Pilgrim s Progress. Dear Pilgrims, M A Y N E W S L E T T E R

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Cornelius Shelton
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Pilgrim s Progress M A Y 2 0 1 7 N E W S L E T T E R Dear Pilgrims, As we move through the season of Easter in the Church calendar, we have the opportunity to consider again, the nature of the risen

A New Testament Professor from my seminary days had suggested that to understand the message of the Christian scriptures, one need substitute the New Human Being every time you read Jesus or The

1 Pilgrim s Progress M A Y N E W S L E T T E R Dear Pilgrims, As we move through the season of Easter in the Church calendar, we have the opportunity to consider again, the nature of the risen Christ and the Body of Christ into which we are called. A New Testament Professor from my seminary days had suggested that to understand the message of the Christian scriptures, one need substitute the New Human Being every time you read Jesus or The Christ in the text. Try it out. Read the gospel according to Mark doing that. Then read the gospel according to John the same way. See where it takes you. You begin to discover that the story is an invitation to begin to recognize the Living Christ with whom you walk every day. In that atmosphere you see other people as the Living Christ and begin to understand how the invitation to live in community is the promise of the scriptures, the Good News. The often quoted passage from 1 Corinthians 13 begins to make sense. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not selfserving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things In this knowledge we see that the Body of Christ is not an exclusive body of believers but the entire body of humanity. We see all human beings as individuals with equal integrity honor and worth. We make all our life choices, the work we do, the money we spend, the relationships we cultivate with that certainty, that each and every human being is our brother or sister, equal in all aspects of life. This is the foundation of our Easter faith. This is the promise of living in God s realm. Ann

2 Palm Sunday & Easter 2017 Palm Sunday & Easter Sunday this year at Pilgrim offered beautiful displays of the creativity and love surrounding this congregation. We are blessed people! - 2 -

prepare communion (first Sunday of each month). We continue to encourage those who have announcements to set up a table in the hall to further promote their messages.

well-attended Maundy Thursday service; and a new service for Pilgrim on Holy Saturday, at John Stubban s house. The Easter services were well attended with the sunrise and the 10:00 Easter Services.

3 prepare communion (first Sunday of each month). We continue to encourage those who have announcements to set up a table in the hall to further promote their messages. Worship Co-Cos, Sara Hoxie & Elizabeth Betancourt Joys & Concerns Joys Worship Report Our Lenten journey was diverse and in-depth this year with Lenten Taize services hosted by Nancy Milton; a well-attended Maundy Thursday service; and a new service for Pilgrim on Holy Saturday, at John Stubban s house. The Easter services were well attended with the sunrise and the 10:00 Easter Services. Thanks to John Egolf our kitchen sink features a great new faucet which makes filling the coffee pots much easier. Thanks John! Reva Taylor happily returned to church on the 23rd after a long recovery from a broken knee cap. We are so glad to have her among us again. Thanks to the Betancourts for bringing the olive branches for the Palm Sunday worship. We had many guests on Easter Sunday but having Paul Frye and his daughter with us was a joy. Paul has been living at Marquis Care Center for several months. As we move into the summer, through Pentecost and into Ordinary Time, we are in need of folks for Special Music (each Sunday between June 11th and the beginning of October) and to help Easter Sunday found the Pilgrim children searching all around the church grounds for colorful Easter eggs. Some were hidden very cleverly by the Easter Bunny helpers! Ken Hill and Nancy Dutton have another of their productions at the Old City Hall. Marvin s Room is a dark comedy getting rave reviews. We have talented musicians who contributed to our Easter music. Thanks

4 go to Nancy Milton on the flute and John Loomis on the trumpet. Special appreciation to our faithful pianist, Sheri Curtis, and our choir director, Nancy Dutton plus our dedicated choir members. Pam Crowe is the recipient of the American Association of University Women Branch Woman of Achievement Award. This is a special honor for an AAUW member for her contributions to the organization and to the community. Congratulations Pam! It was so good to be able greet Rick Bonetti in worship in April. He has been suffering from a severe case of shingles and is gradually feeling better. We wish him well and look forward to seeing him again soon. Many Pilgrims were a part of the March for Science in Redding on April 22. This is just another way our members contribute to the community with positive action. Mark May 6th on your calendar for the Oaksong Concert which will feature Scott Joss and the Sidemen. These are local musicians who have quite a favorable following. Thanks Pete Angwin for all your efforts with the Oaksong Society which presents toe tapping music throughout the year. Concerns Our get well thoughts go out to Tere Hancock who had surgery on both her feet April 3rd. It is hard to keep a good woman down but this surgery did that. Hopefully soon she ll be up on her feet and ready to go again! Sally Dale s son, Joe Dale had surgery for a broken hip. This had been the cause of his pain which he has been living with for several weeks. Karin Lightfoot as our nurse advocate for our church helped the family so that Joe could get the care he needed. Keep Sally and her son in your prayers. Caring thoughts go to our Pianist, Sheri Curtis and her father, Jay, who has been having challenging health problems. Jessica French s grandfather died recently and the family and friends gathered in our sanctuary and fellowship hall for the memorial service. We extend our sympathy to the family. Val Scarisbrick continues to be in our prayers as she goes through medical treatments. Health Fair Outcomes by: Silvia Diaz & Madalina Ciurea On March 26 th, 2017, with the help of the community faith nurses, two California State University Chico nursing students organized a health fair at the Pilgrim Congregational Church. The following topics were covered: mental health, heart disease, stress management, back injuries, blood pressure screening, BMI screening, vision testing, hearing screening, colonoscopy, and blood sugar screening. Information was provided on the topics and participants were actively engaged by asking questions or participating in the activities. The students conducted a survey before the health fair to determine what topics would be covered. Based on the results, they narrowed it down to the

most popular ones. After the health fair, they conducted another survey that evaluated information learned by the participants. The mental health booth was presented by Brave Faces.

At this booth, they asked the participants about their current stress management strategies and discussed new ones. They also presented a stress relieving activity.

Some of the outcomes identified were new knowledge about stress management techniques, importance of monitoring blood pressure, BMI, changes in hearing ability, and being aware of own health status

5 most popular ones. After the health fair, they conducted another survey that evaluated information learned by the participants. The mental health booth was presented by Brave Faces. They offered brochures and accessories such as pens and balloons. The booth the two students covered was about stress management. At this booth, they asked the participants about their current stress management strategies and discussed new ones. They also presented a stress relieving activity. They brought in flour and balloons and helped the participants make their own stress balls. This was a fun activity that relieves stress not only just momentarily, but could be used later on. Some of the outcomes identified were new knowledge about stress management techniques, importance of monitoring blood pressure, BMI, changes in hearing ability, and being aware of own health status overall. Pilgrim Rafting Day Pilgrims to Raft the Sacramento River on May 13 th! This year the raft trip through Redding is open to all Pilgrim Families. We are expecting full capacity, so sign up early! The deadline for sign-ups will be Sunday, May 7 th. This is a fun, easy float from The Posse Grounds to Bonneyview Road and should take about 3 hours. The trip is appropriate for ages 5 years and up. We can supply safety gear (life jackets). We will work out shuttles and details once we get our sign ups. A nominal fee will be collected (probably $10/ person because we may need to rent rafts from North Country Rafting. Sign up with Glenn Hoxie after services or call Pilgrim Bike Challenge May is National Bike Month, & Pilgrim has signed up as a team to participate in the annual Shasta Bike Challenge. It s the perfect time of year to dust off your bike and ride to church! As a team, we ll be competing against other groups by riding as many days as possible [individually] & recording miles. Visit shastabikechallenge.org to find out how to register. After that, you can join our team by searching for Pilgrim Congregational Church on strava.com. Contact Elizabeth in the church office for details or assistance.

The best part is we have lots of fun working on this project together and getting to know each other more!

6 French Country Market Bonjour, mes amis! We re well underway in planning and creating for our 7 th annual French Country Market! Can you believe it? This is one event where we invite EVERYONE to get involved in some way making a craft, baking cookies, donating items, setting up, taking down, working the event, telling our friends! The best part is we have lots of fun working on this project together and getting to know each other more! Here are some ways you can get involved: Vintage Collectibles As you are spring cleaning, please consider donating your wonderful collectibles to French Country Market. Our best sellers include specialty dishes, china, crystal, tea cups, decanters, silk scarves, silk ties, vintage bird cages, vintage cookware and vintage jewelry. Simply bring your donations to the FCM room in the basement and leave it on the donation table. Jewelry We are seeking your unused jewelry! We have a variety of uses for jewelry, so please spring clean all those jewelry boxes! If you like working with jewelry, please let Michelle know. peas, black beans, navy beans, red beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas, garbanzo beans, lima beans, lentils and barley. Also, we will need cans of tomatoes and chicken stock. We re collecting the dry beans NOW, as we have 2 FCM soup assembly days planned in June. Please leave your donations on the FCM table in the fellowship room. Gardeners As you are planning your planting schedule, please consider planting some extra 4 and 6 pots of herbs, flowering plants, succulents, veggies and house plants. Bakers We will need sweet breads, cupcakes, cookies, French bread, fudge, candy and some French pastries. We will provide packaging you just need to provide the yummy items! Please get involved in this truly fun event! Even the children will be contributing! Merci! Crafters & Sewists We have several sewing projects available on the FCM table in the fellowship hall. Soup Time Our excellent FCM soup is a best-seller at the event. If you can donate these items, it really helps us hold down the costs: Bags of split - 6 -

Birthdays in May Save the Date Nicole Lightfoot 1st Ann Corrin 5 Seventh Sense Poetry Group May 6 // 10-12:30 // Fireside Room th Lynne Bonetti 12th Marj Stewart 13th Charles Menoher 16th Bev Stupek

7 Birthdays in May Save the Date Nicole Lightfoot 1st Ann Corrin 5 Seventh Sense Poetry Group May 6 // 10-12:30 // Fireside Room th Lynne Bonetti 12th Marj Stewart 13th Charles Menoher 16th Bev Stupek 22nd Lauren Stupek 27th Oaksong May 6 // Doors 7:15, Show at 8 Called to Care May 7 // 11:30 a.m. // Fireside Room Performing Arts Society Concert Dinesh Scott Mantri 28thHaggard s MayThe12Strangers, // 7:30has p.m. Joss, a longtime member of Merle been//a Sanctuary good friend of the Oaksong Music Society for many years. He s now set to return for a show with The Sidemen here in his home town. I can t think of a better way to close out our season! Covenant Sunday - Oaksong Music Society Director Pete Angwin May 13 Artistic // 10 a.m. // Sanctuary Arts 4 Us Concert May 15 // 4 p.m. Hope Van May 19 // 8 a.m. // Breslauer If we missed your birthday, please send your name and birthdate to the church office! We d love to celebrate you! Pilgrim Saturday Breakfast May 20 // 8 a.m. // Marie Callender s Sons of Norway May 20 // 6 p.m. // Fellowship Hall an evening of western swing, gypsy jazz and country music Scott Joss, a longtime member of Merle Haggard s The Strangers, has been a good friend of the Oaksong Music Society for many years. He s now set to return for a show with The Sidemen here in his home town. I can t think of a better way to close out our season! th - Oaksong Music Society Artistic Director Pete Angwin SCOTT JOSS & THE SIDEMEN saturday, may 6 7:15, 8:00 $25/$10* Student (18 & under with valid ID). THE PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE MUSIC CONNECTION 3086 BECHELLI LANE, REDDING, CA or

Pilgrim s Progress J U L Y N E W S L E T T E R

Pilgrim s Progress J U L Y N E W S L E T T E R Pilgrim s Progress J U L Y 2 0 1 7 N E W S L E T T E R Dear Pilgrims, Every two years, General Synod brings together thousands of faithful members of the United Church of Christ for formal church witness,