eNews for Thursday, May 6, 2021
A Note from the Pastor’s Desk
How wonderful it was to be together in worship in the sanctuary on May 2. We counted forty-two people in attendance! That number added to the number of people watching by means of Facebook and YouTube gave us a total count of 78 (not counting families who may be watching together). If you are watching at home, you will notice that the screen in the sanctuary is showing those in attendance the same visual you are seeing. For those of us old enough to remember when there were not televisions, it all seems a miracle! Very soon it will be a miracle times two. Mary Olin is making it possible to have another screen put up on the other side of the sanctuary so that people who sit on that side will not have to crane their necks to see the hymn lyrics scrolling down the screen. Thank you, Mary! The wiring of the camera in the balcony will also be completed and the new sound board will be up and running. With that the technology upgrade will be complete!! None of this could have been done without the support of committees, Council and members. We would not have been able to continue to worship throughout the pandemic without the dedication of many! Thanks to Deb who coordinated the entire project and continues to run the sound board. Thanks to Christopher who has been our stalwart one-man film crew. Each of them would like to share the work with others. We are looking for people we can train on the equipment so that we can rotate crews. If you have an interest, or know someone who might, please let Deb know. Our thanks to the Worship and Arts Team and Clyde and Julie Johnson for getting the church ready for its first worship service in over a year. We look forward to seeing as many of you as feel comfortable worshipping in person these coming Sundays.
With you in the Spirit,
Pastor Judith
P.S. Our Easter stones look wonderful in the front of the church! They are a cheery reminder that we have much for which to be grateful!
Celebrating Life House's 30-year Anniversary
From Amber Sadowski, Life House Community Development Director
Dear Faith Community Partners,
Thank you to all of you for your collaboration in supporting our community's young people over this past year, and for some of you, for the past 30 years! This year we are celebrating Life House's 30-year anniversary and we have been doing a lot of reflecting on our mission and vision, and how the broader community has engaged in this work.
We would like to invite you to join us for this year's Celebration of Success, to be held virtually on Thursday, May 13th. As you will see below, we will be celebrating 30 years, honoring our youth, and sharing our vision ahead. There will also be music by Chastity Brown as well as a silent auction component. You can RSVP for free at one.bidpal.net/lifehouse or text "Life House" to 243725.
If you have any questions, feel free to email or call me. I hope you are able to join us, as we celebrate the work that we continue to do together.
Thank you!
As we begin to worship together in person again, there are many people to thank for the work they've done to make Sunday worship services possible.
- Worship and Arts Committee members Carri Hoagland, Jean Jacobson, and Holly Beaster for their work in planning and organizing for the worship space, as well as for their help on Sunday mornings
- Clyde and Julie Johnson for their help with ushering and greeting people on Sunday
- Deb DeVaney and Christopher Kirby for their tireless work on sound, video, and live-streaming
Seeking Worship Volunteers
We are on the lookout for volunteers to help with worship on Sundays:
- Lectors, who read scripture during the service
- Ushers, who take attendance and help folks find their seats
- People to give the Message for All Ages, which can be in-person or prerecorded
Get in touch with the office if you'd like to help out!
Calling for Artwork
Did you create any artwork in the year since the church building has been closed? Taken any special photographs? We'd love to feature your artwork in Salter Hall to greet us as we begin to return to the building. If you have something to share, please get in touch with the office.
Pilgrim Men's Group
The Men's Group is currently meeting via Zoom the first and third Tuesday each month. All men are invited. Please contact Denny Falk if you're interested in participating: dfalk@d.umn.edu or (218) 341‑5483.
Pilgrim Women's Book Club
Monday, May 10 | 4:00 pm
Our book in May will be another library book bag selection which means we will have extra copies to share. So stop in the church office, sign out a copy and then join our discussion.
The book is The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. It’s “the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as ‘picture brides’ nearly a century ago.” “In eight unforgettable sections” this short book, only 129 pages, eloquently tells their extraordinary life stories.
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:
- Acts 10:44-48
- Psalm 98
- 1 John 5:1-6
- John 15:9-17
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: 42
YouTube views: 30
Facebook reach: 78
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
Show Us Your Walks
Coffee Creek, near Enger Tower
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
Something a bit unexpected from Bach. There's really nothing like waking up in the morning and having that first taste of the chemical you're addicted to!