Reimagining Church Together! |
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E-NEWS on October 22, 2020
Congregational Church of Weston, UCC
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Tali inviting me into the present moment |
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"Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns."
Exodus 20:8-10
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My dog, Tali, seems to completely lack all sense of time. This is not to say that she doesn’t have a sense of urgency. When there is something she wants, the need is urgent. But, when we walk through the woods and she seems to want to stop and sniff every leaf, taste every acorn to confirm that she still does not want to eat acorns, and just stare off into the distance, she seems to have no concern for how or when the walk will end. I, on the other hand, find myself checking my watch to see how long we’ve been out, what time the sun is setting, how many steps I’ve taken.
On my best days, Tali brings me into the present moment. When I’m able to simply enjoy her company, and enjoy the beauty of what is right in front of me, our walks go pretty well. When I decide that we’re going to walk the route I’ve chosen, at the pace I want… the walks are less successful.
Now, none of us are professional mystics. We don’t get the luxury of living completely unscheduled lives—maybe we wouldn’t want to. But, there’s something to it. Something about just letting go of the past and the future allows the moment I’m in to be radiant with God’s presence.
This doesn’t happen unless we allow it to. And further, it doesn’t happen unless we intentionally practice it. Ours is a culture that despises rest, a culture that wants us to be constantly drawn to the next thing, dwelling upon and seeking to improve upon what has passed.
I hope that you too have someone or something in your life that demands your attention—something that forces you to be in the present moment. And I hope that yours is less prone to picking up ticks and chewing phone chargers than Tali is.
May you all find sabbath, this week, and in every week.
Peace,
Bob
Rev. Bob Feeny
Pastoral Resident
Wellesley Village Church & The Congregational Church of Weston
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ZOOM WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY, October 25th
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Join us for worship this Sunday, as we worship online together at 9am on Zoom (same link as last week, and all weeks going forward):
Meeting ID: 890 4282 1232
Passcode: 937552
We will celebrate All Saints Day next Sunday on our 9am Zoom worship service. We will be celebrating communion as well, so have your candle, bread, and grape juice ready.
Bulletin will be emailed on Sunday morning with the Worship link reminder.
A few hours after the service, the replay video will be up online, with the announcements and prayer concerns sections edited out for privacy:
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Did you miss last week's service?
Sean Patrick preached on Sunday Oct 18th. You can watch the replay by clicking on the image. Worship replay videos are up online via our YouTube page. |
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Feed My Sheep Update
Since we are not gathering at church, where you would walk in and see our Food Basket fill up and check the list to see what to bring in the coming week, I will provide you with weekly updates. My last drop-off was gluten-free pasta, rice and whole wheat pasta.
I did get behind on the list because we started a week later than the list, and I couldn’t shop last week. So this week I am buying canned fruit in small 4-pk containers or in a jar, dried fruits and nuts in individual packets, and boxed milk (cows’ milk, almond milk and oat milk) If you are shopping and want to bring a bag of something directly to the COA, you go there with your food, call from the parking lot, put your donation on the bench near the door and someone will come out to get it.
If you are not shopping but would like to send a check, make it out to CCW and send it to the church with a notation in the memo line whether you’d like it to purchase a grocery card or food items. I will use your donation accordingly. Thank you to those who have already done this! We have received more than $200, and that means when I shop this week, I’ll get to use the large shopping cart!
Ba-a-a! (Thank you!)
Cathy
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WORK DAY
Dear Members and Friends,
Please join us for Work Day at CCW on Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 - 12:00. Although we are not spending time at the church in these COVID days, it is important that certain jobs get done every year. We will be weeding, trimming, mulching, washing windows, cleaning gutters, etc. so please come in your work clothes and bring any tools you think might be useful. For the mulch, it would be helpful if some people could bring a wheelbarrow or cart.
I’m sorry to say we won’t be providing coffee and snacks this year but feel free to bring you own, along with your mask and a 6’ ruler for social distancing!
It will be great to see any of you who can come.
Thank you,
Jessica
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Are you registered to vote?
Ten million registered voters who selected the environment as their #1 priority did not vote in 2016.
Be the Change in 2020!
Better environmental policies depend on getting everyone who cares about the environment to vote their values:
#1: Become a Creation Care Voter and prioritize caring for God’s creation in how you vote. Pledge to vote your values.
People who identify environmental issues as important to them have a very poor voting record. Politicians monitor these data, and thus in between elections environmental lobbies are less effective because the politicians know their supporters do not bother to vote. We need to change that if we are going to be successful in moving the climate change agenda at the state or national level. Pledge to vote with us:
The pledge that individuals take as part of the challenge is here:
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It is reading season! That's right, the days are getting shorter and colder, and that's as good a reason as any to curl up with a book and a mug of tea. This season, we will be reading "Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" by Kaitlin B. Curtice. A citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, and a Christian, Kaitlin Curtice's exploration of her own identity raises critical questions about race, identity, and how we might expand our own Christian thinking to be richer and more inclusive. For folks who participated in Antiracism 101, this is a great expansion of those discussions. We will meet 7-8pm on Mondays (10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23).
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Thursday Night Bible Study
Our Bible Study of the Apostle Paul continues, and it is not too late to join in! We discuss N.T. Wright's biography of Paul, along with Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. Thursdays, 7-8:30pm on Zoom.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85773636754
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(Tonight!) Thursdays at 7pm Bible Study of Paul
Join us on Zoom - N.T. Wright's biography of Paul, along with Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians.
Oct 24 9am-12pm CCW Work Day
Come in your work clothes and with any tools you think might be useful.
Oct 25 at 9am Worship CCW live on Zoom
We will worship live together on Zoom at 9am. The replay will be posted up by later that day.
Oct 26 7pm New Book Study begins
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 - 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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