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Excerpts from The New Outlook
Mid November 2006
Hanging of the Green Service December
3
We will begin the Advent season with the Hanging of the Green on
Sunday morning, December 3, during the worship
service. We will decorate
our sanctuary with the symbols of this holy season in which we celebrate
the birth of our
Savior, Jesus Christ. The adult choir will provide
special music and lead us in our favorite carols. Members and friends
will
bring in greenery, candles, and other symbols as we learn about their
meaning. The children and parents will bring
in the empty manger, waiting
for the baby Jesus to be placed there at the Christmas Even service.
The Hanging of the Green service this year will be based on
a book material written by Sandy Dixon, our pastor’s wife.
Introducing Jesus
When Holiday schedules become frantic, it can be hard to remember
just why we celebrate. Take time for yourself to
be more in touch with the
"reason for the season" and you will find time during Advent to prepare for the
coming of the
Christ. To help you do that, Second
Baptist Church invites you to a three-part Advent Bible study, Introducing
Jesus.
We will meet in the Community
Room on the three Tuesdays of Advent, beginning at 1 PM, and concluding by 2:30
at
the latest. Pastor Michael Dixon will lead the study. In it, we will explore
how each Gospel introduces the story of
Jesus Christ. In our own minds and in
popular culture, the stories tend to mush together, but each Gospel has a
separate
way of witnessing to Christ’s coming into the world.
There is no curriculum, but BYOB—bring your own Bible! Here is the schedule:
Dec. 5: Mark 1 and John 1: The Baptist’s Call and the Word Become Flesh.
Dec. 12: Matthew 1 and 2: A Promise Fulfilled.
Dec. 19: Luke 1 and 2: Good News of Great Joy
Note: This Bible study will also be offered as a church
school class on November 26 and December 3, 10, and 24.
More Advent Opportunities
Sunday, December 10, at 5:00, we will have a catered dinner and
enjoy the play An Angel Came to Nazareth
performed by our children and
adapted and directed by Linda Marks. The cost of the dinner is $7 per adult and
$3
per child, not to exceed $20 per family. There are rumors that a special
visitor from the North Pole has Second
Baptist on his calendar for that night!
Sunday, December 24, we will have a traditional
"Lessons and Carols" service during worship. We will hear passages of scripture
that tell the Christmas story, and we will both sing and hear beautiful
Christmas music.
Sunday, December 24, at 5:00 p.m., we will have a
traditional Christmas Eve candle lighting service
Sunday, December 31, will be Bell Sunday. Bring a
bell to the worship service to help ring in the New Year.
An Invitation to a Progressive Dinner
You are invited to a Progressive Dinner On Saturday, December 2, 2006 At
5:00 p.m.
Appetizers at the Apples’
Main course at the Gurleys’ and at the Shepardsons’
Dessert at the Wakefields’
Tickets will be available from Linda Marks Sunday, November 19 and November 26.
The cost is $15 per person.
Meet at the church to carpool if convenient.
Directions will be provided.
A Musical Program on the Psalms
A special invitation
to everyone to attend
the November meeting of the St. Louis chapter of the American Guild of
Organists! We will be hosting it here at our church Monday, November 27.
The evening will begin with a dinner in Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m., followed
by a Psalm Festival in our sanctuary at
7:30 p.m. The cost is $8 for dinner
(catered by Joan Buschmann). For reservations, contact Kathleen Bolduan
(314-935-5517 or
kbolduan@artsci.wustl.edu). Vegetarians will be accommodated upon request.
Please confirm your reservations by Friday, November 24.
According to the chapter newsletter article written by Paul Vasile, "The book of Psalms has inspired generations of worshippers - priests in the Old Testament temple, sixth-century monastic communities, sixteenth-century Lutherans and Calvinists, as well as contemporary spiritual communities like Taize and Iona. This collected body of songs and prayers has played a central [role] in Jewish and Christian liturgy, giving voice to ecstatic joy, deep lament, seething anger, tearful confession and simple thanks. The emotional range of the book is staggering and speaks to the depth and richness of our human lives. But there are challenges to keeping the Psalms a central, vibrant part of our congregation's worship life. The texts can often be confusing or troubling and perhaps our congregations would rather that we focus on more 'upbeat' material. Maybe the musical settings that we find all sound the same, or a sung psalm has become one more 'thing' for the choir or cantor to prepare each week. At this month's meeting on Monday, November 27, you have an opportunity to reconnect and reimagine the Psalms in a unique Psalm Festival. The evening program will include diverse musical settings drawn from many traditions - responsorial, chanted in various languages, choral and spoken. And woven throughout our singing will be brief meditations by local clergy, a poet, and church musicians. Special guests will include: * Rabbi Mordecai Miller from Temple Brith Shalom Kneseth Israel in Clayton, who will speak on the central role of the Psalms in Jewish thought and worship. * Dr. Marvin Marcus, who serves as a cantor at Temple Brith Shalom, will chant a psalm in Hebrew and share in musical leadership. * Ann Weems, noted author and poet, will read several poetic translations of the Psalms, including a poem from her collection 'Psalms of Lament.' * Rev. Dr. Christopher Grundy, Professor of Preaching and Worship at Eden Theological Seminary, will speak on how the Psalms help to form and reform our worship. Members and friends of the Guild will offer instrumental interpretations of the Psalms. We hope that this event provides an opportunity for you to creatively re-engage with these powerful poems and the
spirituality that undergirds them." Marilyn Short, Music Director
Book Group To Discuss The Haj
Join Second’s Book Group in the church library on Saturday, December ? , at 10 a.m. to discuss The Haj, by Leon Uris, author of Exodus and Trinity. Set within the mighty saga of Arabs and Jews, this fast-paced novel tells the story of an Arab ruler who tries to save his people from destruction but cannot save them from themselves.
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. This sounds like a great opportunity!
Eat and Vote
There will be a congregational meeting and lunch on December 17 after church to
vote on next year's budget. Watch for inserts in the bulletin or call the office
to make a reservation. The cost will be $7 per adult and $3 per child, not to
exceed $20 per family.
Sharing with Others
Again this year we will be providing food and gifts for two families. See the
next Outlook for details.
Middle School Lock-In
Sixth to eighth-grade youth from five churches gathered at First Congregational Church Friday evening, November 10,
for the first Young Youth Cluster lock-in. They spent time getting to know one another, had a late-night pizza snack,
and played several games, including "Sardines" and "The Ultimate Game" (a cross between "Capture the Flag" and
"Dungeons and Dragons"). Pastors Jeff Groene of Samuel UCC and Kelly Allen of First Presbyterian led the group in two
sessions discussing "The Gospel According to the Simpsons" after watching episodes of the popular cartoon. At midnight,
everyone circled around in the sanctuary for a candlelight devotional. On Saturday morning, everyone emerged from the
lock-in exhausted, but happy.
Shari Nelson-Faulkner
Thanksgiving Prayer
Thank you, God, Thank you!
Thank you for the very breath of life, which is a gift of your Spirit.
Thank you for the beauty of this season and all seasons, for crisp blue sky and
gentle rain.
Thank you for family love, for those who have formed us and loved us and who
have returned to you, but love us still; and for those who are still with us,
the shared stories we have together, the laughter, the tears, the hugs, the
silent glances.
Thank you that in a hungry world we have food; that in a war-torn world we have
security; and help us realize our responsibility to those who have neither.
Thank you for our church, its beautiful building and setting that draw our
prayers to you, but especially for the people,
who are loving and talented, who
are your family in this place. Thank you for the American Baptist Church and the
Church universal around the world. May we work to make God's love shine through,
to be lights to the world, to bring peace and justice and your saving Word.
Thank you for Jesus Christ, your Son, who called the church in to being, and who
demonstrated for us your infinite love.
And thank you for Christ's Spirit, still with us today.
Thank you for being you. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Mike
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Mon 7:00 p.m. Obsessive-Compulsive Group in Community Room
Tue 6:30 p.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics Group in Community Room
Wed 7:00 p.m. Choir practice
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Nov 18 Men’s Breakfast,
7:30 am, Delmar Baptist Church
Nov 23
Thanksgiving (office closed)
Nov 24
Office closed
Nov 25 Open House
reception for newlyweds Kara & Jeff Cirese at the home of
the Jensens
Nov 27
Musical program on the Psalms, by the American Guild of Organists, 7:30
pm, Sanctuary
Nov 30 Search
committee meeting, 6:30 pm, community room
Dec 01 3rd-5th grade
YYC, Glendale Presbyterian church, 6:00—8:00 pm
Dec 02 Progressive
Dinner, 5:00 pm
Dec 03 Hanging of the
Green during worship service, 1st Sunday of Advent
“A week of Guided Prayer - A Retreat in Everyday Life” , Delmar Baptist
Church, noon
Dec 09 Book Group, 10:00 am, library
Dec 10 Children’s Christmas
program and dinner, 5:00 pm
Dec 13 Council meeting, 6:15 pm
Dec 17 Congregational meeting and
lunch, 11:45 am, following worship service z
Dec 22 Office closed
Dec 24 “Lessons and Carols”
worship service, 10:30 am
Christmas Eve traditional candle lighting service, 5:00 pm
Dec 25 Merry Christmas!
(office closed)
Dec 31 Bell Sunday, ring in
the New Year!
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