Pilgrim United Church of Christ 130 Broad Blvd. Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221 Address Correction Requested August 2015 Pilgrim Spire Sunday Schedule: Sunday School 9:30am Worship 10:30am Nursery Care available Social Hour 11:30am Contact us at: www.pilgrimcf.org 330.928.4847 Pilgrim United Church of Christ Staff: Pastor Rev. Kirk Bruce, pilgrimpastor@ameritech.net Faith Formation Director Marilyn Freeman, pilgrimce@ameritech.net Music Director Amy Sauriol, amymalyuk@gmail.com Secretary Katie Mayes, pilgrimoffice@ameritech.net Custodian Peter Paugh
Wishing these Pilgrims a Wonderful August Birthday! 1st-Alice Woodburn Jaden Sandlin 5th Andrew Opritza 8th Sara Mohn 10th Gary DeHart 11th Chandler VanHorn 14th John Howell 15th Meghan Howell 16th Simon Howell Becky Sandlin 20th MaryAnn Reiser 22nd Sue Gillman 29th Evelyn Ing Prayers for Pilgrims Please pray for Judy for strength. Please pray for JoAnn concerning health issues. Please pray for all those who are grieving. Please pray for all those traveling to have safe trips. Please pray for patience and forgiveness. Please pray for healing for those who need it. Please pray for Matt and Heidi and their children concerning cancer diagnosis and sale of their house. Please pray for those suffering with mental illness and anxiety. Please pray for Waymon concerning health issues. Please pray for the Brown and Houston families. Please pray for the family of Jess in their time of loss. Please pray for Cyndi concerning breast cancer diagnosis. Please pray for Therese concerning colon cancer diagnosis. Blessing Jar Praises for new friends made at VBS! The Blessing jar is located in the Social Hall for anyone that would like to have their praises listed here.
The Pilgrim Spire August 2015 P i l g ri m U n ited Ch u r ch o f C h ris t 1 3 0 B r o ad Bo u l e v a rd C u y a h oga Fa l l s, O H 44 2 2 1 Staff Pastor Reverend Kirk Bruce Faith Formation Director Marilyn Freeman Music Director Amy Sauriol Secretary Katie Mayes Custodian Peter Paugh Contact Info Office phone: 330.928.4847 Office Fax 330.928.1017 Email: Reverend Kirk Bruce pilgrimpastor@ameritech.net Marilyn Freeman pilgrimce@ameritech.net Katie Mayes pilgrimoffice@ameritech.net Visit our website at: www.pilgrimcf.org for electronic versions of current and previous Spires, calendars, the Pilgrim Constitution, wedding, funeral and facility use policies, history and much more! The Pilgrim Spire will be published one time each month. If you have something you d like to share with your fellow Pilgrims, please contact the church office to include your announcement in the next edition of The Pilgrim Spire.. If you would prefer to receive this via email, please contact the church office. Please contact the office with any address changes. Thank you! Pastor s Parable Well, the time has come. The time no one is looking forward to, but it comes to us all. Vacation is over. All of the planning, thinking, and dreaming for the last year has been lived out in vacation, for better or worse. It was wonderful! While Ohio had multiple days of rain throughout July, in the Seattle rain forest of Northwest Washington, there were forest fires. Another way of saying that is to say it was dry and great for vacationing. One of the creative ways that God has the made the world in the rain forest is by creating nurse logs. When a giant spruce ages, dies, and blows over, it leaves a hole in the forest. As the tree rots and decomposes it becomes a nurse log. Seeds from the trees around take root in the bark of the downed tree. They draw water and nutrition from the rotting, deteriorating, dead tree trunk. From the death of the fallen tree, comes life and renewal for many new seedlings. You and I seldom see the full impact of our lives. These impacts take years to develop and often happen in the years that follow us. But we do what we do because we believe our actions will make a difference for others. They will make a difference not only in our own time, but in the time that follows us. Just today I had a woman stop in my office needing money for gas, which I helped her with. Her tale of woe was significant. As she was leaving, I told her you choose the life you want to live. Bad stuff happens to us all. Focus on the bad stuff and that is where you will be living. Focus on the good and you can live there instead. Life is made precious because it does have an end. It is not eternal. You will likely never see the impact of your choices. But choose well and choose wisely because these choices will outlive you. They will be your life s gift to the world. What gift would you like to give? See You Sunday, vacation is over and I am home. Shalom, Pastor Kirk
August Faith Formation and Youth Group News Youth can see information and/or sign-up for any and all events on the Youth Bulletin Board right across from Pastor Kirk s office. Wednesday JOY! Kids ~ NEW! Fall Program Preview! The Faith Formation Board received the blessing of Council to begin in September a new Wednesday evening program for children in grades 1-5. We will start the evening with a simple meal at 6 pm and wrap-up by 7:30 pm. Our time together will include faith experiences, music, crafts and games. There will be more information coming soon with ways you can help support this endeavor. Important Dates to Remember August 3-5 Adventures with God Camp August 11 Faith Formation Annual Picnic on the Patio, 6:00 pm A BIG THANK YOU to everyone that donated their time, talent, and goods to make our Fruit of the Spirit VBS a success! WE couldn t do it without all of you! Stay tuned for the next event---shrimp BOIL! We already have our reservation in for Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MI for June, 2016 and there will be a shrimp boil sometime this fall to raise awareness of the needs and funds for our trip. Summer Class Schedule: Our youth and children are invited to take a different approach to traditional Sunday morning class time (9:30 10:15 am) from July 5 through September 9. July 5/August 2, 16, 23/September 6 Story Time/Craft Children s Library July 12/August 9, 23 Pilgrim Garden work - Wear gardening clothes and come weed and harvest in the Pilgrim Church garden July 19 Gather to practice Vacation Bible School songs and stories to sing during worship July 26 and August 30- we will gather at 9:15 and go to breakfast together. There will be story time in the Children s Library ~ Women s Retreat, November 6-8 at Salt Fork State Park Lodge. Plans are in the works. Stay tuned for more information. ACME Community Cash Back Start saving your ACME grocery store receipts. The program starts with receipts dated August 20th and after. The collection box will be in the Social Hall. Thank you for helping the Youth Mission Trip Fund!
Thinking about singing in the choir? We have a robe for you! Our first meeting of the season will be on September 6, 9:00 a.m. in the Heritage Room, and we will begin singing during worship the following week, September 13. Please join us! All skill levels are welcome. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the coming year, please share them with Music Director, Amy Sauriol, or stop by a Music Committee Meeting!
Gratitude Abounds... We are grateful to so many people at Pilgrim Church for their involvement in the memorial service for our beloved David. Special thanks are in order for Dr. Don Nichols for conducting the service, and to Don Moore for his beautiful music, especially his moving rendition of The Ohio State University alma mater, "Carmen Ohio." A very special thank you goes to Kathie Richards and her "crew" for their set-up and serving of the lunch which followed the service. We were touched by the beautiful floral arrangements on each table, especially since most of the flowers came from the gardens of Pilgrim Church members! What a gift you gave!! We also want to acknowledge secretary, Katie Mayes, and custodian, Peter Paugh, for providing their services. Last, but not least, we want to thank the members and friends of Pilgrim Church for their support during these past five years and at the time of our loss. The cards, kind words of sympathy, and other expressions of concern were a source of strength and comfort to us. The David Ewart Family Dear Pilgrim Church Family, Thank you for the very pretty flower arrangement. John really seems to enjoy them. With Love, Corrine Rey Thank you to the following Pilgrim bakers for so generously giving of your time to bake cookies for the General Synod: Dan G., Janna R., Polly M., Barb M., Linda S., Jo K., Cheryl B., Sandi I., and Kathie R. We appreciate your hard work! Dear Pilgrim Church, Thank you to your staff and your members for all the gracious hospitality. You were mom and dad s last official spiritual home. Thank you for your presence in their lives. The family of Elizabeth Plant Dear Friends in Christ, Thank you for your gift for international disaster recovery. Your gift enables the UCC to accompany people impacted by disaster around the world. We invite your continued prayer and support. Together in Spirit, Rev. Dr. Mary Schaller Blaufuss Dear Friends, Thank you, Pilgrim UCC, for being a difference maker with your gift. Your gift helps bring hope and abundance into the lives of those we serve. With Gratitude, Gloria T. Hurwitz, CFRE, United Church Homes Dear Pilgrim UCC, Your gift helps young people make good choices for their lives. It changes their futures. Thank you for caring about troubled children and helping them make a better life. Sincerely, Ms. Kyle Zanker, CDO, CROSSROAD
Pilgrim UCC Presents... Flicks on the Wall Outdoor Family Movie Night On Sunday, August 9, 2015 @ 8:30 pm Premiering the Movie: Based on the classic children s book about a cunning mouse and the GRuffalo Popcorn and drinks will be served Pilgrim UCC Presents... Community Fun Day Join us Sunday, September 13, 2015 For Worship at 10:30 am followed by food and fun on the lawn. We will be grilling burgers and hot dogs, playing ladder golf and horseshoes, and there will be a bounce house for the kids! Please bring a dish to share. Please consider donating to cost of the bounce house rental or donating ground beef for the burgers. You can send any donation to the church office. Thank you for your generosity!
Congregational Meetings There will be two special congregational meetings in September to address the steeple repair and restoration. Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 13, 2015 and for Sunday, September 27, 2015. The meetings will take place immediately following Worship. Production Assistance Needed!!! Interested in volunteering your time and talents for the Fall Production? We need YOU! We are currently recruiting volunteers to help with set design and building, costumes, and stage hands. If you are interested, you are invited to attend a short informational meeting on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at 12:00pm. Bring your ideas! Hope to see YOU there! This theater group is a great way to reach out to our community and share the love of Christ and grow the Church, including Pilgrim UCC.