Dear Family:
MARY’S WOMB
Mary’s womb,
Warm waters.
It was the first resting place of Jesus.
His first ocean.
His hunger for food, for sleep,
for energetic movement,
all were met,
without his asking.
The resources of the inner world were his.
The riches of the umbilical cord
strengthened him.
Without them he would die.
Divine Life itself, was pulsating,
creating, sleeping, dreaming, growing
within the womb,
unseen, hidden in the belly of a young teenager.
The womb,
the safe place,
the growing place,
the learning place,
Mary’s womb.
These words can also describe our new sanctuary, our womb, our birth place for which we have waited patiently.
Sunday, December 18, will be the date of our opening service in the new sanctuary. We will be fed with the Eucharist, with blessed bread, wine or juice. The Worship Committee asks that those choosing to receive blessed wine or juice, do so by Intinction only. We ask that you take the bread and lightly touch the wine with it. There will be no sipping from the common cup. As always, the Eucharist is complete and efficacious in bread only. This decision was made being sensitive to the ongoing presence of
COVID and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus).
Our new sanctuary, our womb if you will, is expansive in size. There will be no sense of crowded space. The sanctuary will house a full bell choir, a vocal
choir in time, the Steinway, the Clavinova, the Altar, and the Pulpit, with comfort.
There are working committees that have shepherded us in the building since last June, and continue to facilitate our move into the new sanctuary. Many hands have made light work as our womb is readied to feed us.
Throughout this whole birthing process, Wade Watson has been our mid-wife. Watching over every detail, smoothing out ripples, negotiating with the powers-that-be, whether they be Deschutes County, the former owner, or the construction company. Wade has readied us for new birth. We owe him our unwavering gratitude. Thanks to his flawless attention, here is our worship schedule:
December 18: Sunday service, 10:30 a.m.
First service in the new Sanctuary
December 24: Christmas Eve Services
Family Service, 3 p.m.
Traditional Service, 6 p.m.
December 25: no service:
“And so God rested on the 7th day.”
January 1: Sunday service, 10 a.m.
The Worship Committee has decided to return to our traditional time frame of 10 a.m. You will receive numerous emails guiding you regarding this time change, as we move closer to January 1, 2023
Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas
Faithfully, Nancy