Glad Tidings

At the end of my sermon on Sunday October 7, I mentioned that in future services Fred and I would begin extending an invitation to discipleship to those who are visiting, to those who have not been invited to become members of the family of Christ through baptism, and to those who are part of the universal church through baptism, but who are currently, without a “church home” in the city.  We would also invite members of Central/St. Matthew to take advantage of this time in service to recommit themselves based on their baptism or confirmation vows.  The question might be: why by invitation only?

Last year Fred and I traveled to Miami, Florida, to participate with other pastors, theologians, and scholars in a round table discussion.  Upon our arrival we discovered that there were only twenty-one participants, and I wondered why.  What I learned from my close friend who has attended those discussions in the past is that participants come by “invitation only.”  This really started me thinking about how we do evangelism, how we invite people, or not, to visit “our church.”  I also realized that many people attend church by invitation only.  If we do not invite them, then it is very likely that many will never enter a church and thus be excluded from the one community where all are equal and where all need the saving grace of God through Jesus the Christ.  So how do we extend an invitation to those persons and invite them to bring their gifts to this community of faith?  Since we are new at this, we will try the following.

We will begin making this period of invitation part of our worship experience.  We may however, never witness anyone walking up the aisle, because we will also offer an opportunity for those not part of the body of Christ to consult in private with either Fred or me.  In addition, each of us will have a chance to recommit ourselves to mission and ministry and to remember either our baptism or confirmation vows.  No matter the method, I am convinced that unless persons have personal invitations to come to the table with their gifts and become part of this dynamic community, many potential members will remain on the sidelines of opportunity.  The thing we must remember is that church growth often comes by invitation only.
Oh, and by the way, Fred and I are now members of the “Round Table Connection.”  With that and two dollars, we can get a good cup of coffee!
Peace on the journey,
Pastor Wil

Nov. 1  6:00 P.M. Bible Study
Nov. 4  Reformation Sunday; John Etter preaching 
  Pew Communion Sunday 
  2:00 P.M.    German Service
Nov. 4 - 10 Rev. Brown out of town
Nov. 5  7:00 P.M. Film Series:  God Grew Tired Of Us
Nov. 6  6:00 P.M. Central Governance Committee
  6:00 P.M. Worship Committee
Nov. 7  7:00 P.M. Finance Committee
  7:30 P.M. Choir Practice
Nov. 8  6:00 P.M. Bible Study
Nov. 11 After Service:   Congregational Meeting to vote on sponsoring Freedom Fellowship
  After Voting:   Potluck and Silent Auction
Nov. 14 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice
Nov. 15 6:00 P.M. Bible Study
Nov. 17   Fall New Orleans Association Meeting, 8:30 A.M. at Central/St. Matthew
Nov. 18   Stewardship Sunday  
    Altar Communion Sunday
    Food Sunday
    December newsletter articles due
Nov. 19 7:00 P.M.    Film Series: Born Into Brothels
Nov. 20 7:00 P.M. Church Council
Nov. 21 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice
Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day
Nov. 25 Totenfest/Memorial Sunday
Nov. 27 10:30 A.M. Women’s Guild
Nov. 28 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice
Nov. 29 6:00 P.M. Bible Study
Dec. 1  8:30 A.M. - Noon     Advent Retreat
Dec. 2  1st Sunday of Advent; Potluck & Advent Workshop following the service in Fellowship Hall

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
One of the Family:  Many of you know Tony Felix from seeing him around the church.  Tony and his brother, Tyler have attended our VBS, his mother works with Anthony Bean,  and Tony has been very active in ABCT.  Some good things have been happening to Tony, and since we feel like he is part of our family, I wanted to share them with you. 
     Tony is a talented, 12 year old actor who attends McMain.  With his drama teacher, Tony is touring New Orleans Public Schools in a production called Family Matters.  It has already received favorable attention at Lusher and Baby Ben. 
     Tony has a part in episode #7 of K-ville, the new cop show set in New Orleans, which will air on Monday, November 26.  In addition, representatives from the Harlem Classical Theater in New York City came to watch Tony in Anthony’s production of 504.  After that they cast him in Waiting for Godot, a play to be held on a street in the Lower Ninth Ward on November 2nd and 3rd.  This play will be repeated in an abandoned house in Gentilly on November 9th and 10th.  The exact locations will be publicized in the newspaper.  This is a well-known play that is being adapted to a post-Katrina New Orleans setting.
     The next time you see Tony, clap him on the back and tell him how proud we are of him!
Another Member of the Family: The Rev. David Pantermuehl, Pastor of Gethsemane UCC - Houston, TX, (and son of former St. Matthew minister, Rev. Roland Pantermuehl) has been appointed to serve a six year term on the Office of General Ministries Board of Directors for the UCC.  This national Board has responsibility for the financial and administrative oversight of the national church.  Rev. Pantermuehl joins our other South Central Conference representatives to national boards: Ms. Debra Joseph, Beecher Memorial and Ms. Hazel Moore, Central Congregational.
California Fires: Ms. Florence Coppola, UCC Disaster Ministries executive is in conversation with Rev. Jane Heckle, Conference Minister of the Southern California/Nevada Conference.  As of Oct. 24 approximately 500,000 people have been displaced.  At that time no UCC churches were destroyed but some UCC members have lost their homes to the fires.
     Your prayers are requested for the people impacted, many of whom lived through the 2003 wild fires.  The national UCC is seeking contributions from One Great Hour of Sharing ( OGHS) to help with fire relief and long term recovery.  This ministry is supported by your gifts to OGHS and to our Church’s Wider Mission.   

Update from the Rev. John H. Thomas, general Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, dated Thursday, 10/18/07:
  “ In June, when the UCC’s Collegium of Officers presented our Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War, little did we know that — within four months — nearly 64,000 UCC members would join us as co-signers. What a remarkable achievement.
     Last week, the Rev. Linda Jaramillo and I delivered our statement, along with your signature, to the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Minority Leader David Boehner. Each of their representatives respectfully received us and our heavy boxes of petitions.
     Later, at the White House, we were not as successful. Since we were not able to have a face-to-face meeting with the public liaison office as we had hoped, Linda and I decided to take our place in a no-protest zone near the White House gate, where we ignored three police orders to move and were arrested. Our public witness for peace was an expression of solidarity with the thousands who had signed the Pastoral Leader and were praying with us for peace.
     Our effort in Washington, we realize, was largely symbolic. It alone neither rattled the White House nor convinced the Congress. And even our time in custody was brief. After each paying a $100 fine, we were released two hours later.
     Yet, our effort was one powerful witness expressed alongside 63,797 others - faithful UCC members who have publicly committed to joining protest to prayer to end this war. Our petition-delivery attempt was one step among thousands that will ultimately result in a new day of peace for the people of Iraq.
     Our campaign will not end until the war ends, so we encourage your continued participation. We are still gathering signatures, and additional coordinated actions are being planned. We’d like to reach 100,000 by the end of the year.   Encourage your friends to sign the petition.  Thank you.”
Update on Freedom Fellowship Ministries:  We had the pleasure of learning about Freedom Fellowship from the video and the pleasure of meeting Rev. Darin Harris and FF members on September 23rd.  They are currently in the process of writing their by-laws and constitution with the assistance of Rev. Wil, John Etter, and John Pecoul.  Rev. Fred is helping Darrin write a pastoral job description. 
     We at Central/St. Matthew will have a chance to seal our covenant with Freedom Fellowship on Sunday, November 11th.  There will be a brief congregational meeting following the service to officially vote to sponsor Freedom Fellowship Ministries in their journey to becoming a new United Church of Christ in the city of New Orleans.  If you have any questions, please ask one of the above-mentioned persons for more information.  Also, see the information in this newsletter insert which details the obligations for our congregation in sponsoring a new church start.
United Teachers of New Orleans visited our congregation on October 14th for the purpose of informing us of the need for continued monitoring of all public schools in the city to make certain that promises made and basic obligations are being met.  UTNO is asking for individual volunteers or a group from a church to adopt a particular school in the neighborhood whether it is a charter school, a state-run recovery school, or one under the jurisdiction of the New Orleans Public School System.  Last year volunteers were instrumental in effecting needed changes in some schools for this year.  But there are still schools where there is warm water in the drinking fountains, or ice in the middle of the hot lunch that some child may be consuming as his/her only meal of the day.  In some cases, exerting community pressure on a particular issue may be appropriate.   For more information please contact Rev. Wil or Wilson Boveland or one of the representatives: Katrina Ndang at 304-2160 or Tania Monteiro at 203-612-0301.
     Along the same line, The New Orleans Recovery School District is looking for volunteers in the following areas:
1. Crisis Counseling:  On-call counseling services for youth with behavioral problems (stipends available)
2. School Clubs and After-School Activities: Setting up clubs at school and operating after-school programs (operational expenses available)
3. Weekend Activities for Youth: Saturday programs for youth with behavioral problems (operations expenses available)
4. Recruiting School Workers: Schools need parent and community people to act as hall monitors, crossing guards, truancy monitors, general support services (10 hours of volunteer services mandated/ Additional time can be compensated)
5. Special Programs: Let them know how you can help (i.e. Setting up school-based choirs/ Rites of Passage Programs, etc.)
Please contact Pastor Wil or the church office for more information.

Stewardship: Some of you may have missed Ellen Bentz’s stewardship message on Sunday, October 28th.  It is printed here for your reflection.
     “Stewardship Sunday is a few weeks away.  It is the Sunday when we present our pledge toward the financial support of our church for the next year.  As Christians we see our time, talents, and material possessions as a trust from God to be used in God’s service for the benefit of all.
     Since Katrina I have thought a lot about stewardship, and I know our church is alive and well today in large part because of the stewardship of others.  Since November 2005 we have sent over 160 thank you notes to churches and individuals around the United States - thanks for prayers, for shawls, for quilts, and for money.  Our Christian brothers and sisters, most of whom we don’t even know, have showered us with blessings and assured us of life beyond Katrina.
     We have our cherished friends from Central with whom we currently share the journey of faith.  Our church facilities are a beehive of activity, not only on Sundays but all week long, and we continue to be a home away from home for teams who still give their time to come and help in our area’s recovery.
     We must in the coming years show our gratitude to God and to all who have supported us with their out-pouring of love by continuing to be good stewards of this community of faith of which we are a part.
     Please prayerfully consider your pledge for 2008.  Thank you.”

God’s Guiding Hand in India by Ellen Pecoul
     Since the Missions Committee of St. Matthew/Central is raising our awareness of the current work of our UCC Global Ministries in India, Carol Etter asked me to describe my family’s involvement with this ministry and its New Orleans and St. Matthew connections.
     The story begins in Berlin more than 150 years ago. In 1850 the Gossner Mission in Berlin sent to India a missionary, a Rev. Oscar Lohr, who had had medical and pharmacy training. But in 1858 he and his family were forced to flee after a Hindu and military uprising against the British East India Company. The Company had brought railways and the telegraph to India, raising Indian suspicions that the government would force the whole populace to convert to Christianity. The tipping point was the Company delivery of already-greased cartridges for the military. Whereas Indian soldiers had always applied their own fat, they now suspected that the fat came either from pigs, which offended the Muslims, or from cattle, offending the Hindus. Thus the revolt specifically targeted Europeans and missionaries.  

Rev. Lohr then came to America and served a church in NJ. One day an old friend of his, Paul Heuser from New Orleans, came to visit. Their renewed friendship and contact with others led in 1865 to the founding of the German Evangelical Mission Society in America, a society devoted to the support of mission work abroad. In 1867 Lohr became the Society’s first commissioned missionary to India. His only instructions were to begin work in an area where no other mission was working and since he had learned Hindi, preferably among Hindi-speaking peoples.

     With humility and with a charge to bring justice and mercy to the least of these, the mission very early on founded a leprosy hospital and homes for leprosy patients, and eventually developed training schools for ministry, rural life programs, churches, primary and secondary schools, and the Tilda, Diptitour, Khariar and Mungeli hospitals. As soon as was feasible they passed on to Indian leadership the administration of these institutions.
 
     In 1883 the Mission Society was turned over to the German Evangelical Synod of North America, one of the precursors of our UCC. My great-great grandfather and Matt Rota’s great-great-great grandfather, John C. Seybold, served on the committee which made that transfer. In 1893 the Synod commissioned former St. Matthew member Judy Gass Shearer’s grandfather, Jacob, as a missionary to Raipur.

     My great uncle and Matt Rota’s great-great uncle, Theodore Seybold, served in Raipur from 1913-1958. He was for many years the principal of St. Paul’s High School which continues to this day as an Indian- run public school, and for a time he was president of the mission. He worked with Judy’s grandfather and with her parents who served in India from 1931-1964. 

     Subsequently Judy’s father, Dr. Herbert Gass, won international recognition as a leprologist, as he was first to discover the presence of lepra bacilli in the bone marrow of infectious leprosy patients. Upon retirement he and Mrs. Gass lived for awhile in N.O. and attended St. Matthew. While here Dr. Gass worked at the US Public Health Hospital in Carville which treated persons with leprosy or Hansen’s disease, and lectured at Tulane U.  Concurrently St. Matthew and other churches in the N.O. Association  supported the work of missionary Naomi Blalock who began her service in India in 1939.

     Today UCC Global Ministries continues its support  for the hospitals and clinics the missionaries founded,  the development of educational and empowerment programs for women and those who live in rural areas, and HIV/AIDs clinics and education programs. Part of your OCWM, Our Church’s Wider Mission, offerings go to support these healing, empowering, and life-saving ministries.

Update on Freedom Fellowship Ministries
Below is the process by which Freedom Fellowship Ministries will explore becoming a UCC church.  The role of Central/St. Matthew in that process is outlined in the 2nd column.   St. Matthew/Central will formally vote to sponsor FFM at a congregational meeting on Sunday, Nov. 11th.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Films That Speak  - A Documentary Film Series Designed To Make You Think.
Monday, November 5, 7:00 P.M. God Grew Tired of Us
     This story is about young immigrant boys who have fled their countries out of want and persecution.  God Grew Tired of Us traces the footsteps of refugees fleeing war, poverty, and persecution ravaging Sudan since 1983. This documentary zeroes in on three male refugees who make their way to America and find a bewilderingly different life. 

     Using footage of the aftermath of the civil war between northern Muslim Arabs and the beleaguered southern Christians, we are shown long lines of refugees taking what little they have to Kenya where ghostly, emaciated figures wait warily in new lines for relief. Displacement adds to their anxiety as relatives become unaccounted for. Always concretely laying down the foundation of history, the film unflinchingly gives one a front seat to their predicament.
      Daniel Abol Pach, Panther Bior, and John Bul Dau are the movie's central focus. They are invited to the United States and offered the amenities of an apartment, a chance at employment, and the perks of our material benefits. Daniel and Panther live in Pittsburgh; John lives in Syracuse. It is a fascinating culture shock, one that shows their innocence in the face of our technology and their resolute determination to retain their culture.  Always taking steps forward in opportunity, we see them work, experience bigotry, and come to terms with our way of life.

     While they thrive materially, they also experience separation anxiety. Much of the time is spent showing their efforts to improve conditions for their relatives and countryman of Kenya. Interviewing each man at key times is at the core of the movie. Each man is articulate about his anxieties and aspirations throughout. Visually the men's testimony is backed up by footage that is poignantly presented.

 Monday, November 19, 7:00 P.M. Born Into Brothels 
     The most stigmatized people in Calcutta's red light district are not the prostitutes, but their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse, and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother's fate or  creating another type of life.
     In Born into Brothels, directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman chronicle the amazing transformation of the children they come to know in the red light district. Briski, a professional photographer, gives them lessons and cameras, igniting latent sparks of artistic genius that reside in these children who live in the most sordid and seemingly hopeless world.  The photographs taken by the children are not merely examples of remarkable observation and talent; they reflect something much larger, morally encouraging, and even politically volatile: art as an immensely liberating and empowering force.
     Devoid of sentimentality, Born into Brothels defies the typical tear-stained tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. Briski spends years with these kids and becomes part of their lives. Their photographs are prisms into their souls, rather than anthropological curiosities or primitive imagery, and a true testimony of the power of the indelible creative spirit.

All films in this film series are free and open to the public.

Sunday, November 11 – Silent Auction and Potluck
     Calling all St. Matthew/Central artists and crafters!  Dust off your paint brushes, needles and thread, and start creating.  On Sunday, November 11, after worship service, we are having the Second Annual Silent Auction of handmade art and craft items donated by our members.  There will be a potluck lunch along with the auction and everyone will have an opportunity to bid on beautiful artwork and crafts.  Proceeds of the auction will be donated to Back Bay Mission.

Saturday, November 17 - Fall New Orleans Association Meeting
     All Central and St. Matthew members are invited to attend this meeting of area UCC churches.  It will begin with registration at 8:30 A.M. and the meeting will be from 9:00 until noon.  A brunch will follow.  It is a good opportunity to fellowship with our brothers and sisters and be informed of what the UCC is doing in the greater New Orleans area.

Sunday, November 25 – Totenfest/Memorial Sunday
     During the regular morning worship service, Totenfest/Memorial Sunday will be observed.  This is a time when loved ones from our church families of Central and St. Matthew will be remembered.  Please submit the names to the church office of any person who has passed away since Dec. 1, 2006.  Help from both St. Matthew and Central is needed to remember those who have passed.  A bit of history about Totenfest from Katherine Hawkes, a UCC pastor. “ Totenfest is a word created by the Evangelical church when it was formed in 19th century Prussia.  The word refers to the liturgical remembrance of those who have died in the preceding year.  While the celebration parallels the more common All Saints Day tradition, Totenfest was traditionally celebrated on the final Sunday of the church year.  In our local church, we have retained the image of “Totenfest” while moving the celebration to the more ecumenical All Saints Sunday.”

Advent Retreat and Advent Worship Services – “A Time for Renewal”
     Maybe for you this will be the year when the Christmas season is more than a time of frantic behavior to prepare for the holidays.  Maybe this will be the year to quietly prepare for the most wonderful gift of all – the birth of Jesus.  Maybe this will be the year when you come together with fellow members of Central and St. Matthew to feel the joy of our fresh new covenant.
     On Saturday, December 1, Pastor Wil and Pastor Fred will lead a spiritual retreat to prepare for Advent.  It will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 and conclude by noon. 
     Beginning on Wednesday evening, December 5, there will be a series of three Wednesday night Advent worship services beginning at 7:00 P.M.  They will be about 45 minutes in length and offer a quiet time to spiritually fortify us during the rush of activity.   The theme for the retreat and the worship services is “Renewal.”
     The first Sunday of Advent is December 2.  This date marks the beginning of the Christian year.  At the morning service there will be an unveiling of the newly created banner symbolizing the covenant between Central and St. Matthew.  The covenant agreement will be formally signed by the presidents of both congregations.  Following the worship service there will be a potluck dinner and the Advent Workshop offering a time for children (and everyone who wants) to make Christmas crafts.  Also on that Sunday you may pick up a copy in the lobby of the lectionary for the new Christian year.
Hoping that you will prioritize your calendars for one or all of these Advent events.      
  

The following article appeared on the back of the UCC Worship Bulletin on September 30, 2007.  It was written by one of the former directors of Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MS.  Rev. Richard Ellerbrake was called from Back Bay in 1962 to be Executive Vice President of the UCC-related Deaconess Health System in St. Louis, and served as its President from 1982 to 1992.  His name may be familiar to some in the St. Matthew/Central family as he is the son of one of Salem UCC’s former pastors. 

This Little Light of Mine
  “As the UCC was aborning in the 1950s, Mississippi was dark.  But memories burn bright.  In 1958, Rev. Henry Damm (Board of National Missions) announced, “I want you in Biloxi as pastor-director of Back Bay Mission.  You live in New Orleans and your field work was at Caroline Mission [in St. Louis].  You’re qualified!”
 “Besides, you understand the South.”
 Ha! This fresh Eden Seminary graduate understood the South like a fifth-grader understands trigonometry.  But I learned.  Challenging the White Citizens Council and crisscrossing Mississippi as secretary of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Mississippi Advisory Committee, with colleague Rev. Jack Aregood riding shotgun, I met brave people willing to testify.  Boy, did I learn!
 Barbara Moffitt, a volunteer from Massachusetts, and my wife, Johann, started a girl’s club at Biloxi’s black Main Street Baptist Church.  Shortly, black kids started coming to the Mission library, and soon a few were boxing with white Mission kids.  This was the only integrated program in south Mississippi.  (Mississippi’s only other was Tougaloo College.)  The UCC led the way.
 Though we were never harmed, except by threats, I kept a bag of marshmallows handy to toast on the burning cross we expected any night now.  Despite mounting tension, the Mission survived.  Some members switched to a racist church, whereupon we consoled ourselves with the “reduction theory” (church attendance reduces in direct proportion to increased applied Christianity), and decided our calling was to be faithful, not necessarily to succeed.
 We always had church support.  Rev. Ed Schlingman (Voluntary Service Department) sent summer and year-long volunteers.  Lots of them.  Courageous people witnessing for change.  We still keep in touch.  Rev. Ruby Raber (Council on Christian Social Action) said the church was praying for us.  That helped.  We still keep in touch.
 Some years later, Rev. Aregood and others were jailed for attempting to desegregate Biloxi’s public beaches.  We still keep in touch, too.  In fact, we live on the same farm.
 We named the Mission newsletter The Changing Tides.  It remains so today.  Tides continue changing, but the UCC hasn’t left Mississippi.  Today, in the aftermath of Katrina, it’s still learning, still applying Christianity.  Reduced, but faithful.  May we help it remain so.”    

 Rev. Richard P. Ellerbrake
 Lebanon, IL