Beyond the Pulpit 9.22.24
Our most significant opportunity beyond the pulpit this past week was last week’s Grow Group launch last Sunday Morning! If you couldn’t make it, I hope you’ll join us this week. Here’s how it works:
- 9:45am-10am – Grab a snack in the Fellowship Hall (elementary snacks are already in their classrooms!), meet and greet, and make your say to the location for your Grow Group:
- The Flock (Pre-K-2nd Gr) – Upstairs Classroom
- The Seed (3rd – 4th Gr) – Upstairs Mural Room
- The Salt (5th – 8th Gr) – Basement Youth Lounge
- The Vine (9th – 12 Gr) – Mudhouse – meet on front lawn to walk there together
- The Sowers (Adults 18+) – Fellowship Hall
- The Choir (Sanctuary Choir) – Sanctuary
- 10-10:45am – Each Grow Group will participate in a scripture based learning opportunity!
- 10:45am – Dismiss (So worship leaders can prepare for 11am worship!)
Nursery is available 9am-Noon for any kiddos not yet in Kindergarten!
If you’d like to join the “Breakfast Club” and sign up to provide breakfast snacks for Grow Groups, please contact Leah Paige or Lynne Eccard.
No registration is necessary! There’s a place for everyone. Invite friends and family and come Grow in your faith with us!
This past week, I also met for the first time with the Crozet Regional Interfaith Outreach Council, a group of faith communities and non-profit organizations here in Crozet which work to address needs in our community. I learned that the Crozet Cares Closet was birthed out of this group, and I’m grateful that our congregation supports this community effort. We also learned about the alarming rate of human trafficking in our area because of our proximity to the intersection of I81 & I64. One of the co-founders of Magnolia Rose, a local non-profit, shared with us about their efforts to provide a safe place and resources for victims of trafficking.
If you have community concerns, like human trafficking, public transportation, mental health resources, etc., I hope you’ll plan to join CUMC’s social justice ministry leaders today at Noon in the Fellowship Hall for our next listening session. Throughout this month, we’ve been holding these “house meetings” as an opportunity to hear about your community concerns. Other faith communities in Charlottesville and Albemarle County are holding similar gatherings, so that we might see what common concerns exist that might be addressed by IMPACT Charlottesville, a partner organization of faith communities seeking to create significant social change by unified direct action. Our church has been a partner with IMPACT for several years. Curious? Want to learn more? Join us at Noon, Sunday, September 22, in the Fellowship Hall or 10am, Tuesday, September 24, at the home of Carol and Fred Richart.
Grateful for all the ways we join together in ministry, beyond the pulpit.
Peace,
Pastor Christy