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Preparing for Holy Week

Especially as we enter into Holy Week,
consider setting up a worship space in your home.

Your dining room table, or another table, would be a good location.

The space might include:

  • a table cloth.
  • a crucifix to remember we are saved and forgiven in Christ’s death. For Good Friday, you might want to drape the cross in black or purple cloth. You can do this after the Maundy/Holy Thursday service.
  • a candle to remember we are to be the resurrected light of Christ in the world. For good Friday, consider having three candles to extinguish at times during the service.
  • a bowl of water to remember our baptism; this is especially appropriate for our Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday services.
  • and of course, your phone or tablet
  • for the Thursday service, a beverage and your evening meal or dessert.

Silent Auction coming soon – September 28 6-8pm

Keep the donations coming! September 21st is the last day to make any type of contribution to the Silent Auction. This is to allow enough time to create bid sheets as well as a brief description of each item and who it was donated by.

What can we expect to see at this year’s silent auction? Here are the latest updates.

The Silent Auction Raffle features three different items. Raffle tickets are available for purchase at the front desk where you will check in. 1 ticket for $1 or 6 tickets for $5. Be sure to bring plenty of cash as we have raffle items you are sure to enjoy.

The Silent Auction will have gift certificates to local businesses, handcrafted items from church members, gift baskets, and yes we even have framed photographs from photographer Kevin Sletten available for bidding.

This year we have decided to try something new. We will be offering a “Buy Now” table. The “Buy Now” table will feature items valued at $20 or less and can be purchased right at their value price but act fast because it is first come first serve. A hot item that will be available at this table are baked goods donated by Derek’s Dessert Catering (DDC). Be on the lookout for Herbie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are typically only available to Groton resident Herb Iburg but September 28th only, these cookies are available for purchase to you so get them now before you lose your chance for an experience your taste buds won’t forget.  

Take a look below and see some of the items we can expect to see at the Silent Auction.

Personal Reflection on March 25

Today would have been my dear brother’s birthday.  He died over 20 years ago but he will always be my angel in heaven.  When he walked this earth he was a good soul and with the promise of redemption he is now with the Lord.  Therefore, when I gaze (or reflect) upon his image, it helps me remember the power and glory of God.  Lord, thank you for those angels who have come before us to guide us in our way. – Angela

Ash Wednesday

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10

This year during Lent you will find here a reflection for each of the 40 days. They may be one’s thoughts, a story, a picture, a song, a link to something that someone found useful. It can be as creative as one likes or a simple reflection on a bible verse. And my hope is that many different people will contribute to this collective project.

Today’s reflection is an invitation to contribute to this project. Many of us were raised to give up something during Lent – sweets, caffeine, meat, swearing and technology of some sort have probably been at the top of the list. Lent has been described as a time of sacrifice to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. In recent years there has been some reframing of Lent to make it a time of developing some sort of spiritual practice – maybe pray a little more, practice some meditation, give some extra money to a worthy cause, read the bible more. These too are worthy efforts.

This year I may use Lent as an excuse to work on some new behavior (haven’t quite decided yet), but I have decided to use it as a time to remember. I will do things to remember the new and right spirit that God gives us. It’s a spirit of “I get to” and not just “I have to.” My remembrance will be grounded in my identity as God’s beloved one – something too easily forgotten. I will practice daily, hourly, remembering who I am and whose I am. And you get to join me!

In remembrance, Pastor Gaeta

p.s. There will be a worship service with imposition of ashes and holy communion tonight at 7:30pm

Stewarding our gifts

This Lent, you are invited to steward any gifts you have for sharing reflections on scripture readings. Many of you have the gift of writing, visual art, performing art or curating the work of others in just the right way. If you wish to be part of our daily reflections here, please sign up by clicking here. On the sign up page you will find a link to the list of daily readings for the whole church year in case you want to choose a date based on the reading for the day. Once you sign up you will receive further instructions on how to submit your contribution.

Snow update

On Sunday, January 20, 2019 we will gather via conference video or call for some time of worship together. Due to the weather forecast, we would like everyone to stay safe in their homes and not try to venture out.

To connect on your computer or smartphone, go to https://zoom.us/j/573113234. You will be prompted to join the meeting with the option of downloading and installing Zoom. If you are having technical difficulty, Stefanie H. is available for support. You can call her at 508-982-5277.

You can start getting on the call anytime before 10:15am, especially if you need a few minutes to get comfortable with the interface. Thanks for joining us in this experiment of using modern technology to continue the ancient practice of worship!