A PASTORAL REFLECTION ON RELATIONSHIPS
Getting married is an experiment in faith. And certainly getting married after 50 is an experience meant to be lived by people with faith - great faith I might add. I'm not sure it's humanly possible to be together long enough before you're married to fully understand what you're getting into. We may think we know someone until we get married, and then reality hits - even when you're married to a famous film maker.
While dating, I never knew my wife owned plastic curlers. In the back of my mind I thought the concept of hair curlers died around the time that black and white television faded away and color TV became the mainstream brain drain in our country. Obviously I was wrong. Kissing someone with curlers on has given me a much greater compassionate awareness of the dating rituals of porcupines.
As for eating, I thought I had a handle on that one. Whenever I cooked while we were dating, Julie always seemed to enjoy what I prepared, although I have found out that she doesn't like to eat hamburgers five days in a row, something which is perfectly normal to me! It is also clear to me that the amount of food my wife thinks I should eat would put me on a starvation diet. I have learned, however, to freeze the leftover hamburgers just in case the little piece of fish she feeds me doesn't fill me up.
Overall in our marriage we have learned a lot from one another, and we often laugh at our very assumptions about what is normal in a relationship. But most important of all, we live with a deep respect for each other, and gratitude that we have found one another in the second half of our lives.
It also seems to me that the new Central/St. Matthew covenant community is like getting married. We dated a while, but now we have a commitment at least for two years. I am sure that because of our different traditions there will be times when we also will have moments like "But we never did it that way before!" My hopes and prayers are that we can always live in love, look through eyes of respect when ideas differ, and remember that our sole purpose here is to love God and love our neighbor. If love, respect, and compassion are our guiding forces in all the work that we do at church to serve God, then even the demons of Satan will fear when our multi-racial, open and inclusive church sings Amen...Amen!
In Christ, Rev. Fred
PRAYER LIST:
Jimmy Adams, Evelyn Beets, Barbara, Carol, Marc T. Carter, Melvin Chaix, family of Octavia Cousins, Myra, Carol Duplessis, the Hess family, family of Bill and Deborah Jeffrion, Vernese O'Neal, Charles M. Kelly, family of Daisy McKenzie, Misty, Blanche Ogg, the O'Neal family, Straughter Prophet, family of John Scott, family of Susan Scott, Justin Smith, Mary and Amaya Renee' Vaco, Alberta Wahl, victims of Katrina, all students beginning a new year, justice for the Jena 6, and UCC churches near Findlay, OH.
BIRTH: We received word this week that Matthew Thomas Giurintano was born on Tuesday, September 25, 2007. He is the son of Karen and Greg Giurintano and the grandson of Ray and Ellen Cook. Congratulations to the proud parents and grandparents.
Faith means being grasped by a power that is greater than we are, a power that shakes us and turns us and transforms and heals us.
Paul Tillich
Submitted by Shirley Adams
"I love my church because it's sort of like The Wizard of Oz - it's about having a heart and a brain. And courage!" from the UCC Desk Calendar and Plan Book.
The St. Matthew/Central "Glad Tidings" is your newsletter. If you have ideas for articles or news that you want to share with the congregation, please consider writing an article. In order to produce and mail the news letter in a timely fashion, articles must reach the church office by the 3rd Sunday of each month.
SEPTEMBER SUNDAYS by Joan Fairbank
September Sundays have been rich.
On the 9th, St. Matthew acknowledged its 158th Anniversary. On that Rally Day Sunday, our congregations were blessed to hear messages from Rev. Heinz Neumann, pastor of the German congregation that meets at St. Matthew/Central every month; from Maggie Snyder, our seminary student studying to be ordained in the UCC; and from Gil Wilson, retired UCC minister from Florida, also currently active in our congregation. They each inspired us with various interpretations of "God's Grace." Afterwards, there was a lovely potluck dinner and an opportunity to see part of the film about Freedom Fellowship Ministries. FFM is a fellowship of believers who are dedicated to connecting with the community of New Orleans and embracing all people unconditionally. They are interested in becoming a UCC New Church Start, and we at Central/St. Matthew have the opportunity of sponsoring them.
Sunday, September 16th, the music was exciting with 14 members singing in the choir; a young guest organist/pianist, David Bloom, astounded all with his abilities; and a trio of delightful young ladies, Jasmin, Rayan, and Marlencia Arnold, performers in the current Anthony Bean production, sang a gospel song a capella. We viewed the film, Fifty Years in the United Church of Christ, which was shown at this year's General Synod, highlighting the work of our denomination through the decades. The UCC is composed of 1.3 million members, 5,600 congregations, and has 300 health and human service organizations with our roots going back to 1616, before the Pilgrims arrived! The film outlined some of the social justice issues at the forefront since our beginning in 1957. Following the film three of our representatives at Synod shared their thoughts about being there. Hulen Brown reported how she found new inspiration while in Hartford; Maggie Synder reminded us that we are part of a global community and that our church is revolutionary because we believe that "God is still speaking" and we act on that belief; and Wil Brown affirmed the increasing presence of a Pentecostal movement in the UCC, a movement that is all inclusive.
Wil's message segued nicely into the congregational meeting following the service, a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the covenant agreement between St. Matthew and Central. With an overwhelmingly positive vote, Central and St. Matthew agreed to recognize, formalize, and cooperatively further our joint ministries as a covenanted community for the next two years. In the words from the agreement, "Now, after nearly two years of joint worship, pastoral ministry and fellowship, St Matthew UCC and Central UCC do bind ourselves together in Christian love, serving God as we understand in the teachings of our holy scripture and the life of Jesus Christ. Together we seek the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we endeavor to do the will of God." We are now officially the St. Matthew/Central or Central/St. Matthew United Church of Christ. The names will be used interchangeably and rotated frequently to provide equal status to both of our histories.
"We are all one, a truly united United Church of Christ," said Darrin Harris on Sunday, September 23. Darrin was our guest speaker and members of his congregation, Freedom Fellowship Ministries, worshipped with us. As Darrin spoke on spiritual priorities, he touched on cornerstones of UCC beliefs when commenting that "God is still speaking." He continued, "Are we still listening?" Equally engaging were his words on the importance of a ministry of touch. He added, "We cannot be afraid to touch or to be touched." We give our blessings to Darrin and Freedom Fellowship Ministries as they explore a relationship with the denomination. After Sunday, I'm sure all of us can affirm that our congregation has the capability to mentor Freedom Fellowship on its journey, but it won't be a one-way street. There is much we can learn from them.
A special thanks to the Men's Chorus, Julie Starr, and Beth for the inspiring music which reaches into our hearts. Also thank you to Evelyn Pittman, Ellen Bentz, and Mike Duplessis for arranging the reception in Freedom Fellowship's honor.
NEIGHBORS IN NEED by Hulen Brown
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ which supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of Neighbors In Need funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects.
In the aftermath of Katrina our various churches and ministries are currently receiving the benefits of Neighbors In Need offerings. Please take this opportunity to give today.
Central/St. Matthew will receive our Neighbors In Need offering on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007.
SILENT AUCTION AND POTLUCK by Noel Braning
Calling all St. Matthew/Central artists and crafters! Dust off your paint brushes, needles and thread, and start creating!
On Sunday, Nov. 11, after worship service, we are having our 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.
Please submit all donated items to the church office no later than Sunday, Nov. 4.
POTLUCK/BAKE SALE/PUMPKIN CARVING by Noel Braning
Pumpkin time has arrived, and St. Matthew/Central is celebrating with a potluck and bake sale on Sunday, Oct. 21 following worship service. There will be pumpkins available for children up to age 12 to decorate. Decoration materials will be provided.
Mark your calendars and join us for some fall fun and fellowship!
FILM SERIES
DESIRE by Julie Gustafson & The Teenage Girls' Documentary Project
Monday, Oct. 1, 2007, 7 P.M., in the Sanctuary
What do teenage girls think about these issues? What choices do they make in their lives, and what forces shape and limit those choices? What do young women really desire? To explore these questions, independent film maker Julie Gustafson gave video cameras and film making training to young women from three New Orleans neighborhoods -- girls from the Desire housing project, a single mother from a working-class suburb, and two young women from a prestigious private high school in New Orleans. She encouraged them to make short films about their desires, their youthful wants, needs and hopes for the future. Over the next five years, that's exactly what they did.
Nearly a decade in the making, this refreshingly honest film documents the challenges and dreams of this diverse group of teenagers, as Gustafson sensitively interweaves their short videos to create the film's broader narrative. Addressing everything from sex and contraception, gender roles and sexual identity, as well as the impact of educational and material opportunities on their futures as women, DESIRE presents a landmark portrait of young women whose desires and choices are profoundly shaped by family, social, and economic backgrounds.
DESIRE premiered at the 2005 American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles. It received the 2006 New Orleans Film Festival's awards for Best Documentary, Best Louisiana Film, and the Grand Jury Prize. Additionally, DESIRE was awarded Al Gore's 'Reel Current Award' for Best Documentary from the 2006 Nashville Film Festival. It will premiere and screen repeatedly on FREE SPEECH TV this December 2007 June 2008 and air on selected public television stations around the country in the Fall of 2008.
Julie Gustafson, an award-winning video maker, has been making documentaries about women and families for nearly twenty years. Gustafson is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Currently, she teaches in the film department of the University of New Orleans.
ST. MATTHEW UCC
P. O. Box 850527
New Orleans, LA 70185-0527
