Be The Church: March 13, 2023
Faithfully,
Pastor Meghan
|
|
Getting To Know Us (Again): Round 2
Dates & Times Vary
|
|
|
Lent is a time to renew our connections to God and each other. This Lenten season we are asking all of our church members and friends to sign up for one 75 minute gathering at the church. We'll gather in small groups to get to know each other by answering 3 simple questions.
|
|
|
Joy & Justice Book Club
Sunday, March 19 following Community Hour
|
|
|
Join us for a discussion of the book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return. There is also a Young Adult version also available for discussion with youth.
|
|
Easter Brunch Invitation
Sunday, April 9th
You're invited to a CHURCH FELLOWSHIP BRUNCH after our EASTER service.
All in our church family, plus any family and guests you wish to bring, are invited to brunch at Sherril Wingo's home in Columbus. There's plenty of parking.
It will be a "pot luck" meal; however, you are asked to identify what you will be bring and in what quantity.
RSVP is requested by Good Friday, but all will be welcomed regardless. To RSVP, please contact Sherril. Email: sherrilwingo@gmail.com Landline: (828) 894-6081 Text/Mobile: (828) 817-1668.
|
|
One Great Hour of Sharing
A special offering will be collected on Sunday, March 19
|
|
|
This year’s One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) theme, “It’s Time to Share,” is compelling as it calls us to share with others, from our resources, and to remain steadfast in doing good.
Through the collective sharing of our resources, the United Church of Christ Wider Church Ministries assists partners in the United States and worldwide in alleviating challenges like poverty, injustice, the climate crisis, and the global movement of people (refugees, migrants) seeking a stable place to call home.
Watch the video above and click here to learn more about One Great Hour of Sharing. You can also watch a One Great Hour of Sharing sermon from Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson Associate General Minister, Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive, Global Ministries. Rev. Dr. Thompson has also been nominated as the next General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. |
|
Gardening for Life Celebration Wrap-Up
A note from Doug Tallamy to YOU - our Gardening For Life Project community...
"I have been hosted by many groups, and many have gone overboard welcoming me. But no group has come close to you folks in Tryon. If only we could bottle up your enthusiasm and sell it…no, give it away! Our environmental problems would be over.” - Doug Tallamy
There is magic that happens when good people get together to share good things. From start to finish that is the spirit the Gardening For Life Project has embodied. All along, we have had fun and worked hard to create a meaningful and memorable event.
If you were not able to attend, please know that Doug’s presentation is available on the YouTube channel. (Please bare with the technical difficulties in the recording). Too, if you are curious to learn more, the website and Resource Directory are packed with information.
|
|
Ministry Team, Worship, & Volunteer Sign-Up
We welcome all in our congregation, regardless of membership or age, to participate in worship leadership and Ministry Teams. Contact the church office for more information about any of the opportunities below.
|
|
|
Please consider signing up to usher, serve as liturgist, and host community hour in the coming months. Offering those gifts of hospitality helps build community, attracts and welcomes folks to our church.
|
|
Pic of the Week
A look into the life of the church
We had loads of fun at Game Night on Saturday night. Everyone learned a new game or two and enjoyed a delicious meal.
|
|
Do you have a picture of something that you would like to share with the Congregation? Email it to Lindsay and we can share it as our pic of the week and continue to stay connected with each other.
|
|
Weekly Preview
Grow in faith, share in ministry.
- Community Hours
There will be no community hours this week.
- Prayer Group, Wednesdays at 12 PM on Zoom
Click this link to join Prayer Group
Meeting ID: 396 479 012, Password: 117851
To join by phone, dial +1 646 558 8656.
Join us as we pray for the congregation, the community, and the world.
- Sunday Worship: Lent 4 - March 19 at 10 AM, Sanctuary & Online
Join us for worship, story, music, and fellowship. We will collect a special offering for One Great Hour of Sharing. The Sunday email will have links to watch the service online via live stream. This week's scripture lessons are Psalm 23 and John 9:1-41.
- Joy & Justice Book Club
Sundays, March 19 after worship
See details above.
Looking Ahead:
- Kudzu Eradication
March 25, 10 AM, Back Parking Lot
Join us to rework the area from last year and remove any debris possible. Were identifying natives and restoring our historic woodlands. Invite all you know to help. It is a wonderful donation to God's world. Contact Carol Meeske for more information.
- Youth Group
Sunday, March 26 at 12:00 PM
We will be working on the church property doing a creation care project. Please wear clothing appropriate for working outside. Lunch will be provided.
- 5th Annual Jesus Christ Superstar
Sunday, April 2 at 7 PM at the Tryon Theatre
More information to come.
- Good Friday
Friday, April 7 at 3 PM at the Walter's Property
Join us at the Walter’s property as we walk the stations of the cross in prayer. The hike is along a forest trail and the path is uphill at points. Please wear appropriate footwear. Sign up here. Directions will be provided upon signup.
- Holy Saturday
Saturday, April 8 at 10 AM
Join us for Pancake Breakfast, followed by Easter Egg hunt and egg dying. Sign-up here.
|
|
Notes From The Church Dog
Because somebody has to run this church...
|
|
|
I spend a lot of time sitting, lying on my back, curled up in a chair, and sprawled out on the floor just thinking. I think about creation, I try to understand human behavior, and I think about some of those big God type questions. Perhaps you're like me. Perhaps you've even been to the Living The Question series at church.
If you're not familiar, "Living the Questions is a study for the countless people of faith. Its purpose is to provide a resource for the discussion of what is already believed and practiced by many faithful people still holding on within institutional religion, while harboring a conviction that what the church teaches isn’t the whole story. It may even be helpful for those whom Jack Spong calls “believers in exile” – those who have left the church because of its refusal to take their questions or life’s situation seriously. It is not intended to spell out new doctrine or create new dogma but to serve as a catalyst to perhaps crack open the door to the future."
Living the Questions seeks not to provide easy answers as it delves into progressive theology, but to be a resource for people who are in the midst of a life-long conversation about the mysteries of faith and life. It invites us to ask questions, reflect, and share.
The church humans have uploaded all of our Living The Questions videos, as well as the written materials. So, if you've missed a session, or want to re-watch one, follow links below. It's such a great series, and we hope you'll join at our next Living The Questions.
Wishing you all the toys and pets,
Wally
|
|
|
Love Your Neighbor
Wider Community Opportunities, Events, and Resources
|
|
No More Stigma, No More Shame #standbymePolk
April 28. 4:30PM - 7:30PM
Join us for an exciting evening as we welcome nationally acclaimed TEDx speaker Tony Hoffman to Polk County to share his inspirational true story "From Prison to the Olympics," about overcoming and recovery from substance misuse.
*Hosted by Polk County Health and Human Services Agency in partnership with Polk County Schools.
Find more information here.
|
|
|
Hear of any community gatherings, resources, or opportunities to love our neighbors? Email us to share.
|
|
|
Faith Formation Opportunities & UCC News
Staying connected to the wider church.
|
|
'Trans youth lives matter': UCC leaders commit to love and justice in action amidst anti-LGBTQ bills
We are in the midst of a pivotal moment in our shared story. The well-being of transgender and non-binary youth is being debated in legislative sessions across the United States. As of March 3 there have been 385 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced, with 108 of these bills aiming to end gender affirming healthcare for trans and non-binary youth. This places more than 54,000 trans youth actively taking life-saving gender affirming medical care at risk. This is the highest number of anti-LGBTQ bills ever introduced in a single legislative season. Click here to read the full article from UCC Leadership.
WNCA Spring Educational Forum
|
|
|
EMAIL
Rev. Meghan D. Young, Pastor - pastor@ucctryon.org
Lindsay Lewis, Minister of Faith Formation - faithformation@ucctryon.org
Dr. Susan Lyle, Minister of Music - music@ucctryon.org
Brittany Plumley, Custodian - custodian@ucctryon.org
Michele Brulé, Church Administrator - accounts@ucctryon.org
General Office/Church Requests can be sent to: church@ucctryon.org
WORSHIP
Sunday Morning Worship is at 10:00 AM. Check weekly emails or www.ucctryon.org for more information, as to protocols and worship location.
|
|
|
