The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter |
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Joy and Laughter Sunday
April 24, 2022
In-Person Worship at 9:00 and 10:30 am, every Sunday!
*Sunday School for Pre-K-5th Grade during 10:30 am Worship, every Sunday!
You can connect on YouTube HERE.
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Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,
Many thanks to our diverse array of musicians who led beautiful music at both Easter Services on Easter Sunday. We all deeply appreciate your generous sharing of your gifts. It was a great Easter and felt much more like pre-pandemic times.
Years ago, I came across this quote but now I cannot remember who wrote it. “On Christmas morning we find the manger full of life; on Easter morning we find the tomb empty of death, We know the whole truth now; death is not the end, and life as we know it is only the beginning of life.” Easter is more than a single Sunday, we will continue to celebrate resurrection joy for six more weeks. This Sunday is Joy and Laughter Sunday, we share church and religious Jokes that you have provided during the year. Some are really funny.
Thank you to Brian Boudreau who served as Clerk of Session for these last two years plus. (Which means he came on board forty days before we entered our Covid Journey) Brian was an excellent Clerk, a key leader during times when we as a church had to pivot on a dime to deal with an ever changing landscape. Brian and Abbey, Wren and Walker will be moving to France for three years because of work opportunity for Brian; so Brian has resigned as Clerk. He goes with our deep gratitude, as does Abbey who has served recently as our Interim Co-Director of Children’s music. We look forward to welcoming back the Boudreaus in three years.
Although the job of the Clerk is officially to record the “transactions” of the Session and the congregation, Clerks of Session often set the tone and example for lay leadership in the church and sometimes work as peacemakers when different points of view are expressed on session and in the congregation. The Session is pleased to announce that they have elected Autumn Vernon as our new Clerk. We look forward to her leadership in our midst.
Tim
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Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
This Sunday is Joy and Laughter. You have great responsibility for this service. It is one where we take on an ancient tradition of rejoicing over death's defeat and laughing at evil's eventual demise. During this service, we tell mostly appropriate religious jokes sent to us. You bear responsibility, then, for how funny or cringeworthy the service will be. So I implore you: send us some jokes!
Speaking of people who have taken on the responsibility of providing joy and laughter: Brian Boudreau will be with us for the last time this Sunday, before he leaves for a three year assignment in France. Over the course of a miserable pandemic, Brian hosted "The Lobby," which has given us all many chances to connect, rejoice, and laugh when we needed that most. That same time, Brian served as our Clerk of Session. As such, he made and helped us make some of the more difficult decisions we have faced as a church. I believe that Brian is partly responsible for getting us where we are now: a vibrant church ready to move forward into the future. I am deeply thankful for Brian's leadership on Session, in "The Lobby," and in worship. Maybe he will tune in from France.
In the spirit of gratitude, I am immensely thankful for the many church leaders that made Holy Week as meaningful as it was. I rejoice in what God is doing in and through Ark and Dove.
Peace,
Pastor Jon
Jon
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The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus...
-Acts 5: 30
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Dear God,
Thank you for your goodness and mercy. You are a mighty God and death could not hold you. You took away the sting of death. Help us to live in the grace of your resurrection. Your resurrection has brought us hope that one day we will be with you. We pray for our nation, that through your resurrection we will regain resilience and be able to free ourselves from the chains of bondage.
Amen.
-Claudio Carvalhaes, in Liturgies from Below
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Wow! Holy Week was one to remember. Thank you to the dedicated members of the choir who put a tremendous amount of time and dedication into making the services so special. There are many things that I love about being at Ark and Dove. One of my favorite things is that I get to collaborate with Tim and Jon, and so many great musicians who are dedicated to being worship leaders. I need to also give a special shoutout to Christa Kronser and Diane Yates for leading the music for the Maundy Thursday service, and to Paula Sparks for her beautiful playing in the services and for being at many rehearsals, which allowed me to conduct the choir. Thank you, also, to Dorene Chen, Brittany Wellington, Hsiang-yu (Sean) Meng, Paul Doughty and Ryan Stavely for their musical additions this past week. What a great team!
As I get ready to prepare for my transition from being a full time professor at Morgan State University and move to your full time Director of Music in just a few short weeks, one of my first tasks is to reimagine the contemporary music and the band. To prepare, I have been doing listening sessions with each member of the band, and closely studying what other churches are doing with their contemporary music. We have a wonderfully committed group of musicians and I have many exciting ideas flowing. I will look forward to sharing those with you in one of my upcoming Arkive articles after I share them with the band this coming week. In the meantime, I am grateful for Paul Doughty and Ryan Stavely for jumping in with me this week to sing “Joy” by Rend Collective, so that I can give our other singers a much-needed break this week. I will also sing “A Thousand Hallelujahs” by Brooke Ligertwood to open each service. Next week, we are excited to hear the Children’s Choir sing with the Adult Choir on an arrangement of “Blessed Assurance”.
With love,
Rebecca
Director of Music
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DONATE ONLINE! One-time and recurring!
TEXT your donations! 410-983-3481
Text give to get started. Text commands for more options.
To donate for Ukraine help, text amount followed by Ukraine.
To donate to One Great Hour of Sharing, text amount followed by GreatHour.
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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First Quarter Giving Statements |
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From the Stewardship Team - Check your inbox! First Quarter Giving Statements have been sent out. If you have not seen yours yet, check your spam folder as sometimes these emails are inaccurately marked as spam. Thank you for your continued support of Ark and Dove! Overall, we are a little behind in expected pledged giving for the year. If you have fallen behind, this is a great time to play catch up before all the summer fun takes many of us away on vacation. Please take this opportunity to review your Giving Statement. If you have any questions or comments please reach out to our Giving Statement Coordinator, Steve Debus at [email protected].
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Bulletin - Joy and Laughter Sunday |
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Climate Change Presentation |
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To commemorate Earth Day, Bob Fuller will give the presentation “Caring for Creation Today” on Friday April 22 at 7:30 pm. Please contact Bob Fuller at [email protected] for the zoom invitation. The presentation will discuss how climate change impacts the ministry of the church.
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The usher teams are seeking new ushers for both Sunday worship services. Ushers provide hospitality and help ensure a smooth service of worship. Training is provided, and you can ease into it by “shadowing” one of the current lead ushers. We would like to add at least two ushers to each team. If you want to sign up or just learn more, please contact Greg Makar at 301-483-8255; [email protected].
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Presbytery Baltimore Strategic Plan Listening Session |
Please join the Bay Area Disciples Thursday, April 28 at 7:00 pm for a virtual focus group meeting. In order for the Presbytery to more effectively support its members, it is essential that its programs and resources are responsive to the needs and aspirations of every one of its churches. This assessment and re-alignment can only be possible with your feedback! Please visit: BaltimorePresbytery.org/Plan for more information and a link to register.
In our listening sessions, we are asking individuals to imagine themselves in the shoes of different stakeholder groups that might be different from their own. These same questions are below. For each set of questions, put yourself in the position of someone from the group mentioned (e.g. member of a local congregation, pastor or ruling elder, etc). If you identify within this group, simply answer as yourself.
For these two questions, imagine that you are a member of a local congregation…
1. As a member of a larger community of believers (the Presbytery of Baltimore), what role do you hope the Presbytery plays (or think it can play) in your daily life?
2. When you think about your faith journey and what God is calling you to be and do in the world, how can the Presbytery support that journey?
For these three questions, imagine that you are a pastor or an elder of a congregation in the PoB…
1. When you think about guiding and supporting members of your flock, what one or two things do you hope the Presbytery can provide or equip you with?
2. In your personal faith journey, what resource or support can the Presbytery provide you with to deepen your relationship with Christ?
3. We often think that adding things to what we already provide as the only way of helping someone, if the Presbytery could eliminate or reduce one or two things, what would they be?
For these two questions, imagine that you are a member of the local community surrounding your church (but that you do not attend)…
1. What might God be calling the Presbytery of Baltimore to do within your local community? 2. As you have been salt and light within your community, how could the Presbytery support you?
Additional Questions:
1. As apostles of reconciliation, we are called to serve those on the margins, what role do you believe the Presbytery has in support of the challenge?
2. In what ways does the Presbytery get in the way of this call?
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Refugee Resettlement: Assistance Needed
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Presently we are in need of temporary garage space for furniture donations. Our refugee family will be arriving soon and will have many upcoming needs. If you are able to share your garage space, please contact Debbie Arey at 1-(508)-579-7748 or [email protected].
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Ark and Dove to Sponsor an Afghan Refugee Family
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We are weeks away from being paired with a family from Afghanistan! The Refugee Resettlement team will be partnering with the team from First Presbyterian Church in Annapolis to sponsor this family. There will be many opportunities for anyone interested in supporting them. Please see the insert in Sunday's worship bulletin and on the bulletin board in the lobby to donate furniture and/or household items for the apartment that we will be responsible for setting up. Please contact Debbie Arey at [email protected], if you are interested in joining the team!
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The Earth Care Team will meet Wednesday April 27, 2022 at 7:30 on Zoom to review projec5 status and discuss new ideas. If you are interested in attending contact Bob Fuller at [email protected] for the Zoom invitation. All are welcome to attend. |
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The Antiracism and Social Equity Team and GLEAM are joining together for a peaceful demonstration on Friday, April 29, 4:00 - 6:00 pm. We will be supporting Black Lives and LGBTQIA+ lives. Signs will be provided, or you are invited to bring your own positive message. Join us for an hour if you can! Please contact Paula Sparks-[email protected] or Amy Tardiff-[email protected].
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STAIR is Looking for Volunteers |
Ark and Dove has an ongoing relationship with Start The Adventure In Reading (STAIR). STAIR -Annapolis is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that helps public school second graders throughout Anne Arundel County improve basic literacy skills. They work with AACPS to identify students reading below grade level and pair them with dedicated volunteer tutors. Students and tutors work together, one-on-one, each week to practice skills and share the joy of reading. They are currently seeking volunteers to serve as tutors and Site Coordinators at Nantucket Elementary School and Severn Elementary School for the 2022-2023 school year. No prior teaching or tutoring experience is required! Volunteers must only have a passion for early literacy and a desire to help a child become a better reader. Learn more at stairannapolis.org/volunteer.
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Ukranian Relief Aid Special Offering |
You can help people in Ukraine with special offerings to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). To donate for Ukraine help, visit our online donation page, text amount followed by Ukraine, to 410-983-3481, or simply notate on your check 'Ukraine'.
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Anti-Racism and Social Equity |
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Building The Beloved Community |
"Our goal is to create the Beloved Community, and this will require an inner change in the quality of our soul as well as an outer change in the quantity of our compassionate action."
--- Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Anti-Racism/Social Justice team invites you to join us for the following opportunities:
April 26 - 7PM
Affinity Group Discussion - zoom follow up for participants of our "Nice Racism" study
RACISM 101 and RACISM 102 has been CANCELLED
Presentations of Racism 101 and Racism 102 scheduled for April 24th and May 1st have been cancelled. Follow the Arkive and weekly announcements for other opportunities.
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Ark & Dove Branding Refresh Working Group |
Do you want to help give Ark and Dove’s “brand” a refresh? An Ark and Dove style and branding guide is being developed and we want your help! Ark & Dove is turning 30 this year, there is no better time to make sure our messaging is on point. An interest meeting is being held Friday, April 29th at 7:30 pm by zoom. Contact Katie Nilsen-Johnson (Outreach and Connections) at [email protected]. |
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This zoom class on Tuesday, May 10, 7:00- 8:30 pm, will talk about ways we can expand our language to be more inclusive, practice using singular they/them pronouns, talk about how to affirm folks who don’t use pronouns or use more than one pronoun, and share ways we can step-up to interrupt bias-based behaviors in support the LGBTQIA+ community. Questions or to attend contact Amy Tardiff at [email protected]. |
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Ministry and Membership Class |
Come learn more about the life and ministry of Ark and Dove and how you could get involved! An informational, no-obligation ministry and membership class will be held Saturday, May 21st from 9am -11am with breakfast available, childcare can be provided if needed. Email Outreach and Connections Elder, Katie Nilsen-Johnson with any questions or to RSVP ( [email protected]). |
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Fellowship Hour is Back and Needs Your Help! |
With the lower positivity numbers and nicer weather (take that, Puxatawny Phil!), the fellowship table will be returning outside, with snacks and coffee. Are you an early bird? Bargain (healthy-ish) shopper? Like to hang out after 2nd service? We need your help! Folks are needed to set up before first service and especially to clean up after 2nd service. It doesn’t have to be every Sunday! For more information or to sign up to help, email Outreach and Connections Elder Katie Nilsen-Johnson: [email protected].
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Chime Choir: 4th - 8th graders |
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Chime Choir is a new group for older kids starting at Ark and Dove this spring. We are limiting the group to children between 4th grade and 8th grade and plan to make some music and have fun with our church chimes (handbells). We will be meeting every Tuesday, starting April 19th and meeting from 6:30 pm - 7:15 pm in the Marshall Room. No prior music experience necessary, but children with experience reading music are encouraged to join us and help others learn. Our first opportunity for playing in worship will be for Children's Music Sunday on May 22nd at the 10:30 am service. Contact the Children's Choir Co-Directors, Abbey Boudreau at [email protected] or Christina Nelson at [email protected] for any questions. We can't wait to see you there! |
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Children's Choir: Preschool - 8th graders |
Children’s Choir for ages preschool through middle school continues to meet every Sunday at 9:45 am in the Marshall room. We dismiss the children in time to go to the 10:30 service with their families. This is just a starting place for us and we plan to have rehearsals on weekdays once LOGOS finishes. Email Abbey Boudreau at [email protected] or Christina Nelson at [email protected] for any questions. We look forward to seeing your children!
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Adult Christian Education |
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Ark and Dove Book Club - Special Summer Book Series |
Join Pastor Jon and Kim Champagne for a discussion of Marilynne Robinson’s highly acclaimed novel “Gilead” on Tuesday, May 17th at 7:30pm. If you enjoy this novel, perhaps you will also consider joining us as we read through the rest of the books in the Gilead series this summer: “Home” (June 21st), “Lila” (July 19th) and “Jack” (August 16th). All meetings will be held on Zoom at 7:30. Email Kim Champagne for additional information and a zoom link ([email protected])
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Youth Christian Education |
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Children and Youth Programs |
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LOGOS our Tuesday night children’s program is done for the school year. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a success. We’ll see you in the fall!
Middle and high school youth group will continue to meet on Sundays.
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LOGOS Memories/Celebration Video |
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Memorial Service for
Christine Caufield-Noll
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Tomorrow, April 23, a memorial service for Christine Caufield-Noll will be held at Huntingdon Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania. The service will be livestreamed. Please contact [email protected] for the link. |
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Amy Tardiff's friend's family, who's son has COVID; Dot Forloines, who is recovering from a heart attack; Daughter’s college friend; friends and family of Alexander Miller who has passed away; MaryLou Dulina; Carol Saylor’s sister-in-law dying of stomach cancer, and granddaughter being bullied at school; Debbie Saylor's Family: Richard Jasper, Wayne Rennex and Alison Buffington; A child suffering from depression; Family members with COVID; Alvin Dennis and Audrey Price; Asthon Borsella, heart surgery; Charlotte Davie, praises for improving health; Donna Williams, recovering from surgery; Courtney Dudley Thomas, recovering from a stroke; Tiffany Thompson, starting a new round of cancer treatments; Courtney, Deborah Dingle’s niece, in the hospital suffering from brain cancer; Debbie Arey’s sister suffering from life-long chemo; Cameron Jackson, Ylonda Fauntleroy’s cousin, dealing with a difficult situation; Anna Scofield; Michelle Schoonmaker's aunt and friend of Ylonda Fauntleroy, Floretta Watkins-Barbee, and Michelle's great aunt and Ylonda's aunt, Bernice Taylor; Debbie Bell; the people of Ukraine; Lou Kareha's relatives Aubriella and Michael Steele, B. Wicker, sister-in-law's brother, James Karanasky, cousin, Thomas Kochis, and friend, Nando Smacci; Henry Hoffman; Jackie Lucus; Michelle Schoonmaker; Cindi Schafer; Mike and Denise Bartgis' son-in-law; Kelly Burnett; Jon Nelson's mother, Joanne Nelson; Louise Sharrocks; Kathy Miller's brother-in-law, Jeff Miller, and sister, Beth Krauth; Lourdes Cordero's sister, Diane Cordero, brother Jose, granddaughter, and friends, Fred and Arelene Jones; Deb Saylor's niece, Courtney Jaberi, and sister Christine; Alvin Dennis; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Diane Johnson's friend, Tom; Kelly Burnett's nephew, Justin; Christy Hipchen’s nephew and grandmother, Ann Chubon; the Sealing Family; Karen Arnold's brother, Tim; Josh Arnold; the family of Mike Esparza; a sister struggling with mental illness; Debbie Arey; Steve Debus' father, Bill Debus; Paul Doughty's mother, Ruth Doughty; James Franklin's sister-in-law, Kelli Franklin; Amy Tardiff’s Aunt Fran; Richard and Carol Jasper; Laura Batten-Carbaugh; Nicole Chidlow's son, Jai; Michelle Schoonmaker's friend's and their children, Kai S., Liam F. and Ezra R.; Frank Stillwell; Mary Caolo; David Johns; Carrie Dodson's friend Pam; Angela Goska; Belinda Edwards; Karen Stokes; Betty Small; a friend of Bob Fuller; the Unger family; Debbie and Bruce Arey's niece, Sarah, and daughter, Allison, and Debbie’s sister, Denise; Calvin Latham; Brianna Lapp; Ann Hirschy's relative Isaiah, aunt Cindy, and brother; Diane Makar; Adell Gaurin; Carol Saylor; Ray Bussey's mother, Doris; Liz Olson; Margaret Floyd; Vaughn Brown; Patty and Steve Plander; Arlyce Lohr; Krista Klohr; Dick Paronto; Cheryl Walcutt’s sister Judy and mother; Amy Hagemann’s sister, Susan Pratt; Mary Benson’s sister; Amy Carskadon Lifsey’s father-in-law, Bill Lifsey Sr.; Karen Dodson’s cousin, Miles, and Miles’ family; Helen Wilkens' mother, Jane Reinert; Judy Cooper’s daughter, Jessica Quigley; a member of the Tardiff family; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Dot Forloine’s granddaughter Melisa Tucker Saatthoff, and her great-grandson Luke; Linda Taylor’s mother, Izola; Amy Goldberg’s grandmother, Ruth Cooper; Christy Yeager’s mother, Linda Jordan; Linda Jordan’s niece, Bonnie; Diane Johnson's Uncle Ed, Aunt Janet, and cousin Richard; Shelley Franklin's father; Laurie Barrow’s nephew, Gunther Kurtz; Sabonna Keeney’s mother; Bernabe and Griselda Solano, and Griselda's sister, Irma; Laura Doughty’s brother-in-law, Carl Hahn; Cheryl and Doug Walcutt’s grandchild, Gray Adacutt; Erika Sealing's grandmother, Margaret Schade; and Rob Yeager’s friends, Greta Daughtrey and Peter Brown.
LOVE AND PRAYERS OF CONGREGATION go out to Hisle and McEntyre upon the death of Pat McEntyre, Brooke Hisle's father.
If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Patriceo Green at [email protected] and he will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.
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