Parkway UCC
February 2020
Pulse

Listen Deeply, Build Community, Act for Justice
January Celebrations
 
The congregation approved the 2020 ministry plan, new leadership, and a new sign identifying the church on Silas Creek Parkway at the annual congregational meeting. There was significant discussion with a representative of Eagle Power and Light after worship on January 12 about a proposed lease of a solar array for the front roof of the church’s building. This issue will be discussed further at Church Council and brought back to the congregation soon.
 Lots of leadership transition meetings took place through the month, as well as efforts to identify a new digital communications contract person to help us with our website and social media.

Fourteen people gathered for a retreat featuring lots of activities in silence on January 18 at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center.  The Rev. Carol Penick offered lots of gentle, grace-filled leadership for that retreat.

Many of our people have been preparing for this election year by attending the Justice Collective, a Democracy NC training “What’s on the Ballot?” and collaborative conversations with representatives of Wentz Memorial about our focus and strategy.

February Worship

Vespers Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6:15 pm
We gather for our monthly vespers in the sanctuary chancel to watching for the coming of light and lengthening of days as we reach the half way point between the winter solstice and vernal equinox and prepare for the growth of spring in creation and in our spiritual lives.

Sunday, February 2:  We worship with attention to Micah 6:1-8, receive music of the choir, and respond with invitations to mercy.  
Following worship there will be a liturgist training.

Sunday, February 9:  9:45 am   
We continue our walk through North Carolina history, watching a documentary about the coup d’etat in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1898, spend more time with the democracy timeline, and process our emotions and our response and actions.

Our prophetic word for this Sunday is from Isaiah 58: 1-9a when the Holy One asks, “Is this not the fast that I choose?”  The Rev. Dr. Michael B. Brown, who often worships at Parkway, will be our guest preacher.  Dr. Brown and his wife Page live in Winston-Salem and have four children and two grandchildren.  He is originally from Asheboro, North Carolina.

Dr. Brown has worn a variety of hats throughout his professional career, including pastor, writer, professor, and motivational speaker. For a decade, he was successor to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (author of The Power of Positive Thinking ) and Dr. Arthur Caliandro (author of Make Your Life Count ) as Senior Minister at Marble Collegiate Church on 5 th Ave. in New York City, America’s oldest Protestant church.

He is the author of numerous books (and contributing author to several others). Among his religious titles are Bottom Line Beliefs , A Five Mile Walk , and Making the Timeless Word Timely . Two new non-specifically-religious books will be released in 2020. Those are The Love Principle and 101 Ways To Love The Life You Live . He is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post , Thrive Global , and JP Magazine: the Journal for Preachers .
Click below to download and read
February worship continued...

Sunday, February 16:  we continue our look at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. The choir will sing and we will worship with the theme “From the Heart”.

Sunday, February 23  Mardi Gras Brunch Church begins at 10:45 am!

We invite you to bring a brunch item to share for potluck for our Mardi Gras worship and brunch celebration in the fellowship hall.  If you are willing, we encourage you to also bring your own place settings to simplify clean up. (We’ve been so grateful when you’ve done that for worship in the park that we thought we’d try it on this Sunday!)

We will eat brunch, then delve into celebratory worship with the Irving Street Ramblers, and communion at our tables on this Sunday. We will end our celebration with King’s Cake. Whoever gets the baby in their piece of cake will be crowned “Keeper of the Alleluia” until Easter Sunday. 

Ash Wednesday Worship, 6:15 pm Wednesday, February 26
We will gather for a reflective service with some silence, poetry, and opportunity to receive imposition of ashes or anointing with oil as we worship in the fellowship hall with natural elements to start the journey of Lent.  
Sunday, Feb 2
Liturgist training following worship
Tuesday, Feb 4
Women's Group 11 am
Meeting at Zoe's Kitchen
Wednesday, Feb 5
Vespers at 6:15 pm
Thursday, Feb 6
Quilters 10 am (meet each week)
Men's Group 12 pm
Community Engagement 1 pm
Saturday, Feb 8
Leadership Training 9-11:30 am
Sunday, Feb 9
Second Sunday Gathering 9:45 am
Wednesday, Feb 12
Church Council 7 pm
Thursday, Feb 13
Second Sunday Planning Team 11:30 am
Tuesday, Feb 18
Worship & Education 6:30 pm
Sunday, Feb 23
Mardi Brunch 10:45 am
Parkway supports Augsburg
Overflow Shelter
Tuesday, Feb 25
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper 6 pm
Wednesday, Feb 26
Ash Wednesday Worship 6:15 pm
Saturday, Feb 29
Creative Justice Film Festival at Elon Community UCC 9 am - noon
Vote Protector Training
Monday, Feb 3rd from 6:30-8:30 pm
 
The 2020 primary is shaping up to be a critical election for our state. Democracy NC's Vote Protector program will ensure that voters in our community can successfully cast a ballot -- and we need your help. 
 
We are hosting a  Vote Protector training  on Monday, Feb. 3 from 6:30-8:30 PM at Wentz Memorial United Church in Winston-Salem. 
Please help spread the word about this training to your friends and other activists? 
 
Thank you so much,
Linda Sutton
Justice Collective
2019 GIVING STATEMENTS

Giving Statements for 2019 are now available in the Narthex. They list your donations for 2019 including pledge, Enhance Parkway, special giving funds such as Neighbors in Need and contributions to other funds. If you have any questions, please contact Patti Woodard at patwd12@earthlink.net . T hank you for your support of our ministry here at Parkway.  

Finance Committee
Women's group will meet Tuesday, February 4th - 11 am at Zoe's Kitchen on Stratford Road.

If you have any question please contact Judy Aanstad
336-748-8455

Men's Group will meet Thursday, February 6th at 12 pm in the PUCC Fellowship Hall

Please register to attend below:
Wentz Update
Thanks to all who responded in January- we not only met our quota but exceeded it!!! We have already collected almost all of our 50 cans of tuna and Fruit for February. The next delivery will be Monday, February 10th so we have 2 Sundays left to contribute :February 2 and 9. Since we are so close to our goal , most contributions will go toward the March Donation. Again, Thanks so much for your generosity!!!

Shrove Tuesday
Youth Mission Fundraiser
Parkway UCC February 25 th
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Please come out and support the youth for their mission trip on February 25 th Shrove Tuesday!

There will be pancakes, lots and lots of pancakes. It’ll be a whole lot of fun. What better way to spend Shrove Tuesday then supporting our youth and having a ball! Hope to see you there 😊 If you’re interested in volunteering please feel free to email me at: amsimmonds93@gmail.com
Always, Andrea Simmonds
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City with Dwellings/Men’s
Overflow Shelter
 
The second meal for City with Dwellings was Friday, January 24 th and a very ‘wet’ evening, but as always, Parkway people came through with crocks full of Chili, with plenty of shredded cheese and crackers, homemade cole slaw, a variety of fruit pies and of course, Amy Wrights famous homemade Fudge! I would like to thank the following members who made & provided the dinner:  Chili Cooks – Janice Nelligan, Bill Donahue/Deborah Woolard, Ann McClain, Shirley Nystrom & Dona Bauman;
Slaw makers : Francie Demby, Faith Crosby & Anne Mackie ; Pie providers : Gayle Moore & Ann McClain.  Servers included:  Lisa Wishon, Leslie Hill & Ann McClain. 

Our next time to provide a meal and serve will be Sunday, February 23 rd .  In about 2 weeks, there will be a sign up poster in the narthex and the menu will be posted.
We need at least 6-10 cooks to volunteer to prepare, or purchase, the main course, a side dish and dessert. We also need approximately 3-4 servers to assist with serving and clean up. Please consider helping with this outreach of service. Questions? Contact Vicki Schwartz at vickis@triad.rr.com
Biscuits and Popcorn film Festival with the Creation Justice Network
Saturday, February 29
Sign up to be part of the Parkway delegation to this event!  Parkway is preparing a five-minute video to share about our efforts to live the ethic of Earth Care – People Care – Fair Share. 

Place: Elon Community UCC
Time: 9-noon, Saturday, February 29, 2020
Cost: Free but donations gladly accepted
Food: light breakfast snacks and POPCORN
Programming:
Approximately 12 presenters will show five-minute video or slide presentations on their particular environmental focus, followed by a panel discussion/Q&A with presenters and participants.

   PLEASE CLICK BELOW TO SIGN UP TO ATTEND.
Education Day for
Western Association of the
Southern. Conference,
Sat. March 7
at Abernathy Laurels
Focus will be on WISE
Mental Health.

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Hi Parkway Snack Gurus!

We would like to provide snacks for the Primary Election voters on March 3rd.

Cookies, fruit snacks, fruit, pretzels, whatever your heart desires to bring. Other than fruit, please only non-perishable items and p lease bring snack items by Sunday, March 1 . There will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex on the Sundays leading up to the Primary or you can call Patti Parker at 336-413-3147 or email at ncpattip@gmail.com . Thanks!
(Starting in March)
Thursday Evening
Lenten Series on
Restorative Practices  
7 pm – 8:30 pm

Put on your calendar to join us when you can for a series introducing various restorative practices.  We’ll have guests from Triad Restorative Justice with us to guide us through a restorative justice circle of courageous conversation. We’ll also have Sydney Hughes-McGee, a practitioner of body work, yoga and restorative care at 18 Springs Center in Winston-Salem, to guide us in healing from trauma related to white supremacy.   We’ll have a session on the ethic of Earth Care – People Care – Fair Share with some games to engage some of its ideas and a session on Sabbath Keeping Ideas for Busy Lives. One final session will engage Connecting with our Ancestors and Future Generations using the spiritual meditations of Joanna Macy. 
UCC Mission Moments - Febru ary 2, 2020
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
The Vision Beautiful
Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed is the family bankrupted by medical costs. Blessed is the elder who stands with a cardboard sign asking for money at the end of the on-ramp.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed is the one who has lost loved ones to preventable illness. Blessed is the one who grieves the loss of a job to retirement or restructure.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed is the one who flees the violence of war in one nation, only to experience the violence of detention in another. Blessed is the one who cannot speak for himself, whose only language is the anguish in his eyes.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed is the one who travels by three busses to find affordable groceries in her city. Blessed is the one whose kitchen is empty, but who can’t find a food pantry in his rural area.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed is the one on social media who asks a genuine question rather than starts a fight. Blessed is the one who offers solace to the addict without demanding proof that she is worthy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed is the one who tells the truth, even when a lie would be easier. Blessed is the one who receives the truth with grace and curiosity.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed is the one who marches in the streets for peace in the world. Blessed is the one who sits on a prayer cushion for peace in their heart.
 
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed is the one who is wrongfully accused and imprisoned. Blessed is the one who has served time, only to find himself barred from housing and work upon his release.

These blessings from Christ, known as the Beatitudes, continue to have resonance in our world today. Spend some time in prayerful consideration of the Beatitudes you have witnessed in your community.
Parkway United Church of Christ
1462 Irving Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
336-723-1395 Office: parkwayuccofwinstonsalem@gmail.com