WHAT IS GOING ON AT CHURCH –
Corona Sabbath Posts
Each Friday, the church will post a devotional with readings, video from Kim, and music from
Hilton. You are invited to access these at the website and observe the sabbath according to
your schedule over the weekend. There will be a new one posted each week. This week’s post will highlight the Easter Story.
Please use the link below to view last week’s Corona Sabbath Post –
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/04/11/corona-sabbath-4-easter/
The Easter post has a compilation of words and images from the congregation expressing creativity during this corona time. It also includes special Easter music from Hilton.
In addition to the weekly Corona Sabbath devotions on the website every Friday, Hilton is also posting music, mainly hymns, on the website daily. These are also posted on the church’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. You may find links to all the music posts on the website at https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/ — note the “Older Posts” button down the page.
Daily Corona Prayer
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/03/20/lucc-corona-daily-prayer
Earth Sunday Zoom Ahead
The church will be having another Sunday morning Zoom gathering in honor of Earth Sunday on Sunday April 26 at 10:30 a.m. There will be more information coming about this next week. Please plan on joining the church community to celebrate nature and Mother Earth.
Connecting
In an effort to stay connected as a congregation, a text version of the Corona Sabbath posts is being sent in the mail to those in the church family that are not regular users of the Internet. The church is also sending a paper version of the Weekly Update to those who may appreciate keeping in touch that way.
Easter cards were sent from the Care Team of the church to all those who live at a distance, as well as those who are routinely homebound, and to staff. These cards included a letter from the pastor with Easter greetings from the church family.
Easter messages were mailed to all of the children and youth of the congregation.
There were 11 people on the Maundy Thursday Communion Zoom gathering. People were grateful to see one another, to share prayers, and to share in communion, feeling a sense of community, even though physically separated. There was a connection to one another as well as to the stories of our faith tradition, particularly the last supper.
For the Easter Sunday Zoom, there were 34 participants. We shared our concerns during this corona time and shared in affirming the Easter themes of hope and joy in these uncertain times.
For both of the Zoom events, there were those who were using Zoom for the first time.
Lots of support was offered. We are all learning together! Please consider joining the next church Zoom event. Many thanks to Barbara Donohue for helping to host the Zoom events.
Labyrinth Walks
Labyrinth Walks are being held as scheduled on Wednesday mornings at 9:00. The walk on Wednesday April 22 will be themed around Earth Day. We feel given current information and restrictions that it is safe to hold this activity. It involves less than 10 people, it is outside, and the people can be at least 6 feet apart. Bring your own chair and wear a mask if you wish.
Church Finances Unexpected Funds Arriving and Thinking of LUCC: Claire Stiles
As many of us will be receiving unexpected funds from the federal government
soon, perhaps we can consider giving some of the money to help our church and
other service organizations survive and provide for others during this challenging
time. Some of us have been blessed with sufficient income in retirement or are
still employed so could more easily share some of the $1200 or $2400 that our
households will receive. If that is true for you, please join me in deciding to use a
portion of this income to support our beloved LUCC and any other organizations
and services in our community that need our help!
Support for Medical Supplies
LUCC has signed on to a letter from countless organizations demanding that the federal
government provide all needed medical supplies to effectively combat COVID-19.
Subscribe to Website
This would be a good time to subscribe to the church website. As a subscriber, everything that is posted on the website will be sent to your email.
There’s now a new way to subscribe to posts from the church website by email. On any page of the website, look down the page for “Follow Blog via Email.” If you subscribed before, you’ll need to subscribe again with this new button. Notice, it’s right above the Paypal “Donate” button!
If you would like assistance with this, please contact the Church Office.
Sundays. . .
On Sundays, Rev. Wells will be at church from 10:30-11:30. The peace candle will be lit and
prayers will be offered. You are welcome to stop by to pray or meditate. The labyrinth is also
available. This is a symbolic witness that the church is still here, is still serving, is still active, is still shining light – even in these drastically changed circumstances.
Earth Day Celebration at LUCC during the week of April 20 – 26
Look for additional information to arrive by email to you soon. Ideas of how to celebrate Earth Day from home and the days leading up to it next week will be coming your way! Let’s all do our part to celebrate Mother Earth and safeguard her future and our own!
Help Offered
Several people from the congregation have offered to help others as needed. If you need
something from the grocery store or help with an errand or some other kind of assistance,
please contact the Church Office. There are those who are ready and willing.
New Cleaning Routines
The church custodian, Tony Rogers, is being sure to thoroughly sanitize the building including door handles, faucets, etc. We are grateful for this increased effort.
Church Office Changes
Given the increased restrictions on social contact, the church office is closed until further notice. The church administrator, Gabi Paxton will be working from home. The ministry of the church is continuing to the fullest measure possible under the current conditions. Please continue to be in contact and reach out to the church and staff.
New Street Light In The Back Of The Church
Duke Energy has installed an enhanced street light on the north side of the church building in the parking area. This increased lighting will help to facilitate the use of the new electric vehicle charging station on the north side of the church.
WHAT IS NOT GOING ON AT CHURCH –
AA
Sunday Afternoon rental church
Regular Sunday Services
Choir Rehearsal
Church School Westminster Suncoast monthly luncheon
OTHER CHURCH NEWS
Music Ministry
About Hilton’s music. . . If you would enjoy hearing Hilton play more Irish folk songs, you can
listen for free at either https://hiltonjones.bandcamp.com/album/irish-
tunes or https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/irish-tunes .
To see the complete list of Corona Sabbath posts today, go to https://lakewooducc.org/category/online-devotional/. Note that down the page, as time goes on, there will be a button that says “Older Posts.” To see a complete list of music posts to date, go to https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/. Again, look for the button down the page that says “Older Posts.” As always, of course, you may see all older posts of every category under the main menu (https://lakewooducc.org/posts/).
Weekly Chat and Check-In LUCC Member Wally LeBlanc to Host Weekly Chat
This is being postponed until further notice.
April Birthdays: Zachary Blair-Andrews 4/16, Mary Beth Lewis 4/29, Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.
Circle of Concern: William Owen, Wilbur Reid, Martha Lamar, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, and Ann Rogers. All healthcare workers and essential workers. All those suffering from COVID-19.
Please keep LUCC member, Olivia Gibson, in your prayers. She is a nurse on a COVID-19 unit in a local hospital. We are grateful for her ministry!
Recent Posts:
- Easter Zoom Reflection Text Version April 14, 2020
- Easter Corona Reflection Text Version April 14, 2020
- An Easter Sunday Call to Worship April 12, 2020
- Corona Sabbath 4 Easter April 11, 2020
- Good Friday Devotion April 10, 2020
- Maundy Thursday Devotion April 9, 2020
Weekly Update: If you are involved with an activity or event that you would like to share with the LUCC family, please send the information to the Church Office by Tuesday since the Update usually is sent out on Wednesday.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 