Creating community, championing justice and growing with God. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
October 14, 2021
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Prayer List
Our prayer list is here to help. Please pray for: Joan Strout, Debbie Hayden, Ginnie Toner, Edna Cushing, Bob Stewart, Debbie Heater, Bob McEvoy, Debbie Nelson, Constance (Connie) Cushman, Randi Graumann, Rebecca Allen, Cecil Jones, Charlotte Bell and Gerry Moore.
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This Sunday: 10 am In-Person Sanctuary Worship -
Help Welcome Woodfords Newest Members
This Sunday, we will gather for a 10 am worship service in the Sanctuary. Please join us as we receive four new members – Sara Anderson, Cara Cookson, Alyssa Lodewick, and Jessica Parsons – into the Woodfords Church community.
Feel free to invite other friends, family members, and anyone else you think could use some spiritual community. Masks are required.
The bulletin for Sunday is available at the link below. You can find bios of the four new members on pages 7 and 8.
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At-Home Communion
If you would like to receive in-person Communion and reside in a location where you can receive visitors, please send Alyssa an email ( alodewick@woodfordschurch.org), and we will work to schedule a time for you to receive the sacrament in upcoming weeks. |
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It’s a Wonder-Full Life: Looking at Money and Meaning
How Would You Describe Your Relationship with Money?
At its best, spiritual practice feeds the parts of us that are oriented toward serenity, harmony, truth, compassion, gratitude, love and joy. But these are not always words we use to describe the role of money in our lives. In this series, we will explore our values and relationships with money in compassionate ways that can offer increased depth of meaning, healing, and new perspectives about what constitutes a wonderful life.
To watch a trailer for the series, click the link below.
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Invitations to Upcoming Woodfords Senior Programs! |
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- Friday, October 22, 11:30 am -1:00 pm
Soup, Sandwich & Serenade, Memorial Hall with Don Pride on guitar. RSVP by October 18.
- November 5, 10:00 am -12:00 am
Creative Writing with author and poet, Martin Steingesser, in the Lounge. Seating is limited with this thought provoking event, “Seeing with the Heart's Ear”. RSVP by November 1st.
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November 10 (2nd Wednesdays) 10:30 -11:30 am
“Caregivers Circle”, Lounge, welcoming group for anyone caregiving for a family member, neighbor physically or emotionally. Limited to 10 participants.
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Important Safety & Security Update!
As you may have seen in the media, there was a probable arson at the Portland New Church on Stevens Avenue on September 26 that may have been related to the display of a Black Lives Matter banner. This was of course upsetting news, both because we grieve for this act of violence to a kindred congregation in our neighborhood and because it makes us question our own vulnerabilities. As most are aware Woodfords has also had occasional instances of negative reactions to our social justice messages, starting last spring with vandalism to our Black Lives Matter sign and a couple of epithet-laden phone messages. More recently, a note was taped to our door decrying the flag we routinely hang during the summer Pride season. While these unsettling events were not considered overtly hostile or threatening, they were reported to Portland police for recordkeeping. To reassure our members we wanted to share what Woodfords is doing to protect our people and property.
Woodfords has multiple methods in place currently to safeguard church property - and more importantly, our church staff and community members. We are also enhancing our security by adding cameras and security lights on the outside of the building; indoor cameras that allow us to monitor activity throughout the building; and new building access and door locking mechanisms next week. (See article below.)
We share this not to cause angst, but rather to be transparent and to offer reassurance that we are working to keep our entire Woodfords community as safe as possible … and to ask for your patience. We understand that some of the new safety procedures and protocols may be inconvenient, but we also firmly believe that the safety of our community is of paramount importance.
We have reached out to the leadership at Portland New Church to offer our sympathies and our assistance, if needed. They are tentatively planning a community Peace Picnic on their lawn on October 10. We will keep Woodfords members apprised as their plans are announced in case you want to attend and show your support.
If you have any questions, please reach out ( council@woodfordschurch.org). I can also be available after Sunday’s service for an informal zoom discussion if there is interest.
Amy Johnson,
Moderator
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Please Read
Important Information about Getting Into the Building
Now that the new door locks have been set up, here's how to get into the building...
The back door of the Parish House has a new digital locking system. You will see a digital screen to the left of the door. As you walk up to the door, the screen will activate and tell you to touch the screen. When you touch it, you will see that the doorbell option for Woodfords Church or ACOG comes up.
The elevator door has a new touch pad next to the door. You can use this new pad to unlock the door and then press the blue open button to get the door to open on its own.
If you access the building regularly, please email the office to request a fob.
If you have a fob or a code, please read below...
For people with codes:
Please remember that a code is good for a specific day and time. It won't work outside that window.
To get into the back stairwell door...
1) Touch the digital screen
2) Touch the key icon at the top of the screen
3) Enter "A" followed by your code
4) The door will unlock and you can open it.
To get into the elevator...
1) Press the numbers for your code on the pad next to the door.
2) You will hear a beep, the light will turn green and you can open the door.
3) If you need to have the door automatically open, press the open button and wait.
***Having problems? Make sure you are trying to enter the building during the right window of time. Make sure you are entering the correct code. Make sure you are entering an "A" before your code at the stairwell door. If you are doing all these things and your code still doesn't work, ring the Church doorbell and we can let you in and figure out what the problem is.
For people with fobs:
To get into the back stairwell door, hold your fob up to the icon at the bottom of the device to the left of the door that looks like a tilted card with three lines. You will hear the door click and you can open it.
To get into the elevator, hold your fob up to the red light at the top of the touch pad next to the door. You will hear a beep, the light will turn green and you can open the door. If you need to have the door automatically open, press the blue "open" button and wait.
If your fob doesn't work, ring the church doorbell and we can let you in and figure out what the problem is.
Please let us know if you have any questions or problems.
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Results of Worship Poll and Future Worship Formats
Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s poll about how delta-variant COVID trends are affecting worship preferences. Of the 74 people who responded to the survey, 20% said that they “strongly prefer in-person worship and likely won’t attend digital Zoom worship.” Meanwhile, 32% of respondents said that they “prefer remote gatherings on Zoom, given everything that is going on with COVID-19,” and 40% of respondents said that they are “fine with both in-person and remote worship.”
In an effort to provide worship opportunities for people on both ends of the in-person versus digital worship spectrum, over the next few weeks we will offer some in-person worship opportunities and some digital worship opportunities. Currently, the worship schedule is as follows:
· October 17 – New Member Sunday worship in the sanctuary, led by Rev. Alyssa
· October 24 and 31 – Plans for worship after October 17 are still under development and will be shaped by COVID trends. At least one of these services will take place via Zoom.
Please keep an eye on the announcements and Friday worship emails
for worship-related updates.
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Christian Ed and Senior Program Autumn Schedules Available on Our Website!
Looking for the next Sunday School date? Want to know what events are coming up for the Senior Program? Take a look online at the Woodfords Church website. Please click on the links below...
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Book Club Schedule (Meetings on Zoom)
The first session of the fall book club season was on September 8. The group chose the first three books for October, November and January. They are...
November 10, 2021 (1 pm)
Meet Me at the Museum by Ann Youngson
Facilitator: Barbara Thomson
January 12, 2022 (1 pm)
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Facilitator: Em Amatangelo
Questions? Please contact Em Amatangelo at 207.239.2051 or emham73@gmail.com for information and for the Zoom link.
We hope you pick up the book and join us at our next session!
ZOOM INFORMATION
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 825 7419 0502
Passcode: 732029
(or dial in by phone) 929-205-6099
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Save the Dates: Special Sundays
Please mark your calendars for the following special Sundays at Woodfords:
· October 17: Homecoming/New Member Sunday
· November 14: Intergenerational Worship Service (2nd Sunday of Each Month)
· December 5: Tri-Church St. Nicholas Service at Williston-Immanuel, 4:30 pm
This intergenerational service with State Street Church and Williston-Immanuel United Church will take place in the early evening. It will be in addition to the regular Communion worship service at Woodfords. More information forthcoming.
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Bibles for Young People
Woodfords has a historic tradition of giving Bibles to the church’s young people. If you know of a young person (second grade through college) associated with Woodfords who would like an age-appropriate Bible and has never received this gift from the church, the church would be happy to provide them with one.
Please send the young person’s name and age/reading level to our tri-church Christian Education and Spiritual Formation Director, Emory Burke ( emory@williston-immanuel.org). Additional details about “Bible Sunday” – which will take place later this autumn – and Bible distribution will be forthcoming. (Please note that this offer extends to grandchildren and other friends/relatives who periodically attend church with Woodfords community members.) |
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Woodfords Indoor Mask Policy
Woodfords Church requires masks for all indoor activities in the building, whether or not you are vaccinated.
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Help Shape Woodfords' Future Worship
Woodfords recently voted to upgrade its audio-visual systems in ways that will enable the church to offer hybrid, live-streamed worship services. Once the new equipment is installed, worship will be accessible to people in the sanctuary, as well as people who wish to participate remotely.
With live-streaming opportunities on the horizon, Rev. Alyssa would like to bring together community members who are interested in helping shape Woodfords’ future worship services (live-streamed and non-live-streamed alike). If you’d like to learn more about worship design and help make Woodfords’ worship services as rich as possible, please be in touch with Alyssa (alodewick@woodfordschurch.org). Once she has gathered the names of interested parties, she will schedule an initial conversation. Thank you!
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Have Something on Your Mind?
Want to Talk About a Joy or Concern? Have a Prayer Request?
If you would like to schedule time for a pastoral care conversation with Rev. Alyssa, do not hesitate to be in touch ( alodewick@woodfordschurch.org). She would be happy to set up a visit.
Also, Alyssa is always open to receiving prayer requests. Drop her a line with a description of what you’d like her to pray for – and don’t forget to indicate if you would also like your prayer request to be added to the Woodfords prayer list. (Alyssa’s default is to consider all prayer requests she receives confidential, unless the requestor explicitly says otherwise.)
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November 1, 6 pm: “Interaction with Wabanaki-Maine History” Zoom Workshop
Workshop Co-Sponsored by Wabanaki REACH and the Anti-Racism Resource Team of the Maine Conference, UCC
This program is a two-hour interactive experience in which we will engage in a story of particular events in the history of 400-years of colonization of Wabanaki people by Europeans in this territory now called the state of Maine.
This highly engaging experience requires full participation to genuinely increase our understanding of colonization and what it means for current descendants and future generations and to reflect on what story we are writing for our grandchildren. We ask participants to participate with their cameras on throughout the presentation in order to experience the program to its fullest.
Space is limited but if the workshop fills up, we hope to schedule another. To register:
Join us for this important opportunity as together as a faith community, we continue to work for justice, equity, and change and seek to write new stories while more deeply understanding our history.
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Free Insulating Window Inserts
for Qualified Households in Portland
Want to save money and stay warmer this winter? Both of these are possible with FREE Insulating Window Inserts!
For the 4th year in a row, the Maine Energy AmeriCorps Program (MEAP) will help reduce energy costs for Maine residents through our Window Insulating Insert Program in partnership with Window Dressers and Efficiency Maine. Window Inserts are a simple and effective way to weatherize your home and very easily installed and removed when needed.
MEAP is offering up to 10 FREE window inserts per household for eligible households in each partnered community. Most households eligible for LIHEAP or other public assistance programs will qualify for free inserts. If you are interested in this program but do not qualify for free inserts, you can purchase them for a very reasonable price.
There will be a Window Dressers build at Maine Irish Heritage Center (34 Gray St, Portland, ME 04102) from November 8th - 12th.
We are eager to begin recruiting eligible households in Portland and to spread the word about this great opportunity. If you are interested in receiving window inserts, volunteering at the window build or have any general questions, please contact Sydney Barletta at sydney.barletta@maine.edu. |
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Awakenings: A Recovery Worship Experience
Awakenings: A Recovery Worship Experience is a monthly service sponsored by Williston-Immanuel United Church, an Open and Affirming Congregation, on first Wednesdays at 7 pm on Zoom. The link is also available on their website: www.wiuc.org
This worship service blends the gifts of recovery found in programs such as the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and the transformational power of the Christian faith. The format is very simple. After a brief welcome, a quote is read that reflects the theme for the service. We then share some music, hear the scripture reading, and listen to the very short reflection/story of a designated speaker as it relates to the theme/scripture. Then we open up the floor for others to do the same: to reflect on their recovery journey and the theme/scripture. This is followed by 10 minutes of silent meditation and more music. Afterward, we close with the Serenity Prayer
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Maine School of Ministry - Fall Classes
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Partner Events
Woodfords Church is connected to a network of amazing organizations that offer incredible learning and spiritual development opportunities. Week after week, month after month, these institutions offer a plethora of workshops, webinars, and classes. There are so many that if we included them all here, the newsletter would be ten times as long!
We encourage you to check out the programming calendars of the following organizations on a regular basis and see what they are offering. We bet you will find something of interest!
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“Tuesdays for Nurture” webinars focus on education for the People of God. Includes topics such as faith-filled politics, “how-to”s in congregational life, and the impacts of current realities on the life of the church.
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“Wednesdays with the World” webinars highlight stories and concerns from around the globe.
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“Thursdays for the Soul” webinars seek to care for the whole church by exploring topics related to spirituality and care of people.
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“Creation Justice” webinars bring leaders in the field of environmental justice into monthly conversation with people and communities desiring to put values into action as caretakers and protectors of God’s creation.
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Staff Phone Extensions & Email Addresses
Staff phone extensions and email addresses…
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WOODFORDS CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
t: 207-774-8243
www.woodfordschurch.org
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