The Arkive: Ark and Dove's Newsletter | |
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Christmas Eve
December 24th, 2022
-Children's Service at 4 pm
-Service of Lessons and Carols at 7 pm with
Candlelighting during the singing of Silent Night
Get your bulletin here.
Christmas Day
December 25th, 2022
Single Service Sunday at 11 am
Get your bulletin here.
**There will be NO Nursery or Sunday School for this service**
Regular Services
In-Person Worship at 9:00 and 10:30 am, every Sundays!
Livestream Worship, 10:30 am, every Sunday!
**Mask required at 9:00 am Worship, Mask Optional at 10:30 am Worship
Child Care available for 9:00 and 10:30 am services!
*Sunday School for Pre-K - 8th Grade during 10:30 am Worship, every Sunday!
*Register for Sunday School here.
You can connect on YouTube HERE.
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Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,
Tomorrow we will celebrate Christmas Eve with a lively just right Children's Service at 4:00 PM and Lessons and Carols music from the Band and Choir and a cadre of guest musicians at 7:00PM. Both services will close with Silent Night - candles lit at 7:00 PM. At 4:00 PM a quartet of four professional musicians will lead us in our singing as well as our Children's Choir and Chime Ensemble. ASL American Sign Language interpretation will be offered at both services.
Part of the reason we celebrate Christmas is because Mary said yes to God. Here I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word. Frederick Buechner, Presbyterian Pastor, Poet and author died this past year. He describes the scene in somewhat amusing terms from the viewpoint of Gabriel:
"She struck the angel Gabriel as hardly old enough to have a child at all, let alone this child, but he’d been entrusted with a message to give her, and he gave it. He told her what the child was to be named, and who he was to be, and something about the mystery that was to come upon her. “You mustn’t be afraid, Mary”, he said. As he said it, he only hoped she wouldn’t notice that beneath the great golden wings he himself was trembling with fear to think that the whole future of creation hung now on the answer of a girl." Could it be that some other candidates had said no?
Mary said yes to Christmas. Not the tinsel and the sizzle, but the birth, the incarnation. This is why we worship on Christmas; to say yes to Emmanuel, God with us.
Christmas Peace and Blessings,
Tim
PS. On Christmas Day at 11:00 AM we will celebrate all of us in the Sanctuary. We will forgo Sunday School and the nursery, no chimes or choir practice. Just one big happy, noisy, carol singing church in the sanctuary.
tstern@arkanddove.org
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Message from Interim Associate Pastors | |
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Dear friends and members at Ark and Dove,
It is good to get rid of old practices and ways of thinking that are demeaning or harmful to people. But sometimes we wonder if we haven’t also lost something which was of value: case in point—Boxing Day and St. Stephen’s Day. The day after Christmas – December 26.
Boxing Day was a big deal when Caroline was a child. She grew up in an English military family. Various people helped in the home. A cook and a driver came with her father’s job. An au pair and a housekeeper were part of the household. Added to those were the mail man, the milk man, the post man, the trash man, the man who delivered the coal (always men). On Boxing Day those folks would each be given a “box” of food, or a gift, or some money. It is certain that the people would have preferred a decent increase to their paycheck. The system needed to go. It was part of a demeaning, paternalistic, class structure, which held people down and contributed to inequity. But in discarding the old, did we lose something valuable? Boxing Day was a long-established tradition: a day to thank those who provided help and service throughout the year, a day to focus on those folks with a grateful heart. There are so many people in our lives: the Amazon delivery person, the mechanic who fixes our car, the woman who works for the lawn service, the babysitter, the grub-hub driver. Hopefully they get paid considerably more than their English counterparts half a century ago. How do we find ways to express our appreciation: ways that are not demeaning but uplifting and encouraging? The old practices of Boxing Day enabled folks to think about the people in their lives who offered them services. Now, our family stuffs an extra trash bag or two into the garbage on Christmas night with little thought to the extra heavy load the trash collectors will have this week.
St. Stephen’s Day was a big deal for Stephen when he was a child. It was his very own day – the day which bore his name. He was told the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, a man who showed great courage and great faith; a man to be emulated; a name to be lived up to. Now, the church is deeply aware of the harm brought about by evangelists and missionaries who trampled on the traditions and faith of others. It has become more difficult to unreservedly honor those who have gone before us. Children are less frequently named for the saints of old and if they do bear such a name, they are told that it was their Grandparent’s name. How do we honestly access the past with all that was good while acknowledging the harm we have done? How do we own what was good and draw strength from the courage of those who stood their ground, while at the same time owning what was not good?
We still have much work. But there is also joy, in remembering the past and in remembering those who stand beside us now, offering a helping hand. At our house we will try to celebrate Boxing Day and St. Stephen’s Day in that spirit. Happy 26th of December!
Caroline and Stephen
Pastors Caroline and Stephen
caroline.pricegibson@arkanddove.org
stephen.pricegibson@arkanddove.org
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And suddenly there was with the angle a multitude of the heavenly host,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors!”
Luke 2:13-14
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O God, in this season of your coming,
we stand with shepherds, amazed at your glory;
we sing with angels, rejoicing in your work;
we wait with Joseph, trusting in your promise;
we sit with Mary, cradling your love.
You have come as the One who lifts the burdens from our shoulders;
the One who wipes the tears from our eyes;
the One who loves us more than we can know.
Fill us with the light of your love,
and help us to bring that light to others. Amen.
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I hope that you will join us tomorrow evening for our Christmas Eve services! Our 4:00 service has been musically prepared by Rae'tta Bond, and our children and youth will be leading 2 pieces- one on the chimes and the other will be sung by the Children's Choir. In addition to our Ms. Rae'tta, we will also have 3 professional singers to help lead the music for this service.
At the 7:00 service, our choir, band and other special guest musicians will join together to present your favorite hymns, carols, choral anthems, and solos that celebrate the birth of Jesus and the joy of the holiday season.
As the service begins, just before 7:00, you will be moved by 3 solos, featuring Brittany Wellington, Paul Doughty, and special guest singer, Nadira France. You won't want to miss any of the music, so plan to arrive early! Our prelude will end with a choral Anthem, In the Bleak Midwinter arranged by Jen Wagner, and will feature guest soloist, Jaron Darden. Later in the service, you will hear the choir sing an Anthem called The Hands That First Held Mary's Child- a powerful piece that captures the sense of awe that surrounds the birth of Jesus.
As the service begins, the choir will lead the congregation in a series of traditional hymns- their voices soaring in harmony. The hymns are all accompanied by Paula Sparks on the piano, Derek Chen, violin, Sean Meng, viola, and Brittany Wellington, cello, adding depth and richness to the sound.
As the service continues, you will hear the Band lead the hymn Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy), featuring our new Director of Music for Children and Youth, Rae'tta Bond, and Noel by Lauren Daigle, with the addition of Laura Doughty on the flute.
The Musical Offering is a stunning arrangement of O Come, O Come Emmanuel for strings and piano, and for this piece, we will be accompanied by Jackie Scheer on the piano. Sean Meng will move to the violin for this piece to play the solo, while the other instruments provide harmonic support and a solid foundation. The middle section will suddenly increase in speed and urgency, with the violin playing arpeggios while the other instruments contribute their own unique voice to the ensemble. The ending result will be moving and powerful.
As the service comes to a close, the musicians and congregation will end with Silent Night by candlelight. The strings and piano accompany us, and as each verse continues, the instrumentalists drop out until there is just a solo violin accompanying the last verse- a simple, but meaningful way to celebrate Christ's light.
On Christmas Day, the choir will sing Caribbean Cradle Song and we will be joined by Diane Yates on percussion. The text has been given an infusion of new words by Tom Fettke, resulting in a fun and energetic new take on The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy. I hope that you will join us.
Merry Christmas, friends.
With love,
Rebecca
Director of Music
rechols@arkanddove.org
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On behalf of the Children’s and Youth Music Ministry, we would like to wish our Ark & Dove church family a Happy Holiday!
Rae'tta
Director of Music for Children and Youth
raetta.bond@arkanddove.org
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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.
ESTABLISH AN EFT
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
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November Financial Summary | |
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YTD Expected Unpledged Income $45,833
Actual Unpledged Income $18,724
Behind $27,109
YTD Expected Pledged & Electronic Giving $468,799
YTD Actual Pledged & Electronic Giving $471,497
Ahead $2,698
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Christmas Joy Special Offering
Each year during the Advent and Christmas season, we turn our eyes to Bethlehem and celebrate the wondrous gift of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
God has blessed the Church with incredible leadership in every time and place, but those leaders often need to be supported by their communities as well. This Offering addresses the support needed by some of our leaders, including supporting leadership development for communities of color, and providing support for Presbyterian church workers in their time of need. Please give generously!
Donate Online
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2023 Renewed in God
Stewardship Team
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Dear Members and Friends of Ark and Dove,
Greetings and happy holidays! As the Calendar year draws to a close, the 2023 ‘Renewed in God’ Stewardship team would like to take a moment to thank you for your faithfulness in giving to the mission and ministries of Ark and Dove this year. Your faithful generosity in the giving of your time, talents, and resources has been outstanding and deeply touching. Through your giving, you have helped the church offer hope, healing, and real community to a world in desperate need of experiencing God’s love.
This Fall, the Stewardship Team embarked on a mission to share the many ways that we experience renewal and revitalization at Ark and Dove and how that renewed faith, hope, and love fuels our tireless actions in working for a more just and inclusive world. From beautiful and relevant worship experiences to a variety of Christian education opportunities for all ages, to social activism and community engagement on the issues that matter most to those most vulnerable among us, Ark and Dove remains committed to learning, growing, and working together so that we can continue to share God’s love, justice, and peace in a world so hurting. I highly recommend visiting the Renewed in God page under the Giving tab on the Ark and Dove website for an in-depth look at some of the ways God is working in our midst and how we would love to grow into the future together. This year, we have asked that every household prayerfully consider making a pledge or even increasing their pledge by 1% of household income. This would help us not only sustain our current mission and ministry activities, but also ambitiously reach forward into new opportunities to experience and extend the faith, hope, and love of God to others.
Today we are happy to share that as of December 20th, we have received 54 pledges out of 160 active households. We sincerely thank everyone who has already submitted a pledge! Our pledges are promises of financial support for the next year and are an important part of the planning process that the Session at Ark and Dove engages in as we look to the future and consider the mission and ministry goals and dreams that we can reach for together. If you have not yet submitted your pledge, there is still time to do so! Last year we had 81 pledging households, and our hope is that this year we will surpass that threshold and move boldly into the future as a community of disciples that embodies the life and spirit of Jesus Christ. We are still accepting pledges via USPS or in-person during the offering at Sunday services. If you happen to give regularly via PayPal or EFT, but have never pledged before, we ask that you please consider filling out a pledge card just so that we are aware of your plans and can make mission and ministry decisions accordingly. Or, for an even easier option, you can always submit your pledge by simply emailing giving@arkanddove.org with your giving plans for the year.
The Stewardship team would again like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for all that you have done during this past year to continue our life of worship, fellowship, and community outreach. We truly appreciate your continued prayers, love, commitment, and financial support. Thank you and God bless!
-Tricia Gray from The 2023 Renewed in God Stewardship Team
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January 1st
1st Sunday of Christmas
Single Service Sunday at 11:00am
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From the Tech Booth: Volunteers Needed
We are in need of volunteers to help staff the tech booth. In the recent past, we’ve had to adapt at the last minute due to the small size of our team... In a perfect world, we would have sufficient volunteers to have a “once per month” rotation. Each week, we would like to have seven people participating on the tech team, so to have everyone volunteer once a month, 28 people would be needed. We’re still looking for 17 additional people!
If you’re interested in being one of the 17, please stop me (Ryan Stavely) on a Sunday morning or email me at ryan.stavely@arkanddove.org. Once a handful of people have been identified, we’ll hold a brief orientation session and then begin your training. No prior experience is needed, and you don’t need to be a “computer person” to be a good fit. If Sunday morning doesn’t work for you, one of the weekly needs is the prior preparation of the graphics/words for the service. This can be done from home any time during the second half of the week.
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The Fellowship Table Wants You!
With more people visiting Ark & Dove, we want to make sure they feel welcome. We are looking for people to help with bringing the snacks, setting up, and cleaning up on a regular or periodic basis. This can be a great opportunity to get children involved in the life of Ark & Dove! They can help choose the "menu", set the table, and get to meet more folks in our faith community. Please contact us at Outreach@ArkandDove.org to sign up or want more information.
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Parent Group will resume in 2023
Parent group will begin meetings again starting January 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Howe at nicolehowe123@gmail.com.
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THE RACE CARD
(And other "microaggressions" that get in the way of real conversations about race)
On Sunday, January 29th the Anti-Racism team will host a luncheon after the service, followed by a 2 hour workshop from 12:30 - 2:30pm presented by Jeff Bolognese. Jeff comes to us highly recommended from Presbytery and has led these trainings through work and in churches. Please add the date to your calendar now and plan to join us for this important training.
Please register no later than January 22nd:
Register Here
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CAP Food Pantry
The Christian Assistance Program (CAP) food pantry in Odenton is grateful for our ongoing support. The items most needed right now at the pantry are shelf milk (like Parmalat®), jelly/jam, ramen, and macaroni & cheese.
We have bins marked for CAP food in the cabinet across from the lobby coat rack. Food can also be taken directly to the pantry at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Odenton, on Tuesdays 10:30am-1:30pm and Thursdays 1:30-5:30pm. Or contact Greg Makar (GLMakar@juno.com) to make other arrangements.
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GLEAM - Changing the Game,
movie & discussion
Movie & discussion- Join us Sunday, January 15th at noon in the sanctuary for a viewing and discussion of the documetary Changing the Game. Light snacks and drinks provided. If you need childcare contact Amanda Crose amanda.rose.crose@gmail.com
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Donations Needed
As the Abawi family settle into their new home, we can then concentrate on the many other ways we can support this family.
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Car Donation
As they find employment in the near future along with the many health appointments they have, both the Annapolis Presbyterian Church and Ark and Dove are asking if you, or anyone you may know, have any vehicle that can be donated to the Abawi family. Please reach out to Debbie Arey at debarey@hotmail.com.
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Ark and Dove Book Club January Read
The Ark and Dove Book Club's January Selection is New York Times Bestselling novel entitled The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This historical fiction novel tells the inspiring story about JP Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, a "Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy..." We will meet on Zoom to discuss this book on Friday, January 20th at 7:30pm. Contact kim.champagne@arkandove.org for more information.
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Christian Education for Children | |
Sunday Mornings for Children and Youth | |
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9:00 AM
Childcare
Middle School Chimes and Percussion Ensembles (9:00 to 9:45)
Godly Play Sunday School Pre-K through grade 5
10:00 AM
Children’s Choir
10:30 AM
Godly Play Sunday School Pre-K through grade 4
Middle School Sunday School grade 5 through 8
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Leaders and Helpers Needed
To ensure that we can continue to offer the above Christian Educational opportunities we NEED leaders! Currently we do NOT have enough to fully staff any of these programs. Please consider offering your gifts and talents to help these programs thrive. You will need to complete a background check and training. Curriculum and materials are provided. Please contact CE Elder, Sara Fox at christianed@arkanddove.org if interested.
Thank you to those of you who’ve already made a commitment to help out this year!!!
Nursery Helpers: If you are already a CE leader or a high school student please consider signing up HERE to help in the nursery. You will be assisting Cara Moody as needed.
As always, any questions or concerns please reach out to me at christianed@arkanddove.org.
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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:
PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Reggie Connally, husband of Christine Connally; Linnie Girdner; Amy Goldberg; Ann Hirschy, who has been ill; Carole Wilson; the Hench family on the death of John; Michelle Schoonmaker and Jesse Pennebaker who joyfully and anxiously get to announce a healthy pregnancy; Laura Talbert; Nikol Sahai, undergoing chemo-therapy; Denise Bartgis chemo treatments; a nephew with Alzheimer's; a friend of Kathy Emmert, Natalie Fenwick who is in the hospital; Karen Dodson; MaryAnn Buckley; Sue Miller, Laura Willoughby-Perry’s mother, after hip surgery; a family member struggling with addiction and their loved ones; Audrey Miller, daughter of Kathy Miller; Neal Frick in the hospital; Shannon Graf after an assault; for those struggling through the holiday season; inspiration meeting individuals & collective needs; Mike Davie's sister-in-law in hospice care, and for her family; the Marsh Family waiting for their adopted children to come in January; a wonderful teen facing the challenges of an eating disorder; The mother of Sara Yotter; Martha Huthmaker, Cherese's mother-in-law; Dotty Kaufmann; Mary Elizabeth Nay, diagnosed with Colon Cancer; Bri awaiting preliminary results & tests; a teen struggling with peer concerns at school; Ron Miller, dealing with health issues; Holly Folk, friend of Laura Willoughby-Perry, recovering from back surgery; Carol & Henry Saylor; Rose having health issues; Deb Saylor's grand-nephew, Jordan; Christy Hipchen's Great Uncle, Steven Stanko; a friend's mother in hospital battling an illness; Chantel Seetram; Debbie and Bruce Arey's Daughter, Allison; a husband awaiting test results; families impacted by gun violence; Dr. Jesse Nicholson, Connie Batts' brother-in-law; Danni Johnson, fighting cancer; little girl diagnosed with leukemia and her family; the family of Gavin Hurley; Amanda Welford; Bruce Arey's sister; Helen Jarkiewicz; Dee going through breast cancer; Doug Dehaven with cardiac problems; Karen Judeich; Marie, Nikol Sahai’s Mom; Irina Lee, Jan and Al Jank's daughter-in-law; Fran; Dot Forloines; Vaughn Brown; Dick Paronto; Julie Devers' friend Zenia Dacio-Messina; Hope Sutphin; Emily Wehage; Jeff Miller, Kathy Miller’s brother-in-law; Freyja Hartzell; Rebecca Echols friend, Lauren Douglas; Andy, friend of Karen Dodson; Ghazal Abawi; Mike Bartgis's cousin; Cara Moody’s father-in-law, Gary Moody Sr.; Carly & Chris Taylor, Friends of Michelle Schoonmaker; Debbie Saylor's Friends: Carlene Printy and Helen Rossum;
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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