May 2021

Friends,

We’re going back to church…We’re GOING BACK TO CHURCH!

Wait – we are the church!

So let’s try this again: We’re going back to in-person worship!!

Somehow it doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? A little wordy…

How’s this instead?

We’re getting back together!

Or …should it be: We get to be together again!

However you want to proclaim your joy about this new development is fine with me. Let’s just make sure the beauty of it doesn’t pass us by. Let’s make sure that in five years when COVID is far behind us, we don’t take being together in person in our sanctuary for worship in church on Sunday morning for granted. Let’s enjoy and relish every minute we get to live into this strange and wonderful calling to be God’s people, in community, with all these other beautiful, flawed, quirky people – together, in the flesh, in one space. Thanks be to God.

On another note – I, Pastor Kate, would like to see you. Yes, you. I’m launching my “Reconnecting Tour” that is all about reconnecting with you. I want to see everyone. It might take a while but it’s really important to me. We made a handy-dandy sign-up sheet and will make a new one every month. Check it out here and please, please sign up.

With love and hope for new beginnings,

Moving Forward 

  

Registration is open to all, regardless of vaccination status. Most children are not able to get the shots and families who have been sending children to school with confidence would likely feel safe bringing their children. Unvaccinated people are still at the most risk and vaccines are not 100% effective. The protocols that we have adopted reduce that risk, but cannot eliminate it altogether. We urge you to consider your vulnerabilities carefully in making your decision to attend. These include any underlying health conditions you or a member of your household may have. With everyone’s cooperation in following the guidelines we feel we can reduce risk and protect the most vulnerable.

--Have you recently experienced any of these symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of

past 10 days?

state guidelines, which you can find here.

We look forward to seeing you all! Any questions, please contact the church office.

We look forward to reconvening in person for Bible Study on Wednesday, May 5th. We continue our study of the Gospel according to John using a study guide by N.T. Wright. Contact the church office if you would like a copy.

Breakfast is $10 per person. No buffet this time. We will be served coffee, orange juice, eggs, bacon, potatoes and biscuit/muffin. If you would like to attend, please reserve your spot by emailing or calling Chuck at 518-727-3615

Thanks to everyone who helped on clean up day! We still have a few projects to tend to. Contact Anne Diggory to find out how you can help.

We are excited to bring you six weeks of programs to enhance our understanding of how we can work to protect God’s beautiful earth and promote the well-being of ALL of its people. The complete schedule of speakers is available here.

We welcome you all to official church membership. We are grateful for your leadership in the future of the church. We are grateful to your parents for the foundation they have provided you at home. We are grateful to the church family who have provided you guidance at the church.

Our current reading is Christ in Crisis? by Jim Wallis.  We will focus on Chapter 7: The Caesar Question (May 4) and Chapter 8: The Peacemaker Question (May 18.)

Anyone is welcome to participate in any or all meetings. Since we are all starting to explore emerging from our Zoom cocoon, it is uncertain whether our May meetings will take place on Zoom or in person in the Nolan House.  The best way to stay informed is to contact Terry Diggory and ask to be put on the email list for Theology Book or call 518-860-0262. 

Copies of Christ in Crisis? are available at Northshire Bookstore (424 Broadway, Saratoga Springs).  Ask for the book for "PNECC Club" and you will receive a 20% discount.   

Record winter storms and freezing temperatures left residents of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana without heat, electricity and water for days. Property damage was extensive.  Agricultural losses in Texas alone exceeded $600 million! On your behalf, the Social Concerns Committee donated about a third of its disaster relief budget ($800) to help our denominations help these folks. If you are interested in learning more or would like to make an individual contribution visit Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (pcusa.org) or UCC Issues Appeal in Response to Winter Storms - United Church of Christ.

We updated our audio-visual system in December 2019 - just as COVID was brewing. In retrospect, our timing couldn't have been better! Our online worshipping has been greatly helped by having this platform.

As good as Zoom worship has been - with a HUGE acknowledgement to Robin for her "above and beyond" efforts to bring music to Zoom - there have been some comments prompting us to see if we could "tweak" things a little to help.

We recently had an onsite session with our wonderful A/V partner Somerset Media. One of the things we looked at was boosting the sanctuary audio feed into the video recording. The sound levels were increased and the signal processing was enhanced. Hopefully this will even out the sound level variances between the "live" Zoom audio and the recorded audio.

You may pay your pledge by mail (PO Box 582, Saratoga Springs) or click the donate button on our website. Maybe now is the time to look up "bill pay" with your bank?