Parkway UCC enews 3-22-18: PALM SUNDAY

Parkway United Church of Christ E-news

March 22 , 2018

TONIGHT! Thursday, March 22

Bible Study Friday at 10:00am

Holy Week Preview --- Bible Study this Friday, March 23rd at 10:00am in Kevin's office.

Join us as we have a conversation about some of the scripture texts that we will share in worship on Palm Sunday through Holy Week and on Easter morning. Beware: Spoiler Alert!

Community Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 24 | Rain or Shine! | Doors open at 9:00am

Bring your little ones out to enjoy refreshments, crafts, a fun egg hunt with three age divisions, and to meet the Easter Bunny!

(This community event is in addition to our Easter egg hunts after services on Easter Sunday.)

Greetings, Peace Activists!

PLEASE join in the 'Students March for our lives 'in support of gun laws. March 24,2018 at 10:00 am, Market Street at Union Station. We will march to the Arch.

Contact Lynn Sableman: [email protected]

More info...

Worship with Us this Sunday!

Join us this weekend on the sixth Sunday of Lent = Palm Sunday
at 9:30am Traditional Worship and/or 11:00am Informal Worship where will start in the Gathering Space and process with palms into the sanctuary as the crowd did on that day when Jesus came into Jerusalem. As they waved palms and threw cloaks/garments on the ground to become a red carpet of welcome and honor for Jesus, we are asking you to bring a new shirt/blouse/sweater to spread on the ground (more directions upon arrival this Sunday)

[Note: the clothing will be donated to folks in need next week.]

Our scriptures will be Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 and Matthew 21:1-11 with a sermon entitled From Lovers to Fools with our Heads. We have a great deal to ponder today as we transition from Lent into Holy Week. How much can we grasp? What makes sense to us and what is foolish, unbelievable, unwanted?

We will extinguish our sixth Lenten candle as we move further into Lent and closer to the (temporary but deep) darkness of Good Friday and the tomb.

We will hear more about our mission partners this 2nd Mile Lent/Easter .... Unleashing Potential (formerly Neighborhood Houses), Heifer Project, Lydia's House and Eden Seminary.

Morning and evening worship/events/opportunities each day. Details...

Prayer List Updates

Rosanna Hogarty & family as they celebrate her mother's 96th Bday!

Kristin Edmonds and family as they grieve/give thanks for her father.

Family and friends of John Linder - remembering/celebrating him.

Greg Schmelig & Douglas Reynolds - at death of Douglas' mother.

Bejoy Kurian & family - on way to India to mourn/celebrate his mom

Pat Owens - recuperating from recent shoulder replacement surgery.

Polly Rutherford - healing at home after recent back surgery.

Kathleen Tarr and family as they grieve/give thanks for her brother.

Sisters Ruth Peace, Mary Whitney, Pinky Wilcoxen - healing.

Sue and Jim Houser - while he is still at Surrey Place.

Rev Francis and Marge Rath - healing in Albuquerque (Engel).

St Louis Association UCC Covenant Partner of Week -- Faith UCC in Little Rock, Arkansas

Announcements

PUCC Easter Candy

Donations of individually wrapped candy will be gratefully accepted in the Gathering Area until Palm Sunday, March 25. Thanks for supporting a beloved tradition! Questions? Contact Barb Kuhlmann at [email protected] .

AWOL Opportunities in April

GEOGRAPHY OF GRACE Saturday, April 14th 9am-12pm- "Holy Wells" w/new member Mollie Grisham @PUCC $37
Unleashing Potential (formerly Neighborhood Houses) TRIVIA NIGHT April 21st 7pm @ The Den $30
Also- look for signups for RACE FOR THE CURE JUNE 9th! Coming soon!

Contact Carmen Bumgarner at [email protected] for more information.

Earth Day Celebration Luncheon

Sunday, April 22 | 12:00pm | Fellowship Hall

Details...

Community

Vitality - Start Your Engines!

Sunday, April 8 | 10:00am

John Wimberly, our Vitality Consultant, will be back with us the weekend after Easter as we select and prioritize from our huge range of strategies you have suggested since our super session in late January and at our commission and committee meetings since then. These strategizes will help us live further into our new purpose statement! Please plan to be with us on Sunday, April 8 for our One Family Worship at 10am followed by a meal and strategizing!

We are so excited to let you know that Parkway will be magnifying a compassionate and progressive Christian voice by hosting author John Pavlovitz on the first weekend of June! It's our Annual Meeting weekend and a Communion Sunday - the perfect time to celebrate our Open Table and to think more about our renewed purpose statement and strategies in our Vitality Adventure.

John was recently at Central UCC in Jefferson City, MO. Several PUCCers were there last Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday to experience his leadership and call to love like Jesus. They came back pumped and fired up for our own planning!

As we move forward with our visioning for this time with John, please consider reading his book, A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community - which will be at the core of one of his presentations at Parkway.

Please add a note to your calendar for the first weekend of June now, because you'll want to be part of this! Trust us! The weekend will have many facets-an event for PUCC in particular, an event for the community, an event for area youth!?

Humor

The Bishop visits local parish and asks a class of little kids, "What is Easter?" First kid says, "That's when we eat turkey and watch football." "No," says the bishop, "That's Thanksgiving." Next kid, " It's when get presents and put up a tree and a manger scene." "Nope, that's Christmas," replies the bishop. The local priest is getting embarrassed now and suggests the bishop call on the star pupil. The bishop does so and the kid comes through for the priest. "Easter is when we celebrate Jesus coming out of the tomb alive." The bishop smiles her wide and wonderful smile and the priest let's out a sigh of relief. Her class is learning something after all. But then the star pupil continues. "And if Jesus sees his shadow, he goes back in and we have six more weeks of winter."