March 24 Colonial Church News

“Holy, Wholly” Palm Sunday Online Worship

Palm Sunday is here! You can stop by Colonial Church to pick up palms for Sunday. They'll be outside the office door beginning tomorrow (Thursday).

Most years on this Sunday, we hear the dark story of Jesus' passion and death. We have just spent a year walking in the valley of the shadow of death, so this Sunday we're going to celebrate recovery and how we might get up and walk again in Christian Love. This year the party starts early!

Sunday Worship Online

Connect to online live worship service at https://colonialucc.online.church/ at 8:30 or 10:15 a.m.

Or, you can watch our service anytime after 8:30 a.m. on Sundays via YouTube at https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeV

Online Children's Sunday School. This week's Sunday School Bible story will go live on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeVid

If you know of kids who might enjoy taking part in our Sunday School, invite their parents to signup to be on the list to receive the weekly materials at https://bit.ly/CCSSOnline.

Online Coffee & Conversation. Grab your coffee, your tea, your beverage of choice and join your fellow Colonialites in our Coffee & Conversation Zoom Room. We will be connecting with each other between our worship services. Stop in for a quick minute to catch up with each other! You can connect at https://bit.ly/CCCoffeeCon

Easter Sunday Worship

You have two ways to worship this Easter.

Live online at 8:30 and 10:15 a.m.
In-person outdoors at 10:15 a.m. Weather permitting, we will have the inflatable screen on the front lawn to watch the online worship service together. Please bring your chairs or blankets. We will social distance and masks are required. Pastor Aaron will be present to greet you. Following the service, our youth will conduct an egg hunt for the children. We are asking attendees to bring 5 filled plastic eggs (that the youth will hide during the service for the children). There will not be child care or children's activity during the service. In the event of inclement weather, please worship online.

Easter Lilies for Altar

Easter lilies will be placed on the altar as a backdrop for our online worship on Easter Sunday, April 4. You can dedicate a plant in memory of or in honor of a loved one. Cost is $20 each. Click here to fill out the form and pay online. Or you can print this form and mail it with a check payable to Colonial Church. Deadline is this Sunday, March 28.

Pilgrimage Walk

A pilgrimage is an ancient expression of faith. Again this year during Holy Week, Colonial Church is going to be a pilgrimage site. At some point between Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday, walk or drive over to Colonial and go through the circle drive in front. We will have prayer stations set up - you'll see the signs - for you to pause and reflect on your journey. Please observe physical distancing during your walk.

Palms for Palm Sunday

We will have palms for you to pick up to use in your Palm Sunday worship. Stop by and pick one up outside the church office door tomorrow (Thursday).

Coffee with the Pastor

We are now meeting in the Heritage Room at Colonial. See you on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m.

Worship Update

Outdoor Worship in April

Beginning on Easter Sunday, the 10:15 a.m. service will be shown on the front lawn on our inflatable screen. Bring your chairs or blankets, wear your mask and social distance. In the event of inclement weather, please worship online. No Sunday School or childcare will be available.

In-Person Worship Resumes in May

Great news – we are returning to in-person worship in the sanctuary beginning Sunday, May 2 at 10:15 a.m. Masks will be required and social distancing will be observed. No childcare or Sunday school will be available.

We will continue to provide the live online worship at 8:30 a.m.

Volunteers Needed – Returning to the sanctuary means we need worship volunteers again, although the roles have changed a bit. Click here to see updated descriptions for two positions: 1. Door Greeter and 2. Hospitality Table. Please register your willingness to volunteer and we will put together a schedule -- if you are interested but want to wait, there is a field for comments. https://colonialucc.breezechms.com/form/d2371f7. No doubt our volunteer needs will evolve as time goes on. We will continue to have online services as well. Thank you.

AIDS Walk Kansas City

Please join the Board of Outreach in participating in AIDS WALK Kansas City virtually on Saturday, April 24. AIDS WALK Kansas City raises money to provide shelter, medical care and emergency services for more than 5,700 men, woman and children in Kansas City suffering from HIV/AIDS. AHH (Artists Helping the Homeless) also receives funds from the walk to provide HIV testing for their members.

Go to aidswalkkansascity.org and select Colonial UCC team when joining the walk or choosing to donate to a team member. The distance you walk is up to you. Grab a friend to join you!

For questions please contact Shawn Boelter or Stacey Algren.

Colonial Women Activities Resume In-Person

With the return of nice weather and many of us already having received COVID vaccinations, we have decided to get back to some of our Colonial Women’s activities in person, but still with safe distancing.

Colonial Women Breakfast at Big Biscuit - 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 5. We will meet at Big Biscuit and sit at a large table and wear masks when not eating. Let Kathi Cook know if you want an email reminder. After breakfast, some of us will go to the church to help sort art room supplies and straighten the rooms to make room for rummage sale items. There will be sit down jobs and organizing jobs. Join us if you can.

Colonial Women Blue Moose Tuesday - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13. We will meet outdoors at the Blue Moose (weather permitting, indoors if not) to enjoy half price appetizers and wine and in-person conversation! Life gets busy. Let Kathi know if you want to be included in a reminder text.

Colonial Women Book Group Still Via Zoom - 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 26 via Zoom. We will discuss "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" by Deesha Philyaw. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83417614293?pwd=b1BCVC91R1BWZm1oSHVTZ20rTlJDUT09

Ramadan Break Fast Dinner

How to prepare for the fast breaking Ramadan dinner on April 27

Email Julie ([email protected]) or Mariam ([email protected]) so they can forward the link to you.
Open your link by 7:30 p.m. on the 27^th to learn more of the Islamic holiday month and of the importance of fasting for members of the Islamic community via video.
Share the meal you have prepared with a family of that faith virtually who are celebrating the breaking of the fast in their home. This family may live in another city or country.
Enjoy meeting a new friend, sharing some of your Christian holiday customs, singing a song, sharing a recipe, showing pictures of children and grandchildren or other activities of your choice.
Perhaps Introduce your family to a dish from another part of the world. Go to Google or try these recipes.
Enjoy this opportunity to expand your world.

Capital Campaign Update

Progress is starting to happen as the church leadership reviewed the results of the recent survey regarding Colonial Church and a possible capital campaign. While no specific projects were discussed for inclusion on a list for the campaign, a general timeline was developed for the implementation of the campaign. Based on this recent survey, along with the one done in November 2019, there are a number of needs on the potential list from which the actual capital campaign items will be chosen. Our plan is to enter the feasibility phase over the summer with some Town Hall meetings involving the congregation, and then setting a formal start date for the campaign this fall. There will be a more detailed announcement during our Easter Sunday service. Stay tuned!

Pemberton Fund Expenditures for Capital Improvements

The Administrative Board on March 21 approved the following uses for the Pemberton Endowment funds.

Repave the Church parking lot and finish work in the Church nursery. (est $18,800)
Replace flooring in the Heritage Room. (est $6,000)
Fund the needed add-on projects for the new audio-visual system. (est $5,000)
Pay for one year the mortgage on a transition house in Kansas City, Kansas, for just-released prisoners. The house is operated by the charity Reaching Out From Within (ROFW). ($15,804)
Approved purchase of a van for Artists Helping the Homeless. Since this cost will exceed $20,000 congregational approval will be needed.
Donate $5,000 to the Kansas City AIDS walk in April with the stipulation that Colonial Church’s name will be featured as a significant sponsor.

These projects were recommended by the Pemberton Advisory Committee after consultation with church leaders and private research.

Upcoming Events

March 28 - Palm Sunday Driveway Chalking - This event is more geared toward households rather than a youth group event. Signup by Wednesday, March 24 to go to a person in our church community’s home to chalk their driveway with messages of love. Many people have felt quite isolated this past year, and this is a way to remind them how much they are loved! (Signup at https://colonialucc.breezechms.com/form/505071)

April 4 - Youth Lead Easter egg hunt at 10:00 a.m.
April 6 - Youth Room Setup, Snacks, and Movies at 4:30-9:00 p.m.
April 18 - 6-8th Grade In Person Among Us! With Plymouth Group at 4:30-6:00 p.m. in Lawrence (Meet at South Park by the Gazebo)
April 21 - Youth Talk with Pastor Aaron at 8:00-9:00 p.m. (Location TBD, but we are hoping for an outdoor gathering)
May 16 - Cookout & Backyard Games with Plymouth Group at TBD
July 16-20 - UCC Synod Youth Online Events

For more information, email or call Heather in the office.

Help Veronica's Voice Fight Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Part of the work of Veronica's Voice is creating policy-driven changes to end commercial sexual exploitation. Currently, they are working to change language regarding sex crimes in Kansas through Senate Bill 59. This bill modifies the crimes of selling sexual relations, promoting the sale of sexual relations and buying sexual relations by changing terminology from "sexual relations" to "a sex act." Right now, it is sitting in the Kansas Senate without a vote, and they need your help to bring attention to it.

Veronica's Voice believes that commercial sexual exploitation is not "relational", which implies equality and mutuality. It is a transaction, and an abuse of power and control. Words have powerful influence on our culture and behavior, and that is why it is necessary that this change is made. It is our responsibility to be a community that supports those who are vulnerable.

If you are a resident of Kansas, please consider contacting your Senator to ask them to keep this bill moving forward. An email template as well as the list of contact information for Kansas Senators is available here. Feel free to copy, paste, and personalize.

Your Support Matters

Even though we are not worshiping in person, our work together matters - to each other and to the community. Your pledges help Colonial do its work. You may mail in your pledge checks, as well as any other payments. An easier alternative is to make contributions online. You just fill in your banking information or provide a credit card and your name and email and what fund you are paying (Stewardship, food pantry, etc.) and the amount. Click the donate button below.

If you have any questions, you may email or call Heather in the office or Jayne Quimby, Financial Recorder.

Donate

VANish the Void Supplies

Pre-pandemic, Colonial helped Kar Woo and Artists Helping the Homeless by providing and serving a meal in Mill Creek Park once a month for homeless people. We hope to resume that outreach eventually. In the meantime, the Colonial Board of Outreach is providing funds for non-perishable food items for Woo to hand out when he is out in the Be the Change van helping disadvantaged and homeless people in Kansas City. You can give to that effort here by selecting AHH from the dropdown menu.

Colonial Women Rummage Fundraiser

Because of concerns about COVID-19, Colonial Women is hosting a rummage collection rather than the usual sale. The goal is to raise $1,000, which means about 5,000 pounds of items! Savers will pay us by the pound for quality items. To reach that requires 250 13-gallon white trash bags of soft goods and 200 boxes of hard goods. We are also collecting boxes of books for a book sale. So far we have collected 180 bags of soft goods, 48 boxes of hard goods and 25 boxes of books. Let Marylee Battaglia know how many bags or boxes you have collected so we can see progress toward the goal.