5th Sunday in Lent

41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

John 11:41-44

Holy One, the great I AM, you are resurrection and life. As we journey through Lent on our way to the agony of the cross and the joy of Easter, show us who we are: recipients of new life and messengers of resurrection. May the world be transformed by our discipleship. Amen.

This week we have a very special treat with our Children’s Choir singing the Offertory Anthem for each service, under the direction of Rae’tta Bond! They will be singing an arrangement of Dry Bones, which is a spiritual song that has been popularized in various forms throughout the years. The origins of the song are unclear, but it is believed to have originated from African-American slave communities in the southern United States. The lyrics of the song are based on the biblical story of Ezekiel, where the prophet is shown a valley of dry bones that come to life when God commands it. This piece will be accompanied by piano, synthesizer, percussion and bass guitar (read below about one of our talented bass guitarists in our Musician Spotlight!)

The song has been adapted and arranged by many composers, but Mark Burrows’ arrangement is energetic and perfect for a children’s choir. Burrows is a composer, arranger, and music educator who has worked with a variety of musical ensembles, including choirs, bands, and orchestras. Burrows' arrangement of Dry Bones features a driving rhythmic pulse and incorporates elements of gospel and jazz music.  

The Adult Choir will lead the traditional hymns this week- Here in This Place, Breathe on me Breath of God, Come to the Table of Grace, and Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ (there will be some added percussion, too)!

Rebecca

Director of Music

rechols@arkanddove.org



Musician Spotlight

Greetings!  

This Sunday, our young people will share a special music selection with the congregation at both services! We have been practicing diligently every week and even came out this past Thursday evening on a school night to prepare with special music guests, who will be joining us at both services on Sunday. Please join us at one or both services to help offer praises to our Lord! We are looking forward to serving and seeing everyone!  

If you are interested in joining the Children’s & Youth Music Ministry, please contact me at raetta.bond@arkanddove.org. We meet every Sunday from 9 AM to 10:15 AM. Thank you for your continued love and support for our young people!

In peace,

Rae'tta

Director of Music for Children and Youth

raetta.bond@arkanddove.org

Kind regards,

Whitney Grimm

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.

One Great Hour of Sharing

Presbyterians have joined with millions of other Christians through One Great Hour of Sharing to share God’s love with people experiencing need. Our gifts support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives and work together to strengthen their families and communities. The Presbyterian Hunger Program receives 36 percent of undesignated gifts, while Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each receives 32 percent.

Offerings may be submitted in the OGHS envelope in the seat backs in the sanctuary, within the Giving Tab on the A&D website, or by texting Great Hour to 410-983-3481 to donate.

Holy Week Flowers

The Flower Team and Worship Ministry are accepting donations for palms and Easter flowers for Holy week. The suggested donation is $15 and may be made at in-person worship service or by texting FLOWERS to 410-983-3481. Easter lilies will be available to take home on after Easter Service if desired. Forms are available in the church bulletin or online. If you have any questions, please contact Paula Griggs at 443-510-6687 or paulagriggs32@gmail.com.

Ark and Dove has a new effort underway to reduce paper waste and admin costs. For each worship service, a QR code that opens the BULLETIN is now posted at the sanctuary door and at the name tag table. Please feel free to scan this QR code to pull up the bulletin for that service on your phone. The QR code can be scanned by pointing your phone camera at the black and white squiggly square. If you still want a paper bulletin, that will still be available. We hope that we can print 10 or 20 fewer bulletins each week, saving on paper and copier costs. This simple, genius idea was hatched by Justin Rebbert, and is carried out each week by our wonderful Church Administrator Cherese Scarbor. Thank you for this small step we can take to reduce waste! The Earth Care team and Worship Ministry are always open to new ideas that will help us be better disciples.

Our Ark and Dove core team is involved in ACT’s current listening campaign. We invite Ark and Dove members and friends and local community members to talk with us. We would like you to share your compelling stories of how you are coping with the challenges of our times. Through these listening sessions, we will learn of your concerns and needs. Your concerns and needs may become causes that ACT addresses through county-wide actions. Closer to home, your stories will factor into our Long Range Planning Team’s work, as well as the Community Engagement efforts that we began last fall.

We are in the process of putting together a schedule of focus group listening sessions. If you are a member of one of these focus groups, you are welcome to attend at the time scheduled. However, attendees need not be affiliated with the focus group; anyone can attend any listening session at their convenience. If you are a member of several focus groups, you do not need to attend more than one session. By early May, we hope to hear the stories of each of you and many of our community neighbors. We look forward to talking with you soon!

The schedule will continue to grow and will include more focus groups in the coming weeks. (Yet to be scheduled: Friendly Seniors, GLEAM, Middle School Youth Group, High School Youth Group)

Sign up for a Listening Session 

Upcoming Listening Session Dates

• March 28th - 7:00pm-7:45pm, Zoom - OPEN LISTENING SESSION

• April 3rd - 6:30pm-7:15pm, Zoom - ANTIRACISM

• April 11th -7:30pm-8:15pm, Zoom - NEW MEMBERS

• April 16th, 10:00am-10:30am, Ark and Dove Room - OPEN LISTENING SESSION

• April 18th - 7:00pm-7:45pm, Zoom - OPEN LISTENING SESSION

• April 25th - 7:00pm-7:45pm, Zoom - OPEN LISTENING SESSION

• April 30th, 11:45am-12:30pm, Ark and Dove Room - OPEN LISTENING SESSION

• May 7th, 10:00am-10:30am, Ark and Dove Room - OPEN LISTENING SESSION

From Westminster John Knox Press, "Transforming deftly weaves ancient and modern stories that will change the way readers think about gender, the Bible, and the faith to which Jesus calls us. Hartke helps readers visualize a more inclusive Christianity, equipping them with the language, understanding, confidence, and tools to change both the church and the world." This book has received several glowing recommendations from readers within our own congregation. (On the LGBTQ shelf)

New on the Book Club Fiction shelf: The Personal Librarian. This book is based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene who was hired by JP Morgan to curate rare books, art and manuscripts for his new library at the turn of the 20th Century. Bella was an African American woman who had to carefully craft a white identity to navigate the racist world she lived in. The Ark and Dove Book Club discussion of this book was very lively! 

To find out more about these books and the rest of our library's collection, see https://www.librarycat.org/lib/ArkandDovePCLibrary

Learn about the World's Major Religious Traditions

A survey course looking at the major religious traditions around the world (Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) will be offered for six consecutive weeks from April 16th to May 21st. This is a comparative course looking at the very different metaphysical routes these religious traditions take to affirm the Golden Rule ("do unto others as you would have them do unto you") and the pitfalls encountered along the way.

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

NEW! High School Sunday School grade 9 through 12

Antiracism Affinity group

Please join the Antiracism affinity group on April 3rd at 6:30 pm for a listening session, followed by a discussion on how we can use white privilege to fight racism. Please email Deb Saylor saylordeb@yahoo.com for more info or a link to the meeting.

DONATE ONLINE!