Friday Foodies, February 17, 7:00 pm

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. We hope you can join us!

Congratulations to the Cass Family

Congratulations to Cody & Katie Cass on the birth of their daughter, Annie Laura. She was born February 6 and weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. Carter is happy to be a big brother!

Centering Prayer Group, Sunday, February 19 at 5 pm

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!

PW Bible Study Wednesday, February 22

The PW Bible Study will meet next Wednesday, February 22 to study lesson 7.

Monthly Lunch Gathering, February 21, 11:30 am

The lunch gathering will be at McArthur’s on Kirkwood Rd. in Kirkwood. McArthur’s serves soup, sandwiches and salads with a “walk-up” order bar. This should speed up the process for everyone coming on his/her lunch hour. Join us!

OK, I get it already. Lent is important.

But I still need help making sense of why it really is important.
No worries! Worship Arts has something special planned for February 26 to help you make sense of Lent so that it will be a meaningful season for YOU. Join us for worship Sunday, February 26 for “Lent 101”. Worship at 10:30, pancakes at 11:30. RSVP for the pancake brunch in the Gathering Space!

One Church, One Book

“Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race”
White privilege. We’ve all heard the phrase by now, a phrase that may repel you, puzzle you, guilt you, or own you. Either way, it’s time to talk about it.

During Lent, the Faith Formation Center is hosting a conversation around white privilege – what it looks like, how to be aware of it in our own lives, and how to overcome it in the
service of mutuality and fairness.  

The discussion will be centered on the book, “Waking Up White” by Debby Irving.  
So we invite you to join the conversation. Conversations will take place after church March 12, April 2 and April 9. You can pick-up the book on Amazon or at your local library.

Trout Lodge April 29-30th

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. 

Save the Date! Next food packing at Food Outreach is Saturday, April 1

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, April 1. 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.

Dear Faith Des Peres Community

 Dear Faith Des Peres Community,

Last Sunday we completed Part 2 of the Freeze Out/Sleep Out by packing 50 kits to distribute to people who are homeless. Loaded in the kits was food, gloves, hand warmers, Chapstick, an emergency blanket, bottled water, hand sanitizer, tissues, and more food. The bags were filled to the brim. I’m pleased to let you know that the kits were successfully delivered to New Life Evangelistic Center. They’re thrilled to have them to hand out. I want to thank everyone who made the Freeze Out/Sleep Out a success: Cat Harper, Kathy Sherrick, Ashley Laws, Whitney, Brooklyn and Weston Payne, Leila and Bernie Davis, Erica Abbett, Lindsay Marting, Helen Onken, Tommy Epling, Sandy Williams, Andy, Kara and James Richter, Eliot Asyre, Andrew Marting, Beth and Charlie Willock, Ben Laws, Jim Baker, Will Ridley, Mary Dingus, Sarah Lovegreen, Diane Asyre, Elizabeth Pribor, Jane Hogg, Dianne Modrell, Gina Bright, Margaret and Mark Antunes, Terry Epling, Jim and Chris Mabe, Ray, and the folks from Twigs for Kids. All of these people donated their time, talents and treasure to the event. Jesus said the way to show our love for God is to love our neighbor, and you all did that by raising awareness about homelessness and helping our (often) “invisible” neighbor. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We have two fun events coming up that I want to draw your attention to. The first is Friday Foodies, February 17. You can read more about it in this blog, but if you can go please let Kathy Sherrick or Cat Harper know. It’s a fun night for people of any age (and bring a friend!); childcare is available at the church for free.

After church on February 26, there’s a Shrove Sunday pancake brunch. Please sign up in the Gathering Space or email Yolanda. We’re planning a special worship service that day, too, to help everyone prepare for Lent and learn more about that season.

I hope to see you Sunday.

Annie

Congratulations to the Cass Family

Congratulations to Cody & Katie Cass on the birth of their daughter, Annie Laura. She was born February 6 and weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. Carter is happy to be a big brother!

Congratulations Bobby & Laura Mortimer

Bobby and Laura Mortimer welcomed their son, Jack Douglas, on January 26. He weighed 9lbs 5oz. Big brother Cy is very excited! Congratulations to grandparents Yolanda & Doug Mortimer as well as to Uncle Danny.

Office Staff Change, Yolanda Mortimer

As many of you know my husband, Doug, had a triple bypass and aorta replacement last month. His recuperation is going well, but he still has a long road ahead for a full recovery. I have decided to step down as the administrative assistant at Faith Des Peres at the end of this month to spend more time with him and the rest of my family. It has been my pleasure to serve FDP the last 2 1/2 years. I will still see you Sundays in worship!

Friday Foodies, February 17, 7:00 pm

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. We hope you can join us!

Centering Prayer Group Sunday, February 19

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!

Do Presbyterians really give stuff up for Lent?

If so, does parachute jumping count?
The answer to the first question is, some do. And as to the second question, it only counts if you do it! But why do people give up stuff during Lent? What’s the reason behind that? To find out the answers, Worship Arts has something special planned for February 26 to answer all of your burning questions about Lent (you do have burning questions, don’t you?!) and to help YOU have a more spiritually fulfilling Lent season. Worship at 10:30, pancakes at 11:30. RSVP for the pancake brunch in the Gathering Space today!  

One Church, One Book

“Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race”
White privilege. We’ve all heard the phrase by now, a phrase that may repel you, puzzle you, guilt you, or own you. Either way, it’s time to talk about it.

During Lent, the Faith Formation Center is hosting a conversation around white privilege – what it looks like, how to be aware of it in our own lives, and how to overcome it in the service of mutuality and fairness.  

The discussion will be centered on the book, “Waking Up White” by Debby Irving.  

So we invite you to join the conversation. Conversations will take place after church March 12, April 2 and April 9. You can pick-up the book on Amazon or at your local library.

Trout Lodge April 29-30

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. 

Dear Faith Des Peres Community,

This Sunday is the Super Bowl, as if I need to remind you! Maybe you’re planning on watching the game for the game, or maybe for the commercials, but either way, I thought I’d share with you some alarming statistics:

Last year, people consumed during the Super Bowl. . .1.3 billion chicken wings, 11.2 million pounds of chips, and 14 million slices of pizza (from Domino’s and Pizza Hut alone).  That’s a lot of food.  While 45 million Americans depended on food stamps.

The current going rate for a suite at the Super Bowl is $325,000.  The average cost of a new home is $193,000.

The average price of a re-sale ticket for the Super Bowl is $5,101. The average weekly salary in the United States is $849.

The average cost of a 30-second ad is . . . $5 million dollars.  The estimated total ad revenue for the Super Bowl is $385 million dollars.  The cost of a 30 second Super Bowl could educate 53,000 kids in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Have I spoiled your good time?

Look, I don’t mean to be a Debby-Downer, but where we place our money says a lot about what our values are. Or as Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

You know that our vision at Faith Des Peres is to challenge the present to change the future to make Christ known, and one way we’re doing that this Sunday is by packing 50 kits to distribute to people who are homeless in downtown St. Louis. When the Membership Expansion Center first discussed this idea, there were a couple of concerns about doing it on Super Bowl Sunday knowing that some people watch the big game. But then we thought, what better day to do it than Super Bowl Sunday, when the discrepancy between the haves and the have-nots is so apparent? Plus, we’ll be done long before the game starts.

So if you want to put your faith into action, come on Sunday. We need your help. If you've signed-up to donate something for the kits, don't forget to bring it Sunday!

You can also bring in food for Feeding the Flock which is this Sunday. Like, a lot of food. A SUPER amount of food. Because not everyone can afford to consume wings, chips, and pizza by the millions, but all of us can donate food and, in our own small way, make Christ known.

See you Sunday.

Annie

Freeze Out Update

Thank you to all who helped us plan and organize the Freeze Out for Homelessness! Last Saturday we had 13 campers who slept out in front of the church to experience the challenges the homeless face each day. If you were here last Sunday you heard testimonies from some of the campers, 2 of whom braved the Freeze Out without tents. Although our experience was challenging and uncomfortable at times, it does not compare to the challenges of those who live on the streets every day.

Our work is not done...phase two of the Freeze Out is our opportunity to make Christ known.  We are collecting items for care kits that we will deliver directly to the homeless on February 5th. We have been blessed with many generous donations from our friends and families of FDP for supplies for these care kits. We also received a huge donation of food from Twigs, a nonprofit organization in Granite City IL that provides free lunches to children in need. It is such a blessing to have support throughout the bi-state community for our forgotten brothers and sister in need. If you have supplies for our care kits please bring them this Sunday to worship. If you want to contribute your time, we still need volunteers to pack the care kits after worship this Sunday and deliver them downtown directly to the homeless. We are also asking our volunteers to wear their FDP t-shirts this Sunday as we go out and make Christ known.