Put your sword back! These are the last words the disciples hear from Jesus before they run away. If ever there was a moment in God's eyes when violence would be justifiable, this is it! But Jesus is clear: His followers are not allowed to respond with violence. They are not allowed to kill. Why? Because all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Violence begets violence. Killing begets killing. Death begets death.
Put your sword back! The command goes to the heart of Jesus' message. But after he issues it, his disciples turn and run away. They know where an unarmed response will lead - and who can stomach such craziness? The Gospels do not cover up their rejection: All the disciples left him and fled. And Jesus, alone, is led away to be slaughtered.
[Link] [more]In the past years, Trinity has been blessed to share a warm connection with musicians in our community. Woodwind, brass and string players have enriched our services and helped us to experience faith through music on Sunday mornings. We have also hosted concerts and recitals which have welcomed audiences from our neighborhood and beyond. This April we will host two exciting musical events that you don't want to miss:
I encourage you to mark these events on your calendar and invite your friends. Show your support for the music program at Trinity and join us as we reach out to our community with the gift of music!
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The Interfaith Partnership will hold its 14th annual Interfaith Music Festival on Sunday April 10, at 3:00 p.m. The program includes music from from Jewish, Christian, Hindu and other traditions. Location: Temple Israel, #1 Rabbi Alvan Rubin Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141. General admission is $12.00. Please contact Interfaith Partnership office for more information (Tel: 314-531-4787). www.interfaithpartnership.org
This past Presidential election underscored the importance of "moral values" in the American consciousness. However, for all of the talk about moral values, they are rarely enumerated and when they are there is little discussion about different ways to think about and talk about moral values. For four weeks in late April and early May, we will spend four sermons examining four "moral values." Here is a list of the dates and topics:
April 17 - The Death Penalty
April 24 - Access to Health Care
May 1 - Environmental Care
May 8 - Poverty
Even though I have strong opinions about each of these topics, the purpose of these sermons is not to argue worshippers into agreement with me. Rather, my intent is to explore these issues from a Biblical and theological perspective, answering the question "How do our faith traditions help us to think about and discuss these difficult, controversial, and divisive issues?"
You will get more out of these sermons if prior to Sunday you spend some time, not only gaining clarity about your own position, but thinking about what in your faith, your life, and your experience informs your position.
"Faith-based organizations effecting change", "Outreach to community", "Congregations as public witness", "Building community relationships".
Have we gotten your attention? Several of us attended a recent meeting at which Metropolitan Congregations United described their success in organizing "clusters" of congregations in several areas of the region: North City, North County, South City and South County. Representatives from the South County cluster talked about their efforts to bring about the redevelopment of Grasso Plaza, a vacant retail strip in their community, thus bringing to the area new vitality and needed community services. They also worked with the Missouri Department of Transportation to move the repaving of Gravois up by three years. This certainly got our attention. We were impressed by the passion of the MCU representatives and the idea of congregations working together to improve their community.
That's what MCU is all about. It is a "faith-based power organization" bringing together congregations (including Protestant, Catholic, Jewish) into a cluster to work for a common purpose. A congregation that joins brings its resources: people, passion, and, yes, a little money, for the goals of the cluster.
How does a cluster know what to do? MCU works with congregations to train a core group from each of the 8-10 or more congregations in a cluster. The core groups then have one-on-one discussions with their church membership to identify and prioritize issues that the congregation thinks are important to address - be they neighborhood, local community, or larger concerns. The congregations in a cluster then select one or two issues to work on. Clusters avoid divisive issues, but instead concentrate on those core issues, such as racial equity, economic equity, and healthcare, that all are passionate about. Once the issues are chosen, the cluster sets detailed and focused action plans.
MCU is organizing a mid-county cluster for congregations in the area of University City, Maplewood, and Clayton. Trinity has an opportunity to join this group. We have thought Trinity to be a congregation of public witness.
Plan to hear more about MCU at Education Hour on April 3.
[Courtesy of The Joyful Noise, newsletter of Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, Wauwatosa, WI]
Trinity's first adult mission trip will depart for Juarez, Mexico, on Saturday, April 16. Group members - Margy Brown, Ruth Cobb, Tom Cobb, Ann Fischer, Diane O'Brien, Jim Person, Art Platt, and Clarissa Valdivia - will work under the auspices of the Presbyterian Border Ministry (PBM) at Pasos de Fe, a joint ministry of the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (INPM) and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Why Juarez? PBM materials explain that in recent years huge numbers of Mexicans have migrated to the northern border because of the area's availability of jobs and relatively high wages in assembly plants. The rapid growth of the border region and the social instability created by conditions there call for a "decisive response from the church."
The principal long-term objective of PBM is to expand the Presbyterian witness in the border region through new church development and ministries to improve the general well being of the region's people. "Furthermore, PBM seeks to build bridges of understanding between Presbyterians on opposite sides of the border, as evidenced by the arrival in Mexico of around 2,000 U.S. citizens each year to experience intercultural fellowship and the mutual satisfaction of work done in the name of the Lord."
The Trinity team, thus, expects to participate in some traditional mission-trip-type activities - perhaps light construction at the mission site, painting , etc. As important, however, will be opportunities to share meals, work, hopes, and stories with our Mexican hosts. We may also have opportunities to visit maquiladoras (assembly plants) and to explore other realities of life for people in the border region. What we bring back from the trip will be as important as what we take.
We are returning to the place that was so meaningful to last summer's Senior High Mission Trip. Please keep the Trinity adult team - and the people served by the Border Ministry - in your prayers. And expect to hear a lot about our experiences and learning when we return! Hasta la vista!
Trinity has long supported the work of Care and Counseling, a St. Louis resource whose sliding scale fees make excellent counseling help available to anyone regardless of that person's ability to pay. This not-for-profit, interfaith pastoral counseling center has, in fact, had an office in our buildings for years.
Care and Counseling provides high-quality individual counseling rooted in knowledge of God's love for God's children. It also reaches out to our community. Its counseling center at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, for example, serves low-income families and individuals who have not traditionally had access to professional care. Support groups have helped persons dealing with depression, caring for aging parents, or coping with other stressful events. Care and Counseling also plays a vital educational role in congregations and in training new generations of pastoral counselors.
In an era of shrinking governmental support for mental health services, agencies like Care and Counseling become even more important. Funds raised by the agency's annual benefit dinner are crucial to its ability to provide a sliding-scale fee structure.
Trinity will once again sponsor a table of 10 at the dinner. Attending the dinner is an excellent way to learn more about the agency, to meet its staff, and to connect with others concerned about the strengthening not only of individuals but also of our community.
Care and Counseling says of the "Puzzle Project" that is part of the benefit: "The holiday of Cinco de Mayo, The Fifth of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexicans over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. There were approximately 4,000 Mexican soldiers and 8,000 in the French forces. The celebration of victory over a significant adversary is much like the work we do at Care & Counseling, where clients overcome significant life challenges." Puzzle pieces will be sold throughout the evening "to help people in need of affordable, quality counseling."
We invite you to join us on "almost Cinco de Mayo"! Please contact Jane (994-0378) or Ann (361-5891) by April 15 if you would like to join this event. (Added bonus: it's usually fun!)
It wasn't easy getting it accomplished, but my sermon series on our future and the ensuing dialogue sessions are now completed. A cold church which forced us to abandon our building for a week, a congregational meeting that needed to be moved, and a bout with the stomach flu got our schedule out of whack, but we persevered and I now want to share some of the conversation and where we are with my proposals. First, let me thank everyone who participated in the dialogue sessions - your insights have not only benefited me, but the whole church.
On January 9, I started a sermon series that looked at three different aspects of our life together. The three sermons were entitled The People, The Place, and The Pastor. (The fourth sermon that was never preached was going to be called The Story). Each of these sermons involved a Biblical reflection on who we are as the church and then enumerated implications for our future. (If you would like to see a summary of the sermons, please go to our website - http://www.trinityucity.org/SermonSeries2005Q1.html).
After the sermons were completed, we held four feedback sessions to discuss the ideas and implications presented in the sermons. A total of 19 members participated in the feedback sessions. Here are the major points that the feedback sessions articulated:
The People - The implication from this sermon was the creation of a team of Trinity members who could serve as spiritual "guidance counselors," helping interested members design a program for spiritual growth and maturity.
At each feedback session, questions were raised about the role and purpose of spiritual "guidance counselors." Participants wondered if they would be similar to Stephen Ministers. For about eight years, Trinity had Stephen Ministers, laypeople who are trained to engage in a listening ministry of care and compassion; the ministry was very meaningful to participants but frequently struggled to find a role at Trinity. Because of this, some members wondered about the effectiveness of a new ministry which sounds similar. Questions were also raised about whether members would utilize this ministry if it were offered. On the other hand, there was an affirmation that many members would find it useful to have guidance on how best to grow in faith. A team will soon be created to look at these issues.
The Place - This sermon had four implications: 1. Turn part of Trinity's space into a community art gallery; 2. Make our current space more hospitable for members and visitors alike; 3. Hold meetings outside of the church in the community; 4. The Pastor will spend some time each week at a commercial establishment in the Loop as a way to meet and interact with community members.
Participants liked the idea of having an art gallery at church. Some suggested that this be combined with Trinity's long history of being a venue for great music. Some questions were raised about security. The second implication is already being taken up by the newly formed Congregational Community Commission, which is working on providing a hospitality area in the Narthex on Sunday mornings. The comments on the last two implications were generally supportive with some questions about the geographic specificity of the Loop. Trinity is largely a regional church and we need to be mindful of that fact as we intentionally interact with the larger community. I hope to find a place to spend time in the Loop in the next couple of weeks.
The Pastor - The major implication of this sermon was that we need to have an ongoing conversation about healthy patterns of work and life for all members and staff. We need to replace codependent patterns of ministry with partnership.
The discussion about this sermon centered, not around specifics, but on how we talk about this. Many members (and staff as well) feel pulled in many different directions, and it was my perception this conversation came as a relief to people.
In the months to come, I will share updates about where each of these implications is.
Trinity's Adult Education Planning team invites you to:
Sundays, April 10 - May 15
10:40-11:30 a.m. in the Weems Chapel
following 9:30 Worship
Explore the intersection of faith and science through the work and personal experience of several scientists, doctors and researchers who are members of Trinity! They will share their particular expertise with us, adding the perspective of how their faith has shaped their work and how their scientific knowledge has influenced their spiritual journey. The final week we will have a professional medical ethicist as well.
April 10: "Are We Alone in the Universe?" Michael Wysession, Ph.D., Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University.
April 17: "Feeding the Hungry: Spiritual and Scientific Reflections on People, Plants, and Agriculture." Terry Woodford-Thomas, Ph.D., Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
April 24: "Exploring the Concept of Religious Naturalism" with a PowerPoint presentation. Ursula Goodenough, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Washington University.
May 1: "Case Studies in Faith, As Told by a Pediatric Oncologist." Dr. Lori Luchtman-Jones, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
May 8: "Genetics, Healthy Babies and Parental Choices." Dr. Diana Gray, Dr. Kim Martin, Dr. Lisa Bernhard, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine.
May 15: "Medical Ethics and Frankenstein's Monster" with a PowerPoint presentation. Dr. Ira Kodner, Director of the Center for the Study of Human Values and Ethics, Washington University School of Medicine.
Questions?
Call Linda Anderson-Little at 314.487.6303 or Email Ken Kelton at kfk@wuphys.wustl.edu
Pictures of Hollis Woods
By Patricia Reilly Giff
Reviewed by Daniel Anderson-Little
Truman Elementary School, Grade 4; Age 10
Pictures of Hollis Woods, a book for those at the fifth grade reading level or above, is about a foster girl named Hollis Woods. She is a phenomenal artist who is adopted by a retired artist named Josie.
The book starts out with a description of a picture of Hollis Woods. About every other chapter, there is a picture of Hollis Woods. The pictures are about memories. There are pictures about important people in her life and about bad times at the foster building. Every picture reveals a part of Hollis' past. They reveal her friendship with a boy named Steven, the only friend she ever had.
Hollis has a bad attitude toward new foster homes; however, she does settle in with Josie. They aren't rich, but they find ways to get by. But the foster agency thinks Josie's home is a bad place for Hollis and her happiness hangs in the balance.
I really liked this book. It had an unusual plot with strong characters. I got so carried away I stayed up till ten one night reading it. At some parts I felt like crying, but at some parts I felt content. I strongly suggest you read this book, and discover Hollis Woods' future.