The Centering Prayer Group, a small group of Faith Des Peres members and friends meets March 20, 2016 at 5 p.m at the Gathering Space. Often referred to as Christian meditation, Centering Prayer is a method of contemplative prayer that places emphasis on inner silence. It offers a way to grow in intimacy with God, moving beyond conversation to communion. Everyone is welcome.
Make Easter even more meaningful by participating in Maundy Thursday worship. We are offering a service on Maundy Thursday at 7:00 pm with experiential elements that will teach more of our faith story. We invite you to come experience the hospitality of Christ with food and song, prayers and communion. This is an all ages worship service. Sign-ups are needed by Tuesday, March 22, so please let us know you are coming by e-mailing Yolanda at adminasst@faithdesperes.org, post to Facebook, text Annie, sign up in the Gathering Space or you can indicate on the friendship pad that you are coming.
Again this year, we will decorate the sanctuary with a variety of blooming flowers (6” pots). Cost per plant will be $10. See the sign-up sheet in the Gathering Space to place your order or you can email Yolanda at adminasst@faithdesperes.org. Make checks payable to Faith Des Peres and note that the funds are for Easter flowers. Thanks!
GO Sunday will be on April 3. There will be a brief breakfast available in the Gathering Space at 9:30am, followed by a brief service from 9:45-10:00am. We will then GO and serve the following organizations! You can sign up on the attached signupgenius accounts or in the Gathering Space. Childcare will be available until 1:30. It will be a great day working together to improve our community and help the groups/organizations that we support!
FOOD COLLECTION
Organization - Circle of Concern
Location - Frontenac Schnucks
Circle of Concern is a food panty that serves west St. Louis County. We will need 2-3 volunteers to collect food outside of Schnucks from 10am-1pm. Volunteers will set up a table outside of the store. They will hand out a list of needed items to customers and collect purchased food.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-food1
GARDENING
Organization - Lydia's House
Location - Downtown (address withheld for safety reasons)
Lydia's House provides safe, affordable housing for victims of domestic abuse.
We will need 2-3 volunteers to plant approximately one dozen potted plants for the porches of the women and families living there.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-gardening
BLANKET MAKING
Organization - Soldiers Angels
Location - Faith Des Peres Gathering Space
Soldier's Angels delivers blankets to soldiers in military hospitals here in the United States. We will need 5-10 volunteers to make no-sew fleece blankets for the soldiers.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-blanket
GARDENING
Organization - Doorways
Location - 4385 Maryland Avenue (Central West End)
Doorways is an interfaith organization that provides housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. We will need 5-10 volunteers to help clean up the community's gardens.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-gardening1
INDOOR CLEAN UP/PAINTING/GARDENING
Organization - Southampton Presbyterian Church
Location - 4716 Macklind Avenue (near Tower Grove)
Southampton Presbyterian Church is a new church development in our Presbytery and the first Presbyterian church started in the city in over 60 years. We will need 15-20 volunteers for painting, carpentry, yard clean-up, and trash clean-up. There will also be jobs available for children.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-painting
SANDWICH MAKING
We will also need volunteers to make sandwiches/lunches for everyone!
Do you spend more time keeping up with friends and family – near and far – on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc., than talking with people in your own living room? Then we need you. The newly forming Faith Des Peres Social Media Team is looking for two or three social media enthusiasts (Facebookers, Tweeters, Snapchatters, Instragramers, etc.) to help the Membership Expansion Committee spread the word about Faith Des Peres, our vision, mission, values and all the great things we have to offer. In addition to using these tools to promote our church, we need your ideas about the content we should be posting – from information about our worship services to links on today’s hot topics – in each of these forums. Time commitment is minimal – maybe a meeting or two initially to get the group up and running. And then a couple emails each month to generate content ideas and plan the social media posting calendar for the coming weeks. Please contact Erica Abbett or Annie Epling if you’re interested in joining the team!
We've walked 5,500,000 steps! Well done everyone. But, we have a long way to go to reach 12,000,000 by Easter. If you haven't turned in your steps email Annie or leave your count on the table in the Gathering Space. And remember, 20 minutes of any activity equals 2000 steps. Don’t leave us stranded.
Congratulations to our newest member, Mark Antunes, for winning first prize in our Chili Cook-off. You can find a copy of Mark’s winning recipe below.
· 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
· 1 medium bell pepper, coarsely chopped
· 6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
· 1 tsp chili powder
· 1 package chili seasoning
· 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
· 1 tablespoon ground cumin
· 2 pounds lean ground beef
· 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
· 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
· 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
· 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled jalapeños or green chiles, drained
· 1/4 cup salsa
· A pinch of dried oregano
· A smaller pinch of cayenne pepper
Cook the ground beef in a frying pan. Sprinkle some chili powder on top while it's cooking. Drain off the fat. Cook peppers and onions in frying pan a little bit (optional). Then put all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 8-10 hours.
Best served with shredded cheddar and/or sour cream.
Collecting Old Cell Phones
Thank you to everyone for your donations. We are still collecting cell phones to benefit Lydia's House. These phones are sent to a recycling company in Florida which then sends a check to Lydia's House for each phone received. A box to collect the cell phones is still on the table in the Gathering Space. No smart phones please.
Buddy Pack Volunteers Needed
The buddy packs program is still in need of more volunteers. Please consider helping this important cause that provides weekend meals for 12 students at Tillman Elementary school. See Clarissa with any questions. Sign up using the links below.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-buddy
Dear Faith Des Peres Community,
It’s hard to believe, but Easter is less than a month away. We’re planning a wonderful worship service that I hope you’ll invite family and friends to attend. To make it easy for you to do that, I hope you will take a moment to share the event via social media here. Sharing this with your friends and family on Facebook is one of the easiest ways to invite people to come to church. At the Membership Expansion Center meeting this week, we were talking about our goal to grow the church and were reminded that all but 1 person at out November focus group first attended Faith Des Peres because someone invited them. I know some of you struggle with inviting people, but if all of us invited just one person, think of the impact it could have. And don’t get discouraged if you invite someone and they don’t come. Studies show that it takes 5-6 invitations before someone attends. Studies also show that people are looking for meaning in their lives and a sense of community, and we offer both. So please, take some time to prayerfully consider who you can invite this Easter.
This Sunday I’ll continue my sermon series “Breaking Boundaries” with a look at the story of the prodigal son. Where we locate ourselves in this story says a lot about the meaning we’ll find it. Are you the younger son, older son, or father?
This Sunday is communion and Feeding the Flock. Don’t forget your food!
Blessings,
Anni
Easter Egg Hunt, March 19
To better serve our vision and mission, the Congregational Life Center made changes in the annual Children's Easter Egg Hunt. This year, we’re moving the egg hunt to Southampton Presbyterian Church, a new church start on the corner of Macklind Avenue and Nottingham Avenue in the Southampton neighborhood of St. Louis. The church is just getting started and wants to be an active part of their community, and what better way to do that than to hold an egg hunt for kids there? So, we’re going there to live into our mission to reflect and live God’s love, accept and affirm all and inspire a passion to do God’s work.
As in the past, we are asking for donations of plastic Easter eggs and candy (nut free, please).
The hunt will start at 11 AM at the Southampton Church, located at 4716 Macklind Avenue, and will be open to the children of the surrounding neighborhood as well as our own. We are hoping some of our older youth and adults will come with us at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning March 19th to help hide eggs and organize the hunt for the younger children. After the hunt, we’ll grab a bite to eat at Russell’s Café across the street from the church.
This will be a good opportunity for our children to have fun and for all of us to show our support for the Southampton Church.
GO Sunday will be on April 3. There will be breakfast available in the Gathering Space at 9:30am, followed by a brief service from 9:45-10:00am. We will then GO and serve the following organizations! You can sign up on the attached signupgenius accounts or in the Gathering Space. Childcare will be available until 1:30. It will be a great day working together to improve our community and help the groups/organizations that we support!
FOOD COLLECTION
Organization - Circle of Concern
Location - Frontenac Schnucks
Circle of Concern is a food panty that serves west St. Louis County. We will need 2-3 volunteers to collect food outside of Schnucks from 10am-1pm. Volunteers will set up a table outside of the store. They will hand out a list of needed items to customers and collect purchased food.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-food1
GARDENING
Organization - Lydia's House
Location - Downtown (address withheld for safety reasons)
Lydia's House provides safe, affordable housing for victims of domestic abuse.
We will need 2-3 volunteers to plant approximately one dozen potted plants for the porches of the women and families living there.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-gardening
BLANKET MAKING
Organization - Soldiers Angels
Location - Faith Des Peres Gathering Space
Soldier's Angels delivers blankets to soldiers in military hospitals here in the United States. We will need 5-10 volunteers to make no-sew fleece blankets for the soldiers.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-blanket
GARDENING
Organization - Doorways
Location - 4385 Maryland Avenue (Central West End)
Doorways is an interfaith organization that provides housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. We will need 5-10 volunteers to help clean up the community's gardens.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-gardening1
INDOOR CLEAN UP/PAINTING/GARDENING
Organization - Southampton Presbyterian Church
Location - 4716 Macklind Avenue (near Tower Grove)
Southampton Presbyterian Church is a new church development in our Presbytery and the first Presbyterian church started in the city in over 60 years. We will need 15-20 volunteers for painting, carpentry, yard clean-up, and trash clean-up. There will also be jobs available for children.
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-painting
SANDWICH MAKING
We will also need volunteers to make sandwiches/lunches for everyone!
A Photo-a-Day in Lent
About 24 people are part of the Photo A Day in Lent Facebook Group. Each day, rethinkchurch provides a word, and the group members submit their pictures. It’s been fun and insightful to see everyone’s take on the words (go, mighty, injustice, celebrate, voice). Some of the pictures have been serious, and others insightful; some frivolous, and others introspective. If you’re interested in being in the group, go to Faith Des Peres’ Facebook page, and scroll down for the link to the group. Anyone can join. In fact, we’ve had people from all over join the group. You can also join the group to see the photos.
Walking To Jerusalem
We've walked 3,311,938 steps! Well done everyone. But, we have a long way to go to reach 12,000,000 by Easter. If you haven't turned in your steps email Annie or leave your count on the table in the Gathering Space. And remember, 20 minutes of any activity equals 2000 steps. Anyone can participate and we need everyone to participate!! Don’t leave us stranded.
Next food packing at Food Outreach is Saturday, March 12 at 8 am.
Want to know how you can make a difference in people’s lives in just a few short hours? Come join members of Faith Des Peres at Food Outreach on Saturday morning, March 12. There we will pack food into individual meals that will be given to those living with HIV/AIDS and cancer that are living at or below the poverty level. We start at 8am and are done before 11 am. Food Outreach requests that volunteers be at least 11 years old and in 5th grade. Please sign up in the Gathering Space.
Buddy Pack Volunteers Needed
The buddy packs program is still in need of more volunteers. Please consider helping this important cause that provides weekend meals for 12 students at Tillman Elementary school. See Clarissa with any questions. Sign up using these links:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-buddy
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aaba922a5fd0-buddy1
Collecting Old Cell Phones
Thank you to everyone for your donations. We are still collecting cell phones to benefit Lydia's House. These phones are sent to a recycling company in Florida which then sends a check to Lydia's House for each phone received. A box to collect the cell phones is still on the table in the Gathering Space. No smart phones please.
We’ll get together on Saturday, March 5 to talk about Pastrix by Nadia Bloz-Weber. Plan on 10am, at Daily Bread, 11719 Manchester in Des Peres. Please email or call Annie to confirm you are coming so she can save enough chairs. Thank you!
Congratulations to our newest member, Mark Antunes, for winning First prize in our Chili Cook-off last Friday. You can find a copy of Mark’s winning recipe below.
· 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
· 1 medium bell pepper, coarsely chopped
· 6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
· 1 tsp chili powder
· 1 package chili seasoning
· 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
· 1 tablespoon ground cumin
· 2 pounds lean ground beef
· 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
· 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
· 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
· 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled jalapeños or green chiles, drained
· 1/4 cup salsa
· A pinch of dried oregano
· A smaller pinch of cayenne pepper
· Cook the ground beef in a frying pan. Sprinkle some chili powder on top while it's cooking. Drain off the fat. Cook peppers and onions in frying pan a little bit (optional). Then put all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 8-10 hours.
Best served with shredded cheddar and/or sour cream
Again this year, we will decorate the sanctuary with a variety of blooming flowers (6” pots). Cost per plant will be $10. See the sign-up sheet in the Gathering Space to place your order or you can email Yolanda at adminasst@faithdesperes.org. Make checks payable to Faith Des Peres and note that the funds are for Easter flowers. Thanks!
By God’s grace, each day is a gift, an opportunity for a new beginning. Through abundant and generous gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), for many years Presbyterians have faithfully heeded God’s call to serve people seeking to reclaim and restore their lives.
Your gift to OGHS is a gift of hope. Your gift allows Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to restore communities around the world affected by natural and human-caused disasters. Your generosity helps the Presbyterian Hunger Program work with Presbyterians and other partners to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in this country and internationally. Your sharing makes it possible for Self-Development of People to affirm the dignity of all by assisting in the empowerment of economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people.
The programs supported by OGHS depend on continued and increased support from congregations like ours. We will collect the OGHS offering on Easter Sunday March 27.
Dear Faith Des Peres Community,
What does it mean to endure? What allows us to endure our darkest moments? What does it take to show resilience in the face of adversity? These are some of the questions that I’ve been thinking about this week as I get ready to preach on Luke 4: 1-13, the story commonly referred to as the temptation of Jesus. But what if, instead of thinking about the story in terms of the temptations Jesus faced, we instead think about it in terms of the endurance Jesus had to have? For me, this changes the story and puts it in a different light. For while there are temptations we all face (the extra piece of cake, the questionable tax deduction, the purchase we can’t afford), there are also the things we have to endure – the miserable job, the marriage we’ve chosen to stay in but isn’t satisfying, the parent relationship that didn’t live up to expectations. We have to endure these things on a daily basis. How can our faith help us endure? This is what we’re exploring Sunday.
Don’t forget that when you arrive for worship you can “take part” in any of the prayer stations
set-up around the sanctuary. These are meant to help you prepare your heart and mind for worship.
I hope to see you Sunday.
Blessings,
Annie
Chili Cook-Off Tonight, Friday, February 26
FDP’s second annual Chili Cook-off is today, Friday, February 26 in the Gathering Space. All varieties of chili welcome. Doors open at 6:30 pm. First, second and third prizes awarded to the winning chefs. Be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to this fun and tasty event!
Rockhaven Ecozoic Center Spaghetti Dinner, Saturday, February27
Rockhaven Ecozoic Center is holding its annual Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, February 27 at Grace Episcopal Church 514 E. Argonne Drive in Kirkwood. Doors open at 5:30 and dinner is at 6:30. The cost is $20 per person ($24 at the door) and kids under 8 are free. Tickets can be purchased at www.rockhavencenter.org or you can get them in Kirkwood by calling Sister Cheryl Kemner at 314-965-3700.
Easter Egg Hunt, March 19
To better serve our vision and mission, the Congregational Life Center made changes in the annual Children's Easter Egg Hunt. This year, we’re moving the egg hunt to Southampton Presbyterian Church, a new church start on the corner of Macklind Avenue and Nottingham Avenue in the Southampton neighborhood of St. Louis. The church is just getting started and wants to be an active part of their community, and what better way to do that than to hold an egg hunt for kids there? So, we’re going there to live into our mission to reflect and live God’s love, accept and affirm all and inspire a passion to do God’s work.
As in the past, we are asking for donations of plastic Easter eggs, candy (nut free, please), and help filling the eggs after worship on Sunday, March 14th.
The hunt will start at 11 AM at the Southampton Church, located at 4716 Macklind Avenue, and will be open to the children of the surrounding neighborhood as well as our own. We are hoping some of our older youth and adults will come with us at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning March 19th to help hide eggs and organize the hunt for the younger children. After the hunt, we’ll grab a bite to eat at Russell’s Café across the street from the church.
This will be a good opportunity for our children to have fun and for all of us to show our support for the Southampton Church.
Next food packing at Food Outreach is Saturday, March 12 at 8 am.
Want to know how you can make a difference in people’s lives in just a few short hours? Come join members of Faith Des Peres at Food Outreach on Saturday morning, March 12. There we will pack food into individual meals that will be given to those living with HIV/AIDS and cancer that are living at or below the poverty level. We start at 8am and are done before 11 am. Food Outreach requests that volunteers be 11 years old and in 5th grade. Please sign up in the Gathering Space.