August 21, 2021
Beautiful Beloveds,
This Sunday, we’re having a baptism. We will joyfully welcome William Crawford into the family of God during our 8:30 worship. The question is, why? As our “Word to the Whys” series continues, we ask ourselves, “Why do we baptize?” It’s not about pleasing parents or beautiful photos for the scrap book.
Baptism is a sacrament, a moment to publicly profess that William is a beautiful beloved child of God. It’s about “initiating and incorporating” William into the body of Christ and a life-time of discipleship. It’s reminder of our own baptism, and our covenant with William, and one another. It’s about bearing witness the life-changing grace and love of God. It’s one more way we remain, Together in Christ…Committed to Serve.
Peace,
Heather
Mark Your Calendars
Sunday, August 22:
We’re watching the weather, please watch your email for updates on Sunday morning.
7:00 am: An email will let you know if we’ll be worshiping inside or out.
8:30 am: “Gather on the Green” In-person worship around the flagpole.
Bring your own chair, use a church chair or remain in your car.
—Please register here.
9:15 am: Refreshment and Re-connection (Fair weather only)
10:30 am: Worship in our sanctuary.—Please register here.
10:30 am: Livestream available on our YouTube channel
7:00 pm: Youth Group at the church or via zoom if weather is bad
Monday, August 23:
9:00 am: Lend-a-Hand
7:00 pm: Men’s Study Group (via Zoom)
Tuesday, August 24:
9:00 am: Yoga
12:00 pm: Deadline for “A Word on Wednesday,” AND Saturday Tidings
Wednesday, August 25:
Thursday, August 26:
9:00 am: Yoga
10:30am – 3:00 pm: Rainbow’s End Open (Donations accepted 11 am-2pm)
6:30 pm: COVID-19 Task Force meeting via Zoom
Friday, August 27:
10:00 am: Al-anon Meeting
Saturday, August 28:
10:00 am: Yoga
Sunday, August 29:
8:30 am: “Gather on the Green” Worship Please register here
9:15-10:15 am: Refreshment and Re-connection
10:30 am: Worship in our sanctuary register here
10:30 am: Livestream available on our YouTube channel
7:00 pm: Youth Group at the church
If you prefer not to register on-line, please contact the church office 508.428.2811 or office@umcchurches.org to let us know you’re coming. “This is Susanna Wesley, I’ll be attending worship every Sunday in June with all 17 of my children. We’ll bring our own chairs, and warmed hearts.”
Together in Christ—We worship, learn and grow
Worship with Us In-Person and Online: For the health and safety of us all, please follow our safety guidelines, listed at the end of this email. This may be subject to change as our leadership team reviews this every week
Are you Looking for Ways to Support our Sunday Worship?
Volunteer as a Sanctuary Shepherd: offer warm hospitality and help people enter and exit our building safely. All Sanctuary Shepherds will be trained in our new welcoming protocols. To find out more, please reach out to Wendy Lithwin or Pastor Heather.
Sign up as a Flower Stewards. If you’re willing to arrange flowers one week, or donate towards the cost of an arrangement, please reach out to MaryAnne Farley (774) 487-0719.
Read Scripture, 8:30 or 10:30: You can indicate you like to do this on the registration form, or reach out to Pastor Heather directly, pastorheather@umcchurches.org or call/text Pastor Heather (774 994-3645).
Learn and Grow with Us: If you’d like to study scripture with others, please fill out this form. Let us know what kind of study you’re interested in, and what times work for you.
Need Prayer?
Youth Group—Summer 2021
We gather at 7pm, weather permitting at the church and via Zoom when it’s raining. We welcome all youth entering 6-12th grades in the fall. Please fill out this one-time registration for July 2021-June 2022. Please fill out separate registrations for each youth.
Together in Christ—Our United Methodist Connection
Our church is one of 84 United Methodist Churches in the Seacoast District, which includes Western Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod. The Seacoast District is led by our District Superintendent, David Calhoun. Our District is one of seven districts (574 churches), spread over 6 states making up the New England Conference. Our Conference is led by our Bishop, Sudarshana Devadhar.
United Methodist Women
Betty Shippee, President New England Conference UMW shared this, “Yvette Moore, from our National Office, writes, “ We see and celebrate the everyday women who have pushed for justice.” They have rallied to end gender violence, to stand for climate change, to fight for a living wage, to defend Native lands and water, to free children from cages and unite families, and to say with the courage of soul-grounded conviction, that the lives of Black and Brown men, women, and children matter —-without exception.
Betty says, “I couldn’t have said it better: Together we CAN make a difference!”
Seacoast District – Bishop’s Day, Thursday, September 30, 2021 at Wesley United Methodist Church 55 Woodland St., Lincoln, RI 02865. This will be a hybrid meeting of both in-person and Zoom.
Schedule
6:00PM – 6:30PM
Gathering
6:30PM – 7:00PM –
Worship Service
7:00PM – 8:30PM
Meet with Clergy and Laity
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar’s recommended reading for 2021-2022 is Brian D. McLaren’s, “Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to do About It”. The bishop has invited Dr. McLaren to lead a series of four weekly discussions of his book Mondays at 8-9 pm Sept. 13 to Oct. 4, 2021. Clergy and laity are encouraged to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and to read a book the bishop called “important and insightful.” Registration is open; the deadline to register is Sept. 9.
Learn more and register
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United Methodists are helping survivors of the Dixie Fire, the largest fire in California history. California-Nevada Conference churches in Quincy, Portola, Greenville, and Susanville are assisting evacuees. More than $10,000 worth of gift cards, emergency hygiene kits, wildfire buckets, cleaning supplies and local church assistance have been distributed. Steve Elliott reports.
Read the story
To make a donation to Cal-Nevada
Donate to UMCOR’s North American disaster relief, Advance # 901670
Open Spirit Task Force
The Open Spirit Task Force continues to delve into who we are as New England United Methodists are and who we are called to be. During the summer months, the Task Force will be hosting weekly presentations about their work and open conversation about the future of our denomination and as an annual conference. Please join a conference-wide presentation via Zoom held on Tuesday’s beginning at 6:30 pm June 15 through Aug. 31, 2021. The sessions are an updated version of the District Presentations that were canceled due to the pandemic. Please click the link to register; plan to attend one session, choosing the time most convenient for you: Register for a Zoom OSTF gathering.
Find more information on the Open Spirit Task Force
Find the event on the Conference calendar
Committed to Serve—We are making a difference
It’s coming! Bandana Sunday! Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting opportunity to bless others!
Local People Who are Currently Challenged by the Economic Times on the Cape need and appreciate our support! For the month of August we are helping parents and children prepare for the school season. August at UMCO is the month for collecting and donating School Supplies.
We are collecting: Boxes of Crayons (24/Pkg.), Colored Pencils, Washable Felt Markers, No. 2 Pencils, Pencil Sharpeners, Pink Erasers, Glue Sticks, Blunt-tipped Scissors, Backpacks, Lunchbox or Lunchbag, Blue or Black Ballpoint Pens, Rulers, Wide-ruled Spiral Bound Notebooks, Pencil Pouches or Cases, Highlighters, Index Cards, Bottle of School Glue, Post-Its, and Primary Composition Notebooks. Please keep an eye out for those BOGO specials!
Food for Thought: Our Justice Team offers resources for further conversation on Anti-Racism and more
Anti-racism study for churches from the Lakelands Institute
A new study for churches, small groups, Sunday school classes, and committees from the Lakelands Institute. In seeking to build an antiracist church, words are important, and what we mean matters even more. Join Rev. Neal Christie for a fascinating exploration of words and concepts that define and shape our work together. Hold conversations around words like: Bias, Inclusion, Race, Anti-Oppression, Polarization … along with many other words we use to better follow Jesus’s commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Green Tip: Hope and Action
We are a people of hope, hoping for the day when God’s dream for humanity and creation will be realized. We are also a people of action. Click here, to join Creation Justice for a Day of Action on August 27 to call on our political leaders to protect God’s Creation and our communities.
Volunteers Needed:
Help is needed with the gleaning on Fridays at the Marstons Mills Stop & Shop (3900 Falmouth Road) between 10 a.m. and 12 noon on Fridays. After the food is picked up it needs to be delivered to Faith Family Kitchen, which is located in the Faith Assembly of God Church at 154 Bearses Way, Hyannis. Regular volunteers are needed as well as folks willing to substitute. Please call Allen Morell, 703-725-2772, for more information and/or to sign up.
Committed to Serve—Funding Mission and Ministry at the UMC
Dear Church Family,
A huge thank you for your support, help and contributions that made our yard sale such a success. We made $2,500 ! That is double any yard sale in the past had made.
For me, it was amazing how many of you helped in some way. I was deeply touched by our church family’s support.
We hope to have another sale this Fall. Donations will be accepted at the Annex, just call me for a drop off time.
Again, thank you for all you did !
Fondly
JoAnn Shrum (508)776-7614
Rainbow’s End, our church thrift boutique, is open Thursdays, 10:30-3pm. We are accepting donations Thursdays between 11 am and 2 pm.
In September we plan to open on Wednesdays as well. You can help. You can volunteer once a week, once a month, or once a quarter. You can help our shop thrive. Talk us up! Tell your friends, neighbors, and share our Facebook updates. Donate items for us to sell. Or consider consigning with us.
To volunteer, donate items, or find out other ways to support our store, please call shop manager, Pamela Turner, at 508-548-2245.
Look through your cell phone photos. I bet you may have many shots of nature and our beautiful Cape landscapes that would be perfect for our Calendar. We can only make this happen with help from all of you.
Your kids or grandchildren may also have created some artwork that might be appropriate. Think about taking some new photographs, doing some new artwork and asking the kids to do the same. Please call or email me if you have submissions. I am so looking forward to hearing from you.
-Jane Gray, office@umcchurches.org, 508-428-2811.
Give online. Visit our online giving portal, to set up your pledge, make a one time gift for a special project, support the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, make memorial contributions, and more. You can use your credit card, bank card, or set up an electronic funds transfer.
We’re here to help. Give Jane Gray, financial secretary, a call 508.428.2811 if you need help navigating the online giving portal.
Worship with Us
In-person or online
8:30 am Gather On the Green (Outdoor Worship):
9:15-10:15 am Refresh and Re-connection Time (Outdoors):
10:30 am In Our Sanctuary
**Our COVID-19 Leadership Task Force is watching the rates of COVID-19 on Cape Cod. We will gather in our sanctuary on Sunday, and will decide week by week if we will continue to do so. If a change is needed we will communicate quickly, clearly, and in a variety of media.