eNews for Thursday, February 17
My Bailiwick
Dear Pilgrims,
Thank you, thank you to all who helped with our Souper Bowl of Caring last Sunday, and to all who bought and enjoyed soup. We are still sorting out receipts and reimbursements, but we know we’re able to give over $1,200 to Duluth Loaves and Fishes—a truly wonderful contribution.
This next week is school break week for Duluth Public Schools and I know many of you are taking the opportunity to get away for a bit. When you return we’ll be into the season of Lent—a time to do some good introspection individually and together as a church. One of those opportunities is a collection of reflections, readings, and reminiscences. Warren and I will be putting this booklet together next week so we need your submissions no later than Monday! Do you have a favorite poem? Have you written some thoughts about your faith? Do you have a favorite story about Lent or Holy Week from your childhood? PLEASE send them to me at carlajeanbailey@gmail.com or Warren at warrenbaileyturner@gmail.com.
Watch for information about Ash Wednesday worship and Lenten study/conversation opportunities. And continue to think about our purpose as Pilgrim Church. What IS the purpose of our church and its ministry?
Hope to see you Sunday,
Carla
CHUM Action Alert
CHUM is asking supporters to email Governor Tim Walz regarding Bring it Home MN (HF40, SF333) in order to request that $1 billion of the $7.7 billion budget surplus be used to provide rent subsidies for 1 in 4 Minnesota households cost-burdened by rent (paying more than 30% of their income for housing).
Sample text:This is a suggested sample; personalize it to make it your own, and then copy/paste it into this Link to the Governor’s webform.
Dear Governor Walz,
My name is _____, and I’m a member of _____ congregation in Duluth (if not affiliated with a congregation, “I’m a member of CHUM in Duluth”). CHUM is the largest shelter provider north of the Twin Cities, and also operates the primary food shelf in Duluth. We care deeply about the increasing rates of hunger and homelessness in our community.
25% of Minnesota households are cost-burdened by rent; 200K of them pay more than 50% of their income, and some as high as 80%. More than 70,000 homeowners and 60,000 renters in Minnesota are behind on housing payments. These households are moving towards homelessness, and the shelter sector has no capacity to absorb them. If we let them fall they will create an even greater burden on state and city resources to respond to them. We can do better than this.
Bring It Home MN will provide rent vouchers for all eligible low-income Minnesotans, so they only pay 30% of their income toward rent. In St. Louis County, rents increased 25% in 2021, while incomes rose 8%. Any household in Minnesota that earns less than 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and who pays more than 30% of their income toward rent would be eligible for this program. This includes 22,089 households in St. Louis County, over 9,000 of whom pay over 50% of their income on housing.
Please allocate $1B of our nearly $8B budget surplus to housing with Bring it Home MN. This is an investment in 25% of Minnesota’s families, enabling them to remain in their homes, to get the healthcare they need, invest in the education of their children, and remain contributing members of their communities. This is an investment in 1 in 4 of our neighbors.
An investment of a billion dollars into rental assistance could make this happen this year.
Sincerely,
Insert your name, address, phone, and email address
Share this action alert with a friend and let the governor know we care!
And after you take action, please let Patricia Benson at CHUM know.
Need a Ride to Church?
Book a ride on the Pilgrim Celestial Express. It's better than Lyft, better than Uber, even better than Amtrak! Call Patrick at Church—(218) 724‑8503—for a free ticket.
Awaiting your request are such luminaries as Steve Cushing, Bob MacLean, Bob Lindquist, Dennis Falk, and John Fochs. They may not be the fastest drivers, but they sure are friendly.
The Celestial Express's two current passengers describe the experience in glowing terms: "It's out-of-this-world."
Updates from Annika Nielsen
Many people have been asking for updates from Annika Nielsen and her time in Norway. She's been blogging for a while. You can read all about it at annikanielsennorway.blogspot.com.
Pilgrim Book Club
The Pilgrim Book group will be reading Dear Life by Canadian author Alice Munro for our March discussion (Monday, March 14, at 4:00 pm). Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013 and was awarded the 2009 Booker International Prize for her overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. Copies of Dear Life are available in the Pilgrim Office . Should be a great read! One reviewer writes, “Alice Munro captures the essence of life in her brilliant new collection of stories. Moments of change, chance encounters, the twist of fate that leads a person to a new way of thinking or being: the stories in Dear Life build to form a radiant, indelible portrait of just how dangerous and strange ordinary life can be.”
Meeting ID: 856 8820 1294
Passcode: 260291
Need Transportation to Church?
Better than Lyft and Uber combined! Call John Fochs at (218) 341-1982 for a roundtrip ride. He has drivers standing by, ready to help out.
Social Justice Ministry Update
Each year Pilgrim contributes over $20,000 to United Church of Christ and community organizations. This year about $15,000 in contributions is being distributed to entities approved by the congregation in our 2021-22 budget; these include Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM), United Theological Seminary, Northland College, CHUM, United Campus Ministry, and Life House.
The remaining $6,000 is set aside in the budget for the Social Justice Committee to contribute to organizations meeting community needs that emerge during the year. We are now deciding which organizations should receive these funds before July 1. If you have ideas about community organizations that the Social Justice Committee should consider this year, particularly those that promote racial justice, please contact a member of the committee: Anne MacLean, Bob MacLean, Rachael Kresha, or Denny Falk at dfalk@d.umn.edu or (218) 341‑5483.
The Elemental Voice
February 18 & 19 | 7:30 pm | Weber Music Hall, UMD
Join Twin Ports Choral Project and guest conductor, Dr. Ryan Deignan, as we present The Elemental Voice: Ancient as Stone, Present as Living, exploring the ever-present human need for self-expression through word and song. Tickets and more info at twinportschoralproject.org
Coffee with Carla
Grab a coffee (or the morning beverage of your choice) and join us for conversation. We will meet via Zoom each Wednesday at 10:00 am. See you there!
Calendar
| This Week at Pilgrim | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, February 20 | 10:00 am | Sunday Worship |
| 11:00 am | Coffee Hour | |
| 11:15 am | Confirmation | |
| Monday, February 21 | President's Day—Office Closed | |
| Tuesday, February 22 | 6:00 pm | Church Council |
| Wednesday, February 23 | 10:00 am | Coffee with Carla |
| 4:00 pm | Bellissimo | |
| Sunday, February 27 | 10:00 am | Sunday Worship |
| 11:00 am | Coffee Hour |
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.
You can download a Bulletin here.
This Sunday's scripture readings:
- Psalm 37:1-11
- Luke 6:27-35
In case you missed it, you can view last Sunday's worship service on YouTube.
Attendance: 66
YouTube views: 33
Prayers and Condolences
Keep in your prayers:
- Liz Oettinger, whose cancer has metastasized
- Friends and family of Bob Lowe, who passed away in January. An obituary was posted to the Cremation Society of Minnesota
- Friends and family of longtime Pilgrim member John "Red" Seitz. You can find an obituary on the Duluth News Tribune website.
Show Us Your Walks
From Clyde Johnson, on a -2 degree day
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
The 1964 made-for-tv movie of The Fantasticks is an interesting watch. Susan Watson's rendition of "Much More" is particularly delightful!