June 26, 2022
A message from Rev. Karen Skalla 
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Pastors Mitch and Barb are out of the office June 20 - July 5. Rev. Karen Skalla will preach at the June 26 worship service, assisted in worship leadership by our co-Lay Leaders, Sarah Bailey and Mark Fitzgerald. Karen is an ordained Deacon whose appointment is to Harvard-Epworth. Because of the pandemic, she’s not been able to be physically present at HEUMC during this past year but we are looking forward to that changing in the future!.
For June 20 - July 5, pastoral coverage will be provided by Rev. Cynthia Good, pastor at Calvary UMC in Arlington. Please contact the HEUMC office (office@harvardepworthchurch.org) or the Calvary UMC office (office@calvaryarlington.org) as needed.

Greetings Harvard Epworth Community!  

My name is Karen Skalla. I am a newly ordained Deacon in the UMC and I am both grateful and excited to be a part of your church. I live in Brownsville, Vermont, and will be venturing forth from Vermont periodically as COVID moves from pandemic to endemic and am looking forward to seeing you in person on June 26th. I have been following Harvard-Epworth’s worship services online.

My primary appointment as a Deacon is to Service. In my case, it means my vocation as a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner is my first church. I work for Dartmouth Health in the Kendal at Hanover primary care clinic caring for over 400 elders. My second appointment and passion is a weekly online church we call "Faithwaze" which was born out of our ecumenical street ministry in Greenfield MA when the pandemic began. We continue to reach out to those living on the margins of communities in Western MA periodically now, in person, by providing fellowship, food, and clothing. 

I am accompanied by my 4-footed partner in pastoral ministry "Smitty" who is now a retired certified therapy dog. Smitty lives with me, my husband and two horses in central Vermont. My two daughters are young adults and I am blessed to have them live and work nearby. In rare moments of free time I enjoy riding, hiking, oil painting, kayaking, snowshoeing and gardening although I confess at the moment my gardens suffer from "survival of the fittest!"  

I look forward to seeing you on the 26th!
Karen
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Summer Worship Schedule
During the summer months, worship on Sunday mornings will be at 10:00 a.m. (no early communion service); Sunday School and Adult Forum will both take a break until next fall. The 10:00 a.m. service will be in person and livestreamed; coffee hour will continue after worship.  
For Our Common Home - Resounding Ecojustice
The world premiere of a new work by Boston composer Linda J. Chase will be performed on Saturday, June 25 at Old Cambridge Baptist Church, 1151 Mass Ave, Cambridge, at 8:00pm. The composer will talk for a moment about the piece at 7:45pm. Tickets are available at the door or through Eventbrite.
The cross-genre oratorio for choir, soloists and chamber orchestra, “For Our Common Home: resounding ecojustice” was inspired by Laudato Si’ an encyclical issued by Pope Francis calling on humanity to acknowledge the urgency of the environmental crisis and work toward building a more just and sustainable world. To create the libretto, Chase collaborated with world renowned theologian and author Harvey Cox for guidance with the text. She interprets the text as a call to action through music. “Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it” (Pope Francis).
Volunteer Opportunity with Harvard Square Homeless Shelter
The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter and Y2Y Youth Shelter will be running over this upcoming Summer (6/15-8/10), and have asked us and their other neighbors to help keep them open. They write: "If you will be in the Cambridge-Boston area over this Summer, we would love to have you join our team, and we ask you to please sign up using this application for HSHS and this application for Y2Y . In addition, for information about our volunteer policies, please find out more by reading our volunteer handbooks for HSHS and Y2Y! Thank you so much for your support, and please reach out to hsss.volunteer@gmail.com or volunteer@y2yharvardsquare.org with any questions."
Events and Groups for University Students and Young Adults
Life Groups – Every Sunday at 7pm
Life groups meet weekly on Sunday nights to offer a space for young adults and students to share how they’re doing, prayer requests, and stay accountable with one another on our commitment to live ethical and faithful lives. Each month we practice a new form of prayer together to encourage one another's spiritual growth. Life groups are open to anyone who wants to join, just send me (Sarah Harbaugh, sarah@harvardepworthchurch.org) an email so I can share the Zoom link with you.
Ukraine Relief Update from the Missions Committee
Church members have raised more than $8,000 for aid and relief for Ukrainians since the Russians invaded the country on Feb. 24. Our donations were sent last week to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), where Ukrainian native and church member Bogdan Savych graduated. Thanks to all who joined us for the Adult Forum “Reflections on Ukraine” led by Bogdan and Gwen Savych. If you'd like to watch the recording of this session, click here for a Zoom link and enter the Access Passcode: Jf&2k!8C.

UMCOR donations will be used for refugee assistance relief as well as for direct aid for those still in areas under attack. KSE is buying and distributing medical kits, such as those shown in the photo. In a weekend Facebook post, school president Tymofiy Mylovanov said the kits are being delivered to Kharkiv and other cities, "the front lines where people suffer the most." To all donors, he said, "Thank you for your support. These kits stop blood loss and save lives. One life at a time."

The Missions Committee continues to collect donations for UMCOR and KSE, either through checks (made out to HEUMC) brought to worship or mailed to the church, or online at www.harvardepworthchurch.org by clicking the "Give Now" button, then choosing "Ukraine Relief" in the drop-down menu. Donations will be sent to these organizations.
Contribute to Sunday Altar Flowers
For the summer season, we welcome flower donations for the Sunday morning altar. Please feel free to bring flowers from your garden or from a florist. If you wish to have a dedication printed in the worship bulletin, contact the office at office@harvardepworthchurch.org or 617-354-0837 by Thursday morning. We will resume weekly flower arrangements by Coady Florist in September. Thank you in advance for bringing beauty to our worship! 
Seeking Lodging
One of HEUMC’s former attendees, Ian Talbot, is returning to the area this fall for a term at Harvard University. He is seeking a one- or two-bedroom apartment for the fall term. If you have lodging suggestions, please contact the church office at office@harvardepworthchurch.org.
Friday Cafe
The Friday Cafe, at First Church in Cambridge at 11 Garden St, provides a nutritious lunch and a welcoming community to over 100 homeless and at-risk neighbors every Friday afternoon. Harvard-Epworth provide volunteers on the third Friday of each month (next on Friday, July 15), from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers may work in the kitchen, buffet line, donations table, or work other positions. 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. 
Kate Layzer, the Director of Friday Cafe, sends this message:

We are almost at the finish line! June 24 marks our last Friday of the 2021–2022 season serving hot food to go. And what a year it has been. Over the past 10 months (with a few weeks' break in the middle during that severe Omicron surge), we have served close to 4,000 nutritious home-cooked meals. What an amazing testimony to the power of a community coming together. 

In July, the Friday Café will switch to a simpler format: bag lunches to go. If you would like to sign up to make 10 bag lunches (sandwich or boxed entrée, fruit, snack or sweet treat) for 1 or more of the 5 Fridays in July, please visit https://signup.com/go/bSeTuCR. We would be grateful for your help.

In August, we will simplify still further, and serve restaurant meals purchased by the City of Cambridge as part of its ongoing pandemic response. This gives us a chance to rest and get ready for the 2022–2023 season. What will the fall bring? We don't yet know! We hope to return to indoor seating, but so far COVID surges have kept that goal out of reach. All we know is that we'll be there, sharing food and caring. We hope you'll join us.

Thank you all. Wishing you a safe and happy rest of your summer.
Kate

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Outdoor Church Sandwich Ministry: This Saturday!
On the third Saturday of every month (next on Saturday, July 16), a volunteer team from Harvard Epworth brings sandwiches to homeless neighbors in Harvard and Central Squares.

Interested in bringing sandwiches? Thank you -- 20 is a good number. The homeless like meat (roast beef, ham and turkey), as well as chicken, egg and tuna salad. White, oat and whole wheat breads are all good. You can add a bit of mustard and lettuce for the meats. We avoid mayonnaise for safety reasons, but it's okay for the salads.

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.
Join us for Coffee Hour
Please join us after worship for coffee hour refreshments and fellowship, outdoors whenever possible and in the Vestry in the case of inclement weather. We ask that masks continue to be worn except when eating/drinking, while inside (please see below for a note on mask requirements). 

We'd love your help filling the table on this date and going forward. Please sign up at this link (https://signup.com/go/vLAxKUQ) or contact Sarah Bailey (sarahbailey202@gmail.com or 917 439 1103) if you would like to contribute. 

At all indoor activities, Harvard-Epworth continues to require persons to wear KN94 or N95 masks (supplied at church, as needed) and to maintain a safe social distance; we ask those attending to be fully vaccinated and boosted as allowed.
We are the Church: Voices of Harvard Epworth
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! 
Connect with Us Electronically
Harvard Epworth Church Member Online Directory
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.
Sermon Podcast Update: If you would enjoy listening to the Sunday sermon during the week they can now be found on Apple, Google, and Spotify by searching for Harvard-Epworth Church podcast. You can also still find them on the front page of our church website at www.harvardepworthchurch.org
Help Harvard-Epworth While You Shop: Our Amazon Smile link shares some of the profits from any Amazon purchases with the church: If you shop via this link, a percentage of what you spend is automatically donated to the church.
Prayer Ministry: Each Wednesday morning (from 7:45am to 8am), some of the Harvard-Epworth congregation gather by phone for meditation and prayer. This gathering is a wonderful way to begin the day and to hold the concerns of our congregation in prayer. We would love to have you join us! To join in, dial +1 (605) 468-8016 and type in our access code: 658031#.
Looking Ahead...


  • Saturday, June 25: "Resounding Ecojustice" concert at Old Cambridge Baptist Church
  • Sunday, June 26:
  • 10:00am: Worship Service
  • 11:15am: Coffee Hour
  • 7:00pm: Young Adult Life Groups
  • Wednesday, June 30: Prayer Call (7:45am)
  • Friday, July 16: Friday Cafe (11:00am)
  • Saturday, July 17: Outdoor Church Sandwich Ministry (2:30pm)
  • Thursday, July 21: Third Thursdays Dave Bryant and Friends Jazz Series (8:00pm)
Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church | office@ harvardepworthchurch.org