The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter | |
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Baptism of the Lord
January 8th, 2023
In-Person Worship at 9:00 and 10:30 am, every Sundays!
Livestream Worship, 10:30 am, every Sunday!
**Mask required at 9:00 am Worship, Mask Optional at 10:30 am Worship
Child Care available for 9:00 and 10:30 am services!
Sunday School for Pre-K - 8th Grade during 10:30 am Worship, every Sunday!
Get your bulletin here.
*Register for Sunday School here.
You can connect on YouTube HERE.
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Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,
When I was in elementary and middle school, I had friends who were Orthodox Christians. When we came back from the holiday break, I always felt bad for them, for they had not yet opened their Christmas presents. They weren't allowed. On the other hand, if January 6 fell on a school day, they had the day off. January 6 is Epiphany on our Presbyterian Calendar, the day we celebrate the visitation of the Magi to the Christ Child, Jesus. Our Orthodox friends call it Orthodox Christmas and many exchange gifts on that Day.
Some protestant churches have dinners and or luncheons on Epiphany and some call it, Three Kings Day. Many have pointed out that the Bible names three gifts not three visitors and uses the word Magi. Ah the power of a well-known hymn! (I assume that if Santa knows who is naughty and nice, then Santa knows which children are Orthodox Christians; right?) The distance between December 25 and January 6 is 12 days. We call this shortest of the liturgical seasons, Christmas. You didn't take your decorations down, did you?
The song, The Twelve Days of Christmas is definitely not a hymn, but it fits on our liturgical calendar. Trivia: How many gifts were given if the song is taken literally?
Enjoy Christmas today because on Sunday we enter the season of Epiphany or what some call Ordinary Time, and our theme this week will be the Baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized? Hmmn what does that mean? That's part of Epiphany.
On a more serious note, Vladmir Putin declared a unilateral truce for three days to honor Orthodox Christmas. In honor of Jesus, he is taking three days off from torturing and butchering Ukrainians. Does he think that God and humanity do not see through his sham?
Peace, we should always pray for peace,
Tim
tstern@arkanddove.org
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Message from Interim Associate Pastors | |
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Dear friends and members at Ark and Dove,
The Second Sunday after Christmas is always The Baptism of the Lord Sunday. The texts which the lectionary suggests we read during worship that Sunday relate to Christ’s baptism. The church calendar is something of a mystery to those of us whose lives are directed by the secular calendar. Sometimes we wonder why things happen when they do in the church calendar. Whatever council or committee decided to make baptism the focus of second Sunday after Christmas had a certain wisdom. On the second Sunday of the new year, we are brought face-to-face with the baptism of Jesus, and we are asked to recall the meaning of our own baptisms.
Baptism calls to mind the fact that God calls us and loves us and commissions us to do God’s will. Baptism reminds us that we are part of the people of God. No matter how alone we feel in our personal struggles, the reality is that we are not alone. Baptism elicits from us a response to God’s great love. In the traditions in which adult baptism is the norm, the focus is on our response to God. In the traditions, such as our own, in which infant baptism is the norm, the focus is on God’s call to us and God’s great love for us. Either way we are asked to remember that God loves us, and we are asked to think about how we will respond.
The new year is a great time to schedule time in our lives to respond to God. Perhaps this is the time to recommit bringing the kids to Sunday School and Logos, or to encourage our older children to attend Youth Group and to sign up for the summer trips. Perhaps this is the time to plan to attend the mid-week bible study or help with the fellowship table or the AV booth at church or join the anti-racism event on Jan. 29. Keep reading in the Arkive to see if anything jumps out at you as some way which you might reaffirm your Baptism and enter more fully into the life of the family of God at Ark and Dove.
We are so grateful for each of you and look forward to working with you in the weeks to come as we seek to become a more loving and more informed congregation.
Caroline and Stephen
caroline.pricegibson@arkanddove.org
stephen.pricegibson@arkanddove.org
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Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
From 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and 25-27
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Holy God, You sent your Son to be baptized among sinners, to seek and save the lost.
May we, who have been baptized in his name, never turn away from you,
but boldly confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior as we reach out in love to others.
Open our ears and our hearts to your word to us: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!! On this Baptism Sunday, we will feature many songs about Baptism and Water. I will open the service with a piano solo, titled Water, and we will sing hyms like Baptized in Water and the contemporary response Flow to You. The offertory is an arrangement of Down to the River to Pray, arranged for an octet and sung a cappella. The voices build in layers, with the Sopranos singing the melody in the opening phrase. They are gradually joined by the other voices in this percussive folk song. The exact origins of this song are unclear, but it's thought to have originated in the southern US in the 19th century. The song gained more popularity when it was featured in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
If you have ever considered singing with the choir or band, the new year is a great time to begin!! We are working on music through Easter and beyond and would love to have more voices. I am always looking for instrumentalists to add to our pieces as well. Come and see me after a service or send me an email if you're interested in learning more! rechols@arkanddove.org
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Rebecca
Director of Music
rechols@arkanddove.org
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Greetings! Rehearsals for our children and youth will resume this Sunday, January 8, 2023. The youth ensemble will meet from 9 AM to 9:45 AM. The children will gather for choir rehearsal from 10 AM to 10:30 AM. Our older youth are welcome to attend choir rehearsal if they would like to sing. We would like to extend a warm welcome to all newcomers for both our youth ensemble and children’s choir! There is room for you! There is a place and role for everyone! If you would like to be added to our weekly email list, please e-mail Rae’tta at raetta.bond@arkanddove.org. All families participating in the Children’s and Youth Music Ministry are encouraged to join our Google Classroom. Please click below for class codes.
Children’s Choir
Youth Ensemble
I am looking forward to seeing and working with each of you! Have a blessed week!
Rae'tta
Director of Music for Children and Youth
raetta.bond@arkanddove.org
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ESTABLISH AN EFT
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
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2023 Renewed in God
Stewardship Team
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Dear Members and Friends of Ark and Dove,
The 2022 Renewed Stewardship Team would like to sincerely thank everyone who has already submitted a pledge card for 2023. We are excited to share that 58 of 160 households have pledged so far and many have increased their pledges to help meet the needs of our church and community! If you have not submitted your pledge card to the church yet, either via USPS, in the offering plate, or giving@arkanddove.org, there is still time to do so! We are so grateful for your generous giving to support our mission and ministries at Ark and Dove.
Separately, we are all individuals. But together, we are connected in renewed and supportive community, and we flourish as one body of faith in Christ. With each gift we give, we multiply Christ's work in our world through our mission and ministry efforts. Every pledge counts, no matter how big or small, and every gift is sacred. If you are a regular giver through EFT or PayPal, we would like to invite you to fill out a pledge card this year. Our pledges are important because they help us plan how much of the vision put forth by our Elders and Deacons we can fulfill in the new year. As we embark on this journey of a new year, we ask that you pray for each other, our church, and all the good that we do together to bring hope and healing to each other and to those most vulnerable. Thank you!
-Tricia Gray from The 2023 Renewed in God Stewardship Team
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Bulletin - Baptism of the Lord | |
From the Tech Booth: Volunteers Needed
We are in need of volunteers to help staff the tech booth. In the recent past, we’ve had to adapt at the last minute due to the small size of our team... In a perfect world, we would have sufficient volunteers to have a “once per month” rotation. Each week, we would like to have seven people participating on the tech team, so to have everyone volunteer once a month, 28 people would be needed. We’re still looking for 17 additional people!
If you’re interested in being one of the 17, please stop me (Ryan Stavely) on a Sunday morning or email me at ryan.stavely@arkanddove.org. Once a handful of people have been identified, we’ll hold a brief orientation session and then begin your training. No prior experience is needed, and you don’t need to be a “computer person” to be a good fit. If Sunday morning doesn’t work for you, one of the weekly needs is the prior preparation of the graphics/words for the service. This can be done from home any time during the second half of the week.
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Friendly Seniors Invites You
We are planning a trip to the NSA Cryptology Museum on Friday, February 3, at 2:00 pm. This is a fun, hands on tour for all ages on how we've spied. Let Joan Berry (joanb3rry@gmail.com) know by Sunday, January 29th to RSVP.
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The Fellowship Table Wants You!
With more people visiting Ark & Dove, we want to make sure they feel welcome. We are looking for people to help with bringing the snacks, setting up, and cleaning up on a regular or periodic basis. This can be a great opportunity to get children involved in the life of Ark & Dove! They can help choose the "menu", set the table, and get to meet more folks in our faith community. Please contact us at Outreach@ArkandDove.org to sign up or want more information.
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CAP Food Pantry
The January Items of the Month are shelf milk (like parmalat®) and juice. We have bins marked for CAP food in the cabinet across from the lobby coat rack. Food can also be taken directly to the pantry at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Odenton, on Tuesdays 10:30am-1:30pm and Thursdays 1:30-5:30pm. Or contact Greg Makar (GLMakar@juno.com) to make other arrangements.
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GLEAM - Family & Alley Meeting
This support group is for family and friends of LGBTQIA+ persons and allies who want to learn more on. On Monday, January 16th, 7:00-8:00pm we will be discussing how to interrupt bias-based behaviors and other topics brought to the group. For the zoom link contact Amy Tardiff Lilac.n.Spruce@gmail.com.
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GLEAM - Changing the Game,
movie & discussion
Movie & discussion- Join us Sunday, January 15th at noon in the sanctuary for a viewing and discussion of the documetary Changing the Game. Light snacks and drinks provided. If you need childcare contact Amanda Crose amanda.rose.crose@gmail.com.
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THE RACE CARD
(And other "microaggressions" that get in the way of real conversations about race)
On Sunday, January 29th the Anti-Racism team will host a luncheon after the service, followed by a 2 hour workshop from 12:30 - 2:30pm presented by Jeff Bolognese. Jeff comes to us highly recommended from Presbytery and has led these trainings through work and in churches. Please add the date to your calendar now and plan to join us for this important training.
Please register no later than January 22nd:
Register Here
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Ark and Dove Book Club January Read
The Ark and Dove Book Club's January Selection is New York Times Bestselling novel entitled The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This historical fiction novel tells the inspiring story about JP Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, a "Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy..." We will meet on Zoom to discuss this book on Friday, January 20th at 7:30pm. Contact kim.champagne@arkandove.org for more information.
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Christian Education for Children | |
Sunday Mornings for Children and Youth | |
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9:00 AM
Childcare
Middle School Chimes and Percussion Ensembles (9:00 to 9:45)
10:00 AM
Children’s Choir (10:00 to 10:30)
10:30 AM
Childcare
Godly Play Sunday School Pre-K through grade 4
Middle School Sunday School grade 5 through 8
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Leaders and Helpers Needed
To ensure that we can continue to offer the above Christian Educational opportunities we NEED leaders! Currently we do NOT have enough to fully staff any of these programs. Please consider offering your gifts and talents to help these programs thrive. You will need to complete a background check and training. Curriculum and materials are provided. Please contact CE Elder, Sara Fox at christianed@arkanddove.org if interested.
Thank you to those of you who’ve already made a commitment to help out this year!!!
Nursery Helpers: If you are already a CE leader or a high school student please consider signing up HERE to help in the nursery. You will be assisting Cara Moody as needed.
As always, any questions or concerns please reach out to me at christianed@arkanddove.org.
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Deb Saylor; Ramin Abawi; a mother in the hospital; Adell Gaurin; family members struggling with addiction; Reggie Connally and family; Don Clark; a friend having medical issues; Linda Walcutt; Mike Davie; Daryle Echols; Kathie Brownie, who lost her husband; Crystal Evans on the death of her mother; Ann Hirschy; Carole Wilson; Laura Talbert; Nikol Sahai; Denise Bartgis; a friend of Kathy Emmert, Natalie Fenwick who is in the hospital; Karen Dodson; MaryAnn Buckley; Sue Miller, Laura Willoughby-Perry’s mother, after hip surgery; Audrey Miller, daughter of Kathy Miller; Neal Frick in the hospital; Shannon Graf, and for her family; the Marsh Family waiting for their adopted children to come in January; a wonderful teen facing the challenges of an eating disorder; The mother of Sara Yotter; Dotty Kaufmann; Mary Elizabeth Nay, diagnosed with Colon Cancer; Bri awaiting preliminary results & tests; a teen struggling with peer concerns at school; Ron Miller, dealing with health issues; Holly Folk, friend of Laura Willoughby-Perry, recovering from back surgery; Carol & Henry Saylor; Rose having health issues; Deb Saylor's grand-nephew, Jordan; Christy Hipchen's Great Uncle, Steven Stanko; a friend's mother in hospital battling an illness; Chantel Seetram; Debbie and Bruce Arey's Daughter, Allison; a husband awaiting test results; families impacted by gun violence; Dr. Jesse Nicholson, Connie Batts' brother-in-law; Danni Johnson, fighting cancer; little girl diagnosed with leukemia and her family; the family of Gavin Hurley; Amanda Welford; Bruce Arey's sister; Helen Jarkiewicz; Dee going through breast cancer; Doug Dehaven; Karen Judeich; Marie, Nikol Sahai’s Mom; Irina Lee, Jan and Al Jank's daughter-in-law; Fran; Dot Forloines; Vaughn Brown; Dick Paronto; Julie Devers' friend Zenia Dacio-Messina; Hope Sutphin; Emily Wehage; Jeff Miller, Kathy Miller’s brother-in-law; Freyja Hartzell; Rebecca Echols friend, Lauren Douglas; Andy, friend of Karen Dodson; Ghazal Abawi; Mike Bartgis's cousin; Cara Moody’s father-in-law, Gary Moody Sr.; Carly & Chris Taylor, Friends of Michelle Schoonmaker; Debbie Saylor's Friends: Carlene Printy and Helen Rossum;
If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Patriceo Green at patriceobgreen@gmail.com and he will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.
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Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church | 410-674-6400 | admin@arkanddove.org | www.arkanddove.org | 8424 Piney Orchard Pkwy. Odenton, MD 21113
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