Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,

A couple of months ago I was reading through some materials on a Presbyterian Website for Ministers and a question was raised that goes something like this: What will be your legacy to your church when you leave this earth? This caught me by surprise; I hadn’t given it much thought. I would probably have skipped over it 15 years ago, but 62 has a way of changing your perspective. The reality is, without some major scientific breakthroughs, I have more time behind me than in front of me. Will I make a legacy gift? Will I be of service to the church even after I go to rest in God’s arms?

These are the types of questions that the Rev. Ellie Johns-Kelley will help me (and you) to wrestle with on Sunday February 27. Rev. Johns-Kelley will be our guest preacher at both services. After the 10:30 worship service she will lead a workshop on Legacy Giving and you are invited. You can attend by Zoom or in person, see the article below. I just got off the phone with Ellie and I am really looking forward to hearing her sermon and learning from her. Rev. Johns-Kelly is a Ministry Relations Officer with the Presbyterian Foundation. The Presbyterian Foundation is an independent organization that helps Presbyterian churches and Presbyterian members plan for the future. I have, and our church has, worked with staff from the Foundation on several occasions in the past, and they know their stuff. The 27th is going to be a great Sunday. Please make every effort to “attend” worship and prayerfully consider attending her workshop. You will grow.

The Session met just two days ago and briefly considered the practice of masking in worship. We have unanimously affirmed our policy of wearing masks in church: in-person meetings, Christian Education, and worship. We have our eyes and hearts focused on the vaccine for young children. Like just about everyone, we have been unable to predict the future of COVID, but we are hanging tight and cautious for at least one more month.

Peace of Christ,

Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

Commenting on the people wandering the wilderness, the prophet Jeremiah says that they "looked backward rather than forward." This phrase stuck out to me this week. It is a critical judgment of people in general, the Church in particular. We tend to look back in nostalgia. (I certainly was during the Super Bowl halftime show.) We have a tendency to revert to the way things were done before rather than do something new. The Church does this quite often, referring back to tradition, doctrine, and worship practices. It is good to carry on things of the past, but not out of rote repetition. There is no inherent good in doing things the way they have always been done. Thankfully, I rarely hear such reasoning at Ark and Dove.

Still, I believe that we are at a critical moment in the pandemic where we are discerning what our church will be. We will be tempted to look back and rehearse the things we have done before. I hope we can resist and, instead, remember what was good and go for something better. I hope we can take stock of who we are now and lean into a good future. We are often called a "progressive" church, and I hope the name does not merely describe our theological and social stances. I hope it also describes our ability to stretch and move forward into new territory.

This Sunday, we conclude a series on the six marks of the Church as named in the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order. One of the reasons we had this series was to get us thinking and looking at what our church can be. I hope that our meditations have helped us look forward rather than backward.

Peace,

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Henry Hoffman; Jackie Lucus; Michell Schoonmaker; Cindi Schafer; Mike and Denise Bartgis' son-in-law; Kelly Burnett; Jon Nelson's mother, Joanne Nelson; a mother struggling with a diagnosis; Louise Sharrocks; Kathy Miller's brother-in-law, Jeff Miller, and sister, Beth Krauth; Lourdes Cordero's sister, Diane Cordero, brother Jose, granddaughter, and friends, Fred and Arelene Jones; Lou Kareha's sister-in-law's brother, James Karanasky, cousin, Thomas Kochis, and friend, Nando Smacci; Deb Saylor's niece, Courtney Jaberi, and sister Christine; Alvin Dennis; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Diane Johnson's friend, Tom; Kelly Burnett's nephew, Justin; Christy Hipchen’s nephew and grandmother, Ann Chubon; the Sealing Family; Karen Arnold's brother, Tim; Josh Arnold; the family of Mike Esparza; a sister struggling with mental illness; Debbie Arey; Steve Debus' father, Bill Debus; Paul Doughty's mother, Ruth Doughty; James Franklin's sister-in-law, Kelli Franklin; Amy Tardiff’s Aunt Fran; Richard and Carol Jasper; the Finnegan family; Laura Batten-Carbaugh; Nicole Chidlow's son, Jai; Michelle Schoonmaker's friend's children, Kai and Ezra; Frank Stillwell; Mary Caolo; David Johns; Carrie Dodson's friend Pam; Angela Goska; Belinda Edwards; Karen Stokes; Sarah and Bojan; Betty Small; a friend of Bob Fuller; the Unger family; Debbie and Bruce Arey's niece, Sarah, and daughter, Allison, and Debbie’s sister, Denise; Calvin Latham; Brianna Lapp; Anne Hirschy's relative Isaiah, aunt Cindy, and brother; Diane Makar; Charlotte Davie; Adell Gaurin; Dotty Kaufman and her daughter-in-law, Carol, granddaughter, Sarah, and grandson Nathan; Carol Saylor; Ray Bussey's mother, Doris; Liz Olson; Margaret Floyd; Vaughn Brown; Patty and Steve Plander; Arlyce Lohr; Krista Klohr; Dick Paronto; Cheryl Walcutt’s sister Judy and mother; Amy Hagemann’s sister, Susan Pratt; Mary Benson’s sister; Amy Carskadon Lifsey’s father-in-law, Bill Lifsey Sr.; Karen Dodson’s cousin, Miles, and Miles’ family; Helen Wilkens' mother, Jane Reinert; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Patricia Dole; Judy Cooper’s daughter, Jessica Quigley; Debbie a member of the Tardiff family; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Dot Forloine’s granddaughter Melisa Tucker Saatthoff, and her great-grandson Luke; Linda Taylor’s mother, Izola; 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; 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; Cheryl and Doug Walcutt’s grandchild, Gray Adacutt; Erika Sealing's grandmother, Margaret Schade; and Rob Yeager’s friends, Greta Daughtrey and Peter Brown.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION to the Gilden family upon the death of May Gilden.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION to the Kirby family upon the death of Julia's mother, Margaret.

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND STRENGTH for our families dealing with COVID.