I am so excited about the month of Sundays in September I can barely stand it! We’ve claimed the month of September as our Invitation Initiative, Bring a Friend Month, Invite Somebody to Church…you get the point. We, all of us, have been sharing stories and invitation cards with our friends—inviting people to come worship and serve with us at Kirkwood UCC. Put down roots. Grow. Branch Out!!!!!! Through the grace and goodness of God, that’s what we’re praying and hoping to be about these next several days—years.
It’s been a great August, gathering for worship, gathering for food and gathering school supplies that were given to about 200 children and teachers at Toomer Elementary and Coan Middle School in the Kirkwood Community. There are many generous hearts at Kirkwood UCC! We ate supper together every Sunday following our worship this month and it was so much fun to be together and talk and share and eat, of course. A very special thank you to Chris Mayer and her family and to Kelly O’Connor for having us over to their houses and extending such wonderful hospitality to the whole crowd!
I want you to pray with me about these next couple of months. I am certain that the church is experiencing some forward momentum and excitement right now and if we continue to reach out in love and kindness to others, inviting them to be a part of a community of faith that is following Christ, loving others and sharing life together in genuine and relevant ways, people will come and visit and eventually stay and serve. This is a lot of work my friends—to build a church—to gather together as the body of Christ, but because of who God is and because of who you are and are becoming, it is happening! Thanks be to God! And thanks be to You! I do hope you know how thankful I am for you—that I pray for you daily and love you deeply. Susannah

We're moving...

Dear Friends,
It follows the rule —the experience of planting the small seed, the digging in at first, the watering, the fertilizing—waiting—watching—hoping—praying and then it begins to happen, little by little. That’s what it feels like this month. Kirkwood UCC has been growing—slowly, but steadily, little by little, day by day with much waiting—watching-hoping and praying.

May 18th marks our first move—- creating space for more. We will gather for worship in our new space at Bessie Branham Community Center @ 5:00. This is an opportunity for our congregation to grow-space for our community of faith to invite and share and offer hospitality to all people.

It will be a change from our coffee house worship-we will still need to Create Space and be Creative with this space. If you have some special/sacred art or artifact, creation or construction to add to our worship space that would be great-bring it with you on the 18th. We will stay after worship on the 11th and work on some community banners, too. I am excited and a little nervous of all that is ahead, but I do believe that God is leading and guiding us to this next place.

Following are several prayer requests, dreams and visions that I ask you and encourage you to pray about with me:
A good move for all of us
Loving child care for our children
Meaningful & creative worship, offering God's love and new life
New friends and neighbors to fill this space
Our Kirkwood UCC Church and Community
Our larger UCC community

Waiting, Watching, Hoping, Praying and with much love,
Susannah

Ash Wednesday's coming...

Grace and Peace to you my sisters and brothers. I have been so thankful for our worship together during this season of Epiphany and look forward to journeying with you through this season of Lent into the glorious celebration of Easter! It has been a busy time no doubt...for all of us. End of the year stuff, what a pain in the neck and head. Recovering, in many ways from Christmas--easier--calmer--lighter next year, right. Making coffee, selling coffee (thank God), a little time in the mountains, more time with you and a couple of fires in the fire place at home.

Christmas Eve was a one year mark for us in our gathering together and I will join with the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ New Church Development Committee to share with them all that has happened in that year. It is exciting to think about, even hard to believe at moments, amazing and holy in so many ways. I've put together a year in review power point and it's powerful, to realize all that God is doing in and among us. Praise the Lord!

Some highlights include all the 1st annuals, like the blessing of the animals and our Christmas Caroling. We participated in 8 service-mission projects and gave about $5700. to mission projects in our neighborhood and different places around the world! Come to church Sunday and you can see the powerpoint.

Ash Wednesday begins our Lenten journey and we will gather for an early morning service Feb.6th at 6:30 at the coffee shop, please join us if you can. AND, if you are interested, here are some other resources that might give us strength on our journey. Go to i.ucc.org and click on the Lenten Journey...some good stuff. I love you so much and thank God for you, everyday! Please pray for me and for each other--prayer makes alllllllll the difference in the world. S

Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent

Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays celebrate the Resurrection. Lent begins on the 6th of February 2008 and ends on the 22nd of March which is the day before Easter. It's really early this year--it came this early in the 30's but only twice in 250 years.
Lent is observed throughout the Christian Church and all may participate. And why would we want to participate…
Well, it is a time of self reflection—soul searching. Before Jesus began is full time ministry, he went out to the wilderness to pray…(Luke 4:1-13) and this is a time when we are invited to do the same, to wander in the wilderness with Jesus. During this time, we are invited to pray, to fast, to forgive, to love and to open ourselves wide to the transforming grace and goodness of God.