 from the February 2010 issue of The Spire
InSPIREd Dear Friends, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I've always known that this day has something to do with a Saint Valentine, but I never knew anything more than that. So I did a little research. Apparently there were several early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The ones honored on February 14, however, are Valentine of Rome (martyred in AD 269), and Valentine of Terni (a bishop martyred sometime around AD 197). The Catholic Encyclopedia also mentions a third saint named Valentine, martyred in Africa, but nothing more is known about him. The 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints removed the feastday of Saint Valentine on February 14 because: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14." There you have it. One more religious observance stripped of any meaning whatsoever except for a burgeoning industry of chocolates, flowers, and cards. What does any of that have to do with martyrdom and dying for the faith? How many years down the road do you think it will be before the collective memory of the origins and purpose of Christmas and Easter are lost? We will observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent, on February 17. Lent is a period of spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter, on April 4. For centuries Christians have been challenged to spend this Lenten period refocusing their lives through the use of spiritual disciplines. This year I urge you to do the same. Each week during Lent I will be asking you to observe one specific, directed discipline. Some of them are traditional. Others are not. They are: silence, hospitality, charity, health, play, and expression. I hope you will join me and the rest of our congregation as together we journey towards Easter. I don't want you to forget the meaning of Lent. Sincerely, Celebrate John's Ordination! Dear Friends, I am writing this brief note of appreciation for everything that members and friends of Smithfield United Church of Christ have done for me. I first am going to do a little plug for the Wednesday noon service. That service drew me into Smithfield in 1999, and in October 2005 I joined the church. I have received a great deal of support from Smithfield during my discernment for my call to the ministry. In December I received my first call: to serve as the interim minister of First United Church of Christ in Harrison City, which is located close to Murrysville and Export. I am continuing to work my day job downtown, and I still attend the Wednesday worship. I am pleased to let you know that I will be ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament on Sunday, February 21, at 1:30 p.m. at Smithfield, with a reception to follow. Everyone from Smithfield is invited to this worship service and the reception afterwards. I look forward to seeing you soon. Shalom, Adult Lenten Series to Address End-of-Life Decisions In contemporary American culture, talking about death is taboo: we prefer to deny our own mortality as long as possible. In this context, how, as Christians, can we look to death with courage, with faith, and even with hope? Join us for a five-week Lenten study, Facing Death Faithfully. Together with churches across the UCC, we will study the difficult choices that face us at the end of life, from green burials to organ donation to physician-assisted suicide. With Bible study, frank discussion, and guest speakers, we will come to new understanding of end-of-life choices. Join us in the Women's Fellowship room at 9:45 a.m., beginning February 28. Practicing Our Faith in the Season of Lent The Christian season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17, is traditionally a time to prepare the soul for Easter through intentional spiritual practices, such as prayer and fasting. This Lent, we as a congregation will be experiencing six of these practices together, both as a community and as individuals.  To begin the Lenten season, we will offer our annual Ash Wednesday worship at 12:10 p.m. on February 17. Come to receive the ashes as a sign of your rededication to following Christ and your desire to be renewed spiritually. On the first Sunday of Lent, February 21, in place of regular Smithfield School classes, people of all ages will join together for a special intergenerational workshop, Walking in the Wilderness, in the gymnasium. We will be learning more about each of the spiritual practices that our congregation will pursue together. Each Sunday during worship, Rev. Patterson will introduce a spiritual practice, to include silence, hospitality, charity, health, play, and expression. Worshippers will be challenged to put that discipline into practice in their lives in the next week. If you would like to commit to engaging in these practices, you will have the opportunity to sign a commitment card. Meanwhile, our children will be learning about each week's practice during the Pilgrim Adventures program during the worship service. The Lenten season culminates in Holy Week. Be sure to join us for Palm Sunday, March 28; Maundy Thursday, April 1; Good Friday, April 2; and Easter Sunday, April 4. More details will follow in the March issue of The Spire. Special Offering Benefits Haiti Earthquake Relief After the Caribbean nation of Haiti was devastated by an earthquake on January 12, our church collected a special offering to benefit the United Church of Christ's One Great Hour of Sharing relief efforts. We collected a total of $1,481! In Haiti, the UCC is working with partner organizations Church World Service and CONASPEH (the Haitian Council of Churches) to provide medical supplies, tents, food, and water to earthquake survivors. Planning is also underway on work to rebuild churches and agencies destroyed by the quake; the effort is anticipated to last for many years. All gifts given to earthquake relief will be used for direct assistance to those in need; the administrative costs are covered by congregations' contributions to Our Church's Wider Mission. Here at Smithfield, we make our OCWM gift through our annual contribution to the Penn West Conference of the UCC. If you have not yet been able to make a donation to earthquake relief, gifts may be mailed to the church office. Make your check out to Smithfield United Church of Christ and write "OGHS-Haiti Earthquake Relief" on the memo line. Women's Fellowship: Serving Kids, the Elderly, and Our Own Church We want to thank all the members and friends of Smithfield Church who gave us support for the building of fourteen baskets filled with themed goodies. The baskets were raffled off during the Christmas Markt. (Many of the winners were among our congregation!) We cleared over $700 in that project and over an additional $100 in the miscellaneous items sold that week. As always, the money we earn goes to help projects inside the church. We recently paid to restore the needlework banner in the social hall and plan to replace the drinking fountain outside the sanctuary. Although our members are few (we've recently lost three members: one who moved away and two by death), we still gather every Thursday to cut, sew, and assemble lap robes for the elderly and blankets for babies, children, or youth in crisis. Everything we make is distributed locally; we make lap robes for Fair Oaks and blankets for the Linus Project and the East End Cooperative Ministry in East Liberty. In 2009, we made 25 blankets, 5 baby caps, 34 baby bibs, 2 child ponchos, and 2 baby scarves. Our meager dues of $3 are now being accepted for 2010. Anyone may support us &ndash: male or female. For more information please see me, Doris Duncan, Ruth Brauchler, or Dee Fickley. – Betty Keibler Smithfield UCC Welcomes our New Church Secretary, Sean O'Donnell Smithfield United Church of Christ welcomes its newest secretary, Sean O'Donnell, who started on January 26. Sean will be working Tuesdays and Fridays through the beginning of April, at which time he will assume the role of office manager from Liddy Barlow. He is looking forward to working with the church staff, meeting the church members, and taking on the many challenges and responsibilities associated with his new position. Sean recently returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh after living in New York City for several years. During his time in New York, he worked as theater critic for Show Business Weekly and operated an independent dog walking service. Sean currently lives in the Observatory Hill section of the city with his partner of thirteen years and their two dogs, Max and Fred. When not working in the church office, Sean serves as the Artistic Director to The New Olde Bank Theatre in Verona. The theater houses two performance spaces, including a main stage sixty-seat black box theater, and produces eight to ten plays per year. Sean has directed over forty shows at the theater and has written more than a dozen plays which have been produced in both Pittsburgh and New York. In his spare time, Sean enjoys attempting small renovations to his house, with varying degrees of success. He recently became a first-time uncle and often looks after his niece, Claire. Although she is just eight months old, he is fairly certain she will be either a famous actress or President. Or both. "I'm so excited to be working with Sean," Liddy said. "He's a quick study, an efficient worker, and a wonderful addition to our team here at Smithfield." Pipe Organ Restoration Work Begins  Three years after the Social Hall fire of January 1, 2007, we are finally able to begin the last phase of recovery: the cleaning of the pipes and chambers of the organ. A number of much needed repairs will also be done to the instrument. The work will be funded from money designated for this purpose from the insurance settlement. Interestingly, the current organ was born out of the disastrous fire of 1966 which destroyed the original Moller organ. At that time, with the insurance settlement in hand, William H. Mellor, a local builder, was engaged to build a large four-manual instrument. The result is an especially fine creation: our current organ. All who hear and those who play it marvel at the beauty of its solo stops and the rich fullness of its ensemble. It is Mellor's magnum opus.  Over the years there has been some water leakage damage to some of the chambers. All of the leaks have been repaired and a portion of the damage will be repaired with the current work. Unfortunately we are not able to repair all of it at this time. However, the current work is a significant step in the direction of a complete restoration. This work is to be completed sometime before Palm Sunday. (A note of explanation: pipe chambers are simply rooms filled with organ pipes. Each room is called a division and is controlled from a keyboard at the console. Our console has 4 manual keyboards and a pedal keyboard played with the feet.) So, we are grateful to be able to begin this restoration work to our glorious organ: important to us and the larger community as well. – Jim Varner  In the Mailbox To Smithfield United Church of Christ, Touching Families Inc. would like to thank you for your continued support! Thank you for providing Christmas gifts for the families that we serve and making their holidays a memorable one. Sincerely, – – – Many months ago, in the heat of the summer, Smithfield was host to a group of thirty-some young bikers who spent a couple of days and nights in our Social Hall. They were part of a nation-wide organization called "Bike to Build." As they biked from Boston to Santa Barbara, they stopped at many locations to help groups such as Habitat for Humanity provide homes for families with limited income. While at our church the group took time for R and R (repair and test). We were asked if there were any projects in our area where they might become involved and the Pittsburgh Project on the North Side was suggested. However, given the rugged demands on body and bike while getting across the mountains, they used the time to work on their equipment. Recently we received a letter (below) from the folks at the Pittsburgh Project saying that Bike to Build had sent them a donation for their work in the Charles Street valley. Here is where Smithfield was able to pay it forward. We helped Bike to Build; they in turn helped the Pittsburgh Project, which in turn helps many families in the neighborhoods where they minister. You never know ... – John Canning Hi John, We received a very kind letter from Bike and Build, Inc., and a $100 check, back in December, which acknowledged that folks from Smithfield UCC suggested The Pittsburgh Project as the gift's recipient. I called Bike and Build, and they said that you are Smithfield's contact person for Bike and Build. So, I merely wanted to say "thank you" for thinking of us, and for directing that gift our way. If you'd like to visit our work here on the North Side, or learn more about us, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can also check out our work at www.pittsburghproject.org. Best in Christ, (see the sitemap for earlier issues)
2/26/10 |
– through you and me!