Thursdays 13, 20 and 27 February at 19h30-21h30

Join us for So we want to talk about reconciliation - Let's talk about race, a 3-week open conversation to begin our work on the ministry of reconciliation led by Tarani Woodson, Felicia Henderson, and Pastor Victor Greene. Free admission. Limited spots available. Please register here.

Rainbow Connection Grief Support – Weathering the Storms of Grief Together
Sunday 23 February 12h15-13h30 in the Thurber Room

Please join us as we meet together for a time of fellowship followed by a conversation with Brook Fischer, Brent Brookfield and Allison Wheeler on the topic Rainbow Connection Grief Support – Weathering the Storms of Grief Together. Grief is the normal and multifaceted process of reacting to a loss. The process is challenging, and can become even more complex when living abroad without the support of close friends and family. This is one of the reasons why Brook Fischer, Brent Brookfield and Allison Wheeler decided to create an English-speaking grief support group in Paris. Their talk will focus on how Rainbow Connection Grief Support came to be, the purpose of the group, the journey towards healing and what they’ve learned along the way.

Contributions to our snack table are always appreciated and childcare will be provided in G1. Hope you can join us!.

For more information, contact the Women's Ministry.

Béatrice Reibel-Petit - violoncelle; Delphine Bardin - piano

Got questions about life? Try the Alpha Course

Course (10 weeks): Thursdays, beginning with a free Launch Party on 5 March at 19h30 in the Thurber Room

Ever wanted to explore the meaning of life or ask challenging questions about the Christian faith? Do you have a family member, friend, neighbor or colleague who is asking questions about life? If you've answered "yes" then the Alpha Course is for you!

Alpha is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed, informal and friendly way. It welcomes all those big questions – and it's free!

The course will run every Thursday from 5 March for 10 weeks. Using the latest video talks by Nicky Gumbel (in English with French subtitles), each session starts with a meal at 19h followed by a short video looking at different aspects of the Christian faith, with topics such as How can I have faith? and Does God heal today? Afterwards there are small group discussions, where you can talk about what you have heard and ask any questions you might have.

No question is too simple or too hostile!! Whether you've never heard of God, you're someone who has recently come to faith or you have been a Christian all of your life, this course is for you! Even if you've been a Christian for many years, Alpha is a great way to remind yourself about the fundamental aspects of faith and it is also perfect to invite friends to who are seeking answers about life...so why not invite them to come along with you?

For more information, please feel free to contact the Alpha team here. Make sure that you keep up-to-date with details about the Launch Party and the course by checking the ACP website and social media channels.

Workshop led by Anne Belgram-Perkins and Janelle Watters Oliel
Saturday, 7 March 9h30-15h30

Learn how to nurture your close relationships and make your life sweeter

What to expect? A fun-filled day learning about close relationships and our role in each one. Activities and experiential moments will help you to better understand the dynamics of these important bonds and their impact on our lives.

Join us either on your own or with someone special in your life (partner, daughter, father, close friend etc.).

Saturday, 7 March from 9h30-15h30 (a light lunch will be provided).

Cost: 85 euros per person/150 euros for couples.

Your workshop leaders: Anne Belgram-Perkins and Janelle Watters Oliel, both licensed therapists trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy.

For more information about how they work, see: eftfrance.fr

To contact Anne & Janelle to sign up or for more information, see: annebelgramperkins.com

13-14 March 2020

Join us for our Men’s Retreat, with Pastor Doug Fondell leading us as we explore the meaning of Hesed-love as it is revealed in Old Testament scripture, and as it is manifested in our daily lives. A participation fee of €59, payable to ACP, is requested to offset the costs. Scholarships available. Register online here or on Sundays during coffee hour after services. This will be a special 24 hours of sharing, praying, laughing and celebrating what God is doing in our lives as friends, mentors, fathers, sons and husbands. Every man is invited to be part of this special time together. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect while learning, worshipping and relaxing together.

Location

The retreat will take place at the Orsay Clarté Dieu retreat center in Orsay (91) – a 30 min RER ride from Gare Saint Michel Notre Dame to the Orsay-ville station.

Saturday March 21st at 9h-16h
Christ-Centered Listening: Abundant Life in Community
Retreat leader: Odette Lockwood-Stewart

“… that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” Ephesians 3: 16-17

YOU are invited to this one-day retreat at ACP. We will welcome one another to abundant life by living it. We will listen to God, to our deepest selves, and to one another in Christ. We will remember, hear and tell stories that bring life. We will open to God, deepen our joy, honor our gifts and wounds in the peace that really does pass understanding.

Our speaker will be The Reverend Odette Lockwood-Stewart, of Berkeley, California, and former visiting ACP Pastor.

Participation cost is 20 euros. We offer a Kids' Retreat for moms who require childcare for 5 euros/family. We have scholarships available for those needing some assistance.

Register during Sunday Coffee Hours beginning 9 February.

Interim Senior Pastor, beginning in July

The American Church in Paris is pleased to announce the call of the Reverend Odette Lockwood-Stewart as its incoming Interim Senior Pastor. Reverend Lockwood-Stewart, who has previously served as ACP's Visiting Pastor, grew up in Connecticut and California, receiving her Masters of Divinity summa cum laude at Boston University School of Theology. She is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church.

Over forty years, Odette has pastored congregations and campus ministries and has given leadership at international, national, regional, and local levels of church and ecumenical associations.

She served as Pastor of United Methodist congregations in Berkeley, San Leandro, and Santa Fe Springs, California, and as University Pastor at UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, San Diego State University and University of California, San Francisco.

She taught for nine years at the Pacific School of Religion, as Faculty Director of Community-Engaged Learning.

She has published devotions, curriculum, sermons, and poetry as well as papers in social religious history and experiential learning as a path to spiritual formation.

Odette is married to the Reverend Jim Lockwood-Stewart. They have four grown children and eight wonderful grandchildren who live in Maryland, Oklahoma, and California.

The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church (middlechurch.org), a 1,200-member multiracial, welcoming, and inclusive congregation in New York City. She is an activist, preacher, and fierce advocate for racial equality, economic justice, and LGBTQIA equality. Middle Church and Jacqui’s activism for these issues has been featured in media such as The Today Show, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New Yorker, Essence and The Huffington Post.

Jacqui is the Co-Founder and President of The Middle Project, which, along with Middle Church, hosts an annual conference to train faith leaders to combat racism by growing multiracial congregations. The 14th annual conference, “Revolutionary Love: Toward a More Perfect Union,” will take place April 24–26, 2020 in Washington, DC, to organize for the 2020 Presidential Elections. Jacqui hosted created and produced Just Faith, a television program available on demand from Shift by MSNBC.com. Just Faith gathered diverse voices in a conversation about justice, healing, and faith.

When Jacqui was just eight years old, the assassination of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. both traumatized her and catalyzed her calling to work against racism and poverty in America. Jacqui earned her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and earned a M.Phil. and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Religion from Drew University. Her doctoral studies focused on racial and gender identity development. She has been adjunct professor at seminaries across the country, including Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, and the Drew Theological School, where she is currently co-teaching a Doctor of Ministry program in Public Theology with her best friend and spouse, The Rev. John Janka.

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Jacqui is the first African American and first woman to serve as senior minister in the Collegiate Church, which was founded in New York City in 1628. She is the author of The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leading Multi-racial, and Multi-cultural Congregations; The Pentecost Paradigm: 10 Essential Strategies to Grow a Multiracial, Multicultural Congregation; and the children’s book, You Are So Wonderful! She is writing a book on fierce love and its power to heal our souls and the world, and a memoir about finding a grown-up God.

Thurber Conversations are an adult community gathering and growth time that is open to all.

Video recordings of selected past Thurber Lectures here

Stewardship plays an important role in enabling ACP to continue being an Embassy for the Kingdom of God and in furthering our individual paths of discipleship. We invite you to pray about the role of giving in your spiritual growth and to join us dedicating our pledges on Sunday. You can find our pledge forms for printing here or on-line version here.