April 28 Colonial Church News

In-Person Worship Resumes May 2

We are returning to in-person worship in the sanctuary beginning Sunday, May 2 at 10:15 a.m.

We will

Hear Joseph play the organ
Listen to musicians sing hymns and perform other music
Take Holy Communion in hygienic sealed kits by coming forward
See liturgists and Children's Conversation leaders on screen. Children will not come forward.
Offering will be collected in a plate in the narthex

We won’t

Sing hymns aloud
Have Sunday school or nursery service available. Those will return later this summer.
Host coffee hour, classes or meetings in the building on Sundays. Those will remain online

Other important information

Masks are required
Social distancing will be observed
Restrooms will be open but only one person at a time may use a restroom

These worship protocols will evolve as we go along and we will continue to keep you updated.

We will continue to provide the live online worship at 8:30 and 10:15 a.m.

From You Comes My Praise: Guide My Steps May 2 Worship

Public Domain image of Baptism in Kansas by John Steuert Curry.

Worship Series Dare to Dance Again

Relaunching in-person worship is an opportunity to rediscover the meaning and purpose of what we do.

In our first live, in-person worship at 10:15 a.m., we're going to celebrate a Baptism! Even more though, we're going to consider how what this means may be exactly what this world needs right now.

Come to Colonial Church to worship at 10:15 a.m.

Connect to online live worship service at https://colonialucc.online.church/ at 8:30 or 10:15 a.m.

Or, you can watch our service anytime after 8:30 a.m. on Sundays via YouTube at https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeV

Online Children's Sunday School. This week's Sunday School Bible story will go live on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeVid

Online Coffee & Conversation

Immediately following our online worship service (at 9:15 a.m.) grab a mug and come over to our community's Coffee & Conversation online.

You can connect at https://bit.ly/CCCoffeeCon

Mother's Day Pothawira Donations

This Mother’s Day (May 9) honor your mother by supporting Pothawira in Malawi. With your gift you will help provide medical care to an impoverished community, educate and care for over 125 orphans and support safe births at its birthing center.

To donate online, click here and select "Malawi-Mothers Day" from the dropdown menu. You can also mail a check to Colonial. Checks can be made to Colonial with "Mothers Day Malawi" in the memo. Thank you!

In the words of Marilyn Uppman, “Your mother would want you to donate." ❤️

Colonial Church Library Is Now "Woke"

Thanks to generous library donations we now have a WOKE collection on the north wall. Just in case you are unsure of WOKE’s current popular definition, here it is: To be woke is to understand that equality and justice for some is not equality and justice for all.

Our new collection comprises both adult and children’s books that widen our perspective, expand our knowledge, and deepen our understanding of our society and culture. Through prose and poetry, these books challenge the readers to see themselves and others through a different lens. They wait expectantly to be opened by those willing to accept the challenge. Visit the library as the church opens for Sunday worship services in May

WOKE COLLECTION

Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Young adult book )

Just Us by Claudia Rankins

White Rage by Carol Anderson

Not my idea by Anastacia Higginbotham (Children)

Stamped from the Beginning by Ibtam Kendi

Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff (Children poetry)

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Woke by Mahogany Browne (Children poetry)

Additions to the collections are welcome. Contact Mariam Fleming or Diane Kuhn

We're Going to Dance Together on May 23

We are postponing creating our video of the Jerusalema until Pentecost, May 23, but keep practicing. The Jerusalema is a line dance...and we can do this together. On May 23 we will record ourselves dancing together. We’re going to put together a video and challenge our friends at Plymouth Church in Lawrence to do the same.

Our own Tamara Carson has put together a video instruction for how to do the Jerusalema - there's also a low impact and accessible to dance-challenged people.

Results of Capital Campaign Survey

Results of the survey for Colonial regarding a possible capital campaign are now available. We want to publish all the data for full transparency. It is important that everyone have the opportunity to see the results.

The Leadership Team is planning “town hall” style gatherings in the coming weeks to give everyone an opportunity to share your feedback with a small group. As you read these results, please note they are quite positive. The response alone was tremendous with 83% reporting Colonial is meeting your spiritual needs and 89% reporting high marks for communication.

An important part of the report is that nearly half the church is ready to commit to a capital campaign for the issues listed. Another 15% are opposed. Nearly 1/3 of the church are unsure. The town hall meetings will help the Leadership Team better understand the hopes and dreams of everyone, so if we decide to move forward, we can do so with a clear consensus of the congregation. Thank you again for those of you who participated in the survey and let us know if you have any questions about what you see. Blessings!

Read the full report here.

Upcoming Events

May 16 - Cookout & Backyard Games with Plymouth Group at TBD
July 16-20 - UCC Synod Youth Online Events

For more information, email or call Heather in the office.

Colonial Women Activities

With the return of nice weather and many of us already having received COVID vaccinations, we are returning to in-person Colonial Women’s activities.

Colonial Women Breakfast at Big Biscuit - 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 3.
Colonial Women Blue Moose Tuesday - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 11. Blue Moose patio
Colonial Women Book Group - 7:00 p.m. Friday, June 4, Stacey Algren's home. We will discuss "The French Lieutenant’s Woman" by John Fowles.

Your Support Matters

Even though we are not worshiping in person, our work together matters - to each other and to the community. Your pledges help Colonial do its work. You may mail in your pledge checks, as well as any other payments. An easier alternative is to make contributions online. You just fill in your banking information or provide a credit card and your name and email and what fund you are paying (Stewardship, food pantry, etc.) and the amount. Click the donate button below.

If you have any questions, you may email or call Heather in the office or Jayne Quimby, Financial Recorder.

Donate

VANish the Void Supplies

Pre-pandemic, Colonial helped Kar Woo and Artists Helping the Homeless by providing and serving a meal in Mill Creek Park once a month for homeless people. We hope to resume that outreach eventually. In the meantime, the Colonial Board of Outreach is providing funds for non-perishable food items for Woo to hand out when he is out in the Be the Change van helping disadvantaged and homeless people in Kansas City. You can give to that effort here by selecting AHH from the dropdown menu.