Office Admin

Office Admin

Spending November with Miriam's Kitchen

In November, Pilgrims and Westerners are invited to dive into our ministry with Miriam's Kitchen. On Sunday, Nov. 2nd, Miriam's Executive Director Scott Schenkelberg will join us for worship, and will be preaching during the service! After worship, we'll be showing the new volunteer orientation video, so that anyone who wants to get involved can complete the required first step. Then, on Thursday, Nov. 6th we're volunteering together to serve guests at MK!

  • Do you already have a MK VolunteerHub account, log in and sign up to serve with us on 11/6.

  • If you're new to volunteering with MK, click here for all the instructions on how to get started.

Oh, and the MK fun doesn't stop there. The Run for MK is coming up Saturday, Nov. 15. Get your running shoes on and join us in raising funds for MK, and raising fun on the run! There are both 5k and 10k options for the route along the C&O Canal Path, from Fletcher's Cove. Click the link below for details and to register to participate: https://www.miriamskitchen.org/campaigns/run4mk2025/

Advent Worship Planning - 11/5

Do you love Advent? Have a favorite Christmas hymn that you want to make sure we sing this year? Curious about how worship services get made? Well then, you should come to our Advent Worship Planning Pop-Up Meeting! No need to join a committee or have any special training. Just show up! Wednesday, Nov. 5th at 7pm at Church of the Pilgrims in the Bird Room. Hope to see you there!

Table Talk - 10/8

What brings you to worship each Sunday? Have you noticed when you connect especially with the sermon? What is it about the music that moves your spirit? These are just a few questions that might help us dig into a conversation about what we value in worship. As Western and Pilgrims have been worshiping together over these past several months, we've tried a few different things, we've shifted some other things, and we've explored what worship might look like together. Let's get together and share a meal and discuss some of those experiences and discern what we value together in worship! Wednesday, 10/8 at 6:30pm at Church of the Pilgrims in the sanctuary. Please RSVP (so we can plan the food) to officeadmin@churchofthepilgrims.org. 

Issues Among Us - 9/20

Issues Among Us

9/20 at 11am

Let's go see some of the Smithsonian Exhibits that everyone's talking about. The current Administration has called for the Smithsonian to review several of their exhibits, especially at the National Museum of American History. Let's go see this Ben Franklin exhibit and the Democracy exhibit for ourselves and discuss how we talk about history and how we share our story together. Meet Steve Coxe at the National Museum of American History at the National Mall entrance at 11am. Click here to email Steve and let him know you're coming.

Pilgrims & Western Town Hall - 9/28

Session Members from Pilgrims and Western will be leading a Town Hall conversation on Sunday, Sept 28th after worship to update both congregations on our Shared Ministry Discernment. We'll celebrate all we've done together so far this year, lay out our big plans for the Fall, and go over some of the long term options and possibilities (yes, that means buildings, and budgets, and pastors, Oh My!). Come and bring your questions and let's discuss! 9/28 at 12noon, both in person and online. 

Download the agenda and FAQ page here.

Fall Worship Schedule

As our congregations are in a season of discernment over how we might be called to shared ministry together, the sessions of Pilgrims and Western each voted last week to approve a worship schedule for this Fall that will have the congregations worshipping together each Sunday. With one exception we will worship at Western on the first and second Sundays of each month, and at Pilgrims on the third and fourth Sundays. (The exception will be Sunday, Sept. 21, when we will worship at Western.)

The combined worship planning group of Western and Pilgrims, meeting last month with pastors Erin and David, proposed this worship calendar through November. The group based the plan on two key factors:

First, the strong sense that the work of relationship building has been overwhelmingly positive, and both communities feel ready to move forward in forming something new. Thus it makes sense to move to joint worship regularly.

Second, the recognition that the ultimate decisions on property are complex and not likely to be settled in the near term. Thus it makes sense to continue using both spaces for worship so that everyone becomes increasingly familiar with both spaces. The worship team and both sessions believe this will help everyone more readily embrace whatever decisions ultimately get made regarding property.

We are excited about spending the Fall together continuing to get to know one another and continuing to discern God’s call for us in this new season! 

Western and Pilgrims Fall Worship Schedule 

Sept 7  Worship together at Western - Big Fall Celebration 

Sept 14  Worship together at Western

Sept 21*  Worship together at Western

Sept 28  Worship together at Pilgrims 

Oct 5 Worship together at Western - World Communion Sunday 

Oct 12  Worship together at Western

Oct 19 Worship together at Pilgrims

Oct 26  Worship together at Pilgrims

Nov 2 Worship together at Western - All Saint’s (observed) 

Nov 9. Worship together at Western

Nov 16 Worship together at Pilgrims

Nov 23 Worship together at Pilgrims 

At our October joint session meeting, the sessions of both congregations voted to keep worshiping together, with the schedule as follows:

11/30 - Worship at Pilgrims

12/7 - Worship at Western

12/14 - Worship at Western

12/21 - Worship at Pilgrims

12/24 - Christmas Eve Worship at Western

12/28 - Worship at Pilgrims

 

Church of the Pilgrims is a congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

We are also a member of More Light Presbyterians, welcoming the full participation of LGBTQ persons in the life and leadership of the congregation.