Glad Tidings St.

Matthew UCC/ (504) 861-8196

The Newsletter of Central St. Matthew UCC March, 2010

Where we are in the process!

I am sure with Pastor Doug’s announced

departure many of you are wondering the
W’s of what, when and who? The search
committee is hard at work putting together
a profile of who we are along with some of
our combined history and finances. We wish
to thank all of you who took some time to
prayerfully answer the questionnaire. It
As many of you already know, my time as
truly makes our job much easier by giving us
Interim Pastor of Central St. Matthew will
a base on which to build our responses. We
end on May 31, 2010. I know there is plenty
have not been idle while waiting for your
of time for reflection and saying "Good bye",
input. Our team is busy putting pen to
but I want all of you to know that Judy and I
paper, answering the other administrative
have loved our time with you in this great city
questions found in the profile. We are now
of the Saints. We experienced the hottest
in the process of reading, collating and
and driest June, the wettest December and
writing your responses into a
maybe the coldest "winter", but no hurricanes
comprehensive, well written and truthful
and that is fine. We experienced your
profile document. Our goal to accomplish
graciousness, generosity, and faith and that
this phase is the first week of April.
has truly been a revitalizing miracle for us. I
am not sure you know exactly how special and
Next steps for us will include submitting our
wonderful you are so it is my pleasure to tell
profile electronically and having it approved
you: You are marvelous.
for distribution. We need to develop and
submit a small paragraph that describes who
Judy and I have no particular plans other than
we are and who we are seeking in a pastor.
to return home, to spend the summer in
This will be placed on the UCC’s
Vermont, spend time with children and to
employment opportunity board. Then we
reattach ourselves to our Sharon roots.
wait to receive profiles.
This past year has flown by and I am sure the
In the meanwhile, our new Deacon Board
next four months will go just as quickly.
will take care of our spiritual and pulpit
There is still much to accomplish and much to
needs.
look forward to in these early days of CSM as
you prepare for your Pastor, the one God has
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as
already chosen. May God continue to bless
we search for our pastor.
our days together.
Faithfully,
Love, Pastor Doug
Pastoral Search Committee

Pastor’s Report
Governing Council Meeting
February 23, 2010
1. The first round of new Board meetings got off
to a fairly good start.
The Trustees met and are meeting on Saturday,
February 27 to really get down to business, elect
a Chair and set terms for the members.
The Deacons met and need to meet again.
There were three or four absent so it was hard
to make much progress.
Christian Ed. met and I believe they set a
meeting day and we did talk about expanding
Christian Ed. to meet the needs and wishes of
adults too. Several good ideas were discussed.
Social Action and Mission has been meeting
along and continues to function under the new
structure.
2. I have continued to work with Marsha
McFadden Quick as she moves through the in-
care process with the New Orleans Assoc.
towards becoming approved for a call. We have
been meeting weekly to discuss the various
papers and also her work in CSM. Marsha will
preach about once a month for the rest of my
time at CSM.
3. I met with officials of PNOLA (Phoenix of New
Orleans) and with Pres. Weatherspoon and Jim
Bonds re: the sale/development of the Bienville
houses and the vacant lot. I anticipate being
involved with further discussions as the idea
progresses.
4. I met with the Preservation people to discuss
demolition of the Bienville houses and was told
that unless the houses are placed on the market
in an effort to sell them we will never get a
Page 2 of 8
demolition permit. The discussions with PNOLA
make this a moot point, I hope. I have notified
Florence Coppola (Executive, National Disaster
Ministries, UCC) of this meeting because she is
the one who wanted the idea of demolition
discussed.
5. I participated in the New Orleans Association
Ash Wednesday service at Little Farms UCC. I
am planning to hold Lenten discussions on the
parable of the Prodigal Son beginning this
Thursday, February 25, from 6:30-7:15 p.m. in
the Church. We will be using a DVD and book
entitled "The Prodigal God".
6. Sunday, February 28 I will begin a Bible
study of Acts, focusing on the first seven
chapters as they relate to the formation of the
early church and how that experience is
relevant for our experience at CSM.
7. I have met twice with the Search Committee
to offer assistance on the Church Profile.
8. I spoke with Rev. Clinton Crawshaw (MCC)
about sharing their sound system and
projection equipment. Clinton is willing to let
CSM share the equipment at no cost and this
might be a very good opportunity for us.
9. As a real treat, Judy and I have been singing
with the choir. Great music and great fun.
Our new drummer Donald is a great guy and
seems to be well accepted by all.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Doug Moore
Interim Pastor
Page 3 of 8
Pastoral Search
Churches call pastors to facilitate the
development of the ministry and mission of the
church and its members. The search is for a
pastor who brings the specific skills of
preaching, teaching, communication, healing,
counseling, administration and a personal
commitment that will enable the church to carry
out the mission to which God has called it.
History and Background
The Bible is full of stories of people called to
particular forms of ministry. From the earliest
days of the church there have been persons
called out of the worshiping community for the
purpose of performing specific tasks related to
the well-being of that community. In their
ordained ministry, these people bring to
churches their extension of the ministry of Jesus
and their commitment to help others carry out
that ministry.
Pastors are called to a church because the
church and the pastor feel that God is calling
them to share ministry in that time and place.
In the United Church of Christ the process of
searching for a pastor involves the local church
and the association or conference. The church
negotiates directly with candidates for the
position, using profiles provided through the
Parish Life and Leadership Team of Local Church
Ministries.
Churches rarely think about the process of
searching for a pastor until they are required to
do so by an announcement that "at our next
board meeting 1 am submitting my resignation."
That kind of startling statement is the beginning
of a process that probably will take several
months and may take a year: the search for a
pastor.
Search Committee
Usually the search committee is responsible for:
• Selecting a chairperson and a secretary.
• Agreeing on basic understandings.
• Meeting with the appropriate conference staff
person.
• Sending an informative letter to every
household in the congregation.
• Carefully studying the congregational profile.
• Asking the governing board for a preliminary
determination of salary and benefits.
• Setting a cutoff date for receiving ministerial
profiles.
• Keeping the congregation informed about its
progress. There is a chart in A Local Church
Seeks a Pastor that can help keep progress
visually before the congregation. Our chart at
Central St. Matthew is taped to the office
window.
• Asking each member of the committee to read
every profile.
• Eliminating as many candidates as possible by a
unanimous decision.
• Writing a letter to each candidate whom you
are no longer considering.
• Sending each remaining candidate the church's
profile.
• Eliminating from the list any candidate no
longer interested.
• Determining the agenda for interviews with
candidates.
• Selecting several candidates to interview.
• Calling the top candidates and telling them
they are still being considered.
• Scheduling interviews.
• Ranking the candidates interviewed.
• Selecting the top candidate.
• Assembling all available data and reports
concerning the top candidate.
• Providing the data on the top candidate to the
governing board.
• Recommending the candidate to the
congregation by letter jointly with the
governing board.
• Scheduling a time for the candidate to lead
worship and meet members of the
congregation and for a congregational vote to
take place.
• Introducing the candidate to the governing
board.
Encouraging the congregation to meet the
candidate when she or he leads worship.
• If the candidate is rejected, selecting another
candidate.
• If the candidate is accepted and accepts the
call, notifying all other candidates that the
church has called a new pastor.
 Page 4 of 8

Witness and Justice

Everyone Counts! The next census in the United States will take place in April 2010. Although it is not often
understood this way, the census is, in fact, an important civil rights issue. An accurate census affects
representation and access to federal resources. Census data directly affects how more than $400 billion per year
in federal funding is allocated to communities for public education, health, community development block grants,
transportation needs and more. Undercounting can also lead some communities to be underrepresented in local,
state and national government levels.

Environmental Justice: Bringing Food Closer to Home At a January Environmental Justice Conference in
New Orleans, Pam Broom, Deputy Director of New Orleans Food and Farm Network (NOFFM) gave a presentation
showing how her organization “works with individuals, communities, and growers to support sustainable growing
practices and to ensure equal access to safe, nutritious, and enjoyable food.” Recently an article called “Farming
Freedom and Hope after Katrina” about NOFFM was featured in the online publication “Farm to Table: The
Emerging American Meal.”

Earth Day Sunday 2010: Sacred Spaces and an Abundant Life This resource empowers congregations to
take actions within their Church buildings to conserve energy, reduce toxic materials and products, and conserve
water and land. It includes worship resources and study guides to help your congregation reflect on God's call to
care for Creation.

Prayer List

Please continue to pray for:

-victims of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile

-Melvin Chaix
-Al and Ethel Creel
-Mary Graves
- Eddie Gebhardt
- Thelma Smith
- Jan Currier
- Robert Smith
- The Anderson Family
- All those affected by the disasters in Chile and Haiti.
Page 5 of 8

Let’s be Great Stewards

For so many, Stewardship is a simple matter of the Pastor and the church CFO writing a letter
laying out the need for needing and then waiting for the money to come out of your pockets into
the Church coffers. There may be a sermon or two (the Widow's mite perhaps?) and some
personal testimonials on giving and the church. But in essence Stewardship is a onetime effort
usually in the fall, to raise enough money to make it until the next Stewardship letter goes out.
I want to suggest that Stewardship is much more than a one-time annual event. In the first
place, stewardship is not essentially about your personal giving or lack thereof. Stewardship is
first and foremost a matter of how does the Church use the assets and resources God has given to
it. How will CSM use the enormous physical resources it has for the good? How will CSM begin to
use the talent, love and faith that reside in its members for the good? These and other questions
are clearly more than once a year efforts. Every day the people of the church should be praying
and seeking ways to use the resources God has bestowed on the church for the good of God's
people. Stewardship seen in this way clearly never ends, because God's blessings never end.
Stewardship is also about giving time, talent and substance. We are not a large congregation
at the present time and this means everyone must give of their time, talent, and substance when
a need is seen or realized. If the burden (and remember, it is light) falls on only a few, they will
not be able to sustain it for long. Get out your Bible now and read Exodus 18 and Acts 6: 1-7 to
discover the ancient practice of lifting up this need and the Biblical authority for sharing the
load. Stewardship is being constantly aware of the needs of the church and God's people and
responding in a gracious manner to help meet those needs.
I have never been associated with a church that did not need to be reminded of the call to be
good stewards. The best stewardship programs I have witnessed are those that consistently bring
the needs of the church and the church community to the attention of the members and friends
of the church. This is not a heavy handed, every Sunday give-money-or-else type of stewardship.
Rather, it is a monthly spoken and written word reflecting the resources and the needs of the
church. It is a loving effort to keep the needs of God's people in full view of those who desire to
meet those needs. The best stewardship programs are also those that involve many different
people, not just the same old few. The more people involved in stewardship the greater the
sense of belonging becomes.
When I first arrived last March, I embarked on a series of small, house meetings. I met almost
the entire congregation. I visited seven or eight different homes and I shared food, laughter,
concerns and church stories with many of you. That experience was wonderful for me and I
believe also for the church. One of the best aspects was the number of people involved: those
who allowed their homes to be a gathering place, those who called to make sure everyone was
invited, those who made food, and those who came because of their interest in the church. I
believe that you, who enjoy each other’s company and who enjoy good food and a party, would
prosper greatly using this same small group model for Stewardship.
Jim Bonds and I are going to be working on Stewardship over the next few weeks. We hope to
come up with a plan and present it to the Trustees and the Governing Council for consideration.
We are counting on you to step forward and be a part of the church-wide effort to be good
stewards of Central St. Matthew UCC.

Love, Pastor Doug

 Page 6 of 8

Annual Meeting 2010

"RESTORING THE DANCE"

47TH ANNUAL MEETING OF SOUTH CENTRAL CONFERENCE UCC
HOSTED BY NEW ORLEANS ASSOCIATION

DANCE IN NEW ORLEANS FROM FRIDAY, JUNE 4 THRU SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2010
DANCE SITE IS THE MARRIOTT NEW ORLEANS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER
DANCE RATES ARE $99.00/NIGHT PLUS TAX
(RATES AVAILABLE 3 DAYS PRE & POST EVENT)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER,
THE REV. SUSAN BROOKS THISTLETHWAITE
PROFESSOR, CHICAGO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

SUNDAY PREACHER, THE REV. GAIL BOWMAN

CHAPLAIN, DILLARD UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS

YOU ARE INVITED TO PRE-MEETING EVENTS, FRIDAY JUNE 4, MARRIOTT HOTEL

BACK BAY MISSION TOUR, DEPARTURE 8 A.M., RETURN 3P.M COST $32.50 PP
(Includes TRANSPORTATION and LUNCH)

TOUR OF NEW ORLEANS -$10.00 DONATION-DEPARTS, 8 A.M., RETURNS 3 P.M.

DISASTER MINISTRIES: Are YOU at the Dance? 8:30 A.M. -3 P.M.,

Presenter: MS. FLORENCE COPPOLLA, Executive, Disaster Ministries UCC
Page 7 of 8

Annual Meeting 2010 continued

YOUR DANCE WILL BE RESTORED THRU:

SATURDAY EVENING JAZZ QUARTET, CULMINATING WITH A "SECOND LINE"

DYNAMIC WORKSHOPS
"DANCING WITH THE STAR"
"INVITATION TO THE DANCE"
"SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME"
"TAKE UP YOUR BED AND DANCE"
"DIVERSITY IN THE DANCE-RACISM"

CHILDCARE PROVIDED BY LA CERTIFIED CHILD CARE STAFF.

SERVICE AVAILABLE FOR FRIDAY 7:00 PM, SATURDAY 9:00 AM, SUNDAY 9:00 AM - 12:00 NOON.
SERVICE WILL COST $10.00/HR/CHILD WITHOUT FOOD, $15.00/HR/CHILD. FOOD PROVIDED BY
STAFF. PARENT WILL NEED TO CALL TO REGISTER THEIR CHILD AT LEAST ONE DAY BEFORE
JUNE 4.

THE PILGRIM PRESS/UNITED CHURCH PRESS BOOKSTORE

FREE TIME ON SATURDAY FROM 2-6 P.M. HOTEL WALKING DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN

COOKIES, COOKIES, COOKIES....

HOTEL PARKING DISCOUNTED. HOTEL COFFEESHOP AND RESTAURANT FEATURING DISCOUNTED

MEALS.

CONFERENCE MISSION PROJECT:

SCHOOL KITS FOR CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

-EACH SCC CHURCH ASKED TO DONATE AT LEAST 12 KITS

BACK BAY MISSION HYGIENE KITS

-EACH SCC CHURCH ASKED TO DONATE AT LEAST 12 KITS

Shake me, wake me; save me from complacency or feeling entitled. Alert me to the
meaning of this day and to my opportunities to serve you faithfully in it. Amen. –from
Stillspeaking Daily Devotional
 Central St. Matthew UCC Page 8 of 8

Mailing Address: CALENDAR

1333 S. Carrollton Ave. March/April 2010
New Orleans, LA 70118
Sundays at 9:00 Choir Warm Ups
Phone:
(504) 861-8196 Saturday, Mar 13, 11:00 Prayer Circle in Chapel
Central Church Office:
(504) 861-9980 Sunday, Mar 14 Bible Study immediately following service
Fax: Tuesday, Mar 16 Board of Christian Education Meeting
(504)861-8197 Board of Trustees Meeting
E-Mail:
Thursday, Mar 18, 6:30 Lenten Observance in the Sanctuary
office@centralstmatthewucc.com
Saturday, Mar 20, 11:00 Prayer Circle in Chapel
Office Hours:
Sunday, Mar 21, 6:30 Mission and Social Action Committee Meeting
Church Secretary:
Bible Study immediately following service
Ms. Brandy Perez
Mon., Wed., and Fri.
Tuesday, Mar 23, 6:30 Governing Council Meeting
9 am to 2 pm
Thursday, Mar 25, 6:30 Lenten Observance in the Sanctuary
Pastor:
Rev. Douglas S. Moore
Friday, Mar 26-Apr 17 ABCT - “You Don’t Even Know Me”
Call anytime, (802) 299-6152
DSmoore66@yahoo.com
Sunday, Mar 28 Bible Study immediately following service
Office hours Tues. to Thurs.
10am to 1pm
Thursday, Apr 1 Maundy Thursday

We’re on the Web! Friday, Apr 2, Noon Service at Bienville campus, Fish Fry following
See us at: Good Friday
www.centralstmatthewucc.org
Saturday, Apr 3, 5:00-8:00 Holy Saturday observance

Sunday, Apr 4 Easter Service

CENTRAL ST. MATTHEW UCC

1333 S. Carrollton Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118

COMPANY NAME
STREET ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, 00000