Union Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDs

adminBSKwp — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:09:39 +0000

Union Avenue will host the National Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS praise celebration this Sunday, March 14, at 4pm. The event will be a concert filled with expressions of praise through dance, music, and spoken word.

Additionally, religious communities throughout St. Louis are collecting toiletries in March and April for brothers and sisters who are living with HIV and AIDS. These items will be distributed through Food Outreach and Doorways — two organizations with which Union Avenue has long-established relationships.

Items needed include: deodorant, foot care products, toothpaste/brushes, disposable razors, shaving cream/gel, chapstick, shampoo, bar soap, mouthwash, face/body lotion, hair care products, incontinence garments, nail care products, shower gel, sanitary napkins, tampons, bathroom tissue, facial tissue.

Items to be donated can be brought to Union Avenue.

New Small Group for Young Adults

adminBSKwp — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:25:44 +0000

If you are a twenty or thirty-something adult looking for an opportunity to engage the questions of life and faith in a caring community, we invite you to join our newly-formed young professionals group. Led by Dr. Doug Brown (Community Outreach Researcher and Ethics Educator at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Internal Medicine Department), this group meets the first and third Sundays each month to engage scripture, literature, theology, as well as issues related to vocation and the life journey. Conversation starts at 9:30 am and all are welcome.

For more information contact Associate pastor Brian Kirk at brianskirk at yahoo.com.

Lenten Photography Exhibit

adminBSKwp — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:34:04 +0000

Union Avenue’s Gretchen Brigham Gallery is the site of a new Lenten-themed photography display entitled “Provisions for the Road to Life.” The 40 images in the exhibit are the work of a group of photographers from our congregation: Johnathan Loesch, Tom Stockdale, Katylyn McNeil, Carla Duncan, and Doug Brown.

Each image is an interpretation of the theme, reflecting on those ideas, attitudes, objects, and experiences that make up the provisions we carry with us on the path of life and faith. A companion devotional journal has been developed for those who would like to use these images as a focus for Lenten meditation. Copies are available in the gallery. The exhibit will run through Holy Week. To make an appointment to stop by the gallery, contact the church office at 314-361-8844.

To see an online version of this exhibition, with a new image posted for each day of Lent, go here.

Small Group Studies for Lent

adminBSKwp — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:40:45 +0000

Lent is the perfect season to take time out of our busy schedules to explore our faith with others. As is our tradition, several special small groups will be offered during the Lenten season to help us contemplate what is most important on the road to life. These groups will be held at Union Avenue Christian Church on five consecutive Wednesday night, Feb. 24 – March 24, 5:30-7:00 pm. Each group will share together in a simple, potluck salad meal during their time together. Small group opportunities include:

Creative Spiritual Journalling – Ready to explore the themes of Lent by tapping into the creative part of your brain? This small group will combine the opportunity to do some personal journalling around questions of life and faith with a creative component of actually making our own journals using a variety of simple paper-folding and collage techniques. Brian Kirk, pastor at Union Avenue Christian, will lead the writing activities at each meeting and Marsha Cobb will lead the group in fashioning different creative journals and writing surfaces each week.

The Misunderstood Jew - How Jewish was Jesus? This small group will explore together the provocative text The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus by respected Jewish scholar Amy-Jill Levine. A professor at Vanderbilt University, Levine takes a historical-critical approach as she unearths both the Jewish Jesus who has been buried under centuries of anti-Semitism and the early Church which evolved from a Jewish sect to a gentile mission. This group will be led by Mark Benson-Robinson, member at Pilgrim Congregational UCC. Please purchase a copy of the text online or at a bookstore in advance of the first meeting.

God’s Story Within Our Stories – Are you interested in the connections between contemporary literature and the life of faith? Using the book Listening for God: Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith, Volume 2, this small group will read short stories by John Updike, Anne Tyler, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Tobias Wolff, Carol Bly, Gail Godwin. Kathleen Norris and Andre Dubus and discuss the scriptural and theological themes contained in what’s considered “secular” literature. Come and explore how our stories intersect with God’s story! Led by Jennifer Spivey, Director of Christian Education, Pilgrim Congregational UCC. Please purchase a copy of the text online or at a bookstore in advance of the first meeting.

Lent for Kids – Children grades 5 and younger are invited to explore the themes of Lent through a variety of creative activities each week during the above adult programming. In order that we might prepare lessons and materials in advance, please register your child by Feb. 14. Childcare for pre-schoolers and younger will also be available. Please register this need by Feb. 14.

For more information or to register for a class, email Brian Kirk at brianskirk @ yahoo.com.

Dr. Stephen Patterson Presents Lecture

adminBSKwp — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:21:39 +0000

On Sunday, February 28, Dr. Stephen Patterson will be our special guest at a luncheon lecture and conversation on the Lenten topic “Rethinking the Meaning of Jesus’ Death.”

Dr. Patterson, a professor of New Testament at Eden Theological Seminary, is a respected Jesus scholar and author of several texts including Beyond the Passion: Rethinking the Life and Death of Jesus. Patterson serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Biblical Literature, is Contributing Editor of the Bible Review, and is a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars who reflect critically on the historicity of Jesus’ life and the life of the early Church.

This will be one of our last opportunities to engage in dialogue with Dr. Patterson as he is leaving Eden at the end of the semester to take a new teaching position in Oregon. Our time with Dr. Patterson will begin at 12:30 p.m. following worship and will include a potluck salad and bread luncheon — greens are provided and all attendees are invited to bring either something to toss into the salad or a one side item such as bread, cheese, dessert, etc. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers with the event ending at 2pm.

Childcare is available for this event.

For more information or to register, please email brianskirk at yahoo.com