News for the Church, 6/3/22

Good Day to you Church, 

It’s a cooler, overcast day today and the black flies are out. Blek. They are persistent little buggers, aren’t they? But the lightning bugs are also out! Have you seen them yet? They make the night so enchanting. 

Here’s the news for the week: 

Pentecost This Sunday!

Sunday, June 6th we will be celebrating Pentecost– the day the Holy Spirit came to town. If you think of it, wear something red in honor of the day!

We will be handing out pamphlets in honor of the day for the PC(USA)’s nation-wide One Great Hour of Sharing. This special offering goes to help people effected by disasters, poverty, and civil unrest. You can take these pamphlets home and pray about what you may want to share to help people in need across our country. We will collect the offering at the end of June. 

We will also be celebrating communion together this Sunday. 

News from Session

Session met this last week and took a look at Covid in our county. Since we’re still at medium contagion levels, we are extending the church’s mask policy for another month. (We are evaluating on a monthly basis.) My hope is that by next month, numbers will have finally dropped so that we can make masks optional. Let’s keep our fingers crossed! 

March for Our Lives

If you are looking for a way to express your grief over the latest mass shootings and/or looking for a way to express your opinion about the lack of gun regulation in America, Sabrina Petrie is helping to organize a local rally in Potsdam on June 11 from 11 am-2:30 pm in Ives Park. This event will be local representation of a national movement of rallies happening all across American on the same day. 

Invasive Species Awareness Week

Invasive species are a real problem in the North Country and we have an opportunity to learn about how to manage them. Saturday, June 11 at 7:00 pm we will be showing a documentary at church called Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species.

And the next morning, during and after the service, two representatives from the Nature Conservancy will be joining us. They will talk a little bit about earth care during the worship service and then offer a guided tour of the church grounds afterwards to point out the invasive species we have on our property and discuss management practices. This will be a great opportunity for us to learn about how better to care for God’s creation. 

Rummage Sale Coming

I hope you’re rummaging around in your closets and attics for well-cared for items you no longer need. Beginning June 12th we will open up the Center for you to drop your items off. Later that week we will need volunteers to come and help set up, and then staff the actual sale, which will be held on Saturday, June 18th. If you have any questions, get in touch with Beth Grace. 

Happy Pride Month!

To celebrate Pride month, and to continue communicating to the LGBTQ community that God loves them in spite of the hate and fear directed towards them by people in our world, we have hung banners on the railing in front of the sanctuary along Elm St. Check them out! 

Need Odd Jobs Done?

Lydia Stauffer is home from college and looking for odd jobs for the summer. She’s available to do house cleaning, yard work, sewing, mending, and alterations. If this is something you need you can give her a call or a text at (315) 742-7740. 

Taking in the Wonder of Creation

Friends, it’s easy to get caught up in the myriad of activities we have going on on a regular basis and forget to see the forest for the trees. Let us remember that today is the day that the Lord has made. So let us rejoice! And be glad in it! I hope you will take a moment today to set down your business, step outside, and take in the beauty of God’s amazing wonder. Take a minute to watch an ant or fire fly going about its own daily routine, stop to take in the sight of the blooming iris, listen for the call of the birds, smell the sweetness of cut grass, feel the spring breeze on your skin, and soak up the sunshine. Today is the day to be amazed by God’s creation! 

Reveling in the Wonder,
Pastor Katrina