What’s Going On

Winchester Porchfest return to Crawford Memorial UMC on Saturday, June 13!  We are happy to be one of many venues around town, hosting musical groups during this fun, family-friendly tradition in Winchester. Bring a lawn chair or grab a seat at one of our picnic tables and join us under the tent to enjoy musical acts starting at 1:00pm:

1:00: Philip Corcoran and the Ash Street Cowboys, class country and pop from 1950s-80s

2:00: Chuck Foley’s Blues All In My Head, blues in the Mississippi Delta and Hill Country traditions

3:00: Our neighbor and return performer, Randall Kromm, singer-songwriter

4:00 Standard Deviation, featuring our own Kathryn Frisoli on vocals! 

Porchfest Organizers have set a rain date of Sunday June 14. In the event of inclement weather, check the Porchfest website (https://porchfest.win/) for information.

Crawford Memorial UMC is serving as a collection site for used printer toner/ink cartridges, in support of Protect Global Children, a local 501c3 charity that helps vulnerable global populations with urgent humanitarian relief.

There is a plastic bin on the front steps of the church where you can place your empty cartridges. The bin will remain there until May 31. The empty cartridges will be purchased by one or more companies that refill and resell them. The proceeds from this fundraiser will help support the meaningful work of Protect Global Children. In addition to raising funds, this keeps the cartridges out of the land fill!

If you have any questions, please speak to BonnieJean, or leave a message for her in the church office (office@crawfordumc.org or 781-729-5056).

AT-A-GLANCE:
Palm Sunday, March 29: Parade at 9:00am | Service at 10:00am
Maundy Thursday, April 2: Service at 7:00pm
Easter, April 5: Sunrise Service 6:30am | Family Service 10:00am

Palm Sunday, March 29, 9:00 a.m. parade and 10:00 a.m. worship service
On Palm Sunday we’ll again celebrate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem with a New Orleans brass and percussion ensemble, starting with our annual parade around the neighborhood. (Gather at 9:00 to join us in the parade.) The musicians will stay for the service and join the choir in a selection from Handel’s Messiah.

Maundy Thursday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.
During this somber service, we partake in Holy Communion as Jesus did with his disciples, and we remember Christ’s betrayal, trial, and crucifixion through a series of scripture readings and hymns, while slowly extinguishing the light in our sanctuary. When we leave, in darkness, we do so with the hope for Christ’s triumphant return on Easter morning

Easter Sunrise Service MOVED TO CRAWFORD’S FRONT STEPS, April 5, 6:30 a.m.
Join us if you’re able on Crawford’s front steps where we will celebrate Christ’s Resurrection with a service of Holy Communion and a few well-known hymns. If the weather is uncooperative, we will move inside. Please join us after the service for a light breakfast in Gifford Hall.

Easter Service at Crawford, April 5, 10:00 a.m.
For Easter, a brass quartet will help us sound the Resurrection in collaboration with the Chancel Choir, including an open-sing of the Hallelujah Chorus! This service will be followed by Easter games and goodies in Gifford Hall for all children in attendance.

In spite of significant snowfall on Saturday, February 7, Crawford’s annual Chili Cook-Off, held that evening, raised thousands of dollars for New England Justice For Our Neighbors, an organization that provides free, expert legal aid to Massachusetts immigrants seeking humanitarian-based visas.

Thank you to all of our volunteers and chili cook-off contestants, congratulations to the winners, and a BIG thank you to the Network for Social Justice and IndivisibleWIN for organizing a walk that ended at Crawford and helped make this year’s turnout and fundraising total our best ever!

This January and February at Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church in Winchester, the Rev. Dr. Rand Peabody will present a six-sermon series titled “Pathways of Epiphany.” You won’t want to miss a single Sunday morning at Crawford during this Epiphany Season!

 On January 4th, we begin with a fascinating look at the mysterious “Star of Bethlehem” that prompted the journey of the Magi.  See the sermon video, HERE.

On January 11th, we will walk with the Lord upward from His baptism in the Jordan River to the rocky ground of the Mount of Temptation. And as He Himself would surely have us do, we will consider the meaning of these great events for ourselves. See a video of this sermon, HERE.

Then, on January 18th, we will travel with Jesus to his hometown of Nazareth, where He reveals himself as Messiah, only to meet near-fatal opposition. It is a fitting focus for a Sunday that heralds our national observance of the prophetic legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. See the sermon video, HERE.

 On January 25th, we will walk by the Sea of Galilee, where the Lord calls upon His first disciples to take up their vibrant new vocation of being “fishers of people.” And we will encounter another stirring example of discipleship that occurred in more recent times, as well. Watch the sermon video, HERE.

Rev. Michael Reed, Executive Director of Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light will return to Crawford on February 1 to lead us in worship and preside over Holy Communion.

Picking back up on February 8th, we will trace the footsteps of the apostle John as he follows the Master throughout his ministry on a path that led him onward to the Upper Room and the great events beyond. See the sermon video, HERE.

Finally, on February 15th, our series concludes with a trek to the summit of the Mount of Transfiguration, as we consider what our own “pathways of Epiphany” may be, leading us onward in mission, ministry, and healthy churchmanship. See Rand’s concluding sermon, HERE.