Wednesday Evening Prayer and Eucharist this week will be devoted to prayers concerning the verdict in the Chauvin trial for the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The trial has now concluded and Mr. Chauvin found guilty on all charges. Today there is joy and pain, relief and awareness that the work is not done. This case, among so many others just this year, brought to the surface such grief in the Black community, serving as a microcosm of the painful intersection realities of racism, misused institutional power, and violence, even to death. Issues of racism and violence continue to plague our communities. Asian American brothers and sisters have felt the pain of discrimination and violence. Even with the conclusion of the Chauvin trial, we are a people still living on a knife’s edge.
The George Floyd murder case in particular has brought forward a painful reckoning among communities of faith. How are we to pray about these things—for justice, for mercy, for peace? And how can the White community support communities of color without being tone-deaf or appearing to take over the discourse? How can we support policemen and policewomen in their dangerous work while supporting calls for change in how policing is carried out and insisting on accountability? I’m not at all sure we know answers to these and so many other questions. But we're committed to listening and to trying and praying, and trusting the Spirit to help us when we don’t know how to pray with groans too deep for words.
We gather at 6 under the Oaks and begin about 6:15. Typically, prayers are about half an hour or so.
Children are welcome to the prayer service and it can be quite formative for children to participate in bringing hard things to God. I want to give you details as you consider whether it would be a meaningful time for your child and how best to prepare your child. Although our children are accustomed to shared silence, our periods of silence are extended on Wednesday evenings to several minutes. Also, we will pray specifically for the jurors and the verdict, George Floyd, Derek Chauvin and want to make sure you know that in case those names or situations are new to your children. Parents or children can always reach out to Amy at amy@ourdayspring.org to talk through these difficult things.
You may want to bring a chair but we’ll have chairs here like on Sunday mornings. Following prayers will be informal opportunity to share a word of wisdom, guidance, or hope if you’d like to do so. I trust this will be a meaningful time together.
God’s peace to us all this week,
Our 3-year-olds through Kindergarteners are invited to join Amy on a trail walk to St. Julian's circle during the sermon. We hear a brief lesson or Bible story and return for communion and a blessing of the children. Children younger than 3 are welcome, but we do ask a parent to come along.
Centering Prayer
Join Candy and Les Neugebauer on Wednesday mornings in the Stokes Chapel at 9:00 am. In Centering Prayer, we have a short reading followed by silence. After a 5 minute break to stretch, we hear the reading again followed by more silence. We conclude with a short benediction prayer. If you have not experienced centering prayer before, we will offer a brief introduction and share sources for you to explore. For questions, contact Les Neugebauer.
Wednesday Evening Benediction
All members of the DaySpring family are invited to join members of the DaySpring choir Wednesday evenings at 9:00 pm for our Evening Benediction, a special blessing for the closing of the day. This shared time will be a gathering for prayer, scripture, confession, and silence, and will also include listening to a choral piece you might recognize as one that the choir has sung in worship. Please join us for a meaningful ending to the day.
Our Adult Spiritual Formation classes meet Sundays, online and in person. These classes provide an opportunity for you to get to know others in the congregation while also attending to your own spiritual growth and relationship with God. For more information on each class, visit the website listed.
All undergrads are invited to join a small group meeting this Sunday at 10am. Usually the group will meet in person when the worship service is in person. Contact Hannah Vassar with any questions.
Weekly Bible Studies
Men's Bible Study
Join Pastor Eric and the men of DaySpring on Tuesdays at 9am for a weekly bible study on the book of Hebrews.
Join DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast on Fridays from 8:00 to 9:00 am. Bring your favorite breakfast beverage to the Zoom call and enjoy an hour of scripture, discussion, and laughter.
This Sunday, April 25, will be our next quarterly meeting, held on Zoom at 5:30 pm. Please join in our quarterly meeting about the life of the church. We’ll also hear from Dr. Emily Smith about Covid in McClennan County and discuss summer and fall “re-opening” plans.
On Thursday, June 3, World Hunger Farm is hosting Night on the Farm, a Farm-to-Table dinner and celebration. Because DaySpring is helping sponsor the evening we have been given four tickets so we’re giving them away! At the Take 2 on Saturday and the Quarterly Meeting on Sunday, we’ll have drawings for two tickets each to the Night on the Farm! Join us and you may get a really, really nice dinner out of it!
If you have new and updated information for the church directory, please email the church office. A new directory will be available next week following this Sunday's Quarterly Meeting.
Graduate Recognition
If you are a college or graduate student graduating in May or you know and love a DaySpring who is, please send your information to us so we can acknowledge and celebrate you. Please send your name, school, and degree to dayspring@ourdayspring.org. We’ll recognize college graduates in our newsletter and worship service the week of May 2.
CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRY
Wednesday Evening Game Night for K - 6th Graders
Next Wednesday, April 28th DaySpring Undergrads are hosting a Game Night for our K - 6th Graders from 6 - 7:15 p.m. We'll have face painting, scavenger hunts, crafts and more! Come join the fun. Since we will be in close contact with one another during the games, please bring a mask for your child. Parents of younger children, come and enjoy fellowship and the playground with your children. Most game night activities will be on the DaySpring hill.
Childcare Staff
We are rebuilding our childcare staff in hopes of reopening the nursery for worship care in the summer. We are looking for reliable and experienced individuals to care for 0-3-year-olds on Sunday mornings and possibly other evenings during the week. If you know someone whom you trust and think might be interested, please have them email Amy, amy@ourdayspring.org.
Children and Family Newsletter
To stay up to date on children’s formation, including Sunday school zooms and content, please sign up for the Children and Family Newsletter here:
Two weeks from now, all parents are invited to the beginning of our weekly youth gatherings to participate in a brief student and parent meeting. We will be taking a look at the state of the youth group as well as talking about our plans for the upcoming summer. After the conclusion of the meeting, we will be having our normal youth activities for the evening.
Camp Eagle Sign Ups
This year, the youth group will be going to Camp Eagle from June 18-22. The cost for students to attend is $300. We have a limited number of spots available, and sign ups have begun. In order to claim a spot for your student, please make a $50 deposit for each student who will be attending. Further payment of $125 per student will be due by April 30, and the final $125 per student will be due on June 11.
As part of registering your student, Camp Eagle allows you to deposit “camp credit” in their account. Camp credit is for spending money at their store and coffee zone, but it does not apply to the $300 payment for your student. Please make all payments for your student directly to DaySpring. You can do so by following the link at the bottom of this announcement.
Camp Eagle goes through the entire Bible every 7 years as part of their curriculum, and this year marks the beginning of a new cycle. The theme this year is “Story,” and we are going to be looking over some of the earliest stories of our faith—Creation, Fall, and the calling of Abraham, just to name a few.
If you have any financial concerns in regard to camp, please email joe@ourdayspring.org and we can work together to find a way to send your student to camp.
The youth group will meet in-person at the church Wednesdays from 6:00-7:15. Students will be required to wear masks for the duration of the time we are in person, and a seating area will be provided so that students are spaced out appropriately when we are all gathered together.
We will be using Wednesday nights as a time to strengthen connection with one another by practicing prayer and scripture-reading together, and I hope your students can make it!
If you have announcements or prayer concerns that you'd like included in the DaySpring News,
please send them (press-ready, if possible) by noon on Wednesday to dayspring@ourdayspring.org
DaySpring Baptist Church
7900 Renewal Way
Waco, Texas 76712
phone: 776-9988 www.ourdayspring.org
