Community Spirit Matters: Our Weekly Newsletter

News and announcements to keep you informed about the ministry of Community Spirit Church (UCC)
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The Week Ahead at Community Spirit Church (UCC)
Thursday, May 27, 2021

Click to view details and full calendar

Worship With Us This Sunday

Community Spirit UCC gathers each Sunday morning for an online worship service via Zoom. Log in between 10:15 and 10:25 AM. Worship begins at 10:30 AM.

All you need is a phone or a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone AND a weekly email invitation from Pat Riddell with the link to follow. (Reach out to her at priddell@gmail.com if you're not receiving these invitations.)

Read last week's sermon: Pentecost: Filled with the Holy Spirit
If you would like to view last week's service online, please reach out to Karen for the link.

Please check your email inbox on Saturday to make sure you’ve received your worship link for worship the following day. This will give you time to be in touch with Pat if you need help. If you’re running late on Sunday morning and run into trouble, please reach out to a fellow church member who may be able to forward their Zoom link or help you troubleshoot.

Gentle Reminder

If you haven’t already completed and returned your covenantal membership/friend of the church card, as well as your estimate of giving card, please do so no later than May 31st. Your timely effort will enable us to update our records, as well as send our annual membership dues to the Rocky Mountain Conference and to the Western Association. If you have questions about either of these forms, please contact Kim Floyde at 765-6615 (call or text) or via email at kim@communityspiritucc.org

CSC Answered the Call

Last Thursday evening, several members and friends of Community Spirit Church showed up in Delta with our important, even life-saving message that “Love Wins” while the school district held public meetings related to adopting age-related sex education and body safety curriculum. As allies of the LGBTQIA community, we were able to show our support and help to counter the negative messages from other churches and members of the community. Here are some of the photos that were taken:

Special Offering: Strengthen the Church

During the month of May, CSC will receive its second of four UCC special offerings of the year.

The Strengthen the Church (STC) Offering reflects the shared commitment of people across the United Church of Christ to cooperatively build up the UCC. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations. By your generosity to this offering, you build up the Body of Christ.

As God calls our congregations to be the church in new ways, your generosity will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop the spiritual life in our youth and young adults.

You can donate online at communityspiritucc.org/give or mail a check payable to Community Spirit Church, in care of Kim Floyde, 1516 Barbara Street, Montrose CO 81401. If you want to drop a check off instead, please call ahead (970-765-6615). Be sure to include "STC" in the memo area to ensure that your donation gets to the right place.

Don't become a victim of FOMO*

There's still time to register for the Rocky Mountain Conference Annual Celebration that will be held online starting on Monday, June 7th and ending with a worship service on Sunday, June 13th. Community Spirit Church has already paid the $100 registration fee, so anyone who wants to attend can register without any additional cost. All events will be held virtually again this year and you will receive the details when you register.

Several CSC members have already signed up so don't get left behind... REGISTER NOW!

*Fear Of Missing Out

MAY BIRTHDAYS
10	Wendy Harrah
19	Connie Stafford
Are we missing you? We want to make sure everyone is on this list, so please send Kim your birth date.

The Wonder of It All

May 23, 2021 | Written by Talitha Arnold

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. [Acts 2:43 (NRSV)]

I wonder how long their wonder lasted. After the first Pentecost, I wonder how long those early Christians could sustain their amazement and awe at God’s mighty deeds. The rush of the wind, the tongues of fire, the ability to understand one another in all different languages. It was a wonder-filled day.

But then the next day came, the next week, the next month … ordinary time filled with ordinary life. As a Buddhist saying goes, “Before enlightenment, the laundry. After enlightenment, the laundry.” For the early Christians, perhaps it was, “Before Pentecost, bake the bread. After Pentecost, bake the bread.” Or “Before Pentecost, the Roman Empire. After Pentecost, the Roman Empire.”

So how long did their wonder last? How long will ours – not only after Pentecost, but also after the end of the pandemic? How long will we thank God for vaccinations? Once our congregations regather in person, how long will we be amazed at the everyday joy of being together?

I can guess some of my own mantras: “Before the pandemic, keep the church going. After the pandemic, keep the church going.” “Before the pandemic, the stewardship campaign. After the pandemic, the stewardship campaign.” Perhaps you have your own.

It’s hard to sustain wonder. The early Christians knew that as well as we do. So after the first Pentecost, they continued to do all the ordinary things we still do as local churches. Break bread, pray, engage the Word, praise God, care for those in need, and figure out how to share their common life.

And their common, ordinary life became the greatest wonder of all. It still is.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for your great wonder. Amen.

About the Author
Talitha Arnold is Senior Minister of the United Church of Santa Fe (UCC), Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is the author of Mark Parts 1 and 2 of the Listen Up! Bible Study series and Worship for Vital Congregations.

Courtesy of United Church of Christ Daily Devotional. Sign up to receive yours at ucc.org/daily_devotional

What does God require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? MICAH 6:8

Real. Relevant. Relational.

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1516 Barbara Street
Montrose CO 81401-5114

970-765-7070 Church Office
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Community Spirit Church (UCC) · 1516 Barbara Street · Montrose, CO 81401-5114 · USA