Worship With Us

Join us for  live stream worship  this Sunday at 9:55am in your pajamas – Facebook Live…it is PAJAMA DAY at PUCC…even if it has been for you these last many weeks… You will see your worship leaders in jammies. It’s one of the ways that we will make it a good Sunday for Emma, our student pastor, as this is her final Sunday with us.

We will share a fresh view of Psalm 116 and another Easter day story—can you believe it’s still Easter!?—The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). This is another amazing piece of the puzzle!

We will share old songs, new songs and familiar tunes with words from today. Check out the worship bulletin now so you can be best prepared for Sunday.

May 3 ^rd Worship will be on YouTube at 9:55am. It is a communion Sunday so please think ahead about having some bread and juice with you.

We continue to try new ways of reaching you. Please let us know if you are having trouble connecting and we will do our best to help .

We will continue to Break the Silence , but this year it looks a little different. Due to our current reality of worshiping and being community on-line, we have decided to postpone our yearly Break the Silence Sunday until we can worship in person again. However, we understand that these conversations about speaking out against sexual assault and domestic violence are essential. We are advocates of space for people to share their stories, acknowledge grief and trauma, and to experience healing through community and the Divine.

We invite you to join Student Pastor Emma and Pastor Kevin via Zoom on Monday, April 27 ^th at 5pm. We will offer prayer, mediation, sacred conversation and reflections. You are welcome to show up in whatever way is necessary for you. All stages of grief are welcome, all stages of healing are welcome, and all stages of support and authentic love are welcome. Look for the details about the Zoom gatherings in a separate email.

If you need to talk to Emma or Kevin individually, please do not hesitate to reach out. [email protected] ; [email protected]

Look for next week’s Zoom Schedule to arrive in your inbox over the weekend – it will include login information for a variety of opportunities including prayers, music, games for kids, and interfaith gathering with our friends from TASOM and Shaare Emeth.

Does your PUCC group want to try to meet with ZOOM? Please let us know and we can help you set it up!

Prayer List Updates

Laura & Phil Waite … big brothers Henry, Oscar and Felix.

Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim family and friends!

All the acts of kindness that are happening near and far!

Dwight Smith - Manor Grove; 711 S Kirkwood Rd; Kirkwood, MO 63122; 314-965-0864.

Cherie Stolze - ongoing health issues; navigating medications/fatigue.

Olivia Landowski - WI firefighter, positive for Covid-19 (Emma’s sis). 

Randal Barnes - receiving hospice care (Steve’s brother).

Family/Friends of Peggy Gundlach - grieving/giving thanks (Svenson).

Bill McMahon - cancer; removal of lung later this month (Svenson).

Janet Regan - near death with the corona virus (McKenzie).

Healthcare workers, homeless and many others at risk right now.

Social Distancing… if anyone needs groceries, medicine and/or other support, please reach out to [email protected] ; 314-330-0629

[If you’d like to be on the Spring Care Team 2020 , please say so.]

People who are struggling with their mental health.

E-Learning for students, educators and parents.

People who aren’t feeling safe at home but are remaining there.

The people of Nova Scotia as they grieve after a mass shooting.

Individuals in all levels of leadership as they make decisions today.



St Louis Assn UCC Covenant Partner

Week ending April 26 - Grace UCC , St Louis; graceuccstl.org 

Week ending May 3 - Glory to Glory Christian Church UCC , St Louis ; glorytogloryucc.org

Inspiration

[This is a continuation of the conversation we had last Sunday about Doubting Thomas or Believing Thomas.]

“In Jesus, God deals with our bastardisations. The incarnation was the Creator's means of giving us a multisensory, no-holds-barred, tangible experience of the divine nature. God condescended to the limits of our means of knowing reality and truth. We struggle to put our flesh into words, but God's word--God's self-expression--became flesh and dwelled with us, for us.

This is nothing short of an act of love, an act of revelation, and act of transferring the fullness of one's self into a vulnerable form so that it can be felt by another. God chooses to step into the range of our grasp, allowing our awareness of the divine to move from abstract imagination to relational discovery.

Such a step certainly doesn't remove the mystery of who or what God is. Questions remain. But it does allow us to enter into that mystery with the whole of our beings. We don't have to stop being human to embrace the mystery of God. By God's invitation, we can poke our doubting and inquiring digits into the opened side of the incomprehensible made manifest. As we do so, we can know what God is like; God is like Jesus, and, to use Pastor Brian Zahnd's oft-quoted summary, God has *always* been like Jesus.”

~Tristan Sherwin,  Living the Dream?: The Problem with Escapist, Exhibitionist, Empire-Building Christianity

Petition for Alex Garcia

Some of you know Alex Garcia and his family here in St Louis. Some of you have met him and/or attended fundraisers for him, purchased gifts for him and his family or have written letters on his behalf. He continues in Sanctuary at Christ UCC, Maplewood.

Alex Garcia has been living in sanctuary for over 900 days. People in power continue to tell this family to wait. They have waited long enough. This family —like all families—belong together!

If you aren't familiar with the Garcias and/or want to refresh your memory, please visit the 'LEARN ABOUT ALEX and/or SIGN THE LETTER' link below.

Alex's Team is asking for help in reaching 1,ooo signatures on a letter to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in the next 3 days!

Please contact Jan Roddy, Christ Church Immigration Justice Team [email protected], 314-703-4203 for a link to the letter or more information.

Letter sent to congregation: https://conta.cc/2wYtitm

First Quarter Contribution Statements

Contribution Statements for the 1st quarter of 2020 were sent this week. Please check your email for this information. If you are not set up for email communications, the statement will be sent to you via USPS. Please consider sending your email address to [email protected] to receive statements through email, and to save the cost of mailing.

Ways to Give

Many of you have asked how you can help others right now – including how you can share some of your ‘stimulus check’. If this is something you have been wondering about, we offer several things for your consideration.

·       The Pastoral Care Fund that we use to help PUCCers when they need some extra support. We anticipate higher needs later this spring and summer.

·       Diapers. One of our church members is a Parent Educator with Parents As Teachers in the Pattonville School District. In the last two weeks she has started doing virtual visits with the families she serves. She has 5 families with 8 kids that were getting a package of diapers at least once a month from the program. No one can get into the school building so they can't get diapers and cannot receive deliveries from the St. Louis Diaper Bank -- maybe not until August?! The agency that has an emergency diaper pick up program is in the city and many of these families don't have transportation or cannot afford the gas because of losing their jobs. They can't get diapers at their food pantry. PUCC is looking for individuals/families who could help purchase 8 packages of diapers and drop them off at our church member’s home (near Westport Plaza by Olive and Craig) anytime between now and Monday morning at 11am  – or offer to help fund this if they aren’t able to do the shopping and dropping. Our parent educator would deliver the diapers to the family’s front doors. Let us know if you can help by visiting this SignUpGenius … https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D4CA4AC23AB9-diapers

·       Circle of Concern or Isaiah 58. Our Give-A-Meal Sunday is always the first Sunday of each month – which is right around the corner. You could drop your donations off at church anytime (front door code 17024) as there is a labeled table just inside the building. We will deliver the donations each Tuesday morning at 9am. Donations of non-perishable food items and/or financial gifts are greatly appreciated at this critical time. Many new individuals/families are finding themselves in need. For more info, please visit – www.circleofconcern.org ;  https://i58ministries.org/

·       The General Fund at PUCC as we continue our ministry and find fresh ways of being faithful in this new day… and into tomorrow.

Express your Love of Creation by participating in the Three Great Loves Tree Planting Campaign!

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