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Worship 10am

Lent II: Unplugged 🔌 Expectations

Mark 8:31-38

Rev. Dr. Mary Lou Gifford

🔌 Lent: Unplugged | Our 2024 sermon series

We live life plugged in - to email, text messages, and social media - to work obligations, volunteer commitments, family needs, and news cycles. As faithful and good as it is to actively engage with the world, even Jesus took time to unplug, often retreating to the mountains alone after healing and serving the crowds, or getting into the boat alone after teaching the disciples. This Lent, we are following in the way of Jesus and explore ways to unplug from the rapid pace of life in order to find the quiet center.

🧸Pajama storytime is this Sunday

This Sunday, kids and adult volunteers (the rest of you are on your own with this) are invited to wear their jammies, bring a lovey and/or blankie and curl up to listen to the story Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. She is an author, artist and activist who, among other things, created story quilts and protested at the Whitney Museum years ago to urge them to include women artists and especially women artists of color in their exhibits. Here’s a great video about her life and work. We’ll also be finishing up our blanket making for the month.

Reserve your seat on the UCC Norwell bus for GBIO Housing Justice meeting

GBIO will stand 1,700-strong for housing justice on March 3 at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center. UCC Norwell’s RJMT has rented a bus to take up to 50 people from the church on March 3 at 1:00pm to the ISBCC in Roxbury. The bus will return to the church by 5:30pm. To register for the bus in person this Sunday, meet with Meg Clapp and Susan Domey-Allen who will be in Fellowship Hall directly after worship.

🌍Where on God's earth have you been? | Travel experiences potluck

Come for a potluck on Saturday, March 9 at 5:00pm and share your stories and pictures with each other —connecting through our travel experiences in Where on God’s Earth have you been? No reservations required! Bring your favorite dish to share! Sponsored by our Mission + Outreach Ministry Team.

🏈Touchdown for Compassion: Soup-er Bowl Drive Delivers

This "Soup-er Sunday" wasn't just about touchdowns on the field, but touchdowns for compassion at UCC Norwell! Partnering with Wellspring for 8 years, we've been throwing spirals of hope with our annual "Soup-er Bowl" collection.

Just like any good play, it takes teamwork to tackle hunger. And thanks to every generous donor, we intercepted poverty and ran it straight back for a touchdown! It was such a blitz of kindness, Jean Holley's trunk almost got flagged for holding (too much soup)!

A couple hundred warm meals might not look like a winning score on the scoreboard, but in the fight against hunger, it's a game-changer for those in need. Huge thanks to all who donated!

Lenten Musical Meditations | Every Wednesdays 12:30-1pm through March 27

Blanket Month for Project Linus ends with cozy gifts for many

We wrap up our blanket making this week for Project Linus, a group who distributes homemade blankets to children in the hospital or facing other traumatic situations.

Thank you to the many who contributed in a variety of ways from donating fleece, to prepping blankets, to tying alongside the kids and even bringing blankets on vacation to fill long car rides! So many hands have made this all happen!

Donations of fleece and cotton batting are still being accepted. What we don’t get to this year, we will put away to use next year!

Concert at UCC Norwell | Saturday, March 2, 7:00pm 

David Won and Timothy Steele will present You Raise Me Up, a program of sacred music by composer Mark Hayes. A freewill offering will be taken for the benefit of Ukrainian charities.

🎨Cards on a mission | Created by artists in our congregation

"All Occasion Cards" Easter cards will be available on March 3. The suggested donation is $5 per card. All proceeds go to mission organizations that our church supports.

Prayerful Stitches meeting | Thursday, March 7, 2:00-4:00pm

Our Prayerful Stitches Ministry Team will meet in our church library on March 7 and April 4. All are welcome to attend. Questions? Please email Gwen Morgan or call 781-718-6195 or email Ann Finnie or call 781-545-2663.

Open Arms, Open Hearts: Introducing our church blog

Friendship Home Volunteer Opportunity

Camp is the highlight of the year for a great many of the participants. tVolunteers are needed for at least one or more of these days (10am-4pm): Monday - Wednesday August 26-28; located at Camp Hayward in Sandwich, MA. 

Responsibilities include:

• Waterfront support of staff/lifeguards
• Spending time and engaging with members
• Assisting with arts and crafts
• Clean up
• Guiding members to activities
• Team building
• Camp-wide games

Please contact Kimm Ball with questions or for more information.

Public Meditations, Praise, + Prayer Wall

Add your meditation, praise, or prayer for the Lenten season.

Pictures for Lent | What does it mean to be "Unplugged?"

Emily, our Communications Coordinator (and the person in charge of the Weekly Update 👋🏻) is collecting pictures from our congregation for Lent to be shared through our social media channels. This year's sermon series theme is "Lent: Unplugged." What does it mean for you to be "unplugged?" Some ideas include: stillness, prayer, reflection, listening, memory, blessings, learning, and much more!

If you'd like to share a picture for Lent, please share it in one of the following ways:

• TEXT to uccnorwellsoundroom@gmail.com (no emails, please)
• UPLOAD to this Google Drive folder
• REPLY to this email with your pictures

UCC Norwell Public Calendar

Find all of our "save the date" events and more on our public activities and events calendar!

Activities & Events include:

• Choir rehearsals
• Handbell rehearsals
• Bible study (Sunday Zoom link, Wednesday Zoom link)
• Church School (Sunday)
• "Not" Church School (Sunday)
• Youth Group (Sunday)
• Confirmation (Sunday)
• The Memory Lane Singers (23/24 Schedule)
• ...and more!