Updates: Lent

The Overview:

• Wednesday Lenten Recordings for at home “Holy Commitment” or, if you prefer, “informal/private practice”
• Friday morning Lenten/Spring Walks at 10am
• Friday evening gatherings on Zoom with the INC (our church neighbors) 6-7pm (with smaller groups to chat)
• Children are invited to share their words from their weekly walk/adventures in nature
• We are collecting donations for Fuel Oil Assistance and are always accepting donations for Heifer International and the local Food Pantry
• Next Supper To Go is Thursday, March 18th (Saint Patrick’s Day themed)

The Letter:

Dear Members, Friends, & Family,

Church services are still Full Remote.  We are planning to return to hybrid services in March (March 7), if the local area stays “green” and the case counts continue to go down.

Our Souper Bowl donations amounted to 87 pounds of food and $167.00. Our Afternoon Tea To Go raised $376.00. We are currently raising money for Fuel Assistance to four local families. Each will receive 100 gallons of oil from Orange Oil. We are always accepting donations for Heifer International and the local Food Pantry.

This evening, you will receive the first of the Lenten Wednesday recordings (they will post on the Blog at CCNOT.com). These recordings will have a short practice for finding peace, God, and Grace in your own home. You will see over the weeks a collaboration between myself and Owen (Ash). All are welcome to join.

Friday mornings at 10am, we will meet at the church for Friday Lenten Walks. Some will be short, some will be long. They will happen (eek) rain, shine, or snow (ice, might be another story). All are welcome to join us to us; friends and neighbors to watch spring unfold and resurrect itself.

Each week until Easter, children (of all ages, but especially our younger ones) are invited to go on their own adventures/walks. After each walk, the children are asked to write down three words, phrases, or sentences to describe that week’s Journey. If anyone (young or old) would like to share their words through the shifting weeks, please send them to me (they can even be anonymous) and they will be shared during that week’s Sunday service. I have other thoughts and ideas percolating around this, but it will depend on participation…so we’ll just have to see.

Friday evenings from 6-7, we have joined with the INC (Interfaith Neighbors Connecting; our local church community) for our annual Lenten gatherings. They will look different this year. We’ll be meeting on Zoom and using “breakout rooms” for smaller, informal time with one another. Please reach out for the Zoom link and invite. We have linked a few of these to local fundraising suppers, so you can pick up a meal to bring home and then join the Zoom Call. March 12th is NQCA Soup and Song.

Despite challenges and setbacks, our Scouts are finalizing their work to earn PRAY badges. They will be meeting with me shortly to talk about what they’ve learned and we are hoping to have a badge awarding ceremony for them soon during Church.

There is an active network at the Church/Meetinghouse in place.  Should you need support or help, or know of someone who does, please contact us.  We are here to help one another.  

I will miss you all and gathering together for worship and friendship, but remember that we are all still here and will be able to gather together soon.  And we can be grateful for Zoom to help us stay connected.

In the meantime, remember to look for the people doing good, they remind us to be calm and helpful.  Have gratitude.  Share compassion, love, and prayers for those who need it.  This is our practice as a church family: to be beacons of peace, hope, and calm in the midst of the chaos.

Love & Blessings, Charlotte