Welcome to the Commonplace Blog of Faith Des Peres Presbyterian Church. Weekly updates of events and happenings will be posted here, as well as photos and reminders.
Come one, come all for a spring Friday Foodies get-together on May 3rd. We will meet at Canyon Café at Plaza Frontenac mall at 7 pm. Babysitting to be provided at church starting at 6:30 pm. All are welcome! Email Whitney Payne at Hendricks.whitney@gmail.com or text at 773-339-6642 if interested so we can get a head count!
We have a special program . . . and everyone is invited to join us (not just the PALS group that typically meets on the third Sunday of the month).
Marion Medical Mission (MMM) Development Director Kimberly Richey will join us at 9:30 a.m. in the Gathering Space to talk about MMM’s well program that provides a sustainable source of safe drinking water for African people in Northern and Central Malawi and Southern and Eastern Tanzania.
According to estimates, over 14 million people in the rural areas of Malawia, Tanzania and Zambia do not have access to safe drinking water and 4,000 children worldwide die each day because of unsafe drinking water.
MMM is an ecumenical, hands-on volunteer non-profit organization headquartered in Marion, Illinois that establishes partnerships with Africans at the grassroots level. People in the villages dig the wells, make the bricks to line it and bring sand and stone needed for construction. MMM supplies what the villages cannot – cement, pipe, skilled African labor and training. Each well costs $400 and is easy to maintain and repair.
Plan to join us at 9:30 a.m., May 5 in the Gathering Space for this interesting program. Kimberly will also be available after worship to answer questions.
Our church will once again be celebrating Mother’s Day together on Sunday, May 12th following worship service. Photographers will be on hand to take photos and we’ll have a light lunch to have in the Gathering Space. Please mark your calendars and join us to celebrate mothers and families on May 12th .
This Holy Week we are concluding our journey through Lent and our travels with Jesus toward his crucifixion on what we Christians call “Good Friday.”
Our last Holy Week observance will be Maundy Thursday tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Gathering Space. We will share a simple meal including Holy Communion hosted by the Worship Arts Center interspersed within our worship service and a brief message as we remember Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion.
Then on Easter Sunday our joyful worship celebration remembering Christ’s resurrection will include special choral music, welcoming new members, baptizing children, and sharing Holy Communion. And don’t forget to bring your fish banks and other offerings for the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, which will be dedicated during our Easter worship. This year’s goal is $1,750.
Looking ahead, our annual GO! Sunday worship and day of service is coming up on April 28. If you have not already, please sign up for where you’d like to serve this Sunday in the Gathering Space.
I look forward to seeing you in and around our church as we share in mission and ministry together!
Shalom in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Marilyn
Go! Sunday – set for Sunday, April 28 (the Sunday after Easter) – is our opportunity as a congregation to go out and serve in our surrounding communities! This year, we have four great service projects lined up, plus two support opportunities … with a little something for everyone.
Worship on Go! Sunday will be at 10 a.m. and is a brief commissioning service before going out to serve; coffee and doughnuts will be available at 9:45 am. Don’t forget to wear your blue Faith Des Peres T-Shirts!!!
The best kept secret in St. Louis , “ Friday Night Story Delight! Once again Faith Des Peres Presbyterian Church will host the 40th annual St. Louis storytelling festival Friday, May 3rd dinner starting at 6pm and Storytelling to follow starting at 7:00 PM. Featured Storytellers: Bil Lepp, Diane Ferlatte, Liz Weir, Robert Lewis, Noa Baum, Bill Harley, Motoko, Antonio Sacre, and Trix Bruce. Join us for bite-size stories.
Come one, come all for a spring Friday Foodies get-together on May 3rd. We will meet at Canyon Café at Plaza Frontenac mall at 7 pm. Babysitting to be provided at church starting at 6:30 pm. All are welcome! Email Whitney Payne at Hendricks.whitney@gmail.com or text at 773-339-6642 if interested so we can get a head count!
Our church will once again be celebrating Mother’s Day together on Sunday, May 12th following worship service. Photographers will be on hand to take photos and we’ll have a light lunch in the Gathering Space. Please mark your calendars and join us to celebrate mothers and families on May 12th.
Again this year, Faith Des Peres is collecting the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering on Easter. OGHS is a Presbyterian Church (USA) ministry that supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self Development of People.
Dear Faith Des Peres Church Family,
This Palm/Passion Sunday is our last Sunday of our journey through Lent, 40 days not including Sundays, when as we travel with Jesus toward his crucifixion we are particularly invited to reflect upon how we are living our lives and any changes we would like to make toward bringing our lives back in line with our Christian faith and values.
Weather permitting, our Holy Week worship will begin on the front steps of our church with the Palm Sunday reading from Luke’s Gospel and then a joyful palm waving processional into the sanctuary. In the event of inclement weather, we will begin worship in the narthex, still processing into the sanctuary joyfully waving our palms. Instead of a sermon message this week we will have an interactive reading of Jesus’ Passion from Luke’s Gospel.
This Sunday, April 14 will be our last Buddy Packing day this school year. Please go downstairs to the fellowship hall after worship to help. Many hands make light work!
Our second Holy Week event will be on April 18, our Maundy Thursday observance at 6:30 p.m. when we will share a simple meal interspersed with worship including remembering the Last Supper, all in the Gathering Space. Please sign up this Sunday in the Gathering Space so we know how much food to plan.
Looking ahead to Easter Sunday on April 21, our joyful worship celebration will include welcoming new members, baptizing children, and sharing Holy Communion. And don’t forget to bring your fish banks and other offerings for the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, which will be dedicated during our Easter worship. This year’s goal is $1,750.
Our annual GO! Sunday worship and day of service is coming up on April 28 and you can go ahead and sign up for where you’d like to serve in the Gathering Space.
I look forward to seeing you in and around our church as we share in mission and ministry together!
Shalom in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Marilyn
This Holy Week the Worship Arts Center invites you to a simple meal during which we will remember Jesus' Last Supper with his first disciples through a brief message and sharing communion around our supper tables in the Gathering Space. Please sign up by emailing Tiara at adminasst@faithdesperes.org or by signing up in the Gathering Space. Everyone, including children, are welcome.
Invite your friends and families to worship with us at 10:30 Easter morning! Join us for worship to hear an inspiring message, special music and beautiful flowers proclaiming Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!
Go! Sunday – set for Sunday, April 28 (the Sunday after Easter) – is our opportunity as a congregation to go out and serve in our surrounding communities! This year, we have four great service projects lined up, plus two support opportunities … with a little something for everyone. Please sign up for a project on the sign-up sheets in the Gathering Space.
Worship on Go! Sunday will be at 10 a.m. and is a brief commissioning service before going out to serve; coffee and doughnuts will be available at 9:45 am.
Service Projects:
Blanket Making (FDP Gathering Space) – Mary Dingus will lead this project to make 9 – 10 fleece tie-blankets for patients at Children’s Hospital. No sewing skills needed! If you have good cloth-cutting scissors or shears, please bring them. We need 10 – 12 volunteers for this project.
Doorways (DeBaliviere Place Neighborhood location) – Jim Gerst will lead this project to replace the raised garden bed at this Doorways location with a larger one. This team will also plant flowers and vegetables in the new bed. Please bring shovels, other gardening tools and gloves if you have them. We need 4 – 5 volunteers for this project. (Doorways is an interfaith non-profit organization that provides housing and supportive services for people affected by HIV/AIDS.)
Lydia’s House (Location will be provided to team) – We need a leader for this project. The leader will be responsible for purchasing mulch and purple and gold flowers for planting. The team will trim and mulch bushes, plant flowers in potters and cleaning patio furniture. We will meet at the Lydia’s House corporate offices and then travel to our work location. Please bring yard work/gardening tools and gloves. We need 8 – 10 volunteers for this project. (Lydia’s House provides safe, affordable, confidential transition housing and supportive services for abused women and their children.)
USO (Lambert Airport USO office) – Dave Lewis will lead this project, which will include greeting military service men and women as they arrive home from or head out for training. Due to limited parking, the team will carpool to the airport and enter through a special access point for the USO. We need 2 – 4 volunteers for this project.
Volunteer Support Projects:
Lunch Makers – We need four people to make lunches for our Go! Sunday volunteers. Each lunch maker will be assigned to a Go! Sunday project and will pack lunches for the number of people signed up for that project. Lunches can be lunch meat and/or PB&J sandwiches and should include a small piece of fruit. Numbers will be communicated to lunch makers by Thursday, April 25.
Bottled Water and Individual Snack Bags of Chips – We are also looking for people to donate three cases bottles of water for our Go! Sunday volunteers. In addition, we are looking for volunteers to bring individual serving size bags of chips for project volunteers to add to their lunches.
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 email Tiara in the office. Please designate if the flowers are being given in honor of or memory of loved ones. Make checks payable to Faith Des Peres and note that the funds are for Easter Flowers. Thank you.
Again this year, Faith Des Peres is collecting the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering on Easter. OGHS is a Presbyterian Church (USA) ministry that supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self Development of People.
Dear Faith Des Peres Church Family,
Don’t forget that this Saturday, April 6 is our morning of mission serving at Food Outreach!
Then this Sunday we are continuing our journey through Lent, 40 days not including Sundays, when as we travel with Jesus toward his crucifixion we are particularly invited to reflect upon how we are living our lives and any changes we would like to make toward bringing our lives back in line with our Christian faith and values.
My sermon message this Sunday will be “Sharing Extravagantly” from John12:1-8. It’s the story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus with an expensive ointment. We will share Holy Communion together and we will receive our “Feeding the Flock” monthly food offerings for Circle of Concern, too.
Looking ahead to Holy Week – it’s almost here! – our plans on Palm Sunday include a palm processional into the sanctuary and an interactive dramatic reading of Jesus’ Passion from Luke’s Gospel. On Maundy Thursday at 6:30 p.m. we’ll share a simple meal interspersed with worship including remembering the Last Supper all in the Gathering Space. Then on Easter Sunday our joyful worship celebration will include welcoming new members, baptizing children, and sharing Holy Communion.
Our annual GO! Sunday of service is coming up on April 28 and you can go ahead and sign up for where you’d like to serve beginning this Sunday in the Gathering Space!
I look forward to seeing you in and around our church as we share in mission and ministry together!
Shalom in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Marilyn
Join us for a fulfilling morning of mission on Saturday at Food Outreach (on Olive and Compton). Beginning at 8am, we will don our hats and hair nets and get to work packaging meals for those in need. No prior experience necessary- the Food Outreach program is very well organized- simply show up and everything you need will be provided there. We are seeking to establish a group of 15-20 participants ages 12 and up. Please sign up in the gathering space and indicate if you have interest in carpooling! This event is loved and enjoyed by many- we are excited to have you join!
It’s a communion Sunday 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 forgot food today, you can always donate food to Circle of Concern by dropping it off at the church. Thank you.
Have you ever wondered how writers publish books? Plan to join Ron Scott, our own published author, for insights into the process of writing and publishing, “Rainswept and Other Stories”, a collection of fictional and non-fictional stories published in November 2018. Ron will describe his journey, read a selection and even autograph a copy for you. A light lunch will be provided in the Gathering Space. Please join us.
Looking for a quick and easy way to serve the church and wider community? Join the Mission and Ministry Committee following church next Sunday to pack buddy packs.
