 from the January 2008 issue of The Spire
InSPIREd To the Smithfield Congregation Thank you for the privilege of holding office for the past few years. Of all the honors anyone could be given, this opportunity to work with the council and the congregation has been the very best. During the last couple of years, life has drawn me closer to home. Bob's Parkinson disease has necessitated our changing our lifestyle. On July 2nd, Bob went to Asbury Heights and we as a family are there most every day. There is a wonderful clergy friend who is the chaplain, Neal Rogers. Bob and I went to seminary with him. Most of all, Bob and I are grateful that we can now worship together. Bob and I appreciate the prayers, the visits, and the love that you have given to both of us. You are welcome to visit Bob anytime. I personally appreciate the council and the excellent work they have done. I appreciate the congregation in the incredible openness to change that was thrust upon us as a congregation with the fire and the costs for restoring our space of worship. In this narrow space of life, we are grateful to God. We are grateful that we did not know what was coming. We are grateful that in the midst of tears and fears, we are able to see God's goodness. Thanks be to God for Smithfield United Church of Christ. Nan, thank you many times over! During the past three years, our congregation was privileged to have Nan Foltz at the helm. At many Council meetings, Nan's commitment to the future of our church community was so clear that she motivated us all to live up to her ideals. Nan led us all through an exciting process of planning for the next decades as a dynamic, inner-city congregation with a broad ministry to all who come through our doors. During the past year – after the fire– Nan could only see the benefits that would come from new spaces. She saw this as a springboard for the Next Steps Campaign, transforming our church building and our expanding congregation as a stronger presence that could meet the needs of so many different groups of people. There was hardly a meeting where Nan did not applaud the work of our Walk-In Ministry. Nan – a visionary, a Skylark, a Martha, a Mary, and a truly good person – sought to bring out the very best in all of us. Although she steps away from the role of president, she remains a friend and fellow worker in the Smithfield vineyard. We will continue to learn so much from her presence as a congregational leader. 2007 Giving Tree brings joy to kids 
Smithfield's Giving Tree is no longer a young sapling. Now into its third decade, the Giving Tree program continues to bring Christmas joy to youngsters who might have few if any gifts beneath their Christmas tree. This year, we again joined with the Touching Families agency in McKeesport to help distribute gifts of toys and clothing to youngsters in several communities in the Steel Valley. Touching Families works with the counseling staff in several school districts to locate families who are having a rough time making ends meet. This year, Smithfielders took all the stars on the tree and either bought gifts for the youngsters or donated money to the project. The "Smithfield Sleigh" was filled to overflowing with beautifully wrapped boxes and bags as it headed out to McKeesport. The Touching Families staff extended a heartfelt thank you to all those in the Smithfield congregation who chose to brighten Christmas for thirty-five youngsters. How do children encounter God? In stories and songs, in time spent with good friends and trustworthy adults, in wondering and praying together. This January, we have begun offering our children from age 3 to grade 3 the opportunity to spend time with God in Children's Chapel. After leaving the sanctuary at the conclusion of the "Time with the Children," the children make their way to the chapel for a special time of worship designed just for them and led by Liddy Barlow. Each Children's Chapel service includes a Bible story, a song, and a time for prayer. This spring, we'll be working on learning the Lord's Prayer together and hearing the parables of Jesus. When Children's Chapel is over, the children continue to the gym for a time for informal play. Children's Chapel does not replace regular Smithfield School classes. Just as an adult might choose to attend a discussion group and then make time for worship, Children's Chapel is another way for our children to experience God's presence at church and to come to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. To experience Children's Chapel yourself, talk to Liddy about signing up to be a playtime assistant during Sunday morning services or attend the Leader's Workshop on Sunday, January 27 at 12:45 p.m. Brown Bag Book Club  Can you sandwich a good book into your busy day? During our monthly meetings, we will be discussing a few chapters of a book chosen by club members. It might be a book on spirituality, or a popular novel, or a book of the Bible. Our discussions will be engaging and informal; it's the perfect place to meet new friends and dive into interesting topics. Bring your brown-bag lunch on January 28 as we get to know each other and choose our first book. Ask a friend to join you. All are welcome! The Archives: Safer and more organized than ever! 
A year after "the New Year's Day Fire," we can clearly say that the congregation's records and archives are in a safer place and are no longer in a state of disarray. In the aftermath of the fire, many of the church records were carted away from the offices and library's display cases and closets for a thorough cleaning. As they were returned to the church during the summer months, a team of Donn Neal, John Axtell, and John Canning began the task of sifting, sorting, and evaluating the many hundreds of pieces of material. The Church Council acted to have those records of the former Smithfield East End Cemetery sent off to Marilyn Evert, the archivist and historian at Homewood Cemetery. In a similar action, the Council authorized the transfer of the historical archives of the Smithfield Street Methodist Church to the Archives and Library division of the John Heinz History Center. With those two collections in proper hands, the team – under the direction of Donn Neal – began a process of identifying and classifying the remaining "mounds" of Smithfield records. It was decided to create a space in the sixth-floor tower room to sort and store the records we have kept. Over the past few months, Donn has spent some time every week organizing, cataloguing, and making plans for a better process of preserving this collection of historical documents. Not an easy task! Many thanks to Donn for his professional skills in creating order out of chaos. With a sense of what we know we have and a commitment to organize and store the records in a safe and secure location, Donn has suggested that we develop a process for better record-keeping in the future. Expect to hear more about this in upcoming issues of The Spire. – John Canning, Council Secretary [Photo – the sanctuary of the church building preceding the current structure (1875-1926)] Women's Fellowship 2008 Update 
The Women's Fellowship of Smithfield United Church of Christ has a long history of supporting the local church as well as outreach to the community in many ways. In place of our annual bazaars, we began a chapter of the Linus Project (a national organization), making blankets for babies, children, and youth in crisis. All of these are distributed locally. We also began making lap robes for Fair Oaks, our church home for the elderly. Beginning this year, we are offering baby blankets and lap robes for sale to anyone in the congregation with such a need. Although we have members (dues are $5.00 annually) we are few in number. Some women work at home while others meet every Thursday from 10:00 - 2:00. We will continue our monthly meetings on the third Sunday of each month after church. The first meeting is January 20 at 12:30. We welcome all new members – men and women both – to see the work we do. – Betty Keibler
Dear Friends, I thought to use my first (and most lengthy) "From the President's Pen" to expand upon some of what I expressed at the Congregational Meeting in December about the Smithfield United Church of Christ Strategic Plan 2007-2012, approved by the Congregation in meeting June 17, 2007. The concluding goal of the document promised a regular assessment of what is being done or not done toward fulfillment of the 11 stated goals, what appear to be potential outcomes, and what evidence there is that the steps taken are resulting in progress toward the reaching of those goals. Further a complementary goal promised to keep the membership informed about progress and to offer opportunities for members' regular feedback to the Church Council. This is not just the strategic plan of the Church Council. It is the strategic plan of the Congregation working with and through the Council. This letter is the beginning of what I intend to be a regular reporting. It is also an invitation to express your ideas, suggestions, questions. The published strategic plan is not a document that has been created with great trumpeting and then placed on a shelf. It is a living plan. Council members directly responsible for its implementation are thoroughly engaged with it. We recognize that there may be reasons for adding to or correcting our course along the way, and we welcome your raising a flag to call our attention to such a need. Smithfield Church is known as a church that responds to and addresses people's needs for service both within these walls and beyond these walls along Smithfield Street and in the broader neighborhood that is downtown Pittsburgh. (Tony Norman, in his recent Anniversary Moment, described us as the heart of the heart of the city.) We have pledged to sustain and broaden our commitment to serving Greater Pittsburgh, seeking expanded partnerships with and opportunities for outreach across the community writ large. Read again the opening words of the strategic plan: "A strategic plan for any congregation is an act of faith. We will be bold in acting out our faith. We know that God will give us direction, courage, perseverance." And the statement of mission and vision: "We strive to be the people of Jesus Christ, transcending all boundaries of race, class, gender, ability, culture, and sexual identity. Furthermore, we desire to provide a loving environment in which individuals and community may experience Jesus Christ's love and reconciliation in the light of free conscience."  Together these words serve as our guideposts as we work to meet the goals for the ministries we embrace: hospitality, worship, education, outreach, fellowship, stewardship, fundraising, facility management, personnel, and communication. Our responsibilities and our hopes as God's people in this particular place, Smithfield United Church of Christ, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, are many. They are forward-looking and in some aspects quite challenging. But, in the words of Isaiah, "We who wait upon the Lord shall renew our strength, we shall mount up with wings like eagles, we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint." May the peace of God go with you, Peggy Neal  In the mailbox December 27, 2007 As we draw to the close of our church's 225th Anniversary Year, we wish to express our gratitude for a wonderful observance. We have been especially impressed by the special speakers who have appeared during the Sunday worship services. They have greatly expanded our appreciation for the many opportunities we have as Pittsburghers. Thanks to you and Carl Hughes, for arranging their appearances. Yours sincerely, December 28, 2007 Grace and Peace in this Epiphany season and many blessings in the New Year. Please extend to the United African Fellowship and the Smithfield UCC choir our "Thank You" and express our appreciation for the exciting and spirited hymn at the annual Heinz Hall Christmas Concert December 17. Again this year, Smithfield UCC raised a distinctive voice within the broader Pittsburgh Christian community and offered a vision of the United Church of Christ to the community. I am sure many wanted to jump and dance to the beat of the drums! We hope through the combined choirs, and sharing of this choir ministry, that the churches discovered additional ways to collaborate in proclaiming the Good News. We recall, as does Smithfield UCC, that January 1 is the anniversary of the fire in the Fellowship Hall. As the church responded to the fire and the many decisions that followed, we hope there was a deeper and enlarging awareness of the bonds in the church family and their Call to God's Mission. Through restoration, congregations discern ways to faithfully serve the Gospel to which God Calls them. May God continue to guide Smithfield UCC in the coming months and years in its faithful ministries to Jesus Christ. Sincerely, Get caught up in the Smithfield web!  Have you visited the church website recently? The home page serves as a compendium of "what do I need to know" and "where might I go from here." Information about the next Sunday's service is typically posted on Mondays. Generally within a week of a special event at the church, there will be a photo story about it – sometimes spread across several different web pages, so be sure to look at the bottom of a page for any link to the rest of the story. When a photo story becomes "old" or is replaced by a new one, its direct link on the home page disappears. It and other older stories are likely still accessible, however. Simply use the sitemap link now at the top of the home page or the same link near the bottom of the home page. As an example, the current featured photo story is the four-week preparation for the Christmas Pageant. Use the sitemap link to find direct links to pages about the aftermath of the January fire, the Pentecost celebration, and so many other events as well as to previous website versions of the newsletter and information about some of our stained glass windows. When I first became webmaster in September 2006, we registered 15,500 "hits" on the site for that month. In itself, that number tells you little because one doesn't know exactly what counts as a "hit." But steady growth of visitors to the site is clear, and in the month of December, we registered 31,199 hits. While the website serves as a primary source of information about Smithfield for people seeking a church home, it is also meant to serve the congregation. Bookmark the site today, if you haven't already, and visit it often. – Peggy Neal Summit Against Racism offers workshops, art, change On Saturday, January 26, 2008, the Black and White Reunion will be holding its 10th annual Summit Against Racism at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Held from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Summit is a rousing day of workshops, art, discussion, music, food, and networking. Forums and workshops will focus primarily on four timely and intertwined themes: police brutality and racial profiling; the criminal justice system's response to this; how to appropriately harness grassroots outrage to best effect social reform; and youth participation and protection. The theme of this year's Summit is "The Power of One: A Commitment to Individual and Collective Action." Morning and afternoon workshops will focus on some of the more critical issues facing this region today, including anti-racist organizing on college campuses; the development of strategies to reduce racial disparities in Pittsburgh's neighborhoods and regions; building interracial communities of faith; and what Pittsburgh's recent increase in development might mean for racial equity and empowerment. Besides workshops, Summit participants will have opportunity to create a collective history of the civil rights movement, sign and circulate petitions, and join Black Voices for Peace in their weekly peace vigil on the corner of Penn and Highland Avenues, if they so desire. The youth choir from Hope Academy of Music and Arts, a multicultural arts academy that meets in East Liberty Presbyterian Church, will perform at the closing celebration.
The Black and White Reunion is a diverse group that was organized in reaction to the 1995 police killing of black businessman Jonny Gammage. Throughout the past twelve years, the Black and White Reunion has coordinated nine annual Summits Against Racism and provided education, advocacy, and direct leadership for many campaigns and programs in support of racial justice and reconciliation in the greater Pittsburgh region. Registration for this year's Summit Against Racism is $20 for adults ($25 at the door) and includes all-day admission, a commemorative program book, continental breakfast, lunch, and one-year membership in the Black and White Reunion. Limited income rates, group discounts, and scholarships are also available. East Liberty Presbyterian Church is located at 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. To register or for more information, visit www.blackandwhitereunion.org or talk to Melissa in the church office. The Black and White Reunion can also be reached at blackandwhite_reunion@yahoo.com. – by Melissa Minnich
2/18/08 |
Children's Chapel offers spiritual growth before playtime
From the President's Pen
This year is particularly significant, as it marks both the 10th Summit Against Racism and the 40th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. There are more positive initiatives happening in Pittsburgh than ever before, and it is the goal of the Black and White Reunion that this year's Summit will serve as a catalyst to bring together the many individuals and groups working on issues of racial equity and empowerment in our region.
"Our annual Summit Against Racism has provided an annual opportunity for area activists to have a new beginning each year to take yet another look at the ongoing effects of racism and the need for solutions," explains Tim Stevens, founder of the Black and White Reunion. "The networking opportunity that the Summit provides is important."
– through you and me!