Church & Community News | August 14, 2025
- jessczerwin
- Aug 14
- 5 min read
FAITH AND ISSUES
On August 16, as we get started in this book, we will continue to reflect on The Great Search: Turning to Earth & Soul in the Quest for Healing & Home, by John Philip Newell, Introduction and Chapter 1 (Seeking Vision: Thomas Berry), pgs 1 – 31.
“Celtic wisdom is built on a strong bond with Earth. In the prophetic figures that Newell draws from, the Garden of Eden represents the inner garden of our souls and the outer garden of Earth, which are seen as essentially one. To live in relation to what is deepest in us is to live in relation to the ground from which we and all things have come. Where are we today, in relation to our true selves and the sacredness of Earth? And how are we to find our way home again?
This life-affirming, nourishing book contemplates these questions at a moment of great spiritual awakening, an era characterized by religious exile on a vast scale. We need a new sense of home spiritually, deeply rooted within ourselves and in our shared journey with each other and Earth.”
To join the discussion on Saturday, August 16, at 9:00 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 876 0561 2263
Join Us for Worship!
Join us this Sunday in worship as we welcome the Rev. C J Dates as our Worship Leader. We also welcome Kathy Wiegand as our guest musician.
To join our Zoom meeting:
To join our Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/914901831?pwd=SHREMGxvUnFWM3h4OVNRRGxwTmxTUT09
Meeting ID: 914 901 831
Passcode: 202339
To help families who wish to attend, we do provide childcare. Please contact Henrietta Jordan at 518-576-2079 or via email at hbjordan@trailmarker.org for more information or to have her plan for providing care to your child.
Announcements are to be announced during Announcements -- not during Prayers
At the beginning of our church service, the minister has time to read anyone’s announcements before we begin worship proper. If you have an announcement, just provide it in writing either to the church office so it could be put in the Thursday newsletter, or give it to the minister for that Sunday’s service to be read during announcements.
For many church members, our time of prayer is a very special part of being in our faith community. Reading announcements during prayer can be discounting to those making prayers. Please consider this and provide any announcements to either the church office or to the minister for reading.
Thank you for your understanding,
Fritz Sabbow, Moderator
Coffee Hour
We are in need of volunteers to sign up to provide coffee hour. Please sign up on the bulletin board near the kitchen.
Welcoming Diversity Inventory Discussion
Change of Date and Time
Tuesday, August 19th at 4:30pm via Zoom
This coming Tuesday, August 19th, at 4:30pm, Dr. Marjorie Purnine from the NY Conference of the UCC will be hosting a Zoom session to provide information about a Welcoming Diversity Inventory. This is part of the process for selecting a settled pastor as recommended by the Conference.
She will discuss the need to complete this inventory by each church member and will help us understand how this helps us in our discernment.
Please plan to join us either in the Sanctuary or via Zoom for this important discussion.
Here are the Zoom instructions:
Keene Valley Congregational Church is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Welcoming Diversity Inventory - Dr. Marjorie Purnine
Time: Aug 19, 2025 04:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 728 735 6530
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Coffee Hour
We are in need of volunteers to sign up to provide coffee hour. Please sign up on the bulletin board near the kitchen.
Reminder from the Office
Please remember, if you need the church space for a meeting, or need to briefly use any of the church items, it should be scheduled through the office first. There have been a few occasions when parts of the church have been double booked because this practice has not been followed.
We appreciate your understanding.
Tuesday Morning Book Group
The Tuesday morning book group is continuing an exploration of poems of spirit. We’ll be looking at poems that engage with Christianity through the centuries from a wide variety of perspectives, and we’ll also be reading a range of poems from other spiritual traditions and lenses. This will be a fun and reflective way to think about the intersection between spirituality and poetry and an opportunity for us to ask how we can leverage the poetic tradition, which captures spiritual wisdom, experiences and questions, in our own practices and faith communities.
If you would like to join, please email Kate Robinson (krobinson49@gmail.com) to receive the reading. Weekly meetings are Tuesday at 9am in the Van Santvoord Room.
The Joy of Friends and Community
Saturday evening's "When Women Were Birds" concert was truly a lovely evening. Celebrating 33 years as The Adirondack Harper, there were people in the audience from so many aspects of our life here in Keene, from the 34 years we've lived here. Friends since before we even arrived here, friends from the early days and over the years, more recent friends, friends from music, friends from our "neighborhood", friends from other areas of the Adirondacks, friends who had told me they would attend, friends who just showed up at the last minute, and friends who I don't know yet. Dinner at the Au Sable Inn with friends before the performance, the beautiful gift of roses from a friend for Dennis and I, a standing ovation and a number of beautiful emails afterwards from those who so enjoyed being there, plus the beauty of the full moon rising as we drove home added layer upon layer of magic on the evening. Deep thanks to to the Keene Valley Congregational Church UCC for the use of their beautiful space, that serves as a place of worship, a concert hall and a community gathering place and to North County Public Radio for being media sponsor for this event.
Consider the Possibility...
Music as Spiritual Practice Retreat | August 22-24
“Consider the possibility that a tiny chant, deeply owned and practiced, can bring more blessing into your life than you can possibly imagine. Why not give it a try? Why not begin to practice a heart’s song?” - Gunilla Norris, author
Join songwriter and spiritual journeyer Martha Gallagher for HeartSongs, a retreat centered on exploring, singing and creating mantras, chants and simple songs as spiritual practice. Aug. 22 - 24 at the Keene Valley Congregational Church UCC, the retreat includes Fri. evening 7 - 9 PM, Sat. 9 AM - 12 PM and Sunday 10 - 11 AM. The Sunday morning session is optional. Support for this retreat provided by KVCC and The Adirondack Center for Writing.
Details and registration: https://www.eventleaf.com/e/HeartSongs
Notes: Creation Justice Church
14 August 2025
SunDay is coming! https://sunday.earth/
Last Sunday Laurin led us through an important consideration of “kairos time” with reference to the future of the planet. If you were not there – please take the time to listen…
In chronological time, “SunDay” is set, sort of, for September 21. “Sort of” because there are surrounding sun celebration events on Sept 6, 20, 22 and 27. Therefore, “kairos time” would be more accurate
Do you knit or crochet or weave? On Saturday, September 20th, there are plans for a “solar relay” of a big sun tapestry from person to person - riding e-bikes, driving EVs, canoeing, etc. from Paul Smith’s to Saranac Lake to Lake Placid to Keene to North Hudson to Lake George …. ending in Albany, for the big Sun Day event on the 21st. There is talk of having a stop in Marcy Field…
For more information: katharine.preston@gmail.com
Church Photos
The church is looking to include photos of church happenings into a new website design. If you have any photos you’d like to share, please either email them or text them to Fritz at fsabbow@gmail.com or 518-572-5502.