Glad Tidings

Rare Is the One Who Seeks to Hear the Unspoken Word

How many of us have been at meetings where not enough was said?  Generally most meetings are filled with conversation by 25% of those attending.  It is not that enough words were said; it is often that enough people did not contribute. Even though we may know people for years, and most feel comfortable in talking in a one-on-one situation, there are folk that feel uncomfortable talking in a group situation.  This is especially true for newer committee members/friends who come to the church.

I wrote last month about our church being in transition.  It is and will be for a while.  And it is a good thing.  My concern is that we do whatever we can to hear the unspoken voices in our community and ask for individuals to speak up.

The church leadership cannot take responsibility
for people who do not raise their voices to be heard. However, we can take responsibility for slowing down the process, looking at the light in each one’s eyes and listening with one’s heart for interpretation.  This process is very similar to listening to God when we are in prayer.  This listening comes out of the depth of our being, is not self-centered but other-centered, and adds a deep level of connection, namely love, to our relationships in the church family.

There often is a lot that gets in the way of deep listening. When we are late to a meeting, there is embarrassment, and it takes a while to get out of the rush mode, to get into the hear-and-now moment. (Oh, by the way, I meant to spell it ‘hear’ not ‘here.’)  Many times when we come to a meeting, there is much on our minds from the day’s activities, and the focused transition to the church committee agenda is not an easy one. We also come to meetings for fellowship that has nothing to do with the agenda.  We attend because we want to be a part of community.  Sometimes it takes a while to fill our fellowship needs, leaving less time for working on important church issues.  This points to another issue - that as a church community we need to have more simple fun and fellowship times.

Sometimes in our busy schedules, our bodies are tired, not yet fed, and we need to eat or drink yet another coke...have yet another cup of coffee.  This really is a reflection of many of our over-scheduled life styles that impact the ability to communicate effectively in a church environment. By far what is most helpful is the time we take before a meeting to socialize, and the time we spend in prayer at the beginning of the meeting, allowing us to focus and slow down and experience the joy that is often very present in our meetings.

“Rare Is the One Who Seeks to Hear the Unspoken Word.”   With God, nothing is impossible.

In Christ,
Rev. Fred

TRANSITION: a report from the Central and St. Matthew Presidents

This is the second in a series of reports to you, the members, about what the transition team has been doing. Since the meeting with our Conference Minister in April we have had two meetings. Both of these meetings were dealing with our upcoming diversity education/training.  How ironic that our national office wants churches to engage in conversations on race.  We are already ahead of the game, and the conversations will happen.  There will be an opportunity for everyone to participate if you so choose.

Knowing that time is of the essence, we have been meeting with facilitators to come up with what the transition team feels is an open and honest dialogue, not just on race, but whatever is on your heart about life and our covenant community.

The church council of St. Matthew and the governance board of Central are invited to participate in a retreat on Saturday, June 28, 2008, from 9:00am to 5:00pm, place still TBD. This retreat is designed to give us a smorgasbord of dialogue, activity and meditation.  It is also designed so that the leadership can determine what will work for the whole covenant community.

The transition team is excited about the process and will be ready to share once this retreat has taken place.  Stay tuned!

Blessings,
Dale and Joan

Central-St. Matthew Summer Intern

Very soon we will be seeing a new face in our community of faith.  He will be Cameron Scott Barr, a student at Davidson College in North Carolina.  Cameron is a political science major, with special interests in religion, global poverty, developing states, and philanthropy.  Cameron, an Eagle Scout, has traveled to South Africa and worked in fund raising for the Lesotho Child Counseling Unit (LCCU), a shelter for orphaned children. The Lilly Endowment has awarded him a summer internship in their Congregational Ministry Internship program.  The Lilly Endowment is a heavy supporter of religious education in the United States, and they sponsor programs to enable students to gain practical experience working with congregations. 

Rev. Meade has agreed to be Cameron’s supervisor as Cameron explores pastoral ministry.  Cameron is expected to participate in the life of our congregation through pastoral duties like worship leadership, teaching, pastoral care, program development and implementation.  He will be asked to reflect on pastoral vocation and his personal sense of call through reading, journaling, and discussing with Fred, and at the end of his internship, he will be writing a paper based on his experiences.

Cameron wrote in a letter to Fred: “I will almost certainly pursue a seminary education following graduation next year, so I am enthusiastic about the chance to work with a church this summer.  When I first began thinking about churches I might want to work with, I immediately set my sights on the city of New Orleans, out of specific interest in the city itself and what I have heard about it, and also because I would like to explore how the Church works in a challenging social, political, and economic setting….I am typically energetic and industrious; I am as willing to drive a nail as I am to reflect with parishioners.  I hope you understand that I am open to a variety of opportunities and experiences, and that I anxiously await the end of the academic year so that we can get started.”
     
We at Central/St. Matthew look forward to meeting Cameron and welcoming him into our church life.  We are fortunate that he has chosen us, and we will certainly provide him the opportunities/experiences he desires.  We have the opportunity to give to Cameron, and we have the privilege of receiving the gifts he has to share with us.  

Flow of Information

There comes a time in the life of any organization when standard operating procedures need to be reviewed and evaluated.  The time has come for the Central/St. Matthew congregation to be presented with the protocol for using the building at 1333 South Carrollton.  Because we are now two congregations using the building and because the use of our building by outside groups has sky-rocketed in the last few years, building use must be managed or there would be complete chaos. 

As it stands now, members of St. Matthew and Central may use the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall for weddings, repasts, etc.  However, the Anthony Bean Community Theater rents out Fellowship Hall full time.  Therefore, it is important that anyone wishing to use space in the church fill out the reservation form available in the church office.  This is the only way to co-ordinate member’s special events with the ongoing use of the building.  By having the paperwork in order, it is easier to guarantee space.  Obviously, advance notice is always helpful. 

So far, Rev. Meade has been willing to co-ordinate building usage by members of the congregation and our tenants.  That responsibility could change in the future depending on the direction of a new clergy person.  Please contact Fred or a member of the St. Matthew Council if you have any questions or concerns about building use.   A building use booklet detailing all policies is being prepared.

Worship in June

The worship committee would like to highlight Sunday plans for the month of June.  They hope you will plan on attending services throughout the month.
June 1st Sloan Letman will be delivering the sermon.  There will be altar communion.
June 8th Fred Meade will be at the South Central Conference meeting.  Gil Wilson will deliver the sermon. June 15th Rev. Meade will be preaching.  Metropolitan Community Church will be our guest with their leadership participating in the worship service.  There will be pew communion. June 22nd our new intern, Cameron Scott Barr, will deliver the message.  (Please see the article elsewhere in this newsletter about Cameron.)  This Sunday will also be Young Adult Sunday.  June 29th Rev. Meade will be back in the pulpit.
Please note that Rev. Meade will be on vacation during the month of July. The worship committee is arranging pulpit supply along with contact information in case of an emergency or a need for pastoral care.  More information will follow in the Sunday bulletins and in the July newsletter.

South Central Conference Meeting

The South Central Conference meeting will be held in Dallas, TX, on June 6-8 at Cathedral of Hope Church, our largest UCC church in the South Central Conference.  The meeting includes time for fellowship, worship, business, workshops, and a keynote address by Paul Nixon on his book, I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church.  Marie Weatherspoon will be attending as Central’s official delegate; Sloan Letman will represent St. Matthew.  Also attending will be Fred Meade, Ellen and John Pecoul and Stokes and Maggie Snyder.   Our representatives will take more than 19 school bags which will be sent to Church World Service.  We look forward to hearing about the meeting.

An Appeal from Our Conference Minister

“I attended part of the three-day meeting of the National UCC Disaster Recovery Ministry in Gulfport, MS.  The meeting was coordinated by Florence Coppola of our national staff.    The Rev. Alan Coe attended the event and the Rev. Shari Prestemon and staff members of Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MS led one of the major presentations.   Attendees were Disaster Ministry Coordinators from most Conferences of the UCC.  Unfortunately, we had no attendees from the South Central Conference.   We are looking for a volunteer coordinator for our Conference. 
 
“Rev. Coe has suggested that we really need three such persons:   one in New Orleans, one in the general Houston area and one in the north-central part of the state. To have three active coordinators would mean easier coordinated action and effort for work to cover a large geographical area. We need to develop a Disaster Response Plan for the Conference and begin to work at developing contacts in each church in case of natural disasters.    There is plenty of help from the national UCC on how we do this, and in cases of disasters, immediate help from the national UCC Disaster Recovery Ministry and Church World Service.  In all of this work, it is important that what we are doing is not first response, but rather follow-up response, recovery work and long-term assistance to help people and churches deal with the loss and destruction of disaster. 

Full IRS Vindication of UCC

You may have read in the newspaper about the IRS investigation of the UCC.  We received word on May 21 that the Internal Revenue Service concluded that the UCC did not violate tax laws when U.S. Senator Barack Obama addressed the denomination's 50th Anniversary General Synod in Hartford, CT, in June 2007.

In a May 13 letter from the IRS, the IRS shared:
"Based on your response to the inquiry, we have determined that the activity about which we had concern did not constitute an intervention or participation in a political campaign...and that the United Church of Christ continues to qualify as an organization described in section 503(c)(3)."

The IRS concluded that the UCC took every necessary precaution and proactive step to ensure that Senator Obama's appearance at General Synod was proper and legal.   Don Clark, the UCC's Nationwide Special Counsel, was praised for the necessary preparation to schedule the speech of Senator Obama, who is a member of the United Church of Christ, as a sharing of his personal faith journey and not a political speech or event.
 
Our UCC General Minister & President, the Rev. John Thomas, shared this good news which affirms that our tax-exempt status as a church is no longer in question.

Coming Soon - 2008 Vacation Bible School

Our summer session of Vacation Bible School is scheduled for Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8 from 9AM until noon.  The theme for this year’s VBS is “Splish-Splash Bible Bash,” a study of water-related Bible stories.  There will be many interesting and fun-filled activities, including Bible study, music, crafts, and games.
Our Vacation Bible School is open to students who are entering first through sixth grade.  St. Matthew/Central children are eligible for our pre-school class.
Registration forms will be available in the church office.

Film Series
On Monday, June 2nd at 7:00 in the sanctuary, Fred Meade will show the film entitled The Fallen Champ which is an insightful look at the young life of Mike Tyson. This film vividly portrays the role of a mentor in Tyson’s life and shows the importance of guidance in one’s early years.

Thank You
Three cheers for Robert and Tia Perry for hosting a fabulous church picnic at their summer home in Lafitte. Everything about the day was perfect--the glorious weather, the delicious food, the live music, but most of all, the fellowship that we enjoyed. Everyone who attended had a great time, and we all wish to extend our sincere thanks to Robert and Tia for their hard work and hospitality.