Pentecost |
I don't know if the creator of the panel at the left was trying to depict Pentecost, however, when I saw the artwork I immediately envisioned the Spirit covering the earth, again and again, from the beginning of creation when the Spirit hovered over the waters, to fifty days after the Resurrection, to our very day. The Spirit, it seems, never tires in the work of creation - breathing new life, reconciling divisions, empowering action for the sake of the Gospel. I really do love Pentecost and the story of the members of the earliest small Christian communities who without creed or institutional identity, followed the silent urging of the Spirit in their hearts; relied on their love of the Lord and one another; reflected on the stories about Jesus, and, step by step, together learned to follow the Way. It wasn't easy for them (see Luke's stories in the Acts of the Apostles) and it's not easy for us.
My small community has been watching the DVDs from Fr. Justin Grose's July 2009 presentations on the History of the Church. In the earliest years of the Church, Jesus' followers were persecuted by both the political and the religious institutions of the day. Despite that, they continued to gather for community prayer and support, to spread the good news of Jesus through word and loving action and to joyfully welcome others into the community of faith. The Spirit enlarged their vision and their hearts to understand that God's love and mercy extend to all people. "I truly understand that God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." (Acts 10: 34)
The Spirit continues to cover the earth, to call us into community and to empower us to be more than we could ever be on our own. The celebration of Pentecost is a joyful reminder of the vitality and passion of the early church -- qualities that should describe us as well.
Peace Be With You!
Barb Howard
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 SCCs Help With Haiti Project Many thanks to all of you who gathered items and filled one-gallon plastic storage bags with ordinary things that the Haitian people continue to need so desperately. We are most thankful also to Arvada United Methodist Church for letting us participate in their outreach project. There are other upcoming parish opportunities for Small Church Communities to work together to help others:
- May 15th Helping Hands Spring Service Day to help elderly or disabled neighbors with a variety of tasks. Call Kathy Holden at 303-650-4393
- May 23rd through May 30th Growing Home when Spirit of Christ houses homeless families who are working toward self-sufficiency. Watch the parish bulletin for items you can donate and/or ways you can participate!
- Collect children's books and deliver them during the first two weeks of May to the Gathering Space. The books will be packed and sorted for delivery to Kenyan schools desperately in need of books for their libraries. You've generously helped with this ongoing project before. Your help is needed again!
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 Featured SCC Resources Available in the Parish Resources Room/Library
[LOCATION IN BRACKETED CAPITAL LETTERS]
or from the Small Church Community Office
ACTS: The Good News of the Holy Spirit
(6 chapters with faith sharing questions) Kevin Perrotta, Loyola Press [SCRIPTURE SPECIFIC] Call SCC Office for additional copies.
" The philosopher George Santayana wrote that 'those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' In this view, the reason for studying history is to learn about the errors that people made in the past so as to avoid committing those errors again. St. Luke, who wrote the history of the early church called Acts of the Apostles, saw another purpose for remembering the past. If asked for his view, I imagine he would have said that those who are ignorant of the past cannot play their part in the present. . . The first Christians' situation was quite different from ours, but we can share their experience, for God calls us to open ourselves to the same Spirit, to practice the same mutual love, to carry out the same mission that we read about in Luke's history." This is a perfect time of year for Small Communities to reflect on the history of the early church with this new faith sharing resource!
Mary 101: Tradition and Influence
(4 mid-length chapters with reflection questions) Mary Ann Zimmer, ND, PhD Liguori Publications
"Meet Jesus' mother, Mary, in this readable overview and introduction. You'll gain insights into the history and traditions of the Virgin in relation to the concerns of 21st century Christians around the world. Mary is introduced via Scripture, followed by an exploration of Church teaching, prayers, and devotions. Learn about Mary's global appearances (apparitions) and the way she has been portrayed in great works of art."
History of the Church Part I (6-set DVD series) Fr. Justin Grose Available in the Parish Resource Room/Library. If you haven't yet seen Part I you may want to watch this set of DVDs before Fr. Justin returns in July for the History of the Church Part II!
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Do You Know These Folks??
You may recognize Ross (ordained a deacon for Spirit of Christ last May) or you may recognize Olga, a member of the Small Church Community Core Team for several years; or you may recognize Ross and Olga together as a members of your Small Church Community. You many not recognize Ross and Olga Casados,however, when they put on their leathers and roar out on their motorcycles! Ross and Olga been doing that for lots of years as members of the Christian Motorcycle
Association whose ministry is to homeless people in downtown Denver. Long before ordained diaconal service, Ross and Olga's hearts for service led them to distribute food and clothing and heartfelt prayer on East Colfax where they have lots of friends among the city's homeless population. When Ross entered training for the formal ministry of diaconate six years ago he had to give up his street ministry (go figure!!) Since ordination, however, he and Olga have be able to return to the streets and to their passion to assist homeless folks. Should you do spring cleaning in the next few weeks and find you have have extra clothing, underwear, socks or shoes, please put them in a bag, put Ross and Olga's name on the bag and leave it in the parish office. Should you stumble across toiletries of any kind, they are also greatly needed. If you run across a great sale on veggies or buns or meats and you really can't use the food but would like to feed some street folks, Ross will take whatever you'd like to donate to Samaritan Shelter or Denver Rescue Mission. You can contact Ross through the parish office. Isn't it great to learn about the wonderful things that folks do to spread the good news of Jesus' love? |
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Welcome New SCC Members!
Dolores Kennedy
Regina Knight
Karen Haynes
Carol Melton
Dennis Jones
Theresa Alarid
Lynn Davis
Bruce & Jeannine Dickerhofe
Amy & Michael Frie Katherine & Michael Shepherd
Marc & Kristen Rongaus Mark & Maria Saffell
Nicki & Ryan Thompson
Sharon & Mark Stremel
Gina & Brian Martin
Brad & Jolene Stolz
Chris & Pamela Williams
Todd & Lisa Welch
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S.O.N
with Fr. Steven
Wed. May 19th
7:00 p.m.
Spirit Center
Men's Day of Reflection
Fr. Ernie Sherstone
Sat., June 5th
9:00 - 3:00
Parish Mission Fr. Tom Allender
Mon., Tue., Wed.
June 21, 22, 23
June 28, 29, 30
10:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.
S.O.N. Evenings Fr.Justin Grose
History of the Church Part II (6 evenings!)
Mon., Tue, Wed.
July, 12, 13, 14
6:30 p.m.
John XXIII Center
Great Adventure Bible Study Program
Summer 2010
10-week course on the book of James begins
on June 2nd! Register
during the weeks of
May 2nd - May 23rd
Check the Parish Bulletin for specific details of all these events!
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Is This Your Experience?
Community is the web of relationships that provides the sacred, safe space where all members can discover and develop their uniqueness, their giftedness, and their belovedness. It is the locus where God, acting through others, removes the scales from our eyes so that we can discover God's presence in every aspect and dimension of our lives. Through this process, we become seers of God in everything and in everyone and this vision impels us to go out of ourselves to seve others."
The Spirituality of Community
Adele J. Gonzalez, Orbis Back to Top |
Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance to your SCC!
Barb Howard
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