Dear friends in Christ,
I hope you’re all doing well this week! There are a number of things going on in the church to highlight:
All Saints’ Sunday 11/7
This Sunday during communion we’ll be remembering some of the regular saints from our lives who have died. Please email me the names of any friends, family, colleagues, etc. that you’d like remembered in worship. I’ve already included all the names of people who died in 2020 and 2021 where I officiated the funeral/memorial service.
November Mission Projects
- Veteran’s Day Lunches
- We will be collecting donations for our Veteran’s Day lunches. This year we will have Cub Scout Pack 6 come and help us pack up the 200 lunches we will donate to GWIM. Here is a sign up link for anyone who’d like to sign up to help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0548A4A82DABF58-veterans! Can’t sign up online? Call Jeanine and she will sign up you for some slots! We’ll also have a sign up sheet on Sundays. We would love any donation you are able to provide! We would love to have all donations in by November 8th.
- Thanksgiving Baskets
- We are sponsoring three local families and providing them with a Thanksgiving dinner! You can sign up here to help make these families’ Thanksgiving a little brighter: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0548A4A82DABF58-thanksgiving As with the Veteran’s day lunches, if you can’t sign up online, let Jeanine know and she will help you! We’ll also have a sign up sheet on Sundays. We would love to have all donations in by November 22nd.
Ongoing and Upcoming Mission Projects
- Vegetables for the Middlebury Food Bank
- The Middlebury Food Bank has asked for people to donate onion, potatoes, carrots, squash, and other vegetables that don’t require refrigeration to supplement the canned goods that are regularly donated. You can bring vegetables on Sundays, and volunteers will make sure to bring them to the Middlebury Food Bank.
- Sock-It-To-Homelessness
- Through the winter months, we’re collecting socks that will be donated to GWIM for the homeless. Socks are one of the most needed items for people who are homeless. We’re collecting new or gently used socks of all sizes. Socks can be donated in the laundry basket next to the Multiplication Table in the sanctuary.
- Star Tree
- Each year we work Covenant to Care/Wellmore to provide Christmas gifts to families in need in our wider community. This year we’re going to be providing gifts for 60 children. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving 11/21, we’ll have the stars/sign ups available for anyone who is doing their shopping on Black Friday.
- GWIM Food Pantry
- All year round we collect nonperishable food items for GWIM. Donations can be dropped off in the bin outside the church office or on the Multiplication Table in the sanctuary.
Advent, Christmas, and Worship Plans
With the recent approval of COVID vaccines for all but the youngest children, we are in the process of planning out the Advent and Christmas season and looking forward to being able to resume many of our beloved traditions relatively safely. We’re also working towards restoring more music and singing to our services. So, stay posted in the coming weeks for updates and good news!
Stewardship Mailings
The mailings from the Stewardship Campaign are going out soon, so please be on the lookout. We’ll bless all the pledges we’ve received on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 21st.
General Comments
I’ve attached a picture of the Sunday School kids from this past Sunday in all their Halloween finery in case anyone missed them!
As we head towards All Saints’ Sunday, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite poems from 17th century English clergyman and poet John Donne.
Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud
“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.”
Peace,
Pastor Katrina