The Clarendon Connection
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August and September 2010 www.clarendonhillchurch.org |
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Clarendon Hill welcomes all people to our church
Young or old, gay or straight, Faithful or seeking, You are welcome to join us on our shared journey of faith.
We are a small but growing congregation seeking to serve God, our community, and our world. Our resources may be limited, but our imaginations and desires are not. We are constantly seeking ways to serve others and to work for a more just world.
§ Sunday Worship
9:45 a.m. Choir rehearsal 10:00a.m. Worship 10:15a.m. Children’s education 11:00a.m. Refreshments & fellowship
Communion will be celebrated on August 1.
Minister: Rev. Karl Gustafson Music Director: John Adams Saxton: Arnie James
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Thoughts from the back office: July/August 2010
I attended a workshop several months ago about some of the new models for being a church that are sprouting up all over the country. It seems that lots of churches are having difficulties with traditional systems and structures and as membership and money continues to decline all over the church world there are many faithful and creative people who are looking for different ways to be the church.
The speaker made a comment that I have been thinking about ever since. His suggestion to churches who find themselves with reduced resources was to suspend all programs no matter how good they might be and concentrate all of their energy on gathering for worship at least once a week. Make worship not just the focus of the life of the church, but the only thing it did. Take a few months, or longer, and worship together. No more committee meetings, no more mission or education programs, no more stewardship campaigns. Just worship. It was his contention that a community that gathered intentionally for worship would find itself being led in many new directions with renewed energy and sense of purpose.
That was a radical idea, and it was not given too much time to discuss more fully, but it has been on my mind ever since.
I am not going to say anything more about it now either, but I would be interested to hear back from you in a while after you have had some time to ponder that idea. I am not proposing that we do that, but I am proposing that worship is and should be the beginning and the end of everything this or any church should do. What if we put all our time and energy into worship? What would our life together be like? What might we become? Would we fall apart, or might we instead deepen our roots and sprout new |
Leaves and branches?
Interesting idea, this one. Think about it for a while and tell me what it feels like to you.
Blessings for a good summer,
Karl
Letters From Friends
Barbara Lawson wrote to Katherine Gustafson:
I do believe that I have landed in the right spot. Portland works for me in many ways. I look out my front window or porch and see a snow covered volcano, Mt, St. Helens in the distance
I do not miss the cold or the snow. Spring has been beautiful here. At the beginning of February the snow drops and crocuses started blooming. Now, everywhere you look you see some sort of flowering tree. In fact some of them have started to lose their petals. There are pink blooming trees, white ones and purple ones. Camelias are blooming all over the place.
I very much like it here. In fact, I am most likely to settle here. As I walk about town I cannot believe the affinity I have for the area, my part of town particularly.
As I write this I realize how much I miss Clarendon Hill. I really enjoyed my time there and while I have found a church, I have not developed the same feeling about it.
It sounds like the church is going through some evolutionary times. I do think of you all and pray for you.
Sara Chambers sent us this piece by Glenn Burleigh:
Order My Steps
Order my steps in your word dear lord
Lead me, guide me, every day
Send your anointing, Father, I pray
Order my steps in your word.
Please order my steps in your word.
Humbly I ask Thee, teach me your will
While you are working, help me be still
Though Satan is busy, God is real
Order my steps in your word.
Please order my steps in your word.
Bridle my tongue, let my words edify
Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight
Take charge of my thoughts, both day and night
Order my steps in your word.
Please order my steps in your word.
Horizon’s Bible Study
The Horizon’s Bible Study for the women of Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church takes place the second Friday of each month at Salam Lebbos house. It starts at 3:30 and goes on till 5:30, unless some of the ladies would like to stay and chat.
This October will be the fourth year we are doing it. The first year Gusti led us in studying women of the bible. The second year, Liz led us in studying . This last year Katherine led us in a very interesting Bible Study series called “Landscapes of Faith”. Each time we take a form of landscape, mountain, vineyard, river. We read verses from the bible that mentions that specific landscape and we discuss its significance in its context and then try to connect it to our own personal experience.
All of us enjoyed this series. We learned a lot from it and it enforced our appreciation to nature as a gift of our God.
All are welcome to join our bible study. Our next session will be the second Friday of October, the 8th.
Salam’s address
40 Prospect Avenue
Arlington
Phone: 781-646-6712
Email address: salamlebbos@hotmail.com
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Presbyterian Coffee Project
Orders will be taken for Equal Exchange COFFEE (drip or whole bean), TEA (English Breakfast, Earl Grey or Green), COCOA MIX (12 oz. cans) and CHOCOLATE BARS at church on August 1st . You can send orders to Katherine no later than Tuesday, August 1st by phone (617-628-6716) or email (kgkg@gis.net). Katherine has tea and cocoa, and chocolate bars on hand for anyone needing some before the next delivery. What is EQUAL EXCHANGE? In 1991, Equal Exchange became the first U.S. Company to adopt international fair trade standards as guiding principles on 100% of their products. By working with democratic farmer cooperatives around the world and paying a fair price, Equal Exchange supports efforts to improve local communities, putting more control and greater income in the hands of impoverished, small-scale farmers in developing nations.
We also serve freshly made Equal Exchange coffee at Clarendon Hill’s coffee hours!
The Nave Gallery
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Lectionary Texts
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August 2010
August 1 (18th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Hosea 11:1-11 Psalm 107:1-9, 43 Colossians 3: 1-11 Luke 12:13-21 August 8 (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Psalm 50: 1-8, 22-23 Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40
August 15 (20th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56
August 22(21st Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Hebrews 12:18-29
August 29 (22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jeremiah 2:4-13 Psalm 81:1, 10-16 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14 |
September 2010
September 5 (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jeremiah 18:1-11 Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33
September 12 (24th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 Psalm 14 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15: 1-10
September 19 (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 Psalm 79: 1-9 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13
September 26 (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 |
Church Assignments
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Date |
Coffee Hour |
Scripture |
Mission |
Greeter |
Nursery |
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8/1/12
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Siggers |
Auger |
Liberace |
Schemerhorn |
Gustafson |
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8/8/12
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Augers |
Bray |
Milanese |
Cavano |
V. Donovan |
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8/15/12
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Milanese/Kumpa |
Rantisi |
S.Donovan |
Milanese |
Schmerhorn |
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8/22/12
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Camelio/Braga |
Liberace |
V. Donovan |
Auger |
Gustafson |
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8/29/12
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Reynolds/ Bartin |
Cavano |
Kumpa |
V. Donovan |
V. Donovan |
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9/5/12
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Cavano/Gustafson |
Winchester |
Camelio |
Schemehorn |
Schmerhorn |
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9/12/12
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Ruth Allen |
Milanese |
Winchester |
Cavano |
Gustafson |
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9/19/12
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Schemerhorn |
Beran |
Beran |
Milanese |
V. Donovan |
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9/26/12
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Donovan |
Auger |
Cavano |
Auger |
Schmerhorn |
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10/3/12
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Siggers |
Bray |
Auger |
V. Donovan |
Gustafson |
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10/10/12
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Augers |
Rantisi |
Jirmanus |
Schmerhorn |
V. Donovan |
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10/17/12
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Milanese/Kumpa |
Liberace |
Milanese |
Cavano |
Schmerhorn |
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10/24/12
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Camelio/Braga |
Cavano |
Liberace |
Milanese |
Gustafson |
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10/31/12
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Reynolds/Bartin |
Winchester |
S. Donovan |
Auger |
V. Donovan |
The Clarendon Connection is edited by Salam Lebbos.
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church
155 Powder House Boulevard
West Somerville, Massachusetts 02144-1613
Telephone: 617-625-4823