The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter |
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Day of Resurrection! Easter Sunday!
Please connect on YouTube HERE
Joy and Laughter Sunday April 11, 10 am (livestream)
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Dear Members and Friends of the Ark and Dove Community,
As I sit to write this letter, it occurs to me that about this time, 11:30 am, about two thousand years ago, Jesus was nearing death on the cross. Pastors Jon, Caroline and Stephen have prepared a very meaningful Good Friday service for us for tonight. It will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook at 7:00. I feel like our Easter alleluias are always more deeply felt if we travel with Jesus on Good Friday. Easter is that time in the church year when hope seems highest and promise of new life pulls us through the shadows and darkness of the world’s perils. We are reminded that the bright light of God’s love still shines, and the darkness has never overcome it. See John Chapter 1. On Sunday we will celebrate resurrection joy at two services 10:00 and 11:30. Easter is a good time to remember some of the most import words or phrases that Jesus shared.
I am going there on purpose to prepare a place for you.
I give you a new mandate, that you love one another.
You must lose your life in order to find it.
Blessed are the poor.
Let those without sin cast the first stone.
I came that you might have life and have it abundantly.
Peace be with you.
If we live with these words in our hearts, then we are Easter people, and we will help transform the Good Fridays into Easters.
The phone rang three times, people came into the church to do their Easter preps. I chatted. I looked up at the clock, and it’s now about noon. Luke 23:44-46: It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.
Peace of Christ,
Tim
tstern@arkanddove.org
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Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
Early in Lent 2020, some of us were anticipating an in-person worship service for that Easter. We had little understanding of how long it would be before we would gather for worship in person. Early this Lent, we anticipated being able to be in person outside on Easter and it is looking good. I look forward to worshiping with you online tonight and Sunday online and in person.
Early in the pandemic, we also talked a lot of "getting back to normal." That phrase is not so common any more. There is a new norm and different expectations of what will be normal. Our first in-person worship service last month was wonderful, but it was not normal. We were learning to worship in person again and there was some awkwardness. Our LOGOS celebration last Tuesday was fun, but it was not normal. Families gathered on blankets, distanced from one another as they ate and then assumed masks again. We were learning in-person fellowship again and there was some awkwardness. We will have to learn how to be together again and in a whole new way.
I wonder if that is how the disciples felt when they gathered again. They shared a meal together and soon after Jesus was arrested. They deserted Jesus and fled that night, each going their own way. Terrible things happened, things that inhibited their gathering. Jesus was crucified and buried. Only after this did they gather again. Jesus was resurrected and they regathered. I have to think that this first in-person gathering was strange. They had to learn how to be disciples again--or at least disciples in a different way.
As the Church, we have been marked by the sufferings of this last year. We have also risen out of terrible circumstances to do great ministry. We have gathered and we will learn to regather in a new way. Ark and Dove is a community of the resurrection. We walk into new life together with steps sometimes clumsy, sometimes bold. Let us not seek what once was, but what can be.
Peace,
Jon
jnelson@arkanddove.org
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When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
-Matthew 27:57-61
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O Christ, thou didst sleep a life giving sleep in the grave,
And didst awaken humankind from the heavy sleep of sin.
O Christ, by thy burial thou hath opened for us a door to life
And by thy death hath brought an end to death and hell.
- Holy Saturday Orthodox Liturgy
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As we've been preparing for a Holy Week like we've never done before, I'm so proud of the work and effort put into our music by our amazing choir and volunteers. While we're getting better every week and learning so much about doing a livestream (and no in-person outdoor) services, nothing quite compares to Holy Week. There are instrumental solos, vocal soloists, choir anthems, choral transcriptions, a baroque ensemble, a brass quartet and amazing band songs from a cornucopia of composers and songwriters to be heard and experienced. We are so blessed here at Ark and Dove to be able to make the music that we do and to share it with the congregation and world at large. May our music be a blessing to your journey through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Peace,
Margaret
Director of Music
margaret.mcgillivray@gmail.com
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Easter is here! The band is very excited to share our joyous Easter music with you to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We have recorded a classic Easter song, 'Let It Rise,' and a jovial anthem in 'Happy Day.' It has been a bit over a year since we began streaming, and I wanted to thank you all again for being so supportive and providing the means to make our streams high-professional quality. All the compliments over the past year of the music are incredibly humbling, and I am just so happy that you can still enjoy wonderful music and worship each week. I hope to see many of you at our outdoor service on Easter Sunday at 11:30 am, and have a most joyous Easter and a blessed week!
I hope you all are staying healthy and blessed!
Pat
Director of Contemporary Music
psise11@gmail.com
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DONATE ONLINE! One-time and recurring!
TEXT your donations! 410-983-3481
Text give to get started. Text commands for more options.
followed by greathour!
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cornithians 9:7
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Scenes of the Cross, 7 pm |
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One Great Hour of Sharing |
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Text your donation amount to 410-983-3481, followed by greathour!
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Restoring Hope, Feeding the Hungry, Empowering the Oppressed
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One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) Life during COVID has been challenging. That feels like an understatement, right? At times, we have all felt disconnected, confined. Missing family, missing friends. Lonely. Worried about the groceries holding out. Unsure of what the future may hold. Imagine feeling all of those things but living in a place or in a situation that was already challenging each and every day without the added pressure of the pandemic. A place where access to food is day to day. Access to vital health care is questionable. Finding clean water is a daily struggle. A place where you are denied racial justice or plagued with outright violence and oppression. But one thing remains steadfast and true: We are the Church, together, no matter where we are, and the Church belongs with those struggling for justice, righteousness and peace for life. *Click here to watch a video of this Minute for Mission. Lori Kronser, Mission Elder, lkronser16@gmail.com.
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Tax season is upon us. As a reminder, 2020 Giving Statements were sent to all members via email in January. If you have lost yours in your spam folder or would like it to be sent again, please contact Steve Debus at steven.debus89@gmail.com. |
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Best Ways to Be a Bad Church Leader |
Parish Associate Stephen Price-Gibson will lead us in exploring leadership, through the lens of family systems theory in three weekly sessions, Tuesdays, April 6, 13 and 20, 7 pm. The goal will be to equip leaders to be more confident in making positive contributions in every kind of church group, as well as at home and at work. To register, please email Tricia Gray at tricia.gray@yahoo.com. For more information, contact Stephen Price-Gibson at spricegibson@hotmail.com. |
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The next two virtual gatherings of the Crafting Group will be at 7:00 pm, April 7 and April 19. We are a group of handcrafters (all skill levels welcome) who meet on the FIRST WEDNESDAY and THIRD MONDAY of each month at 7:00 pm. All are welcome to join. To receive the zoom link please contact Amy Tardiff at Lilac.n.Spruce@gmail.com. |
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LOGOS is over for the school year but there are still craft packets left in the outside bin for pick up until April 9th. If you missed a month (December through March), never got to try it, or would like to do one over again here is your chance. There are also several palm crosses left for anyone who’d like to pick up some for Easter. Thank you to all the families who participated and made this a great year! Jen Roman (jroman8414@gmail.com) |
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Mission Ministry Meet and Greet Zoom Party |
You are invited to a Mission Meet and Greet Party on April 14, 6:30-8:30. The Mission team leaders will regale you with fun facts about all of our many teams, activities, events, and projects. We will keep things moving and lively so that you will feel like kicking your feet up and swigging a glass of lemonade! Then, we just know that you will find a team, an activity, a project that speaks to your heart and you will run to your nearest sign-up opportunity and join a Mission team or two! Keep your eyes peeled for a registration link for this event around April 1st. Lori Kronser, Mission Elder, lkronser@gmail.com |
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Ark and Dove is considering starting a Unity Garden to grow vegetables to donate to CAP food pantry and the food pantry at Kingdom Celebration Center. This project will require a large number of dedicated people in order to make it feasible to sustain the garden over the long-term. If you are interested in participating in the leadership, planning, creating or day-to-day work in our Unity Garden, please fill out this form HERE. Lori Kronser, Mission Elder, lkronser@gmail.com
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PC(USA) Office of Gender, Racial & Intercultural Justice |
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Gender, Racial and Intercultural Justice is offering an online workshop on gender and inclusion on Tuesday, April 13, 6:00- 8:00 pm. The workshop will be led by Rev. Shanea D. Leonard, Associate for Gender & Racial Justice, and will address terminology, gender, and welcoming practices to help Presbyterians continually work toward being an inclusive Church.
Please register for the training HERE. For more information please see HERE. |
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The next GLEAM class, “Unclobber: understanding homosexuality in the Bible”, will be April 22, 7:30 pm on Zoom. RSVP to Amanda Crose at amanda.rose.crose@gmail.com |
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PCUSA Compassion, Peace
and Justice Training
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Registration Is Open and Free |
Mark your calendars! Every year PCUSA offers an excellent Compassion, Peace and Justice Training. This year it will be April 7-9 on Zoom. To learn more about it and to register, see here. This year it is free. Don't miss this opportunity!
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What Do You Say to People Who Are Grieving at Easter Time? |
Grieving can be hard during Easter time. The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday was the day when Jesus’ followers grieved deeply over his death, not knowing what would happen next. Those who are grieving in our midst may not feel like hallelujahs even on Easter Sunday. If you know someone who is grieving, this article, Easter Mourning – Grief and Belief, may give you some ideas about how to support a grieving person. Linnie Girdner girdnerlinda@gmail.com
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Charlotte Davie; Arlyce Lohr; Patty Plander; Krista Klohr; Christa Kronser; Merlin Berry; Dick Paronto; Bob Johns; Richard and Edie Budd; Amy and Kyle Morris; Vaughn Brown; Camille Dubois’ uncle and parents; Debbie Saylor’s sister, Christine; Ryan Stavely’s father, Brian; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Dotty Kaufman, her son, Bill, daughter-in-law, Carol, granddaughter, Sarah, and grandson Nathan; Steve Debus' cousin-in-law, Stephan; Kathy Miller’s brother-in-law, Jeff Miller; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Emily Crose’s grandmother, Lois Eichhorn; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloines’ family, granddaughter Melisa Tucker Saatthoff 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; 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 and Doug Walcutt’s grandchild, Gray Adacutt; Cheryl Walcutt’s mother, nephew, and sisters, friend Don Clark and student, Clay; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; 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 friends, Pat and Joyce; Catherine Chambers’ friend, Seamus; Michelle Schoonmaker’s friend Bri Reed; and Kathy Emmert's friend, Pat.
PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: Cheryl Walcutt’s sister, Lori, and brother-in-law, Marty; Wendy Wellington’s sister, Bonnie; Christine Connally’s cousin, Karen; Jim and Judy Cooper’s friend, Tim McNutt; Josephine Girdner; 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 friends Kate Kaput and Ajita Robinson; Yeni, her husband and their six children; Jennifer Roman's aunt, Laura Clay, and grandmother, Louise Nothdurft; 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, Sabrina Johnson; 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.
If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Patriceo Green at patriceobgreen@gmail.com and he will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.
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Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church | 410-674-6400 | admin@arkanddove.org | www.arkanddove.org | 8424 Piney Orchard Pkwy. Odenton, MD 21113
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