Social Action – Page 9 – Lakewood United Church of Christ

Priest, activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Fr. John Dear to speak in St. Pete about his new book on Jesus and nonviolence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information: Rev. Kim Wells at (727) 776-7890 or wells.kim.p@gmail.com

PRIEST, PEACE ACTIVIST AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINEE FATHER JOHN DEAR TO SPEAK ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK ON JESUS AND NONVIOLENCE

Priest, peacemaker, author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Father John Dear will appear at 4:00 PM on Sunday, March 17^th at Lakewood United Church of Christ, 2601 54th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712 to talk about and sign copies of his new book, The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence. It is the first commentary on the Synoptic Gospels from the perspective of active nonviolence in the tradition of Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Refreshments and music will begin at 3:30. The talk is free and open to the public.

In his book, Father Dear shows how Jesus’ teachings and practice of active nonviolence made him a disarming, healing presence to those in need and a revolutionary disrupter and threat to the unjust status quo, and how this nonviolence led to his execution and resurrection.

Father Dear bases his book on scholarship and on over forty years of nonviolent activism. In 2008, when Archbishop Desmond Tutu nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, he called Father Dear “the embodiment of a peacemaker. He is a man who has the courage of his convictions and who speaks out and acts against war, the manufacture of weapons, and any situation where a human being might be at risk through violence.”

Father Dear has served as the coordinator of chaplains for the Red Cross after 9/11 in New York while simultaneously organizing demonstrations against the U.S. war against Afghanistan, and as pastor to rural parishes in the high desert of New Mexico. He has traveled in warzones and has spoken to audiences about the Gospel message of nonviolence around the world. He arranged for Mother Teresa to speak to U. S. governors to stop the death penalty and helped prevent eight executions. He has been arrested over 85 times for nonviolent actions.

In 1998, he became executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the United States, and led Nobel laureates to Iraq and an interfaith delegation to Israel/Palestine. He drafted Pope Francis’ January 1, 2017 World Day of Peace message, the first statement on nonviolence in the history of the Catholic Church. He is the executive director of www.beatitudescenter.org where he hosts and offers zooms on Jesus and Gospel peacemaking.

Father Dear has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today. For eight years he wrote a weekly column for the National Catholic Reporter and Huffington Post. He is the author of hundreds of articles on peace and nonviolence, and forty books, including The Beatitudes of Peace, of which President Jimmy Carter said, ”I urge everyone to study John Dear’s beautiful reflections and join his campaign of peace and nonviolence.”

To contact Fr. John Dear directly: 1-505-629-2029 or johndearsj@msn.com. His website is at johndear.org

Volunteer Opportunity: Embracing Our Differences Exhibit, Poynter Park

From: Danny White <danny@racewithoutism.com>
Date: February 25, 2024 at 5:08:11 PM EST
Subject: Volunteer Opportunity: Embracing Our Differences Exhibit, Poynter Park

Greetings:

I am reaching out to you under the auspices of the Woodson Alliance that includes The Woodson African American Museum of Florida, RaceWithoutIsm Inc, St. Petersburg Branch of ASALH Inc, and Pinellas Remembers Inc.

Embracing Our Differences (EOD) is bringing their remarkable larger-than-life outdoor art exhibit to Poynter Park in St. Petersburg, March 2 to March 31. The exhibit features works by students from around the world. These artworks speak to the issues of race and equality as seen through the eyes of our youth.

Throughout the exhibit, EOD will collect surveys from people who visit the park. This is where you come in! There is a need for volunteers during the entire run of the exhibit. Volunteers sign up for 1 to 2 hour tours on the dates/times that best suit their availability. Volunteers will be provided a volunteer kit with essential supplies and instructions. Plus, volunteers get a FREE commemorative t-shirt!

When you land on the signup page, scroll down to view the available timeframes. When you decide on timeframes that you would like to volunteer, click SIGN UP then scroll down to click SAVE AND CONTINUE. In the MY COMMENT box, specify the exact time you will be at the park in 1 or 2 hour shifts. Also, please state your t-shirt size in the MY COMMENT box. You may sign up for as many slots as you wish…sign up at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F4EADA92BA7FF2-47832462-2024#/

Let’s represent our individual and collective organizations during this remarkable art exhibition! I already have my volunteer kit and will be at the Saturday, March 2 Grand Opening Ceremony. Join me!

One City Chorus at the Palladium – March 3

Beauty in the WorldOne City Chorus in Concert
Jon Arterton, conductor
Tim Burnaman, piano    Caroline Schweinert, drums
with special guests Jon Arterton & James Mack

Sunday, March 3, 2024   4:00 PM
The Palladium   253 5^th Ave. North, St. Petersburg
Tickets $25/ $20 in advance
https://mypalladium.org/events/one-city-chorus-presents-beauty-in-the-world-feat-jon-arterton-james-mack/St. Petersburg’s famed One City Chorus has been presenting annual concerts at the Palladium since their beginning in 2017. Their performances have been described as “joyous, uplifting and beautifully sung” by Creative Loafing. Their audiences agree – their concerts are marked by standing ovations. This year’s concert will undoubtedly continue the tradition. It will feature special musical guest artists, singers Jon Arterton and James Mack, the chorus’ founders. The concert will also feature three songs by members of the chorus: Clyde Moreland’s “She Stands for Me,” Tim Burnaman’s “How We Doin’ Dr. King?” and Arterton’s “Sometimes You Gotta Make a Wave.” Burnaman also serves as the group’s accompanist.

One City Chorus was founded by Arterton and Mack in the fall of 2016 with the belief that singing in a group builds community and leads to better understanding among people. The chorus seeks to make the world a better place by singing songs about social justice, civil rights, diversity and equality. They have been honored with a Best of the Bay Award for “Best Voices Raised Together in Song.” St. Petersburg’s poet laureate, Gloria Muñoz alluded to the chorus in her poem “Of Flowers” read at this year’s State of the City Ceremony with these words: “For each hateful word, a song of peace from One City Chorus proves there is beauty in the world. There is love, love, love!”

Arterton holds a Master’s Degree in choral conducting and voice from The New England Conservatory of Music. He was the founder and vocal arranger of The Flirtations, the proudly gay a cappella group seen on HBO and in the film Philadelphia. Mack was a voice major at Memphis State University and served as a choir director before moving to NYC to begin a career in men’s fashion. The two began singing together in 2002 and were married in Massachusetts in 2015. Together they produced a CD titled Legally Married and the Sky Didn’t Fall.

New Issue of Celebrate Florida

Early Lenten greetings, Florida UCC members:

Here is the link to the February/March issue of Celebrate Florida.

This issue reminds us of our Conference Minister’s intention to retire in July and how the Board of Directors is responding to this and other Conference matters. Other articles in this issue which may be of particular interest to you or others in your congregation include:”Carefrontation” — is that a typo?Discussing last wishes is uncomfortable, but isn’t that something churches can help facilitate?Which of our congregations recently burned their mortgages?Who is Bobby Jo Valentine and why has he recently been appearing at so many of our churches?Need info on securing grant funding?Looking for some examples of books for group reads/discussions and topics for seminars, lectures and workshops? You’ll find lots of ideas from our churches’ experiences in the “Across Florida” section.How do you celebrate turning 100?We know what a Little Library is but how about a Little Pantry?Check out all the imaginative and creative ways in which our congregations celebrated Advent and Christmas and engaged and shared with the wider community. What is the status of the letter about education policies in Florida that the Conference sent on behalf of our congregations to state officials?Answers to all these can be found in this edition. And, as always, the issue contains lots of links to helpful resources and programming ideas you may wish to consider adopting or adapting in your own congregation.

If we’ve not been hearing from you – and you don’t see your church mentioned on these pages – please make sure we’re on the mailing list for your newsletter and e-blasts (rickcarson1@gmail.com) – simple and much appreciated.

We especially welcome your providing the Celebrate Florida link (https://www.uccfla.org/celebrateflorida) to church members via your newsletters, e-communications and on your website.

Blessings,
Rick Carson, Editor