UMCOR has made a request for ‘flood buckets’ for stockpile and future distribution in times of natural disaster or flood. The Mission and Outreach committee is organizing an event after coffee hour on Sunday November 21 to assemble 12 of these buckets to pass along to the UMCOR holding and distribution area. We are requesting donations of the specific needed items or money to purchase needed items for 12 of these buckets, we will collect these items after church on October 31^st and November 7^th. For more information on the specifics of the bucket contents, see this link and youtube video. More information to come this Sunday during the Mission Moment and in an email next week. Thanks in advance for your support and keep your eye out because this is a novel way to support those in need and come together in fellowship which we may make a regular occurrence at Harvard-Epworth going forward!

Click here to sign up online, or connect with Sarah Bailey or Regina Kelder .

Brunch Bunch – This Sunday, October 24

Sunday, October 24^th will be our next Brunch Bunch! This monthly event is a great time for folks to catch up and mingle as we share a meal together. After the 11am worship service at Harvard-Epworth, we’ll head to a local restaurant for brunch around 12:30pm. Whether you worship online or in person, everyone is welcome to join! If you plan to come, send Sarah Harbaugh an email (sarah@harvardepworthchurch.org) so she can reserve a table.

If you're interested in joining a book club next month, take a look at these selections and cast your vote on what we should read with this form!

1. How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace by Melissa Florer-Blixer

2. A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey by Brian McLaren

3. A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that are Transforming the Faith by Brian McLaren

4. In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Padrig O Tuama

Life groups meet weekly on Sunday nights to offer a space for young adults and students to share how they’re doing, share prayer requests, and stay accountable with one another on our commitment to live ethical and faithful lives. Life groups are open to anyone who wants to join, just send Sarah an email so she can share the Zoom link with you. By joining a life group, you’re committing to try to:

1.) Read the booklet Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living by Reuben P. Job.

2.) Engage in brief individual prayer practices twice a day, five days a week.

3.) Gather weekly to share about our spiritual well-being in light of the three simple rules (do no harm, do good, stay in love with God).

Neighborhood Text Groups: Connect with Your HEUMC Neighbors! As vaccines roll-out and weather improves, several young adults have volunteered to coordinate neighborhood group texts. Find someone to go for a masked walk, share info of interest for your neighbors, and check-in with your church family near you. If you would like to join one of these group texts, please email Sarah with your phone number and your neighborhood.

On Saturday, October 16, the New England Conference hosted a Zoom discussion with Bill McKibben. McKibben is a United Methodist, author, environmentalist, and founder of 350.org. His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change. His most recent book is Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

If you missed the event last weekend, you can view a recording on the Conference website here:

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try to accommodate our families to the best of our ability through these continued uncertain times. We hope you will encourage your children to join us online on Sunday mornings and/or consider volunteering to help lead Sunday School as in the next several weeks of transition. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at education@harvardepworthchurch.org.

Here is the Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/95550522302

The topic for next Sunday, October 24 will be the conclusion of our series on Brian McLaren’s book, “Faith After Doubt”.

This fall, Harvard-Epworth will provide volunteers to the Friday Cafe on the third Friday of each month, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers may work in the kitchen, buffet line, donations table, or work other positions. Our next volunteer team event will be Friday, November 19, 2021. COVID-19 vaccination is required of volunteers. You may sign up at the new Onsite Volunteer sign up link: https://signup.com/go/FxPZwPZ.

If you wish to volunteer on the third Friday, please contact the Harvard-Epworth office at office@harvardepworthchurch.org or 617.354.0837 so that we can connect you with the team. 

For those who like to cook at home, volunteers may contribute main courses, salads, sides, soup, and desserts each week. You may sign up at the new Cooking sign up link: https://signup.com/go/iNhdzfW.  More information about the Friday Café may be found at www.thefriday.cafe, Facebook and Instagram.

On the third Sunday of every month (next on Saturday, November 20), a volunteer team from Harvard Epworth brings sandwiches to homeless neighbors in Harvard and Central Squares.

Interested in joining the sandwich distribution? We gather at the church at 2:30 on the third Saturday of the month. For more details, email Lane at jamaicaplainlane@gmail.com.

This fall season, we are gathering again for joy-filled worship at 9:00am (with Communion) and then at 11:00am. The 11:00am service will also be live-streamed. After 11:00 worship, we'll gather outside for Coffee Hour and fellowship! Virtual Coffee Hour will also be held at the same time.

Educational options (Sunday School for youth and children and Adult Forum for adults) will meet in person at 10:00am. For more on these opportunities for education, please see the articles below.

Our Re-Opening Task Force has done research, surveyed the congregation, and consulted local guidelines to determine how Harvard-Epworth can safely re-open. Please be aware of these requirements:

If you have any questions, please contact office@harvardepworthchurch.org.

If you would like to donate flowers for the altar on an upcoming Sunday, please sign up on the sheet at church or here online.

You may order flowers from a florist, bring in your own arrangement, or donate an offering that will be used to obtain flowers. Please indicate the dedication that you’d like to have included in that Sunday’s bulletin. 

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During the "online reality" that we find ourselves in, it is difficult for new people to get a sense of who we are as a church. Therefore, the Welcome and Evangelism committee is inviting people to submit a video (30 seconds or less) that introduces themselves and says what they find special about our church. We are hoping to put together a number of these short videos and release them in the coming weeks and months. This will be a great way for people to get a sense of this ministry we share in together. Please consider recording a short video and emailing it to Erin Lee, our Welcome & Evangelism Chair, at erinism614@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for being a part of this important opportunity of welcome! 

Remember that we have a Harvard Epworth Church Member Online Directory.  You can log in to the directory by going to directory.harvardepworthchurch.org by clicking on the link in the menu on the church website (it's next to the live stream link).

Current users can reset their password with the "Need a password" button on the directory login. If you don't have a directory account or access to it, email office@harvardepworthchurch.org  and we will be in touch with login information for you.