WHAT IS GOING ON AT CHURCH –
Summer Sundays
The theme for the Corona Sabbath posts this summer is ‘GROUNDED.’ Yes, with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, many are not taking expected summer trips and vacations. Feeling grounded. And with the demonstrations going on, many do not feel safe to venture out because of the pandemic and feel grounded. And with a global pandemic, a global recession, and global demonstrations against racism, it is a time to lean on our faith to help us feel grounded. Each week’s presentation will explore a different dimension of our faith which helps us to feel grounded in these uncertain times. When we are grounded, we can grow and flourish and bear fruit! So, look for the Corona Sabbath post each week to help you be grounded! The theme for this week is Transformation
Corona Sabbath
In addition to the material from Hilton and Kim, we hope to include contributions from the congregation each week. You are invited to send a picture, a poem, a quotation from a book or article, an image, a work of art, a song, a video of you doing something or reading something, anything you would like to share with your church family. Hilton and Kim will try to incorporate the contributions into the Corona Sabbath Devotional on the related theme.
The themes coming up are:
Hope for the Future
Forgiveness
Compassion/Justice
Service/Generosity
Trust
Gratitude
Peace
Healing
Wonder/Awe
Please email contributions on any of these topics to the church at lakewooducc@gmail.com. Or use the “regular” mail.
Many thanks for the contributions so far. Please keep them coming!
This Sunday
The church will be open from 10:30 to 11:30. The peace candle will be lit. It will be a time of prayer and reflection as a witness that the church is still open and ministry continues even though we are not able to gather in person for worship.
Look for a Corona Sabbath post on Friday. Check for it at the website – lakewooducc.org
Also, please subscribe to the website so that you receive regular updates about church life.
Hymnals for All
While we might not be able to recite many scripture verses, we can probably sing the words to many hymns. Singing is one of the things people miss most about not having in-person church services at this time. Hymns are a source of inspiration. We have associations with certain hymns. The tunes and the words help us to feel grounded.
Music Director, Hilton Jones, would like to use more hymns in the devotional posts provided by the church. If you have a hymnal and sing along, there are no copyright issues and problems.
To that end, please know that the church hymnals are available to be checked out like a library book but with no due date and no fines!
You may pick one up at church on Sunday mornings (10-12) or Wednesday mornings (9-12) or Sunday evenings (7:30-8:00). There is a clip board to sign your name indicating that you have taken a book.
If you would like a hymnal delivered to you, please contact the church office and we will try to do that.
When we can worship in person again, the hymnals will need to be returned.
‘God respects me when I work; but God loves me when I sing.” Rabindranath Tagore
Rake Needed
The church is in need of a rake, a regular yard rake for leaves, etc. If you have an extra one or see one at a yard sale, please consider donating it to the church. Many thanks!
In Memoriam
The Care Team scheduled a visit to Ann Rogers complete with signs of love and support from her church family. Just 5 days later, Ann was admitted to the hospital where she died on Thursday July 2. Ann was a lifelong church musician, a quilter, a gardener, a cat lover, an avid baseball fan, and a dear friend to many. Whenever people from the church visited her, she had a bag of groceries ready to donate to Operation Attack. Ann will be sorely missed! Please keep her friends and family in your prayers in this time of loss. No memorial plans have been made yet.
Neighbor Graduates
A neighbor of the church is graduating from USF. The family asked to use the church parking lot to stage a drive by celebration. Even with the pandemic, the church is continuing to serve the community!
Helping the Homeless
A homeless neighbor asked to have a package delivered to the church. The package was then taken to the person at their place of work.
There are also homeless neighbors who regularly “shower” at the church using the outdoor hoses. And a homeless neighbor is storing things on the patio outside the nursery.
This is an important time to offer whatever support we can to others! The church is embodying our commitment to ‘love your neighbor.’
Are You Counted?
With all of the upheaval in society, it might be easy to forget about the census. But responding to the census is a way to respond to all that is going on around us. The census is very important to the allocation of resources in our society. And it effects our representation in government. If you have not already done so, complete the census!
https://2020census.gov/en.html
Sunday Evening Demonstration for Racial Justice
Last week there were 10 people participating in the demonstration for racial justice along 54th Ave. S. in front of the church from 7:30-8:00 p.m. In addition to folks from LUCC, there were people from the Social Justice Committee at Westminster Suncoast, and a friend of a church member. There were many expressions of support and a few expressions of opposition from passing cars.
This public witness will continue in coming weeks. Everyone is welcome. Bring a sign or use one of the signs provided. The intent is to send a positive message about racial justice. No political or partisan signs, please.
Here are pictures from last week’s witness: https://lakewooducc.org/2020/06/23/sunday-evening-demonstration-for-racial-justice/
Zooms Ahead!
There will be another all church Zoom gathering on the evening of Friday July 24. This will be a Christmas Eve in July celebration complete with Christmas carols. And maybe even Christmas cookies!
There will also be an all church Zoom gathering on Sunday morning August 9 at 10:30. The theme is Back to School. It is the Sunday before school starts and it will be a celebration of learning and a time to share memories of teachers who have made a difference in our lives.
Weekly Labyrinth Walks Continue
Each Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. a small group gathers at the outdoor labyrinth for a time of devotion, discussion, and meditative walking of the labyrinth. The theme for the week is taken from the Corona Sabbath of the week before, so it is an opportunity to go deeper in the spiritual exploration of that theme for your life. This devotional gathering is outside and physical distancing is maintained. All are welcome!
In recent weeks, the labyrinth has been restored and refurbished with some trimming, raking, and new hay. Please know that this spiritual path is open for your use any time.
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/06/23/labyrinth-has-been-refurbished
Spiritual Direction Offered by LUCC Clergy Member.
In these troubled times, it is important to find ways to tend to our spiritual lives. In the Christian tradition, Spiritual Direction is one of the ways of paying attention to the spirit in our lives. A Spiritual Director is someone to talk with about what is going on in our spiritual life and in our relationship with God however we may conceive of God.
Rev. Sally Purvis, Ph.D., a member of LUCC, is a retired clergy person with training and experience in Spiritual Direction. She is offering her services as a Spiritual Director to the community. The sessions would be held on Zoom and there is no fee to be paid. Church leaders are pleased to have the ministry of the church expand in this way.
Spiritual Direction with Sally is open to anyone, not just the congregation. And it is offered to everyone whatever their spiritual or religious background or affiliation or lack thereof. Sessions are generally held once every three weeks. Spiritual Direction is not a mode of therapy. It is a process for understanding and deepening your relationship with God/Spirit in ways are authentic and life-giving.
Sally was trained by Henri Nouwen, a noted spiritual guide of the 20th century, and did Spiritual Direction as part of her professional ministry before retiring in 2015.
If you would like to explore Spiritual Direction with Sally, please contact her at
sallybpurvis@icloud.com or contact the church (867-7961 or lakewooducc@gmail.com ).
The church is very grateful to Sally for offering this avenue of support to the congregation and the community.
DayStar Donations
Daystar Life Center announced Wednesday that the facility will suspend all services except for mail until further notice, after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, according to a post on the nonprofit organization’s Facebook page.
Staff members and volunteers in the St. Petersburg facility, which serves the poor and homeless, last week were advised to test for coronavirus, and people who had close contact with the staff member who tested positive have been urged to self-isolate for 14 days, the Facebook post reads.
The Facebook post does not state when the staff member tested positive, how they came into contact with the virus or their role at Daystar.
Daystar will be open for mail service from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. In observance of Independence Day, the facility will be closed July 3.
Daystar is a nonprofit organization that provides a host of services to local people facing poverty or homelessness, including assistance with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program authentication and local transportation. The facility also offers a food pantry, free clothes and personal hygiene items.
The organization did not provide an estimate of when it will reopen, except to say it would “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
QUICK LINKS TO OUR RECENT POSTS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:
Sermon videos: https://lakewooducc.org/category/online-devotional/
Sermon texts: https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/sermon-texts/
Posts containing music: https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/
For all those links, please note the “Older Posts” button near bottom of page.
FOR JUST THE MUSIC: https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/music-at-lakewood
Daily Corona Prayer
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/03/20/lucc-corona-daily-prayer
Assistance Available
If you need help of any kind – something from the store, someone to talk with, support managing during shelter-in-place, parenting concerns – please know that the church is ready and willing to help in any way needed. This situation is trying for everyone. You are not alone. We’ll make it through together. Please contact the church office (lakewooducc@gmail.com or 867-7961 or Rev. Kim Wells at wells.kim.p@gmail.com).
Miss someone from church? Give them a call or send a note. Personal contact is so important when physical contact is limited.
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 .
July Birthdays: Ann Quinn 7/6. Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.
Circle of Concern: JoAnn Reid, William Owen, Wilbur Reid, Martha Lamar, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, and all healthcare workers and essential workers. All those suffering from COVID-19.
Please keep Yvonne Riesen and family in your prayers. Yvonne has moved to the Memory Care unit at Westminster Suncoast. Calls and notes are a way to show your concern and support to Yvonne.
Maggie Brizendine has been in the hospital and should be moved into rehab soon. Please keep her in your prayers.
Please keep LUCC member, Olivia Gibson, in your prayers. She is a nurse in a COVID-19 unit in a local hospital. We are grateful for her ministry!
Recent Posts:
- Weekly Anti-Racism Demonstration July 9, 2020
- Corona Sabbath 16 COMFORT July 3, 2020
- Corona Sabbath 16 COMFORT Reflection Text July 3, 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 