ACP News  promoting harmony and understanding through communication

Improved Communication, Publication of Nominating Guidelines Key Topics of Special Meeting

by Christa Lesté-Lasserre


     
    Improved communication between council and the congregation was a primary focus of a special discussion meeting Monday evening, April 7, between Council and approximately twenty members who had signed a petition.
    Although the call for better communication extends to all aspects of church life, those who had signed the petition document stated that their principle concern was publication and more thorough explanations of the Nominating Guidelines and accompanying Significant Statements, both of which were approved by Council in 2006 but had been kept confidential due to a respect for sensitivity, according to Council members.
    Representatives of the signatories and of Council took turns presenting various arguments about the meanings and purposes of the guidelines and statements, suggestions for modifications, and justification for maintaining the documents, in addition to general calls for better communication from Council.
    Council acknowledged a need to publish the documents, which will soon be available in the narthex and online in membership-exclusive pages of the website. Discussion groups may be arranged for further clarification if the need arises.
    The closed meeting, which opened and closed with prayer and concluded with the hymn, "The Church's One Foundation," followed a fixed, timed agenda which lasted approximately 90 minutes.
  


Congregation Moves Unanimously to 
Extend Call to Senior Pastor Candidate

by Christa Lesté-Lasserre


     Members of the American Church in Paris voted unanimously Sunday, April 6, to extend a call of service to the senior pastor candidate selected by the senior pastor search committee and the AFCU and presented to the congregation on March 30.
     During this special meeting held after the 11:00 worship service, a quorum was reached with no oppositions and no abstentions, and more than 100 proxy votes were received. "It was phenomenal," said acting moderator Carolyn Bouazouni. "The excitement about this new pastor was overwhelming."
    Bouzaouni said she called the candidate Sunday evening to inform him of the church's decision.
    He requested time to pray over the decision, she said, and plans to provide his response by Wednesday, April 9.

Special Meeting This Sunday Concerning 
the Senior Pastor Candidate:
Proxy Available Online

by Christa Lesté-Lasserre


     The Council is calling a Special Meeting of the Church Membership this Sunday, April 6th, after the 11 a.m. worship service to consider extending a call to this candidate to be the next senior pastor of the American Church in Paris. A vote will be taken on this issue. All members are encouraged to prepare prayerfully for this important meeting in the life of the ACP. If you are an ACP member and not able to attend the meeting, please complete a proxy form located at the reception desk and leave it with the receptionist or in the offering plate. You may also print the online version of the proxy form and mail or fax it in or drop it off at reception.

    The candidate for senior pastor selected by the Pastoral Search Committee was in Paris the weekend of March 29th/30th to visit the American Church in Paris. He preached at all three sermons on March 30. Further information about the candidate, including a biography, was provided as an insert in the bulletin, and sample sermons were available during coffee hour. The candidate and his wife were present during coffee hour where members, regular attendees, and guests had the opportunity to meet with them, talk with them, and get to know them better.

    The Senior Pastor Search Committee and the American and Foreign Christian Union have been prayerfully active in this lengthy search for the past few months, reviewing nearly a hundred dossiers. Through faith and discernment they have come to the decision to present this outstanding candidate to membership for approval. Members and regular attendees are strongly encouraged to come this Sunday to help participate in this joyful yet critical process. They are also asked to continue to be prayerful as the process enters its final stages.

Senior Pastor Candidate to Preach this Sunday
by Christa Lesté-Lasserre


     The candidate for senior pastor selected by the Pastoral Search Committee will come to Paris the weekend of March 29th/30th to visit the American Church in Paris.

    The senior pastor candidate will be preaching from our pulpit this Sunday, March 30th, at all three services. Further information about the candidate, including a biography, will be provided as an insert in the bulletin. The candidate and his wife will be present during coffee hour where members, regular attendees, and guests will have the opportunity to meet with them, talk with them, and get to know them better.

    Please note that Sunday, March 30th, is the first day of daylight savings time. In order to not miss this special occasion in our church, please be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night!

    The Council is calling a Special Meeting of the Church Membership on April 6th after the 11am worship service to consider extending a call to this candidate to be the next senior pastor of the American Church in Paris. A vote will be taken on this issue. All members are encouraged to prepare prayerfully for this important meeting in the life of the ACP. If you are an ACP member and not able to attend the meeting, please complete a proxy form located at the reception desk and leave it with the receptionist or in the offering plate. A proxy form may also be downloaded and printed from our website at www.acparis.org after March 30th.

    The Senior Pastor Search Committee and the American and Foreign Christian Union have been prayerfully active in this lengthy search for the past few months, reviewing nearly a hundred dossiers. Through faith and discernment they have come to the decision to present this outstanding candidate to membership for approval. Members and regular attendees are strongly encouraged to come to services the next two Sundays to help participate in this joyful yet critical process. They are also asked to continue to be prayerful as the process enters its final stages.
  



Easter Offerings to Benefit Missions
by Stephanie Gober




     THE EASTER OFFERING (Sunday, March 23) will be used to support four Global Ministry Partners of the Social Concerns/Mission Outreach Committee of The American Church. You may donate cash or make your checks payable to one of the following organizations:

1.  Habitat for Humanity (Checks payable to ACP Habitat Mission).  Supporting ACP’s mission trip to Macedonia this summer to build a Habitat home.
2.  King’s Garden Children’s Home (Checks payable to A/G Financial Services Group - Kings Garden).  Christian orphanage in the Philippines.
3.  Open House (Checks payable to Friends of Open House).  Summer camp bringing together Israeli and Palestinian children to play and learn about each other, with campouts and peace workshops. 
4.  Rafiki Villages in Uganda and Nigeria (Checks payable to Rafiki Foundation ).  Rafiki villages provide housing, medical care and schooling for orphans and other children. 

A Bit More Ginger in the ACP Recipe
by MaryClaire King

            More good news for the youth and young adult program here at the American Church in Paris—Ginger Strickland’s contract has been extended through August 2009.  Ginger has held the position of Youth Pastor since 2006 and reports that she is thrilled at this opportunity to continue working with ACP’s youth, encouraging them to become Christian disciples and to think through the issues in their lives as Christians.

            Ginger Strickland’s childhood in Houston, Texas laid a solid foundation for ministry.  She grew up in the Presbyterian Church.  Both her parents worked in non-profit development, and by the time she went to the University of North Carolina on an academic scholarship, Ginger planned to dedicate herself to some form of social work. 

            As with many young people, however, Ginger’s faith reached a crisis during her time at university.  She spent several years alienated from God, although she was still drawn to the fundamental questions of faith.  She explored them through her double major in philosophy and sociology, but it took a professor inviting her to church for Ginger to begin the journey that would lead to answers to those questions.     

            Following graduation, Ginger officially joined the Episcopal Church and accepted a position running a soup kitchen in Chapel Hill.  During her two years in that post, Ginger found herself increasingly excited by the religious questions of her clients.  When the time came to return to graduate school in social work, she looked for a program that would allow her to address both types of concerns that she had encountered among the needy.  The dual Master’s program in divinity and social work offered by Yale University and the University of Connecticut fit her criteria.  Ginger’s fascination with the ministry grew during graduate school.  She decided that she needed to work full-time in a church to be sure of God’s direction for her, and that led her to the American Church in Paris after her graduation.

            Since coming to Paris, Ginger has continued to build the youth and young adult program at the church.  She leads the Crossroads and Bridge groups for Junior High (college) and High School (lycée) students and the young adult group for adults aged 18-30.  Ginger also leads confirmation classes in the spring, works with the Christian Education committee on the Sunday School program for youth, and assists the other pastoral staff with worship responsibilities.

            Ginger is particularly proud of the volunteers who have come together to work with her on this vital ministry.  She says that it is a real blessing to know that any time she invites a young person to attend an event – from Crossroads to Young Adult pizza nights—she knows that the person will receive a warm, Christian welcome from the others.  The youth who participate certainly agree, calling the youth program and its headquarters in the catacombs something of a haven, a safe place where they came come together and share the Good News.


ACP Goes Contemporary
by MaryClaire King

    Most ACP members would agree that one of the greatest assets of The American Church in Paris is its immense diversity in terms of culture, nationality and denomination. Last Sunday, January 6, that heritage of embracing difference spread to our worship services with the addition of a contemporary-style service.

    The new service was the initiative of Interim Senior Pastor Alex Aronis. He had launched contemporary services in the churches he served in Manila, Philippines, and Ohio. In both cases, the additional service resulted in an overall attendance increase. Given the density of attendance at the 11:00 am service, Pastor Alex saw a contemporary service as a sound opportunity for growth and a natural fit with the American Church’s unique mission to embrace the gamut of Christian experience. With a turnout of over one hundred people from all age ranges and backgrounds on the first Sunday, he was certainly right.

    Undoubtedly, the best way to understand this new worship alternative is to attend, particularly now that the sanctuary renovations have severely limited space at the traditional services. However, for those who want more information before they embark on this new approach to the Lord, the contemporary service music leader, Natalie McConnell, has provided an overview. Natalie, a member of the Adult choir, comes to this new role with over six years’ experience in leading the music for contemporary worship services at her former church in Milan.

    The new service is at 1:30 p.m., lasts for one hour, and has an informal, participatory style. A worship team of singers opens the service by leading the congregation through a succession of popular praise songs that are printed in the bulletin and projected onto a screen at the front. Most of the songs hail from recent decades and are easy to learn thanks to their modern vocabulary and streamlined message, a fact greatly appreciated by the non-native English speakers present. Attendees particularly enjoyed this time of praise and claim that absolutely everyone joined in the Spirit-filled singing.

    The contemporary service also has a great deal of continuity with the morning services: Pastor-led prayer, reading of the Word and the same sermon delivered by the same pastor. In addition, the contemporary service will offer communion on the first Sunday of each month just as the 11:00 a.m. service does now.

    While all services have a time set aside to worship God through the offering of tithes and gifts, the contemporary service will also schedule this time as an opportunity for interested congregation members to offer their talents to the Lord—be that in the form of dramatic reading, liturgical dance or song. The contemporary service ends with music and, of course, a benediction, as there is no better way to conclude an encounter with the Almighty, especially one so full of fresh excitement.




Stewardship Envelopes Now Available
by Carolyn Bouazouni

     For those who pledged during the November stewardship campaign, the 2008 pledge envelopes have arrived and are available for you to pick up at the stewardship table during coffee hour after the 11:00 a.m. service or at the reception desk at any other time. If you have not yet pledged and are interested in doing so, please come to the stewardship table. It's not too late!



Servan-Schreiber to Speak on Healthy Living
by Kerry Lieury

    Dr. David Servan-Schreiber will return to the ACP on Monday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. to talk about "Living Cancer Free."  This event is being sponsored by the Congregational Nurture Committee. All are welcome to attend.  A free will offering will be taken up at the end. Volunteers are still needed to help set up and clean up afterwards. For more information please leave a message for Kerry Lieury at reception or contact us.


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