Join us for services
Worship Every Sunday – 10:30 a.m.
All Are Welcome! Interactive, Online
This Sunday, July 12, 2020
Preaching: Rev. Rich Gamble
Worship leaders: Rev. Lauren & Rev. Yuki
Text: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Theme: Good Soil
Musicians: Elliot Kraber, vocals, and Yiğit Kolat, piano/instruments
We currently meet online for interactive worship through the Zoom Meetings platform. The link to the worship service is mailed through the newsletter every Sunday morning. Want to invite someone to worship with us? Send them the Sunday newsletter cheat sheet, or invite them to subscribe to our newsletter through our web site by clicking here: http://www.keystoneseattle.org/contact.
SUNDAY SCHEDULE: Our Sundays together begin with Sunday School and Storytime with Teacher Anita at 10 a.m. Children and their families spend 20 minutes in a Zoom breakout room with Anita, then return to the main Zoom space, where worship starts with music at 10:30 a.m. Also at 10 a.m., folks can hang out for a "Bring Your Own Coffee ☕ (half) hour" where we have some time to see each other and talk before worship. After worship, we'll also have about 15 minutes for connection and sharing together in breakout rooms.
Happy Listening Anytime: Miss a Sermon? Down at Classroom? Audio Available Online: Click on a file for a listen HERE, and share! Or watch sermons and worship services on our YouTube page & subscribe!
We continue to lift our prayers:
For community members helping one another with technology access so we can stay in touch.
For the CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest) and the continued hope that #BlackLivesMatter will lead the city and our nation toward peaceful change, including new forms of policing that benefit communities, and help us build a world of justice and equality, where everyone gets a chance to live fully.
And our prayers continue to surround:
Nell and her family, in their devoted loving ongoing care for her every day.
Sandie, for continued rest and recovery, and healing for knee pain.
Pierre, for continued support and treatment for his back pain.
Cassie, a cousin of Pastor Yuki's partner Clint, who has tested positive with Covid-19 and is working her way through the virus and recovery.
Holy God ... hear our prayers!
These prayers are crafted to carry those shared in worship to our whole community, in the general spirit in which they were given (one pastor or leader makes note as one prays.) We also especially welcome you to send Rev. Lauren your note during the week with any prayer request, and we can incorporate it into our online worship (if you may not be up for voicing it). We are also always glad for you to add your prayers to the Zoom chat box during live worship, and we can fold them in to the spoken prayers. Contact Keystone's pastors for any pastoral concerns (contact info is below and at the bottom of this newsletter)
Prayers to include in the newsletter? Email them to Pastor Yuki (yuki.schwartz@keystoneseattle.org), Pastor Rich (keystone5019@gmail.com), &/or Pastor Lauren: lauren.cannon@keystoneseattle.org, or text/ call Lauren cell: 773.501.7382
Actions You Can Take This Week:
Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light is urging folks to call their national representatives and pass an ongoing Covid-19 relief and stimulus package that will “prioritize relief for workers, the unemployed, and underemployed , end financial bailouts for the fossil fuel industry, implement a nationwide moratorium on utility shut-offs, care for vulnerable and disproportionately impacted communities , invest in clean energy, jobs, and a just transition, and protect our democratic process.” Click here to send a letter to your senators and congressional representatives.
The government this week announced that it will require international students who are attending schools in the US to leave the country if their schools have switched to an online-only curriculum to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Call or email your senators and representative and ask them to oppose this policy. Find more information, including scripts you can use to help you craft your message, in this online document.
Green Team Update
The Green Team met on Tuesday, July 7, to finalize the application for Keystone to become one of the United Church of Christ’s Creation Justice Churches. This designation means that Keystone has declared that we are making creation justice, which includes environmental justice and advocacy but also recognizes that systemic and institutional injustices such as housing insecurity, immigration and economic injustices, racism, and homophobia and transphobia, all damage the Earth and the living beings who live here. We support our denomination and are joining other churches in the UCC in the work toward climate justice and creation care. You can see the Green Team’s finalized application at this Google doc. Pastor Yuki will send the application to the UCC’s National Setting in Cleveland this week.
The Green Team also identified some trainings and educational opportunities on voting and the November 2020 election that the team will look into. We also discussed how important it will be to elect leaders who will take climate justice seriously and who will enact policies based in justice and creation care. These educational opportunities include:
Drawdown Seattle will host Rob Beem, with the Movement Voter Project, at its next Climate Solutions Conversations, July 26 at 3 p.m. on Zoom. The Movement Voter Project promotes get-out-the-vote efforts by grassroots organizations in key swing states for the November 2020 election. Sign up at their meetup page at https://www.meetup.com/SeattleClimateChange/events/qnxwtrybckbjc/ .
Common Power, an organization that works to promote democratic initiatives in the US, invites folks to screen three talks by its founder, David Domke, on the November 2020 election, and the importance of voting in that election. These talks will be shared on Zoom during the week of July 13, but if you register and purchase a ticket you can watch them at any time. Check out the lineup and topics at https://commonpower.org/events.
The next Green Team meeting will be Tuesday, August 4, at 6:30 p.m. on Keystone’s Zoom.
TONIGHT: Keystone Tells Stories
Join us for Keystone's Wednesday Story Night! We're continuing to tell stories along the theme of "A Small Thing That Made a Big Difference in My Life." Tonight's storyteller is Charles Rudash.
The storytelling space opens up at 6:15 p.m., and storytelling will start at 6:30 p.m., in the same Zoom space we use on Sunday mornings and for our other gatherings (look for a Cheat Sheet with the info coming in your email!).
Online and/or Open? Share Your Thoughts on Our Future Plans
Keystone has weathered the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic by meeting in virtual Zoom space for our worship, studies, and fellowship. But as the pandemic ebbs and flows, and also as counties in Puget Sound begin cautiously reopening, we're recognizing the need to begin thinking about what the future of Keystone could and should look like. And we need you to help us figure that out!
Pastor Lauren will facilitate a Keystone community listening and feedback session on Wednesday July 22, form 6:30-7:15 p.m. in Keystone's Zoom space. We'll talk about:
How are our evolving worship/studies/story telling sessions working for you?
How does our online worship compare with in-person worship?
What have we gained by worshipping online? What are we losing?
What other practices, studies, or experiences would you like to do on Zoom?
What would you need to feel safe when we return to in-person worship? How do you imagine physical distancing working in our worship space?
We won't be at a point where we can unveil any grand future plan, but we can discuss potential options. We seek to offer a bit of time to hear each other's challenges, hopes, and visions. Let's listen for what we want to build, as we continue to practice safe physical distancing.
Mark the date to join Pastors Lauren, Rich, Yuki, and our leaders, as we are all ears, for your input & thoughts! Bring your tea, to visit beforehand, anytime from 6:15 pm, the space will be open. This is part of our practice to be in an open healthy feedback loop, when we wish we could just be chatting or offering a hand at the coffee hour table.
Supporting Nell and Her Family
Nell welcomes your prayers and messages at her CaringBridge site that her children Nathan and Teresa kindly set up for her. She is living at Nathan and Ruth's with their & Teresa's 24/7 care. All are welcome to add love day by day to this Caring Bridge site, or contact Nathan to see about a time to visit, that might also fit with home health or hospice workers times.
Send Nell messages at her CaringBridge site, and Teresa, Nathan, & Ruth lovingly read them to her.
The Pacific Northwest Conference's home for sharing timely news, analysis, & info on how we can be the conference is on GoogleGroups. If you'd like to become a member of the Google Group, send an email to Arlene pncucc@gmail.com. The Conference also shares news and information on its new Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/pacificnorthwestucc.
The United Church of Christ has a new initiative that they’re working on from now until November. It’s called Our Faith, Our Vote. There will be a series of interviews with public leaders about how their faith affects their work. This is the first interview of the series. Rev. Traci Blackmon will interview Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the first in a series of conversations with public leaders about how their faith informs their politics in this world. What does faith have to do with politics? And how does faith shape a view of the world that translates into policy and transforms the world. Come, listen, share, and learn, as these leaders speak of their own work and journey with faith into changing the world. Sandy Sorenson will also join the webinar to share ways everyone can become involved in the Our Faith/Our Vote Initiative.
Click here to register to watch this interview.
TONIGHT: Wednesday, July 8: Keystone Storytelling, 6:30 p.m. on Keystone Zoom. Continuing the theme: A Small Thing That Had a Big Influence on My Life. Email Pastor Rich to sign up to tell a story (206.632.6021. or keystone5019@gmail.com). Learn more about storytelling here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bo3dpVb5jw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgeh4xhSA2Q.
Tonight's storyteller: Charles Rudash.
Wednesday, July 15: Justice Bible Study, 6:30 p.m. on Keystone Zoom. We'll read the Bible and start making links between our justice solidarities and our sacred stories, one Bible chapter at at time. You don't have to read in advance to join this study. Email Pastor Yuki for more info, yuki.schwartz@keystoneseattle.org. Reading for July 15: Mark, Chapter 2.
Week of July 13: Common Power talks on US democracy, featuring David Domke. See topics and register to view these talks at https://commonpower.org/events.
Wednesday, July 22: Keystone Community Listening and Feedback session, 6:30-7:15 p.m. on Zoom. Let's talk about what the future of Keystone will look like under various phases of pandemic reopening, and hear from everyone how our online worship and connection is going for you!
Sunday, July 26: Drawdown Seattle Climate Solutions Conversation talk, featuring Rob Beem with the Movement Voter Project. 3 p.m. on Drawdown's Zoom. Sign up at their meetup page at https://www.meetup.com/SeattleClimateChange/events/qnxwtrybckbjc/ .
Tuesday, August 4: Keystone Green Team meeting, 6:30 p.m. on Keystone Zoom.
Lance - 7/17
Yuki Schwartz - 7/17
Alex Hamling- 7/26
Bri Little- 7/28
Archer Penick - 7/29
Catherine Sullivan - 7/29
Here's wishing them each the happiest of birthdays, from all of us at Keystone UCC! On the last Sunday of the month- we shall have cake at coffee hour (even on line cheer these days!)
Please let Barbara know additions/ omissions!
Keep an eye out here for upcoming Keystone Birthdays!
Reaching Keystone UCC Pastoral Staff:
Reach us at your Keystone church office: (206) 632-6021. This phone is also checked remotely since all staff serve part-time.
Pastor Rich is available Tuesday to Thursday mornings and Friday evenings, and holds additional office times on Saturdays and Sundays. (Sabbath = Mondays.) Not all of these times will Rich be in the church office. If you want to see him, it is best to make an appointment. Email him at keystone5019@gmail.com
Pastor Lauren is on Sunday thru Friday half days (Sabbath = Saturdays). Email is a great way to line up a meeting: lauren.cannon@keystoneseattle.org
Pastor Yuki (they/them) is at church two Sundays a month and is available to meet by appointment (Sabbath = Fridays). Email them at yuki.schwartz@keystoneseattle.org.
Give your gift to support Keystone and its many ministries, including the Sacred Heart Shelter, and the Solar Panel Fundraiser. Click the PayPal button below or send your check directly to Keystone. You can also donate through the Pacific Northwest Conference of the UCC at pncucc.org/donate.
Next deadline for Newsletter announcement submissions:
to Lauren & Yuki: Wednesday, July 15 @ Noon
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