Glad Tidings
Central-St Matthew United Church of Christ Newsletter
July, 2008
A Message from Your Moderators
Dale Bonds and Joan Fairbank
On June 5th members of the transition team voted to begin looking for an intentional interim minister for Central St. Matthew. The idea of an interim was suggested by Douglas Anders, the South Central Conference Minister, and the transition team and members of both councils agreed this is an important step for us. We want to share information with you from the UCC Leader’s Box on what interim ministry is.
Interim ministry is defined as the ministry done for an interval “in between” the time a pastor leaves a church and another pastor is called.
History and Background
Until about 1970, most churches had to “make do” when a pastor left until another pastor was called and installed. Usually that meant finding a retired pastor or a supply preacher, who preached on Sunday and maybe visited members in the hospital, or a supply pastor who preached and spent one or two days a week on pastoral duties.
In the process of researching change in churches, the Alban Institute in Washington, D.C., made a discovery about the time between pastors. The Institute found that many changes and real opportunities for renewed life in a church occur during the time of flux and insecurity between pastorates. As in many biblical examples, God is at work when we least expect it. The discovery of the importance of the interim period led the Institute and others to think about that period and prepare people to serve as interim pastors.
No matter why a pastor leaves a church, there are swirling emotions related to the departure. For some it may be “good riddance.” For others, there is the question of “what did we do wrong that she would want to leave us?” Whether pain and grief or relief or guilt, emotions must be dealt with. The pastor may go, but the church members are left with the joys and problems, the needs and concerns of the church with no pastoral leadership. Nobody knows what will happen in the future, which makes everyone anxious and confused, at least to some extent.
The sense of loss is like any loss, such as divorce or death. If you don’t take time to deal with the feelings about the loss, they likely will interfere with the next pastorate. Churches can be like people who remarry hastily before resolving feelings and fears and end up marrying a person similar to the one they have lost rather than the best person for them.
One way the UCC has sought to address the concerns of interim ministry is through “Intentional Interim Ministry,” a resolution adopted by the 17th General Synod (1987). The Synod called upon local churches to “utilize specially qualified interim pastors in interim situations whenever possible, and avail themselves of specially developed materials and procedures to best prepare for the next installed ministry.”
Common Practices
Interim pastors, available in most conferences of the UCC, are ordained pastors with special training and experience to minister to the needs and challenges of the time between pastors. They fulfill the usual pastoral duties of preaching, teaching, calling and administering the sacraments. They also help the church explore and reclaim its past and sort out and understand feelings. They help the church discover its mission before the church prepares a profile to use in the search process for a pastor.
It must be clear that the interim pastor will not be eligible as a candidate for the permanent pastor. Sometimes there is a temptation to want to stick with someone who looks good. The viability of an effective interim ministry is lost if it becomes a way to get a foot in the door. But because the interim pastor is not available as a candidate, she or he is in a unique position to help the congregation examine the role of pastor and discover what attributes are really needed or desired.
Central St. Matthew Issues
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The Transition Team (in consultation with both governing bodies) decided to contact one interim pastor. This decision does not obligate the two churches to call a permanent pastor together. We felt, however, that we are both in the same position, needing to take the same kind of look at ourselves, and each needing to develop a vision for the future. It makes good financial sense to share in the expert help that an interim pastor can bring to us.
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Speaking of finances, both church bodies will need to determine an equitable arrangement for sharing the expense of an interim pastor. The interim’s pay will be in the range of the former pastor’s, including housing, insurance, and pension. Also, if we contract with someone outside of the New Orleans geographic area, we are responsible for paying moving expenses. This will not be a time to conserve money, but rather a time to secure needed services and receive expert help for our unique situation.
A contract will be signed with an interim describing the beginning and ending dates of the interim, usually this is for a year. The contract will list the duties required, address the ineligibility of
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the candidate for the pastoral position, and state the remuneration. The transition team will make a recommendation to each church’s governing body who will then hire the interim. An interim pastor is “contracted,” not called by a church. (When it is time to look for a permanent pastor either one or two search committees will be formed, depending on the direction of each congregation. The final decision on a minister (s) is by vote of every member of each congregation.)
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Once contracted, church leadership will work with the interim pastor to develop an interim pastor job description, which will differ from a “called” pastor job description. The interim pastor will do different tasks of ministry; for example, he or she may be asked to do less of “regular” ministry and more of long range planning.
We hope this information brings you up to date on where Central St. Matthew is headed. Please feel free to ask questions or comment to us or members of the transition team.
Blessings and peace,
Joan and Dale
P.S. Biographical information on members of the transition team will resume in next month’s newsletter. Please feel free to talk with anyone on this team: Robert Perry, John Etter, Jim Bonds, John Pecoul, Andrea Gibson, Michele D’Aquin, Dale Bonds, Joan Fairbank.
A Message from Summer Intern, Cameron Scott Barr
Before I came to Central-St. Matthew for the summer, I talked to several people who told me that this church is among the most interesting congregations they have ever known. Now that I am at Central-St. Matthew, I see that this really is a special congregation. Not only is it interracial in composition, but whites and Blacks genuinely seem to like each other. Despite a history of pain and injustice between the different racial groups, Central-St. Matthew is making an authentic attempt to serve Christ together. Moreover, a church with such an elderly congregation could most naturally cringe at the thought of gay and lesbian relationships. But Central-St. Matthew exhibits progressive social impulses uncommon among its peer churches.
I am loyal to the United Church of Christ because I have confidence that the denomination will remain relevant to a diversifying American society and to a globalizing world. Churches, like people and cities and nation-states, live and die. Those that adapt to a changing society and culture survive the longest. To fill its unique mission for social equity, the Church must continuously reinvent itself for the service of God and world. The UCC, in particular, knows that to do so it must be diverse in composition and affirming of all types of people. But churches, like other institutions, find it difficult to reach out to minority communities. Both because people typically congregate with those who resemble them and because we are naturally conservative, our Churches and social groups rarely make drastic changes.
My own church, Second Reformed UCC in Lexington, NC, has approximately two hundred members. The church building, an imposing brick structure, sits in the middle of the poorest section of town among small, dilapidated hutches that play host to drug abuse and other criminal activity. An impoverished community of African Americans and Mexicans inhabit surrounding neighborhoods. Yet I have never seen a non white face in worship with me. My church consists only of middle class whites who drive into town for worship every Sunday. The congregation has made no meaningful attempt to reach out to the surrounding community. My congregation has aged; it has not confirmed any new members in recent years, and in fact, its rolls are dwindling swiftly. It has failed to reinvent itself; it has failed to remain relevant to the community that has emerged around it. Second Reformed will die, probably in the next decade.
To my church’s credit, it would be very difficult to welcome families from the surrounding neighborhood to our sanctuary on Sunday mornings. Who in the adjacent neighborhoods, after all, would feel comfortable among a couple hundred white suburbanites, who drive to town in expensive SUVs and walk in the front doors of the church building dressed in dapper suits and elegant Sunday dresses? Even if my congregation were to fling open its doors, ring its bells, and send criers out into the town in a genuine attempt to welcome new and diverse members, how many of our Black and Hispanic neighbors would actually respond? Likely, very few of our neighbors would. Race is a powerful phenomenon, and racial differences discourage us from actively engaging one another. I must honestly admit that I have never stepped foot in a Black church. I have never had a convenient opportunity to do so, and if I had, I may not have taken it because the experience would be more than slightly uncomfortable.
The relationship between Central Congregational and St. Matthew is something very rare among churches, and it serves as a hopeful example of how we can reinvent our congregations in ways that ensure their survival and enable them to implement new missions. The two congregations have shared the same sanctuary for nearly three years as natural and social forces have given rise to significant challenges for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Separate, their pews would be un-crowded and their offering plates unfilled. But together the churches have found a way to survive and also the collective energy to vigorously pursue the Kingdom together.
Indeed, under poor circumstances, we often find enriching opportunities. The most violent periods of the Civil Rights Movement took place immediately before major progress; King’s boycott and demonstration in Birmingham led to the desegregation of that city. In South Africa, political commentators feared civil war in the months leading up to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. Major progress results from difficult circumstances, uncomfortable situations, and painful conversations. Without doubt, the coming months will bring some awkwardness as Central-St. Matthew discerns its identity, and pursues a vision of God’s Kingdom. But Central-St. Matthew will represent a model church for the UCC. Central-St. Matthew proves that churches can change, that they can adapt to remain relevant in a changing world.
Given recent developments in race relations, I have hope for God’s good vision of social equity. For example, with some exceptions, Black employees most often now make the same wages as their white colleagues in the same jobs. Many new urban developments in cities like Chicago and Charlotte house racially and economically mixed groups in the same neighborhoods. A major political party has nominated a Black man for the White House. And a church on Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana, has found a way for two very different congregations to collaborate in discipleship.
Your commitment to the spirit and your pact with one another represent a hopeful step toward God’s vision for us all. Thank you for allowing me to experience God’s grace with you this summer.
REPORTS FROM THE SOUTH CENTRAL 2008 CONFERENCE MEETING
Conference Minister's Musing
As I drove away from this year's Conference Annual Meeting on Sunday afternoon, I thought about the theme for our meeting:
Renew Rejoice Reach Out
And I thought about how true those words were for our time of gathering together.
What a great host Cathedral of Hope UCC was to us; the volunteer members of that church made sure that we had a great meeting. Kudos to this church who hosted our Conference meeting without any cost or charge, simply as their part of being in covenant with us a UCC church.
The keynote speaker was great. I was blessed to be able to have short personal conversations with the Rev. Dr. Paul Nixon. He has lots of insights as to how churches need to be open to change in order to keep the gospel message. I hope delegates are taking back ideas to their church at least for conversation, reflection and thought.
An amazing testimony to the meeting were members of one UCC church in our Conference who all met for breakfast in the hotel dining room on Sunday morning to reflect on what they heard and experienced at the meeting and how they could bring some of those ideas back to their church for conversation. How great! There was a sense of renewal.
Rejoicing was present from the very first greetings of people when they arrived for the meeting to the inspiring moments of worship. There was spirit and joy at our meeting as ministry was celebrated in lots of different ways: good news of a balanced 2007 budget, news of our national UCC Justice & Witness Ministry, celebrating the 50 years of ministry of Slumber Falls Camp, hearing our Speak Outs, news of churches that have recently called new Pastors, sharing from our new church start Pastors. There was much to celebrate at this meeting.
Reaching Out: Collections for our special
offerings were generous and abundant: renewed giving for the Friends of the Conference; response for our Conference mission project, CWS School bags, was overwhelming; UCC mission shared through many displays. We reached out through hearing the work of our church through representatives of the national UCC and other ecumenical groups such as Church World Service. There was much to celebrate at this Annual Meeting.
But as I said in my State of the Conference sharing: in order for us to be a strong Conference, we need to work at:
1. Being connected (in covenant with one another; reminded of our supportive and encouraging relationships with one another)
2. Being in conversation with each other (listening as well as speaking); the Conference endeavoring to share important information with our UCC churches that can connect us one to another as well as create strong connections to the UCC.
3. Being open to change so that God's church can be responsive to a new and different world.
We work towards the 2009 Annual Meeting, hosted by the Brazos Association.
I think those who attended this year's meeting can go back to their local church and share what they experienced and give thanks that they are connected to other churches in the United Church of Christ. (from Douglas Anders)
Church World Service School Kits
Thank you to everyone at Central St. Matthew who donated school kits. We contributed 19 kits which were taken to the South Central Conference Annual Meeting in Dallas, TX.
Our kits, added to others from around the conference, produced 544 school kits to be sent overseas. Valued at $13.00 per kit, the total came to $7,072.00. Cash contributions for kit shipping both to the Church World Service processing center and then overseas amounted to $1,839.00. The value of the total mission project for the South Central Conference came to $8,911.00.
Here is what Howard Hartman, Church World Service Dir., Texas Region, said as the kits were dedicated.
“School kits play a critical role in the material resource program of Church World Service as we respond to requests for our specialized kits from partner organizations across the globe. Each kit—containing scissors, paper, ruler, pencil sharpener, eraser, pencils, crayons, all enclosed in a cloth bag—makes a difference in the life of a child yearning to go to school. Your gifts will bring a big smile to the faces of children across the globe.
“In the first quarter of 2008, CWS has already sent shipments of 12,810 school kits to Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Mongolia. The shipment to Mongolia, which included 8,640 school kits, represented one of the first ever projects by CWS to Mongolia.
“As we are gathered here in Dallas, there are four school kit shipment requests awaiting to be filled. Requests for shipment of school kits are pending for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic, and Zimbabwe. You can be assured that your generous offering will be put to good use as CWS fulfills these pending shipments.
“Bless the many people who have provided this offering and the lives who these gifts will touch. Continue to enable us to be tools of hope throughout the world.”
South Central Conference Meeting
The 2008 South Central Conference, in Dallas, Texas, was sprit-filled, highly enlightening, invigorating, educational, transforming, and, did I mention - fun? However, for the purposes of this report, I would like to center on a workshop that I attended. The speaker was Rev. John Roberts, Pastor of Friedens United Church of Christ. His presentation was based on Ezekiel 37:1-6. A portion of that is as follows: “Thus says the Lord God to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.’” (Ezekiel 37:5).
Rev. Roberts referred directly to how and what we bring to our worship experience. After all, the worship experience can be as “dry bones” or it can come together and have life! We can choose to be a people of dry bones or we can become united with our God, who is a God of renewal and life.
Certainly, I don’t advocate throwing the “baby out with the bath water.” I believe our worship service at Central St. Matthew has incorporated many meaningful expressions of praise, meditation, prayer, and adoration to our God. However, Rev Roberts also made the evangelical statement that “if you serve only chicken in your restaurant, then you will only have those that like chicken coming to your establishment. Yet, if you serve chicken, steak, and fish, there will be more coming to the table where there is variety.”
Certainly, we are not a restaurant trying to dole out whatever is the current thing to do, creating a watered down service meaning nothing and lacking powerful expression. Yet, we are a Resurrected People and must reach out in the love of Christ to all that we encounter. Let us have a Feast at the Table waiting for those that enter the Church. Let us be a Church of abundance: abundant offerings, abundant hospitality, abundant joy, and reaching out in the abundant love of Christ!
Rev. Maggie
I Refuse To Lead a Dying Church
All South Central Conference Annual Meeting attendees were encouraged ahead of time to read a book with this provocative title by Methodist pastor Paul Nixon. The Rev. Dr. Nixon is pastor of Epicenter DC, a new church being launched in the greater Washington, DC area, a multi-site project focused on serving the people in emerging urban neighborhoods of high density housing along the subway line. He consults with churches and conferences across North America, with a special passion for coaching churches who want to grow.
As keynote speaker he offered what for him are three foundational beliefs about Christian life and ministry. First, “the Gospel way is hard.” Second, “a little after midnight you can expect God’s best work.” These periods of darkness may be late at night as we lie awake to pray and seek answers for our challenges, or during and after the “night seasons” of our lives. We do what we can and then we rest. And third, “grace will knock the socks off you.”
Rev. Nixon is convinced that there are very few churches which can’t grow. But something has to change. In summary, churches who want to grow must choose “life over death,” “community over isolation,” “fun over drudgery,” “frontier over fortress,” and “now over later.” We need to bloom where we’re planted, and it’s now or never. If you would like to read this book to understand what he’s thinking about and how his ideas might address the futures of Central and St. Matthew, please see Sloan Letman or Rev. Meade. (by Ellen Pecoul)
SCHEDULE FOR JULY
Rev. Meade will be on vacation for the month of July. He will be available in case of a serious emergency. Otherwise, for questions or concerns, please contact one of the following persons:
Dale Bonds, Central President, 309-1569 (H); 452-0101 (C); djbond00@aol.com
Joan Fairbank, St. Matthew President, 523-8472 (H); 376-5215; fibermill110@hotmail.com
For building emergencies please contact Chris Engelbracht at 733-6650.
Rev. Maggie Snyder will be available for pastoral care. She can be reached at: 453-9427; ucc06@hotmail.com
Maggie and Stokes Snyder will be pulpit supply on July 6th and July 20th. Communion will be served on both of those Sundays. Sloan Letman will be delivering the sermon on July 13th and Cameron Barr on July 27th.
Beth will be on vacation June 29th and July 27th. There will be a guest pianist on the 29th and Dr. Robert Perry will be providing the music on July 27th.
August 3rd
John Etter will be preaching on August 3 on “A Christian Response to Crimes of Violence.” He will examine the implications on our faith of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows execution by lethal injection. For your consideration before John's sermon, a booklet from UCC General Synod resolutions on capital punishment will be available following the service on July 27. After church on August 3, we will have a discussion session in the lounge to further explore our own beliefs and views on punishment for violent crimes. John will focus on the spiritual and legal issues, but cautions everyone that these are issues for adult conversation.
ALTAR FLOWERS GIVEN IN THE MONTH OF JULY
July 6 St. Matthew/Central Congregations
July 13 Birthday remembrance for Katherine Schroeder by Ray and Ellen Cook
July 20 Birthday remembrance for Ellen Adams by Shirley Adams
July 27 George D’Aquin by Michele D’Aquin and Vicki Weeks
PRAYER LIST:Laurie Boudreaux, Cecil Carter, Jr., Marc Carter, Mary Ann Chaix, Melvin Chaix, Children’s Hospital, Al and Ethel Creel, Miss Deborah and her daughter and grandchildren, Ehnora Henderson, Janet L. Howard, Kelly’s neighbor, Maurice Lewster, Mia Montagnino, Donald Reese, Jr., Wendy Tooker, men in Iraq (Josh, Ben, Sonny), people in Iowa and others affected by weather, people in China, people of Myanmar, and all others suffering from disasters, that violence will cease.
For Your Information
What an Honor
Cely Pedescleaux, a beloved member of Beecher United Church of Christ and friend to many in the New Orleans Association, is exhibiting her quilts in the Cultural Exchange Show sponsored by the French Patchwork Society and The U.S. Embassy in France. The show is traveling through France and will end in Paris in May, 2009. There are 20 quilts in the show; 9 are Cely's and 2 were done by Soco Ocampo ( another person in Cely’s quilting group). The Patchwork Society is paying Cely’s expenses to travel to Paris for the closing of the exhibit and for her participation on a quilting panel. She is so excited, and we are excited and proud of her achievement.
An Historic Event
Later this summer Archbishop Desmond Tutu will speak in New Orleans. Desmond Tutu is one of the towering figures of 20th century history, having played a central role in the defeat of apartheid in South Africa and in the reconciliation process that followed. International recognition for his work against apartheid came most notably in 1984 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
On August 4-7 an event called “Equipping the Saints for the Ministry of God’s Extravagant Welcome” will take place at the Marriott. This leadership event is being sponsored by The Institute for Welcoming Resources, a program of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Check out details on the web: www.ManyStoriesOneVoice.org or speak with Rev. Clinton Crawshaw.
Recovery Reflections
“There is no question that even now I can feel the aches and bruises that come from working around old, gutted houses. There is no question that working in the heat and humidity of New Orleans was draining. And there is no question that the 1,600-mile drive home is not designed to refresh. But I feel refreshed.”
The Rev. Doug Moore of Norwich Congregational UCC in Norwich, VT., in sermon in May after returning as a month-long volunteer for post-Katrina recovery.
Pledge Reminder!
We know that everyone's budget is tight this year due to $4 / gallon gas, higher food prices, and inflation
and that many of us are using our savings and tax refunds for vacations this summer. However, Central
and St Matthew need your continued support during the summer, as well as during the rest of the year. If
you need to adjust your pledge, please let the Financial Secretary, John Pecoul, or Treasurer, Andrea
Gibson know (confidentially), so both churches can adjust their income projections. Remember to make
out checks to either Central or St. Matthew. Do not combine the names on checks.
To my Dear Spiritual Family of Central,
I am not sure how I should begin. You have taken my breath away, and have filled my spirit, all at the same time.
As long as I live, I will never forget your absolutely gorgeous and generous Ordination gift! In your presentation you spoke of that which would lead my chariot to places of ministry and service. I will never forget the vision of the exquisite “Africanus Equinus”, the African Horse coming up the central aisle!
Not a day goes by that I don’t gaze at it! It is a magnificent piece of art, but it is so much more. I see each and everyone at Central as part of that glorious traveler. Your faces, your love, your spirituality, and your kindness and support will never leave my heart.
This very special horse will be with me wherever God chooses to send me. I will place it in a prominent place in my office, explaining to all who ask, of the Spirit-filled, Resurrection People that carried me and gave me a horse to not only pull my chariot, but to live within me forever.
With deep appreciation, love, and love in Christ,
Rev. Maggie
To my Dear Spiritual Family of St. Matthew,
I am filled with so many words, and yet, none seem to be able to express what lies deep within. Words of thank you just do not seem to be nearly adequate, and, yet, a sense of fullness and amazing joy finds its expression in- thank you.
Thank you all for the magnificent stoles! After a life-long journey answering God’s call, I could only imagine what it would feel like to actually wear a stole symbolizing the towel that Jesus removes from his body to wash the feet of his disciples.
The set of four stoles, in all the liturgical colors, for the year, and the stole of flame for Pentecost, I will cherish and wear with joyous memories and reverence.
Only God knows in what Church God will place me. However, your beautiful and very generous gift will come with me wherever I go.
The stoles will accompany me, but each one of you will be with me as well. It is your spirit, your care, your support, and your love that will always surround me within. Thank you from the depths of my heart.
With gratitude, appreciation, love, and love in Christ,
Rev. Maggie
EXTENDING A HAND, MAKING CONNECTIONS
Our church responds daily to disasters – even unpopular, forgotten ones.
The following article, written by J. Bennett Guess, appeared in the June/July issue of United Church News. It is being re-printed here because so many of you have been generous with your gifts to the UCC’s Wider Church Ministries. We all deserve to be informed about the important work our money and the UCC are doing around the world.
When terrible disaster strikes – as it did recently by cyclone in Myanmar, earthquake in China, and tornadoes in Oklahoma and Missouri [and mostly recently, flooding in Iowa] – it’s only natural to want to give our money where we feel it will have the most impact.
Many of us, subconsciously perhaps, have come to associate disaster relief with the Red Cross or Salvation Army but, despite an abiding love and respect for our church, some of us forget, or are unaware of, our own denomination’s global capacity to respond.
In early May, when CNN and other news agencies were reporting widely that international aid groups were being denied access to Myanmar, UCC leaders knew this was not the whole story.
While not skirting the difficulties there, church leaders, by May 5, had already established contact with the Myanmar Council of Churches and a relief worker from Church World Service was on the scene by May 7 to coordinate the ecumenical community’s common effort.
‘One of the gifts of being part of the wider church, and committed to ecumenicity, is that we are able to work with and through partners around the world when disasters strike,’ says Susan Sanders of the UCC’s Wider Church Ministries. ‘The UCC – as a member of Church World Service; and Action by Churches Together, International; and the World Council of Churches – is working with our partners to assess the situation and make plans for what we can do together to support the Myanmar Council of Churches and other local organizations in providing early relief and long-term rehabilitation.’
Church World Service has a license from the U.S. Treasury which permits the transfer of funds and relief items to Myanmar, Sanders says. The UCC’s partner church, The Christian Conference of Asia, is also able to transmit funds to Myanmar.
And so it is around the world.
In China, the UCC – again in concert with its global partners – went to work immediately with the Amity Foundation to provide funds for the purchase and provision of drinking water and food for heavily damaged regions. Relief operations are expanding to include housing repairs, blanket distribution, and protection from the weather. Moreover, there are long term plans for rehabilitating 600 homes, 10 schools, five hospitals or clinics, and five drinking wells.
At the same time, back in the U.S., the UCC was seeking $500,000 to assist with long-term recovery after deadly tornadoes destroyed hundreds of homes.
As Sanders often reminds me, the UCC is not just some stand-aside financial supporter of Church World Service or ACT International. ‘They are us,’ she emphasizes. The UCC not only played a prominent role in their founding and continuing work, but these ecumenical mechanisms are the UCC at work.
We respond in cooperation with others, because that’s our style. And by working closely alongside other faith communities, we work smarter and have potential to make lasting change, not just feel-good moments.
It’s also important to remember: When you give to a UCC-issued disaster appeal, 100 percent of your gift supports direct relief, recovery and rehabilitation. No administrative dollars are taken off the top, thanks to our churches’ basic support for Our Church’s Wider Mission which undergirds the denomination’s staffing infrastructure.
The UCC has long been proud of the fact that, in times of disaster, our niche is not fleeting, short-lived relief, but longer-term accompaniment. Most often, real recovery is just getting started when the TV crews are packing up and moving on to cover the next calamity.
Every day, UCC dollars continue to re-build damaged homes and restore broken lives in New Orleans, northern Maine, southeastern Virginia, and elsewhere, as well as in the Sudan, Iraq, Bangladesh and other countries around the globe. Every day, the dollars we contribute to UCC disaster response and recovery are making a difference in places that others have long forgotten.
Next time disaster strikes, remember that your church is responding.
And Sure Enough, Disaster Struck Again
The UCC National Disaster Ministry is seeking $200,000.00 for the current and long-term recovery efforts to the spring 2008 tornadoes and floods in the central USA. Individual donors can contribute online on the UCC website, to Central or St. Matthew with checks clearly marked, or you may contribute directly to: UCC Wider Church Ministries, Office for Global Sharing of Resources, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. Make sure your check is designated: 2008 Spring Tornadoes & Floods
Coming Soon
Slumber Falls Camp Celebrates 50 Years
Join the fun on August 15-17 in New Braunfels, TX, as Slumber Falls Camp celebrates 50 years of outdoor ministry. During this camp reunion, there will be activities for all ages, including hiking, swimming, volleyball, horseshoes, arts and crafts, rafting on the river, dancing at Gruene Hall and more. Registration is available on their web site: www.slumberfalls.com as well as in the church office. The registration deadline is August 1.
The Anthony Bean Community Theater and Acting School
Again this summer Anthony Bean is offering the Summer Youth Acting Camp in our building. There are 75+ children and young people enrolled; they attend classes, have a noon meal, and practice for a performance which will be held in August. Anthony is providing a wonderful service to the youth of New Orleans by offering them an opportunity to develop their creative skills in a safe, disciplined, and caring environment. Thanks, Anthony. Yours is not an easy job.
2008 Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is scheduled for Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8 from 9:00 AM – Noon. The theme for this year’s VBS is “Splish-Splash Bible Bash,” a study of water-related Bible stories. There will be interesting and fun-filled activities, Bible study, music, crafts, and games.
Our VBS is open to students who are entering first through sixth grade. Central St. Matthew children are eligible for our pre-school class. Registration forms are available in the church office.
ST. MATTHEW UCC
P. O. Box 850527
New Orleans, LA 70185-0527
Contact Numbers and Office Hours:
Church Mailing Address: P.O. Box 850527
New Orleans, LA 70185-0527
Church Phone Number: (504) 861-8196
(504) 861-8197
Church Secretary: Pat Godfrey
Wed. and Thur. from 8:00am-4:00pm
Pastor Fred Meade: (504) 615-1634
Office hours on T, W, and Th – 10am-1pm
Fredmeade@aol.com
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