September 5, 2021
Beautiful Beloveds,
What a week! The first day of school, followed by a night of tornado warnings and flash floods. As I talked to many of you on Thursday, over and over again, I heard the refrain, “I’m so tired. I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
Sometimes, we wear our exhaustion as a badge of honor, a sign to others we’re working hard, harder, hardest. And yet, Labor Day, and hopefully every Sunday, reminds us to rest. As our worship series, “Word to Whys” continues we turn our attention to the question of work and rest. “Why do we rest?” Why do we practice Sabbath keeping? More than a weekly habit of going to church, Sabbath keeping invites us to slow down and see ourselves, as we are, Beloved. It also invites the question, “Why do we work?” We don’t have to labor to earn God’s love. We have value because of who and whose we are, not what we do or have done, how much we earn, or the titles and stuff we accumulate.
Peace,
Heather
Mark Your Calendars
Sunday, September 5:
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
Youth Group resumes, Sunday, September 12.
Monday, September 6 Labor Day:
7:00 pm: Men’s Study Group (via Zoom)
Tuesday, September 7:
9:00 am: Lend-a-Hand
9:00 am: Yoga
10:30am Miracle Kitchen
12:00 pm: Deadline for “A Word on Wednesday,” AND Saturday Tidings
4:00 pm: Congregational Care Team
(Fair Weather—outside at the church, Foul Weather—via Zoom)
Wednesday, September 8:
Thursday, September 9:
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, September 10:
10:00 am: Al-anon Meeting
Saturday, September11:
10:00 am: Yoga
Sunday, September 12:
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 (Fair Weather at the Church, Foul Weather Via Zoom)
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 Outside, Inside, 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. If you are feeling unwell, tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, please stay home and join us online.
What’s a livestream? Our livestream worship is a way for you to tune in to worship as it’s happening in the sanctuary without being in the church. You can tune in from any other location where you can access YouTube, including our church parking lot. You can worship with us from home, the hockey rink, the beach, or your favorite vacation spot. If you’re a few minutes late, you can go back and catch the beginning. And, after 11am, each Sunday, every worship video and themed music playlist is available at your convenience. So if a hymn spoke to your heart, a prayer touched a need, or a sermon provoked you, you can go back to them as often as you want or need.
Are you Looking for Ways to Get Engaged in 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.
Please submit prayer requests here or call Pastor Heather, (774) 994-3645 or MaryAnne Farley (774) 487-0719.
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.
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
Registration is now open for ‘Faith After Doubt’ book discussion
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
Committed to Serve—We are making a difference
It’s not banana sundae…. It’s Bandanna Sunday! September 19 We are collecting bandannas for blind school students in Sierra Leone. We encourage you to wear a bandanna and bring one to share. Get creative and have some fun. Wear it in your hair, around your neck, as a mask, and more! Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting opportunity to bless others!
Local People Currently Challenged by the Economic Times on the Cape Need and Appreciate Our Support!Church Family, thank you so much for the School Supplies you donated in August! More school supplies are still needed. This month we are also collecting Pasta, Pasta Sauce (Please no glass containers), and Canned vegetables. 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
Do you enjoy podcasts? Check out “Expanding the Table,” a General Commission on Race and Religion (GCORR)* Podcast on Race and Religion. “ Series guests will focus on how individual Christians and church-based entities can and should engage the work of racial justice-making and anti-racism.
Episode 1: Racism, Police Reform, and Faith
Episode 2: Theologians Explore the Roots of Anti-Asian Racism and What the Church Should Know
Episode 3: Mapping Prejudice: Racist Land Covenants and How One Church Responded
*In 1968, General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) was formed to hold the newly formed United Methodist Church accountable in its commitment to reject the sin of racism in every aspect of the life of the church.
GCORR will not rest in its work of challenging and equipping the church to complete its unfinished agenda of dismantling racial discrimination. We continue to do this by championing diversity, equity and inclusion; developing interculturally competent leaders; and catalyzing authentic community.
While racism remains our primary focus, our perspective and partnerships reflect a broader context, which includes poverty, nationalism, tribal conflicts, gender discrimination, homophobia, disability and generational bias—because we know all forms of oppression are connected, and they cannot be dismantled in isolation.
Green Tip: Can and plan for fruitless months
As summer draws to a close, preserve your produce for the coming fall and winter. Canning your own jams and jellies ensures you know exactly what’s in the jar, including no additives or BPA’s. Canning your own fruit and vegetables cuts down on your carbon foot print too. No delivery necessary when it comes from your own garden or local community. And, it tastes better too! Your January self will thank you.
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
After such a Great Yard Sale we are planning another for the Fall. Donations will be accepted at the Annex after setting up a drop off time with JoAnn Shrum. Please sign up here to donate stuff or volunteer to help.
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.
Artwork and Photographs Needed: Still hoping to get submissions for a new calendar. I need pictures to make ithappen. Please call or email me — 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
Outside, inside, or online
If you are feeling unwell, tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, please stay home.
We can now take registration for September
8:30 am Gather On the Green (Outdoor Worship):
- Please register here for September, leave a message at the church 508.428.2811 or text Pastor Heather, 774.994.3645. You
- If you register, you will receive an order of worship for the day, including links to scripture, hymn lyrics,our online-giving portal and a music playlist to compliment the day’s themes. Registering also helps us with contact tracing if that becomes necessary.
- Please stay home if you are feeling unwell, tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
- Masks are optional.Please honor the choices that others have made to mask or not.
- Please continue to practice risk-reducing distancing, staying about 6 feet apart.
- We will have one or two singers, but not congregational singing at this time.
- If, after worshiping with us,you test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed, it is important to the health of our congregation that you let us know so we can notify others who may have been exposed.This will be treated carefully and confidentially, so that we can care for another. Please call Pastor Heather directly, 774.994.3645.
- In case of rain, we will move our worship into the sanctuary, and follow the guidelines below.
9:15-10:15 am Refresh and Re-connection Time (Outdoors):
- Stick around after our outdoor worship, or come early before our indoor gathering.
- Masks are optional.Please honor the choices that others have made to mask or not.
- Please continue to practice risk-reducing distancing, staying about 6 feet apart.
10:30 am In Our Sanctuary
- Please register here of leave a message at the church 508.428.2811 or text Pastor Heather, 774.994.3645.
- If you register, you will receive an order of worship for the day, including links to scripture, hymn lyrics,our online-giving portal and a music playlist to compliment the day’s themes. Registering also helps us with contact tracing if that becomes necessary.
- Please stay home if you are feeling unwell, tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
- Please wear a mask.If you forget, we’ll have plenty available to share.
- Sanctuary Shepherds will be there to greet and guide you, as you enter and exit our building
- Please enter through the main sanctuary doors, where you will be “checked-in,” and invited to use hand sanitizer.Communion Elements, in pre-packaged containers will be available. You can also grab a mask if you need one, and pick up a Bible if you choose. At this time we will not be using hymnals or paper bulletins.
- After you are “checked in” you will be led to a seat by a sanctuary shepherd.We will be seating individuals and families six feet apart from one another from the front of the sanctuary to the back.
- We will have one or two singers, but not congregational singing at this time.
- Please exit through our solarium as directed by our shepherds.
- An offering plate will be available as you enter, as we will not be “passing the plate.”Don’t worry if you forget, or are moved to give more, there will be another place to give on your way out.
- At this time, we will not be using our air conditioners, only fans, as we work to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19.
- We will be livestreaming our sanctuary worship, so you catch it on YouTube, or if we need more seating at the church, in Fred Curtis Hall.
- If, after worshiping with us, you test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed, it is important to the health of our congregation that you let us know so we can notify others who may have been exposed.This will be treated carefully and confidentially, so that we can care for another. Please call Pastor Heather directly, 774.994.3645.
**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.