Lent:
From Penitence to Potential
Minister's Musings
Nominating Needs You
VBS Save the Date
PF Place
New Member Explorer Classes on Thursdays
Lent is a time of reflection and traditionally a time of penitence. This year, it might also be a time of potential as we partake of this variety of ministries with each other. This year, there are opportunities for spiritual growth on Wednesday evening and new programs offered on Sunday afternoons, as well as the traditional worship services during this important time in the Christian calendar.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON EVENTS
The Passion According to
Hollywood
March 5, 19, April 9
Faith and Film is back, at 4 p.m. on Sundays March 5, 19 and April 9, offering
three of Hollywood’s most spectacular retellings of the Christ epic.
Each movie reflects the era in which it was produced and gives us a multifaceted
view of how Christ has been perceived in modern society. Pick up a free study
guide for the series at the Book Cart, which gives background information and
theological questions to ponder, so we might have a rewarding discussion afterward.
And of course, popcorn is served!
On March 5 we’ll see The King of Kings (1927), Cecil B DeMille’s
silent epic, the screen’s first telling of the Christ event. H.B. Warner,
a leading man of the era, was cast as a sentimental Messiah. This film has
the first-ever use of Technicolor in the resurrection scene that surprised
audiences. Though a silent picture, this film has the original “Photophone” musical
score with many familiar hymns, with subtitles carrying the dialogue. 1 hour,
52 minutes
On March 19, we’ll see the remake of the silent version, King
of Kings (1961). This mid-twentieth century widescreen color spectacular (filmed in “70MM
Super Technirama Technicolor!” in the parlance of the day) casts blond
and blue-eyed Jeffrey Hunter as Christ. It’s larger and splashier, and
has interesting non-Biblical elements crafted into the storyline, reflecting
the political and cultural themes of the era.
2 hours, 51 minutes
On April 9 our trilogy is complete with the rock opera Jesus
Christ, Superstar (1973), resplendent and energetic in the color and music
of that era’s
youth culture. Ted Neeley is cast as countercultural hero Jesus. 1 hour, 47
minutes
4 O’Clock Concerts
March 12, April 2
The final two concerts of our 4 O’Clock series continue with its creative
musical flair. On March 12 “Bellisimi: An Afternoon of Opera Highlights” features
our soloists Jill Bruss and Dale Porter, as well as Dawn Riesing and Joseph
Graziano, all accompanied by Anne Van Deusen. This quartet of singers has performed
with the Florentine Opera, the Skylight Opera and the Milwaukee Opera Theatre.
On April 2, Kurt Ollmann and Jack Forbes Wilson present a cabaret called “You
Don’t Know What Love Is,” with songs by Cole Porter, Jacques Brel,
Burt Bacharach and others. Kurt has recorded classical and theater music under
the batons of Leonard Bernstein and Andre Previn among others. Jack is well-known
in Milwaukee as a singer, actor and pianist.
Each of the performances will be about 45 minutes in length and will be followed
by a reception and the opportunity to meet the performers. There is no charge
for these performances, though we invite your freewill offerings at the end.
Choral Evensong, March 26
Scripture set to music is the best way to describe Evensong, which is an old English way of talking about evening prayer. Rooted in the synagogue and early Christian tradition, this simple but elegant service lifts heart and mind to God at close of day. We will adapt it to the Congregational tradition of metrical singing of psalms with anthems by the choir.
MID-WEEK MINISTRIES
First Church will be active on Wednesdays. Come to Ash Wednesday Worship on
March 1 at 10 a.m. in the Chapel or 7 p.m. in the Nave. Beginning the following
Wednesday, March 8 through April 5, come to church at 6 p.m. for Simple Suppers
which are being hosted by several church families, then stay at 6:30 p.m. for
Evening Prayer in the Chapel.
Child care is offered in the evening by reservation beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Children are welcome to dine with their families.
At 7 p.m. Dr. Peay will offer “Come Apart and Rest,” a guided meditation
experience. Also at 7 p.m., Rev. Schaal facilitates the final five sessions
of Beginnings in the Parlor. This second term will discuss salvation and conversion,
forgiveness and wholeness, prayer, the good life, and continuing the journey.
Participants prepare by reading the text that presents a life-application approach
to basic theological questions. If you didn’t attend the first term,
that’s okay, as each unit is self-contained. At each meeting, a short
video starts discussion of how these core ideas of Christianity apply to lived
life. Register in the church office and purchase the text Beginnings: Along
the Way for $8 at the book cart.
For the senior high youth, Rev. Kreps Wegenast will facilitate Study @ Starbucks
at 7 p.m. The group meets at the Starbucks coffee shop in the Village to discuss
current events and scripture.
Even Wednesday mornings provide small group study and worship
opportunities. Both Men’s and Women’s Bible Study and ministries
meet at 6:30 a.m. At 9 a.m. all are invited to attend a brief 30-minute Chapel
Service with
staff and stick around for a brief coffee and chat following. Women interested
in merging exercise and spirit are invited to Pilates and Prayer at 9:30 a.m.
Back to the Table of
Contents
We began our program year “rekindling the gift” and have spent the last few weeks “imagining church.” Now, we enter into Lent looking to move from penitence to potential. Sometimes folks miss the point of the “bright sadness” of Lent, as Russian Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann described it, and get caught in the penitence part, without seeing the potential. Lent becomes something one just has to “get through” in order to come to Easter. But these 40-plus days hold more than simply penitence, the “give ups,” sackcloth, ashes, and no alleluias. The Lenten spring carries with it the promise of growth and renewal – as does every springtime.
Penitence is important, because
it is the quality of sincere sorrow or regret for sin. It’s a condition for true repentance, or “turning away” from
sin and, appropriately so. One really can’t change unless one intends
it. How can we turn from something we’ve done wrong until we’ve
owned it and gotten ready to move on in our growth? Lent is the season that
calls us to step back and look deeper at our relationship with God and with
others. Traditionally it has provided Christians an occasion to take stock
of their spiritual life and practice. It’s also an opportunity to examine
our priorities and, perhaps, to find some ways to re-align them in such a way
that they better fit our profession of being “followers of Jesus Christ.” That’s
why people talk about giving something up for Lent. A beneficial form of “give
up” can be what one teacher of the early Church talked about – giving
up selfishness by doing some sacrificial act of kindness for someone else.
Almsgiving, the giving of money for the benefit of the poor and disadvantaged,
is an ancient and honorable tradition practiced during Lent.
When we re-examine what really matters to us, re-center ourselves in what one
writer has called “the life in God,” the potential of our relationships
are opened up. Potential is a great word. Its root is the Latin word for power.
Potential speaks of the possible, but not yet realized, the inherent quality
for growth locked deep inside each one of us – that side of us, I believe,
which is there because we are made in God’s image and likeness. As the
potential becomes actualized, realized, in our actions and our attitudes the
power of God’s love alive in us is seen. That is why we move from penitence
to potential. As we have sought to rekindle the church and imagine what our
life together can be like we’ve been looking at our potential. Now we
step back, reflect on what we have accomplished, which areas of our spiritual
lives really need a fresh touch, apply that touch and grow as persons and as
a community of faith.
We have many opportunities this Lent. During Lent our 11 o’clock service
will be a little different, though the basic order of service will remain,
as it will become family friendly. Childcare will be available for the infants
and smaller children, but the rest of the children will stay to worship with
the adults. We will have a children’s sermon and other aspects designed
to help the children learn, grow and worship in this context – including
an age-specific worship bag. One of our special Sunday morning observances
will be a pulpit exchange with Trinity Church up the street. The Rector, Rev.
Gary Manning, will fill our pulpit on March 12 and I will fill his – we
look forward to this opportunity for our communities to get to know each other
a bit better. In addition to our Sunday worship time there are the various
Sunday morning classes and the functions at four o’clock on Sunday afternoons.
Wednesday will be a full day with chapel services offered morning and evening,
and classes offered as well. Two Wednesdays a month the 6:30 a.m. men’s
crowd will read N.T. Wright’s and Marcus Borg’s book The Meaning
of Jesus. While this is referred to as “men’s ministry,” we’ll
certainly open the doors to any who wish to come. The book will be available
at the book cart very soon. I am particularly excited about the “Come
Apart and Rest” sessions on Wednesday evening, which I will lead. These
will be guided meditations. Some points for prayer and meditation and then
an opportunity to either remain in the chapel or find another spot in the meeting
house to spend some time in quiet. Shortly before it’s time to call it
a night, we’ll get back together and draw our prayers together. These
quiet times of prayer can be some of the most important points for growth along
our spiritual journey.
I come to this special time in the church’s year with great anticipation.
I see the potential in this gathered church, the gifts, the dreams, the hopes,
the talents, and the great love – I think God is, indeed, rekindling
the gift of our covenant relationship. We’re imagining what the church,
particularly what this church, can be. Now we step back, look at where we need
to go, examine the regrets, let them go, and let the potential become actual.
To me, this is the essence of Christian life, as potential, the not-yet becomes
the now and in those moments we see God with us.
Have a blessed and fruitful Lent!
Yours on the Way,
Steve
Rev. Steven A. Peay, Ph.D.
Minister
Back to the Table of Contents
The Nominating Committee is beginning the process of filling
open positions on the Boards and the Church Council for the Election Meeting
to be held on Sunday, May 21.
If you are interested in serving on one of the boards, the Council or committees,
please sign up at the church on Sunday, March 5 and12 at the tables in the
atrium. Or call the church office (414-258-7375) and ask to have your name
given to the committee.
The board members are elected at the Election Meeting and members of the committees
are appointed by the new Moderator after that person has been elected at the
May 21 meeting. The office will see that the new Moderator receives the name
of anyone who volunteers for committees. Most board terms are for three years
and committee appointments are for one year with the possibility of extension
up to six years.
You may indicate the Board or Committee in which you are particularly interested,
but we cannot guarantee that you will be assigned to that one. It depends on
how many names we receive and how many people want the same position.
This is your opportunity to let us know how you want to be involved at First
Congregational Church. We look forward to your letting us know your interests
and your willingness to serve.
Back to the Table of
Contents
Senior PF Service Projects!
Knitting is all the craze right now
with movie stars, football players, and your grandma. Learn to knit during
PF in Lent and we will donate our finished blanket to Froedtert Hospital. Watch
for details on serving dinner at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission on Palm Sunday.
Senior PF Study at Starbucks
Join Carrie for a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate/you
fill in the blank, on Wednesdays during Lent. We will meet at the Tosa Village
Starbucks (next to Little Caesars) 7-8 p.m.
Second Saturday Movie Night – On March 11 bring your friends for this
sweet movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Junior PF State Rally You don’t want to miss this great opportunity to
meet youth from around the state and have a lock in! Plan on joining us March
31-April 1 in Kenosha. More details to come.
Valentine’s Day Cookies Sale on February 12. $175 was raised to
support Jonathan and Régis, the Pilgrim Fellowship’s sponsored
children through Compassion International.
Youth Calendar
March
5 - Covenant Class (10 a.m.), Junior PF (4:30-6 p.m.), Senior
PF (6:30-8 p.m.) Knitting service project
8 Senior PF Study @ Starbucks (7-8 p.m.)
11 Second Saturday (6-9 p.m.)
12 Junior PF (4:30-6 p.m.), Senior PF (6:30-8 p.m.) Knitting
service
project
15 Senior PF Study @ Starbucks (7-8 p.m.)
19 Covenant Class (10 a.m.), Junior PF (4:30-6 p.m.), Senior PF (6:30-8 p.m.)
Knitting service project
22 Senior PF Study @ Starbucks (7-8 p.m.)
24-25 WCA Senior PF Rally @ North Shore Congregational Church (5 p.m. Friday
to 4 p.m. Saturday)
26 Junior PF (4:30-6 p.m.)
Senior PF (6:30-8 p.m.) Knitting service project
29 Senior PF Study @ Starbucks (7-8 p.m.)
31-April 1 – WCA Junior PF Rally @ Plymouth Congregational Church in Kenosha
(5 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday)
Looking Ahead…
Apr 9 Senior PF Serving Dinner at the Milwaukee Rescue
Mission (3:20-6:30 p.m.)
Back to the Table of
Contents
A new and expanded curriculum developed especially for those
exploring membership in our church will be offered on Thursdays from 6:45 to
8:15 p.m. on March 2, 9, 23, 30 and April 6. (Note we’ll skip March 16.)
This new concept helps the explorer learn Congregational practice and history,
with each session focusing on part of our covenant: A Journeying People, a
Covenantal People, a Worshiping and Learning People, a Compassionate and Caring
People, and a Generous and Sustaining People. Various lay and staff leaders
will attend each session, so the explorer gets to meet a variety of people
in the church.
Dr. Peay and Rev. Schaal facilitate. For more information or to register, please
call the church office at 414-258-7375. Child care is available by reservation.
Back to the Table of
Contents
Judy Mayer, Nutritionist for Outpost Natural Foods, will speak
on organic foods. She will bring in scones from the Outpost and we'll also
have organic coffee and tea, as well as healthy and delicious muffins.
Saturday March 4
9 a.m.
Friendship Lounge
Donation: $5.00
Back to the Table of Contents
Home Bound Ministries Needs Volunteers
Our church currently has 45 members who are unable to attend church. The Care
Board would like to increase the contacts these members have with other members
of the church. Do you have a half hour a month to share with a homebound member?
A phone call or personal visit is always welcome. (We used to call this our
Senior Visitation Group but now call it Home Bound Visitation Group to identify
it more clearly.) Call Holly Krull at 262-560-0292 to volunteer.
Changes to Newsletters
Just a reminder that beginning March 1, we will publish the Columns once a
month as always, but are cutting the weekly Congregationalist back from three
issues a month to one issue a month. Watch for the expanded activities insert
in the Sunday order of worship, as well as continued improvement in the Columns
and on the website.
Staff on Quiet Morning
If you need to call the church on business, be aware that on the morning of
March 23 the staff will be engaged on a “quiet morning” of prayer,
meditation, silence and study. Your call will be returned that afternoon. This
quiet morning helps ground the staff spiritually in doing the business of the
church.
Library: Under Construction
You’ve noticed the clean shelves in the library, as we’ve sent
some treasured volumes to archives and will be selling others later in the
year to church members. By Easter, our library will have the new volumes ready
for check-out, so stay tuned. Thanks to librarian Claudia Scholl and the Library
Task Force (Dale Engstrom, chair).
Please plan to attend…
A planning meeting for the Wauwatosa Fourth of July Parade will be held Sunday,
March 26, 2006 at 10 a.m. We hope to see you there!
Back to the Table of Contents
The Internet has woven itself into every aspect of family life:
about 137 million American adults use the Internet, and that figure doesn't
include the 21 million teenagers or growing number of kids under 12 surfing,
chatting, playing and learning every day. Did you know that your child can
even connect to the Internet from her cell phone, her handheld game unit, or
the family video
game system?
Local author and church member Sharon Miller Cindrich, whose book, E-Parenting:
Get plugged in to raise safe, smart kids, is due out at the end of the year,
will dive mouse-first into Internet topics on Tuesday March 7th at 7 p.m. in
the Social Hall. Sharon will discuss net lingo, filters, software, chat rooms,
viruses and safe surfing with special emphasis on keeping our children and
teens safe. Learn how to lay a foundation of healthy ‘net habits for
your family and get the most out of this technological wonderland. Sharon has
been published nationally including The Chicago Tribune, Parents Magazine,
and The Writer.
Back to the Table of Contents
10 a.m. Sundays
Friendship Lounge
March 5
Dan Schowalter
Applied Archaeology
What can (and cannot) material remains tell us about Judaism, the Jesus movement,
and Roman religions in the first-century family? Apart from excavating wealthy
villas, what can archaeology teach us about the everyday lives of the Roman
people and their experience of birth, death, gender roles, and relationships?
March 12
Dan Schowalter
Church and Empire
The development and influence of the Byzantine church on Christian doctrine
and history.
March 19
Ahmed Quereshi
Islam: An Introduction
Our guest speaker from the Islamic Society of Milwaukee offers an introduction
to Islam, one of the three great Abrahamic faiths in addition to Judaism and
Christianity.
March 26
Rev. Carrie Kreps Wegenast
Lent: What Do You Know?
Come to hear interesting observations about Lent in a quiz show format.
Greece Archaeological Tour
Sept 15–28
The Northern Greece region combines a rich collection of ancient cities, tombs,
basilicas, and monuments with exquisite scenery. This tour allows you to travel
back in time to view the splendor of the Macedonian kingdom that nurtured Alexander
the Great; to visit the cities where Paul founded churches; and to stand among
the remains of basilicas built to attract pilgrims in search of the roots of
Christianity. Brochures are in the church office, or contact Dan Schowalter
at schowa@carthage.edu.
Back to the Table of Contents
March 1 Ash Wednesday
Old Testament Joel 2:1–2, 12–17
Psalmody Psalm 51:1–17
New Testament 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Gospel Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21
March 5 1st Sunday in Lent
Old Testament Genesis 9:8–17
Psalmody Psalm 25:1–10
New Testament 1 Peter 3:18–22
Gospel Mark 1:9–15
March 12 2nd Sunday in Lent
Old Testament Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16
Psalmody Psalm 22:23–31
New Testament Romans 4:13–25
Gospel Mark 8:31–38
March 19 3rd Sunday in Lent
Old Testament Exodus 20:1–17
Psalmody Psalm 19
New Testament 1 Corinthians 1:18–25
Gospel John 2:13–22
March 26 4th Sunday in Lent
Old Testament Numbers 21:4–9
Psalmody Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22
New Testament Ephesians 2:1–10
Gospel John 3:14–21
Back to the Table of
Contents
Class Explores Ephesians
During Lent, our ministerial intern Duane Coates will offer a class on the book
of Ephesians. This Bible study meets on four Sundays, March 5 through March 26,
at 10 a.m. in the Parlor.
There are no required study guides for the course, but students are encouraged
to bring their Bibles. Duane has translated Ephesians from the original Greek
as part of his seminary education. He will use a combination of that translation
with the Revised Standard Version of the Bible as a basis for the class, but
other translations are welcome. While the study will move sequentially through
the six chapters of this epistle, people may join the discussion on any Sunday
during the study. Child care for this class is available by reservation.
Children’s Ministries Reaching Out
Pioneer Club photos we are making three quilts under the direction of Barb
Dunham. The quilts are being sent to Pioneer club members who moved out of
town. The children not only helped make the quilts but also wrote personal
messages to each child on the quilt squares.
The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade class held a shoe shine during open house. They raised $180.00 which they are donating to the Hosea Outreach Fund at Pilgrim Congregational.
Monday, March 13, noon.
Please email to Beth
Linscott at ddinc@wi.rr.com or Sam Schaal at schaals@firstchurchtosa.org.
Hard copy may be brought to the church office and left in the Columns mailbox.
Rev. Steven Peay, Ph.D., Minister
Rev. Samuel Schaal, Associate Minister
Rev. Carrie Kreps Wegenast, Associate Minister
Rev. Charles Goldsmith, Ph.D., Congregational Home Chaplain
Cindy Payette, Administrator
Lee Jacobi, Director of Music
Betty Dethmers, Organist
Anne Callen, Office Manager
Sharon Cook-Bahr, Secretary
Charles Nelson, Pres./CEO, Congregational Home, Inc.
*
Congregational Columns (USPS 010-493) is published monthly by The
First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa, 1511 Church St., Wauwatosa,
WI 53213-2593, 414/258-7375. Periodical Postage Paid at Milwaukee, WI
53203-9998. Postmaster: Send address changes to Congregational Columns,
1511 Church St., Wauwatosa, WI 53213-2593.
Vol. 21, Issue 2
