Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.
Saturday, December 15, 3pm in our sanctuary. Admission is free, but they are holding a collection for the Waterbury Area Food Shelf. Food or money donations are welcomed!
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Calling all who wish to bring more love into our communities! In light of the Pittsburgh shooting, Rabbi David Fainsilber and the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe seek to bring people together in love to create song within community as you have never experienced before. Young and old, come stand with us — come sing with us! Make this your first time up on stage at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center as we learn the simplified arrangement of a song “Light is Returning/Banish the Darkness” and then sing it to produce a sound about bringing more light to ourselves, our communities, and our greater world. No need to be a superb singer; you just need to bring your love of singing. The final artistic product? An amazing video of the experience (featuring you) that will be promoted world-wide, with the backdrop of soulful voices and increased light.
Donations will be accepted for the Helen Day Art Center and Stowe Free Library’s recovery from a recent burst pipe, as well as HIAS –– Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society –– a refugee resettlement program in the U.S., an organization supported by the Tree of Life Synagogue and one of the reasons that congregation was attacked.
Presented by the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, with our partners at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, the Helen Day Art Center, Stowe Performing Arts, and the Greater Stowe Interfaith Coalition, including St. John’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church, Stowe Community Church, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stowe, and Bahá’ís of Stowe. Special thanks to Stowe Media Group and the Stowe Reporter.
For more information, contact JCOGS at (802) 253-1800 or jcogs@jcogs.org.
This Sunday, December 2, the Board of Christian Education will be sponsoring their Annual Advent Workshop after church. Have a cup of coffee and then join us for making advent wreaths out of three different materials — dough, greens and grapevines! As always, we’ll have pizza and beverages and cookies to sustain us through the noon hour!
Also, for families, we’ll be having our annual Christmas presentation on December 16. This year we are doing a reading and a tableau of the Nativity. Our reading was originally written by Peter when he was an associate pastor in Maine, and it will celebrate Christmas around the world. When I feel overwhelmed by the holiday “spirit”, it heartens me to learn how other cultures mark this holiest of holidays — the birth of the baby Jesus. We hope the whole congregation will join us in listening and in song.
One of our friendly neighbors has blown all of the leaves that were in our yard into a big pile in the back corner of our property. He has nowhere to put them, however. If you have a truck and a place to dump leaves to rot away peacefully the rest of their existence and could pick them up, he and I would be grateful!
You are invited to join Amy Anderson following worship, in the dining room, to learn of the current challenges facing families raising foster children and their Social Workers who try to help them and help her brainstorm solutions to improve the system by increasing community involvement. Help discover ways to help these children feel connected to their community. It doesn’t have to be your passion, you don’t have to have money or even time to give. You may come up with a great idea, or you may just be able to spread the word to the right person, or you may discover there are ways you can help that would be fulfilling to you and not take a big commitment. Teens to adults of all ages are encouraged to attend. Bring questions, bring ideas, bring hope!