Author: lakewooducc

Sunday Service 4.18.2021

MUSIC                Stormy Weather                      Arden & Koeler

                   The Lion Sleeps Tonight         Weiss, Creatore,& Peretti

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE      Barbara Donohue, liturgist

Nothing wants to suffer. Not the wind

as it scrapes itself against the cliff. Not the cliff

being eaten, slowly, by the sea. The earth does not want

to suffer the rough tread of those who do not notice it.

The trees do not want to suffer the axe, nor see

their sisters felled by root rot, mildew, rust.

The coyote in its den. The puma stalking its prey.

These, too, want ease and a tender animal in the mouth

to take their hunger. An offering, one hopes,

made quickly, and without much suffering.

The chair mourns an angry sitter. The lamp, a scalded moth.

A table, the weight of years of argument.

We know this, though we forget.

Not the shark nor the tiger, fanged as they are.

Nor the worm, content in its windowless world

of soil and stone. Not the stone resting in its riverbed.

The riverbed, gazing up at the stars.

Least of all, the stars, ensconced in their canopy,

looking down at all of us — their offspring —

scattered so far beyond reach.

Danusha Laméris, “Nothing Wants to Suffer”,

after Linda Hogan

PRELUDE                    The Moldau                Smetana

CALL TO WORSHIP      Chief Dan George, adapted

We bless God

For the beauty of the trees

The softness of the air

The fragrance of the grass

We bless God

For the soaring of the skies

The rhythms of the earth

The stillness of the night

We bless God

For the freshness of the morning

The dewdrops on the flower

For the twinkling of the stars

We bless God

For the taste of good food

The trail of the sun

And the life that never goes away

MUSIC               Willow                       HKJ

SCRIPTURE LESSON

Let us prepare ourselves for the word of God as it comes to us in the reading of Holy Scripture. Our hearts and minds are open.

Mark 16:9-15

For the word of God in scripture, for the word of God  among us, for the word of God within us. Thanks be to God.

MODERN READING –Reredos                  Euros Bowen, 1904-1988, Welsh

SERMON                All Creation                 Rev. Kim P. Wells

“One time as [Francis] was passing through the Spoleto valley, he came upon a place near Bevagna, in which a great multitude of birds of various kinds had assembled. When the holy one of God saw them, because of the outstanding love of the Creator with which Francis loved all creatures, he ran swiftly to the place. He greeted the birds in his usual way, as if they shared in reason. Since the birds did not take flight, he went among them, going to and fro, touching their heads and bodies with his tunic. 

“Meanwhile his joy and wonder increased as he carefully admonished the birds to listen to the Word of God: ‘My brother and sister birds, you should greatly praise your Creator and show love always. Your Creator clothed you with feathers and gave you wings for flying.  Among all the creatures, you were made free and given you the purity of the air.  You neither sow nor reap, but are provided for without your least care.’  

“At these words, the birds gestured a great deal, in their own way. They stretched their necks, spread their wings, opened their beaks and looked at St. Francis.  They did not leave the place until he blessed them, made the sign of the cross, and gave them permission. On returning to the monastery he began to accuse himself of negligence because he had not preached to the birds before.  From that day on, he carefully exhorted birds and beasts and even insensible creatures to praise and love the Creator.”  [From Thomas of Celano, The Treatise on the Miracle of Saint Francis, (1250-1252), ed. Regis J. Armstrong, OFM Cap, J.A. Wayne Hellmann, OFM Cov, William J. Short, OFM, The Francis Trilogy of Thomas of Celano (Hyde Park:  New City Press, 2004), 329-330, adapted.  Accessed at https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/st-francis-assisi]

So, here is this saint, known for his love of animals, preaching to the birds and the beasts.  Now preaching is often thought of as a way of helping people to recognize their sin and turn their lives toward God.  Had the birds sinned?  Had the rabbits sinned?  Had the squirrels and deer sinned against God?  Of course not.  Animals can’t sin and they can’t choose to turn their lives to God.  They can only live from their natural, innate instinct.  Well, pets that have been domesticated and been influenced by relations with humans may be an exception!  But St. Francis was not preaching to the animals to set them straight.  He was preaching to them to celebrate their sacredness, their worth, their holiness.   He was preaching to them to honor that they are part of the self-disclosure of Divine Love, of God. 

Creation shows us the universality of Divine Love.  It shows us the comprehensive scope of God.  John of Damascus, writing in the 8th century, tells us,

“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.” 

[Quoted in The Green Bible]

Nature shows us, teaches us, about God, about ourselves, about balance, about mutuality and interdependence.  It teaches us of adaptation and beauty and praise.  Creation teaches us of our utter dependence upon nature for food, shelter, water, marking time, cycles, and seasons.  We are completely supported by nature.  We cannot live without nature.  There is no abundant flourishing life without the natural world.  “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone,” Martin Luther tells us, “but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”  [Quoted in The Green Bible]

Our tradition teaches that the glories of creation have been given to us, to sustain us, out of love.  Pure gift.  Nothing we have earned or deserved.  There is no transaction involved.  We are simply given this life, and sustained in this life, by creation.  By the natural world.  Which provides for our physical needs, our emotional needs, and our spiritual needs.  Nature gives us life and teaches us how to thrive.  It shows us our place and our need.  We are taught to honor the powers beyond us and within us.  It is the remarkable revelation of Love, mystery beyond our comprehension. “Reading about nature is fine,” says George Washington Carver, “but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God.” He continues, “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”  [Quoted in The Green Bible]

Now this morning we listened to part of the third ending of the gospel of Mark.  We heard these verses on Easter.  Today what I want us to hear is the charge that Jesus gives to his followers in this story.  He tells them to, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.”  Notice that.  The whole world.  And all creation.  Jesus’ followers are to bring good news to all people and all of creation.  Not just to my part of the world.  And my people.  Our kind.  This command is universal.  And it is not even limited to humanity.  Tell the good news to all of creation.  That’s the rocks, the rivers, the seas, the sky, the mountains, the trees, the beasts, the fish, the worms, the grass, the birds.  Seems like St. Francis took Jesus at his word about this, too!  Proclaim the good news to all of creation.  No exceptions.

Is this because the animals and plants need to be corrected?  Of course not!  This is a way of expressing the full scope of the goodness of God.  It includes everything, everywhere, every kind, everyone.  Every place.  Every time.  Beyond space.  Outside of time.  It is a way of talking about the amazing, astounding love and scope of God, beyond our wildest imaginings.  Divine Love is not just about one random species on one random planet.  This is a universal message of love for all that was, is, and is to be.  Jesus is celebrating the fullness, the scope, the immensity, of Divine Love. 

And of course, we see the manifestation of divinity in nature throughout the Bible.  Scripture tells us over and over again about how God is experienced as not only being in relationship with humanity but as having control over the natural world.  Our holy book starts with two creation stories.  God imagines, speaks, creation into existence.  Including humanity.  A garden, paradise.  And our scriptures end with the image of a garden.  Paradise.  And in between, the power of Divine Love is seen in creation over and over.  The flood.  The burning bush.  The locusts and frogs and river of blood.  The dying cattle.  Everyone beneath a vine and fig tree living in peace and unafraid.  The complicity of the big fish that swallowed Jonah.  The lions that don’t eat Daniel and his friends.  The star over the stable.  The stilling of the storm.  The withering of the fig tree.  The darkening of the sun at the crucifixion and the earthquake.  All of these images and many more are intended to convey that creation is of God.  Sacred.  Holy.  Evidencing of the power and purposes of Divine Love.  “The heavens are telling of the glory of God and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork,” we are told in the Psalms.  [Ps. 19:1]

And since all that is working in such perfection, we, the human species, would do well to follow the dictates of God, because if God can run the universe so beautifully, surely God knows what is best for us!  So Psalm 19 continues,

“The law of the God is perfect, reviving the soul;

the decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;

the precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of God is clear, enlightening the eyes;

the fear of God is pure, enduring forever,

the ordinances of God are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold!

Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.”  [Psalm 19:7-10] 

But, unlike the plants and animals and planets, we humans tend to detour from our courses.  To make faith all about us.  To put the focus on humanity.  On our group.  Our species.  And it becomes about our need.  Our sins.  Our salvation.  Our next life.  Our own good.  Often at the expense of one another and of nature.  We diminish the glorious gospel to a human-centered self help tract.  Of course the gospel teaches us how to live a good life, an abundant life.  We are schooled in selfless living, forgiveness , service, generosity, forgiveness, love of self, neighbor, enemy.  And this is all good.  But the gospel is so much more.  It is good news for all creation.  And when we limit the good news to us, people, our lives, we deny ourselves the whole gospel, the good news to the stars and lakes and trees and rocks and birds.  And we distort our proper place in the context of the all of it and we diminish the grandeur of God.

The current environmental movement and the perils of global warming and climate change are bringing us back to a more wholistic world view.  The rights of nature movement which started in South America is promoting legal rights for rivers, land, animals, and plants.  This movement is gaining strength here in southwest Florida where advocates are working to gain legal rights for the Caloosahatchee River and other bodies of water. 

Our degenerating situation is forcing us back to a sensitivity to our place in all of creation.  It is reminding us that we are dependent upon the earth.  And we have been biting the hand that feeds us.  We are seeing the ravages of our sins of greed and pride and gluttony.

I am listening to The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise by Michael Grunwald.  And like The Gulf, by Jack Davis, a natural history of the Gulf of Mexico, the writer tells of the decimation of the bird populations of Florida,  entire rookeries, thousands upon thousands of birds, killed, for their plumes.  Feathers.  To adorn hats.  That were probably worn to church.  The greed and callousness is sickening. 

And here we are in this season of new life, of resurrection, of Good News, of coming out of the tomb.  We need it!  I am thinking about how the church, entrusted with the gospel, needs to move beyond anthropocentrism.  We must move beyond the perspective that humanity is the center of God’s universe.  We must follow the dictates of Jesus and put all creation, the complete, infinite disclosure of the Divine at the heart of our message.  So I am trying to be part of fostering an expression of Christianity that is not anthropocentric.  And to do that involves moving beyond our exclusive attachment to the anthropomorphic God of our own making.  So I would like to be part of a church that is intentionally committed to Good News for all of creation.  A church that does not make the world and the word revolve around humanity as if it was a privileged, spoiled, entitled, elite, heterosexual white man!  I want to be part of a church that promotes the gospel that is good news for all of creation by moving beyond almost exclusively human language for God, for what God is and how God is imagined.  To me, that is how we can proclaim the good news to all of creation.  We need to move beyond some of the old concepts and language and embrace new imagery that conveys more closely the intent of the gospel in ways that are suited to our situation. 

The gospel is about good news for all creation.  Yes, all kinds of people, holy and beloved, but this also extends to the the actual physical world – land, air, water, space, animals, plants, fungi, protista, and monera.  Jesus’ message is good news for all of it, not just some of it, and certainly not just us, our kind, or our species. 

And when we celebrate the gospel that is good news for all of creation, we are not only respecting and honoring creation, we are also, well, saving ourselves.  Because we cannot live without creation.  Creation can go on without us, but we cannot go on without nature.  We need creation to give us life, to help us thrive and flourish.  To feed us.  To teach us.  To make us human.  Hildegard of Bingen, writing in the 1100’s saw this.  She says, “All nature is at the disposal of human kind.  We are to work with it.  Without it we can not survive.”  [Meditations with Hildegard of Bingen, Gabriele Uhlein, p. 71]  She was preaching good news to all of creation. 

Jesus’ instruction to proclaim the good news to all of creation is really more for us than it is for creation.  It is a message that will help to save us.  It teaches us of God, of our own place, it teaches us of balance and interdependency and adaptation and the proliferation of all life.  We need to listen to nature to hear the voice of God teaching of Divine Love.  Remember how loud and joyous all of the birds were during the covid lockdown?  Remember the raucous chatter?  Maybe they were preaching to us.  Sharing good news with us.  Maybe we need to pay attention.  And listen.  Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.

UNISON PRAYER            Pat Mathes Cane

We join with the Earth

and with each other,

With our ancestors

and all beings of the future,

to bring new life to the land,

to recreate the human community,

to provide justice and peace,

to remember our children,

to remember who we are. . .

We join together

as many and diverse expressions

of one loving Mystery,

for the healing of the Earth

and the renewal of all Life. Amen.

MUSIC                    The Cherry Tree                      Ireland     

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ, as part of the Church Universal is to:

  • Celebrate the presence and power of God in our lives & in our world.
  • Offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people.
  • Work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.

MORNING OFFERING

Morning offerings may be brought forward and placed in the plates on the altar.

Offertory   Les oiseaux et les sources (the birds and the springs)

Messiaen

 Prayer of Dedication            Ray Simpson

Glad Bringer of brightness

Day’s blessing, rainbow’s embrace

Teach our hearts to open as the buds open

And to welcome in your grace.

Teach us to dance with the playful clouds

And to laugh with sun’s smile on our face.

The earth is yours, may it bring forth its produce

The birds are yours, may they bring forth their songs

Our work is yours, may it bring forth its yield. Amen.

MUSICAL CALL TO PRAYER       Le cygne (The Swan)      Camille Saint-Saëns

COMMUNITY PRAYERS – SAVIOR’S PRAYER

Eternal Spirit, Earth Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that ever shall be,

Father and Mother of all people, Loving God in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by all peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and

come on earth!

With the bread that we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and

forever. Amen.

*BENEDICTION

*POSTLUDE             Baby Elephant Walk                Mancini

In May, services will begin at 9:30a.m.

Weekly Update 4/21

New Service Time Ahead

After considering the thoughts and views of the congregation, theAdvisors have decided that for the month of May, services will continue to be held with the doors and windows open. The services will begin at 9:30 when it is slightly cooler. There will be a new plan in June when, hopefully, most of the congregation will be vaccinated.

Sundays

It’s a well-known Psalm, usually read at funerals and memorial services.   This Sunday involves a closer look at what Psalm 23 has to say about living.  Rev. Victoria Long will be preaching.  

The service is at 10:30, in person, covid safe.  

Childcare provided.

The bulletin and text of the Sunday sermon will be posted at the website the following week and there will be regular posts of music and music videos from Hilton Jones.

Watch the service on Facebook Live Sundays at 10:30. https://www.facebook.com/LakewoodUCC

For covid safety measures, see below

Transitions:  Naming and Claiming the Changes in Our Lives 

The leadership of the Care Team has requested a program of spiritual support and renewal in the face of the many transitions and losses that we have been through in the past year.  We have had to navigate changes in relationships, deaths, loss of meaningful activities and social involvements.  We have dealt with changes in our families and our lifestyle and economic means.  We have faced changes in schedules, work patterns, and school involvement.  On many, many fronts, there has been change.  There is a desire to recognize what we have been going through, honor the losses and seek the gifts as we continue the journey.  

A four week program based on the traditional elements, air, water, fire, and earth is planned.  Each gathering will include rituals, readings, scripture, reflection, and conversation helping us to see where we have been and what we are learning.  We will honor the path we have traveled.  
Several time frames for this offering are under consideration:  Saturday mornings, Friday mornings, or a week day evening.  There will be four sessions.

At the suggestion of someone in the congregation, these four sessions will be held on Sunday mornings in June.   The time has yet to be determined.  And there will be a Facebook Live component.

LUCC Earth Day Celebration Campfire

Friday, April 30th – 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.

April 22, 2021 is the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day and the entire month of April is dedicated to the 2021 theme of Earth Day, Restore Our Earth. To honor this occasion, LUCC Creation Justice Task Force is sponsoring a Restore Our Earth Campfire gathering on Friday, April 30th from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the church.

Bring a chair or use an LUCC chair to gather around the fire where we will share poems or readings that express love and appreciation for the Earth (bring one you particularly love), and then we will write love letters to the Earth.  We will we read them to each other and perhaps toss them in the fire, sending out our love to Earth, like prayers sent up with incense.  Please plan to join in this special occasion at church to honor and celebrate our beloved Mother Earth!

Pastor Away Rev. Kim Wells will be on vacation April 21-27. If pastoral care is needed, please contact the leader of the care team, Patti Cooksey (cooksepa@eckerd.edu). Thank you!

Earth Day Music Video

The music video featuring pictures of nature submitted by the church family will be posted on, well, Earth Day, April 22.  Many thanks to all who contributed photos and especially to Hilton Jones for contributing the music and the creative vision!  Be sure to watch it.  Maybe more than once!  Happy Earth Day!

Stimulate the Ministry of LUCC

Many people are receiving covid stimulus money from the government.  If you are able, please consider giving some or all of your stimulus money to your beloved church.  Finances are stretched thin at the church and the ministry is needed more than ever.  Maybe you are still practicing physical isolation due to covid.  So, let your money go out into the world for you through the ministry of LUCC.  Maybe your activities are still very restricted.  But your generosity doesn’t have to be restrained!  Maybe you are glorying in things starting to open up and can open your wallet a little wider to support the ways the church is reaching out to the congregation and beyond!  Please know that every gift is gratefully received and will be used to extend the ministry of Jesus in the world!

Being Covid Safe and In Person Worship

The church has contacted the St. Petersburg Health Department for guidance.  Here are the take aways that are being implemented for everyone’s safety.

Please stay home if you are not feeling well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending double masking.  Please consider wearing two masks to church.  Additional masks will be available at church to use as needed.

Two hand sanitizing stations will be available for use by worshippers.

Signs will be posted to encourage physical distancing.

The pulpit and altar will be moved into the chancel to provide more room for the congregation to physical distance.

Prayer request sheets will be provided so that worshippers may write their prayer requests and place them in a basket on the altar.  This eliminates the need for the worship leader to come within 6 feet of the worshippers. 

People who would like to converse after the service are encouraged to do so outside, not in the hallway or the library or other confined spaces.

The breezeway restrooms will be open and available to prevent people from congregating in the library while waiting to use the office restroom.

The chairs in the sanctuary will be cleaned with sanitizer each week.  You are welcome to bring your own chair if you prefer.

There is well-ventilated, physically distanced indoor seating as well as outdoor seating on the sidewalk adjacent to the sanctuary. Masks are worn by all. Please know that your safety is of primary consideration! Childcare provided.

Facebook Live Help Needed

The broadcast of the service is very meaningful to the people from the church family that watch.  It is a significant ministry to those who cannot be present in the church building.  

Currently there are three people from the congregation who have volunteered to do the streaming on Sunday mornings. It is not very complicated. You can use a smartphone or a tablet. There is a brief training and written instructions are provided. A few more people are needed to help so that this ministry can be continued. Are you willing to consider this? Please speak with Rev. Wells or with Barbara Donohue. Many thanks!

Immigration Justice Update 4/7/2021:

Here is an easy way to send a letter to our US Senators to demand they vote YES on The Dream Act (providing a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” The SECURE (Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression) Act, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act! The Senate must bring it to the floor by April 30th.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/demand-the-senate-votes-on-a-pathway-to-citizenship/

(or use this shortened version of the link: tinyurl.com/cwejfnpe)

Once you fill in your information, the form provides direct contact info and a pre-filled letter to Senator Rubio and Scott. You can personalize the “letters” as you wish. You may want to add this line: “Please support this legislation to provide pathway to citizenship for TPS holders from Venezuela.” Both of our senators are supportive of Venezuelan immigrants.

For more information about the Pinellas Coalition for Immigration Justice:
https://www.facebook.com/PinellasCoalition

Operation Attack Update

The two most recent OA drive thru events were a success! Thank you for Lakewood continuous donations during this trying time. OA is having 4 drive thru dates in the coming months. Those being May 22, June 26, July 31, and September 11. Please get these dates out to members of our congregation if they wish to help volunteer. In addition to those dates, OA is also still needing

Donations of cereal, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, vegetables and soup, dried beans, and mac/cheese. Remember we still aren’t accepting clothing donations at the moment. Finally, pray for the people in our community who are continuing to be challenged during this difficult time and the volunteers who are trying to ease their burdens. I’m hoping to find a time to stop by Lakewood to pick up any donations. 

Thank You,Ian Blair-Catala

Please note that OA is not accepting clothing donations.

Anti-Racism Demonstrations Continue

Weekly demonstrations take place on Sunday evenings from 6-6:30p.m. Many thanks to all who are participating.  Add your presence to this weekly demonstration making a witness to your commitment to anti racism.

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 Sunday 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.

Music from Hilton

You can watch 5 videos Hilton made as lead-ups to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUn2RmCFhW2uAVwKQLfqJnzNmZhEK_TK5.

If you want to just hear they soundtracks, without the videos, you can hear those at https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/mlk-day.

USEFUL LAKEWOOD LINKS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:

For the above church website links, please note the “Older Posts” button near the bottom of each page.

April Birthdays: Zachery Blair-Andrews 4/16, Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: 

The family and loved ones of Marg Radens, who died recently.

Carol Shores and her son Joel.

Edward Jones

William Owen-Cowan

Jen Degroot

Carolyn Moore

Ann Quinn

Maggie Brizendine

Janet Hall

Teachers, students, and school personnel, and all healthcare workers and essential workers. All those suffering from COVID-19.

Church Office Hours:  Tuesday-Friday 9:30-noon. 

Recent Posts:

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.

Weekly Update 4/14

Sundays

The exploration of the themes of Easter, new life, and resurrection continue this Easter Season.  And they are a beautiful blend with Earth Day.  Join in this celebration of the deep relationship between humanity and creation.  

The music video created for Earth Day will be shown before and after the service.

You are invited to be part of in-person, covid safe worship on Sunday mornings.

Childcare provided.

The bulletin and text of the Sunday sermon will be posted at the website the following week and there will be regular posts of music and music videos from Hilton Jones.

Watch the service on Facebook Live Sundays at 10:30. https://www.facebook.com/LakewoodUCC

For covid safety measures, see below

Easter Flowers Given for God’s Glory

Many thanks to all of those who gave Easter flowers to the Sanctuary for Easter Sunday!

Given by Sally Purvis in honor of Bella, Marcus, and Ben Purvis

Given by Claire Stiles and Ruth Pettis in memory of their beloved mother Dollie Pettis and in memory of their beloved parents Pearl and Charlie Schmidt

Given by Danielle Hintz in honor of her grandparents, Grammy and Papa, and Grandpa Tino

Given by the Wells Family in honor of Emerson and Soren

Given by Janet Blair in memory of Nancy Blair

Given by Barbara Donohue

Given by Yvonne Riesen in memory of Jerry Riesen

Given by Bill Parsons and Kay Rencken in memory of their loved ones

Given by Earl Waters in honor of all those who minister at Lakewood UCC and in memory of all those loved ones who have gone before

Given by Emily and Robert Bell in honor of their four delightful grandchildren

Given by Jane and George Diven in memory of their families

Given by Genie Terrell in honor of her wonderful family and in memory of Gordon Terrell

Given by Bert and Joyce Lee in memory of their parents

Given by Sue Sherwood in honor of Rebecca Kutz and Matthew Sherwood

Given by Sherry Santana in honor of Robin Jones, Patricia Hayes, John Rosario, and Pilgrim UCC in MD. In memory of Leon W. Hayes, Patricia Santana McConkey.

Transitions:  Naming and Claiming the Changes in Our Lives 

The leadership of the Care Team has requested a program of spiritual support and renewal in the face of the many transitions and losses that we have been through in the past year.  We have had to navigate changes in relationships, deaths, loss of meaningful activities and social involvements.  We have dealt with changes in our families and our lifestyle and economic means.  We have faced changes in schedules, work patterns, and school involvement.  On many, many fronts, there has been change.  There is a desire to recognize what we have been going through, honor the losses and seek the gifts as we continue the journey.  

A four week program based on the traditional elements, air, water, fire, and earth is planned.  Each gathering will include rituals, readings, scripture, reflection, and conversation helping us to see where we have been and what we are learning.  We will honor the path we have traveled.  
Several time frames for this offering are under consideration:  Saturday mornings, Friday mornings, or a week day evening.  There will be four sessions.

If you are interested in possibly being part of this group, please contact Rev. Kim Wells (wells.kim.p@gmail.com).  Once we know who is interested, a time will be arranged that most suits the participants. 

LUCC Earth Day Celebration Campfire

Friday, April 30th – 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.

April 22, 2021 is the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day and the entire month of April is dedicated to the 2021 theme of Earth Day, Restore Our Earth. To honor this occasion, LUCC Creation Justice Task Force is sponsoring a Restore Our Earth Campfire gathering on Friday, April 30th from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the church.

Bring a chair or use an LUCC chair to gather around the fire where we will share poems or readings that express love and appreciation for the Earth (bring one you particularly love), and then we will write love letters to the Earth.  We will we read them to each other and perhaps toss them in the fire, sending out our love to Earth, like prayers sent up with incense.  Please plan to join in this special occasion at church to honor and celebrate our beloved Mother Earth!

Stimulate the Ministry of LUCC

Many people are receiving covid stimulus money from the government.  If you are able, please consider giving some or all of your stimulus money to your beloved church.  Finances are stretched thin at the church and the ministry is needed more than ever.  Maybe you are still practicing physical isolation due to covid.  So, let your money go out into the world for you through the ministry of LUCC.  Maybe your activities are still very restricted.  But your generosity doesn’t have to be restrained!  Maybe you are glorying in things starting to open up and can open your wallet a little wider to support the ways the church is reaching out to the congregation and beyond!  Please know that every gift is gratefully received and will be used to extend the ministry of Jesus in the world!

Being Covid Safe and In Person Worship

The church has contacted the St. Petersburg Health Department for guidance.  Here are the take aways that are being implemented for everyone’s safety.

Please stay home if you are not feeling well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending double masking.  Please consider wearing two masks to church.  Additional masks will be available at church to use as needed.

Two hand sanitizing stations will be available for use by worshippers.

Signs will be posted to encourage physical distancing.

The pulpit and altar will be moved into the chancel to provide more room for the congregation to physical distance.

Prayer request sheets will be provided so that worshippers may write their prayer requests and place them in a basket on the altar.  This eliminates the need for the worship leader to come within 6 feet of the worshippers. 

People who would like to converse after the service are encouraged to do so outside, not in the hallway or the library or other confined spaces.

The breezeway restrooms will be open and available to prevent people from congregating in the library while waiting to use the office restroom.

The chairs in the sanctuary will be cleaned with sanitizer each week.  You are welcome to bring your own chair if you prefer.

There is well-ventilated, physically distanced indoor seating as well as outdoor seating on the sidewalk adjacent to the sanctuary. Masks are worn by all. Please know that your safety is of primary consideration! Childcare provided.

Facebook Live Help Needed

The broadcast of the service is very meaningful to the people from the church family that watch.  It is a significant ministry to those who cannot be present in the church building.  

Currently there are three people from the congregation who have volunteered to do the streaming on Sunday mornings. It is not very complicated. You can use a smartphone or a tablet. There is a brief training and written instructions are provided. A few more people are needed to help so that this ministry can be continued. Are you willing to consider this? Please speak with Rev. Wells or with Barbara Donohue. Many thanks!

Adult Day Care Plans Opening

The adult day care continues to move forward.  The opening date has been postponed due to inspections.  Hopefully the center will be open by the end of April.  Many thanks to those from the church who are helping with this transition:  Claire Stiles, Patti Cooksey, Colleen Coughenour, and Earl Waters. Thank you!

Immigration Justice Update 4/7/2021:

Here is an easy way to send a letter to our US Senators to demand they vote YES on The Dream Act (providing a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” The SECURE (Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression) Act, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act! The Senate must bring it to the floor by April 30th.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/demand-the-senate-votes-on-a-pathway-to-citizenship/

(or use this shortened version of the link: tinyurl.com/cwejfnpe)

Once you fill in your information, the form provides direct contact info and a pre-filled letter to Senator Rubio and Scott. You can personalize the “letters” as you wish. You may want to add this line: “Please support this legislation to provide pathway to citizenship for TPS holders from Venezuela.” Both of our senators are supportive of Venezuelan immigrants.

For more information about the Pinellas Coalition for Immigration Justice:
https://www.facebook.com/PinellasCoalition

Operation Attack Update

The two most recent OA drive thru events were a success! Thank you for Lakewood continuous donations during this trying time. OA is having 4 drive thru dates in the coming months. Those being May 22, June 26, July 31, and September 11. Please get these dates out to members of our congregation if they wish to help volunteer. In addition to those dates, OA is also still needing

Donations of cereal, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, vegetables and soup, dried beans, and mac/cheese. Remember we still aren’t accepting clothing donations at the moment. Finally, pray for the people in our community who are continuing to be challenged during this difficult time and the volunteers who are trying to ease their burdens. I’m hoping to find a time to stop by Lakewood to pick up any donations. 

Thank You,Ian Blair-Catala

Please note that OA is not accepting clothing donations.

Anti-Racism Demonstrations Continue

Weekly demonstrations take place on Sunday evenings from 6-6:30p.m. Many thanks to all who are participating.  Add your presence to this weekly demonstration making a witness to your commitment to anti racism.

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 Sunday 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.

Music from Hilton

You can watch 5 videos Hilton made as lead-ups to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUn2RmCFhW2uAVwKQLfqJnzNmZhEK_TK5.

If you want to just hear they soundtracks, without the videos, you can hear those at https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/mlk-day.

USEFUL LAKEWOOD LINKS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:

For the above church website links, please note the “Older Posts” button near the bottom of each page.

April Birthdays: Zachery Blair-Andrews 4/16, Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: 

The family and loved ones of Dick Schubert, cousin of Evelyn Kaspar, who died recently.

The family and loved ones of Marg Radens, who died recently.

Family and loved ones of Marsha Carson

Carol Shores and her son Joel.

Edward Jones

William Owen

Jen Degroot

Carolyn Moore

Ann Quinn

Maggie Brizendine

Janet Hall

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:

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.

Easter Sunday Service 4.4.2021

GATHERING MUSIC         

GREETING                                           Ray Simpson, adapted

Arise, shine, for the rays of God’s glory touch the earth,

The Sun of suns is rising;

Leaders and people shall be drawn to the light.

We welcome the light that burns in the rising sun.

We welcome the light that dawns through the Chosen One.

We welcome the light that gleams through the growing earth.

We welcome the light that is kindled in our souls!

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed!

PRELUDE          What a Wonderful World        Weiss & Thiele

CALL TO WORSHIP               Jan Richardson, adapted

Unwrapping

unwinding

untangling

unbinding

unraveling

unweaving

unknotting

unwebbing

waking up

calling forth

setting free

resurrecting

May we emerge from our tombs this glorious Easter morning!

ANTHEM               We Come to Sing Our Joyful Songs    Irish trad./arr. HKJ

Lakewood UCC Choir virtual performance

MODERN READING        Countee Cullen, from The Black Christ

SCRIPTURE READING

Let us prepare ourselves for the word of God as it comes to us in the reading of Holy Scripture. Our hearts and minds are open.  

               Mark 16:1-8, 9, 9-20

For the word of God in scripture, for the word of God among us, for the word of God within us. Thanks be to God.

MUSIC                         Nocturne in Eb Major                          Chopin

SERMON                         Out of the Tomb                Rev. Kim P. Wells

Daytona, Florida of the early 20th century was a mere outpost of some 5,000 plus souls. And among them was Howard Thurman, who was to become a moral, religious, and academic pillar of 20th century America. Thurman, a black person, grew up in the Waycross section Daytona with his mother and grandmother. His father died when he was young. His grandmother was a midwife but she also did laundry for people including the owner of a local hardware store who was a white person. She had been working for the family for years. They also employed Howard. When he was a boy, he would be hired to rake the leaves in the yard in the fall. He would go to the house each afternoon, rake the leaves and then burn the pile. Thurman tells of an incident that occurred one afternoon:

“The family’s little girl, four or five years old, waited for me to come from school to do my job. She was a lonely child and was not permitted to play with other kids in the neighborhood. She enjoyed following me around in the yard as I worked. “One day, after I had made several piles for burning, she decided to play a game. Whenever she found a beautifully colored leaf, she would scatter the pile it was in to show it to me. Each time she did this, I would have to rake the leaves into a pile again. This grew tiresome, and it doubled my work. Finally, I said to her in some desperation, ‘Don’t do that anymore because I don’t have time.’ She became very angry and continued to scatter the leaves. ‘I’m going to tell your father about this when he comes home,’ I said. With that, she lost her temper completely and, taking a straight pin out of her pinafore, jabbed me in the hand. I drew back in pain. ‘Have you lost your mind?’ I asked. And she answered, ‘Oh, Howard, that didn’t hurt you! You can’t feel!’” [With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman, pp. 11-12]

In just that small incident, one afternoon in the lives of two children, over a century ago, we see evidence of the constraining fetters that our culture places upon us. We see the bondage that society puts us under. That little girl had to be taught that some people were subhuman and that they were born to be abused, degraded, and debased. She had to be schooled in the lessons of superiority, entitlement, and privilege. She had to be raised to deny the full humanity of those with darker skin. She had to be indoctrinated in what James Baldwin calls “The Lie.” And Thurman had to be taught that despite the behavior of white people toward people of color, he was a full human being. He had been endowed with the sacredness of life and created in the image of a loving God. And so were the white people who abused him.

Oh these things that separate and divide us. That denies our full humanity. That mars and desecrate the holiness of our humanity! Oh what masters we can be at deceiving ourselves and devising ways to degrade and demean others and ourselves. Often masking these impulses as something noble, good, justified, even, gasp, godly.

But we don’t have to live that way. Today is Easter. Our festival of the empty tomb, of new life, of creative possibility even in the face of death. The story tells us that the stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty. Love, justice, peace, dignity, a new reality was unleashed into the world. The empty tomb means that we are freed.

Freed from all that constricts our full life, our wholeness, our deep and meaningful experience of being alive. The glories of this new life await us. We do not have to stay in the tomb. It is open. And Jesus Christ shows us the way to leave the place of death. The lies. The deceptions. The justifications. Of racism, injustice, hatred, bitterness, greed, and harm to self and others. That can all be left behind in the tomb. A new world awaits. Life, full and free! The way is open! The light beckons!

I like the conclusions of the Gospel of Mark that was read for us with the three different endings. With ending number one the women are scared. They find the tomb is open and they are bewildered and trembling. Then with ending number two, it is as if they have looked out from the tomb, and they conclude that everything will turn out ok in a general way. Then with the third ending, it is as if they have ventured out of the tomb and they have seen the signs and the assurances and it is glorious!

Having come out of the tomb, they can testify to the experience. So the endings go from being scared to coming out into the new wonderful world!

This Easter, we are invited, urged, beckoned, to come out, to live in the light. To dare to risk taking even a few, tentative, steps out of the tomb that is keeping us from the glories of abundant life and love. This Easter with its alleluias and lilies, its eggs and bunnies, beckons us to leave whatever death is entombing us; whatever attitudes, behaviors, assumptions, or ingrained messages are contributing to the abuse and degradation of life. These can be left behind. We don’t have to stay trapped.

Today is the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, Dr. King is a beautiful example of someone who chose to come out of the tomb. He would not let himself be captive to racism, hatred, and bitterness. He also would not capitulate to the lie that violence creates peace. King came out of the tomb where might makes right, the ends justify the means, and racism will slowly, quietly dismantle itself with time. No, King chose to emerge out of the tomb into the broad daylight of honesty and truth; of anti violence and the power of love.

Howard Thurman was living in San Francisco when King was assassinated. A local radio station contacted Thurman and asked him to prepare a statement about King’s death that could be played repeatedly on the radio. Thurman’s statement included this insight: “His assassination reveals the cleft deep in the psyche of the American people, the profound ambivalence and ambiguity of our way of life. Something deep within us rejects nonviolent direct action as a dependable procedure for effecting social change. And yet, against this rejection something always struggles, pushing, pushing, always pushing with another imperative, another demand. It was King’s fact that gave to this rejection flesh and blood, courage and vision, hope and enthusiasm. For indeed, in him the informed conscience of the country became articulate. And tonight what many of us are feeling is that we all of us must be that conscience wherever we are living, functioning and behaving.” [Thurman, p. 223]

King had come out of the tomb. He chose the light. He chose the way of Jesus. He couldn’t be satisfied with the dim half truths and lies about liberty and justice for all when he had seen the beauty of beloved community in the way of Jesus. He had freed himself from the assumptions and compunctions that strangle, instead choosing life, full and flourishing, for all. And Thurman, too, had come out of the tomb into the broad and glorious light of freedom and truth.

In closing, we have another story from the childhood of Howard Thurman. As a youngster, Thurman was pigeon-toed. This contributed to his being shy and very self -conscious. He tells us, “I could not run as fast as, or with the ease of, other boys. I was odd man out in all games that required being fast of foot. . .” We know how debilitating that can be for a child. But then something happened.

Thurman tells us:

“One of the truly important moments of my young life came one morning when I went on an errand to Mrs. Brinkley’s grocery store. When I looked up she was watching me as I approached the front steps. As I mounted the steps, she looked down at my feet and said: ‘Why don’t you practice turning your right foot out when you walk? Practice it all the time, even when you go to ged. Think when you walk. Your foot will do what you make it do. That is why God gave you a brain.” It was the moment of birth of a new self for me. I improved my gait.” [Thurman, p. 252]

What is keeping us in the tomb when the glories of life in the light of solidarity, justice, beloved community, and peace await us just outside the opening of the cave of death? What prevents us from taking a step out? From leaping out? From dancing out in a conga line? What holds us back? Just like we can be trained to hate and to degrade, and we can be trained to walk properly, we can chose to emerge from whatever death is holding us captive, whatever lies are keeping us bound, whatever patterns of thinking or behavior have us tangled up and enmeshed. We can be free. The tomb is empty.

This is Easter. Our celebration of new life. Our festival of hope and possibility. Love triumphs over death. Friends, we are the body of Christ. And Christ is out

of the tomb.

Amen.

UNISON READING                                                         Jan Richardson

In the vein

and in the vessel,

in the marrow

of the bone,

in the chambers

of the heart,

in the waters

of the womb;

in the teeth

and in the tongue,

in the pounding

of the blood,

you speak a new creation

in the flesh

becoming word.  

MUSIC                       Harmonious Blacksmith                 Handel

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ, as part of the Church Universal is to:

  • Celebrate the presence and power of God in our lives & in our world.
  • Offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people.
  • Work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.

MORNING OFFERING   Morning offerings may be brought forward and placed in the plates on the altar.

Offertory              Jesu, Joy of Our Desiring                     J.S. Bach       

Prayer of Dedication                      based on a Mohawk prayer

Gratitude for the sun: blinding pulsing light

         through trunks of trees, through mists, through walls

         warming caves and corridors

         — the one who wakes us —

         in our minds so be it.  Amen. 

PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION    Wendeyaho       Native American/arr. HKJ

CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNIOIN

Invitation

Communion Prayer

Blessing the Bread and Cup

Sharing the Meal

Musical Offering              Claire de Lune                  Debussy

Giving Thanks                                 Kathy Galloway, adapted

You set before us a great choice.

         Therefore we choose life.

         The dance of resurrection soars and surges through the whole                                   

creation,

         It sets gifts of bread and cup upon our table.

         This is grace, dying we live.

So let us live.   Amen

*BENEDICTION                               Ray Simpson, adapted 

The tomb is empty!

The God of life go with us.

The Risen Christ beside us.

The vibrant Spirit within us.

*POSTLUDE                         Hallelujah Chorus                       Handel

Weekly Update 4/7

Sundays

The Sunday after Easter is commonly called ‘Low Sunday’ because attendance significantly drops in comparison with Easter.  So, how do we keep the momentum of new life and re-creation going once the festival of the resurrection is over?  The gospels have something to say about that.  New life in Christ is not an event, it is a process.  And forgiveness is a big part of that journey.  Looking forward to Sunday!

Please plan to stay after the service for the Covid Conversation.  More information is included below. 

You are invited to be part of in-person, covid safe worship on Sunday mornings.

Childcare provided.

The bulletin and text of the Sunday sermon will be posted at the website the following week and there will be regular posts of music and music videos from Hilton Jones.

Watch the service on Facebook Live Sundays at 10:30. https://www.facebook.com/LakewoodUCC

For covid safety measures, see below

Covid Conversation

The church has been having covid safe worship in these cooler months with the windows and doors open.   In the heat of the months to come, a new plan may be needed.  Worship at an earlier time when it is cooler?  Have services outside on the covered patio in the shade?  Have virtual services only on Facebook or Zoom?   Make other arrangements or adaptations?   Church leaders would like to hear the ideas and thoughts of the congregation.  

There will be an in person conversation will be following the service on Sunday April 11. The service will end early to provide time for this discussion.

There was a virtual gathering Tuesday April 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Earth Day Music Video Planned

In honor of Earth Day, the church would like to create a music video to post on the website and social media.  The video will feature nature pictures taken by the congregation and music from Hilton Jones.  All photos are welcome!  This will be a celebration of the wondrous diversity of the land, water, flora and fauna of this amazing planet!  Please send photos by this Sunday, April 11, to hilton.kean.jones@gmail.com.

Easter Celebration

Even without the processional and the egg hunt and the choir, there was a glorious celebration of Easter at LUCC last Sunday! Music Director Hilton Jones played for the service in person.  What a gift!  There were Easter baskets for young people.  Some were delivered to children at their homes.  And there were flowers!  More than 16 plants were taken to people from the church at their homes.  The love, joy, and hope of Easter were shared well beyond the church building!  As it should be! Here’s the link to some pictures from Sunday: https://lakewooducc.org/2021/04/07/easter-sunday/

LUCC Earth Day Celebration Campfire

Friday, April 30th – 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.

April 22, 2021 is the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day and the entire month of April is dedicated to the 2021 theme of Earth Day, Restore Our Earth. To honor this occasion, LUCC Creation Justice Task Force is sponsoring a Restore Our Earth Campfire gathering on Friday, April 30th from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the church.

Bring a chair or use an LUCC chair to gather around the fire where we will share poems or readings that express love and appreciation for the Earth (bring one you particularly love), and then we will write love letters to the Earth.  We will we read them to each other and perhaps toss them in the fire, sending out our love to Earth, like prayers sent up with incense.  Please plan to join in this special occasion at church to honor and celebrate our beloved Mother Earth!

Stimulate the Ministry of LUCC

Many people are receiving covid stimulus money from the government.  If you are able, please consider giving some or all of your stimulus money to your beloved church.  Finances are stretched thin at the church and the ministry is needed more than ever.  Maybe you are still practicing physical isolation due to covid.  So, let your money go out into the world for you through the ministry of LUCC.  Maybe your activities are still very restricted.  But your generosity doesn’t have to be restrained!  Maybe you are glorying in things starting to open up and can open your wallet a little wider to support the ways the church is reaching out to the congregation and beyond!  Please know that every gift is gratefully received and will be used to extend the ministry of Jesus in the world!

Being Covid Safe and In Person Worship

The church has contacted the St. Petersburg Health Department for guidance.  Here are the take aways that are being implemented for everyone’s safety.

Please stay home if you are not feeling well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending double masking.  Please consider wearing two masks to church.  Additional masks will be available at church to use as needed.

Two hand sanitizing stations will be available for use by worshippers.

Signs will be posted to encourage physical distancing.

The pulpit and altar will be moved into the chancel to provide more room for the congregation to physical distance.

Prayer request sheets will be provided so that worshippers may write their prayer requests and place them in a basket on the altar.  This eliminates the need for the worship leader to come within 6 feet of the worshippers. 

People who would like to converse after the service are encouraged to do so outside, not in the hallway or the library or other confined spaces.

The breezeway restrooms will be open and available to prevent people from congregating in the library while waiting to use the office restroom.

The chairs in the sanctuary will be cleaned with sanitizer each week.  You are welcome to bring your own chair if you prefer.

There is well-ventilated, physically distanced indoor seating as well as outdoor seating on the sidewalk adjacent to the sanctuary. Masks are worn by all. Please know that your safety is of primary consideration! Childcare provided.

Facebook Live Help Needed

The broadcast of the service is very meaningful to the people from the church family that watch.  It is a significant ministry to those who cannot be present in the church building.  

Currently there are three people from the congregation who have volunteered to do the streaming on Sunday mornings. It is not very complicated. You can use a smartphone or a tablet. There is a brief training and written instructions are provided. A few more people are needed to help so that this ministry can be continued. Are you willing to consider this? Please speak with Rev. Wells or with Barbara Donohue. Many thanks!

Adult Day Care Plans Opening

The adult day care continues to move forward.  The opening date has been postponed due to inspections.  Hopefully the center will be open by the end of April.  Many thanks to those from the church who are helping with this transition:  Claire Stiles, Patti Cooksey, Colleen Coughenour, and Earl Waters. Thank you!

Immigration Justice Update 4/7/2021:

Here is an easy way to send a letter to our US Senators to demand they vote YES on The Dream Act
(providing a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” The SECURE (Safe Environment from Countries Under
Repression) Act, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act! The Senate must bring it to the floor by
April 30th.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/demand-the-senate-votes-on-a-pathway-to-citizenship/

(or use this shortened version of the link: tinyurl.com/cwejfnpe)

Once you fill in your information, the form provides direct contact info and a pre-filled letter to Senator
Rubio and Scott. You can personalize the “letters” as you wish. You may want to add this line: “Please
support this legislation to provide pathway to citizenship for TPS holders from Venezuela.” Both of our
senators are supportive of Venezuelan immigrants.

45,000 Quilt: Evoking the famous AIDS Quilt, the 45,000 Quilt Project has 45 individual quilted panels,
each with 1,000 marks, created across the continent and stitched together into five large panels call
attention to the 45,000 people who, on an average day in 2019, were imprisoned by Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE). Visit this week only Weds Apr 7 and Thurs Apr 8 th 11am to 5pm at
Allendale United Methodist Church: 3803 Haines Rd. (38th Ave N and Haines Rd) Enter at the rear of
the church. Bring a friend!

For more information about the Pinellas Coalition for Immigration Justice:
https://www.facebook.com/PinellasCoalition

Operation Attack Needs

We had another successful Food Distribution Drive Thru on January 30.  We served 53 Families and 180 people.  We have another event on  April 17th. 

We want to encourage you to participate in the Drive-Thrus in the following ways: 

  • Volunteer at the preparation opportunities and/or the Drive Thru.
  • Donate cereal, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, vegetables and soup, dried beans, and mac/cheese.
  • PLEASE NOTE: OPERATION ATTACK IS NOT ACCEPTING CLOTHING AT THIS TIME
  • Pray for the people in our community who are being challenged during this difficult time and the volunteers who are trying to ease their burdens.

Anti-Racism Demonstrations Continue

Weekly demonstrations take place on Sunday evenings from 6-6:30p.m. Many thanks to all who are participating.  Add your presence to this weekly demonstration making a witness to your commitment to anti racism.

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 Sunday 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.

Music from Hilton

You can watch 5 videos Hilton made as lead-ups to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUn2RmCFhW2uAVwKQLfqJnzNmZhEK_TK5.

If you want to just hear they soundtracks, without the videos, you can hear those at https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/mlk-day.

USEFUL LAKEWOOD LINKS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:

For the above church website links, please note the “Older Posts” button near the bottom of each page.

April Birthdays: Zachery Blair-Andrews 4/16, Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: 

The family and loved ones of Dick Schubert, cousin of Evelyn Kaspar, who died recently.

Marg and Dave Radens. Marg is now under the care of Suncoast Hospice.

Family and loved ones of Marsha Carson

Carol Shores and her son Joel.

Edward Jones

William Owen

Jen Degroot

Carolyn Moore

Ann Quinn

Maggie Brizendine

Janet Hall

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:

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.