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Special November Mission Opportunity
During the month of
November, we are going to combine several old faith customs, as we live into
our call to be thankful for what we have, and to share that with others. In
our chancel-area, we will have a succah, or small “booth” built in
observance of the Jewish holiday called Sukkoth (it may be pronounced either
Sue-COAT or SOOK-kaht). The holiday is also called the Festival of
Tabernacles, or the Festival of Booths.
In the Jewish tradition,
this holiday commemorates the years in which the Israelite people, newly
freed from captivity in Egypt, wandered through the wilderness, seeking
their new homeland. As they wandered, they built temporary shelters, or
sukkoth (that’s the plural), in which to live. In time, this also became a
harvest festival, celebrating abundance and God’s goodness to God’s people.
To celebrate the holiday
today, Jewish people build sukkoth (small booths) in their backyards or near
their homes, often decorating them with symbols of the season. In the
sukkoth, they eat their meals, enjoy family activities, and may sleep
overnight. The booths are built new every year, and have several special
features. The most important is the roof, or skakh, which gives its name to
the entire living space inside. The roof does not represent a limit, but
rather an invitation to go beyond oneself.
In our own faith
tradition, Mayflower historian Caleb Johnson believes that the first
Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims may have been drawn from the
tradition of Sukkoth. Thanksgiving was originally celebrated in October (the
time when the Jewish holiday normally falls), it was a harvest festival, and
it was a festival described in the Bible. As Johnson notes, it is unlikely
that the Pilgrims would have celebrated a holiday that was not biblical.
So, remembering our
Jewish faith roots and our Congregational (Pilgrim) forebears, we will be
remembering and celebrating harvest as a worship theme throughout November.
Everyone is encouraged to bring canned goods and other non-perishables each
week of the month, to place in our Sukkoth booth. At the end of the month,
everything we have collected will be donated to Catholic Outreach and/or
Community Food Bank, to help feed hungry people in our community. Let us all
go beyond ourselves — connecting with gratitude to the Source of all our
blessings, and reaching out to our sisters and brothers who are in need.
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Holy Land Alternative Tour
Jeff Wright, pastor at
Fort Collins’ Heart of the Rockies Christian Church, will host a tour to
Israel and Palestine January 18-28, 2008. An alternative tour includes
experiences of the “living stones” as well as the “holy stones.” In addition
to walking in the footsteps of Jesus and experiencing the holy sites of
Jerusalem, Galilee and Bethlehem, tour participants will visit with Global
Ministry mission patners and Jews, Muslims and Christians living in the Holy
Land to learn about the current religious, political and social environment
in the Middle East.
Jeff and his wife, Janet,
have been traveling to Israel and Palestine for several years now as
UCC/Disciples Board of Global Ministry’s short-term missionaries, working
with the East Jerusalem YMCA Rehabilitation Program in Beit Sahour, just
outside of Bethlehem.
For a copy of the tour
itinerary and more information, contact Jeff (wright@frii.com or
970/223-1230)======================
YOUR GIVING REPORT
Recently we set out or
mailed each member’s “Giving Statement” for the year--only through the first
part of September. If you did not receive yours or do not understand it,
feel free to contact me when I’m in the office (Mondays and Thursdays, 9 AM
TO 2 PM) and I will be glad to print another one for you.
Early in January 2008, we
will be providing final 2007 Giving Statements. If you plan to be living
elsewhere at that time, please give that address to Michelle so we can reach
you if you’ll be away from Grand Junction. Thanks.
Jim Lauer (#242-0298) |
