The book study, led by Ron Scott, will conclude this Sunday. Please meet in the Adult Room upstairs around noon. A light lunch will be provided.
Friday Foodies is a new group starting up for members and friends of all ages to get together to have fun and get to know one another better. Sponsored by the Church Life group, Friday Foodies will be a quarterly get-together at a local restaurant, and childcare at the church will be provided free of charge.
The first Friday Foodie is February 17 at 7:00 pm at Sugo’s Restaurant, 10419 Clayton Rd. Childcare is available starting at 6:30 pm, dinner at Sugo’s at is at 7 pm. Let Kathy or Cat know if you’re coming so we can make a reservation. We hope you can join us!
Is there just a really good sale at Schnucks?
The answer to the second question is no, and to find out the answer to the first question, you need to come to worship on February 26! This is the last Sunday before Lent begins, and Worship Arts has something special planned to answer all of your burning questions about Lent. Trivia buffs, this is for you. Worship at 10:30, pancakes at 11:30. RSVP for the pancake brunch in the Gathering Space today!
“Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race”
Have you ever felt frustrated and struck when it comes to racism? You’re not alone! Racism taps into our deepest fears and longings – but understanding how it works is the key to breaking down barriers that interfere with best intentions. White people may have learned not to talk about race. People of color may be puzzled how their white colleagues just don’t get it. Perhaps the answers lie not so much in our heads as in our hearts.
The season of Lent is a time for reflection, and we will be exploring racism on a “heart” level with the All-Church Book Study of Debby Irving’s “Waking Up White”.
Look for more details about when discussions will take place, but plan on joining the
conversation. You can pick-up the book on Amazon or at your local library.
We are excited to again be traveling to Trout Lodge for an all church overnight, April 29-30. Activities being planned are a pontoon ride Saturday afternoon, art activity, happy hour, and brief worship Sunday morning. Optional participant pay (some are actually free) activities include horseback riding, archery, mini golf, zip line, and much more. See Trout Lodge's website for more details and costs; sign-up in advance to guarantee your spot. Saturday night’s stay includes Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, and Sunday lunch. You may purchase additional meals and/or a Friday night stay if you’d like to extend your time at the lodge. Please make your room reservation online at http://www.ymcaoftheozarks.org/ as soon as possible. We have not reserved a block of rooms as in years past, so it’s first come, first serve.
Bobby and Laura Mortimer welcomed their son, Jack Douglas, on January 26. He weighed 9lbs 5oz. and is 22 inches long. Big brother Cy is very excited! Congratulations to grandparents Yolanda & Doug Mortimer as well as to Uncle Danny.
Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,
Julia, Helen, Margaret and I had an amazing time at the Women’s March in Washington, DC. What an incredible experience it was to gather with ½ million people in our nation’s capital to speak out for women’s rights. One of my favorite rally chants was one group shouting, “Tell me what democracy looks like?” and another shouting back “This is what democracy looks like”. And indeed it does. We are blessed to live in a country that allows us to march, chant, vote, debate, and have our voices heard.
The big question after the march is, “Now what?” I’ll admit that I’ve felt overwhelmed this week with the number of calls to action I’ve received through emails, text messages and Facebook. They all seem so urgent, and all of them are important. But realistically, I can’t respond to all of them – time, money, and mental health constraints don’t allow for it! But I can choose one action that is important to me and do something about that. And so can you! No matter where you fall on the political divide, we’re called to act because we’re people of faith. We’re called, as the great prophet Micah said, to be people who “love kindness, do justice, and walk humbly with the Lord”.
This Saturday night, about 15 of us from the church are putting our faith into action by sleeping outside to raise awareness about homelessness. How can you help if you’re not sleeping outside? By showing up Sunday morning to support those of who did by listening to us talk about our experience. Show up! You can also take your action a step further and help assemble kits for the homeless after church on February 5, and you can help distribute them, too. Sign-up here.
Edward Hale once said, “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
DO SOMETHING. Take action. SHOW UP. Be present. Listen. Learn. Help.
All of us can do that.
On behalf of those of us sleeping outside, I ask for your prayers for safety, good weather and comfort. We’re starting at 8pm. Stop by and say “hi”. Join us for a bit. We’d love your company!
I’ll see you in church, right? Right!
Blessings,
Annie
Better late than never, as the saying goes! Julia and Charlotte will be selling Girl Scout cookies in the Gathering Space on Sunday, after church. Most boxes are $4 and everything supports their local troops. If you don’t want a box yourself, consider donating a box to troops overseas (Girl Scouts handles the logistics for you) or to fellowship time after church. Thank you for your support!
The book study, led by Ron Scott, will continue this week and next in the Adult Room upstairs after church (about noon). A light lunch will be provided.
Friday Foodies is a new group starting up for members and friends of all ages to get together to have fun and get to know one another better. Sponsored by the Church Life group, Friday Foodies will be a quarterly get-together at a local restaurant, and childcare at the church will be provided free of charge.
The first Friday Foodie is February 17 at 7:00 pm at Sugo’s Restaurant, 10419 Clayton Rd. Childcare is available starting at 6:30 pm, dinner at Sugo’s at is at 7 pm. Let Kathy or Cat know if you’re coming so we can make a reservation. We hope you can join us!
Wait, what is Shrove Tuesday?
Worship Arts is planning something special for February 26 and we need YOU to take part! February 26 is the last Sunday before Lent begins, so we’re going old-school with a pancake brunch after church. Why? Well, to find out the answer to why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, you’ll need to come to worship on February 26. Worship at 10:30, pancakes at 11:30. RSVP for the pancake brunch in the Gathering Space today!
“Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race”
The Faith Formation Center is hosting an all church book study during Lent of the book “Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race”.
In the book, Debby Irving, author, tells how she stumbled into troubling and even shocking revelations about racial inequities after what she describes as “a blissfully sheltered, upper-middle-class suburban childhood.”
Irving believed herself to be a good person and even tried to use her career to help people of color. But the book describes her gradual discovery of her own “white privilege,” which led to the realization that good intentions alone cannot overcome centuries of racial injustice. It’s a story likely to resonate with Presbyterians.
Look for more details about when discussions will take place, but plan on joining the conversation. You can pick-up the book on Amazon or at your local library.
We are excited to again be traveling to Trout Lodge for an all church overnight, April 29-30. Activities being planned are a pontoon ride Saturday afternoon, art activity, happy hour, and brief worship Sunday morning. Optional participant pay (some are actually free) activities include horseback riding, archery, mini golf, zip line, and much more. See Trout Lodge's website for more details and costs; sign-up in advance to guarantee your spot. Saturday night’s stay includes Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, and Sunday lunch. You may purchase additional meals and/or a Friday night stay if you’d like to extend your time at the lodge. Please make your room reservation online at http://www.ymcaoftheozarks.org/ as soon as possible. We have not reserved a block of rooms as in years past, so it’s first come, first serve.
Bobby and Laura Mortimer welcomed their son, Jack Douglas, on January 26. He weighed 9lbs 5oz. and is 22 inches long. Big brother Cy is very excited! Congratulations to grandparents Yolanda & Doug Mortimer as well as to Uncle Danny.
Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,
This Sunday Rev. Joe Marting is preaching while my daughter Julia and I, and sister and niece, attend the Women’s March on Washington on January 21. I hope you’ll be at church to hear Joe’s insightful words. There IS Disciples’ Gathering and nursery care on Sunday.
In the lead-up to the march, there have been posts on Facebook titled “Why I’m Marching”. Reading those posts has prompted me to write my own “why I’m marching” that I want to share with you here.
I’m marching because on Wednesday, November 9, I woke up with a sense of dread. Keep in mind, this isn’t the first time my chosen candidate has lost. In fact, of all the votes I cast on November 8, only one of them was victorious. I didn’t dread the other victors. But I dreaded Trump. My dread has now been replaced by what I can only call fear: fear that we are taking steps backwards on women’s rights (as well as others), steps backwards on how we treat other people with whom we disagree, steps backwards on how we care for the poor and people Jesus called “the least of these”, and steps backwards on how we treat people with civility and dignity. I do not see President-elect Trump caring about any of these issues or people based on his behavior and actions thus far. I hope and pray, truly I do, that he will prove me wrong. But thus far he hasn’t, so this is one reason I’m marching, because I feel called, as a woman, to march for justice, kindness and civility.
I’m marching knowing that as a woman of privilege there are many women (and men) who cannot march. They can’t take off work, or buy a bus ticket, or find someone to watch their kids while they go off to march. What Trump has said he wants to do will adversely affect them in ways that I cannot even imagine. I’m well aware of the fact that I may suffer very little from rules the Trump administration may pass. But others aren’t so fortunate. Thus, I’m marching so they’re not forgotten and not left to fend for themselves. Sometimes people can’t “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”, so they need someone to pull them up for them. I’m in a place to do that, so I am. It’s one of the reasons I went into the ministry, to give something back to a world that has blessed me greatly. So I’m marching to help others who don’t have a voice, who cannot march.
For me, the march isn’t about whether one is a Democrat or Republican. I think at the end of the day most of us want what is best for our country and its citizens, ALL of its citizens. As I said in my Faith and Politics sermon series, we just go about how we do that in two different ways. And those differences serve us well; they’re healthy for our democracy. But right now, I only see President-Elect Trump serving his own needs, and I don’t think that is good for our country. Again, I hope I’m proven wrong on this. And if you see it otherwise, I would welcome a conversation with you, because only by talking with people with whom we don’t see eye-to-eye will we move beyond the gridlock and hyper-partisanship that is so prevalent in our country.
Last, but certainly not least, I’m marching because as a Christian, I feel called to march. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is from Luke 4, the story where Jesus goes back to his hometown to preach. At first, everyone loved what he preached. It made the hometown crowd feel good and proud! But then he started talking about how God’s favor is extended to people they don’t like or don’t feel are worthy of God’s favor, and they don’t like hearing him say that, so they run him out of town. To the edge of a cliff, in fact. For me, that story sums up the heart of the Gospel. It tells me that as Christians, we are called to say and do hard things that aren’t always popular to say and do because we are called to be people of justice. We are called to be our “brothers-keeper”, and we’re called to use the gifts we’ve received from God on behalf of those in need.
There are people who say that those of us who lost need to get over it, move on, and unify. But I was reminded this week in Will Willimon’s essay for MLK Day, that sometimes we’re called to be impatient. He wrote: “There’s a time for reconciliation, for prayers for unity and healing. This is not such an hour.
It is not for me to ask that women be reconciled to a man who has publicly, repeatedly wronged them in misogynistic word and deed, a man who boasts of his inability to admit wrong. I’m not the one to tell Hispanic Americans to support a person who built a political powerhouse by lying about them.
We must not allow our silence or passive acquiescence to suggest ‘we like the way we are being treated.’”
Willimon reminded me that King urged his white friends against “patient caution and bland moderation”, and that acquiescence in the face of injustice is not an option for those of us who call Jesus Lord.
So this is why I am marching. I wanted you to know. But I especially want you to know that I truly believe with all my heart and soul that we are all God’s children – no matter how we cast our votes. When we can truly recognize that in one another, I believe we will all be the richer for it and so will our country.
May God’s peace prevail on all of us and on the United States of America.
Blessings,
Annie
We’re sleeping outside on the front lawn of the church to raise awareness about homelessness in St. Louis. Join us that night for the entire night, or join us for as long as you can. We’re gathering at 8pm on January 28 for the Freeze-Out/Sleep Out. The next morning, those of us who slept outside will talk about our experience in worship. There are a number of ways you can participate other than sleeping outside. We need help setting up a bonfire and setting up tents. We may need camping gear. We’re also assembling kits to deliver to homeless individuals after church on February 5, so you can assemble and/or deliver them. Everything you need to know is on our Facebook page and sign-up sheets are in the Gathering Space or by using the links below. Thank you!
Freeze Out/Sleep Out volunteer sign-up:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aabaa23a5fe3-freeze
Item Collection sign-up:
The 21st annual FDP Book Study is scheduled for the final two Sundays in January (the 22nd, 29th), and February (the 5th). This year’s book is St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate by Karen Armstrong. Although Armstrong is best known for long, difficult religious histories (A History of God, Jerusalem), St. Paul is small (125 pages of text), readable, and offers a fascinating portrayal of Paul’s life drawn primarily from his own writings.
Armstrong’s Paul is not the misogynistic and anti-Semitic character too often portrayed in books and pulpits across America. Rather, he is a self-appointed missionary, primarily to Gentiles, who wrote passionate letters to congregations he had established in what are now Syria, Turkey and Greece, desperately trying to prevent them from being “led astray” by competing missionaries proclaiming differing views of Jesus and the “Christian” life.
The book is available from Amazon for Kindle ($5.39), or in hard cover ($13.51) or paperback ($5.33 and up). We will meet each Sunday after church (about noon) in the Adult Room upstairs. A light lunch will be provided. Ron Scott will lead the discussion. Contact Will Ridley (821-8524ridleywp@att.net) for additional details.
Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,
This Sunday I’ll conclude my sermon series “Living the Life God Intends”. This short series is meant to help you think about 2017 and what you want to do with it. Each week I’ve lifted up two questions: What would you like to see happen in 2017? What new perspective do you wish to gain, or what new horizons do you want to explore?
This Sunday we conclude the series by looking at John’s Gospel, chapter 1. It all starts with a question and an invitation. And I find that both interesting and instructive.
First the question. When disciples of John the Baptist come looking for Jesus, he asks them, “What are you looking for?” The question can also be translated, “What are you seeking?” or “What do you hope to find?” And we might expand that to “What do you need? What do you long for? What do you most hope for?”
It’s a great question, and one I’ve been asking the past two weeks. In reply to the question, Jesus tells the questioners, “Come and See”. As you think about the year, particularly the end of the year, what do you hope people saw in you? What do you hope you’ve seen, either literally or figuratively, personally or globally? We’ll look at those questions, action steps we can take toward our goals, and more on Sunday.
See you in church,
Annie
PALS on Sunday is open to everyone, especially anyone wanting to know more about the Freeze-Out. We’ll learn about homelessness in St. Louis, get tips for sleeping outside in the cold, and make cards for the homeless kits we’re distributing to homeless individuals on February 5. Even if you’re not in PALS, join us! There’s coffee and doughnuts, too.
The Centering Prayer Group, a small group of Faith Des Peres members and friends, meets every 3rd Sunday of the month at 5 p.m. in 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. You are welcome to join us!