Dear Friends,

It was a wonderful day at The Church of the Pilgrimage last Sunday. The power went off at the end of the choir's first anthem, but that didn't ruin the spirit of the day. One of the highlights of the morning was the reception of fourteen new members into the life of our congregation. The new members are from several church backgrounds and we are pleased that they have found our congregation a place in which they have opted to continue their spiritual pilgrimage.

I know the Membership and Evangelism Committee has been thanked for providing a tea to welcome our new members, but I want to thank the committee again within the context of this letter. I liked the opportunity which was provided in that informal and friendly setting for the new members to introduce themselves. They are an interesting group of people and hope they'll soon be assimilated into the active life of the church.

This Sunday is the first in the season of Lent. The meaning of Lent is varied for those who make up our congregation. Many of our newer members come into our church and The United Church of Christ from traditions in which Lent is a solemn season of penance and fasting, though fasting has not been emphasized with the intensity it once was in most Christian traditions. Still, it is a forty day period, excluding Sundays, in which the focus is on penance, self-reflection and the contemplation of our sin and short-comings.

During my own spiritual journey I have been enriched by Christian traditions which have placed emphasis upon Lenten themes which were not a vital part of my own spiritual pilgrimage in the so-called "free church" tradition. There are many in our church and in The United Church of Christ who have much to offer us in terms of the positive aspects of spiritual growth as we together concentrate on the central and redeeming themes of our faith.

Surely, we can all be enriched by paying attention to our need for penance. I recall that Martin Luther had hoped to keep penance as a sacrament. He just couldn't find scriptural evidence for more than the two sacraments based upon the commandments of Jesus. Yet, Luther, and many other expressions of Christian life, have retained for all the church the need to focus upon our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Such a focus may lead us to experience anew the redemption which we find in Christ.

In Lent we seek to follow Jesus who is our model for the Lenten pilgrimage in the forty days he spend facing the powers of evil and the temptations which can demean or even make an ultimate claim upon our lives. Let us follow Jesus all the way to Good Friday. Easter can't mean what it should unless we are aware of the snares of evil for which Easter is God's victory over them.

Deacon In Charge: Janice Lee

Flowers: In loving memory of Steven Emerson Rogers. Given by his parents and sisters.

The Board of Trustees will meet every other week. Please let Debby Porter know if you need to be placed on the agenda.

Committee Chairs should see David Kegel or Debby Porter after church to receive the budget timeline sheet.

REMINDER: This Sunday we will have our Children's Worship Service. Parents, please bring your children (pre-school through 8th grade) to the Church House instead of the sanctuary at 10 a.m. The service will include communion served by our Confirmands.

Wednesday night Soup Supper and Vespers series: Starting this Wednesday, March 8th, and continuing through April 5th, we will be offering a wonderful opportunity for good food, delightful fellowship, and powerful worship during the season of Lent. It all begins at 6:00p.m. with a simple soup supper lovingly prepared by one of our Boards of Committees followed by Vespers at 6:45p.m. Vespers is a term for a prayer service held in the early part of the evening; the word "vespers" comes from the Middle English and Latin words for the evening star. Our Lenten Vespers service will include sung prayers from the Taiz? community in France. Taiz? songs consist of one or two sentence prayers set to simple and easy to sing melodies. This music then becomes a form of centering, meditative prayer. Have you ever had difficulty concentrating while praying because your mind kept wandering? Come and worship with us during Lent and experience a form of prayer that both captivates your attention and opens the door to God. We hope to see you there!

Appointments: Steve Triffletti, moderator, has appointed Tom Mudgett to the Advisory board to fill an unexpired term due to resignation.

Daffodil Sunday: Daffodil Sunday will be on March 26th. Those who ordered bunches of daffodils may pick them up (on the honor system) after the church service. Thank you for supporting the American Cancer Society!

New Member Tea: We wish to thank the Membership and Evangelism Committee for providing a lovely Tea for our new members. It was an event which was well received by all who attended, and the new members appreciated the welcoming gesture.

At the Tea our new members shared some of their previous faith pilgrimage and reasons they were attracted to The Church of the Pilgrimage. Photographs of the new members are posted on the Membership and Evangelism bulletin board in Allerton Hall.

Stewardship Campaign: Please remember to give prayerful consideration to your pledge to The Church of the Pilgrimage for 2006-2007. The Stewardship Campaign will get underway on March 5th. The church needs your generous support. One of the predominant themes of our campaign this year is that stewardship is very much an expression of our faith. The Stewardship Committee has not only been hard at work, it has itself been on a spiritual journey and has shown a growing faith experience and confidence in the mission of The Church of the Pilgrimage and the wider church.

Lent: Lenten devotional booklets are available in the upper vestibule of the church building. A donation of $1.00 will help defray the cost of the booklets. Lenten daily readings from the Bible are also available for your Lenten preparation.

Nominating Committee Meeting: There will be a meeting of the Nominating Committee on Monday, March 13th at 7pm in the Church House Conference Room.

Time & Talent Auction/Dinner-Sat,.March 25th 6pm
Only 3 weeks left to sign up for the delicious beef stew dinner ($8/adult, $4/child, max. $20/family). We've begun to get some great time and talent donations: cookies, dinner, tutoring, weekend getaway, chimney cleaning, wedding singer, tortellini. Share your talent. Fill out a donation form in Allerton Hall after church, and plan to come for the bargains, the food, and the fun on the 25th. See you there! -Judy Mitchell 508-746-3959.

MISSIONS AND OUTREACH NEWS-
Next Meeting: The next Missions and Outreach Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 2nd at 6:30pm at the home of Meg Bross.
The Food Warehouse: For our weekly collection of non-perishables, we need: canned ham, tuna or chicken, cereal, pasta, canned fruit, peanut butter, jelly, jam, mayonnaise and ketchup. THANK YOU!
The Plymouth Taskforce for the Homeless, an interfaith non-profit organization sheltering the homeless in church homes and at the Next Step House on Court Street seeks a new representative from The Church of the Pilgrimage. Volunteers to the Overnights of Hospitality Program serving as chaperones and meal providers have been the lifeblood of this successful outreach. If you would like to be the link between our church and this vital program, please see a member of the Missions Committee.

March 26th: One Great Hour of Sharing special offering.

Dan's Ordination: Dan Spacek has, as most of you know, been approved for ordination following his call to our U.C.C. church in Sandwich. The date for his service of ordination has been set for March 12, 2006 at 4:00pm in Nashua, New Hampshire. In conjunction with the Sandwich church we have chartered a bus that will pick up and drop off at exit 5 in Plymouth (we will contact you with details). We only have five seats remaining on the bus. If you are interested in taking the bus the cost is $20. Please call the church office as soon as possible.

Thank You From Our Secretary, Shellie: Thank you to Rev. Heather and the confirmation class for the wonderful chicken soup delivered when I was sick. It was the perfect thing to eat and better yet...I didn't have to cook.

Women's Fellowship: The Pilgrimage Women's Fellowship invites all women of the church for an evening our on Monday, March 6 at 7pm in Allerton Hall. After a brief business meeting, Reverend Heather will be leading a program on creating a prayer toolkit. And the refreshments are not to be missed. Come out and join us and bring a friend. Rides are available: call Jenny (508)747-7168 or Marna (781)826-2543.

Calling All Golfers! And anyone else who loves a good time! The Golf Tournament is up and running, but we need your help! Please contact Jon Porter, 746-4109, if you are interested in working on the Golf Tournament Committee. All ages are welcome!