Sanctuary in the City April – May 2019 News (Vol 67, No 2)
Recognizing Christ
The journey of Lent always stirs questions in me. Have you ever wondered why Jesus would entrust a ministry of love, compassion, risk and self-giving to people who had such a hard time being loving and compassionate, and risking and self-giving? We could say, ‘Well, what choice did he have since he was going to be killed?’ But what Jesus said to
God in John 17 is “They are yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. . . . All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world …” Jesus knew their hearts. And perhaps he knew that they were in the midst of being formed into new people because they were loved so completely. So he could see life and light in them. He trusted that though he was no longer in the world, those who followed him were in the world. And that would be enough; that they were loved by God.
And there is the possibility that love and compassion and risking and self-giving did not always come easily to Jesus either. He knew that just as God was with and in and through him, lifting him up again and again to be himself, God would be with and in and through them. So ultimately Jesus was entrusting all that he held dear to God and to those God
would love into their fullness as human beings, as God loved him.
Then, there was the promise that he would be with them. They might not recognize him at first – along the road, or in Galilee, in the closed up places of their fear when nothing new and good and life-giving seemed possible, or at breakfast after along night’s work, or . . . centuries later when love and compassion, and risk and self-giving are still scoffed at and still hard and STILL THE MARKS OF THE PRESENCE OF
CHRIST.
Christ is truly everywhere, the very heart of life continuing to love the world into being. We have only to recognize.
Thanks be to God. Jacque
The Uplift Concert is coming up quickly! There are many ways to show your support for it and the Compton Uplift campaign: sharing the Facebook event with your friends, inviting your Facebook friends to the concert, putting together a basket to raffle off, and so much more!
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES
Palm Sunday Worship 
Sunday, April 14
11:00 am
Maundy Thursday Worship
Thursday, April 18, 7 pm
at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church
4111 Connecticut St.
(at Oak Hill and Connecticut)
Good Friday Stations of the Cross Friday, April 19
at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church
Prayer Stations open from 3 pm to 7 pm
Group Walk through the Prayer Stations at 5 pm
Easter Sunday, April 21
Easter Breakfast 9:00 am
Continental breakfast on the main level
with seating in the Library and Children’s Worship Room
You are invited to bring breakfast treats to share
such as Easter breads, sweet rolls, muffins, fruit!
We will have fruit juice, coffee and
hot tea.
Easter Egg Hunt 10 am
Choir Preparation
Getting ready for worship!
Worship – Celebration of Resurrection! 11:00 am
On this Sunday, all ages will worship in the sanctuary.
Children will not leave for “Worship and Wonder.”
However, the age range for child care will be extended for
any children for whom sanctuary worship is too long.
REGISTER NOW AND MAKE YOUR HOUSING 
ARRANGEMENTS FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2019 in DES MOINES!
At this time CHCC members going to Assembly are: Madeline Haraway,
Marcia Hendrix, Judi Linville, Marsha McGuire, Kathy Mead, Dave Boger, and Jacque Foster. If you are planning to attend and are not listed here
please let Jacque know! At our May Board meeting we will choose our voting delegates.
Our congregation is one of several co-sponsoring congregations of a resolution that will come to General Assembly.
It is Resolution GA:1929: AN INVITATION TO EDUCATION FOR WELCOMING AND RECEIVING THE GIFTS OF TRANSGENDER AND GENDER-DIVERSE PEOPLE. The resolution invites all expressions of the Church into a period of study and growth in understanding of the issues facing transgender and gender-diverse individuals and their families.
Some of the other resolutions coming before General Assembly are:
GA-1922: RESOLUTION ON FULL COMMUNION BETWEEN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA AND THE
CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
GA-1924: RESOLUTION TO CELEBRATE THE FORMATION OF NEW CONGREGATIONS AND CONTINUE THE COLLECTIVE COMMITMENT TO MAKE DISCIPLES
GA-1925: ADDRESSING THE STATE OF GLOBAL FORCED MIGRATION
GA-1926 SPIRIT OF ACTIVE LISTENING (this one comes from the General Youth Council)
GA-1927: CONCERNING THE REOPENING OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN CUBA, ENDING THE U.S. EMBARGO AGAINST THE ISLAND, AND PROMOTING A CONSTRUCTIVE RELATION BETWEEN BOTH COUNTRIES
GA-1928: A CALL TO SEE AND RESPOND TO THE CRISIS OF DOMESTIC AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
GA- 1930: ON WOMEN AND JUST PEACEMAKING
GA- 1932: ACKNOWLEDGING THE COVENANTAL AFFILIATION OF TOUGALOO COLLEGE AND REAFFIRMING OUR COMMITMENT TO HIGHER EDUCATION
The General Assembly will also receive and vote on the General Nominating Report for Officers of the General Assembly. Also the slate of new members of the General Board will come before the Assembly. Among those to be received as nominees for new General Board members will be our pastor, Jacque Foster, representing the National Benevolent Association (of which she is a Board Member).
BIBLE STUDY: “ABIDE IN ME”
When: first four Sundays after Easter, April 28 – May 19 10:00 am
Where: Church Library
What is this about? These Bible Studies are on the themes that will guide our General Assembly this coming July when we meet in Des Moines. The Bible Studies were created by a diversity of Disciples across the life of the Church.
Come join in this 4 week study!
We hold each other and our wider community, nation, and world in
prayer. It is more than a turn of phrase to say that we “pray without
ceasing.” This is a community grounded and centered in prayer in
such a way that we hold each other and those we do not know in God’s Light day and night.
Please pray for: Those who are unemployed
Karen and John Pitt Those who suffer hatred and violence
Joyce Cole All who suffer with illness
Sharon Clayton Immigrants, children and adults
45th Annual Hike Against Hunger Saturday, April 27
Memorial Blvd. Christian Church, one of our partner Disciples’ congregations in St. Louis, hosts this incredible “Hike Against Hunger” each Spring. The money raised through this Hike has been primarily channeled to ministries supported by our Week of Compassion. Over the last 44 years, Memorial Blvd CC has raised $489,000! These funds have met critical needs: reconnected a water system in Guarjila, rebuilt 32 houses in Bangladesh after floods, provided food in Mozambique, served 47 kids to get off the streets in Brazil, fed children in Kenya, fed orphans in Romania, built a basic need clinic in Haiti,
Helped to rebuild the Lucy Perry School in Madurai, India (several CHCC members were there on our last trip to India!), Built homes and provided Farming Kits in Honduras and Nicaragua, built wells in Sudan, provided $10,000 for Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries supporting refugee resettlement needs of vulnerable populations just across the U.S./Mexico border and food and shelter to those fleeing drug cartels, and longer term housing for political refugees . . . . THE LIST GOES ON AND ON!
THIS YEAR’S GOAL IS TO RAISE $12,000 FOR A PROJECT IN PUERTO RICO. The project is called Programa Edifiquemos – which means “let’s build”. This would provide building materials for 6 homes being repaired from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Members of Compton Heights CC have participated in this hike in the past, however in recent years our participation has fallen off. This 45th year is a great time for us to make an extra effort to participate! Invite friends! PICK UP A SPONSOR SHEET FROM THE TABLE IN THE HALLWAY. The hike begins right here in the Shaw neighborhood from Rev. Margie Pride’s home on Botanical and takes a lovely route through nearby neighborhoods. Let’s join in!
Compton Heights CC Book Group
Next meeting: Saturday, April 13th at 1:00pm at the church
We are reading and discussing:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
The English-language debut of one of Japan’s most talented contemporary writers
Why is that Equal Exchange display in the hallway near the library?
This is one of our missions: our congregation helps support small farmers who use sustainable growing methods around the world! Equal Exchange is a worker-owned co-op that purchases and markets Fairly Traded coffee, cacao, tea,
sugar and other products from small farmer co-ops in Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa and Asia. Over 90 percent of the products are certified organic. Our church account with Equal Exchange is registered with the
Disciples of Christ Fair Trade project, and for each pound of fairly traded coffee, chocolate, and tea we buy, 15 cents is deposited in the Small Farmer Fund. More than $1,000 was raised this way in 2018. This fund is used by Week of Compassion to
support the educational, entrepreneurial, and other aspirations of women all over the world. One such project is the Congo Coffee project that provides funds for a hospital for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo; another is Mama Tierra in Mexico.
We serve Equal Exchange coffee every Sunday and at various fellowship events. In
addition, we have packaged coffees for sale: both ground and whole bean, full city roast, vienna roast and light roast are available as well as ground and whole bean decaf. If you
would like to see the full list of coffees available, visit https://equalexchange.coop/ and browse. There are even three varieties of single-serve pods if that is how you make your
coffee at home or the office! If you see a product that is not currently available in the CHCC “store”, please let Judi Linville know and she can order it through our registered site.
We also have many varieties of tea, and about a dozen kinds of chocolate. We have just received two of the newest chocolate bars: Organic Chocolate with Coconut Milk (lactose free) and Organic Dark Chocolate Almond and Sea Salt. Soon we will have some of another new variety: Organic Total Eclipse Dark Chocolate (92% cacao). We have 10 additional flavors in stock.
All of the Equal Exchange products are priced at our actual cost. You will find the
Equal Exchange price to be quite comparable to organic products in local stores, and you can also be happy to know that the small farmer who grew the raw material
received more money than the farmers who sold theirs to a huge corporation. And in the case of chocolate especially, there was no child labor involved. Please feel free to browse the products we have and check the web site for anything you would like to try that we don’t have. If you have more questions, just ask Judi Linville.
NEW Officer and Chairpersons Elected for 2019!
We give thanks to the Nominating Committee and we give thanks those who have completed terms and those beginning
new terms as Deacons, Elders, Trustee, Officers and New Chairpersons:
Those who completed terms at the end of 2018 were:
Elders: Leslie Latham, Kathy Mead, Rev. Millie Slack
Deacons: Heather Stout, Bud Obermiller, Audrey Tarde, Walt Tarde, David Martin
Trustee: Susan Petri
Those elected for new 3 year terms are:
Elders: Becky Klemme Eliceiri, Charlsi Lewis Lee, and Madeline Haraway
Deacons: Marcia Hendrix, Mike Hubbard, James Pettis, Lisa Pettis, Ron Hutcherson
Trustee: Steve Randolph
We give thanks to Nancy Obermiller for serving two terms are Moderator of the Board and Congregation!
Our new Moderator is Madeline Haraway.
We give thanks to Bud Obermiller and Dennis James for leading the Deacons. Bud has rotated off.
We give thanks to Dennis James for continuing as Chair of the Deacons.
We give thanks to Carolyn Harry and DebE Martin for serving as Co-Chairs of the Elders.
Our new Co-Chairs of the Elders are Becky Klemme Eliceiri and Steve Randolph
AND we give thanks for ALL of those who are continuing to serve as Deacons, Elders and Church Officers!
PLEASE NOTE: THIS INVITATION TO VOLUNTEER WITH THE PRIDE CENTER HELPLINE is TIME-SENSITIVE.
HOWEVER WE JUST RECEIVED IT FROM
ONE OF OUR MEMBERS.
APPLY ONLINE by APRIL 12
(AND YOU MIGHT CHECK TO SEE IF APPLICATIONS MIGHT BE ACCEPTED A DAY
OR SO LATER.)
“When you walk along a country road and notice a little tuft of grass . . . the
next time you pass that way you [must] stop to see how it is getting along and
how much it has grown.”
Georgia O’Keefe (1887–1986)
American painter
March 5th 6:00 – 7:30 pm, 
Sunday Mornings 10 AM – LENTEN ADULT STUDY – Begins March 10
Lenten Evening Study – “Boundless Compassion: Creating a Way of Life” – led by Jacque Foster
Oak Hill Presbyterian, Isaiah 58 Ministries, and Compton Heights CC Winter Outreach Shelter
REGISTER NOW AND MAKE YOUR
We hold each other and our wider community, nation, and world in
We celebrate the life of the Royce Sykes, Jr. and we grieve our loss in Royce’s death to this life on January 12. Royce had a strong faith and had struggled for many years with diabetes. He suffered a heart attack from which he could not recover.
We welcome Janet Utley who joined the congregation on January 6. Janet has been worshiping with us since last spring, and came to be a part of the congregation as she came with Judy after their marriage last spring. Janet is a nurse and has been participating in our winter outreach shelter and our Adult Class on Sundays. When Janet came forward, she said that this congregation feels like it can be her home. We welcome you Janet and look forward to growing together in faith!
Compton Heights CC Book Group
As you consider walking in the October 7 CROP Walk & Concert, you are invited to read this letter sent to Clint McCann, Walk Director for our area.
God calls us to value the labor of God’s people. Preaching this week: Cecilia Belser-Patton, Organizer, Missouri Jobs With Justice
First a hat or two, ‘Okay’. Then more, and people I’d never expect to see in a hat! Even the men had on hats. Then came Morgan-at-the-organ-in-a-jester’s-hat and David at the piano in a wide brimmed red doozie! The choir in hats! It was all crazy and fun!
In our ministry, we strive to work in ways that anticipate and respond to meet needs rather than always reacting after the
A Fun Evening with Friends to Fund Mission! Saturday, September 29; First Round begins at 6pm!
Compton Heights CC Book Club
In these days we hold each other and our wider Community, nation, and world in prayer. It is more than a turn of phrase to say that we “pray without ceasing.”
Compton Heights Christian Church 