Welcome to the 2017– 2018 Presbyterian Women Bible study “Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews”. In nine monthly lessons, we’ll explore major themes found in Hebrews, relate these themes to other parts of our faith tradition, and tie them together with the overarching motif of community. The community for which the letter was written interacts, in a sense, with all communities of which we are a part, as we bring these groups with us wherever we go. This ever-present “great cloud of witnesses”(Heb. 12:1) strengthens and encourages us as we “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:1b–2). Join us!
This fall, we’re expanding our Buddy Packs program in a big way. We’re partnering with the University City School District to provide buddy packs to 60 students in that district each week! We’re also partnering with Twigs, an non-profit organization in Granite City that provides buddy packs to students in several Illinois school districts, to get our food for pennies on the dollar. NEW THIS YEAR: we will pack all of the packs (240+) for the month on one Sunday each month. We’ll need at least 10 volunteers to help pack each month. Our first packing session will be Sunday, Aug. 20. We’ll meet in Fellowship Hall at 11:45 a.m. to get started. Beginning in September, we will pack after church on the second Sunday of the month. Sign up to help pack on SignUpGenius: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D4AABA82BA1F49-buddy. We’ll also need volunteers to help deliver the buddy packs to four schools in University City each week. If you would like to deliver on a regular basis, or would like to be a back-up to our regular delivery team, please reach out to Roy Lenox or Gina Bright.
Join us after worship on Sunday August 27 to brainstorm about a possible mission trip and to see what may be of interest. Leadership, location and likely accomplishments could develop. Day-trip nearby? Overnight destination? Help shape the possibilities. See Tola or Dianne, if interested.
WashU and SLU students return to campus in a few short weeks, and in the midst of their excitement and stress, UKirk is there to greet them and support them in the love of Christ! UKirk gathers each Sunday night for dinner and worship, feeding our students both physically and spiritually during their time in college. UKirk hosts around 12-15 students each Sunday night at Trinity Presbyterian; would you or a group from your church like to prepare a homemade meal for them? Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f054da8af2babf85-meal1
Or email Pastor Miriam at ukirk_stl@glpby.org for more information.
Need more inspiration? Hear from the students themselves!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5vjTRzoKYMaYnZJblhKaE9TWTg/view
Dear Faith Des Peres Community,
I have lots of good news to share with you, so please take note!
We’ve hired a new Administrative Assistant. Tiara Payne begins on Tuesday, August 8. She has experience working at her own church, where her husband is a pastor, and she’s also been a customer service representative and even a corrections officer! I know you’ll find her very pleasant to work with. Please say hello and introduce yourself the next time you’re at church.
Church in the Park is August 13 at 10:30, not 10:00 am. We’re at our usual worship time, and BBQ lunch follows. Please RSVP here. Remember this is a potluck, so bring a side dish or dessert to share. Everything else is provided.
Also on August 13, we’re blessing the backpacks of all returning students. Bring your backpacks to the park!
On August 20, Disciples Gathering begins. Clare and Sydney are returning as teachers. This year I’m excited about what they’re learning because it matches my Fall sermon series on Moses and the Apostles Creed. In this way, we’re all learning together.
This Fall, we’re expanding Buddy Packs in a big way. We’re partnering with the University School District to provide 60 buddy packs a week! We’re also partnering with Twigs, an organization in Granite City that provides buddy packs on the east side, to get our food for pennies on the dollar. We’re packing all of the packs for the month on one Sunday. We’ll need at least 10 volunteers to help pack; it will likely be on the second Sunday of the month, after church, though in August we’ll probably pack on August 20. We’ll know more when we have our final meeting with U City. Stay tuned!
And finally, this Sunday we’re over at the old church on Geyer Road and I’m concluding my sermon series with a look at Joseph, Jacob’s youngest son. We learn something important about the nature of forgiveness in Joseph’s story. I hope you’ll be there to listen and learn.
Thanks so much for all you do for Faith Des Peres and making it a great place to worship, serve, grow and learn.
Blessings,
Annie
Church in the Park - August 13, we’re blessing the backpacks of all returning students. Bring your backpacks to the park!
Worship this Sunday, August 6th will be at the Old Des Peres Church (a.k.a. the Old Meeting House). If you have not been there before, our old stone church is on Geyer Road about 1/2 mile south of Clayton Road. Parking is available on side streets near the church. There are no bathrooms, so plan ahead.
The old stone church was built in 1834 and is the oldest structure in Frontenac. It has always been a Presbyterian Church and was the house of worship for the Des Peres Presbyterian congregation until 1955, when a new church was built on Clayton Road. The church is now called Faith Des Peres Presbyterian, reflecting its merger with Faith Presbyterian Church in 1992. Discover more about this building on our website at www.faithdesperes.org/history.
Sunday, August 13th at 10:30 am (Not 10am like previously advertised)
Mark your calendars for our third Church in the Park worship service! Church will be at Lions Pavilion in Kirkwood Park. There is ample parking next to the pavilion and a great playground for kids, too. We’ll bless the backpacks of all our students and afterwards enjoy a BBQ lunch. It will be lots of fun, so we hope to see you there. Wear your t-shirts!
Please sign-up in the Gathering Space or email Kendra at adminasst@faithdesperes.org to RSVP. Lions Pavilion is where the Greentree book far is held and is closest to the tennis courts off of Adams Avenue. There are maps available in the Gathering Space Thanks!
Dear Members and Friends of Faith Des Peres,
This Sunday we’re celebrating two baptisms. Count them – two! We’re blessed to baptize Emerson and Adam, grandchildren of Rufus and Judy Sisson, and welcome them into the family of faith. I hope you’ll be here to celebrate. Of course, there will be cake after church!
Also this Sunday, we’ll say farewell to Gail Robins, our Director of Music and Organist. Gail has served us very well this past year. It’s been a pleasure to work with her and watch the choir grow under her leadership. Gail’s departure means that we’re looking for a new Director of Music/Organist. This position and the Administrative Assistant position are advertised in different places including our website. If you know anyone who would be a good match, direct them there or to me. I’m happy to talk to them about both positions.
Lastly, August is soon to be here and that means back to school. Julia has already spent a week in drum line rehearsals and band camp starts on Monday. Yikes! We’ll bless the backpacks of all returning students on August 13 at Church in the Park. We’ll also begin Disciples Gathering (Sunday School for children and youth) on August 20. We have some fun and different things planned for them for the Fall, so be on the look-out for more information.
I hope I’ll see you all Sunday.
Blessings,
Annie
Worship on Sunday, August 6th will be at the Old Des Peres Church (a.k.a. the Old Meeting House). If you have not been there before, our old stone church is on Geyer Road about 1/2 mile south of Clayton Road. Parking is available on side streets near the church. There are no bathrooms, so plan ahead.
The old stone church was built in 1834 and is the oldest structure in Frontenac. It has always been a Presbyterian Church and was the house of worship for the Des Peres Presbyterian congregation until 1955, when a new church was built on Clayton Road. The church is now called Faith Des Peres Presbyterian, reflecting its merger with Faith Presbyterian Church in 1992. Discover more about this building on our website at www.faithdesperes.org/history.
Sunday, August 13th at 10 am
Mark your calendars for our third Church in the Park worship service! Church will be at Lions Pavilion in Kirkwood Park. There is ample parking next to the pavilion and a great playground for kids, too. We’ll bless the backpacks of all our students and afterwards enjoy a BBQ lunch. It will be lots of fun, so we hope to see you there. Wear your t-shirts!
Please sign-up in the Gathering Space or email Kendra at adminasst@faithdesperes.org to RSVP. Lions Pavilion is where the Greentree book far is held and is closest to the tennis courts off of Adams Avenue. There are maps available in the Gathering Space Thanks!
Welcome to summer in St. Louis! The heat is on, as they say. I hope you're staying cool and safe in these 100 degree days. This Sunday I'll continue my sermon series "Foundational Bible Stories" with a look at the story of the birth of Esau and Jacob. They were Isaac's twin sons who never got along; their sibling rivalry was intense from day one. If you ask me, Esau always seemed like the nicer of the two, but Jacob's the one who gets all the glory. Which isn't very fair, to be honest. We like to work in a system that rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior. But sometimes God works in the reverse. Why is that? And why is that good news for us? Come on Sunday to listen and learn and explore the story together!
On Sunday we have communion and Feeding the Flock, too. Don't forget your food! Kids are home which means the need for food is even higher at food pantries.
And finally, I regret to tell you that Gail Robins has submitted her resignation as Director of Music and Organist. It's been a pleasure to work with Gail this past year, and the choir has grown under her leadership. She'll be missed very much. Her last Sunday is July 30. Danny Mortimer, moderator of Worship Arts, and I are lining up substitute organists and are beginning a preliminary search for a new one. This could take a while, anywhere from a couple months to a year, though we're certainly hoping it's the former and not the latter. If you know anyone who may be interested in the position, please let one of us know.
Last, some of you know Kendra Rains, our administrative assistant, moved to Chicago in June when her husband received a job there. We're currently reviewing resumes for this position, but if you know someone looking for a great part-time job, let me know. We want to fill it ASAP. I can give you the details.
Thanks so much for your continued support of Faith Des Peres and all that you do to make this a great place to worship and learn, serve and grow in the faith.
Blessings,
Annie
July 18, 2017
It is with a heavy heart and sad spirit that I have submitted my resignation as Organist/Choir Director at Faith Des Peres. I have experienced medical/physical concerns over the past weeks which are still being diagnosed. In the midst of this, I was offered a position as an Organist only, which will reduce the amount of time, energy and responsibilities required in my church music position. For that reason, I accepted the offer and will begin there on August 5th.
During my time at Faith, I have grown spiritually under the awesome leadership of Pastor Annie and I have grown musically as I have served the amazing choir. I will always be grateful for my time, albeit too short, spent with all of you.
I am trusting that this is the best decision for my health and my family and that God will go ahead of this and will lead you soon to a wonderfully talented person to fill this position. You will always be in my heart and in my prayers.
Peace and blessings,
Gail Robins
This Sunday on August 23rd we are observing communion together which means the kids will pull the wagon and collect food for Circle of Concern during the offering time. The idea behind Feeding the Flock is that while we are spiritually fed at Christ’s table, we are called to physically feed others.
This is an important outreach ministry of Faith Des Peres, and is one that gets everyone involved. Even if you forget food on Sunday, you can always donate food to Circle of
Concern by dropping it off at the church.
Church in the Park, Sunday, August 13th at 10 am
Mark your calendars for our third Church in the Park worship service! Church will be at Lions Pavilion in Kirkwood Park. There is ample parking next to the pavilion and a great playground for kids, too. We’ll bless the backpacks of all our students and afterwards enjoy a BBQ lunch. We’re looking for grill masters! Let Annie know if you can help with that. It will be lots of fun, so we hope to see you there. Wear your t-shirts!
Please sign-up in the Gathering Space or email Kendra at adminasst@faithdesperes.org to RSVP. Lions Pavilion is where the Greentree book far is held and is closest to the tennis courts off of Adams Avenue. There are maps available in the Gathering Space Thanks!
Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,
I'm looking forward to being back with you all this Sunday! We've been in New Hampshire for the past two weeks with a side trip to Maine, and it's been lots of fun. Our weather has been beautiful, but I hear the summer heat in St. Louis is in full swing. I'm not looking forward to returning to that!
This Sunday we will ordain and install to the Session Ashley Laws, Dianne Modrell, and Beth Willock. I'm thrilled these women have agreed to serve as Elders and I look forward to working with them on the Session. This is an important calling, and I hope you will be here Sunday to support them and your church. We will also recognize Terry Baker, Cat Harper and Rufus Sisson who are concluding their terms as Elders. They deserve a round of applause! And finally, the choir will also sing! It will be a nice service, so please plan on being there.
See you Sunday!
Annie
Worship on Sunday, July 2nd will be at the Old Des Peres Church (a.k.a. the Old Meeting House). If you have not been there before, our old stone church is on Geyer Road about 1/2 mile south of Clayton Road. Parking is available on side streets near the church. There are no bathrooms, so plan ahead.
The old stone church was built in 1834 and is the oldest structure in Frontenac. It has always been a Presbyterian Church and was the house of worship for the Des Peres Presbyterian congregation until 1955, when a new church was built on Clayton Road. The church is now called Faith Des Peres Presbyterian, reflecting its merger with Faith Presbyterian Church in 1992. Discover more about this building on our website at www.faithdesperes.org/history.
Pastor Annie will be on vacation June 30th-July 15th.
Join us on Sunday, July 2nd as Rev. Miriam Foltz leads worship for us while Annie is on vacation with her family. Miriam is the pastor of UKirk, the Presbyterian campus ministry
at Washington University and St. Louis University.
Big Tent 2017 is the biennial gathering of Presbyterians from across the country. This year, Big Tent will be held on the beautiful campus of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, July 6 -8th.
The theme, “Race, Reconciliation, Reformation”, will emphasize the hope of the Gospel and its power to transform society in our current cultural context, marked by anxiety, racial division, political animosity, and economic inequality. Through dialogue, workshops, exhibits, and engagement with one another, participants will engage the Church in its mission of justice-making and peace. Big Tent is expecting 400 Presbyterians to attend and to participate in learning, worship, and fellowship.
The event is open to all who register. For more information click here for a flyer and to register, click here: http://oga.pcusa.org/section/churchwide-ministries/big-tent-2017/
The annual meeting of the congregation will take place Sunday, June 25th following worship.