Dear Friends,

We had some family and friends over for an impromptu cookout just last week, the Monday of the July Fourth holiday weekend. I had been wanting to fire up my seldom-used smoker for a long time and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity (good thinking, seeing as how it was 97 degrees that day!). So we got some chicken, ribs, brisket, flank steak, and sausage (a smorgasbord of artery cloggers) to feed the hungry masses. To make the marinade I started with a can of Sierra Mist soda, added spices, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, cranberry juice, and whatever else I could find. For the fire I used whatever happened to be on the woodpile. Well, don't you know everything was delicious. And everything was gone. People kept asking me questions: "What did you use for marinade? Where did you get the hickory? Is that oak I taste in there?" They all thought I knew what I was doing. But really, it was just intuition and quite a bit of luck.

Downtown ministry is like that. God goes to the refrigerator and says, "Hmmm . . what shall we throw in the mix today? Hey, how about a little of this, some of that, and, oh yes, a whole LOT of that!" Every day is different. Every worship service is unique. Nothing is ever the same. I stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago. Every moment is chef's surprise and there's enough magic and mystery to go around. That's what makes it fun. So relax, lighten up, and enjoy. It's a wonderful life!

Sincerely,
J. Douglas Patterson

From the afternoon of July 2nd to the early morning of July 4th, Smithfield United Church of Christ was host to a group of 32 cyclists from the Bike and Build organization. These young adults from all over the nation were en route from Boston to Santa Barbara on an exciting tour of America, but even more so as part of a program to address the growing need for decent affordable housing for low income families. This is the third year the cyclists stayed at Smithfield for a couple of days to rest and repair their bicycles and bodies after a few hard days of crossing the Alleghenies. While in Pittsburgh the cyclists are not involved in a building project, but they contribute to a local organization of our choosing which does address affordable housing issues. Last year a check was sent to the Pittsburgh Project on the North Side.

These women and men loved Pittsburgh and saw lots of excitement along the riverfront as well as into the neighborhoods. They were also very appreciative of the hospitality at Smithfield and were quite hospitable themselves, making themselves scarce or quiet during the late afternoon on Saturday when our friends Alecia Mazza and David Clark were being married in the sanctuary.

Thanks are definitely in order to all the Smithfield folks who helped greet and feed the cyclists dinner after their arrival. Peggy Neal was great at welcoming the first arrivals. She was especially happy to meet one of the cyclists who attends Alma College in Michigan, the college where she and Donn met. Tara Goodin, Hannah Price, Diana Ames, and John Axtell chopped lots of fresh fruit and veggies as well as served dinner to the very hungry bikers. Art Salvatore did a terrific job in helping with all arrangements.

— John Canning

Web Editor's note: See the Smithfield Bike and Build photo story of the participants' arrival at Smithfield Church and visit www.bikeandbuild.org. As of July 23, the team as reached Tulsa, Oklahoma for a build day, number 36 of 68, having biked 1,816 of 3,753 miles.

And In the Mailbox

Thank you for hosting this year's Boston to Santa Barbara Bike and Build group. Our son Adam was one of the 32 young people that committed their summer to affordable housing. Before the start I was worried about how they would be supported along the route. Reading all the posts from my son, and now your web site, my faith in people has been rejuvenated. It takes a lot to open your doors to 32 people and to feed them is another adventure entirely. I had the pleasure of being able to ride with them from North Hampton, MA, to Pittsfield, MA, and saw what they ate for lunch. My brother will be hosting them for dinner in St. Louis after a build day later this month. I have given him a heads up to be sure to have plenty of food. Please thank John for providing the meal and your entire congregation for hosting our son and his new friends.

— Mark and Deb Rivard

Huellas Latinas Concert Series

Carlos Feliciano and Liz Benvin, two members of the Smithfield Church Choir, have joined talents to form The Huellas Latinas Concert Series. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Carlos Feliciano, our tenor soloist, the organization will present a series of concerts focusing on Spanish and Latin American classical and folkloric music. Its mission is to unite the community and promote Hispanic culture through music by creating programs dedicated to celebrating historically important dates and events of the Latin American and Spanish culture.

See the concert calendar at the organization's new website.

Stained Glass Treasures: The Windows of 620 Smithfield Street

Twelve majestic stained glass windows line the Smithfield Church sanctuary, with the upper windows telling the chronological story of the life and teachings of Jesus and the lower windows depicting scenes relevant to the church's German Protestant and Pittsburgh heritage. We continue our series on Smithfield's stained glass windows with window 7, located at the right rear of the sanctuary.

The upper window depicts Jesus the Good Shepherd and below is a rendering of the church's first building (1875-1924). The large and impressive stone structure was the predecessor to the present building. Erected at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street, it was demolished in 1924 for the office building that still stands there.

In the eighth window, Jesus and the Woman at the Well is shown. Below this is a depiction of Pittsburgh's first wooden bridge and first suspension bridge. Pittsburgh's earliest bridge (1817), made of wood and spanning the Monongahela River, was destroyed in the great fire of 1845. Its replacement, built by John Roebling in 1859, was the first to be constructed using the suspension process he devised and perfected, most notably with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

The ninth window depicts Jesus with Mary and Martha. The lower scene features Pittsburgh's Courthouse and Market House in Market Square. These two buildings, the first Allegheny County courthouse (1794) and a two-story market house, dominated what was during the early 1800s the center of Pittsburgh, an area still known as Market Square. Both buildings were subsequently torn down.

Church archivist Donn Neal reminds us, "The windows truly are one of the most striking features of the sanctuary: not only because of their beauty, but also because of their unusual combination of historical scenes from the church's past and New Testament stories and parables of Jesus." In the next issue of The Spire, we will conclude our series on the stained glass windows with a look at the remaining three windows.

Preserving the Present: Women's Fellowship Contributes to Archives

Artifacts and unique objects are as much a part of our church's history as documents and other written records. Each of them speaks to an aspect of Smithfield's past in an important and special way. Each should be preserved.

In this case, the clowns remind us of the wonderful work that the women's groups have done for decades to support the mission of the church and enhance its spirit of community. And they remind us of the many young lives that clowns like these have touched – entertaining and comforting them and perhaps their own children.

We are delighted to have a pair of these beautifully and carefully made clowns for the archives and thank the women for their thoughtfulness.

— Donn Neal

Anyone with an artifact or document that might be preserved in the archives should contact Donn Neal.

An exciting new curriculum from the United Church of Christ, Faith Practices, is coming to Smithfield School this fall! Smithfield School resumes Sunday, September 12, at 9:45 a.m. with learning opportunities for children, youth, and adults. You won't want to miss a single week! For an early preview, see http://www.ucc.org/education/practices/

Penn West Annual Conference 2010

The 48th annual meeting of the Penn West Conference of the United Church of Christ took place June 11 and 12 at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown.

Smithfield people were in attendance in many capacities: Rev. Patterson presented a session on African drumming; Rev. John Titus represented the First UCC of Harrison City; Rev. Linda Miller-Pretz was there to tell of her work at the Saint Paul Community in Greenville; Rev. Pedersen represented Mount Troy in his role as interim pastor/ licensed minister; and Thomas Blazina served as the elected lay delegate. Though not able to attend, Rev. Liddy Barlow and Dr. Edgar Duncan were noted for their work.

There was not a great deal of legislation to be dealt with, although we did vote on the budget for the 2011 conference, increasing it by less than one thousand dollars (after, it should be noted, a $12,000 decrease in 2009). Following last year's decision to become a global mission partner, it was revealed that Penn West will develop a partnership with the North West Loson Conference of the UCC of the Philippines.

Smithfield was again recognized as a Five for Five Congregation. We participated in giving to all the mission efforts in 2009. We must continue to do this as all of these missions are of extreme importance.

On a personal note, I was honored to be a member of the bass section of the conference choir and to sing during the communion service. The next annual meeting will be held in early June 2011.

— Thomas Blazina

Camp Downtown 2010: Let Your Light Shine

This year's Camp Downtown was once again a great success! Over thirty campers, fifteen youth counselors, and twenty-five volunteers from four of the five downtown churches participated in Camp Downtown 2010, with all of the sponsoring congregations – Smithfield UCC, First Presbyterian, St. Mary of Mercy, Trinity Cathedral and First Lutheran – hosting a Camp Downtown lunch one day.

The theme for Camp Downtown 2010 was Let Your Light Shine. Throughout the week, campers focused on Bible stories about children. Participants also enjoyed a host of activities, including a daily field trip. This year the campers went on a River Quest Adventure, visited Point State Park and the PPG Fountain, the Benedum, North Shore Water Steps, and the Children's Museum

On Friday, a potluck supper was held at First Lutheran. Campers and youth counselors sang the songs they had learned in the celebration station throughout the week, and everyone gathered to watch a photo slide show of their week together. Camp Downtown director Cora Weiland noted, "The potluck is particularly enjoyable because it's one of the few times people from the downtown churches sit down together and share a meal."

See the sitemap for earlier issues of the newsletter

  – through you and me!

8/25/10
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