WE WELCOME SARAH CRAVEN AS OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION – Sarah was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is an avid Steelers fan! After attending Eastern University in Philadelphia where she earned a BA is Youth Ministry/ Communications, she moved to Charleston to begin working in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. She met her husband, Chris, while at her first position at St. Thomas, North Charleston and they have been married for 16 years. Together they have three children, Jonathan (11) and Abigail and Shiloh (9). You can usually find the family either at the soccer fields or in the dance studio. Sarah and her family are very excited about their new adventure in the Presbyterian Church. Sarah enjoys gardening, reading and generally being outside whether it be camping or at the beach.
2019 Tea Room
The "Seconds, Please" Tea Room is an annual lunch and dessert open to the public in conjunction with the Spoleto Festival Craft Fair in Wragg Square. The menu includes tomato pie, quiche, she-crab soup, and the pastor's sour cream apple pie and many other delicious homemade sandwich, soup, and dessert offerings. The Tea Room benefits the Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston missions program.
Join us May 24th, 25th & 26th for lunch, dessert & tea.
Friday & Saturday from 11:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Sunday from 12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
WE NEED YOU to make it a success, as you have since 2006! It takes 25-30 people per day to staff Tea Room. On Prep Days 12-14 people are working to get things ready. We need people for staff, for prep and we need our wonderful bakers to prepare our homemade desserts. Please consider your contribution to our Tea Room by volunteering your time in some way.
We would love to see you there! Please spread the word and invite family & friends to come join us for FUN, FOOD & FELLOWSHIP!
Sign up to volunteer!
Source: tearoom
Howard Thurman film screening may 9
Backs Against the Wall free screening and discussion at Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston
Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story
FREE Screening & Discussion
Thursday, May 9th, 6:30 p.m.
Second Presbyterian Church
ALL ARE WELCOME
More about the film:
Backs Against The Wall explores the extraordinary life and legacy of one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century. Born the grandson of slaves, Thurman became a “spiritual foundation” for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring many of its leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr, Jesse Jackson and Congressman John Lewis.
In the mid-1930s, Thurman was the first Black American invited to meet Mohandas Gandhi who shared his strategy of non-violent resistance. Gandhi suggested it would be through the African-American experience that the non-violence resistance movement could take on global significance. When Thurman returned to America, his writings and speeches planted the early seeds for the non-violent Civil Rights Movement.
Thurman is also remembered for helping launch The Fellowship Church for All People in San Francisco, a pioneering venture to create the nation’s first interracial, intercultural church community. Thurman was a gifted and prolific writer who authored more than 20 books and celebrated as one of the great preachers of his era.
Backs Against The Wall is produced and directed by Martin Doblmeier, who will introduce the film. The screening at Second Presbyterian Church will conclude with a panel discussion.
Film interviews include: John Lewis, Barbara Brown Taylor, Vernon Jordan, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Gregory Ellison, Walter Earl Fluker.
A free community screening of Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story will be shown in the sanctuary at Second Presbyterian Church, immediately followed by a panel discussion moderated by filmmaker Martin Doblmeier.
ALL ARE WELCOME
More information:
LOCATION: Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston Sanctuary
342 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403 Directions
CONTACT: (843)723-9237
PARKING: The Second Presbyterian Church parking lot is available for the event at the corner of John and Elizabeth Streets. There is also street parking (both metered and residential) on John, Elizabeth, and Charlotte Streets.
PANEL: The panel discussion at the conclusion of the screening is moderated by filmmaker Martin Doblemeier, and includes:
Martin Doblmeier, moderator- Martin holds degrees in Religious Studies, Broadcast Journalism and honorary degrees in Fine Arts and Humane Letters. Since 1984 he has produced and directed more than 30 films focused on religion, faith and spirituality. Martin combines a lifelong interest in religion with a passion for storytelling. Over the years he has traveled on location to more than forty countries to profile numerous religious leaders, spiritual communities, heads of state and Nobel Laureates. His films explore how belief can lead individuals to extraordinary acts, how spirituality creates and sustains communities and how faith is lived in extraordinary ways.
Rev. Joe Darby served four congregations in the Midlands and Charleston’s Morris Brown AME Church. He was presiding elder of the Beaufort District of the AME Church and now pastors Charleston’s Nichols Chapel AME Church. Darby was also a founding co-chairperson of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry and was president of the S.C. Christian Action Council and the S.C. Civil Liberties Union. He is also a life member of the NAACP and has served as first vice-president of the S.C. NAACP. He is a board member for the S.C. Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, first vice-president of the Charleston Branch NAACP, and is a member of The Citadel’s Diversity Advisory Committee. His honors and awards include the S.C. Christian Action Council’s Howard G. McClain Christian Action in Public Policy Award and the NAACP Southeast Region Medgar W. Evers Leadership Award. He is recognized in the S.C. Black Hall of Fame, was featured in the AT&T African-American History Calendar, is a member of the Richland County School District One Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Charleston YMCA’s Harvey Gantt Freedom Award. He also received the Conference of National Black Churches’ John Hurst Adams Advocacy Award.
Dr. Felice Knight currently teaches African American History as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Citadel and is also a member of the Universities Studying Slavery Committee. She completed undergraduate studies in History at Furman University (B.A.) and graduate studies in History at The College of Charleston and The Citadel (M.A.) and at The Ohio State University (Ph.D.). Her research, which has been supported by the Institute for Southern Studies at USC and several university grants, focuses on institutional slavery, or the ownership and hire of slaves by universities, schools, and government institutions. Her current project explores the ownership and hire of slaves by the City of Charleston during the early national and antebellum periods. Work pertaining to her Master’s Thesis, a study of the black freedom struggle in Charleston during the mid- to late-twentieth century, has been published by the University of South Carolina Press.
Rep. J.A. Moore is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Moore graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in culinary arts. His professional experience includes working as a chef, restaurant general manager, cafe manager, food and beverage manager, and catering director.The catalyst that lead to the decision to run for office was personal tragedies and crisis in his life. Those events taught him the value of how fragile life is and if you have a purpose in life, do it now.
Dr. J. Goosby Smith- A native of Gary, IN and an alumna of Spelman College and Case Western Reserve University, Dr. J. Goosby Smith currently serves as Associate Professor of Management and Leadership at The Citadel’s Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business. She also serves as The Citadel’s Assistant Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Co-Director of the campus’s Truth Racial Healing and Transformation Center. The TRHT Center facilitates local CitListen and Healing Circle sessions to promote cross-racial and interfaith connection through storytelling. Dr. J’s research and consulting focus on workplace inclusion in military and higher education workspaces, interfaith unity, and building human resiliency. She has written numerous scholarly articles and is the co-author of Beyond Inclusion: Workplace Inter-connectedness Energy and Resilience in Organizations. She is the editor of the soon to be published book Blessed Are Those Who Ask the Questions.
Rose Stump was born in Tallahassee and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Literature and Women’s Studies. While in Central Florida, she worked to improve farm workers' conditions. Rose recently graduated with an MPA from UNC Chapel Hill where she continued organizing with farm workers as well as with her peers to bring the Racial Equity Institute to her master’s program. She also helped contribute to the first ever data collection effort on the diversity of local government leaders. She believes relationship-building is a vital part of addressing oppression and achieving collective liberation and she is committed to organizing in the south among the people and traditions who made her who she is.
SPONSORS: This community screening presented at Second Presbyterian Church is sponsored by:
Charleston Atlantic Presbytery
First(Scots) Presbyterian Church
Grace Church Cathedral
Mt. Moriah Baptist Church
Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church
Mt. Zion AME
Westminster Presbyterian Church
and supported by:
Charleston Illumination Project
The Islamic Council of Charleston
Mayor’s Clergy Council
Sophia Institute's Social Justice Racial Equity Collaborative
Equipment and technical support graciously provided by The Office People
Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston is a visionary participant in the downtown cultural and spiritual renewal taking place in Charleston and across the country. We are seizing God's call to be a part of it and seeking to partner with the community in meaningful and encouraging ways. Second Presbyterian is committed to being an active part of engaging the community in meaningful ways to inspire growth and action in the love of Jesus Christ. We are always looking for visionaries, revolutionaries, and humble dissenters - who relish the thought of taking "old" church and making all things new in Christ.
Second Presbyterian Church is a progressive, Christ-centered congregation where everybody feels welcomed.
Source: /thurman
First Advent Devotional
SCRIPTURE
Luke 21:25-36
25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
DEVOTIONAL
The day was dark, heavy grey clouds cloaked Charleston, the rain came down in steady streams. The wedding was meant to be outside on the lawn of a beautiful wedding venue overlooking the marsh; complete with the perfect sunset coloring the sky with colors of pink and orange. Instead, there was a greyish darkness and the plans had to change. So, we gathered together on the porch, sitting shoulder to shoulder, with the rain steadily falling down and we watched and celebrated two people joining their lives together. As I looked out over the water and watched as the rain drops made ripples, I listened to two people vow to love one another all the days of their life. I thought to myself, “This is holy, this is sacred, the light is pouring in and this is love.”
If we are not careful we will miss it, we will miss the mischievousness of the divine dancing around us here and now. Sitting on that porch, with the music of the rain, and the warmth of love filling the space I realized that Rev. Darwin was completely right when he said, “Advent is an invitation to living in time differently.” We were all invited to live into time differently at that wedding; we were invited to pay attention, to keep our hearts open to the movings of God, to look and to see that even in the darkness of a rainstorm God is present and doing incredible things.
Advent is a season of anticipation, a waiting period for the baby Savior to be born. Here we are at the beginning of that season of waiting and I hope and pray that you will live into time differently. That you will pay attention to the world all around you and you will look and see that God is present even as we wait.
Grace and Peace,
Margaret Fleming
Margaret is a seminary student at Columbia Theological Seminary and an inquirer for Ordained Ministry under the care of the Session of Second Presbyterian Church.
Advocating for an Apology for Charleston's Involvement with Slavery
This week we were able to be part of a big step in the right direction - we were advocates for an apology for Charleston's involvement with slavery.
Carolyn Rivers of the Social Justice Racial Equity Collaborative wrote in an op-ed piece for the Post and Courier, "The Resolution to Recognize, Denounce and Apologize for the City's Involvement with Slavery is not an apology by any individual. It's an apology made on behalf of the city of Charleston for its role in regulating, supporting and fostering slavery and the resulting atrocities inflicted by the institution of slavery. It is a recognition that the prosperity and robust economy of this city began with a dependency upon the free labor, technical expertise and craftsmanship of those peoples who were enslaved."
So much to be said. So much to be done, but it starts with a recognition of harm done and an expressed statement of contrition. Second Presbyterian is an engagement partner in the movement, led by our example of the Christ we follow and whose name we bear.
Flat Jesus
Spring and summer are busy times of the year! Spring brings a lot of time spent outside with family and friends and a whole new schedule of sports. Families begin to wrap up the school year with final projects, testing and a whole long to-do list full of things. There’s spring break trips and plans, Easter egg hunts, end of the year cookouts and the travels begin. As your family begins to make travel plans this spring and summer, would you consider taking a special guest with you on your adventures? Whether they are local, near or far, consider taking this someone special with you. Let “Flat Jesus” be a part of all your fun!
What is “Flat Jesus?”
FLAT JESUS was created as a way to keep our church connected as we approach the travel seasons of spring and summer.
Here’s how “Flat Jesus” works:
Print out Flat Jesus, color him in, and take of picture of him wherever you go. You’ll love taking FLAT JESUS out to dinner with you, on Spring Break, to the beach, to hang with your grandchildren, and when you meet new friends all over town! It’s an amazing adventure. Take FLAT JESUS with you and see what happens.
How to create your very own Flat Jesus:
1. Print out the template - on heavy cardstock paper if possible.
2. Be creative! Decorate Flat Jesus. Think about what, if anything, his robe should say. What color and type of hair does your Flat Jesus have? Any accessories?
3. Make one for yourself and one for a friend!
4. Place a reminder on the back of your Flat Jesus on how and where to send pictures of your Flat Jesus’ adventures. Send pictures to Miss Liv (olivia.cappelmann@2ndpc.org)
5. If you have access to a laminating machine, laminate your Flat Jesus. This way if he attempts to walk on water he’ll be protected!
6. Take your Flat Jesus everywhere with you and take lots of pictures and then share them with us.
7. Talk with family and friends about what you and Flat Jesus experienced.
There are lots of things happening here at Second that Flat Jesus would love to be a part of, too. Wednesday night suppers and studies wrap up on April 25th with the “Second Annual Talent Show.” We hope that you will join us for a night of fun, food and fellowship with your church family. Three of our high school youth will be traveling to Montreat Youth Conference the week of June 10th-16th. We will also take a group of middle school youth to the Montreat Middle School Conference at Maryville College July 18th-22nd.
Have you marked your calendars for Vacation Bible School yet? It is June 24th-28th from 5:30-8:00 every night and we need you! There are lots of ways to be involved in VBS and we cannot do it without you. If you have any questions about how to get involved or register your child for VBS please give Liv a call or send her an email.
One Great Hour of Sharing
The members of Second Presbyterian Church shared God's love with God's people this past Easter by giving generously to the One Great Hour of Sharing. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in"(58:12). His vision is being worked out in Puerto Rico and Houston and still in South Carolina through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. In Uganda, a widow farms to feed her three children and eight grandchildren, aided by the Presbyterian Hunger Program. In Ohio, the Front Porch Café community helps recovering addicts or individuals released from prison with guidance in employment opportunities, and to re-enter society as positively changed. A Self-Development of People grant allowed them to renovate their building for this current use. Other special offerings in the past few months helped Thornwell children and their families (Thanksgiving offering) and aided retired Presbyterian pastors with emergency needs (Christmas Joy offering). We will have several other opportunities later in the spring, the Mother's Day offering for SC Presbyterian Communities and the Pentecost offering, 40% of which will help with our own community-wide Vacation Bible School in June.
Giving to special offerings is one way of being a mission-oriented church, but personal involvement is important as well. The Seconds Please Tea Room is not only a fun way to get to know other church members; it is a critical fund-raiser for mission projects locally and globally. The volunteer chart is up in the Education Building. The Vacation Bible School volunteer sign up forms are available through our MailChimp emails, as well as with Liv Cappelmann. The Hands of Christ school clothing and supplies event (August 13 and 14 at Second) needs our members to help, both at our church and at other sites. We will need folks to unload the truck Monday, set up the rooms, and be shopping helpers to go around with each child. Very importantly, Hands of Christ staff will be training some of our members to work with registering the families as they arrive. Please come join us in one or all these gifts of yourself in God's name.
UPDATE: Thank you for your generosity to the One Great Hour of Sharing. Your giving repairs the breaches that separate people from lives of wholeness.
Read more about the impact of the One Great Hour of Sharing.
Eighth Lenten Devotional
SCRIPTURE
Luke 24:13-35
13Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
DEVOTIONAL
In his first exhortation, Pope Francis wrote, “There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter.” Surely that is how the two disciples on the road to Emmaus felt. Stuck in grief and disappointment, they couldn’t believe the women’s Easter news that Jesus had risen, so they pressed on toward a little town whose only noteworthy characteristic was how far away it would get them from Jerusalem.
But then they were ambushed by Jesus, and the result was joy like a consuming fire in their hearts. “Did not our hearts burn within us” What exquisite joy awaits those who encounter the risen Savior! “Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.”
And notice where the encounter happens: on the road. The joy of Easter is not waiting for you to get to Emmaus. You won’t find it in another town, another relationship, another degree, another car, another life. This joy is looking for you, impatiently, here and now, transforming whatever road you’re on into a journey with Jesus that takes you “further up and further in” to heaven and so making every step an arrival. “So the ransomed of the Lord shall return.” Amen
PRAYER
Risen Jesus, restore to us the joy of your salvation. Meet us here, meet us now, and make our cup overflow with gratitude and rejoicing. Christ be in every eye that sees me, Christ be in every ear that hears me. Lord Jesus, increase in us, we pray. Amen.
—The Rev. Dave Dack
2011 Pastor, Lemoore Presbyterian Church, Lemoore, Ca.
Easter Sunday
Dear Friends in Christ –
George Burns and Gracie Allen were entertainment royalty. They started in vaudeville, transitioned to radio, and then to TV. Burns played the straight man with the gravelly voice (10 to 15 El Producto cigars a day will do it!) to Gracie’s winsome comedy. His parents were Orthodox Jews and she was a staunch Irish Catholic girl.
Gracie would die decades before George. The story goes that after her death, George went to sort through her papers and on top of everything in her desk he found an envelope addressed to him.
He opened it, and found this, "George, never place a period where God places a comma.” Perhaps you’ve heard this before.
George Burns died at 100 attributing his longevity to the El Productos. But that phrase "never place a period where God places a comma" has lived on with new resonance. I think this is something to keep in mind as we celebrate Jesus’ rising this Sunday.
There were some who prayed, those who feared, most who assumed the story was done – just another would-be-prophet, wanna-be-Messiah shown to be delusional and dead. But this time was different. What some thought to be a period was actually a comma as certain women found an empty tomb and a messenger delivering the obvious. "He’s gone. He told you where to find him." You see, Jesus obviously had things to do!
Men and women, so do we. This Sunday let’s embrace the reality that death is deposed! New life beckons in Jesus Christ! We’ll worship together in the Sanctuary. Remember, invite your friends, your neighbors, those who you long to see and even those you’d rather not. Let’s come together to worship the risen Christ!
In great anticipation -
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday April 1st
Joint Festival Service in the Sanctuary at 11:15am: Christ's Victory
Communion Sunday
Seventh Lenten Devotional
SCRIPTURE
John 17:1-26
1After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
DEVOTIONAL
Through this journey of Lent we slow our pace to a crawl during Holy Week. We pause each day to remember the last moments of Jesus’ earthly life before his crucifixion. On this Maundy Thursday, we find ourselves with the disciples resting at the feet of Jesus as he offers this prayer.
With Jesus’ prayer washing over us, we wish for his words to linger just a little while longer, so that we may bask in his love and care for us. We hold on to these words, for we know that the words to come
next are those of betrayal. Together, Jesus’ prayer and his subsequent betrayal act for us as a mirror in which we see, simultaneously, both God’s desire for us and our own disobedient brokenness. As we pause to sit with Jesus’ prayer, may we also sit with him on the night of his betrayal. Resting in this tension, may we sit still enough to see through the cracks of our lives as his grace shines through to fulfill the hope of his prayer.
PRAYER
Ever faithful God, we give you thanks that on the night of your betrayal you were not concerned for yourself but prayed for us, and for all your disciples, that we may be one. By your Spirit unite us through your grace, peace, and love. Amen.
— The Rev. John Magnuson
2013 Associate Pastor for Youth and Families at Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh
Good Friday
Good Friday March 30th
A Service of tenebrae at 7pm.
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday March 29th
Community Communion Service at 7pm with participation of clergy and choirs from area churches.
Palm Sunday
Dear Friends in Christ –
Imagine this: first century, you’re on your way to Passover.
You’ve saved up for the temple tax. You’ve arranged for your work, property, home to be cared for…
You approach the temple. You hear a ruckus. Crowds in Jerusalem – the population is swollen. You hear screams. Then you see goats and cattle stampeding…towards you. You hold your loved ones close. You can’t believe this could be coming from the temple! You place your family back out of harm’s way, but you continue and you see people running, the money changers, the keepers of the livestock. The temple is a mess. Coins on the floor. How will you pay the temple tax? So how will you be forgiven?
And then you hear: There’s a prophet inside who speaks of the temple as if it belongs to him. He’s tearing the place up! And taking on the temple authorities? Who is this?
It's Jesus. He’s cleaning house.
Men and women, I hope you’ve been cleaning house, discarding everything that would keep you from his side. These times demand the people of God to be suited up and ready!
In great anticipation -
Tea Room
Join us Friday and Saturday, May 25th & 26th and June 1st & 2nd, from 11-2pm for lunch, cake & tea to benefit our missions program. We need staff volunteers those days from 10-2:30pm and on Prep Days Thursday, May 24th & 31st, from 10-3pm.
WE NEED YOU to make it a success, as you have since 2006! It takes 25-30 people per day to staff Tea Room. On Prep Days 12-14 people are working to get things ready. We need people for staff, for prep and we need our wonderful bakers to prepare our homemade desserts. Please consider your contribution to our Tea Room by volunteering your time in some way.
We would love to see you there enjoying our delicious fare and please spread the word and invite family & friends to come join us for FUN, FOOD & FELLOWSHIP!
Sign up to volunteer.
UPDATE!!! 2018 TEA ROOM **ONE WEEKEND ONLY**
Join us Friday and Saturday, May 25th & 26th from 11-2 and Sunday, May 27th from 11:45-3pm for lunch, cake & tea to benefit our missions program.
Source: tearoom2018