9:30 am & 11:00 am Services
SERMON “No Idling”
The Rev. Caroline Steinemann Unzaga
SCRIPTURE: Luke 24:1-12 and Acts 10:34-43
MUSIC: Soloist, Victoria Cannizzo and The Chancel Choir with brass
Maundy Thursday, April 18 | 7:30 pm | Worship and “Upper Room” meal in Fellowship Hall
Friday April 19 | 7:30 pm. A “Tenebrae” Worship in our sanctuary. Chancel Choir, Soloists and Readers lead. Come Recall in somber tones, Jesus’ last earthly hours.
God of our weary years and our silent tears,
We are shattered by the deaths of 49 Muslim neighbors in New Zealand,
cut down in the midst of Friday prayers.
We are horrified, angry, despairing
We struggle with a knowledge that our prayers alone are not enough
our silence in the face of intolerance and fear is complicity
a fear that we do not know a way forward that will help
an emptiness: we have been here before, too many times,
and we know we will walk this bloodied path again.
What can we do, with such fear and anger and longing,
that can bind us together,
rather than further tear apart the fabric of our common life?
We are failing one another, and we are failing You, O Maker of the Universe:
our Mercy, our Justice, our Peace.
We pray for our neighbors in Christchurch
and for our whole broken and heartbroken world
in this hard season of violence, death and extremism
each one lost is a child made in Your image.
each survivor is beloved to You
each afflicted community is part of your commonwealth.
We lift our prayers for each life lost, each family bereaved,
The worshiping communities whose fabric has been violently torn asunder
by bullets and hatred and fear.
We pray for ourselves, that this wounding, this outrage,
will not fade from our minds before our hearts are broken open
by Your passion for mercy, justice, and love.
Make us ceaseless in our resistance to xenophobia, intolerance, and fear.
May the knowledge of your divine image, given to every living being,
warm hearts that have grown cold,
and invigorate our desire to embrace our differences
and celebrate our belonging in the whole human family.
Make the waters of our tears nourish the river that flows through the city of God,
and the tree of life that is for the healing of the nations.
In the name of the God who is One, we pray. Amen.
–the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, director, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, PC(USA)
Dear members and friends of Wyoming Presbyterian Church,
As we fast approach the season of Lent, I would like to share with you a poem that I quoted in worship earlier this month:
“This is not / the age of information. // This is not /the age of information.
Forget the news, / and the radio, / and the blurred screen.
This is the time of loaves / and fishes.
People are hungry, / and one good word is bread / for a thousand.”
—David Whyte, “Loaves and Fishes,” The House of Belonging
The poet, David Whyte, wrote this poem in 1996, but it easily could have been written today. It seems to ring true despite the fact that we have even more technology than we did over 20 years ago and many more news outlets. In this era when trust is at an all-time low, aren’t we all starving for one good word? Is the church where we find that word that feeds the multitudes? I hope so.
This month we enter the season of Lent, a time of reflection upon the Word that feeds us and sustains us. It is precisely during this season of Lent that we slow down, turn off the noise (or at least turn it down), and reflect on the story of our collective faith. As we pare down our lives, we find that the Word is what truly nourishes us. Here is a list of opportunities for worship, study, and fellowship at Wyoming Church during Lent and Easter
There are also additional activities in our vibrant community; Please check out our website at wyomingpresbyterian.org or our facebook page (“Wyoming Presbyterian Church”) for more details. At a time when we are all hungry for a good word, I hope that you will join us during this Lenten season to come together and to be fed.
Grace and peace, Rev. Caroline Unzaga, Interim Pastor
An Adult Lenten Study
Sundays at 11:15 am: March 10 – April 7 (in the Hoffmann Room)
Plan to join this 5 week Exploratory Study during Lent.
Over this 5 week study, we will explore a key Lenten theme related to a Biblical text. Themes include: voice gratitude, take the long view, choose well, accept responsibility, welcome the future and trust God in times of conflict. Each session ends with a meditation on how the text speaks to our modern situation.
HOUSE OF MERCY MISSION SANDWICH MAKING
Friday, April 26-7:00 p.m. in the church kitchen: Join us to make sandwiches and bag 120 lunches. Other ways to help from home: bake and individually wrap brownies or write encouraging notes to be included in each lunch bag.
Continue reading “Help make bag lunches for a local Feeding Program”
WPC Appalachian High School Mission Team’s
BEEFSTEAK DINNER – Fundraiser on Sunday, March 24, 2019 5:00-5:30 in The Cottage
5:30 – 7:30 pm Dinner in Fellowship Hall
All you can eat traditional beefsteak menu:Hand Sliced Beef Tenderloin served on Fresh Cut Bread, Golden French fries, Spring Mix Salad, and Assorted Desserts
Reservations are now closed.
Ash Wednesday Worship – 7:30 pm
A prayerful entry into Lent with the imposition of ashes.
Be there from the beginning.
Saturday Evening, March 9 | 6:00-9:00 pm
Wyoming Presbyterian Church with Morrow Methodist Church is co-sponsoring a Syrian dinner in our Fellowship Hall through The United Tastes of America. A meal will be prepared by refugee families recently settled in N.J. This is an opportunity for them to share their traditional cooking skills and for us to welcome them to our country and help set them on a path to independence. Please join us for an evening of fellowship, cultural exchange and delicious food! Invite your friends!
Tickets are $55 per person plus $3 processing fee and can be booked at www.theunitedtastesofamerica.org by scrolling down to the event and register. Please register by February 23.
