Advent Begins!
When we had the Christmas in July Zoom celebration we enjoyed hearing the Christmas story and singing carols. Well, there is another Zoom Christmas Eve service planned for 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 24th. There will also be an in-person outdoor service at 7:00 p.m.
The theme for this Advent season at LUCC is Rekindle the Gift from a verse from 2 Timothy. This is certainly a season to ‘rekindle’ after all that we have been through! Each week, the Corona Sabbath and daily devotions will focus on the traditional themes for the candles of the Advent Wreath. Rekindle Hope. Rekindle Peace. Rekindle Joy. And Rekindle Love.
Please see the details below for the Advent season. May you find needed hope, peace, joy, and love this season!
In Person Services and Gatherings Ahead!
The church is experimenting with a ‘soft’ re-opening. There will be in person gatherings and services outside, with masks, and physical distancing. There will be no singing. Participants are encouraged to bring their own chairs. Some will also be available at the church.
Here’s what’s coming:
In addition, the weekly guided labyrinth walks will continue on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and weekly anti-racism demonstrations will continue on Sunday evenings at 5:00 p.m. All are welcome.
For those who want to remain engaged with the church ‘remotely’, the church will continue to post a weekly Corona Sabbath with a scripture reading, reflection from Rev. Wells, and music from Hilton Jones. Paper copies of the Corona Sabbath and the Update will continue to be sent to those who do not use the internet.
After this period of experimentation, there will be a discussion about how to proceed into the New Year.
TOYS for HOMELESS CHILDREN
Our church family along with the Social Justice Team at Westminster Suncoast has been extremely generous in supporting Maximo Elementary’s children. To date we have donated uniforms, underwear and Covid 19 supplies which included masks for children.
Ms. Jones has identified 30 homeless children at the school for whom the Education Ministry Team is going to purchase toys and books for Christmas gifts using available funds. For those who would personally enjoy buying toys for these children please do so. The toys may be brought to the outdoor Advent services on December 6th and 13th. Toys may also be dropped off at the church Tuesday-Friday, 9:30-noon. The toys will be picked up for delivery to the school on Wednesday, December 16th.
THANKS EVERYONE , those who have already donated and those who will personally purchase toys, for helping to make Christmas 2020 special for a homeless child.
LUCC ‘s Education Ministry Team
Work Under Way for Adult Day Care
Finally after a year and a half of planning, the renovations of the Fellowship Hall are underway to prepare for the Adult Day Care program sponsored by Neighborly Services! So far, a railing has been installed to the back entrance of the Fellowship Hall and the demolition is underway to prepare for the three accessible restrooms that are being installed. It is very exciting to finally see movement toward the goal of offering needed services to the seniors in our area!
Thanksgiving Services
Last Sunday, the church offered 2 Thanksgiving services. One was in-person with masks and social distancing on the lawn of the church under the tree. About 26 people participated. There was great joy seeing one another. The second service was virtual held live at noon from the sanctuary. Danielle Hintz and Julian Ricciardi were liturgists and Malcolm Wells and Jeff Wells did tech. Many thanks to all who helped and all who participated. There was a wonderful spirit of gratitude for many things not the least being LUCC! Here’s a link to some pictures:
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/25/thanksgiving-worship-service/
OUT OF REGARD FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY THIS EVENT IS BEING CANCELLED
Sharing a Meal
What is Thanksgiving without food? And yet many will not be joining family and friends this year because of the health and safety issues involved. The LUCC Care Team is sponsoring a get together for people from the church to eat together on Thanksgiving. This gathering will be outdoors with masks and physical distancing. Participants may bring their own food or have food provided. Each will bring their own plates, utensils, and drinks. Those who would like to participate are asked to contact Patti Cooksey so that adequate arrangements can be made for the number of people who will be attending. More details will be forthcoming. You can reach Patti at cooksepa@eckerd.edu
Leadership Selection Process
Each year the congregation is invited to offer names of people that they would like to serve as advisors for the church for the coming year. Church members are also welcome to volunteer to serve.
Advisors are charged with seeing that the life and ministry of LUCC is an embodiment of the mission statement of the church. In addition, the Advisors function in an administrative capacity regarding budget and finance, property, program, and personnel. They serve as the pastoral relations committee fostering a positive relationship between the congregation and the pastor.
The advisors have been meeting at least once a month, sometimes in person and sometimes virtually. This depends on the will of the group.
Please suggest names of those you think would serve well as Advisors for the coming year. You may email lakewooducc@gmail.com
Corona Sabbath Ahead
The theme this week takes us from Thanksgiving to Advent in these troubled times. We sure do need a little Christmas this year!
If you missed last week’s Corona Sabbath here’s the link:
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/19/corona-sabbath-36-give-thanks/
Anti-Racism Demonstrations Continue on Sundays
Weekly demonstrations to end racism continue in front of the church each Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Bring a sign or use one of the signs provided. Regardless of the outcome of the election, this witness is an important demonstration of Christian values and moral values. All are welcome to join in!
And use the following link to see pictures from the last demonstration.
https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/24/anti-racism-demonstration-11-22/
In case of rain, the demonstration will not be held that week. Know justice, know peace!
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!
If there is rain on Wednesday morning, the gathering will be held on Thursday morning at 9:00.
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 that 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.
USEFUL LAKEWOOD LINKS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:
- Corona Sabbath Posts
- Sermon and Reflection Texts
- Music at Lakewood
- Lakewood UCC YouTube Channel
- Lakewood UCC on Twitter
- Lakewood on Facebook
- Lakewood on Instagram
- Daily Corona Prayer
For the above church website links, please note the “Older Posts” button near the bottom of each page.
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 .
November Birthdays: Lucille Ruga 11/9, Emily Bell 11/15, Rev. Susan Sherwood 11/15, Ed Kaspar 11/21, Lorne Palmer 11/21, Bert Lee 11/22, Bill Lindsay 11/23, Wally LeBlanc 11/23, Kai’Lyn Washington 11/27, and Jane Diven 11/29, Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.
Circle of Concern: JoAnn Reid, William Owen, Wilbur Reid, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, Dave Radens, teachers, students, and school personnel, and 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 in a COVID-19 unit in a local hospital. We are grateful for her ministry!
Church Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9:30-noon.
Recent Posts:
- Thanksgiving Worship Service November 25, 2020
- Thanksgiving Hymn-a-day: NCH #419 Now Thank We All Our God November 25, 2020
- Birthday Wishes for Wally November 24, 2020
- Letter of Gratitude to the LUCC Family November 24, 2020
- Anti-Racism Demonstration 11/22 November 24, 2020
- Thanksgiving Hymn-a-day: We Plow the Fields and Scatter November 24, 2020
- Thanksgiving Hymn-a-day: NCH #422 Come, O Thankful People, Come November 23, 2020
- Thanksgiving Hymn-a-day: NCH #421 We Gather Together November 22, 2020
- Thanksgiving Hymn-a-day: NCH #76 Sent Forth by God’s Blessings November 21, 2020
- Thanksgiving Hymn-a-day: NCH #28 For the Beauty of the Earth November 20, 2020
- Corona Sabbath 36 GIVE THANKS! November 19, 2020
- Corona Sabbath 36 GIVE THANKS! Reflection Text November 19, 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 