The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter
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Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,
Today is Juneteenth (the 19th of June ). A day when we celebrate the emancipation of the last slaves in the Confederacy after Union troops took control of Texas. The following order was issued:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freed men are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
—
General Orders, Number 3
; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865
As far as proclamations go, this one seems to foreshadow the Jim Crow oppression and racism that African Americans have had to endure since 1865, nonetheless Juneteenth has become the most widespread celebration of emancipation and the richness of black culture in our nation. Do offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the end of slavery in our country, and please continue to pray for an end to racism and injustice. It is what we are called to do.
The Session is setting its eyes on late summer for the resumption of limited in-person worship for Ark and Dove.
Livestream worship
will continue and here is to stay. As far as in-person worship goes, we continue to work on the details and want you to wrap your minds around the concept of attendance by reservation, or RSVP worship. Because of the blessing and necessity for social distancing, we will not be able to fit our regular numbers of people in the sanctuary, and it is possible that more people may want to attend than we have safe space for. That's just one of the scores of details we need to address before we come together. Although we are accustomed to making reservations for restaurants and buying tickets for shows, RSVP worship will require us to retrain our thinking about worship. If you have thoughts, Worship Elder, Ellen Makar, Pastor Jon and I would love to get an e-mail.
May God richly bless you on this day of emancipation.
Tim
timsstern@gmail.com
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Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
Discipleship is difficult. Our Sunday scripture lessons in Matthew, last week and this, make that abundantly clear. Jesus tells his disciples that they are to go to the afflicted, aggrieved, marginalized, and burdened with no more than their message. He warns them they will be rejected, accused, arrested, and hated. Jesus even says that the calling will tear apart families.
I know you know this. Following Jesus in these months of pandemic have required of us great patience, sacrifice, and adaptability. Following Jesus after the brutal murders of Black men and women in our nation has demanded that we listen to those we have ignored, examine our implicit bias and complicit behavior, and speak what we have not been willing to say before. Hard as all this is, it is understandable that we might fall back from following.
Still the call of Jesus Christ beckons us forward to care for the vulnerable and do justice for the wronged. We cannot tire from this work. Difficult as it may be, Jesus promises that those who engage in this work are
blessed--a word that also means happy. There is happiness to be found in the hard work that is mercy and justice. That happiness may be found just after we have pushed beyond our perceived limits. Jesus promises to be with us in it. Perhaps that is the reason why Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that not only is there a cost to being a disciple, but
discipleship is joy.
Peace,
Jon
jnelson@arkanddove.org
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Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
-Matthew 10:29-31
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Loving God: there are moments when fear grips us, when we are struck by the terrors of life and the hatred of others. Hold us in your hands, as you would catch a falling sparrow. Comfort us with the knowledge that you know us better than we know ourselves. Uplift us with a sure sense of how much you value us. Embraced, comforted, honored, we can face the world with love. Amen.
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I confess that the prelude is little strange for me this week. Usually I have the honor of collaborating with a soloist or playing a solo. But this time, I'm playing a duet with myself thanks to the wonders of technology. The duet is a transcription of a Bach chorale by Hungarian pianist, György Kurtág. Kurtág and his wife were noted pedagogues, and he transcribed many pieces for piano duet or duo for his students. I found a YouTube video a few months ago of him playing this particular duet with his wife a few years before she died. It is transcendent, and their connection to each other and the music in the performance made it even more apparent.
We're so excited to have the children of Ark & Dove as worship leaders this week, singing 'Jesus Loves Me'. This has been such fun to put together, and I hope you sing along with them! Many thanks to Ryan Stavely for putting the video together.
Peace,
Margaret
Director of Music
margaret.mcgillivray@gmail.com
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This week the band recorded 'Jesus Move' as the anthem. We chose this both as a call to action for injustices we see in our community and world, and also as a call to follow what Jesus would do for those in need. By leading our community, as Jesus would, we become better disciples of his love and message. The band is also going to be premiering a new song! It is the doxology response after the offertory. It's called 'The Doxology'. The words are from William B. Abernathy with some additions that I made, and I wrote the music. We hope you enjoy it!
God bless,
Pat
Director of Contemporary Music
psise11@gmail.com
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TEXT your donations! 410-983-3481
Text
give to get started. Text
commands for more options.
- Text an amount followed by stream to contribute
- Text an amount followed by GoodSam to contribute
You will be enriched in every good way for your generosity….
- 2 Corinthians 9:11
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Third Sunday After Pentecost
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When We Wear Masks,
We Clothe Ourselves in Love
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The Cross and the Lynching Tree
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Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi. George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Jesus Christ was crucified on Golgotha.
James Cone wanted us to see the connection between these three killings. Famed artist, Chance the Rapper, tweeted Cone's reflections in the wake of Floyd's murder, making Cone all the more relevant to a new audience. In Cone's book,
The Cross and the Lynching Tree, he helps us to see how Christ has been and is crucified on American soil. His book is a sober look at the injustices done to black and brown bodies, including Jesus of Nazareth. It is also an exploration of the ways musical artists, theologians, and writers found hope in seeing Jesus in contemporary suffering.
On
June 23, 7 pm, Pastor Tim and I will host a discussion on Cone's provocative identification of Jesus of Nazareth with the sufferings of black persons in America. We encourage you to pick up and read Cone's short book in advance, but you do not have to read the book to participate. Our discussion will include music and poetry. If you would like to join, please contact Pastor Jon at (jnelson@arkanddove.org).
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Thursdays at 3:00 pm
on Zoom. Please contact Pastor Tim (timsstern@gmail.com) to receive an invitation.
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This summer, Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church will be offering a virtual Summer Bible Club for kids, Kindergarten through 5th grade. There will be opportunities for youth and adults to get involved too! We will be adapting five lessons of the Vacation Bible School Curriculum "On Earth, as in Heaven", for five weeks of Summer Bible Club fun. The program invites children and adults to (re)-experience the
Lord's Prayer and to see the connections between prayer and service in the world. There will be a combination of online, family and Zoom activities. Summer Bible Club will start the week of
July 13.
REGISTER NOW! In the meantime, any adult or middle and high school youth interested in helping out (online/at home game and craft ideas, group leaders, music, AV, stories) can contact Christina Nelson, christinajoy87@gmail.com or Linda Lewis, lclewis022@gmail.com.
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Summer Sunday School for elementary aged children will continue using the Holy Moly program from 9am to 9:30am on Sunday mornings. If you are interested in teaching or being the second adult on zoom, please contact Julie Devers at jbdevers@gmail.com.
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We are the
Youth Rising Coalition
; an ambitious group of like-minded 14 to 24-year-old entrepreneurs and youth with a firm belief in job creation in Baltimore. In the city, employment is scarce. Youth do not wish to work in fruitless jobs earning below a living wage. Our solution is youth entrepreneurship and enterprise, allowing us to create opportunities for ourselves and our families, and be a model for other youth in the city. We are creative and full of hustle: all we need is the support of the community to improve our own lives and the lives of those like us. So, we are calling upon youth and adults, business owners, community leaders, and youth organizations, and people wanting to put their faith into action, to support and join our movement. The Presbytery of Baltimore is a proud partner and sponsor of the Youth Rising Coalition.
You can help by filling out the pledge form found on their
website
! Cheryl Schafer, Mission Elder, csscas@verizon.net
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Livestream Equipment, Subscription and Services Fees
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The
streaming services fund
connects us during our most trying times through
livestream
and Zoom. Worship services and programs can now be viewed through
livestream
and Zoom when in person participation is not possible. Thank you for contributing to this crucial fund that strengthens our church home and our whole community.
Please
donate online
or text an amount followed by
stream
to
410-983-3481.
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Antiracism and Social Equity
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First Thursday Film Discussion
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I recently attended a panel discussion regarding the movie “Just Mercy.” The discussion was the first in a series of film discussions being sponsored and facilitated by the leadership of the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project. The discussion was engaging and challenging to some of my understandings.
If you haven’t seen “Just Mercy,” it is a good introduction to difficult anti-racism work. The movie tells the story of Bryan Stevenson’s work as the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. The work of EJI is geared toward equal representation of death row inmates who may have been wrongly convicted of felony crimes. Walter McMillian, played by Jamie Foxx, is the inmate that the movie follows to the end.
At the end of the movie, Bryan Stevenson spoke these words at the US Senate hearing on the Death Penalty. “…Through this work, I’ve learned that each of us is more than the worst thing that we’ve ever done. That the opposite of poverty isn’t wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice. That the character of our nation isn’t reflected in how we treat the rich and the privileged, but how we treat the poor, the disfavored and condemned. Our system has taken more away from this innocent man than it has the power to give back. But I believe if each of us can follow his lead, we can change this world for the better. If we can look at ourselves closely, and honestly, I believe we will see that we all need justice. We all need mercy. And perhaps, we all need some measure of unmerited grace. Thank you.”
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The Maryland Lynching Memorial Project will be offering First Thursday film discussions each month. On July 2, will be the film “Rigged, The Voter Suppression Playbook.” From their website: “The cause and course of racial justice in our nation is intimately bound to the outcome of the 2020 election. It’s therefore incumbent upon all of us to understand the grave and imminent threat that voter suppression poses to “free and fair elections” and what we, as citizens, can do to protect the vote and our democracy.” Watch the film “Rigged” on your own time and then register for the discussion at
https://www.mdlynchingmemorial.org/events
The film is available on Amazon, either free on Prime or just $2.99 to rent. For more info about the film see
here
. Hope you'll join us for the discussion.
Lori Kronser
Ark and Dove Antiracism and Social Equity team
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If you are looking for some fun on Saturday night, join the Deacons to play Codenames over Zoom! Codenames is like a board game that is very easy to play virtually--it's not a video game. Get an invitation to the Zoom meeting from eemakar@aol.com. Get the game at www.horsepaste.com/deacons. There is no sign up, download, or registration. You will need to tile your screens, to be able to see Zoom and the game at the same time. It is best to play on a computer, for size. Saturdays at 8 PM.
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for John Mikeska; Sean Futch; John Rolewicz; Adell Gaurin; Hollis Butterworth’s daughter, Rachel Mershont and brother-in-law, Brian Smith; Joan and Merlin Berry; Amanda Wehage’s mother, sister and father, Dave; Bruce and Debbie Arey and their daughter, Allison; Debbie Arey’s aunt, Linda Rose; Ben Rollins’ sister, Caroline; Zach Murray’s father, Kelly Murray; Becky Marcus; Fred Barrow; Carlton Jackson; Sabonna Keeney’s mother; Pattie Plander; Richard and Edie Budd; Daryl Sensenig; Amy Grimm’s sister and grandparents and Amy’s father; Laurie and Fred Barrow’s niece, Hope Simeone, nephew, Samuel, and Fred’s aunt, Lee; Bernabe Solano; Griselda Solano's sister, Irma; Kathy Miller’s sisters, Patty and Beth; Dotty Kaufman, her son, Bill, daughter-in-law, Carol, and granddaughter, Sarah; Ellen Makar’s uncle, Carl Erickson; Laura Doughty’s brother-in-law, Carl Hahn; Bob Johns; Cindy Knott’s mother, Madeline; Debbie Saylor’s two friends and her uncle, Wayne; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman and Laura’s friend; Bill Ruble’s mother, Mary Jane Weathers, and Shane and Aubrey Ard and Ashley Ruble; Stan Houck and Ann Hirschy; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Pat Dole; Chip Burnett; Kelly Burnett’s nephew, Justin; Dot Forloines; Dorene Chen’s family; Lewis Shorter and niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Patriceo Green’s brother and sister; Jennifer and Shawn Ralston’s niece; Archer and Honor Bauman’s grandfather, Larry; Kennon Bauman's colleague Clint; the Tardiff family; Brian Boudreau’s cousin, Valery Householder; Kameron and Kamarii Miller; Cheryl Walcutt’s mother, nephew, and sisters, Judy Walsh, Lori Henninger and Lori Johnson; Ylonda Fauntleroy's aunt, Bernice Taylor; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Vaughn Brown; Frances Keyes; Julia Kirby's mother, Margaret Floyd, cousin, Judy, niece Amy Heiny, and friend Barb Cleland; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; Amy Benson's family and Amy’s friend, Brian Shriner; Lou Kareha’s friends, Thomas and Judy Kochis, Nellie Eboli, and Jim Zaranosky; Margaret McGillivray's friend, Kim Nolet and neighbor John Romero; Michelle Schoonmaker's Auntie Bernice and friends Amaris Wallace, Caitlin Flowers, Liam Flowers, Lexie Kier Charbal, Eloise Kier Charbal; Linnie Girdner and Jan Hof’s friends, Grace Ligon and Skip Dorrell; Tracy Churchill’s friend, Tammy; Jerri Webb’s friend, Chuck Mabry; Kim Young's friend, Joyce Miller; the Yeagers’ older neighbors and Rob Yeager’s friend, Kareh Schell; Connie Kinnick’s friend, Robbie Heverling; Amy Hagemann’s friend, Gayle Medford; Mo Gaba; and Doug Mattingly’s mother.
PRAYERS OF LOVE, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION for all hospital staff, patients, clinics, grocers, essential workers and hourly workers around the world, who are working bravely and arduously to protect our loved ones and our communities. Including: Becca Distad; Jack Burnett; Caitlyn Bussey; Emily Sanders; Audrey Miller; Linda Jordan’s nephew, Russell; Diane Johnson’s grandson; the Ralston’s family members and friends; Simone Stiegler’s friend, Jean Marie; Mike Stiegler; Amy Grimm’s mother; Jeff Grimm; Amy Goldberg’s brother, Joseph Alexander, and parents, Michael and Maryann Cooper; Judy Cooper’s daughter; John Mikeska’s son, Jonathan; and Hollis Butterworth’s sister-in-law, Cyndie.
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE
from the Dubois family, Amita, Camille and Calixte, on the birth of Miranda Fina Dubois.
THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the Walcutt and Newborn families on the death of Cheryl Walcutt's aunt, Elsie Newborn.
THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the families of those who are battling COVID-19: Dot Forloines' friend, Monique Nelson; Laura Willoughby’s friend, James Carberry; Cliff and Wendy Wellington’s neighbor’s daughter, Lisa; and Deborah Dingle’s daughter’s fiancé, Sergio.
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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