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Book Group | Reading Last Days of Night
Prayer Group
Calumet Outdoor Ministry Multicultural Children Fundraising Initiative
Boom Chicka Move
Gratitude Abounds |What a wonderful worship service and joyful celebration of Tom's ministry among us we had last Sunday! So many people contributed to this amazing day. Whether you played, sang, cooked, carried tables and chairs, washed dishes, or contributed in any other way, thank you! I am grateful to be part of this community!
Celeste Larson
Emergency Diaper Drive | Our friends at the Diaper Project at a Place to Turn have reached out to refill their supply of diapers. In a recent email, they wrote:
Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have been able to provide nearly 200,000 diapers in 2023 last year to families facing financial hardship. Unfortunately, the demand for diapers has significantly increased, and last Thursday alone, we had 91 families seeking assistance. As the need continues to rise, we are facing a critical shortage, particularly in sizes 4 and 6 diapers. Our current stock is depleted, and A Place To Turn cannot sustain purchasing diapers from our own funds to meet this demand.
Starting this Sunday, we are looking to support this initiative. We will have a place where you can put diapers that you buy and an offering box to put cash or check to purchase diapers. Please mail checks to the church and put "August Diaper Drive" in the memo line (we will not be able to support online donations as the turnaround time is too quick for us to make the change to our online giving form). This mini-drive will end on Sunday, August 4.
The need is for diapers size 4, 5 and 6!!
Thank you in advance for your support. Please reach out to Pr. Christephor if you have any questions.
Prayer Group|A small group is meeting to pray together every Thursday night at 7pm in the Easter room. Anyone is welcome to join us.
We pray aloud and silently, so don't be intimidated thinking you have to pray out loud! We hold plenty of silence for the prayers of our hearts.
If you can't join us in person, you can join us in spirit by setting aside 7-7:30 on Thursdays to pray or meditate. If you want more information, contact Hannele Saramo-Raja.
Immigration Working Group |Council has approved a small working group to explore how Christ Lutheran Church may be called to respond to the needs of new immigrants who have arrived in our area. The members of this group are Celeste Larson, Rolf Larson, Edie Lohr, Beth Castro, Diane Stevens, Martha Cronin, Dave Ripp, and Beverly Pavasaris. We ask for your prayers that the Holy Spirit would inspire our discussions and guide our decisions. Any of us would be happy to talk with you more about this process and to hear your thoughts and ideas.
Music Notes |Violist, Joan Ellersick joins me to lead the music for Sunday, July 28, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost.
“Come, thou fount of every blessing” (ELW 807), in an arrangement for viola and piano by Lee Burswold, serves as the Prelude music. Burswold’s setting for viola and piano of “Simple Gifts” will be the Offertory Music. For the Postlude, we’ll be playing “Cheers!” a composition by our friend, Steve Laven and commissioned for Joan in 2013. Notes by the composer:
…The theme represents Joan’s upbeat character; the chord progressions: her indefatigable, often creative way of finding solutions to whatever daily problem arises. My choice for a triple meter is intended to lend the piece some grace, also shown in the twisty eighth note melodies that … lie well on the viola, covering the instrument’s complete melodic range. I have witnessed Joan’s grace in dealing with students of all ages, and this generally ascending melodic material is reminiscent of her style…
Cheers!
Tom
Book Group | CLC book group will meet on Monday, August 19 at 7:30 pm via Zoom. Our next read is Last Days of Night by Graham Moore, focusing on George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison and Nikolai Tesla’s competition over electricity and powering America.
Treasurer needed | Our long-time treasurer, Edie Lohr, has announced that she will step down at the end of September.
We are in need of someone new to step into this role. Please prayerfully consider whether you might offer your time and talents to fill this position. For more information speak to Edie or Pastor Christephor.
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“Let’s Taco ‘Bout a Great Cause! | Show your support for Family Promise Metrowest on Thursday, July 25th between 12pm - 8pm at Mexicali Cantina Grill in Natick. Dine in or Takeout!
Gather your family and tell your friends, neighbors, and network. Make sure to write "Family Promise Fundraiser" on your check or simply mention it to your server when ordering takeout and 20% of your total bill (including drinks!) will go to support Family Promise Metrowest or write on your check "Family Promise Metrowest". Thank you for your support!
Helping Togo school girls stay in school| Please take a look at the video, link below, from Togo, the country of origin of Comlanvi and Zourfahou Agbodjinou.
This is a wonderful story of hope, the story of an entrepreneur determined to empower women and girls to succeed in their hopes and dreams.
In Togo, where the cost of mandatory uniforms can keep girls out of school, CNN Hero Payton McGriff helped create a ‘uniform that grows’ that’s now a cornerstone of a movement that educates, employs, and empowers hundreds of girls and women.
"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat" Matthew 25:35
There are three food pantries in Natick: Natick Service Council, A Place to Turn, and the little street pantry outside Common Street Spiritual Center. These pantries are receiving record use this summer! A Place to Turn served 90 families on one day last week (and that's just one of the pantries)! Here are some of the needs:
Natick Service Council: snack foods, ground and instant coffee, jars of pasta sauce, cooking oils, beef soups, beef broth, baking mixes
A Place to Turn: cereal, 1 lb bags dry black beans, canned fruit, canned tuna/chicken, goldfish crackers, diapers (especially size 4 and 6) and baby wipes. They take donations on Monday mornings.
Little street pantry at Common Street Spiritual Center: ready to eat meals that don't require extra ingredients like oil, milk or butter.
Or make a cash donation! Please help here or in your own community. Donations can be left in the shopping cart outside the Parish Hall anytime!
Foster Family Needed in Natick | Could you help a 15-year old Natick resident? We’ve received the message below from Family Promise Metrowest.
Bishop Hazelwood reports on his visit to Palestine | Bishop Hazlewood recently visited the West Bank to stand in solidarity with the people of our companion synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. We are thankful that he represented us and brought back some of the stories that he heard on his journey.
Listen to this short video to hear his insights. Continue to pray for justice for the people of Palestine and for an end to the war in Gaza. Also include Bishop Hazlewood in your prayers as he nears the end of his call as our bishop.
Boom Chika Boom, no wait, it's Boom Chicka Move! | This year’s goal is 800 registrants and 151,000 miles collectively over the course of July and August.
