Solar Flash  

Although our 34 panels have been quarantined on the Chapel roof, they have produced the most electricity yet during March. They provided about half of the electricity for the church this month, reducing our power bill by over $250, and so far this year we have kept 6,800 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. We've planted the whopping equivalent of 170 trees. 

 

Ways to Help During the Pandemic   

As we practice our sacred duty to stay safe and stay home, our call and conviction to help our poor and vulnerable neighbors continues. Here are some ways we in this church community can work with our mission partners to help:

Support the Pastor's Discretionary Fund
This fund provides immediate support to people in need. Recently, we helped a pregnant woman who was homeless, helped a family get electric power restored to their home, and got a coat for a man on one of the coldest days of the year. Make a donation here by selecting Pastor's Discretionary Fund from the dropdown menu.

Provide Clorox Wipes and Masks for Health Care Workers
Our health care workers are in desperate need of protective gear.  If you have extra Clorox wipes or extra medical masks (even painters masks would do in a pinch)-take them to the home of Drs. Stephanie and Jason Graff (4141 W 111 Terrace, Leawood KS 66211). Leave them in the box on either porch. They will be distributed among area hospitals. And if you're crafty, you can even work on making some. Here's instructions for making a good mask: https://twitter.com/marklewismd/status/1240850124273672197

Artists Helping the Homeless
AHH needs help for the 65+ people at their 4 houses. Colonial Church is dedicated to supporting Kar Woo's ministry.  If you have any household cleaning items, you can drop them off outside the Colonial Church Office entrance in the bin located there.

Cross-Lines Community Outreach
Cross-Lines is a place of hope for at-risk families, the elderly, and single individuals struggling to make ends meet. Here are ways you can help:

• Drop off food - granola bars, peanut butter, canned beans, and canned tuna - with Whitey Ackley every Tuesday from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind Colonial Church.
• If you can't make it on Tuesdays, you can place an Amazon order of items from this list - https://www.cross-lines.org/how-to-help/needs-list.html, and send the order directly to Cross-Lines at Cross-Lines, 736 Shawnee Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66105.
• Contribute to the Cross-lines Food Pantry at https://colonialucc.breezechms.com/give/online by selecting Cross-Lines Food Pantry from the dropdown menu

Mothers and Children in Need at Sheffield Place
Colonial Church helps empower homeless mothers and their children to heal from trauma and to become self-sufficient. We do this with Sheffield Place, and right now they need help with items that you can buy on Amazon that will be sent directly to the shelter - https://www.amazon.com/gp/ch/list/43-1532267/ref=smi_cl_ls_llol_lol

Connect with a Care Partner
Keeping a physical distance from people is vital, but it can create a sense of isolation. We need to maintain Signup to be a Care Partner at https://www.colonialucc.org/carepartner.html. You'll be paired with another person to check on every 48 hours. This is not just for people in the church community, but everyone.

 

Ramadan Post-Fast Dinners 

In order to stay within the guidelines of our stay-at-home lives during the year of COVID-19, your family can share a special meal with friends from the Dialogue Institute of the Southwest through Zoom, WhatsApp or FaceTime.  You will meet between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. or so one evening between April 24 and May 23 to break the sunrise-to-sunset fast that Muslims observe. Each family will prepare its own meal.  

 

 

Giving at Colonial 

 

Many Jewish Christians of the first century were regarded by still-skeptical family, friends and neighbors as dangerous, misguided and even disloyal to God. The letter to the Hebrews was written to show that you can't go back to an earlier stage but must press on eagerly to that is yet to come. Our weekly studies will be based on NT Wright's materials, we hope to find encouragement and assurance that pressing on, even in the face of such close and constant pressure to fall back, is its own reward.

 

Observing our sacred duty for social distance, we'll be meeting exclusively online - at least initially. From March 26-April 16, we'll meet at 10:30 a.m. online at https://zoom.us/j/8796465039 or call in by dialing (669) 900-6833 with Meeting ID: 879 646 5039    

 

  

 

 

Report from the Colonial Church Council