June/July News Volume 71, No. 4

Dear Church,

June is PRIDE month. As Disciples of Christ, we describe ourselves as “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world”; as an Open and Affirming congregation we have stated that “…we strive to create a safe and supportive community in which all Christians may worship, study, serve and seek the guidance of God’s Spirit as we face the decisions of life and faith.”

Throughout this month, let’s celebrate Pride at church! Let’s continue to bear witness to God’s love for all God’s children. Let’s deepen Compton’s mission and commitment as an Open and Affirming congregation. On June 24th and 25th, we will participate in St. Louis PrideFest by joining with other Disciple congregations to sponsor a booth to celebrate and stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. If you would like to help staff our booth, a sign-up link is available now.

To begin the celebration, I offer this prayer from Rev. Mak Kneebone, pastor of Plymouth United Church in Spring, TX and the first transgender president of the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition.

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Holy One Of Blessing, eternally we co-create ourselves in your love. All companionship orientations;
All gender identities and expressions;
All ways of having family.
We celebrate this Pride month for LGBTQ+ peoples everywhere Knowing that many are still not safe to come out;
To be free;
To live life abundantly.
Heal all who are ill in body, mind, heart or spirit.
Bind up all wounds and provide adequate care. Extinguish any stigma people are enduring.
This month, we celebrate because everyone should be celebrated. We are your body on earth.
May our love and hope be sent on the wings of this prayer
To all who need refreshing, affirmation, and love’s embrace.

Steve – May it be so.

Our Interim Journey: Notes from Steve

Thank you, Church, for your on-going engagement with our interim journey. Also, a special ‘thank you’ to each of the members of the Vision Action Team (VAT) who have been providing leadership since last Fall!

Kathy Mead, from the VAT, provides this great summary of the interim journey thus far:

Compton started our interim journey in August 2021 when we celebrated with Jacque on her 25 years of ministry. Since that time, we have met in [3] Oneing Events where we named our core values, our spiritual gifts, our dreams for ministry and for the future of Compton.

The VAT took the information from our Oneing Events, from conversations in Board meetings and Elders meetings and identified areas of ministry that we as a congregation have stated are important to us as we move forward.

• Building community
• Providing Opportunities for Spiritual Growth
• Creative Worship
• Strengthening community
• Engaging the Arts to enrich our ministries
• Desire to be in relationship with Isaiah 58 Ministries
• Care and Use of our building as a resource for Compton’s ministry and the Ministry of Isaiah 58

The congregation and VAT have created projects and plans based on those ministry areas:

• We’ve started regular Open Mic Night.
• We formed a community action group.
• We revised our by-laws to reflect the size of our congregation.
• We are moving toward a more project focused way of doing ministry.
• We completed evaluations on our building and have formed a building use committee to work with I58 ministries – to look at, not just maintenance or structural issues – but to look at how we use the building.
• There are two lunch and learn events in planning stages.
  • Education event around Transgender issues
  • Education event around autism.
• We are planning a Radical Hospitality Event that will be a safe space for honest conversation around the challenges of intergenerational ministry.

At our Oneing Event on April 30th, we asked for additional ideas, projects and plans in four areas:

• Worship/Faith Formation/Spiritual Growth
• Care for and use of our building/Relationship with Isaiah 58
• Fellowship/Community building
• Outreach/Community engagement

Here are the ideas, projects and plans lifted up in these four areas at the Oneing Event on April 30th:

• Worship/Faith Formation/Spiritual Growth
  • Bringing back Sunday School in some form (ideas mentioned: discussions during coffee hour, short term studies, restoring a regular education time on Sunday or some other time)
  • More diversity in music, more live music, guest singers, solos, special music
  • More multi-cultural influences in worship, more creativity in worship
  • Compassionate Listening
  • Classes for those coming out of fundamentalist backgrounds
  • Moments in worship that incorporate radical inclusivity
  • Disciples history
• Care for and use of our building/Relationship with Isaiah 58 Ministries
  • Create a space for Think, Pray, Act (T+P+A) and others
  • Institute a new capital campaign
    • To pay down the mortgage
    • To fund needed improvements
  • Reconfigure the sanctuary space
• Fellowship/Community Building
  • Trivia Night/Silent Auction
  • Game night – board/card/party – invite Cornerstone, I-58
  • Ice Cream Social and/or Campfire
  • Movie and discussion Night
  • December fellowship/open house
  • Knitting group/craft night return
  • Bingo night
  • All church garage sale
• Outreach/Community Engagement
  • Deepen I-58 relationship – create “community” space for clients – offer workshops
  • Weekly office hours regarding “God’s call”
  • New kitchen facilities “open up” event – opportunities – boy/girl scout, 12-step groups
  • Mini concerts – folk engagement, college groups
• Continue attending neighborhood meetings
• Publish in monthly newsletters – TGENA, Shaw NA
• Re-acquaint members in social ways to foster interest in leadership positions
• Continue to work to strengthen partnership with Cornerstone

Interim Journey, Closing Thoughts

If you haven’t had the opportunity to express your interest in any of these ideas, projects and plans, you may do so at church by writing your name on sticky notes and placing them beside your items of interest on the newsprint sheets located in the office hallway just before the kitchenette.

Now, the VAT is in the process of compiling and organizing all of these ideas and interests in order to incorporate them into future action plans… beyond the action plans that are already underway!

One last thing to highlight…
While you have fully engaged the interim journey in order to plan for the future, the life and ministry of the church right now continues! Please check the upcoming events in this Newsletter.
I look forward to sharing this summer’s ministry with you and give thanks to God for each of you and all of you together!

Grace and Peace, Steve

• June
  • 14 – Dennis J.
  • 19 – Theresa M.
  • 26 – Lucy M.
• July
  • 15 – Sarah R.
  • 17 – Steve W.
  • 22 – Janet U.
  • 28 – Marcia H.
  • 21 – Steve S.

Please hold in prayer: Walt T, Penny and Howard M, Courtney H, Nancy O for her mother; George H, Leslie L, Joan J for her aunt Adeline in hospice care; Diane R’s mother and her cousin Mona, DebE M’s friend Sheila; Leslie L’s parents; Carolyn H’s sister.

We Also pray for: An end to fighting in Ukraine; an end to gun violence in the USA; all who have been killed, injured and driven from their homes to refuge in other countries. Those affected by extreme weather events. Everyone struggling with loneliness, depression and isolation. All who grieve the loss of loved ones. All of our LGBTQ family and friends. Anyone experiencing pain and alienation:may you know that God loves ALL of us.

Around Compton Heights

Search committee: Five members have been named to the Search Committee for our settled minister. They are Leslie Latham, Marcia Hendrix, Darrell Hughes, Rev. Becky Klemme-Elicieri, and Orion Peterson.They have met once with Regional Associate Minister David Woodard. Keep them in prayer!

Book Circle News: Compton Heights CC Book Circle usually meets the second Saturday of every other month on Zoom at 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join the discussion, even if you haven’t finished (or read) the book! However, we will be discussing Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus on July 15.

Coffee Hour News : Volunteers Needed! Coffee time following worship service is a time for us to have conversation, reconnect with one another, and fellowship with each other. Please check the signup sheets on the Library doors and volunteer to make coffee and set up for coffee time or to provide snacks, or both.

Upcoming Events

All Sunday Worship is at 11 a.m. in person and live stream on Facebook (Sunday bulletin PDF is emailed on Saturdays)
Spirit Bloom on Zoom meets on Mondays at 7 p.m.
Ministry Groups, Wednesday, June 14, 7 p.m. on Zoom
Isaiah 58 Ministries Juneteenth Celebration, 11a.m.-2 p.m.
Elders Circle, Wednesday, June 21, on Zoom
Retirement Party for Marsha McGuire, June 24, 1-4 p.m.
St. Louis Pride Fest, June 24-25
Pastor’s Cabinet, Wednesday, July 5 on Zoom
Youth Mission Event: Wednesday, July 12th 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Book Circle: Saturday, July 15 at 1 p.m. on Zoom
Board of Ministry: Wednesday, July 12, 7 p.m. on Zoom
Elders Circle: Wednesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. on Zoom
Isaiah 58 Ministries Back to School Fair, July 22

Bag of Blessings for Isaiah 58 Ministries

Please bring these to the baskets at back of the Sanctuary on Sundays. All fruit and vegetable suggestions are to be canned and, if possible, low sodium and/or in their own juice.

June

Tuna, Canned Ravioli with Meat; Coffee, Tea; Diapers size 5,6,4T, 5T, baby wipes; Multi/All purpose cleaner

July

Oatmeal, canned fruit; salt-free seasoning; toilet paper, dish soap

General Assembly meets in Louisville, KY July 29-August 2. Register at ga.disciples.org