Category: Announcements

Congregational Meeting TODAY

With many challenges facing the church post covid, there are important decisions that need to be made by the congregation relating to the ministry of LUCC going forward. All are needed to be part of the decision-making process, family-style!

The church advisors and the finance team have been working very hard to prepare for this meeting. Your presence is needed for responsible decisions to be made.

Those who are not official members of the church are welcome to participate.

Annual Giving Reports

Finance Secretary Lucille Ruga has prepared annual giving statements for 2022.

If you would like your statement for your records, please contact Lucille.

New Member to be Received

The congregation of Lakewood United Church of Christ joyfully welcomes Barbara Walburn into full membership of the church.  Blessings abound!

Earthquake Response

In response to the horrific devastation and loss of life in Turkey, Syria, and beyond, the United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries in on the scene offering assistance. To make a financial donation through the UCC, please visit ucc.org

Ash Wednesday Ahead

The Lenten season begins in just a few weeks. Lent is the 40 day season of preparation for the festival of Easter. In the New Testament we are told of Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness to prepare for his ministry. We will spend 40 days, not including Sundays, focusing on tapping into the image-of-God within us. We will find that Love is Wild!

The Ash Wednesday service will be held Wednesday Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m. around a fire at the lakefront home of Chip and Dana Cosper. If you would like a ride, please contact the Church: lakewooducc@gmail.com or 727-867-7961.

Gratitude!

Many thanks to Joyce Lee for providing the ministry of music this morning while Hilton Homes continues to recover from covid. 

Potluck Next Sunday after Church

After church Sunday Feb. 26.   Bring a dish to share and your own table setting if you can! 

Inkjet Recycling

The church is continuing to collect used inkjet cartridges. They are sent to a recycler and the church receives payment for the cartridges provided.

Operation Attack

OA needs donations of cereal/oatmeal, mac and cheese, pasta sauce, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, soup, and vegetables. Donations may be placed on the shelf in the hallway at church.

Demonstration Against Upcoming Execution 2/23

Join Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and other opponents of the death penalty for a vigil during the execution of Donald Dillbeck. The vigil will be from 5:00-6:00 PM on Thursday, February 23 at the northwest corner of 49^th Street North and Ulmerton Road in mid-Pinellas County. Park in the vacant lot behind the Checkers. Feel free to bring signs, or organizers will provide them. Call (727) 492-1590 for more information. If the execution is commuted or postponed, the vigil will not be held.

Vigil to Mark the Anniversary of the John Evans Lynching Memorial

Thursday Feb. 23 from 6:30-6:50 at the memorial on Dr. MLKing St. S and 2^nd Ave near Tropicana Field.  This will be a free-form event with speakers of 2 minutes each lasting 20 minutes total.  Bring a candle or a candle display on your phone.  All are welcome!

Family Promise Needs

Women’s underwear sizes S/M/L  –  Women’s socks  –  Wash cloths  –  Bath towels  –  Pull Ups sizes 2T-3T, 3T-4T, 4T-5T  –  Hair conditioner (no shampoo)  –  Women’s deodorant  –  Cereal  –  Cups, forks, plates  –  Snacks to go

Circle of Concern

Congregational Meeting Notice

With many challenges facing the church post covid, there are important decisions that need to be made by the congregation relating to the ministry of LUCC going forward. All are needed to be part of the decision-making process, family-style!

Please make plans to attend an officially called congregational meeting after church on Sunday Feb. 19 to take action on a financial plan for 2023. The church advisors and the finance team have been working very hard to prepare for this meeting. Your presence is needed for responsible decisions to be made.

Those who are not official members of the church are welcome to participate. This is an important part of our life together as a community.

Annual Giving Reports

Finance Secretary Lucille Ruga has prepared annual giving statements for 2022.

If you would like your statement for your records, please contact Lucille: ceilruga@gmail.com

New Members to be Received

LUCC is a welcoming community and on Sunday Feb. 19 during morning worship new members will be officially received into the membership of the church. Those who would like to know more about joining the church are asked to speak with Rev. Kim Wells, wells.kim.p@gmail.com or 727-867-7961.

Those who join the church during worship on the 19th will be able to vote at the Congregational Meeting following the service. That is putting faith immediately into practice!

Earthquake Response

In response to the horrific devastation and loss of life in Turkey, Syria, and beyond, the United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries in on the scene offering assistance. To make a financial donation through the UCC, please visit ucc.org

Family Promise Needs

Family Promise, a local ministry to houseless families with children, is in need of the following items:

Milk, Water (small bottles), Paper Goods (paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, plates, cups), Cleaning supplies (disinfectants, sponges, dish soap, laundry soap). Please bring items to church and place them on the shelves behind the curtain in the hallway.

Ash Wednesday Ahead

The Lenten season begins in just a few weeks. Lent is the 40 day season of preparation for the festival of Easter. In the New Testament we are told of Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness to prepare for his ministry. We will spend 40 days, not including Sundays, focusing on tapping into the image-of-God within us. We will find that Love is Wild!

The Ash Wednesday service will be held Wednesday Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m. around a fire at the lakefront home of Chip and Dana Cosper. The address is: 1040 56th Ave. S. If you would like a ride, please contact the Church: lakewooducc@gmail.com or 727-867-7961.

Potluck Ahead

After church Sunday Feb. 26.  More details to come!

Creation Justice Event in Sarasota

“Contagious Hope: Making a Difference on Climate” is the theme of a special presentation Saturday February 25 from 9:30-12:30 at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota [1031 S. Euclid Ave.]. The featured speaker

is Rev. Brooks Berndt, Minister of Environmental Ministry for the United Church of Christ. There are several local panelists who will also be involved in the presentation. A vegetarian lunch will be served. To make a reservation for the event, please email Sarah Melcher at melchersj8856@gmail.com If you would like to carpool from LUCC, please contact Rev. Wells at wells.kim.p@gmail.com

Inkjet Recycling

The church is continuing to collect used inkjet cartridges. They are sent to a recycler and the church receives payment for the cartridges provided.

Operation Attack

OA needs donations of cereal/oatmeal, mac and cheese, pasta sauce, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, soup, and vegetables. Donations may be placed on the shelf in the hallway at church.

Circle of Concern

The Family and Loved Ones of Beulah Coughenour  –  Tony and Jim Larson
Erik Johnson  –  George and Jane Diven and Family  –  Katherine Conover
Sherry Santana  –  Ann Quinn is under Hospice care  –  Maggie Brizendine
Janet Hall
Schools: Students, families, teachers, and staff

Life After Perfect with Kate Bowler, Ph.D. New York Times Bestselling Author, Duke University Professor, Incurable Optimist Monday, November 7, 2022, 7:00 p.m., Fox Hall In this talk, Kate Bowler will illustrate her take on Eckerd’s 2022–2023 College Program Series theme of Courage and Belonging as a scholar of religion and a cancer survivor. Her latest memoir, No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear), grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition and her faith as she tries to come to terms with limitations in a culture that promises anything is possible. Dr. Bowler focuses her studies on the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. Kate Bowler, Ph.D., is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, a podcast host and an associate professor of American religious history at Duke University. She is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities. After being unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 35, she penned The New York Times bestselling memoirs Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved and No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) as well as her latest book written with her co-producer, Jessica Richie, Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection. Dr. Bowler hosts the Everything Happens podcast, where in warm, insightful, often funny conversations, she talks with people like Malcolm Gladwell and Anne Lamott about what they’ve learned in difficult times. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her family and continues to teach do-gooders at Duke Divinity School. More about Dr. Bowler here.Sponsored by the Center for Spiritual Life Burchenal Lecture Series Endowment and the Eckerd College St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact. Eckerd College students must attend this event in person to receive CPS credit. Image by Rebecca Skelton, retired Eckerd College adjunct professor of visual arts: Staying Positive (detail), mixed materials, 2020Reserve a Seat at the 2022 Burchenal Lecture!Eckerd College – 4200 54th Ave South – St Petersburg, Florida 33711