by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 18, 2024 | Conversations
The theme of Earth Day, April 22, 2024, is Planet vs. Plastics. It seems like a good time, with warmer weather approaching, to remind people to carry reusable containers for water. If you need to purchase water bottled in plastic, please don’t leave them in a warm place and of course, recycle the used plastic. I am very grateful that I can still bend down and pick up discarded plastic, but I would be much happier if I didn’t have to. There are still a lot of discards on the ground. This is Winchester and a river runs through it and that river reaches the ocean eventually.
Now that Earth Day is upon us, maybe we can renew our efforts to recycle, try to use less plastic, walk more and pick up more. My mother used to say that “every day was mother’s day,” true and it is also true, that every day is Earth Day. We are so blessed with this gift of God’s good earth.
– Janet Herrmann
Ways to Reduce Use (and Abuse) of Single-Use Plastics
If you have ideas for ways to reduce our use and abuse of plastics, let us know here, and we’ll add them to this list!
Refill shops (also known as zero waste stores)
These usually small, independently owned shops provide items commonly used in most households (dish soap, laundry detergents, shampoo, conditioner, and more). Customers bring their own containers which are weighed before and after filling, so they only pay for the product. I made the switch to my local refill shop’s shampoo and conditioner a couple of years ago, and love the products. Another thing I purchase from my refill shop is foaming hand soap refill tablets. While you can buy a stylish new bottle with a supply of tablets on Amazon, I simply use the refill tablets in my Method foaming hand soap dispenser. If you’re local to Winchester, here are two nearby refill shops to check out:
Wherever you are, Google “refill shops near me” to find your local shops.
– Stacey H.
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 14, 2024 | Sermons
Last week we looked at the sacrament of Holy Communion and why John Wesley called it a “Means of Grace.” He gave that label to baptism, too, so this week we’ll look at the various ways that Christians baptize, and what it means for us when we do it the way we do.
— Pastor Anne
Watch or Read
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 7, 2024 | Sermons
While still under the year’s umbrella of “A Time for Choosing,” we’re going to be spending the spring taking a closer look at Methodism. At the end of April, the General Conference of our denomination is going to be making some enormous choices of its own; and it will be all over the news. Many of our members (including me!) came from other denominations or from no church background at all; so, it seemed like a good time for a refresher about why United Methodists do things the way we do them and how those are either like or unlike other Christian churches. Since this is a communion Sunday, we’ll start with that, and what Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, meant by the phrase, “Means of Grace.” See you Sunday!
— Pastor Anne
Watch or Read
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 2, 2024 | News
Over the winter we collected blankets and pillows for the refugees being homed at Logan Airport before being moved into shelters. They are transported daily by Massport to local churches and shelters to shower, but they need to bring with them toiletries which are not readily available. Our children and youth are now making care packages for as many of these people as possible. We delivered 200 care packages at the end of April, and have extended our collection of travel sized toiletries (shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes & toothpaste, etc.) and personal products (tampons & pads, diapers, baby food, etc.) through the month of May. If you have items to contribute, please bring them to church with you and leave them in the bin in our lobby. If you have any questions or would like to drop off outside of regular church hours, please contact us via the contact page on our website.
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 2, 2024 | News
Dress for Success‘ mission is to “empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools to help them thrive in work and in life.” This April we will collect gently used, nearly-new professional attire for their clients. Look for clothing racks outside of Gifford Hall, where you can hang your donations. (There will also be bins for shoes, handbags, etc.) If you have any questions about the collection or what Dress for Success does, contact us in the church office or via our contact page.
