Transfiguration of the Lord

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ 18We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

2 Peter 1:16-18

O God, who on the holy mountain revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured: Mercifully grant that we may by faith, beholding the light of his grace and truth, may be strengthened in our discipleship, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This week, we have some exciting music planned for the service. Rae’tta Bond, our Director of Music for Children and Youth, will be singing in both services and directing the Youth Chimes Ensemble.

Rae’tta will open the 10:30 service with an arrangement by Thomas A. Dorsey of Precious Lord, Take My Hand. If you want to hear this stunning arrangement, make sure you are in attendance at the 10:30 service, as she won’t be singing this one at the first service due to her time constraints directing the Children’s Choir at the same time.  

Precious Lord, Take My Hand is a hymn that has become a beloved expression of faith for so many. It was written in 1932 by Reverend Thomas A. Dorsey, who was known as the Father of Gospel Music. He wrote this piece in 1932, after his wife and son both died during childbirth. Devastated by his loss, he turned to music for solace, and wrote this piece as a prayer of comfort and hope:  

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home

During both the 9:00 and 10:30 services, she will sing an arrangement of They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love arranged by Lloyd Larson. While everyone likely knows this song, this particular arrangement is unlike any other that I have heard, with its Latin and African-inspired rhythm, supported by the piano and Diane Yates playing the Tumbao. It will leave you singing the tune all week.

You will also get to hear the Youth Chimes Choir play We Shall Overcome at both services, and they are doing an OUTSTANDING job under Rae’tta’s leadership. This song has been used as a rallying cry for civil rights and social justice movements for decades.

Rebecca

Director of Music

rechols@arkanddove.org



Musician Spotlight: Rae'tta Bond

Rae'tta Bond was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She considers Baltimore, Maryland to be her hometown! She began piano lessons at an early age at a local church in Baltimore City. She has always used her musical skills and talents in the church setting as well, even at a young age. It was not until she studied at Baltimore City College High School, under the direction of Ms. Linda Hall, her music teacher, did she realize she wanted to pursue music as a career. It was under Ms. Hall’s leadership that she learned important music, singing, and performance skills, but most importantly life skills. Rae’tta had an opportunity to study at Berklee College of Music as a junior in High School for an entire summer. Here she had a chance to attend courses, such as theory, jazz piano, ensemble, and sing with the choir. She later returned as an official student to attend Berklee as a freshman. She continued her studies at Morgan State University, where she graduated with honors, experienced unimaginable concert opportunities, developed lifelong friendships, and so much more. She later moved to Radford, Virginia to study at Radford University and earned her master’s degree. Rae’tta interned as a Music Therapist serving various populations. She completed her final clinical project at Bethany Children's Home in Womelsdorf, PA. It was here that she knew this was the population she would commit to serving throughout her career. From 2011 to the present, Rae’tta continues to serve children who are facing challenging situations in their life. She now works for Baltimore County Public Schools in an alternative school setting. These young people come from all walks of life but come to their school to find solace. Rae’tta views this as a ministry opportunity, not just employment. Rae’tta was just named staff member of the month for February 2023 at her school. She is well-respected and loved by both staff and students. She also assists on Saturdays for a few hours at the school’s Saturday school program to help students with missing assignments or who just need additional support outside of traditional learning hours during the week. Rae’tta also works as an on-call youth care professional at the Nexus-Woodbourne Family Healing Center in Baltimore City, which is a Residential Treatment Center for at-risk youth. In addition, she teaches music lessons on Tuesday’s. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the movies on Tuesdays on discount night, going on quiet walks by the water, painting, drawing, creating photo collages, spending time with friends, working in her flowerbed, playing with her niece and nephew, designing and implementing bulletin board displays, and talking with friends on the phone.

Greetings!

Our young people are excited to share We Shall Overcome on hand chimes with the congregation at both services this upcoming Sunday! They have worked so diligently as a team over the last few weeks to learn their music and even came out on a school night for rehearsal to work on their music! Please show them some love and offer words of encouragement if you see them after service. We are incredibly proud of them! We hope you enjoy this week’s music selection We Shall Overcome in honor of Black History Month. 

Youth Ensemble and Choir Rehearsal will be postponed for this week only, Sunday, February 19, 2023. We will resume next Sunday, February 26, 2023 at our normal schedule. 

Youth, Percussion, & Hand Chime Ensemble @ 9 AM – 9:45 AM

Children/Youth Choir @ 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM

In peace,

Rae'tta

Director of Music for Children and Youth

raetta.bond@arkanddove.org

Kind regards,

Whitney

Interim Director of Youth Ministry

whitney.grimm@arkanddove.org

Per Capita Special Offering

Ark and Dove is now receiving the Per Capita Special Offering. The church pays a combined $40.00 per member to the General Assembly of the PCUSA ($9.85), The Synod of the Mid Atlantic ($1.15), and the Presbytery of Baltimore ($29.00) to cover the Administrative Expenses of our denomination. Per Capita funding is how Presbyterians mutually share the costs of coming together and to set directions for the future. Contributions to Per Capita provide the ecclesiastical infrastructure that binds our ministry. It enables churches to call pastors; supports those pastors in their ministries; provides for guidance in troubled times; encourages those called to church leadership; and enables us to gather as the body of Christ. You can pay your per Capita by clicking here

We will have Ash Wednesday service on

Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:00 PM

in-person service and livestream.

GLEAM class -

Trans*: The Forgotten Identities That Paved the Way

Join us this Sunday, February 19th for a class led by Cece Tardiff focusing on non-Eurocentric trans* identities and cultural expressions. Snacks and drinks served at 12:00 noon followed by class 12:30 - 1:30 PM. Questions or to RSVP please contact Amy Tardiff Amy.Tardiff@arkanddove.org.

The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper is back!

After a brief hiatus, we will be returning to the sanctuary once again for pancakes and fellowship on February 21st at 6:00 PM. The pancake-flipping contest is returning as well. We will provide the pancakes (including a gluten-free option), you just need to bring your favorite toppings to share! RSVP at arkanddove.org/ShroveTuesday and contact outreach@arkanddove.org if you have any questions.

Parent Group Meeting

We invite parents and caregivers of children thru college-age to meet in the Marshall room at 11:30am on February 26th for an hour of fellowship and light refreshments. Let's get to know fellow friends on the parenting journey! Childcare will be provided.

Questions should be directed to Nicole Howe at nicolehowe123@gmail.com.

2022 Annual Report has been sent!

Please contact admin@arkanddove.org

if you have not received the report or have an updated email.

Equipping the Saints Class - The Six Marks of Discipleship

Pastor Tim will be offering a 90-minute Class on The Six Marks of Discipleship on Tuesday, February 28th at 7:00 PM in the Ark and Dove Room. If you have not yet taken this course, you are warmly encouraged to sign up HERE.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Tim at tstern@arkanddove.org.

DONATE ONLINE!

CAP Food Pantry

After the Souper Bowl competition ends at Ark & Dove, the CAP food pantry will still be seeking soup as the Item of the Month for the rest of February. 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.

CAP also needs a grocery carrier for the pantry session on the 4th Tuesday of the month, 11am-1pm, from March through the end of 2023. This involves carrying groceries from the pantry up five steps to a nearby vehicle. For more information contact Greg Makar.

During this Lenten season we will be offering a variety of ways to study during the Lenten season. Please see the descriptions of each below. 

There are a variety of dates and times to choose from. Please indicate your interest in joining a group by filling out this form or contact the group facilitator. Books will be purchased (for studies that require them) for anyone who indicates interest in joining by February 19th. Books may also be purchased by clicking on the link in the description. 

Group A*: Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent, Richard Rohr 

Paperback $11, Kindle $7, Audiobook too

We will be reading Richard Rohr's Wondrous Encounters, Scriptures for Lent. Father Rohr wrote this devotional during a Lenten time of silent and solitary retreat, (hermitage).  Rohr often writes about the paradoxes in and the mysteries of faith. With these short readings, one for every day of Lent, he invites us to examine our assumptions about the life of faith. Given his blessing of 12 step groups, I am not sure Rohr would appreciate that these words come from the song Closing Time:  "Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" but they fit. We will meet in-person on Thursday evenings at the home of Tim and Kelly Stern. The first gathering on 2/23 will be soup and salad at 6:30 PM thereafter 7:00 PM. For more information, contact Pastor Tim at Tstern@arkanddove.org.

Group B: Inward Work for Outward Living-Daily devotionals

Participants will receive a daily devotion in their email each morning that invites them to explore the connection between internal contemplation and outward action. Although these meditations will focus on the Prayer of Examen, we will meet in-person Saturday mornings at the church at 9am to check in with one another, to discuss the readings, and to practice examen and other forms of contemplative prayer together as a small group. For more information, contact Kim Champagne at kim.champagne@arkanddove.org.  

Group C*: A Way Other Than Our Own: Devotions for Lent, Walter Brueggemann

Paperback $13, Kindle $8

We will be reading from Walter Breugemann's daily Lenten reflections in A Way Other Than Our Own. Lent recalls times of wilderness and wandering, from newly freed Hebrew slaves in exile to Jesus' temptation in the desert. God has always called people out of their safe, walled cities into uncomfortable places, revealing paths they would never have chosen. We too are called to walk an alternative path--one of humility, justice, and peace. We will meet in-person after church on Sunday at 12:00 PM. For more information, contact Richard Greydanus at richard.greydanus@arkanddove.org.

Group D: The Poetry of Lent - online study

Walk through Lent with a short weekly devotional that includes Bible passages, the poetry of Mary Oliver, meditations, and practices. An online discussion group led by Achsah Callahan will meet Wednesdays at 7:30 PM on Zoom. For more information, contact Achsah Callahan at achsah.callahan@arkanddove.org.

Group E: Lenten Lectionary Study: The Promises of God in the Hebrew Scriptures

Each week we will focus on key stories from the Hebrew Scriptures that will be featured in the Sunday worship services in Lent. This year the readings come from the books of Genesis, Exodus, 1 Samuel and Ezekiel. The common thread is God’s promises to us, and our promises to God. We will meet Wednesdays at 10:00 AM on Zoom. For more information and a zoom invitation, contact Pastor Stephen at stephen.pricegibson@arkanddove.org.

Ark and Dove Book Club

Join us on Friday, March 10th at 7:30 PM for our discussion of Louise Erdrich’s, The Sentence, a novel that “celebrates family, Native American identity, the importance of community spaces, and people coming together in love and support.” The novel, which is set in Minneapolis, incorporates important events of 2020, such as the murder of George Floyd and the COVID-19 epidemic.

For more information and Zoom details, email

Kim Champagne (kim.champagne@arkanddove.org).

9:00 AM

Childcare

Youth, Percussion, & Hand Chime Ensemble (9:00 to 9:45)

Children & Youth Choir (9:45 to 10:15)

10:30 AM

Childcare  

Godly Play Sunday School Pre-K through grade 4

Middle School Sunday School grade 5 through 8

In “Silencing White Noise: Six Practices to Overcome Our Inaction on Race” author and pastor Willie Dwayne Francois III calls us to engage in six “rhythms of reparative intercession” to silence white noise and to develop lifelong Christian anti-racist practices. 

Please view our online catalog at for more details about these books, as well as other great books in our church’s library. For more information about the library, contact Kim Champagne (kim.champagne@arkanddove.org).