March 2010 Newsletter
- Lenten Ministry
- Choir News
- Tab Prayer Group
- Paperless Sundays
- March Service & Bulletin Roles
- March Supporting Roles
- March & March Communion Rotations
- Rotations
- Bible Study Group
- Lenten Players
- Tab.Edu
- New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia: Solidarity – Then and Now
- Food Donations
- FUN! Group Meets Again
Lenten Ministry
This Lenten Season the congregation is focused on Hunger. In order to address the issue of hunger in Philadelphia we will support City Harvest through the City Soup program. The com-munity-based City Harvest network raises naturally grown vege-tables and distributes them to Philadelphians who lack access or the means to purchase fresh produce. City Harvest also provides nutrition education with the Health Promotion Council through cooking demonstrations and tastings that encourage consumption of fresh, healthy produce. Nicole Diroff worked with the program last summer and is quite impressed with the City Harvest.
We will support City Harvest through donations given each week at the soup lunches provided instead of snacks for Coffee Hour. We are asked to donate what we would have spent on a more expensive meal. City Harvest is one of the programs supported by the Hunger Coalition. You can learn more about the Hunger Coalition, City Soup, and City Harvest by going to http://www.hungercoaltion.org/citysoup.
Choir News
Calling all singers! There are openings in the Tab Ensemble, especially for TENORS (male OR female) and BASSES! If you’ve been waiting for an invite or are a little shy about singing, don’t hesitate. You do NOT need to read music, nor be an “accomplished” singer, just one who loves to sing and perhaps has some previous singing/choral experience. We rehearse three Wednesdays each month, 7:00-8:30 pm; some gather at 6:00 pm to share a meal. The remainder of the spring schedule is below, worship services on the left, WEDNESDAY rehearsals on the right. Contact Holly at holmus [at] aol [dot] com if you are interested or have questions.
| FEB 28 - Warm-up 9:15 am | MAR 3 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| MAR 7 - Warm-up 9:15 am | MAR 10 - OFF |
| MAR 14 - OFF | MAR 17 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal | MAR 21 - Warm-up 9:15 am | MAR 24 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| MAR 28 - Warm-up 9:00 am PALM SUNDAY |
MAR 31 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| APR 4 - Warm-up 9:00 am EASTER SUNDAY |
APR 7 - OFF |
| APR 11 - OFF | APR 14 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal | APR 18 - Warm-up 9:15 am | APR 21 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| APR 25 - Warm-up 9:15 am | APR 28 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| MAY 2 - Warm-up 9:15 am | MAY 5 - OFF |
| MAY 9 - OFF | MAY 12 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| MAY 16 - Warm-up 9:15 am | MAY 19 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| MAY 23 - Warm-up 9:00 am GOSPEL MUSIC SUNDAY |
MAY 26 - OFF |
Tab Prayer Group
A new opportunity to pray with others! TAB Prayer Group started Sunday, February 21 at 8:30 am in the CA House. We will gather every third Sunday of the month. Come join us for a meaningful and heartwarming time praying for others. Jesus said: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
Paperless Sundays
The third Sunday of each month is paperless (no printed bulletin), as shown on the grids by the shading on March 21. Contact the office for tips on creating a paperless liturgy.
March Service & Bulletin Roles
| Date | Preacher | Writer | Liturgist | Children's Time | Quote |
| Mar 7 | Jean Erb | Todd Koser | Ginny Rice | Barbara Purdom | Katherine Huseman |
| Mar 14 | Jean Erb | Beverly Dale | Susan Wargo | Katherine Huseman | Pauline Abernathy |
| Mar 21 | HLR | Susan Wargo | Deb Burnham | Deb Burnham | Deb Burnham |
| Mar 28 | Larry Singh | Deb Burnham | Suzanne Spaulding | Katrina Culley | Nancy Agati |
March Supporting Roles
| Date | Greeters | Coffee Hour | Counter(s) | Recycling | Compost/Food Transport |
| Mar 7 | Chris Purdom & Marge Conn | Josh Goldstein & Laura Line | Russell Baldwin & Larry Singh | Susan Teegen-Case | Nicole Diroff (Food) |
| Mar 14 | John & Ginny Rice | Nicold Diroff & Megan Gibson | Jean Erb | Rachel Wentworth | Todd Koser (Compost) |
| Mar 21 | Deb Ahrens & Lee Pugh | Maurine Doggett & Jim Thacker | Mike Ehling | Andy Lees | Jessica Culley (Food) |
| Mar 28 | Ken & Martha Gritter | Susan Collins & Todd Koser | Mia King & Chris Purdom | Bob Case | Rachel Wentworth (Compost) |
March Communion Rotations
| Date | Co-Officiating | Set-up & Serving | Clean-up & Serving | Picking up Bread + |
| Mar 7 | Maurine Doggett & Jean Erb | Nicole Diroff | Jessica Culley | Russell Baldwin |
+ Bread donated by Four Worlds Bakery, 4423 Chestnut St.; it should be picked up the day before.
Rotations
The schedule is on the Greeter’s table, the fridge and the office & community room bulletin boards. Contact the office ASAP to get a copy or download it from the blog (see page 6). Please call or email the office when swapping dates (the info above reflects changes made), and check the schedule before going out of town! Now is also the time to contact the office about when you cannot be here on Sundays during the second quarter of the year (April-May-June). Please send all "blackout" dates for the second quarter to the church office (tabernacle@tabunited.org) by March 1.
Bible Study Group
The Bible Study Group meets each Wednesday, 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Christian Association House (adjacent to Tab). All are welcome to join the group. To RSVP or get more information contact either Jean Erb (jeanerb (at) verizon (dot) net) or Nicole Diroff (nicolediroff (at) yahoo (dot) com). You can Google the Vanderbilt University Lectionary website to see all of the scripture readings for the current season or just come and join in the lively and enlightening discussions!
Lenten Players
During each worship service in Lent we will be enacting a short theatrical piece of one to two minutes: mime, spoken word and dance. If you have interest in enacting during worship or collaborating, call or email Kip Leitner (see your 2010 Tab Directory).
Tab.Edu
Tab.edu continues through March with the 12-session DVD-based study of the historical Jesus and the Kingdom of God, featuring John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg. Topics studied will range from Why did Jesus happen when he happened? Why the confrontation in Jerusalem? Why then? Why there? to What were the priorities of Jesus' proclamation for the Kingdom? How was the status quo of Roman imperial theology subverted by this obscure Galilean whose message continues to indict empire today? Is America the new Rome? It is not necessary to attend all sessions in order to learn from Borg and Crossan. Attending all or some or one is fine! Study facilitators for the month of March are Donald Wargo and Susan Wargo. The study will conclude on March 28.
New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia: Solidarity – Then and Now
A reunion of 1980s sanctuary congregations with today's New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia. Thursday, March 4, 7-9pm, Tabernacle United Church. Come for an evening of storytelling and inspiration with Philadelphia leaders from the original Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s together with the NEW Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia. We look forward to celebrating this special experience with many old and new friends!
We will be honoring Philadelphia congregations that were part of the 1980s sanctuary movement--including Central Baptist Church, FUMCOG, Tabernacle, St. Vincents, Germantown Friends, Chestnut Hill Friends, Mishkan Shalom, and possibly others. We will also officially welcome Mishkan Shalom and Visitation BVM (and possibly one more) as the first congregations to affiliate with Philadelphia NSM. Families from El Salvador and Guatemala who were accompanied by the Philadelphia sanctuary congregations in the 1980s will be present to tell about their experience. Ruben and Anthony will share a spoken word performance about current realities in the Philadelphia immigrant community today.
Yatz will perform a solo dance reflection on immigration, accompanied by Juan on guitar. Photographer and activist Harvey Finkle is sharing a portfolio of his photos from the 1980s movement. See his current work photographing Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian, and Mexican communities in Philadelphia at www.harveyfinkle.com.
NSM will share about the Storytelling Project, with personal story sharing by one of the project participants from South Philly.
All are welcome! Bring friends. More info about NSM and details about this event at www.nsmphilly.blogspot.com. Remember to join the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia group on Facebook, too!
Food Donations
Now that we are in the post-holiday season don’t forget that food donations are more needed than ever. Let’s bring in some-thing for the food donation box next to the kitchen door each Sun-day and help to keep those pantry shelves stocked! We have someone scheduled now to take the food over to the Cathedral every other Sunday (see rotation grids) and Tab folks have been so generous that we’ve received this thank-you note in the mail:
Dearest Tabernacle Congregation,We are so pleased that your parishioners continue to give food stuffs to the Philadelphia Cathedral. Our Outreach Program is very important to our congregation and the people it serves. Also, be assured that the West Philly community served by the People’s Emergency Center are grateful as well.
Enlosed is a bookmark and my email address regarding our 2010 Outreach Campaign.
I look forward to hearing, working and doing outreach with you!
Thank you,
Stacey M. Duke-Middleton
Tab Online
Tab's website has info about affinity groups, events, news, a calendar, sermons, and more! Go to the Tab Blog on Livejournal to stay up-to-date on the current worship themes, to download forms and schedules (the rotations schedule, Time & Talent forms, Pledge forms, the choir schedule), or just take advantage of the links to the Tabernacle CafePress shop, the Arts & Spirituality Center, the Christian Association and other groups. You can read updates to the Livejournal through your own journal/blog or through email by signing up for the RSS feed or the Atom feed for the Tab Livejournal. You can also join the Tab Facebook group (just search on "Tabernacle" when on the site), which already receives the Livejournal posts via RSS feed.
FUN! Group Meets Again
The Fun! Group will meet for laughter, breakfast treats and planning (yes, we had to fit that in too) on Sunday, March 14 at 9 am in the Community room. Please join us if you like to laugh, eat and create and schedule fun events for the Tab Community.
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