E-Arkive The Electronic Newsletter for Ark and Dove 


Come enjoy Single Service this Sunday with the band, 10:30 am!
"United We Stand, As Family We Go"

The participants for the Youth and Young Adult Habitat Mission Trip will also be commissioned!
 

 
MESSAGE FROM PASTOR JON

Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

I hear it all the time: We live in divided times. We are a nation divided.

It's on the news, podcasts, social media, and in conversation. I hear it so much I wonder if it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yes, this nation is divided in many ways. However, the more we hear this, the more we think it is the way we will be.

That's why this Sunday is so important. At 10:30, we will not be divided between services. We don't even have to be divided according to who we know. This Sunday we are celebrating our unity in a single service. Our deacons will provide name tags so that we can get to know each other as we gather.

The band is going to perform a Cantata on unity entitled, "United We Stand, As Family We Go." The band members have picked songs that are meaningful to them. They are going to sing and talk about what brings us all together. Maybe by talking more and more about unity, rather than disunity, we can be an example of how we can all be as one.

One of the things that binds us in community is mission. This Sunday we will commission youth and adults going to work with Habitat for Humanity on a mission project. We will send them off in prayer.

I look forward to being together this Sunday. We may live in a divided nation, but there's better news: in Christ, we are one.

Peace,
Pastor Jon  
jgnelson1985@gmail.com
 


VERSE AND PRAYER

   
 Jesus said in prayer: The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. --John 17:22-23


God of community: We pray, with your Son Jesus Christ, that you will draw us together in your love. Let us not be rendered apart by opinions and party lines. Help us to heal old wounds. Teach us to set aside grievances. Strengthen us by your grace, that we might be merciful. Embolden us to make peace wherever there is division. Remind us that we are all your children, each objects of your immense love. Amen.
 
 

 

SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING  

July 2, 10:45 am in the Lobby
All are asked to hear a report from the Nominating Team

 

Many opportunities await you!
            

Summer Book Club

SUMMER BOOK CLUB
SUMMER BOOK CLUB Do you love to read? Have you ever finished a great book and wanted to talk about it with others? This summer, we will host a book club just for you! In June, July, and August, we will read a different book and come together for fellowship and discussion. June's book is The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. From Amazon.com: "Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, the #1 New York Times bestseller from Colson Whitehead, [the novel is] a magnificent tour de force chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South." 
 
Pick up the book and join us at church on Tuesday night, June 27 at 7 pm. Contact Pastor Jon ( jgnelson1985@gmail.com).

Vacation Bible School for Youth and Adults

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
RENEW! The Green VBS is coming to Ark and Dove July 9 through July 13, in the evenings.  Please see Pastor Jon (jgnelson1985@gmail.com) or Christina Nelson (christinajoy87@gmail.com) if you are interested in helping out this summer.  Registration is now open! Register HERE!
ADULT VBS

ADULT VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
VBS is not only for children and youth! Adults also will study "Renew!" From July 9-13, 6 pm to 8:15 pm, we will host an interactive discussion on creation care. We will follow J. Matthew Sleeth's video series, "Serving God, Saving the Planet." We also hope to finish the week by starting a garden that supports our mission opportunities, such as Winter Relief and CAP. Sign up now! Pastor Jon ( jgnelson1985@gmail.com).
    
Christian Education

SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL


SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL sessions begin, this Sunday, June 25th.
  This is a combined class of preschool through the fifth grade, which will run through August 27th. Sign up in the lobby now to volunteer to teach Summer Sunday school. Lesson plans ready to go! Questions? Kim Champagne, kim.champagne@gmail.com


Say Cheese! 

PHOTO DIRECTORY
CHURCH PHOTO DIRECTORY Sign up now for getting your church photo directory pictures taken!  HERE!  We want everyone to be included so please sign up now.  We are asking for a $10 donation to help with the cost of printing the directory.  You will receive a printed copy, and we will provide a digital copy of the family picture for your use.
 
We also have a second link to sign-up to volunteer during our picture days. Each date we are doing pictures has a 4 hour time block.  We are hoping volunteers will sign up for one or more hours to greet families, confirm addresses, assist with flow of families in and out of picture room, and collect donations for the printed version of the directory.  Here is the link to sign up to volunteer: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b44a8ab2aabf49-arkdove

Please assist us with this important project.  If you have questions, please contact Julia Kirby, maybe_soon98@yahoo.com or Ryan Stavely, ryan@stavely.org.    
  
Mission

CO-ED BABY SHOWER! ALL ARE INVITED!
CO-ED BABY SHOWER FOR THE SOLANO FAMILY Celebrate the newest arrival for Ark and Dove's Refugee Assistance Family, the Solanos, with a co-ed family celebration designed to make the family feel welcomed, while preparing for its newest member, and helping them stock up on needed baby items and essentials. Please join us Saturday, July 8th, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm at Ark and Dove for a family-friendly, co-ed baby shower. View details and RSVP at http://evite.me/ESjT4vGWbB  
 
Griselda is due to give birth July 24th to a baby boy, Raul, who will join the couple's two girls, Melanie and Vanessa. Bernabe, the father, is excited to welcome a son into the family. However, because Griselda fled to the US with the girls, and very few items, they have little resources available to outfit their family with baby items for the new arrival. If you cannot attend, but have gently-used baby items you'd like to donate OR would like to help the family by purchasing something on their registry list, visit   http://popchurch.org/sheet/solano-nestor-baby-shower/ for details and the sign-up form ( Prince of Peace member Lillian Von Rompay has volunteered to help with this project). Kindly drop off items in Calvin Room beginning this Sunday.
 
Want more details, want to help with planning or day-of set up, or have questions? Contact Laura Willoughby Perry at 410-507-7129 or laura@laurajanewilloughby.com.

  
JUNE'S FOOD OF THE MONTH
CAP WEST COUNTY FOOD PANTRY Featured item for June is MACARONI AND CHEESE (Annie's organic, Amy's, Back to Nature, Pirate's Booty, etc.) Please drop off food items in the Mission Zone bin. Thank you for your donations!        
Salam Neighbor Movie Screening

ANTI-RACISM AND SOCIAL EQUITY
ANTI-RACISM AND SOCIAL EQUITY NEWS Do you know what it means to be an "asylum seeker?" You probably have seen the images of Syrians and other desperate people traversing the Mediterranean Sea in dangerously flimsy inflatable rafts. Thousands have drowned. Those that make it to the shores of Southern Europe often still have a long way to go. They have no legal standing in any of the countries that they travel through on their way to the country from which they seek asylum. One in five asylum seekers are children. Since 2015 at least 100,000 children are traveling alone. See 10 year old Abuzar's story. Although those heart-wrenching images sometime get us to open up our wallets, we remain largely uninformed about what is involved for asylum seekers.
 
An asylum seeker is an individual who has sought international protection in another country and whose claim for refugee status has not yet been determined. The person fled their home country due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted or killed and applies for asylum AFTER arriving in a new country. There were 84,236 asylum applicants in the U.S. in FY 2015, whereas Europe had 1.3 million applicants that year. Many countries, including the U.S., reject the majority of asylum seekers, usually resulting in deportation. Refugees, on the other hand, are well vetted and receive refugee status PRIOR to entering the destination country.
 
Millions who flee war and persecution in their homeland end up in camps, often for years, unable to integrate into the new country, to earn a living, or to give their children a decent education. Imagine what that would be like for your family. We are asked to do unto others as we would like done to us. The problem seems enormous, but we are already given guidance. We are called to welcome the stranger. On the evening of Sunday, July 16th we will show the award winning documentary, Salam Neighbor, which provides an intimate look into a Syrian camp in Jordan. Please join us in the conversation, 6pm, with possible pot luck before. Stay tuned! Linnie Girdner, lkgirdner@comcast.net

 
Fundraising for Eagle Scout Project

SPIRITUAL MEANDER

EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT FUNDRAISING DATES As part of my Eagle Scout Project, I am working on part of the spiritual meander on the church grounds. The section I am working on will include a reflection circle containing a gazing ball at the end of an approximately 40' path. I will be collecting donations on June 18, June 25, and August 27. Money and resources are welcome. For details please contact me at dillon.i.benson@gmail.com. I will also be available to answer questions in person on any of those dates. Have a blessed day, Dillon Benson,
dillon.i.benson@gmail.com     
 
Healing through Grief

GRIEF MINISTRY
GRIEF MINISTRY About four or five times a year professional counselor, Linnie Girdner and Pastor Tim gather with people who are experiencing grief in their lives due to the death of a loved one. Healing through Grief Ministry will meet on Wednesday, July 5, 7 - 8:15 pm in the Ark and Dove Room. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a beloved family member or dear friend, no matter how recent or long ago, is invited to attend. We like to say that there is no right way to grieve. The way you are grieving is your path. We do find solace in hearing the stories of others. No sign up needed, though it is appreciated. Drinks will be provided. For more information contact Linnie Girdner at 410-999-7892 or lkgirdner@comcast.net.
 
Prayer Concerns

PRAYER CONCERNS 
PRAYER CONCERNS Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:  

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Amy Benson; Vaughn Brown; Hillary and Paul Ferrell's daughter, Lila; Bob Johns; Josh Ederheimer's father, Stanley; John Boswell; Frances Keyes; Joan Berry's son, Brian Flom; Doug Walcutt's aunt, Vicky Goodnough; Donna Anderson's mother, Martha; Joshua Anthis; Barbara Reynolds mother, Ruth Campbell; Chip Burnett; Dot Forloines and her brother Jack; Henry Duncan; Helene Marchand-Stancil, Helene's mother, Mimi, and friends, Pierrette Kimble and Madeleine Brown; Judy Cooper's sister, Barb Eardley; Mary Benson; Ellen Makar's father, Don Erickson; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Pat Stanton's Aunt Evelyn; Amy Stavely's aunt; the Hoxie family; Steve and Brandi Downs; Janet Dabbs's sister, Diane Maloy; Claire Henderson's father, Walt; Denise Nooe's husband, Kevin Hood; Connie Kinnick's brother, Rick; and Dick and Carol Baily.
 
THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the friends and family of Amy Benson's colleague, who committed suicide.
 
PRAYERS OF SUPPORT AND PROTECTION for the Hudson family, who are moving to Charleston, NC.
 
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE from Stone and Donna Ashwood on their marriage.
 
PRAYERS OF SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE for some troubled youth.
                 
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.    
 
8424 Piney Orchard Parkway  
Odenton, MD  21113
Phone: (410) 674-6400 
Fax: (410) 674-6481 
admin@arkanddove.org 
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