Worship with Us Sunday at 10am

Join us in person or on Facebook Live for worship at 10am

-- or anytime later on Facebook.

Our scripture texts are Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 (reminiscent of Psalm 23 in its imagery of God as shepherd helping us with all of our needs) and Matthew 25:31-46 (Jesus telling us about how serving people who are hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, sick or in prison is the same as loving God).

We will sing: When Morning Gilds the Skies; Spirit of the Living God; The King of Love My Shepherd Is; Jesu Tawapano; Day by Day; and Savior, Like a Shepherd Leads Us.

The worship bulletin can be found here:

Worship bulletin for Sunday, November 26, 2023

or

https://parkwayucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/11-26-23-bulletin-FINAL.pdf

Please participate in worship virtually via our livestream on Facebook if that is convenient for you and/or if you have health concerns. Masks are available and respected here.

FROM GABRIEL REQUADT ~

OUR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & YOUTH DIRECTOR!

Get ready to dusty off your scrolls because we're looking at 2 Kings this Sunday in Youth Ministry! Our story? Josiah Finds the Scroll. Here's the deal: Josiah finds a scroll containing God’s Word and leads Israel in reestablishing their covenant with God. Just as Israel recommitted to God, we can recommit to God as well. We are called to repent when we discover our sin. That can feel like some loaded language, but when we read the Scriptures, we are reminded of God’s love for us. We are also reminded of our need for God. As we discover how to live a life of love and service for God and others, we also see our shortcomings. Like Josiah and his people, we are called to repent—to turn back to God and walk in God’s ways.

As far as our Children's Ministry goes, we'll be looking at our hero of Joseph and his journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, continuing our lesson of Emmanuel (God with us). Come join!

Living the Story link for the week of November 26 --

The Story Home - November 26 2023

Our littlest ones in the Nursery will be hearing some simple Bible stories and enjoying one another with Becca and Julie.

gabriel@parkwayucc.org

TED ~ Tuesday Evening Dialogue

Tuesday, November 28 | Pot Luck Dinner 6pm... Discussion 7pm

Please join us for a discussion of three readings with a focus on the role of Mary. Our own Florence Simonson will be facilitating our conversation.

The first reading is the Wedding in Cana located in John 2.1-11. Read it twice, once viewing Mary as the main character and then with Jesus as the main character. Think about what made this event so special and what are these verses telling us about both Mary and Jesus.

The second reading is the Magnificat located in Luke 1:46-55. This is a hymn that Mary sings to God. Think about what the message is here from Mary.

The third reading is from John 19:25-27 with Mary at the cross. What was happening here and why was it important?

Questions? Contact Helen Race raceh@att.net 314- 401-4382

TAD ~ Tuesday Afternoon Dialogue… Zoom with us!

All are welcome to join us on Zoom on Tuesday, December 5 at 2pm as we work with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson. Related to current issues of book accessibility in libraries, this book is historical fiction but based on true stories about the women librarians in Kentucky back in the 1930’s who rode on horseback into the mountains to deliver books and newspapers. The main character has a genetic condition causing her to be shunned by her community. This adds an important component to the story about how isolation impacts the human spirit and how education and acceptance can overcome ignorance to allow understanding and kindness.

Come 15 minutes early if you want to chat and build community before we start the book discussion…

Zoom…https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83670617428?pwd=bUxPZEdDMlU4ay9oNndTWW4yZUYwUT09

(312) 626-6799; Meeting ID: 836 7061 7428; Passcode: 480007

Questions? Contact Jackie Eiffert, jeiffert2@gmail.com; (661) 378-6781   

Praying through Advent - Thursdays at 11am CT on Zoom

This four-week series from our UCC Nurture the Soul will bring us deep into the Advent story, from escaping the violence of Herod, to journeying through the desert, to being left outside to give birth. Hosted by Rev. Tracy Howe and featuring guests from across the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and Local Church pastors around the country, we will consider how these stories are still unfolding in the forms of repression, migration and the housing crisis. We will join in fervent prayer, that we may be part of God’s unfolding love in this world. The final episode, on December 21st, will feature a music filled virtual worship event, featuring beloved music collective, The Many, which local churches can then download and share.

Honoring Tyler Wessel ~ Raising Mental Health Awareness

Parkway Central High and CHADS Mental Health Coalition invite you to a varsity basketball game on Tuesday, November 28 at 6:30pm at Parkway Central High School ~ 369 N Woodsmill Rd, Chesterfield 63017 -- just north of Ladue Rd at 141.

Cheer on Tyler Wessel's old basketball team at Parkway Central High School and help raise money for mental health programs.

Tyler loved sports and was an accomplished athlete. He was kind, good humored and brought people together. He grew up here at PUCC - attended our PUNS Preschool, Bellerive Elementary, Central Junior and Central High. He was a student at Indiana University at the time of his death by suicide in August 2021.

His basketball team has hosted a fundraiser for mental health in 2021 and 2022 and is doing so again this year. 'Talk for Tyler' is the theme that reminds all of us that we need to speak about mental health regularly and make sure that the people around us know that we are willing to listen to them and love them in the midst of any challenge or struggle.

Join us as we remember Tyler, rally around his parents Cindy and Ralf and enjoy some good basketball.

To learn more about CHADS, visit https://www.chadscoalition.org/

https://www.schrader.com/obituary/tyler-wessel

For more information, please contact kevin@parkwayucc.org;

314-872-9330

In the prophetic tradition of our faith, justice is a river that never stops. As Amos declared, "Let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." In this special event, two prophetic leaders will join in conversation about the never-ending movement for justice that extends from one generation to the next.

In the 1980s, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. coined the phrase "environmental racism" and helped lead protests that garnered the attention of the world to the struggle for environmental justice. More recently, Rep. Justin Pearson of Tennessee has been involved in protests that have challenged the status quo and awakened the conscience of the public in calling for common sense gun legislation.

Before becoming a state representative, Pearson was an environmental justice leader in Memphis where he co-founded Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), now known as Memphis Community Against Pollution.

Register here for this free event:

https://ucc.zoom.us/webinar/register/7616974776276/WN_ikMs0VIDRcupxezA68OG6g?inf_contact_key=e0df16c822dbe2c03fe87d7c1c72a2cf09c74070ac2bf3cfa7869e3cfd4ff832#/registration

Hanging of the Greens: Decorating PUCC Sanctuary and Grounds

Join the Sanctuary Team at 9:30am on Saturday, December 2, to decorate our beautiful sanctuary for Advent and Christmas. We will decorate the tree with ornaments and hang garlands and wreaths throughout the sanctuary. Some tasks include climbing on ladders. A group will be needed to carry out the metal creche for the front yard. It is a joyous morning, and more hands make the task light.

Questions? Donna Fauss ~ donnafauss@gmail.com; (314) 650-2607

Join us for a Special All Ages Worship Experience to Start Advent

Come One, Come All to a Special Worship Experience on December 3. We will begin with Worship in the Sanctuary and then... A Journey to Bethlehem in Fellowship Hall. Adults will have all of their senses engaged and will ponder some of the mystery and love of the season. Children will be given a Passport to visit Mary and Joseph, Angels, and spend time in the stable. Travel further on to the Bethlehem Market and taste some of the foods of the era, visit some farm animals, and make a final visit with The Wisemen.

Bring children of all ages, and invite grandkids to join us. There will be tables in the middle with more activities: God's Eyes, Festive Paper Chains, Ornaments, and Writing Poetry.

Join us on the first Sunday of Advent!

More info? Contact Carol Cobb: ccjcobb@aol.com | (314) 640-8166

Parkway Adventurers - Open to All!

Thursday, December 7 | 9:15am |Magic Chef Mansion

Join us for a tour of the mansion --- it will last an hour and fifteen minutes. We’ll meet at church by 9:15am to carpool or meet at the mansion before 10am. There is a $20 per person fee (15 person minimum) for the tour with the money to be paid the day of the tour. 

RSVP to Kent Tallyn (314-303-5606; bsee74-pucc@yahoo.com) or Diane Tallyn (314-910-2032) no later than Thursday, November 30. Lunch to be determined. Please wear only flat-sole shoes as no small-tipped heels are permitted. 

The Magic Chef Mansion was built for Charles Stockstrom (1852-1935), the founder of the Quick Meal Stove Company, later renamed Magic Chef.

The largest stove maker in the world at one time, the St. Louis plant alone sprawled over 600,000 square feet and employed 2,000 people.

After his death, Stockstrom’s daughter Adda Ohmeyer resided in the mansion until her death. Shortly thereafter, all of the original furnishings and some of the fixtures were sold at a week-long public auction prior to the house's sale in the fall of 1990 to the current owner. The new family moved in four months later and began restoration. Over the next twenty years, some of the original items were tracked down, repurchased and returned to the house. The mansion has been painstakingly restored to its turn-of-the-century elegance, including original lighting fixtures and period furnishings. We will see uncovered original murals in the parlor, an original and operating Magic Chef oven in the kitchen, and a bowling alley in the basement. Hopefully, it will be decorated for Christmas.

http://magicchefmansion.com/

Parkway Adventurers is open to all!

Past events have included the Chihuly Exhibit at the amazing Missouri Botanical Garden and the intense and informative Holocaust Museum in Creve Coeur. For more info on this relatively new group, please contact Jackie Eiffert jeiffert2@gmail.com, 661-378-6781 or Carol Cobb ccjcobb@aol.com, (314) 640-8166

Prayer List Updates as of November 23

All the acts of kindness, justice and equity near and far.

Seasonal beauty.

Families and individuals celebrating the holidays together.

Lacey Kaye Dankenbring - first great-grandchild of Kent and Diane Tallyn. Mother Breeanna and baby are both doing fine.

Grieving/struggling families or individuals as the holidays approach.

Bill Haack - hospitalized on Thanksgiving... a few more tests then home!

Don Wandless - hospitalized for tests after heart episode last wkend.

Bill Hilgeman - home after hospitalization - injuries from ATV accident.

The Yakels - as Amy’s mother transitions to new care center this month.

Clare Chapman - diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer (Svenson).

Jimmy Carter and family as they grieve and give thanks for Rosalynn.

The continuing war in Ukraine.

War in the Mideast - Israel and Hamas….Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen  

Dear Parkway Family,

I could have been a candle of remembrance this year. 

I don't remember, but I've been told that I was wandering in the valley of the shadow late last Spring. 

Thanks to you, my loving family, our Pastor and People I don't even know on prayer chains, somehow I pulled through. 

I'm still in physical therapy and voice therapy but I'm doing remarkably well. 

Doug and I are so grateful to all of you for your caring, love, visits, cards, flowers and especially prayers.

Grace and Thanksgiving to all. 

With Love, Val, Doug and the Detjen Family

PLEASE Pray for our UCC’s CAIM

The Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM) is the voice for American Indian people in the UCC. CAIM provides Christian ministry and witness to American Indians and to the wider church. Justice issues that affect American Indian life are communicated to the whole UCC by CAIM.

Historically, the forebears of the UCC established churches and worked with Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arickara, and Hocak in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and northern Nebraska. Today there are 20 UCC congregations on reservations and one urban, multi-tribal UCC congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. CAIM supports these local churches and their pastors. In addition, CAIM strives to be a resource for more than 1,000 individuals from dozens of other tribes and nations who are members of other UCC congregations and to strengthen their participation in the life of the church.

THANK YOU Parkway!

The Habitat for Humanity ST. Louis auction raised just over $5000 for HFHStL! Thank you to everyone who participated in this successful fundraiser. It is not too late to help out.

Please send your donations to:

Harper Zielonko (She/Her)

Director of Resource Development

Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis

3830 South Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63118

O: 314-371-0400 | C: 314-606-6242

http://www.habitatstl.org

When you make a donation directly to Habitat for Humanity St Louis, you help local, low-income families grow and thrive. Learn how your gift to our local affiliate takes root in our regional economy; building homes, communities, and hope in our own neighborhoods.

[We are also remembering the Carters and Habitat with fondness!]

Christmas Dinner Pot Luck

Monday, December 25

2-4pm in the Heritage Room

at PUCC

Please join us for a fun, festive Christmas potluck dinner. Ham and rolls provided… together we will do the rest!

Please contact Gerry and Mike Rogers with RSVP, questions and/or comments at gcr123055@gmail.com;

314-434-7122 

Ponder

A Prayer for Thanksgiving from Diana Butler Bass

God, there are days we do not feel grateful. When we are anxious or angry. When we feel alone. When we see and know injustice. When we do not understand what is happening in the world, or with our neighbors.

We struggle to feel grateful.

But this Thanksgiving, we choose gratitude. We choose to accept life as a gift from you, from the unfolding work of all creation. We choose to be grateful for the earth from which our food comes; for the water that sustains us; and for the air we breathe.

We choose to see our ancestors, those who came before us, and their stories, as a continuing gift of wisdom for us today. We choose to see our families and friends with new eyes, appreciating them for who they are, thankful for our homes whether humble or grand. We will be grateful for our neighbors and strive to love them as we love ourselves. We choose to see the whole planet as our shared commons, the stage of the future of humankind and creation.

God, this Thanksgiving, we do not just give thanks. We choose it.

We will make thanks with courageous hearts. When we see your sacred generosity, we become aware that we live in an infinite circle of gratitude. We all are guests at a hospitable table around which gifts are passed and received. We will not let anything opposed to love take over this table. Instead, we choose to open our eyes to see grace and the gifts of life everywhere. In this choosing, we will share gratitude in the world.

We ask you to strengthen us in this resolve. Here, now, and into the future. Around this table. Around the table of our nation. Around the table of the earth.

Amen.

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!