tidings nov10

“The only people who like change are cashiers and babies” goes the saying. I heard one of our gubernatorial candidates say recently, “Everybody wants to be transformed, but nobody wants to be changed.” Change is hard. Routines are

disrupted and with it our sense of security. The ground beneath our feet shifts and we’re not always sure we like the directions in which it moves. We are in the midst of some of that change right now. That change can be described in a number of ways:

• the numeric growth of the congregation• the addition or expansion of the staff• the shift from a “pastoral centered” congregation to a “program centered” one• our modest, yet significant racial/ethnic diversification• the increase in children

These kinds of changes have far reaching effects. An education program changes in ways that change expectations for many participants or their families. The expansion of staff challenges assumptions about roles and responsibilities. Leaders are pushed and stretched to adapt to new realities they had not anticipated when they agreed to serve in specific roles. All of these kinds of changes introduce anxiety into our congregational system. Like a pebble in a pond, that anxiety can ripple through the entire body, affecting more than just one group or a few individuals.

The natural way to respond to this kind of heightened anxiety is to resist the change that produced it by “fight” or “flight.” Rarely do these kinds of coping strategies produce positive results, at least not in a community. A better alternative for all of us is to harness and direct change (inevitable as it may be) toward ends that serve our common purposes and common goals.

Accordingly, the Session has adopted congregational goals that seek to aim our resources toward healthy ends. These goals are the end result of several years of conversations, some formal, others more casual held in multiple places, listening to a great many of your ideas, hopes and dreams for the church. These goals are not meant to capture every ministry or every mission that we undertake. It is the hope among the leadership that as we begin planning for a new year, these goals might help to shape and guide us – our resources, our energy, and our ideas. Each goal is fleshed out with concrete ways to achieve it, but for brevity’s sake I have included only the broad goals.

Pastor’s reflections

TheTidings

november 2010

Good news from

PasTor’s reflecTions ..1

ask The PasTor ...........2

recenT Teen suicides .. 3

Brown MeMorial To Be feaTured on sacredclassics.coM ....4

gloBal Mission silenT aucTion ............ 4

casseroles needed for our daily Bread ........ 4

a sPecial inviTaTion ..4

PorTraiT of an arTisT .5

noveMBer resPonsiBiliTy schedule ..................... 6

noveMBer BirThdays ..6

in MeMoriaM .............7

noveMBer 2010aT BMPa .....................8

in this issue

continued on page 3

By rev. andrew fosTer connors

[email protected]

the tidinGs november 2010

ask the Pastor

Q: “Some churches celebrate Communion more frequently than once a month. Why does Brown celebrate Communion only on the first Sunday of each month”

A: Based on the writings of Justin Martyr (150 C.E.), we know that early Christians celebrated Communion at every gathering for worship on the Lord’s Day. But with

the development of the doctrine of original sin and purgatory by Augustine in the 4th century, Communion came to be viewed more narrowly as a reenactment of Christ’s

sacrifice on the cross that could cancel out actual sin (individual acts of disobedience), just as baptism was believed to cancel out original sin. Thus having a priest offer a Mass in the name of a Christian in purgatory was believed to hasten that person’s entry into heaven. Many masses were endowed by wealthy Christians and said in rapid succession (all but one of them “dry”) and nearly inaudibly in Latin each day by multiple priests, sometimes with people looking on, but usually as spectators came to engage in their own private devotions and prayers and witness “the miracle” of transubstantiation. At the same time, for the living, Communion became an increasingly mysterious and somber affair with personal confession as a pre-requisite. By 1215, so many Christians, whether out of awe or fear, were declining the Eucharist that the Fourth Lateran Council found it necessary to require Christians to take Communion at least once a year at Easter.

During the Reformation of the 16th century, new Eucharistic theologies and practices challenged those of medieval Roman Catholicism. While Martin Luther and later John Calvin both advocated celebrating Communion every Sunday, albeit NOT as a propitiatory sacrifice for souls in purgatory or as a private mass, Zwingli saw Communion as a memorial meal only and advocated celebrating it but four times a year. But neither Luther nor Calvin was able to implement their desire for weekly communion. According to Stookey, people simply would not do willingly every week what they had previously done only once a year, and even then under compulsion of law. Calvin was able to arrange for monthly Communion services in Geneva, but at a different church each month. Changes in the way Western Europeans were

coming to view the world (especially nominalism and rationalism) meant that Zwingli’s views on Communion often held a far greater appeal, especially among Protestants. Many Presbyterian and other protestant churches began to follow Zwinglian patterns of celebrating the Eucharist quarterly. Furthermore, many descendents of Calvin placed increasing emphasis on the doctrine of election, leading again to reluctance to take communion out of a sense of unworthiness.

In recent decades in the Presbyterian Church and others, there has been a renewed interest in the sacraments. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including liturgical movements within the Church of England and the Catholic Church; improved relationships among Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians as well as between mainline Protestant denominations; renewed theological interest in the work of the Holy Spirit; and a renewed post-modern appreciation for mystery and the power of ritual, even as reason and empiricism have been shown to have their limits.

According to our current Presbyterian Book of Order (W-2.4009), “it is appropriate to celebrate the Lord’s Supper as often as each Lord’s Day. It is to be celebrated regularly and frequently enough to be recognized as integral to the Service for the Lord’s Day.” As recently as 2006, the Presbyterian General Assembly approved a study called Invitation to Christ: A Guide to Sacramental Practices that encouraged congregations to embark on a two-year exploration of the sacraments (baptism and Communion) and as part of that study to increase the number of Sundays in which they celebrated Communion. Whenever I review our theology of Communion in our Book of Order (W-2.4), I can’t help but wonder what is keeping us from returning to the early church’s practice (and Calvin’s wish) of celebrating the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. So perhaps I should redirect this question to the Session.

This account of the history of Eucharistic theology and practice through the Reformation is derived from Laurence Hull Stookey’s book “Eucharist: Christ’s Feast with the Church (Abingdon Press, 1993).” Post-reformation analysis is a combination of Stookey’s analysis and my own.

* “Ask the Pastor” is a new feature of The Tidings. You may submit a liturgical or scriptural question to be answered by one of the Pastors to Ellen Carter Cooper at [email protected]. The deadline for questions is the 15th of every month.

?

By rev. eMily rose ProcTor

[email protected]

november 2010 the tidinGs PaGe 3

While I know that these goals might not fully capture the hopes and dreams of every individual in the church, I am encouraged that our leadership is looking for concrete ways to guide and navigate us through the unsettling waters of change. Those waters have already overtaken more than a few churches, unable or unwilling to accept that ministry in our time must change if we are to share good news in a globalized world that calls for flexible and organic responses to emerging needs. I am grateful that, rather than fight those waters, or try to avoid them, we are charting a course with purpose, energy, imagination, intelligence, and vision. Hopefully, you will consider your own gifts and how you might share them through our ministry, mission, and fellowship together.

Congregational Goals – Fall 2010 – Spring 2012• Enhance Opportunities to Deepen our

Relationship with God and Each Other Through Practices of Playing, Sharing, Praying, and

Studying Together• Clarify Our Governance Structure with the

Goal of Strengthening Lay Leadership and Congregational Involvement

• Clarify Organizational Structure and Empower Staff to Exercise More Leadership/Autonomy within Their Clarified Roles

• Grow the capacity of the church to share our message and increase our impact within the broader community

• Improve the Fiscal Health and Oversight of the Church

Pastor’s reflectionscontinued from page 1

Recently, there have been several suicides of teens who were defeated by the anti-gay attitudes of society. What can the church do to help LGBTQ young people to love themselves? Indeed, what can the church do to combat bullying in all areas of society?

To be part of the solution, use the resources that are

available to address this problem. Some of them are listed below. You can contact me for others.

The Trevor Project; 866 4U Trevor, thetrevorproject.org: a national helpline for LGBTQ teens focusing on crisis and suicide prevention

AngelsandDoves.com: a nationwide anti-bullying organization offering materials to help prevent bullying

National Center for Bullying Prevention; Pacer.org/bullying: promotes awareness of and effective ways to counter bullying

Matthew Shepherd Foundation; Matthewsplace.com: an online community and resource for LGBTQ youth

STOMP OUT Bullying; stompoutbullying.org: dedicated to eliminating bullying

GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network); glsen.org: works to eliminate bullying and bias in schools

Southern Poverty Law Center; splcenter.org: offers itsexcellent “Teaching Tolerance” Curriculum free of charge to schools and teachers; just released new movie, Bullied: A Student, a School, and a Case that Made History (Study guide accompanies the movie.)

recent teen suicidesBy rev. donald sTroud

[email protected] or [email protected]

§


The Chancel Choir and the organ of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church will be featured on the November 13 – 14 online radio broadcast of Sacred

Classics (Jim Howes, host). Performances by the choir and John Walker at the church’s historic Skinner organ were recorded exclusively for this

program on May 20, 2010. Broadcast to a local audience in St. Petersburg, Florida, this weekly program is streamed online worldwide at www.SacredClassics.com three times each weekend. You can listen on your home computer to this broadcast at the following times:

Saturday, November 13 at 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday, November 14 at 10 a.m. – 12 noon Sunday, November 14 at 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

This two-hour broadcast highlights Brown Memorial Church, featuring the full Chancel Choir, soloists, and organ. Both Joseph Kneer and John Walker conduct the choir in this program of eight anthems and eight hymns. John Walker is the organist in several works connected to Brown Memorial Church and the city of Baltimore. The broadcast also includes an interview with John Walker.

Jim Howes, host of this radio program, a native of Lutherville, sings frequently with the Chancel Choir when he returns here to visit his mother. Sacred Classics, now in its 28th consecutive year of weekly broadcasting, boasts an international audience around the globe.

brown memorial church to be featured on sacredclassics.com

Global Mission Silent Auction Is Scheduled For Nov. 7 and Nov. 14th!!!! Time to support a great cause – AND buy unique gifts (for

yourself or someone special). On these two Sundays, there will be a silent auction of treasured items donated by the Taylor family –

from around the world – as well as hand carved work from Court Robinson (Sr.) and artwork from Jonathan Barnes. Among the prize items – selected Lakota jewelry from the Dakotas. Items will be available for bidding after church November 7th, with final bids closing on November 14th after church. Proceeds from the auction will support Global Mission projects, including Doug and Chrystie’s work with the Baltimore Dakota Learning Camps. The 5th and 6th graders will be selling baked goods and refreshments on Nov. 14th, so come hungry! PLEASE JOIN US AFTER CHURCH FOR THESE TWO SUNDAYS AND BID FOR YOUR FAVORITE ITEMS!! For more information, please contact Christy Macy at [email protected] or 410-664-4864.

Global mission silent auction

casseroles needed for our daily bread

Casseroles: People are going hungry in Baltimore. Please help feed some of them by making a casserole for the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen, to supplement the choir donations. The November recipes are ‘Zippy Beef’ or ‘Macaroni and Cheese’. Printed recipes, baking pans, and the sign-up sheet will be available in the Assembly Hall. Casseroles should be delivered to the freezer off the Assembly Hall on or before Sunday morning, November 14th. If you have questions,contact Karen Nelson: 410-466-6106, [email protected].

The Presbytery of Baltimore and Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church cordially invite you to the ordination of Jennifer Cauldwell Williams to the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament on Sunday, December 5, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church. There will be a reception in the Assembly Room immediately following the service.

A Special Invitation

At the age of six months, Jonathan Barnes was brought from his birthplace in Oxford, England, to New York. One could say he was born to be an artist, but he waited until he was three years old to let the world know. During this pivotal year, he toured the Louvre Museum in Paris and on a cruise of the Caribbean his drawing of a palm tree garnered his first art prize.

An aunt in Long Island, New York, recognized Jonathan’s talent and allowed him to paint at her studio. By the time he was 11, he was enrolled in college art classes. His specialty was water colors. When he was 14, this young man taught himself to paint with oils. In high school Jonathan could be depended upon to paint posters, displays, and fliers.

New York City was an oasis for Jonathan. He would visit all of the art museums in the city in one day. His thirst for art led him to become a docent at the Whitney Museum. At the New School for Social Research (affiliated with the Parson’s School of Design) this talented young man developed an interest in architecture and sculpture. Completion of an undergraduate art program in New York did not satisfy this artist’s appetite. He landed here in Baltimore in Bolton Hill where he completed the graduate program at M.I.C.A.

In 2005, Jonathan visited Brown Memorial for the Easter Sunday Worship Service. “I thought the service was incredible. I noticed the sincerity of the members and the truth of Andrew’s sermon,” he recalled. In 2008, the artist was baptized and joined the church. Sally and Court Robinson were his sponsors and he is grateful for their nurturing and friendship.

Brown Downtown is a second home for Jonathan. He is a member of the Bible study group which evolved from the spirituality group and later morphed into the WN@B program. Tours of the Tiffany Windows in the sanctuary are conducted by this artist, also. Last year, he donated an oil painting of the church to the congregation. The painting graces the wall of the church office. Ever looking at life through the artist’s eyes, Jonathan recently sketched the Chancel Choir at its weekly rehearsal.

Jonathan describes Brown Memorial as “a haven for all.” He believes that the church lives its mission and that Andrew has great talent for focusing BMPA on justice, families, children, youth, and service. Furthermore, this New York native considers Andrew and Emily to be igniters of the great enthusiasm of the members.

During his “spare” time, Jonathan is active with the Democratic Party and the Flag House. At the Flag House, he works with children. He works with Art with a Heart, a program that uses art to help people recover from drug addiction. Playing classical music on the piano gives him tremendous joy as does being the President of the Redwood Toastmasters and a member of the Walters Art Museum.

Last month, a viewing of his art (mostly abstracts) was held at his residence. It is not a surprise that this “chronicler of life” will continue to sketch, paint, and make collages, for to him, “Anything in life can be inspirational.” Not too long ago, Jonathan missed a service because he stayed up painting until 3 a.m. He explained the situation by saying, “That’s how artists are.”

Portrait of an artist

Jonathan Barnes (center) about 10 years ago with Elisif (l) and Sophia Bruun.


By ellen carTer cooPer

go Green wiTh your coPy of THE TIDINGS!Now that our new website is complete and we have a direct link to the most recent Tidings publication help us go GREEN by receiving your copy online. Receiving email notification of when the latest Tidings is available forreading will help us cut down on the environmental and financial costs of printing and mailing paper copies. If you would like to receive e-mail notification of when the latest Tidings is available, please send Sharon Holley an email at [email protected]. She will need your name and email address. Also, check our website directly for updates at www.browndowntown.org/index.php?s=newsletter to download the latest Tidings. Thanks for helping us to be better stewards of God’s magnificent creation.

take note

If you have a conflict with this schedule – please call others on the list to make a swap. Then inform the church office of these changes at 410-523-1542 or [email protected].

acolytes

7th katie eGan & Julia lulJak 14th carter kniPle & JosePh reichelt

21st kenna emerick & adam mcnabney 28th no acolytes

audio enGineer

7th don PeePles 14th brantley davis

21st adrienne williams 28th bud Graves

children’s church volunteer

7th brantley davis & kate foster connors

14th linnea cheseldine & nicole mitchell

21st kerry & andy Johnston

28th marya howell & Jeff kniPle

coffee hour hosts

7th daryl & rachel smith

14th the bishai family

21st carol & bud Graves

28th karen nelson

communion PreParation

7th t.b.d.

communion servers

7th andy imParato

andy Johnston

carol Graves

carol newill

Greeters

7th court & anG robinson

14th anne heuisler & Jonathan barnes

21st andy & michelle Zabel

28th Grace PenG & mehran armand

liturGist

7th mari satterlee

14th anne heuisler

21st brantley davis

28th youth

offertory acolytes

7th James cavallon & eva mcnabney

14th aaron mcnabney & Grace todd

21st trevor bishai & Jake schindler

28th will coulson & JosePhine finney

offertory counters

PaGe camPbell & bill mcconnell

ushers

t.b.d.

11/01 Anne Heuisler11/02 Jack Davis11/02 Andrew Hughes11/02 Sebastian McMillan

11/04 Keiffer J. Mitchell, Sr.11/05 David Mock11/05 Alex Reichelt11/07 Barbara Cook11/09 Miranda Hall11/10 Lily Shields11/11 Marijke McMillan11/12 Kate Foster Connors11/13 Warner Brockman11/14 David Luljak11/16 Betsy Nix11/17 Jamie Cunningham11/18 Shirley Parry11/18 Bert Schmickel11/19 Luther A. Clark11/19 Willard Graves11/19 John Walker11/20 Bonnie Schneider11/21 Michael Bell11/20 Jennifer Rakowski11/24 Patrick Riorda11/29 Eva McNabney11/29 Carolina Mills11/29 Amanda Slagle

Note: If you wish to have your birthday listed in The Tidings, please contact Sharon Holley, church secretary, at 410-523-1542, or via e-mail at [email protected].

PaGe 6 the tidinGs november 2010

november resPonsibility schedule11 a.m. worshiP service

november birthdays

carl e. waGner, Jr. auGust 16, 1919 – sePtember 11, 2010

emma belle waGner auGust 1, 1920 – auGust 8, 2008

Carl and Emma Belle served terms as Elders of Brown Memorial Park Avenue and were faithful volunteers of the Brown Memorial Park Avenue Meals-on-Wheels program. They were loyal friends who supported the budget yearly even after they transferred to Maryland Presbyterian. Carl and Emma Belle died in residence at Blakehurst.

member and elder

christoPher d. saudek october 8, 1941 – october 6, 2010

Dr. Christopher (Chris) Dyer Saudek, Brown Memorial Park Avenue member was serving as a current elder He was the founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Diabetes Center and a pioneer in the development of the implantable insulin pump. Chris died Wednesday, October 6, 2010, of metastatic melanoma at his Lutherville home.

“He always tried to make things better for patients. I so enjoyed referring patients to him because I knew that he would not only give them great medical care but that his compassion and understanding of the

human condition was unsurpassed. Chris was the best Hopkins had to offer,” said Dr. Edward D. Miller.

In 2007, Chris’ passion for patients took him to the South Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, where he was the driving force behind a Johns Hopkins initiative designed to teach medical professionals in that country – where an estimated 20 percent of the population has diabetes – how to improve care for diabetes patients and better spot potential complications early enough to do something about them. “It’s a small nation, a nation that’s very burdened by diabetes. Their problem is huge, their expenses are huge in taking care of people with diabetes, and we think we can help,” he said. The success of that program led Johns Hopkins officials to explore expanding it to other nations.

One of Chris’ hobbies was collecting street remedies, gathered during his international travels and prominently displayed in his Hopkins office for the amusement and edification of visitors.

“One typically dubious bottle of brown herbs and oil that he placed in the front promised to ‘cure diabetes, cholesterol, and children who urinate in their beds,’” said his son, Mark Saudek.

Chris will be forever missed by his wife, Susan and children, Mark, Deborah, Christina, and Tony and his nine grandchildren. He will also be greatly missed by his Brown Memorial Park Avenue family. A memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 6, 2010 at Brown Memorial Park Avenue.


Published monthly for members and friends of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church by the Membership Committee. Andrew Foster Connors, Pastor. Emily Rose Martin, Associate Pastor. 1316 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217. 410.523.1542.www.browndowntown.org. Send contributions bythe 15th of each month to Ellen Carter Cooper, editor([email protected]) or to Sharon Holley, church secrectary ([email protected]).

Good news from

TheTidings

In Memoriam

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eek Bible Study10:30 a.m

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31General Election Polling Place for Cong. Dist. 7 Council, Dist. 11, Leg. Dist. 40 5:30 a.m

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Thanksgiving Day


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Officer Training 12:30 p.m

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Education Hour, Choir W

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9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m

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Youth Night Out on the Town

Set Clocks back one hour before bed

Fall Comm

unity Dinners

911

Mem

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deceMber


arm-Up

9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m

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orship 11 a.m.

Officer Training 12:30 p.m

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Youth Mission Sunday


arm-Up

9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m

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9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m

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Kim-Turner W

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Middle School Youth

Mission Project

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arm-Up

9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m

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Ordination Service for Jennifer Cauldw

ell William

s 4 p.m

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tidings nov10

Health & Medicine

common goals

congregational goals

broad goals

goals arenot

direct change inevitable

r esponsibility pond

r ecent teen suicides

number of ways