Copy
View this email in your browser
A Good Friday Poem
How do you let go of a dream
That has woven itself into the fiber of your being,
Except for stitch by stitch?
Anyone who has loved and lost
Knows how painfully slow that unraveling goes.
It’s the air knocked out of your lungs.
It’s grief as big as the sky.
It’s a garden that once was full of life, now of nothing but wilderness.
And it aches.
So is it cowardly for me to say that I’m glad I wasn’t there?
That I’m glad I wasn’t at the foot of the cross?
For those gathered there had to let go of a dream—
That needle to thread, unraveling.
And those gathered there might have let go of hope,
Or faith or peace or whatever else goes
When the sky goes dark.
And that’s the worst kind of letting go—
The kind that only a broken heart knows.

-- written by Sarah Are
Hello Hazelwood Friends,

Can you feel it? Easter is almost here, the high point of the Christian calendar! What a joyous day it will be…. We are celebrating Easter and the Empty Tomb this year with a lot of flowers, singing, and scripture. We have a couple of fun interactive activities for the entire congregation planned, and during our time of communion, everyone will have the opportunity to “come to The Table” to receive your communion elements as well!

Worship will be followed by a chance for everyone to find an Easter egg, as well as a time of fellowship in the rotunda and library area. It’s going to be a great day! – even if it rains. And I look forward to seeing many of you in the sanctuary on Sunday, while also affirming that you, too, are part of our worship if you are joining us online.

Before we get to Easter, we have our Maundy Thursday service on Thursday evening at 6:30pm. We have re-arranged the chairs to be reminiscent of The Last Supper, so we are asking everyone to sit in the two rows of semi-circle chairs we have set up. This service will be streamed via Facebook as well. And then be sure to check your email on Friday afternoon for a short video (about 15 minutes) of Good Friday readings and song. Sunday will be even sweeter if you have made time to experience Thursday and Friday as well.

Speaking of Easter, have you ever wondered why the date of Easter changes from year to year while the date for Christmas does not? The Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. (Eastern Orthodox Christians, however, use a different way of calculating the date, which usually results in their celebration being later than ours.)

The first recorded use of Easter eggs, however, didn’t happen until the 13th century. The church at that time prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week. But chickens continued to lay eggs, and the idea of specially identifying them as “Holy Week” eggs brought about their being decorated. Thus, the egg itself became a symbol of Easter - just as Jesus rose from the tomb, the egg symbolizes new life emerging from the eggshell.

Shalom, Rev. Pamela
Sunday Worship begins each week at 10am, in-person and online, streaming via Facebook. Click HERE to go to our Facebook page.

For those of you worshiping online, click HERE after Friday to find the upcoming Bulletin and HERE for the Young Disciples Worship Activity Sheet (updated each Friday).

So much happened on that first Easter Sunday that we are spreading it over two weeks:
 


 

Sunday, April 17  Scripture selections from the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John


 
Sunday, April 4  Luke 24: 13-33
To see information about the songs we will be singing this Sunday, click here: http://www.hazelwoodchurch.org/worship-songs-this-week/

To watch past services, you may go to Youtube by clicking HERE.
To see just the scripture and sermons from each week, click HERE.
Along with our Lenten theme of Cultivating and Letting Go, we have enjoyed a communal experience of sharing with one another things we would like to cultivate and let go of by way of Post-it Notes displayed on the windows in the back of the Sanctuary. Below you will find a photo and list of what has been shared throughout Lent.
I want to let go of...
  being judgemental
  mindless eating
  fear of loneliness
  self-loathing
  household clutter
  worry
  judging others and myself
  wasted time on phone apps (games, etc.)
  unfulfilled dreams
  people pleasing
  let go of past hurts
  worry about the future, move forward in the new days and surrounding love

I want to cultivate...
  prayer life
  generosity
  taking care of myself
  trust in God
  let go, let God
  compassion
  patience in life helps
  self-love
  good will to all
  wonder
  more time with God in devotions, scripture, prayer
  patience

 
On Sunday, April 17, and again on April 24, we will be collecting a special Easter Offering to support the ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The Easter Offering supports several of the general ministries of the Christian Church. Our gifts will go to support college students in leadership development programs, global mission partners, health and social service ministries, the formation of new congregations, support for pastors and chaplains, and so much more.

If you would like to donate to the Disciples Mission Fund directly, you can do so anytime by clicking HERE or on the image above.

Winnie's Kids

We will continue to accept donations to help 'Winnie's Kids' in Kenya through May 8. Each donation will be matched, up to a total of $1,000, from the Missions & Benevolence Sulanke Trust. Please mark all contributions 'Winnie's Kids,' and be sure to make your donation separately from your regular offering to make things easier for our bookkeeper. We will present Winnie with our offering during worship on Sunday, May 15. There are great needs in Kenya, so please prayerfully consider how you can help 'Winnie's Kids.'

~Blessings & Gratitude from the Missions & Benevolence Team
(Chair Shirley Bookout, Don Crose, Marcia Miller, and Glen Sulanke)
 
We continue to be in prayer for Ron Smith and Jeff Clary as they recover from their recent surgeries. and we add Earl Bruning to our prayers also; he too is recovering at home from recent surgery.

Angie Lopez, our Preschool/ELC Director, will be having knee surgery on Thursday, April 14. She hopes to return to work early next week.
Prayers requested for these Hazelwood participants (alphabetical by last name):
  • David Cartwright
  • Ruthanne Devroy
  • Jeane Garrett
  • Mariangella Glaze
  • Lois Gross
  • Sara Krumme
  • Louise Maley
  • Pat Patterson
  • Rev. Pamela
  • Jairen Rees
  • Bill Ritchie
  • Leah Ritchie
  • Judy Thomas
  • Mark Wages
  • Molly Wantz
  • Annie Yingst
Prayers requested for these friends and family of Hazelwood participants:
  • Rhea Morgan's sister, Joyce Rupe
  • Marianna Gill's mother, Kitty Tilton
Note, the friends and family list will re-set at the first of every month and we request confirmation that the one being named has given permission to continue to be listed on this newsletter prayer list,
 

Update from the Search Committee

The Congregational Profile for the Senior Minister search was posted this week. Candidates will be able to notify our regional minister Carolyn Reed of interest which will then be forwarded to the Search Committee for review. Many thanks to Search Committee Chair Ann Wolfe and for committee members Jason Ratts, Tony Gill, Winnie Muhiga, and Joanna Hahn for the work they have done completing the profile. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask one of the committee members. The committee will continue to provide updates as needed.

HCC Custodial Services Needed

We are exploring our options for custodial services to begin sometime in May. We need someone to clean once a week, using church supplies and following checklists provided. It’s expected to be 3-5 hours a week in the $20 an hour range, with the potential of additional hours on occasion. We prefer the cleaning take place on Thursdays with a check-in time no later than 11am. If you know of a person or cleaning service to refer, please contact Stefanie in the church office.

Tornado Recovery Volunteer Opportunity

FCC Princeton is excited to announce a partnership with CrossRoads Missions to tackle tornado relief projects in Western Kentucky.
Housing will be provided for overnight volunteers, and there is service opportunity for highly skilled workers, as well as families and youth groups. Click HERE for more information.

Attention Graduates!

High School and College graduates will be recognized during worship on Sunday, May 15. If you are a graduate, or if you have a Hazelwood graduate in the family, please let us know by filing out the Graduate Form found HERE. To ensure your graduate is recognized, please fill out the form no later than Sunday, May 2.

Calendar

Note: Rev. Pamela is available by cell phone/text, as well as by email. Please do not hesitate to reach out to her as needed. If you do not have her cell number, it is on the weekly paper bulletins, or you may call the church to get it from a receptionist between 9am-3pm, Monday-Thursday and 8am-noon, Friday. Please do not leave messages on her church office voicemail; use her cell phone instead.

Wed., April 13: Vocal Ensemble Rehearsal, 7pm, Sanctuary
Thurs., April 14: Maundy Thursday Service, 6:30pm, Sanctuary
Sun., April 17 & 24: Easter Special Offering
Mon., April 18: Rev Pamela's Day Off; Marianna's Day Off; Rhea Morgan Out of the Office
Tues., April 19: Trustees, 5:30pm, Zoom
Thurs., April 21: Epiphany Action Team, 7pm, Zoom
 
Thank you to Dee Moser for her clothing donation to New Hope Ministries.
 
Thank you to Victoria Harty for her donation of new children’s clothing in honor of her father, Robert Wellis.
 
Thank you to the wonderful donation of 34 rolls of toilet paper, cups, trash bags, Lysol wipes, etc., from The Back to School Store. We also would like to thank the Merchants Bank employees for their time in delivering all those items. This is a true blessing to the Hazelwood congregation and preschool.

 

Spirit Week

The preschool had a great time during Spirit Week, celebrating the week of the young child. Spirit week included everything from wearing our Hazelwood t-shirts, ice cream sundaes, wacky hair day, a bounce house, and what the children want to be when they grow up.

 
YTD Receipts through March 2022: $69,122.17
YTD Expenses through March 2022: $
56,785.82
To make a financial gift online via Givelify, click here:
https://giv.li/cv3bky

After you are in the Gively site, to designate a gift to something other than the general fund, choose "Other" and then type in the message box to let us know to which fund you are donating.
Please submit items for the newsletter by Monday at noon each week.
Rev. Pamela J. Pettyjohn, Interim Minister
Stefanie Petty, Office Administrator
Rhea Morgan, Bookkeeper
Marianna Gill, Worship Coordinator
Lori Rhoden, Organist
Angie Lopez, Director of Weekday Preschool and Early Learning Center
Website
Facebook
YouTube
Copyright © 2022 Hazelwood Christian Church, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp