eNews for Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Steadfast Saguaros
By Talitha Arnold, Senior Minister of the United Church of Santa Fe (UCC) and author of Mark Parts 1 and 2
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.—Psalm 108:1a (NRSV)
Saguaro cactus are steadfast. On less than 10 inches of rain a year, with temperatures that range from 120 degrees down to freezing, the iconic “giants of the desert” live on average for 150 to 200 years.
Saguaros grow in only one part of the world: the Sonoran Desert that stretches from southern Arizona to northern Sonora (Mexico) and west to a small corner of California. They’ve been a part of that landscape of rock and hard sand for 10,000 years. They are steadfast.
It’s doubtful the author of Psalm 108 ever saw a saguaro. Yet I think they would have appreciated these long-lasting denizens of the desert, especially the lessons they offer in staying steadfast when life is rocky and hard.
Unlike tumbleweeds that spring up quickly after a rain but blow away when life gets hard, saguaros grow slowly, putting out roots that are as broad underground as the plant is tall above ground. They have the foundation they need to remain steadfast through thunderstorms and blistering sun.
The saguaro’s adaptability is also key to its tenacity. Most trees have a central trunk, but a saguaro has ribs. When the rains come, the cactus expands to store water for the dry times. When a bird pecks into its skin, the cactus forms a “shoe” around the injury for protection—just as the psalmist looks to God to be a “fortified city” in their time of trouble.
The psalmist strengthens their faith in God through thanks and praise, proclaiming “I will awake the dawn.” Every morning, the upraised arms of God’s steadfast saguaros do the same.
Prayer
Thank you, Creator God, for your steadfast saguaros and all the other lessons of your Creation. Amen.
A Note from the Interim Pastor
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I will be traveling to Oregon on June 23 to preside at the wedding of my son. I will also be taking a few days of vacation in my Pacific Northwest homeland. In my absence Jackie Falk will be available for pastoral emergencies. She will preach on the 27th of June. Gary Solomonson will preach on July 4. My thanks to both. I will return to the office July 6.
It is time as well for me to say to you that I will be leaving. My final worship service as your Interim Pastor will be August 29. What a remarkable journey we have been on together. When we started out, none of us had heard of Covid-19. Yet it came, and with it new opportunities to expand our understanding of what it means to be church. I thank Mary and Patrick, the Council, and all of you for the many ways we have worked together as pastor and congregation. I am especially grateful for Moderator Julie Johnson’s leadership in this interim time. A close working relationship between Moderator and Pastor is a blessing that pays dividends in the overall well-being of congregational life.
By the time I leave, I will have been your interim pastor for twenty-one months. They have been among the most rewarding months in thirty-plus years of ministry. I know you have a wonderful future. You are a generous people. You are a gifted and gracious people! My prayer for you is that with your next settled pastor, you will continue to find ways to reach out to neighborhood and community. I pray that you will continue to walk with the Spirit’s leading into new ways of being church in a too-unsettled world in need of justice and embracing grace.
With gratitude and love,
PJ
A Note From the Moderator
The Pilgrim Church Council will meet June 22. On its agenda is to act on the request of the Pastoral Search Committee to schedule a candidating weekend for the purpose of introducing the committee’s candidate for the pastoral office of Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ. There will be opportunities to meet the candidate on the weekend of July 9. The candidate will be the preacher for the July 11 service. There will be a meeting of the congregation following the service. We urge all members and friends of Pilgrim to come together to share in this special time in the life of the congregation. More information to come.
Julie Johnson
Ballots Due by Friday, June 18
Friendly reminder that ballots from the Congregational Meeting on Sunday are due no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, June 18. Ballots can be mailed to the office or dropped off. Thank you!
Rhubarb Festival
CHUM's Rhubarb Festival is happening this year!
Saturday, June 26, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
First United Methodist Church (Coppertop)
The 17th annual CHUM Rhubarb Festival returns this year both in person and online. The week-long celebration takes place from June 20-26. During that week, several local community partners will offer special rhubarb-themed meals and treats, including At Sara’s Table, Sir Benedict’s Tavern, Love Creamery, and more. See the entire list on the CHUM website.
Join us on June 26th at First United Methodist Church, also known as the Coppertop, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for fun, food, and Rhubarbara. Social distancing and all Minnesota Health Department protocols will be observed. The carnival will have activities for the kids, rhubarb treats, and Rhubarb Festival gear for sale.
At 3:00 pm, the CHUM Rhubarb Festival will continue online with a Livestream featuring performances by local musicians, gardening and cooking tips, and a look at how CHUM has adapted to the pandemic. There will also be an online auction starting June 25th and ending the 26th with auction items donated by CHUM Congregations.
Look for rhubarb-themed treats all around Duluth along with Rhubarbara in a Duluth Rhubarbara hunt. The longest leaf and largest stalk contest winners will be announced during the Livestream along with Rhubarb Trivia.
Volunteer
Many volunteers are still needed on the day of the event. You can volunteer in any 2-hour time slot in lots of different ways. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a4aabae23abf94-rhubarb
CHUM is also looking for help in other ways:
- 10-foot-by-10-foot tents for use on the festival day
- Put up posters to advertise the event
- Donate baskets for the auction
- Invite people to come!
For more information, contact Molly Lyons at (253) 761‑6238 or mylyons@chumduluth.org.
CHUM Food Shelf Update
COVID-19 has changed our entire operation, including our Food Shelf and the way we distribute food, which is now low-contact distribution of pre-packaged 50-pound food boxes for clients to pick up. CHUM has started a new Mobile Food Shelf Program—“CHUM 2 GO”, for low-income people who are homebound, disabled, or unable to access our brick-and-mortar locations, allowing us to serve more people who are facing hunger and food insecurity.
We need your help to make this program operate.
CHUM 2 GO will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month. Deliveries will be made from 9:00 am-11:00 am and 12:00 pm-2:00 pm. We need drivers, box packers, schedulers, and client interviewers. If you want to help or want to learn more, please email chum2go@chumduluth.org.
Pilgrim Women's Book Club
Monday, July 12 | 4:00 pm
The Pilgrim Book Group will meet on July 12 at 4:00 pm. The book will be Colton Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys, the devastating tale of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow–era Florida. The novel is based on the real story of a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children. The book was chosen as the Duluth Library’s City Read for this year.
Ten copies of the book, supplied by the library’s Books in a Bag program, are now available from Patrick in the church office. You can sign out a copy and return it after the meeting. This will probably be a zoom meeting. (Stay tuned for possible changes later this summer.)
All are welcome to participate.
Sunday Worship at Pilgrim
Join us Sunday at 10:00 am for Sunday Worship at Pilgrim, in person or online. You can view the service on Pilgrim's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
If you have an announcement that you would like read during a Sunday service, please get it to the office or directly to Pastor Judith by Monday each week.
Please send in your prayer requests to include in Sunday services. Send your prayer requests, joys, and concerns to Pastor Judith via email by Friday each week to be included. We will use only first names during the service in order to maintain confidentiality, and your prayer requests will be passed along to Marge Fraser and Pilgrim's Prayer Chain.
In case you missed it, you can view last Sunday's worship service on YouTube.
Attendance: 46
YouTube views: 15
Facebook reach: 33
Morning Coffee
Wednesdays | 10:00 am
Join Pastor Judith for your morning coffee! We'll have a time for checking in with each other, prayers, and perhaps a brief meditation. Grab the beverage of your choice and join us on Zoom.
Meeting ID: 497 627 641
Passcode: 926781
Prayers and Condolences
Keep in your prayers:
- Anita and her family as she undergoes medical treatment
- Wanda and her family as she recovers from surgery
- Betty and her family as her son undergoes medical treatment
- Andrew, as he continues with medical monitoring
Show Us Your Walks
A very cool moth in Hartley Park
We're lucky to live in a community with so much beauty and access to nature. Send Patrick your photos to share your walks with us in future emails! It's another way to stay connected in these troubled times.
What Patrick's Listening To
Some incredibly difficult Debussy, played by Spanish Rubén Yessayan: Feux d'artifice.