A TESTIMONY FROM A YOUTH: From Joseph’s Basketball and Bible Camp & Codename Saturday

Pastor Janet Hellner-Burres was honored to present at the General Assembly during Missionfest 2019 - please click here ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AMi2a6_0fM&feature=youtu.be ) to watch her presentation, "Peace in the City & Building Hope."

NOTES ON THE JOURNEY: 40 Day Gratitude Fast “I was struggling with a difficult time in my life” , she said. “I missed my sister so much. I think about her everyday. Finally I found a way through my grief. I made a blessing box and everyday I wrote down on little slips of paper what I was thankful for and put it in my Blessing Box. It has really helped me through this painful time.” What a great idea! A Blessing box – or basket or bowl. The container doesn’t matter. What does matter is the practice of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the anecdote for the poison of bitterness, the raw pain of mourning and the despair we feel over the violence and hate in our world. Gratitude can save our souls, families, communities and world! That is why the Scriptures repeatedly advise us to be thankful and grateful “in all circumstances ”. These wise teachings concerning gratitude are not for the benefit of God whose “ego” somehow needs to hear us say “thank you” but for our own benefit. Scientific studies reveal the wisdom of the scriptures in that persons who practice gratitude “report higher levels of positive emotions, such as joy, pleasure, optimism and happiness, and feeling more alive and awake. They also experience health benefits, such as stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, improved sleep, and fewer aches and pains. They also exercised more and took better care of their health.” (Research by Robert A. Emmons and Michael McCullough of University of Miami) Brother David Steindl-Rast teaches, “If more people were grateful, the world would actually begin to change for the better. You can’t be grateful and hateful; you can’t be grateful and selfish. Gratefulness confers a host of benefits for the individual and for the world.” His teachings are powerful and healing, especially as we consider that he lived through Nazi Germany! Since the holidays can be stressful for many and impossible for a few, I am proposing that we commit to a 40 Day Gratitude Fast starting on Thanksgiving Day and ending on Epiphany which is January 6. We are going to need the discipline of gratitude if we are going to get through these holidays – through the financial worries, the family tensions, the grief over losses, the impossible schedules and the lack of sunshine. Gratitude can see us through this time – with grace and joy. So bring your baskets, bowls or boxes – and a few extra for those who forget – to our Thanksgiving service and dinner on Sunday, November 24. We will decorate them and begin our journey of gratitude. Gratitude may be the way to not only survive the holidays, but to thrive! What a great way to end the year and to begin a new one. In profound gratitude to God from whom all blessings flow. Please know how grateful I am for this ministry and for each and every one of you! Pastor Janet “ WE ARE NEVER MORE THAN ONE GRATEFUL THOUGHT AWAY FROM PEACE OF HEART.” Brother David

NOTES ON THE JOURNEY: FROM A GRANDMOTHER’S HEART There are not words to describe this Grammy’s over-flowing heart. Connor James Boatright, my first grandchild arrived at 12:45 am on August 8. I simply cannot thank God enough for him. I thank God that my baby – Katie – was safe through delivery and allowed me to be present for the birth of Connor. I thank God that he has a father, a true daddy, who clearly adores his son. I thank God for answering my prayer of fifteen years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer that I would live long enough to hold my grandchildren. I thank God for my parents who not only modeled what a wonderful grandparent does (and doesn’t do), but whose blood and prayers flow through this little one, the first of their great grandchildren. I thank God that Connor arrived as a sign of God’s comfort less than a week before my beloved brother-in-law, John, crossed over into eternal life. Connor’s arrival creates a greater urgency in me for the work of peacemaking, earth-keeping and faith-building. I long for a different kind of world for him – a world with far less division, hatred and violence. A world where Connor will not have to practice Active Shooter Drills in school. A world where Connor can delight in Kuala bears and butterflies which are in danger of extinction and the Amazon rain forest which is burning as I write. I want him to experience the same beauty of God’s creation that I have experienced over the years – an extravagant beauty which has inspired and healed me through life’s heartbreaks and trials. I want him to be judged not by his white skin and male gender, but on his gifts, abilities and talents even as he learns to do the same for all the amazing people of different races, religions, lifestyles and politics God will send into his life. Most of all, I want him to know Jesus – the Prince of Peace of every heart and the entire world. As I ponder Connor’s arrival just weeks after the terrible tragedies in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, as well as the first anniversary of the Tree of Life shooting which will be coming at the end of October, I understand how vital our ministry is and how critical it is to share the love of Jesus with a heart-broken world. This Fall I will be preaching on the Beatitudes as a rule for our lives. These words of blessing have the power to change not only our lives, but our world for Connor, your family’s children and all the children of the world. --Pastor Janet P.S. Thank you to all who participated in Katie’s baby shower, as well as for your beautiful gifts and cards, as well as your faithful prayers for our family during this time of birth and loss. What a gift this church family is to our family!

Last spring, I drove around Pittsburgh looking for ideas for a new banner for the side of our building. I found one I liked over the front door of a sister congregation: LOVE THY NEIGHBOR! NO EXCEPTIONS! It expresses well the challenge of the Gospel not only to treat all as neighbor, but to become a good neighbor in this time when our world is divided by politics, race and nationalism. Being a good neighbor took our church dancing in the parklet on Penn Avenue last summer for Jazz Nights as we offered refreshments and talked with our neighbors. Being a good neighbor has expanded our New to You Shop mission so that we serve refreshments and offer a quiet place for neighbors to meet on Thursday afternoons. Through those chats we discovered that there was a homeless couple who we cared for through the frigid winter months until they found safe shelter. The Faith and Fundraiser Team took on the challenge of being a good neighbor by providing free soup suppers to the community every Friday night in December for those who were hungry or lonely during the holiday season. In November, we offered a Prayer Breakfast for caregivers knowing how stressful that job is and, in the spring, we offered a Free Health Fair. Being a good neighbor takes us to the Allegheny County Jail where we teach forgiveness every Wednesday to leading three trainings in racial reconciliation last spring for United Church of Christ ministers. At the end of each training, Carol Calloway issued the challenge of doing one thing to stop racism. That resulted in a pastor from a rural congregation two hours away bringing skilled workers last summer to help us with our capital campaign renovations They were so impressed with our ministry that they came back for Santa’s Open House in December loaded with toys! What a God-thing! Youth from across Pennsylvania and West Virginia worked alongside our neighbors during a summer regional mission camp. Five colleges lived in our building and worked in the community during their alternative spring breaks. Not only did they touch the lives of our neighbors in need, but they also learned about racial disparities and urban neighborhoods. Now they can teach others how to be good neighbors back in Missouri, Michigan, West Virginia and Philadelphia. Being a good neighbor sent us to the Jewish Community Center. Last September, I was invited to speak at the Yom Kippur services about our work with the Wilkinsburg Sanctuary Project for Peace in walking with our neighbors on Franklin Avenue after their tragic shooting. One month later, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting took place. It was as though God was preparing them for their tragedy. Since then, a deep friendship has developed between our communities. Rabbi Ron Symons even attended our Christmas Eve worship service! Being a good neighbor also has called us to reach out to our Muslim neighbors as we work together for peace on our streets. Truly our Lord is teaching us to go deeper in our understanding of what it means to be a good neighbor. Like the banner says, He is teaching us to Love Thy Neighbor. No Exceptions!

NOTES ON THE JOURNEY: EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE I was not thinking. As I pumped away on one of the exercise stations at Curves, all I could think about was getting to the fan to turn it on because I was getting over-heated. So, with my mind pre-occupied, I not only slipped off the exercise machine, but my foot rolled underneath it. My body went down hard and with a loud crack, I knew that my ankle was in trouble! My lack of focus has put me in a brace for the next several weeks. Thankfully, I do not need surgery and this small fracture will heal with some added rest and conscious effort to slow down and watch where my feet are going!" It is easy to get distracted. Easy to lose focus. Most of the time we are not aware of our thoughts. But thoughts are at the root of all our sins. Distracted thoughts lead to all manner of falls. Anxious thoughts lead to terrible choices. Unkind thoughts lead to unkind words. Unhealthy thoughts lead to unhealthy actions. That is why this Lenten season we are working on “taking every thought captive to Christ”, as 2 Corinthians 10.8 prescribes. We are repenting not only of the unloving words and actions we commit, but we are asking the Holy Spirit to take us deeply into the thoughts which cause us to sin. We are following the centuries old wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers who trained their minds to reflect on the source of their thoughts. Is this thought of God, the ego, the world or Satan? One such Desert Father, Abba Anthony “trained himself to notice his thoughts, laying them out rather than resisting them. This holy father of monasticism then learned to redirect his thoughts, either by rethinking them or by placing a prayer (or scripture) alongside the thought.” (Thoughts Matter by Mary Margaret Funk). In addition to repenting of our sinful thoughts and redirecting them to holy and loving thoughts, we will be learning how to still our minds of thoughts – so that God can get a word in edgewise! “A mind at peace, stilled, available for conscious thinking at will is of major value for those of us who confront chaos, confusion, noise and numbness as our pace of life quickens” (Thoughts Matter). Isn’t this the wisdom of Psalm 46. 10 of “Be still and know that I am God”? With the wisdom of the Scriptures, as well as ancient writings from the Desert Fathers and Mothers and contemporary writing from Joyce Meir in her book Battlefield of the Mind, we will journey together in “being transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12. 2) so that we will think more and more with “the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2.5). Let’s think about our thinking and take EVERY thought captive to Christ! Pastor Janet P.S. Thank you so much for the gift of my sabbatical. In addition to precious time with family, I was able to spend nearly every morning in prayer, study and reflection and every afternoon in writing and finishing the manuscript for the book about our church’s ministry called “Stay: Deeper into the Heart of Jesus in the Heart of the City.” Thank you also for the gift of your presence at my birthday party on March 3 and all the beautiful cards!

Our church is blessed with amazing young people who inspire us every Sunday! Below are two statements of purpose by our young people working with Mrs. Brown. I, Alyssa Castelli am committed to ALWAYS be a disciple of Christ. To always help people no matter the circumstance. I will be kind, faithful, and honest no matter what. I am always going to love and cherish The Lord Jesus Christ and the others around me. Yes it will be hard to keep this pledge, but if this is what the Lord wants me to do then I will. So therefore I promise to keep my word to the best of my abilities before God and man Shaun Jackson, A day of signing for young disciples. So I will always be trying to do my best in school. So I can be a FBI, Marine biologist, coach, lawyer, or a Doctor. I plan a college in Arizona to stay there for a couple of years to have degrees. When I’m confronted or challenged I will still try my best. Like when one of my teachers said if anyone is trying to bring you down there already below me. So that inspired me so I will use that when I get older, because people will try to bring you down so remember that. Another quote is that Never quit believing in yourself. I learned that you have to achieve no matter how hard your goal or opponent is. I pledge before God and the church be my best and do my best.

NOTES ON THE JOURNEY: THE WISDOM OF WINTER Looks like we are going to have a REAL winter. Already we have had two days of snow on the ground before December. Even though winter is hard for many of us – the homeless sleeping under bridges, the elderly trying to walk on icy sidewalks, children and adults waiting in near zero windchills for buses – it has its purpose. God created winter so that the animals and plants could rest deeply before the work of new life in the spring. Winter’s wisdom teaches us to slow down, be careful, stay warm, go home and rest more. It teaches us that we cannot always push, strain and expect to be productive in every season of our lives. The occasional snow and ice storms remind us that we really are not in control. Winter has much to teach us. And so does Christmas. For right in the middle of the darkest days of winter, comes the Light of the World. Right in the middle of a military occupation, a poor girl’s dreams of engagement, and a tiny insignificant village, God disrupts the way it is with The Way, The Truth and The Life Incarnate. The Word of God takes on human form to show us that it is possible to live as children of light, hope, peace, joy and love. At an unexpected time and in an unexpected place God shows up in the middle of winter – and changes the world forever. In addition to celebrating the miracle of Christmas, our congregation will be going through some significant changes this winter. First, our beloved administrative assistant, Darlene Davis, will be retiring at the end of December. There simply are not enough words to describe how Darlene has blessed us over the years. She not only has performed her job well, but she has made it into a ministry. Her attention to detail along with her kind and compassionate heart can never be replaced. I urge you to be present on Sunday, December 30 to honor her ministry among us in a special retirement party after worship. Secondly, I will be taking a portion of my sabbatical starting January 22 until February 23. Instead of taking three months off in a row, we have decided that it would be easier on the church’s leadership and finances, if I take a few extra weeks over the next three years to write and rest on sabbatical. Because of the timing of my sabbatical, we will not try to hire a new church secretary until I return later in February or early March. That is why you are receiving a three-month Visitor today. Whatever this winter and Christmas season brings, let us take time to rest, stay warm and turn to the Light - the Light that shines in the darkness and the darkness can never overcome it! PASTOR JANET

NOTES ON THE JOURNEY: 40 DAYS OF GRATITUDE It was a simple house. Very small by American standards. It was in the middle of a wetland area in Costa Rica. Not another house for miles around. Even though we were there to birdwatch our Costa Rican naturalist stopped to tell us about the family who lives in the house. “They are the happiest people I know. There are 5 children and 2 parents. Every morning they wake up and hold hands and give thanks for another day. Then every evening they hold hands before bed and give thanks for the blessings of the day. They don’t have much, but they are the happiest people I know. Truly. Truly happy.” Throughout the scriptures we are advised to be a thankful and grateful people “in all circumstances”. This commandment is not because God’s ego needs to hear us say “thank you” but for our own benefit. Scientific studies reveal the wisdom of the scriptures in that persons who practice gratitude “report higher levels of positive emotions, such as joy, pleasure, optimism and happiness, and feeling more alive and awake. They also experience health benefits, such as stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, improved sleep, and fewer aches and pains. They also exercised more and took better care of their health.” (Research by Robert A. Emmons and Michael McCullough of University of Miami) Brother David Steindl-Rast teaches, “If more people were grateful, the world would actually begin to change for the better. You can’t be grateful and hateful; you can’t be grateful and selfish. Gratefulness confers a host of benefits for the individual and for the world.” When I read these words in the Stop Look Go Workbook on Gratitude from A Network for Grateful Living, I knew that I had found a study and practice for our Fall season. Starting on Sunday, October 14, we will begin 40 DAYS OF GRATITUDE which will conclude on Thanksgiving Day. I will provide daily spiritual practices in gratitude through the bulletin and our weekly church update based on this workbook. Those who want to go deeper can order the workbook for $18. We also will focus on gratitude during our Fall retreat at Laurelview. Come and see what a deeper practice of gratitude can do for your health, relationships, our church and the world. As Brother David says, “WE ARE NEVER MORE THAN ONE GRATEFUL THOUGHT AWAY FROM PEACE OF HEART.” PASTOR JANET

“We will never change the world by going to church. We will only change the world by being the church.” - Author unknown For as long as I could remember, I had been taught the importance of the church being the church. But try as I might, I couldn’t quite get a handle on that. What was that supposed to mean? As the years have drifted by and my faith has matured, I’ve found myself wondering what the early church must have been like. Were they as self-absorbed as it seemed we had become? Had we lost sight of our God-ordained purpose? Thus began my quest for truth. According to the Word of God, those first disciples devoted themselves to four things: the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. Healings took place, many came to faith in Christ as a result of their witness, they gave to anyone who had need and they continually praised God for all He had done. How beautiful and so very simple. I couldn’t help but think the modern-day church was missing the mark. We’d forgotten what it means to truly be the church. “Lord, if there are any who are still getting this right, please show me,” I prayed. At the time that simple cry was uttered, I wasn’t aware that the answer had been right in front of me all along. It has been my joy to attend the Christian Church of Wilkinsburg every year as part of my annual trek from upstate New York to visit my beloved Aunt Gena. I have always been so warmly welcomed that it has felt like home every time I walk through the doors. Each year I look forward with great anticipation to the genuine smiles and hugs that eagerly await me, and I feel like family. I’ve come to count on the fact that each minister is appointed by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit, for they never fail to speak His timely words, and I leave challenged and changed. I’ve listened to the heartfelt requests and prayers of this congregation and have been blessed to witness the hand of God move on their behalf as they are always careful to give Him the credit. Many are drawn to Christ because this body of believers represent Him so well. If the truth be known, I’ve seen pieces of these attributes in many other churches. But the Christian Church of Wilkinsburg has something that’s not always recognizable in other congregations. They consciously search for those in need, making every attempt to be the hands and feet of Christ in a very hurting world. I’ve heard story upon story of the impact of their outreach to the community. Hearts and lives have been changed because of their devotion to their Lord and their desire for others to come to know Him. But it doesn’t stop there. This body truly cares for their own, embracing the hurts and needs within their congregation with an agape kind of love. Are they perfect? Of course not. After all, there are no perfect people. But I can say with all sincerity that the Christian Church of Wilkinsburg has truly shown me what it means to be the church, and it has helped me be a much better pastor as a result.