Hanging of the Greens

Following a chili lunch, of which there was just the right amount, we finished decorating the church for Advent and Christmas.  Here are some pictures.

2010-12-05

Honoring our resources

Meeting after church on September 19, we had the fourth of the four conversations sponsored by CnE to consider ideas that Pilgrims have for revitalizing the church. We discussed the resources we have been given by our forebears focusing especially on the building and the investments. We lamented that the Ministry of Building and Grounds chose to meet at the same time and thus those persons were not able to attend this discussion.

With regard to the building: we also noted that the Council has voted to suspend any further conversation about moving out of our building. We can't sell what we have for anything close to what it is worth to us. We don't have another place to be. It costs us a lot, but so would another building. We do have some prospects for sharing the building with organizations whose mission is compatible with our own [as with Afriky Lolo's interest in using the third floor] so we may well become better stewards of what we have.

We continue to see a need for a Facilities Management Committee. It has been dormant and would need a refreshed mandate from the Council to begin to function again.

With regard to the investments: we appreciate the willingness of the Woman's Association to come forward and make grants for specific purposes and we understand that well has a bottom. We don't want to do with any of our investments what we did to the Kitty Murray Fund and spend it down without a clear sense of purpose or direction. We note that we could access even restricted endowments with the right legal intervention, but we are afraid that is both a temporary solution and a statement that "we are only buying time… in fact, we are really dying."

We would feel much better about raising the necessary money by doing a capital campaign. We think having a specific list of projects and programs which are clearly aimed at revitalizing the church would get a strong response. Most of those things we identified had to do with cosmetic or structural changes that can be easily seen [replacing the front sidewalk, painting the front doors, sealing and striping the parking lot…] but we also noted that some of the funds should go to supporting specific programs that will reach out to and touch those around us.

Honoring the legacy of our building and investments

We are coming to the fourth and last in the series of conversations that Communications and Evangelism is sponsoring about the ideas that are bubbling forth in this time of transition. 

Some of the ideas were about the central feature of our common life, worship.  Some of the ideas were about the identity we portray to the larger church and community, identity.  Some were about the connections we have with other churches and social welfare institutions, collaboration.  And now we come to ideas for using the resources we have been given by our forebears at Pilgrim. 

We have decided that we are not moving in the foreseeable future but we have more building that we can use or afford to maintain.  At the same time, we must be good stewards of this resource and keep it up so others will be attracted to join us.  We have a large endowment we could tap into if we all agreed what we intended to do with it.  But if we spend it it will no longer earn income for us.

Plan to stay after worship this Sunday, September 19 for a conversation in the library.  We will not be serving lunch but if you tuck a loaf and few fish in your tunic we should have more than enough to share.

Peace

Progressive and Pentecostal

As our worship becomes more spirit-filled we may be informed by this recent post from our friend Rev Derick Wilson:

10 Core Values of a Progressive Pentecostal Assembly

by Rev. Derick Wilson on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 8:29pm

Recently I became quite interested in two movements that are beginning to dominate various segments of Christian expression: the Progressive Christian movement and Pentecostalism.  Pentecostalism with all of its emphasis on the shout, gifts, and ecstatic worship has clearly transformed the church turning the most staid and traditional Black Baptist and Methodist churches into places where you can now "get a good dance in". Progressive Christianity has swept our traditional, main line denominations with the only real growth in these denominations taking place among churches who are influenced by Progressive Christianity's call to social justice and engagement.

Both have assets as well as liabilities. Pentecostalism is usually noted for having extreme engagement of the heart and passions along with bringing certainty in uncertain times. However, it is also noted for not being socially engaged and for encouraging a disengagement of intellect in favor of rote  recitations of dogma backed by proof texting.  Progressive Christianity is all about social engagement and full engagement of intellect through well researched academia. However, passion in worship is often lacking, preaching is often more about concepts than every day issues, and uncertainty is prized and seen as the essence of faith.

I believe it is essential that persons who wish to engage the text and worship with minds as well as heart, and who find connection to Jesus must be both profoundly personal yet socially transformative, have a construct in which to lay this out in practice in their home assemblies.  Below are 10 core values that I propose in talking the best of both movements to create a Progressive Pentecostal church/fellowship.   

1.      Commitment to Christ as Savior: We understand salvation as being progressive: I was saved, I am being saved, I shall be saved.  We enter into relationship with Christ (was saved).  We then grow in our understanding of Him and how we are to develop our character in accordance with His teachings (being saved).  Finally, after a life spent growing and caring for the dignity of all of God’s creation, we look forward to hearing Him say well done (shall be saved).

2.      Fidelity to the Intent of Scripture: We understand that the intent of scripture is to point us to personal knowledge of God and inform our relationship with God, not record history.  Focus on intent liberates the text from the onerous challenge of having to be taken literally, while at the same time honoring and revering the text as foundational for faith formation.

3.      Holistic Service to God: We believe in a seamless cycle of service to God which encompasses dynamic/ecstatic praise and worship in the sanctuary that in turn, fuels passion for improvement of self and society, which leads back to dynamic praise.  Our coming together in fellowship and praise is a tool to energize us to create the justkingdom of God on earth. 

4.      Prophetic Transparency in Leadership: We affirm strong pastoral leadership that flows from pastoral vision in connection to God is essential in growth.  However, we understand that strength also extends to the strength to be transparent in humanity.  Thus, even as members see their leaders being transparent, they respect the call of God upon their leader’s life and the importance of maintaining Apostolic order so that there is an infrastructure for the church to grow on.

5.      Distributive Leadership: We believe that the sole responsibility of leadership and success of the fellowship is not left to the pastor.  The fellowship is a fully functioning organization with various entities and needs for individual members to step up in excellence to execute program functions.  This leadership is accountable to the pastor, yet also understands that it must work independently. 

6.      Commitment to Excellence and Accountability: God, God’s people, and God’s church deserve and require our best effort and the humility to be held accountable to giving our best. This extends to all tasks related to the fellowship, from execution of leadership tasks, to regular and timely attendance in worship, to support of church programming, to the giving of tithes and offerings. 

7.      Fully Inclusive in Membership: We are called to be a house of prayer for all people, and will take deliberate steps to ensure that all communities and demographics are represented on all levels of leadership. We must deliberately reach persons for membership and leadership, from a variety of backgrounds, yet having faith in Christ and passion for holistic service as our unifying common element. We love and seek fellowship with all without regard to issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, ability, or any other physical distinctiveness.

8.      Balance in Life: We believe that a life in accordance with the will of God is lived in a harmonious balance between sacred and secular. We are faithful to the things of God and to our commitments as members of the fellowship, while at the same time attending to those things in life which God has given us for pleasure and fulfillment such as family, relationships, travel, education, and other pursuits which enrich our lives in a healthy way. Thus, we strive to take time to fellowship and enjoy time spent with each other away from the context of the worship experience.

9.       Stand with the Powerless: In all matters in society, we believe that God can be found on the side of the powerless, thus in all matters where a choice must be made, we stand with them as well and strive to do the work of God in defending their dignity. This commitment is without regard to the situations that may have contributed to their powerlessness. We raise our voice to supplement and support, not replace, theirs.

10.    Reconciliation: We seek to maintain fellowship by always being proactive in seeking to overcome differences that will lead to disruption in relationship. We covenant that should our relationship with each other or the fellowship need to cease it will only be after concerted efforts of communication, mediation, and correction. This implies an understanding that no matter how wronged or justified we feel, the other party also has a perspective that must be heard.

Connecting

My notes of the meeting on 8/29/2010 for CnE about how Pilgrim connects to other organizations.

We began with a review of the many relationships we enjoy with other organizations. They are with

• other UCC churches and institutions [Association and Conference, Deaconess Foundation, Neighborhood Houses],

• other religiously based organizations [UCM, Union Council, Faith Aloud, MCU, CWS, CWU],

• other public benefit organizations [Union Ave Assoc., BJC, The Muny, the Science Center], etc.

In addition to specific local congregations, there are easily a hundred associations or corporations with which we have had some interaction around a shared interest.

A small number of these are formal affiliations in which we have elected or appointed representation. These are delegates to meetings or people who represent Pilgrim on Boards or committees of other organizations like UCM.

Mostly the connections come from individual members who have an interest in the activities of a given organization, attend meetings, or supply Pilgrim with information about the organization's activities. In some cases the interest also drives a donation from Pilgrim through the work of the Community Partnership Ministry.

Clearly there are many more organizations which we have common interests with than we can support or even follow closely. We must set priorities. There are a couple of ways we do that.

• We elect representatives to help us connect to certain other bodies [like Union Council,]
• We vote money into the budget to support certain organizations [like OCWM,]
• We ask Community Partnership to provide leadership in our support by authorizing them to use their budget according to their discretion, and

• We invite members to promote the activities of organizations they support through announcements in PP and in worship.

Some aspects of this system are working about as well as we can expect them to.

• We have delegates to meetings of the Association and Conference. We recruit members to serve on the Boards of UCM and Union Council. We really have to do some arm twisting to fill those positions. It is not likely that we are going to get more members to come forward for those sorts of tasks unless the organization in question is one the member has some passion for.

• We set budget numbers for the big ticket items and allow CP to make smaller decisions on our behalf. This allows us to be intentional as a Congregation and still have some flexibility to respond to the needs of the community as they arise. We are not likely to come up with more money anytime soon.

If we are going to do much to clarify and intensify our relationships to other organizations, we probably won't do it by appointing delegates or funding projects. The only resource it seems we have not fully tapped is the enthusiasm and creativity of our members.

During the initial stages of this conversation we heard from several people about their ideas for what we "should" be doing. Paul Sonderegger has a vision of a program for families in the neighborhood who have young children and are looking to do family activities that communicate and teach spiritual values. Mark Barnett thinks we should be more active around improving the quality of education. Sara Coffin is concerned about food insecurity and sees options for a more robust community garden. Velma Hunt is concerned about the physical security of the neighborhoods and thinks we can build stronger alliances with municipal workers. These are all excellent ideas which are completely consistent with Pilgrim's mission as I understand it. But how are we going to get these off the ground?

Let's look at the project Paul initiated--which I have taken to calling Second Saturday--as an example of the problem. The project was named in these conversations and is aimed at reaching out to our neighbors so it seems to fall to Communications and Evangelism, but it is a program that looks more like something Christian Education would do. So who owns it and how do we keep from stepping on each other's toes? Who will staff it? Is this something that the new CE person will administrate? Who decides?

I don't think we want members going off on their own to create programs in Pilgrim's name without some clear lines of accountability, but we also don't want to stifle people's enthusiasm and creativity. What this suggests to me is that we can up the voltage on these sorts of projects by:

• Actively engaging each other about just where our passion for ministry lies. Can we make it an assumption of membership that we are each called to ministry and can we make it a task of the church to identify, support, and authorize that call?

• Building an incubator for ministry such that members can identify other members with similar passions and interests and can build constructive alliances.

• Clarify the administrative process for getting a project authorized by the Congregation so that everyone knows they will be supported and how they can collect that support.

This is not something we have in place at this point. If we were to create it, who would make it happen, and how would they get the authority to do so?

Reaching Out Summary

Following worship Sunday the CnE Ministry hosted the second in the series of four conversations about who we say we are as Pilgrims and where we see the church going.  A summary of Mark’s PowerPoint with expanded comments is to be found here.

If you have comments about the summary, and I hope you do, please post them on the site itself, not by replying to this post.  If you have any trouble getting onto the site or registering or logging in, please contact me here, MarkLeeRobinson@gmail.com.  I will help you get on.

Be sure to set your preferences for notification by going into your account in PBWorks, the site that hosts our wiki.  [A wiki is a web page that many people can easily edit.  Ours is called PilgrimNext.]

Conversation on Reaching Out: Mission and Program

Pilgrims,

We are getting ready for the next in our series of conversations about the future of Pilgrim. On August 1 we talked about worship, the center of our life as a community of faith, and many of us continued a spirited conversation over the past week about financial concerns, whether we have decided to stay in our current building, which of the spaces in the church provides the best worship experience, and whether we should restructure the current space in the sanctuary and chancel.

This Sunday, August 15, we will look at the ways we reach out from that center to engage the community around us. This includes what we say is our mission (who we are and what we do on behalf of whom) and at least one idea for how we can turn that mission into a program that meets the needs of a specific group of neighbors.

I have written about the question of mission and posted it on the wiki at this location. I look forward to your comments but urge you to post them on the wiki rather than emailing them to this entire list.

• If you want to just read what others write you don’t need to log onto the wiki.
• If you want to comment or you want to be notified when others comment you should log on.
• If you haven’t created a login you can do that by following the link at the upper right of the page.
• If you have logged in but don’t get email notification when others post comments or replies, click on the “account” link at the upper right and check on the home tab under Preferences to be sure that you have elected to get notifications and set how often you would like them.

Mark Lee Robinson

Worship and Fellowship on August 8

This morning we danced and sang and became the light of the world. Unfortunately we didn’t get video or stills of the Pilgrimen doing the prelude or the postlude.  The pictures include a couple of short videos of the dancers so be patient as they may take a minute to load.  As always, just click on the picture below to be take to the Picasa site and then click on slideshow at the upper left to see them all.

2010-08-08

Nametags

Pilgrims;

We have gotten out of the habit of wearing our name tags. Perhaps this is because we think everyone knows us or perhaps because we have left them at home or in the car after forgetting to put them back in the rack. Please make an effort to wear your nametag. If you don’t have one, just let Valerie know and she will make you a new one.

Worship on the 1st of August

We gathered in the chancel to Ride the Ark of Redemption and Feast at the Lord’s Table.

Click on the picture below for the full gallery.

2010-08-01

Notes from “Worship Space and Experience”

Pilgrims:

Following worship on August 1, 2010 we had an open meeting of the Communications and Evangelism Ministry to discuss ideas folks have about the worship space and the worship experience. Remembering that this is just a discussion and not a decision-making body, we came up with the following observations and recommendations.

• Our sanctuary is a beautiful room and it has excellent acoustics. Whatever we might do to alter the design we want to preserve its aesthetics.
• Our efforts to worship in the chancel are not working well. We don’t want to sit with our backs to the band. Sitting in the choir pews can end up feeling cramped. We have been able to sit closer to each other but there are many people who are more comfortable out in the pews than up in the chancel.
• We want to remember that the most important qualities about Pilgrim come from how we are with each other (warm and friendly) rather than from what nice things we have. Nevertheless, the sanctuary needs a major overhaul. We have peeling paint and frayed carpet and crumbling tile.
• It doesn’t make sense to renovate the room if we aren’t going to stay in the building. We are also in the process of deciding what sort of pastoral leadership we are looking for. We have some bigger decisions to make before we decide on the paint color. We will not know what direction to move until we have settled the larger questions.
• Some of the ideas we have for renovation of the space are very expensive. Others can be done simply by working together. We should not abandon ideas for what we need just because we don’t yet see how God will provide.

Given all of these considerations and aware that the Sunday morning worship event is the central event in the life of the congregation and that the quality of that experience depends to a very large degree on the space in which we meet, we can move ahead on designing what we would like to have the space be like and what we want to be able to do with it. Therefore we may recommend that:

A team be empowered to consult with an architect to develop a master plan for renovation of the sanctuary which will respond to certain considerations:

• Create greater flexibility in the chancel such that there are fewer barriers and greater freedom of movement without losing the elegance of the current design. This might include options for moving the lectern, pulpit, and altar as well as the choir seating and modesty panels; and creating handrails or ramps to provide greater accessibility.
• Give a sense of a space within the space so that we can have a sense of intimacy even within the big room.
• Exercise care that the choice of materials (wood, tile, carpet) respect and preserve the auditory as well as visual characteristics of the room.

Complied by Mark Lee Robinson

August 1, 2010

Worship August 1st

Pilgrims;

Tomorrow we worship at 10:30 again in the Chancel with fellowship around the Lord’s Table. The Adult Ed class will continue studying the book of Joshua at 9:15. Following worship there will be a conversation in the chancel about some aspects of what we want for our experience of worship and ways we can make the space better fit our needs. We will not have lunch and we will try to keep the meeting short.

Peace

CnE Ministry “Conversation” schedule

The first of the four conversations will be this Sunday, August 1 following worship. There will be three more extending into September. Each is a response to the ideas we have heard about the direction we think Pilgrim might move in. They include ideas for program, building use, worship style, mission and fellowship. If you have an idea that is not represented here, please speak up.

August 1: Worship Experience and Space – how we structure the central activity of our common life. In this conversation we will consider ideas for altering the space and using different styles and tools to make the experience as meaningful and relevant as possible.

August 15: The Face we show our Neighbors – Who we say we are and how we let others know who we are. In this conversation we will consider who we say we are and how we might communicate who we are to those in the broader community so that they might discover how affiliation with Pilgrim can enrich their lives.

August 29: Connecting to the Community around us – Who we are connected to, how we work with them, and for what end. In this conversation we will identify all of the institutions around us with which we are affiliated and consider who we might clarify and strengthen the ones which are most important to our mission.

September 19: Honoring our Inheritance – How we use the building and the investments. In this conversation we will consider what resources we have been given by our forebears and imagine how we might be the best stewards of those resources given the age of the building and the changing nature of the Church and our community.

Please try to attend all four. If you can’t, check in on the web site for Pilgrim Partners at http://pilgrimnext.pbworks.com/.

Worship Space and Experience

Pilgrims:

We have begun a series of conversations about the future of Pilgrim hosted by the Communications and Evangelism Ministry. We have identified several suggestions and arranged them into topic areas which we will address in four separate conversations. Next Sunday (August 1) following worship (back in the chancel at 10:30) we will talk about some of the ideas that are floating about with regard to our worship experience and the space in which it occurs. Some of the items include:

• We could remove some of the barriers to movement in the chancel (the platform or stage at the front of the sanctuary). The modesty panels and the pews move easily in that space. What if we put the pulpit and lectern and altar on wheels and move them to wherever we need them?
• We have tried using video in worship to project words so that we don’t have to look down, but the power of the projector isn’t enough to do moving video. What if we get a couple of flat panel video monitors so that we can use video as a part of worship? We could use movie clips as sermon illustrations and even produce our own resources.
• We are a small congregation in a big space. We want to enjoy the majesty of the sanctuary but we also want to have a greater sense of intimacy with each other. What if we take out some of the pews and arrange chairs in the middle of the room? We can have a space within a space. We can still have the same capacity for the whole sanctuary when we have a big event but we can also use a part of it when we have a smaller group.
• The floor tile in the chancel is crumbling, the carpet in the aisles is threadbare, the roof leaks and the ceiling is peeling paint and plaster, the finish on the wood in the chancel doesn’t match the rest of the room and it is stained and worn. Despite our wish to be inclusive, those with difficulty walking or using stairs can’t get to the pulpit or lectern. This space should be the pride of Pilgrim but it is shabby. Can we decide what we want the space to look like and find the resources to make it right?
• While we are proud of our diversity, our worship experience could be more diverse. We don’t always use inclusive language and there are styles of worship which are not reflected in what we do in worship. We have some variation is style—communion on the first Sunday and Kwanza after Christmas—but otherwise we are pretty consistent. To what degree do we want diversity or consistency in worship? What does style say about who we are?

Our intention in the conversation is to move toward an action plan in which we identify what we want to do, who will do it, and by when. We are not developing an action plan for fixing the roof or moving the pews. We are developing a plan by which Pilgrim will make decisions and move into our shared future. That means someone will take the ideas and turn them into proposals for the appropriate Ministries and the Council. This may result in a Congregational Meeting to approve specific actions or we may find ways to make things happen within current policy.

Plan to stay after worship next Sunday for this important meeting.

Communion and Concert at IPP

It was a delightful evening at Ivory Perry Park on July 25.  We celebrated an agape feast following communion and then enjoyed entertainment from Denise Thimes and her trio.  A rising star named Matthew (I didn’t catch the last name) was great as the intermission act.  We even had a guest appearance from Spiderman.

2010-07-25

Agape Feast in IPP

Pilgrims,

Worship tomorrow is not at 10:30 but at 4:30 and is not in the chancel but at Ivory Perry Park.  Our worship will be an agape feast with members of the other Union Communion congregations and all of our neighbors so bring the food you love with enough to share.

We are going to have thundershowers overnight and into the afternoon but the forecast is for cooler and clear by the time of the concert.  Denise Thimes and her band will be entertaining from 6:00 – 8:00.  Don’t miss it.

Peace

Calling All Pilgrims!

 Come bring your bones and breath

to chill and share in our Worship in Work and Word

in our Pilgrim Chancel this Sunday, July 18, at 10:30 (our worship time for the rest of the summer).  We will be singing and moving "Dem Bones,"

getting a laugh from Sarah (from the Bible, not Coffin),

working with Martha,

hearing and sharing the word with still-listening Mary and still-speaking Jesus.

Pilgrims, dem bones are gonna rise again!

Bony Pastor Tom

C and E Ministry Meeting from 7-11-2010

Pilgrims,

Following worship in July 11, 2010 we had a brief meeting of the Communications and Evangelism Ministry to follow up on the meeting of June 27^th. The notes from the meeting on the 27^th will soon be posted on the PilgrimNext wiki and the handout for the meeting on the 11^th will also be there. At the meeting we affirmed several things.

1. We will continue to try to use the wiki at PilgrimNext.PBWorks.com as a venue for conversation about these issues vital to the wellbeing and future of Pilgrim. If you have not signed up at the site you will want to do so. When you are a member you will not only have the privilege of posting to the site, you will also have email notices whenever anyone else posts to the site. This way you will be sure to know what is going on.

[If you have not signed up, simply click on the link above to go to the site. At the upper right side you will see a link to create an account. When you click the link you will be taken to a page that asks for your name, email and whatever you want your password to be. When you fill in the boxes and submit the information, an email will be sent to the address you have given. Open that email and click on the link to confirm that you own that address. That is all you have to do. The email address will not be used for any purpose other than letting you know when others have posted.]

2. We will divide topics into four areas as described in the handout for the meeting.

3. The topics will be discussed at four separate conversations.

4. The first will be after worship on August 1 and will focus on the items related to worship and the structure and use of the sanctuary.

5. We will work with the other Ministries to plan the meetings to create an action plan which clearly spells out

a. what will be done,

b. who will do it, and

c. by when it will be done.

6. Recommendations will go to the Council for action.

Mark Lee Robinson, chair of C&E

July 11 at Pilgrim

Pilgrims:

Tomorrow we gather again for worship in the chancel. Before worship at 9:15 there is Adult Ed in the Conference Room on the Book of Joshua.  Worship begins at 10:30 (yes, 10:30, not 9:30 or 10:00).  After worship there will be a meeting in the Library to follow up on the Conversation we started on June 27 about ideas for the future of Pilgrim.  It will be a short meeting as the World Cup Finals start at 12:30.

Peace

Posting on PilgrimNext

Pilgrims:

If you haven’t signed up for the Pilgrim Partners wiki at http://pilgrimnext.pbworks.com/ then you haven’t seen the post by Paul Sonderegger about engaging families with young children. Go to the site and sign up and you will get a notice whenever Pilgrim Partners add to the site.

Remember that we are worshipping at 10:00 in the sanctuary on the 4^th of July.

Peace

New Worship time July 4 – 10:00

At the Council meeting this week we affirmed the decision from last Sunday to meet in the sanctuary at 10:00 AM. 

Other items are discussed in the minutes which are on the web site at http://www.pilgrimucc-stl.org/2010/06/minutes-of-the-pilgrim-council-meeting-of-june-29-2010/

1st C&E Ministry Meeting

Pilgrims

The first meeting of the new Communications and Evangelism Ministry (formerly a committee) was Sunday, June 27. We had an excellent turnout and a delightful light lunch (thank you Mary Morris).

The purpose of the meeting was to begin to catalogue all of the ideas floating around about new projects and programs for Pilgrim. We want to tap all of the enthusiasm in a manner that carefully coordinates and collaborates between the various Ministries and Committees.

The details of the various ideas will be posted online at a wiki at http://pilgrimnext.pbworks.com/. You may go there and browse around to see what is up but if you sign up you can post and you can get notices whenever someone adds content to the wiki. Signing up is easy. Click on the sign up box on the right side near the top and enter your email and select a password. You will get a link in your email to verify your address and then you are in.

I have lowered the security settings a bit to make it easy and I will raise them again in a couple of weeks so we don’t get a bunch of spam. So go ahead and sign up now.

Mark

Rev. Banks-Brown

Kimberly's Ordination Service was embedded into the usual Sunday Worship.  The reception following included the traditional hot dogs and ice cream for Father’s Day with a cake for Kimberly.

Click on the picture for more photos.

2010-06-20

Search Committee at Soup Kitchen

Members of the Pastoral Search Committee interviewed Soup Kitchen guests on Wednesday to learn more about their views of Pilgrim and what they know about the needs of the community.  This is part of the work of the Search Committee as it informs itself about the kind of pastoral leadership Pilgrim needs. 

SC at SK

Service of Ordination for Rev. Jennifer McCann Spivey

Jenny’s Service of Ordination was lovely and enlightening.  It was delightful to see those who are close to her personally and professionally gather to honor her achievement and to celebrate with her.  I was unaware that she is expert in the taxonomy of dinosaurs though this revelation was not surprising.  Click on her picture to link to the photos of the service and the reception.

Jenny's Ordination

Honoring Vernon's 20 years

On Sunday we helped Vernon celebrate 20 years with us. He started as a temp and Walter said about him that should be careful not to let him go. He isn't about to let us go either.

We also commissioned the Search Committee and heard Rev. Dori Hudson preach about her work at Shalom House.

2010-05-16

Celebration of the Ministry of Cynthia Bumb

Wow!  Who knew saying goodbye could be so much fun.  Sad too, but all in all, a wonderful day for Pilgrim.  If you couldn’t be there here are some pictures and some links that will help you feel more included.

During the Time for Children Cindy gave the kids a chance to select a sea shell to remind them of their baptism and of her.  She reflected on the honor of being the one to have baptized many of these children.

As her sermon, Cindy gave us a “Final Word and a Future Vision.”

Pat Perryman led us through a Litany of “Letting Go” to remind us that we are ending a very powerful and important relationship.

At the luncheon, artfully prepared by Mary Morris and her crew, we were reminded of the many aspects of Cindy’s relationship to us and of the joy of being family with her family.

Below is a link to the pictures I took of the worship service and the luncheon.

Celebration of Cindy's Ministry

Cindy’s Sermons

Cindy has just given me three of her most recent sermons to post on the web site.  These include her sermon on her final Sunday with us, “A Final Word and a Future Vision,” which is especially important as it speaks to her vision for the future of Pilgrim and the Church. 

Also included are her sermons “Breakfast on the Beach” from April 18 and “Connected Again, Long Before Facebook” from April 4.  You can access them from the links here or by going to the web site and clicking on blogs in the red bar under the header or by going to the bottom of the column on the left where you will find the blog posts for Pastor.

Service Sunday

After gathering in the Sanctuary for the beginning of worship, we reconvened at the cornerstone for the reading of scripture, prayers, singing, and the passing of the Peace of Christ.  We then began our service of assembling hygiene kits, making cards for children at Children’s Hospital, and preparing the Pilgrim plot at our community garden.  A small group worked on cleaning out the Danforth Chapel.  We should have before and after photos but we only have after.

Service Sunday - 2010-04-11

Nominees to the Search Committee

Pat Perryman, our Moderator, in consultation with the Pilgrim Council has been hard at work carefully building a slate of nominees to the Search Committee to seek a new called Pastor.  This slate will be presented to the Council at the regular April meeting next Monday the 12th for approval.  The slate includes:

• Aaron Ban
• Mark Barnett
• Jan Good
• Langston Jackson
• Velma Hunt
• Carol Moakley
• Katherine Pierce

Glorious Easter

We had a grand time celebrating the truth of the resurrection. We had gorgeous weather for the celebration with Union Communion on the lawn at Westminster. Our Easter Breakfast sweet and satisfying and the food was good too. Kimberly helped us connect with the emotions of Mary looking for the body of her Lord. Jenny taught the kids (of all ages) some things about expectation and surprise through the magic of eggs. The band was rocking and the choir with it. Cindy’s sermon was current and clever but also theologically complex and clarifying. All in all, a great celebration. These pictures don’t do it justice.

Easter 2010-04-04

Palm Sunday

We celebrated Palm Sunday with procession and singing.  Here are photos of the line up and the procession and the Children's Time.  Just click to enter the post and then follow this link.

Worship on March 21

During the Children’s Time this morning, Jenny led the kids through a consideration of recycling material goods as caring for the planet and how God makes old things new.  The video of the Children’s time is on the Picasa site.  I have posted the links to the site on the new web site which is at PilgrimUCC-StL.org.

You will see the new site and you can click on the title of any post to see the whole thing.  Just click on the title for “Worship on March 21” and it will take you to the link for the Picasa site.  Most of Children’s Time is in the video.

Or, just click on this link.

OGHS Sunday

We gathered our offerings for One Great Hour of Sharing today. Here are pictures of the worship service with a short video of Children's Time. I am still learning. It turns out I don't have a way to rotate the image of a video after it is filmed. Sorry.

2010-03-14 - OGHS

We also viewed a video about the places One Great Hour of sharing donations go to work. If you missed it you can find a link at the new Pilgrim web site. It is still under development but it is functional. Check it out at http://pilgrimucc-stl.org and view the video.

Meditations from Women’s Sunday

I promise I won't send a new post every day, but here are the links to the sermon meditations from last Sunday on the new web site we are developing.

http://www.pilgrimucc-stl.org/blogs/pastors-blog/meditations-from-womens-sunday/

Mark

Southminster at Soup Kitchen

Once a month our friends from Southminster Presbyterian come to volunteer at the Soup Kitchen. Here are stills and a short video taken with our new camera.

2010-03-10 Soup Kitchen

Re-branding Pilgrim

I just posted an announcement about the upcoming Service Sunday and noticed that I couldn't read the title of my own post when it came through by email. The name of the blog is so long it cancels out the post title.

Recently KWMU became St. Louis Public Radio. At first I thought the change was presumptuous (what about KDHX) and lame.  Besides the URL for stlouispublicradio.org is harder to enter than kwmu.org.  Both work.  But from the point of view of an announcer, how easy is it to say KWMU?  Say that three times quickly.

Similarly, I have heard many people stumble over the word "congregational."  That is not a concept that really speaks to people.  What is a congregationalist, anyway?

So for the purposes of both brevity and clarity, I suggest we start calling ourselves Pilgrim UCC, or, because there is more than one, Pilgrim UCC in St. Louis.  I am not suggesting we legally change our name.  But the URL for our website is PilgrimUCCStL.org.  [I am setting up a new site and have also bought the URL PilgrimUCC-StL.org]

Let me know what you think about this idea.

Service Sunday - April 11

On April 11, the first Sunday after Easter, we will worship in a different way.  After gathering for a brief time of prayer and singing, we will spread out around the community to do good.  Some projects will be in the neighborhood, some within the church.  Some projects will take fine motor skills, some will be more back and hands work.  All will be of service to the community and all will be to the glory of God.  This would be a good event to invite your friends to.

In Care Members

When a person identifies a calling to ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ, they undergo a careful and conscientious process for building a relationship to the Association which will ultimately ordain him or her. Persons in the process are supported by a local congregation in which they are a member. They are considered to be in the care of that congregation. We are extraordinarily fortunate to have three members who are In Care. On the last Sunday in February we recognized Felicia Scott, Aaron Ban, and Kimberly Banks-Brown as persons in the care of Pilgrim.

From 2010-02-28

Through the Eyes of a Song

Kimberly's concert came off splendidly. We had a huge turn out and everyone enjoyed it immensely. Click on the link below to see all the pictures. Sorry, I don't have a sound track.

Eyes of a Song

Paint Your Faith

I came across this link from the Utne site to a story about a project of the United Church of Canada (UCC) reaching out in an urban setting.  I found it fascinating and you might also.

Paint Your Faith

Giving Statements

The giving statements for 2009 have been prepared and are being distributed.  You should get them soon.

Through The Eyes of A Song

Celebrating American History Through Spirituals Kimberly Banks-Brown, Soprano Come and celebrate American History through this Rich Experience of Music Sunday February 21, 2010 2:30 pm Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ 826 Union Blvd St. Louis, MO 63108 Tickets: Individual: $10 in advance---$12 at the door Family of 4: $35 in advance--- $42 at the door Contact Pilgrim UCC to purchase tickets 314-367-8173 Children 10 & under are free when accompanied by an adult. Pilgrim is located on Union Blvd. two blocks north of Delmar Ave. Guarded parking lot behind church www.pilgrimuccstl.org

Kimberly Banks-Brown is a native of St. Louis, MO. Her affinity for music was ignited in her grandmother’s kitchen as she listened to the luxurious voice of Mahalia Jackson on the radio. As time went on and Kimberly’s musical interest grew she became mesmerized by musicians such as Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman, Ella Fitzgerald, and Renee Fleming. Kimberly began studying vocal music privately at age 15 under the tutelage of Christine Chase-Chittison. She obtained a BA from Missouri Baptist University in vocal performance. After 10 years of teaching private voice, Kimberly closed her studio at Clayton Academy of Music to begin studies at Eden Theological Seminary, where she completed her Master of Divinity in 2008. This is Kimberly’s first concert in over 7 years and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to share with others through music. She is also honored to be able to use her talent in service to her church, Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ. The concert will offer moving music, guest vocalists, an occasional laugh and perhaps a deeper glimpse into the world of Negro Spirituals and how they have come to shape the history of America.

My Blog about Obama's Nobel acceptance lecture

I mentioned in my sermon this morning a blog I wrote about the speech. Here is a link to it.
http://www.creativeconflictresolution.org/jc/2009/12/the-obama-doctrine.html.

The experience of working with other members to create worship for us reminds me a bit of my days as a Boy Scout.  I was really proud of what my patrol was able to do on a campout... and I was really glad to get home to clean dry clothes.  It was a wonderful and spontaneous morning and it will be good to have our staff return.

Rehearsing Baptism

Yesterday at Pilgrim we remembered the baptism of Jesus and our own baptisms as well. We enjoyed a largely pot-luck luncheon (with thanks to the Morris’s and to Karyn Taylor for work in kitchen on the lasagna and French bread). And we passed the 2010 budget.

I wish I had brought my camera to worship. A central part of the service was a rehearsal of our baptism as Cindy washed our foreheads with the sign of the cross. There were many beautiful moments.

Jenny asked the kids during Children’s Time about how we remember things and how one way is to rehearse them. She asked about when we rehearse our baptism and I thought of my morning shower. The ancients thought of sin in terms of cleanliness and so bathing was actually about restoring one’s place in the community by washing away sins. We don’t normally think of it that way…but we could. What if every shower were a sacrament—an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace—by which we remembered that there is nothing we have done, and there is nothing that has been done to us, that can separate us from God’s love. Everyday is a new opportunity for manifesting the love of God to others and we are all a part of the Beloved Community.