September 23 Colonial Church News

September 27 Worship

Sunday Worship Online

Connect to online live worship service at https://colonialucc.online.church/ at 8:30 or 10:15 a.m.

Or, you can watch our service anytime after 8:30 a.m. on Sundays via YouTube at https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeV

Fellowship Time at 9:15 a.m. Immediately following our 8:30 online worship service, grab a mug and come over to our community's Coffee & Conversation online. You can connect at https://tinyurl.com/ColConv

Online Children's Sunday School.Camille Breckenridge teaches the week's Sunday School Bible story on Sunday mornings at https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeVid

If you know of kids who might enjoy taking part in our Sunday School, invite their parents to signup to be on the list to receive the weekly materials at https://bit.ly/CCSSOnline.

When Will Colonial Hold In-Person Services?

The Colonial Church Council decided in July that we won't hold in-person worship services until our local COVID-19 cases are under control. Council decided to follow three of the gating criteria the Johnson County Health Department tracks as part of its COVID-19 research. The gating criteria Council chose are new cases, hospitalizations, and syndromic cases. There should be a reduction in all three of those numbers over the most recent 14 days before our church reopens.

Because the numbers are increasing, Colonial will continue to hold online-only worship services.

For details on Johnson County's gating criteria, see https://public.tableau.com/profile/mapper.of.the.day.mod.#!/vizhome/covid19_joco_public/Dashboard

Congregational Meeting This Sunday

A special congregational meeting by Zoom is scheduled at 9:15 (between services) on September 27 to ask for congregational approval for two items:

a person to provide technology assistance to Pastor Aaron during the COVID-19 crisis
an upgrade to our audio/visual systems.

The cost of these not come out of the operating budget but will be covered by tax refunds and the Pemberton Trust. The amounts are over $10,000 so the congregation must approve the expenditures.

The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84914877574?pwd=UC92S2tValp4YlpOOGswTDZlUUVRUT09

Details of the proposals are in the September 10, 2020 Council Meeting attached here.

Communion and Pet Blessing Sunday

9:30 am on October 4

Head to Colonial on Sunday, October 4 for drive-through Communion beginning at 9:30 am. If you like, bring your furry friends along for a special blessing. Pastor Aaron will stand along the circle drive near the sanctuary doors, greet people and pets, and serve Holy Communion.

K-O Conference Annual Meeting Begins October 5

Attend the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference Annual Meeting virtually this year. There are voting delegates as always, but members of K-O churches are invited to join.

Listen to speakers like Brian Bond, Executive Director of PFLAG and former Obama administration official, and Rev. Rebecca Anderson, Pastor/Founder of Earshot Storytelling. The meeting also is an opportunity to connect with our fellow churches in the conference.

There is no cost but you must register. Learn more and register at https://www.koannualmeeting2020.org/

Neighbors in Need Offering October 4

October 4 is the date to make your contribution to the NEIGHBORS IN NEED fund of the UCC.

This year, you will make this donation on our website. Click here and go to the pull down menu bar of “Give to 2020 stewardship” to select “Give to Neighbors in Need”. The needs are many during this unusual year, so your generous support is especially important.

This fund supports ministries of justice and compassion in congregations all over the United States. Grants such as the $10,000 that made it possible for the Peace Congregational United Church in South Carolina to supplement their fund and build a tiny house to temporarily shelter a member of the LGBTQ community who had been forced to leave their home. This congregation saw a need and donated time and money to help with a solution. Many communities are facing justice and compassion problems and our support with our donations is a step forward. The UCC website describes several projects that have been able to serve specific needs in communities of all sizes and locations. Hear some stories about recipients of NIN funds here.

Donate

Virtual Quilt Show

The pandemic hasn't slowed down the Colonial Quiltmakers— on September 4 they gave 118 quilts to nine charities including Children's Mercy, Growing Futures, Sheffield Place, KU Pediatrics, Hope Lodge, Truman Medical Center, Headstart KCKS, Project Eagle and Operation Breakthrough. The Quiltmakers thank Colonial Women for their financial support to purchase supplies. Enjoy the quilt show: Virtual Quilt Show

The Quiltmakers are always looking for help making and tying quilts and invite you to join them on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Friday of each month in the Social Hall. Come and be a part of this fun group of ladies! For more information, contact Cindy Burgdorfer at cburg1954@gmail.com

We are looking for Advent Devotional Writers. If you have been waiting breathlessly for your opportunity to write a devotion for Advent, look no further. All you need do is pick a day, read the text pulled from the Advent Daily Lectionary reading and voila, pen your greatest work! You can join through this link: Advent Devotion Writers Registry

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. That’s why the American Red Cross is hosting a blood drive on October 1, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. in the Colonial Church Social Hall. The community is invited to donate blood for hospital patients in our neighborhoods and across the nation. The need for blood is constant, but only 3 percent of the U.S. population donates. To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

A New Theology for a Renewed Christianity

Thursday Study Group

The religious, racial, and ethnic makeup of the United States is changing. We live in a community of people of many faiths. Traditional Christian theology is rooted in ancient Greek dualism - black and white; in or out; right or wrong. It became the theology of empires.

We need a new approach.

Today, Christians from Asia offer a new vision of pluralist theology - of coexisting. It may be exactly what we need.

Our Thursday Morning Study Group is going to explore this Christian approach with a five-week study of Damayanthi Niles' book Doing Theology with Humility, Generosity, and Wonder: A Christian Theology of Pluralism.

We meet on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88527356861?pwd=bzU5MHBiUVV5N2VxbTRWbXFDR3UzQT09) at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday mornings. You can get a copy of the book at https://amzn.to/3jDRaW6

October 1 - God in a Pluralistic World

October 8 - Christ in a Pluralistic World

October 15 - Holy Spirit in a Pluralistic World

October 22 - The Human Being as a Dialogical Creature

October 29 - Churches as Champions of Dialogue

To signup for the Thursday Morning Study Group, go to https://colonialucc.breezechms.com/form/d2371f53

Colonial Women Activities

All women of Colonial Church are invited to gather with others in casual fellowship opportunities, whether you prefer breakfast, happy hour or discussing a book. Check out the options below. No reservations required.

Coffee. Monday, October 5, 9:30 a.m., Colonial Church front lawn. Bring your chair and your coffee.
Blue Moose Tuesday. Tuesday, October 13, 5:30 p.m., Colonial Church front lawn. Bring your own chair, beverage and food as we gather - appropriately distanced - to talk and laugh together.
Book Group. Friday, October 30, 7:00 p.m., via Zoom. We will discuss "On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong.

Colonial Learning Pod Update

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City revamped its after-school care programs and summer camps to offer full-day learning academies as remote learning support. Colonial Church in Prairie Village hosts one of these called Colonial Church Y Academy. The Colonial Y Learning Academy using our lower level classrooms has 21 students participating. Read about the program here.

Watch Our Weekly Services and Sermons

Livestream: Sundays at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. at https://colonialucc.online.church/

On Demand: worship services are on YouTube here. Sermons are available here.

Daily Devotionals

Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, provides an excellent daily devotional, written by the "Still Speaking" writers group. To have the devotions emailed to you daily go to:

http://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional