Here’s what’s happening in worship May 5th-11th, 2014.
Worship Services
Taizé – Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
An hour-long service including sung prayers; simple, beautiful music; a time of silence; spoken and silent prayers; and an opportunity for individual prayer and anointing. This week’s after-Taizé class is a time of extended singing and prayer.
Good Samaritan – Sunday 8:00 a.m.
The Good Samaritan Worship will now meet at the new EECM Community House (6014 Station Street). This week, ELPC Elder Michele Bossers will speak.
Journey Worship – Sunday 8:45 a.m.
An interactive, energetic service for those seeking a fresh encounter with the gospel of Jesus Christ. At this week’s Journey Worship, the Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy will preach.
Sanctuary Worship – Sunday 11:00 a.m.
Our largest service, with music from the Chancel Choir and an organ prelude prior to the service. This week, the Rev. Dr. Randy Bush will preach “Voice Recognition” from John 10:1-10. We will also dedicate the new Glory to God hymnals and sing several of the new selections in the hymnals. Assisting in worship will be Dr. Edwin van Driel, associate professor of theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a member of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song that created Glory to God.
Christian Education Classes
Contemporaries
Poverty/Hunger/homelessness
Led by Eric Vinsel
In a terribly naïve move, Eric decided to sell all of his possessions and ride west on a rickety motorcycle before canoeing down the Mississippi River in a canoe held together by duct tape. He then spent six months living in a New Orleans homeless shelter, receiving services before jumping the fence and administering the same resources he once longed to receive himself. His two-week talk sheds light on the complexities of poverty and social location, while providing insights into how the church might better participate in Christ’s redeeming work within our own community.
Journey with Scripture
The psalmist proclaims, “we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place” (Psalm 66:12). May’s readings tell of the emergence of a new life in the spirit of the risen Christ–participation and mutuality in communal life, patient witness, and proclamation of the gospel. The texts help provide assurance that in this world, and in Christ, God’s love is not limited. With abiding presence, we can embark on new journeys to landscapes unimagined.
Join us as we reflect on Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10.
Parenting Circle
We use our time together to share our joys and struggles through a facilitated discussion, guided by the week’s lectionary readings. No advance preparation or reading is necessary and copies of the texts being discussed will be available. We welcome babies and toddlers who may not yet be able to leave their parents.
Seekers
Politics and Faith: European Contributions to American Theology
Led by Dr. Ron Stone
From May 11-25, Dr. Stone, a retired ethics professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will share themes from his new book Politics and Faith: Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich at Union Seminary in New York.
We will learn how the most distinguished American theologians of the 20th Century translated European thought into defining American theology. The rediscovered use of Christian symbolism and existentialism transformed American theology and defined Christian progressive thought at its height in the 1950s-60s and still provides the best perspective for American thought and church life.
Soul Food
We will discuss the beginning chapters of Discernment by Henri Nouwen. New participants are always welcome!