Thursday, February 2
7:30 PM Choir rehearsal
Sunday, February 5
9:30 AM Bible Study - Christian Education
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching
Souper Bowl Sunday supporting Heifer International
12:00 PM Potluck Lunch & Annual Congregational Meeting
Thursday, February 9
7:30 PM Choir rehearsal
Saturday, February 11
9:30 AM Baltimore Presbytery Gathering at Northminster Presbyterian Church
Sunday, February 12
9:30 AM Bible Study - Christian Education
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Peter Nord preaching
12:00 PM Fellowship Time
12:15 PM Session Meeting
Thursday, February 16
7:30 PM Choir rehearsal
Sunday, February 19
9:30 AM Bible Study - Christian Education
10:15 AM "Joyful Noise" for Young Children, Parents & Friends
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching
12:00 PM Fellowship Time
Wednesday, February 22
7:30 PM Ash Wednesday Communion Service
Thursday, February 23
7:30 PM Choir rehearsal
Sunday, February 26
9:30 AM Bible Study - Christian Education
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching
So.B.E.R. Sunday
12:00 PM Fellowship Time
12:15 PM Membership Exploration Class
Wednesday, February 29
7:00 AM Lenten Meditation
LIGHT STREET RE-CERTIFIED AS EARTH CARE CONGREGATION
The Environmental Ministries Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has re-certified Light Street Church as an Earth Care Congregation, based on our activities in 2011. This honor speaks to the great commitment that Light Street Presbyterian Church has to caring for God's earth.
To become an Earth Care Congregation, Light Street Presbyterian Church affirmed the Earth Care Pledge to integrate environmental practices and thinking into all facets of its church life and completed projects and activities in the fields of worship, education, facilities, and outreach. Highlights from our 2011 Environmental Audit included:
WORSHP: Four Sunday services devoted to earth care; using Eco-Palms on Palm Sunday; Annual Blessing of the Animals.
EDUCATION: "Green Corner" articles in The Enlightener; Earth Care Bulletin Board.
FACILITIES: Installation of high-efficiency furnace downstairs; installation of high-efficiency lighting and motion sensors; recycling waste; use of recycled or reusable products; serving fair trade coffee.
OUTREACH: promoting "The Circulator Bus" as an alternative transportation to church.
The Earth Care Congregations program was started in 2010 by PC(USA) Environmental Ministries. The goal of the program is to inspire churches to care for God's earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all of their church life. The Earth Care Congregations certification honors churches that make that commitment and encourages others to follow their example. For more information on the Earth Care congregations program please see their website.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MAINTAIN LIGHT STREET'S MINISTRY?
The Session adopted a budget for 2012 of $104,093. That's $8,674 per month, or $2,001 per week, or $285 per day. Light Street Presbyterian Church is entirely self-supporting. We receive no outside grants or subsidies. That's why your contributions (your tithes and offerings) are so important! Thank you for your faithful support of the mission and ministry of Light Street Presbyterian Church.
WHAT IS "PER CAPITA?"
Per capita is an amount of money per member (this year, $32.45) that our congregation pays to our larger Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This money is part of the glue that holds Presbyterians together. It is the money that enables us to work with other Presbyterian churches in our presbytery and across the country. It is also the money that allows us to work with other churches to further the mission of Jesus Christ around the world.
We do not believe in being lone rangers in the PC(USA). We need either other as we work together to share the good news of Jesus Christ. As we benefit from the gifts, sills, vision, and ministry of each other in this place, so, to, do we benefit from an even wider array of gifts and ministry of our Presbyterian brothers and sisters across the church. Your per capita pays for the programs, training, and resources that help us work together and discern the mind of Christ for the PC(USA).
By contributing your portion of per capita ($32.45), you will free up dollars in our regular budget for the work of our congregation in this community. If you haven't yet contributed, we hope you will consider doing so.
SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY CHALLENGE - FEB. 5
Last year, on Super Bowl Sunday, we asked members and friends of Light Street Church to bring in their spare change to benefit Heifer International. The Mission Committee had set a goal of $500 in the hope that we could purchase a heifer for a family in the developing world. We exceeded our goal! We collected $650, enough to buy a heifer AND a llama. Please start saving those quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies, and bring them to the church on the first Sunday in February. We're hoping to fill another soup pot to the brim. Our 2012 goal is $600.
Heifer International says: "there is perhaps no gift more meaningful than a heifer. To a malnourished child, it means milk to drink every morning. To a desperate parent, it means up to four gallons of milk a day to sell and dependable income to pay for food, clothes, school, and medicine. And to a forgotten village, it means generation after generation of renewed hope as the gift of offspring is passed on from one family to the next."
ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING AND POTLUCK LUNCH - FEB. 5
On Sunday, February 5, in addition to our First Sunday Potluck Lunch, we will have our Annual Congregational Meeting. We will celebrate our recertification as an Earth Care Congregation. We will dedicate our newly renovated restrooms: the Women's Room in memory of Geri and Ben Bosley, and the Men's Room in memory of Don Hetz. And we'll also reflect back on the activities of 2011, review the church budget, and anticipate what's ahead for 2012. A variety of soups will be provided, but we will need bread, salads, and desserts to round out the meal. Please sign-up to provide these side dishes.
"THE POWER OF LOVE: MOHANDAS GANDHI AND NONVIOLENCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY"
On Friday, February 10, at 7:00 p.m., The Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt, professor of practical and moral theology, will speak about "The Power of Love: Mohandas Gandhi and Nonviolence in the 21st Century." His remarks will be based largely on a chapter in his most recent publication, My Hope is Built: Essays, Sermons, and Prayers on Religion and Race, Vol. 2 (Wyndham Hall Press). The program, which will include Q&A and discussion, is free and open to the public. It will take place at the Ecumenical Institute of Theology, St. Mary's Seminary and University, 5400 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland.
BALTIMORE PRESBYTERY GATHERING - SATURDAY, FEB. 11
On February 11, church leaders are invited to the 850th Gathering of the Presbytery of Baltimore, to be held at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Reisterstown, MD. Elders are especially encouraged to come and participate in learning opportunities designed to equip congregational leaders for ministry. An inspiring worship service will be led by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, director of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. Rev. Nelson will be preaching, accompanied by the combined choirs of Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church. The worship service and Learning Opportunities will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Commissioners will take up the Work of the Church at 2:15 p.m.
Learning Opportunities to be offered include:
* "Becoming Effective Spiritual Leaders"
* "Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal will soon be here!"
* "Discernment as a Way of Doing Business"
* "Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity"
* "Making a Difference in the Public Square"
* "The Role of Session"
* "Presbytery Mission Partnerships"
Specifics for the Presbytery Gathering, registration for the Learning Opportunities, and purchasing a box lunch are available at the Presbytery's website.
GENERAL PRESBYTER TO PREACH AT LIGHT STREET CHURCH -- FEB. 12
The Rev. Dr. Peter K. Nord, General Presbyter of the Presbytery of Baltimore, will be preaching at Light Street Presbyterian Church on Sunday, February 12. The Presbytery of Baltimore stretches from the mountains of western Maryland to the Chesapeake Bay. Within its boundaries are 71 Presbyterian congregations with a combined membership of 16,000. Recently, the Presbytery has gone through a revisioning and reorganization process in the hopes of doing a better job of building collaborative relationships among its churches and ministers. Peter will be sharing with us the new vision of Baltimore Presbytery and the role Light Street Church can play in making that vision a reality.
"JOYFUL NOISE" - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Light Street Presbyterian Church continues its Sunday morning program for babies, toddlers, and young children through age 4 continues on February 19, from 10:15 to 10:14 a.m. Children, their parents and friends will hear stories and enjoy music together. All are welcome!
ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENTEN MEDITATION SERVICES
The Lenten Season begins on February 22 this year. We will have an Ash Wednesday communion service at Light Street at 7:30 p.m. Following Ash Wednesday, please join us for Lenten Meditation services on Wednesday mornings at 7:00 a.m. from February 29 through April 4 of Holy Week.
SO.B.E.R. SUNDAY -- FEB. 26
One of the many ways in which Light Street Presbyterian Church gets involved in the community is by collecting non-perishable and canned goods on the last Sunday of every month, which are given to South Baltimore Emergency Relief (So.B.E.R.) for the hungry in our community. -- So.B.E.R. currently has four real needs: peanut butter, cereals (including oatmeal), soups and tuna fish (in flip-top cans). As the cold weather is now upon us, there is a need for warm hats, gloves, socks and blankets.
HELP SERVE SUPPER AT SOUTH BALTIMORE STATION -- FEB. 25
The Mission Committee of Light Street Presbyterian Church invites you to come serve the residents of South Baltimore Station (140 W. West Street) on Saturday, February 25, at 5:15 p.m. Volunteers will serve a meal, clean up, and perhaps most importantly, join in fellowship with the residents. If you would like to participate, please sign up on the church bulletin board, or email Molly Van Appledorn. As they say at South Baltimore Station, "recovery starts here."
SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
On Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., a small group of church members and friends gather for coffee and Bible study. The group uses a variety of curriculum materials. They have just completed a study on ways to recognize God's grace in our lives, and for the next several weeks will be taking a closer look at the life of Jesus. The group is open; newcomers are always welcome. For more information, contact Bonnie Cosner or Debbie Szostak.
PRESBYTERIAN FILM CRITIC RELEASES TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2011
By Edward McNulty, Special to the Presbyterian News Service
Jan. 24, Walton, KY -- Of the several hundred films released during 2011, the following ten were chosen because they do more than just entertain us. They explore the life worth living, and even celebrate the human spirit.
Some will be found of the list of the secular critics - six of the top 10 here are Academy Awards "Best Picture" nominees, announced today (Jan. 24) - but others will be less familiar. Although aesthetics and box office success are considered, the spiritual content of the film is paramount in these rankings.
These are films that challenge us spiritually or morally in dealing with human relationships. A few even suggest that there is an invisible realm, or a Person, greater than ourselves.
The Bible references are from my original reviews, intended to help the reader see a connection between film and Scripture.
1. Tree of Life. Rated PG-13. Job 38:4-7.
Director/Writer Terence Malick's visual meditation was a difficult film for many people to watch because he does not follow the usual narrative form of filmmaking. But as with his The Thin Red Line, Malick is deeply concerned with matters of the spirit, even beginning the film with the quotation from Job in which God speaks of the vastness of his creation. Loosely following the ups and downs of a Texas family with three boys growing up in the 1950's, the episodic film includes a marvelous visual history of the universe from the Big Bang through the rise of the dinosaurs. It even suggests - in a scene where a large dinosaur is in a position to kill a smaller one but spares it instead - that grace is embedded in all living beings.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2. Rated PG-13. Isaiah 53:12ab, Matthew 16:24-26.
J. K. Rowling's series is brought to a rousing conclusion in this second part of the darkest of all the filmed novels. Like Christians attending an Ash Wednesday service, Harry has from infancy borne a mark on his forehead, but it will not wash off. Often we have witnessed Harry risking life and limb to help others. This time he is called to suffer and give himself as never before. His long time adversary Lord Voldemort, upon first meeting Harry face to face says, "Harry Potter, the boy who lived ... come to die." This is possibly the most unwitting theological statement in the entire film. The scene undergirds Ms. Rowling's statement that she modeled her hero after Jesus Christ. She even provides her version of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints when Harry communes with his dead parents and mentor Professor Dumbledore.
3. Hugo. Rated PG. Psalm 82:3-4, Isaiah 11:6d.
Martin Scorsese's adaptation of the juvenile novel is both a fitting celebration of the pioneers of cinema and the ability of one caring heart to reach out to a broken heart. Hugo is a young orphan secretly living amidst the works of the giant clocks of a Paris train station in the 1930's. Taught by his horologist father, he is trying to repair an automaton, and soon is seeking to fix a broken man as well. The man is Georges Milies, the great filmmaking pioneer, who has fallen into obscurity after going bankrupt. Hugo and Georges, and even several minor characters in the film, discover the joy of companionship, testifying to the Scripture's insistence that it is not good for a person to live alone. Through his fixing of machine and man, Hugo discovers his life has a purpose.
4. The Descendants. Rated R. Matthew 18:21, Psalm 24:1-2.
Alexander Payne explores in his film themes of family connection, responsibility to one's heritage as it relates to land, acceptance of death, reconciliation, "emptying" of one's self for the sake of others (see Philippians 2:5-8) -- and thus grace. George Clooney's Matt King, a real estate lawyer in Hawaii, has his hands full dealing with serious problems. His wife lies in an irreversible coma. He has become estranged from his teenage daughter and her younger sister. He is being pressed by his large clan to sell the family inheritance, a pristine beachfront tract of land that resort developers want to build on. And he learns from his older daughter that his wife had been cheating on him. Through wrestling with all these conundrums, Matt emerges as a compassionate agent of grace.
5. The Help. Rated PG-13. Psalm 148, Proverbs 31:8.
This film of empowering sisterhood manages to be funny and serious at the same time. The African American domestic workers and a young white writer -- able to grow beyond her prejudiced heritage -- partner to expose the hardship and humiliation blacks must endure while working long hours and short wages for well-off whites in Jackson, Mississippi. the film also depicts the support of a church that honors those who take risks. Despite criticism that it is not realistic in so few consequences of the servants' defiance of the racist system, this inspiring film makes a good companion to Lawrence Dunbar's great poem, "We Wear the Mask."
6. The way. Rated PG-13. Proverbs 4:11-13.
Martin Sheen plays a father trying to understand and reconnect with his estranged son (played by his real life son Emilio Estevez, who also wrote and directed) who has died in a storm at the beginning of an intended pilgrimage on El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Impulsively, the grief stricken father decides to finish the pilgrimage. He -- and the companions he meets along "The Way," as the pilgrimage is called -- grows to understand both himself and his son, and thus to reorient his life from a self-centered existence to one focusing on others.
7. The Rite. Rated PG-13. John 15:16.
Despite its rejection by most secular critics, I found this film worthwhile not only because of its realistic treatment of the rite of exorcism, but even more by the way in which faith and doubt are depicted. A Catholic candidate for the priesthood, who has so many doubts that he plans to resign, is talked into representing his diocese at a class in Rome on the rite of exorcism. There he becomes the reluctant companion of a senior priest engaged in treating demon-possessed victims. The older priest encourages the young man to embrace and learn from his doubts, surely the sign of a faith struggling toward maturity.
8. War Horse. Rated PG-13. Luke 2:13-14.
When an English father foolishly buys a thoroughbred horse for plowing his field, his son works hard to train the high-spirited animal, named Joey, to pull a plow. The bond developed between boy and animal remains strong, even when the father sells the horse to a cavalry officer at the beginning of World War One. There follows a series of adventures, some of them horrendous, as Joey passes through the hands of various soldiers amid the carnage of the war. As usual, director Stephen Spielberg brings out the common humanity to be found on both the British and the German sides of the battle lines.
9. A Better Life. Rated PG-13. Psalm 9:18, Proverbs 4:1-4.
Illegal immigration acquires a human face in this moving father-son story. Carlos works long hours at low wages to give teenaged Luis a better life in southern California than was possible in Mexico. When disaster strikes, the once unappreciative son draws closer to Carlos and the culture the boy had been rejecting. Even when all appears hopeless, Carlos, caught and sent back to Mexico, refuses to give in to despair.
10. The Artist. Rated PG-13. Ecclesiastes 9:11-12, 1 Co 13:4a.
This almost entirely silent film reminded me of words attributed to Francis of Assisi, "Preach the gospel always; use words if you must." Writer/director Michael Hazanavicius believes this about dialogue, the characters expressing their emotions through facial expressions, gestures, and an occasionally interspersed title card. Only at the conclusion of the film do we actually hear a word spoken, and then not by the star-crossed lovers. The simple tale of a silent movie actor whose star declines while the young actress, whom he helped get started, rises to stardom with the advent of sound is totally engrossing. Grace and the danger of false pride are explored with such skillful artistry that those calling this a "masterpiece" may well be right.
Also worth watching:
A number of "faith-based" films were released during the year, some of them rising above he level of religious propaganda.
Courageous, the most recent of the films made by Sherwood Baptist Church, is, up to a point, a fine film about fathers accepting their responsibilities. It has one of the best scenes -- in which a pastor moves beyond the usual platitudes over the loss of a child -- but it lacks the subtlety of a true work of art. The main character actually preaches in church at the conclusion.
Dolphin Tale and Soul Surfer are also entertaining, but have appealed mainly to believers.
Other excellent films exploring spiritual and human relationships are: Adjustment Bureau, Buck, Everything Must Go, Incendies, The Music Never Stopped, Super 8, Water For Elephants, and Win Win. A film that I am eager to see because it might have replaced one on the list above is The Mill & the Cross, exploring Pieter Bruegel and his famous painting "The Way to Calvary."
Edward McNulty, a Presbyterian minister, is author of "Faith and Film" (Westminster John Knox Press, 2007) and other books. He reviews films at www.visualparables.net
HELP LEAD WORSHIP!
Volunteers are needed to help lead worship each Sunday. This usually involves leading the congregation in the "Call to Worship" and "Prayer for Illumination" and reading the scripture lesson(s) for that Sunday. There is a sign up sheet on the downstairs bulletin board.
FELLOWSHIP HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
It's wonderful each Sunday morning, following worship, to be able to gather downstairs for a time of fellowship and refreshment. But, it means someone needs to take responsibility each week for making coffee, providing refreshments, and cleaning up afterwards. If everyone in the congregation signed up to do this just a few Sundays a year, we would have it covered. Many hands make light work! Please sign up on the downstairs bulletin board, either to provide refreshments, help set up or to help clean up afterward.
BREAD MINISTRY
Each Sunday after worship, we offer visitors to our church small loaves of bread as a way of thanking them for joining us for worship. If you would like to help out by baking some small loaves of bread for this ministry, please sign up on the church bulletin board.
SERMONS AVAILABLE
Copies of Roger's sermons are available on the downstairs hall table. Please feel free to pick one up if you missed a Sunday. Or, pass one on to a friend!
DEADLINE FOR MARCH NEWSLETTER: February 15
Send all newsletter material to Roger Scott Powers via email.