 from the May 2007 issue of The Spire
InSPIREd Dear Friends, She sat in the back left-hand corner of the church, the first one to arrive and the first one to leave. She didn't mix much with other people, so when I told the congregation last Sunday that Norma Doswell had died not many knew who I was talking about. I called her "the human bookmark" because at the Bible studies I conducted at the Roosevelt Arms it was her responsibility to remind the group where we had left off the previous week. She died of cancer, which she had told no one about. Norma didn't like my alb. It's a flaxen color and she told me almost every Sunday that she didn't care for it because it "looked dirty." I do have a pure white hooded alb that I wear on special occasions. Norma loved that one. She wanted me to wear it every week.
I like my alb. I picked the color. I wear it almost every Sunday. But that's me. Smithfield is a growing collection of individuals outspoken in their persuasions and preferences. I like it! And I imagine that you do, too. Let's give thanks to God for our community of faith! Sincerely, Welcoming our new secretary
Melissa has been at Smithfield since late March; so far, she's been enjoying the "scintillating downtown location" and the "friendly colleagues on staff." In addition to printing the bulletins and greeting visitors, she is working to make Smithfield greener: she's started the office's first ever paper-recycling program. Melissa is originally from Maryland and moved to Pittsburgh one year ago from Philadelphia, where she earned a journalism degree with an emphasis in advertising from Messiah College. She also enjoys writing and photography. "I really like Pittsburgh's independent film scene," she said, "and I've been spending a lot of time at the Union Project's coffee shop and pottery studio. When you see Melissa, be sure to welcome her to Smithfield and to thank her for her hard work! Special guests plan to join us in June Next month, we will be welcoming three special guests to worship with us. Be sure to join us on these important days. On June 3, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will be joining us for the 11 a.m. service. Rumor has it that he has a special message from the mayor's office to share with us in honor of our 225th anniversary! Last November, Rev. Patterson went down to the docks to christen a towboat for CONSOL Energy. On June 10, J. Brett Harvey, President and CEO of CONSOL, will return the visit, saying a few words during worship. Rev. Patterson met Harvey over lunch after the christening. "We got into a great discussion," he said, "so I thought he would bring a good perspective." On June 24, we will welcome Rabbi Aaron Bisno, senior rabbi at Congregation Rodef Shalom in Shadyside, as our preacher. Rabbi Bisno has served Rodef Shalom since 2004; he is also the President of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association and Chair of the Pittsburgh Reform Rabbis Council. Meet our newest members Smithfield welcomed four new members during worship on Sunday, January
28: Why did they choose Smithfield? Judy, whose brother and sister-in-law are long-time church members, observed, "I came with them several Sundays to visit. I felt that it was a very friendly congregation. I decided it would be a good church to join." Nathan came to Smithfield on a friend's recommendation. "He told me about this wonderful church that he had gone to and thought I would really like. I absolutely loved it. I thought Rev. Patterson was a very inspirational speaker, and, having a music background, I thought the choir was just amazing. And it didn't hurt that everyone was incredibly friendly." Mary and Bob had belonged to a UCC church in Reading, Pennsylvania, before moving to Pittsburgh, and so when they arrived in October they began visiting UCC churches. "When we came to Smithfield, everyone was so friendly that we felt at home right away," Mary said. "It didn't even take one whole visit; we just decided [to join] right away." It is by giving that we receive: Update from the Stewardship team Dear Friends, I wanted to give you a brief update of what has been happening with the Stewardship Ministry Team at Smithfield, and I am happy to report that stewardship is alive and reenergized. Typically, when the word stewardship is discussed, the focus is placed only on money. At Smithfield, the decision was made to focus on year-round stewardship education, where the focus will be on the gifts and offerings of time, talent, and financial support. The "Smithfield Challenge" was introduced during the season of Lent, and pledges for time, talent, and money have continued to be returned. Acknowledgements and thank you notes for these pledges will in the mail soon, and you will also be receiving quarterly statements of giving after the second quarter (June 30).
The next offering to be collected is "Strengthen the Church," which will be collected on Pentecost. To learn more, read the next article. Many other exciting things are happening with stewardship at Smithfield. Stayed tuned for more to come! Shalom,
On Pentecost Sunday, May 27, we will be receiving the "Strengthen the Church" special mission offering. Through our gifts, we further our commitment to be a multiracial, multicultural church, open and affirming and accessible to all. We strengthen and renew existing congregations, fund leadership for new congregations, and offer leadership development for the whole church. Half of our gifts will stay here in the Penn West conference; the rest will go to Local Church Ministries of the wider UCC. One goal of the Strengthen the Church offering is to provide exciting new programs for youth and young adults. In 2006, for example, your generous gifts supported the "Come to the Feast" conference, an ecumenical gathering of young adults in Portland, Oregon. Young adults from across the church were on hand to share in the feast of fellowship, community building, and mobilizing. UCC young adults were worship leaders, facilitators, and resource persons. We are invited to come to the table with our gifts to Strengthen the Church, gifts that provide a feast of faith, community, and leadership building opportunities for young leaders in the United Church of Christ. – John Titus UCC President John Thomas visits Smithfield
According to Rev. Patterson, Rev. Thomas's visit was the perfect way to combine Smithfield's 225th anniversary celebration with this year's 50th anniversary celebration of the United Church of Christ. "I thought it was a great day," he said. "He's a solid preacher, and we had a great time talking." Here are excerpts from Rev. Thomas's sermon. "Because of your faithfulness in this part of God's creation, those of us who work and live in other parts of the church know that we have a part and a place in God's mission that takes place here. And because of your participation in the ministries of the wider church, your generosity to our church's wider mission and our special offerings, and your prayers – because of that, you have a part and a place in God's mission that takes place literally to the ends of the earth.
"Are we prepared to enter into the painful lives, the wounded lives, of the poor of our own community, the impoverished people of the world, including the homeless men who call Smithfield home on cold winter nights, or the families that Rena cares for each week in the walk-in ministry, all those in our world deprived of decent housing, schools, and health care? What they need are Thomases so prepared to enter into their lives that the triumphant Christ of the church's alleluias is also seen to be the Christ who suffers with them. The risen Christ is always the wounded Christ." [Painting is The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1601-02) by Italian artist Caravaggio (1573-1610).] What's new on the web 
www.smithfieldchurch.org is updated each week, reflecting the vibrant life of this congregation. Take a few minutes to explore the site generally. You'll start at the special 225th Anniversary entry page with a listing of anniversary events for the month as well as a picture of the historical window featured that month. The entry link leads directly to the Home page. The featured window has a link to its own page. (These are the images and text that are being reproduced for the bulletin and the literature rack.) The Home page has up-to-date information about the coming Sunday's service and related activities as well as specific links to the most recent newsletter and events. The Home page also includes current counts of American and Iraqi casualties in the war. A Sitemap link on the Home page leads to an index of the site, from which you can navigate quickly to a specific page. For example, have you seen:
– Peggy Neal
What will we look like in 2017? Who would have thought that we at Smithfield would ever be where we are now? Since January, we have experienced a fire, seen the evidence of an enormous clean up, and in the midst of it all we have not lost a worship service nor have we lost ministry to the greater community. I think that is rather amazing. There are three things happening that catch my heart and mind. The first is that we are a resilient faith community. We are still here in the heart of "America's Most Livable City" – Pittsburgh. I remember reading about our congregation in the early years and how our women cared for needy children. This church historically has participated in city needs and we continue to increase our participation. The second is that we are living our faith through our strategic plan. I believe that planning is an act of faith. We believe in setting forth a strategic plan for the next decade: we are going to continue to expand our spiritual reach to new people, and we are going to expand our building as a resource to the city and county around us. Through our strategic direction, we can impact lives beyond our current ministries. Please pick up a copy of the plan in the office or call and have one sent to you. Make your suggestions for changes and let the council know your suggestions by May 18. The third is that we desire spiritual renewal. No one goes through fires, losses, or changes without a need to remember who they are and how God participates in our lives. We are surrounded in our church with magnificent artistry, from the building itself, to the stained glass windows, to the incredible sanctuary. Our music and our ministries shower us with examples of how the arts restore the soul. In our own way, each of us has had to deal with the losses due to the fire, the changes due to the clean up, but most of all, the losses and changes in our own lives. So, nothing stays the same, expect the love of God and our desire to be responsive to God's blessings and direction. It is my prayer that we as a faithful community of believers will continue our prayers for God's guidance in our own struggles and in the challenges and opportunities that we have as a faith community. I don't know what we will look like in 2017, but I look forward to finding out. Yours sincerely, "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. Celebrating David Knapp Join us at a reception after worship on Sunday, May 27, to honor our director of music, David Knapp, as he leaves Smithfield after seven years of service.
"The level of musicianship he's brought to our church has been outstanding," said Rev. Patterson. "David is a phenomenally gifted musician. He's brought a high level of professionalism to the music on Sunday mornings." Choir member Lauraine Duncan also had words of praise for David. "He is a multi-talented, imaginative director," she said. "He exposed the choir to a wide variety of music." The quest for a new director of music is underway. "We have a search committee in place, and we are in the process of advertising for candidates," Rev. Patterson said. While the search continues, organist Barbara Benvin has agreed to serve as interim director of music.  In the mailbox Doug:
When I got to the parking garage office, the woman in the booth took my ticket and noted the validation: "You folks had a nice crowd today." "Yes," I replied," and we had a good time together this morning." "You always seem to have a good time," she said. "In fact, four churches park here, and your church has the nicest people who seem to enjoy church the most." So, how's that for 'validation,' and for a reminder that the quality and character of our life as a congregation can be its own form of witness in the world! Rev. John Thomas
rev. 6/11/07 |
Stop by the office and greet our new secretary, the enthusiastic and
efficient Melissa Minnich!
The "One Great Hour of Sharing" offering was a huge success, and
this year we collected around $850 compared to $360 in 2006. The success of
this offering was because of the Smithfield Kids' involvement in
collecting pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters in their offering
boxes. Our children also helped distribute the offering boxes and
collect the offering on Palm Sunday. Many thanks to our children at
Smithfield!
Approximately 250 worshippers, including Smithfield members and friends, visitors from UCC congregations throughout the Pittsburgh Association and Penn West Conference, and officers of local ecumenical organizations, were present on April 15 to greet the Rev. John Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, our guest preacher for the day. Rev. Thomas has served as General Minister and President since 1999; he is the presiding officer of the Collegium of Officers, which guides the national ministries of the UCC.
From the President's Pen: 
In addition to his work at Smithfield, David serves as chair of the
instrumental music department and orchestral conductor at the
Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. A tuba player by
training, David has played with the River City Brass Band, the Carnegie
Brass, and the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestras, among others. He
is also a composer and orchestrator.
It was good to be with you this past Sunday. Thank you for the
invitation and hospitality!
– through you and me!