This Easter Season felt like the perfect time to read about seals and scrolls and letters and many-eyed creatures, trumpets and angels, disasters and plagues, horse-lookin’-locusts, seven-headed beasts, and dragons, so, so much more. So, as Pastor Erin is preaching on Revelation in worship, we’ll also be studying the book in our Sunday Morning Bible Study Class. Using Dr. Greg Carey’s book, “Faithful and True: A Study Guide to the Book of Revelation” we will discuss this vivid story bit by bit and vision by vision. Come and join us for the fun Sunday mornings at 10am in the Bird Room or on Zoom. To order a copy, get the Zoom link, or get more info about the class, contact Pastor Erin.
Friendship Walks - Saturday 4/30
Join a bunch of Pilgrims as we walk and raise money together to end homelessness. Be on our team for the Friendship Place walk this Saturday 4/30 at 11am. You can learn more about Friendship Place and the walk at the event website here.
Memorial Service for Jack Womeldorf: 4/23 at 2pm
On Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 2pm we will gather at Pilgrims for a Service of Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of the Life of Jack Womeldorf.
This. service will be held in person with masks and distancing in the sanctuary, and will be shared online via Zoom. If you would like to register for the Zoom link, please click here.
You can view or download the worship bulletin here.
Dear Friends of Jack Womeldorf at Pilgrims,
There will be a memorial service for Jack Womeldorf on April 23 (Saturday) at 2pm. I wanted to extend my personal invitation and thanks to each of you who made up Jack’s church family. Jack began attending the Church of the Pilgrims in Herb Meza’s and Willy Thompson’s days in 1968 and he continued participating in Sunday school and church virtually during Covid after we moved from DC to Norfolk. Jack died on September 26, 2021 and on that day he reminded me that he hoped to have a memorial service at Pilgrims. We had an outdoors funeral in Portsmouth, Virginia in October but attempts to do a memorial service at Pilgrims was postponed twice by Covid. Though Covid is still with us, we are going ahead this time. For the safety of all, we are hoping that everyone is vaxed and boosted or else takes a rapid test on the day of the service. Please wear a mask inside.
I hope some of you will be able to come to the service and to the reception afterwards in the Bird Room.
Thanks to all of you for your friendship with Jack over his 53 years at Pilgrims. The Church of the Pilgrims was a cornerstone of his life. It was very important to him as were all of you in his church family.
Ann Womeldorf
Memorial Service for Helen Cope
Please join us in the sanctuary and online for a Service of Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of the Life of Helen Mary White Cope on Thursday, April 7th at 11:00 a.m.
Please remember to wear a mask if you plan on attending in person.
Click here to download the worship service bulletin.
There will be a reception at the church following the service.
Let's make soup!
Join us in the Bird Room (with your mask) on Wednesday 3/23 at 6pm to make soup! We’ve heard from some of our hungry neighbors at Open Table on Sundays that they would love to share in a hot meal. So, we’re going to get together and make some soup. We’ll provide the ingredients and the recipes, you provide the effort and love. No need to RSVP, just show up!
WIN PUBLIC ACTION - March 20th
On Sunday, March 20th at 3pm, WIN is hosting an online public meeting, inviting candidates running for office in the city this year, and bringing together hundreds of city residents to discuss issues and policy- especially on affordable housing and Black equity/wealth-building through homeownership, good jobs, public safety, public housing, racial equity in climate policy, and more. As a member congregation of WIN, we're hoping some Pilgrims will sign up to attend. You can stay home, be in your comfy clothes, and still be part of this process. It's a great way to let local elected officials and candidates know that the DC faith community has concerns, has ideas, and has power.
If you would like to be a part of this event, simply visit the WIN website for more information. You can read all about WIN's 2022 issue agenda. You can also click here to register for the event's zoom link.
The Great Pilgrims Knitting Night
Do you knit? Or crochet? (Come on, we've seen you on zoom worship with your yarn projects!) Or do you want to learn how to knit or crochet? Join us for a Great Pilgrims Knitting Night in the sanctuary (please wear your mask) on Friday, March 18th at 6pm. If you know your way around a few hooks and needles and have your own project to work on, bring that! If you've never picked up the sticks, or need a refresher, just bring yourself. We'll bring a few extra skeins and tools and teach you a few stitches. Hope to see you there!
Lent at Church of the Pilgrims
Save all the dates for Holy Week at Church of the Pilgrims:
Palm Sunday worship outside on 4/10 at 11am. If the weather is nice, we’ll meet out in front of the church!
Maundy Thursday meal and storytelling on 4/14 at 7pm in the sanctuary.
Good Friday stations of the cross will be available outside the church all week, but join us on 4/15 at noon to walk through them together as a group.
Easter Sunday worship in person and online on 4/17 at 11am in the sanctuary.
Join us on this journey through Lent.
Last month, a group of Pilgrims gathered on Zoom to discuss the season of Lent. We read a bit from Isaiah 58, and heard the words of gloom being made like the noon day (Isa. 58:10). And we discussed those moments during a gloomy day, when sunlight sneaks through the clouds, or on those days when it’s bright sunshine and still raining, or those days when the slightest little rainbow appears through the grey surrounding it. We wondered what it might be like to spend lent not just trying to notice those moments, but making those moments- bringing little glimpses of brightness, sprinkling grace and mercy around, showing up with color and joy wherever we can.
We begin. on Wednesday, March 2nd with our Ash Wednesday service in-person and online at 6:30 pm. We will create a little dust together, remember our humanity, celebrate God’s creation, and pray for God’s presence. Then we’ll continue each week in worship on Sundays, where we will tell the stories of creation and joy, of rainbow and brilliance, of God’s steadfast presence with us. You can join us for all worship services in-person and online.
We have also made available an at-home Lenten devotional, available electronically. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the devotional, please email Pastor Erin.
We hope you’ll join us for this season of Lent. We look forward to being on the journey with you.
Then in April, join us for Holy Week. We’re hoping to worship outside (weather dependent) for Palm Sunday (4/10). We’ll share a meal and some storytelling on Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday, you’re invited to come walk the stations of the cross, on your own or with a group at the noon hour. And on Easter Sunday (4/17) we’ll worship in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. with flowers, song, and joy!