This weeks service will be LIVESTREAMED on Facebook or Zoom. Email the office for the Zoom link. The link will be uploaded to this site after the service.
TOWER LIGHTING:
In loving memory of my dear mother, Katherine Dowling Drew by Ellen Donovan
This weeks service will be LIVESTREAMED on Facebook or Zoom. Email the office for the Zoom link. The link will be uploaded to this site after the service.
TOWER LIGHTING:
In loving memory of our son Michael A. Kirohn by Marion & Arthur Kirohn
This weeks service will be LIVESTREAMED on Facebook or Zoom. Email the office for the Zoom link. The link will be uploaded to this site after the service.
TOWER LIGHTING:
In loving memory of our son Michael A. Kirohn by Marion & Arthur Kirohn
My dear family,
What a difference a week makes!
Last week I wrote to you about snow (remember those 5 inches that fell last week?) and this week we’re in shorts enjoying 70 degrees. Last week I along with other clergy, lay leadership, town leadership, and law enforcement were preparing for potentially violent reactions from our election process and today we are taking a deep breath, calling for unity and praying for calm.
Friends, regardless of whether you are coming to worship ecstatic for change or with concern for changing national policies, we as people of Christ can come together in hope for new beginnings. I think we can all agree that the divisiveness across this nation was ripping the very fabric of unity this country was founded on – a unity, by the way, that came straight out of the Congregational Church playbook. To include every voice in decision making, to insure that as many people as possible can participate in the process, and to hope in a destiny that is based in freedom for all of humankind was the dream of our forefathers. While we realize today that people of color and women were (often violently) excluded from the original vision, by our faith founded participation in the evolution of this vision, we can ensure that this country’s dream is finally on track to be realized.
This is a commitment we make as Christians – one that holds firm regardless of this country’s leadership: that we “do justice, know mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”
In other news, we are SO VERY EXCITED to welcome Andrew to Allin Church! This Sunday is Andrew’s official FIRST Sunday with us so I invite you all to wish him well and welcome him to our community. Andrew has hit the ground running as he and I have already met to discuss Advent and how we might bring the miracle and hope of Christmas to Allin Church despite the pandemic and our inability to safely worship together.
This weeks service will be LIVESTREAMED on Facebook or Zoom. Email the office for the Zoom link. The link will be uploaded to this site after the service.
TOWER LIGHTING:
In memory of Anne & Ben Unda by Elizabeth Unda.
Allin family and friends!
Blessings upon blessings for all of you on this first Sunday of November that actually feels like February!
I mean, I do love snow. And how beautiful it was quietly falling all day, changing the view outside with every minute. And then, early Saturday morning, as the sun slid just above the treeline lighting up the yellow and orange leaves just under the shimmering snow, all of it before the backdrop of a bright blue sky. It was heaven and hope and joy all at the same time.
… but also it’s barely November. And I still haven’t gone through the winter gear to see what will fit whom for this winter season. And we only have 5 gloves… in 5 different colors.
The joy and oddity of an October snow allowed for a bit of joy and breathing in the midst of election energy – both fearful and excited. By this time next week things will be different – and then will be just the same. The world will see change (regardless of the election outcome) and yet we will still show up, gather in the name of love -in the name of Christ. The nation will reel and we will still gather to worship God – a God of hope, a God of peace, a God of love.
If I can offer any words of care for this upcoming week it is to let go of political based loyalties and fears and take hold of Christ, the head of God’s creation and all that we’ve made of this world. Seek out a Jesus of Love and hold tight to that loyalty even as the world spins and tosses, angles and threatens.
…for the water is about to get very rough and those aboard the boat will be crying out for our lives. But if we can just have faith in the only one among us that fears nothing and has the ability not to win over the sea, but instead to calm it.
Take hold of Jesus and let his love guide us through the storm. And by your hope lead others to unity.
REMEMBER TO JOIN DEDHAM’S COMMUNITIES OF FAITH…
Peace Vigils will be held 3 evenings in a row: Nov. 2nd, Nov. 3rd, and Nov. 4th. And they will be held on the front lawn of Allin Church for the greatest space and visibility. Already St. Paul’s Epicopal, St. Susanna’s, and First Church and Parish have committed to joining this movement. I know we can too! Conversation has just started around this effort so keep an eye out this week for more news and information!
COMMUNION WORSHIP!!
Grab some bread and juice for worship this Sunday. We’ll come together at the Communion table towards the end of worship.
**.IN OTHER NEWS… NOV. 8TH WELCOME ANDREW WELCH!! We will be welcoming Andrew formally into our Allin Church family. Please plan to attend our zoom Worship (and call the office at 781-326-5050 if you need help with Zoom!) and invite your friends and neighbors!
Just a couple more announcements:
**STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY: November 15th
We are called to share God’s love. In the United Church of Christ we respond to that call by embracing the three great loves: Love of children, Love of neighbor, Love of Creation. Please join us in the weeks to come while we consider our church, the amazing and unprecedented changes we’ve faced. Read and hear the stories of those who love this church and believe in God’s call for us to continue our faith and ministry even as the world writhes in suffering from death, illness, conflict, and fear. Let us join our hearts and our hopes for our community as we renew our own spiritual, physical, and financial commitments. Beloved, Love!
**PEACE VIGIL SERVICE: Wed. November 4th
at 6pm in front of the Allin Church
– byo mask, a chair if you think you’ll need it or would like it, and dress warmly!
**CUPPA FAITH FORMATION!!
EVERY Thursday mornings 9:45-10:45am
Look for the ZOOM link in your email inbox on Thursday morning after 9am
This is a “user-friendly” bible study that encourages wondering in the place of telling and teaching.
Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning at 9:45am!
This weeks service will be LIVESTREAMED on Facebook or Zoom. Email the office for the Zoom link. The link will be uploaded to this site after the service.
TOWER LIGHTING:
In memory of Anne & Ben Unda by Elizabeth Unda.
Allin family and friends!
There is a spirit brewing in the hearts of the faithful of Dedham that I am excited to share with you! We have been asked to participate and lead a movement of peace we are calling, “Peace US Together …with love.” The idea grew out of our concerns for the tension and possibilities for violence on and around Election Day. St. Susanna’s Pax Christi ministry has begun planning peace vigils in the effort to sway folks from their partisan loyalties to a peaceful unity. The vision is simple: We vote for our candidate of choice, and then we choose unity and peace over anger, gloating, fear, condescension, and violence. We do this because we value life and we believe that God’s grace through us can make a difference in the community that is God’s creation.
Peace Vigils will be held 3 evenings in a row: Nov. 2nd, Nov. 3rd, and Nov. 4th. And they will be held on the front lawn of Allin Church for the greatest space and visibility. Already St. Paul’s Epicopal, St. Susanna’s, and First Church and Parish have committed to joining this movement. I know we can too! Conversation has just started around this effort so keep an eye out this week for more news and information!
**.IN OTHER NEWS… Your Designated Term Director of Music Search Committee is very excited to announce that Andrew Jonathan Welch has accepted the position and will begin in earnest next week, on November 1st! Be sure to mark your calendars and join us in welcoming Andrew to our church and organ!
** IN RELATED NEWS… Finally, you will notice this week we have a mish-mosh of music as a part of our worship. From Jake Ross, to a recording of Janice Girard accompanied by Martin Steinmentz, to myself and a choral major friend, to a VERY special guest organist/musician playing our Postlude, we are blessed with shared gifts and skill of all kinds. On this “inbetween” Sunday, I am deeply grateful for everyone who offered your gifts to this Sunday’s worship!
As we ring in the usual beginning of the school year in a very unusual way, the Christian Education Committee met September 17 to discuss ideas for engaging with Allin’s kids. For one, we are hoping to put together a cleverly edited video Christmas pageant, which we think will bring joy to all this Holiday season. We are also considering a monthly virtual bible story and craft, complete with small craft kits delivered to anyone who wants to participate (young and old!). We’re also going to work on providing families with some low-key, quiet activities for children to complete during our online worship services, if they like. For our older kids,we are considering virtual or individual scavenger hunts or geocache adventures. These are both great ways to connect with each other and share experiences, even if we are having those experiences in different places or at different times. If you have any interest in offering your time to support these efforts, please email the office at allinchurch@gmail.com.
