Dear Members and Friends of the Ark and Dove Community,

The Image of our Capitol building being stormed by domestic terrorists and militias is seared into our memories. It has been a very difficult week, and we have needed prayer.  We had about fifty people attend our quickly assembled prayer service on Zoom this week.  And this violence comes in the middle of a pandemic.

The truth must be spoken. The President is a white supremacist supported by hoards of white supremacist organizations and individuals.  Our nation has not yet been able to shake lose of our white supremacist roots. In this church, however, and in our denomination we are trying. We teach our children at Ark and Dove that only God is supreme, that everyone is a child of God, and no one has the right to treat anyone else like they don’t matter. At the heart of this teaching is the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and our understanding that God chooses to exercise God’s omnipotence and sovereignty, with grace, through love. This is a central tenant in the Reformed or Presbyterian tradition.  Terrorists and despots thrive on creating an atmosphere of fear. When people fear, you can twist them into hating. Even so, hate is not the opposite of love, fear is the opposite of love. The Bible implores us hundreds of times not to give in to fear: fear not; be not afraid; do not fear.

When we pray, when we participate in a church community, when we worship, we exercise our faith and we mitigate and take control of our fears.  This is the beauty of a congregation, this is the beauty of Ark and Dove. We support one another, and we stand up for equity and love. During this time of pandemic, and this time of political upheaval, I have witnessed countless acts of kindness at Ark and Dove--acts of love toward one another, acts of charity for those in need in our community. I am grateful for you all, our congregation, for we have found strength in our bonds. One of our hymns is entitled, 'Bless Be the Tie that Binds.'  Verse one: Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

Our Mission Ministry and our Session are this very day working on a statement that we can offer in the face of these attacks upon humanity and democracy. Since white supremacy or racism is at the heart of these attacks, what can we do?  We can continue our antiracism work as a congregation, and we can, as members, educate ourselves about how to break out of a culture and a way of thinking that is rooted in white supremacy. It’s not good enough to simply be a good person; we are called by God to be anti-racists, actively engaged in discovering how we have been held captive by an unjust and racist culture. Can you read one book this year about racism? Can you participate in an anti-racism class or workshop? Can you risk admitting (if you are White) that, since you grew up in this culture, you are often not able to discern the daily violence that is heaped upon Black and Brown people? Please take at least one more step forward this year.

Here are some books people in our church are reading:

John 13:34, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

The peace of Christ casts out fear,

tstern@arkanddove.org

Dear Friend and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,

The domestic terrorism occurring at our nation's Capitol on Wednesday was unsurprising. Given the rhetoric of President Trump and his allies, which has been disseminated through certain media, and repeated by those angered at election results, these riots were inevitable. Unsurprising, also, was the way these protestors were treated in comparison to those under Black Lives Matter banners. Unsurprising, but deeply unsettling. The images and reports of the invasion of the Capitol increase anxiety about our present reality and the future.

When we are unsettled, we search for something steady. We may also reach for the quickest way to deal with the symptoms of unsettlement. The former is healthier than the latter. The day after the events in Washington, I witnessed several of you reach out for what has steadied you in other unsettling times: Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church. In the Friendly Seniors gathering, one member shared with depth and beauty how much the Ark and Dove community means to her--especially in this pandemic, social unrest, and political mayhem. Later, several joined a Zoom prayer vigil to offer prayers and hear the choir sing that there is yet peace like a river in the soul. The community, God gathers, steadies us when we are unsettled.

So double-down on this community. Join the fellowship hour, Bible study, Friendly Seniors, LGBTQIA+ studies, Lenten small groups (see below), choir, band, the crafting crew, and any other opportunity. The disciples here at Ark and Dove offer something that is not available elsewhere. In and among us, there is consolation, encouragement, and support founded on the life and love of Jesus Christ. With one another bound in Christ, our unsettled souls are steady.

Peace,

jnelson@arkanddove.org

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Patty Plander; Krista Klohr; Gary Myers; Wren Suggs; Merlin Berry; Dick Paronto; Bob Johns; Camille Dubois; John Mikeska; 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; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloines’ family and her great-grandson Luke; Amanda Crose's grandmother, Betty Davis; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom Brown; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s family in Connecticut and daughter, Allison; 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 and brother-in-law, Brian Smith; Amanda Wehage’s mother, 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; Cindy Knott’s mother, Madeline; 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 friend Tanya; Rob Yeager’s friends, Lisa and Kearston; Amy Hagemann’s friend, Marie Canaday’s mother; Scott Howe’s friend, Jen Miller; and Kathy Emmert's friend, Patty.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the Doughty and Clapp families on the death of Paul Doughty’s uncle, Wesley Clapp.

PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: Kelly Burnett’s aunt, Pat; Robeya, Terrance and Ariana Johnson; Michelle Schoonmaker's Auntie Bernice; Josephine Girdner; Rob Yeager’s friends, David Palombo, and Jeff and Ana Siegel; Paul Doughty’s uncle, Dan, and cousin, Elizabeth; Emily Crose's grandmother, Lois Echhorn; 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; Robert and Marissa Lyle; 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; Margaret’s neighbor, Wayne; Michelle Schoonmaker's colleague, Ajita Robinson and friend Rusty; Stephanie; Andrew; Yeni, her husband and their six children; and Jennifer Roman's aunt, Laura Clay, and grandmother, Louise Nothdurft.

PRAYERS OF LOVE, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION for all essential workers workers around the world, including: 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; Mike Stiegler; 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.