No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Matthew 5:15 (NRSV)
What’s Bring-A-Friend Sunday, you ask?
This week on Sunday, March 6th, we’ll gather for worship with a few friends…and introduce them to Pilgrim Church. Week after week, we get to spend time in worship with folks we know pretty well. But most people we know are not there. Why should we hide our light under a basket? Why wouldn’t we share it with others? If you like what you experience at Pilgrim Church, it’s time to share that joy with someone else. So bring a friend to worship this week. We’ll have fellowship time in Fellowship Hall again, and we’re also presenting our visitors with Guest Bags to welcome them and to tell them about what’s happening at Pilgrim.
But what about you, our dear friends who already attend Pilgrim?
I hope you’re coming too. This is an ALL-HANDS-ON-DECK Sunday! If you were visiting a new church and you came and found it mostly empty, what would you think? I know many of us have avoided in-person worship during COVID outbreaks, but things are changing. I know you’re at sports and other family activities…so why not church? Coming to church on Bring-A-Friend Sunday would send a great message to new friends: we’re here and we’re busy being Pilgrim Church!
Of Course, that’s not all that’s going on…
This week a number of volunteers at Pilgrim Church celebrated Shrove Tuesday (aka Fat Tuesday, the last day before Lent) in a BIG way by serving 225 pancake dinners! Most of the folks who received were not members of Pilgrim Church, but just community folks who know a good thing when they see it. We made regular and gluten-free pancakes, and served them with real maple syrup, hand-made fruit cups, and sausages. The reviews from partakers were that Pilgrim Church makes a GREAT Breakfast for Dinner!
We got so many thanks from people who didn’t have to think about how to feed their families for a night. They said it was fun and that they were glad to meet us. Meanwhile, we included literature about Pilgrim and upcoming services and events (like Family Game Night this Sunday, March 6th at 6 pm)! It was a great way to celebrate Mardi Gras, and I hope it will be a new tradition at Pilgrim in years to come.
Finally, mighty hard times require mighty responses:
A number of folks have asked how they can help people a world away in the conflict in Ukraine. I have received word from relatives in Romania that the Romanian United Fund for Ukraine is an excellent place to make donations to support refugees. Follow that link and know that your donations will be gratefully accepted.
Another place you might visit to help is The World Central Kitchen. Our moderator found out about them at work, and it’s a great organization to support as well. Sometimes when you’re feeling helpless or like there’s nothing you can do, donating to solid groups like these can feel empowering.
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