Friday, April 1 - any time that works for you
April Fools Day
 
Saturday, April 2 - whenever it works for you
Take a Hike!
Explore one of the many St Louis County Parks sometime today or over the weekend.
There is so much character in a wide range of parks. Enjoy!
Worship with us this Sunday
April 3, 2022 | 10:00am In-person and Facebook Live… later YouTube

Join us in the sanctuary or virtually. It’s the Fifth Sunday of Lent - on our way to Holy Week and Easter. Our scripture lessons are stories of Jesus touching people and being touched by people - Mark 9:35-37; John 9:1-11; Mark 5:25-34.
 
We will celebrate the sacrament of communion at our open table. All are welcome.
It’s also a Give-A-Meal Sunday so please consider bringing gifts of non-perishable food or personal care items for our St Louis neighbors.
 
Our Lenten theme is Jesus Does. How about you? as we look at Jesus’ life and how we can model our lives after his. We will light our Lenten Candles. 
This link lists bulletin posts, with the top one as the most recent.
Livestream worship on Sundays. Look under videos for previous livestreamed services.
All our worship service videos in one place!
All Mid~Week Meditations that have been recorded on YouTube.
Sunday School Live and via Zoom
Sunday School for children through 5th grade:

Meeting ID: 383 733 977
Password: 819680
Sunday School for Youth/Teens each week:

Meeting ID: 815 6130 3581
Password: 702228
1st & 3rd Tuesdays
1:45 Fellowship
2:00pm book discussion
via ZOOM
Please join TAD as we begin discussing Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City. 
Tuesday Evening Dialogue
2nd & 4th Tuesdays
6:00pm Potluck
7:00pm Book discussion
Heritage Room in person!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Holy Week April 10-17
Worship with us during Holy Week – in person and Facebook Live
Palm Sunday | April 10 | 10:00am
Maundy Thursday | April 14 | 7:00pm in the Sanctuary
Good Friday | April 15 | Prayer Service at noon in the Historic Sanctuary
Good Friday | 7:00pm in the Sanctuary
Easter Vigil | 8:00pm Friday through Easter morning
Easter Sunrise | 6:15am | Elm Lawn Cemetery behind Historic Sanctuary
Easter Morning Worship | April 17 at 10:00am

Easter Flowers
Purchase a lovely hanging basket of Boston Fern to decorate the sanctuary this Easter. A signup sheet is in the Gathering Space. Thank you for your generous support. ($20.00 per basket of ferns) ~The Sanctuary Committee
 
Easter Egg Hunt for PUCC Children
Sunday, April 17 | following Worship Service
Donations of individually wrapped candy will be gratefully accepted in the front door lobby. We will collect the donations until Palm Sunday. Thanks for supporting a beloved tradition.
Just Released!
AWOL Spring-Summer Schedule
Prayer List Updates
 
All the acts of kindness, justice and equity near and far.
Women’s History Month.
Transgender Day of Visibility - this Thursday, March 31
Lenten Journey.
Lucia McKenzie and John Bieg - engaged to be married.
The Shelton Family - as Killian prepares to welcome a sister.
 
Family/friends of Conrad Damsgaard – grieving/giving thanks… Visitation 2pm; Memorial Svc 3pm and a meal - Sunday, April 24 - PUCC
Millicent Guerri - spent the week at St Luke's Hospital - now home.
Kathleen Tarr - foot surgery 3/25; crutches 10 days; boot 6 weeks.
Joan Biest - port implanted today; chemo will start this Thursday.
Gladys Sims family - as they prep for Russ’ Memorial Service -- at noon on Saturday, April 16 at Old Barn Inn in St. Albans. All are invited to attend
Sharon Eissler - struggling with several health concerns (Rogers).
All impacted by Covid-19 - individuals, families, healthcare workers; If anyone needs help getting vax/booster or if anyone vaccinated would like to be on the Care Team, please reach out to [email protected]
The war in Ukraine.
 
St Louis Association UCC Covenant Partner
Week ending April 3 - First Congregational UCC, St. Louis
Week ending April 10 - First Congregational UCC, Webster Groves
 
View
"Hir” – embodied poetry for Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31)
Please share this less than three minute video. It is powerful.
Humor
What monster plays the most April Fools’ jokes?
Prankenstein.

Did you hear about the guy who swapped the labels on the pumps at the gas station?
It was an April Fuels’ joke.

Excuse me, sir.
Do you think they named April Fools’ Day in your honor?
Ponder
In this Litany of Contradictory Things, Michael Moynahan SJ tricks our dualistic minds to show us a better way. His original version is much longer, but here is the essence of what he says:
 Wheat and weeds:
 let them grow together.
Arabs and Jews in Palestine:
 let them grow together.
Greeks and Turks of the Balkans:
 let them grow together...
Documented and undocumented aliens:
 let them grow together...
Revolutionaries and reactionaries:
 let them grow together.
Russians and Americans:
 let them grow together.
Religious leaders who lay and lighten burdens:
 let them grow together.
Disciples prone to boasts and betrayals:
 let them grow together.
People who wound and heal:
 let them grow together.
Rich and poor, humble and haughty:
 let them grow together.
Those whose thinking is similar and contrary:
 let them grow together...
All the seasons of one’s life:
 let them grow together.
Joys and sorrow, laughter, tears:
 let them grow together...
Doubt and faith:
 let them grow together...
The helpful and the helpless:
 let them grow together.
Wisdom of the East and West:
 let them grow together.
All contrarieties of the Spirit:
 let them grow together.
 
UCC issues appeal for Ukraine, calls on U.S. to provide humanitarian aid
IIWC welcomes family from Afghanistan
Read about the family and how they are settling in.
Video System Update

Thank you for your incredible response to our call for contributions to complete payment for our new audio-visual system in the sanctuary. In the two weeks following our March 9 email, more than $10,000 has been received in contributions for this project. The $2,500 challenge was met (with matching contributions of $7,500) within a relatively short time after it was announced.

Many different people have contributed, including members and friends outside of St. Louis, and some in St. Louis who have only been able to attend worship because of the av system. 

The contributions to date ensure that we have funds to make the final payment on the new sanctuary av system, an approximately $30,000 non-budgeted project. We will also be able to repay the Council Discretionary Fund (accessible church reserves) for the portion of the initial payment on this project that came from that fund. 

All additional money collected in this appeal will be applied to our next av project - portable av equipment that can be used for worship services conducted outside the main sanctuary, such as outdoors or in the Historic Sanctuary. We are also considering an improved av set-up for the Heritage Room, -- for adult education and other uses.

Your Church Council thanks all members and friends for their great generosity. We also continue to thank Kent Tallyn, John Ruiz and the members of the AV Team for assembling, installing, and operating a system that so many people have found beneficial and worthy of their contributions. 
Council Updates
The Parkway UCC Church Council held their monthly meeting via Zoom at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, 3/28/2022. Below are some of the matters that were discussed.
 
PUCC’s current financial state was reviewed and discussed.

Contributions toward the Sanctuary audio-visual project have exceeded expectations. As a result, a portable AV system is being looked into as well as a hardwired AV system for the Heritage Room.
 
The COVID Response Team continues to evaluate protocols. As of now, masks are recommended when in the building. Coffee and pastries after service may return later this spring.
 
The Afghan family that the Interfaith Team has assisted is settling in well and continues to adjust to their new environment.
 
For safety sake, a keypad lock has been installed at the back door near the Choir Room. This door is available on Sunday mornings. Ask staff for the code if you prefer to use this on Sunday mornings.
 
Leadership is in the process of finalizing new members for the PUCC Church Council. In June 2022, Jackie Eiffert, Kris Impastato, Michael Ruzicka and Ingrid Scharf will leave Council as their terms come to an end. Tom McKenzie, Mark Sableman and Linda Tossing will continue along with the new members. 
We appreciate your submissions of jokes, quotes, photos, videos, weekly opportunities, Mid~Week Meditation ideas, scriptures that are important to you, hymn/song suggestions, poetry, etc. We would love to hear from you: [email protected]
Important Notice: No staff member of Parkway United Church of Christ will ever reach out via email or social media to ask for financial help. If you receive an email or text request appearing to be from PUCC staff requesting financial help or information—or any suspicious message—please don’t click on any links or engage with the sender. You may want to report to your email service provider or the appropriate social media service. Also, keep your antivirus/anti-malware software up to date for protection.
Visit our social media for a mix of pix and to see what other PUCCers would like you to attend/experience/ponder/pray about with them.
Please post a picture of you/yours on our social media:
WORSHIP SUNDAYS at 10:00am
(314) 872 9330 [email protected]
2841 N Ballas Road,
St. Louis, MO 63131

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