Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

Easter is a season of awe and wonder at resurrection. I was awed on Sunday. I will admit, I was a bit tired Sunday morning, but my eyes were opened by the amazing music. At 9:30, the choir and orchestra moved me with anthems and hymns. There were several times that Pastor Tim and I said, "Wow!" The Hallelujah Chorus, now an essential tradition of ours, was as powerful as ever at both services. At 11:00, the bass and drums kept me tapping, and the emphatic choruses stretched my vocal ranges (I hope my mic was not on), but it was during the now familiar Unstoppable God that I was caught up singing with conviction. Thank you choir and band, thank you all, for sweeping me into this awesome Easter season.

This week is "Joy and Laughter Sunday", a set of services wherein we tell jokes and proclaim with audacity that sin and death have no final sway over us. It is a tradition of old to laugh at evil on the second week of Easter because of the promise of the resurrection. We do not need to fear, sin has lost its power, death lost its sting, God's love wins. Please (please!) send in your holy humor to me so that we don't have to suffer through "Dad jokes," as one of our deacons called some of our lamer jokes. I can't promise you will be rolling over in laughter on Sunday, but I promise that you will laugh.

Easter blessings,

Pastor Jon

jgnelson1985@gmail.com

Molly Churchill, in anticipation of her senior recital, will be presenting Jane Smisor Bastien's Song Without Words for prelude music. Molly is a student of Christina Nelson. After a wonderful Holy Week and Easter, we welcome the members of our youth choir on Sunday for the anthem, Jimmy Owens' version of Make a Joyful Noise. You may even see some surprising instruments being used in the service!

Peace,

Margaret

Director of Music

margaret.mcgillivray@gmail.com

Easter was wonderful! Beautiful weather, and the band and choir did an amazing job with the services. Many thanks to all whose volunteer and dedicate time to glorify the resurrection of Jesus!

This Sunday is Joy and Laughter. Don't miss all the jokes that the pastors tell, or attempt to tell. ;) It really is such a special service.

I would still like to call volunteers who are interested in joining the audio team. You will receive training on how to run the board for the band. I need three more people to get a decent rotating schedule going so it's not left to one person each week or left vacant. Thank you!

God bless,

Pat

Director of Contemporary Music

psise11@gmail.com

Thank you to all who have already submitted their pledges for the upcoming cycle, which runs from June 2019 through December of 2020. We are asking that everyone to continue to give at or above the 2018 giving level as this will help us maintain a stable budget. As the stewardship team continues to do some initial analysis of the 70 pledges received to date, I would like to remind everyone of the importance of pledging. First, this is a demonstration of one of the six marks of discipleship, being a generous giver. These gifts are of BOTH your time and treasure. Second, the operations of the church are the responsibility of the congregation, and our session takes direction on how we want to spend our funding. Part of our operating budget goes to things like regular repair and maintenance of our building and grounds. As we enter the rainy season of spring, challenges with upkeep may become more apparent. We spent a great deal last year on the roof, HVAC and siding (approximately $120,000) and have more that we need to do. Third, we as a church need to be fiscally responsible, which includes operating with an effective and well-managed budget. Without knowing what gifts will be received, it is very difficult to plan how best to spend the resources we have available. The full budget, including salaries and operating expenses, is shared with all the members and voted on during the annual meeting. If you have questions about the budget or spending, please ask me--Julia Kirby--or Steve Debus, and we will get you the information you are seeking. If you are hesitating to pledge, as you expect your circumstances will change, I would still encourage you to pledge and make that pledge realistic for your situation. If you need to change it later, you can do so. 

Per capita payments are also still being received--to date we have received $5,531 of the approximate $10,000 allocation we must pay. Thank you to the 82 individuals/families who have paid, and an extra thank you to those who have paid in excess of their $37 per member cost. With over 265 members on our books, we are still missing this payment from a significant number of our members. Please mark your per capita payment so that we can get it in the right place. If you can't remember if you have paid, again, please just ask, and we can confirm for you! 

We are trying hard to take the mystery out of our church finances. We will be sending out confirmation letters to everyone who has pledged to date. Please place your pledge card in the offering plate or leave it in the office. I will be providing the financial update for April soon. This will keep everyone up-to-date on expected income versus received income, as we want no surprises in the fall. Additionally, I received a recommendation to highlight some of our spending activities, so that people can better understand some of where our funds are spent. I will be trying to incorporate this as well. If you have ideas on updates you would like to receive or any questions, please reach out to any of our stewardship team members. 

It's not too late to sign up for this year's GenOn Youth Summit! The Summit is a national gathering of high school youth (those completing grade 8 or above this year), college-aged young adults, and the adults who love them. Over TWENTY of us from Ark & Dove will be headed to Wheeling, WV from July 14-20, and we've saved room for YOU! If you'd like more information, please reach out to Kelly Burnett (kellyb327@aol.com)

The Facilities ministry is desperate for team leaders and volunteers. It takes many hands to keep our facilities and property in adequate condition to host the many Ark and Dove , and outside group events every week. 

If any of these opportunities interest you, or you would simply like more information, please contact Rob Yeager Facilities@arkanddove.org.

Join us for another round of Pub Theology, May 1, 7 pm at Frisco Tap House. The night's question: is there a place for politics in church? Please contact Pastor Jon, jgnelson1985@gmail.com.

Interested in reading popular fiction and nonfiction that engages Christian faith? Join Ark and Dove's book club. April's book is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. We will meet for lunch on Sunday, May 5. RSVP: Pastor Jon (jgnelson1985@gmail.com).

You shall be called the repairer of the breach - Isaiah 58:12

 

(Now available! Donate to One Great Hour Hour of Sharing via 410-983-3481. Text the dollar amount, space bar and GreatHour !)

Through your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing, over 5,000 projects in economically poor communities in the United States and around the world have had an opportunity to develop solutions to their own challenges. Please give generously to One Great Hour of Sharing Cheryl Schafer, Mission Elder csscas@verizon.net

On May 21st from 6 - 9 pm we are providing space in our church for an important training called Dismantling Racism: One Conversation at a Time. This training is sponsored by the White Ally Toolkit, local Coming to the Table groups, and the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice. More about the event is here and will be in upcoming editions of the Arkive. As there may be up to 250 people, the volunteers from the sponsoring organizations could use some Ark and Dove folks' help with directing parking and greeting. Please let me know if you are interested by texting me at 410-999-7892 or emailing me at girdnerlinda@gmail.com.  

Save the date! Sunday May 19th 2-4pm . Learn to talk to your kids about race and racism. We are currently arranging a speaker. Childcare will be provided. Please contact Jen Roman at jroman8414@gmail.com if you’re interested so we can determine the number of parents and the ages of children who might be attending.

This Saturday, April 27 2019 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM First National Antiracist Book Fair at The American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC . This event is being hosted by the Antiracist Research and Policy Center founded by Ibram X. Kendi, author of Stamped from the Beginning. "This free community book festival brings nationally renowned authors to engage in panel discussions on topics ranging from how to improve racial diversity in children's literature to what it means to be an antiracist public intellectual. The festival also features children’s activities and readings, poetry slams, refreshments and book sales courtesy of Politics & Prose .” More info here . Tickets need to be purchased for some of the main stage events here .