Excerpts from The New Outlook
Mid March 2008
Holy Week at
Second Baptist
Palm Sunday, March 16
We will re-enact Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem with palms and balloons. Dr.
Jones will preach on “These Stones Shall Cry Out!” The text is Luke 19:38 – 40.
Maundy Thursday Agape
Meal and Service of Darkness
March 20, 6:00 p.m., Fellowship Hall
The Maundy Thursday service that I bring to you is one of my most beloved
worship experiences of the year. We begin seated around one long set of tables
in the shape of a cross. “The color purple” is a unifying theme on the tables.
We invite you to bring a covered dish of finger food (small sandwiches, veggies
or fruit, chips, desserts, appetizers). The place setting and beverage are
provided by the church. We will enjoy an evening of conversation and fellowship
around the tables, much like Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.
After dinner, the mood changes as
we experience Holy Communion around those tables in a very meaningful way. Then
we hear the story of what happened after the last supper leading up to Jesus’
arrest in the garden. We leave the room in silence. This evening offers a
beautiful way to re-enact Jesus’ experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, his
struggles there, his arrest, and his facing his accusers. I hope you will join
us for a very inspiring evening.
– Stephen Jones
Second’s Choir To
Perform Requiem at Good Friday Service
Our choir and guest soloist Emily Heslop will
perform John Rutter’s Requiem, directed by Brad Short and accompanied by
Marilyn Short and a five-piece orchestral ensemble, on Friday, March 21, at 8:00
p.m. Brad Short says of the Requiem, “John Rutter composed this in memory
of his father. It is a heart-felt recasting of the ancient Roman funeral
mass. The forty-minute work touches so many human emotions felt at the time of
death but also moves to consolation and true redemption.”
Easter Sunday: Christ Is
Risen!
7:30 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service in the Rose
Garden (in the building if the weather is poor)
8:30 a.m. Easter Breakfast in Fellowship Hall
9:15 a.m. Adults: Diana Pryer will show slides and tell of her recent mission
trip to Costa
Rica in Fellowship Hall
Youth and Children’s classes will meet in their regular
classrooms
Choir Rehearsal
10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Resurrection Worship:
“Living Stones”
I Peter 2:4; Luke 20:17: “Come to Christ, the living stone, rejected by men but
in God’s sight,
chosen and precious, and like living stones be yourselves
built into a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood. . .The very stone which the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone.”
11:45 a.m. Reception and Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Harris Stowe University
Choir To Perform at Second Baptist
Sunday, March 30, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Sanctuary of the Beatitudes
Come and hear this 20-voice choir
under the direction of Dr. Rosalyn England. A reception will follow in
Fellowship Hall. At the intermission, we will celebrate our heritage at Harris
Stowe through the strong legacy of John Whitney and John Ervin, former members
and leaders of our congregation.
The choir will sing a salute to
Hollywood, spirituals and other selected pieces. Use the flyers to invite
friends, neighbors and colleagues!
“Both/And”
On Palm Sunday, Mary Shepardson will lead a session called “Both/And” for the
Living Faith Class. Jesus tells us that we are to be “poor in spirit.” A few
verses later he tells us that we are the light of the world. How do we put these
seemingly contradictory ways of seeing ourselves together and live them out?
Meets in Fellowship Hall.
A
Post-Easter Series: “A Time of Discernment”
Shall We Resurrect the Peace-making Tradition of Second Baptist Church?
One of the visions that
received a high rating last fall by members of the congregation was to consider
becoming a Partner Church with the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and
how to become a more active peace congregation.
Toward the goal of
hosting a healthy and open conversation within the congregation and a time of
spiritual discernment, a Peacemaking Task Force has, with Church
Council endorsement, offered the following schedule:
Sunday, March 30:
9:30 a.m. Elective Class:
Just
Peacemaking
Steve will lead a
class based on a new book edited by Glen Stassen by this title in which he
identifies 10 actions that can be taken that prevent war and
increase reconciliation and conflict resolution
Sunday, April 6: Peacemaking Sunday
9:30 a.m. Elective
Class:
The
Peacemaking Heritage of Second Baptist Church
Stephen Jones will offer the results of his research on our church’s
peacemaking heritage.
10:30 a.m.
Blessed
are the Peacemakers,
sermon
Text: Matthew 5:9
Stephen Jones, preaching
12:00 p.m. Congregational Forum in Fellowship Hall
For discussion and spiritual discernment
Sunday, April 13
9:30 a.m. Elective
Class
Dr. Clint McCann, Eden Theological Seminary
A Look at the Psalms: “World Encompassing Shalom”
Information about the meaning of becoming a partner church with the Baptist
Peace Fellowship of North America will be made available beginning on Sunday,
March 30. More information about what this dialogue means, and doesn’t mean, to
our church will also be available beginning March 30.
America for Christ
Offering During March
Envelopes are in the pews for the annual America for Christ Offering, which we
will be collecting in the worship services during the month of March. This
offering supports mission in one of the largest mission fields in the world: the
United States of America. It helps develop new churches, expand the
denomination’s justice ministries, support inner city neighborhood action
centers, support ABC educational ministries and a host of other ministries.
One-third of our gifts remain with the Great Rivers Region to expand outreach
ministries in Illinois and Missouri. Please give generously.
Junior Class Writes and
Performs “Jesus Raised Lazarus”
Here is the script of a puppet play written and performed by the junior class
for the primaries. What a great job!
Jesus Raised Lazarus
Narrator: There was a man named Lazarus (bow) who lived in Bethany with his 2
sisters: Mary (bow) and Martha (bow). They lived at the time Jesus was on earth,
and He was their friend. He often came to visit them—He ate with them and even
stayed with them overnight.
One day Lazarus got sick, and he
was so sick his sisters decided to send for Jesus. They knew he could heal
Lazarus.
Mary: Lazarus is so sick I think we need to send for Jesus.
Lazarus: Please do. I feel awful.
Martha: I’ll go tell our neighbor about Lazarus and ask him to go. I know He
(Jesus) loves Lazarus and I know He’ll come.
Narrator: The neighbor left
Bethany and went to find Jesus. While he was gone Lazarus got sicker and sicker.
Lazarus: I’m sick! I hurt!! I’m dying!
Narrator: Lazarus dies. Four days
pass. Mary and Martha are so upset! They (with their friends) cry and wail and
complain that Jesus didn’t come in time to save their brother.
Mary: I can’t believe our brother is dead! (Cry, sob, in mourning)
Martha: If only Jesus had come in time He could have healed Lazarus—but now he’s
gone! (sobbing)
Narrator: Jesus finally comes.
Mary: Where have you been? You should’ve healed my brother—four days ago.
Jesus: I’ve been sleeping.
Mary: What! For 4 days!
Jesus: Well, I did stop along the way to heal a few people. But it will be okay
with your brother.
Martha: How can it be okay—he’s dead! He’s in the tomb—he already stinks!
Narrator: They (Jesus, Mary,
Martha, and friends) go to the tomb.
Lazarus (from the tomb): Hurry up, Jesus—I’m rotting!
Jesus: Wept, was very sad.
Mary: You should have come sooner.
Narrator: All the group at the
tomb are crying—sad.
Jesus (looking at tomb): Lazarus, come out of there!
Narrator: Lazarus comes out—looking like he looked before he got sick! All the
people praised God.
Mary and Martha: Thanks you, Jesus. We love you!
We’ve Got
a Water Buffalo!
As a Lenten service project, the children of Second Baptist have
been trying to collect the $250 needed to buy a water buffalo for Heifer
International. Not only have they succeeded at their task before the end of
Lent, but they’re still bringing in their money! By Palm Sunday, it looks like
the kids will also have enough money saved to buy a flock of chicks or a hive of
bees to be given to impoverished families. Thanks to everyone who has helped
our children reached their goal!
Men’s Breakfast
March 15, 7:30 a.m.
Delmar Baptist
American Baptist Women’s
Ministries News
Everyone Is Invited
The American Baptist Women invite you to come to the Community Room at 9 a.m. on
Tuesday, March 25, to hear Rev. Patrick Payne of Rainbow Acres, an adult
facility in Arizona for the disabled. It is sponsored by the American Baptist
National Ministries. Please invite a friend and hear about this vital ministry
which the ABW of our church has supported for many years.
Praying for Our
Missionaries
Second’s ABWMinistries group has been assigned special interest missionaries,
both national and international. We pray for them and sometimes do special
projects for them. See the table in the narthex for a list of their names and
birthdays—missionary kids like to get birthday cards! You can read their
journals and newsletters online at
www.nationalministries.org and
www.internationalministries.org to learn
more about them.
More Ways to Help
The very mature ladies of the ABWM thank you
for participating in our Church World Service project. Below are some ways you
can help. Boxes for all of these items are in the narthex.
Did you know that the roller
bandages we provide are used not only for bandages, but also for keeping dust
and flies out, for hanging IV fluids, for casts, and even as trim for the hem of
a wedding dress? ABWMinistries can make good use of your old sheets. Please give
them to Mildred Shelton.
Urgent Need for
Platelets
We have been contacted by a woman in California whose cousin is being treated at
Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis and is in urgent need of platelets. If you
can help, call the church for more information.
When Vision Fills to
Overflowing
I’m not as interested in increasing the size of
the membership of Second Baptist Church. Yes, it would make me look better.
Yes, in a world that worships bigness, it would make us look better. But the
size of the membership isn’t really the important thing. What’s important is the
size of our inspired vision.
If our visions are so large that
we don’t have the people and resources to realize them, then we not only NEED to
grow, but we WILL grow. In other words, our vision is the driving force into the
future, not the desire for more warm bodies in the pews.
Large and significant visions
attract other people. They feel compelled to join us, and not just to fill a
pew, but to help us realize the vision. We invite them to join us in our
envisioning as we bring new visions into reality. And they join us, energized,
and ready, to actualize God’s New Possibilities.
Small, contracting visions
describe churches on a downward spiral. Their visions are not large enough to
truly engage new people. Expanding and Compelling Visions describe churches that
are ascending. I might use the good people of Des Peres Baptist Church as an
example. They had a vision that, instead of continuing as they had, they could
better serve God’s reign on earth by selling their valuable property. That
vision has blessed them, soon it will bless our denomination, and it has
certainly blessed our congregation with wonderful new people.
What matters for Second Baptist
Church is that we are growing in our vision of what God is calling us to do and
be. Once articulated, we will find ourselves growing into that Godly vision.
Typically, those new visions require resources and people beyond those we
already have. They include others who want to be a part of a Community of
Vision.
Right now, we’re looking at the
John Mason Peck Walk in the Woods on our property. We don’t have the people or
resources to do it. We’re looking at Habitat for Humanity in St. Louis. We don’t
have the people or resources to do it. We’re looking at starting a peacemaking
group at SBC. Same thing. We’re looking at launching St. Louis Jazz and Blues
Vespers. Same thing. We’re looking at beginning a handbell choir. Same thing. I
could go on. . .
We should be thrilled with these
emerging visions. To realize them, we will have to expand and reach out beyond
ourselves and invite others to join us. And that is how Second Baptist Church
will grow. We won’t attract pew-warmers. We’ll attract people of vision. We’ll
attract people who share our vision. We are enlarging capacity. We are making
room for new possibilities.
It is so exciting that the
visions that emerged within our congregation last August and September are
beginning to bear fruit. Some have already born fruit. The launch of the 175th
anniversary year and the Kim Massie concert are examples of our ability to dream
big and bring dreams to reality. And new visions are emerging all the time. You
might recall our need for two grand pianos?
Truly, God’s hand is upon this
wonderful congregation, increasing our vision and capacity.
– Stephen Jones
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Sun 8:45 a.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal in
Sanctuary
9:15 a.m. Classes
for children, youth and adults
10:30 a.m. Worship in the
Sanctuary
11:30 a.m. Coffee
Fellowship
Mon 7:00 p.m. Obsessive-Compulsive Group in Community
Room
Tue 1st and 3rd 10:00 a.m., American Baptist Women’s
Ministries
Tue 6:30 p.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics in
Community Room
Wed 7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
SPECIAL
ACTIVITIES
Mar 15 Men’s breakfast, 7:30 a .m. Delmar Baptist
Church
Mar 16 Palm
Sunday
Mar 17 Council meeting 6:15 p.m., Bitting Fellowship
Hall
Mar 20 Maundy Thursday Agape Meal and Service of Darkness,
6:00 p.m.
Mar 21 Good Friday Requiem Concert, 8:00
p.m.
Mar 22 Pew moving, 9:00
a.m.
Mar 23 Easter - Sunrise Service 7:30 a.m., Breakfast 8:30
a.m., Sunday School 9:15., Worship 10:30,
Easter egg hunt
following.
Mar 24 Prostate Cancer Support Group, 7:00
p.m.
Mar 25 9:00 a.m. Speaker, Rev. Payne from Rainbow Acres
Mar 29—30 Youth retreat, Keeneys’
cabin
Mar 30 Harris-Stowe University Choir Concert, 5:00 p.m.
Apr 06 Ladies’ lunch and shower for Audrey Munsch, Community Room
