Northwest Word April 2010
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Upcoming Events - Annual Meeting ZOOM - details below
Registration deadline April 15, 2020
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Blessings to you during this unnerving holy week.
When I am feeling set adrift in life I often turn to the poetry of scripture and other wise people for calm and rootedness. The Psalm for Maundy Thursday is 116, verses 5-6 read: “Our God is gracious and true; God is full of compassion. God protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, God saved me.”
When I feel set adrift simplehearted describes my state of being well. What the future holds is beyond my knowing, so I try to let go of the future and embrace the present. The poet Walt Whitman, in his poem Song of Myself, writes these words as encouragement to himself: “There has never been more inception than there is now, Nor any more youth or age than there is now; And will never be any more perfection than there is now, Nor any more heaven of hell than there is now.” Whitman is simplehearted and turning his gaze to the fullness of his present time.
I talked to a young woman whose year has been a difficult one for her young son and herself. During the current crisis she has had to stay home from work with her son, the two have had more time together than they usually do. Though staying home seemed daunting at the beginning, she recently said that the time with her son has become the best part of her year.
“There has never been more inception, youth, age or perfection than there is now…” This holy week we have been granted the gift of simpleheartedness, of letting go of what is beyond our knowing and embracing people and the present time.
May God not protect us so much that we fail to welcome the unexpected or recognize that God saves us together, all people and creation.
Rev. Rob MacDougall ACM
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From HOLLY WHITCOMB a note to Franz
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I have a spiritual direction private practice which I have had for a number of years which includes a number of clergy.
Folks need to connect with spiritual directors, especially at this time. I need to connect with my spiritual director for sure! The stress of getting up to speed technologically, the social isolation, the changed expectations, the financial worries, and perhaps a spiritual emptiness for some— are all bearing down.
I have cancelled all fees for spiritual direction to my clients during these months of coronavirus and have continued to meet with them on Zoom or Skype or telephone or FaceTime. Everyone is searching to make a meaningful contribution and this is my contribution during this liminal time.
Franz, if you or your staff (through word of mouth) hear of clergy who are wanting a spiritual director during these challenging days, please pass on my contact information. There would be no charge to them during this time. I would welcome them into the fold!
Warmly,
Holly
Holly W. Whitcomb
262-784-5593
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2020 Northwest Association
Zoom Annual Meeting
10:30am - 11:30 am Zoom Meeting
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The Northwest Association Annual Meeting scheduled to be held at Plymouth UCC on April 18, 2020, because of CoVid - 19, has been reformatted to take place as a one hour Northwest Association virtual meeting.
In these days of social distancing we are blessed to be able to come together digitally as a Zoom community. We invite our NWA authorized clergy and delegates to the Annual Meeting as we gather as the NW Association in Zoom format. You will be able to join us from wherever you are!
During this year's annual meeting we will cover the essentials as we review old business and finances from 2019 and review/approve our 2021 budget.
We still are asking
all delegates and clergy
to register online as we will need to forward ballots to you for voting of nominations as proposed by the Nominating Committee. An annual report will be sent electronically to each NW church and to all registered delegates and clergy.
Register online, click
here
Registration deadline April 15
.
When registering, please include the
email you will be using for this Zoom meeting.
A paper copy of the registration may be
Access our meeting live online via Zoom from your smart phone, laptop, personal computer, and land line.
We will see you April 18 live on Zoom as we are continually gathered together by the Holy Spirit.
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Resources from the Wisconsin Council of Churches
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Holy Week Resources
As Holy Week approaches, churches are having to rapidly shift traditions, exploring new ways to celebrate the holiest week in the Christian Church. In order to help, the Wisconsin Council of Churches has gathered resources for online and at-home Holy Week observance. Areas covered include:
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Palm Sunday
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Maundy Thursday
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Good Friday
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Holy Week for Children and Families
In light of Gov. Ever's "Safer at Home" order, we recommend not planning any activity that encourages people to leave their homes. This includes "drive-in worship," drive-through sacraments, or having pick up stations for supplies. Any of these are possible occasions for the transmission of disease.
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COVID-19 and Our Christian Witness
Even as many things have shut down, the work of advocacy continues. Many new laws are being passed to respond to our shifting world. Our faith calls us to follow what is happening and speak out, to help build the beloved community, and spotlight the needs of the poor and marginalized during this time. We have compiled a gathering point for Christians to keep up with what is happening in both our state and national legislatures, as well as ecumenical and denominational statements about public policy related to COVID-19. Please spend some time contacting your public officials as a Christian witness.
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Funeral Guidelines
The Wisconsin Council of Churches has just released
A Guide to Christian Funerals in the time of COVID-19
. It includes a model policy for local churches to use in developing their own policies. This and other resources for clergy can be found among our
Coronavirus resources
at
wichurches.org
. The
Pastoral Care page
includes resources for funerals, grief care, substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental health. We recommend that you share this with your local funeral director, as it may be a help to others who have not yet seen it.
From the introduction to the guide
:
For Christians, gathering to mourn the dead, celebrate their life, and proclaim the hope of Resurrection are essential practices of our faith. During the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID19 outbreak, our usual mourning rituals have been interrupted. We think of the women on that first Easter, who went to follow their familiar mourning ritual to anoint Jesus’s body, to find it disrupted. We remember their initial shock and confusion and feel this, too. We’re waiting to feel the hope of Resurrection. In times of trial like the death of a loved one, we turn to the familiar practices from our faith and ancestors. And so, we know that this disruption for a grieving community is doubly hard. We grieve this disruption with you. We also know that every Christian community gathers differently based on culture, custom, and tradition. These guidelines offer some basic principles. We offer our gratitude to colleagues at the Massachusetts Council of Churches for their work, from which the Guide to Christian Funerals was adapted.
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