What’s Going On
2024 Holiday Faire, Nov. 9
The members and friends of Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church are hard at work preparing for this year’s Holiday Faire, to be held Saturday, November 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Our home-made apple pies will fill the freezer. Our crafters have been knitting, crocheting, and sewing handmade treasures all year and this is your chance to scoop them up! Our bakers and soup makers are getting ready to fill our baked goods table and snack bar, so you’ll have plenty of tasty options if you get hungry while shopping. Our White Elephant and Book Sale tables will soon be groaning with treasures. Plus the jewelry table, Christmas Room, and cookie bar! We hope you’ll join us in kicking off the holiday season at this beloved community event.
Life Line Screening, Nov. 4
Life Line Screening will return to Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church on Monday, November 4th to provide screening for pre-registered attendees. To register, visit https://www.lifelinescreening.com/ or call 866-895-3370.
Life Line Screening is dedicated to providing screening events across the great state of Massachusetts. Having screened over 10 million people, including many in the Bay State, our local medical professionals are deeply connected to the communities they serve. They deliver top-tier ultrasound and diagnostic care to Massachusetts residents. Whether it’s a comprehensive test for heart disease and stroke risk or one of our other screenings, we’re close by and prepared to assist you on your wellness journey.
Meet Bishop Bickerton
On July 22, the Council of Bishops announced that as a result of the General Conference’s decision to reduce the number of active bishops from 39 to 32 in the United States, effective September 1, most US bishops will serve multiple annual conferences. (See the Council’s announcement here.)
The New England and New York conferences will remain separate conferences, but will be combined into a single episcopal area, led by Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton. Bishop Bickerton met with delegates from both conferences at the 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference which concluded on July 12. You can read a summary of that meeting here.
We welcome Bishop Bickerton and look forward to working with him in the years ahead.
UMCOR at work in VT
“Recovery from the floods that hit in July 2023 was still underway when rainfall from Hurricane Beryl on July 10-11, 2024 — exactly a year later — brought additional devastation. Many Vermonters were impacted for a second time. The New England Conference was awarded a $399,450 grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to support recovery work and provide direct assistance to survivors in the Northeast Kingdom.” Read more, here.
Porchfest: Saturday, June 8
Join us this Saturday, June 8, for Winchester Porchfest! Crawford Memorial UMC is happy to be one of many venues around town, hosting musical groups during this fun, family-friendly tradition in Winchester. Our lineup includes:
1:30 pm – Randall Kromm
3:00 pm – Stroke of Luck
4:30 pm – Windshield Cowboys
In the case of inclement weather, check the Porchfest website. They will post a message at 9:00 am Saturday with further instructions.
Peace w/Justice Sunday, 5/26
Peace with Justice Sunday is one of our denomination’s six special Sunday’s. Peace with Justice Sunday encourages United Methodists to participate in transforming the world and challenging injustice by calling on our leaders and elected officials to prioritize policies that support communities and reflect God’s economy of abundance and grace.
If you’d like to contribute to this special offering, you can give by cash or check in the offering plate on Sunday morning. If you’re not able to join us on Sunday morning, you cangive online or set up monthly giving at UMC.org/SSGive.
Half of the gifts from the Peace with Justice Sunday special offering stay with local ministries in this conference, and half support the work of Church and Society globally. Learn more here.
UMC General Conference
The postponed 2020 General Conference of the United Methodist church was successfully held April 23-May 3, 2024, in Raleigh, NC. Pastor Anne Robertson summarized many of the decisions made there in a sermon she delivered on Sunday, May 5 (read her sermon here) In addition, United Methodist Communications produced this video that includes brief interviews with conference delegates and information about the worship, work, and fellowship that happened at this year’s conference.
Personal Care Packages
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.
Dress for Success
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.
