DIDACHE
April 2008

LEARNING IN GOD'S HOUSE

Dear Friends,

We had just finished another week in the Children's Chapel. As we do every week, we had set the table, lit the candle, and sung our welcome song. Then I had said, softly and seriously, "Can you feel it? Jesus is here! The light of the world is right here in this room with us!"

Together, we got ready to hear one of Jesus' special stories, a parable from a precious gold box. At the end of the story, we wondered out loud about what it all meant. Then we said the Prayer of Our Savior, moving our bodies with each phrase.

Now we were walking downstairs to the gym for playtime. James "Nunu" Jones, a first-grader, was walking beside me.

"This is God's house, right?" Nunu said.

"Well, yes," I said. "God lives here. God lives everywhere, all at once, where ever people are. So God has lots of houses."

"But that room," Nunu insisted, pointing back to the chapel. "That's really where God lives."

As this first year of the Smithfield School experiment comes to a close, I hope you too will experience God's presence in our classrooms here at Smithfield United Church of Christ, as we learn and as we pray.

Yours in Christ,
Liddy Barlow

RECOGNIZE OUR LEADERS ON SMITHFIELD SCHOOL SUNDAY

May 11 will be a busy day. This year it's Mother's Day. In the church calendar, it's also Pentecost, the day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. And May 11 has another role this year as well: it's Smithfield School Sunday!

During worship, we will recognize all the leaders who have made this first year of Smithfield School possible: the teachers, shepherds, and playtime assistants who have joyfully given of their time and energy. We will also have special prizes for the students in each class with the best attendance record, and gifts for graduating seniors. Each of our third grade students, Gary Freeman and Linus Pietrusza, will receive his own Bible, beginning a new tradition for our church.

Our children and youth will be helping to lead worship on this day, by reading scripture and presenting the Prayer of Our Savior. All worship participants need to arrive at 9:45 for a rehearsal in the sanctuary.

Smithfield School will resume on September 7. But never fear! We will continue to offer educational opportunities all summer long, including the Brown Bag Book Club, Vacation Bible School, and more. Continue reading Didache to find out more!

Pauline Freeman, Sam Senkowicz, and Milo Minnich helped make cookies for the guests of the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter. James Jones and Lene Pietrusza also helped, under the guidance of substitute preschool teacher Steve Minnich. The children used great willpower and did not eat any of the cookies themselves! "They're for the poor people," Pauline explained.

A REPLY FROM HONG KONG

In the December issue of DIDACHE, we shared letters written by our elementary class to the Rev. Judy Chan, a missionary linked to the PennWest Conference of the United Church of Christ who is serving in Hong Kong. Recently, the students received a post card from the Rev. Chan! She writes:

Happy Easter! Thank you for your nice letters to me. I read every word and appreciate your prayers for Hong Kong. I am very blessed to serve the UCC in China, telling others about Jesus' love for them and the whole world. My main job is producing Christian radio programs.

I will be visiting the U.S. in Oct./Nov. so maybe I'll have a chance to visit Smithfield UCC and say hello!

Best wishes,
Judy

SMITHFIELD SCHOLARSHIPS

Did you know our congregation offers financial support to members and friends who are pursuing higher education? The deadline for scholarship applications for the 2008-2009 academic year will be June 1. For more details, see the May issue of the Spire newsletter or contact Liddy Barlow.

SMITHFIELD SCHOOL "ENGAGES THE WORLD"

Smithfield School's fascinating and well-attended adult series, "Engaging the World: Confronting Social Challenges as People of Faith," continues through May 4. Plan to join our guest speakers as they discuss issues that face our community and our nation. All seminars take place in the church library at 9:45 on Sunday morning.

On April 20, we will welcome Ron Cole-Turner, a UCC pastor and professor of Christian ethics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is one of the co-authors of the UCC's recent pastoral letter, "A New Voice Arising," which speaks of the relationship between science, technology, and faith. He'll be talking more about how progressive people of faith can engage with the scientific community. You might want to read the letter (it's brief, and very interesting!) before his visit: www.ucc.org/not-mutually-exclusive/pdfs/pastoral-letter.pdf.

Did you know that one out of every 99 Americans is incarcerated? Our next guest, Lynn Yeso, director of chaplaincy services at Allegheny County Jail, will be with us on April 27 to talk about the prison system and tell us about the men and women she serves. Come learn more about this often-invisible population.

Our final speaker in the series will be very familiar to you: our own Rena Thomas will be our guest on May 4. Rena directs our Help Week ministry and has a special interest in assisting senior citizens, who often have to choose between purchasing needed medications and buying food. She'll be telling us more about the outreach programs this congregation supports.

Earlier speakers in the series included Liddy Barlow, addressing the relationship between faith and politics; Edward and Lisa Marie Rhymes, leading a discussion on racism; and Lois Mufuka Martin, who spoke about homelessness.

Each session begins at 9:45 and concludes by 10:40. Stay for as long as you are able; if you need to leave early to sing in the choir or serve on a hospitality team, you are welcome to do so. We hope to see you around the table!

CAMP DOWNTOWN

Catch the excitement of downtown Pittsburgh's first-ever ecumenical Vacation Bible School! "Camp Downtown," hosted by First Lutheran Church and supported by all the downtown churches, will take place June 23-27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children entering grades K-5 are invited to participate as campers; older children and adults can be counselors or volunteers.

Each day, campers will enjoy stories, crafts, music, drama, and snacks relating to one of the cities in Jesus' life. In the afternoon, we will take a field trip to one of the places that makes downtown Pittsburgh special!

See Liddy Barlow for a registration form or more information.

BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB CHOOSES THIRST

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished

Mary Oliver, "Messenger"

This month, Smithfield's Brown-Bag Book Club is reading Thirst, a collection of poems by Mary Oliver. Even if you haven't read poetry since high school, you should give Oliver's simple, sincere, unrhymed verse a try. You may find yourself looking at the world around you, at God, and at your own life in a beautifully fresh way.

Mary Oliver is a Cape Cod poet who has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In Thirst, she chronicles her grief over the death of her longtime partner. For the first time, Oliver also writes explicitly about her Christian faith. Meanwhile, she continues to consider the natural world: her beloved dog Percy, ripe melons, black ducks on the shore.

The Brown-Bag Book Club meets Monday, April 28, at 12:10 p.m. in the library. All are welcome; bring your lunch and bring a friend! The discussion continues after worship on Sunday, May 4 in the social hall.

OVERHEARD AT SMITHFIELD SCHOOL

"Jesus was willing to suffer for us. Maybe we should suffer for other people."
    Norman Freeman

SMITHFIELD SCHOOL CALENDAR

• April 20: Engaging the World: A New Voice Arising, 9:45 a.m.
• April 27: Engaging the World: Life Behind Bars, 9:45 a.m.
• April 28: 12:10 p.m. Brown-bag Book Club discussion
• May 4: Engaging the World: Hunger and Poverty, 9:45 a.m.
  Book Club discussion continues over lunch
• May 11: Smithfield School Sunday – Children gather at 9:45 in the sanctuary to rehearse worship roles.
• May 18: No Smithfield School. Children decorate summer worship bags during gym playtime.
• June 1: Smithfield Scholarship applications due; they may be mailed to the church office or e-mailed to Liddy.

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  – through you and me!