Hurricanes Fiona and Ian have brought torrential rain and damaging winds to the Caribbean, the Canadian Maritimes, and now to Florida. Millions have been left without power and now face catastrophic damage to homes and communities.

UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is in close contact with disaster response coordinators in al the affected areas, addressing immediate and long-term needs.

Join us in prayer for the communities that have been affected by Fiona and Ian. If you would like to support UMCOR's relief efforts, you can donate through the church site (www.harvardepworthchurch.org/giving and select “UMCOR” in the dropdown menu) or bring/mail donations to the church.

This Sunday, October 2, is World Communion Sunday. We will join with United Methodist congregations around the globe in collecting a special offering to support scholarships for future church leaders.

"World Communion Sunday is celebrated in many different languages, but the communion elements represent the same Christ at each table. Extend the communion table this year by assisting others who work to meet their full potential and fulfil God’s purpose in their lives by supporting the offering that day as well," writes an article from Global Ministries exploring the impact of their scholarship funds.

Please bring or mail your offering to the church, or contribute online at www.harvardepworthchurch.org/giving and select “UMC Special Offering” in the dropdown menu. Thank you! 

On Sunday, October 16, we will hold an after-service potluck luncheon provided entirely by the men of the church. It's the first men's luncheon since before the pandemic. We have plenty of meat dishes, but need veggie dishes, desserts, and other side dishes. If you're interested in bringing something, see Lane Lambert at church, or email him at jamaicaplainlane@gmail.com.

Anja Kondo, a HEUMC member, recently shared that her son, Erik Kondo, has entered a YouTube competition sponsored by the National Spinal Association. She writes:

Dear Friends,

My son Erik, now 57, suffered a spinal cord injury in 1984. He has gone on with his life, graduated from college, married, is the father of three children and is self-employed. He has entered a competition sponsored by the National Spinal Association, an American organisation dedicated to help spinal cord injured people lead successful lives. The contestants use YouTube to show how they use Innovation and Entrepreneurship to improve their lives and help others in the same condition. The contestant with the most "likes" on September 30 wins the prize of $ 5000. If Erik wins he will use the money for his project in Nigeria, featured in the video.

Here is the link to Erik’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zjr9q79rtM&t=1s It is a remarkable video, please “like” it!

Darby Vassall (1769-1861) was born into enslavement by the Vassall family, early benefactors of Christ Church Cambridge, founded in 1759. After slavery was abolished in Massachusetts in 1783, Darby Vassall became a leader of the Boston Black community. Pursuant to his own wish, he was buried in the Vassall family tomb directly under the sanctuary of Christ Church. 

"Here Lies Darby Vassall" is a multi-media installation commemorating Darby Vassall’s life and death, and builds on Christ Church’s evolving commitment to racial justice. This exhibit will open ceremony of dedication in the church at 6:00PM on October 12, the date of Darby Vassall’s death, and run in a continuous loop on a screen directly in front of the church (Zero Garden St., across from the Cambridge Common) every evening from 6:00PM to 8:00PM through November 6, All Saints Sunday. 

On Wednesday, October 12 at 6:00pm all are invited to join for a service of prayer and hear from Darby Vassall's living descendants before the film premieres. The premiere will also be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. 

Adult Forum resumes this fall in a hybrid format. All are welcome to attend the weekly meetings, which are held at 10:00am, before the Sunday worship service.

You can join us in the library at the church or remotely via Zoom using the following link: https://zoom.us/j/95550522302

On this Sunday, October 2, the topic is Topic: “Ecotheologians and Resources for Ecotheology—Part 1” presented by Graham Kelder.

This fall, we are blessed to have Ann Haywood-Baxter, Nancy Akbari and Warren Brown leading the children’s Sunday School class. They will bring the Godly Play circle to life, offering a creative, experiential approach to Bible stories that will enable the children to engage and understand God’s love and call in their lives. Godly Play is based in the Montessori principles, and you can learn more here: https://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/get-started

The classes will be for children from 4 years old through 4th grade, 10:00 - 10:50, in the Sunday School room (at the end of the hall, in the church basement). 

We are looking for additional volunteers and welcome your help with Sunday School; each Sunday a volunteer will serve as “door person” and assist the primary “storyteller” with that week’s experience. This is a terrific way to assist the children in their learning; it is also a terrific way to build your own familiarity with and understanding of scripture. If you would like to volunteer, please email education@harvardepworthchurch.org or watch for sign up opportunities. Please reach out with any questions or information that you would like to share.

On Sunday evenings, replacing the time of Life Groups, the Young Adult/University Student Group is joining together in a forty-day devotional entitled, "Christ Walk Crushed: A 40 Day Journey Toward Reconciliation." by Anna Fitch Courie & David W. Peters. The session will meet online at this link: 

https://zoom.us/j/91710065111. 

This devotional is a workbook where you read a few pages every day and then contemplate your own spiritual journey as you incorporate physical health into your routine. On Sunday evenings at 7pm, we will meet together to break into pairs and discuss what we thought about and learned about during the week.

If you are interested in participating and would like a book ordered, please email Adam (adam@harvardepworthchurch.org) and he will work with you to get the materials you need.

Everyone knows that singing is good for the soul, but did you know that singing is good for the body as well? Singing regularly improves breathing and posture, tones the abdominal and intercostal muscles and the diaphragm, and stimulates circulation. Singing releases the body's natural endorphins, helping to relieve aches and pains. Researchers at the University of Frankfurt in Germany found that singing in a choir strengthens the immune system and notably improves the singer's mood.

These are just a few reasons to give the Adult Choir a try this fall. We meet on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. to prepare wonderful music for the worship of God. You don't have to read music or have a beautiful voice. You don't have to commit to singing every Sunday -- many of our singers participate on a part-time basis. All you need is the ability to match pitch and to come to rehearsal on the Sunday morning you wish to sing. Our Choir is a warm and welcoming group, open to all levels of musical skill. 

If this sounds intriguing, and you would like to give the Adult Choir a try, please contact Terry at terryhalco@gmail.com, or just come to the vestry at 9:45am on a Sunday morning. 

We do ask that Choir singers be fully vaccinated, and we will continue to wear masks during rehearsals and worship services.

We joyfully celebrated the opening of Season 9 at the Friday Cafe after Labor Day! This is our sixth year of volunteering at the Friday Cafe. It will continue to be a hybrid affair. We will serve hot food to our guests in the hall, who will then eat the food on the church lawn.

Harvard-Epworth will send a team of volunteers to the Opening Shift of the Friday Cafe on the third Friday of each month. Several positions are available during the Opening Shift. 

Our next volunteer day of Season 9 is Friday, October 16. Please join us! Your thoughtful presence is welcomed.

Please visit https://signup.com/go/VfFWmvv to sign up. If you have questions, please contact the church office.

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On the third Saturday of every month, a volunteer team from Harvard Epworth brings sandwiches to homeless neighbors in Harvard and Central Squares. Harvard-Epworth will resume this ministry on Saturday, October 17.

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.

Dave Bryant's Monthly Harmolodic Jazz Series continues on Thursday, October 20 at 8:00pm. This month, Dave

(keyboards) is joined by Srinivasan

Raghuraman (vocals), George Garzone (soprano

saxophone), Mike Rivard (bass), and Jerry Leake

(percussion) in the church vestry.

For updates on each month’s musical guests, visit dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays/. Admission at the door is $10. For more information, please contact bryantequilibria@gmail.com or (617) 447-3030.

This fall, we will again be accepting donations of flowers in the sanctuary on Sundays. Please click the following link and fill out the form. You may also call the church office to make the arrangements to donate flowers. Please include the text of the dedication for the bulletin.

We will contact Coady Florist, who will deliver the flowers to the church on Sunday morning. The cost is $50. You may send a check to the church, or donate online through Tithe.ly at the church website (choose “Sunday Flowers).

This is a wonderful way to share your joys and remembrances with the church community, and brighten up the sanctuary with the beauty of flowers. After the service, you may take the flowers home with you or give them to someone else.

Flowers must be ordered by Wednesday before the Sunday of your donation.

As the invasion of Ukraine moves past the six-month mark, the Missions Committee continues to collect funds for Ukrainian relieve, distributed through UMCOR and the Kyiv School of Economics. Please give via 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.

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. 

When inside, we strongly encourage people to wear masks except when eating/drinking; we ask those attending to be fully vaccinated and boosted as allowed.