NOTES FROM WEST MOUNTAIN

The Rev. Mark Diters

Easter is coming! I once saw a magnificent sermon a preacher offered on a Good Friday. He was an artist of repetition and rhythm. And he spoke to the pain and suffering of Jesus in the events of the crucifixion, and paralleled that pain to current situations lived out by his contemporaries and congregation. And as if caught up in his own call and response he would spell out some dark, dark reality of that day and then lift it all with…. “But Easter is coming!” 

This year, like no year before in my lifetime, I am looking forward to Easter. Of course in my younger days, Easter and the chocolate-laced visit from the bunny, held my attention and built expectations, but that was a different sort of excitement and anticipation. This year, as we entered the darker and colder months, with added isolation, increased limitations, and less and less to do, I wondered how all of us would fare with our circumstances. And I wondered for myself, how to best manage my own sense of loss of normalcy and loss of a year of expectations. I had an echo in the back of my mind, “just get through til spring.”

The promise of life made new, the miracle itself, of life over death, the divine mystery amounting to the resurrection and the reality of Christ with us, Easter is coming!

As I write this, we expect warm temperatures for the next few days, The snowpack is just about gone from our south lawn outside the church. And in less than a month, we will celebrate our most sacred day on that lawn, in person, together, with music, with faces, (even if covered), and with the joy of new beginnings welling within.

FOR EASTER…PICK A HAT…DECORATE IT…FLOWERS, RAINBOWS, PICTURES…YOU NAME IT…WEAR IT TO THE 10:00 AM ESTERS SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE ON APRIL 4, 2021!

Peace,

Mark

EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES TEAM
The Events and Experiences team is still interested in displaying members’ creative works at church this spring. This event is envisioned as being different from a traditional art show – in that the focus is on items created during the Pandemic. While traditional artwork is still welcomed, you are invited to think outside the box: have you made an amazing meal or dessert, written poetry or composed songs, created a comic strip, redecorated a room in your home, practiced traditional needle crafts or woodworking, sewn something marvelous, taken photographs, etc.? If you’ve created it, we’d love to display it! For planning purposes, please email Jannie Des Rosiers-Berman at jdberm@comcast.net by March 25th to let her know what you’d like to display and the amount and size of your creation(s). Please invite your creative friends to participate! We will be assuring everyone’s safety when they drop off their work as well as when they view other people’s work. We are hoping to open the show in early May. Details forthcoming.

MARCH 2021 THE BOARD OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE SECOND MILE OFFERING – THE CONSERVATION FUND

The Conservation Fund creates solutions that make environmental and economic sense. They are redefining conservation to demonstrate its essential role in our future prosperity. Top-ranked for efficiency and effectiveness, they have worked in all 50 states to protect over 8 million acres of land since 1985. The Conservation Fund, working with public, private, and nonprofit partners, protects America’s legacy of land and water resources through land acquisition, sustainable community, economic development, and leadership training, emphasizing the integration of economic and environmental goals. Focus areas include Land, Water, Wildlife, Food, Community Development, Climate, and Restoration. A few programs include Conservation Acquisition, Mitigation Solutions, Freshwater Institute, and Working Forest Fund. Please consider making a donation to benefit America’s lands, waters, and communities. For more information, you can visit their website at https://www.conservationfund.org/

SILVER LAKE 2021

Registration for the 2021 summer season opened on January 15th. The 2021 brochure and additional information about the summer camp sessions is available at https://www.silverlakect.org/summercamp. The Board of Christian Service has voted to sponsor a $500.00 scholarship for each youth who attends Silver Lake Summer Camp 2021.  We believe this investment will contribute to the nurturing of our youth’s enthusiasm for service and spiritual belonging to the church community.  We are also eager to help Silver Lake Camp to thrive as an ongoing resource for our youth by stimulating attendance. Please contact the church office or Mark if your child will be attending Silver Lake Camp this year or if you have any questions about the camp.