Celebration of Advent 2012

For the 25th year in a row the people of Peoples United Methodist Church have produced an Advent Meditation booklet. Many members have contributed to the meditations that provide the reader with a daily devotion from Sunday, December 2 until Tuesday, January 1. The booklet also features the words of several appropriate hymns and carols. A history of the celebration of Christmas is also included. We encourage you to pick up your copy and perhaps you know of others who also might be spiritually uplifted by the stories, Bible verses and prayers that the booklet provides. We do ask if possible that a donation of money might be made to defray the cost of publication.

 

 

Celebration of Advent 2012

Peoples United Methodist Church

 

 

 

 Advent Meditations

Donations to help defray the cost of publication will be accepted.

Available At The Back Of The Sanctuary

PEOPLES UMC ADVENT/CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

Dec. 1—Saturday—Christmas Fair—9 am

Dec. 2—First Sunday of Advent:                                                                            Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.                                                                        Hanging of the Greens Service & Toy Drive—10 am.                                                  After Worship Advent Wreath Making.        See Rosemary to sign up.

Dec. 8—Saturday—Men’s Breakfast—7:30 am

Dec. 9—Second Sunday of Advent:                                                                             As Shepherds Watched Their Flock By Night—10 am

Dec. 15—Saturday—Bean Supper—5 pm

Dec. 16—Third Sunday of Advent:                                                                              The Friendly Beasts—Children’s Pageant—10 am

Dec. 16--Blue Christmas Service @ Thornton Heights UMC--7 pm

Dec. 22—Annual Frey Cookie Party @ parsonage

Dec. 23—Fourth Sunday of Advent:                                                                          Hark The Herald Angels Sing—10 am

Dec. 24—Monday—Christmas Eve Service—7 pm

“LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”:

CANNED/NON-PERISHABLE FOOD DRIVE

FOR SO. PORTLAND FOOD PANTRY

            This month, we can share God’s love with our neighbors by collecting canned/non-perishable food items to the So. Portland Food Pantry, located at St. John the Evangelist Church on Main St. The Food Pantry serves people with a family income below 150% of the poverty level, including nearly 1,700 children and 300 seniors. In these hard times, need has increased but donations have not. The Food Pantry is not-for-profit, pays no rent or utilities to St. John’s, and its staff are volunteers; all donations go to our neighbors in need.

            When Jesus was asked what was most important in life, he said, “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.” “Food insecurity” affects the health and well-being of our neighbors and our community. Each donation, however small, will help someone physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Please bring canned/non-perishable food items to worship on Sunday, place them on the communion rail, and watch God’s love and provision multiply during November! A list of Shopping Suggestions is attached.

            Any questions, or if you need assistance getting your donation to church, contact Ellen Dunn at 767-8049 or yadoo@aol.com . Thank you!

Summer at Peoples UMC

Summer 2012 at Peoples UMC

A church often reduces the amount of activity during the summer that is usually generated during the September through early June program year and that was no different here at Peoples. That is not to say that the church was without activity as will be noted in this addition to the blog. As you will read and see many activities did take place and were designed to appeal to all ages.

Garden committee

During the summer months some members of the garden club put in time trying to stay ahead of the weeds in the memorial garden. One addition to the church that was of benefit to the gardeners was the addition of a water tap on the side of the church near the garden. This certainly helped, when used, to keep flowers alive and beautiful for most of the summer. As one observer of the garden it can be a very restful place nestled between Ellis Hall and the church building in spite of the heavy traffic often found on Broadway. We thank those members of the garden committee for their efforts in maintaining the meaningfulness of God’s love in the form of floral displays.

Shawl Ministry

While no meetings were held during the summer months the life of this activity continued to bring comfort to members of the Peoples Community as well as many who would be patients at Mercy Hospital, in particular. In June, 30 Heart pillows were trundled off to Mercy Hospital’s Breast Cancer and Radiology departments to be distributed to patients who have had Breast Cancer and other forms of cancer treatment. Nearly 300 of these pillows have been distributed since this arm of the Shawl Ministry was begun only a few years ago. With this many pillows distributed it is a testimony for the number of folks, mostly female, but some males also who have suffered from forms of breast cancer. The knitting of shawls for grieving or in need people related to the church has been ongoing and again some of these shawls knit with Love have been distributed during the summer months. Some responses have been received by the Ministry and it is heartwarming to hear some of the stories of recipients. The work of the hands of the women who have participated in this ministry have brought many blessings to many folks, some that we all know and some that we do not know at all.

 Mission to the Root Cellar

Well advertised and led by Fred Wade a group of faithful servants spent a week or a day at Portland’s Root Cellar located on Washington Avenue at the base of Munjoy Hill. They led a number of activities for the children of the area who are frequent visitors to the Root Cellar. The Root Cellar is a faith –based Christian organization that has served that area of Portland for many years.  In the past we have served a meal four times a year to area residents who frequent The Cellar. Some of the women of the church have also supported the Christmas Angel program that distributes gifts to children. Our gift contributions at the Hanging of the Greens program at our church in early Advent also supports that program. We appreciate the efforts of those members of Peoples who have been engaged in any or all of these efforts that support the mission of Peoples and of the Root Cellar. We encourage all members of any age to support those worthwhile mission projects that have engaged members of Peoples church in the local community as well as missions that are away from here.

Talents Challenge

The Finance Committee early in the summer made available small amounts of money to members and friends of the church designed to encourage members to earn more money for the church by doing something, building something or in some other way encourage the original talent money to grow. The idea comes from the Parable of the Talents found in Mathew 25: 14-30. During the summer people who took the challenge engaged in a number of activities such as lawn mowing or running a yard sale. Others made food, articles etc. that would be sold as part of a special Talent Challenge Sale run by Kathy Brann on the last weekend in August. What was not sold then was available the next week at the Big Yard Sale run by Barbara Nelson and Betty Splettstoesser and a fine supporting cast. While the design was to make money for the church these events also illustrate how people of the church can come together and have a good time. The money from the Talent Challenge is being channeled into payment of the cost of renovations that have taken place in the sanctuary.

Vacation Bible School

A new theme seems to be available for Vacation Bible School every year and this year was no exception. The Veggie Tales program based on “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything” led to a greater understanding of the Bible in a different way for the children who attended. Again, a number of folks from the church membership could be seen participating including Carol, Kathy, Tom and Kelly. The film clips that were shown in church to encourage attendance also informed adults who were attending what the program was all about before it took place August 20-23. It was interesting to see that some of the young folks who had at one time been youthful attendees of VBS were now among the ranks of the teachers.

Sunday School Carnival

Ushering in the new Sunday school year began with the annual carnival held on September 8. Over 40 children were in attendance and most enjoyed riding a pony or seeing the Spark’s Ark show on the parsonage lawn. Free food in the form of hot dogs and popcorn coupled with drinks were successful while the cotton candy machine was not as successful at producing long lasting candy on a hot and muggy day. Games and crafts were also part of the activities available for attending kids and their caretakers. Andy Folley was again in charge of the event but many other adults helped the day run smoothly. Both the VBS and Carnival appear to be great lead-ins for the Sunday school year.

God TV

Were you in church for the summer sermon series called God-TV? It was interesting to see how many themes could be attached to the titles of, in some cases, long ago, television programs. Tom led the series off in early July with a film clip of the Groucho Marx show, “You Bet Your Life”. This was followed over the next several weeks by other sermons by a variety of people in addition to more by Pastor Tom.  Kelly’s,” So You Think You Can Dance” followed in week 2.

In the third week we heard a sermon titled, “Faithful Companions” based on the relationships especially of the Lone Ranger and Tonto presented by Art Tordoff. In other sermons Rosemary used the old program “Discovery” as the basis of her presentation and Merrill used “M.A.S.H.” as the base of his sermon. Tom hit a number of other TV programs in his remaining messages including “The Twilight Zone”.

Perhaps we have not included all of the important activities that you may have participated in over the course of the summer of 2012. If that is the case please feel free to send me a thought or an article to place on the blog. There are people who do read blogs and are sometimes encouraged to be a part of the action by saying, "I would like to do that or to be part of that church family."

 

 

 

VACATION BIBLE CAMP

If you like to talk to tomatoes
If a squash can make you smile
If you like to waltz with potatoes
Up and down the produce aisle...
Have we got a camp for you!

       It was almost 20 years ago when Big Idea Productions introduced us to a troupe of singing and dancing vegetables in their popular VeggieTales videos, TV shows and movies.

       Peoples United Methodist Church invites all children from ages 3 to 10 to their annual Vacation Bible Camp to have fun with VeggieTales ‘The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.’

       The Camp will be held at the church, 310 Broadway, South Portland, August 20-23 from 9 am to noon. 

       For more information and to register, please call 799-5995.

THIS WEEK!

2012 Mission Trip This Week!

August 6 -10 @ The Root Cellar

“The Root Cellar is an interdenominational Christian mission with a goal of uniting churches in the common cause of satisfying the physical and spiritual needs of inner-city youth and their families.”                                                                                  We want to thank all who signed up to help with this summer’s mission.  There is still time and space for more to join in this sharing of God’s love.                                                                                           We begin 8:45 each morning at Peoples for prayer and then carpool across the bridge.                                                                         
 We welcome your presence, whether it’s for the week, a day, an hour or two.  Come experience this special joy that is found in mission.   Following is the schedule of specific events.  Simply check the spot you’d like to serve or circle the entire day.                                                                                           
 NAME ____________________  PHONE _________________            

MONDAY—11 am to 1 pm—KIDS’ PROGRAM _______                                                                                        3 pm to 5 pm—GRILL TIME/ MEET & GREET ____

TUESDAY--11 am to 1 pm—KIDS’ PROGRAM _______

                    1 pm to 3 pm—KIDS’ SERVE PROGRAM ______

                       6 pm—MOVIE NIGHT _________

WEDNESDAY—10 am to 3 pm—AQUABOGGIN _______

THURSDAY--11 am to 1 pm—KIDS’ PROGRAM _______

                        2 pm to 5 pm—FREE PLAY IN PARK _____

                        6 pm—DINNER ____________

FRIDAY--11 am to 1 pm—FOOD DISTRIBUTION @ TEEN                                                                                                                                           CENTER   _________

                  5 pm—MEET @ PEOPLES  ________

          Please direct any questions to Fred Wade or Pastor Tom

What Began In May Continues into June

Memorial Day Water Distribution

One of the projects that was started a few years ago by Betty Splettstoesser and continued this year was setting up a water stand outside the church on Memorial Day. The stand is the home base to distribute bottles of water for those folks watching the parade and who have become thirsty. There is no charge for the water and I am sure that some folks now make it a habit to encamp somewhere near the church in order to reap the benefits of the free water. This is a local mission that works to note the presence of Peoples Church in this community. Along the parade route I spotted some Peoples people preparing for the parade that was led by a SPPD Honor Guard and the South Portland High School Award Winning Marching Band.

 Sanctuary Project Continues

Displaced by the work in the Sanctuary, the church body has made good use of Ellis Hall for worship services for three weeks running. Ellis Hall is kind of an intimate setting and I think the church body has actually felt closer. This past Sunday was also a celebration for the children of the Sunday school. Andy Folley, the superintendent of Sunday school, recognized all of those who had served as teachers and issued a certificate to all of the students who had participated during this past year.

An update on the work in the Sanctuary indicates that all of the work in the Chancel appears to be complete as is the laying of tile in the sanctuary area. Most recent pictures show Jim MacDonald ready to begin the dusting of the whole area of the sanctuary. The dusting took place before the carpet layers were to be in the area. A few pictures will show the viewer that the pews are back in place and that the carpet layers had begun the work of laying carpet around the perimeter of the sanctuary and down the center aisle.

Courage to Care

One of the largest events to take place at Peoples in a number of years was held on Saturday, June 2. Prepared by the Ross family and friends this event included a meal prepared by, our own Brad Morrison, Have Chef Will Travel, and a silent auction of many items solicited by Joely and Shane. A slide show starred Maddy as she has gone through many operations and will soon be experiencing another at the Shrine Hospital for Children. Maddy had been diagnosed with hip dysplasia when she was a baby. Many folks from the church family as well as Shriners and Masons and their families were among the more than 110 folks that were in attendance. According to Joely’s most recent report on Facebook over $5033 was raised and will be donated to Shrine Hospital. A good time was had by all. For many months now the Rosses have been collecting around town can tabs in collection containers labeled “Can Tabs for Kids” which are turned in for financial remuneration and also support the efforts of the hospital.

Peoples in May

May seems to be a bustling month of activity at Peoples. The month was underway with the Quest at Mechuwana attended by nearly 30 folks written about in a previous blog.

Facelift in the Sanctuary

This was soon followed up with the beginning of a major facelift taking place in the Sanctuary under the leadership of the Trustees. Most who have attended church lately realize that the facelift had already begun with the removal of a half pew at the back of the sanctuary and two others in the choir loft. Another full pew in the congregation was removed from the left side as you face the altar. The half pew from the back replaced the full one on the left with the design that it provides another location for anyone attending in a wheel chair. The removal of the pew at the back also provides more space for greeting folks as they enter the sanctuary.

In the chancel the two low walls that separated the choir lofts from the central aisle were also removed.  Since then two more pews in the loft have also been removed. This widening of the chancel gives more room for the Bell Choir and Choir to be seen and heard above the level they presently play or sing. Yet to come will be sanding and refinishing of the chancel floors and the removal of the carpet. A new openness will be apparent once that part of the project is completed. At the same time work on the sanctuary floor has begun. Walter Greer and his crew had removed one half of the pews to work on the tiles. These tiles had been installed in 1947-48 when the church was built. Asbestos would have been one of the elements in the tiles, therefore, they can’t simply be cleaned and waxed, but would either have to be replaced or covered. The latter direction has been chosen since it would cost much less. The aisles will be recarpeted since the present carpets have seen at least 30 years of use.

As the historian the present work being done in the sanctuary is the first real change since the stained glass windows in the back of the sanctuary were installed and dedicated in 1958 and the installation and dedication of the present organ from 1960-1962.

Church Council

This project was discussed as well as other financial changes including the resignation of Chris Bowker as Treasurer and the appointment of his interim replacement, Walter Greer at the May Church Council meeting held on Tuesday, May 8. Members of the council also worked on the Calendar for 2012 through October. Marlene was able to update with the help of others the calendar that can be found on-line and related to the church blog found at www.peoplesumcnews.blogspot.com. While little use of the blog has been developed recently we are working to revive its value with articles such as this.

Men’s Breakfast

The Men’s Breakfast has been held on the second Saturday of each month excepting July and August for a number of years. While we originally had upwards of 15 to 20 men attending recent years has seen a sharp decline in numbers even though the number of men called or e-mailed is in the 40-45 range. When an event is taking place after breakfast that includes women we send an invitation out to all women as well. Alas, even this month when the Spring church clean-up was scheduled the number of men and women attending the breakfast was 10. We still feel that it is a valuable opportunity for men and sometimes women to get together simply to have conversation and develop friendships. Brad Morrison is usually the chef, but in his absence Fred Wade, Dan Doughty and Charlie Lyons have filled in. Maybe it is the hour, but 7:30 seems to be a good hour for getting together before the  busyness of the day gets underway.

Spring Clean-up

After the Men’s Breakfast on May 12 a few folks stayed or came to work on the gardens, lawn and shrubs to clean-up the church and property before Mother’s Day. Walter Greer, Brad Morrison, Art and Marlene Tordoff, Kathy Brann, Carol and Dave Bruneau, Barbara Nelson, Susan Angell and Cierra Mullen all worked around the church properties. We all had a great day to work around the church and everything looked much better as a result.

In The Land Of Mechuwana

The Land of Mechuwana

Day 1

Once upon a time in the land of Mechuwana the brethren of the Land of Peoples came to find Spiritual Communion with each other. Mechuwana was an oasis in a heavily forested region. It would provide 28 people with a place to stay for 24 hours, a place to find sustenance and a place to learn from the Bible and a place to learn from each other. Among the first to arrive were the “Old Ones”. Since they were retired they could leave their home grounds before those that were still out planting and sowing in many different fields. Soon they were joined by those responsible for setting up the camp. Registration, Name tags and journal supplies were soon in place in the Great Hall. Tom and Kelly and Irene along with Carol and Kathy, Kit and Randy were among the first in the Great Food Emporium.  It was a quiet and soothing place for those first to arrive.

Early arrivals at the great camp were first to find housing accommodations in the shelters on the edge of the forest where the floors, unlike the old days, were heated with radiant heat. Bunks with thick mattresses were soon spread with bedding brought from home. As soon as people found their accommodations over the course of the next few hours and had moved in all left and headed for the Great Eating Emporium for the evening meal.

A sumptuous buffet greeted all after grace was offered. The dinner hour provided an opportunity to socialize and to meet some folks that we may not have known well.

Once the meal was over it was time to begin activities. Kit was responsible for not only showing how to make journals, but also how to use them. Many different thoughts would be written in the journals before our “QUEST” was complete the next day.

Mystical satchels had been passed out in four different colors; Red, Blue, Green and Purple. No one was told at that time what the colors meant, but they would represent four teams that would travel one of four virtual trails from lakeshore to mountain top on the following day.

Kelly was responsible for the Devotional time that we would share later in the evening. Weather prevented the participants from having an outdoor campfire, but the Great Meeting Hall provided the opportunity for all present that evening to experience music and spiritual growth through the camp songs led by Irene and supported by Kelly. Kelly and Tom also led us in devotions with the use of two books; The Voice by R.W. Mellen and Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli. Both provided a very powerful message for our Quest search for greater spirituality and community.

After several hours of socializing in the shelters all finally retired to their quarters. During the night one person’s bed folded up on her and later there was a great clang on the floor where the shower handle had fallen off someone’s shower.

In The Land Of Mechuwana

Day 2

As the day dawned somewhere in the land, the drizzle of yesterday continued at Mechuwana. Many folks were up and about by 6:30 AM. The early risers supped on fruit juices and coffee, socialized and developed more journals. Soon it was time for brief devotions and breakfast. Everyone that had been overnight was there and ready to hit the trail.

No one was told what trail they would be on, but were sent to their Trail Hut 1 where they were instructed to go off on their own, read the Bible verses they were given and to think and write on the message of their favorites. They needed to know how the message related to their own spiritual growth and that of Peoples church.

A sample of those Bible verses follows:

             Proverbs 15: 8 God can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayer.

            Psalm 95:6 So come, let us worship, bow before him, on your knees before God, who           made us! Oh yes, he’s our God, and we’re the people in his pastures, the flock he feeds.

           

Matthew 6:24            No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both  God and Money.

            Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

If you are so inclined look at these verses and see how they lead you to some thoughts on your own developing Spirituality and how that reflects on your relationships with family, friends and Peoples Church.

As the Quest of the day began by being alone, Trail Hut 2 provided each team time to discuss what Bible verses they had concentrated on and what the experience alone in communion with the Lord had meant to them. Most of the folks had discovered what trail they were on once they had been shown direction by the verses. The green trail was following the Trail of Prayer while the Blue was the trail of Worship. Red was the Trail of Service and Purple was the Trail of Stewardship.

After nearly an hour of sharing members of each group were asked by their group leader to develop some visual means of sharing what they had learned about themselves and each other relative to the Biblical verses they had worked with. This visual would be used later to show the other teams what they had learned on their respective trails. Each team would work at their Third Trail Hut on their Activity to Share with the other teams.

Before working on the activity an hour of free movement was allowed with folks sharing snacks and drinks and then taking a hike around the camp led by Pastor Tom and Kelly. We visited the waterfront to see the peaceful Lower Lake Narrows, the old Lodge that because of its condition is used for little today, the Asbury Center where the summer theater camp holds sway and the old cabins near the lake shore. Fortunately the weather was beginning to clear and the walk in the woods was refreshing. Many of the people had never been to the Land of Mechuwana before but some like myself, could reminisce about times long past and see the changes that had taken place.

It was now time to put those ideas that had been developed over the previous 18 to 20 hours to work. Each group went to their Trail Hut 3, which for most was the same place as the meeting location for each of the two previous Huts. Ideas flowed and within the next 50 minutes all groups had developed a means of showing what they had thought about and shared within their own teams.

The dinner bell rang and everyone was off to The Great Dining Hall where Carol, the weekend cook had prepared yet another sumptuous selection of quality food items for us to indulge in.

Socializing during lunch across team lines was begun with brief devotions and then for a short time people went back to their rooms, packed their belongings and took them to their means of transport.

At about 1 PM all gathered in the Great Hall and in turn teams shared their trail adventure. This provided our mountain top experience at Trail Hut 4. All of the trails led to this location and as each presentation was made we could all see how the four trails; prayer, worship, stewardship and service intersect. Oral and visual presentations helped us all see how our Spirituality and Community had developed and grown beyond where we were when we arrived in the Land of Mechuwana.

When our Trail Hut 4 experience was concluded it was time to return to the Lake Shore Base Camp and talk about where our experiences should lead us. Those who served as leaders and preparers of Quest will get together to evaluate what was right and what could be improved. How the Quest experience may continue remains to be determined and will wait upon the results of paper evaluations and time and person availability.

The concluding worship experience was very meaningful and Spirit-filled. Perhaps the most inspiring element of the closing was through the means that Communion used. Pastor Tom began by serving one person then that person would select someone else to serve until the last person served Pastor Tom. Extremely meaningful and spiritual and personal were among the immediate comments made by those who were about to depart for their homes in the land of the Peoples clan.

We had come to the Land of Mechuwana, in some cases, only aware of who the “others” were. I feel that we left with a new understanding of who we as a community are. It is perhaps what we experienced at Quest that we need to feel, see and nurture more fully in the Land of Peoples. We did find that we were a diverse group by age, by sex, by need and that we can all grow spiritually learning through prayer and worship to be good stewards in service to others, at home and away.

Quest Registration (Peoples UMC Retreat)

REGISTRATION

NAME(S) _______________________

PHONE # ________________________

E-MAIL __________________________

___ Friday/Saturday $60 per person

___ Saturday Only $40 per person

___ Special Family Rate (2 adults/2 children age 12 and under) $80

___$20 Deposit Enclosed (deposit required before April 24. Balance due at registration)

Scholarships are available. Please see Pastor Tom.

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL JOURNEY!

“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” —1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

Dear Friends, Time certainly goes quickly. It has been about nine months since I arrived at Peoples and, in that time, much has happened. I’d like to thank you all for the love and support you have shared with Kelly and myself since our arrival. Though our time here has been short, we truly feel like we are at home. With so many things going on, it can be a bit confusing. So, I’d like to comment on a couple of items currently underway.

1. PEOPLES QUEST: The idea for this retreat came from conversation at our Annual Charge Conference and the planning has come from a series of brainstorming sessions. While there will be activities planned, you are free to participate as much or as little as you want. Camp Mechuwana is a beautiful area and you may want to walk the trails and explore. The retreat is scheduled for May 4 and 5 and meals are included. We will be staying in the new Missions buildings, which are not as rustic as the other camp areas. (Each room has its own bathroom and shower and each building has a common area with fridge and microwave) We are right behind the Commons Building where meals are served. The cost for the weekend is $60 per person. The family rate (two adults, two children) is $80. If you can only attend Saturday, the rate is $40 per person. I am hopeful that this time together will help us deepen our faith, as we build our community. We need to know if you plan to attend no later than April 24. Registration and more information is available at the church

2. HOW WE SERVE SURVEY: During my time here I have heard comments to the effect of “I didn’t know we did that” or “I’d like to help, but don’t know who to contact or where to begin.” To help guide the way, we created this overview of many of the different ministries at Peoples. I want to emphasis that this survey is a request for information. Checking off a line does not commit you or obligate you in any way. It tells us you are interested and allows us to answer any questions you may have as you discern areas you may consider participating in. This survey also helps us to see what areas we as a community are interested in pursuing. When few step up to help facilitate an event or undertake a mission, it becomes time to reconsider if it is an area we should focus on or if a rest time is needed. Also, we are planning a celebratory service later this spring as we approach the anniversary of both our organ and choir. This will be a musical service and so we are asking you what your three favorite hymns are. The top choices will be included in the service. Please take some time and review the survey, check off areas of interest and include the hymns of your choice. Surveys can be left in the basket in the rear of the Sanctuary. Your input is important and appreciated.

3. MISCELLANEOUS STUFF: A few have commented on the work being done in the Sanctuary. We are working to create a more open, versatile and inviting space for worship. The project had some unexpected turns (as these things tend to do) and we are tending to them as quickly as we can. Any one interested in helping with the project or wanting more details, can contact either myself or a Trustee. Two people have asked me about the music videos that used to be part of worship and why we have not been using them. The simple answer is we no longer have the copyright to show the videos and cannot do so at this time. That may change if enough people wish to have them and we find a way to finance the licensing agreement. We are also looking into a licensing agreement that would allow us to show movie clips and have family movie nights at the church. As it is with many of these kinds of things, it is a question of where we want to commit our limited resources. I would be happy to discuss this or any other concern or thoughts further with anyone who is interested.

Peace,

Tom