Congo Beat - September 17, 2020

CONGO BEAT

September 17, 2020

First Congregational UCC

1000 S. Cooper St.

Memphis, TN 38104

Keeping up:

A Note from our Senior Pastor, Rev. Cheryl Cornish

Exciting news! We’ll be looking at some updated architectural designs Saturday morning at our Congregational Meeting! Architects from brg3s and from Self-Tucker will be with us to share designs of a proposed dining room, pantry and storage area; a new building entrance in the south parking lot; the “Hub” area for shared space partners and a new exterior design for the east parking lot! Our Facilities Committee has been hard at work this summer studying these designs and sharing input to make them as “user friendly” as possible for our congregation. Join us!

Congregational Quarterly Meeting

THIS Saturday, Sept 19th at 10:30 a.m.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87269437026

Blessing of the Animals

on Sunday, October 4th

Be sure to bring your beloved animals to our worship zoom on this date. If your animal is too large or difficult to show in person, you can post or hold up a photo!

www.firstcongo.com

Church Calendar

Season of Creation:

from our Minister of Art, Rahn Marion -

The Season of Creation is my favorite, because it celebrates the Earth and everything and everyone that inhabits it. I have a bit of a green thumb, I love plants and nature and so I LOVE painting it!

These figures are "Spirit Lifters!" which is the name of this artwork, and also one of our ministries by our Associate Pastor Sonia! The figures are celebrating the season of creation, by gazing, (the figure in yellow gazing at the stars, the sun and moon, and leaf creations) also by playing music (the two middle figures playing instruments as if they are making the balls of creation above stay afloat), and by praising. (this woman to me is the main figure. like mother nature, the giver of the creation, she’s almost tossing the balls of creation in praise) They’re all surrounded by natural beauty, Cosmos, flowers, vibrant leaves, and the sun and the moon.

What inspired this piece? I envisioned what our energy as a church may look like after social distancing ends, when are able to hug, converse, sing loud and praise together in person!

Let’s face it, we all need a visual reminder, myself included! Dancing, celebrating the seasons, praising God, and the creation of life around us - it makes me hopeful, and brings me great joy to know the purpose behind the artwork... which is to reflect what I see in others, and what I wish to see in the world.

I invite y’all to enjoy, and appreciate the gifts of nature this season, and ALL seasons :)

from Pastor Tony: Rahn Marion’s painting, “Spirit Lifters,” certainly lifted our spirits on Sunday! Inspired by Rahn’s creativity, this week we invite you to send pictures of some of the art YOU have created. Whether painting or pottery, sculpture or sketches, feel free to send us pictures of how visual art-making has lifted your spirit. Email photos to [email protected], and we’ll feature your creations in the forth-coming issues of the Congo Beat during this season. God’s presence is in all of creation, and is in our every effort to create! Let’s share and celebrate this season.

Here's Virginia Mae Oliver after church last Sunday,

in front of the wonderful painting she created!

Faith formation:

Sunday Morning Online Worship

Worship begins at 10:30 a.m.

Click here for your: Order of Worship for September 20

Send your prayer requests to Pastor Sonia

Video of last Sunday's service: Sunday Worship, September 13th

Bible Study with Pastor Cheryl

Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m.

NOTE: this study group will not meet during October.

Walkin' the Talk: Conversations about Anti-Racism

Join Pastors Sonia and Lillian

on Thursdays at 3:00 pm.

For the next several weeks we'll continue our discussion of White Rage by Dr. Carol Anderson of Emory University.

Adult Forum

Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m.

Faith and the Election

We are less than eight weeks away from the 2020 Presidential Election. With it comes the potential for significant change; sustained tensions among economic, social, and racial classes; and opportunities for the church to more clearly demonstrate how to love thy neighbor.

So why, as a faith community, talk politics? Why mix our conversations of social justice with the unsettling dynamics of politics? And can we really separate any of it?

These are the questions we’ll tackle over the next several weeks leading up to the election. From a faith perspective, we’ll address issues related to race and race relations, healthcare, the economy, gender inequality and LGBT issues, gun reform, abortion and reproductive justice, and climate change. We’ll do this by looking at the policies of the two politic parties and determining who these policies help and who they keep at a disadvantage. We’ll look at the institutional norms and systemic barriers that are in conflict with the church’s mission, specifically exploring where the UCC stands with each issue.

Children & families:

Helping our Children Manage Stress

While the start of the school year can bring a welcome change of pace, particularly in this time, it can also bring new levels of stress. Children of all ages feel and react to stress, sometimes in ways we grown-ups don’t always recognize. Join Ms. Marsha, First Congo Sunday school teacher and developmental psychologist, along with other church families to talk about the challenges and opportunities of this stressful time. We’ll get to know one another and also develop some strategies for helping our children manage stress. We hope you’ll join us for this time of fellowship and learning! Contact Pastor Tony at [email protected] if you have questions.

Saturday, September 26, at 2pm. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6144132987

Congo community events:

Log in at 6:30 PM on September 23rd for a cooking party led by our infamous Chef Steph! We are making Sweet Potato Power Bowls. The ingredients are below. Bring your favorite beverage and we will sit down and visit over dinner after we cook together! Join us at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82002240435

Equipment needed:

- 1 sheet pan

- 1 medium skillet

- 1 knife and cutting board

- 2 mixing bowls

- 1 whisk

- 1 spoon

- large bowls from which to eat!

Veggies:

- 2 TB olive oil or coconut oil

- 1/2 red onion, sliced in wedges

- 2 small sweet potatoes, cubed

- 1 bunch of broccoli, chopped small

- 2 big handful of destemmed kale or spinach

- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Chickpeas:

- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry

- 1 tsp cumin

- 3/4 tsp chili powder

- 3/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

- 1/2 tsp oregano

- 1/4 tsp turmeric

Tahini Sauce:

- 1/4 cup Tahiti (or other nut butter if you prefer)

- 1 TB maple syrup

- juice of 1 lemon

- 2-4 TB hot water

Click here for our next Congo Connect event, Sept 25th, 6pm

Donuts at a Distance!

Some of us are hungry to connect in person (safely), and maybe a little hungry for donuts too! Here's Keith Norman and Joe Hawes visiting with Pastor Lillian, who generously offers these opportunities for folks to meet in very small groups of 3-4 people, wear masks, and keep a safe distance while visiting. Current time offerings are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 AM, and other times can be scheduled. Email [email protected] if interested in attending.

Weekly yoga classes with Eric Swartz every Monday night at 6pm.

You may join at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/482251584

Social justice:

EYES ON THE PRIZE: THE HOUSING JUSTICE MOVEMENT & CDC FEDERAL EVICTION MORATORIUM

Tennessee is considered one of the most difficult states in which to vote. Only those over 60 or with COVID-related issues may request mail-in ballots. Here are some key dates:

Last day to register: October 5
Absentee ballots must be requested by Oct 27
Early voting runs from Wednesday, Oct 14 to Thursday, Oct 29, 2020, but dates and hours may vary per polling place.

For more registration information, go to https://www.shelbyvote.com/

And as we head into one of the most critical election seasons in our nation's history, the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change (at the University of Memphis) will present an in-depth discussion on voting rights, voter engagement and apathy, and tactics to suppress voting.

The event will be live-streamed on the Ben Hooks Institute FB on Sept 22, at 6pm, and features a panel of experts that includes Shanna Singh Hughey, Dawn Schlukebier, Mitchell Brown, Earle Fisher, and Sijuwola Crawford.

Dedicated Gifts for September Food Justice Ministries:

Buddy Maroon & John Garza

matched all monthly gifts for community lunches.

The Compost Fairy is being provided all year by Carla Peacher-Ryan.

Community lunches for this month have been given by

Debra Langston, in honor of her sister, Terry White.

The Food Pantry for September has been given by Rev. Sonia Louden Walker,

dedicated to the birthday of twin grandsons, Micah & Xan Walker, (Aug. 31) and in memory of Walter Walker's birthday (Sept. 4).

Cool NEWS:

We had two Tumbler Composters donated today for our Food Justice Ministries by Kali Kucera! Volunteer Reggie Nichols and FJM Assistant Brenda Nichols picked up the tumblers and delivered them to "Chef Steph" in the raised garden area. This is an incredible way to utilize leftover and scrap foods to create rich compost for our garden, and to reduce greenhouse gasses for our environment!

Celebrations:

The Sanctuary will be GORGEOUS when we return!

Last Saturday morning this crew made swift work of clearing the furniture off the Sanctuary floor so that it could be sanded & refinished this week. Thanks to Mark Allen, Hunter Demster, Catherine Dixon, Ivan Flores, Julia Hicks, Chris Johnson, Jo Kee, Rahn Marion, Bob Reiss, and Bryant Wilhite.

Here's our "chair brigade" for hauling chairs to the stage.

It took every one of our men to move the extremely heavy handrails!

Joe Kee was feeling happy to serve on this team, which was 60% over the age of 60!

Two hours flat - we were DONE! The contractors have been sanding for 4 days now.

Look who was seen walking in Overton Park during this week of beautiful & cooler days - Keith Norman and Joy Winkler!

Congratulations to Jenny Bartlett-Prescott for being part of the Peabody “Duck Walk” reception honoring local heroes of the Covid response for our community!

We believe:

That God created the world, and that every single one of us has good work to do in life.

Our "good work" has to do with living in ways that reflect God's agenda of love, joy, compassion and hope for the world and all its creatures, even in the midst of struggle.

Jesus showed us how to do this. He had radical trust in the Goodness of God and our ability to share God's agenda of life for the world. We can have this trust and share this agenda too, by following in his way.