Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,

 

Thomas Kelly, the Quaker mystic wrote a book called A Testament of Devotion posthumously published in 1941. In that book he talks about the light within. 

 

This coming Lent, we will be offering five different book groups studying Jesus and the Disinherited, written by Howard Thurman a contemporary of Thomas Kelly.  Jesus and the Disinherited is a short book, but, only a few pages in, you will become certain that Howard Thurman was completely in touch with this light within.  Reverend Thurman was a civil rights leader and mentor to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in Jesus and the Disinherited, he shows the relationship between faith and mission, or social action. Thurman saw the bible and the life of Jesus as a guide, a manual if you will, for the poor and the disinherited.   His writing is rich and deep. Although the book is pretty short, we will be reading one chapter a week, so that his light has a chance to speak to the light within each of us. Short investment; huge payoff. This book and our small group discussions will help you get through these COVID times. It is also Black History Month, so come learn about Howard Thurman.

 

Lent is that church season that is focused on getting our hearts ready to celebrate the joy and miracle of Easter. Please read the article below and prayerfully consider participating in one of our Lenten study groups.

In Christ,

tstern@arkanddove.org

Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

Super Bowl LV is different in many ways than others. There will be a somewhat unlikely contender: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There will be less people in the stadium and a lot less fanfare. There is less investment in advertisements this year. Also, you are likely (and wisely) not having a big party. It will be different, and problematic, to have a Super Bowl during a global pandemic. Nonetheless, several things are the same: the same championship team will appear, Tom Brady will make his 10th appearance, and there will be plenty of entertainment at which to smile or cringe.

The Souper Bowl of Caring is different this year than many years in the past. The Souper Bowl of Caring is an opportunity for generosity, where you can collect nutritious cans of soup to support our local food distribution centers and the people they serve. This year is a bit different, as I said. We will not line up cans of soup in the sanctuary. Also, we will not stop collecting cans this Super Bowl Sunday, but continue throughout much of February and are encouraging our youth to invite neighbors, family, and friends to contribute. Nevertheless, several things are the same: we are collecting cans at church, hunger and poor nutrition remain big problems in our county, and I believe that you will contribute greatly--as you always have.

On this different Super Bowl Sunday, let us be the same generous community we have always been.

Peace,

jnelson@arkanddove.org

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Arlyce Lohr; Annetta Fenstermacher; Amy Richarme; Patty Plander; Krista Klohr; Gary Myers; Christa Kronser; Merlin Berry; Dick Paronto; Bob Johns; Richard and Edie Budd; Vaughn Brown; Frances Keyes; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Dotty Kaufman, her son, Bill, daughter-in-law, Carol, granddaughter, Sarah, and grandson Nathan; Kathy Miller’s brother-in-law, Jeff Miller; Kim Champagne’s aunt, Joan; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloines’ family and her great-grandson Luke; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom Brown; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s family in Connecticut and daughter, Allison, and niece, Naomi; Linda Taylor’s mother, Izola; Grant Kirby’s mother, Caroline, and Julia Kirby's mother, Margaret Floyd; Clarke Beaudry’s mother, Judy LaMarque; Kennon Bauman’s uncle, Dan Johnston; Amy Goldberg’s grandmother, Ruth Cooper; Christy Yeager’s mother, Linda Jordan; Diane Johnson's Uncle Ed, Aunt Janet, and cousin Richard; Shelley Franklin's father; Hollis Butterworth’s daughter, Rachel Mershont; Amanda Wehage’s sister and father, Dave; 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, and Paul Doughty’s mother, Ruth Doughty; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Bill Ruble’s mother, Mary Jane Weathers; Ann Hirschy’s aunt, Cindy, and brother; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Pat Dole; Kelly Burnett’s nephew, Justin; Patriceo Green’s cousin, Philip Brown; Lou Kareha’s aunt, Judy Kochis, and cousin, Thomas; Cheryl Walcutt’s mother, nephew, and sisters; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; Kathy Miller’s friend, Sandee Dickson; Sue Hanburger's friends, Barb, Phyllis, Martha and Craig; Linnie Girdner and Jan Hof’s friend, Grace Ligon; Ylonda Fauntleroy’s friends, Alma Hinton and Tanya; Rob Yeager’s friends, Lisa and Kearston; Scott Howe’s friend, Jen Miller; the Gaurins’ friends Nyla and Danielle; Kim Young’s friend, Pat; Catherine Chambers’ friend, Seamus; Michelle Schoonmaker’s friends Duane Thomas and Bri Ree; and Kathy Emmert's friend, Patty.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the Stavely and Mutchler families on the death of Ryan’s grandfather, Robert Mutchler.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the Butterworth and Smith families on the death of Hollis Butterworth’s brother-in-law Brian Smith.

PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: Oscar Hurtado’s brother and sister, Eduardo and Anita; Kyle Elliott; Christine Connally’s cousin, Karen; Kelly Stern’s friend, Lisa Brown’s father; Jim and Judy Cooper’s friend, Tim McNutt; Margaret McGillivray’s friends, the Sanders family; Amanda Crose's grandmother, Betty Davis; Michelle Schoonmaker's Auntie Bernice; Josephine Girdner; Paul Doughty’s uncle, Dan, and cousin, Elizabeth; Doug Walcutt’s father, Chuck Walcutt, and stepmother, Linda Walcutt; Diane Johnson’s grandson, Avery Woods; Ed Barrett's friend, Joe Bogner; Julia Kirby’s great niece, nephew, his wife, and friends, the Speer family, the Coffey family, and April and Sam; Amy Hagemann’s friend, Mary Hurt Werner; Rob Yeager’s friends, David Palombo, and Jeff and Ana Siegel; Lisa Marino, Jay Mulholland, and their 4-month-old daughter Lily; Ylonda Fauntleroy's family, Annette and Leah Turner, and friends, Sandra and Elijah Williams; Debbie Saylor’s friend, Frank Williams; Michelle Schoonmaker's colleague, Ajita Robinson; Stephanie; Andrew; Yeni, her husband and their six children; Jennifer Roman's aunt, Laura Clay, and grandmother, Louise Nothdurft; Cheryl Walcutt’s student; Kathy Emmert’s friends, Chuck and Cheryl; and Lori Kronser’s friend Debbie and her family.

PRAYERS OF LOVE, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION for all essential workers around the world, including: Mike Stiegler; Bill Gaurin; Tricia Gray’s mother; Becca Distad; Jack Burnett; Caitlyn Bussey; Emily Sanders; Audrey Miller; Linda Jordan’s nephew, Russell; the Ralston’s family members and friends; Simone Stiegler’s friend, Jean Marie; Amy Grimm’s mother; Jeff Grimm; Amy Goldberg’s brother, Joseph Alexander, and parents, Michael and Maryann Cooper; Judy Cooper’s daughter; John Mikeska’s son, Jonathan; and Hollis Butterworth’s sister-in-law, Cyndie.