Good Day to you Church!
Well, after the hottest week of the entire year, we’re back to more seasonal weather. Did you survive the heat? (The day we hit in the 90’s, I noticed that 10 years prior, I had written down that we had frost in the sheep paddock that same day in 2013. Wow! What a difference a decade makes.)
Here’s the news for the week:
Rummage Sale Fun Today and Tomorrow!
Come on down to the Center– today until 4pm and tomorrow from 9am-12pm– to find rummage sale treasures galore! Beth Grace and her crew of volunteers are ready to wow you with special one-of-a-kind finds.
And Saturday, there’s a special offer. ALL CLOTHING IS FREE! And everything else will be 50% off!
Communion Sunday
We will be celebrating communion together this week, now that I am back from Covid.
Climate Justice Summit Kicks off at the UU Church, Sept. 15th
Friday, Sept. 15th at 7pm, the UU Church in Canton will be showing the first film in a series of climate justice events. They will be showing the film Arctic Summer, which highlights the life of the indigenous acrtic community, the Tuktoyaktuk, as they navigate the effects of climage change. A community discussion will follow the film.
Here’s the link to all of their upcoming events: https://www.uucantonny.org/social-justice-initiative-2023/
Sunday, Sept. 17th at our Church
Next Sunday, the 17th, we have more excitement coming. Our monthly choir will be back to offer special musical selections, and after the service Northern Power & Light (our new, local electricity company) will be offering a presentation on why you should consider switching your electricity to this local, sustainable source.
As a promotional gift, Northern Power & Light is offering our church a $100 donation for every new person who signs up for their electricity (if you specificy that your promotional gift should go to the church).
Folks, it does’t get better than that! Competitively-priced electricity from a local, sustainable hydro-damn and a $100 gift to the church!
If you’re not going to be there this Sunday, but you’d still like to sign up with Northern Power & Light, here’s the link to their website. You can sign up from there. https://www.npandl.com/
*Also of note: Sept. 17th we will be moving worship over to the Center, while renovations continue in the sanctuary.
Potsdam Interfaith Annual Potluck Picnic, Sept. 21st
Come one, come all to the best kept secret in all of Potsdam! Thursday, Sept. 21st, folks from 9 different congregations in Potsdam will gather together at Sandstone Park from 5pm-7pm for the best potluck of the entire year.
This year the masjid is bringing fish kabobs to grill, and we are asked to bring vegetarian sidedishes, desserts, and drinks to go with the fish. (Because Muslims and Jews eat halal and kosher, we let them bring the meat.)
Last year I tried freshly made baklava and other middle eastern desserts I’d never had before, along with other amazing foods. And folks from the synagoge, the Methodist church, the Mormon church, the majid, the Catholic church, and other communities played games out on the lawn. It was marvelous, and you won’t want to miss the fun this year.
Help for Humaira
Do you remember the young, Afghani woman who came to Clarkson in 2021? Some of us helped support her in her endeavors to earn a computer science degree that year, and a couple from our congregation have been hosting her in their home while she attends school.
This will be Humaira’s senior year, and because of rising tuition costs, she is in need of assistance this year. Might you consider sending in a contribution for this brave, intelligent, hard-working woman who wants to change the world but does not have the financial resources that many of the rest of us have?
You can send a donation to:
The Humaira Project
1227 CR 25
Canton, NY 13617
Make a donation to the Humaira Project
Giving Gifts of Gaiety
This week I was the recipient of an unexpected gift, which tickled me pink with surprise to receive. And it prompted me to want to share the love around. So today I offered someone else a gift– out of the joy I felt for the love I had received earlier this week. And can I tell you– I have been walking around all day with a huge grin on my face!
None of these gifts were fancy. They were just little things, but the impact they made on me– from both the receiving and the giving– have been huge.
Riffing off of this experience, I want to challenge you today to try it too. What if you found a small gift to give a way each day for the next 7 days? It could be an object, a compliment, a helping hand, or even a hug. Who could you surprise? A loved one? A total stranger? A neighbor? If you try this exercise, watch for what happens next– look for the surprise and the joy you stir up in the other person. And notice the feelings of happiness that this acts brings about in your own mind, body, and soul.
What fun we can have this week with one another– playing the role of flitting fairies of merriment and delight? What wonder and joy can we bring to this world that did not exist prior? I dare you to give it a go and see what happens next!
Yours in Christ’s Love,
Pastor Katrina