News for the Church 4/15/22

Good Day to you, Church,

Although sunny, today is a blustery spring day. It feels fitting, perhaps, that creation is offering the chaos and disruption of wind on this Good Friday– a day that turned the world upside down. I think I will sit outside for a bit and feel the topsy-turvy effect of the churning air pressures. Change is afoot, as they say. 

Here’s the news for the week: 

Easter Resurrection, this Sunday, 10 am

Then, you are again invited to join us this Sunday, as we celebrate Jesus’ victory over the cross. 

Rev. Shaun Whitehead to preach April 24th

Join us Sunday, April 24th, as Rev. Shaun brings us a word from the Word. 

Coffee Hour is Coming!

If you’ve been wondering when we’re ever going to drink coffee together again, the answer is…. soon! Starting April 24th, we will resume this age-old tradition after Sunday worship. 

I realize that some of us are more than ready for this, while others are thinking to themselves, “Why in the world would we take up coffee hour when the next wave of Omicron is about to hit!” 

As you know, we are still choosing to wear masks in our worship service in order to honor those with compromised immune systems. This gift of love makes it possible for some of us to join in person– those who otherwise would have to stay home. 

Now, while making this sacrifice for the good of the whole community, Session has simultaneously decided that it’s also important to honor those who are ready to gather together without masks, by resuming coffee hour once again. 

I recognize that not everyone is going to want to partake of coffee hour, sans masks. And that’s ok. There’s still the option to visit in the sanctuary after the service is over. But for those who desire it, coffee hour will also be available. 

It’s no easy task to strike a balance between people’s varying desires and needs to wear masks, and also, to take them off. Session is trying its best to hold the balance, and we appreciate your grace and understanding in the process of holding our whole community together as best we can. 

Men’s and Women’s Lunches

For those who are open to it, lunch dates are being set once again to gather together at Jake’s on the Water! The men will be gathering on Wednesday, April 27th at 11:30am and the women will gather at the same time on Thursday, April 28th. If you’d like to attend, please let the Pickards know so that they can make the appropriate sized reservation. 

*An important note: For those who are non-binary in their gender, you are welcome to choose the lunch crew you feel most comfortable with. 

The World in Chaos

Dear Hearts, if you’ve been listening to the news, you know that the next wave of Covid is on our doorstep, the war in Ukraine continues, and inflation is jacking up the cost of everything. And my heart is heavy. Is yours? I am so tired of Covid, I don’t even know what to do with myself some days. And my soul aches and my worries fret over what is happening half-way around the world. And if that’s not enough, my stomach also sinks every time I go to the gas station to pump gas. 

This Easter I don’t feel much like celebrating. I’m tired, and grieved, and plumb worn out. 

And also. And also, this year, especially, I need Easter. This year, especially, we need Easter. We need to be shocked out of our dredgery with the mystery and the power of God’s love– which somehow, someway, cuts straight through the walls of our darkness, and cracks open our world to let the light stream in. 

Friends, if you are struggling like I am right now, I invite you to turn your ear in the direction of the resurrection. 

Listen. Can you hear the seed growing? 

Waiting in the dark for the Light of the World,
Pastor Katrina