Excerpts from The New Outlook
Early November 2006
Visioning
Process—the Next Generation
If you are a resident member, you may soon receive, or have already
received, a letter from the church inviting you to attend one of four
gatherings. This will give you the opportunity to be involved in our
visioning process, to help us discern an answer to the questions of who
God wants us to be as a church, and what God wants us to do as a church.
Whether you are an adult or a youth, your input is very important. The
process is both personal and spiritual, and we think that you will enjoy
it.
Just choose the location and
date that fits you best, and let either your host or the church office know at
least a day in advance of the gathering that you wish to attend.
1. Thursday, November 2, 2006, 7:00 PM
At the home of Steve and Judy Comfort
800 Craig Forest Lane, Kirkwood, MO 63122 314/984-0923
2. Wednesday, November 8, 2006,
1:00 PM
In the Community Room at Second Baptist Church
9030 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights, MO 63117 314/991-3424
(hosted by Shari Nelson-Faulkner)
3. Monday, November 13, 2006,
7:00 PM
At the home of Fred and Fran Adams
811 Weatherwood Drive, Manchester, MO 63021 636/527-8296
4. Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 7:00 PM
At the home of Ed and Lynn Wakefield
9029 Haverford Terrace, St. Louis, MO 63117 314/569-2382
We hope to see
you there!
Mike Dixon
Blessed Are the Humble. . .
As part of his continuing monthly series on the Beatitudes, on Sunday, November
12, Rev. Dixon will focus on the third Beatitude, “Blessed are the humble, they
will inherit the earth.” Central in Second’s window depicting this Beatitude is
the hand of God, Creator of the heavens and the earth and of all living things.
Our awareness of our dependence on God is the ground out of which humility and
meekness grow. (Click here to see this
window and a further description of it.)
The following Sunday, November 20, there will be a discussion of this Beatitude
in Fellowship Hall at 9:30.
A Close Call
Early in the week of October 16th, I received a call at my office from
our custodian, Bob Johnson, telling me that there was a strong odor of gas in
the church. He thought it was coming from the first floor of the sanctuary
building. I told Bob to leave the building and I would call Laclede Gas.
Laclede instructed us to open the doors to the building and then stay out.
Within an hour or so Bob called me back to say that Laclede had arrived and
measured the gas concentrations in the building and that they were extremely
high. Not quite to an explosive level, but there was a significant leak that
was likely headed that way. Surprisingly, at first they thought the leak was
coming from the boiler room. But soon they realized that the leak was coming
from the wall outside the boiler room and was on Laclede's side of the meter.
That's good news for us, but it made for a cold work environment for our staff,
since both the addition and the sanctuary building share the same gas meter, and
gas was shut off until late that week. Let's be thankful for a safe resolution
to a potentially catastrophic problem. Thanks also to Bob and the other staff
for dealing so well with this facility issue!
Pat Justis
Ministry Support Co-Chair for Property
A Thank You: Free Manicures and Pedicures
Pamela McKay, the head of our Katrina survivor family, has been taking
courses in cosmetology. To show her appreciation to Second Baptist, she is
offering free manicures and pedicures at the church on Monday, November 6, from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Community Room. A donation to cover Pamela’s supplies
would be appreciated. Please sign up in the narthex.
Book Group to Discuss The Known World
Join Second’s Book Group in the church library on Saturday, November 11, at
10 a.m. to discuss The Known World, by Edward P. Jones. This Pulitzer
Prize-winning novel tells the story of Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former
slave, who falls under the tutelage of William Robbins, the most powerful man in
Manchester County, Virginia. Time Magazine calls this book “a masterpiece
that deserves to be in the American literary canon.” Note: This is a change from
the original schedule. Because the October meeting was cancelled, we will
discuss the book planned for October at the November meeting.
It’s Time for the Real Thing!
We’ve had our dance lessons, and now we’re ready to try out our new
skills at Casa Loma Ballroom this Friday night, November 3. Meet at the church
at 7:30 to carpool. Dancing at Casa Loma lasts until 11:00 p.m., but a car will
return to church earlier if people are interested. Admission is $8 per person.
Everyone is invited whether you attended the lessons or
not—couples, singles, experienced dancers, klutzes, those who don’t want to
dance but just want to spend an evening with their Second Baptist family. Please
let Linda Marks or the church office know if you plan to attend.
An Opportunity to Grow
Delmar Baptist has invited us to participate in “A Week of Guided
Prayer—A Retreat in Everyday Life,” beginning Sunday, December 3, at noon with a
90-minute luncheon meeting at Delmar. Each retreatant will be assigned an
experienced prayer guide, who will listen with a welcoming, non-judgmental
presence and help participants become more attentive to God’s activity in their
lives.
Participants will carry on their daily lives as usual
during the retreat, but will commit to praying privately for 30 minutes each day
and meeting privately with their prayer guide each day for 30 minutes at a
mutually convenient time. The retreat ends Saturday morning at 9:00 with a
90-minute gathering at Delmar.
You can participate in the retreat even if you are not able
to attend the gatherings on Sunday and/or Saturday. The registration deadline is
November 24. Suggested donation is $50 per person. For more information, pick up
a flyer on the table in the narthex or attend an information session at Delmar
from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Sunday, November 12 at Delmar. This sounds like a great
opportunity!
Hanging of the Green Service
This year we will have our annual Hanging of the Green service on Sunday
morning, December 3, during the worship service.
From the Pastor
Wasn’t it wonderful to hear Muriel Johnson
preach last Sunday? It was a very special service in many ways. One thing that
struck me was when Muriel listed some of the great things that this congregation
has done in its history. We challenged slavery; we integrated racially in a day
when segregation was enforced; we stood up for the rights of women to vote; we
were excluded from fellowship with other Baptist churches because we related to
the Jewish community, and we’ve always been a beacon for interfaith dialogue.
But Muriel emphasized something that we tend to forget. It wasn’t just us, but
God working through us that allowed all this to happen. Our ancestors prayed and
prayed hard to have the strength of spirit to stand up to the powers and
principles that gave weight to oppression and intolerance. It wasn’t just our
forbears’ own strength, their own courage, but God working through them. They
had to pray to receive the wisdom and strength they would need to truly witness
to God’s power and love in a difficult and sinful world.
It’s still a difficult and
sinful world today. What is God challenging us to do, in order to witness to
God’s power and love in this generation? That may be part of the visioning
process that we’re doing this month. It’s easy to be God’s comfortable people,
but it’s more difficult to be God’s faithful people. Yet God gives us the
strength and the insight to get through. Let us try to be God’s faithful people.
Next Tuesday is Election Day. A
great legacy of our Baptist past has been the separation of church and state.
Our church doesn’t tell us how to vote. But part of being a Christian is being a
good citizen, and a privilege and responsibility of being a good citizen is to
vote. Don’t be discouraged by all the negative campaigning. Vote your own
conscience. Exercise soul freedom. Make your choices prayerfully and
thoughtfully.
Grace and peace,
Mike
