eNews for Thursday, July 8, 2021
Should I Stay or Should I Go
By Tony Robinson, author of This Is How We Begin
Jesus said to them, “Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”—Luke 24:49 (NRSV)
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke conclude in quite different ways. In Matthew, the disciples are told, “Go and make disciples.” “Go.” In Luke, they are told to “Stay,” sit tight, wait in Jerusalem, stay put until you are clothed with power from on high. I don’t imagine that the band, The Clash, had the New Testament in mind when they sang, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” but they could have.
Generally, I am more of a Matthew type than a Luke type. I prefer to go, to get on with it, to move, to do and to act. But there is a time for waiting. Waiting until the time is right. Waiting until some gift of power and grace, not our own, comes upon us to make it possible for us to do what cannot be done in our own strength alone.
“Stay,” said Luke. “Wait.” But it’s not just waiting. It’s waiting for the Spirit, for a power not our own to come upon us, to clothe us. There are things that need doing in this world that are beyond our ability to accomplish solely by our own effort. God’s word, God’s incursion, God’s Spirit are required. “Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Prayer
Veni Sancte Spiritus, come Holy Spirit, come. Teach me to wait and to pray. To wait for you, to call upon you, to be clothed by your power from on high. Amen.
UCC General Synod
Learn more about the plans for workshops, worship and more during this special virtual General Synod.
Worship will stream live on the United Church of Christ YouTube and Facebook channels and on GeneralSynod.org on Sunday, July 11, Wednesday, July 14, and Sunday, July 18.
From the Pastoral Search Committee
The Pastoral Search Committee is thrilled to welcome the Reverend Carla Jean Bailey for a candidating weekend July 24 and July 25, 2021. Please join us for a reception Saturday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in Salter Hall where you can meet and get to know Carla. On Sunday, July 25, Carla will lead worship during our regular service. After worship there will be a congregational meeting where you can ask questions of Carla. This will be followed by a vote on whether to affirm Carla as our settled pastor.
Pastor Carla is originally from Minnesota and has served churches in several states including The Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis, and two churches in Wisconsin. Her current position is at The Second Church in Newton, Massachusetts. Dr. Bailey earned both a Master and Doctor of Divinity degrees from the United Theological Seminary in Minnesota and a Juris Doctor degree from Vermont Law School. Carla is married and has two adult children. Two cats complete their household. Carla's family will not be able to accompany her to Duluth for the July visit.
Carla’s profile and references show she is excellent at all aspects of parish ministry. She is a skilled and intelligent preacher. She is particularly good in interpersonal relationships with her warmth, sense of humor, her capacity for friendship and her empathy. She has demonstrated an ability to help churches in turmoil to heal and recover. In addition, she is a capable manager of the fiscal and legal aspects of ministry, while also being deeply committed to social justice.
The committee particularly appreciated her statement on: “I am passionate about…” as aligning with Pilgrim’s ministry and vision:
I am passionate about justice and mercy, and I am convinced God calls us to be channels of both, though we are more afraid of one than the other. They are intertwined. I am passionate for an empowered lay leadership that takes responsibility for the health and life of the Church, recognizing that the best leadership emerges when the gifts, abilities, and responsibilities of all—laity and clergy alike—are honored. I am passionate about freeing people from the grip of violence—however it manifests itself. We are living in a culture that has come to tolerate violence as an inevitable byproduct of a free society. It is not. I am passionate about children, that we love them, accept responsibility for their well-being, and assure that they will thrive. I am passionate about singing and long to return to group singing at the end of this pandemic. I am passionate about worship that has dignity, energy, quality, and intellectual integrity. I am passionate about the Minnesota Twins, the Green Bay Packers, and women’s basketball—most especially the Minnesota Lynx. I am passionate about kindness, believing it is the very least we must be to one another.
Please join us the weekend of July 24 and 25 in meeting and welcoming Carla to Pilgrim.
From the Moderator
A special meeting of the members of Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC, will take place on Sunday, July 25, 2021 following the morning service. Members will be asked to affirm the Rev. Dr. Carla Bailey as settled pastor of Pilgrim Church. Balloting will take place in the sanctuary and via Zoom. Following the collection of ballots, two members of the church council will tally the votes and report their results.
—Julie Johnson, Moderator
From the Human Resources Committee
We are pleased to introduce Torin Schwartz to our members—he started employment with Pilgrim on Tuesday, July 6th. He will replace our retiring Business Manager, Mary Sopoci.
Torin grew up in the Duluth area so he is no stranger to our community. He has previous experience with the Superior Choice Credit Union, City of Duluth, St. Louis County, and IKONICS Corporation. He currently is a substitute teacher at Proctor Public Schools, ISD 704, while working on his MBA degree at The College of St. Scholastica. He possesses a variety of vocation and personal skills that make him a good pick for the Business Manager position. While Torin is training with Mary as to the ins and outs of our church building and all that entails, Human Resources felt that taking on the accounting side of Mary's job at the same time would too much for one person to learn at once. We are cognizant of Mary’s desire to retire at the end of June of this year—obviously, we have run past that timeframe a bit. Consequently, we have contracted with Katherine Dougherty’s bookkeeping company, Dougherty’s Accounts, to handle the bookkeeping side of Mary’s job until Torin has the time and ability to absorb that workload into his work schedule. Torin will be working the same number of hours per week as Mary was—24. Our Business Manager’s position is regarded as part-time.
We ask that everyone respect the fact that both Torin and Katherine will be doing their utmost to get up to speed and allow Mary to depart as desired. Please be patient—things that Mary did at the drop of a hat will initially take a bit longer to accomplish as our new employee ramps up. If you need something from the Business Manager’s office please allow plenty of time for a response—needing something “Now” will be difficult. We appreciate your understanding as we move forward.
Please welcome Torin to Pilgrim Church!
Production Team Volunteers
The Production Team at Pilgrim is looking for a few volunteers to get trained on the new audio board and the PTZ/livestreaming system as backup operators. Some basic knowledge of computers and digital media are preferable. Please contact the office you are interested and the production team will contact you to schedule training. Thank you for your consideration!
—Deb DeVaney and Chris Kirby
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.
All are welcome to participate.
Meeting ID: 856 8820 1294
Passcode: 260291
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.
You can download a Bulletin here.
This Sunday's scripture readings:
- Amos 7:7-15
- Psalm 85:8-13
- Ephesians 1:3-14
- Mark 6:14-29
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: 27
YouTube views: 15
Facebook reach: 41
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:
- Noah, whose friend and mentor Judy Hole passed away last week
- Carol Bacig asks for prayer for Matthew, her grandson-in-law. He is in Rochester and received a liver transplant in late May. He is having a rocky road to recovery. Pray for comfort and successful healing.
- 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
Memorial for Cliff Grindy
A memorial service for Pilgrim member Cliff Grindy will be held on Friday, July 9, at 1:30 pm at Pilgrim.
Show Us Your Walks
Some thriving daylilies
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
Since we seemed to like Monteverdi so much last week, here's a lovely performance of "Hor che'l ciel e la terra" from the eighth book of madrigals, by Les Cris de Paris.