Sunday, June 3
10:00 AM Bible Study
11:00 AM Worship/Communion, Rev. Powers preaching
Sunday, June 10
10:00 AM Bible Study
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Alison Halsey preaching
12:15 PM Session Meeting
Sunday, June 17
10:00 AM "Questions of Faith" Video/Discussion Series
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching
Sunday, June 24
10:00 AM "Questions of Faith" Video/Discussion Series
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching
S.O.B.E.R. Sunday
"Questions of Faith" Video/Discussion Series begins June 17th
Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who are we? Join us on Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. for a discussion of these and other "Questions of Faith." Each session will include a 20-min. video of religious thinkers from a variety of traditions offering provocative answers to a particular question of faith. The video will be followed by a lively discussion led by our pastor. Sessions will be held on June 17 & 24, July 1, 8, 22, & 29. (We will skip July 15.) The series is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Light Street Presbyterian Church Flea Market & Silent Auction Update
The Light Street Church Flea Market & Silent Auction, held May 19th, brought in almost $7,000, clearly the largest fundraising event for the church this year.
More important, the event stayed true to its five-point theology:
*Simplify our material lives - Uncounted individuals within and without our congregation and community scoured their basements, attics and garages, donating usable but unwanted goods.
*Celebrate friendships in a community of faith - The great majority of the congregation actively contributed to the event's success, helping collect items, publicizing the event, setting up, moving items, buying items, and cleaning up.
*Generate support for missions and ministries - By soliciting donations from the community, countless individuals and businesses were reminded of the church's presence in South Baltimore and what it stands for. In addition, more than 70 surveys were collected to help us better serve the community.
*Demonstrate goodwill among our neighbors - The event generated excitement among people living in the blocks around the church, making it something to which they looked forward to attending.
*Offer quality items at reasonable prices - Just about everybody walked away with usable and/or fun items at pennies on the dollar.
Scores of people deserve acknowledgement for their work - too many to name here. We all know who they are. But special attention needs to be paid to the ringleaders: Julie and Collen, for the flea market; Jackie and Carole for the silent auction; Selina for the hot dog stand; Carole N-S for the flower sale; Melissa for the baked goods table; Kellie and Andy for the ministry table; roger and Erick for the live music; and June for publicity.
Julie, however, in church the next day, summed up what we all believe: "All glory goes to God."
Welcome New Members!
On May 20th, four people were received as members of Light Street Presbyterian Church. --
Edwin Barron moved from California to Maryland in October to be with his fiancé Christine Meyer. Edwin works for a company that makes dust-free riding surfaces for horse tracks.
Christine Meyer moved to Baltimore in 1996, where she works as a fundraiser for Outward Bound, U.S.A.
Debbie and John Szostak, long-time residents of Ellicott City, moved to a condo just a block from the church. Debbie remains a member of Bethany United Methodist Church. John remains a member of the Orthodox Catholic Church. However, they now are also affiliate members of Light Street Presbyterian Church.
It's worth knowing that all four were very enthusiastic workers during the Flea Market/Silent Auction. -- Welcome to all of you!!
Other Noteworthy Notes
*Jessica Graduated! -- With sorrow for us, but congratulations for her, we bid farewell to jessica, who graduated from Peabody School of Music and is moving to Florida. (Nick will be with us, hopefully, for another couple of years before he graduates.)
*Special Performances -- As a farewell gesture, Jessica and Nick performed two very moving pieces during worship service May 20. These included: the 2nd Movement of the Clarinet Sonat by Francis Poulenc, with Jessica on the clarinet and Nick on the piano; and Kyrie, and original piece by Nick, with Jessica on clarinet and Nick singing tenor. They received a well-deserved standing ovation.
Recycle those used batteries!
On Earth Day, Roger challenged us to find ways to reduce our impact on this planet. One simple thing we can do is bring our used household batteries (sorry, not car batteries) into Light Street Presbyterian Church rather than putting them into the trash. We will collect them and deliver them to the hazardous waste facility, to keep them out of landfills. While you're at it, why don't you offer to bring your neighbor's used batteries as well! There are no financial gains or incentives for doing this. It is just the right thing to do as we try to be better stewards of our Planet Earth. -- Thanks! (Carole Norris-Shortle)
Reaching Out
As Presbyterian, as Christians, we are called to reach out and offer hospitality to all people. It's not enough for us to open our church doors and assume that people will walk in on their own, though we are certainly thankful when they do. In this day and age, we can no longer assume that people know they are welcome to come through our church's doors. We have to extend ourselves and invite them in. In today's world, unfortunately, an awful lot of people don't see churches as welcoming places. Polling data show that larg majorities of people believe in God and have a great admiration for Jesus, but many of these same people have very negative views of the church. They see the church as judgmental, intolerant, discriminatory, hypocritical, and/or oppressive.
To the extent that such negative views are true, they represent the worst that the chruch has to offer. By contrast, we need to represent in our life together the best that the church has to offer. We need to exhibit God's unconditional love and care for all people. Here at Light Street, I believe that we do. But, we need to be more public about it. most people outside our church's doors don't know us, don't know what we stand for, and don't know that they are welcome. Most of them will never come through our church's doors if we don't invite them. So, I want to remind you of three things you can do to reach out to your friends, relatives, and neighbors. First, invite them to church -- to worship or to other church activities and events.
Second, pick up some of our church's business cards at the front door. They describe our church as progressive, multicultural, and inclusive. Use them through the week and pick up some more next Sunday. Need to give someone a phone number? Write it on the back of a church card. Paying your check at a restaurant? Write a note of thanks on the back of a church card and leave it for your server. Going by a community bulletin board? Post a church business card on it. It's a casual, non-intrusive way of spreading the word about Light Street.
Third, we have prepared a neighborhood survey to learn how we can better serve the surrounding community. We want to offer activities and events at the church in which community members will want to participate. But we don't know what to offer if we don't ask our neighbors what would interest them. So, I want to encourage you to pick up some surveys and ask people in South Baltimore to fill them out. One Sunday afternoon, I went up to Federal Hill Park with three clipboards and asked people lying on blankets and sitting on benches if they would be willing to fill out a neighborhood survey. Most were very willing to do so. In one hour I collected 22 completed surveys. It was easy! If everyone in our congregation did that, we would have well over 600 completed surveys. And we would have a much better idea about how to meet the needs and interests of our neighbors.
We are called to extend the fellowship of Christ to all persons. In doing so, we invite people to an ever-expanding table. Christ's table is never full. At Christ's table there is always room for one more. So, join us! Grab a chair. We'll set another place. There's room at Christ's table for everyone!
[Excerpted from a sermon by the Rev. Roger Scott Powers, May 6, 2007.]
Baltimore Presbytery Meeting Focuses on Peacemaking and Urban Violence
The Presbytery of Baltimore took another step toward addressing the issue of urban violence on Thursday, April 26, hearing from a panel of experts that included Dr. Manuel Raposo from the Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention Unit of the Baltimore City Public School System, Dr. Philip Leaf from the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, the Rev. Heber Brown, III, from Maryland Mentoring Partnership and Young Clergy for Social Change, and Lt. Col. Richard hite from the newly formed Youth Division of the Baltimore City Police Department.
While the panelists all came from Baltimore City, where more than 80 murders have occurred this year, presbyters were mindful that deadly violence can strike any community. Just ten days earlier, the deadliest shooting in U.S. history had taken place at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. And much closer to home, on the very same day that the Presbytery met in Columbia, a 40-year-old woman working at a 7-Eleven store on Columbia Road was shot and killed. It was the second murder in Howard County this year.
On Thursday afternoon, Rick Ufford-Chase, Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004) and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, spoke passionately about the need for Christians to be willing to take risks to reduce violence in all its many forms. Commenting on Acts 17:1-9, he said: "We are called to turn the world upside down. Are we interested in following that kind of radical gospel?"
The panelists emphasized the important role the faith community has to play in addressing urban violence. They urged congregations to venture outside the walls of their church buildings and engage their surrounding communties. And they stressed the need for adults to reach out to children and youth with a listening ear.
[by Rev. Roger Scott Powers, reprinted from "Tidings" a weekly communiqué from the Presbytery of Baltimore]
OPPORTUNITIES AT FIRST & FRANKLIN STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Members and friend of Light Street Presbyterian Church are welcome and encouraged to participate in activities of our sister church located at 210 W. Madison St. in Baltimore. Here are some of the events going on there in the coming weeks. If you would like more information about any of these events, ask Roger (our pastor, their associate pastor).
Get on board - A Harbor Cruise on the Tall Ship "Clipper City"
Join members and friends of First & Franklin on board the tall ship "Clipper City" for a two-hour harbor cruise on Sunday, June 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. The Clipper City is a replica of one of the tall ships that carried lumber from one East Coast port to another between 1854 and 1892. While the crew manually sets the sails, we'll pass The National Aquarium, the three-masted Constellation, Christopher Columbus Center, Fells Point, Fort McHenry, and many other attractions. Once past Fort McHenry, the water opens up about a mile on either side. If the winds are favorable, we'll venture beyond the Francis Scott Key Bridge and around Fort Carroll. The Captain doesn't plan a specific spot as a destination, but uses the wind and tide conditions to set the course for the day.
If you didn't reserve your discounted tickets by the May 27 deadline, try to join us anyway. Come down to the Inner Harbor and pay full fare at the dock. Tickets are $20 per person.
S.O.B.E.R. Sunday - June 24
S.O.B.E.R. stands for South Baltimore Emergency Relief. Two dedicated people, John and Elizabeth, staff the operation, caring for the homeless and others in need of special help. They stock supplies in the small basement of Holy Cross Church at 110 E. West Street. Please help provide financial support, volunteer time, non-perishable food (soups, peanut butter, tuna, and one-dish meals). Flip-top cans are especially helpful for homeless persons who don't have access to kitchen facilities. Please bring your offering of non-perishable food and/or personal hygiene items to church on the last Sunday of the month to be contributed to S.O.B.E.R. (South Baltimore Emergency Relief). Checks made payable to Light Street Presbyterian Church should be clearly marked for SOBER.
ROGER'S SCHEDULE
Roger is at Light Street Presbyterian Church (410-539-0125) on Wednesdays and Thursdays and at the First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church (410-728-5545, ext. 12), where he is associate pastor, on Mondays and Tuesdays. Roger also can be reached by email at lightstreetchurch@cavtel.net.
SERMONS
Copies of Roger's sermons are available on the downstairs hall table. A few selected sermons are posted on this website. If you are visiting our church, please feel free to pick up a copy if you missed a Sunday. Or, pass one on to a friend!
DEADLINE FOR JUNE NEWSLETTER: June 15
Send all newsletter material to John Ginovsky at jginovsk@aba.com