Good Day to you Church,
Well, it looks like winter finally decided to show up. My goodness it’s been cold! And we’re supposed to get a dump of snow to boot! March is definitely going out like a lion.
Here’s the news:
Palm Sunday Potluck Breakfast and Celebration in the Sanctuary this Sunday!
This Sunday is the day for celebration! We are moving back into the sanctuary for our first worship experience in our newly renovated space! Prior to that, at 8:45am, we will gather for a potluck breakfast. Please bring a breakfast item to share– eggs, bagels, fruit, yogurt, etc. (I’ve heard Dick Partch will be bringing French toast and maple syrup.)
After we eat, we will each take a palm branch and a hymnal, and together we will sing as we process into the sanctuary. It’s going to be a special Sunday. I hope you’ll join us!
Recital for Ivette This Wednesday Night
This Wednesday the 27th, at 7:30pm in Snell Hall, our very own Ivette Herryman-Rodriguez will be giving a composition recital. Ivette writes beautiful, stirring music and she will be presenting six of her pieces– some with a professional string quartet from Michigan that she was commissioned to write music for.
Community Supper This Thursday
This month, Community Supper will be taking place at our church, and Renee Stauffer is taking the lead. We will be serving baked ziti to our guests in the community center. If you’d like to help out or have any questions, please contact Renee.
Good Friday Service in the Sanctuary at 7pm
Next week during Holy Week, we will be taking a pause to rest with Jesus on his journey to the cross. Friday, March 29th at 7pm you are invited to join us in the sanctuary for a Tenebrae Service, as we reflect on the shadows and the silence of Good Friday.
Lilies for Easter Sunday
Thankfully, as Christians, our story does not end with Good Friday. As you know, death does not have the final word and we move into Christ’s resurrection at the end of Holy Week.
Quite a few of us have purchased flowers to adorn the sanctuary on Easter Sunday, when we celebrate new life existing in the world. Between that and the choir singing, it’s going to be a special day!
Marti Montovani to preach April 7 / Katrina on vacation
The Sunday following Easter, our friend Marti Montovani will be preaching and leading worship. I will be on vacation that week, and I am grateful to Marti for joining us that Sunday.
Brandon Rodriguez and Second Chance Scholars at worship April 14th
Brandon Rodriguez, the extraordinary young man who left prison in Ogdensburg last year in the middle of his college career, and is now finishing his senior year at SUNY Potsdam, has started a non-profit that hopes to buy the house next door to our church and turn it into housing for other men like him who leave Riverview Correctional Facility in the middle of their studies and want to come to SUNY Potsdam to earn their bachelor’s degrees.
Brandon will be with us during worship on April 14th to tell us about this non-profit, Second Chance Scholars, and why it is important to our church and the Potsdam community. In addition to our regular offering, we will be taking a free will offering that day to go towards supporting Second Chance Scholars.
Festival of Sacred Music and Word in our Sanctuary on Sunday, April 14th at 3pm
Every year, the Potsdam Interfaith Community hosts a concert that celebrates the music and spoken word of our diverse communities in Potsdam. This year, our church will be hosting the festival in our sanctuary at 3pm. Last year it was held at the Methodist Church and over 100 people were in attendance!
New Church Directory
If you didn’t take one last week, we still have church directories to hand out. Look for the bright yellow packet next to the bulletins. It contains church folks’ contact information.
A big thanks to Sue Waters for putting it together!
Giddy with Excitement
Friends, I can’t tell you how excited I am for this Sunday. The newly renovated sanctuary is such an inviting space to be in, and I can’t wait for all of us to experience it together.
I want to remind us, however, that it’s going to be different than what we’re used to. And that’s ok. The chairs are set up differently than they used to be. (And we haven’t yet incorporated the pews back into the mix.) The colors look different. The light looks different. The air smells different. The whole room feels different.
If you experience a moment of shock, or feel unprepared for the changes, be gracious with yourself. Remind yourself that even when something new feels good, it can also feel hard to accept. This is because our bodies like what is familiar. As humans, we are hardwired to seek out what feels normal to us– that which is recognizable. We like what we are accustomed to!
Because change can be wonderful and hard all at the same time, I invite you to hang in there as we give our new space a chance to feel like home. Be gracious with yourself as we welcome in this change. Having multiple feelings all mixed together at the same time is normal.
Looking forward to seeing you,
Pastor Katrina