Glad Tidings
Central-St Matthew United Church of Christ Newsletter
May, 2008
WHAT IS MINISTRY WHILE IN TRANSITION?
Creative tension is a necessary component of any church when members are called upon to participate in all aspects of the church’s ministry. Creative tension is especially present during a time of transition. Transition is often difficult when various members have different priorities. But it is also true that when members have a stake in what is happening in the life of their church and want the best outcomes, transition can become an opportunity for individuals to discover their highest gifts.
Action within the church needs to be grounded in a deep belief in the sacredness of life. This stance moves us to be sincere and respectful to all people regardless of the external factors of their lives, to honor all as God’s creations, and to acknowledge everyone’s value as a child of God. Real ministry is informed by an attitude of caring and compassion. Healing and growth take place when we listen fully and respond lovingly to others. Growth happens within the church when members feel respected and valued, when we are open to hear views without prejudice or bias. Within this framework, members can be challenged in their faith journey, and the church becomes an exciting place which offers new and greater possibilities. A vital, dynamic church keeps existing members engaged and draws new members from the community, thereby creating a larger, richer church family.
Maintaining a healthy, active ministry means we must constantly seek and listen to the voice of God. This may lead to changes in the church structure. At other times, it may mean holding on to specific traditions which have brought profound meaning and light to members’ lives. To use the expression often heard here in New Orleans, “It’s all good.” It’s all good if we listen to the hearts of the people.
The effectiveness of the church requires all of us to be grounded in an ongoing prayer life. All of us must seek an active relationship to God. To be in prayer is to be guided by faith and the creative force which governs all things. Prayer brings a quiet mind and a still heart to what we do within the church community. Prayer gives us the ability to meet people where they are and be responsive to their needs and intentions in ways that are supportive and non-judgmental.
In the United Church of Christ we firmly believe in the concept of the “Priesthood of All Believers.” So I ask, “What priestly function will you do in our church community over this next year? What will be your attitude? And will the lens through which you and I see the world be colored by prayer?”
In Christ,
Rev. Fred
TRANSITION, a report from the Central and St. Matthew Presidents
As promised we plan to keep both congregations informed on thinking and conversations about the future. This article is to let you know what happened at the meeting on Tuesday, April 8th when three members of the Central Governance Board and four members of the St. Matthew Council met with our South Central Conference minister, Rev. Douglas Anders. His response was encouraging. Rev. Anders assured us that as Conference minister, he does not function as a bishop; he will not tell us what to do. His role will be to point us in a direction, and support us with printed resources, periodic conference calls and meetings, and prayer.
Rev. Anders pointed out that when Rev. Meade does leave, there will be an immediate need for action – but right now we are in a Transition Stage. Rev. Anders suggested we take time now, while Fred is still here, to reflect, talk and have intentional conversations among members of our congregations.
We talked about the time after Rev. Meade leaves - a second stage. Rev. Anders strongly advocates what is referred to as Intentional Interim Ministry - when a pastor with specialized training helps a church discover its special identity, what it dreams of being and doing, as well as, coming to terms with its history and its relationship with previous clergy and lay leaders. For us the issue will be whether Central and St. Matthew, after they explore together during the transition stage, will commit to an intentional interim ministry as one community of two congregations or as two separate congregations. Whether we chose to participate together or separately, the South Central Conference will be able to recommend candidates.
Ultimately still another stage becomes the formation of a Search Committee or committees depending on decisions about future relationships. The question will become whether Central and St. Matthew continue in a joint search, or would we search separately for new pastors. Again, no matter which direction we choose, Rev. Anders would assist us, but he pointed out that the hardest step of the whole process is conversation between the two congregations. He clarified that we must do this work now before starting the process of searching for an interim or a new pastor.
Central and St. Matthew have chosen to explore the first stage together – the immediate transitional stage. Rev. Anders suggested we form a working group, a sub-committee, from the governance board and the council, to assume a temporary leadership role. The St. Matthew Council voted at its meeting on April 15th to appoint its executive council to a transition team. Central voted at its Governance Board meeting on April 22nd to work with a transition team. One of the first jobs for this group will be to investigate diversity education to enable more in-depth sharing among leaders and members of both congregations. We need to look at our differences and similarities and examine how they impact our life together.
In closing, we would like to quote Rev. Anders, with permission, in an email sent after our meeting. “My support for St. Matthew-Central Cong'l UCC is genuine and honest. I wish the best for your congregations during this transition time. It can be a time of exciting change, newness and growing in God's grace. The main thought I want to leave with you is that God provides the strength to see us through any situation. When I left St. Louis to come here [to the South Central Conference] it was a genuine leap of faith and my mantra so far as I learn so much as Conference Minister is: ‘ If God will see you to it...God will see you through it.’ I used that in my candidate sermon as Conference Minister, and I have repeated it to myself as I have encountered new situations. I think you will be repeating it often in the months ahead as God takes you into new situations of challenge, change and growth.”
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR LEADERS ON THE TRANSITION TEAM
A temporary working group with responsibility for guiding St. Matthew and Central through a transitional time has been appointed by the St. Matthew Council and the Central Governance Board. As we introduce each member of this committee, we hope you will feel comfortable talking and sharing your thoughts with them. In future newsletters we will introduce other members of the committee. Please feel free to talk with any of them: Jim Bonds, John Pecoul, Robert Perry, John Etter, Dale Bonds, Joan Fairbank, Bythelda Davis, Noel Braning, and Michele D’Aquin and Andrea Gibson, alternates.
We begin with Bythelda Davis from Central Congregational Church.
Bythelda Davis has been a member of Central for 30 years. She is a retired Orleans Parish schoolteacher at Mary Dora Coghill where she taught grades 1 through 6. Her favorite subject to teach was reading. As a member of the governance board, she finds that she has a responsibility in helping the decision making process, being positive, and facilitating finding a happy medium concerning difficult issues.
By far music is her passion. She states, “It has always been a part of my life and I have always participated in the church in terms of music.” Bythelda is a sports lover. She enjoys bowling and watches football and track and field. When asked what she loves about Central, she said “The congregation has decision-making power in the life of the church.”
Her favorite scripture is Psalm 121, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Next, Noel Braning shares her background and involvement at St. Matthew.
“I began my spiritual journey at St. Matthew Church on the day I was born.
My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all life-long members
of this church, and this is where I was baptized and confirmed. I learned about
the good news of Jesus and His plan for living my life from many dedicated
Sunday school teachers and pastors. My childhood was filled with wonderful
memories of Vacation Bible School, youth fellowship group, and visits to our
church camp on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“As an adult, I pursued a career in teaching elementary school and completed thirty-three years of service in this profession. Because of my interest in teaching, I was a Sunday school teacher at St. Matthew for many years, and later became a member of the Board of Christian Education. I find that working with children is where I can best be of service to the Lord.
“As a member of the Church Council, I am honored to have the responsibility for being a part of the decision-making process for our church. I take this responsibility very seriously, and I am committed to the duties I have assumed. I love St. Matthew Church with all my heart because it is so much a part of who I am. My roots are here; it is my home; and its members are my family. It is here where I feel centered, comforted, and loved.
“The scripture verse that I turn to for strength and courage is from Romans 8:28-31: ‘We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose….What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?’”
May 4 Pew Communion
After Service Church Picnic at the Perry’s house in Lafitte
2:00 P.M. German Service
May 5 7:00 P.M. Jeremiah Group
May 6 6:00 P.M. Central Governance Board
May 7 7:30 P.M. No Choir Practice
May 8 7:00 P.M. Worship Committee
May 11 Pentecost Sunday
Maggie Snyder preaching
Strengthen The Church Offering
May 14 7:30 P.M. No Choir Practice
May 18 Altar Communion
Food Sunday
June Newsletter Articles due
May 20 7:00 P.M. St. Matthew Church Council
May 21 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice
May 25 2:00 P.M. Maggie Snyder’s Ordination
May 27 10:30 A.M. Women’s Guild
May 28 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice
ALTAR FLOWERS GIVEN IN THE MONTH OF MAY
May 04 Nancy Marks’ birthday by Ellen Bentz
May11 Hobart and Elaine Jackson by James and Dale Bonds
May 18 Lola McNiel Evelyn Beets by Melvin Chaix
May 25 Ervin and Arlou Wulff by Karen Wulff
PRAYER LIST: Lola Bertucci, Ethel and Al Creel, Harold Duplain, Mike and Joyce Engelbracht, Ivy and Bernice Leroux, Elsa McCoy, Curry Miller, Peggy O’Niel, Rev. Paul Pic, Sofia, the Leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, victims of river flooding and those in fear of rising rivers, the people of Iraq and our service men and women in Iraq.
Ushers for May:
05/04/08 Andree’ Reese Noel Braning C. Engelbracht S. Carambat
05/11/08 Carol Etter Noel Braning John Etter S. Carambat
05/18/08 Walter Schleh Noel Braning C. Engelbracht S. Carambat
05/25/08 Shirley Adams Noel Braning C. Engelbracht S. Carambat
Communion:
5/4 pew Myrtle Winbush Donald Reese Andrea Gibson Vicki Weeks
Michel D’Aquin Linda Ostendorf
5/18 altar John Pecoul Maggie Snyder
Liturgists: Acolyte: Stuart Harrison
05/04/08 Vivian Smith
05/11/08 Sloan Letman
05/18/08 Leslie Wilson Greeters: Shirley Adams, Ellen Bentz, Lucille Gebhardt
05/25/08 William Jeffrion
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Pentecost is fast approaching on May 11, 2008. This day is the Birthday of the Church. We come together to recall 'the rush of the wind' when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. I invite everyone to wear, if you have it, something that is red. It can be an outfit, a blouse, a scarf, a handkerchief, a tie, a hat, or anything else that can be improvised. We are a Glad, Spirit-filled, Resurrection people! Let us come together on Pentecost with joy and gratitude to the One that lives closer to us than our own breath!
This Sunday is also Mother’s Day and the Sunday when the Strengthen the Church Special Mission Offering will be received.
With love in Christ,
Maggie
This is one of the most important announcements I will ever have the privilege of making in my entire life. My Ordination Service is Sunday, May 25, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. at Central/St. Matthew. There will be a reception following the service, upstairs in Fellowship Hall, done by our beloved Tia Perry. There is a formal invitation on the bulletin board in the lobby.
Sisters and Brothers, you have walked with me through this journey with care and love. If you are able, it would bring me much joy to have you with me on this very special day!
With gratitude and love in Christ,
Your Sister, Maggie
Thank You to everyone who helped work at the St. Matthew building on Saturday, April 12th. Twenty-five persons shared in filling a dumpster, cleaning the yards, washing walls, cleaning the church office and power washing key areas – an amazing amount of work was accomplished. Three people from the Central Carrollton Association expressed their gratitude for being able to use our building by joining in on the work projects. We were happy, also, to have the help of Clinton Crawshaw from the Metropolitan Community Church.
Our sincere thanks to the ladies of Central for sharing their Women's Day tradition with us. The theme of the celebration, "Working to the Glory of God through our Diversity," is one that resonates with each of us at
St. Matthew/Central. The efforts in organizing the service and the luncheon are deeply appreciated.
WIDER UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST MEETINGS
The spring meeting of the New Orleans Association will be held at Teche in New Iberia on May 10th from 9:00AM – 12:00 PM. It is always a wonderful experience to travel to bayou country and be welcomed with open arms and warm hospitality from the Teche congregation. Central and St. Matthew are each able to send five official delegates. Representing St. Matthew will be: Fred Meade, Joan Fairbank, John Etter, Vicki Weeks, Michele D’Aquin, Stokes and Maggie Snyder. The persons representing Central are still to be determined.
The South Central Conference Annual Meeting will be held in Dallas this year from June 6th – June 8th. Sloan Letman was appointed by the Council to be St. Matthew’s official delegate; we are allowed only one. Of course, visitors are always welcome, and Ellen Pecoul will be attending in that capacity. Central’s delegate will be Marie Weatherspoon and Dale Bonds as a visitor. Stokes and Maggie will also attend this meeting.
As most of you are aware, the UCC has received some negative press recently, especially regarding Dr. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL. The UCC President, Dr. John Thomas issued a plea for funds to enable a page long ad in the New York Times that would speak to the criticism. Dr. Thomas writes, “People are looking at the UCC like they never have before, and that's why it's critical that we respond proactively and tell our church's story. Otherwise, we will let others continue to define us in narrow and distorted ways.” The New York Times ad appeared on April 2nd.
Money was raised for the ad in just days following Dr. Thomas’s appeal. Money kept coming in, and so a second ad was purchased in USA Today for the weekend edition of May 11th. This second ad invited the entire nation to join in a sacred conversation on the issue of race. Again, Dr. Thomas writes, “Together, as we ready ourselves for this important preaching opportunity and the intentional dialogues that must follow in the months to come, this ad clearly puts the UCC on public record as a church willing to grapple forthrightly with difficult issues. Ours is a risk-taking church.”
Both of these ads are posted on red poster board on the church office window. Please take a moment to read them.
Did You Know that Central-St. Matthew has a group on Facebook?
Facebook is a free social networking site originally for college students that now reaches million of people around the world. Users can choose to join one or more networks on the website, such as a school, place of employment, geographic region, or social group. These networks help users to connect with other members of the same network. Users can also add friends to their profile, which allows them to see the profiles of their friends.
On the Central-St. Matthew group page you can upload photos, videos, and links to share with your friends and fellow church members.How do you join Facebook and the Central-St. Matthew Group?
Go to www.facebook.com and sign up. Once logged on, type “Central-St. Matthew” in the search box and the group will come up.
STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH SPECIAL MISSION OFFERING - MAY 11
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. Our church is love.
When we think about how the church’s love – God’s love – has transformed and nourished us, we want to share it. We 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. We invite you to celebrate these two – the church and those who are Mother to us – by giving to Strengthen the Church. Your generous gift today ensures a vibrant church tomorrow. Spread the Love. Strengthen the Church. God is still speaking.
Peace, Joan and Dale
A POSSIBILITY FOR SERVICE WITH THE JEREMIAH GROUP
If you listen to NPR, you may have heard a story on March 14 about the work of the Jeremiah Group here in New Orleans. Comprised of 25 churches including one synagogue, the group has come up with a plan to ease our city's housing crisis by helping renters. As NPR's Greg Allen reported, "the group drew on an idea used by its sister organizations elsewhere in the country: 'soft second mortgages.' These are loans designed to help families with low incomes--under $46,000 a year--transform themselves from renters into homebuyers. Borrowers can each tap into as much as $50,000; the loan is forgiven if the buyer stays in the home for ten years." According to Jeremiah Group member Robert Steinfeld, "the plan creates a market of potential home buyers in New Orleans--renters who can now transform their monthly lease payment of $800 to $1,200 into a monthly mortgage payment."
Both the N.O. Redevelopment Authority and LRA have signed off on the plan with LRA agreeing "to set aside $75 million for the soft second mortgages." Now "the Jeremiah Group has begun working to identify people who, with a little help and a soft second mortgage, might be ready to move into home ownership."
Central UCC is already affiliated with Jeremiah, and members of Central and St. Matthew have met twice with Brod Bagert, Jr. to explore the possibility of, for St. Matthew, joining, and for both churches, becoming active in the network.
What might be the benefits of such an affiliation? First, we would be part of a larger network of active churches (including St. Andrew, St. Joan of Arc and Trinity Christian Community in St. Matthew's neighborhood)), working together to address major issues in our city, issues about which we could make little headway by ourselves. Second, we would learn how to take effective action on issues that matter to us by participating in training sessions and seminars.
What would be our obligations? First, we would agree to contribute yearly 1% of our budget to help support the city-wide leadership team and money for grants. Second, we would build a joint leadership team within our two congregations. We invite interested members of both congregations to meet with Brod Bagert on Monday, May 5, from 7-8:15 PM to learn more about how we might become not just a group with opinions about our city's recovery, but a group with skills and affiliations to make a difference.
SCHOOL KITS FOR CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
South Central Conference challenges us to participate in a service project which involves putting together school kits for impoverished children, to be delivered to the Conference Annual Meeting in June for distribution by Church World Service.
Here are the components:
One pair of blunt scissors (rounded tip)
Three 70-count spiral or tape-bound pads of 8x10 ½ ruled paper
or pads with 200-210 sheets of ruled paper. (No loose-leaf)
One 30-centimeter ruler (12”)
One hand-held pencil sharpener and one large eraser
Six new pencils with erasers
One box of 24 crayons (only 24)
Two dollars to cover processing/shipping
Bring the items to church in a cotton cloth bag with handles which you may purchase or sew, dimensions 12” x 14” to 14” x 16”. If you have trouble finding or making a cloth bag, you may bring the contents to church and we’ll see to it that a bag is made for you. Please bring the completed kits to the church office no later than Sun., May 18 so our conference delegates may take them along. Questions? Ellen Pecoul, 866-8874
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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