Wise Maiden Heading
Thursday Reminder for March 26, 2015
An Online Ezine
End of Lent 2015


Greetings from your church! We hope the thaw comes back!
In This Reminder
This Weekend
Items for Consideration
Coming Up
Housekeeping
Extras!
This Weekend


Saturday, March 28, 2015
Communion Class, 9:30 a.m. in the Great Hall with Dave. This is a fun event with instruction and practice mixed with art and pita-bread-making for the services on Palm Sunday. Mostly geared for baptized (or about to be baptized) 2-3rd graders with a parent.
(Just a reminder: once a child is baptized they can take communion in the Episcopal Church with their parent's permission and supervision. This class is a way to go "deeper" in terms of it's meaning. It is understood that some parents wait for their children to have this class before taking communion even if they are baptized.)

A Celebration of Life: Memorial and Eucharist for Madeleine Uhler Lake will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, March 28th, at the Church.


Palm Sunday, the Sunday of the Passion:
March 29th
8 a.m. H.E. Rite 1 (Coffee to follow) 
9:00 Choir Rehearsal 
10:15 Blessing of the Palms and Procession from the Great Hall (led by the Choir and all our young people); Family Eucharist, Coffee with the Silver Team. 
In the Great Hall: Heifer Project International with the Church School which will include "shoe shining for Heifer"(wear your black or browns); Relay for Life special chocolate sales (Library!). Heifer Website

Leaflet with Announcements can be found Here

The March Courier can be found here
Note... the April Courier can be found Here

Coffee Hour Team Schedule from February 1st to June 2015 can be found Here

Pastoral Emergencies... please call the office.. 860-928-7026 or Dave's Cell Phone, 860-608-7632. You can also call the office to place a person on our Prayer Chain. 


In the Church School:


 

This week, our Holy High Five goes out to Maddie Malbeouf. Maddie has attended church school for five consecutive Sundays, and she has worked diligently on Heifer Market preparations.  Thanks for your dedication, Maddie!

This Sunday is our Heifer Living Market during coffee hour!  Children in grades 1-6 will meet in the Great Hall upon arrival to process into church with 'The Palms', and then work on Market preparations.  (No chapel downstairs, but Godly Play and nursery meet as usual.) 

  • Bring in your returnable beverage "Cans for Cows & Bottles for Buffalo"! (Collection box located in Great Hall)
  • Donate $1 to "Feather Father Dave's Hat" for Easter weekend!
  • Check out the live animals on display!
  • Test your aim for 50 cents as we "Fleece a Sheep" with cotton balls!
  • Bring or wear your leather shoes to be shined by Henri Bessette and friends for a small donation.
  • Mite boxes for Heifer Int. may be turned in anytime now through Easter Sunday.

Here are our needs for the April 4th Easter Eggstravaganza which relies on parent support (Flyer can be found Here) and here is the information for the Heifer Overlook Farm Fieldtrip (May 24). Thanks.

Christ Church School Co-directors, Amy Landis & Nicole Nichols
 
Teen Program Notes:
Rite-13 have been asked to help with the Heifer Fair on March 29th (this Sunday).

We will have our last Rite 13 Ceremony for the season on Sunday April 12. The rehearsal will be on Saturday April 11 at 5 pm. Celebrants are Natalie Paul, Paloma Flath, Yvie Bessette, Meg Ritzau, Tristan Monahan, Melissa Wishart, Blake Zahansky & Charlotte Nichols

We are having our 30 Famine starting Friday April 24th. The kids will spend the night at church that night and we will end our fast around 6 pm, Saturday April 25th with 

dinner at church.  This is a fundraiser for World Vision, and we are asking each participate to ask at least 5 sponsors, to donate.

Looking ahead, on May 31st, the Rite 13 will run the service at church, so please have your children come as often as they can between now and then.

 

To all J2A parents, you should be paid in full at this time and your child's release form should be turned in to me or the church office, for our Pilgrimage.

The Corned Beef Dinner raised about $725 (we had a lot of expenses this year!). We also had a lot of snow!

One last fundraiser, our biggest, 10th Annual Rummage sale, May 2nd, all hands on board! 

We will start taking Rummage sale items on Sunday April 19th for smaller items, and Sunday April 26 for larger items.


 

Rite-13 & J2A meet on Sundays regularly

YAC meets as scheduled.

Pilgrimage 2015, August 6-12th: The Leaders continue to receive updates from our trip providers, Wonder Voyage. It's shaping up to be a fabulous event!

Dee Dee Markes 
79 Mashamoquet Road
Pomfret Center, CT 06259
860.963.0846 860.617.7996
deedeespa@charter.net
 
Items for Consideration
The Labyrinth

 








First Take
This Sunday, Passion/Palm Sunday, there will be homilies at both the 8 and the 10:15 services.

The chosen readings are Isaiah 50:4-9a (in which we hear one of the "suffering servants" in this second part of Isaiah speak about persecution, a model for Jesus "journey" to the cross), Psalm 31:9-16 (the author of this psalm appeals to God for support), Philippians 2:5-11 (in which Paul briefly explores the way of Christ as one of self-emptying) and our Gospel is shorter version of Mark's Passion narrative in which Jesus brought to trial in which he says very little and condemned. He is led off to death as an insurrectionist, "the King of the Jews", but is declared to be "God's Son" as he dies).
The full text of the readings can be found 
at the Lectionary Website.

Two weeks ago I focused on a more expansive definition of what we might mean when we say "I am saved" and reminded us that being saved is a reality of practice over a lifetime. Then last week I provided a sketch of how we might understand Jesus' "saving action" on the Cross as his final step in entering completely into human life and confronting all the different forces of violence within and outside us, leading us into a new way, a non-violent way of responding to tough stuff. Now on Passion/Palm Sunday and Easter we walk with Jesus in his final journey and triumph which is simultaneously his walk with us on our own "via dolorosa", our successes and failures.
Dave

Poems by Merrill Ann Gonzalez

Special Mission Outreach 
Current Focii:
1) Having a day/morning/evening "meal packaging" event for Stop Hunger Now In the fall.
2) Joining an 8 day trip with PID (Partners in Development) who work in Haiti, Guatemala or Mississippi. Proposed by Mitzi Davis who has gone with PID recently. She will be suggesting a trip date.
Interested, speak with Dave on Sundays during Coffee Hour.

It's that time again: Relay for Life (Woodstock)
The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at the Woodstock Fairgrounds will be from 11am on 5/16- 11am on 5/17.
Registration is free this year but participants should try to raise $100 in donations and they will get a t-shirt. T-shirts must be ordered by 4/5.
Here is the link to Register. Our team name is
Christ Church Family and Friends. 
Contact Ginger Lusa with any questions at gingerlusa@gmail.com or by calling 860-428-5351.

Special Fundraiser for Relay by Hannah Flath, Amy & Katie Lusa and friends.... Some fantastic confections are available to sell. Continues on Sunday March 29 in the Library (great Easter gifts). Here is a sample photo:
   

Lenten Study Concludes
 
Living Islam with Krista Tippett on being a practicing American Muslim. Wednesday at the Carters (the Rectory) on April 1st. 7:00 p.m. for a last session. Anyone can join us.
A number of folks have said they are interested in a "home study" with this series. Respond to this email if you would like Dave to email you attached "listening" files and study questions. 

Some current information about suicide that might be helpful to those in schools: A recent NYTimes article sketches out some new understandings and some clues to possible preventionhere
 

Do you want to go deeper in your spiritual life? One way is to work with a trained/ or in-training Spiritual Director. There are a number locally (Northeast CT). Respond to Dave via this email and we can start a conversation and possible match up".

Pledges so far: Your pledge is the way we have a fully-funded ministry at Christ Church. That is how important you are! Current pledges are running at about $189,000. Thank you!
Coming Up









March into April:

Saturday, March 28th, Communion Class
 in the Great Hall at 9:30 a.m. at which we will be making the pita bread for our communion services on Sunday;
Celebration of her life for Madeleine Lake in the church at 12 noon.  

Palm Sunday, March 29th! 8 and 10:15 Services; Church School Heifer Fair and special Relay Fundraiser; Procession of the Palms from the Great Hall at the 10:15 service. 

April 2nd, Maundy Thursday: 6 p.m. potluck & table eucharist at the Rectory (the Carters house). This night celebrates the "start of the church family" in Jesus' command to love one another "as I have loved you", hence gathering at a home. All are welcome, young and old. The meditative Stripping of the Altar in the church follows (about 7:15 p.m.).

April 3rd, Good Friday: Walking the Labyrinth in the Great Hall, starting at 8:15 a.m. (gentle music and suggested directions available); Good Friday Liturgy (the Story and a meditation), 7 p.m. (hymns with Dennis); Note Rectory School is having a Good Friday Chapel at around 11 a.m.

April 4th, Holy Saturday: Eggstravaganza for our young folk with parents in the Great Hall and a "walk" through the Passion Story with Christine Carter and the felt board, starts at 10 a.m.; Rectory School Easter Service at 4 p.m. with brief Easter Eucharist (to be confirmed)

April 5, Easter Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10:15 Services (no Church School or Teen Program... Childcare for younger kids downstairs)

Wednesday, April 8th, 7 p.m. Vestry Meeting

Thursday, April 9th, 7:30 a.m. Healing Eucharist

Saturday, April 11th, 5 p.m. Rite-13 Rehearsal

Sunday, April 12th, 8 a.m.(Hymns with Dennis and Jim), 9:15 Rectory Sunday Chapel and 10:15 Service, Rite-13 Ceremony and Contemporary Music

Link to the Readers/Acolyte Schedule

Link to the Google Calendar 
Housekeeping









Flowers
Sign Up Master List is posted to the left of the office door. You can sign up there, call the office (928-7026) or respond to this email to Make a Memorial or a Thanksgiving for a loved one ($30/Sunday). Easter Flower donation time has arrived. There are applications for the Easter Lillies in the back of the church ($15) and can be found Here Last call as of March 31st because we have to "run the presses" for Easter.

Stewardship: Visions and Ventures
Your pledge remains the most important source of income for us to continue our ministries, by far. Thanks! See to the right, both pledge materials and a pledge card download.

How about Pledging and Donating by eCheck, Credit Card, etc.? And more, keeping track of your own donations in the same secure way? You now can with our direct on-line option:

(Note: when you wish to access the Christ Church easytithe donation site you will need to go through this button, here on the Reminder, or on the website. It will not work on the easytithe site directly. That log in is for account managers.)

Amazon Smile: Amazon.com will donate .5 percent of eligible purchases to Christ Church. Amazon pays these donations. You can still shop through your own account but Christ Church will benefit. Link is Here Thanks! 

Vestry Notes
Next Vestry meeting is April 9th! 

Buildings and Grounds
Our current plan is to repair the floor in the kitchen around the dishwasher over the summer as a volunteer initiative (Rich DiBonaventura). 

Spirituality & Health Workshops 
There is a conversation going on with the Rev. Oscar Brockmeyer and several of the participants to provide an on-going forum for spirituality and health with small group work, possibly at the church. More to come in mid-April.
Original Flyer is found: 

Shawl Ministry:
 Blessed shawls on the back table in church (fill out the log book). We have had a number of folks respond with thanks after receiving one of the shawls. Rebecca Patenaude, Coordinator
Sunday Donations for Access.. Suggested Sunday morning donations: canned vegetables, canned protein (chicken, tuna, ham, beans and etc.), pasta, deodorant and 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner. List? Click Here

Outreach....  Next cooking for Community Kitchen on April 27th at the 1st Congregational Church of Woodstock (the Hill Church). Contact Pauline Phillips at Christ Church. CSO Committee will be meeting soon to look at the next of our 2015 Grants. Craig Tiffany is the new Vestry Liaison for CSO.
Extras!
Some Youtube Videos/Music: The first is Nine6teen playing a song last week. The second is another video from the ecumenical protestant community at Taize' in France (we'll be doing Taize chants at our MThurs. Table Eucharist). The third is from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) and is a good reminder of the resources available for depression with links to learn more. 

Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat 3 22 15
Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat 3 22 15



Lord, Hear My Prayer
Lord, Hear My Prayer



Tell Me About Depression
Tell Me About Depression


 
Dave Carter
Christ Church Pomfret
(Box 21) 527 Pomfret Street 
Pomfret, Ct. 06258

Feel free to contact us: christchurchpomfret@gmail.com

 
Welcome to your church!
Steeple
Mission Statement

To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, welcoming all who come through our doors to participate in worship, education, service and fellowship on a journey in Christ, a journey that we believe not only has power to heal and change us but also has potential to transform the world.

(Vestry 2003)


 

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