This week's events and announcements at Beneficent Church! (Note: If you can't see the entire newsletter, click "View in Browser" at the top of the email.) Issue Date: June 24, 2021 Mea Culpa Beneficent community, my sincere apologies. I *just* realized that last week's e-newsletter (below) was never sent out. Not a technical glitch - this one was my error. I'm sorry if you missed any events or meetings due to not receiving this information earlier. Rest assured that this week's issue will, indeed, be sent out as scheduled on Thursday afternoon! Sunday Worship You are invited to join us for this Sunday's worship service starting at 10am, when Pastor Jermaine will kick off a four-week Summer Motown Sermon Series! If you are unable to attend, we will post a recording of the service on our YouTube channel ​ afterward. Download a PDF of the bulletin below. (It's also available on our website ​.) Click here to connect. Meeting ID: 594 289 087 Passcode: 1743 Call-in: 1-646-558-8656 ; when prompted for a Participant ID, press "#." When attending any of our services, review "Etiquette for Our Online Gatherings" below for important notes.​ Jun 27 2021 - ZOOM worship bulletin.pdf Download File Prayer Requests, Visitor Sign-In, Contact Staff Queer Vespers Service - Today Tonight at 7pm, join Rev. Gwen Howard for a weekly Queer Vespers service, an ecumenical worship service created by someone in the LGBTQ+ community for members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as allies and accomplices. The service usually runs for about half an hour and is followed by a social time. To join the service (or if you'd like more information, please contact: queer.vespers@gmail. com . Installation of Newly Elected Roster – This Sunday During worship this Sunday, June 27, all Beneficent members who were elected or re-elected to committee and leadership roles will be duly installed and commissioned for service. Please attend and show your support for their service to the community. Attention, new and returning committee and program leaders: there is a mandatory 2021-22 scheduling meeting on Sunday, July 25 following worship. At that time, we will review your committee’s planned activities for the new program year and add those to the church calendar. Note that: If you cannot attend personally, you should send a delegate from your group. You are expected to stay for the entire meeting in case there are date conflicts. For questions, please contact the Church Office at 401-537-8987 or [email protected] . July Issue of Our Monthly Newsletter In the latest issue of The People's Time - Beneficent's monthly newsletter - learn how to get a sneak preview of a new documentary on grassroots climate activism, and learn about a new annual Community Jamboree hosted by one of the New England Patriots. Also enjoy our regular features - words from Pastor Elizabeth, a variety of public service announcements for our community, a list of all Zoom gatherings for the month, and a printable calendar for your refrigerator. Download your copy today! Peoples Time_July 2021.pdf Download File Staff and Holiday Schedules Pastor Elizabeth is on vacation through Sunday, June 27, and from Tuesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 18. If you have an urgent pastoral concern during those times, please contact Pastor Jermaine at [email protected] or (401) 479-6960. The church staff will be unavailable next Monday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. For most Fridays through Labor Day (September 6), Office and Communications Manager Michele Adamo will not be available. If you need something urgently, please contact her via email ( [email protected] ) or cell phone (401-537-8987). “Outdoor Fun” Photo Contest for June Irene Hope and her granddaughter Carissa went strawberry-picking and take the prize this week in the Agape Committee's "Outdoor Fun" photo contest. (We wonder what they made with all those strawberries!) What do you like to do in the summer? Take a picture of yourself engaging in a favorite outdoor activity or hobby (gardening, going to the beach, making smores, hanging with your church friends), then email it to to Agape Committee chair Lynn Estrada ( [email protected] ). Be sure to include a short description so we can include it in our e-newsletter. (It might also appear on Facebook, so be sure everyone in the picture is okay with that.) The committee will choose the winning photos each week which will be published in the “Weekly Update.” The final winner will appear in the July 1 issue of “Weekly Update.” Mindfulness Training - Sign Up Now! Round Trip RI - Starts Next Week Have you ever wondered how long it would take to walk all the way around the Ocean State? Let’s find out! In July, the Agape Committee is sponsoring “Round Trip RI” – a walking challenge where you can walk the length of the state’s border. (For the record, it’s 160 miles…let’s be grateful we don’t live in California!) To participate, start your trek on or after July 1, walk/run at your own pace – whether outside, in your apartment building, on a treadmill, just about anywhere!. Then email your total each week to Agape Committee chair Lynn Estrada ( [email protected] ). If you walk outside, you can use a pedometer or smartphone to track your steps, or you can walk on a measured trail. If neither of those options is available to you, just count your steps and Lynn can calculate the miles walked for you. (Hint: one mile is about 2,000 steps.) We’ll post updates online for you to track everyone’s progress. Virtual UCC General Synod – July 11-18 The United Church of Christ General Synod Planning Team is inviting people across the wider church to bookmark the GS 33 website to learn more about the denomination’s first online biennial gathering. This website will provide a hub for all the information related to General Synod 2021. “We hope that members of the UCC and others interested in attending will visit the website and become aware and familiar with the offerings coming for this Special Edition General Synod,” said the event’s administrator, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson. “This is the first virtual Synod and we hope that the opportunity to be present, to learn more about the UCC and to be engaged in the life of the church will be of active interest to many in the UCC.”​ Safety During the Pandemic While the church is closed for all worship services, meetings, and events, a skeleton crew of staff and volunteers visit the church occasionally for brief periods to maintain the building, access records, and research specific financial matters - basically tasks needed to keep the business of the church moving. When it's necessary to visit the building, all visitors (including staff, volunteers, and visiting vendors) are required to wear face coverings at all times . And to assist in contact tracing (as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, Rhode Island Department of Health, and the National Institutes of Health), we have a sign-in log at the front door. Each visitor is required to sign in and sign out so we have an accurate record of who to contact in case of exposure to COVID-19. Those records will be kept until we have returned to the Meeting House. Need Something Posted? Have an event or gathering that you want us to post on our Facebook page ? While we try to make sure the big events are promoted on our page, we could use your help! If your group is hosting something that you'd like to have shared on our Facebook page, please email the details to [email protected] ​. Thank you! Reminders About Scheduling Meetings If you are the leader of a committee, group, or ministry team at Beneficent Church, please keep in mind these reminders when you are scheduling meetings and events: All gatherings are online only until we return for in-person worship (currently not expected until September 12, 2021). All online gatherings must be scheduled by contacting Office and Communications Manager Michele Adamo at (401) 537-8987 or ( [email protected] , or by leaving a message at 401-331-9844). Michele will schedule your gathering using one of the church's Zoom accounts and send you a link to forward to your participants. Beneficent gatherings should take place only on church-sponsored Zoom account. To make sure your members and participants are more likely to attend, kindly do not schedule your meeting or gathering in conflict with any other events already scheduled. (Refer to the online church calendar to confirm what is currently scheduled.) Note that worship and church services, standing meetings and rehearsals, and Christian Education programming all take priority, so no meetings or events should be scheduled when they are taking place. If you have any questions, please contact Michele Adamo or Pastor Elizabeth (401-479-9791 or [email protected] ). Zoom Events Please use the links below to join our upcoming gatherings. Review the "Etiquette for Our Online Gatherings" below. Committee Meetings ​ Church Re-Opening Subcommittee – Monday, June 28 – 5:30pm (Z1) Click here to connect. Meeting ID: 852 8164 4976 Passcode: 1743 Call-in: 1-646-558-8656 ; when prompted for a Participant ID, press "#." Marketing Task Force – Wednesday, June 30 – 8am (Z1) Click here to connect. Meeting ID: 890 9694 9517 Passcode: 1743 Call-in: 1-646-558-8656 ; when prompted for a Participant ID, press "#." Personnel Committee – Thursday, July 1 – 5:30pm (Z1) Click here to connect. Meeting ID: 889 3958 1004 Passcode: 1743 Call-in: 1-646-558-8656 ; when prompted for a Participant ID, press "#." Weekly Programs ​​​ Virtual Open Sanctuary – Wednesdays - 12pm: Join us online for a prayer, reflection and a guided meditation. Come when you can and leave when you must. Click here to connect. Meeting ID: 854 7644 6583​ Passcode: 1743 Call in: 1-929-205-6099;