Glad Tidings

Central-St Matthew United Church of Christ Newsletter
December, 2008

Click here for a PDF version of the December newsletter

Friends and Members of Central/St. Matthew UCC,

It seems strange knowing this will be my last article to write for our church newsletter. I guess it is part of letting go and realizing that my call to ministry now will move to another physical location. Writing articles has always seemed like high school English homework, which was not a significant priority for me in high school. In the 1960’s I would have much rather played pickup games of basketball or spend time listening to rock and roll.

But my profession of choice requires significant time at the computer writing letters, sermons and the dreaded monthly newsletter. Each month I have struggled to write about some theme that I thought would be helpful in the life of our diverse community. Every church has a newsletter, and every church that I have been a part of has always had a secretary or a church president that had to remind me, on more than one occasion, the date of the church newsletter deadline. It has often felt like I was late for yet another English homework assignment.

I chose to write about this theme now because ministry is not about doing just what we want to do. Creative and effective ministry is about individuals going beyond their comfort zone to make a difference in our community. In sports terms, the Central/St. Matthew community is going to have to “Raise their level of play” if we are going to not only survive but thrive.

I have spent the last ten years of my life working with others to create this community of faith. I am very proud to be a part of who we are. But sometimes I feel that our membership does not realize how unique we are, or our potential for growth based on our unique identity here in New Orleans.

Although Advent is a season of waiting, waiting for the birth of Jesus, we need to take a more proactive stance. I hope and pray that members will take every opportunity to be involved not only in the church wide retreat, but that all will pitch in when the need is at hand. The re-birth of Christ will happen in our midst, if and only if, we are willing to go outside our comfort zone and work towards building a new church in Christ on the corner of South Carrollton and Willow.

I certainly will miss our community of faith, but I am also confident that God will send you another pastor to guide you in the next stage of the journey.

God Bless You All,

Rev. Fred

A Message from Your Moderators

The church year has ended, the calendar year is almost over, and a ten year ministry at St. Matthew is nearing closure. Advent will begin this Sunday, a new year with all its promise is a month away, and a new spiritual director for our covenanted community is about to be chosen. In our partnership we are now set dead center in the middle of what we have known and an unknown future.

Last month we detailed the process the leadership of both churches followed after learning of the departure of Wil and Fred. This month we would like to describe the work of the transition team in its search for an interim minister.

We began by brainstorming a list of the qualities that were important to our churches. We decided on 14. It was clear from the beginning that we did not expect to hire a minister for pastoral care only. Certainly we need someone to fulfill the usual and important pastoral duties of preaching, calling, and administering the sacraments, but we need more. We also need a pastor with special training and experience in interim ministry, one who will honor the rich history of Central and of St. Matthew, yet one who can help us determine where we go next, one who will help us examine our vision for the future and the implications of that vision. We need an interim who will help prepare us to search for a permanent pastor(s).

We have examined six profiles from extremely well qualified pastors. We rated them using a carefully chosen set of criteria. We are still in the process of choosing who we think is the best match for our needs at this point in time. Once we have made that choice, we will begin phase two, which is signing a contract with the interim pastor describing the beginning and ending dates of service, the duties required, ineligibility to candidate for the permanent pastoral position, and remuneration including salary, housing, insurance, and pension.

We and the transition team are continuing to consult with our conference minister, Rev. Douglas Anders, who continues to be most helpful. Rev. Meade has arranged supply ministry for the last Sunday of December and the entire month of January, if necessary.

We believe what is needed for the days and weeks of this Advent season is for all of us to reflect and pray on what change means to us in relation to our church. How do we say goodbye to Fred and express appreciation for his ministry? How do we help our partnership move into 2009? How open will we be to new ways of doing things? However we each decide, we remember that God is with us and wants the best for us individually and for our churches. We ask that you continue to keep the transition team, the governance board and the council in your prayers.

In the Unity of the Spirit,
Joan and Dale

Central St. Matthew Advent Celebration

November 30th is the beginning of the Advent season. Advent (from Latin, adventus, meaning "coming towards") is a four-week season of preparation for Christmas. The First Sunday of Advent (November 30) marks the beginning of the church's year.

We begin the celebration at Central St. Matthew with a potluck and the traditional craft workshop. Each Sunday we light the Advent candle as a part of the Sunday morning worship service. This year Rev. Meade will lead a series of Wednesday night mid-week services in the chapel.

On the Sunday before Christmas we share in a “Living Nativity.” Following a potluck, children, young people, and adults costume and assume the characters in the Christmas story to form a living tableau. This visible image of the first Christmas sends its own message. On Christmas Eve there is the traditional candlelight service which includes scripture reading, carols, and the singing of “Silent Night” in German. This year the sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated on Christmas Eve. It is a blessed and holy season, and all are invited to participate as able.

Times and locations are listed below:

Sun. Nov. 30th First Sunday of Advent:
10:00 am service followed by a potluck and crafts workshop in Fellowship Hall.

Wed. Dec. 3rd, 6:30 pm
Mid-week Advent service in the chapel

Sun. Dec. 7th, Second Sunday of Advent:
Pew communion

Wed. Dec. 10th, 6:30 pm
Mid-week Advent service in the chapel

Sun. Dec. 14th, Third Sunday of Advent:
Reception for Rev. Meade and Julie in Fellowship Hall, 11:30 am

Wed. Dec. 17th, 6:30 pm
Final mid-week Advent service in chapel

Sun. Dec. 21st
2008 Christmas Fund Offering
11:30 am, Potluck followed by “The Living Nativity”

Wed. Dec. 24th, 7:00pm Candlelight Christmas Eve service in the sanctuary
2008 Christmas Fund Offering

If you are unable to attend Advent worship services or the Christmas Eve service, the church office has copies of resources you can use for spending Christmas alone or with family and friends. It’s called a “Christmas Kit,” and is a guide for celebrating the festival of Christ’s birth at home and for keeping the spirit alive through the Christmas season. There are four Advent services and a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service. Please call the church office if you would like a copy.

Also, would you like to try worshipping on line? You’re welcome to join the live Advent Wreath lighting service at 9 p.m. (Eastern) every night at i.UCC.org. You can click on “Gather in Our Real-Time Prayer Chapel” to participate. Another site to check out is the “Stillspeaking Daily Devotional” guide at www.ucc.org/worship. It can be sent directly to your email address.

2008 Christmas Fund Offering

You’ve seen the news reports. Low-income annuitants have been hit especially hard. The ripple effect of soaring energy costs affects what consumers pay for food, utilities and other necessities.

Proceeds from the UCC Christmas Fund are used to provide gifts to clergy and lay employees in all stages of their lives and ministries to and through the UCC. The availability of these funds is critical to the ability of the Board for Ministerial Assistance to help ensure a sustainable quality of life for those who ultimately receive the gifts.

In spring of 2008, the Pension Boards witnessed a 300% increase in the number of requests for assistance. They responded to those requests with dollars given to the Christmas Fund Offering, which go directly to those who serve or have served the church, in their moments of critical need. Currently, nearly 1,500 families have received either a one-time grant or are receiving on-going assistance through your gifts to the Christmas Fund Offering.

From a grateful recipient, “Thank you for the gift from the Christmas Fund. All the years that my husband and I contributed to the Veterans of the Cross Fund and later the Christmas Fund, I never expected to be a recipient. I do appreciate the gift and also that you are acknowledging his years of service to the church.”

St Matthew Central will be receiving the Christmas Fund Special Mission Offering on December the 21st and on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Capital Repair Fund Drive

Please consider contributing to the St. Matthew Capital Repair Fund this holiday season to cover the many unexpected repairs and improvements that were necessary to keep our facilities safe, usable and cool this year, and to fund major preventive maintenance for next year.

Our Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, class rooms, offices, meeting rooms, kitchens, recovery team dorms and showers, and grounds are the “bricks and mortar” that house and shelter our services, ministries, community groups, programs and outreach, and have done so since the sanctuary was built in the 1930's and the education building was constructed in the 1950's. Like all buildings, major maintenance and repairs have been and will continue to be necessary to keep our facilities safe, usable and air conditioned.

This year there have been several unexpected major repairs that we could not delay, including:

Air Conditioning Compressor and Circuit Breaker $3,495

Two Sets of Fire Doors $3,510 (replaced to meet current Fire Code)

Major Sewer and Drain Repairs $2,022

Stained Glass Window and Door Panel repairs $1,435

Termite, Pest and Caterpillar Spraying $ 656

Fire Extinguishers $ 473

The supplies and materials for other maintenance, including repairs to the roof, bell tower, and attic; repairs to the electric wiring and fence; painting and other efforts, most performed by Chris Englebracht; and maintaining the elevator; cost more than $8,000.

The St. Matthew 2008 operating budget only included $9,000 for routine and major maintenance. These above expenditures are a large part of St. Matthew’s projected $20,000 budget deficit for 2008. Fortunately, we have been able to pay for these repairs from the Hurricane Katrina gift funds, as well as using the Katrina funds to cover the budget shortfall. Unfortunately, the Katrina funds are nearly exhausted. Rather than depleting the Katrina funds completely, we ask you to consider contributing to the Capital Repair Fund.

Next year, we hope to replace the other three sets of fire doors ($1,900 per set), a broken side door to the courtyard ($600), replace the back hallway flooring ($1,500) and install hand driers in the restrooms (about $1,000 each). Installing hand driers should reduce the plumbing problems caused by paper towels.

We understand that these are difficult and uncertain economic times. We also know that all of you value Central / St. Matthew’s ministries, programs and outreach.

To continue our work, we need to maintain our facilities. If you have any questions or suggestions about the buildings and the Capital Repair Fund, please contact John Etter, Joan Fairbank or Chris Englebracht. Your prayerful consideration and contributions to the St. Matthew Capital Repair Fund are appreciated.

It would be helpful to receive your contributions by the end of the year. Please make checks payable to “Capital Repair Fund.”

Sincerely,
Joan Fairbank,
President of St. Matthew Council

News from the Flock

Telephone Tree
There is now a Central St. Matthew telephone tree in place. The directory has been split up and Shirley Adams, Shirley Carambat, Freida LaCaze, Yvonne Ostendorf, Evelyn Pittman, Helen Smith, and Marie Weatherspoon have agreed to serve as callers. This telephone tree can function in a variety of ways: evacuation, notice of church cancellation, information sharing, reminders of special events, etc. We thank each of you for agreeing to this important service to our members.

Thanksgiving
The lovely Thanksgiving altar on Sunday, November 23rd was thanks to the efforts of Linda and Harold Ostendorf who have been providing this service for years. Thank you both for such a beautiful reminder of the bounty we share.

Thank you, Central St. Matthew! You made it possible for us to complete 20 Thanksgiving meals which went to Family Services. Their representative, Ginger Parsons, was overwhelmed by your response. Special thanks go to Ellen Bentz, Mike Duplessis, and Andrea Gibson for support and great ideas.

from Paulette Timpton and Ellen Pecoul

Blood Mobile
Thanks to Andrea Gibson for organizing the Blood Mobile Drive and thanks to all who contributed on Sunday, November 23rd. The goal to collect fifteen pints of blood was met almost entirely from church members. Andrea reports that she hopes to have another drive in January as there is no other place to donate in the area. Thank you to all who were willing to give the gift of life on Totenfest/Memorial Sunday.

Christian Education

Thank you to Noel Braning and Nancy Marks for their continuing work most recently evidenced at the Silent Auction. This event raised $1,285 for the Hume Center, thanks to everyone’s participation and the gift of organization which Noel and Nancy shared. These events don’t “just happen.” Thank you also to Ellen Bentz, Elizabeth Kordahl, and Marie Weatherspoon for organizing the potluck dinner preceding the auction. Thank you to everyone who donated items for the auction, and also to those who bid and purchased to make this generous gift to Hume Center possible.

The Hume Center continues to grow towards its goal of 55 children. Their enrollment is now up to 42 including one set of twins who promise to keep things lively, according to Helen Green. Helen also reports that the school is multi-cultural with four Hispanic children and one Caucasian. Visitors are welcome to come and see the school in action. Helen says the children love visitors, and they love having their pictures taken.

Reception for Rev. Meade and Julie Gustafson
Sunday, December 14th, 11:30 in Fellowship Hall

Annual Meetings Are Coming Soon

Both congregations have scheduled dates for their Annual Meetings in January. A tentative date is set for Central on Sunday, January 11th. The date chosen by the St. Matthew Council is Sunday, January 25th. Please be mindful that if you are a chair of a committee, you will need to write a summary of your work during 2008 to include in the annual report. Please also note that preparing the overall report is a big job for our church secretary. Therefore, the executive committees of both congregations are asking that your report be turned into the church office by January 1, 2009. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

DECEMBER WORSHIP SERVICE COMMITMENTS

Ushers: Dr. Davis, Yvette Kaufman, Michele D’Aquin, Vicki Weeks
Acolyte: Stuart Harrison

12/07/08 Reader: Karen Lodrig
Pew Communion Servers: Robert Perry, Andrea Gibson,
Shirley Carambat, Carol and John Etter, and Harold Ostendorf
Greeters: Shirley Adams and Lucille Gebhardt

12/14/08 Reader: Sloan Letman
Greeters: Shirley Adams and Lucille Gebhardt

12/21/08 Reader: Robert Perry
Altar Communion: Maggie Snyder and Tom Lilly
Greeters: Helen Green and Helen Smith

12/28/08 Reader: Helen Green
Greeters: Helen Green and Helen Smith

PRAYER LIST

Melvin Chaix, Eddie Ferguson and family, Lucille Gebhardt, Frank Gebhardt, Warren Green, Odessa Johnson, Phyliss Maloney, Bridget Niegle, Jim Oakes, the Puderers, the Obama family, and the new administration in Washington.

Recent Memorials

For: Catherine Hudgens
From: Kenneth Bowers

Flowers for December
Dec. 7 Birthday remembrance for Elizabeth M. Kolman from Nancy Marks and Ellen Bentz

Coming Soon and Reminders

If you have not received one, be sure to pick up your report on the October 19th workshop where the brainstormed vision components for our congregation were prioritized and put in a time line for 2009. This vision warrants your reflection and prayer.

A retreat to help you identify your gifts and talents, DISCERNING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS, will be held on Saturday, December 6th FROM 9:00 AM UNTIL 4:00 PM. It will be held at Xavier University in the Student Activity Center. Directions are available at church. The parking is easy and lunch will be provided.
Please call the church office to add your name to the sign-up sheet.

December 7th - Central All Congregational Meeting to adopt a budget and elect officers for 2009.

December 14th St. Matthew All Congregational meeting to elect Council members and one member to the Endowment Committee.

Rev. Meade will be leading mid-week Advent services at 6:30 pm on Wednesday evenings in December.

If you wish to be an Advent candle reader, please sign up on the list in the lobby and take the appropriate reading.

On December 14th there will be a farewell reception for Rev. Fred Meade and Julie. It will follow the morning service and very brief congregational meeting.

ST. MATTHEW UCC
P. O. Box 850527
New Orleans, LA 70185-0527

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