Good Day to you Church,
It’s a gorgeous spring day outside– finally– and the dandelions and violets are coming into bloom. We’re predicted to have nice weather for most of this upcoming week. I hope you get to enjoy it!
Here’s the news:
Church Potluck and Communion This Sunday
Bring your favorite dish to pass to church this Sunday and we will share a meal together after our worship service.
During our luncheon, we will also celebrate communion together, folding it into our meal the way the early church did.
Clarkson’s “Take It or Leave It” Tent Event, May 4-14
Clarkson is hosting a “goods exchange” under a tent on the south lawn of the ERC for the next 10 days.
You can either drop off or take any of the following:
- Appliances and electronics in good working order (hair dryers, microwaves, irons, printers, computers, etc)
- Furniture (nothing broken)
- Household goods (but no glass)
- Textiles (dry and clean)
- Office supplies
- Electronic waste for recycling– must be labeled
This event is FREE and open to the public.
Youth Group, Thursday May 11
If you participate in our youth group, bring a few dollars with you this Thursday. We will walk over to Jernabi Coffee shop to get a treat and then mosey over to Ives Park for the rest of the evening.
Last Call to Sign Up for the Prison Tour
This is your last chance to sign up to visit Riverview Correctional Facility. Tours are being offered on Thursday, May 11th at 10am and 1pm. Email Dr. Nancy Lewis if you’d like to participate at lewishnl@potsdam.edu. (This tour is being offered both for people who have signed up to tutor student inmates at the prison and any local resident who is curious about what life inside a prison looks like.)
Membership Classes are Set
We currently have four people signed up to take the membership classes being offered later this spring. If you’d like to join in, we will be meeting for an hour after worship on June 4th and July 2nd.
Picnic at Lazy River, Sunday June 25th
Save the date! We’ve made reservations at Lazy River Playground and Retreat Center for Sunday, June 25th following worship. We will be joining folks from Trinity Episcopal Church for a potluck lunch, putt-putt golf, shuffleboard, corn hole, roller skating, swimming, fishing, and forest bathing. If you’d like to check out the venue, go to their website: lazyriverplayground.com. (More details to follow.)
Per Capita, $32
If you are an official member of our church and haven’t yet sent in a donation to cover the cost of your per capita, might you consider it? If so, write PER CAPITA on the memo line of your check.
Church Directory
We’re closing in on finalizing our new church directory. If you’re part of our congregation (even if you’re brand new) and you want your name and contact information to be included, just email Sue Waters and let her know. You’re welcome to share your name, email address, home address, and/or phone number. Whatever you feel comfortable with. The directory will only be shared with other church members, to allow us to contact one another at home.
Sue’s email: p1presch@gmail.com
Roof Work Continues!
This week Jack and George built a custom-made gutter and downspout and installed them over the bell tower door entrance into the church! It’s only taken us 150 years to make this happen, but it finally came to pass.
Taking Time to Smell the Roses
Ok, so we don’t have roses in bloom yet, but the tulips are popping, along with hyacinths, violets, and dandelions. Tree leaves are also starting to pop, and lilacs will soon be on their way.
And my question for you today is…. have you noticed?
One of the best gifts of community that God has given to us (aside from each other) is the earth we live upon. When we actively choose to live in communion with all of God’s creatures, great and small, it brings us into another beautiful form of worship and praise to God. Right now the earth is coming into her full splendor, and I encourage you to spend a little time out in our other church– the woods, your garden, a meadow, or down by the river. There are multiple ways to sing praises to God and endless places to encounter the Divine Presence. So spend some time close up with your flowers, listen to the birds chatter in the treetops, pay attention each day to the trees as their leaves begin to unfurl, and listen to the river flow and roar. Sit in awe, stand in splendor, smile with curiosity, and take notice of the fullness of God’s abundant Life! It’s all around us, if only we have eyes that see.
**Just make sure you check for ticks when you’re done!
Reveling in the Beauty and the Cheer of the Dandelions,
Pastor Katrina