Dear
friends,
In my February steeple letter, I
introduced our theme for the Lenten Season: “The End is Near!” This month, I want to invite you to engage in
a particular spiritual practice related to this theme.
The Diaconate selected this theme,
in part, because it points us toward one of Jesus’ most important sayings: “The
During this season, we will reflect
on this theme by asking ourselves what it is that needs to end--in our lives
and in our world--in order to make room for the realm of God to come to
fruition. For this particular spiritual
practice, though, I invite you to move beyond what needs to end in order to
envision what can be--and to notice what already is happening. I invite you to set aside some time during
Lent to walk around and notice where you see the realm of God breaking through
in our world today. If you have a
camera, take a picture! Or, if you prefer, make a drawing or painting, or jot
down some words. Send it to me (by email
or snail mail or hand-to-hand) by March 14.
We will use the images in a special worship service on March 21.
What does the realm of God look
like? How will we know when we see it? Each
of us, I suspect, will notice different things.
You might want to start by asking yourself what our lives would look
like if we lived out the second great commandment, to love our neighbors as
ourselves. What would our world look
like if we honored God as creator? What would be different if we remembered how
much God loves us? Then, as you walk
through this season, pay attention for the small ways you see those things
happening. Your pictures might be of
nature, of people, of events, of art--any way you see the realm of God’s love
breaking through.
This spiritual practice would be a
meaningful and fun one for families to engage in together. Take an afternoon to walk around together
looking for the realm of God’s love! Share a camera! Get out the water colors!
Talk about where you see God’s love at work in our world. If you’re not sure how to go about this, ask
me--I’d love to talk with you about it.
I hope you will find this spiritual
practice fun and enlivening!
Peace, Debbie
CONCERT
FOR HAITIAN RELIEF
A variety of local organizations and
churches are planning a concert to raise money for Haitian relief. Save the date and time:
March 28 at 4 p.m.,
and watch for more details!
WORSHIP Saturday,
March 6 World Day of Prayer World Day of Prayer will be held on Saturday,
March 6 at 11:00 at March 7
Holy Communion “The End is
Near--Part III” Luke 17:20-25;
Isaiah 43 “Do You Not
Perceive It?” March 14 10 a.m. Student Pastor Heather Lucas will
share leadership of this service with Doug Koch, Professor of Music,
Philosophy, and Religion at 5:30 p.m. OpenSpirit will gather for a potluck
supper in Edwards Hall, followed by a 7 p.m. worship service. March 21 Our worship
service will draw upon images, contributed by the congregation, of the
realm of God breaking into our world. (See pastor’s letter for more
details) March 28
Palm Sunday Psalm 118:1-2,
19-29; Luke 19:28-40
THE LATEST SCOOP ON
THE CHURCH IN
The Tuesday morning and Wednesday
evening Bible Study classes continue their study of Paul’s first letter to the
Corinthians. Come learn about this very
early church, its questions, struggles, and possibilities. First Corinthians contains some of the most
controversial passages in the Bible, and also some of the most inspiring. The Tuesday group will meet on March 9 and 23
at 10 a.m.; the Wednesday group will meet on March 10 and 24, at 6:30 p.m.,
beginning with soup. Everyone is welcome!
BOOK DISCUSSION
The Book Discussion group will meet
on Tuesday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, by Rhoda Janzen. This is a light-hearted, engaging
spiritual memoir. Everyone is welcome!
EARTH-CARE EVENT
-April 11th
“Low-Carbon” Cooking Workshop
Please
save the date for an afternoon of exploring low-waste, vegetarian cooking in a
fun and family-friendly atmosphere in the kitchen at Edwards Church, 1-4 p.m.
on Sunday April 11th. Bring a freezer-safe container and leave with some
tasty home-cooked items. If you can’t
make it, look for samples of our efforts at the Styrofoam recycling day at
Grace Church on April 24. Sign-up
information and more details to follow!
AN ARTFUL AFTERNOON
Saturday, March 20, 1-4 p.m.
Sign up now to help out at An Artful
Afternoon! The afternoon will feature an Invitational Art Show in the
sanctuary, with over twenty area artists, including many from the Framingham
Art Guild. In the
This event is a very important
outreach event, a great opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to see who
we are! Please share the attached flyer with someone who might enjoy the event!
In order to this event to be a
success, we need lots of help--for set-up, clean-up, and to welcome guests that
day. Please sign up in the Education
Building Hall, or by calling the church office.
STEEPLE
INFORMATION
Steeple
articles are due by 9 am on Wednesday, March 17th. You can send your articles by mail, or e-mail
it to edschoffice@aol.com.
The Steeple will be mailed on
Wednesday, March 24th at 11 am. in the meeting room of Jonathan
House.
DONATE
CHILDREN’S CLOTHES
JURME SPONSORSHIP March 2010 Ron and Lois
Mogavero

ONE
GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
In John 21:15-17 Jesus asks Peter,
“Do you love me?” After Peter tells
Jesus he does love him, Jesus says “Feed my sheep.”
We too are asked to care for all
those who are in need, and one way we can do that is to contribute to One Great
Hour of Sharing. We will have our OGHS
offering on March 14th this year.
There will be inserts and envelopes in the bulletin that day so you may
share whatever you feel you can with the world.
OGHS supports international programs
of health, education and agricultural development, relief (such as for the
Thanks,
Jeannette
Loughman
Board
of Wider Missions
QI-GONG CLASSES CONTINUE
Tai ji Qi-gong continues on Saturday
mornings at 9:00 am, in the
The cost is $12
for 1 hour of instruction for each drop in session and continues in March.
The instructor is Hing-Lan Lo, Licensed
Acupuncturist. Any questions can be emailed to hinglanacupuncture@gmail.com.
Hope to see you there.
Joanie White
MARCH ANNIVERSARIES
17 Jim
and Janice Rousseau
21 James
and Susan Underdah
28 Sean
and Sue McGrann
MARCH BIRTHDAYS
2 Caleigh
Hendrick
3 Melissa
Litman
Janet
Sanders
4 Ryan
Gagen
Andy Draper
Gabriel
“Angel” Valentine Mukisa
8 Gerald
White
9 Derek
Carl
Kelly
Lopez
11 Christopher
Hendrick
Daniella
Tupy
15 Kay
Saulnier
20 Rocky
Furman
Bette
Norton
21 Lucy
Barnhart
22 Anthony
McGrann
29 Ben
Akinkuoy
30 Debbie
Clark
STEEPLE
LIGHTING
You can make a donation for a two
week period of lighting our church steeple by making a donation of $12. Your donation can be made in honor, or in
memory, of a loved one. Each month this
information will be printed in the Steeple.
The sign up sheet is located on the glass case in the hall of the
FROM
OUR CHOIR DIRECTOR
The choir’s theme this
spring is Early American Church Music, and by the time you read this, you’ve
already heard some interesting examples in our anthems. This has always been
one of my favorite periods of choral music, and all month I’ve been excitedly
telling the choir why that is so.
When the colonists came to the
During Lent and Easter you will
occasionally hear anthems and adaptations from this rich library of choral
music, and I hope you will find it as stirring as I do. These composers were
predominantly hobbyists, at times quite proud to lack the “proper” musical
education. The resulting tunes and harmonies break any system of score analysis
according to these European traditions, but in many ways this compositional
style, free from rules, bursts with more emotion than any English hymn could.
TRUSTEES
The Trustees joined with the Board
of Finance as a step towards a possible permanent merger into a Board of
Stewards. After initial business was
completed, the Trustees split off to discuss traditional Trustee matters. We met with Sarah MacLennan, our new Sexton,
to see how the first few weeks were working out.
Sarah reported that, so far, she
loves the job and has already made some needed repairs, worked on projects that
organize our buildings and done the routine cleaning duties.
A review of long-term capital
project needs will be discussed at the next meeting.
EASTER
FLOWER SIGN UP
The
Chancel Committee will be taking orders for Easter flowers beginning on Sunday,
March 7. Please use the sign up sheet
that is located on the glass case in the
LITTLE CHURCH WOODEN BANKS
For the month of February 2010, five people made contributions of $54.00 to the Little Church Wooden Banks. This brings the total year to date givings to $110.50. Thanks to all contributors.
Information in the 2009 Annual Report states what these donations have been used for the past year realize the importance of this charity.
It also brings a great deal of personal satisfaction to you in practicing daily grace while donating your coins to a great purpose.
Sincerely,
David Eycleshymer
Wooden Banks Committee
BOARD
OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Lent began on Wednesday, February 17th
and will end with Easter on Sunday, April 4th. Three suggestions for adults or families with
children to do during these seasons of the Church year:
A reminder that during Lent, the
young people in the Middler Class will designate an animal that funds will be
raised for during the Fellowship Hour following worship. Watch for milks shakes and cup cakes to be
offered in exchange for a contribution to Heifer Project during the weeks in
March.
Kelly Lopez has recently joined the
Board of Christian Education. One of the
gifts that she brings to our church is her gift of music. Accompanied by her guitar, each Sunday she
has met with members of the church school to introduce new songs. Thank you Kelly!
Thank you to all the children who
created and sent Valentine greetings to members of our church family. They were greatly appreciated.
And, a huge word of gratitude to all
those members and friends of Edwards Church that provided the makings of the
hygiene kits for
Sue
Dickerman
Director
of Christian Education
OFFICE HOURS
Office hours are
Mondays-Thursdays,
8:45 am -12:30 pm.
Find us on the web at
THIS
WEEK CALENDAR
February
28-March 6, 2010
SUNDAY Adult
Bible Study 9:00
A.M.
Worship/
SS 10:00
A.M.
Coffee
Hour 11:00
A.M.
MONDAY Chairobics
(
Board
of Stewards (Jonathan House) 7:00 P.M.
TUESDAY Meditation
Group (Jonathan House) 9:30
A.M.
Growth
and Outreach (Jonathan House) 10:00
A.M.
Heritage
Worship 1:00
P.M.
Oak
Knoll Worshi p 2:00
P.M.
GS Troop 2077 (Edwards Hall) 3:00 P.M.
Staff Meeting (Jonathan House) 6:30
P.M.
WEDNESDAY Chairobics
(
Countryside
Worship 11:00
A.M.
Lunch
Bunch (Jonathan House) 12:00
P.M.
Quilting
Group (Jonathan House) 1:15
P.M.
Deacons
Meeting (Jonathan House) 7:15
P.M.
THURSDAY Choir
Rehearsal (
AA Meeting (Edwards Hall) 7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY Chairobics
(
SATURDAY Qi-Gong
(
World
Day of Prayer Service (
March
7-13, 2010
SUNDAY Adult
Bible Study 9:00
A.M.
Worship/
Communion/ Lent/ SS 10:00
A.M.
Coffee
Hour 11:00
A.M.
BOCE Meeting (
MONDAY Chairobics
(
Wider
Missions (Jonathan House) 7:00 P.M.
TUESDAY Meditation
Group (Jonathan House) 9:30 A.M.
Bible Study (Jonathan House) 10:00
A.M.
The
Children’s Room (
WEDNESDAY Chairobics
(
Soup and Bible Study (Education Building
Hall) 6:30 P.M.
THURSDAY Choir
Rehearsal (
AA Meeting (Edwards Hall) 7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY Chairobics
(
SATURDAY Qi-Gong
(
March
14-20, 2010
SUNDAY Adult
Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
Worship/
SS/One Great Hour of Sharing 10:00
A.M.
Coffee
Hour 11:00
A.M.
GS Troop 2101 (Edwards Hall) 1:00 P.M.
OpenSpirit Worship (Edwards Hall) 5:30 P.M.
MONDAY Chairobics
(
TUESDAY Meditation
Group (Jonathan House) 9:30
A.M.
GS Troop 2077 (Edwards Hall) 3:00 P.M.
Advocates Music Jam (Edwards Hall) 5:30 P.M.
Council Meeting (Jonathan House) 7:30 P.M.
WEDNESDAY
Steeple
Articles Due 9:00
A.M.
Chairobics
(
Lunch
Bunch (Jonathan House) 12:00
P.M.
Quilting
Group (Jonathan House) 1:15
P.M.
THURSDAY Choir
Rehearsal (
AA Meeting (Edwards Hall) 7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY Chairobics
(
Set
up for
SATURDAY Artful
Afternoon (Sanctuary & Ed. Bldg.) 1-4
P.M.
Qi-Gong
(Edwards Hall) 9:00
A.M.
March
21-27, 2010
SUNDAY Adult
Bible Study 9:00
A.M.
Worship/Sunday
School 10:00 A.M.
Coffee
Hour 11:00
A.M.
MONDAY Chairobics
(
TUESDAY Meditation
Group (Jonathan House) 9:30 A.M.
Bible Study (Jonathan House) 10:00
A.M.
The
Children’s Room (
Book Discussion Group (Jonathan House) 7:30 P.M.
WEDNESDAY Chairobics
(
Steeple Mailing 11:00
A.M.
Soup and Bible Study (
THURSDAY Women’s
Group (
AA Meeting (Edwards Hall) 7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY Chairobics
(
SATURDAY Qi-Gong
(
Hall Rental (Edwards Hall) 12-4:00 P.M.
Hall Rental (Edwards Hall) 5:30-8:30 P.M.
March
28-April 3, 2010
SUNDAY Adult
Bible Study 9:00
A.M.
Palm
Sunday/Worship/ SS 10:00
A.M.
Coffee
Hour 11:00
A.M.
GS Troop 2101 (Edwards Hall) 1:00 P.M.
MONDAY Passover
Begins
Chairobics
(
TUESDAY Meditation
Group (Jonathan House) 9:30
A.M.
GS Troop 2077 (Edwards Hall) 3:00 P.M.
WEDNESDAY Chairobics
(
Countryside
Worship 11:00
A.M.
Lunch
Bunch (Jonathan House) 12:00
P.M.
Quilting
Group (Jonathan House) 1:15
P.M.
THURSDAY Maundy
Thursday Tenebrae(
AA Meeting (Edwards Hall) 7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY GOOD
FRIDAY
Chairobics
(
SATURDAY Qi-Gong
(