April 2023 Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends:
Happy Easter! The Easter season extends from Resurrection Day until the Day of Pentecost on May 28. So let us continue to share the good news:
Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
On the Saturday before Easter, we welcomed close to 150 children and their families to our front lawn for an old-fashioned Easter Egg Hunt, complete with a visit from the Easter Bunny. Our volunteers worked at the sign up table, supervised egg tosses, hid Easter Eggs, helped out at craft tables, and made this event a welcoming and fun experience for our community. Thank you!
Our Easter Sunday celebration -- beginning with our service in Ben Avon Heights Park, brunch between services, Festival Worship, and the Carillon concert after worship – was just stunning. I am so very thankful for all the talented people who made the day so meaningful for our community. From the Livestream Team, to the Deacons, to the Worship and Music Committee, to our Administrative Assistant, Cindy Miller, to people who donated candy for eggs, to the folks who baked communion bread and remembered to buy grape juice, to the folks who ordered and arranged flowers, to Tim Miller who set up tables and chairs indoors and out – whew! -- so many people contributed to a wonderful weekend of rejoicing. Bless all of you, saints!
I am especially grateful for our Music Director, Tim Heavner, the choir, and the musicians who brought a joyful noise into the worship space. If you weren’t able to attend, the Festival Worship service is on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czhLol72GOk and well worth watching. All of our services are always available via our You Tube channel, as well as on our Facebook page.
The Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC) has begun its work in calling your next pastor, and one of the first tasks for the congregation in this time of transition is participating in an online survey called the “CAT.” CAT stands for Congregational Assessment Tool, and it’s your opportunity to provide input to the PNC, as well as the Session and the Transitional Pastor, about your experiences and priorities for CPCBA. Links to the survey will be emailed to all of our active members as well as those who are regular participants in our programs. Watch your email box and please take the time to complete this critically important survey.
There are lots of wonderful things happening at CPCBA in this season. Our Bible Study continues to meet on Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. If you have always wanted to know more about the Bible, this is the group for you. It is a wise, warm, and open-hearted bunch of folks who brings lots of questions to the table, and earnestly seek to hear what Scripture has to say to us in our daily lives.
Our Learning Circles are back up and running after a brief break. The Wednesday evening group has just begun reading Diana Butler Bass’ newest book, Freeing Jesus. This group meets at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The Thursday morning group will begin reading their new book on April 20 at 11 a.m. in person at the church. They will be reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy. Both of these groups are always open to new members.
As the school year draws to a close, we’ll be looking forward to Pentecost on May 28 and our annual Church Picnic on June 4. You’ll also start seeing information about Vacation Bible School which will be held June 26-30. The theme this year will be, “The Bible on Broadway,” and it will be another opportunity for volunteers from the congregation to meet and get to know families and kids from our community, many of whom are not members of our church.
CPCBA continues to be an active, vibrant, and thriving faith community in this transitional time. I cannot tell you how delighted I have been to work with the talented staff and leadership every single day, and have been gratified to see members of the congregation continue to show up and step up to fulfill God’s mission for us.
As always, I am thankful for YOU and this partnership we share to bring Christ to our community and to bring our community to Christ.
Happy Spring!
Christ has Risen!
Rev. Susan Rothenberg