5th Sunday of Easter:

5/9/2020

Virtual Coffee Hour
Please join us for our first attempt at a coffee hour via Zoom this Sunday May 10th at 11:30a.m. We are looking forward to another way to connect virtually, and we believe this will be a big treat to see each other's smiling faces! In order to keep the gathering from being "Zoombombed", participants will need to be "admitted" by Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector. Virtual coffee hours are not like regular coffee hours; we can have only one person talking at a time. However, there is a chat feature where you can type side-bar conversations. After greeting one another, perhaps we could share our thoughts on one of Tyler Jarvis' great questions from the Digital Sunday School:
has some great questions:
3. The passage in 1 Peter says that we are a chosen people. What do you think we've been chosen to do? How might you do that?
4. A common theme in the passages this week is that God and Jesus help and take care of us. What's an example of a way that God and Jesus have helped you recently?
Or, you can just sit back and sip coffee and listen. Or, If you have a different question/answer/thought to share, feel free to do so. Click this link here at 11:30a.m. on Sunday, and we look forward to SEEING you!
You can also participate by phone at 11:30a.m. Sunday by dialing 646 558 8656. You'll be asked for the Meeting ID 889 3582 4876, and Password: 691006.

Mother's Day Prayers, Flowers, and Music:
Sunday's readings do not have a direct connection to motherhood, but our prayers will. And Marsha is preparing a special floral offering to God's glory in gratitude for mothers in every place and generation. As a further Mother's Day treat, our Music Director Mark Sullivan has arranged with vocalist Mark Rehnstrom and violinist Olivia Ste. Marie to offer their gifts to God's glory in honor of Mother's Day. Mark will sing "Come,, my Way, my Truth, my Light" by R. Vaughn William, and Olivia will play the Andante from Symphonie Espagnole by E. Lalo. Have a clean tissue at the ready!

Outreach Update:
The "mask brigade" is still hard at work.....as of now we have made over 450 masks! The batch that we are currently collecting will be sent by Cindy McN to a Navajo Reservation in Arizona that is in desperate need of masks!
In addition to the previously announced support for the homeless through Amistad Catholic Workers house, the Outreach team decided to designate another $150 of Outreach donations for supplies for those now living outside of shelters, and $125 for the United Latino Action group's assistance for immigrants who are not eligible for any government assistance.
Now that our collection basket for the Guilford Food Bank is out of reach, please know that you can send a check to the Guilford Food Bank, c/o Guilford Social Services, 263 Church Street, Guilford, CT 06437. A $10 gift provides the Food Bank with the buying power of $100 through the Connecticut Food Bank!
In a Friday Episcopal Church in CT forum on Covid 19 Health Disparities & Systemic Racism, two "good citizenship" action items were identified among others, both of which are entirely suitable for folks staying safer-at-home: 1) Sending postcards encouraging folks to register to vote; 2) Encouraging folks to participate in the 2020 census. Kate H can provide connections.

Instructed Eucharist Next Sunday:
The saying “We don’t always do things as we’ve ‘always’ done them,” has never been more accurate than right now. So, next Sunday May 17th we'll do something we haven't done for a long time: celebrate an “Instructed Eucharist” – a service in which the sermon is by-and-large replaced with brief explanations of what we’re doing and why throughout the service.
This is a service all parishioners can help design by sending your questions, wonderings, concerns, issues, etc., considering our worship to YFNR at harrisoncec@snet.net. He promises to do his level-best to respond!

Mulch Weekend:
We are going to continue our smart and responsible, physicially-distanced yard care! This time around we will be focusing on light weeding and mulching of each assigned area.  Each time slot already has an area and task assigned to it. If you are by yourself, choose a smaller bed or area. You will have the garden to yourself during your appointed time. Please bring your own tools/gloves. Bags of mulch will be in the driveway between the church and the rectory. Wheelbarrows will be available to wheel your mulch to your area. Brown paper lawn and leaf bags will be available inside the Parish Hal doorl. Please leave your filled bags in front of rectory garage.
Please click here to reach our Sign-up Genius page!

Sunday Intercessions:
Please help shape Sunday's Prayers of the People by sending me the people and concerns you would like included. This is the online version of the clipboard where you would note people, concerns and thanksgivings for inclusion in our Sunday prayers. Please reply to this message by 8a.m. Sunday morning.
Our intercessions, remembrances and thanksgivings will be sent out on Monday (that's still my goal!) with any particulars you'd like to share; so, please be specific about what you're sharing just with me, and what you'd like to share with the rest of the parish.

Wednesday Evening Prayers:
Our livestream mid-week evening service of prayer and music continues on Wednesday evenings at 7p.m. We are now praying a Litany for this pandemic season used at Washington National Cathedral.   An online bulletin will be available Wednesday morning.

Thursday Morning Bible Study meets 9:30-10:30a.m. via Zoom.   We're moving into Chapter 12 of Paul's letter to the Romans; this section has been called "So What?" -- How then are followers of the Risen Christ to live together in this world? Here's the link to our online conversation: click here:   Participation by telephone is also possible; I'll send the connection number on request.

Digital Sunday School:
Tyler Jarvis, our Director for Children's & Youth Ministry, sent this week's Digital Sunday School just before noon our time on Friday. He identifies a thread between all our readings which now seems obvious but which had escaped me! Look for Digital Sunday School in your inbox, and if it's not there, check your "buik mail" or "spam" folder. You can find editions for previous Sunday's by clicking here.

Thanks to all who are mailing in your offerings!  God bless you, and may your numbers increase! Although we are not meeting together in-person, the life of the Church continues online, in prayer, worship, education and service -- and in all the ways that support and maintain our common life. So, as you are able, in your current financial situation, please continue your financial support of the parish by sending your offerings to Christ Church, PO Box 574, Guilford, CT 06437. Your offering will be presented at the altar; it will be physically present, even while you remain safely at home.

If you are sheltering-in-place and need assistance with picking up groceries or prescriptions, please be in touch with the Parish Office. Fellow parishioners would gladly do the go-fer-ing for you.
In the faith, hope and love of Christ,,
Harrison+
YFNR
p.s. Reminders for Christ Church's online worship:

You can access the livestream directly at facebook.com/cecguilford. or the parish website christchurchguilford.org
You may find that using an external speaker or headphones may improve the quality of audio from your device.
Please remember to adjust both volume settings on your device:

There is the device's volume control, usually accessed via the speaker icon on the lower right corner of your screen; Be sure that the volume is turned up here.
There is another volume control on the Facebook Live image, as well. It's in the control panel at the bottom of the Live image. The default setting on that control is often mute, indicated by an "x" over the speaker icon. Be sure to click on the speaker icon to "unmute" the sound, and to turn up the volume here as well.

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