eNews for Thursday, October 7, 2021
From Pastor Carla
Dear Pilgrims,
Week Two! And I’m feeling more at home than ever, thanks to so many of you. I got lost once trying to find my way to the church when my phone’s GPS wasn’t working, but Warren guided me home so I wasn’t lost for long. We’ve tried out three different grocery stores, found a dentist and a doctor, and we’re down to the last seven or eight boxes at home yet to open. My calendar is beginning to fill with meetings and conversations and the Hogwart’s Hallowe’en is shaping up to be very fun. But it is worship that is the cornerstone of our common life and to that end, let me thank you for your gracious welcome to my family last Sunday. They loved being with you, and of course, so did I. Even though we need to be masked and cautious, there’s just no substitute for being together.
This Sunday, I’ll be offering some reflections on the story of the rich young man who thought he was doing everything he needed to inherit eternal life—only to be told by Jesus, well, there’s one more thing. What is that one more thing for you—that one thing that you’re having difficulty relinquishing? I hope to see you Sunday!
The Power of Story and Truth-Telling
From Rev. Shari Prestemon, Conference Minister
Story. Our faith would be nowhere without it.
Our Biblical narrative is filled with the stories of our ancestors in faith. From the creation accounts, through the prophets’ proclamations, to the teachings of Jesus and on to the apostles’ letters, we are drenched in the stories of those who have gone before us. We find in those stories testimony of those who struggled and lost, met with injustice, occasionally doubted and yet persevered in faith. We discover truths about our human capacity to hurt, to heal, and to sustain hope. The lessons of these ancient stories still shape and inform our faith today.
Story can transform us.
On Sunday afternoon, 30 Conference members gathered to hear other sacred stories. Led by Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, co-director of racial justice at the Minnesota Council of Churches, and Rev. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, a Native theologian and Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary, we sojourned to three different sites in the Twin Cities area that hold powerful meaning for Indigenous people in Minnesota.
Hogwarts Halloween at Pilgrim
There is an energetic team working to provide a fun, safe Halloween activity for our community. Grace and Camilla Beaster, Sarah Hartman, Andrew Streitz, and Cindy Grindy appreciate your support.
Pilgrim Hogwarts Halloween will be held the day before Halloween, Saturday, October 30, 4:00-6:00 pm outdoors. We are looking for volunteers to be at each station, to help set up, and to clean up. If you are willing and available, sign up at church or contact Cindy Grindy at (218) 349‑9611 or cindy@grindy.net.
Also we are looking for donations of Halloween candy and $ to purchase wand kits, etc. Please bring or have delivered any candy to the church by Wednesday, October 27, so it can be bagged up for our guests. And donations can be given to the church and marked Hogwarts Halloween. Thank you so much!
Pilgrim Women's Book Club
Monday, October 11 | 4:00 pm
The Pilgrim Women’s Book Club will meet next Monday, October 11, at 4:00 pm via Zoom. We will be discussing Jayson Iwen’s book of poetry, Roze and Blud. Jayson is associate professor of writing at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Please join us.
The Book for November will be 18 Tiny Deaths, the beginnings of forensic science. This is a Book Club in a Bag choice which means there will be 10 copies of the book available in the church office beginning this Sunday. Simply stop in, take a book from the blue bag and sign it out on the sign out sheet. The November meeting of the book club will be November 8, at 4:00 pm.
Meeting ID: 856 8820 1294
Passcode: 260291
Scam Email Reminder
A few Pilgrims have reported getting suspicious emails purporting to be from Pastor Judith. It's probably inevitable that we'll soon start seeing emails claiming to be from Pastor Carla. Just remember, no church staff members, clergy, nor anyone from the denomination will ever ask you to purchase anything, especially gift cards, via personal email. If you get any suspicious emails, please delete them (or mark them "spam") and do not interact with the sender. Thank you!
Blessing Box
The Blessing Box could use a little attention. Please bring your nonperishable food items, hats, scarves, and other supplies to keep it stocked up!
Halloween Spooktacular Organ Concert
Sunday, October 31 | 3:00 pm | Sacred Heart Music Center
Friends of the Felgemaker and Sacred Heart Music Center announce a very haunting Halloween Concert featuring Charles Sundquist as the featured organist. You might remember Charles from his concert at Pilgrim in February of 2020.
- Free event, suggested donation of $15
- Refreshments available to purchase
- More information and directions to Sacred Heart at sacredheartmusic.org
- Concert will be live-streamed on the Sacred Heart Music Center YouTube channel
Note: All concert-goers must provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test at the door prior to the performance. Phone photos of vaccination cards will be accepted. Further precautions may be taken pending state and county health guidelines.
From the Business Office
Greetings,
At the request of Pastor Carla, we will be moving her reserved parking space again from the spot near the playground to the spot next to the two handicapped parking spaces near the building. The sign will be moved there as soon as possible to mark the location.
There will be plumbing maintenance being done on October 21 and 22 to fix a couple of leaking pipes. To perform this maintenance, the water to the building will be turned off during that time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!
Thank you,
Torin Schwartz | Business Manager
Confirmation
Attention Pilgrim families with 9th and 10th graders! There will be an informational meeting on Sunday, October 10, after the church service for parents and youth interested in participating in confirmation this year. We will meet in the parlor. Bring your questions and ideas. Please contact Kathy Dowell at kadbluemountain@gmail.com with any questions.
Yoga and Qigong
After a long effort, Yoga and Qigong videos for people incarcerated at the St. Louis County Jail have been delivered! Now in use, the yoga video was welcomed enthusiastically and the less-familiar Qigong video is growing in appeal. These resources were made possible by the support and cooperation of Pilgrim Church, Peace Church, and Kyle Heyesen, proprietor of Svälja Yoga. Peace Church contributed duplication of the DVDs and major funding through both individual donations and a contribution from its Acting for Justice Hub. Pilgrim’s Social Justice Committee provided use of its sanctuary and video equipment and along with one member who donated her production expertise. Teachers of both Yoga and Qigong from Svälja Yoga provided trauma-conscious instruction of at a modest cost.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the need to address trauma is increasingly viewed as an important component of effective behavioral health service delivery. Trauma pioneer Bessel van Der Kolk shares. “We just did a study on yoga for people with PTSD. We found that yoga was more effective than any medicine that people have studied up to now. That doesn't mean that yoga cures it, but yoga makes a substantial difference in the right direction.”
It is especially valuable to make this resource available in the jail during the additional stresses imposed by complying with Covid protocols to give people additional tools to move towards greater healing. Thank you all who have made this possible.
Jackie Falk, M.Div.
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 90:12-17
- Mark 10:17-31
We will also read from a new version of the Bible, the First Nations Version.
If you have an announcement that you would like read during a Sunday service, please get it to the office by Thursday each week.
In case you missed it, you can view last Sunday's worship service on YouTube.
Attendance: 77
YouTube views: 29
Prayers and Condolences
Keep in your prayers:
- Joyce Young and her family after her the passing of her son, Michael Rookey
- The Shull family after Gene's passing
- Kay Slack and her family on the passing of her husband, Bill
- Anita and her family as she undergoes medical treatment
- Wanda and her family as she continues to receive treatment
Show Us Your Walks
From the Setterlunds, leaves changing at 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
Pianist Fei-Fei shows us what goes into practicing a particularly fiendish Chopin Prelude.