Reimagining Church Together!
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E-NEWS
on June 4, 2020
Congregational Church of Weston, UCC
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Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
This Fourth of July, many are in no mood for flag-waving. Pandemic shutdowns and hasty reopenings-turned-to-reclosings means most of us will not gather and watch fireworks. The block party barbecues and lakeside gatherings and carefree beach days that so often mark our summers are now tinged with the heaviness of a nation grappling with its sins, and contemplating its future. As black voices call us to task, they also offer us some hope. What can we become? What could the future hold, if only we will accept it?
This Fourth of July, as we celebrate the achievements of our nation, the sacrifices many made for it, and the ideals to which it purports to aspire—may find a new dream. A dream that sets aside naïve hope in favor of honest self-examination. A dream whose liberty and justice for all is not simply an empty pledge, but a solemn promise that must be delivered. As Christians living in these extraordinary times, may we reflect upon our country’s common life with the fierce, critical resilience of Langston Hughes, who reminds us,
America was never America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!
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ONLINE WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY
, July 5
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Join us for worship this Sunday, as we transition to our summer worship season with Wellesley Village Church. Worship goes live at 9am on Facebook and YouTube, and coffee hour on Zoom follows at 9:45am.
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This Sunday is Communion Sunday in Summer Worship. So…bring your bread, bring your cup, and join us at 9am for worship together online.
Directly following the 9am worship, there will be a Zoom coffee hour around 9:45am.
Zoom Coffee Hour link:
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Finally, lest ye be concerned…
I am in the parsonage, settling in, and well-supplied with Teddie Super Chunky Peanut Butter. I currently have seven jars. My strategic reserve was nearly doubled by a resupply from Cathy Liddell, along with a delicious loaf of fresh-baked bread.
Thank you to all who have reached out during the transition, and for your continued support and guidance as we continue this journey together.
Peace,
Bob
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Welcome Artemis Brewer!
Announcing the birth of Charlotte Brewer's daughter!
Artemis Brewer arrived 5 weeks early at 9:06 a.m. on June 25, 2020. She was 6lbs, 3 oz and is very healthy aside from being pre-term. She's staying at the special care nursery for a couple of weeks to make sure that she's fully ready before she goes home, but we'll be visiting her often and she's such a joy to us.
Love,
Charlotte
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Meals for the new parents
Would you like to help the new parents with some meals as they transition to having Artemis at home? We are looking for 3-5 volunteers to sign-up to bring the Brewer's a meal or two over the next few weeks. Please email sharon@wellesleyvillagechurch.org to express your desire to help. Please put "Artemis Brewer" in the subject line, and include your name and contact info (cell phone # of whoever would be dropping off the meal). The Brewer's live in Waltham.
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Reminder: new email addresses for
JILL & RICHARD EDENS
Please note that the @WestonUCC.org email addresses are no longer valid. Please update your email contacts to:
Their cell phone numbers will continue to be our primary phone numbers:
- 919-357-3914 (Jill)
- 919-357-3913 (Richard)
Jill & Richard Edens have moved from the parsonage to 154 Chestnut St, Unit 9, Lowell, MA 01852.
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We offer prayers of gratitude to Rev. Rick and Jill Edens, who finished their 2-1/2 year designated term as pastors of the Congregational Church of Weston this week. We are grateful for their many shared gifts of Spirit, leadership, love, and trust in your ongoing speaking voice, God. We celebrate the growing partnership between CCW and WVC, including the presence of Pastoral Resident, Bob Feeny, as he moves into the CCW parsonage and into a space of leadership with the CCW congregation. We are also grateful, God, for the way your Spirit continues to lead our congregations alongside one another, as we will worship together this summer. For all these gifts we are grateful!
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Summer Worship Music at WVC Online
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The Musical Offering
An invitation to you from Associate Director of Music, Ed Broms
Friends,
I am pleased to invite members of the congregation and beyond who would care to share an offering of their talents in worship services coming up over the summer. I am hoping to feature weekly musical (and other artistic) offerings from our illustrious and industrious community at the Offering time of the services – remotely for now. (The Musical Offering idea is named after the famous work of Bach.)
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Book Study with Bob Feeny
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Looking for summer reading? Join Pastoral Resident Bob Feeny for a series of book discussions focusing on racism, and specifically aimed at answering the question,
“what can I do about racism?”
Building on June’s discussion of
White Fragility
, we will read
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
by Austin Channing Brown in July. And, in August,
How to Be an Antiracist
by Ibram X. Kendi.
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July & August
Sundays, 9am -
Summer worship with Wellesley Village Congregational Church
During July and August, the Wellesley online worship “premieres” at 9 am. It can be viewed any time after that but it premieres at 9am which means pastors and staff are available via chat during the service.
Sept 13
Pentecost 15 Worship CCW Resumes
Cathy Liddell will be CCW’s liaison to an advisory committee at Wellesley that is discerning how to live and worship in a time of pandemic.
Jan 9 “Let’s Talk” with the Rev. Mariama White Hammond
This conversation with the Rev. Mariama White Hammond on the social justice ramifications of climate change had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tragically the pandemic has only underscored the relevancy of this conversation. Why are black and brown people disproportionately displaced and affected by climate change and what can be done? More information to come.
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