THE WOODFORDS BEACON
April 2018
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EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES
6:00 am SonRise Service
SMCC "The Bunker"
*9:00 am Early Service, Sanctuary
*11:00 am Late Service, Sanctuary
*9 & 11 am services are identical and will feature choral, handbell and brass music.
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Woodfords Women’s Retreat 2018: May 4-6
Marie Joseph Spiritual Center, Biddeford Pool
In our harried and over-scheduled lives, we often ignore the need to feed our spirits and our souls. We take care of family, business, meals, exercise, community responsibilities – all important – but we seldom have time (or take the time) to truly nurture our inner spirits. Each year, our Women’s Retreat is an opportunity to embrace and feed our souls.
There will be time to relax, read, reflect, listen, participate, enjoy the silence or just seek an encounter with the Holy as you walk along the shore. Further plans for the weekend are in the works and will be detailed in upcoming Announcements and in the April Beacon. The cost this year will be $225 for two nights and 5 meals. There will be some scholarship help available.
Please plan to join us. The “time away” is an important part of our search for meaning and wholeness in our lives. It’s a great time to seek both solitude and be nurtured in community. And, especially for those who might be new to Woodfords, it’s a GREAT opportunity to get to know your sister sojourners! Feel free to “corner” me and ask me more!!
And if you are ready to say yes to this amazing weekend, please contact Teri to register and arrange payment.
Blessings,
Rev. Carolyn
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COUNCIL NOTES
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Our young people and their parents enjoyed a special night of cultural sharing with the residents of Hope House in Portland on Sunday, 3/18. They ate African food and had some great fellowship! Hope House is
Maine’s only housing program focused on meeting the unique needs of asylum seekers. Our youth are wonderful, and we are so thankful for them and their supportive parents.
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Our pastoral staff continue to plan for Holy Week with special services at Woodfords and at other congregations. It may be an extremely busy time of the year, but it’s also one of the most exciting – when we celebrate the risen Christ!
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Efforts are underway to improve the safety and security of the hundreds of individuals who use the WCC building every week. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
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Although we have no specific date yet for the elevator replacement, work is still expected to begin in late April/early May. A new elevator will be great, but expect a few adjustments to building access and traffic flow while that gets done. Once it starts, we’ll need to make special accommodations for about 4-6 weeks.
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Looking at finances, our pledge revenue ytd is at 74% vs. 68% budgeted (thank you!), while plate donations and rental income (55%, 58%, respectively) are running lower than budgeted. Total expenses ytd are at 60% vs. 68% budgeted, despite our oil bill finally catching up with us. We expect that the two big revenue areas (rents and pledges) will come in fairly close to target, but also anticipate we’ll be below budget on plate offerings and a few other smaller areas of revenue. Even with possible savings on our expense side, we will still have about a $15k shortfall by end of the fiscal year.
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We are very appreciative of those who completed the Service Opportunities form indicating their interest in helping out in some capacity. We are always looking for areas you may want to serve/help, so please let us know your interests and join us. It is a lot of fun and very rewarding to be part of the work of Woodfords! You can talk to any Council member about what you are passionate about.
Just a reminder, you are always welcome to join the Council for its monthly meeting – the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 17, 2018.
Brent Wooten,
Assistant Moderator
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SERRV
What is Serrv?
Serrv is a "nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide.” (
www.serrv.org
) The goods we sell at the Woodfords shop are produced by small-scale collaboratives in areas of the world where safe jobs with fair wages are hard to find. Woodfords makes a small profit on each sale, which helps to fund our missions and charitable giving. So each purchase has triple benefits—to the artist, to the Woodfords community, and to yourself!
You can also browse online at
www.serrv.org
to see the full range of products for sale. If you see something you like, bring the order number and item description to Jean and Sarah when the store is open and they can include the item in their next shipment.
Serrv Shop Schedule
Jean and Sarah Wriggins have scheduled the following dates to open the Serrv Shop after Sunday church services:
April 8 and 22
May 6
June 10
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Submitting an article for the May Beacon?
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GRANT FUND - APRIL OFFERINGS
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April 6
9 am Special Grant Fund Team FINANCE Meeting
10 am Grant Fund Team Business Meeting
11 am - 1 pm Take the Financial Worry Out of Retirement
Bring a bag lunch and join us for this lunch and learn led by Robin Carter, church moderator and the owner of
Money $ense: Financial Education and Counseling.
Don't let your anxiety keep you in the dark. Come and learn strategies for living into your financial reality! Please RSVP to Tamara for this event.
April 29
Elder Sunday/90th Birthday Party Luncheon
Join friends and community in celebrating some of the wisest and longest-lived members of the Woodfords Family. The Grant Fund will lead the morning service. A catered luncheon and party will follow worship. People of ALL ages are enthusiastically invited!
To RSVP for all Grant Fund events:
(207)774-8243 x 107
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Matter of Balance: Weds. March 21 - April 25 from 1-3 pm, Lounge
A Matter of Balance is a nationally recognized program designed to reduce the fear of falling and encourage physical activity. The workshop is conducted over eight sessions, meeting weekly for two hours per session. Meetings are led by trained leaders.
**Preregistration is required**
Please call Southern Maine Agency on Aging: 207-396-6578 or 1-800-427-7411 as soon as possible, to sign up.
Gentle Yoga
This therapeutic class will help keep your body limber and spirit buoyant! Join Stephanie Abrams on
Thursdays from 10:15-11:15 in the Lounge. Jean Koster can take payment.
Book Group
Led by Suzanne D'Bourget, this group meets the
first Wednesday of every month at 12:15 pm in the Parlor. The book chosen for the April meeting is:
The Stars are Fire by
Anita Shreve.
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Sunday School
Throughout the month of March we journeyed with Jesus through his ministry and toward his death. Together we tried to understand the mysterious tales our faith offers about this unusual teacher, including the stories of Jesus:
- Calming a raucous storm
- Washing the feet of his followers like a servant
- Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey
- Asking his friends to carry on his memory each time they shared bread and wine
- And dying for his earnest belief that God's LOVE was for all
In Jesus' day, many people believed that his death would be the end of his story. And yet, the story continued and continues. Which makes you wonder: What unfolded in the days, weeks, months and years after Jesus' death that resulted in this faith we practice thousands of years later? Well, this year have the gift of an early Easter, which means we still have time to dive into the next chapter of this story. So even though spring is springing, don't let Easter be your last Sunday at church. There is more to discover. Keep coming back!
April 8th- Communion Sunday (Kids start downstairs in the Sunday School)
What is Easter all about? Exploring the mystery, metaphor and meaning of the resurrection
April 15th-
Reunited and it Feels So Good: The disciples discover that Jesus is with them still
April 22nd-
Blinded by the Light: The story of Paul's conversion
April 29th-
Elder Sunday and the 90th Birthday Party
Everyone is invited to this inter-generational celebration of some of the wisest and longest lived members of our church family. Kid's will help prepare for the celebration during Sunday School. A party and luncheon follow worship.
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YOUTH GROUP ACTIVITIES FOR APRIL
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Sunday, 4/15 , Gathering with Games and More (
at HopeGateWay)
1:30-2 pm Planning with Youth and Leaders
2-4 pm Gathering with Games and More
*Please bring a snack to share.*
Sunday, 4/29, Back Cove Clean Up in Honor of Earth Day
2-4 pm We will spend our gathering time cleaning up trash around Back Cove. Bring work gloves if you have them!
Photo below from the March Youth Group visit to the Hope House...
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HAPPY APRIL BIRTHDAY TO...
Thomas Vire 04/01
Peter Frey 04/02
Susan Doughty 04/03
Patricia Maxim 04/06
Joanne Friedrick 04/07
Allan Whitmore 04/10
Cheryl Honer-Hickey 04/12
Rebecca Wallace 04/13
Allen Wilbur 04/13
Mitchell Brewer 04/15
Sarah Thomson 04/15
Anna Troxell 04/15
Martha Dudley 04/15
Marcia McAfee 04/15
Melanie Graser 04/17
Jackson Frey 04/18
Cora Melcher 04/19
Jessica Doughty 04/19
Jennifer Wriggins 04/22
Sally Chaplin 04/24
Rita Zanichkowsky 04/25
Colin Graser 04/25
Ethan Koster 04/25
Fran Seeley 04/26
David Johnson 04/26
Linda Libbey 04/27
Caroline Belanger 04/29
Jim Dand 04/29
HAPPY APRIL ANNIVERSARY TO...
Paul & Carol Gillis 04/29 40 years
Brent & Susan Wooten 04/30 21 years
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EASTER EGG HUNT
April 1, 10 am
I’m going to hide lots of eggs around the church now that the snow has melted. Children — please come on Easter Sunday ready to help me find them!
There will be a fantastic Easter Egg Hunt at 10:00 am on Easter Day, April 1. After worship has ended, children should meet Pam Barrows in the Lounge and the hunt will begin!
Parents: Please come help fill and hide the eggs! We will fill the eggs on Saturday morning, March 31 at 10 am in the Woodfords Room. We’ll hide them during the first service (9:00am) on Easter morning, April 1. Please contact Pam Barrows at 892-4391 or pbarrows702@gmail.com if you can help!
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CONFIRMATION 2018-2019
Yes!! It’s coming…
This year, once again, young people in grades 7 and above will have the opportunity to be “pilgrims,” on a Confirmation journey. Our last journey – with the young people from HopeGateWay Methodist Church - was
exceptional
, and this year, not only will we have the opportunity to engage with young people from HopeGateWay, we’ll also be journeying with young people from Trinity Episcopal Church. I am SO excited and I hope you will be as well!
In May, we’ll be inviting young people and parents to join with Reverend Allen Ewing-Merrill, Reverend Larry Weeks and me to hear about our upcoming Confirmation journey. I hope you’ll plan to join us for our informational gathering and for the new Confirmation journey. For now, be thinking about this new journey and the questions you might have for us when we get together in the spring!
Almost-Spring blessings to all of you!
Rev. Carolyn
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WORSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT
The Worship Committee notes the arrival and installation of a number of chairs for use by the Senior Choir to replace several pews in the Chancel. The recent participation of the Portland String Quintet and an enlarged choir in the past Sunday service exhibited the improved use of space and possibilities for reconfiguring of seating for different forms of church services. In a similar notice relating to music concerns, the Committee wishes to make known to the congregation of the continuing opportunity for members to join the Senior Choir and for Sunday School children to find a welcome place in the youth choir. Further opportunities for service in Sunday worship continue to be available to both adults and past youth confirmands for positions as greeters and presenters of stewardship moments. Such increasing participation in worship services brings both personal benefits to volunteers as well as assistance to the Woodfords community.
Allan Whitmore
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SAVE THE DATE --- PILGRIM LODGE 2018 - SEPTEMBER 7-9
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WOODFORDS CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday - Friday, 9 am - 3 pm
207.774.8243
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