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Email: office@stmarysucc.org
Page last updated: February 27, 2006
T H E P A R I S H N E W S
St. Mary’s United Church of Christ
Silver Run, Maryland
Volume XXVII March No 3- modified for the Web.
(Previous issues available: 2004, 2005, January '06, February '06)
Ash Wednesday Service - March 1st
Winds of the Spirit Concert - March 4th
Lenten Communion Service - March 5th
UCC Cluster Lenten Services - begin March 5th
Lenten Study Group - Wednesday - begins March 8th
Family Bowling Rescheduled - March 12th
Easter Flowers - Deadline March 16th
Spring Spiritual Retreat - March 18th
Welcoming Ministry - March 19th
Children's Easter Program - March 26th
New Member Sunday - April 9th
Easter Basket for Shepard's Staff - Items due April 2nd
Easter Celebration - April 8th
With Ash Wednesday falling on March 1st
this year, we will spend the month of March in the heart of the Lenten Season.
This month will be filled with opportunities to open our hearts and minds
and wills to the leading of the Christ who was willing to lay down His life for
us. Each week we will gather during
worship to ponder and experience the deeper meaning of our faith and prepare
ourselves to enter Holy Week with fuller understanding and firmer devotion to
the Christ whom we follow. In
addition to our continuing Sunday School and weekday study groups, we have the
opportunity this year to join with fellow members of other UCC churches in our
Westminster Cluster for a time of reflection and sharing as we study and ponder
the “Stations of the Cross.” At
a time when we continue our commit to develop a more Passionate Spirituality in
our congregation, I urge all of us at St. Mary’s church to take advantage of
the opportunities for spiritual growth during this Lenten season.
Lent is a time that reminds us of our role as disciples of Jesus Christ. As disciples we are learners and followers. The road that Christ traveled started at the river, went into the wilderness, climbed the mountains and descended to the valleys, led to crowded streets and places alone. And finally there was the garden, the upper room, Calvary’s hill, and the empty tomb. As disciples, our goal is not to head directly to the empty tomb. It will make no sense to us unless we follow Jesus throughout the journey. Lent is our time to climb the mountains and descend into the valleys. It is our time to rub elbows with those in the street and meet Jesus alone in the garden. It is our time to come to the upper room and follow the road to the cross. Only then will the empty tomb be seen in the glory of true resurrection light. Only then will our hearts be prepared to greet the risen Lord on Easter Sunday. May each of us use the opportunity of this Lenten season to make following Jesus our goal and to be the disciple we were called to be. May we be ready to follow wherever Jesus leads us until we reach our journey’s end.
Grace and peace, Dick
This year’s
annual concert of our praise band, Winds
of the Spirit, will be held on Saturday evening, March 4th, at
7:00 PM. Selections will include
both sacred and secular music, some new and some familiar.
Admission is free. Friends
and family are welcome as we share and celebrate God’s gift of music through
the talents of these gifted folk. Hope
to see you there!
We will observe the first Sunday in Lent on Sunday, March 5th at our 10:00 AM service which will include the sacrament of Holy Communion. This year, the sacrament will be offered at the Chancel Rail for all who would like to come forward to stand or kneel at the front of the sanctuary. As we prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Holy Week and Easter, all are invited to share in this most meaningful way to begin the Lenten season.
During the first five Sundays in Lent, the churches of our Westminster UCC Cluster will gather for a series of evening devotional experiences on Sunday evenings as together we study and ponder the “Stations of the Cross.” This will be an opportunity for us to study and pray together as we grow in our faith as churches in the United Church of Christ. All in our St. Mary’s congregation are encouraged to participate. Gatherings are scheduled for:
March
March
12th Krider’s UCC,
March
March 26th Emmanuel (Baust) UCC, Tyrone 7:00 PM
April
2nd
Traditionally, Lent has been associated with discipline.
For the upcoming Lenten season, consider clearing your daily schedule to
provide the time and space to enhance your own personal spiritual growth. Participation
in one of our church study groups can be beneficial.
There will be a Lenten Study Group meeting on Wednesday nights from 6:30
– 7:30 pm for six weeks beginning on March 8.
This group will be using the study book Genesis
of Grace.Genesis of Grace consists of daily reflective readings for the days
of Lent. These readings explore the
theme of God’s grace and forgiveness and help us to see how God loves and
accepts each of us as we are. As we
journey through Lent, this study provides a unique opportunity to draw close to
Jesus by exploring one of the texts he knew so well.
Pastor Scott will continue to lead discussion groups as we head into the Lenten season. A class in new directions in the Christian Faith is held on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 AM in the South Room. Traditional style bible study meets on Monday afternoons at 1:30 PM and will continue through the month of April. Anyone who would like to participate in either of these groups is invited to attend.
Come join us for a fun afternoon of bowling!
Sunday, March 12 from 2-4:30 pm at the Taneytown bowling alley.
We will have duckpin and ten pin lanes.
You get 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, a slice of pizza and soda all
included. The cost is $5.00 per
person. We will meet at the church
at 1:30 pm to carpool or you can meet us at the bowling alley at 2 pm.
Sign up sheet will be in the vestry; deadline to sign up will be Sunday, March 12. See Nancy for more details.
St. Mary’s annual Spring Spiritual Retreat is scheduled for Saturday, March 18th.
This activity will be held at the Aisling House, in Millers, MD from 9:00
AM – 3:00 PM. Mark your calendar
now and plan on attending this uplifting and spiritually renewing event.
There is a registration fee of $5.00.
Space is limited, so please call the church office as soon as possible,
and make your reservation. The
deadline for reservations is Sunday, March 12th.
There will be a brief meeting of the Welcoming Ministry Sunday, March 19th
following the worship service. The
Evangelism and Spiritual Life Committee is again inviting individuals interested
in the Welcoming Ministry to join current Welcomers at this meeting.
Identifying and welcoming those who are visiting our worship services, is
not only vital to our church growth, but also good hospitality.
Thank you to all the current Welcomers who strive to do this every week.
The Sunday School children will be presenting a program for Easter on Sunday, March 26th. The program is “The Glorious Rainbow of Easter” and will be presented during the worship service. Please come to see our children perform and learn something new about The Easter Story. If you would like to volunteer to help out with this, please see Nancy.
Sunday School teachers are needed for the adult lecture class.
See David W., if interested.
The children’s department is collecting donations to put in the Easter baskets that will be donated to Shepard’s Staff. We need crayons, coloring books, markers, crosses, Christian story books, bubbles, play dough, school supplies, non-candy snacks.
The deadline for donations is April 2.
Please put donations in the designated box in the vestry or in the Sunday
School office. Thank you for your
generous support. If you have any
questions, see Nancy or Stacy .
Thank You for sharing our Parish News! If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact the church office.
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