19th Sunday after Pentecost

Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,

Some roofs are squawking, and the parking lot is crying out in pain.  They are sad because they would like to engage in ministry to the fullest of their capacity, but they are worn down and brittle. 7 doors are dejected because they cannot open themselves. They dream of serving in an automatic way to help people with physical disabilities.  The Doors, the roofs, the parking lot; they are embarrassed that so many people at Ark and Dove are talking about them, and it's not flattery. But the Session has given them hope.

The Session of Ark and Dove, upon the recommendations of the Long-Range Planning Team and the Stewardship Team concerning our building, has approved plans for a three-year Capital Funds Campaign that will begin in the spring of 2025.  The Session has entered into an agreement with the James Company to help us with this adventure. The Rev. Rachel Cornwall, Program Director with whom we have worked before will be our guide. The Session wants you to know this as we enter the Fall Annual Stewardship Campaign, so you can make fully informed decisions about the levels of your generosity. Our first priority is our operating fund which very much needs to increase to accomplish our ministry goals. Capital Funds giving will be the extra mile, over and above giving, to help us improve one of our main tools for ministry; our building.

The theme of our Fall Annual Stewardship effort will be "The Joy of Generosity, Creators of Justice, Joy, Compassion and Peace". Beginning this Sunday our Session will begin interpreting our needs through short "Minutes for Stewardship" in worship. Our Stewardship team asks that you join them in prayer these next two months, as we prepare for pledge Dedication Sunday, November 17, 2024.

Ah finances, why does the church talk about money? Years ago, I took a one-week course on funding the church's mission.  At least 20 pastors were in the room and many complained about the stewardship "chore."  Pastor Bill Enright, one of our teachers asked this question: "Why would you deprive your congregants of information about exercising one of the most important spiritual gifts of the Christian disciple? Our faiths are incomplete," he said, "without developing a faith perspective and a practice in regard to generosity."

Peace,

Tim

Dear Friends of the Ark and Dove community,

I had hoped to have some follow-up news regarding the congressional inquiry I shared about in my Arkive last week (news here if you missed it), but alas, there have been no public developments. So, we’ll just be patient Presbyterians, engaging in our faith and in the world as we wait for the wheels of Congress to grind on, slowly, as they do. In this case, maybe no news is good news.

This Sunday in worship, we’ll be on the fourth week of our sermon series on peace. This week, we arrive at a particularly fraught topic: peace in our nation. The anxiety surrounding the 2024 election is ramping up (and up), the headlines are moving a mile a minute, and we can’t pretend it’s just “politics as usual” if that ever even really was a thing. In the wake of the Dobbs ruling and the scapegoating of transgender children and immigrants, it’s becoming more and more clear that healthcare, safety, and thriving are not available to all across the country. And the threats of political violence, in the aftermath of an attack on the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and two assassination attempts on the former president, are real and frightening.                      

I don’t expect us to solve the problem of peace in our nation this Sunday. But I hope we can come together to talk about our anxieties, and what we as followers of Jesus can contribute to peace in the midst of a divided country. We’ll be looking at texts that show us God’s intentions for the world–for abundance and love–and we will seek hope there. The Bible has guided generations of folks through struggle and fear, and our faith continues to be what Daniel Migliore calls “an expectant faith”. We await the kingdom/kin-dom of God and trust that God is making all things new. 

May God grant us peace,

Pastor Jenn

God shall judge between many peoples

and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;

they shall beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation;

neither shall they learn war any more;

but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,

and no one shall make them afraid,

for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

Micah 4:3-4

Dear blessed creator, dear mother, dear savior

Dear father, dear brother, dear holy other

Dear sibling, dear baby, dear patiently waiting

Dear sad & confused, dear stuck & abused

Dear end of your rope, dear worn out & broke

Dear go it alone, dear running from home

Dear righteously angry, forsaken by family

Dear jaded & quiet, dear tough & defiant

I pray that I'm heard

And I pray that this works

I pray if a prayer has been used as a sword

Against you & your heart

Against you & your word

I pray that this prayer is a plowshare of sorts

That it might break you open

It might help you grow

I pray that your body gets all that it needs

And if you don't want healing

I just pray for peace

I pray that your burden gets lighter each day

I pray the mean voice in your head goes away

I pray that you honor the grief as it comes

I pray you can feel all the life in your lungs

I pray that if you go all day being brave

That you can go home, go to bed

Feeling safe

I pray you're forgiven. I pray you forgive

I pray you set boundaries & openly live

I pray that you feel you are worth never leaving

I pray that you know I will always believe you

I pray that you're heard

And I pray that this works

Amen on behalf of the last & the least

On behalf of the anxious, depressed & unseen

Amen for the workers, the hungry, the houseless

Amen for the lonely & recently spouseless

Amen for the queers & their closeted peers

Amen for the bullied who hold in their tears

Amen for the mothers of little Black sons

Amen for the kids who grow up scared of guns

Amen for the addicts, ashamed & hungover

Amen for the calloused, the wisened, the sober

Amen for ones who want life to be over

Amen for the leaders who lose their composure

And amen for the parents who just lost their baby

Amen for chronically ill & disabled

Amen for the children down at the border

Amen for the victims of our law & order

I pray that you're heard

And I pray that this works

I pray if a prayer has been used as a sword

Against you & your heart

Against you & your word

I pray that this prayer is a plowshare of sorts

-lyrics from Plowshare Prayer by Spencer LaJoye

Listen here



Dear Friends,

This week, our music centers on the theme of peace within our nation. We are fortunate to have our Children's Choirs singing at both services. At 9:00, they will offer The Jumping Song as the closing music, and at 10:30, they will sing Along the Way as the Prelude.

Our hymns include The Right Hand of God, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and Peace Be with You (As-salaamu lakum), a beautiful hymn in both Arabic and English. I will sing the Arabic verse as a solo and then invite the congregation to join me in English.

We are also blessed with special music from Diane Yates, who will sing "Free", written by John Legend. The song’s powerful lyrics are accompanied by a simple yet soulful piano arrangement with a gospel feel, highlighting the poignant vocal line and message.

Here’s an excerpt from the song:

Go down, Moses

Way down, Moses

Go down to Egypt land

Lay down soldiers

Lay down those weapons

Let peace rush in

Let it wash through the valley, soar to the mountains

Fall in the deepest blue sea

Let it fly across the sky, a banner so high

That even the rockets will see

That there is a God

And we're just saying, "Lord, rain down freedom, rain down 'til we're all free"

I look forward to joining with you in music and prayer as we reflect on peace and freedom in our nation.

With love,



Rebecca 

Director of Music

rechols@arkanddove.org

YTD Expected Unpledged Income $32,618

Actual Unpledged Income $34,966

Ahead $2,348

YTD Expected Pledged & Electronic Giving $334,445

YTD Actual Pledged & Electronic Giving $343,012

Ahead $8,567

Generosity Kickoff

Greetings! As the calendar year turns toward Fall, once again we find ourselves in a season of Stewardship. This year, our theme is The Joy of Generosity because there is great joy in giving when we know our gifts will be used in amazing and unexpected ways to make a positive impact in the world. Beginning this October, we will embark on a twofold journey. First, we will focus on our annual campaign. The goal of this campaign is to properly fund our operating budget for the next 12 months. In the upcoming weeks, we will hear from our Elders on Session about some of the things we have accomplished this past year and many of the exciting new things yet to come in the following year. They will share with us their vision of the needs and goals for the immediate future of Ark and Dove. Our hope is that each household will prayerfully consider making a generous pledged commitment or increase your pledge by 2% of monthly income to help us fund this vision. This would equip us with a $340K increase to our annual budget which would enable us to not only make strides toward our aspirational mission goals, but also to fairly compensate our staff and adequately maintain our facilities. After we have heard from each Elder, you will receive a printed brochure in the mail detailing everything the Elders shared with us and presenting you with a pledge card. Please fill out your pledge card and return it to church during the offering on Sunday November 17th.

For the second part of our stewardship journey, we will focus on our capital campaign. The goal of this campaign is to raise the funds for large projects such as renovations and construction. Some of you may remember capital campaigns at Ark and Dove. Admittedly, we have held many in the past, but each one has been necessary and a true joy and labor of love to see come to fruition. It is in large part due to the efforts of previous capital campaigns that we expanded our building and updated our facilities through the years. It has been 6 years since our last capital campaign. Once again, we find ourselves in a position of needing to make several significant changes and upgrades to our building and grounds as we seek to remove barriers to accessibility and inclusion at Ark and Dove and prolong the life of this special place. Our parking lot is crumbling, our roof is leaking, and we have spaces that are not easy to use for all of our people. But we want to hear from you! What do you think needs to be done to make our shared worship space a more welcoming, accessible, and safe place? Please be on the lookout for a survey in the annual stewardship brochure for your opportunity to learn more about the capital campaign and to share your thoughts and opinions. This may all seem overwhelming and confusing to you. That’s ok! The Stewardship Team and Capital Campaign Team will be sharing more information about both campaigns in the coming weeks and months. We have even enlisted the help of The James Company, a church financial planning company, to guide us through this season of change and growth. If you take one thing from this launch article, let it be this: Please make your first and foremost commitment to the annual campaign. We need your pledges and dedicated giving to keep this wonderful place operating, growing, and doing God’s work. Beyond that, if you have the means to contribute additionally, perhaps through tax smart giving, we would love to count on your gifts to the capital campaign to help us carry these big dreams into the future over the next few years.

-The 2025 Joy of Generosity Stewardship Team

Marshall Room flooring installation -

Help needed!

The Marshall Room flooring will be replaced next Monday and Tuesday. We need some volunteers to help clear everything from the room on Sunday, September 29th after the 10:30am service. We also need volunteers at 11:00am on Wednesday October 2nd to move everything back into the Marshall Room. Please contact Lori Kronser to volunteer. lori.kronser@arkanddove.org

Check Out Ark and Dove's New Website!

The Ark and Dove website has received a makeover! We would like to thank the Website Team for all of their hard work and dedication to this project! Team Lead Keith Tardiff, team members Paul Alcorn, Amy Goldberg, Katie Nilsen-Johnson, Ryan Stavely, and Alice Szczepaniak, and our Worship Times partner did a fantastic job. Please check out our new look at https://arkanddove.org/ and let us know what you think.

Sensory-Friendly Livestream Worship

1 in 10 people living in the US have physical, mental, or neurological conditions that are not easily noticed by others. These conditions are called “invisible disabilities” and account for 70-96% of all disabilities in the US. A few examples of these disabilities include autism, fibromyalgia, depression, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, or hearing loss. Additionally, 1 in 3 people experience sensory sensitivities as a result of their invisible disability. Others may experience social overwhelm in large group environments.

Church worship services can be highly social experiences filled with rich, dynamics sights and sounds that, unfortunately, can create a barrier to church participation for people who are sensory- or socially sensitive. These people often have invisible disabilities.

The Disability Justice Team created the new worship space in the Calvin Room for individuals and families who need a smaller, calmer space to participate in worship. With the creative vision of Rebecca Echols and Tracy Churchill, the hard work of Ryan Stavely and many others including the band, the choir, and generous donations from the congregation, the Disability Justice Team was able to create an alternate worship space for the 10:30 am service. The room has cozy seating and an area for calming, sensory-friendly movement and exploration. If this sounds like it would help you or your family attend worship more comfortably, please know it is meant for you! As always, ALL are welcome to move and make sound in the sanctuary. The Calvin Room is simply an additional option available to those who need it.

Nursery Leaders and

Helpers Needed

To ensure that we can continue to offer children and youth programming we need 2 adult/teenage leaders, from different families to help provide leadership. Please consider volunteering!

Please sign up here: Nursery Volunteers

Thank You!

Hello all, I just wanted to take a moment to say "thank you" to everyone as we began the new Sunday Morning Children and Youth CE Programs. Thank you in advance to all of the wonderful leaders and helpers who have stepped up!

We continue to seek additional leaders and helpers for all programs, as well as Nursery helpers. Please email Ann Zelenka at ann.zelenka@arkanddove.org or Amy Tardiff at christianed@arkanddove.org for more information on helping with Sunday Morning Child and Youth CE Programs. Please also email Ann Z, or email Shanna Webb at shanna.webb@arkanddove.org to help in the nursery on Sunday Mornings.

Thank you so much, again, in advance!

Thrifting and Tacos

Middle and high school youth are invited to join us for our second annual Thrifting and Tacos outing! We'll meet at the Goodwill in Odenton this Sunday, September 29th at 5pm, then enjoy some tacos next door at Rinconcito's. Parents, siblings, and friends are all welcome to join! We'll wrap our evening at 7pm. Please contact Pastor Jenn with questions. jenn.mccullough@arkanddove.org



Bi-monthly Mission Ministry Meeting

Join us for our Mission Ministry meeting on Wednesday, October 2nd! All are welcome! Contact Lori Kronser for more information. lori.kronser@arkanddove.org

Annual Peace and Global Witness Special Offering

The Annual Peace and Global Witness Special Offering will be collected from now through World Communion Sunday on October 6th. Our Peace and Global Witness donations support Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT) with 80% of our giving and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) with 20% of our giving. Every day, families in Anne Arundel County face systemic racial, social and economic hardships and injustices that harm and make people feel powerless. Through ACT, we are able to increase our capacity to organize WITH people for change, solving these problems and creating a more just community. LIRS supports emergency relief for refugees locally and nationally. Please GIVE prayerfully and generously! Contact Lori Kronser (lori.kronser@arkanddove.org) for more information.



Rebuilding Together Project

Rebuilding Together is looking for volunteers and donations to make a home remodeling project for a low-income family in Howard County a reality. Paul Alcorn, Doug Walcutt, and Fred Barrow will be leading a team of volunteers on October 26th. Doug will be giving details during Worship this Sunday. For more information, contact Paul Alcorn at pdalcorn@gmail.com.

Send a Welcoming Message

to Haitians in Springfield

We will be getting postcards printed to send welcoming messages to Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, who have been repeatedly maligned and threatened. The postcard front will include the words "We welcome you and wish you many blessings" in Haitian Creole. On the back we will write the English translation and another supportive statement and/or drawing. The postcards will be collected and mailed to either the City Manager or a local Haitian association. This is a way to live our values to love the stranger and welcome the immigrant. Please contact Linnie Girdner at girdnerlinda@gmail.com if you have questions or want to write postcards.

Save the Dates!

Winter Relief is coming to Ark & Dove October 28th-November 4th! The following areas are opportunities for involvement:

• hospitality
• intake
• overnights
• meals
• supply donations
• set up

More info on this amazing experience to come.



Light House

Homeless Prevention Center

Thank you to everyone who donated food and helped assemble sandwiches last Sunday in order to provide 50 unbagged lunches to the Light House Homeless Prevention Center.

There are many volunteer opportunities available to help and the Light House also provides Student Service Hours. For more information, please click on this link or email Lillian McGraw at lillian.mcgraw@arkanddove.org.



Yarn Donations Requested for the Guatemala Partnership Trip

Ark and Dove have participated in many trips with the Presbytery of Baltimore throughout the years. The type of Intercultural Encounters that Ark and Dove have evolved since we first started participating. We began through the Immersion-Work Groups. A time of study of a certain topic with work experience where they would participate in mutual learning and interaction with Central American people and groups. We later started participating in the Intercultural Encounters which is a program that designs and facilitates experiences of encounter, reflection, dialogue, and mutual service between people of the United States and Canada with Central American communities in search of a more just, tolerant and equitable world.

If you would like to learn more about the Partnership, please visit the Baltimore Presbytery website under the Relationships tab.

https://baltimorepresbytery.org/guatemala-partnership/

On November 2nd Louise Sharrocks, Lillian McGraw, Barbara Cencich and I will be traveling to Guatemala for a week to learn about Migration from a Guatemalan Perspective with CEDEPCA. We will be taking with us yarn for the women who create beautiful scarves for their prayer shawl ministry. A box will be placed in the lobby. Any type or color of yarn, and needles will be greatly appreciated.

Blessings,

Cheryl Walcutt



Mark Your Calendar!

Mark your calendar for our ACT Countywide Meeting on September 30th! During this meeting we'll receive updates from Housing on MPDU legislation, next steps on descendant African American communities, statewide action with PATH & AIM, and more. View the proposed Bill No. 72-74 by clicking here.



ACT Countywide Meeting

Monday Sept 30th 7:00–8:30 pm

St. Philip's Episcopal Church

730 Bestgate Rd, Annapolis, MD

Discover Ark & Dove!

Come learn more about the life and ministry of Ark & Dove and how you could get involved! An informational, no-obligation ministry and membership class will be held October 5th from 9am to 12:30pm with breakfast available, childcare can be provided if needed. RSVP at arkanddove.org/interestmeeting and email Katie Nilsen-Johnson (knilsenjohnson@arkanddove.org) with any questions.



Listening Session for Issues of Renters or Landlords in Anne Arundel County

Ark and Dove in collaboration with Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT), will be conducting a Listening Session regarding issues and concerns of renters and landlords in Anne Arundel County. Did you know that Maryland is only one of six states in the country that prohibits counties from enacting their own good cause eviction law? Congregation and community members who are renters or landlords are invited to attend October 9th at 7:00pm-8:00pm in the Sanctuary. Please RSVP to lori.kronser@arkanddove.org by October 8th.



Ark & Dove Presbyterian Church | 410-674-6400 | admin@arkanddove.org

arkanddove.org | 8424 Piney Orchard Pkwy. Odenton, MD 21113

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