Sunday School and Nursery Care

Our nursery is open for children three months to 4ish years, starting at 9:50am. Sunday school for kids aged four through 12 begins partway through the church service, following the "Moments with Children" during worship.

This week in Sunday school we'll be talking about how we can do the next right thing, taking one step at a time. We'll do a blindfolded trust walk, read the story of the shepherds going to meet Jesus after he was born, and act out different real-life scenarios. Carrie Bishop and Rev. Don will be leading, and the children will return to join their families in the sanctuary for communion.

Traveling To A Distant Country

Where is your soul at home? One of our Lenten offerings this year is a reflection study on Henry Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son (see article below). Integral to that story is the youngest son's journey to a distant country. That 'country' is the place we go when we have lost our connection to our truest selves and to our God. It is the place where the emptiness and fear within us (AA would call it a 'hole in the soul') drives us. It is the place where we 'squander our property in reckless living'. Other versions say he 'wasted his wealth in dissolute living.' The Message version of scripture has another phrase I particularly like: "There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had."   

I think we know this distant country. I think each of us has been there, will go there, may be there now. It is the place where we waste our life energy seeking things that do not satisfy our soul nor our deepest longing for wholeness. You can name your own addiction or your favorite distraction.  Personally I like chocolate, coffee and SciFi. These are the things that comfort us or numb us from the stresses and anxieties of our lives. They also keep us from returning home to our God and to the person God has created us to be. 

There are a lot of lessons in this parable. One of them explores shame. Shame can wake us up to the disconnect between our current situation and the longing of God. Shame can also keep us settled into the distant country. Shame wakes up the prodigal son, but the story does not allow it to define him or his future. Lent is a season that invites us to reflect on where our soul is living. It invites us to wonder about the places where we are wasting our life energy and the gift we were created to be. It does not call us to linger long in shame nor to carry our shame around with us, but rather invites us to take a journey back home to God who will run to greet us with open arms.  

-- Rev. Don Remick

Lenten Meditations - this Sunday March 3 at 4pm

Back in Advent we offered a couple of opportunities to learn about and experience a form of meditation. We wove together insights on the forms and impact of mediation from neuroscience and spiritual traditions. We'll explore this again in Lent on two Sunday afternoons. Join us for both or either one at 4pm on Sundays March 3rd and 10th in the Sanctuary. The meditations will last about 1 hour.  

Lent Devotions on Social Media

Sometimes it is nice to have a short reflection during the Lenten Season to guide our journey. We are offering a variety of these during this holy season. One of those opportunities will be on our Social Media Pages:

Facebook: Friends of Old North Church Marblehead

Instagram: oncinmhd

While on hikes in a town forest near my home I have done a series of short video reflections. We'll be posting these to our Facebook page a couple times each week. Look for them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

-- Rev. Don Remick

Easter Lilies

Beginning this Sunday, there will be envelopes in the pews for those who wish to order lilies for the March 31 Easter services. Please return your envelopes by Sunday, March 24 (Palm Sunday) for orders to be placed. Easter Lilies are $25 this year and if paying by check, please make it out to Old North Church and write "Easter plants" on the memo line. Plants may be dedicated in honor or memory of someone and may be picked up following the 11:00 am service on Easter morning. You may place your flower envelope in the offertory or orders can be mailed or dropped off at the church office at 8 Stacey St. Thank you!

Tree Removal

On Monday, March 4th all trees and tall shrubs impacting the front and right sides of the Church Sanctuary building and Parish Hall will be removed to allow for the repointing of the stone facades and the repairs to the Parish Hall clapboards and trim. There is no plan to replace these trees and shrubs as they are significantly responsible for the moisture retention which has caused the degradation of mortar and woodwork on the front of the buildings. Also factoring into the decision is the placement of scaffolding this spring/summer and next as capital projects work is completed.



This decision to remove the trees and shrubs was made by the Prudential Board, in consultation with the Leadership Board and garden coordinator. At the February Annual Budget Meeting drawings of the front of the church in 1881 and 1981 were distributed showing the architectural beauty of our Meeting House prior to the planting of any greenery. It truly stands out as a gem in the historic district. There are copies of these drawings available in the Narthex. Please be aware that the removal of the trees will reveal some unsightly pipes and electrical conduits on the front of the Parish Hall and link buildings. Plans for covering or hiding these, to the extent we are able, are under discussion. We recognize that this change might be a bit of a shock at first look. If you feel the need to vent your rage or express your delight in this "new look" for Old North, please direct your calls to Sally Sands, Prudential Board Chair 508-843-7401.

Joining the Church

Are you interested in joining Old North as a member? We're a congregational church, which means that any big decisions are made democratically, with each member having a vote. Being a member of the church also means that you're committing to us, and we're committing to you; we're claiming each other, and also making a statement that--in a world that is increasingly individualistic and fractured--we need each other. 

This spring, we'll be officially receiving new members into the church during our worship service on Sunday, April 14. Please contact Rev. Don or Rev. Lindsay if you're interested in joining but that date doesn’t work for you.

Scrabble Group

The Scrabble group continues to meet weekly in the Great Room in the Stacey Street office on Wednesdays from 2-4pm. It’s great fun and can be quite competitive. Join us!

Search Team Updates

On February 11, we blessed and commissioned our Search Team. They have been entrusted with discerning the wisdom and will of God as they seek the next pastor to partner with our church's ministry. 

Over a year ago the Leadership Board asked for suggestions of names of folks who could serve on the Profile Writing Team and/or the Search Team. That request went out to all the Boards of our church and to the entire congregation. Over the course of a few months those names were received. From those names the Leadership Board selected the Profile Writing Team which developed our church's Local Church Profile. The congregation reviewed and affirmed this profile during the last two months. Subsequently, the Leadership Board then selected, from those names, a diverse team of folks for the Search Team, some of whom also served on the Profile Writing Team. 

The Search Team has been getting some orientation, training and resourcing from our Conference. They will be working on our behalf to interview potential candidates, discern God's guidance, and present a candidate to our Congregation. 

In our tradition pastors are not appointed to churches. They are prayerfully chosen by the congregation. When the Search Team completes its discernment, they will present one candidate to the congregation. That person will lead our church in worship on what is called 'Candidating Sunday'. Following that worship service, the congregation will gather to vote to extend a Call to the candidate. 

Because of the confidential nature of this process for pastors and churches our Search Team will be careful in what information they share. They will be keeping us updated on the process with periodic announcements in worship and in our emailings. And you can find a chart in the Parish Hall that shows our progress in that process. 

Please continue to hold our Search Team in your prayers as we let them do this sacred work. And continue to hold our church in your prayers as we move together into God's future.  

Gifts of Cheer



If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the wider Marblehead community who is going through a difficult time, the Community Life Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note. Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com or 781-639-0107 if you know someone who would appreciate a little extra cheer.

Church Elevator Replacement

Elevator Rehab, the first capital improvement project funded by the Keep It Ringing Capital Campaign, is underway. This work is anticipated to take eight weeks and should be completed by mid-March. We are aware that the elevator shut down may inconvenience members of the congregation who routinely use it to access the church sanctuary for worship.

The good news is that Old North will be live-streaming the 10:00am service in the Parish Hall for all who wish to attend worship "in person" without climbing the stairs each Sunday. Join us to watch the live-stream service and be first in line for coffee hour afterwards! As always, live-stream services may be watched remotely from anywhere that has a wifi connection. You just have to make your own coffee! Please ask a minister, deacon, or call the church office if you have questions.  

Are You Following Us on Social Media?

We have been working on improving our presence on social media. Please follow us! Invite your friends and neighbors to follow us to learn about our church.

Facebook: Friends of Old North Church Marblehead

Instagram: oncinmhd

Lectio Divina

A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4^th century, at Old North lectio divina has been adapted and practiced for more than ten years on every Tuesday morning from 9 to about 10:30 am. When Dennis was here, he led the practice. Since his leaving, we all take turns being the leader to select the readings. We have welcomed newcomers, some not from Old North, who seem to find soul food in the practice and the shared reflections that are part of it. We meet at 9 am both in person in the “Great Room” on Stacey St. and on Zoom.

We begin each meeting with a context-setting call to worship. Then we pair a scripture reading with a poem, chosen by the leader for the day and read aloud. We then move into 21 minutes of silent meditation, marked by chimes, and finally we share in “safe space” our responses – personal and intellectual. We end each session with prayers for healing and the Lord’s Prayer.



It is a rich time of being together in community and quite like no other. We invite you to give it a try.