 from the July 2007 issue of The Spire
InSPIREd Dear Friends, During Sunday worship June 24th, our guest preacher was Rabbi Aaron Bisno, from Rodef Shalom, Shadyside. His sermon was excellent, so much so that upon his conclusion the congregation erupted into applause. I asked him after the service if he had enjoyed his time with us. His reply was that he very much appreciated being here and counted it as a privilege. "Good," I said, "because you're never coming back. I've been here nine years and not once have I ever been applauded for a sermon!" I said it in good natured fun, and it was received the same way.
Can you imagine what the state of the world would be if we treated each other not only with respect and tolerance, but really regarded one another as unique, equal, and worthy brothers and sisters? Well, it would create pandemonium. There would be no need for military, law enforcement, or home security systems. Freeing those funds up could fund accelerated research towards the elimination of disease and famine. You might be able to say that we would be living in the biblical proclamation of the peaceable kingdom. I'm going to have to start looking at my neighbor in a different way. Sincerely, Smithfield welcomes new Directors for Music and Education Two familiar faces will be re-joining the Smithfield staff this summer in new roles. We are welcoming Jim Varner as our Director of Music and Liddy Gerchman Barlow as Minister of Education. both positions are brand new, created as part of the church's strategic plan, which the congregation endorsed at a special meeting on June 17. As Minister of Education, Liddy will be working to design and implement a comprehensive educational program for children and adults alike. "I'm eager to develop a full slate of educational opportunities, on Sunday mornings and during the week as well," she said. "Deepening our faith is a lifelong process, and I'm looking forward to accompanying Smithfield UCC on the journey." Liddy begins work on July 11. "I want to spend my first weeks listening to your experiences with current and past educational offerings and assessing your interest in various kinds of new programs," she said. "We all want to be sure our educational ministry is a good match for this congregation." Although Liddy's primary role is educational, she will also be serving as a worship leader and occasional preacher, offering her first sermon on July 29. Liddy has recently completed her Master of Divinity degree at Andover Newton Theological School in Boston and is a lifelong member of the United Church of Christ. Last fall, while taking classes at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, she worked for four months as our secretary, and she has continued to edit The Spire newsletter. Our music programs will also be under new leadership: on September 1, Jim Varner will join the staff as Director of Music, a new position that combines the previous roles of organist and choir director. Jim first came to Smithfield while a music student at Carnegie Mellon. He spent a year as tenor in the quartet and also served as substitute organist during the summer months. Later, in the mid-1990s, he was our organist for five years. Since that time, Jim has been Director of Music at Franklin Street United Methodist Church in Johnstown. "It's been a good job for me," he said. "But when I heard David [Knapp] was leaving, I thought it would be very exciting to contribute my concept of what a music program can be." Jim's first priority is to revitalize the choir, increasing participation and group cohesion. "One of the big challenges right off the bat is creating an effective rehearsal schedule, finding a time that will allow for focus." He is also mulling over the possibility of developing a second mid-week worship service of music and prayer. Jim said he hopes to create "a participatory program, an expression of the congregation, a program that energizes our faith and deepens our humanity. And that happens within the concept of having fun. I'm committed to the success of this program. I can't wait to dive in." Rev. Patterson said he is very pleased with the results of the staff search. "The secret to any success I may have is to be surrounded by people smarter and more capable than myself," he said. "Our current staff certainly fits that bill, and our new staff members round out an exceptional grouping of program personnel. It's exciting!" Cook up fun with the Lunch Bunch Our delicious program of Sunday lunches will be resuming in September. Lunch is a wonderful time to catch up with friends and greet visitors. But the lunches do not appear out of nowhere.
If you are interested in volunteering or if you have participated in the past and would like confirm your continued involvement, contact Mariruth or John Canning. (See Church Directory for phone number and e-mail address.)
Dear Friends, Over the years of teaching at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary I have gathered and continue to gather information from books and experiences on the small membership church. There are some interesting pieces of information that I want to share. Take a look and see how they fit with what you know about our congregation.
A penny for your thoughts! Yours sincerely, Notes from the Next Steps Committee: Working to fund our building's needs
Our fund-raising strategy envisions a long-term project with two distinct stages. In the first stage we will engage Strada to refine our needs further, hone the anticipated costs, and provide us with detailed engineering and architectural materials. This should enable a better idea of what work will be done and at what cost. We believe this stage will continue through 2007 and possibly into early 2008. Then, using this information and the advice of a fund-raising consultant, we will – probably later this year – begin to raise the necessary money that will enable us to undertake the actual construction and repairs that we decide upon. This second stage will be a long process extending over many years. To prepare for the first stage, Strada estimated its fees for readying the engineering and architectural materials in each of the areas (about $375,000 in all), and we matched these needs with the emphases of four local foundations. In our grant proposals, which we submitted on March 31, we agreed that Smithfield would supplement any grant funds up to the amount Strada will charge us. We have wonderful news: so far, three of the foundations have responded favorably to our funding proposals, and we expect that the other will act soon, probably in July. We received $50,000 from the Estelle S. Campbell foundation for our masonry needs, $25,000 from the Charles T. Campbell foundation for our electrical and lighting projects, and $15,000 from the Earl S. Knudsen foundation for our fire alarm system. We have agreed to supplement each grant with our own resources, which will total between $48,060 or $60,320 (depending on whether or not we receive a follow-up grant next year). Additionally, we must add an amount for fees for a fund-raising consultant, possibly $20,000 to $30,000 over one to two years. Meanwhile, we still have other unmet needs: $100,000 for masonry work (plus $50,000 not awarded in response to our foundation proposal) and $25,000 not awarded in response to our foundation proposal for electrical work. Although we have additional grant applications pending to cover a portion of these needs, they are still a factor in planning our fundraising goals. Given all of these needs, a prudent goal for our fundraising during the first stage would be at least $100,000. We are off to a good start, but I need to emphasize that we are only at the outset of the first stage of our efforts to restore this building. Foundation funds will enable us to put Strada to work – refining our needs, honing our anticipated costs, and preparing the detailed materials without which actual construction cannot begin. We must find the funds to supplement the grants we are receiving, we must underwrite the fees of the fundraising consultant, and we must cover any gaps left by grants that come in smaller than we had hoped for. Then, once we have the detailed materials in hand (probably early in 2008), we can begin the second stage: a major capital campaign to raise funds for actual construction and modifications. The likely goal of that campaign will be $5,000,000+. –- Donn Neal (For a complete copy of this report, which Donn presented at the congregational meeting on June 17, please contact the church office.) Smithfield bulletin board
On June 3, our congregation welcomed Erin Ravenstahl, wife of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. Due to her husband's illness, Mrs. Ravenstahl brought the official proclamation commemorating our 225th anniversary.
Smithfield Church received a certificate of appreciation from the Penn West Conference thanking us for our 2006 contribution to Our Church's Wider Mission, which totaled $6,958.37.
9/13/07 |
Rabbi Bisno talked about the most important verse in the Torah,
Genesis 1:27. It reads, "So God created human beings, making them to
be like himself." He went on to elaborate saying that every human, made
in God's image, is unique, equal, and infinitely worthy. I actually made
notes on the back of my bulletin for this!
"We are in desperate need of volunteers to help cook, make desserts, serve, and clean up, " said
Mariruth Keebler. "We really do not want to see this area of service meet its demise."
From the President's Pen: 
We are an urban church on a city sidewalk with a facility that takes
your breath away, but our building alone will not keep our congregation
growing. One of the most critical actions in our strategic plan is our
attentiveness to "extravagant hospitality." We need to be
attentive to our spiritual vitality, our warmth, and our interest in welcoming all.
As we reported in The Spire last winter, the 2005 Facility Needs Study
by Strada Architects identified four urgent and critical building needs
for our congregation: the safety and integrity of our exterior masonry
and supporting structure, safety and code compliance of our electrical
and lighting systems, the addition of a fire alarm system, and improved
access for people with disabilities. The Next Steps Committee is charged
with raising funds to accomplish these needs.
An expression of thanks
– through you and me!