will to resist the regular temptations of our day, so that we can meditate on what is good and acceptable and perfect. Give us the mind of Christ, who defied temptations to power and prestige to serve the weak and meek. Show us your path for us and grant us the strength to follow it, knowing that other paths will be more appealing. Fill us with courage for nonconformity and instill in us a passion for justice. May we ever be open to the movements of your Spirit. We are ready to be renewed and transformed. Amen.
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Statement on Orders to Ban Refugees' Entry into the U.S.
Statement on Orders to Ban Refugees' Entry into the U.S.
We, the Session of Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church, oppose the Executive Orders issued on January 27, 2017, and March 6, 2017, suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program and barring the resettlement of refugees from six majority-Muslim nations. We also oppose the 2015 stand Governor Hogan has taken on denying Syrian refugee resettlement in Maryland. These bans are ostensibly to protect us from terrorists entering the United States and Maryland. Instead, they serve to harm victims of terrorism, genocide, religious persecution, and civil war.
These governmental actions also serve to deny our congregation the opportunity to welcome and love the stranger in the name of Jesus. The congregation of Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church had started to work with World Relief, an organization that specializes in refugee services. Due to the Trump Administration order to drastically reduce the number of refugees, World Relief will be forced to close its Glen Burnie, Maryland office on May 31, as well as other offices around the nation. Maryland has lost invaluable experience and organization in serving refugees, and nine Marylanders have lost their jobs. As this situation illustrates, these orders have a negative economic impact and are harmful to the livelihoods of our community members.
It is a miscarriage of justice to deny those who have been fully vetted by a legal refugee entry process from being denied homes in Maryland and the United States due to their religious affiliation. We at Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church stand ready to welcome our new neighbors of all faiths and nations.
Signed,
Donna Anderson,
Christine Caufield-Noll,
Kim Champagne,
Steve Debus,
Ellen Makar (Clerk of Session),
Greg Makar (Moderator of Deacons),
Reverend Jon Nelson,
Ryan Stavely,
Reverend Tim Stern (Head of Staff) and
Rob Yeager
Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church, a 280-member congregation founded in 1992, is located in Odenton, MD.
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WE CHOOSE WELCOME
PROTECT WELCOME & RESTORE HOPE
TAKE ACTION TODAY: Tell Congress & the White House that you OPPOSE the Administration's executive order that suspends refugee resettlement & discriminates against people from certain countries
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THE VOYAGERS: MEN'S FELLOWSHIP
All men are welcome to the next Ark And Dove Voyagers Men's Fellowship Group breakfast, SATURDAY, March 18, from 8:00am-10:00am, at the Nautilus Diner. We will be discussing future leadership, as well as what the group would like to do for future gatherings. Looking forward to connecting! A private room has been reserved, and they are prepared for separate checks. Please share this with other men in the congregation. Thank you! RSVP Josh Ederheimer (
joshuaederheimer@aol) AND Ray Bussey (safe1111@gmail.com
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CONTEMPLATIVE WORSHIP FOR LENT
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 TAIZE CONTEMPLATIVE WORSHIP Many teams in our church have pooled their talents together to offer contemplative worship services during Lent. All are invited to Taize this
Wednesday night, March 22, as we prepare our hearts and minds during this sacred Lenten time. The Spirited Sisters will lead.
* March 29 - Men's Group leads
* April 5 - Logos Youth leads
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HOLY WEEK FLOWERS The Flower Team is accepting donations for Holy week flowers and palms. Suggested donation amount is 5-10 dollars. Forms are available in the church bulletin and in the lobby. If you have any questions, please contact Paula Griggs at paulagriggs32@gmail.com or 443-510-6687.
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ARK AND DOVE'S REFUGEE FAMILY
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MEET THE SOLANO FAMILY On Wednesday, March 15th, the Session approved officially naming the Solano family -- written about in past
e-Arkive issues as the "Garcia" family - as the first refugee family that our congregation will be working with. The Solano family are refugees from Mexico. Our goal is to help them acclimate and learn how to navigate this new life in the United States.
Bernabe and Griselda have two daughters -- Rose Mari, age 7, and Melanie, age 5. They live in Annapolis off Hilltop Road.
We are currently looking for assistance with transportation, finances, helping the family learn more about the culture of the US, health and insurance, assisting the family navigate the myriad appointments and needs for gaining complete documents, and material goods. To find out more, please contact Laura Willoughby at ljwilloughby@gmail.com or 410-507-7129.
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ANTIRACISM AND SOCIAL EQUITY
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 FAITHFUL RESISTANCE Remember when we read The Last Week by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan as a Lenten study? The authors described how every act of Jesus' last week was protesting Empire and speaking truth to power. In a society that had many who were oppressed and marginalized, Jesus modeled for us that acts of resistance ARE worship.
 In Rick Ufford-Chase 2016 book, Faithful Resistance, we are reminded again that resistance is intrinsic to the teachings of the Gospel. A former Moderator of the General Assembly of PCUSA and long-time peace advocate, he asks: "Is it possible for a church that has been at the heart of Empire for as long as we have to make a course correction and move intentionally from the center of Empire to the margins?" He and other contributors address issues such as immigrants, race, LGBTQ, the environment, Christian education and mission. This is not about partisan politics, but rather about living the Gospel in our actions every day, reaching beyond our comfortable bubbles to those who are currently marginalized and oppressed. As we move into the week where Resist is the word of intentionality in our current Lenten study, consider resistance as worship.
Linnie Girdner
Co-Leader, Antiracism and Social Equity Team
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 ONE-MILE RESURRECTION WALK FOR CAP
First Evangelical Lutheran Church (FELC) in Odenton is hosting a
Resurrection Walk and other activities on
Saturday, April 8, from 7:30 am - 1 pm, with all proceeds going to the
CAP Food Pantry. CAP hopes this event will help publicize the Food Pantry to households facing hunger in our community, attract new volunteers, and raise money for the pantry.
The day begins with a pancake breakfast ($3 per person) at
FELC. The 1-mile walk begins next door at
Odenton Elementary School (must be completed between 9-11 am). Once you complete your walk, you're invited to stroll through the grounds of Odenton ES, take some pictures at a "selfie-station," and browse through various tables of information/activities set up by some of the 13 churches that sponsor the CAP Food Pantry. And make sure you bring the kids (infants through 5 graders) for the free Easter Egg Hunt that begins at 11 am!
For more information contact visit the event
web page. Help is still needed with setup, registration, first aid, and other activities on April 8. Anyone interested in forming an Ark & Dove group for the walk can contact Greg Makar (glmakar@juno.com, 301-483-8255).
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CAP WEST COUNTY'S FOOD PANTRY Featured item for March is RICE (wild rice, short grain brown rice, brown basmati, etc.) Please drop off food items in the Mission Zone bin. Thank you for your donations!
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A Note from Dot Bruno's sister, Aimee
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A Book of Memories is being prepared for Dot Bruno's's children and grandkids (especially for the younger ones), so they will have a tangible resource to discover as they mature, the precious woman Dot was. Everyone is invited to write about one or two specific memories they have that "capture Dot" and email them to aimeewise@me.com to be included in this Book of Memories. It would mean a lot to her family, and it would be great to get these by the end of March.
Warmly,
Aimee Wise
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PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Doug Walcutt's aunt, Vicky Goodnough; Mike Davie's stepmother, Reverend Kathleen Davie; Lori Kronser; Lori Kronser's father, Cliff Corn; Donna Anderson's mother, Martha; Adell Gaurin; Cliff Wellington's father, Roy; Joshua Anthis; Zach Murray; Ray Mosella; Ann Hirschy; Rob Yeager's mother, Rebekah Jennings; Christy Yeager's mother, Linda Jordan; Barbara Reynolds mother, Ruth Campbell; Chip Burnett; Laura Talbert; Fred Barrow's nephew, Sam Jackson; David Chidlow's mother, Betty Jayne Chidlow; Dot Forloines; Henry Duncan; Helene Marchand-Stancil's parents, Paul and Mimi Marchand and nephew Alexis Morin; Judy Cooper's sister, Barb Eardley; Mary Benson; Mary Stum's sister, Barbara Kendig; Pat Stanton's aunt, Evelyn, uncle, Hallie Hawn, and nephews, Eli and Andy; Ellen Makar's father, Don Erickson; Janet Dabbs' sister, Diane Maloy; Paul Doughty's mother, Ruth; Scott Howe's father, Ron; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Laura Doughty's cousin; Cindy and Dave Oquist's son, Chris; Grant Kirby; and Dick and Carol Baily.
PRAYERS OF SUPPORT AND STRENGTH go out to a mother in treatment for addiction.
If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Sue Hanburger at avongypsygal@gmail.com, and she will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.
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