Flat Jesus in the Spotlight
He’s made recent appearances in New England, Kansas City, and the neighborhood pool. Photos are on the website and the Facebook page, in the Gathering Space and the Narthex. Send your photos to Marie in the office. Where will he show up next?
There's a lot happening at Faith Des Peres! Rev. Joe Marting will be leading worship this weekend while Annie is out of the office (if you have an emergency, please contact Marie). Remember to bring items for the School Supply Drive ... sign up for the float trip ... register for the new PW Bible Study ... "like" the new FDP Facebook page ... and make the most of this beautiful spring-like summer that God has given us! ~Marie
Are You Ready for a Float Trip?
Kathy Sherrick is organizing this fun 6-mile float at Mound Ridge on August 16th. More information and registration is on the website and in the Gathering Space. Sign up today! (The deadline for registration is August 4th, payment is due August 10th.)
Faith Des Peres is a “Social” Place!
That’s right, we’re on Facebook. The address is www.facebook.com/faithdesperes. Your Flat Jesus photos are on there, as are Community Garden photos and information. Important announcements and events are being posted (float trip information, etc.). Please let Marie in the office know if you do NOT want any photos of you or your family posted on Facebook. “Like” us ... then SHARE our posts on your wall so others can see what’s happening at Faith Des Peres. And if you’re courageous, “invite” your friends to like our page also. (If you don't know how to "share" or "invite", call Marie in the office.) There’s a LOT going on at Faith Des Peres—let’s share it with everyone!
Please Remember Your Items for the School Supply Drive
Mission and Ministry is sponsoring a school supply drive this summer in coordination with the Circle of Concern, running from June 29th – August 3rd. Please help give children a good start to the school year with your donation of school supplies. If you cannot bring items on a Sunday, please drop them off when the church is open. Click here for a list of needed items. A big, bright box is in the Gathering Space for school items.
New PW Bible Study Beginning August 27th
Join us for a new Presbyterian Women’s study based on the book of 2 Corinthians entitled, “Reconciling Paul,” by Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty. Our first meeting will be Wednesday, August 27th at 9:30am, led by Joanna Gerst. We’d love to see you, so register and pick up a book in the Gathering Space. Or let Marie know you’d like to attend.
Do You Make Online Payments to FDP?
If you make your stewardship and/or capital campaign payments through your online banking, please take a moment and adjust the memo line to read either “capital” or “stewardship” for clarification to the church office and Sunday counters. Thank you!
Don’t Take a Break from Making a Difference!
Summer is break time, but not for contributions... Use your Schnucks e-scrip card (or pick up one in the Gathering Space). It costs you nothing, but Schnucks contributes a percentage of your purchase to Faith Des Peres every time you swipe it at the checkout. The contributions you generate simply by shopping at Schnucks (which you do anyway) helps build a stronger church and allows us to do more for others. Enjoy your summer and be sure to keep up the good work – use your red Schnucks Community or Customer Card every time you shop. Need more information? Contact the church office or visit Schnucks online. The FDP Group ID # is 164503349.
This Sunday, July 13, I’ll continue my sermon series on “Practicing Our Faith”. This week we’ll look at the practice of forgiveness. As you prepare for Sunday worship, I encourage you to think about someone you are struggling to forgive, or someone whose forgiveness you seek. Name the wrong that has been done, why it still hurts, and why it is difficult to forgive or seek forgiveness. Then, imagine lifting up this difficulty and giving it to God.
If you are traveling this weekend, I pray your travels are safe. (Don’t forget to take Flat Jesus with you!) If you are in town, we would love to see you in worship!
Blessings,
Annie
Are you ready for a float trip?
Kathy Sherrick is organizing this fun 6-mile float at Mound Ridge on August 16th. More information and registration is on the website and in the Gathering Space.
Faith Des Peres is Going Social
That’s right, we’re on Facebook. The address is www.facebook.com/faithdesperes. Our main objective at this time will be to post events and important announcements and hopefully some of our Flat Jesus adventures, etc. Please let Marie in the office know if you do NOT want any photos of you or your family posted on Facebook. (Even when using photos on the website, no last names - especially of children - are ever used.) “Like” us . . . let’s be “friends!”
School’s Out…
Mission and Ministry is sponsoring a school supply drive this summer in coordination with the Circle of Concern, running from June 29th – August 3rd. Please help give children a good start to the school year with your donation of school supplies. If you cannot bring items on a Sunday, please drop them off when the church is open. Click here for a list of needed items. A big, bright box is in the Gathering Space for school items.
Condolences
Helen Brandenburg Barks, long-time secretary here at FDP (34 years!), passed away on Friday, June 27th. A "Celebration of Life & Sharing of Memories" is planned for July 26th at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul U.C.C. For more information or to learn more about the life of Helen, visit www.toedtmanngrosse.com. She will be missed!
Congratulations, Cathy & Patrick!
lease extend your congratulations to Cat Trotter and Pat Harper as they were joined in marriage on June 29th. We thank the Lord for their love and we pray for peace, contentment and joy as they begin their lives together as husband and wife.
Do You Make Online Payments to FDP?
f you make your stewardship and/or capital campaign payments through your online banking, please take a moment and adjust the memo line to read either “capital” or “stewardship” for clarification to the church office and Sunday counters. Thank you!
Don’t Take a Break from Making a Difference!
Summer is break time, but not for contributions... Use your Schnucks e-scrip card (or pick up one in the Gathering Space). It costs you nothing, but Schnucks contributes a percentage of your purchase to Faith Des Peres every time you swipe it at the checkout. The contributions you generate simply by shopping at Schnucks (which you do anyway) helps build a stronger church and allows us to do more for others. Enjoy your summer and be sure to keep up the good work – use your red Schnucks Community or Customer Card every time you shop. Need more information? Contact the church office or visit www.schnucks.com. The FDP Group ID # is 164503349.
I see London, I see France…
Dianne & Phil recently took Flat Jesus on a cruise with them to Spain and France, then took him on a tour of London. See photos here. Where will we see Flat Jesus next? Look at photos in the Gathering Space and find the new ones!
General Assembly News from June 14-21, 2014
View a complete reporting of the 221st General Assembly here.
This Sunday, July 6, we’ll worship at the Old Church at 10:30. Join us for this casual service. We’ll sing patriotic hymns and I’ll continue my sermon series on “Practicing Our Faith”. This week we’ll look at the practice of observing Sabbath time. As you prepare for Sunday worship, I encourage you to think about what you have to say “no” to in order to say “yes” to Sabbath. Is there some beginning step that lies within your reach?
If you are travelling this weekend, I pray your travels are safe. (Don’t forget to take Flat Jesus with you!) If you are in town, we would love to see you in worship. Make the time; observe Sabbath.
Blessings,
Annie
Condolences
Helen Brandenburg Barks, long-time secretary here at FDP (34 years!), passed away on Friday, June 27th. A "Celebration of Life & Sharing of Memories" is planned for July 26th at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul U.C.C. For more information or to learn more about the life of Helen, visit www.toedtmanngrosse.com. She will be missed!
Congratulations, Cathy & Patrick!
Please extend your congratulations to Cat Trotter and Pat Harper as they were joined in marriage on June 29th. We thank the Lord for their love and we pray for peace, contentment and joy as they begin their lives together as husband and wife. See more photos of Flat Jesus with Cat & Pat on their wedding day!
First "selfie" as Mr. & Mrs. Harper
Feeding the Flock at the Old Church this Sunday
Feeding the Flock will be collecting school and food items for Circle of Concern. Please bring items with you on July 6th. If you won’t be at the Old Church, please drop off items any time the church is open (Clayton Road). Current needed food items for Circle of Concern: dry dinners, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned pasta, toilet paper.
Parent’s Night Out July 12th
The second Parent’s Night Out of the summer is Saturday, July 12, 5pm-9pm. Drop off your child(ren) at the church and enjoy a night out! Cost is only $10/child. If you bring dinner and/or a snack, please keep in mind there are peanut, tree nut and egg allergies amongst our kids. To keep everyone safe, please pack dinner/snacks accordingly. RSVP to Beth Willock by July 9. Questions? E-mail Beth Willock at Beth.A.Willock@efleets.com.
Are you ready for a Float Trip?
Kathy Sherrick is organizing this fun 6-mile float at Mound Ridge on August 16th. More information and registration is on the website and in the Gathering Space.
School’s Out…
Mission and Ministry is sponsoring a school supply drive this summer in coordination with the Circle of Concern, running from June 29th – August 3rd. Please help give children a good start to the school year with your donation of school supplies. If you cannot bring items on a Sunday, please drop them off when the church is open. Click here for a list of needed items. A labeled bin will be in the Gathering Space for school items.
Don’t Take a Break from Making a Difference!
Summer is break time, but not for contributions... Use your Schnucks e-scrip card (or pick up one in the Gathering Space). It costs you nothing, but Schnucks contributes a percentage of your purchase to Faith Des Peres every time you swipe it at the checkout. The contributions you generate simply by shopping at Schnucks (which you do anyway) helps build a stronger church and allows us to do more for others. Enjoy your summer and be sure to keep up the good work – use your red Schnucks Community or Customer Card every time you shop. Need more information? Contact the church office or visit www.schnucks.com. The FDP Group ID # is 164503349.
We Didn’t Lose Flat Jesus – Did You?
Have you lost your Flat Jesus? Click here to download another one. The Worship Arts Committee introduced Flat Jesus in an effort to remind all of us that Jesus is with us EVERYWHERE! We want to see where Jesus is, so keep him with you at all times (purse, backpack and car) and snap photos of you with him. Help us spread the message! For new pics, visit our “Where in the World is Flat Jesus?” page on the website, or see the photos in the Gathering Space. (See if you can find the new ones!)
Faith Des Peres is Going Social
That’s right, we’re Facebook-bound. The address is www.facebook.com/faithdesperes. Our main objective at this time will be to post events and important announcements and hopefully some of our Flat Jesus adventures, etc. Please let Marie in the office know if you do NOT want any photos of you or your family posted on Facebook. (Even when using photos on the website, no last names - especially of children - are ever used.) “Like” us . . . let’s be “friends!”
Julia and I have had a great time at Montreat! We've spent lots of time learning and worshipping and having fun.
This week I'll continue my Summer Sermon Series on "Spiritual Practices in Everyday Life". Sunday we’ll be looking at the practice of “Shaping Our Communities.” This couldn't be more timely in light of major decisions the General Assembly made last week. I'll talk about two of them (marriage and the Middle East) and how we shape our community when we don't all agree. I hope to see you in church!
Blessings,
Annie
- The church office will be closed July 4-8.
- The deadline to fulfill 2013-2014 fiscal year pledge commitments is June 30th.
- The Mission & Ministry School Supply Drive begins this Sunday, June 29th.
- Join us for worship at the Old Church on Sunday, July 6th. Feeding the Flock will be gathering food and school supplies.
- Did we lose Flat Jesus?
- Montreat Worship & Music Conference update and photo from Gay
- Donate money by shopping
Have you Remembered Your 2013-2014 Pledge?
June 30 will mark the end of our current fiscal year. Are you current with your pledge payments for stewardship and the Gathering Space loan reduction? If not, please make an effort to submit your final payments before the end of the month. The gifts we pledge to the church help meet many of our day-to-day operating expenses. If you have questions about the status of your pledges, please contact FDP's treasurer, Kathy Sherrick, or the church's bookkeeper, Cathy Luetkemeyer, who is in the church office (314-432-8029) on Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m.
Worship & Feeding the Flock at the Old Church on July 6th
Even though we’ll be at the Old Church on communion Sundays in July and August, Feeding the Flock will still be collecting school and food items for Circle of Concern. Please bring items with you on July 6th. If you won’t be at the Old Church, please drop off items any time the church is open (Clayton Road). Current needed food items for Circle of Concern: dry dinners, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned pasta, toilet paper.
Are you Ready for a Float Trip?
Kathy Sherrick is organizing this fun day on August 16th. More information and registration is on the website.
Items Left at FDP
As a reminder, we no longer collect items such as empty food containers or bags of clothing for soup kitchens or charities, unless we specifically ask for them. Thank you.
Lost & Found
In the Lost & Found we have a brown winter coat (small, short, Nine West), a set of Usborne Spanish children’s books and a black/gray/white dress scarf. Contact Marie if they belong to you.
School’s Out…
Mission and Ministry will be sponsoring a school supply drive this summer in coordination with the Circle of Concern, running from June 29th – August 3rd. Please help give children a good start to the school year with your donation of school supplies. If you cannot bring items on a Sunday, please drop them off when the church is open. Click here for a list of needed items. A labeled bin is in the Gathering Space for school items.
Don’t Take a Break from Making a Difference!
Summer is break time, but not for contributions... Use your Schnucks eScrip card (or pick up one in the Gathering Space). It costs you nothing, but Schnucks contributes a percentage of your purchase to Faith Des Peres every time you swipe it at the checkout. The contributions you generate simply by shopping at Schnucks (which you do anyway) helps build a stronger church and allows us to do more for others. Enjoy your summer and be sure to keep up the good work – use your red Schnucks Community or Customer Card every time you shop. Need more information? Contact the church office or visit www.schnucks.com. The FDP Group ID # is 164503349.
We Didn’t Lose Flat Jesus – Did You?
Have you lost your Flat Jesus? Click here to download another one. The Worship Arts Committee introduced Flat Jesus in an effort to remind all of us that Jesus is with us EVERYWHERE! We want to see where Jesus is, so keep him with you at all times (purse, backpack and car) and snap photos of you with him. Help us spread the message! For new pics, visit our “Where in the World is Flat Jesus?” page on the website, or see the photos in the Gathering Space. (See if you can find the new ones!)
A Note to the Congregation from Gay:
“Friends,
Several of you asked me about Montreat. The theme of the conference was “Rise, O Church, Like Christ Arisen,” which is a hymn in our new hymnal. Each day, worship was based upon a phrase of this hymn. Preaching, liturgy, music, visual arts, and other components were united to make meaningful worship experiences each day.
I attended two choir rehearsals each day. The director was Chris Aspaas, who is a faculty member at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Imagine the glorious sound of 500 voices singing the hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” Truly it was a foretaste of the heavenly choir. Katy and I attended handbell class and rang bells side-by-side. We had a great time making music together. Susan Cherwien, who wrote the text of “Rise, O Church, Like Christ Arisen,” was the Routley hymn lecturer. I attended her class as well as a Bible class taught by Paul Westermeyer, author and emeritus professor at Luther Seminary. Both classes were compelling.
Thank you for the financial assistance to attend the conference. I hope to share something of what I gained at the conference with you in the coming year.
Here’s a photo of the lake and mist hovering over the mountain in the morning. Beautiful!”
This Sunday Rev. Joe Marting will be preaching and leading worship while Julia and I attend the Worship and Music Conference at Montreat. We attended this conference last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a time of refreshment, learning, and fun! Plus, the worship is outstanding.
Speaking of Montreat, last Saturday the General Assembly elected a new moderator, Heath Rada, a ruling elder from Montreat. You can read more about Moderator Rada here. If you have questions about the General Assembly, or read things in the newspaper that pique your interest, feel free to talk to me about them. Terry is also a great resource since he was there and served as a parliamentarian.
I hope to see you in church.
Blessings,
Annie
- The church office will be closed July 4-8.
- Time is running out to fulfill 2013-2014 fiscal year pledge commitments. The deadline is June 30th.
- The Mission & Ministry School Supply Drive begins June 29th.
- Join us for worship at the Old Church on Sunday, July 6th. Feeding the Flock will be gathering food and school supplies.
- Growth in the Garden
- Did we lose Flat Jesus?
School's Out...
Mission and Ministry will be sponsoring a school supply drive this summer in coordination with the Circle of Concern, running from June 29th – August 3rd. Please help give children a good start to the school year with your donation of school supplies. If you cannot bring items on a Sunday, please drop them off when the church is open. Supplies needed: sturdy backpacks, folders, pencil boxes, washable markers (wide line), pink erasers (Pink Pet), highlighters, Fiskar scissors, dry-erase markers, colored pencils, 3x5 index cards, #2 pencils, 3-ring binders (1”, 1.5” or 2” – please, no used binders or binders with printing), glue sticks, glue bottles, post-it notes, wood rulers, scientific calculators, flash drives, spiral notebooks (wide- and college-ruled), filler paper (wide- and college-ruled), composition notebooks (wide- and college-ruled). A labeled bin will be in the Gathering Space for school items.
Feeding the Flock at the Old Church on July 6th
Even though we’ll be at the Old Church on communion Sundays in July and August, Feeding the Flock will still be collecting food and school items for Circle of Concern. Please bring items with you on July 6th. If you won’t be at the Old Church, please drop off items any time the church is open (Clayton Road). Current needed food items for Circle of Concern: dry dinners, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned pasta, toilet paper.
A Reminder about 2014 Pledges
June 30 will mark the end of our current fiscal year. Are you current with your pledge payments for stewardship and the Gathering Space loan reduction? If not, please make an effort to submit your final payments before the end of the month. The gifts we pledge to the church help meet many of our day-to-day operating expenses. If you have questions about the status of your pledges, please contact FDP's treasurer, Kathy Sherrick, or the church's bookkeeper, Cathy Luetkemeyer, who is in the church office (314-432-8029) on Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m.
A Gardener’s Delight
Faith Des Peres’ Community Garden is really beginning to flourish. Click here to see some of the new growth. One of our gardeners sent the office this email:
“I ate the turnips last night. It’s too bad they don’t taste better; they are so easy to grow. We will try a different recipe for turnips next time. Terry likes them - they are good for me and I can tolerate them.
[After describing how he’d fixed spots in the chicken wire fence… ] I have new sympathy for Mr. McGregor in his battle with Peter Rabbit and his family.”
We Didn’t Lose Flat Jesus – Did You?
Have you lost your Flat Jesus? Click here to download another one. The Worship Arts Committee introduced Flat Jesus in an effort to remind all of us that Jesus is with us EVERYWHERE! We want to see where Jesus is, so keep him with you at all times (purse, backpack and car) and snap photos of you with him. Help us spread the message! For new pics, visit our “Where in the World is Flat Jesus?” page on the website, or see the photos in the Gathering Space. (See if you can find the new ones!)
Items left at FDP
As a gentle reminder, we no longer collect items such as empty food containers or bags of clothing for soup kitchens or charities, unless we specifically ask for them. Thank you.
On June 14, the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will convene in Detroit. For those of you who are new to the PC(USA), the General Assembly (GA) meets biennially in even-numbered years. It consists of commissioners elected by each of its 173 presbyteries. The GA is full of activities: business sessions, committee meetings, an exhibit hall, daily worship services, and mission tours sponsored by the Committee on Local Arrangements.
The assembly acts on hundreds of items of business, which it receives through the reports and recommendations of various assembly entities, and through overtures from synods and presbyteries. Two issues coming to this GA that will receive national attention are matters pertaining to the Middle East and civil union and marriage. Our own Terry Epling is serving as Parliamentarian for the Civil Union and Marriage Committee.
As the General Assembly meets, please keep the commissioners and attendees in your prayers. The business the GA attends to matters, and the days can be long and sometimes contentious. They need our support! If you would like more information about the General Assembly, the PC(USA) website provides up to date information.
Blessings,
Annie
PS: I’ll continue my summer sermon series on spiritual practices. This week it is the practice of saying thank you. See you in church!