The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter |
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Third Sunday After Pentecost
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Please connect on YouTube HERE
*Reservations required for outdoor worship service. Please check the Ark and Dove homepage, the morning of the service, for cancellation due to inclement weather.
**Reservations required for in-person worship in the sanctuary. In-person worship begins June 20, 10:30 am. Masks required, please.
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Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,
Remember your baptism. For some of you, this means recalling that you were baptized even though you can't recall the event by memory. For others, this means recalling a time and place when and where you were baptized. We, in the Presbyterian Church, celebrate both infant and adult baptism. In both, we signify and celebrate the same thing: God's all-embracing, eternal love in the life of an individual and a community. In both, we say that God loves someone before they could do anything to earn it and that we are a community who loves without condition. At every baptism, we remember that we are so loved and we commit to love the baptized and all others in a similar way. This Sunday, we celebrate the baptism of Amanda Crose. I hope you will be encouraged by and for love in this celebration.
The baptism will (hopefully) occur during our 9:15 am outdoor worship service. Again, please make sure to check the website and/or Facebook in case of inclement weather. Masks are not mandated outside. This week we will also have livestream worship at 10:30 am. On the following week, we kick-off summer worship and Christian education. At 9:15 am on the 20th, there will be outdoor education opportunities for children and adults (both will be quite fun). At 10:30 am, we are inviting you to worship in the sanctuary, if you are comfortable. Masks are required for indoor worship. Please register online, so that we can plan for safe spacing. (See the links above and below.) Services will continue to be livestreamed.
In baptism, we remember who we are and recommit to who we are meant to be. As we gather again, I think we will have many opportunities to remember and recommit. I look forward to the ways we will be together as God's beloved children.
Peace,
Jon
jnelson@arkanddove.org
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[Jesus] also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.
-Mark 4:26-27
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God of grace: you cause all good things to grow.
Just you make the seed to sprout and grow,
so make faith, hope, and love flourish in the soil of our hearts.
Increase in us that which is good for the sake of the world.
Amen.
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I love finding unique arrangements of well-known hymns to use for prelude and postlude music so that we can all experience them in a different way. This week's postlude is an arrangement of the hymn Fairest Lord Jesus, but imagined with a gently syncopated dance rhythm. The choir will lead the first hymn For the Fruit of All Creation, whose text is set to the music from the famous welsh lullaby All Through the Night. We welcome back my dear horn friends and colleagues for our musical offering this Sunday in a lovely rendition of Tschesnokov's O Lord God. Choir is wrapping up for the season and this reminds me that I hope you'll prayerfully consider how you might help or learn to lead worship during the summer and beyond. If you'd like to contribute to the music leadership, please let me know. I'd love to chat!
Peace,
Margaret
Director of Music
margaret.mcgillivray@gmail.com
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We are continuing our pattern of recording some of our pastime and favorite hymns. This week we chose Mighty to Save, by Hillsong. For the outdoor service, to celebrate Amanda Crose's baptism, we have chosen Water, by Eddie Arizmendez & Mark Rivera. I am sure you will recognize both hymns if you attended the band-led service regularly, and if you went to choir-led service, then we are happy to share two great songs with you in worship. The band has moved into pick-up mode. If there are any volunteers who would like to try out singing or playing an instrument for our weekly recordings, we are happy to have you join!
Have a blessed week!
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.
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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Third Sunday After Pentecost! |
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YTD Expected Unpledged Income
Actual Unpledged Income
Ahead
YTD Expected Pledged & Electronic Giving
YTD Actual Pledged & Electronic Giving
Behind
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$14,792
$20,953
$6,161
$208,090
$196,961
$11,129
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Reserve Worship Service Space HERE
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In-Person Sanctuary Worship Beginning Sunday, June 20, 10:30 am, we will welcome worshipers of all ages, with masks, back into the sanctuary with limited attendance (up to 85 people). To RSVP to attend worship in the sanctuary, 10:30 am, please sign up HERE. No singing or child care for now. This service will be live streamed, so most seats will be on screen for a moment or more. A limited number of off-camera seats will be available; more details will be available in the sanctuary.
In-Person Outdoor Worship To RSVP for the 9:15 am outdoor worship services, please sign up HERE. Outdoor service will be held every other Sunday: June 13 and 27, July 11 and 25, and August 8 and 22, 9:15 am. Please check the homepage of the Ark and Dove website for cancellation due to inclement weather. The website will be updated the morning of the outdoor service. Out of consideration for other attenders, masks are truly welcome at the outdoor service, but will not be required.
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If you or a family member graduated (winter 2020 or spring 2021) from high school, undergrad or grad school, please drop us a line (admin@arkanddove.org)! We want to celebrate your achievements! Please include the graduate's name, school and, if applicable, degree. Graduates will be included in the prayer list, formally acknowledged in the June 20 bulletin, and celebrated by the Ark and Dove community. Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9
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Godly Play End of Year Celebration - this Sunday!
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June 13, 3 pm Our Godly Play leaders have done an amazing job virtually providing this program to your children. To end the year, we’d love to meet in person for some fun and games. All safety measures will be followed including: mask wearing, staying socially distanced and hand sanitizing. All children/families are welcome to join us in this celebration! Questions? Please contact Sara Fox, christianed@arkanddove.org.
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We are excited to kick-off Summer Sunday School outside at 9:15 am every other week beginning June 20. We will share a fun story, create a craft, and play games. Parents, you can join our adult Christian education class that happens at the same time. Any questions? Contact Christian Education Elder, Sara Fox at christianed@arkanddove.org.
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Join the GLEAM team in June for a book club! We will be reading "Unfocusing My Family: Coming Out, Being Cast Out, and Discovering the True Love of God" by Amber Cantorna. We will have the same discussion three separate dates to provide a variety of times to meet different schedules and to keep the groups small enough to have in-depth discussions. June 1, 7:30pm; June 9, 7:20pm; or June 12, 11am. Please email Amanda Crose at Amanda.rose.crose@gmail.com to RSVP.
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GLEAM Family & Friends Support Group |
This support group is for family and friends of LGBTQIA people. Our purpose is to provide a safe and welcoming space to explore concerns, answer questions, and share information and resources in order to best advocate for our families and loved ones. We will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday, June 24, 7:30- 8:30 pm. To attend the group meeting contact Amy Tardiff at Lilac.n.Spruce@gmail.com |
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Adult Christian Education |
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For many of us, the past year has been one marked by both personal and communal loss. We’ve lost loved ones, our routines, or some trust in our society as we see more racism and structural violence. How can we process these losses with ourselves, with each other, and with God? The Book of Lamentations shows one way of reckoning with deep tragedy. Join a three-week discussion group on Lamentations on June 15, and 22, 7.30 pm. We’ll listen to short podcasts about Lamentations and gather to discuss the role of lamenting, what lament looks like today, and some practices of lament. Please RSVP to Achsah Callahan at achsahajoseph@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
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June selection is “A Children’s Bible.” Author and conservationist Lydia Millet captures the spirit of young activists like Greta Thunberg in her latest novel, "A Children’s Bible," a slim but poignant (and often darkly funny) account of a group of kids and their hapless parents who attempt to survive a hurricane while on vacation. As the storm whirls over their rented beach house, the children become problem solvers and voices of reason, while their parents party more and fall deeper into situational depression. Join us on Zoom on Thursday, June 17, 7:30 pm. Contact Kim Champagne (kim.champagne@gmail.com) or Pastor Jon (jnelson@arkanddove.org) if you are interested in joining us! Please note the change in this month’s date.
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Is God an old man upstairs? Is the U.S. a Christian nation? Is heaven a gated community of mansions and streets of gold? Will a certain number of people be taken up to heaven in the end times? Did God dictate Scripture to scribes? Is a horned devil responsible for human evil? Join us on Sunday mornings to explore some of these myths of Christianity and bust them! There is no homework or lecture. We will gather at 9:15 am on June 20, July 4th, July 18th, August 1st, August 15th, and August 29th. (Parents, this class will happen at the same time as Summer Sunday School.) Come as you are. Pastor Jon Nelson, jnelson@arkanddove.org
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The next event for Friendly Seniors will be a lunch, not a tea. We're meeting at Newk's in the Village at Waugh Chapel at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 17 for an outdoor meal. Stop at the counter and order then go look for Joan outside. The topic for discussion will be planning for the summer: how often and where to meet. An expanded list of possibilities will be sent out a couple of days before. So, get your ideas to Joan Berry (410-672-5237). Please let Joan know if you are coming so she can make sure we have enough tables and chairs.
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Antiracism and Social Equity |
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What Does It Mean to Be White |
On June 6, 2016, I posted the following on FaceBook: As a church, many of us have come a long way since then in our understanding of racism. But there is still much to learn, because racism and the microaggressions it causes affect not only Blacks, but LGBTQ, Hispanic, Indigenous, Aged, Handicapped, and more.
Yesterday I attended a three-hour presentation/discussion by Robin DiAngelo—What Does It Mean to Be White—at a church in Annapolis. There's no way to highlight everything from this, but here are some thoughts.
“Whiteness accrues privilege and status, gets itself surrounded by protective pillows of resources and/or benefits of the doubt, repels gossip and voyeurism and instead demands dignity.”
Robin DeAngelo was invited to speak at this church because people of color (POC) in the congregation felt disconnected, hurt by discriminatory words/actions of some in the congregation, and judged as to the validity of their experiences.
The young man, who introduced Robin, referred to these actions as “micro-aggressions,” explaining that a micro-aggression is like a papercut. One or two do not mean much, but when they are repeatedly piled on top of each other the result is devastating.
Some things that stood out:
Everyone is racist. All white people are racist, including me. That statement alone probably makes many progressive white people uncomfortable and defensive. But there is no such thing as being “color-blind,” because we cannot escape the history/socialization, which has shaped our racial narrative both consciously and unconsciously. For instance, I grew up segregated in a white neighborhood, attended all white schools, until high school, and was educated by all white teachers and learned from history books written by white people – all of this coming from their own white narrative and duly shaping mine.
Prejudice is internal, based on our preconceived ideas and attitudes that come from our personal historical narratives. By age 3 or 4 all children know that white is better.
Discrimination is external – acting on our prejudice from a place of power. Dealing with discrimination/racism is an ongoing lifelong task – we need to identify, analyze and challenge it.
The most important lesson I took away from this three-hour presentation/discussion is that those of us who are white need to learn how to listen, receive feedback openly and respond from an anti-racist framework rather than a place of denial. We need to earn the trust of people of color so that they feel free to share with us.
Toward the end of the discussion, one black man from the congregation shared that one of his biggest frustrations was not all of the micro-aggressions, but the fact that when he shared his feelings with those who were not the aggressors, they questioned the validity of what he was saying and chose not to act. I think the group who attended will be much more supportive going forward.
While Robin’s presentation focused on white people, the people of color in the audience got a lot out of it as well. I think it helped some to understand how we are all socialized to participate in racism, and that it is not always intentional. That said, though our participation may not be intentional, it is real and must be addressed. It also gave them a chance to talk about their feelings, experiences, and how different their lives would be if white people could listen and respond from that anti-racist framework. That was powerful.
Our challenge is to: receive feedback gracefully; reflect on it; and change behavior. This is what will create a revolution. Paula Sparks (trebleclef48@gmail.com), Antiracism Team
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Patty and Steve Plander; Margaret Floyd; Alex Strobel; Ardeth and Bob Johns; Steven Kirby; Arlyce Lohr; Krista Klohr; Christa Kronser; Michelle Schoonmaker; Dick Paronto; Richard and Edie Budd; Vaughn Brown; Paul Doughty’s mother, Ruth; Camille Dubois’ parents; Debbie Saylor’s sister, Christine; Ryan Stavely’s father, Brian; Todd Stubbs’ stepfather, David Hopsicker; Sue Hanburger’s daughter, Megan; a member of the Tardiff family; Dionne Whitby's daughter and niece, Jannah; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Amanda Crose’s mother, and grandmother, Betty Davis; Dotty Kaufman, her son, Bill, daughter-in-law, Carol, granddaughter, Sarah, and grandson Nathan; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom Brown; Steve Debus' cousin-in-law, Stephan; Kathy Miller’s brother-in-law, Jeff Miller; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloines’ family, granddaughter Melisa Tucker Saatthoff and her great-grandson Luke; Debbie Arey’s sister; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s family in Connecticut and daughter, Allison, and niece, Naomi; Linda Taylor’s mother, Izola; Kennon Bauman’s uncle, Dan Johnston; Amy Goldberg’s grandmother, Ruth Cooper; Christy Yeager’s mother, Linda Jordan; Linda Jordan’s niece, Bonnie; 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; Erika Sealing's grandmother, Margaret Schade; Lourdes Cordero's granddaughter; Linnie Girdner and Jan Hof’s friend, Grace Ligon; Paula Griggs’ friends Char and Jackie Pullen; Kim Young’s friend, Kurt Kost; and Maren McGillivray-Stubbs’ best friend’s father, Gentry Sims.
THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to Walcutt and Lynch families on the death of Cheryl Walcutt’s uncle, John Lynch.
PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: Debbie Arey’s friend, Amer.
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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