TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2023

Why do we have to go to church, again?

by Chris Currie

"Back to the question from the back seat, why do we have to go to church, again? What about this answer…probably too long for the car ride or the exasperated parent or spouse or neighbor, but here goes…because though I am a child of God through baptism, I am always on the verge of forgetting it or doing something stupid to obscure it for the moment, because by the time Thursday or Friday or Saturday get here, I begin to have amnesia, I forget that I am a Christian, that I belong to Jesus Christ, that I have a baptismal identity and a calling to follow him and to share in his life together and to care about people and the world beyond the end of my nose. I come to church because I forget who I am, I lose sight of who I am called to be, I forget that my life has been claimed in the waters of baptism to glorify God and to seek the welfare of others, not just my friends, but all my neighbors, even my enemies. I forget who I am or I simply settle for being a consumer or hedonist or an indifferent modern and don’t really worry whether or not God’s grace and love are known and celebrated and adored in my life.

Maybe I am content with the confines of my story and don’t really see any need to enlarge it beyond myself. But I go to church to be reminded that I have been made a part of a larger story, by God’s grace, through the sacrament of baptism, through a community that has claimed me, called me, loved me, cared for me, prayed for me, and challenged me to walk in newness of life on the way to being made righteous in Jesus Christ. This is who I am. This is who you are. But we forget. We think it is powerless or antiquated or obsolete. But again and again, by God’s grace, we walk through these doors, we pass through these waters, we are ambushed by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, something happens to us, and we become a Christian once again, and again, and again."

- from "Again and Again", Sermon, June 25, 2023

For complete sermon click here.

Would you like to donate sanctuary flowers?

If you would like to donate floral arrangements for the two urns in the sanctuary one Sunday morning in memory or honor of a loved one, please contact Libbie Reiss at libbiereiss@yahoo.com.

Confirmation for Rising 8th Graders

It is time to sign up for our next group of Confirmands!  This year, Confirmation will be taking place in the fall during the Sunday School hour (9:30-10:30 a.m.). Confirmation will kick-start with a mandatory overnight retreat the weekend of September 16 and then consist of nine hour-long Sunday morning classes from September 24-November 19. Faith journeys will be presented to the Session in December and the Confirmation service will be in January. SCAPC Youth must be at least rising 8th graders to sign up. Please let us know as soon as possible, but no later than the end of July, if your son/daughter is interested.

What is Confirmation?

Confirmation is a major Christian rite in the Church, in which young women and men take the next step of professing their faith, growing them in their link to God and the Church and building on the relationship begun at Baptism. It is a season of internal reflection where youth begin to discern what “God”--trusting in God, believing in God, communicating with God, and responding to God--means to THEM, along with receiving basic Christian church teachings and learning about the foundations of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Following the PC(USA) “Big God, Big Questions” Curriculum, SCAPC Confirmands will discuss themes like: prayer, sacraments, polity, the Reformation, sin and reconciliation, using our gifts, and what it means to call Jesus Lord and Savior. An intro retreat will set the stage for the Confirmation season and allow students to bond with their peers and teachers, and Sunday classes will be a mix of lecture, creative application, and self-reflection on the aforementioned topics. Youth Director Chris Hazlaris, Assistant to Christian Education Katie Brendler, and Pastoral Resident Ashley Brown will be spearheading the courses. At the end of Confirmation, all students should have a better understanding of what the Church is and why they want to keep faith an important component in their lives.

YAF Beignets After Worship

Please join us for a YAF (Young Adults & Families) meet-up at Uptown Coffee and Beignet, 4141 St. Charles Avenue, on Sunday July 16! We will head over after the worship service, about 10:45 a.m., and hang out until about noon. Please RSVP to tyler@scapc.org by Friday, July 14 if you’re able to join us!

Carrollton Camp Volunteer Opportunities

July 17-28 | Monday-Friday | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Noble Minds School, 1333 S. Carrollton Ave.

Carrollton Camp is a SCAPC ministry that provides a safe, nurturing, enriching environment for children ages 6 to 12 in the Carrollton neighborhood and surrounding areas. This two-week day camp includes activities such as art, cooking, STEM, reading, exercise, many New Orleans-themed guest speakers, and local field trips. Here are ways you can help:

BE A SHEPHERD: Adults & Youth (rising 7th-12th graders)

Shepherds stay with a group of 8-10 children throughout their camp day (9 a.m.-3 p.m.), guiding them through their activities. All youth volunteers will need to attend a training session with pizza lunch this Sunday, July 16 from 12-1 p.m. at SCAPC in the Youth Room.

BE A STORY TIME READER:

Every morning from 9-9:30 a.m. we'll begin our day with books that inspire, encourage, and teach us lessons about being a kind and good friend to others. Come to the upstairs auditorium to share your favorite children's book, or if you'd like to read a book but need a suggestion, we can help find the perfect book for you!

PROVIDE A BREAKFAST OR LUNCH for 40 campers one day. Some favorite breakfast foods include: fruit, cereal and milk, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, sausage, and eggs. For lunches, sandwiches, pizza, or hot dishes are all welcome, along with fruit or salad sides. Breakfast should arrive between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Lunch should arrive by 11:30 a.m., except on Thursdays when lunch should arrive by 8:00 a.m. The contact person for all meals is Allegra, 505-910-9919. Please note that meals must be completely prepared and ready to serve when you bring them to camp. Pepperoni's Cafe is familiar with our camp and they are a great place to call if you'd like to have your breakfast or lunch catered - 504-913-6329.

HELP WITH SET-UP OR CLEAN-UP

This Sunday, July 16 from 1-3 p.m. we need volunteers to bring supplies and help set up camp; and on Sunday, July 30 from 1-3 p.m. we need volunteers to break down materials. Trucks and SUVs are especially welcome but cars aren't necessary to help out- we need all the hands!

PURCHASE SUPPLIES through our Amazon Wish List for the many activities the children will be enjoying. Take a look at the list to get an idea of some of the fun activities happening at Carrollton Camp this summer.

Water Bottles for Okra Abbey

Okra Abbey, a community garden in the Pigeon Town neighborhood of New Orleans, is one of SCAPC's 20 Community Ministry Partners. In addition to growing fresh vegetables for local residents and serving as a safe space for neighbors to get a cup of coffee and fellowship, Okra Abbey delivers food to shut-ins in Pigeon Town every Thursday through their Peas & Love program. Every Wednesday, staff and volunteers serve their Grace & Greens hot lunch to anyone who walks up. Okra Abbey also has a Community Fridge, and they especially need cases of water during the hot summer months. If you would like to donate and deliver water, please sign up below.

Your Pledge Dollars at Work:

Check-In on Our 2023 Goals

During our Stewardship Campaign last fall, in which we invited the congregation to make their annual pledges for the year 2023, we expressed nine specific goals towards “reconnecting our community pastorally, relationally, and spiritually”. In our second of three issues, we are spotlighting our goals of:

-       Comforting and celebrating with the families, youth, and adults of our congregation.

o  In addition to their regular ministries, the Congregational Care Committee began a Flower Outreach Ministry this year in which the Sanctuary flowers from Sunday services are broken down into smaller arrangements and delivered to church members during times of need such as family births, deaths, and illnesses.

o  Prayer requests are received throughout the day by Miriam Hollar, Parish Associate for Pastoral Care, enabling the pastoral staff to most readily minister to our flock. Prayers can be received through online forms, emails, and a new dedicated phone extension (504-897-0101 x4). The weekly prayer list can always be found on our prayer page, where prayer requests can be submitted as well.

-         Exploring new musical programs.

o  In addition to our Advent and Palm Sunday choir and orchestra programs, on November 5, 2023 the Chancel Choir will be joined by orchestra members to perform Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms during 10:30 worship. The text, sung in Hebrew, is taken from the Book of Psalms. We will also be joined in worship by Rabbi Daniel Sherman of Temple Sinai.

o  Our three children and youth choirs have expanded to include all ages from 3 through 12th grade, and more than 25 singers (and bell ringers) have joined.

-         Supporting a full and dynamic church staff.

o  SCAPC is fully staffed with Senior and Associate Pastors supported in pastoral care by a Parish Associate and Pastoral Resident. Program staff include Directors of Christian Education, Music, Administration, Youth and Young Adults, and the Aden Program. Support staff coordinate accounting, communications, worship assistance, membership, fundraising, and clerical responsibilities. And no church programs would be possible without the tireless efforts of our three sextons. The SCAPC Personnel Committee reviews the work of each staff member annually. A full staff list can be found on our staff page.

o  The dynamic nature of your church staff is most evidenced in the new shape of our ministry since the pandemic, especially the addition of live-streamed worship services which average 115 views each week, a new youth service trip which took place in Memphis last month, a new Scriptural Reasoning class, a Theology Reading Group, and a revived 40/50’s fellowship group to name a few.

SCAPC Volunteers at Community Table

On Monday, June 26, SCAPC members boxed lunches for the Community Table ministry at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Central City neighborhood, 1823 Washington Avenue. Community Table serves 600 free, no-questions-asked hot meals each week on Mondays, Wednesday, Thursdays and Saturdays at noon. Shown here from left are SCAPC members Liam and Jack Egan, Matt McCann, and Sarah Chancellor-Watson. To learn more, click this link.

Fruit for Cuba

When SCAPC groups go to visit our sister churches in Cuba, one of the many things they bring are vegetable, fruit, and flower seeds. We were recently sent photos of the end result--fresh produce for the congregations and their neighbors in Cardenas, Cuba.

Our Sympathy

Our sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Margit Merey-Kadar who died earlier this month. A service at SCAPC is being planned.

Our sympathy also goes out to the family and friends of Brenda Stephens who died on Sunday, July 19. A memorial service will be held in the Sanctuary at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, July 17 and will be followed by a reception at Audubon Tea Room from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.