eNews for Thursday, May 4
My Bailiwick
Dear Pilgrims,
“O give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.—Robert Frost
Tomorrow, May 5, is a celebration day for Pilgrim—a celebration of Spring, of the arts, and of a wonderful opportunity to financially support our piano re-build project while enjoying an amazing concert!
Just to remind you of Friday’s events: there’s a reception with the painter, Carolyn Brunelle, from 3-5 in Salter Hall. We will serve refreshments and you’ll have an opportunity to view 12 of her paintings, which are for sale, as are packets of notecards of other images of her work.
Then at 7:00, all are welcome to our sanctuary for a concert for piano and voice with Philip Brunelle and Clara Osowsky, an intermission with refreshments, and a second half of Philip on the organ, including a couple of hymns accompanied by Philip’s improvisations! This evening concert is being live-streamed—go to our church website, pilgrimduluth.org, just like you would for Sunday morning worship, and watch it live!
Philip and Carolyn Brunelle and their family have been friends of ours since the 1980’s. I’m so proud to “show them off” to you and you to them! And Clara has been a dear friend of Jessica Schroeder and Richard Carrick as well. Clara also sang for us in a previous fund-raising concert last spring! That these three gifted artists are willing to help us raise money for the Steinway piano rebuild is just generous beyond all imagining.
And so, as Robert Frost suggests, I am not thinking very far ahead. In fact, my inadequate mind gets me just to Saturday, even though there is so much ahead—worship and concerts, staff transitions and youth work trip planning, meetings, a game night with our youth, graduation celebrations, annual meetings, the rhubarb festival…
Love to you all,
Carla
From Building & Finance: New Windows!
As part of our ongoing project of updating exterior windows to save on energy cost, next Thursday the large kitchen will receive all new windows. The current windows are of the original single-pane construction and are basically impossible to open. By changing out the old windows, we will reduce heat loss and provide for better ventilation during kitchen use. Consequently, if you had plans to use the kitchen on May 11, we ask that you try to reschedule. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact Jon Welles at (218) 390-2393. Thank you!
From Human Resources: Personnel changes are a-coming!
Sheri, from Serenity Bookkeeping, has been our Bookkeeper since last year. She is a contractor, not an employee. Due to circumstances beyond their control, Serenity has advised us that they can no longer contract bookkeeping services to Pilgrim. Sheri’s last day will be May 30. We are very appreciative of Sheri’s work since Mary’s retirement and we thank her and Serenity for helping us out. Fortunately we were given sufficient advance notice by Serenity that we have been able to identify and contract with another person to staff the Business Office. I say “contract” because our new person has chosen to work with us as an independent contractor versus being an employee. That is ok with us.
Say hello to Michael Dahl! Mike comes to us with good credentials. He operated his own business for 20+ years and did the majority of the bookkeeping himself. He is well versed in generally accepted accounting principles otherwise known as GAAP. And he is a quick learner. He recently sold his business and is now looking to start a new entity that specializes in small business bookkeeping. Mary Sopoci has been gracious in coming back to help train Mike in on our bookkeeping systems. So far all is going well, and Mike will be ready to take over the bookkeeping duties from Sheri as she approaches her departure date. His tentative schedule is to be in the Business Office full time on Monday’s and Thursday’s.
On a different note, Patrick has given the Church his two-week notice. Patrick has accepted a new position with a tech firm out of the Twin Cities but will remain in Duluth working remotely from his home. Because he is remaining in Duluth, he has asked, and HR has agreed, that he continue to be our Music Director. We are really sorry to lose Patrick from the office, he has more than capably helped the Church through the difficult times of COVID and such, and has been a great asset. But at the same time we want to congratulate him on his new position and truly wish him the best. We are fortunate to have him staying in town and to continue to be our Music Director.
There will be a “thank you” activity for Patrick in the near future—stay tuned! Pastor Carla and HR are beginning the process of identifying a new person to fill the position of Administrative Coordinator. We welcome input from members as to names of people that might be qualified and interested in applying for this position. Effectively immediately, Jon Welles will temporarily assume all of the Building duties that Patrick had including interactions with tenants and church members. You can reach Jon at (218) 390-2393 or jonwelles@charter.net.
Thank you!
Chum News
Rhubarb
Are you getting excited seeing those crinkly green leaves and red shoots peeking through the soil? Yep, it's our favorite vegetable disguised as a fruit. RHUBARB! If you have rhubarb, save it for our bakers to use for desserts for the rhubarb festival. If you're sad that you don't have rhubarb, join in the fun by volunteering at the rhubarb festival on Saturday, June 24, at Stella Maris Academy. So many hands are needed to make this a great fundraiser—from face painting to selling pies to food truck help to games and music—there's something for everyone. Sign up here!
Chum Assembly
The next Chum assembly is May 16 at St. Michael's Church in Lakeside. We are hoping to get at least five Pilgrims there. Please register for the assembly here.
50th Anniversary
Chum is commemorating 50 years this year and the time has come to share our rich history through vignettes from Pilgrim. Please take a moment to briefly share a Chum memory here.
Women's Fellowship Group
Women’s Fellowship will be meeting on Tuesday, May 9, at 1:30 pm in the parlor. Jackie Falk will be sharing her experience as the chaplain at the County Jail. Join us for conversation, refreshments and an insightful talk.
Pilgrim Women's Book Club
Pilgrim Book group is reading The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan, for our next meeting on May 8 at 4:00 pm via Zoom. The New York Times reviewer wrote that “The Great Pretender reads like a detective story, with Cahalan revealing tantalizing clues at opportune moments so we can experience the thrills of discovery alongside her.” And The Economist reviews this nonfiction book as “an impressive feat of investigative journalism tenaciously conducted, appealingly written… as compelling as a detective novel.” How do we diagnose, treat, or even know what mental illness is? Cahalan followed a 1970s Stanford psychologist and seven other people—sane, well-adjusted members of society—as they went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry’s labels. The blue books-in-a-bag, is in the Pilgrim Office, so feel free to check out this book. Sign one out and join us for another lively discussion.
Join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85688201294?pwd=MUlpQSs4TSt6VzRuR3F4c1pqNHg3Zz09
Pilgrim Celebrates the Arts
Friday, May 5, 3:00 pm: Minneapolis artist Carolyn Brunelle will show an exhibit of her paintings in Salter Hall, with an opening reception 3:00-5:00 pm. Refreshments will be served. Here's a video of Carolyn in her Studio.
Friday, May 5, 7:00 pm: Philip Brunelle will give a concert as a fundraiser for our Piano Rebuilding Fund. Philip is a choral scholar, conductor, and organist, and founder of VocalEssence. Joined by Clara Osowski, mezzo-soprano, Philip will present a program of British music—the first half of the recital will showcase Pilgrim’s 1919 Steinway piano; after a brief intermission, Philip will play the Jaeckel organ.
Admission to the events is free. All proceeds will go toward Pilgrim’s Piano Rebuilding Fund, and up to $25,000 will be matched by the Hegardt Foundation.
Please share this Facebook event to let people know about this day devoted to the arts: https://fb.me/e/PH1ZnnIi
Piano Rebuilding Fund
Did you know that the Steinway piano rebuilding fundraising goal is within reach? Until recently our goal of $65,000+ may have seemed far away—around $18,000 has been raised to date. Now with the generous $25,000 matching grant from the Hegardt foundation, we can in effect double our individual contributions. If we can take advantage of the entire matching offer, the added $50,000 will put us over the top! Please consider making a significant donation to the piano rebuilidng and be a part of the next hundred years of beautiful music at Pilgrim Church.
- $750 will get you a commemorative piano key—you could get one in honor of a beloved music teacher or musician in your life.
- Donations can be made in the form of a pledge to be paid over a year—and pledges count toward the matching grant! Pledge cards will be available at the concert and art reception.
Upcoming Concerts
Sunday, May 7, 3:00 pm: Borealis Chamber Artists will present its first program, at Pilgrim, now rescheduled!
Wednesday, May 24, 5:40 pm: The Bach Society of Minnesota is giving a series of "mobile mini" concerts in Duluth, and Pilgrim is one of their stops! They'll play for just 20 minutes on our front lawn before heading to their next location. Come check it out!
All Church Bingo and Game Night
Pilgrims of all ages are invited to join the Pilgrim Youth Group on Wednesday, May 24, at 6:00 pm in Salter Hall for a Bingo and Game Night. We’ll start with a rousing game of bingo and then split off to play other games. This will be a great opportunity to learn or share how to play a game like poker, cribbage, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, etc. We hope to see you there!
Pilgrim Calendar
| This Week at Pilgrim | ||
|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 5 | 3:00 pm | Carolyn Brunelle Art Showing |
| 7:00 pm | Philip Brunelle Concert | |
| Sunday, May 7 | 9:00 am | Pilgrim Choir |
| 10:00 am | Sunday Worship | |
| 11:00 am | Coffee Hour | |
| 3:00 pm | Borealis Chamber Artists Concert | |
| Monday, May 8 | 4:00 pm | Pilgrim Women's Book Club |
| Tuesday, May 9 | 1:30 pm | Women's Fellowship Group |
| 7:00 pm | Social Justice | |
| Wednesday, May 10 | 5:00 pm | Pilgrim Choir |
| 7:00 pm | Pilgrim Youth Group | |
| Sunday, May 14 | 10:00 am | Sunday Worship |
| 11:00 am | Coffee Hour | |
| 11:00 am | Coffee Hour | |
| 3:00 pm | Borealis Chamber Artists Concert | |
| Monday, May 8 | 4:00 pm | Pilgrim Women's Book Club |
| Tuesday, May 9 | 1:30 pm | Women's Fellowship Group |
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 Sunday's bulletin here.
This Sunday's scripture readings:
- Acts 7:55-60
- Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
In case you missed it, you can view last Sunday's service on YouTube.
Attendance: 60
YouTube views: 37
Show Us Your Walks
Tischer Creek last Sunday, from Clyde Johnson
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!
What Patrick's Listening To
I'm not much of a video gamer, but you might say I'm excited for the next installment in the Zelda franchise. Here's a live performance of almost the entire soundtrack to Breath of the Wild lovingly performed by a really wonderful amateur orchestra in Japan. (And yes, if I have my way, Borealis will perform this entire program as soon as possible!)