News for the Church, 10/9/20

Hello Everybody,

Happy Friday to you! This afternoon has clouded over some, but this morning was another glorious fall day! Did you spend any time soaking up the sun? Speaking of autumn weather, I’m curious to know something– how do you celebrate the coming of fall at your house? What are some of your traditions? Do you decorate? Rake leaves together? Go apple picking? I’d love to hear if you have any special rituals to mark this time. When things are tough, I often find that leaning into the comfort of certain traditions helps me to stay grounded, and the turning of the seasons is a great time for honoring ritual.

The News For This Week!

Coffee Hour— As long as the weather stays nice, we will plan to host one more outdoor coffee hour on the lawn this coming Sunday, 10/11. Come at noon with your mask, a jacket, and a lawn chair, and we’ll visit over coffee and cookies! The temperature is only supposed to reach 52, but it should be mostly sunny skies, so we should be ok if we dress appropriately. 

Survey— Quite a few people have filled out the survey about returning for in-person worship, but we’re waiting to hear from a few more folks. If you haven’t already done so, please click on this link and let us know what you’re thinking. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RZX7D3T

Organ News– Have you ever had something break, and you fix it, only to find out there’s more to the problem than what you first anticipated? About a month ago we learned that the controller for the organ wasn’t functioning properly. Thankfully, we were able to have it fixed quickly and the bill was nothing significant. This last week however, when the controller was re-installed, we learned that there’s something wrong with the motor as well. We’re having it looked into, but Ron tells me this motor has seen a lot of use over many decades, and it’s possible that we’re going to need to purchase a new one. At one time we had an organ fund that paid for things like this, but as the world turns, that well has dried up. We don’t yet know exactly what our situation is going to be, but if any of you have money tucked away in a rainy day fund just for the care and upkeep of beautiful organs, we may need to call on you. More on this developing situation soon…

David Bennett to preach on 10/18– This month our presbytery resource leader, David Bennett, has graciously offered to preach and lead worship on the 18th. David played an important role last year in helping our session and the pastor’s nominating committee figure out what the next chapter of the Potsdam Presbyterian Church might look like, and the end result of their work (with a little bit of the Holy Spirit thrown in there, too) was me coming to be your pastor! We haven’t seen David since then, so it will be nice to welcome him back! 

Friends, don’t forget to look up this week as you go about your regular routine. Not only is the beauty of God’s glorious creation in the midst of a grand symphony, but so is the world around us. Our teachers are teaching their hearts out right now, our young people are learning as best they can, medical workers and first responders are busy doing their work to keep us safe and as healthy as possible, our grocery store clerks are working doubly hard to keep the stores wiped down for all of us during the pandemic, and our postal workers keep delivering the mail. Take a moment this week and notice the good work that someone in your life is doing, and offer them the gift of gratitude, will you? This pandemic is rough stuff, so let’s be on the lookout for what goodness we see, and celebrate it.

The Apostle Paul once said to the believers in Phillipi:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse…. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

-Phillipians 4:8 (The Message version)

Sounds about right to me!

Keep looking upward,
Pastor Katrina