The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter
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Rejoice with Communion at both the 9:30 (choir led) and 11:00 (band led) worship services!
the celebration of God’s manifestation or self-revelation to the world in Jesus Christ!
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Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
Often when we enter a New Year, we take stock of the last year to help us get our bearings. In one of our scripture readings this coming Sunday, we will read about the Magi, in the Gospel of Matthew, who took their bearings from a star. Some of you may be reflecting on your household financial plans for 2019. Some of you might be feeling like, "Hey, I don't think the church said anything about the church Mission and Ministry plans for 2019. Hey, did I miss a stewardship campaign?"
No, you did not miss a stewardship effort. We did not have one. Instead we had a dedicated group of church leaders study stewardship with the James Company, a church stewardship consulting group. Specifically, they looked at Ark and Dove and our 27 year long path of generosity, and they decided that we needed to rework our approach to stewardship. I want to thank our team for their every careful work: Julia Kirby, James Franklin, Caroline Jones, Ben Tisdale, Steve Debus, Amita Dubois, Kim Champagne and Doug Walcutt. Together, with the James Company, they recommended that the session not run a stewardship campaign until late February / early March; pledges to begin on June 1. Session agreed.
In the meantime, the church is obviously still conducting ministry and needs your support. As you may have read in previous editions of the
Arkive, things were behind last year for the first eleven months. In fact it was looking tough, but, in December, there was generosity. There were many catch-up gifts as well as extra giving. So stepping into the New Year, stepping into this unusual time of being between two stewardship campaigns, stepping into this time of discernment, we are inviting you to continue your generosity into 2019. Please continue giving at at least the same level as 2018 and, in the interim, prayers of discernment for Ark and Dove are welcome.
Looking ahead to worship in the post Epiphany season, Pastor Jon and I, and one guest preacher, will be offering a seven week preaching series on modern prophets, religious leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries who breathed fresh life into the church. James Cone, Oscar Romero, Katie Canon, William Sloane Coffin Jr., Sister Helen Prejean, Wendell Berry, Howard Thurman and Richard Rohr; the Modern Prophets Series starts on January 20.
This Sunday January 6 is Epiphany, and we will be celebrating Communion.
As it is still the season of birth, blessed Christmas,
Tim
timsstern@gmail.com
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In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.
Matthew 2:1-2
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Guiding God, in this season of Epiphany, we are searching for your star. Bless us on our journey; shower us with your brilliance. Light up our minds; open us to epiphany. As the Magi presented gifts to the Holy Child, may we offer worthy gifts to a world in need of blessings. May we be known as wise women, men and children. Amen.
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This week, we welcome soprano Jennifer Piazza-Pick to Ark & Dove, with Norman Dello Joio's beautiful song,
A Christmas Carol. The text focuses on the light surrounding the Christ-child and by extension, the light that Christ brings to the world. The prelude is a snappy arrangement of the spiritual
Behold a Star and the choir will presenting an epiphany carol to the tune of
Beach Spring and closing out the service with a gracious benediction by Peter Lutkin.
Peace,
Margaret
Director of Music
margaret.mcgillivray@gmail.com
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Both children's choirs will resume practicing on Thursday of this week.
The Dove Choir (ages 4-6) meets at 5:30pm.
Joyful Noise choir (ages 7+) rehearses from 6:00-6:40pm.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I would like to extend my thanks to all of the musicians and volunteers that made Christmas Eve service wonderful at all three services. I am excited to get back to LOGOS (January 8, 5:30 pm), so our youth can continue to grow in their worship arts and leadership. Tuesday can't come soon enough! Huge thanks to everyone again, and I am thrilled to begin a new year at Ark and Dove!
God bless,
Pat
Director of Contemporary Music
psise11@gmail.com
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DONATE
ONLINE
!
Christmas Joy Offerin
g,
Peace and Global Witness Offering for ACT: Anne Arundel Connecting Together
,
Pledged Giving
,
Capital Savings Fund
and more!
Many opportunities
await you!
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Please start the new year in a generous way!
We are asking everyone to continue giving at the same levels they were giving during 2018 through May of 2019. You will soon receive more information estimating each family's or individual's anticipated level of giving for the first 5 months of 2019 based on 2018 giving. Holding off on changing our pledges (but not stopping our giving) will allow us to continue our discernment relating to the direction the congregation wishes to go in, as well as budgeting and operations for the church overall. We will hold a stewardship campaign in the spring of 2019 based on feedback received at the end of 2018 and 2019 budget estimates. A financial report will be provided as part of the annual report and will be discussed at the annual meeting so please mark your calendars for
January 27th
and plan to attend. Once the figures are shared for 2018, the stewardship team will begin providing monthly financial updates, which will include a budget to actual comparison.
If you are interested in working with the stewardship team, please reach out to Julia Kirby (maybe_soon98@yahoo.com) or Steve Debus (steven.debus89@gmail.com). Thank you for your continued support in helping us meet our mission objectives as a church!
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ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING!
Sunday, January 27, 5:15 to 9:00 pm. Plan to attend!
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Establish or increase EFT
here!
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BIBLE STUDY!
Starts back up, this Wednesday, January 9, 10:00 am.
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Sign up
! Baby shower, this Sunday, January 6!
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The Refugee Resettlement Team is giving a baby shower for Rose and Koko who are expecting their 2nd child in February. Htet Htoo is 5 now and was born in Malaysia while they were refugees from Myanmar, so they have nothing for this new baby. And it’s a GIRL! Sign-up online
here. It will be a potluck luncheon held after the 11:00 service. If you haven’t met the family, this is a wonderful time to meet them. Any questions, please call Debbie Arey at 508-579-7748 or email, debarey@hotmail.com.
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How do we fulfill our mission at Ark and Dove?
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Our next Equipping the Saints (ETS) discussion is coming up this
Wednesday, January 9th
, and the focus is explaining the organization of Ark and Dove. If you are a new member, consider this a “part two” of your new member class. If you are a longtime member, this can be a refresher for how things are done. Presbyterians are congregations led by members—all of us are leaders in the church and have a role in ensuring it functions the way we want it. Some of the questions we will explore are: Who can be an Elder or a Deacon? How are they selected? How long do they serve? Is there a limit to how to long you can serve? We will also have time for and encourage your questions on the church’s organization, and perhaps ways it can improve. Join us for dinner at 6:30, followed by discussions led by Pastors Tim and Jon from 7:00-8:30. Childcare and special meals can be provided. Please sign up in the lobby. Questions can be directed to Steve Debus (steven.debus89@gmail.com) or Bruce Sanders (brusanders@aol.com).
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CAP food pantry volunteer need
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if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10
Ark & Dove is a member of the Christian Assistance Program (CAP), which operates a food pantry at Severn United Methodist Church. The pantry is beginning 2019 with a few holes to fill in our monthly schedule (job descriptions listed below):
- Someone to pack bags on 3rd Tuesdays from 11 am-1 pm
- Someone to pack bags on 4th Thursdays from 3-5 pm
- Someone to greet people (also known as a "floater") on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th OR 5th Thursdays from 3-5 pm (we can schedule 5 different people, or volunteers may take on more than one week)
Packers: Pack/bag food for clients (should be able to lift up to 10 pounds; some bending and reaching is required). Our packers work in pairs and typically assist 15-30 clients per session.
Greeter/"Floater": Greet clients as they enter the church and ensure they sign in; after they sign in, transfer clients names to the Registration/Packer sheets; call clients into Registration room; help set out bread and "extra" food items and then assist clients with these items after they have been registered.
Please contact me if you are interested in taking on any of these volunteer positions or if you have any questions please contact volunteer coordinator Amy Gantt (410-733-6022), or Ark & Dove's CAP representative Greg Makar (GLMakar@juno.com, 301-483-8255).
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Featured item for January,
PASTA AND PASTA SAUCES
(semolina pasta, brown rice pasta, whole wheat, etc. / Bertolli jarred sauce, Classico jarred sauce, etc.). Please drop off food items in the Mission Zone bin. Thank you for your donations!
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Each week our church family experiences fellowship and connection in our lobby before and after worship as we welcome new visitors, connect with old and new friends and listen and share joys and concerns. These connections are important and are complemented by the chance to share a cup of coffee and nibble on snacks. Sometimes our snack table is just what's needed for a nervous new visitor to have a place to stop and linger after worship, which gives our pastors and other members a chance to say hello and make them feel welcome.
But the coffee and snacks do not appear magically. Chris Wilkens has been our Sunday fellowship coordinator for many years, providing needed hospitality and making our church more welcome for all.
Thank you Chris for all you do! But Ark and Dove needs more help to provide this hospitality. After the 11 am service, we need volunteers to help clean up the snacks and coffee. Can you spare 5-7 minutes after the 11 am service in 2019 to help this ministry?
This sign up genius lists the dates for the first three months of 2019. If you can help with this ministry of hospitality, please
sign up for a week or two. It's a small amount of time, but it's vitally important that we keep offering snacks at the 11 am service to ensure our church is a welcoming place for all. Please sign up
HERE to volunteer. Donna Anderson, Outreach and Connections Elder, donna.anderson30@aol.com
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Amy Tardiff’s father-in-law, Richard Tardiff; Declan Steward; Declan Steward’s father, Daryl; Joan Berry’s son, Bryan Flom; James Franklin’s father, Homer; Jay Olson; Kameron and Kamarii Miller; Karen Dodson; Cliff Wellington’s father, Roy; Cheryl Walcutt’s sister, Judy Walsh; Amanda Wehage’s family; Jon Nelson’s aunt, Linda, and grandmother, Peggy; Chip Burnett; Laura Doughty's aunt, Marie; Ylonda Fauntleroy's aunt, Bernice Taylor and Ylonda Fauntleroy’s and Michelle Schoonmaker’s aunt, Alice Turner; Diane Johnson's aunt; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Vaughn Brown and his sister, Kathie, and brother, Jim; Ann Hirschy; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom; Frances Keyes; Dot Forloines; Helene Marchand-Stancil; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Julia Kirby's mother, Margaret Floyd; Amy Carskadon's nephew; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; Sue Hanburger's grandson, Enzo; Laura Rockwell's friend, Adam Hurst; Edie and Richard Budd; Dotty Kaufmann's grandson, Nathan; Amy Benson's family; Lisa Mezaache’s friend, Pearl McNamara; Annetta Fenstermacher’s sister, Margaret; Dorene Chen’s grandfather, Tian Tao Li; Christy Hipchen’s cousin, Corey; David Michels; Dakota Miller; Clarence Scott; Marlene and Doug DeHaven; Mike Stefanick; Jerri Webb’s friend, Mary Van Orten; Thomas Kochis; the family of Stephen Carlisle; Brenna Kirby’s friend, Cole Martinez; Nikki Barrow; Damien Sergeant; Matthew Hagemann’s friend, Michael Prosperi; and Doug Mattingly’s mother.
PRAYERS OF SUPPORT go out to the guests and churches involved with Winter Relief this week: Our lady of the Fields, St. Philips Episcopal and St. Christopher’s Rejoice Fellowship/Christ Lutheran.
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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