The Beacon
Newsletter
March 22, 2024 Volume 66, No 12
This SUNDAY: Palm and passion Sunday
Join us for a creative service that begins with “Hosanna!” and our traditional Children’s Palm Parade – but then moves into a reflective time in which we will walk with Peter as he accompanies (and fails to accompany) Jesus to the cross. This service will use art, a simple interactive ritual, and story-telling as we move into Holy Week.
To prepare, please read: John 13, 18, and 19.
Pastor Paula Ulrich
Sunday, March 24
9:30 a.m. Meet & Eat
10:30 a.m. Worship
Monday, March 25
Office Open 8:00 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 26
12:30 p.m. Spirit Journey Women
Office Closed
Wednesday, March 27
9:30-11:30 a.m. Food Bank
6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal with bell choir to follow
Office Open 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 28
4:00 p.m. Worship Preview meeting
6:30 p.m. Love Feast
Pastor Anna Lisa On-site
Office Closed
Friday, March 29
9:00-2:00 p.m. Office Open
Saturday, March 30
Pastor Paula’s Day Off
Sunday, March 31
9:30 a.m. Meet & Eat
9:45 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt
10:30 a.m. Worship
Remember to check the Breeze calendar for upcoming events and activities!
Worship on 3/17/2024:
In-person attendance 67
Offering 3/10 $9,885
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Food Bank on 3/20/2024:
Individuals served: 65
Families served: 17
Our Offering on Palm Sunday
Given the creative, prayerful nature of our worship on Palm Sunday, we will not collect the offering during the service. But you are invited to place your offering in the offering plates, which will be located in the hallway outside of the sanctuary.
Centering music offered by Tim Wages in the sanctuary
prior to the service.
"Fight Like Jesus" during
Meet and Eat!!!
For one more Sunday in March during Meet and Eat, we will be discussing Jason Porterfield's book, Fight Light Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace throughout Holy Week (Herald Press, 2022). Porterfield structures the book based on the events of each day of Holy Week. If you are reading along, please keep the following schedule in mind. If you aren't reading along, that's fine. Dan Ulrich will summarize the important points.
March 24
Chapter 7: "Friday: Who Holds the Hammer?"
Chapter 8: "Saturday and Sunday: Peace Be with You"
Easter Meet & Eat Potluck!
Easter Sunday is next Sunday! It’s also potluck Sunday for Meet and Eat! Time for you to share something for folks to eat! It doesn’t have to be fancy or huge- do you have a favorite Easter baked item? Do you want to bring some yogurt and fruit? Get some donuts at your favorite shop. If you want to bake something, go right ahead. This is a time to share various foods and enjoy the assortment that comes! The last Sunday of every month will be a potluck for Meet and Eat, so if you don’t have anything to share next Sunday, maybe you can share the NEXT Meet and Eat potluck the last Sunday of May.
Weekly Food Bank Update
Thank you for all your donations! Currently, the most needed items are pancake mix and syrup. Monetary donations are also appreciated.
Shoppers are needed for April 2024, if you would like to sign-up! The sign-up sheet is located on the office countertop.
New Members Sunday!
We will welcome new members to our congregation during worship on April 7. Put this important celebration on your calendar! A reception will follow worship. If you would like to become a member at Beacon Heights that Sunday, but haven't had the opportunity to speak with us about it, please let Pastor Paula know.
2023 Annual report Poplar Village Gardens
It was an eventful year at Poplar Village Gardens in 2023! Among our infrastructure projects we finished the black raspberry trellis, built several bee houses and increased the number of working strawberry towers to 9. We also started 2 new fruit tree guilds, installed a rainbow bench (donated by the church) and 3 picnic tables, added 8 new garden beds, 5 growing barrels, and planted 11 new trees and 4 blueberry bushes. At our satellite site we installed fruit bearing shrubs, natives and yarrow to begin development in that space. Our established guilds received foot paths for visitors to follow. Our donations to Miss Virginia’s food pantry totaled 700 lbs of food. Our community grew in exciting ways! We hosted 16 volunteer workday events including a large invasive removal event in the fall that appears to have been successful. Our work with Miss Virginia’s expanded to accepting their compost in our compost area and cycling some food out of the waste stream and back into the food stream. This is so exciting! We hosted 2 local food week tours in collaboration with our neighbor, Uncle Doc’s premium sodas, and raised $135.00 to help stock the free food pantry out front of our site and offered a tour to approximately 30 people following a panel discussion on native plants at Electric Works. Two young LGBTQ persons in the neighborhood were employed as gardeners and we gave summer work to some of the neighborhood youth. Out of the 20 garden beds in the community garden we had 10 beds being gardened by neighbors. One of those neighbors built some decorative and functional trellises for a couple of those beds. We commissioned a young artist to design and create identification markers for each growing area in the lower orchard. In total we had 760 logged volunteer hours.
We have great hopes for 2024. The cardboard and cat litter jug donations have already been put into use and we can always use more. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube and ask us about our wish list for items that you no longer need that can be useful in the garden. Additionally, visitors are invited to come and enjoy this beautiful natural space at any time or can attend volunteer workdays and meet our community.
Diana Hart
ReFRESH Update March 2024
As you look around, you will begin to see some changes in Beacon Heights décor as the ReFRESH committee explores ways to enhance feelings of welcome and inspiration. This week the quilt from the south entryway was taken down but you will soon see it in a different location. On Easter Sunday, the north entryway will feature new art and décor and perhaps a new arrangement of furniture. Come early to take a look!
In April we will clear out the youth room in the basement to create an indoor play space for preschool use during inclement weather. With this change, the tables and chairs in the Fellowship Hall can remain set up throughout the week. As with all areas used by the preschool, we are able to use the youth room for congregational purposes when needed. If you have any questions, ideas, or concerns about ReFRESH, please share them with the ReFRESH committee: Donna Kline, Carol Lindquist, Linda Myers, Thom Quinlan, Deb Romary, Lisa Leichty Steele, and Linda Wolf or with board chair,
Dave Wysong.
We are so grateful for the financial foundation you are providing through your pledges and donations as we determine what work will be included in ReFRESH Phase 2.
As a friendly reminder, pledges are due April 1 and donations are due by June 1. Thank you!
Letter Writing Opportunity
If you would like to learn more about writing to someone on death on death row, please speak with Ev or Bill Kilgore. https://www.brethren.org/news/2024/introducing-the-new-drsp-team/
Abortion Care Package Assembly Open House and Fundraiser
Join us to assemble care packages for patients receiving care in Ohio, donate to the Jubilee Abortion Fund, a faith based abortion fund providing practical support for abortion patients (childcare stipends, hotel stays, transportation, language interpretation, all-options counseling, and more!). Come for a short time or stay for a while. Create connections with other reproductive rights advocates. We will provide all care package materials, coffee, and light snacks.
Saturday, March 23 at 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., Plymouth Congregational Church in the Folsom Room. No donations required, all care package materials will be provided.
Invitation
An invitation to the 100th birthday celebration for Joe Mason who is Ev Kilgore's dad. Feel free to attend if you would like or send him a card at:
Box 501
N. Manchester, IN 46962
Indiana Primaries
The Indiana Primaries are approaching on May 7, and this is the perfect time to make sure you're registered to vote. You might be confident that you are, but in this era of renewed voter suppression, names disappear from the rolls.
Please take a moment to check your voter registration status here! Enter your name exactly as it appears on your registration. I was surprised that Anna Lisa Gross is not registered, but Anna Gross is. As you prepare your plan to vote, take a moment to learn what offices are on the ballot and who the candidates are in each district here.
Next SUNDAY: March 31, 2024
Theme: Easter Sunday
Peter does so many things wrong. But he does a bunch of things right, too! When we think we have failed, made mistakes, messed up, said the wrong thing, or done the dumbest thing, Peter and Jesus show us that it’s not the end. Peter shows us that we can still run toward hope, be amazed, and begin again – because that’s what resurrection is all about. In what ways do you need Jesus’ life-giving grace and resurrection this Easter?
To prepare, please read: Luke 24:1-12.
Pastor Paula Ulrich
Published by Beacon Heights
Church of the Brethren
Editor: Alexis Shoda
Phone: (260) 482-8595
Email: office@beaconheights.net
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