Wednesday Tidings

Greetings Church,

    Anybody else feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the world:  unending uncertainty, free-floating anxiety, racial injustice, COVID-19, and the desire to do something, anything about any of it.  Do we stay home to protect one another?  Do we come out to cry out for justice?  Do we try to create the old normal?  Or do we turn a different direction, as the poet Wendell Berry says, in his poem, “The Peace of Wild Things”

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

This Sunday, we begin another Marcia McFee worship series, Beguiled by Beauty, based on a book by contemporary theologian Wendy Farley, PhD.  Dr. Farley writes,   “The difficulty and crisis of the world is overwhelming. It is virtually impossible to bear it without very deep resources. A life of prayer does not take us out of life  but  deeper  into  it.”  We’ll spend sometime over the next six weeks noticing the beauty of God’s creation and love.  We won’t stop at simply noticing.  We’ll also listen for how our faith calls us to respond to that beauty in one another and in creation with compassion and justice.

Peace,Heather
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ] As United Methodists we promise to support the church, the body of Christ, with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.  Here are some ways you might live into those promises, this week:[/dropshadowbox] 

Prayers: 

Please pray for:

-All who work and cry out for racial justice.

-Doris Crocker and her husband Dave

-Students and teachers in the last month of this unusual school year

-Patty Kilmain, who is seeking new housing, that she might find the right place, and quickly

-All who are missing team sports: players, coaches, and enthusiastic fans!

Please submit prayer requests to Pastor Heather, pastorheather@umcchurches.org and 774.994.3645.

Presence (even if we cannot be physically together, we can connect)

Do you need someone to talk to, or someone to pray with/for you? Pastoral Care doesn’t have to be in case of emergency or crisis. Rather it’s simply an opportunity to share what’s going on in your life (good, bad, or uncertain) and pray together.  It can be as informal as a text, “please pray for…” or a phone call.  Please don’t assume I’m too busy.  Hearing your stories and praying with you is absolutely my job, and it’s an honor to do it.  I’m available by phone and text (774.994.3645), email (pastorheather@umcchurches.org) and zoom.  –Pastor Heather

3pm – Wednesday Afternoon Check-in: Notice the good and share prayer concerns too.

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7pm -Wednesday Evening Vespers

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One tap mobile
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Or Call:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 811 5964 8170
Password: 720546

Gifts

Please no gifts of thrift, yard sale, or rummage items.  At this time we cannot accept them and do not have the volunteers on our campus to sort and store them appropriately.  We will advertise very publicly when we are ready for these items. Thank you for your generosity and patience.

Please continue to submit pledges via our online giving portal, and through the mail.  Your generosity is supporting meaningful mission and ministry in our community!

Service and Witness

#Black Lives Matter:  Stay tuned for a Cape Cod event for Racial Justice.

Phone a Friend:  Who do you know that needs good news?  Who do you know that’s feeling isolated and alone?  Who haven’t you heard from since before March 2020.  Reach out.  Pick up the phone and help them connect to our community of faith.  Invite them to our one of our Zoom gatherings.  Invite them to a worship watch party.    Share a link to our worship or devotionals on your facebook page.