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August 29, 2007
Pilgrims on the Journey:
1. The last hurrah of summer is here-- Labor Day Weekend-- a final respite before the rush of Fall activities. This Sunday at Pilgrims you are invited to mark the occasion in two ways.
- First, continuing an annual tradition, you are invited to wear your favorite T-shirt-- perhaps one that tells us about you, your interests, your passions.
- Second, you are invited to stay after worship to walk the labyrinth. If you have not experienced this before, the labyrinth is modeled after a medieval pattern on the floor of the Cathedral in Chartres. (see http://www.labyrinthcompany.com/aboutlabyrinths/history.html )Ours is a smaller version printed on canvas, which we lay out in the center of the sanctuary. It is a simple path that winds in to the center, and then back out, that you walk as a form of contemplative prayer. It will be available following the postlude, during and after coffee hour. There are no rules to the labyrinth-- you simply walk it, slowly, meditatively, prayerfully. Come and see!
2. Next Sunday, September 9, is Homecoming Sunday. Several special activities are planned:
- Before worship, at 10:25 AM, we will have a special "Taize-style" period of song and silence to "Prepare for the Lord's Day." This is an opportunity to sit in stillness, singing together several Taize chants, with a five minute period of silence in the middle. Like the labyrinth, there are no rules-- just come and sing, and sit in silence, to prepare yourself for morning worship.
- Our Homecoming Service, at 11 AM, will include special music and Celebration of the Lord's Supper.
- Following worship we will gather in the Fellowship Hall, for a potluck buffet lunch. Bring a dish to share!
3. The following Sunday, September 16, we will begin Sunday school classes for children, and Adult Education, both at 9:30 AM. There will be two offerings in September:
Downstairs in the Bird Room,
September 16, 23, 30
“Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition,”
Led by Jeff Krehbiel and Jonathan Mertz.
Over three weeks we will explore the ancient Biblical and Middle Eastern practice of “hospitality,” and discover what it means for us to revive this practice in our own lives, especially within the community of the church. Special attention will be paid to how we welcome strangers into our midst and help each one “find their place at the table.”
Upstairs in the Education Room
September 16, 23, 30, and October 7
"Finding Your Place at the Table,"
Led by Ashley Goff.
This adult ed class will focus on our homecoming theme and explore our sense of passion, focus and voice and how we are called to live out our faith. How do we live out our faith in the most authentic ways? What am I passionate about? What is shaping and driving my beliefs right now? Come to explore, name and clarify how the Spirit is forming and shaping your life.
4. Tuesday, September 18 Jeff will kick off another “round” of Theology on Tap at the Brickskeller Tavern across the street from the church. We will gather in the downstairs back room at 6:30 for food and fellowship, followed by Bible study at 7:30. Planned with young adults in mind, all ages are welcome. The focus for this series will be “stories of call and vocation,” related to our Homecoming theme of “Finding Our Place at the Table.” Parking is available at the church. See Jeff for more information.
5. Pilgrim Gregg Seppala traveled to the Ghost Ranch, a Presbyterian conference center in New Mexico, at the end of July to participate in the Week of Peace, sponsored by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, among other organizations. We commissioned Gregg in worship before his trip, and he has now written a report on his experience, together with beautiful photographs of the New Mexico desert. You can see both at http://web.mac.com/gseppala/iWeb/Ghost%20Ranch/Welcome.html
6. Don't forget the Choir Retreat, a week from Saturday, on September 8, from 8:45 AM till noon. This is a great time to join the choir! Send rob.passow@verizon.net <mailto:rob.passow@verizon.net> a note if you would like to come!
7. Prayer Concerns:
- Chuck and Elinor Dynes, long-time Pilgrims with chronic health concerns. Elinor has now been placed in hospice care.
- Penny Sandora, struggling to regain energy after her surgery last year.
- Jackie Smith, now recuperating at home.
Peace,
Jeff Krehbiel, Pastor
Church of the Pilgrims
Washington, DC
www.churchofthepilgrims.org <http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org>
August 22, 2007
Pilgrims on the Journey:
1. August is often a low period for worship attendance, with so many Pilgrims away on vacation. But not low in terms of worship energy! This past Sunday the organ was on the fritz, but that didn't prevent Rob from leading us in wonderful singing. We sang "Amazing Grace" a capela in a beautiful and powerful way that I will remember for a long time. And the choir has continued to pull together beautiful anthems, even without their Thursday night rehearsals. What wonderful gifts we have been given!
[By the way, the Fall is a great time to join the choir. There will be Choir Retreat on Saturday, September 8, from 8:45 AM to Noon. All current choir members and potential new choir members will meet for food, fellowship, devotions and, of course, singing. One of our goals is to get a jump-start on the fall music. If you have been thinking about joining our choir, this is a good time to get your feet wet! If you are interested, but cannot make it on Saturday, or for more information, send Rob a note. He would love to have you: rob.passow@verizon.net <mailto:rob.passow@verizon.net> ].
2. This Sunday our text is from the opening chapter of the prophet Jeremiah (1:4-10), which you can read at http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/CPentecost/cProper16.htm#jeremiah
My sermon will focus on what it means to live a consecrated life.
3. Cuba Mission Trip: A reminder from my note last week, if you are at all interested in participating in our Advent Mission Trip to Cuba together with New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (December 3--10), you need to put your name in to Marilyn Seiber of New York Avenue Presbyterian no later than Wed., August 29! (Yes, that is next week!) Please send a note ASAP to Marilyn J. Seiber mjs1wan2@bellatlantic.net <mailto:mjs1wan2@bellatlantic.net> , and cc to me.
4. Be a Sunday School Teacher! Ashley is looking for 1-2 more Sunday school teachers for our one room school house of older preschoolers to second graders. Melissa Rosenblatt, Lynn Wagner and Kelsey Krehbiel make up our teaching team. Teachers rotate Sundays and usually end up teaching twice a month in either a lead teacher or assistant teacher role. We ask for a one program year commitment (September-May) Melissa Rosenblatt used her teaching experience with the kids as the basis for her Connections and Clarity story from the sabbatical. This is what Melissa had to say:
∑∑As I became connected with them [the kids] as individuals I realized how deeply connected they are to one another. The children, most of whom would not know each other if they did not come to Pilgrims, are a community of their own. They care about each other and miss one another. They play very well together and the older ones are generally very good about helping the younger ones. And all of them are excited about coming to church and seeing one another. Getting to know the children and recognizing their community reinforced how interconnected we all are and made me realize how by attending Church of the Pilgrims new connections and communities are constantly being built.
If you are interested, email Ashley: ashley.goff@verizon.net <mailto:sashley.goff@verizon.net> .
5. Homecoming Sunday is September 9. We have a special worship service planned, including a pre-worship "Taize" Preparation for the Lord's Day, and Celebration of the Lord's Supper, along with our annual "Potluck" buffet following worship. Mark your calendars and invite a friend! In the following weeks our Fall schedule will gear up with Sunday school, Adult Education, Theology on Tap, and more. Details to follow!
Peace,
Jeff Krehbiel, Pastor
Church of the Pilgrims
Washington, DC
www.churchofthepilgrims.org <http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org>
August 15, 2007
Pilgrims on the Journey:
1. One of the most important qualities of the Christian life is hospitality. We do our best to do that on Sunday morning for all who enter the doors of the church, whether they are out of town visitors here for the weekend, newcomers to the community looking for a church home, or long-time members. August is a rather slow month in terms of activity in the life of the congregation, but often a high month in terms of first-timer worshippers. You never know how your words of welcome will impact someone else's life. A recent visitor who was just "blowing through town" on the way from Montreat, (the Presbyterian conference center in North Carolina), back to Texas, (where he works with youth at a Presbyterian Church), sent me a copy of a note he sent to friends about his experience:
I'm in D.C. today-- I kept driving after Montreat. I'm working from the road for the end of the summer. Yesterday I walked past a Presbyterian church and returned to it this morning. They had a rainbow flag hung above the doors of the church with the words "All Are Welcome." A few years ago Linda told me about More Light, and a home group at Montreat this year told me about being a Covenant Network church, but until today I'd never knowingly seen anything like this in person. The attendance was modest because of summer break but they sang with full harmony, the sermon was from Luke, about living for God vs. possessions -- the service was beautiful. There was such an overwhelming context to the service, for me personally, of bravery, courage, and inclusion -- knowing what was hung outside -- that experiencing the service, singing, and particularly communion, was so intense for me it was almost a little too much to take. I don't think that we should have to hang everyone's "flag" on the door to ensure that each person feels included, but I have to say, I was moved, and grabbed today in a way I haven't been in years.
2. This Sunday we continue working our way through difficult texts from the Gospel of Luke. This week my sermon will focus on Luke 12:49-56, which you can read at http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/CPentecost/cProper15.htm#luke
3. After worship this Sunday we will host our second "3rd Sunday" Presbyterian vigil at the Sudanese embassy. Other Presbyterians will join us at the church at 1:00 p.m., and then walk with us to the embassy (on Mass Ave, just west of 22nd Street), for an hour-long vigil from 1:15-2:15. Learn more at www.savedarfur.org <http://www.savedarfur.org> .
4. Pilgrim friend Jonah Blank and his wife, Nina, announce the birth of their son, Skanda Cartwright Deo Blank, born Wednesday, August 8. Congratulations to Jonah and Nina!
5. Many of you have gotten to know Jeff Fox's friends, Patrick and Kelly, who have been worshipping with us for the past several months, often with Kelly's mother, Jo. Jo has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Please keep Jo, Kelly, and Patrick in your prayers.
6. Please keep Angela Oetama and Jacob Paul in your prayers this week. They will be married at the church this Saturday.
Peace,
Jeff Krehbiel, Pastor
Church of the Pilgrims
Washington, DC
www.churchofthepilgrims.org <http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org>
August 8, 2007
Pilgrims on the Journey:
1. Over the past two weeks I've shared "post-sabbatical reflections" from me and Ashley. This week I am attaching an article from our Director of Music, Rob Passow, reflecting on his own recent Continuing Education experience. All three articles were published in The Pilgrim, which you should have received by now if you are on our mailing list (let me know if we don't have your home address). You can also read them online at http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org/Newsletter/2007/2007_07.pdf
2. This Sunday in worship I will take up two challenging texts related to worship and the struggle for justice, from the prophet Isaiah (1:1,10-20) and the Gospel of Luke (12:32-40). You can read them both at http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/CPentecost/cProper14.htm
Then join us at 11 a.m.!
3. Next Thursday night, August 16th, at 6:30 p.m., you are invited to a potluck dinner we are hosting for two Cuban visitors, Osvaldo Monteagudo and Andres Garcia, at the manse, 4324 Van Ness Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. near American University/Tenleytown (202-244-3594). Osvaldo is a member of the Luyano Presbyterian Church in Havana, and served as a guide and translator for two of our delegations to Cuba with the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. BBQ chicken and drinks will be provided - please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Please RSVP no later than Monday, August 13th to Betty Rudolph vstbeehive@verizon.net H (202) 625-2940.
4. Please keep Chelsy Knight and Jeff Weber in your prayers this week. They will be married at the church on Saturday. Chelsy is Pat (Schlueter) Harris' niece, who many of us got to know when she was a student at GW. She has now graduated from law school at the University of Colorado, and is relocating to the DC area. Jeff is an officer with the DC Police Department.
5. Speaking of weddings, in my earlier note related to the change in our Wedding Policy (to include Holy Unions), I gave the wrong date for our next Session meeting: It is next week, August 15, not the 22nd, as I had earlier reported.
6. This weekend we will welcome an exchange student from Thailand into our family. There are several students coming to the DC area sponsored by AFS Intercultural Programs (see http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home ). If you might be interested in hosting a student this Fall, send a note to Chana and Fred Hayes, FHays1835@aol.com .
Peace,
Jeff Krehbiel, Pastor
Church of the Pilgrims
Washington, DC
www.churchofthepilgrims.org <http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org>
August 1, 2007
Pilgrims on the Journey:
1. Over the past two weeks I've shared "post-sabbatical reflections" from me and Ashley. This week I am attaching an article from our Director of Music, Rob Passow, reflecting on his own recent Continuing Education experience. All three articles were published in The Pilgrim, which you should have received by now if you are on our mailing list (let me know if we don't have your home address). You can also read them online at http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org/Newsletter/2007/2007_07.pdf
2. This Sunday in worship I will take up two challenging texts related to worship and the struggle for justice, from the prophet Isaiah (1:1,10-20) and the Gospel of Luke (12:32-40). You can read them both at http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/CPentecost/cProper14.htm
Then join us at 11 a.m.!
3. Next Thursday night, August 16th, at 6:30 p.m., you are invited to a potluck dinner we are hosting for two Cuban visitors, Osvaldo Monteagudo and Andres Garcia, at the manse, 4324 Van Ness Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. near American University/Tenleytown (202-244-3594). Osvaldo is a member of the Luyano Presbyterian Church in Havana, and served as a guide and translator for two of our delegations to Cuba with the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. BBQ chicken and drinks will be provided - please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Please RSVP no later than Monday, August 13th to Betty Rudolph vstbeehive@verizon.net H (202) 625-2940.
4. Please keep Chelsy Knight and Jeff Weber in your prayers this week. They will be married at the church on Saturday. Chelsy is Pat (Schlueter) Harris' niece, who many of us got to know when she was a student at GW. She has now graduated from law school at the University of Colorado, and is relocating to the DC area. Jeff is an officer with the DC Police Department.
5. Speaking of weddings, in my earlier note related to the change in our Wedding Policy (to include Holy Unions), I gave the wrong date for our next Session meeting: It is next week, August 15, not the 22nd, as I had earlier reported.
6. This weekend we will welcome an exchange student from Thailand into our family. There are several students coming to the DC area sponsored by AFS Intercultural Programs (see http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home ). If you might be interested in hosting a student this Fall, send a note to Chana and Fred Hayes, FHays1835@aol.com .
Peace,
Jeff Krehbiel, Pastor
Church of the Pilgrims
Washington, DC
www.churchofthepilgrims.org <http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org>
August 1 , 2007
Pilgrims on the Journey:
1. Last week I shared with you my own "post-sabbatical reflections." This week I am sharing Ashley's. Both will be published in the coming issue of The Pilgrim, along with a note on worship and music from our Director of Music, Rob Passow. Reading both of their reflections reminds me how blessed we are to have them with us, and how blessed I am to share leadership with them.
2. This Sunday, August 5, we will celebrate the Lord's Supper during morning worship, and share a meal together following worship during our monthly "buffet" in the Fellowship Hall.
3. Sunday Taabu Wani is the Social, Culture and Consular Affairs Officer at the Govt. of Southern Sudan liaison office in DC. Before working in DC, Sunday lived with her family in Seattle. Her family just moved to DC and they haven't been able to afford furniture for their
apartment. If you have any furniture you might part with, please send a note to Esther Sprague esprague11@yahoo.com who works with the Save Darfur Campaign.
4. Prayer Concerns: Please continue to keep Penny Sandora in your thoughts and prayers.
Peace,
Jeff Krehbiel, Pastor
Church of the Pilgrims
Washington, DC
www.churchofthepilgrims.org <http://www.churchofthepilgrims.org>
July 2007 Pastor's Updates
Sabbatical 2007 Pastor's Updates
April 2007 Pastor's Updates
March 2007 Pastor's Updates
February 2007 Pastor's Updates
January 2007 Pastor's Updates
December 2006 Pastor's Updates
November 2006 Pastor's Updates
October 2006 Pastor's Updates
September 2006 Pastor's Updates
August 2006 Pastor's Updates
July 2006 Pastor's Updates
June 2006 Pastor's Updates
May 2006 Pastor's Updates
April 2006 Pastor's Updates
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