Author: lakewooducc

Sermon 1/5 Before I Die…

Scripture Lesson: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Sermon: Before I Die. . .
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Happy New Year! It’s the season for resolutions, or not, depending on how you
like to approach things. Have any of you made a New Year’s resolution? No need
to go into the details.

In any case, the beginning of a new calendar year, whatever your thoughts on
resolutions, is a time to take stock. To look back. To think about what to leave
behind in the year passed. It is a time to reflect. To observe where you are. Are
you where you thought you would be? Are things as you had anticipated? It is
also a time to look ahead. It’s a useful moment to pause and reflect – whether or
not you are inclined toward resolutions.

I do not personally lean toward a five year plan or a ten year plan or a seven step
plan as I go about my life. I am by nature a planner and highly organized but I
have found that things happen beyond our control, things change, unexpected
circumstances arise, and if locked into a plan, opportunities can be missed. So, I
try to be invested in paying attention, listening, reflecting, and being intentional.
The New Year is a natural opportunity for all of this.

The writer of Ecclesiastes has given us the wonderful wisdom poem that we heard
this morning to help us reflect on life’s journey. As we think about the perspective
of Ecclesiastes, we want to remember that these are teachings that Jesus would
likely have known. Jesus would have been schooled in the teachings of this book
which is an invitation to think about life in its fullness, diversity, and intensity. He
would have been familiar with the verses we heard this morning. They would have
brought him strength and comfort as he made his journey through his life and
death. Ecclesiastes teaches that there is good and bad. There are ups and downs.
Joys and struggles. All depending on the time, the context, and the circumstances.
The living of our days includes a wide spectrum of experiences and that is what
makes life abundant and meaningful and mysterious. The writer of Ecclesiastes is
offering guidance for the living of life and for understanding life’s journey. There
is much encouragement for merriment and fun. And there is much
acknowledgment of the vanity of life – the writer mentions vanity over 30 times in the book. So scholars argue whether the writer was an optimist or a pessimist. I
would say, yes, to both. I think this wisdom book counsels work hard, play hard,
be a morally good person, and accept the utter inscrutability of God. There is a lot
that simply cannot be explained. So do what you can to live fully and abundantly,
and accept that the circumstances and outcomes are beyond our control or
understanding. Life is a mystery.

We see this perspective in the song, “The Dance,” made popular by Garth Brooks.
He talks about how we go through life and we don’t know how things will turn out.
We love and then experience loss. We think we are on top and then we fall. We
just don’t know how things will unfold. The main sentiment of the song is
expressed in the last line, “Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed
the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.” In the original music video, there are
clips of John F. Kennedy picking up John John and Martin Luther King, Jr. scoop-
ing up one of his small children and the Challenger astronauts entering the space
shuttle. If they’d only known. . . But they didn’t know. And so they carried on.

And this is what we do. We don’t know and we carry on. Like the writer of
Ecclesiastes, we seek to be fully alive, to live abundantly, to embrace each moment
with awe and grace – work hard, play hard, and be morally good accepting the
inscrutability of life and the inevitability of death.

Yes, we are all going to die, that is something we can be 100% sure of. Look
around this sanctuary. Everyone here is going to die. All of us. We don’t know
when. We don’t know how. But we know each and every one of us is going to die.
That is what makes this moment and every single moment so precious and sacred.
That is what makes the experience of being alive, taking a breath, so intense and so
holy. But in the ordinariness of going through the paces of daily life, we can loose
sight of the gift we are being given each and every moment. We can miss the
transcendence in the bug, the leaf, or the touch. Remembering that we are going to
die brings home the mystery and magic of this moment.

This week I read about a phone app called WeCroak. Do any of you have it?
Ironically it is in the health and fitness category. Well, it sort of fits. The WeCroak
app reminds you randomly five times a day that you are going to die. It sends you a message: “Don’t forget, you’re going to die.” Yes, I know it sounds, well,
morbid, but it is based on a folk saying from Bhutan in the Himalayas: “To be a
truly happy person, one must contemplate death five times a day.” So, this app
helps you do just that. The goal? Happiness.

In case you are interested, the WeCroak app gets a 4 star rating, it’s free,
appropriate for ages 4 and up, and it is available in English and Italian.

Awareness of death reminds us of how precious this moment, this day, this journey
of life is. It reminds us of each opportunity we are given, day in and day out, to
relish the experience of being alive on this planet with billions of other beings and
life forms. So what do we make of this life?

Yes, much is beyond our control and inscrutable. Why did he get killed by the
drunk driver? Why was her cancer cured? Why were they born into abject poverty
in Sudan? Much is unpredictable and beyond our understanding but we still have
responsibility for how we live our lives, in our circumstances. We still have
choices to make about our behavior and our thoughts and attitudes. We have
choices about how we interact with other people, what we give our time and
money and energy to, whether we forgive. We decide whether to live our lives
giving or taking. We decide whether to help or to harm. Most of our choices are
fraught with moral consequences, good or bad, whether we want to see them or
not. So what are we making of our lives? As the poet Mary Oliver puts it, “Tell
me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

In 2011, artist Candy Chang was living in post-Katrina New Orleans. It was a
situation of devastation and shattered hopes. Then a dearly beloved mother figure
in her life died. She reflected on the unfulfilled dreams of her loved one. Chang
got permission from the city to use an abandoned house in her neighborhood for an
interactive art installation. She painted an outside wall of the house with chalk
paint and stenciled the words, Before I die I want to. . . Chalk was provided. And
as it turned out, people, many people, in the neighborhood used the chalk to finish
the sentence: Before I die, I want to. . . The wall and the house became covered
with the hopes and dreams of the people of the neighborhood and beyond. The
response was far greater than expected. There have now been over 5000 installations of a similar nature in 75 countries in 35 languages. I saw the installation this summer in Cincinnati. I understand there was one in St. Petersburg in connection with the Shine Festival in 2016.

The prompt “Before I die I want to” encourages us not only to acknowledge that
we are going to die but it also reminds us of our agency, our ability to take respon-
sibility for our actions and choices. So, what do people want to do before they die?

People put all kinds of things on the chalk boards, and you will have the
opportunity to write on the boards that have been created for our use this morning
as the New Year begins.

Before I die. . . Some people put celebrity status dreams on the boards; things like
Before I die I want to name a mountain, drink from the Stanley Cup, kiss Brad Pitt.

Some finish the sentence with altruistic aims, like save a life, end global warming,
do good things, see the death of evil, shift global consciousness, see equality, live
without money, be a teacher.

There are mundane aspirations expressed on the chalkboards: grow a mustache,
own a boat, eat a taco from Mexico, ride in a golf cart.

There are responses that seem to have a back story: Before I die I want to meet my
daughters-in-law, tell my life story, see Germany, hug my boyfriend, be in the
upper middle class, go to jail.

And there are a lot about relationships: Before I die, I want to love myself, fall in
love, inspire someone, be a friend, find happiness, be a good person, live, live
alittle.

The challenge, Before I die, invites us to embrace our mortality in all of its
ephemeral glory. We are not to be afraid of death or dying, but of not fully living
So as this New Year begins, we are invited to think about what we are being called
to do with our one precious and holy life. It is a time to reflect on what we are here
to do before we die. What is beckoning to us? What is our unfinished business?
Each of us as unique individuals is here to live and love deeply and fully. What is
the longing in our hearts?

In the book of Habakkuk, chapter 2, we are told that God instructs the prophet:
“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.” In other
words, make a billboard with your dreams for the future. So, we have our chalk
boards waiting for us to proclaim our desire to relish and reverence the living of
our days. What hopes and dreams and desires are we being given? Let us write
them. Share them. Commit to them. In Chang’s installation, the sentence given
is, “Before I die I want to. . .” As people of faith, we wanted to express more
commitment with our dreams, so our boards say, “Before I die I am going to. . .”
Realizing that none of us fully knows what is ahead, we are still bold and trusting
in sharing the dreams that are being laid upon our hearts. So, in just a moment,
we’ll hear the song, “The Dance,” and you are invited to head to a chalk board and
express your desire, your intent – to embrace the fullness of this precious life.
Before I die I am going to. . .

And in addition to writing on a chalk board, you are also invited to dance – alone,
with someone, in a group, in whatever way you would like.

The poet W.H. Auden invites us,
“I know nothing, except what everyone
knows – if there when Grace dances,
I should dance.”

As this New Year begins, may we fully embrace the dance of life! Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in
this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church
of Christ.

TAKE ACTION!! Do Not Execute James Dailey!

Do Not Execute James Dailey! 

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
NEW EVIDENCE OF INNOCENCE. Court dates scheduled. Potential evidentiary hearing. New testimony by co-defendant Jack Pearcy could clear Dailey. Affidavit -“James Dailey had nothing to do with the murder of Shelly Boggio,”  “I committed the crime alone…” 

Please contact Gov. Ron DeSantis: Email: ron.desantis@eog.myflorida.com. Call: 850-488-7146 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm ET). or Email the governor. Urge him NOT to schedule a new execution date for James Dailey to allow new hearings to take place and conduct a thorough review so ALL the evidence can be heard. It is never too late to review a condemned man’s case for innocence. 

No physical evidence or eyewitness testimony linked Dailey to the murder. His conviction was based primarily on the hearsay testimony of jailhouse informants. 
Read more here.

PLEASE THANK THE TWO LEGISLATORS who stepped up and sponsored a “CLAIM” Bill to provide financial relief for Clemente Aguirre, exonerated Florida Death Row survivor #28, who spent 14 years on Death Row and behind bars for a crime he did not commit. 

Rep. Anna Eskamani
House Bill 6523 Relief of Clemente Aguirre
(850) 717-5047
anna.eskamani@myfloridahouse.gov

Sen. Victor Torres, Jr.
Senate Bill 24 Relief of Clemente Aguirre
850-487-5015
torres.victor@flsenate.gov

Clemente was denied compensation by the State of Florida because he did not apply before the mandatory 90-day deadline after his sentence was reversed. At the insistence of the prosecutor, he was kept incarcerated for two more years awaiting a retrial and was not able to complete the application process.

Your help is needed for the work to be done. Please support Florida Death Penalty abolition action campaigns to end the use of the Death Penalty. 
Please post and share this message widely.

Sent by:
Mark Elliott
Executive Director
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
www.fadp.org
FADP is a non-profit and non-partisan statewide Florida organization of individuals and groups united to abolish the Death Penalty in Florida.

Islamic civil rights leader to speak at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. interfaith service

Article from the Tampa Bay Times https://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas/2020/01/16/islamic-civil-rights-leader-to-speak-at-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-interfaith-service/

ST. PETERSBURG – Hassan Shibly, CEO of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Florida, recalls what happened when he met for coffee with a group of Muslim businessmen in Tampa for the Republican National Convention in 2012.

Someone in the McDonald’s restaurant overheard them speaking Arabic and called police, who showed up at Shibly’s home and his CAIR office.

But times have changed since, he said. Shibly, 33, who leads Florida CAIR’s efforts to help non-Muslims understand Islam and promote civil discourse, said the organization trained nearly 5,000 law enforcement officers in the Tampa Bay area last year.

He added that about 25 percent of those who receive help from the civil rights group aren’t Muslim. “Somebody who is anti-Semitic, in my eyes, is anti-Muslim, as well,” he said. “We have to fight all hatred together.”

Sunday, Shibly will be the keynote speaker at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Memorial Service at First Baptist Church of St. Petersburg. This year’s theme is, “Vision for Humanity in 2020.”

“I think Dr. Martin Luther King’s message is needed now more than ever in the United Sates, at a time when our political leaders are trying to pit one human against another human, one American against another American, on account of race, or religion or national origin,” said Shibly, a civil rights lawyer who grew up in Buffalo, N.Y.

King taught that all people are equal in the sight of God, he said.

Sunday’s service, sponsored by Interfaith Tampa Bay, has been held at different houses of worship through the years. Most recently it was at Congregation B’nai Israel of St. Petersburg. The year before, it was held at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle.

Keynote speakers have included Dr. Roy Kaplan, former executive director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews for Tampa Bay and author of The Myth of Post-Racial America. Another recent speaker was the Rev. Dr. Russell Meyer, executive director of the Florida Council of Churches and whose interfaith work includes climate, healthcare, justice reform, refugees and civic engagement.

Chair of Sunday’s service is Imam Abdul Karim Ali, whose father, Joseph E. Savage, organized the civil rights era sanitation strike in St. Petersburg and after whom the city’s sanitation complex is named.

Ali, who also is vice president of Interfaith Tampa Bay, said it is the second organization to sponsor the service and has been doing so since 2015. “We try to move it around throughout the city, because we feel that the message that was presented by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a message of peace, justice and fairness for everyone, so we feel that our job is to continue to promote that,” he said.

Ali also was part of that first sponsoring group, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Organization Inc., which holds an essay contest as part of the King events. The winner of the essay and oratorical contest will be presented during the interfaith service.

Shibly is the son of Syrian immigrants, who, his online biography states, instilled in him “a strong determination to enhance interfaith understanding and defend civil rights.”

It’s important to remember America’s “troubling past so we can learn from it and grow from it,” said Shibly, who has headed CAIR’s Florida chapter for about eight years. “America is a great nation because of the people who have spoken truth to power and called for equality of humanity.”

If you go

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Memorial Service, 4 p.m. Sunday, First Baptist Church, 1900 Gandy Blvd. N, St. Petersburg.

Sermon 1/12 A New World Order

Date: January 12, 2020
Scripture Lessons: Psalm 72:1-7, 12-14 and Matthew 3:13-17
Sermon: A New World Order
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

I find myself amused when I hear a speaker, a preacher or politician, decry the
threat of a new world order ginning up fear and trembling. A new world order is
dangled as evidence of Satan himself undermining all we hold dear. A new world
order is maligned like an enemy invader in a science fiction movie. We cannot
allow a new world order to emerge. We must prevent it!

To me this is amusing because the speaker is usually Christian and seen as a
defender of the faith against the threat of a new world order. But a new world
order is exactly what Jesus came to inaugurate. He is the one who embodies the
new world order of the reign of Divine Love. Jesus is seen as breaking into human
history and initiating God’s reign of peace and love. A new world order? Yes, that
is exactly what Jesus about.

King Herod knows this. We see it in the story of the magi visiting Herod as they
try to find the baby Jesus so they can worship him. Herod knows about the arrival
of a rival king. The religious leaders know that Jesus represents a new world order
and they want to squash this upstart. They want to protect their power and
influence. The people in the gospel stories who are from the underclass and from
enemy groups know that Jesus represents a departure from religion as usual in their
time. That is why they are attracted to him. He represents a new world order.

Jesus doesn’t introduce a new form of government or a new political philosophy.
He doesn’t found a new political party. He doesn’t write a constitution. He initiates a new world order and then it is up to his followers to work out the details in their culture, setting, and historical era.

We can see what Jesus is doing as a new world order because he is talking about
God in a way that is universal. Jesus shows us God in all of humanity including
those we exclude and name as enemy. With Jesus, there is no “other.” It’s one
human family in God not one nation under God or one religion preferred by God.
Jesus breaks down the cultural and religious barriers that separate and divide
people. He is talking about everyone unconditionally loved. No exceptions.

In our context, this means North Korean, South Korean, Israeli, Palestinian,
Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, Irani, Iraqi, Indian, Pakistani, Arab, Muslim, Jew,
Buddhist, Hindu. As we sing, on occasion, every color, every kind, every body,
every mind. All one family. With Jesus, there is one human family in God. All
related. All created in the image of Divine Love. It’s a new world order.

And today, we know that the kind of new world order Jesus imagines for humanity
includes the natural world as well. Not only does Jesus show us a reality that is
free of ethnocentrism, and nationalism, he shows us a reality free of speciesism.
All life forms, sacred and holy within the reality of God because we now know that
we are all interdependent. So, the new world order of Jesus is characterized by
compassion for creation and all creatures as well as everyone in the human family.

What else can we say about this new world order founded by Jesus? Yes, it
includes all people so we can also say that it includes all religions. Jesus is Jewish
and his message comes from within the framework of Judaism, but it is not limited
to Judaism. Jesus heals people who are considered enemies of the Jews. And he
does not ask them to “convert” to his religion before serving them. In fact, he
doesn’t insist on any qualifying conditions from those he forgives, feeds, or heals.
Jesus simply offers divine grace in whatever form it is needed. He brings the
blessings of God to all. He embodies universal love. That is the foundation of his
new world order.

We also see that in the new world order of Jesus there is no role, no place, no
endorsement of violence in any form. Even in self defense. Period. That is a key
component of the new world order of Jesus. There were weapons available in his
day. In fact, there were factions of Jews who were adamantly intent on fomenting
a violent rebellion against the Romans. This was carried out after Jesus’ death and
it led to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple, the cultic center of
Jewish life. From love your enemies to turn the other cheek to the one who lives
by the sword dies by the sword to the story of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, we see
that in the new world order of Jesus there is no place for weapons or violence, even
in “keeping the peace.” You can’t keep the peace through violence. If you need
threat and intimidation to maintain order, then it’s not true peace.

In the psalm that we heard today, we were told of the holy template for a godly
ruler. A ruler, king, or leader, endorsed by the Divine is concerned about the weak
and the oppressed: Those who are forgotten, marginalized, or ignored. Those who
are made poor and are struggling. With the new world order, there is no
fragmentation or endorsement of disconnected individualism. There is no
protection based on race, class, nation, creed, gender identity, or any other humanly
constructed system. In the new world order of Jesus, the community is to serve
those in need and to embody justice and protection for those who have been
victimized.

So in Jesus’ new world order, we would not see the economic, racial, ethnic, or
social inequalities that we see in society today. Jesus is talking about a new world
order in which there truly is liberty and justice for all.

Jesus shows us the new world order where the hungry are fed, the thirsty are given
drink, the sick are visited, and the imprisoned are released. Humility and
meekness are revered, not hubris and arrogance. Every life is sacred and valued.

A new world order. Exactly. That is exactly what Jesus is about. And that is what
his followers were drawn to. They wanted to be part of this new value system, this
new world view, this new reality.

It’s not surprising that we find ourselves buffeted and reeling in our society today.
We are here in church because we have been attracted or led or drawn to the way
of Jesus and the new world order that he represents. So, yes we find ourselves in
stunned shock, not only as an active shooter attacks a worshipping congregation,
but at the perhaps even more horrific response – congregants in a Christian church,
followers of Jesus, drawing guns and shooting the attacker in the head. What are
followers of Jesus, those who are part of his new world order, doing with guns?
And in worship? In a context committed to love of enemy, how is it that a shooter
is gunned down? What have we come to when the church has strayed so far from
the new world order that Jesus initiates? The church has become unhinged,
unmoored, from its message, it’s purpose, its raison d’etre.

What are we to say when our so called Christian country foments prejudice and
violence? This is wrong. But how does it happen that there is rising anti Semitism
when Jesus was Jewish? How can our society supposedly with a foundation of
Judeo-Christian values tolerate this? How can someone enter into a rabbi’s home
and open fire on people celebrating a holy season? This, too, leaves us in stunned
shock.

And how does it happen that a church, church leaders, followers of Jesus, openly,
in the sacred space of a sanctuary, validate and affirm the leadership of a president
who embodies the opposite of the godly ruler that we heard about from the Psalms
this morning? How can they endorse one who is not devoted to the the well being
of the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed? A leader who in fact endorses
oppression and abuse and violence? This is a leader who should be prayed for.
This is a leader who needs wise counsel. This is a leader who is unfamiliar with
the message of the gospel and needs to be taught about the new world order of
Jesus since he evidently hasn’t heard about it in the churches he has visited.

A new world order. That is exactly what we see in Jesus. And we see this
presented in the story of Jesus’ baptism. As the story is told, crowds of people are
coming to John in the desert to be baptized. They are looking for a new beginning. Jesus comes. And in the story of his baptism, we are told of a new beginning, not
just for him, but for the community and for humanity of every time and place.

“This is my beloved in whom I am well pleased.” This story, written after the
crucifixion, endorses Jesus and the new world order that he initiates. It is a reality
of blessing for everyone where there are no victims. No one’s wellbeing is at the
expense of someone else. There is no racism, sexism, classism, or oppression of
any kind. Every life is sacred. Including the life of a perceived enemy. Jesus’
baptism paves the way for us to be part of the new world order. And when we join
the Christian path, as followers of Jesus, we commit to making this new world
order real, incarnate, in ourselves and in our society and in the world here and now.

Jean Vanier founded the L’Arche communities. This movement involves people of
differing abilities living together in Christian community. And in the stories of
those communities, we see the beauty of the gospel lived out. Vanier tells us: “In
one of our communities, there is a man called Pierre who has a mental handicap.
One day someone asked him, ‘Do you like praying?’ He answered, ‘Yes.’ He was
asked what he did when he prayed. He answered, ‘I listen.’ ‘And what does God
say to you?’ ‘He says, ‘You are my beloved son.’’” [Resources for Preaching and
Worship Year A: Quotations, Meditations, Poetry, and Prayers, compiled by
Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, p. 48]

That is what Jesus is all about. Everyone beloved. A new world order. Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in
this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church
of Christ.

Weekly Update 1/16

This Sunday: This Sunday will be the annual commemoration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  There is an opportunity in the service for congregants to recommit themselves to the mission of Dr. King.

Church School: The theme for this Sunday is justice.  The gathering will be led by Earl Waters.

Memorial Service: There will be a memorial service at the church on Saturday Jan 25th at 2:00 p.m. in remembrance of the life of Bruce Drouin, Bruce was Wally LeBlanc’s partner.  A Celebration of Life luncheon/party will follow the service. If planning on attending please only wear bright or colorful clothing, nothing dark or black.

Before I Die. . .  The installation on the chalk boards remains available in the sanctuary.  You are welcome to add to the responses finishing the sentence, Before I die, I am going to. . .   You are also encouraged to look at the boards and see the responses of others.

Maximo Elementary: The staff of Maximo Elementary was thrilled to receive the sweatshirts, jackets, and other warm clothing to be provided to students as needed. This school, just behind the church, has 80 homeless students. Thank you to all who donated and contributed and to Patti Cooksey, Claudia Rodriguez, and Olivia Gibson for helping with the delivery.

Creation Justice Task Force:The next meeting will be Jan. 17 at 12:30 p.m. New members welcome! Please speak with Claire Stiles about what’s ahead for 2020.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Service: This moving service will be held Sunday 1/19 at 4:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1900 Gandy Blvd. The speaker is Hassan Shibly, Chief Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of Florida.

Just Mercy Community Conversation: You are encouraged to see the movie Just Mercy and then participate in a community conversation Saturday Feb. 1 from 2-3:30 p.m. at James Weldon Johnson Community Library ( 1059 18th Ave. S, St. Pete). Everyone is welcome!

Opportunities Knocking: Here are several projects from the wider church that may be of interest:
The Florida Conference UCC women will be meeting Sat. Feb. 8 at Church of the Isles, Indian Rocks Beach.  There is information on the bulletin board at church.  Contact the Church Office for more information.  

Pinellas County CROP Walk for Hunger.  This Walt is scheduled for Sunday March 1 at 2:00 p.m.  The money collected is donated locally to DayStar Life Center and the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.  Funds are also donated to Church World Service to be used in other areas of the US and abroad.  For LUCC to participate, a coordinator is needed.  Please speak with Rev. Wells if you are interested in this mission project.  

Church Women United of Greater St. Petersburg meets regularly and is seeking addition participation.  Church Women United is involved in a variety of projects locally and beyond to foster a sense of compassion and community among diverse people.  For more information, please contact the Church Office.  

Letter Writing: Earl Waters has petitions to be signed about getting an assault weapon ban and legalizing recreational marijuana on the next FL ballot. You can fill them out on Sunday.

Operation Attack: Operation Attack is very much in need of clothes for men, boys, and girls as well as diapers and peanut butter and canned fruit. Donations may be placed in the shopping cart in the entryway to the sanctuary.

Operation Attack is an ecumenical effort serving families with children located at Lakeview Presbyterian Church, 1310 22nd. Ave. S., St. Petersburg. LUCC was a founding member of Operation Attack in the 1960’s!

Hearing Augmentation: Devices are available from the usher in the sanctuary during worship.

January Birthdays: Martha Lamar 1/2, Elinor Ross 1/4, Chip Cosper 1/7, Jackson Cosper 1/9, Hilton Jones 1/23, Bob Bell 1/28. Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: Family and loved ones of Esther Ryland, Amaiya Washington, Tony Rogers, Wally LeBlanc Sherry Santana, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, and Ann Rogers.

Recent Post:

Weekly Update: If you are involved with an activity or event that you would like to share with the LUCC family, please send the information to the church office by Tuesday since the Update usually is sent out on Wednesday.