eNews for Thursday, July 15, 2021

From the Pastor's Desk

Dear Pilgrims,

I have a long-time friend on the West Coast who has a ministry of sharing blessings, sayings, and thoughts from a variety of sources. Her list of the people she shares with has grown quite long over the years. I am grateful for her ministry and the ways in which it enriches my life. May you find this meaningful for your days.

What is a blessing but a rain of grace falling generously into the lives of those in need; and who among us is without need?
May the Spirit touch your spirit in this midmorning pause.
May this day be a pathway strewn with blessings.
May your work this day be your love made visible.
May you breathe upon the wounds of those with whom you work.
May you open yourself to God’s breathing.
May you honor the flame of love that burns inside you.
May your voice this day be a voice of encouragement.
May your life be an answer to someone’s prayer.
May you own a grateful heart.
May you have enough joy to give you hope, enough pain to make you wise.
May there be no room in your heart for hatred.
May you be free from violent thoughts.
When you look into the window of your soul may you see the face of God.
May the lamp of your life shine upon all you meet this day.

—Excerpted from Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr.

Shalom,
PJ

Humming Joy

My friend is struggling with terrible headaches. She has recently completed radiation treatment and the ongoing effects of the treatment makes it difficult to get through a day. Her head pounds just behind her eyes. Her neck and back are tight from holding tension. She is having to take steroids and anti-inflammatories to keep the pain under control.

If I were in a similar position, I would be miserable… and probably making sure that everyone around me knew it.

But when I talked to her the other day, she said, “The most amazing thing happened to me. I was looking outside watching my hummingbird feeder. I normally have one or two hummingbirds that fly around. Sometimes three or four. But this morning I had SEVEN hummingbirds. It was the sign I needed. This pain is not going to steal my joy.”

I looked at her, puzzled.

Then she reminded me that in Mayan teaching, the Hummingbird sings a vibration of pure joy. Unique to all other animals, it can fly in any direction—forward, backwards, up, down, side to side—as well as hover in place, appearing to sit in the air. As they whiz from plant to plant, they are by their very being pollinating the world with pure delight.

My friend had seven hummingbirds show up on the morning she needed joy. What a marvel!

I don’t pretend to know how that confluence of events happened. I don’t know if it was pure coincidence or the influence of some divine hand. Because I can’t explain it, I get to simply hold her story with awe and wonder, giving thanks that we still have mystery in the world. In this case at least, it’s the beautiful mystery of being surprised by joy.

We are in this together,
Rev. Cameron Trimble
Author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Volunteers Needed for Aftenro Gardens

Grace Beaster, Annika Nielsen, and Cindy Grindy weeding at Aftenro on Tuesday, July 13

Join us for this all-ages event at Aftenro Gardens. There is a lot to do! If you are available this Friday, July 16, from 9:30-11:30 am, please come and join us. Bring garden gloves and your favorite garden tools. Contact Cindy Grindy (218) 349‑9611 with questions.

A Note from the Conference Minister

Rooted In Love, Nudged by the Spirit

This week marks an important and joyous gathering for the wider United Church of Christ. The biennial meeting of the General Synod of the United Church of Christ convened with opening worship this past Sunday evening and will conclude on Sunday the 18th. This year’s “special edition” of General Synod is entirely virtual, with nearly 3000 delegates, visitors, and honored guests in attendance. Our Minnesota Conference has a voting delegation of 18 local church members and authorized ministers participating, plus several Conference staff members. The theme of this year’s General Synod is “Rooted in Love”.

I was asked recently what I hoped our delegates & other Synod attendees from the Minnesota Conference would take away from their General Synod experience. My reply: I hope they catch a glimpse of the breadth and depth of the United Church of Christ, its people, and its ministries in all its complexity and beauty.

It can be hard for any of us to comprehend just how wide and complex the ministries and impact of the United Church of Christ are when the perspective most of us have is that of our singular local church. But in fact we are an amazing mosaic of over 5000 congregations and nearly 1 million members across the country, diverse in personality, culture, race, and witness.

Nowhere is that diversity more evident than at General Synod every two years. It’s clear as you scan the Synod crowd on the delegate floor and exhibit hall. It’s obvious as people line up at microphones and speak up in committee sessions to share their opinions on whatever resolution is at hand on a dizzying array of issues Synod attempts to address. And all of it shines all the brighter because our congregational polity and denominational ‘DNA’ gives every local church and Conference its own authority and freedom to weigh in, while at the same time calling us to mutual accountability and love.

All the messiness and brilliance of who we are in the United Church of Christ is on full display at General Synod. And that’s one of the reasons I have attended nearly every General Synod since I was a high school youth in 1985 and absolutely love each General Synod experience. Here’s the other reason I’m a self-proclaimed “Synod Addict”: the Spirit never fails to powerfully move and inspire and surprise us at General Synod if we just pay attention.

I’ve experienced that myself at every single Synod I’ve attended, some unexpected moment when the Spirit washes over me and brings me to tears of grateful joy. So this week I’m on the lookout for that Spirit-filled, goose-bumpy moment to show up again. And I’m giving thanks that the Spirit is indeed moving in the United Church of Christ, in the Minnesota Conference, and in me, doing some new thing if only we will perceive it.

This week, I invite you to lift up your prayers for the United Church of Christ, our Conference delegates, and all those gathering at General Synod to discern the Spirit’s prodding for this moment in our life together. May you also be open to the Spirit’s nudge in your life and church.

Blessings and peace,
Reverend Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister

Learn more about General Synod events.

Farewell Message from CHUM's Outgoing Executive Director

From Lee Stuart

Many people have asked me an almost impossible question to answer: How do I feel retiring from CHUM? Many, many things. I am deeply honored to have served as CHUM’s Executive Director for the last 8 years.

I remain inspired, day by day, at the heroic actions of CHUM’s staff to build a more just and compassionate community. I am constantly moved by our member congregations for your support, creativity, and vision. I admire your talent at worship, service, and justice. I am humbled by the resilience of those who turn to CHUM for help. Without a home, or unable to meet the food needs of their families, or taking the steps for long-term housing stability after long-term homelessness at the Steve O’Neil Apartments. This takes great courage.

CHUM’s community of support is extraordinary. Donations of all types pour through our doors to help us fulfill our mission. Strong partnerships with government agencies and private foundations balance our funding needs to protect Duluth’s most vulnerable. Although we are a long way from “ending homelessness” (a feat that cannot be achieved without construction of 800 or so simple units for single individuals), we can point to several examples of the “new normal” for Duluth that could not have happened without CHUM’s leadership and community partners.

• The Steve O’Neil Apartments: 44 units of permanent supportive housing for families with children who have experienced long-term or recurrent homelessness.
• When the State asked CHUM to consider lowering barriers to shelter, I turned the discussion over to shelter staff to come up with a suggestion. Kim Randolph, Patrick Mainville and Deb Holman are the masters of “low barrier.” We are now arguably Minnesota’s lowest barrier shelter. We use a behavioral lens—not a sobriety lens—for entry, and we welcome companion animals. We allow 24-hour access to beds (except for a 3-hour cleaning window) so people can sleep comfortably during the day.
• We have tripled our procurement of food for the Food Shelf. Scott Van Daele is a procurement maven.
• Over the last three winters, we have made Warming Centers a new normal in Duluth. This coming winter, the Warming Center will be at the Lincoln Park Community Center. As with all CHUM projects, we had plenty of help: The Duluth HRA, the state’s new winter homeless initiative; St. Louis County, the City of Duluth, Gloria Dei Church, Loaves and Fishes.
• We created the Health Care and Homelessness Committee, a partnership with St. Luke’s, Essentia, Duluth Family Medical Clinic, Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program, Lutheran Social Service, and Life House. Unlike Hennepin County, which has access to the federal Healthcare for the Homeless Program, CHUM and our health care system have had to cobble a program together. Our goal is to improve the quality and coordination of care, especially at transitions of care, so that people experiencing homelessness are not dropped through the cracks. We have our eyes on them.
• An outgrowth of the Health Care and Homelessness Committee is the Bob Tavani Medical Respite House. Bob Tavani is Duluth’s only option for medical respite for people experiencing homelessness. It works as a partnership with Loaves and Fishes, First Covenant Church, the Duluth Family Medicine Residency program, and community members and volunteers.
• And finally, we just purchased the Downtown Duluth Inn to convert it to 43 units of permanent supportive housing for people who are experiencing homelessness and elderly or with disability. The work has just begun on that! Although I am technically “retired” I will stay on for July to make sure this transition works well.

I am so excited to welcome John Cole as the next Executive Director at CHUM. Be assured, CHUM is in great hands with John. I have enjoyed pulling together “CHUM 101” with him. It’s rather daunting. The programs are challenging enough, then add on the fundraising, finances, and community engagement. It’s been great working with him for the past few months. Please offer him every support that you did me.

To close, the only thing I can say, is “Thank you, CHUM.” Together we strengthened Duluth’s safety net. We have never shied from the work ahead. We know we can’t act alone, and the ability to build new relationships to address emerging issues is a great strength of CHUM. It’s in our DNA. “People of faith, working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives and organize for a just and compassionate community."

Pastor Carla's Candidating Weekend

The Pastoral Search Committee is thrilled to welcome the Reverend Carla Jean Bailey for a Candidating Weekend July 24 and 25, 2021.

• Friday evening Pastor Carla will share a meal and fellowship with search committee members and their families.
• Saturday morning Pastor Carla will meet with Council and committee members from 10:00 to 11:30 am.
• All members and friends of Pilgrim Church are invited to a reception in Salter Hall Saturday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 pm to meet and get to know Pastor Carla.
• On Sunday, July 25, Pastor Carla will lead worship during our regular service.
• After worship there will be time to ask questions of Pastor Carla. This will be followed by a vote on whether to affirm Carla as our settled pastor.

For those of you who may not be able to attend events on July 24 or 25, some of Carla’s recent sermons are available on the web page of her present church: The Second Church in Newton, UCC.

Please join us the weekend of July 24 and 25 in meeting and welcoming Pastor Carla to Pilgrim.

—Jane Killough, Chair, Pastoral Search Committee

Congregational Meeting

A special meeting of the members of Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC, will take place in the church sanctuary on Sunday, July 25, 2021, following the morning service.

Members will be asked to affirm the Rev. Dr. Carla Bailey as settled pastor and teacher of Pilgrim Congregational Church of Duluth, United Church of Christ. Only members of the church may vote. Balloting will take place in the sanctuary and over Zoom. Following the collection of ballots, two members of the church council will tally the votes and report their results. Please note that if you wish to vote over Zoom, each member must be using their own device.

If you feel that you have sufficient information about Pastor Bailey and would like to vote prior to July 25, you are welcome to cast your ballot in the church office during the week of July 19-22 from 9:30 am-4:00 pm.

Here is the link to join the congregational meeting on July 25: Join us on Zoom.

—Julie Johnson, Moderator

Joint Church Council & Committee Meeting

Members of the Pilgrim Church Council and all Pilgrim Committee Members are invited to attend a 10:00 am coffee on Saturday, July 24, with Pastor Carla Bailey. The meeting will take place in the church parlor. The agenda for this time together is to meet Pastor Carla and to discuss Pilgrim's council and committees. Please RSVP to the church office at (218) 724‑8503 or office@pilgrimduluth.org if you are able to attend by July 22.

OWL—Our Whole Lives

From Cindy Grindy, for students in 8th and 9th grades

I just spoke with Nathan Holst from Peace Church about the OWL program for this next school year. As you know, this is a great program to help participants make informed and responsible decisions about relationships, health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. It provides facts about anatomy and human development and helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills and understand the social, emotional and spiritual aspects of sexuality.

Learn more about the program at ucc.org.

Nathan wanted me to emphasize a few things

• This is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and our children.
• It is a commitment. Participants are expected to do their best to attend the majority of the sessions. His hope is that the parents are committed to their child's participation as well.
• The cost will be approximately $100/participant. (Scholarships may be available.)
• The program will start mid-September and run for 24 Sunday evenings at Peace from 6:00-7:30 pm.

It would be wonderful if a few Pilgrims got trained as facilitators. He does not want parents of their enrolled child to be a facilitator, but thinks parents whose children have been through the program make great facilitators. Other people who make great facilitators are people who are comfortable discussing sexuality, enjoy being with young adults, and are open to learning. Are you interested? Once trained, the facilitator commitment is 10 hours/month attending every other session.

Please email Cindy Grindy if you would like to sign up or need more information.

Lost Glasses

Several pairs of glasses have been turned in to the office following the memorial service for Cliff Grindy. If you are missing a pair of glasses, please get in touch with the office.

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:

• Psalm 84
• Ephesians 2:11-22
• Mark 6:30-56

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: 36
YouTube views: 15
Facebook reach: 35

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:

• Carol Bacig asks for prayer for Matthew, her grandson-in-law, as he transitions to his home from his many days in the hospital
• 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 baby bear in Brewer Park. Not pictured: mama and sibling!

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

I'm in a romantic mood this week, apparently. Here's the Prelude and "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, with Waltraud Meier and Daniel Barenboim. Not one authentic cadence to be found!