The Heartbeat Louisville, Kentucky

Transcription

1 No Matter Who You Are, You Are Welcome Here The Heartbeat Louisville, Kentucky St. Andrew United Church of Christ September 2013, Issue 54, No. 8 St. Andrew United Church of Christ 2608 Browns Lane Louisville, Kentucky Phone: (502) Fax: (502) Website: Sunday School: 9:15 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Office Hours: 9 AM 1 PM, Monday Friday Dr. Watson s Corner Offered by Art Raderer, Reprinted from Upper Room Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. Luke 12:15 (NRSV) The finance committee meeting had not gone well. The church did not have enough money, and we had to vote on which programs to cut. So we had some bitter discussions. I got home late at night, worn out, and was surprised to see my five-year-old son, David, still up. Dad, where have you been? I explained that we all earn money, save a little, spend a lot, and give some to the Lord. And it seemed that people were not giving enough to the Lord, and the church was in some difficulty. David did not seem to understand. But he was, after all, only five, so I went over it again: We earn money, save money, spend money, and give some to the Lord. David still did not understand. Gently, I went over it again; but he still looked puzzled. Finally he said, Dad, I thought it was all the Lord s money! David s response completely changed the way I look at money and possessions. I started giving more and worrying less. Today none of my possessions means anything to me. All that matters are my family and friends, the church, and God nothing else! This change in me has made my life easier and simpler. Church Staff Dr. Jimmy Watson Pastor J.R. Cannaday Minister of Music Mary Rose Linker Church Secretary/Editor Joe Louden Custodian Donna Wenzel Parish Nurse Cheryl Willett President REPRINTED FROM UCC.ORG DAILY DEVOTIONAL By Dr. Jimmy Watson "After forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made." - Genesis 8:6 I can only imagine how exhilarating that moment must have been. Noah has been cooped up in a big boat with a lot of smelly animals (and people) for a very long time. It's raining cats and dogs outside, while the camels and geese and mongooses et al. are assaulting Noah's five senses in ways that only a pig farmer from the Midwest could appreciate. Suddenly the rain stops and Noah bolts through the pens and roped-up animals, avoiding bites and scratches as best he can, and finds his way to a small portal where he sticks his head out, basks in the sunlight, eyes closed, chin raised, breathing deeply the fresh air. This is a moment that erases the boundaries between the physical and spiritual. God's ruach, God's breath, is present with Noah like never before. As I write this we are having new windows installed in our home. The old windows were either nailed shut or stuck due to occasional paint jobs through the years. In the five years I have lived here, not once have I been able to open a window and breathe air that has not already been "conditioned" by a large machine that resides in my basement. Today I open my windows, even as the temperature escalates beyond 90 degrees, and reclaim my status as a child of nature and as a child of God. Today I experience the freshness of God. Open your windows today, both of home and soul. Take a long, deep breath. The storm is over. Dry land is on your horizon. Prayer God of rain and dry land, may your wind lead us home, may your breath fill our lungs with pleasant odors, and may your spirit offer us a new and hopeful future. Amen. Inside this issue: Living the Questions, Stewardship Page 2 Mission 4/1, Thanks Parish Nurse, Library News Page 3 St. Andrew Events Page 4 Birthdays/Anniversaries, Thanks Page 5 Memorials/Honoraria The Patchwork Lady Page 6 Daily Lectionary Page 7 Next Heartbeat Deadline Back

2 HEARTBEAT Page 2 AN INVITATION Living the Questions, a new seven-week DVD Series, which conveys the richness of the Christian tradition and invites Christians of all persuasions to begin a spiritual journey will be offered again in September and October. This new series of one hour sessions will offer opportunities to learn what other churches are doing and to think about where we are on our Christian journey. Just listening to these men and women, many of whom have dedicated their lives to various religious disciplines including research, church leadership, college teaching, religious music, and caring for the least of these, is inspiring. Please join us. Everyone is welcome (members and friends) to these sessions beginning Thursday, September 12th. Look for a sign-up sheet in the Welcome Center in August & September. All sessions begin at 10 AM and last one hour. All are on Thursdays. September 12: A Kingdom Without Walls September 19:Social Justice: Realizing God s Vision September 26: Incarnation: Divinely Human October 3: Prayer: Intimacy With God October 10: Compassion: The Heart of Jesus Ministry October 17: Creative Transformation October 24: Embracing Mystery Look for the Sign-up sheet for Living the Questions in the Gathering Area. STEWARDSHIP: Neighbors in Need Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries(JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. Funding is provided through donations to the Neighbors in Need offering. We will collect the NIN offering on October 6, Mission 4/1 Earth The St Andrew final total: (drum roll) 1,056 hours working on enhancing our local environment. 42 trees planted in Louisville area 62 1/2 trees/sapplings bought for Romania 3 letters advocating for a healthy environment. We worked well together cleaning up our church, yards, neighborhoods and parks. We planted trees from our backyards, our church yard all the way to eastern Europe. I thank the friends and members of St. Andrew for working to improve this one earth, and I highlight the extra work of our St. Andrew Christian education team in sponsoring this special national church wide project. May our Mission 4/1 Earth continue. -Walter S. Snowa 2013 CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS 2013 Cheryl Willett, President Donna Block, Vice President David Aikens, Secretary Bob Rosenbaum Al Laufer Gerri Riffe Jennifer Irving Sharmille Sawyer Suzanne Schwartz

3 HEARTBEAT Page 3 From the Parish Nurse Coping with Change Change is usually easier to accept if you feel confident that you can adapt to new experiences. Here are some tips for coping with change: Anticipate change. Take steps to avoid becoming rigid and afraid of new experiences. Throughout life, keep making friends, exploring new interests and activities, and accepting new challenges. Take care of your health. If you're facing a big change, take extra care to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and limit alcohol consumption. Learn to relax. You might find it helpful to take a yoga class or listen to relaxation tapes, which are available at most bookstores and public libraries. Or set aside a few minutes daily to visualize yourself remaining calm and happy Stay positive. Try not to jump to conclusions about the change you're facing. Negative thoughts can block your creativity and problem-solving skills. Positive thoughts build bridges to possibilities and opportunities. Gather information. Often, the most stressful thing about change is the uncertainty it brings. To ease anxiety, learn as much as you can about what you're facing. Limit or "pace" your changes. Try not to make a big change before you've adjusted to a prior change. If you are already stressed, try to postpone making big decisions. Consider joining a support group. If a change feels too big to handle alone, consider joining a support group for people who are going through a similar experience. You might join a group for stepparents, newcomers to a community or people who care for an older adult. Consider seeing a professional counselor. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Even strong people need support and guidance when faced with tough circumstances. News from the Library A new addition to the library is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo who is an American Pulitzer Prize journalist and a National Book Award winner. This nonfiction book is a true story about the poor in Mumbai, India. The author embedded herself in a slum area, and all the people and incidents are real. It is staggering to realize the distance between the rich and poor in India and how much those in poverty have to draw upon their inner strength just to meet each day. One Last Call! The Library is cleaning house. These books have not been returned. If you or your children have checked out books more than a month ago, please have a look at home. All overdue books not returned in several weeks will be removed from the library data base. We will assume they are lost. Thanks for your help. Children s Books Author Berenstain Handford Handford Handford Handford Seuss Silverstein Ury Adult Books Author Bell Borg Essex Giles Guideposts Miller Title Too Much Birthday Find Waldo Now Where s Waldo The Great Waldo Search Where s Waldo in Hollywood How the Grinch Stole Christmas Falling Up More Scary Stories... Title Love Wins Jesus A New Vision More Bad Girls of the Bible Tara s Healing The Book The Complete Gospels

4 HEARTBEAT Page 4 YARD SALE Our yard Sale will be September 6 & 7, Friday and Saturday. Spread the word with friends and neighbors. FROM THE NURTURE TEAM Ladies Day Out & Women of St. Andrew Monday, September 16 Ladies Day Out will meet as usual at 10 AM to work on door decorations and tray cards for the nursing home ministry. As always we are looking for women to join in this effort. At noon, the Women of St. Andrew and Ladies Day Out will meet together for lunch. After lunch, a short meeting will be held to share information and offer opportunities for fellowship and service. All women of the church are invited to attend either or both meetings. Bring a sandwich. Drinks will be provided. REMINDER: The Ladies Day Out mission group always needs calendar pictures and cards to be used for the nursing home ministry and school book project. Please consider donating any pictures or calendars, you may not be using. They may be placed in the Women of St. Andrew mailbox or on the shelf in the conference room. Thank you for any donations. JOIN THE MOVIE BUFFS! Every 4 th Sunday, a group of movie enthusiasts gather to discuss a popular movie playing locally. Most of these are or become award-winning films. The question is: What does this movie have to say about the faith? Here s how it works: A movie is chosen by our coordinator, Diane Snowa. Mid-month, she announces the film s title. Interested folks see the film on their own. Then, we gather together for a lively and stimulating discussion. Please come and invite others. Dicey Ladies Bunco Let s Roll! Wednesday, September 25, at 11:30 am. Bring a friend anyone can play and have fun. Be there for the Bunco Squad!

5 HEARTBEAT Page 5 M em orials & H onoraria 1st 9th 10th 12th 13th 16th 17th 22th 27th 28th 29th 1st 6th 10th 13th 17th 20th 29th 30th Cheryl Willett Susan Bullard Mary Jane Glaser Christy Merideth Sherry Delph Kyle Longton Jill Lowry Cindy Schwartz John Whisler Sharmille Sawyer Rick Caldwell Walter Snowa Judy Webb Donnie Neat Walker Childers Adrian White Bruce & Annie-Laurie McCord Quentin & Paula Sharpenstein Bob & Jean Grubbs David & Karen Letendre Robert & Janice Thomas Mike & Christy Merideth William & Sherry Delph Tony & Terri Schmidt In memory of Marcia Barth, donations to the Leona Roney Music Fund were made by: Mr. & Mrs. Mark Fischer Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Wolford Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Walthall Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kuminka Walter & Diane Snowa James G. Tyler Double Diamond Construction Company Perry County Democrat Central Commuttee A donation was made to Current Fund by: Mr. & Mrs. Jack Boeschel A donation was made to Roof Fund by: Mr. & Mrs. Joe Louden In Honor of Art and Madelyn Raderer s birthdays, a donation was made to the Roof Fund by: Mrs. & Mrs. Joe Louden In memory of Don Hilliker, a Tuesday Boy, a donation was made to the Roof Fund by: Art & Madelyn Raderer In memory of Richard Raderer a donation was made to the Roof Fund by: Art & Madelyn Raderer In memory of Marcia Barth, the Music Ministry has purchased and planted a crape myrtle outside the window of the rehearsal room. Eventually, a stone or plaque will be placed there designating it as a memorial to Marcia. While we appreciate any interest in helping to maintain the crape myrtle, we would like to designate that all care, pruning and maintenance of this plant to be provided by Patty Tench, JR Cannaday or Rick Caldwell. Thank you for respecting our wishes. If your birthday or anniversary has been inadvertently omitted, please contact the office.

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8 September 2013 Heartbeat Issue 54, No Browns Lane Louisville, KY No matter who you are, you are welcome here! Monday, September 16