TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Special Scheduling this Week

Please note, the church office will close at 2 p.m. today through Monday

and will be closed on Mardi Gras Day.

We will have a single worship service at 8:30 a.m. this Sunday in the Sanctuary and via livestream. Communion will be served. Sunday School will not meet and children will be asked to remain in service as childcare will not be available.

Ash Wednesday: Ashes on the Avenue & Worship Service

Ash Wednesday is important for all Christians as this day marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a 40-day period of discipline and prayer during which we prepare to encounter the joyful mysteries of Easter. On Wednesday, March 5, we will have "Ashes on the Avenue" from 12-1 p.m. at the Sanctuary entrance. All are invited to receive ashes and participate in prayer stations to remember who we are as mortals and as those who belong to Christ in life and in death. An Ash Wednesday service will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary with prayer stations. The service will be livestreamed to our YouTube page.

As we begin this season of Lent, our emphasis throughout will be centered on prayer. Theologian Karl Barth reminds us that far from being an inward private act, ‘to clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.’ Each week of Lent, we will lift up a spiritual practice of prayer that is central to the life of faith and provides a special emphasis during this season. Each week we will focus on some specific prayers and prayer practices in which we invite you to participate. The first week of Lent, we will focus on the spiritual practice of fasting, ‘Fasting as a Form of Prayer.’ Thanks to the interfaith work and relationship building of pastoral resident Ashley Brown, on Saturday March 8, we’ll be learning more about how Muslims fast at a free Iftar meal hosted by our Muslim neighbors at Abu Bakr mosque. 

Details & Sign-Up Info:

What is Ramadan and why do Muslims fast during this religious holiday? SCAPC has been generously invited to a Ramadan Dinner (called Iftar) hosted by our friends from Abu Bakr Masjid on Saturday, March 8 from 5-7 p.m. at 2420 Illinois Ave, Kenner, LA 70062. During this special experience, we will dine on delicious Middle Eastern food, learn about the spiritual practices of Ramadan and meet our Muslim neighbors. The cost is free (thanks to the hospitality of our neighbors) but a bouquet of any sort of flowers would be welcomed! Meet at 2520 Illinois Avenue at 5 p.m. or meet at 4:30 p.m. at SCAPC to carpool over together. Space is limited to 25 persons. Please sign up on our Interfaith webpage or email Ashley Brown by March 6.

By the way, why do we say ‘Amen,’ when we pray? Theologian Karl Barth reminds us that ‘Amen’ means, ‘So be it,’ and that our prayers end with the hope of ‘Yes, may it be so!,’ or ‘Amen.’ He then reminds us what the Heidelberg Catechism (from The Book of Confessions) has to say regarding ‘Amen.’ Amen ‘means that the certainty of the divine response is greater than the certainty we feel within ourselves of our needs and our desires. The most certain element of our prayer is not our requests, but what comes from God.’ Prayer is a turning away from the tyranny of the schedule and the demands of the moment, and a turning toward the God in whom all things hold together. We invite you to join us in this season of Lent as we focus on prayer in all its forms. I leave you with the Taize’ chant that will be our refrain in worship during Lent: ‘O Lord, hear my prayer. O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call, answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer. O Lord, Hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.’

Grace and peace,

Chris Currie

YAF Parade Watch Tomorrow

Young Adults & Families, please note that we will not have PINTS this week, however we will have a parade watch party on Napoleon Avenue tomorrow night at 6 p.m. Contact Tyler Wheeler for details.

Living Christ, Living Buddha

Bill Troutt and Ashley Brown are hosting an interfaith conversation on the book Living Christ, Living Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh on Thursday, March 6 at 9 a.m. We will meet at PJ’s Coffee, 5432 Magazine Street. A friend of Martin Luther King, Thomas Merton and many influential world leaders, Buddhist Zen Master and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Thich Nhat Hanh explores the life and teachings of Buddha and Christ in a warm and welcoming dialogue. You don’t have to have read the book to come and join in on the conversation. All are welcome!

SCAPC Mission Funds at Work through the Global Ministry Committee!

Pictured here is our recent Cuba mission team with Pastor Dopico, head of the Cuban Council of Presbyterian Churches and pastor of Dora Valentin Presbyterian Church, in front of their new bus that seats nearly 30 passengers to serve the greater Cuban Presbyterian churches. His gratitude on behalf of the many congregants and children of their churches moved him to tears. Our gifts, along with those of other partner churches that made this possible, mean so much to these humble brothers and sisters in faith!

Our next trip to Cuba will be October 28-November 4! If interested, please contact Laura St. Clair at laura.st.clair1@gmail.com.

Faith and Literature: A New Sunday School Class

Beginning March 9, our first class topic will be “Faith and Fiction: Lord of the Rings and Ignatius J. Reilly” in which we will explore themes of faith and the challenges of the modern world. This class will be led by Chris Currie. Later this month we will examine essays by Marilynne Robinson, Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk; How a Christian Should Read the News by Betsy Fischer Martin who will lead class; and “Mystery and Mysterium”, a class led by the authors of the Ludington-van der Berg mystery series, Michael Lindvall and Madeline Lindvall-Radman. Their class will be part of our 2025 Lupberger Lecture Series.

Holocaust Survivor Speaks at Spiritually Hungry Women's Class

On February 5, Holocaust survivor Anne Skorecki Levy visited SCAPC's Spiritually Hungry Women's group to talk about forgiveness in the context of her personal story. For a recording of her program, click here.

Krewe of Thoth Visits the Kinship Center

Last Wednesday, the Krewe of Thoth arrived for their annual visit to the Kinship Senior Center, a SCAPC community ministry partner located at 921 S. Carrollton Avenue. After toasting the Kinship Court, the Captain of Thoth presented a check in support of the Center's programming. The seniors look forward to this yearly tradition, enjoying throws, king cake and music.

Sympathy

Our sympathy is extended to Jane Meneray on the passing of her husband Bill who died on Saturday, February 22.