 from the April 2008 issue of The Spire
InSPIREd Dear Friends, By the time you read this, the fifth anniversary – March 19th – of our entrance into the war in Iraq will have passed. Five years! What have we been doing? According to the National Priorities Project, 4,001 American soldiers have lost their lives, 29,451 have been wounded, another 145 have died of self-inflicted wounds, and approximately 700,000 Iraqis have perished. Nearly four million refugees have fled their homes. So far this war has cost the American public $502,168,563,281. That's $275 million per day. Pennsylvania's fiscal share is $17.4 billion. With that we could have provided 4,295,347 persons with health care, fully funded 264,966 music and arts teachers, or granted 1,429,767 scholarships to college students. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the enormity of it all. What I'm not having an issue with is my own shame. I'm ashamed that I'm fully participating in a society that seems to care more about pain at the pump, NCAA basketball tournament brackets, Power Ball drawings, and who's going to win American Idol than the atrocities and horrors of this war. Have we become that numb, detached and lackadaisical? Apparently so. Resurrection implies passage from darkness to light, coma to awareness, inertia to twitching activity, and brutality to peace. I'm weary of tomb dwelling. It's time to emerge from silent desperation and speak the truth about peace. Sincerely, Vacation Bible School is coming to Downtown Pittsburgh If you only experience downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday morning, you're missing most of the action! This summer our children and youth are invited to spend a week at CAMP DOWNTOWN, an ecumenical Vacation Bible School supported by all the downtown churches and hosted by First Lutheran Church.
Camp Downtown will take place Monday through Friday, June 23 - 27, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children can also be dropped off at 9 a.m. for an optional "Breakfast Club." On Friday evening, all camp families will gather at First Lutheran for a potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m. to celebrate the week of camp. Children entering kindergarten through grade 5 can participate as campers, and older children and youth can serve as helpers and assistant teachers. Adults are also welcome to serve as volunteers. The cost will be $20 for the first child in a family, and $15 for each additional child. The fee includes all activities, field trips, and lunches, and a Camp Downtown t-shirt! Registration forms will be available later this spring; please let Liddy Barlow know if your family would like more information. Engaging the world: Confronting social challenges as people of faith The prophet Micah writes that, as people of faith, we are called to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God." How can we put Micah's words into action in our neighborhoods, our city, and our nation? Join us at Smithfield School for six exciting adult seminars during the Easter season, as we welcome special guests who will help us engage some of the most critical issues facing today's world. Pennsylvania's primary election is coming up on April 22. To begin our series, on March 30, Liddy Barlow will be speaking about the intersection of religion and politics, drawing upon her experiences as a communications research associate at The Interfaith Alliance. Find out more about the laws and guidelines for discussing elections in houses of worship and discuss the controversial role that faith has played in this year's presidential contest. A 2007 University of Pittsburgh study found that African Americans in Pittsburgh live in communities that are "highly segregated" from white residents, and that black Pittsburghers face significant challenges from poverty, crime, and mental health problems. On April 6, Dr. Edward and Lisa Rhymes, educators who specialize in anti-bias training, will help us confront racism, a continuing reality in our communities. Come reflect on prejudice and injustice and move beyond anger and guilt to action.
Bethlehem Haven, first established in our building in 1979, has provided over 9,000 consecutive nights of shelter to homeless women. It also offers a wide range of medical, employment, and mental health services to men and women alike. The new executive director of Bethlehem Haven, Lois Mufuka Martin, will join us on April 13 to speak about the continuing problem of homelessness in Pittsburgh and the ways in which Bethlehem Haven and other agencies are seeking to end it. The Rev. Dr. Ronald Cole-Turner, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics, will join us on April 20. As secretary of the United Church of Christ's Science & Technology Network, Dr. Cole-Turner recently co-authored A New Voice Arising, a pastoral letter on the relationship between faith, science, and technology, which asks "Can we be technological and theological at the same time?" Join him for an invigorating discussion on the intersection of faith and science. One in every 99 Americans is incarcerated: the highest percentage of any nation in the world. Inmates face challenges not only inside prison walls, but also in making the transition to life after serving their sentences. The Rev. Lynn Yeso, Director of Chaplaincy Services at Allegheny County Jail, will lead a seminar on April 27, helping us learn more about the prison system and introducing us to the men and women she serves. To conclude the series, on May 4 Rena Thomas, the director of Smithfield's Help Week ministry, will speak to us about the often-invisible problem of hunger among the elderly. Rena administers a food program for downtown's senior citizens, who often have to choose between purchasing food and buying necessary medications. She will be answering questions about our church's food bank and other outreach ministries. Each seminar will take place in the library at 9:45 a.m. Feel free to leave early if you need to serve on a hospitality team or help prepare lunch. You might choose to attend all six sessions or to attend just the ones that sound most interesting to you. See Liddy Barlow if you have any questions about this exciting series.
Warm Greetings! Our Strategic Plan identifies five values deriving from our congregational mission and vision. One of these is "Free Conscience: Smithfield United Church of Christ prays that we be a tolerant place in which each believer is free to find Christ as she or he discerns Christ's call." A vital key to our discerning Christ's call in our lives is a program of IMAGINATIVE EDUCATION AND INNOVATIVE LEARNING. What a powerful way not only to name our Education Ministry but to characterize it. The strategic plan set this goal for the ministry: "To provide dynamic Christian Education programs and learning opportunities, . . . helping all - whatever their age and whatever their membership status - be the people of God we say we are." Clearly we are on a steady and upward path with the goal's action steps. For example:
Imaginative? Innovative? Call to mind the opening of Smithfield School, the intergenerational Christmas Pageant and Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt, the Children's Chapel for 3-year-olds through 3rd graders, a youth group program for our teens. Thank you, Liddy, Rebecca Flowers (Council chair of the Education ministry), members of the Education Committee, teachers, weekly assistants, event volunteers. You bless Smithfield Church with the gift of your talents and your time as we each seek to know Christ and discern God's will for our lives. May the peace of God go with you. Peggy Neal What is ordination? [What follows is a modified version of an e-mail Liddy has sent to family members and friends about the what, how, and where of her June 1 ordination as a UCC minister.] What exactly is ordination? What's going to happen? How has Liddy qualified for ordination in the UCC? Why is the service of ordination taking place in Keene rather than at Smithfield Church? One last gift The Women's Fellowship at Smithfield makes lap robes for donation to adults who are in nursing homes or are recuperating. They also make baby blankets for Project Linus. These might be quilted, knitted, or crocheted, but all finished lap robes are collected for distribution throughout Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. Hundreds upon hundreds are collected from churches and sewing groups, all to be distributed from a central collection point. Recently, one of our treasured members, Janet Francis, passed away. She had been working diligently on a lap blanket that would be her last. It was a Steelers design, intended for a male. Janet was not a complainer, but it was easy to see that it was a real struggle for her to finish the blanket. Finally, it was completed and taken to the distribution center with three large bags full from Smithfield. It's not uncommon for us to receive the occasional thank-you note. Imagine our surprise when we received one from one of our own members, Nan Foltz. Her husband, Bob, was the recipient of that Steelers blanket on which Janet worked so hard. Just coincidence or serendipity? I like to think that it was the grace of God, allowing us one last gift from Janet. – Mary D'Angelo Consider it noted As of March 31, Smithfield had collected over $1000 towards the One Great Hour of Sharing, with more still coming in. Thank you to all who have contributed! Empty ink cartridges are being collected to exchange for cash through the Empties4Cash program. Any type of ink cartridge can be dropped off at the church office, with each cartridge bringing in $2-4 for the church. Since joining this program in 2005, Smithfield has raised $316.50 for its food pantry-all from used ink cartridges! From the Communications Committee A little boy was watching his father, a minister, write the sermon for the coming Sunday. He asked, "Dad, where do you get your ideas?" His father promptly replied, "From God" The boy then asked, "Then why do you keep crossing things out?" [from www.thoughts-about-God.com] As I work towards a comprehensive communication plan for our church, I feel a little like that minister. There have been quite a few cross-outs and revisions, yet the plan is still a work in progress. Many of you have given me input and ideas, and I am grateful. Any document that is going to work for a diverse community of faith such as ours need all of the suggestions that can be gathered! We have heard loud and clear that there is a desire for a prayer circle and also a need for some sort of phone or e-mail tree for notifying the congregation regarding other members' needs in the event of an illness, a death, or for emergency help. We have also heard the need for a program to bring more people to Smithfield. We would like to hear your ideas! If you have not spoken to me about what you would like your communications committee to focus on, please give me a call or e-mail me.Mary D'Angelo marydangelo2 at verizon dot net Recent back issues of The Spire
April 2008
5/1/08 |
The theme will be "Cities of the Bible." Each morning the campers will explore a different city that played an important role in Jesus' life, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. They will rotate through four stations: storytelling, crafts, music, and Middle Eastern snacks. Then, after lunch, campers will take a field trip to one of the places that makes Downtown Pittsburgh special: perhaps we'll ride the incline, visit PNC Park, or even go say hello to the mayor!
From the President's Pen
– through you and me!