Author: lakewooducc

Weekly Update 11/5

In Person Services and Gatherings Ahead! 

In the next two months, the church is going to experiment 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.

Congregational Gratitude Journal

While life may be chaotic and spirits anxious, there is still much to be grateful for.  Hilton is working on a Thanksgiving music video celebrating all that we have to be thankful for.  Please help by sending pictures that represent what you are thankful for.  It will lift your spirits to see the inspiring video at Thanksgiving  and feel a sense of gratitude not only for all that is shown in the video but also for the church which inspires us to give thanks in all seasons!

Pictures are needed by Sunday Nov. 8. 

Please email pictures to hilton.kean.jones@gmail.com

Church Office to Re-Open!

Beginning in November, the Church Office will be open again on a regular basis.  Office administrator, Gabi Paxton, will be at church Tuesday – Friday mornings from 9:30-noon.  Please feel free to stop by with donations for Maximo or Operation Attack or to take care of other things at church.

LUCC Library Project

Beginning this past summer, Claire Stiles, Colleen Coughenour, and Patti Cooksey have been working to renew the LUCC Library and create and expand a useful, relevant, and appealing space for meetings, library resources, and reading/book discussions.  To that end, the process has involved:

  • removing all books from the shelve
  • recycling and disposing of some of the collection that is outdated and in poor condition –
  • reorganizing and recategorizing the remaining works
  • reshelving all resources after cleaning storage spaces

Many thanks to Claire, Colleen, and Patti!
For pictures and additional information, click here: https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/05/lucc-library-project/

How Do We Sustain Ourselves?

At the guided labyrinth walk this week, one of the things discussed was how do we sustain our spirits when the culture around us feels at odds with our faith commitments?How do we face these trying times?  Here were some of the responses:

  • Stay connected to people from church who share our values
  • Spiritual readings and practices
  • Uplifting music
  • Gratitude journal
  • Laughing
  • Choose a news diet – limit news intake
  • Spend time in nature
  • Limit exposure to negative influences

What would you add to this list?  How are you sustaining yourself in these stressful times?

Garden Hooks Needed

The church would like a few more garden shepherd hooks to use for night time outdoor events.  The hooks are put in the ground and lanterns are hung from the hooks to light the outdoor space.  If you come across such hooks at a yard sale or unused in your garage, please consider donating them to the church.  Thank you!


Spiritual Support During the Election 

The prayer vigil before the election was a beautiful outdoor event of solidarity and support.  We did what people of faith have done throughout the ages.  We turned to scripture and song and prayer for assurance, comfort and strength.  It was good to feel grounded in our faith and uplifted by the music provided by Hilton Jones.

The election night labyrinth walk was another deeply spiritual moment of calm, assurance, and mutual support.  New perspectives and insights emerged.  Participants were asked to consider a word to focus on as they walked the labyrinth only to find that the word changed mid walk.  Hope to mercy.  And peace to trust. It was a very spiritually moving experience.  Much needed grounding in these anxious times!

In Memoriam

The church expresses gratitude for the precious life of Elinor Ross who entered life eternal on Thursday, October 15.  Elinor slept away peacefully at her daughter, Cheryl’s, home.  Prayers and condolences for Elinor’s family and many friends!  

Operation Attack Update from Ian

Operation Attack is having a drive-by pick up for the people they’re serving. I know due to covid it might be hard to donate goods but these are a few of OA’s requests:

Buy Cereal, Peanut Butter, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, or canned meat Buy diapers and wipes, sizes Newborn – 6

Donations may be delivered to the church on Wednesday mornings from 9-10 and Sunday evenings from 6-6:30.  Please call the church to make other arrangements if needed.  

Volunteers are needed to pre-bag food before the Drive-Thrus. Volunteer date ahead- December 12th at Operation Attack at Lakeview Presbyterian Church 1310 22nd Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33705.

Thanks, Ian Blair-Catala  iblaircatala@gmail.com

Corona Sabbath Ahead

Choose This Day is the theme for the Corona Sabbath post this week.  We are in the swirl of major events.  It is easy to become distracted.  Sometimes we forget that we have choices.  What are we choosing?  See Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25.  

If you missed last week’s Corona Sabbath here’s the link:

Link to last week:  All Saints with the music video of the pictures of saints submitted by the congregation.  

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/10/30/corona-sabbath-33-all-saints/

Meeting Needs at Maximo Elementary

LUCC’s EDUCATION MINISTRY TEAM and the WESTMINSTER SOCIAL  JUSTICE TEAM
have collectively purchased  and delivered the following items to Maximo Elementary for the children:

2 dresses~2 jumpers~9 skirts~30 shirts~21 pants~93 briefs~20 cloth masks~50 disposable masks~100 disposable vinyl gloves

In addition to these, checks have been received to purchase more needed supplies.

Thank you EACH and EVERYONE  for your love and caring concern for these children.

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!  

Check out the post of the chalk witness created at the anti-racism demonstration.

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/10/27/anti-racism-demonstration-10-25/

And use the following link to see pictures from last Sunday’s demonstration.

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/03/anti-racism-demonstration-11-1/

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:

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: Claudia Rodriguez, JoAnn Reid, William Owen, Wilbur Reid, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, Dave Radens, Family and loved ones of Elinor Ross, teachers, students, and school personnel, Vern McKinney, 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!

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.

LUCC Library Project

Beginning this past summer, Claire Stiles, Colleen Coughenour, and Patti Cooksey have been working to renew the LUCC Library and create and expand a useful, relevant, and appealing space for meetings, library resources, and reading/book discussions.  To that end, the process has involved:

  • removing all books from the shelves
  • recycling and disposing of some of the outdated and in poor condition collection
  • reorganizing and recategorizing the remaining works
  • reshelving all resources after cleaning storage spaces

In addition a replacement table and chairs, wall display shelves, floor lamp, new signage, and perhaps artwork will be added to this space in the future.  Also, the alcove in the hallway now holding a shopping cart may be replaced with shelving to accommodate the donations as well as current books, magazines, and other resources of interest.  Future plans may include the possibility of setting up a small reading, social circle area in the sanctuary with comfortable chairs, coffee table, and small bookcase with current selections of interest.

The LUCC Library Mission statement has been approved by the Advisors and will guide the ongoing operation and use of this facility for the benefit of the congregations and friends.

LUCC Library Mission Statement

The mission of the LUCC Library is to support the greater mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ by providing print and digital resources for congregation members and friends of the church to assist them on their spiritual path and a deeper understanding of life and faith.  The library collection will primarily reflect the values of our faith tradition as well as broaden perspectives on other faiths, cultures, and social issues to challenge assumptions and open minds and hearts to other worldviews.  Those seeking growth and development and whose curiosity leads to a desire for an expansion of knowledge and wisdom may find sources of inspiration in the library collection. 

Providing timely and relevant resources for individual and family use can encourage, enrich, and reinforce our efforts to work toward peace and justice, stewardship of the earth, environmental sustainability, inclusive love, care of self and others, and the celebration of diversity.

To this end, the LUCC library will strive for the following:

  • Be organized, well-maintained, and user friendly
  • Keep a collection of resources that are timely, relevant, of interest of our congregation, and updated
  • Be accessible at regular times for use and checkout of materials
  • Be welcoming, attractive, and comfortable
  • Opportunity for individuals to upgrade the collection with small gift for new materials monthly

In practical terms, the library will need the following:

  • Culling of current collection for outdated, unused, and irrelevant resources
  • Better lighting for reading (lamps)
  • One or two small comfortable chairs
  • Meeting Table with folding leaves (Claire to donate)
  • Folding chairs for meetings (need seat cushions, but 4 chairs are available temporarily)
  • One or two wall shelves to display current books and materials of interest
  • Chart posted of categories of materials and placement on shelves
  • Possible expansion of collection into hallway on small shelf (alcove where grocery cart currently sits)
  • Possible expansion into corner of sanctuary with small shelf, and a few chairs and coffee table

Corona Sabbath 33 ALL SAINTS


These weeks when we cannot gather in person for Sunday worship, Lakewood United Church of Christ is providing brief weekly sabbath programs for you to listen to on your own or with others in your social isolation group. They will be posted on Friday so that you can schedule your sabbath time to suit your schedule and your spiritual inclinations. We hope these programs are of spiritual support to you in these difficult times.

The post this week focuses on All Saints Sunday. It is a time to think about those we name as saints, people who have shown us something of God, of Divine Love. And it is a time to reflect on our relationship with all those who have gone before us. As Albert Einstein reminds us, “A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other people, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the full measure I have received and am still receiving.”

This post includes a scripture reading done by Jim Andrews, a reflection from Rev. Kim Wells and a music video including pictures of saints submitted by the congregation. We hope this post helps to feed your spirit in these difficult times.

You are invited to find a quiet space, inside or outside. Light a candle. Take a look around you. Breathe. Life-giving breath. Be present.

You may begin by offering this reading:

Ye who have gone before,
Ye stillborn baby,
Ye stalwart soldier,
Ye slave who never made it off the ship,
And ye who labored long years in the field.
Ye who have gone before,
Ancestor, ship captain in Norway,
Pioneer in the prairie,
Single mother in the housing project,
Young child in the forest tribe,
All welcome ye on this feast day of the saints,
Where veil becomes thin between
Living and dead, and
Today more than ever we hear
Your voice, echo from the past
Sounding through these times
Generations forward, blood
Coursing through my veins
Just as it did the very same
Through yours.  And together
We become each other’s bones and sinew
Flesh as one body, one earth, one soul
On this day that unites the living with the dead.

–Maia Twedt, chaplain, contemporary

When you are ready, start the video/audio below.

(For written text of the above video click HERE.)

As you watch the wonderful music video which follows, you are invited to think about those who have been saints in your life and who live on in you.

After viewing the music video, you are invited to offer the following closing –

The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs.  Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them.  But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by tremendous yearning.

–Bernard of Clairvaux  1090-1153

Breathe. Breathe again. Be filled. With God. Extinguish your candle and engage whatever may come with a sense of peace and a desire to serve.

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

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

USEFUL LAKEWOOD LINKS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS: