Dear Beloved of God,

The Session approved the following guidelines recommended by the Re-Opening Task Force. 

Effective Maundy Thursday, April 14, all CHPC's Covid-19 procedures will be lifted in the majority of the sanctuary but maintained in the smaller side section to the right (near the side door) for worshippers wanting some Covid-19 protections. Those worshippers will be encouraged to sit on the side of the pew closest the far right aisle. The tape on the pews to distance worshippers will be removed except in the more protected area in the far right side section of the sanctuary. Worshippers in this section will continue to wear masks except as needed to receive communion. No masking nor distancing would be required in the rest of the sanctuary. This includes choir members. The Contact Tracing Sign In Sheet will be eliminated for all worshippers. The HEPA filter machine will be used. Ushers will resume collecting offerings in the pews and bringing them forward to be received.

Maundy Thursday communion will be served by worshippers coming row by row in single file down the main aisle of the sanctuary and returning to their seats via the side aisle between the side section and right main section. There will be two front serving stations: one in the center and the other to the right in front of the more protected seating area. Worshippers in the more protected section will be asked to come forward and be served first. Elders will use tongs to place the bread in worshipper's hands. Disposable cups of juice will be on a tray for worshippers to pick up on their own. Anyone choosing to stay seated anywhere in the sanctuary will be given pre-packaged elements by a roving elder who will wear a mask for this purpose.

We will Zoom all Holy Week services. If you are joining us via Zoom please have your own communion elements prepared for Maundy Thursday and Easter. Look for an email from the office with the Zoom links and at-home bulletins. 

 

A summary of other session actions will be in next week's newsletter.

I pray you are having a blessed Holy Week.

Peace,

Peggy

Topic: Maundy Thursday

Time: Apr 14, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 848 8448 7607

Passcode: 282274

Topic: Good Friday Service

Time: Apr 15, 2022 12:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 836 9018 3818

Passcode: 517444

Children of all ages are invited to Zoom Sunday School, each Sunday morning from 9:45–10:15. Please join us for songs, Bible stories, prayers, crafts, and more!

As word spreads about Zoom Sunday School, we’ve been blessed to have participants from as far away as Washington State and Costa Rica. We will be joined at least occasionally in the new year by Sid (aka Luke Van Marter), who no doubt will continue to make us smile as he completely misunderstands the day’s Bible lesson.

Teachers are Eva Stimson, Jerry Van Marter and Bev Machin. Please contact Eva or Jerry if you are interested in being part of the teaching team in 2022 or if you want to be added to the list to receive the weekly Zoom invitations. If you have any questions or comments, please call or email Eva Stimson or Jerry Van Marter.

If you would like to have a lily displayed in the sanctuary in remembrance of a loved one, please contact the church office. The cost is $15 per lily.

If you have a child or children that you would like to have sing on Easter Sunday morning, please let David know by emailing Gibson.DavidPaul@yahoo.com. We would like to have fairly accurate numbers for palms and song sheets.

There will be a congregational meeting on Sunday, May 1, 2022 immediately following worship service. This meeting will be held to receive the annual report and to vote on corporation officers.

Is there a graduate in the house? Does your family have a graduate from high school, trade or technical school, college, or grad school this year? The Nurture Committee believes we have five within the congregation, but we want to be sure we are right.

Let us celebrate with you! Graduates will be recognized at the June 5 worship service. Please contact Faith Grady in the church office at office@crescenthill.church with the graduate’s name, graduation date, school, and future plans if they know yet.

April means SPRING and EARTH DAY! Our world is coming out of the sleepy winter and blossoming forth in beauty everywhere. CHPC has paid special attention to the environment and God’s world for many, many years. In 2012, the church became an Earth Care Congregation, through the PC(USA). As we have every year since then, we have recently received notice of our recertification. This recertification for 2022 shows the amount of commitment our congregation has shown to caring for God’s Earth. We need more members to work with us on the Earth Care Team. If you are interested in meeting with us or being on the email list, please contact either Polly Cushman or Barbara Hedspeth!

We are also celebrating Earth Day in the worship service Sunday, April 24. Jessica Maudlin will be preaching, and a member of the CHPC Earth Care Team will be helping with the liturgy. Jessica is the Associate for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns for the PC(USA). The Earth Care Pledge says we “will celebrate God’s grace and glory in creation and declare that God calls us to cherish, protect and restore this earth.” Join us on Sunday the 24th to celebrate our beautiful gift from God and to examine ways we can help to restore our Earth!

If you would like to schedule an appointment to meet with Peggy, please contact the church office at 502.893.5381 or email office@crescenthill.church.

Please have all Westminster Weekly submissions turned in every Wednesday by noon. Use this link for submissions and follow the prompts. Thank you!

Shannon Langley is our Deacon of the Month. If you or someone you know is in need of a kind gesture, please reach out to Shanon at langleyse@gmail.com or call 502-396-8980.

Marsha Berry is our Elder of the Week. She can be contacted by phone at 502-777-1621 or via email at marshaberry@twc.com.

We offer our prayers for the family of Rev. Mary Love, who died on April 13. Arrangements have not yet been made, but the memorial will most likely be mid-May. More information will be sent later.