Dear <<First Name>>,
As we remember, Let us Pray:
We remember, God of history and remembrance, we remember. We remember when the towers fell and the lives were lost; we remember the dust and the smoke, the despair, and the grief. We remember that sense of vulnerability and shock. We remember the numbness that overwhelmed us as we watched our screens for hours and hours, waiting for an explanation and understanding that never came. We remember.
We remember, God of hope and presence, we remember. We remember the heroes, those who rushed to help, who guided the wounded down innumerable flights of stairs, who rose to overwhelm those who held death in their hands. We remember the hours and the days of binding wounds and healing hurts, giving comfort, drying tears. We remember words of support and compassion from nations far and wide. We remember.
We remember in part because we see the ripples of that tragic day continue to impact our world twenty years later. We grieve with allies today as our allies grieved with us twenty years ago. And together we wonder if there will ever be an end . . . to violence, to war, to hatred, to death. We remember and we grieve our world’s inability to learn the things that lead to peace.
We call to you now in our remembrance, God of justice and of peace. Give us a will to truly pray that your kin-dom may come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen and Amen.
On this day of solemn remembrance:
May we honor the lives that were lost in this tragic act.
May we give thanks for those who served and saved, rendered aid and assistance.
May we give comfort to those who live with loss.
May we seek justice and peace where it is within our ability,
and rely on you when the ability escapes us.
On this day of solemn remembrance:
May we build what has been torn down.
May we mend what has been broken.
May we live your love when hate seems to reign.
May we bear witness to the cause of peace.
Amen.
Author: Derek Weber, Discipleship Ministries
I invite you to tune in on our Facebook page tomorrow on September 11th after 1pm and we will offer a short prayer service for a "Time of Prayer and Remembrance."
As we grieve and remember the tragedy of September 11th, I pray we can also remember what happened on September 12th and the days that followed.
The skies were clear, and no planes were in the air. The understanding that life would never be the same began to sink in. My sister was married on Saturday September 15, 2001. A few days before her wedding, I drove from Detroit to Chicago to meet up with Kevin and then we drove to Virginia for my sister's wedding. My favorite memories of that road trip include Kevin seeing the Appalachian Mountains and saying, "Wow Hun, those are some big hills." We laughed as I said, "Well, down here, we call those mountains."
The best memory of that road trip was seeing the many American Flag flying everywhere we drove. We saw banners hanging from homes, rooftops, and overpasses that read, "United we Stand." Never before, in my lifetime had I felt so sad and yet so united with my fellow citizens. We were united in our mourning, but even more we were united in the strength of who we are and the best of who we could be. I remember how kind people were to one another. We were gentle with one another, because we knew we were all struggling. We heard so many stories of people who risked their lives to help others. Every day we saw more and more people showing up to help one another in need. We were One Nation, united, praying, worshiping, and supporting one another.
Over the last weeks, as we have approached this anniversary, we have been reminded of those stories. You can't turn on the news without hearing one of the incredible stories of the people who died and those who survived. I listen, and cry, and thank God for these amazing people and their courage.
We will never forget.
As we remember, I hope we hold on to the way we responded to the pain we all experienced. Through this pandemic, we have all been affected and life has also changed as we know it. I pray we may respond to this crisis with the same gentleness and love to one another. We are strong, courageous, loving, and kind. We are the kind of people who seek to help others first, to consider others before ourselves, and to love without conditions. This is the best of who we can be, and it is who we were created to be.
You are loved. You are kind. You are brave. God made you and God loves you.
I pray that you know and remember this.
And whenever either you or I forget who we are, let us remind each other with gentleness.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday. My sermon is focused on how God calls us to build bridges through with God's love, power, and grace based on Psalm 147 and 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23.
In God's Love,
Pastor Beth
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 We will have five opportunities to worship this Sunday!
You can worship ONLINE for the Traditional Service at 8:30 am
You can worship ONLINE for the Contemporary Service at 9:45 am
You can worship IN-PERSON Indoors for the Traditional Service at 8:30 am and those who are Fully Vaccinated may worship without masks.
You can worship IN-PERSON Indoors for the Contemporary Service at 9:45 am and those who are Fully Vaccinated may worship without masks.
You can worship IN-PERSON Indoors for worship at 11:15 am. Those who are Fully Vaccinated may worship without masks.
We will continue to utilize our Health Acknowledgment Screening whereby we ask for an affirmation to the following statements:
1) I am not experiencing two or more symptoms of COVID-10.
2) I have not been in contact with anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
3) I have not tested positive for COVID-19, nor am I awaiting test results.
4) If I have tested positive for COVID-19 I have complete resolution of symptoms OR (if asymptomatic) I have completed 10 days of self-isolation.
5) I will immediately notify the pastor if within 5 days after attending this event I develop 2 or more symptoms of COVID-19.
We will not be asking people to show proof of vaccination, we will rely on the mutual trust we hold in one another as sisters and brothers in Christ and children of God in this worshiping community to love and care for another. We ask that if you are not yet fully vaccinated, that you wear a mask for the care and protection of those who are most vulnerable.
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To view the bulletin for this Sunday, click here!
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Last week we had 139 people worship with us in-person, and 39 people worshiped with us on Facebook Live*! The church also received a total of $8,898.80 in giving both electronically and in person.
126 individuals were helped by the Storehouse Food Pantry this week, and Midweek Meals returns for in-person dining on September 8th! Praise God!
Thank you for joining us and for your continual support - see you on Sunday!
*The way we are collecting online views has been updated.
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After a well-deserved break over the summer, the Praise Team will be returning to the 11:15 contemporary service starting September 12th!
Do you play an instrument? Would you like to join the Praise Team? Contact our Choir Director Donna Smith at donnas@ccumc.net!
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During this time when we are physically distant from one another, we are still joined together in prayer.
Click on the image to the left to open our current prayer list!
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The deadline for submissions to the E-Circuit Rider is Wednesdays at 10 am. Please send any submissions to stepht@ccumc.net. Any submissions received after that time will be added to the following week's email.
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