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ANOTHER CONTAINER FOR CUBA
950 boxes and packages of humanitarian items—36,455 pounds, more than 18 tons—filled a 40-foot high-cube container that is scheduled to arrive by ship at the Port of Mariel in Cuba this week. Many of those items came from Northminster Church and are intended for our partner church in Ciego de Ávila, Iglesia Bautista Enmanuel. The shipment was a joint project of sixteen Alliance of Baptists churches, most of which have partnerships with churches in Cuba, and followed last year’s similar successful effort. Northminster again helped lead the effort alongside Rev. Eduardo Gonzalez, pastor of Enmanuel. He and his wife, Queen, have been in Miami for several weeks supervising and facilitating the collection of items from the participating churches and consolidating packages as needed. They and their volunteer team packed the container this past Thursday.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed money, prayers, and good thoughts toward Northminster’s share of the container. Our primary contribution was a substantial solar panel system to be installed at Enmanuel, meeting all of the church’s electricity needs. We also contributed several commercial-grade induction cooktops that Enmanuel and community members can use at the church to prepare meals. Because of ongoing fuel and electricity shortages, most Cubans currently have little ability to cook at home.
Our contributions also included a portable solar-powered generator for Keila, one of our longtime friends and recently one of Enmanuel’s associate pastors, and her husband, Mauré. We sent many other requested items as well: a laptop, canned chicken and tuna, assorted soup mixes, Jell-O, vegetable oil, sugar, lemonade drink mix, feminine hygiene products, adult diapers, shampoo, toothpaste, bar soap, bed sheets, and several additional supplies. These items were requested because they are either unavailable in Cuba or too expensive for most Cubans to afford.
Everything we sent will do a great deal of good for our sisters and brothers in Cuba. They will also know that someone—we—sent our love and solidarity along with it.
Stay tuned for the next container!
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August 2 at 10:45 am
CHILDREN & YOUTH SUNDAY!
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CHOIR TO GET THIS SUNDAY OFF!
This Sunday, August 2 is Children and Youth Sunday therefore they will be leading the congregation in worship. The choir will not be needed in the choir loft but are encouraged to come and support the congregational singing. Let's show the congregation how we can sing! Please remember it will not be necessary to come to choir rehearsal on Sunday at 9am.
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THE SENSE OF DELIGHT
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be;
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
"Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
-- Traditional, "Simple Gifts"
So often we miss the essentials. Not only in our daily lives are we unaware of what is right before us, but also in our gatherings for worship. In our concern to do what is expected, and in our routine habits, we settle for our duty. Thus we miss one of the most essential features of vital worship: sheer delight - delight in God, in one another, and in the very means by which common life is graced. --Worship Come to Its Senses by Don E. Saliers
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BARCELONA 2027!
Join Debi and many others May 30 - June 6, 2027 and perform three concerts (two conducted by British Composer, John Rutter) in Spain!
We will be debuting his new work, I'll Think Me a World in Europe.
If you wish to go and not sing it is perfectly ok but the cost will be the same. For more information see Debi or go to www.midamerica-music.com/midam-spain
If you need to see more information check these two PDF files:
Pages 1-7 Pages 8-12
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Richard Decker
Marques Tate, son of Monique Tate
Millie Hayes sister of Susan Curry
Fred & Helen Loeb, brother and SIL of Mara Loeb
Mary Delancy
Anita Breen
Paulette Cappel
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Timothy Prater, nephew of Peggy Burns
Jeanette Brumley, grandmother of Shelby Sheppard
Debra Blackman, sister of Gail Blackman
Iglesia Bautista Enmanuel, our partner church in Ciego de Avila, Cuba
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Lilah Kate Higginbotham 31ST
Elias Cross 2ND
Terryn Kimble 3RD
Grayson Medders 5TH
Kate Medders 5TH
Rckie Keen 5TH
Emma Medders 7TH
Melba-Kaylynn Kimble 8TH
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DON CINCONE BOOK SIGNING
Recently Northminster Church was priviledged to host the P.E.O. Chapter V Spring Talent Showcase featuring the art of Don Cincone. Not only an renowned artist, Don is also an author. His bok titled "Time Was Not My Burden: The Artist Memoir" . It details his incredible life journey, starting from his birth in a Richland Parish cotton field to his rise as an internationally celebrated expressionist painter.
The book chronicles:
- Early Life: Growing up under segregation and discovering European masters through books checked out by his mother.
- Artistic Journey: His global travels, studying in Europe, and his prominent career, including creating 85 original paintings for the 1965 Universal Studios film The Art of Love.
- Philosophy: His agrarian work ethic and the spiritual and natural themes that influence his art.
The book signing will be held at Northminster on Sunday, August 16 following worshp from 12 noon - 2pm. The public is invited. Books will be available for purchase or download.
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STRICKLIN LECTURES IN SEPTEMBER
We are excited to announce that Dr. Paige Rawson will deliver the Thomas E. Stricklin Lectures in Church History at Northminster on Saturday, September 12 to be followed by the morning sermon on Sunday, September 13. The lectures will begin on that Saturday at 10:00 am and will end at noon. The lectures and sermon will also be streamed live and archived on Northminster’s YouTube channel. A time for a light breakfast will precede the lectures. Childcare will be provided. Please mark your calendars! Lecture and sermon themes and titles will be shared soon, but Dr. Rawson’s suggested outlines are insightful, challenging, and prophetic.
Tom and Marjorie (“Marj”) Stricklin were founding members of Northminster. Tom was a long-time professor of history at ULM, and Marj was Northminster’s pianist for more than 20 years until her health failed. Shortly before Tom’s death from cancer in 1995 this lectureship was established and endowed by his good friend, fellow ULM history professor and also Northminster founding member Dr. Marshall Scott Legan. The lectureship was inaugurated by Rev. Dr. Walter B. Shurden in 1996. Other lecturers have included Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey, Dr. Bill J. Leonard, Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, Northminster’s pastor emeritus Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, and more recently Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. For more information about Dr. Thomas E. Stricklin and the Lectureship please see Northminster’s website (northmin.org) under the “Lecture Series” tab.
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PUB THEOLOGY
Pub Theology is held on the third Thursday of each month at 7pm at Melvyns, 1128 Oliver Rd., Monroe.
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This Sunday
9:00 am - Choir Rehearsal
10:00 am - Sunday School
10:45 am - Preludes
11:00 am - Worship Service
Noon - Fellowship
Wednesdays
5:30 pm - Craft and Chat
6:30 pm - Choir rehearsal
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Sunday, August 2: Children & Youth Sunday
Thursday, August 6 at 6pm: Family Movie Night
Saturday, August 15, 9-noon: Car Wash on church parking lot
Sunday, August 16 12-2pm: Don Cincone Book Signing Event
Sept. 12 & 13: Stricklin Lectures
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The floral offering was given to the glory of God and in loving memory of
Scottie Legan by Bobbye, Tim and Lauri Legan
Arrangement by Marilyn Decker
Sanctuary Flowers: As is customary during the summer months of July, and August, altar flowers will only be by memorial or honorarium. If you would like to give flowers during the summer months, please contact the church office. Suggested cost $125.
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Join us this fall as we continue to reckon with our roots at the Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana, and in New Orleans October 15-17, 2026.
In Joshua 4, God commands the Israelites to gather stones from the Jordan River and build a memorial. Not for themselves, but for the generations to come. "When your children ask, 'What do these stones mean?'" they are to tell the story. Sacred memory is the spiritual practice of truth-telling. In an age of book bans and unprecedented historical revisionism, people of faith are called to erect stones, to witness the stones of generations past, to hear the stories and tell the stories, to tell the truth and be shaped by it. And not to just rest there–but we practice in this way so that we may be moved to be a people of liberation and freedom.
We'll be guided by 2nd Line Tours. The weekend will include a day trip to the Whitney Plantation, a nonprofit museum dedicated to telling the history of slavery on a former sugar, indigo, and rice plantation (1752–1975). Notably, Whitney is one of the only plantation museums in the South to center the lives and experiences of enslaved people.
2nd Line Tours will then guide us through the city of New Orleans and the invaluable contributions made by enslaved individuals to the city’s economy, from enslaved labor to skilled artistry, and how free people of color played an essential role in shaping New Orleans’ identity. We will gather together at congregational partner St. Charles Ave. Baptist Church to debrief our time together.
Thanks to a generous grant received from the Baugh Foundation, registration for this event is only $25. Registration opens on August 3rd, 2026.
To learn more about the event schedule, travel, and lodging click below.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
| | | OF INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY | | D. H. Clark , Justin Havard and Vickie Krutzer are heading up this America 250 Patriotic Show at Strauss Theatre Center. Come celebrate our Nation’s 250 years with us! | | |
From Union Parish Library and CA Studio, Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Western Style! This free play is directed by Cathy Airhart Webb and Erin Williams, with music by Amanda McDowell. Showtime is 6 pm at That Place Downtown, Main Street, Farmerville. For more information, please call the Union Parish Library at (318) 368-9226.
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The Rose Theatre in historic downtown Bastrop hosts a fundraising event with Homegrown Band in concert. This is the band that our Administrative Assistant, Renee is in. If you have wanted to see this band in a comfortable setting this is the place to be. Theatre seating, Air conditioning, and fantastic music. Tickets are $20 and available at the door.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 AT 6PM! CARPOOL FROM THE CHURCH AND COME SUPPORT THE ARTS (AND RENEE) IN BASTROP!
| | | | If you have found a space of community, or healing, or hope at Northminster and believe in the work we are doing, please consider supporting us financially so that we will be able to continue creating spaces like this in all the days to come. Just click here, or scan the QR code with the camera on your phone. | | | |
Northminster Church is located at:
2701 Lamy Lane
Monroe, LA 71201
318-388-3717
office@northmin.org
Church Office Hours:
Monday -Thursday 9 am to 4 pm
Closed Friday
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