 from the May 2008 issue of The Spire
InSPIREd Dear Friends, Some time ago I was traveling in Israel with a group of like-minded folks interested in visiting holy places and learning more about the biblical land. After several days of touring we were given a "free" day in which we could opt for one of the side tours, go on a supervised shopping trip to the market district, or simply relax at the hotel. Later that afternoon I was walking down a narrow street in East Jerusalem feeling the timid exhilaration of mystic exploration when, shockingly, I heard someone call me loudly by name. It took a moment, but I finally recognized him as someone I had gone to college with many years before. We were not close friends. In fact, we had not spoken since graduation. But I remembered him. And it was good to exchange small talk and reminisce warmly of days gone by on that ancient, narrow passage half a world away. We promised to keep in touch but, as you can guess, never did. Unfulfilled promises are like that. They show up from time to time, reminding us of days gone by and conflicting our spirits with unsettled guilt as we consider what we could or should have been by now. But we love to hear from them, and we particularly enjoy renewing them with fresh energy. It makes us feel good because with old promises and resolutions made new yet again, we can once more dream of better days to come. Every four years: "Pssst . . . hey Doug . . . over here . . . nice to see you again . . . lower taxes . . . streamlined government . . . balanced budget . . . someone you can trust . . . security . . . peace . . . . . ." It's disappointing, alarming, cyclical, and mind-numbing. But, even so, I still believe in promises. I believe the lion will frolic with the lamb and that instruments of war will be melted down to make plows. I'll never give up on that. Sincerely, Downtown Ministerium festival to be held on June 1
Based on the principle of the church picnic, this event will be a social gathering of the congregants and clients of the ministerium. All of Strawberry Way will be blocked off to allow several hundred people the opportunity to eat great food, meet new friends, and enjoy varied entertainment. Activities for children and youth will abound, Giggles the Clown will entertain, and soulful jazz from Horace Turner and His All Star Band will waft up and down the street. A carnival-like experience awaits all participants. Don't worry about the weather. In the event of rain the festival will move indoors to Smithfield's Social Hall. Registration information and tickets are available at the Hospitality Center in the church entry way. Hold the date and make plans to attend. Church offers scholarships for higher education Each year, Smithfield UCC presents scholarships to members and friends pursuing higher education. To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be active in the life and ministry of the church. For students attending school in Pittsburgh, that means showing commitment to Smithfield UCC through attendance in worship, participation in church activities, or membership in church organizations. Church members attending school far away need to visit Smithfield when their schedule permits and participate in religious or community service activities near their campus as well. All applicants must submit evidence of their enrollment and academic progress, in the form of a transcript or a letter from a school registrar or dean. The amount of the award will vary based on how many eligible applications are received, but will likely be between $300 and $1000. Applicants may choose to receive the scholarship as a check (made out to the applicant or the school) or as a gift card to their campus bookstore. The application deadline for this year's scholarships is June 1. Pick up an application packet from the Hospitality Center in the front lobby or download the application here. Fair Oaks, a retirement community originally established by our congregation, also offers annual scholarships, which are available only to church members. If you would like to be notified when we receive this year's application materials, please speak with Liddy Barlow.
What does church mean to you? Mission? Compassion? Community? . . . Praise? Prayer? Peace? We could sit in a circle asking that question and come up with as many different answers as people! But the value at the heart of every answer would likely be the same: love. Smithfield UCC is love. When I think about how the church’s love — God’s love — has transformed and nourished me, I want to share it. I want others to feel the blessings of grace and acceptance, to know the joy of service and the freedom to live fully in God’s moment — whether it brings joy or sorrow, struggle or laughter. Each year, we receive a special offering that helps the church’s love to grow and thrive. Called Strengthen the Church, this offering funds new congregations and renews existing ones. It supports programs for youth and young adults and nurtures current and future leaders. And this year, for the first time, it will aid the God is Still Speaking Ministry and its message of inclusivity. We will receive this offering on May 11 — the birthday of the church, Pentecost, and Mother’s Day. I invite you to celebrate these two — the church and those who are Mother to us - by giving to Strengthen the Church. Last year in 2007, Smithfield collected $230 for the Strengthen the Church offering. Let's see if we can surpass the amount we collected last year by collecting over $300.00 this year. Please give generously and make your check payable to "Smithfield UCC" with a reference of "Strengthen the Church." Your generous gift today ensures a vibrant church tomorrow. Spread the Love. Strengthen the Church. God is still speaking, Peace,
Warm Greetings!  The "J" against a "brick wall" appeared in a bulletin insert on March 9. The next Sunday you found a "J E." Then a "JER" followed by "JERI" and "JERIC." At some point along the way to the April 20 bulletin you knew this was adding up to JERICHO. By the 20th if you were on the church mailing list you had received a letter and accompanying materials setting forth Next Steps: ACCESS, Project JERICHO, and our coming together to raise $135,000 in donations and pledges by December 2009. Early on in its thinking and planning for this fundraising effort the Next Steps committee – David Anderson, Donn Neal, and Diane Rigney – hit upon "bringing down the wall of Jericho" as a way of visualizing the congregation's commitment to the restoration and renovation that will make our church building safe and easily accessible for all. Two concept pieces the committee created serve as a brief statement of our vision and goal for Next Step: ACCESS and Project JERICHO. ACCESS: A Welcoming Environment for All Journey to JERICHO We encourage you to give prayerful consideration to the ways in which you can contribute to the success of JERICHO. The committee members are happy to meet with you, take your phone calls, respond to your e-mails.
Donn Neal: 412-456-2233 donnneal@yahoo.com Diane Rigney: 724-695-3474 dianerigney@eaton.com May the peace of God go with you. Peggy Neal Reaching out The Outreach Ministry of our congregation has a long and varied history. A century ago, Smithfield took a leading role in the development of an orphanage and "old age home" – today's Fair Oaks community. A few decades ago, the Smithfield Center provided a haven for homeless women, a day-care center for youngsters, and the home court for urban basketball teams. Presently, we are reaching out to help with a city charter school, the Allegheny County Social Services, our Walk-In ministry to downtown residents, and the United African Fellowship. On April 6, we began to look at ways in which we, as a congregation or as individuals within the congregation can continue in this long-established social ministry. If you would like to join as we explore new ways to make our city, our world a better place, please contact Charlie Brauchler, John Canning, John Titus, or one of the pastors. Smithfield School Day– Sunday May 11, 2008 
Celebrate the end of Smithfield School’s first year with special festivities during worship. We hope to see you on this special day!
"We found Smithfield on the Web." New members and friends often tell us that they were looking for a church and found us on the Web - most often that means that they turned to Google and Google maps. Now, in addition to the basic information offered for any business (address, phone number, website link), a seeker using Google maps to look for "churches in Pittsburgh, PA" will find on the Smithfield listing our church mission statement, office and worship hours, and photos of the church as well as an ever changing list of links to other sites that refer to Smithfield Church. VirtualSmithfield redux! Those of you whose e-mail addresses are on record in the church office may have wondered what happened to the VirtualSmithfield e-mail message system that passed on news of particular importance or interest to the congregation. Basically, it did itself in through one of those unexplainable quirks of Internet communication. VirtualSmithfield has been recreated. If you have not yet received a welcome message via VirtualSmithfield and would like to be added to the list of recipients, please send your e-mail address to Peggy Neal at: pneal@smithfieldchurch.org VirtualSmithfield's purpose is to get "need-to-know" information to members and friends of Smithfield Church in a timely manner. Consider it noted On April 5, Virginia Craig, a former member of Smithfield, died peacefully. Services were held in Houston, Texas. If you have clean, spare rags on hand, please drop them off at the church office and our loyal custodians will be more than happy to find a use for them. The Stewardship Ministry Team of Smithfield is pleased to announce that we surpassed our goal of $1,000 for the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, with a grand total of $1,005.48. Thanks to all who contributed!
On May 20, the fourth program in a noon-time musical series called "Bach's Lunch" will be held in Smithfield's sanctuary. Our congregation and the folks at First Lutheran have joined with the Pittsburgh Festival Orchestra in the development of this new musical venture. In March, keyboardist Patricia Prattis Jennings provided a magnificent piano concert here at Smithfield. The featured artist on May 20 will be pianist Becky Billeck. A bag lunch is available at noon, and the concert begins at 12:30. The cost for both is $10, to be paid at the door.
To all our family and friends at Smithfield, Janet was right, the congregation at Smithfield is the friendliest in the city. Janet loved the church and the people in it. On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the cards and birthday cards you sent. The flowers and food were greatly appreciated. Janet was still talking about the birthday party at Heritage House – cake, ice cream, even party hats. Thanks, Bill C. Janet was an active member, teaching Sunday school and watching the children grow into productive adults. She would have been pleased to know the Steelers throw that she made was given to Bob Foltz by Women’s Fellowship. When we went on bus trips, people would point out the ceramic cat statues that they saw for her to buy and believe me, she had enough of them. She had a great love for everyone—family, friends, and her Eastern Star card club, to name just a few. Our trips with the aunts 86 and 93 were always welcome treats. She did the driving—what a sigh of relief from the family when we got back home safe and sound. Janet appreciated all the friends and knew that God traveled with us at all times. Doris Duncan and family Dear Rev. Patterson, Thank you for your church’s recent gift of $50.00 to help tell the story of the United Church of Christ in a full-page ad in the New York Times and USA Today. People are looking at the UCC, in this moment in history, like they never have before. They are eager to learn more about the UCC and what the UCC stands for. Your gift allows us to tell the church’s story and to raise the level of civil discourse about faith in the public square. Thank you for your generosity. Sincerely, Dear elementary students, Happy Easter! Thank you for your nice letters to me. I read every word and appreciate your prayers for Hong Kong. I am very blessed to serve the UCC in China, telling others about Jesus’ love for them and the whole world. My main job is producing Christian radio programs.I will be visiting the U.S. in Oct/Nov so maybe I’ll have a chance to visit Smithfield UCC and say hello! Best wishes,
Recent back issues of The Spire
April 2008
4/2/08 |
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We were strongly advised not to consider wandering the streets of Jerusalem alone as a viable option. I, of course, found this possibility the far most appealing. 
Remember the old church picnics: Sunday afternoon gatherings in the park with plenty of good food, games, conversation, and music? Well, the Pittsburgh Downtown Ministerium (comprised of all downtown churches and several ministry organizations) will be holding such an event on Sunday, June 1, on Strawberry Way next to the church. The festivities will begin around noon or shortly after the conclusion of worship services.
Strengthen the Church
From the President's Pen
– through you and me!