October 7 Colonial Church News

“CAN YOU CHANGE GOD'S MIND?" WORSHIP OCTOBER 11

It's a mystery.

Can a person actually change God? Or, has God ordained all things since the foundation of the universe?

Our spiritual ancestors explored this mystery, and we will join them as we worship this Sunday.

May you find hope for living in this moment as we do.

Sunday Worship Online

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

Fellowship Time at 9:15 a.m. Immediately following our 8:30 online worship service, grab a mug and come over to our community's Coffee & Conversation online. You can connect at https://tinyurl.com/ColConv

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

If you know of kids who might enjoy taking part in our Sunday School, invite their parents to signup to be on the list to receive the weekly materials at https://bit.ly/CCSSOnline.

WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

We need your help with our children's ministry. Ms. Camille works with a senior living facility, and over half of their staff has resigned due to stress around COVID-19. She is one of two people left trying to cover all the night shifts for people's care. So, if you can sign up to record a 4-6 minute Sunday School/Children's Conversation lesson, that would be a huge help! Pastor Aaron will send you all the materials, and essentially you just tell the story and lead a short prayer. You can signup for this at https://colonialucc.breezechms.com/form/ffa56c

COLONIAL QUILTMAKERS SUPPORT GRANDPARENTS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

Colonial Quiltmakers are helping increase awareness of the harms of gun violence with their panel for Vision Quilt, a national effort inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt of the 1980s. You can see the virtual quilt at www.visionquilt.org/grandparents-against-gun-violence-kansas-city.html

Colonial Quiltmakers are praying for peace and the end of senseless killing of young lives in our world.

ADVENT DEVOTION WRITERS

We are looking for Advent Devotional Writers. If you have been waiting breathlessly for your opportunity to write a devotion for Advent, look no further. All you need do is pick a day, read the text pulled from the Advent Daily Lectionary reading and voila, pen your greatest work! You can join through this link: Advent Devotion Writers Registry

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY INFORMATION

On Sunday, November 1 we will remember the members and friends of our church family who died during the past year or were requested to be remembered. We also will celebrate the new lives of those whose journeys have begun during this period. If there is a loved one you would like to have remembered in our worship service, please contact the church office at info@colonialucc.org.

Colonial Writers Group

Mark your calendar and join us on Wednesday, October 14, at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom for Writers Group. The writing suggestions are below, but, as always, you can always ignore them and write whatever you like.

Sometimes we hesitate to write because we mistakenly believe that the beginning of our stories must be critically special, unforgettable, and stop us in our tracks. That’s your inner critic nagging at you, and the best way to write is to ignore your self doubts, grab the pen and note down your thoughts.

Try this suggestion for a start and for fun. Sit quietly outdoors and write down an ordinary observation of nature. See where it takes you.

Or think about this: Recall your childhood best friend and some of the things you used to do together. Where were the places you used to go to? What were the ways you pulled your imaginations together?

Never underestimate the power of music. What was one of your favorite songs from long ago that comes with strong memories or feelings? Search the title and artist online. If you can locate it, set aside some time to listen to it (maybe even on repeat), and then, while it’s still playing or in silence afterward, explore the memories and feelings that arise.*

Finally, just write about whatever you like.

DONATE TO NEIGHBORS IN NEED NOW

Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. This year, special consideration will be given to projects focusing on serving our immigrant neighbors and communities.

Make your donation on our website. Click here and go to the pull down menu bar of “Give to 2020 stewardship” to select “Give to Neighbors in Need”. The needs are many during this unusual year, so your generous support is especially important.

The UCC website describes several projects that have been able to serve specific needs in communities of all sizes and locations. Hear a message about this important outreach here.

IRA DONATIONS TO COLONIAL

Individuals who are age 70 ½ and older can make a direct transfer tax free of any amount up to $100,000 annually from their traditional IRA to the church in fulfilling their pledge. You must authorize your IRA trustee to make a direct transfer to Colonial. This IRA distribution is not taxable nor is the donation deductible. With the higher standard deductions for 2020 for married ($27,400 both age 65 or over) and single ($14,050 age 65 or over) and a limit of $10,000 on the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted, many taxpayers may not be able to itemize their deductions for 2020. Using your IRA instead of your checkbook to make your donations to Colonial allows you to get a tax benefit from your donation. Although the starting age for required minimum distributions was changed from age 70½ to age 72 by the SECURE Act of 2019, the provision allowing qualified charitable distributions from IRA’s remains at age 70½. Further considerations should be discussed with your tax adviser.

Another tax benefit from your donation – The coronavirus legislation, known as the CARES Act, enacted earlier this year, provided that cash contributions up to $300 will be deductible in arriving at adjusted gross income and this deduction is in addition to your standard deduction.

Colonial Women Activities

All women of Colonial Church are invited to gather with others in casual fellowship opportunities, whether you prefer breakfast, happy hour or discussing a book. Check out the options below. No reservations required.

Blue Moose Tuesday. Tuesday, October 13, 5:30 p.m., Heritage Room. Masks required.
Book Group. Friday, October 30, 7:00 p.m., via Zoom. We will discuss "On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong.
Coffee - Not at Big Biscuit. Monday, November 2, 9:30 a.m., Heritage Room. Masks required.

Colonial Women Rummage Fundraiser

Because of concerns about COVID-19, Colonial Women is hosting a rummage collection rather than the usual sale. The goal is to raise $1,000, which means about 5,000 pounds of items! Savers will pay us by the pound for good quality items.

Goal – To reach the goal we need about 2,500 pounds of soft goods and 2,500 pounds of hard goods (although soft goods are preferred). To reach that requires:

250 13-gallon white trash bags of soft goods
200 boxes of hard goods

Amount that has been reported collected by members to date:

21 bags of soft goods
5 boxes of Hard goods
6 boxes of books

Let Marylee Battaglia know how many bags or boxes you have collected so she can see progress toward the goal.

Collection – April 11 starting at 9:30 a.m.

Bring your items on Sunday, April 11 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Everything will be loaded directly into a truck and taken to Savers the following day. Start collecting your items now so we have plenty of pounds to deliver to Savers in April. Nothing will be stored at the church.

Soft Goods – Place in 13 gallon kitchen bags (white) please. Label Soft Goods

clothing - adult and children/infant
bath items, towels/shower curtains
bedding - sheets, blankets, pillows/comforters/bed skirts/pillow shams
curtains, tablecloths, napkins, runners, placemats

Hard Goods - Place in boxes labeled Hard Goods (size restriction: 18”x18”x18”)

small sporting goods/small garden tools
small electrical items toasters, radio, power tools, irons, blenders, mixers, stereos/CD players
housewares: china cups, vases, dishes, cutlery, mugs, pots, pans, candles, utensils, glassware, silverware, stemware, baskets
small household goods and pictures/frames
Small holiday decor - ornaments, items 18x18x18
Toys, games, puzzles, stuffed animals
Jewelry, craft items

Books – hard/ soft cover, music (CD and Vinyl) comics, magazines and electronic games. Place in boxes labeled books.

Cannot Accept List: water damaged or moldy items; make-up and personal toiletries; hazardous materials batteries, paints, chemicals, cleaning products; infant car seats, cribs and restricted by law.

Watch Our Weekly Services and Sermons

Livestream: Sundays at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. at https://colonialucc.online.church/

On Demand: worship services are on YouTube here. Sermons are available here.

Daily Devotionals

Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, provides an excellent daily devotional, written by the "Still Speaking" writers group. To have the devotions emailed to you daily go to:

http://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional

Thank You!

Dear Colonial Church,

Gene and Peggy Schmidt loved the surprise Celebration Brigade Parade in honor of Gene on September 30th! The timing was perfect, as Gene has a lot to celebrate. Colonial Church has been sending prayers and love to our family ever since Gene was diagnosed with congestive heart failure almost three years ago. While he is not cured from the disease, thanks to a wonderful hospice care program, he is living a quality life with more energy, balance and peace. Most of all, your continued prayers and thoughtfulness have truly made a difference in his overall well being. We all take comfort in knowing so many people care about our family. We are truly grateful.

Love, the Cosgrove & Schmidt Families

Celebrations!

In this time of staying connected remotely, please remember these folks who are celebrating milestones.

Happy Birthday!

7 Michael Callahan, Kathi Cook,

Lou Gehring

8 Jeremy Braithwaite

9 Jeni Cosgrove

11 Sadie Algren, Timothy Keane

12 Augie Denton

13 Marsha Werning

Happy Anniversary!

7 Nick and Kelli Kromnacker

11 John and Jill Sullivan

Member Directory

The 2020 Colonial Church directory is available online rather than in paper copy as we are not at church. Click here to access it. Please do not distribute or share the link outside of the Colonial membership to protect everyone's privacy. Thank you. If you need assistance, contact Heather.