Sunday November 9, 2025

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

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Highlights:


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Hey Church School Crew!


I'm a fan of dying arts. Needlework of all sorts still has a lively going on, but lace making? That's where the rubber really meets the road as that sort of domestic but endangered crafting.


My experience of both learning and teaching various crafts is that the attention needed to attempt the project and the enthusiasm are rarely matched. It's why we're all so bad at reading project directions.


Last Sunday we talked about the use of calligraphy and illumination in making beautiful things for God. Did the kids want to hear my directions about calligraphy pens? No. But did they get really excited about the actual work at hand? Yes. And it doesn't have to be perfect. When we create these beautiful things, we make room for mistakes as well. They exist side by side.

Join Us for the (Rescheduled) Province 1 Acolyte Festival!


We're fortunate to be the host site for the Province 1 Acolyte Festival in 2.5 weeks on Saturday November 22 from 10am to 2pm. Join us for fellowship, games, friendly competition, and pizza.


Youth grades 4 and up are invited to participate whether they are active acolytes or just curious about this ministry. Email me/grab me on a Sunday for a registration form!
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Help Needham UCC Pack 10,000 Meals! + Foodraiser Donation Drive


I think we're all aware of how especially critical the issue of food insecurity is right now. While Needham UCC's meal packing event has been long-planned and targets communities outside of the US, we can also come together to support their fundraising efforts for the Greater Boston Foodbank. You can find more information at the link above.


Folks of all ages are invited to join in the meal packing on November 23 from 12-2pm and cleanup from 2-3:30pm, but registration is required.
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Primary Godly Play (Chapel): The Ark & The Tent


Last week, during our little Liturgical Arts sidetrack, we talked about the idea of making beautiful things for God, an idea and practice that stretches across the centuries. And, even as people came to know that God was not the God of a particular place, they found that this God, who could be and move with and among them, still deserved a special place to dwell, even if God didn't need one.


This is one of the core elements of the Ark & the Tent: the setting apart, the work of creating something beautiful and holy, separate from the regular world. It's creation is a story about thresholds. God can be anywhere, but we connect with God more easily in places that are in some way "apart from" the ordinary. And we make beautiful things for those places – not because God demands them, but because God inspires that desire to create and to give within us.
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Upper Elementary Godly Play (Chapel): The Holy Trinity (continued and contingent)


In our Upper Elementary/Middle School circle, we are deep in the work of synthesizing familiar stories and wondering about the workings of the Triune God. Consider this week's lesson contingent on my recovering from the flu, which currently has laid me flat.
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The World of the Old Testament by Marc Olson


The Curious Kid's Guide series is a favorite of mine, useful books that help orient our young people to the history and norms of the Bible's world. This week, for example, the content of The World of the Old Testament could help contextualize the worship practices that led to the creation of the Ark of the Covenant and the tent and, later, the temple. These books are fun and focused helping us know what it was like to live a long, long time ago.

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Borrow Our Books!


One of this summer's projects has been cataloguing the books in our program library – with the end goal of supporting wider borrowing and use! When this program year begins, we encourage you to check our book displays, newsletter highlights, and to ask about seasonal or thematic books for use at home. It's still a work in progress, but we're excited to better support Faith At Home practices through our own little library.

Sunday November 9:

  • Primary Church School (Chapel) and Upper Elementary Church School (Jerusalem Room)

Sunday November 16:

  • Primary Church School (Chapel)


Saturday November 22:

  • Province 1 Acolyte Festival for All Ages, 10am-2pm
  • Registration details forthcoming!


Sunday November 30:

  • Advent Tree Lighting, 3pm
  • Come make an Advent Wreath, Sing Some Seasonal Favorites, and Usher in the Season of Light – as We Await the Light of the World

Peace be with you all this week and I look forward to being with you all on Sunday. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to me by email or (particularly by text) at 347-200-9207.


Faithfully,

Bird

If you or someone in your family is in the hospital or in need of pastoral care, please call the church office so that our clergy or the Pastoral Response Ministry team may be notified and tend to the need. The office number is (781) 444-1469, and you can reach Nick at ext. 113.

Christ Episcopal Church

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Christ Episcopal Church | 1132 Highland Ave | Needham, MA 02494 US

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